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Budget pressures could impact K-12 funding

State Board of Education gets brie ng on scal landscape ahead

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois

Public schools in Illinois have enjoyed several consecutive years of substantial increases in state funding, thanks largely to steady growth in state revenues and a new funding for mula that lawmakers approved in 2018. But whether that can continue into the upcoming fiscal year is an open question that state lawmakers will have to face when they return to the Statehouse in January.

With budget forecasters predicting flat revenue growth over the next year and continued demands for increased spending in other areas of the budget such as pension costs and health care, members of the Illi-

during Light Up Beloit, December 15

K-12 FUNDING

Concerns about scal landscape

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nois State Board of Education were told Wednesday that they are now in a different fiscal environment.

“I do not envy anybody involved in that process because it won’t be a fun time,” Eric No ggle, revenue manager of the legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, or COGFA, told the board.

COGFA is a nonpartisan agency that provides economic and budgetary analysis to the General Assembly. It operates independently of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, or GOMB, although the two agencies are often in ag reement in their general findings and analysis.

In November, GOMB issued a re port projecting a $3.2 billion deficit in the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2025. That was based on projections of essentially flat revenue growth of about $53.4 billion, and a 6% increase in spending due to statutorily required increases in things like pension contributions, Medicaid and state employee health care costs, and PreK-12 education.

In the current fiscal year, state spending on public schools totals just under $11 billion, or about 20% of the state’s $53 billion General Revenue Fund Budget.

Two factors are primarily responsible for the demand for increased state spending on schools. One is the 2018 funding formula, known as the Evidence-Based Funding model, that calls for annual increases of at least $350 million.

That law sets out a for mula for determining what would be an “adequate” level of funding for each district based on factors such as total student enrollment, poverty rates, and the number of English language learners in the district. The adequacy target includes both state aid and money the district is able to raise on its own through local property taxes.

The law then directs that the new money each year be sent to districts that are fur-

thest away from their adequacy target. The annual funding increases are supposed to continue until all districts reach at least 90% of their adequacy target.

But some advocates argue the state needs to increase its evidence-based funding by more than the minimum $350 million each year.

“One thing that we know is that three out of four children in Illinois are still in underfunded districts. That’s more than 1 million students,” Jelani Saadiq, director of government relations for the advocacy group Advance Illinois, told the board during the public comment portion of its meeting Wednesday. “The latest school report card shows continued challenges with chronic absenteeism and lagging recovery in math. We need to set our schools up for success in addressing these challenges in the absence of federal stimulus funds by doubling down on our EBF investment moving forward.”

The other factor driving increases in public school spending is known as “man-

datory categorical” spending, or MCAT, which includes such things as transportation costs, the state’s free breakfast and lunch program and the cost of educating children in foster care

Andy Krupin, ISBE’s director of funding and disbursements, explained that the state often does not fully fund MCAT expenses and thus “prorates” the amount it reimburses districts for those expenses. The level of proration varies depending on how much the General Assembly appropriates in each category.

Based on the agency’s estimate of next year’s costs, Krupin said, the General Assembly would need to add another $142.2 million to its PreK-12 budget just to maintain the same level of proration as this year.

Combined with the $350 million increase called for under the EBF for mula, that would be a total increase in PreK-12 spending of $492.2 million next year.

But ISBE has received requests for even more funding increases than that. During a series of public hearings on the budget

in October, officials said, the agency heard numerous proposals adding up to about $2.2 billion in funding increase requests. Those included proposals for a $550 million increase in EBF funding and a $10 million increase in career and technical education funding, among other requests.

GOMB’s projection of a $3.2 billion deficit assumed a $444 million increase in school spending, as well as a $1.1 billion increase in health care expenses and a $437 million increase in pension contributions, among other increases.

State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders is scheduled to submit his final budget proposal to the board for approval at the board’s Jan. 15 meeting. Pritzker is scheduled to deliver his budget address to the General Assembly Feb. 19.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government covera ge to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

PETER HANCOCK

Illinois State Board of Education member James Anderson, le , listens to a presentation about budget challenges for PreK-12 education, along with board members Laura Gonzalez and Patricia Nugent.

Here are the Top 10 stories in Forest Park this year

ese are the articles you read most online in 2024

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

As we ruminate on what 2025 will hold and say goodbye to 2024, it’s only natural that we’d look back at the year to see which of the Review’s stories resonated most with our readers.

While there’s no way for us to tell how many print readers read our articles, here are the stories that received the most page views online. The article with the most page views is last, and I include whatever insight I have from my re porting process sprinkled in.

10. Dave Novak, for mer park district director, dies at 73 - 3,596 views

This is the first obituary I’ve ever written. I should’ve known how difficult it was to condense the highlights of someone’s life into an article, but what made the challenge worth it were the conversations I had with those who knew and loved Dave Novak. The interviews often sparked tears – either from me or my sources – as they recounted Novak’s instrumental role in the Park District of Forest Park, its No Gloves Nationals tournament, and the countless fond memories that came with.

9. Aldi construction delayed - 3,651 views

While the article announcing that Aldi was coming to town got nearly twice as many page views, many of you were interested in reading about updates on the grocery store’s construction. Reporting this story, I learned there was a basement underneath the property, a fact that also surprised contractors and delayed Aldi’s construction.

8. 4 dead in Forest Park shooting on Blue Line train - 4,502 views

While my editor Erika Hobbs covered this breaking news story, I reported on the following press conference, when the suspect was arrested and the village’s response. This was a story that, as you might guess, was heartbreaking to write.

7. Venezuelan family builds new life in Forest Park - 4,594 views

Reporter Katrina Pham crafted this story about the Marque zes, a family who came to Chicago from Venezuela last year, and what resettling looks like for migrants amid such uncertain circumstances around housing.

6. Ed’s Way rezoned to become a 10-unit townhome - 4,613 views I wrote this article after attending one of my first village council meetings and was honestly just as confused about the format of the meeting as I was about the intricacies of Forest Park’s zoning. Although I’d been writing for the Review for less than two weeks, I could already tell how much Forest Parkers care about their neighbors and this village

3. Aldi heads to Forest Park - 6,989 views

1. Two Proviso students die in car accident - 10,216 views

5. Bellwood family mourns 16-yearold killed in car crash - 4,961 views

Amaris Rodriguez wrote this story after María René Gutiérrez Santos, a student at Proviso West, died in a hit-and-run accident.

4. Forest Park welcomes La Parra’s sister restaurant, Di’Vino - 5,182 views

Reporter Zoë Takaki covered the opening of one of this year’s additions to Madison Street. Although I haven’t yet had the pleasure of eating at Di’Vino, reading the menu descriptions in this article has me feeling like I should ASAP.

I knew this story would be one of this year’s tops when, on opening day in November, I saw the line stretch through Aldi’s large parking lot and around the block. The people love Aldi, and it shows.

2. Casa Humilde comes to Forest Park - 8,247 views

This was one of the first business profiles I wrote for the Review. Before writing here full-time, I was a freelance food reporter in Boulder, Colorado, which has an extensive homebrewing community. Drafting a story about Casa Humilde’s menu and brewery brought me right back to the glorious world of restaurant writing.

Another tragic headline by Amaris Rodriguez was the most read in 2024. This story covers how the community mourned Evelyn Martinez, 18, and Rose Hernandez, 18, after they died in a car crash in February.

And with that, thank you for reading the Forest Park Review this year! Each one of your page views means a lot to me, and I’m sure, to my colleagues as well. We will be back with more news for you in 2025. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me with feedback or story ideas at jessica@forestparkreview.com.

Federal grant aids social work students at Dominican U.

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

The challenges for those pursuing careers as social workers at schools are many – not the least of which is making sure the schools understand what the social workers roles are.

“The biggest challenge is making sure schools know what our role is, because social work is a fluid field,” said Jemina Lyle, who will earn her Master of Social Work de gree from Dominican University in May. “School social workers have to determine who the client is. Sometimes it’s the school, sometimes it’s the community and sometimes it’s the student.”

That’s part of what Dominican’s new Social Work Inte gration for Thriving Schools (SWIFT) Schools Project aims to address. It will be designed to better prepare Master of Social Work students and post-MSW students for the realities of the work they will do and ease some of the financial challenges of taking on a new job.

The SWIFT program came to be through a five-year, $3.8 million Mental Health Service Professionals Grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand access to youth mental health services. Funding will allow the SWIFT program to place graduate students with internships in selected, understaffed suburban Cook County school districts with mental health needs and diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

According to a press release, the grant allows Dominican to build on existing effor ts to grow interest in the school social work concentration and focus on culturally responsive recruitment and placement within under-resourced schools in communities near its River Forest campus.

SWIFT program director Maria Elena Pascarella, who is a clinical assistant professor and faculty lead for Dominican’s School Work Track, said the goal is to place 20 students per year over the five years of the grant. Grant funding will cover students’ tuition during their school placement, as well as stipends for the school social workers who will supervise them.

Pascarella’s background is in social work at Holmes Elementary School in Oak Park, so she is well aware of the challenges SWIFT program participants will face

“They have to be prepared to meet the need with a strong skill set of intervention, and what we call being culturally humble practitioners,” she said, “which means entering into communities knowing that the communities they are serving are the experts on their own experience.”

But Pascarella expects the program to foster successes for both the Dominican students and the communities they will serve.

“There is a shortage generally of social workers, but it’s more pronounced in districts where there is a diverse student body,” she said. “We know our students are uniquely qualified to provide mental health services in our partner schools, because of their lived experience.”

Getting the grant wasn’t easy. Pascarella said there were multiple people from the Dominican’s School of Social Work and the university’s Grants Development Department. on the grant application in April, finishing by the end of May. Notification that Dominican achieved the grant came in the middle of October.

“I actually happened to be at the Illinois Association of School Social Workers conference, so that was kind of a neat setting in which to find out,” she said.

Carolina Rodriguez, another social worker student, already sees many challenges in her current internship in the Waukegan School District.

“A big need in my district is (social workers) having to service another school,” she said. “They aren’t at their schools five days a week. Maybe they will be there four days a week.”

Though Lyle will have graduated by the time the program kicks of f with student assignments in August, she already realizes what a game-changer the SWIFT program will be for others.

“I think it will af ford more students to not worry about how they were going to pay for school,” Lyle said. “I know people who had to stop or quit their program, so that will alleviate any financial stress.”

Where to go for nearby holiday festivities, seasonal activities

Family-friendly Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and winter activities abound

By MICHAEL BANIEWICZ Contributing Reporter

Whether you are looking for some Christmas fun with the family or ways to give to others this holiday season, the list of events below will offer you that and much more this winter

Christmas

■ On Monday, Dec. 23, Robert’s Westside hosts “Bowling with Santa.” The Christmas-themed ev come in their best Santa outfit or holiday attire and to spend the afternoon with holiday cheer and bowling. side has rented out Circle Lanes from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Attendees who ticket, either individually or as a will have access to two games, the show rental, pizza and use of any pool tables. The check-in process begins 1:30 p.m. and continues to 2:30 groups will then tr cated at 7244 Circle ets are $35 per person or $175 five people, and the at https://robertswestside.com/listing/ bowling-with-santa/. Families are invited to this event, but people under 21 must be accompanied

tivity to share with family or friends, might consider the Christmas event at Unity of Oak Park, 405 N. Euclid Ave. on Sunday, Dec. 22 beginning at 10 a.m. It includes a Sunday service followed by gingerbread house decorating. Those attending will also receive a visit from Frosty the Snowman for photos. Snacks will be provided as music plays in the background. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite holiday sweater. The event is free, but there is a suggested donation of $10 per person or $25 for a family. The festivities conclude at 12:30 p.m.

■ One of the best ways to spread Christmas cheer is sharing it with others. This holiday season you can support others by donating food to the Forest Park Food Pantry. Presented by the Forest Park Firefighters Local 2753, this holiday food dri supports neighbors in the commu-

gest-running lights festival is only a short drive away from Forest Park? If you’re looking to stand in awe of over two million bright LED lights in a winter wonderland, then make your way to Brookfield Zoo’s Holiday Magic. This event includes an opportunity to meet Santa, a holiday et, holiday treats and beverages, and a gift shop. If you have been to the Holiday Magic exhibit before, you may want to check out Brookfield Zoo’s two new themes lighting areas at the zoo. Brookfield has transformed the Wild Encounters pathway into a Candy Cane Lane, and a Sparkling

Winter

■ If you eagerly awaiting Chicago’s next big snowfall for sledding, you want to plan a trip to Oak Park soon, as there are three notable hills for sledding. The first is at Field Park, which is located at 932 Division St., and the second is at Taylor Park, which is at West Division Street. For younger children, there is much more beginner-friendly sledding hills at Euclid Square at 705 Fillmore St. If you do not have a sled, you may be able to borrow one that has been left by others in the “sled library” at either rie Park or Taylor Park

Pa rk will host a C hanukah Festival at 4 p. m. T he f estival will include a gr and menorah lighting, a kosher Chinese dinner, latkes, sufganiyot (deep-friend donuts), and a magic show featuring hypno-magician Je ff rey Powers. People who are i nterested in attending the f estival must RSVP at this link. https://www oakparkjewish.org/templates/ar ticlecc o_cdo/aid/6190896/jewish/ChanukahFamily-Festival.htm T he a ddress for the event will be provided upon reservation.

■ T he Chabad Jewish C enter of Oak Pa rk is offering free menorah kits for Hanukkah. People i nterested should fil l out a form at this link to order their kit, wh ich c an be picke d up at the Chabad Jewish C enter or d elive red to your home Chabad Jewish C enter is at 711 South Blvd. Suite 5.

■ Fo r f amilies c elebrating the eightday Hanukkah (which wh atever way yo u spell it means dedication in Hebrew), there are seve r al options. On We d nesd ay, Dec. 25, the Chabad Jewish C enter of Oak

Kw anzaa

rk Public L ibrary will host elebration at 6 p. m ., Mond ay, ttendees will learn about the en principles of Kwanzaa and be immersed in musi c, art, and c ommunity Black A merican Harvest c elbration features d ancing, drumming , p oetr y, and storytelling. A ll are welcome to attend. T he l ibrary is located at 834 La ke St. In Oak Pa rk . Re gister: https:// oakpark.library c alendar.com/ ev ent/ hold-82752 FILE Oak Park Public

Library’s Kwanzaa celebration.

Hanukkah

5% tax levy increase approved

Property taxes could rise a bit next year

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Forest Park residents might see their property taxes increase in the new year.

The tax levy for the 2025 fiscal year –which is May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025 – was approved at the last village council meeting Dec. 16 with a 5% increase from the year before. The levy is the amount the village is looking to raise through property taxes. If Cook County officials approve the levy next summer, only then would property taxes increase next year – and even then, likely not by the full 5%.

“We’ll be lucky if that’s the number the county gives us,” said Village Administrator Rachell Entler. “We have to put in a request to the county for a certain percentage. We rarely, if ever, get the percentage that we request.”

As a non-home rule municipality, Forest Park is subject to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, which caps the overall tax levy increase at 5% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is smaller. Cook County will establish the actual tax levy rate, likely reducing the proposed 5% levy based on how the county values properties.

If Cook County approves the full 5% increase, the village would collect $7.4 million, and the library would get $2.4 million. The village passed the levy for both the village and the Forest Park Public Library, since the library is under the village’s authority.

The total $9.8 million collected in property taxes for the 2025 fiscal year is up from $9.3 million garnered in 2023.

Although Commissioners Rory Hoskins, Maria Maxham, Michelle Melin-Rogovin and Jessica Voogd voted to send the 5% property tax increase to the county, Commissioner Ryan Nero voted against it – the first time he’s done so in six years.

“I do not think this is a tax levy problem,” Nero said. “I think this is a tax appropriation problem.”

Of the property taxes that the village of Forest Park collects under the levy, about 74% of property taxes go toward the village’s schools, park district, and library. Schools get 62% of that, the park district about 7%, and the library 5%. The village receives under 14% of collected property taxes.

Nero implied that the school district

should get a smaller piece of the pie.

“I’m not going to sit up here and sling mud,” he said. “You can Google District 209 and tell me what you think.”

Nero also ag reed with a resident who spoke during public comment at a hearing for the levy hike ahead of the village council meeting on Dec. 16. Nero emphasized that there must be other avenues, like the tax revenue for a handful of new businesses in town, to increase money for the village of Forest Park

“I believe that you guys can do other things besides raise taxes to manage the budgets,” said Forest Parker Dan Bjornson during the public hearing. “Don’t raise my taxes.”

Another villager pleaded the same.

“Each year, you are provided the opportunity to offer some fiscal relief to residents by opting not to increase the property tax levy,” resident Christopher Harris said in a comment he emailed to village staff. “I ask you to side with struggling residents who are constantly bombarded with an increased cost of living and vote no for the levy increase.”

Other commissioners said that they identify with these complaints and ag reed with Nero that there’s a tax appropriation problem. But they still voted to pass the property tax increase.

“I ag ree with my colleague’s math. I don’t ag ree with my colleague’s conclusion,” Melin-Rogovin said. “I’m crunched as well, but my vote is re presenting Forest Park’s participation in this process, not the school district, not other entities.”

Melin-Rogovin added that, just as the village was voting to pass the tax increase, boards for the school district and park district are also assessing their portion of taxes on the village’s property tax bill.

Melin-Rogovin encouraged residents to talk to these bodies if they were concerned about the amount of property taxes appropriated to them. She also said the public can reach out to her if a property owner needs help contacting the Cook County Assessor’s Office or with learning how to lower property taxes.

Maxham agreed about voting to represent the village’s portion of local property taxes

“I am confident that the village’s share, however small it is, is being used wisely and is necessary for us to operate the village, fund our pensions as well as we can,” Maxham said. She added that she’d be interested in future discussions about how the tax is appropriated among local entities.

Maxham said, “I do think there could be a lot of room for changes.”

Black is beautiful is the lesson of new book on Afros

By DEBORAH BAYLISS Contributing Reporter

The day that Yaram Yahu caught a glimpse of his fluffy Afro sitting like a crown of dark cotton on the top of his head was the magical moment that gave birth to the title of his fourth book.

“It was in April of 2022,” Yahu, of Oak Park, explained. “I went to get a drink of water after working out and saw the shadow of my Afro in silhouette. It looked like a rising sun, and I thought, ‘my Afro is a rising sun and that is the perfect children’s book title,’ because you know, I have been writing children’s books for almost 20 years now.”

The idea stuck with him for about two weeks before he sat down to write the manuscript in May 2022. “My Afro is a Rising Sun” centers on a young boy who learns about his identity, culture and heritage through his Afro.

One of the book’s messages is for Black children and really anyone, to express themselves, see the beauty in themselves and to embrace their culture and heritage.

Perseverance is the book’s other message, he said.

“Another takeaway in the book, especially for marginalized people of color, is that obstacles will come your way and there will be things you will have to face…but it’s being able to persevere and shine through them despite those obstacles.”

Yahu wrote and self-published his first book “Heartland,” and founded his selfpublishing business at 11. He also wrote a 500-page novel as a sophomore at Oak Park River Forest High School.

“I got started [writing] when I was in fourth grade,” Yahoo, 29, recalled. “I went to Longfellow Elementary School here in Oak Park. My teacher, Mrs. Ambrosino, assigned a creative writing assignment that led me into writing full time.”

Yahu found his first re presentation in July 2022. The agent then sent the manuscript to publishers in September.

“A lot of people don’t know that you have to go through a literary agent who will then send the manuscript to the publisher,” Yahu said. “That’s how you get traditionally published.”

However, the road to getting there was by no means paved with gold. By Oct. 2022, the young author had gone through a series of

job changes and was struggling financially.

Still, Yahu was determined to earn a living as a traditionally published author. Just as the weight of not knowing what he was going to do to get out of his financial straits was closing in, “My Afro is a Rising Sun” was released this month by Running Kids Press, part of Hachette Book Group. Illustrations for the hardcover picture book were done by DeAnn Wiley.

“I went from having only 13 pennies to a five-figure, traditionally published author all within a day,” Yahu said. “I’m a living testament that all things are possible.

“People were telling me authors don’t make money and that traditional publishing is a waste of time, especially because I’m Black, because statistically, Black authors already have it more difficult than others.”

He’s no longer operating the self-publishing business he started with his first book. He does however, offer ghost writing and editorial services. With more than 10 years’ experience in screenwriting and editorial work, including at Beacon Press, Yahu’s writing has appeared in diverse publications such as Solstice Literary Magazine and Keystrokes.

He studied at Emerson Colle ge, tutored at 826 Boston, and volunteered in places such as Pakistan and Tanzania. Yahu is also developing several TV, novel, and picturebook projects while continuing his passion for storytelling across multiple g enres.

Yahoo’s mother, Chajuana Calhoun, recalled how he displayed his early writing talents by filling up so many spiral notes with stories, that she and his grandmother had to get crates to hold them all.

“He just has such a creative mind,” Calhoun said. “Having that mind and being able to put it on paper is a talent. It’s pretty unique that he would come up with the title ‘My Afro is a Rising Sun.’ I’m very proud of him for that.”

“My Afro is a Rising Sun” can be found in 650 Barnes and Noble Book Stores in the U.S. and just went to the U.K. last week. It’s also in all Chicago Public Libraries as well as the Oak Park Public Library. You can also order the book from Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com and the publisher’s website, hachettebookgroup.com. He can also be found at Yaramyahu.com for school and author visits.

Woman charged after hitting neighbor with ex tension cord

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

A woman came to the police department Dec. 18 around 5 p.m. to re port someone entering her Harlem Avenue residence without her consent. She told police that she noticed belongings missing from her residence, where she lives with her child, including a blank check book and the kid’s clothes and homework. She told police she thought that her downstairs neighbors are working with her ex-husband to harass her and broke in by picking the lock. Police re ported that the woman was charged earlier in the day for battering her neighbor with an extension cord. That morning, she told police that her new neighbors were entering her apar tment and taking things. When one of the neighbors knocked on her door, the woman asked him to leave and, when he didn’t, hit him with an extension cord on his arm and attempted to force him down the stairs.

Fleeing police

While on patrol Dec. 16, police got a hit on a vehicle traveling down Harlem Avenue that was wanted out of Lansing for aggravated fleeing. Backup officers came to help surround the vehicle, which disre garded their sirens, pulled an illegal U-turn and fled at least at 70 miles per hour in a 30-mileper-hour zone before getting on I-290 and escaping Forest Park police. Later that day, Chicago police reported that they had two people in custody matching the description. Forest Park police released the car’s passenger and took the driver into custody, where he was charged with aggravated fleeing, operating an uninsured vehicle, and having a suspended or revoked license.

Underage tobacco sale

On Dec. 17, during the Forest Park Police Department’s first round of the Illinois Tobacco Compliance Enforcement Program’s 2024-2025 compliance checks, an 18-year-old entered Joe’s Mini-Mart and asked for Swisher cigars. The clerk didn’t ask him for identification and was issued a citation for violating the village ordinance that restricts selling tobacco products to those under 21.

On Dec. 18, an employee who works at Karol Trucking called the Forest Park Police Department to report that their trailer was stolen, according to the police report. The employee told police that the trailer was docked Dec. 11 at 7500 Roosevelt Road for unloading. When the employee was notified that the trailer had been unloaded, they returned to find it was no longer on the property. The employee tracked the trailer’s GPS to Colorado and discovered that another logistics company took it by mistake – something the employee said isn’t unusual during busy shipping times. They returned the trailer two days later, but before the driver could pick it up, it went missing again and has been tracked covering several states. No one has been charged.

Assisting Berwyn police

Police responded to the intersection of 18th and Home in Berwyn Dec. 18 to help with an officer-involved shooting. A man told police that the offender was in his basement and shot at him multiple times, hitting his dog, according to the police re port. Police found the dog’s body in the backyard, officials said. Dispatch told Forest Park police that Berwyn officers barricaded the offender in the backyard of 1814 Home. Berwyn police took over the scene, and no one has been charged through the Forest Park Police Department.

These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department re ports dated Dec. 16-18 and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port 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.

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OPINION

Two Christmas narratives

Both narratives seemed to put into words my experience and give meaning to it.

One of the songs we heard on WOMT radio had the lyrics, “You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear voices singing let’s be jolly, deck the halls with boughs of holly.”

“Amen,” we said, “this describes how we feel.”

The second narrative was about a young woman who got pregnant before she was mar ried, had to give birth in a stable, and she and her young family had to flee to Egypt as refugees to escape the ruler’s slaughter of innocent babies.

For some reason, that story didn’t bother me. Life was good where I was living it, and the emphasis in church was on the angels singing to the shepherds and three magi bringing gifts to the newbor n child.

The town of Harlem, which was incorporated in 1884, included today’s Forest Park and areas of River Forest. The Harlem Post was a local German weekly newspaper for Harlem’s German population. Its first edition was published on Sept. 12, 1895. The Dec. 12, 1895 edition contained the following news about a “Strange Occurrence”

Then I grew up, got married and went through a divorce at the age of 40. Suddenly hearing the sentimental prosperity narrative became extremely painful because it reminded me of how much I had lost. My two kids and I bravely tried to fake it, but the presents under the tree couldn’t override the fact that one chair at the dinner table was empty.

I had been a pastor for eight years by then and that night the story of a young woman giving birth away from home before she was married made the sermon I gave meaningful, to myself if no one else, in a profound way for the first time in my life.

It became my story. In the story, recorded in the second chapter of Luke’s gospel, God did not swoop down to Earth and bring peace even though the angels sang a hymn with those lyrics.

Instead of coming as a conquering super-hero, God came as a vulnerable baby to vulnerable parents. Instead of making Israel great again, the message the nar rative gives is that the greatest power in the universe knows what I feel like and is walking along with me through the darkest valley.

In the political campaign just finished, we heard candidates promising to use political power to make our circumstances better. Some said they would make America like it used to be when I was a boy.

Now as an educated adult who listens to the news every night and has gone through two divorces and many other losses, those promises ring hollow, and sentimental feelings are hard to come by, no matter how much turkey and pumpkin pie I eat and glasses of Bailey’s I drink.

The older I get, the more the second narrative resonates.

There’s a story about a man who asked his rabbi, “Why does the prophet tell us that God puts his words ‘on’ our hearts instead of ‘in’ our hearts?”

“That’s because,” the rabbi replied, “when your heart breaks, the words will fall in.”

The truth is that I never really heard the second Christmas story until I went through a divorce.

These days, most of my emotional wounds have healed; I’m happily married; my two adult children are doing pretty well; I’ve acquired the spiritual resources to weather the recent political stor ms; my expectations of heaven coming to Earth this side of death have been significantly lowered; and the young woman who got pregnant before getting married means a lot more to me than Santa does.

If you still feel like rockin’ around the Christmas tree, good for you. With my walker, I might even join you, but in my ripe old age, the story about a man who lives at the North Pole just makes me shiver.

And the narrative about the baby in the manger rings truer than ever.

goose chase

At times, there are strange occurrences in Harlem. Last Saturday, for example, was pay day for the bricklayer Peter Rube who lives on Harlem Avenue. So he bought a 16-pound goose for his Sunday dinner and to please his wife. Of course, payday also had to be celebrated, which Peter did in abundance. When he finally was on his way home, the goose seemed very heavy. In order to get it home more safely and easily, he had the great idea to tie a clothes line around its neck, so he could drag it home. Since our electric street lights are not always reliable in such situations, Peter had a hard time to find his way home and therefore was not able to keep an eye on the goose. Imagine his surprise when he arrived at home to find nothing but an empty clothes line in his hand. Should the goose be found by an honest person, they are requested to deliver it to Peter’s home. A good reward is assured

Translated by Uli Leib

A Child’s Christmas …

In Brookfield (with apologies to Dylan Thomas):

One Christmas was so much like the other in that snow-filled suburb. I reach into the snow bank of memory and pull out a gingerbread man. We carved their shapes on a flour-dusted table. After they were baked, we covered them with frosting and sprinkles. We hung them with string from the tree. Edible ornaments we could grab any time for a snack.

In that gingerbread world, we decorated the fresh-cut spruce. The strings of lights were tangled into a Gordian knot and if just one bulb was out, the whole string didn’t work. After we found enough lights that worked, we wound them around the tree. Then we hung tinsel and delicate glass ornaments. The glorious tree was ready for presents.

baked a turkey in each.

Not that we were inside much to enjoy it. Playing outside was mandatory. Snow would fill our boots and soak our mittens. When we couldn’t stand it anymore, we shivered our way into the house.

Feeling the warmth return to our fingers and toes almost made the suffering worth it. To warm our insides, there was marshmallow-melting cocoa. As we thawed, we not only thought of the presents we’d get but also of the presents we had made in school. Homely creations of paper, sparkles and glue. We prayed our parents would be pleased.

At the Christmas dinner, there were no aunts, uncles or grandparents. They had their own parties. We gorged on turkey, mountains of mashed potatoes and rolls hot from the oven.

There were the practical presents: blankets, hats and mittens. Scratchy wool sweaters we had to wear for Christmas pictures. There were also a few impractical presents: board games, electric football and jigsaw puzzles. My mother feared the puzzles because my dad would get so obsessed, he’d stop going to work

When he did go to the office, he brought large quantities of booze to give out to lawyers, insurance adjusters, and the other clients who made presents possible. We prayed for money to come in but not many payments were processed during that season of office parties.

Our family always had its own Christmas party because there were so many of us, we were never invited anywhere.

Cleaning and decorating the house for Christmas was exciting in those flax soap days. Polishing the silver candlesticks and cleaning the glass of our hurricane lamps. Setting out the red-patterned China that we used for every holiday. The best part was the aroma from two ovens, as we

On Christmas morning, there was a frenzy, as we ripped open packages. We didn’t take turns, or even acknowledge the gift-giver. We just ripped. The younger ones were convinced that all of these gifts were from Santa and no blasphemer could shake their faith. After the frenzy subsided, we painfully posed for pictures, in our scratchy sweaters. Then we had the Christmas bonfire, burning the packaging and wrapping in the backyard.

We slept deeply that night, knowing we had new toys to play with in the morning. We’d wake up early to find my father, unshaven, his hair sticking up, fitting another piece into the puzzle. It was a letdown, after the holiday excitement.

But the tree stayed up for a few days, and the decorations hadn’t yet returned to their attic prison. Among these, were a set of figures. Crowned men on camels, a rough wooden stable with a cow, a young couple watching over their tiny baby.

They were fun to play with and must have had something to do with Christmas.

A note to our readers:

Growing Community Media wishes all of you happy holidays this season. We, too, will be celebrating with our families, and our offices will be closed through Jan. 2. Please note there will be no print edition Jan 1. We will return to our re gular publishing schedule a week later, on Jan. 8. Breaking news will be published on our websites. We look forward to seeing you in the new year!

Editor Erika Hobbs

Sta Repor ter Jessica Mordacq

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Assistant Editor, Ar ts & Enter tainment Dalal Or fali

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

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

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Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Ben Stumpe

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Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Board of Directors

Chair Eric Weinheimer

Treasurer Nile Wendorf

Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon Audra Wilson

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Happy Holidays!

3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 for the following: Village of Oak Park Generator Maintenance and Repair Services Project Number: 25-109 Bid 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.

NOVENAS

PRAYER TO ST. JUDE May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved & preserved throughout the world now & forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude worker of miracles, pray for us. St. Jude helper of the hopeless, pray for us. Say this prayer 9 times a day for 9 days. By the 8th day your prayer will be answered. It has never been known to fail. Publication must be promised. Thank you Jesus. Thank You St. Jude. DK

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