Suburban Chicagoland Features & Opinion on local and regional news you won't find anywhere else Registration will open on May 9 for two programs designed to help young children and teenagers learn about the role of Fire Fights The two programs include the Kids Fire and Life Safety Camp where children aged 8 to 12 years old learn procedures and warning signs on how to deal with fires and fire safety the Junior Cadet Academy is for teenagers aged 13 to 17 who are instructed on the life of a firefighter They are very popular and fill up quickly so registration on May 9 is encouraged The programs are only for residents of the Orland Fire Protection District can participate The Kids Fire and Life Safety Camp will be held on June 25 2025 from 9 AM to 2:30 PM at the Orland Fire Training Center The Junior Cadet Academy will be held on June 26 2025 also at the Orland Fire Training Center at 10728 W You can register on May 9 by visiting the Orland Fire Protection District website at www.OrlandFire.org You must be logged in to post a comment Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group The Fiscal Voices for Fire Safety candidates will be sworn in to their seats as Trustees of the Orland Fire Protection District at a special meeting of the Fire District on Monday Taking the oath of office for Trustee will be Beth Damas Kaspar OFPD Commissioner Donald “DJ” Jeffers will be sworn in as a Trustee Former Palos Heights Police CSO Bridget Eileen Tolan will be sworn in as a Trustee Damas Kaspar and Jeffers will be sworn in to six-year seats Tolan will be sworn in for a two-year term Jeffers and Tolan will succeed former OFPD Trustees John Brudnak and Jayne Schirmacher who retired with honors from their Trustee positions and Tolan won the confidence of the District’s voters in a landslide election on April 1 defeating two slates that were backed by former Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau and Township Supervisor Paul O’Grady The three successful Fire District Trustee candidates promised to prevent a takeover or merger of the Fire District by local politicians and activists who sought to control it and to continue to keep politics out of the Fire District which is one of the nation’s top-performing Fire Districts The OFPD enjoys the highest “Cardiac Arrest Save Rate” of 71 percent compared to a national average of only 10-15 percent and has the best-trained and performing Firefighters in the nation Damas Kaspar has a distinguished career in healthcare Damas Kaspar brings a unique blend of leadership She served both as a Fire Commissioner and Trustee and has demonstrated an ability to make thoughtful decisions that prioritize public safety and fiscal responsibility As a highly accomplished healthcare professional Damas Kaspar holds advanced degrees in dentistry and endodontics and serves as a consultant for Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago she is a proud wife and mother of two children Jeffers has served as a Commissioner on the Orland Fire Protection District since 2023 He is a successful small business owner/operator who graduated from Saint Xavier University with a B.A His education also includes graduating from Marist High School Jeffers is a lifelong Beverly/Orland Park Resident Tolan is the Founder and CEO of Loch Alainn Construction and heads the John Tolan Foundation Charitable Fund She is a former Palos Heights Police Department Community Service Officer (CSO) who worked alongside First Responders for many years Damas Kaspar will be sworn in to office by retiring OFPD Board Chairman John Brudnak Jeffers will be sworn into office by Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings Tolan will be sworn into office by Senator Michael Hastings For more information on the Orland Fire Protection District, visit www.OrlandFire.org You must be logged in to post a comment 2025 at 2:19 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}An 18-year-old Orland Park man was killed Saturday afternoon in a multi-vehicle crash involving two motorcycles and a car IL — An 18-year-old Orland Park man was killed Saturday afternoon in a multi-vehicle crash involving two motorcycles and a car was southbound on 94th Avenue in the 15400 block around 3:45 p.m. when his motorcycle struck a car that had pulled out from a driveway to cross southbound lanes and turn northbound according to Orland Park Police Commander Scott Lefko A second motorcyclist lost control of his vehicle to avoid contact according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office The second motorcyclist was injured and taken to Northwestern Memorial Palos Hospital Traffic citations were issued; no criminal charges are anticipated Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. 2025 at 10:00 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}A brush fire burned five acres in Orland Park Thursday afternoon (Courtesy Orland Fire Protection District)ORLAND PARK IL — A brush fire burned for two hours and torched five acres before being brought under control Thursday afternoon the Orland Fire Protection District responded to the reported grass fire on the 11900 block of Bates Court First arriving crews found a large field and wetland fire in the grassland area behind Bates Court The response was upgraded to a full still brush fire response and Lockport Fire worked for more than two hours to bring the fire under control Efforts were complicated by difficult marshy conditions and limited access to the burn area The fire was successfully extinguished with no property loss to surrounding homes No injuries were reported by civilians or fire personnel 2025 at 11:03 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Mari Lou's Fine Jewelry in Orland Park will soon close after more than 40 years in business (Courtesy of Mari Lou's Fine Jewelry)ORLAND PARK IL — A beloved Orland Park jewelry store has lost its lease and will close after more than four decades in business A closing sale is on now at Mari Lou's Fine Jewelry with prices storewide discounted 70 percent on items including gold Founder Mari Lou McCann started the business in 1979 with daughter Diana Butcher and son Donald joining her in the early 1990s in Lakeview Plaza Butcher became the second-generation owner of the business in 2015 when they designed and built a new store at Orland Park Crossing Butcher said Mari Lou's became known for "exceeding customers expectations in service "It has been an incredible honor to serve our clients from special events to meaningful milestones we will always be deeply grateful for the relationships we’ve built along the way and for the trust our clients have placed in us over the years,” Butcher said The business has also been closely involved in the community since its inception supporting organizations like the Crisis Center for South Suburbia Butcher said she remains optimistic about the new chapter and would like to assure clients that their team is "exploring new opportunities to continue to serve them in innovative and meaningful ways." The store's final day of business will be in early-May We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription Your current subscription does not provide access to this content Please use the button below to manage your account or sign up for a new account to continue reading no promotional deals were found matching that code The Orland Church of the Nazarene looks east on S.R With the arrest of its pastor for alleged child molesting and declining membership the Northeast District of the Church of the Nazarene closed the church The sign reads “GETTING ON WITH LIFE” at the Orland Church of the Nazarne in Orland was arrested on five child molesting counts on Monday He remains in jail in lieu of $200,000 bail ANGOLA — An newly retired Orland pastor has been arrested on five counts of child molesting stemming from incidents that occurred allegedly starting on May 7 was arrested on Monday after apparently presiding over his final service or services on Sunday based on documents filed in Steuben Superior Court The incidents allegedly occurred with a girl that was 5 years old and is 6 now The offenses allegedly occurred between Jan pastor of the Orland Church of the Nazarene for some 40 years is facing three charges of Level 1 felony child molesting and two counts of Level 4 felony child molesting The incidents came to light earlier this month after certain behavior was displayed by the victim to her parents The parents of the victim confronted Strong and recorded him in an interview The father of the victim eventually took the matter to the Indiana State Police Strong allegedly said the touching was accidental and he tried to blame the child for the incidents In the probable cause affidavit filed in court “you don’t unintentionally touch a kid’s vagina.” Strong then said he should have told the girl’s parents but “he did not want her to get into trouble twice,” court records said “(The mother) confronted him by saying that she can’t understand this because she is 5 years old and it sounds as if he is blaming their daughter for something he did.” The court document went on about that interview saying “Rodger then stated that ‘If you want me to say I did In an interview with Indiana State Police Detective Matthew Teusch “I explained to him that kids can tell lies but nothing like one with great detail like this I advised him kids do not make up big lies like this and could never have kept the details straight over this long period of time,” Teusch wrote in Strong’s charging document after Teusch asked to call on his faith to help in providing answers Strong admitted to touching the girl five times including three that involved vaginal penetration He advises me that he really is not a bad person I told him that I don’t think he is a bad person but he is one that has made some bad mistakes He agreed and stated that he will probably serve 20 years for it,” Teusch’s filing document said Strong faces 20-50 years in prison for the three Level 1 felonies and 2-12 years for the two Level 4 felonies If he is sentenced to serve the time consecutively and at the maximum allowed under Indiana law Strong is looking at up to 174 years in prison The Level 1 felonies are enhanced to a maximum of 50 years because the person who allegedly committed the offense was older than 21 and the alleged victim was younger than 12 Strong was interviewed by Teusch on March 7 at the Huntington Police Department In that interview Strong told Teusch he was going to announce his retirement from the pulpit on Sunday then his final service would be on this past Sunday A warrant for his arrest was issued on Monday and Strong was arrested that afternoon That his arrest came just a day after leaving the church was purely a coincidence Had paperwork in the case been completed sooner During his initial hearing was held on Tuesday before Magistrate James Burns A pretrial conference will be held on May 5 and Strong’s jury trial is set to begin Sept Public defender Thomas Essex has been appointed to defend Strong There was talk that the Orland Church of the Nazarene has closed in light of Strong’s arrest but officials with Orland town government were not able to confirm that Information was also sought from the North Eastern Indiana District Church of the Nazarene but there was no response to a call and an email asking for comment Email notifications are only sent once a day We're always interested in hearing about news in our community Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 2025 at 5:49 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Jennifer May is running for Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees in the April 1 (Courtesy of Wehmeier Portraits)ORLAND PARK IL — The consolidated election is set for April 1 and some new faces could be joining the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees Running for the six-year seats are incumbent Beth Damas Kaspar incumbent Commissioner Donald "DJ" Jeffers and Bridget Tolan on the Fiscal Voices for Fire Safety Slate Protecting & Supporting Orland Fire are Danielle Dorsey Both Tolan and May are seeking the unexpired seat A third slate also has two candidates—Mark Mitchell and Paris Stirrat—running for the six-year seats and answers are now published in candidate profiles Together, Protecting & Supporting on Facebook Does anyone in your family work in politics or government This includes any relatives who work in the government you're running for Registered Nurse for 25 years currently working at a local University of Chicago Same Day Surgery Center Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: The most pressing issues facing our board are _______ and this is what I intend to do about them.* It seems there has been recent confusion among residents regarding rumors of a merger with neighboring Fire Departments and we can confirm that no such merger is being considered confirmed these rumors are unfounded at our last Board meeting It is our intention that Orland Fire Protection District continue to provide the exemplary services our community has come to rely on What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post Christian Barcelona and I are proud to be the only candidates fully endorsed by the Orland Firefighters and Dispatchers and we will establish and open discourse by listening to their concerns and ensuring their needs are met in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency) I would never venture to comment the current board has failed but it is my opinion that our department is one of the BEST in the nation and would hope to continue to maintain that status Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform It is my belief that my 20 + year background as an Emergency / Trauma Nurse provides a unique lens in Emergency Management Services and it is my intention to bring that knowledge to the table I'm familiar with the trying circumstances they can be faced with upon entering a home of a person in critical condition not to mention the harrowing situations they are faced with and can potentially be life threatening It is my top priority to support our Heroes by listening to their concerns and needs in order to continue to ensure they have the tools they need to provide the absolute best service to which we are accustomed What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job As a proud graduate of the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana enjoying a successful 25 year career as a Nurse a local Mechanical Engineer and Maggie May I am deeply committed to and have the time to focus on our wonderful community and the safety of our residents I have no political affiliation and would simply like to give back to the community what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success To continue investment in resources and technology so our Orland Park Fire Protection District can continue to receive the most advanced training to accommodate our community's growing needs government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking Fiscal accountability by being a good steward of taxpayer dollars through transparency will remain a top priority while maintaining the highest level of service Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions I have volunteered for local charities providing support to families struggling with debilitating health conditions as well as financial difficulties and now volunteer at my current position at University of Chicago Same Day surgery as Wellness Champion providing fellow employees with health and wellbeing guidance 2025 at 11:43 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Voters decide who gets seats on the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees IL — Voters have weighed in on those jockeying for seats on the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees with an incumbent trustee keeping her seat A current commissioner with the fire district will also take a seat The Fiscal Voices for Fire Safety slate topped the contentious race—with incumbent trustee Beth Damas Kaspar incumbent Commissioner Donald "DJ" Jeffers and candidate Bridget Tolan—taking the two six-year seats and unexpired two-year seat Results are unofficial until certified by county clerks Protecting & Supporting Orland Fire were Danielle Dorsey Both Tolan and May sought the unexpired seat A third slate also had two candidates—Mark Mitchell and Paris Stirrat—running for the six-year seats and candidate Steven Troglio reaching for the unexpired one Patch provided a questionnaire to candidates Their responses have been published in candidate profiles Rumors of a merger of Orland Park and Tinley Park fire agencies have heavily politicized pursuit of the fire district's trustee seats Protecting and Supporting Orland Fire slate is publicly endorsed by Orland Professional Firefighters Local 2754 Fiscal Voices for Safety claim to be the sole slate against the proposed merger issuing campaign rhetoric and robocalls saying such—but Together & Supporting Orland Fire have rebuked that statement Fiscal Voices for Safety allege that plans for a merger originated within the local firefighters union; leadership there says they were drafted by Schofield and shared with them for consideration Read Orland Park Patch's coverage of the consolidation rumors 2025 at 4:42 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Jim Dodge and his Orland Park For All slate celebrate at Blissful Banana Café Tuesday night (Courtesy Orland Park For All)ORLAND PARK The Election Night exchange between incumbent Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau and newly elected mayor Jim Dodge was brief and civil—quite the antithesis of a campaign season fraught with robocalls Tuesday's numbers show former village clerk and trustee Dodge had thumped Pekau with Dodge securing 8,916 votes to Pekau's 6,701 in Cook County precincts Gathered with supporters at Blissful Banana Café Dodge watched his Orland Park For All slate sweep Pekau's People Over Politics with the former locking in trustee candidates Dina M Dodge declared victory for himself and the slate as a whole Nearly simultaneously as the Orland Park For All press release went out Reflecting on the race and looking forward to next steps Dodge on Wednesday said he'd known what he was getting himself into running against Pekau—but maybe "A lot of the things that were said were literally distortions and outright lies," Dodge said Wednesday You assume it will be distorted and unfair but you don’t know the exact nature of what will be said." At his own gathering at Papa Joe's in Orland Park Tuesday night, Pekau was a man of more words. He told supporters, he "got shellacked," The Regional News reports He also took what could be interpreted as a parting shot saying he doesn't "recognize the voter in Orland Park anymore," and "People don’t get the government they want "Once we all get sworn in and we get everybody on the team updated and briefed we’re going to be very aggressive about making sure we understand exactly what the true financial condition of the village is," he said He's referencing the delinquent audits that made headlines in fall 2024. That, along with contentious exchanges with residents, sparked something in voters obviously the incumbent's performance in office was a factor," Casper said and behavior toward residents led to a desire for change." Dodge said he wants residents and Village employees alike to know that's something they can expect to change "We'll be making sure that we signal a clear message to the people working at the Village "We have a very different approach to leadership and management We’re going to address some of the toxicity of the work environment." In his candidate questionnaire, he noted that residents want to see a shift in tone "This is what we hear from Orland Park residents: Focus on us," he wrote "We want to feel safe at home in Orland Park He'll strive to get back to a less politically-charged way of doing things "I want to bring back the spirit of service to and focus on the residents and restore non-partisan leadership to the Village Board," he wrote in his questionnaire he said he'll remind Village employees of that same goal "Make sure employees recognize they’re there to deliver high level services to the community," he said He'll focus on the platform that helped secure him the win "Immediately start working on staffing levels work conditions for the police department," he said "We're going to establish ways for the people of Orland Park to let us know and have a say on their spending priorities," he said He mentioned Centennial Park West—a $12 million event and concert venue he's not sure many residents even wanted "We’re just not going to do stuff like that anymore—the resources that Orland has meaning tax dollars—that they’re not aligned with what residents want," he said Dodge is taking the time to celebrate his team as they prepare to take the reins in May the way this coalition came together," he said we kicked this campaign off in October 2024 that became the messaging—and we worked our butts off to get it done." Dodge said that with all votes including mail-in tallied "This sure as hell feels better than losing." 2025 at 10:00 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Orland and Tinley Park fire officials and local leaders continue to fight rumors of consolidation of the two departments IL — Fire officials and local leaders continue to debunk reports of impending consolidation of Tinley Park and Orland Park fire agencies as the rumor polarizes residents and further politicizes pursuit of one fire district's trustee seats Fueled by what officials have called misinformation on social media and in some candidates' campaign literature the rumors have prompted statements from several local officials the latest by Tinley Park Fire Chief Steve Klotz "You may have heard a rumor that the Tinley Park Fire Department (TPFD) plans to merge with the Orland Fire Protection District (OFPD). I wanted to assure you that there is no basis to these claims," Klotz shared on March 12 "At no time was there any thought of the two departments becoming one nor would any such merger be beneficial to either department the OFPD already has a very capable team of dedicated firefighters who work diligently to protect their community except during those times when we assist one another on automatic and mutual aid responses." Similar statements have come from Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau and Orland Park mayoral candidate Jim Dodge Orland Professional Firefighters Local 2754 said in a release to Patch (the latter group will be referred to as Orland Firefighters from this point) Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz in a statement to Patch said a merger would never be supported I have never met or talked to them about merging," Glotz said "It has never even been discussed with the board I would never recommend merging to our board." The spread has been attributed as "politically motivated to disparage the Orland Firefighters and the candidates they have endorsed." six-year seats on the Orland Fire Protection District Board of Trustees are up for grabs Protecting & Supporting Orland Fire slate and candidate Steven Troglio running for the two-year one May and Tolan are all vying for the two-year seat Protecting and Supporting Orland Fire slate is publicly endorsed by Orland Firefighters Citing social media pushes and community-contributed pieces on Patch touting plans of a purported merger the matter was brought before the Orland Fire Protection District's Board of Trustees at a meeting in late-February Chief Michael Schofield "publicly took credit for all discussions of possible merger activities," Orland Professional Firefighters IAFF-AFFI Local 2754 said "He further explained that when he brought the idea to the Orland Firefighters He explained that Orland Firefighters has had no interactions with anyone regarding the issue." the board at that meeting unanimously passed a motion for District Spokesperson Ray Hanania to compose a press release negating the rumors talk of consolidation seems to be in tighter focus as a proverbial chess piece on the political board & Supporting Orland Fire rebuke that statement "We would like to express our firm opposition to any proposed merger or consolidation with other departments," the slate said It is deeply disheartening to find that we are being linked to a merger It is equally absurd that anyone would suggest we These claims do not reflect the priorities or interests of our team." In an email from Patch seeking his comment Schofield cited his comments at the meeting that "put to rest the consolidation talk rumors." Schofield said Tinley Park had previously approached the Orland Fire Protection District "a few years ago" in an "off the record" conversation to broach the possibility of Orland expanding to encompass Tinley's service area For context: Orland Fire Protection District covers Orland Park and Orland Hills and fielded 12,423 calls for service in 2024 and wanted to get their opinion on that type of off the record comment," Schofield said at the meeting Schofield declined further comment to Patch "it is the Orland Fire Protection District’s policy to not comment on politics "The District’s efforts are focused on being the best Fire District in the state and it has worked hard to achieve the status of Internationally Accredited The District is also one of only a handful in the country that holds an ISO Class 1and Accreditation Our focus is on the fire district and its residents not on politics Schofield had shared a draft proposal with union leadership as recently as December 2024 Union representatives reportedly again denounced the idea to him and publicly any connection to its origins then and now as well as residents William Bonnar and Christopher Evoy Minutes from March 2024 meeting of that committee indicate the group discussed it "could be a good time to discuss expanding and consolidating," noting previous mention of Tinley Park and Mokena Rumors of the merger have circulated in campaign literature again attributing it as the brainchild of union leaders Mayor Michael Glotz labels the chatter and his connection to it as a political attack against him "There has been no thought given to the idea of the two fire departments merging nor would it be beneficial to either department," Glotz told Patch "This is just another political attack by my opponents trying to create division by making something up in hopes that it will stick." Orland Park mayoral candidate Jim Dodge told Patch that a merger would be unwise "This is nothing something that two bureaucracies should do," Dodge said "This needs to be really understood and then put to the voters It’s a purely political question: what are the numbers "I’m not convinced that a merger benefits the people of Orland Park if and when it becomes a real question of public policy absolutely needs to go to a voter referendum At a March 17 Orland Park Board of Trustee meetings Mayor Keith Pekau again said the rumor is not true He noted he'd been approached during early voting by a resident asking why there was not a referendum question regarding the issue "That's because the rumor’s not true," Pekau said It is a rumor being spread to benefit candidates and those that support them and myself have all said these rumors are false If people will lie to you to create fear in order to get you to vote what do you think they’ll do when they get in office Orland Firefighters have called for the rumors to stop especially those attributing supposed plans for a merger to union leadership "The Orland Firefighters have never participated in these meetings or discussions regarding the need for a merger," their statement reads "These shameful attempts to create distrust in the firefighter/paramedics within the Orland community need to stop." 2025 at 12:00 pm CTVillage officials and Edwards Realty will break ground Thursday on Downtown Orland Park (Courtesy of Edwards Realty)Village officials and Edwards Realty will break ground Thursday on Downtown Orland Park IL — Officials this week will mark the start of work on multidimensional development Downtown Orland Park will officially break ground on the project touted as "a world-class development featuring stand-alone restaurants alongside a vibrant entertainment district filled with bars Downtown Orland Park will encompass more than 140,000 square feet including 37,000 square feet of mixed office space and 26,000 square feet of entertainment space The development will be situated adjacent to the Ninety7Fifty on the Park apartments the University of Chicago Medicine Center for Advanced Care Downtown Orland Park is often referred to as the Main Street Triangle because of the larger 27-acre property’s shape The redevelopment also includes the expansion of Crescent Park and serve as a central activity hub for Village of Orland Park residents and visitors Designed by renowned Chicago-based architect Dunne Kozlowski Downtown Orland Park will offer diverse outdoor activities such as farmers' markets along with a scenic pedestrian walkway overlooking the pond on the north side of the property "Downtown Orland Park is a once-in-a-lifetime development opportunity which will bring our community together in a space that is welcoming and full of life," said Ramzi Hassan and we know how important this development will be to our community providing residents and visitors with a place to gather and enjoy world-class entertainment in the Village of Orland Park." with the projected full completion in Fall 2027 2024 — The Orland Bethel Family Foundation already a major supporter of the health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh has committed $18.5 million to create a biological specimen repository within the Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center (BMRC) a project that ultimately will help develop treatments for arthritis and other painful conditions affecting millions of people around the world the foundation has committed more than $45 million to Pitt including $25 million last year to create the BMRC and a previous $2 million gift to create the Orland Bethel Professorship in Spine Surgery “The biobank will give researchers in the BMRC—and across the globe—access to important materials to accelerate discovery of biomarkers and therapeutic targets enhancing our understanding of musculoskeletal disease and improving patient outcomes through personalized medicine,” said Dr senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean “The material collected for the repository will place the center on the forefront of global discovery.” The Orland Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center Biobank will collect house and properly distribute specimens that will shed light on disorders such as arthritis osteoporosis and a range of spinal conditions The symptoms associated with these disorders diminish quality of life for millions of individuals and lead to billions of dollars of health care costs such comprehensive musculoskeletal biobanks are rare outside a few select institutions in Europe “We hope to establish a first-in-kind encyclopedic and accurate data repository that will foster cross-institutional collaboration,” Dr we can explore the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning data analysis for more accurate treatment of musculoskeletal diseases.” physicians and researchers took over my care nearly a decade ago it transformed my life and gave me new hope I see they are doing the same thing for others with support from my family’s foundation,” Mr “I know this newest gift will enhance the work of the Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center and will have an impact on the entire field of orthopaedics.” The biobank will establish standardized procedures and create frameworks to support four key areas: Bethel’s first gift of $2 million in 2018 to establish the Orland Bethel Professorship in Spine Surgery was generous His second gift to create the BMRC was transformative His most recent gift to establish the biobank will support work beyond what is currently underway,” said Dr who now holds the Orland Bethel Professorship in Spine Surgery “This gift will change the way we—and other scientists from across the globe—approach research because we will have assets at hand in a way we have never before experienced.” As one of the nation’s leading academic centers for biomedical research, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine integrates advanced technology with basic science across a broad range of disciplines in a continuous quest to harness the power of new knowledge and improve the human condition Driven mainly by the School of Medicine and its affiliates Pitt has ranked among the top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health since 1998 In rankings released by the National Science Foundation Pitt is in the upper echelon of all American universities in total federal science and engineering research and development support Key facts and figures that set our six top-ranked schools apart PDF version » Pitt Med magazine is the flagship publication of the School of Medicine Health Sciences Strategic Communications is here to help 2025 at 3:25 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The Orland Park location of Joann Fabrics and Crafts is among 500 set to close IL — The Orland Park Joann Fabrics and Crafts store is one of hundreds across the country that will soon close permanently The popular fabric and crafts retailer is "moving to close a significant chunk of its brick-and-mortar locations as part of ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, according to a court filing on Wednesday," fastcompany.com reports A Joann spokesperson confirmed the latest in a statement to CNN The closings will impact more than 500 of its 800 stores in the United States A list of pending closures includes stores in more than 40 states “This was a very difficult decision to make given the major impact we know it will have on our team members our customers and all of the communities we serve,” the spokesperson said Joann on Wednesday filed a court motion to start its closures, according to the financial and risk advisory agency Kroll This comes after the company filed for bankruptcy for a second time last month The retailer first filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2024 and kept all of its stores open the company said it had acquired $132 million in new funding which it planned to use to reduce its debt by approximately $505 million Fastcompany listed the following Joann stores in Illinois that will shutter: 2025 at 9:34 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Shannon Olson is running for Orland Township Clerk in the April 1 (Photo by JC Penney Portrait Studio)ORLAND TOWNSHIP and Orland Township leadership will inevitably see a shakeup Three separate slates will vie for Township spots including supervisor Twelve candidates are jockeying for four trustee spots Incumbent Orland Township Supervisor Paul O'Grady and his Orland Township Together slate includes clerk candidate Reem Odeh highway commissioner candidate John Lynch (a current trustee) and trustee candidates Michael Maratea (incumbent) current Orland Township Assessor Rich Kelly tops the ticket as supervisor candidate current highway commissioner Antonio Rubino for assessor Several declared Republican candidates are trying for spots Appearing as Republican candidate for clerk is Shannon Olson Competing for highway commissioner is Republican candidate William Brennan I currently work part time in a school in a non-nursing position Previous or current elected or appointed office: The most pressing issues facing our township are _______ and this is what I intend to do about them Transparency and fiscal responsibility are important issues I plan to accurately report on all of the township meetings and publish the minutes to the website in a timely manner I will put township meeting minutes up on the township website as soon as possible after the meetings The current officeholder failed to put up meeting minutes for months after the township meetings Citizens are unable to find out what happened at the meetings when the minutes are not posted Transparency is of utmost importance to me I feel it is very important to know where my tax dollars are being spent Meeting minutes are extremely important to keep the citizens informed meticulous notes in order to keep the entire care staff informed of what is going on with the patient I will bring those skills into the responsibility of township clerk They should trust me because I also live in the Township and I want to know how and where my tax dollars are being spent also timely reporting of meeting minutes will make my term a success It is very important to me that everyone know what is going on in the township and that this information be easily found on the website we should not be spending money we do not have that we do not take more in taxes from citizens than is absolutely necessary to keep the roads and other things the township is responsible for What are your thoughts on the crime rate in your community and what more can be done to combat crime — especially violent crime — in town The police do a pretty good job of deterring crime and catching criminals What is your view of the city's/village's approach to commercial and residential development what are some key areas for improvement or additions you feel are most wanted by residents What will need to be done to make this happen