The Rundown, Oct. 31 - Nov. 6: Midterm Election Reflection, Bus Crash and the Orland Witch

Elections are usually enough to hold our collective attentions for the better part of the week, but a lot more went on in Orland between now and last Sunday.

Orland Township mostly kept up with past years' trends of voting for Republican candidates, putting votes behind U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert and Cook County Board Commissioner Elizabeth Gorman. We spent the day talking to many people at the polls, and the night tracking the numbers. Since this is our first election, please let us know if there are other election details you would like to see here next time.

But that wasn't all. Police are looking for three women suspected of breaking into vehicles parked off of Harlem Avenue north of 159th Street Wednesday night, while officers caught four men burglarizing parked cars during Halloween night.  Luckily, no one was injured when a bus crashed into the side of Orland Junior High School Thursday night, and school resumed the next day as planned.

The Sandburg Eagles fell short in a heartbreaker of a playoff game against Lyons Township on Friday. The lead kept shifting back and forth until Lyons pulled through in the end winning the game 21-20.

The property tax appeal case with Simon Property Group –owners of Orland Square Mall– that could cost area taxing bodies as much as $9.5 million in refunded taxes, took a small step forward this week. A judge ruled that all the different appeals filed by Simon would be merged into one case.

On the creativity front, we met Yvonne Shurley, often described as the "Witch of Orland Park" because of her elaborate Halloween display she assembles in her front yard every year. Area artist Al Sorenson talked with us about the wonders of bright color, shown in his paintings that are now up in the Orland Park Public Library throughout November. And jazz singer Ava Logan made us melt at a September concert at the Orland Park Cultural Center.

Our health guru Tina Tuszynski took on L.A. Boxing's intense class, and she met the challenge with zeal. Gardening expert Heather Blackmore showed us that gardening could be just as fruitful indoors during the winter, as it is outside in summer warmth.

And don't forget that Skipper may still need a home.

We'll be unveiling some new features this upcoming week that will give you a whole new way to share your thoughts and interests on Orland Park Patch. Make sure you set your clocks back an hour today if you haven't already.

Stay tuned, and we'll see you around town.