Bill Jones

Jill and Frank Holzaepfel hold hands while listening to the Rev. Michael Stein.

St. Paul’s Lutheran’s faithful worship in outdoor service after fire claimed historic church near Beecher

September 27, 2021 at 8:40 a.m.

The faithful of St. Paul's Lutheran Church near Beecher gathered Sunday despite having no structure in which to congregate. The Rev. Michael Stein led a group of roughly 75 members...

Detective who harnessed genealogy to crack cold case of Stickney area newborn twin deaths named Officer of the Year

September 27, 2021 at 11:38 a.m.

Dedicated. Reliable. Intelligent. Those are just a few of the key traits that make Cook County sheriff's police detective Ginny Georgantas special, said Sean Gleason, deputy chief of investigations. "She...

During the zombie apocalypse, it is important that one not get lost. Plum Creek Nature Center is helping visitors by making sure they find the correct door.

Zombies shamble into Plum Creek Nature Center to feed brains with emergency preparedness info

September 23, 2021 at 1:32 p.m.

Zombies have taken over the Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township, but visitors need not worry. The undead are there for a good cause. The Forest Preserve District of...

Midewin’s Hotshots looking for those ‘ready for anything,’ from fighting forest fires to responding to tornadoes, to trail management

September 21, 2021 at 1:31 p.m.

The United States Forest Service just wrapped up a recruiting effort for temporary help with fighting wildfires, including Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington. And permanent positions are likely to...

Parishioners arrive to view the charred remains of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Beecher on Sept. 20, 2021.

Fire destroys historic church during Oktoberfest in south suburban Beecher: ‘It’s just irreplaceable’

September 21, 2021 at 10:01 a.m.

If the Rev. Michael Stein has one message for his congregation in the wake of a devastating fire that claimed the historic St. Paul's Lutheran Church near Beecher on Sunday...

Betty Stellwagen Maue leads a tour inside the dairy barn on the Stellwagen Family Farm, where she grew up as one of the seven children of Harwood Stellwagen.

Stellwagen farm carries not only family legacy but one representative of Orland Park’s history

September 20, 2021 at 11:28 a.m.

Today, the Stellwagen Family Farm is a 60-acre rural oasis amid the suburbia that has cropped up all around the Orland Park historical site. But Betty Stellwagen Maue remembers when...

‘I couldn’t let my daughter see me chicken out’: Dad ends up in starring role after accompanying daughter to Beverly Arts Center audition

September 18, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

Melody Baynes is only 9 years old but has been on stage regularly for roughly 6 of them. She was on a roll with 15 acting performances under her belt...

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