WednesdayJournal_021225 by Wednesday Journal

of

Park and River

‘A war of erasure’

Abu-Taleb, a Gaza native and Oak Park leader, reacts to Trump’s latest plan

By DAN HALEY Staff Reporter

Anan Abu-Taleb, a two-term for mer Oak Park village president and local restaurant owner, was born in Gaza. He still has f amily there. Several f amily members have been killed during the war between Israel and Hamas and the unceasing bombardment of Gaza by Israel.

Abu-Taleb has at times over the past 17 months spoken publicly and boldly about the situation there. At other times he has stayed quiet in deference to his children and his businesses.

Last week, President Donald Trump suggested during a news conference with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, that the millions of Palestinians still living there should be relocated to other countries while Gaza could be “owned” and rebuilt by the U.S. and turned into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

We asked Abu-Taleb then for his response to Trump and he sat for an hour’s interview on Feb. 7.

Abu-Taleb wants to avoid giving Trump too much power and says he has listened more to and been “motivated by the statements of many Jewish people around the world” since the conflict began. He is heartened by those who speak up for a Palestinian homeland, for self-definition, for freedom.

See GAZA on pa ge 10

Oak Park leaders stand up for progressive values

In show of solidarity, range of leaders gather at Unity Temple

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

In a show of solidarity, leaders from numerous Oak Park organizations – governmental, nonprofit and business related -- gathered at Unity Temple on Monday at 4 p.m. to emphasize their shared commitment to inclusivity. “Our strength lies in our diversity,” Village President Vicki Scaman said in a news release. “We will continue to remain unified in our dedication to our values. It is our collective strength that protects these values and ensures we will always remain a safe community for everyone.”

TODD BANNOR

Former Village President Anan Abu-Taleb dur ing interview on Feb. 7.

@wednesdayjournalinc @wednesdayjournal @oakpark

Get ready to vote in the April 2025 local election

Voters decide the makeup of local governing agencies, including village president and trustees

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Voting is one way Oak Park and River Forest residents can make their voices heard and enact change on the local level during the April 2025 local elections.

This year’s election takes place April 1, or voters can get out early to cast a ballot in March. Residents will choose the outcome of positions including the new village president, three seats on the village board of trustees, local school boards, park district and library boards.

Register to vote

First-time eligible voters, those looking to change their registration address or anyone looking to double check they’re set for Election Day can do so at https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections/voter-registration.

To vote in Illinois, you must turn 18 years old on or before the date of the consolidated election. You must be a United States citizen and live in your election precinct at least 30 days prior to the Election Day. You cannot be serving a jail or prison sentence and cannot have claimed the right to vote anywhere else

For the April 1 election, voters can register online, in person or by mail.

With an Illinois driver’s license or state ID, you can register through the Illinois State Board of Elections at https:// ova.elections.il.gov/ by March 16. You can also fill out a form on that website by printing and signing it and mailing it in by March 4.

Early voting

Suburban Cook County voters can cast their ballot ahead of April 1 at Oak Park’s Village Hall, located at 123 Madison St

Early voting hours, according to Oak Park officials, are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from March 17 to March 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 23, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 24 to March 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 30 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 31.

Other early voting locations can be found on the Cook County Clerk’s website.

Local voters can also apply for a mail ballot, which must be mailed by April 1 using a USPS mailbox, deposited at a designated drop site or turned in on Election Day in person.

Elec tion Day

Voting is open for the consolidated municipal elections from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 1. Oak Park’s Village Hall is not a polling place on Election Day. Instead, residents can find their designated polling place at https://www cookcountyclerkil.gov/elections/your-voterinformation.

To register in person, suburban Cook County residents can go to one of the Cook County Clerk’s locations, a village clerk, an Illinois Secretary of State’s drivers license facility or deputy registrars.

Individuals wanting to register to vote during early voting can do so by bringing two pieces of identification, one with a current address, to their voting site. You can also register on Election Day at your home precinct or an Election Day Vote Center

The Oak Park Public Library is hosting virtual candidate forums ahead of the election to help inform your vote, as well as the League of Women Voters of Oak Park and River Forest. Wednesday Journal will also host candidate forums. For the Oak Park village trustees and president, a forum will take place Feb. 24 at the Oak Park Public Library in the Veterans Room. The trustee candidates will speak at 6:30 p.m., followed by the presidential candidates at 7:35 p.m.

For the District 200 school board, a forum will be at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in the same location. And for the District 97 school board, the forum will be at 6:30 p.m. March 6, also at the OPPL Veterans Room.

Who is running?

Oak Park Village President (one seat open)

■ Ravi Parakkat

■ Vicki Scaman

Oak Park Village Trustee (three seats open)

■ Chibuike Enyia

■ Jenna Leving Jacobson

■ Lucia Robinson

■ James “Jim” Taglia

■ Joshua Vanderberg

Oak Park Village Clerk (one seat open)

■ Christina Waters

Oak Park Public Library Trustee (four seats open)

■ Colin Bird-Martinez

■ Bruce Brigell

■ Megan Butman

■ Matthew Fruth

■ Maya Ganguly

■ Mika Selena Yamamoto

■ Daniel Suber

■ Annie Wilkinson

Park District of Oak Park Commissioner (two seats open)

■ Sandra Lentz

■ Adekunle “Ade” Onayemi

Oak Park School District 97 Board

Member (three seats open)

■ Twyla Blackmond Larnell

■ Nancy Ross Dribin

■ Vincent Gay

■ Venus Hurd Johnson

■ Ashley Lenz

■ Becky Pere z

River Forest Village President (one seat open)

■ Catherine Adduci

River Forest Village Trustee (three seats open)

■ Lisa Gillis

■ Megan Keskitalo

■ Respicio F. Vazquez

River Forest School District 90 (four seats open)

■ Kathleen Avalos

■ Katherine Bevan

■ Joshua Ehart

■ Beth Vlerik

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf

Digital Manager Stac y Coleman

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Sta Repor ter Luzane Draughon Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora

Assistant Editor, Ar ts & Enter tainment Dalal Or fali

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

Columnists Marc Bleso , Jack Crowe, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger

Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Ben Stumpe

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

Senior Advisor Dan Haley

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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

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Exemplar

then fresh out of still teacher at wh sters

– excitement, nerves … will they ha in class, and will their teacher li that the teacher – a la Gerges – is those emotions

Willard School principal. Sure, there might be some nerves that come with taking on a major challenge, but the bigger picture are the fine points of her new job.

“One thing that really resonates with me in terms of leadership, how do principals help motivate the organization, and their teachers specifically?” said Gerges, who was approved by the District 90 board as the school’s permanent principal at its Jan. 21 meeting.

“One of my main focuses is to collaborate with teachers – what are the things that face them every day, and celebrate their successes and the things they are seeing in classrooms where students are showing immense growth, and what are the areas we can support you to help ensure students can meet projected growth?”

Talk to Gerges for a while, in person, and you’ll get the sense through her speech and body language that one word resonates Team.

“The role of the principal is very vast, and there are a lot of demands placed on you every day,” she said. “How do we have conversations that come back to the central idea of students, and how do we improve and support their learning experience at Willard? I think that our team does a phenom job of putting our students first.

“My thought is we’re better to g ether as a team.”

Gerges, who grew up in Northbrook, began

from 2019-24, and Roosevelt Middle School – received Exemplary designations in November in the annual Illinois School Re port Cards. The re port cards are reviews of student achievement data and other factors published annually by the Illinois State Board of Education.

District 90 was one of only two districts with three or more schools to achieve that honor

So, things are going well. But why?

Once again, teamwork and attention to detail.

“Three times a year we do benchmark assessments, using universal screeners to look at how students are doing in reading and math,” she said, “and then we triangulate the information by looking at how students are performing in the classroom – if they are receiving additional services, how are they performing in those small groups, then looking at that test score. Taking that, we consider the whole child and make educational decisions to help that child.”

There’s plenty of excitement about Gerges’ promotion, from district leadership and colleagues alike.

“I am delighted that our school community will continue to benefit from the tremendous experience and passion that Christine brings to the leadership of Willard Elementary School,” said superintendent Dr. Ed Condon in a statement.

CHRISTINE GERGES

COURSE BY ARTURO REYES

Who’s that with Cher? River Forest’s own Kelly Schumann

Schumann plays a peasant in commercial with Cher

By DAN HALEY Staff Reporter

On the YouTube clips commercial it was listed as being a Super Bowl ad. But Kelly Schumann, the Ri Forest native who acted in the commercial, believes it was created only to air in Australia and New Zealand.

So, for our purposes we as the Kelly Schumann ad featuring Cher. It’s a time travel premise with the fully glammed up 78-year-old Cher wanting to “Turn Back Time” and return to the 80s. The time travel gizmo wo next seen astride a cannon in a rural setting surrounded by peasants. “This isn’t the 80s,” she exclaims. To which a peasant with, perhaps, an Australian accent, says, “Tis the 1680s.”

SCREENSHOT

Kelly Schumann in an Uber Eats commercial airing only in Australia and New Zealand.

That’s when Schumann arrives in the ad. She is somewhat bent, with blacked out teeth and, of course, carrying a chicken.

“That chicken peed on me all day,” Schumann told Wednesday Journal Friday. “But I kind of enjoyed the chicken. It was a distraction.” A distraction from two days of shooting on very hot California days. “It was sort of grueling,” said Schumann, mentioning both bees and dust.

Schumann was a re gular for several seasons on the “Superstore” sitcom and a recurring guest on “Hot in Cleveland,” with she said, “the great Betty White,” another Oak Park native.

Of course, people want to know what Cher was like.

Schumann, who has been in L.A. since 2008, said she has an approach when encountering major stars. “I might have made this up in my head, but I try not to be a fan in front of her. We’re both there.

We’re professionals. She’s been famous for a very long time. She is reco gnized in all she does.”

But, said Schumann, “She was great. She was super nor mal. She shook my hand when I introduced myself.” There is a shot of the two of them on social media

Schumann got her start in acting at the old Circle Theater in Forest Park and sold ads for Wednesday Journal as her day job. The past few years have been a challenge in making a living as an actor, she said. First was the COVID pandemic and then a lengthy industry strike. “This is not for the faint of heart,” she commented.

Schumann visits family re gularly in town and talks with enthusiasm about growing up in these villages. “I feel so lucky to be from a place like Oak Park and River Forest. It is a place where the arts are so highly respected,” she said.

C ORRECTION

An article titled “OPRF teacher put on leave after report of touching student” in our Jan. 29 print edition mislabeled the Title IX investigation as Title XI. We apologize for the error.

Ten ousand Villages, fair trade mainstay, is closing

Farewell, Retail; Our Core Services

Continue

Since 2003, we have been delighted to provide the McAdam Nursery and Garden Center as a vital resource for the community. In addition to serving a variety of retail customers, this has been the setting for countless memories for family-focused events like our annual Pumpkin-Palooza.

But as we prepare for our 47th year servicing your landscape maintenance, design and installation needs, economic and consumer trends have led us to a difficult decision: In the Spring, the center will not be returning for walk-in garden retail business.

The good news is that McAdam Landscaping remains strong and we are eager to launch into another season. With these market changes, we are focused on moving in a direction that will best serve our customers’ needs.

That includes still offering bulk delivery services for your compost, topsoil, mulch and gravel needs. Prearranged pick-up will also be available.

To all our loyal retail customers, we thank you for your trust and patronage over the past two decades. Building on the tradition that my father and uncle started in 1979, we will continue to be here for your landscaping needs.

By JESSICA MACKINNON Contributing Reporter

For almost 20 years, fair-trade retailer Ten Thousand Villages has been a resource for local shoppers interested in using their purchasing power for good. The Oak Park nonprofit, which sells hand crafted items from artisans in developing countries, has been struggling since COVID and will be closing at the end of February.

Manager Mike Burris refers to statistics indicating that, in Cook County, retailers selling nonessential items have recovered only 40% since pre-COVID levels.

While downtown Oak Park witnessed several store closings last year, David King, a commercial leasing agent representing many downtown properties, attributes the closings to reasons other than loss of sales, and believes Oak Park remains a vital business community.

“The world is constantly changing and I could not be more excited about what I’m seeing for 2025 and beyond for downtown Oak Park We continue to see a lot of interest in vacant spaces,” said King

Both King and Burris believe Oak Park is in a time of transition. Burris alludes to pressing needs within the Oak Park community that have influenced compassionate residents to prioritize local causes over those abroad, such as the artisans supported by Ten Thousand Villages.

“If you have lived in Oak Park for any length of time, you’ve seen a transition in our neighborhood. We have increasing numbers of unhoused people. We were one of the few towns that willingly took on assisting an influx of migrants, which was amazing. There is an urgent need for support within our community and I think that surpasses anything outside our community. Is that a bad thing? No, but it does detract from mission-based businesses like ours,” Bur ris said.

Ten Thousand Villages was founded almost 80 years ago by Edna Ruth Byler after she visited Puerto Rico and saw a variety of beautiful but undervalued handicrafts. She started buying products and bringing them to the U.S. where she sold them to friends and neighbors and at craft fairs Eventually, with the support of the Mennonite Church, she built retail stores across

the country. At its height, the nonprofit organization oversaw hundreds of retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada selling products from 20,000 artisans working in 20 developing countries. Artisans are paid a fair wage and given long-term contracts to ensure a sustainable source of income.

Oak Park’s Ten Thousand Villages opened in September 2007. Oak Park resident Judy Gaietto-Grace, one of the store’s first volunteers, helped stock shelves and paint walls before the opening and then served on the board for nine years. She continues to volunteer on Fridays.

“Oak Park seemed like the perfect place for a store. The mission of fair trade resonated with me,” Gaietto-Grace said. “The artisans we support are often invisible and we allow them to have dignity and an education and a sustainable living.”

Burris, who had a wealth of corporate management experience at big box retailers, took over as manager in July 2023. He focused on introducing new products, creating stability and business continuity, and revitalizing the décor by using limited resources to their fullest extent.

“As compared to my corporate experience, I quickly learned that the cost of every paper clip mattered because we were dealing with such small volume,” he said.

Because of Oak Park’s unique character,

he was determined to make the store a community resource by featuring local vendors such as Bright Endeavors, a social enterprise that produces candles and other fragrance products to support Chicago-based nonprofit New Moms. Burris states that the store supported 203 artisans through sales in 2024. He also focused on creating a welcoming environment for everybody, including unhoused people who came in for drinks of water and to use the bathrooms

Burris insists that the store’s popularity has been due to its dedicated, globally minded, compassionate volunteers who he believes are representative of the general Oak Park community

River Forest resident Kathie Walsh has been with the store since 2009, after retiring from her medical practice. She was looking for meaningful, purposeful volunteer opportunities. An active member of the community, Walsh also volunteers with the Oak Park Conservatory and the Migrant Ministry and is a long-time ESL tutor.

“There are so many wonderful, worthwhile organizations in our community that need our help. It is a privilege to have the time and means to volunteer—and you g et so much more out of it than you give It has been my pride and joy to spread the word about Ten T housand Village s,” Walsh said.

TODD BANNOR

Ten ousand Villages Manager Mike Burris with his daughter and crew of volunteers on Feb. 7.

Scott McAdam Jr.

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual

Munch, beloved vegan restaurant, closes a er 13 years

MUSEUM GALA

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual

MUSEUM GALA

By DALAL ORFALI Vibe assistant editor

Heart of our Villages

Honoring the 2023 Award Winners

Heart of our Villages

CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional people whose stories make our villages so special CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional

space for I’ve been working for these guys for many years,” Gonzales said.

Munch turned off its music and kitchen lights one last time last Sunday, Feb 2. beloved vegan spot on Marion Street near North Boulevard was a gathering spot many dedicated customers over its 13 Some would drive from Indiana and sin to satisfy their cravings for their plant-based dishes

Honoring the 2023 Award Winners

ve getarian restaurants are still needed in Oak Park, but, he said, Munch’s success was tied to his wife’s unique approach — handcrafted, from-scratch recipes that couldn’t be re plicated by competitors relying on premade ingredients. “That’s why it was so labor-intensive,” he said. “It’s hard to be competitive when everybody else’s prices keep going up, but we had to hold ours down to keep our customer base.”

people whose stories make our villages so special

Thursday March 9, 2023

We celebrate the stories of Oak Parkers and River Foresters whose lives of service are models for our communities

Thursday March 9, 2023

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Ni ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Park

Munch was opened in 2011 by its late Robbin O’Harrow. O’Harrow was a ve ian herself. She envisioned a space for w some, vegan home cooking in Oak Pa recipes — crafted from scratch — set Munc apart from other plant-based eateries.

We celebrate the stories of Oak Parkers Foresters whose lives of service are models for our communities

Ni ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Park

Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

After Robbin O’Harrow died as a result of COVID in 2021, her daughter, Sage O’Har row, and Robbin’s husband, Ed O’Harrow, took over the restaurant, determined to keep her legacy alive

Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m.

$125/ticket

However, as time went on keeping Munch afloat became increasingly difficult.

Heart of our Villages

“If nobody is willing to get this place, I have to look for another place,” Gonzales said. Munch had built a base of loyal customers. “We got so many good customers that would come from 40 minutes away, and some came from other states to eat here.” Gonzales said.

Honoring the 2023 Award Winner

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional people whose stories make our villages so special CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

O’Harrow said, “The plan was to close he restaurant right now is for rent and the equipment is there for sale if somebody wants to continue onward with some kind restaurant.” O’Harrow said the business ould be sold in conjunction with the equipment and on the condition that new owners would try to keep the staff.

Thursday March 9, 2023

of our Villages 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

David King, a commercial leasing agent who represents the building’s owner, said, “The property will be available for investment on March 1. It’s a great little restaurant space. Has a phenomenal location. And for the most part, it’s a turnkey operation where you can move right in.”

We celebrate the stories of Oak Parkers and River Foresters whose lives of service are models for our communities We celebrate the stories of Oak Parkers and River Foresters whose lives of service are models for our communities

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Ni ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Park Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

For Francisco Gonzales, who managed Munch for the past three years, the closure is especially bittersweet.

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

King said the space is being actively marketed, and he has already had three or more showings, with two more being scheduled soon.

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m.

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m. $125/ticket

MUSEUM GALA

Questions? 708-848-6755 or oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net

Heart of our Villages

“I didn’t make one penny from the restaurant for my time,” said Ed O’Harrow. “So, when the lease came up for renewal, I knew my daughter had other plans, and I had to get back to my business. I had been neglecting my business for two-and-one-half-years to make sure Munch honored its commitment to the landlord. It was just time to let it stop.”

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual MUSEUM GALA

Ed O’Har row believes that ve gan and

On the Friday before Munch closed, Gonzales was still hoping a buyer would turn up and keep Munch going. “I told my customers to push this guy not too close. But, you know, that’s not my decision and everybody is sad. I’m sad because we’re close here, I love this

Questions? 708-848-6755 or oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net

Honoring the 2023 Award Winners

ople whose stories make our villages so special CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional

Camille Wilson White Jan Novak Dressel

Thursday March 9, 2023

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Although there is a need for a vegan restaurant in the community, potential investors have many ideas in mind, he said. “One is a Sushi grab-and-go, because it’s a smaller space. And that would work near the train track,” King said. “And I also have a Mediterranean group looking at it. It’s a great startersize of a restaurant”

Honoring the 2023 Award

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional people whose stories make our villages so spe CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

Heart of our Villages 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday March 9, 2023 Ni ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Park Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa Park

Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m.

$125/ticket

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M. Camille Wilson White Jan Novak Dressel

THE CANDY THIEF

coins was needed for the war effort. U.S. Mint changed the nickel coin’s composition, substituting silver for nickel. As a result, nickel coins made during 1942-1945 became a collector’s item. Their value was worth much more than 5 cents. More likely their worth was between $4 and $500 a coin. Which is why my dad was saving them. So, my thieving was not a minor infraction but a felony!

THERESA CLANCY Estate Planning Attorney

That said, saving isn’t easy. Especially for retirement.

Like my dad, many of us find it hard to save money, particularly for retirement. But unlike my dad, most of us do not have a thieving 7-year-old preventing us from realizing our savings goals. We only have ourselves to blame.

Today the U.S. personal savings rate is 3.8% of disposable income, down from the long-term average of 8.43% and the 2013 rate of 6.2%. Most experts say we should have three to six months’ worth of living expenses saved in an emergency fund. The average 401(k) plan savings rate is 11.7%.

Financial planners say we should be saving 15% of our take home pay a year for retirement. And sadly, almost half of us have no retirement savings at all.

Retirement experts say we should have one time the amount of our salary saved by age 30, three times by age 40, six times by age 50, eight times by age 60 and 10 times your salary by age 67. Then you should withdraw 3-4% of your retirement savings a year.

• www.theresaclancylaw.com • theresa.clancy@theresaclancylaw.com

Psychologists say that how we approach savings is influenced by the patterns we were exposed to growing up. If we grew up in a poor household, we may develop into a workaholic to avoid that childhood money scarcity. If our parents thought talking about money was taboo, we may find it difficult to have discussions about money as adults.

Experts term these early experiences as “money scripts.” They are often passed down from one generation to the next. These experiences can affect how we budget, manage our money, and approach saving. If we were raised that money is evil, it may be a lot harder to become a high earner or save for retirement.

We live in a world of instant gratification. Our environment shouts at us to spend money. Retail therapy and dopamine boosts keep us longing for that next purchase.

When we are younger, we want immediate gratification since retirement seems to be so far in the future. We think we have plenty of time to save. This thought process is called hyperbolic discounting. We often put off saving for retirement until our 30s or 40s and by then we realize it will take a lot longer to build a comfortable retirement fund than it would have if we had started in our 20s. Compound interest and dividends are real! And many of us underestimate how much money we will need to retire.

Are we doomed to live paycheck to paycheck? Nope, but sometimes we need to trick ourselves into saving. Here are five tips to game your brain:

1) Automate your savings and 401k contributions. You automatically pay taxes, social security, and often healthcare. Set things up so you automatically pay into your 401k and savings account.

2) Pick 3 financial goals. Write them down and make sure you are passionate about these goals. If you are not, find new goals.

3) The goals need to be specific and timed - Your goal should not be to “save money for vacation” or to “travel in retirement.” Rather, your goal should be, “save $5,000 by October to go biking through Austria with a Backroads Tour.” Or “max my 401K every month so that I can travel to Spain and run with the bulls the year I retire.”

4) Visualize yourself in the future enjoying what you are saving for or enjoying life in your retirement. Write out a detailed picture of what life is like.

5) Set Rewards - identify small, low cost or no cost rewards for saving a certain amount of money. “I saved $5,000 so now I will spend a Saturday at the beach or visiting a new neighborhood.”

6) Wait 48 hours. Delay any immediate gratification of purchases for 48 hours. If it is still meaningful to you after 48 hours, then it may be worth the purchase. If not, yeah, you just beat the retail beast!

Lastly, it may be motivating to occasionally engage in conversations with others about personal finance success stories. Estate planning is like saving money. The more we hear someone else doing it, the more likely we may create an estate plan for ourselves. Yes, you can!

OPRF’s CITE program moving to Grant White this summer

Grant White’s rst oor will soon house post-secondary transition services for students with special needs

By JESSIC A MORDAC Q Staff Reporter

Vacant for nearly three years, Forest Park’s Grant White Elementary School will soon have a new tenant.

At its Dec. 19 meeting, the School District 200 Board of Education approved a lease ag reement with Forest Park School District 91, which owns the school that is located at 147 Circle Ave. In July, D200’s growing off-campus CITE program for students with special needs will move into Grant White.

“The ability for us to provide more opportunities for the students and grow our program is really exciting,” said Andrea Neuman, executive director of special education for D200.

D200 will pay an annual lease of $117,691 to rent part of Grant White. The lease ag reement runs through June 2028 and can then be extended in one-year increments. Over the 2024-2025 school year, CITE is paying $83,150 to rent space at the River Forest Community Center.

CITE will take up over 19,000 square feet of space on Grant White’s first floor, about 14,000 square feet more than what they use at the River Forest Community Center. Grant White also allows more parking for vehicles that serve program participants.

Community Integration Transition Education, or CITE, is a program for adults ages 18to-22 years old with disabilities. The program offers Individualized Education Program services, therapeutic support and vocational training to about 55 students.

The CITE program also consists of four

teachers and 13 paraprofessionals who help them, plus a vocational coordinator, social worker, speech-language pathologist and physical and occupational therapists.

Moving into Grant White gives CITE more space, since the program has been growing since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law that allows students with special needs to receive transition planning and attend school through the school year that they turn 22, rather than aging out the day they turn 22. This has increased the number of these students who access transition services during and after high school.

“The number of students needing post-secondary education has grown,” Neuman said.

Around 20 years ago when it started, CITE was hosted in an apar tment. It has always been an off-campus program, separate from high school.

“That’s actually the ideal because we are essentially preparing students for adult services,” Neuman said. “We have a wide range of kids with varying different goals for transition, and so it ends up being a better set-up for what the reality is post-secondary.”

Getting ready for Grant White

Forest Park School District 91 closed Grant White at the end of its 2021-2022 school year because of low enrollment. Since D91 decided to lease out the school last February, several organizations have thrown their hat in the ring for a chance to use the vacant space.

The Park District of Forest Park and the West Suburban Special Recreation As-

sociation asked for space at Grant White to host programming for the park district and people with physical and mental disabilities.

When Dominican University announced it was closing the Rose K Goedert Center for Early Childhood Education in 2023, the Goedert Center wanted to move its preschoolers to Grant White.

Mayor Rory Hoskins even pitched moving children and youth programming at the Howard Mohr Community Center to Grant White. Last summer, the community center hosted its summer camp at the school, as it has in past years.

While deciding who to lease the building to longterm, Grant White has been used for board meetings, after-school and summer programs, adult education classes, and as a parking lot for D91 school buses.

able to have a space that we could grow into,” she said.

So, in November, D200 submitted a proposal to D91 to lease out part of Grant White. A lease ag reement was approved the following month.

As for why D200’s CITE program was chosen over any other community organization, “many advantages come from a community partnership with a neighboring district,” according to the agenda from the D200 board meeting in December.

“The ability for us to provide more opportunities for the students and grow our program is really exciting.”

ANDREA NEUMAN Executive director of special education for D200

Last May, D200 asked to be considered to move into Grant White. Then at a D200 meeting last August, its board approved a two-year lease with the River Forest Community Center, which expires at the end of June 2026.

The pivot in location was a matter of when space was open to house CITE and planning for the future of the program, according to Neuman.

“Our program is really growing, and so when Grant White became available, we thought it was a good opportunity to be

“Being members of the same Re gional Office of Education, permitting processes will be in alignment. Further, site-improvements may be mutually beneficial and allow for cost sharing measures when appropriate.”

“We think partnering with other educational institutions in the area is exciting,” Neuman said.

For the 2025-2026 school year, CITE will be held at both the River Forest Community Center and Grant White. Programming will fully move to Grant white for the 20262027 school year.

D200 and CITE don’t need to prepare much before transitioning over to Grant White later this year. CITE just has to develop its transition plan for its participants and staf f.

Neuman said Grant White “is already an educational space, which is one of the great parts about it.”

“These are people who consistently from the beginning of this were against attacks on Palestinian children, women, the elderly. These are people who support human rights,” and are active in protesting for justice, he says.

That said, he doesn’t discount what Trump has recently announced as a possible future position of the U.S. Asked how he would describe any U.S.-backed step to push millions of Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank, Abu-Taleb says, “It would be ethnic cleansing. How else could you describe it? To force people to move from their homeland is the classic definition of ethnic cleansing.”

Abu-Taleb calls the current conflict “a war of erasure,” with intentional ef for ts by Israel and its Democratic and Re publican U.S. backers to erase all of the markers and the memories which made Gaza home to millions. He noted that his mother’s home and his father’s home and the family farm have been fully destroyed. “It is all rubble. You cannot recognize it.”

Abu-Taleb says the bombardment of schools, hospitals and mosques throughout the densely packed Gaza strips away ev ery connection a family feels.

“When all the familiar places are gone, then you can’t shar those memories anymore. It is a planned way to deny people their history. You rip them from their past. You deny them their memories. We should all be outraged,” says Abu-Taleb

“If you see your brother, your sister, your classmates blown up, if you hear screams at night, how do you go on with your life?” he says

history for the Jourbeing turned away ried to visit his father who d until he was 92, though r certain. His mother came to visit the e. peated statements buying Greenland and

turning Canada into a 51st state. And now there is the notion of owning Palestine. The distinction, Abu-Taleb says, is that with Greenland and Canada “he doesn’t talk about transferring their people. In Palestine he doesn’t want the people. Just the land.” That’s because, he says, “Palestinians don’t look like us. They’re not human. They’re subhuman. They don’t deserve clean water. Or medicine. They’re not deserving of their own land so we can transfer them somewhere else.”

Trump, he says, does not want immigrants in the U.S. “but he wants Palestinian people to migrate from their own homes. It is hard to comprehend.”

He describes Gaza today as a “demolition site. It’s unlivable. You can’t plan for the next hour.”

Abu-Taleb says his experience of coming to the U.S. when he was 19, his education at the University of Chicago, his ability to make a family, to build a business and eventually to be twice elected as Oak Park’s village president, gives him a remarkable and conflicted perspective.

Known for his leadership in public and private development projects, Abu-Taleb says, “Maybe it was working at the village. But I understand the value of infrastructure, of building something.” Watching his homeland reduced to rubble is beyond painful, he says.

Now, with a ceasefire in place, with hostages from Israel and prisoners from Palestine being released, he feels some relief and sees some value in eng aging in open conversations in the community. “It is time to have discussion in Oak Park. I’d welcome an open discussion,” he said.

“People are capable of doing extraordinarily good things. But also of doing extraordinarily bad things. We have to be consistent. Are you a believer in human rights?” Abu-Taleb asks.

TODD BANNOR

Former Village President Anan Abu-Taleb dur ing interview on Feb. 7.

Oak Park allocates $366K for emergency shelter

The new shelter will be located at 112 S. Humphrey

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Oak Park has approved allocating $366,965 to Housing Forward to support operating costs of its new emergency overnight shelter at 112 S. Humphrey Ave., replacing the one at the St. Catherine – St. Lucy Rectory.

Housing Forward had intended to double the number of beds available at the rectory at 38 N. Austin Blvd. from 20 to 40. But upgrading based on safety needs and code compliance proved to be too expensive

The new site, owned by the Oak Park Housing Authority, will also allow for 40 beds. Housing Forward now aims to open the new shelter by mid- to late-April 2025, according to Neighborhood Services Director Jonathan Burch.

The clients at the rectory will move to the new shelter. The additional roughly 20 beds will be open for new clients, but individuals with ties to Oak Park will be prioritized first.

Those ties could be recently losing housing in Oak Park, having a personal connection like a family member in the village within the past 24 months, working in Oak

Park or being found unsheltered here, according to Armando Smith, Housing Forward’s chief program officer.

Although those with ties to Oak Park will be prioritized for the 20 additional beds, if no one meets those criteria, the beds will be open to others in need.

“For right now, [this is] sufficient capacity to cover the existing clients who are unsheltered in Oak Park, provide them shelter and … [put] them on a path to independence,” Trustee Brian Straw said.

The funding ag reement for $366,965 will cover operating costs through the end of 2025, Burch said. Housing Forward also received about $250,000 from Cook County for the shelter for capital needs.

A national increase

National rates of homelessness increased by 18% from 2023 to 2024. In Illinois, there was an 116% increase in homelessness. And suburban Cook County saw a 12.5% increase. Those numbers could grow again. To meet the increasing need, Housing Forward is expanding its emergency shelter

Housing Forward’s street outreach in Oak Park saw an increase of 23%, according to

Becki Stone, Housing Forward’s director of impact, system performance and strategy. And families with minors experiencing homelessness in Oak Park increased by 80% from 2023 to 2024.

Stone pointed out that of the individuals staying in Housing Forward’s overnight shelter from 2020 to 2024, 42% of them have some type of income. And 77% of individuals in the shelter during that span were not chronically homeless, meaning they had not been homeless for 12 months or more.

Of those who leave the shelter, 27% move to another Housing Forward housing option, such as interim housing.

“We need more shelter options for these individuals,” Stone said.

Street outreach encounters have also risen consistently since 2022, Stone said, similar to state and national trends. Almost 40% of individuals engaged in Housing Forward street outreach from 2020 to 2024 did have some type of income. And 78% of these individuals were not chronically homeless.

“This makes me feel hopeful that there are a lot of opportunities here to work with these individuals and get their households into homes as soon as possible,” Stone said. “We also have a team developing alternative

methods to identify housing for different demographics. So, for veterans, for seniors, for adults with disabilities, for families.”

As of Feb. 3, Housing Forward has 18 clients eng aged in Oak Park street outreach. Once the new shelter is open, all of them would presumably have a place to slee p. But more individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness might be identified, too.

“We cannot promise that we will be able to eng age every single individual, but we will do our best to try,” Stone said.

New shelter

Of the $366,965 Oak Park dollars allocated, the majority will go to personnel costs to keep the shelter running. Other costs include utilities, food, rent and hotel stays for immediate support.

Trustee Cory Wesley said he’s willing to lobby the board for more money to support ef for ts like these to tackle homelessness in Oak Park. In future discussions, he said he’d like to understand more about how additional resources can reduce either the waiting times for shelters or moves into interim or supportive housing.

Oak Park rehires HOPE Fair Housing for testing, education

The nonpro t will identify housing provider policies in violation of fair housing laws

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Oak Park has approved an agreement with HOPE Fair Housing Center, a civil rights advocacy organization, to identify any local housing provider policies that violate local, state or federal fair housing laws.

In October 2024, HOPE re ported that an investigation into fair housing practices among some of Oak Park’s biggest housing providers showed discrimination in their rental processes.

Investigators at this time found evidence that six local housing providers were not compliant with laws related to source of income protections. And seven providers could not explain how an arrest or conviction record might affect an application.

Oak Park trustees appeared determined at the time to push housing providers toward full compliance with fair housing laws. This new ag reement could be the next ste p.

For now, the village board has only approved a contract for 2025 at a cost of $50,000. Continuing work in 2026 and 2027, for an additional cost, would be subject to board approval.

HOPE’s scope of work is to discover if any screening policies used by housing providers are preventing access to Oak Park, a village that “commits itself to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

The organization will first review at least 30 housing providers’ rental application policies, looking into criteria such as income requirements, citizenship require-

ments, language barriers, fees for service animals, conviction or arrest record screening, and more

This screening will help HOPE and the villa ge understand which policies need to be further investigated and what topics subsequent trainings should cover. HOPE will conduct tests during the project, seeing how Oak Park housing providers are interacting with a prospective customer This will provide info rmation on how policies are being implemented and what other bar riers might exist for prospective tenants

T he organization will offer recommendations for le gal action, if necessary, to address discriminatory practices. HOPE will also host a three-part educational series with three 90-minute courses

related to industry practices, examples of discrimination and relevant laws.

There is “no one-size fits all solution” to fair housing violations, HOPE explained in its proposal. Possible changes needed in the village might include policy changes, behavioral changes, advocacy, education and legal challenges.

“Our hope is to continue to support both tenants and housing providers in following fair housing laws and re gulations locally,” said Jonathan Burch, Oak Park’s neighborhood services director.

HOPE is expected to re port its findings from testing to the village, along with recommendations to address issues, in June and December 2025. The re port will not, however, include the names of housing providers tested.

Telling a specialized Oak Park stor y in 360 seconds or less

Feb. 18 event focuses on movement of people, cars and public transit

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

What can you learn in 360 seconds? Find

which begins at 6:30 p.m., limits story tellers to 360 seconds to share their knowledge about a topic related to local architecture, history or preservation.

Seven speakers are lined up to make preve,” encompassing all things having to do with the movement of

people, cars or public transit.

Preservation Oak Park’s Christopher Payne says he’s looking forward to the evening after the success of the inaugural event last Nov. 13.

“Almost 90 people showed up last time. This time, One Lake is giving us the run. of the whole restaurant. They have a really good sound system, and there will be TVs offering views of the speakers throughout the restaurant. More people can attend this time.”

Here are the seven scheduled speakers and topics:

■ Alek Madry is an Oak Park native and history student who interned with the CTA. His talk will cover CTA planning for the West Side and how se greg ation impacted CTA development.

■ OPRF History Museum Executive Director Frank L ipo will speak on moving buildings. L ipo, whose c olle ge thesi s focused on the physical transportation of buildings, will talk about local structures that have b een move d from thei r o riginal lots

ESPAÑA ESPECTACULAR

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHAPEL – RIVER FOREST

CHUECA

El Bateo (Preludio)

STAMITZ

Viola Concerto in D Major, Op. 1, mov’t 1

Neena Agrawal, soloist 2025 Concerto Competition Winner

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV

Capriccio Espagnol

FALLA

The Three-Cornered Hat, Suites 1 & 2

Pre-concert Conversation with David Leehey at 3PM. Free reception following the concert.

Free parking in the garage located at 1124 N. Bonnie Brae Place (one block west of Harlem Avenue between Division and Thomas Streets) in River Forest. Chapel just west of garage exit.

Tickets are $30 online through 2/15/2025; $35 on concert day. Students through college attend for free.

To purchase tickets and for more information, visit SymphonyOPRF.org

Questions: Email TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail or call/text (708) 218-2648.

■ Kenneth Sinko will speak about the architecture of Oak Park’s Motor Row on Madison Street.

■ Anna Maria Manuel will cover the history of Philander Barclay who photographed Oak Park from 1902 to 1940 while riding his bicycle around town.

■ Lively Athletics’ Anne Pe zzala will discuss her store’s “Govember” event which challenges local runners and walkers to visit every block in the village during the month of November.

■ Architect Michael Ro gers, who worked for 32 years as an architect for McDonalds and also is a past trustee of the Village of Maywood, will discuss Maywood’s Underground Railroad memorial.

■ Anne Sullivan, John H. Bryan endowed chair of Historic Preservation at the School of the Art Institute Chicago, will talk about Mid-Century Modern stations on the Green Line, including the Austin stop in Oak Park

Payne said he’s thrilled with how people have embraced the storytelling events and says, “There’s an energy behind this. A lot of people are excited.”

The plan is to hold the events on a quarterly basis, and the summer event’s theme of art will be another reason to come out and listen to some stories.

“On the Move” takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at One Lake Brewing, which is located at 1 Lake St. in Oak Park. Doors will open at 6:30 and speakers will begin at 7:30. For more information or to re gister: h ttps://www .signupgenius.com/ g o/8050F45ABA92FA7FA7-54667400oakpark

STORY, 360 SECONDS: Stor ytelling event

narrative on local topics to 360 seconds or less.

Ignacio del Rey guest conductor

Neena Agrawal soloist

Person breaks into OP residence, steals $6K in items

Between 9 a.m. Jan. 23 and 9:30 a.m. Feb. 3, someone broke into an Oak Park residence on the 1400 block of North Harlem Avenue. T he person ransacked several rooms and stole credit and debit cards, along with a locked safe containing papers, jewelry and money. T he estimated loss is $6,000.

Attempted murder

A 28-year-old Oak Park man alle gedly stabbed a person in River Forest around 1:53 p.m. Feb. 4 at an apar tment building at 7200 Oak Ave.

River Forest police responded to the incident, where an argument between neighbors and guests had turned violent, according to a River Forest Police Department news release.

During the argument, a person was stabbed and later transported to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in “critical condition,” according to the police.

At 5:10 p. m. Fe b. 4, the victim’s c ondition was c onsidered “stable. ” T he C ook C ounty State’s A ttorney Felony Review Unit has approved one c ount of attempted murder and one c ount of ag gr avated battery against the pe rp etrator, a ccording to police

Police stated there is no ongoing threat to the public and their safety.

Criminal damage to property

Between 10 p.m. Feb. 5 and around 8 a.m. Feb. 6, someone shattered the window to a business on the 200 block of South Boulevard with a brick. The estimated damage is $1,000.

Catalytic converter theft

■ Between the evening of Feb. 5 and morning of Feb. 6, someone stole the catalytic converter from a Chicago resident’s

Police later located the Oak Park man in his vehicle on the 7300 block of Ogden Avenue. Witnesses identified him as the man involved in the stabbing and he was placed under arrest.

Mitsubishi Outlander on the 0–100 block of Erie Street. The estimated loss is $1,000.

■ Between the evening of morning of Feb. 6, someone stole the catalytic converter from a Gray 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe on the 0–100 block of Erie Street. The estimated loss is $1,000.

Arrests

■ A 29-year-old Chicago rested at 7:11 a.m. Feb. 6 on the 500 block of South Maple Avenue for County warrant for domestic battery.

■ A 38-year-old Maywood woman was arrested at 6:53 a.m. Feb. 7 on the 1100 block of Lake Street for battery to a St. Charles resident.

■ A 21-year-old Chicago woman was arrested at 1:52 p.m. Feb. 8 on the 500 block of North Humphrey Avenue for domestic battery to a Chicago resident.

These items were obtained from Oak Park Police Department re ports dated Feb. 3 – 10 and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in

Our beautiful 6-story building provides quality, a ordable, independent housing for seniors. e Oaks o ers studio and one-bedroom apartments, with kitchens and private bathrooms. Amenities include an award winning interior landscaped atrium, central meeting room, library, laundry facilities, computer learning center, internet access, electronic key entry system, and parking.

On-site management includes 24/7 emergency maintenance service and a senior services coordinator who is available during business hours to assist residents in accessing service

these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Luzane Draughon

agencies and programs designed speci cally for seniors. e Oaks is owned and operated by the Oak Park Residence Corporation and is funded by the US Department of Housing and Ur-ban Development through the 202/ Section 8 Program. Monthly rent is based on the resident’s income, with individuals paying approximately 30% of their monthly income toward rent.

For more information, please visit us at www.oakparkrc.com or contact us at 708-386-5862.

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In split vote, River Forest signs contract

Real estate broker hired to market Madison St. proper ty

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

On a split vote, River Forest’s village board approved a real estate broker services contract with Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) to market the village-owned property at 7600 Madison St. The Feb. 10 vote capped a two-week-long roller coaster ride.

Officials were expected to vote Jan. 27 on the contract but the vote was tabled after an ethics complaint was filed that day by resident Margie Cekander. Although village officials have not released details of the complaint, citing a confidentiality clause in the ethics ordinance, the complaint is apparently related to the participation in Economic Development Commis-

sion (EDC) discussions by Walt Wahlfeldt, who works for JLL and was an EDC member at the time. He has since resigned from the commission.

The village’s Ethics Commission was expected to address the complaint at a hearing Jan. 31 but its members determined they did not have jurisdiction over the matter. Commission Chair Pe gg y Daley announced after an executive session at that hearing that she and fellow commissioners Greg Ignof fo and Rebecca DeGrof f determined that, although they have jurisdiction over other ethics complaints, they do not have jurisdiction over those pertaining to a conflict of interest, which apparently is at the hear t of Cekander’s complaint.

They voted unanimously to ask the village board to amend the village’s ethics ordinance to allow them jurisdiction and to keep the proposed contract with JLS on hold pending a resolution of the complaint. In making her announcement, Daley said the commis-

See CONTRACT on pa ge 16

Oak Park will not assist enforcement of civil federal immigration laws

Chicago and surrounding areas have been bracing for immigration raids

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Despite federal immigration authorities making ar rests in Chicago following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Oak Park will not assist in enforcement of civil federal immigration laws, according to a village statement Feb. 4.

The Trump administration has arrested more than 8,000 immigrants nationwide since the inauguration, promising to deport them, according to NBC News. Trump

UNIT Y

Loving solidarity

from page 1

Oak Park has and will continue to work to be inclusive of all people, according to a village news release. The work can be imperfect, but the community is “unyielding” in its values, officials said.

Leaders from the Village of Oak Park, District 200, District 97, Oak Park Public Library, Park District of Oak Park, Housing Forward, Downtown Oak Park Business District, Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce, Community of Cong re gations and many more were in a ttendance. T he gathering comes just after Oak Park officials stated they will not assist in enforcement of federal immigration laws in civil cases. President Donald Trump ’s administration has ar rested more than 8,000 immigrants since his inauguration, with promises to de port them.

Rev. Emily Gage of Unity Temple kicked of f the gathering by emphasizing that this community puts love at the center and celebrates diversity and inclusion. We’re all in this to g ether, she said.

Scaman, sur rounded by colleagues, then gave a speech describing Oak Park’s commitment to uphold values related to

has ordered to turn facilities at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base into an immigration detention center and removed a poli cy preventing agents from targeting schools, hospitals and churches.

But village of ficials have stated that they will not use village resources, including staf f, to assist. That includes, according to a news release, “not inquiring about, recording, or disclosing an individual’s immigration status unless required by law.”

“Every resident, re gardless of immigration status, is entitled to access Village services without fear of deportation or other immigration-related consequences,” local officials stated.

In the fall of 2023, Oak Park started providing support to many asylum seekers. For months, many of those families and

individuals stayed in village-sponsored shelters. By April 2024, approximately 201 migrants had been resettled into stable housing situations.

The release also states that village employees have been reminded to focus on delivering services and support to the public, not inquiring about immigrations status.

“The Village will continue to uphold the principle of confidentiality for residents and ensure that any personal information shared with the Village is not disclosed to federal immigration enforcement agencies, except in cases where disclosure is mandated by law,” village of ficials said.

Oak Park has said it is committed to maintaining a welcoming environment.

The village is proud of its values of “diversity, equity, inclusion, safety, and respect

Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman is joined by other elected leaders as she gives a statement on st reng th and diversity at Unity Temple on Feb. 10.

diversity, equity and inclusion. These values are under attack, she said, as the Trump administration takes power.

Trump issued an executive order Jan. 20 terminating “illegal DEI and ‘diversity,

equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Gover nment, under whatever name they appear,” according to NPR.

for all people.” And promoting racial equity and social justice is a priority here, officials said.

The Illinois TRUST Act, adopted in 2017, limits how law enforcement interacts with federal immigration enforcement agencies. It prohibits law enforcement from making arrests or detaining individuals based on immigration status.

And on a local level, the Oak Park board of trustees designated the village as a “welcoming” one by ordinance in 2017. This ordinance codified the practice of the Oak Park Police Department and other village employees of not collecting immigration status of village residents and visitors.

“The ordinance makes it clear that immigration is a federal issue and does not involve the Village,” officials said.

But Oak Park will stand in “loving solidarity,” Scaman said, with the LGBTQ+ community and the right to love who you love and be who you are. And individuals from all backgrounds deserve to feel respected, to have dignity and to feel as though they belong here, she said.

Scaman said the village will always be a welcoming and safe place for those seeking refuge

In the spirit of those values, Oak Park took in migrants in the fall of 2023 many of whom spent several months in village-sponsored shelters. By April 2024, the village had come together to house 201 migrants

Scaman also said education of young people in Oak Park will reflect its progressive values. While differences can sometimes lead to division, she said that in Oak Park, understanding and acce ptance are the priority. And science will continue to be “the guiding light of policy making” here, she said. The village will also continue to amplify the voices of marginalized communities and challenge barriers, Scaman said. DEI is foundational to how Oak Park aspires to live, she said.

Every person must embrace moral clarity to recognize the difference between doing what one is told versus doing what is right, she said.

Oak Park’s leaders will mobilize quickly to protect the community, Scaman said.

TODD BANNOR

CONTRAC T

sion previously had jurisdiction over conflict of interest complaints before the ethics ordinance was amended in 2022.

On Feb. 10, however, the village board voted 4-2 to approve the contract with JLL, effectively resolving that complaint and a similar complaint raised by Cekander in an email message sent to officials that afternoon. The vote followed a discussion lasting more than an hour that was more about the complaints than the contract.

After the meeting Cekander expressed her displeasure over the outcome and accused officials of “whitewashing.”

Trustees Erika Bachner and Katie Brennan voted against the contract, with both citing concerns over the process. Trustees Lisa Gillis, Ken Johnson, Bob O’Connell and Respicio Vazquez voted in favor.

Village President Cathy Adduci disputed Daley’s recollection of changes made to the ethics ordinance in 2022.

“Conflict of interest complaints were always under the village board,” she said,

noting that other communities follow similar procedures. “I’m not sure the village board wants to release conflict of interest authority.”

O’Connell and Vazquez supported Adduci’s statement.

“It was a misunderstanding,” Vazquez said. “People are saying we changed it, but we didn’t.”

Bachner and Brennan both asked why the complaint was referred to the ethics commissioners if other officials knew they did not have the authority to act.

Bachner and Brennan both advocated honoring the request from the ethics commissioners to keep the contract on hold.

Brennan suggested “taking a breath,” adding, “Why not wait to do it right?”

Bachner suggested that JLL officials be asked to verify in writing that Wahlfeldt did not receive any benefit such as a finder’s fee, which others agreed to consider.

“We want to do what’s right,” Adduci said, adding she was concerned about the ne gative effect on members of the village’s many commissions and committees.

“These people are all volunteers and we don’t want them to be dragged thr ough the mud,” she said.

In a Jan. 27 memo to officials, Matt Walsh, village administrator, explained

that the village had “passively marketed” the village-owned properties on Madison for sale “for several years.”

Among methods for attracting interest in the properties discussed by the economic development commission was using a dedicated real estate broker, he said. That led to publication of a request for proposals (RFP) for broker services in spring 2024. The proposal from JLL was among five proposals received

JLL was identified as the preferred choice by a review team of EDC commissioners Tim Brangle and Cuyler Brown, chairman, along with Walsh and Jessica Spencer, assistant village administrator. Prior to drafting the RFP, staff members were reminded that Wahlfeldt worked for JLL.

“To address any potential concerns regarding the appearance of a conflict of interest, staff and the chairman discussed the matter with Wahlfeldt, focusing on his role within the company and its relevance to the RFP,” Walsh said in the memo. “Commissioner Wahlfeldt clarified that he works in a department unrelated to the one that would review, respond to or perform the tasks outlined in the RFP but, out of an abundance of concern, he would recuse himself and not participate in the selection process.”

When JLL was introduced as the se-

lected prefer red firm at the January EDC meeting, Wahlfeldt abstained from voting and publicly disclosed his role with JLL. At that meeting, commissioners requested that a legal opinion be provided to the village board. Subsequently, Malina provided that opinion, stating he believes there are no concerns re garding conflict of interest. The vote to recommend JLL was approved by a 4-0 with Wahlfeldt abstaining

“The initial conflict of interest was acknowledged and dealt with,” Malina said Feb. 10. “There was no true financial interest and Wahlfeldt had no participation in the reviews.”

Under the contract, the village will pay JLL a base fee of $100,000 or 5.5% of the gross purchase price, whichever is greater. Walsh explained that the fee option was included in the event that a sales price is below market value in order to attract the right development. The contract allows JLL 270 days to market the properties at 7612-7620 Madison, for mer site of the Lutheran Child and Family Services (LCFS) Building, and for mer private homes at 10 Lathrop Ave. and 11Ashland Ave. The three buildings sat empty from the time they were purchased by the village — the LCFS building in 2017, 10 Lathrop in 2018 and 11 Ashland in 2019 — until they were demolished in 2023.

Homes

Oak Park gets rst single-family home incorporating new electri cation rules

All-electric new construction part of building code; fossil fuels banned

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

A year after a new law took effect, Oak Park now has its first single-family home built that incorporates new electrification rules including the ban of all fossil fuels.

Priced at $1,199,000, the home at 534 S. Harvey features an array of features that make it an all-electric home and allow the owner to have no connection to Nicor for natural gas.

Realtor Michelle Galindo of Oak Park’s Baird and Warner, who is listing the home said, “It’s really cool that Oak Park is the first city in the Midwest to put this code into place.”

In June 2023, the Oak Park Village Board approved an electrification ordinance, following the recommendations of the Environment and Energy Commission and the Building Code Advisory Commission. The ordinance made all-electric new construction part of the building code

As called for in the ordinance, all of the appliances and the HVAC system are electric. Amenities such as a sprinkler system, heat pump system and electric vehicle connection in the garage are also part of the new requirements.

The ordinance was part of Climate Ready Oak Park, a comprehensive and long-range plan meant to address the global climate crisis, which was adopted by the Village in August 2022. The ordinance was one of many steps identified to help Oak Park achieve the goal of having net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. With the ordinance, Oak Park became the first town in the Midwest to ban fossil fuels in new residential and commercial buildings. The ordinance took effect in January 2024.

On the second floor, there are four bedrooms and three bathrooms, including a primary suite. The lower level has eight-foot ceilings, a bedroom and bathroom. and a separate entrance, making it an ideal space for work-from-home, an au pair or visiting in-laws.

She also points out that location is another big factor in pricing and states, “Oak Park is known for its diverse neighborhoods, historic architecture, and proximity to Chicago. Factors such as school districts, access to public transportation, parks, and local amenities can significantly impact home values.”

Galindo says that the contractor on the home, Oak Parkbased Fidelity Property Construction, has worked extensively in the village and created a home that fits into the neighborhood while offering the floor plan that today’s buyers want. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom home features many of the advantages of new construction. The first floor has an open floor plan with a designer kitchen and an all-important mudroom.

Galindo thinks that beyond the livability of the home, buyers who are environmentally-conscious will find the green amenities appealing. “It’s going to hit the right person,” she said. When it came time to set the price for the new construction home, she said that several factors played into her analysis.

“When pricing a home, there are several key components to consider. Doing Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) which involves evaluating recently sold homes in the area that are similar in size, style, and features -- e.g., number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and lot size. Analyzing the sale prices of these comparable properties helps establish a competitive price range anytime.”

Finally, she says that she always considers the condition and upgrades when pricing a property for sale and notes that condition is a crucial part of the equation. She says of 534 S. Harvey, “This home is completely new with modern kitchen, bathrooms, and energy-efficient systems which all enhances a home’s value.”

She notes that with Climate Ready Oak Park, the village is g earing towards green improvements in many ways and says, “Oak Park is always a step ahead of surrounding areas.”

Wi th easy access to the Pa rk District’s CRC, and soli d c onstruction from a c ontractor who knows Oak Pa rk she thinks bu ye rs will be g etting a great neighborhood and a great house that also happens to be g ood for the environment.

ALL ELEC TRIC: e new home at 534 S. Harvey Ave. has an open oor plan and is entirely electric.

Shrubtown

VIEWPOINTS

e ght isn’t ove

We are re printing the following commentar y, which appea ber issue of Trape ze, OPRF High School’s student newspaper:

Donald J. Trump, the Re publican candidate for president, w 2024 U.S. Presidential election. This left many people in the OPRF community, including myself, concerned. The Cook County Cler Office reported that 90.31 percent of voters in Oak Park Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president. These results leave many Oak Park residents asking the simple question, wh But the greater question should be, what difference can I make no

The far-right policies, rhetoric, beha threats of political violence from Trump and other extremists have created tension in the country not yet seen in our lifetime. When enough tension is created, it leads to violence. One clear example of this is the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, in according to the U.S. Attor ney’s Office 1,256 people were charged for the attack, 452 of those charge with assaulting an officer on duty. A rise in political violence and extreme agendas has been a global theme around the world. In my opinion, this ris has been fueled by social media and for-profit news sources.

OPRF history teacher Bill Young said, “Extremist parties are linked a lot more easily by social media. If you were part of a political persuasion not in the mainstream and you wanted to connect with others, you had to ph cally be with them. Social media created more channels to connect people and heightened propaganda.” This very much applies to our cu ent politica landscape. Committeewoman Eileen Lynch of the Democratic Party of Oak Park said, “It’s hard to run against candidates who promote disinformation.”

to heart.

So how do we combat this? The apparent loss of hope can be attributed to many factors, but one could be the sense of hope felt by Democrats during the Harris campaign. Harris raised approximately $1 billion, meaning it was one of the most financially supported campaigns in recent times. The support and movement behind the Harris campaign was clear. This, with the combination of the loss to Trump, created a sense of hopelessness and loss among many Democrats.

It’s important not to get stuck in feeling hopeless. The fight is not over. It is not hopeless. The fight is over when we believe it is over Lynch said, “Our vision of a fair and just future doesn’t change. The work goes on.” Now more than ever we need to get involved and make differences on the issues we care about, including at a local level.

There are still many ways to get involved and make a difference. High schoolers can get involved in nonprofits in Oak Park, like the local Beyond Hunger food pantry or other organizations that help people in our community. You can get involved at OPRF, like joining Huskie Helpers or a service club. Or you can even get involved in local politics. There are many elections taking place on a smaller scale in the next four years, which could allow you to volunteer for a candidate you support

Staying educated and infor med is key to what comes next for our country. This means having a variety of news sources with differing biases, so that you can develop your own opinion, instead of what someone else thinks your opinion should be. These are some of many ways you can use as a tool to fight for the causes that we care so desperately about.

The fight is not over until we say it’s over.

When Eisenhower Expressway shootings soared in recent years, many expressed understandable outrage. Kelly Arquette, a Giles Mom, called to make sure I was appropriately alarmed. A south Oak Park neighbors group asked for a sit-down. Town Hall attendees demanded action.

They made their voices heard.

I went back to Springfield and rallied support for more resources for law enforcement. We invested in personnel, license-plate readers, air operations, K9 units and other investigations to drive down shootings and make our roads safer

And what started as a push from local residents is producing results.

Illinois State Police recently re ported that shootings on our interstates have dropped for the third straight year — down 71 percent from 2021. In that year, there were 310 shootings and 133 injuries. That fell last year to 89 shootings and 17 injuries.

It’s not the only progress we’ve made through perseverance.

One of the first things I sponsored as a state lawmaker was a proposal requiring state

has plummeted 97 percent. Licensed un dealers claimed 291 guns were stolen in 2020. Last year they claimed 8. Any shooting is one too many. Any firearm stolen is one too many on our streets

But there’s no denying the progress in preventing crimes from happening and preventing people from being victimized.

I recognize that there’s no one law or vote that’s going to solve all of our problems. But by focusing on common-sense le gislation and investments, we are getting real, measurable improvements

Thank you to everyone in the community who took the time to get involved, to speak up and urge me forward. (Great thanks to my constituent and friend, Bertha Purnell, who recently passed. Bertha lost a child to gun violence, then tur ned her pain and committed her voice to tenacious advocacy for all victims and survivors.)

Please stay involved and welcome others to help us improve our communities We are truly in this together

Don Harmon represents Oak Park and the neighboring areas in the Illinois Senate and serves as Illinois Senate President.

DON

HARMON

One View

JONAH CLARK

One View

Making Oak Park’s values clear

In a moment when the progressive values which through hard work and sincere ef fort have come to define public life in Oak Pa rk are being aggressively taken down in Washington and elsewhere, it was gratifying Monday afternoon to see an array of local officials and institutions stand together and definitively declare that this village will never turn away from these values

It was in the sanctuary of Unity Temple where Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman stated that diversity is Oak Park’s greatest strength, that providing welcome to all defined this village and that whether the challenge was equity in education, inclusion of all without regard to immigration status or who a person loves, that Oak Park would be true to these values

OUR VIEWS KEN TRAINOR

A sidewalk square valentine

This is one of 92 valentines to the villa ge from my book, “Our Town Oak Park – Walk with Me in Search of True Community.”

Having walked many, many miles around Oak Park the past 34 years, I’ve become a connoisseur of sidewalks. Oak Park is a pedestrian-friendly town. On almost every street, there are two sets of sidewalks, divided into squares — thousands of squares, each a potential canvas.

Maybe not forever, but as close as we come — until the square is replaced or erosion renders the letters illegible. Curiosity is also enduring: Does this mysterious romantic, in fact, still love Nan? Does Nan still love him? Are they still living … and loving?

It was impressive to watch as leaders from the public schools, the library and parks, township government, local business associations, and many of the village’s care giving nonprofits gathered in solidarity with this message.

The message is clear. This is what Oak Park believes. We take action to make those beliefs our policies. And we will not be intimidated. Standing up. Speaking plainly. It is brave and essential in this moment when so much of what America has painstakingly and imperfectly buil t around civil rights, around human rights is stunningly in imminent peril. This village on Monday made clear what its values are and what they will look like as they are lived.

Making those values real

Beyond the wide affirmation of Oak Park values at Monday’s Unity Temple gathering, Oak Park’s village government took two street level steps recently that make real its intentions to welcome and protect people

The village issued a statement that in civil cases, as opposed to criminal cases, that it will not assist federal officials in enforcing immigration arrests by ICE as might be ordered by the Trump administration.

“Every resident, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to access village services without fear of deportation or other immigration-related consequences,” the village wrote in a Feb. 4 statement.

And last seek the village board approved spending $367,000 to fund an expanded emergency overnight shelter for those without housing. The action will double the number of available beds as it shifts this Housing Forward run program from the old rectory at St. Catherine-St. Lucy on Austin Boulevard to a larger space in an Oak Park Housing Authority space at Humphrey and South Boulevard

Housing Forward also received funds from Cook County to support this shelter

While we are supportive of these ef for ts we also acknowledge that many local initiatives around support for migrants and the unhoused have over the past two years been funded by the village government with monies received from an array of federal and state coffers. As the Trump administration potentially achieves its goal of turning of f the spigot for social justice funding, Oak Pa rk’s ability to pass through these funds will diminish.

I’ve studied sidewalks for three decades now. As an object of contemplation, they are more rewarding than you might think. What initially seems blandly uniform is anything but. Concrete has evolved — from coarse, dark and highly textured to fine-grained, white and smooth. Sand and gravel mixed with cement was the formula once upon an earlier time. Some squares actually contain seashells, the sand in the mix coming from some forgotten beach on some forgotten shore.

Concrete, when it’s wet, is irresistible to passersby, judging by the imprints left behind, from shoe to paw to squirrel tracks to leaf fossils. Oak Park sidewalks offer a smorgasbord of textural and textual diversity. If you pocket your magic rectangle and consider the sidewalk beneath your feet, you’ll find beauty as well as mystery. Mystery? Yes, because there is a bounty of sidewalk script if you care to decipher it. The initials of immortality seekers are legion, some paired by plus signs, proclaiming romantic coupledom. Tucked under the overpass near the corner of Oak Park Avenue and North Boulevard, Greg and Flo Wood left their marker. Along Erie near Kenilworth Avenue, “Ginkgo Tree B&B” testifies to the for mer use of the grand Victorian on that corner and the giant ginkgo tree in the backyard. Makes a wanderer wonder about the backstories. My favorite mystery, though, is the inscription located 14 squares west of Oak Park Avenue on Erie, north side of the street, which reads, “I still love Nan.”

“Still”? The word leaps out.

Who is/was Nan? And who scratched this in the wet cement, helpfully dated August of 1977, almost a half-century ago? Someone saw a fresh square of cement and an opportunity. Something so private, yet so public. Was Nan present when he did it (presuming “he”)? Was the author thinking about the past or the future? Maybe he looked at his par tner and said, “When someone spots this, 50 years from now, I will still love you.” Has this sidewalk square outlived the prophecy? Whatever the outcome, the scribbler felt strongly enough in 1977 to set his love in stone.

Was she already dead when this was inscribed — perhaps tragically and too young — and the writer could no longer contain his longing? Did the inscription continue to console or haunt him every time he passed this way, or did his feelings fade over time? As the years went by, did he shake his head or smile when he saw it, amazed by love’s youthful intensity? Did he eventually stop looking as he passed? Did he occasionally leave a single blossom on the grass nearby, honoring her memory or the memory of their love?

Or did he move away and never see those words again? Did he, God forbid, forget he ever wrote them?

Did she move away, then return much later in life, and come across the message, perhaps never having known it was there, at a loss over how to find her long-lost love?

Or maybe the story is less romantic. Perhaps they broke up years before, but he never quite got over it and in 1977, he left this message behind, froz en in time.

Four words that seem to say so much.

Ernest Hemingway, famously known as a writer of few words, took on someone’s challenge to write an entire novel in just six words. Here’s what he came up with:

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

It breaks your heart if you think about it long enough, as the novel writes itself in your mind — or tries to. Hemingway described his literary ef for ts as the tip of an iceberg, 7/8ths of which lies beneath the surface, unspoken.

“I still love Nan” is a four-word novel etched in concrete. I suspect it was written by a young man, but a friend believes it was an old man at the end of a long, loving life together. Only death could part them. He had a hard time getting down on his knees to inscribe the words, but he had to

He just had to …

Because the only thing greater than the intensity of youthful love is the depth of long-lived love

Forty-eight years have passed. For many years, I walked past this square on my re gular route without noticing it. Now I often stop to pay respects.

Who says sidewalks aren’t romantic?

Happy Valentines Day.

Vicki Scaman has earned a second term

Istrongly urge the people of Oak Park to support and vote for Vicki Scaman as she seeks her second term as Oak Park village president. The village is indeed fortunate to have someone like Vicki who brings exceptional integrity to the table, and combines it with the vision and understanding necessary to set the right course, and the drive and determination to then get us across the finish. She understands that our democratic system can only work if we adhere to the rule of law, and anyone who knows Vicki, knows that she lives by that belief each and every day. We need people who can bring these important character traits to gover nment service possibly more now than we ever have

RAY HEISE

One View

Vicki is motivated to her core by her love for the village of Oak Park and her desire to improve the quality of life for the village and its citizens. I think you would be hard pressed to find Oak Parkers, who have not found Vicki’s door open to them over these last four years. She is a people person. Whatever problem or issue a citizen may seek her assistance on, you can trust her to put in the time and effort to understand it, and if it is at all possible, find a solution that will best serve the individual citizen and the community at large

Oftentimes, there is no clean solution to a problem, and it becomes necessary to choose the solution that provides the best available outcome with the fewest negative consequences. Solutions to these kinds of problems are neither easy nor obvious. They require the kind of good judgment that can only come from putting in the necessary time and effort. She can also articulate and advocate these proposed solutions and come to the table prepared to reach a workable board consensus on the solution. She knows when to compromise and when to stick to her guns

I first came to know Vicki when she served as a member of the Village Liquor Control Review Board, and then as its chairperson. I served as the Oak Park village attorney. During her service on that board, I witnessed firsthand her exceptional integrity, commitment and drive to get the job done

Since that time, I have watched her hone her leadership skills first as the Oak Park village clerk, and then as president of the Oak Park Village Board. The skills and experience she has acquired serving full four-year ter ms in each of these demanding roles is extraordinary. If there is anyone better able to serve Oak Park as village president than Vicki Scaman in her first ter m, it will be Vicki Scaman as Oak Pa rk village president from April of 2025 through April of 2029! I urge you to re-elect her to a second ter m.

Ray Heise served as Oak Park villa ge attorney from 1984 to 2011.

Dear Park District of Oak Park, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the construction of the new Field Center on Berkshire Avenue. I request that you pause the project until a thorough and transparent traffic study is completed. Building a large structure in an already congested elementary school area will worsen traffic, increase accidents, and heighten the risk of injury and death for pedestrians and drivers.

My husband was tragically struck by a car last year on Berkshire Avenue, just one block from the proposed site. As a pedestrian, he suffered life-threatening brain injuries, endured months of hospitalization, and lived without half of his skull for a significant period. If he had been a child, he would not have sur-

Tra c study needed at Field Center e rst two weeks of

vived. His experience is a devastating reminder that pedestrian safety in this area is already a serious and urgent issue.

T he safety of children must be the top priority. While the park district identifies cut-through traf fic at Harlem and North as a concern, the most serious danger lies in school pick-up and drop-off, as well as before- and after-school activities. With large numbers of children being dropped of f, speeding drivers frequently ignore stop signs and pedestrian crossings, putting young pedestrians at significant risk. The heavy traffic congestion durin g mor ning and afternoon hours further exacerbates this danger, as parents, adults, and teenagers navig ate Berkshire Avenue on their way to

Trump

Reading page A14, 2/5/25, New York Times, in the first 2 weeks: ‘Blunt force’ in trying to overthrow existing order,” “EPA set to demote career employees and replace them with Trump loyalists.” On page A15 “Trump order could cost universities millions but few protest openly,” “As big retailers close down on DEI, where are Black brands supposed to go?” This is a brief overview of the news, not opinion in the New York Times on Feb. 5.

While some may believe government is bloated, it does not mean that gover nment should be destroyed; rather it should be trimmed. Blunt force very much marks the massive changes enacted by the Trump-Musk regime which intends to eliminate foreign humanitarian aid and the Department of Education.

Many universities are in a very difficult predicament, especially those that serve the poor, the students with poor elementary and secondary education perfor mance and test-taking skills, minorities, first in family to attend higher education, and other students that the Ivys and other elite schools ignore. These are the very schools that need financial federal support. The scientists of the EPA are being let go to make room for political appointees. What do women-oriented, African American-oriented, Latino-oriented, gay-oriented and Native American-oriented businesses and manufacturers and publishers do when their markets are removed by restrictions on anything DEI placed on stores, businesses and mail/internetoriented markets?

These are but a few changes that will change America, not for the better

Frank Vozak, Oak Park

work or school. Ensuring the safety of children in this environment is paramount.

Furthermore, Mann School is one of the only elementary schools in the district that does not provide bus services because all students live within walking distance. This means that young children, some as young as 5 or 6, are required to walk to and from school daily. Without proper safety measures and a thorough evaluation of traf fic patterns, how can the park district ensure their safety? Pedestrians, especially children, are already vulnerable, and adding more traf fic without proper planning could lead to fur ther tragedie s.

Remembering George Manning

George Manning was a true gentleman, as well as a moder n-day Renaissance man. I was fortunate to be a neighbor of his for the first 12 years that he and his mother lived in the beautiful Austin Queen Anne he so exquisitely restored. In fact, before he bought it, my husband at the time and I briefly considered buying it. We wisely realized that it would take more financial and physical resources than we were able to put into it. This house deserved the Mannings!

George not only restored that mansion, but he and his next-door neighbor, John Montgomery, were the pair who restored dignity to their 3-block stretch of Midway Park. Each Saturday morning, this tall, elderly white man, and short, young African American man would walk together up and down these blocks, toting garbage bags, and filling them with the week’s litter. Over time, gradually, their fine example took root and this routine was no longer needed

Every August, George and his mother held a lawn party commemorating the birthday of the elder Mr Manning, his father/her husband. The dress code was to wear white; that made it easy to identify any would-be party-crashers.

George grew beautiful tulips. When my first-born was just a few days old, I walked by his house carrying her, and George stopped us, congratulating me, peering at Dot, and presenting us with a freshly-picked, long-stem, white tulip.

Jane Lambshead Oak Park er who li ved on Race Av enue, 1975-89, around the corner from George Manning

Blair Botti Oak Park

SHRUB TO WN by Marc Stopeck

West Sub’s action is a loss for health care

The closure of the West Suburban Family Medicine Residency Program (WSFMRP) is a devastating loss for our community. Graduates of this established and respected program are clinicians, researchers, teachers, and leaders, not only in Chicagoland, but across the country and internationally. WSFMRP residents and faculty provide critical health-care access on Chicago’s West Side and near west suburbs, especially for those with limited options for care.

The closure comes after working conditions at West Suburban Medical Center deteriorated so severely that the program’s own faculty requested an evaluation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to determine whether resources were adequate to provide quality training for future physicians. The agency deter mined that conditions did not meet the minimum standards for a family medicine training program, which amplified the quality-of-care alarms that WSFMRP family physicians have been sounding for the past two years. Attempts by residents and faculty to attain needed resources from West Suburban Hospital owner and CEO Manoj Prasad were not just ignored, but met with hostile

actions that directly impacted the ACGME’s decision. This includes withholding federal money allocated to the hospital specifically to support the residency program.

The residents’ unionization to elevate patient-care concerns, the deteriorating condition of the physical plant and a lack of medical supplies, and the revoking of obstetrical privile ges for family physicians and midwives have been documented in Wednesday Journal and elsewhere.

I am a proud graduate of the WSFMRP. I chose family medicine because I wanted to provide holistic, high-quality medical care for people at all stages of life. I chose the WSFMRP because it afforded me the oppor tunity to be trained by some of the most intelligent, dedicated, compassionate physicians I have ever met, and to be part of a program that cares for all members of the community, especially the most vulnerable. I am deeply grateful to the doctors, nurses, and patients who formed me; fiercely proud of the WSFMRP residents and faculty who have been speaking up against injustice; and profoundly saddened at this loss for our community and for the future of health care.

Anne Jacobson MD, MPH Oak Park

of Oak Park and River Forest

Viewpoints Guidelines

e goal of the Viewpoints section is to foster and facilitate a community conversation and respectful dialogue. Responsible community voices are vital to community journalism and we welcome them. Space is at a premium and readers’ attention is also limited, so we ask that Viewpoints submissions be brief. Our limit for letters to the editor is 350 words. For One View essays, the limit is 500 words. Shorter is better. If and when we have su cient space, we print longer submissions, but when space is limited — as it o en is — we may ask you to submit a shorter version or hold the piece until space allows us to print it.

We reser ve the right to edit submissions. We do not have time to allow the writer to review changes before publication. We also do not have time to do more than super cial fact-checking, and because of our national epidemic of misinformation and conspiracy theories, when writers include statistical evidence to support their opinions, we require them to include the source of that information, such as credible websites, print publications, titles of articles and dates published, etc. Be as speci c as possible so that we and our readers have some way of assessing the credibility of your claims. Links may also be included for the online version. We follow the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics: seek the truth and report it and minimize harm. As a result, we will do our best not to publish pieces that espouse doubtful or debunked theories, demonstrate harmful bias, or cross the line into incivility. While we will do our best not to engage in censorship, we also do not intend to be used as a platform for misinformation. Your sources for fact-checking are a critical step in keeping the discourse honest, decent and respectful.

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If we receive your submission by 5 p.m. on Sunday, you can expect your opinion to be included in that week’s paper (and online), space permitting.

Pieces can be submitted through our online form at oakpark.com or directly to Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor, ktrainor@wjinc.com. For the latter, we prefer attached Word les or plain tex t included in the email.

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It’s Mylanta in America … again!

A couple of weeks ago, a young man evoked an optimistic attitude about the future. He stated he was involved with Climate Action Network and appears to want to make his and our world a better place. I wished him luck in the context of early 2025, while asserting things having gotten nothing but worse for decades leading up to the imminent inauguration of a president with very disturbing executive and legislative intentions

Here we are, and my ominous assertions have become all too real. Who voted for this? Well, among the 77 million who did, indeed, vote for “this,” I assume includes Mr. Jonathan Panton. Having read his letter [It’s Morning in America Again, Viewpoints, Jan. 29], stating how “blessed” he feels about the election results, and claiming the outcome as a “resounding” victory, and how “eloquently” the president spoke of things to come: Yikes!

We are all entitled to our personal opinions, Mr. Panton. However, we are not entitled to our own facts. Your cherished president is, in fact, a convicted felon. He has, in fact, been found liable for sexual assault and ordered to pay his accuser $5 million. He has, in fact, not at all eloquent-

ly, denigrated Gold Star military families, accused Mexicans of typically being drug pushers and rapists (the supreme irony, huh?), mocked disabled people and so on.

In his first 10 days in office, he has created chaos, signing executive orders that are blatantly illegal, subverting the rule of law, ignoring constitutionally given rights, and blaming DEI policies as being partially responsible for the horrific air disaster between a commercial jet and a military helicopter. Not that any of this is grotesque behavior is surprising. What is also not surprising, but quite incomprehensible, is that people like Mr. Panton are cheering him on. Egad! And he proclaims this cretinous occupant of the Oval Office as a product of Christian intent. Pardon me while I take a swig of Mylanta!

Of course, the blame for our current malaise has a lot to do with those 90 million or so people who did not vote at all. Along with a “lesser of two evils” campaign by the Democrat Party. Thus, we get the government we deserve, and the pathetic adoration of evil from people such as Jonathan. Joseph Harrington Oak Park

Eateries on North Avenue

I was delighted to see another North Avenue restaurant story by Rise Sanders-Weir in a recent edition of Wednesday Journal’s new Vibe section. She did a great job of summarizing all the Oak Pa rk-side food options in the Nor th Avenue District (Austin to Harlem) and two ter rific Chicago (nor th) side choices. Thanks so much for the coverage !

I do wish there was space to cover all of the delicious Chicago-side dining as well. These include Serrelli’s at 6454 W. North, a beloved deli where you can find wonderful Italian beef and sub sandwiches as well as impor ted items. One block west, Taco Bur rito King provides tasty Mexican food at 6518 W. North. On the next block there’s long-established Chin a Delight with a big carryout menu (6618 W. North) and dine-in/carryout sandwiches from Doe Doe’s Eatery (6620 W. North, try their cheeseburgers!)

Oak Park needs a tourist bureau

I just saw the article about Oak Park receiving the honor of being named one of the 50 best places in the world to visit. That’s great. We can be proud of that.

What we cannot be proud of is what’s going to happen when even more tourists arrive in town than we already have. What are they going to be greeted with? An embarrassing dirty Metra station? If they drive, they won’t have to deal with that, but I know when I go to a town for the first time, what do I immediately ask people? Where is the tourist office? That’s where I always go. In Oak Park the answer is, there isn’t one. That is something that needs to be changed

I was very surprised when the Visitors Bureau storefront downtown closed a few years ago. After all, it was manned by volunteers and selling merchandise, so I can’t imagine it was a huge financial burden. Visit Oak Park is doing some wonderful things. They were

a tremendous help to the Oak Park IL Film Festival last year.

Has anyone approached them lately to see if the current management is willing to work with the village on creating a new space? If they aren’t, the village should just go ahead and form a committee and get it done. The village needs to think creatively. At one time that space was in a village parking garage. Could that happen again? What about the Housing Bureau office? Maybe that office could be shared with or become the tourist office. Maybe a bank would be willing to give some space. What about the library? There are other possibilities.

Think creatively. Think of the tax revenue from increased tourism. It’s something that really needs to happen. It would also make me look at a candidate in a more favorable light if they were working on that issue.

Joyce Porter, Oak Park

Support Casual Conversations

The recent article titled, “RF resident seeks review of possible Open Meetings Act violations” [News, Jan. 29] seems more like a misguided vendetta than an attempt at helping the residents of River Forest.

Be sure to sample Oki Sushi and Thai’s extensive menu (6618 W. North) — and BYOB as well. Hacienda Memos has a full bar and a complete Mexican menu (6822 W Nor th). Or enjoy the Mexican and American of ferings at Nick Jr’s Grill (6856 W. North, carryout, dine-in, or sit outside in the summer). You’ ll find memorable Caribbean cuisine at The Perfect Jerk (6954-56 W. North). A longtime district anchor, 6978 Soul Food (6978 W. North), has a full bar and great fried fish and chicken. Finish up your Chicago-side food tour with wings or a sandwich at Charley’s or coffee at Starbucks (7112 W. North). Our North Avenue is one district in two towns. Chicagoans and Oak Parkers enjoy dining on both sides of the street. Wherever you live, be sure to come to the North Avenue District with an appetite!

Judith Alexander Oak Park

As we all know, there are only so many hours in the day to read all the newsletters we receive in our inboxes or check village websites for important updates. Thus, like many governing bodies, it appears our village gover nment, in good faith, is trying to find ways to compete for our attention and time.

Casual Conversations was created to help update River Forest residents on village happenings and to get feedback from our community. Village President Cathy Adduci seems to want to share information in person, connect with residents, create community, listen and get feedback.

Open Meeting laws are designed to ensure transparency and openness in gover nment proceedings, particularly when deliberating and/or voting on village business. Such laws help to create trust. I believe strongly that our elected officials should follow both the spirit and the letter of the law. I will let the Attor ney General’s Office determine if any laws or procedures were broken (I doubt it) by hosting Casual Conversations. Yet in terms of the spirit of the Open Meetings Act, these highly advertised and open to all Casual Conversation gatherings are anything but back-door, secret deal-making sessions that the Open

Meetings Act tries to protect against. In fact, it’s the opposite.

If any of us have extra time on our hands and we are looking for ways to get involved and help our village, we might not want to start with trying to shut down communitybased conversations with our leaders who are looking to connect with residents and listen. If there is constructive feedback about these Casual Conversations, I am confident our leaders would listen to that feedback and adjust. I actually believe we should have more, not less, of these Casual Conversations across our many elected bodies, inclusive of our schools, gover nments, libraries, etc We should all try to attend, invite our friends, learn and get to know each other and our leaders.

I applaud the energy in trying to make sure our elected officials work for the people. Yet this request to review an OMA violation for a very public and advertised community-based event seems misplaced, a tad petty, and targeted. If the result of this inquiry is that such events are shut down in the future, what was accomplished? Less communication, less connectivity, less community and less infor mation sharing will be the result.

FYI: If you want to see our River Forest gover nment in action, the next Casual Conversations event is scheduled for Feb. 22 at Willard Elementary.

Ross Lissuzzo Ri ver Forest resident

Scaman has earned a second term

During early voting from March 17-31 or on April 1, 2025, Oak Parkers will go to their local polling place and cast their votes for candidates across Oak Park taxing bodies. In the upcoming election, I strongly support Vicki Scaman for a second ter m as village president.

I support Vicki because in her first term as president, she demonstrated a collaborative mindset, broad contentarea expertise, forward-thinking vision, and a tireless work ethic that positively impacted the quality and sustainability of community life in Oak Park Furthermore, she embraces a genuine commitment to the governing style of “servant leadership.” Coined by Robert Greenleaf in 1970, servant leadership is a philosophy where the serving leader is focused primarily on the growth and wellbeing of people and the community served. In terms of character traits, Vicki displayed intelligence, fortitude, grace, and poise as she partnered with her colleagues on the six

village boards to address our community’s challenges, such as the pandemic, economic downturns, housing shor tages, and staffing issues.

During our family’s 37 years as Oak Parkers, I was honored to serve eight years as a member and executive officer of the Oak Park District 97 Board of Education and three years as a member and chair of Oak Park’s Intergovernmental Body (IGOV). Those experiences afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with remarkable women and men who, as leaders, honorably and effectively represented our community’s six elected taxing bodies. Vicki shares the finest characteristics of those community leaders.

Finally, as a PhD in Educational Leadership with research concentrations in effective leadership styles and organizational success, I believe that Vicki Scaman is a servant leader who possesses the desirable and essential skills, experience, and personality to lead our community as village president.

James Gates,Oak Park

Once you wink at lawlessness

Re: “Trump pardons anti-abortion activists who blockaded clinic,” Chicago T ribune, Jan. 24, 2025

President Trump is reveling in his newfound power to pardon criminals. Unfor tunately for democracy, he has discovered he can use this power to usur p the power of the other two branches of gover nment. He has pardoned protesters who blockaded a le g al clinic and harassed women attempting to rece ive health care, as well as workers who were simply doing their completely le g al jobs T hus, Trump has weaseled around both the Le gislative Branch, who have declared it ille g al to prevent citizens from receiving health care, and the Judicial Branch, who have enforced the laws that protect Americans from undue harassment for simply living their lives. Re publicans who cheer when Trump

violates the Constitutional separation of powers so their “side” can win, may find that one day King Donald will run roughshod over one of their own laws. By then it will be too late. Perhaps Trump will declare that all groceries must be purchased using his meme cryptocur rency coins. Perhaps he will decree that Tesla is the only le g ally approved automobile. Re publicans who de pend on the banking industry or who re present states that produce cars will be powerless to stop this jugger naut.

Once you wink at lawlessness, the U.S. becomes just another “shit-hole country,” as defined by Donald Trump in 2018 (1), r un by and for criminals (1) https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/ white-house/trump-referred-haiti-africancountries-shithole-nations-n836946

Tom DeCoursey

Frosh curriculum was not a reform

The subtitle in your Feb. 5 article about Nate Mellman and Josh Gertz was loaded ! [ Mellman, Gertz alliance challenges OPRF - The Oak Pa rk ers’ joint campaign for D200 school board looks to roll back reforms , News] suggests that denying hard-working, student-challenging

classes when they are freshmen at OPRF was a refo rm. I do not think it was Educational excellence distinguishes Oak Park We should not lose this standard

Veronica Micklin, Oak Park

More “I’ll be there.”

Less “Where have you been?”

More “I’ll be there.”

As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov

More “I’ll be there.”

As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov

More “I’ll be there.”

Less “Where have you been?”

As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up.

vaccines.gov

As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov

get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up.

vaccines.gov

More “I’ll be there.”

Less “Where have you been?”

vaccines.gov

Monday February 24 10am-11:30am

Family Restaurant in Oak Park to learn about the Oak Park Arms Senior Living Community Monday, February 24 10am-11:30am

Please join us at George’s Family Restaurant in Oak Park to learn about the Oak Park Arms Senior Living Community George’s Family Restaurant 145 S. Oak

Please join us at George’s Family Restaurant in Oak Park to learn about the Oak Park Arms Senior Living Community Monday February 24

VIEWPOINT S

e result must be equality

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

Fredrick Douglass

I have often seen this quote used in the motivation of those working to advance issues of social justice and combating inequality. This past week has shown me it is also a reminder that those who have benefited from positions of privilege and systems of oppression will not give up opportunities to claw back their power and re-inflict suf fering on marginalized communities.

Unfortunately, and yet predictably over the past couple years, we have seen many companies roll back their DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) commitments and structures that they rolled out following the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. Gratefully, we have seen a few corporations continue to stand by their ef forts. I do not base my hope for the advancement of DEI work on companies whose core driving principle of success is measured on a balance sheet of profit and loss. It is too easy for these companies to lay aside initiatives that they cannot directly tie into revenue streams or tax-reducing write-of fs.

I strongly believe in and will continue to work to support the efforts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our public institutions. Our gover nmental agencies need to continue to be cor nerstone institutions of this work. Corporations are at the service of their customers and shareholders, but our public institutions carry a responsibility to all of our citizens

We must continue our work on the local, re gional, and state level now that the current federal administration is immediately working to suppress reco gnition of the full scope of human identity. Our workplaces thrive when our staf f feel safe, valued, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work without fear of judgment, ridicule, or discrimination. When employees feel this sense of belonging and respect, it positively influences their interactions with the public. This, in turn, enhances the quality of service we provide to every member of our community. Whether someone walks into a park, library, or school building, they can expect to be met with openness, understanding, and a genuine commitment to inclusivity.

This work will not be easy and must be approached with serious intentionality. It will take time for this work to truly take root and grow to become part of an organization’s nature. Along the way on this jour ney, many people will become uncomfortable as work is done to address sensitive issues, including ethnicity, race, gender, religion, sexuality, physical and cognitive abilities.

As President Lyndon Johnson said, “It is not enough just to open the gates of opportunity. All our citizens must have the ability to walk through the gates. This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights We seek not just freedom but opportunity. We seek not just legal equity but human ability, not just equality as a right and a theory but equality as a fact and equality as a result.”

Matthew Fruth Oak Park

Kathy Perr y, 75

V. A. nurse and justice advocate

Kathy Perry, 75, a nurse and health care advocate who led the Illinois Nurses Association before under taking philanthropic effort across the Chicagoland area, died on Jan. 17, 2025. She was struck by a pickup truck in crosswalk near her River Fo est home and later died at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, sur

As a nurse, Kathy spent decades treating patients cal Veterans Administration hospitals. She was also an advocate for nurses. After being elected president of the nurses association, she helped recruit and train a new generation of nurses and pushed for laws to address a statewide nursing shortage

Kathy is survived by her sisters Mary (late Kenneth) Perry Bates, Margaret (William Jr.) Perry Bradley, Joan (David) Protess, and Charlotte Perry; her nieces and ne phews, Kenny, Mary Denise (DeShaun), William III, Kathryn (Jason), Daniel (Emily), Benjamin (Amanda), Sarah, Andrea (Nick) and Michael; and her grand-nieces and –ne phews, Ella, Harrison, Lorelei, Kason and Cadence.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Old St. Patrick’s Church, or a charity of your choice.

Marcia Jimenez, 95 Fashion designer, dancer and cook

A string of legislative victories ensued, and in 2004, the Chicago Sun-Times named her “one of the 10 most powerful women in health care.” A year later, state lawmakers approved several health care-related bills, some aimed at reducing the shortage

“Her contributions to health care and nursing practice have left an indelible mark on our community,” the American Nurses Association Illinois said.

Kathleen Marie Monica Perry was born on June 7, 1949, in Chicago. Her father, William, was an accountant for the Chicago Yacht Club. Her mother, Ruth, an office worker, became a homemaker before Kathy and her twin, Mary, were born. They were the eldest of five girls in a working class Catholic family on the city’s West Side.

She earned her bachelor’s de gree in nursing from DePaul University, a master’s de gree from Rush University and a PhD in nursing science from the University of Illinois Chicago. She spent the bulk of her career caring for one of the city’s most vulnerable populations: military veterans. With a focus on elderly patients, she developed intervention plans for those suffering from heart failure.

She was a Renaissance woman, her family recalled, citing her passion not only for science but the arts as well. She traveled to more than a dozen countries, was a hobbyist photographer, and volunteered for the Chicago Saints, a nonprofit group that deploys ushers to area theaters.

She also had a passion for social justice as an active member of the Illinois League of Women Voters and Mothers and Others for Peace.

In River Forest, she was a leader of the library’s book club and served on the board of her condominium association, while also acting as the condo building’s de facto nurse, caring for some of her elderly and homebound neighbors.

“Kathy was magnanimous in sharing her brilliant mind and caring heart with anyone and everyone who needed her,” her sister Mary said.

Marcia “Guita” Jimenez, 95, died on Jan. 23, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. Born Marcia Barradas on Oct. 18, 1929 in Chicuasen-Actopan, Veracruz, Mexico, to Jose Maria Barradas and Gregoria Barradas, she grew up alongside her younger sisters, Sofia and Teresa in Veracruz, eventually moving to the city of Orizaba. Along the way, she met her stepsiblings, Piedad, Martha, Guillermo and Felipe and was a great older sister to all of them.

Trained as a medical assistant, her love for fashion inspired her to start a very successful business as a dress designer and seamstress in Orizaba, pioneering the practice of making custom gar ments for the women of her town. She met and married Jose “Pepe” Jimenez in 1952 in Orizaba and followed him to the United States, where they established a new life for themselves and their children in Chicago and Oak Park. Initially, she continued her work in the design district in Chicago, but eventually she and Pepe started their own businesses, including a grocery store and the Azteca de Oro Laundromat, epitomizing their American Dream. She loved dancing and to her “El baile para mi era todo!” (Dancing for me was everything!) Fun included watching novelas, cooking, and sewing outfits for members of her family. Her unique recipes, including chiles rellenos, carne asada, mole, and pipian, are unsurpassed. She had the unique gift of being able to look at a dress or suit in a fashion magazine and subsequently create her own couture design for her clientele. She was a life force to her family and friends. Definitely the Queen Bee, not surprisingly she survived all her younger siblings who preceded her in death, along with her parents and her husband

Marcia is survived by her daughter, Mayra Jimenez Thompson MD; her sons, Jose W. Jimenez Esq., and J. Cesar Jimenez MBA, as well as her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many nieces and ne phews. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the St Paul Medical Clinic of Lancaster, Texas, and the Catholic Pro-Life Community in Dallas, Texas.

Visitation was held on Feb. 8 at Russo’s Hillside Chapels in Hillside, followed by a chapel funeral service, with inter ment at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery.

SPORTS

Fenwick’s Cameron wins regional bowling title

Also helps Friars advance to sectional

BY MELVIN TATE

Contributing Reporter

Fenwick High School senior Olivia Cameron bowled a six-game series total of 1,174 pins to win the IHSA Glenbard East Re gional, Feb. 8. Cameron’s ef fort also sparked the Friars to a fourth-place finish in the team standings as they grabbed the final sectional qualifying spot with a cumulative score of 4,782 pins. The top four schools advance to the sectional.

Sophomore Millie Ramire z finished 12 th individually with a series total of 1,061 pins. Fenwick’s other bowlers were juniors Jakayla Davis (742) and Mariya Mason (708); senior Anika Pizon (475); sophomore Jossane Milewski (419); and sophomores Daija Barnes (103) and De’Ondrea Almond (100).

Three other local bowlers advanced to the sectional from Glenbard East. Oak Park and River Forest senior Gracie Maidlow had the best series of individuals from schools not advancing in the team standings, carding a series of 1,136 pins to finish sixth overall. Trinity junior Josephine Rodrigue z tied for 14 th overall with a series

of 1,035 pins, and OPRF sophomore Sophia Thompson (866) finished 23rd to grab the final qualifying spot.

Junior Siofra Pellettieri (845) and senior Margaret Dean (823) also re presented the Huskies, while senior Jaala Smith (835), junior Margaret Stumbris (657), seniors Kayla Harvey (412), Angelina Palos (338), and Alexa Morales (336), junior Sophia Gonzales (192), and senior Sarah Santos rounded out the lineup for Trinity, which finished eighth as a team (3,903 pins).

The sectional is hosted by De La Salle and takes place Feb. 15 at Bowlero Lyons.

OPRF signing day

17 OPRF senior student-athletes signed their agreements to play collegiately in a ceremony at the school, Feb. 5. The list is as follows in alphabetical order of last name:

Julia Chang, Grinnell College, women’s cross-country and track & field

Abby Cockeril, Emerson College, women’s soccer

Peter Farren, New York University, baseball

Fenw ick bowler Olivia Cameron w ith her rst-place regional medal, Feb. 8. Cameron, a senior, won the Glenbard East regional with a six-game series total of 1,174 pins, helping the Friars qualif y for the team sectional.

Luke Fougere, Illinois Institute of Technology, men’s lacrosse ,

OPRF, Fenwick wrestlers stand out at regionals

Huskies and Friars each advance 12 wrestlers to the individual sectionals

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys wrestling team re peated as IHSA Class 3A re gional champions in dominant fashion at Addison Trail, Feb. 8.

The Huskies scored 247.5 points, 97.5 greater than runner-up York, and advanced to the dual-team sectional, which takes

place Feb. 25 at a site to be announced later.

“Overall the team performed very well,” said OPRF coach Paul Collins. “Our expectation was for everyone to compete to the best of their ability and we did that collectively.”

Twelve of OPRF’s 14 wrestlers also advanced to the Conant individual sectional, Feb. 14-15. Seven Huskies won re gional titles: sophomore MJ Rundell at 106 lbs;

sophomore Jamiel Castleberry at 120; junior Zev Koransky at 132; senior Joseph Knackstedt at 138; junior David Ogunsanya at 150; sophomore Zach Michaud at 165; and senior Hugh Vanek at 175.

“We were very pleased with Zach and Hugh,” Collins said. “They aren’t guys who get the most attention, but we have an upand-comer in Zach, who is putting things together at the right time. Then there’s

Hugh, who’s fully committed to Huskiestyle wrestling and leading this team through ef fort. After missing the majority of the season due to injury, he’s hitting his stride at exactly the right time.”

Senior Gabe Rojas (126 lbs), junior AJ Noyes (144), senior Ryan Wo zniak (157), and senior Eric Harris (215) all finished

PROVIDED BY SHEENA WILLIAMSON

Fenwick’s Romeus, Woods sign college football commits

Join Marshall, Paris in continuing playing careers collegiately

By MELVIN TATE

Contributing Reporter

While much attention has been given to Nate Marshall and Jack Paris and their commitments to the University of gan and University of Illinois respecti two more Fenwick seniors joined them in a ceremony at the school, Feb. 5, to sign ag reements to continue their own football careers at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, for merly NCAA Division I-AA) level.

Emmett Romeus, an Oak Park resident, will play at Butler University wh Woods is heading to Bryant University in Rhode Island.

“Butler gives me the opportunity to pl football for a competitive program at a academically-challenging university, Romeus, whose older brother Elijah, a 2024 Fenwick graduate who was a wide rece for the Friars, is already with the Bulld “I have visited many times and it always felt like a place I wanted to be and a program I wanted to be a part of.”

“I chose Bryant because it checke my boxes,” Woods said. “Most obviousl was at the level of football I aspired to pl at. Academically, I knew that it would prepare me for the remainder of my life and the path I wanted to take. Additionally, the people at Bryant make all the difference; the coaches and staf f are good people and the environment is like that of a family.”

(Le to right): Fenwick senior football players Nate Marshall, Jack Paris, Emmett Romeus, and TJ Woods at a Signing Day ceremony held at the school Feb. 5. Paris signed with the University of Illinois, Romeus with Butler University, and Woods w ith Br yant University. Marshall signed with the University of Michigan in December.

Both Romeus and Woods said they enyed playing for the Friars because of the tight-knit chemistry the team had on the field.

“We all held each other to a high standard and pushed each other to our potential, re gardless of how many stars or offers we had,” Romeus said. “Jack and Nate [Marshall, University of Michig an signee] re vocal leaders that heavily influenced the dynamic of practice and games.”

“Playing with all my teammates is an experience I would never trade,” Woods said. “Everyone, including the players you’ve heard of, worked to improve the skills and abilities of each other.”

Most important, both Romeus and Woods believe that the friendships made and lessons learned will persevere as they enter the next phase of their lives.

“The thing I’ll remember most about enwick football is the bonds that I created with other players and coaches,” Romeus said. “My experience has taught me the importance of giving your 110 percent in rything you do, and that’s a lesson that will help me be successful throughout the rest of my life.”

WRESTLING

from page 25

second. Senior Terrence Garner (285) took third, while sophomore Liam Nikolakakis (113) and senior CJ Robinson (190) were fourth, nar rowly missing out on sectional qualifying.

“Obviously we’d rather have all 14, but we’re very happy with our ef forts,” Collins said.

Now, OPRF is focused on qualifying as many individuals as possible to the IHSA individual state finals, which take place Feb. 2022 at the State Farm Center on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus

“The tournament will be tougher, but

“Academically, Fenwick has allowed me to learn necessary time management skills,” Romeus said. “The teachers and coaches made it a priority to best set us up for the future, and they challenged us to become better individuals.”

the wrestlers have been training and living the right way in order to be prepared for these moments,” Collins said. “At this point, we look to fine-tune and do what’s best for each individual so they’re at their best selves next weekend.”

Fenwick

In the Class 2A DePaul Prep Re gional, Fenwick finished second with 205.5 points, 89.5 behind champion IC Catholic Prep. However, like OPRF, the Friars managed to advance 12 wrestlers to the Crystal Lake Central individual sectional, Feb. 14-15.

“I feel great about my team’s performance,” said Fenwick coach Seth Gamino “We exceeded my expectations. My wrestlers wrestled tough and made Fenwick proud.”

“Playing at Fenwick has prepared me for the dedication I will find at the collegiate level,” Woods said. “Our numerous morning workouts, after-school ‘open turfs,’ and rigorous practices reminded me and others that goals are to be worked for.”

Senior Aiden Burns continued his stellar season, improving his record to 39-3 and winning the 157 lb title. Seniors Dominic Esposito (175) and recent University of Illinois signee Jack Paris (190) finished runner-up.

Fenwick had nine individuals place third: sophomore Harrison Brown at 106 lbs; senior CJ Brown at 113; junior Solanus Daley at 126; senior Max Kenny at 138; senior Brian Timpone at 144; senior Eiam Staples at 150; senior Myles Moriarty at 165; senior Zikomo Mbiewew at 215; and senior Gianni Ber tacchi at 285.

“Our goals are the same as every wrestler, to qualify for and place at state,” Gamino said. “No one says, “I just want to qualify for sectionals.” Every match matters; each match is your first and possibly your last, and we’re prepared.”

“I will remember the friends I have made through Fenwick football,” Woods said. “The people I worked and played with are those that I’ll be friends with for hopefully years to come, and these men are the ones I want to keep. They ’re great people and I will appreciate their impact on me forever.”

Freshman Quinn Paris (120 lbs) and junior Diego Ar redondo (132) finished fourth, falling just short of sectional qualifying as only the top three in each weight class advance.

Gamino is especially proud of his nine seniors, who all qualified for the sectional. He praised their leadership they have provided during their Fenwick careers as well as their chemistry.

“It really is a great story of how these kids stuck together,” Gamino said. “They all have worked so hard and are great kids. We would’ve won the team re gional but had (ICCP), who is going to win team state in my opinion, definitely a top three team. But this is the best team I have had in my six years as head coach and 10 overall with the program.”

COURTESY OF FENWICK HIGH SCHOOL

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

for Project: 25�4, 2025 ALLEY

. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, this project will consist of improvements to various alleys throughout the Village of Oak Park. The alleys are located within the portion of town bound by North Ave on the north, Austin Blvd on the east, Harlem Ave on the west and Roosevelt Rd on the south. There are approximately twenty �20� different alley segments which are planned to be constructed as a part of these improvements. Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday, February 13th, 2025 at 10�00 AM. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www. oak-park.us/your-government/ budget-purchasing/requestsproposals or at www.questcdn. com under login using QuestCDN number 9507011

for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4�00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.

This project is also 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 are subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq. Please note, this Contract will be subject to the requirements set forth in IDOT Circular Letter 2023�30 “BUILD AMERICA / BUY AMERICA ACT �BABA� � FINAL RULE.” This law requires certain materials to be manufactured and produced in America.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Bill McKenna Village Engineer

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

VILLAGE OF OAK PARK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

CALENDAR NUMBER� 03�25�Z

HEARING DATE� March 5, 2025

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

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

APPLICATION� The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on an application filed by the Applicants, Josh Bartel and Margaret Erlich, seeking a variance from Section 4.3 �Table 4�1� Residential Districts Dimensional Standards) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance, which section requires that the principal building be setback not less than 35’ from the rear lot line and nine �9‘) feet from the corner side lot line along Iowa Street, to permit a one-story infill addition to the rear of the three-story singlefamily residence and the joining of an existing two-story coach house at the property commonly known as 547 Linden Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Number 16�06�420�009�0000 (“Subject Property”), in the R�2 Single-family Zoning District. The joined buildings as proposed

would constitute one principal building and would be setback 18’�8” from the rear lot line where a setback of 35’ is required. In addition, the principle structure would be setback 5’�1 ¾” from the corner side lot line along Iowa Street where a nine �9’) foot setback is required.

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

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@oakpark.us before 5�00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing.

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

Published in Wednesday Journal, February 12, 2025

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

CALENDAR NUMBER� 04�25�Z

HEARING DATE� March 5, 2025 TIME� 7�00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits

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

APPLICANTION� The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on an application filed by the Applicant, Brandon Murphy, seeking a sign variance from Section 7�7�15 �D� �1� (b) of the Sign Code of the Village of Oak Park, to permit installation of one �1� additional wall sign �Corporate Logo) on the north elevation of the commercial building, for a total of two �2� wall signs, along the North Boulevard frontage at the premises commonly known as 100 S. Kenilworth Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Number 16�06�111�012�0000 (“Subject Property”) in the DT Downtown Zoning District.

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

The Board of Education of Oak Park Elementary School District #97 will receive a sealed device bid for District 97 schools located in Oak Park, IL, 60302, until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, February 28, 2025 At this time sealed responses will be publicly opened and read at the meeting at 3:00 p.m.

Copies of specifications may be secured at the Oak Park Elementary School District #97 District Office, 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302, but only be picked up by emailing Michael Arensdorff (marensdorff@op97.org) to schedule a time. The cut-off date for receiving the scope of services is 4:00 pm, Monday, February 24, 2025.

Responses mailed or delivered shall be marked to the attention of: Oak Park School District 97

Attn. Mr. Michael Arensdorff 260 Madison Street Oak Park, Illinois 60302

The front of the envelope should be clearly marked “Device Refresh RFP - District 97 Schools”. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Mr. Michael Arensdorff at (708) 524-3015 or marensdorff@op97.org. Faxed or electronically submitted bids will not be accepted. Any faxed or electronically submitted bid will disqualify vendors.

Responses Due Date: Friday, February 28, 2025 at 3:00 P.M.

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

Lonya Boose, Board Secretary

Published in Wednesday Journal February 12, 2025

LEGAL NOTICE

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

Published in Wednesday Journal February 12, 2025

Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) proposes to collocate wireless communications antennas at a top centerline height of 116.7feet on a 120- foot building rooftop at the approx. vicinity of 715 Lake Street Oak Park, Cook County, IL 60301 Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Amanda Minetti, a.minetti@ trileaf.com, 1821 Walden Square Suite 500, Schaumburg, IL 60173, (630) 227-0202 ext. 534.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 12, 2025

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: M25000176 on February 4, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of GREEN ROCK INNOVATION with the business located at: 633 BELLEFORTE AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: TERRENCE ROCHE 633 BELLEFORTE AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA

Published in Wednesday Journal February 12, 19, 26, 2025

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park issued Request for Bids 25IT-0002 for Dell computer equipment. The full Bid document can be obtained from the Village website www.oak-park.us. Responses will be accepted until February 21, 2025 4PM Central.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 12, 2025

New brew review

A look at the area’s newest co ee o erings

New co ee shops are in the works — a co ee cart came in from the cold, two cafes are celebrating their rst year, and one local mainstay is making a switch.

By RISÉ SANDERS

WEIR

Contributing Reporter

You’ll probably need a bingo card to keep it all straight, but oh, what an energizing game it will be to take a sip from each of these purveyors of liquid happiness

Best friends Jose Balaguer and Ryan Klem took over the for mer Brewpoint location at 163 S. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park and renamed it The Coffee Shop. Balaguer says they want their space to be a people can come to disconnect as needed. still serve Brewpoint’ beans with a keen ey out for what a barista brings to the cup.

“We want to make sure that if

a customer orders a cu of coffee today and then come back next day, to a good consistent product, Balaguer said. “We and measure every shot of espresso, every time.”

A unique offering on the menu is call a “walking waffle.”

“We offer a homemade, made-fromscratch, waffle in a sleeve We invite customers to walk our beautiful town. Come summertime, there’s no better place to walk around,” he added.

Espresso Café opened in October at 7501 Roosevelt Rd. in Forest Park. The cafe had long been a dream of owner Fer nando Silva. He had his eye on this for mer branch bank location, across the street from Living Fresh Market. The light filled space is war m and inviting.

“This has been on my mind for 23 years!” said. “There is no other [coffee] shop area. The neighborhood has been rtive. Pastries, empanadas, en bread for sandwiches are all made here.”

hen it comes to brewing, Silva serves Whirlwind coffee, oasted in Oak Park

This winter, Zemi Coffee rt has taken over the Three Spoons Ice Cream location 133 N. Ridgeland Ave., just around the corner from Ridgeommons. It’s a trial run for

wner Dominique Betancourt, onsidering a brick-andlocation to compliment her pedal-powered cart that roams our streets and parks in war mer weather

“I had no winter plans, so I had no idea of what I was going to do,” Betancourt said. “This was an opportunity beta test in a really small location. I don’t have to commit for a year to a lease. One of the many things I learned, is that food is an important driver in a cafe.”

Zemi now stocks a rotation of pastries, including gluten-free ones each day.

In April, the storefront will transform back into Three Spoons Ice Cream.

customer, because there’s a massive education gap between the farms,” Kristi Ross said. Their highly curated bean selection supports mom-and-pop roasters and farmers too. The menu, which will cover sweet to savory, is in the hands of Michelin-starred chef Nick Fron.

“I’m extremely excited about Nick’s insanely awesome brownie. I don’t even brownies. He hooked me with those for sure,” Kristi Ross said.

RISÉ SANDERS WEIR

Dominique Betancourt, Zemi Co ee Cart

A preview of ca einated attractions coming

soon

to the area

U3 Coffee Roasters will open on Valentine’s Day at 7430 Madison St. in Forest Park Owners Kristi and Craig Ross come from the world of finance and healthcare, but together they have a vision for all the good coffee can do.

“We have a mission to unite the coffee farmer, the coffee entrepreneur, and the end

Keep an eye out for another opening. Wild Card Coffee has been in the mobile coffee bar biz first in San Francisco, but it’s now moving to a permanent address later this year at 1053 Madison St. in Oak Park. Owner Evan Berger returned home during the COVID pandemic. Along with his wife, Lauren Marmol, the two imagine the new space as a community hub, a café life experience.

“Our intention behind the space is to realize that third place, away from home and work,” Berger said. “It’s really important for a healthy community to have this place. It’s my way of creating the life I want for myself and my family.”

Along with that welcoming vibe, Berger wants customers to feel “smarter” about their coffee. “There is going to be a mix-

RISÉ SANDERS WEIR rnando Silva, esso Café

Evan Berger and Lauren Marmol, Wild Card Co ee

isti and Craig Ross, U3 Co ee Roasters

ture of what I consider the best roast-ers around the country and then also trying to highlight smaller local Chicago roasters,” said Berger. “There will be bakery items, but we’ll also be very focused on salad sandwiches, healthier food options.”

Last, but certainly not the least is Kribi Coffee’s purchase of Sugar Fixe bakery. It’s the newest jewel in the crown of the hyperlocal java juggernaut, which includes three Kribi locations and Buzz Cafe.

“We want to bring Sugar Fixe back to what it used to be – such an amazing place to get a bakery item, treats, and custom cake designs,” said Abbey Brumfiel, Kribi’s director of operations

Alongside regular operations, Bonjour Bakery will be whipping up croissants and other pastries for sale in-store and wholesale out of Sugar Fixe’s kitchen.

“I want everybody to be on the lookout, to give it a second chance, because we’re looking to enhance everything,” Brumfiel said.

With all these options, surely you can find a cup of coffee that suits your tastes at one of the many local coffee emporiums

A

NE W CHAPTER FOR OAK PARK

Dandelion Bookshop op ens its doors

New owners, Jamie and Kurt

Erikson have a

vision for community-focused bookshop.

BY DALAL ORFALI Vibe assistant editor

When Jamie Ericson first heard that The Book Table was closing, she felt an immediate sense of loss. The beloved independent bookstore had been a cornerstone of Oak Park’s literary community, and the thought of the neighborhood without a local bookshop was, in her words, “just too sad.”

But rather than dwell on the disappointment, she decided to do something about it.

“I’ve always been a big reader, and I have been working on writing for kids, too,” she said. “I worked with words my whole career in different ways — educational publishing, e-commerce copy editing, and children’s writing.

“My husband and I,” she added, “we’ve been able to start a new business and try to fill the need in this community, because I felt like it was, I’m just too sad not to have a bookstore here.”

As Ericson, her husband, and her 9-year-old son cut the red ribbon by the shop’s glass façade on Oak Park Avenue, Dandelion Bookshop was born The shop, with its sage green shelves, and welcoming vibe, is a labor of love for the Ericsons, who have experience launching startups. Together, they worked to create a space that not only sells books, but also fosters a sense of literary community

Kribi

because that’s my favorite thing,” Ericson said. “But then I realized there would be nothing for the grown-ups, so we’re doing both.”

The shop’s shelves are still evolving, with room for new releases and customer requests. Ericson said that she is open to working with local readers and writers. They can reach out to her through the contact form on the shop’s website, or simply through stopping by.

“We’re excited to work with local people and there seems to be a lot of collaboration happening here,” Ericson said. T he shop is making ef for ts to collaborate with local schools and libraries. Ericson’s son attends the John Greenleaf Whittier after-school progr am at District 97, and she has been volunteering in his school’s library, she said.

Dandelion Bookshop owners Jaimie and Kurt Ericson with their son Teddy cut the ribbon in front of their store

When it came to naming the shop, Ericson said she wanted something meaningful.

“Dandelions represent hope and resilience,” she explained. “The seeds represent wishes. They’re playful, but they’re also stubborn and hard to get rid of. I thought that was a good model for us to follow.”

Ericson said she aims for the shop to be a gathering space where readers and writers could connect.

“We had a survey up when we first signed our lease — there was a QR code in the window, and we got a lot of responses from people with their ideas,” she said. “Eventually, this room in the back will be a community space with a table and chairs for writing groups, book clubs and maybe kids’ classes.”

One of the distinguishing features of Dandelion Bookshop is its children’s section.

“At one point, I thought about having only kids’ books

“That experience has been such a good education in seeing what kids are reading. I met with the district’s librarians earlier this month and let them know we can do bulk ordering or anything they need for the schools. And I’m meeting with someone from the public library next week.”

Although the store is still finding its footing, Ericson said she is excited about the possibilities.

“Anything people can’t find on our shelves; we can order for them. We’re not as big as The Book Table was, but we can get books in a couple of days. The shop will keep evolving based on what our customers are looking for.”

Ericson said that she and her husband, Kurt are working on setting up the website so customers can purchase tax-exempt books using school identification numbers.

“I’m so glad that we’re able to because my husband has built all of the text stuff himself. He can just code it to make it work”

Dandelion Bookshop carries new books only.

“We’re only doing new books because there is a used bookstore in Oak Park still, so I figure we can both coexist together,” Ericson said.

For extra fun, the shop offers its special merch and notebooks for purchase, and working on the possibility of selling gift cards.

With a warm and inviting atmosphere, a strong commitment to community eng agement, and a deep love of literature, Dandelion Bookshop is set to become a cherished fixture for all the book lovers in the area.

For more information visit: https://dandelionbookshop.com

TODD BANNOR

Shalo, Sugar Fix

Submit events and see full calendar at oakpark.com/events/

Galentine celebrations For girls who just want to have fun

By DALAL ORFALI Vibe assistant editor

AUSTIN

Aba- Austin Galentine Day Dinner To -Go

■ Thursday, Feb. 13 and Saturday, Feb. 15

■ Aba Restaurant, 302 N Green St., 3rd Floor, Chicago

Aba Restaurant is making your night ef for tless with a 4-course Mediterranean feast for $52.95 per person (minimum 2 orders). Enjoy Whipped Feta Spread, Seared Ahi Tuna, Grilled Chicken Kebab with Basmati Rice, and Chocolate Cake—all from the comfort of home!

Order by noon on Wednesday, Feb. 12 to enjoy this special offer. Visit https://qrco. de/bfitfq

BERWYN

Kelli Owens Hutton MOMCORE show – featur-

ing comedians Eunji Kim & Chelsea Hood

■ Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8:30 p.m.

■ FitzGerald’s Nightclub, 6615 Roosevelt Rd.

Kelli Owens Hutton brings Rock & Roll and comedy together to create the unique genre of MomCore! Enjoy a night of music and laughter as Kelli sings about life with her dog, kids, and husband—joined by a lineup of stand-up comedians for an unforgettable show.

Find tickets at https://qrco.de/bfitQd

OA K PARK

Galentine’s Day celebration – a womanowned bakery pop -up at Beer Shop

■ Thursday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.

■ Beer Shop, 1026 North Blvd.

The Beer shop is hosting Heart and Soul Bakery’s special pop-up, which will feature cookies, chocolates, charcuterie

boxes, and treats for your furry friends. Part of the event’s proceedings will go to help those affected by the LA fires.

Blossoms & Besties with Pickle Hill Parties

■ Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m.

■ Spilt Milk, 811 South Blvd.

Gigi Rowe from Pickle Hill Parties will teach you how to make a stunning flower arrangement to take home (or maybe to gift) at her flower-arranging workshop.

Tickets include flower supplies, nibbles and a glass of bubbly, or a hot drink from the espresso bar. There will be a take -home bag of treats with a personalized name tag. Reserve your ticket at www.spiltmilkpastry.com

Lovely Suds Heart Shaped Soap Making

■ Thursday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m.

■ Einnim Candle Bar + Apothecary, 1020 Lake St

Einnim Candle Bar + Apothecary invites you to discover the delightful world of soap. Learn how to make exquisite, colorful, heart-shaped soaps that are also ve g an-friendly, and scented with premium fragrances and essential oils that you’ll get to take home.

Tickets for the event are available at www.einnim.com

RIVERSIDE

Book an ar t class at Riverside Arts Center

■ Dates at times may vary.

■ Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St

Join an art class with your friends at Riverside Arts Center. T here is a lot to make — from clay to mosaic art, to glassinfused pendants. T he center’s schedule is available at this link https://www. ri ve rsideartscenter.com/2025-winterspring-session