Vol. VI No. 25 Food Network chef teaches Lindop students, PAGE 13
JUNE 22, 2022
vfpress.news
The Third Pillar column debuts, PAGE 12
‘Frightening’ supercell storm ravages Proviso The June 13 tornado-like storm left thousands powerless for days and ripped roofs off buildings By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
A few days after a rare supercell storm ravaged much of Proviso Township on June 13, elected officials in some of the suburbs most directly affected by the storm were warning residents against home repair scams, waiving permitting fees, exploring federal relief and praising the first responders who braved 100-degree temperatures during the emergency response. Nick Steker, Westchester’s acting village president, declared a local state of emergency the day of the storm. Two days later, the mayors of Broadview and Bellwood announced that they had filed local states of emergency in their villages, as well. In a statement released June 15, Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said the emergency declaration “will make our community eligible for financial assistance to aid our recovery.” And that recovery will be extensive, considering the damage. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Monday’s storm produced an EF-0 tornado “with a two mile path from Schaumburg to Roselle.” Schaumburg is about 20 minutes from the Proviso Township area. The storm ravaged much of Proviso, leaving thousands of people without power during a heat wave — some for several days. By Saturday, everyone’s power had been restored, according See STORM on page 2
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Juneteenth joy spreads across Proviso Township The holiday’s growing importance in Proviso marked by four suburbspanning parade, a threeday bash in Broadview and Speaker Welch’s Juneteenth Father’s Day BBQ in Hillside By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Back in 2008, when Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins (then a commissioner) hosted the very first Juneteenth Pool Party, the holiday’s staying power in the village was still an open question. “It’s unclear whether Forest Park will embrace Juneteenth in the coming years,” wrote Forest Park Review columnist John Rice in an article praising the holiday, about which he learned from Hoskins. “Will we have a parade here and save the mayor a trip to South Shore? Will we have a formal observance, or quiet family barbecues?” Fourteen years later, Rice’s questions have been definitively answered and Hoskins, a native of Galveston, Texas,
where Juneteenth originated, is looking more and more prescient. A year after Juneteenth was formally made a federal holiday in the United States, the annual commemoration is perhaps bigger than ever. For instance, the U.S. stock markets were closed Monday, June 20, to observe the holiday — the first time in history, according to the Wall Street Journal. More locally, the official Juneteenth flag flew above municipal buildings across the west suburbs, including in Forest Park and Broadview. Speaking of Broadview, the village that See JUNETEENTH on page 5