Wednesday Journal 072121

W E D N E S D A Y

July 21, 2021 Vol. 41, No. 51 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal

URNAL JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER.

2021 QUARTER 2

THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY PUBLISHED THIS QUARTERLY PUBLICATION ITS FIRST QUALITY-OF-L IFE PLAN CALLED AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER. DESCRIBES HOW AUSTIN (AFT) IN 2018.

COMING TOGETHER (ACT) IS SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY TO IMPLEMENT AFT AND OTHER EFFORTS.

July 21, 2021

IS THIS AUSTIN’S

WIN-WIN?

How can the community ensure key redevelopment projects implement their plans to benefit all?

Special thanks to our Austin Forward. Together. quality-of-life plan annual investors:

REVIVING A LANDMARK PAGE 3 | LEADING TO THIS MOMENT PAGE 4 AUSTIN’S PATH TO REVITALIZA TION PAGE 7

Special section inside

Pete’s moving ahead, slowly Some delays due to COVID-19

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

BETTER DAYS: Ardith Zucker and her daughter Zaria, 7, in Longfellow Park, just across from Longfellow School. Zaria is looking forward to heading back to school in person.

Exhilarating, tentative steps back from COVID’s grasp How D97 and D90 cared for students and for adults

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

When 7-year-old Zaria walked into a local Walgreens last month, she didn’t know what to make of what she saw. The soon-to-be-second grader – who nearly spent her first two

years of school in remote learning – was still getting used to going out with her parents and seeing people piled into the stores.

By that point, Illinois had just entered into Phase 5 of its COVID-19 reopening plans. Businesses could still require people to wear masks, but the safety restrictions surrounding the pandemic – some of which limited the amount of people able to step inside a business, venue, school or office – were being lifted. And this sense of normalcy was slowly See SCHOOLS on page 16

While the new Pete’s Fresh Market on Madison Street hasn’t been built yet, the grocery store is rolling ahead in ways not visible to the naked eye. Tammie Grossman, Oak Park director of development customer services, told Wednesday Journal the project is definitely happening, despite rumors that would have residents believe otherwise.

“You might think that progress isn’t happening because you don’t see the progress happening, but there’s been a lot of progress going on in the background,” she said.

Before building the new grocery store, utilities need to be moved and relocated. The village and Pete’s are working with AT&T, ComEd and Nicor to do so, according to Grossman.

“We have to design where the new utility lines are going to go because they’re in the way of the building, but they still have to be there,” she said, adding that new senior living development being built across Madison Street is having to relocate utilities as well.

The utility companies have to get on board with helping to design a spot to relocate the utilities. The work necessitates much coordination between the companies, Pete’s and the village.

Construction crews will also have to move the sewer line that runs down the middle of Euclid Avenue for Pete’s, according to Grossman, so that it does not run underneath the ramp leading into the planned underground parking. The line will be placed further west in what will be the new surface level parking lot.

As with everyone else in the world, COVID-19 has presented some challenges to the utility companies that are still being resolved, she said.

“There’s been a lot of COVID-related delays,” Grossman said.

One of those delays has been in procuring refrigeraSee PETE’S on page 11

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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Palaces for the plunderers

I

In fact, far from being rejun the summer of 2019, the Oak venated with new investment Park Public Library (OPPL) and attention, our libraries are chose Palaces for the People: increasingly ignored, if not diHow Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarizarectly attacked. tion, and the Decline of Civic Life Consider the case of the Niles

by Eric Klinenberg as its One Public Library in Niles, a suburb Book, One Oak Park selection. about 30 minutes from Oak Park, “The United States, like most whose library, like OPPL, is welldeveloped nations, faces proregarded and award-winning, found challenges — including “consistently rated among the climate change, an aging populabest in the country,” according tion, runaway equality, and exto Kelly Jensen’s report in Book plosive ethnic divisions — that Wire (hat tip to Charlie Meywe can address only if we estaberson’s Chicago Public Square Commentary lish stronger bonds with one anemail newsletter for bringing other and develop some shared this to my attention). interests too.”

The April election, however, changed Critical to establishing those bonds is things tremendously. Turnout for the elecwhat he calls social infrastructure, “the tion was 8.4%. The low turnout election was physical places and organizations that an opportunity for Carolyn Drblik, a fisshape the way people interact.” cally conservative tax hawk who had been These places include parks, corner diners, on the Niles library board for eight years, to schools and, perhaps most notable of all, li- get some more people who thought like her braries. into office. They won and Drblik was elected John Dewey once wrote (a quote that’s in board president.

Klinenberg’s book) that “Democracy must Susan Dove Lempke, the library’s exbegin at home and its home neighecutive me is the neigh ecutiv director who resigned in borly community.”

June, describes Drblik to Jensen The library may well this way: w be the linchpin of the “At the very first board meetneighborly community ing eight years ago when she in our modern society was first seated, she had clearly because the state of our been courted by a board memlibraries can tell us a lot ber who is a huge believer in about ourselves. the free market. They came For instance, the old in having pre-decided which d robber barons like Anperson was going to take npe drew Carnegie refashwhich office, and Carolyn hwh ioned a good amount of was w immediately elected to their ill-gotten wealth Treasurer.

She was in way th T into social infrastructure. over her head, and much of re. o Carnegie donated $12,000 what she saw confused her 000 w in 1904 for my hometown — the business manager n of Maywood to build a library, spent hours and hours exary, which stands to this day. plaining things to no avail. p That kind of gesture iss too … Even up to last las year she would ask about simple and out of fashion for our new rob- a particular bill from our computer consorber barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, tium (CCS) and not remember what it was who would rather dream of building librar- for. When you don’t understand, and you ies on Mars. don’t retain information well, it is easy to

MICHAEL ROMAIN

g n a H e r e h in t k r a P k a O

become suspicious. … To be clear, she has had access to every bill since she started.”

With Drblik at the helm, the library’s funding “has been deeply slashed, hours reduced to below-state-standard levels, the library director quit, and essential services to the community shuttered,” Jensen writes.

Among those services facing the axe were: “children’s librarians visiting the schools, preschools, and daycare centers,” “children’s librarians working with teachers by pulling classroom materials for their students,” and “outreach assistants delivering materials to the homebound.”

The board also “purposefully slashed the funding for books in non-English languages.

During the debates prior to election, the topic of inclusivity at the library set off a range of responses, including [eventual board member and Trump donor Joe] Makula making it clear he believes in assimilation. “‘We should concentrate on people learning English because that’s the language here,’ Makula said. ‘Instead of stocking up on books in seven different languages, if we got people to assimilate and learn English better, I think we would do more good than increasing our inventory of foreign language books.’”

And if anyone with clear eyes thought the new Niles library board was serious about real reform, the board quickly worked to disabuse you of the notion. Drblik’s hypervigilance about library spending seemed on

par with the GOP’s hyper-vigilance about debt when they’re out of power.

“Immediately upon the board being installed, they hired a technology consultant to investigate the library’s processes and procedures,” Jensen writes. “This consultant, a wedding videographer with no auditing credentials, is simply a friend of Drblik and the rest of her new board block and campaigned for their election. He was hired at $100 an hour with no experience and no cap.”

In Oak Park, where the library recently posted the position of equity and anti-racism director — a job it created in order to accomplish its goal of becoming an “antiracist organization” — it’s easy to get lulled into a sense of complacency about progress.

But if what’s happening in Niles can happen there — where “roughly 72% of the community is white, with about 20% Asian, 9% Latinx, 3% Black, and about 4.5% of more than one race,” where “over 55% of those over the age of 5 speak a language other than English in the household,” and where the diversity and quality of community enticed a former Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 superintendent (remember Steve Isoye?) — it can happen here.

You can read Jensen’s entire article at: https://bookriot.com/niles-public-library/.

You can sign the #SaveNilesLibrary petition at: https://www.nilescoalition.org/ savenileslibrary.

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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BIG WEEK July 21-28

Nanny Nikki Music Concert Wednesday, July 28, 10 to 10:45 a.m., Zoom with the River Forest Public Library All ages are welcome for this special musical show geared toward younger kids. Register: riverforestlibrary.librarymarket. com/events/nanny-nikki-music-concert.

History of Jewish Name Changing in America See it Before it’s Gone - Botanic Garden The Musical Through Thursday, July 22, 7 p.m., Live Outdoors with 16th Street Theater When Kate is desperate to get out of a first date, she turns to the one person who can help: her deceased husband. Traipsing through their shared memories of more than 25 years together, this is a tender story of an imperfect marriage. It is a concert presentation of Todd Logan’s and Lindsay Jones’ new musical adapted from Logan’s play. Bring chairs or blankets and food to sit and enjoy in the park at Maple and 15th, Berwyn. Free parking. $22; $18, low income or Berwyn resident; $5, chairs (limited availability). Tickets/more: 16thstreettheater. org/productions/botanic-garden-the-musical

Hypostasis: A Live Multimedia Performance by Antibody Corporation Saturday, July 24, 7 p.m., Compound Yellow This performance features “a sonification and vocalization based on the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequence and video created for the project ‘Hypostasis of the Aetheric Body,’ supported by a Chicago Dancemakers Forum 2021 Digital Dance Grant. Antibody Corporation creates anti-environments, working across media with a focus on music and performance.” $15.

Tickets/more: eventbrite.com/o/compound-yellow-24731643075. 244 Lake St., Oak Park.

Birds, Bees & Butterflies: A Native Garden Tour Saturday, July 24, 1 to 5 p.m., In-person with West Cook Wild Ones Take a tour of color-filled gardens in Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park and Berwyn to see how native plants can be brought into the home landscape. Gain practical, hands-on information and tips, and inspiration along the way while learning how affordable, beautiful and rewarding native gardening can be. $15; $10, members; free, children. Tickets/more: westcook.wildones.org/ birds-bees-butterflies-a-native-garden-tour

Wild about Trivia Friday, July 23, 7 to 8:30 p.m., In-person with Kahoot at the River Forest Public Library Form a team and participate in a fun evening of familyfriendly animal trivia. Only one person per team needs to register. Ages 10 through adult. Pizza provided. Register: riverforestlibrary.librarymarket.com/events/wild-abouttrivia. 735 Lathrop Ave.

“Austrian Serenade” View through Labor Day, Virtually with the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest See a recording of the live concert performed in June at the Nineteenth Century Club. Enjoy works by Mahler, Schubert and Mozart. $15 per household. Questions: theSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com, 708-218-2648. Tickets: symphonyoprf.org/2020-2021-season.

Sunday, July 25, 2 p.m., Virtually with the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois Join Kirsten Fermaglich, author of A Rosenberg by Any Other Name, as she speaks on the topic of name changing. Free.

Register: https://jgsi. org/event-4100247

Abolition, Restorative Justice & a New World Wednesday, July 28, 7 to 8:15 p.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Library In this Conversation with Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law, co-authors of Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms, learn what abolition actually means and why abolitionists say criminal justice reform doesn’t work. Those who identify as abolitionists also welcome to join the conversation. Register: oppl.org/calendar

Taste of Uncorked Friday, July 23, 6 to 8 p.m., Rubinstein Garden, Oak Park Conservatory Enjoy music and drinks outdoors while celebrating the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory’s 35th anniversary. Guitarist/composer Andreas Kapsalis provides the entertainment; local beverage sponsors are Anfora Wine Merchants and One Lake Brewing. Held the fourth Friday each month. $15, includes two drink tickets. 21+.

Register: pdop.org. 615 Garfield St., Oak Park.

Chess Champs Taste of Cermak Road Thursday, July 22, 5 to 9 p.m., Various locations along Cermak in Berwyn Enjoy an eclectic mix of small plates and sweets on Berwyn’s “Main Street.” Visit local businesses such as Anthony’s Pizza, Flight 22 Wine Bar, La Lupita, La Parra, Old Fashioned Candies, Wagner’s Lounge and more for food samples and drink specials. $15 for tickets; purchase online and pick up starting at 4:30 p.m.at BMO Harris Bank, 6655 W. Cermak Rd. A trolley bus is available at the event. Held rain or shine. Register/ more: https://bit.ly/ TasteofCermak2021

Wednesday, July 28, 4 to 5 p.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Public Library Join in a chess workshop and open play chess club, led by instructor Luis Tubens. Best for ages 5-13. Have a chess set ready, or, place a hold on a Discovery Kit Chess bag, print out a board and pieces, or draw one of your own.

Register: oppl.org/calendar

Side Yard Sounds Friday, July 23, 7 to 9 p.m., Compound Yellow See violinist Edith Yokley, whose work ranges from live improv with DJs to performing with the Chicago Sinfonietta and Soulful Symphony of Baltimore of which she is a member of both. Next up - Friday, July 30, Dowd & Drew. $15. Tickets/more: eventbrite.com/o/compoundyellow-24731643075.

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Vaccination efforts still needed

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the United States, proving that the pandemic is not over in Oak Park, River Forest and anywhere else. That sense of security associated with the state of Illinois being reopened – misguided, if unvaccinated.

The village of Oak Park has had 20 new positive cases of COVID-19 since July 7, according to a July 14 announcement from the Oak Park Public Health Department. The health department has not yet released any subsequent case data.

“This latest surge comes after reporting only three local cases over the previous three weeks,” the announcement reads.

The increase stresses the need for people to get vaccinated, which the Oak Park Public Health Department is encouraging eligible residents to do, if they have not already. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that all authorized vaccinations are effective in thwarting all circulating mutations of the COVID-19, including the Delta variant, the most dominant strain.

Oak Park has a rolling seven-day average positivity rate of 2.46 percent while River

Forest’s is at 1.74 percent, per Northwestern University’s Illinois COVID data dashboard.

Two-thirds of the eligible Oak Park population has gotten vaccinated – well below Evanston and other communities, according to the Oak Park Public Health Department.

Of the roughly 30,000 residents who have gotten the vaccine, 29,000 are fully vaccinated. Since March 2020, Oak Park has had 3,231 residents test positive for COVID-19.

The Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) has reported 72.9 percent of River Forest’s population has received at least one vaccination dose with 60.8 percent having completed a full vaccination series.

River Forest has had 833 positive cases cumulatively with an infection rate of 7,456 per 100,000 people as of July 14, according to the CCDPH. As Oak Park has its own health department, unlike River Forest, CCDPH does not track Oak Park’s infection rate. The Oak Public Health Department does not provide the information either.

Deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in both villages. Cook County Medical Examiner data indicates River Forest has had 3 deaths and Oak Park 62 cumulative since March 16, 2020.

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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Brown Cow gets boost from GoFundMe campaign Pandemic funding campaign saved ice cream shop to do more good

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

Two thousand people visited The Brown Cow, 7347 Madison St., on Sunday, July 18 and owner Connie Brown estimates her community minded creamery doled out 1,000 scoops of free ice cream. A creative partnership with GoFundMe empowered the small yet mighty ice cream shop to serve up scoops of gratitude in Forest Park.

During the pandemic, Brown’s ice cream manufacturer suddenly closed its doors and she had no way to make The Brown Cow’s signature ice cream. Her son created a GoFundMe to help build an in-house creamery. The response was overwhelming — in under 24 hours the campaign was nearly 80% funded and has raised more than $62,000 to date.

The campaign saved the shop that has called Madison Street home since 2004.

The online fundraising platform reached out to Brown and four other ice cream shops across the nation who had benefitted from successful GoFundMe campaigns. GoFundMe noted “thousands of acts of kindness on GoFundMe made a difference for these beloved ice cream shops” and wanted to “sprinkle back” that kindness on National Ice Cream Day. GoFundMe partnered with the shops to help them provide a free scoop of a new ice cream flavor, Sprinkle Kindness, to anyone stopping by.

Photo provided by Brown Cow

DYNAMIC DUO: Connie Brown of The Brown Cow and Aubrey Jacknow of 99 Haus Balloons.

Brown developed a custom-crafted ice cream for the free scoops event. The Brown Cow’s version of Sprinkle Kindness is a super-premium sweet cream ice cream with but-

ter cream frosting, Aunt Laura’s sugar cookies and colorful sprinkles. She put the new in-house creamery to grand use and whipped up 100 gallons of her frosted sugar cookie ice cream in advance of National Ice Cream Day. “I think GoFundMe was impressed by the immediacy of community support our campaign received,” said Brown.

“They foot the bill to make the special flavor and provided everything we needed for the event including cups, napkins and signage.” GoFundMe contracted with local printers to produce the signs for the event.

Brown had already arranged for Aubrey Jacknow, owner of 99 Haus Balloons, to install a balloon display outside the shop on National Ice Cream Day, but a representative from GoFundMe reached out to Jacknow to increase the budget and scope of the project. The elaborate, pastel-hued, twostory balloon installation on the building façade greeted an impressive number of customers who lined up for a free scoop of ice cream.

“If we had not had the GoFundMe I am almost 100% certain we would not be here today,” said an emotional Brown.

“To be able to say thank you without words, to be able to give away free ice cream to anyone who walked through the door and celebrate with the whole community — it was just an awesome party.”

The Brown Cow is donating 100% of proceeds from sales of their Sprinkle Kindness ice cream to the District 209 scholarship fund throughout the month of July. GoFundMe will match up to $25,000 in donations. Direct donations and online ice cream purchases can be made at www.browncowicecream.com.

How sweet is that?

Farmers Market sees increased sales, decreased vendors

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

As the Midwest growing season reaches its peak and colorful produce makes its way to the Pilgrim Church parking lot each Saturday, Rachel Hahs, newly appointed chair of the Oak Park Farmers Market Commission, led her first meeting on July 14. She joined the commission in 2019 and played a significant role in managing the complex aggregation program at last year’s modified market.

“When I joined the commission, I was excited to be on a commission that’s working to support the people taking care of our land,” said Hahs as she took the reins. “I would like to see them succeed and support them. I am also excited to be a part of a fabulous, passionate community that loves their farmers market.”

As the meeting progressed, Kimball Ingram, market manager, was quick to mention that feedback from vendors suggests they are experiencing good sales volume at the Oak Park Market. He notes smaller vendors are often “down to just scraps” by late morning. When questioned by commissioners about the need for increasing their inventory to accommodate demand, Ingram said he believes vendors that are running out of product early are working to increase

the amount of product available for sale.

Cameron Davis, Oak Park’s assistant director of development customer services and staff liaison to the farmers market commission, said he has had several conversations with vendors, and they are experiencing increased sales at all their markets, and they are “literally showing up with what they have” and trying to keep up with demand.

Village staff and commissioners also discussed the obvious dip in the number of vendors at the 2021 market as compared to years past. In 2019 the Oak Park Farmers Market hosted 28 vendors and the 2021 market has 23 participants. Though two vendors dropped out at the last minute, commissioners were quick to point out this represents a 20% drop and should be considered a notable shift.

Ingram agreed he sees the need for a flower vendor and an organic produce vendor to round out market offerings. While he has made efforts to source multiple vendors, the pandemic was not great for farming in general. Some vendors had been impacted by health issues and staffing shortages while others made creative adjustments in response to COVID-19. Longtime vendor, Tomato Mountain, moved to an online sales and delivery model in lieu of attending inperson markets.

“As I speak to all these vendors about this year, I’ll be honest I have my eye on next year,” said Ingram. “Because it is still a COVID year—as much as we want things to be normal it is still a wacky time. The goal of speaking to some of these folks, even if they don’t come this year, is to line them up so we have additional vendors that we can get next year.”

Ingram also said has started making vendor site visits. He visited K.V. Stover & Sons in Berrien Springs, Michigan as well as all three bread vendors participating in the market. He indicated all vendors are making bread and pastry products in the manner outlined in the village code. He addressed concerns over some fruit fillings being used in the pastries by announcing La Provence will begin using all-natural, hand-made preserves from Stovers in their products. Ingram is working to ensure La Provence and other market bakers have access to supplies from Stovers. Commissioners were happy with the resolution and praised the encouragement of partnerships between vendors.

There is ongoing interest among commissioners to make the part-time market manager position a full-time village staff position. Arti Walker-Peddakotla, village trustee and farmers market liaison, said FY2022 budgeting is starting and urged

the commission to have these discussions “sooner rather than later” so their requests can be “heard and deliberated at the board table.”

The annual corn roast is set to return to market on Aug. 14 and commissioners were quick to offer their assistance to Ingram as he navigates this and other market events.

Bake sales are also on the market schedule again. Eight non-profits are already signed up and other interested organizations can send a request to participate to farmersmarket@oak-park.us.

Davis also announced the Farmers Market Commission will return to in-person meetings next month.

The Oak Park Farmers’ Market is held from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday from mid-May through October. The market is located in the Pilgrim Church parking lot at 460 Lake St., one block west of Ridgeland Avenue.

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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West Suburban Church Largest Flea Market Friday July 23, 2021, 12 – 7 pm Saturday, July 24, 2021, 8 am – 6 pm

Oak Park Avenue work on schedule and on budget On track for November completion

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

The utility and sewer work portion of the Oak Park Avenue improvement project has been completed – both on time and on budget, according to Jim Prescott of Prescott Group, the firm handling project communication. The resurfacing of the street is now in progress, which is expected to wrap up in November.

The utility and sewer leg of the project began in March. Activity surrounding sewer and utility replacement was particularly heavy around the Southtown Business District, said Prescott.

The work required significant attention due to the archaic age of the utilities and sewers. As with Lake Street, Oak Park’s most recently renovated roadway, many of Oak Park Avenue’s sewers and utilities were over 100 years old.

“They had served their purpose and needed to be replaced,” said Prescott.

With that part of the project completed and crossed off the renovation to-do list, construction crews have turned their attention to the resurfacing portion which will extend from North Avenue to Roosevelt Road, with the exception of the Hemingway District which is on either side of Lake Street.

“The contractors are replacing crossing ramps and sections of sidewalk and curb,” said Prescott. “All in preparation for the milling and the pavement patching and then pavement operations.”

Milling refers to the process of peeling off the top layer of the old asphalt, he said. Once the top layer is removed, crews will patch up areas as needed, then pour new asphalt.

The Hemingway District section of Oak

Park Avenue – Ontario to Pleasant -- is expected to be worked on in 2023. The village delayed the intense water, sewer and utility work there to give relief to the district’s businesses, which were impacted much of last year by Lake Street construction. The major renovation of Lake Street coincided with the early months of the COVID-19.

“That project started just before everything shut down with COVID,” Prescott recalled.

The shutdown presented major changes to traffic patterns, which he said presented both opportunities and difficulties. COVID-19 necessitated major revisions to the work schedule. While the pandemic is certainly not over, it hasn’t had a considerable impact on the Oak Park Avenue project.

“We haven’t seen that necessarily here,” said Prescott.

The only potential challenge concerned the Southtown Business District, as shops and storefronts feared construction would deter customers from visiting, negatively impacting their businesses. Those fears were understood and already anticipated.

“That’s why we put a lot of attention and focus on communicating to the public that those businesses were open,” Prescott said.

The communication plan utilized all available channels from banners and signage to mailers sent directly to residents. The village of Oak Park also provided temporary parking spaces to give shoppers an easier time accessing businesses. Prescott received little in the way of complaints.

“The businesses in that particular district were satisfied with the effort,” he said.

They were particularly happy with the signs and banners hung on light poles, according to Prescott.

He anticipates no major complications will arise that would inhibit progress. The entire Oak Park Avenue project, save the Hemingway District, should be complete as scheduled by November.

“Knock on wood,” he added.

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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Clark brings community fridge to Maywood

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporterl

On an early Saturday afternoon, about a dozen residents and local organizers gathered in Maywood outside of the childhood home of Black Panther icon Fred Hampton. Armed with boxes of fresh whole corn, cherries, peaches and greens, they stood ready to stock a new community fridge that will provide people access to food 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Maywood is a food desert,” said Anthony Clark, an Oak Park activist and founder of Suburban Unity Alliance, a nonprofit that led the charge to open the community’s first public refrigerator.

“It’s all corner stores,” Clark said. “For people to even think about accessing fresh produce, they need money. They need to be able to travel. They have to leave the community and take their money outside of the community.”

The community fridge — which sits in the front yard of the Hampton House at 804 S. 17th Ave. — officially opened July 19. The fridge now joins a growing list, as cities near and far have picked up on the global trend which aims to help those facing food insecurity.

This spring, Oak Park welcomed a community fridge outside of Carnival Grocery

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Fred Hampton Jr speaks during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Hampton House Community Fridge in Maywood on Saturday, July 17, 2021. on Oak Park Avenue. Clark said he is currently looking to bring a community fridge to Chicago’s Austin neighborhood on the West Side.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began last March, community fridges have been cropping up all over the nation. There are roughly 200 community fridges in the United States, according to the database Freedge, which keeps track of the fridges’ locations around the world.

“These fridges allow 24/7 anonymous ac-

cess, and (that’s) huge. It really is,” Clark said, adding that the fridges help address the stigma around food insecurity. “There’s so many people that may be in need, but they are afraid of how they’re going to be judged and how they’re going to be viewed if they reach out for help.”

On July 19, Clark appeared alongside a few leaders from two partnering organizations, including Fred Hampton Jr., active chairman of the Black Panther Party Cubs, and Randall McFarland, founder of the com-

munity group Best of Proviso Township.

During the event, Hampton Jr. spoke of what the community fridge meant to a community like Maywood. As he stood in front of his father’s old home, Hampton Jr. spoke of the Black Panthers’ long, storied fight for equality, especially for the Black community. Among the political party’s most prominent work was the creation of the free breakfast program, which fed thousands of children.

“This is symbolic,” said Hampton Jr., as he cut the red ribbon tied around the refrigerator handle. “The only way we can cut through this red tape … it’s gonna take the power of the people.”

The community fridge in Maywood rests underneath a wood frame to prevent weather damage and is powered by an outdoor outlet connected to Hampton’s home. There are a few shelves lined up next to the fridge, which is meant to store canned goods, nonperishable items and personal toiletries.

Around the fridge, there’s a Little Free Library and a community garden flourishing with more fresh vegetables.

On the fridge itself, there’s a bright blue and gray slogan painted across its doors. It reads, “Free ‘Em All,” one of Fred Hampton’s and the Panthers’ slogans and a tribute to their mission to liberate oppressed people everywhere.

Oak Park pays itself first with feds’ COVID relief fund

Community discussions promised before more of $39 million is allocated

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park’s village board Monday narrowly passed -- a 4-3 vote -- a budget amendment that would allow for the allocation of $14 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to reimburse the village for lost revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While residents took to public comment to ask the village board for a chance to provide input regarding fund allocation, Village President Vicki Scaman, who supports having community involvement in future federal COVID funding conversations, stressed the urgency in passing the amendment.

“We will have opportunity as we continue to go through our budget process and continue to look at this funding to engage our community, but if we don’t pay ourselves back as a municipality for some of our lost revenue then we will simply not have money to implement our goals,” she said. “Plain and simple.”

So far, Oak Park has received $19 million, about half of the $38.9 million it expects to receive, in COVID funds. None of the newly allocated $14 million will be spent until U.S. Department of the Treasury has approved the allocation.

The amendment itself is worth about $16 million in total, with the $2 million not covered by federal funds consisting of carryover from previous years and new funding requests from staff. The majority of the $14 million will go toward reimbursing the village’s general and parking funds, the latter of which will receive about $3.9 million and currently has a negative cash balance due to the pandemic. The parking fund also has bond issues that need paying in the amount of almost $2.5 million, according to Oak Park Chief Financial Officer Steve Drazner.

“We really need to move ahead and start allocating some of this money to the different internal funds,” said Trustee Jim Taglia, prior to the vote.

Taglia said budget discussions for the upcoming fiscal year begin next week, therefore presenting a need to address lost revenue in funds with deficits so as to keep the village’s property tax levy reasonable.

Village Manager Cara Pavlicek, who is leaving for a post in Northbrook next month, reiterated what she said during the May 24

meeting, stating that a large portion of the $38.9 million in COVID funds Oak Park is set to receive would need to go toward recouping revenue losses due to COVID-19 so that the village remains a fiscally stable organization.

“But for this fiscal year, we did indicate that the $17 million in cuts that were done in ’21 relative to the pandemic – to cut positions that were vacant, to cut capital projects and other items, we knew that we would never recover those unless there was some sense of federal funding for that,” she said.

Those cuts allowed the village to make payroll and avoid laying off members of staff.

The bigger picture items related to health equity and infrastructure, such as broadband and lead water pipes, were not ranked as immediate needs by staff, according to Pavlicek, as those take longer to determine and address Pavlicek shared a “significant” concern that the village would remain in a negative fiscal position if federal COVID funds were not used to cover the deficit in the parking fund. Funds from the village’s general fund would need to be diverted to cover parking bonds otherwise.

With the upcoming budget discussions for the next fiscal year, Pavlicek advised the

board not to wait too long before allocating funds.

Drazner said the board shouldn’t wait any longer than a couple of months before deciding as a lack of action can create a “domino effect” with other funds that would have to be used in place of COVID funds, which Walker-Peddakotla said was helpful.

“If we can wait a couple of months, let’s have a community forum before we distribute any of these funds,” she said.

She clarified that she wasn’t against the village using federal COVID funds to recoup revenue. She just wanted to hear from the community first before distributing funds.

Trustee Lucia Robinson suggested passing the current amendment but earmarking some future portion of the federal funding until there is a community discussion, which Scaman supported.

After clarifying what motions were on the table, the board ended up voting on the amendment as written, which passed 4-3 with Taglia, Scaman, Robinson and Trustee Susan Buchanan voting yes. Walker-Peddakotla, Trustee Chibuike Enyia and Trustee Ravi Parakkat dissented. The board agreed to allow community input in future discussions on how to allocate the federal COVID funds.

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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9

District 97 turns to pair of interim HR directors Board fills last administrative opening for next school year

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

Oak Park’s District 97 school board has selected two retired educators to serve as the interim senior directors of human resources, closing out the list of administrative hires for the 2021-22 school year.

In a unanimous decision, the school board appointed Cathie Pezanoksi and Tim Kilrea at its July 13 meeting to share the role of senior director of human resources. While Pezanoski already stepped into the position July 12, Kilrea plans to start in August.

Pezanoski and Kilrea are coming to the district with 35 years of experience in education. Among many jobs, Pezanoski worked as an assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction at Downers Grove Grade School District 58 and director of elementary curriculum and instruction for Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, according to a school news release issued days ahead of the July 13 meeting.

For the last nine years, Pezanoski was the superintendent at Elwood Community Consolidated School District 203 before retiring

at the end of June. During her tenure, Pezanoski helped negotiate three collective bargaining agreements with the local teachers union, handled personnel issues and hired staff, the release stated.

Like Pezanoski, Kilrea spent the last 12 years of his decades-long career as the superintendent of Lyons Township High School District 204. In addition, Kilrea, who retired this past June, had served as District 204’s director of human resources where his position expanded to recruiting and developing district employees and coordinating a mentoring program for new teachers, as well as participating in bargaining union agreements.

Appointments explained Since late April, the board has appointed a total of six administrators to fill three open positions for the 2021-22 school year, placing two in each of the interim roles. The district now has two superintendents, two principals at William Beye Elementary School and two human resources directors.

There are multiple reasons why school administrators recommended pairing people up in those roles, said Amanda Siegfried, senior director of communications at D97.

One is the late departures of some administrators which left less time to conduct searches. Another is the absence of a permanent superintendent with the idea the

next superintendent will want a voice in making key hires. Finally, under state law retired administrators can only work limited hours while still collecting full pensions.

The decision to hire two principals at Beye came from school administrators, who sought to offer as much support as possible for staff, students and families during this upcoming school year, Siegfried said. She said administrators listened to D97 faculty and families who expressed the need for an “experienced leader who is familiar with Oak Park,” which led them to name district veterans Cheryl Sullivan and Sheila Carter.

Sullivan is a longtime Oak Park resident who previously served several roles in D97, including assistant principal at Longfellow Elementary School and interim principal and student support specialist at Mann Elementary School. As for Carter, she spent 17 years as principal of Hatch Elementary School and five years as assistant principal at Lincoln Elementary School.

The same thought process applies to the hiring of interim superintendents, Patricia Wernet and Griff Powell. Siegfried said the school board wanted to take the time to find a new permanent superintendent, after former Superintendent Carol Kelley’s departure. At this point, the board has begun the months long search for a permanent superintendent and hopes to announce a new superintendent before the end of the 2021-22

school year.

Having interim employees will also give the incoming superintendent a chance to decide on key administrative hires, Siegfried said. Positions for a permanent Beye principal and senior director of human resources will be posted in early 2022, after the board has chosen a superintendent, she said.

Another reason why there are two employees placed in each of the three positions is that most of them are retired. Of the total six new hires, five of them – Pezanoski, Kilrea, Carter, Wernet and Powell – are retired.

Sullivan is the only full-time administrator.

According to the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System, retired educators can only work 120 days or up to 600 hours in a school year to qualify for their benefits. Non-retired administrators usually work 260 days each school year, Siegfried said.

“They are sharing their roles in order to ensure coverage for the full school year,” she said. “This is common practice in Illinois school districts.”

On pairing Carter and Sullivan, Siegfried reiterated the need to offer support to Beye families.

“We have full confidence in Cheryl and Sheila, both as individuals and as a leadership team,” Siegfried said. “They have already hit the ground running and are excited to welcome back students and staff next month.”

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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School is coming and students in need need supplies Hephzibah, Oak Park Township among orgs looking for school supplies

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

In 2020, the National Retail Federation reported that an average household spends about $800 on school supplies. For families in need, buying school supplies for their children can make for hard decisions between rent, utilities, groceries or notebooks and markers.

That’s why two Oak Park organizations are asking community members to step up and donate. In the last few weeks, Oak Park and River Forest Township and the Hephzibah Children’s Association have launched separate school supply drives, encouraging area residents to drop off folders, notebooks, backpacks, lunch boxes, markers and more.

This initiative is all about making sure children have access to what they need, said Dominique Hickman, youth interventionist at the township. Pens, pencils and paper are considered basic necessities for students, and when they don’t have those items, it may be harder for them to want to learn, she said.

They may feel ashamed or embarrassed.

either be ordered and shipped “Just give back – period,” directly to or dropped off at the Hickman said, adding this township office. school drive is meant to help give Over at Hephzibah, Developstudents the chance to start off ment Director Juliet Yera and the school year on the right note. her staff are looking to collect The township first held a enough supplies for about 500 back-to-school supply drive in children who are part of the lo2018 and sought to serve chilcal organization’s family-based dren who were part of its youth programs. She said those chilservices program, said Megan dren – who range from kinderTraficano, the chief of the towngarteners to high school seniors ship’s youth services program.

MEGAN TRAFICANO – are either living with foster Traficano said she, Hickman and families or under the care of other staff expanded the drive to other loved ones. include area children in need.

Hephzibah is one of Oak Park’s oldest Last year, the township was forced to postpone the drive because of the COVID-19 social service agencies, offering various pandemic, but the needs of students still re- resources such as foster care and adoption programs, after-school daycare and treatmain, Traficano said.

Because some of the safety guidelines ment centers for children traumatized by have been lifted, the township plans to host a abuse, neglect or abandonment. Yera said drive-thru back-to-school event Aug. 13 from the family-based program, which began 4 to 6 p.m. The event will take place at the five years ago, has grown considerably in township’s parking lot, 105 S. Oak Park Ave. the past year, adding another 100 children, Students in grades kindergarten through which is why “we need more supplies than high school can receive a backpack with we’ve ever needed before.” school supplies while supplies last. ChilYera said many of the program’s foster dren must be present at the pick-up. families are aunts, uncles or grandparents The township is accepting donations until taking care of their nieces, nephews or Aug. 6. The township does have an Amazon grandchildren and struggling to provide wishlist, which is posted online at oakpark- for additional children in their home. “The township.org/youth-services. Supplies can burden of taking those kids in and then ad-

“It’s just a nice way to give back and show kids that the community cares about them.”

Want to quit using?

ditionally supplying all of their needs for school is very high for a lot of these families,” she said.

Like the township, Hephzibah has released a list on Amazon where donors can pick and choose the supplies they want to give. Bottles of Elmer’s glue, pencil sharpeners and sensory toys to help children with anxiety are among the items needed. A complete list can be found at hephzibahhome. org/donate/wishlist.

Hephzibah will be accepting donations until July 30. Items can be shipped to Hephzibah’s office, 1144 Lake St., 5th Floor, Oak Park, IL 60301. Drop-offs must be coordinated with Volunteer Manager Hannah Weigel, who can be reached at hweigel@hephibahhome.org.

With the first day of school just around the corner, Yera and Traficano said these efforts are for the children. From remote learning to canceled graduations and proms, the pandemic had put an indefinite pause on the way students went to school, and this is just one way to help bring back some normalcy, Traficano said.

“It’s just a nice way to give back and show kids that the community cares about them and they want them to be successful in school and that they are thinking about them,” Traficano said.

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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11

PETE’S

Environmental cleanup next from page 1 slowed supply chains for certain industries.

“I was just talking to [Pete’s] recently, where they said they had started to place some orders for some of the equipment they needed for the store,” Grossman said. “Then due to COVID, the manufacturer had to back out.”

Pete’s is in the process of sourcing equipment again. Until the equipment has been acquired, Grossman said they can’t move forward with final designs of the building. She hopes that, once the issue related to equipment is resolved, Pete’s TAMMIE GROSSMAN will soon be able to Director Business submit their final Development Services building permit Village of Oak Park application. Grossman is working with the grocery store on an updated construction schedule.

“There are a lot of delays that are beyond their control,” she said.

Environmental issues have also contributed to the delay. The two-block long parcel previously included a gas station at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and Madison Street and a now demolished auto dealership.

As a result there are oil tanks beneath the surface. Those tanks need to be removed as part of the development process, according to Grossman, and it would not be unusual if additional environmental testing was needed uncover other tanks elsewhere on the property.

“The agreement that was negotiated with Pete’s provides that the village will contribute up to $1,650,000 to the environmental expenses for the clean-up of the parcels where the Pete’s store and parking lot will be located,” Grossman said. “The tank removal is a small part of that overall budget.”

She said the Pete’s team is conducting an environmental study of the Madison Street property to determine how much environmental cleanup needs to happen.

“They also have to work with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to come up with a water retention plan,” she added.

“And we’ve been working with them on that.”

Still, Pete’s remains very much committed to moving forward with its second Oak Park location. Grossman was quick to quash rumors circulating on social media that the grocery chain has backed out of the project.

“I saw some people post that on Facebook over the weekend,” she said. “And I weighed into the fray, which I normally don’t do, and said that wasn’t accurate.”

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

DEMOLISHED: The two-block parcel on Madison Street which will eventually house a new Pete’s Fresh Market is now clear after the spring demolition of a longempty car dealership.

“There are a lot of delays that are beyond their control.”

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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13

Now merged, St. B’s and St. Luke seek common ground Forest Park meets new associate pastor

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Rev. Ed Fialkowski presided at his first mass at St. Bernardine Catholic Church on June 6. That was about a month before Forest Park’s St. Bernardine and River Forest’s St. Luke Catholic churches formally united to form one new parish under the direction of Chicago’s Catholic archdiocese’s Renew My Church program.

For now the joined churches are called St. Luke and St. Bernardine Catholic Parish.

Fialkowski is the associate pastor of the merged parishes, the same role he has held at St. Luke since October 2019. Rev. Stanislaw Kuca is now officially the pastor the twinned parishes having previously served as pastor of St. Bernardine.

Fialkowski, a diocesan priest for 43 years, said the months ahead will focus of members of the two parishes getting to know each other and working to form a trusting relationship.

Fialkowski spent 22 years as pastor of Our Lady of the Wayside, a church in the northwest suburbs with a registered membership of 3,200 families. Having earned an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business combined with having served as the pastor of a large parish, gives him broad knowledge and experience in administration.

He grew up on the northwest side of Chicago and has 5 siblings, 12 nephews and 13 grand nieces and nephews. He enjoys spending time with that extended family and friends and enjoys sports and watching old movies.

St. Bernardine members who have spoken to the Forest Park Review over the long process which led to the consolidation often frame the merger in terms of a loss. Fialkowski is trying to look at it as an opportunity. In an interview Fialkowski focused on two aspects of the process of merging the two faith communities into one parish.

He resisted any language about St. Bernardine or St. Luke as individual parishes. Now, he kept repeating that they are two church locations in one parish. When asked, for example, if he will be in effect the pastor of St. Bernardine and Kuca the pastor of St. Luke, he said both of them are priests in the one parish called St. Luke and St. Bernardine.

While acknowledging that both faith communities have their own narratives of what happened in the past, Fialkowski said, “All of us are looking forward to the future with optimism. Whatever happened in the past happened in the past. All of us -- the parish staff, the priests, and the archdiocese — are saying that we’re going forward with this new parish with optimism. We are going to make this new parish a great success.”

For now, the mass schedule at the St. Bernardine location will remain the same as it has been in the past, and when you call the phone number for that location listed online, someone physically at the Forest Park church will answer.

Members of St. Bernardine who served on the Community Discernment and Planning team leading up to the merger along with seven people from St. Luke were Kuca, Michael O’Brien, Della DeSonia, Julia Doloszycki, Deb Michalak and Mary Richie.

After doing their research, the team proposed two scenarios to the archdiocese, each of which would “focus on the future, but also build on the strengths of the past and

present.”

Scenario 1 was eventually adopted: It established St. Luke and St. Bernardine as one parish “while continuing to maintain both churches so that liturgies would continue to be offered at both locations.”

Scenario 2 would have created St. Luke and St. Bernardine Parish but shift all liturgies to St. Luke Church.

The team’s report reasoned, “Merging St. Luke and St. Bernardine parishes presents us with two decidedly different communities, each with strengths that should not be forfeited in the merger since they hold the roots of our faith.

Though the demographics of the two parishes, which serve a 4.5 square mile are, are different, the faith commitment of parishioners served by each parish is a strong foundation for the future.”

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14

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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Sears site redevelopment hits zoning hurdles

During July 14 community meeting, Ald. Taliaferro said project is still on track despite complications

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

Novak Construction company’s plans to redevelop the former North and Harlem Sears location, including its parking lot, has hit a few bureaucratic snags, but Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) said that the development is still on track.

The alderman, whose ward includes the site and most of Galewood, gave an update on the project during his July 14 community safety meeting in response to a question from a constituent.

Taliaferro said that there are two issues holding the project up: the zoning change that was approved as part of the previous redevelopment proposal and a need to vacate an alley that, while no longer physically there, still officially exists from a zoning perspective.

The developer is also waiting on permits, which were delayed because employees in the city’s building department worked remotely through much of the pandemic.

Taliaferro is planning to hold another virtual community meeting on July 21 at 6 p.m.

Although he didn’t say whether he would reveal more details at that point, he explained that residents are welcome to join the meeting and ask questions about this and any other projects in his ward.

The property under development includes the site of the original Sears store at the northeast corner of North and Harlem avenues and its main parking lot, as well as the auxiliary parking lot directly to the east of it. At the time Sears closed, the property was owned by Seritage Growth Holdings, which was Sears’ real estate arm before being spun off into a separate company.

Seritage hired Tucker Development to redevelop the property. The plan that went

before the city called for mixed-use development that would incorporate the refurbished store building and apartments on the east parking lot.

As part of the process, the Chicago City Council approved establishing planned development zoning for both lots and changed the underlying zoning to allow mixed-use development on the Sears site and residential development in the parking lot. Any changes to the development plan must be

approved by the City Council.

In September 2020, Seritage sold the property to Chicago-based Novak Construction.

The company plans to keep the parking lot redevelopment the same as Tucker’s proposal, but its plans for the store site were different. It demolished the Sears building completely and built a new grocery store, two retail buildings and a drive-through restaurant, while keeping the plans for the east parking lot the same.

During the July 14 meeting, Taliaferro explained that Novak was still going through the process of changing the zoning for the Sears lot to accommodate the developer’s plans.

The zoning change needed to be approved by the Chicago Plan Commission and the city council’s Committee on Zoning, Buildings and Landmarks before going before the full City Council for final approval. The most recent July 15 meeting of the Plan Commission didn’t have Novak’s project on the agenda, so the earliest the process can start is August.

Taliaferro also said that the parking lot had a north-south alley that had to be vacated, which also requires City Council approval. He said that the alley was there before Sears was built, when the lots were residential. Even though the alley no longer physically exists, it’s still legally there.

“You can’t even see this alley,” Taliaferro said. “The houses have been torn down, but there’s an alley that’s supposed to be there.”

Novak Construction did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

To join Taliaferro’s July 21 Zoom meeting, use Meeting ID 868 2200 1141, or call (312) 626-6799.

Lake-Lathrop developer says interest ‘very strong’ Construction still has not begun for proposed mixed-use building

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

Prospective residential and retail tenants continue to show interest in the proposed development on the southwest corner of Lake Street and Lathrop Avenue, Mark McKinney of Sedgwick Properties told the River Forest Village Board at the July 12 meeting.

The proposal by Lake Lathrop Partners LLC to build a five-story, mixed-use development was approved in 2016.

Lake Lathrop Properties is a joint venture between Sedgwick Properties and Keystone Ventures.

McKinney told village officials that contracts are being finalized on two more units, which would bring the total sales to 10. According to the development’s marketing website, it will contain 22 condominium units total, including two-, three- and four-bedroom condos, each with direct elevator

access and ranging in price from $699,900 to $1.45 million.

McKinney also cited “very strong” interest in the retail side of the project with a medical tenant committed to taking 2,500 of the 14,000 square feet of retail space available.

He said interest from prospective tenants would fill more retail space than is available if they all signed contracts.

Representatives for the developers have previously said the flexibility in creating custom spaces makes the project more attractive.

Responding to a statement made during the citizen comment portion of the meeting by Phyllis Rubin, who lives in a condominium building adjacent to the site, McKinney acknowledged the presence of weeds on the property and said they would be removed, recalling how the developers were criticized for not removing snow during the winter.

McKinney also addressed Rubin’s concerns about radon, saying officials of Pioneer Engineering and Environmental Services had no concerns about radon on the site. He also clarified that a barrier and vent system will mitigate any vapor intrusion from the soil and vent vapors 10 feet above the roof. Pioneer Engineering provided site remediation

services at the site.

Representatives for the developers previously said vertical construction would take 16 months, which would be beyond the Nov. 1, 2021, deadline for completion stipulated in an amendment that was approved by the village board in October 2019. It’s not clear when that vertical construction will commence. As of last week, excavation had not yet begun at the site.

Trustee Katie Brennan chided McKinney for not appearing at the June 28 village board meeting, reminding him that the developer had agreed to provide monthly updates on the project.

River Forest has committed $1.9 million in tax increment financing funding for the development. If trustees vote to take back the property, then the village must reimburse the developer for demolition and environmental remediation costs.

Representatives for the developer previously estimated demolition at $250,000 and the village’s environmental consultant estimated soil remediation at $1.2 million.

“I’m very eager to get started,” McKinney said.

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

15

ART BEAT

‘Tempest’ takes Austin Gardens by storm

By RIMA THOMPSON

L

Theater Reviewer

ive theater is back after a two-year pandemic hiatus.

Oak Park Festival Theatre (OPFT) debuted its first outdoor stage performance in Austin Gardens since 2019 with William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The play was slated for last year, but was put on hold because of strict COVID-19 restrictions that prohibited live performances.

An elated Barbara Zahora, OPFT artistic director and director of The Tempest, addressed the audience before and after the production to welcome and thank everyone for their continued support of live theater.

The Tempest, a story of past and current life journeys that feature betrayal, revenge, forgiveness and acceptance, remains as relevant today as it did during its 16th century debut.

“We chose this play long before coronavirus and the murder of George Floyd changed our world so significantly [making the] themes of exile, injustice, the struggle for power, self-discovery and healing all particularly resonant after the last year,” Zahora said in OPFT’s press release. “As people start to come out of their homes and find a new normal post-pandemic, we hope this will be particularly meaningful for those seeing it for the first time.”

For those unfamiliar, The Tempest is a family drama. As Act One opens, we are introduced to Prospero (Kevin Theis), the former Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda (Deanalis Resto).

Alonso, king of Naples, is in cahoots with Prospero’s brother Antonio to fraudulently seize Prospero’s power and force him to flee with Miranda. Prospero successfully escapes with the aid of his advisor, Gonzalo. He and Miranda

make a home on a Mediterranean island that had one human inhabitant, Caliban (Matt Gall), a lone islander whom Prospero enslaves. The island is also inhabited spirits, such as Ariel (Bernell Lassai). Prospero makes Ariel his spirit servant after rescuing him from imprisonment in a tree.

To exact revenge on the people he feels caused his fall from wealth and power, Prospero uses magic to control nature’s elements. He conjures a brutal storm with his magic, which severely damages a ship carrying his enemies, washing them ashore on a deserted island. Among his enemies on the ship is his duplicitous brother Antonio and Alonso.

During the shipwreck, the king’s son, Ferdinand, safely lands on a separate part of the island.

Prospero’s act of magic sets in motion a love story, the deterioration of relationships and much plotting against one another to control the island.

The talented cast brings each character to life, including a ridiculous failed attempted assassination of Prospero by the drunken duo of jester and butler. The comic proceedings culminate in Prospero’s vengefulness giving way to forgiveness and acceptance.

The debut of The Tempest represents a welcome return to outdoor in-person theater, with enough COVID protocols to keep the audience and cast members safe.

All are welcome, “but non-vaccinated audience members will be required to wear masks when moving through the park and will be asked to observe a 6-foot social distance when not seated with their pod,” the theater company noted in its press release.

The cast includes Jeannie Affelder as Antonia; Belinda Bremner as Gonzalo; Tony Buzzuto as Sebastian; Savanna Rae as Trinculo; Austyn Williamson as Ferdinand; Noelle

Klyce as Alonsa; Emma Sipora Tyler as the Boatswain, a spirit and Adrian; Dakota Brown as shipmaster, a spirit and Francisco; and Orion Seth Lay-Sleeper as Stephano. George Zahora provided original music and sound design. Jennifer Harlee Mitchell created original vocal music and provided musical direction.

The show runs through Aug. 21 with performances at 8 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays, and 7 p.m. Sundays at Austin Gardens, 167 Forest Ave., Oak Park. $35; $25, seniors; $15, students; free, ages 12 and under; $5 chair rental (or bring a chair or blanket). Tickets/more: oakparkfestival. com/tempest.

Library postpones Book Fair until 2022

By MICHELLE DYBAL Arts Editor

An Oak Park tradition that book lovers have counted on for 49 years until COVID-19 hit has again been shelved. For the second year, the Annual Book Fair, traditionally held in late July or early August and run by the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library, is cancelled.

According to the library website, “This decision was influenced by several COVID19-related factors, including the state’s public gathering limits and having no access to the Oak Park and River Forest High School’s cafeteria due to construction.”

Friends President Joe Larscheid said another factor was a concern for not having enough donations, which includes primarily books, but also some music. Most donations come into the library throughout the year, but Oak Park Library was not accepting donations to be cautious about virus transmission. Larscheid said there was concern the sales offerings would not be as robust as in the past.

Friends is a nonprofit, membership or-

ganization. Membership dues, monetary donations and the Book Fair supports programs such as the annual Barbara Ballinger Lecture. Oak Park native and author Claire Lombardo spoke virtually in 2020. Friends also helps support music programs and author visits for adult and children’s programming at the library.

Larscheid describes the support it provides as a “bonus” and said the Oak Park Library does not rely on its funding and would still have their programming in place without Friends.

To continue to support library programming while the Book Fair is on hiatus, money in reserves is available, Larscheid said. While Annual Book Fairs of the past grossed more than $40,000, by 2019, Larscheid said that amount had gone down to the low $30,000s, presumably reflecting the move to ebooks or other forms of entertainment competing with books. At the same time, costs have risen, netting Friends closer to $20,000 in 2019.

Friends have “high hopes” to hold and celebrate the 50th Book Fair in 2022. T-shirts

are being planned for the event. Also in process is the location search, which includes talking to real estate owners with large empty spaces, like the old Marshall Fields’ building or former Gap/Pier One and looking at the middle schools. The space is needed for two to three weeks to accommodate sorting and a weekend-long sale. All these sites have had their issues however -- owners not to commit in case they get a tenant; schools worried about gym floors getting damaged.

And, of course, COVID is also a concern.

“We need people to get vaccinated so we can hold these types of events,” Larscheid said. The next Book Fair will be held “when it is safe to have it and we find a venue,” he said.

Recognizing the changes affecting the Book Fair, which includes decreased book inventory overall before the pandemic, Friends is exploring other options such as an in-person fundraiser or trivia event.

Other options to donate books Without the Book Fair, the Oak Park Public Library is not accepting book donations and is directing residents to take their reading material elsewhere. Some suggested locations aim to help others.

Chicago Books to Women in Prison has a Chicago location that accepts donations and serves incarcerated women in multiple states. They have specific needs which can be seen on their website (https://chicagobwp.org/how-to-help/ donations/#books).

Open Books accepts donations through drop bins, their West Loop store or will pick up. They sell donations to fund literacy programs. They also give books away as part of their programs and are especially in need of high-quality children’s titles. (https://www.open-books.org/ donate-books) Other options are Little Free Libraries (https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap) and The Goodwill Donation Center, 1900 Harlem Ave., North Riverside.

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

C R I M E

Two armed robberies in Oak Park

Two armed robberies took place in Oak Park less two days apart from each other.

The first occurred between 8:30 and 8:40 p.m., July 12, when the victim entered the common vestibule area of her apartment complex, located in the 100 block of Washington Boulevard. Two unknown teenage subjects followed the woman into the building, then demanded her property. When she refused, they drew a handgun. The victim handed over her purse, which contained her wallet, car keys, Apple iPhone X and insulin medication –an estimated loss worth $330.

The offenders then fled on bicycles, traveling westbound on Washington Boulevard.

The second incident occurred between 12:02 and 12:06 p.m., July 14, in the 800 block of North Humphrey Avenue, when an un-

known offender, believed to be in his late teens, approached a female victim from behind and pulled on the bag she was carrying. When she turned around, she saw the offender was holding a black handgun and let go of the bag, which contained diapers, bottled water, sunscreen and crackers – an estimated loss of $37. The offender in that incident then fled in a black sedan driven by another person.

A 65-year-old Michigan man was arrested for aggravated assault after brandishing a knife and threatening Oak Park residents at 10:08 p.m., July 13 in the first block of Chicago Avenue. A name check revealed a warrant for a weapons violation out of Michigan.

Aggravated unlawful use of a weapon arrest

Attempted aggravated robbery arrest

A 23-yar-old Chicago man was arrested at 10:23 p.m., July 15 after firing a handgun numerous times in an alley in the 1100 block of South Humphrey Boulevard.

Three male juveniles from Chicago were arrested after being positively identified as the offenders in an attempted aggravated robbery that occurred in the 200 block of

SCHOOLS

Brittany Yelnick, a first-year social worker at River Forest School District 90, said she, like many other faculty and staff, were concerned about how the stay-at-home mandate in March 2020 and then remote learning affected students. Yelnick often kept in touch with students virtually and paid close attention to their well-being, emotions and schoolwork.

But once District 90 went into hybrid learning, Yelnick said she started noticing some students were anxious to come back to the building. She also knew other students thrived learning from home, and so she and her colleagues, alongside school teachers, workshopped ways to help children become comfortable with being in-person.

“The predictability of what school used to be for them before the pandemic – and then it turned into something very known – is traumatic in itself,” said Yelnick, who splits her time as a social worker between Willard and Lincoln elementary schools.

Yelnick said she and staff began incorporating mindfulness practices to tend to students’ social and emotional needs. Teachers also started in-person classes with more check-ins to see how students were feeling or even just asking them how their weekends were, she said.

“Teachers were excellent at being the first line of defense for students and giving them that social-emotional support,” she said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children at the age of 5 should be able to remember their names and address, know everyday items such as food or money or visit a neighbor with adult supervision. Because of the pandemic, Ardith said she thinks her daughter is “a little more reliant on us than she would have been if all this hadn’t happened.”

While safety measures around COVID-19 have loosened up in recent months, Ardith shared that her family also had to make a decision on just how comfortable they were with going out, visiting someone else’s home or sending Zaria back to school for hybrid learning.

It was tough, Ardith said. Between seeing whether teachers would get the vaccine and grieving over a loved one who died from COVID-19, Ardith sought to keep Zaria in remote learning a little longer, easing her back into the classroom slowly.

Yelnick said that once families had the option of sending their children back to school for hybrid learning, she and her colleagues continued to put their students’ well-being first. They wanted students to be comfortable whether they were inside the classroom or at home.

Zaria had a hard time keeping up with the schedules that rolled out from hybrid learning, Ardith admitted. There was a “lot more back and forth, and there were a lot more meltdowns in our house because of that,” she said.

When District 97 offered full-time on-site learning by the spring, Ardith said Zaria was excited to go and see her friends in person and wasn’t nervous.

“It’s a big change from being home for a year to all of a sudden going to school every day,” she said, adding Zaria had an “amazing teacher” who fostered a safe, welcoming environment.

Like Yelnick, Carrie Kamm, senior director of equity at Oak Park Elementary School District 97, spoke of the steps D97

Families evolve from page 1 returning.

Ardith Zucker, Zaria’s mother, said she realized on that trip to Walgreens that she and her partner had some explaining to do. As parents, they found themselves reassuring Zaria that it was OK to be in the store. They still have to be masked, but things are different now, they said to her. It’s safer, especially with COVID-19 vaccines out, they said. But Zaria “freaked out a bit,” Ardith said.

“We’ll be in here for a few minutes,” said Ardith, of Oak Park, recalling the quick conversation. Though days have passed since that trip, Ardith said she remembered the look on her daughter’s face, seeing her take a deep breath right before stepping in, as if she was “processing it all, you know?”

Ardith’s story is an example of an experience many families navigating the pandemic have shared. With most schools in Illinois fully reopening by mid-August, parents, caregivers and educators are left wondering how the pandemic has impacted the state’s youngest learners.

In April, researchers from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago released the results of multiple surveys, polling over 1,500 parents across the city’s 77 neighborhoods. In one of the surveys, 23% of parents with children between the ages of 2 and 11 years old revealed they had “experienced more tantrums and acting out” compared to before the pandemic.

Some parents also said their younger children displayed more “clinginess” and had more sleep disturbances, including nightmares. Others reported their children experienced headaches, stomach pains or had trouble getting along with other children.

‘A lot of firsts’ When the pandemic first hit last March, Zaria was only 5 and halfway through kindergarten at Longfellow Elementary School.

“She didn’t really know what school was,” said Ardith, adding most children around that age are just starting to go to school and taking those small steps toward building independence. Those ages – between 5 and 6 years old – are crucial because that’s when children are learning how to ask what they need, going on playdates or even attending summer camp, she said.

Aggravated assault arrest

South Scoville Avenue at 8:39 p.m., July 17; the offenders knocked the victim down and demanded money before the victim was able to defend himself or scare the offenders off.

■ These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports July 13 through July 19 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

took to confront students’ social-emotional needs. The district deployed its social workers for telehealth appointments and expanded its partnership with DePaul University to bring in a care coordinator.

Both D90 and D97 also launched their own social-emotional learning committees composed of educators, healthcare professionals, parents and community members. In these spaces, they continued to talk about trauma and try to build out a longer list of resources for families to access. These efforts continue to remain a work in progress, as the pandemic continues and evolves.

For Kamm, she also kept her eye on teachers, faculty and administrators. Kamm, who works directly with school employees, wanted them to feel supported, as they moved through the challenges of the pandemic.

“When you’re in education, certainly, we center our students, but you can’t center the students and not have a real edict of care for the adults who make the system work,” she said.

With summer in full swing, Kamm said she’s still trying to wrap her head around the last year or so and can’t seem to rest quite yet.

“If you equate it to like breathing in and holding your breath, I don’t feel like I’ve exhaled yet,” Kamm said.

In mid-June, Zaria turned 7 years old. Ardith and her partner threw a party at a nearby park for Zaria and invited her classmates to celebrate. There was even a magician set to perform. While everyone still remained masked, Ardith recalled feeling a sense of comfort in hearing her daughter laugh and play alongside other children.

“They were just running up to each other when they arrived and screaming their names – and just thrilled,” Ardith said. “It was such a big deal to be in person and be able to play on the playground and things like that. There are a lot of firsts now that are happening.”

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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The Scoville influence on Oak Park

Mansions may not last, but development and architectural influence do

By LACEY SIKORA

A

Contributing Reporter

longtime Oak Parker wrote to Wednesday Journal reminiscing about reading in a comfortable chair by a fireplace in the old Scoville Mansion, which stood where today’s Main Library is, and wondered if the village’s memory for that building and its legacy have faded as newer buildings rotate through the prominent site on Lake Street and Oak Park Avenue.

A trip to the Oak Park River Forest Historical Society shows he is remembering the stone Scoville Institute, which preceded the present day library on that spot from 1888 to 1962.

The grand Victorian mansion once inhabited by the Scovilles was east of the Institute, up the hill in what is today Scoville Park. The mansion only existed a couple of decades before meeting the wrecking ball, and the Institute made it almost 75 years before meeting the same fate, but James Scoville and his family have had more than 150 years of influence on the community.

Frank Lipo, executive director of the Oak Park River Forest Historical Society, says that the role the Scovilles played in developing Oak Park is stronger than many know.

“Today, people know the street, the park and the Scoville Institute that’s carved into the stone over the library,” Lipo said.

“What’s often forgotten is all the money and influence in commercial development. This is really a story about how Oak Park was shaped by one person.”

Personal history James Scoville was born in New York state in 1825 to a family of limited means.

He taught school and made shoes in his spare time before he travelled to Illinois.

In 1848, he was walking from Chicago to Beloit, Wisconsin, when, according to legend, he stopped to enjoy the shade of an oak tree in what is now Scoville Park. He vowed to return to the area, and in 1857, he did so, purchasing the land where that oak tree grew from early Oak Park settler Joseph Kettlestrings.

It was the first of many land purchases in and around Oak Park for the budding developer. In 1863, Scoville and Milton Niles purchased 40 acres of land and to-

Photo from the collection of Philander Barclay c. 1900 courtesy of The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

LASTING LEGACY: While the grand Scoville Mansion (above) is long-demolished, the legacy of James Scovlle (right) in Oak Park lasted long into the 20th century and still reverberates today. gether in 1867, built the first four houses on Maple Avenue.

In 1868, Scoville purchased the land from Oak Park Avenue to East Avenue from roughly Lake Street to Chicago Avenue, and he later partnered with others to purchase acreage east of Ridgeland Avenue that became a larger neighborhood in east Oak Park when it was incorporated by the village.

Scoville also worked as the president of Prairie State Bank and is remembered for his love of literature and recitation of poetry to waiting commuters at the local train station. At first, Scoville and his wife, Mary, lived in a modest house on the land Scoville had purchased from Kettlestrings. He later donated that home

to a nearby church and built a grand, 20-room mansion on the hill where the World War I monument stands in today’s Scoville Park.

Civic engagement While he was building his real estate empire, Scoville was also taking an interest in civic life in the community. He contributed the land at Lake Street and Forest Avenue for the construction of Lowell School and provided the town with a fresh water supply by building a reservoir on North Boulevard between Oak Park Avenue and Euclid Avenue.

The Scoville family was prominent in See SCOVILLE on page 20

Portrait by Frank Pebbles courtesy of The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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SCOVILLE

Deep influence from page 18 the establishment and construction of a church that stood where First United Church is today, where they were members, and also aided in the construction of what is now Pilgrim Church, both on Lake Street.

In 1883, James Scoville invited 13 friends to form the board of trustees for a new library, which was to be called the Scoville Institute. He endowed $115,000 worth of land and money to the project and hired architect Norman Patton to design the building at Lake Street and Grove Avenue. The threestory Romanesque Revival building was completed in 1888 and included a library, third-floor gymnasium and spaces for community meetings and lectures.

While the building was popular with the village -- by 1890 more than 1,000 library cards had been issued in a town with a population of 4,500 -- Scoville’s endowment proved insufficient to support the building and services. By 1891, the Institute was facing a deficit, and by 1903, Oak Park voters had approved a referendum for a tax to support the public library.

Due to health concerns, James and Mary Scoville eventually moved to Pasadena, California, leaving the day-to-day management of their Oak Park properties to their son, Charles.

Their grand mansion on the hill was used as finishing school for girls and as a temporary home for the Oak Park Club, and Charles leased the land around it to real estate firm Dunlop & Co., which proposed constructing an office building and hotel on the site around 1910.

Villagers, including local homeowner Anson Hemingway, wanted the area to remain green space and become a dedicated park. In 1912, voters approved the creation of the park district, and Charles Scoville reconsidered his development plans.

He sold both the Scoville place and the old cricket grounds now known as Ridgeland Common to the park district for $135,637. The grand mansion on the hill was razed by the park district.

The Scoville Institute remained a community cultural institution until 1962, when it was demolished to make way for the new library, which itself was replaced by a newer model in 2003.

Photo by Philander Barclay in 1903 courtesy of The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

Commercial influence The Scoville family was responsible for much of the development of the commercial corridor near the intersection of Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street that still exists today. The building at 115 N. Oak Park Ave., the Cicero Gas Co. Building, was built in 1893, and the building at 116-136 N. Oak Park Ave. was built in 1899. Architect Patton had a hand in both designs.

In 1907, Charles Scoville hired E.E. Roberts to design the Scoville Square Building at 129-151 N. Oak Park Ave., once home to a Masonic Lodge and later home to Gilmore’s Department Store. When Gilmore’s closed in 1976, the store was still leasing the space from a Scoville descendant.

Charles Scoville also developed the Medical Arts Building at 715 Lake St. In a controversy that echoes development discussions today, his original construction permit for the building was denied because it exceeded local height restrictions by 29 feet. Scoville persuaded local officials that the height was necessary to house mechanical systems and to allow for first-floor retail space and won approval for construction.

For Lipo, the Scovilles’ long-term relationship with the village is striking.

“Those three commercial corners were all owned and built

by Scovilles for around 80 years,” Lipo said. “The family had an interest here from the 1860s all the way through the 1960s.

You could make a case for calling the town Scoville Corners.”

Courtesy of The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

LEGACY: Scoville’s wish to build a library resulted in the construction of the Scoville Institute (top, at right), which remained the site of Oak Park’s libraries after it was razed in 1962. Still standing are two commercial buildings across the street from one another at Lake Street and Oak Park Avenue (above, shown here in the 1970s), developed by members of the Scoville family.

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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SPORTS

W

White Sox, Cubs headed in opposite directions

hen it comes to Chicago baseball, you are either a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan. Being centrally located in the near west suburbs, the Oak Park and River Forest communities have plenty of each.

So it stands to reason that this week’s Tate’s Take column will make some readers happy, and others not so much.

Here are my thoughts on our two baseball teams: I have to admit I wasn’t impressed when Tony La Russa was named White Sox manager after last season. While he’s in the Baseball Hall of Fame, he hadn’t managed since leading the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series title in 2011.

Also, La Russa represents the old-school generation. At 76 years old, I wondered how he would relate to today’s flashy Major League Baseball culture, particularly with a young, talented, and fun-loving team like the Sox. Well, the early results are in, and they’ve been very good.

The Sox enter this week with the American League’s best winning percentage. This is especially impressive given all the serious injuries the team has had, especially in the lineup.

The starting rotation has been dominant, led by all-stars Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodon, who are first and third respectively in earned-run average in the AL. Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel have been solid as well,

MELVIN TATE

TATE’S TAKE and Liam Hendriks -- another all-star -- is a very strong closer in the bullpen.

The Sox offense started the season slowly but has gradually improved. Tim Anderson, who played in his first AllStar Game last week, is a spark at the top of the order. Jose Abreu, who was the AL’s Most Valuable Player last year, is heating up fast. Yoan Moncada has had a solid year, and a trio of rookies -- Jake Burger, Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn -- have made substantial contributions to the lineup, which will become stronger once Yasmani Grandal, Eloy Jimenez, and Luis Robert all return from the injured list in the next few weeks.

Unfortunately, second baseman Nick Madrigal will not be back this season from his injury. It’s up to White Sox General Manager Rick Hahn to fill that hole -- as well as find more relief help -- before the July 30 trade deadline.

Hahn said before the season he’d be aggressive in adding to the roster if necessary; let’s see if he can deliver.

While I think the Sox should easily win the AL Central, those holes at second base and in the bullpen need to be taken care of if they want to meet their stated goal of making it to the World Series.

It’s been a different story for the Cubs. As late as June 24, the Cubs led the National League’s Central Division. That evening in Los Angeles, pitchers Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel combined to no-hit the Dodgers in a 4-0 victory for the Cubs.

However, the Cubs dropped the final three games of that series and subsequently got swept in Milwaukee and Cincinnati as part of an 11-game losing streak that effectively

ended any hopes of making it to this year’s playoffs. They entered this week with a 46-47 record, nine games out of first in the NL Central.

Team president Jed Hoyer, who replaced Theo Epstein last offseason, was hoping to be a buyer and add to the roster in hopes of making a run. But the recent lengthy skid has altered the course, and Hoyer has become a seller.

Left fielder Joc Pederson became the first domino to fall when he was traded July 15 to the Atlanta Braves for a prospect. Moreover, three key players from the 2016 World Series championship team -- shortstop Javier Baez, third baseman Kris Bryant, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo -- are on the final year of their contracts, and I wouldn’t be surprised if any or all of them are on other teams after the deadline.

The Cubs’ issues are many, but to me, there are two that particularly stand out.

First, besides Kyle Hendricks, the starting pitching has been subpar to say the least (and I’m being nice when I say so). Davies is inconsistent, Jake Arrieta has completely fallen off the face of the earth and Adbert Alzolay is still learning how to be an effective MLB starter.

The other problem, which has been especially so since 2016, is the lineup’s approach at the plate. The Cubs don’t hit the fastball consistently, don’t make enough solid contact and strike out far too often. They swing for home runs all the time instead of being patient and focused on putting the ball in play.

It’s disappointing that the Cubs haven’t been able to build off their 2016 World Series success. Now it certainly feels like this is the end of a golden era for the franchise.

While Sox fans can make plans for October, a familiar refrain can be heard among Cub fans: Wait ‘til next year.

Road Trip on the Horizon?

Let us know we’ll hold your paper!

Email: circulation@OakPark.com

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

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

VIEWPOINTS

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A fare-thee-well to Rush Limbaugh 30

That sage growing in your yard?

Delicious

By DAVID HAMMOND

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Dining & Food Blogger

age is one of the key flavors in Thanksgiving turkey stuffing, but that’s maybe one of the few times we notice the herb in a dish. On our daily walks/bike rides around Oak Park, however, we see it everywhere; the recent rains have helped sage grow abundantly. Sage was sprouting in our Oak Park garden for years before I started cooking with it, and I feel I must now make up for time lost.

A classic recipe for fresh sage is a traditional Italian pasta dish that uses the herb, accompanied by butter and Parmigiano cheese. That’s it. So simple and so good. A member of the mint family, sage provides a somewhat piney tingle, and a citrus-like herbal freshness, with just a touch of earthiness — flavors that are balanced beautifully by the richness of the butter and cheese.

Not all sage should be eaten. The technical term for the edible sage we have growing in our garden is salvia officinalis. You should google a photo of that plant if you want to confirm that the sage growing in your garden is, indeed, OK to eat.

Indigenous peoples of the Americas used sage to smudge, which is a time-honored technique for cleansing or purifying one’s domicile. We’ve tried smudging at our house, and it involves lighting a bunch of dried sage and gently wafting the smoke around the rooms.

Colleen McCann, a shaman and a proponent of smudging for spiritual hygiene, writes: “Scientists have observed that sage can clear up to 94 percent of airborne bacteria in a space and disinfect the air. When sage is burned, it releases negative to ions, which is linked to putting people into a positive mood.

The Latin word for sage, salvia, stems from the word “heal.”

Other qualities believed to be associated with sage when burned are giving wisdom, clarity, and increasing spiritual awareness.”

Perhaps … but I just like the way it tastes.

Recently, some of the more adventurous — and perhaps foolhardy — youngs have taken to smoking sage to get high.

According to Newsweek, “an herb in the sage family called salvia divinorum … has been used in religious ceremonies by the Mazatec people of Mexico for centuries. They associate it with the Virgin Mary, and believe ingesting salvia enables them to speak with her. … Salvia is one of the most potent hallucinogens in nature.”

All that may be, but I prefer to just eat the stuff pan-fried, which is how I usually prepare sage. I have noticed no halSee SAGE on page 28

Photos provided

GROWING UP: The author spent a good part of her childhood at the Oak Park Avenue flower shop owned by her mother, Therese McGuire Hester.

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Straight out of a fairy tale

’ve never lived in Oak Park, but I did a lot of growing up in a storefront, Garland Flowers on the 100 block of South Oak Park Avenue. From the time I was 2 weeks old, my mom, Therese McGuire Hester, showed up to work with me in tow.

As years went by, my friends and I used to hide in the walk-in cooler for intense games of hide-and-seek, learned how to drive in the back alley, and came to understand what running a small business really entailed.

The delicacy and beauty of the flowers sometimes simplifies that work in people’s minds. Once, upon telling someone I grew up in a flower shop, they responded, “That’s like something straight out of a fairy tale.”

While the shop does sometimes seem quite magical, the reality is, just like any small business, it demands a lot out of those who run it. My mom works plenty of late nights followed by early morning wakeups. Holidays and weekends are when people need flowers most, making breaks few and far between. There were many times growing up when going to the flower shop was truly the last thing I wanted to do on the entire planet.

But after heading to college, and not having to be there so often, I began to appreciate it for all I got from growing up there.

With every customer who walked through the front door, also came a story. From the famous pianist who played for Princess Diana to the man who bought a single carnation every Saturday, I was exposed to plenty of different people from all walks of life. The connections were not just surface level either. When someone is in need of flowers, it is typically at times when emotions

are at their highest. Weddings. Birthdays.

Funerals. I have watched my mom laugh, and cry, with plenty of her customers — a service that I’m quite sure Amazon doesn’t offer.

Someone once told me my mom collects people not things, and I have to assume that it’s because of these connections. The same is likely true of many small business owners. Creating meaningful bonds with your customers is your lifeblood. The customer might get a bouquet, or a meal, or a gift out of the deal, but also so much more.

Mostly though, my favorite part about life in the flower shop was watching my mom model what it means to be a hard worker while simultaneously being a compassionate and contributing member of her community. Whether it be gifting plants to young couples new to Oak Park or donating gift cards to local school fundraisers, Oak Park is a place she is invested in, not just somewhere she comes to do her business and leave.

The same can be said for any of the businesses that line Lake Street, Harrison Street, or any of the many other business districts in this village.

Last summer I saw a sign in the city that read, “Support small business or risk becoming the suburbs you fled.” I agreed with its general message, but found some irony in its second half. A great deal of what draws people in, and keeps people staying in this suburb are small businesses and the people inside.

Oak Park is all the better for them being here.

Mary Hester is a student at Kenyon College. She is serving an internship at Wednesday Journal this summer.

MARY HESTER One View

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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Middle ground on COVID funds

ak Park’s village board hit a solid and respectful compromise Monday night as, by a narrow 4-3 vote, it earmarked $14 million of the initial $19 million in federal COVID relief funds to replenish village coffers where the pandemic impacted local revenues over the past year.

There is another $19 million still promised to Oak Park under the American Rescue Plan Act. In passing the budget amendment segmenting the $14 million for village coffers, the board also agreed it would refrain from allocating any of the remaining money until an open community discussion allows residents to share thoughts on setting priorities for the funds.

There is rightly tension between voices who want to see the village government made whole (maybe somewhat better than whole) as a result of this federal funding and those who see this cash infusion as a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to invest in large projects such as replacing lead water pipes across the village.

There are ways to accomplish both these goals with thoughtful planning, bold thinking and compromise. But the village board is right in agreeing it needs to hear from citizens before these choices are settled.

While there was some urgency in allocating the $14 million ahead of the village’s upcoming annual budget process, beyond that there is time built into the federal government’s spending requirements to slow down and listen.

We were largely impressed by the tenor of the board’s discussion Monday. A serious topic with legitimate disagreement. But the conversation was mainly civil and mainly focused. Village President Vicki Scaman’s leadership was plain. And the outcome was solid.

Looking forward to more of this.

D97’s interim year Between a comeback from COVID’s largely lost year of schooling and the urgency of executing on its ambitious equity plan, this is a bad year for Oak Park’s District 97 elementary schools to open with a roster of interim players (and co-players).

The late announcement by Carol Kelley that she was on the first plane to Princeton, New Jersey left the school board with not enough time to do a proper search for a new superintendent. That Kelley was a finalist for the top job in Madison, Wisconsin six months earlier should have been fair warning to warm up the search engine.

So now we have recycled a batch of retired superintendents and other former administrators wangling the lucrative Illinois pension system by job sharing and keeping their reported work hours under the state mandated threshold so they don’t mess up their pension payments. Sharing the superintendent seat this year will be Patricia Wernet and Griff Powell. Just announced as the co-occupants of the HR director’s office are Cathie Pezanoski and Tim Kilrea. Even Beye School has interim co-principals though one of them is not a retiree.

Honestly, this is not a kick at any of the individuals involved. We’ve reported on Powell as an interim in another community we cover and he is first rate. We assume the others are, too.

But the pension workaround is dubious and the reality that D97 is going to have two consecutive years where the focus was first on surviving COVID and the second just a titch beyond placeholding is worrisome. This is a district with immediate challenges and opportunities. We’ll have to wait a year to begin taking those up.

That’s frustrating.

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Are you a person of faith?

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friend last week asked, “Are you a person of faith?” I wanted to respond, “Sometimes,” but that sounded too flippant.

Reminds me of Nicholas Cage in the film Family Man when his daughter asks him if he likes kids. “On a caseby-case basis,” he replies.

Like a lot of people, I’m a person of faith on a case-bycase basis.

Skepticism and faith co-exist. In fact, they must co-exist. Same with faith and doubt. Above all, I doubt people of excessive certainty. I don’t believe faith and certainty can co-exist. They can’t even co-exist peacefully in the same sentence.

What about faith and belief ? In my experience, faith transcends belief. Faith is closer to “trust.” Belief is closer to “certainty.” It is an act of faith every time I go out to eat and allow total strangers to prepare my food. When I don’t get sick, my faith is reinforced. Faith allows most of us to board an airplane and let it take us to far-flung places. You can have faith even when you’re nervous. I have faith in the plane even though I don’t entirely believe these contraptions can hold together, given the considerable natural forces stacked against it. But their safety record is undeniably impressive.

Faith is a leap that allows us to transcend our uncertainty. Then again, having faith doesn’t make it so. I firmly believed in 2016 that American voters were not crazy, ignorant, and/or self-destructive enough to elect a compulsive liar like Donald Trump as president. Unhappily, my belief was wrong, which shook my faith in my fellow Americans.

In 2020, I did not believe this country could run a free and fair election. But I took a leap of faith and voted anyway.

Happily, my disbelief also turned out to be wrong. It temporarily restored my faith in the system, but given the Republicans’ concerted efforts to sabotage that system since the election, I have grave doubts whether voting will be free and fair next time.

Faith and belief can be good or bad.

Many believe in Trump despite the Jan. 6 insurrection, all of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and all of his lies, particularly the Big Lie about the election being stolen. And most of those believers, no doubt, describe themselves as “people of faith.”

Yet they have little or no faith in science and government. As a result, many refuse to get vaccinated, even though it’s clearly bad for their health.

Which is more about belief than disbelief. They firmly believe science and government cannot be trusted. And they have absolute, unshakable faith in Donald

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Trump and conservative media.

Bad faith is dangerous faith.

If you disbelieve what’s good for you, and blindly follow what’s bad for you, then being a person of faith puts you in serious jeopardy.

Skepticism is not good doubt if it prevents you, in spite of ample evidence to the contrary, from taking a leap of faith to get a couple of injections that will save your life and the lives of those you claim to love. Faith is more than wishful thinking. It means taking action, fueled by belief or in spite of disbelief.

Am I a person of faith? Underlying my friend’s question is another question, “Do you believe in God?” I don’t believe in any of the traditional religious conceptualizations or imaginings about God. Or rather, I believe all of them contain some germ of “truth” but are, not surprisingly, incomplete. Do I believe in a God beyond our current ability to comprehend such an incomprehensible mystery? That is a much more tantalizing proposition, worthy of much pondering and puzzlement. I stand in awe before the possibility that something beyond our current reckoning might actually exist.

The writer John Green has a problem with the question, “Do I believe in God?” as he discusses in his wonderful book, The Anthropocene Reviewed. He takes issue not with “God” or “believe” but the word “in”.

“I can only believe around God,” he says. “I can only believe in what I am in — sunlight and shadow, oxygen and carbon dioxide, solar systems and galaxies.”

To me, believing “around” God means circling the Great Mystery, nibbling at its edges, staying open to the tantalizing possibility. I much prefer that to hard-and-fast belief.

Nonetheless, we are frequently persons of faith. Most of us went through the pandemic believing it would eventually end and that we and our loved ones would somehow come through to the other side, even though the possibility we might not was very real. It felt like being in a war zone. No guarantees. Living with such uncertainty is an act of faith. The triumph of hope over experience.

I believe that somehow democracy will survive the Republicans’ current efforts to destroy it. I believe we will defeat racism even though the outcome doesn’t look promising right now. I believe we will somehow save the planet, and that, in spite of everything, the better angels of our nature will win out over our lesser devils.

I believe we will find a way to survive and evolve to wherever we are headed as a species.

More immediately, there is really only one test that proves whether you are truly a person of faith.

Getting vaccinated!

TRAINOR

V I E W P O I N T S

On redoing redistricting in Illinois Since state Senate President Don Harmon was going to teeit-up by holding a Town Hall meeting in Oak Park this past Tuesday (July 13) to discuss the recent accomplishments of the Illinois General Assembly, I had to take a swing at it. Among the successful legislation he cited was the adoption of new maps for legislative redistricting.

SEN. DON HARMON With two statewide elections to be held before the next census in 2030 I asked Sen. Harmon if he would support an initiative to establish an independent mapping commission for redistricting to be included on either of those ballots. His short answer was, “No.” Sen. Harmon’s opinion was that it is a federal responsibility to mandate redistricting procedures as is currently the basis for cases currently filed against Republican voting suppression efforts in Georgia or Texas.

Skirting any arguments about the 10th Amendment or the activities of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to have states adopt individual independent legislative mapping commissions, Sen. Harmon did agree that changing the procedures for new maps in Illinois would require amending the State Constitution which would require a statewide ballot initiative.

His cohort for the Town Hall meeting was state Rep. Camille Lilly, who provided a different rationale for maintaining the existing mapping procedures.

Rep. Lilly implied that a proposal for an independent mapping commission could have a detrimental impact on lower income and/or minority voters who often have to change their place REP. CAMILLE LILLY of residence. Counter to her argument, I had to point out that Sen. Harmon is personally being sued by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), which has made the accusation that the newly adopted legislative redistricting map has “malapportioned” Latino voters in Illinois, possibly reducing their representation in the General Assembly.

Rep. Lilly did not indicate any familiarity with the MALDEF lawsuit, and Sen. Harmon said that the map is pending the decision of the court. Subsequent to that legal ruling, there are nearly 10 years to place a proposition on a statewide ballot amending the Constitution to establish an independent mapping commission for legislative redistricting in Illinois.

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Chris Donovan Oak Park

Why does the library need an equity director?

I’ve gradually resumed visiting the Oak Park Public Library. It now appears to be a quite subdued and sedate atmosphere as COVID-19 restrictions have been eased. I recall a pre-pandemic environment that had multiracial representation of all ages.

Library staff had to occasionally confront some flareup in the public computer area, or micro-manage one of the numerous homeless patrons encamped during business hours who seemed impervious to the concept of the library being a place of peace and quiet. It was, back then, a mixed bag of the studious and rambunctious patron. If anything, I thought perhaps the library needed to better enforce the quintessential characteristic of it being a quiet, relaxing place.

Evidently, in addition to the boorishly behaved needing intervention, there must have been a lot of raciallyfueled misfires in the library’s management. I say this based on this week’s WJ article titled, “Oak Park Library seeks equity and anti-racism director.” The piece invoked the term “equity and anti-racism” 10 times.

And it’s not a very long piece. I know that in writing and speaking, repetition gives emphasis to ideas, so I won-

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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dered, how much racism has the OPPL been guilty of ?

Seriously, what have I been missing here? Has the library been denying services to Black and Brown patrons? Do people of color (I am white, for the record) get only half the public computer time based on skin pigmentation? Were only the white homeless campers cut slack, while minorities given an immediate bum’s rush? Was the art gallery only patronizing white artists? Were notable Black authors’ writings barely given shelf space? Does the library have an all-white staff ?

Are denigrating racial epithets continually scrawled on the bathroom stalls?

Whoever is hired as the “anti-racism” director, he or she must have one hell of a task to tackle. Seriously.

I realize this country is guilty of systemic racism.

White men founded the U.S. declaring “all men are created equal” while owning Black slaves. Clearly, we need more racial equity, and maybe we’re inching our way toward such. I just didn’t know my local library was — evidently — so much a part of the problem.

Joseph Harrington Oak Park

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.

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Life will go on in medialand One of my first “life goes on” moments happened when my favorite disc-jockey, Art Mann, left WJOB-AM in Hammond, Indiana.

Over 50 years later, I feel the same watching so many Chicago journalists leaving their jobs. Some leaned right politically, others, left. They were too far one way or the other for certain readers, but I found all their views worth considering.

Our attention will eventually drift back to the ongoing WGN Radio/TV/Nexstar saga, but I’m taking it one “life goes on” event at a time.

If you’re old enough to remember former Chicago radio/TV critic Gary Deeb, you know that change is constant in print and on-the-air as he observed in the 1970s. The

difference is that in 2021, change happens quicker among non-media professions too.

Print and electronic media no longer stand out from other businesses in showing employees the door. That’s true in rural markets too.

In retirement, I define nostalgia differently than I did during the Art Mann days.

A thicker skin reminds me that media moguls make impassive bottom-line decisions regardless of reader/viewer/listener concerns. They’re betting that after losing our favorite writer/anchor/disc-jockey, we’ll simmer down and life will go on.

And they’re right.

Jim Newton Itasca

What is your child’s life worth?

I work evenings at a church in River Forest and drive through that village and Oak Park on my way home. Previously, I spent many years living both in Oak Park and in River Forest, so I have ample experience from which to draw. Last night I encountered yet another young person riding his or her bike at night with no reflective clothing, no helmet, no lights or reflectors on his bike, nothing to ensure his or her own safety. This incident is just the most recent of many similar incidents I have experienced over the years.

I realize that parenting is an incredibly difficult job; however, I implore parents everywhere to make time to examine their children’s bikes and discuss bike safety with

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them, particularly if they are going to be riding at night. A reflective vest costs about $15 at Menards. One can buy reflective helmets, and I’m reasonably certain that wearing a helmet while riding a bike is governed by ordinances in most communities.

As for the cost of putting lights on a bike, ask yourself what your child’s life is worth.

These reasonable safety measures are essential. As a bike rider myself, I utilized all of the aforementioned items to ensure that motorists could see me easily.

I hope my advice is heeded. The life you save may be your own child’s.

Paul Eichwedel Chicago

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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Voting rights = democracy

he headline stated, “Dems Brace for New Voting Rights Challenges.” Why is this statement just about Democrats? Voting rights are a Constitutional provision, and must be a concern for all Americans. In particular, the headline referred to the outrageous decision made by our Supreme Court which now allows Arizona and other states to set voting restrictions limiting absentee votes, polling places and times allotted for balloting. This decision almost obliterated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and it is obviously discriminatory toward our non-white, diverse population.

I have the vivid memory from my sixth grade “civics class,” learning about democracy and our government. How brilliant and fore-sighted were our founders and the authors of our Constitution!

The plan was three branches of government, each with separate responsibilities, but also able to be a check on one another. It seemed ideal that the elected officials were to set aside their partisan views, and use the Constitution as their guide for decision-making. It took only a few of my young years for me to realize that non-partisan views for decisions are almost impossible. Thankfully, in past years, some elected officials and some justices of the Supreme Court have remained true to the Constitution.

During President Obama’s administration, he was tasked with selecting a candidate for the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Scalia. However, Republicans would

not permit his candidate to even be reviewed, let alone voted upon. Therefore, that Supreme Court seat was left vacant until ex-President Trump appointed his first of three justices.

The Supreme Court is now Republican-leaning, 6 to 3. This imbalance would be no problem if indeed the justices voted impartially, but for the most part, this is not what has happened in practice.

Partisanship has become a serious government problem stifling progress and “stalemating” many bills awaiting senatorial votes.

Additionally, this uncooperative attitude on every issue has resulted in the growing number of white supremacists, along with civil unrest, bigotry, and racism. All seem to thrive in this “big lie” atmosphere of hate and lawlessness. Although every statesman must pledge an oath to respect and follow the Constitution, many have seemingly abandoned truth and their pledges.

The New York Times and Washington Post have both stated that there are 144 restrictive voting bills ready for signing in 19 states. The Supreme Court’s decision permitting Arizona to use these voting restrictions opens the door for all of the other pending bills. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution’s 15th Amendment.

Justice Alito defended the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that the restrictions would cause “a modest burden, at the most.” By contrast, when this Arizona bill was

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brought to the Federal Appeals Court in San Francisco, the decision was rendered “as disproportionately affecting Black, Hispanic, and Native American voters, in violation of the Voter Rights Act, Section 2.” The provision was struck down, but then it was appealed to the Supreme Court. All I could think about when I learned of the Supreme Court’s ruling in support of Arizona’s voting bill was “Bloody Sunday” — the March to Selma, led by John Lewis, where many lost lives in their efforts to pass the Voting Rights Bill.

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled, what recourse do we have when this body, “the epitome of the law” has allowed this miscarriage of justice?

There is one way this can be reversed. The legislative branch of our government has the ability to pass an allencompassing federal law. In effect, this would supersede the Court’s ruling. This, of course, involves us —“We the People.” We must pressure Congress and remind them we are a democracy. We must demand they ensure our voting be free, secure, and equally accessible to all citizens. Every citizen should be allowed and encouraged to vote without obstacles.

Please join me in contacting and speaking out to every strata of our government — local officials, state officials, and federal officials, Democrats, Republicans, Trump-ites, and Independents.

We treasure our democracy, our diversity, and our rights under the Constitution. Let’s let them know this!

Harriet Hausman is a longtime resident of River Forest.

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

From the personal to the collective

It’s impressive and instructive how you take large, current, crucial, complicated issues and explain them clearly, using your personal experience and the collective experience [The second American Revolution, Ken Trainor, Viewpoints,

July 14].

You help me, the reader, understand and relate personally and as part of the collective. Thanks.

Elaine Johnson Oak Park

Toward the day we vanquish slavery I appreciate your courage. Half the country really doesn’t want to think about this. [The second American Revolution, Ken Trainor, Viewpoints, July 14] I think humans are “hard-wired” for both affinity and differentiation, i.e., recognizing both the sameness (what we share in common with other humans) and the otherness (seeing our individual and collective differences) and that cultural values are the “software” that shape our attitudes about our similarities and differences.

Throughout human history, and to

this very day, slavery has existed. Wherever there is oppression, there is slavery. Speaking truth to power, afflicting the comfortable, is a noble endeavor. No single essay or speech or column will end slavery, but every act of resistance, every statement that exposes the truth, contributes to the cause.

May homo sapiens survive to see the day when we as a species have vanquished slavery.

Kevin O’Keefe Colorado

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Respect and fairness above all else

In a recent column [When the spell gets broken, News, July 7], Michael Romain quotes a very perceptive high school student, who said, “I think OPRF and the Oak Park community kind of have a way of trying to slowly suck the Blackness out of you.”

This statement helped crystalize some inchoate thoughts I have been having about closing the achievement gap. The goal, viewed in one way, is yet another way to impose the dominant (i.e. white) culture’s values on a class that may not fully embrace them. Academic achievement should

be available to everyone, but it should not be an end in itself. The guiding principle should be that everyone must be treated with respect and fairness, not that everyone should strive to be a National Merit Scholar.

The young woman quoted above has hit upon a great truth: many efforts to “elevate” Black people are nothing more than an attempt to Caucasian-ize a vital culture that has plenty to offer outside of currently accepted (white) societal norms.

SAGE

the salami and the mortadella. The guys behind the counter slice the sausages superthin, perfect for sandwiches or when using as an ingredient.

Delicately spiced and amazingly tender, Gaetano’s salami is a wonderful complement to eggs and sage. Before adding sage to the eggs, I gently fry the leaves in butter, olive oil or both (my preference). When the leaves start browning, pull them out of the fry pan and sprinkle with salt; as the leaves cool, they crisp up. Fantastic.

David Hammond’s food blog can be found at oakpark.com.

from page 23 lucinations.

Recently, I picked up some outstanding house-made salami at Gaetano’s Forest Park. Scrambled eggs with salami is a common dish in the Jewish culinary tradition, and the salami from Gaetano’s is simply superb. Chef Gaetano makes all the sausage he sells (except for the prosciutto de Parma), and I am knocked out by both

James Whalen Oak Park

Learn more about Chamber's newest project to help market & connect member Health & Wellness businesses with the community.

Wellness Wednesdays are a monthly e-newsletter that focuses on tapping into local expertise to support every-day health and wellbeing in our community.

Learn more at oprfchamber.org

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V I E W P O I N T S

Dominican’s statement on DACA Dominican University is deeply saddened by last week’s decision by the Texas federal district court, effectively blocking any new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Haney ruled that the DACA program, introduced

by President Obama in 2012, was illegal because it exceeded powers Congress granted to executive-branch agencies. While current DACA recipients can continue to file for renewal, that opportunity is now in jeopardy.

This decision throws into further limbo the lives of hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people, many of whom are Dominican students, and gravely impacts their employers, families, and communities.

Since its introduction, DACA has granted work permits and provided protection from deportation for more than 600,000 young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. We believe that providing safety and support to students who are threatened because of their citizenship status, race, class, sex, gender identity, or religion transcends politics.

We are compelled by our mission to advocate for and accompany students, families,

and other members of our university community who face uncertain futures because they are undocumented.

This is the foundation of sanctuary at Dominican. To that end, in 2020, we renewed and extended our original Sanctuary Campus Covenant. Our renewed covenant was crafted in response to emerging threats to our community members’ well-being, the most immediate being the potential for the U.S. Supreme Court to approve the repeal of DACA. We urge Congress to pass legislation ensuring a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Until then, Dominican will continue to support and advocate for our vulnerable community members. Those who are interested in supporting undocumented immigrants can find concrete action steps at https://unitedwedream.org.

Precious Porras

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

Need a helping of

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

Chief Diversity Officer

Barrington Price

Vice President, Student Success and Engagement Dominican University

Block Party Gets Photo in Newspaper!

Are you having a Block Party this summer? Invite the Wednesday Journal! We’ll come with some donuts, a few newspapers and we’ll snap a shot of your group for publication.

We can only do one party per week, so reserve your shot today!

Contact Jill Wagner at 708-613-3340 or Jill@OakPark.com

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V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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Soliloquy on Rush Limbaugh

t has been almost a half-year since “El Rushbo,” as he liked to refer to himself on his radio program, died of lung cancer. Over 15 million listeners, a significant portion of whom religiously tuned in every afternoon, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., CST, have by now found other radio or social media resources to stir their outrage, shape their passions, and reinforce their views, but it is unlikely that they have found any single figure who was so skilled and so entertaining as Rush Limbaugh: a man with a talent so large that it led him to accrue a net worth, at the time of his death, of about $85 million.

Who was this man? How did he do it? Does he look differently now, when one can take a more measured view of his career, than when his formidable presence inevitably skewed one’s reactions and perspective, pro or con? My answer is: yes and no. Yes, one can have a more objective overview without reacting to his latest provocation; but no, because who Rush was, was on display five days a week for many, many years, and there was nothing chameleon-like about him. He was no Tucker Carlson, molding his public self to whatever seemed at the moment to sell the best. His listeners knew him and found him authentic.

Whether or not the public persona of Rush Limbaugh was in fact “authentic,” that is, reflective of his private self and of beliefs that he truly and deeply held, is impossible to know. His public authenticity was formed by his consistency — he was true to the image that his listeners formed of him through listening, regularly or even on-and-off, over years. What was that image? First and foremost, he was a master at skewering those he held in opposition, which is to say “liberals.”

For Rush, anyone who voted Democratic, or even failed to support the most right-wing Republican viewpoints, was a liberal. Rush did not originate, but provided a huge megaphone for, the derisive term, RINOs — Republican in Name Only. Secondly, Rush had a wicked sense of humor, and his skewering of liberals often had a nasty but funny edge that delighted his followers and stung his opponents.

“Feminazis” is a perfect example.

Thirdly, Rush’s views and pronouncements consistently demonstrated the psychological defense mechanism known as “projection,” which is at the heart of paranoia. There is no evidence of which I am aware, and I personally never gained the impression, that Limbaugh was himself suffering from the mental disorder — paranoia — in any of its various syndromes. But he exemplified what sociologist Richard Hofstadter, in 1965, defined as the “paranoid style in American politics”: Rush would attribute attitudes and feelings that were transparently evident in his own stated opinions to those he opposed. Examples abound: Rush would frequently comment, off-handedly, that “the left” politicized everything. Limbaugh, in fact, politicized everything — it was his bread and butter. Scientists weren’t engaged in an attempt to determine objective, material truth; they were paid minions, in thrall to the governments and universities who paid them. The same was true of academicians.

Another: liberals are inherently racists. They need people of color to see themselves as victims, so that they will become dependent on government programs, keeping Democrats in power to provide for them. And alas, he would say, huge numbers of people of color keep falling for it.

A third: liberals are angry. They are hateful people, who will not compromise, who will not negotiate with the other side, who believe that they must win no matter what the cost or the method — and this sometimes in virtually the

same sentence that would continue … and that’s why they’ve got to be politically destroyed. Not just defeated, but destroyed. There can be no half-way measures.

Projections all.

A large percentage of Rush’s devoted listeners — angry, believing that minorities are getting unwarranted advantages, from welfare to special privileges, feeling looked down-upon and threatened, found Rush’s projections enormously soothing and reassuring. It’s not us! It’s them!

We are, they believed, happy, patriotic Americans who love our country and who would do just fine if only these Democrat and RINO governments didn’t promote these immigrants and black folks at our expense! They are the only reason we’re somehow not making it very well in this life, and why we’re feeling so pissed! Sock it to ’em, Rush!

What liberal listeners often didn’t get about Rush was his use of self-deprecation and humor to bond with his base, and provide a sense of being “in on the joke,” and thus part of a special group. Trump borrowed extensively from this schtick, without the self-deprecation. Part of the in-joke was that Limbaugh’s base knew he was just trolling the libs when he would spout outlandish, exaggerated selfaggrandizing remarks. This is Rush Limbaugh, with talent on loan from Gawd …

Meaning to those who understood: Look, I have a talent, but I can’t take credit for it — it’s something God has blessed me with. Or: Welcome to the Limbaugh Institute for the Advanced Study of Conservative Thought (something like that, I haven’t got it quite right). His audience knew perfectly well he was just a radio celebrity with a popular show, not the head of some so-called “institute,” and they knew that he was perfectly clear about that as well — but if it riled up the liberal listeners, great!

Or he would explain from time to time: Look, the purpose of you callers is to make the host look good. That’s why I take your calls! Or, regularly: We have to take a break, folks, to make obscene profits. Don’t go away! These sorts of remarks didn’t turn off his audience; they endeared him to them. They were in on the joke: Look, folks, I’m an entertainer and a businessman, and a damned good one.

You know that and I know that, but let’s have the outsiders think I’m an arrogant, rapacious jerk whose listeners are too dumb to know they’ve been conned.

That is not to say that Rush thought of himself as only an entertainer and businessman. He believed in himself and his powers of analysis to a degree that was indeed arrogant; if his “common sense” told him that the climate has changed repeatedly and dramatically over the eons of time, then he was certain the scientists had some ulterior, political motive to claim that humankind was responsible for the change we now saw happening. What were their claims based on? Computer models! Nothing more! And that’s not science! Science is experiments, not predictions based on numbers that your own predilections lead you to put into the program! Or: This sounds complicated, folks, but that’s why you’re here. I, the peerless Rush Limbaugh, with half my brain tied behind my back just to make it fair, will explain it to you. And so he would: revealing yet again, how something that sounded complex was in fact nothing more than one more liberal ploy to gain power and deprive you, the good and decent people, of your God-given rights and freedom.

The source of Rush’s enormous success was ultimately, however, his love and respect for his audience. They were his family, and they knew it. He often derided critics who claimed he was shaping his audience’s opinions, warping their attitudes into an “us-against-them” mentality. They

RON MOLINE One View

think you are mindless sheep, he would say, who just ask, “how high?” when I say “jump.” What they have never realized is that the secret of my success is that I started saying out loud, and on the air, what you were already thinking and feeling. My talent has been to help you articulate more clearly those thoughts and feelings. But the idea that I put them there is ridiculous.

He treated every caller, with the exception of the occasional naïve liberal who thought s/he could challenge Rush and get away with it, with complete respect. If the caller voiced a far-out conspiracy theory or some preposterous theory to explain events, he would listen respectfully, make sure he understood what they were saying, and then possibly just express his disagreement. Or find the kernel of a quasi-rational argument that he could agree with.

His listeners did often sound like robots, beginning their conversation with monotonous regularity saying some version of, “Mega-dittos, Rush, from Canton, Ohio.” But this was an expression of their affection and respect; they more often than not would go on to say something that may indeed have echoed Rush, but had their own creative spin on the topic.

I never thought most of his listeners sounded dumb.

They usually sounded thoughtful and “rational,” albeit expressing opinions that were steeped in the inaccuracies and twists of right-wing dogma and views. And when Rush regularly began his program saying, “This is Rush Limbaugh, having more fun than a human being ought to be allowed to have,” they knew he meant it — that he thoroughly enjoyed talking to, and with, them.

This was their time in the day to be together. One family.

Of believers. Not like your own family where your kids were being brainwashed by all those left-wing professors at their college, and the young ones didn’t want to go to church anymore, and that goddamn brother-in-law of yours kept calling Trump a phony. This was a couple of hours during the day — or a half-hour, or three hours, whatever you could manage — when you could get pissed off together, laugh together at inside jokes, and sharpen your sense of certainty in your own rightness.

And if it was all primarily for the purpose of making Rush Limbaugh an impossibly rich man? What the hell. As Rush would say, I’m the mayor of Realville, and he never denied that his program was essentially a very successful business model. So what? I, his average devoted listener might say, buy the products that advertise on his show, he gets rich, and he makes me feel good on a daily basis. It’s win-win. Rush, we miss you.

Ron Moline is a longtime Oak Park resident.

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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O B I T U A R I E S

Greg White, 68

Township clerk for 24 years

board table or at any township or community events.

Greg’s presence and dedication will be missed by all of us at the Township and in the community.

Services for Greg White will be held at St. Edmund Parish Church, 188 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 on Friday, July 23, 10 a.m. visitation, followed by 11 a.m. service. Private burial at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

If desired in lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Michael W. Solberg Foundation, 3754 N. Plainfield, Chicago, IL 60634.

William Chase, 90 Corey Laker

Oak Park Township’s Board of Trustees is sorry to announce that Gregory P. White, Township Clerk, died on Saturday, July 17, after a brief illness. We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend. He served as Township Deputy Clerk for 10 years and Township Clerk for 24 years. In addition to being a certified Town Clerk, he was a registered notary public and a registrar.

According to Township Supervisor Clarmarie Keenan, “Greg was clearly an advocate for township services, recognizing and supporting the critical needs worthy of the township’s professional and attentive care.

Serving with him and sharing a friendship for over 20 years with Greg was a privilege and an honor. The values, ideals, and goals he believed in and supported are and will always be his most honored legacy.”

In many ways, he was the clockwork of the township, keeping track of past, present, and future. As keeper of the official records and history for the township, he valued transparency and efficiency. As the township moved through each annual cycle, he kept up with the rhythm of levies, budgets, audits, and other processes. Always keeping the value of time in mind, he shared his perspective when it would help move discussions at the board table forward.

Greg took pride in his work as town clerk for Oak Park Township. He also thoroughly believed in the mission of the township and took his role in keeping the board and staff focused on that mission seriously. He served as the memory and source of institutional knowledge of the township. He was first appointed deputy clerk in 1987 and was first elected town clerk in 1997. Greg was the longest tenured employee at Oak Park Township and served for 34 years and 6 months.

He began working with the Township on Jan. 14, 1987.

Above all, he was loyal, consistent, and committed. He believed in the work and the value of the township and our staff, and he rarely missed any opportunity to be of service to his community; whether it was keeping records organized and available to the public, making sure that elections ran smoothly, or just by his presence at the

It is with great sadness that the family of William “Bill” Warren Chase announces his death on Friday, June 25, 2021, at his Corey Lake family home of 91 years and the only place he would have wanted to be, surrounded by his wife, Charlene; son, Curtis; daughters, Sandra and Jennifer; and his companion poodle, Hannah.

Born on July 30, 1930, in Oak Park, he attended Oak Park and River Forest High School, where he met his sweetheart bride of nearly 67 years, Charlene Lois (Johnson).

While growing up in Oak Park, he couldn’t wait to spend any chance he could at his family’s lake home on Corey Lake, in Three Rivers, Michigan, which he referred to as his paradise. The seven-hour journey from the Chicago-area to the lake was worth every minute spent on the water, fishing, swimming, sailing and boating. He perfected his love of water skiing, including teaching beginners and his participation in Corey Lake water ski shows. He joined the swim team in high school and continued his swimming career while at North Central College, in Naperville.

Before relocating to Michigan, he operated a successful vending company and home security company along with his son while residing in River Forest.

He belonged to numerous clubs and served on many boards, including Oak Park YMCA and Service Club of Oak Park. In Michigan, he served on the board of YMCA Camp Eberhart and was also an active member on the St. Joseph County Planning Commission, Fabius Township Board of Appeals, St. Joseph County Conservation Club and Rotary Club. He served as president of the Corey Lake Association and was commodore of the Corey Lake Yacht Club.

Spending time duck hunting with his uncle in Michigan led him to become a professional skeet shooting instructor at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northbrook, where

he taught enthusiasts and celebrities, including Paul Harvey. He also shot competitively, winning several trophies at the Oak Park Country Club.

He also loved the sport of curling, representing the state of Illinois in the men’s national curling championships in both Fairbanks, Alaska and Quebec, Canada and in the mixed doubles curling championships with his wife, Charlene. Together they won numerous awards over nearly three decades.

He enjoyed woodworking and restoring antique furniture, but none more special than a complete restoration of a 1955 ChrisCraft, with his son, born of the same year.

“On Golden Pond” led many a Fourth of July boat parade, a wonderful memory for his family and those who knew him.

After relocating to Michigan, he went to work for the Michigan Department of Transportation for 12 years, where he enjoyed being a part of the infrastructure keeping roads safe for travel until his retirement at age 72.

Favorite memories of Bill by fellow Corey Lakers included his meticulous attention to detail growing the perfect lawn and manicuring the steep hill facing the lake, with an engineered lawnmower on ropes, which he maneuvered up and down the hill, donning a red bandana, jeans and bare feet. King of the raft was another special pastime, and he enjoyed every summer spent with the kids on the lake, being “everyone’s dad.”

Bill’s life spanned six generations at Corey Lake. He is survived by his wife, Charlene; his three children, Curtis, Sandra and Jennifer; his twin grandsons, Kyle and Matthew (Rachel) Bloch; his great-granddaughter, Finley Jane; his brother, James (Patricia) and sister, Mary; two sisters-in-law, Carole White and Dorothy Cole; and many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and -nephews.

In his honor, please join us in a toast with your families to celebrate his legacy and for you to remember what made him special to you.

Memorial donations in Bill’s honor to benefit YMCA Camp Eberhart, Corey Lake Camp Scholarships-Project 132 may be directed to Hohner Funeral Home, 1004 Arnold Street, Three Rivers, MI 49093. Online condolences may be shared at www.hohnerfh.com.

James Blattner, 78 A man of many adventures

James Oscar Blattner Sr. of Oak Park, 78, died on July 9, 2021. Born on Nov. 3, 1942, he was a man who had many adventures in his life and he loved giving his

time to family, friends and Hines VA Hospital. He was an entrepreneurial spirit when it came to business. He loved his children and spoiled each of them in a unique way.

He left a large footprint in this world and will be greatly missed.

James was the father of Cathleen Knobbe, Carol Anne (Marty) Bozarth, Jimmy (Doreen) Blattner, and the late Sheila (Agnes Grocholska) Blattner; grandpa of Christopher (Sarah), Caitlyn (Gina), Quinn, Emmi and Isabella; great-grandpa of Colton; brother of Bob Blattner, John (Kathy) Blattner, and the late Barbara Garvey; and the uncle of many.

Services were private.

In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to the Education Fund for Isabella Grant, James’ granddaughter. Make checks payable to Tom Dwyer and mail to Thomas J. Dwyer & Associates, 400 Lathrop Ave., River Forest, IL 60305.

Arrangements were handled by ConboyWestchester Funeral Home.

Joel Pedigo, 85

Held two chemistry patents Joel B. Pedigo, 85, longtime resident of Oak Park, died on July 9, 2012, surrounded by his family.

Born in Smithville, Tennessee to Clarence and Willie Mae, who were sharecroppers, his family moved to Akron, Ohio, at the start of World War II to work in the Goodyear rubber factory. He enlisted in the Navy at 17 and served on the U.S.S. Roanoke during the Korean conflict, then attended Kent State University, the University of Cincinnati, and Ohio State University, earning a master’s degree in chemistry and was awarded two U.S. patents in chemistry.

He lived most of his adult life in the Chicago area, owning Water Maintenance Services in Willowbrook for 30 years, and at the end of his career, managing Meredith Culligan Water in Forest Park.

Joel is survived by his children, Brian (Cristina), Tekla (Patrick Barrick), Steve, Tony, and David (Brandi Medina) as well as his former wife, Helen Kossler, and his 11 grandchildren. He was an avid handball player, a small aircraft pilot, and a motorcycle enthusiast. He will be sorely missed by friends and family.

A memorial gathering is planned for Sunday, July 25, at 3 p.m. at Trattoria 225, 225 Harrison Street in Oak Park.

Arrangements are being handled by the Cremation Society of Illinois and comments can be left on their website.

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

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O B I T U A R I E S

Bennett Weaver, 80 Musical and mechanical wiz

Bennett C. Weaver, 80, a 49-year resident of Oak Park, died on July 14, 2021, at West Suburban Hospital. Born in Denton, Texas on Nov. 9, 1940, to the late J. Clark and Inez Koegel Weaver, he grew up in Denton and in Gainesville, Florida.

At age 5, he was introduced to the cello at Interlochen Center for the Arts to keep him occupied while his parents were running the summer theater program. By middle school, he was playing in the University of Florida Symphony Orchestra and as a freshman in high school earned the position of first chair of that university orchestra. His talent as a cellist earned him a scholarship to study music at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania where he studied for a year before returning to Gainesville to study physics at the University of Florida. He continued to play cello at Florida where he met a flutist and hematology major, Donna Harpold.

They were married in Bradenton, Florida in 1964. Their first daughter, Amy, was born in Gainesville in 1966, a few months before moving to Illinois so both of them could work in the lab at St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital on the West Side of Chicago. Their second daughter, Susan, was born in Oak Park in 1970. The couple separated in 1972 and remained very good friends. Donna introduced him to Patricia Funk, with whom he had a 20-year relationship until she passed away in 2003.

In the late ’60s, he secured a position at CNA Insurance in the actuarial department.

He wrote computer programs to set reserves at CNA and in the late ’70s moved over to Harris Bank as an analyst, where he worked until retiring in 2001. In retirement, he was

a paid computer consultant and helped continue his father’s work on the Weaver family genealogical history.

In the early 1980s, he purchased an IBM PC for use at home and over the next four decades built and upgraded his own and hundreds of computers for others. In 1983 was a founding member of the Association of Personal Computer Users (APCU), one of the oldest general computer groups in America. He was also a member of the Chicago Area Database Users Group (CADBUG) and held various leadership roles in both. In recent years he often facilitated “Random Access,” a question-and-answer discussion at monthly APCU meetings.

He enjoyed sharing this knowledge and had a way of explaining complex concepts using simple analogies or technical terms depending on the audience. His daughter Susan remarked, “I know why the sky is blue, why scuba divers go backward into the water over the side of the boat, and why phases of the moon and lunar eclipses happen because my dad knew and had the patience to explain.”

He was always finding ways to help friends, family, and strangers alike, from serving several years as ‘Cookie Mom’ for both his daughter’s Girl Scout troops to helping countless stranded motorists jumpstart their car. He was shot three times on the West Side of Chicago after walking a coworker home after a late office function and that didn’t stop him. He was a true Renaissance man with carpentry, electric, plumbing, and all-around fix-it skills as well. He helped and advised family and friends, with all kinds of household projects up until recent months.

His friendship with Cheryl McNamara began when he reached out with helpful information after her husband passed. He was helpful and supportive and the two eventually came to enjoy a close relationship over the last 13 years.

His dry sense of humor, quick wit, kindness, and vast knowledge will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his companion Cheryl McNamara; his friend and former wife, Donna Weaver; and his daughters, Amy Weaver and Susan (Russ) Northrup.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) are appreciated.

Judy McCalla, 82 Bridge player, antique hunter

Judith Gilson McCalla, 82, of East Lansing, Michigan, died peacefully in her sleep in Oak Park on July 11, 2021. Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she attended Ann Arbor’s University High School her freshman year, where she met her husband, Darold Frank McCalla. She frequently told her family the story of how Darold winked at her on their first meeting, and then invited her to be his date at a high school dance.

Judy spent her sophomore and junior years of high school in Whidbey Island, Seattle, where her father was stationed during the Korean War. She returned to Ann Arbor her senior year and graduated from Ann Arbor High School, then attended the University of Michigan, where she was a proud member of the Delta Gamma Sorority. After being re-introduced to Darold in college, the two were wed in 1959. They celebrated 60 years of marriage together in September 2019. Raising three children on a 40-acre farm in Williamston, Michigan, she was known for her skill in the textile arts and was an accomplished weaver. She organized and led Williamston’s first Camp Fire Girl groups. She loved to read, travel, search for and sell antiques with her husband, and garden.

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They owned a cottage on Lake Michigan for many years, where they entertained family and friends. They also lived for several years in Houston, and spent winters in Rockport, Texas. She was a frequent host of social gatherings and loved to play cards, especially bridge. She did not like to lose, even to her grandchildren.

She suffered from serious illness the last 23 years of her life without complaint, preferring to think she did not have cancer; it was just easier to live your life that way.

Judy was preceded in death by Darold in December 2020. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Kay (McCalla) Martire and Julie (McCalla) Siciliano and her son John McCalla, their spouses Ralph Martire, Ricci Siciliano and Kim Sordyl, and seven beloved grandchildren (Nicholas, Olivia, Nathan, Benjamin, Valerie, Jack, and Charlie). She is also survived by her brother, Paul Gilson, and her cousins, Martha (Gilson) Phillips, Kay (Cavanagh) Barnes and Mary (Gilson) Layher. She was preceded in death by her brother, Mark Gilson, and her parents, Dr. Thomas and Marie (Cavanaugh) Gilson.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Judy’s name to Planned Parenthood.

A memorial service and luncheon in honor of Judy and Darold will be held by the family on July 31, 2021, at 10 a.m. at Peoples Church in East Lansing, Michigan.

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Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice: Your right to know In print • Online • Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year OakPark.com | RiverForest.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com

Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE ADVERTISEMENT OF BIDDING Request of bids for Geothermal HVAC system at Pleasant Home Mansion.

PUBLIC NOTICE ADVERTISEMENT OF BIDDING Request of bids for Building Demolition at 228-230 Madison St., Oak Park.

Owner: Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St, Oak Park, IL 60302

Owner: Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St, Oak Park, IL 60302

The Park District of Oak Park will accept sealed bids for the Pleasant Home Geothermal HVAC system install at 217 S. Home Ave. in Oak Park. The project consists of the full installation of all hvac equipment and necessary ductwork, electrical work, geothermal wells and components. The Park District of Oak Park will receive individual sealed Bids until 11:00 a.m. (Central Daylight time) on Friday, August 13, 2021, at 218 Madison St., Oak Park, Illinois.

The bidding documents and requirements will be available on the Park District’s website as of 2:00 pm Thursday, July 22, 2021. A non-mandatory pre-bid walk-thru is scheduled for Thursday, July 29 at 11:00 a.m. (Central Daylight time) at 217 South Home Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302. Bid bonds will be required by bidding contractors. Copies of the bidding specifications are available via the Park District of Oak Park website at: http://www.pdop.org/bids-and-rfps/ For additional information, contact Chris Lindgren at chris.lindgren@ pdop.org or (708) 725 2050. Only the bids prepared in compliance with the bidding documents will be considered. This project must adhere to the Prevailing Wage Act of 2021. The Park District of Oak Park encourages minority and women owned business firms to submit bids for this project.

The Park District of Oak Park will accept sealed bids for the Building Demolition at 228-230 Madison St. in Oak Park. The project consists of the removal and disposal of the building, and of all appurtenances relating to electrical, plumbing including any plumbing underneath the building, fixtures, heating, cooling, boilers, water-heaters, and all other remaining related building appurtenances remaining in the building shall be removed. The Park District of Oak Park will receive individual sealed Bids until 10:00 a.m.

(Central time) on Friday, August 13, 2021, at 218 Madison St., Oak Park, IL. The bidding documents and requirements will be available on the Park District’s website as of 5:00 pm Thursday, July 22, 2021.

A non-mandatory pre-bid walk-thru is scheduled for Wednesday, July 28 at 10:00 a.m. (Central Daylight time) at 228-230 Madison St., Oak Park, IL 60302. Bid bonds will be required by bidding contractors.

Copies of the bidding specifications are available via the Park District’s website at: http://www.pdop.org/bids-and-rfps/ For additional information, contact Chris Lindgren at chris.lindgren@ pdop.org or (708) 725 2050. Only the bids prepared in compliance with the bidding documents will be considered. This project must adhere to the Prevailing Wage Act of 2021. The Park District of Oak Park encourages minority and women owned business firms to submit bids for this project.

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE: APPLICATION FOR PLANNED DEVELOPMENT PERMIT DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD, RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS Public notice is hereby given that on August 5, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in the First Floor Community Room at the River Forest Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois, the Village of River Forest Development Review Board (DRB) will hold a public hearing on the following matter:

Once the DRB concludes the public hearing, its members will make a recommendation to the Village Board of Trustees that a planned development permit be granted, with or without conditions, or that it be denied. The Village Board of Trustees has up to 60 days to begin consideration of the DRB’s recommendation.

Park District of Oak Park By: Chris Wollmuth, Secretary Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St. Oak Park, IL 60302 Published in Wednesday Journal July 21, 2021

Park District of Oak Park By: Chris Wollmuth, Secretary Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St. Oak Park, IL 60302 Published in Wednesday Journal July 21, 2021

Application # 22-005: The property owner wishes to convert an office space and a portion of adjacent office space into a studio apartment.

Address: 400 Ashland Avenue, which is located at the northeast corner of Ashland and Central Avenues. A legal description of the property/properties is provided later in this notice.

Applicant: 400 Ashland, LLC River Forest, IL Residents are welcome to review the application, to send correspondence, attend the public hearing, submit evidence, and provide testimony at the public hearing. For comments to be considered by the DRB and the Village Board of Trustees in their decision, they must be included as part of the public hearing record. The public may attend the public hearing or submit written comments to Jon Pape no later than 12:00 Noon on the date of the public hearing at jpape@vrf.us or by mailing them to 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, IL 60305. The public is asked to discuss whether or not the application meets the standards that the DRB must consider when reviewing the application. Those standards are available on the Village’s website at www.vrf.us/DevelopmentGuide.

A copy of the application is available to the public at Village Hall and on the Village’s website at http://www. vrf.us/DevelopmentGuide.

Elements of the application may be amended during the course of this process and interested persons are encouraged to stay apprised of the progress of the application by also viewing DRB meeting agendas and packets, which are also available at the Village Hall and online at www. vrf.us/meetings, and are published no less than 48 hours prior to any public meeting.

Starting a New Business?

Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice in • Austin Weekly News • Wednesday Journal • Forest Park Review • Riverside/Brookfield Landmark

Call the Experts Before You Place Your Legal Ad!

Call Mary Ellen for details: 773/626-6332

Any questions regarding this application or the planned development process may be directed to: Jon Pape, Assistant to the Village Administrator, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois 60305, jpape@vrf.us, (708) 714-3563.

LEGAL DESCRIPTION: LOT 8 (EXCEPT THE NORTH 3 FEET) IN BLOCK 4 IN PART OF RIVER FOREST, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, SURVEYED FOR SUBURBAN HOME MUTUAL ASSOCIATION ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED JUNE 23, 1890 AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 1291334, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. Published in Wednesday Journal July 21, 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: Y21007299 on July 1, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of JOYFUL NOISE MUSIC STUDIO with the business located at: 256 WASHINGTON BLVD #2, OAK PARK, IL 60302, 411 PARK AVE #3, RIVER FOREST, IL 60305. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: OLIVIA MULLINS 256 WASHINGTON BLVD #2, OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal July 7, 14, and 21, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Public Notice is hereby given to all persons concerned that on the 13th day of July 2021, the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners of the Village of River Forest, Illinois, voted to amend its Rules and Regulations.

Printed copies of the Rules and Regulations, as amended, may be obtained from the Office of the Village Clerk, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois. The rules shall be operable as of July 25, 2021, or 10 days from the date of publication of this notice, whichever date is later.

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 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, August 17, 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: P.I.N. 16-18-428-043-1019 & 16-18428-043-1064.

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 I3171912

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Published in Wednesday Journal July 21, 2021

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

CLASSIFIED

(708) 613-3333 • FAX: (708) 467-9066 • E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM

HELP WANTED River Forest Public Schools District 90

District 90 is seeking qualified and experienced applicants for the following positions:

• Speech and Language Pathologist (Roosevelt Middle School)

• English Language Learners Teacher (Full-time at Roosevelt Middle School and Part-time FTE 0.50 at Lincoln Elementary School) • Grade 4 Teacher (Willard Elementary School) For detailed qualifications requirements and job duties, please visit our website at https://www.district90.org/about/ employment for our complete list of employment opportunities.

Interested candidates should complete the online application available at www.district90.org. Please do not send hard copies of supporting documentation, i.e. cover letters, resumes, licensure, etc. to River Forest Schools District 90; instead, upload these materials onto the online job application system for proper processing.

BAND SAW WELDER TECH, GENL LABORER OPENINGS Local sharpening service has two openings: Band Saw Welder Technician and General Laborer position. Apply at 1233 Circle Ave. Forest Park, IL 708-209-1636 VAN DRIVER Part-time/2-3 hrs per day, M-F, 2:15 pm start time. No weekends or holidays. Safety, reliability, punctuality are the gold standard. Cell phone and clean driving record required. Dependability is a must. Drive an easy, local 3-mile route. You’ll make 2-4 stops, pick up less than 10 children and drop them all off at the same place at the same time. Pleasant conditions and appreciation! $18-25/hour depending on experience. To schedule an interview, email seedMontessori@gmail.com or leave a message at (708) 613-5860 with contact information and best time to call.

MAINTENANCE Hiring one Maintenance position at private health club in Oak Park.

Hours will be variable between 20 and 32 per week and may include some night and/or weekend hours.

Adult applicant should be out of high school and able to work with common power tools, including snow blowers, lawn mowers, drills and sanders.

Applicant should be competent in painting, basic repairs and janitorial duties.

This job requires climbing ladders and some heavy lifting- please do not apply if you cannot do physical work.

Interested parties, please email your skills and contact information to: Lisa Tanzer at: LisaT@tenandfit.com

PART-TIME ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER Must have own transportation.

For more information CALL 708-738-3848

CLASSROOM CLEANUP AND SUPPORT Afternoon Classroom Clean-Up and Support, Part-time/2-4 hrs per day, M-F, 2:15 pm start. No weekends or holidays. Spend late afternoons in our beautiful Oak Park classroom and be home in time for dinner. Kids will be learning all around as you work around them, dusting seashells, cleaning glue caps, putting out the trash. Oops, a spill to help with! Everyday is something new. One flight of stairs to the storage area, no heavy lifting or equipment. Seek reliable, flexible, and willing to train. Proof of Covid-19 vaccination required. Pleasant conditions and appreciation! $1519/hour plus bonuses. Interviews Thursday, July 22. To schedule, email seedMontessori@gmail.com or leave a message at (708) 613-5860 with your contact information and the best time to call.

TEACHER AND TEACHER AIDE MINI ME BUNCH seeks teacher and teacher aide to enhance and expand daycare serving children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Teacher must have at least Associates’ degree in Early Childhood Education. Minimum 1 year experience preferred in each position. Must love children and be outgoing, patient, flexible. Contact 773-521-9499 CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Customer Service Representative II in the Development Customer Service Department – Parking Division. This position provides customer service to the public by providing a variety of responsible customer service and receptionist work including high volume telephone traffic; and to perform the more complex customer service duties including but not limited to service requests, permits, parking passes, block party permits, accounts payable processing and vehicle stickers. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. First review of applications is July 27, 2021.

MARKETPLACE FLEA MARKET Maywood

WEST SUBURBAN CHURCH THE SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH 436 S. 13TH AVE, MAYWOOD LARGEST FLEA MARKET FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021, 12 PM - 7 PM SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2021, 8 AM - 6 PM Great Deals on: • Household items • Tools • Music • Male and Female accessories • Snow blowers • Lawn mowers • Furniture • Much, much more!

PLUS: Food • Hourly raffle • Give-Aways For more information, please contact Obra Barrow at 224.315.2868

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

Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400 Lost & Found, Items for Sale, and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified. To place your ad, call 708-613-334

Hire Local.

Place an ad on Wednesday Classified’s Local Online Job Board.

Go to OakPark.com/classified today!

Contact Mary Ellen Nelligan for more information.

(708) 613-3342 • maryellen@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

CLASSIFIED

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(708) 613-3333 • FAX: (708) 467-9066 • E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM R E N TA L S & R E A L E S TAT E

SUBURBAN RENTALS Apartment listings updated daily at:

SUBURBAN RENTALS

ROOMS FOR RENT

DOWNTOWN OAK PARK 1BR

OFFICE /RETAIL FOR RENT

Large Sunny Room with fridge, microwave. Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $125.00. New Mgmt.

312-212-1212

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 708-3838574.

Small 1BR apartment in DTOP. Renovated and freshly painted. Harwood floors. Walking distance to El. No pets. $850/mo, utilities included.

708-657-4226

SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am – 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue.

Or call us toll free at 1-833-440-0665 for an appointment.

STUDIOS, 1, 2 & 3 BR Best Selection & Service

RIVERSIDE 3 FLAT FSBO Three above grade 2BR apts. Unfinished basement w/ laundry & 1/2 BA. 4 car brick garage. Zoned for residential and office, if desired. Well maintained. $529,000

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 708-446-1324

OAK PARK & FOREST PARK

708-386-7355

MMpropMgmt.com

CITY RENTALS AUSTIN RENAISSANCE APARTMENTS

A HUD subsidized affordable Apartment property announces the opening of its waiting list for both One and Two Bedroom Apartments! Resident rent is approximately 30% of gross household income, some restrictions apply. Our property is located on Washington Blvd in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

Apartments offered with an occupancy of one to four persons. Properties feature modern kitchens, include appliances, and offer onsite maintenance. Austin Renaissance will accept requests for application packages by U.S. Mail postmarked no later than , September 15, 2021. Send or email a written request for an application package that includes your name, mailing address. Daytime telephone number, Email address, and the number of persons in your household to: Town Center Realty Group LLC, PO Box 64, Huntley IL 60142-0064 or Email requests to mrpaul.tcrg@gmail.com Application packages available by mail or email delivery only. No walk-ins accepted.

Town Center Realty Group LLC

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

OAK PARK–6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. * 3 & 5 room office suites FOREST PARK–7736 Madison St. *2500 sq. ft. unit Strand & Browne Strand & Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT THERAPY OFFICE OAK PARK Free wifi; flexible leasing, and offices nicely furnished right down to the Kleenex. Secure building & friendly colleagues, often giving referrals to other office mates. Shared Waiting room, Conference room & option to join Peer Supervision Group. Ideal for new practice or 2nd location.

708-383-0729

COMMERCIAL/RETAIL SPACE FOR RENT 2 SPACES FOR RENT IN SHOPPING CENTER: From 1,000 Sq. Ft.(END CAP) TO- 1,635 Sq. Ft. BOTH: Very good Condition. Recently Updated. *Heavy traffic area; Serious inquires ONLY. **Special Discounted Rates-Limited Time!

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

TEXT or CALL: (708)828-6491

HOME SERVICES CEMENT

CEMENT

MAGANA

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

COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL RESIDENTIAL

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

ELECTRICAL Ceiling Fans Installed

ELECTRICAL

A&A ELECTRIC

Let an American Veteran do your work

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

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

AIR CONDITIONING AIR CONDITIONING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT Air Conditioning Automotive A/C Refrigerators Ranges • Ovens Washer • Dryers Rodding Sewers

FLOORS

LANDSCAPING

KLIS FLOORING INC.

BRUCE LAWN SERVICE

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

Low prices, insured.

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

HANDYMAN

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

Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience

773-637-0692

FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.

Mike’s Home Repair

708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000

Ask for John

Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do

708-296-2060

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

FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small

708-488-9411

HAULING BASEMENT CLEANING

Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery.

708-848-9404

Public Notice: Your right to know • In print • Online • Available to you 24/7/365

PublicNoticeIllinois.com

YOUR WEEKLY AD

REACHES SIX SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES:

OAK PARK, RIVER FOREST,FOREST PARK, BROOKFIELD, RIVERSIDE, NORTH RIVERSIDE, AND PARTS OF CHICAGO

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

708-243-0571

NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN UP

Evergreen trimming & more. Clean-ups.

Garden weed removal.

Storm Branch Tree Removal.

708-447-1762

PAINTING & DECORATING CLASSIC PAINTING

Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/Plaster Repair Low Cost

708.749.0011

PETS While you’re away, your pets are okay . . . at home

cat calls

Oak Park’s Original Pet Care Service – Since 1986

Daily dog exercising Complete pet care in your home )PVTF TJUUJOH t 1MBOU DBSF Bonded References

524-1030

PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.

Small & big work. Free estimates.

Complete Plaster, Stucco & Re-Coating Services

708/386-2951 • ANYTIME Work Guaranteed

Licensed, Bonded, Insured, & EPA Certified Expert craftsmanship for over 50 years

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Wednesday Journal, July 21, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM