Wednesday Journal 020823

Oak Park plans opioid overdose kits in key locations

Collaborations underway with township, librar y, parks

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

The Village of Oak Park is considering purchasing emergency opioid overdose kits to prevent opioid overdose fatalities in the community. The kits, known as NaloxBoxes, are intended to increase the capacity of bystander rescuers to save lives of people who have overdosed on opioids in Oak Park.

Opioid addiction and overdoses are national crises, and while it may not be as widely apparent, Oak Park is not impervious to the problem. The Oak Park Public Health Department tracks the number of local opioid overdoses, which has increased 95% in the last decade. In 2022, Oak Park saw 151 overdoses – that the health department knows about. When there is an overdose or death related to a stigmatized disorder, such as addiction or substance abuse, people are reluctant to re port it. Those unreported incidents go undocumented by health departments.

See OVERDOSE KITS on page 12

Park district cancels controversial cooking camp

The class focused on avors of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

The Park District of Oak Park will no longer offer a summer cooking camp for children based on the foods found during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The day camp was pulled following intense public criticism that it glorified this country’s painful history of forcibly removing African people from their homelands, stripping them of the most basic human rights and enslaving them.

The camp was included in the park district’s 2023 summer camp guide, where it was described in language not dissimilar to what is used in cruise ship brochures

“Your camper will cook and investigate the history and flavors of the transatlantic slave trade,” the description stated. “Each day, your camper will discover a new port from the route and understand the significance of slavery on every meal we eat.”

In a statement, the park district apologized for the offensive language used in the de-

scription, which, along with the camp’s title, was approved by the park district’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee. That committee is made up of park district staff and includes Black, Latinx and white members, according to park district Executive Director Jan Ar nold.

“The camp was designed to educate participants about culture and history of African countries from which enslaved people came to the United States, using food as well as art, science, and math as teaching tools, with its curriculum based on lear nings from the ‘1619 Project,’” Arnold told Wednesday Jour nal.

The “1619 Project” is an ongoing storytelling initiative helmed by Nikole HannahJones and launched in the New York Times Magazine in 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery

Inspiration for the camp also came from food historian, cookbook author and journalist Jessica B. Harris, who chronicled the way in which African cuisine has impacted U.S. cooking due to the Transatlantic Slave Trade in her cookbook “High on the Hog: A Culinary Jour ney from Africa to America.”

The camp would have focused on different African countries, beginning with Senegal, Ar nold said, while educating campers on the origins of certain foods, such as okra, which

was brought to the U.S. by enslaved Africans.

“The instructor is serious, respectful, while illustrating survival as well as connecting history to present day,” Ar nold said.

The park district did not create the camp. Its curriculum was developed for an African American community south of Dallas by a team of Black women to provide educational summer programs for children whose schools failed to teach them the “genocide of slavery,” according to Ar nold. The instructor taught the camp in that community for seven years before coming to Oak Park and pitching it to the park district.

“We acknowledge that we should have done a better job of sharing how the class was created and providing more content on the program specifics,” said Ar nold. “The title, while it worked in another state, was not a good choice for Oak Park.”

Upset and disappointment at the park district spread across the community through social media. Others took to news outlets to express their unhappiness NBC5 Chicago reported on the camp in a television segment featuring local organizer and teacher Anthony Clark. Juanta Griffin, multi-cultural lear ning coordinator for the Oak Park Public Library, was also interviewed by NBC5. Oak Park Village Trustee Cory Wesley penned an

op-ed published in Wednesday Jour nal.

“I felt it was egregious,” Wesley said of the camp and its description. “I felt like it was reducing the pain and suffering and experiences of Black folks to something that was a shadow of the impact [enslavement] has had on us culturally, for hundreds of years.”

The camp guide was released at the end of January, right before the beginning of Black History Month, a time dedicated to honoring the tribulations and triumphs of Black Americans. While Wesley doesn’t believe the timing was intentional, he thinks it made the situation all the more upsetting.

“The proximity to Black History Month just makes it worse, but there would never have been a good time for this to happen,” he said.

In his op-ed and subsequent interview with Wednesday Jour nal, Wesley spoke of his desire for a productive path forward in Oak Park, a path that forgoes the emphasis on intentions and instead focuses on the har m done to the Black community

“When you’re dealing with the pain and trauma of an entire race of folks who are still marginalized in a country that is still unwelcoming to them in large degree, you have to be very thoughtful about how you approach that history.”

Cannabis dispensary wants to open at former CVS

Forest Park could make decision by end of month

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

A cannabis dispensary is looking to set up shop at the for mer Forest Park CVS store at 7216 Circle Ave., near the three-way Oak Park/Forest Park/River Forest border and across the street from Green Line Harlem CTA station and Oak Park Metra station.

According to Illinois Secretary of State records, the Emerald Coast LLC has four owners – Justin Frankel of Katohan, N.Y., Alan Dordek of Wilmette, Tyrone Harris of Bellwood, and Mathew Joseph Hagglund of Nor mal, IL. Emerald Coast was part of the group of cannabis dispensary applicants that sued the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations (IDFRR) in August 2021, arguing that they were unfairly denied spots in the provisional dis-

pensary license lottery. The group withdrew their lawsuit on Aug. 11, and Emerald Coast got two conditional dispensary licenses on July 22, 2022.

The business will go before the Forest Park Planning & Zoning Commission on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. From there, it will be up to the Forest Park Village Council to decide whether to approve its application, which it could potentially do as early as Feb. 27.

The Forest Park CVS closed in August 2021, as part of the broader effort to close underperfor ming stores. The CVS inside the nearby Target in Oak Park, 1129 Lake St., remained open.

The dispensary would benefit from its proximity to Oak Park and River Forest, as well as its proximity to the CTA/Metra station that doubles as a hub for local CTA and Pace buses The CVS and the surrounding parking lots are owned by River Forestbased Ber n Reality.

The company did not respond to the requests for comment by deadline.

Emerald Coast’s licenses allow it to open

cannabis dispensaries in parts of the Chicagoland region where such businesses are allowed. According to IDFRR, the company has 180 days, or about six months, to secure a location and get any zoning approvals it may need to operate at this location. It will also need to submit floor plans to IDFRR and request an inspection. The department will only issue a full-fledged adult use cannabis license once those steps are complete

Under current village regulations, all cannabis-related businesses are allowed by right in industrial areas, but they need to get a Special Use permit if they want to open in a commercial area. This means that the Planning & Zoning Commission must review Emerald Coast’s application and recommend either approval or denial, with the village council making the final decision.

Mayor Rory Hoskins declined to comment on the applicant, and whether he has any preferences for the site.

IDFRR is responsible for issuing temporary, conditional licenses that allow cannabis businesses to get up and running. It is

up to the Illinois Department of Agriculture to deter mine whether they get long-ter m licenses The conditional licenses are given out in a lottery, with a separate lottery for “social equity justice involved” applicants While the exact criteria changed over the years, the idea was to give a leg up to veteran and/or minority applicants and applicants who were previously arrested for cannabisrelated offenses.

Emerald Coast had alleged in its suit that the department didn’t take the fact that Hagglund and Dordek are veterans into account. The parties dropped the suit before the case could go to trial.

Frankel is Executive Vice-President of Ventures at LPC Group real estate fir m. According to his corporate bio, he was previously a CEO of Bayside Corporation, “a publicly traded crypto-asset and blockchain infrastructure company.” In 2021, he applied for a medical cannabis dispensary license in Lorain, Ohio.

Frankel didn’t respond to calls and e-mails seeking comment by deadline

Valentine’s Sock Hop

Sunday, Feb. 12, 9 a.m., Wonder Works Children’s Museum

This V-Day sock hop will feature events for kids of all ages, including an indoor skating rink, dance per formances, a scavenger hunt, disco ball dancing, valentine crafts and musical instrument making. $13 for members, $26 for non-members, $5 surcharge for tickets purchased on the day of the event. 6445 W. Nor th Ave., Oak Park

“The Work ”: Black Histor y Museum in the Idea Box

Through Feb. 28, selec t days and hours will be posted on the Idea Box exhibit door, Oak Park Public Librar y

The Black Histor y of Oak Park will be celebrated through the Idea Box. The struggle for social justice and racial equity are often referred to as

“The Work.” In honor of Black Histor y Month, the second annual Idea Box Black Histor y Museum honors Black Oak Park histor y and the leaders who have de ed racial barriers to lay the foundation of this diverse village. This exhibit spotlights not only the pioneers, but contemporary Black Americans as well. Learn more at oppl.org/ calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park.

Amy LaVere and Will Sexton

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 8 p.m., FitzGerald’s LaVere, a veteran singer-songwriter, will be joined by producer Will Sexton. The combination of LaVere’s soprano voice and her stor ytelling gets the point across with precision. $15, 6615 Roosevelt Road, Ber w yn.

BIG WEEK Februar y 8-15

All Area Chess Tournament

Saturday, Feb. 11, 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., St. Mar y School, Riverside

This grade school chess game expo will be split into two divisions: grades K-3 and 4-8. Everyone will play ve rounds. The top 10 scorers in each division will receive trophies and medals; the best school team in each division will receive trophies A guardian must be present for any child 11 and under The rst round begins at 10 a.m. Register no later than Feb. 10. Sign-up info: https://www learningmeansfun.com/signup. Enter code SMR2.11.23. No admittance allowed with signs of illness. $58.25, 97 Herrick Road., Riverside

Rising Stars

Valentine’s Concer t

Saturday, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m., Unity Temple Restoration Foundation

A diverse and talented group of musicians share their talents: Yoshihiro Okuyama, Leandro Isaac Motta, Sava Velko , Leandro Isaac Motta, Jordan Hiley, Nicholas Reeves, Jesus Linarez, Gabriela Lara, Pedro Mendez, and Lidanys Graterol. 875 Lake St., Oak Park.

Art Exhibit: Alkebulan Shadows by Jason Dorsey

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2-4 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y

This por trait photography projec t of Indigenous African people from various countries challenges colonial imagery by restoring it with contemporar y, non-intrusive, non- exploitative photos. These images aim to enlighten and restore dignity back the black- circulated image. Equally ser ving as a celebration of Africa’s sprawling diversity, each photograph symbolizes the gradual re- emergence of cultural identity, restoration, and hope. Alkebulan is the oldest and the only word of Indigenous origin regarding the continent of Africa. This exhibit runs from Feb. 7 thru March 11, with a special reception on Feb. 11. Learn more at oppl.org/calendar.

834 Lake St., Oak Park.

Listing your event in the calendar

Wednesday Jour nal welcomes notices about events that Oak Park and River Forest community groups and businesses are planning. We’ ll work to get the word out if you let us know what’s happening by noon

Wednesday a week before your news needs to be in the newspaper

■ Send details to Wednesday Jour nal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, 60302

■ Email calendar@wjinc.com

Family Event: Hot Chocolate Making

Thursday, Feb. 9, 1-2 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y Winter’s here, and the time is right to star t getting cozy with cocoa. Kids and their grown-ups will assemble and decorate a gift-wor thy jar of hot chocolate mix, plus whip up their own gourmet cup of cocoa with lots of fun toppings. Please register each child attending to ensure adequate supplies. Best for grades K-5. Register now at oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park.

Valentine Card Craf ternoon

Friday, Feb. 10, 2-4 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y Drop in to create something beautiful to gift or keep for yourself! Best for kids in elementar y school Younger siblings may par ticipate with caregiver suppor t. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

834 Lake St., Oak Park

Compiled by James Porter

Bed Bath and Beyond closing

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The Forest Park Bed Bath and Beyond location, 215 S. Harlem Ave., is one of the 87 locations slated to close as the home goods chain is poised on the brink of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy

The closing was announced Jan. 30, six months after Bed Bath and Beyond closed 150 locations nationwide. It is not clear how soon the store, which opened inside the building in 2004, will close. Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins said he hopes to see another retailer come into the building, and while he hasn’t heard anyone reach out to the village, he expects that to change soon.

The 25,000 square foot building at 215 S. Harlem Ave. has seen many uses over the years. It started out as a National Tea Company grocery store location in 1964. A&P grocery store bought the space in 1976. Butera Finer Foods grocery store bought out the lease in 1981, only to close in 1987. After that, it was home to F & M Drug store, a Pep Boys auto service shop and even a temporary main branch of the Oak Park Public Library while the current main library building was being built at 834 Lake St. in 2002 and 2003.

As reported on Jan. 21, 2004, once the library moved out, Walgreens, Aldi and “several fast food restaurants, banquet halls and bank” expressed interest, but local developer and leasing agent David King, who was among the owners of the building at that point, ultimately chose Bed Bath & Beyond, because it would create jobs and bring in customers to the quieter part of the Harlem Avenue corridor.

At the time, the village and the retailer agreed to a 13-year deal that allowed Bed Bath & Beyond to keep half of the sales tax revenue generated. Then-Mayor Anthony Calderone told the Review that the trade-off was worth it.

“We are extremely excited,” he said at the time. “We see it as a superb opportunity… that’s going to fuel development along the Harlem Avenue corridor.”

In 2004, Bed Bath & Beyond had 525 stores and did around $3.5 billion in sales. But, in recent years, its fortunes declined. By 2019, it sold off half of its real estate holdings in a leaseback agreement. The Forest Park real estate was sold for $3,571,500 to Edison FPIL001, LLC, which leased it back to the company until Jan. 31, 2025.

In 2021, the chain disclosed losing hundreds of millions of dollars due to shortages in inventory. On Aug. 31, it reported that its sales dropped by 26% compared to 2021. In response, it announced several initiatives to reduce costs, including the aforementioned

store closures, cutting its workforce by 20%, discontinuing three of nine company-owned brands and reducing the inventory of its remaining six brands. The latter is a reversal of a shift toward company-owned brands last year

At the same time, Bed Beth and Beyond also announced several initiatives to improve its bottom line, including increasing the inventory of national brands, expanding its loyalty program, improving supply chains by working closer with suppliers and implementing “impactful, organic changes to accelerate further growth and unlock the brand’s full potential including building on its digital and registry platforms, addressing additional age groups and expanding products and services.”

According to the 2022 third quarter report, the most recent report available, the company’s sales declined by 33%, even as its expenses declined by a little over $100 million.

CNN reported that, “on or around” Jan. 13, the company defaulted on its debt to JP Morgan Chase, and the company indicated that it doesn’t have the means to pay off the debt, which could force it into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Bed Bath & Beyond described store closings as a way to cut costs.

“It’s disappointing that it closed, but it’s not a surprise, because, from what I understand, this is not one of their highest-performing stores.” Hoskins told the Review.

The building is zoned as B-2 Community Shopping District, which allows for a wide range of business and restaurant uses, as well as rooming houses, hotels and motels, taverns, hospitals, theaters, municipal offices and “community use” buildings such as libraries and museums.

“In ter ms of what will replace it, we’d like to see another retailer here,” Hoskins said. “I think it’s a prime location for the retailer To my knowledge, we haven’t seen any specific inquiries yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear something soon.”

King said that, he believed it had positive impact on Forest Park’s development.

“That was a big deal for Forest Park to land that store, and we were just coming of age, back then, in the early 2000s, that was a pretty big statement that someone of that caliber would come to Forest Park,” he said. “My regret is that we sold the building. We should’ve kept it. I would love to have that property right now.”

For all the changes in the retail market in the past 18 years, King said he still believed the site has retail potential.

“The advantage to that building is that it’s a stoplight location, so you can get in and out pretty easily, and it has an 80-car parking lot. That’s phenomenal,” he said.

Frustrated Roosevelt Road neighbors meet with police

Worries over violence at Mike’s Place spilling into Oak Park

By DAN HALE Y Editor & Publisher

A large, concer ned and frustrated group of southeast Oak Park neighbors gathered on Feb. 1 in the auditorium of Irving School, 1125 S. Cuyler Ave., to listen to and with an ar ray of Oak Park police of ficials led by Chie tonya Johnson.

The topic was years of neighbor upset over a succession of bars located at 6319 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Berwyn. O’Neill, a resident of the 1150 block of Cuyler for 30 cited challenges going back to 2004 when it first became nightclub under names ranging from Inclusive to Antonio’s to Krew Rock Lounge and, since 2018, Mike’s Place.

O’Neill cited a range of efforts by neighbors and police to limit parking from Mike’s patrons who often clog residential blocks on Ridgeland, Cuyler, Highland and Harvey late at night and sometimes exit with shouting, drinking, urinating and littering outside Oak Park homes.

In 2022, however, the upset rose rapidly with shooting incidents and brawls over the Memorial Day weekend and on Thanksgiving weekend in the Oak Park neighborhood

Johnson thanked members of the South East Oak Park Community Organization (SEOPCO) for organizing the community meeting. She said issues related to Mike’s had escalated from being a “nuisance to being a public safety issue No one should have to live with the fear of a bullet through their window after a party [at Mike’s].”

Having been at Mike’s Place as recently as Jan. 28-29, Johnson said, “We need to do something we’ve never done before,” explaining that in recent weeks her department has often put officers on the last block of Cuyler, Highland and Harvey during the hours leading to closing time at the bar.

Johnson said her department had written more than 2,000 parking tickets on those blocks in the past year as Mike’s patrons ignored resident only parking restrictions.

“It’s different people every night. They don’t care about a

$30 ticket,” said Johnson.

A detailed December memo from the chief to Village Manager Kevin Jackson reported only 36% of those tickets were paid.

Johnson said her department together with other village hall departments are doing a “deep dive while trying to get to the root” of the challenge.

Johnson said her of ficers have established re gular means of communication with the owner of Mike’s, who was present at the Feb. 1 meeting and spoke briefly. Johnson said the bar owner “has been the most responsive” of business owners at that location during her time on the force. “He is trying,” she said.

“I do care. I want to get it cleaned up,” said the bar owner, who declined to provide his last name to a Jour nal reporter following the meeting. According to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission website, which keeps a database of liquor license holders in the state, the sole owner of Mike’s Place Sports Bar & Grill is Michael Lapinard.

Jeff Eaton, who identified himself as a consultant to Mike’s Place, said, “The root cause is that society is getting

more violent.”

Eaton said many of the problems at Mike’s Place “stem from Chicago.” He said that some bars in Chicago attract “the wrong element,” then get shut down “like whack-a-mole” and the issues tur n up at establishments like Mike’s Place.

“He is not inviting bad people” to his bar, said Eaton. “We are victims, too.”

Neighbors, including Stacey Hendricks who lives just off Roosevelt Road, said they call Oak Park police regularly. She called the brawl last Thanksgiving “a riot” of 30 to 50 people on her block but said the problem was ongoing

“There is fighting and screaming all the time,” Hendricks said.

Other neighbors implored the village to begin towing cars off their streets when they violated the parking restrictions, or called for cul-de-sacs to be installed on Cuyler, Highland and Harvey. Johnson said the village was considering all options and still making a plan.

Several neighbors tur ned their frustration toward Berwyn, the city where Mike’s is located.

“Berwyn has abdicated all responsibility,” said one neighbor.

Johnson said she “had the opportunity to talk to the Berwyn police chief last summer, and he said Berwyn has 18 other bars and that Mike’s is on the edge.”

In the memo to the Oak Park village manager, who was in attendance at the Feb. 1 meeting, Johnson was more direct in her comments regarding Berwyn.

She said a meeting with Berwyn police leaders “did not produce any collaborative enforcement initiatives.” The memo noted that Berwyn police said Mike’s Place is the only African American owned bar in the city and “there are concer ns of the perception of over policing their predominantly African American patrons.”

In a closing question, a resident asked Johnson when neighbors would next hear from the department. Johnson said the village gover nment is “looking at all of Roosevelt Road. We are looking at all options.”

However, she declined to be specific on timing and said she did not want to over promise and then have to back away from those promises.

Turano Baking expanding Roosevelt parking lot

Will also allow for deliver y truck parking

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Turano Baking Company is extending its Oak Park footprint along Roosevelt Road After purchasing and then demolishing an old Salvation Ar my resale store in 2022, the

company sought to convert the land for added parking.

Oak Park’s village board unanimously approved the bread purveyor’s parking request on Feb. 7, even permitting a zoning variance to allow Turano delivery trucks and vans to park in the Oak Park lot.

Oak Park zoning code prohibits the parking of vehicles associated with a building or use outside of the community, according to Village Planner Craig Failor Since

Turano’s manufacturing and delivery operation takes place in the Turano facility just across Roosevelt Road in Berwyn, parking trucks in the Oak Park lot would be a zoning violation. That re gulation has been in place since 2002.

“I don’t think it’s ever been challenged until now,” Failor said.

Eight spaces were requested to be used for overflow parking when no space is available at their Berwyn facility, where delivery vans

and trucks are stored. The off-site trucks will not be used for daily deliveries. Turano also intends to put in solar paneled carports. The Plan Commission unanimously recommended recently that the village board both allow the parking lot expansion but also lift the restriction prohibiting truck parking. Village staf f recommended leaving the restriction in place. The village board ultimately sided with the commission.

FILE

Mike’s Place, 6319 W. Roosevelt, Berwy n

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

For mer Oak Park trustee Simone Boutet, who spent much of her ter m spar ring with then-village president Anan Abu-Taleb, wants to reclaim her seat on the Oak Park village board and she’s got a list of reasons why.

“My biggest issue right no is the violence in the world and how do we provide safety for the community that is also consistent with progressive police values,” she said. “I really care about our police de par tment being the most progressive.”

Boutet was on the village board at the time it was deemed necessary to eng age an outside consultant to conduct an independent equity assessment of the Oak Park Police De partment, but her ter m ended before Ber ryDunn was chosen as the consulting fir m.

The final re port from the assessment, which was released in November, came with a slew of recommendations, from boosting the authority of the Citizen Police Oversight Commission to expanding the depar tment’s par tnership with mental health providers The oppor tunity to tur n recommendations into actions

e return of Simone Boutet

Back on the trail for Oak Park trustee

compelled Boutet in part to retur n to the campaign trail.

“I’m really passionate about that,” she said. “We need to build trust in the police, and we need to combat crim e.” Boutet is a f amiliar face in the village. She’s lived here fo r 32 years and has experience working as an elected of ficial and as a member of village staf f. Before she was elected village trustee in 2017, she served for a total of 14 years in the village ’s le g al de par tment. he was both the assistant village attor ney and the acting village attor ney, after Ray Heise retired. While she said she found the work “rewarding,” Boutet left the village ’s employment after not being hired as Heise’s per manent replacement.

“Then I left and star ted my own practice, but I couldn’ t get Oak Park of f my mind,” she said.

Boutet then ran for village trustee and was elected alongside Dan Moroney and Deno Andrews. What she views as the biggest achievement during her trustee tenure was the passing of Oak Park’s inclusionary zoning ordinance in 2019, which requires developments of 25 or more units in transit-oriented areas to

make 10 percent of the units af fordable to renters making 60 percent of the median area income. T he ordinance also allows developers to contribute $100,000 per unit into the village ’s af fordable housing fund in lieu of setting aside units

Economic development was the cor nerstone of Abu-Taleb’s tenure as mayor. He broadened the village ’s par tnership with the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation and ushered in the construction of several high-rise apar tment complexes

“The focus of the board was more on economic development than on social issues and that was a struggle,” Boutet said. “I thought we should be paying more attention to social issues.”

Under Village President Vicki Scaman, Boutet has seen a shift in the village board’s priorities – less focus on new developments, more on racial equity and sustainability. Boutet wants to g et in on that action, even putting herself forward to serve the remainder of the ter m vacated by Ar ti Walker-Peddakotla, who resigned last August. Cory Wesley, also a past trustee candidate, was appointed to fill Walker-Peddakotla’s seat.

T here was a time though when Boutet coveted the village president position for herself She ran a confusing campaign two years ago, where she put to g ether a slate

of trustee candidates, including Ravi Parakkat and Lucia Robinson, both of whom were elected, but then she dropped out. Boutet reentered the race only to drop out again. She no longer wishes to serve as village president, nor does she intend to exit the village trustee race

Her second exit from the village president race led many to speculate that she was secretly behind the campaign objections filed against then-trustee candidates Anthony Clark and Chibuike Enyia, the latter of whom was elected. After it became public knowledge that Boutet had re por ted to police a message sent to her by Clark, which she perceived as threatening, controversy swirled. Many criticized her, as a white woman who made public pledges to racial equity, and then re port a Black man to police Boutet declined to comment on that chapter of her political career.

“Campaigns are future-looking,” she said.

While she may be looking to the future in her campaign, Boutet hopes her past gover nment experience will induce residents to check her name on the ballot this April

“I think people should vote for me because of my experience, because of the fact that they want things to get done.”

Journal sponsors OPRF, Oak Park trustee candidate forums

Live and in-person for rst time since 2019

The spring election season is here with contested races in some village government and school board races. Election Day is April 4 and early voting star ts in just five weeks

Wednesday Jour nal is gearing up for the election with candidate profiles underway,

a digital candidate guide underway, questionnaires out to all the candidates, an extensive Voter Guide being prepped for print on March 15 and, we’re glad to say, the retur n of in-person candidate for ums as COVID eases

The Jour nal will sponsor two for ums in Oak Park and River Forest. One will be for candidates running for the Oak Park and River Forest High School board. The other will be for candidates running for the Oak Park Village Board.

Here are the details:

OPRF

Four candidates for three seats

Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.

Dominican University, 7900 W. Division

St., River Forest Mar tin Recital Hall

Moderated by Charlie Meyerson of Chicago Public Square

Oak Park Village Board

Fi ve candidates for three seats

Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.

Oak Park Main Library, 834 Lake St., Oak Park Veterans Room

Moderated by Doris Davenpor t of “The Doris Davenpor t Show” on WPNA

“We need to build trust in the police, and we need to combat crime.”

SIMONE BOUTET Village trustee candidate

Laurence Msall remembered across st ate and in Oak Park

Longtime head of Civic Federation dies after heart surger y

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Many across Illinois are mour ning the passing of Laurence Msall, who unexpectedly died Saturday following complications from hear t surgery. He was 61. A longtime Oak Park resident, Msall spent the last 21 years as president of the Civic Federation, a bi-partisan research org anization working to reduce gover nment costs and improve public services

While hear tfelt tributes flooded in from jour nalists, politicians and policy makers across the state there was also a genuine sense of loss in Oak Park where he was known for both his professional work and as a parishioner at St. Giles, the org anizer of an infor mal weekly basketball g ame at Irving School and as a dedicated volunteer at L’Arche Chicago, a nonprofit of fering care to those with intellectual disabilities.

Msall had known Illinois Senate President Don Har mon, also an Oak Parker, since elementary school. Both attended St. Ignatius Colle ge Prep and Knox Colle ge. Msall went on to ear n a juris doctorate in 1992 at Loyola University School of Law. Har mon told Wednesday Jour nal he was “heartbroken” by the death of Msall, whom he called a “g reat, great human being.”

“Laurence was always there for steady, quiet counsel. He gave you the unvarnished truth whether he knew you for 45 years or just met you,” Har mon said. “He had worked in state gover nment and so he knew what we were up against. He never asked us to do something politically impossibl e, but he would always bang the drum for more and better policies.”

Msall was an active member of St. Giles Catholic Parish, 1045 Columbian Ave., and even encouraged Har mon’s f amily to join. A funeral mass for Msall will be held at St. Giles at 10 a.m., Feb. 8.

Rev. Carl Morello, St. Giles pastor, said Msall, whom he called a man of service, cared deeply for others, especially those who have struggled, and was a source of wise counsel to many.

“He was always kind in his words yet not afraid to challenge thoughts and actions that were detrimental to individuals or society at large. His death is a tragic loss to all who knew and loved him,” said Morello. “Lar ry was a man of faith and these words come to mind now – Jesus saying to Larry, ‘Well done good and faithful servant.’”

David Pope, for mer Oak Park village president and now CEO of the Oak Park Residence Corporation, said, “I was shocked and saddened to lear n of Lau-

rence’s passing. He has been a champion for thoughtful, infor med, responsible gover nment decision-making here in our re gion and across Illinois for so long. His impact can’ t be overstated. On so many issues, Laurence served as the conscience of the state.

“Here in Oak Park, so many of us have been for tunate to know him in other ways as well, whether as a friend, a neighbor, a fellow parishioner, or a committed community member. And, understanding the impact that he had in so many arenas, even those who did not know Laurence will undoubtedly have their lives touched by his passing in ways they don’ t even realize. This truly is a great loss to all of us and my hear t goes out to his wife and children on this very sad day.”

A statement released by the Civic Federation read, “While Laurence was the Civic Federation to so many in the community, his real le gacy was in helping to make the federation the indispensable voice for fiscal responsibility throughout the state of Illinoi s, and tha t mission will go on through the outstanding staf f that Laurence developed.”

In lieu of flowers, the Msall f amily requests donations be made in his memory

to the Forest Park-based non-profit organization, L’Arche Chicago, which works to help adults with intellectual disabilities lead happy, fulfilling lives. Msall, whose sister lives in one of L’Arche’s group homes, was a committed suppor ter of the org anization.

L’Arche Executive Director Mic Altena shared many fond memories of Msall in a statement, including how Msall hosted him for Christmas in 2009, when Altena was working part-time with L’Arche as a support worker

“Still being new to Chicago, it was one of the first homes I’d been invited to. I couldn’ t have been more war mly welcomed by Laurence, even though I was a new, occasional face in L’Arche,” Altena wrote in the statement.

Altena called Msall a “reliable attendee” at all L’Arche fundraising events, even serving as a stand-in bar tender for several years, and always looked for oppor tunities to benefit the org anization.

“While being highly accomplished, well connected, and full of ideas, he always had time and resources to share, and always shared them in a spirit of relationship and care,” Altena wrote

See the obituary for Laurence Msall on pa ge 33.

Laurence Msall, head of the Chicago Civic Federation, in 2010.

OPRF picked to pilot AP course on African American studies

Controversial in DeSantis’ Florida, welcomed here

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Next year students at Oak Park and River Forest High will have the oppor tunity to take a new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies. But that course will be dif ferent than the version which has attracted the ire of F lorida Gover nor Ron DeSantis. At the Jan. 26 meeting of the OPRF school board District 200 Superintendent Greg Johnson announced that OPRF has been chosen by the Colle ge Board, which develops AP courses as well as the SAT, to be a pilot site for the new AP course next year

This year AP African American Studies is being piloted in 60 high schools The Colle ge Board is revising the course to remove the most controversial elements from its core framework. DeSantis has loudly criticized the current version of the course and last month the F lorida De partment of Education infor med the Colle ge

Board that it would not allow AP African American Studies to be taught in F lorida public high schools. F lorida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr described the course as “woke indoctrination masquerading as education.”

In an interview with National Public Radio Colle ge Board CEO David Coleman said that changes to the course were being worked on well before DeSantis criticized the course.

“We be g an the changes that are being discussed in Se ptember of the previous year, led by the committee that is developing the course,” Coleman said on NPR’s All Things Considered show broadcast on Feb. 3.

The revised syllabus for the course will shift readings by scholars such as law professor Kimberle Crenshaw, who developed the concept of intersectionality, writer and jour nalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, author bell hooks, professor and activist Angela Davis, and novelist Alice Walker, to an op-

tional part of the course framework called AP Classroom. Coleman said on NPR that the core framework of the course is going to focus on primary sources, rather than the works of scholars although the work of scholars of various political stripes will be available to students and teachers as optional resources.

“There’s a free resource called AP Classroom, and every teacher and student in AP African American studies is going to have access to it,” Coleman said. “And we have already bought the permissions for texts like Kimberle Crenshaw’s breakthrough piece on “Mapping The Margins,” on intersectionality.”

Despite the changes to the course OPRF History Division head Amy Hill is happy that OPRF has been chosen as a pilot site for the course.

“We’ re thrilled to be piloting the AP African American Studies course,” Hill said in a comment emailed to Wednesday Jour nal. “Like all AP History courses, it’s

built on a framework of primary sources. There are le gitimate questions about why some primary sources, such as Ta-Nehisi Coates and bell hooks, were not included, but teachers have discretion over what they choose as supplementary sources. We’re confident our students will have a rich, rigorous, and eng aging experience in the course.”

The ter ms queer studies and reparations have also been moved to the optional part of the course.

After DeSantis criticized the course Illinois gover nor J.B. Pritzker said Illinois would not allow what he ter med a water downed version of the course to be taught in Illinois

Since it will be a pilot course next year AP African American Studies will not be an of ficial advanced placement course next year. OPRF currently of fers 23 AP classes and also of fers classes in African American History and African History which are not AP courses

OPRF OKs forum on sexual violence but no lming allowed

Nonpro t wanted to lm event to promote its work to other schools

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

There will be no filming of any part of an in-school field trip next month for seniors at Oak Park and River Forest High School about ending sexual and interpersonal violence The OPRF District 200 school board voted 4-2 at its Jan. 26 meeting to not allow the group putting on the workshop, the Oregon based nonprofit Set the Expectations, to film any part of the day. Set the Expectations had asked for permission to do some filming at OPRF so that it could create a video to be used in outreach to high schools about their work.

“This work needs to be happening in more places, and schools are afraid to have the conversation,” said Karin Sullivan, executive communications director at OPRF,

during a discussion of the issue at the school board’s Jan. 12 Committee of the Whole Meeting. Sullivan was explaining why the OPRF administration was recommending approval of allowing Set the Expectations to film some of the activities School board member Sara Spivy was the most vocal in opposing any filming of the day. Spivy said that while she strongly suppor ts the work she thought that students might be inhibited or afraid to speak openly if they knew they were being filmed and recorded.

“I think it would have a chilling ef fect on students I think students wouldn’t want to par ticipate or would sessions because of said.

Board member Ralph Martire agreed.

“I feel it does have a chilling ef fect on some students, or it could,” Mar tire said.

Joining Spivy and Mar tire in voting against allowing filming were board president Tom Cofsky and Kebreab Henry. Voting to allow filming were Fred Arkin and Mary Anne Mohanraj. Board member Gina Har ris was not at the Jan. 26 meeting.

Mohanraj said it was important to get the message out about preventing sexual violence.

“The filming itself is probably not a benefit for our students but it ’s a benefit to the larger community,” Mohanraj.

No board member objected to the workshop itself

Sullivan, in a later email wrote, “We appreciate the healthy discussion at the board table and the focus on our students’ needs.”

Set the Expectations was founded by and run by Brenda Tracy. In 1998 Tracy was g ang raped by four football players. Tracy

told the school board that the filming would have focused on her presentation and mostly consist of wide shots of students from the back. She also said OPRF’s administration could approve any final version of a video. Set the Expectations ran a workshop at OPRF once before, but it has worked more often at colle ges and universities, particularly working with athletic teams. Tracy said she did not think filming would have a chilling ef fect on students.

“A lot of schools are not doing this work, they’re not willing to have the conversation, they’re scared of it, they don’ t understand that this is something we need to be doing, that we can be doing and that you can do successfully in a really responsible way,” Tracy said. “And part of doing the video is being able to use that to show other people like that this is OK, you can do this work, look what this high school is doing.”

MARY ANNE MOHANRAJ

It takes 3 villages to land climate grant

Scaman, Thompson, and Adduci head C4 climate collaboration

By ROBERT J. LIFKA

Contributing Reporter

Not even a year after its founding, the Cross-Community Climate Collaborative (C4) is already pulling in grant funding.

The most recent is a $125,000 Childhood Obesity Prevention and Environmental Health and Sustainability Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America.

The C4 initia tive was created in June by of ficials from 12 west suburban municipalities and spearheaded by Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson, Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman and River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci. It is designed to bring together Black, digenous and people of c (BIPOC) and non-minority communities across income lines to share ideas, secure resources and drive large scale projects within across communities achieve agreed upon gr house gas (GHG) emissions reductions, equity and tainability goals

The original participating suburbs are Berwyn, Bellwood, Broadview, Fo Park, Hillside, Mayw North Riverside, Oak Park, River Forest, River Grove, Riverside and Westchester Since June, two other municipalities – Brookfield and La Grange Park – have joined and Scaman said another municipality is expected to join.

“My understanding is that Elmwood Park has not yet signed on of ficially but we do collaborate on a good many things,” she said.

The C4 initiative is suppor ted by two environmental consultants — Gary-based Urban Ef ficiency Group and Oak Park-based Seven Generations Ahead — that provide a range of services for participating suburbs

The project supports disinvested and resourced communities in West Suburban Cook County through a unique collaboration that prioritizes goal attainment and metrics on a timeline re garding the climate crisis, equity and sustainability.

Oak Park was the lead agency on the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Environmental Health and Sustainability Award, which was awarded first place in the small city ca t-

egory. Other categories were medium city and large city

“The Mayors Group was not used to receiving grant applications from multiple mayors,” said Scaman. “We told them it was all or nothing so they kept customizing for us.”

The $125,000 was part of $745,000 in grants awarded to nine cities, three in each category. The grants, which were awarded during USCM’s 91st Winter Meeting in January, aim to support programs that address childhood obesity, environmental health, and sustainability by encouraging community members to engage in healthier behaviors Thompson said they were infor med of the grant award in December.

According to the C4 initiative’s grant application, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating for BIPOC and low-tomoderate income residents, projected outcomes of the initiative include enhancsolar energy access in esidential, commercial, municipal, and institutional sectors; building out elecehicle infrastructure; eloping residential curbood scrap programs; a robust youth development program that will and support young people to participate in the annual United Nations COP Climate Summits.

“This grant comes at the perfect time,” Adduci said. “We are building the foundation of C4, and now we have the resources to start achieving our re gional goals. I want to thank the American Beverage Foundation and all of our partners for bringing this to fruition. ”

Scaman said she identified the grant opportunity through Oak Park’s membership in the USCM and brought it to the C4 executive committee of herself, Adduci and Thompson; and Dar nell Johnson, president of Urban Ef ficiency Group; and Gary Cuneen executive director of Seven Generations Ahead.

“The application required a quick turnaround,” she said. “It’s all been fast-moving.”

Scaman and Thompson said they were sur prised that C4 was already receiving grant money

“It happened so fast,” Thompson said. “I didn’t expect it to happen so fast.”

“I don’t know if we anticipated getting funding this quickly but we certainly were going to go for it,” Scaman

said.

The five executive committee members traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the WSCM awards program and other programs.

Thompson said the trip included a visit to the White House where she and others heard President Joe Biden speak.

“I’ve been in the White House before but not in the same room as the president,” she said.

Scaman said C4 also has partnered with Cook County and the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation for a $97,000 Par tners for Places grant. Goals for the matching grant include building the C4 Coalition and engaging BIPOC and non-minority communities in tackling the climate crisis in the West Suburban Cook County re gion and achieve related equity and sustainability goals; bringing resources to BIPOC and non-minority communities not heavily engaged in equitable sustainability and connect them to Cook County programs and C4 initiatives; and reducing GHG emissions among C4 communities through solar/renewable energy installations and procurement, energy efficiency upgrades, EV infrastructure and other initiatives.

Other goals are reducing materials going to landfills among C4 communities; increasing EV infrastructure, with a focus on BIPOC communities; creating sustainability-related jobs (energy ef ficiency, solar, EV, etc.) for BIPOC and low-income residents of C4 communities; and reducing the burden of climate change on BIPOC communities

Par tners for Places, a partnership of the Funders Network and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, aims to enhance local capacity to build equitable and sustainable communities in the United States and Canada. The program has awarded more than $9 million across North America since 2012.

Scaman and Thompson are both enthusiastic about the C4 initiative progress and future goals

“C4 coming together as a group has been awesome,” Thompson said. “This work is all about collaboration. “We all want to be a part of climate change but sustainability goals dif fer by community.”

Scaman called her experience with the C4 initiative “very rewarding,” adding that member communities might be dissimilar but, “We all have the same goals.”

Noting the advantages Oak Park has as a home rule community, Scaman said, “We can create resources for other communities.”

“We have our work cut out for us but we’re not afraid to do the work,” Thompson said. “We can and we will get it done.”

C4 of ficials are promoting GreenTown Climate and Equity, which will be held June 22 at Triton Colle ge in River Grove. The program will focus on communities coming together to achieve climate, equity and sustainability outcomes According to C4 of ficials, topic areas include energy, transportation, waste, workforce development, water, technology innovation and equitable solutions to the climate crisis.

SHANEL ROMAIN//Staf

Oak Park President Vicki Scaman, Broadview Mayor Katrina ompson and River Forest President Cathy Adduci spearheaded the Cross-Communit y Climate Collaborative (C4).

Keep OPRF’s doors open to kids over holidays, says Arkin

Newly

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

built shared spaces created to be used, but could con ict with maintenance

Oak Park and River Forest High School was essentially closed during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day during the first week of Winter Break and OPRF District 200 school board member Fred Arkin wasn’t happy about it

“I get the distinct impression that the building gets closed for the convenience of adults at the expense of students,” Arkin said at the Jan. 26 school board meeting as he called for the school board to discuss at a future meeting kee ping the school open during the first week of Winter Break.

“This is the greatest asset in our community, this is why people move here, and I think the school should be open; we should

be running programs during Winter Break,” Arkin said. Arkin said students should be able to use the common spaces of the building during all of Winter Break.

“During the course of Winter Break our major spaces ought to be open, our resource center ought to be open, it ought to be a space for our students to come and fill their days, along with athletic facilities as well, intramural volleyball, basketball, swimming, whatever,” Arkin said.

Karin Sullivan, the executive director of communications for OPRF, told Wednesday Journal the school has been essentially shut down for one week over Win-

ter Break for the past 20 years.

“Like a lot of schools, we shut down for one week during winter break, allowing time for construction and maintenance projects that can’t happen when students are in the building,” Sullivan said in an email. Arkin said he wants the board to have a serious discussion about this.

“I think those things do not take priority over our students,” Arkin said.

After spending millions of dollars to upgrade the student commons and Learning Resource Center Arkin said those spaces should be open for student use as much as possible.

“I just don’t understand why kids couldn’t come into the school and utilize the workers space and utilize the collaborative areas that we have and I think that

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was part of reason that we created them.,” Arkin said.

Sullivan said the administration is open to discussing changing the current policy.

“As always, we’re happy to take a look at the potential impacts of such a change,” Sullivan said in an email.

Exhale the Week and Inhale the Weekend

“Ididn’t know what to expect from Jazz Prayer. It turned out to be what I didn’t know I needed – a respite from the hustle and bustle of my daily life. The peaceful atmosphere in a beautiful contemporary space with phenomenally talented musicians gave me the space to reflect on what’s important to me.” – Dyan

In its 9th season, Jazz Prayer is an evening of relaxation, meditation, and music. It is a welcoming environment to enjoy world-class jazz and let your week melt away. Held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Oak Park, it is a spiritual experience, providing an introspective and relaxing end to the week—a place to reset before starting your weekend.

The musicians are from the talented UIC Jazz Faculty and are led by Michael Stryker, Director of Jazz Studies at UIC. Each performance includes 3-4 musicians and a vocalist

to bring the chosen music to life. For each service, Dr. Stryker looks at song titles that might have some connection to the evening’s theme. He designs the program to integrate meditation, readings, and jazz music in a way that complements jazz's dynamic and improvisational nature. Each performance takes you on a journey through readings and music.

“It’s always my hope that each Jazz Prayer service brings people together, combining music and readings (whether from scripture or other sources) to create a spiritual community enveloped by music, and lifted up with life insights. We hope the environment brings a sense of community that you might find at a jazz club” – Dr. Stryker

The evening starts at 7:10, with refreshments and time to socialize, connect with new and old friends, and experience community with

others seeking a similar restorative experience. The hour-long service starts at 7:30.

Join an upcoming gathering:

February 17, 2023: Re-Late – Restoring our relationships with others

April 21, 2023: Re-Create -Recreating

Everyone is invited to participate - Good Shepherd welcomes all people regardless of race, nationality, marital status, family composition, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status or physical ability. In embracing diversity, Good Shepherd seeks to bridge understanding among people, to live in the creative tension

of differences, and to be a blessing to a community and a world where dialogue, understanding and collaboration among diverse people are needed.

Good Shepherd is located at 611 Randolph Street, Oak Park, IL. Visit www.goodshepherdlc.org for more information.

FRED ARKIN

K ARIN SULLIVAN

“

This is the greatest asset in our community, this is why people move here, and I think the school should be open; we should be running programs during Winter Break.”

FRED ARKIN

OPRF District 200 school board member

photo by Paul Goyette

from page 1

“There’s always under counting of deaths that have stigmas or overdoses,” said Oak Park Public Health Director Theresa Chapple-McGruder.

The 2022 overdose data provided by Oak Park epidemiologist Clarissa Najera suggests that adults struggle with opioids more than teenagers Opioid overdoses in Oak Park occurred most often to people within the age range of 45-65, accounting for 84 of the reported 151. There were also 52 overdoses in people aged between 18 and 44 with 14 overdoses in people aged over 65. Zero overdoses were reported from the age group of 5-17. Wednesday Journal awaits the number of opioid-related fatalities from the village’s health department.

NaloxBoxes contain such opioid overdose response tools as pre-packaged doses of naloxone, a medication used to rapidly reverse overdoses, and fentanyl test strips, which are used to identify the presence of the highly potent and addictive opioid in drugs. Naloxone has no effect on someone who does not have opioids in their system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse Chapple-McGruder doesn’t anticipate there will be any barriers to implementing the program. The village board will not have to vote to implement the program because the expense falls under the village manager’s spending authority. The village manager has the authority to make purchases of up to $25,000. Purchases surpassing that threshold require village board approval.

NaloxBoxes retail between $70 and $325. Staff is proposing purchasing seven NaloxBoxes, each containing five doses of naloxone, using funds given to the Village of Oak Park through the Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement, according to a memo sent Feb. 1 by Chapple-McGruder to the village board.

The village received $8,277.65 and $8,699.41 from the program in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and will continue to receive funds for the next 16 years.

The village may also get naxolone free from the state of Illinois, which provides the opioid antagonist gratis to certain qualifying communities. The memo states that the Oak Park Public Health Department expects to hear by mid-February if it will receive the medication from the state Village staff will be trained to administer naloxone, which is sprayed into the nasal cavity. The drug is also sold under the brand

name of Narcan. The Oak Park health initiative would also include an education component to destigmatize opioid addiction and recovery, according to the memo.

“Families that are dealing with this tend to deal with it outside of the light of the community, but we really want to address stigma in this, and we want people to know that we should be able to help our neighbors no matter what their struggles are,” she told Wednesday Journal.

The education component extends beyond efforts to reduce stigma too. Participants in the community education sessions, which have not yet been scheduled, will also lear n how to spot an opioid overdose, how to use naloxone and recognize when extra doses are needed

The memo states that a Massachusetts study of layperson rescue of opioid overdoses using intranasal naloxone had a 98% success rate. That same, unnamed study, according to the memo, found that overdose education and NaloxBox distribution were associated with reductions in opioid overdose mortality rates

Putting NaloxBoxes in Oak Park comes at the recommendation of the Oak Park and River Forest Opioid Taskforce, a local coalition of 10 gover nmental and community-based organizations, including the Community Mental Health Board and Riveredge Hospital, according to the memo. The proposal is also in response to a motion put forth by Village Trustee Jim Taglia

If the initiative moves forward, the Village of Oak Park plans to acquire the seven NaloxBoxes by the end of the first quarter of 2023. The boxes will then be strategically placed throughout the community based on data from heat maps of overdose emergency calls to the police and fire departments and in locations recommended by the taskforce.

Proposed locations include Village Hall, the Public Works building, Chicago Transit Authority and Metra stations and public property along Austin Boulevard and North Avenue. The village is also planning to partner with other taxing bodies to put the kits in all three Oak Park Public Library branches, as well as in Maple Park and Scoville Park. Wednesday Journal has reached out to the library and the Park District of Oak Park for confirmation. The Township of Oak Park has confirmed its plans to train its staff in administering naxolone

“We always seek collaboration and it’s not always easy to get,” said Taglia. “Right off we have the collaboration of the township, the park district and the library in this one. It will hopefully assure the success of the program and make it a long-lasting program.”

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T HINKING I NSIDE T HE B OX

PHOTO S BY SHANEL ROMAIN/STAFF

e Idea Box in the lobby of the Oak Park Public Librar y is hosting “ e Work,” an exhibit on local Black history in honor of Black History Month. e exhibit was curated by Multicultural Learning Coordinator Juanta Gri n (center in the bottom le photo).

CRIME

Pistol, jewelr y taken in home invasion

A black Ruger 357 revolver and two jewelry boxes were taken during a home burglary between 6 p.m. and 7:52 p.m., Jan. 30 in the 1200 block ofNorth Ridgeland Avenue.

Police were alerted to the scene by a security alarm and discovered that an unknown individual had kicked open the rear door to the residence. It was further found that the burglar had taken two jewelry boxes, which contained rings and cufflinks, and a firearm from a bedroom. The estimated loss is $2,050.

Motor vehicle theft

■ A 2018 Nissan A ltima was remove d from the 400 block ofHarrison Street between 10 p. m ., Fe b. 4, and 6:40 a.m., Fe b. 5. T he vehicle was recove red later Fe b. 5 in the first block of Garfield Avenue.

■ S omeone remove d a 2015 Hyundai S onata pa rked in the 1300 block ofNo rt h Austin Boulevard b etween 11:30 a.m. and

1:10 p. m ., Fe b. 2.

■ S omeone remove d a 2017 Hyundai S onata pa rked in the 200 block of S outh Maple Avenue b etween 5:30 p. m. and 6:50 p. m ., Fe b. 2.

■ A 2014 Hyundai E lantra was taken from the 200 block of Washington Boulevard b etween 6 p. m ., Jan. 26, and 6:50 a.m., Fe b. 1.

■ A 2003 Buick C entury pa rked in the first block of Washington Boulevard was remove d b etween noon, Jan. 29, and 7 a.m., Jan. 30. T he vehicle was recove re d by Oak Pa rk police at 9 a.m., Jan. 31.

Attempted motor vehicle theft

■ Someone broke the rear driver’s side window ofa 2013 Hyundai Sonata parked in the 6200 block ofNorth Avenue between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Feb. 2.

■ Someone broke the rear passenger’s side window ofa Hyundai Sonata ofan unknown year and then peeled the vehicle’s

River Forest police: Homicide report on social media unfounded

Detec tives still conducting death investigation, says chief

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

River Forest Police Chief James O’Shea denied social media re ports that the death ofa woman on Feb. 6 was a homicide, despite tweets that said otherwise.

“No indication of homicide,” O’Shea wrote in an email to Wednesday Journal. “Misreported on social media.”

The woman’s death in a home on Keystone Avenue was first made public on Twitter by Oak Park Scanner, an account

unaffiliated with either the Oak Park or River Forest police departments.

“Homicide re port. An altercation led to a 32-year-old woman being shot to death,” the account tweeted at 6:30 p.m.

The tweet, which correctly stated the location ofthe incident, quickly racked up more than 19,000 views. Several people commented on the post offering prayers for the deceased and speculation into what occurred.

The Cook County Medical Examiner has confirmed that a person had died at the Keystone Avenue location at 6:10 p.m. on Feb. 6. An autopsy was scheduled for Feb. 7.

River Forest police continue to investigate the death. A statement released by the department stated there is no threat to the community.

steering column between 5 p.m. and 10:44 p.m., Feb. 3.

Theft

■ T he catalytic co nverter was c ut from a 2012 Hyundai ofunknown model between 6 p. m ., Fe b. 2, and 7:30 a.m., Fe b. 3, in the 100 block of S outh Scoville Avenue.

■ A woman was spotted removing a ButcherBox package from a porch in the 200 block ofNorth Marion Street at 2:31 p. m ., Jan. 31. T he package c ontained one 10-ounce package of bacon, three pounds of b one-in chicken thigh s, two 10-ounc e ribe ye steaks, two p ounds of ground b eef, a p ound ofshrimp and eight ounces ofsliced salmon, for a total estimated loss of $167.

■ T he catalytic co nverter was c ut from a 2012 Toyota P rius pa rked in the 400 block of S outh Tay lor Avenue b etween 7 p. m ., Fe b. 2, and 8 a.m., Fe b. 3.

Criminal proper ty damage

■ A railcar window belonging to a Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line train was shattered between 5:54 p.m. and 6:02 p.m., Feb. 1 at 720 S. Austin Blvd.

■ Someone shattered the front driver’s side window ofa 2008 Ford van between 6 p.m., Feb. 2, and 6 a.m., Feb. 3, in the 400 block of Wisconsin Avenue.

These items were obtained from Oak Park Police Department re ports, Jan. 31-Feb. 5, and re present a portion ofthe 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 ofa 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 ofthe suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

Roots in the Holocaust lead to reconciliation

Alan Ho stadter uncovers the past, reconnects with German hometown

By JESSICA MACKINNON Contributing Reporter

Alan Hoffstadter, a longtime resident of Oak Park, has spent the last several years in a painstaking effort to discover his family’s German roots. His mother, Charlotte Goldberg, the daughter of a respected Jewish store owner in the town of Datteln, fled Germany in 1933, at the age of 15, and was reluctant to discuss her past with her children.

Hoffstadter has been unearthing that past since 2016 and, along the way, has developed a unique relationship with the mayor and residents of Datteln. The town recently awarded him the Etienne Bach Prize, which honors individuals who are committed to promoting understanding and reconciliation between people of different, historically adversarial, cultures. The prize is named in honor of a French soldier who, while overseeing occupied Datteln following World War I, forged an unlikely friendship with the town’s mayor.

Hoffstadter only learned a few years ago that his mother was one of “The One Thousand Children,” Jewish children who were rescued from the Nazis by American-based organizations such as the German Jewish Children’s Aid. Her father made the agonizing decision to give up custody of his youngest daughter and arranged for her escape just as the boycotts of Jewish businesses were beginning. She made the nine-day journey, unaccompanied, across the Atlantic on the SS Washington.

In 2018, Hoffstadter’s son Aaron visited Ellis Island and researched the ship’s manifest, where he found his grandmother’s name as well as the name of Cecilia Razovsky, executive secretary of the German Jewish Children’s Aid, who chaperoned Charlotte and 15 other unaccompanied Jewish children. After arriving at Ellis Island, Charlotte was taken into the foster system and settled in Chicago.

“My mother was not forthcoming about her past. She described her childhood only

in idyllic terms, although she knew that the town was changing — she had been forced to leave her Catholic school because of her Jewish background — but she wasn’t aware that her father was being terrorized. I didn’t understand her distance from her own children —there were things that just weren’t discussed — until a few years ago when I realized that she must have been a very bitter child. She felt that she had been tossed out of her family home and sent alone to somewhere that she didn’t know the language,” Hoffstadter said.

Several years after his mother died in 1999, Hoffstadter started researching Datteln on the internet. Prior to World War II, Datteln had 18 Jewish families; none survived or returned to the town after the war. He read about the mayor, André Dora, and his efforts to combat anti-Semitism by recognizing the Jewish families who had once lived there. Hoffstadter wrote Dora to express his admiration and shared his family ties to the town. This initial correspondence has become a friendship that has been transformational for both of them.

They tentatively expressed some of their thoughts on politics and realized they shared similar thoughts and concerns about the world. Both expressed alarm about the rise of fascism, anti-Semitism, and global nationalism.

“We were like a couple of animals sniff

Charlotte Goldberg (above) from about the time of her emigration, at approximately 15 years of age. (Below) e entire Stolpersteine series from the front of the Goldberg family home, commemorating that this family had indeed once lived at Carl-GastreichStrasse 5 in Datteln.

2018, Schlosser gave her a personal tour of the town.

h

ing each other out,” said Hoffstadter. “But our communication was such that we had a general idea that we shared similar political views. He warmed to the idea that I was willing to have a dialogue with him.”

In addition to the mayor, Hoffstadter has developed a close relationship with his assistant, Rosemarie Schlosser. Schlosser advised him of the town’s participation in the Stolpersteine, an international project which honors more than 75,000 European victims of Nazism with commemorative metal street plaques and sent him photos of the stones, inscribed with his family members’ names, in

Schlosser also connected Hoffstadter with local historians who have sent him numerous material about the history of the town, including a book about the Jews in Datteln, which contains photos of his family, his grandfather’s store and the synagogue that his grandfather had helped build — pieces of family history about which he had not known. He has been interviewed twice by the local paper, Dattelner Morgenpost.

Hoffstadter admits the growing relationship with his mother’s hometown has not been without some personal anxiety, given the persecution of Jews in Germany. He is not interested in helping the people of Germany make peace with their past.

“It has been difficult to forge this relationship because it’s existential for me. If my grandfather hadn’t given up his youngest daughter, I wouldn’t be here. But it does help

Prize, Mayor Dora referred to Hoffstadter as the “personification of the outstretched hand of reconciliation.” He stated that if this was as natural for everyone as it was for Hoffstadter, the world would be a better place.

To that end, Hoffstadter has connected Mayor Dora and Rosemarie Schlosser with Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman, who also has German roots. She is the first in her mother’s family to be born in the U.S. and, coincidentally, her mother and Schlosser’s father are from the same village — Weiden. She hopes to visit Dora and Schlosser in the fall.

“I have enjoyed my conversations with Germany, sharing stories about my family history and Ms. Schlosser’s in turn. Mayor Dora speaks of seeking like-minded leaders for peace and his concern that the wester n world may be falling into the same traps of division and hatred that mirror Germany’s history. I am very grateful to Alan for the introduction to them and for his commitment to friendship and peace,” Scaman said.

If it is true that every long journey begins with a first step, Alan Hoffstadter has already made great strides in developing friendships across physical and cultural distances

A Valentine's Guide Shopping & Gifting

Oak Park Friends School Open House!

Thursday, February 16th • 7-8:30pm

Meet our teachers and learn more about our play based preschool! We’ll be sharing information about our full-day care, part-day preschool, after school, and summer camps.

Visit www.opfs.org to for more details and to RSVP for the Open House.

Registration for our summer camps, after school, and part-day preschool programs is open NOW at www.opfs.org. We’ll be accepting applications for our full-day program Feb. 17 - March 3 at www.opfs.org.

Oak Park Laser and Skin 715 Lake St., Suite 610 • Oak Park 224-580-0615 • oplsc.com

Fall in love with your skin! Discover skin that feels smoother, tighter, younger!

7824 West Madison Street Forest Park, Illinois 60130 (708) 366-2206

Oak Park Arms 408 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park 708-386-4040 • OakParkArms.com

Fall in LOVE with Senior Living at the Oak Park Arms. Independent and Assisted Living, Adult Day Care, Schedule a Tour!

“Nothing you can sing , that can’t be sung...”

Falling in Love with e Altenheim is as easy as tic tac toe…

List of Events

February 7 @ 7:30 pm

Beer Shop 2000’s Rom-Com Trivia

Located at 1026 North Blvd.

February 11 @ 12 - 5 pm

JAYNE

February 11 @ 12 pm

FFC Dance Your Heart Out

February 12 @ 10:30 am

YogaSix Slow Flow Galentine’s Class

February 9 @ 8pm – 12 am

Beer Shop Vals & Gals Night

• Make-your-own Valentines, $25 champagne buckets, complimentary chocolates.

February 10 @ 7:30 - 10 pm

Einnim Galentine’s Comedy & Candle Night

1020 Lake St.

• Celebrate with Einnim and BABS Comedy Club for a Galentine’s Night filled with candles and fun. Tickets available at einnim.com/upcomingevents.

122 N. Marion St.

•Grab your gal pals and head over to JAYNE Oak Park for a Pop Up with Victoria J Handmade Jewelry.

February 11 @ 10:30 am

YogaSix Slow Flow Galentine’s Class

1006 Lake St. Suite B

• Enjoy a special Slow Flow Class followed by a little treat for you and your loved one! Free for members $10 for first time visitors! Book online at yogasix.com/location/oak-park.

1114 Lake St.

• Get ready to work your heart out with FFC’s Valentine-themed group fitness offerings. Non-members welcome. Contact Mark Papadas at mpapadas@ ffc.com or 708-383-1114 to set up your complimentary pass to join the fun.

February 12 @ 8 am

FFC Love Sweat and Gears

1114 Lake St.

• Get ready to work your heart out with FFC’s Valentine-themed group fitness offerings. Non-members welcome. Contact Mark Papadas at mpapadas@ ffc.com or 708-383-1114 to set up your complimentary pass to join the fun.

February 12 @ 11 am

FFC Dance Your Heart Out

1114 Lake St.

• Get ready to work your heart out with FFC’s Valentine-themed group fitness offerings. Non-members welcome. Contact Mark Papadas at mpapadas@ ffc.com or 708-383-1114 to set up your complimentary pass to join the fun.

1006 Lake St. Suite B

• Enjoy a special Slow Flow Class followed by a little treat for you and your loved one! Free for members$10 for first time visitors! Book online at yogasix.com/location/oak-park.

February 14 @ 10 am

FFC My Valentine Vinyasa with Katherine 1114 Lake St.

• Get ready to work your heart out with FFC’s Valentine-themed group fitness offerings. Non-members welcome. Contact Mark Papadas at mpapadas@ ffc.com or 708-383-1114 to set up your complimentary pass to join the fun.

February 14 @ 7:30 pm

YogaSix Self Love Restorative Yoga

1006 Lake St. Suite B

• Feel the self-love with this Y6 Restore yoga class. This yoga class emphasizes floor postures to stretch, open and release the major muscle groups of the entire body. Book online at yogasix. com/location/oak-park.

Galentine’s Pop-Up

Galentine’s

February 14

Tre Sorelle Ristorante Special Menu

1111 Lake St.

• Make reservations at tresorelleoakpark.com or by calling 708-445-9700

February 14 The Little Gem Special Menu

189 N. Marion St.

• Make reservations at thelittlegemcafe.com

Specials/Featured Items

EcoKarat Jewelry: Valentine’s Day Super Sale Up to 40% Off

• In-store at 131 N. Marion St. Fitzgerald’s Fine Stationery

111 N. Marion St.

• Shop in store or online at Fitzgeraldsstationery.com

• Instant Champagne Cocktail Kit $30

• Hand Cream Trio $35

• Various Valentine’s Day Cards $4-13 The Gold Hatpin

Sugar Fixe Patisserie Special Menu

119 N. Marion St.

• Find the menu at sugarfixe.com/ valentines-day-menu, and order online or call 708-948-7720

• Heart Cake, $49

• Valentine’s Cookie Decorating Kit, $55

• Raspberry Heart Cream Tart for Two, $14

Class and membersonline yogasix.com/location/oak-park. with out with fitness welcome. mpapadas@ up join the Restorative Restore emphasizes and groups of the yogasix.

16 Suitcases

108 N. Marion St.

• Shop in store or online at 16suitcases.com

• White Mark Willah Pajama Set $78

• Archie Hoops $38

• You Are the X To My O: A Book for My Other Half $12

• ASTR Gracie Dress $110

valentine'sMENU

APPETIZERS

125 N. Marion St. (inside Crafters + Weavers)

• Shop in store or online at goldhatpin.com

• Victorian sentimental locket with a lily of the valley flower and bird design, accented by enamel ($150) and Victorian gold-filled chain with detail ($145)

• Rare Georgian glass locket holding a meticulous weave of red-blonde hair with a crown of glistening almandine garnets and a single diamond, circa 1800 ($1395)

• Art Deco filigree necklace in 10k white gold with yellow and white gold floral details and oval pink stone ($325), Platinum and pearl necklace, 16 ¾” ($695), 14K white gold chain with elongated oval links ($225)

• Raspberry Meringue Gift Box, $6 Wise Cup – limited time (only the week of Valentine’s) drink specials

1018 Lake St.

• Valentine’s jewelry from local artisan, Rachel Renee + handmade Wise Cup coffee mugs and espresso mugs from local artisans with ViaClay

• Red Velvet Latte

• Rose Gold Latte

Buzz Café

905 S. Lombard Ave • Oak Park 708-524-2899 • thebuzzcafe.com

On February 14th our signature 4-course Valentine’s Day night dinner is available for carry-out or dine-in! With Adult and Kids options, you can celebrate love with the entire family.

Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore

7419 Madison St • Forest Park 708-771-7243 • centuriesandsleuths.com

This Valentine’s Day find love from its darkest to its brightest at Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore

Hemmingways Bistro

211 N Oak Park Ave • Oak Park 708-524-0806 • hemmingwaysbistro.com

Celebrate Valentines Day at Hemmingways Bistro for a Romantic Dining Experience!

FEBRUARY

|

817 S OAK PARK AVE OAK PARK, IL 60304

Love a new experience? Love an artsy vibe, tasty food, and a glass of wine? Then we have the perfect V Day experience for you and your valentine.

Fused & slumped glass: 3 hours $200 Stained glass: 4 hours $260

• PRP: hair rejuvenation, natural ller

• MICRONEEDLING: scar reduction, wrinkle reduction, skin tightening

A skin care clinic with YOU in mind Give the gift of great skin of A. RAO, MD 224.580.0615 • WWW.OPLSC.COM • CONTACT@OPLSC.COM 715 LAKE STREET, OAK PARK • MONDAY – SATURDAY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

“Take a litte piece of my heart...”

Mulata Kitchen + Coffee

136 N Oak Park Ave • Oak Park 708-383-3550 • mulata.com

Valentine’s Day is at Mulata! You are sure to fall in love with our handcrafted Brazilian Empanadas and Specialty Coffees! Try it! You might love it!

Fiore | Pizzeria & Bakery

7407 Madison St., Forest Park 708-771-3063 • fiorebakes.com

Your Guide to Game Day Grub!

Stern Glass Works

817 S. Oak Park Ave. • Oak Park 708-608-9085 • sternglassworks.com

Stern Glass Works is a community art-space focusing on stained glass, fused/slumped glass and kiln cast glass. Please come join us in the studio.

“That’s why birds do it, bees do it...”

Oak Park Friends School

6300 Roosevelt Road, Oak Park 708-686-2030 • opfs.org

Oak Park Friends School Open House!

Thursday, February 16th from 7-830pm

Meet our teachers and learn more about our play based daycare & preschool! Visit www.opfs.org for more details and to RSVP for the Open House! info@opfs.org

Celebrate love with Selleria Veneta

Saturday, February 11 • 10am - 6pm 139 N. Oak Park 708-948-7429 • selleriaveneta.com

Enjoy lite bites while you shop and hear the soothing sounds of classical guitarist, Rafael Cervantes (12pm2pm).15% off any red-colored item.

The Altenheim 7824 W. Madison St., Forest Park 708-366-2206 • thealtenheim.com

The Altenheim is an historic property rich in history and charm situated on a beautifully wooded site which offers individuals over 55 the freedom of a carefree lifestyle.

“Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad...”

Local is the buzzword for new real estate venture

Longtime Oak Park business owner launches own realty o ce

By LACEY SIKORA

Contributing Reporter

If you live in Oak Park or River Forest, chances are you know Laura Maychruk.

As the owner of the Buzz Café, she’s been an integral part of the Oak Park Arts Districts for almost 25 years.

As the mother of four children and a River Forest resident, she’s been active in the community, lending out her home and her organizing skills to charitable causes. For years, she also worked in both communities as a part of David Gullo’s real estate practice.

This year, Maychruk decided to ramp up her real estate business and created an independent company, Laura Maychruk Real Estate. Maychruk had her first job in real estate in 1993. For her, the 30-year mark made a great time to go out on her own and grow her business.

Another catalyst was being listed as an agent in Crain’s Notable Agents issue. The recognition is based on volume, and meeting that milestone told her that she was ready to

make the leap.

She readily admits that she has a lot on her plate but says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Having kids is a full-time job. So is the Buzz Café. So why not just add one more thing?” she said.

The local real estate market was in a lull during the holidays, but Maychruk sees it picking up. Her lenders are reporting more activity, and open houses are full.

“I think people are getting used to mortgage rates, and there’s always reasons people need to move,” Maychruk said. “There’s not a lot on the market right now, and I’m feeling very optimistic.”

Maychruk hit the ground running with handful of listings. A stately contemporary home in River Forest, at 1349 Thatcher Ave. was built in 1987 by Jane Levy, who would go on to create Levy Custom Homes.

“The quality of the construction is great,” Maychruk said. “She wanted it to feel like an old River Forest house that has been remodeled. It’s a really well-built house.”

A townhouse she listed in Forest Park is already under contract, and she has a listing in Elmwood Park, a private listing in Oak Park and a handful of others waiting in the wings.

She says a few listings will be hitting the Private Listing Network soon. Part of the Multiple Listing Service accessible only to

other brokers, the PLN allows home sellers to quietly shop their homes without fanfare

In busy times, the PLN can be used to help sellers get an offer without ever having to open their houses up to hordes of viewers via the internet or open houses Maychruk says her private listings will be showcased on her website maychrukrealestate.com, which she says is a great way for clients and prospective clients to get to know her and her practice.

“I’m using my website to educate clients about what we have to offer here in Oak Park and River Forest,” she said. “I call this a place where we have ‘block party culture.’

I think it’s magical.”

Her website includes links to schools, parks, local gover nments, childcare and local Facebook and social media pages of note. She also plans to highlight her favorite local businesses

As the longtime president of the Arts District Association, Maychruk’s real estate office is above the Buzz Café. Being a deeply rooted part of the community is the key to both her work and personal life.

“I re gularly tell people that I live in this rectangle from Thatcher to Austin; from North Avenue to Roosevelt,” Maychruk said. “It’s where I live, work, entertain, shop, bank. It’s where my kids go to school.”

COURTESY L AU R A MAYCHRUK REAL ESTAT E Laura Maychruk

Now

Now safely moving new residents to our small, wooded campus.

safely moving new

A safe & smart choice.

A safe & smart choice.

Choosing a community you can trust has never been more difficult.

Choosing a community you can trust has never been more important.

Choosing a community you can trust has never been more difficult.

Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

We would be honored for your family to be part of ours.

We would be honored for your family to be part of ours.

BED ::

SPORTS

Underclassmen pace Huskies to 2nd at wrestling regional

Freshmen Koransky and Ogunsanya win individual titles

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys wrestling team has been on a rebuild the past two seasons.

But the Huskies have promising young talent that can help bring the program back into state title contention in the near future, and it was on display Feb. 4 at the IHSA Class 3A OPRF Regional as a pair of freshmen won in-

dividual championships

Freshman Zev Koransky impr cord to 33-7, rallying in the 113-pound final to defeat Lane Tech’s Alex sky got an escape and then two takedowns in the third period to secure the victor

“I had to keep wrestling,” his approach. “I kept moving, and finished the match on top.”

In perhaps the match of the day, OPRF freshman David Ogunsanya (26-7) staged a late rally against Sean Van Sleet of York to force an extra period. Then just 15 seconds into sudden death, he notched a takedown to earn a 9-7 win and the 126-pound championship.

“I trusted in my training and hard work,”

said Ogunsanya, whose older brothers Joshua and Peter also wrestled for the Huskies. “My brothers have helped me as drill partners and guided me.”

OPRF coach Paul Collins couldn’t say enough about the ef for ts of Koransky and Ogunsanya.

“We knew Zev and David were going to be good and contribute this year,” he said. “But the idea that they were able to come in and have successful years is a credit to their ability and focus. Zev and David came in to work from day one, are very coachable, and are great kids and students.”

The Huskies finished second in the team standings with 185 points to York, which won the re gional with 230.5 points. Still, Collins was pleased with the showing of OPRF, which advanced 11 wrestlers to the individual sectional.

“It was pretty good,” he said. “We had a decent shot [at the team title], but a couple of injuries didn’t help. But everyone who wrestled got at least one win.”

The Huskies’ other wrestlers advancing to the sectional are Tej Menon (106 pounds, 2nd), Joe Knackstedt (132, 2nd), Cooper Lacey (138, 2nd), Will Kelly (145, 3rd), Isaac Davies (152, 2nd), Vance Domenz (182, 2nd), C.J. Robinson (195, 2nd), Kole Sneed (220, 3rd) and Eric Harris (285, 2nd).

“Joe, C.J. and Eric are all sophomores,” Collins said. “It feels good to know we’re going to have some guys for a few more years. Today was a good tournament, and we feel good about our opportunities to get guys downstate.”

OPRF will compete in the Class 3A individual sectional at Conant Feb. 10-11.

Fenwick advances 9 to sectionals

The Fenwick High School wrestling team placed second at the IHSA Class 2A Ridgewood Re gional on Feb. 4 with 186 points, 33.5 behind champion St. Patrick.

The Friars advanced nine wrestlers to the individual sectional, which takes place at Deerfield on Feb. 10-11.

Fenwick had six individual champions at Ridgewood. Finn McGee continued his strong season at 170 pounds, defeating Gio Hernandez of St. Patrick 3-0 for the title and improving his record to 32-3.

The Friars’ other titlists were Aidan Burns (18-7) at 152 pounds, Vincent Fioravanti (19-10) at 160, Jack Paris (15-6) at 182, Luke D’Alise (12-14) at 195 and Conor Stetz (18-8) at 220.

Max Kenny (3rd place, 132 pounds), Eiam Staples (3rd, 138) and Gianni Bertacchi (3rd, 285) also advanced to Deerfield

C AROL DUNNING/Contributor

Oak Park-River Forest wrestler Isaac Dav ies tangles with Moses Garza of Leyden Township in a 152-pound semi nal at the IHSA Class 3A OPRF regional Feb. 4. Davies placed third to advance to the Conant Sectional .

C AROL DUNNING/Contributor

Oak Park-River Forest wrestler Joe Knackstedt sizes up Addison Trail’s Arjay Valdez during a 132-pound semi nal Feb. 4 at the IHSA Class 3A OPRF regional. Knackstedt placed second and is one of 11 Huskies to advance to the Conant Sectional, which takes place Feb. 10-11.

OPRF gymnasts cap 2023 with 6th place at sectionals

Huskies advanced six individuals from regional last week

By BILL STONE

Contributing Reporter

Senior Maya Lim ended her Oak Park and River Forest High School girls gymnastics career Feb. 6 with a new, upgraded routine on floor exercise.

For the first time, Lim used a doublefull twist to complete her first tumbling pass at the IHSA Lake Park Sectional and ended with a 1.5 twist, her for mer first tumbling pass finish.

Lim landed both for a team-best 8.8 tha t tied for 14th plac e.

“I feel like I did my best,” Lim said. “Since it was the end of the season, I just wanted to show it of f. I knew I could do it,

but I just needed to show it. I’m happy with the end result. I’m happy to go out like that.”

T he Huskies (133.475 points) ended their season finishing sixth in their fifth straight team trip to sectionals. T here was no 2021 state series because of COVID restrictions

All of the Huskies – Lim, fellow senior fourth-year varsity gymnast Caroline Raducha and juniors Jane Walker, Violet Ruff, Gabby Morales and Eleanor Wolski -- earned individual sectional berths automatically with top-five re gional finishes or advanced at-large.

Lim, who also was 18th in allaround (33.80), is a three-time individual sectional qualifier. Raducha also competed for the team at the 2020 sectional.

Other top scores at sectionals were Walker on uneven parallel bars (8.725, 15th) and balance beam (8.25, 17th) and Ruff on vault (9.0, tied for 20th).

OPRF entered the Feb. 2 Leyden Re gional battling the host Eagles for the sixth and final team sectional berth. T he Huskies’ second-place 134.875 beat Le yden by 0.55 points.

OPRF achieved its second highest scor e

this season by 05 after its 134.15 at the West Suburban Conference Silver Meet on Jan. 28.

Lim and Walker tied for fourth in allaround (34.275).

Lim (8.45) and Walker (8.375) were fourth and fifth on beam, Walker was fourth on uneven bars (8.575) and Lim tied for four th on vault (9.0).

Advancing at-lar ge were Ruff (33.00) in all-around, Lim (8.625) and Walker (8.525) on floor, Ruff (8.85), Walker and Raducha (8.80 each) and Morales (8.675) on vault, Lim (8.2), Ruff (8.15) and Wolski (8.1) on uneven bars and Ruff (8.325) and Raducha (8.2) on beam.

Trinity bowlers advance to IHSA sectional round

OPRF, Fenwick advance individuals out of regional

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Trinity High School bowling team finished fourth at the Leyden Township Re gional held Feb. 4 at Stardust Bowl in Addison with a cumulative score of 3,322 pins, good enough to advance to the Hinsdale South sectional Feb. 11.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Freshman Josephine Rodriguez had the Blazers’ highest score with 876 pins and finished 11th individually. Maisy Keith (702 pins), Abigail Justak (535), Hailey Walsh (533), Arabella Carrion (290), Jasia Smith (202) and Julia Casillas (184) rounded out Trinity’s lineup.

Oak Park and River Forest High School had four bowlers advance. Sophomore Gracie Maidlow had the highest score among the top 10 individuals from teams not advancing to the sectional. Her total of 1,122 pins was good for fourth place overall.

Senior Audrey Maidlow (12th, 874), sophomore Alyssa Hasapis (13th, 842) and sophomore Margaret Dean (14th, 822) were the Huskies’ other sectional qualifiers.

Fenwick High School sophomore Olivia Cameron also advanced to Hinsdale South with a sixth-place finish (1,103 pins).

“Olivia bowled well this past weekend,” said Fenwick coach Judith Tichacek. “She made big changes to her release this year, but it really hasn’t af fected her scores. She

definitely has the talent to make it to state, and I can’t wait to see her earn some hardware this weekend.”

OPRF boys swimming

OPRF finished second at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division meet Feb. 3 at Hinsdale Central with 519 points.

Although they didn’t win an event, there were several standout performances turned in by the Huskies.

Senior Ethan Neuner and junior Josh Wood each had two personal-best times in their events. Neuner took fourth in both the 50-yard freestyle (22.54 seconds) and the 100-yard butterfly (54.27), while Wood finished fifth in the 50 freestyle (22.68) and sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.22).

Other personal-best performances by OPRF came from senior J.J. Kuenster in the 100 butterfly (55.21, 5th place), sophomore Will Keyes in the 500 freestyle (4th, 4:55.90) and 100 backstroke (5th, 55.00) and sophomore Pablo Pareja in the 500 freestyle (7th, 4:57.15).

Also for the Huskies, Lars Rauch had a season-best time of 1:46.60 in the 200 freestyle, good for fourth place.

Fenwick boys swimming

Fenwick was the runner-up at the Metro Catholic Aquatic Conference championship Feb. 4 at Loyola Academy with 331 points, 58 behind champion St. Ignatius.

The Friars’ 200-yard freestyle relay of Carter Fask, Code Podgorski, Patrick Rhatigan and Sam Kulisek was victorious in a time of 1:27.94.

Fenwick had five swimmers record personal-best times

in their events. Fask, a junior, swam a 21.91 in the 50 freestyle, good for second place. Senior Vincent Meo had two personal bests, in the 100 butterfly (8th, 56.33) and 200 individual medley (9th, 2:09.47). Junior Tomas Adomaitis swam a 53.91 in the 100 backstroke while coming in fifth, senior Chris Badja took seventh in the 100 butterfly (55.98) and junior Nathan Szymanski finished ninth in the 100 breaststroke at 1:06.42.

The Friars also received season-best times from Owen McDonald in the 200 freestyle (7th, 1:51.80), Adomaitis in the 200 IM (3rd, 1:58.49), Kulisek in the 50 freestyle (6th, 22.73) and 100 freestyle (6th, 49.12) and Badja in the 100 breaststroke (8th, 1:06.06).

Fenwick will now prepare for the IHSA sectional it will host Feb. 18. OPRF is expected to be the Friars’ main challenger for the title.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

Remembrance in the face of tragedy

As a senior citizen, I often view events and people from the perspective of how they will be remembered. After the death of a dear one, the sadness and much of the pain and suffering and difficulties in loss and life seem to fade with time. It is often replaced by remembering the joys you’ve shared

That said, I question whether the devastated mother of Tyre Nichols can ever overcome her tortured son’s haunting pleas for help while he was being brutalized by police Will it be possible for her to remember the sweetness she shared with her Tyre? How can she be anything but overwhelmed by anger and crushed by grief?

of George Floyd (May 2020), essional Democrats l

. The George olicing Act was introduced with the oal of combatting police misconduct, addressing force, and policing without racial

Last month I caught a cold. Remember that? Since the advent of COVID-19, it doesn’t seem like we use it much anymore. Anyway, my cold wasn’t COVID — I continually tested at home and got PCR tests — but I did need over-thecounter meds like cough syrup, decongestants and homeopathic remedies.

p. 30

ing products or services that are not appropriate for older individuals.

Inaccurate facial recognition: AI-powered facial reco gnition systems can struggle to accurately recognize the faces of older individuals, leading to incor rect identifications or even false arrests.

The bill passed the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, but not the evenly divided Senate amid Republican opposition. Shamefully, negotiations on that reform bill collapsed in September 2021 and has not been voted on since.

In the past week, I’ve learned much about Tyre’s mother, and I think she’s an amazing woman. Her response to the death of her son at the hands of five brutal policemen was to say she would pray for them. With wise judgment, she asked that the hordes of folks, outraged by the vicious attack on her son, protest peacefully. Her strength and courage under these most dreadful of circumstances are hard for me to fathom.

Yet in the face of ongoing brutality and racist madness I think this woman of strong faith can serve as a role model for all of us. She reminds us that we are all human beings; she encourages the meek among us to use their voices and to do so with reason; she offers strength to the weak and shows us how to use the will to fight injustice. My hope and prayers are that she will awaken understanding and responsibility in all of us

As we review the dreadful beating of Tyre, we have to ask what could possibly motivate the police to use such deadly force against him. Have no refor ms been established to prevent such inhumane action? In response to the tragic death

Almost daily, brutal and sometimes deadly, confrontations with police take place and, more often than not, they are directed against the non-white community. How can anyone feel safe when our “guardian” police, employed to “serve and protect,” are often the perpetrators of vicious acts? It should be noted that these “bad apple” police are in the minority of police departments. The horrific behavior of the few captures the headlines. As a result, responsible police officers are often disrespected, tainted by the bad actions of others. Fewer and fewer qualified people are willing to join the police force, adding to the serious problems police departments across the nation have

We, all of us, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, white folks, and people of color, must bombard our Congress to enact the George Floyd Bill, at a minimum, and then make it effective now. May parents, like Tyre’s mother, take strength from the knowledge they have awakened in the minds and hearts of many of us, and guided us to care and speak up.

I hope that even though Tyre’s death was unconscionable, with time his mother will be able to dwell in the sweet memories she shared with her son and that she will find peace.

One thing all my cold treatment purchases had in common was small print. Really small print. There I was, sick as a do g and getting pissed of f because I couldn’t read the directions! How many tablets? How often? One teaspoon or is that tablespoon? Yes, I do wear glasses, and I did just go to have my eyes checked and upgraded my prescription. As I age my needs change, which is true for everybody. So why aren’t our changing needs taken into consideration? Why are our changing needs, as we age, invisible? Why are we, as we age, invisible? If we were a country, Americans 50 and older would be the world’s third-largest economy.

BLESOFF HAUSMAN

Job discrimination: AI algorithms used in the recruitment process can be ageist if they are trained on data that reflects discriminatory hiring practices. This can result in older job applicants being unfairly screened out.

Insufficient accessibility features: AI-powered systems and interfaces may not include accessibility features that older individuals need, such as large font sizes or audio descriptions, leading to exclusion and further marginalization.

One answer is ageism.

One of those days that I was having trouble reading the cough syrup small print, I was also reading an article about ChatGPT, the virally popular Artificial Intelligence (AI) app. The author used the term Digital Ageism. Digital Ageism refers to discrimination and prejudice in the digital world against individuals based on their age. Maybe some of you have lear ned about or experienced unconscious bias that is programmed into algorithms, such as facial recognition software that consistently misidentifies Black faces. It’s important to be aware of the potential for any bias in AI systems and to actively work toward reducing yet another example of unconscious bias.

AI algorithms can perpetuate and promote ageism in a number of ways:

Biased training data: If the data used to train AI algorithms is biased, it can perpetuate ne gative stereotypes about cer tain age groups. This can result in AI systems that display ageist behaviors, such as recommend-

Later that same day, I attended one of my cardiac rehab sessions at a local hospital. Wired up to a hear t monitor as I walked on a treadmill, I could watch my heartbeat on a big screen at the front of the room. The woman on the treadmill next to me was eng aged in conversation with a doctor from the hospital. The doctor had on a white coat. Given how close the treadmills are, I couldn’t help but hear snippets of their conversation. The doctor commented, “Well, you still look great for someone your age.” Before I could say anything, the doctor took her leave and said goodbye.

I consider “You still look great for someone your age” to be ageist because it reinforces ne gative stereotypes about aging and implies that aging is inherently negative. It also implies that it is unusual or surprising for someone to look good at a cer tain age, which reinforces the idea that aging is a period of decline and that people’s looks and abilities deteriorate with age. Our health-care system is full of systemic and inter nalized ageism, so I wasn’t sur prised, but I was disappointed. This was just one day of ageism. I went to sleep that night and woke up to another day.

It’s a mine eld out there for dogs

C ONSCIOUS A GING

A day of ageism, like any other day

OUR VIEWS

As Ron DeSantis diminishes Florida and seeks the extremist vote in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, his path is to tear down public education from elementary to higher ed by demonizing students who veer from his inane definition of acceptability, cornering teachers by squeezing what they can teach and what books they can share.

And last week, to his shame, he banned, statewide, a new Advanced Placement course teaching African American history, using his pitiful “woke indoctrination” gibberish.

Meanwhile, in villages where teaching to reality, to discomfort, does not make us queasy, Oak Park and River Forest High School announced with enthusiasm that our public high school has been chosen to pilot the new College Board AP course on African American history.

“We’re thrilled,” said Amy Hill, OPRF’s History Division head “We’re confident our students will have a rich, rigorous, and engaging experience in the course.”

OPRF has long had classes teaching African American and African history. But this will be the first AP course on the subject. Hill responded to worries that the College Board may be watering the course down by removing some primary sources, including Ta-Nehisi Coates and bell hooks. Of course, no amount of trimming this course would ever divert DeSantis from his obvious goal of ginning up a racist base. And Hill said OPRF teachers will have discretion over supplementary sources they may add to the curriculum.

The contrast here is so vivid but the truth is singular. American history is a mash up of virtue and hideousness, of hope and foundational fear and hate. That’s the history we need to teach our children and ourselves to put ourselves on a path forward.

Local elections, full speed ahead

With the April elections on the horizon, we thought a reminder is in order for readers and candidates on how to submit letters and One Views to our Viewpoints section. We are proud of our tradition of publishing so many election letters. But we also need to have some guidelines so all views are represented.

As is our usual practice, we allow each candidate one essay, no longer than 500 words, to introduce themselves to the readers/voters. We strongly encourage not waiting till the last two weeks before the election to submit because an avalanche of letters and One Views means we will likely not have space to include them all.

Letter writers should also not submit multiple letters in support of a single candidate as we try hard to get as many different voices into our section. And election letters should not be more than 250 words.

If, in spite of everyone’s best intentions, we receive too many submissions at the end for the space allotted, we will publish a sampling in print and the remainder online

We ask that all submissions focus on the strengths of your preferred candidates and not perceived weaknesses of their opponents. The more civil the tone, the more likely it will be published

Any questions, email Ken Trainor, Viewpoints Editor, at ktrainor@ wjinc.com.

February 14 is the day we designate for romance — in the same month we honor two presidents and African American history. At other times of the year, we designate a day to be thankful, days to honor mothers and fathers, and days to remember those who served and/or died in the military.

On each occasion, someone always says we should do all this thanking and remembering and honoring all-yearround. Which is true, but what about romance? Should we be romantic yearround?

Does everyone have a Romantic hidden within? If so, what kind of shape is it in? Disillusioned, depressed, in despair? Merely deflated or dozing?

Do you keep your Romantic under house arrest, monitor firmly attached, alarm bells set of f every time it starts getting restless and making a ruckus?

Some of us are Romantics by proxy. We follow mercurial, roller-coaster, celebrity relationships or watch virtual romance on our screens, making us voyeurs to romance — or something resembling romance — gently stir ring the faded embers of our own deeply buried Romantic.

Much of the activity this Valentine’s Day falls into the “romance lite” category. We may dress up, go to a restaurant, send cards or flowers, even an old-fashioned love letter — all good, but not necessarily satisfying to the Romantic soul.

A day designated for romance, in fact, can be a bothersome reminder of how far short we fall. Mar riage isn’t especially conducive to romance. Not that there aren’t exceptions, flaming Romantics in conjug al blissdom who rise to every available occasion. Incurable Romantics, we call them. Some are sophisticated, some are graceless, some goofy, but it’s not the technique so much as the ef fort and the intent that charm. If your Romantic stages a jail break just once a year, it may be out of shape, rusty, or even malnourished. Romance takes practice.

We usually associate romance with sex, but there is more to being a Romantic than physical intimacy, just as there is more to being a person than being a Romantic. My midlife awakening began when I star ted hearing my starved Romantic down deep in the dungeon of my self, rattling the bars of the cage and demanding to be set free. The Realist and the Idealist — two other significant voices from my inner self — tried to muffle it but to no avail. Once you hear that voice, there is no containing the energ y, what Walt Whitman described as “pent-up aching rivers.”

From the hungry gnaw that eats me night and day; From nati ve moments — from bashful pains —

singing them;

Time to let the Romantic out of the cage History and OPRF

Singing something yet unfound, though I have diligently sought it, many a long year;

Singing the true song of the Soul, fitful, at random …

It is the song of Romantic longing. Each of us is a confederacy of internal voices, roughly corresponding to Freud’s model of a triad psyche: What Freud called the Ego, I call the Realist. His Superego is my Idealist. And the Romantic is more or less the Id. More, I think. More elevated. The Realist rules, or tries to. The Idealist pipes up from time to time, hoping to serve as the Realist’s conscience. And the Romantic is generally under ar rest, considered untrustworthy, though I’m not so sure. The Romantic is irrational, but not entirely. Its mission, as the poet Rilke wrote, is to “go to the limits of your longing.”

An unequal triangle is not, my Idealist contends, ideal for mental and spiritual health.

Everyone is different. When the Realist, the Idealist and the Romantic are at war with one another you end up with Elon Musk. When each is strong and relatively in balance, the result is Michelle Obama.

There’s a place for all three voices, and when harmonious balance is achieved, human beings are magnificent creatures indeed. But when we smother the romantic, we suf focate joy and misplace passion. That diminishes us. Valentine’s Day is a good excuse to let the romantic out on parole to get some exercise.

And it’s healthy all-year-round to let the romantic out of the cage on occasion. You wouldn’t want it taking over the wheel of the ship permanently, but it will definitely remind you why you’ re taking the voyage

Setting free the Romantic means “waltzing in the wonder of why we’re here” as one songwriter wrote.

Dancing in the dark

Till the tune ends

We’re dancing in the dark

And it soon ends …

Or, as a friend said long ago at colle ge graduation, before I never saw him again:

“If you can’t romance your own life, how are you going to romance anyone else?”

The thing is you can’t fake romance. You have to feel it. But if it’s real, the Romantic deserves equal footing in the governing council of the psyche.

For that to happen, you have to set it free once in a while.

If you do, the central person in your life will benefit.

SHRUB TO WN by Marc Stopeck

An extra month to pay rst installment tax bills

In Cook County, first installment property tax bills are ordinarily mailed around Feb. 1 and due on March 1. This year, however, the first installment bills will not be mailed until late February or early March and will have an April 3 due date. Taxpayers should note that the extension of the due date is a result of special circumstances sur rounding last year’s tax bills and will be in ef fect for this year only.

Under state law, Cook County tax payments are supposed to be spread throughout the year, with first installment bills due on March 1 and second installment bills due Aug. 1. But computer compatibility problems between Cook County’s tax appeal agencies caused significant delays in the mailing of last year’s second installment tax bills The result was that second installment tax bills were due Dec. 30, 2022, the latestever due date for such bills.

Concer ned that this year’s first installment bills

ould be due just 61 days after last ear’s second installment bills, and my colleagues in the Cook County Township Assessors Association were among those who dvocated for the extension of the first installment due date with the state le gislature. We were concer ned that a two-month interval between due dates was too shor t and would cause financial dif ficulties for some taxpayers. We were especially concer ned about property owners whose tax bills increased unexpectedly after reassessment and taxpayers who do not have tax escrow accounts with mor tg age companies but instead pay property taxes on their own.

The extension of the due date was approved by the state le gislature with bipartisan support during its fall veto session and was signed by the gover nor on Dec. 21, 2022.

Ali ElSa ar Oak Park Township Assessor

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley

Senior Editor Bob Uphues

Digital Manager Stac y Coleman

Staff Repor ters Stacey Sheridan, Shanel Romain

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora

Big Week Editor James Porter

Columnists Marc Bleso , Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, Harriet Hausman, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designer Susan McKelvey

Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls, Kamil Brady

Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Judy Gre n Treasurer Nile Wendor f Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

About Viewpoints

Our mission is to lead educated conversation about the people, government, schools, businesses and culture of Oak Park and River Forest. As we share the consensus of Wednesday Journal’s editorial board on local matters, we hope our voice will help focus your thinking and, when need be, re you to action

In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for ling.

Please understand our veri cation process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that veri cation, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot con rm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay.

If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com.

LET TER TO THE EDITOR

■ 250-word limit

■ Must include rst and last names, municipality in which you live, phone number (for veri cation only)

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

■ 500-word limit

■ One-sentence footnote about yourself, your connec tion to the topic

■ Signature details as at lef t

Email Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com or mail to Wednesday Journal, Viewpoints, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

HOW TO REA CH

141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 ■ PHONE 708-524-8300 EMAIL Dan@OakPark.com ■ ONLINE www.OakPark.com

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The newspaper is available on newsstands for $2.00.

A one -year subscription costs $48 within Cook County and $60 outside of Cook County Adver tising rates may be obtained by calling our o ce. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS 10138). Postmaster, send address correc tions to Wednesday Journal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302. © 2023 Growing Community Media, NFP.

A loss to WJ and readers

This is my first ever letter to an editor, but I am moved to write regarding Michael Romain. I was disappointed to lear n he had left, but assumed he was moving on to bigger things. However, I was even more disappointed to hear that was not the case. His columns were consistently thoughtful, thoughtprovoking, well worth reading, and, in my opinion, a highlight of Wednesday Jour nal. I will miss his writing, his thoughts, and his viewpoint. And with his departure, WJ is dominated by white males Not a good look. I am confident Michael will land on his feet, but this is a loss to WJ and its readers.

Barbara K ahn, Oak Park

Distressed about Michael Romain’s departure

It was with distress I saw Dan Haley’s brief statement that Michael Romain is no longer on staf f at Wednesday Jour nal. So many of us tur ned immediately to his thoughtful column as soon as the paper ar rived. How disappointing that something could not have worked out to keep him. He has been a gift to our community and to the shared understanding we were gaining from his research and insight.

For Black History Month could you rer un some of his outstanding columns from past years? Of all your hard-working team members, he should have been the last one to leave us Fur ther explanations and an understanding that he is going on to fur ther his career aspirations are in order

Cynthia Breunlin, Oak Park

Bring back Michael Romain

I urge you to bring back Michael Romain. He is a great writer and provocative thinker Oak Park can feel very smug and self-satisfied, and Mr Romain’s ar ticles were an ef fective corrective to those tendencies. I miss reading his perspectives.

Norine Gutekanst, Oak Park

Michael and Melissa’s departures

I was dismayed to see the terse announcement in the Jour nal about the de par ture of Michael Romain. I have felt for some time that were for tunate to have a writer and thinker of his caliber and had been concer ned that he might move on to greener pastures sooner rather than later, which seems now to have occurred.

But then to find another similar announcement about the de par ture of Melissa Elsmo is doubly concer ning, given the expansion of coverage that she instigated of our local and re gional food scene to the benefit of our small businesses, as well as to her readers by piquing the interest of residents and aler ting us to the breadth of local dining options through her lively writing. I will miss both of them and feel that the Jour nal has lost two of its most impor tant contributors.

Christine Worny, Oak Park

It’s a mine eld out there for dogs

Seemingly every year, Wednesday Jour nal runs a kindly letter to the editor encouraging people to use pet-friendly ice melt (PFIM) when de-icing their sidewalks. And yet after each snowfall, Nolan and I go for a walk and it’s a goddamn minefield out there. Do you have any idea how heartbreaking it is to see this dinky donky dog debilitated by mineral shards lodged in his paw? Bambi’s mom dying is downright hilarious next to this devastating scene

Dan Stark, Oak Park

e time to move forward is now

What are we waiting for? The time to move forward with District 200’s Project 2 is now. Any call for a referendum is call for more delay and more cost. It is time to embark on this urgently needed project for not only our children, but for our home and property values I urge the OPRF school board and the Community Finance Committee to move forward with Funding Plan No. 4.

I hoped to see more explanation of what happened that led to Michael Romain and GCM parting ways. I’m sure you know what a loss this is to your papers. Michael’s thoughtful, smar t, insightful re porting was the highlight of the newspaper. He has hear t and persistence and respect for all those trying to make their communities a better place to live.

I feel we in Proviso are particularly left adrift. Michael star ted the Village Free Press, and I don’t know what your deal was to bring it into the fold of GCM papers But here we are in Westchester, in the middle of election season with five candidates and a bunch of writeins running for village president, and all we have for infor mation is the algorithmic, dicey, no-fact-checking speculation on Facebook. We have a village that is still undergoing a forensic audit, a slew of positions to be filled in gover nment, a new site for a village hall we may or may not move into — and no substantial re porting these last few weeks from GCM.

Beyond the lack of coverage out here in Proviso, I find the terse notice you emailed/printed about Michael’s de par ture to be not enough. And until I believe that Michael and other employees are treated fairly, I will pause on my donations to GCM.

I say this with great reluctance on my part. I love newspapers. I love small newspapers. I love community newspapers. But I think your readers and suppor ters are owed an explanation if you expect our continued suppor t.

Diane Scott, Westchester

D200 has prepared a detailed plan for critical improvements to OPRF’s physical campus. Our property values depend on this critical infusion of development. This is not a “nice to have” project; this is a “must have” project. There is consensus that this dilapidated building must be rebuilt. Of course, no one wants to pay more for this crucial work We all watch the bottom lines of our tax bills. This project was already delayed years ago and the impact of that delay was that the cost for this project has increased. It is no surprise that any additional delay for this work will increase the cost. In fact Elizabeth Hennessy, Raymond James Public Finance managing director, detailed this fact in her presentation before D200’s Community Finance Committee Each year costs can be expected to rise.

Ms Hennessy’s plan has laid out five scenarios and the least cost to the taxpayer is Funding Plan No. 4. The money to be borrowed would be serviced from the annual budget of D200.

Referendum equals more delay and more cost. The board and the Community Finance Committee must proceed with Funding Plan No. 4.

Michele Batra, Ri v er Forest

A kindness recognized

Today I dropped my car key outside a restaurant in Oak Park. A kind soul saw the key and placed it on a visible ledge where I was able to find it (after frantic searching) and get my car. This small act of everyday kindness was a lovely reminder that people still have a sense of community and ethics. It meant a lot to me. My thanks!

S ara Buehler, Oak Park

We are owed an explanation

VIEWPOINT S

Knowing when you’re done RICH KORDESH

‘Aw shew!” my toddler sister would proclaim to Mom when she didn’t want to eat any more of her dinner. Of course, a friendly debate would erupt around the table after her pronouncement.

One View

Mom might respond, “Oh, you can eat a little more.” Or I, as big brother, might chime in: “You’ve still got a lot of carrots on your plate!” Being done at our dinner table de pended on the eater’s appetite, dif ferent takes on the meaning of “full,” who was in charge, and the physical evidence still sitting on the dish.

Now, with grandchildren serving as the toddlers in my life, I’ve been wrestling with a dif ferent manifestation of being done, or not. It’s not so much about eating, but it’s still in a sense about what ’s on my plat e.

I’m sur prised to be this vital at 69. Mom and Dad died in their early and mid-60s. I expected to feel older when I reached this age. When I was a kid, more men were dying before 70. More of them than today seemed to go downhill right after retirement.

What is it that sets the time clocks and calendars in our heads, unconsciously, shaping our expectations about when we’re supposed to be done? And I’m not just talking about the experience of for mal retirement. I am refer ring to the sense that you’ve accomplished with your life what you are going to achieve, in and out of your career

As an older man, it can feel like you’ re living in a zone se parate from the real production taking place in the world. You’ re in this detached space because you’ re supposed to get out of the way of the generations behind you: It’s their time, their world to lead and shape. Isn’t it?

My four kids are working adults. I want them to thrive in their work and family lives, unimpeded by old people still trying to stay in control.

Of course, there are arenas such as politics where old men and women still hold for th. Joe Biden tur ned 80 in November. Mitch McConnell tur ns 81 next month. Texas Cong resswoman

Kay Granger is 78. In the Church, old priests must keep working; there aren’t many young priests coming up behind them.

But how do I work with the fact that I’m still healthy and vital, and that I do some things like write, argue, and cook, better than ever? I know a lot. I still have that doctorate: I read, absor b, analyze and converse capably with others about what’s happening in the world, near and far.

I’ve raised kids and I’m helping to rais e grandkids. I’m good with little ones. Other than being slower of foot and at times, quicker to tire, there are ways in which I am more proficient than ever

And yet something in me feels done. I raised those kids with Maureen and they’re of f and r unning, a couple with their own children. I made real contributions to the world through my work. I labored hard on myself and with the help of many, and guided by the Lord, I became a good man. I’m a decent, finished product.

I can be done. But is it right to be done when you can still give a lot more? How do you do so, and stay out of the way?

Who decides whether we’re done? It’s a question ger mane to old ag e, but to other stages of life as well. How far, at 30, do you go with an entrepreneurial idea you care about but ca n’ t g et traction for? With respect to that, are you done?

How long, at 40, do you continue to consume the steady diet of conventional wisdom about being a father when you know you could do better? Maybe what’s been put on your plat e via predictable for mulas is no longer palatabl e to you. Doesn’t that mean you’ re done with the standard recipes?

As I near 70, self-understanding, fed by prayer and my soul’s insights, makes me better able to see and choose what I can still of fer.

Unlike my little sister all those years ago, what remains on my plate and whether I’m done are now my calls to make.

OBITUARIES

Laurence Msall, 61

Longtime Civic Federation president

Laurence J. Msall, 61, for merly of Oak Park, died on Feb. 4, 2023, surrounded by his family Bor n in Chicago on Jan. 3, 1962, the eighth of 10 children, to Emil and Lucille (nee Kotewa) Msall, he attended St. Ignatius High School and Knox College in Galesburg, where he later served on the Board of Trustees. At Knox, he picked up the political bug and moved to Springfield to work for then-Illinois Gove nor Jim Thompson at the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.

In 1990, he joined the staff of the Commercial Club of Chicago as vice president, where he worked with the CEOs of some of Chicago’s largest corp gional economic development strategies and special projects, including the Soldier Field rehab and reorganization of the United Way of Chicago. He ear ned his Juris Doctorate in 1992 at Loyola University School of Law, Evening Division.

As the business community’s voice for fiscal responsibility, gover nment efficiency and accountability, he was a fixture in the media and legislative bodies throughout Illinois, helping to explain complex gover nment finance issues and pushing gover nment leaders to choose sustainable fiscal policies with a long-ter m perspective.

In addition to his professional career, he was an avid runner, fisher man, world traveler, White Sox fan, father, grandfather, uncle, friend and husband He retur ned to Illinois gover nment in 1999, when then-Gover nor George H. Ryan appointed him Senior Advisor for Economic Development. He was responsible for the oversight of 11 of the state’s economic development and infrastructure-related agencies.

He became president of the Civic Federation, Illinois’ century-old, leading voice for fiscal responsibility and gover nment accountability, in January 2002. Over his 20 years as president, he worked tirelessly to make the Civic Federation an indispensable source of reliable fiscal information and gover nment process recommendations to public of ficials, the media and the general public. He was also a strong mentor to a generation of Civic Federation staff, who have gone on to successful careers in gover nment, philanthropy and the private sector.

In 2018, he mar ried the love of his life, Nicola Hill-Cordell, creating a boisterous mixed family of eight children.

In addition to his wife, Laurence Msall is survived by his three daughters, Lucille, Camille and Matilda, and Nicola’s children, Alex (Maria), Samantha (Michael), Tommy, Tess and Oscar, as well as three grandchildren, Valerie, Owen, and newly born Reece Jeffrey; eight of his siblings, Michael (Karla), Anita, Karin (Steve) Fischer, Mary (Scott) Rogers, Camille, Madeleine (Frank Mauceri), Christianne, and Julianne (Christopher) Pegler; his first wife, Mary Jo Smith, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, father and brother, Gerard Peter. Generous to the end, he will also live on through the people he helped via organ donation.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Saler no’s Galewood Chapel, 1857 N. Harlem Ave., Chicago. Meet the family for Mass at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at St. Giles Church, 1045 Columbian Ave, Oak Park

I fully support Rick Klaus in his call for our many new Downtown Oak Park neighbors to clean up after their dogs [Oak Park or Oak Poop? Viewpoints, Feb. 1] Either that, or we should re-

name Lake Street in the downtown area after a cer tain popular TV series: Schitt’s Creek.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his memory to L’Arche Chicago, an organization that provides services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

See OBITUARIES on pa ge 34

soon we’ll be up you-know-what

Trudy Doyle Oak Park

Continued from page 33

Rev. Dennis Bushkofsky,

64 Pastor of United Lutheran Church

The Rev. Dennis L. Bushkofsky, 64, of Henryville, Pennsylvania, died at home on Feb. 2023, following a brie f period of hospice ca re Bor n on July 15, 1958, in Oelwein, Iowa, the son of Ronald and Marie (Kuper) Bushkofsk he was mar ried to Linda Post Bushkofsky for nearly 34 years.

A 1980 graduate of Luther Colle ge (Decorah, Iowa) with a B.A. in music, he was a 1986 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Semi nary at Philadelphia (now United Seminary) where he ear ned a Master of Divinity degree In 1999 he ear ned a Master of Arts in liturgica studies from St. John University (Collegeville Minnesota).

He served cong re gations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Illinois. A portion of his ministry was devoted to intentional interim assignments, guiding cong re gations through pastoral transitions. Throughout his career, he was also active as an editor and writer of liturgical materials and an educator in the adult catechumenate movement.

His most recent call was to United Lutheran Church in Oak Park, where he served 10 years before going on disability in mid-2022. During his time at United, he was active in the Community of Cong re gations, an interfaith orga nization serving Oak Park, River Forest, and sur rounding communities

In addition to his wife, Dennis is survived by their daughter, Judy Jackson; their son, Jayden Jackson of Henryville, Pennsylvania; two granddaughters, Jordyn Jackson and Alexandria Mauricio; his mother, Marie; and his brother, Duane. He was preceded in death by his father, Ronald.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Fish Hill Road, Tannersville, with calling hours at the church one hour prior. Private inter ment will be at the convenience of the family

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25, at 2 p.m. at United Lutheran Church, Oak Park.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Lehigh Valley Hospice Pocono, 502 VNA Road, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301.

Cremation ar rangements were handled by William H. Clark Funeral Home, 1003 Main St., Stroudsburg, PA, www.wmhclarkfuneralhome.com.

Quincy Hughes, 74

Pediatric nurse and ar tist James Madden, 77

Cook Count y Public Defender investigator

James William Madden, 77, die at home in Oak Park on Feb. 2023, surrounded by his fami Bor n on Nov. 1945, he gr up in River Fo est, where he tended St. Lu School and F wick High School. childhood summers and Margaret, John, and Maggie with whom he decades. He w bachelor and master tory at Marquette dent he spent a he developed a lifelong love of quality espresso. His fascination with history and global affairs persisted even through his final days and his prodigious intellect never faded.

on Dec 30, 2022 at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital. Bor n on June 24, 1970 in Richmond, Virginia to William Francis Emmene gger and Patricia Ann Williamson, the family moved to Chicago before settling in Oak Pa rk, where James graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1989.

At OPRF he was active in theater and was an aspiring actor who appeared in high school productions with Thomas Lennon (“Reno 911”). He continued his studies at Columbia Colle ge Chicago, where he also discovered his love of oil painting, graduating with a BFA. He participated in many group ar t shows, presenting works through the West Suburban Ar tist Guild with Triton Colle ge, and was included in the Oak Park Ar t Walk, Vor tex. Patrons of Buzz Cafe of Oak Park may reco gnize paintings of his that hung in the cafe and were included in several

s, playing raucous drums around the country with The Blacks, a popular mainstay of Chicago’s indie music scene, who were often featured at the Hideout Chicago Block Party and at their SXSW Stage showcase in Austin, Texas.

James moved back and forth between California and Illinois several times, raising his son, Bronco, in Oak Park, and always held a special place in his heart for his two homes. In 2019 he moved back to Ridgecrest, California to care for his mother

James is survived by his son, James Bronco Ramòn Emmenegger; his mother, Patricia Ann Williamson; and for mer wife and mother of Bronco, Kristina Emmene gger. He was preceded in death by his father, William Frances Emmenegger.

A celebration of life with family and friends will be held in Chicago at a later date

He worked in a variety of fields throughout his life, starting as a lifeguard in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin where the Madden family vacation home is located. He was a reporter, a social worker, and a commodities broker before embarking on a 30-year career as an investigator with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office. He worked diligently in a profession dealing with the struggles of humanity on a daily basis, yet remained affable, optimistic, and sensitive to the beauty in the world.

James Madden is survived by his wife of 37 years, Leslye Madden, his son John and daughters Olivia and Lara. He was also the father of Maria Grace Madden who died at a young age. He was the brother of John, Mary and Maggie and the grandfather of Jack and Will. He will be sorely missed Visitation was held on Feb. 6 at Zimmer man-Har nett Funeral Home, 7319 W. Madison St., Forest Park, followed by Mass at St. Luke Catholic Church in River Forest. Inter ment will be private Donations in his memory may be made at https://www.curemelanoma. org or https://www.misericordia.com.

Growing Community Media

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

HELP WANTED

Shipping Manager

PRACTICE RELATIONS COORDINATOR

(PRC) - Job description

ideas to market our practice to potential referral sources

* Excellent organization and time-management skills

*Must be somebody who is a genuine people person and thrives on face-toface contact and meeting new people

*Outstanding telephone and customer service skills

* Professional and poised image as you will be representing our practice

*Has a College degree

* Are technologically savvy and possess experience with Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, online marketing, and social networking

Oak Park Residence Corporation is hiring and inviting candidates to apply for:

• Case Manager – HCV Program

• Accounting Clerk (PT)

• Assistant Property Manager – The Oaks and The FarrellyMuriello Apartments

• Property Assistant/Cleaner –Mills Park Tower

Clean,

safe,

fun work with graphic display frames that you’ll see in Wal-Marts, Verizon stores, CTA stations, all over US.

Manufacturing

No weekends, no evening hours, great pay and benefits. $20-$25 per hour

Top rated firm Alpina Manufacturing LLC founded in 1992, locally owned beautiful campus in Galewood, near Mars candy, 3 blocks north of Oak Park. We build and sell display framing systems to customers nationwide including Wal-Mart, Verizon, Circle K, Hospitals, CTA Apply in person M-F 8am to 4pm • Alpina • 6460 W Cortland St Chicago, IL 60707 www.fastchangeframes.com

PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Parking Enforcement Officer in the Police Department Field Services Division. This position will perform a variety of duties and responsibilities involved in the enforcement of Village parking regulations; and to provide general information and assistance to the public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

IT OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of IT Operations Specialist. The ideal candidate is responsible for the effective operation of information technology services and support across the organization. The IT Operations Specialist serves as a technical expert for the implementation, maintenance and support of systems and networks. The IT Operations Specialist plans and carries out various complex assignments and develops new methods and approaches in a wide variety of IT specialties. Evaluates new and enhanced approaches to deliver IT services; test and optimize the functionality of systems, networks, and data; and define technical requirements. The IT Operations Specialist is responsible for providing various forms of computer-related technical assistance and improving the efficiency of the work of the staff through the use of technology. Interested and qualified applicants can visit our website at http://www.oakpark.us/ for more details.

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation is looking for a full-time Director of Finance & Administration, who will manage the administrative and financial matters of the congregation in collaboration with church leadership and board officers. This person will participate on and advise the Executive Team and advise governing board on a wide range of financial matters at both the strategic and operational levels including the operational budget and stewardship planning. They will also oversee and adjust processes and operations as necessary to ensure efficient and effective implementation and creation of policies and procedures, as well as supervise some other staff members.

Core Competencies:

● Organization and Planning: Organize and oversee people, funding, materials, and support to accomplish multiple, concurrent goals and activities. Project management and excellent organizational skills

● Vision and Purpose: Commitment to and knowledge of Unitarian Universalist Principles, values, history and worship.

● Trust and Integrity: Is widely trusted to keep confidences, admit errors, and adhere to a transparent set of personal and professional values that are congruent with the ministry of the congregation

● Conflict Management: Recognize and resolve conflicts effectively, applying principles of active listening, collaboration, and equity for both congregants and staff

● Proficiencies: Working knowledge of business and church related software (Google Drive. Constant Contact and Realm or other church database software). Must have excellent project management and professional communication skills. Working knowledge of HR and accounting practices.

You can find out more information about the position at https://unitytemple.org/job-postings/. To apply, send a cover letter and resume to jobs@ unitytemple.org indicating “Director of Finance & Administration” in the subject line.

PARALEGAL

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Paralegal. The ideal candidate will perform a variety of responsible duties in support of the Law Department, including research, document preparation, administrative support to Law Department staff and other related duties. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oakpark.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. This position is open until filled.

Database Engineer sought by Crystal Equation Corp. (Chicago, IL). Work assignments may be in various unanticipated work locations in the US. Telecommuting Permitted. Please apply Job #36656 by sending resume to apply@crystalequation. com

Full Stack Software Developer sought by Crystal Equation Corp. (Chicago, IL). Work assignments may be in various unanticipated work locations in the US. Telecommuting Permitted. Please apply Job #36655 by sending resume to apply@crystalequation.com

DAYCARE CENTER DIRECTOR QUALIFIED TEACHER

Early childhood transcripts needed Immediate opening CALL TODAY! (773) 619-5545.

Little Teeth Big Smiles - Children’s Dentistry is a well-established, state of the art pediatric dental office that loves creating positive dental experiences for the children in our community. Our entire team, including the doctors, dental assistants, and administrative team members are highly trained and passionate about what they do each and every day to provide exceptional dental care and outstanding customer service to every family that enters our office. We are proud to have over 800 5-star Google Reviews that speak to the high level of service we are passionate about providing to our patients.

We have team members who have come from varying backgrounds including: retail, hospitality, fitness, and dental! You could be a part of that team! We believe that the quality of our work is a reflection of who we are. Our team members must possess a commitment to being the best they can be in all areas of patient service. Team members will be empowered to make decisions when an understanding of our philosophy and appropriate skills are acquired. Team members will not only work toward fulfilling their own responsibilities, but will support other team members in fulfilling theirs. Looking to the future our team recognizes that our patients’ needs are ever-changing. We are committed to staying at the cutting edge of pediatric dentistry to assure our patients receive the highest quality care. We believe in providing a safe and comfortable work environment where our team members are encouraged, inspired, and supported by their fellow co-workers.

Maybe you’ve been looking for that positive change in your life and what could be better than knowing you are making a difference in the lives of our patients and their families? We are confident you would love it here and will find the career and company culture that you’ve always wanted!

The Practice Relations Coordinator (PRC) is a very flexible part-time position in a fun environment with great fellow coworkers! We are opening our brand new office space soon and need someone to help us market this to our patients, referring offices and the community!

Details of the position:

* Responsible for representing our specialty practice to our referral base (existing and potential) through the execution of various networking and relationship building activities

*Includes personal contact with referring office staff and Doctors for the purpose of delivering gifts, hosting lunches and other social activities, and organizing educational events

*Includes administrative and organizational activities such as setting up files and delivery routes, compiling monthly practice statistics and preparation of mailings

*Planning and executing internal and external events.

Who you are:

*Upbeat, positive, self-motivated go-getter, with creative & innovative

*If you are seeking a part-time desk job this is not for you. The majority of your hours will be spent out in the field building up our referral base

* Basic knowledge of pediatric dental terminology and dental office functions will be very helpful but not required

*Also helpful will be knowledge of geography and roads covering our referral base

* Must have a valid driver’s license

To apply for this position please send your resume AND a cover letter telling us why you are the right person for this position!

Education:

• Bachelor’s (Required)

Experience:

• Marketing: 1 year (Preferred)

• Dental office: 1 year (Preferred)

Work Location: On the road

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Administrative Assistant in the Public Health Department. This position provides a variety of responsible administrative and analytical functions; records and monitors department budget and fiscal requirements of grant-funded programs; oversight of Accounts Payable process; prepares reports and serves as a resource for computerized office applications. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/ jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

We offer benefits such as 401(k) with employer contribution, Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and Short-term and Long-Term Disability Insurance, EAP, FSA, Professional Development Assistance as well as these added

Benefits:

- PTO, Paid Sick Leave, Paid Vacation, and Paid Holidays

- Tuition Reimbursement

- A Collaborative, Supportive, and Fun Work Environment

For a complete job description please go to our website: Work for OPRC –OPRC (oakparkrc.com) or to apply send cover letter and resume to bswaggerty@oakparkrc.com.

OPRC strives to provide a positive and meaningful work experience, where you can make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Oak Park Residence Corporation is a community-based, non-profit organization. For over 46 years, we have led the way in promoting Oak Park’s housing diversity and economic balance by offering quality apartments at affordable prices.

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF WILL )ss

Circuit Court of Will County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of Deborah C. Amaro, Petitioner and DiRefugio Carlos Acosta, Respondent, Case No. 2022DN000698.

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Will County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before February 24, 2023, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

ANDREA LYNN CHASTEEN, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal January 25, February 1, 8, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE

TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:

2023 Sewer Lining Improvements (Various Locations)

This project consists of the installation of approximately 2,181 lineal feet of Cured-in-Place Piping (CIPP) as a sewer lining as well as other miscellaneous work required to install the aforementioned CIPP, including some manhole bench repairs, and point repairs.

The bidding documents are available for download starting Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at: www.vrf.us/bids

Bids must be submitted by Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at:

Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest

400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.

No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.

The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:

2023 Street Patching Program

This project consists of the patching of approximately 4,000 square yards of existing, defective asphalt pavement at various locations throughout the Village, as designated by the Department of Public Works.

The bidding documents are available for download starting Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at: www.vrf.us/bids

Bids must be submitted by Friday, February 24, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at:

Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.

No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.

Bidders shall be prequalified by IDOT for: HMA Paving

The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:

2023 Curb and Sidewalk Replacement Program (Various Locations)

This project consists of the installation of approximately 5,000 square feet of PCC sidewalk, 125 linear feet of PCC curb/gutter, 75 square yards of driveway apron and other work incidental thereto.

The bidding documents are available for download starting Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at: www.vrf.us/bids

Bids must be submitted by Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at: Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.

No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village

of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.

Bidders shall be prequalified by IDOT for: Concrete Construction

The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:

2023 Pavement Preservation Project

The Work consists of the application of High Density Mineral Bond (HA5) to approximately 9,750 square yards of public roadways within the Village of River Forest.

The bidding documents are available for download starting Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at: www.vrf.us/bids

Bids must be submitted by Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at:

Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.

No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.

The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:

2023 Pavement Crack Sealing Project

The Work consists of the application of approximately 32,500 pounds of Fiber-Modified Crack Sealing to various asphalt public roadways.

The bidding documents are available for download starting Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at: www.vrf.us/bids

Bids must be submitted by Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at: Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.

No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.

The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y23010134 on February 1, 2023. Under the Assumed Business Name of TRAVELS & TREASURES with the business located at: 1016 ERIE STREET, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: TANYA TAYLOR 1016 ERIE STREET, OAK PARK, IL 60302.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 15, 22, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County.

Registration Number: Y23010121 on January 31, 2023 Under the Assumed Business Name of JUST CALL JAK with the business located at: 9119 FRANKLIN COURT, ORLAND PARK, IL 60462. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: JONATHAN MICHAEL CARSTEN 9119 FRANKLIN COURT, ORLAND PARK, IL 60462.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 15, 22, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y23010112 on January 27, 2023 Under the Assumed Business Name of KC KAREN’S CREATIONS with the business located at: 622 HANNAH AVE, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: KAREN CHILDS 622 HANNAH AVE, FOREST PARK, IL 60130.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 15, 22, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y23010087 on January 24, 2023 Under the Assumed Business Name of DONOR 4 A CAUSE SOLUTIONS with the business located at: 930 ONTARIO ST 2D, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: SULE KIVANC-ANCIETA 930 ONTARIO ST 2D, OAK PARK, IL 60302

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 15, 22, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice in the Riverside Brookfield Landmark 02/08/2023

PUBLIC NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD

Notice of Public Hearing Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission February 23, 2023 at 7:00 PM

NOTICE is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Brookfield on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:00 PM in the Edward Barcal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois to consider applications from Pawel Czauderna for a special use permit to operate a Day Care, a special use permit for joint parking facilities, and for variances from the Village Code Chapter 62 Zoning, Article III-Off Street Parking and Loading related to existing commercial space at 9046 31st Street.

Legal Description: Lots 25, 26 and 27 in Block 8 in Brookfield Homesites, a Resubdivision of Bartlett and Roach Addition to Grossdale, Being a Subdivision of the Southwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter of Section 27, Township 39 North, Range 12, East of the Third Principal Meridian, (Excepting Therefrom the Following Lots Which Are Not Included and Are Not Part of the Resubdivision, Lots 25 to 37, Both Inclusive and the West Half of Lot 38 in Block 2, Lots 26 and 27 in Block 4, Lots 9, 10, 37, 38, 39, 40, 45, 46, 47 and 48 in Block 6, According to the Plat of Said Brookfield Homesites Filed in the Office of the Registrar of Titles, June 30, 1922 as Document LR157442, in Cook County, Illinois.

The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/or written comments. Written comments may be provided prior to 4:00 PM on the day of the meeting to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Kate Portillo, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513, kportillo@brookfieldil.gov, or 708-485-1445. Oral or written public testimony may be given

during the public hearing.

The application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours.

Please reference PZC Case 23-04.

Public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in any meeting may contact the Village of Brookfield at (708) 485-7344 prior to the meeting. Wheelchair access is available through the front and side (south and east) entrances of Village Hall.

By the Order of Chuck Grund, Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman.

Published in RB Landmark February 8, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice in the Riverside Brookfield Landmark 02/08/2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

STATE OF ILLINOIS VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD

Notice of Public Hearing Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission February 23, 2023 at 7:00 PM

NOTICE is hereby given that the Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, February 23rd, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the Edward Barcal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois for the purpose of considering a request for variations from Division 8-Station Area Districts of the Village Code including §62-216 Building Types-Building Siting, Façade & Cap Requirements and §62-217 General DesignStreetscape Requirements, Landscape Requirements and other relief as the Commission may determine for property located at 9428 Ogden Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513 (PIN 18-03-103-041-0000).

Legal Description: Lots 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 in Block 2 in West Grossdale, a Subdivision in the West Half of the West Half of Section 3, Township 38 North, Range 12 East of the Third Principal Meridian, in Cook County, Illinois.

The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/or written comments. Written comments may be provided prior to 4:00 PM on the day of the public hearing to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Kate Portillo, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513, kportillo@ brookfieldil.gov, or 708-485-1113. Oral or written testimony may be given during the public hearing.

The application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours. Please reference PZC Case 23-03. Public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Individuals with disabilities requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in any meeting should contact the Village of Brookfield (708) 4857344 prior to the meeting. Wheelchair access is available through the front (South) entrance of Village Hall.

By the Order of Chuck Grund, Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman.

Notice of Public Hearing

Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission

February 23, 2023 at 7:00 PM

NOTICE is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Brookfield on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:00 PM in the Edward Barcal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois to consider applications from Jimmy Ellis for a map amendment from B- Multiple Family Residence District zoning to I-1 General Light Industrial District zoning and a special use permit for accessory outdoor storage related to the most northern parcel associated with 8800 47th Street (PIN 1803423050).

Legal Description: Lot 7 (EXCEPT THE NORTH 60 FEET THEREOF), ALL OF LOT 8 AND THE EAST 12 FEET OF LOT 9 IN BLOCK 3 IN PINKERTS STATE ROAD ADDITION, BEING A SUBDIVISON OF THE EAST ½ OF THE SOUTHEAST ¼ OF THE SOUTHEAST ¼ OF SECTION 3, TOWNSHIP 38 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/or written comments. Written comments may be provided prior to 4:00 PM on the day of the meeting to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Kate Portillo, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513, kportillo@brookfieldil.gov, or 708-485-1445. Oral or written public testimony may be given during the public hearing.

The application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours.

Please reference PZC Case 23-02. Public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in any meeting may contact the Village of Brookfield at (708) 485-7344 prior to the meeting. Wheelchair access is available through the front and side (south and east) entrances of Village Hall.

By the Order of Chuck Grund, Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman.

Published in RB Landmark February 8, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 24, 2023 for the following: Village of Oak Park 2023 Traffic Sign Materials Bid Package Bid Number: 23 - 112 Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/bid

For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive bids from qualified floor mat vendors for weekly floor mat service at Village buildings. Bids will be accepted at the Public Works Service Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, until 11:00 a.m. local time on Friday, February 24th, 2023.

Request for Bids

Village of Oak Park Floor Mat Services

Issuance Date: 2/8/23

Bid forms may be obtained by calling 708-358-5714 or by emailing fgutierrez@oak-park.us between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. M-F. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue proposal documents and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No proposal documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of proposal opening.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

Published in Wednesday Journal February 8, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park --Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302-- will receive electronic proposals until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 2, 2023 for Project: 23-4, 2023 Alley Improvements

Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, the improvements consist of the removal of the existing alley pavements and garage aprons; installation of storm sewers and drainage structures; installation of permeable aggregate trenches and base course; installation of permeable interlocking brick pavers; installation of concrete alley pavements and garage aprons; parkway restoration; and all appurtenant work thereto.

Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on February 9, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oak-park.us/yourgovernment/budget-purchasing/ requests-proposals or at www. questcdn.com under login using QuestCDN number 8326872 for a non-refundable charge of $30.00.

The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.

All prospective bidders must prove they are pre-qualified by the Illinois Department of Transportation by providing a certificate of eligibility to the Engineering Division at which time a password will be issued for access to the online bid documents.

This project is financed with local Village funds and federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and thus is subject to all federal rules, regulations and guidelines, including Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, Section 3, and Equal Opportunity requirements. Locally funded phases of the project as well as MWRDGC reimbursed phases are subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

Bill McKenna Village Engineer

Published in Wednesday Journal, February 8, 2023

CALENDAR NUMBER: 04-23-Z

HEARING DATE: March 1, 2023

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

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on a special use permit application filed by the Applicant, Blue Leaf, LLC, to operate a Retail Cannabis Establishment pursuant to Section 8.3 (Table 8-1: Use Matrix) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance at the property located at 7119 North Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Numbers 16-06-100-038-0000 (“Subject Property”) in the NA North Avenue Zoning District.

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.

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.

Published in Wednesday Journal, February 8, 2023

NOTICE

CALENDAR NUMBER: 03-23-Z

HEARING DATE: March 1, 2023

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

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on a special use permit application filed by the Applicant, Mel Garland, on behalf of Think Big Academy, to operate a day care center pursuant to Section 8.3 (Table 8-1: Use Matrix) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance at the property located at 845-847 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Numbers 16-18-106-0120000 (“Subject Property”) in the MS Madison Street Zoning District.

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.

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.

Published in Wednesday Journal, February 8, 2023

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION NEWREZ LLC DBA SHELLPOINT MORTGAGE SERVICING; Plaintiff, vs. ROSALIE ZAYIA; OAK PARK TERRACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION; UNKNOWN OWNERS, GENERALLY AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 22 CH 4330

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIV-

EN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, March 13, 2023 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-05-320-040-1005.

Commonly known as 914 N. Austin Blvd, Apt A5, Oak Park, IL 60302. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a condominium residence. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g) (4) of Section 9 of the Condominium Property Act

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Mr. Matthew C.

Abad at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Kluever Law Group, 225 West Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 236-0077. ADC SMS000539-22FC1 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com

I3212746

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

Plaintiff,

-v.-

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

MELANIE MARTIN, 300 CHICAGO CONDOMINIUM, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF HAZEL J. ANTHONY, GERALD NORDGREN, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR HAZEL J. ANTHONY (DECEASED)

Defendants

2022 CH 04036

300 CHICAGO AVE 4N OAK PARK, IL 60302

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 17, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 1, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 300 CHICAGO AVE 4N, OAK PARK, IL 60302

Property Index No. 16-05-321-0341007

The real estate is improved with a condo/townhouse. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to

the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g) (1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 7949876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORA-

TION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-

SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C.

15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100

BURR RIDGE IL, 60527

630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-22-03237

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2022 CH 04036

TJSC#: 43-258

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2022 CH 04036

I3212613

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.

Plaintiff, -v.-

MORRIS SMITH, HUMPHREYWASHINGTON CONDOMINIUMS, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS

Defendants 22 CH 4119 341 S HUMPHREY AVE UNIT 3N OAK PARK, IL 60302

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on November 30, 2022, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 3, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 341 S HUMPHREY AVE UNIT 3N , OAK PARK, IL 60302

Property Index No. 16-08-316-0301015

The real estate is improved with a condominium. The judgment amount was $125,375.04.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee

shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, contact The sales clerk, LOGS Legal Group LLP Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301, Bannockburn, IL, 60015 (847) 291-1717 For information call between the hours of 1pm - 3pm.. Please refer to file number 22-096166.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORA-

TION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-

SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

LOGS Legal Group LLP

2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301 Bannockburn IL, 60015 847-291-1717

E-Mail: ILNotices@logs.com

Attorney File No. 22-096166

Attorney Code. 42168

Case Number: 22 CH 4119

TJSC#: 42-4789

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 22 CH 4119 I3212084

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

e Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law.

is newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals.

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777.