Landmark 101624 by Wednesday Journal

Brook eld celebrated its boys Little League baseball team as the victors of the village’s 61st annual Roy A. Overholt Baseball Tournament at the village board’s Oct. 14 meeting. All members of the team were present; in alphabetical order, Aiden Biel, Andrew Santos, Arturo Mason Raigosa, Daniel Ort, Jackson Holmes, Jax Horejs, Josiah Holmes, Kevin Pytel Jr., Lionel Otero, Michael Delgado, Ty Chase and Vincent Grant. Coaches Kev in Pytel Sr., Courtney Holmes, Chase Horejs and Arturo Raigosa were also recognized.

Brook eld rallies behind Hurricane Helene donation drive

Je Wahl of Hollywood Motors had to stop accepting donations early a er residents turned out

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

When Jeff and Cindy Wahl, owners of Hollywood Motors in Brookfield, put out an online call for donations last week for victims of Hurricane Helene, they had no idea village residents would turn out as hard as they did. Between the store and American Legion Post 1977 in New Lenox, of which Jeff Wahl is a member and which was also taking donations, the Wahls thought they might be able to gather one truckload of goods. In reality, Brookfielders showed out to support the Wahls’ ef fort, leaving them with more than two trucks’ worth of items to help the people of Elizabethton, Tennessee. Hollywood Motors started accepting donations

HELENE Collective ai

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Friday, Oct. 4, with plans to stop taking them Wednesday, Oct. 9. But the store had to call it a day early after recei thusiastic influx of items.

By T hursd ay, Oct. 10, Je town to start the 10-hour dri truck of supplie s. He said he first emp tied out Post 1977’s d onations to a ccess to the b anquet hall being used as storage space before filling the ing space in the truck with from the auto shop

But just filling the truck was a task in and of itself, Jeff Wahl said. Once donations started rolling in, he said, he was lucky enough to have the help of three local volunteers who organized — which filled the store’s two-door — by type and helped fit eve the truck. One volunteer, Leticia ZamoraMartinez, said she and the other tw mantha Lynch and Liz Pere met before they came together to help out the Wahls.

“That’s kind of how everybo was dropping of f donations; they were so grateful that Jeff and his wife put it out on Brookfield Connections because everybody felt this kind of longing” to help, Zamora-Martinez said. “All the Brookfield residents, they have huge hearts, and they wanted to do something. They felt bad, and they felt the same way I did.”

With the help of the communi ty, Je Wahl of Hollywood Motors was able to br ing truckloads of aid to victims of Hurricane Helene.

The Wahls and Zamora-Martinez also gave their thanks to Village President Michael Garvey, who they said helped give the donation drive legitimacy by getting notice of it posted to Brookfield’s social media pages.

When she realized Jeff Wahl was organizing the donation drive on top of running Hollywood Motors, she said she and the other volunteers of fered to help however they could, ultimately taking charge of organizing the donated goods. Those items included men’s and women’s clothing, water bottles, canned food, hygiene products, baby products, over-the-counter medications and even pet food from The Urban Mutt, a pet store just down the road.

Zamora-Martinez attributed the successful donation drive — with some Brookfield residents making three or four unique stops to drop of f items — to Jeff Wahl presence in the community.

“A lot of people felt, honestly, they felt comfortable knowing Jeff, knowing Hollywood Motors, and knowing that they were trusting that it was going to the American Legion and his contacts. They were nervous that it wouldn’t get to the victims,” she said.

Jeff Wahl said many of the people who received items – which were given out in coordination with American Legion Post 49 in Elizabethton – were still able to live in their homes, albeit without power, although the hurricane did wash away part of a major road in town. Still, he said he toured areas that were af fected much more intensely, leaving people without a place to stay or their possessions.

“People have no real clue. Walk out of your house one day for two days with nothing but the clothes on your back. No stove, no refrigerator, no nothing. That’s what these people have down there,” Jeff Wahl said. “The welcome I got at the Legion was like I was a war veteran or a rock star.”

Je ff Wahl said he felt inspired to fin d a way to help victims of Hur ricane Helene after hearing about their plight and realizing he had suf fered a similar loss about this time of year. On Oct. 13,

1988, the Wahls’ original store at 3637 Woodside Ave. Burned down, leavin g him to rebuild the shop before reopening the following April

“Until you really suffer a huge loss, I don’t think you get the full magnitude of what these people are going through down there,” he said. “Was it ter rifying for me to lose my business, my income and everything? Yes. But what these people are facing is much larger. No cars, no houses, no bank, no money, [just the] clothes on their back. That’s what got me going.”

As of the Landmark’s print deadline, Jeff Wahl was preparing to make his second trip to Elizabethton on Wednesday, Oct. 16, with as many donated goods from Hollywood Motors as possible. While there were some items they couldn’ t accept, like used stuffed animals or toys that can be hard to clean, the Wahls said the Legion Post 49 commander would make sure any donated items that couldn’t be given out, like used clothing, are distributed to churches and homeless shelters in the area that could give them out.

“Nothing went to waste,” Cindy Wahl said. “Someone somewhere will use it.”

ier Govea

Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Ben Stumpe

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner EMAIL jill@oakpark.com

Publisher Dan Haley

PROVIDED BY JEFF WAHL

BIG WEEK

Oc tober 16-23

Compiled by Brooke Duncan

Monday Enrichment Program: American Impressionism

Monday, Oc t. 21, 1:15 p.m., Nineteenth Century Charitable Association

Discover the world of American Impressionist painters and their unique contributions to the ar t world with David Sokol, professor emeritus of Art Histor y at the University of Illinois Chicago. This program explores how these artists were in uenced by their French counterparts while forging their own identities. Admission is free, and donations are welcome. 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park

City Voices: Make a Joyful Noise

Saturday, Oc t. 19, 7:30 p.m., First United Church; Sunday, Oc t. 20, 4 p.m., St. Josephat Parish City Voices kicks o its 18th season with “Make a Joyful Noise,” a concert celebrating magni cent settings of tex ts from the Psalms. Featuring works from Bach to Bernstein, this concert includes music accompanied by harp, organ, and percussions. Tickets: $35 general admission, $30 for seniors, and free for students 22 and younger. Available at the door or online at CityVoicesChicago.org. 848 Lake St., Oak Park and 2311 N. Southport Ave., Chicago

Rebecca Spec tre’s Magic Show

Sunday, Oc t. 20, 2-3 p.m., River Forest Public Library

Magician and comedian Rebecca Spectre presents an hour of live magic enter tainment. Expec t excitement, laughs, and even a behind-the-scenes reveal of how some tricks are performed. Brought to you in par tnership with River Forest Township. 735 Lathrop Ave., River Forest

Book Bike: Oak Park Farmers Market

Saturday, Oc t. 19, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Oak Park Farmers Market

The Oak Park Public Library Book Bike visits the Oak Park Farmers Market, weather permitting. New to the Book Bike? Check out materials, learn about library services and events, or sign up for a library card on the spot. Everyone is encouraged to stop by and see what the Paperback Rider and/or Anne of Green Fables are all about. 460 Lake St., Oak Park

Craft Corner: Spooky Jars

Monday, Oc t. 21, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Join us for Craft Corner, an all-ages program where we’ll make glowing creepy crawly jars. Bring a clean jar from home or use our upcycled ones. Feel free to add plastic spiders or Halloween decorations you have. All materials will be provided. Learn more and register at //oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Special Collections Halloween Open Hours

Wednesday, Oc t. 23, 12 - 5 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Drop in for extended Halloween-themed Open Hours in the Special Collections Reading Room. Discover the spooky side of Special Collections with strange facts about Oak Park’s history and its gures. Treats and spooky surprises await—costumes encouraged. Learn more and register at //oppl.org/ calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

In nite Pulse: “Parting the Sea” Opening Reception

Saturday, Oc tober 19, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Dancing Krow Studio and Third Friday Gallery

Dancing Krow artists will be showcasing their newest pieces in this October-themed exhibit, “In nite Pulse: Parting the Sea.” Join us at the opening reception for an afternoon of art, creativity, and community as these artists unveil works that delve into themes of motion and transformation. 43 Harrison St., Oak Park

OPRF Marching Band Free Show

Thursday, Oc tober 17, 6 p.m., Oak Park & River Forest High School Stadium

Join us for a free show featuring the award-winning Oak Park & River Forest High School Marching Band. Celebrate their fantastic season as they perform their football and competition shows. This community event is per fect for families—bring your kids, they will LOVE it. Enjoy complimentary hot cocoa while you cheer on the Huskies. 201 N East Ave., Oak Park

Move Me Soul

Friday, Oc tober 18, 2024, 4-6 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Middle and high schoolers: If you are into yoga and dancing, Move Me Soul is the per fect program for you. This class is split into two parts where you can freely express yourself and unwind through movement. It is designed to help teens get stronger and more exible, improve concentration, and reduce stress by dancing to their favorite music. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Fraction Collages Ar t Classes for Kids

Friday, Oc tober 25, 1-2 p.m., Mathnasium

We have partnered with Mathnasium to o er engaging visual art projects that teach math skills to kids in Oak Park and River Forest. Join us on these school days o this fall for fun and educational art experiences. Register at Frickkidsart.com. 1101 Chicago Ave., Oak Park

Puzzle Swap

Saturday, Oc t. 19, 1 – 3 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Do you have puzzles that you have already worked on? Need a new one? Consider swapping your puzzle at the librar y. New or gently used puzzles must be at least 300 pieces and in the original box. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Brookﬁeld’s Monsters on Mainstreet celebrates 25th anniversary

e yearly Halloween event was rst intended to spotlight businesses downtown in 1999

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

With Halloween just two weeks away, spooky season is in full swing. Whether you like to watch seasonably appropriate hor ror films or enjoy the opportunity to go out in a costume, Halloween has a little something for everyone. In Brookfield, that includes an opportunity to stop in at local businesses downtown for trick-or-treating a few days before you might do the same around your neighborhood.

On Oct. 26, the Saturday before Halloween, the Brookfield Historical Society and Brookfield Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the village, will host the 25th annual Monsters on Mainstreet event. From noon to 3 p.m. that day, kids are encouraged to stop inside participating businesses along Grand Boulevard and Broadway Avenue to trick-or-treat and meet the friendly faces who operate the stores.

Once trick-or-treating is over, there will be a costume contest for kids at the Grossdale Station, 8820 ½ Brookfield Ave. at 3 p.m. and free apple cider, taffy apples and pumpkins for the first 500 or so kids to arrive, starting at 2:30 p.m. The contest is split into four groups for kids ages 4 years and under, 5- to 8-years-old, 9- to 12-years-old and 13 years and up. Within those groups, kids are eligible to be recognized for the funniest, scariest and most creative costume

While Monsters on Mainstreet may now f eel li ke a yearly staple to Brookfielder s, the event g ot i ts start in j ust 1999, said founder Kit Ketchmark, wh o has remained the driving force b ehind it all these year s. Now a village trustee and director of the Brookfield Historical Society, Ketchmark told the L andmark that Monsters on Mainstreet o riginated as a f amily-friendly way for the village to promote its local businesses

“Back in 1999, the village was applying

to be a Main Street community with the state. That’s an economic development progr am they had going on for helping small towns [with] community development,” he said. “One of the parts of that progr am was a promotions committee, and I was the co-chair of that committee.”

Ketchmark said the c ommittee c once ived of the event as a way to i ntroduce f amilies in town to the stores in the c entral business district, wh ich we re n’ t as p lentiful as they are today.

“We had an awful lot of open store fronts back then, and there wasn’t a lot of activity downtown, so we decided trying to do something on Halloween,” he said. “The way we did it the first year is, we would have volunteers. People would meet at the Grossdale Station, and then one of our volunteers would actually lead a parade through the downtown area, and they’d go store to store to store.”

Ketchmark said there were four starting points around town that first year with volunteers to lead kids around. Still, “that idea is about almost the only thing that’s changed over all the years,” he said. That format meant each trick-ortreater in a group would arrive at the same store at the same time, inundating it with children before they all moved on together and left it with no visitors. In the years since then, the event has followed a more open plan where families can trick-or-treat at their own pace and in whatever order they want.

Monsters on Mainstreet themselves until the village joined in just a few years ago, and the three have b een partners sinc e, Ketchmark said.

Over the year s, he a dded, the event’s volunteers have g otten g ood at knowing how many p eople to expect and how to org anize them, especially when it comes to the post-trick-or-treating festivitie s.

“The in-store c ount of k ids is over a thousand,” Ketchmark said, though the total number of p eople c an exceed 2,000 with parents tagging along.

He said trick-or-treating usually comes to a natural end around 2 p.m., even though it for mally runs for another hour; at that point, people start waiting for the costume contest, with the line starting at the Grossdale Station’s front door and often wrapping around the block and up Forest Avenue.

“It’s really fun seeing the young parents [w ith] their young children who say, ‘I did this when I was little,’ and now they’re here w ith their own kids.”

KIT KETCHMARK Founder

Ketchmark said Monsters on Mainstreet has remained a strong event to introduce residents to downtown businesses, of which about 90% now participate, over the years.

“You get a lot of residents who go to these stores and [say], I didn’t know that was there, or I’ve never been in there, or whatever, and then they come back to shop there, return there, maybe have lunch there,” he said.

“That was the whole idea of it. It’s fun and all that, but it’s an economic development tool to spur interest in the downtown areas.”

While the event g ot i ts start under Main Street Brookfield, Ketchmark sai d the organization shuttered soon after, wh ich is when the Brookfield Historical Society took on the mantle.

“The Chamber of Commerce, at that time, wasn’t very active at all. Not a lot of membership,” he said. When the winds shifted and the chamber became more active, it joined the historical society as a sponsor. The two organizations ran

When Monsters on Mainstreet first began, Ketchmark said he wasn’t sure whether people would be interested in it, but these days, most attendees walk the entire distance from the Grossdale Station to the businesses near Eight Corners. He said one of his favorite parts of the event is the way it’s fostered community in Brookfield between residents.

“That’s a pretty good distance, and people just come out and hang out,” he said.

“It’s really fun seeing the young parents [with] their young children who say, ‘I did this when I was little,’ and now they’re here with their own kids.”

Reflections on Pumpkin-Palooza

Different dates on the calendar remind us of the passage of time: holidays, birthdays, other special occasions.

For us, the McAdam Pumpkin-Palooza has become one of those special moments—and this past Saturday, we enjoyed gorgeous weather and numerous families as we hosted 2024’s installment of this autumn staple of fun. As a father of two young children, this experience has grown especially meaningful to me. Our free activities included a pumpkin patch, hayrides, ghost stories, sweet treats, pumpkin painting, and more at our Nursery & Garden Center. Every child received a free pumpkin and more than a few took in the experience with costumes. We offered huge fall discounts on all trees, shrubs, and perennials that are in stock. And we had professionals on hand to give tips on how to winterize your garden.

Particularly with plants that have been growing in the same containers all year long, this is a good time to landscape. Before next summer’s heat comes around, it’s very beneficial to give new plantings upwards of six to eight months to get established.

A half-mile south of Roosevelt Road, the McAdam Nursery & Garden Center is open until midNovember. We’re always just a phone call away at 708-771-2299.

2001 Des Plaines Ave. Forest Park • 708-771-2299

www.mcadamlandscape.com

Scott McAdam Jr.

brookfieldagingwell@gmail.com

THE BROOKFIELD AGING WELL TEAM…

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Monday, October 28, 2024 from 11�30 a.m. to 1�30 p.m.

Where: Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library

3541 Park Avenue, Brookfield Illinois �Meeting Rooms—Lower Level)

PRESENTATION BEGINS AT 11�30 a.m.

PIZZA SERVED AT 12�15 p.m.

Please R.S.V.P. by October 24, 2024

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Anti-Discrimination Statement

Aging Care Connections does not discriminate in admission to programs or treatment of employment in compliance with appropriate state and federal statutes. If you feel you have been discriminated against, call (708) 354-1323. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

Aging Care Connections is committed to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive, accessible, and supportive work environment that fosters a sense of belonging. We believe that individuals with a variety of lived experiences, backgrounds, and strengths who share a passion for helping older adults and those that support them, are essential to successfully serving our diverse communities.

111 W. Harris Avenue | La Grange, IL 60525

t: 708-354-1323 | f: 708-354-0282 | e: awn@agingcareconnections.org | AgingCareConnections.org.

Annual report shows gains in some areas of gambling may come at others’ expense

e state reached recordhigh tax revenue of over $2 billion last year

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois

Illinois surpassed $2 billion in tax revenue last year from all types of gambling and the state lottery – a record bolstered by continued growth in video gambling, sports betting and the opening of several new casinos

But that growth comes at the expense of Illinois’ traditional riverboat casinos and the horse racing industry, which has been on a downward trajectory for decades.

An annual report published last week by the General Assembly’s fiscal forecasting arm laid out the state’s record nearly $2.1 billion in revenues, nearly half of which was earmarked for infrastructure projects, while most of the remainder went to education.

While the Illinois Lottery continues to make up a significant portion of the state’s wagering revenues, it might soon be eclipsed by Illinois’ ever-growing video gambling industry. In the last fiscal year, the lottery netted $886 million in state tax revenue while video gambling’s state taxes climbed to $848 million.

Statewide, bars, restaurants and truck stops have i nstalled 48,176 video g ambling machines since 2012 – a figure that’s grown steadily each year despite the COVID-19 pandemic shuttering all gambling activity for months

Also not stopping the industry’s growth: a series of tax increases, including one approved in the spring as part of state budget ne gotiations

Though video g ambling may be eating away at Illinois’ casino industry – a fear that has been vocalized since ne gotiations on le g alizing the terminals 15 years ago – the Commission on Gover nment Forecasting and Accountability’s re port also blames “added competition from new casinos across Illinois.”

COGFA’s report indicates overall casino revenue growth is mainly due to the success of Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and the opening of five new casinos statewide in the past few years. A sixth, in Chicago’s south suburbs, is slated to open later this fall.

Illinois’ nine riverboat le gacy casinos, most of which have been running for about three decades, have seen their revenues decline “for nine consecutive years,” according to the report. Visits to casinos in East St. Louis, East Peoria and Joliet’s Harrah’s Casino have seen significant drop-off

“The opening of additional casinos provides an abundance of new gaming opportunities for gamblers in Illinois,” the report said. “However, there are concerns of oversaturation. ... By the end of FY 2024, the number of video gaming terminals in operation across Illinois has grown to over 48,000, the equivalent of over 40 ‘full-size’ Illinois casinos.”

Video gambling is also the largest driver of increased per-capita spending on all types of wagering in Illinois over the last five years, though the popularity of sports betting has also been a factor. Illinoisans spent more than $7 billion spent on gambling, lottery tickets and other types of betting-based entertainment last year – approximately $560 per capita.

Horse racing, on the other hand, has continued to dwindle in Illinois. After Arlington Racetrack closed in 2021 and sold the land to the Chicago Bears, Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney and Fair mount Park in Collinsville are the only two racetracks remaining in operation. The report notes horse racing brought in “a mere $6 million” in state revenues last year, and that “racinos” – provided for in a massive 2019 law that legalized sports betting and created six new casino licenses – have not yet materialized as a lifeline for racetracks. Fair mount has been buoyed by partnering with sports betting giant FanDuel for the past several years, making it the home base for Illinois’ most successful online sports betting company. FanDuel’s adjusted gross receipts last year totaled more

See GAMBLING on page 27

Berwyn police, U.S. Marshals arrest North Riverside hit-and-run suspect

e man allegedly struck 2 police o cers and 2 civilians, 1 of whom nearly died

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

The Berwyn Police Department and United States Marshals Service have arrested a man who is accused of striking four people — two police and two civilians — with a car during a police chase last month that started in North Riverside

Terrance Whitley has been in Berwyn police custody since they arrested him Oct. 9 around 8:15 a.m. on the 6400 block of South Rockwell Street in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood

Around 6 p.m. on Sept. 4, North Riverside police attempted to perform a traffic stop

near the North Riverside Park Mall, Berwyn police said in a written statement. The vehicle, which Whitley was allegedly driving, did not pull over and continued north on Harlem Avenue before striking a 55-year-old male pedestrian on the 2300 block. The man was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries.

The car’s driver fled the scene on foot and, according to Berwyn police, hijacked another vehicle, which then struck two police officers and another civilian, all three of whom were later taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver then abandoned the stolen vehicle on the 2200 block of Grove Avenue in Berwyn before fleeing on foot for a second time.

Police established a perimeter around the area at that time but did not locate the man.

While Whitley remains in their c ustody, Berwyn p olice are wo rk ing with the C ook County State’s A ttorney ’s Office to charge him.

Terrance Whitley is accused of having struck four people with two cars, including one that was stolen, during a hit-and-run in North Riverside and Berwyn last month Berwyn police and U.S. Marshals arrested Whitley, Oct. 9 in Chicago

Caregiver burnout is a growing concern, especially for those caring for aging loved ones. The demands of caregiving, while rewarding, can become overwhelming and lead to physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion.It’s essential to recognize the signs early and consider options to prevent exhaustion and ensure quality care for all involved.

• Look Out for Signs. Common signs include chronic fatigue, irritability, feelings of helplessness, and a decline in personal health. Caregivers may also experience sleep disturbances, anxiety, and withdrawal from social activities.

Recognizing the signs of burnout and seeking help is crucial for caregivers and their families.

• Strategies to Reset: It’s important for caregivers to seek support and practice self-care. Senior living communities and respite care services offer relief by providing professional care for their loved ones, allowing caregivers time to rest and recharge. Taking a break doesn’t mean giving up on caregiving; rather, it ensures caregivers remain healthy and strong enough to continue caring for their loved ones in the long term. Visit Cantata.org for more senior living advice or call (708) 387-1030.

BERWYN POLICE DEPARTMENT

A Riversider objected to the treatment of ﬁreﬁghters. So he took action

A look at Colin Hughes, the man behind Fire Department Inc.

By CAMERON BOLTON Contributing Reporter

Colin Hughes, a for mer Riverside resident, felt he had a story to tell in film when he learned back in 2021 that North Riverside officials had a plan to save money by privatizing the fire department and replacing all its firefighters if they didn’t go along with it.

Even though the plan of then-Mayor Hubert Hermanek was rejected, Hughes, who’s 27 and has lived in Riverside on and of f until 2024, has spent the time since to bring the documentary to life. It’s called Fire Department Inc.

“If the story wasn’t as compelling as it was, I would not have told it,” he said.

However, if you wanted to get more specific, Fire Department Inc. started with a $150 red light ticket at the intersection of Harlem Avenue and Cermak Road.

While googling how to contest this ticket, Hughes found several Riverside-Brookfield Landmark articles about how the red light cameras paid for the firefighter pension fund. Towns typically have a dedicated tax line item that goes into the pension fund, while North Riverside did not. Hughes then discovered the adversarial relationship between the firefighters and the village.

Then he learned of the plan of Hermanek to privatize the fire department to close the budget gap, and this Hughes believed was wrong. He decided to do something about it Thus, the idea for the documentary was born.

Hughes has been interested in movies since attending Hauser Junior High School, where he was active with the school’s theater department. He stepped up to lear n film editing when his teacher asked his students if anyone knew the program Final Cut Pro.

“ I said yes, even though that wasn’t exactly true, because I was interested in lear ning. I quickly picked it up, and from there, I loved it, “ Hughes said

Although there is no studio-guaranteed distribution for “Fire Department Inc.,” lmmaker Colin Hughes is taking it on the festival circuit.

Later he worked on films at Riverside Brookfield High School’s television department and in colle ge

T he first step in making the documentary was creating a timeline and g etting a list of the key pl ayers on both side s. Interviewing the firefighters proved challenging because, after a seven-year le gal battle, they had concerns about Hughes’s movie making them look bad, which the director understood

At that point, it seemed like the documentary might already be over. The firefighters didn’t want to talk to Hughes and his team. Hughes didn’t think they would get the mayor to speak to them. Still, Hughes left a message for Hermanek, explaining what he was doing and how he would love to talk to him. He got a call back about 15 minutes later, with the mayor ag reeing to an interview tomorrow.

“And I frantically called my crew, like, ‘Hey guys, we got to go,’” said Hughes. “’This is a chance we’re probably not go-

ing to get again. We pulled that interview together, and then, all of a sudden, it gave our project some weight. We cut together a little proof of concept trailer that I could show the firefighters, ‘Hey, look, this isn’t going to be a hit piece on you guys. This will be a fair examination of what happened.’ At that point, it really took off.”

Editing Fire Department, Inc. began in 2021. According to Hughes, as hard as the production and filming had been, the editing was 100 times harder.

“If you’re editing a narrative film, it’s like putting together a puzzle, where you have a picture on a box, you have all the pieces, and you know that they all fit to-

gether,” said Hughes. “But when you’re editing a documentary film, you don’t have the picture on the box, and none of the pieces are cut, so you have to cut out the pieces so that they fit together and guess along the way how and if the pieces actually do fit together.”

After two and a half years of editing, Hughes said seeing what the editors did felt like Christmas. Now that the film is made, but with no studio-guaranteed distribution, the team has been getting the movie out through film festivals around the country. Find more information about where it’s playing on the documentary’s website at https://www.firedeptinc.com/.

CO RRECTI ON

An article titled “Nellie Brennan, noted Riverside resident, struck, killed by train,” which appeared in print Aug. 28, 2024, misstated the kind of train that struck Brennan. It was an Amtrak train. The Landmark apolo gizes for the er ror.

Capitol Briefs: Raoul ﬁles suit against TikTok

Advocates seek support for drug price control board

By PETER HANCOCK, JENNIFER FULLER & JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois

A consumer advocacy group continued its push this week to drum up support for legislation to establish a state board to regulate the price of many prescription drugs in Illinois.

Citizen Action/Illinois, along with other groups, convened a town hall meeting in Rockford last Tuesday – the fifth in a series of such meetings the group has held since last spring – to push for passage of House Bill 4472, which would establish a Health Care Availability and Access Board.

That five-member board, appointed by the gover nor, would have authority to set caps on the prices paid by both insurance plans and consumers for certain high-cost drugs.

“Right now, one in three Illinoisans, based on a poll that we commissioned earlier this year, are rationing their medication or skipping pills altogether, meaning that they’re splitting doses in half, or trying to make it stretch, not taking their medication as prescribed by their doctors, simply because they cannot af ford it,” said the group’s director Anusha Thotakura.

Joining Thotakura last Tuesday were Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, who represents the 17th Congressional District that includes Rockford, state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, and Dr. Ram Krishnamoorthi, an internal medicine physician who practices in the Chicago area.

In 2022, as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, Cong ress for the first time gave the Medicare progr am – the federa l health care progr am for seniors – authority to ne gotiate prices it pays for certain high-cost drugs. Under HB 4472, those negotiated prices would become the upper payment limit for purchasers outside the Medicare progr am.

The bill was introduced at the be ginning of the 2024 legislative session in January by Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine,. House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is among its chief co-sponsors.

No action was taken on the bill during the spring session and it has not yet been assigned to a substantive committee, but it could come up for consideration during the fall veto session, which begins Nov. 12, or in the spring.

TikTok lawsuit

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has filed suit against the social media platfo rm TikTok, alleging the app is har ming children.

The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, claims TikTok violated Illinois’ Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, along with the Uniform Deceptive Business Practices Act. Raoul alle ged TikTok uses features that are addictive and exploit young and vulnerable users by encouraging them to spend long periods of time on the platform.

“American children and teenagers are in the grip of a devastating mental health crisis,” Raoul said in a news release. “The addictive features on TikTok’s social media platform interfere with sleep and education, and contribute to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and thoughts of self-har m.”

The suit seeks both injunctive relief “to prevent future violations of the Consumer Fraud Act” and monetary damages, including $50,00 for each “unfair or deceptive act or practice.”

Raoul joined 13 other states in filing separate enforcement actions Tuesday against TikTok. He and other critics of the popular online social media platform have denounced its business model, as well as its impact on children.

Tuesday’s action follows a lawsuit Raoul’s office filed last year against Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta. Raoul’s office also joined a coalition of attor neys general last month to call for the U.S. Surgeon General to put a warning on all algorithm-driven social media platforms.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit , nonpartisan news service that dist ributes state go ve r nment co ve ra ge to hund re ds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Ro b ert R. McCo rmick Foundation.

It’s spooky season: How to celebrate Halloween this year

Trick-or-treating runs 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 31 in Brook eld, Riverside and North Riverside

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

With Halloween right around the corner, many are looking forward to snacking on candy, dressing up in costumes or indulging in scary movies. Whatever you like the most about the holiday, the core activity is always the same: trick-or-treating.

On Thursday, Oct. 31, Brookfield, Riverside and North Riverside will each host official trick-or-treating hours from 3 to 7 p.m. Generally, houses planning to give out candy should leave their lights on while those not participating can keep their house dark. North Riverside residents are also encouraged to display village-provided signs in their windows that state wheth-

er they’re handing out treats.

The North Riverside Park Mall is hosting trick-or-treating inside the mall with participating stores from 5 to 7 p.m. on Halloween. At 6 p.m., the mall will hold a costume contest for members of its free Kids Club split into three groups for kids aged 5 years old and younger, aged 6 to 8 years old and aged 9 to 12 years old.

While not day-of, there are other ways to celebrate the season of scares. The Brookfield Historical Society and Brookfield Chamber of Commerce will host the 25th annual Monsters on Mainstreet business district event Saturday, Oct. 26. From noon to 3 p.m., kids can stop in at participating businesses with signs along Grand Boulevard and Broadway Avenue to trick-or-treat.

The event includes a costume contest at 3 p.m. at the historic Grossdale Station, 8820 ½ Brookfield Ave., though parents are welcome in or out of costume. The first 500 children can also get free apple cider, taffy apples and pumpkins at the station starting at 2:30 p.m. Riverside’s Frederick Law Olmsted Society will host four two-mile walking ghost

tours toward the end of the month. At 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 and 26, the society will take attendees through its re lar route, showing of f historic homes in town, while incorporating ghost storie All tours will start at the Riverside Train Station; tickets cost $10 for Olmsted Society members and $15 for non-members.

While the ghost stories will be fami friendly, and the Olmsted Society encourag es children and teenagers to attend, officials said it may be too scary for kids under 12.

This year’s ghost tours are a trial meaning they may become a yearly fixture go ing forward if the tours are heavily attended North Riverside will host a family zombie ball at the Village Commons gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 25 from 6-8:30 p.m. Families encouraged to attend the night of dancing and activities in costume, though attendees must register by calling the gymnasium by Oct. 21. Tickets are $8 for North Riverside residents and $10 for non-residents.

If you or a trick-or-treater you know has allergies or dietary restrictions, the Teal Pumpkin Project provides ideas for

allergy-friendly or non-food treats as well as an interactive map online to find homes giving away such treats. If you plan to hand out toys, stickers, trinkets or other inclusive treats this year, you can add your home to the map so other users know where to find you.

Girls Little League takes ﬁrst

Brook eld also celebrated its girls Little League so ball team as the champions of the third annual Hotshots Tournament, which got its start in 2022 as the girls’ equivalent of the Overholt Tournament. Most of the team could not attend the meeting, but Brook eld recognized team members (from le to right) Amelia Johnson, Yaretzi Patricio, Maria Elena Melendez and Coach Mike Melendez.

Estate Sale

60 years of accumulation, all must go-whole house includes MCM furniture, appliances, linen, kitchenware, tools, tv, washer and dryer, stove, small electrics, springbok puzzles, Christmas ornaments and lights, art and knickknacks.

Rummage Sale

Paul’s Lutheran Church & School

Grant Ave (corner of Park & Grant), Brookfield, IL. Friday, October 18 • 9am to 6pm, Saturday, October 19 • 8:30am. to 11:30am

Clothes, housewares, books, DVDs, furniture, and many more items. $5 bag sale on Saturday.

What’s happening in Riverside, Brookﬁeld schools

By LANDMARK STAFF

AP

names RBHS

to honor roll

Riverside Brookfield High School has earned gold reco gnition on the Colle ge Board’s AP School Honor Roll this year.

T he AP School Honor Roll reco gnizes schools that have d one outstanding wo rk to welcome more students i nto AP c ourses and suppo rt them on the path to c olle ge success

T he AP School Honor Roll offers four levels of distinction: Bronz e, Sil ve r, Gold, and Platinum.

To qualify, schools in the United States and Canada must have had:

■ 40% or more of the gr aduating cohor t who took at least 1 AP Exam during high school.

■ 25% or more of the graduating cohort who scored a 3 or higher on at least 1 AP Exam during high school.

Thursday, Oct. 17 at Hauser Junior High. Parents, guardians and teachers are welcome to attend.

■ 2% or more of the graduating cohort who took 5 or more AP Exams during high school. At least 1 of those exams was taken in ninth or 10th grade.

A school also much have full-time grade-12 enrollments.

In 2024, Riverside Brookfield High School had 609 students who took at least one AP exam from the 25 AP courses of fered, officials said, with 72% of exams receiving a score of 3 or higher.

Conchas y chocolate

In Latin American History class at RBHS, students acted out the Mayan folktale called “The Legend of the Chocolate Tree,” a tale in which Mayan king Kukulkán and his brother, Night Jaguar, spar over Kukulkán’s gift to his people, a chocolate tree

As part of the experience, teacher Armando Venegas showed the class how to make traditional Mexican hot chocolate.

D96 hosts cyber safety presentation

The Riverside School District 96 will be hosting “Keeping Our Kids Cyber Safe” presentation for parents from 6 to 8 p.m.

Detective Richard Wi stocki, nationally reco gnized High Te chnolo gy Cybe r Crimes Specialist, will be presenting proactive strat eg ie s, i nsight, and resources d esigned to c ombat cybe r- bullying vaping and sexting

Topics discussed include:

■ Understand cyber-crime and that “no one online is anonymous”

■ Understand appropriate protocols when someone discloses issues of cyberbullying, sexting, or sextortion.

■ How to re port criminal cyber bullying.

■ Understand the d angers of many popular apps

■ How Internet investigations are conducted using subpoenas and search warrants

■ Understand social media laws such as: harassment, cybe r- stalking and f alse personation.

■ How to empower yourself to report cybercrime and harassment.

■ How to protect your “ digital footprint” and understand wh at it means to your future.

There will be time for questions The event will be held in the auditorium at 65 Woodside Rd.

Library holds virtual watch party with author Jason Reynolds

His writing aims to help Black youth feel seen

By LANDMARK STAFF

New York Times bestselling youth author Jason Reynolds will attend a virtual talk called at the Riverside Public Library Tuesday.

Reynolds is an advocate, mentor, and 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He is also a recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, a Carnegie Medal, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors. He was named a MacArthur f ellow earlier this month.

Reynolds’ titles include Stamped (with Ibram X. Kendi), Stuntboy, the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu), Miles Morales, and All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely). Reynolds’ life and work were featured in the short documentary “Dear, Dreamer,” described as “a lyrical portrait of Reynolds’ life and work as a rising literary star, as well as a testament to shared experiences and the power of

seeing yourself in books.”

He also hosts a podcast called My Mother Made Me, in which he and his mother, Isabell, explore their history and what they’re teaching each other.

Reynolds lives in Washington, DC, where he is a faculty member at Lesley University for the Writing for Young People MFA Progr am.

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.

“Raise Your Voice with Jsaon Reynolds” will be held from 7 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the Riverside Public Library at 1 Burling Road. It is free and open to the public

It’s always been easier for me to help others than to help myself

Registration is required for the virtual event at https://bit.ly/ILP_JasonReynolds or the Watch Party at www.riversidelibrary.org

It’s always been easier for me to help others than to help myself

Jason Reynolds; Library of Congress; Na

His work can be found at JasonWritesBooks.com.

People’s Literature; Portrait

As a Veteran, when someone raises their hand for help, you’re often one of the first ones to respond. But it’s also okay to get help for yourself. Maybe you want or need assistance with employment, stress, finances, mental health or finding the right resources. No matter what it is, you earned it. And there’s no better time than right now to ask for it. Don’t wait. Reach out.

As a Veteran, when someone raises their hand for help, you’re

JASON REYNOLDS

oung

Driehaus Museum exhibition, ‘Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright,’ showcases lesser-known side of the famous architect

By LACE Y SIKORA Contributing Reporter

Chicago’s Driehaus Museum’s upcoming exhibit on architect Frank Lloyd Wright will explore the famous architect through his own photos, as well as photos of others of his iconic works.

Opening on Oct. 24 and running through Jan. 5, 2025, the exhibit is the first of its kind to examine Wright’s relationship to photography

William C. Hedrich for Hedrich-Blessing, Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin, Spring Green, WI circa 1937.

Guest curator David Hanks said that it can sometimes seem like there is little more for the world to discover about Wright. He noted that most people in Chicago are very familiar with Wright ading, “Almost nothing is new.”

While people might have seen some of the previously published photos that other photographers took of Wright’s work, people don’t realize that Wright was a photographer himself, Hanks said.”

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust is a collaborating partner in the exhibit, and

Hanks said that the trust shared the album from Wright’s 1905 trip to Japan, which is one of the most important albums of his photographs.

The trust also provided photos from Wright’s Home & Studio that capture Wright and his family

The first part of the exhibit focuses on Wright’s photos as the architect experimented with the new hobby of photography. Along with photos from Wright’s 1905 trip to Japan, Hanks chose photos from the Avery Library Collection at Columbia Uni-

versity, which purchased the architect’s archives from Taliesin.

Some of Wright’s nature photography from the 1890’s is showcased too. Hanks said he was excited about a photo originally featured in House Beautiful magazine that pictures the weeds and flowers in front of Wright’s Oak Park home.

The trust contributed more than photos to the exhibit.

“The most exciting thing for me is that See WRIGHT EXHIBIT on page 15

ig fe, Ca ig and son, Llewelly n, c. 1907, photograph attributed to Wright.

the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust lent one of the dining room chairs from the Home and Studio dining room to the exhibit,” Hanks said. “It’s always interesting to take something out of its original context. You put it up on a platform, and it becomes a piece of sculpture.”

Also included in the exhibit are photos Wright took of the Hillside Home School in Wisconsin, which was owned by his aunts. Hanks said the photos of the progressive school are interesting because they show people in everyday activities such as sports or cooking

The second part of the exhibit covers photographers who documented Wright’s career

Architectural photographer Henry Fuermann photographed Wright’s Prairie years.

raphers. It raises the argument, he said: “Is architectural photography art itself or just showing of f the architecture?”

Teske photographed Taliesin at Spring Green, Taliesin West and then the Hollyhock House in California, living on the estate grounds for several years.

Korling photographed the Johnson Wax Headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin for Life Magazine in 1939.

Hanks also pointed out the photography of Hedrich-Blessing, Ken Hedrich and Henry Blessing, who captured Wright’s work.

Hedrich was engaged to photograph Falling Water in Pennsylvania.

“He had to put on wading boots to get that famous view,” Hanks said. “This is one of the most iconic architectural photos of all time.” Photographer Pedro Guerrero met Wright in 1939 and photographed Wright’s work, including the Usonian designs, until the architect died in 1959.

Ezra Stoller worked in the 1950s and 1960s and captured iconic photos of the Guggenheim Museum, Wright’s final commission before his death.

Hedrich-Blessing, Photographed by Bill Hedrich, December 1937 for Architectural Forum. Edgar Kaufmann residence, Fallingwater, Mill Run, PA.

“We have Fuermann’s own camera,” Hanks said. “We try to show a little bit of the technology because that interested Wright. He often worked closely with the photographers.”

Moving on to Wright’s work on Midway gardens and the first Taliesin, the exhibit showcases the work of Julius Shulman, who captured a lot of Wright’s later work in California.

Hanks said that photographers Edmund Teske and Torkel Korling are less wellknown but were considered artist’s photog-

Tickets for visiting the Driehaus Museum include access to the exhibit Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright and can be purchased two weeks in advance at: https://driehausmuseum.org/

During the duration of the exhibit, the Driehaus Museum and the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust will offer reciprocal member benefits that include admission to the Driehaus Museum, the Robie House Museum and Wright’s Home and Studio.

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not having a drive r’s license; a ccording to p olice, he p ossessed multiple brandnew i Phones and $4,000 in c ash in the vehicl e. After his ar rest, the man was taken i nto c ustody by New L enox p olice, who charged and released him.

T he next day, using Critical Reach police data sharing, Brookfield police found instances of the same of fender, recorded on camera, stealing packages in Braidwood and Oak Lawn. After reaching out to Oak Lawn police that day, Brookfield police heard back on Sept. 5 that Braidwood police had identified the car the man was using and that it had New Jersey license plates. Later that day, Brookfield police located the man’s car on the village camera system driving through town at an earlier time

On Sept. 6, a Brookfield officer attempted to have a tracke r order i ssued for the vehicle in q uestion, but the supervisor of f elony review at the C ook C ounty C ourt House d enied the orde r, because p olice c ould not pr ove the man was using the car specifically to c ommi t the c rime of theft rather than as a g etaw ay vehicle afterward.

Later, that officer spoke with a Braidwood p olice officer, who explained they had lear ned the van was being used by a crew with c onnections to the Venezuelan g ang Tren de Aragua. According to police, the crew was obtaining info rm atio n about the locations of the packages from a Fe dEx source in New Je r sey so they c ould steal them and ship them there. Brai dwood p olice said they and other agencies had reached out to the FBI about the case but that they had been ref used at that point.

On Sept. 13, Brookfield p olice learned other agencies had c onducted a “sof t tail” on the vehicle starting in E lmhurst. T he car was p ulled over in S outh Holland, where the drive r was ar rested fo r

According to New L enox p olice, wh il e in c ustody, the man admitted to stealing packages of f porches using the ca r, wh ich b elonged to his brother and wh ich he took to I llinois alone. T he man sai d he was a member of a Tele gr am group where he c ould purchase the tracking numbers of electronic i tems, wh ich he would use to locate and steal them after they had been delive red.

On Oct. 1, Brookfield p olice responded to the man’s last known address in Calumet Cit y, where they spoke with the him. T hey showe d him an image of the thef t on Monroe Avenue and asked if he recog nized the man in the picture; the man admitted it was him in the p hoto and that the car was the one p olice had taken from him already. Police i ssued the man one citation for theft and set a c ourt date for Nov. 12.

Drunk driver arrested in downtown Riverside

Rive rside p olice ar rested a man Oct. 6 for driving drunk after seeing his ca r swer ve into the oncoming traffic lane

Around 1:45 a.m., an officer on patrol saw the man’s car heading east on Fo rest Avenue from Kimbark Road toward downtown. At the i ntersection with L ongcommon Road, p olice obser ve d the car initially head toward E ast Burlington Street before making a “slow and w ide” right turn to go south on L ongc ommon Road without a turn signal, crossing i nto the way of oncoming traffic in the process. T he officer activated their emergency lights to p ull the ca r over near the Rive rside Train Station of f Bloomingbank Road

After making c ontact with the dr iver, the officer asked him where he was coming from. T he man, slurring his wo rd s, said he was driving from a pa rt y to hi s

See POLICE REPORTS on page 27

A guide to help you nd your polling place, learn about who’s running in your district and understand what’s on your ballot.

HOW TO FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE

PAGE 19

ILLINOIS ’ AND RIVERSIDE’S BALLOT QUESTIONS DEMYSTIFIED

PAGE 18

WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR STATE’S AT TORNEY?

PAGE 20

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE

What are the tax, reproductive rights and elections interference questions on my ballot this year?

Both Riverside and the state will ask voters questions in November. Here’s what they mean

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

This election season, most eyes are on the biggest race of them all: the presidential race. As important as it is to make your pick between Vice President Kamala Harris and for mer President Donald Trump, Illinois residents are also being asked to weigh in on matters that don’t involve a choice between candidates Come Election Day, your ballot will ask you to vote on three statewide ballot measures, the maximum number allowed under

state law. All three are considered advisory questions, meaning Illinois officials will not be bound by the results; instead, the questions are intended to give the state a sense of how voters feel about each subject. Sometimes, ballot measures can be worded in ways that are confusing or may cause people to vote the opposite way that they intend to. Luckily, all three in Illinois this year are worded affirmatively, so a “yes” vote means you support the initiative in question while a “no” vote means you oppose it.

RIVERSIDE TAX REFERENDUM

If you live in Riverside, you’ll have one village-wide referendum on your ballot in addition to the state measures Riverside voters will be asked if the village should be allowed to increase its tax levy for 2024 by 9.3% compared to the previous year’s. Under the Property Tax Extension Law Limit, Illinois nonhome rule municipalities like Riverside can only increase their tax levies each year at a rate that matches the previous year’s Consumer Price Index inflation rate, but if that rate goes above 5%, tax levy increases are capped there. A tax levy can only be increased by more than 5% with the approval of voters.

As village officials have said, the increased tax levy, should it pass, would go into effect at the same time as Riverside pays of f outstanding debt, meaning residents will not see their property taxes go up.

In 2004 and again in 2014, village voters approved the issuance of 10-year bonds to fund Riverside’s street re pairs,

ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE

The first question is on the topic of assisted reproductive health care. Voters will be asked whether “medically assisted reproductive treatments” should be covered by any health insurance plan in the state that provides full pregnancy coverage. The question itself mentions in vitro fertilization, one of the most common fertility treatments.

According to the Center for Disease Control, its preferred term, “assisted reproductive technology,” includes any fertility treatment that involves handling ovarian eggs or embryos. Treatments that involve someone taking medicine to encourage egg production and those where only sperm is handled, such as artificial insemination, are not included.

3% TA X ON WEALTHIEST CITIZENS

but since then, village staf f have realized Riverside spends about half a million dollars on fees and interest for each set of bonds over the 10 years it takes to pay them back. This new method of funding street re pairs will allow the village to put that money directly into improving its roads instead

If voters approve the referendum, the cumulative nature of property tax levies means the village will be able to earmark about $256,000 each year for street and bridge re pairs with no real effect on residents’ taxes. But if it fails, the village will have to go back to the drawing board to find a way to fund street re pairs, which could d elay capital projects or services planned for next year and beyond

If you’d like to learn more about the tax levy referendum, visit Riverside’s website at https://riverside.il.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3877 to read up on the answers to some frequently asked questions.

The second ballot measure, on the subject of income tax, is relatively straightforward. Voters will be asked if Illinois should amend its constitution to create a new 3% tax on income above $1 million. If voters pass the ballot measure and Il-

linois officials choose to follow through, funds raised by the extra tax will be earmarked and dedicated to property tax relief. According to WBEZ, the state estimates it will rake in at least $4.5 billion each year if such a tax goes into effect.

ELEC TION INTERFERENCE

The third question on the ballot considers recourse in cases of election interference. Voters will be asked if candidates up for election on ballots in Illinois — for all races, not just those at the state or local level — should be subject to civil penalties if they attempt to interfere or do interfere with the official duties of an election worker. The question specifies civil penalties, which most often take the form of fines All three ballot measures were approved by the Illinois General Assembly in May as part of Public Act 103-0586. In approving these three questions, state lawmakers re-

jected a fourth advisory question.

That question would have asked voters if any person or entity, including schools and clinics, would require the written consent of a minor’s parent or guardian before it can provide non-emergency medical services or any services related to gender identity or “modification,” including therapy.

Under Illinois law, when more than three measures are submitted for inclusion on ballots, the state operates by a first-comefirst-serve policy, meaning this question was the last one to be initiated.

Where and how to vote in the November 2024 election

There are multiple options for making your voice heard in the election

After re gistration, it’s important to decide how you want to vote and to have a voting plan in place. Some prefer to vote early to avoid the rush and to have peace of mind ahead of time. Any qualified voter can do so at a site established by the election authority.

In suburban Cook County, voters can

To ensure the mail-in ballot counts, it must be postmarked by Election Day on Nov. 5 and received within two weeks. Voters can also return their ballot in a drop box location, which can be found online, from Oct. 21 to Nov. 4.

Military personnel and United States citizens that are overseas have to follow additional requirements

WHERE TO VOTE

But if you want to vote in person on Election Day, it’s important to be prepared and know where to go. Voters can find their specific polling location for Election Day with the zip code and street address of their voter registration through the Illinois State Board of Elections.

RIVERSIDE

rside, there are two accessible

wnship Hall at 27

unior High School at 65

BROOKFIELD

In Brookfield, there are four accessible polling locations:

■ Brookfield Village Hall at 8820 Brookfield Ave.

■ S. E. Gross Middle School at 3524 Maple Ave.

■ Congress Park Elementary School at 9311 Shields Ave.

■ Lincoln Elementary School at 4300 Grove Ave.

NORTH RIVERSIDE

In North Riverside, there are two accessible polling locations:

■ North Riverside Village Commons at 2401 Des Plaines Ave.

■ Mater Christi Church at 2401 S. 10th Ave.

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE

Who is running for Cook County State’s Attorney?

Eileen O’Neill Burke, B ob Fioretti and Andrew Charles Kopinski are running for the o ce vacated by Kim Foxx, who is stepping down

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

In April last year, Kim Foxx announced she wouldn’t seek reelection this November after two terms as Cook County state’s attorney. Now, others are stepping up to the plate to take her place.

Eileen O’Neill Burke will be on the ballot as the Democratic candidate after beating Clayton Harris III in the primary elections by less than 2,000 votes. Bob Fioretti, who ran uncontested in the primaries, is the Republican candidate. Andrew Charles Kopinski is running as a Libertarian. Here’s what to know about each of the candidates in this race.

EILEEN O’NEILL BURKE, DEMOCR AT

O’Neill Burke has spent more than 30 years as a defense attorney, judge and prosecutor. She wo as a Cook County assistant state’s attorney for a decade, where she served as supervisor in appeals and argued cases.

She was then a criminal defense attorney for about eight years, resenting people in felonies, ju nile court and misdemeanor court.

In 2008, O’Neill Burke ran trial court, where she served ting elected to the First District Appellate Court in Cook County, a position she stepped down from last year to run for this of fice.

“I have b een on every single s ide of the j ustice system. I have b een in every corner of the c ourtroom, and I have seen the vantage point from every different angle that you c an,” O’Neill Burke said. “I know wh at wo rk s and wh at d oesn’t wo rk , and that’s why I decided to ste p down and r un for this offic e, because experience is needed right now. ”

prolific these guns are, just by enforcing the law,” O’Neill Burke said.

She also mentions supporting, but amending, the Safe-T Act, which Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law in 2021 and cently amended, ending cash bail in Illinois two years later

But the Safe-T Act also changed the state’s attorney role in pretrial detention. Before the judge makes a determination, the state’s attorney needs to file a petition to detain. If they don’t, the judge can’t detain the defendant, even if they’re a serial killer, O’Neill Burke said.

“It’s become exponentially more important who the state’s attorney is and that they are implementing criteria, procedures and training for those people who are in the detention courts,” O’Neill Burke said.

If elected, O’Neill Burke promises to recruit for County’s Restorative Justice Bureau, expanding restorat justice and deferred prosecution programs. These progr are a collaborative approach where the judge, state’s ney and defense attorney work together to decide how to help those committing nonviolent offenses back on track.

“I’m a believer in these programs because I’ve seen them work,” O’Neill Burke said. “The recidivism rates are significantly less than those going through a re gular felony trial call.” And restorative justice programs often cost a fraction of what it does to incarcerate someone, she said.

ROBERT W. FIORET TI , REPUBLICAN

100 state verdicts, federal verdicts and appellate cour t decisions.

T he main issues that O’Neill Burke is r unning on include removing guns from the streets, addressing the root causes of crime and rebuilding the State’s Attorney’s Of fice.

O’Neill Burke said Chicago saw 764 shootings this summer. She said many of these shootings weren’ t with handguns, but with guns that have a switch and extended magazine, making gunfire harder to control. She favors an assault weapons ban.

“We can change the behavior, and we can change how

If elected, O’Neill Burke has also committed to creating a Choice Protection Unit at the State’s Attorney’s Office.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned in the Supreme Court in 2022, giving states the right to outlaw abor tions, Illinois saw a 70% increase in abortions last year, including many where people crossed state lines to access the Cook County Health system – the largest provider of reproductive services to women in Illinois, according to O’Neill Burke.

With the influx of people coming to Illinois for abor tions, “It’s not a question of if we are also going to have people coming here from out of state to interfere with those services. It’s a question of when,” O’Neill Burke said.

So, she has helped develop a task force of service providers, politicians and Planned Parenthood employees to discuss how to address ordinance violations like picketing, and criminal charges like stalking and harassment, plus legislation to prevent them.

O’Neill Burke said that restorative justice programs and a Choice Protection Unit will help the State’s Attorney’s Office to recruit law students for an office that is understaffed — mainly in the felony trial division, which Burke said is the most important division.

O’Neill Burke said she would triage the felony trial division to ensure those attorneys have adequate support. She would do this by inviting retired judges and state’s attorneys to come help train those attorneys.

“I’ve tried cases in every courtroom in Cook County,” Fioretti said, including some in sur rounding counties and throughout Illinois.

Fioretti also won the election to serve as Alderman of the 2nd Ward on the Chicago City Council in 2007 and 2011. And he served as 2nd Ward Democratic committeeman for two ter ms

T he first week of October, Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. endorsed Fioretti for state’s attor ney.

If elected, Fioretti said he’ll enforce the law as w ritten.

“I’m not going to coddle violent criminals,” he said. He added that he’ll work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to remove immigrants who have committed violent crimes.

“The current philosophy in that office, and including for my Democratic opponent, is that the criminal defendant is the good guy, the police are the bad guys, and the victims don’t count,” Fioretti said. “I am definitely looking to change that and, at the same time, restore the rule of law and break the cycle of crime and cor ruption that we see is so prevalent.”

Fioretti also said he would also pursue politicians who participate in day-to-day corruption that passes as standard practices, bolstering the office’s investigative division. He said he’s been putting together a team of people working in investigative areas on how

ANDREW CHARLES KOPINSKI , LIBER TARIAN

Kopinski has work accountant, attorney, entr neur and real estate broker. His legal career has largely centered around transactional law involving real estate, asset protection and debt collection.

“Alarming trends in crime have shifted my attention and focus on criminal la Kopinski, who is near ished with his associate’s degree in law enforcement and criminal justice at Oakton Colle ge in Des Plaines

Kopinski said he decided to run to improve the decreasing quality of ing from crime in the area.

“Crime has spread out from certain high crime areas,” Kopinski said. carjackings and shootings are taking previously high-quality areas,” he said.

Kopinski said his biggest goal would be to decrease these crimes “to help significantly reduce violent crime and property crime in Cook County so that the people feel safer and more optimistic. They will want to continue to live and do business in Cook County.”

When it comes to the current state of the office, Kopinski has a list of things he’d like to change.

“The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is not working well, as evidenced by the high turnover rate and the increase in property crime in Cook County,” Kopinski said. “High-quality prosecutors, like those at the top of other professions, work hard and are determined to contribute to society to make it better by pursuing justice against criminals.”

Foxx’s soft-on-crime policies, he adds, are “demoralizing” for these prosecutors.

they take tips and follow up with leads.

Fioretti said he’ll help get illegal guns of f the streets by working with law enforcement and organizations that are currently in place to prevent gun violence. To tackle the issue, he said he’ll meet with those in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, plus other federal and state agencies that address gun violence.

Re garding the Safe-T Act, Fioretti said that judges need more discretion when it comes to pretrial detention.

“Some of the crimes — such as aggravated battery upon a police officer, aggravated battery on an elderly individual, the illegal

lthough the Protect Illinois ommunities Act, passed at the start of 2023, requires citire gister assault weappinski said he doesn’t think those who fail to do so should be prosecuted, according to WTTW

According to his website, pinski opposes increasing penalties for gun possession. When it comes to the Safe-T ’t support the eliminaash bail. He said it sends the mesthat Illinois is soft on crime, and that a low bail should be instated instead. pinski said that he also wouldn’t continshoplifting cases, which elon must have stolen at least ve 10 prior convictions to be prosecuted. He said he would revert to the $300 threshold before prosecution.

Policies Kopinski supports includes creating opportunities to reduce prison stays, limiting or prohibiting police officers’ roles as School Resource Officers, reclassifying low-level drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, plus deprioritizing prosecution for cannabis possession, consensual sex work, and driving without an up-to-date license or re gistration.

Kopinski said he would engage with those he represents through online communication and town halls to ensure that he is held accountable.

“I will consider supporting reasonable reform proposals that promote transparency and lead to the implementation of best practices and evidence-based decision making, which will serve Cook County best,” Kopinski said.

possession of a machine gun — are types of crimes that need to have detainable offenses,” Fioretti said, though they don’t currently under the Safe-T Act.

Like his opponents, Fioretti would also aim to increase staffing at the State’s Attor ney’s Office, he said by welcoming back prosecutors who resigned from Foxx’s office.

“I’m going to stand up for victims and return professionalism to the State’s Attorney’s Office,” he said. “People will know where I stand, how we want to administer justice, how we seek justice for the victims in this county.”

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE

Leslie Collazo takes on La Shawn Ford in the 8th District House race

The incumbent faces a challenge from newcomer Collazo, a real estate agent

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

The Illinois House of Representatives’ 8th District covers Chicago’s West Side, along with Brookfield, Forest Park, North Riverside, Oak Park and Proviso Township.

The battle for the two-year ter m for the state House seat will be between La Shawn Ford, who has represented the 8th District since 2007, and real estate agent Leslie Collazo

INCUMBENT LA SHAWN FORD, DEMOCR AT

A licensed teacher and real estate broker, Ford was motivated to run again to represent the 8th District because, he said, he can now do more as a legislator than before

“Knowing what I know now, and knowing the process of Springfield and the relationships that I built, it just makes me a stronger member,” Ford said. “I have the ability now to get things done that I couldn’t get done when I was first elected.”

For example, although Ford has been pushing for a comprehensive high school in Austin since he first became a state representative, he only recently started building coalitions of House and Senate members who support such a high school, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Emanuel “Chris” Welch.

Ford has been a big proponent of education and hopes to create a new high school in Austin while continuing to support Michele Clark Magnet High School. Throughout his tenure, Ford has sponsored legislation for educational summer programs for students performing below grade level and to increase access to early childhood education and care

Another one of Ford’s goals, if he is reelected, is to continue connecting locals with employment oppor tunities. He said a big way to implement that is by building and supporting small businesses

Ford created Illinois’ Small Business Empowerment and Workforce Development Task Force and created a loan program for ex-offenders who start businesses. In addition to re gularly hosting small business summits and job fairs, Ford also for med the State Representative La Shawn K. Ford’s Business Growth and Creation Committee to offer training and resources to businesses.

Ford also wants to pass more health care legislation if he wins another term. In previous years, Ford has passed legislation sup-

porting HIV/AIDS patients and led efforts to improve care for Alzheimer’s patients

As co-founder of the West Side Heroin Task Force, Ford works to prevent drug use on the West Side. He’s also led efforts to make sure health insurance companies cover recovery housing for those dealing with substance abuse.

Ford is working with the general assembly to make it so that those struggling with substance abuse who are arrested can go to a treatment center instead of jail, and he is collaborating with the West Side Heroin Task Force to create public policy

“Incarcerating a person in a county jail is way more costly to taxpayers than making sure that we get people on the road to recovery,” Ford said.

In late 2022, Ford proposed House Bill 0002, which proposes the opening of pilot overdose prevention sites in Illinois, where people can go for supervised consumption and access to behavioral health experts.

Ford views most of the legislation he’s a part of through social justice and civil rights lens

Ford worked with the Black Caucus to eliminate cash bail last year. He created a commission to address the economic problems in Black communities and passed legislation prohibiting employers from paying Black employees lower wages.

Ford has also introduced bills to help integrate ex-offenders back into society. He introduced the State Employment Application Act, which would make it so state employers can’t ask if an applicant has been convicted of a non-violent criminal offense. To increase employment for ex-offenders, Ford passed legislation allowing ex-offenders to seal criminal records for some non-violent offenses. He was the chief House sponsor of legislation that provides grants for those who are exonerated of their crimes to attend a public college

Ford also said he wants to see improvements in public safety on the West Side. He said he supports increased police presence in areas with high rates of violence and advocates for the Chicago Police Department to undergo an audit to evaluate their response times, and to make recommendations on improving those times in communities of color

Other initiatives Ford said he’s working toward include allowing people in prison to vote, which he’s been pushing for over a decade, plus advocating for voter ID cards with photos and for psychedelics as a medical resource for those with PTSD

Ford hopes that, if reelected, he can build more coalitions around these issues, something he said takes time but provides support for legislation.

“Before you ever try to attempt to build public policy and get people on your side, you have to first let people know who you are, and it takes years for people to connect,” Ford said. “Running again is an opportunity for me to go back and be a stronger voice for the 8th District.”

LESLIE COLL AZ O, REPUBLICAN

Leslie Collazo was born and raised in Chicago and currently lives in North Austin. She said she decided to run for the Illinois House of Re tives as a way to impact policy change her neighbors.

“I just reached a point where I felt li I could no longer sit on the sidelines with the political climate Collazo said. “I just want to see the families and citizens in the district thriving, because we’re not thriving right now under the current policies that we’re living under.”

Currently in real estate, Collazo has a background in teaching at a charter school and in the nonprofit sector.

“Working in the nonprofit world, you really have to leverage all the resources that you have and do a lot with very little,” Collazo said about a skillset she’s developed. She said she’s worked closely with the community and small businesses to pool resources and improve neighborhoods.

Collazo’s platform includes improving the economy for working class families like hers and lowering taxes.

She also wants to increase support for first responders, who she said are understaffed and overworked.

“If I’m having an emergency in my home, I can’t af ford to wait 15, 20, 30 minutes for law enforcement to arrive,” Collazo said. She added that, while it was great to see the Chicago Police Department step up for the DNC, “the people in my community felt like we could use that type of support in our neighborhoods that are riddled with crime right now.”

Collazo also said she supports small businesses and said, if elected, she’ll work to grow those businesses, rather than them shutting down. Collazo sees small businesses struggling to offer their employees health

care and other benefits, and g etting enough financing to purchase properties

When it comes to education, Collazo said her philosophy revolves around the f amily unit.

“When children have a supportive, loving, nur turing, structured environment in their home, they can achieve great things in sports, in school,” Collazo said. “We can give kids state-of-the-art schools with teachers who have doctorate de grees and all the technology and all the cool things. But at the end of the day, if they don’t have the support that they need in the home… how do they show up in these great facilities that we provide?”

One of the ways Collazo would look to provide more support at home is through transportation, since many parents have to take their kids to school themselves with CPS’ bus driver shortage

Collazo also said she believes in families having a choice where to send their kids.

As someone who’s seen how selective enrollment schools operate, Collazo said she wants to see all Chicago Public Schools workin g at that level of excellence.

“I do n’ t know if they ’re f ully f unded differently, but even where they lack in f unding, they have such an active bo dy of parents who are willing to j ump in and p ut some time and ef fo rt in to supp lement where there’s gaps in the budg et,” C ollazo said of how she’d li ke to see selective enrollment schools emulated S he a dded that she knows it ’s more of a c omplex i ssue than parental pa rt icipation, wh ich many don’ t have the time for, but it is possibl e.

While Collazo reco gnizes that if elected,

Collazo’s ght to run

Collazo jumped in the race for the State House’s 8th District after the primary elections. She joined as a slated candidate, a legal process where a candidate can petition to get on the ballot after the primaries.

But as she gathered signatures, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill to eliminate the slating process.

So, Collazo filed a lawsuit against the Illinois State Board of Elections. A circuit court in Springfield ruled in favor of Collazo, and the Illinois Supreme Court upheld that decision.

“Had that bill gone into effect,” Collazo said, “La Shawn Ford would have been the only candidate on the ballot for this office, and the choice for voters would have been made for them.”

“I felt that that was really unfair to the voter and robbing them of having a choice,” Collazo added. “Options are always good, and now they have one.”

she’ ll need administrative assistance to field constituents’ feedback, right now, her phone number is on all her campaign material, and she personally answers emails.

“I’m just your average citizen who is suffering alongside my neighbor,” Collazo said. “I’m definitely an underdog in this race, but I have heart, and I really care.”

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE 2024

What to know about election security and fraud prevention

The Cook County Clerk’s O ce provides crucial information to voters

IBy LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

n the United States, there’s a common concern among voters about election security and the integrity of the voting process. It’s important to have the facts from a reliable source to trust in transparency of elections and to ensure your vote counts.

According to a NPR/PBS News/Marist poll published in October, 58% of Americans say they are very concerned or concerned that voter fraud will occur in the 2024 election.

So, how can their concerns be assuaged? With accurate information. The Cook County Clerk’s Office is one such reliable source that works on a local level to protect democracy by securing a fair election and preventing fraud.

Edmund Michalowski, deputy clerk of the elections division in the Cook County Clerk’s Office, said people need to have faith that an election is fair and free.

software to detect and block artificial intelligence, as well as preventing breaches.

“You have to come to a trusted source,” Michalowski said. “[Election-related information] is really a lot for people to take in. They just need to take a deep breath and understand that the Cook County Clerk’s elections department is here to help them.”

How does the Cook County Clerk’s O ce keep voters’ data secure?

The elections division in the Cook County Clerk’s Office has experts in election operations, logistics, cybersecurity and information technology. According to its website, there has never been a successful legal case taken against the division or its employees alleging fraud.

The Clerk’s Office also has a cybersecurity group, whose duty is to protect its networks, machinery, software and data. The office uses analytics and authentication

Threats from third parties around the world do come in and are more common with contentious presidential elections, Michalowski said. But if there ever is an issue with the technology or a cybersecurity concern, Michalowski said the office would lock down anything that could be vulnerable and resolve the issue.

“We’ve b een ve ry successful in blocking [ third pa rt y i nterference],” Michalowski said.

Voters concerned about election integrity can also participate as a poll watcher. Poll watchers can observe the conduct of the election in a polling place including by visually comparing voters’ signatures against their registration. Citizens can also serve as an election judge during early voting or on Election Day. Michalowski encouraged young voters to get involved with elections and help foster democracy by working in these roles. Interested parties can find more information at cookcountyclerkil.gov.

The public can also observe election recounts and testing of election equipment at the Clerk’s elections operations centers. And anyone can file election complaints with the Clerk’s Office or seek public election information through Freedom of Information Act requests

What are the voter quali c ations that prevent illegal voting?

Illinois requires identification to re gister to vote. To re gister to vote in Illinois, an individual must be a United States citizen, 18 years old by the general election date and a resident of Illinois for at least 30 days prior to the election. They also must submit two for ms of identification.

T hose identifications do not have to be a photo ID but one must include the voter’s current address, Michalowski said. Some examples include a driver’s license, a state ID card, a student ID, a credit card,

a social security card, a utility bill or a bir th certificate.

On Election Day, a voter must provide their signature to confirm their identity. It’s a good idea for voters to update their signature at their polling place ahead of time to ensure there’s no confusion with their ballot.

When a person dies, the Clerk’s Office removes them from the list of re gistered voters. They do this by cross referencing the voter database against government death records or through family members contacting the office.

How can voters trust mail ballots?

When a voter applies for a mail ballot, the Clerk’s Office verifies their infor mation through re gistration records before mailing the ballot. When a voter receives it, the ballot must be signed on the exterior of the envelope before being mailed back or dropped off.

That signature is then verified by three bipartisan judges through re gistration records. These judges are trained in signature verification. If a signature is completely different, Michalowski said, the judges will ask for further identification.

Mail ballots are then counted after polls close on Election Day.

Mail ballots can be dropped of f at more than 50 early voting sites in Cook County. A licensed and bonded courier service picks up and delivers the ballots each day. The courier and an election judge at each location must ag ree on the number of ballots each day and place them in a sealed envelope for transport.

Voters can track their mail ballot to ensure it was counted through the Clerk’s Office. If a voter sees their ballot was not received or authenticated, there’s time to cure that ahead of time and produce any necessary identification.

“Our democracy depends on us,” Michalowski said. “It’s an honor to serve the citizens of Cook County.”

THE LANDMARK VIEW

And now, a gym

Opinion A win for taxpayers

LETTERS

Riverside has dithered for years in addressing its out-of-dat e public facilities. A consultant’s re port a number of years back seemed to create serious sticker shock as the conclusion was that multiple public buildings were in very tough shape and the price tag was stee p.

Now, though, village leaders are preparing to take on the full re placement of its police and fire stations rather than some sort of major Band-aid fixes. That’s good and smart. In addition, the village has solicited input from residents about what else they would like to see constructed in this Riverside Road project, which sits adjacent to Riverside Township Hall. And they keep adding dimensions to this once-in-a-generation building project.

More public meeting space has been included and just recently elected officials saw a proposal from its architects which adds a community gym to the project. That addition resulted from a survey of residents regarding parks-andrecreation programming. An indoor recreation center was a popular choice. With funding for this increasingly ambitious project already tight, Williams Architects presented the village with a three-phase option for constructing and paying for the new structure. Phase one necessarily focuses on building a new police and fire station and the parking necessary to accommodate that portion of the project. The second phase would include constructing underground parking, administrative spaces and shared community spaces. The final phase would build out the gym.

A ll told, the cu rrent estimate on the full-tilt project would come in b etween $47 million and $51 million. That ’s a lot of money. So rt ing out f unding options will be challenging. Designing a building that does not overwhelm the site or conflict too much with the historic village hall will be critical. We ag ree with village trustees that, wh i le pa rk ing and traf fic congestion might be something of an issue, walkable Rive rside will miti gate that concern to an extent.

We’re glad to see Riverside aim high on this project.

Halloween monsters

If you love Halloween, Brookfield’s Monsters on Mainstreet is already on your calendar for Oct. 26. This will, in fact, be the 25th incarnation of the community-building event.

So while the costumes and the trick-or-treating are all great, what we like most about this home grown fun is its origins way back in 1999 when Brookfield’s central business district was pretty woebegone. A lot of empty storefronts, not much of a draw, and a lack of promotional oomph on anyone’s part This event changed that as a nearly dormant Chamber of Commerce stirred, the historical society joined the fun, and village hall came to see its role in reshaping the commercial core was vital.

This week our Trent Brown interviewed Kit Ketchmark, one of the instigators of Monsters of the Midway back at the turn of the century. A village president and trustee and a leader of the Brookfield Historical Society, Ketchmark explains the humbled start of what has become a wonderful annual tradition.

Since 2004, Riverside’s street maintenance has been partly paid for through bonds that have cost taxpayers more than one million dollars in interest payments. There is a referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot that would eliminate future interest payment by re placing bonds with a street tax levy. A “Yes” vote on the referendum means that all taxes collected for streets would actually be used to maintain streets. That’s a win for Riverside taxpayers and our streets.

The street tax levy referendum will not raise tax bills one penny. The village would collect the same amount of taxes for streets as before, only now all of it would be used to maintain streets. That amounts to an extra $50,000 per year going directly to maintaining streets instead of paying interest on debt.

Unfortunately, Illinois state law requires wording that makes the referendum sound like the opposite of what it is.

The referendum reads: “Shall the extension limitation under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for the Village of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois, be increased from the lesser of 5% or the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index over the prior levy year to 9.3% per year for 2024?” Despite this convoluted language, the referendum will not increase anyone’s tax bill.

The last two bond referenda for streets passed with about 80% support. The street tax levy referendum simply provides a much more cost-ef fective way to maintain our streets. Please vote “Yes” on the street tax levy referendum and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

A “No” vote will reduce street funding and delay future improvements. Let’s put our tax dollars to work!

Benjamin Sells Former village president Riverside

OBITUARIES

Marlene Keller, 72 Early education teacher

Marlene A. Keller (nee Cikan), 72, of Brookfield, died on Oct. 7, 2024. She worked as an early-education teacher assistant. A loyal Chicagoan, she enjoyed downtown during Christmastime, Chinatown, and Ricobene’s on 26th. She was fond of cross-country road rips, baking, crossword puzzles, Jeopardy and her Dunkin Donuts coffee. Loving, selfless, generous, just, agreeable and kindhearted, she was an excellent role model and spent the majority of her career shaping oung minds in early childhood. She always saw the good in everyone.

Marlene was the mother of Katie Keller and Allison Keller; the sister of the late John (Mary Ellen) Cikan, Joseph Cikan

See OBITUARIES on page 27

Essential Civics

Democracy, Accountability, Equity, Connection, Civility

This week, as Election Day nears, Growing Community Media publishes our Election Guide.

Where to vote, how to cast a ballot, reporting on key races and important local referendums in each of our communities.

We are also carrying the invaluable 2024 Judicial Election Guide published by our partners at Injustice Watch.

All part of the essential civics a strong local newspaper provides its readers.

At Growing Community Media we work hard to foster ﬁve core values:

Democracy. Accountability. Equity. Connection. Civility.

Our readers from the West Side to Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, Brookﬁeld and Riverside turn to us for news and information that is fairly reported, offers context on complex issues and which nurtures connections that grow community.

Our

Thank you for your trust. Thank you for being part of our reader supported newsroom.

OBITUARIES

from page 25

and Donna (the late James) Kozar; the aunt of Jeremy Cikan, Julie Van Eidjt, Jamie Ayers, Lea Kozar, the late David Kozar and Jennifer Kramer, Kara Campbell, Baylie and Jimmy Kozar, Matt, Dustin, Cheyenne and Phillip Cikan, Emily and Lily Van Eidjt, and David, Zoe and Nathan Ayers; and the faithful friend and colleague of many Services and interment are Private In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated to Ronald McDonald House of Chicago. Arrangements were handled by Hitzeman Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 9445 31st St., Brookfield, IL 60513. If you wish to send a sympathy card, please send it to Hitzeman Funeral Home, c/o Marlene Keller Family We will gladly forward it

Keith Burnham, 91

Engineer, indust rial designer, ar tist

, aged p on Oct. 9, 2024 at Autumn House Assisted Living in Williamsburg Michigan, surrounded by family. Born on March 17, 1933, in North Riverside, to Howard and Garnet Burnham (nee Cutler), he lived a full life based on “overcoming all odds.” A gifted artist, he began his engineering career at Lockheed with no prior design experience, having been picked out of a field of applicants for his high aptitude score. His first project was strengthening the front landing gear of the P33/T33 Shooting Star fighter plane to enable the plane to land on an aircraft carrier. He continued on to a 32-

year career at International Harvester and J.I. Case as an industrial designer. He retired from International Harvester in 1988 to start Burnham Graphic Arts.

He married the love of his l ife, J oanne Gits, on J an. 28, 1961. T hey raised f our children in Rive rside and spent eve ry summer in L eland, Michig an with the Gits f amily. He was c ommodore of the L eland Ya c ht C lub, sharing that distinction with two brothers-in-l aw and a niec e. He and J oanne mo ve d permanently to L eland in 1996. Ke i th i mmor talized the p laces he live d in p en and i nk drawings and cartoons and was an avid woodwo rker, creating many i ntricate carved r elief s and tur ned candlestick s.

He developed a love of photography and his framed photographs can be seen in homes and businesses all over Leelanau County. In May of 2001, Keith and his son Jim started LelandReport.com, a daily photo blog of life in Leelanau. He and his faithful dog, Biscuit, were Fishtown favorites and became unofficial ambassadors for the Fishtown Preservation Society

He was a storyteller with a subtle sense of humor. He survived childhood polio with the help of Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago. In his golden years, he beat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was, and continues to be, an inspiration to his children.

A simple obituary cannot fully encapsulate Keith’s life, but it serves as a tribute to a man who was greatly loved and will be sorely missed. His life story is a vivid picture of dedication and creativity, leaving others inspired by his personal kindness

Keith is survived by his wife, Joanne; his four children, Julie Burnham (Lee), Mary Burnham Curtis (Gary), John Burnham (Carolyn), and Jim Burnham (Deb); his grandchildren, TJ, Matt, Christopher, Lauren, Daniel, Shae, and Meredith.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 at St. Wenceslaus Church of Gills Pier with the family greeting friends at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in St. Wenceslaus Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Shriner’s Children’s Hospital at donate.lovetotherescue.org; Fishtown Preservation Society at www fishtownmi org/donate; The Leland Old Art Building c/o the Capital Campaign at www oldartbuilding.com/donate; St. Wenceslaus Church, 8500 E. Kolarik Road Suttons Bay, MI 49682

Please share condolences with the family at www.martinson.info.

Arrangements were handled by Martinson Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Leelanau.

POLICE REPORTS

from page 16

home in Cicer o, a ccording to p olice. W hen asked, the man provided a driver’s license and proof of insurance, which came back clean when the officer searched the police database.

The officer asked the man to step out of his car, during which time they observed he had bloodshot, watery eyes and staggered while he walked. The officer asked the man if he had drunk any alcohol at the party, and the man said he had drunk two beers. The officer then asked the man to take field sobriety tests, to which he ag reed. During the tests, the officer noticed multiple indicators of the man’s impaired state, including his struggle to stay balanced and count cor rectly. Afterward, the man ag reed to take a preliminary breath test, which showed .167 blood alcohol content.

These items were obtained from the Riverside Police Department reports dated Oct. 6 and the Brookfield Police Department reports dated Oct. 1-14; they represent a portion of the incidents to 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

Based on their observations, the officer ar rested the man for driving drunk. T hey told the man’s p assengers to exit the car before preparing it to be towed; the p assengers said they wished to remain at the train station to wait for a ride. T he officer transported the man to be booked and processed for driving under the influence of have anyone who could pick him up from the police station, so police held him over night until he was sober and released him the next mor ning.

GAMBLING

from page 6

than $449 million, while its closest competitor, DraftKings, totaled $387 million.

The two jugger nauts complained loudly about a new, higher-rate tax structure imposed on sports b etting in May, though C OGFA’s re po rt noted that not all of I llinois’ sports b etting licenses have yet b een claimed, and that sports b etting reve nues “have

grown rapidly” since the market launched in 2020.

“Given this trend and the recently added sportsbooks, it is believed that sports wagering will continue to grow overall despite a higher tax structure,” the re port said.

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

CO RRECTI ON

An editorial titled “Street repair referendum” than ran in print Oct. 9, 2024, misstated what improvements Riverside would pay for using funds collected following the potential passage of a referendum question by voters next month. Those funds would be used only for street repairs. The Land-

Sports

Mills’ serving streak spurs Bulldogs to UEC East title

Experienced RBHS lineup earns reputation in new conference

By BILL STONE

Contributing Reporter

Junior Lily Mills is listed as an outside hitter on the Riverside Brookfield High School girls volleyball roster. Her main role this season, however, has been in the back row as a serving specialist. Mills has one of the fiercest serves on the Bulldogs and has collected 34 aces, which ranks third on the team.

“It makes me feel pretty cool and good. I like helping the team out in the ways I can,” Mills said.

“I think that when I get back there, I don’t think about missing it or making it. I just serve it and hope for the best.”

On Thursday, Mills’ third-set serving sparked the Bulldogs’ rally at home to defeat Glenbard South 25-22, 22-25, 25-22 and clinch outright the Upstate Eight Conference East Division title in their first season as part of the conference. The Bulldogs (18-8, 6-0 in UEC East) entered their conference finale tied for first with Glenbard South (1413, 4-1), which played Elmwood Park Tuesday

guess it was the biggest [victory so far this season].”

The Bulldogs trailed 21-18 in the third set when Mills went to work, serving six unanswered points for match point at 24-18. The run included an ace, two kills apiece by Owens and sophomore Mackenzie Sloger, and a combined block by the pair.

“I was nervous when I got back there, but as the points went on, we were g etting more points and the nervousness went away,” Mills said. “I just went back there and tried to put in the best serve I could.”

As senior and four-year starter Sofia Owens said re peatedly to teammates, “This is our court. It feels really good. After four years, I think we needed to end on a good note and we did. We were down by so much and it was three sets. We wanted to put our name on the map, so winning conference was a big step to doing it. I

Following a Glenbard South sideout, another Owens kill ended the match.

“I told [Mills] at the start, ‘Your role this season is serving. I need that from you,’ and she owns it,” RBHS coach Caitlin Staib-Lipinski said. “She never complains Some great aces, some really great serves that throw other teams off system.”

The title adds to last year’s four-team Metro Suburban Conference title with a 6-0 mark and sharing the best record in the 2022 MSC Red with a 5-1 record. The MSC reco gnized Bishop McNamara as the Red champion by virtue of winning the head-to-head match.

“This year, these [UEC] teams are a lot better. Our conference is at a higher level so that’s helping us step up a little more too,” Staib-Lipinski said.

“We’re making a statement. We want teams to look at RB and be like, ‘They ’re a threat,’ instead of, ‘Oh, we’re playing RB.’ I think we’re doing that.”

Owens finished with 11 kills and two aces. Other standouts included senior libero Aimee DiBattista (14 digs) and juniors Claire Cameron (34 assists, 4 aces, 7 digs) and Kate Zobel (9 kills). T he previ-

Riverside-Brook eld’s So a Owens (4) goes up for the spike a er the set by Claire Cameron (3) against Oak Park and River Forest dur ing a nonconference match Sept. 5, in Oak Park.

ous day, the Bulldogs won 25-19, 25-16 over Willowbrook, third in Class 4A last year, behind Owens (7 kills, 3 aces), junior Lucy Boyle (7 kills) and Cameron (18 assists).

“We’re more of a team this year. We have a new conference and it feels really accomplishing to win in a new conference and establish ourselves,” said Boyle, another of several varsity retur nees.

There were also big wins over Oak Park and River Forest, again with help from Mills’ serving, Wheaton Warrenville South, and St. Viator after losing the first set to win the Hoffman Estates Invite. After matches like those, Staib-Lipinski said other coaches are contacting her to share game footage for the first time.

“I tell the girls that’s a big statement. If other schools are contacting me, then they want to know what we’re doing,” Staib-

Lipinski said.

One improvement has been team defense. DiBattista has become libero after sharing back-row specialist duties last year with current senior Tatiana Sanchez.

“It feels good to be able to be better and help the team win,” DiBattista said.

T he Bulldogs are the No. 7 seed in the Class 4A Willowbrook Sectional. T hey open York Re gional play Oct. 29 against No. 10 UEC East rival Glenbard East with the winner most likely meeting No. 2 York for the re gional title Oct. 31. RBHS seeks its first re gional title since 2016.

“It’s pretty impressive how we still come out on top even though we are the underdogs,” Cameron said. “When I go to club volleyball, they don’t know what RB is. It’s impressive that we’re getting out there and making a name for RB volleyball.”

STEVE JOHNSTON

LILY MILLS

AIMEE DIBAT TIST

Lions rally from 20-point de cit, earn share of Silver

Bulldogs move closer to playo berth with season high at Elmwood Park

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Senior quarterback Dom Pisciotti and his Lyons Township High School football teammates could have been deflated by halftime Friday. In the showdown of undefeated West Suburban Conference Silver Division co-leaders, the Lions were scoreless and trailing host Downers Grove North. Pisciotti also had his first four interceptions this season, one of them returned 10 yards for a touchdown.

“Going into halftime, I knew we weren’ t out of this game. I’m like, ‘What if we come back? Four interceptions and we come back and win it?’” Pisciotti said. “Our whole team never gave up, especially our linemen. They were with me the whole game. They would have been with me if I threw 100 picks.”

In the second half, Piscotti threw three touchdown passes to senior Mack Long, including a 10-yarder with 2:37 left that gave the Lions an emotional 21-20 victory after falling behind 20-0 with 10:10 left in the third quarter.

“Remarkable,” said senior linebacker JD Mahoney. “Everyone doubted us coming into the game but we knew in our hearts altogether we could get it done.”

“It’s just resilience,” Long said. “Even once we were down 20 points, everybody kept their heads up and it all came together at the end.”

The Lions (7-0, 5-0 in Silver) clinched at least a share of their first WSC Silver title since 2010. They can take it outright with a win Friday at York (6-1, 3-1), which defeated the Lions twice in 2023, including the Class 8A playoffs. Downers North (6-1, 4-1) entered the game ranked No. 1 in the Oct. 9 Associated Press 7A poll. The Lions were ranked No. 6 in 8A.

“They’re a very good football team and program,” LTHS coach Jon Beutjer said. “I’m really proud of the grit and toughness and resilience our players showed and demonstrated in the second half. They played hard, didn’t give and still believed, even though we were down 20-0.”

Long caught four passes for a season-best 101 yards. The two-way starter prevented any possible comeback with his interception with 18 seconds left.

“[I’ll most remember] that final play, that

Lyons Tow nship’s quarterback Dom Pisciotti (12) passes against Prospect on Aug. 30, in Wester n Springs.

final interception because it kind of sealed the deal,” Long said. “The game was over. After that, just celebrating with my guys was a great experience.”

His second TD catch on a 15-yarder cut the deficit to 20-14 with 9:13 left. Before the game-winning TD pass, the Lions nearly called a timeout. Beutjer said he liked the matchups and proceeded. Piscotti found Long in the left corner of the end zone.

“Pre-snap, it looked like man [to man coverage],” Pisciotti said. “I threw it early and had [Long] make the play. A nice catch by Mack, a really good route.”

“Once I caught it, the crowd went crazy and it was just a great environment to be part of,” Long said. “It was a great throw by Dom. That was one of his better passes all night.”

Another huge catch was Mack’s 64-yard TD on a slant pass for the Lions’ first score with 5:48 left in the third quarter.

“You could just feel the energy shift. It made us believe we have a shot to come back,” Pisciotti said. “My most memorable thing is my teammates all still believing in me. Not just the linemen but the running backs, wide receivers [saying], ‘We trust you. Go out there, do your job and lead us to victory. We’ve got your back.’”

Captains Shane Harris, Travis Stamm, Tyler Chambers, Cooper Komsthoeft and the coaching staf f emphasized that mindset during halftime.

“Everyone wasn’t freaking out. [People] were upset but everyone was calm,” Mahoney said.

The Lions were moving the ball at the

start of the third quarter but then lost a Trojans converted into TD run. The five turnovers came after none in the first six games. time you turn the ball over five hard to win,” Beutjer said. “For his composure, it speaks volumes. [Long] really worked hard in the offseason and paid the price. It’s really the reason he’s having such a great season.” Pisciotti finished 14-for-28 passing for 189 to surpass 1,000 passing yards. Danrds on 21 carries) added his fifth 100-yard rushing game and caught yards. Brady Rusk had a sack on the final drive. Downers North quarterback and Minnesota recruit Owen Lansu left the game after Pat Cheney’s sack in the second quarter.

leaders included Travis Stamm (interception), Mahoney (10 tackles), Cheney and Long (8 tackles each), z (6 tackles), Jack Grigus (5 loss) and Ayman Sultan (2

RBHS football

s moved another step closer ff eligible with a 56-21 victory at winless Elmwood Park, Friday. RBHS (4-3, 2-2 in UEC East) will be trying to beat West Chicago (4-3, 2-2) on its Homecoming this Friday as both teams seek their playoff-critical fifth victory. The Bulldogs finish with UEC East leader Glenbard East (6-1, 4-0).

“We’re keeping our heads level and knowing there’s still a mission to be accomplished,” RBHS coach Sam Styler said. “We want to make sure we focus on us and make sure we do our job. If we do that, hopefully good things happen.”

Giancarlo Garcia was 10-for-15 passing 171 yards with two TD passes to Warren Mason for 59 and 22 yards in the second quarter. Garcia also rushed for 91 yards and two TDs.

Damian Renteria (12 carries, 80 yards) had a 15-yard TD run and Jacob Retana (6 carries, 37 yards) had two rushing TDs. Defensive leaders included Max Strong and D. Aguirre (7 total tackles each), Julian Espinoza (6 tackles, sack), Luke Ferguson (3 tackles for loss) and Mason (2 tackles for loss).

STEVE JOHNSTON

New to UEC, RBHS girls tennis adds to conference title streak

Bulldogs win four ights at UEC Meet; Lions nish third in WSC Silver

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Junior Abby Weinert is among several returnees from the Riverside Brookfield High School girls tennis team’s 2023 conference championship.

This season, though, the Bulld og s we re n ewcomers to the seven-team Upstate Eight C onference after winning the four- team Metro Suburban C onference last year.

New opponents, same result. T he Bulldogs won the UEC Meet T hursday to secure the overall title with titles at four of the seven flights

“This win is really meaningful to the entire team because we came into a new conference not knowing the skills of the teams we had to play, which was scary at first,” responded Weinert, who captured the No. 3 doubles title with sophomore Brooke Zavorski.

“Overcoming that fear and being able to dominate during the conference matches shows how determined RB is with our athletic progr ams.”

Senior Harriet Juister (No. 2 singles), juniors Alekse Alijosius and Abigail Krue ger and (No. 2 doubles) sophomore Paige Zavorski (No. 3 singles) also were UEC Meet champions.

ABBY WEINER T

Seniors Eleanor Glennie and Eleanor Lenaghan (No. 1 doubles) and junior Soleil Kaciuba (N o. 1 singles) finished second. Senior Alyssa Morris and junior Ava Sweeney were fourth at No. 4 doubles

T he Bulldogs topped Glenbard South 5247 for the overall title based on combined points from the UEC Meet and re gularseason duals. T he Bulldogs were 6-0 in duals with a cumulative record of 35-6, including a 4-3 victory at Glenbard South

Se pt. 10.

T he Bulldogs’ 2023 conference title in its final MSC season marked their first since four straight from 2006-09. Juister and Kaciuba (No. 1 doubles), Glennie and Lenaghan (No. 2 doubles) were MSC Meet champions and Zavorski was second at No. 1 singles.

On T hursday, all four RBHS champions won their title matches in straight sets. Kaciuba lost her final in three sets

“Finishing first led to a sense of accomplishment,” said Weinert, who won her final with Zavorski 6-4, 6-1.

“[Our first set] could have easily been the other way around. Being able to close in on the first set settled my mind, knowing that we could win the whole thing.”

RBHS joins Lyons Township at the Class 2A LT Sectional Friday and Saturday. Top

four finishers in singles and doubles advance to state Oct. 24-26.

LTHS girls tennis

The Lions finished third at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Saturday and third in the final overall standings behind champion Hinsdale Central and Oak Park and River Forest.

The Lions were 4-2 in Silver duals.

Senior Ginny Gibbs and freshman Elise Novey (No. 2 doubles) and senior Nina Channell and junior Rhia Nagale (No. 3 doubles) both were second Saturday, losing to Hinsdale Central in the final.

Sophomore Abby Sullivan (No. 1 singles), senior Vivian Kittridge (No. 3 singles) and senior Addy Pelling and junior Erin Hanzlik (No. 3 doubles) were third, sophomore Sophia Dalgety (No. 2 singles) was fourth and seniors Ashley Culin and Mia Graziano (No. 1 doubles) were sixth.

LTHS girls ag football keeps winning, earns regional title

Lions bring 9-game winning streak into sport’s rst IHSA sectionals

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

With every g ame in their first season of existence, Lyons Township High School girls flag football players are gaining more than experience.

“Just having a good attitude really makes the team perform better. I feel like the more games we played, the more aggressive we got. We became more hyped,” said junior defensive starter Maren Cavanaugh.

“I never used to scream when we got a touchdown, but now I’m so happy about it.”

Cavanaugh and the s idelines had reason to be r aucous Saturday. T he Lions a dded significantly to their debut season by winning the LT Re gional with a 28-14 victory over S olorio Academy in Wester n Springs.

T hese are the first IHSA-sanctioned state playoffs. While other schools have been club

programs the past couple of years, the Lions are 13-2 and riding a nine-game winning streak after starting from scratch with a summer camp to promote interest.

“It’s a very big accomplishment since it’s our first year,” junior receiver Carly Granger said. “It means a lot to everyone. [At the start], I didn’t think we’d g et this far, but we came to be better. We’ve worked hard. We’re really proud of ourselves.”

Seeded No. 7 in the Whitney Young Sectional, the Lions scored touchdowns on their first two possessions en route to a 20-0 lead and their first possession of the second half to lead 28-6.

No. 5 Solorio (11-6) had scored at least 28 points in seven victories. T he LTHS defense stopped the first three drives, including interceptions by sophomores Christina Lid and Leah Monahan.

“That was one of our team goals, to have a strong, focused start. I give our defense

credit for stopping their QB r uns and our of fense credit for inching their way to first downs,” said LTHS coach Me ghan Hutchens.

“I was r eally gr a teful that we decide d to host [r eg i onals]. S tarting from our summer c amp, we ’ve b een saying we ’r e going to make histor y. It ’s f un to leave your stamp on the first year it ’s an IHSA spor t. ”

Junior quar terback Char Ebeid was 15-for-24 passing for 214 yards and four touchdowns

Granger had four catches for 35 yards with wide-open TD rece ptions of 9 and 8 yards in the first half. Other receivers were juniors Anna Bigenwald (4 catches, 70 yards) and Fiona Sullivan (3 catches, 68 yards, TD) and freshman Taylor Hoffenberg (4 catches, 41 yards, TD), who also r ushed for 24 yards.

Sullivan caught both two-point conver-

sions and had the final score with a leaping catch at the 25 and r un down the left sideline for a 46- yard TD pl ay Hof fenberg caught a 4-yard TD pass for a 14-0 lead

“That was a really great start to our g ame. T hey were pretty good throws, too,” Granger said. “That corner route’s worked a lot. They were more narrow [defensively] so our out routes and corners worked perfectly.”

Cavanaugh added a second-half interception. Fla g-pull leaders were Cavanaugh (three) and Monahan and Lid (two each). Bigenwald broke up three passes. T he eight-team state finals are F riday and Saturday at Willowbrook. T he Lions played No. 2 Young in Tuesday’s sectional semifinals with the winner most likely meeting No. 1 King for the sectional title and state berth at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Rockne Stadium in Chicago.

NOTICE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLNOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT, PROBATE DIVISION Estate of NANCY MELANSON, Deceased No. 2024P003200 That the Order Admitting Will to Probate and Appointing Representative in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois was granted on July 26, 2024 for the Estate of Nancy Melanson, Deceased and that KRYSTIN MELANSON BURNS was appointed as the Independent Executor and letters of office have issued and states under the penalties of perjury that:

1. Nancy Melanson died April 20, 2024, leaving a will dated February 13, 2013.

2. The approximate value of the estate is Personal: $10,000, Real: $400,000, Annual Income from Real Estate $0.

3. The names and post office addresses of the testator’s heirs and legatees are set forth on Exhibit A made a part of the petition.

4. The testator nominated as executor of the following, qualified and willing to act: Kristin Burns, 1115 Thatcher Ave., River Forest, IL 60305.

5. By order dated July 26, 2024 Kristin Melanson Burns has been appointed Independent Executor and letters of office issued.

6. This ad requests that any unknown heirs make themselves known to the attorney herein.

7. This ad will serve as a notice to creditors that they have 6 months from the date of filing of this petition to submit their claims.

Atty Name: Matt Leuck Attorney for Petitioner 84 E. Burlington, 2W Riverside, IL 60546

708-447-3166

Atty No. 11017

Published in RB Landmark October 16, 23, 30, 2024

PUBLIC NOTICE LET IT BE KNOWN TO ALL PEOPLE OF Cook, Illinois, United States of America—This public notice and affirmation that Magdy-Joseph of the family Elpayaa has been born on the land in a mortal body. The living Male is the result of life and love and physical embodiment of the biological father Joseph-Magdy:Elpayaa and biological mother Megan-Diane:Quintaa. Magdy-Joseph of the family Elpayaa is their living Son from the moment of conception from the first combining of their unique genetic code and was born earthside on the land in the geographical location commonly known as St. Charles, Kane County, Illinois Republic, United States of America. He was born on August 25 in the calendar year 2023 Anno Domini at the hour and minute 11:14 AM, weighing 8 lbs 02 oz and 22 inches long. He is happy, healthy and thriving!

Published in RB Landmark October 16, 2024