ALI ELSAFFA R EXPLAINS OA K PA RK’S TRIENNIAL REASSESSMENT, Homes, page B12
JOURNAL W E D N E S D A Y
March 8, 2017 Vol. 35, No. 29 ONE DOLLAR
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Oak Parkers explore a ‘great squirrel mystery’
Upcoming digital series examines why Austin Blvd. divides fox and gray squirrels By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter
Oak Park native Dan Protess, 42, has visited a redwood forest in Oakland, canoed the Bronx River in New York and followed coyotes along railroad tracks between Cicero and Chicago for a 16-webisode digital series he produces for WTTW called “Urban Nature.”
The series, which premieres March 20 on wttw.com, is about how wildlife thrives even amidst the density and concrete busyness of major metropolitan areas. Naturally, Protess couldn’t produce a series called Urban Nature without dedicating at least one webisode to squirrels. “I knew I had to do something about squirrels because they’re the most common form of backyard
wildlife in cities,” said Protess, a graduate of Holmes Elementary and Oak Park and River Forest High School. For the series, he relies on the expertise of Joel Brown, a professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Illinois Chicago who happens to live in Oak Park. In 1997, Brown co-founded Project Squirrel, a website and mobile app that educates people on how to spot different squirrel species in their See SQUIRRELS on page 12
Village board unanimously approves trustee nomination Residents voice opposition to election-season pick
By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
The Oak Park Village Board of Trustees unanimously approved Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb’s appointment of Jim Taglia to fill the board seat vacated by Adam Salman, who resigned from the board in February. The appointment was not without controversy, however. Several residents condemned the appointment because Taglia, an Oak Park Township trustee, is currently
running for one of three open seats on the board of trustees. He is one of six candidates. Salzman’s seat is not up for reelection, but several residents said the mayor should have waited until after the April 4 election to make the appointment. Former Oak Park trustee Greg Marsey said he had “nothing against Mr. Taglia” but said he was concerned about the appointment because it took place before voters had the opportunity to evaluate the candidate at the polls.
While neither Marsey nor other critics directly accused Abu-Taleb of wrongdoing in making the appointment, he and several others suggested the decision to make the appointment before the election was undemocratic. “I feel like we should leave that up to the voters,” said Anthony Clark, executive director of Suburban Unity AlliSee TAGLIA on page 17
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Fox and grey squirrels — segregated?