Wednesday Journal 081424

of Oak Park and River Forest

Park District fall registration highlights demand

Fall and winter swimming a ected by OPRF Project 2

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

Book Tabled

Readers are in mourning as Rachel Weaver and Jason Smith announce their retirement after 21 years

Many Oak Park parents experienced a stressful morning this past weekend as re gistration for the Park District ofOak Park’s fall programming opened, but the limited spots and IT crash highlighted the high demand for quality programming.

Re gistration for fall programs opened on Saturday, Aug. 3, but was immediately met with frustration from Oak Park parents as the Park District’s website crashed.

“Due to an unprecedented number ofvisitors to our website, pdop.org, some encountered issues while attempting to re gister,” Jan R. Arnold, executive director at the Park District, shared via an announcement on the park district’s website and social media page on Aug. 5.

“Oh my gosh, it is crashing,” said Constance Upton, an Oak Park parent ofa 2-and-a-half-year-old. “It is crashing because all ofus are trying to do this right

See PARK DISTRICT on pa ge 12

TODD BANNOR

STORY BY KATHERINE FRAZER, PAGE 11

@wednesdayjournalinc @wednesdayjournal @oakpark

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Editor Erika Hobbs

Digital Manager Stac y Coleman

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Sta Reporters Amaris E. Rodriguez, Luzane Draughon

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Columnists Marc Bleso , Jack Crowe, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger

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Chair Judy Gre n | Treasurer Nile Wendor f Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

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Vanessa Matheny to lead OP Community Services Division

She will direct phase one of the alternative response to calls for service program

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Vanessa Matheny, Oak Park’s for mer grants manager, has been tapped to oversee the village’s Community Services Division and manage phase one of the alternative response to calls for service initiative

The Community Services Division replaces the Grants Division of the Neighborhood Services Department, village officials said. Matheny’s new title will be community services administrator.

Phase one of the village’s alternative response to calls for service initiative, now under Matheny’s direction, was unanimously approved by the village board in June

This phase will focus on providing unarmed responses to “low risk” calls for police service that may be unrelated to mental or behavioral health crises. This phase also includes hiring staf f for the community care navigation model, which will connect residents with follow up care, education or other community partners.

“We’re really excited for this opportunity,” she said. “It’s really focused on community advocacy and reimagining public safety and how we can make sure that mental health is really at the forefront of these emergency calls and making sure that everyone gets the service that they need.”

In this division, Matheny will manage the new staf f, a program manager and two care coordinators, as well as continuing some grant-related work. She also has a master’s de gree in social work from Aurora University.

Matheny said she and other village staffers have been developing the job descriptions for these new roles to make sure applicants are appropriately suited for the role. She said she hopes to post the positions in the next few weeks, focusing on hiring a program manager first. She also said she anticipates having the three positions hired in 2024, depending on interview timelines, with training and implementation following.

“I’m hopeful that between my network, and my colleagues’ networks that I can lean on, that we’ll be able to help tap on to

some really involved and experienced professionals,” she said. “That way we can get a good team.”

If phase two of the alternative response to calls for service initiative is approved to be implemented through the village and not through a third party, Matheny said work on that phase would likely also fall under her direction.

The village’s originally proposed full pilot program was met with some concerns from local mental health professionals and community members about a divided response between village-employed mental health professionals and Thrive Counseling Center.

Phase two is expected to come back to the village board for consideration in the fall. Trustees have allocated $1.1 million

for the pilot program, and village officials estimated the start-up costs for phase one of the alternative response pilot program will not exceed $275,000.

The Community Services Division will still be responsible for some grant work, Matheny said, such as community development block grants. But a lot of grants and community services go hand in hand, she said, so this combination will be helpful.

“When I’m wo rk ing with my gr ants hat on, I am in touch with all the resources that are available in this c ommunity whether that is around hunger, or services for our foster care system, or our unhoused,” she said. “[This change] really j ust p ositioned me to be a little bit more eng aged and c onnected to the Oak Pa rk community.”

‘Barbie’: Movies in the Park

Friday, Aug. 16, Scoville Park

Join us under the stars for a free screening of Barbie Grab a blanket, dinner, or snacks, and enjoy a fun summer evening in the park. No pre-registration needed. All alcoholic beverages, smoking, and e- cigarettes are prohibited. 800 Lake St., Oak Park

Around the World in 80 Sandwiches

Saturday, Aug. 17, 2 - 3:30 p.m., River Forest Public Library - Barbara Hall Meeting Room

BIG WEEK

August 14-21

Jared Petteys at Fitzgerald’s

Tuesday, Aug. 20, 5:30 p.m., Fitzgerald’s

Enjoy a free show by Jared Petteys at Fitzgerald’s. Voluntar y cover charge appreciated. 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berw yn

Wednesday Wisdom: One Thousand Children

Wednesday, Aug. 21, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., Nineteenth Century Charitable Association

Local author Mike Curtis shares his journey of exploring the world through sandwiches, as detailed in his book Around the World in 80 Sandwiches. Mike and his sons discovered sandwiches representing 42 countries and 25 states, made at home or found at Chicagoland restaurants. Join us to hear about these sandwich adventures and their impact on his family. The event will also include insights on self-publishing. Brought to you in par tnership with River Forest Township. 735 Lathrop Ave., River Forest

Oak Park Mic robrew Review 2024

Saturday, Aug. 17, 1-6 p.m., Downtown Oak Park

Enjoy an afternoon of craft beer tasting at the annual Oak Park Microbrew Review, featuring breweries from around the region. The Oak Park Microbrew Review is one of the longest-running beer festivals in the Chicagoland area – 17 years. Purchase tickets at https:// tinyurl.com/mb9c8dfx, 100 North Marion St., Oak Park

It ’s A Sign: Queering the Gallery

Opening Friday, Aug. 16, 7 - 9 p.m., Carriage House Galler y, Oak Park Art League

On view through Friday, Sept. 6. This exhibition uplifs the artistry of image combined with text with an open call for ar twork to be exhibited alongside selected LGBTQ art and artifacts from exhibition partner Gerber Har t Archives and banners from the Protest Banner Lending Librar y. In addition, OPAL invites the community to contribute to an outdoor, street-facing installation of re -imagined political ya rd signs available to all creatives to transform into a personal message during this critical election year. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/mtz95cm4, 720 Chicago Ave., Oak Park

La st call for ‘Romeo & Juliet’

Outdoors, multiple dates, 8 p.m., Oak Park Festival Theatre Lovesick Romeo Montague and vivacious Juliet Capulet have fallen madly in love. Unfortunately, the age-old feud between their uncompromising families forbids them from being together. William Shakespeare’s famous story of love at rst sight is full of action and swordplay, features some of the Bard’s most memorable language, and ponders the inevitability of a tragic end when the convictions of youth are directly at odds with the commands of their elders. Performances Aug. 14-17. Purchase tickets at https:// tinyurl.com/54p7c ycf, Austin Gardens, 167 Forest Ave., Oak Park

Learn about the rescue of over 1,000 unaccompanied children from Europe during the Holocaust. Despite opposition, these children were saved through the e orts of heroic individuals and organizations. Presented by Alan Ho stadter. Open to the public. Contact: info@ nineteenthcentury.org, 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park

Dixon’s Violin Live in Oak Park

Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, 7:45 - 9:15 p.m., Madison Street Theater

Experience the violin like never before. Dixon’s Violin has inspired audiences across Nor th America, from Burning Man to TED talks. Tickets: $25 online, $30 at the door (if available). Purchase at https://tinyurl.com/3h9eby38, 1010 Madison St., Oak Park

District 97 proposes substitute teacher pay raises

O cials are looking to ll sub shortages

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

Oak Park Elementary School District 97 officials are debating whether to increase the daily pay rate for substitute teachers to try to attract candidates who will help fill a shortage

According to district administrators, the item was presented to the board this summer as a response to concerns raised during previous public comment re garding the pay rate for substitute teachers, as well as recruitment and retention.

D97 now pays daily substitutes $140 per day across all district schools. The proposal calls to increase rates to a minimum of$160, with rates changing depending on grade level and background.

“District 97 has been looking at different strategies for recruiting and retaining substitute teachers, including incentivizing in our hardest-to-fill positions,”

said Amanda Siegfried, senior director of communications and engagement for D97.

“This review process is ongoing.”

Siegfried said the district anticipates a full proposal in the upcoming months.

Ifit is approved, daily substitutes would earn $160 at an elementary school and $180 at a middle school. Retired district teachers who come back to work as subs would earn $200 daily.

“This would put us pretty much in alignment with our peer districts and our West40 colleagues in structure and format,” said Natacia Campbell Tominov, assistant superintendent ofhuman resources and equity.

An additional $20 per day would be added to the daily substitute rate for subbing more than 45 days in the district. Those do not have to be consecutive days.

Currently, substitute teachers who work 21 consecutive days make $150 per day. Officials are considering raising the rate of

pay for subs whose consecutive days are with the same class to $305.55 per day. This is the same rate the district would pay a first-year teacher with no experience and only a bachelor’s de gree.

Campbell Tominov said these educators, depending on how long they are subbing for, may also participate in teacher institute days and be part ofthe planning team.

“That is why we end up going up to the $305 [rate],” Campbell Tominov said.

But ifa substitute teacher works for 21 consecutive days and takes a break to later come back, they will be starting back at the established daily rate.

Rates for permanent substitutes may also increase.

According to Christine Zelaya, senior director of human resources, permanent subs are at-will employees, but the district offers letters of assurance for those coming back for the next school year. According to district officials, permanent subs

qualify for health insurance.

Most elementary schools in D97 have two permanent substitute teachers who work every day and middle schools have up to four, Zelaya said.

Permanent subs are currently paid $180 per day but the proposed change would also increase their pay to $305.55 daily rate and give them each a one-year contract with the district.

“It is a position in itself,” Zelaya said. “They work for us full-time. They show up every day.”

Substitute teacher assistant pay would also increase by $20, going from $100 per day to $120; however daily substitute administrators would stay at the same rate of $500, the current standardized rate.

The increased rate would also affect students and staf f by “providing much needed classroom support,” district officials said. See D97 SUBSTITUTES on pa ge 7

Opioid overdose prevention training to take place Aug. 17

The free event is open to all community members

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

The Oak Pa rk Public Health Department will conduct a free opioid overdose prevention training from 1 to 3 p.m., Aug. 17.

The event, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 611 Randolph St., is open to any interested community members. Accord ing to village officials, attendees will learn harm reduction, signs and symptoms ofan overdose and how to respond.

One ofthe most important things attendees can learn is ways to respond with doses ofthe medication naloxone, which rapidly reverses opioid overdoses by blocking the effects, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Naloxone is safe with few side effects, according to village officials.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

approved naloxone in 1971. Narcan nasal spray, which administers doses ofnaloxone, was first approved in 2015 as a prescription. In 2023, it was approved for overthe-counter use.

According to village officials, giving someone naloxone will not cause harm if the person is experiencing another emergency besides opioid overdose. It has no adverse effects, according to officials, even

Even after administering naloxone to someone experiencing an opioid overdose, it’s important to call 911 and stay with the village officials said, as the medication has a time limit of30 to 90 minutes. Naloxone typically takes effect in two to three minutes.

rk, opioid overdose boxes are accessible in seven locations throughout . In addition to Narcan nasal sprays, the kits also have instructions on erdose first aid. Purchasing nalwithout insurance can be as expensive as $140 for two doses, according to village of ficials.

The kit locations can be found online. Most ofthe kits are always available, but one box in the Oak Park Public Library is only accessible during the library’s hours of operation.

According to village officials, 151 people in Oak Park had an opioid overdose in 2022, and that number has been on a general upward trend for the past several years. Any

opioids, even those prescribed by a medical professional, can put a person at risk for a use disorder or overdose, officials said.

“It’s important to overcome the stigma around opioid use so we can openly speak about it with our friends and family and increase the number of people who have naloxone and know how to use it,” Oak Park officials wrote.

At the event on Aug. 17, participants will also receive an opioid overdose prevention kit with Narcan. Those interested in attending can email to re gister at health@ oak-park.us.

From 9 to 11 a.m., Aug. 27, a member of Oak Park’s opioid taskforce will be at the Idea Box, located just inside the OPPL on the first floor, to answer questions and provide resources about overdose prevention, according to Oak Park’s public health newsletter. Additionally, Aug. 31 is Opioid Awareness Day, and Oak Park is working with other public health departments to produce a video to showcase the ways to prevent opioid overdoses.

MADISON STREETTHEATER

August24,2024 6:30PM—9:30PM

Oak Parkers can submit tax appeals until Sept. 3

This year, Oak Park proper ty owners will collectively pay $255 million in proper ty taxes

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

In Oak Park, property owners frustrated with high property taxes can now submit tax appeals through Sept. 3.

Oak Park Township Assessor Ali ElSaffar wrote in a news release that Oak Park property owners can now appeal their assessed values with the Cook County Board of Review.

Properties in Oak Park were reassessed in 2023, according to the release. Tax bills first reflecting that change were mailed in July. The period to file for 2023 appeals is closed. But residents may be able to reduce their 2024 tax bill with a successful appeal,

D97 SUBSTITUTES

from page 5

and that would be reflected on calendar year 2025 bills.

According to the release, the Oak Park Township Assessor’s of fice will be available to help locals prepare evidence for their appeals. Appointments are typically conducted over the phone, but in-person appointments are also available.

After Sept. 3, residents will no longer be able to reduce next year’s property tax bills

ElSaffar wrote in a Wednesday Journal column that this year, Oak Park property owners will collectively pay $255 million in property taxes. This is 6.2% higher than 2023, he wrote. As a result, about 40% of Oak Park homeowners experienced double-digit tax increases.

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About 73% ofthe district’s substitute requests were filled from January through May. This includes teaching staf f and administrators filling some ofthe vacancies when needed.

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Campbell Tominov said the district estimated fill rates are closer to 50% to 60% if it factors out faculty and staf f filling in.

Re gional Superintendents ofSchools, 91% of respondents re ported having a teacher shortage for the 2023-24 school year, along with trouble finding substitute teachers. The study also shows 4,096 teacher positions went unfilled that school year.

Monday & Friday 9am-5pm

Tue s/Wed/Thurs 9am-7pm Saturday 9am-12pm

“This rate would make us more competitive so in theory we would get more subs and that fill rate would go up,” she said.

For the last five months ofthe school year, fill rates for substitute teacher assistants — comprised only ofexternal substitutes, with no D97 teaching staf f filling open positions — averaged to 41.4%.

According to an annual survey of education leaders by the Illinois Association of

Across the country, states are trying to find solutions to remedy this problem, including allowing adults with only a high school diploma to sub and increasing wages. According to an analysis from the Federal Bureau ofLabor Statistics, the annual mean salary for a substitute teacher in Illinois, as of May 2023, is $39,960-$44,590.

According to Campbell Tominov, the proposal will be coming back for a vote once there is a better understanding of how much ofa budget increase would be needed and ifthe district would be able to af ford subs at the proposed rates.

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“If we needed to back out ofthat $305 and come down to maybe a $270 rate or a $250 rate, then that is what we would do,” she said.

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An article published in the Aug. 7 issue of Wednesday Journal, titled “A queer coming-of-age film set in Oak Pa rk in the works for next summer” misstated the length of the film. It is a feature film that runs

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Village hall to close early on August Fridays

Pilot program allows more exibility for sta

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Village Hall, located at 123 Madison St., will close early for the rest of the Fridays in August.

This change is part of a pilot program, according to village officials. Included dates are Aug. 16, Aug. 23 and Aug. 30. On those days, Village Hall will only be open from 9 a.m. to noon.

In-person business can still be conducted in the morning on those dates. The availability of services like police and fire will not change. Village officials also state that many other services can be accessed online, and do not require a visit to Village Hall, such as filing for licenses and permits.

One of the village trustees made a recommendation for this initiative, which was supported by the rest of the village board and by Village Manager Kevin Jackson, according to Chief Communications Officer Dan Yopchick.

The program is intended to recognize staff’s work throughout the year and allow for flexibility at the end of the summer, Yopchick told Wednesday Journal. Summer hours allow for maintaining work-life balance while still ensuring productivity, he said.

According to Forbes, summer Fridays began in the 1960s. At this time, New York advertising agencies tried to prevent employees from being less productive during the summer by letting them leave early on Fridays The popularity of summer Fridays increased again during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Forbes.

At the end of Oak Park’s program, the initiative will be evaluated and could be continued in the future.

Westside Stories brings local narratives and activism to Austin community

Monthly curated open mic event spotlights real stories

By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter

Westside Stories will once again spotlight the real-life narratives and personal accounts of West Side residents, both past and present, at the Front Porch Arts Center’s next monthly story-telling event on Aug. 27.

Westside Stories is a curated performance and open mic event that offers a unique opportunity to share experiences and build community connections on every fourth Thursday of the month from 6 to 8 p.m. at 5851 W. Madison St., Chicago. Attendees are not required to be West Side residents. The event typically begins

with an open mic segment where guests can sign up to share a five-to-seven-minute story on a topic of their choice while enjoying light refreshments

This is in addition to featured speakers, who this month will be Tara Stamps, a Cooks County commissioner, and Jessica LaShawn, an author.

“Both Tara and Jessica are masterful storytellers with roots in activism and it will be fascinating to hear about their experiences as second-generation activists on the West Side,” Front Porch Arts Center founder Keli Stewart said.

Stamps serves as the Cook County Commissioner for the 1st District and is actively involved in numerous committees, including those related to finance, criminal justice,

See WESTSIDE STORIES on pa ge 16

DNC chair and South Side native outlines the many ways to help Harris ticket this fall

Minyon Moore lauds ‘unprecedented’ nomination of a Black woman

By ZOË TAKAKI Contributing Reporter

With Democrats set to meet in Chicago next week for the party’s national convention, a behind-the-scenes person from the South Side is already looking ahead to fall activism by rank-and file Democrats.

As chair ofthe Democratic National Convention, Minyon Moore has been involved in overseeing the nominations of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the ticket standard-bearers.

While the convention will hear from them and many other prominent Democrats Aug. 19 to Aug. 22, Moore had lots ofadvice for

those wanting to support the ticket, including phone banking and even traveling across state lines to spread support

“Travel to the midwestern states like Michigan and Wisconsin and all ofthose battleground states,” Moore said.

She reminded the audience that it’s not just about getting people to vote, it’s about the Electoral College and winning majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“We don’t need to just get the popular vote. We have to get the Electoral Colle ge too,” Moore said, which is why so-called “battleground states” are so important.

The for mer director ofWhite House political af fairs, Moore made her remarks Aug. 9 at a fundraiser ofthe Ida B. Wells Le gacy Committee at Truth Italian Restaurant, 56 W. Pershing Road in Bronzeville.

When asked about the Harris campaign, Moore discussed Harris being a Black woman and the unprecedented nature of

her nomination to be president.

“We are trying to blaze a trail that has never been blazed before,” Moore said. “It’s a mind shift for everybody that can look at her and say, ‘She can be a commander in chief.’ I know she can be one. But we have to constantly prove that to America.”

She praised President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race, saying, “He gave the selfish act ofstepping out ofthis race. What he did was decided to say, ‘I can no longer do this in my capacity, but I have somebody that can.’”

She further said of Biden, “He’s been a good steward ofthis country. He is truly one ofthe finest public servants I have ever had the opportunity to work with, and I’ve worked with them all.”

Moore, a South Side native, has had a storied career, serving the Biden-Harris Administration as Nomination Advisor for Engagement during Justice Ketanji Brown

Jackson’s nomination to the U. S. Supreme Court. She was also director ofWhite House political af fairs under President Bill Clinton and headed Dewey Square Group, a consulting firm based in Washington D.C.

Early in her career, Moore was an advisor to the presidential campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1984. In 1988, she worked closely with his Rainbow Push Coalition.

At the Ida B. Wells fundraising event, Hermene Hartman, publisher ofthe Chicago-based newspaper N’DIGO, oversaw the discussion with Moore about the convention and the campaign ahead.

Moore also shared that social media influencers will be at the Democratic National Convention, with their own spot on the convention floor.

“We wanted to give those folks that got these millions of followers an opportunity to tell the story inside the convention hall.” Moore said.

Village o cials host German visitors

His mother’s story leads to international connectionss

By JESSICA MACKINNON Contributing Reporter

For more than two decades, Alan Hoffstadter has been on a painstaking quest to uncover the story of his mother’s life in Nazi Ger many. Last week, this culminated in an extraordinary visit to Oak Park by André Dora, mayor of Datteln, the town where his mother spent her childhood before being sent to America as an unaccompanied minor

Hoffstadter and Dora began corresponding in 2016, when Hoffstadter reached out to Dora to express admiration for his ef for ts to dismantle anti-Semitism in Datteln. That initial correspondence has deepened into what both men see as a transformational friendship.

The two spoke of their connection during a panel discussion at Village Hall last week also featuring Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman, a first-generation German-American who also has corresponded with Dora, and his assistant, Rosemarie Schlosser, who accompanied the mayor to Oak Park.

“What started as a simple g esture has become an international incident,” Hoffstadter said. “It j ust pr oves the saying that a stone thrown i nto water ca n make ripples that go far beyond wher e they star ted.”

ences with her children.

Several years after she died in 1999, Hoffstadter started researching his mother’s hometown. His search was aided by Schlosser, who connected him with local historians. He learned that none of the 18 Jewish families who had lived in Datteln prior to World War II survived or returned to the town after the war.

Datteln has now embraced Hoffstadter as one of its own, awarding him in 2022 the Etienne Bach Prize, which reco gnizes individuals committed to promoting understanding between people of historically adversarial cultures. In addition, Dora invited Hoffstadter, as well as Scaman, to sign the town’s Golden Book honoring dignitaries.

“The people of Oak Park have been so warm and helpful. I will share these experiences when I return to Germany. Our languages may be di erent but otherwise we are all equal.” ANDRÉ DORA Mayor, Datteln, Germany

Hoffstadter’s mother, Charlotte Goldberg, was sent away from Datteln at the age of 15 in a desperate ef fort to keep her safe from the growing persecution of Jews in her home country. She joined other unaccompanied Jewish children on a ship that sailed for America in 1933.

According to Hoffstadter, his mother was bitter about being torn from an idyllic childhood and never shared her experi-

TODD BANNOR

Oak Parker Alan Ho stadter; Mayor André Dora of Datteln, Germany; Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman; Mayor Dora’s assistant, Rosemarie Schlosser; and Oak Park River Forest Museum Operations Manager Rachel Berlinski at the museum on Aug. 8.

While they were in Oak Park, Dora and Schlosser visited the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, Unity Temple and the Oak Park River Forest Museum. They also met with Scaman at the home of Alan and Lynn Hoffstadter to share thoughts on their respective roles within their village governments –and the things that keep them awake at night.

Datteln and Oak Park are very different but have some things in common.

Datteln’s population is about 36,000, compared to Oak Park’s 55,000. However, its budget is significantly larger than Oak Park’s because it includes the park district, garbage collection and the maintenance of school facilities. Dora manages without many layers, serving as full-time chief executive officer, chief financial officer and chief operating officer. By comparison, Scaman has a part-time role – albeit one that is around-the-clock – working with a professional village manager who directs about a dozen department heads and oversees day-to-day operations.

Despite differences in their roles and governmental structures, Dora and Scaman realized that they have similar concerns, including tensions around taxes, economic vitality, af fordability and an influx of refugees. Datteln has experienced an uptick in refugees from Ukraine and Syria.

“I was determined that no one should sleep under a bridge. We make sure that everyone has a room, a bed, and something to eat. When Putin invaded Ukraine, we had to close a gym and put beds inside to keep everyone safe,” Dora said.

Scaman shared the Oak Park community’s response to the arrival of 200 Venezuelan migrants and the coordinated work of local churches and nonprofits, as well as Scaman’s advocacy for state and federal funding to accommodate them.

“When I was a lawyer, I was a wonderful sleeper. If I got into contact with a pillow, I would fall aslee p. Not so much now,” Dora said, laughing.

Dora and Scaman are members of Mayors for Peace, an international organization headquartered in Hiroshima, Japan, which promotes a culture of peace, the creation of safe and resilient cities and a world without nuclear war.

“We’re both invested in our work, and it’s

been interesting to learn more about André’s role and Datteln’s government,” said Scaman. “But this is really about human connection and that brings us back to the core understanding that we’re more alike than we are not.”

Dora said that he encourages Datteln’s high school graduates to do one thing with their lives that can make the world a little better. He is cognizant of Germany’s role in World War II and is adamant that leaders must learn from the past and stand up against anti-Semitism and discrimination. He considers the connection with Hof fstadter and Oak Park as steps toward reconciliation.

Following the panel discussion at Village Hall, Dora presented Hoffstadter and Scaman with framed photos of the bridge that crosses the Lippe River in Datteln and thanked them for serving as bridges between their respective cities.

“The people of Oak Park have been so warm and helpful. I will share these experiences when I return to Germany. Our languages may be different but otherwise we are all equal,” said Dora.

“I’m delighted that while searching for my mother’s story, I found you,” Hoffstadter told Dora.

e Book Table set to close this year

Popular bookstore may close around Thanksgiving

By KATHERINE FRAZER Contributing Reporter

After 21 years in business, Oak Park’s independent book shop, The Book Table, is closing its doors.

Rachel Weaver and Jason Smith opened its Lake Street store in July 2003. Weaver and Smith met while working at another independent bookstore, and married two years before the Book Table opened.

Over two decades after they opened the store, the couple made the decision to close the business. Smith said that COVID-19 pandemic was hard for book-selling, and the two got into a funk that never really went away.

“The process of going through that for Rachel and I, just the world of being in charge of decisions that could literally kill our employees or our customers or ourselves, wasn’t like anything we’d ever experienced in book selling,” Smith said. Smith emphasized that the closure is not from financial reasons, such as increased property taxes or rent.

“For a business that is certainly built upon the great employees that we’ve had, past and present, and the wonderful customers that we’ve had, past and present, it’s also a lot about the two of us and what it is that we put into the store,” Smith said. “So, this inability for us to sor t of have the right level of passion for it means that it just isn’t right to keep it open. That’s really the decision, and it all stems from the pandemic times.”

David King, president of Oak Park-based commercial real estate firm David King and Associates, leased the couple the building when they first opened, but not without some hesitancy.

At the time, there were many bookstores in the area. Barbara’s Bookstore and Border’s were near the Lake Street location, and initially, King said, he did not want to take them on as clients. After working with Smith and Weaver, whom he called “relentless” in their pursuit, he decided to take a chance on them. The other stores closed,

and the Book Table remained as a beloved institution in Oak Park

Two decades later, King said the store’s closure is bittersweet.

“You want to be thankful that they were here and gave us 21 years of some pretty cool stuf f and good service and friends,” King said. “I would choose to look at it as a celebration of what they were able to do for 20 years.”

Although there is no closing date set for The Book Table yet, Smith said he expects the store to close around Thanksgiving. Smith said that as long as there is a storefront, customers will be able to order books through the store online, but he said he is not sure if that will continue after the store closes its doors for good.

The store is having an escalating sale as the business wraps up, star ting at 10% and increasing as time goes on. When they announced their closure, the store had a full inventory of books they plan to get into the hands of customers.

“We have the exact proper store that we would want as of August 7, full of what we think are the perfect books for our community, so we would like to make sure that those get into people’s hands,” Smith said. “That’s the way that we’ve always bought as two people who live in Oak Park and care about what people in Oak Park, and then the greater community, want to read. We have what we think is a really good inventory here, and we want to make sure that each and every one of these books finds the proper home.”

Smith said he is grateful for the suppo rt the community has shown them, in previous times and as the store announced their closure.

“As two people who worked for many bookstores before we opened this, we have empirical evidence that we have the best customers in the world,” Smith said. “The ability to become a part of this community and interact with it in all of the ways that we have over the years has been incredibly special for the two of us, and we just thank each and every one of them for all that they’ve done to us over the years. And for all they’re about to do over the last couple of months as we sell a whole bunch of books that we still have at the store.”

PARK DISTRIC T

now. The whole village of Oak Park is on this website right now.”

Upton set various alarms and was at her laptop before 8:30 a.m., when re gistration opened. But the crash sent her into a panic. She wasn’t the only one, as many parents took to parent groups on social media to express their frustration and find more information on how they could re gister.

Upton said she saw a p ost from someone who left thei r home and physically re gistered at the district office and others who went through an online re gistration system, Amilia . Through Amilia, Upton was able to re gister her daughter for gymnastics, one of the most coveted classes, along with swimming.

But the whole situation only heightened the anxiety she already had about re gistration, having missed out on classes in the past. Upton said she hadn’ t heard of Amilia until that mor ning

“Although re gistration was still accessible through Amilia, we understand the frustration caused by the er ror message on our main site,” Arnold said. “Our IT team swiftly addressed the problem, and the site was back online at 8:42 a.m. ”

According to Ann Marie Buczek, communication and community eng agement manage r, the website was only down 12 minutes

Oak Park’s parents have joked that re gistration feels like “The Hunger Games,” where everyone is battling it out for the limited spots, said a local mom.

“I feel like I am exaggerating a little bit, but I feel like the Park District has a choke hold on me in order to be able to get the classes I want for my daughter because they are awesome and everybody wants them,” said Delphine Risto, parent of a 3-year-old.

Risto was able to sign up for a swimming class.

The Park District knows programming is very popular and takes into consideration many factors when developing programming and schedules.

“Our programming is driven by participant feedback, program evaluations, and local trends to ensure that our offerings are truly community driven,” Buczek said.

Each year, the Park District offers over 8,000 programs and events, she added.

According to Buczek, thi s season they saw an a dditional 300 pa rt icipants re gister fo r f all/winter progr ams in the first 20 minutes of re gistration compared to last year.

“While we have expanded class offerings and sizes to accommodate more participants, we must always prioritize safety, capacity and staffing,” Buczek said.

Instructor availability, expertise, and facility space is also taken into consideration.

Certain classes, such as toddler gymnastics, require more individualized attention and supervision, said Buczek. This results

Risto said she understands demand is high and credits the amazing programming as part of the reason so many parents opt to go the Park District route, but she would like to see some change, even if it is only a slight increase in the number of re gistration spots for a class

“It is obviously resource-dependent. You only have so many lifeguards, you only have so many swimming instructors, you can’t service all the children in town, you just can’t,” Risto said. “But maybe getting it up to 20 spots instead of 10.”

This fall session was also impacted by outside factors, as the Park District lost access to the OPRF High School indoor pool due to Project 2 construction, reducing the number of swim classes of fered. The Park District now only has access to the indoor pool at Fenwick High School.

Buczek said they try to expand offerings where and when possible.

According to Buczek, they have introduced a four-week mini gymnastics class to ccommodate high demand and increased anta Trolley sessions from a “few sessions” on one Saturday to 24 sessions over two days

Additionally, the opening of Community creation Center has allowed them to introduce basketball and volleyball classes and leagues for youth and adults.

The Park District also tries to combine classes that are under-enrolled to help free facility space and instructors to accommodate additional classes that are in high demand, Buczek said.

According to Buczek, the Park District has served more residents this past year than in 2023, seeing an increase of 16% in teens and 14% in adults.

While the Park District navigates the

growth in popularity, residents are trying to plan for future classes.

Buczek said some skill-based classes give priority to Session 1 participants and allow for pre-re gistration so they can continue to progress to the next level in the series.

Risto said she had “no desire” to re gister her child for swimming fall Session 1, as they try to spend as much time outside soaking in warm weather before the winter months hit, but felt it was the easier route to go to secure a spot for Session 2. Winter sessions are in very high demand, as families are looking for indoor activities to do with their children, Risto said. Re gistering for Session 2 then also qualifies Risto for pre-registration for winter classes

“This system ensures that participants can build on the skills they’ve learned without inter ruption,” Buczek said. “Additionally, it helps us identify the need to add or adjust classes to better meet demand before open registration be gins.”

Buczek said this practice does not limit who can re gister.

For parents like Risto and Upton, the headache of registering is worth it, as they see the quality in the programming. But there is still a desire to see some increase in availability.

“We do pay a lot in taxes, and you hope that what you pay into the system you get back out in terms of community programming,” Upton said.

“I am very grateful that we have this, it is a wonderful outlet for the children in town,” Risto said. “I just wish we had more.”

According to the Park District’s fall/winter program guide, re gistration for fall/ winter 2024-25 opens on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 8:30 a.m.

Park District of Oak Park Community Recreation Center.

Des Plaines River Trail renovations are complete

River Forest is also exploring extending the trail to connect with the Illinois Prairie Path

By HOPE BAKER Contributing Reporter

The renovation of a 4.4-mile stretch of the Des Plaines River Trail, which runs between Lawrence and Touhy avenues, is officially complete. The $12.5 million project included the installation of a 1,000-foot elevated boardwalk in a section of the trail that is prone to flooding, as well a new pedestrian bridge over Lawrence Avenue.

The major enhancements to the trail were celebrated by local elected officials and re presentatives from the Forest Preserves of Cook County during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Robinson Woods-South on Aug. 6.

Other aspects of the renovation entailed rerouting segments for safety and better trail conditions, and traffic signal and ADA improvements at six locations: East River Road, Bryn Mawr Avenue, Higgins Avenue, Talcott Road, Devon Avenue and Dee Road. The trail was also widened and resurfaced in areas where it was needed.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle said the new bridge symbolizes their ongoing commitment to alternative transportation options and the improvement of public lands.

“The ongoing work to make the Des Plaines River Trail easier to enjoy and safer to use is a great benefit to local residents and nature lovers across Cook County. I thank our partners for their dedication to making it a reality,” Preckwinkle said.

The renovation is just one part of an ongoing $70 million-plan to improve sections of the 28-mile trail system.

T he improvements are expected to address issues such as flooding, trail reconstruction, potential new trail connections, and safety at roadways and major railroad crossings.

Construction for the next section of the project, which will focus on improving

trail conditions between Lawrence Avenue and Irving Park Road, will begin in spring of 2025.

In conjunction with the Village of Schiller Park, those renovations will include an additional boardwalk and trail rerouting and resurfacing.

Jack Bielak, director of public works and engineering for the Village of River Forest, said the Des Plaines River Trail network provides connectivity to the entire re gion and makes it easier and safer for residents to travel throughout Cook County. According to Bielak, River Forest is currently partnering with the Village of Rosemont on Phase I engineering and environmental studies to explore extending the trail south of North Avenue to connect into the Illinois Prairie Path.

“This phase of the trail being completed is super-important for us because as we move forward with our project, that one being completed just makes ours more important to the entire network,” Bielak said.

In March, the River Forest Village Board voted unanimously to approve an intergovernmental ag reement with the Village of Rosemont for $66,900 for the village’s portion of the Phase 1 design of the project. The River Forest section of the trail would mainly run along Thatcher Avenue between North Avenue and Madison Street.

“Phase 1 is the initial part where we’re doing feasibility, environmental studies, looking at intersections and doing outreach with neighbors,” Bielak said. “Phase 1 is just the preliminary phase.”

According to Bielak, a public meeting will be held in September to go over the project.

Carl Vo g el, director of Communications for the Forest Preserves of Cook County, said they are supportive of the concept of extending the trail south of North Avenue to connect into the Illinois Prairie Path and remain a willing partner if needed. However, they are not leading that work because the trail would not be on Forest Preserve proper ty

Re garding the most recent improvements to the trail, Vogel said the ribboncutting ceremony was very exciting.

“It was really a nice moment,” Vogel said. “There’s a lot of work that goes into these things so it’s nice when you have a chance to stop and celebrate.”

Vogel said the bridge above Lawrence

Avenue re placed an underpass that would frequently flood, resulting in closures.

“That underpass, being down so low, would get filled with water and would often be impassable or really muddy,” he said.

“This bridge, in addition to being really handsome and cool looking, is a great way to get over Lawrence Avenue and avoid engaging with a pretty major street.”

Vogel said one aspect of the renovation, which focused on improving safety, was moving pedestrian crossings from midstreet to the closest intersection.

“The improvements make it easier, more fun and safer to be out on the trail,” he said.

“It makes it a more enjoyable experience.”

In order to make the newest renovations

possible, the Village of Rosemont and City of Park Ridge worked with the Forest Preserves to secure federal funds through Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program and the locally programmed Transportation Alternatives Program, which paid for 80% of the project’s engineering and construction. State funds and Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways Motor Fuel Tax funds covered the local share.

For more information about trail improvements visit the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s website: https://fpdcc.com/ about/plans-projects/des-plaines-r

trail-improvements/

New pedestrian br idge over Lawrence Avenue

River Forest adds to list of ‘limited load’ streets

Village also raises vehicle weight limit to 10,000 pounds

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

River Forest residents living on LeMoyne Street, Division Street and sections of Clinton Place and Greenfield Street

should see a decrease in heavy truck traffic in their neighborhoods following action taken by officials at the Aug. 12 Village Board meeting

Officials voted unanimously to add those streets to the list of “limited load streets” in the village. The section of Clinton affected is from North Avenue to Lake Street and the section of Greenfield affected is from Park to Harlem avenues.

Officials also voted unanimously to modify existing weight restrictions from 5,000 to 10,000 pounds.

In recommending the increase to the

weight limit, Jack Bielak, director of public works and engineering, explained that the lower weight limit would affect vehicles other than the heavy trucks that are the target. He noted that a standard Tesla Model X weighs 5,307 pounds and would be in violation of the existing ordinance.

Village Administrator Matt streets were added to the “limited load” list to deter heavy truck traffic the village from North and from Har

Police Chief Jim O’Shea said warnings would be issued for 30 days after the changes take effect, which Walsh estimated would not be until public wo bers have installed new signag

O’Shea said the changes will not apply to trucks picking up and making deli the village. He also noted the police depa ment uses its own portable scales to weigh trucks suspected of being over the limit.

In a memo to Walsh, Bielak said village staf f members had reviewed village-wide traf fic fl ow “for several months.”

“Based on this analysis, discussions and feedback,” he recommended that the

to “prevent unnecessary truck traffic” in the village.

“By adding these streets, the village would address concerns re garding cutthrough traf fic,” he added.

Bielak said officials first approved a weight limit ordinance in 1981 but only

In recommending the weight limit chang e, he said changes in technolo gy and features that are included in moder n cars “severely reduces” which vehicles are permitted on cer tain village streets Bielak said the 10,000 pound-limit will still apply to most commercial type vehicles

Village to make turn restrictions permanent

River Forest intersections at Harlem with Green eld, LeMoyne a ected

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

After waiting a year for the Illinois Department of Transportation to sign off, the River Forest officials at the Aug. 12 village board meeting voted to install permanent barriers on Harlem Avenue at Greenfield and LeMoyne streets.

T he barriers will re place temporary barriers designed to allow drivers on southbound Harlem to turn right onto Greenfield or LeMoyne and allow drivers on eastbound Greenfield and LeMoyne to turn right onto Harlem but prevent them from turning left. Drivers on northbound Harlem are prohibited from turning left onto Greenfield or LeMoyne. T he village needed IDOT to sign of f because Harlem is a state route

Officials voted unanimously to approve a $148,921.50 contract with Schroeder Asphalt Services of Marengo to complete the project.

Schroeder’s bid was the lowest of five submitted. Bids also were received from Orange Crush LLC, M&J Asphalt Paving Co., J.A. Johnson Paving Co. and A Lamp Concrete Contractors Inc. The highest bid was $186,007.25.

Work is expected to start the first week of September with Oct. 1 the target for completion, according to Matt Walsh, village administrator.

In recommending approval of the contract, Bill Koclanis, civil engineering technician, said in a memo to Walsh that Schroeder has done work for the village previously and “perfor med well.”

When officials voted in August 2023 to

remove the temporary barriers and install permanent curbed right in-right out islands, it marked the end of a months-long discussion of controversial traffic control changes affecting drivers and residents of the northeast section of the village. Those changes, which affected Bonnie Brae Place, Clinton Place and William Street in addition to LeMoyne and Greenfield, were designed to address concerns raised at meetings of the traffic and safety commission and the village board over cut-through traffic from Harlem and North avenues.

Changes ranged from installing cul-desacs on Bonnie Brae and Clinton to adding and moving stop signs at several intersections. Modifications originally converted sections of Greenfield and LeMoyne to one-way eastbound streets from the alleys west of Harlem to Harlem but those chang-

es were later reversed.

Beginning in October 2022 and continuing for months at meetings of the village board and traffic and safety committee, concerns by residents and business owners were raised about an upsurge in traffic in alleys, an overall increase in traffic, increased difficulty in driving to and from their homes, speeding cars and drivers ignoring stop signs and going around barriers designed to create cul-de-sacs.

Several people suggested erecting additional stop signs and installing speed bumps or speed humps as alternatives to the modifications.

Owners of businesses on North Avenue said the changes were impacting access for their patients and customers, making it challenging to navigate streets and difficult to find legal parking.

D97 starts year with new support for 6th graders

It also debuts expectations for middle schoolers, such as locking cellphones away

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

Oak Park Elementary School District 97 is preparing incoming sixth graders for the new school year and possible back-to-school jitters through its new “District 97 Middle School Connection” program.

Rising sixth graders at both Brooks and Julian Middle School had the opportunity to participate in the three-day-program from Tuesday, Aug. 13 through Thursday, Aug. 15 from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

While participation was not mandatory, the program was highly encouraged According to Amanda Siegfried, senior director of communications and engagement for D97, about 79% of incoming students signed up for the program.

The goal is to foster a sense of belonging and community, to provide opportunities for students to develop social-emotional skills and to give students strategies to support their success, while addressing anxieties or

concer ns they might have.

The program was developed by D97’s Middle School Leadership Team as a response to requests raised by students and families for more support from the district in the transition from elementary school to middle school.

“The transition involves not only a change in buildings, but it also comes at a critical point in students’ developmental growth,” district officials said via email to Wednesday Journal on Aug. 9. “These changes can impact students; academic performance, social experiences and overall sense of self.”

These changes, both academically and developmentally, are significant, district officials said, adding that middle schoolers can report feeing a drop in their sense of belonging during this transition.

According to Luis Fer nando De León, assistant superintendent of middle schools, the success of the program will “come down to the experience of the students.”

De León said part of the design was to have students leave feeling welcomed and comfort-

able navigating their new school and structure.

“We also want them to walk away with at least a couple of new friends and adults in the building that they know by name and can trust,” De León said.

The same applies to middle school teachers because it is also an opportunity for them to connect with new students.

“We believe these connections and knowledge will help students to feel more confident and ready to succeed at Julian or Brooks on day one,” he said.

Students attending will explore their schedules, meet teachers and participate in education activities, including a “Gettingto-Know-You Escape Room” where they will “get to know new friends through fun, problem-solving challenges.”

“We plan to evaluate the program through feedback and surveys to ensure continuous improvement so we can make it even better each year,” district officials said via email to Wednesday Journal on Aug. 9.

Middle School Expectations

In preparation for the new school year, D97’s middle school team worked on aligning behavior expectations between Julian and Brooks middle school.

The School-Wide Behavior Expectations focuses on five key areas:

■ Cellphones

■ Lockers/backpacks

■ IDs

■ Hallways and bathrooms

■ Lunch and social time

In an email sent to district families in July, district officials highlighted the guidelines and said student, family and staf f feedback was “carefully considered” when shaping the expectations. According to district officials, a diverse team of nearly 70 professional educators and staf f from both middle schools participated in the development process.

See DISTRICT 97 on pa ge 16

408 S. Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL

Stewart said that since 2019, Westside Stories has been highlighting the experiences West Side residents through their narras, offering positive recreational activities the neighborhood, fostering community building, and helping to change the prevailing media narrative about the West Side, with a brief pause during the pandemic.

Front Porch Arts Center is working on collecting stories to build a database that will be ailable to the public once the organization ives more funding.

“We hope to create a digital database ofstories and engage youth in learning methods to tell their own stories. We aim to have this database online by mid-next year and are looking for grants to support this,” Stewart said.

Stewart stresses that creating an environment where individuals feel heard and not judged is essential.

“Westside Stories, one ofthe longest-running storytelling platfor ms on the West Side, provides a space for people to share their raw, unny, and courageous stories,” Stewart said. hen asked about the primary goals of estside Stories and its intended impact on participants and the community, Stewart said that storytelling is one ofthe oldest ms ofhuman conversation that offers testimony, humor and a reflection of daily life.

onnections with the broader estside artists

est Side, there ultural spaces in the neighborhood, and tories sprang from that idea.

“We wanted to create a West Side-centric storytelling platform that celebrates both past and present narratives of west siders,” Stewart said.

DISTRIC T 97

from page 15

“These guidelines were thoroughly designed to create a respectful, responsible and safe learning environment for all of our middle school students,” district officials said via email. “Our school-wide expectations reflect our commitment to positive, evidence-based practices that support students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioral success.”

Expectations include turning of f c ellp hones and storing them in lockers during the school day, along with backpacks and non-school issued technology. Students must visibly display IDs while on campus,

“We find many similarities among the stories we tell, and stories connect us. This onnection is the most important part for us. Front Porch Art Center is a multigenerational organization, and our work provides space for multigenerational narratives. It’s important to have conversations between elders and younger people, to map out where we’ve been and where we’re heading,” Stewart said. Tickets are $10 a person and includes light refreshments and a chance to build community. To purchase tickets visit https://ow.ly/UsOW50SW3EA

keep to the right side ofthe hallways during passing periods, and remain in their assigned areas during lunch and social time.

In the email, the district said they were committed to helping students adjust to expectations throughout the year. The district will be introducing the expectations during their Middle School Connection progr am for incoming sixth graders, as well as during their middle school w elcome nights.

Julian Middle School will host its welcome night from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 15.

Brooks Middle School will be hosting an infor mation night for sixth graders and all new students from 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 14, and from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 15 for seventh and eighth graders.

Man steals saw, ashes knife as he ees

On Aug. 8, a man stole a Berwyn resident’s unattended concrete saw on the 800 block of North East Avenue. The victim began to chase the man, who fled into a dark blue Jeep Grand Cherokee. The man displayed a knife and then fled east on Augusta Street. The estimated loss is $1,600.

Battery

A man approached a Chicago resident Aug. 11 on the 900 block of Madison Street and grabbed the victim’s butt. The man fled west on Madison Street after the victim struck him.

Burglary

■ On Aug. 3, someone broke into an Oak Park resident’s locked unit on the 500 block of Highland Avenue and stole Italian beef sandwiches. The estimated loss is $15.

■ Someone broke into a Villa Park resident’s suite on the 800 block of South Oak Park Avenue between Aug. 3 and 5. The person stole a Vera Skin facial machine, a Crypto body sculpting machine and a silver Apple MacBook Pro laptop. The estimated loss is $51,000.

■ On Aug. 9, a woman broke into Albion Oak Park at 1000 Lake St. She stole two iPads, boxes of candy and multiple dog bandannas. The estimated loss is $1,290.

Motor vehicle theft

■ Someone stole an Elmwood Park resident’s red 2017 Ford Mustang convertible with a black soft top between Aug. 6 and 7 while it was parked unlocked with keys inside on the 1100 block of Fair Oaks Avenue. The estimated loss is $16,500.

■ Someone stole an Aurora resident’s silver 2014 Mercedes E350 between Aug. 8 and 9 on the 400 block of Lennox Street. The estimated loss is $17,000.

Arrests

■ A 42-year-old Chicago man was stopped by the Chicago Police Department on Aug. 5 on the 100 block of North Wolcott Avenue. He was transported to the Oak Park Police Department due to an active Oak Park war rant for f alsely impersonating a police officer. He was held for bond hearings.

■ A 23-year-old Bellwood man was arrested Aug. 6 for criminal defacement of

property that happened on the 600 block of Highland Avenue. He was issued a citation and notice to appear in cour t.

■ A 54-year-old Oak Park man was arrested Aug. 7 for battery to an Oak Park resident on the 300 block of Wisconsin Avenue. He was given a notice to appear.

■ A 31-year-old Chicago man was ar rested for ag gravated battery to a Rochelle resident Aug. 8 on the 0 – 100 block of Chicago Avenue. He was held for cour t.

■ A 24-year-old Oak Park man was arrested for domestic battery to an Oak Park resident Aug. 10 on the 800 block of Nor th Lombard Avenue

■ A 24-year-old Chicago woman was arrested for battery to a Chicago resident Aug. 12 on the 0 – 100 block of Erie Street.

These items we re obtained from Oak Park Police De partment re ports dated Aug. 5 – 12 and re present a portion of

the incidents to which police responded Anyone named in these re ports has onl y been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port 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 Luzane Draughon

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

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

to undergo an amputation than those who do not seek treatment.

Medicare and some private insurances cover 1 pair of diabetic shoes and 3 pair of protective insoles each calendar year. Dr. Lambert has been a supplier of diabetic shoes since 2002. e shoes come in 30 di erent styles each for men and women. ese include boots, lightweight colorful athletic shoes, and dress shoes. Even patients who are not diabetic love the look and comfort of the footwear. Diabetic socks, slippers and compression hosiery are also available.

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

Christine Gerges hired as Willard Elementary’s interim principal

She has been teaching in the district since 2006

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

Willard Elementary School’s new interim principal, Christine Gerges, is preparing for the start of the year with one goal in mind: to continue to carry on a tradition of excellence she has witnessed over her many years with River Forest School District 90.

Gerges began serving as interim principal in July, following the retirement of Diane Wood, who had served as principal since 2014.

No stranger to the district, which she calls her “home,” Gerges began her education career in the very same hallways she will now walk as a principal.

“It f eels so nostalgic and a sense of pride and joy that I have b een for tunate enough to dedicate my career to the students and the c ommunity in Rive r Fo rest,” she said. “Not many p eople g et to find a p lace that’s home from the be ginning.”

Gerges became a second-grade teacher at Willard in 2006. Those years at D90 showed her what strong leadership looked like, Gerges said, crediting Supt. Ed Condon, Wood, Martha Ryan-Toye, for mer director of curriculum and instruction and Merryl Brownlow, former Willard principal, as some of the “powerhouse” people who saw leadership potential in her and exposed her to a different aspect of education that she hadn’t considered before.

Gerges said she spent 13 “incredible” years as a secondand third-grade classroom teacher.

“I loved creating an environment where everybody felt welcomed, loved and respected,” Gerges said.

Gerges added that the thing she is the proudest of is helping students reach their goals.

But those years did have their challenges: learning to navigate new initiatives, working as a team to figure out the year’s priorities and making the most of each other’s strengths.

Gerges also served on the Superintendent Leadership Council to help incorporate student growth components into the teacher appraisal system.

“It is really helping a group of people move together,” Gerges said. “That can feel like a daunting task when you feel like your work is measured upon the growth of others. How do you translate that to your colleagues and staf f to help it feel like it is a thing that is attainable and tangible?”

Growing those practices, looking at data and growth are all things Gerges said she is proud to look back on.

Gerges said she decided to pursue an administrative role at a time when others might have passed on the opportunity. Having just found out she was expecting her first child, Gerges said she questioned the timing of the opportunity

Christine Gerges

to move into the shared assistant principal role for both Willard Elementary and Lincoln Elementary School.

But the “stars were aligned,” she said, adding she saw it as the perfect opportunity to see whether this was something she could be successful in and a way to continue to help others.

She began her new role in the 2019-20 school year.

Under the guidance of Wood and Lincoln Principal Casey Godfrey, Gerges said she once again witnessed true leadership, experienced how each school had their own culture and how the principals worked to develop a deep sense of community.

The past five school years as assistant principal have brought new learning experiences, including navigating a global pandemic, but for Gerges everything worked together to bring her to this new opportunity.

“I have said this before but I really believe Willard is my home,” Gerges said. “I feel like I was raised here.”

As the 2024-25 school year approaches, Gerges said she will be focused on the piloting of two potential reading curricula, which is set to take place this fall.

Gerges said the pilot of each program will be “rigorous and intense” with a one to be brought to the board for consideration in the fall. Gerges was on the literacy committee last year.

“I look forward to seeing that through and supporting the work of the team,” she said.

She also wants to ensure she leaves room for the inevitable “growing pains” that come from a change in leadership.

“There are areas where you anticipate growth and a healthy struggle and there are areas where you don’t,” she said. “We are all in for this awesome ride and journey together knowing we are going to do everything we can to make it a smooth and happy, wonderful year. The things that we need to work out and figure out we will do together as a team.”

Taco Mucho shows o muchas tequilas

Each month, the Oak Park restaurant has a unique o ering

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter

If you think tequilas are all the same, then you haven’t experienced Taco Mucho’s monthly tastings.

One Saturday afternoon each month, the Oak Park restaurant, located at 220 Harrison St., hosts tastings of distinguished tequilas. Last month, Mijenta Tequilas were featured, along with the brand ambassador who explained the process of making this high-end liquor.

It is all part of Taco Mucho owner Ron Aleman’s effort to present authentic Mexican offerings at the restaurant he opened in 2021. A family friend suggested that in parallel with his authentic foods, Aleman take a deeper dive into more craft-made drinks

pany is a certified B corporation, which means it meets a higher bar when it comes to social and environmental standards.

While Bolt doesn’t disparage other tequilas on the market, he wanted to bring this more connoisseur offering to people’s attention.

“Education is paramount,” he said. “I really just try to go and explain what our tequila is, why we think what we’re doing is important.” A sip with no ice or other accompaniment is a great way to get that message across Bolt said.

Aleman came out of culinary school in the early 2000s with a head of steam and a dream to cook in the best fine dining kitchens

“I got to work underneath some pretty great chefs,” Aleman said. “I got to move around the country. I was in New York. I was in Pittsburgh. I was in Arizona.”

Now, one Saturday per month Ta co Mucho features tastes from a different tequila manufacturer. Upcoming offerings are announced on the restaurant’s I nstagr am page

“I just love the sense of community that brings. We sit here. We let people have some samples and we talk,” Aleman said.

Taco Mucho caught the eye of the Great Lakes Tequila Club. The organization, which is free to join, is a tequila appreciation society with more than a thousand members. Taco Mucho is on its list of the eight best bars in the re gion for tequila –what they call a tequila hotspot

Because of his growing awareness of high-quality tequila, Aleman reached out to the makers of Mijenta Tequila to see if they wanted to host an event.

Bradley Bolt, who works for Altos Planos Collective, the maker of Mijenta, knew right away that this was a good fit for their brand.

“Ron cares about the bar and what they’re serving. It’s just more of like an all-natural approach and very casual and it’s sort of the same mentality,” Bolt said.

At the July 13 event, Bradly described the process for creating their liquor as clean and farm-to-bottle. No herbicides or pesticides are used. They open-air ferment using wild yeast and distill twice, resting the liquid for two weeks afterwards. The com-

Despite those experiences, it was a trip to visit his in-laws for the first time in Mexico that opened his eyes to what he really wanted to do. Aleman had grown up with Mexican food at home. He felt lucky to have eaten his mom’s homemade tortillas and from the hands of other very good cooks

“But when I eat the food down there in Mexico, like inland Mexico, not on the ocean, not at a resort, but like this is like a little town. I was just blown away,” Aleman said. He called it a spiritual awakening. He immediately started taking notes and imagining what the menu would be like at his own place. He opened a restaurant in 2019 in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood. It was able to hang on for six months into the pandemic, then he had to close. But once Aleman had a taste of running his own shop, he was hooked.

Aleman’s wife, Zintia Gonzalez, grew up in Berwyn and when they were ready to start a family, she wanted to live in Oak Park. It was here that he took his next run at opening a restaurant. Taco Mucho opened in 2021.

tacomucho.net

instagram.com/tacomucho_op greatlakestequilaclub.com mijenta-tequila.com

A winding path to a fruitful career

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

Elise Metzger has a de gree in interior design, but it is only recently that she be g an working as a full-time interior designer. Her career took her from designing windows at retailer Anthropolo gie to set design to the corporate world. A layoff in 2016 made her rethink her work.

“I started a business that combined art, design and dinners all over the country,” she said. “That ended with Covid, but it made me realize I could work for myself.”

After stints at the Merchandise Mart and designing

found a way to parlay her love for art into a thriving

boutique spaces, Metzger found herself giving advice to friends on their interior projects before opening up shop as an interior designer.

“It was strange, because I went to colle ge for it, but I didn’t do it. I started doing it, and I just love it.”

Today, Metzger is the principal of Forward Fruit Design, and works primarily on residential design, although a few commercial projects like restaurants give her some fun diversity in scope.

She said that it is very rewarding to make an immediate impact on peoples’ lives through their environment.

As an Oak Parker, Metzger has met clients through previous work connections as well as through rec ommenda-

tions. A recent Oak Park attic project captured the best of personalizing an historic space to make it work for a young, moder n family

Her clients were expecting their fourth child and came to her to help re-think their attic.

“Their house is pretty big, but they both needed a space that felt like grown-up work space,” Metzger said. “With a fourth child coming, they also decided to move their oldest child to a bedroom upstairs.”

The attic space was unfinished and offered a blank canvas

See ELISE METZGER on pa ge 23

PHOTO BY RYAN MCDONALD

Whether designing windows at Anthropologie or combining design and dinners, interior designer Elise Metzger has

business

ELISE METZGER

Art and design

from page 21

for Metzger’s plans. The couple brought her on board at the same time as their architect, C ompass Architecture, and g eneral c ontractor, Matt Ross C onstruction, so the three we re able to c ollaborate and wo rk to g ether on structural changes

T hey added a window to the stairwell to add more light to the space and then set

about creating a work-from-home space as well as a bedroom.

Metzger said the project was fun from the get-go.

“I try to give people a wild option and safe option. It’s easier to scale back than to push people. One thing I loved about them is that they always chose the wild option.”

With trim painted a rich blue and a Missoni zigzag carpet r unner, the attic stairs sing with color. A patterned wallpaper in the workspace brightens up the room, and in the bedroom, a wallpaper that Metzger designed wraps the space with sketches of dogs and ribbons. Throughout the at-

tic, colorful fabrics and quirky light fixtures add personality

Metzger called the space “elevated.”

“They chose quality over quantity. T hey chose fabrics and finishes that they wouldn’ t put in the rest of the house.”

T he result is what Metzger calls the “Magic Attic” on her website, https:// forwardfr uitdesign.com/, and the space reinvented the home

This project and others in Oak Park have been a great way to feel a part of the community where Metzger is also raisin g her family.

She is relishing the experience of design-

ing in predominantly historic homes.

“A lot of the homes I’d been working on before had been renovated in the 1990’s or 2000’s. There wasn’t a big question about what was behind the walls.”

It takes a certain level of respect and understanding to work on an historic home, Metzger said, noting that old house quirks make a house homey.

“Sometimes, working in an older home means adding, not removing. There’s a sense of humility involved, like, ‘You’re not the boss of this house.’ I do love older homes, and grew up in an older home. You can’t really beat what’s already there.”

PHOTO S BY RYAN MCDONALD

Opting for qualit y over quantity helps elevate a space, interior designer Elise Metzger said.

VIEWPOINTS

Manifesto of bigotry, by bigots, for bigots

As it relates to our democracy, Project 2025 is a 21st-century Mein Kampf (1925), to be disregarded at our own peril. Prepared by “conservatives” (generously labeled) hostile to this country’s 1776 pronouncement of equality, Project 2025 is thereby anti-democracy and, it follows, anti-American.

GREGG MUMM

One View

Losing confidence that our impure, if not corrupted, democracy can be reliably counted on to magnify the inequalities of the day, the tyrant trainees at the Heritage Foundation are quite prepared, zealously, to dispense with democracy altogether. They promote the only presidential candidate ever to admire murderous authoritarians; a bigot himself who has promised to be a dictator on “day one,” predicted there will be no need for further elections after this one, and who was indif ferent to a hanging-execution of the person MAGA voted to be VP. Truly, a thoroughly authentic civic pervert.

The bigotry is all encompassing: racism and ethnic xenophobia; class-hatred (e.g., YouTube “John McEntee’s fake money cruelty”); intolerance of non-Christian religions and secularism (e.g., science); and gender and sexual orientation animus.

Within the Executive Branch, Project 2025, anticipating a Trump re-election, proposes to replace civil service professionalism and expertise with unconditional loyalty (to Trump, of course), shrink the scope of Establishment Clause protection, reduce environmental protections, cut Medicare and Medicaid, eliminate legal protections against discrimination, ter minate DEI initiatives and affirmative action, further erode a woman’s right to manage her pregnancy, harden immigration restrictions and under take mass deportations, install more re gressive tax rates, abolish the Federal Trade Commission to end anti-trust actions, weaken the National Labor Relations Board, and eliminate the Department of Education. All of these projects aim at maximizing inequality and weakening checks and balances, leaving the country even less democratic. “Institutionalizing Trumpism,” according to a NY Times article (Jan. 21).

Shrubtown: Forget Pete

My favorite park in Oak Park is Mills Park, a 4.43-acre green space located south of the Downtown business district, with entrances on Marion Street, Home Avenue, and Pleasant Street. Originally part of an estate, it was acquired by the Park District of Oak Park from the Mills family after the home’s owner, Herbert Mills died in 1939.

I see a variety of people in the park — some doing yoga under trees and others sitting on benches, chairs, and blankets. Some are reading, having picnics, carrying on conversations, while others are scrolling on their phones or napping. It is a dog-walking destination and a place where dogs romp with each other while their pet parents hang out and chat. Jo ggers, bicyclists, and adults pushing strollers also pass through Mills Park

The sur rounding area has many apartment and condo buildings without backyards. Local residents are fortunate to have a beautiful outdoor space to use which is maintained for them by the Park District.

Paved paths wind through Mills Park. In the southwest portion, people can literally walk across time, fol-

lowing a stone timeline labyrinth featuring images on the rocks from when the solar system was for med until the 100th anniversary of the park district (2012). A Little Free Library, where people can donate and take books, is located in the west portion, close to Marion Street.

There are two buildings within the confines. Mills Park Tower is a 19-story building that has 198 one-bedroom apartments for low-income older adults. I often see residents sitting on benches near this apar tment building chatting and reading.

The other building is called Pleasant Home (named for its location at the cor ner of Pleasant Street and Home Avenue). The mansion was designed by architect George Washington Maher in 1897 for the Farson family. It is an impressive early Prairie-style building, listed on the National Re gister of Historic Places.

D id you know that Oak Park ’s first Thursd ay Night Out was held at this pa rk in the 1890s? Mr Farson, the original owner, hosted band pa rt i es open for the community eve ry Thursd ay night before the

Joy Aaronson on the grand porch at Pleasant Home

What a bookstore

There aren’t many retail businesses that actively define a community and directly contribute to a town’s identity.

In Oak Park, The Book Table was such a business. The news last week that Rachel Weaver and Jason Smith, wife-and-husband owners, had chosen to close the store later this year was like a thunderclap The thoughtful, personal and insightful note that Smith and Weaver posted on social media announcing their decision helped all of us understand their motivations and their bittersweet choice

They are rightly proud of what they built over 20 years on Lake Street in downtown Oak Park. Starting from a small storefront they grew Book Table into the most visible retail space on the street, a genuine anchor store in the defining tradition of Marshall Field’s. And they did it with two other larger and better established bookstores, Barbara’s and Borders, right alongside them.

From conversations and reporting over the past four years, and certainly reflected in their interview with the Journal this week, the COVID pandemic was a turning point for the owners. The series of decisions they made over two years — to close the store for a time, to keep their staff on payroll, to reopen only slowly with books being handed off to customers through the back door — were vexing.

In their note to customers they acknowledged “being bone tired” and needing a change. They also went out of their way to say it was not high property taxes or exorbitant rent that pushed them out. They lauded their landlord and the village for support they have received They made a personal choice about how they want to live the next portion of their lives, the sort of thought process so many people went through during and after COVID, which led to career shifts and heightened concer ns over finding life balance.

Our thanks to Rachel and Jason for creating this personally crafted, fiercely independent bookstore just for Oak Park.

Oak Park and Datteln

It was a story the Journal first told a couple of years back. Alan Hoffstadter, a longtime Oak Parker, had been on a quest to find the story of his mother, Charlotte Goldberg. When she was 15, living in small-town Germany, one of a handful of Jewish families in Datteln, Goldberg was sent with other unaccompanied children on a voyage to America. Nazi Germany was rising, antisemitism was real and for Goldberg her idyllic childhood was over. She never spoke to her children about that experience.

Hoffstadter’s research led him to Andre Dora, the current mayor of Datteln. They for med a profound friendship, honors for Hoffstadter as the German town works to actively confront its history, and last week a visit to Oak Park by both Dora and Rosemari Schlosser, his aide They were welcomed by Vicki Scaman, Oak Park’s village president and a first generation German-American. Altogether remarkable as these two towns aligned around shared values of inclusion and active participation in the international Mayors for Peace group.

e other side of an ordinary day

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror

Just keep going. No feeling is final Don’t let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life. You will know it by its seriousness. Give me your hand.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Wednesday by Wednesday, with one Friday thrown in for good measure, my grandsons and I enjoyed 11 long, leisurely summer days, strung together like pearls. Since I wasn’t planning to travel, this was my summer vacation. It needed to be good, and memorable, for them, for me

TRAINOR

We rode bikes, bowled, played multiple rounds of mini-golf, made two trips to Brookfield Zoo (got splashed at the dolphin show), two bike rides at Morton Arboretum, visited dinosaurs at the Field Museum, zipped down my first (probably last) water slides at Coral Cove in Carol Stream, and sandcastled at Lighthouse Beach in Evanston.

Best summer vacation ever

Except for that one Wednesday

On July 10, we took the Metra from Wheaton to Oak Park, switched to the Green Line, and ended up at the front steps of the Art Institute — which is closed on Wednesdays! I knew about Tuesday. Never occurred to me they’d be closed Wednesday too.

No matter, we’re resilient. We beamed at The Bean, had face time with the Face Fountain, and mini-golfed in Maggie Daley Park, then headed back on the Green Line and switched to the Metra.

We love the Metra, sitting up top, counting down the towns, station by station. But the trip back was the rush-hour express, Oak Park to Elmhurst uninterrupted. We were gliding along, lickety clip, when we heard something. Not just heard it. Felt it. Like something hit the train — which came to a stop. Bryce, who was following our progress on his smartphone app, Google 360, sounded the alarm for all to hear

“We are nowhere near a train station!” he said, with dramatic flourish, somewhere between Bellwood and Berkeley. Commuters heading home seemed annoyed by the delay.

Then came the announcement over the speakers.

“We hit a pedestrian.”

A pall descended — except for the conductors and the engineer, who moved furiously back and forth between cars. The engineer (I think) stopped when he saw the boys and asked if they were OK. No one panicked — I told the boys the railroad folks were doing about as well as they could with a difficult situation.

But the boys were not OK. They asked me lots of questions. Did someone fall off a station platform? Was he trying to cross the tracks? Was he on the tracks? Why would he be on the tracks? And why didn’t the train stop in time? Was he hurt? Did he die? Was he thrown by the collision or did the train run him over? What happens now?

I had to make a quick pivot from Papa Ken to Papa Calm. As a journalist, I have experience to fall back on from similar incidents that our newspaper covered in Riverside and Brookfield.

I told them we didn’t know much at this point. The emergency responders, police and paramedics, had to get here so they could sort things out. These things don’t happen often, thankfully, but when they do, they have to be investigated, and they need to talk to the engineer “It wasn’t the engineer’s fault, was it?” they asked. Probably not. These trains move too fast to stop in time. Unfortunately, when there’s a collision, the victim almost never survives. I felt bad for the person who was hit (and for the loved ones), the only consolation being that he probably died instantly and didn’t suffer. At least we hoped so. But I also felt bad for the engineer. That’s not an easy thing to go through. We were sitting in the first car when it happened We all heard the sound. The kind of sound that sticks with you. The sound of death suddenly becoming all too real. But wishing it away wasn’t going to work. I knew the boys were losing some innocence on this one, so they deserved the best answers I could muster. I thought back 45 years to my days driving a school bus, when an older driver died of a heart attack during his run. That night I wrote, “There’s not a paper’s thickness separating this side and that side of an ordinary day.” We didn’t just get close to death; we also got closer to life itself. You know it by its seriousness.

We had plenty of time to talk and our discussion inevitably led to deaths of despair. Sometimes people take their own lives and this is one of the ways they do it. It’s very sad, but it happens. If that’s what happened here, the person might have been on drugs or suffered from depression. But we didn’t know any of this for sure, and maybe never would Eventually, the substitute engineer arrived with a different train on a different track. We transferred and continued on. As we walked to our car near the Wheaton station, Tyler observed, “What you said made me feel better. It helped.” I told them they handled this difficult situation really well.

At the beginning of the summer, I told them we were going on an adventure.

They had no idea.

Neither did I.

SHRUB TO WN by Marc Stopeck

Our collective failure

In the heart of downtown Oak Park, a troubling reality festers just beyond the daily rush: the widespread neglect of homelessness. Despite the hum of suburban life, countless individuals are left to navigate their existence on the streets, where their plight seems to be ignored or, worse, deemed invisible by society.

The signs of this neglect are painfully visible, with human waste — both solid and liquid — accumulating on sidewalks and in alleyways, often lying undisturbed for days. This stark imagery is more than a public health issue; it is a profound indicator of our collective failure to address the needs of our most vulnerable populations

The presence of human waste in public spaces is a stark reminder of the inadequate sanitation facilities available to those experiencing homelessness. Public restrooms, if available, are often inaccessible at night or are closed to those without money. This situation forces individuals to relieve themselves in public, an act that not only strips them of dignity but also exposes them to legal consequences. It is a cruel irony that society punishes these individuals for the very conditions it has imposed upon them.

Beyond the physical manifestations of neglect, there is a deeper, more distressing reality: the countless individuals in

desperate need of medical treatment and support who are left slumped on sidewalks and benches. Many suffer from mental-health issues, addiction, and chronic illnesses, conditions that are exacerbated by their harsh living situations

These people are not just figures to be moved along; they are individuals with stories, dreams, and needs that are consistently unmet by the current social and health-care systems available in Oak Park.

The situation is a stark indictment of societal priorities. While the village continues to develop and wealth accumulates at unprecedented rates, the crisis of homelessness persists and even worsens in some areas. The sight of human beings languishing in the open, often unseen or ignored by passersby, is a grim testament to a society that has, in many ways, become desensitized to suffering.

Addressing homelessness requires more than a friendly beat officer, a volunteer collation, temporary shelters or public hygiene facilities. It demands a systemic overhaul. Only by acknowledging and confronting this issue can we begin to restore dignity and hope to those currently left in the shadows.

WEDNESD AY

of Oak Park and River Forest

Viewpoints Guidelines

e goal of the Viewpoints section is to foster and facilitate a community conversation and respectful dialogue. Responsible community voices are vital to community journalism and we welcome them. Space is at a premium and readers’ attention is also limited, so we ask that Viewpoints submissions be brief. Our limit for letters to the editor is 350 words. For One View essays, the limit is 500 words. Shorter is better. If and when we have su cient space, we print longer submissions, but when space is limited — as it o en is — we may ask you to submit a shorter version or hold the piece until space allows us to print it.

We reser ve the right to edit submissions. We do not have time to allow the writer to review changes before publication. We also do not have time to do more than super cial fact-checking, and because of our national epidemic of misinformation and conspiracy theories, when writers include statistical evidence to support their opinions, we require them to include the source of that information, such as credible websites, print publications, titles of articles and dates published, etc. Be as speci c as possible so that we and our readers have some way of assessing the credibility of your claims. Links may also be included for the online version. We follow the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics: seek the truth and report it and minimize harm. As a result, we will do our best not to publish pieces that espouse doubtful or debunked theories, demonstrate harmful bias, or cross the line into incivility. While we will do our best not to engage in censorship, we also do not intend to be used as a platform for misinformation. Your sources for fact-checking are a critical step in keeping the discourse honest, decent and respectful.

All submissions must include your rst and last name and the municipality in which you live, plus a phone number (for veri cation only). We do not publish anonymous letters. One View essays should include a sentence at the end about who you are.

If we receive your submission by 5 p.m. on Sunday, you can expect your opinion to be included in that week’s paper (and online), space permitting.

Pieces can be submitted through our online form at oakpark.com or directly to Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor, ktrainor@wjinc.com. For the latter, we prefer attached Word les or plain tex t included in the email.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

■ 350-word limit

■ Must include rst and last names, municipality in which you live, phone number (for veri cation only)

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

■ 500-word limit

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Riley Chattin Oak Park

Got questions? Consult a climate coach

Doesn’t the tur n from summer into fall feel like the start of a new year? It’s a holdover from our school days, reinforced for many of us by our own kids’ periodic launches into a new school year. It’s a time to take stock and look ahead. Thinking about ways to make your home and life more sustainable in the months to come?

Maybe you’re interested in making your home less drafty this winter and saving on your energy bills, powering your home from the sun, or driving electric. Or you’re anticipating re placing an old gas-powered fur nace, hot water heater, stove, or dryer: you’ve heard about the hazards of natural gas for respiratory health as well as

Stop supersizing development

In the July 31 Viewpoints, Adrian Marquez revealed a new project by our village board: modifying our Historic District code Oak Park is famous for many things: Frank Lloyd Wright, massive trees, schools, restaurants, parks and our historic neighborhoods. Random interspersing of duplexes, threeflats and four-flats will change the character of the designated historic neighborhoods. In my view, we should first look at non-historic areas before we change village codes.

My concern relates to our history of supersizing building projects. Although we currently have an ordinance limiting highrise apartment and condo buildings to eight stories or less, developers have repeatedly convinced our board that constructing bigger and taller, with more units per building is better. This has turned our downtown into a concrete maze. Let us be very careful before we change our code and lose the “village” feel to Oak Park

Please let the village board know that we can add housing without disrupting our historic area.

Shelly Uslenghi Oak Park

the environment so you’re thinking of switching to electric

Got questions? Don’t know where to begin? Start by asking a volunteer climate coach — a fellow Oak Parker who’s been through it and can share their experience with processes, local contractors, costs, rebates and tax credits, and more.

Sign up for a free consultation at https://opcan.org/climate-coaches. Climate Coaches is a program developed by Oak Park Climate Action Network, in partnership with the village of Oak Park.

Wendy Greenhouse Oak Park

Pete’s, where are you?

e taxpayers’ pool

In the Aug. 7 Viewpoints section, (“Finishing the job”), the author sings the praises of the Park District of Oak Park (PDOP) and promotes building Phase 2 of the Community Recreation Center (CRC), which would include an indoor lap pool and a war m-water therapy pool. Yet the author glosses over a key sticking point to building Phase 2: a hug e indoor pool (up to 17 practice lanes) is already under construction in Oak Park

The 40-yard x 25-yard pool dominates Project 2 at Oak Park and River Forest High School. The pool/PE addition has a staggering price tag of over $100 million, including construction and bor rowing costs, and taxpayers are on the hook paying for it for the next 20 years even though they never approved its funding. The board refused to follow best practice and put the funding on the ballot, opting for a contro-

You have put a real monkey wrench in Oak Park plans. Why not approach Jewel, Caputo’s? Well, Jewel wasn’t interested, Caputo’s either. But plans are made. Pete’s (years ago) goes up and this takes business from the Jewel on Madison. If Jewel leaves, it’s a perfect site for the new police station. And we have village hall to fix up or replace.

Well now the plans are? Since the property where Pete’s is to go is “village” property with all the tax incentives given, maybe a police Station can go there — or police station and new modern village hall. Historical Village Hall could become a museum.

Oh Pete’s, you are really putting a monkey wrench in plans

Michael Papiernak

Oak Park

Spending priorities

Why can we spend so much for illegal immigrants and not continue leaf pickup with no additional expense? Yes, the police need a new station! But the trustees need to be re placed not rehoused.

K.L. Williams

Oak Park

versial funding loophole instead. The letter’s author references OPRF and the swim community’s desire for feeder swim programs to use Project 2’s pool after the school’s aquatic teams finish practice, which would severely limit community usage. But that’s not right, and it certainly isn’t fair

Taxpayers, the community at large, who are being forced to pay for the OPRF pool, should have the greatest access to it once the school’s use concludes every day, not private swim clubs. Accordingly, there is no need for taxpayers to pay for another pool, a lap pool at the CRC, when they should have considerable daily access to “their” 17-lane lap pool at OPRF, set to be completed in 2026.

Correcting a misunderstanding

In his Aug. 7 letter to Viewpoints, Alan Peres complains that I used the phrase “As a Jew” (in my July 24 letter) “to diminish the claims of alle ged anti-Jewish behavior” at OPRF, “to make [my] feelings more important than the actual experiences of a group of Jewish students, their parents, and supporters,” and to imply that the alleged problems are “nonexistent.”

Mr. Peres totally misunderstands my July 24 letter

My letter addressed assertions that the acts alleged in a complaint against OPRF and three faculty members describe antisemitic behavior that has harmed the local “Jewish community.” I, and other Jews I know, take issue with the notion of a single “Jewish community.” I referred to myself “as a Jew” to assure readers that there is no single Jewish community in which everyone has the same opinions. As I stated in my letter, Jews are like everyone else who have similar religious, ethnic, cultural, racial, and/or gendered identities — that is, not all Jews think and feel the same. This

includes opinions about whether certain behavior is antisemitic. Contrary to Mr. Peres’ assertion, I did not write, and I do not think, that my feelings and beliefs are more important than those who claim that the alleged conduct at OPRF is antisemitic. I simply wanted readers to know that some Jews disag ree. To that end, I wrote as follows: “Some Jews, such as the letter’s author, might consider the acts alle ged in the complaint to be antisemitic. However, I, and other Jews who I know, do not hold that same sweeping opinion.”

Mr. Peres does correctly write that antisemites usually do not distinguish over the type of Jew they are harming. However, this re prehensible behavior is no excuse for Jews or anyone else to mimic antisemites by claiming that there is a single “Jewish community” in which all Jews think alike or to claim that they speak for the entire “Jewish community.”

Jim Poznak Oak Park

Monica Sheehan Oak Park

Wracking our brains over bi

I read with interest OPRF High School student George Summy’s letter (Viewpoints, July 17) about the lack of bike racks at the school. First of all, bravo to George, for hi willingness to speak out on this issue and engage the community I live at the cor ner of Scoville and Ontario, right across from the mai entrance to OPRF, and I not only agree, but support with evidenc George’s claims about the shortage of bike racks.

In 2018 I wrote to the school about this issue. I volunteered the park way in front of my home on Sco between the sidewalk and the street. I don’t think I got a response. A y later, I wrote again, this time with 16 photos I took on a September mor ning on streets around the high school showing bikes locked to ev imaginable vertical object. I agai volunteered my parkway, and mad these additional claims: the bik riding season is longer than ever more students are biking to school; additional racks could also be used by people on weekdays and weekends, especially during the Far mer Market season; less grass for me to mow and water.

This time I did hear back, but was told it would be up to the village and that there would be no securit cameras for bikes on the parkwa (Of course, there are no securit cameras on the bikes parked all Erie, Ontario, and Scoville either!)

Property appeals accepted through Sept. 3

Oak Park property owners concerned about their property taxes now have an opportunity to do something about next year’s tax bills. Oak Park property owners can appeal their 2024 assessed values with the Cook County Board of Review through Sept. 3. During the appeal period, the Oak Park Township Assessor’s Office will be available to assist local residents in preparing evidence to

substantiate their appeals. Residents seeking help should call the Township at 708-383-8005 to set up appointments. Most appointments will be conducted over the phone, but in-person appointments are also available.

All Oak Park properties were reassessed in 2023, and the tax bills mailed in July were the first to reflect the reassessment. Since the period for filing 2023 appeals

DOOPER ’S MEMORIES Clearing the air

When I was a youngster, I lived in a house with four smokers.

My uncles smoked cigarettes like there was no tomor row, my mother smoked lightly, and to my grandfather there was nothing “finah than a La Palina.”

Whenever the White Sox games were on the radio, I would join my g randfather to listen to Bob -by-play broadcasts, but by the time the third inning was starting, the room because the cigar smoke was too thick for me to

He was sorry that I had to leave, but ’t stop smoking.

My grandfather was a master of ignoring the bad news about smoking giving a person lung cancer and other lung-related problems. This news r detracted from the pleasure of lighting a stogie. My grandmother and I told him many times about the dangers of smoking and that he should quit, but our words rolled of f his back. Finally, something clicked in his brain re garding the death threat of smoking, so he decided to quit. In those days, there were no stop-smoking groups, no one-to-one counseling, no stop-smoking help line, nor were there any pills to help one quit, so he told the family that the use of his willpower would help him conquer the habit.

My grandmother and the other members of the family didn’t think he would be able to quit because he had been a smoker for 50 years. Well, he devised a plan that he felt would work.

Every time he had the urge, he would chew a stick of gum, knowing that his reward was practically free, taking into account the money he saved not buying cigars. He also knew that the gum would not give him cavities since his teeth were false.

The second part of the plan was a walking re gimen. This was not difficult for him to accomplish; because of his job as a civil engineer, walking was his primary mode of inspecting the job sites where his crews worked.

He asked me if I would join him on Saturday and Sunday afternoons walking around Oak Park. I gladly acce pted because I knew that with his knowledge of the village, I would get topflight history lessons, which I did.

has been closed for nearly a year, taxpayers generally cannot do anything about the bills they just paid. But a successful 2024 appeal with the Board of Review can reduce a property owner’s 2024 tax bill, which will be paid in calendar year 2025.

Ali ElSa ar Oak Park Township assessor 708-383-8005

aelsaffar@oakparktownship.org

Back at our home, no one except me believed that he would cease smoking. They thought he would smoke on the job, but he told the family he was smoke free, and the lack of cigar odor on his clothing convinced them he was on the level.

After six months, family members chipped in and bought him a wrist watch to reward him and to replace the pocket watch given to him by his father when he graduated from engineering school in 1902.

I now gladly joined him to listen to Sox games, feeling comfort in the fact that my breathing would no longer be affected by cigar smoke.

Paying for substitute teachers

I am a retired Brooks Middle School teacher (2016). I now substitute-teach in the Mesa Public Schools in Arizona. The re gular pay for subs here is $170. There is no difference of pay between elementary, middle, or high school. I can tell you from a substitute teacher’s point of view based on actual experience, I am much more tired at the end of the day subbing for elementary schools than middle and high school. It is unfair to pay elementary-level subs less. Also, given the fact that the cost of living is much higher in the Chicago/ Oak Park, area mainly due to the taxes being so high, substitute pay across the board should be no less than $200 daily. Finally, for long-ter m subs, why do they have to work 21 days before they are paid more when they take on all of the responsibilities of a re gular classroom teacher from day one?

Send letters

Ken Trainor, Wednesday Journal

AGREGG MUMM

Project 2025

from page 25

Why? Because they’re bigots.

To those nonaligned voters and those tempted by a third-party candidate: your political inclinations have been rendered entirely indefensible by Project 2025. Also, time to abandon the illusion that when MAGA invokes religion (e.g., “Christian Nationalism”), it is a description of mandated religiously-ordained belief, rather than as it is — their perverse attempt, by choice, to dignify their hatred.

JOY AARONSON

Pleasant park

from page 25

home was built.

I recently took a tour of Pleasant Home. A knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteer docent gave us information about the home and the people who lived there. I felt like I had ste pped back in time. I lear ned about the owners, the Farsons and later the Mills f amilies. Our docent told us that the land for the home was purchased for $20,000 in 1892.

Chuck Watson Mesa,

141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

E-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com • Fax: 708-524-0047

Please include name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

friend told me they went to the store and saw items for Halloween already. We talked about retailers pushing seasonal products before it’s in season in an ef fort to feed our addiction to “stuf f.” Pushing October/ Halloween items in August though? We are definitely still in summer. The weather has been so balmy, with sprinkles of “way too hot,” that it makes one want to stay in the summer frame of mind for as long as possibl e. I know October is less than two months away but do we have to say it out loud? If we do and if we acknowledge the retailers, we are admitting that summer is essentially over and winter will be here next week. You know what else is upon us? You know what else we can g et ready for early? Those Thanksgiving and Christmas family conversations. This year will be a doozy.

Arizona

Time to abandon another illusion that when conservatives speak of “freedom” they are operationally refer ring to anything beyond the unfettered exercise of “property rights” to maximize the wealth of the already rich, whatever the cost to the dispossessed and the planet. Privatizing for profits, proper ty over people.

Time also to follow the lead set in Illinois by for mer Republican office holders, Jim Edgar, Ray LaHood, Adam Kinzinger, and Joe Walsh, endorsing Kamala Harris

And ultimately, it is time to fully embrace, at long last, the cornerstone American ideals of equality and unalienable rights authored by the non-observant Thomas Jefferson 248 years ago and ele gantly and enduringly restated at Gettysburg by Abraham Lincoln and, 100 years after Gettysburg, in 1963 by Martin Luther King Jr.

Gregg Mumm is an Oak Park resident.

Pleasant Home has breathtaking stained glass, some of which is visible from the porch; mosaic floors; some original furniture; and mahogany wood paneling. Our docent made history come alive as we looked out the windows. I could visualize the original greenhouse, coach house with carriages and horses grazing on the west side of the property, where people now toss balls and frisbees. I highly recommend visiting Mills Park and viewing Pleasant Home. The tours are on Thursdays, and one Sunday a month. The elegant mansion is also available for weddings and celebrations. For more infor mation go to https://pdop. org/pleasanthome.

Joy Aaronson is an Oak Park resident who contributed to Chicago Parent magazine and wrote the Kids’ World column for the former Logan Square Free Press

Survivor’s guide, August-January

This year there is a menu of conversation items We’ve got an election with theme music playing in the background, such as The Clash’s, “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” We’ve got Gaza, the Russian war against Ukraine and, according to Semaglutide (Ozempic) statistics, at least 50% of your family members may be thinner than you at Christmas. How will you feel about that?

EL SERUMAGA One View

As a break from the intense moments at the holiday dinner, you may want to discuss breakdancing at the Olympics and who is going to go to re present the United States who won just one bronze medal in a style of dance introduced by African American culture, which dug into African roots to resurrect, refresh, and introduce it to the masses through Hip-Hop culture.

But sure. Japan deserves the gold. I guess appropriation outcry is finally out of style and embracing other cultures not your own is finally in. “Take that, Cancel Culture!”

To cut the intensity of arguments about the aforementioned topics, work of f those calories by having a “breakof f” (break dance battle) after your holiday meals. Another option is a plethora of TikTok dances you and your family and friends can tr y. By the time the holidays come, we may only have the bandwidth for mindless dancing and lip-synching because we can’t take anymore “stuff.” If you can’t do either, whether it’s due to two left feet or an aversion to crooning, you can always spin around in circles like a crazy person laughing and your family will leave you

alone … hopefully.

There are many ways to avoid drama and messy conversations. Just focus on what’s important: love and good memories. If you want the latter, you’d better bring you’re A-g ame for the holidays by being prepared, go into “situation” training now, and be ready to bring the “peace heat” (extreme peace).

Doing this in advance will make you so peaceful and centered, the world can add even more chaos and toxicity between now and then and it will not phase you. As I said, start your preparation now.

Two pastimes Americans love during the holidays are talking, and sharing opinions. Let’s hope the various sports teams win something. There will be sports talk at the dinner table so … well, you know what to do

EL Serumaga is a River Forest resident.

Summer is house-buying (and, yes road construction) season. The process is pretty straightforward. You make a down payment, get a mortgage from the bank, make your payments on time, re pairs as needed and improvements as desired. When you sell the house, you pay of f any remaining mortgage, pocket the proceeds, and enjoy the return on your investment. The most common, straightforward, safest way to create pride in ownership and intergenerational wealth.

Morning, Feb. 23, 2002: I’m running the Camp Lejeune marathon on the Marine Corps training base in North Carolina, artillery booming in the background. I strike up a conversation with the young Marine running alongside me. “Why did you join the Marines?” I asked. I’m expecting something like “protect democracy.” What I got was, “I’ve got a wife and kid and I want to be a radio technician. They’re going to teach me that here.” Aahh. Job training. You can learn a lot in the service.

Bill Levitt certainly did. His job was building housing, quickly and cheaply, for tens of thousands of soldiers after World War II. Coming home from the war, he realized his father had land, his brother was an architect, and he had a dream. Let’s mass produce affordable housing in a picture-perfect, planned community for returning servicemen. Using the skills and methods he learned in the Ar my, he built quality housing in the same assembly-line style Henry Ford used to mass produce affordable, quality cars. Amazingly, in just four years, from 1947 to 1951, Bill Levitt built 17,000 small homes on winding streets, with deep green lawns, white picket fences, parks, a community center, playgrounds and a pool. Levittown, America’s first suburb, was bor n. Truly, a beautiful, thoughtful, richly deserved “thank you” to those who put their lives on the line for freedom.

Originally rental units, they were later of fered for sale with no down payment and monthly costs the same as the original rent. There was just one small hitch in this perfect picture. Every sale included a legally binding restrictive covenant stated in capital letters and bold type: “THE TENANT AGREES NOT TO PERMIT THE PREMISES TO BE USED OR OCCUPIED BY ANY PERSON OF GERMAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE.” The Germans had just

‘HOME!’ and what we owe

killed 2,500 Americans on DDay alone and another 73,000 Allied forces in the ensuing battle of Normandy. Pride in ownership? Denied. Intergenerational wealth? Denied. When you want to buy a house, you bring in your paperwork and sit across the desk from your local banker. Looking at you, he or she weighs your projected ability to repay the loan, the condition of the house you want to buy, and the long-term prospects for the neighborhood in which the house is located. Beginning in the 1930s, still climbing out of the Depression, and needing to protect their investments, banks determined which neighborhoods they deemed least creditworthy, outlined and hash-marked them in red pencil on a map, and generally refused to issue mortgages in those neighborhoods. This perfectly legal process was called “redlining.” If the banker believed home values in these neighborhoods would fall, not rise, it would put both the bank’s money and the trust of its investors in jeopardy. The neighborhoods they redlined were mostly Italian. Al Capone was at the height of his power, the bloody St. Valentine’s Day massacre made national headlines, and the “outfit” controlled bootleg whisky, gambling, and prostitution. These were not the qualities of a desirable, “we want to live there” neighborhood. So, no mortgages in Italian neighborhoods. Pride in ownership? Denied. Intergenerational wealth? Denied.

BILL SIECK

One View

You had absolutely no equity until the last and final payment was made. In the 1950s and 1960s in Chicago, IrishAmericans purchased 60,000 homes, with fully 45,000 of them purchased “on contract,” paying $10,000 more per house than others. Just an updated version of the legal discrimination rampant in help wanted signs from the early 1900s that said, “No Irish need apply.” Enforced evictions led to a cumulative loss of 3.2 billion in today’s dollars. Pride in ownership? Denied. Intergenerational wealth? Denied In reality, none of the above applied to German-Americans, Italian-Americans, or Irish-Americans. In every case, it was African-Americans. The actual wording of the Levittown restrictive covenant was: ‘THE TENANT AGREES NOT TO PERMIT THE PREMISES TO BE USED OR OCCUPIED BY ANY OTHER PERSONS THAN MEMBERS OF THE CAUCASIAN RACE.”

one returning soldier who, upon reading the restriction in the Levittown agreement, refused to sign it if the same opportunity was denied to a group of fellow soldiers who fought and risked their lives with the same fear and courage as he did. I would like to believe that there was at least one banker who told a deserving black couple, “I will give you that mortg ag e.”

I would like to believe that there was at least one wealthy individual who said, “Don’t worry, I’ll just add the missed payments on the back end.”

Chicago Tribune: May 24, 2024 (Alex Hulvalchick & Jonathan Bullington)

A group of white current and for mer Evanston resident filed suit against the city’s re parations program alleging racial discrimination.

Now imagine there are people of considerable wealth who realize the obvious, that some people are just not given an equal chance to get a mortgage and buy a home. Seizing on this opportunity, they come up with a plan to help. They will use their money to buy the house and sell it to you “on contract.” With no other choice, you jump at the chance to buy the house from this private source, even if it’s in “as is” condition. You are required to make all re pairs, pay all the taxes and insurance, and, yes, make the monthly contract payments. But there was just one little hitch. No matter how many years you lived in the house, no matter how much you had paid in monthly contract payments, or how much you had spent on re pairs, if you missed even a single payment, you could be legally evicted and have not a single penny coming to you.

In 2019, the city of Evanston became first in the nation to address this inequity, acknowledging the harm the city itself caused to African-American residents due to its own discriminatory housing policies and practices from 1919-1969. Now, for eligible black residents, the city provides $25,000 each toward home improvements, a down payment, or mor tg age assistance. This process, known as re parations, is defined as making amends or giving satisfaction for a wrong or injury you caused. None of us, neither you nor I, had any role in Levittown, redlining, or contract sales. So you might conclude the idea of re parations does not apply. But that does not mean there’s nothing we can do, as individuals, to help Recently, a friend of mine, a white grandfather of an AfricanAmerican child, sent me the following last para graph of his will. “Paying it forward” on an issue that resonated with him. It reads:

“After all expenses are covered, the remaining balance shall be divided into three equal parts. We leave one equal share to each of our two children and the third equal share shall be given to the Historic Black College or University of their choice to support the education of an African-American student, preferably one whose parents do not own a home.”

I would like to believe there was at least

New York Times: June 1, 2024. (Debra Kamin) Dr. Raven Baxter, a 34-year-old molecular biologist finds the house of her dreams overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and immediately offers to buy it at the listing price of $749,000. The of fer is acce pted by the 84-year-old seller, and the down payment is made. A few days later, Dr. Baxter’s real estate agent calls her with some bad news. “I don’ t know how to tell you this, but she doesn’t want to sell the home to you, and it’s because you’ re Black.” Long story shor t: she sued, won, and now lives in that home of her dreams. Her African-American boyfriend? A theoretical astrophysicist who works for NASA.

I would … still … like to believe I would like to thank ET for providing the title to this essay, when he pointed skyward and longingly uttered that one unforgettable word: “HOME!” Finding himself so far from his home, he understood the importance of that word. No matter where we find ourselves or how many people love us, wherever we call home is the enduring scrapbook of our lives and a source of stories shared across generations. And if given the opportunity to actually buy a home, it becomes the bedrock of our financial security.

Housing inequity is only one of so very many worthy humanitarian causes. And, like my friend, we’re all af forded the opportunity to deal with those who most resonate with us in whatever manner works for each of us as we “pay it” backwards … sideways … or forward.

Bill Sieck is a resident of Berwyn.

Elena Levenson, 93

Scientist, avid reader

Elena Levenson (née Elena Viktorovna Chernokhvostova), 93, died on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at the age of 93. Born in Moscow, Russia on Nov. 3, 1930, the only child of Victor Chernokhvostov and Lyudmila Katz, she was evacuated to the countryside during World War II, where she excelled in her studies after the war. In medical school, she met her husband, Vadim, and embarked on a distinguished career in immunology, eventually leading a laboratory at the G.N. Gabrichevskiy Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and receiving the state’s highest prize for science. Privately a critic of the Soviet system, she was ambivalent about the honor

After their sons immigrated to the United States, Elena and Vadim followed in 1994, first to Washington D.C. and then to the suburbs of Chicago. A resident of Oak Park for over 20 years, Elena could be spotted walking to the main branch of the library well into her 80s, no matter the season.

Patient, agreeable, and exceptionally well-read, Elena had a stanza or a proverb for every occasion. She taught her namesake granddaughter how to read and write in Russian and translated favorite short stories into Russian for fun. Although she joked that technology didn’t like her, she used Skype to keep in touch with family and friends in Russia, Israel, Germany, and Australia into her 90s. Starting in her 70s, she wrote 10 books chronicling the histories of the Katz, Chernokhvostov, and Levenson families, the life of a beloved teacher, and her own experience immigrating to America. These works, incorporating centuries-old photographs, letters, and official documents, leave her grateful family a record of generations past and offer readers a look at Russian and Soviet Jewish life spanning 200 years. Her books are held in the Library of Congress and at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Elena was predeceased by her husband, Vadim. She is survived by her son, Victor, and his wife, Sonia; her son, Dmitry, and his wife, Lisa; her grandchildren, Eugenia, Michael, Elena, and Joseph; her daughter-in-law Ana; and her greatgrandchildren, Oscar and Samuel.

Sophia Mazepa, 83 Peace Corps volunteer, teacher, therapist

Sophia Jean (Goginski) Mazepa, 83, died peacefully in Sarasota, Florida on July 30, 2024. Born on Oct. 6, 1940 in Hammond, Indiana, to Sophia (Bunchek) and Joseph Goginski, she grew up in Whiting, Indiana with her older sisters, Loretta and Patricia. After graduating from Clark High School, she attended Marquette University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and Secondary Education. She earned a Master of Education from Indiana University Bloomington and a Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois Chicago.

She lived a life of service, working in the fields of education, social work, counseling and care giving. She volunteered for the Peace Corps in 1963, serving in the Philippines, and returned afterward to teach English before traveling the world. Upon arriving home, she taught English Literature at Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond, Indiana, where she was also Dean of Girls. In 1971, Jean and Jim were married and raised their family in Oak Park, where she also started a private practice in family therapy. Her other professional pursuits included working at hospitals, nonprofit agencies, public nursing facilities and private institutions in the areas of gerontology and elderly care. She also served as director of Social Services for a respite center for the homeless and was a guest lecturer at Dominican University in River Forest.

In 2002, Jean and Jim moved to Sarasota to escape the frigid Chicago winters. An avid reader and lifelong gardener, the additional free time of retirement and yearround sunshine allowed her to enjoy these passions in her later years.

Jean was the wife of James Mazepa, to whom she was married for 52 years. She was the mother of Rana (Gabe) Adair and Stephen Mazepa; the grandmother of Taylor and Cole Spyksma and Chase Adair; the aunt of nieces Sharon (Ray) Laramie, Cindy (Bill) McGowan, Diane (David) Freeman and Michelle Thornburg, as well as many great-nieces and nephews.

Services will be private for close family in October, per her wishes. For those who would like to honor Jean’s memory, contributions may be made to Foundation Fighting Blindness, P.O. Box 45740, Baltimore, MD 21297-5740 or at donate.fightingblindness.org.

eodore Christou, 71

Physician, educator

Dr. T heodore Christou, 71, died on Au g. 4, 2024. Bor n Ju ly 25, 1953, he was first and foremost a physician and an educator, vo cations he pursued with p assion and proficiency. He specialized in i nternal medicine and geriat rics during more than 25 years of private practice; ser ve d as medical director of Rosary Hill Home in Justice; wo rked at clinics in the Bronzeville neighbo rhood of Chicago; and was associate progr am director and then progr am director of the i nternal medicin e residency progr am at Mercy Hospital and Medical C enter, Chicag o. T he aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina motivated him to join medical relief ef for ts in New Orleans, the first of many mission t rips to p laces including Uganda, Haiti, Guatemala, and Honduras

Te d married the love of his l ife, T hea (Grendahl) on Nov. 3, 1984, and they raised their sons, Nicholas (Tra cy Park) and Christopher (Katie Young) in Oak Pa rk . He d early wanted to be a Papou, and d elighted in his gr andson, James Anastase Christou-Young

He was g enerous and a c onsummate host, f amous fo r his lamb roasts. He was a c ollector and c onnoisseur of fine b ourbon, g ood ci ga rs, and vintage bicycles. He love d musi c, especially j azz and the Rolling S tones, attending seve r al of the S tones’ “ final” tours and most L ollapaloozas. He li ke d to tr avel, especially to Greece, his family homeland

He leaves c ountless great friends to mourn his p assing. Other surv ivo rs include his mother, Angeline Christou; his sister, A nn (Dan) C ussick; his godson, Andrew L eonard; his goddaughter, Catherine Kafkis; and his many nieces, ne phew s, in-l aw s, and c ousins. He was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Anastase Christou. Memorials in Te d’s honor c an be made to the Pancreatic C ancer Action N etwork or the Greater Chicag o Food De p ositor y.

Vi sitation will be held on S und ay, Au g. 11, at Chapel Hills Garden West, 17W201 E. Roosevelt Road, Oakbrook Te rr ac e, from 3 to 8 p. m. Funeral service will be Monday, Au g. 12, 10 a.m., at Holy Ap ostles Greek Or thodox C hurch, 2501 S. Wolf Road, Westchester, followe d by burial at Chapel Hills

SPORTS

Lewis-Curtis becomes Junior Olympics All-American

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Last year, Oak Park resident Alana Lewis-Curtis, then years old, won the American Amateur Union Junior Olym pics’ long jump championship in the 10-year-old division with a distance of 14 feet, 2.25 inches and was named All-American.

At this year’s games, held July 27-Aug. 3 at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, North Carolina, it was na’s younger sister Alaya’s turn to grab All-American honor Alaya, who is 8 years old, qualified for the finals of 400-meter dash and placed seventh with a time of 1:10.86.

“It feels good,” said Alaya. “It’s actually fun to be [AllAmerican], and you’re proud of yourself. In the 400, you strategize; you don’t have to sprint all of it.”

“[Alaya] pulled it of f,” said the sisters’ mom, LaNequa Lewis, who is also their coach. “She had a goal and trained really hard. She loves the 400; she wanted to run a 1:08 this year, but things happen. That’s OK; 1:10 is very good being 8 years old.”

Alaya was also a semifinalist in the 200-meter dash, finishing 13th, and placed 24th in the 100. Although injured much of the outdoor season, Alana, now 10, also qualified for this year’s Junior Olympics, placing 19th in the 11-yearold division of the long jump.

“It’s hard because they run unattached (not affiliated with a club) and don’t have any kids to run with,” Lewis said. “But they push each other during practice. It competitiveness, and they love it and have fun. Th most important thing.

“Being unattached, you have to be mentally strong,” she added. “It’s just them out there and they have to motivate other. You don’t have a whole team behind you. … I think it easier this way where I can train them. I used to run, and I understand what works for them. A club’s training is more generalized and not specific to certain runners.”

Alaya matches older sister Alana, who earned the honors last year

Prior to the national meet, both Alaya and Alana had strong showings at the USATF Illinois Junior Olympics, June 21-23, at Proviso East High School in Maywood. Alaya won the 8U division of the 400 in a time of 1:11.19, establishing a new meet record. She also took second in both the 100 (15.36) and the 200 (31.19). Alana was third in the 11-12 division of the long jump (13-09.50) and fourth in the 100 (14.33).

Both Alana and Alaya had excellent indoor seasons this year. At the 14 and under national championships, held at Eastern Michigan University, Feb. 10-11, Alana won the 10/11-year-old division of the long jump with a distance of 13 feet, 01.25 inches. She also took sixth in the 60-meter dash (9.24 seconds), gaining All-American honors for both events. Alaya garnered All-American status in three events. She

Oak Park resident Alaya Lewis-Curtis displays her gold medal and All-American card at the American Amateur Union Junior Olympic Games, held July 27-August 3 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Lewis-Curtis came in 7th in the 400 meters with a time of 1:10.86 and earned AllAmerican status.

won the 7/8-year-old division of the 400 meters (1:16.14); placed third in the 200 meters (33.05); and fourth in the 60 meters (9.79).

Despite all they have accomplished so far in track, Lewis says both her daughters have managed to stay humble and grounded. That’s because of the family foundation they have established

Alana (le ) and Alaya Lewis-Curtis with their medal haul. Each sister won a title at this year’s 14 and Under national indoor track and eld championships: Al aya in the 7-8 age division of the 400 meters (1:16.14) and Alana in the 11-year old division of the long jump (13 feet, 1.25 inches).

“When people ask what do we attribute our success to, we always say it’s hard work and we’re also God-fearing. We’re nothing without Him, and I apply that to my coaching.”

Next year, each of the sisters will move up an age division. Alaya will be in the 9/10 group while Alana goes to the 11/12 group where they plan to sustain the strong work ethic instilled by their mother.

SUBMIT TED BY LANEQUA LE WIS

SUBMIT TED BY LANEQUA LE WIS

Campus renovation boosts OPRF athletics

By MELVIN Contributing

Now in her fourth season as Oak and River Forest High School athletic director, Nicole Ebsen likes the position the program is in, thanks to the new on-campus fields that opened last year.

“The new track-and-field allow our cross-country pr some work on campus,” she told day Journal. “It also creates an additional space for soccer, gives field hoc opportunity to have invite, allows girls home on campus and the to have a lined field for practice. The Lake Street field will continue to be home to field hockey and lower-level soccer.”

According to Ebsen, both of the new turf fields were well-received by students and the community. It made a major difference in terms of scheduling as well as events being held despite conditions.

“It was definitely exciting to see how our

Huskies make adjustments with Project 2 under way

Indeed, with a couple of exceptions, baseball at the Lake Street field and softball at Ridgeland Common were able to g et their home schedules in last year without inter ruption or postponements. More importantly, the new track facility likely played a significant role in helping the boys track-and-field team win the IHSA Class 3A state title in the spring as the Huskies were able to practice without traveling elsewhere.

said. “We would encourage Huskie f ans to carpool or walk if they live close to campus. T he entrance for field house events will be door #10 on the [East Avenue pedestrian] mall.”

OPRF High School me n’s track team members compete in the 800 meter race in the opening meet on the school’s new running track on April 29.

resources were expanding opportunities for our athletes,” said Ebsen. “It was also great to know that weather earlier in the day wouldn’t dictate what happened after school.”

“The huge highlight was boys track and field taking first at the state meet,” Ebsen said. “The way the community supported the progr am and celebrated their accomplishment was truly remarkable.”

Construction on OPRF’s Project 2, which will ultimately result in a new swimming pool, locker rooms, and gyms, started this summer. Ebsen said it will impact f ans attending g ames and other athletic events on campus. She encourages fans to plan accordingly.

“Parking will be the biggest issue as Scoville is closed for parking,” Ebsen

One other change impacts OPRF football f ans. T he previous two seasons, the majority of home varsity g ames started at 6 p.m. However, with the exception of the season opener with Fenwick (which takes place Saturday, Aug. 31 at 1:30 p.m.), varsity g ames return to a kickof f time of 7:30 p.m. on F ridays, with sophomore g ames beforehand at 5.

“We initially chose a single varsity game on Friday nights because of the officials’ shortage,” Ebsen said. “I don’t believe we saw the intended impact by making the change, so we went back to the old format this year

“The goals for us remain the same: give our kids the best on-campus environment to be competitive and successful,” she said. “I believe the improvements we’ve seen and the impact of Project 2 will help us continue to achieve this annual goal.”

Fenwick, Trinity gear up for new IHSA year

Blazers and Friars look to build on success

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The 2024-2025 IHSA season begins this week with fall sports programs starting practice, and optimism abounds at Fenwick and Trinity high schools are optimistic. Wednesday Journal contacted Fenwick athletic director Scott Thies and Trinity athletic director Ken Trendel for their thoughts on the coming year. They also took a look back at last year’s successes:

FENWICK

Athletic Director: Scott Thies, 14th season

Thoughts on last year: “The 2023-24 school year was an exciting one for the Friars. Our softball team had the best finish in school history [3rd place, Class 3A]

under head coach Valerie Jisa. Hockey was back in the [Chicago Catholic League] Kennedy Cup Finals for the first time since 2017. Anna Doherty broke the school [girls swimming] record in the 500 freestyle. There were many other individual and team accomplishments, and I am really proud of our coaches and athletes.”

This year’s goals for the program: “We have great student-athletes at Fenwick who understand the importance of preparing for colle ge and beyond. We’re looking forward to competing at a high level this school year. Our mission is to develop our kids so they have the life lessons and skills necessary to be successful in life. We feel our progr ams give our kids opportunities to take on leadership roles and understand the importance of responsibility and discipline, while working to g ether as a team.”

TRINIT Y

Athletic Director: Ken Trendel, fth season

Thoughts on last year: “Our year started of f great, hosting a golf re gional and both a cross-country re gional and sectional. We sent two cross-country runners downstate, and [now-junior] Molly McGreal became the program’s first All-State honoree — a pretty tremendous accomplishment as Molly finished eighth overall in a field of 734 girls at the state meet.

“In the winter, our basketball team made a run all the way to the sectional championship round. It seems like every year I feel our program loses so much, but somehow we keep getting back to the sectional final, and it’s a hump we hope to get over soon.

“In the spring, the track program put a nice bow on the year with two athletes

[McGreal in the Class 2A 3200 meters, nowsophomore Charlotte Houlihan in the discus] qualifying for state.

“In addition, we are extremely proud of the events we ran: the cross-country re gional and sectional meets for the first time in school history; a second year of a successful MLK Showcase event for girls basketball; and a softball re gional. We take a tremendous amount of pride in using these events to showcase our school and we get a lot of positive feedback.”

This year’s goals for the Blazers: “All in all, the goal of high school athletics is to complement the academic experience, but obviously we’re all in this business because we are competitive. Our top priority is providing a quality student-athlete experience. Trinity’s administration is super-supportive of its staf f and coaches, and that goes a long way to seeing that the students have a quality experience.”

TODD BANNOR

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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

NEWREZ LLC D/B/A SHELLPOINT MORTGAGE SERVICING

Plaintiff, -v.-

JOSE G. ROMERO, GEMA A. ROMERO, BYLINE BANK, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO COMMUNITY BANK OF OAK PARK RIVER FOREST, CROWN ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC, LVNV FUNDING, LLC

Defendants

2023 CH 02946

812 HUGH MUIR LN MAYWOOD, IL 60153

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on June 10, 2024, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on September 11, 2024, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 812 HUGH MUIR LN, MAYWOOD, IL 60153

Property Index No. 15-02-322-0160000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

The judgment amount was $183,864.65.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

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

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, contact CHAD LEWIS, ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 205 N. MICHIGAN SUITE 810, CHICAGO, IL, 60601 (561) 241-6901. Please refer to file number 22-087686. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CHAD LEWIS

ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC

205 N. MICHIGAN SUITE 810 CHICAGO IL, 60601 561-241-6901

E-Mail: ILMAIL@RASLG.COM

Attorney File No. 22-087686

Attorney ARDC No. 6306439 Attorney Code. 65582 Case Number: 2023 CH 02946

TJSC#: 44-1885

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 2023 CH 02946 I3249923

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

U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE ON BEHALF FOR CITIGROUP MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2021-RP4, Plaintiff(s), vs. SCOTT SCHEMMEL, SVETLANA KAPLIN A/K/A SVETLAN KAPLINA, VILLAGE OF OAK PARK, TUDOR ROSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, STATE OF ILLINOIS, U.S. BANK, N.A. SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO REGENCY SAVINGS BANK, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, Defendant(s), 22 CH 1440 CALENDAR 60 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on September 9, 2024, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-07-323-052-1003 AND 1607-323-052-1007. Commonly known as 424 S. WISCONSIN STREET, UNIT 3N, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The real estate is: 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: At sale, the bidder must have 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 22-00544 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3249069

Advertisement to Solicit Bids

Notice is hereby given by the Executive Director of Housing Forward, 1851 South 9th Avenue, Maywood, Illinois, that bids will be received for the following improvements at The Write Inn located at 211 North Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60302: Roof membrane replacement, Roof insulation and Masonry Tuckpointing

Bids will be received until 5:00PM, Central Standard Time on August 30, 2024, and emailed to RFP@iff. org. Please direct all bid proposals to Ann Panopio.

The bidding forms and documents will be available to request here (https://iff.org/rfps/). The owner, and owner’s representative have been authorized to refuse to issue plans, specifications and proposals to any person, form or corporation that they consider to be unqualified. Proposal must be submitted on the forms provided.

The bidder is specifically advised that Housing Forward is a Subrecipient of the Village of Oak Park of a grant pursuant to the Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, pursuant to an agreement entered between the Village of Oak Park and Housing Forward. Further, the work must adhere to federal labor compliance requirements (Davis Bacon). Housing Forward and Village of Oak Park have a preference to qualifying Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises. Contractors are expected to make their best effort in maximizing participation.

NOTE: No contracts will be awarded unless the contractor is actively registered with the “System for Award Management (SAM)” and permitted to work, certified by the Village of Oak Park.

Project Team:

Owner: Housing Forward Owner’s Representative: IFF Architect: LBBA

Summary of Work – The project includes all work described in the Bid Documents including but not limited to all required site prep, scaffolding, temporary shoring, demolition, removal and appropriate disposal of waste materials, replacement, or repair of existing materials to remain, cleaning, and confirmation of water-tight enclosure for all areas of work. This work should be coordinated with Owner to minimize impact to Owner’s operations.

Published in Wednesday Journal July 31, August 7, 14, 21, 28, 2024

NOTICE ON PUBLIC HEARING

ON RIVER FOREST TOWNSHIP BUDGET

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a tentative Amended Budget and Appropriations Ordinance for the Township of River Forest, in the County of Cook, State of Illinois, for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2024 and ending March 31, 2025 will be on file and conveniently available to public inspection at the River Forest Civic Center Authority Building, 8020 Madison St., River Forest, at the River Forest Public Library, 735 Lathrop Ave., River Forest from Friday, August 16, 2024 as well on the Township website at www. RiverForestTownship.org.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN HEREBY that a public hearing on said Amended Budget and Appropriations Ordinance will be held at 6:00 PM, Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at the River Forest Township regular meeting at 8020 Madison St., River Forest and final hearing and action on the ordinance will be taken at the regular meeting held on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 6:00PM.

Dated the 6th of August, 2024, Margaret Detmer, Township Clerk

Published in Wednesday Journal August 14, 2024

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: G24000358on July 29, 2024 Under the Assumed Business Name of DAYBREAK REIKI with the business located at: 367 BLYTHE RD, RIVERSIDE, IL 60546. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: JILL GEHRING 367 BLYTHE RD RIVERSIDE, IL 60546, USA

Published in RB Landmark August 7, 14, 21, 2024

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING OF TENTATIVE BUDGET

Notice is hereby given by the Board of Education of Oak Park and River Forest High School, District 200 of Cook County, Illinois that a tentative budget for said School District for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024 will be available for viewing on the school’s homepage at www.oprfhs.org or by appointment only during school hours at the School District located at 201 North Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, from and after 8:00 a.m. on August 16, 2024. For an appointment, email Marian Gerena at mgerena@oprfhs.org

The Board of Education intends to hold a public hearing on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in accordance with Public Act 101-640 to receive public comments on the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024. To submit a written comment to be included in the Board minutes, go to: https://forms.gle/8KLvckawkZUTwB878. To make oral public comments via Zoom go to: https://forms.gle/ vS95obFr356N3B7V7. All written and oral comments via Zoom should be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on September 26. Public comments can also be made in person at the public hearing.

To join the webinar Board Meeting on September 26, 2024, go to: https://oprfhs-org.zoom.us/ j/88055085059?pwd=L8z1GYhGle1DghEfNfWiy8pDDfmlMS.1 Passcode: 045886

Dated: August 8, 2024 Board of Education Oak Park & River Forest High School, District 200 Cook County, Illinois

By:

Secretary, Board of Education

Published in Wednesday Journal August 14, 2024

OP Elementary D97 09242024

PUB HEARING ON 24-25 BUDGET PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON 2024-2025 BUDGET PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Board of Education of Oak Park Elementary School District Number 97, Cook County, Illinois, that it will hold a public hearing on its proposed budget for the 2024 - 2025 school year on the 24th day of September, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. The hearing will be held at the District Office, 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302. Such proposed budget shall be on file conveniently available for public inspection from and after August 14, 2024, in the Business Office of Oak Park Elementary School District 97, between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. The Board of Education intends to adopt the proposed 20242025 budget following the public hearing on 09242024.

Published in Wednesday Journal August 14, 2024

PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR TERMINATION OF PARENT-CHILD RELATION-

SHIP

SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA IN MARICOPA COUNTY

Juvenile Department

PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME(S): Jennifer Elaine Ciszek-Gill – Mother Joshua William Clark - Father

Case Number JS22090

Petitioner

Jennifer Elaine Ciszek-Gill

In the Matter of Minor(s): Levi William Clark 05/02/2007

This is an important notice from the court. Read it carefully. A petition about termination of parent-child relationship has been filed with the court, and a hearing has been scheduled related to your child(ren). Your rights may be affected by the proceedings. You have a right to appear as a party in the proceeding.

If you fail to participate in the court proceedings, the court may deem that you have waived your legal rights and admitted to the allegations made in the petition. Hearings may go forward in your absence and may result in the termination of your parental rights.

Judicial Officer: Honorable Thomas Marquoit

Hearing Date/Time: September 3, 2024 @ 9:30am (AZ time)

Hearing Type: Publication Hearing Location:

Court Connect Remote Appearance ***video appearance preferred

Court Connect Hearing: Yes Video: https://tinyurl.com/jbazmc-juj07 Phone (917)781-4590, Participant Code 764 718 766 #

How can I prepare for the hearing?

Any supporting documentation must be filed with the Clerk of Court at least seventy-two hours in advance of the set hearing date.

If I have questions or concerns who can I contact?

For questions concerning filing, please contact the Clerk of Court at (602) 372-5375. For questions about the hearing, contact the Juvenile Department at (602) 506-4533, Option 2 to reach the assigned Judicial Officer’s staff. If you have legal questions, seek legal counsel.

Docket Code: NOTJS Rev 09/27/23

Published in Wednesday Journal August 7, 14, 21, 28, 2024

AT HOMEONTHE GREATERWESTSIDE

Nontraditional ways of buying a house? NACA real estate broker Josie Hood explains how

There are actions plans, she says

By DELANEY NELSON Special Projects Reporter

With 20 years of experience in real estate as an agent, developer and broker, Josie Hood is often on both sides of the selling table. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Hood is now a managing real estate broker for Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, a nationwide non-profit organization that advocates for economic justice through homeownership and community action. She works in Chicago and elsewhere in Illinois and Indiana.

“I’ve been doing this since 2004, so I’ve been around long enough to see the crash, the rise, and the crash again. It’s cyclical,” Hood said. “Whatever’s going on in real estate, when it goes down it comes back up — you just got to stick it out.”

Hood started in 2018 as a real estate agent at NACA, which is the largest certified counseling agency in the country.

Hood spoke with Austin Weekly News about how NACA helps home buyers navigate the real estate market.

What does the real estate market look like right now?

We just came out of a seller’s market, where you could go $20,000 to $30,000 above the asking price and still not get the deal. We entered a market not too long ago where there’s just no inventory. We’re still very short of housing inventory across the country; there’s such a housing shortage.

What do you expect to see from the real estate market in the coming months and year?

What’s happening across the country is you’re getting more and more developers who are switching gears, myself included. In a lot of cities, including Chicago, there’s a housing shortage, so people are building more multifamily units. Not only are people doing more multi-families, we’re doing multi-families with different incomes. So we have some units at market rate, some affordable units and we have some low-income units. Because there’s such a shortage, a lot of the cities have funding to help with that. With those multi-families and condos, you’ll start to see more amenities with more people, like co-working spaces, because so many people work from home.

Do you work only with buyers and sellers associated with NACA?

A majority of our clients are NACA. We used to say we work exclusively with NACA buyers, but I will not say that anymore because if you

sell, you may not buy with NACA. So we don’t work exclusively with NACA buyers. We do work with sellers — we offer them a discount

COURTESY

Josie Hood of Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America

Now that you own home, what’s next

Here are some keys to sustainability

FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Special Projects Reporter

As first-time homebuyers —or longtime West Side residents who may inherit their family properties— embark into homeownership, it is important to plan for expenses and housing costs outside of their monthly mortgage. In this article, experts share advice on achieving sustainable homeownership.

INCREASE YOUR FINANCIAL READINESS

Black Chicagoans face more barriers to home buying as they have reduced access to banking and financial support than other groups, said State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (IL-8th). Eighty-three percent of Black households own checking accounts, in contrast with the 99% of white households who do so. Only 10% of Black homeowners received financial support to purchase their homes, while 23% of white homeowners did, according to a 2022 report by the Financial Health Network. High unemployment rates and underemployment rates reduce access to credit and loans. Austin has a 14% unemployment rate compared to 8% citywide, according to 2024 data by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. In West Garfield Park, the unemployment rate reaches almost 20%, more than double the city’s

rate. In North Lawndale, the unemployment rate is about 15%.

Michelle Flores, executive secretary of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals Chicago chapter recommends prospective buyers establish credit if they don’t already have a credit history, improve their credit scores and save money to cover a down payment, closing and repair costs.

PREPARE FOR RISING COSTS DUE TO TAXES AND INSURANCE

Property taxes and home insurance rates are the main concern for homeowners in the 8th Dis-

“When those numbers change, it puts homeent budget situation and sometimes that sometimes drive people out of their homes,” Ford said.

Property taxes can drastically increase withnotice, putting homeowners at risk of falling behind in payments. This year, property taxes in Cook County increased by 4%, although homeowners in some south and southwest suburbs saw their bill increase almost 20% from last year, according to data by the Cook County Treasurer’s ce. This drastic increase mostly affected Black communities – 13 of the 15 suburbs with the highest increases have mostly Black populations. Insurance rates can also increase without no-

study predicts home insurance costs will continue to increase in 2024. Weather events could also increase the cost of insurance by forcing homeowners to purchase additional insurance products that protect them in case of flooding or other events, according to Guaranteed Rate LLC.

Homeowners should continue to save money for reserves that can cover unexpected cost increases. Real estate experts recommend saving between 1% to 4% of the home’s price in reserves.

INVEST IN MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS

“Once you become a homeowner, it’s like having a child. You have an expectation that you’re going to have a new expense added to the family,” Ford said.

As homebuyers become responsible for their home, they need to budget the cost of maintenance and repairs. New owners of older homes – those built before 1950 – spent more on annual

“Once you become a homeowner, it’s like having a child. You have an expectation that you’re going to have a new expense added to the family.”

— State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

and repair costs can fluctuate as materials and labor costs increase due to inflation. Check for local programs that assist homeowners with completing needed repairs or maintenance, such as the city’s annual Home Repair Program, which provides eligible homeowners grants to improve their roofs or porches.

CREATE A WILL OR TRANSFER ON DEATH INSTRUMENT

A report by the Institute of Housing Studies found estate planning is one of the keys to pass down generational wealth and reduce the risk of property deterioration and abandonment. When home owners do not set a plan for their properties, known as a estate planning, properties can fall in a complicated legal scenario that can be costly and lengthy

Homeowners should consider create a will that establishes how assets will be inherited and managed in case of death, Ford said.

CONSIDER THE ADVANTAGES OF A MULTI-UNIT PROPERTY

Multi-unit properties offer advantages to firsttime homebuyers as they can live in their property and rent another unit, having an additional income stream that helps pay for the mortgage and property maintenance.

“It’s absolutely the right move for people to weigh their options as it relates to their needs, whether they should buy a single family home versus a two-flat,” Ford said.

Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

Michelle Flores from National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals

BUYING A HOUSE

Continued from page B1

when they sell with NACA. We occasionally have members who leave NACA and they still want us to be their agents; we’re licensed the same as everyone else. There’s nothing that any other brokerage in the state that I can’t do as a managing broker at NACA.

What services does NACA offer?

We do organic lending. We don’t look at the things traditional lenders look at in terms of credit score. Now, we don’t look at credit score, but we are going to look at your payment history, if you have bankruptcy or foreclosure, all of those things do matter We just don’t look at the actual score. With us, if we don’t qualify you right away, you have to be HUD-counseled. We have people that come through our program who have never saved before in their life, and they may not really have a lot of credit. If you don’t have a lot of credit, that affects your score too. They may have one credit card bill and a light bill and a cell phone bill that we have to use to qualify them. We put everybody on a plan so they have to attend a workshop.

Every two weeks, we do a home buyer workshop where we go amongst the group and

we say, “Hey, this is who we are. We’re going to help you.” When we do these workshops, it’s a couple hundred people there. They’re offered a priority appointment if they work with me or my team, meaning the in-house agents — but they don’t have to. They can work with any agent they want. We always help. We make sure that people know that you are not required to work with a NACA agent, it’s just that we know the program. And then what happens is they go through counseling. Some people may be approved in two weeks, some people may be approved in two months and some people, it may take them two years. It just depends on where they’re starting from. But we don’t tell anybody no. We may say not now, but we’re not going to say no. We get people that have been through foreclosures, they’ve been through bankruptcies, they’re going through a divorce. If you can’t get qualified right away, we put you on an action plan, and from that action plan, it is determined that it’s going to take us a certain amount of time, and we need you to do these steps, but if you do exactly what you’re told to do, and you follow that time frame, you’re going to get approved for the mortgage.

Why is the work NACA does important?

We get a lot of buyers who are the first person in their family to ever purchase a home, and a

“Some people may be approved in two weeks, some people may be approved in two months and some people, it may take them two years. It just depends on where they’re starting from. But we don’t tell anybody no.”

— Josie Hood

lot of times that’s just because people perish for lack of knowledge, which is what I always say People don’t realize that there are programs out there like NACA that can help them. If you go to a traditional lender and they say, we’re looking for a 680 credit score, we want you to have 20% down, all of this criteria — everybody doesn’t have that. There are people who are on Social Security with a fixed income, or people who have gone through a divorce, or have had

some hiccups in life, some foreclosures and some bankruptcies. Those people need a chance, too, and so we advocate and we fight for them. We counsel them back to health. And the people that aren’t being counseled back to health, we help them to get healthy financially

You get some people that come back and they cry because they say, ‘I’ve never saved in my life’. And I said, ‘You know what? You just needed to not go to the coffee shop five days a week. Maybe you can just go one, right?’ or ‘You don’t need to go to the salon every week, maybe try to go once a month.’ Stop paying those little payments on those credit cards. Stop ignoring those hospital bills.

You don’t know what you don’t know

Sometimes the situation gets so helpless that they just need direction. And our buyers oftentimes do need more hand-holding. People just need to know there’s help out there. What I always saw in my workshops is, “If you got to pay somebody’s mortgage, it might as well be your own. If you can pay $1,800 a month to rent, you can purchase.”

Also, people think NACA is just for low-income people. People think you have to live in a bad neighborhood. That is so not true. You can go through NACA and be extremely well. NACA does 100% financing, so why spend that money on a downpayment, for example, when you can take it and invest or do something else with it?

What is your advice to a first time home buyer?

Even if I did not work for NACA, I would say to go check out NACA, if nothing else, for that HUD-certified training, because even if they go through that process and they decide they’re not going to go through NACA, they will certainly be on the right track, because they’re going to talk to you about savings.

Oftentimes, your first home, your first property purchase is not your dream one. But you got to start somewhere. Stop maxing those credit cards out. You need to pr obably start to prepare yourself six months to a year before you’re preparing yourself. A lot of times, we have to change our spending habits, because when we use our debit cards and credit cards, they make it so much easier to spend money that you don’t have because it’s just a swipe. And when you’re in the process of buying a house, those are things you got to control — the swipes — because you don’t really realize sometimes how much you spent.

Follow us each month in print and at https://www.austinweeklynews.com/ at-home/, where you’ll find additional resources and useful information.

What Does the West Side Of To First Time Homebuyers?

FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Special Projects Reporter

As of June, the Chicago real estate market was “somewhat competitive,” according to real estate firm Redfin. Throughout the city, homes receive three offers on average, and take about 54 days to sell.

In comparison, homes spend around 65 days on the market in Austin and around 70 in North Lawndale.

During the past five years, home sales prices

in some West Side neighborhoods increased at a higher rate than the rest of the country

Homes prices increased the most in North Lawndale, by almost 20%. On average, home prices increased 4% nationwide.

Austin homes also increased their prices during the past 5 years at about triple the rate than the rest of the country. Meanwhile, West Gafield Park home prices increased at about the same rate than homes across the United States.

Yet, within the city of Chicago, West Side neighborhoods offer more affordable housing

than other neighborhoods. Neighborhoods like Austin have a great housing stock and offer buyers more for their money, said State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford.

Despite higher interest rates than those experienced during the pandemic, it is good time to buy for those who are to purchase their first home, Ford said.

“Buy it now, because when the rates go down, then the prices go up. So buy lower now and you can always rate,” he said.