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April 7, 2021 Vol. 41, No. 35 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal

Up-to-date election coverage at OakPark.com

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

OPRF backs saliva screening program after Times report D200 officials responded to article critical of SafeGuard Surveillance

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

District 200 officials have responded to a New York Times article published on March 30 about New Trier High School’s use of SafeGuard Surveillance for conducting its COVID-19 saliva screening program.

According to the New York Times report, at the time that it was chosen by New Trier to do surveillance testing, SafeGuard “had not been certified to run a testing program of its kind, led by a scientist who was not qualified under federal guidelines to run a diagnostic lab. The saliva test the lab used was neither vetted nor authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.

“The test relies on a widely used technology, but a study describing its uses has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal nor validated by independent experts. According to federal guidelines, the assay should not be used to identify potentially infected students,” said the article.

Oak Park and River Forest High School has been using SafeGuard since the D200 school board approved a contract with the company on Jan. 14 that is not to exceed $411,400. At the time, OPRF officials said they anticipated that more than 2,000 tests would be conducted on students and staffers each day.

See REWARDS on page 16

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

MINEFIELD: Fenwick’s Jack Powers (27) dribbles the ball through a sea of Riverside-Brookfield defenders. Local high schools continue to make fall sports work during the spring. Read about local sports action on page 26.

Lake Street rewards program upended by COVID-19

Village only reimbursed $46,345 of the allotted $120,000

gram, designed to boost shopping during last year’s Lake Street reconstruction project, fell short of achieving the success it was expected to.

“I honestly think 100 percent that program would have been a complete success had it not been for the pandemic,” said Shanon Williams, Downtown Oak Park (DTOP) executive director.

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

The village of Oak Park’s Better Lake Street Rewards Pro-

See SCREENING on page 16

SUBSCRIBE! O N LY $ 4 1 A Y E A R !

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When life throws you a financial challenge, you’ve proven you have what it takes to ace it. Now it’sshould time your of studyto the tackle successful campaigns what I call virtual trolls, such as the TikTok retirement teens who tanked savings Trump’s Tulsa at rally last summer and the Britney stans’ campaign to free their beloved pop star or the Parkland AceYourRetirement.org

teens and their valiant fight against the NRA. Workers should apply those 21st-century methods in their fight for human dignity.

And convince the vast entertainment media complex to turn just a fraction of its tabloid attention to covering Amazon’s exploitative labor methods with the same vigor and consistency that they covered Bezos’s divorce.

Hey, we gotta start somewhere.

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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After Watergate, Amazon packages they expect you to deIn 1974, still riding the Waterliver. It starts off at 20 an hour gate high from two years prior, and then goes up to 25 an hour the journalists at the Washingand now it’s at 30 an hour. Those ton Post went on strike. But are impossible numbers.” they did it “bumblingly,” writes In response to this criticism, author Kurt Andersen.

Amazon representatives have “They didn’t even ask the resorted to gaslighting, claimpaper’s blue-collar unions to ing that they are the “Bernie join them, they refused their Sanders of employers” because own Newspaper Guild leaders’ they pay employees at least $15 request to walk a picket line, an hour and offer them health the paper continued publishing, benefits. and after two weeks they gave The driver said the wage and up and accepted management’s the benefits are a mirage. offer,” Andersen notes in his Commentary “They recruit by promising us 2020 book Evil Geniuses: The 40 hours a week, then they cut our hours,” Unmaking of America. the driver said. “They say they’ll give us boThe Post strike was emblematic of what nuses if we do extra work, but the bonuses Andersen calls the economic right’s “grand are just what they promised to pay in the bargain” with the cultural left after the first place! So they’re squeezing more work 1960s and ’70s, decades in which individual rights for women and minorities started out of us for the hours they promised in the their ascent from the relative dark ages of first place.” previous decades.

To add insult to injury, Amazon has what At the same time, a “quiet revolution” might be considered a built-in indemnifiof right-wing, libertarian-minded busication clause in the drivers’ employment ness leaders and thinkers, such as future because the company can claim that it isn’t U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell responsible for these full-time workers. (author of the infamous Powell Memo) “None of us drivers are technically started their crafty conspiracy to turn Amazon employees,” they said. “We drive America against government, so as to liberAmazon vans and wear Amazon uniforms, ate corporate profit-making from any and but these are contract companies.” all constraints (air and water and human The worker was talking about Amazon’s health be damned).

Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program, The result, several decades later, has been which allows people with at least $10,000 in corporations like Whole Foods and Starstartup capital to start building their own bucks — companies that “continue to enjoy fleet of Amazon delivery vehicles, somefavor among liberals even though they both what similar to a restaurant franchise. engage in anti-union activities; the trick is “Amazon sets them up, but it’s a big lie. that they sell their products with a progresAmazon controls everything,” the driver sive spin,” writes Slovenian philosopher said of the DSP program. “They even route Slavoj Žižek in his 2009 book First As Tragus from Seattle, which is a mess. And now edy, Then As Farce.

Amazon is installing surveillance cameras.

It’s only too poetic that Amazon was For who? For Amazon. founded by Jeff Bezos, the nearly $200 Our so-called bosses [the billion man, who in 2013 bought the Post DSP owners] are like for $250 million. Amazon, by the way, can overseers on a plantabe added to that list of anti-progressive tion. Everyone knows progressive companies — where, as the Amazon is the slave always insightful New York University owner.” business Professor Scott Galloway points Amazon employees out, PR flaks working for Bezos outnumber across the country are journalists working for the Post by 969 to complaining about the 798, according to LinkedIn. working conditions in Last week, I interviewed an Amazon Amazon warehouses driver who currently works out of the comand Amazon vehicles, pany’s Cicero plant. The worker confirmed but the only way I know reports made by Amazon workers across about this is because of the country of having to urinate and defjournalism. I’ve either ecate in bottles because they’re too afraid to spoken to workers and go off route. organizers, including The driver, who insisted on anonymity Black Workers Matter, for fear of retaliation, said the company is the West Side labor surveilling them (I’m using the plural progroup organized by Oak noun as an additional layer of protection), Park resident Dan Gilmonitoring their every move to ensure that oth, in my capacity as a they deliver what has now become a 250- to journalist or read about 300-package a day expectation. these conditions in other “It’s stressful,” the driver said. “And media outlets. they’re steadily upping the number of The best journalism

MICHAEL ROMAIN

shows that the situation these workers are from the owners of steel mills,” Andersen in is complex. Amazon provides decentwrites. “Yet because it was a newspaper paying jobs that many workers appreciate, management that broke the strike; no other but the company also acts like it’s operating newspaper has touched it properly, or even in the laissez faire-dominated Gilded Age whimpered a protest.” because, in a way, it is.

What the young Woodward’s statement According to Business Insider, since the revealed was what is commonly accepted pandemic started last year, Jeff Bezos’ net now, albeit implicitly. In this country of worth has grown by more than $72 billion. narcissists and would-be millionaires, And yet the company prides itself on offerwhere everyone is striving to be the next ing its warehouse workers $15 an hour?

Bezos or Steve Jobs or Bob Woodward, we What’s more, the company is employing have a collective disdain for non-glamorous, similar union-busting techniques that the boring work and for the concept of the colPost employed in 1972. lective or the common good that’s necessary Which brings me to an issue that has to secure the common worker’s dignity. been troubling my soul for a while — the Like Woodward, indeed like the contemmedia’s complicity in all of this, this beporary Democratic Party, journalism since ing low-wage workers being the 1970s has largely abandoned exploited in relative silence. its working-class ethos in order As Andersen writes, we can to cater to the Creative Class, go back to that Post strike in the “knowledge workers” being 1974 for some context.

Read the full story online “Two-thirds of the Post’s churned out of colleges and unionized editorial employees LOG ON TO OAKPARK.COM beat into becoming fashionable didn’t stop working at all, and bureaucrats working “bullshit a majority voted again and again against jobs” (or jobs for which society has no real striking in solidarity with the pressmen use). [the pressmen were the workers on the “It is the peculiar genius of our society manufacturing end of the newspaper’s that its rulers have figured out a way … operation],” Andersen writes. to ensure that rage is directed precisely In the early 1970s, while the Post reportagainst those who actually do get to do ers could claim to be on first-name terms meaningful work,” writes the late anthrowith people like Henry Kissinger, the repologist David Graeber in his 2018 book porters and the pressmen got paid roughly Bullshit Jobs. “For instance: in our society, the same (about $110,000 in today’s curthere seems to be a general rule that, the rency, Andersen writes). more obviously one’s work benefits other “If they got slave wages, I’d be out on the people, the less one is likely to be paid for line myself,” said a 32-year-old Bob Woodit.” ward, of Watergate fame, at the time.

Woodward may have gotten the scoop “The pressman’s strike was crushed on Richard Nixon’s conspiracy, but he and with methods and with a severity that the the rest of his journalistic kin missed this press in general or the Post in particular much larger conspiracy of late capitalism. would not be likely to regard as acceptable

WEB EXTRA

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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BIG WEEK April 7-14 FitzGerald’s Patio is Open, Truck Concert Anniversary

Bring the whole family on Sundays, 1 to 6 p.m. for Honky Tonk music, including Greasy Gravy (1 p.m.) and Big Sadie (4 p.m.) on April 11. Or check out the Wednesday evening Jazz series (7 p.m.), including local drummer/composer Quin Kirchner on April 14. Patio reservations/more: fitzgeraldsnightclub.com/shows/list. And, Jon Langford is back for the one year anniversary of FitzGerald’s Community Truck Concerts. Request a visit here: fitzgeraldsnightclub.com/event2/10927755/ fitzgeralds-community-truck-concert-jon-langford/

Thrive Talk: The Year that Wasn’t— Young Adults & the Pandemic Thursday, April 8, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Public Library Hosted by Thrive Counseling, this talk focuses on young adults in their late 20s to early 40s. Milestones, such as dating, starting a family and taking on new career opportunities have often been put on hold during the pandemic, sometimes resulting in feelings of loss and depression.

Learn how to honor grief without guilt, cope in real time and create meaning, even during this challenging time. Explore how to rebuild a sense of hope and look toward the future. Register: oppl.org/calendar

Take Home Toddler Exploration Time (TET): Trees Register by April 9; Lesson on Friday, April 16, 9:30 to 10 a.m., Virtually with The Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory (FOPCON) Young learners can enjoy stories, lessons and crafts led by education docents. Participants pick up a craft bag with all the pieces needed to complete the craft prior to the lesson from the Oak Park Conservatory. On Friday, join virtually to participate in the TET lesson. Next up, May 14, Seeds. $8; free, FOPCON members. 615 Garfield St., Oak Park. Register: fopcon.org/conservatory-events/category/for-children/

Free Learn and Grow Lecture Series

Healthy Lawn, Healthy Family

Thursdays in April, 7 to 8 p.m., Virtually with The Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory Programs are for all gardening skill levels. Register: pdop.org April 8 – Essential Garden Tools & Care with Master Gardener Don Nekrosius.

April 15 – Plant Dividing with Master Gardener Kayla Chase, who shares when, how and why to divide perennials.

April 22 – Edibles & Raised Beds with Master Gardener Suzette Gacek, who offers tips on growing herbs and edibles and previews varieties available at The Friends annual plant sale in May. April 29 – Container Companions with Master Gardener Ellen Kuner.

Saturday, April 10, 2 to 3:30 p.m., Zoom with the River Forest Public Library Keep your family, lawn and the environment healthy. Learn strategies to eliminate the use of pesticides and other chemicals in residential lawn-care routines. Presented by David Murphy from The Deep Roots Project, and Ryan Anderson and Vytas Pabedinskas from Midwest Grows Green. Brought in partnership with the River Forest Sustainability Commission. Register: riverforestlibrary.librarymarket.com/events/ healthy-lawn-healthy-family-0

COVID-19 Vaccine Sign-Up Help

The Conservation of Paintings: Historical and Technical Discoveries Wednesday, April 14, 5 p.m., Zoom with Concordia University Chicago Join conservator and art historian Barry Bauman to hear about his 46 years of experience treating and analyzing damaged paintings and what he has uncovered, from lost signatures to hidden dates and entire paintings hidden beneath other works. Register: cuchicago.zoom.us/webinar/ register/WN_ZGacg73AQ-OYYBroQQzCUg

Saturday, April 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Outside the Main Library Entrance Join Students Advocating For Equity (SAFE), an Oak Park and River Forest High School club.

For community members struggling with finding a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. Masks required. Appointments not guaranteed. Vaccine info can also be found here: vaccinefinder. org, oppl.org/news-events/announcements/covid-19-vaccine-information. 834 Lake St., Oak Park.

New: Chair Yoga Tuesday, April 13, 3 to 3:30 p.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Public Library As part of the new Self-care Tuesdays at the Library, try out this yoga class for everybody.

Chair yoga can improve flexibility, concentration, and strength, while boosting mood, and reducing stress and joint strain. Free. Offered every other Tuesday; next up, April 27.

Register: oppl.org/calendar

Our Village, Our Story: The History of Early Black Residents in Oak Park and Its Importance Today Thursday, April 8, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Public Library Hear the rarely told history of Black residents who lived in Oak Park from as early as 1880. Stan West, author of Suburban Promised Land, will discuss the rich stories of these early Oak Parkers, the discrimination that made them leave and the connection to our community today. West will be joined by Christian Harris with Walk the Walk. A Q&A follows. Register: oppl.org/calendar

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Bishops Hall B&B is having an estate 5 605 Iowa Street in Oak Park ART BEAT Bishops Hall B&B is having an estate sale!

Bishops Hall B&B is having an estate sale!

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

605 Iowa in Oak Parkfurnishin 605 IowaStreet Street in Oak Park period pieces and unique An epic story toldBeautiful by antiques, Open to the public Friday, April 9 from 3 pm to 7 pm Chang-Rae Lee Individual showings can be arranged by calling th

Beautiful antiques, piecesand and unique furnishings.

Beautiful antiques,period period pieces unique furnishings. th th Open to the publicFriday, Friday, April 3 pm to 7 to pm.7 pm.

Open to the public April9 9from from 3 pm Individual showings be by calling Bishops Hall B&B iscan having an estate sale!

Individual showings can bearranged arranged by calling tel:708-383-7774 605 Iowa Street in Oak Park tel:708-383-7774 tel:708-383-7774

Latest Writing Matters through 19th Century Charitable Association

Beautiful antiques, period pieces and unique furnishings.

Open to the public Friday, April 9th from 3 pm to 7 pm.

Individual showings can be arranged by calling tel:708-383-7774

By BILL YOUNG Guest Writer/Columnist

I have spent most of my adult life in the book business, from a bookseller at university bookstores in the 1970s and for the past three decades as an author escort with Midwest Media, where I’ve been the “best friend for a day,” to thousands of authors, including Chang-Rae Lee. He’s one of my favorites and he’ll be the next guest for Writing Matters, a monthly virtual program held in collaboration with the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association of Oak Park.

Lee has published six novels including Native Speaker (1994), winner of the Pen Hemingway Award; A Gesture Life (1999); Aloft (2004); The Surrendered (2011), winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and On Such a Full Sea (2014), winner of the Chicago Tribune’s Heartland Literary Award for Fiction and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He has also published numerous stories and articles for The New Yorker, New York Times, Food & Wine, Conde Nast Traveler and Granta.

His latest novel, My Year Abroad, is a sprawling multi-continental story of business, innovation, science, ambition and hope as well as betrayal and deceit. It is told pri-

marily through the eyes of Tiller, a 20-yearold college student from New Jersey, working in a summer a job as a dishwasher before leaving to study in Europe for a year abroad program, and Pong Lou, a brilliant chemist in his 50s, who survived the 1960s Cultural Revolution that traumatically altered his life in Mainland China during communism.

The novel Includes a dizzying array of episodes. There is a search for a chemical elixir to attain eternal life to perfecting new frozen yogurt flavors. And, the attempt to design yoga routines that increase the human capacity of flexibility to locations from inside a surfer’s wave off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, to the casinos of Macao, China.

There’s overcoming inhibitions to sing Karaoke and the complexities of a Chinese billionaire reminiscent of the set of a James Bond movie. Also, in a parallel story, Tiller’s relationship with an older woman, Val, is explored, who is a precocious and competent chef that mirrors Pong’s curiosity and brilliance. It is an epic journey.

Lee was born in South Korea in 1965 and emigrated to the United States when he was three. He grew up in Westchester County, where his father was a successful psychiatrist. He read voraciously as a child and started writing poetry, through which he learned the rhythms and tonality of language. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated from Yale University with a BA in English and later earned an MFA in Writing from the University of Oregon. He taught creative writing at Princeton and since 2016 has been a professor of English at Stanford University.

I hope you can join us this Sunday, April 11 at 2 p.m. There is no charge and registration is at nineteenthcentury.org. Books are available at The Book Table (booktable.net) Join Oak Parker Bill Young as he sits down in conversation with award-winning novelist Chang-Rae Lee on Sunday, April 11, 2 p.m. Free; $15 suggested donation. Register/more: nineteenthcentury.org. Lee’s books are available at The Book Table, booktable. net, 1045 Lake St., Oak Park.

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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Taste the Town, take two

Take Out 25 partners with restaurants to support The Day Nursery

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

After the resounding success of the first Taste the Town event and requests from community members to get their hands on another “ultimate takeout bag,” Take Out 25 organizers are excited to announce they have partnered with The Collaboration for Early Childhood, The Day Nursery, the Department of Public Health and eight local eateries to present “Taste the Town 2” on Thursday, April 22.

“The last year of my life would have been much less meaningful without Take Out 25,” said Ravi Parakkat, Take Out 25 founder and a candidate for village trustee in this week’s election. “It has been gratifying to be part of this journey and see the community come together in the midst of the pandemic.”

The second Taste the Town event will feature a preset entrée menu made up of a collection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes from Amerikas, Carnivore, Khyber Pass, Trattoria 225 and Surf ’s Up. A dessert bag will feature a trio of sweets from One Lake Brewing, Rare Bird Preserves and Wells Street Popcorn. Each takeout bag, $100 for entrees and $35 for desserts, will feed a family of four. Take out bag quan-

Photo provided

The Day Nursery children eat meals and snacks pre-COVID. Though they look forward to returning to family-style meals, the organization still provides two house-made meals and two snacks to each child daily. Funds raised through Taste the Town will support food programming at The Day Nursery.

tities are limited and will be offered on a first come first serve basis.

“There are so many things I am excited about,” said Allison Cummins, Taste the Town organizer and Oak Park resident. “I hope we are able to create the same magical feel we Amerikas: Chicken tamal, Jalapeño & cheese tamal had last time while high(VEG), Vegan tamal (V) lighting a whole new set of Surf’s Up: Fried catfish with dirty rice and grilled restaurants.” shrimp The week of the young Trattoria 225: Linguini Aglio olio with asparagus, child is celebrated in mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and olive oil (VEG) April and it is only fitting Khyber Pass: Chicken tikka masala with saag (spinach that the theme for Taste and ginger) served with basmati rice the Town 2 is early childCarnivore: Lamb and lentil soup (GF) hood. Carollina Song, Oak Park resident, brokered the connection between Take Out 25 and the ColRare Bird Preserves: Assorted cookies laboration for Early One Lake Brewing: Dark chocolate brownies with a beer Childhood -- the organicaramel swirl zation agreed to assist in Wells Street Popcorn: 2/3-gallon Wells Street Mix promoting the event. Additionally, Song donated Taste the Town tickets are on sale now and will close on funds to cover upfront Apr. 18 at noon. Meals will be picked up at the Nineteenth costs of the event and MiCentury Club, 178 N. Forest Ave., between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. chelle Vanderlaan, owner on Apr. 22, in six pre-selected pick-up windows. The event of Sugarcup Trading, 110 is designed to sell out with 300 savory slots and 200 dessert N. Marion St, is sponsorslots available. Organizers have set a goal of raising an ading the event. ditional $5,000 for The Day Nursery through donations.

“Having the endorse-

What is on the menu?

Entrée bag

Dessert bag

ment of the Collaboration for Early Childhood Education really validates the focus of the second Taste the Town event,” said Parakkat.

“Sugarcup Trading is proud to sponsor Taste the Town,” said Vanderlaan.

“We simply love the creativity and innovation behind this event. It not only gives consumers the opportunity to taste the best that Oak Park has to offer but it also paves a way to give back to our local agencies and non-profits.”

Taste the Town 2 is a ticketed event with the funds raised going directly to The Day Nursery, 1139 Randolph St., Oak Park. The nonprofit will then share proceeds with participating restaurants following a predetermined formula. All add-on donations above the cost of the bags will go directly to support The Day Nursery’s on-site food program. The organization is committed to spending its portion of the funds to buy food from local restaurants and grocery stores to feed children enrolled in the program.

“Our cook is already thinking of creative ways to support local grocers and restau-

rants with the funds raised through Taste the Town,” said Cari Christoff, executive director of The Day Nursery. “We are especially interested in working with Sugar Beet, The Daly Bagel, Carnivore and Carnival.”

The Day Nursery is dedicated to exposing students to healthy foods and provides two-thirds of each child’s daily nutritional requirements through two house-made meals and two wholesome snacks daily. The USDA covers half of the costs of implementing The Day Nursery’s food service program. The other half, approximately $60,000, comes out of the organization’s annual operating budget and is supported by fundraising efforts.

“These types of events help sustain community and there is no better way to give back than supporting each other,” said Christoff. “Taste the Town recognizes the interconnectivity within our community and provides an opportunity to be supportive of people living and working within Oak Park. We are grateful to Ravi, Take Out 25, and the community for investing in us.”

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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Ramen and other passions

O

dds and ends with some a bit odder than others: Some good-looking lawn signs: A colleague offered this unsolicited political assessment Monday afternoon as we talked about the coming election. “Oak Park has the best-designed political lawn signs of any neighborhood around,” she said. Fair point.

The same designers seem to be working on the print and digital ads, too.

That said: Why does Tom Cofsky, running for re-election to the school board at OPRF, feature a turtle (could be a tortoise) in his ads? This is a toddling turtle with a winning smile. So that helps. And his website domain is SeeTomRun.com.

Sustainability: Here’s a first. One of the campaigns is promoting a lawn sign recycling project, post-election. So instead of storing these signs in your cobwebby garage and hoping Cofsky pulls out the turtle if he runs again in four years, you can now have them shredded and turned into park benches, RC bottles, or plexiglass barriers set between elected officials at public meetings.

Stacey Sheridan has the story on page XX. OK, it’s tall: Saw a construction crane set up on the site of the next senior citizen project on the south side of Madison at Euclid.

It’s bigger than a breadbox.

Ramen. Oh, yes, ramen: Lovely to see the excitement growing for the eventual arrival of Kyuramen, a noodle shop at 118 N. Marion St. Have no idea why I’d be excited about a noodle shop. But I remain open to being amazed.

That said: I’m also the guy who missed the appeal of a fast-food chain, Raising Canes, which only serves chicken fingers.

OK, also cole slaw. Nearest one I know is on Harlem south of Cermak Road.

Sox opening day: Yes, the White Sox opening weekend in Anaheim was a clever setup for a team boasting it is heading to the

World Series. Pretending they can’t hit, catch or pitch is going to lull the American League Central into a semi-stupor. And having three starters faking injuries to start the season is brilliant.

Late Sunday evening when the Sox tied the game at 4-4 without recording an RBI, I thought maybe the team was jumping the shark.

That said: Thursday afternoon I’ll be at the Sox home opener, courtesy of my brother John. Same routine for maybe 15 years now. Even with capacity limited at 12,000, this will be a stunning crowd to be part of. Thank God for vaccines.

That also said: The Texas Rangers selling out a capacity house for its opener is insane.

Hemingway doc: Ken Burns has taken over three nights of PBS this week for six hours on Ernest Hemingway. An Oak Parker, you know. Two small stories. When I was a teen, I worked at Cannon’s Book Store on Oak Park Avenue, just north of Lake Street.

Owned by Mrs. Helen Cannon. She was ancient and infirm back in the early 1970s but she loved sitting in her chair behind the counter looking out at Scoville Park and making fairly crochety observations. If you were lucky, you got her talking about Grace Hemingway, Ernest’s mother and Mrs. Cannon’s semi-contemporary. She wasn’t a fan of Mrs. Hemingway. Too controlling. Wasn’t a fan of Ernest Hemingway. Low-brow, smutty. OK, there wasn’t much she liked.

Was at the library years back looking through microfiche at issues of Oak Leaves.

Was trying to find something. Don’t remember what. However, what I did stumble on was the paper’s 2 inches of coverage of Hemingway’s death by suicide in July 1961.

It reported the initial family claim that the death was accidental while Hemingway cleaned a rifle. My recollection is that I looked forward a few weeks and there was no further coverage.

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Photo provided

Amy Maglio visits a women’s group in Senegal.

RESIDENTIAL — COMMERCIAL — RETAIL — CHURCHES — SCHOOLS

Oak Park nonprofit awarded $750K grant

Twitter founder focuses on women’s education project

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

SERVING OAK PARK AND RIVER FOREST SINCE 1976

An Oak Park nonprofit has been awarded a $750,000 grant from Jack Dorsey’s #StartSmall initiative. Dorsey is the founder of the microblogging platform Twitter.

The nonprofit, Women’s Global Education Project, partners with groups in Senegal and Kenya to “to provide every girl, no matter her background or where she is from, the chance at an education,” according to a statement released last month.

During a recent interview, the nonprofit’s founder, Amy Maglio, said the grant is the largest the organization has received at one time. The funding is unrestricted, so Women’s Global can use it as they fit.

“This grant gives us the opportunity to dream and think about where we want to go and how we sustain the work to set ourselves up to be there for communities in need,” Maglio said.

She added that it will also allow the nonprofit to respond to the COVID-19-related needs of the young women they serve.

“With the pandemic, more girls are out of school now than ever before in the communities where we work,” Maglio said. “And with

markets closed and jobs nonexistent, a lot of families have been sending their daughters to work as maids to bring in some income, so now we’re working hard to identify those girls and to get them back in school.”

Dorsey’s grant is the latest milestone in a series for Women’s Global. In 2019, the nonprofit’s work caught the eye of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Girls Opportunity Alliance, which produced a short film called “Rebecca’s Story,” which highlighted the work of Women’s Global.

Last year, Dorsey announced that he had transferred $1 billion of his net worth to #StartSmall in order to fund global COVID-19 relief efforts, women’s wellness and education, and toward promoting Universal Basic Income.

“Through our network, we found someone we knew who had a connection to Twitter and we were able to submit a two-page proposal through this online portal and then we waited five months,” Maglio recalled.

“We then got an email saying they’d like to talk to us, and we had about an hour-long phone call with a Dorsey representative and by the end of the call, he said they would grant us the full amount we had requested,” she said.

Maglio said the nonprofit is currently holding team meetings with staff in Senegal and Kenya to figure out how to expand their activities to more girls on the continent.

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

9

Rehm Park getting new playground Park keeping beloved pedal trains

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Get ready, kids. Exciting changes are coming to Rehm Park as work to dismantle the outdated playground began Thursday, April 1. In its place will stand a brand-new playground which the park district promises will include inclusive and development-focused equipment.

“It’ll be a beautiful playground, which serves kids of all abilities, ages and mental and physical disabilities as well,” said Chris Lindgren, the park district’s superintendent of parks and planning.

The project is part of the park district’s capital improvement plan and will cost just over $1 million, Lindgren told Wednesday Journal. The project will be funded in part by a $400,000 grant awarded to the park district by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The park district’s capital improvement fund will cover the remaining cost.

The new playground will have an accessible play apparatus called a “we-go-round” – a type of merry-go-round inclusive for all kids, including those in wheelchairs. Lindgren expects it will become one of the park’s most popular pieces of playground equipment.

Other fun features coming to the playground are ziplines, a jungle gym and a swing set with seats safe for kids in wheelchairs. Rehm Park’s upgraded playground will have such good old standards as slides and monkey bars too.

The playground’s old equipment is getting a second life, thanks to the organization Kids Around the World, a faith-based nonprofit out of Rockford. The non-profit was on site April 1 to remove the old playground.

Kids Around the World refurbishes old playground equipment and installs it in areas facing war, violence and severe poverty.

It hasn’t been confirmed which community will get Rehm Park’s old swing sets and slides, according to Lindgren, but it is likely to be one in Ecuador.

“We are thrilled to see our equipment being given another chance to provide kids the opportunity to play,” said Ann Marie Buczek, park district communications manager.

The park district has a relationship with Kids Around the World, having worked with

Once South Park, now Rehm Park Perhaps known to little kids as the park with the trains, Rehm Park was first known to many as plain old South Park.

The Park District of Oak Park acquired South Park in 1913, predating Comedy Central’s adult cartoon show of the same name by 87 years.

South Park was originally designed by Danish-American landscape architect Jens Jensen, a favorite architect of Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company.

Jensen designed several estates for Ford and his family, as well as completing projects for the Henry Ford Hospital and Henry Ford Museum. He was the superintendent of the Chicago Park District and among West Siders was known for his landscape designs at both Columbus Park and Garfield Park.

However, little of Jensen’s South Park design remains today, according to the park district.

South Park operated under that name until 1960, when it was renamed Rehm Park in honor of Colonel Arthur D.

the non-profit in the past.

“They’re a great organization,” said Lindgren. “This is actually the fourth playground that they will have taken from us.”

Instead of using mulch, which needs frequent replacing, the new playground will have rubber-free synthetic turf with a sand infill and a recycled foam layer for fall protection.

“It’s meant so that when kids fall from the playground equipment they’re not injured severely,” said Lindgren.

The synthetic turf has a longer useful life than mulch while being in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act, according to Buczek.

Not only is the equipment being replaced, the entire playground will be reconfigured to improve visibility for parents supervising children at play.

“One of the big issues with the current

configuration is that it’s really difficult for parents to manage their children because sightlines are really bad with the playground kind of be split by the train,” said Lindgren.

Rest assured – the beloved trains are staying at the Rehm Park playground. They receive routine maintenance and are in working order.

“We absolutely recognize how important and popular those trains are for all of our patrons,” Lindgren.

The reconfiguration will see the playground shifted south, allowing parents to see the entire playground more easily. Due to the proximity of East Avenue, the park district is moving the equipment for younger kids closer to the park side and further from the street, according to Lindgren.

Rehm Park’s lavatory situation will also see improvements. Part of the playground renovation project includes removing the four porta-potties and putting in an open-air outdoor private restroom.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to keep it open year-round,” said Lindgren. “We’ll have to see through this winter, how it holds up to the Chicago cold.”

Park district staff will monitor the restroom to ensure it is unoccupied during off hours and at night for security purposes, according to Lindgren.

Construction necessitates the playground’s closure until Sept. 1. However, the Rehm swimming pool and tennis courts will remain open.

With spring in full swing, Lindgren understands the difficulty of having a playground closed for construction, but he believes the wait will be well worth it.

“Once it’s done, it’s really going to be a beautiful park that’s going to serve a lot more people than the one that’s currently out there.”

Rehm, a member of the park district’s first board of commissioners and its second board president.

The trains have been at the park since at least 1960.

Stacey Sheridan

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Colonel Arthur D. Rehm

CHOO CHOO FOREVER: The pedal powered trains have been a favorite at the Rehm Park playground for decades. The train will remain while the playground is rebuilt around it.

10

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Live Café to become Brewpoint Craft

Four-year relationship leads to collaboration benefitting both businesses

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

Reesheda Graham Washington, founder and CEO of RGW Consulting and Live Café, and Melissa Villanueva, founder and CEO of Brewpoint Coffee, have announced a collaboration that will transition Live Café, 163 S. Oak Park Ave., to Brewpoint Craft — a café serving coffee, cocktails and charcuterie.

The transition is in process and the storefront is currently closed. Brewpoint Craft should begin a phased opening at the end of April. The shop will start by offering coffee only and is expected to be fully operational

by June. The Live brand, now known as Live 2.0, will continue to influence the coffee shop in both formal and organic ways.

“We are joining forces to continue the services we both love to provide,” said Graham Washington. “We can improve on the successes of 2020 by working together.”

With three successful Brewpoint locations in Elmhurst, Villanueva was fielding expansion opportunities in multiple communities, but ultimately settled on Oak Park because of the uniqueness of the community and her pre-existing relationship with Graham Washington.

The relationship between the two business owners has been “interwoven and intertwined” for more than four years.

“Oh, my goodness, I think I tagged Melissa first,” said Graham Washington. “I was really looking for a coffee roaster for the café and she ended up teaching me about the coffee industry. In our relationship she would bring the coffee and I would bring the community.”

Through quarterly check ins, a dual mentorship emerged between the women with reciprocal benefits to both businesses. Graham Washington became an asset to Brewpoint as a touchstone on issues of community development, equity and antiracism, while Villanueva offered her expertise in terms of coffee quality and café management.

The idea of transitioning Live to the Brewpoint brand began taking form in 2020 when both Graham Washington and Villanueva were forced to become “nimble and creative” during the pandemic. Despite the unforeseen circumstances Brewpoint Cof-

fee’s three Elmhurst locations finished their year “just as financially strong” as the year previous. Simultaneously, in response to increasing needs for conversations focused on race and inclusion, RGW Consulting saw a significant spike in business.

Both Brewpoint Coffee and RGW Consulting were thriving at a time many other businesses were struggling.

Juggling increased consulting demand and café management, however, left Graham Washington feeling spread too thin. Around the same time, it became clear to Villanueva, who was feeling isolated in the wake of George Floyd’s death, that she wanted to expand Brewpoint into a community willing to engage in difficult conversations about race and equity.

“I was drawn to the willingness of people in Oak Park to acknowledge the pivotal point in history we are facing as a nation,” said Villanueva. “I want to be part of a community that helps set the stage for the hard work that needs to be done to address the pain within communities and collectively move forward.”

Brewpoint pays above fair-trade price when sourcing green coffee beans and will continue to highlight the Live Blend coffee they developed and roast for the former cafe but will also bring expanded offerings to the Oak Park Avenue location. Lovers of Live Café’s Jill Scott will do well or order a Borealis at Brewpoint. The signature latte features oat milk, espresso, honey, and cinnamon and has a toasted marshmallow flavor profile.

“We are going to hit it out of the park for coffee lovers, said Villanueva. “There is an air of pretentiousness in the coffee industry that we have no interest in. If you want cream and sugar in your coffee, you should put cream and sugar in your coffee. We want to be approachable.”

Additionally, Villanueva consulted with Will Duncan, owner of FitzGerald’s in Berwyn to develop a custom cocktail menu for Brewpoint. Expect a find a Brewpoint Old Fashioned on the menu as well as creative offerings like a Pisco Mai Tai. Locally sourced meats and cheeses will round out the menu.

As for Live, Graham Washington is eager to broaden her capacity to infuse equitable community practices into spaces like Brewpoint Craft.

“We will continue to step in as needed in the community,” said Graham Washington.

“We are taking Live to the next level with the intention of integrating our ethos across the village by other local businesses.”

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Oak Park Ave. construction banners encourage business support Construction will wrap up by mid-May

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Banners went up on Oak Park Avenue last Friday encouraging people to support local businesses during the Oak Park Avenue renovation project. The two banners also serve as a reminder that the construction work will end, and the street will reopen mid-May. Reading, “Thank you for supporting local business,” the banners are part of an effort to step up communication and outreach to support the Southtown Business District which is being impacted by construction to replace water and sewer mains under the street near where it intersects with the Eisenhower Expressway.

One banner is located at the southwest corner of Oak Park Avenue and Harrison Street, while the other sits at the northeast corner of Oak Park Avenue and Garfield Street. Light pole banners will go up in the next week, according to Jim Prescott, of Prescott Group, which is facilitating project communication.

The banners were the idea of Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb, who suggested the idea of putting up signage in the district to inform people of the project’s expected end date. The wider discussion was about the Southtown

Business District’s incentive requests at the village board’s March 22 meeting.

Many of the requested incentives did not receive the recommendation of staff or the board’s approval. Such requested incentives included a moratorium on parking fees for the duration of construction, the enforcement of which would pose major difficulties, according to the village’s director of community and economic development director Tammie Grossman.

Southtown Business District also requested the creation of a shopping rewards program, similar to the Better Lake Street Rewards Program, implemented during the Lake Street reconstruction project. The comprehensive Lake Street reconstruction began in March of 2019 and wrapped up this past November. In comparison, the Oak Park Avenue project is much smaller.

“The area will only be closed for two, maybe three months as we’re trying to get out of the area as quickly as possible,” said Grossman.

Part of the reason staff and village board did not support implementing a shopper rewards program at the request of the Southtown Business District was that the village of Oak Park does not have the ability to facilitate it. Downtown Oak Park facilitated the Lake Street program, which encompassed three business districts. The program did not perform as it was expected.

(For more information, see page 1.)

11

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ver the past year, the pandemic has brought tourism to a standstill. This has had a big impact here in the Oak Park area, which usually attracts millions of visitors to our local Eric C. Wagner President & CEO attractions like: the Frank of Visit Oak Park Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, Unity Temple, Hemingway Birthplace Museum, and Brookfield Zoo. Now more than ever, they need your support.

With vaccines giving us all hope that life will start returning to some normalcy this summer, our attractions need locals—like you—to buy tickets and visit while they wait for more visitors to be able to return soon.

With strict safety guidelines in place at each of our local attractions, here are a few great ways to explore your own backyard with your family and friends.

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

As a local, it might be easy to forget, but Oak Park is the birthplace of American architecture. If you’ve never visited, drop by the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, and enjoy a guided tour of where Wright’s Prairie style design got its roots.

Take a Wright Around Oak Park Tour to get a deeper glimpse into this genius designer with a walking tour of ten Wright homes in the surrounding historic neighborhood.

If you’ve never attended the annual Wright Plus Housewalk before, this is the year to go. This year’s event was recently rescheduled for September, but you’ll soon be able to purchase tickets. Not only do you get extraordinary access to eight private residences, and two landmark buildings designed by Wright and his contemporaries, but you will also be supporting the great work of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.

While any tour of Oak Park usually includes a stop at

Wright’s famed Unity Temple, the best way to see his masterpiece right now is a special virtual tour as part of the Vintage Home Show on Saturday, April 24. This special event, hosted by the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation and the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce, features virtual workshops for how to repair, restore, and renovate historic buildings.

Ernest Hemingway’s Birthplace Museum

If you’re watching the new Ken Burns Hemingway documentary on PBS, taking a tour of Ernest Hemingway’s Birthplace Museum provides a behind the scenes glimpse of this enigmatic author that you just can’t get from watching the documentary.

The majestic Pleasant Home offers three unique tours. Get a glimpse of servant life at the mansion, or take an expanded tour and see all three levels of the home. A new grounds tour will be offered this spring.

The Oak Park River Forest Museum showcases unique and interesting historical artifacts of the area. Check out their many historical and timely exhibits, including the Fair Housing exhibit.

Finally, come one, come all, and enjoy the many famed exhibits of Brookfield Zoo, including Dinos Everywhere, which will only be here until September.

Be sure to check out the new Pick Oak Park guide to find local shopping and dining options to fill out a perfect day for your family and friends.

As we get closer to summer travel, look to Visit Oak Park for more information.

Visit Oak Park is the tourism bureau serving the Village of Oak Park and its neighboring Cook County communities, including the villages of Brookfield, Forest Park, North Riverside, River Forest and Riverside.

12

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Little Free Art Gallery makes art accessible to all Inspired by Little Free Library book-sharing boxes

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Ever wish you could reach inside one of those Little Free Library boxes and grab

something other than a paperback Dean Koontz novel? Perhaps a piece of handmade artwork? In Oak Park, you can. At the corner of South Kenilworth Avenue and Harvard Street, sits the village’s first ever “little free art gallery.”

“I’m hoping it’s an outlet for expression and an outlet to connect with each other,” said Megan Spillman, who brought the little free art gallery to Oak Park.

Spillman got the idea for the outdoor community gallery after her friend shared an article with her about one in Seattle back in January.

“The minute I saw that article I thought, ‘I definitely need to make this happen,’” said Spillman. “It’s one of those things that you just can’t shake; you’re going to have to do it.”

Spillman enlisted the help of her neigh-

bor Aaron Johnson, of the Oak Park Handy Human. Johnson built the structure based on the dimensions of the little free art gallery in Seattle. It was installed March 22.

So far, gallery visitors have deposited such masterpieces as drawings and prints.

Spillman herself put in some funny postcards she had collected. Most of the works donated have been on the smaller scale, according to Spillman, but the gallery has the

Applications closing 5pm, April 9

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM capacity to hold two-dimensional pieces up to 11-by-10-inches in size.

People of all ages can put artwork of all types into the little gallery. Whether it’s a three-dimensional hanging mobile or a still life painting, amateur or professional – all art is welcome.

“It could be any medium – fiber arts, ceramics, glass,” said Spillman.

The only rule is to keep the gallery’s interior in its original condition. The hammering of nails to hang pieces is not permitted and artists should take care to make sure paint and glue fully dries before depositing the latest masterpieces.

“No altering the inside of the gallery either with wet paint or with any hooks or nails or anything like that,” said Spillman.

Little plastic dolls sit inside the gallery, as if viewing art in a museum. Spillman purchased the figurines, which she calls “gallery visitors,” from Lakeshore Learning, a Chicago-based teaching supplies company.

The gallery visitors are permanent fixtures for all to enjoy.

The little free art gallery has a Facebook

13

and Instagram account, which Spillman updates to show new pieces. If an artist leaves their own social media usernames, Spillman will tag them in pictures.

“I’m going to try to at least two times a day, take some photos of what’s coming and going,” said Spillman. “And then if people leave items, they’re welcome to tag the gallery and we can repost them on the gallery account.”

While Oak Park’s little free art gallery is still new, neighboring River Forest may soon have one too.

“I have a friend in River Forest; she was super interested in launching one in her front yard,” she said.

The River Forest location Spillman expects will open in the next couple of months.

She hopes the little free art gallery will spread, with other communities constructing their own.

“I’m starting to brainstorm ideas for bringing it to other neighborhoods,” said Spillman. “I feel like it’s a little bit of joy in a time that has felt not so joyful.”

Quality, Affordable, Independent Housing for Seniors 114 SOUTH HUMPHREY OAK PARK, IL 60302

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

WINDOW TO ART: Oak Park’s first Little Free Art Gallery (above and previous page) is open for viewing and sharing at Kenilworth and Harvard

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The Oaks is owned and operated by the Oak Park Residence Corporation and is funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development through the 202/Section 8 Program. Monthly rent is based on the resident’s income, with individuals paying approximately 30% of their monthly income toward rent.

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Binge Drinking. /’bin(d)ZH ‘driNGkiNG/

The consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month April is designated “National Alcohol Awareness Month,” a time to increase public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma and encourage local communities to focus on alcohol and alcohol-related issues and consequences. This April the important public health issue of underage drinking, a problem with devastating individual, family and community consequences, is being highlighted.

Please participate in +PYD’s and ART’s Month long activities and Virtual “Bike” ride by checking out their calendar at OakParkTownship.org/prevention-services/ or following +PYD on Facebook or Instagram.

For more information and to discover local resources: www.OakParkTownship.org/PYD This campaign is supported by the Strategic Prevention FrameworkPartnerships for Success Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 93.243 funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration through a grant administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Supporting youth in Oak Park and River Forest Townships.

Oak Park & River Forest Townships

@Positive Youth Development

EVERY MORNING SHE SNORES EVERY MORNING MYMYMORE HUMAN SHAVES OFF HUMAN SHAVES OFF THAN I DO, BUT I STILL FACEFUR, FUR,HE’S HE’S HISHISFACE LOVE MY HUMAN. FUNNYLIKE LIKETHAT. THAT. FUNNY — BANDIT

—TUCK adopted 11-26-09 —TUCK adopted 05-04-11 adopted 05-04-11

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

15

As Superstore closes, Oak Park actress looks back

Kelly Schumann (aka Justine) loved comedy’s focus on hard issues

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

NBC’s Superstore did what lesser shows could only dream of this year by managing to make the plight of essential retail workers hilarious during a global health crisis. The show follows a kooky group of big-box store employees, including one played by Kelly Schumann, a River Forest native and former Wednesday Journal employee. Superstore’s final season ended March 25; its denouement covered the realities of working retail in a pandemic – covering everything from a lack of employee protective equipment to customers stockpiling toilet paper.

“There are real people dealing with these very extraordinary circumstances,” said Schumann, who grew up in Oak Park and River Forest and sold ads at Wednesday Journal.

“If there was ever a chance that I was going to just leave my cart in the parking spot that I was in, I don’t do that anymore.”

Schumann joined the cast of Superstore as a series regular during its second season, playing the character Justine, who struggled to fit in with the more popular employees working at the fictional Cloud 9 store.

Leading up to its final season, Superstore had already successfully depicted healthcare inequality, teen pregnancy, ageism and employee strikes with its signature insightful humor. Schumann credits the show’s writers for not shying away from such difficult topics.

“What I appreciate about being on Superstore and so much of what I love about that show is they’re tackling these things; they’re not pretending these things don’t exist,” said Schumann.

A pivotal scene during its season four finale found Mateo, one of Superstore’s principal characters and an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines, detained by officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a workplace raid. ICE was sent in by Cloud 9 corporate offices to quash talks of unionization among store employees.

“When you look at the immigration storyline, you see, real life implications of these very large concepts in our world,” said Schumann.

And Superstore managed to be sidesplittingly funny in the process.

Often overlooked, people working at grocery stores, Walmart and Target were thrust into the nation’s view when COVID-19 hit. Superstore fully tapped into the newfound attention placed on essential retail workers, telling their stories with heartfelt humor. Schumann hopes those who watched the show found a new appreciation for the people it portrays.

“During this pandemic, I hope we all learned that when we call them essential workers, it’s because they’re essential,” she said. “And perhaps they shouldn’t be some of the lowest paid people in society and perhaps they should be given hazard pay and other benefits that people in what we might consider less essential positions are getting.”

Those essential workers include Schumann’s own brother, Jeremy Schumann, who has worked for over 20 years at River Forest’s Jewel-Osco, 7525 W. Lake St. “I was so proud of him because when the pandemic started, a lot of people rightfully stopped working those types of jobs because it was dangerous,” said Schumann. “He really didn’t want to stop working; he felt this desire to be of service in that way.”

Photo by Trae Patton/NBC

OH, JUSTINE: Kelly Schumann (far right, top picture) is a native of Oak Park and River Forest and once upon a time was an ad salesperson at Wednesday Journal. She had an ongoing role as Justine in the NBC comedy Superstore.

The show broadcast its final episode in late March.

Photo by Chris Haston/NBC

Her brother lives with their parents and ultimately did take a few weeks off of work as a safety precaution.

“When the first wave hit, he took a break because both him and my dad are disabled and so it would have been really dangerous for him to bring it home,” said Schumann.

Once that first wave subsided, Schumann’s brother returned to work and has worked through the pandemic ever since. Schuman told Wednesday Journal her brother has since gotten both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, as have their parents.

Superstore is not just a hysterical workplace comedy with excellent opportunities for product placement, it’s a show critics and fans have come to love for its varied cast of characters. The show portrays people of all shapes, sizes, ages, skin colors, abilities, sexual orientation and religious faith – all without making Superstore feel like NBC was trying to satisfy some sort of diversity requirement.

“I don’t give Superstore a pat on the back for it because

I think this is something we all should be doing,” said Schumann.

The way Superstore and diversity intersect is intentional, allowing the attributes of its characters to inform the storytelling just as much as the outside world does. A standout episode from the final season involves addressing society’s systemic racism through reparations in the form of a pizza party for Black employees. The event devolves into something of an inadvertent “All Lives Matter” pizza party.

“I don’t think they set out to tackle ideas like this,” said Schumann of the show’s writers. “I think it’s just inherently something they felt a responsibility to do when you’re dealing with these types of people.”

Had the show been renewed for another season, Schumann would have liked to have seen how Superstore addressed more hot button issues, such as the vaccination effort.

“Whatever major event happens next I will wish that Superstore could cover it.”

16

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Want to recycle political signs?

Represent Oak Park is making it easy

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Don’t let the excitement of this month’s municipal election overshadow April’s status as National Recycling Month, as proclaimed by President George H. W. Bush in 1989. Represent Oak Park has made it easy to take part in this sustainability effort after taking part in the election process.

In collaboration with Greenway Recycling Ser-

REWARDS

COVID squelches demand from page 1 As DTOP carries out a similar holiday shopper reward program, the village board entered into a funding grant agreement Feb. 2, 2020 with DTOP in the amount of $120,000 to facilitate the Better Lake Street Rewards program.

“That was a huge investment of the village to commit to. And so, when they did, it was very exciting,” said Williams. “Then the pandemic hit just as we’re rolling it out.”

Out of the $120,000 allocated in village funding, DTOP only invoiced the village $46,345, according to Sean Keane, the village of Oak Park’s budget and revenue analyst. A portion of the invoiced amount went to covering administrative costs. The program, which 450 families participated in, gave out just $30,000 worth of rewards.

“It was breaking my heart that I had to give all their money back because that money was supposed to go right back into small independent businesses that needed it,” said Williams.

That program consisted of spending money in the three districts most affected by Lake Street reconstruction: Downtown Oak Park (DTOP), the Pleasant District and the Hemingway District. For spending $20 or more at five participating businesses, racking up a total of $200 or more, shoppers received a booklet of reward certificates worth $25 to spend in the designated districts. Shoppers were eligible to receive two booklets and most participants did, according to Williams.

When non-essential businesses were ordered to shut down in March due to COVID-19, DTOP tried to alter the program to keep it functioning.

DTOP allowed people to mail their receipts, as well as accepted delivery and online receipts.

“We tried really hard to make it very easy,” said Williams. “But we still didn’t see as many people as we probably would have, as I know we would have, had the pandemic not been in place.”

Oak Park’s community and economic development director Tammie Grossman believes people weren’t saving receipts as they normally would during the holiday shopping season.

Williams blames the pandemic entirely for

vices, Represent Oak Park is providing a roll-off recycling bin to deposit yard signs at 917 Chicago Avenue in Oak Park. The service is free of charge and will be available beginning April 7 at 8 a.m. through April 14 at 7 p.m. This information is also available on Facebook under the event titled “Political Yard Sign Recycling Drop-off.”

To keep the Earth clean and green, Represent Oak Park asks that people spread news of the recycling opportunity to ensure that as many signs as possible are deposited. The political coalition welcomes any and all campaigns to join in. The recycling drop-off is open to yard signs supporting every candidate and referendum.

how the Better Lake Street Rewards Program turned out. COVID-19 caused considerable communication problems among the participating districts. DTOP is funded by a special tax assessment levied on property owners in the district while the Hemingway and Pleasant districts are entirely run by volunteers.

“Because of the pandemic, I just don’t think there was enough structure for those districts to communicate what they needed to,” said Williams, adding that DTOP’s bylaws prevented it from carrying out communication in districts outside of their own.

Williams tried to visit as many of the shops in the Pleasant and Hemingway districts to spread word of the program, but that strategy fell apart after the state-mandated closures of non-essential businesses.

“It just made the program really difficult and I was very disappointed because we worked so hard to get that program approved by the village,” said Williams.

Williams told Wednesday Journal that DTOP did receive positive feedback about the program from the participating businesses and shoppers who understood how the program worked.

“There was a lot of confusion in the program between the merchants and the consumers,” said Williams.

Confusion stemmed from consumers not understanding that the Better Lake Street Rewards Program was entirely different and separate from DTOP’s holiday program.

“It was really pertinent that we educate the consumer that this is three districts as a separate program to spread the wealth,” said Williams. “Because again, with the pandemic, all communication was kind of shut down.”

Despite their best efforts, Williams thinks many people did not get the necessary information and messaging needed to participate in the program. If they had, Williams believes it would have been “super easy” for more people to receive rewards booklets.

“We wanted to give out $100,000,” she said.

While not an outright success, Williams doesn’t view the Better Lake Street Rewards Program as a total failure either.

“I feel like it was the best it could have been during a time where people were not leaving their home,” Williams said. “I feel it was successful under the circumstances.”

Photo by Adam Moroney

RECYCLE: An alternative to throwing those political signs into a landfill.

SCREENING

OPRF responds from page 1 The surveillance testing is one aspect of OPRF’s COVID-19 mitigation process since students returned to hybrid learning on Feb. 1.

In a statement released March 31, D200 officials said, “saliva screening has identified seven cases of COVID-19 among our students and staff, all of them asymptomatic.”

In the statement, D200 officials pointed out that they “have always been clear” that SafeGuard is not a diagnostic test.

“All individuals who test positive on the screener are referred to their doctor or a state testing site to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis,” D200 officials stated. “This identification has helped protect the school as well as those individuals’ family, friends, and our greater community.”

They added that SafeGuard has adapted “an internationally recognized” process for identifying “hundreds of COVID-19 cases that were later confirmed by lab testing at the numerous area schools that use this particular low-cost and highly accurate screening method.”

In a statement responding to the New York Times article, New Trier

officials expressed their disappointment in the article, “which contains inaccuracies and omits several important points about the program, including how the program has been authorized to operate under guidance from the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the fact that it has successfully identified hundreds of cases of COVID-19.”

New Trier officials added that they shared letters with the New York Times “from government officials that oversee screening regulation confirming the program’s lawful operation as well as the success stories, studies, and numerous endorsements from the scientific community -- all of which the story omitted.

“New Trier has also met with local and state health authorities to review our use of the program and they have not directed us to change our use of it. From the time the program began, New Trier has been clear that the saliva program is non-diagnostic and must be confirmed by a lab test. To suggest otherwise is false.”

D200 officials said they “concur with New Trier’s statement,” adding that their lawyers have reviewed OPRF’s screening program and that they are “confident that it is an appropriate and useful part of our multi-layered approach to mitigating the spread of COVID-19.”

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

17

Second D90 candidate alleges harassment Eckmann reported calls, emails to RF police

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Contributing Reporter

Another River Forest school board candidate has come forward to share her own experience with harassment leading up to the April 6 consolidated general election.

Sarah Eckmann, who is eying a seat on the River Forest School District 90 Board of Education, said she received unsolicited phone calls from a man who accused her of harassing former D90 candidate Scott Hall. The calls came just days after Hall on March 24 announced his withdrawal from the race on his campaign website. Though Hall did not detail what he and his family faced, he wrote that they had been “repeatedly threatened, harassed and disparaged.”

Hall has not returned Journal calls for an interview.

In an interview with Wednesday Journal, Eckmann said a man called two different offices she worked at, and also called her husband and a friend’s teenage son who designed her campaign website.

“At one office that I was at, the reception-

ist got a phone call and obscenities were repeated and [he] yelled at her about me,” said the 39-year-old Eckmann, a first-time candidate and River Forest native. She added the incidents that have happened in the last week have been “totally unnecessary and uncalled for.”

In addition to the unwarranted phone calls, the same man also reached out to Eckmann through her own campaign website.

In an email with the subject headline “Youra Pig [sic],” he wrote, “Pig!!!!!!!! You will regret your antics. Pig. [sic]” Eckmann has since removed all her personal information on her site.

On top of that, Eckmann said the comments on Facebook targeting her and those who worked on her campaign and blaming them for pushing Hall out of the race have not stopped. Eckmann denies playing any role in Hall’s decision to withdraw from the race.

Sonia Green, a friend of Eckmann, opened up about the backlash she and her son received last week.

That same man who had been calling the Eckmanns allegedly moved on to Green’s 17-year-old son, who helped Eckmann with her campaign website. Green said that man called her son on the afternoon of March

a very valued member of our 29 and left a voicemail saying, “You’re a fat, fat pig. You will Board of Directors [sic],” Lawnever work again.” rence wrote.

“I don’t know if he knew he Lawrence continued to defend was calling a minor,” Green said, Hall, saying that “the stateadding that the message her son ments made in the letter are received was “just so ridicuflat out untrue” and called the lous.” She explained further that letter’s author a “gutless cowher son is an avid photographer ard” who should “grow up and who has his own site where his be willing to stand behind your age and contact information is SARAH ECKMANN words – show yourself.” displayed.

Lawrence declined to further This past week, Eckmann and Green re- comment on his social media post. ported the unsolicited phone calls to police.

When Eckmann was asked why some peoThe River Forest Police Department could ple have accused her of allegedly harassing not be immediately reached for comment.

Hall, she said she was unsure of their reaGreen said she was one of seven people sons and thought their opposing platforms, who wrote a letter to the D90 Board of Edu- including a basis for reopening schools, cation and asked members to investigate might have been the issue.

Hall’s alleged misuse of a parent database.

“People can disagree with different deciHall allegedly used the district’s AtoZ Direcsions that any elected official makes,” Ecktory to send unsolicited campaign emails to mann said, “and that needs to be done in a families in the district, which is considered respectful way and resorting to harassment a violation of the directory’s terms of use. threats is just unacceptable.”

The district launched an investigation, Eckmann is now one of four candidates but Hall declined to participate. Instead, he competing for four open seats on the D90 suspended his school board candidacy and school board. She joins three incumbents, resigned from his position as a volunteer Stacey Williams, Katie Avalos and Nicole teachers’ aide.

Thompson. Hall’s name remains on the bal“We weren’t in any way set out to malign him or destroy him,” Green said of her in- lot since his withdrawal came after ballots tention behind sending that letter to board. were created.

With Election Day around the corner, Eck“It was just like, ‘look, he’s breaking the mann reflected on what she and her family rules,’ however when the narrative became, and friends have recently faced. Despite the ‘I’m doing this because I’m being harassed’ incidents that have transpired, Eckmann that didn’t sit right with me.” thought of the reason why she ran in the But, John Lawrence, a supporter of Hall, told a different story. Lawrence turned to so- first place and the real role local elected ofcial media to share what he described as a ficials play in their neighborhoods.

“People who run for public office are case of voter intimidation.

In a Facebook post, Lawrence wrote about trying to do good things for their commuhow his wife Pam, co-founder of Kindness nity, and people who don’t agree with them Creators Intergenerational Preschool in should just vote according to their views,” Oak Park, received a letter that defamed Eckmann said. “Nothing should be escalatHall, who serves as board treasurer at Kind- ing in this manner.”

“It makes it harder to want to serve your ness Creators.

“The opening paragraph explicitly states community, but I still am going to,” she said. that our and her school’s association with “I’m not going to drop out of the race beScott would be bad for business – Scott is cause of this.”

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3 Kings Jerk Chicken Eggrolls

By DAVID HAMMOND

T

Dining Blogger

here are lots of foods invented in Chicago that most of us in Oak Park never hear about.

Ever heard of a Jim Shoe? This is a submarine sandwich, containing both corned and roast beef, gyros with tzatziki sauce, lettuce, sliced tomato, mayo, and sometimes cheese, onions, mustard and/ or giardiniera. These Dagwood-type sandwiches are offered at several street stands/ restaurants, mostly on the South and West sides.

Ever eaten Taffy Grapes? They’re fresh, seedless green grapes dipped in frosting or other candy coating and sprinkled with nuts. You’ll find them at non-chain, quickservice restaurants, like Chicagoland’s many steak and lemonade stores, BBQ joints, fish stands, and chicken shacks.

Recently, Nick Kindelsperger at the Chicago Tribune brought our attention to a new breed of Chicago-style egg rolls being served by Black chefs and cooks at many storefront locations, frequently chop suey joints, some not far from Oak Park.

Last month, I drove less than two miles from my Oak Park home to 3 Kings Jerk at 5451 W. Madison. The place is easy to spot: gayly dancing eggrolls on the front windows proclaim, “Home of the Best Jerk Chicken Egg Rolls.”

Egg rolls stuffed with jerk chicken are just the start. At 3 Kings Jerk, you can also get egg rolls stuffed with jerk steak, gyros, Philly cheese steak, shrimp and broccoli, and … Italian beef.

The jerk chicken, our favorite, was served

with sweet and sour sauce, like all the other novelty egg rolls, but that does not seem to make for such an awesome flavor combination. If you visit, we suggest asking for the jerk sauce on the side.

A few years ago, I spent time in Cook County Jail teaching pro bono creative writing workshops. While chatting with residents of the jail, I sometimes heard about the food they’d made in their cells.

Some would crumble crackers, add cheese strands from mozzarella sticks, squirt on some ketchup and warm it all on foil gum wrappers beneath the overhead lights; this was “pizza.” Or they might take uncooked Ramen noodles, mayo and whatever fruit or vegetables they might have on hand (not many, I assure you) to create a salad. This is the kind of food you make when resources are limited, and you still want to make food of your own.

Similarly, the typical Chicago storefront restaurant may likely be working with a relatively limited number of materials, so places like 3 Kings Jerk do whatever they can to make something special, something unique and authentically theirs.

If you are looking for a meal or snack that’s a little different and not at all out-ofthe-way, 3 Kings Jerk has a relatively large menu of jerked dinners (including catfish, oxtails and lamb chops), wings, tacos and, of course, egg rolls, which you can order in regular size or jumbo rolls (about two-and-ahalf times as large as the regular). You can also make your own combo rolls with any two meats. Next time we visit 3 Kings Jerk, I’m going to order my own special egg roll of jerk chicken and shrimp with garlic parmesan sauce. And for dessert? Taffy Grapes!

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

C R I M E

No sale as victim loses cash, gets no clothes A suburban Lombard resident was the victim of an armed robbery in Oak Park at 7 p.m., March 31. The resident had planned to purchase clothing from the offender at a prearranged spot in the 500 block of North Cuyler Avenue.

Upon arriving at the designated location, the victim handed cash to a man sitting in the driver’s seat of a black Hyundai sports utility vehicle. The man then showed the victim a black handgun, possibly semi-automatic, and placed it on his lap, pointed in the direction of the victim. He told the victim she would not get her money or the clothes.

The offender then fled the scene, traveling northbound on Cuyler Avenue. The estimated loss is $400.

Burglary ■ Someone

pried open the door to Village Laundromat, 14 W. Chicago Ave., and stole copper piping and fittings, tools and a flatscreen television between 3 p.m., March 30 and 7 a.m., March 31. The estimated loss is $3,300.

■ A pair of white and gold Coach sunglasses were taken out of a vehicle between 7:30 p.m. and 11:45 p.m., March 31 in the 100 block of North Humphrey Avenue. The loss is estimated at $400.

■ Someone broke into a vehicle and removed from inside an iPad, two credit cards and one debit card between 5:30 p.m., March 30 and noon, March 31 in the 1000 block of South Austin Boulevard. The estimated loss is $500.

■ Someone broke the front passenger’s side window of a 2021 Honda HRV then stole a white charging cable from inside the vehicle between 2 p.m., April 3 and 1:32 p.m., April 4 in the 100 block of North Austin Boulevard.

Aggravated vehicular hijacking arrest Police have arrested a Chicago juvenile with possession of a stolen vehicle and

aggravated vehicular hijacking which occurred in the 600 block of Fair Oaks Avenue at 1:10 p.m., March 29. The juvenile was arrested at 6:03 p.m., March 30 in the 1000 block of North Waller Avenue in Chicago.

Theft ■ Someone cut the catalytic converter from a 2008 Toyota Prius while it was parked in the 400 block of South Grove Avenue between 3:45 p.m. and 4:05 p.m., March 29. The estimated loss is $248.

■ The catalytic converter was taken from a 2000 Silver Honda Accord between 4 p.m., March 24 and 11:30 a.m., March 31 in the 500 block of South Boulevard.

■ A package containing boots was taken from the front vestibule of a residential building in the 400 block of South Lombard Avenue between 7 p.m., March 27 and 5 a.m., March 28. The estimated loss is $40.

Criminal damage to property ■ Someone removed the driver’s side window of a 2006 Blue Saab parked in the rear of an Oak Park residence and also shattered a small glass windowpane on the residence’s front door between 12:01 a.m. and 9 a.m., March 31 in the 800 block of Lombard Avenue. The estimated loss is $100.

■ The driver’s side window of a 2007 Buick Lacrosse was damaged while parked in the 600 block of Fair Oaks Avenue between 6 p.m. and 10:07 p.m., March 26. The estimated damage is $150.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports March 30 - April 5 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

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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

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Homes

IN ORDER: Diane Wechter, a volunteer at New Moms, straightens out the play space at the organization’s facility in Oak Park.

New Moms celebrates two years in Oak Park Despite pandemic, nonprofit continues to house and support young families

By LACEY SIKORA

N

Contributing Reporter

ew Moms opened the doors to its Oak Park facility in March 2019, providing housing to 18 families through Clare Place and operating as a resource in parenting education and support, home parent coaching and doula services to young mothers.

The Kitchen Walk, an annual house tour featuring designer kitchens in Oak Park and River Forest, was a big fundraiser for New Moms, but due to the pandemic, the walk had to be cancelled for the second year

in a row.

“Without the Kitchen Walk, we are missing a big connection with the community,” said Bonnie Andorka, New Moms’ donor relations event manager.

The need for support is even greater due to the pandemic. With an increase in families experiencing homelessness, the need for safe and stable housing in the community continues to grow.

New Moms transitioned its programming to a virtual format during the pandemic, continuing to offer support to young families, and the 18 apartments at Clare Place are full.

“Our work at New Moms is about partnering with young moms and being a catalyst to their hard work and ultimate success,” said Dr. Laura Zumdahl, president and CEO See NEW MOMS on page 24

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Dan Halperin Greg Jaroszewski Vee Jaroszewski Noa Klima Jack Lattner Iris McCormick Vince McFadden

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Meticulously maintained and ready to move in. ........... $1,549,000

GREAT OPPORTUNITY to live on a beautiful tree lined street!

Spacious home with family room addition, updated kitchen that blends beautifully with the vintage charm of the formal LR & DR. 2nd floor includes 3 BRs including large primary with walk-in closet, balcony and laundry room. .................................... $749,000

PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP!! This gem of a home sits on a 50 x 170 lot and has been in the same family for over 40yrs. Main house offers 3 BRs, 2 full baths plus family room. 2nd FL offers in-law suite complete with two BRs, living room, dining room , kitchen & full bath. 2 car Garage. .......................................................$499,000

EXPERT DESIGN RENOVATION! The very best in contemporary design, finishes and mechanicals alongside exquisitely restored leaded glass doors and gleaming hardwoods create the ideal blend of old and new. Massive rooms and high end craftsmanship throughout. Oversized lot. .............................................. $1,499,000

547 LINDEN • OAK PARK

1634 N. 76TH CT • ELMWOOD PARK

320 S. MAPLE UNIT F • OAK PARK

632 BONNIE BRAE • RIVER FOREST

N EW LI S T I N G!

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COLONIAL REVIVAL STYLE with Tudor Revival influences built in 1909. This stunning six-bedroom home displays sophistication and tasteful elegant décor. It offers wonderful space for family and entertaining with beautiful views of the spectacular oversized corner lot. ........................................................................ $1,395,000

LOVELY MOVEIN READY brick and stone Georgian in the RF manor section that will not disappoint! This 3 BR, 2-1/2 bath home offers a wdbg fireplace, remodeled custom kitchen, family room, finished basement with wet bar, full spa bath, large laundry room, and plenty of storage.......................................................... $419,000

RARE FRONT UNIT that feels like a single family home! Open floor plan, gorgeous custom kitchen, open staircase to second floor with two bedrooms, each with private baths, heated bathroom floors and vaulted ceilings. Large front porch, fenced in area, and two parking spots........................................................$485,000

EXQUISITE, UPDATED HOME with luxurious finishes throughout, walk to EVERYTHING location! Four full floors of renovated space including massive, open, chef’s kitchen that opens to family room, French doors, amazing basement living space and home gym. Move in and enjoy! ................................................. $1,299,999

1135 FOREST • RIVER FOREST

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ELEGANT CRAFTSMANSHIP can be found throughout this 5 BR French Normandy home. Sophistication is evident from the moment you walk in the door. Impressive foyer, formal LR with fireplace and built-in benches, family room, separate formal DR, updated kitchen, home office. ........................................... $975,000

LOVELY UPDATED HOME with a beautiful view of Taylor Park and great space for family and entertaining! Hardwood floors throughout, updated kitchen, spacious eating area, full basement with rec room, family room, and laundry room, 2 car garage. This gem is a great opportunity! ............................................... $579,000

BEAUTIFUL END UNIT TOWNHOUSE offers a rare private yard completely fenced and wonderfully landscaped along with 3 levels of luxurious living and an attached 2 car garage. Other features include 3BRs, 2-1/2 baths, a family room, LR with built-ins and fireplace, large eat-in kitchen............................................. $539,500

CENTRAL LOCATION so you may walk to town and train! Located on the historic 700 Block of William this home features a beautifully renovated open floor-plan Kitchen, 1st floor family room, LL playroom, laundry /storage, office & full bath. Professionally landscaped yard and large deck. ....................................... $755,000

OAK PARK HOMES

CONDOS/TOWNHOMES/2 FLATS

OAK PARK Two Flat ...........................................................$550,000 OAK PARK 3BR, 2 full/1 half BA. Vintage beauty............$285,000 OAK PARK 2BR, 2BA. Move-in ready! ..............................$244,900 OAK PARK 1BR, 1BA. Great space......................................$174,000

OAK PARK 1BR, 1BA. Open, light-filled. .......................... $169,000 NEW LISTING OAK PARK 1BR, 1BA. .............................. $142,000 OAK PARK 1BR, 1BA. Nicely updated. ................................ $92,500 FOREST PARK 1BR, 1BA. Location Location! ....................$85,000

THREE STORY GRAND VICTORIAN on 100 x 218 lot in the heart of the Frank Lloyd Wright district. This estate features 6 Bedrooms, 2 Full baths, 3 fireplaces, many historic details including double front entry doors sourced from the Historic Pullman Estates section of Chicago. ...................................................................$646,000

RIVER FOREST 2BR, 1BA. Updated condo. ..................... $158,900 RIVER FOREST 1BR, 1BA. Ground floor unit..................... $89,000 NEW LISTING RIVER FOREST 1BR, 1BA. ........................$72,500

Shop for homes online at GagliardoRealty.com

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

NEW MOMS Resources

from page 21 of New Moms. “Too often, young families face the pressures of poverty and scarcity without a support system. New Moms stands in that space with them, helping to relieve that pressure so they can take steps to accomplish their goals and fulfill their greatest potential.”

Summaira Chapman has been living at Clare Place for the past year and a half and says that support system has been helpful incredibly helpful as she raises her 2-yearold son, Loyalty. She meets frequently with Family Support Specialist Paula Ciccarone.

“Paula helps me with work, school and personal issues,” Chapman said. “I can call her anytime. She’s like a mentor to me. I’m close to her.”

Ciccarone says she coaches young moms like Chapman, directing them to resources and providing support.

“I partner with our families as they establish stability in their lives and take powerful first steps to pursue their dreams,” Ciccarone said. “Most of our young moms are set-

Help New Moms Celebrate Mother’s Day this year New Moms asks the community to join them this Mother’s Day in recognizing the important work moms do for their families and their wider community.

You can tell mothers within their programs as well as the mother figures in your life how grateful you are for their commitment, courage, and compassion. Tell them, “We see how much you love your kids. We see how dedicated you are to furthering your education.

We see the barriers and challenges you face every day.”

This is how you can remind moms that they matter: ■ Donate $25 or more and write a note of appreciation and recognition for the moms in New Moms’ programs.

New Moms will print the notes and post them in the windows at the Transformation Center for families to see.

Donate by May 5 to make sure your note is included.

■ Donate $100 or more and, in addition to writing a note for moms at New Moms, you can also send a Bright Endeavors candle to a mother in your life. Donate by April 30 to make sure the candle arrives on time for Mother’s Day. To make a donation, visit newmoms. org/show-moms-you-see-them-thismothers-day

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM ting goals focused on education, career development, parenting and housing. I coach them to believe in themselves and reach their goals and offer resources and support that help them be successful.”

Chapman utilizes New Moms’ employment networking resources, which include resume help and connections to job listings. Family Support Specialist Rachel Guerrero also meets regularly with the residents. “[Guerrero] goes over things like appropriate discipline, and helps us with skills and development for our children,” Chapman said.

For Chapman, New Moms has been invaluable helping her gain her footing as a mother. She calls the community a great stepping-stone to where she is going.

In a typical year, Andorka would be busy overseeing all of the details of the Kitchen Walk. She misses the engagement the walk offered, but she says that the community has really stepped up to offer support in other ways.

First United Church of Oak Park has hosted donation drives for move-in kits, and the OPRF Community Foundation provided a COVID relief grant. Many others in the community have offered financial support.

“People welcomed us so incredibly,” Andorka said. “Just a few examples are Oak Park Apartments providing move-in baskets for every apartment and donating financial support. The Daly Bagel has given us their bagels and been an employment partner. We had a neighboring family who used to help provide in-person meals for our group meetings.

“When the pandemic made that impossible, they went to Sugar Beet Co-op and got every household a pizza making kit so they could still have a fun meal when groups weren’t meeting in person.”

Since opening its doors, New Moms in Oak Park and Clare Place has offered Family Support Services to 155 young moms and their 217 children. Nineteen young moms and their 28 children have received housing at Clare Place.

Mothers like Chapman continue to be the focus of New Moms. Events like Coffee

Chats cover specific topics and attendance is free. In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, which is April 11-17, the Coffee Chat on Wednesday April 14 at 10 a.m. will focus on Black Maternal Health.

To join and discuss the unique challenges that Black pregnant women and new moms face because of systemic racism in healthcare, look for details and registration at newmoms.org/events/coffee-chat

Photo provided

HELPING HANDS: New Moms Property Manager Keosha Thomas (top left) and Doula Mary Calderon chat over coffee at the Oak Park center, which contains rooms for meetings and programs (above) as well as units (left) to house young moms and their children.

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

25

Sunday, April 11 CONDOS

ADDRESS

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES

Growing Community.

OFFICE

LISTING PRICE

TIME

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

@ @OakPark

SPORTS

Fenwick boys soccer off to strong start in 2021 Friars salvage a draw against RBHS on late equalizer

By LAUREN RECCHIA Contributing Reporter

The Fenwick boys soccer team, like all high school athletic teams, has had to adjust to a different season and schedule, but they have proven that they can hold their own.

After starting the season with a 3-1 record, the Friars notched their first draw of the season, a 1-1 result at Riverside-Brookfield High School on April 2.

Fenwick’s equalizer came from junior defenseman Will Jancewicz, who positioned himself in front of the net on the left on and tapped in a loose ball from junior Ryan Bero’s free kick with 18:15 to go in the second half.

“I just lined up to run and we called the play to the back post, and I was the one to get to the back post,” Jancewicz said. “Luckily the goalie couldn’t handle it and I was there to rebound and get it in. We had good ball movement today and the defense played really well overall.”

The Friars are off to a solid start on the season, with victories against some of their toughest conference opponents.

Along with Jancewicz and Bero, the team has gotten major contributions from junior midfielder Jack Powers, senior forward Ari Velliotis (who was honorable mention for the all-sectional and all-Catholic League); senior defenders Anders Luthringshausen,

BATTLING: Fenwick’s Zach Hernandez (right) tries to maneuver past a Riverside-Brookfield High School player during the Friars’ 1-1 draw.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Brent Bergnach and Joey Karris; senior midfielder Narayan Sharma; and senior defender Dylan Kupiec. The senior leadership on the team has been a huge factor in the team’s growth.

“I think we’ve matured a lot from last season,” Jancewicz said. “We’ve had some quality wins against St. Pat’s and St. Ignatius.

It’s been a really solid season so far.”

With the uncertainty over whether there

would be a season this year, Jancewicz and his teammates are thrilled to be taking the field in 2021.

“I was very excited [when the IHSA announced there would be a season],” Jancewicz said. “It was really up in the air for a while, so I’m just really happy to be out here.”

The team has been going through all the necessary protocols and have been successful so far in making sure everyone is safe

and able to play.

“We’ve handled it pretty well,” Jancewicz said. “There have been some setbacks for sure, but I think we’ve done really well to adjust and have a smooth season.”

“Our student athletes and their families, coaches and administration have been amazing in being so positive, patience, and helpful,” said Friars head coach Craig Blazeri. “They are the team.”

Young Huskies soccer squad rebounds after slow start OPRF lost 13 seniors, 8 of them starters, from 2019 squad

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Oak Park and River Forest boys soccer coach Jason Fried knew this season would be different because of the pandemic. Yet, once the Huskies were able to step on the pitch for the first time this spring, they felt grateful and excited to work together to keep improving as players, coaches, and human beings. And Fried was eager to begin the challenge of molding a talented -- albeit young -- roster into a winner.

“We graduated 13 seniors from our 2019 team, eight of them were starters. We knew our make-up this year would be very different,” said Fried, who’s in his fifth season leading the Huskies. “We’re not as experienced, but have a lot of new guys who have the talent and drive to continue with our success.”

OPRF has a record of 2-3-1 entering this week. The Huskies got off to a slow start, losing three of their first four

matches of the season, but have registered solid performances in their last two -- a 5-1 win over Glenbard West on March 25 followed by a 1-1 draw on March 30 against Morton, which is one of Chicagoland’s top programs.

“We’ve played well against all the teams we’ve faced so far, but with so many new faces, a little disorganization has cost us,” Fried said. “I’m so proud of how hard they’ve worked the past few weeks and now we’re seeing success with the last two matches.”

Though young overall, OPRF does have a few talented seniors that have provided leadership, including Paul Garcia, Ben Ryan and Nicolo Stella.

“Paul is a humble player who has had a very positive outlook this year, even with all the challenges and is very motivated every day,” Fried said. “Ben is a great leader who has great technical ability and can play almost anywhere on the field. Nicolo loves the game of soccer and plays with so much passion.”

Fried is pleased with the development of freshman Easton Bogard and believes he has a bright future.

“Easton is a talented and hardworking player that is a great addition to our attack. He will have a positive impact

on our team this season, and if he continues to stay focused on developing, he’ll have so much success going forward,” said Fried.

The Huskies are disappointed there will be no state tournament and no out-of-state competition this spring, along with having a limited amount of fans attending games. But Fried feels his players have not let these difficulties get the best of them, and that they have been focused on a daily basis. If they do that, he believes the outcomes they want will follow.

“I think they’ve done an amazing job focusing on what is important, and that’s the time spent on the pitch with their teammates and coaches,” Fried said. “The seniors have this the hardest because there is no next year, and the maturity and focus they’ve shown is really impressive. They are driving this team to a great season and will have a positive impact on our future successes as well.”

Following a home match with Proviso West on April 6, OPRF has road matches at Willowbrook on April 8 and Hinsdale Central on April 10.

The Huskies will close out the season with home contests against Addison Trail on April 13 and Lyons Township on April 15.

S P O R T S

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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Timmons takes reins of Fenwick girls water polo 2004 grad hopes to build on program’s championship legacy

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Fenwick girls water polo team has a new leader this season, as former player and assistant coach Elizabeth Timmons takes over from longtime head coach Jack Wagner, who retired last year.

“I know I have a lot to prove and live up to in this role,” said Timmons, a 2004 Fenwick graduate who teaches science at the school, in an email. “It won’t be easy to fill the shoes of those who have come before me, including Jack Wagner and Dave Perry -- my first coach and dad. I’m hoping to continue the tradition of excellence and am excited for all the possibilities to come in the future.”

Perry, Timmons’ father, was the legendary coach who led the Fenwick boys water polo team to nine IHSA state championships. Her brother, Kyle Perry, a 2001 Fenwick graduate and an English teacher there, is the boys water polo coach.

While there isn’t the same amount of experience on the

girls team as usual, Timmons feels a mix of talented newcomers along with the few returning veterans should make for a competitive team. Yet she also admits it may take some time for the Friars to jell as a unit.

“Having less pool time due to COVID-19 has meant a little restructuring. I am still figuring out the best places to use people as I get to know the girls and their individual strengths,” Timmons said. “This year will definitely be fluid as we will be making adjustments so I can ensure we are utilizing each player to their maximum potential.”

The faces may be different, but the goal of the Fenwick program remains the same: to improve as the season progresses and be in position to vie for a state title. Under Wagner, the Friars amassed 10 state championships. Timmons believes the team can build upon this legacy, but it will take plenty of work to accomplish this.

“I believe the girls are excited to continue this tradition this year, but in order to be successful, we need to get a little more cohesion with the group we have,” she said. “We’re looking forward to the postseason opportunities, but we have a lot of work to do before we get there.”

Elizabeth Timmons

Courtesy of Fenwick

Former OPRF standout wins Sox pitching challenge

Barrette, Huskies’ 2018 MVP, fires 85 mph dart

Max Reese (69 yards) each had seven receptions, while Eian Pugh added six receptions, including a 5-yard touchdown.

Defensively for Fenwick (0-2), Martin Paris and Nick Polston each had interceptions, while Conor Paris recorded a sack and Aden Vargas a fumble recovery.

The Friars are back in action April 9 at Triton College against St. Patrick.

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Former OPRF baseball pitcher Brendan Barrette won the 2021 White Sox Speed Pitch Challenge held on March 31 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Barrette, a 2018 graduate, won with an 85 mph pitch, beating last year’s 84 mph winning pitch. He won a White Sox jersey signed by the team’s ace starting pitcher and 2019 all-star Lucas Giolito and a year’s worth of pizza, courtesy of Beggars Pizza.

Barrette was voted the Huskies’ Most Valuable Player in 2018. He was also named the Most Outstanding Pitcher of the West Suburban Conference and was chosen by the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches for the 2018 All-State 4A Team. He now pitches for Triton College.

OPRF and Fenwick football ■ There’s a song on “Schoolhouse Rock” -- a Saturday morning TV staple from the past -- called “Three is a Magic Number”.

On April 1 at Oak Park Stadium, the OPRF football team channeled the energy from that song, and made two the magic number.

Demetrius Dortch (4 carries, 67 yards) ran for two touchdowns, Jack Gooch and Jack Landis each threw for two touchdowns and Eric Locke (3 receptions, 72 yards) caught

Fenwick boys water polo

Brendan Barrette two touchdown passes as the Huskies (2-1) blanked Proviso West 53-0.

The OPRF defense also got into the act, notching a pair of safeties. The Huskies held the Panthers to 45 total yards for the evening, including minus-5 yards rushing.

OPRF is scheduled to visit Downers Grove North on April 9.

■ Fenwick had a 19-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter on Saturday at Marmion Academy. However, the host Cadets scored two touchdowns in a span of 2:42 to hand the Friars a gut-wrenching 20-19 defeat.

Fenwick quarterback Kaden Cobb completed 18-of-30 passes for 139 yards and a

touchdown before leaving in the fourth quarter. He was replaced by sophomore E.J. Hosty, who completed 3-of-6 for 22 yards.

On their final drive, the Friars got to the Marmion 39-yard line, but stalled there and turned the ball over on downs with 1:14 remaining. The Cadets got a first down two plays later and proceeded to run out the clock.

Fenwick’s running game was solid as senior RB Isaac Novak (11 rushes, 49 yards) ran for two scores before leaving due to injury, while his replacement, junior Danny Kent, gained 92 yards on 23 attempts.

Wide receivers Bryan Hunt (54 yards) and

The Friars routed visiting De La Salle 19-7 on March 31. Wil Gurski (5 goals, 3 assists), Pete Buinauskas (3 goals, 4 assists), Peter Spina (3 goals), and Brian Moore (5 saves) were Fenwick’s standout performers.

On April 3, Fenwick went 1-2 in a quad meet at Stevenson that also included New Trier and St. Rita. In their opener, the Friars defeated the St. Rita 14-9, scoring the game’s final five goals in the last three minutes. But they then fell to the New Treir 13-6 and to the host Patriots 15-5 in the remaining contests.

Fenwick visited St. Patrick on April 6 after the Journal’s press time, and they’ll host the Dan Lynch Invitational on April 10.

Trinity volleyball The Blazers continued their perfect start to the season, sweeping host Regina Dominican in straight sets 25-7, 25-15 on April 1.

Trinity has won its first five matches and looks to keep things rolling this week with a rematch against Regina on April 6, followed by a home-and-home series with DePaul Prep (April 7 at home, April 12 on the road).

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

Our goal is 2,021 members for Growing Community Media during our Spring Campaign for Democracy And now we have a $10,000 match to make the race interesting!

Longtime readers Marilyn and Dale Fitschen and Sally and Lou Nieto have pooled their donations to convince you this is the moment to join the campaign for our independent community newsroom.

In a democracy, there’s room for all opinions. Liberal. Conservative. Coffee. Tea. Print and digital.

So whether you vote in person or by mail, whether you read Wednesday Journal print or online, we need you to become a member to keep the news coming.

We cover seven neighborhoods from Oak Park to Austin to Forest Park to Riverside. Readers like you are stepping up to make sure their community gets the news it needs.

Please become a member at a level that’s right for you.

We have been long time subscribers and readers of Wednesday Journal because it has consistently provided important objective information about our OPRF community which we can’t easily access anywhere else.”

- Sally and Lou Nieto

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John Hubbuch remembered p. 33

E D U C A T I O N

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O A K

P A R K

OPRF’s transition to racial equity

Aging from the heart

ging from the heart doesn’t happen to everyone, but it can. I think it’s happening to me.

I didn’t have any negative reaction after I got my first COVID-19 vaccination. I kept hearing rumblings about possible intense side-effects after the second shot, especially if the first went smoothly. Being aware helped with my preparation. I hydrated well, got my second shot, and kept my eyes and ears open for even the slightest sign of any reaction. I was actually trying to listen carefully to my body, not something I’ve had very much experience with throughout most of my life. I slowed down, stayed still, paid attention to small things and focused on what was happening in that moment. It was like letting my body be my friend.

This awareness is what aging from the heart offers me.

For the past year, to one degree or another, we’ve all been faced with the tremendous uncertainties of immune systems, lockdowns, social isolation, physical distancing, economic instability and/or dying alone. At the same time, I’ve been and continue to be educated about longstanding systemic prejudice and inequity.

Some of my lifelong assumptions and habits are being sorely challenged, and I’m making friends with some of that discomfort. These uncertainties and discomforts have shaken much of my world and have provided me with an opportunity to accept and work for change. Similarly, my body will change and I will die, but I don’t really know how or when. Aging from the heart offers me an opportunity to trust not-knowing those details.

Trust in not-knowing can help me throw open the curtains of life and let in more light. Science tells us there is much more to our existence than just the physical light we can see.

And as I see more of the glorious physical light, I might also get to know some invisible infrared or ultraviolet, or perhaps get a sense of unseeable dark matter. I might even be able to remember my dreams or to hear the whispers of my own intuition. Imagine that.

Carl Jung said that “synchronicity is an ever-present reality for those who have eyes to see.” Aging from the heart makes that ever-present reality more visible to me. When I am lost in my head, I may not see the synchronicities and non-cerebral information of my environment. The same applies to my relationship with myself. By allowing me to see more of who I am and what I am “seeing,” aging from the heart can help me become my own best friend.

“That’s as exciting as watching paint dry!” I remember using that sarcastic expression a lot throughout my life. Now that I’m older, it’s not so sarcastic. It means I’m being more aware of what’s going on around me. For example, as I get older, I’ve been spending time appreciating the different speeds at which trees move, from wind in the branches to motions underneath the bark to just watching them grow. I’ve been watching trees grow — that’s kind of like watching paint dry!

The noetic character of aging leads me to know that a forest is actually one connected living organism. Noticing and appreciating what I’ve previously taken for granted is part and parcel of my getting older. I want to explore more of the possibility offered as I age from the heart.

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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Part 10 he years from 2001 to 2011 elicited strong, critical research at OPRF High School — the Learning Community Performance Gap Study (LCPGS) and the Blueprint Assessment. These compelling studies became keystone documents for confronting the cultural and structural racial inequities in D200.

The performance gap study

JOHN DUFFY

The LCPGS (2003) was a rigorous quantitative and qualitative investigation and recommendations prepared by a team of District 200 administrators, together with Dr. Carl Spight, a former president of APPLE and an independent consultant for statistical analysis, and Theodore Manley, a sociology professor from DePaul University. The study’s findings were deeply concerning but reflective of the ongoing structural and cultural barriers that students of color faced at OPRF. After over two years of work the LCPGS team declared boldly: “There is a systemic learning community performance gap at Oak Park and River Forest High School. The learning community DR. CARL SPIGHT performance gap suggests that two communities exist at the high school — one for White students that places them ‘at academic promise’ and one for African-American students that places them ‘at academic risk.’”

The learning community performance gap was exacerbated by differential outcomes in the success rates for African-American and white students in accelerated/honors, college preparatory, basic, and transition curriculum tracks. On average, no matter what courses African-American students took, there was a close to 1-point difference in weighted GPA, with white students consistently receiving mostly A’s and B’s in all curriculum tracks. Mean white student weighted GPA was 3.29 compared to 2.31 for Black students. Most startling was the fact that for white and Black students with similar standardized test scores, and similar honors course taking, the overall GPA gap remained. Concerns about this anomaly and the bifurcated quality of learning opportunity in various tracks would later be a primary finding in the 2011 Blueprint Assessment.

Interviews with a representative cross section of African-American students confirmed the LCPGS’ core hypotheses about Black student success. It occurred when students: 1) “found school (peers, teachers, staff, administration) to be a safe and reinforcing environment,” 2) experienced at home a valuing of high achievement and family resources invested in success, 3) associated with peers of all backgrounds “who value

and invest in such achievement,” 4) utilized academic support services within and outside of school, and 5) had strong supportive interactions with teachers and counselors.

A sixth hypothesis, perhaps the most revealing and insightful, was that Black student success was enhanced when they successfully negotiated the “triple quandary” that AfricanAmerican children encountered in life but especially in integrated schools like OPRF.

The triple quandary

Using the triple quandary model of the Black historical experience and existing racial identity development models, the LCPGS concluded that Black students who were able to successfully negotiate the adverse social forces impacting their lives succeeded more at OPRF but still had the weighted GPA gap.

The first quandary facing African-American students was the “Mainstream (White) Experience” where assimilation is seen as desirable by the dominant culture, but may be perceived by people of color as “conformity to a set of rules forced and applied unevenly and typically to keep them behind.”

A second quandary was the “Minority Experience of being exposed to a set of culturally, politically, socially and economically oppressive conditions that have reduced African-American life chances.”

The third quandary was the “Black cultural experience,” which represented the coping strategies and complex ways African Americans “negotiate mainstream (White) experiences by internalizing only those rules and cultural values that lead to success.” LCPGS researchers labeled this identity disposition as one of “negotiated internalization.” This orientation and action included a set of skills, values, and beliefs referred to as biculturality — 78 percent of the more academically successful AfricanAmerican students matched this theoretical profile.

Researchers also discovered a smaller subset of Black students possessing what they called a “non-negotiated internalization identity.” For various reasons, these students chose to reject the paths that more successful students followed. Twenty-two percent of the 53 interviewed students seemed to fit this identity, deciding to blend in and not call attention to themselves academically. They also tended to act out their Black identity in ways many faculty and staff saw as defiant and disruptive of authority, had disproportionate discipline encounters, and earned an average .70 lower weighted GPA than students in the internalization negotiated group.

This revealing disparity and other critical findings drove equity advocates from APPLE in the first decade of this century to confront District 200 leaders over just what needed to done to bring about a more racially just and equitable school community — which is the subject of the next and final part of this series.

See DUFFY on page 32

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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V I E W S

Campaign thoughts

T

he spring municipal elections are over. As we write this Tuesday morning we are hoping voters are turning out this Election Day, but we obviously don’t know the outcomes.

Here are some thoughts for those chosen today by voters to lead Oak Park and River Forest into the future: ■ The 2021 campaigns run locally have been generally respectful and substantive. Candidates have adapted pretty well to the limits of campaigning during the COVID-19 pandemic. And there will be innovations that can be carried over to future pandemic free elections.

Zoom forums, for instance, can gather good-sized audiences even though we miss the energy in the room when candidates answer questions in the Veterans Room of the library or the ballroom at the Carleton.

■ There are worrying exceptions to the point made above. In the race for the District 90 school board in River Forest we saw one candidate, Scott Hall, abandon his campaign in the final weeks because of what he saw as online harassment, including some aimed at his family. The Journal added reporting that Hall may have improperly used a parent directory to reach potential voters.

The follow up is that Sarah Eckmann, another candidate for the D90 board, reported in more detail harassment she and her family and a young volunteer in her campaign received both online and in harassing phone calls allegedly including to her workplace. A police investigation is reportedly underway.

The result, in addition to real damage to our civic life, is that the race for D90 became effectively uncontested when Hall dropped out.

In Oak Park, meanwhile, voters faced reasonably slick and fully anonymous mailers, videos and emails working to stir angst over outgoing Trustee Dan Moroney’s divisive non-binding referendum question regarding police funding. Anonymous campaign tactics are scurrilous and they reflect an approach to politics that should be repulsive in a village such as Oak Park.

■ Also repulsive and operating in the deep shade is the West Cook News, a cynical political sheet masquerading as a newspaper, and with local connections.

During the last weeks of the campaign, innocents and operatives shared via social media the slanted and inaccurate slime published

by West Cook News on the defund referendum in Oak Park and a political hit job on Patty Henek, a candidate for River Forest village president. That piece trumped up nonsense that Henek, an advocate for affordable housing, wanted to flood River Forest with Section 8 housing units. Straight up inaccurate. Straight up racism in the signaling.

As this type of debilitating campaigning reaches our small towns, we will all need to be more vigilant and sophisticated in understanding sources of alleged news and simply tuning out bad players who won’t put their names on their insidious efforts.

■ Regardless of who was elected as village president and trustees in Oak Park, the next board will absolutely reflect a new tenor with shifted focuses from the previous eight years of leadership by Anan Abu-Taleb.

That’s all good. It is why we have elections. We look for the new board to focus thoughtfully on equity and inclusion and what public safety ought to look like. We expect serious discussions about climate and sustainability. We want to see determined collaboration among taxing bodies both to fuel innovation and to hold the line on property taxes. We hope the pendulum doesn’t swing too hard against an active and enthusiastic view of economic development.

We’ve likely seen our last tall building approved for a while, but there will always be opportunity to foster investment in the village.

■ A final thought. Listen with respect. Draw in all voices not just those who want to be in your social media bubble. Create elected boards that are stellar, that you are proud to be part of. Show us how you build alliances. Show us how you respectfully disagree. Don’t be defensive. Don’t get personal or take it personally.

And thanks to all the candidates for putting themselves forward.

The more toxic parts of this campaign season make plain just how much we need sincere, decent people to step up.

I

A matter of respect

respect the Black activists who have suffered from police abuse and protest against it. I respect the Black and white activists and all people of color who are working to reform policing nationwide, which suffers from systemic racism. I agree with Alisa Robinson that “people of color deserve respectful coverage” in Wednesday Journal.

In general, I think people of color do receive respectful coverage in Wednesday Journal. We’ve had our slip-ups, of course, some more notorious than others (including last year’s “terrorist image” letter in Viewpoints). We can do better. Mostly, I can do better. I agree I could have been more respectful in my Feb. 10 column, “To defund or not to defund?” which Ms. Robinson criticized in a One View in last week’s Viewpoints.

I used the term “brainiacs” to criticize those who came up with the slogan “defund the police,” which I described as “the worst slogan in the history of slogans.” She said this was aimed at “the Black activists who popularized the term.” The movement, in my mind, is a progressive movement, quite diverse. I don’t know who invented the term. I do, by the way, think Black Lives Matter is one of the best slogans in the history of slogans.

What I wrote was “The brainiacs who came up with this connivance [i.e. the Oak Park referendum on defunding the police, started by those who oppose it] are the flip side of the brainiacs who came up with ‘defund the police’.” I was criticizing both. But I should have been more sensitive to the impact on my Black readers and that was an oversight.

Ms. Robinson also objected to using the word “pressure” as a cause for police melting down and committing crimes in the line of duty. “That’s not a ‘pressure’ problem,” she writes, “that’s a racism problem.” I think it’s a pressure and a racism problem.

Which is why I wrote: “We can make policing better by making it better for everyone — in particular unarmed Black men and women. But also for police officers, who obviously are under way too much pressure and melting down dramatically — and homicidally — and doing completely inexplicable and inhumane things under all that pressure. Meltdown cops are the canaries in the mine shaft. They are telling us some-

thing is terribly wrong, not just with isolated cops, but with the system itself. That system needs to be thoroughly re-examined, repaired, reformed and reinvented.” If we want real change, we have to persuade those who defend the status quo, not just condemn them. That requires a fuller, deeper understanding of the problem.

Later in the column, I suggested wording for an alternative Oak Park referendum, emphasizing racism: “Shall we, as a community, in partnership with the police department, explore ways to reform and reinvent policing that roots out systemic racism where it exists; improves training to make law enforcement more efficient, effective, equitable and humane; and gives police greater access to resources that benefit both officers and the people with whom they come in contact?”

That’s a more complete summary of our current predicament and a more complete characterization of that particular column.

Ms. Robinson did offer some constructive criticism, which is a rarity these days. She suggested I could more sensitively have written, “I respect that ‘defund the police’ may be a reflection of experiences with police abuse that the Black activists who popularized the term have had, but I do not believe that the term will garner support for police reform in Oak Park.” Her ability to reframe the argument in that way taught me a lesson.

I’m grateful.

My principal shortcoming in the February column is that my irritation with the term “defund” made me sound like I was preaching “down” to Black readers, which made them feel disrespected. I’m sorry about that. I also regret that it distracted from the real message of my column.

But the real message of Ms. Robinson’s letter bears repeating: People of color deserve respectful coverage.

I’m sorry I was insensitive to the black activists who have suffered from police abuse and protest against it, and all those who are working to reform policing nationwide, which suffers from systemic racism.

I have plenty of racial insensitivity within. I am trying to eliminate that in myself. I make plenty of mistakes and will make plenty more, but I will keep trying.

And I appreciate the feedback.

KEN

TRAINOR

V I E W P O I N T S

A

A crooked District 90 Crosswalk

Part 2 few weeks back, I reported on a surprisingly low rate of student growth in River Forest students prior to schools shuttering in March 2020. It appeared after the Educational Opportunity Project (EOP) at Stanford University updated their visualization tool to include more recent District 90 test scores (edopportunity.org). An index of -1.8%, or students learning slightly less in River Forest compared to the U.S. average, was unexpected and needed further investigation.

By definition, an index is a simplification and this one is averaging over six grades (3rd-8th) and 10 school years, 2008-2009 through 2017-2018. The index is sensitive to growth or change in average test scores over time, and insensitive to achievement or average test scores in any one year. Somewhere in this grand mean, something pulled the index into negative territory. The collaborative researchers at Stanford helped unpack and validate those 10 years of D90 results and what emerged is below.

A large part of the work the EOP does is stitching district test data together for the entire U.S. so it can be utilized by journalists, educators, policy-makers and parents to explore school effectiveness. They developed a handy tool for visualizing school effectiveness, and each district’s grade and year data are available to anyone. Below is a plot of 10 years of River Forest math and English language arts average scores, the scores that produced the unusually low learning rate. Each value is an average of grades three through eight for the year. For example, a value of 3.0 indicates students in grades three through eight are, on average, scoring three grades higher than the national average, 2.0 two grades higher, etc.

The trend for math is favorable and relatively stable until 2017 when there are two consecutive years with decline. English language arts scores soar, with more than a full grade of growth between 2013 and 2017.

Then something abrupt happens that coincides with D90’s implementation of The Crosswalk, the district’s Vision for Equity initiative that involved a range of activities aimed at reducing the racial predictability of achievement. Two changes in particular included adopting an alternate theory for how students learn, and the other, adopting new K-8 grade curricula that

align with the alternate theory.

The new math and English language arts curricula are illustrative of the changes. According to the National Center for Education Evaluation, whereas the teacher’s role in the former math curriculum (Math Expressions) was to explain, model and facilitate the production of ideas, the new curriculum (Investigations) relies on the student production of ideas. The new ELA curriculum is from the controversial Lucy Calkins. Instead of teaching the 44 phonemes used to decode or sound out words, early readers learn to identify words by relying on context or pictures, sentence structure and other factors. Classroom libraries and books of choice have replaced leveled reading materials designed to target appropriate challenge and resulting growth. The teaching theory and curricula are new to River Forest, but these concepts have been in the crosshairs of debate for decades, and it is unclear if the changes in River Forest are helping close a gap or creating new ones.

The math curriculum Investigations was proven to reduce achievement compared to Math Expressions, and certain states have banned the Lucy Calkins curriculum. In 2019, River Forest’s Roosevelt Middle School teachers shared their own opinion, downgrading Instructional Leadership to the bottom 8th percentile in the state of Illinois’ 5 Essentials Survey.

What you have read so far is investigative journalism — you know, an activity that operates above Facebook and below the police. Its aim is increasing awareness and understanding, holding people and organizations accountable, and it is mostly missing in River Forest. What comes next is why you find my column just in front of the obituaries.

I was inspired recently by the words of a woman (Alice Dreger) who articulated the differences between an activist, an intellectual and the Bahama Nuthatch of personality types: the activist-intellectual. This rare bird is attracted to difficult problems, relentless in the pursuit of truth, apolitical and out to make things better. Perhaps most unique, they are not driven by a conventional reward system, she says.

As a community, we can look closely at the changes to curriculum and instruction and the corresponding decline in student test scores and do at least three things: A few will hurl insults, cry foul, and press on.

Some will quietly gather facts and make appropriate changes best for their family. And if the information presented here is false, and changes to curriculum and instruction are not connected to school decline, then would the feathered friends of River Forest please fly forward, involve the entire community, and provide an alternative explanation?

STEVE LEFKO

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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 Staff Reporters Michael Romain, Stacey Sheridan, Maria Maxham Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Arts Editor Michelle Dybal Sports/Staff reporter James Kay Columnists Marc Blesoff, Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, Linda Francis, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger, Stan West Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Mark Moroney, Javier Govea, Debbie Becker Business Manager Joyce Minich Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

Growing Community Media 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

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

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■ Must include first and last names,

■ One-sentence footnote about yourself,

municipality in which you live, phone number (for verification only)

■ Signature details as at left

your connection to the topic

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

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

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

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5:01 in America

t’s 5:01, Friday morning, April 2. Her left leg slides over the edge of the bed and heads downstairs to put on her running shoes. Her right leg, not fully in agreement, heads for the TV room to watch the morning news. Her left arm goes down to the front door to retrieve the morning paper. Her right arm, always the creature of habit, heads for the bathroom to brush her teeth and comb her hair. It’s 5:01 and America is awake.

But her right leg discovers it can’t go for a run because it has no arms to put its shoes on; her left leg can’t watch TV because there’s no hand to work the remote; her left arm can’t retrieve the paper because there are no legs to carry it onto the porch; and her right arm can’t brush her teeth because, lying on the floor, it can’t see the mirror.

America’s now dismembered body has awoken to a new reality. E unum pluribus, out of one, many.

Her “declaration of independence” has come home to haunt.

To a land where the river runs free To a land through the green country You and me are free to be You and me.* The death toll in America from the global COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly approaching 600,000 who died, killing each other, in this Civil War. And in spite of our ability to develop incredibly effective vaccines and reduce the death toll by something as simple as wearing a mask, nearly a third of us refuse both the mask and the vaccine.

America’s “declaration of independence” has come home to hunt.

To a land to a shining sea To a land where the horses run free You and me are free to be, You and me.

Boulder Colorado passes a law banning assaultstyle weapons and high-capacity magazines. A federal judge overturns it as a constitutional infringement on Second Amendment rights. Six days later, a 21-year-old American, expressing that right, buys an assault weapon and kills 10 people he did not know — some waiting in line to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

America’s “declaration of independence” has come home to horrify.

To a land where the children are free And you and me are free to be You and me.

“According to Hindu doctrine, every action performed upon the external world reacts on the doer. Everything I do for my private well-being adds

another layer to my ego, and in thickening it insulates me more from God. Conversely, every act done without thought for myself diminishes my self-centeredness until finally no barrier remains to separate me from the Divine.” (Huston Smith)** There was a story in this morning’s news about a 10-year-old boy in Boulder, Colorado who wanted to do something following the deadly shooting in a King Soopers grocery store.

He purchased a lot of flowers, visited two other King Soopers stores and passed out flowers to their employees as concrete show of support. Ten years old.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love (St. Francis). Ten years old!

“The Chinese have a character that represents empathy/sympathy, called hsin. Hsin, in a fully realized person, expands in concentric circles that begin with oneself and spread from there to include successively one’s family, one’s faceto-face community, one’s nation, and finally all humanity. In shifting the center of one’s empathic concern from oneself to one’s family, one transcends selfishness. The move from family to community transcends nepotism. The move from community to nation overcomes parochialism, and the move to all humanity counters chauvinistic nationalism” (Huston Smith). Ten years old!

“One of the great questions that divides almost every assemblage of people is whether people are independent or interdependent. Some people are more aware of their individuality; for them, their freedom and initiative is more important than their bondings. The obvious corollary is that they see people as making their own ways through life; what each achieves will be largely of his or her own doing. On the other side of the fence are those for whom life’s interconnectedness prevails. To them the separateness of people seems tenuous; they see themselves as supported and vectored by social fields that are as strong as those of physics.” (Huston Smith) Ten years old!

We need a lot more 10-year-olds. And open minds and hearts.

Will America find her “declaration of interdependence?” E pluribus unum? In a land where the children run free? *With apologies to Marlo Thomas for using her beautiful anthem to illustrate a very different point. **Quotes from: The World’s Religions, Huston Smith, 1991.

BILL SIECK

One View

DUFFY

The journey to equity from page 29

Key recommendations The LCPGS recognized numerous earlier and ongoing efforts to remedy achievement disparities, but faulted D200 for choosing, keeping, or abandoning programs without

D O O P E R ’ S

applying research and evaluation from outside and within D200. The study, as did activists in 1994, proposed a comprehensive review of discipline disparities to find ways to reduce student infractions.

Researchers recommended substantial resources for instructional strategies like reading across the curriculum, approaches to discipline without alienation, forming new partnerships with AfricanAmerican families, evaluating and redesigning of basic math classes, reviewing and possibly revising grading practices,

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M E M O R I E S

Surviving ‘American Bandstand’

believe that I watched American Bandstand only a half-dozen times when I was a teenager, and I watched it on those occasions at the home of one of my buddies who loved the show.

As I have mentioned in past stories, I was never much on dancing. In fact, I had, and still have, two left feet and far from neat, so why would I be enticed into becoming a fan of American Bandstand?

My buddies would watch the show, study the dancers, try to imitate the dance steps and eventually go to Tunis Records and buy the recordings of the music played on the show.

The show originated in Philadelphia and was hosted by Dick Clark, a clean-cut guy with an Ipana smile.

As far as the music on the show was concerned, it didn’t appeal to me because in my home I was accustomed to hearing either classical music played by my grandmother on the piano, or listening to my mother’s recordings of music from the 1940s.

The young people who appeared on the show had to conform to a dress code that was prevalent in the 1950s. The guys had short hair and wore jackets and ties, wearing also dress shoes and dress pants.

The girls wore dresses that ended below the knee, and they also wore dress shoes. The music played was either slow waltz or rock and roll.

The slow music was fine, but some of the rock-and-roll lyrics were unintelligible to me, and the beat was too loud and repetitive.

The mother of one of my friends was convinced that rock-and-roll was the devil’s music.

I did not think her belief was true, but I did believe that rock-and-roll music and dancing to this music was a form of minor protest by teenagers to the adult norms of the 1950s. In the ’50s, kids were supposed to listen to their parents and not disagree with parental decisions.

I believe that some parents felt they would lose control over their kids if, as some believed, rock and roll gave kids too much freedom.

I am one of the guys of that era who never went to a school dance even though some of my pals tried to persuade me to go. I knew that I would make a fool out of myself because I had not learned how to dance by watching American Bandstand or by identifying with the dancers on the show.

Like many teenagers in the ’50s, I did want to learn things beyond the schoolhouse, and I did this by learning about tools by working with my Uncle Gene, doing repair jobs, building gasoline-powered model planes, and reading in areas of interest.

I also learned the finer points of baseball by watching the pros and by asking questions of those who had played the game.

Even though I wasn’t “with it” as some of my buddies would say to me, I survived without being a fan of American Bandstand.

JOHN

STANGER

and providing resources and support for the African American Faculty Advisory Council.

Four conclusions/recommendations of the LCPGS especially resonated with me. The study team rejected the popular myths that peer pressure about “acting white” accounted for achievement disparities. They also recommended school investment in addressing evidence that Black students experienced school as less safe and welcoming than white students. Researchers categorically rejected previous

popular beliefs about Black students and family cultural deficits, instead embracing the social ethos that all students are at academic promise rather than academic risk.

Most importantly, for understanding curriculum equity work today, the LCPGS recommended that a vigorous equity analysis determine what role D200 curriculum tracking may have in shaping school culture and achievement. That inquiry has become central to equity plans finally underway at OPRF with the Access for All freshman course restructuring.

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ever before knew a man who would come to a social dinner with a written agenda of discussion topics.

And if the discussion lingered too long on one topic, he would pull out the list and spirit the group to another. The controversies of Trump were never allowed; they were already more than well aired.

This was the John Hubbuch I came to know and cherish. His appetite for conversation was unlimited. He wanted to know what you think, and then of course he had his own opinion to share. If conversations were measured in calories, he would have become part of our obesity plague. He never got a stomach full. And the talk could start in any locale.

Once while standing at the foot of Mount Rushmore on a sun-kissed day, John asked out of the blue: “What’s your position on Colin Kaepernick?”

Although John was not a man of faith, he followed his wife Marsha to church occasionally. He forever cited the minister who implored the congregation: “You need not be what you have become.” Although John always proclaimed his perspectives bluntly and clearly, he also proudly announced when

DALE

SORENSON One View

V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

John Hubbuch remembered

they had changed. On his final day of consciousness, John admitted in a podcast interview that as a college newspaper columnist he had openly promoted violent action against the campus ROTC program. And now in his 70s, he was encouraging progressives to be less impatient.

Although John has earned considerable attention for his all-in approach to grandfathering, I judge him to have been at his best as head of the OPRF Huskies Booster Club. It was the semiannual awards ceremony where I first saw him. Before a sizable audience of student athletes (and students in other extra-curricular passions, such as Gospel Choir) and their proud parents, he spun a mix of homemade humor, wonderfully spiced with light jabs at the local nemesis, Fenwick sports teams.

He clearly reveled in the limelight, and I wanted his talk to go on endlessly.

John had a nearly bottomless faith in the good that athletic competition could do for young men and women. As a young man, he was disappointed not to be a star athlete, ultimately deciding that he could become a star student, as he did. But his years as a father and grandfather were marked by his encouragement to his offspring to compete. Occasionally, he

JOHN HUBBUCH would admit that maybe he should have exposed his boys to other cultural experiences, such as music, but he did not lose much sleep on that account. He loved sports.

What I observed most closely over recent

years was John’s increasing compulsion to touch the raw nerve of Oak Park politics. Race. When he first started writing a column for Wednesday Journal, John was cautioned by his wife to steer clear of racial matters. Throwing caution to the wind, he inched into the water, and ultimately, he bathed regularly in the deep end of the pool. Although he was not alone in suggesting that the limits of the village’s consensus could be stifling, no one matched John in his repeated attempts to broaden the conversation.

By the strangest of circumstances, I wrote a note to John and his wife just days before his aorta collapsed: “When I come face-to-face with my maker, I shall ask to be judged by the friends I have made. I don’t have remarkable achievements on my lifetime resume, but I do have a hallof-fame set of friends in people like John and Marsha. They should count for something.”

Rest assured, wherever departed souls gather, John is there stirring the pot in a beautiful way.

Although Dale Sorenson came to know John Hubbuch only in their later years, their candle of friendship was as bright as it was short.

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Becoming the church again A recurring humanitarian crisis

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or over a year, First Baptist Church of Oak Park, alongside countless other congregations in our community, have been gathering virtually for worship and discussion groups. It has been quite challenging, frustrating, draining, and overwhelming to be completely virtual.

Still, it has also proven fruitful and life-giving as each congregation has developed new ways of reaching congregants. Our congregation is more active today than before the pandemic because we’ve added weekly Zoom discussion groups and prayer gatherings to our schedule. Throughout this time, I’ve pondered: What is the church?

For much of my life, the church was synonymous with a structure. Gathering with other worshippers in the sanctuary, singing hymns, praying prayers, reading scripture, delivering the spoken word — this was the church for me. But in the past year, I’ve been unable to do that. So I’ve grappled with a new definition of church.

In the early first century, followers of a man named Jesus from a lowly place in Galilee called Nazareth gathered on Mount Olivet.

The followers expected Jesus to restore the kingdom to Israel. Instead, they accepted the work Jesus had begun as their own: they became the church.

And they did a pretty good job, at first. They sold all of their possessions and gave money to one another as they had need. They worshipped and ate together. They comforted each other. They shouldered burdens that weren’t their own. They followed in Jesus’ footsteps and grew in number daily.

What a sight it must have been. People of all races, ethnicities, languages, genders, and age were working together to make the world a better place.

But it didn’t last long. Quickly, some of the followers saw themselves as true believers while others were not worthy. Therefore, they began to build up barriers between the righteous and the unrighteous to the point that some people were left out entirely. Since that time, the church has found ways to knock down many barriers while also building up new ones.

We know this is the case. The exclusion parameters have varied: gender, creed, race, orientation, class … the list goes on. Each time another barrier erects, the church diminishes more and more into something unrecognizable by the One who set it into motion.

If one goes back to encounter the message of Jesus, they will find these words of instruction: ■ Love your neighbor as yourself.

■ Do to others what you’d want them to do to you.

■ Love all people … even your enemies.

■ Don’t look at the faults of other people before inspecting yourself.

■ Don’t hold grudges. If someone offends you, talk about it.

■ Don’t repay evil with evil (Or as my mom says, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”).

Perhaps I’m entirely off base, but I struggle to imagine anyone would disagree with the validity of these teachings. One must not ascribe to the other teachings of Jesus to love their neighbor, treat others with respect, put others’ needs ahead of their own, accept faults, forgive one another, and resist violence and evil. Throughout this pandemic year, we’ve seen evidence of people (regardless of faith background or no faith background) who have done these things and more to ensure safety and meet people’s needs in our community.

Unfortunately, at the same time, we’ve also seen too many examples of churches denying the guidance of scientists trying to contain COVID-19, turning a blind eye toward countless injustices perpetrated every day, neglecting to love our neighbors as ourselves, and disregarding the most basic of Jesus’ teachings. It’s a hard truth to admit, but it is the truth. We cannot be part of the solution to these challenges unless we first acknowledge them.

To meet the needs of the community around us, the church needs to become the church again.

In the early days of Eastertide and as we gradually return to in-person worship experiences, I ask myself the difficult question: how does the church become the church again? I believe the church can only reclaim its identity by looking to the mothers and fathers of faith from the first century and throughout the ages who followed the teachings of Jesus in word and action. Our problem isn’t Jesus. Our problem is following him. The church must salvage its mission to serve as witnesses to who Jesus Christ truly is.

The question is: Will we?

Rev. David John Hailey is senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Oak Park.

DAVID JOHN HAILEY One View

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mages of hundreds of caged children again dominate the nightly newscasts. Wrapped in plastic thermal blankets, crowded into cages at detention camps at the U.S. southern border, the new arrivals from the Central America huddle in silence. Images of their peril break our hearts.

This is the third wave of unaccompanied minors at our border in less than a decade. The first wave of 25,000 unaccompanied children from Central America overran the southern border of the United States and overwhelmed the Obama-Biden administration in 2012. Some were as young as 9.

They had left their homeland and families to seek a new, better life. They hoped to be included in the mythical American dream. The second wave in 2014 peaked at 52,000. Both times most of them were turned back.

Currently the count of the children stands at about 19,000 and is growing. The new BidenHarris administration struggles to cope with the challenge. But as the number of new arrivals grows, there are reports that many of the minors are already being rebuffed.

My belief is that in the past, America missed a great opportunity to show compassion, humaneness and resourcefulness to meet a daunting challenge. This time, however, America cannot afford to squander another opportunity. It must strive to live up to its reputation of being the land of dreams. The urgency and the magnitude of the current crisis is mind-boggling. But America must not capitulate or become stunned into inaction.

In a 1960 speech, John F. Kennedy suggested that the Chinese word for crisis has two characters. Separately, one written character means danger and the other character means opportunity.

The dangers that created the current crisis are well known. But also there is a hidden danger which is that an opportunity may be missed. A missed opportunity would become a tragedy.

Russia’s Lenin once said, if he were given children at ages 7 or 8, he could indoctrinate them into irreversible communists in four years.

A despot’s remark highlights the unlimited potential in children’s learning in their formative years. Could that potential be a guide in resolving our current crisis with the unaccompanied minor refugees? Couldn’t a new program produce thousands of irreversible libertarians for America?

For a start, John F. Kennedy’s Peace Corps program could serve as a model. Its success has never been equaled. A new revised program is quite likely to bear similar results. I say yes, shelter them, embrace them, nurture them, and mentor and teach them. For an example of success, one has only to look at the accomplishments of the “Dreamers.”

America’s multi-billionaires could provide considerable funding for such a new program, especially if it resulted in a worthwhile tax writeoff for them. Only political intransigence of the legislators stands in the way of a solution with kindness and humanitarian compassion.

Some beneficiaries of the new program might eventually choose to return to their countries of origin, instead of seeking U.S. citizenship. But they would still be American educated, democracy-indoctrinated ambassadors.

Fred Natkevi emigrated to the U.S. from Central Europe after World War II. He is a longtime Oak Park resident.

FRED NATKEVI One View

The equity training didn’t work

Ken Trainor, I gather from your editor’s note to Alisa Robinson’s One View [People of color deserve respectful coverage, March 31] that your putdown was based on your frustration with the use of the term “defund.” You also let us know that Wednesday Journal did undergo equity training earlier this year. My observation is that it was far

from complete (the equity training). I was disappointed because I let myself imagine how refreshing it would have been if you had addressed the full tenor of Ms. Robinson’s view. There is still much for people to learn and understand. I wish WJ could be on the upside of that.

Karen Walker-Ward

Kicking off the Donate 25!

Building on the TakeOut 25 concept, we are kicking off the Donate 25 campaign. We are asking Oak Park and River Forest residents to support local charities with your stimulus checks.

Please donate $25 (or more) to one or more charities of your choice. For the fortunate folks for whom the money is not a life changer, please consider donating the entire amount. As WBEZ says during pledge drives, even a donation of $10 is welcome, but please donate what you can comfortably afford.

Some deserving organizations in our area include Housing Forward, Beyond Hunger, Hephzibah Children’s Association and the Economy

Shop, just to name a few. Visit the websites of these and other worthy charities to learn about their missions and how to make a donation. This can be a teachable moment. Involve the children in your family in the process.

There are approximately 25,000 households in Oak Park and River Forest, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. If only a fraction of households join the Donate 25 campaign, think what an impact we could have!

Please join us in supporting local charities.

Louise Mezzatesta, Corey Gimbel River Forest

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Asian discrimination must end

Oak Park prides itself as a community that values diversity and equity, but my experience has concluded otherwise, at least from my interactions with individuals of power within various village administrations. In light of the recent racially-motivated Atlanta shooting that killed six Asians, I thought it’s now or never for me, an Asian man, to speak out.

One case concerns discriminatory treatments by the Oak Park Police Department. In handling a dispute between myself and a white person, a white officer first dismissed my complaint and took no action. Later, when the opposing party raised the same dispute, this officer interrogated, harassed, berated, intimidated and threatened me. Clearly he handled the case with double standards and took vastly different actions.

When I attempted to file a complaint against that officer at OPPD, a white sergeant made his own assumption that I was going to accuse his comrade of being a

“racist,” and deployed every possible tactic trying to delegitimize my claim. When I filed a complaint with the village’s Citizen Police Oversight Committee, CPOC and Human Resources have been stalling my case over eight months.

Eight. Months. Now they are radio silent.

Oak Park schools don’t make things easy for me either. Last October, I received an email from OPRF advising incoming student parents to contact a Division Head for questions, so I did. The Division Head simply will not respond to me, after four attempts between myself, even with another teacher who tried to help me connect, over five months.

I can’t fathom why a parent who is involved in his daughter’s education does not warrant a reply from the Division Head, a role that is particularly supposed to demonstrate leadership in diversity and cultural inclusion. The only possibilities I could image are perhaps that my surname revealed I am an Asian person; my first name is a

PHOTO BY YEN-PU CHEN

non-Christian/non-Biblical name; or that I inquired about the Chinese language program.

When I brought my concerns to the attention of the board and leadership at OPRF where “racial equity” is highlighted in its strategic plan, none of the dozen non-Asian recipients even bothered to respond

to me to explain, or rebut my concerns if they didn’t agree with the racial conclusion I had drawn. This leads me to believe that they don’t take discriminatory practices toward Asians seriously and are taking a stance to support the Division Head’s biased attitude. Well, you know what they say: Asians are the

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“Model Minority.” We don’t make a fuss.

My experiences have pretty much summed up where Oak Park administrations stand in terms of treating Asians as an equal ethnicity.

Now is the time to change that.

Yen-Pu Chen

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H S A FL

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ommunity.

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Kathleen Lightfoot, 66

Animal advocate, law firm employee Kathleen Florence Hartley Lightfoot, 66, of River Forest, died suddenly on March 9, 2021. She graduated from St. Angela School (1968), Siena High School (1972), Wright Junior College (1974) and Northeastern Illinois University (1978). She served the clients and partners of Shea, Paige and Rogal law firm for over 30 years. Her advocacy for animals was the basis for an Illinois law regulating trainers’ methods. She enjoyed playing her guitar, planting and nurturing pansies, and creating miniature rooms.

She was the daughter of the late John T. and Mary L. (nee Ward) Hartley; the wife of the late Fred W. Lightfoot; sister of John M. and Robert (Mary) Hartley and Mary (Larry) Price; aunt of David, Jack and Gracie Hartley; cousin of Bill (Patty), Jim, Joe and Michael Cox, Peg (Dennis) Gaffke, and the late Julie DiCarlo; sister-in-law of Cy and Shirley Lightfoot; and friends in the Sage family, classmates, and co-workers.

Donations in Kathy’s memory can be made

O B I T U A R I E S to the donor’s choice. “Remember the Best Times, the Laughter, the Song, and the Good Life I Lived while I was Strong.” (Little Red Bird).

A memorial service will be planned at a later date.

Peterson-Bassi Chapels is assisting the family with arrangements.

Janis Barrick, 64 D97 tech specialist

Janis Marie Barrick, 64, died on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 in her home in Oak Park, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Born on Oct. 17, 1956 in Chicago to the late Walter and Delores (Nardi) Vavrina.

She had been a resident of Oak Park for almost 40 years with her late husband James and their three children. She worked as a technology specialist for school District 97 in Oak Park for many years before retiring in 2011. In retirement, she spent time with family and friends, practiced yoga, went to dance classes, and worked part time at the Good Earth Greenhouse, as gardening and plants were a lifelong passion of hers.

Jan was the mother to one daughter, Sara,

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Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

and her fiancé Jeff Zuffrano, and two sons, Adam and Aaron. She also leaves behind two brothers, James and Richard, and their wives Linda and Eileen, as well as three nieces and nephews, Richie, Stephanie, and Jonathan.

A memorial celebration will be held at her son Adam’s backyard, 2458 S. 3rd Ave., North Riverside, 60546 on Sunday April 11, 2021 from 12-2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org).

Jerry Parker, 79 Creative extremist for love

Jerry Lee Parker, father and grandfather, brother and husband, writer and poet, educator and social justice activist, of Oak Park, died on March 25, 2021.

Born on June 27, 1941 in Peoria, he lived, learned, and loved for most of his life in Chicago and Oak Park.

He spent much of his work life as an educator in both public schools and in adolescent mental health. He once wrote that his dream as an educator was to “touch off joybursts in students’ minds … to stir students’ wonder to commit to creating impassioned, terse, lucid

37

words.” He found the heart of his calling in his later life’s work in social activism as a selfdescribed “creative extremist for love.” His mission, as he once wrote, was to “struggle hard and well to budge this old world a bit more wonderful.”

He believed in the power and legacy of love, peace, community, non-violence, and democracy. His creativity and community engagement thrived within and across his writing, work, peaceful acts of protest, and volunteer work, finding both coalitions and community among friends and like-minded seekers of a better and more just world. He was also a proud and committed member of Third Unitarian Church in Austin for 37 years. A former reverend at Third Unitarian said of him, “The intensity of his commitment to peace and justice issues seemed matched only by his unflagging kindness in all circumstances.”

Jerry will be missed as father to Josh (wife Lynsey) and Brad (wife Danielle); husband to Susan, brother to Jody, grandfather to Skylar and Louisa, and friend and ally to many. His family and friends will always remember his gentle love and kindness, his critical and curious mind, his humble wisdom and humor, and his unique spirit and presence. Rest in love and peace, Jerry/Dad/ Pops. We love you so much.

The Parkers are planning a Celebration of Life at Third Unitarian Church when it is safe to gather in-person. Cards can be sent to Susan Parker at 149 N. Lombard, Oak Park 60302.

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38

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021 New local ads this week

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI

WEDNESDAY

CLASSIFIED Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

Place your ad online anytime at: www.OakPark.comm/Classified/

YOUR WEEKLY AD

REACHES SIX SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES: OAK PARK, RIVER FOREST, FOREST PARK, BROOKFIELD, RIVERSIDE, NORTH RIVERSIDE, AND PARTS OF CHICAGO

Please Check Your Ad: The publisher will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion.

Wednesday Journal Classified must be notified before the second insertion.

The newspaper reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM HELP WANTED BUDGET & REVENUE ANALYST The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Budget and Revenue Analyst in the Police 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. First review of applications April 12, 2021.

CUSTOMER SERVICE & EQUIPMENT SUPPORT PART TIME Manufacturer of commercial food service equipment in McCook seeks an experienced customer service professional with a mechanical, gas & electrical technical support background.

Please email resume to: marketing@keatingofchicago.com LICENSED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Licensed Environmental Health Practitioner in the Health Department. This position will perform a variety of duties including education and enforcement activities for the promotion and protection of the public health environment. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www. oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than April 16, 2021.

SUBURBAN RENTALS OAK PARK: ROOSEVELT/ OAK PARK AVE. CORRIDOR 2BR 4RMS close to blue line. On site laundry, parking, heat & water incl. $1200/ month 708-383-9223

OFFICE & RETAIL SPACE FOR RENT

GARAGE/YARD SALE Oak Park

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

MULTI-FAMILY GARAGE SALE 848 N CUYLER SAT 4/10 9AM TO 3PM

Art, vintage, household, clothing, sports, tools.

ITEMS FOR SALE ANTIQUE HALL TREE Antique American Hall Tree, solid oak. Excellent condition. 29”w x 78”h x 11”d, with covered shelf and mirror. $159.00.

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OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION FOREST PARK HIGHLY VISIBLE OFFICE/STORE AVAILABLE FOR LEASE 1350 SF w/ AC & HIGHLY VISIBLE MADISON STREET EXPOSURE. 7607 Madison Street. Village parking lot next door. Bright, clean office.

Great Madison Street exposure! Call Francis 708-383-8574.

ANTIQUE MUSIC CABINET Antique music cabinet with door and five shelves. Standing on four legs.

Mahogany finish. $129.00.

708-488-8755 FRUITWOOD FINISH SIDE TABLE Solid wood side table, fruitwood finish. 1 drawer and 1 bottom shelf.

15”d x 24”w x 24”h. $59.00 708-488-8755 MUSIC Music: piano scores, concertos, piano trios, flute music violin music.

Variety of composers. $3.00 each.

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TANDEM BIKE with all the bells and whistles. Best offer.

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

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Mike’s Home Repair

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2013 FORD TAURUS INTERCEPTOR 140K MILES. $5500.

2005 HONDA CIVIC EX 5 SPD, 170K MILES. $3500.

1986 CAMARO Z28 5 SPD, 73K MILES. $4500.

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FLOORS KLIS FLOORING INC.

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Call the Experts Before You Place Your Legal Ad! Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice in Journal/Review/ Landmark/Austin CLASSIFIED! Call 708/613-3342

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CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE Drywall Repair • Painting Fans Installed • Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning • Window Repair

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

Spring Clean-Up Aerating, Slit Seeding Bush Trimming, Lawn Maintenance brucelawns.com

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

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PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.

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HEATING/ AIR CONDITIONING HEATING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT Furnaces, Boilers and Space Heaters Refrigerators Ranges • Ovens Washer • Dryers Rodding Sewers Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience

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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: Y21006278 on March 15, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of H & C RENTALS with the business located at:705 W 115TH ST., CHICAGO, IL 60628. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ANDREA COLLINS 705 W 115TH ST., CHICAGO, IL 60628, USA Published in Wednesday Journal 3/24, 3/31, 4/7/2021

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: Y21006371 on March 23, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of THE PERIWINKLE PEACOCK with the business located at: 59 WASHINGTON BLVD, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: BRIEANNE MARIE MALDONADO-CRUZ, 59 WASHINGTON BLVD, OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal March 31, April 7, April 14, 2021

Attention! Home-improvement pros!

Reach the people making decisions–your target market.

Advertise in Wednesday Classified. Call 708/613-3342

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

39

Public Notice: Your right to know In print • Online • Available to you 24/7/365 OakPark.com | RiverForest.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICES

Riverside Township RIVERSIDE TOWNSHIP – PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE REPAIR

VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

I. TIME AND PLACE OF OPENING OF BIDS: Sealed Bids for the remodeling described herein will be received at the office of the RIVERSIDE TOWNSHIP, 27 Riverside Road Riverside, IL 60546 until 10:00 A.M., Tuesday, May 4, 2021, and will be publicly opened and read at that time.

Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Riverside will be held on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the business of the Planning and Zoning Commission may permit, to consider an application for a variation from Section 10-7-3(A)6.E (Accessory Structures in Residential Districts) of the Village of Riverside Zoning Ordinance to allow the reconstruction of a nonconforming garage of 991 square feet in the same location as the previous garage in the R1-A Single-Family Residence District.

II. DESCRIPTION OF WORK: The proposed work is officially known as RIVERSIDE TOWNSHIP – PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE REPAIR and consists of structural repairs to the approximately 210 long suspension bridge spanning the Des Plaines River behind the Riverside Township Hall. Additionally the existing coatings shall be removed and replaced.

III. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS: A. Bid documents will be ready after 3:00 p.m. on, Thursday, April 8, 2021. Only General Contractors may obtain bid documents by emailing their request. The email shall include General Contractor’s information of the following: Company Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Telephone, Fax, Contact Person.

Documents will be emailed within 24 hours of the email request.

Documents will not be issued if any the requested information is not received.

Due to the ongoing public health emergency and consistent with the Governor’s most recent emergency declaration, various Executive Orders entered by the Governor, and the recent amendments made to the Open Meetings Act in Public Act 101-640, the public hearing will be conducted electronically. The hearing will be streamed live via Zoom and on Riverside Television, where it will be available on YouTube’s Riverside TV channel. The Zoom Meeting ID and access code will be made available on the Village’s website prior to the hearing. Video of the public hearing will subsequently be posted and made available to the public on the Village website.

Email bid document request to: Ken@api-architects.net

Application No.: PZ21-001

Bid forms are non-transferable. Only those Bids that have been obtained from, and with the approval of, API Architects will be accepted at the bid opening.

Property commonly known as: 209 Millbridge Road

B. Only qualified General Contractors who can furnish satisfactory proof that they have performed work of similar nature as Contractors will be entitled to receive Plans and submit Bids. The Riverside Township reserves the right to issue Bid Documents only to those Contractors deemed qualified.

C. All Bids must be accompanied by a Bid Bond for not less than five percent (5%) of the total amount of the Bid, or as provided in the applicable sections of the “PROJECT MANUAL”.

D. No Bid may be withdrawn after opening of Bids without the consent of the Owner for a period of forty-five (45) days after the scheduled time of opening of Bids.

E. The Contractor will be required to furnish a labor and material “Performance Bond” in the full amount of the Contract.

F. The Contractor will be required to pay Prevailing Wages in accordance with all applicable laws.

IV. AWARD CRITERIA AND REJECTION OF BIDS: This Contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder considering conformity with the terms and conditions established by the Riverside Township in the Bid and Contract documents. The issuance of Plans and Bid forms for bidding based upon a pre-qualification rating shall not be the sole determinant of responsibility. The Riverside Township reserves the right to determine responsibility at the time of award, to reject any and all Bids, to re-advertise the proposed improvements, and to waive technicalities.

BY ORDER OF: RIVERSIDE TOWNSHIP Published in RB Landmark April 7, 2021

Petitioners: Don & Jeneane Blom

PIN: 15-35-419-034-0000 The variation is sought from the following Section of the Riverside Zoning Ordinance: Section 10-7-3(A)6.E (Accessory Structures in Residential Districts), which states that the combined maximum ground floor area of all detached accessory structures shall be a maximum of twelve percent (12%) of the lot area, to a maximum size of eight hundred (800) square feet.

The Petitioners seek this variation to rebuild a nonconforming garage of the same size as the previous garage (991 square feet) on the existing foundation.

Copies of the variation application are available for inspection at the office of the Village Clerk, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546.

Copies may also be obtained by emailing the Village’s Interim Community Development Director Courtney Kashima at planner@riverside. il.us or by telephone at 708-4471241 ext. 238, or the Village Clerk at 708-447-2700 at any time prior to the meeting. Public comments are welcome on the proposed variation that is the subject of the Public Hearing when received by email or in writing by the Village Clerk prior to 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Emailed comments may be sent to Interim Community Development Director Courtney Kashima at planner@riverside.il.us. Written comments may be submitted via U.S. mail or in the dropbox outside of Township Hall to the attention of Village Clerk Cathy Haley at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546. While emailed or written comments are encouraged, public comment may also be made during the hearing by participating through Zoom. The Zoom Meeting ID and access code will be made available on the Village’s website prior to the hearing.

The public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Dated this 7th day of April, 2021.

OakPark.com RiverForest.com

Jill Mateo, Chairperson Planning and Zoning Commission Published in RB Landmark April 7, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE Public Notice is hereby given that the Village of Oak Park Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee will be holding a meeting for applicant Presentations, a funding recommendations determination meeting and a Public Hearing on Program Year (PY) 2021 project proposals submitted to the Village for federal Community Development Block Grant Program funds. PY 2021 will run from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. All meetings will be held on Zoom and are as follows: Presentations, 11 a.m., April 17, 2021; Meeting to determine funding recommendations, 7:30 p.m., April 29, 2021; and Public Hearing to receive comments on proposed funding recommendations, 7 p.m., May 4, 2021. All meetings are open to the public and reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities and non-English speaking persons, as needed. Meeting specifics are subject to change; please send a message to grants@oakpark.us to confirm details and/or received the Zoom link.

Published in Wednesday Journal April 7, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION APRIL 22ND, 2021 at 7:00 PM NOTICE is hereby given that the Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, April 22nd, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. in the Edward Barcal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois for the purpose of considering a request for a Special Use Permit for a church/place of worship (expansion of an existing church) in an A-2 Single-Family Residence District located at 4301-4309 Prairie Avenue and 4301 Forest Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513 (PINs 18-03-404-0570000; 18-03-404-058-0000; & 1803-404-059-0000). The Commission will also consider a proposed Plat of Consolidation for the subject property.

The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/ or written comments. There will also be opportunities to offer public comment and participate in this meeting virtually. Please check this webpage one week before the meeting for more information: https://brookfieldil.gov/meeting-packets/ The application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours.

Written comments may be provided prior to the public hearing to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Mike Schwarz, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513 at mschwarz@brookfieldil. gov.

Individuals with disabilities requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in any meeting should contact the Village of Brookfield (708) 485-7344 prior to the meeting. Wheelchair access is available through the front (South) entrance of Village Hall.

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

Published in RB Landmark April 7, 2021

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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 HIS ASSET SECURITIZATION CORPORATION TRUST 2007OPT1, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-OPT1; Plaintiff, vs.

CHARLES T. GRANT; JUANITA J. GRANT AKA JUANITA LACOURT; PRAIRIE PLACE AT 6436 ROOSEVELT CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 14415 Calendar 56 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, May 4, 2021 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: UNIT 311 AND P-30 IN PRAIRIE PLACE AT 6436 ROOSEVELT CONDOMINIUM, AS DELINEATED ON A SURVEY OF THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED PROPERTY: LOTS 19 TO 28 BOTH INCLUSIVE, IN THE SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 3 IN THE SUBDIVISION OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF LOT 6 IN B. F. JERVIS SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 18, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN (EXCEPT THE WEST HALF OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF SAID SECTION 18), IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS THE WEST 1/2 OF VACATED ELMWOOD AVENUE LYING EAST OF AND ADJOINING LOT 19 IN SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 3 IN SUBDIVISION OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF LOT 6 IN B. F. JERVIS SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 18, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF TH E THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, (EXCEPT THE WEST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 THEREOF), IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. THE EAST 1/2 OF VACATED GUNDERSON AVENUE LYING WEST OF AND ADJOINING LOT 28 IN SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK

3 IN SUBDIVISION OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF LOT 6 IN B. F. JERVIS SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 18, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, (EXCEPT THE WEST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4), IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, WHICH SURVEY IS ATTACHED TO THE DECLARATION OF CONDOMINIUM RECORDED AS DOCUMENT 0617416044, AS AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, TOGETHER WITH AN UNDIVIDED PERCENTAGE INTEREST IN THE COMMON ELEMENTS. “MORTGAGOR ALSO HEREBY GRANTS TO THE MORTGAGEE, ITS SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS, AS RIGHTS AND EASEMENTS APPURTENANT TO THE ABOVE DESCRIBED REAL ESTATE, THE RIGHTS AND EASEMENTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF SAID PROPERTY SET FORTH IN THE DECLARATION OF CONDOMINIUM” “THIS MORTGAGE IS SUBJECT TO ALL RIGHTS, EASEMENTS, COVENANTS, CONDITIONS, RESTRICTIONS AND RESERVATIONS CONTAINED IN SAID DECLARATION THE SAME AS THOUGH THE PROVISIONS OF SAID DECLARATION WERE RECITED AND STIPULATED AT LENGTH HEREIN.”. P.I.N. 16-18428-043-1019 & 16-18-428-0431064.

Commonly known as 6436 Roosevelt Road, Unit 311, 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) 3609455. W18-0641 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3166129

QUICKEN LOANS, LLC Plaintiff, -v.DRIKO DUCASSE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 2019CH08452 1226 N AUSTIN BLVD 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 December 17, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 27, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1226 N AUSTIN BLVD, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-127-0270000 The real estate is improved with a multi-family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/ or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective

bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

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

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g1).IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-19-06429 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2019CH08452 TJSC#: 41-167 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.

I3166321

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

local employees = happy employees!

Hire Local. Place an ad on WJ’s Local Online Job Board.

Go to RiverForest.com/classified today!

Contact Mary Ellen Nelligan for more information.

(708) 613-3342 • Classifieds@OakPark.com

40

Wednesday Journal, April 7, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Low- to Moderate-Income Area Discounts

Down Payment Assistance Option

Assistance programs and special discounts that help make home ownership possible for more people.

We work with local municipalities and non-profits to help qualified homebuyers cover their down payment.

Your real estate agent helps you find the right home. We’ll help you find a way to pay for it.

Working together, we can break down myths around affordability and help find a loan that’s right for you. Your Mortgage Loan Officer is always working for you.

Ahkeem Henderson Mortgage Loan Officer NMLS# 224387 5310 W Cermak Rd Cicero, IL 60804 o: (708) 466-2017 e: ahkeem.k.henderson@huntington.com www-auth.hban.us/mortgage/henderson-ahkeem All loans are subject to application and credit approval, satisfactory appraisal, and title insurance. Terms, conditions, and loan programs are subject to change without notice. Other terms, conditions, and restrictions may apply.

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