Landmark 030123

Evans picked to lead D95 as next superintendent

Kuzniewski to stay on as schools chief, mentor through 2024-25

By BOB UPHUES Editor

Brookfield-LaGrange Park District 95’s school board has identified its next superintendent, and it didn’t have to go far to find him.

In February, the school board announced that Ryan Evans, who has been principal of S.E. Gross Middle School in Brookfield for the past nine years, will succeed Mark Kuzniewski.

“I appreciate that the school board gave the opportunity for consistency and the sees the value in growing their own superintendent and allowing me to work with them to implement the vision for the next decade,” Evans said. The appointment comes after a four-month search process that vetted internal candidates only. Last October, the school board hired BWP and Associates to lead that process, which included a district-wide survey to get input from residents about what they wanted to see in the next superintendent and meetings with three focus groups.

Some 400 people completed the survey, said Kuzniewski, and the focus groups included staf f and community

BRINGING UCHICAGO MEDICINE TO YOU

You’ll have access to UChicago Medicine’s excellent specialty care and the latest clinical trials, right here in the western suburbs. Best of all, you’ll still experience AdventHealth’s whole-person care, treating body, mind and spirit.

Learn more at: HealthyChicagoland.org

BOLINGBROOK • GLENOAKS • HINSDALE • LA GRANGE

This is big. AdventHealth and UChicago Medicine are now partners.

D102 board selects high school administrator as new chief

School board likes Covino’s background

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

The next superintendent of LaGrangeBrookfield School District 102, which also serves southwest Brookfield, will be someone who has spent his entire career at the high school level.

On Feb. 23 the District 102 Board of Education voted unanimously to hire Chris Covino, who’s in his third year as the assistant superintendent for academics at Hinsdale High School District 86, to re place retiring Superintendent Kyle Schumacher this summer.

Covino, 46, be g an his career in 1998 as English teacher at Neuqua Valley High School, moved on after three years to become the language ar ts division chair at West Chicago High School, then was the assistant principal for cur riculum and instruction at York High School before being named principal at Argo High School. He joined District 86 three years ago.

“We liked his experience,” said District 102 school board President Mike Melendez, a Brookfield resident. “Very process orientated type of leader, very good with data. When we interviewed him, it was clear he did this homework on the district.”

Covino received a three-year contract and will be paid $225,000 in his first year.

Melende z acknowledged Covino’s lack of experience at the elementary and junior high level.

“Obviously we were aware of that,” Melende z said. “High school is dif ferent than K through 8. On the flip side of that, he will also understand what it takes to succeed at the high school level and with his experience in evaluating and building curriculum, he can take what he understands about being successful at the high school level and help ensure that our cur riculum

in

curriculum development

ers on cur riculum alignment, assessment development and just in general professional development planning around literacy work,” Covino told the Landmark. “So, I do feel that I’ve had a number of experiences that will provide a fir m foundation for doing a lot of the K-8 work that is ahead.”

Covino grew up in souther n California stee ped in education. His father is a former English professor who is now a colle ge president, and his mother is a pre-school teacher.

When his father was hired as an English professor at University of Illinois at Chicago, Covino came along and ear ned bachelor’s and master’s de grees in English education and English at UIC.

He went on to ear n a master’s de gree in educational leadership from Benedictine University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Aurora University.

CHRIS CO VINO

is structured the demands that our kids are going to face when they get to LT.”

Melende z said the school board liked Covino’s strong background in cur riculum, especially in language arts.

“Reading is critical in everything we do,” Melende z said. “He has familiarity with building cur riculum.”

Covino noted that he has worked in a couple K-12 unit districts, in Elmhurst (York) and Indian Prairie (Neuqua Valley), so that he is not entirely unfamiliar with cur riculum below the high school level.

“I do have a lot of experience working with elementary and middle school teach-

More than 50 people applied for the job. The school board interviewed seven candidates and then had second interviews, which included a meal at Capri restaurant in Bur r Ridge, with each of the three finalists.

Melende z says Covino was the best choice to build on the advancements made under Schumacher’s leadership for the past eight years

“Kyle is leaving us in a very good place, and we think that Chris is the right person to kind of take the baton and take of f running with it,” Melende z said. “And the nice thing is that we have this transition period now. He’ ll find ways to meet with Kyle.

“For tunately his current employer isn’t too far away, so being able to meet in the evening or after work hours to kind of talk and get to know the district before he star ts is going to be a huge advantage for him and good for us as a district.”

Editor Bob Uphues

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey

S ales and Marketing Representatives

Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls, Kamil Brady

Business & Development Manager

Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner EMAIL jill@oakpark.com

Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Judy Gre n Treasurer Nile Wendor f 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 708-442-6739 ■ FAX 708-467-9066

E-MAIL buphues@rblandmark.com

ONLINE www.RBLandmark.com

The Landmark is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP

The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00.

A one -year subscription costs $41 within Cook County and $51 outside the county. Adver tising rates may be obtained by calling our o ce. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS 0019-585). Postmaster send address correc tions to Landmark, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302.

© 2023 Growing Community Media NFP

“Ive had a number of experiences that w ill prov ide a rm foundation for doing a lot of the K-8 work that is ahead.”

Next D102 superintendent

March 1-8

BIG WEEK

Think spring

Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road, and the Riverside Community Garden invite you to star t thinking spring with a pair of programs on March 4.

From 10 to 11:15 a.m. join them for a Community Seed Swap in the library’s lower-level Community Room. Then hang around and learn what to do with those seeds during Seed Star ting with the Community Garden from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Planting medium, spray bottles, tools and a limited amount of seeds will be supplied. You can also bring containers and seeds of your own. Register to attend at riversidelibrary.org/events.

100-year logo contest

Did you know that the village of Nor Riverside turns 100 years old in 2024? As par their preparation for celebrating the centennial Nor th Riverside Parks & Rec invites y to enter their contest to cr 100-year logo.

Only Nor th Riv residents are eligible to submit logos all logos must include aspects of the existing Nor th Riverside logo and the Nor th Riverside Historical Society logo.

Submissions must be made by March 20. Send them to recreation@northriverside -il.org. Call 708-442-5515 with questions.

Get your Irish up

Hibernian Radio Hour, which focuses on Irish American rst responders, will broadcast ever y Wednesday night at 7 p.m., starting March 1, from Big Corner Tavern, 8405 Cermak Road in Nor th Riverside

Ever y week, host Mike “Houli Houlihan interviews a variety of Irish cops, re ghters, paramedics and nurses, interspersing them with comedy bits, Irish obits, music and trips to “Houlitown” for the weekly craic

The show is streamed online ever y Saturday night at 7 p.m. on Global Irish Radio, GIR.ie and is podcast at hibernianradio.org.

And more

■ Riverside School District 96 will host a virtual kindergarten information program on March 2 at 6 p.m. If your child will be 5 years old before Sept. 1 you are invited to attend Visit district96.org for details.

■ Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quinc y St., presents the 13th Annual Riverside-Brook eld High School Advanced Placement Art Exhibition from Feb. 24 through March 18 in the Freeark Galler y. Open Thursday-Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.

There’s also “Mujer Quetzalcoatl” featuring the work of Alex Velazquez Brightbill, through March 30 in the lobby of the Riverside Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road in Riverside. Viewing hours are Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

■ North Riverside Public Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., presents Preschool Yoga & Storytime (ages 2-5 with adult) on March 8 at 1 p.m. and Hell Hath No Fury: The Wild, Wicked and Wonderful Women of the Windy City with historian Clarence Goodman on March 8 at 6:30 p.m. Register

for programs online at northriversidelibrary.org/ events-new.

■ Linda Sokol Francis Brook eld Library, 3541 Park Ave., presents Unicorn Storytime on March 2 at 6 p.m., Chair Zumba on March 3 at 1:30 p.m., Intro to D&D for Teens (grades 6-12) on March 3 at 4 p.m., Legotastic Saturday on March 4 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Chair Yoga (virtual) on March 6 at 11 a.m., City of the Sun: The Ancient City of Cahokia on March 6 at 7 p.m. and Investigative Genetic Genealogy with the True Crime Club and Genealogy Club on March 8 at 7 p.m. Call 708-485-

eation encourages y dispose of aluminum can pop tops at their Giving Tree drop location at the recreation HQ, 43 E. Quinc y St., through the month of March.

Pop tops will be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities, which will recycle them to raise funds to support sick children with healing and coping. Drop o your pop tops Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 31.

Learn about lead wa ter line replacement

eague of Women Voters of the LaGrange Area will host an informative session about the state’s lead water ser vice line replacement mandate, which became e ective Jan. 1, 2022 and requires all lead vice lines to be disconnected from the drinking water supply.

The Illinois Environmental Council will explain what the law requires of communities, how communities may fund replacement and what those who have lead ser vice lines should do.

The presentation is on March 2 at 7 p.m. at the LaGrange Public Library, 10 W. Cossitt Ave., LaGrange. No advance registration required

6917 or visit online at brook eld.evanced.info/ signup to register for programs.

■ Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road, presents Friday Storytimes (all ages) on March 3 at 9:30 and 10:15 a.m., First Saturday Storytime (all ages) on March 4 at 10 a.m., a Riverside Chapter of the Chicago Lyric Opera lecture on Bizet’s “Carmen” on March 5 at 2 p.m., Mini-Movers Storytime (3-under with caregiver) on March 6 at 9:30 and 10:15 a.m. and a Living History Portrayal of Julia Child by Leslie Goddard on March 6 at 7 p.m. To register for programs, visit online at riversidelibrary.org/events

MIKE HOULIHAN

LTHS board candidate attended Awake Illinois workshop in Jan.

Vlcek says he attended candidate training session but is una liated

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Despite saying that he doesn’t know anything about the right-wing advocacy org anization Awake Illinois, Tim Vlcek, a candidate for Lyons Township High School District 204 school board, attended one of Awake Illinois’ candidate training workshops in January.

Awake Illinois is a Naperville based org anization that got its star t opposing mask mandates in schools and describes itself as a “parental rights” group. It is a vocal critic of newer approaches of teaching about gender, sexuality and race and other hot-button issues in schools It stands for traditional values and its critics describe it as anti-LGTBQ+.

Joining Vlcek at the Awake Illinois training workshop on Jan. 14 was Molly McShane, an active supporter of Vlcek, Frank Evans and Dave Her ndon who are all running for the school board and are loosely allied with each other McShane, who has been sending emails and text in support of Vlcek, Evans and Her ndon, described herself a “precious volunteer” when asked what her role in the campaign was.

Vlcek said he didn’t recall how he lear ned of the Awake Illinois workshop. He said that he went to lear n about how to run for the school board.

“We attended an event for training for an election,” Vlcek told the Landmark when shown a photo of him and McShane at the Awake Illinois event.

The workshop, which was held at a hotel in the wester n suburbs, went over the nuts and bolts of how to run a school board race

“The workshop provided information on how to create a successful campaign for school board elections,” Vlcek told the Landmark in an email.

Even after attending the workshop, Vlcek told the Landmark that he doesn’t know anything about Awake Illinois or what their philosophy is

Lyons Tow nship High School District 204 Board of Education candidate Tim Vlcek (in vest) and Molly McShane, a volunteer boosting Vlcek and two other candidates through emails and text messages, stand front and center of a group who attended an Awake Illinois training workshop on Jan. 14. In the foreground are Awake Illinois founder Shannon Adcock (le ) and John Anthony, a former state representative and avid Donald Trump supporter who hosts an AM radio talk show called “Black & Right.”

Vlcek, Evans and Her ndon have said that they are not accepting the support of Awake Illinois or any other outside group, a point made at the end of emails sent out by McShane to voters encouraging them to vote for the three candidates.

“We are completely independent,” McShane said.

McShane said the candidates are self-funding their campaigns and don’t need outside support.

The three candidates have separate campaign signs and are not running as a for mal slate. Vlcek’s slogan is “Kids 1st.” Vlcek, a 62-year-old lifelong resident of LaGrange Park, graduated from LTHS and works as a plant manager for Weinstein Wholesale Meats. He has drawn the most attention for his views.

Indivisible LaGrange/LaGrange Park, a left-leaning proDemocratic Party group, criticized Vlcek and Awake Illinois in an email sent to the Landmark. The statement acknowledged that there is no evidence that Awake Illinois is explicitly endorsing Vlcek, Evans and Her ndon but noted that local Awake Illinois leaders are backing them.

“Candidate Tim Vlcek’s anti-teacher and anti-LGBTQIA social media posts reflect Awake’s values, and Indivisible vehemently and absolutely disavows these positions,” the statement said in part “Any candidate that espouses these positions -- and/or any candidate that allows themselves to be aligned with candidates that spout these positions -- is not fit to be on any school board.”

Vlcek denies that he is anti-teacher, noting that his wife teaches at a Catholic school and that he has other relatives who are teachers.

Vlcek recently made his Facebook settings private, but before he did, the Landmark saw that he had posted an image of a man splitting logs with a boy watching.

“Teach your boys to be men before their teachers teach them to be women,” read the message on the image.

“I just thought it was funny and I shared it,” Vlcek said. Vlcek said that he made his Facebook page private because someone -- he didn’t have a name but said he believes that person works at LTHS -- was bashing him on Facebook and trying to defame him. He said that he was victim of cyberbullying.

“I regret even being on Facebook,” Vlcek said. “It’s toxic. I’m really upset about it.”

Vlcek said that while he is conservative in his thoughts, he considers himself a pragmatist and a problem-solver. He said that he is not a polarizing person.

“People that do know me know how I am,” Vlcek said.

Vlcek notes that school board races are supposed to be nonpartisan and says he just wants to give back to the school he and his four children attended. He volunteers as a mentor in the business incubator program at LTHS

“I really am a caring person, and I don’t want be political, I don’t want it to be a political thing,” Vlcek said.

TAX SECURITY TIP: GET AN IP PIN TO HELP STOP IDENTITY THIEVES

An Identity Protection PIN is a six-digit number eligible taxpayers can obtain to help prevent their Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number from being used to file fraudulent federal income tax returns. This number helps the IRS verify a taxpayer’s identity and accept their tax return. The “Get An IP PIN” tool enables anyone who has an SSN or ITIN to get an IP PIN after they verify their identity through a rigorous authentication process. Taxpayers should review the Secure Access

It’s a six-digit number known only to

• The opt-in program is voluntary.

Mall security guard charged with aggravated assault

A 52-year-old Carpentersville man who works for a private fir m as a security guard at North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, was charged with misdemeanor aggravated assault after he pointed a pepper spray gun at a fellow security guard during a confrontation in the mall food court on Feb. 25 at about 5:25 p.m.

A mall patron called police to report that two security guards were engaged in a verbal altercation near Dunkin Donuts when one of the men pulled out a weapon and pointed it at the other

Security camera video reportedly showed the victim walking east approaching the food court when he stops and looks behind him. The offender reportedly approached the victim at a rapid walking pace and the two went chest to chest, speaking closely to each other

The victim at some point pushed the offender’s body up against the counter at Dunkin Donuts, causing the offender to shove him away with both hands, pull out his pepper spray gun and point it directly at the victim’s face before re-holstering it. An employee from a nearby kiosk then stepped between the two men.

DUI after crash at Harrington Park

requirements before they try to use the “Get An IP PIN” tool.

For security reasons, tax pros can’t get an IP PIN on behalf of clients. Tax pros who experience data theft can help clients by urging them to get an IP PIN quickly. Even if a thief already filed a fraudulent return, an IP PIN would still off er protections for later years and prevent taxpayers from being repeat victims of tax-related identity theft.

More things taxpayers should know about the IP PIN:

• The IP PIN should be entered onto the electronic tax return when prompted by the software product or onto a paper return next to the signature line.

• The IP PIN is valid for one calendar year.

• For security reasons, enrolled participants get a new IP PIN each year

• Spouses and dependents are eligible for an IP PIN if they can verify their identities.

• IP PIN users should never share their number with anyone but the IRS and their trusted tax preparation provider. The IRS will never call, email or text a request for the IP PIN.

■ Riverside police charged a 28-year-old Berwyn man with drunken driving, fleeing and eluding, speeding and other offenses after he reportedly tried to speed away from a police officer trying to conduct a traffic stop and ended up crashing into a tree and wood safety barrier on the perimeter of Harrington Park at the intersection of Gage and South Delaplaine roads on Feb. 21 at about 10:20 p.m.

The driver’s blood-alcohol content reportedly was .12, which is greater than the legal limit of .08.

In addition to the drunken driving charges, fleeing/eluding and speeding, the driver was cited for illegal transportation of alcohol, damage to village property, possession of cannabis and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

■ A 38-year-old Stickney woman was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after she reportedly crashed her blue Jeep into a traffic signal at the intersection of First Avenue and Ridgewood Road, Riverside, on Feb. 19 at 5:15 a.m.

The driver was not hurt, but police reported that a child inside the vehicle was bleeding

from his nose According to police, the driver said she was coming home from a party at a family member’s house and that she did not recall what caused the crash, only that it happened.

In addition to DUI, police charged the driver with endangering the life of a child and damage to a highway structure.

Stolen vehicles recovered

North Riverside police recovered two vehicles at the North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, one a Kia and the other a Hyundai, that had been stolen elsewhere last week.

On Feb. 20 at about 12:25 p.m., police observed a silver Kia, with a broken rear passenger window covered by a sheet and a peeled steering column, parked in the lower-level parking deck. Security camera video showed that the vehicle entered the mall parking lot behind an orange Kia, which also had a broken rear window.

On that same day, there was a retail theft in the mall and one of the offenders was observed running toward the silver Kia. The person was being chased by store employees and instead got into the orange Kia, which fled the area.

On Feb. 21 at about 12:20 p.m., one of the village’s Flock license plate reader cameras sent an alert of a stolen black Hyundai entering the mall from 26th Street. The vehicle pulled into a space in the lower-level parking deck and two people, a 21-year-old Cicero man and a juvenile, exited

Police detained the two, charging the adult with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and illegal possession of cannabis The juvenile, who was the alleged driver of the vehicle and had gotten permission to drive it from someone for $50, was transferred to the custody of Cook County Juvenile Justice authorities for possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Feb. 19-26, 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 Bob Uphues

RBHS’ senior school board member says education is changing

Hruska favors exploring unit district, expanding dual-enrollment options

By BOB UPHUES Editor

As the COVID-19 pandemic set in, Laura Hruska was laid of f from her position as cer tification director for the American Osteopathic Association. She pivoted to working the dock at UPS, working 10-hour midnight shifts in the midst of the pandemic and picking up additional hours driving a grocery delivery truck for Jewel.

The 60-year-old Brookfield resident admitted that her experience during COVID played a part in her impatience with teachers at Riverside-Brookfield High School, where she has served on the school board for 16 years.

She criticized opposition from the RBHS teachers’ union to expand in-person lear ning during the 2020-21 school year, saying the teaching staff were “bullying” families by insisting on a hybrid model she felt was failing students

“Some of the meetings where I was a little angry with the teachers, I was at [the UPS loading hub],” Hruska said. “There was a thousand of us every shift, every day, so that your dog food, your Chewy order, your crayons, pencils and everything you were ordering [got delivered]. But it was OK for us to work.”

Hruska ended up being the lone vote against a new threeyear teacher contract approved last year

“I just felt like they needed to take a pause, and say thank you for what [the school board] did for us during those two years of COVID,” Hruska said. “Because I took a $40,000 pay cut from COVID and I know a lot of other families are scratching.”

Still working part-time as a dispatcher at UPS, Hruska now spends her days working as a substitute teacher in Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 and is working toward a master’s degree through a program at Wester n Illinois University so she can teach high school math in the future.

This spring, Hruska is one of five candi-

dates running for four four-year ter ms on the RBHS District 208 school board. She is by far the longest-serving incumbent, first elected in 2005 to her first ter m. After losing in 2009, Hruska has been elected in three consecutive elections, despite being an occasional thor n in the side of the teachers’ union.

Her time substitute teaching in Elmhurst has her believing school districts that feed into Riverside-Brookfield High School would benefit from consolidation into a unit district, something that’s really never been considered seriously in the past.

Unit districts offer teachers more mobility, Hruska said, allows sharing of resources and provides better long-ter m planning in preparing students for high school.

“You would have to get the unions of every [district] to gether,” Hruska said. “When you’re a unit district, your gradeschool teachers do better The high school teachers are going to fight it, because they are not going to get those Cadillac salaries. But we’ve already put some things in motion to cap those high salaries.”

Hruska says RBHS can do a better job reaching students who are not planning to attend college by perhaps expanding vocational offerings and lowering graduation credit requirements That would allow students to graduate in three years, Hruska said, giving them space in their fourth year to take dual enrollment classes in cooperation with Triton College that would also provide them college credits or professional certification affordably

“I feel senior year of high school for a lot of students is a waste,” Hruska said. “They don’t want to be there, they’re checked out. But if they’re getting their first-year colle ge credits, OK then it makes it worthwhile to stay engaged

“We need to think about school differently.”

Her feelings about delivering education

differently is again infor med by her own experience. Hruska said she graduated from Morton West High School in three years and then enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

“Why is this [idea] so painful?” Hruska said. “I did this in 1980. This is 42 years later When a kid is done, you’re not doing any service by forcing that kid to stay in school.”

In ter ms of meeting the needs of a more demographically diverse student body – RBHS’ enrollment is about 40% Hispanic – Hruska said she favors all communication between the school and families needs to be in both Spanish and English.

“We have to be better at that, knowing there’s a need in the community and make

sure that any kind of information that goes home about your students is in both languages,” Hruska said.

Hruska said she believes RBHS delivers an excellent education to its students, but that school board members need to realize that expectations around education have changed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The resources are amazing and I hope our students realize that,” Hruska said. “Now I want to be part of it to say, ‘How do we take everything we have and move it in this new millennium to make it fit our new lives?’

“I’m reinventing myself, the students are reinventing themselves, you feel that. I feel students are reinventing high school right under neath us.”

“I feel students are reinventing high school right underneath us.”

LAURA HRUSK A D208 school board candidate

North Riverside OKs $1.5 million standpipe overhaul

Major water infrastructure project expected to begin in Aug., take 90 days

By BOB UPHUES Editor

The village of Nor th Riverside later this summer will embark on a long-awaited refurbishment of its 2.5 million g allon water standpipe, a critical piece of water system infrastructure built 23 years ago and which has been targeted for an overhaul for years, but which has been deferred due to tight finances.

On Feb. 20, trustees voted 5-1 to award a $1.5 million contract to Neumann Company Contractors Inc. of Mer rillan, Wisconsin, to refurbish the standpipe both inside and out. Trustees also voted 5-1 to award a $40,000 design engineering contract for the project to Novotny Engineering and a $34,440 contract to Lansing, Michig anbased Nelson Tank to perfor m inspections throughout the refurbishment project.

The lone vote ag ainst the contracts came from Trustee Marybelle Mandel, who expressed a preference to defer coating the standpipe’s exterior in order to keep pursuing possible g rant funding.

Mandel pointed to a recommendation in an inspection re port delivered to the village in July 2021 from Dixon Engineering, stating that the exterior sandblasting and coating could be “delayed until aesthetics dictate.”

Dixon’s assessment of the exterior was that it was in “fair” condition, but that there were “spot failures to the substrate” and “numerous coating failures throughout.” When the inspection re port was issued, it also recommended completing the work “in one to two years.”

“Can we just get by with just doing [the inside] work and we can continue with the outside work once we do have the final assistance guaranteed?” Mandel asked prior to the vote on Feb. 20.

Mandel said the exterior work would cost about $225,000, but that figure is not so clear in the bid submitted Neumann Company Contractors. The bid states the exterior painting will cost $213,000. However, the exterior must be sandblasted prior to

painting.

terior

$925,600, to system during the project.

not according Engineering, neering fir until be times er tim in responsible refurbishment.

expense budgeted this y

pipe like Nor th Riverside’s ought to be refurbished every 15 years in order for it to attain its 100-year life expectancy. Deferring maintenance might jeopardize that long-ter m life and risks failure requiring an emergency response.

“We’ve pushed it of f as long as we can push it of f, and now it needs to be done,” Ranieri told the Landmark. “We can’t lose the standpipe. It’d be as if taking the hear t out of someone’s body.”

The project, which is expected to be gin between Aug. 1 and Aug. 15, is a complicated one that will take 90 days to complete, said Ranieri. It requires the village to secure multiple backup water supplies in the event of an emergency.

Nor th Riverside will continue to be fed water by the Brookfield-North Riverside Water Commission. There’s a standpipe bypass system through which water can be pumped using electric pumps

In the event of a power outage, there are diesel generators as a backup to that system. The village’s water system also cross-connects with the systems in River-

side, Berwyn and Broadview and as a last resort, Nor th Riverside can be fed from a Brookfield water tower.

“Water systems are designed to be redundant,” Fitzgerald said. “But you don’t want to take them of fline [often] because that’s the nor mal way it works, and having water in the tank creates the water pressure for Nor th Riverside.”

The first ste p in the project will be to erect the dust containment bar rier and drain the 150-foot tall, 54-foot wide tank, which alone will take three to four days. The surfaces inside and out will be sandblasted, and workers will check the inte grity of the joints and welds on the steel structure and make needed re pairs

Workers will also need to re pair the standpipe’s cathodic protection system, which has been broken since summer 2021. That system helps prevent interior corro-

sion. They will also add a water mixing system, which was not available in 2000, and allows water to be moved inside the tank to prevent ice buildup in below-freezing temperatures.

When that work is complete the interior and exterior will get an epoxy coating before the standpipe is refilled at a rate of about 300 to 400 g allons per minute. Work is expected to be completed sometime in November

According to Ranieri, the exact color of the new exterior paint job hasn’t been finalized but is likely to be similar to the existing coating, which camouflages it somewhat.

The Joe Rizza Ford advertisement, for a long-gone car dealership, would not be part of the new coating. Rather the contract amount allows for the village lo go to be painted on opposite sides of the standpipe

BOB UPHUES/Editor

e North Riverside water standpipe, tucked away behind Costco near the intersec tion of 26th Street and Harlem Avenue, was built in 2000 courtesy of a $3.5 million state grant. e tower is also an important part of Riverside’s water system.

Nor th Riverside mayor brushes o ‘forensic audit’ request

Asked

By BOB UPHUES Editor

Nor th Riverside Mayor Jose ph Mengoni announced during the Feb. 20 village board meeting that he would “squash” calls for a “forensic audit” of village finances being pushed by Trustee Marybelle Mandel, who is r unning for re-election in April, and her sur ro gates on social media

T he calls for such an audit on social media g enerally cite spending decisions made in the past by various village boards, from hiring practices and salaries to the purchase of land at 24th Street and 8th Avenue, to a now-discontinued practice of underfunding pension obligations

Forensic audits are conducted to uncover evidence of financial crimes, such as embezzlement, to long-term professional services contracts

T he village’s financial statements are audited annually by a third-par ty auditor and no suspicion of criminal activity has ever been leveled against North Riverside officials.

“The village has a comprehensive structure of internal controls in place that has been discussed and adopted by the board and is the subject of annual reviews by the auditor,” said Mengoni, reading from prepared remarks during his mayoral report at the Feb. 20 village board meeting.

He also addressed Mandel directly, asking her to provide specific evidence of “any misconduct for this board to review immediately.”

“Without any evidence of misconduct, this board will not consider any further action on this matter,” Mengoni added, handing over to Mandel a folder containing a decade’s wor th of the village auditor’s management letters from North Riverside’s annual finance re ports, which are mandated by law.

Mandel declined to offer any evidence of criminal activity on the part of any elected officials or employees, instead saying her support for a forensic audit was based on concerns she was hearing from residents

“I’m not accusing anyone of anything,” Mandel said. “I’m just saying that I’m speaking on behalf of the residents. T he residents want to be more transparent with the gover nment here.”

Mengoni said the village’s annual financial audits were available on the North Riverside municipal website, which includes re por ts dating back to 2005.

Mandel gave as an example a forensic audit underway in the village of Westchester. In that particular case, the Westchester Village Board last June voted to eng age a firm to conduct the audit following the sudden, unexplained resignation of its village manager amid questions over a major municipal construction project.

T he Westchester Village Board hired StoneTurn Group LLP to conduct the forensic audit at a rate of $415 per hour T here was no cap on the amount of money the village would spend on the audit.

As of Feb. 21, StoneTurn Group had invoiced the village $50,420 for forensic auditing services, according to information contained in village board meeting packets on the Westchester website.

Asked if she knew why Westchester had initiated the forensic audit, Mandel responded that she had heard “multiple reasons.” She said she favored a forensic audit in North Riverside “if we have nothing to hide and want to be transparent.”

She also intimated that residents didn’t trust the village’s financial statements because North Riverside had hired Lauterbach & Amen, its independent auditor for at least two decades, on a contract basis in September 2021 to perform accounting services for the village. At the time, the village’s finance director position was vacant.

Lauterbach & Amen submitted the lowest of three cost proposals for the work, village board Finance Chair Ter ri Sarro noted at that time, adding that no one assigned the accounting duties would be involved in the audit of village finances

“You have no idea what auditing entails,” Mengoni told Mandel.

First-time candidate but veteran public servant seeks RBHS board seat

Kenyon

Duner would be advocate for special education, dual-credit classes

By BOB UPHUES Editor

It’s not a surprise that Brookfield resident Kenyon Duner would look to serve as an elected official in his hometown since birth. The 48-year-old father of an elementary school age daughter already has served on the Brookfield Parks and Recreation Commission since 2014, and his mother, Dianne Duner, is retiring after 24 years of service on the Brookfield Public Library Board of Trustees.

That he’s looking to serve on a school board is also not surprising. His mother was a school teacher, and after graduating with a degree in philosophy from Clarke University in Dubuque, Duner’s day job is recreation supervisor for New Star Recreation Services, a special recreation cooperative serving the south suburbs as well as Broadview and Maywood. He also serves as an IHSA umpire for girls softball.

This spring, Duner is one of five candidates looking to be elected to one of the four four-year terms on the Riverside-Brookfield High School Board of Education. Early voting starts March 20, with Election Day on April 4.

It’s his first bid at elective office.

Sawa’s Old

VALENTINE’S DAY

“With a background in special recreation, I feel I’m a strong advocate for special education, for job training, for that population,” Duner said. “Having somebody to actively advocate for that, I’d be willing to do.”

Duner said while his daughter is still a few years from attending Riverside-Brookfield High School, the chance to impact learning there before she gets there is appealing. He also believes electing another Brookfield resident to the school board was important.

“There’s only one other board member from Brookfield, Laura [Hruska], and I felt that having the perspective of a second board member whose kids are going through the programs in Brookfield [was important],” Duner said.

Duner, in both a face-to-face-interview with the Landmark last week and in response to a questionnaire from the newspaper, expressed particular interest in ensuring the high school administration and board followed through on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

With Riverside-Brookfield High School changing demographically, the school board and administration need to meet the challenges and opportunities that change provides. The school should do all it can to hire faculty that represents the student population, which is a benefit to everyone, he said.

“Diversity is important not just for the students to feel represented, it’s also important for the majority of students, because they also get experience dealing with people that don’t share their background, don’t share their upbringing,” Duner said. “That’s an easy way to criticize DEI initiatives – oh, that’s only helping the minorities – but it helps everyone in the school, and I think that helps the community as well.”

Duner said that while it was important for the District 208 board to have set a revised set of goals last year, it was just as important to do the work to achieve them.

“I see in a lot of organizations that they state their goals, and when the next shiny thing pops up, they kind of veer their attention to that and they don’t follow through with what they had planned to do,” Duner

said. “As a board member, that would be one of my focuses, is to make sure they follow through with what the previous board and administration have decided and not just rock the boat for the next big thing.”

Duner supports expansion of RBHS’ dualenrollment offerings, which allow students to obtain college credits while working to complete high school graduation requirements. That view, he said, was borne out of his experience attending College of DuPage for two years after graduating from Lyons Township High School.

The community college option, provided him with a low-cost, low-risk entry into posthigh school education.

“Sometimes students need that space between high school and making a big financial commitment to college,” Duner said. “I think it’s important to have an opportunity – those dual-credit options for Triton College – not to just focus so much on ‘the result of high school is getting into a college.’ The result of high school is having the resources needed to succeed in the next step, whether that’s through a trade school, through a community college or a four-year institution.”

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Duner said the experience demonstrated a recognition that high school was not just for those on a college track, but for those looking to enter the workforce after graduation.

It also showed how important it is for students to be around other students, he said, and reinvigorated parent involvement in the discussion of how education should be delivered.

“I think it empowered parents to take an active role,” Duner said.

That involvement has not always been positive and school board members have encountered parental hostility as well. Duner said it’s important to hear those voices, but at the end of the day, educators should be making decisions re garding curriculum.

“While I would of course listen to any concerns or opinions the community had in re gards to curriculum and would express my opinions on it during meetings, I feel the curriculum is best developed by the school administration,” he said.

KENYON DUNER

EVANS Transition period

from page 1

members both with and without children attending school in the district.

“The primary themes that emerged from the survey and focus groups were a desire to keep our already outstanding school district moving forward in a manner consistent with current practice with a focus on future growth, a desire to train and/or hire the next leader who could do both the role of superintendent and chief business official and leader who would embrace existing D95 traditions,” said school board President Katie Mulcrone in a press release announcin the decision.

Evans said he appreciated the vetting process, saying it was important for the school board to reach out to the wider community for input.

“They found [the community] was looking for stability and consistency, to take the things we’re doing here now and expanding them in the future,” Evans said. “I know that there was support out there … and it gives me heart that moving forward the things we look to do will also be supported by the community.”

Evans won’t take the reins right away. Instead, he’ll continue to serve as principal of S.E. Gross Middle School, with Kuzniewski remaining as superintendent, throughout the 202324 school year

During that year, he’ll learn the ropes of the job, including that of being the school district’s business manager, a position the superintendent has always performed in District 95.

“Those larger tasks, like the budget, Ryan will start doing this year, and he’ll be looking over my shoulder,” Kuzniewski said.

During the 2024-25 school year, Evans will move into an interim deputy superintendent role, where he’ll begin to take on other top administrative duties. Kuzniewski will remain as superintendent that year as well, completing the two-year transition on June 30, 2025.

“That [second] year, a lot will be him doing the work as I look over his shoulder,”

Kuzniewski said. “It’s a built-in mentoring program.”

Evans, a lifelong Brookfield resident who served two terms as an elected official on the Brookfield Village Board, has spent his entire career in education in District 95. A graduate of Nazareth Academy and Monmouth College, Evans was a student teacher at S.E. Gross before landing a teaching position at the school.

He was a classroom teacher for eight years before moving into the role of assistant principal for two years. Evans was promoted to principal of S.E. Gross Middle School in 2014.

The school board is expected to announce its process to find replacement for Evans as S.E. Gross Middle School principal at its meeting this month. That process may very well be similar to the superintendent search, as S.E. Gross has an experienced assistant principal in Jeffrey Tumpane, who has served in that role since 2014, already in the building.

The new principal is expected to be in place for the 2024-25 school year.

“We’ve looked at a succession plan that can utilize the talent within the building,” Kuzniewski said. “Jeffrey Tumpane is an outstanding leader.”

While he still has a couple of years to complete a victory lap, Kuzniewski called his upcoming retirement after 16 years as District 95 superintendent and more than 30 years as an educator “bittersweet.”

“It’s sweet in that I’ll finalize a career in education, but there will be a lot of things that I’ll miss, like the administrative team here,” Kuzniewski said.

Kuzniewski, 53, built that administrative team and can look back on a number of accomplishments as superintendent, including getting the school district on sound financial footing, leaving a team capable of carrying on work seamlessly upon his departure and, perhaps most notably, presiding over a $35 million renovation and expansion of S.E. Gross and Brook Park schools and the introduction of full-day kindergarten.

“It’s really the perfect way to exit by helping to mentor the next leader,” Kuzniewski said. “I’m leaving the district in very capable hands, not only Ryan but the entire administrative team.”

Work with an agent who will do more than just sell your home.

Now safely moving new residents to our small, wooded campus.

Now safely moving new residents to our small, wooded campus.

A safe & smart choice.

A safe & smart choice.

A safe & smart choice.

Choosing a community you can trust has never been more difficult.

Choosing a community you can trust has never been more important.

Choosing a community you can trust has never been more difficult.

Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

We would be honored for your family to be part of ours.

We would be honored for your family to be part of ours.

We would be honored for your family to be part of ours.

99% OF OUR CALEDONIA STAFF IS VACCINATED

our

“It gives me hear t that moving forward the things we look to do w ill also be suppor ted by the community.”

RYAN EVANS

Future D95 superintendent

I value the relationships I build with my clients and always strive to put them first during their real estate journey. Contact me if you’re looking to buy or sell.

Opinion

THE L ANDMARK VIEW

KOSEY CORNER

Cracking the case of the long lost book Keeping it old school

Riverside may have, in these times, an unusual way of staf fing its two fire stations, but one thing you have to admire is the relative cost compared to its neighbors

The village has never had a full-time fire department, relying instead on a cadre of paid-on-call firefighters, often employed full time as firefighters elsewhere, who must live in or near enough to the village in order to respond in a timely manner to fire emergencies

Those firefighters are paid only when they respond to an incident, at most a few hours at a pop. There aren’t that many structure fires anymore and the village’s mutual-aid agreements with neighboring towns ensure firefighters from somewhere will always arrive at a scene

The overwhelming majority of emergencies the fire department responds to are medical calls For decades the village has contracted with a third party to provide those services. It’s not cheap, often approaching close to a half million dollars a year, and it’s expected to get more expensive this year – rising to an estimated $770,000.

The village does derive some revenue via private insurance as well as Medicaid and Medicare to recoup some of that expense.

Since 1998, Riverside also has staf fed its second fire station, north of the tracks, only on weekdays, first from 8 to 4 and then from 8 to 6. Doing so allowed the village to have a fire engine available for immediate emergency response

On Jan. 1, the department began staf fing that station around the clock, 365 days a year. That comes with an additional cost, but those personnel are considered part-time employees with no benefits – again, often full-time firefighters elsewhere picking up a few more hours.

Despite the increases expected in paramedic services and the new around the clock staffing at Fire Station 2, the Riverside Fire De partment total expense is estimated in 2023 at $1.8 million.

That’s a big increase in costs over the past decade, which fluctuated between $1.4 and $1.5 million a year. But Riverside is staffing a department with five people per shift (three firefighters and two paramedics) for a fraction of what it costs full-time departments.

North Riverside’s 2022-23 budget estimated the fire department expenses – and this is for a de partment that has been under staffed for several years – at almost $6.7 million. Brookfield, with two fire stations to staff fully at all times, expects to spend about $5.5 million in 2023.

We’re not sure what lessons are to be drawn from Riverside opting to run counter to what at one time was a popular decision – suburbs moving to full-time professional fire department staffing instead of consolidating resources to spread the cost around – but it sure has saved Riverside taxpayers a whole lot of money.

Finally! I finished a book by John Grisham but not without a few bumps along the way. Seems every time I pick up a book by one of my favorite novelists, I either misplace it or it gets put somewhere where I don’t get to finish it.

My thought while I was at Cantata was that my book would be on the table next to me and be safe. Unfortunately, that was not the case. It disappeared only to be found at the front desk. Don’t ask me how it found its way there. It was retur ned, slightly wrinkled, but back to me anyway.

For those of you who are not familiar with the prolific writer, he has written over 40 novels, almost all making their way to the best-seller list. The law is the central theme of most of his works, a subject he is familiar with.

I was sur prised at how many of my friends are Grisham readers. My friends Jenny and Pat White stopped by with not only flowers, but another Grisham book, which I have already star ted.

Louise Wimmer brought me a Grisham book which was par t of her late husband Mike’s collection of. I

Y

knew Mike to be a good friend and avid reader. So, take my book recommendations when it comes to Grisham. I still have quite a few in my book basket. The one I first finished is already promised to its next reader.

The Riverside Person of the Year Award is a longstanding Riverside Township Lions Club tradition, seeking to honor those who have given particular service to their community

The club is compiling nominations for 2023 right now, so if you have someone you’d like to present, send your suggestion to Lions Club member Alex Galle gos at alexander.g alleos5@yahoo.com. Nominations will be accepted until March 31.

Fur ther infor mation may be obtained by contacting Galle gos at the above email or from any member of the Riverside Lions Club

The Lions are also looking to increase their membership, which is open to men and women residing in the area. Dinner meetings are held monthly at P.J. Klem’s Restaurant in Lyons. The Lions Club is a philanthropic organization serving sight sound, and local charities

LET TERS

There is no doubt that the Nor th Riverside Mall faces many challenges from the reduction of the number of potential major retail anchors, a reduction of smaller chain stores attracted to malls and, mall vs inter net shopping.

First signs occur red in the original Hillside Mall which is now a site for a single business -- CarMax.

More recently, the Yorktown Mall has seen the effects of a decline in mall shopping. The outlying strip shopping is gone and there has been a large-scale infu-

sion of multistory residential.

While most communities would like to see re placement mall uses as generators of new and additional income, the reality may be limited taxable uses including residential, senior housing, medical support facilities and personal services

Wishing the village of Nor th Riverside the best in re planning the mall for the future.

James Mann Brookfield

JOANNE KOSE

Retail trends may limit mall redevelopment options

Audrey L. Overholt, 95, beloved Brook eld resident

Presided over local baseball tourney with husband Roy for decades

By BOB UPHUES Editor

Audrey L. Overholt, who along with her beloved husband, Roy, were household Brookfield names and presided for more than a half century over an annual youth baseball tour nament featuring top teams from neighboring communities, died Feb. 25, 2023 at the age of 95.

Bor n Audrey Lavenau on Se pt. 26, 1927, she was raised in Riverside and attended Hauser Junior High in that village It was when she was a freshman at Riverside-Brookfield High School in 1941 that she would meet her future husband, Roy, a native of Brookfield’s Hollywood section, who was a senior at the time.

While Roy was serving in the U.S. Ar my during World War II, said their daughter Nancy Nobile, Audrey lied about her age to volunteer as a Red Cross “candy striper” at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn.

The couple mar ried on Jan. 24, 1948 at Concordia Lutheran Church in Berwyn and were wed for 65 years until Roy’s death in 2013 at the age of 89. The couple moved back to Brookfield in 1961, and two years later star ted their eponymous season-ending baseball tour nament, held at Kiwanis Park, directly across the street from the family home on Arden Avenue

Roy Overholt’s passion for baseball was perhaps matched only by his passion for manicuring the baseball field, later named in his honor, at Kiwanis Park Sitting atop a green tractor called “Little Audrey,” he’d maintain the field daily.

OBITUARIES

Leo J. Augustinas, Sr., 81

Retired from International Harvester

Leo J. Augustinas Sr., 81 of Riverside, died Feb. 23, 2023.

Mr Augustinas was born May 28, 1941 and served in the U.S. Air Force. He retired from Inter national Harvester after 40 years of dedicated service and was past president of the Holy Name Society of St. Mary Church. Mr. Augustinas was an avid golfer, bowler, card player and friend to all.

He was the husband of Arlene (nee Bouchard); the father of Julie and the late Leo J. Augustinas Jr.; the grandfather of Andrea, Sara and Michelle; the brother of Shirley (late Jose ph) Masek; and the uncle of many nieces and nephews

“He was there a lot, but she loved the g ame as much as he did,” Nobile told the Landmark. “They loved any ballpark, but especially that one.”

While Roy was the face of the Overholt Tour nament, Audrey worked behind the scenes, creating signs, making out the schedule – “the stuff no one ever sees,’ Nobile said -- and ar ranging for the inevitable victory parties at Buresh’s Lobster House.

“They’d travel for baseball g ames,” Nobile said. “They didn’t have to have kids playing in them.”

Visitation is Saturday, March 4 at St. Mary Church, 126 Her rick Road, Riverside, from 10 a.m. until time of funeral Mass at noon. Inter ment is at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside. Ar rangements handled by the Original Kuratko Family, Brian D. Kuratko, funeral director

Catherine Berger, 86

Catherine “Kay” Berger, 86, of LaGrange Highlands, died peacefully sur rounded by her family on Feb. 23, 2023.

She was bor n in Chicago on Se pt. 20, 1936 to the late James and Catherine (Far nan) Ellis. She grew up in St. Gabriel Parish where she mar ried Tom, her cherished and beloved husband and best friend of 64

rked for 16 years as the secretary and teacher at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Brookfield. She was a member of the church’s Altar Guild was a member of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League and served as an election day poll worker. erholt retired in 1986, the couple spent ear at their home in F lorida, but they promptly each spring in time for Brookfield s opening day.

ve to be out there for the first pitch,”

the first pitch at his own tour nament, a assumed after his death. She continued to aterholt Tour nament, throwing out the first She attended the 2022 tour nament last fall out the first pitch.

call my dad Mr. Baseball in Brookfield,” “When people would call her Mrs. Baseball, r to it.”

was the wife of the late Roy A. Overholt; the mother of Ray (Pam) Overholt, Thomas (Julie) Overholt, David (Dale) Overholt, Nancy (David) Nobile and the late Gary Overholt; the grandmother of Kristen, Me ggen, Samuel, Jose ph, Andrew, Scott, Kimberly, Nicole, Jack and Natalie; and the sister of the late Arthur Lavenau.

She will lie in state on Wednesday, March 1 from 10:30 a.m. until the time of a funeral service at 11:30 a.m. at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, 9035 Grant Ave., Brookfield. Inter ment is at Woodlawn Cemetery, Forest Park.

Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.

Online condolences, memories and photo graphs may be shared at JohnsonNosek.com.

years.

They were 44-year residents of Riverside, where Kay was heavily involved at St. Mary Parish and School. Kay taught math for one year but found her true calling as wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother

She was a proud member of her high school and colle ge “clubs” from Mercy High School and St. Xavier Colle ge Family always came first. In her presence, you were always welcomed and embraced.

Ms. Berger is survived by her devoted husband, Tom; 13 children, Cathy (Don) Josefik, Mary (Kevin) Syring, Tom (Cindy) Berger, Jim (Nancy) Berger, Michael (Terri) Berger, Pe gg y (Rick) Orabutt, Kevin (Pam) Berger, John (Kris) Berger, Jeanne (David) Witz, Stephen (Me g) Berger, David (Colleen) Berger, Anne (Greg) Deis, Daniel (Theresa) Berger; 47 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; and many nieces and

ne phews.

She is also survived also by her adoring baby sister and best friend, Margie King, who thought of ”Kite” as her guiding light and inspiration; her sisters and brothersin-law, Jim and Ellen Berger, Beth Berger, Queenie Berger and Butch Iglinski. She was preceded in death by her granddaughter, Carey Berger, and sisters and brothersin-law, Jack King, Frank Berger, Joe Berger, Jack Berger and Mary Kay Iglinski.

A funeral Mass was held Feb. 27 at St. John of the Cross Church. Inter ment was private. In lieu of flowers, memorials to CMTA (Charcot Marie Tooth Association, cmtausa.org) appreciated.

Ar rangements were handled by the Original Kuratko Family, Brian D. Kuratko, funeral director

See OBITUARIES on pa ge 16

Audrey L. Overholt

Riverside mom of 13 was active at St. Mary’s

Sports

Nazareth girls smother Friars to reach state’s Final Four

Roadrunners meet Peoria March 3 in Class 3A semi nals

By BILL STONE

Contributing Reporter

Nazareth Academy girls basketball player junior Amalia Dray recently made a verbal commitment to play soccer at Boston College

During a one-minute span of the IHSA Class 3A Concordia University Supersectional on Feb. 27, Dray displayed her full-court sprinting talents to complete the efforts of the Roadrunners’ often tenacious defense.

Her eight points off four consecutive steals sparked the Roadrunners’ decisive spurt in a 53-20 victory over Fenwick for a retur n downstate trip to the state semifinals.

“For sure, it’s a lot of back and forth, like soccer,” said Dray, whose game-high 21 points was just shy of her personal best. “Everybody just knows to look up as far as we can down the court because that’s how we get so many breakaway layups.”

Nazareth (33-1), the top-rated team in Class

3A, surges into the 10 a.m. state semifinal on March 3 in Nor mal against Peoria (28-3) riding a 28-game winning streak.

The winner plays Lincoln (35-0) or Deerfield (29-5) for the state championship at 5:30 p.m. on March 4 or for third place at 7 p.m. on March 3.

The Roadrunners also are undefeated in Illinois, losing only 64-38 to Notre Dame Academy of Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Dec. 3.

Senior and DePaul recruit Grace Carstensen (8 points, 2 threes, 5 steals), juniors Olivia Austin (8 points), Danni Scully (4 steals, 4 assists) and Mary Bridget Wilson (3 points, 3 assists) and freshman reserve Stella Sakalas (8 points, 2 threes) also contributed to the supersectional victory.

With four retur ning starters and Wilson, last season’s first player off the bench, the Roadrunners know all too well anything still can happen.

Last season, they finished second in state, losing to East Suburban Catholic Conference rival Car mel 43-39 after winning both regular-season meetings. The Roadrunners also finished second in 2018 and third in 2019.

“I think that’s what really lifts us up the most is that we don’t want to be in that position again, losing a championship that we

Nazareth’s Amalia Dray drives toward the basket dur ing the Roadrunners’ supersectional w in over Fenwick on Feb. 27.

easily could have won,” Dray said. “We’re going to treat every game like it’s our last game Last year, we let it slip but this year, we’re in it to win it.”

Fenwick (19-17) took a 6-4 lead but Nazareth scored the last 10 points of the first quarter to lead 18-8.

With Nazareth leading 28-14 at halftime, the Friars scored the first two baskets of the third quarter before the Roadrunners’ defense burst into action. Dray stole the ball and scored on a layup and followed with two

LTHS’ Collins medals four times at state swim meet

Senior sets school record in 200 individual medley

By BILL STONE

Contributing Reporter

Lyons Township High School senior Quinn Collins once again made the finals in all four of his events at the boys swimming and diving state finals.

After being part of last season’s third-place state trophy team, this time Collins was the veteran who helped the Lions achieve more

than they might have imagined at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont.

“I’m glad I got a year where we got third at state This year, I really had to step up and be a good leader for the people around me,” Collins said.

Collins’ four top-12, all-state medals on Feb. 25 followed the school record for the 200-yard individual medley he set in the Feb. 24 preliminaries (1:50.77).

He finished a first-team, all-state fifth in the 100 backstroke (50.48) and 12th in the 200 IM (1:52.38) and was part of the 200 medley relay with junior Jack Dillon and seniors Garrett Walls and Marko Trajanovski that

tied for 11th (1:34.86) and 12th-place 400 free relay with junior Peter Smith, Walls and Trajanovski (3:08.69).

As a team, LTHS finished tied for 21st place.

The only retur nees from last year’s state lineup were Collins and junior diver Matt Adler, who was 15th in the preliminaries to reach the top-16 semifinals (302.70 points for 9 dives).

“I’m really glad I got the [200 IM] record. That’s a goal I’ve had since freshman year,” Collins said.

more layups off back-to-back steals by Scully and Carstensen.

Dray nearly had a fourth consecutive layup off another Carstensen steal but was fouled driving to the basket and hit both free throws for a 37-18 lead. The Roadrunners increased the margin to 46-20 after three quarters.

Nazareth’s 15 steals were half of Fenwick’s 29 tur novers

“The half-court trap was just sensational. [Dray] was all over the place,” Nazareth coach Eddie Stritzel said.

He also reached state in the 50 free (22nd, 21.40).

“Coming into the season, I wasn’t so sure about how state would go. Now that I’m more experienced, I was more comfortable swimming at a higher level,” Trajanovski said.

In the 400 relay, Walls cut another .37 for a 46.94 split. Smith went from 49.31 at sectionals to 47.69 Saturday.

“It was my first time here. A lot of it was sur real. Definitely happy with how I swam,” Walls said.

Adler also is motivated for next season after improving from 23rd at state (203.30 for 6 dives) in his first year as a diver. He was just 17.90 points from a top-12 finals ber th.

Trajanovski emerged as a strong freestyle anchor with sub-21 and 47-second splits at state, including a team-best 46.90 in the finals See SWIMMING on pa ge 16

SARA JANZ

LTHS upsets Curie to reach sectional finals

Lions to face Hinsdale Central for third time this season

By BILL STONE

Contributing Reporter

Senior Graham Smith was par t of an incredible postseason run with the Lyons Township High School football team in the fall.

Now he’s gaining believers on the basketball cour t.

In the Lions’ final home g ame, Smith was among many seniors who came through big-time as the No. 5-seeded Lions defeated No. 3 Curie 49-46 in the IHSA Class 4A regional championship g ame on Feb. 24 at Lyons Township.

“It feels great. No one thought we were going to win this g ame but we’re back [at sectionals], baby, and we’re rolling,” said the Yale-bound Smith, the tight end on the Lions’ Class 8A state quar terfinal football

SWIMMING

from page 15

“[Just missing finals] was a little disappointing but I still accomplished my goal [semifinals] so that was pretty cool,” Adler said.

Rosa notches personal bests at state

Another boys swimming and diving state meet Friday truly brought out the best in Riv-

OBITUARIES

Continued from page 14

Germaine A. Rejdukowski, 82

Department of Defense secretar y

Ger maine Ann Rejdukowski (nee Pora), 82, of Mesa, Arizona, and for merly of Brookfield and Oswe go, died Feb. 15, 2023.

team.

The Lions (26-5) now face No. 2 Hinsdale Central (30-3) in the Hinsdale Central Sectional semifinals on March 1 after losing both of their re gular-season meetings. No. 1 Whitney Young (23-7) are set to play No 4 Downers Grove Nor th (27-3) in the other sectional semifinal on Feb. 28. The sectional finals are March 3.

Seniors Jackson Niego (15 points), Smith (12 points, 13 rebounds), Nik Polonowski (7 points, 8 rebounds), Carroll (7 points) and Car ter Reid (6 points) led the Lions.

The only player in double figures for Curie (20-11) was senior Jeremy Har rington Jr (27 points with 3 threes), who had 13 points in the first quar ter

The Lions trailed much of the g ame but after entering the fourth quar ter down 3432, Nie go hit two free throws and Smith scored inside of f a Reid pass for a 36-34 lead and the Lions never trailed again.

LTHS stayed ahead by hitting 10 of its first 13 free throws in the quar ter After Nie go’s free throw gave the Lions their 49-46 lead with 32.6 seconds left, he later

erside-Brookfield High School junior Drew Rosa.

Now it’s time to become even faster.

Rosa just missed reaching the top-12 finals with his preliminary times but did so with lifetime competitive bests, including his club seasons.

Rosa was 14th in the 100-yard butterfly (50.73) and 15th in the 100 breaststroke (57.53). The cuts for Saturday’s consolation finals were 50.55 and 57.26.

“It was pretty good overall, but I know I can do better,” Rosa said.

“I did want to be a little bit faster in both of my events, especially the 100 fly. I wanted to be 49 and 56 in the 100 breast. However, I

Ms Rejdukowski was born April 21, 1940 and worked as a secretary for the U.S. Depar tment of Defense

She was the wife of the late Thomas J. Rejdukowski; the mother of Thomas (Sue) Rejdukowski and Robert (Christy) Rejdukowski; the grandmother of Steven, Abigail, Callysta and Sofia; and the sister of Ray (Kathy) Pora.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 24 at St. Barbara Church in Brookfield, followed by inter ment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside Memorial donations to St. Jude Chil-

missed two in the double bonus with 14.1 seconds.

The Condors called a timeout with 10.4 seconds and went for a quick 2-pointer but as the driving shot missed, the rebound batted around in the lane and time expired

“I had to ma ke it close at the end,” said a g rinning Nie go “It was a great win, a team win, as always I felt like everyone did their par t, handling the ball, handling pressure, sitting down on defense, a couple of last key possessions.”

Like their Senior Night Blackout g ame Feb. 17, the Lions retained their black unifor ms and were fueled by an enthusiastic home crowd.

They also executed their g ame plan. “Three things coming into the g ame – we had to handle the ball against pressure, we had to defend the drive and we had to rebound. We weren’ t perfect with it. But I think we won those battles more than we lost them,” LTHS coach Tom Sloan said.

Smith embodied that toughness with 10 first-half rebounds, including two putback baskets to complement threes by Nie go, Po-

did drop in both events (from sectionals) and I really can’t complain about lifetime bests.”

Rosa improved upon his sectional times that had him the No 15 seed in the 100 fly (50.95) and No. 27 in the 100 breast (58.50). He continues to inch closer to older brother Michael’s 57.14 school record for the 100 breast.

Also encouraging is that Rosa was beaten by seven seniors in the 100 fly and six in the 100 breast.

“I’ve already set my (2024) goal. My goal for next year is to make a final in both of my events,” Rosa said.

At least for now, the quest toward improving and swimming in college continues without a break. For club competition, Rosa

dren’s Research Hospital would be appreciated.

Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled ar rangements.

Online condolences, memories and photos may be shared at JohnsonNosek.com.

Antoinette R. Tippin, 69 Veterinary assistant

Antoinette R. Tippin (nee Mack), 69, of Brookfield, died Feb. 25, 2023. She worked as a veterinary assistant.

lonowski and Reid.

Before Nie go’s final free throws, Smith blocked a shot left of the lane with Polonowski getting the rebound .

“We came out here knowing they were going to be a physical team,” Smith said. “Our goal was to not let them get of fensive rebounds. Whoever controlled the boards was going to win the game.”

Nie go (7 points), Car roll (5 points) and Smith (4 points) did most of the fourthquar ter scoring. Car roll hit a driving shot and two free throws with 1:56 left for a 46-42 lead followed by Har rington’s final three.

Last season, Car roll’s older brother Will hit the g ame-winning three in over time to get the Lions past Curie in the sectional semifinals before losing to Whitney Young in the sectional final.

“Not as dramatic as a g ame-winning three but definitely the same outcome, which was awesome,” Carroll said.

The University of Illinois at Chicago Supersectional is March 6 against the winner of the St. Rita Sectional, where Kenwood and Brother Rice are the top two seeds

has the Illinois Swimming Senior Championships March 2-5 at FMC and the National Club Swimming Association Spring Nationals March 14-18 in Orlando, Fla.

Rosa got the taste of swimming with expectations at state after taking 25th in the 200 individual medley (1:56.30) as a sophomore.

“I thought actually (this) was a little mor e intimidating because last year I wasn’t really seeded as high so there wasn’t a huge pressure to make finals,” Rosa said. “Obviously I was trying to make finals (as a sophomore) but it was a little more out of reach. This was right there. I was a little more excited.”

Ms Tippin was the wife of Mar tin Tippin; the mother of Michael D. Tippin; the sister of John F. Mack, Gloria Mack, Christine Bruzan and the late Frank C. Mack; and the aunt of many nieces and ne phews

Visitation is Wednesday, March 1 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Hitzeman Funeral Home 9445 31st St., Brookfield. Inter ment is private

Express condolences online at HitzemanFuneral.com. Send sympathy cards to Hitzeman Funeral Home, 9445 31st St., Brookfield, 60513, c/o the Antoinette Tippin family

Growing Community Media

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

HELP WANTED

INFANT TEACHER

HELP WANTED

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Human Resources Generalist in the Human Resources Department. This position will perform a variety of professional and technical functions in support human resource management including orientation, hiring, employee testing, classification analysis, compensation analysis and benefits administration. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www. oak-park.us/jobs. Position opened until filled.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Parking Enforcement Officer in the Police Department Field Services Division. This position will perform a variety of duties and responsibilities involved in the enforcement of Village parking regulations; and to provide general information and assistance to the public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

IT OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of IT Operations Specialist. The ideal candidate is responsible for the effective operation of information technology services and support across the organization. The IT Operations Specialist serves as a technical expert for the implementation, maintenance and support of systems and networks. The IT Operations Specialist plans and carries out various complex assignments and develops new methods and approaches in a wide variety of IT specialties. Evaluates new and enhanced approaches to deliver IT services; test and optimize the functionality of systems, networks, and data; and define technical requirements. The IT Operations Specialist is responsible for providing various forms of computer-related technical assistance and improving the efficiency of the work of the staff through the use of technology. Interested and qualified applicants can visit our website at http://www.oakpark.us/ for more details.

Under the guidance of the childcare center Director, the Teacher is responsible for planning and implementing an effective developmental program to meet the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs of each child in line with the philosophy and mission statement of The Giving Tree. In addition, the Teacher is responsible for efficient and timely communication with parents.

One year of child development experience in a school or childcare setting, along with CPR, First Aid and Food handlers’ certifications. (Required but can be obtained upon hiring)

Medical insurance offered.

Salary commensurate with experience and education.

Contact information. Director Hazel Bell 708-209-1555 hazeltbell@gmail.com

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Administrative Assistant in the Public Health Department. This position provides a variety of responsible administrative and analytical functions; records and monitors department budget and fiscal requirements of grant-funded programs; oversight of Accounts Payable process; prepares reports and serves as a resource for computerized office applications. 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.

PART-TIME ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER

Call for more info. 708-738-3848

VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Riverside Department of Public Works is seeking energetic, responsible, and motivated applicants who enjoy working outdoors. This is a part-time, seasonal position lasting from approximately May through September. Applicants will be expected to work up to 40 hrs. per week or as scheduled by staff. Primary tasks will include, but not limited to: cutting grass, maintaining athletic fields, general facilities maintenance, flushing hydrants, reading water meters, installing water meters, cleaning/televising sewers, assisting full-time employees, and other duties as assigned.

Applicants must be 18 years old, possess a valid Illinois driver’s license and high school diploma or equivalent. Applicants will be subject to a criminal background check, pre-employment physical and drug/ alcohol screening.

Applications can be downloaded from the Village website at www. riverside.il.us or picked up at the Riverside Village Hall located at 27 Riverside Rd, Riverside, IL 60546. Completed applications should be submitted to the Riverside Village Hall or the Riverside Public Works Department, 3860 Columbus Blvd, Riverside, IL 60546. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Pay rate is $18/hr.

The Village of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

FARMERS’ MARKET MANAGER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Farmers’ Market Manager in the Health Department. This position manages the strategic planning and operation of the Oak Park Farmers’ Market; develops sustainable food strategies; and provides health and nutrition education, programming and promotion for the Village. During the Market season, this position would manage the internal staff and contractors needed to operate the Market, provides staff level support to the Farmers’ Market Commission, and manages vendor relations. The Market season runs from May through October, with the Market itself held outdoors each Saturday. During this time, the work week for this position is Tuesday through Saturday. Year-round, this position will provide nutrition education programming for the community in collaboration with the Health Education and Nursing divisions. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at https://www.oakpark.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled.

River Forest Public Schools

River Forest Public Schools District 90 currently seeking three paraprofessionals/ teacher aides to start immediately for the following roles:

• Special Education Teacher Aide - Full-time

• Special Education Teacher Aide - Part-time, 1:30pm - 3:15pm, Monday - Friday

•Early Childhood Special Education Teacher AidePart-time, 11:30am - 3:10pm, Monday - Friday

Qualifications: a) Current Illinois Paraprofessional

License, Professional Educator License or Substitute

License, b) Successful teacher assistant experience is preferred in regular education or special education.

Job Duties: The instructional assistant in Special Education will work with both general education and special education staff members to support learning for identified child(ren) with special needs. Responsibilities include instructing students in small groups and one-on-

River Forest Public Schools

one settings. This will also encompass helping students to develop positive interpersonal relationships with peers and adults: utilizing and modeling school behavior management programs: and assist in communications between students, teachers and parents as requested.

As an equal opportunity employer, it is the policy of the River Forest Public Schools, District 90, to not discriminate against any employee or any applicant for employment. District 90 values a talented and diverse workforce, and will attempt to recruit and hire minority employees.

Application Procedure: Interested candidates should complete the online application available at district90.org

River Forest Public Schools, D90 is seeking a temporary Summer School Nurse for Willard Elementary School.

• Start Date: June 20th – July 21st (No school July 4th)

Hours: 8:15am-3:15pm

Qualifications: (a) Registered Nurse License, (b) CPR certified; (c) experience working with children is preferred

Job Duties: The summer school nurse will provide direct professional nursing services, first aid, illness and emergency care to students and staff in response to the nursing assessment and in accordance with professional standards, school policy and procedures, and state and local mandates. He/she will administer or supervise the administration and proper storage of medication with

appropriate documentation. The nurse will review and evaluate records of students with medical conditions; maintain communication with parents and staff regarding children’s medical issues in accordance with procedural protocols as specified by the Illinois Department of Public Health. He/she will also perform other duties as assigned by the school principal.

Application Procedure: Interested candidates should complete the online application available at district90.org

  

MARKETPLACE

CARS WANTED

WOODWORK

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

esta Citación y Petición para presentar una Respuesta (formulario FL-120) ante la corte y efectuar la entrega legal de una copia al demandante. Una carta o llamada telefónica o una audiencia de la corte no basta para protegerlo.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to

“An Act in relation to the use of an

CLASSICS WANTED

CLASSICS WANTED

Restored or Unrestored

Restored or Unrestored

Cars & Vintage Motorcycles Domestic / Import Cars:

Cars & Vintage Motorcycles

Domestic / Import Cars:

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

Collector James • 630-201-8122

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

CLASSICS WANTED

Collector James 630-201-8122

Restored or Unrestored

Cars & Vintage Motorcycles

Domestic / Import Cars:

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

OFFICE/RETAIL

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

Collector James 630-201-8122

On-site

of wood and fiberglass since 1977. Includes doors, woodwork, windows, staircases and new woodwork etc. All work done by hand. NO sanders. Your unfinished project my specialty!

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y23010173 on February 9, 2023

Under the Assumed Business Name of MARY CANTU CREATIVE with the business located at: 704 N KENILWORTH AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: MARY CANTU 704 N KENILWORTH AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60302.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 15, 22, March 1, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

SUMMONS (Family Law)

CITACIÓN (Derecho familiar)

CASE NUMBER (NÚMERO DE CASO): HF22130927

NOTICE TO RESPONDENT (Name): AVISO AL DEMANDADO (Nombre): ANGELO C GALLARDO

You have been sued. Read the information below and on the next page.

Lo han demandado. Lea la información a continuación y en la página siguiente.

Petitioner’s name is: Nombre del demandante: MERCEDITA M. GALLARDO

You have 30 calendar days after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter, phone call, or court appearance will not protect you.

If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnership, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs.

For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the California Courts Online SelfHelp Center (www.courts.ca.gov/ selfhelp), at the California Legal Services website (www.lawhelpca.org), or by contacting your local county bar association.

Tiene 30 días de calendario después de haber recibido la entrega legal de

Si no presenta su Respuesta a tiempo, la corte puede dar órdenes que afecten su matrimonio o pareja de hecho, sus bienes y la custodia de sus hijos. La corte también le puede ordenar que pague manutención, y honorarios y costos legales.

Para asesoramiento legal, póngase en contacto de inmediato con un abogado. Puede obtener información para encontrar un abogado en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en el sitio web de los Servicios Legales de California (www.lawhelpca.org) o poniéndose en contacto con el colegio de abogados de su condado.

NOTICE—RESTRAINING ORDERS

ARE ON PAGE 2: These restraining orders are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment is entered, or the court makes further orders. They are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them.

AVISO—LAS ÓRDENES DE RESTRICCIÓN SE ENCUENTRAN EN LA PÁGINA 2: Las órdenes de restricción están en vigencia en cuanto a ambos cónyuges o miembros de la pareja de hecho hasta que se despida la petición, se emita un fallo o la corte dé otras órdenes. Cualquier agencia del orden público que haya recibido o visto una copia de estas órdenes puede hacerlas acatar en cualquier lugar de California.

FEE WAIVER: If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order you to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party.

EXENCIÓN DE CUOTAS: Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario un formulario de exención de cuotas. La corte puede ordenar que usted pague, ya sea en parte o por completo, las cuotas y costos de la corte previamente exentos a petición de usted o de la otra parte.

1. The name and address of the court are (El nombre y dirección de la corte son): SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, 24405 AMADOR STREET, HAYWARD, CA 94544 - FAMILY LAW DIVISION

2. The name, address, and telephone number of the petitioner’s attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney, are: (El nombre, dirección y número de teléfono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante si no tiene abogado, son): SATNESH S. PRASAD, 607 LONGWOOD AVE., HAYWARD, CA 94541

Date (Fecha): OCT 21, 2022

CHAD FINKE, Clerk, by (Secretario, por) SARAH GOUVEIA, Deputy (Asistente)

[SEAL]

Published in the Wednesday Journal March 1, 8, 15, 22, 2023

Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y23010237 on February 27, 2023

Under the Assumed Business Name of DOUG MCGOLDRICK PHOTOGRAPHY with the business located at: 1034 WISCONSIN AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is:

DOUG MCGOLDRICK 1034 WISCONSIN AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60304.

Published in Wednesday Journal March 1, 8, 15, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Riverside will be held on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the business of the Planning and Zoning Commission may permit, in the Riverside Township Hall, Room 4, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, to consider an application for variations from Section 10-7-3(D) (Accessory Structures and Uses) and Section 10-7-4 (Permitted Encroachments) of the Village of Riverside Zoning Ordinance. The variations are sought to build a first-story deck that will encroach 5 feet into the street yard and to build a deck on the second story of the house.

Application No.: PZ 23-0003

Petitioner: Romney Cirillo Property Commonly Known As: 95 Groveland Avenue, Riverside, Illinois PIN: 15-35-204-008-0000

Variations:

The variations sought include, but may not be limited to, variations from the following sections of the Riverside Zoning Ordinance: a variation from Section 10-7-3(D) (Accessory Structures and Uses) and Section 10-7-4 (Permitted Encroachments), which state decks are prohibited in street yards; and a variation from Section 10-7-3(D) (Accessory Structures and Uses), which states decks shall not be higher than the elevation of the first floor of the principal building.

The above application is available for inspection at the office of the Village Clerk, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546. During the Public Hearing the Planning and Zoning Commission will hear testimony from and consider any evidence presented by persons interested to speak on these matters. Persons wishing to appear at this hearing may do so in person or by attorney or other representative and may speak for or against the proposed variations. Communications in writing in relation thereto may be filed at such hearing or with the Planning and Zoning Commission in advance by submission to Village Planner Anne Cyran via email at acyran@riverside.il.us or delivered to the attention of Village Planner Anne Cyran at the Village Offices at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois prior to 4:00 p.m. on the day of the public hearing.

The Public Hearing may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. The proposal and zoning relief sought may be added to, revised, altered or eliminated as a result of the Public Hearing and prior to final action by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Riverside.

Dated this 1st day of March, 2023.

Jill Mateo, Chairperson

Planning and Zoning Commission

Published in RB Landmark March 1, 2023 PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY LOAN PROJECTS

The Village of Brookfield will hold a public hearing on Monday, March 13, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. in the Village Board Room, 8820 Brookfield Avenue Brookfield, Illinois to obtain public comment regarding its intent to apply for Low-Interest Loans from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) for various water system improvements.

The public hearing is being held in accordance with the State of Illinois Rules for Public Water Supply Loans, Part 662.330.

The purpose of the hearing is to obtain public comment on the Project Plan and the IEPA’s Preliminary Environmental Impacts Determination for the following proposed projects.

The Project Plan and the IEPA’s Environmental Impacts Determination are available for inspection at the office of the Village Manager located at the Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois during regular business hours.

The Project Plan Environmental and Impacts Determination include the following projects.

Water Main Replacement Projects (Phase I and Phase II) which include the installation of 15,300’ of ductile iron pipe water main to replace aging cast iron water mains.

Lead Service Line Replacement Projects (Phase I, II, and III) which include the installation of 1,915 copper water services to replace existing lead water services.

The Office of the Village Clerk will receive written comments for a period of 10 days following the public hearing.

Brigid Weber Village Clerk

Published in RB Landmark March 1, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Riverside will be held on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the business of the Planning and Zoning Commission may permit, in the Riverside Township Hall, Room 4, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, to review and consider various changes to the Village’s site plan review process as set forth in the Riverside Zoning Ordinance.

Application No.: PZ 23-0005

Petitioner: Village of Riverside

Proposed Text Amendments: Various changes to the Village of Riverside Zoning Ordinance regulations relative to Site Plan Review. The affected section(s) includes, but may not be limited to, Section 10-2-2-4 (Site Plan Review). Among the potential changes being considered include possibly changing the process as to how Site Plans are reviewed and approved, and what body has final decision making authority over Site Plans and under what circumstances. Other procedural and process changes to the site plan review provisions in the Village’s Zoning Code may be considered.

The application and proposed text amendments are available for inspection at the office of the Village Clerk, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546. The proposed text amendments may be added to or otherwise revised as a result of the public hearing. During the Public Hearing the Planning and Zoning Commission will hear testimony from and consider any evidence presented by persons interested to speak on this matter. Persons wishing to appear at the hearing may do so in person or by attorney or other representative and may speak for or against the proposed text amendments. Communications in writing in relation thereto may be filed at such hearings or with the Planning and Zoning Commission in advance by submission to Village Planner Anne Cyran via email at acyran@riverside. il.us or delivered to the attention of Village Planner Anne Cyran at the Village Offices at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, prior to 4:00 p.m. on the day of the public hearings. Please specify the public hearing to which your comments pertain.

The public hearing may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. The proposed text amendments

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

may be added to, revised, altered, or eliminated as a result of the public hearing and prior to final action by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Riverside.

Dated this 1st day of March, 2023

Jill Mateo, Chairperson Planning & Zoning Commission

Published in RB Landmark March 1, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Riverside will be held on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the business of the Planning and Zoning Commission may permit, in the Riverside Township Hall, Room 4, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, to consider an application for variations from Section 10-7-3 (Accessory Structures and Uses), Section 10-7-4 (Permitted Encroachments), Section 10-8-9 (Required Off Street Parking Spaces), Section 10-9-5 (Perimeter Parking Lot Landscaping), and Section 10-9-6 (Interior Parking Lot Landscaping) of the Village of Riverside Zoning Ordinance. The variations are sought to install a 4-foot-tall black wrought iron style fence that encroaches into the Akenside Road street yard for a length of approximately 189 feet along Akenside Road; to install two, 4-foot-tall black wrought iron style fences that encroach into the Akenside Road street yard for lengths of approximately 183 feet and 173 feet perpendicular to Akenside Road; to install a 20-foot-tall PVC-coated chain link backstop fence that encroaches approximately 21 feet into the Akenside Road street yard, approximately 167 feet from the street; to build an approximately 282 square foot refuse enclosure within the Akenside Road street yard, approximately 150 feet from the street; to install a 10-foot-wide sidewalk instead of the maximum 5 feet wide sidewalk perpendicular to Akenside Road that encroaches into the street yard for a length of approximately 188 feet; to build a parking lot with 87 spaces instead of the required 114 spaces; to allow the perimeter parking lot landscape buffer from Akenside Road to be less than 10 feet wide near two parking spaces; to install 12 interior landscape medians instead of the required 17 medians for the proposed 87 parking spaces; and to install 8 interior landscape medians that are smaller than required.

Application No.: PZ 23-0002

Petitioner: Riverside School District 96 Property Commonly Known As: 94 and 100 Akenside Rd and 61, 63, and 65 Woodside Rd, Riverside, Illinois PINs: 15-36-104-049-0000; 15-36104-044-0000; 15-36-104-048-0000; 15-36-104-024-0000; and 15-36104-023-0000

Variations:

The variations sought include, but may not be limited to, variations from the following sections of the Riverside Zoning Ordinance: variations from Section 10-7-3 (Accessory Structures and Uses), which states that fences shall be a maximum of 6 feet in height, that fences shall not be located in street yards, and that refuse enclosures shall not be located in street yards; a variation from Section 10-7-4 (Permitted Encroachments), which states sidewalks up to a maximum of 5 feet in width are permitted in street yards; a variation from Section 10-8-9 (Required Off Street Parking Spaces), which requires the site to have 114 off-street parking spaces; a variation from Section 10-9-5 (Perimeter Parking Lot Landscaping), which requires a 10-foot-wide landscape buffer between the parking lot and the property line; and variations from Section 10-9-6 (Interior Parking Lot Landscaping), which requires 17 landscape medians for the proposed 87 parking spaces and requires landscape medians to be a minimum of 144 square feet in area.

The above application is available for inspection at the office of the Village Clerk, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546. During the Public Hearing the Planning and Zoning Commission will hear testimony from and consider any evidence presented by persons interested to speak on these matters. Persons wishing to appear at this hearing may do so in person or by attorney or other representative and may speak for or against the proposed variations. Communications in writing in relation thereto may be filed at such hearing or with the Planning and Zoning Commission in advance by submission to Village Planner Anne Cyran via email at acyran@riverside.il.us or delivered to the attention of Village Planner Anne Cyran at the Village Offices at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois prior to 4:00 p.m. on the day of the public hearing.

The Public Hearing may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. The proposal and zoning relief sought may be added to, revised, altered or eliminated as a result of the Public Hearing and prior to final action by the Board of Trustees of the

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

Village of Riverside.

Dated this 1st day of March, 2023.

Jill Mateo, Chairperson Planning and Zoning Commission

Published in RB Landmark March 1, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT

DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY.

Request of Abigail LeBlancAlexander LeBlanc Case Number 20224005878

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Abigail LeBlancAlexander LeBlanc to the new name of: Abigail LeBlanc

The court date will be held: On March 28, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at 1311 Maybrook Dr, Maywood, IL 60153 in Courtroom #112

Published in Wednesday Journal March 1, 8, 15, 2023

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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

e Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. is newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals.

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777. GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA

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

THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS TRUSTEE (CWALT 2005-56); Plaintiff, vs. CELESTE MARIOTTI; MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC.; THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE CERTIFICATEHOLDERS OF CWALT, INC., ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2005-56, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-56; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 18 CH 10982

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIV-

EN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, March 20, 2023 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate:

Commonly known as 634 South Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304. P.I.N. 16-18-213-013-0000.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection

For information call Mr. Andrew Houha at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Johnson, Blumberg & Associates, LLC, 30 North LaSalle, Chicago, Illinois 60602. (312) 541-9710. IL 21 8605

ADC

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com

I3213310