Wednesday Journal 101624

October 16, 2024 Vol. 45, No. 16

$2.00

of Oak Park and River Forest

Trustees lean toward regulating, not banning some THC sales

The Oak Park Board of Health recommends the sale of unregulated THC products be prohibited

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Lemons to LemonAid

Connor Chien (le ) and Mark Jung, this year’s LemonAid co-chairs, present big checks to Collaboration for Early Childhood Executive Director Mary Rey nolds and Wonder Works Executive Director Rachel Weber at the River Forest Fire Station on Oct. 14. See more photos, page 12.

The Oak Park Board of Health has recommended the village board pass an ordinance banning the sale of unre gulated THC, the compound that gives marijuana its “high.” But trustees indicated they are leaning toward re gulating sales, rather than banning them.

Unregulated THC is sold in Oak Park, usually in the form of delta-8, according to the recommendation from the Board of Health. Delta-9, a different form, is re gulated by the Food and Drug Administration, requiring concentrations to be properly labeled for sale and can only be sold to those age 21 and up. The village board was not considering banning the sale of delta-9.

See THC on pa ge 10

TODD BANNOR

@wednesdayjournalinc @wednesdayjournal @oakpark

Oriana Singers celebrates its 45th anniversary

Group to per form in Oak Park on Oc t. 26

By KELLY POLLOCK Contributing Reporter

In 1979, Bill Chin was just out of colle ge with a de gree in music education and the ambition to be a choral director. He had no experience, but he had a friend who worked for the Halcyon Repertory Co., who were staging a production of Machiavelli’s “Mandragola.” The theater company needed a music director.

Chin took the job and it changed his life. He earned a prestigious Jeff Award given for excellence in equity theater in the Chicago area, and then decided “it was time to do the thing that I wanted to do.”

He brought together some singers from the Halcyon and some other friends, and The Oriana Singers were born

As it celebrates its 45th anniversary, the group will be performing Oct. 26 in Oak Park and Oct. 27 in Chicago with “Monteverdi’s Other Vespers.”

Although he is most famous for his Vespers of 1610 (perfor med last year by Oriana Singers and City Voices), Monteverdi continued to write music for Vespers service and this concert includes a collection published in 1641. It is arranged for a more intimate ensemble

“Last year we had almost 40 voices and a 12-piece chamber orchestra. This year have just eight singers and five period instruments,” said Chin.

Chin said he was profoundly influenced by his time in a madrigal singing gr the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Madrigal singers perform a type of secular music that was popular during the Renaissance.

e Oriana Singers

PROVIDED

e Oriana Singers

In a post on Facebook, Chin said his exposure to this kind of singing was “a lifechanging experience. I learned to love singing in a small choral ensemble and [have] sought that throughout my musical career.”

At first, The Oriana Singers was a small chorus and Chin was the conductor. Within a few years, they settled into a smaller group of six singers, without a conductor. That arrangement continued until recently when the group expanded to eight.

“You don’t want to be the same thing for-

ever,” said Chin. “Not everything is written for six voices. I’m looking for flexibility and room to grow. I don’t want to be tied to a certain configuration.”

In addition to re gular concerts, The Oriana Singers have toured.

“In the early 1990s, we went on a threeweek van tour through the Great Plains. We also went to Europe twice. The first time we were in a choral competition in Ger many where we tied for third place.

allowed us to go to another competition in Spain a few years later. And we also did a one-week tour in Costa Rica for a chamber music festival,” said Chin.

One of the more unusual things the oup has done in its long history was record songs for La dybug, a children’s magazine that was founded in 1990.

“This was back in the days of cassettes,” recalled. “On one side of the cassette recorded the ‘vanilla’ version of a song and on the flip side was a fully arranged rsion of the song that was written by one of our ensemble members. We had a piano, six singers, and a children’s chorus. That was a crazy project. The cassettes were available to subscribers of the magazine and included ‘Bingo,’ ‘The Ants Go Marching,’ and ‘In a Cabin in the Woods.’”

“Monte verdi’s Other Vespers” will be performed on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at First United Church of Oak Park at 848 Lake St. and on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 4 p.m. at St. Josaphat Parish at 2311 N. Southport Av e. in Chica go. Tick ets are $35 general admission, $30 for seniors 65 and over, and free for students 22 and under. Visit www. oriana.org to purchase tick ets.

WEDNESD AY

Digital

Digital

Viewpoints

Real

Contributing

Columnists

Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck

Design/Production

Designers

BETH ALBRECHT

BIG WEEK

Oc tober 16-23

Compiled by Brooke Duncan

Monday Enrichment Program: American Impressionism

Monday, Oc t. 21, 1:15 p.m., Nineteenth Century Charitable Association

Discover the world of American Impressionist painters and their unique contributions to the ar t world with David Sokol, professor emeritus of Art Histor y at the University of Illinois Chicago. This program explores how these artists were in uenced by their French counterparts while forging their own identities. Admission is free, and donations are welcome. 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park

City Voices: Make a Joyful Noise

Saturday, Oc t. 19, 7:30 p.m., First United Church; Sunday, Oc t. 20, 4 p.m., St. Josephat Parish City Voices kicks o its 18th season with “Make a Joyful Noise,” a concert celebrating magni cent settings of tex ts from the Psalms. Featuring works from Bach to Bernstein, this concert includes music accompanied by harp, organ, and percussions. Tickets: $35 general admission, $30 for seniors, and free for students 22 and younger. Available at the door or online at CityVoicesChicago.org. 848 Lake St., Oak Park and 2311 N. Southport Ave., Chicago

Rebecca Spec tre’s Magic Show

Sunday, Oc t. 20, 2-3 p.m., River Forest Public Library

Magician and comedian Rebecca Spectre presents an hour of live magic enter tainment. Expec t excitement, laughs, and even a behind-the-scenes reveal of how some tricks are performed. Brought to you in par tnership with River Forest Township. 735 Lathrop Ave., River Forest

Book Bike: Oak Park Farmers Market

Saturday, Oc t. 19, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Oak Park Farmers Market

The Oak Park Public Library Book Bike visits the Oak Park Farmers Market, weather permitting. New to the Book Bike? Check out materials, learn about library services and events, or sign up for a library card on the spot. Everyone is encouraged to stop by and see what the Paperback Rider and/or Anne of Green Fables are all about. 460 Lake St., Oak Park

Craft Corner: Spooky Jars

Monday, Oc t. 21, 5 - 6:30 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Join us for Craft Corner, an all-ages program where we’ll make glowing creepy crawly jars. Bring a clean jar from home or use our upcycled ones. Feel free to add plastic spiders or Halloween decorations you have. All materials will be provided. Learn more and register at //oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Special Collections Halloween Open Hours

Wednesday, Oc t. 23, 12 - 5 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Drop in for extended Halloween-themed Open Hours in the Special Collections Reading Room. Discover the spooky side of Special Collections with strange facts about Oak Park’s history and its gures. Treats and spooky surprises await costumes encouraged. Learn more and register at // oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

In nite Pulse: Parting the Sea Opening Reception

Saturday, Oc t. 19, 12 - 4 p.m.

Dancing Krow Studio and Third Friday Gallery

Dancing Krow artists will be showcasing their newest pieces in this October-themed exhibit. Join us at the opening reception for an afternoon of art, creativity, and community as these artists unveil works that delve into themes of motion and transformation. 43 Harrison St., Oak Park

OPRF Marching Band Free Show

Thursday, Oc t. 17, 6 p.m.,

Oak Park & River Forest High School Stadium

Join us for a free show featuring the award-winning Oak Park & River Fo rest High School Marching Band

Celebrate their season as they per f orm their football and competition shows. This community event is per fe ct for families—bring your kids. Enjoy complimentary hot cocoa while you cheer on the Huskies 201 N. East Ave., Oak Park

Move Me Soul

Friday, Oc t. 18, 4-6 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Middle and high schoolers: If you are into yoga and dancing, Move Me Soul is the program for you. This class is split into two parts where you can freely express yourself and unwind through movement. It is designed to help teens get stronger and more exible, improve concentration, and reduce stress by dancing to their favorite music. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Fraction Collages Ar t Classes for Kids

Friday, Oc t. 25, 1-2 p.m., Mathnasium

Engaging visual art projects that teach math skills to kids in Oak Park and River Forest. Join us on these school days o this fall for fun and educational art experiences. Register at Frickkidsart.com. 1101 Chicago Ave., Oak Park

Puzzle Swap

Saturday, Oc t. 19, 1 – 3 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Do you have puzzles you have already worked on? Need a new one? Consider swapping your puzzle at the librar y. New or gently used puzzles must be at least 300 pieces and in the original box. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Witch Dance to raise money for Moms D emand Action

The event will be Saturda Oc 19, at Scoville Park

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

A “Witch Dance” will take place starting at Saturday, Oct. 19 at Scoville Park to raise money group called Moms Demand Action.

Locals will gather to dressed as witches holding brooms to learn a dance from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and then perform it at 6 p.m. Donations will be accepted before and during the event. Sarah Corbin, an Oak Park dent, told Wednesday Journal in 2023 that about 40 people participate in the dance each year.

Moms Demand Action is a grassroots ef fort advocates for public safety ef for ts that protect people from gun violence. There’s a local group of volunteers from Austin, Oak Park, River Forest and neighboring communities that form the Oak Park-Austin Area Moms Demand Action cohort.

Peace and Healing, a community garden for survivors of gun violence in Austin. A portion also went toward ef for ts in Springfield related to legislation to end gun violence, according to Moran.

Last year, the dance raised about $800 for Moms Demand Action, according to group member Joanna Mo-

A dance rehearsal will also take place before the event at 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at Rehm Park near the tennis courts, Moran said.

Make a Difference in the Health of Our Community

Join Rush Oak Park Hospital’s Community Engagement Council and help us improve the health and well-being of our community. We’re looking for passionate, engaged people from Oak Park and surrounding communities who want to provide input and feedback on important local health issues. Visit rush.edu/rophcec to learn more about responsibilities and eligibility requirements — and to submit an application.

Apply to be a member of the Rush Oak Park Community Engagement Council today!

Oak Park trustees approve new loan forgiveness policy

Reflections on Pumpkin-Palooza

Different dates on the calendar remind us of the passage of time: holidays, birthdays, other special occasions.

For us, the McAdam Pumpkin-Palooza has become one of those special moments—and this past Saturday, we enjoyed gorgeous weather and numerous families as we hosted 2024’s installment of this autumn staple of fun. As a father of two young children, this experience has grown especially meaningful to me.

Our free activities included a pumpkin patch, hayrides, ghost stories, sweet treats, pumpkin painting, and more at our Nursery & Garden Center.

Every child received a free pumpkin and more than a few took in the experience with costumes.

We offered huge fall discounts on all trees, shrubs, and perennials that are in stock. And we had professionals on hand to give tips on how to winterize your garden.

Particularly with plants that have been growing in the same containers all year long, this is a good time to landscape. Before next summer’s heat comes around, it’s very beneficial to give new plantings upwards of six to eight months to get established.

A half-mile south of Roosevelt Road, the McAdam Nursery & Garden Center is open until midNovember. We’re always just a phone call away at 708-771-2299.

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

www.mcadamlandscape.com

As of Dec. 31, 2023, the village had more than $4.1 million in outstanding loans

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

In a move to allow for transparency and clarity around the c ommunity development and housing loan processes, Oak Pa rk ’s village b oard approved a new p oli cy to a ddress requests to defer or fo rgive loans.

The village administers community development or housing loans both to nonprofit organizations who provide community development, housing development or housing rehabilitation services and to individual homeowners in Oak Park looking to purchase or improve a property.

The new policy is intended to help support more low- to moderate-income households. Some funding for the loans comes from Community Development Block Grant and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development dollars, Village President Vicki Scaman said, which are intended to make a difference in those communities. But the loans come from the village’s community development loan fund or the af fordable housing fund, too.

“Even a $10,000 loan can be a game changer for somebody,” Scaman said.

Trustees all voted to approve the new policy, apar t from Trustee Cory Wesley who recused himself from the discussion because he said he has a related loan out on his house.

As of Dec. 31, 2023, the village had 106 outstanding loans amounting to more than $4.1 million. A lot are small-value loans for homeowners, but 13 of the loans, totaling more than $2.6 million, are for the Oak Park Residence Corporation and Oak Park Housing Authority. Both the OPRC and OPHA have requested loans be deferred or forgiven, which the board has typically approved

The new policy outlines that both nonprofit organizations and individual homeowners can be eligible for loan forgiveness. When considering a loan forgiveness request, village staf f members say they will

need and past treatment. By approving this policy, Jonathan Burch, the village’s neighborhood services director, said the board is clarifying where the threshold is for loan forgiveness requests

“We [had] not necessarily established what’s the bar made of, or how high it is, or any of the other criteria,” he said.

The Housing Programs Advisory Committee will now consider loan forgiveness requests for housing loans. The Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee will now consider requests for community development loan forgiveness. The committee recommendations will then be presented to the village board.

The old process for considering loan forgiveness requests was on an ad hoc basis, according to village officials. Village staf f would evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis. Trustees said they appreciated the idea of creating a clear policy

“It really creates a level of equity, I think, that seems like it was not already part of the process,” Trustee Lucia Robinson said. “It’s a process that applies across the board, and one that’s transparent.”

But Robinson also said she’d like the policy guidelines to be stricter, potentially with a dollar amount threshold for forg ive-

olvloans en, she said. If a loan is extended, the expectation should be that it will be paid back, she pointed out, but said she wants to benefit as many residents as possible.

“If this loan forgiveness option can then help [residents] remain in this community, can help reduce their cost burden of living in this community, those kinds of things would weigh very heavily for me,” Robinson said.

Trustee Ravi Parakkat suggested instead of forgiving loans re gularly, the village provide grants. Village Manager Kevin Jackson said while it is more complex, deferring and forgiving loans rather than providing grants creates incentives for long-term commitment to advance af fordable housing goals.

Trustee Brian Straw said he wants to ensure it’s equally straightforward for homeowners and nonprofit organizations to apply, with simple, accessible forms. It should be harder for organizations, however, to receive loan forgiveness than individuals or families, he said.

“There shouldn’t be something where you can only apply for forgiveness if you are a nonprofit that starts with ‘Oak Park,’” Straw said. “And I think that is historically how this has operated.”

Scott McAdam Jr.

An auditor gives village nances high marks

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

River Forest ended the fiscal year with higher revenues and lower expenditures than budgeted, according to the annual comprehensive financial re port presented by Rosey McAdams, director of finance, and review of the annual audit by Martha Trotter of Sikich LLP, the village’s auditor.

Trotter, a certified public accountant for Sikich, said the village’s audit received a “clean unmodified opinion,” the highest possible. Sikich LLP, based in Chicago, is a global company specializing in technologyenabled professional services.

Both re ports, for the fiscal year that ended April 30, were presented at the Oct. 14 village board meeting. They were accepted in a unanimous vote of the four trustees present. Lisa Gillis and Ken Johnson did not attend.

In her presentation of the financial report, McAdams noted actual revenues in the general fund exceeded budgeted amounts by $1 million or 5.63% and general fund expenditures are below the budgeted amounts at 97.16%. She explained that most revenues saw increases due to inflation and the increase in the consumer price index, and expenditures are “slightly below” the budgeted amounts due in part to personal services in both the police and fire departments coming in under budget. Personal services include step increases for employees based on contract wage scales and also include pension contributions. Actual contributions to both the police and fire pension funds were below the budgeted amounts.

Separate line items that saw increases include communications taxes, exceeding budgeted amounts by $22,618 or 12.81%; property taxes, exceeding budgeted amounts by $511,423 or 7.3%; state income taxes, exceeding budget amounts by $97,422

Drive to collect diapers for local families

E or t is a collaboration between A House in Austin and the village of Oak Park

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Two groups are collaborating to put on a diaper drive in October.

The village of Oak Park and A House in Austin, a parent-child resource center on the West Side of Chicago, are collecting diapers all month to donate to local families in need.

Those who are interested in donating can drop of f items in the lobby of Oak Park Village Hall at 123 Madison St. on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations will be accepted through Oct. 31.

Acce p ted i tems at the drive include packs of unopened diapers — size six diapers and p ull-up diapers are most requested — and baby w ipe s. Locals who want to purchase i tems for the diaper drive c an do so on an Amazon Wi shlist.

Diapers are a necessary part of protecting children from germs and keeping them clean and healthy. And many child care facilities require that children come in with diapers.

But diapers are expensive. On average, a month of diapers costs about $80, according to a study published in 2020 by the National Diaper Bank Network.

The study also re ports that one in three families throughout the United States struggle to provide clean diapers. And many parents across Illinois and in Cook County experience the financial burden that can come with buying diapers.

Over 439,000 kids in Illinois under the age of 3 need diapers, and 18% of them are a part of a family earning less than 100% of the federal poverty level, according to the National Diaper Bank Network.

In February, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

announced birth equity and maternal health initiatives. Those included a $1 million pilot for a diaper distribution program, which would give an eCard diaper allowance to eligible families

“Diaper need is a public-health matter, and g etting diapers to f amilies raising infants while overcoming other economic challenges lends support in a meaningful way,” said Dulce Quintero, secretary designate for the Illinois Department of Human Services, in February at the gover nor’s announcement.

“The Diaper Distribution Pilot Program will help families with young children with one less essential item to worry about as they strive to ensure good health, growth and development for their infants,” Quintero said. Donate to the diaper drive through Oct. 31 at 123 Madison St. on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL

You’re invited to celebrate all the fun of fall with us! Enjoy live music, line dancing and delicious seasonal bites. And don’t miss your chance to take part in our chili cook-off and cider tasting! All located in our beautiful new Center for Healthy Living. Come and join the fun!

OPCAN asks village to help market climate coaching

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Oak Park Climate Action Network, a volunteer group that partners with the village to provide climate coaching to community members looking to go green, is asking Oak Park to help bolster its communication, education and outreach efforts.

OPCAN volunteers are working to eliminate local contributions to the climate crisis and advocate for the goals of Climate Ready Oak Park, according to its website. They do this through advocacy, education and neighbor assistance.

“We found that people had lots of questions, that they didn’t know where to go for answers,” OPCAN member Pam Tate told the village board Oct. 8.

A key goal of CROP is to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030 and to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Most greenhouse gas emissions in Oak Park come from heating and cooling buildings, including homes. The idea for the climate coaching program came from CROP, too, in a goal to implement an education program to connect residents with services for energy and climate resiliency upgrades

In March, OPCAN started the free climate coaching program where peers with experience help locals access resources and support to make their properties or apartments more climate friendly. Anyone can request a coach online

The coaching, which is not a substitute for full-time paid labor, focuses on short-ter m engagement, like 30 minute phone calls, and referrals, OPCAN member Derek Eder told

the village board Oct. 8. These volunteer coaches can help people get “unstuck” in their climate-related goals, Eder said.

“We’re also not industry professionals,” he said. “I couldn’t install your heat pump for you even if you paid me, but I know who those contractors are. I know what they can do. I know what it costs. I know some of the steps, as a homeowner, you have to go through to do it.”

The topics the coaches cover include reducing emissions, installing insulation, rooftop solar panels, heat pumps, induction stoves, electric vehicles, gardening, flooding, recycling and composting as well as available grants and tax credits.

Since March 11, 2024, when the program launched, Eder said OPCAN has received 50 climate coach requests and has 17 climate coach volunteers. The most requests came in April and May. About 25 requests were related to available grants, rebates and tax credits. Other popular questions related to rooftop solar panels and switching from gas heating to electric heat pumps. Less popular categories included help with gardening or flooding.

his home. But he was able to do it, and now he can help others navigate that.

“It’s a very satisfying process for me as a volunteer to really be able to help people make a big impact on their carbon footprint,” another climate coach, Cindy KleinBanai, said.

“There were a lot of questions we had about how to take the first steps with some of these initiatives; the climate coach helped us sort out all of the options available to us much quicker than we would’ve been able to ourselves,” one climate coach recipient said, according to OPCAN’s presentation to the village board.

CINDY KLEIN-BANAI Climate coach

Most of the requests, about 78%, came from single-family homeowners. Another roughly 10% came from condo dwellers. Eder said most of their climate coach recipients heard about the program through Oak Park’s newsletter or website, or through word of mouth.

any major marketing.”

Other cities have contacted OPCAN to learn more about the program, too, Tate said, wanting advice on how to start their own.

Trustees agreed this is a great program and that they are supportive of it. Trustee Brian Straw said he signed up to learn more about installing solar panels at his home, because the information available can be “overwhelming” and even “frightening.” Without a lot of time to study the process yourself, it’s easy to put off, he said, but that’s where climate coaches can come in.

“It’s really the neighbors-to-neighbors thing that has the biggest impact in an area like ours,” Trustee Chibuike Enyia said, mentioning how he’s taken steps to be more energy efficient and inspired his parents to do the same with their house here and in Nigeria

“What this program shows me is that you guys are creating three-dimensional touchpoints,” Trustee Lucia Robinson said. “You’re talking to people, you’re giving them realistic, practical suggestions … There’s no real substitute for having the type of energy and the grassroots ef fort that you guys bring to this.”

“There is real demand,” Eder said. “Some people maybe don’t make that connection, I think, between climate change and things like flooding, but it is related.”

Nick Bridge, one of the climate coaches, told the village board Oct. 8 that he went through a lot to get rooftop solar panels on

So, OPCAN is asking the village to ramp up marketing efforts for the climate coach program through its website, in the OP/ FYI notice and through other flyers or announcements. The group is also asking the village to fund recommendations for education and outreach efforts in 2025.

“We need more advertising, we need more outreach and marketing,” Tate said. “But we’re very proud of the fact served probably over 50 people … without

Village President Vicki Scaman also pointed out the positivity OPCAN and the climate coaches carry for addressing climate change. Embracing that positivity and neighbor-to-neighbor collaboration is key, she said.

“We want this to be contagious,” she said. “We want people to jump on board and to feel like it’s doable. And to be positive about

THC

Regulating delta-8

from page 1

Delta-8, however, is not re gulated. It can cause adverse health effects and is often marketed to children, for whom it can be especially dangerous. Many delta-8 products are marketed as snacks or candy and there are no age restrictions to buy it in Oak Park.

Kitty Monty, an Oak Park public health nurse, explained that delta-8 has not been studied enough to know what concentration would be dangerous. To produce a “high,” delta-8 has to be synthesized. This process can produce harmful chemicals as byproducts, such as carcinogens.

“We decided on the recommendation of a ban because in this case, we don’t know what’s in these products,” said Christina Welter, chair of the Board of Health. “We felt that was safest … There’s not research really understanding the impact of the synthesized drug on your body, much less what it ’s being combined with.”

But the majority of the village board said Oct. 8 they’d prefer to re gulate rather than ban the products, citing wor ries about enforcement and mixed messaging among their reasons.

State and federal regulations

The FDA has not evaluated unregulated THC products But between Dec. 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2022, the FDA received 104 reports across the nation of adverse events involving delta-8, according to the Board of Health’s report This included hallucinations, vomiting, tremors, anxiety, dizziness, confusion and loss of consciousness, Monty said.

National poison control centers received 2,362 exposure cases of delta-8 between Jan. 1, 2021, and Feb. 28, 2022. One child died.

Welter said the FDA is working on the federal and state level to address concerns. The Illinois General Assembly debated banning unregulated THC in spring 2024, she said, but no bill was passed However, some Illinois municipalities have locally regulated or banned it, such as Elk Grove Village

In Illinois, dispensaries have strict advertising rules to discourage underage use or overconsumption. And the products they sell are re gulated.

Delta-8 products, on the other hand, are often marketed to children, not sold at dispensaries and are not re gulated. The products are not required to be childproof, either. They can be easily purchased at convenience stores, gas stations or even online. It’s also possible someone could buy a product, thinking it’s a re gular snack, and have an unexpected reaction.

could be two milligrams, but it could also be 200 milligrams, or 500 milligrams, Monty explained. There’s no labeling required, so the consumer might not know.

“We want the entire population to be safe,” she said. “An adult can take it thinking there’s just a little bit of delta-8, or they might not even know what delta-8 is, and then consume that and have those psychoactive effects that they weren’ t expecting.”

Loc al concerns

Oak Park partners and community members, such as the Oak Park Township, the Oak Park Opioid Prevention Taskforce, District 200, school nurses, teachers and parents are also concerned about the sale of delta-8 and supportive of banning the sale, Welter said. The Illinois State Police explained the dangers of unregulated THC to the Oak Park Health Department in fall 2023, and later with the Board of Health.

Despite community support for banning the sale, the majority of trustees Oct. 8 said they felt regulating would be a better step.

Trustee Cory Wesley said products like alcohol, cigarettes and tobacco can be harmful, and can even cause death, but those haven’t been banned He also said he thinks it sends a mixed signal to le galize weed but ban the sale of unregulated THC.

Welter countered that public health restrictions when a product is unknown and potentially dangerous are not comparable to banning FDA-regulated products like alcohol. It’s not about taking away adults’ right to do something, but about allowing time for further study.

easily buy delta-8 products from nearby stores in other municipalities that do sell them.

Trustees Lucia Robinson, Brian Straw, Chibuike Enyia and Ravi Parakkat also indicated they’d likely support re gulation over banning. That could look like limiting sales to those over age 21, requiring retailers to be licensed to sell delta-8 products, putting a tax on these items or fines for noncompliance.

Trustees also wondered how a ban would be enforced. Without enforcement, a ban is useless, Robinson said. Emily Egan, the village’s development services director, said village business license officers would do routine inspections and work with the police department to enforce a ban, if one were passed.

“The purpose of being a home rule municipality is to create local solutions for local problems,” Robinson said, and that she doesn’t want to contradict state ef forts. “This is a problem that extends beyond our borders.”

Trustee Susan Buchanan, however, appeared to be the only trustee who ag reed with the Board of Health’s recommendation to ban the sale.

“I’m sure that people that are buying these assume that it’s been tested for harm and that there’s some knowledge about the dosage or the amount,” she said.

Buchanan added that this is a different issue than marijuana legalization because companies are marketing delta-8 products to fool people into thinking they’re eating something safe. Even if only adults can buy a delta-8 product, they could still end up in the hospital because of unexpected effects due to the lack of labeling and concentration re gulations, she pointed out.

The Board of Health and the village board did ag ree that any re gulation ef for ts should be related to the sale, and not the possession of unregulated THC products like delta-8.

“I don’t want cops pulling over kids because they see a kid with a bag of Doritos and think it might be delta-8 Doritos,” Wesley said.

Due to the lack of re gulation, consumers may have no idea what the concentration of delta-8 is in products. It

But Wesley disag reed. He also pointed out that even if the sale is banned in Oak Park, anyone who wants could

The discussion will come back to the board before any re gulation can be implemented.

River Forest Tennis Club unveils plan for lights

Club o cials say they want to maximize family time spent on the courts

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

Officials of the River Forest Tennis Club took the first step toward installing lights on their tennis courts at the Oct. 14 village board meeting.

Although no vote was taken, village officials instructed staff members to continue with the planned development process that would lead to the installation of lights on the tennis courts at the club that occupies a one square block at 615 Lathrop.

In his presentation Oct. 14, Elias Yanaki, club member and project lead, said club officials want to add lights to “maximize the time families can spend with their children.”

He explained that the lights would only be on when courts are in use and limited to between 6 and 10 p.m. Club members will be provided with a code that will allow them to turn the lights on and off. Staff members will monitor the lights’ use and turn them off if they see that a court is not in use

Yanaki said club officials do not expect the changes to increase traffic because the majority of its members walk or ride bicycles to the club. He also noted that the club is only open from April until the first snowfall, which can occur as early as September but generally occurs in October.

The next step in the process will be to conduct a pre-filing conference with the development review board.

According to the club’s website, the club has been “a summer vacation-at-home spot” for its members since 1905. The outdoor club offers 10 clay courts for tennis; a collegiate-size swimming pool; and a wide expanse of lawn for play, parties and events T he Frank Lloyd Wright designed clubhouse is a gathering spot for summer dinners and enter tainment.

The outdoor club o ers 10 clay courts for tennis; a collegiatesize swimming pool; and a wide expanse of lawn for play, parties and events.

The original location, with six grass courts, was on the north half of a parcel of land at Lake Street, Harlem Avenue, Quick Avenue and Bonnie Brae Place. A simple clubhouse was built two months after the club was organized. It opened on July 4, 1905.

Yanaki said light technology is “vastly superior” to what was available in the past and what is planned will be anti-glare LED lights. He also said the lights will be on 30-foot high poles, which is lower than typical.

He also said additional security cameras would be installed

Officials expressed concern about communicating the proposed changes to neighbors, suggesting that letters be sent to those living up to 1,000 feet from the club instead of the usual 500 feet.

A fire in 1906 destroyed the first clubhouse and Wright supervised the building of what is now the west two-thirds of the present clubhouse. Kitchen facilities were added for picnic suppers

When the Cook County Forest Preserve Commission in 1920 acquired the land the club occupied, the club purchased a vacant parcel at 615 Lathrop. The clubhouse was cut into three sections and moved it to its new foundation. Ten clay courts were constructed and trees and shrubs were added to the grounds.

A modest swimming pool was constructed in 1937, to be re placed in 1955 by a much larger pool.

C ORRECTION

An article titled “Discussion on River Trail in River Forest draws interest” published Oct. 9 misstated the names of streets near some trail options. The streets at that section of the trail are between Chicago and Lake. We apolo gize for the er ror.

Wonder bread and LemonAid

The Bonnie Brae LemonAid Stand presented its big checks to the Wonder Works Museum and Collaboration for Early Childhood at the River Forest Firehouse, Monday night.

Co-chairs Mark Jung and Connor Chien also presented to first responders thank-you notes and drawings made by children at LemonAid at the Collabora-

tion for Early Childhood activity.

Since 2002, the LemonAid fundraiser has commemorated the 9/11 attacks by selling lemonade and raising awareness and funds for local charities that serve children.

The group raised more than $60,000 this year.

LemonAid student representatives and Collaboration for Early Childhood Executive Director Mary Rey nolds present a certi cate of appreciation to River Forest Fire Chief omas Gaertner and Deputy Fire Chief David Bochenek.

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or 5.35%; sales taxes, exceeding budget amounts by $92,466 or 3.89%; and nonhome rule sales taxes, exceeding budgeted amounts by $31,930 or 3.01%. McAdams explained that income tax revenues were higher because the FY2024 state budget included an increase to the local government distributive fund local share from 6.16% to 6.47%, increasing payments to municipalities, and higher than expected receipts.

The state budget also included reductions in the personal property replacement tax allocations, which led to revenue falling significantly below budgeted amounts.

Actual revenue was $350,758, 45.97% below the budgeted amount of $649,145.

The other tax/intergovernmental line item exceeded budget amounts by $517,556 or 158.65%, primarily due to an increase in grant funding. McAdams said contributions and grants were higher than expected due to the receipt of American Rescue Plan Act funds and the reco gnition of some of those revenues to offset lost revenues.

Grant funding was $579,465, exceeding the budgeted amount by $541,887, offsetting other components of that line item, restaurant tax, local motor fuel tax and state cannabis tax, which were all below budgeted amounts.

Investment income increased due to market fluctuations and rebounding interest rates. Charges for services, which includes refuse and ambulance fees, were below budgeted amounts although revenue from ambulance billings has increased due to the Ground Emergency Medical Transportation reimbursement program in which

the village now participates.

Expenditures that are above budgeted amounts are administration, due partly to an increase in personal services due to filling vacancies; building department, due to an increase in contractual services; and E911, because the West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center contribution has increased due to the loss of member communities and rising operational costs. All other expenditures are lower than budgeted, McAdams noted. She said decreases are due to staf f members limiting non-essential expenditures and changes in staffing that caused expenditures to be reduced.

Police department expenditures are slightly lower than budgeted amounts due to vacancies being filled with new hires who are paid at a lower rate. Public works expenditures were also slightly lower due primarily to decreases in contractual services. Salary increases were included based on the most recent collective bargaining ag reement with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.

The waterworks and sewerage fund experienced a $1.3 million increase in net position. Revenues were slightly above budgeted amounts. Water and sewer sales were just above expectations due to billed water consumption and weather conditions. Revenues include a 3.42% increase in rates in June 2023 to fund the rate increase from the City of Chicago for water and for operating and capital improvement costs. Capital outlay expenditures increased from the last fiscal year but were still under budg et.

Village President Cathy Adduci said she appreciated “all the hard work by our auditor” and thanked McAdams and her financial team for doing a “great jo b.”

McAdams, in turn, thanked members of her “well-functioning team,” especially Matt Walsh, village administrator, and Keke Boyer, assistant finance director.

Berwyn police, U.S. Marshals arrest North Riverside hit-and-run suspect

he man allegedly struck 2 police o cers and 2 civilians,

1 of whom nearly

died

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

The Berwyn Police Department and United States Marshals Service have arrested a man who is accused of striking four people — two police and two civilians — with a car during a police chase last month that started in North Riverside Terrance Whitley has been in Berwyn police custody since they arrested him Oct. 9 around 8:15 a.m. on the 6400 block of South Rockwell Street in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood.

Around 6 p.m. on Sept. 4, North Riverside police attempted to perform a traffic stop near the North Riverside Park Mall, Berwyn

police said in a written statement. The vehicle, which Whitley was allegedly driving, did not pull over and continued north on Harlem Avenue before striking a 55-year-old male pedestrian on the 2300 block. The man was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for life-threatening injuries.

The car’s driver fled the scene on foot and, according to Berwyn police, hijacked another vehicle, which then struck two police officers and another civilian, all three of whom were later taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. T he driver then abandoned the stolen vehicle on the 2200 block of Grove Avenue in Berwyn before fleeing on foot for a second time

Police established a perimeter around the area at that time but did not locate the man.

While Whitley remains in their custody, Berwyn police are working with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to charge him.

Terrance Whitley is accused of having struck four people with two cars, including one that was stolen, during a hit-and-run in North Riverside and Berwyn last month. Berwyn police and U.S. Marshals arrested Whitley, Oct., 9 in Chicago.

BERWYN

Annual report shows gains in some areas of gambling may come at others’ expense

The state reached record-high tax revenue of over $2 billion last year

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois

Illinois surpassed $2 billion in tax revenue last year from all types of gambling and the state lottery – a record bolstered by continued growth in video gambling, sports betting and the opening of several new casinos.

But that growth comes at the expense of Illinois’ traditional riverboat casinos and the horse racing industry, which has been on a downward trajectory for decades.

An annual re port published last week by the General Assembly’s fiscal forecasting arm laid out the state’s record nearly $2.1 billion in revenues, nearly half of which was earmarked for infrastructure projects, while most of the remainder went to education.

While the Illinois Lottery continues to make up a significant portion of the state’s wagering revenues, it might soon be eclipsed by Illinois’ ever-g rowing video gambling industry. In the last fiscal year, the lottery netted $886 million in state tax revenue while video gambling’s state taxes climbed to $848 million.

Statewide, bars, restaurants and truck stops have installed 48,176 video gambling machines since 2012 – a figure that’s grown steadily each year despite the COVID-19 pandemic shuttering all gambling activity for months.

Also not stopping the industry’s growth: a series of tax increases, including one approved in the spring as part of state budget negotiations.

Video gambling is also the largest driver of increased per-capita spending on all types of wagering in Illinois over the last five years, though the popularity of sports betting has also been a factor. Illinoisans spent more than $7 billion spent on gambling, lottery tickets and other types of betting-based entertainment last year – approximately $560 per capita.

Though video gambling may be eating away at Illinois’ casino industry – a fear that has been vocalized since negotiations on legalizing the terminals 15 years ago – the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability’s report also blames “added competition from new casinos across Illinois.”

COGFA’s report indicates overall casino revenue growth is mainly due to the success of Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and the opening of five new casinos statewide in the past few years. A sixth, in Chicago’s south suburbs, is slated to open later this fall.

Illinois’ nine riverboat le gacy casinos, most of which have been r unning for about three decades, have seen their revenues decline “for nine consecutive years,” according to the re port Visits to casinos in East St. Louis, East Peoria and Joliet’s Har rah’s Casino have seen significant drop-off

Walker’s Blu Casino & Resort, which opened in 2023, is pictured in Williamson County, Illionois.

“The opening of additional casinos provides an abundance of new gaming opportunities for gamblers in Illinois,” the re port said. “However, there are concerns of oversaturation. ... By the end of FY 2024, the number of video gaming terminals in operation across Illinois has grown to over 48,000, the equivalent of over 40 ‘full-size’ Illinois casinos.”

Horse racing, on the other hand, has continued to dwindle in Illinois. After Arlington Racetrack closed in 2021 and sold the land to the Chicago Bears, Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney and Fair mount Park in Collinsville are the only two racetracks remaining in operation. The re port notes horse racing brought in “a mere $6 million” in state revenues last year, and that “racinos” – provided for in a massive 2019 law that legalized sports betting and created six new casino licenses – have not yet materialized as a lifeline for racetracks.

Fair mount has been buoyed by partnering with sports betting giant FanDuel for the past several years, making

it the home base for Illinois’ most successful online sports betting company. FanDuel’s adjusted gross receipts last year totaled more than $449 million, while its closest competitor, DraftKings, totaled $387 million.

The two jugger nauts complained loudly about a new, higher-rate tax structure imposed on sports betting in May, though COGFA’s report noted that not all of Illinois’ sports betting licenses have yet been claimed, and that sports betting revenues “have grown rapidly” since the market launched in 2020.

“Given this trend and the recently added sportsbooks, it is believed that sports wagering will continue to grow overall despite a higher tax structure,” the re port said.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government covera ge to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCor mick Foundation.

CRIME

Man breaks into Oak Park residence, steals gun

Arrests

A man broke into an Oak Pa rk residence between 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. Oct. 8 on the 1100 block of South Taylor Avenue. The man stole an antique colt revolver, a .38 caliber, and was last seen walking eastbound on Fillmore Street.

Theft

Between 11 a.m. and 1:48 p.m. Oct. 9, a man stole multiple plumbing tools from the front yard of a residence on the 300 block of South Scoville Avenue. The estimated loss is $14,600.

Burglary

■ A man got into a Joliet resident’s 2007 Ford 350 and stole multiple tools at 11:49 a.m. Oct. 8 on the 100 block of South Grove Avenue. The man fled in an off-white sedan. The estimated loss is $3,000.

■ Someone used a power cutting tool to break into a freight container between 4 p.m. Oct. 8 and 6 a.m. Oct. 9 on the 600 block of Madison Street. The person then stole multiple power tools. The estimated loss is $11,900.

■ A man broke into and stole multiple tools from a Berkeley resident’s 2002 Ford 250 at 12:31 p.m. Oct. 9 on the 700 block of Fair Oaks Avenue. The man fled in a maroon 2017 or 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The estimated loss is $4,200.

Criminal damage to property

Someone with a cutting tool slashed the cloth convertible rooftop of an Oak Park resident’s car between 8 p.m. Oct. 9 and 8 a.m. Oct. 10 on the 700 block of North Lombard Avenue. T he estimated damage is $1,000.

Motor vehicle theft

Someone stole an Oak Park resident’s white 2024 Jeep Compass between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. Oct. 11 on the 100 block of South Boulevard. T he estimated loss is $30,000.

■ A 56-year-old Oak Park man was arrested for domestic battery against another Oak Park resident at 1:58 a.m. Oct. 8 on the 500 block of Wisconsin Avenue.

■ A 41-year-old Oak Park man was arrested for domestic battery against another Oak Park resident at 12:01 p.m. Oct. 8 on the 400 block of North Austin Boulevard.

■ A 44-year-old Broadview man was ar rested on an active warrant from Cook County for domestic battery at 8:19 p.m. Oct. 8 on the 900 block of South Oak Park Avenue.

■ A 28-year-old Chicago man was arrested for aggravated assault to a Chicago resident at 8:23 p.m. Oct. 8 on the 1100 block of South Boulevard

■ A 36-year-old Broadview man was arrested for battery to a Cicero resident and possession of a controlled substance at 2:23 p.m. Oct. 10 on the 7000 block of West Roosevelt Road.

■ A 40-year-old man from Flossmoor was arrested for battery to a Chicago resident at 2:54 a.m. Oct. 13 on the 1100 block of South Cuyler Avenue.

■ A 34-year-old Chicago man was arrested for mob action at 2:54 a.m. Oct. 13 on the 1100 block of South Cuyler Avenue.

■ A 30-year-old Chicago man was arrested for reckless discharge of a firearm at 3:03 a.m. Oct. 13 on the 1100 block of South Cuyler Avenue.

■ A 31-year-old Chicago woman was arrested for criminal damage to property at 10:38 p.m. Oct. 13 on the 1400 block of North Austin Boulevard.

These items were obtained from Oak Park Police Department re ports dated Oct. 7 – 14 and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only 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

A guide to help you nd your polling place, learn about who’s running in your district and understand what’s on your ballot.

YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT RANKED CHOICE VOTING EXPLAINED PAGE 20

HOW TO FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE PAGE 19

ILLINOIS ’ BALLOT QUESTIONS DEMYSTIFIED PAGE 24

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE

Candidates often win without broad support

Negative campaigning is rewarded

Voters only get one choice per position

Vote splitting can defeat the most representative candidates

Majority winners are guaranteed

Positive campaigning is rewarded

Voters have more choice and therefore more voice

Votes can be transferred to candidates who share similar views

Cesar

Cesar Chavez Frederick Douglass

Benito Juárez

Benito Juárez

Where and how to vote in the November 2024 election

There are multiple options for making your voice heard in the elec tion

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Whether you’re on the fence about voting, unsure how to vote or adamant about making your heard, it’s essential to have all the deadlines, do and don’ ts in mind as the November 2024 g eneral election rolls around.

This year’s official Election Day is Nov. 5, where voters will decide not only the new President of the United States but also the outcome of numerous local-, state- and federal-level questions or races as well. But what are all the deadlines to make sure your ballot counts?

DEADLINES

To vote, the first step is to re gister. To re gister to vote in Illinois, you must be a United States citizen and a resident of Illinois at least 30 days before the election. You have to be 18 years old by the date of election. You cannot be serving a jail or prison sentence and cannot have claimed the right to vote anywhere else.

Qualified residents can re gister to vote online. The re gistration system will close at 11:59 p.m. Oct. 20 and reopen Nov. 7. Residents already re gistered to vote can also use this online portal to change their existing re gistration or double-check that they are all set.

To register to vote by mail, the application must be postmarked by Oct. 8. To register to vote in person, qualified residents can do so all the way up to and during Election Day on Nov. 5.

After re gistration, it’s important to decide how you want to vote and to have a voting plan in place. Some prefer to vote early to avoid the r ush and to have peace of mind ahead of time. Any qualified voter can do so at a site established by the election authority.

In suburban Cook County, voters can cast an early ballot starting Oct. 21 through Nov. 4 at the Oak Park Village Hall at 123 Madison St. Voting hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Residents of Oak Park and River Forest age 60 and up, or any age individual with a disability, can use the Oak Park Township’s curb-to-curb bus service from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to a village news release. The rides are first come, first served and can be scheduled up to a week in advance by calling the township.

Others like to vote by mail. To do so, a ballot has to be requested by mail between Aug. 7 and Oct. 31. In-person requests must be made by Nov. 4.

To ensure the mail-in ballot counts, it must be postmarked by Election Day on Nov. 5 and received within two weeks. Voters can also return their ballot in a drop box location, which can be found online, from Oct. 21 to Nov. 4.

Military personnel and United States citizens that are overseas have to follow additional requirements

WHERE TO VOTE

But if you want to vote in person on Election Day, it’s important to be prepared and know where to go. Voters can find their specific polling location for Election Day with the zip code and street address of their voter registration through the Illinois State Board of Elections.

OAK PARK

In Oak Park, there are 20 polling locations, all of which are classified as accessible:

■ Hatch Elementary School at 1000 N. Ridgeland Ave.

■ Whittier Elementary School at 715 N. Harvey Ave.

■ John Hedg es Administrative Center at 218 Madison St

■ Oak Park Public Library Maze Branch at 845 Gunderson Ave.

■ Abraham Lincoln Elementary School at 1111 S. Grove Ave.

■ Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary School at 508 N. Kenilworth Ave.

■ St. Giles Parish – McDonough Hall at 1101 Columbian Ave.

■ The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association at 178 Forest Ave.

■ Oak Park Public Library at 834 Lake St.

■ Oak Park and River Forest High School at 201 N. Scoville Ave.

■ Washington Irving Elementary School at 1125 S. Cuyler Ave.

■ William Beye Elementary School at 230 N. Cuyler Ave.

■ West Central SDA Church at 1154 Wisconsin Ave.

■ Longfellow Elementary School at 715 Highland Ave.

■ Oak Park Conservatory at 615 Garfield St.

■ Horace Mann Elementary School at 921 N. Kenilworth Ave.

■ Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School at 325 S. Kenilworth Ave.

■ Oak Park Township at 105 S. Oak Park Ave.

■ Park District of Oak Park Dole Center at 255 Augusta St.

■ Percy Julian Middle School at 416 S. Ridgeland Ave.

RIVER FOREST

In River Forest, there are four polling locations:

■ Roosevelt Middle School at 7560 Oak Ave.

■ Village of River Forest at 400 Park Ave.

■ River Forest Community Center at 8020 Madison St.

■ The Sheridan at River Forest at 800 N. Harlem Ave., which is not listed as accessible.

What is ranked choice voting and how could it work in Oak Park?

A guide to the binding referendum that will be on the ballot in November

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

In November, Oak Park residents will have the opportunity to vote to implement ranked choice voting for village board elections in a binding referendum.

What is ranked choice voting?

It is different from the way most people are used to voting. In Oak Park and most places in the United States, voters choose one candidate.

But ranked choice voting allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. If one candidate has a majority of votes, they win. But if no candidate has a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Voters who ranked that candidate as their first choice have their votes transfer red to their second choice. This re peats until one candidate has a majority.

How could it work in Oak Park?

If the referendum in Oak Park passes, by a simple majority, RCV would be used to elect village board members beginning in April 2027. This includes village trustees and the village president, but not the village clerk, board of education members, park district commissioners, township trustees, county commissioners, or any other offices.

Rebecca Williams, a statewide organizer with FairVote Illinois since August 2022, said they decided to limit the referendum to the village board because those positions tend to see multiple candidates running, meaning RCV could make more of a difference. Other positions, such as board of education members, etc., are also not

within Oak Park’s home rule legal ability to change.

In Oak Park, candidates for village president will have to receive 50% of the vote plus one of first rankings to win. But candidates for village trustee only have to receive 25% plus one of first rankings to win. If no candidate passes those thresholds, RCV will come into play

The village is not the first to adopt this voting system. Evanston was the first in the state to adopt ranked choice voting for local elections in November 2022 and is expected to implement the system in April 2025. If it is adopted here, Oak Park would be the second municipality in Illinois to

The referendum is binding, meaning if it is approved, it will be enacted as law. Oak Park can implement it because it’s a home rule municipality, meaning it can exercise any power unless specifically prohibited from doing so by state law. Voters can still choose to only vote for one candidate if they want. They can also still choose to write in a candidate.

“Volunteers have been working toward this milestone for months, and now we’re one step closer to bringing more choices and better re presentation to voters across the state of Illinois,” said Andrew Szilva, FairVote Illinois’ executive director, in a news release.

Who is behind the e ort?

Volunteers from FairVote Illinois, VOICE Oak Park, the League of Women Voters of Oak Park-River Forest and other Oak Parkers worked to g et enough signatures to ensure the RCV referendum would be on this f all’s ballot. To g et the question on the ballot, 1,900 signatures had to be collected, determined as 8% of votes cast for “governor” in the preceding election. FairVote Illinois submitted 3,254 signatures in August.

Ranked choice voting, according to FairVote Illinois, is the f astest-growing nonpartisan voting refo rm in the United

gives voters more choice, saves money spent on elections and discourages ne gative campaigning.”

Williams said FairVote Illinois is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to educate and advocate for RCV across the state.

“It’s also encouraging more choice on the candidate side,” Williams said. “Oak Park has had some history of occasionally candidates dropping out because they were concerned that they would split the voter, be spoilers, with other similar candidates. With ranked choice voting, that’s no longer so much of a concern.”

Bruce Lehman, an organizer for VOICE Oak Park since October 2017, said VOICE Oak Park was started to help give residents a greater voice in local gover nment. He said he got involved with the push for RCV mainly to help prevent vote splitting among candidates who have similar agendas

“When we told people what ranked choice voting does … there was a clear majority of the people who talked with us who thought that ranked choice voting should be adopted,” Lehman said.

Williams also said she’s optimistic the referendum will pass in Oak Park because residents were positive about it during the signature-gathering process. Municipal elections tend to have a low voter turnout, Williams pointed out. RCV will hopefully help voters feel that their voice matters, she said.

“Evanston chose RCV for their elections, and we’re confident that Oak Park will do the same,” Szilva said in the statement. “Fixing politics starts at the ballot box, and by working to bring RCV to Illinois, we’re working to ensure that voters’ voices are heard.”

Trustees Susan Buchanan, Ravi Parakkat and Brian Straw have endorsed RCV for Oak Park, along with for mer Village Clerk Teresa Powell.

Are there downsides to RCV?

Some criticisms of ranked choice voting are that it’s too complicated, that it’s too expensive to implement, that it violates the “one person, one vote,” system or that a vote might not count.

Ranking c andidates c an be more c omplicated than selecting one. But a ccording to an A laskans for Better E lections news release, 85% of A laskans found RC V “simple” in the 2022 C ong ressional special election. RankedVote also has an online example of how to use r anked choice voting

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE 2024

Eva Carson. On August 5, 2024, volunteers from FairVote Illinois and VOICE submitted 3,254 si gnatures to the Oak Park Village Clerk to put a ranked choice voting referendum on Oak Park’s November ballot.

Some argue it’s expensive to update voting equipment and training to implement ranked choice voting, according to RankedVote. But the upfront costs could eliminate the need for expensive r unof f elections, too.

There’s also a critique that RCV violates the “equality principle” or the “one person, one vote” system of democracy. But RCV does not allow a voter to cast multiple votes. It only allows the voter to show their preference among candidates to determine who receives their one vote.

Additionally, there’s an argument that if all the candidates a voter ranks are eliminated, their vote will not count. However, in a “regular” election, votes can still be exhausted when a voter chooses a candidate that doesn’t make it to the “final two.”

Could it be adopted beyond Oak Park?

In Illinois, the state is studying whether RCV is a viable election system. A task force was supposed to submit a re port by July 1, 2024, but the deadline was extended to June 30, 2025.

Williams also said FairVote Illinois is working to gather signatures for RCV in Skokie, too. Implementation of RCV might not change the makeup of local governments a ton, she said, but it will hopefully encourage more choice for voters and inspire more candidates to run.

“It’s been a common thing in cities where candidates are encouraged not to run in that cycle because of vote splitting,” she said. “There’s also certain areas, such as

Skokie, where there’s been very, very ne gative local campaigning. And with ranked choice voting, it tends to incentivize more civil campaigning because of the fact it’s no longer a zero-sum game.”

RCV would be more likely to represent Oak Park voters and elect candidates with the broadest support, Lehman said. He said that the more local municipalities adopt RCV, the more likely it could be to trickle up toward national elections.

Members of FairVote Illinois, VOICE Oak Park and the League of Women Voters of Oak Park-River Forest will be conducting educational ef for ts until Nov. 5 to inform Oak Park voters about RCV, Lehman said. If voters have questions or want to volunteer to help, they can also visit www. rcvforoakpark.org to learn more.

FAIRVOT E ILLINOIS

(from le to right) Rebecca Williams, Bruce Lehman, Manolo Avolos, Katie Stabb,

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE 2024

What to know about election security and fraud prevention

The Cook County Clerk’s O ce provides crucial information to voters

IBy LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

n the United States, there’s a common concern among voters about election security and the integrity of the voting process. It’s important to have the facts from a reliable source to trust in transparency of elections and to ensure your vote counts.

According to a NPR/PBS News/Marist poll published in October, 58% of Americans say they are very concerned or concerned that voter fraud will occur in the 2024 election.

So, how can their concerns be assuaged? With accurate information. The Cook County Clerk’s Office is one such reliable source that works on a local level to protect democracy by securing a fair election and preventing fraud.

Edmund Michalowski, deputy clerk of the elections division in the Cook County Clerk’s Office, said people need to have faith that an election is fair and free.

software to detect and block artificial intelligence, as well as preventing breaches.

“You have to come to a trusted source,” Michalowski said. “[Election-related information] is really a lot for people to take in. They just need to take a deep breath and understand that the Cook County Clerk’s elections department is here to help them.”

How does the Cook County Clerk’s O ce keep voters’ data secure?

The elections division in the Cook County Clerk’s Office has experts in election operations, logistics, cybersecurity and information technology. According to its website, there has never been a successful legal case taken against the division or its employees alleging fraud.

The Clerk’s Office also has a cybersecurity group, whose duty is to protect its networks, machinery, software and data. The office uses analytics and authentication

Threats from third parties around the world do come in and are more common with contentious presidential elections, Michalowski said. But if there ever is an issue with the technology or a cybersecurity concern, Michalowski said the office would lock down anything that could be vulnerable and resolve the issue.

“We’ve b een ve ry successful in blocking [ third pa rt y i nterference],” Michalowski said.

Voters concerned about election integrity can also participate as a poll watcher. Poll watchers can observe the conduct of the election in a polling place including by visually comparing voters’ signatures against their registration. Citizens can also serve as an election judge during early voting or on Election Day. Michalowski encouraged young voters to get involved with elections and help foster democracy by working in these roles. Interested parties can find more information at cookcountyclerkil.gov.

The public can also observe election recounts and testing of election equipment at the Clerk’s elections operations centers. And anyone can file election complaints with the Clerk’s Office or seek public election information through Freedom of Information Act requests

What are the voter quali c ations that prevent illegal voting?

Illinois requires identification to re gister to vote. To re gister to vote in Illinois, an individual must be a United States citizen, 18 years old by the general election date and a resident of Illinois for at least 30 days prior to the election. They also must submit two for ms of identification. T hose identifications do not have to be a photo ID but one must include the voter’s current address, Michalowski said. Some examples include a driver’s license, a state ID card, a student ID, a credit card,

a social security card, a utility bill or a bir th certificate.

On Election Day, a voter must provide their signature to confirm their identity. It’s a good idea for voters to update their signature at their polling place ahead of time to ensure there’s no confusion with their ballot.

When a person dies, the Clerk’s Office removes them from the list of re gistered voters. They do this by cross referencing the voter database against government death records or through family members contacting the office.

How can voters trust mail ballots?

When a voter applies for a mail ballot, the Clerk’s Office verifies their infor mation through re gistration records before mailing the ballot. When a voter receives it, the ballot must be signed on the exterior of the envelope before being mailed back or dropped off.

That signature is then verified by three bipartisan judges through re gistration records. These judges are trained in signature verification. If a signature is completely different, Michalowski said, the judges will ask for further identification.

Mail ballots are then counted after polls close on Election Day.

Mail ballots can be dropped of f at more than 50 early voting sites in Cook County. A licensed and bonded courier service picks up and delivers the ballots each day. The courier and an election judge at each location must ag ree on the number of ballots each day and place them in a sealed envelope for transport.

Voters can track their mail ballot to ensure it was counted through the Clerk’s Office. If a voter sees their ballot was not received or authenticated, there’s time to cure that ahead of time and produce any necessary identification.

“Our democracy depends on us,” Michalowski said. “It’s an honor to serve the citizens of Cook County.”

Who are the U.S. 7th District House candidates, Danny Davis and Chad Koppie?

Davis, the longtime incumbent, is up against Koppie for the U.S.

House’s 7th Distric t

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

One of the largest legislative offices on the ticket this election is that of the United States House of Representatives’ 7th District — a cong ressional seat that represents much of Chicago’s West Side, plus suburban Oak Park and Forest Park Incumbent Danny Davis and Chad Koppie will both be on the ballot for the position that is a two-year term.

In the March primary, Davis walked away with more than 52% of the Democratic vote, or more than 42,240 votes cast, according to Ballotpedia. Koppie, the lone Republican contender, gar nered more than 5,600 votes in the heavily Democratic area.

Here’s what to know about the candidates. Neither responded to interview requests by time of publication.

CHAD KOPPIE, REPUBLICAN

Chad Koppie is an Ar my veteran, retired Delta Airlines jet captain, and has been a far mer his whole life. Koppie has served on the Kane County Re gional Board of Schools since 2007 and as the board’s president. He was a Rutland Township trustee from 1983 to 1987, then a member of the District 300 School Board from 1987 to 1991. Koppie has run for the U.S. Senate multiple times — in 1992 for the Conserva tive Party of Illinois, in 1996 for the U.S. Taxpayers Party, and in 2008 for the Constitution Party.

U.S. REP. D ANNY DAVIS , INCUMBENT, DEMOCR AT

Davis has been a representative for the 7th District since 1997. He is the 24th longest- standing member of Congress, having sponsored nearly 7,000 bills and voted over 16,000 times in Congress.

Over his tenure, Davis has be come known as a powerful advocate for criminal justice reform, health care, education, women’s and LGBTQ rights.

He serves on several Caucasus including the Congressional Black munity Health Center’s Caucus, Equity Progressive Caucus, and the Urban Caucus Davis also co-chair of the Caucus on and signed the Second Chance Act during the Obama administration, which provided $1.2 billion to help to ex-offenders trying to re-enter public life. Davis’ work on criminal justice reform also includes ef for ts to remove federal student aid limitations for those with felony drug convictions.

hood Home Visiting program, ich funded $5.2 billion nationally and $119 million in Illinois to imfamily safety, along with the health of mothers and children. He also helped increase funding for the first time in 15 years to $3.55 billion for national guaranteed child care Davis consistently bring money to organizations in his district. Among others, these include Ashunti Residential Management Systems in Austin, which offers supportive ho were for merly homeless; Bethel New Life in Austin, a nonprofit with a community wellness hub; Mount Sinai Hospital for an expansion of its ICU. ts expand past helping with funding and grants. In February, he helped push for the home of Percy Julian, an Oak Park scientist, to become a national historic site.

Koppie’s website lays out his views on certain issues:

■ On the budget and economy, Koppie said he promises to fight for legislation that cuts all government spending, from every cabinet and agency, by at least 3% a year until the budget is balanced. He said he’s also for tax cuts and wants to abolish the Federal Reserve.

■ Koppie said he is anti-abortion and, if voted into Congress, vows to protect all human life. On his website, he speaks of a bill he wants to pass that would place restrictions on fathers’ driver’s licenses and credit cards — allowing them to only commute to work or medical appointments, and restrict the purchase of alcohol, until they are up-to-date on child support.

■ As a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, Koppie said he will defend the Second Amendment.

■ Koppie said he supports building a wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in arresting and deporting “all illegal aliens.”

■ Koppie said he supports a ceasefire in Ukraine, largely to increase grain and fertilizer exports from Russia and Ukraine.

When it comes to education, Davis has led effor ts to disaggregate education data to reveal disparities in the education of Black students. He’s also fought to protect educational opportunities for students with disabilities and those who are homeless or foster youth.

Davis is also a proponent of strengthening families, nationally and locally. He led the creation of the Maternal Infant and Early Child-

Over the last year, Davis was reappointed to the Committee on Ways and Means. He’s also the Subcommittee Ranking Member of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee. In 2021, the subcommittee reduced U.S. child poverty by 50%, according to Davis

Before becoming a member of Cong ress, Davis was an educator and community organizer. He also served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners and was alderman of the 29th Ward.

What are the tax, reproductive rights and elections interference questions on my ballot this year?

The state will ask voters three questions in November. Here’s what they mean

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

This election season, most eyes are on the biggest race of them all: the presidential race. As important as it is to make your pick b etween Vi ce President K amala Harris and for mer President Donald Trump, I llinois residents are also bein g asked to we igh in on matters that do n’ t involve a choice b etween candidates

Come Election Day, your ballot will ask you to vote on three statewide ballot measures, the maximum number allowed under state law. All three are considered advisory questions, meaning Illinois officials will not be bound by the results; instead, the questions are intended to give the state a sense of how voters feel about each subject. Sometimes, ballot measures can be worded in ways that are confusing or may cause people to vote the opposite way that they intend to. Luckily, all three in Illinois this year are worded affirmatively, so a “yes” vote means you support the initiative in question while a “no” vote means you oppose it

ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE

The first question is on the topic of assisted re productive health care. Voters will be asked whether “medically assisted re productive treatments” should be covered by any health insurance plan in the state that provides full pregnancy coverage. The question itself mentions in vitro fertilization, one of the most common fertility treatments.

ELEC TION INTERFERENCE

The third question on the ballot considers recourse in cases of election interference. Voters will be asked if candidates up for election on ballots in Illinois — for all races, not just those at the state or local level — should be subject to civil penalties if they attempt to interfere or do interfere with the of ficial duties of an election worker. The question specifies civil penalties, which most often take the form of fines

According to the Center for Disease Control, its preferred ter m, “assisted re technology,” includes any fe treatment that involves handling ovarian eggs or embryos. Treatments that involve someone taking medicine to encourage egg production and those where only sperm is handled, such as artificial insemination, are not included

T he second ballot measure, on the subject of income tax, is relatively straightforward. Voters will be asked if Illinois should amend its constitution to create a new 3% tax on income above $1 million. If voters pass the ballot measure and Illinois of ficials choose to follow through, funds raised by the extra tax will be earmarked and dedicated to property tax relief

All three ballot measures were approved by the Illinois General Assembly in May as part of Public Act 103-0586. In approving these three questions, state lawmakers rejected a fourth advisory question.

Under Illinois law, when more than three measures are submitted for inclusion on ballots, the state operates by a first-come-first-serve policy, meaning this question was the last one to be initiated. for Disease Co eproductive fertility andling king se

According to WBEZ, the state estimates it will rake in at least $4.5 billion each year if such a tax goes into ef fect.

That question would have asked voters if any person or entity, including schools and clinics, would require the written consent of a minor’s parent or guardian before it can provide non-emergency medical services or any services related to gender identity or “modification,” including therapy.

3% TAX ON WEALTHIEST CITIZENS

Who are Robert Sumrell Jr. and Kimberly Lightford?

The two are running for the State Senate’s 4th Distric t

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

The race for the State Senate’s 4th District is between Kimberly Lightford, the Democratic incumbent, and Republican Robert Sumrell Jr.

Illinois’ 4th District covers Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, plus parts of Oak Park and Forest Park. Here’s what voters should know about Lightford and Sumrell. Neither candidate responded to interview requests by publication.

Lightford was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1998.

She’s considered a champion of education issues and has been a part of the Senate Education Committee for 22 years as a sitting member, vice chair, or chair.

Lightford is credited with starting Illinois’ universal preschool for all progr and, in 2000, helped to require the State Board of Education to give students access to breakfast at school. In 2009, she aided in establishing the Illinois Hope and Opportunity Pathways through Education Program, helping re-enroll students who dropped out of high school.

Lightford is also well-known for supporting fair pay.

She was the lead sponsor in the legislation that, in 2003, established the Illinois’ Equal Pay Act. In 2018, Lightford helped pass the African American Equal y Act. Last year, she sponsored legislation guaranteeing paid leave for Illinois rkers.

According to her website, Lightford helped pass a measure in 2019 to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025.

Sumrell Jr. served in the Navy and has a master’s Public Health Administration. His current work involves assisting the elderly and disabled, according to his website.

If elected to the State Senate’s 4th District, Sumrell Jr. said he would prioritize creating more resources and addressing immi tion. His website lays out his views on a few key issues:

■ He promises to advocate for equal educational resources and opportunities.

■ He said he doesn’t think Lightford has transparently addressed migrants coming to her district and wants more opportunities related to migrants.

■ If elected, he will provide grants and resources to local entrepreneurs through his Back to Business Reform initiative. He will also address abandoned buildings in his district and find g rants to rebuild communities

In 2017, in an ef fort to reduce teen suicide and address mental health, Lightford led the ef fort requiring schools to perform social and emotional screenings for students as a part of their entry exams.

In 2019, Lightford became the first Black woman to serve as Illinois Senate Majority Leader. From 2015 to 2021, she was Joint Chairman of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, where she led the caucus’ ef fort in creating an agenda to eliminate systemic racism in Illinois.

■ Sumrell Jr. wants police reform and to address law enforcement’s implicit bias through retraining, education and wellness checks for police.

■ He is against new taxes without refor ms and vows to address District 4’s fiscal challenges.

KIMBERLY LIGHTFORD, DEMOCR AT

ROBERT SUMRELL JR., REPUBLICAN

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE 2024

Who is running for Cook County State’s Attorney?

Eileen O’Neill Burke, B ob Fioretti and Andrew Charles Kopinski are running for the o ce vacated by Kim Foxx, who is stepping down

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

In April last year, Kim Foxx announced she wouldn’t seek reelection this November after two terms as Cook County state’s attorney. Now, others are stepping up to the plate to take her place.

Eileen O’Neill Burke will be on the ballot as the Democratic candidate after beating Clayton Harris III in the primary elections by less than 2,000 votes.

Bob Fioretti, who ran uncontested in the primaries, is the Republican candidate. Andrew Charles Kopinski is running as a Libertarian. Here’s what to know about each of the candidates in this race.

EILEEN O’NEILL BURKE, DEMOCR AT

O’Neill Burke has spent more than 30 years as a defense attorney, judge and prosecutor. She wo as a Cook County assistant state’s attorney for a decade, where she served as supervisor in appeals and argued cases.

She was then a criminal defense attorney for about eight years, resenting people in felonies, ju nile court and misdemeanor court.

In 2008, O’Neill Burke ran trial court, where she served ting elected to the First District Appellate Court in Cook County, a position she stepped down from last year to run for this of fice.

“I have b een on every single s ide of the j ustice system. I have b een in every corner of the c ourtroom, and I have seen the vantage point from every different angle that you c an,” O’Neill Burke said. “I know wh at wo rk s and wh at d oesn’t wo rk , and that’s why I decided to ste p down and r un for this offic e, because experience is needed right now. ”

prolific these guns are, just by enforcing the law,” O’Neill Burke said.

She also mentions supporting, but amending, the Safe-T Act, which Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law in 2021 and cently amended, ending cash bail in Illinois two years later

But the Safe-T Act also changed the state’s attorney role in pretrial detention. Before the judge makes a determination, the state’s attorney needs to file a petition to detain. If they don’t, the judge can’t detain the defendant, even if they’re a serial killer, O’Neill Burke said.

“It’s become exponentially more important who the state’s attorney is and that they are implementing criteria, procedures and training for those people who are in the detention courts,” O’Neill Burke said.

If elected, O’Neill Burke promises to recruit for County’s Restorative Justice Bureau, expanding restorat justice and deferred prosecution programs. These progr are a collaborative approach where the judge, state’s ney and defense attorney work together to decide how to help those committing nonviolent offenses back on track.

“I’m a believer in these programs because I’ve seen them work,” O’Neill Burke said. “The recidivism rates are significantly less than those going through a re gular felony trial call.” And restorative justice programs often cost a fraction of what it does to incarcerate someone, she said.

ROBERT W. FIORET TI , REPUBLICAN

100 state verdicts, federal verdicts and appellate cour t decisions.

T he main i ssues that O’Neill Burke is r unning on include removing g uns from the streets, a ddressing the root c auses of c rime and rebuilding the State’s A ttorney ’s Of fic e.

O’Neill Burke said Chicago saw 764 shootings this summer. She said many of these shootings weren’ t with handguns, but with guns that have a switch and extended magazine, making gunfire harder to control. She favors an assault weapons ban.

“We can change the behavior, and we can change how

If elected, O’Neill Burke has also committed to creating a Choice Protection Unit at the State’s Attorney’s Office.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned in the Supreme Court in 2022, giving states the right to outlaw abor tions, Illinois saw a 70% increase in abortions last year, including many where people crossed state lines to access the Cook County Health system – the largest provider of reproductive services to women in Illinois, according to O’Neill Burke.

With the influx of people coming to Illinois for abor tions, “It’s not a question of if we are also going to have people coming here from out of state to interfere with those services. It’s a question of when,” O’Neill Burke said.

So, she has helped develop a task force of service providers, politicians and Planned Parenthood employees to discuss how to address ordinance violations like picketing, and criminal charges like stalking and harassment, plus legislation to prevent them.

O’Neill Burke said that restorative justice programs and a Choice Protection Unit will help the State’s Attorney’s Office to recruit law students for an office that is understaffed — mainly in the felony trial division, which Burke said is the most important division.

O’Neill Burke said she would triage the felony trial division to ensure those attorneys have adequate support. She would do this by inviting retired judges and state’s attorneys to come help train those attorneys.

“I’ve tried cases in every courtroom in Cook County,” Fioretti said, including some in sur rounding counties and throughout Illinois.

Fioretti also won the election to serve as Alderman of the 2nd Ward on the Chicago City Council in 2007 and 2011. And he served as 2nd Ward Democratic committeeman for two ter ms

T he first week of October, Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. endorsed Fioretti for state’s attor ney.

If elected, Fioretti said he’ll enforce the law as w ritten.

“I’m not going to coddle violent criminals,” he said. He added that he’ll work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to remove immigrants who have committed violent crimes.

“The current philosophy in that office, and including for my Democratic opponent, is that the criminal defendant is the good guy, the police are the bad guys, and the victims don’t count,” Fioretti said. “I am definitely looking to change that and, at the same time, restore the rule of law and break the cycle of crime and cor ruption that we see is so prevalent.”

Fioretti also said he would also pursue politicians who participate in day-to-day corruption that passes as standard practices, bolstering the office’s investigative division. He said he’s been putting together a team of people working in investigative areas on how

Kopinski has work accountant, attorney, entr neur and real estate broker. His legal career has largely centered around transactional law involving real estate, asset protection and debt collection.

“Alarming trends in crime have shifted my attention and focus on criminal la Kopinski, who is near ished with his associate’s degree in law enforcement and criminal justice at Oakton Colle ge in Des Plaines

Kopinski said he decided to run to improve the decreasing quality of ing from crime in the area.

“Crime has spread out from certain high crime areas,” Kopinski said. carjackings and shootings are taking previously high-quality areas,” he said.

GENERAL ELECTION

Kopinski said his biggest goal would be to decrease these crimes “to help significantly reduce violent crime and property crime in Cook County so that the people feel safer and more optimistic. They will want to continue to live and do business in Cook County.”

When it comes to the current state of the office, Kopinski has a list of things he’d like to change.

“The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is not working well, as evidenced by the high turnover rate and the increase in property crime in Cook County,” Kopinski said. “High-quality prosecutors, like those at the top of other professions, work hard and are determined to contribute to society to make it better by pursuing justice against criminals.”

Foxx’s soft-on-crime policies, he adds, are “demoralizing” for these prosecutors.

they take tips and follow up with leads.

Fioretti said he’ll help get illegal guns of f the streets by working with law enforcement and organizations that are currently in place to prevent gun violence. To tackle the issue, he said he’ll meet with those in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, plus other federal and state agencies that address gun violence.

Re garding the Safe-T Act, Fioretti said that judges need more discretion when it comes to pretrial detention.

“Some of the crimes — such as aggravated battery upon a police officer, aggravated battery on an elderly individual, the illegal

lthough the Protect Illinois ommunities Act, passed at the start of 2023, requires citire gister assault weappinski said he doesn’t think those who fail to do so should be prosecuted, according to WTTW

According to his website, pinski opposes increasing penalties for gun possession. When it comes to the Safe-T ’t support the eliminaash bail. He said it sends the mesthat Illinois is soft on crime, and that a low bail should be instated instead. pinski said that he also wouldn’t continshoplifting cases, which elon must have stolen at least ve 10 prior convictions to be prosecuted. He said he would revert to the $300 threshold before prosecution.

Policies Kopinski supports includes creating opportunities to reduce prison stays, limiting or prohibiting police officers’ roles as School Resource Officers, reclassifying low-level drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors, plus deprioritizing prosecution for cannabis possession, consensual sex work, and driving without an up-to-date license or re gistration.

Kopinski said he would engage with those he represents through online communication and town halls to ensure that he is held accountable.

“I will consider supporting reasonable reform proposals that promote transparency and lead to the implementation of best practices and evidence-based decision making, which will serve Cook County best,” Kopinski said.

possession of a machine gun — are types of crimes that need to have detainable offenses,” Fioretti said, though they don’t currently under the Safe-T Act.

Like his opponents, Fioretti would also aim to increase staffing at the State’s Attorney’s Office, he said by welcoming back prosecutors who resigned from Foxx’s office.

“I’m going to stand up for victims and return professionalism to the State’s Attorney’s Office,” he said. “People will know where I stand, how we want to administer justice, how we seek justice for the victims in this county.”

Essential Civics

ANDREW CHARLES KOPINSKI , LIBER TARIAN

GENERAL ELECTION GUIDE 2024

Leslie Collazo takes on La Shawn Ford in the 8th District House race

The incumbent faces a challenge from newcomer Collazo, a real estate agent

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

The Illinois House of Representatives’ 8th District covers Chicago’s West Side, along with Brookfield, Forest Park, North Riverside, Oak Park and Proviso Township.

The battle for the two-year ter m for the state House seat will be between La Shawn Ford, who has represented the 8th District since 2007, and real estate agent Leslie Collazo

INCUMBENT LA SHAWN FORD, DEMOCR AT

A licensed teacher and real estate broker, Ford was motivated to run again to represent the 8th District because, he said, he can now do more as a legislator than before

“Knowing what I know now, and knowing the process of Springfield and the relationships that I built, it just makes me a stronger member,” Ford said. “I have the ability now to get things done that I couldn’t get done when I was first elected.”

For example, although Ford has been pushing for a comprehensive high school in Austin since he first became a state representative, he only recently started building coalitions of House and Senate members who support such a high school, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Emanuel “Chris” Welch.

Ford has been a big proponent of education and hopes to create a new high school in Austin while continuing to support Michele Clark Magnet High School. Throughout his tenure, Ford has sponsored legislation for educational summer programs for students performing below grade level and to increase access to early childhood education and care

Another one of Ford’s goals, if he is reelected, is to continue connecting locals with employment oppor tunities. He said a big way to implement that is by building and supporting small businesses

Ford created Illinois’ Small Business Empowerment and Workforce Development Task Force and created a loan program for ex-offenders who start businesses. In addition to re gularly hosting small business summits and job fairs, Ford also for med the State Representative La Shawn K. Ford’s Business Growth and Creation Committee to offer training and resources to businesses.

Ford also wants to pass more health care legislation if he wins another term. In previous years, Ford has passed legislation sup-

porting HIV/AIDS patients and led efforts to improve care for Alzheimer’s patients

As co-founder of the West Side Heroin Task Force, Ford works to prevent drug use on the West Side. He’s also led efforts to make sure health insurance companies cover recovery housing for those dealing with substance abuse.

Ford is working with the general assembly to make it so that those struggling with substance abuse who are arrested can go to a treatment center instead of jail, and he is collaborating with the West Side Heroin Task Force to create public policy

“Incarcerating a person in a county jail is way more costly to taxpayers than making sure that we get people on the road to recovery,” Ford said.

In late 2022, Ford proposed House Bill 0002, which proposes the opening of pilot overdose prevention sites in Illinois, where people can go for supervised consumption and access to behavioral health experts.

Ford views most of the legislation he’s a part of through social justice and civil rights lens

Ford worked with the Black Caucus to eliminate cash bail last year. He created a commission to address the economic problems in Black communities and passed legislation prohibiting employers from paying Black employees lower wages.

Ford has also introduced bills to help integrate ex-offenders back into society. He introduced the State Employment Application Act, which would make it so state employers can’t ask if an applicant has been convicted of a non-violent criminal offense. To increase employment for ex-offenders, Ford passed legislation allowing ex-offenders to seal criminal records for some non-violent offenses. He was the chief House sponsor of legislation that provides grants for those who are exonerated of their crimes to attend a public college

Ford also said he wants to see improvements in public safety on the West Side. He said he supports increased police presence in areas with high rates of violence and advocates for the Chicago Police Department to undergo an audit to evaluate their response times, and to make recommendations on improving those times in communities of color

Other initiatives Ford said he’s working toward include allowing people in prison to vote, which he’s been pushing for over a decade, plus advocating for voter ID cards with photos and for psychedelics as a medical resource for those with PTSD

Ford hopes that, if reelected, he can build more coalitions around these issues, something he said takes time but provides support for legislation.

“Before you ever try to attempt to build public policy and get people on your side, you have to first let people know who you are, and it takes years for people to connect,” Ford said. “Running again is an opportunity for me to go back and be a stronger voice for the 8th District.”

LESLIE COLL AZ O, REPUBLICAN

Leslie Collazo was born and raised in Chicago and currently lives in North Austin. She said she decided to run for the Illinois House of Re tives as a way to impact policy change her neighbors.

“I just reached a point where I felt li I could no longer sit on the sidelines with the political climate Collazo said. “I just want to see the families and citizens in the district thriving, because we’re not thriving right now under the current policies that we’re living under.”

Currently in real estate, Collazo has a background in teaching at a charter school and in the nonprofit sector.

“Working in the nonprofit world, you really have to leverage all the resources that you have and do a lot with very little,” Collazo said about a skillset she’s developed. She said she’s worked closely with the community and small businesses to pool resources and improve neighborhoods.

Collazo’s platform includes improving the economy for working class families like hers and lowering taxes.

She also wants to increase support for first responders, who she said are understaffed and overworked.

“If I’m having an emergency in my home, I can’t af ford to wait 15, 20, 30 minutes for law enforcement to arrive,” Collazo said. She added that, while it was great to see the Chicago Police Department step up for the DNC, “the people in my community felt like we could use that type of support in our neighborhoods that are riddled with crime right now.”

Collazo also said she supports small businesses and said, if elected, she’ll work to grow those businesses, rather than them shutting down. Collazo sees small businesses struggling to offer their employees health

care and other benefits, and g etting enough financing to purchase properties

When it comes to education, Collazo said her philosophy revolves around the f amily unit.

“When children have a supportive, loving, nur turing, structured environment in their home, they can achieve great things in sports, in school,” Collazo said. “We can give kids state-of-the-art schools with teachers who have doctorate de grees and all the technology and all the cool things. But at the end of the day, if they don’t have the support that they need in the home… how do they show up in these great facilities that we provide?”

One of the ways Collazo would look to provide more support at home is through transportation, since many parents have to take their kids to school themselves with CPS’ bus driver shortage

Collazo also said she believes in families having a choice where to send their kids.

As someone who’s seen how selective enrollment schools operate, Collazo said she wants to see all Chicago Public Schools workin g at that level of excellence.

“I do n’ t know if they ’re f ully f unded differently, but even where they lack in f unding, they have such an active bo dy of parents who are willing to j ump in and p ut some time and ef fo rt in to supp lement where there’s gaps in the budg et,” C ollazo said of how she’d li ke to see selective enrollment schools emulated S he a dded that she knows it ’s more of a c omplex i ssue than parental pa rt icipation, wh ich many don’ t have the time for, but it is possibl e.

While Collazo reco gnizes that if elected,

Collazo’s ght to run

Collazo jumped in the race for the State House’s 8th District after the primary elections. She joined as a slated candidate, a legal process where a candidate can petition to get on the ballot after the primaries.

But as she gathered signatures, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill to eliminate the slating process.

So, Collazo filed a lawsuit against the Illinois State Board of Elections. A circuit court in Springfield ruled in favor of Collazo, and the Illinois Supreme Court upheld that decision.

“Had that bill gone into effect,” Collazo said, “La Shawn Ford would have been the only candidate on the ballot for this office, and the choice for voters would have been made for them.”

“I felt that that was really unfair to the voter and robbing them of having a choice,” Collazo added. “Options are always good, and now they have one.”

she’ ll need administrative assistance to field constituents’ feedback, right now, her phone number is on all her campaign material, and she personally answers emails.

“I’m just your average citizen who is suffering alongside my neighbor,” Collazo said. “I’m definitely an underdog in this race, but I have heart, and I really care.”

Essential Civics

Essential Civics

Democracy, Accountability, Equity, Connection, Civility

This week, as Election Day nears, Growing Community Media publishes our Election Guide.

Where to vote, how to cast a ballot, reporting on key races and important local referendums in each of our communities.

We are also carrying the invaluable 2024 Judicial Election Guide published by our partners at Injustice Watch.

All part of the essential civics a strong local newspaper provides its readers.

At Growing Community Media we work hard to foster five core values:

Democracy. Accountability. Equity. Connection. Civility.

Our readers from the West Side to Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, Brookfield and Riverside turn to us for news and information that is fairly reported, offers context on complex issues and which nurtures connections that grow community.

Thank you for your trust. Thank you for being part of our reader supported newsroom.

COLLECTION OF CHICAG O HISTORY MUSEUM Hedrich-Blessing, Photographed by Bill Hedrich, December 1937 for Architectural Forum. Edgar Kaufmann residence, Fallingwater, Mill Run, PA.

Driehaus Museum exhibition, ‘Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright,’ showcases lesser-known side of the famous architect

By LACE Y SIKORA Contributing Reporter

Chicago’s Driehaus Museum’s upcoming exhibit on architect Frank Lloyd Wright will explore the famous architect through his own photos, as well as photos of others of his iconic works. Opening on Oct. 24 and running through Jan. 5, 2025, the exhibit is the first of its kind to examine Wright’s relationship to photography.

Guest curator David Hanks said that it

Green, WI circa 1937.

can sometimes seem like there is little more for the world to discover about Wright. He noted that most people in Chicago are very familiar with Wright ading, “Almost nothing is new.”

While people might have seen some of the previously published photos that other photographers took of Wright’s work, people don’t realize that Wright was a photographer himself, Hanks said.”

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust is a collaborating partner in the exhibit, and Hanks said that the trust shared the album

from Wright’s 1905 trip to Japan, which is one of the most important albums of his photographs.

The trust also provided photos from Wright’s Home & Studio that capture Wright and his family.

The first part of the exhibit focuses on Wright’s photos as the architect experimented with the new hobby of photography. Along with photos from Wright’s 1905 trip to Japan, Hanks chose photos from the Avery Library Collection at Columbia University, which purchased the architect’s ar-

chives from Taliesin.

Some of Wright’s nature photography from the 1890’s is showcased too. Hanks said he was excited about a photo originally featured in House Beautiful magazine that pictures the weeds and flowers in front of Wright’s Oak Park home.

The trust contributed more than photos to the exhibit.

“The most exciting thing for me is that the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust lent one of See WRIGHT EXHIBIT on pa ge 33

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IMAG E COURTESY OA+D ARCHIVES, HENRY FUERMANN AND SONS FRANK LLOY D WRIGHT NEGATIVE COLLECTION Midway Gardens, 1914.

WRIGHT EXHIBIT

Behind the lens

from page 31

the dining room chairs from the Home and Studio dining room to the exhibit,” Hanks said. “It’s always interesting to take something out of its original context. You put it up on a platform, and it becomes a piece of sculpture.”

Also included in the exhibit are photos Wright took of the Hillside Home School in Wisconsin, which was owned by his aunts. Hanks said the photos of the progressive school are interesting because they show people in everyday activities such as sports or cooking

The second part of the exhibit covers photographers who documented Wright’s career

Architectural photographer Henry Fuermann photographed Wright’s Prairie years.

“We have Fuermann’s own camera,” Hanks said. “We try to show a little bit of the technology because that interested Wright. He often worked closely with the photographers.”

Moving on to Wright’s work on Midway gardens and the first Taliesin, the exhibit showcases the work of Julius Shulman, who captured a lot of Wright’s later work in California

Hanks said that photographers Edmund Teske and Torkel Korling are less well-known but were considered artist’s photographers. It raises the argument, he said: “Is architectural photography art itself or just showing of f the architecture?”

Teske photographed Taliesin at Spring Green, Taliesin West and then the Hollyhock House in California, living on the estate grounds for several years.

Korling photographed the Johnson Wax Headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin for Life Mag azine in 1939.

Llewelly n, c. 1907, photograph attributed to Wright.

Hanks also pointed out the photography of HedrichBlessing, Ken Hedrich and Henry Blessing, who captured Wright’s work.

Hedrich was engaged to photograph Falling Water in Pennsylvania.

“He had to put on wading boots to get that famous view,” Hanks said. “This is one of the most iconic architectural photos of all time.”

Photographer Pedro Guerrero met Wright in 1939 and photographed Wright’s work, including the Usonian designs, until the architect died in 1959.

Ezra Stoller worked in the 1950s and 1960s and captured iconic photos of the Guggenheim Museum, Wright’s final commission before his death.

Aver y Coonley Residence, Riverside, Illinois, 1907. Frank Lloyd Wright, architect, Henr y Fuermann, photographer.

Tickets for visiting the Driehaus Museum include access to the exhibit Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright and can be purchased two weeks in advance at: https://driehausmuseum.org/

During the duration of the exhibit, the Driehaus Museum and the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust will offer reciprocal member benefits that include admission to the Driehaus Museum, the Robie House Museum and Wright’s Home and Studio.

COLLECTION OF FRANK LLOY D WRIGHT TRUST, CHIC AG O/ PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANK LLOY D WRIGHT West gate, Higashi-Honganji Temple, Nagoya-Betsuin, Nagoya.

Ken Trainor at 613-3310

ktrainor@wjinc.com

One green symphony

Sleeping on a wind-smoothed rock Lie seeds scattered, splattered there. Seeds holding deeds that bear secret plans Of places to rise on sacred lands That slumber until the time ar riv es for fresh irruptions Of nati ve peace and panting, chanting celebrations.

Voices skimming trembling needles, Stinging, singing in green bree zes. Whistling hollows with listening deer, And grey-white wolves with peaked ears And bears who stalk and saunter-listen And squirrels who know the ancient tunes That long have played in rhythmic intervals of forest rain.

All is music in the woods. The wind car ries many notes, Blending them into one green symphony.

When I was a kid, Berwyn called itself “The City of Trees.” Trees mattered, well before the green movement. The massive yellow maple across the street from our old house on Clarence now rises higher than ever over the block’s bungalows. We called it “the Mann’s tree,” after the family whose now older adult son still owns the place. We’d marvel at the soaring maple’s immensity and beauty. Thinking back on it now, my sister Annie says, “I fell in love with trees because of it.”

For fun, I would climb the rising, strong, bark-covered ar ms in the backyard. I’d sit in our tree’s upper branches and call down to Dad when he came out of the garage, returning home from R.R. Donnelley’s by the lake, where he wo rked

W hen Dutch Elm Disease hit, people suf fered the loss of many arboreal friends; they planted oaks, maples, syc amores and other varieties in barren spaces left by the elms’ passing .

After I got my driver’s license, I’d head west toward Bemis Woods, turn off Ogden Avenue, park and walk alone With leaves and twigs crunching under my gym shoes, I didn’t think of it the way I do now, but being out there among the trees, plants, birds, and furry critters did stir me to the point where I seized on Forestry as my first colle ge major Later, I realized while studying Wood Science that my attachment to the forest went beyond what hard science could get at. I switched to psychology, added community development, and later, political science; each of these disciplines, along with my evolving faith and musical sensibilities,

Indecisive

Stand with the Banned

Picture your favo rite teacher or l ibrarian. Maybe this person recommended a book you love d so much as a kid that you now read the story to your own children.

Maybe this person of fered you the firs t story that made you feel seen, valued and impor tant.

Now imagine your favo rite teacher or librarian in jail because they handed a child a cheerful picture b ook called Everywhe re Bab ies or Dim Sum fo r Everyone . Ridiculous? Impossible? Not if Donald Trump and his Pr oject 2025 friends get their way.

Project 2025 is a 900-plus page policy guide vomited up by ghouls at the Heritage Foundation.

This guide — pa cked with plans to tur n the U. S. i nto a violent, Christian-nationalist dy stopia — is i ntended to help Trump become a dictator should he win the presidency. (Trump claims he has nothing to do with Project 2025, though more than 100 for mer/future Trump staf fers wo rked on the guide and Trump is on video endorsing the plans).

Project 2025 calls to de po rt 15-20 million people; abolish the De par tment of Education, the FDA, the EPA, and the Fe deral Reser ve ; end the Af fordable Care Act; fire 50,000 federal wo rkers; defund the FBI; ban contrac ep tives and no-fault d ivo rce — and this only scratches the surface

What Project 2025 also does is redefin e po rn og raphy.

Fr om Project 2025: “Por no gr ap hy, manifested tod ay in the omnipresent propag ation of transgender ideolo gy and sexualization of children … has no c laim to First Amendment protection. It s purveyors are child predators. ”

What does this mean? It means that in a Trump presidency, that one judgy je rk you avo id at block pa rt i es can label any book he doesn’t li ke as “porno gr ap hy ” or “C RT ” and declare anyone wh o of fers that book is a “g r oomer” or “brain-washer.”

L ibrarians and teachers could be fired, prosecuted and/or forced to re gister as sex of f enders simply for putting books on their shelves

It ’s absurd. It ’s anti-American. But because of the ve ry people involved with Project 2025, it ’s already happening. Since 2021, book bans have exploded across the countr y, with thousands of titles and authors targeted. Teachers have been fired and libra ri ans bombarded with rape and death threats. According to Pen America, “Three states have passed laws that would treat librarians as criminals for refusing to pull books from their shelves, and 17 more states are considering … similar le gislation. ”

You would be hard-pressed, we believe, to find a homeowner in Oak Park who did not believe, likely with a passion, that climate change is real and that humans are fueling this catastrophe.

Most villagers also buy in, we believe, to the reality that changes each individual makes in their own lives, their own choices will collectively have an impact. So whether that is composting, recycling, buying an EV, or leaving their leaves on the ground, most villagers ag ree they have a role to play.

TRAINOR Supporting climate coaches

That said, we’re sure the average Oak Park homeowner is also befuddled and overwhelmed when it comes to making a plan that will make their own homes a positive contributor to the village’s overarching goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030.

People in older homes, and that’s most of us, want to do good when it is time to re place windows, add solar panels, change out their HVAC and their water heater, or any of the other myriad opportunities to do better for the Earth.

But it is complicated. Few of us are experts. And we all have pragmatic concerns about costs and priorities.

One of the most i nnovative ef for ts out of the Oak Pa rk Climate Action N etwork, a volunteer group, is to provide oneon-one climate c oaching with homeowner s. This might be a 30-minute p hone c all or providing refe rr als to c ontractors fo r a specific project.

Derek Eder, a leader of OPCAN, allows that he couldn’t install a heat pump to save his life but, he says, “I know who those contractors are. I know what they can do. I know what it costs. I know some of the steps, as a homeowner, you have to go through to do it.” What the volunteer coaches can do, he says, is get wellintentioned homeowners “unstuck” in reaching their climaterelated goals. Among the topics a climate coach can explain is where to go for existing grants, tax credits and rebates which a homeowner can tap if they know where to look.

Now OPCAN has gone to Oak Park’s village board asking for its help in growing its communication, education and outreach ef forts, which support the ambitious village-adopted Climate Ready Oak Park plan.

This progr am launched in s pring 2024. It already has 17 c oaches at the ready and has rece ived 50 requests for advic e. Now it needs more suppo rt from a village b oard that appear s to be enthusiasti c.

“What this program shows me,” said Trustee Lucia Robinson, “is that you guys are creating three-dimensional touchpoints. You’re talking to people, you’re giving them realistic, practical suggestions. … There’s no real substitute for having the type of energy and the grassroots effort that you guys bring to this.”

We agree.

Praying (again) for a happy ending

I decided to look back at 2020 to see what I wrote about just before that momentous election. Turns out it fits 2024 remarkably well:

When all the world is a hopeless jumble

And the raindrops tumble all around Heaven opens a magic lane.

When all the clouds darken up the sk yway

There’s a rainbow highway to be found Leading from your windowpane

To a place behind the sun

Just a step beyond the rain …

Yip Harburg, lyricist

KEN

You know the rest. “Over the Rainbow,” an apt song for this moment. After last week’s wild ride — the Trump Talkathon at the debate, his bout with the Coronavirus and with less than a month till Election Day — a lot of people are on the verge of meltdown. Time to get down on our knees.

I’m guessing many people are praying — for the President’s recovery, for the President to shut up, for the President to lear n a lesson in humility, for Joe Biden to stay healthy, for this four-year nightmare to be over. If birds can fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why, can’t the rest of us?

I pray that this country can conduct a free and fair election with all the ballots counted and with all those who want to vote allowe d to cast thei r b allot. I pray for a landslide so there is no question about the le gitimacy of the results and so the E lectoral Colle ge can’ t steal its third election this c entur y. And I pray that the results ar rive in a timely manner. Sometime that week would be appreciated. I pray that the results signal a rebirth of democra cy so gove r nment of the people, by the p eople and for the people can rise from the ashes of Trump ’s scorched-earth tenure.

It has been a long year — with three months still to go — so many of us are very likely praying pretty hard. I pray even though I don’t believe. Not in the traditional sense of petitioning a personal God who answers requests

But praying is a good way to articulate deepest longings — what we want, what we think we need, or merely what we wish. I define praying as full-hearted yearning. Often, though, my wording is inexact. I pray for good outcomes, when what I really need is courage on the front end. The courage to do my best, re gardless of the outcome, is all I can really ask.

In the Christmas film, The Bishop’s Wife, the angel tells the bishop that his prayer at the outset of the story has been granted. The bishop says that isn’t

true. He was praying for a grand cathedral on the hill. The angel re plies, “No, Henry, you prayed for guidance and that has been given to you.”

C ourage and guidance are good things to pray fo r. And gr ace — to handle life ’s dif ficulties. And help I pray for help mostly when I’m at the end of some rope. Or when I bump up ag ainst a ceiling, an apparent d ead-end, and know I’ ve reached my limits. The poet Rilke wrote, “Go to the limits of your longing.” He didn’t say wh at happens those limits. Th at ’s when I ask for help — usually in the da rk hours of the early mor ning . My prayers don’t scale rhetorical heights. They’re simple. Sometimes I say it out loud because it feels more focused: “I could really use some help.” Almost a statement of fact. Memo to myself But also a call — I do n’ t know to whom or to wh at. All I know is that I direct it outward, past the limits of my longing, to wh atever might be “out there” — or “in here, ” meaning de ep down within, beyond the limits of my conscious self S ome mysteries in life we will neve r fathom. I aim my praye r into the myster y, li ke the Vo ya ge r probes heading into de ep spac e, each with a g olden record. To whom it may concer n …

Does prayer have special properties? Does it open a magic highway where none seemed to exist, beyond the sun and the rain, over the rainbow? I don’t really know, but I pray that it does.

I pray for time — time enough to do what I was meant to do, if I was meant to do anything. And if I am, a little guidance on that front would be appreciated. And maybe some courage to get there. And if there isn’t anything I was “meant” to do, then I pray for time enough to do something I think makes a difference, that makes me feel my life had value

Praying may be hard-wired in us — even for those who limit themselves to the material universe and don’t believe in a transcendent dimension of any sort. I wonder if there aren’t moments in the wee hours when they, too, are tempted to pray as they bump up against some ceiling.

T he “answers” may not come from an interventive deity. They may come from a deeper part of ourselves. I don’t particularly care who or where they come from. But when prayers surface, I have stopped trying to censor them just because they don’ t perfectly fit my cosmolo gical construct.

My wish list: time, courage, gr ac e, and a little guidanc e.

And if it isn’t too much trouble, could somebody maybe make Trump shut the hell up?

I guess that somebody is us.

SHRUB

TO

WN by Marc Stopeck

How we can support Gaza’s children

We extend our de ep est thanks to everyone who suppor ted the Gather for Gaza fundraiser on Oct. 8, fo r wh ich we had set a modest goal of $5,000. Our community showe d up, and we have raised $20,000 to date!

We want to give special thanks to the musicians and speakers who gave their time, talent, and love to thi s ef fo rt We also appreciate the do z ens of donors and sponsors who ensured that 100% of the money raised will go to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). We contribute to PCRF holding both g rie f for the children who have had to endure this war on Gaza as well as anger toward our gove r nment, wh ich continues to suppo rt this war both diplomatically and with billions of dollars in arms to Israel.

According to Oxfam International (S ep t. 20), “Mor e women and children have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military than in any recent conflict in a single year.” (1 ) Oxfam explains that Israeli explosive we apons hit civilian infrastructure in Gaza, includin g schools, hospitals, and aid distribution points, an average of once eve ry three hour s. This has been goin g

on for one year, and there is no end in sight.

Oxfam goes on to say, “For children, the trauma is equally profound. Over 25,000 children have either lost a parent or have become or p hans, leaving them in de ep emotional distress.”

Because of our community ’s love for families and children, PCRF’s wo rk has touched us personally. As a 4-star-rated charity for the past 11 year s, PCRF is an established lifeline, supplying essential medical care, mental health suppo rt , and humanitarian aid to children in Gaza, the West Bank, and also in Lebanon. We ask our community to extend its remarkabl e suppo rt over the next few weeks. We will continue to c ollect donations to PCRF until Nov. 1 at https://crossr oadsfund.org/cjpip

(1) Oxfam Inte rn ational https://www.oxfam.org/en / press-releases/more-women-and-child re n-killed-gazaisra eli-military-any-othe r- recent-conflict Committee for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel (C JPIP) Steering Committee Oak Park

WEDNESD AY

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

■ One-sentence footnote about yourself and/or your connection to the topic

■ Signature details as at left

e elevators at Mills Park Tower

As executive director of the Oak Pa rk Housing Authorit y, I am ultimately responsible for OPHA’s Public Housing progr am, including the living conditions that we provide for Mills Pa rk Towe r’s nearly 200 residents. Jacqueline Elder’s Oct. 2 letter to the editor raised a number of concer ns and questions re ga rdin g the elevator reconstr uction project that we now have underway at MPT. I’d li ke to ta ke this oppor tunity to help clarify for your readers some potential misunderstandings

Mills Park Tower (MPT) is a 198-unit public housing building owned and operated by the Oak Park Housing Authority, and located on the south edge of Mills Park, one block from Oak Park’s downtown commercial area. The building, which was constructed more than 50 years ago (in 1973), is home to many seniors and persons with disabilities here in our community. MPT is well maintained and receives continual capital reinvestment, thereby ensuring that all residents benefit from safe, comfortable, high-quality units and common areas. Recent investments have also included a new roof and exterior façade renovation.

In addition, we are currently under taking a $680,000 elevator reconstr uction project, essentially constructing two brand new eleva-

Alley envy

Oak Park is one of the most beautiful of suburbs, but don’t look too closely at our alleys. You will find conditions similar to the backroads of Burundi. Pictured here are the alleys on the east and west sides of the 800 block of South Kenilworth. When will the west side of the village be repaved? Not until spring of 2026, according to the village engineer’s schedule. No need to go to an amusement park for a roller coaster ride We just head to our garage

Lisa Biehle Files Oak Park

tors in this 19-story building. This accounts for why each elevator must be taken out of service for 12-16 weeks to accommodate this f ull-scale reconstruction. Both state of Illinois and village of Oak Pa rk code officials are aware of the reconstruction, and the wo rk is being conducted in compliance with all state and local code requirements

As always, our first priority is to saf eg uard the health and well-being of our residents. In turn, we are continuing to communicate re gularly with MPT residents — by hand-delive red flye rs, posted communications, text notifications, and all resident meetings — re ga rdin g the project timeline, planned impacts to elevator availability, notification procedures in the event of an unplanned outage, and emergency c ontact messaging

We also always encourage any residents, family members, or community members who may have questions about this or any other subject to not hesitate in reaching out to us directly. We are looking forward to soon having two brand new elevators operating for the benefit of our residents at Mills Park Tower!

David Pope Executi ve director Oak Park Housing Authority

What, me worry?

Fo r those who remember that funny publication: If Mad mag azine we re to come back, the perfect re p lacement for Alfred E. Neumann would be Mar jorie Tay lor Greene (she would fit right in … the Ear th is flat, 2+2 = 5, and “they” control the we a ther). Wh o elects this kind of person? Oh that’s right, the same ones who elected Alfred, oop s Trump … scary! Fo r all you young folks, look up Alfred. He was a gr eat character (unli ke Donald and Mar jorie).

Rick Klaus Oak Park

A sad butter y summer

e Mills Park elevator complaint

As a resident of Mills Pa rk

Towe r, I feel that the Oct. 2 letter from Jacqueline Elder re ga r din g elevator problems in Mills Park Towe r exaggerated the situation. Her letter made seve r al refe rences to wh at “we residents” experience as if she speaks for all r esidents; she does not.

Residents knew long before the work began that modernizing each elevator would take 16 weeks, a long time for a temporary inconvenience. (Work on the first elevator should be completed by Thanksgiving.) As someone who uses the elevator once or twice a day, having only one working elevator means some extra wait time, sometimes requiring a change of plans. T here have been some problems with the “working” elevator, bu t the problems get resolved. Fo r “confused” residents who do n’t know who to call outside of of fic e

hour s, we have simple instructions: call the of fice number and the answe ring service will relay the message. EM Ts responding to residents in crisis always have a ccess to stairs, as do residents c omfor table using them.

Personally, I don’t understand the need to “complain loudly” to management and David Pope to achieve results. They listen, learn, and find solutions even when residents don’t raise their voices. When a snafu occurs, the problem is solved, at times taking longer than we’d like. Communication between management and residents regarding the status of elevator work continues to improve. My family and friends who read the letter were concerned about my safety. I feel safe, am patient, and gravitate toward residents who accept the temporary inconvenience.

Marlene

Scott Oak Park

Adding home health care to Medicare

As a retired geriatric social wo rker, I am thrilled to see K amala Harris’ proposal to ad d non-skilled home health care to the Medicare benefit. The VA has provided this benefit to patients enrolled in primary care at pa rticipating hospitals.

giver with little time for rest.

For all the fans of the monarch butterfly it was a sad summer. Few made it to Oak Park. The butterflies we normally see come by way of Texas and had a bad milkweed season in Texas, wh ich means few monarchs traveled nor th. T hank you to all who planted and cared fo r their milkweed plants. A female butterfly can lay 300+ eg gs, so there is still hope we may see these beautiful creatures again in our parks and gardens

Sylvia C hristmas Oak Park

As the LCSW for the Hines Geriatric Clinic, I saw the great value of non-skilled home care in helping veterans stay in their home and not have to go into institutional care Sadly, this type of care is very expensive and unless one is a VA patient or has some kind of long-term care insurance, many people have not been able to af ford this care and have had to do without or else have family leave the workforce or work at their job then work as a care-

K amala Harris has proposed one more reason why we need her as president. Harris wants to ke ep creating jobs, housing , b etter health care, child care, a secure border, lowe r g as prices, suppo rt of the American right to org anize and fo rm unions, hang in until Ukraine wins, suppo rting Israel wh i le standing up fo r P alestinian rights, bringing back jobs to America that had been off-shored, wo rk ing to reve rs e climate chang e and transition to wind/solar/geother mal powe r, rebuild our roads and bridg es and maintaining America’s democratic traditions Frank Vozak Oak Park

D200’s Project 1 & 2 costs

More than a year after Project 1 was completed, District 200 still has not publicly released its total cost of $42,051,648.79, wh ich is 29% over it s c onstruction budget (1 ) . The final tally is only known due to a public records requ est. D200’s reply also confirmed, “There is no page on the OPRFHS website that lists the total cost of Project 1.”

D200’s lack of transparency continues with Project 2, the pool/PE addition, currently under construction. They have yet to disclose its true cost. The website page devoted to the project (FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions page) states that the cost of the project is “approximately $102 million,” but that’s just its construction cost (2)

Project 2’s current total cost is $140.3 million: $102 million construction cost + $12.4 million geothermal cost + $25.9 million bor rowing cost (3). Its bor rowing cost may be even higher. In August, D200 issued $46.5 million in debt certificates, $1.2 million more than approved for Project 2’s funding last year (4). The vote for the increased borrowing came just two weeks after the Aug. 8 board meeting. Buried in a memo is the notation of a $1.75 million decrease in Imagine Foundation donations (5).

Disingenuousl y, the recently-tabbed and prominently-linked FAQ page fail s to disclose why Project 2’s bo rr ow in g d oesn’t require voter approv al, providing no explanation of the board’s c ontr oversial funding tool: 20-year debt ce rt ificates. They ’r e intended for shor tter m, emergency bo rr ow ing to pay fo r

c ritical repairs at a school such as a leaking roof. Due to their emergenc y pu rp ose, they ’r e not subject to voter a ppr ov al.

Finance experts on the board’s Community Finance Committee advised against issuing debt certificates and stated that the bor rowing should go on the ballot for voters to decide; both are considered best practices (6)

Sources:

(1) Facilities Master Plan website page –No listing of Project 1’s total cost: https:// www.oprfhs.org/about/facilities

(2) Project 2 FAQ page: https://www oprfhs.org/about/facilities/project2-faq

(3) Geothermal Project Cost - 7/29/24

Five Year Financial Projection: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/oprfhs/ Board.nsf/

(4) Memo of Issuance of $46.5 million in debt certificates approved at 8/22/24 board meeting: https://go.boarddocs.com/il/ oprfhs/Board.nsf

(5) 8/8/24 Committee of the Whole meeting FY 2025 Tentative Budget memo stating “Imagine Foundation Donations (decrease of $1.75 million)”: https:// go.boarddocs.com/il/oprfhs/Board.nsf

(6) Wednesday Journal news story: https://www.oakpark.com/2023/03/03/ citizen-finance-g roup-at-oprf-favors-project-2-referendum

Monica Sheehan Oak Park

Original intent on guns

T he First Amendment in the Bill of Rights identifies freedoms that may not be subject to gover nment control. It’s a grab ba g: the only thing uniting them is that they are freedoms for each citizen, whether individually or joined with others. A broad title for it could be citizens’ right s.

It ’s notable that gun ownership is not included there.

The focus shifts in the Second Amendment. Its accurate title should be national defense. When the United States had no standing ar my, “A well re gulated Militia [was] necessary to the security of a free State.” It’s in this context, and in that context alone, that “the right of the people [collectively, under higher command] to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”

No matter how loudly the NR A

LAURA RUBY Banned books

from page 35

and others demand it, and how man y times even the Supreme Court has said so, making this amendment a g uarantee for having guns for self -def ense is clearly not the intent. “Originalists” wo rt hy of that term should ag re e, even if they do so gr udgingly.

The unfettered possession of firearms by individuals is, therefore, not a sacrosanct constitutional right. Governments at all levels should, by rights, have complete freedom to re gulate the ownership and use of guns as needed.

And the need is great! Our current epidemic of gun violence is downright horrendous. Much stricter controls are imperative, obviously.

Gover nment leaders, get a backbone. Do it. Now!

Fred Reklau Oak Park

from page 35

opened new angles through which to experience the woods, both for individual trees living their own stories as well as the collectives striving for balance and vitality.

In 1992, while teaching, gardening, and hiking in Pennsylvania, I composed the first version of the poem above. I’ve worked on it over the years, moved by the varied sensations of har mony, hope and musicality that have arisen while experiencing assorted woodland paths

In Oak Park, declared a Municipal Arboretum nine years ago (see the village’s newsletter, https://www.oak-park.us/newsletters/may-2015/oak-park-named-state’sfirst-municipal-arboretum), we live amidst a vibrant “urban forest” that presents differently on each block and in each park. On my walks around this town, no matter the direction, a complex, distinctive concord swirls through my head and heart, nuanced at each tur n by varying, melodic compositions of terrain, architecture, community design, zoning, landscaping and culture. Bonded with our humming forest, our human community of diversifying people retains one color in common: Green.

What kind of books? Picture books. C lassics such as Belo ve d, Of Mice An d Men, Maus, The Handmaid’s Ta le , and The Odysse y . Books about histor y, pube rt y, mental health, scienc e, and g rie f. Books that feature Black or Brown or Queer characters simply existing. Ban This Book , a book about b ook banning? Banned . Defenders of bans insist that this is about “parents’ right” to decide what their children read. But parents have always had that right. What these shrieking we irdos want is to make the c hoice for the rest of us. Fo r them, “freedom” means the powe r to take your freedom aw ay. If their kids aren’t allowe d to read a bio gr ap hy of Derek Jeter, then your kids ca n’ t either

C onfession: I’m an author. None of my titles are on these banned book lists (yet.) But I’m not speaking her e as an author, I’m speaking as a reader. My first job was in a library. My firs t loves we re books

I’m also a student of histor y. My most recent novel is about my mother -

in-l aw ’s years in a Chicago or p hanage during Wo rl d Wa r II. My late fatherin-l aw and his brothers fought against the Nazi s. In 1933, years before the war be g an, Nazis org anized a mass b ook-bu rn ing during wh ich they bur ned books by Je wish authors and other books they claimed we re “morally co rr upt.” Sound familiar? This is wh at all tyrants do; they ban books before targeting li ving, breathing p eople

T hey do this because stories ar e powe rful. They make us think and empathize. They teach us about our p ast and help us imagine a better futur e. Tyrants, li ke the wannabe-kin g Trump and his Pr oject 2025 friend s, do n’ t want us to think or empathize or c hoose for ourselves.

So on Oct. 19 and beyond, stand with educator s, librarians and reader s — and stand for your own freedom to r ead. Buy and request banned books. A ttend library and school board meetings, or run for boards yourself. Jo in free speech org anizations. Check your voting re gistration and vote up and down the ticket. Our country is at the precipice and book bans are the canaries in the coal mines. Let us all be brave enough to heed the war ning s. Lau ra Ru by is an author, teacher an d poet living in Ri ve r Fo re st

RICH KORDESH Green symphony

Hurricanes and other disasters

Wi th hurricanes Helene and Milton hitting the East Coast, many of us ar e thinking about how to help or conside ring our own pr ep aredness. Here are a few ke y points to ke ep in mind :

■ First, double-check information before sharing it. During crises, rumors and misinformation spread quickly, especially on social media. Before sharing any posts, make sure the information is from a reliable source like FEMA, local governments, or well-known nonprofit organizations. Spreading accurate information helps prevent confusion and panic. FEMA has already addressed some of the circulating misinformation about their Helene response effor ts (fema.gov/disaster/current/hurricanehelene/rumor-response).

■ W hen it comes to helping out, d onating money is the most ef fect ive way to suppo rt disaster relief ef fo rt s. While donating physical items migh t seem helpful, they can actually create lo gistical challenges for relief or ganizations. Many donated items aren’t always wh at surv ivo rs need, whereas money allows volunteer org anizations and those affected to get exactly wh at ’s necessar y, when it ’s needed .

■ Make sure you donate to le gitimate organizations. A good place to start is by checking Voluntary Org anizations Act ive in Disaster (nvoad.org). These gr oups are experienced in providin g a id ef fect ively and safely. Trusted local org anizations can also be an option for donations, but ke ep in mind they may lack the experience or the ability to get those funds directly to disaster surv ivo rs as ef fect ively as larger, specialized org anizations. Be sure to r esearch their capacity and experience before donating. If you come across a suspicious charity or scam, re po rt it to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (justice.gov/disaster- fraud).

■ Preparing your household: Even though hurricanes aren’t likely to af fect our area, it’s still a good idea to review your own preparedness plans. Websites like Ready.gov and Ready.Illinois.gov offer helpful resources and tips on how to prepare for various types of disasters, no matter where one lives.

L et’s do our pa rt by staying infor med, donating wisely, and pr ep aring our household s.

Stephen Stassen Oak Park

Finding a new bookstore

For a couple of months now I have been lamenting the closing of Book Table on Lake Street [in November]. After the owners’ announcement I expended the balance of the last of the store’s gift certificates I’d received from my sons.

Feeling unmoored I’ve wondered, where do I go for my book buying now?

Then last week while stuck in traffic on Roosevelt Road near Harlem I saw the small sign for “The Pile Bookstore” on a building on the Berwyn side of the street. After getting back home, I found the store’s website online and made a point of walking over there. It was just as the website showed me, but I had to see it myself. I spoke briefly with the owner and learned that The Pile opened just this past February.

The best part of my first visit to the

store was that the book I was looking for was in stock. Although the traffic and parking on Roosevelt Road can be difficult, the owner told me that books can be ordered and purchased online to the benefit of The Pile and shipped to the store for pickup or to my home through Bookshop.org, just as they had been from The Book Table. I’ve always preferred to make my orders and purchases in an actual bricks-and-mortar store, so I’ll go back to The Pile. I encourage any and all book buyers to please support this fledgling business. The Pile Bookstore is located at 7117 W. Roosevelt Road, Berwyn. The hours and contact information are on the store’s website (www.thepilebookstore.com).

Chris Donovan Oak Park

OBITUARIES

Mary Bell, 90 Homemaker

Mary Davis Bell, 90, of River Forest, died peacefully on Sept. 16, 2024. Born on July 5, 1934, in Chicago, she was raised on the Southwest Side of Chicago and was a longtime member of Salem Baptist Church. On Aug. 26, 1956, she married her lifelong partner, Kenneth Bell. She worked as a teacher’s assistant and dedicated her life to her family as a homemaker. She en-

Shirley Mungai, 93 Kindness creator

Shirley Mungai (nee Davis), 93, died on Oct. 4, 2024. She was born on Nov. 15, 1930 in Pendleton, Indiana, most recently residing at the Oak Park Arms retirement community

Shirley will be remembered very fondly for her keen sense of humor, her kindness, her sense of adventure and her generosity. In the 1940s, her family moved to Oak Park, where she attended St. Edmund School and later, OPRF High School. She was preceded in death by her eight siblings

After marrying Joseph J. Mungai, she moved to Elgin and started a family They had four children together. Joseph died in 2014; her daughter-in-law, Bonny, died in 2016; and her son, Joe, passed in 2023.

Shirley leaves behind her remaining children, Diana (Dianne Jones), Maria (Henry Sampson) and Ed; her grandchildren, Abby (Dustin King) and Phil; her step-granddaughters, Beth (Eric Vandemark) and Gwen (Jim Walski); her stepgreat-granddaughters Madeline, Penny and Evelyn; and many nieces, nephews and her sisters-in-law, June and Rita.

joyed knitting, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.

Mary is survived by her husband, Kenneth; her sons, Kenneth and Bradley; her daughterin-law Mary (nee Nienas); her grandchildren, Kristen, Katelyn (Katie), and Christopher (Chris); and her sister, Susan (nee Davis) Erickson. She was preceded in death by her parents, Claude and Ada (nee Walters) Davis. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in The Sheridan at River Forest, located at 800 Harlem Ave. in River Forest.

Arrangements handled by Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park in Forest Park Donations in memory of Mary can be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

Children were very dear to her. Living at the Oak Park Arms, she was able to see the children in the pre-school and decided to make all of them knitted dolls and stuffed animals. Making children happy was a joy for her. All the little ones in Kindness Creators at the Oak Park Arms will remember “Miss Shirley.”

Perhaps most notable about Shirley’s life is how much fun she could be. She was always looking for a new adventure or just spending a day “gallivanting,” one of her favorite words. Stories of her escapades abound She was certainly a presence throughout Oak Park in her six years living at The Arms. She could be seen walking all over town. She walked to Mass at St. Edmund every morning and later to Ascension Church. She wore out four sets of tires on her walker since moving back to Oak Park!

Her connection to her faith was a primary source of comfort and joy for her. She chose to see kindness in others and was repaid in so many ways. She valued her church community, her Oak Park Arms community and most of all, her family.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 18 at Ascension Catholic Church in Oak Park

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Ed Wackrow memorial service

Edward Wackrow, 69, a lifelong Oak Park resident and longtime Ascension parishioner, died on Sept. 28, 2024. He was the son of longtime parishioner Marie Wackrow. Ed graduated from Ascension School, Quigley North High School, and earned a bachelor’s de gree in Psychology from Quincy Colle ge. A funeral service will be held at Ascension Church, East Avenue and Van Buren Street, on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 11 a.m.

SPORTS

OPRF football ghts but falls to Willowbrook

Breakdowns cost the Huskies

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Last season, a young Oak Park-River Forest High School football team struggled to compete in the rugged West Suburban Silver, winning just one game while suffering multiple running-clock defeats.

This season, the Huskies have been more competitive and there have been no overly lopsided defeats. Even so, putting together a complete game has been challenging, and this was on display in a 31-14 home loss to Willowbrook in a West Suburban crossover Oct. 11.

“We haven’t yet put together four quarters of football,” said OPRF coach John Hoerster. “We got a great quarter here, a great quarter there, but when you play a tough schedule against well-coached teams, you’ve got to find a way to put four quarters together. Every phase of the game, we had opportunities, but we just didn’t finish.”

Willowbrook (4-3) took a 17-0 halftime lead thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Jahonise Reed and a 31yard field goal from Dean Romano. But the Huskies (1-6) started the second half on a very promising note, getting a defensive stop and then marching 70 yards on 10 plays to score on an 1-yard run by sophomore RB Liam Smith (11 carries, 34 yards; four rece ptions, 52 yards).

However, the positive momentum generated dissipated immediately when on the very first play of Willowbrook’s next drive, Reed hit Jesus Gomez deep over the middle 66 yards for a touchdown.

“They hit us over the top, and the air deflated [on the sideline],” Hoerster said.

OPRF junior quarterback Johnny Nelson (17-of-29, 208 yards, TD, 2 INT) re generated hope when he connected with senior wide receiver Mikee Vielehr on a 58-yard pass that got the Huskies inside Willowbrook’s red zone on the ensuing drive. But the Warriors’ defense stiffened, and

OPRF turned the ball over on downs.

With 8:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, Nelson three- yard touchdown pass to senior wing brought the Huskies back to within 10. But with the Huskies’ defense needing a stop on third backbreaking play: a 52-yard pass completion to Kenneth Rhodes. A few plays later, Rashard Morrison touchdown run sealed the victory for the

“[Willowbrook] has some great athletes,” Hoerster said. “Their quarterback really played well and made some plays when he had to. They play an uptempo brand of ball that puts you on your heels and exploits you. I tip cap to Willowbrook.”

Yet Nelson and Smith played well, and Hoerster said he feels they’ve been OPRF’s most consistent pl

“When we look at film and break down games,” he said, “we see those two stand out week in and week out. Johnny and Liam’s ceilings are so high and their futures bright. They’re two really tough kids and shoulders, but they don’t back down. I’m really proud of the two of them.”

Wi th OPRF now eliminated from pl ation, Hoerster said he wants the Huskies to finish up the season as strong as p ossible approach.

“Our seniors, 99.9% of these guys are playing two mor g ames of football in their lives,” Hoerster said. “That’ the reality. Some of them might pl but who knows how long that lasts. The only thing that’ guaranteed is these next two weeks. the next practice, film session, or ly live in the moment and enjoy those your buddies who you grew up with and pl Huskies with. I hope they do because this is a really great group of kids who enjoy spending time to g ether; I hope they finish strong, and I really believe they will.”

OPRF has its final home game this season against Hinsdale Central Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Oak Park and River Forest’s Johnny Nelson (7) passes against Lyons Township dur ing a West Suburban Conference game Oct. 4 in Western Springs.

Fenwick football is back in state playo s

A convincing victory at Benet clinches spot for Friars

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

After nar rowly missing out on the state playoffs last fall, the Fenwick High School football team has been highly motivated

for the past 11 months to close the deal.

It was mission accomplished as the Friars punched their ticket to this year’s IHSA playoffs with a 42-7 rout of Benet Academy in Lisle, Oct. 11.

“We’ve still got some things to clean up

on,” said Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia, “but [Benet] was a full team victory. We had a good feeling we’d be in with five victories, but getting the sixth takes a lot of pressure of f.”

It didn’t take long for Fenwick (6-1) to take control. After the defense got a threeand-out to start the game, the offense went to work as Jamen Williams threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Bjorson. Nate

STEVE JOHNSTON

Fenwick girls tennis are conference runner-ups

Brecknock, Stein, Tri lio win singles titles

By MELVIN TATE and BILL STONE Contributing Reporters

Both the OPRF and Fenwick high school girls tennis squads put for th strong ef for ts in their respective conference tournaments last week.

In the West Suburban Sil ve r meet hosted by Lyons Townshi p, Oct. 11-12, the Huskies finished second with 37 points, nine b ehind champion Hinsdale C entral. T hey also finished second overall in the c onference standings, d ue to their 5- 1 d ual meet record .

Sophomore Lucy Stein won at #1 singles and improved her season record to 25-2. She defeated Lyons Township’s Abby Sullivan 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals, then defeated Kotryna Tomas of Hinsdale Central 6-2, 6-3 for the title.

Senior Baylee Piasecki and junior Clara Lau also made the finals for OPRF. At #2 singles, Piasecki (14-14) got past York’s Olivia Allen 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals before dropping the final to Asha Sarai of Hinsdale Central 0-6, 1-6.

At #3 singles, Lau (11-9) rolled past Downers Grove North’s Emma Irby 6-1, 6-2 in the first round, then knocked of f York’s Madeline Mauck 6-3, 6-0 in the semifinals. She was defeated in the final by Hinsdale Central’s Sarah Quevedo 0-6, 0-6. In #4 doubles, junior Tess Cronin and senior Josie Badrinath reached the final, but lost to Hinsdale Central’s Jordan Baker and Julianna Radonjic 1-6, 0-6.

Seniors Anika Gupta and Sophie Welch placed third at #1 doubles; seniors Alice

FOOTBALL

Back to state

from page 41

Marshall’s subsequent two-point conversion run made t he score 8-0 Friars

In the second quarter, Fenwick poured it on thanks to two field goals from Noah Sur and two touchdown r uns from Jalen Morgan (15 carries, 121 yards). T he F riars led at the half 28-0, then initiated a r unning clock in the third quarter with

Cadwell and Mae #2 doubles; and senior Sophia junior Zoe Panton placed fourth bles respective an IHSA Class 2A sectional, Oct. 18-19.

Fenwick ’s Girls Catholic pionship c ame up short C lub in Chicag 31 points we up, one point Academy

Two Fenwick singles titles. At #1, after a first-round McAuley’s Havillan Dow 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals, then defeated Kate Ignatius 6-1, 6-2 for the title.

At #2, Me a bye, rolled natius 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals, then go past Loyola’s Caroline Hewitt 6-3, 6-3 in the final.

The Friars’ #1 doubles team of senior Caroline Gruber and sophomore Emma Louderback had a strong run. The duo blanked Sydney Duffy and Lauren Murphy of Providence Catholic 8-0 in the first round, then defeated Gabriela Cilella and Sadie Sue Ross of St. Ignatius in the semifinals 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 before falling in the final to Loyola’s Ainsley Schachman and Ella Pieracci 3-6, 0-6.

The duo notched an 8-3 first-round victory over Mother McAuley’s Aly Dart and Kay Moody, then defeated Jaiden Cooke and Addyson Wiedelman of St. Ignatius 6-2, 7-6. In the final, Karls and Nottestad lost to Loyola’s Coco Callahan and Claire Lisowski 0-6, 1-6.

rolled past Providence’s Ava Ostrowski and Merci Horak 8-3 in the first round. After losing to Ally Stelmach and Anna Stuart of St. Ignatius in the semifinals 5-7, 3-6, Abraham and Menendez defeated Carmen Risdon and Elle Steffen of Wheaton St. Francis 6-2, 7-5.

Also placing second were seniors Elle Karls and Lily Nottestad at #3 doubles.

two more scores, including a 10-yard pass from Williams to Bjorson.

Defensively, Fenwick was stout. Marshall – who will play in the 2025 AllAmerican Bowl in San Antonio, Texas in January – and Jack Paris had multiple tackles; Marshall also notched a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery. Henry Flueke and Tommy Thies each forced a fumble as the Friars had three takeaways.

With a postseason berth secured, Battaglia said Fenwick will focus on fine-tuning its g ame. But he also knows the F riars can’ t af ford to ease up, especially with a challenging finish to the re gular season

At #2 doubles, seniors Rachel Abraham and Mia Menendez placed third. The duo

still ahead of them.

“The reality is that we can enjoy this victory for just 24 hours, and then we’ve got to g et ready for the next opponent,” Battaglia said.

In this case, the next opponent is a doozy – defending Class 7A champion Mount Carmel. Kickof f is set for Oct. 18, 7:30 pm, at Triton Colle ge

T he Caravan (5-2), which has won 15 state championships – tied for most alltime with Joliet Catholic – is led by senior quar terback Jack Elliott, who is verbally committed to Vanderbilt University.

“Every week in the [Chicago Catholic

Fenwick will compete at the OPRF Sectional, Oct. 18-19.

League] is a challeng e,” Battaglia said. “Mount Carmel is a great progr am that’s well-coached, but to be honest, it’s about ourselves.”

Boys Basketball

Fenwick senior Kamron Ho g an, who is entering his fourth season on the varsit y boys b asketball team, announced on X Oct. 11 a ve rbal c ommitment to Ro ckford Unive rsit y, an NCAA Division III i nstitution. Ho g an chose Ro ckford over offers from Car thage, C entral in Iowa and St . Norbe rt .

SARA JANZ

Huskie Lucy Stein returns a ser ve against Highland Park dur ing the OPRF quad tennis tournament on Sept. 30.

NOTICE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLNOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT, PROBATE DIVISION Estate of NANCY MELANSON, Deceased No. 2024P003200 That the Order Admitting Will to Probate and Appointing Representative in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois was granted on July 26, 2024 for the Estate of Nancy Melanson, Deceased and that KRYSTIN MELANSON BURNS was appointed as the Independent Executor and letters of office have issued and states under the penalties of perjury that:

1. Nancy Melanson died April 20, 2024, leaving a will dated February 13, 2013.

2. The approximate value of the estate is Personal: $10,000, Real: $400,000, Annual Income from Real Estate $0.

3. The names and post office addresses of the testator’s heirs and legatees are set forth on Exhibit A made a part of the petition.

4. The testator nominated as executor of the following, qualified and willing to act: Kristin Burns, 1115 Thatcher Ave., River Forest, IL 60305.

5. By order dated July 26, 2024 Kristin Melanson Burns has been appointed Independent Executor and letters of office issued.

6. This ad requests that any unknown heirs make themselves known to the attorney herein.

7. This ad will serve as a notice to creditors that they have 6 months from the date of filing of this petition to submit their claims.

Atty Name: Matt Leuck Attorney for Petitioner 84 E. Burlington, 2W Riverside, IL 60546

708-447-3166

Atty No. 11017

Published in RB Landmark October 16, 23, 30, 2024

PUBLIC NOTICE LET IT BE KNOWN TO ALL PEOPLE OF Cook, Illinois, United States of America—This public notice and affirmation that Magdy-Joseph of the family Elpayaa has been born on the land in a mortal body. The living Male is the result of life and love and physical embodiment of the biological father Joseph-Magdy:Elpayaa and biological mother Megan-Diane:Quintaa. Magdy-Joseph of the family Elpayaa is their living Son from the moment of conception from the first combining of their unique genetic code and was born earthside on the land in the geographical location commonly known as St. Charles, Kane County, Illinois Republic, United States of America. He was born on August 25 in the calendar year 2023 Anno Domini at the hour and minute 11:14 AM, weighing 8 lbs 02 oz and 22 inches long. He is happy, healthy and thriving!

Published in RB Landmark October 16, 2024