Landmark_121824

Brook eld paves the way for a 2nd deputy police chief

Chief says current deputy deserves relief from interruptions on days o

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

Brookfield is seeking a second deputy police chief to help spread out the duties of leading a municipal police department.

Police Chief Michael Kuruvilla said in a memo to the village board that police leadership staff, namely Deputy Chief Terry Schreiber, are often required to be available for subordinate officers who lead a shift to contact them both on the clock and off, like on weekends, holiday breaks or scheduled time off. He said the circumstances necessitating a second deputy to share the burden of being on-call have settled into place over time

“As the profession and as society continues to advance, we do have more demands on the ways we handle calls,” Kuruvilla told the Landmark. “I don’t think that’s a bad

e S.E. Gross Warriors’ cheer team snagged second place at Sunday’s RBHS Middle School Cheerleading Competition. See more photos on page 16. See DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF on pa ge 3

STEVE JOHNSTON

14 Days. $32,000

A 2025 filled with trusted local news

In just the last week, our reporters have been hard at work on stories with deep meaning and impact on these communities we call home. Three stand out.

Reporting for Austin Weekly News and Wednesday Journal, Jessica Mordacq has continued her in-depth coverage of the challenges of new ownership at West Suburban Medical Center. This critical safety net institution needs the attention of an independent local newsroom and we are there to provide it.

Wednesday Journal has been focused on our coverage of the remembrance of Det. Allan Reddins, the Oak Park officer who died in the line of duty on the day after Thanksgiving. From breaking news to coverage of his wake and funeral, the Journal has been present. Reporters Luzane Draughon, Greg Voss and photographers Sam Tucker and Todd Bannor have reported for us – and for you.

Trent Brown, our Riverside-Brookfield Landmark reporter, unpacked the data on how residents voted in the November presidential election. What was the same as recent national elections and what shifted a bit? While the percentages of support for the Democratic and Republican candidates remained quite steady overall votes cast dropped notably from four years ago.

This important work our hard-working nonprofit newsroom creates is what community-focused and community-supported local journalism is about.

As a reader we’re asking you to play a key role in supporting our work

Now we are looking at the next 14 days. The final 14 days before our end-of-year fund drive closes on Dec. 31.

And we have a final goal, a final ask of our readers who understand that local news, based in facts, crafted by actual reporters working in our communities and always provided without a paywall, will only continue with your support.

To set us up for 2025, a full year of local news, we need to raise $32,000 directly from readers by New Year’s Eve. That’s a lot of money. But there are a lot of GCM readers spread out from Riverside to Oak Park to the West Side.

Fourteen days. Join in. Reporting like ours can’t exist without your support.

With gratitude,

Dan Haley Erika Hobbs Publisher Editor

Donate now at GrowingCommunityMedia.org/donate. Every dollar helps. Every dollar goes straight into our newsroom.

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DEPUT Y POLICE CHIEF

‘Healthy balance’

from page 1

thing, but because our calls, and because the way we handle calls, become more complex, it’s more nuanced than it used to be. I explain all that to say, that’s where the call and the demand on staf f, especially up through leadership, is required to be more involved and engaged.”

He said the rise of social media and instant access to information has made it so senior police staf f have to stay aware of goings-on even when they’re not working.

“When the public was largely dependent on just you, the newspaper, to give them the news, a week would go by before anything would be learned. Where, now, and it’s not

MICHAEL KURUVILLA

Brook eld police chief

tion, my thought, just simplistically and practically, is, is there way to give him relief by saying, ‘OK, let me tag you out and tag someone else in’?”

Kuruvilla said he made sure to get Schreiber’s approval before bringing the second deputy chief position to the village board for approval, which trustees granted on Nov. 25 as part of the omnibus agenda for their meeting. He added that, as the chief of police, he will still be accessible at

all times to subordinate staff. nature and by my job,” he said. the next step is two chiefs. As my job is going to

Brookfield is allowed to position because

“I’m always available, by nature and by de nition and duty of my job... It’s not like the next step is two chiefs. As long as I can foresee it, my job is going to remain singular.”

MICHAEL KURUVILL A Brook eld police chief

then another de puty chief primarily responsible for administrat ive responsibilities is a nice balance that allows those two people to have instrumental control of the department, but they can also overlap and tag in for one another,” he said.

While who does what may depend on whom the police department picks as the new deputy chief, Kuruvilla said Schreiber

is “gifted at operations.” That means the incoming deputy would likely handle administrative duties like ensuring officers comply with state standards, writing grants, looking into personnel complaints and overseeing internal staf f reviews According to Kuruvilla’s memo, the newly appointed deputy will receive a minimum salary increase of 2.5% above the pay of lieutenants. Based on a salary chart of Brookfield employees dated to Jan. 1, lieutenants make about $132,000 per year, meaning the new deputy chief will earn at least roughly $136,000 each year. Brookfield approved a new union contract for police this spring, but the pay raises apply only to officers and sergeants, as police ranked lieutenant or above are considered exempt. Kuruvilla said he did not yet have a candidate in mind to become Brookfield’s second de puty chie f but that he plans to appoint one from within the police department by the end of the year. According to the ordinance that trustees passed, any officer with at least five years of full-time service in Brookfield may be promoted to the position.

Editor Erika Hobbs

Sta Repor ter Trent Brown

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Assistant Editor, Arts & Entertainment Dalal Or fali

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Ben Stumpe

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

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Circulation Manager Jill Wagner EMAIL jill@oakpark.com

Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Chair Eric Weinheimer Treasurer Nile Wendor f Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Audra Wilson

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ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-442-6739 ■ FAX 708-467-9066

E-MAIL erika@growingcommunitymedia.org ONLINE www.RBLandmark.com

The Landmark is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00. A one-year subscription costs $45 within Cook County and $65 outside the county. Adver tising rates may be obtained by calling our o ce. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS 0019-585). Postmaster send address corrections to Landmark, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302. © 2024 Growing Community Media NFP.

This is our nal Big Week. Don’t worry! We have more events coverage coming soon. For a sneak peak, and to submit events to be included in our new calendar, visit rblandmark.com/events

BIG WEEK

December 18-25

‘Olmsted’s

Riverside: Stewardship Meets Innovation in

Winter & Arctic Animals Day

Thursday, Dec. 19, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., Brook eld Zoo

a

Landmark Village’ with Author Cathy Maloney

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m., Riverside Public Library

Join Riverside author Cathy Maloney at the Riverside Public Library for a discussion of her new book, “Olmsted’s Riverside: Stewardship Meets Innovation in a Landmark Village”. This richly illustrated book explores how Riverside’s design anticipated modern urban planning goals like walkability, green space and sustainability, while navigating the challenges of suburban development and Chicago sprawl from the 1870s through today. Maloney delves into the village’s resilience through events like the Great Fire of 1871 and its adaptation to changing transportation and civic needs, all while preserving Olmsted’s vision. Books will be available for purchase and signing. This event is co-sponsored by FLOS. Registration required by calling 708-442-6366 or via the Library website http://bit.ly/rivlibcal. 1 Burling Road

Take & Make:

Mini Snow Globes

Friday, Dec. 20, 5 p.m.

LSF Brook eld Library

Pick up your Mini Snow Globe Kit this Friday to make your own winter wonderland orb come to life! Be on the lookout for an accompanying video on Facebook and YouTube detailing how to make your own Mini Snow Globe! This Maker craft is a per fect way to decompress from the stresses of the work and/or school week! Take, Make, and Celebrate the weekend! 3541 Park Ave.

Embrace winter with a variety of cold-weather themed activities, snowy (pretend) animals, and maybe even some indoor snow play! This event is Session C of the Winter Play Days. Winter Play Days allow the children from Brook eld, Riverside and beyond to continue play sessions even into the wintery, cold months. Besides, children should play no matter if it’s rainy, snowy or cloudy. Register online at brook eldzoo.org, $25 for adult/child pair. 8400 31st Street Table Tennis

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m.

Nor th Riverside Parks & Recreation

Snow y Pajama Storytime

Wednesday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m., Riverside Public Library

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow… in your fav pjs! Come to the Riverside Library in your com est pajamas, bring your listening ears and get ready to move your dancing feet! We’ll enjoy fun stories, sing catchy songs and share rhymes together. This event is per fec t for kids ages 3-6. 1 Burling Road

Head over to the Riverside Parks & Recreation Center for some Table Tennis this Wednesday! Grab your table tennis buddy and battle the most challenging table tennis games of your lives as you go head-to-head with the best of the best (of the neighborhood). Don’t say we didn’t warn you. 2401 Des Plaines Ave

Compiled by Grace Har ty

BROOKFIELD ZOO CHICAGO

Brook eld buys properties next to Theater Building

e village is seeking one developer for the parcels of land

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

Brookfield is expanding its sights for development along Grand Boulevard

After the village purchased the historic Theater Building at 3723 Grand Blvd. in September, Brookfield trustees approved a purchase contract on Nov. 25 for two land- adjacent pa cels located at 3717 Grand Blvd for $395,000. Now, lage of ficials are looking for someone who can develop all three parcels to add to Brookfield’s central business district.

Village Manager Tim berg explained that the owner of the two parcels — one a two-family home and the other a side lot with grass — sought to sell them to Brookfield after the village bought the Theater Building.

FILLTHETRUCK

FORESTPARKLOCAL2753

DECEMBER4-24,2024

nicipalities to finance economic development. Essentially, when a TIF district is created, the overall property value of the area is taken as the district’s “base” value.

Each property owner within the district still pays property taxes like normal, but taxing bodies, like school districts and municipalities, only receive revenue according to the “base” value of a property. As properties improve over time and grow in value, the owners pay additional taxes each year; the amount paid over the “base” value is stored in a special fund that can only be used to further invest in the TIF district. That reinvestment can take many shapes, including the purchase of property for redevelopment.

“I think the publicity of that and the public exposure to that transaction raised the attention of the property owner to the immediate west,” he said at the meeting. “That owner approached the village, wondering if the village would be interested in purchasing that property, both those parcels. In conversations with the village board and with the owner, it did seem to make sense to have an opportunity to perhaps assemble all three of these parcels into one development parcel and really reshape underperforming parcels right now in the middle of downtown Brookfield.”

While Brookfield won’t close on the two parcels until January, Community Development Director Libby Popovic confirmed to the Landmark that the village plans to fund the acquisition through its tax increment financing (TIF) district along Grand Boulevard and the rest of downtown.

TIF districts are a tool in Illinois for mu-

DECEMBER4-24,2024

povic said Brookfield is open to the combined parcels being redeveloped as one building or multiple smaller ones, but it must all one by a single developer oup.

e want the entire 100 linear feet developed,” she said. village is now deciding to include in i ts request proposals (RFP) for the c ombined properties, wh ich will outline wh at it wants p otential developers to submit for c onsideration. Whil e the village b oard be g an discussing the RFP at i ts Dec. 9 c ommittee of the whole meeting, two trustees we re absent, so the b oard ag reed to p ush final decisions to i ts next c ommittee of the whole meeting in January.

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“We’ re finalizing what the proposal process is going to be just to make it fair and transparent and open for everyone,” Popovic told the Landmark. She said no one who had previously expressed interest in developing the T heater Building had been rejected now that the plan for the site is changing.

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“We’ll be reaching out to other developers within the village to say, take a look at this on our website,” she added. “Thi s [site] is pretty robust. It’s certainly one of the bigger developments that we have here in Brookfield.”

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TIM WIBERG Village manager

Brook eld’s library eyes Lincoln Avenue home for more parking

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

In its quest to be a better neighbor to residents, the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library is considering buying an adjacent property to expand parking.

The library board at its Nov. 20 regular meeting passed a resolution to establish the library’s intent to purchase 9023 Lincoln Ave. to expand the library’s parking options The parcel is immediately east of the library’s existing parking lot at 3609 Grand Blvd. and southeast of the library at 3541 Park Ave.

According to the resolution the board passed, the property costs about $265,000, which will come out of the library’s special reserve fund. The library’s working budget for fiscal year 2024 shows the fund held about $1.5 million as of Jan. 1 and the library did not expect to spend money from the fund by Dec. 31.

In a press release, officials said the property owners had approached the library in June to see if it would be interested in buying the parcel, as their parents, who had lived in the home, had died.

Executive Director Kimberly Coughran told the Land-

mark that library officials had been aware of issues with parking and had discussed expanding it before the homeowners approached them about buying the land. She said the library’s decision was spurred by feedback from area residents, especially those living on Park Avenue

“We have more or less had unspoken agreements, in the effort to be a good neighbor, and those have included asking our staff members to not park on the residential streets, on Park Avenue, in consideration of the neighbors,” she said. “We have done that and tried a variety of things in order to keep our closest neighbors happy.”

She said the library did not consider buying the property to expand the parking lot until the owners suggested it.

Officials also said in the press release that acquiring the land and expanding parking aligns with the most important goal of the library’s strategic plan: “minimizing barriers to accessing library services.”

The library will hold a public hearing this evening at 7 p.m. where the board will discuss the acquisition and determining a financing plan for it. Residents are invited to attend to give public comment and ask questions of the library board.

JAVIER GOVEA okol Francis Brook eld Library

Bannor looks through rows of clothing at the Shop Salon & Style House’s boutique launch party Dec. 1.

The Shop Salon & Style House brings fashion to Brook eld

e hair salon is expanding its reach a er ve years on Grand Boulevard

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

When Kelly Obermeyer opened the Shop Salon & Style House at 3735 Grand Blvd. in January 2019, she knew she wanted the business to encompass both halves of its name. Five years later, she’s finally made that dream a reality.

On Dec. 1, Obermeyer hosted a launch party for the Style House portion of the business, a fashion boutique for women of all ages. In-person, the Style House takes the form of rows and rows of clothing inside the business on Sundays or at pop-ups

in the area, but there’s also an online shop if that’s more your speed.

Before launching the Style House, Obermeyer had run the Shop primarily as a hair salon, offering haircuts, blow-dries, hair dyes, highlights, extensions and even sparkly hair tinsel. She said the business got its start when her mother-in-law, Kelly Stevens, inherited the property, which was a run-down salon. Obermeyer, who had been a hair stylist in Riverside, joined her to tackle the hurdle of fixing the building up amid a personal tragedy

“It had to go up to code, and that was a $100,000 loan. T hen, we, all of a sudden, we lost, unexpectedly, a f amily member,” she told the Landmark. “My mother-inlaw looked at me and she was like, ‘Do you think you can make this work?’ … We kind of all worked to g ether, me and my mother-in-law.”

TODD BANNOR

Brenda

Santa Claus, as played by Santa Bob, with children at Joshua Harris VFW Post 2868’s Tacos with Santa Dec. 7.

A youngster tells Santa Claus, as played by Santa Bob, his Christmas wishes at Joshua Harris VFW Post 2868’s Tacos with Santa.

PHOTO S BY TODD BANNOR

Recent incidents prompt heightened Statehouse security

Visitors may experience longer lines at entrances during upcoming sessions

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois

Visitors coming to the Illinois Statehouse to see their lawmakers in action, or just to tour the historic building, may see longer lines to g et through security screening during the upcoming legislative sessions.

Responding to a significant increase in potential threats to lawmakers and the public in recent years, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’s office recently implemented new, emergency rules requiring nearly anyone to pass through security screening upon entering the Statehouse or any building in the Illinois Capitol Complex.

“Unfortunately, the world is not getting safer,” Amy Williams, senior legal advisor in the secretary of state’s office, told a legislative oversight committee Tuesday.

One of the more serious threats, Williams said, occurred in March when security officials were notified of an active shooter threat, prompting a lockdown of the complex. The lockdown was lifted after investigators determined there was no credible threat, according to reports at the time.

In April, police locked down the Capitol for about an hour as the building was cleared following a bomb threat. Illinois State Police arrested a suspect accused of making the threat the following month.

So far in 2024, Williams told the committee, the Secretary of State Police Department has responded to 17 threats to the Capitol, nearly twice as many as any other year since 2018.

There have also been threats directed at individual lawmakers. In September, a man was arrested for threatening to assassinate Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore.

And on Monday, Dec. 9, Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, reported an employee in her district office became ill after opening office mail, according to a social media post. The employee was transported to a local hospital, prompting police to evacuate the building and cordon off a portion of the

street while emergency crews responded.

In October, Williams said, the secretary of state’s office was advised by a security consultant to increase the number of people required to go through security screening to include everyone other than lawmakers, state government employees and other elected officials.

That meant many people who had previously been given unrestricted access to the building – including lobbyists, vendors and members of the news media – now have to go through security screening as well.

“Primarily that decision came about because members of the General Assembly, elected officials, are sensibly background checked by their constituents who choose them to go to the Capitol to do the people’s work on their behalf,” she said. “And state gover nment employees are background checked by their respective agencies. Lobbyists, vendors and members of the press are not subject to any background check.”

To avoid congestion, Williams said the office has set up a “TSA Express-style” screening point at the east entrance of the building for those individuals who previously had unfettered access

The security changes near the tail end of a three-year, $224 million renovation project that will make permanent changes to the way the public enters and exits the Capitol.

That project involves restoration and remodeling of the entire north wing of the Capitol. When it’s completed, sometime in 2025, all public access will be through a new entryway on the north side of the building where people will pass through security screening before entering the building itself

Until then, visitors will continue entering through either the east or west doors of the building where metal detectors and baggage x-ray machines are located just inside the building.

Lawmakers are tentatively scheduled to return to the Statehouse Jan. 2 for the start of a brief lame duck session. The re gular 2025 session be gins Wednesday, Jan. 8.

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

SEVEN SUSPICIOUS SIGNS AN EMPLOYEE RETENTION CREDIT (ERC) CLAIM COULD BE INCORRECT: PART I

The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) - sometimes called the Employee Retention Tax Credit or ERTC - is a refundable tax credit for certain eligible businesses and tax-exempt organizations that had employees and were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The requirements are different depending on the time period for which you claim the credit. The ERC is not available to individuals.

Too many quarters being claimed: Some promoters urged employers to claim the ERC for all quarters that the credit was available. Qualifying for all quarters is uncommon. Employers should carefully review their eligibility for each quarter.

Government orders that don’t qualify: Some promoters told employers they can claim the ERC if any government order was in place in their area, even if their operations weren’t affected or if they chose to suspend their business operations voluntarily. This is false. Some promoters also suggested that an employ-

er qualifies based on communications from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This is generally not true. Employers should review the frequently asked questions about ERC - Qualifying Government Orders for more information and helpful examples for these topics.

Too many employees and wrong calculations: Employers should be cautious about claiming the ERC for all wages paid to every employee on their payroll. Employers need to meet certain rules for wages to be considered qualified wages, depending on the tax period. Employers should review all calculations to avoid overclaiming the credit. They should not use the same credit amount across multiple tax periods for each employee. For details on credit amounts, see the ERC 2020 vs 2021 Comparison Chart.

C APITOL NEWS ILLINOIS

PHOTO BY ANDREW CAMPBELL

e Illinois Capitol’s north wing, which is undergoing renovations, is pictured in Spring eld.

By Linda Sokol Francis. E.A.

Pritzker endorses hemp regulation bill

e governor says new, dangerous products threaten children’s safety

Checklist for Planning Your Next Project

Right now or very soon, most likely you’re on vacation. If so, there’s an even better chance you didn’t wait till the last minute to plan what you’d like to do during this special window of time.

Same goes for planning and implementing an upgrade to your outdoor space. The more lead time you give it, the more satisfied you will be with the outcome. With that 2025 outdoor project in mind, here’s a checklist for success: Planning your project

� Create your wish list

� Establish your budget

� Schedule an initial meeting to discuss your design Decision time

� Review the design, and revise, if needed

� Pick your plants/hardscape products

� Execute a contract

� Obtain the necessary permits (with help from your contractor, if you have one)

Implementation

� The easiest step for a homeowner— this is where you get to sit back and watch your ideas come to life, while our experts do what they do best.

And finally, the last and most important step: Enjoy your new outdoor space!

As we enter our 46th holiday season in business, McAdam Landscaping wishes you and your loved ones a happy and healthy new year.

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois

More than five years after Illinois began issuing permits for legal production of industrial hemp, Gov. JB Pritzker said Friday he now favors legislation to bring the industry under tighter regulation.

At a news conference in Chicag ker said in the short time since both the state and federal governments leg hemp production, a new industry has emerged in which chemicals are extracted from hemp plants to produce intoxicating and potentially dangerous products that are currently unregulated.

“Commonly known as intoxicating hemp, this industry is selling hemp-deri ucts such as delta-8, and they’r ceptive advertising tactics to market them directly to minors,” Pritzker said. “These products have an intoxicating effect, often to dangerous levels. They’re untested and unregulated and are widely av accessible to young people.”

Illinois lawmakers passed legislation in 2018 to allow the commercial production of hemp, the same year Congress legalized hemp nationwide through the 2018 Farm Bill. The crop was once commonly used in the United States to make rope, textiles and other products, but it was effectively banned decades ago because of its close botanical relationship with marijuana.

T he legislation le g alizing hemp anticipated it would again be used to make industrial products, but also for the production of CDB oils that can be extracted from the plant. T hose oils, and products made with them, have become popular due to the belief that they have multiple health benefits.

But the recent boom of intoxicating hempderived products has raised new concerns about the need for additional re gulation.

House Bill 4293, which originally dealt with re gulation of massage therapists, passed out of the House last spring and was sent to the Senate where it was stripped of its original language and replaced with new language re gulating intoxicating hemp-derived products.

The bill would not ban such products but would impose limits on the amount of the intoxicating substance THC they can

contain, and it would re gulate how those products can be marketed and advertised. It also limits the manufacture and sale of those products to licensed businesses.

The amended bill passed out the Senate 54-1 in May and was sent back to the House where no further action has been taken.

“It is vital we move forward towards regulation of hemp and delta-8 products and do so in a way that is equitable and provides opportunities within the evolving industry,” Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, D-Westchester, said during the news conference. “We support the hemp industry. This is not an effort to bash the hemp industry. We want the hemp industry to survive and thrive and continue evolving.”

The push to impose new limits on the production and sale of intoxicating hemp comes at the same time the Illinois Department of Agriculture has been working to develop new state re gulations to bring the Illinois industry into compliance with new federal re gulations.

The legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, which oversees the administrative rulemaking process, gave its approval to those rules Tuesday That came after extensive ne gotiations with the Illinois Hemp Business Association, a lobby group that represents many small,

minority-owned hemp businesses.

In a statement, the association said this week it was satisfied with the final negotiated version of the administrative rules, but still had significant concerns about the new hemp re gulation bill. The association said it “threatens the industry by potentially banning beneficial components of the hemp plant.”

But the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, which represents the cannabis industry, issued a statement Friday supporting the legislation.

“We applaud Gov. JB Pritzker’s call to protect consumers and rein in the gray market,” the group’s executive director Tiffany Chappell Ingram said in a statement. “We urge lawmakers to take swift action, as Illinois is already falling behind other states that have adopted meaningful re gulations.”

Lawmakers are expected to consider the bill during an upcoming lame duck session, which is tentatively scheduled to begin Thursday, Jan. 2.

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

C APITOL NEWS ILLINOIS PHOTO BY ANDREW CAMPBELL

Products that contain delta-8 THC are pictured next to the original packaging they resemble.

Scott McAdam Jr.

IBM will build new quantum computer in state-backed technology park

Latest

win in governor’s plan to make Illinoi s ‘global capital for quantum computing’

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois

IBM, the tech giant known for revolutionizing computing over the past 70 years, is setting up shop on Chicago’s South Side to develop what could be the field’s next big leap: quantum technology.

It’s part of a multi-year effort from Gov. JB Pritzker, state officials and economic development groups to turn Illinois into a global hub for quantum computing and research IBM announced Thursday it will open a facility known as the National Quantum Algorithm Center that will bring together experts and researchers to focus on ways to combine quantum computers and traditional computers to solve complex problems. It will also house IBM’s Quantum System Two, a quantum computer that can be upgraded as the company develops its technology further.

Quantum technology uses quantum mechanics – the sometimes-counterintuitive physics of very small particles – to perform calculations and do other computing tasks very quickly, some of which would take a traditional computers thousands or even millions of years.

IBM is the latest organization to join the

Latest News

from the

Gov. JB Pritzker watches as IBM CEO Arvind

up a state-of-the-art quantum computer at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park on Chicago’s South Side.

state’s efforts to make Illinois a quantum computing hub. Over the past year, several quantum computing organizations have made Chicago a go-to destination for quantum researchers and businesses, capitalizing on Pritzker’s goals for the research park.

In July, the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, announced it was going to launch a program meant to serve as a “proving ground” for quantum technologies – testing how useful they could be in real-world settings.

The same month, the state unveiled its

Olmsted Society

Stewards of the land and Olmsted’s Plan

Riverside Author Cathy Maloney will talk about her latest book, “Olmsted’s Riverside: Stewardship Meets Innovation in a Landmark Village,” Wednesday, 12/18, 7 pm, Riverside Public Library. Registration required on library website www.riversidelibrary.org

All are invited to the Society’s Annual Meeting, Friday, 1/17/25, 7 pm, at the Riverside Township Hall. Photographer Chris Neumer will be guest presenter. Refreshments will be served.

For the Holidays, Olmsted Society memberships are great gifts for family, friends, and neighbors. Members receive discounts on Hop Stop, tours and other special events. Memberships are reasonably priced at $35 and tax deductible. Visit our website for details or stop by the Membership table at the Annual meeting to renew or join in person.

plans for a quantum research and business park – with $700 million in tax incentives, grants and other financial support The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, or IQMP, is set to open in about two years with California-based PsiQuantum as its first anchor tenant.

DARPA and IBM will also have facilities at the quantum park, with the state kicking in $25 million to purchase equipment and make preparations to house IBM’s new quantum computer.

As part of its initial commitment to the state, IBM said its development will bring 50 permanent jobs to the park in addition to construction work.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said Thursday he expects the company’s overall investment in the facility to be in the tens of millions or low hundreds of millions. He said he expects that figure – and the number of jobs generated by the project – to grow as the company begins to host student intern programs, graduate fellowships and university faculty for research projects.

“Being at the forefront of this industry holds the potential to deliver long-term, broad-based economic prosperity for our

C APITOL NEWS ILLINOIS PHOTO BY ANDREW ADAMS

Krishna describes his company’s plan to set

New photo exhibit at Riverside Arts Center calls for more than cursory looks

Jay Wolke show runs through Feb. 22

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

The image is titled “Quarry Workshop, Carrara, Italy, 2014,” but look closer.

There’s a lot more to be seen.

“This is right up at the top of the mountains where co rona marble is mined,” Jay Wolke said on a recent Sunday at the Riverside Arts Center, where he casually sa next to the image as local residents and art aficionados browsed nearby

“You can even see at the top,” he gestured toward the image, where ominous gray clouds are rolling in. “They’r sort of cutting away at the mountain. Those are quarries where we get a lot of our marble from in the whole world. Certainly, much of the marble from the Roman era came directly from these mountains.”

There’s more.

A statue of a pregnant woman casts shadow on a work shop building at the base of the mountain.

“That’s wh at i nterested me,” said Wolke, a B ridg ep or resident who until January spent three years on the arts c enter b oard. “How p eople adapted to this situation, the conditions.”

That image and dozens of others occupy the Freeark Gallery and F lexSpace at the Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St., part of Wolke’s exhibition titled “Building Place: Big Boat, Little Pond. “

The show runs through Feb. 22 and can be viewed from 1-5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. A panel discussion focusing on Wolke’s work will take place on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. Like the exhibition, the talk is free and open to the public.

The images were curated by Paul D’Amato and Laura Husar Garcia,. It wasn’t an easy assignment. The curators were not only in charge of choosing the images, but also where they were located within the g alleries.

Choosing the images “took months,” D’Amato said. “It took all the time that Jay took to make the pictures. Jay and I spent a couple of times looking through folders of his favorite ones. They had to be scanned. They’re all made from film. There is a curation that happens when you decide what to scan versus what not to scan.”

He added: ‘But it really helps to have someone who didn’t make them help pick them, because as a photographer myself I know you can’t see the woods from the trees.”

The images are eclectic, and each one has a story behind it as unique as “Quarry Workshop.”

For example, “Take Red Purses, WWII Bomb Shelter, Milan, Italy, 2021” shows what appears to be a concrete silo with an upside-down funnel at the top. It’s not a silo; it’s

a World War II-era bomb shelter. The upside-down funnel was designed to deflect falling bombs, Wolke said.

Joann Aono, the gallery director, said “Building Space” is considered a spotlight exhibition for the arts center.

“When Jay had resigned his position on the board, because we don’t show board members, I said, Let’s show Jay,” Aono said. “Paul said, I want to curate it, and Laura said, so do I.”

The key to making great photographs, according to Husar Garcia, is curiosity, which she said Wolke has an abundance. A viewer might notice that with few exceptions most of the images don’t include people.

“I believe he leaves it up to the viewer to decipher their impression of what man does and what they are given,” she said.

You might expect in an image like “Quarry Workshop” that Wolke had taken hundreds of images before selecting

just the right one. Not so. You need patience to make great photographs; he waited until the conditions were right to take a handful of photos – one of which is the one on the wall.

Riverside Arts Center fills an important community need, he said.

“You’ve got to have places like this,” he said. “This is about creative new ideas. People get complacent. They need to have something to pull them out of their complacency.”

Ann Filmer is the new Riverside Arts Center executive director, who started Dec. 2. Not surprisingly, she’s bullish about the 31-year-old organization’s future. She’ll be responsible for the financial health of the organization.

“I feel like RAC already has a strong vision of what it wants to be,” Filmer said. “I’ll be like, How can we make that vision more financially secure? Nonprofit arts is sometimes really challenging.”

GREGG VOSS

Jay Wolke

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Police cite drivers with suspended registrations, licenses

Riverside police ticketed a man Dec. 6 after they saw him drive a car with illegally tinted windows.

At 2:08 a.m., an officer on patrol saw the car with its heavily tinted front windows heading south on Harlem Avenue near East Quincy Street.

After pulling the car over near Blackhawk Road, the officer explained the stop to the driver and asked him for his driver’s license and proof of insurance. The man gave the officer an Illinois state ID and said he could not find his insurance card. A search through the police database showed the officer the man had never been issued an Illinois driver’s license. Later, the man told the officer his license had been suspended in California.

ness. The officer activated their car’s sirens and stopped the man’s car from going any further as it drove directly toward the business and stopped before the front door

plates the officer determined to be expired and suspended, so they pulled the car over at North Delaplaine Road and East Burlington Street.

After explaining the reason for the stop to the driver, the officer saw a child under the age of 5 in the back passenger seat without a car seat and not wearing a seatbelt. The driver gave the officer her Illinois state ID instead of a driver’s license along with her proof of insurance. According to police, after running her information through the police database, the officer learned the woman’s driver’s license was suspended.

police each time the woman disturbed his family so something might be done.

The officer asked if the man would like a disorderly conduct citation to be issued to the woman, and he said he would. In the report, police noted the man had called police at least eight times since 2019 to complain about the woman’s behavior.

Police ticketed the man for driving an uninsured vehicle, for driving with a suspended license and for the car’s unlawfully tinted front windows. Police set a court date and released the man at the scene after his car was turned over to a legal driver.

Ticketed for driving on the sidewalk

Brookfield police ticketed a 40-year-old Brookfield man Dec. 11 after he made eye contact with an officer before driving onto the sidewalk in front of a business.

At 12:48 a.m., the officer was conducting a premise check at Phoenix Liquors, 8814 Ogden Ave., when they saw a car “stop in the middle” of the road on Ogden Avenue. According to police, the officer made eye contact with the driver before he drove the car onto the sidewalk in front of the busi-

QUANTUM COMPUTER

from page 11

people,” Pritzker said Thursday

The IQMP is being built at the lakefront site of a for mer U.S. Steel plant on Chicago’s South Side. That plant closed in the early 1990s, but at its height of its operations was the source of tens of thousands of jobs and significant economic activity for its surrounding neighborhood.

Some local residents are worried that the benefits of a high-tech research and business facility won’t reach the neighborhood that still feels the absence of U.S. Steel’s plant.

After approaching the car, the officer confirmed with dispatch that the driver had “prior police interactions,” so they requested backup; dispatch also infor med the officer the man’s car’s re gistratio n was suspended.

The officer issued the man citations for driving on a suspended re gistration, for driving without a front license plate and for driving on the sidewalk. Police set a Jan. 14, 2025, court date and sent the man on his way.

Cited while driving child without seatbelt

Riverside police ticketed a woman Dec. 11 for driving a car with expired license plates

At about 12:30 a.m., an officer on patrol saw a car heading west on East Quincy Street from Harlem Avenue with license

“We’re a very unique and diverse community with a lot of talent, but there’s been a lot of disinvestment,” Vanessa Schwartz, a bornand-raised resident of the Southeast Side, told Capitol News Illinois in a late-November interview. “That property alone has had a lot of investors with plans that have fallen through, so there’s some kind of reticence with the community to see if this is going to be something like that.”

Schwartz, who now runs the Metropolitan Family Services’ Southeast Chicago Center, said residents in her community feel wary of the potential environmental impacts of the project and are worried they will lose access to a lakefront park at the site

“The real fear is what’s going to happen

The officer asked the woman to step out of her car before issuing her citations for her suspended re gistration and license. The officer ensured the car was turned over to a valid driver before sending the woman on her way with a Jan. 17, 2025, court date.

Cited for disorderly conduct

Brookfield police cited a 73-year-old Brookfield woman Dec. 9 for disorderly conduct after her neighbor said she yelled vulgarities at his family.

An officer took a phone call from the woman’s neighbor, who said she was re gularly obscene while walking past him or his family. He said she does so often but he does not call the police each time, but this time, he told police he had “reached ‘his breaking point.’”

He told police his family, including his children, were outside hanging Christmas lights when the woman yelled obscenities at them. The man said he planned to call

to the local residents and the local neighborhood,” Schwartz said. “Will they be priced out, will rents increase?”

Schwartz said there have been several wellattended community meetings held to discuss the development, but much of the information provided to residents so far has been in “broad strokes” and been “too vague.”

Pritzker and others on Thursday defended efforts to meet with the community and address these concerns. He noted a “real commitment” from himself and many of the groups involved in the quantum park to address concerns from residents Rep. Curtis Tarver, D-Chicago, represents the district where the IQMP is being built and he said his office has received calls with

The next day around 5 p.m., a Brookfield officer arrived at the woman’s house while she was yelling in the direction of the man’s home. The officer made contact with the woman and explained she was being issued a citation. The woman said she had yelled at the neighbor the day prior but said she had not seen the children and would not be vulgar in front of them. She told police the man “continues to mess with her” and had done so for years; she said the man had broken into her home in the past and left dirty diapers in her garage.

The woman accepted her citation, which included a future court date, and the officer sent her on her way.

These items were obtained from the Riverside Police Department re ports dated Dec. 6-11 and the Brookfield Police Department re ports dated Dec. 9-16; they re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Trent Brown

concerns that are “very relevant,” but that he didn’t think a for mal community benefits agreement was necessary for the project. Still, he applauded the community engagement efforts he’s seen so far.

“I’ve been around a long time. I used to work for Mayor [Richard M.] Daley’s office almost 20 years ago,” Tarver said. “This is as much engagement as I’ve seen on a project in quite some time. It really is.”

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

S.E. Gross’s McKenna Kosey (front / center) and team warm up under the direction of coach Meghan Kulakowski dur ing the RBHS Middle School Cheerleading Competition.

S.E. Gross’s coaches Meghan Kulakowski and Clare Nichols work on stunts with their team dur ing the RBHS Middle School Cheerleading Competition.

PHOTO S BY STEVE JOHNSTON

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Opinion

LETTERS

Call for federal legislation on o cer murders

Considering the recent murder of a police of ficer in Oak Park, the shooting of a police of ficer in Cicero, and the increasing lineof-duty deaths in Chicago this year, I am renewing my call for le gislation making the murder of a police officer in the line of duty a federal crime. I have advocated for this since 2012 but have seen little progress. It is time for change.

I have written a letter to President-Elect Trump re garding this issue. Additionally, I have previously written to our state senators

and President Biden but am still waiting to receive responses.

During President Trump’s administration, I reached out to him, and the DOJ responded, expressing a willingness to work on best practices related to my request. Still, unfortunately, no significant progress has been made since then. My goal is to see effective legislation passed that designates the murder of a police officer as a federal crime.

Chief Tom Weitzel (Ret.) Ri verside

Thanks for doing something about tra c, parking

Dear library board members, Bravo for finally caring about traf fic and parking around the library. It is a shame you didn’t handle this properly during the zoning process and tried to cut corners. If you had conducted a credible, thorough traffic study then, this could have been identified and resolved during the zoning process and the taxpayers could have saved a lot of money that will now be spent on acquiring this property and constructing this new parking lot. C onstruction and acquisition costs have only skyrocketed sinc e. Some taxp ayer s might have an issue with that, especially when the library is sitting on such large reserves for a brand new building. Hopefull y you truly care about this issue and aren’t spending this taxp ayer money just to justify any future tax increases wh i le paddin g those reserve s, as a part of me suspects, du e to your actions during the zoning process. Hopefully this is a change of pace from that zoning process, where I was personally attacke d and had my motives questioned by some members of this board and your director, who claimed in emails obtained via FOIA that I was “just trying to get a new

s idewalk,” despite the fact that I have an autistic child who frequently ran into the streets at that time.

An employee of the library re portedly wrote to a local network news station saying that I should be investigated (I found out about that because a very dear friend of mine works for the network.) That was quite a hoot. I can laugh about it now, but it cer tainly wasn’t funny then. And it was all because my neighbors and I had very le gitimate concer ns about traf fic and parking, concer ns that you obviously now share and will be spending at least $500K of taxpayer money to rectify with a new parking lot. We cer tainly deserved better and our concer ns should have mattered

Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge and all is forgiven. My family and I truly enjoy the new library. I am sincerely grateful that you are finally doing something about this issue as I know some of my neighbors have been quite frustrated with the traf fic and parking. Please, just don’ t try to cut any cor ners ag ain this time

Mark McCann Brookfield

OBITUARIES

Frank Zaviska, 77

Insurance broker, coach, av id reader

Frank James Zaviska Jr., 77, of Riverside died peacefully at home on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, surrounded by love and family. Born on June 21, 1947 in Chicago, the call of the Navy lured him to San Diego where he spent two years in active duty and five years in the Naval Reserves. When he came back to Chicago, he returned to colle ge and completed his de gree. He found a job, first, with INA, and then, with Fred S. James, before starting his own insurance brokerage company, F.J. Zaviska & Associates. He married on Aug. 3, 1974, and after spending time building their careers, the couple moved to the suburbs and had three children. He spent many years of his children’s youth volunteering as a Little League coach and board member. This would lead to perfecting his expert color commentary while watching his grandchildren play many, many, many games of youth baseball and travel ball.

Frank was the son of Frank and Ethel, and big brother of James (Debbie). He was the husband of Melinda; father of Meghan (Zach), Matthew (Elicia) and Morgan (Joey); uncle of Alison, Ryan and Nick; and grandfather of McKenna, Maeve, Cian, Alizabeth, Kolby, Anton and Moira. He was a friend to many, a man of conviction, and his love and knowledge knew no bounds. His absence is noticeable and he is missed greatly.

A celebration of Frank’s life will begin with a visitation at 9 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. on Dec. 23 at St. Paul VI Parish in Riverside.

If you are so inclined, a donation to your local library would be the best way to honor Frank, who was an avid reader and spent many an hour in his comfy chair turning the pages of numerous books.

Charles Kozelka, 61

Riverside resident

Charles W. Ko zelka III, 61, of Riverside, died on Nov. 16, 2024. He was the son of the late Rose Ann Kozelka and late Charles W. Kozelka Jr.; the brother of Sharon (Tom) Brescia, Cindy (John) Gaines, the late LuAnn Kozelka and late Linda (Kevin) Feeney; and the uncle, great-uncle and nephew of many. Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28, at St. Mary Church, 105 Herrick Road, Riverside. Please arrive by 9:45 a.m. Private inur nment will be held at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

Arrangements were handled by Ivins/Moravecek Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St., Riverside.

See OBITUARIES on pa ge 20

opening Dec. 1.

OBITUARIES

continued from page 19

Judith Hannon, 80

Human resource manager

Judith Marie Hannon, nee Zborowski, 80, of North Riverside, died on Dec. 10, 2024. Born on Sept. 19, 1944 in Chicago, she was a Human Resource Manager at

Judith was the sister of Leonard J. (Patricia) Zborowski and Lawrence T. (Debra) Zborowski the aunt of Adam J. (Terri) Zborowski

Jessica Zborowski

Aimee E. (Edward) Sutton, and Rebecca A. (Sabin) Jackson.

SHOP SALON 3 ‘gens’

from page 7

Obermeyer said the women in her family — namely her mother-in-law and daughters — inspired the ethos behind the Style House’s selection of clothing.

“We call ourselves the three gens, like three generations, so we want to make sure we’re always tailoring things that can go to all three generations of women,” she said. She said she wanted the boutique to have something for women of all three age groups in her own family: teenagers, midlife adults and those 55 and older.

Obermeyer said another aspect driving her to grow her business is her appreciation for community development.

“I grew up going to that street, like after high school, going to the old Paisans,” she said. “I’ve always worked in downtown Oak Park, downtown Riverside, downtown in the city, and I just felt there was such a potential for Grand Boulevard.”

She said she put her faith in the Brookfield community to support the business

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21 at St. Mary

Church in Riverside, followed by interment at Resur rection Cemetery.

Online condolences, photos and memories may be shared with the family at www KuratkoNosek.com.

Jose Benitez, 83

Fled Cuba for a better life

when it was just getting of f the ground.

“When I did first open, I actually had someone tell me, ‘You’re going to have people pay that much for hair here in Brookfield?’ I looked them straight in the eye and said, ‘The problem is with Brookfield that the residents are going to other towns to pay and have this type of service done in other towns elsewhere, but I’m confident that I have the clients to do that.’”

Since opening, she said the community has embraced the Shop Salon and, now, the Style House.

“What I knew to be true has just evolved what we’re able to offer. I have people that walk in [and say], ‘Oh, I never knew you were here. It’s so nice,’” she said.

Now that the Style House has opened, Obermeyer said she’s happy to have created a business where women can lift each other up and come to learn about working in beauty.

“I’m also really proud to provide a space where a lot of the women that work for me are single women or mothers of children. That makes me really proud, to be an employer to women,” she said. “That’s why I keep doing this. If I can keep networking people and people can grow out of that location, it keeps me very passionate.”

ing to the suburb of Melrose Park to raise his family. He enjoyed outdoor walks, family road trips and playing dominoes.

Jose is survived by Lidia, his wife of 59 years; his daughters, Barbara Benitez-Oprzedek and Deborah Taubery; his grandchildren, Angelina, N. Fox, and Sabrina; his five siblings; and many nieces and ne phews.

Jose (“El Nino”) M. Benitez, 83, died on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 at home in Brookfield, with his family. Bor n on Jan. 1, 1941 in Punta Cart e, Province of Pinar de Rio, Cuba, he fled his native c ountry to the U. S. when he was 18 years old for a better l ife, and met his w ife in Miami, F lorida . He tr aveled the states, from C alifo rn ia to Massachusetts, looking for o pportunities, eventually settling in Chicago and mov-

He greeted you with a smile, talked to everyone for hours, and would give you the shirt of f his back. Heaven gained an angel. #international harvester, #navistar, #zenith, #unitedcarburators, #her tz.

To run an obituary

Please contact Erika Hobbs by e-mail: erika@growingcommunitymedia.org, before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.

TODD BANNOR

Kelly Ober meyer, her daughter Mia Ober meyer and her mother-in-law Kelly Stevens pose together at the Style House’s

Sports

New RBHS bowling teams already on a roll

Several multi-sport athletes among 40-plus newcomers

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Riverside Brookfield High School junior Ronnie Murray already was a busy athlete with golf and baseball. He happily has become a three-sport athlete. Murray now is part of the Bulldogs’ first boys and girls bowling teams after the sport was a club activity for two years. Their home lanes are Bowlero in Lyons.

“Some of my friends were doing it and I thought it would be kind of fun to just come and bowl,” Murray said.

“I was aware of [the club], but I thought it would take up a lot of time with baseball. I didn’t think about doing it back then, but I’m glad I started doing it now.”

Both teams have had great turnouts: 29 for the boys and 15 for the girls. Their schedules are predominantly Upstate Eight Conference opponents.

Senior girls bowler Isa Oliver joins Murray among the numerous multi-sport athletes.

“I was really excited, just a new way to have fun. And it was really cool because during the offseason, cross country and track, I had nothing to do so being able to have fun with it and become better was really cool,” Oliver said. “Once everyone starts cheering, you feel that rush of energy and it makes you feel really good.”

Phil McGovern is the boys head coach. Varsity members include seniors Rylan Bruno, Peter Gardiner, Cal Milchhoefer, Ben O’Brien and Josh Udelson and juniors

Jaden Barrett, Eric Cardenas, Andreas Gasca, Finn Lubeck, Murray, Chrisson Mayksor and Edward Schook. There are 17 more bowlers on junior varsity.

Girls team members are seniors Katie Doyle and Oliver, juniors Abby Ford, Ava Haralamos, Zoe Jeffcott, Jessica Kot, Ava Morg, Audrey Raymond, Sofia Sanchez and Lucia Vazzana and freshmen Isabella Buczek, Emily Cubas, Imira Glenn, Mariana Lozano and Mia Torres. Doug Schultz is head coach.

Freshman Teddy Kowalski is the only bowler among the two groups with significant league experience. McGovern said the focus is teaching basics and having fun while establishing a competitive mentality

“It’s not just walk up there and throw anymore,” McGovern said. “We’re really building a program here. We’ve seen awesome improvement over the course of the year. The next step is getting them their own equipment. They’re all using house balls from Bowlero. They’re gaining interest. They want to get their own shoes, own balls, which is the goal for year one.”

As of last week, O’Brien (123), Murray (122), Udelson (121.6) and Milchhofer (119.78) had the top-four season averages. Lubeck, Gasca, Bruno and Barrett were between 115 and 112.

“So much fun. I’m really glad I’m here. Every day is fun. Even if you have a bad day, you can get over it,” said Barrett, also a football player.

“It seemed pretty easy to pick up, every-

RBHS boys and girls bowling teams.

body being new, so I didn’t really feel left out. I feel like it’s a way more laid-back sport. I enjoy just being able to come and bowl. It’s really relaxing to end your day after a long day at school.”

McGovern supervised the bowling club, which had roughly 30 students attend per event. However, only a handful of the current bowlers were club re gulars.

Doyle, another girls soccer player, enjoyed the bowling club with her friends.

“We just came and bowled for fun,” Doyle said. “That was for a good time but this is a little more competitive and a little more serious. And it’s a lot more time consuming.”

In UEC duals, teams use six bowlers per game with the top five scores going toward the team total. Teams compete for five points, one for each game victory and two for the series winner.

The boys are 1-11 in UEC duals with six points, beating West Aurora 5-0, Nov. 19.

The girls are 2-5 and 2-4 in the UEC with 11 points, beating West Aurora 1,775 to 1,608 Dec. 10 and Larkin 1,586 to 581 Thursday.

They debuted Dec. 2 against South Elgin, 14th at state last year

“I feel like a lot of people were interested just because it was a first-year sport,” said

Raymond, who also plays golf and soccer. “I’ve had a blast. It’s been really fun just hanging out with new people and just playing something that isn’t as competitive where we can all just have a good time.” Ray mond and To rr es have b een the top-scoring girls with Fo rd, another soccer pl ayer

“I’ve j ust enjoyed having f un with the other bowler s, ” Fo rd said. “In socce r, everyone is in it to win and everyone wants to pl ay g ood for their teammates In bowling everyone j ust wants to have f un. It ’s no problem at all if you do bad. Everyone’s happy at the end of the day.”

This also makes Schultz a three-sport varsity head coach. He also coaches softball and girls golf, which has enjoyed increasing numbers the past couple of seasons

“It’s pretty awesome. Being a multi-sport coach and being able to kind of build another program has been very fulfilling,” Schultz said. “We’re building the plane as we fly it. But we’re progressing. What I tell the girls is you can’t focus on what other girls are doing in the other lanes. You need to work on your progression and what you do to get better will make the team better.”

BILL STONE

RONNIE MURRAY ISA OLIVER

No. 1-ranked LTHS makes early WSC Silver statement

Morris, Graupera pace Bulldogs’ victories over Ridgewood, Lindblom

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Senior Nora Ezike and her Lyons Township High School girls basketball teammates took a big first step toward winning the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Dec. 11.

Besides earning a 40-23 victory over defending champion Downers Grove North on the road, the undefeated Lions (11-0, 3-0 in Silver) also gained a No. 1 area ranking from the Chicago Sun-Times after beating Proviso West 74-19 Friday and Evanston 6040 Saturday.

“It’s very exciting and we’ve very proud to see our hard work paying of f. But rankings don’t meet anything,” Ezike said. “Rankings don’t mean wins. We have to continue to lock in and continue to do what doing and keep pushing harder and harder to be better.”

The Lions should get several tests in their return to the Montini Christmas Tournament Dec. 23 and 26-28 before resuming their quest for the Silver after their title streak was snapped last year by the Trojans (7-2, 1-1).

The Lions finished 8-4 in the Silver, three games behind Downers North. They lost both games to the Trojans by a combined nine points and scored 35 and 40 points.

“To capitalize and make a statement there, that’s f un. T he girls did pl ay really well on defense,” said LT HS c oach Me g han Hutchens

“We’ve talked about this being a special team for a long time. The thing to focus on is don’t lower expectations with how well we’re doing. I think the girls are excited about the opportunity to be No. 1 but they don’t take that lightly. We know there’s a target on our back.”

Junior Gwen Smith continues to excel, scoring a then personal-best 20 points against Downers North followed by 22 against Evanston on 10-for-16 shooting with one three.

Smith made 9 of 13 shots against Downers North, including several points in the paint. Stanford-bound Ezike (11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), Division I recruit Emma O’Brien (5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) and Tess Bernson (4 rebounds) also excelled.

“Downers plays really good defense. When we had to work to get into the paint, Gwen was able to capitalize. (And) she finds a way to sneak by everybody in transition,” Hutchens said.

“I think the more she hustles in transition to get easy baskets, that’s a feel-good moment for her. Teams have got to worry about Nora and Emma and now they’re got to worry about a third kid. She’s a rebounder, a hustler, a versatile player.”

The Lions also made 9 of 9 free throws, had nine steals and 14 defensive rebounds in their 1-3-1 zone defense and only committed 15 turnovers.

“I feel like we all play very hard on defense,” Ezike said.

“It’s usually a long possession while

we’re on defense against Downers North and we didn’t break down. We stuck to our principles, had a lot of steals and communicated well with each other.”

O’Brien also scored 20 points Saturday with eight rebounds and seven assists and Ezike had 11 points. Ezike, Taylor Ca rroll and Syd ney Munson had four reb ounds and Ave ry Mezan and Bernson had four steals

At Montini, LT HS opens with St. L aurence (2-9) Dec. 23 followe d by Prospect (8-2) or Geneva (2-6) Dec. 26. A p ossibl e semifinal opponent Dec. 27 is Benet (9-1), wh ich the Lions beat 77-67 Nov. 19. Tournament u pdates are available at montinichristmastour ney.com.

RBHS girls basketball

Alyssa Morris and Gabriella Graupera each had 16 points as the Bulldogs defeated Ridgewood 58-22 in Upstate Eight Conference Red Division play Dec. 10.

Morris also had two three-pointers, nine rebounds and three assists. Other standouts for the Bulldogs (3-8, 2-2 in UEC Red) were Maya Tennicott and Addie Vaia (6 points each), Abby Weinert (4 points, 3 steals) and Claire Evans (5 steals).

“In the beginning of the season I think we struggled with running our plays and finishing our possessions on offense,” Weinert said. “I definitely see a change in how we run our offense, and I see how we have gained patience and basketball

knowledge to finish our possessions.”

On Saturday, the Bulld og s defeated Lindblom 56-39 and lost to Oak Lawn 7559 in White Division pool pl ay at the Oak Lawn Tournament.

Graupera (19 points) and Vaia (10 points) led the scoring against Lindblom. The Bulldogs had four in double figures against Oak Lawn – Graupera and Isabella Pere z (13 each), Evans (11) and Morris (10).

This was the third straight game in double figures for Graupera, a 5-foot-8 exchange student from Spain.

RBHS finishes Oak Lawn pool play Wednesday against Lockport and will play the corresponding Green Division pool finisher Saturday.

The Bulldogs lost to Nazareth 65-34 Dec. 11 and to Glenbard South 47-17 Friday. Morris (16 points with 2 threes, 7 rebounds), Graupera (5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists), Weinert (6 rebounds) and Evans (5 rebounds) led RBHS against Nazareth (8-2), last year’s Class 4A state runner-up.

“Even though we did not finish with a win, [Nazareth] is a nationally ranked team and I think we did a good job walking onto the court with a strong mentality and ready to put up a good fight,” Weinert said.

“Another game that stood out was Ridgewood. The team did a good job playing the game and trusting our skill to end up with a win.”

The Bulldogs open the four-day Sandburg Holiday Classic Dec. 26 playing Romeoville and Sandburg or Plainfield East.

Sleinys, Bulldogs start quickly, remain perfect in UEC East

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Riverside Brookfield High School senior boys basketball player Mantas Sleinys continues progressing from being a key reserve last season to a contributing starter.

“It definitely did encourage me in the offseason because I didn’t play as much and I wanted to perform as much as I could,” Sleinys said.

“I’m really happy this season because I’m actually being able to go out there and help my team win.”

Sleinys’ personal-best 11 points was among the factors Thursday as the Bulldogs defeated Glenbard South 58-30 to remain undefeated in the Upstate Eight Conference East Division.

The 6-foot-6 Sleinys scored nine points in the first half as the Bulldogs (5-4, 3-0 in UEC East) rolled to a 38-14 advantage.

Also finishing in double figures were junior Cameron Mercer (18 points) and senior Danny Loftus (11 points, 5 assists), the Bulldogs’ two returning starting guards. Colin Ci mino had six rebound s.

S leinys made 5 of 7 shots with one three-pointer.

“I just took advantage [of the defense] and just got inside buckets. Most of them were layups,” Sleinys said. “[Then] they were guarding me around the perimeter, and standing back expecting me to drive. I just shot and made it.”

Senior Vince Dockendorf, a key reserve like Sleinys last season, came through with 18 points Dec. 10 in the 58-50 conference victory at Ridgewood. Scoring 16 each were Mercer (12 rebounds) and Loftus (9 rebounds). Sleinys added five points and four rebounds.

Dockendorf was 6-for-13 shooting with three three-pointers. Cimino added an-

other key three down the stretch for the Bulldogs, who only led 43-42 entering the fourth quar ter.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs lost to Evanston 77-43 at the Team Rose Shootout at Mt. Carmel.

Loftus had 15 points and five rebounds, followed by Dockendorf (10 points with 2 threes) and Mercer (8 points, 6 rebounds). Leading 1715 after one quarter, the Wildkits (8-1) used 13 for 23 three-point shooting to pull away

For more sports coverage visit online at RBLandmark.com

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

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The Board of Education of Oak Park Elementary School District #97 will receive a sealed software application bid for District 97 schools located in Oak Park, IL, 60302, until 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 23, 2025. At this time sealed responses will be publicly opened and read at the meeting at 3:00 p.m.

LEGAL NOTICE

The front of the envelope should be clearly marked “Unified Communications/Phone System RFP - District 97 Schools”.

Additional information may be obtained by contacting Mr. Michael Arensdorff at (708) 5243015 or marensdorff@op97.org.

Faxed or electronically submitted bids will not be accepted. Any faxed or electronically submitted bid will disqualify vendors.

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified vendors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CST until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10, 2025 for the following: Village of Oak Park UPM COLD MIX PATCH MATERIAL Bid Number: 25-107

Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oakpark.us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal December 18, 2024

LEGAL NOTICE

The River Forest Township Board of Trustees has approved the following meeting dates for 2025: RIVER FOREST TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETINGS

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

CALENDAR NUMBER: 21-24-Z

HEARING DATE: January 8, 2025

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302

Downtown. Sun Wellness Corp., d/b/a/ Massage Envy, a massage service establishment, plans to operate on the ground floor of the building within 50 feet of Forest Avenue and Lake Street lot lines.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

VILLAGE OF OAK PARK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

CALENDAR NUMBER: 22-24-Z

HEARING DATE: January 8, 2025

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

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Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Responses Due Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 3:00 P.M.

Only those responses complying with the provision and specification of the response will be considered.

The Board of Education reserves the right to waive any informalities, qualifications, or irregularities and/ or reject any or all responses when in its opinion, such action will serve the best interest of the Board of Education of Oak Park Elementary School District 97.

Lonya Boose, Board Secretary Published in Wednesday Journal

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

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Meetings will take place in person at 6:00 PM at the River Forest Civic Center Authority (RFCCA) building. 8020 W. Madison Street, 2nd Floor, River Forest, IL 60305.

The River Forest Civic Center Authority Board of Managers approved the same meeting dates. The meetings of the River Forest Civic Center Authority Board of Managers will take place in the same location immediately following the River Forest Township Board of Trustees meetings.

Any changes in time, date or location as well as Zoom remote participation information will be posted in advance on the River Forest Township website (www.riverforesttownship.org), at the River Forest Civic Center Authority Building and at the River Forest Library.

Published in Wednesday Journal December 18, 2024

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on a special use permit application filed by the Applicant, Sun Wellness Corp., d/b/a/ Massage Envy, to operate a massage service establishment pursuant to Section 8.3 (“Table 8-1: Use Matrix) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance at the property located at 971 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Number 16-07-128-031-0000, in the DT Downtown Business Zoning District.

In addition, Section 8.3 (Table 8-1: Use Matrix) prohibits massage service establishments from being located within the first 50 feet of the street lot line at grade level or on the ground floor of any building within the DT-1 and DT-2 Sub-Districts of

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may also sign up to participate in-person in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by submitting a cross-examination form or by emailing Zoning@oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the ZBA to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on an application filed by the Applicant, Sergiy Zamula, seeking a variance from section 9.3 (B)(8)(a) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance, which section allows a basement accessory dwelling unit on a zoning lot within a singlefamily dwelling unit, to permit the construction of a basement accessory dwelling unit in the building of the existing twofamily dwelling unit by variance at the premises commonly known as 820 S. Maple Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Number 16-18-127-007-0000 (“Subject Property”), in the R-350 Single-Family Zoning District.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may also sign up to participate in-person in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by submitting a cross-examination form or by emailing Zoning@ oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the Board to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

LEGAL NOTICE

OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION LEGAL NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held by the Village of Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission on January 9, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at the Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois on the Historic Landmark nomination for 1132-42 Lake St, Oak Park, Illinois (P.I.N.: 16-07119-014-0000).

The public hearing is being held in accordance with the requirements of the Oak Park Historic Preservation Ordinance. The Historic Preservation Commission will take public testimony during the hearing and make and forward their recommendations to the Village Board of Trustees following the conclusion of the public hearing.

For further information on this matter contact the Department of Development Customer Services, Planning Division, Village of Oak Park, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois Monday-Friday 8:30AM-5:00PM in person, by telephone at (708) 358-5443, or by email at historicpreservation@oak-park. us.

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AUCTION

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The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified vendors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. local time until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10, 2025 for the following:

Village of Oak Park 2025 Street Lighting & Traffic Control Materials Pricing Bid Number: 25-108 Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oakpark.us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal December 18, 2024

Published in Wednesday Journal, December 18, 2024

VILLAGE