Forest Park Review 050323

New D209 board member lays out priorities with new majority

Ocampo seeks accountability, pledges cooperation

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Re porter

In a sweep surprising the Proviso Township school community, the three candidates of the Proviso 209 United slate have dismantled the current board majority at the public high schools. Now all eyes are on the trio and holdover Amanda Grant to form a new majority.

Newcomer David Ocampo ran first in the April 4 election, and in an interview with Forest Park Review, said he would focus on school finances, investments in students and accountability for an oft-criticized superintendent, James Henderson.

As Ocampo is getting ready to take an official oath and be sworn onto the Proviso Township High Schools board of education on Thursday, May 4, he is ensuring his priorities are in order and is eager to get to work.

Considering himself “data inclined,” Ocampo said the first thing on his mind is to focus on the numbers and data to patch out the story conveyed and to start

See OCAMPO on pa ge 14

MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

WE ALL HAVE MENTAL HEALTH

Whether you are struggling with a temporary challenge or if you are living with a chronic condition, your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

50%

More than 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

GROWING CRISIS AMONG YOUTH

America’s youth mental health crisis has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness INCREASED

69% between 2009 and 2021 for U.S. high school students

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE

The Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township (CMHB) and the River Forest Township Mental Health Committee invest in a continuum of mental health care that is responsive to our unique and evolving community needs. Together, we provided over $1.5M last year to help local organizations and schools offer prevention, early intervention, treatment, and quality-of-life services to Oak Park and River Forest residents. Our grants resulted in:

COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH BOARD OF OAK PARK TOWNSHIP

• Over 4,400 Oak Park residents accessing services

• Nearly 10,000 units of mental health treatment for Oak Park residents

• Over 200 educational presentations on mental health to Oak Park residents

• Over 1,000 Oak Park high school students trained in suicide prevention

In fiscal year 2023, CMHB provided over $1.4M in funding for mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability services. To learn more about our work in this area, visit oakparktownship.org/CMHB.

RIVER FOREST TOWNSHIP MENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE

• Over 18,000 hours of services provided to River Forest residents

• Over 70 hours of educational presentations on mental health to River Forest residents

• Over 250 River Forest high school students trained in suicide prevention

In fiscal year 2023, RFT provided over $170,000 in funding for mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability services. To learn more about our work in this area, visit www.riverforesttownship.org/mhservices.asp.

An unorthodox orthodox hospital chaplain

AJ Altheimer doesn’t t the image. She just ts the bill

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Forest Park resident Amy “AJ” Al theimer doesn’t fit the stereotypical im age of a hospital chaplain, which is just one reason why she’s good at what she does.

First, the or thodox part. AJ identifies as a Catholic and goes to Mass at Old St. Pat’s Church in the Loop. She has a master’s de gree in Pastoral Studies and has completed a year of Clinical Pastoral Education.

And now, the road-less-traveled part. AJ grew up in a secular Jewish family, yet she claims that even as a child she had sense of God’s “presence.”

Even though her parents were not re ligious, they sent AJ to Catholic schools and there she met Sr. Alecio who was “tough but fair, a decent human being.”

After graduating from Roosevelt University, AJ got a job with a security company which she hated. To get away from that toxic environment at lunchtime, she star ted going to the noon Mass at Old St. Pat’s, which was right across the street.

One day after, a priest asked why she attended frequently but never came up for communion. She responded, “Well, because I’m Jewish.”

“He star ted laughing, and I star ted laughing,” she recalled, “and in the fall of 2015 I star ted taking classes in a program called RCIA [Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults]. A year later she was baptized at the Easter Vigil.

“I don’t look like a re gular church lady,” she said. What she means is that she has tattoos, rides her motorcycle to work sometimes, wears plus-size clothing, has been diagnosed as clinically de pressed, is a hard-core rock-and-roller, self-identifies as queer and has been poor to the point of shoplifting. She got through grad school with the help of professors who were able to modify her program to fit her special lear ning needs because of her ADHD

If pulling all of that to gether sounds miraculous, AJ wouldn’t disag ree. “The night before my 50th bir thday,” she re-

Working Class Hero Award for Review’s Rice

John Rice, who has been writing for the Forest Park Review for 35 years, was honored by the Historical Society of Forest Park on May 1 at the Haymarket Monument with the Mark Ro govin: Working Class Hero Award, for his contributions to our community through his ar ticles and columns on Black history, homelessness, the impor tance of literacy, Forest Park business personalities, and his most recent ef for ts with Gladys Tur ner to put the grave of Dr Jose ph Corbin, founder of the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluf f, on the National Re gister of Historic Places

called, “I was lying in bed when out of the blue I heard this voice in my head telling me that I need to become a hospital chaplain.”

She lear ned online that Loyola had the program she needed, was acce pted even though her grades in colle ge had not been very good, and she graduated on time but with enor mous student loan debt.

“God,” she stated fir mly, “wanted me to be a hospital chaplain.”

And that divine calling was confir med on the very first day of her clinical residency at Masonic Hospital, a Level One Trauma Center

“My first case,” she recalled, “was someone who got shot in the le g and died on the table in ER. The bullet had hit an ar tery. The second call was someone who got stabbed, and the handle of the knife came of f, so the blade was stuck inside his body.”

Acknowledging that many people would freak out if thrown into such situations, AJ said, “At that point I knew that

was the kind of chaplaincy I wanted to do A lot of people didn’t understand this path I was on, but it was my sister who told me, ‘You’ re very good in a crisis and you are exactly who I would want with me in a crisis.’”

She also found that her tattoos and emotional wounds made her feel safe to many who live on the cultural margins

AJ is now the night chaplain at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn.

“Chaplaincy,” she explained, “is not about religion; it’s about connection. I meet patients where they are.”

She also meets the docs and nurses where they are. Staf f, she said, go through a lot.

She, too, has really hard days at work but added, “The second I enter the hospital, I walk a little taller with my shoulders back because I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“A lot of people,” she noted, “live their entire life and never get that gift.”

TODD BANNON

CHAPLAIN EX TRAORDINAIRE: “Chaplainc y is not about religion; it’s about connection. I meet patients where they are,” says AJ Altheimer.

Jill Wagner

Jill Wagner

John Rice

May 3-10

BIG WEEK

Free tennis clinic

Saturday, May 6, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., Park Distric t of Forest Park Tennis Cour ts Did you know May is National Tennis Month? Celebrate with a free tennis clinic for all ages and skill levels with Coach Bernard. Come meet our awesome instruc tor and learn more about our tennis programs.

Around the World Stor ytime with LOTE Online

Monday, May 8, 11 - 11:30 a.m., Forest Park Public Librar y Vir tual

We will have a mini- exploration of stories, rhymes, and songs spotlighting content from LOTE. Designed for ages 5 and under. This event will be shown with captions on the librar y’s Facebook page and will be available for viewing 24 hours after the original airing. No registration is necessary. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

inifred Haun & Dancers

Ca t Kid Comic Club in Real Life

Friday, May 5, 4 - 5 p.m., Forest Park Public Librar y YS Program Room

Create your own Cat Kid comic, using a template, or do a group comic. We will share our comics with each other, if desired. Ages 8 to 10. Please email us at ys@fppl.org or call the YS D epar tment at 708-689-6126 if you need access to a remote or recorded option or if you have other accessibility needs. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

Illinois Libraries Present: Drawing Comics With Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Saturday, May 6, 10-11 a.m., vir tually through Illinois Libraries Present Celebrate Free Comic Book Day with New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka. This live, vir tual drawing workshop will inspire the inner ar tist in ever yone. So sharpen your pencils, bring out the paper, and join us. Register now at bit.ly/Draw withJarrettKrosoczka.

Stars At Any Age

Friday, May 5, 7 p.m. Saturday, May 6, 5:30 p.m., Temple Restoration Foundatiom his dance troupe will glide to the music of Barr y , per forming live. $25-40 (UTRF members e $5 o ), 875 Lake St., Oak Park.

Monday, May 8, 1:15-2:15 p.m., Nineteenth Century Charitable Association

Talented young pianists Freya Pang, Claire Rong, and Christian Gerald Esteban will be joined by concer t pianist Dr. Natasha Stojanovska. Free, but a suggested donation of $15 is appreciated. 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park.

Listing your event in the calendar

Forest Park Review welcomes notices about events that Forest Park community groups and businesses are planning. We’ll work to get the word out if you let us know what’s happening by noon Wednesday a

week before your news needs to be in the newspaper

■ Send details to Wednesday Jour nal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, 60302

■ Email calendar@wjinc.com

Park Distric t adopts new logo and tagline

Chosen based on sta , resident feedback

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The Park District of Forest Park has a new logo and a tagline that will be gradually phased in over the months and years to come.

This was something Adam Cumbee, the park district’s marketing manager, has been working on since late last year With renovations of the pocket parks and the new indoor facility on the south side of Harrison Street on the horizon, the staff felt that it was a good opportunity to refresh the brand and create a unified identity for all park district facilities.

The end results were a mix of old and new, reworking the leaf logo used on the park district website and utilizing green and dark blue colors the park district has already been using, while also adding orange to the color scheme and evoking the place marker used on online maps. Cumbee told the Review that the new tagline -- “stay close, go far” -- is meant to show that Forest Parkers could take advantage of the wide variety of amenities and activities the park district offers

without having to leave the village.

The park district board of commissioners unanimously approved the new logo during its April 20 meeting. Park District Executive Director Jackie Iovinelli told the Review the new logo and tag line will be rolled out gradually as the park district buys new staff unifor ms and renovations begin.

The park district has been using a teal green leaf logo on its website, marketing materials, inter nal documents and some signage. The Aquatic Center, 7501 Harrison St., has a black and white triangle logo, and Roos Recreation Center, 7329 Harrison St., uses dark blue/purple and lime green colors in its own circle R logo. The village-owned pocket parks, which the park district has been operating since 2020, either still retain village signage or have no signage at all.

During the Jan. 19 park board meeting, Cumbee said that this variety of logos meant that people often don’t know that the Aquatic Center is even one of their facilities. Another factor the staff was considering was that they will be renovating Reiger Park, 1526 Circle Ave., and Popelka Park,

with the renovations of Remembrance Park, 7341 Randolph St., expected further down the pipeline. With new signs coming in, they wanted to know what to put on them.

Cumbee told the Review he came up with several logo designs and ran them past the staff. The final designs were also displayed at park district buildings, and he settled on the one visitors gravitated toward.

Cumbee said that, with both the logo and the tagline, he wanted to get across that Forest Parkers and out of towners could take advantage of the facilities and the wide variety of classes without “having to go far.” The new logo evoked the waypoint shape used on Google Maps and other mapping tools “to kind of fit with the tagline of being able to find it here.” Inside, two leaves wrapped in a yin-yang-like pattern. which, Cumbee said, didn’t have any deeper meaning – he just thought it looked good aesthetically.

The color scheme, on the other hand, was deliberate.

“One of the big goals of the rebrand was to kind of bring the park district branding

and Roos branding a little closer together, so the gradient in the leaves, and the primary colors of the new design, are the teal from our original park logo, and the dark blue/ purple color from the Roos logo,” he said.

During the April 20 meeting, Cumbee shared what potential new Popelka Park, Reiger Park and Remembrance Park signs would look like. While the basic design is the same – the park name on the dark teal half-trapezoid over a rectangle with the logo and tagline, there are some variations. Reiger Park’s background features a rocklike texture, while Remembrance Park sign evokes the United States flag

The board approved the new logo without much comment beyond praising Cumbee for doing a “good job.” Iovinelli said she was impressed that they were able to create a logo and tagline of this quality entirely inhouse, without hiring an outside consultant.

Cumbee reflected that “it feels cool” to know that the logo and tagline he designed will soon start to make its way across the park district, adding that the fact that the staff and the residents had a chance to weigh in on the design was important to him.

“Everybody had a hand in making it,” he said. “That’s a point of pride for me – everybody had a hand in the [logo and tagline’s] creation.”

Aquatic Center splash pads set to open this summer Park district puts nishing touches on spray structures, awaits state OK

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The Park District of Forest Park should have everything ready to go to allow for new splash pads at the Aquatic Center to open this summer – though Executive Director Jackie Iovinelli told the Review that, given all the delays the project has already seen, she is keeping her fingers fir mly crossed. While it was originally supposed to open during the 2022 season, supply chain issues and damage caused when a crowd of teens

stor med the Aquatic Center that June, pushed the construction back, and the district had to pause construction when the weather got cold. But the park district was ultimately able to overcome those hurdles In her April 20 project update, Iovinelli told the park district board they still needed to install a mechanism that controls the water sprays and get an all-clear from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The splash pad area was designed by Naperville-based Hitchcock Design Group, the same fir m that’s working with the park district on pocket park improvements, to create an area geared more toward kids than the all-aged pool. The area will have three separate splash pads The Town Splash Pad at the south end of the grounds features hoops and larger spray fountains, with a snake-like patter n drawn across the pad. The Jousting Grounds splash pad will, as the name sug-

gests, feature forward-facing water sprays that kids can aim at each other, along with a spray fountain in the middle. The Castle splash pad on the north side of the includes a water slide and several smaller spray fountains

Iovinelli told the board that their hiring is 70% complete, and they don’t expect any issues with lifeguards. The state public health agency plans to conduct an inspection on May 8. Staff training will be conducted the week of May 12 and the park district will do a “final walkthrough” on May 19.

Iovinelli told the board that she was happy to see the long process reach a conclusion.

“The nice thing is we have a beautiful facility, and, no mat-

ter what the headaches were, it’s going to be phenomenal,” she said. “I can’t wait for the kids to walk through the gate Their eyes will

Bookstore Day brings traffic, revenue to indie booksellers

Bookstore crawl returns with “passports,” pins

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

Chilly, occasionally rainy weather didn’t stop hundreds of Chicagoans and suburbanites from racing across the re gion on April 29 to visit at least 10 inde pendently owned bookstores. Forest Park’s Centuries & Sleuths, 7419 Madison St., and Oak Park’s the Book Table, 1045 Lake St., benefitted

Since 2014, a growing number of Chicago-area bookstores have teamed

up to drive customers to each other’s stores. The promotions varied over the years, but the idea was generally that anyone who visited a cer tain number of bookstores would get discounts until the next Inde pendent Bookstore Day.

This year, the group brought back the Bookstore Passport Challenge, where customers who spent at least $20 in a participating bookstore get a “passpor t” with names and addresses of all participants. Customers who get their passpor ts stamped (or stickered) in nine more stores got 10% discounts and those who got stamps from 15 stores got 15% of f.

One thing new this year was that winners were supposed to get pins. In

a testament to Bookstore Day’s popularity, many stores ran out of them by the after noon.

The first Bookstore Day was held on June 12, 2014. It included nine city bookstores, some of which have since closed or moved. The following year, the date was moved to coincide with the national Inde pendent Bookstore Day, which launched se parately in 2013.

Since 2015, some stores dropped in or out, and some suburban stores

joined in. The event took a break in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. When the bookstore crawl retur ned in 2022, participants had to mark the stores they visited on their social media accounts.

The Book Table in Oak Park had more customers browsing than stopping by to get stamps. Owner Rachel Weaver said that Bookstore Day has been profitable for them

“It’s always a good day,” she said. “We get a lot of people star ting their book crawl at the suburbs. All of the [suburbanites] star t ve east to Chicago.”

Centuries & Sleuths around noon, customer came in to get a stamp, but and a daughter stopped to look browse Owner Augie Aleksy pentent Bookstore Day has been his store, and he was pleasantly to find that it was one of his profitable days of 2022. This year, he said, was shaping up the same. really sur prised, and I shouldn’t busy we were this mor ning,” Aleksy, noting that he had parfrom as far west as Naperville some other bookstore owners, he ried that the weather would customers away.

“Rain is the best time to spend in a book” he said.

IGOR STUDENKOV Centuries & Sleuths’ Augie Aleksy in Forest Park.

IGOR STUDENK

e Book Table in Oak Park.

No lawn care needed, thanks

A close call in one backyard’s eco-system

By JILL WAGNER Contributing Reporter

When Abby Hansen retur ned home from a long day of work and dinner on Wednesday night, she noticed the bungee cord on the fence was unlatched. This tiny detail magnified as she lay in bed that night and she decided to check the video of her backyard just to see if perhaps someone had been in their yard while she was not home.

In 2019, she and Ku stalled w to of landscape sur A landscapers ne home changed hands, so they came just as they had for who knows how many years and were busy cutting the lawn and edging the sides.

Since then their yard has transfor med, as she and Kurt, an ecolo gist, have created an intricate native woodland and prairie garden with over 100 varieties of species that grow in their unique private space. It was even featured in the 2021 Garden Walk.

Abby’s back yard camera revealed there was indeed a visitor in their yard — a man with a hand-pump canister spraying their yard and their plants with an unknown substance An unwelcome visitor to say the least. She immediately sent the photo to Kurt who had left that mor ning to meet with clients in Indianapolis on an environmental sustainability development. He happened to be with a team of environmental scientists when the photo came through, and he shared the image with them.

As par t of his training, Kurt has been licensed as a commercial pesticide applicator, so his first thought was pragmatic, he needed to find out what was in the canister — a pesticide, a fungicide or an insecticide

“If it was a broadleaf pesticide,” he said,

“not only would all of our clover in our patio die, over the next three days almost all of our plants would have perished.” It was too late to try to reverse application, hours had passed, so there was no going back, the damage was done.

Their collection of plants each comes with a personal story, functional as well as valued for their beauty

The horseradish was from Abby’s sister, pussytoes were transplanted from a project Kurt did in Crystal Lake, the dutchman’s breeches were salvaged when he was working on a development project at the University of Notre Dame, the compass plant and prairie dock were rescued from an environmental control project in Hawthor n Woods, the chives they eat re gularly during meals, and even plants from a local neighborhood plant swap have found a thriving home in this yard. Every plant has a valued history, a personal relationship to the past and present.

After posting on the Forest Park Town Hall Facebook page to help identify the per petrator, Kurt and Abby reached out to neighbors and ke pt an eye on the garden. Hope was in the air when Abby re por ted that the plants were not wilting on Thursday. It wasn’t long before the detective work came through.

“It was the best-case scenario,” Kurt explained. “The neighbor’s lawn next door has a case of rust creating yellowing areas of grass and had hired someone to spray fungicide.” It was a instance of a mistaken address The unknown chemical was a fungicide, which did leave some scorch marks on the clovers, but “it is just minor damage, mostly because the application was in the midday sun; the spring growth will recover.”

To prevent any future house misidentification, Abby and Kurt put a sign on their fence to ward of f any unwelcome future visitors. It says, “No lawn care required. Do not enter.” Unannounced visits, however, from the less bipedal — bees, birds, and wor ms — are always welcome.

Neighbors, families join miles-long Prairie

Proviso volunteers help spring de-littering

By FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Staff Reporter

Early Saturday mor ning, volunteers in Cook, DuPage counties joined this year’s org anized by the Illinois Prairie poration, a not-for-profit gr maintain the paths, but does In Proviso township, volunteers wood, Bellwood and Hillside clean the portion of the trails multi-use nature trails – the rie Path and the Great Wester “I think it was a marv said Ralph DiFebo, site coordinator for the area spanning Berkeley and side. “It was marvelous ho we got out.”

A group of 15 people collected full 10 large garbage bags and-a-half hours they spent Andrea DiFebo “Everyone time picking up trash and environment which we should ten.”

In Hillside, volunteers ga Illinois Prairie Path section nue with plastic bags to remo the pathways and sur rounding areas In Maywood, cleaning ef

10 a.m. at the path section near 11th Street.

In total, nearly 400 volunteers participated in Saturday’s events, which also took place in areas connected through the Prairie Path such as Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Aurora, Naperville and Warrenville. The Illinois Prairie Path spans 61

ing and spending time outdoors

DiF for safe have p Path Creek CTA

PROVIDED PROVIDED

Nearly 400 volunteers turned out Saturday to clean and care for the Prairie Path, which stretches from Maywood to Aurora.

SARA JANZ PROVIDED

(Le ) Forest Park Comissioner Jessica Voogd speaks at the Forest Park Library Arbor Day event

(Below) Workers plant a Cornelian cherry dogwood tree.

(Bottom) O cials and children pose in front of the newly planted tree.

PHOTO S BY TODD A. BANNOR

Lyft rideshare shot at after driver picks up fare

A Lyft driver who picked up a passenger on the 400 block Beloit Avenue got his car shot at for his trouble

The victim said he went to pick up a fare on April 28 at 1:44 a.m. He saw the passenger argue with another man. After the passenger got into the vehicle, the other man pulled out a handgun and fired. Fearful, the victim drove west on Madison Street and called the police from near the Harlem/Lake CTA station.

By that point, police had received phone calls from several neighbors about gun shots. Officers drove up to Harlem/Lake to interview the victim. During the course of the interview, the passenger inter rupted and told the officers that they needed to go back to Beloit Avenue. He declined to cooperate with the investigation, booking an Uber and driving of f. The victim was unable to provide the passenger information to the police.

The police recovered eight shell casings from the scene. A witness said that he saw

the shooter flee through the alley on the south side of Madison Street.

The security camera pointing at Constitution Court didn’t capture the incident.

Walmart scammed

A Forest Park Walmart employee who

believed she was taking orders from the chain’s corporate headquarters cost the company $25,806.

On April 23, at around 5:37 p.m., an employee received a call that came up on caller ID as “Home Office.” The man on the other end of the line said he was calling from the Walmart Home Office, and that he needed her to run an update on the cash re gister equipment. To do that, the scammer claimed he needed the employee to activate a store gift card, put $432.11 on it and give him the card security code. He then had the employee re peat this with 83 more gift cards.

The scammer ended up with $35,865 before the real Walmart corporate office fla gged the suspicious spike in transactions. While it was able to reverse $10,059 in transactions, the rest was lost.

Walmart corporate security has launched a “major investigation” of the incident, and the Forest Park Walmart will press charges if the culprit is found.

Theft from vehicle

A thief broke into a Circle Avenue home garage, but he only stole a scooter stored in the back of the car.

The victim parked her black 2015 Kia Sorrento in the garage on April 23 at around 5 p.m. Her son’s electric scooter happened to be stored in the back. When the victim checked the car the following morning, she discovered that someone broke her car’s rear window and took the scooter out. The victim then realized that the side garage door was open, but nothing else was stolen from the garage

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, April 23-29, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

Compiled by Igor Studenkov

Happy pups, happy people in Forest Bark Student at heart of fundraising campaign

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

As Jessica Voogd, Forest Park’s public property commissioner, welcomed “so many wonderful friends, and their humans” to the village dog park, 632 Circle Ave., many of those friends ran and played – and one of them accidently yanked the cord connecting her microphone to the sound system.

“We’re getting off to a bit of a ruff start,” Voogd joked as soon as the equipment was reconnected.

But neither the drizzling rain nor the technical difficulties ruined the fun as dozens of dogs tried out the new playground equipment installed earlier this year. Now-11-year-old Juliet Harrington, who spearheaded the fundraising campaign to buy the equipment, was on hand with her mom and aunt to enjoy the festivities. She said the fundraiser was about more than just a dog park – it was about using her voice to better her community

The dog park, sometimes known as Forest

Council originally considered incremental two-year increases

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

Dog owners who use the village-owned dog park, 632 Circle Ave., will need to pay a higher annual fee this year, but the increase will be more dramatic for residents, who will need to pay twice as much as they did last year.

In order to use the dog park, dog owners must get a permit, which gives them access to a key that’s good from May 1 to April 30 of the following year. Last year, residents paid $10 if they had one dog, and an additional $2 for each additional dog. Non-residents paid $50 per dog, plus $5 per additional dog.

The ordinance that went before the Forest Park Village Council on April 24 called for resident fees to increase to $15 this year, and to $20 in 2024. For non-residents, the fee

Bark, is one of the two pocket parks that are still owned and operated by the village – and, as such, fall under Voogd’s jurisdiction. Residents and non-residents alike can use a dog park, but they must get a 1-year permit that entitles them to a key to the park gates

It was Harrington who pitched the new dog park equipment to Voogd and Public Works Director Sal Stella. The officials were impressed with the presentation, agreeing to not only help with the fundraiser, but to run the dog park equipment options by Harrington and her mother, Allison Harrington.

The fundraiser netted $5,000, with a significant matching donation coming from Juliet Harrington’s grandparents

The village bought a slide-like structure, a tunnel and a set of three honeycomb-like hoops. They also redid the dog park sign to an art nouveau style piece evocative of 1920s railroad advertising posters. The village put up a display on the back of the sign that included a recognition plaque for Harrington’s efforts and a copy of the Review’s first article about the fundraiser.

While the new equipment was installed weeks ago, it wasn’t until the April 29 seasonal grand opening that dog owners got a

chance to bring their pets to try it first-hand.

Paul Theriult brought his dog and had him run through the new equipment. Afterwards, he reflected that his dog was probably happiest simply playing frisbee – but he still thought the renovated dog part was “amazing.”

In her speech, Voogd thanked Stella, Village Administrator Moses Amidei, village employees who put everything together, and the pair that kicked everything off.

“I really want to express how appreciative I am of Juliet and her mother, Allison,” she said. “Gover nment can move a bit slower at times than we’d like.”

Mayor Rory Hoskins thanked the Harringtons and the Recreation Board.

“Juliet – this is your day,” he said.

She, in turn, thanked her family and everyone who donated for their support.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she said, adding that there were many times that her mom pulled over to talk to dog owners to get them to donate.

Forest Park doubles dog park fees

would have gone up to $55 this year and to $60 in 2024. The fee for additional dogs would have been $5 for residents and non-residents alike, and seniors would be able to pay the old rates

But as the ordinance came up for vote, Commissioner Maria Maxham suggested raising the rates all at once, arguing that it made no sense for the village to continue subsidizing the dog park when it could break even. Commissioner of Public Works Jessica Voogd, whose areas of responsibility include oversight of the dog park, argued that a drastic increase wasn’t fair to the residents, and the more gradual increase would give the village time to see if they could cut costs. But the rest of the council sided with Maxham, voting 4-1 to adopt Maxham’s suggestion and approve the amended ordinance.

According to Village Administrator Moses Amidei’s memo to the council, Forest Park sold 119 permits in 2022, which brought in $1,751. Meanwhile, the village expenses for changing the lock, making the keys and do-

ing regular maintenance was $2,750. The village used $999 from the General Fund to fill the gap.

The fee increase comes as Forest Park is preparing to unveil new dog park equipment, which was purchased thanks, in large part, to fundraising organized by sixth grader Juliet Harrington. The campaign raised $5,000.

Forest Parkers will get their first look at the equipment on April 29 at 11 a.m.

During the April 24 council meeting, Maxham argued that it made no fiscal sense not to raise the fees in one go.

“So, we’re not breaking even on the dog part right now, and at $15 per person, we’re still not going to be breaking even,” she said. “I don’t think it’s going to be super huge ask for us to go directly to $20, which is the part where we’re going to be breaking even. Otherwise, we’ ll be asking all the taxpayers to subsidize this dog park that only, you know, 100-odd people are using.”

Maxham added that she spoke to Finance Director Letitia Olmsted, who told her she

“As we open this dog park today, let’s build our community stronger and more connected,” Harrington added.

Commissioner Joe Byrnes, whose term is expiring on May 8, said that it was inspiring to see someone her age step up

“This young lady did a heck of a job, getting all those contributions – and this is what it turned into,” he reflected. “You look forward to young people getting involved in things, and to have [Juliet] not only coming up with an idea but presenting and selling it – this is a great thing.”

recommended raising the fees in one go.

Voogd responded that Amidei suggested a more incremental approach in response to her feedback. She argued that, instead of “surprising folks with a 100% increase in fees” a week before the applications are due, “we do an incremental increase over the next years, while we assess our expenditures, [to see] if there’s any savings that we can make over the next year. “

Voogd also suggested that an increase in fees could encourage more people to simply climb over the fence.

Commissioner Ryan Nero said that, while he understood the bad optics of doubling the resident fees, he believed that it was the right thing to do

Commissioner Joe Byrnes said that he didn’t think “$20 a year is a lot of money,” especially given the improvements

The majority of the council amended the ordinance to increase the rates in one go, with Voogd voting against both the amendment and the amended ordinance.

Todd Bannon

Juliet Harring ton and Comissioner Jessica Voogd at the reopening of the Forest Park Dog Park

Growing roster of notable West Siders seeks 1st Distric t seat

Acree, Hatch Jr., SmithMembers and Wade seek Johnson’s county seat

By FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ and IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporters

Rev. Ira J. Acree, co-chair of the Leaders Network, a West Side social justice and faithbased group, and pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church, is seeking to replace Brandon Johnson on the Cook County Board of Commissioners once Johnson is swor n as mayor of Chicago. And he is not alone.

Marshall Hatch Jr., Zerlina Smith-Members and Claibor ne Wade have all acknowledged they are pursuing the soon-to-be vacant seat.

In an interview April 26 with Austin Weekly News, Acree said, “I’ve already sent a letter of interest to (Cook County Clerk) Karen Yarbrough and I’ve already spoken to the president of the Senate Don Har mon.”

Har mon (39th) serves as the Oak Park Township committeeperson, while Yarbrough serves as the Proviso Township committeeperson. They are both part of the Democratic party committee that will appoint Johnson’s replacement. In a weighted vote, the two suburban committeepersons control a narrow majority of the votes needed to make the appointment.

In Chicago, Acree has secured the support of Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) and Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th), he said. They serve as their wards’ respective committeepersons and hold 10.98% and 13.13% of the possible votes, respectively

Other West Siders have thrown their hat in the ring -- Austin activist Zerlina SmithMembers and Marshall Hatch Jr., who heads the MAAFA Redemption Project.

A prominent West Side civil rights leader with more than 30 years advocating for social justice and improved quality of life on the greater West Side, Acree said he has the talent for the role He is working to get the support needed to be appointed as the new commissioner, appealing to stakeholders and Democratic party committeepersons responsible for the selection.

“It is no secret that I have spent years, just like Brandon Johnson, committed to ending the tale of the two cities. I have a body of work that backs that up,” he said.

Acree said he shares a progressive agenda

with Johnson that will allow him to continue working to improve the quality of life for residents of Cook County’s 1st district. If appointed, he is certain the relationships he has built with faith and political leaders throughout the county will help him keep the seat in the long run.

“He’ ll be mayor and me fulfilling his vacancy, it’s like a natural fit,” he said.

Hatch is the son of Rev. Marshall Hatch, pastor of New Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church Hatch Jr., an Oak Park resident, told this newspaper he wanted to run because he respected Johnson’s progressive legacy and he wanted to support the county board as it puts more funding into mental health resources and launches the Universal Basic Income pilot. Hatch also wanted to advocate for environmental justice for minority communities that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution, saying the removal of lead pipes is a major priority.

He said his work at MAAFA Redemption Project and the larger Garfield Park Wellness Initiative collaborative project makes him a good choice to pick up where Johnson is leaving off. Hatch also said that growing up near the Austin Boulevard and Lake Street intersection, right at the Chicago and Oak Park border, prepared him for building bridges in the district that span both the city and the suburbs.

“What was interesting about growing up in Austin and literally walking across the street to another domain that felt like a different world, I think this experience has also shaped the reason why I’m running,” he said. “I think every community in the 1st District should feel like Oak Park/River Forest.”

Hatch said he didn’t feel any awkwardness about competing for the appointment against “Uncle Ira,” saying that he respects him and anyone else who is applying.

“It’s a dynamic district, it’s a district that has a lot of potential, a lot of promise, and it’s doing a lot a lot of good things already,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want to serve that

district? So, I wouldn’t fault anybody for wanting to continue to Brandon Johnson’s legacy.”

Hatch said he has reached out to all committeepersons. He said he was conscious of the fact that Har mon and Yarbrough collectively hold the majority of the votes, but that he hasn’t received any endorsements from anyone.

Smith-Members is a longtime West Side political activist and like Acree and Hatch, Jr a part of the Leaders Network. She ran for 29th Ward alder man in 2015 and 2019. In 2022, when nurse and for mer 28th Ward alder manic candidate Beverly Miles ran in the Democratic gubernatorial primary against incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker, SmithMembers served as her running mate before Smith-Members decided to challenge Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in the Democratic primary instead

Smith-Members announced her interest on the mor ning of April 26. She told Austin Weekly News that she made the announcement to try to force the process out in the open, instead of having the nominating committee decide behind closed doors.

When Democratic Committeepersons chose a successor for the Cook County Board’s 2nd District in the summer of 2017, the names of the candidates weren’t revealed until the nominating committee conducted interviews More recently, in April 2020, when Democratic committeepersons filled the suburban 16th District seat, the names of the candidates weren’t announced at all until after the fact.

Smith-Members said she wanted to run because “it’s an open seat” and sitting on the county board felt like a natural extension of the activism and work she’s already been doing. If selected, she would focus on two of the priorities that have been cor nerstones of her previous campaigns – improving public safety and increasing mental health services Those happened to account for the biggest portions of the Cook County budgets

Like Acree, Smith-Members sent her resume and application to all 1st District Committeepersons. She said that, as of April 26, she received responses from Taliaferro, Ald. Walter Bur nett (27th) and 26th Ward committeeperson Angee Gonzale z Rodriguez.

Smith-Members said that, with her name out there, she hoped that her supporters would lobby the committeepersons on her behalf

“I would hope that the public would take the initiative, and reach out to the committee, and then attend whatever community forums that [the nominating committee holds],” she said.

Claibor ne Wade, also from Austin, is interested in the commissioner’s seat as he wants to bring “great oppor tunities” to the 1st District, where he lives with his wife and four kids. He has advocated for equitable funding in Chicago schools and an elected Chicago school board as a member of Kids First Chicago’ parent advisory board.

He also serves as the Sustainable Community Schools Parent Liaison at Oscar DePriest Elementary School in Austin. In a letter shared with the committeemen and women, Wade said if selected he will focus on education, af fordable housing and mental health, while preventing an increase in property taxes.

“I’m a husband and a proud parent of four children born and raised in Austin,” Wade told Austin Weekly AWN, adding he was able to purchase a home in Forest Park two years ago, an opportunity he wants to bring to more residents of the district.

Wade graduated from Michelle Clark High School and was actively involved in the school’s student gover nment and also served two ter ms as the student representative on the local school council. Besides working for State Farm Insurance in Austin for 20 years, he has been involved as a community organizer in several political campaigns, including those of Illinois gover nor candidate Kennedy Joy, Alexi Giannoulias for the United States Senate and congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02). In a letter of support addressed to Don Har mon, Kelly said Wade “impressed me so much because of his hard work, enthusiasm and dependability,” asking him to be considered for the district’s empty seat. For mer congresswoman Cheri Bustos, who represented Illinois 17th congressional district for 10 years, also supports Wade per a letter of support shared with the Austin Weekly for his leadership and civic engagement.

RE V. IRA J. ACREE MARSHALL HATC H JR. ZERLINA SMITH-MEMBERS CLAIBORNE WADE

OCAMPO New D209 board majority

from page 1

tracking the progress of D209.

“What I would like to see is month to month progress as we go through the school year,” Ocampo said. “If you have witnessed several school board meetings, there is no continuity from prior meetings. We don’t discuss what happened last time, we don’t follow up on what happened last month, we don’t know how the finances are looking year to date.”

Understanding the district’s finances, which have come under scrutiny from the community and other board members as well, is a priority. Henderson has been criticized for a lack of transparency in fiscal matters. Through assessments, Ocampo said the board would be able to get an idea of what is being spent where. According to Ocampo, he has spoken to a re presentative of the company that provided the district’s financial audit and the district is not in a “bad spot” financially.

“If we tighten our belt, so to speak, and redirect those funds to appropriate student-centered activities, it can get better,” Ocampo said. “But first we need to assess what is where and with the help of communities direct those funds and those activities.”

Additionally, looking ahead to the upcoming 2023-24 school year, Ocampo wants to ensure the district is ready for the first day of school, which hasn’t been the case

in the past. Saying he doesn’t want to hear about issues that could have been prevented, he is focusing his attention on ensuring students can star t of f on the right foot with reliable transpor tation, security issues being addressed, proper supplies in classrooms, and having schedules and ID’s ready to go amongst other things.

Ocampo topped the election tote board following the April 4 election for the three seats open on the D209 school board. He received 5,975 votes, 18.50%, followed by slate mate Sandra Hixson, who received 16.71%,

5,397 votes Jennifer Barbahen, the third member of the Proviso 209 United slate, received 4,811 votes, coming in third place and winning the last spot on the board. Out of the 79,279 re gistered Proviso voters, 12,699 ballots were cast, a tur nout of 16.02%.

Ocampo’s win, along with the rest of the slate, over tur ned the current board majority, which was composed of previous board members Theresa Kelly, who lost her seat to Barbahen, Ned Wagner, who did not seek reelection, Samuel Valtier re z, Rodney Alexander, and current board president Arbdella Patterson, unfavorably dubbed the “Henderson Five,” by agitated members of the community who are not in support of Henderson.

Ocampo, who was publicly endorsed by cur rent board member Amanda Grant, said while he feels the numbers have shifted to their favor, he is looking forward to

collaboration with the remaining board members

“I don’t want this to be a continuation of a fragmented board,” Ocampo said. “The perception now is 4 to 3 but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will always be 4 to 3. Let’s star t working with the incumbents and try to bridge that gap. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume positive intent, that they want the best for the district.”

For Ocampo, wisdom is seeking knowledge from people who have more experience, and in this case that ould be working alongside Alexander, Patterson, Valtire z and Grant.

Re garding issues with Henderson’s leadership, which has come under harsh criticism from some, Ocampo said it requires extensive assessments and an overview of finances, auditing personnel and getting a “10,000-foot view overview.” But the bottom line, he said, is accountability

“The un-itemized credit cards, that needs to be rectified,” Ocampo said. “The public needs to have proper access to this information. If he doesn’t follow through with that, there needs to be some consequences. The people elected us to hold him accountable and people want access to this infor mation. I do not know of any place of employment where if you don’t follow through on what you signed up for you can hang around.”

The final word on whether the new board

majority will be able to work alongside Henderson falls on Henderson himself, said Ocampo.

“We are going to put for th a goal list and you can plan for everything but if no one executes against it, then something needs to change,” Ocampo said, adding the statement applies to anyone who will be working alongside the board, not just the superintendent. “The board needs to set the standard.”

An additional priority for Ocampo is improving D209’s strained relationships, including those with district teachers and feeder districts.

“There have been a lot of relationships that have been severed, specifically around the foundational schools, the feeder schools,” Ocampo said. “It is from my understanding that the current superintendent has no communication whatsoever with the superintendents from those schools We can’t work in a vacuum because we receive those students to be unaware of their needs is self-defeating.”

Addressing future students’ needs in a par tnership with those schools will only elevate Proviso high schools.

“I am a process oriented individual, so I like to first understand what issues we have before I make a decision,” Ocampo said. “I don’t like being a knee jerk type of reactionary. Let’s do the best we can to address these potential issues first.”

Ocampo, alongside Barbahen and Hixson, will be swor n in on Thursday May 4, at 5:30 p.m. at the Proviso Math and Science Academy, 8601 Roosevelt Rd., Forest Park

Barbahen wins third seat on D209 school board

Certi ed results declare Barbahen the winner by a 0.03 percent lead

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Re porter

The certified results for the April 4 Proviso Township High School District 209 election are in and Jennifer Barbahen has of ficially won the third and final seat on the board of education, ending the over 20year reign of incumbent Theresa Kelly.

According to the cer tified results from April 25, 2023, Barbahen received 4,811 votes to Kelly’s 4,799 votes, taking the seat by 12 votes, a 0.03 percent lead.

Barbahen declined to provide a comment on the win, saying she is not making any personal statements at this time. Theresa Kelly was not able to be reached for comment.

The race between the candidates had been too close to call after the unof ficial results from Election Night,

which had put Kelly in the lead, with 4,619 votes to Barbahen’s 4,539 votes, a dif ference of 80 votes However, as mail-in votes were added, Barbahen moved closer to that third seat, flipping the results to her favor by April 10 when she took a 9-vote lead over Kelly.

Barbahen will join her slate mates from Proviso 209 United, David Ocampo and Sandra Hixson on the board of education following their win on election night.

Ocampo received 5,975 votes, 18.50%, coming in first

place and Hixson came in second, receiving 5,397 votes, 16.71%.

“We are so grateful to the voters of the Proviso community for giving our team a chance to create positive change for our schools and community,” read a statement from the Proviso 209 United slate posted to their Facebook page, adding they have talked about creating systemic change and are ready to be gin doing the work. “It’s not a change that happens over night. It’s a process that needs participation and commitment from board members as well as our communities This is only just the be ginning of our jour ney to gether.”

JENNY BARBAHEN

DAVID OC AMPO

OUR VIEW

New day at Proviso high schools

It took a while for the final votes to be counted in what tur ned out to be a very close race for the third and final seat on the District 209 Proviso Township School Board. In the end, the mail-in votes brought an exceedingly narrow win — 12 votes — for Jennifer Barbahen over incumbent Theresa Kelly.

With thanks to Ms. Kelly for her decades of service, we are elated to see the balance of power on this critical board shift back to a reform-minded majority focused on students Barbahen will join her Proviso 209 United colleagues, David Ocampo and Sandra Hixon in being swor n into office this week. The full expectation is that they will most always align with Amanda Grant, a holdover board member, to form a new majority. The three other board members — Arbdella Patterson, Rodney Alexander and Samuel Valtierrez — will need to decide if obstruction is their path or if they are ready to step away from the division and distraction they have nur tured in this troubled school district.

In a thoughtful interview this week with the Review’s Amaris Rodriguez, Ocampo talks about priorities he has in mind as he undertakes this very challenging post. Regaining control and transparency over district finances is critical, he said. This district has money in the bank but setting student-centered goals for spending is essential, he added. And creating accountability for ro gue superintendent James Henderson will underlie all decisions

Typically we’d say a new board needs to take some time to get a sense of the complexity of the issues and assess the strengths and weaknesses of its single employee, the superintendent. When the last reform board was elected eight years ago, it gave its middling superintendent some months to make her case and then welcomed her decision to depart after that first school year.

Henderson though is another disturbing case altogether. The man is radioactive. He has disregarded students, gleefully alienated teachers, taken advantage of a supplicant school board and made a range of dubious choices in a number of operational areas — transportation, IT, and food services come to mind — that were not only wrong but also suspect.

The man is a grifter and he needs to get the boot as quickly as an inevitably lucrative buyout can be negotiated. By July 1, an interim superintendent needs to be in place. That is the essential change this new board needs to make so that it can begin what will be a slow, slow reclamation of a school district that is now failing in so many ways

Out of chaos comes opportunity. This district has been led into near total chaos by Henderson and the outgoing board.

Time to find the opportunities a fresh start can provide our children.

OPINION

Thoughts on shame

Pastor Walter Mitty was paging through his copy of the Poplar Park Times last Wednesday when he spotted a piece by the editor Dan Baily with the headline, “Tucker Carlson, you made your bed, now ‘LIE’ in it.”

The tone of the piece was one of vindication, as in “I’ve been saying this about Fox News for years. Our small community paper marches to a far different drummer.”

When Mitty first heard that Dominion had settled their suit against Fox News for $787.5 million, he rejoiced, but for some reason he didn’t gloat over Carlson and Murdoch parting ways. Instead he felt himself alter nating between anger and depression.

HOLMES

“Have they no shame?” was all Mitty could say to Michael when his friend answered the phone the next mor ning. As soon as said it, Mitty realized he was using the word “shame” a lot lately.

Michael waited a moment to hear if his neighbor had more to say, then replied, “No, Walt. I don’t think they are ashamed of themselves at all. Carlson knew the election was not stolen but he cynically pandered; he spread the lie anyway.”

Mitty took a drink of his still hot coffee giving himself time to quell his anger at the guy’s duplicity. “I’ve been thinking about shame lately,” he said, taking a new tack in the conversation, “and I can’t figure out how to think about it. I mean, is shame good or bad?”

“Maybe you’re too young to remember this,” Michael said, “but back in the ’50s shame was a stronger enforcer of confor mity than it is today. Back then we wouldn’t be caught dead with long hair. And getting a girl pregnant? God forbid!”

“Your parents were part of what they call the Greatest Generation, weren’t they?” Mitty asked his neighbor.

“They were. And I read somewhere that up to one out of every four adult men was in uniform at some point during the war. Uniform was the word, Walt. American individualism took a back seat and that way of leaning into life leaked over into the ’50s when I was a kid.”

“And then the ’60s happened.” Mitty was getting into the conversation.

“There was kind of a culture war back then too,” said Michael. “It was like my parents were shaming those long-haired hippy freaks for being nonconfor mist, while millions of young people were shaming the Greatest Generation for being confor mist.”

“Do you remember that time when we were in Ber nie’s book store, Michael? We were talking about shame then, too, and he pulled a book off the shelf titled Shame: A Brief History. He read a passage to us about how in colonial times, people who violated community standards were publicly shamed by being put in stocks in the town square.”

And then he added, “But that required a kind of public consensus or agreement on what was right and what was wrong, right?”

“Right, and the book goes on to say shame has gotten a bad reputation over the last three centuries, and that psychology has replaced religion and ethics to a large extent.”

“That’s what I observe,” Mitty agreed “People nowadays say, ‘I’m not comfortable with that’ instead of ‘that’s wrong.’ Come to think of it, when one person in Florida was asked why she wanted to ban books about slavery in the school library, she said she didn’t want her white child to feel guilty or shamed.”

Michael recalled what Rabbi Levine had said in a Bible class at his temple, that shame is a big deal in the Hebrew scriptures, that 10 different words are used over 300 times to express the concept, and the prophets used it all the time. But like any good thing, shame can be weaponized to oppress the innocent.

“But for shame to change people,” Mitty added, “they had to share the prophets’ values, right?”

After he and Michael hung up, Mitty couldn’t let go of his fixation on shame. Folks on the right, he decided, often try to shame liberals for focusing on the rights of women, but avoiding any discussion of the rights of the unbor n or, for that matter, the rights of the men who co-created the fetus

And his friends on the left tried to shame MAGA folks for deflecting appeals for gun control by focusing on mental illness and/or the constitutional right to defend themselves against criminals. “Hypocrites,” they say, “you have to be mentally ill to buy an assault rifle. They are not designed to defend their owners but to kill as many people as quickly as possible.”

Both sides of the polarized cultural chasm made some sense to the conflicted clergyman, especially when they ratcheted down their rhetoric and stopped framing the divide as a war.

He shook his head in frustration and thought, “It’s hard to address humanitarian needs in Sudan when both sides break ceasefires by shooting at each other.”

Staff Repor ter Igor Studenkov, Francia Garcia Hernandez, Amaris Rodriguez

Senior Editor Bob Uphues

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

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

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

Big Week Editor James Porter

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designer Susan McKelvey

S ales and Marketing Representatives

Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck, Kamil Brady

Business & Development Manager

Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Tale of a tombstone with a happy ending

Gladys Tur ner is a tireless promoter of Professor Joseph C. Corbin, who is buried in Forest Home Cemetery (FHC). Ten years ago, Gladys raised thousands of dollars to buy a new headstone for Corbin’s grave. She contacted the Historical Society of Forest Park and I helped arrange the dedication ceremony.

I’ve been helping Gladys ever since. Her latest project began with a letter she sent to me last summer. It contained an application to have Corbin’s grave placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The application was 28 pages long and had some picky requirements. I needed help from a “miracle worker” like Carol Gulyas. Carol’s miracle was persuading the Illinois Department of Transportation to place signs along the Eisenhower Expressway guiding visitors to the Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument (HMM).

Carol took the required photographs of Corbin’s grave, while I worked on the application. After we sent these photos to Gladys, she suddenly told us to hold off on the application. She had enlisted the help of historic preservation experts to have the application completed and submitted for approval.

Amy Hathaway, is a National Register

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

CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com

ONLINE ForestParkReview.com

Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Forest Park Review,141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302-2901. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS No 0205-160)

In- county subscriptions: $34 per year.

$55 for two years, $69 for three years

Out- of-county subscriptions: $42 per year.

specialist for the state of Illinois. Her job is to do the “grunt work” to complete applications for people like Gladys. Amy wasn’t familiar with Corbin and knew that gravesites are a tough sell for the National Registry. hey prefer to honor historic structures, monuments or entire districts.

Corbin’s grave faced long odds of being accepted. He was an Ohio native, who made his mark in Arkansas but was buried in llinois. They first proved there were no other suitable sites for honoring Corbin. The buildings from the college he founded are gone. The high school where he was principal has been demolished, and his Arkansas home is now a vacant lot. The gravesite was the only eligible location.

Amy had never worked on a gravesite before. She contacted Ralph Wilcox, her counterpart in Arkansas, who provided her with a gravesite proposal he had written. Ralph’s example was helpful but it was the passion and persistence of Gladys that inspired her.

Amy was also inspired by the life of Joseph Corbin, who rose to prominence during Reconstruction to become the “father of higher education” for Black students in Arkansas. Corbin founded Branch Normal Col-

lege, a Historic Black College that was the forerunner of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. When Reconstruction ended, Corbin was forced out of his job and moved to Chicago where he had family

He also owned property in Chicago and acquired more property when he bought a six-grave family plot in FHC in 1909. He also purchased a handsome granite headstone for $500. He was buried there on Jan. 14, 1911.

Corbin may have had an illustrious career but it was still an arduous task to have his grave approved for the National Registry. Ralph Wilcox helped by providing the latitude and longitude of Corbin’s grave. Finally, Carey L. Mayer, deputy state historic preservation officer, nominated the application to the National Registry, where it was approved

Gladys doesn’t get all the credit for this remarkable achievement, Amy says. She acknowledges how the historical society joined in the efforts to honor Corbin’s legacy He was featured in the society’s “Des Plaines River Anthology.” He was also portrayed during a “Tale of the Tombstones” tour.

Meanwhile, Gladys has published a biography of Corbin and promoted his legacy in Ohio, Arkansas and Illinois. She is also continuing her 10-year campaign to have the United States Postal Service honor Corbin with a commemorative stamp

If anyone is feisty enough to get it done, it’s Gladys.

Well-coi ed champs

The Champs of the Junior B Recreation League, Mannings Barber Shop managed to weather the rough competition in the Forest Park Recreation League to become champions Not only champs on the cour t, they showed their 1951 style of f the cour t, too, with crew cuts, the quif f, a widow’s peak and the pompadour Stars featured here include (L to R) Robert Whited, Peete Fiorito, John Wandrey, and Ro ger Reiling. (Bottom) Vincent Manning and Phil Dunne. Absent from the photo are John Parichy and Janes Bur ns.

Jill Wagner

CAT FRIENDLY

Brookfield neighborhood person needed for light housekeeping and probable future cat sitting References a plus Call 773-807-3402

SEASONAL FARMER’S MARKET ASSISTANT

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Seasonal Farmer’s Market Assistant in the Health Department. This position will provide administrative support to the Farmer’s Market Manager to allow growers and producers of food to sell directly to the public within established guidelines. This position requires work in inclement weather conditions; some heavy lifting of up to 50 pounds; walking or standing for sustained periods of time. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs.

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled.

HIRING CLEANING TECHNICIANS FOR OPPORTUNITIES IN WESTCHESTER!

Awesome Cleaning & Janitorial Services is looking for experienced cleaning technicians that are energetic, hospitable, ready to work and AWESOME!

Pay starts at $20/hr. Must be available for weekends also. Ready to work? Contact us by email at info@awesomecjs.com.

Mechanical Engineer sought by Amp Payroll, LLC (Chicago, IL) - Support dvlpmt of project plans incl engg, dsgn, procurement, fabrication & vendor mobilization. Collab & dvlp project objectives, policies, procedures, milestones & performance stds. Maintain effective & on-going communications w/ engg, procurement, EPCM & external consultants. Coord requisitioning of vendors for procurement of services, eqpmt, & materials for project critical deadlines. Conduct research that tests & analyzes the feasibility, dsgn, operation & performance of eqpmt, components & systems. Dvlp mechanical performance reqmts for projects. Work w/ vendors to deliver dsgn documentation, eqpmt specs, datasheets, sched’g & action registers. Support Project Mgrs to deliver projects w/in budget & on time. Under supvn, manage budget & sched of capital projects by studying project plan, reviewing bids & creating

detailed specs to complete project tasks. Review P&IDs, facility layouts, dsgn-based procurement & detailed engg. Perform risk analysis & document mitigation plans appropriately. Ensure accurate & timely reporting stds are maintained throughout the project(s). Coord w/ regional & site mgmt on status, significant trends & changes of approved projects. Ensure safety & QA/QC prgms are established by all parties & maintained & conduct reviews of detailed dsgn drawings & specs. Prep project estimates, budget, scheds & execution plans. Perform other project engg & project mgmt rltd duties. Interface w/ multi-disciplinary teams to dvlp & monitor project metrics & manage reporting of project data. Reqs exp in Mechanical Engg or rltd for at least 6 yrs/72 mos. Bachelor deg in Mechanical Engg. Send resume to Jim Waddell: 2001 N Clybourn Ave, Ste 400, Chicago, IL 60614, or email jwaddell@ampamericas.com

Sr. Manager, Supply Planning sought by Sara Lee Frozen Bakery, LLC in Oakbrook Terrace, IL to own master sched, capacity planning, & inventory mgmt plans across a portfolio of SKUs to deliver results for customer fill rates/inventory targets. Reqs: Bach Deg in Industrial & Systems Engg, Supply Chain Mgmt, Operations, Bus Admin, or rltd deg & 5 yrs exp in job offd or in supply chain rltd role. Must also possess exp w/ work in team envrmt w/ Operations, Sales/ Mktg, & Finance & interacting reg. w/ sr. mgmt regarding goals & accomplishments; & etc. Must have APICS Certification. 5% domestic travel req. Telecommuting permitted w/in commutable distance to ofc. Apply online at: www.saraleefrozenbakery.com/ corporate/careers

LOCAL DELIVERY DRIVER

Full Time M-F Must be able to lift 60 pounds. If interested call 708-209-1636 or email peg@berniesaw.com

Bernie’s Saw & Supply 1222 Circle Avenue Forest Park, Il. 60130

COLLECTIVE IMPACT MANAGER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Collective Impact Manager in the Village Manager’s Office. Under the general direction of the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer, the Collective Impact Manager will be responsible for building and assessing racial equity impact needs and developing a strategic plan to support those needs. This includes driving the initiatives focused on the Racial Equity Action Plan through community assessments, community engagement, data functions, and overall internal and external functions. Applicants are encouraged to apply online at https://secure.entertimeonline. com/ta/6141780.careers?ApplyToJob=537117711 or visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www. oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled.

GARAGE/MOVING SALE

Saturday, May 6, 2023

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

100 Blks of Lake St., N. Taylor, & N. Lombard, Oak Park

Items

139

Friday May 5, 8am-11am

Saturday May 6, 9am-2pm

DR set, household items, kids clothes, drum set & more!

AUTO SERVICES

WOODWORK

N. Taylor Avenue, Oak Park

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park—Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302—will receive electronic proposals until Thursday, May 25, 2023, at 10:00 A.M. for Project: 23-12, North and South Pumping Station Upgrades. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, the improvements consist of rehabilitation of the two-horizontal split-case pumps at each pumping station (four in total), replacement of the existing flexible couplings on each of the four pumps, modifications to the pipe of one pump at the North Pumping Station, removal of the limit switch on one check valve at the North pumping station and replacement of the switch with a flow switch, as well as miscellaneous items of work. Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 10:00 A.M., which can be found at https:// www.oak-park.us/yourgovernment/budget-purchasing/ requests-proposals or at www. questcdn.com under login using

QuestCDN number 8503172 for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications to only those contractors deemed qualified. No plans will be issued to prospective bidders after 4:00 P.M. on the working day preceding the opening of bids.

A mandatory pre-Bid Meeting will take place at the South Pump Station located at 207 Garfield St, Oak Park, IL on Tuesday May 16, 2023 at 10:00 AM. The meeting will end at the North Pumping Station located at 1010 North Ridgeland Ave., Oak Park, IL. Attendance to the pre-Bid meeting is required in order to bid the project. Bids received from contractors who did not attend the pre-Bid meeting will be rejected.

The work to be performed pursuant to this Proposal is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

Bill McKenna Village Engineer

Published in Wednesday Journal, May 3, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss

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

In re the marriage of KARINA MONTOYA, Petitioner and EDER PACHECO, Respondent, Case No. 2023D003253.

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 June 2, 2023, 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.

IRIS Y. MARTINEZ, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal May 3, 10, 17, 2023

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC

Plaintiff, -v.UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF YVONNE ARROYO, DECEASED, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, VICTORIAN SQUARE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, CHARLES BIBB, CLARENCE AKBAR BIBB, MARIE LESTER, DOROTHY JEAN BIBB SINGH , THOMAS QUINN, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO YVONNE ARROYO, DECEASED

Defendants

2022 CH 08025

1135 SCHNEIDER AVENUE, UNIT 2B 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 April 11, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on June 1, 2023, 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:

Commonly known as 1135 SCHNEIDER AVENUE, UNIT 2B, OAK PARK, IL 60302

Property Index No. 16-06-316-0301004, 16-06-316-030-1017, AND 1606-316-030-1018

The real estate is improved with vacant land.

The judgment amount was $269,229.40.

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, contact MANLEY DEAS KOCHALSKI LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, ONE EAST WACKER, SUITE 1250, Chicago, IL, 60601 (312) 651-6700. Please refer to file number 22-026600.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

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

SALE

Notice Of A Public Hearing

By The Joint Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals Of The Village Of North Riverside

Notice is hereby given that a Public Hearing will be held by the Joint Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of North Riverside on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 6:00 P.M., in the Council Chambers located in the Village Commons, 2401 S. Desplaines Avenue, North Riverside, Illinois.

At such time and place, the Joint Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals will consider a request to change the current zoning of the property and approve a Planned Development District to accommodate the construction of a Pollo Campero.

Applicant: Pollo Campero of Illinois LLC/Mascot LLC and Jefan LLC 7451 W. Cermak Road North Riverside, Illinois 60546

All persons desiring to appear and be heard for or against said petition may attend the Public Hearing.

Village of North Riverside

Pat Ferriter, Chairman of the Joint Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals

Published in RB Landmark May 3, 2023

Notice Of A Public Hearing By The Joint Plan Commission/Zoning Board Of Appeals Of The Village

Notice is hereby given that a Public Hearing will be held by the joint Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of North Riverside on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 6:00 P.M., in the Council Chambers located in the Village Commons, 2401 S. Desplaines Avenue, North Riverside, Illinois.

At such time, the Joint Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals will consider a request for an amendment to the Planned Development Ordinance to approve the development of a freestanding Discount Tires.

Applicant: North Riverside Park Mall/North Riverside Park Associates, LLC 7501 W. Cermak Road North Riverside, IL 60546

All person desiring to appear and be heard for or against said petition may attend the Public Hearing.

Village of North Riverside

Pat Ferriter, Chairman of the Joint Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals

Published in RB Landmark May 3, 2023

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: 1-800669-9777.

GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA

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

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

MANLEY DEAS KOCHALSKI LLC

ONE EAST WACKER, SUITE 1250 Chicago IL, 60601 312-651-6700

E-Mail: AMPS@manleydeas.com

Attorney File No. 22-026600

Attorney Code. 48928

Case Number: 2022 CH 08025

TJSC#: 43-1638

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 08025 I3218771

Just hitting your stride.

Susan Bardolph, MD

Access to Duly Health and Care Oak Park for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Medicare members

Now more than ever, it’s important to get the most out of your health care benefits and manage your health. That’s why Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Duly Health and Care are working together to provide benefits and services centered around patients on Medicare. At Duly Health and Care Oak Park, adults on Medicare will experience personalized relationships with Duly providers who deliver care tailored especially to their health needs, like maintaining healthy blood pressure, managing diabetes, and keeping physically strong.

Oak Park 1121 South Blvd.

Begin your journey to a healthier, happier you, call 708-745-5744 or visit: dulyhealthandcare.com/OakPark