IHSA Sets New Rules for Youth Football Practice

"These guidelines are based on the most recent scientific evidence, as well as the expertise of the coaches who will help implement them," said Dr. Preston M. Wolin, a member of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.

The Illinois High School Association approved new safety rules Wednesday to limit tackling in youth football practice in an effort to reduce head injuries, reported the Daily Herald. In March, a controversial bill sponsored by State Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) proposing to limit the number of days players could have full contact hitting practice (once a week) failed in the House committee. The new IHSA policy calls for coaches to gradually increase the time players can participate in preseason practice, along with the number of protective pads they can wear. On the seventh day of practice, players can participate in five hours of full contact drills wearing full pads, according to the IHSA. However, no single practice can exceed …

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Newsweek's Best High School List

The magazine's 2013 rankings came out Monday and did not include Proviso East, Proviso West or Proviso Math and Science Academy.

On mobile? You can see interactive map here. Newsweek came out with its annual high school rankings Monday and did not include Proviso East, Proviso West or Proviso Math and Science Academy. According to communications director Rob Daniel, "It is because of the lack of Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which made up 25 percent of the formula for producing the ranking. We have never made this list for that reason. The inclusion of the AP, and the high weight, puts some schools with much lower ACT scores on the list." For its rankings, Newsweek sent out a survey to more than 5,000 high schools in the U.S., with about 2,500 schools responding in 2013. You can see the details about the other ranked high schools by clicking on the markers in the…

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District 91 Seeks Feedback in Communication Survey

You can rate the district's performance when it comes to communication in the online survey.

Forest Park School District 91 is seeking feedback in its communication survey.  The survey asks district parents to sound off on how they would prefer the district communicate with them, how often they use e-mail to communicate with the district and how they would rate the district's overall performance when it came to communicating, according to the survey.  The survey is available—and can be completed—online

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Fenwick Student Makes Big Waves for Athletes With Disabilities

Mary Kate Callahan, a Fenwick senior, was allowed to participate in state swimming competition after reaching a legal settlement with the IHSA to allow athletes with disabilities.

Concordia U. President Announces Retirement

John Johnson will retire Aug. 16 after 10 years at the university, located in River Forest. Concordia outlined his tenure and accomplishments in a news release Monday.

Editor's note: The following was provided by Concordia University. Concordia University Chicago President John F. Johnson announced he will retire Aug. 16, 2013.  “It has been my great privilege to lead Concordia-Chicago,” Johnson said. “I have been personally blessed to serve at this university during an exceptional period of growth and change. The institution stands in a strong position to continue its mission of equipping students to serve and lead with integrity, creativity, competence, and compassion in a diverse, interconnected and increasingly urbanized church and world.” In an open letter to the university, located in River Forest, he also praised the “outstanding, dedicated, and talented faculty and staff members.” The …

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PHOTO: Water Erupts from Manhole Cover at OPRF

Heavy rain has led to flooding throughout the area. Check out this wild photo submitted by a reader, and share your flood photos here.

Do you have a photo of flooding or other wild waterworks from this morning's storm?  It might not top this sewer bursting outside of Oak Park-River Forest High School this morning, but any photo helps—show us what your neighborhood looks like from the weather. And, of course, try to stay dry and safe today.  Read more about street and school closures in the area.  Hundreds of people shared this photo on Facebook, and it made its way to several TV broadcasts, including ABC and NBC. Here's what some people said in response to the picture: Shock and awe John Komala What the...? Dawn Balestrieri-Glossa What the what?!?! Nicole Nock Holy crap. Leighton Shell Thar she blows! Geyser jokes Jill Zeugner WOW!! Right in front of OPRF High School, Old…

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District 91 Changes Residency Process

Parents will now have to take extra steps to prove they are residents of District 91, according to a Forest Park Review article.

School District 91 is updating its residency process and will soon require parents to sign an affadavit that states they are a Forest Park resident, according to the Forest Park Review. District 91 Superintendent Louis Cavallo told the board of education during a meeting earlier this month that parents will also be required to provide three documents that show they live within District 91, according to the article. In the past four years, the district conducted 36 residency investigations, according to the article. 

VIDEO: Jeopardy Finalists Lost to Locals in Bar Trivia

Fenwick teacher Colby Burnett, who won $250,000 in the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, was interviewed by students at the school and said, "I'm not the smartest man in the world. I just played a game."

How does it feel to be the smartest man in the world?  That's the kind of question Fenwick High School teacher Colby Burnett is facing after winning $250,000 on the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions earlier this week.  In a YouTube video posted to the Fenwick TV account, a student asked Burnett that, and he shared some fun insights from his run on the show.  "I'm not the smartest man in the world," Burnett said. "I just played a game and luck really favored me. ... It's just what they asked were things that I knew." He went on to say that he and some of the others on the show went to a trivia night at a local bar in Santa Monica after taping was over. They got second place.  "It was a really funny thing, we just played against all these …

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Fenwick's Colby Burnett Wins $250K on 'Jeopardy!'

The world history teacher won $100,000 last year in the show's Teacher's Tournament and even more in its Tournament of Champions.

Fenwick High School teacher Colby Burnett won the $250,000 grand prize Tuesday in the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. Burnett, an AP World History teacher at Fenwick, won the show's Teacher's Tournament and $100,000 in prize money back in November and added to that total by beating the best of the best.  On Monday he built a big enough lead—$22,200 to the other contestants' $4,800 and $400—that he was able to coast on Tuesday. He got off to a poor start in the first round, but out of the commercial break we were reminded why we love him. Host Alex Trebek brought up the fact that Burnett's mother worked three jobs ("Two and a half, but let's say three because she worked that hard," Burnett said) to help put him through school. Now he's a…

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