Forest Park Review 032724

‘It’s about people feeling comfortable in their home, ’ said village commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin, who’s elded several complaints

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Caitlin Hillyard and her husband, Ben Weinberg, moved into a townhouse on Brown Avenue in August 2022. After about a month of living there, they started noticing a recur ring noise from the train tracks, loud enough to be heard inside their home.

“Sometimes it sounds like somebody jackhammering the side of the house,” Hillyard said. “Sometimes it sounds kind of like a drum circle.”

Just south of Jewel-Osco in River Forest, the noise comes from idling freight trains on the railroad tracks, waiting for one crew to get of f the train and another

Local schools celebrate Youth Art Month

Local schools share and display students’ art

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

The high school district held an art exhibit on March 7 at Proviso Math and Science Academy in which students showcased their ar t, from drawings to dresses. Youth Art Month is supported by the Council of Art Education to promote quality school art programs and continue to support ar t education graded K-12.

KRISTI VANDENBROEK

Yessica Bustamante shows o her artwork

KRISTI VANDENBROEK

Karol Hernandez-Morales showcased her dress designs.

Students view artwork.

KRISTI VANDENBROEK

FOREST PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT 91

Art Teacher Ms. Bruzzini explains to her students their next project

FOREST PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT 91

Gar eld students showing o their puppet masterpieces.

FOREST PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT 91 Primar y student creates a portrait.

FOREST PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT 91

Primar y student uses art for storytelling

Proviso High School Township D209 and Fo rest Pa rk School District 91 are c elebrating Youth Art Month with student exhibits and f un ar t class projects

March 27-April 3

BIG WEEK

‘More Dangerous Than a Thousand Rioters’: Lucy Parsons

Thursday, March 28, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Forest Park Public Library - Austin Room

Lucy Parsons, known as the widow of one of the Haymarket martyrs, was a giant in the labor movement. Considered “more dangerous than a thousand rioters” by the Chicago police, her story is complex and nuanced and still being debated to this day. Amy Binns-Calvey, a volunteer at the Forest Park Historical Societ y, will give an hour-long presentation on Lucy ’s life and work. 7555 Jackson Bl vd., Forest Park..

Corey Dennison

Thursday, March 28, 6:30 – 10:30 p.m., Robert's Westside

Robert's Westside presents the Corey Dennison Band. 7321 Madison St., Forest Park.

Birds of Prey

Friday, March 29, 6:30 p.m., Robert's Westside

Robert's Westside presents Birds of Prey, the Chicago Funk Supergroup featuring members of Neal Francis & Nasty Snacks. 7321 Madison St., Forest Park.

Take a Poem/Leave a Poem

Monday, April 1, Forest Park Public Library

Celebrate Poetr y Month by stopping by our poem “dispenser ” at the Youth Ser vices desk to collec t a pocket poem or write one of your own to leave for someone else for the rst two weeks of April. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

Social Circle: Creative Mindfulness

Wednesday, April 3, 11:00 a.m.- 1 p.m., Forest Park Public Library - Austin Room

All older adults (55+) are invited to join in for some special community time each week. You will talk and share interests, enjoy guest speakers, and keep yourselves active, engaged, and well-informed. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

D91 hosts inaugural educational summit

e free event will be held on April 6 at Forest Park Middle School

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

Forest Parkers are invited to attend the inaugural educational summit that will be hosted by Forest Park School District 91. Its focus is on strengthening both families and the community

“The Village We Choose: Strengthening Family Bond through Connection and Community,” will be hosted April 6 at Forest Park Middle School.

The free event will feature not only free breakfast and lunch, but also an opportunity for community members and district families to participate in workshop sessions ranging in topics including mental health strategies, college saving plans, and more.

Latoya McRae, a school engagement coordinator with D91, said that in her new role with the district, her goal is to connect

families to school activities and district-wide events to develop a family-centered relationship with D91.

The summit aims to empower families to have the opportunity to learn from community partners in education or youth development and to exchange ideas and experiences to build connections.

Organizers said they also hope families will be able to connect with external resources that are available to them, which McRae said are key to building those relationships in Forest Park

“We wanted to create a summit where we can foster those relationships,” McRae said, “[To] point them in the right direction…and to walk away feeling empowered, connected, and feeling a sense of belonging with being a part of the Forest Park community.”

Rachelle Ernst, a school engagement coordinator, said part of what came to mind while they worked on putting together this event was the district’s Parent University.

“We want to not only support the students academically, socially, emotionally, but offer the same opportunities for parents as well,” Ernst said. “We want to make sure we are supporting them in

their journey with their students.”

Local vendors and organizations will also be present, with some hosting workshops, including “Creating Safer Swimmers Soon with Free and Accessible Tips” by CAST Water Safety Foundation’s Liz Huber

“We are providing a lot of opportunities for families to feel connected to the community,” Er nst said.

The district cast a “wide net” when reaching out to organizations to participate, focusing on those who service and promote youth, such as the park district.

“Any part of a student’s educational journey or questions revolving around ‘how does a parent support their youth,’ we want to make sure there is a way for our families to gather more information on the topics that are relevant to them, and their families lives right now,” Ernst said.

Workshops include how to save for colle ge, how to build independence, understanding teen dating violence, and even a session on how to become a board member: “Board of Education 101: An Introduction for Aspiring Members.”

Attendees will be able to attend two workshops during the event.

“It’s not a cookie-cutter situation – everyone has different things they want to look into,” McRae said. “We wanted to ensure the workshops are diverse from academics to health and wellness to recreation, anything that will help children in their journeys of learning.”

McRae said D91 faculty and staff are encouraged to attend and participate in the workshops, as well.

The summit will also include keynote speaker Betty Alzamora, a local community activist known for her championing human rights and voting rights activism.

“We are very fortunate to be in an area close to the city and we have neighboring and surrounding villages,” Ernst said. “All of those can be the village that we choose, and we want you to feel that there is a sense of belonging. Where you get your information, where you send your children to school – we want that to be here in Forest Park.”

T he event will be hosted Saturday, April 6 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Forest Park Middle school. Community members can re gister online

IDLING TRAINS

Noisy nuisance

from page 1

to board. But that idling doesn’t come without side effects.

When Hillyard and Weinberg stand outside their townhome, they have measured sound up to 90 decibels, the same intensity as a power tool or hair dryer. This powerful noise can have adverse effects on the body and health, causing an increase in adrenaline and cortisol and activating the nervous system, all of which ne gatively impact cardiovascular health, research shows.

But the trains don’t just have an auditory impact. The couple’s townhouse floor vibrates when trains idle. Their neighbors have re ported cracks in their ceiling. And they smell diesel fuel outside, and sometimes inside their home, too.

“We’ve described it to people as trying to sleep inside of a factory,” Hillyard said. And it affects her and her husband’s wellbeing. “The first couple of weeks of February, we were having about 10 hours a day of idling, most of it overnight hours. We didn’t get more than five hours of slee p for two weeks straight.”

The couple records the idling trains in a spreadsheet, although they aren’t always home to re port when they sit outside their home. Even still, this year, they’ve seen more than 100 trains idle for a collective total of more than 280 hours, with an average three-and-a-half-hour idle time during the

day. In 2023, nearly 450 trains idled here.

“The trains going past us on the tracks, when they’re moving, do not bother us,” Hillyard said. “We can tolerate a certain amount of noise, but this is just not anything we ever had any idea about.”

Hillyard and Weinberg have made a website to inform others about the issue and created a Change.org petition with more than 400 signatures.

But trains have been idling in the area for much longer than Hillyard and Weinberg have lived in the area.

Potential idling solutions

Idling trains are an issue outside of the Forest Park area, too.

In Feb. 2023, SB1513 was filed in the Illinois General Assembly, aiming to amend the Illinois Commercial Transportation Law so that rail carriers can’t idle within 1,000 feet of a residence, business or school for longer than 30 minutes in a manner that contributes to air pollution.

Hillyard said that the Union Pacific Railroad is planning to plant a row of trees in the coming week to help with noise mitigation.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, noise reduction begins with an 100-foot wide grove of trees, which cuts noise by up to five decibels, and a single row of trees won’t provide a noticeable difference.

“We’ re really not very optimistic that will work, based on our own research,” Hillyard said. “We also want a strong stance saying, not just that you need to mitigate the noise,” she added, “but you need to not do this here.”

“You shouldn’t have to think of every possible outcome of buying a condo,” said Michelle Melin-Ro govin, the village’s commissioner of streets and public improvements. “You shouldn’t have to think like that, and there should be some way of fixing this that makes sense.”

Chicago is the United States’ busiest rail hub, with 25% of all the nation’s rail freight traffic.

Hillyard and Weinberg heard that trains started idling near their home around 2015. From the couple’s discussions with Union Pacific Railroad — one of several railways whose trains idle on the tracks in Forest Park — village commissioners and other government agencies, Hillyard said that railroads used to designate stretches of track in River Forest and Oak Park to crew changes, but settled in between around

Melin-Rogovin has met with Hillyard and Weinberg, but also several other residents in the surrounding townhouses. She has had re gular contact with Union Pacific Railroad and Congressman Danny Davis’ office, whom she said has also fielded concerns about idling trains from locals.

“This is an ongoing conversation that we’re having with them,” Melin-Rogovin said.

In addition to asking the village for help in communicating with Union Pacific Railroad and other villages, Hillyard and Weinberg are waiting for a solution that’s not just a row of greenery, but moving idling zones away from all neighborhoods.

“You shouldn’t be doing this near anyone’s house because it essentially makes it so we can’t sleep in our homes or use them for what they’re intended to be using for, which is living in them,” Hillyard said.

Melin- Ro govin ag rees: “It’s about making l ife b etter fo r your neighbo r. And we should all want to do that in some way. ” S he a dded, “It’s really not about trains, it ’s about p eop le f eeling c omfortable in their home” and “it’s about b asi c human compassion. ”

that time. Though, there are still rampant complaints from River Forest locals about idling trains.

Union Pacific Railroad declined a phone interview for this story, but emailed the following statement:

“Union Pacific and other railroads have been using this location for crew changes and transfers for more than 10 years, with few complaints or issues. This site, which is situated directly between commercial and industrial properties, allows us to switch crews safely without blocking railroad crossings or impacting traffic flows.”

After talking to train crews, Hillyard and Weinberg learned that trains also used to idle trains at Wolf Road and Proviso Drive in Berkley, a much more industrial area.

“They told us that they do it here because they can drive a vehicle up to the train so the crews don’t have to walk,” Hillyard said of communication with the crews idling near her home. “It’s hard for us to believe, with all of the railroads’ money and power and influence, that they couldn’t find any other place to do it away from homes in all of Chicagoland.”

The couple’s year-and-a-half long contact with Union Pacific Railroad started with the company saying they would look for another idling location. But in November, they received a letter stating that “After much discussion, the lumber yard spur at Mile Post 9.2 of the Geneva Subdivision was determined to be a reasonable staging and crew change location.”

C AITLIN HILLYARD AND BEN WEINBERG

A freight train idles on the tracks near homes,

2nd annual 48-Hour Film Challenge accepting applications

Participants will create a shor t movie in just two days with an assigned prop, line of dialogue and genre

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

A nearly nine-minute-long video opens on a shot of a head of broccoli, transitioning to the ve g etable c ooking in a frying p an. In the next scene, viewe rs quickly learn the p lot of the short movie : Two children scheme to stop their pa rents from taking them to the Broccoli and Brush Your Teeth Festival.

Out of eight submissions, this is the winning film, “Heist,” from the Fo rest Pa rk Arts A lliance’s first 48-hour fil m challenge last year.

Submissions for this year ’s c ontest close March 31. T hose who sign up will w rit e, produce, film and e dit a short movie from April 12 at 7 p. m. to April 14 at 7 p. m. On April 20, the Arts A lliance will host a red ca rp et gala to show the films

“People who came were like, ‘Oh my God, this is the best thing ever,’” said Lin Beribak,

Forest Park Arts Alliance’s vice president.

In the 48-hour film challeng e, m iddl e school or high school students will create five -minute films, wh i le adults will craft 10-minute ones. T he c ost of re gistration is $10 for student teams and $25 for adult teams.

Teams c an include up to six p eople and must use a provided prop, line of dialo g ue and one of two or three g enre options. L ast year, teams pitched a fil m g enre when they re gistered, then the Ar ts Alliance assigned genres to teams.

“Some teams we re really hampered by that,” Beribak said. But wh i le the g enre options are changing this year, the Arts A lliance will still provide a prop and line of dialo gu e.

In last year ’s winning film, the prop of a frying p an appears in one of the opening shots. One of the video’s mai n child actors utters the assigned line

Pat Hazell

of dialogu e, “Please tell me you heard that too,” i nto her shi rt microphone to the neighborhood k ids helping with the heist, when her mom’s meeting ends early This threatens to reveal her in the ac t of stealing the miniva n’s ke ys, locke d in an ai r- tight g lass d ome that only opens to the sound of her parents’ vo ices, so that the f amily ca n’ t take the car to the Brocc oli and Brush Your Teeth Festival.

This year, two teams have signed up for the challenge so fa r: Pfaf f & Pfurious, last year ’s winners — who we re awarded a $100 g ift ce rt ificate for the Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor — and another team who also pa rt icipated last year.

At a red ca rp et g ala April 20 at 7 p. m. , the Arts A lliance will show the films at St. Bernardine’s Fearon Hall. While thi s is n’ t a black tie event, many of last year ’s attendees dressed to impress Beribak said that one boy around 8 years

old, who was on a team with his father, “came in with a little dark sports jacket, pants and a bow tie, and he was just so excited to have his movie,” she said. “It was a great community, family atmosphere.”

L ast year at the g ala, the Arts A llianc e showe d four films, then brought up those teams to ask them q uestions. While the Arts A lliance c ounted b allots for the p eop le’s choice award, the rest of the teams c ame on stage for a Q&A.

“The filmmakers we re really g lad to g et that attention,” Beribak said. “A ll of them said, ‘We would do this ag ain.’”

This year, there will be three awards: one for the best student film, one for the best adult film, and the people’s choice award. Tickets for the gala will go on sale April 1. You do n’ t have to live in Fo rest Pa rk to pa rt icipate in the 48-hour film challenge. Re gister by March 31 at https://forestparkarts.org/48-hour- film-festival.

After being rebu ed by regulators, utilities le slimmed-down spending plans

Consumers are likely to pay more each month for infrastructure improvements

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois

A GCM partnership

State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year

The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois, back to the drawing board in December when it rejected the companies’ multiyear grid plans on a 4-1 vote. The rare split decision cited a lack of transparency and unclear benefits to customers among other reasons for the rejection.

The plans – products of the state’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act – propose billions of dollars in spending and lay out the companies’ plans for supporting the state’s climate goals, including the transition away from greenhouse gas emitting energy generation over the next 20 years. The ICC is now reviewing the plans in a process likely to last the rest of the year

Consumer advocates who cheered on the ICC’s decision to limit rate increases last year say they’re also reviewing the plans, which propose less spending than the ones that were rejected last year.

ComEd is asking for $7.6 billion in spending on grid improvements, a 10.7% decrease from their rejected plan. Ameren is seeking $1.88 billion in capital spending, about a 15.7% decrease from its previous request. The plans also include the companies’ operational spending, which would be similar to current levels.

Along with the grid plans, the two utilities are also filing rate plans to for malize the changes to customer rates and lay out some unrelated expenses.

In December, because the ICC lacks the authority to reject rate plans, the commission amended the utilities’ original filings

and only approved the portion of the proposed changes to customer rates that didn’t involve g rid spending. In a move praised by consumer advocates, the ICC tamped down the companies’ proposed profit margins from a 10.5% return on equity to below 9% for both companies.

“We heard the Commissioners’ concerns and have worked diligently these past three months to create a plan that is responsive to their feedback while positioning ComEd to help the state achieve its clean energy and equity goals,” ComEd President and CEO Gil Quiniones said in a news release.

In its latest ICC filing, ComEd is proposing increasing residential customer bills by an average of $3.74 per month next year, with smaller increases in subsequent years. By 2027, the average residential customer could be paying about $92 more per year than they would be otherwise

Ameren, which serves about 1.2 million electric customers, has not filed its rate plan. But based on the company’s grid plan, rates are likely be considerably lower than in their original filings, which would have raised annual residential costs by between $200 and $400 depending on electric use, according to public notices published early last year

The updated filings, according to Environmental Law & Policy Center senior attorney Brad Klein, are a “major, major milestone” to getting utilities on track to support state climate goals.

The types of projects outlined in the company’s filings include plans related to solar energy, electric vehicles, battery storage, automating electricity distribution and making infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Klein noted he sees some efforts outlined in the plan as beneficial but hard to quantify, such as equitable access to solar energy. Other projects, like proposed upgrades to ComEd’s internet connections, might need to be scaled down to make the plans more affordable for consumers, he said.

“These all look like good projects, but there’s an overall cost at the end of the day,” Klein said.

In December, ICC Chair Doug Scott said the commission “cannot determine” if ComEd’s original plan was cost effective based on the information contained in the plans, later echoing the finding for Ameren’s plan as well.

The commission found the original plans lacked sufficient evidence that they would benefit low-income and traditionally disadvantaged communities – a requirement of CEJA – and that the plans didn’t demonstrate how the utilities would keep monthly bills affordable.

Both utilities explicitly responded to those criticisms in their revised filings, including more in-depth calculations that suggest most of the benefits of grid modernization and clean energy will go toward historically disadvantaged and low-income communities

Since December, utilities have reworked the math they used to demonstrate their plans’ benefits and scaled back some spending.

“That has led to real savings,” Klein said.

One of the major themes of Ameren’s revisions, according to Ameren’s vice president for regulatory policy Matthew Tomc, is lowering the rate of capital spending. He said that was in response to feedback from advocates and the ICC’s December decision.

“We really see the approval of this plan as critical to providing reliable and affordable service to our customers as well as achieving the clean energy objectives of CEJA,” Tomc told Capitol News Illinois.

But he noted while the company reduced the spending in this plan by over $400 million, the projects that were cut or reduced might come back in future plans

“Going forward, we’re going to look to the potential need to increase those investment levels,” Tomc said.

Consumer watchdogs are still analyzing the full details of the revised plans

“That’s kind of what we’re really curious

to see in the filing: Are the utilities explaining what they did originally and using different terms or are they actually changing what they’re doing?” Sarah Moskowitz, head of the consumer advocacy group Citizens Utility Board, told Capitol News Illinois.

While CUB lawyers had not fully reviewed the filings as of Friday, Moskowitz said based on conversations she’s had with utility officials, she expects to support some of the revisions to the grid plans

“But there will remain sticking points that we’ll probably oppose,” Moskowitz said.

The ICC also admonished the companies in December for failing to be transparent in their planning process. In response, both utilities held meetings with community members and advocacy groups earlier this year Company officials also held weekly meetings with each other to discuss how to handle revisions to their grid plans

Now, the ICC will consider whether the companies’ arguments meet the requirements laid out in state law. Regulators are expected to issue a ruling in these cases by the end of the year, after hearing testimony from consumer and environmental advocates, as well as from staff at the ICC and the Illinois attor ney general.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern

Forest Park ’s eggs-tra special annual Easter egg hunt

Eggs-tremely eager children collected thousands of eggs lled with candy Saturday, then smiled with the Easter bunny

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

T he Park District of Forest Park hosted its annual Easter eg g hunt Saturday mor ning.

When asked how long the park district had hosted the event, Adam Cumbee, the park district’s communications and marketing manager said, “while we don’ t have an actual date, ‘as long as I can remember’ seems to be the most popular answer” among staf f members.

Every year, a few hundred children and their parents gather at 7501 Harrison

Street for an eg g hunt and to meet the Easter bunny. This year was no different as, at 10 a.m., kids up through fourth grade huddled around, then took of f hur riedly to collect eg gs full of candy.

T he park district purchased 7,000 plastic pastel-colored eg gs — a few hundred of which were used for its F lashlight Egg Hunt the night before, where locals searched for eg gs in the dark — filled with chocolate candy, as well as treats donated by the Ferrara Pan Candy Company.

Before the egg hunt began, park district staff and the board of commissioners dispersed the eggs for five events Saturday, divided by age group. The three younger egg hunts were on the soccer field, while the two older ones took place on the front lawn.

“We don’t really hide the eggs as much as we spread them around,” Cumbee said. However, he added, “we do hide golden eggs with special prizes at each site and try our best to make them difficult to find.”

Most children darted from one patch of eg gs to the next and, after they ’d collected them all, lined up to take photos with the Easter bunny.

BANNOR

PHOTO S BY TODD

United Lutheran Church

Invites you and your loved ones to join us this Easter season

Mar 28 - Maundy Thursday contemplative 7:00pm

Mar 29 - Good Friday contemplative music 7:00pm

Mar 30 - Vigil of Easter with skits, songs & all ages participation 7:00pm

Mar 31 - Easter with festive music

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park 324 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 • www.firstumcoakpark.org

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park 324 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 ⬧ www.firstumcoakpark.org

Fri., March 29, 2024 – Good Friday

7 pm Worship Service.

Sat., March 23, 2024 –Children’s “Eggstravaganza”: 11 am – 1 pm Refreshments, crafts, and the story of Easter with an Easter Egg Hunt to follow on the playground. Please register on our website. Space is limited.

This remembrance features our historic Skinner organ.

Sun., March 24, 2024 – Palm Sunday: 10 am Worship Service.

Sun., March 31, 2024 – Easter Sunday

Fri., March 29, 2024 – Good Friday: 7 pm Worship Service. This remembrance features our historic Skinner organ.

Sun., March 31, 2024 – Easter Sunday

7 am The first service of Easter, outside in the Memorial Garden. Recount God’s saving grace in the quiet of the morning. In the event of rain, we will be in the Chapel (ring Tower doorbell for entry).

8 am – 9:30 am Potluck Breakfast.

7 am The first service of Easter, outside in the Memorial Garden. Recount God’s saving grace in the quiet of the morning. In the event of rain, we will be in the Chapel (ring Tower doorbell for entry).

8 am – 9:30 am Potluck Breakfast.

10 am A festive Easter Celebration of Resurrection with our diverse music ministry and special activities for children.

10 am A festive Easter Celebration of Resurrection with our diverse music ministry and special activities for children.

Service times at stchristophersoakpark.org

EASTER CHURCH GUIDE

Saturday • March 23rd

Vigil Mass 5:30pm

Palm Sunday • March 24th

7:30am, 9:00am, 11:00am with Solemn

Procession, and 5:30pm

March 28th • Holy ursday

7:00pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper - Adoration until 11:00pm, Kyte Hall

March 29th • Good Friday

8:00am Morning Prayer with the Friars 3:00pm Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion

March 30th • Holy Saturday 8:00am Morning Prayer with the Friars 12:00pm Blessing of Easter Baskets in Church 8:00pm Easter Vigil Mass

March 31st • Easter Sunday 7:30am, 9:00am, and 11:00am Masses

ere will be a modi ed schedule the week of April 1st through April 6th with 7:00am Mass Only. Confessions will resume on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 7th at 3:00pm.

1530 Jackson Ave, River Forest, IL 60305 • (708) 366 -7090

www.svfparish.org

Come and See: the Catholic Community of Oak Park invites you to celebrate Holy Week and Easter with us!

The Parish of Ascension and St. Edmund www.ascensionoakpark.com · 708-848-2703 or 708-848-4417

Ascension Church

808 S. East Avenue, Oak Park

St. Edmund Church 188 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park

The Parish of St. Catherine of Siena - St. Lucy and St. Giles www.stgilesparish.org · 708-383-3430

St. Catherine of Siena -St. Lucy Church 38 N. Austin Boulevard, Oak Park

St. Giles Church 1045 Columbian Avenue, Oak Park

TRIDUUM

Holy Thursday, March 28

Mass of the Lord's Supper - *7:30 pm at Ascension Church with the Ascension and St. Edmund Choirs

Adoration until Midnight Night Prayer 11:45 pm

Morning Prayer 9:00 am at St. Edmund Church

Morning Prayer 8:30 am at St. Giles Church

Mass of the Lord's Supper - *7:00 pm at St. Giles Church with the Adult Choir and the Handbell Choir

Adoration until Midnight Night Prayer 11:45 pm

Good Friday, March 29

Taizé Prayer Around the Cross *3:00 pm at Ascension Church

Good Friday Solemn Celebration –*7:30 pm at Ascension Church with the St. Edmund Choir and the Ascension Schola

Morning Prayer 8:30 am at St. Giles Church

Celebration of the Lord’s Passion *3:00 pm at St. Giles Church with the Adult Choir

Celebration of the Lord’s Passion – 7:00 pm at St. Catherine of Siena St. Lucy Church with the Praise Choir

Living Stations of the Cross – 7:00 pm at St. Giles Church with the Teen Choir

Family Mass Community Good Friday Prayer Service with Silent Passion – 7:30 pm in the St. Giles School Gym

Holy Saturday, March 30

Morning Prayer 9:00 am at St. Edmund Church

Blessing of Easter Food 11:00 am at St. Edmund Church

Easter Vigil and First Mass of Easter - 8:00 pm at St. Edmund Church with the Ascension and St. Edmund Choirs

Initiation of New Members

(No 5:00 pm Mass at St. Edmund Church )

Morning Prayer 8:30 am at St. Giles Church

Blessing of Easter Food 11:00 am at St. Giles Church and at 1:00 pm at St. Catherine of Siena St. Lucy Church

Easter Vigil and First Mass of Easter - 7:00 pm at St. Giles Church

Initiation of New Members

(No 4:30 pm Mass at St. Giles Church)

Easter Sunday, March 31

8:00 am (with the Ascension Schola) and *10:30 am (with the Ascension Choir) at Ascension Church

9:15 am and 11:15 am (with the St. Edmund Choir) at St. Edmund Church

12:30 pm Bi Lingual Spanish/English Mass at St. Edmund Church

No 5:00 pm Oak Park Catholic Community Mass on Easter Sunday

Sunrise 6:00 am in the St. Giles Courtyard (weather permitting, otherwise in Church)

*8:00 and 10:30 am at St. Giles Church

9:00 am at St. Catherine of Siena St. Lucy Church with the Adult Choir

10:00 am Family Mass Community in the St. Giles School Gym

*Marked service times will be livestreamed. Please see our websites, ascensionoakpark.com or stgilesparish.org, for further information, and to find links to livestream events.

Vehicles cited for disorderly conduct at funeral service

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Police reported they were monitoring a funeral procession March 19 that was traveling west on Roosevelt Road from Harlem Avenue They noticed five vehicles in the procession recklessly taking up multiple lanes, or driving with open doors and people hanging out of windows and sunroofs. Police mailed citations to the vehicles’ registered owners for negligent driving.

Disturbance

would be attacked by a man she was dating or by one of his family members. She had been dating this man since October and discovered that, while dating her, he was living with a woman he’d fathered a child with. The woman is pregnant with his child and, when she called to tell him, he said the woman he’s living with would beat her up. On March 19, the man called her and said his sister would beat her up, and that the two of them would be at her apartment when she got home. She reported she is able to stay at a family member’s house if she feels unsafe and is seeking an orders of protection.

Battery

A woman came to the police station March 19 to report an incident that happened at Walmart March 16. She was shopping with her two-year-old son when someone came up to them and threatened to attack her outside the store. The woman and the person have a history of violence, as one stabbed the other in 2016 and served prison time. The woman called 911 and officers came to briefly speak to her, but left for another call since there seemed to be no immediate threat. But when the woman went to the vehicle, the person followed her, continuing to threaten her

The woman showed police two videos of the incident that she uploaded on Facebook, in which she is inviting the other person to fight, not vice versa. She asked for infor mation for an order of protection, and police directed her to speak with the Chicago Police Department to find the appropriate courthouse

Fire

After 6 p.m. March 18, a structure fire broke out on Marengo Avenue. The Forest Park Fire Department responded, along with Berwyn, Maywood and River Forest’s fire departments. The resident of the unit wasn’t on the scene and couldn’t be contacted at the time of the fire. There were no reported injuries, and the building sustained significant interior and exterior damage

Domestic trouble

A woman came into the police station March 19 to report that she was worried she

On March 20, police were dispatched for reports of battery. On Des Plaines Avenue, a property manager said that a maintenance employee who was working on the building was hit in the chest by a tenant. The maintenance person and his coworker couldn’t do work on her unit because of building regulations and started to leave the property. The woman, who is deaf and appeared upset, flipped them off, then punched one between the chest and shoulder. The man didn’t sustain any bruises, refused medical attention and doesn’t wish to sign complaints

Suspicious circumstances

A woman came into the police station March 24 to report the behavior of a man who attends church with her at Living World. Though she has reported the man to Living World Security, his odd and aggressive behavior continues, like opening her car door while she’s inside, or getting in her face and yelling “hey!” Police advised the woman to call 911 if she has issues with the man in the future.

These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated March 18 through March 24 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest

Gone but never forgotten

Ed’s Way turns out the lights one last time

By FOREST PARK REVIEW STAFF

The cupboards are bare. The carts stacked neatly. A goodbye chalked on the well-worn sidewalk.

T he N utley f amily loc ke d the front d oor of Ed’s Way gr ocery store one final time Sund ay.

After more than 30 years of business, the father-son team of Ed and Mike Nutley retired from the business, selling the community cornerstone store, after their prop-

erty was zoned by the village to become a 10-unit townhouse.

“On my last night at Ed’s Way, after turning of f the lights and locking the door for the last time, I’m going home, put on a Dean Martin record, open a Bud Light and have a toast for the good times we had,” Ed Nutley told Forest Park Review’s John Rice.

He hung the “gone fishing” sign on the glass door Sunday. Perhaps the Bud Light was on ice, waiting for him.

One thing is certain: Ed’s Way will never be forgotten.

The village in February renamed that piece of Beloit Avenue “Ed Nutley Way.”

Catch you later, Ed.

PHOTO S BY TODD BANNOR

Presenter:

Georgia

Presenter:

Blending

Presenter:

Presenter:

Joanne Nutley, Karen Dylewski, John Paunov ic, Marisa Serio, Ed Nutley, Karen Nutley Hinz and Mike Nutley at Ed’s Way Food Mart on the day of it’s closing.

D91 outreach

District 91 has the right impulse. Draw Forest Park families with young children into a cocoon of welcome and care that includes the public elementary schools but also the park district and every other local agency or service that can connect our families as one village

That’s the core idea of this Saturday’s first-ever D91 education summit. Its title, “The Village We Choose,” is perfect. In a town with a seriously diminishing elementary school enrollment, Forest Park needs new movers to gravitate to D91, and it needs current residents to see this district in a new light. Holding onto families who choose D91 for pre-school and primary grades but who then wander off is another challenge — and an opportunity

Deepening relationships between the district, its schools and families will be a long process. This summit, Saturday at the Middle School, needs to be just one outreach effort in a long line of such connections.

More green alleys

Forest Park, like every older suburb, has alley challenges. The alleys are old, they deteriorate, they are a source of flooding during heavy storms, and they are very expensive to repair.

Good, then, that Forest Park has actively worked with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to pair up funding that allows at least some “green alleys” to be constructed in town.

The village council just went out to bid on construction of two new blocks of green alleys to be constructed this year. A green alley is a combination of concrete on the outer edges of the alley which pitch toward the center and an inner stretch of permeable pavers that will absorb rainwater and allow it to bypass either a water treatment system or your neighbor’s basement.

This is a deter mined effort by the village to invest in sustainability as it can muster the funds.

Impervious Union Paci

c

Forest Park, River Forest and Oak Park are bisected by freight and commuter railroads Make a list of untouchable entities and we’ll put our nation’s railroads high up there. From the early land grants in the 1850s, which created the paths of America’s rail networks, a continuously consolidating rail industry has had stunning independence on how those lines are maintained and regulated

In multiple ribbons of track. The CTA and Metra rail lines are a notable benefit to each town as they connect our citizens with both the Loop and the wester n suburbs

Freight trains … not so much of a blessing

In the past few weeks both our Forest Park Review and Wednesday Jour nal have carried reporting on citizen upset over freight trains idling for hours on the Union Pacific line south of Lake Street. Noisy and polluting, these trains make life miserable for those in neighboring condos

We have both residents and electeds complaining. But the impervious UP just doesn’t care. History would tell us they have no reason to care as there is no effective way to impact their arrogant behavior.

We’d love to be proven wrong

OPINION

Is it a sin to compromise?

Pastor Walter Mitty noticed that few of his members were wearing green as he looked around at the folks munching on the soda bread Bob Sullivan brought to the coffee hour on St Patrick’s Day. What seemed to be on the minds of the people at his table, however, was Chuck Schumer’s speech given three days earlier

“Senator Schumer really read the riot act to those right-wing nationalists in Israel,” Sharissa Hawkins blurted out as she sat down.

“But doesn’t Israel have the right to respond with force to the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7?” asked Asch as a way of tempering her passionate fervor

HOLMES

Sharissa tried to moderate her tone for the sake of her friendship with her elderly friend, and replied, “Asch, you try to see both sides of every issue, but in this case Israel is the Goliath and the Palestinians are David.”

Pastor Mitty grew increasingly uncomfortable as others joined the debate, taking sides with either Sharissa or Asch. “Christians should strive for unity and har mony,” was what he always told people, but in this case as in so many others, he couldn’t imagine what unity might look like.

When he reported what had transpired to his neighbor the next day, Michael replied, “I will be honest with you, Walt. Like Schumer, I am a Jew, and I have no idea how to resolve the enmity each side has for each other in the Holy Land. Let’s go over to Ber nie’s for a coffee and see what his take is.”

As soon as the two friends got inside the front door of the History/Herstory Book Store, Ber nie Rolvaag’s greeting was, “Have you two read Chuck Schumer’s speech?”

Mitty and Michael started laughing and explained that they had come to pick the bookstore owner’s brain more than sip his coffee, but now that you mention it, two cappuccinos, please.

Since there were no customers demanding Ber nie’s attention, he sat down with them at the table next to the biography section of his store.

“You know,” Bernie began, “there are some who say that the solution to the conundrum is one state in which Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslim live together in harmony and with mutual respect.”

“And if I remember correctly,” said Michael, “Schumer said that wouldn’t work.”

“Well,” Bernie added with a sigh, “it hasn’t worked in Ireland or with Pakistan and India or in the Sudan

or in the for mer Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia or for the Catalans in Spain …”

“Or for us in this country,” Mitty added. “I read somewhere that when it comes to religion there are 200 Christian denominations in this country, not to mention Michael’s religion and Muslims and Buddhists. . . .”

“And MAGAs and Progressives and boring moderates like the three of us,” said Michael.

“This isn’t for publication in the Poplar Park Times,” said Ber nie, “but I think our Civil War was a waste of blood, time and money — 600,000 deaths for what?”

Mitty and Michael gave Bernie a minute to think about what to say next.

“Like Schumer said, a one-state solution with Israelis and Palestinians living together is a noble dream, an idealistic vision, but history tells us it won’t work. Our own history says it doesn’t work I mean, what’s so sacred about keeping the union together and at what cost?”

“Because it requires compromise?” asked Pastor Walt, “And especially right now that’s a tough row to hoe, just like back in 1860. I heard Congressman Chip Roy declare he would not compromise his principles for the sake of coming to an agreement with the Democrats regarding the budget.”

“And that moves politics into the realm of religion?” asked Michael rhetorically. “Like it’s something you fight to the death for instead of a pragmatic pursuit of getting something done?”

“Not being willing to compromise means the perfect is the enemy of the good. It means viewing those who differ with you as enemies,” Bernie added.

“You know,” Pastor Mitty said, following a pause, “the religious traditions both Michael and I follow tell us to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. Correct me if I’m wrong, but politics is not God and we’re not supposed to love the issues we consider with all our heart nor think of ourselves as having infallible judgment.”

“In other words,” said Michael, “we can agree that loving our neighbor is what community should be about, but how to create that beloved community is a quest without a clear roadmap.”

“Excuse my cynicism,” said Ber nie, “but loving one’s neighbor doesn’t seem to be what the goal of MAGA these days, unless you define neighbor as those in your own tribe. Certainly not an immigrant.”

“Should progressives,” wondered Pastor Mitty out loud, “be looking in the same spiritual mirror?”

A LOOK BACK IN TIME

And they’re o … well, not quite yet

The Harlem Post was a local weekly newspaper printed in German for the local German-American population. Its first edition was published on Sept. 12, 1895 and included the following article about the fact that the Harlem Race Track did not open in 1895 as planned.

The Harlem Race Track was a horse racing enterprise located in the village of Harlem (now Forest Park), between Roosevelt Road (formerly 12th Street) and 16th Street (formerly Collier Avenue), and between Hannah (formerly 74th) and Lathrop (formerly 76th). It was scheduled to open in 1895, but because of a public outcry against all gambling, the track did not open as scheduled. It lay dormant until opening in July 1897.

The Harlem Racetrack

Translated by Uli Leib

T he majority of the citizens of Harlem will most likely express their satisfaction about the closing of the race track. Even though it is not gone yet, we will not have to deal with it for the next two years. And hopefully, there will be no future legislation to give preference to the g ambling mania. While it is sad that some owners of the small businesses on 12th Street will be ruined, they don’ t deserve too much sympathy T hey knew from the start that the population of Harlem wanted nothing to do with g ambling, even though the Harlem Village Board le g alized it

Chicago fought for a long time to banish racing from its city limits and was not victorious until lives were lost. At that point, the authorities, who had been rather lukewarm in their opposition, were morally forced to resort to more serious measures. It is an undisputed fact that racetracks attract undesirable elements, immorality and disorderly conduct, which threaten the safety and peace of neighboring residents. Not to mention the harmful consequences of racetracks which offer opportunities for gambling.

While some citizens of Harlem may point to the benefits, such as the creation of seve ral jobs, as well as street lights for our village, these are dubious. Our lighting system leaves a lot to be desired, and opinions about its effectiveness and performance vary greatly. It is true that several openings for additional police officers provided employment for some of our citizens. However, since the policing of the racetrack was handed over to the Chicago Fair Grounds Association, our local police would not even have been able to claim that as their accomplishment.

We should be happy that things ended the way they did, since our authorities would not have been able to control the behavior of the gamblers down the road anyway.

Jill Wagner

Editor Erika Hobbs

Sta Repor ter Jessica Mordacq

Amaris Rodriguez

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, John Rice, Bob Skolnik, Jackie Glosniak, Robert J. Li a

Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes, John Rice

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designer Susan McKelvey

Sales and Marketing Representatives

Lourdes Nicholls, Ben Stumpe

Business & Development Manager

Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projec ts Manager Susan Walker

Board of Directors

Chair Judy Gre n

Treasurer Nile Wendorf

Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

HOW TO REACH US

ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

PHONE 708-366-0600 ■ FAX 708-467-9066

EMAIL forestpark@wjinc.com

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PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that

PUBLIC NOTICES

OAK PARK TOWNSHIP

PUBLIC NOTICES REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF ILLINOIS)

COUNTY OF COOK )ss

Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of Jose Antonio Ibarra, Petitioner and Francisca Fernandez, Respondent, Case No. 2024D001717.

The real estate is improved with a condo/townhouse.

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed proposals from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 for the following: Village of Oak Park Master Meter Testing Project Number: 23-121

Proposal documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oakpark.us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours.

The Village of Oak Park —Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302— will receive electronic proposals until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 18, 2024 for Project: 24-16, 2024 Sidewalk Improvements Program. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, this contract includes sidewalk angle cutting, removal and replacement of public sidewalk, parkway and carrIage walks, combination curb and gutter, driveways, and PCC basecourse; pavement adjacent to curbs, adjustment of drainage structures, buffalo boxes, removal and resetting of historic sidewalk, and all appurtenant work thereto.

Published in Wednesday Journal August 23, 2023

Sidewalk sequencing during the work and adherence to the completion date is of emphasis for this project as outlined in the plans and proposal forms.

Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday, March 28, at 10:00 a.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oak-park. us/your-government/budget-purchasing/requests-proposals or at www.questcdn.com under login using QuestCDN number 9039695 for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.

This project is financed with local Village funds and federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and thus is subject to all federal rules, regulations and guidelines, including Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, Section 3, and Equal Opportunity requirements.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Bill McKenna Village Engineer

Published in Wednesday Journal March 27, 2024

The Village of River Forest will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 8, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. in the 1st floor Community Room of the Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois concerning the Village of River Forest proposed budget for the fiscal period starting May 1, 2024 and ending April 30, 2025. A copy of the proposed budget is available for public inspection at the Village Hall during regular business hours or on the Village’s website at www.vrf.us. For more information, please contact Finance Director Rosemary McAdams at 708-3668500. PublisÍhed in Wednesday Journal March 27, 2024

**LEGAL NOTICE**

**PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE**

**Village of North Riverside Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals**

**VARIANCE REQUEST FOR AVA’S WINE BAR**

Notice is hereby given that the Village of North Riverside Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a public hearing to consider a variance request for AVA’s Wine Bar located at 7700 W 26th Street, North Riverside, IL.

**Variance Request Details**

The variance request pertains to the installation of a pole sign.

**Public Hearing Details**

Date: April 18, 2024

Time: 6:00 PM

Location: Village of North Riverside Village Commons

Address: 2401 Desplaines Ave, Riverside, IL 60546

All interested parties are invited to attend and provide input at the public hearing. Written comments may also be submitted to the Community Development Department prior to the hearing at the following address: Community Development Department

Village of North Riverside 2401 Desplaines Ave Riverside, IL 60546

For further information, please contact the Community Development office at (708) 447-4211.

PublisÍhed in Landmark March 27, 2024

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on 15 April 2024, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of Village Hall, 517 Desplaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois, the Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider various amendments to Chapter 3: Residential and Chapter 8: Off-Street Parking in Title 9 of the Forest Park Zoning Ordinance

The applicant for this petition is the Village of Forest Park, 517 Desplaines, Forest Park, Illinois.

Signed:

Marsha East, Chair Planning and Zoning Commission

Published in the Forest Park Review 27 March 2024

**LEGAL NOTICE**

**PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE**

**Village of North Riverside Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals**

**VARIANCE REQUEST FOR 2227 NORTHGATE AVENUE**

Notice is hereby given that the Village of North Riverside Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a public hearing to consider a variance request for 2227 Northgate Avenue, North Riverside, IL.

**Variance Request Details**

The applicant is requesting a side setback to maintain an existing setback of 2’ 10” and a variance to permit a total building height of 30’.

**Public Hearing Details**

Date: April 18, 2024

Time: 6:00 PM

Location: Village of North Riverside Village Commons

Address: 2401 Desplaines Ave, Riverside, IL 60546

All interested parties are invited to attend and provide input at the public hearing. Written comments may also be submitted to the Community Development Department prior to the hearing at the following address: Community Development Department Village of North Riverside 2401 Desplaines Ave Riverside, IL 60546

For further information, please contact the Community Development office at (708) 447-4211.

PublisÍhed in Landmark March 27, 2024

on 15 April 2024, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall, 517 Desplaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois, the Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider a conditional use permit to allow the installation of a billboard structure in the I-2 Limited Industrial District on the following described property:

That part of the East half of the Northwest Quarter of Section 13, Township 39 North, Range 12, East of the Third Principal Meridian, (except the West 3 feet thereof) lying West of a line 50 feet West, measured at right angles thereto, of the centerline of Des Plaines Avenue; South of the South rightof-way line of Chicago and Great Western Railroad, and Northerly of the following described line: Beginning at a point in a line 3 feet West of, measured at right angles thereto, the centerline of Des Plaines Avenue, 160 feet Southerly, measured along a line 3 feet West of and parallel with the centerline of Des Plaines Avenue, from the South right-of-way line of said Railroad; thence Southwesterly on a line forming an angle of 54 degrees, 41 minutes (measured from the last described parallel line extended Southerly) 763.81 feet; thence continuing Southwesterly on a straight line to a point in the West line of said East half of the Northwest Quarter of said Section 13, 218. 75 feet North of the Southwest corner thereof.

Commonly known as 711 Des Plaines Ave., Forest Park, IL

PIN: 15-13-112-015-8004

The applicant is Stina Fish.

Signed:

Marsha East, Chair Planning and Zoning Commission

Published in the Forest Park Review 27 March 2024

NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the legal voters, residents of the Town of Oak Park, County of Cook, and State of Illinois, that the Annual Town Meeting of said Town, will take place on Tuesday, April 9, 2024,at the Oak Park Township Senior Services Center, 130 S. Oak Park Ave., in the Town of Oak Park, at the hour of 6:30 p.m., for the transaction of the business of the Town; and a Moderator having been elected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of officers, and decide on such measures as may, in pursuance of law, come before the meeting, following this agenda:

I. Call to Order

II. Pledge of Allegiance

III. Procedures for Meeting

IV. Supervisor’s Annual Financial Statements

V. Election of Moderator

VI. Township Year in Review: COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH BOARD ASSESSOR • SENIOR SERVICES

YOUTH SERVICES • GENERAL ASSISTANCE PREVENTION SERVICES

VII. Resolutions to Come Before the Electors:

VIII. Public Comments

IX. Adjournment

All interested citizens, groups, senior citizens and organizations representing the interests of senior citizens are encouraged to attend.

Oak Park Township does not discriminate on the basis of handicapped status in the admission or access to, or employment in its programs or activities. Those needing special accommodations are asked to provide 48 hours notice.

Given under my hand in the Town of Oak Park, County of Cook, State of Illinois, this 22 day of March 2024.

DaToya Burtin-Cox

Oak Park Township Clerk

PublisÍhed in Wednesday Journal March 27, 2024

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

e Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law.

is newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777.

GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before April 26, 2024, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal March 27, April 3, 10, 2024

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

Plaintiff, -v.MELANIE MARTIN, 300 CHICAGO CONDOMINIUM, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF HAZEL J. ANTHONY, GERALD NORDGREN, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR HAZEL J. ANTHONY (DECEASED)

Defendants

2022 CH 04036

300 CHICAGO AVE., 4N OAK PARK, IL 60302

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 17, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 10, 2024, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED

REAL ESTATE: UNIT 4-N

TOGETHER WITH ITS UNDIVIDED

PERCENTAGE INTEREST IN THE COMMON ELEMENTS IN 300 CHICAGO CONDOMINIUM AS DELINEATED AND DEFINED IN THE DECLARATION RECORDED AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 25110568, IN THE SOUTHWEST

1/4 OF SECTION 5, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

Commonly known as 300 CHICAGO AVE., 4N, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-321-0341007

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE

FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES,

P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-

SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100

BURR RIDGE IL, 60527

630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-22-03237

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2022 CH 04036

TJSC#: 44-527

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2022 CH 04036

I3239636

The

sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency

(driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-22-09308

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 22 CH 04542

TJSC#: 44-491

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 22 CH 04542 I3239998

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

FIFTH THIRD BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

Plaintiff, -v.-

ANTONIO A. BRAVO, THE TREMONT CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION

Defendants 2023 CH 00031 227 W. CHICAGO #3 OAK PARK, IL 60302

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on June 6, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 17, 2024, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: UNIT 227-3 TOGETHER WITH ITS UNDIVIDED PERCENTAGE INTEREST IN THE COMMON ELEMENTS IN THE TREMONT CONDOMINIUM, AS DELINEATED AND DEFINED IN THE DECLARATION OF CONDOMINIUM RECORDED AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 0021260423, IN THE EAST 1/2 OF SECTION 7 AND THE NORTHWEST 1/4 AND THE WEST 1/2 OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 8, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

Commonly known as 227 W. CHICAGO #3, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-102-0211009

The real estate is improved with a residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest

bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100

BURR RIDGE IL, 60527

630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-22-09619

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2023 CH 00031

TJSC#: 44-611

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2023 CH 00031

I3240571

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION MIDFIRST BANK Plaintiff, vs.

Unknown Heirs and/or Legatees of Yolanda Daniels, Deceased; Derrick Rockett; Julie Fox as Special Representative for Yolanda Daniels Deceased; United States of America;

UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS; UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS

Defendants, 22 CH 146 NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, April 29, 2024 at the hour of 11 a.m.

For more info:

Presents TWO DADS DEFENDING DEMOCRACY

Tuesday, April 9, 2024 • 7pm

Through respect and understanding, former Congressman Joe Walsh and activist Fred Guttenberg successfully model how to engage in dialogue with a willingness to listen and learn to nd common ground.