W E D N E S D A Y
October 25, 2017 Vol. 35, No. 10 ONE DOLLAR
@oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL
Friars’ thriller Sports, page 48
of Oak Park and River Forest
Neighbors: Austin Pantry posed a threat to the area Arrest of employee that caused store closure was only part of the problem, they say By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
The owners of an Oak Park convenience store are appealing a September decision by the village to shut down the establishment after a police sting busted one of its employees for selling heroin, but neighbors of the business say the problems at Austin Pantry went much deeper. Neighbors say the problems at the corner shop, 1 Chicago Ave., had been ongoing for years, but over the course of the last year, it became obvious that drug sales were taking place on a daily basis in and around the corner store. The co-owners of the business, Azzam “Sam” Mohammad and Maher “Mike” Haw, will make their case before a hearing board at Village Hall, 123 Madison St., at 3 p.m. on Oct. 26, to have the store reopened. While testimony at the hearing will be public, the agenda suggests deliberations by the board of three Oak Park trustees will take place in executive session. James Bowers, a civil rights attorney, owns See AUSTIN PANTRY on page 17
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
UPGRADE UP NORTH: Improvements are planned for Oak Park’s northern boundary.
Agencies gear up for North Avenue planning Grants to fund transportation, economic development studies for corridor in 2018 By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
A portion of North Avenue, which divides Oak Park and the city of Chicago, is about to go under the microscope by planning and transportation organizations in an effort to revitalize the commercial corridor.
In 2015, the Illinois Department of Transportation awarded the Chicago Department of Transportation a $225,000 grant for various transportation improvements – the money got held up as a result of the state budget impasse but has since been disbursed with the goal of beginning the study in early 2018.
The most recent shot in the arm comes from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), which announced on Oct. 19 that it will be included in the organization’s Local Technical Assistance program, which will work to develop a See NORTH AVENUE on page 12
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