Wednesday Journal 032322

W E D N E S D A Y

March 23, 2022 Vol. 42, No. 34 ONE DOLLAR @wednesdayjournalinc

@wednesdayjournal

JOURNAL @oakpark

of Oak Park and River Forest

Rustico doubles down in Oak Park Page 10

D97 teacher honored by Cook County Julian’s Ashley Kannan named Regional Teacher of the Year

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

There are two types of teachers, Ashley Kannan says. There’s the one who enjoyed going to school and was a naturally good student. Things came easy. That teacher, he said, is like the Michael Jordan of the classroom and holds the same expectations for students, wondering why some “don’t get it.”

The second type is the complete opposite, the one who had a tough time in school and has vowed to make sure no one else goes through the same thing.

Kannan, a longtime teacher at Julian Middle School, is the latter. Despite being named Regional Teacher of the Year for Cook County and a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year — which in the education world is like snagging an MVP award — Kannan still remembers what it was like being the only “Brown kid in class” and growing up Indian in Oak Park.

“When I was at Hatch, my first day eating See KANNAN on page 6

Park district breaks ground on rec center

Construction to begin while fundraising continues

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Community members and officials break ground on March 19, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Park District of Oak Park’s new Community Recreation Center on Madison Street in Oak Park.

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

A hundred people braved the cold and rain, March 19, to attend the ground-

breaking ceremony of the Park District of Oak Park’s (PDOP) long-awaited Community Recreation Center (CRC). The event marked the beginning of construction on the promised net-zero facility

at 229 Madison St., which is expected to open next spring.

In her opening remarks, PDOP ExecuSee REC CENTER on page 18

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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A

Our current authoritarian moment has many layers

ccording to a study published last year by the political scientist Robert Pape, the majority of people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 were middleclass white professionals not from rural America, but from suburbs that were experiencing an influx of Black and Brown people.

“When we look at the counties that the 716 people arrested or charged for storming the Capitol came from, where they live, what we see is more than half live in counties that Biden won,” Pape wrote in an article published in January in the magazine Foreign Policy.

“They do not mainly come from the reddest parts of America. They also come from urban areas such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Houston, and Dallas. But the key characteristic uniting them is that they come from counties where the white share of the population is declining fastest,” Pape added.

The facts, Pape wrote, dovetail with a right-wing conspiracy theory called “the great replacement,” the idea that “majority white populations are being replaced by minorities and that liberal leaders are deliberately engineering white demographic decline through immigration policy.”

My non-empirical hunch is that Pape’s analysis doesn’t just apply to whites who feel that their dominant status is being threatened.

I suspect that something similar is happening about five minutes to the west of Oak Park in Proviso Township, where teachers in District 209 have been on strike for more than 11 days.

When I attended Proviso East (for two years before transferring to OPRF), it was overwhelmingly Black. I had entered high school after attending Garfield Elementary, where I could count on one hand the number of Hispanic students.

Twenty years later, D209 is about 60 percent Hispanic while the elementary school district that includes Garfield, District 89, is about 55 percent Hispanic. Importantly, the district’s academic flagship, the selective enrollment school, Proviso Math and Science Academy, is roughly 70 percent Hispanic.

My hometown of Maywood, known for blighted blocks of abandoned homes, is undergoing a quiet renaissance in home sales, with many (nowadays it seems most) of those homes being bought, renovated and inhabited by Hispanics.

Over the last two decades, the Black population in Maywood, and in Proviso Township more generally, has decreased by roughly a third and about 12 percent, respectively, while the Hispanic population in Maywood and Proviso has increased by more than 100% and 77%, respectively, according to census figures released last year.

“They’re taking over,” is a phrase I often hear among my Black family members, one of whom once effectively told me, in response to my stated preference for a Hispanic who was running to be Maywood’s mayor in 2013, “I’m not voting for him; they have to wait their turn.”

This casual xenophobia, which I’m not claiming is widespread by any means, is particularly pronounced among

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older Blacks, some of whom occupy positions the stadium dedication ceremony, they didn’t receive any of authority in Maywood and hold seats on local district emails about parent-teacher conferences. elementary and high school boards.

The superintendent even offered me a job once — over a About three years ago, D209’s Hispanic superphone call one night while slurring his words. How would intendent resigned, leaving a vacancy at the top.

I like to be making six figures doing communications with After a national search, the school board settled the district, he asked me. He said the district would also on a Black man from Mississippi with a sketchy fund my newspaper (in a brazenly apparent attempt to past, but who apparently interviewed well. mute any negative coverage).

His hiring enflamed racial tensions between Not long after that job offer, which I obviously rejected, the school board’s three Black members and one I learned that a similar arrangement had apparently been of its two Hispanic members. The Black board worked out with the local paper in Holmes County, Mismembers have claimed that the board’s sole sissippi, which is why I couldn’t find any hyperlocal news Latina member has a prejudice against Blacks coverage of the superintendent’s time there. while she has alleged that her board colleagues Any criticism of this superintendent, who has cancelled and the superintendent are prejudiced against bargaining sessions amid a historic strike and consistently Hispanics. refused to negotiate in good faith with teachers (whom he The board president has said repeatedly that the board apparently looks down on with contempt), is taken by the charged the new superintendent with the duty of drastically Black school board members as an effort to “bring a Black changing the district in order to achieve academic outcomes, man down” — a classic case of playing the race card. but this mandate has meant chaos for students, teachers When students across the district walked out of all three and families. high schools last month in The superintendent, who a show of support for their left his old job (in the disteachers, who had been trict where he was born and working without a contract raised) after less than two for close to a year, the school years and in the middle of a board president and superpandemic, came into D209 and intendent claimed, with no outsourced the IT department, evidence, that the walkouts halved the number of security were orchestrated by the guards in school buildings, Latina school board member, eliminated deans, and gutted a union leaders and parents range of building-level adminfrom Westchester and Forest istrative and support staff in Park (i.e., whites). district buildings.

I would not have imagined Meanwhile, he went on a when D209’s current school hiring spree for overpaid board majority was voted central office administrators into office several years ago FILECOURTESY/PHOTO BY who rarely leave their fifththat it would create this auProviso teachers strike earlier this month outside of floor C-Suites and, according thoritarian dystopia in which Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park. to sources, sometimes have to two Black men, fueled by a be trained to do various jobs Trumpian toxicity, would by lower-paid staffers. attempt to union bust, divideThese administrators average around $170,000 in pay and-conquer, and conduct dog-whistle politics during a — about $60,000 more than the state average — while the teachers’ strike that is going into its third week. superintendent, who got a 5-year contract after his first In some important ways, the authoritarianism and the year on the job, gets about $260,000 a year (along with a victimhood, exhibited by the D209 school board (particu$6,000 car allowance). That’s in a school district where larly the board president) and the superintendent, mirrors teachers (many of them with master’s degrees and decades what we’re seeing with whites across the country.

This is only my hunch, so don’t judge me too harshly, of experiences) get paid an average of about $76,000 — but it seems the most potent determinants of authoritariabout 30 percent lower than the roughly $87,000 average of anism (aside from personality) may not be income level, neighboring high school districts). educational attainment and employment status; instead, The superintendent has also hired a slew of contractors authoritarianism seems to be most pervasive among from Mississippi and other out-of-state places to do local groups of people who have erstwhile monopolized (even if jobs here in Illinois and fired, with seemingly reckless on a small scale) status, power and resources, and who feel abandon, anyone with a mildly dissenting opinion. that monopoly position threatened by another group.

Meanwhile, school board members dine at expensive That observation applies to white people storming the restaurants, with one having had a whole stadium named Capitol and Black people destroying a school district. after her (it was, of course, the superintendent’s idea).

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com Parents complained that while they received emails about

MICHAEL ROMAIN

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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BIG WEEK

Heartsfield Saturday, March 26, 8:30 p.m., FitzGerald’s These Chicago-area country-rock legends have been at it since the ‘70s, when they were often compared to the Grateful Dead. They reunited in 1999 after a hiatus of over a decade, and still continue to perform today. $15, 6615 Roosevelt Road., Berwyn.

March 23-30

ELINOR DETMER

Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest Sunday, March 27, 4 p.m., Concordia University Chapel This special concert “celebrates youth,” to paraphrase the name of the event. Featured soloists include Elinor Detmer playing Sarasate, pianists Emmie Guo & Freya Pang playing Mozart and concertmaster John Gerson playing RimskyKorsakov. $15 virtual (per household), $27 (per person).

7400 Augusta St., River Forest.

Heart of Our Villages Awards

Why Mindfulness Matters Tuesday, March 29, 7-8 p.m., virtually through Oak Park Public Library Wondering what mindfulness is all about? This introductory session aims to give you a felt sense of what it is from the inside. Learn simple, yet highly effective strategies to help you be more resilient and to make that shift—moment by moment—into a more spacious, clear, reliable, and loving connection with yourself and the world. There will be guided instruction and meditations to experience and take-home tools to begin practicing in your life. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

Law at the Library: Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning

Radical Imagination & Popular Education as Tools for Liberation

Tuesday, March 29, 6-7 p.m., virtually through Oak Park Public Library Learn about writing wills, setting up trusts, and planning your estate. Each Law at the Library program features a presentation on Zoom by an experienced attorney, followed by a brief question-and-answer session. This program is presented in partnership with the Chicago Bar Association, Evanston Public Library, and Chicago Public Library. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

Tuesday, March 29, 6-7 p.m., virtually through Oak Park Public Library In this workshop for teens and adults, participants will explore how the practices of radical imagination, intentional daydreaming, and communal learning function as tools for liberation. This will be a highly engaging and participatory workshop in which the facilitator will offer creative reflection exercises, discussion prompts, and working definitions of the presented topics. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

Thursday, March 24, 6:30-9 p.m., Nineteenth Century Charitable Organization The Historical Society of Oak Park-River Forest honors the lives and accomplishments of Carlotta Luchesi and Harriette & McLouis Robinet, recipients of the 2022 Heart Of Our Villages Award. $125 per ticket, or $75 for the virtual awards ceremony. 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park.

Illinois Libraries Present: An Evening With Jenny Lawson Wednesday, March 30, 7-8 p.m., virtually through Illinois Libraries Present Award-winning humorist Jenny Lawson discusses her most recent bestseller, Broken (in the Best Possible Way), and her brilliantly funny body of work. This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide JENNY LAWSON collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Register now at https://bit.ly/ILP_JennyLawson.

CAMERON WEBB

Cameron Webb Thursday, March 24, 8 p.m., FitzGerald’s This Chicago vocalist will sing songs from the Motown catalog, with special emphasis on Marvin Gaye, a talented vocalist and composer who knew how to mix the sacred and the sexual. $15, 6615 Roosevelt Road., Berwyn.

Book Circle - All We Can Save Wednesday, March 23, 10-11:15 a.m. or 6:30-7:45 p.m., One Earth Film Festival This weekly book circle, moderated by Susan Lucci (not to be confused with the actress), centers around social justice crises. This week, the focus is on All We Can Save, an anthology of writings by 60 women at the forefront of the climate movement.

Ask A Lego Expert!

Sunday, March 27, 3 p.m., virtually through Forest Park Public Library Corey Samuels is part of “Brothers Who Brick,” along with his sibling Travis. Corey will discuss his experiences making masterpieces from the well-known and loved Lego COREY SAMUELS building bricks.

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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N O T E

F R O M

T H E

P U B L I S H E R

Yes, our pages are smaller You are not imagining it.

The page size of this issue of Wednesday Journal is a little smaller. We’ve trimmed 1.5 inches from the height of the paper making it a perfect square.

Studies tell us that readers prefer squares to rectangles.

And that is why we have made this change.

Actually there are no such studies. We’ve cut the page size to save money in a moment when the price of newsprint is absolutely flying. The increases started last fall and have continued virtually every month.

That has taken the cost of paper – which is about one-half the total cost of printing – up by 25 percent. And since printing is our largest single cost after paying our staff, we need to hold the line on that cost.

What changes? Well, our reporters will write a little tighter. Not a bad thing. And

Need a helping of

that’s really it.

We appreciate our print readers immensely. Enjoy the square.

Dan Haley Editor and Publisher

Growing Community Media

Are you or is someone you know struggling with mortgage, rent, or utilities payments due to financial hardship?

We can help!

Emergency financial assistance may be available for: > limited rental assistance, including back-rent > rent deposits > utility payments > mortgage assistance (until 04/15/22) To determine eligibility, contact Housing Forward at

708.338.1724 x 307 Call Jill at (708) 524-8300 or visit OakPark.com/subscribe

Housing Forward strives to transition people from housing crisis to housing stability.

housingforward.org

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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KANNAN

Regional teacher of the year from page 1 lunch outside, I had a couple of fifth-graders knock over my lunch box and call me a ‘dot head’ and a ‘sand N-word,’” recalled Kannan, as he leaned back on his chair inside his classroom on Julian’s fourth floor. He can still picture the adults who stood nearby and didn’t intervene.

That’s why Kannan was ecstatic to hear about the hiring of Ushma Shah, District 97’s new superintendent.

“From being called a ‘dot head’ and a ‘sand N-word’ to now having one of [our] people run the district and to be able to say that you’ve seen that experience, that’s f– ing liberating,” he said, adding he initially didn’t expect to be moved by the news. “But once Amanda [Siegfried, the district’s communications director] sent that email, I said, ‘Holy s–. [She’s] an Indian. It’s one of us.”

For Kannan, Shah’s arrival in the district is not just about representation (“We could have a focus group with the five Indians [educators at D97] and the superintendent now,” he joked). It’s about creating a space for students — and even staff — to be seen, heard and valued.

Kannan, who teaches humanities, was the first to design and pilot the district’s course on African-American studies. The idea for the course came from two former students, he said. They reached out to him during the early days of the pandemic and were struggling to grapple with the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and countless other innocent Black men and women. Those students, who had long been out of Kannan’s class, returned, searching for a place to share their feelings.

That started him thinking. The spring of 2020 proved to be a tumultuous time, as people wrestled with the onset of COVID-19 and the continuous news of lives lost to racial injustice, police, and white supremacy.

“It’s not just a passing phase,” said Kannan, who, apart from teaching, has also worked on the district’s equity mission through various groups and committees.

Almost overnight, Kannan took apart his own history course and built a new one.

This new course, he said, would focus on the meaning of being “othered.” He centered the course around America to Me, the 2018 documentary series that followed the lives of teachers and students at Oak Park and River Forest High School and examined the intersection of racial, class and economic

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

FINDING A PLACE: Ashley Kannan, a teacher at Percy Julian Middle School, is moved that District 97’s new superintendent is an Indian American. issues.

Class discussion and project-based assignments, guided by current events and other themes, rounded out the course’s makeup.

Kannan said teachers — or adults in general — are often viewed as the people who know everything, but the truth is, they don’t. Kannan doesn’t either.

“I can’t explain why the police officer knelt on [Floyd’s] neck for nine minutes. I can’t explain why 16 bullets were pumped into [Laquan McDonald] while he was walking away. I can’t explain that, and I can’t pretend to explain that,” he said. “We need to be able to parse through this together.”

Kannan told Wednesday Journal that the African-American Studies course, which first launched during the 2020-21 school year and is now an elective, serves as a way to keep those hard conversations moving forward. He said he often leaned on America to Me as a way to open those discussions.

Apart from the docu-series’ analysis on the school’s achievement gaps, it also showed the daily struggles of being a teenager. Even Kannan, who graduated from OPRF, remembered how he fit into the school’s “track” system; he was a stellar student in English

but “atrocious” in math and science.

“The idea of ‘misery loves company’ is the only thread that binds eighth grade,” Kannan said laughing, adding that the point of sharing the documentary was also to show students that there is a much bigger world than middle school and it “does get better.”

He’s on a mission to make sure the world of middle school is also a good one. The moderator of Julian’s LGBTQ+ club, Rainbow Tribe, said the group came together almost five years ago and formed out of one his trans students’ experiences. That student, he said, opened up about her experience through an online discussion post. “‘I just wish I could not feel so much like a freak in my school,’” Kannan remembered of what the student wrote. He reached out to her, and from there, they created the Tribe and welcomed more students in. He remembered those first few meetings where they checked in with each other. Other times they talked about more serious issues like coming out to loved ones or navigating conversations with family members during the holidays. About five years later, the group has now amassed about 45 members.

Speaking about Rainbow Tribe, he be-

came emotional. He thought about the students who previously attended Julian when the club didn’t exist yet and the role that he played — or didn’t — in helping those students feel seen or heard.

“God knows how many kids have gone through this place and just not had a place,” he said. “If you’re the voice of institutional memory — and there aren’t many people around who can put in 23 years at Julian — you have to take responsibility for where memory is excluded.”

The thing about Kannan is he doesn’t forget. He listens and learns.

On a student’s desk, Kannan stretches out one of his hands, each finger donning what he calls his “Hindu bling.” He slips these rings on every day, bringing with him the spirit and fight of Mahalakshmi, the goddess of prosperity; Lord Mahavishnu, the protector; and Lord Hanuman who evokes righteousness. Like them, his goal as a teacher is to be a “buffer” for his students.

“You’re just trying to make sure someone else doesn’t have as crappy an experience as you did in school. You want to be the buffer so that the institution doesn’t inflict the same pain it did on you.”

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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D97 closes ‘window’ to one remote learning option Teachers now decide remote learning options for students in quarantine

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

Teachers at Oak Park School District 97 are no longer required to offer a specific remote learning option that allows quarantined students to watch or listen in on their class over Zoom. Known as “window to the classroom,” the option gave students at home a somewhat limited experience, as they were unable to use the chat feature or participate in discussions.

Like most schools in Illinois, D97 officials came up with the “window to the classroom” last fall so students absent from school because of COVID-19 could continue to learn while at home, said communications director Amanda Siegfried. The idea for the “window” came at the start of this school year, as school leaders and workers alike grappled with fully reopening after more than a year of online and hybrid learning. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) went back and forth, changing the guidelines for stu-

FILE

District 97 administration building dents’ eligibility for online instruction.

But things have changed since then, Siegfried said.

In recent weeks, the district has worked to revamp some of its COVID mitigation plans and met with its teacher’s union, the Oak Park Teachers Association (OPTA), to discuss a few issues, including the current remote learning options, Siegfried told Wednesday Journal. From there, district

officials and members of OPTA agreed to discontinue the “window to the classroom” model, according to a districtwide email sent to families March 15.

That means, she clarified, teachers can decide how they want to approach remote learning for quarantined students while still complying with state requirements. They could still choose to do the “window” or go a different route. OPTA co-presidents Hannah Boudreau and Lary Grimaldi could not be immediately reached for comment.

“It’s really up to them [the teachers],” Siegfried said, adding school officials are confident in their teachers’ professional expertise and can determine what is best for their students.

Co-interim Superintendents Patricia Wernet and Griff Powell reminded families in the March 15 email which students are eligible to receive remote online instruction. Based on state and local guidance, students who either test positive for COVID-19 or are symptomatic and waiting for COVID test results can

qualify for remote learning.

District nurses will determine students’ eligibility for remote learning and notify teachers, Wernet and Powell wrote. Teachers are expected to provide all the material for remote instruction or place the packet of materials for pick-up in the school’s main office, they explained.

“The decision is at the teacher’s discretion,” Wernet and Powell wrote in the email.

The two shared with families that fewer and fewer students require remote learning.

The numbers have “dropped significantly” since January when cases tipped into tripledigits because of the Omicron variant, they said. According to school data, the district reported 21 new cases of COVID among staff and students, shuffling about approximately 26 into quarantine.

“We remain committed to meeting the needs of our students and providing as much continuity of learning as possible if students are impacted by COVID-19,” Wernet and Powell assured families.

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What does a sustainable Oak Park look like to you?

Share your input for Oak Park’s Climate Plan Play the budget game

Take the community survey oak-park.us/ climateplan

Comment on the map

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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Apartment construction starts at Drechsler Brown site Development company expects tenants by summer 2023

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Almost exactly one year to the date of receiving construction approval, Focus development group broke ground March 17 on its 7-story apartment complex located where the historic Drechsler, Brown & Williams funeral home long stood at Marion and Pleasant streets.

Focus could not have asked for a more beautiful day to break ground. Under a brightly shining sun, about 30 people watched as the ceremonial shovels dug into the earth.

Blackout Baking Co., just across Marion Street, provided cookies and pastries to mark the occasion. Village Trustee Jim Taglia spoke on behalf of the village board, as Village President Vicki Scaman was unable to attend due to prior commitments.

Taglia called Porter, as the building will be named, a “visual and practical improvement to the former use of the site.”

“Not to mention that it will be quite a bit more lively,” he added in a nod to the location’s funeral home past.

The luxury apartment building has been dubbed Porter by Focus, which also has its own in-house construction team.

Porter, 1105 Pleasant St., is very much a transit-oriented development that will stand within walking distance of two

PROVIDED

Rendering of Porter by Focus at 1105 Pleasant St. Chicago transit lines, making travel to and from the city convenient. To satisfy the village’s inclusionary housing ordinance, Focus is paying $1.58 million into Oak Park’s affordable housing fund.

Along with 158 rental units, Porter will have a swimming pool, a dog-run, private co-working spaces and 123 parking spots. Focus founder and CEO Tim Anderson told Wednesday Journal he is hoping to bring a branch of For-

est Park-based Kribi Coffee to occupy the building’s small commercial space.

“It’s not a yes yet, but we’re working on it,” said Anderson. “We love the idea.”

Anderson expects Porter will take a full 16 months to complete construction with a move-in date for tenants likely in May through July of 2023. The pre-leasing phase will start at the beginning of 2023. Monthly rental rates for apartments in the building range from about $1,500 for studio units up to about $5,500 for the two-story maisonette units.

During his remarks, Taglia praised the project for its sustainability efforts, which include electric vehicle charging stations and its expected silver-certification under the National Green Building Standard. He also commended the developers for committing to pay $60,000 to help reconstruct the alley to the west of the site, as well as for putting in new lighting and security features, which the trustee believes will benefit all residents.

“As a village trustee, I am pleased to have been a part of the public process that led to this project,” said Taglia.

“But as a lifelong Oak Parker, I am even more pleased to see such an impressive, major improvement in yet another part of our community.”

CLOSING IN 2 DAYS!

The Oak Park Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List is Closing on Friday.

Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program • Oak Park Housing Authority The Oak Park Housing Authority is accepting pre-applications to add 150 new households to the Housing Choice Voucher 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.

For additional information - direct to your smartphone SCAN THE CODE or go to www.oakparkha.org The pre-application portal will be closing on Friday, March 25, 2022 at 3pm.

Go to www.oakparkha.org to fill out your pre-application.

Need a reasonable accommodation and assistance in filling out the online pre-application? 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 708-386-1464, Monday - Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and Friday, March 25, 2022, until 3:00 pm. Our special assistance team will schedule an appointment for you at a later date and time during the open waiting list period to help you complete and submit your online pre-application.

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

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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Oak Park village board divided on license-plate-reading cameras

Police chief supports technology to fight carjackings

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Do the ends justify the means? That ethical dilemma was the focus of Oak Park’s village board meeting Monday as village trustees discussed a resolution to approve a two-year agreement worth $112,500 with Flock Group Inc. to install 20 automatic license plate recognition cameras and the associated software in the village.

Proponents of the software believe it has the capability to reduce crime by giving police access to vehicular data that can be used to solve carjackings, shootings and other violent crimes. Critics believe it is an infringement of civil rights and privacy.

The vote on the measure was tabled until the first week of April, but the conversation surrounding the efficacy and morality of this surveillance software will likely continue long after.

Flock manufactures license plate recognition motion-activated cameras that capture the vehicle, color, type, plate number and state, as well as special characteristics of automobiles including bumper stickers and roof racks. This information is extremely helpful to police in investigating criminal activity, according to Oak Park Police Chief LaDon Reynolds. The Flock website claims the software will reduce crime in communities by up to 70 percent.

“It does not identify individuals; it does not identify sex or race,” said Reynolds, who called the cameras an “investigative tool.”

“It basically alerts police to wanted vehicles based on the registration information.”

That information is then uploaded in a database and stored for 30 days. After that, the data is wiped from servers. The footage is owned by the village of Oak Park and cannot be sold by Flock. The system does not

turn up personal information related to the captured vehicle, such as to whom the car is registered. It is also not used to enforce traffic laws.

Reynolds said in his presentation that Flock “takes human bias out of crime-solving by detecting objective data and detecting events that are objectively illegal,” such as stolen or carjacked vehicles.

Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla, who has a background working in the technology industry, took issue with this claim, saying, “Data in the hands of biased people will always be biased data.”

Another major concern for Walker-Peddakotla was the lack of a cyber security clause in the agreement, which she called a “big, big red flag.”

“Think about it – if you were a woman, and you have a domestic abuser that gets access to this information, your domestic abuser can actually know where the heck you are,” she said.

A whopping 54 public comments were made at the village board meeting. A large percentWWW.FLOCKSAFETY.COM age of those in favor came from residents of southwest Oak Park, the area last November where the two cars were shooting at each other while speeding down Lexington Street near Harlem Avenue. Residents of the neighborhood have since been lobbying hard for greater police action and traffic calming measures in the area.

Those not in favor felt the 24/7 Flock surveillance was Orwellian and an invasion of privacy. Some wanted to wait to see what Oak Park’s contracted police consultant BerryDunn had to say about Flock. Many criticized the software company for employing tactics that could potentially be used to racially profile immigrants and Black and Brown people, telling the village board the agreement goes against its commitment to racial equity.

Flock’s potential to misread plates caused unease. Residents and trustees opposed to Flock cited a 2009 incident in San Francisco where a woman was reportedly arrested and held at gunpoint after her license plate was misconstrued by an automatic license plate

reading camera. The lawsuit filed by the woman in 2014 against the city and county of San Francisco does not name the manufacturer of the license plate reader used in the incident.

“These cameras have a high error rate,” said Trustee Susan Buchanan.

Buchanan did not share what that error rate was. However, a representative from Flock told Wednesday Journal the system accurately captures 97 percent of vehicles that pass the cameras.

Trustee Chibuike Enyia told the board he believed the Oak Park police department already does a “really good job” solving crime without the aid of license plate recognition cameras, which he called “a drastic solution.”

“I do understand the need for tools for police to do their job, but I don’t think that this is the tool we need right now,” Enyia said.

Village President Vicki Scaman made the call to postpone the vote on the resolution until the first week of April, to allow the community more time to express concerns and to allow new Village Manager Kevin Jackson more time to get acquainted with the subject. The almost-four-hour meeting was the first attended by Jackson as village manager.

The principal ethical conundrum for Trustee Lucia Robinson was not about the cameras themselves nor potential racial equity issues, but the fiduciary drawbacks of delaying the vote. The negotiated $112,500 offer in the agreement expires March 25. By not agreeing to the contract by that date, the village may face potential financial repercussions. Wednesday Journal has reached out to Village Attorney Paul Stephanides for more information.

“I don’t see any benefit gained in delaying the vote,” Robinson said.

Likewise, Robinson did not believe further input from the community as a result of the delay would change the board’s ultimate verdict.

“I’m not sure an additional 20 public comments is really going to sway anyone’s decision,” she said.

The typically in sync board was divided over Scaman’s suggestion. The motion to table the decision was passed 4-3 with Walker-Peddakotla, Enyia, Buchanan and Scaman casting the affirmative votes. Robinson and Trustees Jim Taglia and Ravi Parakkat made up the opposition.

brought to you by

Beautiful Landscapes Start Here—and Now With the official arrival of spring, we are excited for our 44th year of service in the community. And like the perennials that come back with each return Scott McAdam Jr. of the calendar, our message to customers this time of year remains the same: it’s never too early to begin planning your project.

This year, it is especially true: our installation schedules are booked through the end of May and still more jobs await scheduling for June.

For everyone here at McAdam, there is nothing more exciting than the spring rush. It’s stressful, too, but that’s what we are here for: to take that away from you, so you can enjoy rest and relaxation.

The landscape is beginning to come back to life, the volume of phone calls is large, and we are ready to embark on transforming landscapes once again.

We look forward to bringing your visions and dreams from concept to reality. Through creative design, fresh solutions, and skilled craftsmanship, beautiful landscapes start here.

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2001 Des Plaines Ave. Forest Park • 708-771-2299 www.mcadamlandscape.com

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Rustico Mediterranean Fusion moves down Oak Park Avenue Lake Street location will morph into Rustico Mexico

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

of his repeat guests as possible. Rather than allow turning people away to take a toll on his business, Padilla jumped at the chance to purchase the Oak Park Avenue building because it will easily triple the seating capacity of Rustico’s current location. Plans include a layout that accommodates approximately 250 guests making it “easily” one of the largest restaurants in Oak Park.

Construction has already commenced on the property and Padilla realistically anticipates opening in three months if everything goes smoothly with the Village of Oak Park’s inspection and liquor licensing processes. Some of the more rustic barnwood design elements are being retained, but the central wall dividing the former home of Hamburger Mary’s and the main dining room is being removed to create an open floor plan.

The kitchen will be visible to diners and

Rustico fans rejoice! Expansion is on the horizon for the Spanish-meets-Italian eatery located at 722 Lake St. in Oak Park. Rustico Mediterranean Fusion is moving to the former home of Oak Park Brewing, 155 S. Oak Park Ave., but don’t expect the Lake Street storefront to go dark. The location is set to transform into MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor Rustico Mexico — a sibling TWO LOCATIONS: (From left ) Jorge Muñoz and José Gonzalez join Chef Gabriel Padilla in establishment focused on fare inspired by the cuisines of Oaxaca announcing that Rustico is doubling its reach in Oak Park. and Jalisco.

Initially Gabriel Padilla, chef-owner of a large wood burning oven will serve as Rustico Mexico. Gonzalez, who was forRustico, had not planned to operate two both a cooking hearth and focal center- merly employed at Libertad in Skokie, Oak Park restaurants. He was only seekpiece. brought enough talent and knowledge to ing to expand customer capacity for his Since Rustico opened in 2018 Chef inspire the duo to create a new menu full current business. Years spent working siJorge Muñoz has been Padilla’s “right of Mexican dishes that honor Padilla’s multaneously at Café Iberico (now shuthand” in the kitchen and will lead the childhood spent on a farm in Jalisco and tered) and Piccolo Songo in Chicago gave kitchen at Rustico Mediterra- Gonzalez’s roots in Oaxaca.

Padilla the foundation for nean Fusion after the move.

Once Rustico Mediterranean Fusion Rustico’s hybrid menu full Chef José Gonzalez, a new- opens on Oak Park Avenue the Lake of award-winning paella comer to the team, will lead Street restaurant will close for a few and house-made pasta. The the kitchen at Rustico Mex- weeks while some cosmetic improveunique combination has ico. Padilla, who is known ments are made to the space. Diners can drawn a dedicated fan base for being hands on in the expect a fresh coat of paint and new artsince opening five years kitchen, will float between work to announce the arrival of Rustico’s ago. the two establishments. menu of elevated Mexican fare. Diners “On the weekends we have “I will be a little bit here can expect house dishes like lobster chili been turning away more and a little bit there,” said rellenos and New York strip steak with than 150 people per night Padilla. “Our current staff sweet potatoes with tamarind-habanero because we just don’t have will move from here to the sauce and goat cheese. Colorful house the space,” said Padilla. new space and Rustico Mex- made tortillas will lay the base for tacos “The new location will have ico will have an entirely new filled with beef tenderloin and garnished more room, but it will have team of servers, managers with bone marrow. Plans include tablethe same feeling and menu.” side ceviche service and an arsenal of and cooks.”

The goal to expand RustiThough Padilla had ini- margaritas and mezcal cocktails. co’s footprint was born out “I am proud of my team for making this tially intended to close the of the pandemic. Padilla Lake Street location after possible,” said Padilla. “I want to deliver credits his loyal customthe move, Gonzalez’s ser- more to the people of Oak Park who have ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer ers for seeing him through endipitous arrival allowed been so supportive of me over the years.”

The former home of Oak Park Brewing is becoming Rustico the darkest days of the past While construction continues in the the chef-owner to make two years and wanted to be Mediterranean Fusion, while the Lake Street location prepares to plans to transform the new space, Rustico will remain open for Lake Street location into business as usual on Lake Street. able to welcome in as many rebrand as Rustico Mexico.

March 23, 2022 11

E D U C AT I O N , E N R I C H M E N T & C A M P G U I D E Special Advertising Section

, n o i t a c u d E t n e m h c i r En p m a C 2 Spring 202

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Make Math Make Sense for your kids this summer!

t Mathnasium of Oak Park/River Forest, you can feel the buzz of activity and excitement as soon as you walk in the door. Students, preschool through high school, are actively engaged in learning and understanding mathematics.

Operating on the philosophy that every child can become great at math, Mathnasium has become the industry leader in supplementary math education.

As owner, Jana Frank explains, “We Make Math Make Sense. Kids don’t hate math, they hate being frustrated and intimidated by it. Our job is to help our students develop number sense so they aren’t just able to do it, but actually understand what they are doing.”

The staff at Mathnasium offers personalized instruction that incorporates a combination of learning styles including written, mental, verbal, visual, and tactile.

“We will always adjust our teaching methods,” says Frank, “to find the one that works for each child.”

Parents and students sing the praises of Mathnasium. A Hatch Elementary student

We Make Math Make Sense

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says, “At Mathnasium, I’ve learned that I actually LIKE math!” A Julian Middle Schooler says, “I’ve learned how to understand why the solution to a problem works instead of just memorizing how to solve it.” From a parent’s perspective, “The attention paid to my children’s needs for is amazing. It has changed the way they feel about school and increased their confidence levels.”

Mathnasium is now enrolling for summer!

They offer short term, flexible summer only memberships to help your kids catch up, WE ARE EXPERIENCED WE ARE EXPERIENCED keep up, and get ahead while working Pre K - 12th Grade MATH SPECIALISTS MATH SPECIALISTS FREE CONSULTATION FREE CONSULTATION around summer vacations and camps.

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SAT/ACT Prep Schedule a FREE SESSION for your during the month April and how we can meet your andofhow we can meet your OF TRIAL MATH ABILITY OF MATH ABILITY Algebra & Geometry child to see if Mathnasium is the right fit. family’s needs. family’s needs.

Review/Preview Call or text SUMMER to (708) 613-4007 PROVEN RESULTS PROVEN RESULTS today, as all summer memberships are Mathnasium Oak Park/River Forest Mathnasium La Grange currently 10% off through the end of April!

1101 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302 1 S. Waiola Ave, La Grange, IL 60525 web address Your Locationlagrange@mathnasium.com mathnasium.com/your web addre Your isLocation Mathnasium OPRF located at 1101mathnasium.com/your oakparkriverforest@mathnasium.com Rd. 123 Any Street Rd. Chicago Ave,123 OakAny Park.Street Visit www. mathnasium.com/lagrange 800-123-4567 800-123-4567 mathnasium.com/oakparkriverforest Any Town, ST 90000 or call Any Town, ST 90000 mathnasium.com/oakparkriverforest 708.613.4007 708.582.6593 mathnasium.com/your web address mathnasium.com/your web address (708) 613-4007.

Now Enrolling Summer

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E D U C AT I O N , E N R I C H M E N T & C A M P G U I D E

March 23, 2022

Special Advertising Section

An inspiring opportunity for gifted students at Dominican

Summer Gifted and Talented Program Dominican University’s Summer Gifted and Talented Program (SGAT) challenges and inspires highly motivated, academically gifted and talented students entering grades 2-8 in the fall with academic and social enrichment in Math, Science, Writing/Humanities, and Fine/Performing Arts.

For program information, summer courses and application details, visit: www.dom.edu/summergifted Questions? Contact off-campus Program Director Janie Wu at jwu@dom.edu, or on-campus SGAT Assistant Janette Torres Arellano at jtorresarellano@dom.edu.

Serving the gifted and talented community since 1987.

tC om mm muunn itiyty CeC nte ernter RivReivrReriFvFeoorrreFesotsrtCeosC o mdunLie tyarCnein Early Childhm oo ntgerCenter ooo doLd earL nie ngar Cn enitn eg r Center EarElayrlyCChhiillddhh Half-Day & Full-Day:

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ifted students can easily fall through the cracks as testing drives us to teach to a standardized response while bringing proficiency of all students to grade level.

The phrase “genius denied” refers to those who will suffer a profound gap between their fullest potential and what little is asked of them, particularly when one size just doesn’t fit all.

Perhaps this is part of the reason why schooling for the gifted can be a boring, lonely and isolating experience.

Ask a gifted child what it’s like to learn with peers who are learning at a less advanced level, and the common reply will relate to waiting. Waiting for the other students to catch on; waiting to be challenged more; waiting for answers to higher-level questions; waiting for something to inspire a desire to achieve; waiting… for someone to notice.

Summer enrichment programs for like-minded students provide inspiring opportunities for both academic and social growth, and quite possibly, a life defining experience for the gifted student. The Summer Gifted and Talented Program at Dominican University is hosted on its beautiful campus, where our classrooms are buzzing with ideas because we know that academic talent must be developed, nurtured, and fed. For us, summer is the highlight of the year. It’s a time when we can feel free to be our quirky curious selves, motivated by the energy that comes with the joy of learning.

Visit dom.edu/summergifted for more details about SGAT at Dominican University. Inspired Minds, Amazing Possibilities.

Join the fun in the Early Childhood Program at the River Forest Community Center!

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he River Forest Community Center provides an age-appropriate curriculum designed to encourage positive group interaction as well as foster individual growth.

Our teachers thrive on creating a safe and fun learning environment through play in which children are encouraged to explore and develop their cognitive, language, social-intellectual and motor skills.

Our mission is to provide a hands-on approach to learning which allows the children to explore their environment while enhancing their social, emotional, cognitive and motor development.

Classes start as young as 15 months of age.

The Early Childhood Programs include:

• Munchkins • Playschool • Preschool (Half-Day & Full-Day) • Pre-Kindergarten (Half-Day & Full-Day) • Before & After School Programs The River Forest Community Center is located at 8020 Madison Street in River Forest.

For more information about the Early Childhood Programs, call 708-7716159.

Special Advertising Section

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March 23, 2022 13

E D U C AT I O N , E N R I C H M E N T & C A M P G U I D E

VIACLAY is a COMMUNITY POTTERY STUDIO

ow in its third year, ViaClay Community Pottery Studio is gearing up for summer fun with morning and afternoon sessions for kids ages 10 and up – and for the third summer, Sarah Luepker will be leading the two-week sessions beginning June 13th.

With a degree in art, certification in teaching, and more than 10 years at the wheel developing her own creative practice, Sarah heads ViaClay’s team of experienced and enthusiastic instructors.

“Many of our kids will be returning for their second or third summer with us and are nearing an intermediate skill level. My job is to balance the classes to make sure everyone is motivated and challenged by their projects.” Sarah is committed to creating a fun environment while helping kids build confidence. “Throwing at the wheel is not something that you can master in one or two sessions,” says Sarah.

“When I have a child who’s developed expertise quickly in other areas, they can be initially frustrated. Helping them move

through and enjoy their own learning curve with goal-oriented positive energy is one of my biggest rewards.”

Supportive teamwork has been the key to the Studio’s survival during the pandemic. “Last year’s expansion was a leap of faith, but it took us to a whole new level and allowed us to hold more classes in a dedicated space,” explains studio manager John Beck. “Our roster of teachers expanded, we’ve added new equipment, and our community of members has doubled.” Neighborhood regulars are no longer surprised to find a full classroom and a busy members’ studio lighting up the block most nights.

To celebrate their success, ViaClay will host a “Spring Fling” open house and pottery sale on Friday, April 1, beginning at 5pm. “One of the reasons I felt strongly about locating ViaClay on Marion Street was the obvious opportunity to partner with neighborhood retailers,” says Gabe Tetrev, ViaClay owner. “I’m excited to work with people who share our creative vision and commitment to the local scene.

For next Friday’s event, we’ll be serving tasty goods from Carnivore, Inc., Anfora Wine Merchants, and Blackout Baking Company – delicious sweets, savories, and some wonderful Italian wines should make for a great party and get people thinking about their own summer gettogethers.”

Creating beautiful tableware is the focus of Gabe’s own practice, so partnering with food purveyors is a natural fit. “We’re thrilled to kick off our third summer with this event to say thank you to all the parents and patrons we’ve worked with in our first years,” says Gabe. All are welcome at the April 1 event, and the pottery sale will continue Saturday, April 2, from 10am to 3pm.

ViaClay Community Pottery Studio is located just south of downtown Oak Park in the Pleasant-Home District at 208 South Marion Street. For more information on Kids’ Camps or to schedule a studio tour, visit ViaClay’s website at www.viaclay. com, or contact John Beck at john.beck@ viaclay.com or (708) 434-5848.

VIACLAY Summer Kids’ Camps Morning and Afternoon Sessions Come join the fun!

ViaClay Community Pottery Studio 208 South Marion • Oak Park Photo: DTKindler Photography

info@viaclay.com (708) 434-5848

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E D U C AT I O N , E N R I C H M E N T & C A M P G U I D E

March 23, 2022

Special Advertising Section

We are MIXING IT UP at this Summer’s Homesteading Camp!

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ach week will include fun, new baking and cooking projects designed for young chefs. From Cupcake Wars to discovering the fundamentals of a delicious Fried Rice, kids will learn skills that inspire them to be curious about cooking and eating different foods. Your young chef will be so proud to show you what they created each day and you’ll receive all of our recipes from the week to continue your culinary adventure at home. Each day of camp is split between cooking, crafting and playing games to create a fun, interactive environment for kids with all skill levels and interests.

Our Middle School Maker Camp is coming back for several weeks this summer, too!We have designed a curriculum especially for the T/ween age group. From DIM SUM CAMP to Cake Decorating 101, t/weens love being creative in the kitchen.

District Summe9r 0 District 90 School

Our creative team of Summer Camp Counselors is enthusiastic about sharing their love of cooking, crafting and having fun.

Check out our full schedule on our website, where you can learn more about our birthday parties, after school and weekend cooking classes.

SUMMER CAMP - choose one or more of the 10 weeks M-F ages 5-11 9AM - 11:30AM + 1PM - 3:30PM MIDDLE SCHOOL MAKER CAMP SCHEDULE M-F ages 11-15 Select weeks 4PM-6PM

DistrictSummer 90 Summer Registration is Open for School District 90 District 90 District 90’s Summer School School District 90 District 90 90 Summer Summer District District 90 Summer Summer District 90Summer S School Summer School School Summer District 90 School School

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349 ASHLAND AVE. RIVER FOREST, IL 60305

Check out our Middle School Maker Camps, too!

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*We are still in this together! We are following local school guidelines for masking and believe that we will be “mask optional” for camp this summer.

er Class

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Wellness Warriors Photography Roosevelt Middle School close on April 15, 2022.

Summer Classes Include Drama & Theater Keyboarding Drama & TheaterModern Keyboarding Modern Artist Coding Coding Artist Coding Modern Artist And Many More!

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Grades K-4 budding gardener, or a basketball Drama & Theater Keyboarding And Many More!

Wellness School Warriors Photography Lincoln Roosevelt Middle School Modern Artist Coding enthusiast in your household? Summer Grades 5-8 Lincoln School Lincoln School Grades K-4 Lincoln FORSchool COMPLETE BROCHURES AND And Many More!

School provides a variety of academic Lincoln School Grades K-4Grades K-4 Grades K-4School Roosevelt Middle Lincoln School FOR COMPLETE BROCHURES AND Roosevelt Middle School Roosevelt Middle SchoolINFORMATION REGISTRATION Roosevelt Middle Grades K-4 Grades K-4 Grades 5-8 School and enrichment courses designed to Lincoln School Grades 5-8Grades 5-8 REGISTRATION INFORMATION Grades 5-8 Visit Roosevelt Middle School Grades K-4 Roosevelt Middle School FOR COMPLETE BROCHURES AND be fun yet educational. Math Club and Visit Roosevelt Middle Grades School 5-8 Summer Classes Include INFORMATION REGISTRATION Grades 5-8www.district90.org/about/summer-school Book Club help reinforce your student’s Grades 5-8 www.district90.org/about/summer-school Visit Loving Nature Club FOR COMPLETEBook BROCHURES AND academic skills and prepare them for www.district90.org/about/summer-school Reading Adventures Math Club AND FOR COMPLETE BROCHURES AND FOR BROCHURES REGISTRATION INFORMATION the next grade. Classes for incoming FORCOMPLETE COMPLETE BROCHURES AND Roosevelt Readiness Gardening Visit Summer~ Learning ~ Fun INFORMATION FOR COMPLETE BROCHURES AND REGISTRATION REGISTRATION INFORMATION FOR COMPLETE BROCHURES AND Kindergarteners (such as Exploring the INFORMATION Summer~REGISTRATION Learning ~ Fun Drama & Theater Keyboarding Summer~ Learning ~ Fun www.district90.org/about/summer-school Visit REGISTRATION INFORMATION REGISTRATION Visit Visit PhotographyAND Wellness Warriors FORINFORMATION COMPLETE BROCHURES Alphabet and Kindergarten Korner) Visit www.district90.org/about/summer-school Visit www.district90.org/about/summer-school Modern Artist Coding www.district90.org/about/summer-school www.district90.org/about/summer-school introduce our younger students to the REGISTRATION INFORMATION Summer~ Learning ~ Fun www.district90.org/about/summer-school Summer Classes Include

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www.district90.org/about/summer-school Summer~ Learning Learning ~~Fun Summer~ Fun

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classroom experience with a captivating approach. Reading Adventures blends literacy with art, singing, and acting.

Classes in coding, wellness, Legos construction, keyboarding, digital photography, and others round out the Summer School choices for children.

Classes start on Thursday, June 16, and run through Friday, July 15. There will be two days of no student attendance during Summer School: Juneteenth will be observed on Monday, June 20, and Independence Day on Monday, July 4. The Summer School Brochures with all course offerings and descriptions are available on the District 90 website at www.district90.org/about/summerschool. Please register as soon as possible, as classes often fill up quickly.

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Autre Monde hosts community dinner for Ukraine Proceeds donated to relief efforts vetted by Berwyn church

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

On Wednesday, March 16, Autre Monde, 6727 Roosevelt Road in Berwyn, bustled with both enthusiasm and purpose as eager diners sipped sunflower inspired cocktails and savored cozy cabbage rolls. The community dinner, organized by the decade old Berwyn restaurant, was designed to support relief efforts in Ukraine organized by Berwyn’s Ukrainian Baptist Church (UBC), 6751 Riverside Dr. Chefs Dan Pancake and Beth Partridge added themed specials to the menu, Autre Monde staff members donated their time and talent for the evening, and dinner guests included UBC leaders and congregation members; 100% of the proceeds from the evening were donated to the relief effort.

“We were able to raise $3,500,” said Christine Tully, general manager of Autre Monde. “Also, a number of people asked for

a direct link so that they could make additional directed donations.”

Deacon Igor Kalinin, who lived in Kyiv, Ukraine until 1991, attended the community dinner with his family. It was clear the table full of UBC congregants savored the moment of levity during such serious times.

Kalinin said they “ordered nearly everything on the menu” and singled out the Italian seared ahi tuna with mixed green olive panzanella salad as a dining highlight. The deacon was also quick to share his appreciation for the local restaurant’s support.

“This was very awesome,” said Kalinin.

“The fact that Autre Monde reached out to us was very emotional. We are thankful for their outreach and the community support. There are no words to describe how much this means to us.”

For decades, UBC has worked with approximately a dozen missionaries affiliated with numerous churches in Ukraine.

After the Russian invasion, those missionaries began working out of “hubs” in Poland. They pack trucks full of protective gear, food and medical supplies and drive through Lviv, Ukraine making their way to churches, vetted by UBC, to distribute supplies in areas facing immediate need.

“The missionaries’ duties have shifted

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

DINING FOR A CAUSE: Deacon Igor Kalinin from Ukrainian Baptist Church dines with friends and family at Autre Monde’s community dinner to support Ukraine. because of the war,” said Kalinin. “A lot of stores are shut down because owners have fled, and our missionaries drive back and forth between Poland and Ukraine delivering supplies.”

Additionally, UBC is sponsoring a bakery in Kyiv to craft and distribute bread to the

population for free.

Visit ubcchicago.org to learn more about the Berwyn church’s relief efforts.

“The Sunflower” cocktail, made with Khor Ukrainian Vodka, St Germain, orange liquor and fresh lemon juice remains on Autre Monde’s menu.

Chefs come together to cook for Ukraine

By DAVID HAMMOND Oak Park Eats

Last Wednesday night, not long after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed a joint session of Congress, we went to Navy Pier to attend Chicago Chefs Cook for Ukraine, the biggest Chicago restaurant event since the beginning of the 2020 shutdown. Seventy Chicago chefs prepared food for this fundraiser, with all proceeds going to help Ukrainians fleeing the war.

Organized by Chicago chefs, this gettogether was presented in conjunction with Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen, which has stepped in to serve over a million meals to refugees in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Moldova, and other countries who are welcoming the many rendered homeless by the war.

Last November, we heard Andres speak at the Executive Club of Chicago. Something he said had a big impact on me.

“Through food we can create a much more perfect America,” he said. “We need longer tables not higher walls, and that’s how we’re going to create a better future for America and a better world.”

Longer tables, not higher walls. Yes, that.

Chicago Chefs Cook for Ukraine brought together some of Chicago’s best known chefs, donating their time and talents in support of Ukraine and its people. We went to this event with two friends of Russian descent, and many Russians in Russia — at serious risk to their careers and lives — have been exceptionally vocal in their opposition to Putin’s incursion into Ukraine.

No one would now deem Putin’s move “smart” or “genius.” His aggression is earning the condemnation of the world,

and it’s bringing the world together in support of Ukrainians and against autocratic rulers like Vladimir Putin.

Andres and those who work for his World Central Kitchen are focusing on people who’ve been injured by Putin’s aggression, people who are hungry and need food. Efforts like this fundraiser, which generated over $500,000, help people like us collectively focus on helping refugees and defeating what the world now clearly sees as an autocratic dictator, one of many who’ve emerged in recent history.

Supporting Ukraine is a way to land a blow against rising autocracy, at home and abroad, and it’s encouraging to see local restaurants pitching in to help. As Melissa Elsmo has reported, Igor Russo at the Onion Roll spent the first 19 years of his life in Kyiv, Ukraine, and the deli is now offering blue and yellow bagels [Ukraine’s flag

colors] for $5 each, with 100% of proceeds going to the Heroes Protection Fund established through Berwyn’s St. Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church. On the other side of town, Autre Monde held a Ukrainian fundraising dinner, again with 100% of profits devoted to Ukrainian relief. I strongly suspect other restaurants in the village will join the relief effort, and this outpouring of support makes this DOOPer feel good about living in this socially conscious and caring community.

We are undeniably stronger together, and a disaster like the war in Ukraine tends to bring all of us even closer together … at a longer table.

David Hammond, a corporate communications consultant and food journalist living in Oak Park, Illinois, is a founder and moderator of LTHForum.com, the 8,500 member Chicago-based culinary chat site.

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Walk of Honor highlights Women’s History Month Trinity students, staff honor women who paved the way

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

On a cold, gray Friday morning, Isabella Galloza stood right near the entrance of Trinity High School, carrying a basket of party horns. The 18-year-old senior was one of two students posted at the door, lip syncing to Kelly Clarkson’s pop hit “Miss Independent,” and hyping her peers and teachers up for the Walk of Honor, a brief outdoor event aimed to honor the many women who changed the world.

The event, which was held March 18 during Women’s History Month, was organized by the school’s student-led Women Supporting Women club. Students from the group created more than 150 signs, each featuring the names or portraits of different women, including transgender activist Marsha Johnson, former first lady Michelle Obama, Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai and renowned superstar Beyoncé. Apart from the sea of celebrities, other signs that stood out centered on beloved mothers, sisters, community leaders and Trinity educators. Their pictures were surrounded by the words “strong,” “courageous” and “confident” in big, bold colors.

“For over 100 years, women have fought and used their

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

MUTUAL SUPPORT: Students check out the signs and hear the cheers during the Walk of Honor event organized by Trinity High School’s Women Supporting Women Club, celebrating Women’s History Month.

PHOTOS BY ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

voices and have been pushed down by society,” said Brianna Washington, a senior at Trinity who helped organize the event and co-founded the club with best friend and fellow classmate Anahi Rios. “It’s important we really show that we’re thankful for these opportunities and that we truly show our account for each other. And also going to an all-girls school – we’re still here.”

Washington and Rios, both 18, told Wednesday Journal that they came up with the idea for the club early on in the pandemic. Rios said she was struggling with an eating disorder and felt alone, often confiding in Washington, who was also navigating her own challenges. Those late-night Facetime calls and text threads, they said, laid the foundation for the club. The two, who have been friends since freshman year, said they wanted to create a space for their classmates to talk, hang out and be together.

“When you have someone else going through a similar thing with you, it makes you feel less alone,” Rios said, adding Women Supporting Women also makes an effort to normalize the issues that young women face.

Washington and Rios said they looped in Susie Bedell,

Trinity’s vice president of student life, and Keila Green, a school counselor and club moderator. Bedell said the premise of the club embodied the school’s mission of empowering women to be leaders, and the club’s Walk of Honor also amplified that message.

“The way we learn is by watching those around us who inspire us, who give us life, who lift us up,” Bedell said. “That’s where we get our role models. From the women who have gone before us. What a powerful way to say, ‘Yes, I am an advocate. I am a woman who supports women, but behind me stands a chain of people who are supporting women.’”

When asked what it means to be a woman, the students at Trinity had different answers. Anastacia Kelly, a junior, told the Journal being a woman is about lifting other women up and being strong together. Galloza said it’s all about living boldly.

For Washington, who is Black, it’s about not letting her voice be silenced. And for Rios, a daughter of a Mexican immigrant, being a woman is about using her mother’s spirit and family’s history to blaze her own path.

“I think it really is a gift to be a woman,” Rios said.

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

17

Spirit Week adds dimension to Black History Month

OPRF Black Leaders Union expands awareness of important contributions

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

Last month, a student group at Oak Park and River Forest High School held a weeklong event shedding light on Black History Month. Students from the Black Leaders Union (BLU) launched their own spirit week, welcoming all to participate in a themed event. BLU’s spirit week, which was held during the third week of February, began by asking faculty, staff and students to wear shirts featuring their favorite Black icons. Other days prompted the OPRF student body to rep jerseys of their favorite Black athletes or gear from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Zachary Ellis, an OPRF junior and BLU president, said his group’s spirit week was just one of the many events held in February that share the history of Black people

in the U.S. Other staff pitched in by inviting students to watch movies in the library such as “42,” which told the story of Jackie Robinson, the first Black baseball player to play in the Major Leagues or helping curate the display of “unsung heroes” near the student welcoming center, Ellis, 16, said.

Ellis and Ashley Brown, who serves as BLU’s secretary, shared with the Journal that they wanted to create a monthlong experience for their peers. In years past, Ellis said BLU hosted an event for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, “and that’s it. We don’t really do anything.” This year, he said, was different.

In the weeks leading up to spirit week, Ellis said he took time out of his lunch period to paint and hang signs, letting everyone know what’s to come. Once spirit week kicked off, Ellis and Brown said they enjoyed watching their peers join in.

“We wanted something everybody in the school could participate in, not just the Black kids,” said Brown, 16 and a sophomore at OPRF. “It’s a great opportunity for people of all races to participate in it.”

The organization also sought to incorpo-

rate Random Acts of Kindness Day, which is held annually Feb. 17 and fell right in the middle of BLU’s spirit week. That day, Brown said, was one of her favorites, as an example of promoting unity and togetherness.

BLU passed out hundreds of ‘kindness’ bracelets to students, each one inscribed with messages that read: “You can do anything” or “You rock.”

Reflecting on Black History Month, Ellis and Brown opened up about being members of BLU and their organization’s importance.

“It’s definitely a great privilege to be able to be in a group with people who understand you,” Brown said. “Nobody likes to talk about it, but Oak Park is still a very white community. Being in this group is amazing.

You get to meet amazing people, and you get to experience things that they experience and talk about it without backlash.”

“It’s a community,” Ellis said, echoing Brown. “... It’s really nice when we get a chance to experience and talk about things that Black people deal with and just collaborate as a club.”

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

HERITAGE: OPRF junior Saniya Shotwell talks about the display of “unsung heroes in Black history” in the entry of Oak Park and River Forest High School.

West Suburban Medical Center 3 Erie Court Oak Park (708) 383-6200 westsuburbanmc.com

Congratulations to West Suburban Medical Center on opening the Outpatient Center for Behavioral Health!

Among the Celebrants:. Barbara Martin, Maria Suvacarov, & Vennie Christoff, WSMC; Nicholas Hartland, Capsule Pharmacy; Todd Bannor, Bannor & Bannor; Vicki Scaman, Village of Oak Park; Cliff Osborn, Jack Carpenter Realtors; Darien Marion Burton, D.M. Burton; Michael Glab, Nutriquity; Sarah Abboreno Corbin, Beyond Hunger; Esther Grachan, Grachan Agency; Kelsang Chogo, Kadampa Meditation Center; Sam Yousif & Julia Melanson, Fuller Health Group; Pat Koko, Celebrating Seniors Coalition; Rickey Schwartz, Riveredge Hospital; Bob Stelletello, Right At Home Chicago/Oak Park/Hinsdale. Photo credits: Allen Bourgeois.

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

REC CENTER

Foundation of Oak Park, a volunteer-based nonprofit, has led the fundraising efforts through “A Place to Belong,” the capital campaign launched in early 2020. The nonprofit amassed $460,163 in donations and contribufrom page 1 tions that year, according to the 2020 tax filing. The filings for the subsequent years are tive Director Jan Arnold expressed her currently unavailable. appreciation of the community organiza“A Place to Belong” is co-chaired by Mary tions and individuals who provided sup- Jo Schuler who, along with her husband port and donated to the fundraising effort.

Stephen, donated the Madison Street parcels “Thanks for sticking with us on this on which the center is being built. The land journey,” said Arnold. is valued at just over $2 million.

Kassie Porreca, president The Schulers are native Oak of the Park District Board of Parkers with a history of philanCommissioners, also spoke at thropy to the park district. the event. Illinois Senate Presi“We can promise the CRC will dent Don Harmon’s chief of be a safe, welcoming and empowstaff, Eileen Lynch, was among ering atmosphere for all ages,” the attendees, as was state Rep. Mary Jo Schuler said at the cerCamille Lilly (D-Chicago). emony.

The park district’s expressed JAN ARNOLD Last March, the Oak Park Parks executive director intent is to equitably serve the Board of Trustees voted unanientire population of Oak Park mously to contribute $400,000 through the rec center, which from the village’s Sustainability will provide the community Fund to make the center a zerowith gymnasium space, an inemissions building. The park door track and a fitness center. district was also awarded a grant It will serve as a safe space for children as worth $1.6 million from the Illinois Clean Enwell, providing free after-school program- ergy Foundation to implement greater susming. Mental health services will also be ac- tainability features in the CRC. cessible at the CRC thanks to a partnership Roughly 80 percent of the campaign’s iniwith the Community Mental Health Board. tial $22 million goal has been secured, acThe park district committed long ago cording to parks foundation Vice President not to raise taxes to pay for the center’s Edward Kerros. The project has been criticonstruction, and the CRC is largely being cized by some members of the public for a paid for by grants and donations. The Parks perceived lack of financial transparency.

Construction begins

“Thanks for sticking with us on this journey.”

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

WELCOME: Mary Jo Schuler, a notable donor to the rec center project, promises a safe and welcoming environment in comments at the ground breaking.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

WORTH WAITING FOR: Jan Arnold, park district executive director, stands with the shovels and hard hats while listening to speakers.

Kerros declined to disclose the intricacies of the center’s financial backing, nor provide a list of major donors.

“I’m not going to get into all the details,” said Kerros.

Instead, he spoke of the generosity of individuals and organizations in the community that have contributed to the capital campaign. Kerros also noted that the foundation is in the process of applying for more grants to offset CRC construction costs.

Arnold likewise declined to discuss CRC finances beyond reiterating that the parks foundation had reached 80 percent of its fundraising goal. She repeated the park district’s commitment not to raise taxes to finance the project and that the park district was following through on that promise.

“It is important to note that since the beginning of the project more than three years ago, the park board has never said the project would not use tax dollars to fund a public facility,” Arnold wrote in an email. “The [park] board made clear, and all materials and planning reflect that fact, that there would be no increase in taxes to cover the cost of construction.”

In November, the park board voted unanimously to issue $6 million in debt certificates. Arnold previously told Wednesday Journal that those funds would not go toward the CRC, but toward the park district’s capital improvement plan fund. She later amended that, saying the $6 million could

potentially be used to assist in CRC construction cashflow.

“The funds from the debt certificate are in the Park District Capital Improvement Fund,” Arnold wrote. “While the CRC Fundraising Team is still securing the final funds for the project, the monies may be used for cash flow. This depends on when the pledges are paid, final dollars are raised, and invoices are received.”

The park district’s finances recently came under public scrutiny after they requested $2 million of the village’s $38.9 million share of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

The village board opted, March 14, to give the park district only $1 million now and will determine later if another $1 million is needed.

Village Trustee Susan Buchanan stated that the board had received emails from residents who expressed uneasiness with the park district’s request. Her decision to vote in favor of halving the park district’s request came “in light of some of the emails” the board has received.

In an email to Wednesday Journal, Arnold acknowledged those who have criticized the project and its financing but defended the need for the new facility.

“We are aware of, and have answered repeated questions from, a few people who are not supportive of the CRC that is needed to provide a recreational space for all Oak Park residents, regardless of age, race or economic status.”

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

19

C R I M E

te a r b e l e C Shots fired on Harrison Street Youth!!

Motor vehicle theft

Oak Park police are investigating an incident of reckless gunfire that occurred early Monday morning in the 300 block of Harrison Street. According to police, a witness reported hearing five rounds of shots from a firearm at 2:04 a.m., March 21, while a second witness reported hearing five to seven rounds. No damage was reported, but shell casings were located in a nearby alley.

A grey 2008 Infiniti EX35 parked in the 100 block of Harrison Street was removed possibly by the victim’s girlfriend between 10 p.m., March 17 and 1:15 a.m., March 18. Police reports state the victim woke up to find both the vehicle and the girlfriend gone. The estimated loss is $5,900.

Aggravated robbery attempt

Recovered stolen auto

After paying for gas inside and filling the tank of his truck outside at 1:15 a.m., March 19 at BP Amoco, 201 Madison St., the alleged offender reentered the gas station and demanded his money back, stating he had not gotten any gas; when the clerk refused the refund, the man began throwing shelved products onto the floor then exited the station.

While the clerk locked the door, a second man began kicking the glass. Both offenders got into the truck and drove away southbound on Lombard Avenue. They were last seen going eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-290 from Austin Boulevard.

■ The 2012 black Ford Fiesta reported stolen March 11 from the 1100 block of South Boulevard was recovered by Chicago police without apprehension in the 5000 block of West Fulton Avenue in Chicago at 6 a.m., March 17.

■ The 2009 gray Toyota Land Cruiser reported stolen Sept. 21, 2019 from the 1000 block of South Boulevard was recovered by Downers Grove police in a Downers Grove car dealership lot at 11:48 a.m., March. 17.

Aggravated vehicular hijacking arrest Chicago resident Vincent Griffin, 18, was arrested by Oak Park police and received felony charges for an aggravated vehicular hijacking and two separate aggravated identity thefts, as well as a misdemeanor charge for criminal trespass to vehicle, all of which occurred during a Sept. 3 incident in the 400 block of South Elmwood. Griffin was being held at the Cook County Jail on an unrelated charge, allowing Oak Park detectives to process and charge him for the Sept. 3 crimes.

Driving under the influence arrest An Elmwood Park resident was charged with a DUI following a traffic crash at 6:58 p.m., March 20 in the 200 block of North Euclid Avenue. Arresting officers smelled alcohol on the driver, who was slurring his speech and had bloodshot eyes. A 6-year-old child was seated unsecured in the backseat but was unhurt in the accident and was turned over to a family member. In addition to the DUI, the suspect was charged for failure to reduce speed, driving an uninsured vehicle and endangering the life of a child.

Theft ■ The catalytic converter was cut from a 2004 Honda CRV parked in the 200 block of Chestnut Lane between 3 p.m., March 11 and 11 p.m., March 15.

■ The catalytic converter was cut from a blue 2022 Mitsubishi parked in the 100 block of Madison Street between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., March 18.

■ The catalytic converter was cut from a gray 2003 Hyundai XG350L parked in the 500 block of South Cuyler Avenue between 4 a.m., March 15 and 1 p.m., March 18.

■ The catalytic converter was cut from a white 2015 Nissan NV200 that was parked in the 400 block of South Elmwood Avenue between 7:30 p.m., March 18 and 7:20 a.m., March 19.

■ The catalytic converter was cut from a blue 2016 Mitsubishi parked in the 300 block of South Maple Avenue around 7:45 a.m., March 20.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports, March 15-21, 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

Sunday, March 27 • 4pm

Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest – 90th Season

Concordia University Chapel – River Forest SARASATE

MOZART

Carmen Fantasy Concerto Competition winner Elinor Detmer, violin

ELINOR DETMER

Piano Concerto No. 10 for Two Pianos in E-flat Major Emmie Guo & Freya Pang , soloists

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV

Scheherazade

JAY FRIEDMAN,

Music Director and Conductor

EMMIE GUO & FREYA PANG

Preconcert Conversations with David Leehey at 3pm.

To order tickets go to SymphonyOPRF.org Single ticket online: $27 (includes link to recorded concert) Single ticket at the door: $30 In person ticket sales start at 2:30pm; Seating starts at 3:30pm.

Proof of vaccination and masking are required for all in-person attendees.

Virtual-only ticket: $15 per household; link emailed approximately a week after live performance.

Call (708) 218-2648 or email TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com for more information.

Free Parking in the garage located at 1124 N. Bonnie Brae Place, River Forest (1 block west of Harlem Ave. between Division & Thomas Streets)

20

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

C R I M E

Chicago man arrested with 83 grams of heroin While seeking treatment for a gunshot wound

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

A man has been charged with multiple felonies after he was found to be in possession of 113 bags of heroin and a firearm while he was seeking treatment at Rush Oak Park Hospital for a gunshot wound to his lower right calf and foot.

At 10:52 p.m., March 12, witnesses observed Kari M. Lee, of the first block of South Parkside Avenue in Chicago, pull into the west lot of Rush Oak Park Hospital in a black 2007 Jeep with severe frontend damage.

Lee then began shouting that he had been shot and was taken into the emergency room. When police officers arrived at the hospital to investigate the shooting, Lee allegedly gave officers inconsistent accounts of where the shooting had taken place.

“He gave several conflicting stories as to what happened, indicating that he was at three other locations where he said he was shot,” Commander Paul Kane told Wednesday Journal.

Kane said officers examined the three locations Lee provided and found no evidence that a shooting had taken place there.

“There was no crime scene there,” said Kane.

Lee was also found to have been carrying 83 grams of heroin packaged in 113 individual bags, indicating to police an intent to sell. For the drugs, Lee was charged with possession of a controlled substance, as well as manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance – both felonies.

“People don’t carry 113 bags of heroin for personal use,” said Kane.

Further investigation revealed that Lee had allegedly been involved in a traffic ac-

cident minutes before arriving at the hospital and that the Jeep he had been driving was the same vehicle that had been reported stolen out of Chicago on Jan. 7, according to the police summary report.

For driving the stolen vehicle, Lee was handed a misdemeanor charge for criminal trespass to motor vehicle.

Before reaching the hospital, Lee reportedly hit one parked car and one moving vehicle, while using the parking lane to try to pass other cars in the 400 block of Madison Street. The collisions caused extensive damage to the stolen Jeep.

“He damaged [the Jeep] to the point where the right front tire was underneath the vehicle, so he was basically driving on three wheels from there,” said Kane.

While investigating the vehicle, officers reported finding a firearm sitting in a pool of blood on the floor of the driver’s seat. Kane would not say if the police be-

lieve it to be the same weapon that caused the injury to Lee’s leg. For having the firearm, Lee received a further felony charge from the Cook County State’s Attorney for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

After being discharged from the hospital, Lee was taken into custody, was processed and held for bond hearings. Lee was also found to have been in violation of his parole, as he had previously been convicted for aggravated assault against a police officer.

Oak Park police are still investigating the shooting, according to Kane. So far, though, officers are unable to determine if the shooting actually took place in Oak Park.

“It was an unusual situation,” said Kane. “Obviously, it raises a lot of concern in Oak Park anytime somebody gets shot, but there’s no way to prove exactly where this happened.”

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The development is specifically designed to provide residents the largest possible amount of outdoor living space – and every home at RF boasts two private outdoor living spaces.

“Outdoor living space is the hottest topic in condo design in the Chicago downtown and suburban markets today,” explains Cory Robertson, Principal of Corwin Partners at Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, the firm marketing the property. “We are not talking about the old 4-foot by 8-foot balcony with two deck chairs from previous building waves. Today’s buyers are seeking true outdoor living areas where they can cook a full meal in the sun, read a book in a hammock, eat at an al fresco dining table, or laugh with friends around a firepit. And the homes at RF are going to offer that.”

Kyle Haste, project manager at Sedgwick

Development, explains further, “We kept designing until every home at RF had the opportunity to really live outside. We wanted this to be something never before seen in condo living in River Forest.” He notes that, in fact, every home at RF will include a large, north terrace running the entire width of the living/dining room—adding another 250 SF of entertaining space for most months of the year – plus either an enormous south terrace or private rooftop.

The demand for outdoor space is especially true in buildings where many of the prospective buyers are coming from singlefamily homes. “Many single-family owners welcome a more hassle-free lifestyle, and are willing to downsize in order to achieve that,” adds Cory. “But having to give up favorite outdoor activities has often been the reason

people are reluctant to make the change.

RF’s outdoor focus is giving those people everything they want.”

A limited number of premium 2nd Level Terrace homes will provide owners with over 1000 SF of south-facing, uncovered space for large parties, landscape planters, sunbathing, play areas, and pet runs. Composite decking along with gas, water, and electric is included, making the terraces livable from day one. “A condo with a massive ‘yard’ – but no yard work or hassles – is what some people could only dream of, but that is exactly what we’ve got on the 2nd Level,” says Cory.

The Penthouses at RF include private elevator access from their home to the roof, located directly above. Each penthouse roof terrace includes composite decking, gas,

water, and electric, along with vast views over River Forest and St. Luke’s. Cory notes that as long as people get in quickly “penthouse buyers can have the opportunity to design and build their own rooftop oasis.”

After a very successful pre-construction sales campaign, RF-Lake Street features a limited number of 2nd Level Terrace homes and Penthouses at the present time. Each of the single-level homes will deliver 2, 3 or 4 bedrooms plus an office area and two private terraces. Direct elevator access, lobby amenities, and a desirable location in the heart of River Forest makes this an exceptional opportunity for those seeking hassle-free living. One heated garage parking space is included and additional parking spaces are also available. Pricing from $749,900 to $1,299,900. Deliveries are anticipated to begin Spring/Summer 2023. Corwin Partners at Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty is leading the sales and marketing efforts. Call 312-335-5354 or visit www.RF-LakeStreet.com to schedule your private appointment or virtual presentation at the Sales Center.

NEED TO REACH US?

oakpark.com/real-estate editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

Homes

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

21

The price of parking in Oak Park

Public and private options available, but low cost and convenience not assured

By LACEY SIKORA

W

Contributing Reporter

hen it comes to parking in Oak Park, residents of single-family homes typically enjoy the benefits of a driveway and or garage which allow for off-street parking for cars. Residents of multi-family buildings don’t always have the added amenity of parking, and finding a spot can be a headache.

It’s a topic talked about so much that it’s earned the village of Oak Park a nickname: No Park.

In spite of the village’s reputation as a place where off-street parking is hard to find and on-street parking often results in a parking ticket, residents of multifamily buildings have a lot of options when it comes to parking.

Village-administered options The village of Oak Park administers parking in 94 off-street lots as well as in four village-owned garages. In addition, there are 17 on-street overnight parking zones. Residents can find a number of options from 24-hour parking to day and night permits for a variety of spots.

The four garages owned by the village are Holley Court, The Avenue, Lake and Forest and the Oak Park and River Forest High School garage. Sean Keane, parking and mobility services manager for the village, says that the garages offer day, night or 24-hour permits, with prices for residents ranging from $162 to $267 per quarter.

“Garage parking is quick, easy and reliable,” Keane said. “We have good capacity

at all of our garages right now.”

Non-residents can also apply for garage permits. While they will have to pay slightly elevated rates, Keane says it’s a good option for visitors.

Off-street lot parking is also available to residents and non-residents. Depending on the demand in the area, quarterly pricing for residents starts at $152 for an overnight permit in a lower demand area and can go as high as $257 for a 24-hour permit in a high-demand area.

Keane says that all permits are renewable on a quarterly basis and “helps people avoid long-term commitments.”

If someone moves during the quarter, he says the village offers pro-rated refunds after move, but does not offer a pro-rated payment plan if you anticipate moving during a period.

On-street parking remains the cheapest option because it does not involve a designated space for each car. If you are a resident of one of the 17 zones, you can apply for an overnight parking pass to be allowed to park in the zone, on the street from 2:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Nighttime on-street permits run $117 to 137 per quarter, depending on whether the zone is low, medium or high demand.

The village has been trying to make the parking process easier for residents, who can now do most parking-related business, including purchasing permits, online at https://www.oak-park.us/village-services/ parking-vehicle-services.

Residents who need an overnight pass for their car or for a visitor’s can download the See PARKING on page 23

22

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

WE’RE BY YOUR SIDE 935 S Kenilworth Ave Oak Park | $959,000 Monica Klinke

935 S Kenilworth Ave Oak Park | $959,000 Monica Klinke

1107 Clinton Ave Oak Park | $475,000 Swati Saxena

1107 Clinton Ave Oak Park | $475,000 Swati Saxena

1306 Elmwood Ave Berwyn | $365,000 Roberta Ruiz

1306 Elmwood Ave Berwyn | $365,000 Roberta Ruiz

7210 Oak Ave Unit 2NW River Forest | $125,000 Linda Von Vogt

610 N East Ave Oak Park | $949,000 Kim Wojack | Anne Ferri

610 N East Ave Oak Park | $949,000 Kim Wojack | Anne Ferri

905 Wenonah Ave Oak Park | $460,000 Linton Murphy

905 Wenonah Ave Oak Park | $460,000 Linton Murphy

215 Marengo Ave Unit 2D Forest Park | $205,000 Carla Taylor

215 Marengo Ave Unit 2D Forest Park | $205,000 Carla Taylor

621 S Maple Ave Unit 101 Oak Park | $125,000 Swati Saxena

926 Home Ave Oak Park | $685,000 Swati Saxena

926 Home Ave Oak Park | $685,000 Swati Saxena

1139 S Grove Ave Unit 8 Oak Park | $399,000 Marvis Donalson

1139 S Grove Ave Unit 8 Oak Park | $399,000 Marvis Donalson

1421 Bonnie Brae Pl Unit 5B River Forest | $199,000 Arrick Pelton

1421 Bonnie Brae Pl Unit 5B River Forest | $199,000 Arrick Pelton

104 S Austin Blvd Unit 3C Oak Park | $115,000 Swati Saxena

646 N Ridgeland Ave Oak Park | $580,000 Arrick Pelton

646 N Ridgeland Ave Oak Park | $580,000 Arrick Pelton

131 Francisco Ter Unit 131 Oak Park | $383,000 Maya Puentes

131 Francisco Ter Unit 131 Oak Park | $383,000 Maya Puentes

729 Erie St Unit 1F Oak Park | $160,000 Saretta Joyner

729 Erie St Unit 1F Oak Park | $160,000 Saretta Joyner

315 Marengo Ave Unit 2E Forest Park | $87,000 Kenneth Van Santen

1618 N 78th Ct Elmwood Park | $569,000 Heidi Rogers

1618 N 78th Ct Elmwood Park | $569,000 Heidi Rogers

824 N Ridgeland Ave Oak Park | $369,000 Edwin Wald

824 N Ridgeland Ave Oak Park | $369,000 Edwin Wald

1121 S Oak Park Ave Unit 1 Oak Park | $152,000 Patricia McGowan

1121 S Oak Park Ave Unit 1 Oak Park | $152,000 Patricia McGowan

7231 Randolph St Unit 1B Forest Park | $59,995 William Geldes

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7210 Oak Ave Unit 2NW River Forest | $125,000

621 S Maple Ave Unit 101 Oak Park | $125,000

104 S Austin Blvd Unit 3C Oak Park | $115,000

315 Marengo Ave Unit 2E Forest Park | $87,000

7231 Randolph St Unit 1B Forest Park | $59,995

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

PARKING

Increased demand from page 21 Passport Parking app, enter a zone number and license plate information and ensure that their car is not ticketed.

In addition, the village recently changed its parking permit process to do away with the need for annual stickers.

“All of our permits and passes, as well as our annual vehicle licenses, are enforced through license plate recognition,” Keane said. “They can be scanned through a driveby process, which streamlines enforcement.”

Keane notes that a 2019 Parking Pilot program (https://www.oak-park.us/villageservices/parking/parking-pilot-program) that lasted almost two years is currently under review by the Transportation Committee. The pilot program looked at changing a number of elements of the current system, including standardizing daytime parking limits and extending meter hours.

In general, Keane says that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the village

has seen increased demand for residential parking, which he thinks could be due to the “work from home effect.” On the other hand, lots used by businesses and the garages have not been nearly as busy as fewer people are going to work outside of their homes.

Private market Oak Park also has a robust private market for parking spaces. Iris Sherman has rented out a parking space at her southwest Oak Park home for the past 10 to 15 years, and recently posted on Oak Park’s Mom Mail, offering the space to rent for $50 a month.

She says she is aware that parking in Oak Park can be challenging, so she decided to rent out her extra space. She calls the extra money a bonus and notes that while she could probably charge more for the spot, she prefers to keep it rented year-round, so she has kept her rent at roughly the same rate every year.

Sherman uses Mom Mail and apps such as Next Door, as well as the village’s parking list to keep her space rented. Despite her location near the CTA’s Blue Line, her spot draws Oak Park residents without enough parking rather than commuters

23

looking to park near the train. perienced in buying and selling such spots.

Tom Carraher, real estate broker with “The price is in part based on market Gagliardo Group/Compass, says that for rate and in part based on costs -- what they those looking for a permanent spot to call have in it,” Cotsirilos said. their own, “A rule of thumb in our market He adds that in a traditional condo marhas been to value a covered gaket, having a dedicated parkrage space between $15,000 and ing spot would give a seller a $20,000, and an exterior space competitive edge, noting that between $7,500 and $10,000.” no one wants to trudge blocks through the snow with their Carraher added that is an groceries. exterior space is located in an Carraher agrees that the area where that kind of parking value can be subjective. is especially tight – for example “What is harder to gauge is at the Santa Maria condos near how many would-be buyers Scoville Park, “That could even completely stay away from push the value higher.” properties without dedicatUnlike Chicago, it is rare TOM CARRAHER ed parking,” Carraher said. to see a parking space for sale Realtor, Gagliardo Group/ “Not everyone wants to deal with no attached property in Compass with fighting for a parking Oak Park. One standalone parkspace, especially in the winter ing spot available for sale now months, even if that permit in Oak Park at 222 Washington street parking is close by.

Blvd. is listed at $15,000, but “I had a client pre-pay a listing realtor Steve Cotsirilos parking spot in the alley beis quick to point out that due to deed restrictions, the spot must be sold to hind their unit to make the condo more saleable. They were one of only a couple an owner in the building.

His client purchased the spot at a tax of units that didn’t have a parking space. sale, after taxes and assessments went un- This is Oak Park; you need to get creative paid for years. He notes that his client is ex- sometimes.”

“Not everyone wants to deal with fighting for a parking space.”

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNERS

Cook County Annual Tax Sale Notice to Property Owners, Annual Tax Sale Schedule, and Delinquent Real Estate Tax List This legal notice includes a list of properties of real estate on which 2019 property taxes (due in 2020) are delinquent and subject to sale as of March 2, 2022.

NOTE: This list may include some properties on which the taxes were paid after the list’s preparation on March 2, 2022. It is the property owner’s responsibility to verify the current status of payment. This list does not include all the properties in Cook County that are delinquent and subject to sale. For a complete listing of the properties in your neighborhood that are subject to sale, please visit www.cookcountytreasurer.com.

Under Illinois law, the Cook County Treasurer’s Office must offer properties having delinquent real estate taxes and special assessments for sale. IF YOUR PROPERTY IS LISTED IN THIS NOTICE FOR SALE OF DELINQUENT REAL ESTATE TAXES, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO TAKE ACTION SO THAT YOUR TAXES ARE NOT SOLD. The tax sale is scheduled to begin THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022. The sale of taxes will result in a lien against the property that will add, at a minimum, hundreds of dollars in fees to the amount currently due. Sale of the tax and continued failure by the owner to redeem (pay) may result in the owner’s loss of legal title to the property.

Prior to sale, delinquent taxes may be paid online from your bank account or credit card by visiting cookcountytreasurer.com. Personal, company, and business checks will be accepted only through April 22, 2022. After April 22, 2022, all payments must be made by certified check, cashier’s check, money order, cash, or credit card. Please note that under Illinois law, the Treasurer’s Office cannot accept payments of delinquent taxes tendered after the close of the business day immediately preceding the date on which such taxes are to be offered for sale. For questions about submitting a payment or to verify the precise delinquent amount, you may contact the Cook County Treasurer’s Office by phone at (312) 443-5100 or by e-mail through our website at www.cookcountytreasurer.com (click on “CONTACT US BY EMAIL”).

LEGAL NOTICE

2019 Annual Tax Sale Schedule SALE BEGINS THURSDAY MAY 12, 2022, AT 8:30 A.M. THE TAX SALE HOURS OF OPERATION ARE 8:30 A.M. TO 5:00 P.M. (CHICAGO LOCAL TIME) EACH SCHEDULED DAY. THE DATES OF SALE AND THE DAILY SALE HOURS MAY BE EXTENDED AS NEEDED. TAX BUYER REGISTRATION WILL TAKE PLACE BETWEEN MARCH 25 AND MAY 2, 2022. FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.COOKTAXSALE.COM OR CONTACT THE TREASURER’S OFFICE. SALE DATE

VOLUMES

TOWNSHIP/CITY

May 12, 2022 001 TO 147 Barrington, Berwyn, Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Cicero, Elk Grove, Evanston, Hanover, Lemont, Leyden, Lyons, Maine, New Trier, Niles, Northfield, Norwood Park, Oak Park, Orland May 13, 2022 148 TO 270 Palatine, Palos, Proviso, Rich, River Forest, Riverside, Schaumburg, Stickney, Thornton, Wheeling, Worth, Hyde Park May 16, 2022 271 TO 464 Hyde Park, Jefferson, Lake May 17, 2022 465 TO 601 Lake, Lake View, North Chicago, Rogers Park, South Chicago, West Chicago

COOK COUNTY DELINQUENT REAL ESTATE TAX LIST OFFICE OF THE TREASURER AND EX-OFFICIO COLLECTOR OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS..

Advertisement and Notice by Collector of Cook County of Application for Judgment and Order of Sale of Delinquent Lands and Lots for General Taxes for the years indicated, for order of sales thereof, as provided by law.

COUNTY OF COOK,STATE OF ILLINOIS March 23-24, 2022 NOTICE is hereby given that the said Collector of Cook County, Illinois, will apply to the County Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois on Friday, April 8, 2022, for judgment against all lands and lots, hereinafter described as being delinquent, upon which taxes (together with any accrued interest and costs) remain due and unpaid, for an order for sale of said lands and lots for satisfaction thereof, fixing the correct amount due. Final entry of said order will be sought on Friday, May 6, 2022.

NOTICE is further given that beginning on the 12th day of May, 2022, A.D., at the hour of 8:30 A.M., all said lands and lots, hereinafter described for sale for which an order shall be made, or has been made and not executed as noted, will be subject to public sale at 118 N. Clark St, Room 112 (Randolph

Street entrance), in Chicago, Illinois, for the amount of taxes, interest and costs due thereon, respectively.

The following is a list of the delinquent properties in Cook County upon which the taxes or any part thereof for the 2019 tax year remain due and unpaid; the name(s) of the owners, if known; the property location; the total amount due on 2019 tax warrants (excluding delinquent special assessments separately advertised); and the year or years for which the taxes are due.

In lieu of legal description, each parcel of land or lot is designated by a property index number (PIN). Comparison of the 14-digit PIN with the legal description of any parcel may be made by referring to the cross-indices in the various Cook County offices.

The Cook County Collector does not guarantee the accuracy of common street addresses or property classification codes at the time of sale. Tax buyers should verify all common street addresses, PINs, classifications, and ownership by personal inspection and investigation of said properties and legal descriptions prior to purchasing general taxes offered at the sale.

NO TAX BUYER WILL BE PERMITTED TO OBTAIN A TAX DEED WITH RESPECT TO ANY PROPERTY OWNED BY A TAXING DISTRICT OR OTHER UNIT OF GOVERNMENT. WHEN AN ORDER TO VACATE THE TAX SALE OF ANY SUCH PROPERTY IS ENTERED, THE FINAL RESULT MAY BE A REFUND WITHOUT INTEREST.

DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAX LIST as of March 2, 2022 TAX PAYER NAME

PROPERTY ADDRESS

VOL

PIN

TAX TYPE TAX YEAR

TAX DUE

OAK PARK - RESIDENTIAL 217 LE MOYNE PKY 213 LE MOYNE PKY 147 LE MOYNE PKY 1426 N AUSTIN BLVD 1218 N AUSTIN BLVD 2 DIVISION ST 841 N LOMBARD AVE 831 N HUMPHREY AVE 51 AUGUSTA ST 828 N AUSTIN BLVD 828 N AUSTIN BLVD 820 N AUSTIN BLVD 1228 FOREST AVE 1339 N HARLEM AVE 1301 N HARLEM AVE 1217 N HARLEM AVE 515 N EAST AVE 500 CHICAGO AVE 412 N MARION ST 331 N MARION ST 1127 ERIE ST 222 N MARION ST 930 ONTARIO ST 203 N KENILWORTH AVE 217 N GROVE AVE 1124 LAKE ST

138 138 138 138 138 138 138 138 138 138 138 138 139 139 139 139 140 140 141 141 141 141 141 141 141 141

16-05-109-002-0000 16-05-109-004-0000 16-05-110-002-0000 16-05-113-020-0000 16-05-127-030-0000 16-05-127-042-0000 16-05-303-023-0000 16-05-306-025-0000 16-05-319-004-0000 16-05-326-034-1002 16-05-326-034-1007 16-05-326-036-1003 16-06-103-016-0000 16-06-113-035-1003 16-06-113-037-1009 16-06-120-044-1002 16-06-421-011-0000 16-06-421-012-0000 16-07-102-035-1009 16-07-107-024-1002 16-07-110-013-1008 16-07-111-012-1040 16-07-115-048-1021 16-07-115-052-1016 16-07-116-022-0000 16-07-119-033-1087

PROPERTY ADDRESS

VOL

PIN

TAX TYPE TAX YEAR

TAX DUE

OAK PARK - RESIDENTIAL (cont.)

TOWNSHIP OF OAK PARK SINILING P AGUSTIN STEPHEN W ROGERS LEON ANDERSON JR MAX REED PARADISE SOL INVEST JOY PETTIGREW 52ND AVE 841 LOMBARD ARTHUR R FOGG JEANINE L SMITH WILMINGTON TRUST NATIO AUGUSTINE MITCHELL TURNER SUSAN C TAXPAYER OF JAMES L FOSTER RAYMOND SPINK REV TRUS ORTEGA FAITH R JULIAN FAITH R JULIAN ANGELA J MOORE CHAVERS CAROL ANN GODFREY CATHLEEN KUSHNICK JOHN A BASONS AMAL SUDHIR AGHARKAR JOHN D HOWLAND PHILIP SCHLOTFELDT THE SAWYERS & LERNER B

TAX PAYER NAME

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019

$7,007.76 $10,119.71 $9,055.17 $18,645.84 $13,985.50 $9,071.09 $5,296.47 $12,472.05 $8,955.31 $384.54 $379.05 $593.25 $9,645.73 $902.18 $1,625.38 $4,009.20 $26,176.11 $8,056.82 $6,655.60 $6,078.14 $1,381.41 $172.44 $201.01 $5,787.76 $5,586.55 $704.82

SAMUEL H BUTLER FIRST PRIORITY CONSULT NORMAN AXELROOD RICHARD NEAPOLITAN ROBERT & RUTH NAZARETH RUBY DEVELOPMENT CO JOHN P CLEARY G & F DEVELOPMENT LLC MARK LOFGREN JOAN EICHLER JONATHAN KATHRYN HALL CLIFFORD D DREWEK TAXPAYER OF GAD C IKEANUMBA GEORGE K MCGREGOR JR MARGUERITE HOLDING TAXPAYER OF ALEXANDER KAZAROV OMAR CALDWELL RICHARD A KOCUREK TRUS NETWORK CONNECTION LLC JAMES SPEARMAN CARL T GROESBECK OAK PARK CENTER INC YVETTE ZAVALA CHARLIE M DOTSON YVETTE SPENCER LAVINIA HUSBANDS

937 ONTARIO ST 938 NORTH BLVD 823 LAKE ST 230 N OAK PARK AVE 644 LAKE ST 240 S MARION ST 200 HOME AVE 1144 WASHINGTON BLVD 339 HOME AVE 329 S OAK PARK AVE 415 S MAPLE AVE 405 S MAPLE AVE 417 WISCONSIN AVE 417 S KENILWORTH AVE 420 S KENILWORTH AVE 115 S RIDGELAND AVE 301 S EAST AVE 428 EUCLID AVE 414 S SCOVILLE AVE 416 S ELMWOOD AVE 53 CHICAGO AVE 714 N AUSTIN BLVD 331 N TAYLOR AVE 106 S RIDGELAND AVE 320 N AUSTIN BLVD 320 N AUSTIN BLVD 222 WASHINGTON BLVD 415 S LOMBARD AVE

141 16-07-121-006-0000 141 16-07-128-032-1014 141 16-07-129-034-1035 141 16-07-212-010-1031 141 16-07-219-028-1001 141 16-07-309-046-0000 141 16-07-310-027-1011 141 16-07-314-024-1015 141 16-07-316-045-1018 141 16-07-320-025-1005 141 16-07-321-020-1004 141 16-07-321-021-1007 141 16-07-322-061-1034 141 16-07-325-023-1005 141 16-07-326-025-1001 142 16-07-405-018-0000 142 16-07-415-032-0000 142 16-07-419-029-1007 142 16-07-422-029-1010 142 16-07-423-040-1006 142 16-08-104-004-0000 142 16-08-105-022-1005 142 16-08-109-011-0000 142 16-08-300-030-1081 142 16-08-305-025-1001 142 16-08-305-025-1007 142 16-08-314-043-1033 142 16-08-320-027-1001

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019

$20,421.64 $3,467.53 $2,703.90 $4,073.28 $4,160.64 $181.04 $7,903.02 $3,836.98 $7,234.64 $2,791.12 $2,074.33 $1,092.95 $178.01 $1,775.58 $4,300.37 $9,642.52 $1,782.51 $1,970.81 $3,243.86 $1,888.03 $15,233.83 $2,434.57 $17,768.27 $1,015.19 $4,137.33 $3,611.20 $264.72 $2,544.30

continued on next page

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

LEGAL NOTICE continued from previous page TAX PAYER NAME

DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAX LIST as of March 2, 2022 PROPERTY ADDRESS

VOL

PIN

TAX TYPE TAX YEAR

TAX DUE

OAK PARK - RESIDENTIAL (cont.)

GRP WASHINGTON LLC1146 MICHAEL D ROBERTS SHARON SMITH GUY MCFOLLING WILLIAM SKODA KAREN J HERD NEW WAY INVESTMENT INC 840 S CUYLER LLC WILLIAM KING CLADY G FARKASCHEK MOLLY ERIN HOOD CLIFFORD T OSBORN ROBERT P BAPES PETER BATJES JR JAMES E HADDAD KAREN FOGG SHERRY MADAY ANDREW KIM TAXPAYER OF RODOLFO GATTO TAXPAYER OF FRANK P MUCHIA ANTONIO MCFADDEN FIRST STAR TR7535 CLIFFORD T OSBORN 52ND AVE LLC MARK A COZZI LARRY CROSBY THOMAS WHITE LISA RZESZUTEK M GOZA LISA RZESZUTEK MICHAEL GOZA MEL KRUMDICK

207 W WASHINGTON BLV 107 WASHINGTON BLVD 430 S TAYLOR AVE 541 S HUMPHREY AVE 620 S LOMBARD AVE 626 S HUMPHREY AVE 142 S AUSTIN BLVD 840 S CUYLER AVE 410 S AUSTIN BLVD 1021 S LOMBARD AVE 1031 S HUMPHREY AVE 1124 S HARVEY AVE 1177 S HARVEY AVE 1184 S HARVEY AVE 1024 S AUSTIN BLVD 621 S MAPLE AVE 814 S MAPLE AVE 639 S RIDGELAND AVE 710 S ELMWOOD AVE 846 S WESLEY AVE UNKNOWN 918 S KENILWORTH AVE 929 S OAK PARK AVE 929 S OAK PARK AVE 1023 GUNDERSON AVE 1131 S ELMWOOD AVE 1159 CLARENCE AVE 1192 CLARENCE AVE 1185 S SCOVILLE AVE 6436 ROOSEVELT RD 6436 ROOSEVELT RD 6436 ROOSEVELT RD 6436 ROOSEVELT RD 1178 S ELMWOOD AVE

142 142 142 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 144 144 144 144 144 145 145 145 145 145 145 145 145 145 145 145 145 145 145

16-08-320-028-1018 16-08-321-030-1001 16-08-322-015-0000 16-17-106-029-0000 16-17-112-008-0000 16-17-115-010-0000 16-17-115-023-0000 16-17-125-015-0000 16-17-131-024-1004 16-17-311-021-0000 16-17-314-024-0000 16-17-319-011-0000 16-17-326-030-0000 16-17-327-017-0000 16-17-331-037-1001 16-18-109-022-1020 16-18-127-026-1014 16-18-215-026-0000 16-18-223-004-0000 16-18-226-036-1013 16-18-302-008-0000 16-18-306-006-0000 16-18-307-034-1001 16-18-307-034-1008 16-18-411-050-0000 16-18-420-033-0000 16-18-424-019-0000 16-18-425-043-0000 16-18-426-033-0000 16-18-428-043-1029 16-18-428-043-1036 16-18-428-043-1063 16-18-428-043-1125 16-18-429-013-0000

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019

$3,107.29 $5,478.18 $13,214.23 $7,387.42 $193.28 $8,658.47 $16,467.70 $16,514.53 $2,436.85 $4,504.06 $4,495.70 $7,863.68 $7,022.02 $6,571.92 $1,073.49 $3,349.38 $204.46 $14,682.82 $21,269.47 $2,079.33 $212.88 $11,386.59 $993.68 $3,517.05 $11,109.64 $4,473.07 $4,097.95 $12,168.12 $9,219.11 $2,355.89 $644.96 $644.56 $4,427.73 $5,265.17

138 139 139 141 141 141 141 142 143 143 143 145 145 145 145

16-05-102-032-0000 16-06-204-005-0000 16-06-204-006-0000 16-07-119-035-1002 16-07-119-035-1004 16-07-119-035-1005 16-07-305-001-0000 16-07-405-008-0000 16-17-314-003-0000 16-17-326-046-0000 16-17-328-034-0000 16-18-301-031-0000 16-18-301-032-0000 16-18-323-045-0000 16-18-402-016-1002

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019

$29,426.43 $35,992.95 $32,610.94 $3,807.77 $3,807.77 $1,268.85 $9,809.16 $48,759.84 $24,865.76 $41,556.41 $22,539.91 $4,115.51 $2,775.73 $17,196.54 $6,424.30

OAK PARK - COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL DDI HOLDINGS LLC ROBERT & MARCELLA GRAY FABRICAS SELECTAS PROP JOE INVESTMENT LLC JOE INVESTMENT LLC JOE INVESTMENT LLC BYEONG OK CHEON WEST CERMAK REALTY NOMADIC HOLDINGS LLC 6226 W ROOSEVELT RD F M ALL INC 1101 1103 GARFIELD LLC 1101 1103 GARFIELD LLC ANNA MARIA DIAZ TIMOTHY MAGEE

6201 NORTH AVE 6549 NORTH AVE 6547 NORTH AVE 1116 LAKE ST 1116 LAKE ST 1116 LAKE ST 100 S KENILWORTH AVE 401 SOUTH BLVD 41 GARFIELD ST 6226 ROOSEVELT RD 6136 ROOSEVELT RD 1103 GARFIELD ST 1101 GARFIELD ST 7100 ROOSEVELT RD 421 HARRISON ST

Published by order of

County Collector of Cook County, Illinois

25

26

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

SPORTS Fresh off regional title, OPRF girls soccer kicks off 2022 Huskies blast Niles West after starting season with loss

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Fresh off the program’s first regional title in a decade, the Oak Park and River Forest High School girls soccer team is looking for a similar result in 2022. So, far the Huskies are 1-1 start this spring, rebounding from a season-opening loss 4-0 loss to Glenbrook North on March 14 with a 6-0 win over Niles West on March 19.

Senior Julia Daun and junior Kiki Leman each notched a pair of goals, while sophomore Keira Kleidon and junior Alina Segal each added a goal. Goalkeepers Jackie Bollinger and Lilah Gery combined for the clean sheet.

“We definitely came together as a unit,” said OPRF coach Christie Johnson of the Niles West victory. “We had to get used to the newcomers on the team, but we came together and played like we know how.”

OPRF returns several players from last year’s team that was 7-8 overall and 3-6 in the West Suburban Silver in Daun, Gery, Leman, junior Shane Colpoys and seniors Katherine Hoffman, Josie Humbert, and Hailey Nowak.

The Huskies also look to receive contributions this year from Segal and junior Tess Wright.

“Winning the regional title last year was a huge accomplishment,” Johnson said. “It’s a reminder that we believe in the girls and they’ve got to believe in themselves. We want them to be fighters every time they step on the field.”

Fenwick swamps Trinity in opener The Fenwick girls soccer team started the 2022 season March 21 with a 10-0 home shutout of neighborhood rival Trinity.

The Friars’ originally scheduled opener at Nazareth Academy on March 19 was postponed and will be made up March 25. The

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

OPRF senior forward Julia Daun blasts one of her two goals past the Niles West goalkeeper during the Huskies’ 6-0 win over the Wolves in Oak Park on March 19.

Friars are looking to build off last spring’s pandemic-abbreviated season, which ended with an 8-3-2 record (7-2-1 in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference) and a regional final loss to Downers Grove South.

“Overall, the girls have shown a lot of improvement with the ideas of how we’re trying to play,” said Fenwick coach Craig Blazer, entering his second season. “That’s really encouraging.”

Fenwick graduated eight players from last year but returns senior forward Kate Henige, senior goalkeeper Audrey Hinrichs and senior defender Abbie Rogowski. All three, who are captains this spring, made the GCAC All-Conference team in 2021.

Also expected to contribute are sophomores Kate Henige, Maddie Rogowski and Grace Kapsch.

“We have a really good foundation,” he added. “We have a fun and dynamic team

with a lot of personality.”

The Friars look to be competitive in the GCAC again this year, with Loyola Academy and St. Ignatius being the top contenders.

Fenwick will find out how much progress it’s made this week. Besides the Nazareth game, the Friars will travel to their other neighborhood rival, Oak Park and River Forest, on March 23.

Blazers look to put rough 2021 in past Under new head coach Alex Hurtado, the Trinity High School girls soccer team looks to rebound from a difficult 2021, which saw the Blazers give up more than 100 goals while going winless in 17 games.

“This is a season of rebuilding,” Hurtado said. “We’re working on developing our play-

ers’ understanding of the game and fundamental skills.”

Trinity has 12 returnees from last season’s team and looks to receive a boost from a pair of freshman newcomers in goalkeeper Gigi Galloza and midfielder Lesly Guerra.

“We need to improve our team cohesion and familiarity with each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “This can only happen with more time spent together on the field in a competitive environment.”

The Blazers’ program has a total of 27 players, and all of them are on the varsity level -- including 11 freshmen. Hurtado realizes it will be a challenge to build up the culture, but it’s one he along with assistant coach Rachel Meiner look forward to.

“Coach Meiner and I want to build our players’ confidence by showing them they can score goals and win games,” Hurtado said.

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

27

OPRF boys volleyball returns strong squad in 2022 Huskies expected to vie for WSC-Silver title

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Justin Cousin had a successful debut season as head coach of the Oak Park and River Forest High School boys volleyball team in 2021, finishing with an 11-6 record and a berth in the state quarterfinals.

With several returning players in 2022, he hopes the Huskies can take another step forward.

OPRF’s top returnees from last year are junior setter Peter Zurawski, who has Ohio State among his college offers, and senior middle hitter A.J. Robateau, who recently committed to Maryville University in St. Louis, a NCAA Division II school that competes in Division I men’s volleyball.

Last season, Zurawski compiled 21 kills, 10 blocks, 12 aces and a team-high 182 as-

sists while Robateau had a team-high 67 kills and 21 blocks Other returning players for the Huskies include junior libero Daniel Moran, senior middle hitter Camari Bolger, setter Kevin Bullens and senior outside hitter Daniel Scholvin. A newcomer to keep an eye on is junior outside hitter Ryan Montroy.

OPRF expects to vie for the West Suburban ConferenceSilver Division title along with Glenbard West and Hinsdale Central. The Huskies will play a rigorous schedule, with non-conference games against Loyola Academy, Notre Dame and Whitney Young.

“Our goal is to be as competitive as possible and finish at the top of our conference,” Cousin said.

OPRF opened the season with a two-set victory (25-21, 25-14) over visiting Morton on March 21.

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Fenwick rebuilds after strong 2021 Fenwick’s boys volleyball team had a good 2021 season, going 12-5 overall with a perfect 8-0 record in the Chicago Catholic League’s White Division.

But only three players return from last year’s varsity roster, and that could mean a challenging early start for the Friars this season.

“We’re pretty inexperienced,” said Fenwick coach Kate Whitman, entering her 16th season leading the program. “I think we have a great deal of potential, but because of how green we are it might take us a bit to get going.”

Fenwick’s top returning players are junior setter Aidan Butler, junior outside hitter Caleb Groll and senior libero Zach Hernandez. Whitman said Groll is rehabbing from an ankle injury, and there’s a chance he won’t be ready for the start of

the season.

She’s also hoping freshman middle blocker J.T. Pettigrew can provide a boost to the lineup.

“The kids have already worked hard and I’m excited to see them rise to the occasion once we get started with games,” Whitman said.

Whitman believes the CCL White is evenly matched. While she feels the Friars can repeat as division champions, it’s difficult race to predict.

“It might be hard for all of these new players to adjust to the speed of the varsity level, but as long as we learn from our mistakes and pay attention to little details at practice, we should be successful this season,” Whitman said.

Fenwick dropped its season opener on March 21 to visiting Payton Prep 18-25, 18-25. Butler had seven assists, six digs and two aces while Hernandez had six digs for the Friars.

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Huskies win boys indoor track league crown

OPRF wins five events, with Kelley taking 55 hurdles, 400 meters

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys track and field team won the West Suburban Conference-Silver Division indoor championship on March 18 at York High School with a team score of 149.5 points, 12 ahead of runner-up Downers Grove North.

Senior Ian Kelley led the Huskies setting two personal best times while winning two events, the 55-meter hurdles in 8.09 seconds, and the 400-meter dash in 50.75 seconds.

In addition, Kelley ran the anchor leg on OPRF’s 1,600 relay that placed second in 3:36.25, teaming with Alexander Hasapis, Derrick Reed and Elijah Mowatt.

OPRF also received victories from sophomore Kaden Garland in the shot put (51 feet,

5.5 inches), senior Joshua Meister in the pole vault (15 feet), and the 3,200 relay of Owen Augustine, Roan Egan, Ryan Leonard, and Lou Delano (8:00.97).

The 800 relay of David Flint, Mason Phillips, Caleb Schulz, and Liam Moroney finished second at 1:34.12.

Other notable individual efforts from the Huskies came from Schulz in the 55-meter dash (2nd, 6.66 seconds), Liam Newhart in the 3,200 meters (2nd, 9:37.85), Delano in the 1,600 meters (3rd, 4:28.95), Leonard in the 800 meters (2nd, 2:00.93), Cole Robertson in the shot put (3rd, 42-7), Mehki Austin and Patrick Diakite in the high jump (2nd and 3rd respectively) and Phillips in the long jump (2nd, 20-9).

OPRF girls 5th at WSC-Silver indoor championships The Oak Park and River Forest High School girls track and field team placed fifth with 62 points at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division indoor meet held at Proviso West on March 18.

partnering with

The Huskies had two individuals win events. Senior Darnesha Fraley was victorious in the 200 meters with a personal best time of 26.94 seconds, and junior Reese Garland won the shot put with a distance of 35 feet, 9.75 inches.

Fraley also set a personal-best in the 55-meter dash, placing fourth in 7.63 seconds and ran anchor on the 800 relay that finished second in 1:50.46.

Sophomore Katie Stabb had a personalbest in the 3,200-meter race, finishing fourth in a time of 11:20.74.

Fenwick girls 5th, Trinity 11th at indoor conference At the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Indoor Championships on March 20, Fenwick High School placed fifth with 46 points, while Trinity High School came in 11th with 11 points.

The Friars did not win any events, but saw four individuals set new personal records. Junior Bella Daley was third in the 1,600 meters with a time of 5:23.05. Mcken-

zie McClear placed third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 10.17 seconds.

Maureen Moore was fourth in the high jump with a height of 1.45 meters, and Elisabeth Braun was second in the triple jump with a distance of 10.21 meters.

Other notable Fenwick performances came from the 3,200 relay team of Ava Martinez, Mia Menendez, Camille Nourie, and Daley that placed third in 10:25.30; the 1,600 relay team of Sonia Kuchinic, Martinez, Allie Heyer, and McClear that was fifth in 4:33.81; and Isabella Davila, who placed fourth in the shot put with a distance of 8.53 meters.

Like Fenwick, the Blazers didn’t have any event winners but Alexa Gonzalez set a new personal best in the 3,200 with a time of 13:38.69 that was good for seventh overall.

Trinity also placed two relays in the top five. The 1,600 relay of Laura Murphy, Myla Roy, Julia Valaika and Amanda McGreal finished fourth in a time of 4:28.01, and the 3,200 relay of Murphy, Roy, Jasmine Arzuaga and McGreal placed fifth in a time of 10:36.44.

Join Housing Forward for a rewarding year as an AmeriCorps member Current Opportunities Employment Readiness Associate Interim Housing Case Aide Volunteer Coordinator Learn more at

housingforward.org/about-us/jobs or contact Cherrell Jackson at

cjackson@housingforward.org

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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

Why we need a place to belong

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his past weekend the Parks Foundation and Park District of Oak Park celebrated the ground break of the Community Recreation Center (CRC). A big thanks to all of our supporters who recognize that if our community wants to improve opportunities and outcomes for our residents, we must do something different.

My family, like so many, is bursting at the seams with joy about the opportunities awaiting us. We view Saturday’s ceremony as a defining moment in our community’s journey toward elevating equity and inclusivity because when it comes to the achievement of these cornerstone values, it’s no secret that Oak Park is still becoming the community we want to be.

When my husband Stephen and I were growing up in Oak Park, we marveled at the fair housing advocates, who peacefully demanded that Oak Park be an intentionally diverse community. As teens, we saw what bold leadership can achieve, and today we are seeing it again.

Our CRC will be incredible, but there is something even more important than the physical space. The phrase, “A Place to Belong,” is our campaign’s visionary statement, but in reality, it describes a lived experience we are wishing for every member of our community.

I once read that a sense of belonging isn’t just about being invited to the dance; it is also about feeling compelled to attend the dance, and, after arriving, it’s about feeling connected to others, like you do belong.

You may be wondering why our desire to cultivate a sense of belonging is so important to our community.

It’s because when people feel this, when they feel valued, they feel cohesion with their peers and, most importantly, they feel a heart-to-heart connection with our community.

As a self-proclaimed equity advocate for youth, it’s clear to me that a child’s relationship with our community is fundamental to who they are, and who they become as adults. From my own childhood experience, I know that when I had a safe, welcoming place to play with my peers, or when I felt a sense of purpose after a long school day, like being on time for my floor hockey game at Fox Park, it was the happiest feeling in the world. As an adult, I now realize that having a sense of purpose and a place to belong, also fueled my sense of

MARY JO SCHULER One View

See SCHULER on page 31

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Will I end up in a bath robe on the el? p. 31

This is what equity looks like

uring the past several weeks, you’ve likely read or heard quite a bit of conversation about one portion of the improvements the district is considering making to our Physical Education (PE) facilities.

Any renovation of this magnitude most certainly warrants significant, in-depth discussion, and we welcome public scrutiny.

That’s why we hope you’ll attend or tune in to a series of facilities discussions that the Board of Education will hold, beginning tomorrow night at its regular monthly meeting. Open session begins at 7:30 p.m. As always, a recording of the board meeting will be posted on our YouTube page.

The next step in the high school’s long-term capital projects plan is called Imagine OPRF Project 2. While no full design work for the project has been completed, the original estimate in 2018, based on a high-level conceptual design, was just over $65 million. It would replace the PE wing at the southeast end of the building — the Lake and Scoville corner — which was built in two different sections, in 1928 and 1957. Like most century-old schools, these facilities were built for a different type of instruction than we now provide.

They are in poor condition, present health and safety concerns, and lack accessibility. They also were not configured to support PE instruction in the post-Title

IX era.

The district proposes replacing this wing with new facilities built within the current footprint of the building.

The new construction would include multiple gyms, multipurpose rooms/ classrooms, locker and changing facilities, restrooms, an accessible elevator, an athletic trainer’s room, PE and athletics offices, PE equipment storage, a commons and pre-function spaces, the performing arts green room, and, yes, a 25yard x 40-yard pool.

A frequent perspective we’ve heard from the community is that the primary driver behind these new facilities is a desire for an oversize pool that would serve only a limited number of predominantly white athletes’ extracurricular interests. This is simply not accurate.

The truth is that more than any other learning spaces in the building, our PE facilities, including the pool, serve all of our students. OPRF High School is about educating the whole person; healthy students exercise their minds and their bodies. While our PE spaces are used before and after school for athletics and activities, their primary purpose is to serve as classrooms, where the vast majority of our 3,400 students receive instruction every day. And we owe them better environments in which to learn.

Project 2 is about addressing three major problems with these facilities: condition, capacity, and configuration. And while our buildings-and-grounds team has done a great job keeping the old facilities going, our aging PE spaces pose health and safety concerns, including falling ceiling tiles, leaky windows, inadequate ventilation, lack of air conditioning, buckets filled with dirty water from the leaking roof, mold, and large fixed objects that pose a potential risk of collision.

The size and configuration of the gymnasiums, which were built when boys and girls weren’t allowed to take PE together, are in some cases so insufficient that we have students learning in hallways.

There is no elevator in this wing PROVIDED of the building, and many of the

OPRF SUPT. GREG JOHNSON One View

ROOF LEAKS: A bucket and PE equipment being used to collect rainwater from the leaking roof.

See JOHNSON on page 34

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Explain rec center finances

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ongratulations and criticism are in order for the Park District of Oak Park as it has now broken ground on its long-desired community recreation center project.

Last Saturday, the traditional shovels-and-hardhats event was held at Madison Street and Highland Avenue as officials and donors turned some dirt just ahead of the actual earth-moving equipment rolling in to get this project launched.

It has taken a while, but we have slowly warmed to this project. The focus on inclusiveness, on making a welcoming space particularly for young people in those afternoon hours, the goal of seamlessly providing mental health support in a safe and nonjudgmental space is powerful.

That it comes with a track and a gym, maybe someday an indoor pool, are all fine things. The determination to build a net-zero-emissions building is exciting. Proximity to the middle schools is great. And we always like to see investment on Madison Street and on the east side of the village.

To its credit, the park district has sought out and received some measure of contributions from the public and has been, so far, effective in securing a number of grants from foundations, the state, and the village to fund aspects of the construction.

All that said, why is the park district so aggressively nontransparent in laying out the financing scheme for this public project? This is a longstanding haze. In previous incarnations of this ambitious dream, when the goal was to work in collaboration with River Forest, there was a certain mix-and-match element to the finance plan. The park district had some millions in reserve — tax dollars, we’d note — if River Forest parks contributed this much and so on.

A donation that we’re clear on, because we can see it on the tax returns of the Parks Foundation of Oak Park which we dug out, is the value of the large parcel on Madison Street, which was contributed by the Schuler family. A private appraisal, the tax docs show, valued the land at $2.1 million.

We’d note that, through its Good Heart Work Smart Foundation, the Schulers are also notable donors to Growing Community Media, the nonprofit publisher of Wednesday Journal, where their annual donation helps cover our costs of reporting on education and equity.

Beyond the donation of the land, there is our previous reporting on a $1.6 million grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation, a $400,000 grant from the village toward net-zero, and the decision last week by the village to share $1 million in federal ARPA funds with the park district.

However, our clear request of both the parks foundation and Park District Executive Director Jan Arnold to provide a financial overview of this project has been turned away.

“I’m not going to get into the details,” said Edward Kerros, vice president of the foundation.

Arnold told our Stacey Sheridan that 80 percent of the funding has been gathered and that there would be no tax increase tied to the project. That does not tell us how many previously collected tax dollars are being invested.

Why not be transparent? At heart this is a public project being built by a taxing body and using some portion of tax dollars to fund the work.

By its secrecy the park district is distracting from what ought to be a grand moment of accomplishment.

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Days the Earth stood still

s we begin to emerge (possibly? maybe?) from our 2-year-old pandemic, I decided to revisit the outset. This first ran on March 25, 2020. Seems like ages ago:

I see friends shaking hands, saying, ‘How do you do?’ They’re really saying, ‘I love you.’

Louie Armstrong

“What a Wonderful World” Well, maybe not shaking hands. Bumping elbows. A friendly wave. But the question has taken on new urgency, deeper meaning.

“How are you?”

My good friend, the late great Bob Sullivan, would bristle at that question. He saw it as shallow, perfunctory, insincere. “How are you?” in his mind was question deserving a profound answer, and he didn’t think most people wanted to hear the real answer.

He also wasn’t a fan of social media. Too superficial, too trivial. Like TV (another medium he still hadn’t fully accepted), social media was an underperforming technology, capable of so much more, failing to fulfill its potential. Which could be said about many of us, I suppose.

But things are different now, you may have noticed.

Impossible not to notice, really. We’re using words like “isolation,” “quarantine,” and “lockdown,” which send shivers down the spine. “Social-distancing” is a kinder, gentler euphemism, and Oak Park adopted “shelter in place” which seems positively benign, though it also sounds like “running in place,” a metaphor for expending a lot of energy to go nowhere. Bob might have called that an apt description of our society — before this global pandemic altered (permanently?) the world we live in. And definitely altered how we live in the world.

The military, during drills, has two modes: “Attention!” and “At ease,” the latter sounding almost lyrical. I suggest we look at our current predicament as “shelter at ease” instead of viewing it as “house arrest” or “limbo.”

So how are you? Are you well? Are you coping?

Are you thriving in spite of circumstances? Are you down? Struggling to adjust?

I’m well, thanks, so far, knock on wood, etc., etc. I feel for high school and college seniors whose last semesters have been cut short. The final semester should be a golden time of savoring, looking back, and eagerly anticipating what comes next.

I feel worse for those who live paycheck to paycheck and have been furloughed or laid off, and those who will lose businesses over this. And those, in the wealthiest country on Earth, who still don’t have adequate access to affordable health care.

I worry about those who are frail and fragile and

most at risk. I worry for everyone because we are all vulnerable. No one is exempt; no one’s privilege can protect them.

But after I work through all this, I notice what’s happening, but especially what’s not happening, around us.

Distractions have been reduced. Consumer society is based on distractions, exploiting our impulses, our willingness to serve our appetites. With so many businesses closed, distractions are fewer. With less hustle and bustle, noise has been reduced. We can hear ourselves think.

We’re all in, as our headline proclaimed last week, but we’re also out. Normally when I’m walking, the only people I spot are attached to dog leashes. Now whole families are out ambling, taking their time, taking it all in, going nowhere in particular. It’s like every day is the day after Thanksgiving. We’re in permanent holiday mode as the economic engine idles — only without the afterglow of celebration.

We have been given a gift though — the gift of time. Not short-term “time off ” but time with no end in sight. Time to remember, or for the first time perhaps, realize what’s important and what isn’t. Time enough maybe to think about what is unnecessary in our life and in our world. Time to imagine a whole new world. A world in which we are not reduced to bowing at the altar of capitalism and serving the 1% priestly caste.

Or as Rebecca Solnit said in her On Being interview, broadcast last Sunday on NPR, “There is so much other work that love has to do in the world. … What if we can be better people in a better world? … Unpredictability is better than certainty. It creates an opening, but you have to walk through it. … We can become the storytellers rather than the person told what to do.”

In ways we cannot yet see, our current cloistering could lead to a healthier world. We have been gifted with a global time-out. These are “The Days the Earth Stood Still,” and like the sci-fi film classic, it may bring us all to our senses. We have time to think about the world we’ve created and wonder whether we can’t do better.

As my fellow columnist John Hubbuch recently said, “I’m blessed with an optimistic personal world view, and the belief that one should always be evaluating one’s life. This is an opportunity not to be wasted.”

Fear not. As Maya Angelou once told an interviewer, “Every storm runs out of rain.”

Grocery stores have become our new community centers. Mostly we’re sheltering in place, but we’re reaching out to one another, holding Zoom conferences, sending emails, using our hand-held devices as actual telephones.

And we’re asking the most profound question of our time: How are you?

KEN

TRAINOR

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Will I be riding the el in a bathrobe?

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t’s been over a year, dear readers, since I wrote about being diagnosed with dementia. I know my memory is worse, and while I have not become an authority on the condition, allow me to kick around some thoughts and experiences.

First of all, is it dementia or is it Alzheimer’s? Beats me. Alzheimer’s is a definite deterioration of the brain and is fatal while dementia is confusion and forgetfulness and you can have it without having Alzheimer’s. Or so I like to think. Almost everything is harder to do now, such as writing this column and putting on eyeliner.

One of the many symptoms is self-isolation. I realize I’ve been doing that, but then again I could blame COVID or the weather. I don’t have as much laundry; I can get several days out of one bathrobe.

I read an article about a man who claims he was cured of Alzheimer’s through exercise and diet. As I recall he did strenuous exercise, twice a day for more than two hours at a crack, and his wife prepared nomeat/no-fat/no-fun meals for him three times a day.

Talk about true love (or exploitation). Unlikely as it sounds, there’s a chance I could work up to two hours of exercise a day, but the rest of my day would consist of naps and/or watching TV. I already have those two covered.

I think I wrote a column several years ago saying that it would be a good job if everybody wore name tags. I’ve lived in my building long enough that I should know the names of the people that I know I know, especially when they greet me by name, but I can’t always respond in kind. It’s painful — not for them, but for me — to chat for several minutes with someone and then say, “I’m sorry. What’s your name?”

I have not stopped being a political junkie, and at any given time I could probably give you a decent update on the war in Ukraine or Lori Lightfoot’s ongoing efforts to place one or both feet in her mouth. I would be at a

loss to explain the lying egotistical falls of Jussie Smollett and Mike Madigan, but wouldn’t it be fun if somebody wrote a play about those two as cellmates? If comedians/actors are to become the face of politics, I nominate Jon Stewart.

I feel as if Channel 11’s Chicago Tonight cast of reporters/characters are part of my family: the Smart-But-Nice-Sister Brandis Friedman, Everybody’s-MultiTalented-Brother Paris Schutz, and Everybody’s-Smart-But-Annoying-Sister Amanda Vinicky. No, I do not talk to the screen. Yet. In my previous column on my dementia, I wrote about an aunt who had dementia and would burst into song frequently.

Her mother, my maternal grandmother, who also had dementia, had 8-10 children. She lost her inhibitions (if she ever had any) and used to ask my older sisters, “What’s more fun than two in bed?” An apparent free spirit, she was also at the Haymarket riot with a baby in her arms.

When she started to “lose it,” she would try to sneak out at night in her night clothes to get on the el and go to work. Once when I was chatting about Chicago family lore with a former boss of mine, it turned out that when his mother was failing, she too had tried a few times in the middle of the night to get out, get on the el, and get to work. The el certainly played, and still plays, a role in the lives of working-class people.

I marvel at women who raised large families and still had outside jobs. Or thought they did. Or imagined they did. Or wished they did. I also wish I had asked more questions.

A few months ago, I was given a new medication. I felt strange when I was falling asleep. It occurred to me that the worst possible side effect of the drug would be that I’d get up in the middle of the night and head for the el, trying to get to work.

Even though I never took the el to work.

MARY KAY O’GRADY

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022 W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

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 ■ 250-word limit

SCHULER from page 29 emotional safety. A sense of belonging and a sense of emotional safety go hand-in-hand because they are critical building blocks that empower children to build bright futures for themselves, and that is what our families want: a chance for their children to build bright futures.

The park district can’t guarantee outcomes for any member of our community because so many influences feed into who we are and who we become, but

we can promise the CRC will be a safe, welcoming, and empowering atmosphere for all ages.

Let’s remember that Oak Park became an intentionally diverse community because of bold, determined leadership emanating from boardrooms to kitchen tables. Oak Park’s shared purpose now is to keep working together to advance our culture, climate, and equity goals so that in the coming years, we can collectively, and honestly declare Oak Park to be an intentionally equitable community.

Mary Jo Schuler, PhD Co-Chair, Community Recreation Center Campaign

■ Must include first and last names, municipality in which you live, phone number (for verification only)

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY ■ 500-word limit ■ One-sentence footnote about yourself,

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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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Housing Forward’s evolution during the pandemic

arch 22 marks the anniversary of Housing Forward’s two-year journey to transform our agency’s crisis-response system during the COVID-19 pandemic. As our community was digesting the “shelter-in-place” order, we quickly realized that our little corner of the world was about to change drastically. That Sunday was filled with anxiety for staff and clients alike, as we secured hotel rooms for 65 adults and children who had been staying at Oak Park Temple where we established a 24/7 shelter just six days prior.

Day-by-day we worked through the logistics of serving clients now residing in three hotels across three communities. Organizing meals and their delivery, bulk purchases of detergent pods and rolls of quarters, and simply figuring out how to keep people safe were daily concerns. We had no idea what lay ahead, how we would fund all these new expenses, or how long this crisis mode would

last.

What we did have was an unwavering commitment to our mission, our faithful volunteers and supporters, and very resilient clients. We also recognized that homelessness itself was a public health crisis.

We had forged a relationship with Cook County Health in recent years, recognizing the intersection of health and housing. And in September 2019, just six months prior to the pandemic’s start, we launched Sojourner House, suburban Cook County’s first medical respite program, in partnership with MacNeal Hospital/Loyola Medicine. We knew the availability of temporary-crisis housing for those with complex medical conditions, who would be especially vulnerable to COVID, would be safer.

As the pandemic showed no signs of resolution, we began to develop an alterna-

LYNDA

SCHUELER One View

What will motorists do while their cars charge?

The Cook County Land Bank Authority (CCLBA) was established with the purpose of attracting developers to distressed properties in order to spur redevelopment and stabilize otherwise marginal communities.

So it was a surprise two weeks ago to learn that the CCLBA Land Transaction Committee agenda items on March 4 included consideration of the sale of a property in Oak Park. Oak Park needs to be stabilized?

It may be that it is the Roosevelt Road commercial district that is in need of outside assistance; in this case it is for 6401 Roosevelt Road, a vacant lot long ago occupied by an automobile service station. The Cook County Land Bank Authority acquired the deed from the previous owner, SA REO Fund 900 LLC in September 2018. Two months prior to acquisition, the CCLBA extended a $5,000 loan to SA REO, which County Treasurer records reveal hadn’t paid any taxes on the property since 2012. That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to local taxing districts, including the village, and still the county gave the SA REO a loan. Since the CCLBA got the deed, the property has been tax exempt. On March 4, the CCLBA was considering an offer to sell 6401 Roosevelt Road for $115,000.

tive approach. In October 2020, we took bold steps to lease the Write Inn Hotel in Oak Park and convert our longstanding rotating congregate shelter program into a new Interim Housing Program. This 24-hour day program model for individuals and families experiencing homelessness focuses on assisting clients in making connections to housing resources and ending their homelessness as soon as possible. In the first year of this program, we assisted 297 people experiencing homelessness in our various Interim Housing facilities — Sojourner House, Ohana House (for families), and the Write Inn. The outcome of their stay? Eighty percent of those completing the program exited to a permanent housing destination. The model works.

Throughout our response to this extraordinary crisis, the compassionate reaction

That may be a tempting offer, coming with an admirable use: a parking lot for recharging electric vehicles. That’s the kind of use that’s in line with “Oak Park values.” But is 6401 Roosevelt Road a viable location for an emerging business? Who would be the customer base, and what would those customers do for the hours it takes to recharge their electric vehicles? There’s nothing to do and nowhere to go along that part of Roosevelt Road that would keep the customer busy for long. Ahead of its time, does building a charging station at that location mean that enough customers will come to support the business in the foreseeable future?

This isn’t the fault of the buyer and the proposed business, but failure shouldn’t be an option for them. The lack of the significant effort by the village and the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation to attract and retain businesses along Roosevelt Road may not be enough to support an otherwise good idea anytime soon. The prospective buyer may want to reconsider their business plan and their offer to the CCLBA. Or are they expecting some other support from the village?

Chris Donovan Oak Park

of the community was foundational to our success. The generosity of hundreds of volunteers and donors who gave their time and resources is truly inspiring.

It has been said that “the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

These words resound deeply when I look back on the past two years, as hundreds of community members joined together to help Housing Forward respond to our neighbors experiencing a housing crisis who were incredibly vulnerable to the pandemic. We are humbled and honored to benefit from the altruistic spirit of our supporters.

With immense gratitude.

Lynda Schueler is executive director of Housing Forward, which provides shelter and access to housing for the homeless in the Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park area.

Not learning the lessons of history Recently, Ukraine’s President Zelensky made a direct, urgent, live-video streaming appeal to our Congress asking for a very particular action to be taken: “Close the skies over Ukraine.” That is, create a no-fly zone. He framed his appeal with invocations of Pearl Harbor and 911, when the enemy attacked the U.S. from the skies. He even included a few minutes of video footage documenting the ruin and rubble resulting from Russian airstrikes on his country. The address, by a man now being compared to Winston Churchill, was given a congressional standing ovation.

How polite! However, what Zalensky will not be getting is that no-fly zone. That was assured just minutes later in President Biden’s brief address of his own. It was, again, an implicit, not overt, dismissal of Zelensky’s passionate plea for a strategic measure that would make Ukraine much less the sitting duck for aerial assaults on civilian targets, including hospitals. Biden simply restated what aid has already been given to Ukraine, with more anti-aircraft weaponry on the way with which the sky over Ukraine might be better defended. To unwittingly emphasize that Ukraine had better make the best of the aid we are providing, Biden said Ukraine’s fight would be “protracted.”

Protracted, as in as long as it takes for Pu-

tin to finish the job? Without more than sanctions and military hardware minus troops trained to use such hardware, it’s still a David vs Goliath match-up. Putin thus continues to benefit from the almighty fear appeal that nukes can answer any intervention on Ukraine’s behalf by any other country.

Never mind that ordering a nuclear attack is tantamount to Putin writing his own death warrant. We all know what MAD stands for, right? Mutually Assured Destruction. Why would Russian command and control follow through and sign their death warrants, too?

Fear appeal is powerful. But only if we fear fear itself. Hmm. Paging FDR. This not a proxy war between Moscow and Washington D.C. This is Russia daring the United States to try and stop his effort to revive the Soviet Union. Is that not worthy of more than sanctions and shipments of weapons that may eventually, desperately have to be used by civilians, including women and children?

Churchill? That’s Zelensky. How about Neville Chamberlain? His specter looms over the West. Appeasement won’t stop a despot. Do we learn nothing from the lessons of history?

Joe Harrington Oak Park

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OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Children, neighborhood safety disregarded My walk on a brisk Thursday morning started west on Adams Street and, within line of sight, appeared construction barricades that had been set up in the dark of night on the parkway from Lombard to Ridgeland avenues. These are the type that could break any little finger if a student were to brush against it on their way to school.

On the street side of the sign, away from the property owner’s view, was the message “Park District Staff Permit Parking 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.” My first thought was temporary parking — perhaps the Park District of Oak Park (PDOP) was repaving a lot on Madison Street, and the Village of Oak Park (VOP) had again avoided informing the neighborhood of an upcoming temporary inconvenience.

The last time a similar situation occurred the VOP gave temporary approval to a construction firm to park multiple oversized commercial trucks on the street which lasted over one year. Police were having to constantly monitor the vehicles as neighborhood children found the equipment adventurous. At the time, the village stated they were wrong not to inform the neighborhood, nor would it happen again.

Arriving home that morning, I contacted the VOP Parking Office. They stated the VOP board had approved a zoning change to allow PDOP employees to permanently park on the south side of Adams from Cuyler to Humphrey. They had no other explanation, stating I would need to contact the village board. I next emailed the

Park District of Oak Park, who responded with an agreement signed in 2020 between the VOP and PDOP, whereby Adams would become a permanent commercial parking lot. It was apparent that neither party ever informed the residents/taxpayers from Madison to Jackson and Cuyler to Humphrey of this agreement.

Additionally, no traffic study was performed by the village of Oak Park as to the impact of using Adams Street as a commercial parking lot where vehicles will enter and exit traveling east through residential neighborhoods that have significant school-age foot traffic and no additional resources have been committed by an already understaffed Oak Park Police Department to monitor and address an increase in vehicle traffic.

I have written a letter to VOP President Vicki Scaman and PDOP Executive Director Jan Arnold with a carbon copy to board members of both governing bodies requesting that “the agreement by the VOP and PDOP to use Adams Street as a commercial parking lot be cancelled and both governing bodies collaborate on an alternative plan that could include a combination of adding parking below the Oak Park Community Recreation Center (CRC), use of the new parking lot west of the PDOP administration building, acquire additional land along Madison zoned commercial, and encourage PDOP employees to use public transportation.”

I await their reply.

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

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34

V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

A

Compassion in the midst of war

week ago, my neighbor across the street asked me how I was dealing with the news of war in Ukraine. She and other neighbors thought of me as they watched horrific images of war coverage. They were concerned about my mental and emotional well-being. They are aware of my childhood under the Russian occupation in my native country Lithuania, and my refugee journey to Germany in World War II. I reassured my neighbor that I was OK. I was touched by my neighbors’ concern. I do find the images in the news disturbing, but I’m able to cope with their impact. In our chat, my neighbor recounted a story she had heard about a Russian soldier who had surrendered to the Ukrainians.

The young Russian appeared panic-stricken. A Ukrainian soldier stepped up to console him, and asked, “Do you have family in Russia?” The young man nodded yes. He said his mother back in his homeland was worried about him. The Ukrainian asked, “Does she have a cellphone?”

Again, the Russian nodded yes. The Ukrainian reached into his pocket, brought out a cellphone, handed it to the tearful Russian, and said: “Call her. Tell her you’re safe, out of combat, and out of danger.”

The story is compelling. Such a gesture surpasses the dictates of the Geneva Convention and the guidelines of international laws for humanitarian treatment of war prisoners. It reveals the kindness and compassion of the Ukrainian people.

Later, in the solitude of my home, my mind generated

visions of the transaction between the two enemies. I felt my emotions churn. I squirmed in my easy chair and my feelings came in a runaway chain reaction. They overwhelmed me.

I became tearful, recalling a moment at age 8.

It was a Sunday, early in June of 1941. My parents, some neighbors, and I watched the Germans advance over the fields of our farm. On a road nearby, a truck with Russian soldiers drove toward the Germans.

A firefight ensued. In the skirmish, the truck was run off the road. Several Russians were killed and some were captured. The driver of the truck sustained a head wound and was brought to our farm for first aid.

I looked on as my mother bandaged the wounded man’s head. He begged for water. I realized that the truck he was driving was like those used for deporting my relatives and neighbors. I thought he could be one of the Russian soldiers who had trashed our house a week earlier in their search for us. At that moment I would have felt compassion for any wounded animal, but I felt no compassion for that Russian.

Loss of compassion at age 8 seemed like the end of my childhood. Three years later during our refugee journey, my mother and I were comforted by many compassionate strangers, and my unconditional compassion was restored.

Fred Natkevi is a longtime Oak Park resident, who grew up in Eastern Europe during World War II.

FRED NATKEVI One View

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Health-care failure

My wife, Gianna, is 78 years old and suffers from dementia, osteoporosis and incontinence. On March 16, she had a fall in our bedroom. She landed hard on her right hand. Thursday morning her hand was swollen and painful so we went to RUSH Oak Park Hospital Emergency about 2:45 p.m. Gianna’s primary doctor is located at RUSH Oak Park (ROP), so all records were available. Tests were administered around 6 and 7 p.m.

We waited for the results.

About 9, I inquired about her results status. I was told it could take longer. Gianna was cold, tired and wanted to leave. Around 10, I asked a nurse, due to Gianna’s situation, if she could move Gianna’s name up on the list. She said others were waiting to be treated and it might take several more hours. Due to lack of information and Gianna’s agitation, I made the difficult decision to leave.

Friday we had to make a follow-up visit. We were told there was no fracture or break and no further treatment was necessary. This took about 10 minutes to explain. It would have been so much easier for Gianna had we been told that Thursday evening.

It is disturbing that the emergency staff would allow a woman of my wife’s age and condition to wait so long. I don’t know the cost to construct and equip ROP emergency with all that high-tech equipment and professional staff, but it appears they forgot to install the compassion and consideration.

James Chmura

Oak Park

JOHNSON

The need to upgrade from page 29 spaces are inaccessible to anyone with mobility issues. Our locker rooms lack private changing spaces, which students of all genders identify as a problem. The need for privacy is a particular concern for our gender-nonconforming students.

The East Pool, which is limping along at 95 years old, would be replaced by a single, 8-lane pool of 25 yards x 40 yards that includes a diving well and is specifically designed to meet all the school’s curricular and extracurricular needs.

Swimming is a life skill and one of few lifelong, no-impact fitness activities.

OPRF is fully committed to teaching swim units as an essential part of the PE curriculum for all freshmen and sophomores, and especially those students who are more likely not to possess these life-saving skills.

PROVIDED

1, 2, 3, SLIP: Dance studio (also used for table tennis), which has two fixed columns in the middle and a hard, slippery linoleum floor that is not appropriate for dance instruction.

What about just renovating this PE

tomorrow’s board meeting. What we’ve

wing in place? We’ve recently re-exam-

learned is that doing so would cost an

ined this possibility, as you’ll hear at

estimated $51 million — and these spaces

still wouldn’t meet instructional needs.

The conditions would be improved, but the capacity and configuration problems wouldn’t be solved.

Our district has considerable work in front of us, including determining how we will fund such a project. No vote on Project 2 or a specific funding plan is scheduled for several months, so there is much unknown at this point.

But one thing is certain: Investment in this long-term solution will benefit the students in our community for decades to come. Our PE facilities serve all students every day, regardless of academic ability, race/ethnicity, gender, or income status.

Every student deserves to learn in safe, modern PE spaces that meet the needs of this century’s learners. That is what equity looks like.

Dr. Greg Johnson is superintendent of Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200, as well as the parent of OPRF students in the classes of 2021 and 2023. For information about attending and/or viewing District 200 board meetings, please visit bit.ly/OPRFHSBoard.

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

O B I T U A R I E S

V I E W P O I N T S

Judge this nominee on her merits

No matter the issue you care about, our federal courts almost certainly play a role. Look no further than this year’s docket where the Supreme Court stands poised to attack reproductive freedom and ease access to guns. If you care about these issues or the environment, voting rights, labor, quality public education, or more, you should care who is a federal judge in this country.

Starting with the Supreme Court.

When Justice Breyer announced his intention to retire at the end of the Supreme Court’s current term, this gave President Biden an opportunity to fulfill one of his campaign promises, nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court.

President Biden did just that by nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Judge Jackson’s nomination is historic. If confirmed she will be the first Black woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

She will also be only the third Black justice and sixth female justice.

Not only would Judge Jackson bring demographic diversity to the court, but also professional diversity. Judge Jackson would be the first federal public defender to serve as a justice. She is exceptionally qualified, having clerked for three different judges and worked in both private and public settings. She also has been a judge at both the district and appellate court levels.

Judge Jackson will be a justice who represents the interests of all people. Not only will she bring a new perspective to the court, she will also bring her unique legal background, which includes working for indigent defendants. Despite what we may see in Washington D.C. as the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings begin, there is simply no reason to oppose Judge Jackson’s nomination on the merits.

Meghan Paulas Oak Park

35

Liz Hannigan, 77 Loved gardening, bike riding

Elizabeth Rose (Liz, Bunny) Hannigan 77, of Elmhurst, died on March 10 after losing her courageous battle with lymphoma, surrounded by family and friends. Born March 5, 1945 in Oak Park, to Frank and Catherine (Schlosser) Hannigan, the youngest of six children. She met the love of her life, Dick Sachs, while working as a secretary at the same company in Oak Park and married him after many years together. Many knew her as Liz or Lizzy but close family on the Hannigan side only knew her as “Bunny,” a nickname she was given as a child. An avid bicycle rider around the town of Elmhurst, her favorite mode of transit, she loved to garden and stayed busy and active all her life.

She was a proud member of AA and her sobriety continued over 43 years. She was very involved with her Bible Church, being a member of the West Suburban Community Church Ladies Bible group.

A proud child of Christ, she felt part of her mission here on Earth was to spread the word through the teachings of the bible so we all could share in God’s love as she did.

Liz is survived by three stepchildren, Kim Ricke, Tracey and Thomas Sachs; her daughter, Krisann Despain; her brother, Philip Hannigan; two sisters, Jeanette Wood and Mary Kinis; six grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Dick, her sister Joan Brock, her brother James Hannigan, and one grandchild.

A memorial service honoring her life will be held on April 20 at 2:30 p.m. at her church, West Suburban Community Church, 825 Van Auken St., Elmhurst.

More information can be found online at Pederson Ryberg Funeral Home, pedersonryberg.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Liz can be made to West Suburban Community Church of Emhurst and to AA.

John Cullen, 71

UIC Art History Dept. employee John Francis Cullen 71, of Oak Park, died peacefully on Jan. 31, 2022. Born on Dec. 24, 1950, to Frank Cullen and Patricia Hewitt Cullen in Chicago, he was a graduate of Ascension School in Oak Park (Class of ’64), St. Ignatius High School (Class of ’68), and attended Loyola University. He was employed at the University of Illinois Chicago in the Art History Department.

John was the partner of Julie Weber, the brother of Michael (Alice), Kathleen (Joseph), Robert (Mary), Terrence (Geri), Thomas (Mary), Edward (Linda), and Daniel, the uncle of 18 nieces and nephews, including Bridget, Kelly, Molly, Michael, Maggie, Alexis, Kaitlin, Sarah, Laura, Timothy, Ellen, Genevieve, Christine, Frank, Robert,

Jacquelyn, Shannon, and Mary, and 22 grand-nieces and -nephews.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m., March 26, 2022, at Ascension Catholic Church, 808 S. East Ave., in Oak Park, followed by burial services at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside.

Friends and family are invited to attend.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), Oak Park Chapter, namimetsub.org. Please note donations in memory of John Cullen in the comments field. Arrangements were handled by PetersonBassi Chapels, 6938 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL 60707, 773-637-4441, GambonyandSons@ yahoo.com, 708-420-5108.

Randy Lewis, 77

Randy Lewis, 77, a longtime resident of Newtown, Connecticut, died on March 11, 2022, at Regional Hospice of Connecticut.

Born Charles Randall Lewis in East Lansing, Michigan, on March 4, 1945 to the late Dr. Charles and Anna Jean (Robertson) Lewis, he grew up in Oak Park, and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School before attending the University of Virginia, where he cultivated his love of Civil War history and the Blue Ridge Mountains. After UVA, he volunteered for the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War. For more than 40 years, he and his family enjoyed life in Newtown. His career in sales and estate planning included years at Northwestern Mutual, Cigna, and the Union Savings Bank Trust Department as senior vice president. He contributed generously to his community through many organizations and served in various capacities, including MCCA (Midwestern Connecticut Council on Alcoholism) for 27 years, lately as chairman of the board.

An active member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown, he served on the vestry and several committees. He extended his love of UVA to the Fairfield County

UVA Club, where he served as president and re-established a memorial scholarship to encourage new students.

A voracious reader, he enjoyed talking about history, politics, and current events and never missed an opportunity to visit Mory’s in New Haven, the Tombs in Georgetown, or the George Washington Tavern in Washington Depot. More than anything, he loved spending time with his family, cherished visits with his grandsons and daughters, and took many adventures with his wife Sue. Together they loved to watch the wildlife in Captiva, smell the boxwood in Virginia, explore the National Seashore on Cape Cod, and simply enjoyed each other’s company on their many road trips.

Randy leaves his wife of 52 years, Susan; his two daughters, Karen (David Pardoe) and Sarah (Robert McElhinney); his grandsons, Jack and Sam; and his sister, Kate.

A celebration of life service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 8, 2022, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown, Connecticut.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Regional Hospice of Connecticut, regionalhospicect.org.

36 Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022 Growing Community Media

Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

HELP WANTED COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI

HELP WANTED 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. 773636-2505

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.

PART-TIME ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER

Call contracter for more info.

708-738-3848

BUDGET AND REVENUE ANALYST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Budget and Revenue Analyst in the Development Customer Service Department.

This position will Serve the public with professional administrative and analytical duties in the areas of budget preparation, purchasing, payroll, data analysis and process improvement. Provides, prepares and maintains records, and financial and statistical reports and analysis which assist in the Village’s ability to improve business processes and gain efficiencies through better use of technology. Budget duties include assisting in the development, analysis and application of performance measures with regard to Village services and resources; preparing, modifying, tracking and monitoring Village expenses and transfers; and conducting budget-related research and analysis. 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.

PART-TIME SEASONAL OPPORTUNITY

The Riverside Department of Public Works is seeking energetic, responsible, and motivated applicants who enjoy working outdoors. This is a parttime, 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.

COVID-19 EPIDEMIOLOGIST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Covid-19 Epidemiologist in the Public Health Department. This position will serve as a subject matter expert on communicable diseases of public health concern, including COVID-19. This position

will work on the surveillance and investigation of infectious diseases and other public health threats; rapid response to disease outbreaks including assisting the community’s emergency preparedness and response team. 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.

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.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER VIGILANZ CORP. CHICAGO, IL

Responsible for developing and implementing real-time, clinical decision-support software for some of the most prestigious hospitals in the US. Requires bachelor’s degree plus 5 years of experience or master’s degree plus 2 years of experience in software development.

Review job duties online and apply to employment @vigilanzcorp.com.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

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

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

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.

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.oak-park.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.

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.

EQUIPMENT OPERATOR

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Equipment Operator in the Public Works Department. This position will operate construction and maintenance equipment in a variety of street activities including loading, hauling, and related operations. 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. First review of applications April 4, 2022

CHIEF POWERHOUSE DISPATCHER I & POWERHOUSE DISPATCHER

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago will be accepting applications for the following classification(s): Chief Powerhouse Dispatcher I (Original) Powerhouse Dispatcher (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

WATER AND SEWER SUPERVISOR

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Water and Sewer Supervisor in the Public Works Department. This position will plan and supervise the day-to-day operations of Water and Sewer Division field personnel, including assigning duties of personnel, equipment, and materials.

Typical responsibilities include the maintenance, operation and repair of the Village water pumping, storage and distribution systems and maintenance repair of the combined sanitary/storm sewer system and providing highly responsible staff support and assistance to the Water & Sewer Superintendent and the entire public works department management team. 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. Open until filled.

PUBLIC WORKS LABORER/TRUCK DRIVER

The Forest Park Public Works Department seeks a safety-oriented individual for the union position of Public Works Laborer/Truck Driver to perform a variety of manual labor tasks requiring varying skill levels. Under general supervision, the position of Public Works Laborer operates and maintains the Village’s infrastructure and buildings. This position works indoors and outdoors throughout the year in all weather conditions. The ideal candidate for this position will be one who can work as part of a team, has a strong work ethic, and is willing to learn and perform a variety of maintenance and construction related activities.

Essential job duties include but are not limited to: • Snow removal with vehicle mounted plows, skid steers, snow blowers and shovels.

• Care and maintenance of Village owned buildings and properties including mowing, weeding, trash removal, tree management and maintenance, storm drain maintenance.

• Pavement and sidewalk removal and replacement • Maintenance of traffic Signage.

• Repair of concrete and asphalt pavement • Operation of heavy duty construction equipment The individual selected for this position will be required to respond to emergencies outside of regular business hours as needed.

Experience in all construction related fields and disciplines are preferred.

Position requires a high school diploma or GED, two years Public Works or construction experience and an Illinois Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), or ability to obtain a CDL within 6 months of employment.

Position will be open until filled, however submittal by April 30, 2022 is encouraged. EOE. The application form can be found at: https://www.forestpark.net/dfp/ wp-content/uploads/2020/03/APPLICATION-FOR-EMPLOYMENT-Revised-8-8-19.pdf.

Qualified individuals interested in this position should email their application form and resume to vmoritz@forestpark. net with Public Works in the subject field.

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

CLASSIFIED

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

MARKETPLACE

CARS WANTED

HOME SERVICES

YARD SALES Oak Park

HOME FURNISHINGS FOR SALE 540 HARRISON ST SATURDAY MARCH 26 NOON-2PM

CLASSICS WANTED CLASSICS WANTED Restored or Unrestored

or Unrestored Cars &Restored Vintage Motorcycles Domestic / Cars & Vintage Motorcycles Import Cars: Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette,Cars: Ferrari’s, Domestic / Import Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, $$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

Items for sale if you’re interested. Make your best offer if you like what you see.

“As is” ~ final sale only. Arrange your own pick up/delivery.

- Cabinet with drawers - 60” Table with 6 chairs - Personal desk with bench - Low level table with glass inserts - Brass stand - Rattan stand - Roll top desk

Ferrari’s, James Jaguars,• 630-201-8122 Muscle Cars, Collector Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ allWANTED makes, Etc. CLASSICS WANTED TO BUY Collector James Restored or Unrestored Cars630-201-8122 & Vintage Motorcycles Domestic / Import Cars:

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

Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, RENTALS & REAL ESTATE Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars SUBURBAN RENTALS

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc. OAK PARK &

STUDIOS, 1, 2 & 3 BR

FOREST PARK Collector James 630-201-8122 708-386-7355

Best Selection & Service

MMpropMgmt.com

OFFICE/RETAIL FOR RENT RIVER FOREST–7777 Lake St. * 1116 sq. ft. * 1400 sq. ft. Dental Office RIVER FOREST–7756 Madison St. * 960 sq. ft.

OAK PARK–6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. * 3 & 5 room office suites FOREST PARK–7736 Madison St. *2500 sq. ft. unit Strand & & Browne Strand Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011 2 SPACES FOR RENT IN SHOPPING CENTER: First: 1,000 Sq. Ft. (END CAP) 2nd: 1,635 Sq. Ft. BOTH: Excellent condition. Recently Updated. *Heavy traffic area; Serious inquires ONLY.

**The 2 stores are next to each other: Can Rent alone, OR BOTH TOGETHER, for a larger business **Special Time!

Discounted Rates-Limited

If Leave message, Include: Your Name, Phone Number and Type of Business.

TEXT or CALL: (708)828-6491

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SUBURBAN RENTALS NORTH RIVERSIDE: 2BR/1BA APARTMENTS FOR RENT Overlooking Riverside Golf Club, steps to N.R. Library and beautiful Commons Park. Award-winning Riverside schools: Ames, Hauser, Riverside-Brookfield H.S. Well-maintained, NO SMOKING building. Spacious, freshly painted, new carpet/floor tiles, bath and kitchen upgrades.

Laundry on-premise, storage space in basement, off-street parking for 1 car in rear. Rent starting at $1200; heat and water included. Application/credit check required. No Pets.

Please mention this ad to receive a special incentive when calling 708-4471000 between 10 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

DOWNTOWN OAK PARK 2BR APT 2BR, 1BTH apartment for rent. Hardwood floors. Renovated and freshly painted. Small, vintage building. No smoking. No pets. Parking included.

708-657-4226

CEMENT

CEMENT

MAGANA

C O N C R E T E C O N S T RU C T I O N “QUALITY IS OUR FOUNDATION” ESTABLISHED IN 1987

COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL RESIDENTIAL

708.442.7720 '5,9(:$<6 )281'$7,216 3$7,26 67(36 &85% *877(56 6,'(:$/.6 612: 3/2:,1* 67$03(' &2/25(' $**5(*$7( &21&5(7( FREE ESTIMATES LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED

ELECTRICAL Ceiling Fans Installed

ELECTRICAL

A&A ELECTRIC

PAINTING & DECORATING

Let an American Veteran do your work

We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles We fix any electrical problem and do small jobs We install Surge Protectors • Home Re-wiring • New Plugs & Switches Added • New circuit breaker boxes • Code violations corrected Service upgrades,100-200 amp • Garage & A/C lines installed Fast Emergency Service | Residential • Commercial • Industrial Free Home Evaluations | Lic. • Bonded • Ins. • Low Rates • Free Est.

708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area

CLEANING SERVICES T&M Deep Cleaning Service 32 Years of Experience We go where other cleaning services don't. We get behind and underneath furniture & appliances.

Residential/Commercial HONEST • RELIABLE • THOROUGH • EFFICIENT INSURED • EXTERIOR HOUSEWASHING AVAIL.

630-400-3744 ORGANICFARMTOM@YAHOO.COM

HANDYMAN Mike’s Home Repair Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do

708-296-2060

HANDYMAN Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates

FLOORS

773-637-0692

KLIS FLOORING INC.

HAULING

New hardwood flooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-finishing, staining.

Low prices, insured.

Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com

Ask for John

BASEMENT CLEANING

Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery.

708-848-9404

CLASSIC PAINTING Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/ Plaster Repair Low Cost • 708.749.0011

NOVENAS PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL) Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me, herein you are my mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to suc cor in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, show me herein you are my mother. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times).

Say this prayer for three consecutive days and publish; your request will be granted. R.B. PRAYER TO ST. JUDE May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved & preserved throughout the world now & forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude worker of miracles, pray for us. St. Jude helper of the hopeless, pray for us. Say this prayer 9 times a day for 9 days. By the 8th day your prayer will be answered.

It has never been known to fail. Publication must be promised. Thank you Jesus.

Thank You St . Jude. GLK

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE Public notice is hereby given that the Board of Education of Riverside School District 96 in Riverside, Illinois will receive sealed bids for:

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

Roof Replacement and Building Envelope Project Copies of the Bid Documents including plans and specifications will be available starting March 16, 2022. Bidders can download electronic Drawings and Specifications from the BHFX Plan Room, www.bhfxplanroom.com. Printed sets may be ordered and paid for by the contractor.

All bids offered must be accompanied by bid security in the form of certified check or bid bond made payable to the Owner in the amount of not less than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the aggregate of the bid as a guarantee that if the bid is accepted, a contract will be entered into and the performance of the contract properly secured. The successful bidder for the project is required to furnish Performance and Labor and Material Payment Bonds in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the bid amount, with sureties to be approved by the Owner, and in the form required by the Bidding Documents.

The successful bidder is required to pay the general prevailing wage for work under this Contract as ascertained by the Illinois Department of Labor, and shall submit certified payroll records, in compliance with the Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130) and the requirements of the Bidding Documents.

A pre-bid meeting will be held on March 21, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Riverside District Office at 3340 S. Harlem Ave. Riverside, IL 60546. A pre-bid site visit and walk through is scheduled for Bidders on March 22, 2022 at 3:00 PM beginning at Ames Elementary School, 86 Southcote Rd, Riverside, IL 60546. Bidders must allow sufficient time to register at the building prior to being permitted to proceed to the meeting location.

Bids will be received until 1:00 PM, March 30, 2022, at the District office at 3440 S. Harlem Ave, Riverside, IL 60546.

A public bid opening will take place afterwards at 1:30 PM, March 30, 2022 at the Hauser Middle School, 65 Woodside Road, Riverside, IL 60546 in the Hauser Auditorium.

The Board of Education reserves the right to reject any or all bids or any part thereof.

Published in RB Landmark March 16, 23, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE 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

Published in Wednesday Journal March 9, 16, 23, 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

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: Y22008741 on March 4, 2022 Under the Assumed Business Name of DIANA’S FINE THINGS with the business located at: 7512 W. MADISON ST., FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: CARLITOS PEREZ 4702 S KENNETH AVE CHICAGO, IL 60632, USA Published in Wednesday Journal March 16, 23, 30, 2022

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

CLASSIFIED PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 06, 2022 for the following: Village of Oak Park Standby Diesel Generator Maintenance and Repair Services Project Number: 22-113 Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/bid.

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

Published in Wednesday Journal March 23, 2022

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

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: Y22008769 on March 9, 2022 Under the Assumed Business Name of THIRD EYE VEWZ PUBLISHING with the business located at: 1115 NORTH LARAMIE AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60651. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: MARC N JOHNSON 1115 NORTH LARAMIE AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60651, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal March 16, 23, 30, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of MIRA MERCEDESZ RAUCH Case Number 2022CONC000005 .

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: MIRA MERCEDESZ RAUCH to the new name of: MIRA MERCEDESZ RANAI

LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will receive bids from qualified plumbing contractors to replace the existing oil & water separator at the Public Works Center, located at 201 South Blvd. in Oak Park, IL. Bids will be accepted at the Public Works Service Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, until 2:00 p.m. local time on Monday, April 4th, 2022.

Village of Oak Park Public Works Center Plumbing Repairs Bid Number: 22-201BM Issuance Date: 3/23/2022 Bid Due Date: 4/4/22 2:00 p.m.

There will be a pre-bid meeting at the Public Works Center on Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. Bid forms may be obtained by calling 708-358-5710 or by e-mailing vics@oak-park. us between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. M-F. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue proposal documents and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No proposal documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of proposal opening.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Published in Wednesday Journal March 23, 2022

The court date will be held: On March 28, 2022 at 1:30 pm at 50 W Washington St, Room 1202, Chicago, IL 60602, Cook County via Zoom Video Conference Meeting ID: 914 0410 9299 Password: 395850 Published in Wednesday Journal March 23, 30, April 6, 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: Y22008587 on February 1, 2022. Under the Assumed Business Name of FELICIA WHITE & CO with the business located at: 1911 HIGHLAND AVE, BERWYN, IL 60402. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: FELICIA WHITE 1911 HIGHLAND AVE BERWYN, IL 60402, USA Published in Wednesday Journal March 23, 30, April 6, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE

PUBLIC NOTICE Public notice is hereby given that the Board of Education of Riverside School District 96 in Riverside, Illinois will receive sealed bids for:

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of Hamed Aliabbasipoor Case Number 20225001309.

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Hamed Aliabbasipoor to the new name of: Sam Kaplan.

The court date will be held: On May 19, 2022at 9:30AM at 10220 S 76 th Avenue, Bridgeview IL 60455, Cook County in Courtroom # 0203 Published in Wednesday Journal March 23, 30, April 6, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE Annual Town Meeting Notice Is Hereby Given To the legal voters of The Town of Riverside in the County of Cook and the State of Illinois, that the Annual Town Meeting of said town will take place on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 Being the second Tuesday of the month At the hour of 6:01 P.M. at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, IL for the transaction of miscellaneous business of the said town; and after a Moderator having been elected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of the officers, and decide on such measures as may, in the pursuance of the law, come before the meeting; and especially to consider and decide on the following: Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance, Election of The Moderator, Approval Of the Minutes from the Last Annual Town Meeting, New Business having the approval of the majority of electors in attendance, Setting the date for the Next Annual Town Meeting, and Adjournment.

Dated: March 16, 2022 Published in RB Landmark March 23, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of Matthew Murdock-Barriball Case Number 20224001174.

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Matthew Flanigan Murdock-Barriball to the new name of: Matthew Flanigan Bariball The court date will be held: On 05/17/2022 at 11:00am at 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, Cook County in Courtroom # 0112

Central Elementary Waterline Replacement Project Copies of the Bid Documents including plans and specifications will be available starting March 16, 2022. Bidders can download electronic Drawings and Specifications from the BHFX Plan Room, www.bhfxplanroom.com. Printed sets may be ordered and paid for by the contractor.

All bids offered must be accompanied by bid security in the form of certified check or bid bond made payable to the Owner in the amount of not less than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the aggregate of the bid as a guarantee that if the bid is accepted, a contract will be entered into and the performance of the contract properly secured. The successful bidder for the project is required to furnish Performance and Labor and Material Payment Bonds in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the bid amount, with sureties to be approved by the Owner, and in the form required by the Bidding Documents.

The successful bidder is required to pay the general prevailing wage for work under this Contract as ascertained by the Illinois Department of Labor, and shall submit certified payroll records, in compliance with the Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130) and the requirements of the Bidding Documents.

A pre-bid meeting will be held on March 21, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Riverside District Office at 3340 S. Harlem Ave. Riverside, IL 60546. A pre-bid site visit and walk through is scheduled for immediately after the Pre-bid meeting at Central Elementary School, 61 Woodside Rd, Riverside, IL 60546. Bidders must allow sufficient time to register at the building prior to being permitted to proceed to the meeting location.

Bids will be received until 1:00 PM, March 30, 2022, at the District office at 3440 S. Harlem Ave, Riverside, IL 60546. A public bid opening will take place afterwards at 1:30 PM, March 30, 2022 at the Hauser Middle School, 65 Woodside Road, Riverside, IL 60546 in the Hauser Auditorium.

The Board of Education reserves the right to reject any or all bids or any part thereof.

Published in RB Landmark March 23, 2022

Published in RB Landmark March 23, 30, April 6, 2022

Starting a New Business?

Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice in • Austin Weekly News • Wednesday Journal • Forest Park Review • Riverside/Brookfield Landmark Call the Experts Before You Place Your Legal Ad!

Call Stacy for details: 773/626-6332

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE FOR AMERICAN HOME MORTGAGE ASSETS TRUST 2006-5; MORTGAGE BACKED PASS THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2006-5; Plaintiff, vs.

KARRI L. SPILLANE; PRAIRIE PLACE AT 6436 ROOSEVELT CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION; ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 14565 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 Monday, May 2, 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. 16-18-428-043-1032, 16-18-428043-1051and 16-18-428-043-1059.

Commonly known as 6436 Roosevelt Road, Unit 415 and P-17 and P-25, Oak Park, IL 60304.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a condominium residence. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiff’s Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 360-9455. W19-0997 ADC INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3190604

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

a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption.

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.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 3469088.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 20-06827IL Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 21 CH 01381 TJSC#: 42-447 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 # 21 CH 01381 I3189602

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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF THE ASPEN G3 TRUST, A DELAWARE STATUTORY TRUST Plaintiff, -v.ERIC STARKS, JUSTIN STARKS, ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 21 CH 01381 464 LENOX STREET OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 19, 2022, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 20, 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 464 LENOX STREET, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-06-222-0180000 The real estate is improved with a brown brick, single family residence with no garage.

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.

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to

Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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We also need inspiring, funny, heartwarming and, at times, heartbreaking stories about our friends, neighbors and children. Perhaps now, more than ever.

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Wednesday Journal, March 23, 2022

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Experience a new era of care – innovative, inviting and deeply personal – designed to help you flourish.

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Our Duly providers partner with adults on Medicare to build a care plan centered around their unique Our Duly providers partner with adults on Medicare to build a care plan centered around their unique goals. Whether it’s maintaining healthy blood pressure, managing diabetes or keeping physically strong, goals. Whether it’s maintaining healthy blood pressure, managing diabetes or keeping physically strong, our new Health and Care Center in Oak Park can help you discover your extraordinary potential. our new Health and Care Center in Oak Park can help you discover your extraordinary potential.

Experience a new era of care – innovative, inviting and deeply personal – designed to help you flourish.

Our Duly providers partner with adults on Medicare to build a care plan centered around their unique goals. Whether it’s maintaining healthy blood pressure, managing diabetes or keeping physically strong, our new Health and Care Center in Oak Park can help you discover your extraordinary potential.

To learn more or to schedule an appointment call 630-243-7398 or visit dulyhealthandcare.com/OakParkCare Oak Park | 1121 South Blvd.

To learn more or to schedule an appointment call 630-243-7398 or visit dulyhealthandcare.com/OakParkCare

Oak Park | 1121 South Blvd.