Wednesday Journal 030922

W E D N E S D A Y

March 9, 2022 Vol. 42, No. 32 ONE DOLLAR

@wednesdayjournalinc

JOURNAL

@wednesdayjournal

@oakpark

of Oak Park and River Forest

D97 artt showcase h at the library Page 15

OPRF shuts down one of its aging pools

With pool replacement an eventual option, should old pool be fixed?

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

In recent months, the District 200 school board and administration have parsed through details and discussed the possibilities of funding several major renovation projects over the next decade. But the recent closure of one of the high school’s two swimming pools is now pushing that conversation forward, reinforcing the district’s need to address a hefty list of dire maintenance issues.

Oak Park and River Forest High School officials closed the west pool almost a month ago after consultants from the Naperville-based McCluskey Engineering assessed the district’s east and west pools.

Even before the full report was released, consultants told D200 officials that the west pool, which has faced significant damage from wear and tear over the decades, is unsafe, said district spokeswoman Karin Sullivan.

“They wanted us to know the seriousness of the problem even before we got the report,” Sullivan said, recalling a phone conversation between school administrators and McCluskey’s consultants. “Our question was: ‘Well, we’re coming to the end of the winter swim season and water polo. Can we keep it open through that?’ And the response we got was: ‘I can’t tell you that would be safe.’ That was when we said we’re closing the pool.”

Sullivan told Wednesday Journal the district had long anticipated necessary repairs of the east and west swimming pools and had made some minor renovations to them throughout the years. The two pools were built in 1928 – which clocks them in at 94 See POOL on page 22

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

PATRIOT PAIRING: Maria and her husband, David, following their wedding in Oak Park on Saturday. They chose a good day for it.

Married in Oak Park, newlyweds to take fight to Ukraine Ukraine native, new husband will defend country against Russia

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Many newlyweds choose to head to Europe for their honeymoon. Taking in the famous sunsets on the Greek island of Santorini, strolling through Parisian

streets, clinking classes of prosecco in Florence – Europe provides endless opportunities for romance.

For Oak Park’s Maria and David, their European honeymoon will look nothing like what you see on the back of postcards. Married last Saturday in Oak

Park, the newlyweds are flying to Poland then crossing the border into Maria’s native Ukraine, where they will fight against Russian forces.

“This is my people. This is my land,” See UKRAINE on page 16

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PROVIDED

IN TURN: Jacob Drews, intern, and Congressman Danny K. Davis during a press conference before last week’s SOTU.

Oak Park student invited to State of the Union address Jacob Drews, congressional intern, was a virtual guest for Biden’s speech

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Equity Editor

Congressman Danny K. Davis (7th) invited an Oak Park and River Forest High School student to be his virtual guest for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address last week.

Jacob Drews, a 17-year-old senior, also participated in a joint press conference with Rep. Davis moments before Biden delivered his address on March 1.

“We often hear that many young people are not engaged, not involved, not attuned to this whole concept of democracy and what it means,” Davis said, before lauding Drews, calling him “a young man who is just the opposite of all of that.”

To prove the congressman’s point, Drews offered a preview of Biden’s address that seemed more astute than your average cable news punditry.

“I expect, hopefully, for him to be touting

the massive infrastructure bill he passed and showing everyone how much it really is,” Drews said.

“In the news, people are downplaying it, and I don’t think people realize just how massive it is,” he said. “For any other president, this would be a massive legacy to leave and he’s already done this in one year.”

Drews is currently a volunteer intern for Davis. He has also interned in the offices of state Rep. Camille Y. Lilly (78th) and Senate President Don Harmon.

“I had some experience working with state legislators, so I decided to work in a congressman’s office because I would like to be a congressperson or a senator in my future,” Drews said during an interview on March 7.

“Congressman Davis is a giant of civil service,” he added. “Considering the things he’s done for our district, he’s really someone you’d seek to emulate, and if you want to go into public service, you might as well

Hello Spring

learn from someone who is the best at it.”

Tumia Romero, Davis’ chief of staff, said Drews’ voluntary internship is nothing to sneeze at. She fields about 30 requests for internships a month, many of them from Ivy League college students.

“Jacob tracked me down,” Romero said, laughing. “He was pretty persistent. He wanted to be here and to do this.”

Romero said there are currently four interns in Davis’ offices in the 7th District and in Washington D.C. — two of them unpaid — along with a fellow. She’s hoping to transition Drews into the Congressman’s paid summer internship program.

Some of Drews’ responsibilities as an intern include organizing events and projects like the congressman’s app challenge, which is designed to encourage young people in the district to engage with technology. Drews said he also helps organize Zoom meetings.

When asked to grade Drews’ performance, Romero didn’t hesitate.

“He’s an AAA,” she said. “Jacob is great.

He’s very [versatile] and he honors diversity. He’s quick on his feet, very astute politically, and he’s very enthusiastic about working and serving the public. That’s what we like about him.”

Virtual town hall Congressman Danny Davis will host a virtual town hall meeting for Oak Park residents at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 10. To register, visit: https://forms. gle/65noh3Sus17cHJkf9 CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com And if he’s ever elected to Congress or the Senate, what will be his legislative priorities? Drews answered that confidently during the March 1 press conference.

“I think the biggest issues right now — obviously climate change is an existential threat to our world and humanity — but in our country, especially, education and health care ... you have to have your health if you want anything and you also have to have an education to be successful in this country.

“Unfortunately, in this country we have a large disparity between people who can get quality education and people who cannot,” he said. “That would be an issue I would like to tackle because it affects everybody.

And if we help people who are lower on the socioeconomic ladder, we can bring the entire country up with them.”

C O R R E C T I O N In the March 2, 2022 print edition of Wednesday Journal, a story headlined “Sustainability incubator raises Oak Park board tensions” incorrectly attributed a quote.

The quote was correctly attributed within the news story but in a quote box included with the story the quote was

linked to Trustee Ravi Parakkat instead of Village President Vicki Scaman.

It was Scaman who said to Parakkat, “I’m sorry you’re bringing the level of defensiveness that you’re bringing right now.”

Wednesday Journal regrets this error.

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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BIG WEEK March 9-16

‘Respect The Mic’ Author Reading Thursday, March 10, 7 p.m., Main Library Veterans Room & virtually on YouTube This unique event celebrates 20 years of poetry from students and alumni of Oak Park and River Forest High School’s Spoken Word Club.

Peter Kahn will be presenting featured readers from the newly released Respect the Mic anthology. The array of readers features Vann Harris, Noelle Berry, Nicholas Berry, Patrick Chrisp, Charity Strong, Marlena Wadley, Eliana Gerace, Zaire Brooks, Micah Daniels, Jesus Govea, Peera Serumaga, and Dawson Pickens, all reading pieces featured in the anthology. There is a limit of 80 people for the inperson event. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

The Tent Of Abraham: Women In Our Traditions Wednesday, March 16, 1-3 p.m., Dominican University (Springer Suites) For three consecutive Wednesdays, the essential roles of women in Jewish, Muslim and Christian sacred texts will be discussed. $50, 7900 W. Division St., River Forest.

Everyday Activists Sunday, March 13, 2-3:30 p.m. (activist panel), 3:30- 4:30 p.m. (reception), Chicago Public Library (Austin Branch) This photo exhibit and panel discusses just what the name says - activism. The exhibit itself runs through March 31. 5615 W. Race Ave., Chicago.

TechGirlz Workshop: Solving Genetic Mysteries With Online Tools & Family Histories Wednesday, March 16, 6-8 p.m., virtually through Oak Park Public Library This workshop is a study in genealogy. Students will learn about creating a family tree and examining the gene pool through free technologies. Learn how to use online tools to create a family tree (Progeny), learn how to search a set of medical symptoms to find the genetic cause (OMIM), and search the human genome for genetic changes that can cause medical symptoms (Human Genome Browser). Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

All Gershwin Monday, March 14, 1:15 p.m., Nineteenth Century Club This presentation features local performers celebrating the works of noted composer George Gershwin. The talents of Kimberly Jones, Bill McMurry, Christian Ketter, Patricia Goyette-Giull and Paul Dykstra will be GEORGE GERSHWIN featured.

Tips for Online Applications One Earth Film Festival Friday, March 4 to Sunday, March 13 The Oak Park Public Library presents a special two-week online film festival on the environment. This ongoing series features films that pinpoint the problems, followed by post-film discussions that identify the solutions. For tickets, film and program information, visit oneearthfilmfest.org.

Thursday, March 10, 2-3 p.m., virtually through Oak Park Public Library This online presentation teaches potential job applicants how to work with, and get around, the electronic screening process used by employers. Learn what to watch out for and how to answer questions, as well as tips and techniques for optimizing your resume for an Applicant Tracking System.

Presented by Christopher Loverix, Chicago Federation of Labor Workers Workforce & Community Initiative. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

MICHELE THOMAS

WDCB’s Jazz Thaw series in Oak Park Michele Thomas Saturday, March 12, 5-8 p.m., Tre Sorelle Ristorante This jazz vocalist has gone far beyond reinterpreting the Great American Songbook, working with a more personal style that incorporates her own compositions, in the improvisatory spirit that jazz is known for. 1111 Lake St., Oak Park.

Andy Brown Saturday, March 12, 1-3 p.m., Lea French Café Andy Brown is a very adept jazz guitarist who plays every Wednesday at Andy’s Jazz Club (no relation!) as part of a quartet, bi-weekly at Winter’s Jazz Club with a trio, every Thursday at the Green Mill as a solo, and for this show, he’ll be half of a duo. 106 N. Marion St., Oak Park.

Sohn Saturday, March 12, 3-6 p.m. Little Gem Café This trio is led by violinist Ethan Adelsman, who has played with the wide-ranging likes of the Scotland Yard Gospel Choir and the Western Piedmont Symphony. With the band Sohn, he turns his attention to the jazz realm. The band also includes Graham Nelson, who proves that the harmonica is good for other genres besides the blues, and guitarist Mason Jiller. 189 N. Marion St., Oak Park.

Andy Pratt Saturday, March 12, 5-8 p.m., Kalamata Kitchen Not to be confused with the 1970s rock musician of the same name. However, this Andy Pratt is a local jazz guitarist who has so many diverse styles that he could be confused for himself. From the ethereal to the earthbound, Pratt covers plenty of ground. 105 N. Marion St., Oak Park.

Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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Two students at OPRF struck with ‘unconfirmed object’

Police, district unable to confirm yet whether object was a firearm

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

An incident in which two Oak Park and River Forest High School students were allegedly struck with an “undetermined object” remains under investigation by school officials and the Oak Park Police Department.

The department says police officers responded to a call around 10:18 a.m., March 4 about a “person with [a] gun” who reportedly hit one student before leaving the scene.

Once officers arrived at the school, they confirmed that “there was no longer an active threat” and identified the students involved, according to the police report.

OPRF District 200 spokeswoman Karin Sullivan said three students were involved in the incident, which took place under the bleachers in the field house. Through an initial investigation, Oak Park officers and school officials learned that two students were struck by an object but could not verify whether that object was a firearm. The two students’ injuries were minor and treated at school, according to the police report.

D200 Superintendent Greg Johnson emailed staff and families on the same day of the incident, briefly explaining what happened and addressed the “unconfirmed object.”

“We are aware of the reports that this object may have been a firearm; in fact we’ve received a few emails that assert these reports as fact,” Johnson wrote in the March 4 email. “However, due to uncertain and conflicting accounts of the incident from those involved, coupled with a lack of evidence to support this claim, this report is, in fact, un-

confirmed.”

“If it were otherwise, we would let you know,” Johnson told staff and families.

As the investigation continues, Sullivan said the district is responding to the incident, leaning on its behavioral education plan and restorative practices. In the March 4 email, Johnson noted that the plan is founded on the belief that “people are inher-

ently worthy and want to be in strong relationships.”

“Even in the most supportive environment, teenagers will make bad choices at times,” he wrote. “Our focus is on turning these mistakes into authentic learning experiences, by pairing appropriate disciplinary consequences with the opportunity to repair the harm that was done.”

Morally Consistent: Standing for Palestinian Rights and Against Antisemitism

Join two leaders in the struggle for equality and justice for an important discussion

March 20, 2022, 2 pm

Oak Park Public Library – Veterans Room 834 Lake Street, Oak Park Street parking and parking lot available; short walk to CTA Green Line- Oak Park stop. COVID-safe procedures will be implemented

False accusations of antisemitism remain a major obstacle in building support for policies that end Israel’s occupation and dispossession of the Palestinian people.

Rabbi Brant Rosen, Tzedek Chicago

Given the violence and trauma of historic and current antisemitism - and its weaponization by white nationalists - there is an important distinction to confront.

This program will discuss the real dangers of antisemitism and expose how the distortion of the definition of antisemitism - conflating it with criticism of Israel - is being used to silence political debate and enact legislation that targets advocates for Palestinian rights.

Sponsored by: Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine Co-Sponsored by: American Friends Service Committee; American Muslims for Palestine, Chicago

Brant Rosen is the rabbi of the Tzedek Chicago congregation and the author of Wrestling in the Daylight: A Rabbi’s Path to Palestinian Solidarity.

Dima Khalidi is the founder and director of Palestine Legal and is cooperating counsel with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR).

Dima Khalidi, Palestine Legal

Chapter; Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East; Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy; Jewish Voice for Peace, Chicago Chapter; National Lawyers Guild, Chicago Chapter

Learn more at www.cjpip.org

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Housing voucher list opens for the first time in 18 years.

Open Monday, March 14, 2022 Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program • Housing Authority of the Village of Oak Park

Who is Eligible to Apply?

Your eligibility is based on your annual income and household size. If your household annual income is at or below the income limits listed below, you are eligible to apply.

NUMBER IN HOUSEHOLD 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

$32,550

$ 37,300

$41,950

$ 46,600

$50,350

$54,100

$57,800

$ 61,550

For the first time in 18 years, The Oak Park Housing Authority (OPHA) will open its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) waiting list. The OPHA will be accepting pre-applications to add 150 new households to the HCV waiting list. These 150 households will be selected at random from all pre-applications received during the period the waiting list is open. To facilitate the random selection process, pre-applications will only be available and can only be submitted electronically through the OPHA online portal at www. oakparkha.org.

When will the HCV waiting list open?

The HCV waiting list will open Monday, March 14, 2022 at 8:30 am and close on Friday, March 25, 2022 at 3:00 pm. The pre-application portal can be accessed anytime – day or night – while the waiting list is open.

Where can I get a pre-application and where can I apply?

We’ve streamlined the process so you can do everything in a 10 minute visit to our pre-application portal accessed on our website at www.oakparkha. org. You will be able to access, complete, review and submit your pre-application through this portal. That’s all there is to it!

Can I come to the OPHA office to apply?

No. Due to COVID, our office will continue to be closed to the public and walk-in traffic during the opening of the waiting list. Applying online is the easiest, quickest, and most efficient way for you to apply and you can do that by going to our website: www.oakparkha.org What if I don’t have a computer?

Not a problem. The OPHA’s pre-application portal is designed to work with a variety of electronic touchscreen devices including tablets and cell phones. The online portal is secure so you don’t need to worry about using a friend or family member’s device to apply.

Due to special circumstances I believe I will need a reasonable accommodation and assistance in filling out the online pre-application. Where can I find that assistance?

If you are a person with disabilities or elderly and require a reasonable accommodation and assistance in completing the online pre-application, you can call our special assistance phone line at 708-3861464, Monday - Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm between Monday, March 14, 2022, and Friday, March 25, 2022. Our special assistance team will schedule an

appointment (lasting approximately 30 minutes) for you at a later date and time during the open waiting list period to help you complete and submit your online pre-application.

I see the waiting list will be open for 12 days. Are my chances for being added to the waiting list greater if I apply on day one vs. day five?

No. This isn’t like the airlines where being the first one to check in gives you a greater chance of getting the seat you want. Because of our random selection process, you can apply at any time on any day during the open waiting list period. Each and every eligible pre-application submitted during the open waiting list period is included in the random selection.

Does the OPHA give preferences?

Yes, the OPHA gives preferences to very low-income households who are: • Legal residents of Oak Park; or • Currently employed 30 hours or more per week in the Village of Oak Park; or • Hired to work 30 hours or more per week in the Village of Oak Park

Access, complete, review and submit your pre-application at: www.oakparkha.org

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Villages dust off plans for Harlem Avenue viaduct replacement Funding may be available, but stakeholders need to parse details

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

With $17 billion expected to be available to Illinois through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved last November, officials in Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest are dusting off dormant plans for a multimillion dollar project to replace the century-old railroad bridge at the intersection of Harlem Avenue and South Boulevard.

The three municipalities have applied previously for such funding, most recently in 2017, but have been consistently turned down.

Cathy Adduci, River Forest village president, said at the Feb. 28 village board meeting that federal funding should be available, adding that she is working with her counterparts, Mayor Rory Hoskins of Forest Park and President Vicki Scaman of Oak Park “to put pressure on” Illinois senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.

In a memo, Jeff Loster, director of public works and development services, said the project was introduced in 2008 when the three municipalities entered into an intergovernmental agreement to complete Phase 1 engineering for the project although a feasibility study was conducted in 1999.

The bridge was originally built in the 1920s to carry the Chicago and Northwestern Railway tracks over Harlem Avenue. It now carries tracks for Metra, Union Pacific Railroad and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) trains.

The purpose of the reconstruction project is to eliminate the congestion caused by the configuration of the existing structure, which has remained essentially unchanged since its construction despite significantly increased traffic along Harlem Avenue.

Phase 1 engineering has been funded at 80 percent through the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) with the remaining 20 percent divided among the three municipalities.

Tasks included conceptual design, intersection/accident studies and analysis and project renderings. Also initiated during Phase 1 engineering were discussions with other stakeholders, including Metra, Union Pacific, the CTA and IDOT. Though much of the Phase 1 engineering has been completed, the project stalled due to an inability to get all stakeholders to agree in concept to an overall intergovernmental

PHOTOS BY ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

AESTHETIC DECAY: The Harlem/Lake CTA Green Line viaduct (above and left) at South Boulevard and Harlem Avenue.

JAVIER GOVEA/Staff

agreement for the project.

Some of the issues that arose include Union Pacific/Metra/ CTA concerns regarding operations during construction, Union Pacific requiring substantial review fees prior to furthering discussions and identification of the party responsible for ownership and ongoing maintenance of the bridge after construction.

Loster said Union Pacific currently owns the bridge but would prefer not to after completion of the project.

Estimated cost of the project has risen since it was first proposed in 2008 and now stands at $30 million. Loster said there are facets of the Phase 1 work that are already completed that will need to be updated, mostly related to traffic impact studies due to variable rates of traffic over the years and area development that has since occurred.

Plans from 2018 when the three municipalities unsuccessfully sought grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation called for replacing the existing bridge, lowering the Harlem roadway to reduce truck strikes to the viaduct and adding pedestrian and aesthetic enhancements. The

support column in the middle of the viaduct also would be removed in an effort to improve traffic flow.

Loster said with known issues unrelated to funding currently holding up the project, the optimal path forward would be to resolve these issues first. If the project is to proceed, he recommended that the impacted agencies by contacted to continue discussions regarding an intergovernmental agreement for the project in the following order – Union Pacific, IDOT, CTA and Metra. This appears to be the optimal sequence for attempting to resolve this issue or discovering any nonstarters in an efficient manner.

Bill McKenna, Oak Park’s village engineer, said that that village is “on the same page as River Forest” on the status and next steps for the project.

Moses Amidei, village administrator of Forest Park, said officials of his village support the effort but noted the challenge will be to obtain the support of the CTA, Metra and Union Pacific.

Illinois officials are estimating that $17 billion of the $1.2 trillion available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would come to the state. Illinois could have an advantage because Rebuild Illinois, a $45 billion multiyear state spending plan paid by gasoline and vehicle taxes, will provide matching funds to attract more federal grants.

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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Masks optional in River Forest schools after board action D90 administrators present revised plan on approaching safety measures

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

The River Forest District 90 School Board voted unanimously last week to make maskwearing optional indoors for all staff and students. During the March 1 Committee of the Whole meeting, the seven-member school board voted to drop the indoor mask mandate across the three-school district, following the governor’s announcement to end masking re-

quirements in schools and many public places and new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Last weekend, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced face masks would no longer be required in schools starting Feb. 28, the same day the statewide indoor mask mandate was lifted.

The district implemented Pritzker’s new ruling last Monday but asked board members to approve the mask-optional policy and review other COVID-19 mitigations at the March 1

meeting. Board members previously tabled the decision to go mask-optional, asking administrators to create a plan in the event cases climbed or outbreaks occurred, especially after staff and students return from the coming spring break.

Superintendent Ed Condon told the board that even though the district planned to ease masking restrictions, the other COVID-19 safety measures remained in place. Those measures would be monitored and rolled back

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A LOOK IN THE MIRROR, WHAT HAPPENED?

W

hen I first started recording videos for my business, I had to get comfortable being on camera.

So, I watched myself in countless THERESA CLANCY practice videos. I Estate Planning Attorney would stare at my face in the replay and think, “What happened?” It seemed like overnight I went from a dewy faced girl to an old wrinkled lady.

Admittedly, I have never liked seeing myself depicted in photos. Like many people, I always think I look better in real life. But in looking at those practice videos I felt something different than before. This time I felt an emotion I had never previously associated with my appearance. This time I felt shame.

I felt ashamed to look so old. Why would I feel like that? In many respects this was one of the most confident, energetic, and enthusiastic times in my life. I felt proud of my lifetime accomplishments. Yet, when I saw my wrinkled face in those videos, I wanted to hit the delete button?

I am not alone. In a recent survey 60% of Americans identified as feeling negatively about aging. In another survey 87% of Americans said they were afraid of getting old. The media is filled with messages like “Growing old is optional” and, “You can reverse the aging process,” Isn’t aging a part of life? Why are we afraid and ashamed of growing older?

At first, I thought that those shameful feelings may have stemmed from an inability to accept death. Unlike other cultures, most Americans do not accept that death is a part of life. In fact, we

seem to prefer to talk about any other subject (except for one’s salary).

Sure, I don’t relish the idea of death.

But it was not fear that I felt when I watched those practice videos. It was shame. So, the fear of death was not the answer.

Next, I thought the feeling of shame may have materialized from America’s emphasis on youth and beauty over age and experience. Many cultures have a deep respect for their elders and even celebrate aging. America is not one of them. Instead, we have a booming billion-dollar anti-aging culture.

Part of our reluctance to feel at ease with aging may be attributed to the fact that older people are not favorably depicted in the media or in Hollywood.

A study found that older faces are perceived to be less attractive by younger people because they have had less exposure to older faces.

Face preferences are updated by our experience and exposure to faces across our lifespan.

I am not immune to our societal message that I should look young to feel relevant. I agree that for a more harmonious society younger people should be exposed to and interact with older people on a more regular basis.

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Finally, after more thought, I figured out the origin of my shameful feelings.

Ironically, those feelings stemmed from the very characteristics that make me American. We Americans pride ourselves as being a strong and independent people. Yet, aging very often forces us to ask for help from

our family, community, or government.

The thought of asking for help can feel emotionally threatening as it may appear as a sign of weakness and dependence. We feel shameful about aging because it forces us to admit we are not as strong and independent as we used to be. No surprise so many of us want to age in place. If we can remain in our homes, we feel that we are preserving that independence.

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So, I started to focus on the good things about growing older. I reminded myself of the freedom my empty nest provided. I recognized that my older face was good for business because it projected career experience to my clients. And I was heartened by a study which concluded that age provides an emotional and social intelligence not seen in younger generations. This intelligence leads most older people to a lower level of stress and a higher level of happiness.

We all grow older everyday but that does not have to be a bad thing. Aging can bring on wisdom, emotional intelligence, and a higher level of happiness. Like aging, estate planning also has its benefits. The trick is to create an estate plan early so we can enjoy those benefits and avoid feeling shame or fear that we have not checked off estate planning in our todo box.

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as health conditions stabilize and improve.

“I just want to reassure members of the community that at this time we are maintaining other mitigation steps,” Condon said.

Among the steps the district plans to continue are encouraging physical distancing “as appropriate,” maintaining upgraded ventilation and air circulation, cleaning and sanitizing classrooms and other parts of the building, administering voluntary COVID-19 testing and outbreak testing, and encouraging eligible staff and students to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. Face masks will also continue to be available for use for staff, students and visitors, Condon said.

But while District 90 is now mask-optional, there are still some caveats, Condon said to board members. For example, even though staff and students riding the school bus do not have to be masked, those traveling to participate in programs and events at other schools must follow the host schools’ masking protocols.

“We need to stress that it may not be face mask-optional for the locations that the children are going,” Condon said.

Another place where face masks are required is at the school nurses’ offices, Condon said. He added that school employees, students and other individuals in elementary classrooms that have been placed in outbreak status by the Cook County of Department of Public Health for up to two weeks are required to wear face masks.

“One of the reasons why we’re specifying that for elementary classrooms is because of the aggregate amount of time that children in those classrooms spend together,” he said.

Other instances that call for required masking is if the schools are located in areas with high transmission rates per the CDC’s latest guidelines. School employees and students who test positive for COVID-19 must be masked for five additional days after completing a five-day isolation period, according to the CDC. A complete list of the district’s revised COVID-19 measures can be found on the school website at www.district90.org.

Nearing the end of his remarks, Condon stressed the district will not tolerate any harassment, teasing or bullying as it moves into a mask-optional environment and extended his gratitude toward his colleagues and students.

“I’d like to thank our students for their responsiveness and uniqueness to this situation and the class with which they’re handling it. I’d like to thank our faculty and staff for the conversations they’ve had with kids, supporting decision making and helping kids understand that this is a nuanced dynamic,” he said. “And I’d really like to thank our principals and assistant principals for providing leadership and a short turnaround time to ensure schools are ready to make this shift on Monday morning.”

Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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FILE 2004

In 2004, the last time the Housing Choice Voucher program opened, it attracted a large crowd.

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

Museum Gala on March 24 to honor these incredible neighbors and friends.

Voucher waiting list reopens for first time in 18 years Oak Parkers and local workers get preference for federal housing subsidy

By LACEY SIKORA Real Estate Editor

In 2004, the last year that the Oak Park Housing Authority (OPHA) opened its applications for the housing voucher waitlist, the line of people applying snaked around the block.

Over 50,000 households applied to be put on Oak Park’s waitlist. When the list opens again on March 14, David Pope, president of the Oak Park Residence Corporation, says the process should be much more streamlined.

Formerly known as Section 8, the Housing Choice Voucher program helps verylow-income households with monthly rent payments. The locally administered, federal program helps households pay the portion of their rent that exceeds 30% of the household’s qualified monthly income. Pope says, “It allows people who are extremely low-income to afford to live here.”

The OPHA gives preferences to low-income families who are currently legal residents of Oak Park or currently employed 30 or more hours a week in Oak Park or have an offer to work 30 or more hours in the village.

There are roughly 600 households in the village that currently participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program. Of that 600, approximately 427 households use standard housing vouchers. An additional 83 use mainstream vouchers that are targeted for persons and households with disabilities, and 33 of those 83 are reserved for households that are experiencing or are at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness. Fifteen households utilize vouchers set aside for individuals who are able to live independently, perhaps with some supports, but who are currently living in nursing home settings. A variable number of households here were awarded vouchers by other communities but are able to utilize them here, due to portability.

Pope says that working through paper applications in 2004 was a “very extreme and time-

consuming process” that led to about 2,000 households being placed on the final waiting list. It took almost 18 years to work through the waitlist established in 2004, but Pope expects the implementation of a new application system to help the process from multiple angles.

This time, he says, “We’re learning from that experience and taking advantage of technological advancements.”

With the use of a software system known as YARDI, used by housing agencies across the country, the entire process has moved on-line.

Applicants will complete the pre-application process on-line. After the pre-application period closes, the system will randomly generate a selection of 150 households from all entries received during the pre-application period. Then, the system will randomly rank the households to create an active waitlist.

With this system, Pope says the process will be easier to work with going forward and will enable people to hear more quickly about whether or not they were selected. The smaller number of households on the waiting list will also mean that the waiting list will be opened up more frequently.

Pope says, “It’s a really significant opportunity. We’re thrilled that more folks can sign up and get their names on the waiting list and ultimately, receive the housing supports they need.”

Pre-applications will be accepted between 8:30 a.m. on Monday, March 14 and 3 p.m. on Friday, March 25 through the online portal www.oakparkha.org. Pre-applications will only be accepted on-line and will require a valid email address. Those needing assistance with completing the on-line process can seek help with social service agencies listed on the OPHA website.

After the first random selections, all applicants will be notified of their selection status in April. Those who are selected for the 150 spots on the waitlist will also be notified by mail by the OPHA. Noting that the process of working through paper applications in 2004 took over six months, Pope remarks, “This will be a much different and much better process for everyone involved.”

McLouis and Harriette Robinet

Carlotta Lucchesi

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Inari is on a (Maki) Roll on Restaurant Roll Elmwood Park Sushi spot embraces an abundance of creativity

A

ccording to The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice

by Trevor Corson, the very first traditional sushi restaurant popped up in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The establishment named Kawafuku catered primarily to Japanese immigrants and earned a robust following. As a result, Japanese chefs started flocking to Food Writer California to open similar restaurants and by the 70s health-conscious American celebrities had discovered the delicacy. Sushi began gaining considerable traction on the West Coast as chef ’s capitalized on locally available ingredients like crab and avocado. Once the perennially popular California Roll took hold of the burgeoning sushi-loving community, creativity and accessibility took

MELISSA ELSMO

No flames needed: The diablo roll from Inari looks unassuming but packs a spicy punch thanks to spicy tuna and fresh jalapeno.

All photos Melissa Elsmo

Feeling firey? Real flames are on the menu when customers order the flaming dragon specialty roll at Inari Sushi in Elmwood Park.

hold of American sushi menus.

Over the past 50 years colorful maki rolls, nigiri morsels and subtle sashimi have been gaining in popularity across the country. In fact, the number of sushi focused establishments in the United States has grown to more than 15,000 in the past half century. When served in Japan, sushi is a celebration of simplicity and freshness while in America extravagant maki rolls tend to dominate menus. Building on a traditional trio of ingredients including seaweed, seasoned rice and fresh fish these rolls create opportunities for creative chefs to distinguish themselves from the multitude of spots serving up sushi in the states.

Inari Sushi and Sake Lounge, 7428 W. North Ave., has created a place of prominence on Restaurant Row in Elmwood Park over a decade. Sara Kate, the spot’s owner, spent years in management at Tank Sushi in Lincoln Square and maintains industry ties to the folks behind Sushi Wabi — the standard-setting sushi bar located on Randolph Street in Chicago that closed in 2012. Relying on the wisdom of chefs from some of the great Chicago sushi houses has helped Kate and her devoted team embrace creativity in their array of custom maki rolls.

Sure Inari keeps with tradition by offering straightforward sashimi, nigiri and maki rolls that honor Kate’s career long devotion to souring quality ingredients,

but their specialty rolls have evolved well beyond the typical California roll. Consider Inari’s Flaming Dragon Specialty Roll -- this baked inside-out roll is stuffed with shrimp tempura, scallions and sweet spicy mayo before being topped with fresh salmon, super white tuna, black and red tobiko, scallions and sesame seeds. The offering is literally set on fire before landing on a customer’s table; the showy offering is a favorite among Inari’s regular customers.

Folks looking for a different type of heat will appreciate the Diablo Roll filled with spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber, cilantro and fresh jalapeno. This spicy offering, garnished with tempura crunch, spicy mayo and sweet soy, is sure to please hot heads everywhere.

The creativity continues with Inari’s alphabetically inclined S.T.A.Y Rolling Roll featuring letter focused ingredients: salmon, tuna, avocado, and yellow tail.

The offering is a delicious spelling lesson.

The festive X’mas Specialty Roll lets a wellknown color palate drive the dish. Look for ruby-hued tuna, snow crab and tobiko to join green-hued cucumber and avocado in this ode to a festive time of year. The memorable roll is meant to be enjoyed all year long.

Precede any Inari maki roll offering with a piping hot bowl of house-made miso soup or innovative appetizer offering. A healthy summer roll, found among Inari’s rotating

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OPEN FOR DINE IN, TAKE OUT, & DELIVERY

The summer roll is among the rotating daily specials on Inari’s menu. The colorful dish offers a healthy alternative to rice heavy rolls.

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Oak Park Eats positively encourages readers to think about the food and beverages they consume and seek our unique and memorable beer drinking experience while celebrating Kinslagher’s local partnerships with Carnivore, Opportunity Knocks, Daly Bagels, and Darr-B-Q. - Keith Huizinga, Kinslagher

Artful offering: spicy tuna ravioli from Inari sushi on Restaurant Row. menu of daily specials, appeals to healthconscious visitors. In lieu of nori and rice this maki-inspired starter is wrapped in carved cucumber and sweet sauce. Inari’s spicy tuna ravioli boasts an especially memorable presentation with tuna and crab meat mixed with ponzu sauce hidden behind scales of thinly sliced avocado.

Though rooted in Japanese tradition, Inari’s offerings celebrate the best side of American sushi cuisine while remaining both elevated and refined. The decade old sushi lounge offers deceptively complex, chef driven creations with customer comfort in mind — a noteworthy combination on North Avenue.

Sip more at Kinslahger.com/ Keith Huizinga, Kinslagher

Keep up with Melissa Elsmo and what she’s cooking up at:

Miso soup is a warming start to any meal at Inari in Elmwood Park.

Oak Park Eats on OakPark.com

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Onion Roll offers blue and yellow bagels to support Ukraine

Local restaurant owners collect donations, display banners and serve dinners for the cause

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

Igor Russo, co-owner of The Onion Roll, 6935 W. North Ave., spent the first 19 years of his life in Kyiv, Ukraine and still has distant relatives in the war-torn country. Feeling distraught about the unjust attack on his homeland, Russo and his business partner, Ryan Rosenthal, have put their bagel bakery to use churning out blue and yellow bagels inspired by the Ukrainian flag. Sold for five dollars each, 100% of proceeds from the sale of the specialty bagels will be donated to the Heroes Protection Fund established through St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church.

“I mean it is a beautiful city, just look at pictures,” said Russo who is also a chiropractor.

“I spent my whole childhood there. I started studying medicine there before coming to America.

An only child, Russo’s entire youth is wrapped in memories of Kyiv — he spoke wistfully about the chestnut trees he remembered growing throughout the city and crossing the Dnieper River to get home. Watching the violence and destruction unfold on YouTube and

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

BLUE-ISH: Ukranian flag bagels, sold at the Onion Roll in Oak Park, support relief efforts in Ukraine.

CNN triggered something inside of Russo. He was angered primarily because of the notable similarities and connections between Ukraine and Russia. He compared the senseless situation to “Michigan invading Illinois” and spoke passionately of people being made to fight against each other “for no reason.”

“Seeing everything that was happening brought up so many emotions,” said Russo. “I wondered how I could help Ukraine, the beautiful place where I grew up, and I came up with the blue and yellow bagels.”

Russo is clear the bagels are not a money maker for The Onion Roll, but merely represent a small way he can raise awareness and

offer a way for people to show support for Ukraine. To date bagel sales have raised more than $2,000 for the Heroes Protection Fund.

Started by St. Joseph the Betrothed Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, 5000 N. Cumberland Ave. in Chicago, the seven-year-old fund provides medical care for wounded Ukrainian soldiers. The fund also supports chaplains who serve in battle zones and provide necessities to soldiers and their families.

In a further act of solidarity, the Onion Roll has a blue and yellow “Pray for Ukraine” banner hanging in its front window and sourced 25 additional banners for other restaurateurs to pick up along with donation boxes to use in their own establishments. Russo reached out to Ravi Parakkat, founder of Takeout 25 and an Oak Park village trustee, to get the word out through the Takeout 25 managers and owners group on Facebook.

“The overwhelming response from owners in the Takeout 25 owner group shows their willingness to come together and support each other in a situation like this,” said Parakkat.

In a show of support for Russo and his home country, “Pray for Ukraine” banners are now on display in restaurant windows throughout Oak Park and the surrounding communities.

Michelle Mascaro, owner of Happy Apple Pie shop, 226 Harrison St., traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine in 1971 and looks back on the trip as a time that developed her sense of empathy for people all around the world. In addition to hanging a Pray for Ukraine banner in her

shop, she intends to post a list of all the grave conflicts going on around the globe.

“We care about a lot more than making pie,” said Mascaro. “This is just one example of how restaurants can make a difference when we work together.”

Not only did owners from Autre Monde, 6727 Roosevelt Rd., pick up a banner from the Onion Roll to display in their decade old Berwyn restaurant, they expanded on the idea by announcing a community dining night with 100% of the profits going to Ukrainian refugee relief efforts. Autre Monde has teamed up with a network of Ukrainian churches who are working with relief efforts at the Polish border.

Reservations (via resy.com) are encouraged for the dinner to be held on Wednesday, March 16. The event will take place during regular service and Autre Monde’s seasonal menu offerings will be enhanced with special regional entrees, signature cocktails and Balkan wines.

“We have staff members who have family in that part of the world,” said Christine Tully, general manager and co-owner of Autre Monde. “Knowing that members of our local food community are suffering because of this situation compels us to want to do more for Ukraine.”

Russo is humbled by the outpouring of support. He is clear he will continue raising awareness and the Onion Roll will continue making blue and yellow bagels as long as the conflict continues in Ukraine.

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Upscale cocktails and elevated nibbles at Kettlestrings Grove Expanding into the Pleasant District

By MELISSA ELSMO

thought it would be interesting to see what we could do with a cocktail bar.”

Guests will appreciate the craft cockExpanding on their neighborhood-fo- tail program overseen by Joe Swartz, Ketcused restaurant concept, the local folks be- tlestrings’ operations director. The prohind Kettlestrings Tavern, 800 S. Oak Park gram highlights lesser-known spirits and Ave., have transformed a quirky Pleasant liquors in creative ways. Guenther singled District space into a duo of distinct eater- out the Joe Amaro as a “must try” offering; ies. Located in the former home of La Bel- the cocktail is designed to celebrate the la, Kettlestrings Grove, 105-107 S. Marion, natural bond between bourbon and chocois poised to open on Wednesday at 4 p.m., late. Colorful bottles of French Citadelle while its sibling establishment, Betty’s gin, Ha’Penny rhubarb gin, Tres GeneraPizza and Pasta, 1103 South Blvd., is still a ciones tequila, Redwood Empire rye whiskey, and D. George Benham’s few weeks from opening. vodka line the shelves behind Rob Guenthner and Kathe bar in artful fashion and tie Ashton, Wil and Justine suggest the entire menu will Greenwald and Pete and be filled with unexpected Fran Lisnic, founders and cotwists on tradition. owners of the Kettlestrings Diners should expect to establishments, aim to create comfortable dining experiences that give a nod to Oak find an array of chef driven dishes conPark founders, Joe and Betty Kettlestrings. ceptualized by Tanya Baker. She is the forThe section of land the Kettlestrings laid mer executive chef at Boarding House in claim to in the 1830’s was known by several Chicago (now closed) and 2015 James Beard Rising Star Chef-of-the-Year finalist. She names including, Kettlestrings Grove.

After minimal renovations to the dimin- now oversees kitchen operations and menu utive Marion Street space, Kettlestrings development for all three Kettlestrings esGrove is set to begin offering thoughtful tablishments in addition to working as a cocktails and substantial shareables suit- private chef.

For Kettlestrings Grove, Baker has deable for enjoying as a pre-dinner outing or full meal replacement. Seating will be of- veloped an edited menu of thoughtfully fered on a first come, first served basis at sourced charcuterie, small plates, and rothe upscale cocktail lounge with a speak- tating specials. Opening day menu offerings include blistered shishito peppers and easy vibe.

“We had good success when we created a Brussels sprouts with Kewpie Mayo, lemon neighborhood tavern,” said Guenther. “We confit, fried shallot and bonito flakes as well as tuna tartare with cucumber, pickled radish, serrano pepper, chili sesame oil and taro root chips. While there are braised beef cheeks on the menu, vegetable lumpia, beets and greens and fried polenta bites with crispy mushrooms, pecorino and truffle will please vegetarians. The Grove Board will feature a rotating assortment of cheeses including options like Rogue Creamery Smoky Blue, Marieke Truffle MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor Gouda and Délice de READY AND WAITING: Kettlestrings Grove, 105-107 South Bourgogne and charMarion, is poised to open on Wednesday, March 9 at 4 p.m. cuterie offerings like Oak Park Eats Editor

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

PREPARING FOR OPENING DAY: Training at Kettlestrings Grove gives staff insight into an assortment of craft cocktails made with lesser-known spirits.

PROVIDED

BEETS AND GREENS: A vegetarian salad with roasted beets, goat cheese mousse, pecan crumble, puffed quinoa, arugula and blood orange vinaigrette.

VEGETARIAN: Vegetable lumpia are among the vegetarian offerings at Kettlestrings Grove. Served with sweet chili sauce, the parcels are filled with glass noodle, mung bean, cabbage, tofu and ginger.

Tempesta Nduja, Olli Calabrese Salami, and Smoking Goose Guanciale.

Guenther teased a forthcoming art installation that ties back to the history of Kettlestrings Grove. As the weather warms patrons should expect to find sidewalk dining opportunities to complement the comfortable indoor seating.

“We began discussing this project in June of 2021 and it has taken longer than we thought it would,” said Guenther. “But we are ready to hit the ground running!”

Ultimately, Kettlestrings Grove will share a kitchen with the restaurant group’s third establishment, Betty’s Pizza and Pasta -- expect New York style pizza to arrive on South Boulevard in a matter of weeks. In the meantime, plan to visit Kettlestrings Grove for elevated cocktails and chef-created bites.

The bar is open Tuesday through Thursday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. to midnight, Saturday 2 p.m. to midnight and Sunday 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Kettlestrings Tavern remains open on Oak Park Avenue.

PROVIDED

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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South Boulevard condo developer gets 4th extension Gurevich now has until Aug. 31 to complete construction

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

The village board of Oak Park has allowed the developer of the multi-unit residential condominium building at 715-717 South Blvd. a six-month extension to complete construction.

This is the fourth extension granted to the project, which was approved for construction almost exactly five years ago.

“Village staff is concerned about the slow pace at which the development is moving forward,” said Tammie Grossman, director of development customer services, at the board’s March 7 meeting.

Art Gurevich, the same developer behind the much-delayed Bonnie Brae development in River Forest, requested a yearlong extension. However, the project’s poor track record caused the village board to halve that length to put pressure on Gurevich to follow through.

“We’re hoping this will push the developer to get the project finished,” said Grossman.

Had the village board denied the extension request, the project would have had to go through the entire planning process again, which staff did not recommend. Gurevich now has until Aug. 31 to complete the project.

The 14-unit, 5-story condo complex first received construction approval March 6, 2017. Under the planned development ordinance, the developer was required to submit a building permit within 12 months. Gurevich failed to do so, prompting him to request on Sept. 4, 2018 to extend the permit filing deadline by one year. He also requested to extend the project’s completion date by one year. The village board then approved another year-long extension in June of 2020, and yet another year-long extension in March of 2021.

Gurevich told the board his most recent extension was needed due to COVID-19 and supply chain challenges, the latter presenting a “tremendous drag” to the project, he said.

“This is just one example — the electrical service should have been [finished] in October,” said Gurevich. “And I still don’t have my electrical service.”

The building could not be heated through the winter due to delayed delivery of necessary utility parts, according to Gurevich, which made work difficult to carry out. He said those parts still have not arrived, despite having ordered them in October.

“We have challenges,” he said. “We are meeting them. We are overcoming them.”

Rendering courtesy of John Conrad Schiess Architect

DELAYED AGAIN: 715-717 South Blvd. development rendering The developer shared that much progress has been made since this time last year. The framing and most of the mechanical work have been completed. The mechanical work is expected to be inspected in the coming weeks. Dry wall has also gone up.

“We are about 70 percent done with the building,” said Gurevich.

Despite the progress, he does not believe construction can be finished in six months. Rather, he expects that the project will be close to complete come September. Staff did not recommend giving Gurevich another full year due to his tendency to procrastinate.

“Staff believes that, while Mr. Gurevich is well-intentioned, he does tend to wait until right before the deadline to approach us and ask for an extension,” Grossman explained.

Like staff, the patience of veteran village board members is starting to run thin regarding the project. Trustee Jim Taglia expressed his exasperation at the continued delays.

“The Empire State Building, I think, was built in like 13 months,” said Taglia. “This is taking like four times longer than the Empire State building.”

Taglia was right on the mark regarding the Empire State Building. The skyscraper took exactly one year and 45 days to build. It is shorter than the Empire State Building by 97 stories.

The village board voted 6-0 to approve the extension. Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla was absent from the meeting.

If Gurevich cannot complete construction in six months, he has the ability to return to the village board within that time frame to give an actual completion date. Staff was directed to keep tabs on the South Boulevard project.

Public input on policing sought as equity project launches Three meetings, one in-person, during March

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

The village of Oak Park will be hosting a series of meetings to gather the community’s feedback on how the Oak Park Police Department can provide greater equity in its services. The meetings are the beginning of the public input phase of the independent community safety study commissioned by the village board. The study itself is part of the board’s wider effort to promote racial equity in law enforcement by identifying, addressing and rectifying the areas that en-

courage bias-based policing.

All three meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. The first is scheduled for March 10 and will be held on Zoom. The focus of that meeting, according to a village news release, will be on police operations.

The police department’s calls-for-service model and its operations will be the focus of the second meeting, which will be held in person March 16 in the east café of Oak Park and River Forest High School. A third meeting, focusing on the calls-for-service model, will be held on Zoom March 23. Meeting footage will also be archived on the village’s

website.

Representatives from national consulting firm BerryDunn will lead the meetings.

Those who wish to can also directly submit feedback into a dedicated web portal accessible through this link: www.oak-park. us/policeassessment. A racial equity survey and links to the two virtual meetings can also be found on the web portal.

The village board engaged the services of BerryDunn for the study back in August in a contract worth $159,250. Through the study, BerryDunn will assess police operations, internal and external racial equity issues

within the department and how police respond to calls for service. The study is expected to last into late summer or early fall.

BerryDunn representatives will present a report of their findings to the village board upon the assessment’s completion.

Community members who wish to participate in the March 10 meeting can do so here: https://oak-park-us.zoom.us/j/81224547596, meeting ID 812 2454 7596.

The March 23 meeting is accessible through this link: https://oak-park-us.zoom.us/j/81670546427, meeting ID 816 7054 6427.

Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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Art shines, students, teachers beam as exhibit goes up District 97 student art is on display at the main library

By F. AMANDA TUGADE

I

Staff Reporter

f you look closely at Sarah Ann Tocci’s drawing – which hangs up high near the center of a wall at the Oak Park Public Library – you may just find a surprise: A kitten’s face hidden among chalk strokes of soft pastels and sharp black shapes.

That’s because Tocci, a second grader at Longfellow Elementary School, 715 Highland, loves cats. To be exact, she adores her three cats, Oreo, Willow and Thor, and tries to incorporate them in all her artwork, including her latest piece in the Oak Park School District 97 art exhibit.

“I sometimes try to draw them. They’re really cute,” Tocci said, as she stood in front of a library wall featuring dozens of pieces of artwork from District 97 students, pointing to her own. Sporting a white dress patterned with rainbow unicorn cats and a cat ear headband, she affirmed, “I love drawing my kitties in my drawings.”

Throughout the month of March, in tandem with Youth Art Month, the library is showing nearly MICHAELA RUFF 100 pieces of artwork D97 art teacher from D97’s elementary and middle school students. Their drawings, paintings and mixed-media pieces are currently on display on the first floor of the main library, 834 Lake St. Jennifer Raia, an art teacher at Longfellow and chair of the art department for the district’s elementary schools, said the district has partnered with the library in the past to host art shows. District 97 has also teamed up with Oak Park and River Forest High School or used its school libraries to showcase art exhibits, Sophia Brody but those events have been canceled and spaces declared unavailable for use because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raia and other art teachers such as Michaela Ruff and Phillip Swistowicz told Wednesday Journal that they worked throughout the pandemic to bring art to their students, especially during the first COVID wave when schools shifted to remote learning. Ruff, who teaches at Hatch Elementary School, 1000 N. Ridgeland Ave., recalled how she and her colleagues sent their students kits complete with basic art supplies such as a watercolor paint set, markers and sketchbooks and tailoring their projects based on those materials. Swistowicz, who works at Percy Julian Middle School, 416 Ridgeland Ave., and is the chair of District 97’s middle school art department, said he had to be creative with his lesson plans and at one point had

“I didn’t even realize how impactful it was going to be on me and the kids when we were putting this together.”

F. AMANDA TUGADE/Staff Reporter

NICE POSE: Sarah Ann Tocci and Fisher Hays students use household items to make art tools.

But that all changed this year F. AMANDA TUGADE/Staff Reporter when schools fully reopened, Ruff and Swistowicz said.

“I think, like week one, I took out the paints and the pastels and just really kind of went extra crazy with materials we could use,” said Ruff, who works with students from kindergarten to fifth grade. “I’m wrapping up clay right now, and it was really bizarre to me that even our second graders, this was their first experience ever using clay.”

Swistowicz echoed Ruff and added “it has been awesome” to have students back in the classroom and have the ability to teach a more “traditional curriculum.” Swistowicz, whose art classes have a focus on woodworking, said because COVID-19 guidelines have shifted, his students are now able to share, trade and use different tools while learning about 3D designs.

Raia, Ruff and Swistowicz told the Journal that seeing their students get excited about the art materials, the project, use their hands and learn about the process of creation,

that’s what teaching is all about.

“For this art show,” Ruff said, “I didn’t even realize how impactful it was going to be on me and the kids when we were putting this stuff together. Seeing all of the art hung at the library was so beautiful. Even the library staff were coming, and they were just so excited to see the community back, like this vibrant art back in their space, and it was so special.”

That rang true for District 97 students Fisher Hays and Sophia Brody, whose pieces were also in the art exhibit.

Hays’ painting centers on a simple, colorful, dotted swirl and was inspired by Alma Thomas, a Black artist from the 20th century whose work focused primarily on color theory and light and dark abstraction. Brody’s piece, however, was a bold graphic print with blocks of color made out of tissue paper.

Hays, a friend and classmate of Tocci’s, and Brody, a fourth grader who also attends Longfellow, said this was the first time their artwork has been put on display for all to see.

When asked how they feel, they kept their answers simple.

“Kind of proud,” said Hays, a second grader.

Brody said, “It feels like I did something very cool.”

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UKRAINE

Joining the defense from page 1 said Maria, whose last name, and that of her husband, has been omitted for reasons of safety.

Maria, 44, has lived in Oak Park for about a decade, but was born in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. At the time of her birth, Ukraine was part of the USSR. When she was 16, she and her family moved to Poland after her mother became sick from radiation due to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Her parents later returned to Ukraine, where they currently live in Odesa. Many of Maria’s cousins also still live in Ukraine.

She and David tied the knot in a small backyard wedding March 5, the date of Maria’s grandmother’s birthday. Attendees brought gifts of medical supplies, military gear and first aid kits.

The couple expected to leave for Poland March 7, but complications with David’s passport may prevent him from departing as planned. If he is unable to fly out with her, Maria will wait MARIA for him in Poland.

“I promised to him that I’m not going to enter Ukraine without him,” she said.

At least 364 Ukrainians have died and at least 759 have been injured since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to the United Nations. Slightly smaller than Texas, the country of Ukraine faces an extremely powerful foe in Russia.

The Russian military is made up of roughly 900,000 personnel, while Ukraine has 170,000 active-duty troops. The country also recently began conscripting reservists aged 18 to 60.

“I can’t do fundraising or play concerts or walk around with flags anymore.”

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

AID AND COMFORT: Pamela Chinchilla, of Lombard, sorts through a box of medical supplies that the couple will bring to Ukraine.

Maria and David are joining the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine – a volunteer foreign military unit formed

by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

They will only be provided with a firearm, according to Maria.

The couple believes that the unit will likely operate in English, which will be helpful to David, who doesn’t speak Russian. Maria speaks Russian, Polish, English, German and some Italian.

David is among a growing number of American veterans who are volunteering to fight for Ukraine, but Maria has no military background to speak of. A trained violinist and pianist, she has never shot a gun. Her lack of

experience, however, has not deterred her. She told Wednesday Journal that she could not stand by in the comfort of her Oak Park home as war engulfs her homeland.

“I can’t do fundraising or play concerts or walk around with flags anymore,” she said. “I just have to be there.”

Maria has two children from a previous marriage. When Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, she was unable to return to help as her children were too young. Now aged 10 and 13, the children will be staying in the United States with their father and stepmother. Their stepmother spent about three years volunteering in Ukraine after the annexation.

Her kids, she said, understand her need to return home. Prior to COVID-19, they spent their summers in Odesa to spend time with their grandparents. It was also an opportunity for them to learn what life looked like outside of the village of Oak Park.

“Life is not perfect,” she said.

Maria’s parents live in an apartment building in Odessa. When Russian troops started shelling, they would seek shelter in a parking garage. They would go back and forth from the parking garage every two hours, according to Maria.

“Now, they just sleep through it because it’s too tiring to go up and down,” she said.

Maria has been able to maintain contact with her parents and her cousins, as well as people at the Polish-Ukrainian border. She speaks with her parents every day, waking up in the middle of the night to call them.

It is unclear how long Maria and David will be overseas. American citizens are authorized under U.S. government regulations to stay in Ukraine without a visa as long as their visit is under 90 days. They don’t know what will happen from there. Maria, for her part, is well aware of the dangers she will face in the pursuit of freedom for Ukraine.

“I don’t really have this sense of self-preservation,” she said. “I’m not afraid of dying.”

Two local churches host events

Organizations across the world are coming out in support for Ukraine. In River Forest, Urban Village Church-West, 7970 Lake St., is holding a prayer service for Ukraine at 7 p.m., March 11. Parishioner and Oak Park resident Tetyana Krutsik, who grew up in Ukraine, is helping to coordinate the service.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 611 Randolph St., is hosting a piano and violin concert for Ukraine at 3 p.m., March 12. The proceeds of the concert will be goALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

ing to the Lutheran World Relief ’s World of Good fund and the Voices of Children Foundation.

The World of Good fund provides families in crisis with food, clean water, shelter and medical supplies.

The Voices of Children Foundation is a Ukraine-based charitable organization that has been providing psychological and psychosocial support to children who have suffered from war trauma.

Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

C R I M E

HISTORIC BEAUTY!

Dollar Tree robbed by armed man in safety vest

An armed man in an orange safety vest robbed the Dollar Tree, 6226 Roosevelt Rd., at 9:01 p.m., March 1. While standing in the line to check out, the man pulled a handgun out of the front pocket of his sweatshirt, demanding money.

After the cashier put cash from the register into a plastic Dollar Tree shopping bag, the offender had the cashier and another employee open the safe in the back office. The two employees then proceeded to put cash from the safe into the same plastic shopping bag.

The man left the store and fled in an unknown direction, carrying roughly $1,400 in stolen cash. He was last seen wearing cargo pants with a yellow-orange safety vest over a red jacket. Underneath the jacket, he wore a gray hooded sweatshirt.

Police reports describe the offender as a thin Black male, 28 to 32 years old and about 5-feet-7.

Aggravated vehicle hijacking An Oak Park resident was ordered out of his vehicle by a man carrying a black handgun at 7:52 p.m., Feb. 28 in the 1000 block of Chicago Avenue. The offender fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle traveling eastbound on Chicago Avenue. State police recovered the vehicle with three suspects inside at 10:39 p.m. that night in the 4300 block of West Maypole Avenue. The investigation is ongoing.

Motor vehicle theft A gray 2017 Infiniti QX50, left running and unattended, was taken between 7:40 a.m. and 8:05 a.m., March 3 from the 1100 block of Randolph Street. Chicago police recovered the vehicle without apprehension at 12:21

17

p.m., March 6 in the 8500 block of South State Street in Chicago.

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Burglary ■ Someone broke the rear driver’s side window of a black 2021 Dodge Durango, then took from the vehicle a “Louisville Slugger” bag that contained miscellaneous legal and religious documents between 8 a.m., March 3 and 7:13 a.m., March 4 in the 100 block of Garfield Street. The estimated loss is $530.

■ Someone pried open the front door and damaged the back door of a residence under construction then took a Bluetooth speaker from inside the home between 10 a.m., March 3 and 4:30 p.m., March 4 in the first block of Chicago Avenue. The rear window ledge and the lockbox near the back door were also broken. The estimated damage is $730.

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Theft The catalytic converter was removed from a green 2001 Honda Odyssey that was parked in the 500 block of South Cuyler Avenue between 12:45 a.m. and 7:45 a.m., March 1.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports, March 1-7, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

SERVING OAK PARK AND RIVER FOREST SINCE 1976

RESIDENTIAL — COMMERCIAL — RETAIL — CHURCHES — SCHOOLS

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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oakpark.com/real-estate email: buphues@wjinc.com

Homes

Really upscale resale In Oak Park and River Forest, homes at $1.4 million-plus hit the market

By LACEY SIKORA

R

Contributing Reporter

eal estate professionals are expecting another busy spring in both River Forest and Oak Park, and two properties currently for sale – one in each village-- reflect current offerings in the market at homes over the $1,250,000 price point.

In 2021, Oak Park and River Forest saw marked increases in sales of high-end homes. River Forest clocked a 62-percent increase in the number of sales of homes priced at over $1 million in 2021 versus 2020, and Oak Park saw a 76 percent bump up in sales in that category.

Elizabeth August with @properties says that she is listing two homes that represent that upper-end market. The homes have some similarities she says, pointing out that both are similar in price, sit on big lots and have four-plus bedrooms.

The homes are very different in styles, however, with the Oak Park home representing more of a Prairie style while the River

Forest home is a classical center-entrance colonial.

The residence at 539 Linden Ave. in Oak Park is listed for $1,595,000. The six- bedroom home has three full baths and two half baths and more than 5,000 square feet of living space. The home was built in 1909 for Anton Johnson, a furniture designer.

Homeowner Kathy Mahoney says the home’s art glass is rumored to have been designed by Marion Mahoney (no relation) who worked in Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio.

The seven south-facing art glass windows in the dining room are said to have been included in the design to represent the seven children of the Johnson family.

Throughout the home, other original architectural features remain, including a butler’s pantry with the original sink above a drying rack radiator, art glass sconces, built-in cabinetry and seating and multiple fireplaces. Mahoney says these details along with the unique bay windows designed by architect William Gibbs were big draws See UPSCALE on page 21

PHOTOS BY ©VHT STUDIOS

The Prairie-style house at 539 Linden Ave. in Oak Park (top) comes with 5,000 square feet of living space, including art glass windows in the dining room (above) custom designed for the family who built the home in 1909.

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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21

UPSCALE

Space, inside and out from page 19 when the house was featured on Wright Plus and Oak Park River Forest Historical Society housewalks.

In addition to the old, the house has plenty of new. Mahoney is a kitchen and bath designer and remodeled the kitchen in 2016. She also redesigned the bathrooms over her family’s 12 years in the house.

August points out that this price points comes with a lot of extras. A one-bedroom, one-bathroom coach house above a three-car garage offers potential as an in-law suite or Airbnb.

The house sits on a 100-by-175 foot lot, August said, “So you get this beautiful, stately feel,” August said.

Further west, 7980 Chicago Ave. in River Forest is another high-end listing that August says has a “beautiful street presence” from its corner lot. The home recently listed for $1,400,000.

The River Forest house was built in 1925 and has four bedrooms, with room for a fifth in the basement, as well has four full and one half bathroom. It sports a brick exterior, slate roof, brick driveway and wrought-iron fence.

In the last 10 years, August says the owners built a kitchen/family room addition, with the basement and all bathrooms also receiving renovations.

“It is a blend of today’s needs with that open kitchen and family room, but still has that classical estate feel with the arched doorways and moldings,” August said.

The newer kitchen boasts professional appliances and a large center island. The adjacent family room has a wood-burning fireplace with a limestone mantle. A mudroom provides storage opportunities upon entry from the three-car garage.

August thinks that both of the River Forest and Oak Park homes represent a lot of what high-end buyers want right now, noting that the pandemic has caused a desire for more room inside and outside of their homes.

With more people working from home, she

PHOTOS BY ©VHT STUDIOS

The traditional colonial-style home at 7980 Chicago Ave. in River Forest (above) has a newer family room/kitchen addition (middle and bottom right) that blends modern living with the traditional style seen in the original part of the home, like the spacious living and dining rooms (bottom left). says buyers want a flexible floor plan, which both houses have. The River Forest house has a basement perfect for a home office and gym while the Oak Park house has that separate coach house.

Another reason these estate homes might be moving faster than in previous markets?

The construction environment. August says that during the pandemic a lot of people looked at their houses and decided to finally tackle home improvement projects, which created a busy season for contractors.

Lately, she says she’s seeing more and more buyers who realize it might be easier to buy a larger home rather than add onto their existing home. With supply-chain issues for everything from kitchen appliances to bathroom vanities, and construction companies booked with existing jobs, she says renovation is taking longer and getting more expensive.

Sometimes, it makes more sense to move up.

22

Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

POOL

One closed, one left from page 1 years old – whereas the lifespan of a pool lasts somewhere between 40 to 50 years, Sullivan said.

“We’ve been aware that at some point they’re going to fail. This wasn’t a surprise to us. Of course, we’ve hoped all along that we can get this issue resolved before this happens,” she said, “but here we are.”

The district had initially sought to replace the pools with one 25-yard by 40-yard pool, a project that would fold into the second phase of the Imagine OPRF capital improvement plan. Project 2, which has yet to be finalized by the school board, was set to focus on several renovations to the high school’s physical education classrooms, including the gyms and multipurpose rooms, athletic offices and locker rooms.

But because Project 2 is not in place, the district is facing another dilemma, Sullivan said.

“What to do about the pool is very intertwined with Project 2,” she said. “Building a new pool is part of Project 2. If for some reason Project 2 was not pursued, we’d still have to figure [this] out. What are we going to do about these failing pools?”

“So at this point, we’re trying to determine are we going to proceed with Project

2, and what does that look like? And so we really can’t make any decisions about the pools until we figure out the Project 2 piece.”

In a 14-page document, McCluskey itemized the key issues facing the school’s two pools. While both pools’ basement walls and floors were observed to have suffered from water leakage, corrosion, cracks and efflorescence from the constant presence of moisture, the west pool appeared to be in far worse condition than the east pool.

Based on the McCluskey report, the west deck of the west pool must be repaired and was marked a “5” on the firm’s 1-5 scale, meaning those repairs are urgent. District officials emailed families and employees late last month, explaining the west pool’s closure due to the west deck issues. The west wall of the pool relies on the west deck for structural support, they said, and warned that a “structural failure of the deck could cause a structural failure of the pool wall as well.”

McCluskey consultants also noted the west pools’ walls had more active leaks and that its walls and basement floor were “generally wetter” than the east. They pointed out that one of the west pool’s walls had many leaks, some of which were below the pool floor, causing portions of the basement floor to get wet. They also observed dark rust stains around a control joint near the southern end of the west pool. Though the joint had been patched, they saw a “noticeable bulge in the surface

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WEST IS ALL WET: OPRF’s West Pool has been closed, possibly permanently. of the wall,” they wrote. The patch was delaminated, and when they removed a piece of it, the water leaked, increasing “noticeably,” they wrote.

“Where water was observed leaking through the wall at or below the construction joint, it indicates that water had penetrated the pool floor and built up in the area below the pool before penetrating the walls,” McCluskey consultants wrote in the report.

McCluskey also referred to an assessment by Larson Engineering Inc., a Chicago-based firm that previously worked with the district and evaluated the pools.

Larson Engineering had reported that the leaks and cracks in the pool walls indicate that the walls’ cannot “support the fluid pressure of the water.” Those walls have been “compromised” by corrosion and degradation and are not structurally sound, and the damages cannot be determined by visual observation alone, Larson consultants said.

In last month’s districtwide email, high school officials explained how complicated it was to repair the school’s pair of

94-year-old pools. While the pool systems, pool decks, observation areas and locker rooms do not meet current safety codes, the district opened up about another hurdle.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), which oversees pool permits, requires any pool equipment to be replaced with the same model, or the entire facility undergoes a new permitting process to be brought up to code.

“We have equipment that’s 40 years old [that] they just don’t make anymore,” Sullivan told Wednesday Journal in an interview. “We have to remove that equipment, then we have to bring the whole pool up to code.”

As the district moves forward, they look to discuss the necessary repairs of the west pool at the March 24 school board meeting and present cost estimates.

But at this point, the district laid out one question in its February email that still remains unclear and unanswered: “Should the district try and fix the current, inadequate pools or wait to invest in a new one?”

Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

23

SPORTS Fenwick girls bow out in hockey state quarterfinals Early Loyola goal turns out to be enough for Ramblers

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

After seeing the past two seasons getting cut short or altogether canceled, the Fenwick High School girls hockey club entered this year hoping to duplicate the success of 2019, which ended with an American Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI) state championship.

However, the Friars’ dreams came to an end with a 3-0 AHAI state quarterfinal loss at the hands of Loyola Academy on March 4 at Ridgeland Common in Oak Park. A shot from the blue line by the Ramblers’ Tierney Purcell 70 seconds into the game managed to trickle past Fenwick goalie Chrysoula Dafnis, putting the Friars in an early hole from which they couldn’t escape.

“That early goal was a really tough bounce,” said Fenwick coach Mason Strom.

“It took the wind out of our sails, and you could feel it on the bench.”

Loyola’s defense then clamped down and made it difficult for Fenwick to establish possession in the attacking zone.

The Friars managed to generate a few scoring opportunities, but were denied by the Ramblers’ goalie.

Loyola added two MASON STROM more goals, with Fenwick girls hockey coach Lauren Smith scoring at the 11:12 mark of the second period and an empty-netter

by Karlynne Kolssak with 72 seconds left in the game.

“I commend the effort we had,” Strom said. “I’ve really got to hand it to Loyola.

The goal as a hockey team is to play your best at the end of the season, and [Loyola’s] roller-coaster is still going up to play their best. I think we may have peaked a couple of weeks ago, and the last couple of games weren’t a good measuring stick of the best we could play.”

Still, Strom said Fenwick (11-7-1) had a successful season, given the vast amount of newcomers to the team this year.

“I define success a little differently,” he said. “Our core values are growing the game of girls’ hockey and providing a place for

“Three seasons ago, we learned how difficult it is to make a state title game, let alone win one.”

PHOTO BY DAVID KINDLER

Fenwick’s Fiona Gallagher (94) handles the puck under pressure in a game from earlier this season. Gallagher, who will continue her career at William Smith College, was part of the Friars’ 2019 state championship girls hockey team. players to play. Learning life lessons and being good human beings are also important.

We didn’t get as far in the state tournament like we wanted to, but Loyola was the better team. However, I wouldn’t define our season by this outcome.”

Juniors Alessia DiSilvestro (forward) and Brynne West (defense) along with seniors Elizabeth Mack and Cuora Sullivan (both defense) were named to the AHAI All-State Team.

Mack, a Fenwick student, along with Hamilton College commit Sullivan, an Oak

Park and River Forest High School student, were part of the 2019 state title team along OPRF’s Fiona Gallagher (defense, William Smith College recruit). Strom said he’ll miss the leadership and presence they provided.

“The position they were put in the last couple of years was unfair,” he said of the club’s pandemic-affected seasons. “They were forced to become the glue that held the team together. They’re invaluable. They’re the only ones that had a full season until this year. They bridged our core values as a hockey community, and it’s going to be

tough with them not skating with us next year.”

Strom said he is encouraged that the Friars will return several key contributors, including Dafnis, DiSilvestro, West and junior forward Mae Hamilton.

“Three seasons ago, we learned how difficult it is to make a state title game, let alone win one,” he said. “I’m hoping that they take to heart the lessons of learning how to sacrifice and making the effort that it takes to be successful and experience victory. That’s going to be key for us moving forward.”

24

S P O R T S

Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

@ @OakPark

St. Ignatius halts Fenwick’s postseason hoops run Top-seeded Wolfpack win sectional semifinal 62-45

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Back in December when the Fenwick High School boys basketball team traveled to rival St. Ignatius, the Friars were blown out 67-38. So when the two schools met in an IHSA Class 3A sectional semifinal on March 1 at King High School in Chicago, the Friars were eager to put up a better showing.

While Fenwick did give a vigorous effort, it wasn’t enough as the top-seeded Wolfpack prevailed 62-45.

“At the end of the day, I’m proud of these guys,” said Fenwick coach Tony Young of his team, which finished 9-18 and won the Prosser Regional. “I’m proud of my seniors for the way they fought, and I’m extremely proud of our young boys because they didn’t know what they were stepping into. We had a very inexperienced team trying to do something special, and for them to make it this far and do the things they did this season, I’m proud.”

The game started out as a back-and-forth affair and was tied at 16 midway through the second quarter. But St. Ignatius (22-12), keyed by a pair of three-pointers by Reggie Ray and another by Richard Barron, went on a 14-2 run to take a 30-18 halftime lead.

“They had that one stretch where they hit a bunch of threes,” Young said. “It changed the game.”

Fenwick senior forward Gabe Madej poured in seven

of his team-high 18 points in the third quarter to keep the Friars in the game. But the Wolfpack’s A.J. Redd countered with 10 points of his own to help St. Ignatius carry a 42-31 advantage into the final quarter. He then added 10 more points during his final eight minutes as the Wolfpack pulled away and secured victory.

Redd finished with a game-high 25 points. Barron added 14 points and four rebounds and Kolby Gilles 11 points, four rebounds, and two blocks for St. Ignatius.

Freshman Nate Marshall had nine points and senior Den Juette eight points and six rebounds for Fenwick, which loses five seniors to graduation.

“It took us a second to get going this season,” Young said. “But [the seniors] had us playing well at the end. I’m proud of Den, Gabe, T.J. [Stephenson], Brett [Bohaboy] and Lou [Leonardi]. They gave themselves to the team and it wasn’t easy, but they did and that’s what matters.”

Marshall leads a lengthy list of returnees, which includes freshmen Ty Macariola and Damion Porter Jr. along with sophomores Germaine Benson and Landon Rivers, all of whom saw significant playing time this season.

The Friars also boast some talent at the lower levels of the program. The freshmen teams had a combined record of 50-3, while the sophomores went 25-3.

“The future’s bright,” Young said. “I’m excited to see what our young guys do this spring and summer. This will be huge for us as now we know what we need to work on. We’ll get our feet planted and start implementing more stuff. The goal was to be better at the end of the season, and we were.”

S A V E

T H E

SARAH MINOR/FILE

Gabe Madej scored seven of his team-high 18 points in the third quarter against St. Ignatius, but it wasn’t enough to hold back the top-seeded Wolfpack.

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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M. Call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

25

Bridge-building & the CRC p. 28

S U S T A I N  A B I L I T Y

Zeroing in on Net Zero in the parks On the second week of each month, we will feature a column on environmental issues submitted by IGov, an intergovernmental body composed of two representatives each from the village, public library, park district, township, and school districts 97 and 200. Today’s column is written by the park district’s Chris Lindgren.

T

he Park District of Oak Park has taken climate change seriously. Over the last six years, its focus can be summed up with one word: Action.

The district identified sustainability as one of its core values to make sure that it was incorporated when making decisions. After all, the park district represents the greenspace in our community and should lead in stewardship of our natural resources.

The district is breaking ground on March 19 on the fully electric Net Zero Community Recreation Center. This long-awaited and much-needed facility will incorporate many sustainability features: Lighting and energy use – Triple-glazed windows throughout. North-facing windows take advantage of natural light and reduce the need for artificial lighting. Efficient lighting systems and controls, including occupancy-controlled outlets.

315 watt solar array. Battery backup system to increase resiliency in power outage situations, keeping critical components running.

Building systems – Super-insulated building envelope, including tight air barrier and elimination of thermal breaks which reduce the loss of heating and cooling – all lower the size of equipment needed.

Very high efficiency VRF HVAC system, paired with a DOAS ventilation system, reduce electrical demand.

Electrical load monitoring will closely monitor and troubleshoot unwanted electrical usage.

Water management – Installation of a bioswale in the parkway to assist with stormwater management.

Permeable pavers used for the parking lot.

Use of urban timber – To make wooden benches from a Heritage Oak from Scoville Park.

Additional district sustainability efforts are many.

They include the installation of solar on 10 district buildings, and signing on to community solar for a portion of its remaining electrical needs; changing out all of the buildings’ interior lights to LED as well as all park lights, contributing to the reduction of the district’s electricity usage agency-wide by 37%. The five cisterns installed in the parks have saved over 1,250,000 gallons of water annually. Adding rain gardens and bioswales in parks are considered wherever practical. The district’s natural resource management

IGOV

See NET ZERO on page 29

SPIRIDON ION CEPLEANU, CC BY-SA 3.0

A long history underlies the Ukraine conflict

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’ve been living in United States for almost 24 years, and I’ve been writing for various Chicago-area media outlets, including Growing Community Media newspapers, for 10 of those years. And I am a Russian, of Russian/ Belarusian/Jewish/Polish descent.

My Jewish great-grandmother was born in what was then the Ukrainian part of the Russian Empire, but she left when she was still young, and she passed away long before I was born. But even if I didn’t have this tenuous connection, it would be impossible for me not to take the invasion personally.

It feels like a lot of people living in the United States don’t understand the cultural connection between Russia and Ukraine and, just importantly, the role Ukraine plays in the popular Russian conception of its national identity. Belarus, Russia and Ukraine all trace their roots to the country historians call the Kievan Rus. There is a great deal of debate about where the commonalities end, each of the distinct national identities begin, and a lot of it is unfortunately caught up in politics. But the story I, and a lot of other Russian kids, were told went something like this: Once upon a time, there was the great Rus. Mongol conquest split the Rus apart, and western portions of it fell under the sway of Poland. But eventually, Russia threw off the Mongol yoke. The Ukrainians asked the Russians to free them and take them back into the great nation, and Russia gladly agreed. Belarus joined in somewhere, but childhood lessons tended to gloss over that part.

Under this conception, only Russia is the pure inheritor of the legacy of Rus. Ukrainians and Belarusians are Russians corrupted by Polish conquest. And it’s really too bad that the Soviet Union fell apart and they became independent.

Now, I might have accepted all of this without question if one of my classmates, a Ukrainian kid named Kolya, didn’t forcefully push back on this. “Who says we wanted to join you?” he would ask. What about the Ukrainian People’s Republic? What about all the times the Soviet Union tried to

repress Ukrainian culture?

I still believed a lot of what I was told — but Kolya was my friend. And my mom, whom I loved a great deal, didn’t challenge any of this, but encouraged me to listen to other perspectives, saying that I wouldn’t be a well-rounded individual if I didn’t. This was enough to plant the seeds of doubt that would blossom after my family immigrated to the U.S. Here I was forced, for the first time, to see Ukrainians and other people whose lands Russian Empire conquered, as equals. I learned a lot more about Ukrainian history, and Russian history in general. My views changed — but I think a lot of what I grew up with explains not just Vladimir Putin’s thinking, but the thinking of a lot of Russians who support him.

While concerns about NATO expansion play a part of it, the main issue is what he sees as the cradle of the Russian civilization drifting into the Western sphere of influence.

I think that blinded him to the fact that Ukrainians are a distinct people, who will defend their Motherland from invaders as fiercely as Russians would defend theirs.

And there is the other side of that coin: When you are taught that Russians and Ukrainians are intrinsically linked, that we are brother-people, an invasion feels like a profound violation. And besides, it’s not unusual for Russians and Ukrainians to have relatives on both sides of the border. It’s not unusual for Russians and Ukrainians to be friends, and build families. There are people who earnestly support the war, but I’m not surprised to see Russians protesting every single day since the war started, even as thousands of people keep getting detained.

I hope that, someday, Russians can truly see Belarusians and Ukrainians as equals, as the people worthy of equal respect. But that seems a long way off.

Before any of that could happen, we Russians would need to sincerely apologize and make amends for what we’ve done.

Igor Studenkov is a Chicago resident and regular contributor to Wednesday Journal.

IGOR

STUDENKOV One View

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Pool decision now forced

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ell, it happened. One of two swimming pools at Oak Park and River Forest High School has been shut down.

On the unequivocal advice of an engineering consultant hired by District 200 to inspect the “west pool,” the district closed it down about a month back.

With the engineer reporting the deck on one side of the pool was failing and that a “structural failure of the deck could cause a structural failure of the pool wall as well,” this was a simple if painful choice.

Another simple choice is that this pool which, along with the east pool, dates to 1928, is beyond repair or patching. That means after a decade of equivocation, missed opportunities, real and drummed up community angst, it is time for the school board and its administration to finally figure out the future of swimming classes, water safety and competitive swimming and diving at our local high school.

Indecision by multiple school boards allowed the ancient swimming pools to become a stand-in for productive discussion of the legitimate frustration of taxpayers over the school’s overtaxing of Oak Park and River Foresters.

Now as it contemplates Phase 2 of the massive Imagine OPRF remaking of the Scoville Avenue campus, the phase focused on the indoor athletic facilities on the south end of the building, it is past time to settle this matter.

As we said recently on this page, the necessary path to a decision is an open conversation with the community of just what is the school’s vision and the community’s desire for swimming pools at the school.

Certainly it is not for some super-sized tub of a pool. Nor is it for some cheap updates of otherwise obsolete 93-year-old pools. What level of water safety is the school committed to teaching?

Plan for this conversation to take place this spring. And then settle on just what Phase 2 needs to include and how, also with controversy, it will be paid for.

Finally, decide. Just decide.

Policing shortage As the Journal’s Stacey Sheridan reported last week, Oak Park’s police department is down by 15 sworn positions. Thirteen openings are for patrol positions. Two commander slots are also open.

The vacancies have been fueled by a wave of resignations, several retirements, and one officer fired. Oak Park is certainly not alone in losing police officers. In a too rare interview with the local paper, Chief LaDon Reynolds pointed to multiple factors leading to the mass of vacancies. Rethinking of policing, its reform, and deserved criticism of some aspects of how we are policed in America have some officer rethinking if they want to continue in the profession, and more locally if they want to continue policing in Oak Park. COVID has made all professions harder, certainly policing high among them.

But the vacancy level locally is astounding. And for the reasons some officers are leaving, fewer young people are eager to sign on.

That leaves the new phenomenon of “lateral hires” as one avenue to fill open positions. Can Oak Park find officers departing another force who want to join up here? The village’s police and fire board is currently working to craft a policy on such hires. There are pros and cons and complications involved.

We’d argue policing needs more new blood and new thinking. Shuffling officers among departments brings in more veteran officers, which is potentially a mixed bag. And at what pay grade do you hire a veteran?

Finally, we’d note that recruiting officers for a department in which it is uncertain if the chief is staying or going doesn’t help. Reynolds has been nominated to be the U.S. Marshal for Northern Illinois. If, in broken Washington D.C., that nomination ever comes to a vote in the Senate it’s a crap shoot.

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March toward spring

ate-winter’s march into spring has world, which is all around, just waiting begun. February gives way, unwillfor us to pay some attention. ingly, to its successor season. WinMarch arrives and we yo-yo between 69 ter’s clenched teeth have stopped degrees and snow, but it also brings the chattering, and unmasked smiles return of my chiaroscuro tree, a black are visible after a two-year pandemic locust across the street from my bedroom pall. Not wishing to be fooled again, we window. All winter, it has languished venture out, hesitantly looking over our in the icy shadows as the sun’s arc bent shoulders, no false sense of security this low into the southern sky. Now having time, no fooling us twice. climbed back up the horizon, the sun The odds seem finally in our favor. finds the opening between St. Edmund’s Even pandemics come to an end. Winchurch and the old school, and shines ters too. And when those two endings on this tree with the biggest flashlight coincide, my, my. That will be some in our corner of the universe, superbeginning. luminously tracing every wrinkle in the An early turning point: A recent pretree’s patterned bark. But even a light spring, morning-long rain rinses soot this strong can’t reach the other side, and the locust from evaporating snow. Temps rise into the 40s. casts its long shadow down the street, a defiant tail Windy, but the air doesn’t hurt for a change. Promisagainst the growing glow. ing. Grey turbulence fills the sky, the accumulated Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro — the knife-edge concumulus weeping its excess across an exposed landtrast between light and shadow, liberating objects scape, following a month-long coverlet of icy white. from the dark. Sunlight Bulbs below have spills on sidewalk and been bathed in waves of parkway and street, curb snowmelt. Snowdrops and gutter, nicks and appear, daffodil shoots cracks, lava flows of tar pierce the surface, throwand patchwork repairs, iling caution to the wind. luminating every flaw in If not now, when? Frozen pavement’s decay. Light ground turns to soft mud, has banished night, and though tiny ice floes still becomes yin to shadow’s cling to the parkways, yang. like micro-glaciers, dark Mornings trend sunwith dirt. nier now, free of the Rain ministers its vaporous build-up that cold-water cleansing. The often obscures the afterworld is awash. Braided noon sky. A clean slate, rivulets follow curbed baptized with sinless channels, streaming sunsplash.

Give us this toward slotted sewer day our daily resurreccovers, eager to join the tion.

Today is yesterday cascading cataract and redeemed. underground torrent.

The chiaroscuro tree Meanwhile, at the end beams back, a moon of of every down-sloping mirrored light, frontside branch of tree and bush, shining, shadowed tail droplets hang, suspended trailing. The sun, as its between cling and surarc alters and bends render, awaiting the irtoward solstice, ascends resistible pull of gravity. more directly overhead Dangling from last year’s with each new dawn. decaying crabapple Tree sap rises with it, clusters and ambitious reaching limbs’ end, buds, hundreds of The chiaroscuro tree provides the first weather from which blossoms, greyblue droplets shine report of the new day. leaves and seeds will like tiny ornaments, as soon spring. if celebrating this new A shining tree in the season, freed at last from morning is a welcome portent, nourishing hope, frigidity’s rigidity. even though the rest of the day has other ideas.

You could easily miss these liquid adornments, Birds, clearly approving, lift their praise songs, hunched beneath an umbrella, eyes downcast, their morning psalm to our warming star. hurrying to escape the damp affront. An old adage Daylight Salvation Time is just around the corner. contends, “Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.”

Outdoor dining can’t be far off. Two years ago, we Like these droplets, we too hang between heaven locked down. Now faces emerge from lowered masks. and earth, sickness and health, awaiting our sumShadow remains, but light is contending. mons, an invitation we can’t refuse, too preoccupied Have we turned the corner? perhaps to notice that the world around us has been Will we meet our mask-optional future face to face? refreshed. But afflicted as we are, sick and tired of With a little luck, and more than a little common sickness, it is still possible to re-enter the beautiful sense, a new day might just be dawning.

KEN

TRAINOR

V I E W P O I N T S

Memories of Open Door Repertory bring joy

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

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passing has occurred, and, for that, there should be a collective sadness. But, as with any passing, the memories of what was lost should bring those who mourn a tremendous joy, as we were all better off for its existence.

This is the case for Open Door Repertory Company, founded 23 years ago by an unrelated group of people who met while supporting the CAST program at Julian.

Their commonality was a love for theater and, through a blending of talents and shared energy, a community theater was born.

Mary Pat Sieck was the driving force as artistic director, and it was her vision and tenacity that grew the company from its early beginnings through its evolution. The company came to its name through the concept of inclusivity … thus, “Open Door.” Whatever your background, if you were interested in participating, you were welcome. Not everyone learned lines quickly or could read music.

They learned by repetition and the process was slower, to accommodate everyone and still be proud of the product.

My wife, Peggy Goodman, was musical director, supported by a loyal and talented group of musicians.

I was part of the initial group but was really just a “Stage Door Johnny” … a hanger on, who fed off the creative energy and new friendships. I did help with set building and ultimately had an opportunity at creative input, absent any credentials to justify the opportunity.

The organization partnered with District 97 and Hatch School to form a symbiotic 10-year relationship. Ultimately, the school had more need for its space and Open Door grew in its ambitions for a brick-and-mortar theater. Again, Mary Pat’s drive and commitment, along with the emotional and financial support of many, brought it to fruition, overcoming many obstacles in the process. Interestingly, there were brief discussions among theater groups, the arts community and the village to garner

MICHAEL GOODMAN One View

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

PANDEMIC CASUALTY: Mary Pat Sieck, left, Open Door’s artistic/managing director and a founding member, and Steve Saliny, Open Door founding member who is also technical director and facility manager, in the theater lobby. support for the creation of an Arts Center, to include rehearsal and performance space, arts display space and arts education space, but the support and funding were not there.

Open Door Theater as a performance space existed for twelve years and as an organization for 23 years.

It had a long and successful run. There are too many to name and thank in the space allotted, but one who deserves special mention and was there from the beginning is Steve Saliny, who has been a performer, stage builder, lighting and sound guy and ultimately technical director, spending countless hours helping to create the final product.

The one constant has been Mary Pat Sieck, both the driving force and the nurturing parent from its beginning to its ultimate passing. To those who are grieving the loss of “life” this theater created, recapture your fond memories, the joy and the pride associated with the theater experiences in which you participated or witnessed, and cherish the friendships you made along the way.

Michael Goodman is a nearly 50-year resident of Oak Park, a retired physician, a lifelong theater fan and part of the initial group that formed and participated in Open Door Repertory Company.

What is it going to take?

That is the question I and my neighbors in Southwest Oak Park continue to ask. What is it going to take before the village of Oak Park does something about the rise in crime in our neighborhood? Does someone have to get shot and killed? Or a child playing on the sidewalk struck and killed by a car driven by a fugitive escaping from police?

On Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 23, a car being pursued by police was driven down the sidewalk as the driver tried to evade capture. Sounds like something out of a movie? No, this was real. And just a few minutes later that sidewalk would have been occupied by children walking home from school.

After running gun battles in the street, armed carjackings, and armed robberies, residents of Southwest

Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Senior Editor Bob Uphues Equity Editor/Ombudsman Michael Romain Digital Publishing and Technology Manager Briana Higgins Staff Reporters Stacey Sheridan, F. Amanda Tugade Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Columnists Marc Blesoff, Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger, Stan West Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey Business Manager Joyce Minich Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Development & Sales Coordinator Stacy Coleman Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

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

In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital.

We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for filing.

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

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Oak Park have been asking police and village officials for help in making our streets and sidewalks safe again. But we haven’t gotten any meaningful response or action. Recently, we asked the village and the police to install license plate readers so cars driven into the village to commit crime or cars that had been stolen could be identified. This kind of technology, with appropriate safeguards, is used elsewhere in Illinois and around the country. Why not in Oak Park?

And in addition to available technology, we need a fully staffed police department that is deployed strategically and engages in diligent and lawful policing.

What is it going to take?

Michael Pajonk Oak Park

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

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

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ADDRESS 141 S Oak Park Ave., Oak ParkIL 60302 ■ PHONE 708-5248300 EMAIL Dan@OakPark.com ■ ONLINE www.OakPark.com Wednesday Journal is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00.

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What lies ahead if we do not act boldly?

n the eve of my daughter’s 25th birthday, we sat down on the couch together to watch President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.

She was eager to hear from our President.

To be honest, I long ago gave up on the notion that the country would accomplish the grand gestures on the to-do list our president proclaimed to the applause of Democrats: Jobs, health care, prescription drugs, defeating Russia, rebuilding bridges and roads, supporting families … standing ovations abounded.

Where is our environment in this list?

Where are the words about rescuing our natural world, which we are destroying bit by bit so that our children have no hope? I watched the tears pour from my daughter’s eyes as the President ended his speech to a roar of approval. I watched hope and optimism and expectation of what could be

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drain from my daughter’s soul.

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she expressed shock at the sheer lack of priority around the one issue that could doom us all.

On Monday, the day before the State of the Union, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group convened by the United Nations, reported that the dangers of climate change are happening so quickly they could “soon overwhelm the ability of both nature and humanity to adapt unless greenhouse gas emissions are quickly reduced.” This study was undertaken by 270 researchers from 67 countries and the dire conclusion is clear: “People and the planet are getting clobbered by climate change.”

What do we as a country have to say in response? As the State of the Union continued for more than an hour, my

daughter sat in anticipation of the environmental goals that would be followed as outlined

by November’s UN Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), whose goals fell short of achieving the pledges needed to reduce emissions to levels the Paris Agreement outlined in 2015. Still, the framework established at COP26 was hope enough that if countries followed through on the commitments they made to phase down coal and fossil fuel, reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030, and promote corporate commitments to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, we could make enough progress to keep the planet from experiencing staggering sea level rise, record-breaking droughts and floods, and widespread species loss.

Instead, we heard the same few sentences

MELANIE WEISS One View

sprinkled into the address year after year about investing strongly in electric cars, wind, and solar energy. Do we as a nation still fail to understand the emergency in front of us? How if we do not make the commitment to protect our natural world ASAP (read: yesterday), climate disasters will befall every one of us. I fear that after last week’s State of the Union, even the Democrats have stopped pretending that solving the climate crisis is a national priority.

Two years ago, the world banded together to attack COVID head on with a combination of determination, cooperation between nations and big business, government funding, looking to science for answers, and personal sacrifice. This is the blueprint we will need to follow urgently to protect our world and save us all from the catastrophe that lies ahead if we do not act boldly.

Melanie Weiss is a resident of Oak Park.

Bridge-building and the Rec Center building

ith a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled to take place on March 19 for the new Community Recreation Center (CRC), the Park District of Oak Park (PDOP) is poised to start construction on the new facility. Evolving from a 2016 feasibility study commissioned to explore the desires of Oak Park residents to have a communal recreation space for the village of Oak Park, this new building will provide recreational programming for citizens across the spectrum.

Upon completion, according to the district, “the facility will include gymnasiums, a fitness center, community and multipurpose rooms, mental health services, and more.” In addition, remaining true to a principled vision of what we want our community to be, the funders and village administrators want people to know that the envisioned center will be a place of inclusion, equity and “a place to belong.”

The AMENS Mentoring Group of Oak Park has long realized the need for such a facility. For some 25 years now, AMENS has worked with marginalized youth and families to ensure that they receive an equal share of educational, mental health, and recreational services available to all citizens of Oak Park. Deacon Wiley Samuels Jr. of Fellowship Christian Church and Fellowship Community Services Inc., a founding member of AMENS, encouraged group members George Bailey, Lee Pulliam, and Carl Spight to discuss with Jan Arnold, executive director of PDOP, our concerns about the role of the CRC in addressing the needs of the youth and families we serve.

Our initial discussions were directed toward programming and accessibility issues.

Eventually, we requested clarification of equity issues related to the building of the facility. The equity questions emerged alongside the programmatic inquiries we had been discussing for the envisioned center. As we expanded our discussion, issues of contracts and vendors surfaced, presenting embedded equity issues that we brought to Jan’s attention.

We set the programmatic issues aside and began talking about who might the vendors be. Who would get contracts, and what percentage of Women Business Enterprises (WBE), and Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) subcontractors would be represented in the work force building the CRC? At the time of our conversation, the WBE and MBE participation rate for the CRC project, was at 15%. We questioned that rate of participation. We wanted to know what the rate meant in terms of how many women and how many Black and Brown people would be working under hard hats on the site. These were new and often difficult conversations to have, but have them we did — always respectfully, and productively.

Over the course of our many discussions about the presence and purposes of such a facility in our community, we realized that a significant relationship between our group and PDOP was being formed. We came to see ourselves as partners participating in a discourse for improving quality of life in our community. We are grateful for Jan’s receptivity and her attention to our concerns.

We were most pleased when she informed

AMENS GROUP One View

PROVIDED

A rendering of the recreation center proposed by the Park District of Oak Park. us that, after consultation with her team and reviewing the details, they believed the MBE/WBE participation goal could be increased from 15%, to a minimum of 25%.

Later still, through an official press release, she informed the entire Oak Park community that the participation rate increased to 29%.

“Building relationships cannot be taken for granted.” This charged and activated phrase, which Deacon Wiley often employs, is a sound and useful compass, a means to getting things done in these times. We feel that our growing relationship with Jan Arnold and her team moved the needle on this discussion. The history of such discussions in the U.S. is well known. The increase of the WBE/MBE participation rate might well mean some of those employed building our CRC may start saving for a house, buy-

ing a car, or putting away money for their children’s education.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to ask those who are considering contracting for new construction, to familiarize themselves with your current participation rates, especially those public officials connected to village taxing districts, who may be involved in new construction.

For as long as we have lived in Oak Park, words like inclusion, equity and belonging have been uttered to promote real and imagined societal ideals and change. The construction of the CRC in Oak Park has the potential of transforming such words from abstractions to concrete actions.

AMENS Mentoring Group consists of George Bailey, PhD; Lee Pulliam, attorney at law; Wiley Samuels, deacon, Fellowship Christian Church; and Carl Spight, PhD.

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

Climate lessons from our response to Russia The response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is both inspiring and perplexing for anyone concerned with climate change.

It has demonstrated that rapid transformation of the status-quo — exactly what is needed to slow climate change — can indeed occur within a matter of days.

Constants of international relations that seemed eternal a month ago have been upended overnight. Major players have taken actions that appear to sacrifice their own immediate interests.

The contrast with our climate emergency could not be starker: overshadowed by the Russian invasion was the release of the latest United Nations IPCC report detailing the menace that unchecked climate change poses to the earth’s ability to support modern civilization. Such a threat should prompt at least as strong a response as the massing of Russian armies. Yet while Russian actions, anticipated for several months, have triggered a reordering of geopolitics, dire impacts of climate change, forecast for at least 30 years, have led to minimal and inadequate change.

The two problems, however, are fundamentally related. The long-term interests of the United States, the European Union, aspiring democracies such as Ukraine, and indeed everyone else are best served by a

NET ZERO

Park district efforts from page 25 practices include battery-powered landscaping equipment, natural turf management, strict IPM and planting native trees and perennials throughout.

Fleet management practices have reduced fuel usage by 26%; electrifying the fleet starts next year. All special events now have waste-sorting stations and the community centers all have composting for programs.

What’s next? A greenhouse gas inventory specific to district operations will be conducted, establishing baselines so goals based on accurate data will enable the district to find its path toward zero emissions. In the meantime, the park district continues look for ways to reduce its footprint.

Oak Park still has a very long way to go, but the key is to change our thinking.

Change how we think about energy, water, waste and all natural resources. Turn off lights when we leave the room or when there is plenty of natural light coming through the windows. Re-use as much as possible. Turn off the water when brushing our teeth. All of these “baby steps” can make a difference, turning into habits and reminding us of our impact on Mother Earth.

Chris Lindgren is superintendent of parks & planning and ADA coordinator for the Park District of Oak Park.

program of de-carbonization. The United States is uniquely positioned to lead such a strategy, which would invest in decentralized systems of energy and undermine the concentrated oligarchic power associated with fossil fuel production. In his recent State of the Union Address, President Biden had the opportunity to link the defense of Ukraine with a shift from fossil fuels to a green economy. He did not.

It is left for us at the grassroots, then, to insist that geopolitics not be hived off from climate change, that the national interest,

democracy, and clean energy are all deeply interrelated goals. To achieve them together calls for bracing, comprehensive, rapid change of all the systems of modern life: agriculture, transportation, finance, housing, and manufacturing.

The Ukraine crisis should make clear that a decisive shift away from fossil fuels is necessary for the stability of our terrestrial habitat, and the very possibility of liberty and justice for all.

David Hoyt

River Forest

Admiring Harriet I want to be Harriet Hausman when I grow up.

Pat Healey, Oak Park Editor’s note: Harriet Hausman, a young 97, is a regular contributor to the Viewpoints section.

HARRIET HAUSMAN

River Forest

FOOT CLINIC

7351 Lake St. (Just west of Panera Bread)

Do you have diabetes?

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f you do, you should know how important foot care is. Over time, diabetics risk developing foot complications. When the nerves are damaged from chronic high blood sugar, feet can become numb or painful with burning or tingling. This is called diabetic neuropathy. When diabetes affects the arteries, circulation to the legs and feet may be compromised. Either of these conditions may lead to serious problems including ulceration, even amputation.

The key to prevention is early diagnosis of diabetes, and regular foot exams from a podiatrist. Diabetics who receive regular foot care, including paring of calluses and debridement of thick fungal toenails, are almost four times less likely to undergo an

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Dr. Linda Lambert

amputation than those who do not seek treatment.

Medicare and some private insurances cover 1 pair of diabetic shoes and 3 pair of protective insoles each calendar year. Dr. Lambert has been a supplier of diabetic shoes since 2002. The shoes come in 30 different styles each for men and women.

These include boots, lightweight colorful athletic shoes, and dress shoes. Even patients who are not diabetic love the look and comfort of the footwear. Diabetic socks, slippers and compression hosiery are also available.

Protecting your feet with appropriate footgear is an important aspect of preventive care for diabetics.

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

War in Ukraine brings back haunting memories

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n Feb. 24, 2022, Russia’s President Putin launched a massive military invasion of Ukraine. Once again in my lifetime, a power-hungry madman overrides reason, bankrupts diplomacy of options in conflict resolution, and causes suffering and bloodshed.

I am unnerved by Putin’s aggression against Ukraine. I lived my childhood under both Stalin and Hitler’s occupation of my native Lithuania during World War II. I can attest to oppressors’ brutality.

In response, U.S. President Biden imposed economic sanctions on Russia, President Putin, and many rich, influential Russians. NATO allies imposed similar sanctions.

Rebuke of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is worldwide. Australia called Russia a “pariah state” and called for diplomatic isolation. India, in a muted response, offered humanitarian aid, and Japan “stiffened” its resolve against Russia.

A catastrophic humanitarian crisis evolved on Poland’s border with Ukraine, as Russian forces advanced toward Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian women and children are seeking sanctuary in Poland, while their men returned to fight the Russian onslaught. Poland and other neighbors of Ukraine opened their borders and their hearts to those fleeing.

I empathize with the Ukrainians. I know their desperation. In August 1944, I too became a refugee from the westward advance of the Russian front in World War II. My mother and I embarked on our refugee journey to war-torn Germany to avoid capture and deportation to a Siberian gulag by

the Russians. We also faced the threat of death posed by American and British saturation bombings of German cities.

I shudder as I view TV images of thousands huddling, sheltering in Kyiv’s subway stations. A memory of a harrowing night in a railroad tunnel under Berlin haunts me again. The violent shaking of our boxcar and muffled sounds of explosions woke me up. Our train was in a tunnel. Above us, Berlin was being bombed.

I feared we might be buried alive.

America’s economic sanctions create havoc on Russia’s monetary system and are expected to stifle Russia’s economy.

Momentarily, Putin is off balance, but he will retaliate. Hopefully, his response will not be as extreme as that of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in protest to President Roosevelt’s imposition of an economic embargo on Japan in 1941.

Cyber attacks on America’s power grids, transportation logistics, utilities, and food processors may be Putin’s tactics of choice.

He has discovered that America is vulnerable to such attacks.

Russia’s economy has been stifled as planned. But there will also be a negative fallout to the economy of the world, and the economy of the United States. The shutting-out of a trading partner from world markets will exact a price from all.

Interspersed among the plethora of disheartening news from the war, there is a minute flash of human hope. Thousands of Russians engaged in a Western-like activity. They rallied to protest Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin has repeatedly voiced his fears of Russia becoming westernized.

His worst fears are materializing.

FRED NATKEVI One View

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Is Ukraine our sacrificial lamb?

U

kraine and its people, military and civilian, are fighting for their lives. Clearly, Ukraine posed no threat to Russia. This irrefutable fact has led to countless “What does Putin want with Ukraine?” opinion pieces. Is it their iron ore, their titanium and other natural resources?

The usual answer, and it basically channels the history of the world, international conflicts-wise, is: “They have it, we want it, and we’re going to take it.” If you believe that, then you need to brush up on 20thcentury history.

As I write this, the day after President Biden’s State of the Union address, I’d say that Ukraine has pretty much been told (implicitly), you’re astounding defiance and bravery against a much larger, more well equipped army, while inspirational, will play out absent any direct military combat support from the U.S., or the rest of the subscribed NATO nations (in which you have no standing).

Oh, there are sanctions that will damage Russia and its oligarchs, but we, the West, cannot literally commit troops to bolster your defenses. You’re not entitled to be served or saved by anything more than proscribed sanctions and harsh words read off of teleprompters, especially by the country with the most sophisticated and well-financed army in world, the country that was, during the Cold War and is now, the one country that Russia need fear the most.

So why can’t NATO simply make Ukraine an overnight member of its organization?

Oh, right, because if that were the case, then those Ukrainian men, women and children would get the military backup that is both militarily and morally demanded.

Ah, but the U.S., for the first time since World War II, would deploy its military

to truly fight for democracy, rather than as a sickening proxy-program that enriches the military-industrial complex (Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan).

But right now, that’s a ballistic bridge too far. All those nukes on their and our side. It’s not really our fight.

Or is it? Ukraine is now the proxy country. But it’s Russia doing the direct damage, not Vietnam, et al. Putin wants his Soviet Union back. If we let him destroy Ukraine (an inevitability given the David vs Goliath matchup), he won’t stop there. Why would he since his threat to use a nuke clearly has the West on its heels? It’s the Cold War redux, folks. We stopped Russia when they put missiles in Cuba in 1962 (and nuclear war hung in the balance). Ukraine is a long way from Cuba, but it may as well also be just 90 miles offshore. This is a turning and tipping point in history. Nukes (we and Russia each have over 5,000 of them) are forevermore going to be a clear and present danger. The world has to live with that fact.

Regardless, Putin must be stopped right now. The people of Ukraine cannot be used as pawns in some cynical game of appeasement and military magical thinking. Sorry, they’re not a member of NATO? So what!

Ukraine needs help.

Recall FDR invoking, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Are we going to let Putin count on his fear-mongering threats to ensure a virtual repeat of Hitler’s monstrous ambitions? This is the U.S.’s fight, whether or not anyone wants to admit it. If not now, then it definitely will be eventually, but only after the brave people of Ukraine are sacrificed on the altar of empty rhetoric and stale platitudes.

Joe Harrington, an Oak Park resident, lived through the Cold War and served in Vietnam.

JOE

HARRINGTON One View

Online assaults will not deter sexuality education

The Oak Park Our Whole Lives (OWL) Board of Directors strongly condemns the recent unjustified and personal social media attack on one of the facilitators in our program. Oak Park OWL is an independent nonprofit organization that has been providing holistic, comprehensive and inclusive sexuality education to children in kindergarten through ninth grade and their families since 2016.

Someone posted personal information about this facilitator in a community group with a message to the effect that she was harming children by doing this. The post received many vicious and violent comments before it could be removed, including death threats and slander (dissenting commenters were blocked). This attack has been report-

ed to the police. Last Thursday, a workshop on gender equity organized by District 97’s DivCo was also disrupted by slurs and violent imagery.

Hate-filled incidents such as these only serve to emphasize the need for holistic sexuality education in our community.

Education is the number one way to protect children from sexual abuse. Educating children and youth about sexuality empowers them to recognize and enforce their own boundaries about their bodies. It gives them the information they need to make healthy choices and reduces the likelihood of teenage pregnancy.

Inclusive sexuality education teaches that all forms of gender identity and sexual orientation are part of the natural range of

human experience, not simply a preference.

This is a life-saving message in a social context where a majority of transgender and nonbinary youth have contemplated suicide in the last year. We provide a space where young people feel affirmed and supported regardless of how they identify.

Oak Park OWL understands and respects that parents are the primary sexuality educators of their children. Children learn far more from their parents than they could in an eight- to twelve-week educational program. Parents have choices regarding their children’s sexuality education, and we are an optional, extracurricular program. We work with families in our program to support conversations between parents and children at home, as well as offering work-

shops for parents and other caring adults to help them feel more confident in their roles as sexuality educators.

Oak Park OWL is an all-volunteer program run by local parents and other invested adults. If you’re interested in supporting our work, please reach out. We have many volunteer opportunities.

You can find our volunteer form on our website, as well as a donation button. We invite you to join us in helping build a better world for our children.

Nina Brewer-Davis Nara Nayar Eric Reeb JC Ravage Nicklin Heap

Oak Park Our Whole Lives Board of Directors

V I E W P O I N T S

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

31

Punitive discipline should not be the first resort

T

wo recent incidents at Oak Park and River Forest High School have caused many parents and community members to react with alarm. Several weeks ago, there was a fight between a group of students in the lunchroom. And this past week, a student struck two other students with an object; rumors said it was a gun.

In response, talk around the village has been predictable. Some have accused the school staff and administration of reacting inadequately to these events. Others have claimed that tighter and more severe discipline is in order, or that more police officers would prevent these kinds of events from happening.

It is understandable that parents want their children to be safe, and it is understandable that communities want safe schools. It is also true that schools exist in communities and are impacted by outside events. And schools across Illinois and across the country have been experiencing an increase in challenging student behaviors this year, as students returned to school buildings during an ongoing pandemic.

School administrators must, by all means, do what they can to keep students safe. But they are not superhuman. They cannot prevent all negative incidents from happening. They must work to pro-actively create school communities where teachers have positive and motivating relationships with students and where students have supportive relationships with one another.

When incidents happen, they must work toward healing between those members of the community who have injured one another.

And at times, it is the right choice to move a student out of a school through suspension or expulsion. But school staff members’ immediate response to challenging student behavior cannot be, “Kick them all out!”

Increasing punitive discipline overall is an inappropriate response for several reasons.

First, suspensions and expulsions are disproportionately applied to Black students, Latinx students, students with special needs, and English Language Learners. Next, punitive discipline pushes students away from school by causing them to fall behind on their work, leading to disconnection from school and eventually dropping out. And finally, punitive

JIM

SCHWARTZ One View

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discipline doesn’t work. Students who face suspensions or expulsions often re-engage in the same behaviors that originally led to their punishment.

Most of those criticizing school officials have not been in a school on a daily basis since they graduated. Many of those criticizing school officials know little about the principles of young people’s development toward adulthood.

So by all means, let’s maintain community accountability toward developing positive, supportive, and motivating school environments for our students. But let’s steer clear

of knee-jerk criticism of school administrators, and let’s avoid calls for punishing more students when in many cases, we know very little about the actual incidents that occur in schools and have no experience creating communities of young people.

Instead, let’s back the adults who work with our young people. Let’s stop reaching for punishment as the immediate solution to our problems. And let’s support positive, inclusive schools that allow students to unveil their brilliance and purpose.

Jim Schwartz is an Oak Park resident, an educator, and a blogger at Entwining.org.

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Cecile Gagan, 90 American Cancer Society CEO

Cecile Ann Gagan, 90, a lifetime resident of Oak Park, died at home on Aug. 30, 2021 surrounded by family. Born in Chicago to Raymond and Celia (Crowley) Gagan she attended St. Giles School and Oak Park and River Forest High School, and earned her BA in Journalism from the University of Illinois Champaign in 1953.

The majority of her professional career was with the American Cancer Society, Illinois Division, where she started as associate director of Public Information in 1953 and retired as CEO in 2001. Armed with a sharp wit, intelligence and style, she was involved in pioneering many innovative ACS cancer prevention campaigns and helped navigate the society’s legislative presence, resulting in the passage of the Illinois Clean Indoor Air Act in 1989.

She was involved in many organizations, including serving as president of the Welfare Public Relations Forum of Chicago, chairman of the Public Service Committee of the Public Relations Society of America, chair of the Forest-

ry Commission in Oak Park and member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

The state of Illinois declared Jan. 4, 2002 “Cecile A. Gagan Day in Illinois.”

Cecile also dedicated time to the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, the Garden Club of Oak Park-River Forest, the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony and Brookfield Zoo. She was predeceased by her parents and her two sisters, Patricia (William) Parks and Joan (Daniel) Anderson. She is survived by her nieces, Patricia (Anthony Handley) Anderson, Julia (David) Parks-Soxman; her nephews, Daniel “Clark” (Mari Jean) Anderson Jr., Philip (Martha) Anderson, and Grant Anderson (Karla Rodden); and her grandnieces, grand-nephews, great-nephews and great-niece.

A celebration of life service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, Illinois Division, the Chicago Symphony, and the Anti-Cruelty Society.

Heritage Funeral Home and Crematory Kevin Kopicki

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

Growing Community Media

33

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

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

HELP WANTED

River Forest Public Schools District 90

River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking a Part-time School Social Worker position will assist teachers social-emotional services to the students, Qualifications: HELP WANTED • NETWORK SPECIALIST Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class.

Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

DEFINITION To perform various network/system administration, computer support, and operational activities for the Village including computer system setup, configuration, and testing.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED Reports directly to the Information Technology Services Director.

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES: Essential and other important duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following: Essential duties and responsibilities 1. Ensure that best in class customer service is provided to both internal and external customers and also embrace, support, and promote the Village’s core values, beliefs and culture.

2. Configure, test, and deploy network systems, such as, firewalls, routers, switches, wireless equipment, network servers and storage arrays.

3. Configure, test, and deploy system servers, such as, file, print, Internet, e-mail, database, and application servers.

4. Configure, test, and monitor server and end-user systems for security, such as, user accounts, login scripts, file access privileges, and group policy management.

5. Configure, test, and deploy end-user systems, such as, workstations, laptops, mobile devices, printers, and software.

6. Test, configure, deploy, and support security systems, such as, facility access system, video & audio system.

7. Monitor and auditing of networks, systems, and user activities to ensure security and efficiency of systems. Create scripts and reports of detail activities for regular review.

8. Perform and participate in disaster recovery activities, such as, backup procedures, data recovery, and system recovery planning.

9. Assist end-users with computer problems or queries. Troubleshoot systems as needed and meet with users to analyze specific system needs.

10. Ensure the uniformity, reliability and security of system resources including network, hardware,

software and other forms of systems and data.

11. Prepare, create and update user/technical procedure documentations and provide computer training.

12. Assemble, test, and install network, telecommunication and data equipment and cabling.

13. Participate in research and recommendation of technology solutions.

Other important responsibilities and duties 1. Train users in the area of existing, new or modified computer systems and procedures.

2. Participate in the preparation of various activity reports.

3. Travel and support remote facilities and partner agencies.

4. Operate, administer and manage the Village and Public Safety computer systems, including E-911 center, in-vehicle computer systems.

5. Prepare clear and logical reports and program documentation of procedures, processes, and configurations.

6. Complete projects on a timely and efficient manner.

7. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

8. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

9. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.

QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge of: Principals and procedures of computer systems, such as, data communication, hierarchical structure, backups, testing and critical analysis.

Hardware and software configuration of. computers, servers and mobile devices, including computing environment of Windows Server and Desktop OS and applications, Unix/Linux OS, VMware, iOS/Android.

Network protocols, security, configuration and administration, including firewalls, routers, switches and wireless technology.

Cabling and wiring, including CAT5/6, fiber network, telephone, serial communication, termination, and punch-down.

Telecommunications theory and technology, including VoiP, serial communication, wireless protocols, PBX, analog, fax, voicemail and auto-attendant.

Principles and methods of computer programming, coding and testing, including power shell, command scripting, macros, and

VB scripts.

Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment.

Technical writing, office productivity tools and database packages.

Ability to: Maintain physical condition appropriate to the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities, which may include the following: - Walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time - Operating assigned equipment - Lift 50 pounds of equipment, supplies, and materials without assistance - Working in and around computer equipped vehicles Maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and perception needed for: - Making observations - Communicating with others - Reading and writing - Operating assigned equipment and vehicles Maintain mental capacity allowing for effective interaction and communication with others.

Maintain reasonable and predictable attendance.

Work overtime as operations require.

Experience and Training Guidelines Experience: Three years of network/system administration in the public or private sector, maintaining a minimum of 75 Client Workstation computers. AND Training: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in computer science or a related field. Certifications in Microsoft Server Administration, Networking, Applications and Cisco Networking.

Possession of a valid Illinois Driver License is required at the time of appointment.

Vaccination against COVID-19 strongly preferred.

WORKING CONDITIONS Work in a computer environment; sustained posture in a seated position for prolonged periods of time; continuous exposure to computer screens; work in and around computerized vehicles outdoor and garage facility; lifting heavy equipment, communication cabling and wiring into walls and ceilings.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

PART-TIME ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER

Quant Researcher sought by CTC Trading Group, LLC in Chicago, IL. Expertise in both quantitative research and trading, as you will be the primary person responsible for idea generation, strategy and executing projects based on team collaboration, and conduct alpha research for the treasuries desk.

Apply @ www.jobpostingtoday.com #14126

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago will be accepting applications for the following classification(s): Human Resources Manager (Original) Additional information regarding salary, job description, requirements, etc. can be found on the District’s website at www.districtjobs.org or call 312-751-5100.

An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D

Call contracter for more info.

708-738-3848

Architect (Chicago, IL) sought by bba Architects to pln & dsgn strctrs in accrdnce w envrnmtl, sfty or othr regs. Reqs MS in architecture, civil eng or rltd. Domstc trvl to client sites as needed. Mst hv perm auth to wrk in US. Snd rsm & cvr lttr to Edward Twohey, 1010 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605.

a) Valid State of Illinois Professional Educator License

b) Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) preferred c) At least three years of successful School Social Work experience preferred.

Job Duties: The School Social Worker provides needs-based behavioral and JANITORIAL

Part-time. 5 days per week. Evening hours 5-9. $14-16/hr to start. Job located in Morton Grove, IL. Must have own transportation.

Call Larry for more information.

773-636-2505

PART-TIME SEASONAL OPPORTUNITY

The Riverside Department of Public Works is seeking energetic, responsible, and motivated applicants who enjoy working outdoors. This is a part-time, seasonal position lasting from approximately May through September. Applicants will be expected to work up to 40 hrs. per week or as scheduled by staff.

Primary tasks will include, but not limited to: cutting grass, maintaining athletic fields, general facilities maintenance, flushing hydrants, reading water meters, installing water meters, assisting full-time employees, and other duties as assigned.

Applicants must be 18 years old, possess a valid Illinois driver’s license and high school diploma or equivalent.

Applicants will be subject to a criminal background check, pre-employment physical and drug/alcohol screening.

Applications can be downloaded from the Village website at www.riverside. il.us or picked up at the Riverside Village Hall located at 27 Riverside Rd, Riverside, IL 60546. Completed applications should be submitted to the Riverside Village Hall or the Riverside Public Works Department, 3860 Columbus Blvd, Riverside, IL 60546. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Pay rate is $15/hr.

The Village of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

PARKS DISTRICT OF OAK PARK JOB FAIR

The Park District of Oak Park is hosting a job fair to find job-seekers who would like to work with us!

Learn about all our opportunities part-time, seasonal, and full-time!

We are looking for employees in Summer Camps, Maintenance, Child Care, Horticulture, Supervisory, Operations, Aquatics, and Customer Service. When: Saturday March 12, 2022 1:00PM-3:00PM. Where: Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex, 415 Lake St. Apply online: //www.pdop.org/jobs

parents, and faculty/staff of a school.

The role includes, but is not limited to, individual and group counseling with students; direct and indirect consultation with students and teachers; assessment, behavior planning and intervention implementation and monitoring; and universal screening/prevention of behavioral & social-emotional concerns.

The School Social Worker hired for this

in development and implementation of MultiTiered Systems of Support (MtSS) social/ emotional interventions, and may provide some school-wide SEL programming and parent outreach.

Interested candidates, please complete an online application at www.district90.org/about/employment

National Accounts Rep Get a job super close to home!

Top rated firm, Alpina Manufacturing LLC, founded in 1992, locally Manufacturing owned beautiful campus in Galewood, near Mars candy, 3 blocks north of Oak Park. We build and sell display framing systems to customers nationwide including Wal-Mart, Verizon, Circle K, Hospitals. We are seeking a college educated trainee to become an office professional.

Work is in person at our beautiful, safe, spread out, elegant executive offices in Galewood. We train, no travel, work in Galewood. Open to any backgrounds. Excellent pay, salary, benefits, friendly caring management, Oak Park owner. Please send resume to careers@fastchangeframes.com.

Visit www.fastchangeframes.com/careers for more details. 6460 W. Cortland Street, Chicago, IL 60707

ACCOUNTANT CLERK

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Account Clerk II. This position which performs a variety of accounting clerical duties involving financial record keeping and/or transactions including accounts payable and receivable and to provide a variety of accounting support to the Development Customer Services Department. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/.

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Public Health Nurse in the Health Department. This position will provide professional public health nursing services including health education and promotion which includes disseminating information, making referrals, and counseling as well as managing caseloads, and performing a variety of tasks relative to assigned area of responsibility. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http:// www.oak-park.us/jobs.

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. This position is open until filled with first review of apps 2/2/22.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

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

SEASONAL FARMERS’ MARKET MANAGER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Seasonal Farmers’ Market Manager in the Health Department. This position manages the Oak Park Farmer’s Market including the vendors that sell directly to the public within established guidelines. This is a part-time seasonal position with work from January-mid November and work required on Saturday’s from May through October.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http:// www.oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled.

COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Community Service Officer in the Police Department. This position will perform a variety of public service, customer service and law enforcement related duties and responsibilities that do not require the services of a sworn police officer; and to perform a variety of administrative duties. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oakpark.us/. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

POLICE RECORDS CLERK

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Police Records Clerk in the Police Department. This position will perform a wide variety of specialized clerical duties in support of the Police Department including processing and maintaining documents, correspondence and coding reports; and to provide information and assistance to the public.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http:// www.oak-park.us/jobs.

SANITARIAN

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Sanitarian in the Health Department.

This position will perform a variety of duties including education and enforcement activities for the promotion and protection of the public health environment.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http:// www.oak- park.us/jobs.

PART-TIME FORESTRY INTERN

The Riverside Department of Public Works is seeking energetic, responsible, and motivated applicants who enjoy working outdoors. This is a part-time, Forestry intern position lasting from approximately May through September.

Applicants will be expected to work up to 40 hrs. per week or as scheduled by staff. Primary tasks will include monitoring of Village Trees for disease and insect issues, updating tree inventory records, maintaining woody and perennial plantings in parks and parkways, record keeping and administrational duties related to forestry operations, and assisting the Forester with various forestry related activities and ecological restoration.

Applicants must be 18 years old, possess a valid Illinois driver’s license and high school diploma or equivalent.

Course work and/or experience pertaining to urban forestry or a related field are desirable for the position. Applicants will be subject to a criminal background check, pre-employment physical and drug/alcohol screening.

Applications can be downloaded from the Village website at www.riverside. il.us or picked up at the Riverside Village Hall located at 27 Riverside Rd, Riverside, IL 60546. Completed applications should be submitted to the Riverside Village Hall or the Riverside Public Works Department, 3860 Columbus Blvd, Riverside, IL 60546. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled. Pay rate is $15/hr.

The Village of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

CLASSIFIED

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

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WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys.

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PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

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: Y22008651 on February 15, 2022 Under the Assumed Business Name of RHJ STRATEGY & MARKETING CONSULTING with the business located at: 609 GROVE LANE, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: RHONDA HUMPHREY-FINKLEA 609 GROVE LANE FOREST PARK, IL 60130, USA

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE

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

Published in Wednesday Journal February 23, March 2, 9, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD Notice of Public Hearing Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission March 24, 2022, at 7:00 PM NOTICE is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Brookfield on Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 7:00 PM in the Edward Barcal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois to consider a request by the Village of Brookfield, as petitioner, to amend the text of the Village of Brookfield Zoning Ordinance in Chapter 62 of the Municipal Code for required parking in the SA 1 and SA 4a zoning districts.

The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/or written comments. Please check the following webpage more information: https://brookfieldil.gov/ community-developmentdepartment/planning/brookfield-development-projects/ Written comments may be provided prior to 4:00 PM on the day of the meeting to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Emily Egan, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513 and at eegan@brookfieldil.gov. Oral or written public testimony may be given during the public hearing.

The application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours. Public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in any meeting may contact the Village of Brookfield at (708) 4857344 prior to the meeting. Wheelchair access is available through the front (south) entrance of Village Hall.

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

Published in RB Landmark March 9, 2022

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of Jessica Nero on behalf of Mason Lee Carter 2021CONC001688.

There will be a court date on my Request to change the name of the minor child from: Mason Lee Carter to the new name of: Mason De’Andre Robinson The court date will be held: On April 18, 2022 at 9:30am via Zoom Video Conference Meeting ID: 963 3970 2551 Password: 395850 Call in # 312.626.6799 Published in Wednesday Journal March 9, 16, 23, 2022

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: Y22008743 on March 4, 2022 Under the Assumed Business Name of THE CARIOSCIO GROUP with the business located at: 7915 OAK AVENUE, RIVER FOREST, IL 60305. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: MIKE CARIOSCIO 7915 OAK AVENUE RIVER FOREST, IL 60305, USA Published in Wednesday Journal March 9, 16, 23, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE WAITING LIST OPENING Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program Housing Authority of the Village of Oak Park Public Notice is hereby given to persons interested in applying for the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program (HCVP) in Oak Park that effective 8:30 a.m. on Monday, March 14, 2022 through 3:00 p.m.

Friday, March 25, 2022, pre-applications will be accepted electronically on the Oak Park Housing Authority (OPHA) website: www.oakparkha. org. During this time, pre-applications will be accepted 24 hours a day through March 25, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. The purpose of the pre- application is to obtain names of interested persons who may be eligible to receive an application for rental assistance through the Housing Authority of the Village of Oak Park’s Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program.

The Housing Authority of the Village of Oak Park will close its HCVP waiting list at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 25, 2022. The OPHA expects to receive an ample number of pre-applications to service applicants for at least the next two (2) years. The OPHA will randomly select 150 eligible pre-applications to be placed on the HCVP waiting list.

The OPHA gives preference to very low-income households who are: • Legal residents of the Village of Oak Park; or • Currently employed 30 hours or more in the Village of Oak Park; or • Hired to work 30 hours or more per week in the Village of Oak Park.

To apply: Please go to the OPHA website: www.oakparkha.org to access, complete and submit the online pre-application.

If you are a person with disabilities or elderly and require reasonable accommodations in completing the online pre-application, please call: 708-386-1464, during normal business hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Friday, March 25, 2022, 8:30am to 3:00pm.

Published in Wednesday Journal March 9, 2022

Green Alley Improvements – Phase 1 The 2021 Green Alley Improvement project consists of the reconstruction of 14 alleys in the Village of River Forest. The project will be completed in three phases to minimize resident disruption. This project consists of the reconstruction of three of those alleys. The project includes the installation of pervious pavers and concrete alley pavement. A 6” perforated underdrain is proposed through the length of each alley, with a connection to the existing storm water system.

The bidding documents are available for download starting Friday, March 4, 2022 at: www.vrf.us/bids Bids must be submitted by Friday, March 25, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at: Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305 The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.

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

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

Published in Wednesday Journal March 9, 2022

LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of YANET FLORES, Petitioner and RENE ALONSO OCAMPO-BENITEZ, Respondent, Case No. 2022D001624.

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

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before April 8, 2022, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal March 9, 16, 23, 2022

Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

CLASSIFIED

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

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION MTGLQ INVESTORS, L.P. Plaintiff, -v.MARIA C. RIVERA Defendants 2019CH05114 1024 S RIDGELAND AVE OAK PARK, IL 60304 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 17, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 4, 2022, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1024 S RIDGELAND AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60304 Property Index No. 16-17-308-0110000 The real estate is improved with a residence.

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

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

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

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

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

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 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.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-19-03763 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2019CH05114 TJSC#: 42-797 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 # 2019CH05114 I3188285

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK NA AS TRUSTEE FOR WAMU MORTGAGE PASS THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2005-PR1 TRUST; Plaintiff, vs.

MARY WOLFE; JPMORGAN CHASE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FKA WASHINGTON MUTUAL BANK, FA; CITY OF CHICAGO, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 10876 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-17-331-015-0000.

Commonly known as 1028 South Austin Boulevard, Oak Park, IL 60304.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 220-5611. 21-009135 F2 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3188797

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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Wednesday Journal, March 9, 2022

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