WednesdayJournal_022625

February 26, 2025 Vol. 45, No. 34

$2.00

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

The watchword is: Vigilance

Oak Park ’s Migrant Ministr y looks to protect 4th Amendment rights of immigrants

By SAM TUCKER Contributing Reporter

With the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, a local Oak Park agency that once focused mainly on providing support services to immigrants now has a new focus: staying vigilant to protect the rights of those it serves.

The Migrant Ministry, started in 2023 as a way to provide showers and other basic services to local immigrants, has in this short time helped more than 14,000 migrants with basic necessities and wraparound support services. Now, although its client numbers are down, the Oak Park agency has an added focus: taking precautions as federal

immigration enforcement is allowed to conduct arrests in places of worship.

“All of a sudden, the Fourth Amendment means a whole lot,” said Celine Wo znica, the director of program development.

The ministry currently operates out of Centro San Edmundo, 200 S. Oak Park Ave. The building was previously St. Edmund School.

“We are not stopping. We are exercising precautions, but we continue to welcome the migrants. We want to create an atmosphere within the building that they are safe, and that we uphold their dignity and their rights.”

See MIGRANTS on pa ge 16

St. Patrick ’s Day Parade Page 17

Scaman, Parakkat spar at Journal election forum

Full slate of Oak Park village candidates spoke Monday night, police station, village

hall took center stage

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Vicki Scaman and Ravi Parakkat, the two candidates for Oak Park village president, were combat ive Monday night during an election forum sponsored by Wednesday Journal.

Scaman, the current village president, and Parakkat, a current trustee, were critical of the others position on plans to build a new police station, thoroughly remodel the cur rent village hall and how to pay for both projects.

The event, held in the Veterans Room at the Oak Park Public Library on Lake Street, drew over 100 community members looking to hear what the candidates had to say, with a few dozen more watching from home via a livestream. Laura Maychruk moderated the forum.

See ELECTION FORUM on pa ge 10

SAM TUCKER

2025 VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

CANDIDATES FORUM

Join the Business and Civic Council of Oak Park for an open forum featuring all candidates for Oak Park Village Trustee and President. This is your chance to hear directly from the candidates on key issues shaping our community, including: Affordable Housing - Fiscal Responsibility - Economic Development

HAVE A QUESTION?

Business & Civic Council of Oak Park Presents Make Your Voice Heard! Submit your questions in advance to Bus.Civ.OP@gmail.com Don't miss this opportunity to engage with local leaders and influence the future of Oak Park!

Friday, March 7th at 7:30 a.m. The Carleton of Oak Park Hotel, 1110 Pleasant, 60302

Scan the QR code to register or visit https://shorturl.at/cBnCl

Lake and Lathrop legal tang le tilts toward village with ruling Judge dismisses

suit from prior developer demanding a new building permit

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

River Forest officials are hopeful they can move forward on developing the property at Lake Street and Lathrop Avenue following court action earlier this month.

On Feb. 14, Cook County Circuit Cour t Judge Joel Chupack granted the village’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed in July by Lake Lathrop Par tners LLC against the village

In August, the village filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which claimed the village had acted illegally in its denial of a new building permit to restart a stalled mixed-use development on the southwest corner of Lake and Lathrop.

“This legal decision supports the village’s actions related to this project and enables the focus moving forward to be on motivating the property owner, Wintrust

Bank, to resolve its foreclosure case with the developer,” officials said in the weekly e-newsletter posted Feb. 20. “Once this happens, a new developer can be sought to find the best and highest use for this important commercial property.”

The now failed four-story mixed-use development was to contain 22 condominium units with 14,000 square feet of retail space. The project had been on the drawing board since before the village board approved Lake Lathrop’s proposal in 2016.

River Forest pulled the plug on the development over a year ago, but Lake Lathrop officials in May countered by applying for a new building permit for the development. This too was denied by the village In September 2023 officials repealed the building permit for Sedgwick Properties, an authorized agent acting on behalf of Lake Lathrop Partners LLC, and issued a stop work order. They said those steps were

VIGIL AT SCOVILLE

taken because Sedgwick failed to meet the requirements and conditions of the village’s 18-month building permit, which was originally issued in February 2022.

T he long-delayed project had been on life support since April 2023, when Beverly Bank and Trust, a Wintrust-affiliated bank that was financing the development, filed suit against Sedgwick Properties in Cook County court, looking to claw back $4.2 million from the $20 million line of credit it issued in 2022. In the lawsuit, the lender has re por tedly cited several provisions in its loan ag reement with Sedgwick affiliates that were violated, including that the contract required the borrower to stay in compliance with local re gulations and to stick to a tighter construction timeline

T he foreclosure case between Wintrust Bank and Lake Lathrop Par tners LLC remains ongoing.

Amy Drescher-Crumpley of Glen Ellyn, a member of Oak Park Temple, lays owers next to pictures of the Bibas family. Approximately 30 people attended.

Amanda Gertz of Oak Park, along w ith members of Temple Har Zion and Oak Park Temple, gathered at Scoville Park, Feb. 23, to pay tribute to the Bibas family, which was taken hostage by Hamas in October 2023. Members of the congregations mourned the loss of 3 members of the family, and showed support for other families awaiting the retur n of loved ones.

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Sta Repor ter Luzane Draughon, Brendan He ernan

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 Wendorf

Deb Abrahamson, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson

PHOTO S BY ERIC A BENSON

Oak Park promotes longtime village planner to ll top development role

Craig Failor will take over as Development

Ser vices director

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Pa rk has tabbed i ts long-servin g village p lanner as the right person to lead its economic development ef fo rt s.

Craig Failor will step i nto the Development Services Department director’s role on the village ’s senior staf f Mond ay Fe b. 24, as Emily Egan moves on from Oak Pa rk Vi llage Hall after one year of servic e. Failor has wo rked as Oak Pa rk ’s village p lanner and p lanning and u rba n d esign manager for the last 22 year s, according to a village news release about the promotion.

Oak Park Village Manager

Kevin Jackson said Failor was a clear candidate to take ov the de partment’s leadership.

“We are thrilled to elevate Craig to this impor tant leadership position withi n our org anization,” Jackson said in the news release. “He is well-respected within the org anization and his experience wo rk ing on behalf of the residents and businesses here in Oak Pa rk speaks fo r i tself. All of that, and more, will ser ve him incredibly well as our new Development Services director. I am c onfident that it will be a seamless transition for him, and for the many staf f members under his guidanc e. I have no d oubt that he will ke ep the de partment on its upward trajectory when it comes to service delive ry for the people of Oak

Pa rk .”

T he village ’s development director is r esponsible fo r overseeing building pe rm it s and i nspections, b usiness services, pa rk ing, village lanning, historic preservation and zoning. Failor has experience helping manage many of those processes through his wo rk as village lanner, a ccording to the release

Failor has b een a wo rk in g member and manager of the ad hoc Madison Street C oalition and Roosevelt Road Advisory Committee and has pl ayed a ke y role in various economi c development projects. He serves as the staf f liaison to the Plan C ommission and C ommunity Design C ommission, wh il e also supervising the staf f liaisons to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Historic

Preservation C ommission, a ccording to the release

Through those responsibilitie s, the Development Services director’s top g oal is to drive economic vitality and development throughout the village

“I truly appreciate the c onfidence Vi llage Manager Jackson has in me to ca rr y on the important and significant wo rk being performed by the Development Services department as i ts director,” Failor said in the release

T he Development Services director title is a relative ly new one in Oak Pa rk , o riginating from village leadership’s 2023 decision to split the s prawling Development C ustomer Services Department i nto two separate entities: Development Services and Neighborhood Services. P rior to his start with Oak Pa rk in 2003, Failor had wo rked in city p lanning roles for the gove r nments of Barrington, Belvedere and Lombard.

Volunteer at Unity Temple!

Share your passion for architecture and lead tours for guests from around the world. Join us for training sessions and soon become a Unity Temple Volunteer Interpreter.

CLASS DATES:

Tuesday, March 11 – 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM Tuesday, March 18 – 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM Unity Temple, 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL

Are you interested but unable to attend? Email volunteer@flwright.org with questions or concerns.

CRAIG FAILOR

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust is offering interpreter training in March.

Oak Park village manager gets a raise to $261,500

The village will also provide a take-home vehicle for village business and a $100K loan for personal residence

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Oak Park’s village board has unanimously approved an amendment to its employment ag reement with Village Manager Kevin Jackson, granting him a more than $30,000 raise, a take-home vehicle for village business and a $100,000 loan for a personal residence.

Jackson’s salary will now be $261,500, up from $231,400, a 13% increase. Wednesday Journal last re ported a raise to Jackson’s salary in August 2023, from $222,500 to $231,400, a 4% increase.

The raise is going into effect retroactively to March 14, 2024. Village President Vicki Scaman said his salary hike is linked to when his last contract ended.

“Delays can happen but once a review is complete it is fair and common practice to be retroactive,” she told Wednesday Jour-

nal. “The delay in conducting the village manager’s review was due only to scheduling challenges.”

Jackson has served in the village manager role since early 2022. The village board held a special meeting Jan. 22 this year to discuss, in executive session, “employment compensation and performance of specific employees.”

“I am grateful for the board’s confidence in me to continue in my role as village manager and deeply honored to continue serving all of Oak Park,” Jackson told Wednesday Journal. “Together, we are invested in the important ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion and I am excited to continue to do the work necessary to build a future where these values guide the decisions we make and actions we take every day.”

As part of the ag reement, the village will also provide Jackson with a village-owned vehicle for village business. The car will have an electric motor and a minimum range of 300 miles, ccording to the agreement. The village will maintain and insure the car.

Jackson can take the car home overnight and “may use it for periodic personal use,” the agreement states, but has to report that personal use annually to the village

The village board has also approved granting Jackson a loan in the amount of $100,000 for a personal residence. The loan won’t be granted if Jackson rents or resides in Oak Park without being the owner of the fee simple title, signifying full ownership of the property.

If Jackson stops working for the village

voluntarily, he must re pay that loan for residence within either six months after the date that employment is terminated or by the closing date of the sale of fee simple title to the Oak Park residence, whichever comes first.

Although the ag reement was approved as part of the Feb. 18 consent agenda, Scaman briefly addressed it. She said updates to the village manager’s salary are made after careful consideration of the market rate and comparable compensation with villages of similar size and workload.

“The village manager’s contract falls within the median range and demonstrates confidence in his performance,” she said. “It is personally my honor to serve alongside Village Manager Kevin Jackson.”

“My family and I are proud to call Oak Park home and we will continue to be rooted in this community for many years to come,” Jackson told Wednesday Journal.

Oak Park approves Vision Zero to improve pedestrian safety

The goal is to consistently have zero tra c accidents resulting in serious injury or death by 2035

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Oak Park’s village board officially proved a Vision Zero action plan, c mitting to the goal of eliminating serious injuries or death from traffic crashes during its meeting Feb. 18.

Vision Zero has received an outpourin of support from the community, includ ing from avid bikers, parents, schoolchildren and other residents. At the Jan. 28 board meeting, 16 locals urged the boar to implement the action plan.

T he village’s goal is to consistently have zero deaths or serious injuries from traffic crashes by 2035. Village staf f will begin to comprehensively implement traffic-calming and protection measures

to make the roads and sidewalks safer fo r cyclists, pedestrians and drivers, too

“The life and health of all persons liv-

ing and traveling within Oak Park are our utmost priority, and no one should die or be seriously injured while travel-

ing on our streets,” the resolution reads. ryone in Oak Park should be able to public transit, and drive on streets that are safe, re gardless of wh o they are or where they live.”

oard members have all expressed sion Zero and ag reed at the an. 28 meeting that it’s not just about aplan and then sitting back Action and follow-through on this is critisaid.

sion Zero will go hand-in-hand with sustainability goals laid out eady Oak Park. Increasing pedestrians and bikers might people to travel withcars that contribute to as emissions. T he village reduce emissions by 60% by 2030, and might not meet that at its curreduction.

approving Vision Zero also states that people of color are disproportionately affected by traffic crashes Oak Park leaders recently gathered at Unity Temple to reiterate their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

MAX HERMA N

Brendan Short, his daughter Elizabeth Short and wife Stephanie Bailey walk their bikes ac ross Madison at Ridgeland.

KEVIN JACKSON

Oak Park approves $250K in funding for OPRF Chamber initiatives

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

The Oak Park Village Board unanimousl approved giving the Oak Pa Chamber of Commerce $250,250, ing Feb. 18 to support community-focused initiatives.

Those initiatives include a ship program, First Fridays Street Series and Black and Latine Business Support Network.

The youth internship pr NEXT, or Navigating Employment perience Training, will be open to students aged 14 to 21 who attend local schools or live in Oak Park The chamber projected the program would cost $149,000.

Darien Marion-Burton, the chamber executive director, has proposed two cohorts for the program in summer 2025 and fall 2025. Each cohort, as proposed, would have 20 interns work at local businesses. Interns would be paid $15 an hour and work up to 20 hours per week.

The street festivals are expected to take place from 6 to 10 p.m. on the first Friday of July, August, September and October, rotating between four business districts. Those are Chicago East, Madison, Southtown and Pleasant.

the police department supports the festival series, but staffing might be stretched thin on dates when other village events are scheduled

“I am looking forward to watching these events grow. I feel like it fosters this closeness in the community that we were all missing.”

The festivals are expected to feature live entertainment, local businesses and family-friendly activities. Vendors will set up booths along a partially closed-off street. The events will be open to all residents and businesses in Oak Park, not just chamber members, Marion-Burton said.

The chamber has estimated this series to cost about $43,000 and asked the village for $32,250 to support it

The support network is intended to help support Black and Latine-owned businesses in Oak Park and foster a sense of belonging. This is expected to be an eight-month program with two cohorts featuring opportunities to learn from other business owners and educational sessions.

The chamber estimated this program to cost about $69,000. With the $250,250 in village funding, the chamber will fund all three of these programs. It’s not yet clear if the village will continue to finance these programs beyond this agreement in the future.

“It sounds like there’s certainly the spirit of continued collaboration with the chamber as the details get worked out,” Trustee Lucia Robinson said.

“I am looking forward to watching these events grow,” Trustee Cory Wesley added. “I feel like it fosters this closeness in the community that we were all missing.”

L’Arche brunch to raise money for international locations

The organization provides housing and resources in Forest Park, Austin and Oak Park to those with intellectual disabilities

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

L’Arche Chicago is hosting its annual solidarity brunch March 8 to raise money for other L’Arche communities around the world.

L’Arche, founded in 2000, provides over a dozen people experiencing intellectual disabilities with residential homes in Forest Park, Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, and most recently, in Oak Park

With over 150 L’Arche communities across 37 countries, many need the funds for food, medicine and housing, and the Chicago branch aims to help them with that through the brunch.

“Annually, we aim to raise as much support as we can for these communities that often struggle against the tides of conflict, colonialism and unjust economies,” said Mic Altena, L’Arche Chicago’s executive director and community leader, in a statement. “We’ re so grateful to our donors who help bring L’Arche to life in some of the world’s most challenging contexts.”

International L’Arche locations that benefit from the brunch’s proceeds often experience crises that complicate the ability to serve those with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

For L’Arche communities in the Philippines, Kenya, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Bethlehem and Ukraine, annual gifts from other chapters are often their primary funding source. Compare that to L’Arche Chicago, which receives government funding and raises close to one-third of its annual budget through fundraising.

This year’s annual brunch will feature presentations from multiple L’Arche Chicago participants and staff who have visited international L’Arche communities. These include Paul Kuczynski, director of residential services; Jay De Man, house coordinator; and Anders G., a core member, or participant.

Brunch attendees will have food options from a full buffet and be able to participate in a raffle and puzzle

“Our connectedness as a movement extends to even the most fragile of contexts,” Altena added, “where L’Arche communities de pend on the generosity of others most of all.”

The L’Arche brunch will be on March 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Riverside Golf Club, 2520 S. Des Plaines Ave. The event costs $75 for adults and $10 for chil dren, and tickets c an be purchased at https://larchechicago.org/event/2025-solidarity-brunch/

Fundraiser for L’Arche renovations

Later next month, L’Arche Chicago is cohosting a fundraising event with friends and family of Laurence J. Msall, an involved Oak Parker who unexpectedly passed away in 2023. Msall was the longtime president of the Civic Federation, a nonpartisan group focused on gover nment policy and finance.

On March 22, participants will help raise money for renovations at L’Arche Chicago’s Angel House in Chicago, where Msall’s sister Christianne lives. The house needs a back-door ramp, plus an expanded and rehabbed kitchen and firstfloor bathroom.

Last year, over 250 participants raised more than $150,000 for L’Arche Chicago at an event to honor Msall.

This year at St. Ignatius Colle ge Prep, where Msall attended school, attendees will eat and drink, plus watch NCAA

tournament basketball games, play popa-shot basketball, participate in raffles and a silent auction – all while supporting L’Arche Chicago and Msall’s family.

“Laurence was an amazingly caring and giving friend who we lost too soon,” said Matt Walsh, co-chair of the Laurence for L’Arche, in a statement. “I speak for the entire committee when I say that we are proud to have known Laurence Msall, and excited to support L’Arche’s mission in honor of our great friend.”

“Laurence’s Le ga cy of Caring – Th e Tradition C ontinues!” will take p lac e at St. Ignatius C olle ge Prep, 1076 Roosevelt Road, on March 22 from 5:30 to 10:30 p. m. Tickets start at $50 and ca n be purchased at https://larchechicago. org/e v ent/laurences-le ga cy -of-caringthe-tradition-continues/.

Attendees at the 2024 L’Arche Chicago solidarity brunch

Oak Park board looks for insight on barriers to homeownership

Village weighs di erent perspectives on how to promote a ordable home buying opportunities

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

How can more people afford to buy homes in a town where prices won’t stop going up?

That’s the question Oak Park village trustees were asking during last week’s board meeting, as village leaders heard testimony from a group of local realtors, a representative of the Illinois Housing Development Authority and the founder of a housing assistance non-profit who has found success helping grow the affordable housing stock in Lake County and northern Cook County using the “land trust” model. The discussion took place during a study session on how to advance home ownership opportunities in the village.

Increasing opportunities for affordable homeownership across the board and addressing historic barriers to home ownership faced by racial minorities were both among the goals included in Oak Park’s

“Strategic Vision for Housing” report published last year

Opening up opportunities for affordable housing for both renters and owners has received attention from the village board in recent months, as the board authorized a $3.3 million fund to support affordable housing developments. In January, the body voted to allocate more than $1.9 million from that fund to help two nonprofit organizations build affordable housing complexes in Oak Park.

“Our interests in our economic vitality plan is also to increase the sense of belonging here, attracting a diversity of people who can call this their community,” said Village President Vicki Scaman. “We’re not just here to

hear about how we can use our housing fund, we’re here to see how we can remain diverse socio-economically.”

“There’s a cost of doing nothing that I don’t think we talk about very often. You’ve got to be intentional about keeping the thing that you’ve built.”

CO RY WESLE Y Oak Park Village Trustee

That report revealed that there is a more than $230,000 gap between the median cost of a single-family home in Oak Park and what a household bringing in the median income for metro Chicago can afford Supporting down payment assistance programs, developing more multi-family housing properties and expanding the village’s inclusionary housing ordinance were all among the potential policies recommended by that report

Trustee Cory Wesley said the board needs to act soon before the negative impacts of a stratified housing market become even harder to solve.

“If we don’t, in 10 years the medium sale price of a home in Oak Park might be $1,000,000,” he said. “There’s a cost of doing nothing that I don’t think we talk about very often.

“You’ve got to be intentional about keeping the thing that you’ve built.”

2022 Census Bureau data also revealed that rates of homeownership in Oak Park lag behind nationwide averages across most demographics, but the largest disparity is among Black Oak Parkers. According to the census, 35% of Black Oak Park households own their home, compared to 41% for Black households across northeast Illinois and 43% for Black households nationwide.

There’s a 35% gap between the Black and white homeownership rates in Oak Park, which is five points larger than the gap that exists nationally.

During their testimony, representatives

See HOMEOWNERSHIP on pa ge 14

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ELECTION FORUM

Police station planning from page 1

Maychruk, the for mer owner of The Buzz Café, hosted candidate forums each election season in her Arts District coffee shop.

Village trustee candidates Jenna Leving Jacobson, James Taglia, Chibuike Enyia, Lucia Robinson and Joshua Vanderberg spoke during the event’s first hour, as the five of them compete for three available seats. Enyia and Robinson are both current board members, while Taglia is a former board member who lost his last bid for reelection.

Scaman and Parakkat took the stage during the event’s second hour as they both vie for the president’s seat, with the losing candidate set to give up their seat on the village board entirely

All the candidates answered questions touching on a few hot-button Oak Park issues, including the Oak Park Police Department’s staffing crunch, housing and homelessness, economic development and the potential construction of a new police station and remaking of the village hall building and, of course, how leaves are collected

The village president candidates traded barbs on the village hall issue during the

any full reconstruction of the village hall building a focal point of his campaign.

“I’m not talking about the police facility, that is absolutely required,” Parakkat said. “The village hall is a facility where the average Oak Parker spends less than five minutes a year. To spend $150 million

financing costs, interests, location or the logistical shifts required to move people to a new location and bring them back it is going to push close to $200 million and we don’ t have a g ood handle on that. To sit here in 2025 and not have a handle on that and not know how it’s going to impact our residents, that’s poor gover nance.”

Scaman accused Parakkat of purposefully inflating the potential costs of the combined police station and village hall in his response to make the project seem more unwieldly than what’s been planned

“What you’re hearing from my opponent is sensationalism,” Scaman said. “We hired an architect that we truly believe is sincerely working with us and listening to the fact that we need a lower number. But the majority of that number will be for the new police station. The (past architect’s) numbers we heard for a new police station were between 76 and 86 million dollars, so that’s the major chunk of whatever it is we’re going to spend But all you’ve been hearing from the board table is that we’re still looking for a lower number.

“Putting out this false information is truly not how you want your village president to operate.”

Parakkat said the village has already spent millions on architects for the project over several years, and that the village can’t af ford to mismanage or overspend on

“I’m not willing to hope for the best in the future knowing that this decision is going to land heavily on community members and price many people out,” Parakkat said. The sitting village board of trustees will spend one of its last meetings together on March 18 discussing the future of the municipal campus.

The village trustee candidates were mostly in ag reement with each other on the issue, reco gnizing that a stand-alone police station is a “need” and not a “want,” but that the board should keep the village hall renovation to what’s most necessary, namely making the building more accessible to people with disabilities.

When Maychruk asked the trustee candidates who’d they support in the presidential election, only Enyia was willing to go out on a limb to endorse either candidate, throwing his suppo rt behind Scaman.

“S he has always had a very good perspective on things and will continue to be a voice that I can bounce things of f of and be like a mentor to me on the board,” Enyia said. “Ravi is a very, very great individual, it’s nothing against him personally. It’s been a pleasure to serve with him and I wish he was running for trustee again.”

T he election will be held T uesd ay, April 1. For more info rmation on where and how to vote, and for more coverage of this candidate’s forum, check in with Wednesday Journal’s online election coverage

TODD BANNOR

Village Trustee Chibuike Enya, Trustee candidate Jenna Leving Jacobson, Trustee Lucia Robinson, Trustee candidate Jim Taglia, Trustee candidate Joshua Vanderberg and moderator Laura Maychruk at the Oak Park Candidate Forum on Feb. 24.

TODD BANNOR

Village President Vicki Scaman, her challenger Ravi Parakkat and moderator Laura Maychruk at the Oak Park Candidate Forum on Feb. 24.

Humongous U-Haul

Just what is that building going up at the corner of Harlem and Harrison in Forest Park? Right now, it is just a steel frame, captured against a winter sky by our photo grapher.

By the time it is complete, likely this

summer, the six-story, over 126,000-squarefoot building will be the tallest in Forest Park. And what grand purpose will it serve? It will be a U-Haul personal storage facility.

Jessica Mordacq

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The Village of Riverside is looking for a team member to be our next part-time crossing guard.

Interested? Learn more and apply at www.riverside.il.us/Jobs or by scanning the QR Code.

Opportunity Knocks participants at Knockout Farm in Maywood before the land was bought last year.

Opportunity Knocks asks Forest Park to build farm near

The River Forest-based organization, which ser ves people of all abilities, grew food on a Maywood plot before it was sold last year

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Forest Park might be getting a new garden on the village-owned property near the Altenheim – one that fosters environmental sustainability, growth and connection.

At a Forest Park village council meeting last month, Opportunity Knocks presented the idea for its garden. The organization, launched in 2010 and based in River Forest, serves the near west suburbs, where they develop programming and collaborate with people who have different abilities, teaching them new skills and creating community

During a presentation at the start of the Jan. 27 meeting, Opportunity Knocks Presi-

dent Phil Carmody asked the village to consider leasing the triangle-shaped piece of village-owned property just north of the Altenheim buildings for a farm. He suggested a 50-year lease with rent of $1 per year.

“We envision an inclusive community, where all individuals experience access, presence and support,” Carmody said of the organization’s vision at the village council meeting.

“This whole OK community really changed my life, ever since I met the Carmody family,” said Georgia Hunter, a Forest Park resident who has been active with Opportunity Knocks for 15 years. “OK has impacted my life most by helping me meet new people and creating a space for me to spend time with my friends and do fun activities.”

A community farm that highlights mixedability interactions and organic agriculture would grow produce for the community and for Knockout Enterprise, which Opportunity Knocks launched in 2014. As a part of the business, participants produce Knockout Pickles, which they pickle, market and sell themselves

“Everything that we do in Enterprise is meant to create a thriving blended work environment, where people of all varieties of ability are working together to run a successful business,” Carmody said.

In 2015, Opportunity Knocks participants started growing cucumbers for Knockout Pickles, along with other produce, on a quarter-acre at 50 Madison St. in Maywood. In addition to landscaping and building growing beds at Knockout Farm, Opportunity Knocks composts, and catches and re purposes rainwater.

Hunter said that, at Knockout Farm, she is “learning how to put seeds in the soil, painting flower pots, growing vegetables, learning work skills and figuring out what our farm really needs, like veggies for catering and selling at the farmers markets.”

Last year, four farm employees harvested 1,085 pounds of food from the farm. This food is used for Knockout Pickles – sold at popups and farmers markets – but also Knockout Catering through Events By Cibula, and donated to food pantries and community fridges.

Last year, though, AV Chicago bought 50 Madison St. and told Knockout Enterprise they couldn’t return in 2025.

“I always knew that this day was coming,” Carmody said. “I think a lot of what we did to invest in the space was meant to be done in a

way where we could pick it up and go someplace when this was going to happen.”

In looking at an opportunity to grow the farm and foster more community, Opportunity Knocks asked the Village of Forest Park to consider its land just north of the Altenheim as a new location for its farm. Car mody said a farm at this location could facilitate

partnerships between Opportunity Knocks, the village and those who live at the nearby Residences at the Grove.

“We’re not here to ask you for anything,” Carmody said. “We’re going to ask you to build something with us.”

“You will not find urban agriculture quite like we do it,” Car mody added. “We see many prospects for accessibility. We see a community that supports a mission. We see a community that supports green space. We see a beautiful natural landscape, a friendly village hall and friendly neighbors.”

After the Forest Park village council meeting, Carmody said he learned about what potential next steps would be for opening a farm in Forest Park

He said Forest Park Village Administrator Rachell Entler told him she’d reach out if the village council directed her with the next steps regarding the farm. If they do, only then will discussions about a partnership agreement between the village and Opportunity Knocks begin.

“We are optimistic that there is an opportunity to pursue this in a path that has us farming in the spring,” Carmody said. “Our optimism was fortified by the feedback we got from the [village council] and mayor after we presented. We are perpetual optimists though, so take that for what it’s worth.”

All commissioners gave positive feedback about Carmody’s pitch following his presentation at the council meeting.

“It makes me feel really good about possibilities,” said Commissioner of Accounts and Finance Maria Maxham. “I would love to keep talking to you guys about how to make this happen.”

Commissioner of Streets and Public Improvements Michelle Melin-Ro govin –who helps find funding opportunities and writes grant applications at Northwestern University for her day job – said she could help find additional money to grow Opportunity Knock’s farm.

“I think there’s lots of funding out there that we could get to support this,” MelinRo govin said. “It’s a very exciting prospect for an organization that has a tremendous impact in the community, and one that has touched many people.”

Commissioner of Public Health and Safety Ryan Nero ag reed: “I love your mission. I’m super excited to see what you guys are going to do.”

“I really appreciate your excitement, your dedication to your mission and your organization,” said Commissioner of Public Property Jessica Voogd, “but also the willingness to reach out to the community and bring folks together.”

Mission Curiosity Bookstore Opens Its Doors In Oak Park to Inspire and Empower

Books are more than pages bound together, they are gateways to knowledge, tools for achieving dreams, and bridges that connect communities. At Our Future Reads, we believe everyone deserves access to books. That belief began with a single moment of inspiration.

One day, Franklin Taylor, a Mann, Julian, and Fenwick alumni and the founder of Our Future Reads, looked at a pile of books he had read in college and thought, “Some of these I loved; others I’ll probably never read again. But I know someone else would love to.” That small thought sparked a big idea. Franklin began searching for places in Chicago to donate books for adult readers but found none that fit the need. Instead of giving up, he decided to create one. He reached out to family and friends, sharing his vision to bring books to people who needed them. One friend’s connection to the Oak Park school district resulted in the first donation of 500 books— an achievement that marked the start of something much bigger. Word spread, more books poured in, and partnerships began forming. Since then, Our Future Reads has grown into a thriving nonprofit that

has distributed over 20,000 books, built relationships with 15 organizations, and is on track to impact 5,000 readers this year alone.

The next step in this incredible journey is the opening of the Mission Curiosity Bookstore. Located at 319 Madison St., Oak Park, IL 60302, the bookstore will open on March 1 and welcome readers every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Mission Curiosity Bookstore is much more than a place to buy books. It’s an extension of Our Future Reads’ mission to ensure everyone has access to the transformative power of books. Every book purchased

helps fund efforts to deliver books to individuals and families who cannot afford them, don’t live near a library, or simply haven’t had the opportunity to explore the world of reading. And if you have gently used books at home, you can donate them, helping others experience the joy of reading.

The goal is ambitious yet deeply personal: to place at least 100 books in every household served, not all at once, but over time, through lasting relationships and community collaboration. The Mission Curiosity Bookstore is a space where every purchase fuels that goal, creating opportunities for learning, dreaming, and growth.

We invite you to join us for the grand opening on March 1. Explore the shelves, find your next favorite book, and see how your support directly impacts lives across Oak Park and the Chicagoland area.

As Franklin often says, “Books are more than stories, they’re tools for dreaming, learning, and growing.” Together, we can share the gift of reading, one book at a time.

Mark your calendars for March 1. We can’t wait to welcome you to the Mission Curiosity Bookstore!

PROVIDED

A look behind the scenes of Knockout Pickles, where Opportunity Knocks participants pickle cucumbers.

Sponsored Content

Roosevelt Middle School 5th-grader masters 88 keys of life

Dylan Zhang to per form Saturday at Nor thern Illinois University

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

At the tender age of five, Dylan Zhang decided he wanted to learn how to play the piano.

Why? Big sister Dana was doing just that, so why shouldn’t he?

“It was a little hard starting it,” the 11-year-old River Forest resident recalled. “I had to get into the cycle of practicing every day, around 25 minutes a day, and my sister would help me a lot. My family was very encouraging.”

Now, some six years later, Dylan, a student at Roosevelt Middle School, has found his rhythm on a piano’s 88 keys and in life.

Dylan won the 2025 Arthur D. Montzka Young Artists Concerto Competition on Jan. 4, hosted by the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Held at the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in Northern Illinois University’s music building, he bested two runner-up high school violinists with his rendition of the first movement of Beethoven’s Concerto No. 1 in C Major.

Not only did he win a cash award, he performed as a soloist at 7 p.m. Saturday at NIU with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra and participated in a pre-concert talk. That means he’ll be busy, busy, busy preparing under the tutelage of his teacher, Sueanne Metz.

“I listen to other people play the piece,” Dylan said, adding he takes great pains to add what he likes from those performances to his own, “to make it my own style so it can be the way I’d like to play it.”

Pretty insightful for a fifth grader. But he is about as humble as they come, even if he is the assistant concert master at the school – behind Dana, his concert master

HOMEOWNERSHIP

from page 9

from the Oak Park Area Association of Realtors said that the village is suf fering from a lack of inventory. Oak Park homes available for purchase are turning over at the highest rate on record, as it now takes less than six weeks for the housing stock to turn over completely, according to the Realtors Association.

“Lack of inventory in and of itself is one

eighth-grade sibling.

He’s org anized, too. He practices for roughly 60 to 90 minutes per day on the piano, and another hour on the violin, at which he’s also quite proficient. He also loves to write and code and is a top-flight student. Add in interests in cross country, tennis and history, and he’s a busy person.

How does he make all of that work?

“When you think about it, it’s kind of hard,” Dylan said. “’This block is going to be practice, this block is going to be school.’ It’s easier when you have it all planned out.”

But the piano has a special spot in his re per toire, and he’s been rewarded for all of his ef for ts to improve. He’s been a consistent competition winner in recent years, including in the Illinois State Music Teachers Association competition in the Elementary Division (2023) and the Junior Division (2024).

Mona Mann, music teacher at Lincoln Elementary School and leader of the Recital Club, taught Dylan for four years and is a frequent attendee of his out-of-school performances.

“He was a re gular participant in the Lincoln Recital Club and now as a fifth grader at Roosevelt, he still returns on occasion to play for the younger students,” Mann said. “It was a joy to have Dylan in general music, and it was exciting for all the students to have opportunities to hear him play the piano.

“It also gave us a chance to talk about how hard work and practice lead to exceptional outcomes.”

The other thing about Zhang is that while he used to get nervous about perfor ming, he’s managed to put those feelings aside when he ste ps on stage,

He was nine when he participated in his first competition and he recalled, “I was more nervous waiting to play After a few competitions, I said, ‘I don’t have to worry because I can trust the work that I’ve done.’”

Take the Montzka Young Artists Concerto Competition in January, for instance.

of the biggest barriers to accessing housing in Oak Park,” Oak Park Realtor Elissa Palmero said. “Simply put, first time home buyers and families have been priced out of the market.”

The realtors recommended that the board consider enacting zoning policies that will allow developers to build projects that will promote density and take steps to streamline the permitting process for developers.

The board also heard from Amy Rosenfeld Kaufman, from Community Par tners for Af fordable Housing, about the land trust model that her organization has used

Dylan Zhang

“It was a really nice environment and the pianos are really good,” he said. “It was fun to play with my accompanist and express yourself.”

Dylan’s parents, Peter and Maggie, pointed to the fact that both of their children collaborate and support each other. Dana, for example, practices up to 90 minutes on the piano each day.

All that work creates a lot of music in their household, but for Maggie Zhang, who works at home, that’s not a problem.

“You can close the door of my office and they can close their door, so my colleagues don’t hear them,” she said with a chuckle.

to provide af fordable home ownership opportunities in Lake County and in Chicago’s norther n suburbs.

No organization using the land trust model is operating in Chicago’s wester n suburbs, Kaufman said.

“The idea of the community land trust is to bridge that gap between what someone earns and what the housing costs,” Kaufman said. “The whole idea is permanent affordability. When you develop under the land trust model it stays affordable for the next buyer, the next buyer, and the next buyer.”

This study session will guide future board action on this topic.

The land trust process works when an organization buys a property, often a blighted or dilapidated property, makes improvements to it, then obtains subsidies in order to sell it to an af fordable price to a prospective homeowner making less than the median area household income. The sale is made with provisions in place blocking the buyer from reselling the home for more than a certain maximum price, keeping the property af fordable in perpetuity while buyers are still allowed to make some profit on the home’s appreciation.

PROVIDED

Man robs victims for Rolex watch in southwest Oak Park

The robbery occurred during a vehicle invasion the evening of Feb. 17, with the unknown suspect making o with over $18,000 in stolen goods

An A ddison resident and an E lk Grove Vi llage resident we re sitting i nside of a pa rked car shortly after 7 p. m. Fe b. 17 when an unknown man entered through an unlocke d back d oor and robbed them, fleeing with thousands of d ollars’ wo rt h of c ash and valuables, a ccording to Oak Pa rk police

According to p olice, the victims we re pa rked in the 7100 block of Roosevelt Road when the suspect entered the vehicle and d emanded that they give up their valuables and drive north on Maple Avenue, before the suspect exited the ca r

and fled on foot. T he suspect had taken a stainless steel Ome ga watch, a wh it e g old Rolex Watch and c ash, with the total value of the stolen i tems estimated to be $18,500.

T he suspect is still unknown, a ccording to police.

Car thefts

S ometime after 6 p. m. Fe b. 16, an unknown suspect stole a Lyons resident’s 2016 Hyundai Elantra from the 1100 block of La ke Street after the vehicl e had been left with the ke ys inside. Th e vehicle is valued at $12,500, according to p olice,

T he next week, an unknown suspec t stole a F lorida resident’s 2023 Toyota GRX86 from the 400 block of Keni lworth Avenue during either the evening of Fe b. 21 or the early morning hours of Fe b. 22, a ccording to p olice. T he vehicl e, wh ich had b een left unlocke d with the ke ys ins ide, is valued at $30,000, a ccording to p olice.

Package theft

Between the hours of 9:58 and 11 p.m Feb. 18, someone stole a package containing $1,490 in snowboarding equipment from a residence in the 800 block of North Boulevard, according to police

Stolen vehicle arrest

Oak Pa rk p olice ar rested a 27-year- old Chicago woman for being in p ossession of a stolen vehicle in the 300 block of Madison Street Fe b. 19 shortly after 4:10 p. m. T he woman was also the subject of a DuPage C ounty traffic war r ant, a ccording to police

Firearm arrest

Oak Park police arrested a 32-year-old Chicago man in the 100 block of Erie Court in Oak Pa rk for being a felon in possession of a firearm after 9 to police.

Retail theft

At around 1:30 p.m. Feb. 21, an unknown female suspect entered a convenience store and broke open a lockbox containing 12 boxes of morning-after emergency contraception pills and left the store with the medicine. The items are valued at a combined $599, according to police.

These items we re obtained from Oak Pa rk Po lice De partment re ports date d Feb. 16 – 24 and re pre sent a portion of the incidents to wh ich police re sponded. Anyone named in these re ports has onl y b een charged with a crime and cases ha ve not yet been adjudicated. We re port th e ra ce of a suspect only wh en a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at la rge, and police ha ve provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as th ey seek the public’s help in making an arrest

Curious about our rewarding senior lifestyle?

Join our executive director for coffee and a personal conversation. We’d love to get to know you better as you hear firsthand from our leadership about their vision for our community and what options await you as part of our lifestyle. We’re here to answer any questions you may have.

When you experience our gracious hospitality or take part in our engaging programming, you’ll understand why we’re the community of choice.

MIGRANTS

Wary of ICE

from page 1

T he Fourth A mendment protects the right against unreasonable search and seizures, and I mmi gr ation and C ustoms Enforcement (ICE) c an only enter private areas with a judicial war r ant tha is signed by a judge and specifically de scribes the private area they are entering. On Fe b. 4, the Vi llage of Oak Pa rk said it will not assist with federal i mmi gr ation enforcement operations in the area. Despite a substantial reduction in the number of p eople seeking i ts help, the ministry carries on. “I wo r ry about the mi gr ants themselves that are in need of wh at we c an provide here, but are a fraid to come out,” Wo znica said.

In 2024, the ministry ser ve d 10,806 mi gr ants, and another 3,438 we re indirectly ser ve d by f amily members wh o g ot resources for them, a ccording to Don Wo znica, co-director of short-term services and Celine’s husband .

“In the first two months of 2025, our numbers have f allen dramatically. Through Fe b. 20, we have rece ived 929 mi gr ants and indirectly ser ve d 343 … by this date last year, we had rece ived 1,993 mi gr ants,” he said.

Org anizers attribute the drop to c old we ather, f ear of I CE and the reduction in p eople crossing the souther n border

T he Mi gr ant Ministry was for med in June 2023 through a partnership between the St. Catherine of Siena - St. Lu cy and St. Giles Parish, Ascension and the St . Edmund Parish. T he ministry was created to suppo rt asylum seekers and migr ants who be g an arriving in Oak Pa rk in 2023.

Multiple times, I CE vehicles have b een seen outside of their building, Wo znica said, and they now have a volunteer patrolling the grounds with a walkie-talki e in hand. T hey have created a rapid response p lan in c ase I CE attempts to enter the ministr y, and have distributed thousands of flye rs, cards and infor mation packets to help mi gr ants know thei r rights.

Wo znica said the ministry is taking every precaution to protect b oth thei r rights as a p lace of wo r ship and the rights of mi gr ants they ser ve T hey are even removing the i nsulation around the front-door to the ministr y, so a piece of paper c an easily be slipped through to

Celine Woznica, director of program development, views a binder about ICE and the ministry’s response protocols at Centro San Edmundo. Woznica said the Migrant Ministry is “dug in” a er recent immigration actions by the Trump administration, and is currently taking precautions to suppor t local migrants.

i mmi gr ation enforcement. act of opening the say “we do not consent to a search” could mean consent for federal agents to enter Places of wo r ship along with schools childcare c enters and hospitals, are treated li ke any other pri Before the Trump “sensitive locations” i ts to immi gr ation enforcement.

Ea rl ier this month, 27 filed to sue the federal go the Trump administratio to let federal i mmi wo rk in sensitive A ssociated Press. nizations argue the tion is violating their rights to freedom because of and raids have brought, impacting d ance and the administering of and progr ams

services assist with applications for asylum and wo rk pe rm it s. T hey also help cove r c ostly le g al expenses and find immi gr ation lawyers to take c ases. Or ganizers said mi gr ants seeking le g al assistance have dramatically increased, and the process involves a team of volunteer translators and lawyers to help c omplete application processes

As the ministry strat eg izes federal immi gr ation developments, the lull in migr ants is about the only change to thei r weekly services provided from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. every Tuesd ay and Thursd ay Eve ry week, around 40 volunteers open the ministry’s d oors to provide free clothing, breakfast, toys and suppo rt services that include: i mmi gr ation suppo rt , English language classes, housing suppo rt , health care, and a pl ay room and art classes for youth.

Ea rl ier this month, the Trump admini stration ended Temporary Protected Status for a large po rt i on of Venezuelan mi gr ants in the U. S ., leaving them unti l April 7 to le g ally live and wo rk in the c ountr y. L ast week, the administratio n announced they will also halt TPS for a po rt i on of Haitian migr ants according to the A ssociated Press. It is up to the government to renew TPS after the initia l 6-to-18-month time periods expire. According to ministry org anizers, migr ants from Venezuela make up about

A volunteer teaches a migrant during an English as a Second Language class at the Centro San Edmundo.

60% of their overall clients, another 20% are from Ecuador and 10% from C olumbia. T he ministry has also ser ve d migr ants from Haiti, Bolivia, Cuba, Pe ru , Honduras, Angola and Ukraine. A lthoug h the ministry is focused on suppo rt ing migr ants, they help anyone who is in need of their services

T he ministry’s i mmi gr ation suppo rt

T he ministry is r un by volunteer s, and they c ome from many organizations including local high schools, c olle ge s, faithc enters and scouting troops. A lthoug h the Mi gr ant Ministry is of the Catholic C ommunity of Oak Pa rk , the ef fo rt is znica said. ived supmmi gr ating from his home-country of Eche helps mi gr ants made the similar long, d angerU. S. from We d nesd ay ournal is using his first name only beho spoke in Spanish wh il e znica translated, said it took in the U. S. as uses and trains, and crossed rs on foot. the ministry belasses and helps other b. eople. I’ve to help in any way that I can,” Gustavo said in Spanish.

Sh ivani Maisuria, a Loyola Unive rsit y Chicago student, volunteers in the women’s and children’s clothing pantry at the ministr y. S he said f amilies will wait outs ide the ministry on the c oldest of days to g et the suppo rt they are in need of.

“What surprises me the most is the willp ower of the clientele. On T uesd ay, we had some f amilies showing up at 3 a.m. and it was b elow freezing, and they stood here until we opened. It was j ust so eye opening to see how far they ’re willing to go,” Maisuria said.

SAM TUCKER

SAM TUCKER

Message from the Chamber

This Saturday is St. Patty’s in Forest Park

LAURIE KOKENES DIRECTOR

We’re not expecting half a million people like they are in Dublin, but attendance at our St Patrick’s Day Parade is just as impressive for a town of our size…and we’re celebrating 30 years next year!

We host the parade early in March (typically two weekends before St. Patrick’s Day weekend) for a couple of reasons: to help ensure we don’t compete with local or city parades for entrants or attendance, and to drive business to Forest Park before the ‘official’ St Patrick’s Day/St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

People often remark that the weather would be better if we moved the date up,

but that’s not how Chicago-area weather rolls. For example, we’ve had 70-degree weather on parade day, with temperatures in the 20’s the following Saturday Over the last 29 years, it ’s gone the other way of course, but Forest Park St Pat’s Parade Day parade-goers are in it for the long haul so we always have a great turnout. So, regardless of the weather, we hope to see you there!

As with any event we host, sponsors are key to making the parade happen. Their support allows us create an entertaining line-up that includes entries like Medinah Shriner ’s parade units who receive an honorarium for participating. Event sponsorship also supports the overall work of the Chamber

Huge thanks to this year’s main sponsors: Title Sponsors: Village of Forest Park, O’Sullivan’s Public House; Ironworkers

L Emanuel ‘Chris’ Sponsor: Riveredge Hospital. Sponsors: Mohr Oil, McDonald’s Forest Park, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Republic Services, Fatduck Tavern and Grill, Currie Motors, Burke Beverage, Grand Appliance, U3 Coffee, Progress Center for Independent Living and Our Planet Automotive. Shamrock Sponsors: Grace Lutheran Church, The Original Hooters, Chicago White Sox, The Giving

Robert’s Westside, Park District of Forest Park and Charlie’s Restaurant.

Thanks also to every single member of the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce for their support. Together with the Village and other key organizations, we all work together to keep Forest Park strong. Happy parade day and happy St Patrick’s Day to all!

Parade day is Saturday! St. Patrick would be proud

Last

year Forest Park drew 8,000 Irish and sort-of

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Forty years ago Forest Park sold itself to potential home buyers and business owners by saying that the village had “Big City Access.” In those four decades the table has turned a bit. Now the town between Harlem and the Desplaines River is a destination for people coming from the big city.

“Last year’s parade,” said Laurie Kokenes, director of the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce which sponsors the annual event, “drew 8,000 spectators to Madison Street.”

The attraction is 70 different groups marching including the following headliners: the Proviso Marching Band; the Band

Irish guests

of Brothers and Doonaree Pipe Bands (both of which are sponsored by Burke Beverage); Irish Dancers from the Bentley Academy and the Foy School; a float by the Chicago White Sox; the Stone Cold Killers Band; the Triton Troupers Circus and the Medinah Mini Choppers, Roaring 57s and Motor Cor p.

What makes it a hometown happening are groups re presenting 21 local businesses, and 17 schools, churches and nonprofits. April Baker Homes will be the Grand Marshall, a role she won by outbidding the competition at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting auction. Ironworkers Local 1, People for Emmanuel Chris Welch, Laborers Local One and O’Sullivan’s Public House each contributed $1,500 to become Pot of Gold Sponsors. Nonprofits kicked in $50 for a spot in the parade, Chamber business members $65, and political and nonmember $120.

First responders from the Forest Park Fire and Police Departments will have places of honor. The parade will step of f on Saturday at 1 pm. The parade route on Madison Street will begin at Van Buren on the west and end at Elgin. The quiet, siren-free zone will extend from Van Buren to Desplaines.

Mayor Rory Hoskins

Find Us Across from Lincoln Elementary School at 7773 Lake Street in River Forest

Homes

Oak Park climate group hosts two clean energy open houses

March 9, April 6 events will spotlight local homes with green energy updates

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

NEED

email:

If you’ve ever wondered about steps you can take to make your old house live a little bit greener, the Oak Park Climate Action Network (OPCAN) is ready to show you how. Two clean energy open houses, one on March 9 and one on April 6, will highlight local homeowners who have made green energy updates to their houses.

OPCAN is an Oak Park-based organization made up of volunteers who work to eliminate the community’s contribution to the global climate crisis through equitable policies and practices. The group also advocates for implementation of the climate action plan, Climate Ready Oak Park, which was adopted by the village government in 2022.

Wendy Greenhouse, a core org anizer of OPCAN, hopes the tours will show residents how easy it can be to make the switch to green energy. She points out that 2030 is the deadline for the planet by which carbon emissions need to be cut in half to avoid some of the most catastrophic effects of climate change.

The open houses will help homeowners of typical, older Oak Park houses see what changes are possible, says Greenhouse. The six featured homes will showcase a variety of updates.

“The great thing about the open houses is that they cover a range of rehabilitations. From an American four square that got a new heat pump to a house that was a full gut rehab,” she says.

People can get overwhelmed when trying to make green upgrades to their homes’ energy systems, and Greenhouse hopes the open houses will help people see that incremental changes can be meaningful and that it is possible to stage upgrades as their budgets allow.

A long-time Oak Park resident and a veteran of the Wright Plus Housewalk, Greenhouse laughs when she says OPCAN’s housewalk will be a bit unlike typical housewalks.

“This is so different because it’s not at all about the cosmetics. People will be going straight to the basement to see the mechanicals, maybe with a stop by the kitchen to see an induction stove.”

The open houses are split over two days to allow visitors to see a variety of houses. On Sunday, March 9, people will be invited to see:

■ a 1911 wood frame and stucco home of 2,400 square feet, which has an upgraded thermal system and photovoltaic solar arrays, a tankless hot water heater, and induction stove and nature-based solutions

■ a 1918 American four-square, stucco home of 2,620 square feet, which is fully electrified with rooftop solar and geothermal system, heat pump HVAC, electric appliances, re purposed or renewable finishes, gray water system, and nature-based solutions

■ a 1910 Hulbert house with wood frame with siding, and roughly 1,600 square feet that has been upgraded with mini-split heat pump supplementing existing conventional boiler and radiator heating

On Sunday, April 6, attendees can see:

■ a 1916 brick bungalow of 2,800 square f eet that is

PROVIDED

UP ON THE ROOF: A South Oak Park house featured on the March 9 Open Houses event features a roo op solar array.

LOOK AT THIS: Derek Eder explains the heat pump hot water heater in his all-electric Oak Park home, which will be one of the open houses on April 6.

ENERGY INNOVATION: Derek Eder shows o heat pump compressors installed outside his all-electric Oak Park home, which will be open on April 6.

f ully electrified with rooftop solar, heat p ump HVAC and hot water heater, electric appliances

■ a 1927 brick home of roughly 1,910 square feet that is upgraded with a heat pump HVAC (requiring a conversion from radiators to ducted forced air), electric appliances

■ a 1910 American four-square, stucco house of 3,400 square feet that is fully electrified with rooftop solar, g eothermal, heat pump HVAC and hot water heater, electric appliances

During the open houses, the homeowners will be on hand to answer questions about their green energy updates. Each open house will also have a volunteer from OPCAN who can answer questions about the organization.

Greenhouse notes that part of OPCAN’s mission is to help neighbors make the change to green energy and the organization aims to be a knowledgeable voice of experience in the neighborhood.

The OPCAN website has links to a Climate Coaches program, in which volunteers provide 30-minute coaching sessions either in person or on the phone. They can help people learn more about a variety of topics from solar panel installation to composting. She notes that the peer-topeer program offers a great casual way for people to learn about what has worked for their neighbors.

OPCAN also offers a Resources List so that community members can share info rmation on the rebates and incentives that come with green upgrades

Greenhouse says, “The upgrades can be a big upfront investment, but it’s less than you might think because of the rebates and the incentives. T here’s a real savings, especially for people who will be in their houses for a while.”

She also says the rewards are more than monetary, “A cleaner system is good for our future as well as for good for children’s health right now. T here are a lot of rewards to doing this. ”

T he we bsite also has a C ontractor s ta b, where OPCAN members share thei r recommendations for service providers who they have used to make gr een ener gy up gr ades. Greenhouse states, “It’s amazing how much expertise there is in Oak Pa rk .”

Before You Go

OPCAN’s Clean Energy Open Houses take place on Sunday, March 9 and Sunday, April 6 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The event is free, but re gistration is required. Re gistration is available at OPCAN’s website: https://opcan.org/ u pdates/clean-ener gy -open-housesmarch-9-amp-april-6

CATHOLIC COMMUNITIES OF OAK PARK AND NEIGHBORS

Ascension and St. Edmund Parish

St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy and St. Giles Parish

LEAN IN TO LENT 2025

The season of Lent begins this week - a time when, in the midst of the chaos of the world, we are called to stop and listen: to each other and to God. Rather than being driven from one crisis to the next, we are called to “Lean in” to Lent: to re-engage, re-connect, and embrace the foundations of our relationship with God.

ASH WEDNESDAY—WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5

Ascension and St. Edmund Parish

8:30 AM Parish Mass Ascension

10:00 AM Ascension School Mass Ascension

12:00 PM Word Service with Ashes St. Edmund

4:00 PM Word Service with Ashes Ascension

7:00 PM Parish Mass St. Edmund

St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy and St.Giles Parish

6:30 AM Mass St. Giles

8:30 AM Mass St. Giles

8:30 AM Mass

4:30 PM Prayer Service with Ashes St. Giles

5:30 PM Prayer Service with Ashes St. Catherine - St. Lucy

6:00—6:30 PM Ashes at North Portico St. Catherine - St. Lucy Circle Drive

7:00 PM Mass St. Giles

7:30 PM Family Mass Community Word service with Ashes 6:15 Soup supper begins St. Giles campus, McDonough Hall

LENTEN EVENINGS OF REFLECTION AND PRAYER

McDonough Hall, St. Giles Campus

Monday, March 10 7:00 PM Lean in to Listening: Dr. John Igwebuike

Tuesday, March 18 7:00 PM Lean in to Love: Maryanne Colter

Wednesday, March 26 5:30 PM Lean in to Discipleship: Fr. Bob. Hutmacher, ofm Soup Supper followed by discussion

Thursday, April 3 7:00 PM Lean in to Life: Kevin Cassidy

Friday, April 11 7:00 PM Lean in to the Cross: Stations of the Cross through the Eyes of Mary

ADDITIONAL LENTEN OFFERINGS

“Lean in” to some of the practices and events that will create space for you to connect with others, and with God: Stations of the Cross at a different church each week; reconciliation services; meditation; faith sharing; and other prayer and reflection groups, including Adoration.

For all the Lenten offerings and resources throughout the Catholic Communities of Oak Park, visit our website at tinyurl.com/OPLent25 or scan the QR code to the right.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310

ktrainor@wjinc.com

Support for defending our schools

We are District 97 community members who are deeply concerned about the myriad federal threats facing our schools. We value the district remaining a safe and welcoming place for queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming students, honoring the Illinois State Board of Education Non-Regulatory Guidance, “Supporting Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Students,” of March 1, 2020.

This guidance confirms that students have a legal right to be addressed by their affir med name and pronouns and to update their school records to reflect their identity, and that schools cannot require a legal name change or change of a gender marker on a birth certificate to do so (Id. at 9). We urge the district to follow all the strategies, requirements, and best practices that are contained within this guidance to ensure welcoming, safe, supportive, and inclusive school environments. We value the district not cooperating with ICE, and we support clear lines of communication with all staff on this. Every staff member — not just principals and front office staff — must be explicitly trained, in-person on what the protocol would be for ICE interactions We understand that this has not happened yet at every school. Bus drivers and other non-school staff who regularly interact with our students must also be educated regarding interactions with ICE. Please conduct these training sessions immediately.

MEGHAN CARTER

One View

We value our schools continuing to center racial and educational equity, and teaching accurate representations of U.S. history, including Black, Latine, LGBTQ+ contributions, multiculturalism, and respect for all students’ backgrounds. We urge the district to follow state law at 105 ILCS 5/27-21, which includes the 2020 amendments under the Inclusive Curriculum Law, P.A. 101-0227. This state law requires that teaching history must include Black, Latine, and LGBTQ+ contributions to U.S. and Illinois history. The Inclusive Curriculum Law also requires schools to adopt instructional materials that accurately portray LGBTQ+ individuals, and that do not discriminate under the Illinois Human Rights Act. See 105 ILCS 5/2-3.155(c).

We value our schools maximizing how we accommodate, include, support, and educate our children with disabilities. Inclusive education helps all students lear n. We value the district continuing to uphold students’ IEPs and 504 plans, even if there comes a time when the federal government no longer requires it or actively dissuades it.

We value all of our school staff — our teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, administrative assistants, lunchroom staff, crossing guards, and every school staff person — and they have our unwavering support and solidarity. We don’t know if school staff will experience any pressure to modify how they teach, support, or show up for our students. If they do, this community will fight by their side

We call for the district’s commitment and accountability to upholding these values in the unprecedented times ahead

Meghan Carter is a Longfellow parent. This letter was signed by 140 members of the D97 community.

Shrubtown: What is a village hall?

Doing the right thing by students VIEWPOINTS

Most members of the Oak Park and River Forest community believe all young people deserve and can be successful in high school courses that challenge them. But by the late 2010s, OPRF High School identified that Black and Latinx students were dispropor tionately represented in the lower-level Colle ge Prep track even though they and other students in the lower track were capable of Honors-level work with the necessary support.

COMMIT TE FOR EQUIT Y AND EXCELLENCE IN EDUC ATION

One View

In fall 2022, OPRF implemented a restructured curriculum for freshman core courses to provide an Honors-level experience to the vast majority of freshman students rather than separating them into tracks. The freshman program excludes math curriculum and about 100 students in freshman remedial Transitions courses. OPRF’s Advanced Placement curriculum remains in place and continues to grow

In the last two years, because most OPRF freshmen have experienced this Honors curriculum, greater numbers of students are enrolling in Honors courses as sophomores. Students’ performance has remained largely steady during the transition to the new curriculum.

No initiative achieves its optimal state after two years, and of course there is room for improvement. Failure rates crept up last year for Black and Latinx freshmen and we have yet to see increases in standardized test scores after implementation of the new curriculum.

These data demonstrate that OPRF needs to increase and strengthen support for struggling students. As anticipated, student and parent feedback, collected as part of the comprehensive evaluations of the curriculum’s first and second years, indicate the need for more academic support, which D200 has yet to sufficiently implement. The need for continuous improvement does not signal the need to move away from a rigorous curriculum that benefits a greater number of students.

Unfortunately, some in our community are calling on our high school to ditch this reform as opposed to staying the course with improvements and additional supports.

As we have learned over and over again, there are no quick fixes to entrenched issues. Ten years ago, community groups such as APPLE (African American Parents for Pur poseful Leadership in Education) and the Committee for Equity and Excellence

in Education (CEEE) pushed the school board and administration to explore how to educate all of our students at a high level. Based on OPRF’s data as well as national and international research, ability tracking emerged as a key impediment to many students’ performance. The research shows that tracking has minimal positive results and actually is detrimental to students placed in the lower tracks.

In 2018, OPRF faculty, after a review of freshman courses and testimony from student focus groups, beg an planning for the restructured cur riculum. They implemented pilot units and adjusted the program before the board approved full implementation for the 2022-23 school year. Ending the ef fort now, just as it gets underway, is a disservice to the expanded student population the Honors curriculum is now reaching.

We will not meaningfully improve our schools for all students with a swinging-pendulum approach. Let’s stay the course on the restructured freshman curriculum and give our educator and students’ ef for ts a chance to flourish by providing the proper supports to everyone.

Our community should elect candidates to the District 200 school board who champion a rigorous, fully supported curriculum for all students.

Sources:

Information on student grades:

*OPRF Fall 2023 Freshman Year One Evaluation https://ow.ly/h1Tl50V5BWF Restructured Freshmen Curriculum Analysis Re port, 9/24 https://ow.ly/TWU650V5BXu

*Increases in sophomore honors enrollment: Fall 2023 evaluation

*Student & parent feedback: Isobar report, Oak Park/River Forest High School Restructured Freshmen Curriculum Analysis, Sept. 2024

*Tracking research: Steenbergen-Hu et al research paper, “What One Hundred Years of Research Says About the Effects of Ability Grouping and Acceleration on K–12 Students’ Academic Achievement,” 2016, http://www.k12accountability. org/resources/Gifted-Education/GT_Review_of_ Ed_Research_Meta_Analysis.pdf

CEEE is a multi-racial group of Oak Park and Ri ver Forest residents advocating for racial equity at OPRF High School.

OUR VIEWS

Small win at Lake and Lathrop

The saga of Lake and Lathrop in River Forest continues. The venue these days is the court room. At this moment the tilt toward resolution of this absurd situation leans toward village government.

On Feb. 14, a Cook County judge ruled in favor of the village and dismissed a suit filed by Lake Lathrop Partners demanding the village hand over new building permits to the failed developer.

This comes even as Wintrust Bank, the prime lender on the project, has foreclosed on the property and works to gain possession so it can auction it of f to a new developer.

It is beyond us why Lake Lathrop Partners believes it has any call on village government to roll the dice once more on a development that is thoroughly stuck, on a property the village has been trying to develop forevermore.

We hope, and the village hopes more, that this court action will clear the way for a new development on what is the most desirable site in the village. There are still hurdles. Some entity will need to demolish the puny portion of construction already completed on the site.

Given what is now potentially another economic slowdown, given the likely tariffs and continued high interest rates, we will see how ready legitimate developers are to jump into this project. There will need to be negotiations and processes if the village is to get what it has long wanted: A luxury condo building with high end retail at the ground level.

So we shall see. But moving toward exiting Lake Lathrop Partners from the endless discussion is a good step.

e rights of immigrants

The hub of Oak Park’s non-gover nmental support for migrants arriving in Oak Park has been the Migrant Ministry. This group rose out of an activist local Catholic community but has been fully inclusive of all comers offering help to the thousands of people in need of supports.

In the first phase this help was all about food, clothing, shelter, work permits, legal representation. And at Centro San Edmundo, the old St. Edmund parish school, that support was intense, generous and purposeful.

That was then. This is now.

And the focus of the ministry’s work, as reported today by our Sam Tucker, is now on standing up for the rights of these people who have come from Venezuela and Ecuador and Columbia and even Cuba and Haiti and Ukraine looking for all the good America has offered in ter ms of safety and opportunity

In this new and frequently terrifying Trump administration, immigrants are an enemy to be excised after they have been dehumanized. The work of this powerful ministry is to stand up for the constitutional rights of these new neighbors and provide them with protections America offers, even as an American president seeks to shred those safeguards.

This is a moment for bravery and truth-telling. This is not an abstract debate. This is real life in Oak Park in 2025.

e wonder of ‘what if’

What if our moral evolution ev er caught up to our breathtaking physical evolution?

What if ?

ABrian Doyle Grace Notes

recur ring reaction to my column last week, “What we learn from loss,” involved my statement that I “lost hope” following the Nov. 5 election. Some said they were sor ry to hear that. Others said they felt that loss, too. In that column, I also said I learned you can live without hope and without despair.

before, cultivating a tolerance — even an enjoyment — of hunger can be liberating. It is a form of freedom to not be controlled by our hungers. Neither do we control our hungers. We may always hunger and thirst for hope. We just can’t allow it to make fools of us.

I guess I’m not really hopeless because hopelessness is a pre-condition of despair. There have been times when I wanted to descend into the pit, which seemed the only appropriate reaction. But every time I hit bottom, I bounced back, often to my annoyance. Thus far, anyway, I seem impervious to despair.

In some ways, I’m the opposite of hopeless. I have too much hope. The wrong kind. I latch onto false hopes like life preservers. I may not be in despair, but I sure seem desperate.

The Nov. 5 election broke me of my habit and woke me up enough to declare a trial separation from hope. It may not last, but for the time being, I’ve stopped attaching myself to the latest flotation devices drifting by. It’s time to start swimming

The biblical God declared, “You shall have no false gods before me.” I declare there will be no false hopes before me

So I have started a hope fast — just as, once upon a time, I declared temporary atheism and went on a god fast because I was too willing to believe in false deities. If I were going to believe in God, it would have to be a God, and a hope, that engages my whole soul. I am as sick of phony hope as I was of phony gods, which are mainly projections of our own lesser angels — such as the God that many “Christians” claim to believe in while voting for the anti-Christ.

My atheism didn’t last. I have progressed as far as “creat ive agnosticism.” I don’ t know that there is, and don’ t know that there isn’ t. But my foundational not knowing allows me to search (the “creat ive” part of creative agnosticism) for what I call “T he God who may or may not exist” — and now for the hope that may or may not be real.

My hunger, though, is real. Buddhism says desire is the culprit that causes our suffering. But I think it’s the obsession with satisfying those hungers that causes suffering. As I’ve written

So I let go of hope, just as, once upon a December, I let go of Christmas. It worked. I rediscovered/recovered the holidays. Maybe that will happen with hope, which at the moment seems little more than heightened expectation, moving from long shot to long shot, letdown to letdown. Hope feels like living in an endless series of TV cliffhangers.

Hope is like caffeine — a virtual buzz that wears of f quickly.

Hope is all possibility, little payoff; it’s like being doomed to perpetual disappointment. And yet, and yet … as winter wanes, I still look forward every year to spring’s new beginnings and the uplift it brings to the natural world and my fl agging spirit. Every March, I experience something akin to joy as the sun returns, as shoots break through the softening soil, as birds — dinosaurs reborn, no less — start singing out my window in the mor ning.

For the late, great Brian Doyle, it’s all about Hope’s step-sister, Curiosity:

“We can move mountains and fly to the moon, we can murder by the millions and map the mystery of our genetic making, but what if we ever dropped the dagger, plucked the beams from our eyes, and grew up? What if ? And we have maps of that bright country already, in the brilliant bones of every religion, all flawed and greedy, but all, in their absolute essence, about the same thing: praise for the miracle of life, awe for the mysterious force that creates life, year ning for life after death, and most of all, inarticulate desperation for a future in which mercy trumps murder. More than any other force on this br uised earth, religions keep that desperate dream alive; for which this morning I sing and celebrate them, and bow to what is best in us. What if …?”

And where Hope’s rubber meets the road, poet Rosemary Wahtola Trommer writes:

Hope has holes in its pockets. It leaves little crumb trails so that we, when anxious, can follow it

Hope’s secret: it doesn’t know the destination — it knows only that all roads begin with one foot in front of the other.

Keep going, Hope says. You never know. What if ?

KEN TRAINOR

SHRUB TO WN by Marc Stopeck

First installment tax bills

The first of two property tax bills due this year were mailed at the end of January and will be due on March 4. The first installment of 2024 taxes (paid in 2025) is an estimate calculated at 55% of the total taxes paid last year. The final amount due will not be determined until second installment tax bills are issued in the summer of 2025. Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the new bills:

My second installment tax bill last year was much higher than it had been in prior years, and now my first installment is also much higher than before. Why?

Last summer’s second installment tax bills reflected a reassessment of all Oak Park properties, which happens once every three years. The reassessment led to dramatic tax increases for a large group of Oak Park taxpayers, and since the recently mailed bills are 55% of the group’s higher taxes from last year, their new bills are also high. But unlike last year, this year’s second installment bills should be lower than the first installment for most Oak Park taxpayers. We have now entered a two-year non-reassessment period, during which annual tax increases will likely be moderate, and the first installment bill should be higher than the second installment.

My tax bill last year was reduced by a homeowner, senior citizen, or disabled exemption. Why don’t these exemptions appear on my first installment bill?

A property’s eligibility for property tax exemptions can change from year to year. Eligibility deter minations for exemptions have not been made yet, but they will be made by the time second installment bills are issued. At that time, exemption-related savings will appear on tax bills. In tax year 2024, I tried to reduce my taxes by filing an appeal. If my appeal is successful, when will the results appear on my bill?

The results of a successful appeal for tax year 2024 will appear on this year’s second installment tax bill. How can I pay my first installment bill?

If your property taxes are paid by a mortg age company, you should not pay the bill yourself. You should, however, check to make sure the mortg age company pays the bill.

If you pay the taxes yourself, you can mail in your payment or pay it online at www.cookcountytreasurer.com. You can also pay the bill in person at the Cook County Treasurer’s downtown of fice or at any Chase Bank branch in the Chicago area.

Ali ElSa ar, Oak Park Township Assessor

WEDNESD AY

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.

All submissions must include your rst and last name and the municipality in which you live, plus a phone number (for veri cation only). We do not publish anonymous letters. One View essays should include a sentence at the end about who you are.

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.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

■ 350-word limit

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

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

■ 500-word limit

■ One-sentence footnote about yourself and/or your connection to the topic

■ Signature details as at left

OA K PARK LIBRARY BOARD C ANDIDAT E

Who pays the cost for banned books?

One frigid day in December, my middle-school daughter found herself alone and without a phone in downtown Oak Park. She had no way to reach us, she had no money, and it was too dark to walk home. She didn’t know what to do, so she went to the safest place she knew: the library I have lived in many different places, but no other town has had a library that is as explicit in its mission to be a library for everyone. It is the heart of Oak Park and sets the tone of our

I am running for trustee because I love this library.

I also know how easily a library can become “not for everyone.” On Dec. 7, 2016, one month after Trump was elected president for the first time, I was fired as rade teacher at a “progressive” school in Michigan. My principal said she couldn’t protect me if I continued to use my voice as a teacher of color. I filed a First Amendment Rights and Civil Rights violations lawsuit.

At my de position, the opposing counsel spent a significant amount of time questioning me about a picture book I had read to my class. The lawsuit had nothing to do with this book, 10,000 Dresses, which is about Bailey, who “doesn’t feel like a boy” and dreams about fabulous dresses, even as her family admonishes her that “boys don’t wear dresses.” The defense merely used the book because they believed it would make me look like a threat to children in the conservative community where we lived. The book was collateral damage, weaponized for racism.

One View

I won the lawsuit, but what happened to the school library’s copy of 10,000 Dresses, the one I had checked out and read to my students? Was the liberal-leaning librarian instructed to take it out of circulation by the principal? If she was, did she resist? Did they compromise and agree to shelve it in a hard-to-find spot? Certainly, no other teacher would ever read it to the class. And who paid the highest cost if the book was made less accessible? If 10,000 Dresses was banned, other books with LGBTQ+ characters would have quickly come under scrutiny. How safe would a queer child feel in a library like this? Would they seek refuge here when there was no other place to go?

I want to be clear here: the stakes are high. When book-banners come after our books and gatekee pers come after our public spaces, they are coming after our children. Even our beloved library is not immune to this.

Now more than ever, we need to insist on something simple but vital; on a cold, dark night, you are always welcome at the library

Mika Yamamoto is a candidate for the Oak Park Public Library Board in the April 1 election.

Climate-focused candidate forum

At a time when our democracy is being tested on a national scale, it’s more important than ever to eng age at the local level. Elections fo r Oak Park Village Board of Trustees and village president are fast approaching, and the decisions made by these officials will directly impact our daily lives — especially when it comes to climat e, sustainability, and active transportation.

One of Oak Park’s defining strengths is its eng aged community, particularly when it comes to issues of environmental stewardship and mobility. From advocating for safer streets for walking and biking to pushing for bold climat e action, Oak Pa rk residents consistently show up to shape the future of our village.

With widespread policy rollbacks at the national level, the question is: What can and should Oak Park be doing on climate and sustainability?

That’s why Seven Generations Ahead, Oak Park Climate Action Network, Bike Walk Oak Park, and It’s Our Future are co-hosting a Village Board Candidate For um on Climate, Sustainability, and Active Transpor tation on Monday, March 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Community Recreation Center (CRC). This is a key opportunity to hear directly from the candidates, understand their positions, and ask your own questions about the policies that will shape Oak Park’s future.

If you care about cleaner air, safer streets, and a more resilient community, we encourage you to attend, then take what you learn and cast an informed vote on April 1 for a village board that will champion a sustainable, thriving Oak Park.

Your voice matters — let’s use it. Re gister today on Eventbrite: https://ow.ly/cjob50V5KHX Amy Rosenthal, Gary Cuneen, Nicole Chavas, Manolo Avalos Oak Park

anks for the Anan interview

Thank you for featuring your interview with Anan Abu-Taleb so prominently [‘A war of erasure’, News, Feb. 12]. It is important to hear the situation in Gaza and the position of our administration (and that of Netanyahu’s government) called out for what it is. Anan speaks so vitally of the importance of solidarity between Palestinian and Jewish communities in the continued face of propaganda and dehumanization. It would have been good to hear Anan’s voice in the Wednesday Journal sooner, but thank you for doing it at last. Rachel Crookes, Oak Park

Journal editorial was irresponsible

Wednesday Jour nal has published an ar ticle and an editorial about Anthony Clark and the fact that he and OPRF High School have parted ways [ Anthony Clark’s contributions, Our Views, Viewpoints, Jan. 29]. We believe the Jour nal has abandoned any reasonable standard of journalism as well as its responsibility to the community. The Jour nal suggests that Clark’s de par ture is related to complaints that were made last year re garding online statements made by Clark about Israelis and Jews. The Jour nal rehashes some of the events of last year related to tensions at OPRF about the Israel-Hamas war and actions taken by the Middle Eastern and North African Student Club’s advisors (MENA).

As documented by the Chicago Tribune (https:// www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/07/oprf-resignationag reement-includes-25k-payout-to-anthony-clark), OPRF has explicitly denied that Clark’s departure was related to complaints of antisemitism and the for mal complaint filed with the Illinois State Board of Education about the actions of Clark (and others). If the Journal did not know about OPRF’s statement reported in the Chicago Tribune, we have to conclude that the Journal’s writers and editors are not competent and do not understand their responsibility to the community. If, on the other hand, the Journal writers and editors knew of this statement by OPRF and the Tribune ar ticle, we have to conclude that they operated in bad faith and simply used this oppor tunity to cast aspersions and arouse suspicion where none is warranted.

Clara Rubinstein, Beth Peres, Michael Z mora, Rya Ben-Shir, Morrie Goldman River Forest

Scaman’s peoplecentered public service

Having lived in Oak Pa rk in the late ’70s, and a member of the Community Relations Commission during that time, I left to attend seminary and then to serve churches in three states

I retur ned to Oak Park almost three years ago, after retirement from full-time work as a deputy sheriff and Episcopal priest. My involvements in our community since my retur n have led me to be profoundly grateful for the work of our village president, Vicki Scaman. Her wise, thoughtful, and collaborative approach to valuescentered gover nance benefits both the Oak Park of today and the village that will be here when we are gone As a for mer community org anizer, I particularly admire Vicki’s long history of people-centered public service.

Rev. Alonzo Pruitt, Oak Park

Anthony Clark’s departure

In its recent editorial [Anthony Clark’s contributions, Our Views, Viewpoints, Jan. 29] Wednesday Jour nal irresponsibly speculated that Anthony Clark’s departure from the high school may have been because he was “caught up in an upset” over the Israel-Hamas war. The high school has consistently said, and the Chicago Tribune reported (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/07/oprf-resignationagreement-includes-25k-payout-to-anthonyclark) that his departure was unrelated Your own reporter (https://www oakpark. com/2025/01/24/anthony-clark-resignationsettlement-oprf/) indicated it was due to an incident in late November.

More concerning than ignoring its own and other local reporting, however, is Wednesday Journal’s choice to minimize Mr Clark’s behavior. Over the course of many months, Mr. Clark directly posted and/or amplified antisemitic hate and lies on his X account. These posts, and re-posts, included denial of the Oct. 7 atrocities, accusations of Jews being white supremacists, and recycled tropes about Jews controlling the media. Examples include: Oct. 25, 2023: https://drive.google.com/ file/d/1JnTdsgsRylZLT0hC1PY1sferdVZZc Gc7/view

Dec. 27, 2023: https://drive.google.com/ file/d/1n-Op3HgKoijnj6nUQHwLuAcdLR26MDOl/view

Dec. 27, 2023: https://drive.google.com/

file/d/1dhf6g6XDBitV4L8dZdO4hX90WdNw 3p2l/view

Jan. 22, 2024: https://archive.ph/Kyit5 March 20, 2024: https://drive.google.com/ file/d/1FAefETrRzXHlZb3aOlW7dNDITigh Ic21/view

Mr. Clark was not “caught up” in anything. He made a choice to post and re-post antisemitic content and continued to do so after parents, colleagues and students expressed concern. It’s beyond disappointing that Wednesday Jour nal seems unable to call Mr. Clark’s atrocious social media behavior what it is. It’s antisemitism, hate and lies … plain and simple.

We agree with Wednesday Jour nal that Mr. Clark indeed did serve as a mentor and role model for many OPRF students and his focus on equity has had a positive impact across Oak Park. It is tragic that he has under mined his own good work by tearing down a religious minority. It is also tragic that our local paper is unable to address an issue as important and sensitive as antisemitism in our public schools in a transparent, accurate and fair manner.

The good news? It’s never too late to start. Elyse Cutler, Giovanni Giannotti, Amy Guralnick, Henry and Sally Guralnick, Hilarie Lieb, Melissa Lutz, Adam and Kelly Oxer, Eddie Pont, Holly Utter and Corey Kessler, Renee Slade, Mike Walker and Kim Kramer, Lisa Wister Oak Park and River Forest

Fred Arkin for D200 board

My time on the District 200 ballot was short-lived. I was riding high having made the decision to pursue serving on the OPRF High School Board of Education. It’s been a decade since I founded TEDxOakPark, and I looked forward to getting to know the parent community, serving as a liaison for their praises and concerns about our high school. I had a strong platform that would have focused on academic excellence, student safety and capital improvements to reflect the world-class high school that is a beacon for both Oak Park and River Forest communities.

Being that this was the first time I attempted to run for public of fice, I made a rookie mistake with my candidacy paperwork, and the two activist candidates picked through it. I found myself out of the running and feeling helpless that my values would not be reflected in these candidates. They both met

More “I’ll be there.”

More “I’ll be there.”

with me prior to challenging my candidacy where I learned they have an axe to grind with the current D200 board.

For this reason, I extend my support for Fred Arkin. Fred’s contribution to the D200 board spans a decade, and the continuity of his institutional knowledge will be critical as Tom Cofsky transitions off the board. In addition, Fred also contributes harmony to the school board dynamics, which is essential for good outcomes from a group of high-performing volunteers serving our community. Lastly, Fred’s commitment to making decisions through an equity lens is important now more than ever with the changing political landscape, which is why we need his involvement.

I hope you will vote for Fred Arkin to continue his D200 Board of Education service on April 1

Tania Haigh, Oak Park

Less “Where have you been?”

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?”

Less “Where have you been?”

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

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

and

so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov

More “I’ll be there.”

Less “Where have you been?”

Vote against fe ar on the D200 board

As political candidates, authoritarians typically exploit fear, in their hunt for enough votes to impose punitive controls Take, for example, the bloc candidacy of Nathan Mellman and Joshua Gertz for the District 200 high school board. Their website emphasizes three priorities: harsher student discipline, an academic caste system for freshman (not currently tracked in certain classes) and DOGE-like scrutiny of projects and staffing. Translation: be afraid of the bad kids, the slow kids, the tax-and-spend liberals Empower us to expel the woke ideology that slackened our standards

Will Oak Park and River Forest vote in fear? In the Feb. 5 Wednesday Journal, OPRF’s spokesperson rebuts Mellman and Gertz’s mischaracterization of data demonstrating that, even with COVID, academic performance has been essentially steady, while combative incidents declined in 2023-24. Expulsions and “tough-guy” discipline are counter-productive. OPRF educates adolescents, many only 14 years old, who shouldn’t be exiled from the learning, counseling and credentialing that will shape their adulthood. Meanwhile, a freshman tracking system would create winners and losers. A progressive community can’t ignore the impact on

minority and low-income children consigned to low tracks. In contrast, when de-tracked students experience team-based and projectbased learning, instead of classroom lectures, the added value of diverse backgrounds and skills benefits everyone

Mellman and Gertz also vow to safeguard taxpayer money. What candidate doesn’t? Yet unable to identify any improper spending, their website decries teacher absences — during 2022! — when the feds didn’t terminate pandemic emergency measures until May 2023. If there’s actual misspending, prove it, or dampen the fear-inducing subtext against a school that sustains our home values

Can fear be outvoted here? With only five ballot candidates for four seats, half of this slate will win automatically — unless writein candidate and UIC professor David Schaafsma gets sufficient support Regrettably, as the Feb. 19 Wednesday Jour nal reported [Chronically low, voter turnout concerns candidates, News] only about 18% of voters tur ned out for our 2023 local election.

Vote against fear. Or vote in fear — of punitive and divisive leadership at OPRF High School.

David Gilbert Oak Park

Mellman & Gertz for D200

I fully endorse Nate Mellman and Josh Gertz for the District 200 school board. The board needs them. Some critics of Josh and Nate say they come with an agenda. I’m certain that most, if not all, board candidates decide to run because they are concerned about something the board is dealing with. No one comes to the board totally neutral. What you want is a board member informed by personal experience, who can listen openly to the experience of all and ask good questions. Such a board member will contribute to the board making better decisions.

Nate and Josh will, for one thing, bring to the board the voices of students who feel shaken by their experiences at school and feel they have not been heard. Years ago, with the documentary film America to Me, the school was exposed to the experience of its students of color, and faced the need to re pair those relationships. The board must again lear n how to better navigate and respond to all voices at school and make sure none are negated or dismissed. None!

The high school should be a safe place for all sides to express their experience. Once views are expressed, the board then needs to listen and, if necessary, take action.

To achieve this, the board must be able to recognize when student or faculty views cross a line and threaten the legitimacy of other perspectives. This must be called out.

To those voting, please read the new book, Our Nazi , by for mer OPRF teacher Michael Soffer. He writes of a time, not very long ago, when our high school board did not listen and respond to the pain of its Jewish neighbors. This should not be a patter n for Oak Pa rk and River Forest. We should learn from our mistakes and take seriously when students say they feel unsafe. Nate and Josh will strive to help the board do just that for all students. Do not allow history to re peat itself by blaming those who raise an issue that makes some uncomfor table. We need to be better than that.

Phyllis Rubin River Forest

Taglia for strong leadership

I am writing to express my strong support for James Taglia in his campaign for Oak Park village trustee. As a dedicated and experienced leader with 12 years as an elected official, he possesses the integrity, vision, and commitment necessary to serve our community effectively.

Throughout his career as a public official, he has demonstrated a deep understanding of the issues that matter most to our residents. His proven track record of limiting our tax levy increases to 3%, being a strong proponent of our community policing strategy, supporting the adoption of the Climate Ready Oak Park Plan — which aims to reduce the village’s greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030 — and voting to enact Oak Park’s first Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance (IZO), requiring new developments in Oak Park to either provide affordable units or pay an in-lieu fee to the village, makes him an

ideal candidate to represent us Taglia understands that efficient gover nment is achievable through responsible budgeting and by prioritizing essential needs over unnecessary expenditures. His ability to listen to the concerns of residents and take decisive action sets him apart as a leader who truly cares about our community’s future.

Living in this community for over 20 years, as well as owning rental properties and having run a business in Oak Park, I have experienced the effect local government can have on an individual. I believe that Taglia will bring experience, integrity, collaboration, and a results-driven approach to the role of trustee.

I encourage my fellow residents to support James Taglia on Election Day to ensure our community continues to thrive under strong and responsible leadership.

Rich Vigsnes, Oak Park

Better ways to honor Julian

“Attractive nuisance” is a le gal doctrine that refers to property features that attract children and could cause injury. After attending a meeting at Whittier Elementary School concerning the proposed Percy Julian Streetscape on Chicago Avenue from Austin to East Avenue, I am convinced we are immersed in a fool’s errand that will ultimately fall short of its goal to honor a great man.

Banners, pillars, and interactive screens placed on a nar row parkway in close proximity to a heavily trafficked thoroughfare is not a safe, viable solution. The Percy Julian home sits on a huge corner lot with ample room for a fun, interactive park that would not detract from the view of the home or cause any potential danger.

Percy Julian, our first African American millionaire, invested in his gorgeous property and worked tirelessly in a violent post-Jim Crow America to keep his family safe and prosperous in his new Oak Park home. Faith, the daughter of Percy Julian, who still resides in the home, has expressed a preference that the home be used as a “museum, gathering place, and a hub of inspiration” according to a 2022 ar ticle in Chemical and Engineering News. She has over 80 boxes of Percy Julian documents in the home.

The birthplace of Hemingway and the

Home & Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright were preserved through foundations. We need to dedicate our ef for ts to a Percy Julian Foundation that will help restore the majestic home of our exceptional local hero and inspire future generations in his spirit.

A park on the lot could feature benches, a garden that addresses Percy Julian’s horticultural endeavors, interactive screens that explain his scientific advancements, and pillars that inform and inspire scientific curiosity and encourage community activism.

The budget for the streetscape is still unsettled, but the village has put aside one million dollars to help preserve the property, which remains vulnerable.

We need to honor Percy Julian with the dignity and perseverance that truly reflects his le gacy. The suggestions presented at the meeting would not honor Percy Julian. But they would add unsightly clutter and obstruction to commercial as well as private property along more than a mile at an undetermined and unnecessary expense.

The village board and community need to focus on the preservation of the home and the development of a museum. A streetscape is not the answer. It may even be an unattractive nuisance. Naomi Hildner Oak Park

Return Williams-Lee to D200 board

Audrey Williams-Lee is the exact type of leader we need on the District 200 high school board. As a parent of a 2023 OPRF High School graduate and a two-term OPRF High School Community Council member, I had a firsthand seat to the many opportunities that OPRF offers our children and community. I saw the types of challenges that exist in being able to give our children a first-rate, safe, inclusive, and holistic educational experience against the backdrop of our complex world.

I first got to know Audrey as a fellow Community Council member before she filled a vacancy on the D200 board. In our meetings, I saw her demonstrate thoughtful questions, constructive dialog, a commitment to creating an environment in which all students can thrive, and an ability to understand the different voices in a room.

Working with her and the OPRF administration to set up a High School Communications Committee, I saw her commitment to acting in the best interest of our students and community. Her various corporate leadership roles have instilled in her the mindset of being a good steward of the organizations she serves, leaving them better than she found them. She has overseen large budgets and teams, has a keen understanding of complex operating environments, and leverages her HR back ground to deeply understand people, what motivates them, and how to navigate conflict.

These capabilities and attributes make Audrey an ideal board member who will work to ensure D200 provides a leading educational experience, remains fiscally responsible, and provides an inclusive environment that serves all students and our community.

Michele Mazur Oak Park

Concerns about bird u

After reading a WTTW Newsletter on Feb. 18, my concerns about bird flu was only amplified. The current bird flu outbreak has been incredibly worsened due to HHS/CDC being banned from releasing clinical updates and warnings. As a result, medical and animal medicine professionals are not aware of the latest information on the virus. Numerous large animal vets have been infected with bird flu because they were not aware of current interspecies infection potential.

We are losing an incredible number of birds to this disease, from geese to merganzer ducks to the dead bald eagle found in Busse Woods. The limited bird flu tests and the destruction of carcasses, leading to frequent undercounts of bird flu infestations, has created increased threat to avian apex predators like eagles and other raptors. We are combating our next potential pandemic with one arm tied behind our backs with Trump/Musk/DOGE massive cutbacks in funds for medical research and medical professional communication and massive layoffs of CDC scientists, researchers and clinicians.

Just when a potential vaccine to protect against bird flu is on the horizon we have an HHS leadership that doubts the safety and efficacy of vaccines and a secretary of HHS who is a vaccine denier

Frank Vozak Oak Park

Bevan for D90 school board

Katie Bevan will be a highly productive member of the District 90 Board of Education. I served with Katie on the River Forest Library Board. She is an analytic thinker with a strong background in finance. Moreover, she has excellent communication skills, the ability to ask the right questions, and to understand and explain complex issues D90 students experience outstanding success. Katie will help secure and promote continued success.

Katie has been an active community member, and with three boys in D90 schools, she has good understanding of the strengths and needs of each school.

Please cast your vote for Katherine (Katie) Bevan on April 1.

Joan O’Connor, River Forest

We choose Vicki

As prior village trustees and parents of five Oak Park children, we encourage you to “Vote Vicki!” and re-elect Vicki Scaman as Oak Park village president. While in service ourselves, we both had the privilege to work with Vicki in her role as village clerk and chair of the Liquor Control Review Board. We were both impressed by her strong advocacy for government transparency, her safe and balanced approach to liquor licensing laws, and her commitment to the health and safety of Oak Park youth through her work with Oak Park Township. She always served with a level head, a calm demeanor, and an unwavering commitment to stand by her values

Now as Oak Park residents and parents, we are grateful for her leadership as village president these last four years. She has deepened her legacy as a strong and steady leader in the face of adversity.

Vicki played a critical role in keeping Oak Parkers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, Oak Park residents had access to free testing, COVID-19 data, and a Health Department that stayed on the cutting edge of the ever-evolving scientific research of that time.

And, like many Oak Parkers, she has confronted other difficult issues head on, including the immigration crisis, affordable housing, and systemic racism. Our village government could have easily washed its hands of the migrants who landed on our doorstep last winter. Instead, she ensured that our government showed up for these most vulnerable members of society, many of whom were seeking asylum and required a safe place to land.

Perhaps most important to us, Vicki is a leader who listens to the needs of the community and addresses real, practical concerns. We believe this is the real work of Village Government: keeping our neighbors safe, our streets clean, and our roads intact. We know she is the right leader to ensure we continue to receive what we — as taxpayers — need most from our community.

In this time of great political uncertainty, the most important work we can do is right here in our community We choose Vicki to lead the way.

Annie & Adam Button Salzman, Oak Park

Write in Schaafsma for D200

I am supporting David Schaafsma as a write-in candidate for the District 200 Board of Education. David and his wife Tara have lived in Oak Park for 25 years. They are raising five children, including three soon-to-be OPRF High School graduates. He is a longtime Oak Park volunteer, coaching AYSO soccer and Cub and Boy scouts. At the high school he volunteered with the Spoken Word Club and has been an avid sports and arts dad. He has been a professor of English and director of English Education at UIC.

While chasing tenure in the English Department of Columbia Chicago, I discovered and read his writings, first drawn to his book: Eating on the Street: Teaching Literacy in a Multicultural Society (1993), and Narrati ve Inquiry: Approaches to Language and Literacy Research (2011). His discussions about whose story gets told, how it is valued and how narrative may contain accessible organizational elements showed promise for assisting students toward gaining literacy and writing skills. His work spoke to me, prompting me to continue exploring and practicing various teaching methods, approaches, and activities centered at the crossroads of culture and the teaching of writing. David thinks that “a school board ought to have re presentation from someone who knows intimately the field of education generally and our high school in particular.” His scholarship in the service of preparing teachers to teach English in urban and suburban classrooms is reco gnized nationally. As a UIC educator he has worked with OPRF teachers, placing studentteachers there, bringing his teaching methods students to their classrooms.

As David sees it, “My job on the board is not to aggressively promote my own agenda, but to work toward equitable solutions with likeminded individuals for the good of the school district, and especially its students.”

Several longstanding issues require critical attention from this community. These issues include clearer articulation, accountability and adjustments to the new first-year curriculum, de-tracking, discipline, and the larger issues of student preparedness in relation to what a 21stcentury high school education might look like. David is a listener. He has for five decades paired his listening skills with his scholarship to prepare teachers for the inestimable work they undertake. He is the right person for this moment.

George

Bailey, Oak Park

VIEWPOINT S

e foolish four

As the fall season is over, and we are midway through winter, there are a variety of opinions re garding leafbagging, but it is clear that leaf-bagging was implemented without community input. And when some community input was received, it was ignored by the majority of the village trustees.

The impact of switching to leafbagging varied by resident, depending on the amount of fallen leaves. A burden and hardship to some, not so to others. One result is that a number of Oak Park streets are now dirtier than they were a year ago, with some streets having significant leaf detritus, clogging curbs and some catch basins and spreading into the streets. The village of Oak Park will have to spend more time and incur more cost cleaning up the streets this spring.

The non-leaf-bagging collection system had been in place for over 25 years. Past village boards considered changing to leaf-bagging but rejected the notion, knowing that it would face significant resident opposition. A review of trustee meeting minutes and transcripts indicate that the village trustees on March 12, 2024, led by President Vicki Scaman, decided to move ahead with leaf-bagging without a board vote and without community input. On April 30, the trustees finally

voted on the matter.

President Scaman reversed herself, citing a lack of community eng agement. Trustee Parakkat was the only trustee voting against leaf-bagging. On June 18, 2024, the trustees held another vote — this time, to delay leaf bagging to 2025 (which would have allowed more time for community input and to address alternatives). President Scaman and trustees Parakkat and Enyia voted in favor of the delay. Four trustees opposed the motion and it was not approved.

So who are the four trustees — the Foolish Four? Susan Buchanan, Lucia Robinson, Brian Shaw, and Cory Wesley. Ms. Robinson is running for re-election this April. The others have terms that expire in 2027.

The leaf-bagging debacle speaks to judgment and attitude. In the 90-day period from the March 12 meeting to the June 18 second vote, the trustees heard plenty of opposition to leaf-bagging. One trustee heeded and proposed the delay. The Foolish Four did not.

A big, expensive issue is the proposed renovation of village hall and construction of a new police facility. Do you want the Foolish Four to make bigdollar decisions on spending your tax dollars? I do not.

Bruce Mar tin, Oak Park

Elon Musk vs. democracy

We all need to remember (if we ever really knew) that Elon Musk grew up in an all-white area of apar theid South Africa. He knows nothing of the USA’s democratic (lower case “d”) traditions and American history. They mean nothing to him.

He detests Black Africa and its descendants here in the USA. Maintaining democratic policies and people decisionmaking and citizen approval of policies, have no place in his mindset. Machines and computers are his life blood and anything he can do to advance them is therefore good for his equilibrium. Musk came to America on scholarships after attending a Canadian

university. He overstayed his visa but somehow managed to declare himself a citizen and have it upheld by officials in Texas. So be it. But now he wants to restructure this country along the lines of his understanding of his past — things anathema to our nation’s history and traditions.

As long as he is effectively copresident with Trump, we can’t expect democracy (again with a lower case “d”) to play any role in stopping him or Trump. American democracy elected Trump (and therefore him) and now he will work to destroy that democracy

Jeanné Schulte Matthews Oak Park

OBITUARIES

Virginia Short, 82 OPRF High School secretary

Virginia “Ginny” Short, 82, died peacefully at her home in Oak Park on Feb. 7, 2025. Bor n on Nov. 22, 1942, in Chicago to Elmer and Roseann Biede, she grew up in Chicago and graduated from Austin High School, then continued her education at Wright Junior College, where she was a proud member of the Alpha Beta Mu sorority.

She met her husband, James Short, in Oak Park, and they married on Sept. 29, 1962. To gether, they enjoy derful years of mar riage and raised four sons: James (Christine) Short Jr., St (Susan) Short, Richard (Andrea) Short, and Kenneth (Eileen) Short.

She worked at Oak Park and River Forest High School from 1982 to 2004, primarily as the Girls Physical Education secretary. She was a familiar face at most home athletic events, always cheering on the Huskies with

enthusiasm. A passionate fan of the Chicago Cubs and Bears, she rarely missed a g ame

Her warmth, dedication, and love for her f amily and community will be deeply missed.

Ginny was the grandmother of Kelly (Jon) So, Jamie (Matthew) Epland, Spencer (Chelsie) Smith, Marisa Short, Carson Short, and Elena Shor t great-grandmother of Audrey, and Lennon.

in us in a Celebration of Life on Satur1, from 10 a.m. to noon at Salerno’s Galewood Chapel, 1857 N. Harlem ., Chicago, IL 60707. All are welcome to attend and share in this special moment with the family

In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Diabetes Association would be greatly appreciated

Parakkat for village a ordability

Village spending is out of control, and it’s about to get terribly worse. Your vote or a decision not to vote for village board president on April 1 will significantly affect village affordability.

Our most recent tax bill showed a 23.4% increase. This is unsustainable and will inevitably force homeowners to leave. President Scaman is now working on a multimillion-dollar village campus that you don’t need but you will definitely notice on your future tax bills. Under her leadership, a hefty pay increase for herself was recently passed. You won’t notice that on your next tax bill, but it will contribute to the “death by a thousand cuts” that leads to increased taxes and affordability concerns

Spending in Oak Park “buys” votes Without giving anyone a chance to weigh in, she has set aside $1 million for the Percy Julian House with no plan. Additional funds are coming for a study on a proposed Percy Julian streetscape (price TBD). These issues do reflect Oak Park values, but they also affect our taxes and under mine Oak Park affordability.

With 30 unstaffed positions, a woefully inadequate police station, an environment of distrust, and reluctance to support an adequate number of FLOCK cameras to detect stolen autos and illegal guns, public safety continues to lag because the board under President Scaman has not prioritized our police department.

We believe that Ravi Parakkat has a very different vision for Oak Park and the village board process. He offers real structure and discipline. Meet him at one of his public events (next is Feb. 28, 3 to 7 p.m. at Fat Cat Gallery) or open Sunday-mor ning coffee sessions (see vote4ravi.com). Hear him talk about his values and experience; then you can judge for yourself

President Scaman is the incumbent with name recognition. She expects to win a lowtur nout election and loves spending your money. Please become engaged and lear n why we are supporting Ravi Parakkat for village board president. Democracy becomes dangerous when citizens are not involved. Don & Mary Ann DeBruin Oak Park residents for 51 years

SPORTS

Fenwick, OPRF swim strong at sectional

By LAUREN RECCHIA

Contributing Reporter

The Fenwick and OPRF boys swimming teams both had a strong showing Saturday at the sectional finals at Fenwick, and several swimmers from each team are heading to the state finals.

The Friars (358 points) placed second in the event, while the Huskies (336 points) took third. Lane Tech notched the victory with 408 points. Fenwick Junior Patrick Rhatigan placed third in the 200-yard freestyle (1:44.05) and 500-yard freestyle (4:45.34). The relay team of Senior Thomas Heit, Juniors Thomas Caicedo and Jack Posluszny, along with Rhatigan, placed second in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:26.53, and the relay team of Heit, junior Michael Neumann, Posluszny and Rhatigan placed first in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:09.40.

“I was very far of f from my times at this point in the season in previous years, as well as the times I was pacing for throughout the season. However, I will be able to bounce back for state and be right where I should be,” Rhatigan said. “The highlight of my day would probably be the 4 by 100 Freestyle relay. It felt good to bounce back

after a subpar day and beat Lane Tech in the last event of the day. I think that our 4 by 100 will do great at state and I look forward to being a part of it.”

For the Huskies, senior Will Keyes took second in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.65 and took third in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 46.40. The relay team of senior Lucas Puntillo, Keyes, sophomore Alfonso Cides, and Senior Andrew Harmon took third place in the 200-yard freestyle relay, and the relay team of sophomore Justin Dairyko, Cides, Harmon, and Keyes took third in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

“It feels great to be heading back to state, and it’s even more exciting to share the experience with some of my teammates and good friends,” Keyes said. “I’ve been preparing for this moment all year, so it’s crazy to think that it’s finally here. Leading up to sectionals, I adjusted my training by tapering, cutting back on yardage and intensity so I could be at my best or close to it. We shifted our focus to race-pace ef for ts in practice to fine-tune the specific events we were swimming.”

Rhatigan was proud of how the team perfor med after a long season of preparation to get to the state swimming level.

“The team performed incredibly,” he

OPRF’s Will Keyes competes in the 200 Yard Freestyle during the IHSA Boys Sw imming Sectional at Fenw ick, Feb. 22, in Oak Park

said. “Posluszny had an outstanding day. His ability to get up and go really stood out to me. The team’s ability to come together and support each other for everyone’s events was amazing to witness and be a part of. The key to this was the community that Fenwick created. Being a Catholic school, we all gather in prayer and can have that one common thing that brings us all together. I think we all give the glory of our success to God, and he is responsible

for how well we perfor med.”

Keyes was also very proud of how his Huskies fared as they get ready to head down to the state finals.

“What really stood out to me about our team’s performance at sectionals was just how strong we were across the board,” he said. “Everyone put up great swims, and the energy was high all around. You could tell that the whole team walked away feeling good about how they performed.”

Trinity rolls to h consecutive regional title

Fenwick, OPRF girls basketball eliminated from state tournament

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Winning IHSA re gional titles is becoming routine for the Trinity High School basketball team. The Blazers notched their fifth consecutive Class 3A re gional championship with a decisive 66-35 victory over visiting Wheaton St. Francis, Feb. 20. But Trinity coach Kimberly Coleman

has bigger ambitions, namely securing the program’s first sectional title since 2016, when the Blazers went 30-6 and finished third in Class 4A.

“I want more,” she said. “I have so much gratitude to play at home and win a re gional, but I want more, and I think we can get more.”

Trinity (23-10) never trailed and used suf focating defense to gradually pull away,

holding St. Francis (9-23) to 23.5 percent from the field and allowing no baskets in the third quarter. The Blazers also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Spartans 42-23.

Zaria Goins had 15 points and seven rebounds, Armante Dambrauskas 13 points and eight rebounds, Jaylani Hernandez nine points and five assists, and Sofia Flynn 11 rebounds for Trinity.

Up next for Trinity is a sectional semifinal against Montini Catholic at DePaul Prep, Feb. 25 [after deadline]. The Broncos defeated the Blazers in last year’s Glenbard South sectional final, but Coleman likes how her team is playing, especially offensively. Trinity has balance, and any player can carry the load on any given night.

See BASKETBALL on page 38

STEVE JOHNSTON

OPRF’s Rundell wins stat wrestling championship

Sophomore is third in his family to win a title

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School wrestling team fondly refers to itself as the Huskie Wrestling Family. But among the families who have participated in the program over the years, there’s one that stands out. In 2015, Matthew Rundell, a 2015 OPRF graduate, won the IHSA Class 3A individual title at 160 lbs, finishing with a 34-3 record. Three years later, Matthew’s younger brother Jake (Class of ’20) won the 106 lb title

At the IHSA Class 3A individual state finals in Champaign, Feb. 22, another Rundell followed suit. Sophomore MJ Rundell defeated Loyola Academy’s Niko Odlotti 4-1 to win the 106 lb title. He’s the Huskies’ first state champion since 2020, when Josh Ogunsanya won the 145 lb title

“It’s pretty nice. It’s definitely something I’ve been working hard for,” said Rundell, who improved his season record to 41-2. “It’s good to see it pay off.”

Rundell is quick to credit his brothers, whom he says have been a major influence in his career.

“They give me a lot of aspirations,” he said,

BASKETBALL

from page 37

“That’s the beauty of it. I’ve never been in a situation like this,” Coleman said. “I’m excited for us to continue to be consistent in both [ends]. We talk about playing your best basketball at the right time of year, and this is perfect timing.”

Fenwick

Despite getting 21 points on 7 three-pointers from Cammie Molis, the Friars (14-18) lost the Class 4A Morton regional final, Feb. 20, to Lyons Township 66-46.

Fenwick coach Lenae Fergerson knew her team had a tough task against the Lions (312), the top seed in the Lyons Township sectional. But she felt the Friars played better than the final score indicates.

“and expectations for myself.”

“We felt really good about the way MJ wrestled,” said OPRF coach Paul Collins. “He gained more confidence and got better as the tournament went on.”

Besides Rundell, two other OPRF wrestler earned All-State status with top-six finishes in their weight classes. Following a quar nal loss, sophomore Jamiel Castleberry (31-7) won two consecutive wrestlebacks to secur a spot on the podium at 120 lbs. In the fifthplace match, he defeated Andrew’s Nadeem Haleem, 10-3.

“Jamiel didn’t wrestle his best in the quarterfinals and he’d be the first to say that,” Collins said. “But he was able to respond and focus his energy on the right things that allowed him to compete to the best of his ability. It was a point of growth for him.”

At 138, senior Joseph Knackstedt (35-5) reached the semifinals. He lost via technical fall to Seth Mendoza of Mount Carmel, but rebounded in the wrestleback with a victory via fall at 2:57 against Fremd’s Drew Fifield. In the third-place match, Knackstedt lost 11-5 to Grant’s Erik Rodriguez.

“Joe was better prepared this year to compete,” Collins said. “For him to go from not

“I just wanted my girls to compete,” Fergerson said. “The score was tied in the second quarter, and at halftime it was an eight-point game. They competed, and I was proud of them. But LT’s a very good team and the number one seed for a reason.”

The loss doesn’t dampen Fergerson’s enthusiasm for Fenwick’s future. Eleven players are scheduled to return next season, among them Molis, a junior, and freshmen Eleanor Gibson and Avani Williams

“I take it as a good learning experience for our freshman group, and the juniors have another year under their belt,” Fergerson said. “They understand what’s at stake next year and what they’ve got to get better at.”

Fergerson had kind words for her five departing seniors: Clare and Kiera Kapsch, Claire Murphy, Catherine Quinn, and Diamond Young.

“They’ve given me all they have,” she said. “It’s always tough for it to end, but at some

Oak Park-River Forest sophomore MJ Rundell gets his hand raised in victory at the IHSA Class 3A individual wrestling nals in Champaign, Feb. 20-22. Rundell won the 106-pound division to become the Huskies’ rst state champion since Josh Ogunsanya in 2020.

placing last year to top-four this year is a great achievement.”

The Huskies had four others competing in Champaign. Junior David Ogunsanya (27-8) and senior Eric Harris (28-13) each went 2-2 in the 150 and 215 lb classes respectively Junior Zev Koransky went 1-2 at 132, while senior AJ Noyes (11-7) dropped both matches at 144.

Now that state individuals are over, OPRF turns its attention to the dual-team tournament. The Huskies faced St. Charles East in

point it does. I told them they have nothing to hang their heads about. I’m proud of the young women they have become. … The sky’s the limit for them.”

OPRF

The Huskies (4-28) lost in the Class 4A Kenwood regional semifinal to the host Broncos 82-25, Feb. 18, ending coach Renee Brantley’s first full-time season.

“My girls played hard,” Brantley said. “Kenwood can easily win state if they make it out of [the Lyons sectional]. It’s a process and lesson for our girls, and they didn’t hold their heads down after the game; they were motivated to start spring workouts, go into the summer on a good note, and come back [next season] better.”

Tavia Allen and Genevieve Simkowski each scored a team-high five points and Taryn Draine had four points and four re-

a 3A sectional semifinal at Schaumburg, Feb. 25, after deadline. The winner advances to the quarterfinals in Bloomington, Feb. 28-March 1.

While thrilled with his individual accomplishment, Rundell plans on doing his part to help OPRF win a team state title, which would be the program’s fifth and the first since 2016. “We’re just gonna keep training hard,” he said. “It’d be amazing to win. I feel confident in my ability to put it on the line for my team and get that win.”

bounds to lead OPRF

In a re gional quarterfinal, Feb. 15, Draine had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five steals while Simkowski had 13 points and five steals in the Huskies’ 55-41 victory at Oak Lawn Richards.

“We played well,” Brantley said. “We kept our composure and led the majority of the way; we competed all four quarters and I was proud.”

Simkowski is one of three graduating seniors, along with Siena Alfonsi and Anna Breuer. Simkowski made the West Suburban Silver All-Conference team, averaging 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and had 102 steals. She also made the WSC Silver All-Academic team along with Alfonsi and Breuer.

“I appreciate them for finishing what they started,” Brantley said of her seniors. “They never quit. T hey were great leaders and the glue to the progr am. I’m so thankful for them. ”

COURTESY OF SAMANTHA SMART

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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

WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND

SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLEY IN ITS CAPACITY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR OCWEN LOAN ACQUISTION TRUST 2023-HB1 Plaintiff, -v.-

UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF RICKY WILSON, DECEASED, UNKNOWN CLAIMANTS AND LIENHOLDERS AGAINST THE ESTATE OF RICKY WILSON, DECEASED, UNKNOWN CLAIMANTS AND LIENHOLDERS AGAINST THE UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF RICKY WILSON, DECEASED, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF ALLIE MAE WILSON AKA ALLIE M. WILSON, DECEASED, UNKNOWN CLAIMANTS AND LIENHOLDERS AGAINST THE ESTATE OF ALLIE MAE WILSON AKA ALLIE M. WILSON, DECEASED, UNKNOWN CLAIMANTS AND LIENHOLDERS AGAINST THE UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF ALLIE MAE WILSON AKA ALLIE M. WILSON, DECEASED, BONNIE M. WILSON, JOHN LYDON, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF RICKY WILSON, DECEASED, WILLIAM P. BUTCHER, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF ALLIE MAE WILSON AKA ALLIE M. WILSON, DECEASED Defendants

18 CH 07072

643 S. 19TH AVENUE

MAYWOOD, IL 60153

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIV-

EN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 17, 2024, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 18, 2025, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 643 S. 19TH AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153 Property Index No. 15-10-322017-0000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

The judgment amount was $205,161.17.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

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

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

RIVERSIDE TOWNSHIP MENTAL HEALTH BOARD

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g) (4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

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

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

For information, contact HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 601 E. William St., DECATUR, IL, 62523 (217) 422-1719. Please refer to file number 323264. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

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

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

HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC

601 E. William St. DECATUR IL, 62523 217-422-1719

Fax #: 217-422-1754

E-Mail: CookPleadings@hsbattys. com

Attorney File No. 323264

Attorney Code. 40387

Case Number: 18 CH 07072

TJSC#: 44-3268

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

Case # 18 CH 07072 I3260849

PUBLIC NOTICES

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

27 RIVERSIDE ROAD

RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS 60546

In accordance with the Open Meetings Act, this is to advise you that the Riverside Township Mental Health Board will hold a Finance Committee meeting on February 26, 2025, to prepare and review the FY 2025 Budget at the Riverside Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois in room 2022, at the hour of 6:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact Board President, Adam Wilt, at awilt.rtmhb@gmail.com or call Adam at 708-804-4400.

Published in RBLandmark February 26, 2025

LEGAL NOTICE

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS

Public Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) of the Village of River Forest, County of Cook, State of Illinois, on Thursday, March 13, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in the First Floor Community Room of the River Forest Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois on the following matter:

The ZBA will consider an application for a major zoning variation submitted by Tyler Lamkey and Tina Lamkey, owners of the property at 633 William Street, who are proposing to relocate the existing accessory garage structure on the lot.

Section 4-8-5 of the Village Code provides the Zoning Board jurisdiction to hold public hearings and offer recommendations to the Village Board concerning variations to the Zoning Ordinance.

The applicant is requesting a major variation to Section 10-9-7 of the Zoning Ordinance.

Section 10-9-7 of the Zoning ordinance (10-8-7-A-2) requires “On the secondary street the front yard shall be a minimum of thirteen feet for a fifty foot wide lot,…”. The applicants are proposing to relocate the existing accessory garage structure so that it will have a setback for the Secondary Front Yard of 3’-6” from the north property line to the face of the building, and 2’-0” from the north property line to the face of the roof eave.

The legal description of the property at 633 William Street is as follows: LOT 36 IN THE SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 12 OF QUICK’S SUBDIVISION OF THAT PART LYING NORTH OF LAKE STREET OF THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting packet, which includes a copy of this zoning variation application, will be available at www.vrf.us/meetings no less than 48 hours prior to the public hearing.

All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. For public comments to be considered by the Zoning Board of Appeals and Village Board of Trustees in their decision, they must be included as part of the public hearing record. Interested persons can learn more about how to participate in the hearing by visiting www.vrf.us/zoningvariation

Sincerely,

Clifford Radatz Secretary, Zoning Board of Appeals

Published in Wednesday Journal February 26, 2025

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

The Board of Education of Oak Park Elementary School District #97 will receive sealed “Individual/ Small Group Transportation Bids” for District 97 schools located in Oak Park, IL, 60302, until 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 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, March 17, 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 “Individual/Small Group Transportation Bid - District 97 Schools.” Additional information may be obtained by contacting Mr. Michael Arensdorff at (708) 5243015 or marensdorff@op97.org. Faxed or electronically submitted bids will not be accepted. Any faxed or electronically submitted bid will disqualify vendors.

Responses Due Date: Tuesday, March 25, 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 26, 2025

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302

Monday through Friday, 7�30

a.m. to 3�00 p.m. local time until 3�00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21st, 2025 for the following:

Village of Oak Park

2025 Surface Hot Mix Asphalt Purchase Bid Number: 25�117

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

Published in Wednesday Journal February 26, 2025

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302

Monday through Friday, 7�30 a.m. to 3�00 p.m. local time until 3�00 p.m. on Friday, March 14, 2025 for the following:

Village of Oak Park

2025 Redi Mix Concrete Purchase Bid Number: 25�116

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

Published in Wednesday Journal February 26, 2025

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7�30 a.m. to 4�00 p.m. local time until 3�00 p.m. on Friday, March 14th, 2025 for the following: Village of Oak Park 2025 Traffic Sign Materials Bid Package Bid Number: 25 � 114 Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park. us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at �708� 358� 5700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 26, 2025

Riverside Arts Center hosts artist talk with JAY WOLKE

By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter

The Riverside Arts Center hosted a lively artist panel on Feb. 9 with photographer Jay Wolke, focusing on his solo exhibit “Building Place: Big Boat Little Pond” curated by Paul D’Amato and Laura Husar Garcia.

Wolke is a Chicago-based artist and educator, known for his photographic monographs, including “All Around the House” (1998) and “Along the Divide” (2004). Currently a Professor of Photography at Columbia College Chicago, Wolke previously served as chair of the Art and Design Department.

The panel provided insights into their experiences and expertise in curating Wolke’s solo exhibition, which showcases his large-format color photography exploring the intersection of nature, architecture and habitation. D’Amato and Garcia led the discussion.

Wolke said he found the discussion insightful, saying, “Whenever you see your own work filling a room or up on the walls, it’s a very different experience than if you’re just looking at it on a computer screen. So actually, when you see that print, which is really the man-

RIVERSIDE ARTS CENTER

Laura Husar Garcia, Paul D’Amato and Jay Wolke (center).

RIVERSIDE ARTS CENTER

Shelter, Hi Rises, Chicago, USA, 2022, Archival inkjet pr int by Jay Wolke.

made a big difference for me.”

Wolke’s photo exhibit invites deeper reflection, offering a thoughtful exploration of the relationship between humans and their environments through striking images like “Quarry Workshop,” “Carrara” and “Italy,” where the merging of industry, nature and history tells a compelling visual story.

Joanne Aono, exhibition director at the center, said, “The discussion was insightful, engaging and attended by a mix of colleagues of the three photographers and for mer students of Jay Wolke.” When asked about surprising or impactful insights from the artist talk, Aono said that audience members were curious about Wolke’s influences, highlighting his deep engagement with photography

“People asked about his influences and he could easily name them off and talk about each one. He also shared his joy for photography, explaining that it’s what he loves to do,” Aono said.

On the panel, Wolke mentioned wanting to create photographs that guide the viewer on how to interpret them, similar to how a sentence or essay requires a logical sequence of parts of speech and ideas to effectively communicate a message

“There is a particular grammar in photography, and obviously, there’s a lot of graphic material, especially color theory in my work. I’m very interested in how color, light and space work. Those are the three things in photography that really become the vocabulary, or the rhetoric, of the medium. That’s how I choose to approach it, and I guess that sort of explains a little bit,” Wolke said.

As the exhibition comes to a close, the Riverside Arts Center is looking ahead to future programming. Aono believes every exhibition is stellar, with Wolke’s being particularly special due to his unique character. Normally, they would show an artist in just one gallery, but Wolke’s work has had a broader impact.

“Jay’s work is being shown in both the Freeark Gallery and the FlexSpace. The funny thing is we could have used a third gallery because there were so many great photographs we could have included,” Aono said. “Paul and Laura had a difficult time choosing which pieces to feature in the exhibition. As for what’s next, we have a lineup of exhibitions planned throughout the year.”

OP artist to be showcased at West Loop Contemporary Fine Art Expo

Show runs from Feb. 21-23

By DALAL ORFALI Contributing Reporter

Douglas Nelson had a 33-year-long career in finance before deciding to reverse direction and become a full-time artist. It’s been a liberating but challenging experience. Nelson, a for mer Oak Park bank auditor, is among 40 other artists whose work will be shown at the West Loop Contemporary Fine Art Expo Feb. 21- 23. The show will take place at Plumbers Hall on Randolph Street in Chicago.

Nelson recently spoke of his artistic life from his Oak Park studio, where he was surrounded by vibrant colors and carefully measured geometry that captured his happy and energetic style

In his career of numbers and auditing, a pure coincidence introduced Nelson to the world of lithography.

“I audited a company in Chicago called Circle Galleries. They were the sole distributor of lithography,” said Nelson, describing that he got his first “impulse” through lithographs by Yakov Agam, an Israeli artist, known for his work with bright colors and geometry.

In 2016, he returned to Oak Park, a town he admired from his auditing days at First National Bank of Oak Park. The move happened after a rekindled connection with his college ex-girlfriend, now his partner.

Back in Oak Park, Nelson gradually transitioned into art. “I started to wind down my work hours and paint more, and I think in 2019, I did my first kind of real painting,” he said.

His breakthrough came unexpectedly in 2022, when a visit to his dentist’s office led to an opportunity. After casually showing his portfolio, the dentist’s wife – also the clinic’s artistic director –called him the next day, purchasing 18 prints to display in treatment rooms

But before art was able to sway him, work took him across the Atlantic. “I got to Germany, I was working 80 hours a week. I had four children and I didn’t have time to do anything, so I had a studio and I played around, it was just a hobby, it wasn’t serious,” he recalled

During his time in Germany, Nelson was introduced to the art of Sonia DeLaunay, a Ukrainian-born artists who worked in France in the early 1920s. Her abstract, avantgarde, faded – now with time – but colorful work is framed and put in visibly in his living room.

“Her art inspired me tremendously in a different way than [Agam’s] because in her case it was about color. Her and it was revolutionary for the time.” Nelson said.

Drawing from these influences, Nelson describes his own style as “minimalist, hard-edge… very clean lines, but minimalist, abstract.”

“That’s what started things rolling,” Nelson said.

Encouraged, Nelson applied to his first art fair in 2023. “I got into one, then I tried others, and I got accepted everywhere.” That year, he participated in 10 art fairs across Chicagoland, Milwaukee, Ann Arbor, Indianapolis, and Minnesota. By 2024, that number had grown to 15 fairs Locally, he has exhibited at the Oak Park Art League and Elmhurst Art League, earning a second-place award at the latter. While he enjoys showcasing his work, managing logistics can be demanding. “It’s fun once you get there. I like interacting with people and selling, but traveling, setting up, and tearing down is a lot of physical work.” he said. ”

Now, Nelson is seeking a permanent gallery space in Oak Park, ideally a storefront with heavy foot traffic for greater exposure.

His latest opportunity at the West Loop Contemporary Fine Art Expo marks an exciting step forward. “I think there will be other galleries there, different people, and it’s a good chance for me to expand my renommé, you know, just get my name out there,” he said.

For those who frequent Oak Park Bank, you may have already seen his colorful paintings displayed in their storefront

It’s a local artist named Douglas Nelson, a man who escaped the world of finance to the liberating realm of fine arts

You can check more of Nelson’s art on his website at www.douglasnelsonstudios.com

DA LA L ORFALI

Douglas Nelson

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

Reading Between the Wines fundraiser returns to Riverside Public Librar y

Join the library March 1 for a fun night out while supporting updates to its historic building. Tickets are on sale now

By NIKKI ROBERTS Contributing Reporter

Attention wine lovers, library supporters and everyone else: The historic Riverside Public Library invites you to its 6th annual Reading Between the Wines (RBTW) fundraiser on Saturday, March 1 from 6-9 p.m.

Tickets costing $45 include 11 wine tasting stations, scrumptious charcuterie cups and a chance to mingle in the library after hours.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to try a large variety of interesting wines and specialty pairings, including a sold-out red wine and pasta sauce breakout tasting session.

The wine selection is facilitated by Peter Boutsikakis, co-owner and operator of Riverside Foods on 48 E Burlington St., River-

side. This year, some of the tasting stations include Love of Zinfandel, which will feature five expressions of Zinfandel, and an Oregon tasting station featuring wines from dif ferent regions of the state.

“I focus on variety and vendor relationships,” said Boutsikakis. “RBTW is a great opportunity to try two ounces of a wine that maybe you wouldn’t commit to at a restaurant or buy of f the shelf.”

RBTW is the library’s main revenue source outside its public funding, typically drawing around 300 guests and raising approximately $10,000 each year. This year, library director Jane Foley says she hopes to raise between $11,000 and $15,000 to support an update to the patron services area, which has not been updated since 1983.

“Right now, [the patron services area] is a hodgepodge of different desks and furni-

ture from over the past 95 years. We want to freshen it up and to give the staff a better place to work,” said Foley. “We would never touch the front main desk because that has been in our building since the be ginning.”

The update will include new carpeting, new bookshelves for holds and the Library of Things, and new desks and storage space for the staff. Past projects funded by RBTW include recarpeting the Great Room and a lower-level renovation.

Guests will be given order for ms if they wish to purchase bottles of any of the wines offered at RBTW. These orders will be fulfilled the following week by Riverside Foods.

“We’re a medium-sized, independent grocery store and we’re constantly fighting against corporate chains and home delivery for groceries,” said Boutsikakis. “Being a part of community events is a big part of

our business. This is another opportunity for folks in the area to see that the value of shopping at Riverside Foods goes beyond the price on the shelf.”

The fundraiser will only offer light bites, Boutsikakis encourages guests to dine out at local restaurants before or after the event.

“Our hopes are that folks patronize the downtown businesses for dinner. [Riverside has] some great restaurants and nice bars and after an event, we typically see a little extra activity in downtown. I’m proud to play a part in that.”

General admission tickets are $45. Each ticket includes a branded wine glass and access to 11 tasting stations. Purchase tickets online, or pay with cash or check at the library. Tickets for the red wine breakout session are sold out.

Inside: Artist Jay Wolke

Girl on Phone, Beach Shelter, Trieste, Italy, 2016, Archival inkjet pr int by Jay Wolke