Keeping tabs
‘A very solid position’
District 208 Supt. Kevin Skinkis hits on a variet y of topics in one-on-one
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
Kevin Skinkis is in his 14 th year as superintendent of Rive rside Brookfield High School District 208. T he Rive rside-Brookfield L andmark sat down with Skinkis last week to discuss various topic s, includin g the state of the district, his recent c ontrac t extension and f eedback from a March school b oard candidate forum.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Q. What is the cur rent state of District 208?
A. District 208 is in a very solid position. Our financials are solid, we have strong labor relations, we’re currently on a new contract extension for teachers and we are a wall-to-wall union, which means all of our different labor positions are in one union. Students, staf f and family engagement is great. Over 70% of our students are involved in at least one extra-curricular activity outside of the school day. So, I
Brook eld v illage trustees (f rom le ) Edward Côté, Katie Kaluzny and Jennifer Hendricks enjoy election night at Irish Times while waiting for election results to come in on Tuesday, April 1. Côté and Kaluzny showed their suppor t for Hendricks (who was reelected). Kaluzny was not up for reelection and Côté has reached his term limit. See SUPT. SKINKIS on page 8
STORY BY TRENT BROWN, PAGE 10
ERICA BENSON
North Riverside Players highlight female friendships
Karen Levin directs their spring
production
of ‘Steel Magnolias’
By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter
Karen Levin of the North Riverside Players said directing the group’s spring production of Steel Magnolias was the top item on her community theater bucket list.
“I love this show because it embodies the spirit of friendship and the strong bonds that these women have with each other That, to me, is sacred in my world because I have a very close group of friends, and we’ve known each other for over 30 years,” she said. “It resonated with me so much that I was like, I really want to do this production. I find it so fascinating listening to the dialogue that these women have with each other, the bantering and the true caring these women have for each other.”
The 1987 play, which follows the relationships between six small-town Louisiana women who come together each week at a home hair salon, is set to take the stage at the North Riverside Village Commons, 2401 S. Des Plaines Ave., April 25-27 and May 2-4. The North Riverside Players performed another show with ’80s flair, The Wedding Singer, in the fall.
Levin, an elementary school teacher in Cicero, described the show as her first foray into directing a full-length adult production. Since 2020, she has run the theater program at her school and has also taken the director’s seat for some smaller productions.
“I first started directing with the Westchester Civic Theatre, and they had these 10-minute plays,” she said. “That was a good way for me to put my little toe into the water and see if I liked it, and I did. I really did. I enjoyed working with a really small group of people.”
After having joined the Players as an assistant director and doing other “behind-
the-stage” work, she first felt nervous when Cheryl Pold, now her assistant director for Steel Magnolias, approached her about directing the spring production.
“Getting into doing this for adults, I was like, ‘Can I do this?’ And ‘You know what, Karen? It’s on your bucket list. You need to do this show.’”
She said the cast and crew have eased her fears.
“I couldn’t do this without the people I’m working with,” she said. “Not only the six actresses, who are fantastic — you can really see the connection these women have, and some of them are strangers. Also, my assistant director, Cheryl, has led me through this journey. She has helped me so much in how to run a production.”
The biggest hurdle for the group, she added, has been sourcing all the props needed to turn an empty stage into a home hair salon,
Karen Levin is the director of the North Riverside Players’ production of ‘Steel
nette, the resident hair stylists in the show, have also had to learn how to style hair to bring the environment to life, with the help of a hair coach.
As the director, Levin said she prefers a “mellow” approach in giving direction, and she and Pold are receptive to the cast’s suggestions about their own characters. She also draws on her own life to push the perfor mances further.
PROVIDED BY KAREN LEVIN
From le , hair coach Melanie Berry supervises as Jay ne Furlong, pl ay ing Shelby, gets her hair done by Caroline Robling-Griest, who plays Annelle.
“I think about, ‘How would I say this in a conversation that I’m having with girlfriends?’ And that’s how we direct these six women. ‘How is that conversation re having that I know I’ve had with my friends?’ We’ve all gone through divorces, we’ve gone through parents dying, and all the stuff over the years,” she said. “These ersations are real to me because I’ve had them.”
Levin and the troupe cast the six roles from more than 30 women who auditioned and feels they made the right choices.
“The connection these women are having with each other, I’m loving it. That is such ood thing because if you don’t have that onnection with your cast mates, it’s going to be difficult because it is such an intimate oup of people,” she said. “You start forging more bonds as you start doing more social things together. We can definitely see that Cheryl and I are getting closer with our ast. … As we grow closer and get closer to the date of this production and start tech eek, and we see each other every day, and then opening night, and we’re with each other, it’s going to be like, ‘All right, girls, time for the group hug.’”
Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson
HOW TO REACH US
ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-442-6739 ■ FAX 708-467-9066
E-MAIL dhaley@wjinc.com
PROVIDED BY KAREN LEVIN
Magnolias.’
By Linda Sokol Francis. E.A.
CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS: HOW TO NOTIFY THE
IRS
If your address has changed, you need to notify the IRS to ensure you receive any tax refunds or IRS correspondence. There are several ways to notify the IRS of an address change:
When Filing your Tax Return: If you change your address before filing your return, enter your new address on your return when you file. When your return is processed, we’ll update our records. Be sure to also notify your return preparer.
Notifying the Post office: If you change your address after filing your return, you should notify the post office that services your old address. Because not all post offices forward government checks, you should also directly notify the IRS as described below.
By Form: To change your address with the IRS, you may complete a Form 8822, Change
of Address (For Individual, gift, Estate, or generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Returns) and/or a Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party — Business and send them to the address shown on the forms. For information on changing the “responsible party,” see Form 8822-B.
In Writing: you may also write to inform us that your address is changing. Tell us you’re changing your address by providing us your full name; old and new addresses; Social Security number, individual taxpayer identification number, or employer identification number; and signature.
Sokol Francis, E.A.
THE LOVELY EMPANDA: Riverside is now home to the third EmpanadUS.
EmpanadUS brings the tastes of Argentina to the suburbs
Riverside is one of three locations
By RISE SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter
With locations in Riverside, LaGrange and Homewood, EmpanadUS restaurant’s foundation is authentic Argentinian empanadas with an emphasis on scratch cooking. The flavors kaleidoscope out from there to include more than 20 options including ve ggie and even ve gan and glutenfree choices.
thing similar, pierogi in Poland.” Calzones in Italy. Gyoza in Japan. Samosa in India.
The Schamber family’s journey into their own dumpling heritage be gan in 2012 with reselling vintage clothes at the Randolph Street Market, you know, like most restaurants start.
“We started with traditional flavors and then we moved on to barbecue pork, bacon, pepperoni, sausage and so on. You find empanadas all across South America, Central America. Spain,” owner Kevin Schamber said. “So many countries have some-
“My sister, Leslie, was doing a flea market. On the first day she didn’t sell much,” Schamber said. “Then my brother, Eric, had the idea to make some empanadas for the next day. The deal was to offer customers who bought a piece of clothing, we would give them an empanada to try.” They were a hit. The siblings kept bringing their creations to flea markets, far mers markets, festivals and events. Everywhere long lines for med to get the dough-swaddled flavors of Argentina. After a few years
See EMPANADUS on
Rom-Com movie ‘junkie’ pens trivia book to share the fun
It’s more than just
‘When
Harry Met Sally’ for North Riverside native who just can’t slow down
By JACKIE PISANO Contributing Reporter
North Riverside native Neal Fischer has had a very busy couple of years.
Since 2022, life’s been seemingly nonstop for him – from successfully writing and publishing two pop culture books and hosting a “pub trivia” podcast, to directing TV commercials for brands including Heinz and Dunkin’ and working as a videog rapher. And somehow, in between it all, he even found the time to get married.
For someone like Fischer, slowing down just doesn’t seem like an option.
So, to close out 2024 on a high note and surge forward into 2025, this past December, Fischer released his latest book, “The Rom-Com Ultimate Trivia Book.” The book challenges readers to put their romantic comedy film expertise to the test with 500 trivia questions from nearly 200 romantic comedies from across the decades.
Plans and Scenes from the Best TV Shows of All Time” (2023).
“I break down each chapter into a collection of the most used tropes used in the genre,” he explained. “Examples include Enemies-to-Lovers, Friends-to-Lovers, Little White Lie and more. At the beginning of each chapter is a brief description of the trope, and then each chapter features five films with a 10-question quiz, and some spotlight films that get a five-question quiz and some historical context about why it’s important.”
For a pop-culture guru like Fischer, the inspiration behind this latest book came purely from his perspective that the market didn’t seem to have many trivia books for pop culture and movie fanatics and rom-com junkies like himself.
“I wanted to create a book chock-full of trivia, fun facts and illustrations, and serve as a perfect celebration of the genre,” Fischer said. “This is an interactive book that inspires readers to watch and play along while learning a little bit, too.”
“‘The Rom-Com Ultimate Trivia Book” is a fun, bite-sized compendium of Hollywood’s best rom-coms that’s part celebration and part trivia book, with colorful illustrations, behindthe-scenes fun facts and enough questions to make you an expert,” Fischer said.
While Fischer’s book provide brief synopses of a variety of rom-coms including “When Harry Met Sally,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Love Actually” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” it’s also broken down as a trivia game in which readers can quiz themselves or compete against friends. As such, it is similarly styled as his previous books, “Being Patrick Swayze” (2022) and “Behind the Screens: Illustrated Floor
As for how he selected which films to include, Fischer says it took him about two weeks to select which ones would make the final cut, cautiously selecting a mix of both blockbuster hits and personal favorites.
“My criteria included classic rom-coms that everyone ag rees are iconic, some of my personal favorites, some newer age rom-coms that maybe aren’t classics yet but are well on their way, and then some fun obscure ones that are worth checking out,” he said. “I wanted it to be accessible to everyone and hope that I included a good enough variety so that there’s something old and new for all readers.”
While the book took Fischer less than three months to complete, he says the most fun part was scheduling the time to sit with his wife to watch every film which would be included, while simultaneously typing notes and coming up with trivia questions.
PROVIDED
is map shows the two parcels of land Riverside has agreed to purchase, corresponding to 8 and 8 ½ West Avenue.
Riverside buys West Avenue properties needed for future oodwall
Ocials say the $18 million project along Groveland Avenue, targeted for completion in 2029, could run through homes on the land
By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter
Riverside is dipping its toes into property acquisition to facilitate the eventual construction of the Groveland Avenue floodwall.
At their meeting on Thursday, trustees approved an ag reement to assign a purchase contract to the village for the properties at 8 and 8 ½ West Avenue for $645,000.
Village President Doug Pollock called the purchase “critical” to Riverside’s plan to build a wall along Groveland Avenue to protect residents from the effects of flooding should the height of the Des Plaines River rise above 7.5 feet.
According to village board documents, renderings provided to Riverside by the U.S. Ar my Corps of Engineers show the floodwall would likely run through one of the homes on the properties, though neither the village nor the Ar my Corps has for mally appraised which portions of the parcels could be affected.
The village board has not considered materials showing the design of the wall since last April, when trustees directed the Ar my Corps to design the floodwall with one pump station rather than the two it had originally planned for. The project will also involve a sewer separation north of Forest Avenue.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in February pledged to fund $4.9 million of the projected $18 million total price tag. With $10 million in federal Congressional funding and an additional $1 million from the office of Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, Riverside will have to cover about $2 million to build the wall.
Village Manager Jessica Frances estimated in September that work on the wall would likely conclude in 2029, though it could be done before the end of 2028.
SUPT. SKINKIS
Contract extended from page 1
think the current state of RB is in a very good place.
Q. RBHS received Exemplary designation from Illinois State Board of Education in both 2023 and 2024. How does that rank among your accomplishments in your tenure here?
A. I think it’s a huge accomplishment for the school district, but most importantly it’s a huge accomplishment for the students and the staf f because they put the work in every day. I think it’s a testament to what we are doing here and how we are working with our students, and how our staf f is committed to student success. It’s a reward for the community, because the better your schools are, the better your property values are. We have a great community that always gives to the high school.
Q. One of the things that came up at the school board candidate forum last month, hosted by the RB Music & Theatre Sponsors, is the need for increased two-way communications with the community. Do you ag ree or disag ree with that?
A. It’s actually a Board of Education goal. We’re in our second year of it. [Community engagement coordinator] Kiley Fletcher is in her second year, and there is always room for improvement, but I think we’ve made some significant strides in two-way communication. Our social media presence is very strong. This year alone we’ve had five Parent Universities, where parents and students can come in and learn about topics that specifically will impact their student or their family. We’ve done four feedback surveys on various events that we’ve hosted to try to improve. How can we get better? You can always do better, and again, that’s one particular group’s maybe opinion, but it’s definitely a focus of ours.
Q. Your contract was extended early, approved in February. How did that come about?
A. I had one more year remaining on my existing contract. It’s fairly common for the superintendent and board, if things are going in a good direction, to try to renew the superintendent so they’re not in their last year, kind of like a lame duck, and so the board and I engaged in those co nversa-
tions. They felt that I met all my goals. It took six or eight weeks to discuss it. 11 is when it was approved. I know it was a point of topic, like, “Well, we didn’t about it.” It was on the agenda.
Q. Were you sur prised that came up (at the candidate forum)?
A. You don’t negotiate in public not something that occurs. As long as it listed on the public agenda. In closed session is when I was having my discussions with the board and the board president, my attorney, with the board’s attorney. I have a great relationship with the board and we’ve done some really good things together. They’ve put a lot of time in, and I’ put in a lot of time in with them and I think that’s why things have gone so well. A lot of the work that we do at our advisory councils and the re gular Friday updates I send them to keep them infor med, I think that’s why our meetings do run rather smooth.
Q. Perhaps not sur prisingly, there were varying opinions at the forum re garding the top priority for the su perintendent. What do you see as your top priority?
A. I think the focus over the next five years, we really are starting to move forward to career pathway for students. We have a very strong academic prog ram here at Riverside-Brookfield. We’ve always been known for our AP progr am, where kids can earn colle ge credits and have those cr edits transfer into wh atever colle g es or universities they attend. But what we’ve really started to make a push for is on the career pathway side of wo rking with T riton and trying to identify with our local junior colle ge pathways for students to where they can earn colle ge credit while attending RB, and also coming out with some endorsements or certifications that can help them identify a career pathway. We’ve also started a partnership with the local plumber’s union. We just finished our second year of a pre-apprenticeship progr am so that they can g et into the plumber’s union upon graduation. T hey earn points toward their apprentice test that they’ll take with the plumber’s union, so we’re trying to establish more relationships like that with the local trade unions. If we talk about the focus is just really trying to g et kids career pathway exposure and g et them some opportunities, we just put in this dual enrollment prog ram over the last two years. We’re paying for students, half of their day they are taking their classes here, the other half they
go to T riton. We pay for their transportation, we pay for the classes, we have some students that are g etting certifie d as nursing assistants. We had 13 students g et certified in welding. We have another group of students that are taking criminal justice. One of progr ams that T riton offers in this dual enrollment, career academies we are a partnership with is fire science. If students want to take the EMT certification and the introduction to fire science at T riton, the high school will help pay for it, and this way, it’s another career pathway that we can help some of our local fire departments start creating a pipeline for future candidates.
Q. You were named 2025 Superintendent of Distinction by colleagues in the West Cook Re gion of the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA). What about your educational philosophy contributed to that award?
A. I think my educational philosophy has always been transparency and always students first. I think it’s an honor to be nominated for that award from my colleagues in West40, and I think my relationship with them and working with them now for over 14 years of just seeing
that we always put the best interests of students first. Finding an opportunity for every student, finding ways to help every kid, working with our staf f to make sure there is something for students and their interests after school. Always putting students first so they can grow, not only intellectually, but socially and emotionally.
Q. As a superintendent, how do you handle pushback from the board on a given issue? If the board doesn’t ag ree with a recommendation, what do you do next?
A. We have a couple of different layers in place so that we really shouldn’t be bringing something to the board unless we have really vetted it through the administration, through a board advisory council. So, when I go to those different meetings and we’re pitching ideas or strategies and there is hesitance from a board member or there are concerns, “Financially, can we sustain that?” Then we go back to the drawing board. That’s where a superintendent has to be able to navigate more than just knowing how to play school. You really do need to know how to build relationships with people, and how to problem-solve and critically think, and compromise.
TODD BANNOR
District 208 Superintendent Dr Kevin Skinkis at Riverside Brook eld High School on ursday April 3, 2025.
Gasca, Caputo, Williams prevail in D208
Two newcomers ll out three total seats; incumbent VenHorst falls
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
A wire-thin race for Riverside-Brookfield High School District 208 school board election unfolded April 1, but incumbent Lorena Gasca retained her seat.
Gasca garnered 24.41% of the vote. Newcomers Nicholas A. Caputo (22.7%) and Patrick Williams (18.7%) rounded out the remaining two seats.
Incumbent Ryan VenHorst (16.3%) was not re-elected. Neither was Eric West (17.7%), who was running on a slate with Williams. All results are unofficial until approved by Cook County.
Though Gasca retained her seat, she felt somewhat bittersweet.
“I’m so disappointed in the low voter turnout,” she said. “I was really hoping for more people to get out. Local elections matter.”
Nevertheless, Gasca – the board vice president for the past two years – was pleased about retaining her seat and is looking forward to her next term.
“The first four years, the learning curve was a lot and I’m looking forward to implementing the lessons I learned and using more data,” Gasca said. “The data piece is very important.”
Caputo has had a rough go over the past days, as his father passed away, with the funeral earlier on Election Day.
“It’s been an emotional day for me, but it’s been very humbling,” he said. “I’m very honored, I’m very encouraged, I’m very grateful.”
Gasca said the new board will be installed April 29, and between now and then, Caputo will be working hard.
“I think the first thing that I always try to do is study and learn,” said Caputo, an attorney by trade. “You have to learn and listen and do your homework.”
VenHorst was disappointed in the outcome, but said the board has a bright future.
“I’m happy with the work I’ve done, but I really don’t quite have the framing of the words
without more thought,” he said. “I think the outcome will be fine. It’s functional.
“I have faith in the board as a whole, and I’m happy to have served.”
Lorena Gasca, Nick Caputo, and Patrick Williams
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Ultimately, moving sooner allows you to embrace a more comfortable, engaging, and fulfilling lifestyle—why wait to enjoy all that senior living has to offer?
Visit Cantata.org for more senior living advice or call (708) 387-1030.
Even uncontested elections bring energy, Brook eld’s PEP Party nds
Outgoing, incoming and reelected o cials came together at Irish Times
By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter
Spirits were high inside Irish Times on Election Night April 1 as members of Brookfield’s PEP Party celebrated the party’s uncontested election victory to fill the village board.
“I’ve been through many election nights, but each one is still exciting,” said Village President Michael Garvey, who was elected for his sixth consecutive term on the board, having served as president from 2005-2013 and as trustee from 2013-2021 before being reelected as president. “I’m sorry we’re losing some people. Our term limits ordinance causes that to happen, but we always seem to be able to find really high-quality people to step up.”
Garvey said his plans for the term include furthering the village board’s goals of improving Brookfield.
“I always say, the people might think we’re boring, but we take care of the important functions that we’re supposed to, like the infrastructure improvements. That’s the thing that I’m most proud of,” he said. “We’re doing another $24 million worth of work this year. We’re getting the things that are underground, that people don’t necessarily see. They’re not glamorous, but people are going to have safe, reliable water, and things we’re doing in the parks and streets.”
He said he never expected to have such a long tenure on the village board.
“When I ran in 2005 for president for the first time, I told my wife, ‘I’m going to do this one term, OK? One term.’ That was in 2005,” he said. “I don’t take anything for granted, and I look at it over the course — it’s truly been one of the greatest honors of my life to be elected. This is my hometown. This is where I grew up, and being elected to any position here has been a big deal, and to be a village president for this long is a big deal.”
Brook eld Village President, Trustees and Library Board members gather at Irish Times while waiting for election results to come in Tuesday April 1, 2025.
Outgoing Clerk Brigid Weber, who has held the role since being appointed in 2006 with a gap from 2013-2015, said the night was bittersweet. Weber was ineligible to run again this year due to reaching her term limit.
“I’ve been doing this for so long, and I’ve been involved with all of the projects and everything. I want to see them come through, but I got to sit out. But it’s OK, because then I will have my Mondays back,” she said.
She named some of her favorite memories as village clerk, including the lighting of the Veterans Memorial Circle at Eight Corners and the construction of the new Brookfield Avenue bridge. Another favorite took her all the way back to the beginning of her time as clerk.
“I know when we got in, Mike was elected after Bill Russ, who was in [as president] previously. He didn’t even have email at the village hall. He didn’t have that, so that was a huge thing, technology-wise,” she said.
Incoming Clerk Michael Melendez, who was elected Tuesday night, said Weber has been preparing him to move into the role.
“She’s been very accommodating and
very accessible, just to answer some very high-level questions. We are going to meet and go over the more granular responsibilities and duties,” he said.
His attitude, which was shared by many, was one of excitement over worry.
“The outcome is known, right, so you don’t have that trepidation that you normally have. I’ve been in contested elections before,” he said. “It’s always those nerves that accompany a normal election where you’re running against a group of other individuals, but this one, obviously, is just excitement. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get the work started.”
Trustee Jennifer Hendricks, who was elected to her second term on the board, said she’s enjoyed being a public of ficial.
“I love it. I love it! For me, there was no question whether I would run again. My husband laughs at me sometimes because I come home and I’m just so happy,” she said.
“This is the job that I absolutely love. Just helping in my community and feeling like I’m making a difference, it feels so good.” Hendricks said she’s looking forward to
ERICA BENSON
Riverside regulates commercial grease trap maintenance
Businesses must ve rify cleaning twice a year to keep their villageissued licenses
By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter
The squeaky wheel may get the grease, but in Riverside, businesses with grease traps will have to prove they’re keeping them clean to hold onto their business licenses.
Village trustees on April 3 directed staf f to draft an ordinance that will require those businesses – mostly restaurants –to verify that they’re maintaining their grease traps with cleanings before Riverside issues their annual business licenses and again by July 1. Businesses can submit an invoice from a third-par ty cleaner or an “affidavit of cleaning” including a timestamped photo of the cleaned grease trap.
Assistant Village Manager Ashley Monroe explained the new measure is mostly preventative in nature.
“We have experienced, from time to time, blockages in our sewer systems. This isn’t relating [to] a particular incident. We do
have public works go out and occasionally investigate if there are any concerns,” she said. “Grease trap issues happen when particularly restaurants … aren’t servicing them properly. It is a nasty job to clean and service these spaces. It’s where you place all of the extra cooking grease or other materials that are fatty and built up over time, so by cleaning them re gularly, you prevent them from overflowing into our sewer facilities and infrastructure.”
She said she reached out to seven restaurants in town, whose operators were “amenable” to working with the village
“They said, ‘We’re either having it re gularly serviced for periods throughout the year, or we’re doing it ourselves. We can prove to you that we’re handing of f our grease to someone that’s willing to give us a receipt. We are cleaning it. We’re willing to have you inspect it if you want to see it now.’ I declined politely,” she said.
According to village board documents, businesses that fail to comply with the new rule could face monetary penalties or the suspension of their business licenses. Village staf f can grant extensions or exceptions to businesses in special cases.
T he village b oard is expected to appr ove an ordinance codifying the r ule at i ts next meeting
Parker, Jakubiak, DeJonghe win 4-year terms on Brook eld’s library board
Phil Weglarz wins an uncontested 2-year term on the board
By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter
Michelle Parker, David Jakubiak, Natalie DeJonghe and Phil We glarz were elected Tuesday night to the Linda Sokol Francis Board of Trustees.
According to unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk’s Office Tuesday night, incumbent Parker, who was appointed to the board last March, received 1,003 votes, DeJonghe received 797 votes and Jakubiak received 617 votes.
They were among seven candidates running for three four-year terms. A total of 1,693 voters cast ballots in Brookfield, each of whom could vote for up to three library board candidates for a four-year term.
We glarz ran uncontested for a two-year term and won 1,418 votes.
Candidates Priscilla Grote, Alan Miller, Karl Olson and Tristan Gunn did not win enough votes to be elected, though results will not be final until the Cook County Clerk’s Office certifies them.
during his campaign to speak directly with residents heading into work to lear n about the issues concerning them.
The three new trustees will re place President Adam Burghgraef, Secretary Carol Vaughan Kissane and Trustee Jennifer Perry. While this is Parker’s first time being elected to the board, she will retain her seat.
Jakubiak said he spent time at the Brookfield train station early in the morning
“I just wanted to hear where people are at. You look at the results from Brookfield, and you know it’s a pretty progressive community, right? But people are really concerned about issues [like] access to the library,” he said Tuesday night. “You [this newspaper] hit the nail on the head with your questionnaire when you asked about the library as a third space. … People are looking for connection and community, and the library is one place that can provide that.”
While the Landmark caught Jakubiak at an election night event at Irish Times before the unofficial results were announced, he said he’s ready to dive into the library’s business.
“If I win, I’m going to be a busy, busy bee. I have to talk to [Executive Director] Kim [Coughran] to find out what’s really been happening, what are the needs,” he said. “I’ll be drinking a lot of coffee. I’ll be doing a lot of catch up, and I’m really excited about that opportunity.”
Parker said her first experience campaigning for public office was full of unexpected lessons.
“A lot of this was learning as I went, from, ‘Do I want to get printed materials? What goes into that? How do I do it?’” she said. “I decided to do door hangers, and it turns out door hangers blow right of f doors, so then it became, ‘I’m not going to go out on windy days. How’s the weather today?’”
Another surprise, she said, was the caliber of the candidates she was up against.
“Something I did not expect was this new group of friends that I made. The eight of us are this [group of] committed, smart, fun community members, and it’s been so
energizing and nourishing to know that all these people live within Brookfield,” she said. “I’ve already so loved and appreciated Brookfield, period, and this process has continued that. It’s been really great.”
Parker was mid-interview with the Landmark when the unofficial results were announced to the group at Irish Times
“I’m processing the idea that 900 plus Brookfield residents, my neighbors, voted for me, and tomor row, I’m still going to be processing it. I mean, what an — ‘honor’ feels too cheesy,” she said just a moment after learning she was elected. “I feel the trust there. I mean, I think the library is our greatest asset, and it was one thing to be appointed, which was incredible, that the board asked me to come on. It’s another thing to have residents be like, ‘Alright.’”
DeJonghe, who is the manager of adult services for the Westmont Public Library, was not available for comment Tuesday night.
Michelle Parker, David Jakubiak, Natalie DeJonghe and Phil Weglarz are Brook eld’s newly elected librar y board trustees
Police investigate multiple car burglaries in Brook eld
Brookfield police learned of multiple vehicle burglaries that took place on March 31.
■ Around 7:30 a.m., a resident contacted police after finding a black bag in the middle of the street. Police retrieved the bag, which they said contained clothing and a work ID, and found the ID’s owner lived on the 9100 block of Roach Avenue. Police called the woman, who said she believed someone had burglarized her car overnight; she said there were no signed of forced entry but that the car “appeared to be rifled through.” The woman retrieved the bag from police later that day.
■ Police responded around 3:40 p.m. to the 3100 block of Oak Avenue after a resident told them she had observed miscellaneous items moved around within her unlocked car. The woman said she was also missing about $2 in coins and $130 in gift cards that were taken from the center console. The woman told police her Ring doorbell camera did not capture footage of anyone entering her car.
■ A resident on the 3200 block of Sunnyside Avenue told police around 11:20 a.m. that her home exterior camera had captured three people going through her and her boyfriend’s cars around 2:50 a.m. that morning, though she said nothing appeared to be missing
■ Police responded on April 1 to the 4200 block of Madison Avenue after a resident said someone had entered his unlocked vehicle over the past few days. He said he found the glovebox and center console open and was missing a Cobb Tuning car programmer worth $600. He provided police with footage from a neighbor’s camera that showed a man around 10 p.m. on March 31 walking away from the area of the car, but police noted the motion-activated camera did not start recording until the man was already away from the car.
■ Around 11 a.m., a resident of the 3100 block of Maple Avenue told police at the station that a handgun had been stolen from a lockbox that was stored underneath the driver’s seat in his car, which he had left unlocked overnight. The man provided police with home video footage of two men exiting a car around 3:03 a.m. who checked the
man’s car and another in the same driveway. One man took an Amazon package from the other car while the other took an unidentified object from the man’s car. Police investigated village cameras in the area and ran the plates of the men’s car, which revealed it was an Enterprise rental car. Police tracked the two men to the 7-Eleven at the intersection of Ogden and East avenues but were unable to learn identifying information about them from a transaction they made.
Caught driving without a license
Riverside police arrested a man March 31 for driving with a suspended license. Around 4:05 p.m., an officer was on patrol running cars’ re gistrations while heading southeast on Riverside Road when they came across a car whose re gistration appeared to have been suspended due to the car previously being driven without insurance as mandated by state law.
The officer pulled the car over near Blackhawk Road and asked the driver for his driver’s license and proof of insurance, neither of which he was able to provide. The man did give the officer an Illinois ID card, and after running the man’s infor mation, the officer learned his license had been suspended after he failed to appear in cour t for a previous citation.
T he officer ar rested the man and issued him citations at the central lockup in Berwyn before releasing him on pretrial conditions.
These items were obtained from the Ri verside Police Department re ports dated March 31 and the Brookfield Police Department re ports dated March 31 to April 7; they re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
Compiled by Trent Brown
Opinion
THE LANDMARK VIEW
Houses forward, cars back
Riverside is rightly focused on its built environment. The village which Olmsted designed 150 years ago is one of the more remarkable communities to be found. And so, while we sometimes quibble with the village’s intense inward gazing, we also respect its attention to important aspects of preservation.
That is particularly true as the village government works to craft new re gulations for new garages in the village. On March 20 the village board approved an ordinance giving residents incentives to build detached garages and ideally to make them less visible to the street. Working to address the visual impact of the still smallish number of teardowns in town, the ordinance also requires that any attached garages must be set back from the front of the house to lessen the impact of multi-car garages from the street.
Riverside was built before autos came to dominate so much of our lives. Working to maintain a balance where residential architecture dominates and car parking convenience is relegated to a less visible position is a wise effort by this village
The oodwall’s path
In another favorable effort, just as Spring flood season rises, Riverside has purchased two residential properties on West Avenue. The goal is to clear the way for coming construction of the long overdue Groveland Avenue floodwall.
Village President Doug Pollock called the $645,000 land acquisition “critical” to the slow-moving project. Current renderings from the U.S. Ar my Corp of Engineers indicate the proposed wall will cross some portion of the site of the two homes.
After painstakingly working to gather up funding for this $18 million project from every level of gover nment, the village is smart to get this property in its pocket so that there are no further delays in construction.
The Des Plaines River will rise again. Maybe this Spring, maybe not. But further delays only tempt fate as it is clear that climate change is making this river more of a flooding danger.
Library’s black substance
We are not fully clear on why Brookfield residents are just learning about the “black substance” oozing, leaking, being excreted from the exterior of the Linda Francis Sokol Public Library almost since it opened in 2021. But we do appreciate the aggressive ef fort by library officials to hold two firms, the architect and the contractor, to account for fixing this serious problem.
The library board first completed a legal complaint spelling out the problem, its likely cause, detailing those fir ms responsible, estimating the cost of a fix. But before it filed the complaint with the courts, it urged the architect and the contractor to come to the table to negotiate a plan.
Kim Coughran, the library’s executive director, said that if ne gations are successful, the library could recoup the estimated $1.3 million cost of re pairs that could be completed in 2026.
Vegan empanadas and soup
EMPANADUS
ird location
from page 4
the Riversiders began to think about a restaurant. When the location at 7 E. Burlington St. became available, they decided to make the jump to brick and mortar.
“Huge learning curve! We didn’t have a commercial oven at first. Customers came in and we weren’ t ready for that volume. I told them that our oven was coming soon, so we could increase production, but really, I was ordering it that day. We have just done our best to keep on moving forward since then,” said Schamber.
Argentina has a strong connection to Italian heritage. Some 62% of the country can trace an ancestor back to Italy.
“So that’s very much reflected in our cuisine,” Schamber said. “Caprese, for example, is a popular Argentine flavor…” and a featured empanada.
Another flavor, recently introduced, is saltaña made with juicy ribeye beef. An expanding choice of sauces starts with traditional chimichur ri, gets hot with the fire-
roasted jalapeño and habanero sauce, and throws a whole garden in the salsa criolla.
The restaurant’s name came out of an extended family brainstorming session.
The “us” at the end stands for both USA and the ef for ts of the whole family to keep the project going.
The locations, festooned with colorful flags, also serve soups, sweet empanadas (apple & cinnamon, Nutella & banana), gelato (there’s that Italian echo again) and jars of chimichur ri to go.
More than a decade in, the Schamber family still relies on the freshest ingredients and products made by hand, from the heart.
“We’re just grateful. Grateful to all the cities, Riverside, LaGrange, Homewood for having us all these years. Please keep coming back and enjoying the food that we put so much work into,” said Schamber.
Get in the know
Website: EmpanadUS.com
Address: 7 E Burlington St, Riverside 22 W Calendar Ct, La Grange 1943 Ridge Rd, Homewood
Sports
Smith, RBHS baseball hope to sustain o ense
Cincinnati recruit King tosses one-hitter in Lions’ Silver opener at OPRF
By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter
Riverside Brookfield High School senior Ethan Smith has turned a strong 2024 finish into another strong start this baseball season.
“I just learned a lot about my approach [at-bat]. I started of f very good and then I just learned throughout the season,” Smith said.
The starting left fielder is among the reasons the Bulldogs are of f to a 5-3 start. Smith has a team-best .481 batting average with three extra-base hits and five runs batted in. Other standouts include seniors Sean Campbell (.400, HR, 8 RBIs), Brady McCallum (.400, 7 RBIs), Zach Ryzewski (.360, 5 RBIs) and Jaden Despe (6 RBIs) and junior Damian Noe (7 RBIs).
The Bulldogs are hitting .309 collectively with a .404 on-base percentage, 52 strikeouts and 27 walks. That’s even after losing 8-0 to undefeated Class 4A state power Nazareth Thursday and 2-0 to DePaul on Monday.
“Our offense has been fantastic this year. Strikeout numbers have been very low,” Smith said. “Everyone’s coming together. We’ve got a lot of chemistry, support on the team.”
BBHS has three 10-run wins, along with two close ones – 8-7 over Whitney Young, March 18, and 5-3 over Hinsdale South, March 21. The Bulldogs were edged by Plainfield Central 1-0, March 25. They trailed Hinsdale South 3-1 before a threerun fifth. They led the Dolphins 8-4 after four innings.
“We’ve been playing well, minus today We’ve swung the bat well, pitched well, played good defense,” RBHS coach Mark Ori said after the Nazareth game.
“[Overall] I’m very happy with how we’ve started … our run production, limiting strikeouts. When you put the ball in play, especially in high school, good things are going to happen.”
Campbell (North Central) and Despe (Milwaukee School of Engineering), who
RBHS Ethan Smith (4) puts the ball in play against Nazareth dur ing a nonconference game ursday, April 3, 2025 in Brook eld
were all-conference last year, and McCallum (Benedictine) are set to play colle ge baseball. Smith is still deciding. His hope is for consistent offense after enduring two rough stretches in 2024 between his strong start and finish, where he hit .218.
“Toward the end of [last] season, I came on strong,” Smith said. “We have a lot of hope for our team.”
Against Nazareth (11-0), shortstop Campbell made a diving catch and initiated a double play. RBHS had two hits. The Roadrunners scored their runs in the first two innings while No. 1 pitcher and Western Kentucky recruit Mac McGarry struck out
12 in his six innings of work. RBHS had solid relief pitching from Aidan Polich and Finn Lubeck.
“[Last season] has just motivated me to do better everywhere,” Campbell said. “I think just the amount of hitting we did in the offseason [helped]. Last year, I feel like we didn’t do as much machine work so that helped us in the winter.”
Lyons Township baseball
Senior pitcher Tucker King and his Lyons Township baseball teammates opened West Suburban Conference Silver Divi-
sion play impressively Friday. King threw a complete-game one-hitter with three strikeouts and one walk as the Lions won Park and River Forest High
“I would rank this start with my favorites because it was a great game for everyone,” said King (2-0, 10 strikeouts in 13 innings), recruit and varsity re gular since 2023. “I couldn’t have done it without offense and defense behind me. It was definitely a meaningful game because we needed to send a message out to our conferdid that by beating OPRF.”
The Lions (5-1) now have won five straight — their previous four by at least eight runs — after losing their March 22 opener to Naperville Central 6-4. That included beating Neuqua Valley 14-4, March 28, and Downe South 18-9, March 24. p hitters include seniors Noah Fitzgerald (.438, 12 RBIs), Luke Nicholaus (.300, HR, 7 RBIs) and Cam Clarke (.333, 5 RBIs), sophomore Blake Ragsdale (.474, HR, 7 RBIs) and juniors Lon Roberts (.400, 5 RBIs) and Justin Heydorn (.333, 6 RBIs).
Against OPRF (2-4), King only allowed a one-out single in the fourth, which shortstop Ragsdale almost thwarted with a dive and slightly late throw to first base.
“Tucker did an excellent job locating his pitches, focusing on control rather than trying to overpower their offense,” LTHS coach Kevin Diete said. “He allowed them to put the ball in play, and our defense said exceptionally well, staying sharp and making key plays behind him to keep the pressure of f and maintain control of the game.”
A six-run fourth against OPRF gave King breathing room. Ragsdale (double, triple, 2 RBIs) and Fitzgerald (double) each had two hits. Roberts (triple, 2 RBIs) and Heydorn (double) also contributed.
“We have been working so hard on fixing little things we can work on as a team and have been improving as a group day by day,” King said. “Once our offense gave me some cushion in the fourth, I knew what I had to do to shut the game down.”
STEVE JOHNSTON
RBHS girls soccer grows with senior guidance
Goalie Bigenwald saves o en for Lions in pair of one-goal losses
By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter
Seniors Ella Caputo, Lucy Drenth, Isa Hernandez and Raleigh Jesswein have experienced plenty through four years together as varsity players for the Riverside Brookfield High School girls soccer program.
“I think that each year, it’s a different atmosphere. Obviously, freshman year we started of f kind of timid being a little nervous,” Hernandez said. “Now as seniors we’re kind of being the ones in charge and setting the example, trying to get everyone excited and into it. Being a senior, it’s a lot more exciting and emotional because you feel like it’s more of your family and you’re taking care of your family in a way.”
Hernandez and the Bulldogs remain encouraged after being edged by undefeated Sandburg 1-0 Thursday following a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over East Aurora in an Upstate Eight Conference crossover, March 25.
Mia Rodriguez scored the second-half game-winner for RBHS (3-4) with an assist from Abigail Jurkovic to break a 1-1 tie. Michelle Panduro gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead with Rodriguez assisting.
The Bulldogs are growing after graduating numerous seniors and starters.
“We knew that (3-0 Sandburg) was a very solid team. We all kind of went into it a little bit nervous, but we started of f with a really high intensity,” said Hernandez, an outside midfielder. “I think we played with that same intensity all throughout. Even though we didn’t get the result that we wanted, we definitely could have won. I think we stayed really composed. No one ever lost any hope. Everyone played determined.”
The Bulldogs suf fered their second shutout loss to Morton 2-0, Saturday, after losing 5-0, March 25. They also were shut out by St. Ignatius 7-0 in the March 18 opener.
Lyons Township girls soccer
Lyons Township junior goalie Anna Bigenwald has returned this season with additional credentials and confidence. This past fall, she committed to Loyola University soccer. Then she earned all-state honors as a member of the Lions’ first girls flag football team.
“This is the inaugural season and it’s great to be all-state, even though we just started the team,” said Bigenwald, a receiver and defensive back in flag football. “I think that soccer helps with flag football more because I learned how to catch the ball the right way and now catching a football is so much easier because it mo ves at a slower pace than a soccer ball does.”
Bigenwald made several huge soccer stops Saturday, but the Lions (0-2-1) lost to visiting Lincoln-Way East 3-2 after leading 2-0 at halftime LTHS seniors Claire Parkhill and Caroline Mortonson scored before the Griffins (5-1) unleashed 11 of their 19 shots in the second half and got the game-winner
RBHS Mia Rodriguez (2) tries to get past East Aurora’s Mariel Lopez (10) during an Upstate Eight Conference game Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Brook eld.
with 3:58 left moments after their eighth cor ner kick.
“It definitely makes it easier to make tough saves when your defense is also doing its job. It’s not [saves] over and over and over. It’s like, ‘I can make saves when I have to,’ ” Bigenwald said.
“I think it’s really good that we play good teams like [LWE] early in the season so we can really pinpoint what we need to work at.”
Parkhill scored just 3:51 into the game off a cross by junior Carolina Capzzi after her give-and-go with Mortonson. Then Mortonson scored 20:25 before halftime off a pass by junior Maura Schneider initiated by sophomore Lila Tower. They are the only goals this season against Lincoln-Way East, which has outscored opponents 25-2 with a scoreless tie lost on penalty kicks.
“There were a lot of positives we can take out of it but any time you have a two-goal lead and end up on the bad side of that, it doesn’t feel good,” LTHS coach Bill Lanspeary said. “You’ve got to look at it and figure out what they did and what we need to get better at. They were very fast, especially coming through the midfield.”
Bigenwald already has 20 saves this season. She also was busy during the 3-2 loss to Wheaton Warrenville South March 27. Capizzi scored twice, the first assisted by Caroline Mortonson. Last year, Bigenwald split time at goalie with senior Nora
Ezike, who will play basketball at Stanford and is a team manager this season. Bigenwald has attended numerous camps and trained with various coaches, particularly Aleksandar Saric of B1 Keeper Academy
“She’s been fantastic. I feel good about a lot of things and she’s one of them. We’ll give ourselves opportunities to win a lot of close games,” Lanspeary said. “Her footwork is better, her hands, positioning. She’s a little bit more confident out there. Reactions, everything, across the board, she’s really worked and improved.”
Sophomore central defender Claire Mortonson has the most experience of the back line along with senior Grace Lanspeary on the outside. Newcomers are sophomore Grace Chevalier inside and junior Audrey McCarty at left back
“I think we all work well together and get along so it helps us be more effective in the back,” Claire Mortonson said. “I want to just keep us connected and communicate well to them and make sure everyone feels supported.”
As an all-stater, Bigenwald was acknowledged with an awards dinner and visit to the indoor facility of the Chicago Bears, advocates in helping girls flag football become an IHSA-sanctioned sport this season.
“That [facility] was cool,” Bigenwald said. “I like football, but I don’t watch football a lot. But I consider myself a Bears fan.”
STEVE JOHNSTON
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION
LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC
Plaintiff vs. CHRISTOPHER RAY ETHERTON AKA CHRISTOPHER ETHERTON; JEANNE ETHERTON AKA JEANNE STEARNS AKA JEANNE SCHEMONIA; VILLAGE OF MELROSE PARK; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS
Defendant 24 CH 2755
CALENDAR
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on May 5, 2025, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-03-413-007-0000. Commonly known as 1301 N. 12th Avenue, Melrose Park, IL 60160. The real estate is: 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: At sale, the bidder must have 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Diaz Anselmo & Associates P.A., 1771 West Diehl Road, Suite 120, Naperville, IL 60563. (630) 453-6960. 6706-200451 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3263243
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION
WINTRUST MORTGAGE, A DIVISION OF BARRINGTON BANK & TRUST COMPANY, N.A. Plaintiff, -v.ARMANI GRIFFIN Defendants 24 CH 04949 2501 SOUTH 18TH AVENUE
BROADVIEW, IL 60155
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 10, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 13, 2025, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
Commonly known as 2501 SOUTH 18TH AVENUE, BROADVIEW, IL 60155
Property Index No. 15-22-124015-0000
The real estate is improved with a single family residence.
Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.
The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition.
The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.
Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.
The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.
If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g) (4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).
IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.
You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.
MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION
One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE
You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc. com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.
MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC
One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
Chicago IL, 60602
312-346-9088
E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com
Attorney File No. 23-16277IL
Attorney Code. 61256
Case Number: 24 CH 04949
TJSC#: 45-520
NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
Case # 24 CH 04949
I3263630
PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:
Fenwick – Priory Campus Water Main Loop Installation
This project consists of the following major work items: horizontal directional bore of 1,100 feet of 8” PVC C900 water main, valves, pavement rehabilitation and related items in the Village of River Forest.
The bidding documents are available for download starting Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at: www.vrf.us/bids
Bids must be submitted by Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at:
Village Hall, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305
The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.
No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.
The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.
Published in Wednesday Journal April 9, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICES
LEGAL NOTICE
The Village of Oak Park ��Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302�� will receive electronic proposals until 10�00 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, 2025 for Project: 24�11, Water and Sewer Improvements. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, the improvements consist of the installation of combined sewer mains including residential service lines, precast manholes, drainage structures and catch basin connections, replacement of watermain and water services, water valve replacements, combined sewer spot repairs, restoration of roadway including curb and gutter, sidewalks, driveways, parkways, pavement markings, curb bump-outs, hot-mix asphalt pavement, and all appurtenant work thereto.
Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 10�00 a.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oakpark.us/your-government/ budget-purchasing/requestsproposals or at www.questcdn. com under login using QuestCDN number 9604657 for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4�00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.
The work to be performed pursuant to this proposal is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq.
THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Bill McKenna Village Engineer
Published in Wednesday Journal April 9, 2025
Notice of Public Meeting
Proviso Township High School (PTHS) District 209, located at 8601 N. Roosevelt Rd, Forest Park, IL, will hold a “timely and meaningful consultation” virtual public meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the district’s plans for providing special education services to students with disabilities who attend private or parochial schools or are homeschooled within the district for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents of homeschooled students residing within the boundaries of PTHS District 209 who have been or may be identified with a disability are encouraged to attend. This meeting is being conducted in compliance with Illinois State Board of Education regulations. To receive a Microsoft TEAMS invitation to participate in the meeting, please email rfleming@ pths209.org. For questions or additional information, please contact: Ms. Ramonda Fleming, Ed.S District Coordinator (708) 497-4650
Published in Forest Park Review April 9, 16, 23, 30 and May 7, 2025
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