Happy Thursday!
Hope you enjoyed the long weekend and got a chance to recharge a bit.
I gathered up all the good stuff happening around the South ’Burbs this week so you don’t have to go hunting for it.
Here's what's inside:
🚨 Illinois schools could be getting panic alert systems
💛 New Lenox foundation awards $20K in Tyler Koscinski's memory
📺 I ranked 6 Chicago suburbs (see where the south burbs landed)
🎉 Wellness fair, patriotic concert, and a bourbon fest this weekend
🏡 Three listings worth a look
🔍 Frankfort vs. Hinsdale: same school tier, VERY different price tag
🚪 Gas prices, jobs, and your weekend weather
LET'S GET INTO IT ↓
Local headlines this week
🚨 Sen. Hastings Is Pushing Panic Buttons Into Every Illinois School
A bill passed the Senate this week requiring Illinois schools to consider mobile panic alert systems in their emergency plans by 2028-2029. Silent direct line to 911, campus-wide alert in seconds. Still needs to clear the House.
📷 Frankfort Renewing Its License Plate Cameras on Laraway Road
The Village Board approved a three-year renewal for three Flock cameras along Laraway Road. Already proven useful in criminal investigations. Pending Will County approval.
🎓 Rotary Club Awards Three Local Seniors
The Tinley Park-Frankfort Rotary Club handed out three $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors from Tinley Park, Andrew, and Lincoln-Way East. Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, DePaul. 15-year tradition, still going.
💛 New Lenox Foundation Awards $20K in Tyler Koscinski's Memory
The Tyler Koscinski Memorial Foundation expanded to all three Lincoln-Way schools this year, 16 student-athletes, $20K total. Tyler was a Lincoln-Way West grad who died in a crash at 20. His mom, Kelly, said it best: "Every dollar carries a piece of who Tyler was."
I Ranked 6 Chicago Suburbs. Here’s Where the South Burbs Landed.
North Shore, West Burbs, Southwest suburbs, I put six of the most talked-about Chicago suburbs head-to-head this week on the channel.
The results might surprise you 👀
Here's the quick version:
Wilmette and Winnetka: North Shore prestige, North Shore prices. Winnetka median home sits around $2M with annual tax bills pushing into the mid-$20Ks
Hinsdale and La Grange: western suburbs punching above their weight. Hinsdale ranked #9 in Illinois, ahead of New Trier. La Grange gets you to Union Station in 30 minutes.
Frankfort: no cookie-cutter subdivisions, custom homes only, downtown actively developing, Lincoln-Way East carrying an exemplary state rating. Buyers getting in now are getting in at the right time.
New Lenox: more inventory, newer homes, lower entry price, and a $70M sports complex that doesn't get built in a place that's standing still
The south burbs belong in this conversation. Watch and see why.
🎥 Watch the full breakdown here
New videos every week: market breakdowns, local development, what's actually moving in the suburbs.
Subscribe here so you don't miss the next one.
Wellness fair, a patriotic concert, and a bourbon fest
🧠 "Be Kind to Your Mind" Mental Health Fair (Orland Park)
Toy Box Connection's 2nd annual wellness fair is back. Free to attend, open to all ages. Meditation walk, local vendors, mental health resources, bounce house, obstacle course, food trucks, and Home Depot building crafts with kids.
Good community day out south.
📅 May 30th | 10 AM–3 PM
📍 10401 W 153rd St, Orland Park
🎺 America 250: A Musical Journey (New Lenox)
The Southwest Community Concert Band is putting on a patriotic concert celebrating the country's 250th anniversary.
Patriotic favorites, American musical traditions, free and family-friendly.
📅 May 30th | 7 PM
📍 United Methodist Church of New Lenox, 339 W Haven Ave
🍺 MIX of '26: Beyond Beer & Bourbon Fest (Joliet)
5th annual Habitat for Humanity festival at Hollywood Casino Joliet. 100+ craft beers, bourbons, wine, and food trucks.
Friday night kickoff concert May 29th with 7th Heaven and Hillbilly Rockstarz. $65 general admission Saturday.
📅 May 30th | 12 PM
📍 Hollywood Casino Joliet
Featured Listing: Lansing
Brick ranch under $225K that checks the boxes most buyers look for: finished space downstairs, attached garage, fenced yard, and easy highway access to the city. Nothing to fix, nothing to update. Just move in.
📍 17908 Lorenz Ave, Lansing
Featured Listing: Homer Glen
Pool's open, mechanicals are new, hardwoods are refinished. This one's been taken care of. All-brick 2-story in Kingston Hills, just bring your stuff and enjoy the summer.
📍 12541 Rosewood Dr, Homer Glen
Featured Listing: Chicago
If the city's calling, River North corner unit with skyline views, private terrace, garage parking, and a layout that actually gives you room to breathe. Walk to Old Town, Fulton Market, and the riverwalk. Hard to find this combination at this price point in River North.
📍 873 N Larrabee Street #202, Chicago
Thinking about making a move in 2026? Text or call me directly. 📞 708-612-0644
Same School Quality. Very Different Price Tag.
This week on the channel, I ranked six Chicago suburbs head-to-head.
One thing that surprised a lot of people…
Hinsdale Central came in at number nine in Illinois in the latest US News rankings. That puts it ahead of New Trier.
Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort carries an exemplary designation from the Illinois State Board of Education. That's top 10% statewide. Same tier, different zip code.
Here's where it gets interesting.
In Hinsdale, the median sales price sits around $1.45 million. Property taxes run about 1.75% of assessed value, lower than most of Chicagoland, but on a $1.45M home, that's still a serious number every year.
In Frankfort, you're getting into a move-up home in the $500,000 range. Custom builds only, no cookie-cutter subdivisions allowed in Frankfort, full stop. Property taxes run around 2.8%, but on a home that costs a third of the price.
Top-tier schools in both markets. One asks you to spend $1.45M to get there. The other doesn't.
Nobody's putting Frankfort and Hinsdale in the same sentence, but maybe they should be.
👉 See what $500K looks like in Frankfort
👉 See what $1.4M looks like in Hinsdale
Thinking about making the move? Reply to this email, and I'll walk you through both sides based on what actually matters to you.
⛽ CHEAPEST GAS IN THE SOUTH BURBS!
Prices as of 05/25/26 (Website)
📍 New Lenox — ~$4.89 ⬇️ From Last Week
📍 Mokena — ~$4.89 ⬇️ From Last Week
📍 Frankfort — ~$4.99 ⬇️From Last Week
📍 Manhattan — ~$4.94 ⬇️ From Last Week
💼 LOCAL JOBS & VOLUNTEER PICKS
🌤️ WEEKEND WEATHER: FRANKFORT, IL
Friday: 73°/59° — ☁️ Mostly Cloudy, shower possible — 💧30% — 💨 SSE 2mph
Saturday: 72°/53° — 🌤️ Mostly Sunny — 💧Low — 💨 Light
Sunday: 85°/64° — ☀️ Sunny — 💧Low — 💨 S 10–15mph, gusts to 25mph
Thanks for reading this week’s edition of the South Suburbs Scoop.
Every Thursday, I'll be dropping this in your inbox.
Local news, what's going on this weekend, where the market's at, and a few things to make your week a little easier.
If there's something you want to see more of, just reply and let me know. This thing gets better when you tell me what matters to you.
Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you right back here next Thursday.
— John
📞 708-612-0644 | [email protected]
