Riverside is hoping to beautify the corner of South Harlem Avenue and Longcommon Road with new signage that could attract drivers into town from the intersection.
At the village board’s July 18 meeting, trustees discussed six options for new signage and beautification on property owned by the strip mall located at 2720-2728 S. Harlem Ave. If it is approved at a future board meeting, the new “gateway entrance” for the village could go near the shopping center’s southeast corner, where there now exists a curb cut for drivers to access Longcommon Road from the parking lot.
T he new development would include a village sign attached to a pole as well as a tree and new bike racks that would block drivers from accessing the parking lot from Longcom-
ALSKI
Clara Giardini (from le ), Irene Kaval, Matilda Yanz
Retired Riverside chief renews call for national police misconduct database after shooting of Sonya Massey
‘Now’s the time for chief’s and sheri ’s organizations to say, ‘Hey, we do need better tools, we do need funding,’’ he says
By MICHAEL BANIEWICZ Contributing Reporter
A retired Riverside police chief who has advocated for a national database of officers who committed misconduct is ramping up that call after the fatal shooting a Black woman, Sonya Massey of Springfield, by for mer Sangamon County Deputy Sherif f Sean Grayson.
Tom Weitzel, who has 37 years in law enforcement and served as the Riverside police chief from 2008 to 2021, was part of an ef fort in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd to advocate for some police reform Weitzel said that during an address to the Riverside community in 2020, he advocated for such a database to deter “problematic” police officers like Grayson who might go from police department from police department. However, most police chiefs disag reed on that initiative, Weitzel said.
Retire d Ri verside Police Chief To m We it zel is callin g for a national police tracking da tabase.
A tracking system could have flagged that, he said.
But with the nation’s attention focused onMassey, Weitzel said he believes the present time is the best for law enforcement agencies to advocate for this database.
“Now’s the time for chief’s and sherif f’s organizations to say, ‘Hey, we do need better tools, we do need funding’ and I think they would get it,” Weitzel said.
In Grayson’s case, there were flags, Weitzel said, including that he worked for several law enforcement agencies in a short amount of time.
“That in it of itself, just moving from department to department, is not an indication of a bad police officer, but what is an indication is six departments in four years,” Weitzel said.
In 2023, the Justice Department created a tracking database for federal law enforcement officers found guilty of misconduct. A National Decer tificatio n Index also exists, but all state and local agencies do not use it, citing cost, labor burden and a fear of “blacklisting” officers. In 2021, the State of Illinois expanded officials’ ability to decertify police officers and to track them if they sought employment in other jurisdictions. But the list of those re ported is not public, and, as Weitzel pointed out, investigations into preliminary complaints are not always carried out.
But Weitzel argued that a mandatory, national database that can systematize re-
porting about police officers who commit crimes or other serious, policy violations would prove helpful for de partments doing background checks on candidates. Weitzel said this national database should be accessible by police departments on all levels in the United States, including municipal police departments like Riverside, state police, the military police, and specialized police departments like campus police at colleges or universities.
Widespread use of a national database allows better communication across all law enforcement agencies, Weitzel said. This way, police departments would be able to update the records of officers who have committed a policy violation or mis-
See CHIEF on pa ge 20
PROVIDED BY TO M WEITZEL
BIG WEEK August 7-14
Outdoor All Ages Storytime
Friday, August 9, 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., Riverside Public Library
Stor ytimes can be boring always having to sit in a circle inside. However, the Riverside Library is putting a twist on this week’s Stor ytime. Imagine a Stor ytime circle outside! Join this outdoor Storytime for tales right in front of the Riverside Public Library. Bring your blanket, listening ears and dancing feet as we enjoy stories, songs, and rhymes together. 1 Burling Rd.
Shoe Tying Workshop
Thursday, August 8, 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Riverside Public Library
Two bunny ears… one hops around the tree… and through the… how does it go? Does your child need some help learning to tie their shoes? Kids and their adults are invited to stop into the Riverside Public Librar y to learn some tips and tricks on how to keep those shoes knotted and tight. No more tripping over shoelaces and no more Velcro. You know, all the cool kids know how to tie their shoes. 1 Burling Rd.
Brook eld Farmers Market
Saturday, August 10, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Don’t forget the farmers market is back! Come pick-up high-quality meats, handmade soaps, savory pecans, fruits, vegetables, sweet treats, and more! If you are unavailable this Saturday, then mark your calendars for any Saturday until October 14!
The Brook eld Farmers Market is a great opportunity to get out early and support your local vendors, artisans, and community organizations. 8820 Brook eld Ave
Library Olympics for Kids
Thursday, August 8, 4:30 p.m., LSF Brook eld Library
Are you ready to go head-to-head with friends and kids in the neighborhood? Go for the gold by competing in indoor and outdoor Olympic games and crafts. Kids can show o their skills in the pool noodle javelin throwing competition, bean bag shot put, LEGO design challenges, breakdancing, soccer, sports trivia games and more. See who best supports Brook eld and Riverside! Register for this event and others online at www. lsfbrook eldlibrary.org, by calling 708-485-6917, or in person at the library. 3541 Park Ave
The Former Slaveholder Who Founded La Grange
Tuesday, August 13, 4 p.m., LSF Brook eld Library
Do you think you know everything about La Grange? Learn about F.D. Cossitt, the former slaveholder who founded La Grange, in this fascinating local history presentation by Chicago State University Archivist Kheir Fakhreldin. 3541 Park Ave.
Listing your event
■ If you would like your event to be featured here, please send a photo and details by noon of the Wednesday before it needs to be published. We can’t publish everything, but we’ll do our best to feature the week’s highlights. Email calendar@wjinc.com.
Compiled by Grace Har ty
Brookfield picks contractor for Ehlert Park construction
e contract states work will now nish before Halloween
By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter
Brookfield is one step closer to completing its goal of renovating Ehler t Pa rk.
At the village b oard’s Ju ly 22 meeting, trustees appr oved a c ontract with F riedler C onstruction, a firm b ased in
Chicag o, for c onstruction wo rk on the southwest corner of E hlert Pa rk in the amount of $896,800.
Friedler beat out three other contractors that each submitted bids upwards of $1 million. Documents from the meeting’s agenda packet did not include an engineer’s estimate of the construction costs, but village officials projected last March that the project would cost $1.26 million in total. That same month, the state awarded Brookfield $600,000 in grant funding for the park’s facelift.
T hose documents, however, did show
that Wi g ht & Company, the architectural firm responsible for d esigning the renovations, checke d F riedler ’s references and c oncluded that i ts c onstruction and c ommunication are of high q uality and the firm “consistently c ompletes [its] wo rk on time.”
The contract between Brookfield and Friedler states that construction work on Ehlert Park can start as soon as Aug. 5 and must be completed on or by Oct. 30. At the end of May, Parks & Recreation Director Luke Gundersen estimated that construction would begin around July 22 and reach
“substantial completion” by Oct. 30 before being fully done by Nov. 15.
In March, when Brookfield partnered with Wight, village staf f estimated ground would break in July with the goal of completing construction by March 2025.
Planned renovations to the park include a new playground with rubber surfacing and accessible play structures as well as redone soccer and baseball fields to improve drainag e. Gundersen previewed Wight’s final design for the renovations at the village board’s May 28 committee of the whole meeting
SIGNAGE
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Directions
mon Road or vice versa. Instead, drivers would have to exit the lot onto South Harlem Avenue, likely taking a right tur n for safety reasons, or through a back exit to the western alleyway that r uns between the mall and houses on Berkeley and Longcommon roads.
The options for the new gateway design include some that would see one of two sizes of planter placed where the curb cut sits now. The larger planter would include the tree while the smaller planter would exclude it, leaving it to grow from a grate.
At the meeting, Public Works Director Dan Tabb said a tree would likely not survive outside of the planter due to the level of salt in the ground, adding that staf f would have to find a species that wouldn’t be liable to grow too large for the planter.
All but one option included green space from the sidewalk to the street with a
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An option for the “gatew ay entrance” includes a hori zontal “Rive rside” sign attached to a stone column, a new plan ter with a tree grow ing from it, and a raise d curb with grass.
The original site plan for the strip mall’s parking lot, which was expanded north last fall after the strip mall’s owner, Milad Nourahmadi, bought adjacent village property at 2710 S. Harlem Ave., did not include the back exit to the west alley. While there was not a fence there even before the village sold the land, the site plan included a fence that would have blocked access to the alley and made it difficult for cars to navigate the parking lot when full. Trustees approved changing the site plan to not include the fence at the board’s June 6 meeting despite a unanimous rejection from the planning and zoning commission in April.
As part of the purchase contract for 2710 S. Harlem Ave., Nourahmadi ag reed to allow Riverside to place village signag e on any part of his combined property at the strip mall.
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raised curb, clearly indicating to drivers not to drive through the area. Other differences include what kind of sign is used — a horizontal “Riverside” sign or a square sign with Riverside’s logo on it — and whether the sign would be attached to a stone column or a streetscape pole, similar to light poles seen around town.
T he six options range in estimated price from $96,600 to $195,870. Assistant Village Manager Ashley Monroe said funding for the project would come from fees and taxes paid by businesses in the village ’s business districts
After Monroe walked trustees through the six designs, Trustee Aberdeen MarshOzga quickly raised concerns about how the new signage would compete with other
signs at the intersection of South Harlem Avenue and Longcommon Road. The intersection features the Berwyn Public Library at its northeast corner, a Public Storage building at its southeast corner and a Citgo gas station at its southwest corner. The strip mall, which displays signage for its businesses, is at the intersection’s northwest corner.
“I think there’s a lot ofvisual competition happening there right now, and I think, whatever we do … we have to be careful that what we choose is something that will hold its own by itself for now, when we can’ t do anything on the opposite side,” she said. She added she would prefer a stone column over a streetscape pole “because it seems substantial; it seems to hint that what is inside Riverside is also substantial. ”
Trustee Cristin Evans raised the issue of accessing the strip mall’s parking without being able to turn left into it from Longcommon Road when heading northeast. As a frequent user of the strip mall, Evans said she would have to access the parking lot through the western alleyway or turn left onto South Harlem Avenue at the intersection and attempt to turn left again into the parking lot, though traffic on South Harlem Avenue would make the second left
turn nearly impossible to complete safely. In response, Village President Doug Pollock clarified that the alley is a right-ofway that patrons ofthe strip mall can use to enter or exit the parking lot.
Throughout the discussion, trustees gave ideas for gateway signage they would like to see outside ofthe options presented. For example, Trustee Elizabeth Kos suggested writing out “Riverside” on the side ofthe planter rather than placing the village’s name on a sign attached to a pole.
At the end ofthe half-hour long discussion, Village Manager Jessica Frances suggested assembling a surve y for residents to express their preferences on how the gateway signage should look. At her suggestion, the board ag reed to have staf f mock up several new designs to match the ones they had described that would be included on the survey. After the board reviewed the survey, Frances said staf f would send it out to residents before bringing the top three choices back to the board for final approval.
The board also ag reed to send the design options to Riverside’s economic development, landscape advisory and preservation commissions to give feedback without taking for mal action before the board reviews the results of the survey.
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Several of the 177 Illinois delegates attending the Democratic National Convention come from Chicago’s West Side and the western suburbs
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Wi th the Democratic National C onvention f ast approaching, Chicago is g earing up to host over 50,000 d ele gates, volunteers and members of the media in and around the United C enter and McCo rm ick Place.
The U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement recently announced safety plans for the areas, with more than 170 delegates just from Illinois expected to attend the convention Aug. 19 to Aug. 22.
But who are the dele gates who have been elected to re present Chicago’s West Side and the western suburbs? And what exactly is their role at the Democratic National Convention?
What is the DNC?
The Democratic National Convention takes place every presidential election, convening delegates from 50 states and U.S. territories. The convention typically marks the end of the primary election season and the beginning of general elections.
While the DNC serves as a period for Democrats to officially nominate a presidential and a vice-presidential candidate, in the past several decades nominees have been announced long before the convention. This makes the DNC more of a celebration for the
nominees and is a way for the Democratic Party to unify around the party’s platform.
This year ’s co nvention differs signific antly from previous ones, when presid ential nominees we re chosen months before the DNC.
This year, dele gates voted for the Democratic Pa rt y’s Presidential c andidate before the co nvention.
What do delegates do?
Dele gates represent voters and are the ones who officially select the Democratic presidential nominee. They must cast a vote for a presidential candidate or have an uncommitted preference.
On March 12, President Joe Biden received confirmation from most of the Democratic dele gates that they would renominate him. After Biden withdrew from the race July 21, Harris crossed that majority threshold July 22 and secured her position in a roll-call vote Aug. 5.
Delegates at the convention will spend time listening to speakers and attending gettogethers to rally around their presidential ticket and party platform They will also vote on resolutions and platform initiatives.
How are delegates chosen?
Eve ry state has i ts own way of choosing d ele gates. While some are elected at state c aucuses or local pa rt y co nventions, others are named a d ele gate bec ause they are an elected re presentative who’s been voted for by the public.
In Illinois, voters who requested a Democratic ballot during the primary election in March had the chance to vote for delegates. Dele gates who ran in Illinois had to be re gistered voters themselves, plus file a nominating petition, statement of candidacy and presidential preference form
T he number of d ele gates that each
state g ot this year de p ended on the state’s number of electoral votes and the propo rt i on of votes it gave to the Democratic c andidate in the 2020, 2016 and 2012 elections. United States territories are give n a fixed number of p ledged d ele gates T here are a few different t ypes of dele gates, including district d ele gates and at-lar ge d ele gates, who are elected statewide. There are also PLEO delegates, who are the state’s party leaders and elected officials. PLEO and at-large delegates are elected by a quorum of district-level delegates. District, at-large and PLEO dele gates are bound to vote for a presidential candidate based on the results of their state or district’s caucus and primary vote count. Superdele gates, on the other hand, can support any candidate, but only vote if the presidential nomination is contested.
Who are the area delegates?
C ong ressman Jesús “Chuy” García is a D NC superdele gate.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is a PLEO dele gate, along with Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
PLEO d ele gates also include I llinoi s S enate President Don Harmon, Emanuel “Chris” Welch, speaker of the I llinoi s House of Re presentative s, and state Sen. Kimberly Lightford.
District-level d ele gates include Ro ry Hoskins, mayo r of Fo rest Pa rk , along with other district-level d ele gates li ke Ald. E mma Mitts of the 37th ward, Stat e Re presentatives K am Buckner and La Shawn Fo rd and Chicago City C lerk A nna Valencia . State Re presentative C amille Lily is an at-lar ge candidate
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Brook eld Farmers Market is voted best in Illinois, Midwest
e weekly Saturday market came in 4th place nationally, too
By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter
The votes are in, and it’s official: Brookfield’s far mers market is one ofthe best in the country.
The Brookfield Far mers Market has been voted the best far mers market in Illinois and the fourth best in the country for the second year in a row in the American Far mland Trust’s 16th annual America’s Far mer Market Celebration. Brookfield moved up the re gional rankings this year, earning the title of best far mers market in the Midwest after placing second for the re gion last year.
The market, held at Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Ave., on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 12, will earn $850 and a gift bag ofmerchandise across its three titles this year. Brookfield Far mers Market Manager Gina Sharenow said in a written statement Thursday that the market will put its winnings, alongside some “generous sponsorships,” toward four scholarships for Brookfield teenagers “I am filled with i mmense gr atitud e, ”
S harenow said in the statement. “Our market’s remarkable growth c ould not have b een achieved without the unwave ring suppo rt ofthe Brookfield C hamber of C ommerce, our dedicated marke t c ommittee member s, the Vi llage, Publi c Wo rks and the entire c ommunity. Each time I’ve proposed a new idea, the immediate response has been, ‘H ow can we help you?’ This embodies the incredible s pirit of c ooperation that thr ives in our town. ”
According to the American Far mland Trust, Brookfield’s far mers market earned 2,813 votes in this year’s competition. The Midtown Far mers Market in Sacramento, California, narrowly beat Brookfield out for the third-place spot nationally, earning only 83 more votes for a total of2,896. The McKinney, Texas, far mers market that came in second earned more than 4,500 votes, while the first-place market, from Mount Washington, Kentucky, broke 10,000 votes
In the Mi dwest re gion, Brookfield took the c ompetition by storm, earning more than d ouble the votes ofthe second-plac e market from West Bend, Wi sconsin. At the state level, the Brookfield Fa rmers Market d ominated even harder; the second-place market out of Pa rk R idg e ear ned only 453 votes.
The Riverside Far mers Market placed fifth in Illinois with 167 votes.
Bambi Sighting
Local nature lovers captured young deer out for a snack last week in a residential yard in the 3300 block of Harrison Avenue in Brookfield.
PROVIDED BY STEVEN LIFKA
Construction is set to star t on Riverside’s Parking Lot 8
e lot will be closed through September
By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter
Commuters who park in Riverside’s Parking Lot 8 off of East Quincy Street should prepare to park elsewhere in the coming month or two.
Riverside announced Wednesday July 31,
Townhome residents who use the west side of Parking Lot 8 to access their garages will still be able to use the lot until Aug. 12; after that, the village will ask them to park along East Quincy Street for the remainder of construction. Pedestrian access to those townhomes will not be affected. According to the village, Riverside police are aware of the parking lot’s closure and will not issue parking tickets for the duration. The village will also provide windshield placards for vehicles that need to remain parked on the
Summer Hawaiian Dance
bruary, when the village board approved intergovernmental agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, which pledged to reimburse village for $256,000. The total cost for the rking lot’s redevelopment, including construction and design services, is $741,862.35, meaning Riverside is on the line for the remaining $485,862.35.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said that a judge should dismiss a lawsuit led against him to fo rce recognition of a union his sta is attempting to fo rm.
Capitol Briefs: Grayson personnel file released, Stateville inmates ask to be moved
Preparations for the November election are underway, with security a top priority
By CNI STAFF Capitol News Illinois
T he Sangamon County Sherif f’s Department late Wednesday released the personnel file of for mer de puty Sean Grayson, who is accused of the murder of Sonya Massey.
Massey was shot to death in her home last month after calling for help during a mental health crisis. Grayson was fired after he was
charged with first-degree murder last month.
T he 163-page personnel file begins in March of 2021, when Grayson applied to the Sangamon County Sherif f’s Department. At the time, he was working parttime at both the Pawnee and Kincaid Police De partments
In his application he listed an Illinois State Police trooper, a Capitol Police Officer and a for mer Ar my buddy as references. On his application Grayson wrote that he had received an honorable discharge from the military. His discharge papers included with his personnel file show that Grayson was issued a general discharge under honorable circumstances and did not finish his term of duty
In Grayson’s background investigation, Scott Butterfield, a longtime deputy with the Sangamon County Sherif f’s Depart-
ment, provided a reference. In his interview, Butterfield said that Grayson was “a mellow and non-confrontational person.” Butterfield also disclosed that Grayson was dating his daughter. The two were scheduled to marry in October.
Grayson underwent a psychological examination in March 2023 as part of the hiring process. Thomas Champion, a licensed psychologist, recommended Grayson as qualified for the job, but noted the assessment was subjective, not predictive.
C hampion noted that Gr ay son scored low on the cognit ive assessment and c oncluded that it will take Gr ay son “longer to learn, process and apply new materials as c ompared to other s. ” He further
See BRIEFS on pa ge 14
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from page 13
found that Gr ay son was “ rigid and linear” in his thinking
“He knows he can move too fast at times. He needs to slow down to make good decisions,” Champion wrote.
Champion added that experience and training would help.
T he personnel file includes a letter written on Jan. 25, 2024, by Sherif f Jack Campbell. In the letter, Campbell passed along a compliment he rece ived about Grayson from a woman who was the victim of a burglary and fraud
“It’s professionalism li ke you displ ayed that makes a difference to the people yo u c ome i nto c ontact with,” C ampbell wrote “Thank you for your diligence in your d uties and for remembering that helpin g the citizens in S angamon C ounty of the main role we pl ay.”
Massey, 36, was unarmed when she was shot in the kitchen of her home on July 6. She called the police to request help after she said she heard someone outside of her house
Stateville prisoners ask judge to move or release them
A little more than a month after 51-year- old Michael Broadway died ins ide Stateville Co rrectional C enter, those incarcerated in the prison this week asked a judge to force the transfer – or release – of men serving time in the nearly 100-year- old facility
Chicago law firm Loevy and Lo ev y filed the motion as pa rt of an ongoing federal class action lawsuit, Dobbey v. We ilding, that claims the state’s failure to properly maintain State ville has led
to d angerous and unsanitary c onditions, rendering the prison in Crest Hill uninhabitable
T he filing asks the federal c ourt overseeing the c ase to order the I llinois Department of Co rrections to create a p lan of transfer or release of all class members of the lawsuit by Au g ust 12, wh il e requesting all transfers or releases happ en by Se p tember 20.
T he motion – wh ich states class members “rep orted excessive heat and p oor ventilation” the day Broadway died –also references a state-commissioned facilities re po rt published last year that c alled State ville one of three I llinoi s prisons that we re nearly “inoperable.”
Gov. JB P ritzker has cited the re po rt as a catalyst for his March announcement that he’d seek to close and rebuild b oth State ville and Lo g an Co rr ectional C enter in Lincoln.
In a series of hearings in May and June, IDOC officials indicated they planned to keep Lo g an open while building a new facility – which may move to the Stat eville campus – but could close Stateville as soon as Se ptember, temporarily moving those inmates to other prisons during the rebuild process.
The plans face significant opposition from surrounding communities and AFSCME, the union that re presents most correctional officers and other prison workers, though they all ag reed that the facilities’ need for improvements was dire.
Would-be staff union pushes back on Speaker Welch
Staffers for Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch are pushing back on the speaker’s arguments that a judge should dismiss a lawsuit filed against him to force reco gnition of their union.
In a new filing this week, the would-be union dubbed the Illinois Legislative Staf f Association once again asked a Cook County judge to rule that Welch is depriving his staf f of the right to organize and collectively bargain, thus violating a voter-approved 2022 addition to the state constitution that guarantees Illinois workers that right.
Welch has maintained the Wo rker s Rights A mendment d oesn’t change a state law that specifically bars legislative employees from being able to fo rm a union and has pointed to his sponsorshi p and p assage of legislation through the House that would change the law.
But the bill has not made any progr ess in the S enate, wh ich ILSA alle g es is evid ence of Welch privately c olluding with S enate President Don Harmon to stop their unionization ef fo rt
ILSA sued Welch in May and in June, the speaker claimed the lawsuit was “forum shopping” after the Illinois Labor Relations Board refused to certify the union in 2023. He also pointed to the fact that ILSA failed to appeal the ILRB’s decision as evidence the would-be union’s lawsuit was merely posturing.
But the ILSA this week said the state board’s decision told them to instead resolve the issue in the courts, and called Welch’s argument to the contrary “bizarre.”
Efforts to protect election workers
A new state law is changing the kind of identification badge that election judges and poll workers wear in Illinois in an effort to protect their safety
Starting this year, the badges will no longer display the person’s name, ward, precinct, or township. Instead, they will wear badges with a unique identification number that say they’re authorized by their local court.
That was one of several changes made in an omnibus elections bill, House Bill 4488, Pritzker signed into law last month.
Tazwell County Clerk John Ackerman said at a news conference Thursday that the change is intended to protect election workers by deescalating potentially tense situations at the polls
“When they approach the individual, they’ll talk to ‘Betty Sue’ differently than they’ll talk to an officer of the circuit court,” he said. “So that little pause may give them time to think about what they want to say, how they want to say it, and just gives them the few minutes of pause before they continue.”
The Illinois State Board of Elections also provides emergency contact information that can be put on the back in case an incident does happen.
Election authorities say they are working to add protections in and around polling places as another layer of election security.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
Pritzker signs measures reining in biometric data privacy law, eliminating grocery tax
e measures are among more than 50 bills signed since Friday
By HANNAH MEISEL & JERRY NOWICKI Contributing Reporter
Illinois’ first-in-the-nation law that allows residents to sue companies over the improper collection of their biometric information will be slightly less punitive after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law late last week.
Lawmakers this spring amended the Biometric Information Privacy Act in response to an Illinois Supreme Court ruling last year that suggested lawmakers clarify the law. That ruling found fast food chain White Castle violated BIPA each time employees scanned their fingerprints in the course of performing their jobs, as the company never obtained employ-
ees’ permission to collect their fingerprints
But under Senate Bill 2979, employees or customers whose fingerprints, retinal scans, voice samples or other unique biometric information were collected by businesses without their permission can only claim one violation of BIPA instead of hundreds. In jobs with fingerprint-enabled time clocks and cash registers or other secure areas that require biometric data scans to access, employees might end up scanning their thumbs or eyes dozens of times per day.
Using the old method of accrual, White Castle’s attorneys estimated the company would be on the hook for up to $17 billion in penalties, as the law provides for $1,000 in damages for each “negligent” violation or $5,000 for each “reckless” or “intentional” violation.
Though the eye-popping number made headlines, White Castle earlier this year settled the case for $9.4 million.
While some business groups were supportive of the reforms, others claimed they did not go far enough.
Chicago-based attorney Danielle Kays of Fisher & Phillips LLP, who represents companies facing BIPA challenges, told Capitol News Illinois that the amendment “can be seen as a step in the right direction” but said it’s up to the courts to interpret the update to the law.
Because there have been no data breaches that have led to anyone’s fingerprints or other biometric information being stolen, Kays and others say lawmakers should further amend BIPA to allow businesses to cure violations before facing a lawsuit. A business is in violation of BIPA if it doesn’t have a storage policy in place, doesn’t properly protect the data, or if it does not get consent from customers or employees for the data being collected.
T he amendment also made it easier for companies to get consent from customers or employees
Grocer y tax to be eliminated
As part of state budget ne gotiations this
year, lawmakers approved Pritzker’s plan to eliminate the statewide 1 % grocery tax beginning in 2026. He signed that provision into law on Monday.
The revenue from the state grocery tax goes to municipal governments, rather than state coffers. To make up for those lost revenues, the law allows counties and municipalities to levy their own 1 % grocery taxes by passing an ordinance, rather than needing a referendum.
It also gives non-home rule municipalities the authority to impose sales taxes by up to 1 % without a referendum.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
info@oakparkconcertchorale.org
2 arrested in Riverside for reckless driving, tra cking cannabis
A man and woman were arrested July 30 in Riverside after a police officer saw the man driving recklessly downtown and found cannabis in the car.
Around 5:20 p.m., the officer was sitting in traffic in an unmarked police car at the intersection of Riverside Road and Burling Road when they saw an oncoming pickup truck moving at “a high rate of speed.” The railroad crossing on Riverside Road was closed to allow a train to pass; according to police, the truck “sped up” to the crossing before stopping abruptly behind other cars waiting there.
As the railroad gates went up, the officer turned around and g ot b ehind the truck, wh ich stopped over the crosswalk at the i ntersection of L ongcommon Road and E ast Burlington Street, blocking some children on bicycles from crossing the road
The truck then turned left onto Forest Avenue; after turning on their car’s sirens, the officer pulled the truck over into a parking spot on East Avenue. After the officer approached the driver and asked for his driver’s license and proof of insurance, the man provided only an Illinois ID card
As the officer was speaking with the man, they smelled a “very strong odor of fresh cannabis” coming from inside the car, but when they asked if there were drugs in the truck, the man said there were not. T he officer had the man ste p out of the car to search him for weapons but did not find any.
The officer then noticed movement in the truck’s backseat but could not see into the truck because of its tinted windows. When the officer opened the back door, they saw a woman “sitting crouched” behind the driver’s seat.
After asking the woman to step out of the
truck, the officer saw a clear bag on the floor containing “a green leafy substance” that police said “was well over the amount for individual use.” In Illinois, state residents can possess up to 30 grams of cannabis flower each while nonresidents can possess up to 15 grams, according to the Cannabis Re gulation and Tax Act; according to the police report, the two possessed more than 100 grams of cannabis product altogether, which is a felony.
The officer detained both people in handcuffs before other officers responded to the scene; a female officer searched the woman for weapons. Before the search began, the woman told police she had a concealed carry license and that there was a pistol in her purse, which had been slung over her head and across her chest; police safely removed the gun.
Other officers on the scene inventoried the pickup truck before police had it towed; inside, they found “additional drugs,” drug paraphernalia, THC vape cartridges and a loaded pistol.
T he re port d oes not state if the man and woman were booked on their charges or whether a court date was set, though it does disclose several of their of fences, including reckless driving, trafficking cannabis, possessing more than 100 grams of cannabis and possession of a controlled substance.
Arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, cocaine
A man was arrested in Riverside for driving under the influence July 30 after he drove onto a residence’s lawn and police found drug paraphernalia in his ca According to police, officers
patched around 7:15 p.m. to the 100 block of East Burlington Street on a re port of a reckless driver whose car was stuck on the lawn of a house. One officer who approached the car saw the driver “passed out” with the car in drive. After waking the driver by knocking on the window, the officer told the man to turn the car of f and exit the vehicle.
After struggling to unlock the car door, the man got out of his car, at which point the officer noticed “a crack pipe” in the car’s cupholder and smelled alcohol on the man’s breath. The man’s eyes were also “droopy and glassy.” When the officer told the man to walk to the back of his car, the man stumbled and could not stand upright. When asked if he was under the influence of drugs, the man admitted he had done cocaine, but said he had not taken anything else, including alcohol.
T he officer ar rested the man for driving under the influence without havin g him perform field sobriety testing in c ase he hurt himself during the tests. After being taken back to the p olice station, the man said he had c onsumed a dime bag of cocaine and one shot of liq uor. T he man gave three breath samples around 8:30 p. m ., but none of them we re sufficient for a breathalyzer measurement, police said.
After reviewing the man’s record, the officer found the man had b een convicted thrice for driving drunk, so p olice up gr aded the man’s DUI charge to an aggr avated DUI, wh ich is a f elony. Police also charged him with p ossession of a c ontrolled substanc e, as he had cocain e in his ca r.
The man was processed, released and
Police investigate intoxicated father for violating protection order
Brookfield police investigated a Stickney man after a Brookfield woman filed a report that her daughter’s father had driven drunk with their child in the car before they incorrectly found the man had violated an order of protection the woman had against him. No one was arrested or charged with a crime.
Around 9:30 p.m. July 30, the woman spoke with an officer after walking into the lobby of the Brookfield Police Department. She told police that her daughter’s father had picked her up from the woman’s house in the morning before he returned to drop her of f around 7 p.m. When he dropped their daughter of f, the man was “highly intoxicated,” which sparked an argument between him and the woman.
After the man left to return to his home in Stickney, the woman went to his residence to confront him for drinking while having custody of their daughter. She told the officer they had another argument, as the man was still drinking. After she left, the woman first went to the Stickney Police Department to file a complaint, but officers there directed her to make the report with Brookfield police instead.
After speaking with the woman, the officer looked up her and the man in the police database, which showed that the woman had an active order of protection against the man stating he could not contact her by any means. The officer called the woman, who said she did have an order of protection from the man but assumed it was no See POLICE REPORTS on pa ge 20
MECHTECH HVAC
Spotting bad cops
Tom Weitzel, the retired Riverside police chief, is right. It is time, and past time, for law enforcement agencies in America to build a database of problematic officers. A central depository of officers who have committed crimes or serious violations of policing policies would go far in keeping those troubled officers off the payroll of the department just down the road or in a nearby state
In a moment when it is hard for most every police department to recruit and retain officers, so-called “shopping” for a new department by an errant cop is more and more common. As departments have begun to encourage “lateral hires” of an officer from another department, it gets easier for an officer to get hired elsewhere. The days when pensions held officers in place until they put in their 20 years are gone.
Weitzel, who has a history of proposing police reforms, says now is the moment for a national database as both cops and citizens recoil in the aftermath of the killing of Sonya Massey in Springfield. Sean Greyson, a deputy sheriff in downstate Sangamon County, has been both fired and now indicted for her death in a case where he was responding to Massey’s call of a suspected prowler at her home. He has pleaded innocent to the charges.
There were endless red flags about Greyson — if only all the information had been collected in one place. Greyson worked for six different police agencies over just four years, he had two DUIs and had been discharged from the Ar my for misconduct. Presented with that information, who would ever hire him? Who would give him a gun and policing powers?
Weitzel is right. We have the capacity to create this database of troubled officers. Collectively we lack the will to make this happen. Black women such as Sonya Massey pay with their lives for this failure.
How about our market!
The Brookfield Farmers Market is the best in Illinois, the best in the Midwest, the fourth best local market in all of America. So says the American Far mland Trust in its 16th annual America’s Far mers Market Celebration.
OK. We get it. Sometimes these prizes go to organizations that are darned good at promoting themselves in an online voting sweepstakes And if our Brookfield market is good at that, then bless their hearts It is certainly not the only thing this volunteer-driven, healthy-eating, community-building project excels at.
We give organizers credit for energizing their happy customers to cast their votes. Grumpy market-goers are not taking part in this sort of fun.
The market announced it will take its $850 in cash, add in some “generous sponsorships” and hand out four scholarships to Brookfield teens
This is a happy and proud outcome
LETTERS
Funeral processions
I’ve always felt funeral processions are dangerous, and I believe they’ve become even more so during these hurried times. Even when I’m among the grieving, I always opt out of the procession and drive to the cemetery on my own, following the traffic signals along the way.
OBITUARIES
Bernadine Burke, 84
Aug. 4, 2024. Born on March 1, 1940, she worked as a secretary for a steel company.
Bernadine was the w ife of the late Ro be rt E. Burke ; the mother of Ro be rt Burke, Lisa ( Ed) Oehler, Ly nn (L owell) DeFranc e, and Christine (Brian) Yazumbek; the gr andmother of Christina Oehler, Evalice Burke, Marie Oehler, Lauren Yazumbek and Matthew Yazumbek; the sister of Edward Gliwa, Virginia (Albert) D ybas and Lo rr aine (Julian) Kw iatkowski; and the aunt of Te r ry (Wanda) D yba s, S ue (Tom) Good and Diane Walsh.
Vi sitation will take p lace on Mond ay, Au g. 12, from 3 to 8 p. m. at Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, 3847 Prairie Ave., Brookfield. A f uneral Mass will be c elebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Au g. 13
at St. Barbara C hurch, Brookfield, followe d by nter ment at Resur rection Cemetery in Justice In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to American Parkinson Disease Foundation would be appreciated. Online condolences, memories and photos may be shared with the family at www.JohnsonNosek.com
Edwin Roedell, 82 Vietnam veteran
Edwin R. Roedell, 82, of Brookfield, died on
Ju ly 30, 2024 at Hines VA Hospital. Born on May 21, 1942 in Chicag o, he was a U. S. Ar my Vi etnam veteran, who wo rked as a service tech at a Bank before retiring.
Edwin was the husband of Susan Roedell (nee
continued on pa ge 20
Ray Valek
OBITUARIES
from page 19
Kempe); the father of Linda (Don) Sykora, Lisa (Ron) Knoll and Robert E. Roedell; the grandfather of Andrew Sykora, Samantha Knoll, Haley Knoll and the late David Sykora; the brother of Ruth (late Nic) Hoyer, late Joseph Khanis and the late Hank Roedell; and the uncle of Hank Roedell. Memorial visitation will be held on Thursday, Aug. 8 from 11 a.m. until the memorial service at 1 p.m. at Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, 3847 Prairie Ave., Brookfield
Online condolences, memories and photos may be shared with the family at www. JohnsonNosek.com.
Sean Shor t, 66
Blues guitar ist, union
carpenter
Sean T. Short, 66, of Brookfield, died on July 30, 2024. Born in Chicago, he was
CHIEF
from page 3
judgment while on the job. If police departments had this resource where they would be able to see this information, Weitzel said the presence of that database would deter police officers from moving from department to department due to their behavior and actions, otherwise known as “shopping.”
“A lot of times bad policemen will shop. T hey’re like ‘Oh, I got fired here, so now I’m going to apply in Indiana or I’m going to apply in Wisconsin,’” Weitzel said. “I would hope [this database] would keep
POLICE REPORTS
from page 17
longer active. After the officer confirmed that the order was still active with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the woman said she wished to pursue charges against the man for violating the order of protection.
raised in Cicero along with his eight siblings He met the love of his life, Candy, when they were in their teens, and they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this past March Throughout his life, he enjoyed sharing his love of the great outdoors, music, art, and history with his loved ones. He was a proud union carpenter and member of Local 54. Always striving for new and different ways to live a holistic lifestyle, he completed a marathon, as well as two triathlons with
his children, Kaitlan and Connor at his side His greatest passion was playing, singing, and listening to the blues. He was known locally as Hollywood Slim, blues guitarist. S ean was the husband of C andac e S hort (nee Cu rr an); the father of Kaitlan (Ter r ance) Jones and C onnor (Jacqlyn) S hort; the gr andfather of Kennedy Jones, E wan S hort and Kiara Jones; the brother of Kathleen (Steve) Dieter, Timothy (Fran) S hort, Patrick (Christine) S hort, Kevin S hort, B rian (Joyc e) S hort, Maureen (Terry) Bohan, Me g an (Thomas) C hlada and Denis S hort; the son-inlaw of Joan Cu rr an; and the brother-in-
law, uncle and great uncle of many. Vi sitation was held on Au g. 4 at Hitzeman Funeral Home & Cremation Se rvices, 9445 31st Street in Brookfield. Followe d by private inter ment.
In lieu of fl ow er s, d onate to Wi lli e Di xo n’s Blues Heaven Foundation (Chicago Blues Foundation) 2120 S. Michig an Ave., Chicag o, IL 60616 in S ean’s name (https://www.bluesheaven.com/ home html).
If you wish to send a sympat hy card , p lease send it to Hitzeman Funeral Home, 9445 West 31st Street, Brookfield , IL 60513, c/o the Sean Shor t family.
To run an obituary
Please contact Erika Hobbs by e-mail: erika@g rowingcommunitymedia.org, before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.
bad police officers from shopping, but it would also be reliable on the police departments. T hey have got to spend the time and money to do really good background investigations.”
On July 17, Grayson, who is white, shot Massey, 36, who had called 911 to report possible prowler at her home. He has pleaded innocent. Reports show that that he had for six law enforcement agencies in four years, was charged with driving under the influence twice, discharged from the Ar my for misconduct, and has a history of serious policy violations including disobeying orders from a superior officer.
We itzel said the military records detailing Gr ay son’s b ehavior in the Ar my should have raised c oncerns about the
The next day, after making contact with the man and advising him to come to the police station, the officer located a change made to the order of protection in April specifying the man could make “no unlawful contact” with the woman rather than “no contact by any means.”
Police left the man a voicemail stating he had not violated the order of protection and no longer needed to come to the
ex-de p uty ’s character and ability to ser ve in law enforcement.
One re port obtained from a public records request said that Grayson needed more training and a “high-stress decision-making” class after the high-speed pursuit chase.
“I think this national database would be able to put that information in,” Weitzel said. “Put in not only that this officer X, but put in what he’s being discharged for, what the offence was, did he admit to the offence.”
We itzel a dded that as long as the reports of p oli cy violations or misconduc t against an officer are sustained with evidenc e, they should be public Police officers also should have the ability to c ontest or appeal an a ccusation before a
station, but he went to the station the next morning with his attorney. An officer read the man his Miranda rights before sending him on his way.
These items were obtained from the Riverside Police Department reports dated July 30-31 and the Brookfield Police Department reports dated July 29 to Aug. 5; they represent a portion of the incidents to
re po rt is made public in a database
“We need this national database to be able to p ut in info rm ation that’s factual on p olice officers – that there has to be a mechanism for officers that c ontest it,” We itzel said. “But that should n’ t ke ep it from being public.”
To gain financial support for more extensive background checks and this national database, police departments should be lobbying both state and federal legislators and advocate for these initiatives, Weitzel said. While he was police chief, Weitzel said his department received annual grant funding for operations like traffic enforcement, equipment and more officers on the street to enforce DUIs during the holidays
which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
Compiled by Trent Brown
Sports
Giardini earns gymnastics medal at AAU Junior Olympics
Kaval, Ya nz also qualif y fr om Riverside Br ookf ield ag e group team
By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter
For Clara Giardini, of Riverside, the numerous gold medals won by Team USA’s artistic women’s gymnasts at the Paris Summer Olympics are of special interest. Giardini, 11, has been with the Riverside Brookfield Age Group Gymnastics progr am since she was 3 and on its competitive team since she was 8.
“I li ke watching S uni L ee’s [ uneve n parallel] bars routine and Simone Biles’ floor [exercise] routine,” she said.
As the Olympics be g an, Giardini earned a special medal herself. She fin-
ished third on the uneven bars (9.4) in the Level 4 finals at the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics, July 27-29 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“It was my biggest achievement,” sai d Giardini, who is entering sixth gr ade at Hauser Junior High School. “It’s such an a ccomplishment for me because it ’s something I had to q ualify for and one of the harder things I’ve done.”
RB’s Irene Kaval, 12, of Brookfield and Matilda Yanz, 9, of Rive rside also we re Level 4 q ualifiers for wh at was the firs t AAU Junior Olympics (Jos) for gy mnastics, Levels 1-7. T he t rio advanced with top-three finishes in their sessions at AAU nationals, June 19-23 in Day tona Beach, F lorida .
“We’ re ve ry p leased with the fact three girls made it. We we re n’ t expecting that,” Rive rside Brookfield Age Group director Tammy Cavaliere said.
“It was just a great experience. We’re looking forward to the girls qualifying next year in Houston.”
At JO s, Giardini advanced to the unen bars finals by being among the top six scores b etween the two sessions (9.45). S he has a rack with numerous medals from previous finishes but is onsidering a special frame for this one
“I was excited about doing one of my better routines,” Giardini said.
“My g oal going i nto the JO was doin g the best I could do. It is definitely one of the stronger events for me. It ’s always een a c ool event that I’ve wanted to tr y harder skills on. ”
Giardini (35.90), Yanz (35.875) and Kaval (33.725) were eighth, ninth and 13th overall in Level 4 all-around. Yanz was seventh on uneven bars (9.075), .075 from sixth, and eighth on balance beam (9.2). Giardini and Kaval tied for seventh on floor (9.225), .025 from top-six.
hey we re a ccompanied at J Os by head c oach Karyn Domzalski and still had time for pizza and p ool pa rt ie s. T hey also for mally met Ta tiana Gutsu, the 1992 S ummer Olympics all-around champion re presenting the Unified Team, who now is a club c oach. Gutsu signed Giardini’s leotard.
ence. I think ha petition was fun and made it a really cool memory,” Giardini said.
nastics
gr
on summer drop-in
PROVIDED BY KARY N DOMZ ALSKI
Matilda Yanz (front row, le ), Clara Giardini and (back row) Irene Kaval
PROVIDED BY KARY N DOMZ ALSKI
Clara Giardini
Lions’ Ezike makes basketball commitment to Stanford
By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter
For Lyons Township High School rising senior Nora Ezike, new Stanford University women’s college basketball head coach Kate Paye represented a new recruiting opportunity. The 6-foot-2 standout forward already was receiving serious interest from numerous NCAA Division I programs, yet it wasn’t until May that she was contacted by the Cardinal after Paye was promoted to head coach on April 16.
“I was thinking about that school, so I was definitely excited when I first got that text,” Ezike said. By June, she had visited the California school and verbally committed officially on July 10.
On the coaching staff the past 17 seasons for recently retired longtime head coach Tara VanDerveer, Paye, 50, played for Stanford’s 1992 national championship team and was an associate head coach for the 2021 national championship team.
“I loved the campus. It was really big and I was actually surprised. I didn’t know it was the second-largest campus in the world [in
Mayan Covarrubias
Riverside Brookfield High School
* College sports plans: Golf at the University of Missouri-St Louis; NCAA Division II
* College major: Sports Management
* Future goals: “To elevate women in sports and ultimately work within the NFL organization.”
* Reasons I chose UMSL: “UMSL has a very competitive program as well as a young team that I can grow with. I also liked head coach Troy Halterman’s philosophy of balancing academics with the sport and his motivation style. UMSL’s Sports Management program is one of the top programs in the state so that was important to me. In addition, they have multiple internship opportunities that I can take advantage of even as a freshman.”
* Recruiting memories: “I was fortunate enough to tour a few schools and see some really nice golf courses.”
* On playing college sports: “Playing at
land area],” Ezike said. “I loved the coaching staff. They were super-nice. I just liked everything they said and really allowed Stanford to speak for itself because Stanford is such an amazing basketball program, along with an amazing academic institution.”
Ezike was named to the IBCA Class 4A third-team all-state team this past season after averaging 15.9 points and 8.4 rebounds in helping the Lions to a third straight 4A regional title. The two-year starter and two-time All-West Suburban Conference Silver Division player was promoted to varsity midway through her freshman year
Her single-game performances of 31 points against Glenbard West this past season and 18 rebounds against York as a sophomore are the No. 2 and 4 highest single-game perfor mances in program history. She also has eight double-doubles.
“I call her the generational player for LT We don’t come by athletes like Nora very often,” LTHS girls basketball head coach Meghan Hutchens said.
With three national titles and 15 Final Four appearances, Stanford is the most prominent Division I program ever to successfully re-
the collegiate level has always been a goal of mine. I am competitive by nature so playing sports provides me an outlet for that energy and it allows me to meet people along the way. I always knew I wanted to play collegiate sports, but golf wasn’t on my radar until I started playing at RB during COVID. I would say I got more serious my sophomore year of high school when I started training with a swing coach and started competing with the Illinois Junior Golf Association over summer
* Wh at I lear n ed from high school sports: “Playing with the RB g olf team was gr eat f un and a definite launching pad for me. I’m gr a teful for [ head c oac h Doug Schultz and assistant coach Jason Re ch] for being with me at the start as they made learning the sport f un and allowe d me to gr ow and learn without pressuring me, as I p ut a lot of pressur e on myself .
Compiled by Bill Stone
Nick Strayer
Lyons Township High School
* College plans: Cross country and track & field at Brown University (Providence, Rhode
cruit an LTHS player. The Lions have gone downstate four times with top-four state trophies in 1992 and 1993.
Besides her combination of height and quickness, Ezike possesses the ability to drive, dominate inside, rebound and shoot from the outside, including 13 threes last season.
“She’s developed her game both inside and outside, her explosive play to the basket,” Hutchens said. “What I’m most excited about this year is she just gets to play free She knows where she’s playing [in college]. The pressure is off. I’ve told her, ‘You can just make your name, leave your legacy [at LTHS] however you wish.’ ”
Ezike had a great offseason with the Lions’ summer team with several other varsity returnees, such as rising juniors Emma O’Brien, who has already received two DI offers, and Gwen Smith.
When the Lions played at Batavia in the Windmill City Weekend Shootout, June 13-15, Paye could not have extensive personal contact with Ezike but watched all day and spoke at length with Hutchens
“I always feel I’ve liked younger coaches because of the more energy I feel they have,”
Island); NCAA Division I
* College major:
Electrical engineering
* Future goals: “I would like to go into either an engineering or business field, but I am not sure about anything more specific than that yet.”
* Why I chose Brown: “I believed that [head coach Collin Zeffer] was building a great program. I knew I would have the opportunity to compete in meaningful races and work together with my future teammates to continue to better the program. This continued improvement is very exciting to me and I can’t wait to get started. Brown offers an open curriculum, which will give me more flexibility to combine both engineering and business courses where I would otherwise be unable to. On top of that, the size of the school will provide smaller classes which can let me connect with my professors and peers on a more personal scale.”
* On playing college sports: “I decided to run in college because of the amazing community. I know that no friendships are as
Ezike said. “I think [Paye] brings a lot of energy to the team, which is really nice. When I was on my visit, we talked a lot while watching a weight room workout. I was asking her questions and she was answering really openly, which was what I enjoyed.”
She didn’t start AAU play until joining M14Hoops Chicagoland after her freshman year. She was moved up to the 16-and-under team that first season and began receiving interest. Her current 17U teammates include numerous DI recruits
Ezike also has benefitted from the basketball IQ of Stanley Boateng, her uncle
“He’s been my trainer since the beginning and always encouraged me to work on my shot and downhill moves,” Ezike said.
“When we train for our [AAU] season, we also do a lot of personal work. Playing for M14 at that fast pace, I’d say they get you colle ge ready.”
She is interested in majoring in finance after first considering pre-med. Her parents plan to watch as many games as possible. Many of her mother’s relatives were raised in California and live near Los Angeles, about a one-hour flight from Stanford.
close as those of teammates, so I am looking forward to making great connections these four years. Also I have always enjoyed the mental and physical challenges that come with running. Getting to push myself every day is very fulfilling. Finally, I have always enjoyed the competitive aspect of running. I’m a naturally competitive person so I love racing and trying to beat others and myself. I made the decision that I wanted to run in college during my sophomore year of track. This was because I started to lower my times and I began to realize that this was an achievable goal if I worked hard and put my mind to it. I made the decision about Brown after my official visit. Seeing how close the team was and what a great environment Brown’s campus and Providence itself had solidified with me that Brown was where I wanted to spend my next four years.”
* What I learned from high school sports: “The main thing was perseverance. Overcoming bad races or workouts, and instead looking ahead to the larger goal was a valuable lesson that I learned many times. On a smaller scale within races, I learned to push through even if things were getting tough.”
Compiled by Bill Stone
C OLLEGE COMMITMENT S
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION
U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE ON BEHALF FOR CITIGROUP MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2021-RP4, Plaintiff(s), vs. SCOTT SCHEMMEL, SVETLANA KAPLIN A/K/A SVETLAN KAPLINA, VILLAGE OF OAK PARK, TUDOR ROSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, STATE OF ILLINOIS, U.S. BANK, N.A. SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO REGENCY SAVINGS BANK, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, Defendant(s), 22 CH 1440 CALENDAR 60 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 September 9, 2024, 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. 16-07-323-052-1003 AND 1607-323-052-1007.
Commonly known as 424 S. WISCONSIN STREET, UNIT 3N, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The real estate is: condominium residence. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g) (4) of Section 9 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, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 22-00544
Notice is hereby given by the Board of Education of Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, Cook County, Illinois, that a tentative budget for said school district for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, will be on file and conveniently available at the school district’s administrative offices at Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, 160 Ridgewood Road, Riverside, Illinois, from and after 8:00 a.m. on July 1, 2024.
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing on said tentative budget will be held at 7:00 p.m. on September 10, 2024, at Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, 160 Ridgewood Road, Riverside, Illinois.
Published in RB Landmark August 7, 2024
PUBLIC NOTICES
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, August 28, 2024 at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the business of the Planning and Zoning Commission may permit, in Room 4 of the Riverside Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, to consider an application from the Petitioners, James Ungaro and Nicole Ungaro, for a two (2) lot subdivision for property located at 121 Southcote Road, Riverside, Illinois, in the R1-A Single Family Residence District. The application proposes to combine the two subject properties.
Application No.: PZ 24-0009
Petitioners: James Ungaro and Nicole Ungaro
Property Commonly Known As: 121 Southcote Road, Riverside, Illinois PINs: 15-25-309-020-0000 and 1525-309-021-0000
Legally Described As: That part of Lot 1256 in Block 31 lying northwesterly of a line drawn from the center point in the northerly front line of said lot to the center point of the southerly rear line of said lot and that part of Lot 1257 in Block 31 lying southeasterly of a line drawn from the center point in the northerly (front) line of said lot to the center point of the southerly (rear) line of said lot, all in third division of Riverside, a subdivision of part of the southwest quarter of Section 25, also a part of the southeast quarter of Section 25, also a part of the northwest quarter of Section 36, also part of the northeast quarter of Section 36, all in Township 39 North, Range 12, east of the third principal meridian, in Cook County, Illinois.
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 this matter. 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 subdivision. Communications in writing in relation thereto may be filed at such hearing or with the Planning and Zoning Commission in advance by submission to the Village’s Community Development Department at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois prior to 4:00 p.m. 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.
Dated this 7th day of August, 2024.
Jennifer Henaghan, Chairperson Planning and Zoning Commission
Published in RB Landmark August 7, 2024
Advertisement to Solicit Bids
Notice is hereby given by the Executive Director of Housing Forward, 1851 South 9th Avenue, Maywood, Illinois, that bids will be received for the following improvements at The Write Inn located at 211 North Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60302: Roof membrane replacement, Roof insulation and Masonry Tuckpointing
Bids will be received until 5:00PM, Central Standard Time on August 30, 2024, and emailed to RFP@iff. org. Please direct all bid proposals to Ann Panopio.
The bidding forms and documents will be available to request here (https://iff.org/rfps/). The owner, and owner’s representative have been authorized to refuse to issue plans, specifications and proposals to any person, form or corporation that they consider to be unqualified. Proposal must be submitted on the forms provided.
The bidder is specifically advised that Housing Forward is a Subrecipient of the Village of Oak Park of a grant pursuant to the Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, pursuant to an agreement entered between the Village of Oak Park and Housing Forward. Further, the work must adhere to federal labor compliance requirements (Davis Bacon). Housing Forward and Village of Oak Park have a preference to qualifying Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises. Contractors are expected to make their best effort in maximizing participation.
NOTE: No contracts will be awarded unless the contractor is actively registered with the “System for Award Management (SAM)” and permitted to work, certified by the Village of Oak Park.
Summary of Work – The project includes all work described in the Bid Documents including but not limited to all required site prep, scaffolding, temporary shoring, demolition, removal and appropriate disposal of waste materials, replacement, or repair of existing materials to remain, cleaning, and confirmation of water-tight enclosure for all areas of work. This work should be coordinated with Owner to minimize impact to Owner’s operations.
Published in Wednesday Journal July 31, August 7, 14, 21, 28, 2024
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: G24000358on July 29, 2024 Under the Assumed Business Name of DAYBREAK REIKI with the business located at: 367 BLYTHE RD, RIVERSIDE, IL 60546. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: JILL GEHRING 367 BLYTHE RD RIVERSIDE, IL 60546, USA
Published in RB Landmark August 7, 14, 21, 2024
NOTICE
LEGAL
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, August 15, 2024 for Project: 24-15, Bike Boulevard Pavement Marking and Signage 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 pavement markings including polyurea, preformed thermoplastic, Methyl Methacrylate (MMA), and thermoplastic; the fabrication and installation of signs and telescoping steel sign supports; concrete sidewalks and curbs; installation of RRFB systems; and all appurtenant work thereto.
Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oak-park. us/your-government/budgetpurchasing/requests-proposals or at www.questcdn.com under login using QuestCDN number 9247776 for a nonrefundable 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 August 7, 2024
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
VILLAGE OF OAK PARK COMMUNITY DESIGN COMMISSION
HEARING DATE: August 28, 2024
TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits
LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302
CALENDAR NUMBER: 02-24-DRC
APPLICANT: Gabriela Ardila, on behalf of Evoluzion Alternative Health Inc.
ADDRESS: 6142 Roosevelt Rd., Suite 101, Oak Park, IL 60304
REQUEST: The Community Design Commission will conduct a public hearing on an application filed by the Applicant, Gabriela, on behalf of Evoluzion Alternative Health Inc., seeking variances from the following sections of the Oak Park Sign Code relative to increasing permanent window sign coverage and increasing items of information displayed in a window area, to allow the existing permanent window signage to remain at the premises commonly known as 6142 Roosevelt Rd., Illinois, Property Index Number 1617-328-032-0000 (“Subject Property”).
1. Section 7-7-15 (C) (1) of the Village of Oak Park
Sign Code, requiring that permanent window signage affixed to or painted on the inside of a window shall occupy no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the surface of each window area. Window area is counted as a continuous surface until divided by an architectural or structural element. The window area east of the entrance door is 100% covered.
2. Section 7-7-9 (H) (1) of the Village of Oak Park Sign Code, requiring all signs to limit the number of items of information to no more than six (6) items of information. The window area contains 17 Items of information.
A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
The public hearing may be adjourned by the Commission to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.
NOTICE OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR TERMINATION OF PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA IN MARICOPA COUNTY Juvenile Department
PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME(S): Jennifer Elaine Ciszek-Gill
Mother Joshua William Clark - Father Case Number JS22090 Petitioner
Jennifer Elaine Ciszek-Gill
In the Matter of Minor(s): Levi William Clark 05/02/2007
This is an important notice from the court. Read it carefully. A petition about termination of parent-child relationship has been filed with the court, and a hearing has been scheduled related to your child(ren). Your rights may be affected by the proceedings. You have a right to appear as a party in the proceeding.
If you fail to participate in the court proceedings, the court may deem that you have waived your legal rights and admitted to the allegations made in the petition. Hearings may go forward in your absence and may result in the termination of your parental rights.
Judicial Officer: Honorable Thomas Marquoit Hearing Date/Time: September 3, 2024 @ 9:30am (AZ time)
How can I prepare for the hearing? Any supporting documentation must be filed with the Clerk of Court at least seventy-two hours in advance of the set hearing date.
If I have questions or concerns who can I contact?
For questions concerning filing, please contact the Clerk of Court at (602) 372-5375. For questions about the hearing, contact the Juvenile Department at (602) 506-4533, Option 2 to reach the assigned Judicial Officer’s staff. If you have legal questions, seek legal counsel.
Docket Code: NOTJS Rev 09/27/23
Published in Wednesday Journal August 7, 14, 21, 28, 2024
