Wednesday Journal 110222

Mt. Carmel’s mark in history

Next phase in OPRF re-do comes in at $100 million

Project 2 would replace current athletic facilities

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Nearly $100 million. That’s the projected price tag based on a detailed schematic design for the construction of a new physical education wing in the southeast portion of the current building at Oak Park and River Forest High School that is called Project 2.

“The cost is jaw dropping,” said Tom Cofsky, OPRF District 200 school board president, in a telephone interview a few days after the meeting.

Officials from Oak Park based architectural firm FGM Architects presented their long

Christian Harris, le , and Juanta Gri n speak at the Oct. 29 dedication ceremony for a historic marker at 1100 W. Westgate in Oak Park honoring Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, an early Black institution.

ALEX ROGALS/Sta Photographer

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Oak Park’s county commissioner runs for Chicago mayor

Brandon Johnson announced run at press conference on Oct. 27

By DAWN RHODES & COLIN BOYLE Block Club Chicago

Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, long floated as a potential mayoral candidate, has launched his bid for City Hall.

Johnson, a middle school teacher and Chicago Teachers Union organizer, announced his candidacy for mayor at a kickoff event Thursday mor ning at Seward Park, 375 W. Elm St

More than 100 supporters representing unions, political groups and neighborhoods joined Johnson on Thursday near the for mer Cabrini-Green homes, including Alds. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) and Carlos Ramire z-Rosa (35th) and state Rep. Delia Ramire z, who is running for a Congressional seat in November’s election.

“I continue to be humbled, and honored, by the outpouring of support I have received in coming to this decision,” Johnson said in a statement. “Throughout my conversations with people from all areas of the city, it has become increasingly clear to me that Chicagoans are ready for change, and most important, ready to see their own vision and priorities reflected on the 5th floor of City Hall.”

Johnson represents the 1st District on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. His area includes parts of the Near West Side, Garfield Park, Austin, Galewood and Monteclare, as well as parts of suburban Oak Park, Forest Park, Maywood, Broadview and Bellwood

Johnson was elected to his county board seat in 2018 and was seeking reelection in the Nov. 8 general election against Libertarian James Humay.

Should Johnson win his county board bid, he will continue in that role, campaign spokesperson Ronnie Reese said. If he is elected mayor, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle would appoint a replacement and there would a special election for the 1st District seat.

“Chicago has to live up to this amazing promise and this idea of being a worldclass city But in order for Chicago to be a world class city, it has to include all of our young people in its beauty, its wealth and

its power,” Johnson said Thursday “We are going to bring a revival to this city.”

Johnson, 46, lives in Austin. One of 10 children of a pastor, he has taught social studies at Jenner Academy serving students in Cabrini-Green and Westinghouse College Prep in East Garfield Park, according to a news release

Johnson was an active CTU organizer under for mer union President Karen Lewis. He was elected to the county board on a platform of expanding public services and safeguarding workers’ rights, according to his campaign.

Johnson’s experience as an educator will greatly influence his work on the 5th floor if he is elected, he said.

“As a teacher, I experienced the painful impact of disinvestment on my students and their families, and this personal experience — seeing children endure inequity — is what fuels my commitment to building a stronger, safer and more equitable Chicago,” Johnson said in a statement.

Some of Johnson’s supporters invoked the names and work of the late Mayor Harold Washington and Martin Luther King Jr while speaking on Johnson’s mayoral campaign

“I am so inspired today to join Brandon Johnson’s campaign and to continue the struggle to unify the dispossessed of all colors, creeds and circumstances to create a new and unsettling force which Dr. King

envisioned, and for which he gave his life,” Southeast Side organizer Olga Bautista said.

Tara Stamps of the Chicago Teachers Union recalled Johnson’s sacrifice and dedication in shaping Jenner Elementary students.

“It was at that time that he opened the minds of our young people and showed them what was possible,” Stamps said. “It was at that time that he took a little ragtag team of boys who just said, ‘I just want to play ball,’ and gave up all of his after school so that they could have a team.

“I’m so happy to say that right now, today, those young people are thriving, because teachers are the front line of defense for our country.”

Johnson also has supported efforts to scale back funding for policing.

In the height of 2020 protests after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, Johnson introduced the Justice for Black Lives resolution to the county board in support of demands to defund Cook County Jail. The board overwhelmingly approved the non-binding resolution, committing to direct its multibillion-dollar budget more toward initiatives such as health care, restorative justice and job creation to reduce crime.

Johnson said the effort was “not about laying people off, consolidations or closures,” but rather “calling for an expansion of gover nment services” in other sectors. The

board had a “responsibility in this moment to address the failures of systems,” he said.

“We are tired of being policed and surveilled, and that the only way our people can receive treatment is if we’re brought into captivity,” Johnson said at the time “That is a failed system, and I will reject that system until the day that I die.”

Johnson also brought up how Chicago’s public safety issues are portrayed in recent political ads, saying it’s important to address the root of violent crime to reduce it.

“Is there violence? Yes. Is carjacking wrong? Yes, of course it is. But let me tell you what else is wrong: when you have 700 families who live in Parkway Gardens, but the community center can only hold 100. That’s wrong,” Johnson said. “In order to make Chicago not only a safe, but a just city, we need to be a healthy thriving city for everyone.”

Johnson also is among a growing list of elected officials who have pushed the Cook County Board to approve his resolution to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. The resolution stalled in committee in 2021.

Johnson is married with three children.

Johnson joins a field of mayoral challengers that includes three sitting City Council members.

Alds Raymond Lopez (15th), Roderick Sawyer (6th) and Sophia King (4th) all are vying to unseat Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is seeking reelection.

The group of candidates also include for mer Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, state Rep. Kam Buckner and businessman Willie Wilson.

Longtime Lightfoot ally Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), who is stepping down from City Council next year, also is rumored as a potential challenger but has not announced a bid.

“Families need change, Chicago needs change, and if we are truly going to transfor m our city, we need a collective, collaborative approach that reflects the values of the people,” Johnson said in a statement. “I am the candidate who will build a coalition from Ravenswood to Englewood, and all communities beyond and in between.

“As a teacher and organizer, I have seen what is possible when we work together I will lead with ‘we,’ revive Chicago, and restore the resources, the hope and the possibilities that all of our families and residents deserve.”

PAUL GOYET TE/Contributor

First District Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, shown speaking at the podium, anked by supporters in Chicago on Oct. 27, when he announced his bid for mayor

BIG WEEK November 2-9

The 1619 Project: Family & Community Circles

Sunday, Nov. 6, 1 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y

This special event is a forum for all to share personal stories as well as honoring history in a safe, non-racist space. Discussion circles will be led by trained adults alongside middle school, high school and college students. Today’s event features D-Composed, an all-black chamber music collec tive that exclusively features the music of AfricanAmerican composers, from Florence Price to Solange. This will be followed at 2 p.m. by a program on “The Bir th Of American Music ” (recommended for ages 11 and up). Local band the Snake Doctors will per form as par t of this segment. Lunch is at 3 p.m. Due to the struc ture of the discussion circles, please tr y to arrive on time. Register now for any or all sessions at oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park .

Listing your event

Wednesday Jour nal welcomes notices about events that Oak Park and River Forest groups and businesses are planning. We’ ll work to get the word out if you let us know what’s happening by noon Wednesday a week before your news needs to be in the newspaper

■ Send details to Wednesday Jour nal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, 60302

■ Email calendar@wjinc.com

Tail Dragger Movie Premiere

Saturday, Nov. 5, 12 p.m., Lake Theater

When blues singer Tail Dragger per forms, there is no barrier between the band and the audience. The man will stroll around the nightclub, wireless mic in hand, serenading anybody within earshot. His life and times have been chronicled in a new documentar y, Tail Dragger: Journey Of A Bluesman There will also be a Q&A with executive producer John McNaughton, direc tor Kevin Mukherji and Tail Dragger himself The movie isn’t in 3-D, but Mr. Dragger’s stage show sure is. 1022 Lake St., Oak Park.

Ancient & Modern Hula

Sunday, Nov. 6, 3-5 p.m., Zen Life & Meditation Center Halau i Ka Pono under the direc tion of Kumu June Tanoue will present their Autumn Hula Performance. There will also be Hawaiian food and a ra e. Tickets are available direc tly from the school. $25 in-person admission, $15 online admission includes show via Zoom. 46 Lake St., Oak Park.

Soldial

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m., FitzGerald’s Jazz and neo -soul take the spotlight at this special free show. 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berw yn. Peer Gynt

Friday, Nov. 4; Saturday, Nov. 5, 8 p.m., Concordia University

This classic Henrik Ibsen play will be per formed by the Ar tists of Concordia Theatre. Directed by Andrew Pedersen, this produc tion will run 85-90 minutes. Most of Edvard Grieg’s original incidental music for orchestra will be arranged by Dr. Maurice Boyer. 7400 Augusta St., River Forest.

Gabriel Sorsano & Tanja Mirkovic Ar t Show (with live music from Realit y Bytes)

Saturday, Nov. 5, 6 p.m., O utta Space

“Magical realism” is how Sorsano and Mirkovic describe their ar twork, showcasing mythical and ethereal landscapes This event showcases some of their nest ar twork. Around 8 p.m., music will be provided by Reality Bytes, playing the hits of the ‘90s. $10, 6840 32nd St., Berw yn.

Come on down, you’re invited to double your money during Growing Community Media’s “Let’s Make a Match” fundraising campaign!

As a Wednesday Journal reader, you know our reporters work tirelessly to produce public service journalism that you can trust as a go-to source for the news that matters most to you. This is essential work, especially these days, and it wouldn’t be possible without you.

Starting now—through December 31—our generous pool of MatchMakers will match your new monthly donation for a full year or

double your one-time gift, all up to $40,000! We need to raise $150K to keep the news flowing, but this match is like starting a game show in the bonus round! Will you be our next champion? If you believe in the work we’re doing, please give today to double the impact of your gift!

An appeal from Dan Haley

Forty-two years back tur ned to about 70 local people to invest the cash to launch Wednesday in Oak Park and Ri The three of us who star the paper – Sharon Britton, Anne Duggan and myself – we didn’t have a nick between us.

We broke all the set rules of local jour nalism at a time when weekly papers up by big national chains independent local paper that was o local people

DA N HALE Y

Worked great for almost 40 y Then the print focused business model all newspapers relied on was disrupted by the rise of free digital news and socia media. Smashed to smithereens

So here we are again. Three years into leading community newsrooms around Chicago into a nonprofit, reader supported, community owned future that looks not

at we pulled of f in ing Community Media, now five weekly publications across the Greater West Side including y Journal, is making this new model work But only with you. Only with you. are going to raise $150,000 in the next 60 days. raise will go directly to pay the ters who tell your community stories. our Let’s Make a Match campaign ’s double where we ear ago. launch our major (go to page 5), I’m

But only with you. With gratitude.

Dan Haley Editor and Publisher

On Oct. 26, Growing Community Media sta members welcomed donors, community partners, and board members to the Oak Park o ces, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., kicking o our “Let’s Make a Match” fundraising campaign with 1970s-themed appetizers and a retro game show format –just for fun.

O M d a P A a w a j

PHOTO S BY ALEX ROGALS/Sta Photographer

By Henrik

by Edvard Grieg

by Maurice Boyer

by Andrew Pederson

Fusing Oak Park activism and the music of Mingus

Ethan Philion tours for ‘Meditations on Mingus’ album

By JESSIC A MACKINNON Contributing Reporter

Ethan Philion, a 2010 Oak Park and River Forest High School graduate, is making quite a name for himself in Chicago’s jazz scene and beyond. His most recent album, Meditations on Mingus, featuring his 10-piece ensemble, has been receiving rave reviews in highly re garded publications in cluding Downbeat, Jazz Times and JAZZIZ Mag azine. The band previewed the album on the Main Stage of the Chicago Jazz Festival in Se ptember and has been touring across the country in its support.

For Philion, a gifted bassist, the project was a personal labor of love. Charles Mingus, widely considered one of the greatest bassists in history, was one of the first jazz musicians with whom Philion connected in a dee ply meaningful way.

“The things that I like about jazz are saturated in his music — a fiery sense of energ y, a really unique approach to collective improvisation, and the many intersections with classical music, the blues and other types of music. His technique and physicality on the instrument are endlessly fascinating to me,” Philion said.

Beyond his musical prowess, Mingus, who would be celebrating his centennial this year, was known for expressing his feelings about racism and political and social inequities through his compositions, which also resonated with Philion.

“In 2018, I got more interested in the idea of perfor ming his music because I was listening to his “Meditation on a Pair of Wire Cutters,” a piece that he would often dis cuss before his perfor mances. It referenced the concentration camp-like conditions of prisons in the South which forced incarcer ated Black men and women into physical labor. The wire cutters in the title re presented a hope for freedom.

Philion was listening to this piece at the same time that stories were coming out about the de plorable the conditions in many immigration de portation camps in the United States.

“I was struck again about how we continue to do this throughout history — treating people so poorly, even though we know that this inevitably tur ns to violence in some way,” Philion said.

“Meditation on a Pair of Wire Cutters” is included in Philion’s recent album, as well as “Pithecanthropus Erectus,” which Philion describes as a four-par t tone poem

about how humans develop prejudice and how it destroys our humanity, and “Once Upon a Time There Was a Holding Corporation Called Old America,” a title which drew attention to capitalism and the profits large corporations accrue from the work of unpaid or poorly paid employees

Philion openly acknowledges that he has had a very dif ferent life than Mingus and explains that, when he plays Mingus’ music, he is trying to honor those experiences and remind people of the ways that racism continues to plague society. He be lieves that to do otherwise would be ir re sponsible.

Growing up in Oak Park infor med Philion’s interest in social activism and prepared him for embracing and processing the themes in Mingus’ music. He is the son of two actively eng aged local residents, Tom Philion, a for mer board member of the Park District of Oak Park, and Ginger Brent, who retired two years ago after 30 years as an English teacher at OPRFHS.

“However you feel about the work that Oak Park as a community has done re gard ing racial and social justice, I think that it is definitely true that things are talked about more here than they are in many other communities. People may have a va riety of opinions about the results of that talk and the reality of dif ferent lived experiences, but the fact that they are discussed in elementary and middle school made me conscious of these issues, provided me with a vocabulary, and contributed to the way I view the world,” he said.

Philion juggled a lot as a teenager — music; spor ts, including tennis and soccer; as well as school, in which he excelled. He initially focused on the violin before taking up the bass in middle school. He played with the jazz bands at Percy Julian Middle School and OPRFHS. During his sophomore year at Oberlin Colle ge, where pursued a double major in music and comparative religion, he realized that he wanted to pursue a career in music, specifically jazz.

“The aspect of improvisation in jazz was something I was drawn to. It allowed me to express things I couldn’t otherwise. Improvising with other musicians, to feel their energ y and to try to push them or be pushed by them, based on how we are feeling on any given day, has always been the most exciting musical feeling for me and I don’t get that from other for ms of music,” he said.

In addition to his role as leader of the 10-piece band perfor ming Mingus’s work, Philion leads a trio that perfor ms traditional swing and a quar tet that perfor ms his original music He hopes these ensembles will have the oppor tunity to tour He also plays infor mally with a number of musicians playing music that spans the jazz tradition. He plans to continue to combine his interests in music and activism.

“Art makes the world a better place, but sometimes ar t isn’t enough. So, if there is anything that you can do to raise attention or awareness, I think it’s a good thing to do when you are perfor ming in front of people,” he said.

ALEX ROGALS/Sta Photographer

Ethan Philion, in front of the Uptown color wheel, recently released an album with his 10-piece jazz ensemble.

PROVIDED

PROJEC T 2

A new era for athletics from

design to the OPRF school board on Oct. 27. The exact projected cost of the project is $99,464,839. Upgrades such as solar panels ($2.2 million), solar ther mal hybrid panels ($4.4 million) or an occupiable roof plaza ($963,000) could add to the cost.

The new wing would replace current physical education spaces in that portion of the Scoville Avenue campus The design in cludes a new 10 lane 25 x 40 yard swimming pool with three diving stations and a 420 seat observation gallery to replace the current two pools which are nearly100 years old. The design also includes a new three court gym with a spectator capacity of 800 to be built on the third floor above the new pool, a new larger weight room, new locker rooms that would include a dedicated space for students who consider themselves non-binary, and new classroom and office spaces.

The design also includes a new dance studio with dance specific flooring, a sound system, changing area and dedicated storage and a fourth floor yoga/self-defense room. The project would also, for the first time, add an elevator to the southeast portion of the building.

Upgrades are also planned for adjacent theater spaces including a larger Green Room, more storage space for props and new, larger dressing rooms that would ac commodate productions of varying sizes and gender needs. The theater portion of the project is 5,100 square feet.

“There is this misperception that this is just a pool project,” said Kebreab Henry, an OPRF school board member, during the Oct.

27 meeting

The nearly $99.5 million estimate is a sizable increase from the 2018 estimate of $64.5 million. The previous estimate was based only a high-level conceptual design and not a detailed schematic design. The footprint of the project also increased by 11,500 square feet and would bring the building a little closer to Scoville Avenue The physical education area is 167,400 square feet. Building a gym over a pool is one reason the cost has increased but the biggest factors contributing to the increased cost are higher material and construction costs that have risen rapidly during the past couple of years.

“What has changed in that we’ve experienced a global pandemic, supply chain is

on the OPRF web site explaining why the cost has increased since the 2018 estimate “In addition to these factors, the schematic design cost reflects the significant structur al needs of building gyms on top of a pool.”

Board members showed little enthusiasm for some of the possible upgrades such as the roof plaza that would include an outdoor classroom area, an outdoor yoga/mediation area, infor mal seating and a roof garden.

“I don’t want to be selling outdoor yoga,” Cofsky said during the meeting

Cofsky said he wants the project to focus on needs rather than wants and said that some of upgrades seemed to stray from that.

“I started hearing words that were a lot more want-ish,” Cofsky said. “We need to focus on needs.”

Board member Mary Anne Mohanraj, a college professor at UIC, said that while she loves taking classes outdoors, she questioned how much use an occupiable roof would get given the Chicago weather.

School of ficials say that current physical education spaces are antiquated and need to be improved. Current gyms, which were built for a time when boys and girls had separate gym classes, are old, small, and cramped. Currently some classes are held in hallways, the district FAQ fact sheet said.

“There is no elevator in this wing of the building and many of the spaces are inac cessible to anyone with mobility issues,” the fact sheet says. “Our locker rooms lack private changing areas; students of all genders identify this as a problem, and it’s a

particular concer n for our gender-nonconforming students.”

Poor air ventilation is also an issue in the current pools and PE spaces

The school board has not yet discussed in any detail how to pay for the project as the discussion last week focused on the scope of the project. The district’s community finance committee will examine financing options in detail. Cofsky said that all op tions are on the table.

OPRF is projected to have nearly $76 million in reserves at the end of the current fiscal year on June 30, 2023, down from $90.4 million in reserves as of June 30, 2022.

Funding for the Project 2 is likely to be a combination of reserve funds and borrow ing. Borrowing could take the form of a bond issue that would have to be approved by voters in a referendum or by more expensive debt certificates which do not re quire a referendum.

In 2016 voters nar rowly rejected a $25 million bond referendum for a new pool by the scant margin of 28 votes. T he soonest a new referendum could be put on the ballot is next April ’s school board and municipal elections but that would re quire quick action by the school board and is unlikely T he next election after the April municipal and school board elections is not until the spring of 2024. Cofsky said that the goal is to decide on financing by the end of the current school year. T he goal is to be gin work in the summer of 2024.

PROVIDED

MORE THAN A POOL: Exterior schematic design for Imagine OPRF Project 2.

schematic

pool.

By JAMIE O’TOOLE Contributing Reporter

The Imagine Foundation at Oak Park and River Forest High School has appointed Lynn Kamenitsa as its inaugural executive director. In that role, she will oversee the foundation’s ef fort to raise philanthropic dollars for the school’s five-phase Imagine Long Term Facilities Plan.

Kamenitsa was a leader in schoolsanctioned volunteer ef for ts to create an overarching plan for major upgrades to the physical plant of the Scoville Avenue school campus. That broad plan led to a proposal for a 5-phase build-out over a decade

Phase one of the Imagine Plan is just wrapping up. And the school board has just received detailed schematic plans and cost estimates for Project 2 which will focus on demolition and construction of new indoor athletic facilities at the southeast corner of the campus. The initial cost estimate was just under $100 million.

Kamenitsa said architects estimate starting the project in June 2024 and finishing in Jan. 2026. Still to come will be decisions by the school board on a combination of methods to pay for the project.

Kamenitsa says the Imagine Foundation is a non-profit for med by volunteers with the purpose of helping to fund the OPRF construction work using philanthropic dollars to offset taxpayer funding.

“We created the foundation as a vehicle to accept those kinds of charitable gifts for OPRF,” Kamenitsa said.

“[The athletic wing] would be a full basement plus four stories above ground,” Kamenitsa said.

Project 2 would also include some up-

grades to the adjacent theater space at the school. She said the Green Room and rehearsal room will see an expansion. New dressing rooms as well as space for costumes and props will be in the updated building.

During the pandemic, the Imagine Foundation – established in 2019, paused its public outreach for philanthropic dollars but will pick up that effort now.

“Some of us are recruiting volunteers, some of us are starting to talk to people that we think might be prospective do nors,” Kamenitsa said. “And [we’ re] having conversations [with them] about the foundation and why we believe that these facili ties improvements are so important for the next 100 years of the OPRF building.”

Prospective donors include alumni, parents of alumni, local businesses and fami lies of current students, she said.

As the school board and its community finance board begin discussions of the funding model for Project 2, Kamenitsa said she hopes the foundation will be one of those sources of funding once donors are in place and fundraising ef for ts commence.

“We are still in the building and planning phase of both the organization and the capital campaign,” Kamenitsa said.

The foundation’s strateg y for supporting the high school is based on the knowledge that there are people including alumni and community members who will step up and invest in the future of OPRF through philanthropy, according to an Oct. 19 news release.

For more information on the foundation’s ef for ts and to learn how to donate, visit Imagine-Foundation.org.

paid) per depositor,

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and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose principal value. FDIC insurance

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Roosevelt nuisance site insp ection delayed

Giving tenant time to remove cars

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

The village of Oak Park delayed its inspec tion of the for mer Associated Tire & Battery property at 6200-6210 Roosevelt Road to allow the latest tenant more time to move his ve hicles off the property. Zoning does not allow the ground floor of the property to be used as a storage site.

The inspection was scheduled to take place Oct. 18, according to a letter sent Sept. 12 to the tenant, who has since been identified as Brian Kamar. An identical letter was sent the same day to the owner of the property, Polar Properties LLC.

However, one day before the inspection, Kamar called the village of Oak Park’s Development Customer Services Department and requested the inspection be postponed, Tammie Grossman, the head of the department, told Wednesday Journal.

Kamar was granted his request, according

to another letter sent to him by the village on Oct. 27. The new date has been set for Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. and he is required to be present. All of the vehicles stored there must also be re moved. Wednesday Journal has reached out to Kamar for comment.

Once the site of a popular neighborhood automotive repair the shop, the property is considered a nuisance by those who live nearby in the last few years. The sound of tires screeching and engines revving has kept neighbors up at all hours of the night, while parked vehicles and discarded automobile parts have blocked the alley behind the property. The police have been contacted 11 times between May 2021 and September 2022.

The perpetrator of the discord remained something of a mystery to the village of Oak Park; however, neighbors believe the noise has been coming from the car upholstery business and an unknown third tenant. The property has been subdivided to accommodate several tenants

Kamar and Jeremy Storey are the only two known tenants at this time. Storey awaits village approval on his request for a specialuse permit to operate BM Custom, his car upholstery business, at 6212 Roosevelt Road

He has been operating the business without the proper permitting and was cited three times; once he failed to appear in court and was issued a fine of $600. The village board tabled the vote on his permit request, which neighbors urged the village board to deny, and village staff agreed. Wednesday Journal has attempted to reach Storey by visiting the site of his business on several different occa sions but to no avail.

Kamar met infor mally with a group of neighbors last Friday, according to Katie Ingrao-Sniegowski, who has been helping to mobilize neighbors in an effort to bring the village board’s attention to the nuisances. Ingrao-Sniegowski said Kamar admitted to being the initial noisemaker

“Based on that conversation, he submitted a statement to the village supporting our statements and complaints against BM Custom and clarifying his role in all this,” said Ingrao-Sniegowski, whose husband attended the impromptu meeting, “which is that he originally was noisy when he was the only tenant. It was addressed through our [resi dent beat officer] and it died down until BM Custom and the third tenant moved in earlier this year.”

Storey and his attorney have publicly de nied that he is the source of the disturbances affecting the neighborhood. During his Sept 7 Zoning Board of Approvals hearing, he pointed the finger of blame at the tenant of 6210 Roosevelt Rd. He has also publicly stated he shares the concerns of the neighbors.

Kamar and his vehicle storage site is no longer of concern to Ingrao-Sniegowski, whose chief grievance lies now with the mysterious third party and how the village of Oak Park intends to address the issue. It is believed that the third tenant and Storey have been causing the noise

Grossman told Wednesday Journal that the village is aware the neighbors believe there is a third tenant and she has asked staff to contact the owner of the building. She also directed staff to do a visual inspection of the property

The village’s actions, Ingrao-Sniegowski believes, are far from sufficient.

“They should also listen to the neighbors and the original tenant, Brian Kamar, who have already provided all the information repeatedly to them to establish the facts of the situation and then act to address the nuisance complaints.”

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Forest Preserve District opens Schuth’s Grove canoe launch

New accessible amenity at nor thwest corner of Desplaines and Cermak

By BOB UPHUES Editor

Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle and about a half dozen other county and state officials cut the ribbon on a new boat launch at Schuth’s Grove on the northwest corner of Cermak Road and Desplaines Av enue on Oct. 27, providing local canoe and kayak enthusiasts yet another access point to the Des Plaines River.

It’s the ninth such canoe/ kayak launch in Cook County Forest Preserve land along the Des Plaines River and fills a five mile gap between the Maywood Grove launch at Lake Street and the Plank Road Meadow launch at Ogden Avenue in Lyons

The boat launch is reached via a curving asphalt path that slopes gently down to the riverbank, and there’s a stable, paved surface all the way to river’s edge, making it accessible.

“This makes it easier for ev eryone to get in or out of the water,” Preckwinkle said during remarks just prior to the ribbon cutting. “And for visitors with disabilities, these features might be the difference between being out in a kayak or staying at home.”

There’s also a canoe/kayak gear staging area to accommodate boats and equipment necessary to host group paddling events.

Arnold Randall, general superintendent of the Cook County Forest Preserve District, said their Conservation and Experiential Programming Department would use the Schuth’s Grove location as a launch point for paddling events and that the Greater Maywood Paddling program would use Schuth’s Grove for training initiatives.

“This award-winning program provides leaders of organized groups training on kayaking, use and care of kayak gear and how to lead a kayak trip,” Randall said. “Once certified, trained leaders can use our free

kayak gear library, which has all the sup plies needed for an org anized group to go on a paddling trip.”

Under construction for much of the year, the roughly $854,000 project received $203,000 from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and state motor fuel tax revenue to help fund a new permeable paver parking lot.

Kari Steele, president of the MWRD Board of Commissioners, said the parking lot has the capacity to divert 110,000 gallons of storm water away from the river, forest preserve meadows and local sewer systems.

“Our partners at the Forest Preserves embraced the environmental benefits of permeable pavement and how it can protect our water environment and mitigate flooding,” Steele said. “Without [the per meable paver parking lot], that’s more than 110,000 gallons of water in vading our forest preserve, filling our riverbanks or flooding our communities.”

In addition, the boat launch was funded in part using an $80,000 state grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Boat Access Area Development Program.

“We all learned a lot by living through the pandemic, one of which is that nature is a tonic for all of us,” said John Rogner, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “Many people had to relear n, and some people learned for the first time, how privileged we are to live this region, to have so much wild, open space that we refer to as Chicago Wilderness

“A launch like this removes one of the principal barriers, and that’s access to these waters for new paddlers and it launches them on a sport that will serve them for a lifetime.”

The canoe launch is open every day of the year. It’s considered part of the Miller Meadow Preserve, which covers 300-acres of unincorporated Proviso Township roughly between the Des Plaines River and First Av enue from Cermak Road to Roosevelt Road Schuth’s Grove is the only area of the preserve west of the river.

“We all learned a lot by living through the pandemic, one of which is that nature is a tonic for all of us.”

JOHN ROGNER Deputy director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Choosing Oak Park’s rst female police chief

National search led back to Shatonya Johnson, the interim chief

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

When Kevin Jackson became Oak Park village manager last March, on his firs t official day on the job, Police Chief La Don Reynolds tendered his resignation, leaving the new village manager with the unenviable task of hiring a new chie f while learning his new job.

“We had a lot of senior staf f kind of in transition, Jackson recalled Reynolds, wh is now a U.S. Mar shal, ended hi tenure as police chie f April 15. One of his tw de puties, Shatonya Johnson, immediately assumed the role in an On Oct. 25, her appointment was made permanent. She officially begins as chie f Nov. 7, when she retur ns from vacation.

“Despite having some quality candidates, I think that we got the best candidate right here in the village,” Jackson said of the new chief.

Back in April, however, it was not always clear to Jackson that he would ap point Johnson as chie f of the Oak Park Police Department. Johnson certainly had experience, having been with the department for 23 years, beginning as a patrol officer in 2000 and rising through the ranks to become neighborhood re source officer, juvenile specialist, detec tive, internal af fairs sergeant, detective, commander and de puty chie f. She is also the only woman in the department’s history to achieve de puty status and has a master’s de gree in organizational be havior and organizational development from Benedictine Unive rsity, on top of a bachelor’s de gree in law enforcement

administration from Western Illinois University.

It came as no surprise then to people acquainted with Johnson when she was made interim chief. Except Jackson and Johnson were barely acquainted with each other at the time he appointed her T hey had all but just met.

“Frankly, I had only been in the village a few weeks before I did that and so I was still g etting to know Shatonya,” Jackson said. “It wasn’t clear who we would ulti mately be selecting.”

To ensure that he was casting a wide net to attract the best possible candidates for the role, Jack son enlisted the recr uitment ser vices of GovHR, the same firm that brought Jackson to the village durin g ts village manager search Jackson did not need village board approval to eng ag e the recr uitment firm. T he village manager has the authority to spend up to $25,000; the vil lage board must sign of f on purchases exceeding that amount. T he police chie f recr uitment contract, according to Jack son, did not sur pass his spending author ity.

Much time was spent with GovHR in creating the profile for the position. The village board provided its input on the qualities members wished to see in a po lice chief, as did Jackson. Internal sur veys were conducted of p olice personnel and village staf f. All that feedback was reflected in the construction of the po sition profile, which Jackson estimated took a total of 60 days.

From there, GovHR conducted a national search, with the firm reaching out to various networks throughout the country. T he job was also posted online and plugged into different groups and associations in and outside the state, Jack son said.

KEVIN JACKSON Oak Park village manager

SHATONYA JOHNSON Oak Park police chief

Oak Park’s 7-Elevens included in gas st ation ordinance

By request of the owners of the two 7-Elevens in Oak Park

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

In a surprising twist, the representatives of Oak Park’s two 7-Eleven convenience stores asked to have their shops included in the ordinance that prohibits gas stations from operating over night. The request was made during an Oct. 25 public hearing for the controversial ordinance which the board adopted Sept. 19. Gas stations have filed a lawsuit against the village for enacting it, but their arguments were subverted by 7-Eleven leadership.

“The 7-Eleven owners basically undercut every argument that the owners of the 24hour gas stations had,” said Diane Ratekin, one of the neighbors in support of the ordinance. “It was clear that the village board was not going to weaken the ordinance.”

The ordinance is an effort to combat vio lent crime perpetrated at 24-hour gas stations by limiting their hours to 5 a.m. to midnight. The two 24-hour 7-Elevens have also been the target of violent crime, as noted by both Chief Shatonya Johnson and the 7-Eleven representatives.

“Since 2019, my store was robbed at gun point; my employees have been chased with knives, guns,” said a representative of the 7-Eleven at 661 South Blvd., who did not give his name

The crime has not only compromised the safety of employees but made it difficult to keep the stores fully staffed. The likelihood of being held up at gunpoint has led to high employee tur nover, according to the two 7-Eleven representatives, neither of whom

gave their names Wednesday Jour nal has reached out to the stores for comment.

“My employees are scared; they don’t want to work in the night,” said the man representing the Chicago Avenue 7-Eleven.

The power of the ordinance has been sty mied by legal filings. Seven Oak Park gas stations are suing the Village of Oak Park over the ordinance and a judge granted a temporary restraining order barring its enforce ment. The restraining order remains in place until further order of the court, according to John Ellis, one of the attor neys representing the gas stations

“I’m so glad that there is this ordinance, and we want to be part of it,” said the owner of the 7-Eleven at 240 Chicago Ave.

The hearing was an opportunity for people for or against the ordinance to plead their views to the village board. Holding the hearing after the adoption of the ordinance was an unusual deci sion, but one suggested by the judge who granted the restraining order, according to Village President Vicki Scaman, who could not comment on the legal proceedings.

The hearing was no less appreciated by the gas stations’ legal counsel.

“We appreciated the opportunity to present the station owners’ position on this important issue The safety of their customers and the security of their neighbors is, and always has been, their priority,” Ellis told Wednesday Jour nal.

“It’s important for the community to know the station owners understand public safety is more important than anything else. Without it, they cannot stay in business and continue to provide a service for those who work over night jobs and shifts that most of us take

for granted. Many of the owners of these businesses have been part of Oak Park for more than 20 years.”

The two 7-Eleven representatives were among the 14 who spoke in support of the ordinance at the hearing. Their request, and the reasoning behind it, cut against many of the opposition’s arguments.

The gas stations and their legal team have leaned on two primary arguments to support their case against the ordinance. The first argument, as it stands, is that 24-hour gas stations are able to fulfill the needs of people who work late hours and of those who find themselves in a bind.

The gas stations’ second line of defense against the ordinance is that it will put them out of busi ness.

Ellis included parents of sick children in need of late-night Tylenol and hospital workers among the customers who would be impacted by the ordinance. That rationale, however, was punctured by the 7-Eleven representatives.

“We don’t do much business at night,” said the owner of the Chicago Av enue 7-Eleven.

Customers that do come in during those late hours are in search of cigarettes, ac cording to the man speaking on behalf of the South Boulevard 7-Eleven. For him, that was not enough to justify staying open all night.

“It’s not worth it,” he said.

Gas stations, however, have argued that they will go out of business because of the ordinance. They stand to lose between 12% and 35% of gross revenue under the ordinance, according to Ellis. The gas stations were unable to provide the amount of revenue made between midnight and 5 a.m. at

the hearing.

Harry Singh, manager of the BP where 18-year old Jailyn Logan-Bledsoe was killed last summer, helped Ellis in discussing the financial impact mandated hours of operations in the ordinance would present. Singh first gave his condolences to Logan-Bled soe’s family.

“We never saw that coming,” he said. “I just wish that never happened.”

The current 11 p.m. closure, Singh said, has impacted his business “in a big way.” Continuing to close at night would limit fuel sales, making the station unable to meet the ter ms of its contracts with fuel suppliers, according to Singh

This was further at odds with the 7-Elev en locations. The owners of the two convenience stores technically have the authority to close their shops at any point, but their contractors will not let them do so unless mandated by the village.

“I would like to be a part of this ordinance and I would appreciate it if the city could help me out,” said the 7-Eleven representative of 661 South Blvd.

Gas stations have bolstered these argu ments by claiming that there is no evidence to suggest limiting hours would decrease crime. This was disputed at the hearing by Johnson who said there have been zero burglaries, acts of vandalism and violent crimes committed at the Chicago Avenue BP since it began voluntarily closing at 11 p.m. following the murder.

The gas stations’ request that the ordinance be amended to include an expiration date and with the requirement that gas stations implement greater security measures did not fare as well as the 7-Eleven request. The village board directed staff to amend the ordinance so that it also applied to 24hour convenience stores. It will retur n to the board Nov. 7.

Chief: Choose safety over dollars in setting gas station hours

Johnson recounts harrowing, violent acts perpetrated at 24-hour gas stations

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Nor mally soft spoken, Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson vehemently de fended the village’s new 24-hour g as station

ban during an Oct. 25 public hearing on the ordinance. Unlike her predecessor, LaDon Reynolds who seldom spoke publicly about policing issues, Johnson’s speech was laden with the force of her conviction that safety should always trump the monetary.

“We have to say enough is enough, and we definitely have to consider the safety of the residents over financial gain,” said Johnson.

The newly appointed chief detailed the har rowing criminal instances that have

been per petrated at five of the eight 24hour g as stations in Oak Park as far back as Jan. 1, 2019 and as recently as this year. The incidents she recounted included

“

The 7-Eleven owners basically undercut ever y argument that the owners of the 24-hour gas stations had.”

DIANE RATEKIN Neighbor

Plaque at Westgate honors Mt. Carmel Baptist Church

The center of early Black Oak Park was also an example of ‘urban removal’

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

The 1100 block of Westg ate in Oak Pa is among the most valuable areas in the village On Saturday, in the shadow of the luxury Emerson Apar tments high-rise, crowd of several do zen people gathered to remember the history of plunder under neath the cobblestone pavement and to install a per manent marker outlining the story of Mt. Car mel Baptist Church.

The church was built by Oak Park early Black community in 1905, just few decades after Emancipation and Reconstruction. The cong re gation had originally purchased property on Cuyler and Chicago avenues but the village rescinded the building permit after “strong opposition from residents,” the historical marker notes

The church on William Street (no Westg ate) flourished into a social center for Oak Park’s early Blacks Authors Stan West, Pe gg y Tuck Sinko, Frank Lipo and Yves Hughes Jr. detailed the church history in their 2009 book, Suburban Promised Land: The Emerging Black Community in Oak Park, Illinois, 1880-1980

“Activities at this well-appointed brick building, which was dedicated November 19, 1905 were less prominently re por ted in the local newspapers than those of other churches, but Mt. Car mel functions were not totally ignored,” they wrote. “For example, in 1912, announcement in the Oak Leaves, written by church of ficials, proclaimed that Mt. Car mel ‘in a large measure has prov itself the spiritual and social center the colored population in Oak Park and vicinity.’

“It went on to announce a special event: ‘No pains have been spared to make this one of the leading attractions of the season,’ although the precise nature of the festivities was not revealed. Other special events at the church received coverage, like the program in May 1919 that featured music by the Chicago Guards (an AfricanAmerican band), and a drama entitled, ‘Out in the Street,’ with an all-black cast, all for only twenty-five cents, or thirty-five cents with an ‘old-fashioned supper.’”

In those early years, the church was pastored by Rev. Har ry W. Knight, Rev.

Har ry C. Weatherspoon and Rev. Buchanan Lewis, the authors added. The Westg ate area around the church was also where many of Oak Park’s Black families lived in the early 1900s.

But the racism that ke pt Mt. Car mel

from building at Cuyler and Chicago would haunt the Westg ate facility as well. On Christmas Day 1929, the church mysteriously caught fire, resulting in $1,000 in damages to the building. The next year, the cong re gation sold the building.

“At the time of the fire,” the marker notes, “the general locale was experiencing economic growth and fast becoming a thriving commercial center The Black community dwindled over the next 30 ears with many Black residents moving to ywood and sur rounding communities.”

During Saturday’s ceremony, Nancy Alexander, an Oak Park resident and educator, fleshed out what Black people lost when Mt. Car mel closed.

“We lost a meeting space, we lost a religious school, we lost a source of local news and information, we lost a music center and a concer t hall, we lost a pulpit for public speaking, and we lost a recreation center,” she said. “We lost the hear t and soul of Black Oak Park But most re giously, we lost the collective wealth that was the value of this land — the rock upon which generational wealth is built in this country.”

Alexander said that lost wealth and equity, “built over 24 years,” was the result of systematic policies and practices implemented by whites in Oak Park at the time. After the permit to build on Cuyler and Chicago was rescinded, Blacks were “constricted to this little sliver of lot here we were basically redlined in,” she said, referencing the practice of denying credit, insurance and other financial services to potential customers who live predominantly minority or low-income areas.

After the fire, Alexander explained, if the village ever investigated its cause, no one was ever charged, “no cause was ever announced, no police re port was made that y, no bill of sale exists to the developers and no transfer of deed exists that we can find. And finally a 1930s map of this block that does exist erases where Mt. Car mel’s lot had been in the 1920s.

“By snuf fing out this church, the village of Oak Park established a patter n of treatment toward Black folk that includes erasure, blur ring and obfuscation of our history that has continued to this day,” she said. “This Westg ate Old English village is an early form of urban renewal and gentrification. It is now some of the most valuable property in Oak Park.”

The plaque was made possible by a

ALEX ROGALS/Sta Photographer

Marsha Spight unveils the historic plaque marking the site of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Oak Park. e church was built in 1905 but a mysterious re in 1929 forced the congregation to dissolve.

Sidney Hurst Jr., scion of pioneering Black Oak Park family, dies at 97

Hurst’s mother’s family was among rst Blacks to settle in Oak Park, while his father’s family was rst Black family to

destined to be more than isolated

Blacks would follow their lead, homes and lives in and around two virgin lots and eventually what, over the years, would one of the most vibrant Black communities in the west suburbs. ears before Hurst Jr was born, Sidney Hurst Sr and Ethel ving in the Belleforte Avenue that Ethel’s parents, John Shannon and Louise Shannon, Park, according to a 1922 city book, “Suburban Promised Land: Emerging Black Community in Oak s, 1880 – 1980,” fleshes out connection between Oak Park’s and Black communities authors — Stan West, Pe gg y Tuck Lipo and Yves Hughes Jr — call Shannons and the Hursts “noteworthy” ho lived at the Shannon/ homestead at 838 Belleforte, “said een built in the late 1800s by Stewart, a black stonemason from

Stewart’s granddaughter said he was “par t Choctaw Indian and very proud of his Native American heritage. F leming Stewart’s daughter, Louise, mar ried John W. (J.W.) Shannon, who was the son

of slaves. His father, William Shannon, lived and worked on an estate in Franklin County, Kentucky.”

William Shannon gained his freedom in 1864 and served in the 119th Re giment, U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War, the authors note. His son, John, was “widely known by both Blacks and whites in Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, and Chicago as a blues guitar and banjo player from the 1890s to 1940s

“Relatives remember the talented J.W. as a 20th century re presentative of the Sene g ambia or wester n African musical tradition,” they added, before pointing out that he was known as “Smokey.”

John Shannon played “up and down Forest Park in all the taverns,” as well as in Addison, Elgin and Bloomingdale’s, his granddaughter recalled for the authors. He was also an active Mason who belonged to the Je ptha Lodge A.F. & A.M. in Maywood

Sidney Jr. told the authors that he reco gnized his mother, Ethel, and his aunt, Grace, in a Philander Barclay photo of parishioners standing in front of the Mt. Car mel Baptist Church, which was built in 1905 by Oak Park’s Black religious community

He added that his uncle, Ralph Shannon, worked at local factories and other jobs

PROVIDED

urst Jr. said he recognized his mother, Ethel, and his aunt, Grace, both far s photo of parishioners standing in front of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in e photo was taken around 1905.

PROVIDED

A photo of Amanda Hurst with her and Iva’s six children in Doug Deuchler’s “Images of America” book on Maywood.

SIDNE Y HURST JR.

Local chefs gather to support P roviso Township scholarships

Past recipients to share success stories while guests dine on a diversity of dishes

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

The D209 Scholarship Board of Directors is inviting the public to Great Chefs: Educated Palates, a culinary tour de force intended to raise $25,000 for the Proviso Township D209 scholarship fund. The Foundry, 7503 Mad ison St., Forest Park, is sched uled to host the event on Nov. 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The celebration promises to be a feast for the senses with food, drink, music and lively conversation.

After a pandemic related hiatus, the signature fundraiser is back for the third time and aims to be better than ever Event orga nizers anticipate welcoming 125-150 guests who are intent on generating a financial in fusion for the scholarship program started in 2015 and benefitting high school students graduating from the 10 communities feeding into the Proviso Math and Science Academy, Proviso East and Proviso West. Scholar ships, many of which are renewed, are im partially reviewed before being awarded to

graduates who demonstrate high academic achievement as well as those who are on a trajectory of improvement after facing challenges.

“It feels like validation when the community agrees that these kids are worth investing in,” said Michelle Woehrle, vice presi dent of the D209 Scholarship Board. “People are meeting the moment and supporting these kids.”

Guests attending the Great Chefs event should expect to savor selections from 8 to 10 hyper-local chefs and restaurant owners. The personal chef in residence at The Foundry/ FP will join N Rebozo, Azucar Rococo, Zesty Catering, Fiore Pizza and Bakery, Couture Kitchen, and Habrae Thai Cafe and Eatery. Habrae has confir med they will be sending pot stickers, prawn cracker and egg rolls. Signature cocktails, wine and beer provided by Exit Strategy, Forest Park’s only microbrewery, will also be available with ad mission. A wine pull and silent auction will round out the festivities.

New board member and event organizer, Gwendalyn Carver, is excited to interact with the D209 Scholarship Fund donors and mingling with like-minded scholarship supporters. The Forest Park resident and mother of three, two of whom are Proviso East students, knows there is a real need fo r

support in Proviso Township.

“This organization is for students who may not have financial support and people are connecting over these struggles and want to make a difference,” said Carver “I am excited that guests will get to hear from past scholarship recipients and lear n about the impact of our program.”

The evening’s emcee, Debra Vines is CEO of The Answer, Inc., a not-for-profit autism awareness organization. She sat on the D209 selection committee for this year’s award re cipients and is keenly aware of the caliber of students graduating from Proviso’s local

public high schools In addition to sharing why the scholarships provide essential sup port for D209 students, Vines will introduce previous awardees and share their stories of success

“Some of the retur ning students have graduated from college and are excited to start giving back to their Proviso community,” said Carver “They have agreed to be come mentors to help ensure the future suc cess of scholarship recipients.”

Tickets to attend this meaningful evening of food, drink and community can be purchased by visiting 209scholarship.com.

SAFET

verbally assaulted him and de manded he tur n over his wallet. The of fender then “proceeded to beat [the victim] in the face with his hands and his feet,” according to Johnson.

ar med robberies, car jackings and shootings. One instance, which took place just over two years ago, involved the Se pt. 2020 beating of a man experiencing homelessness at the BP station at 520 S. Austin Blvd. The man had been slee ping on the side of the building when, at about 1:20 a.m, he was approached by another person who

Less than a month after that, a man was shot in his abdomen at the same g as station on Oct. 4, 2020. The man had been chang ing his tire at approximately 1:20 a.m., when he was caught in the crossfire of a shootout be tween three individuals.

SHATONYA JOHNSON Oak Park police chief

Johnson rounded up the list of violent

crimes per petrated at 24-hour g as stations with the tragic murder of 18-year-old Jailyn Lo g an-Bledsoe, which occurred last June at a dif ferent BP g as station, one located at 100 Chicago Ave. The teenager’s mur der spur red the village to enact the ordinance

The police chief’s voice was choked with emotion as she asked for a moment to collect herself, telling the board that she had been working with Lo g an-Bledsoe’s mother After a few sec

onds, Johnson continued, sharing what happened in the final minutes of Lo g anBledsoe’s life.

The teenager had gone into the g as station to buy a soft drink at 1:52 a.m., June 22. She was followed out by two other people

“And without an oppor tunity to comply, they shot her in the head and took her car,” said Johnson.

The two people, a brother and sister, were later identified and ar rested. They both have been charged with first de gree murder for the death of Log an-Bledsoe.

“This young lady did not deserve her fate,” said Johnson.

FILE

Samplings of asparagus are set out for guests during the 2019 Great Chefs for Success fundraiser for District 209 Together at Urban Pioneer Group on Madison Street in Forest Park

CRIME

Customer hits hairstylist with car

A salon worker was hit three times by a car driven by a customer who refused to pay for services rendered at 12:50 p.m., Oct. 28. The female offender left the salon, located in the first block of Madison Street, without paying and got into a black Honda SUV.

While attempting to flee the salon, the woman allegedly hit the salon worker three times with the rear ofthe SUV. The cost of the salon services is estimated at $85.

Robbery

■ A woman was allegedly attacked from be hind by two men who hit her in the face and stole her purse, which contained her iPhone, driver’s license and credit and debit cards, at 9:15 a.m., Oct 24 in the first block ofLake Street. The offenders fled in a dark colored SUV. Her iPhone was later found in the 5700 block of West Lake Street, Chicago.

■ A man was caught in an Oak Park resi dent’s home and allegedly began punching the victim in his head, while demanding the keys to his car at 1:15 p.m., Oct. 28 in the 1000 block ofNorth Oak Park Avenue. The struggle continued into the backyard, with the offender continuing to punch the vic tim, before he fled in the victim’s white 2016 Mercedes 400. The man also took the victim’s black Samsung Galaxy Z Fold cell phone and a brown wallet, containing miscellaneous cards, identification and cash. The estimated loss is $21,725.

Burglary

■ Someone kicked in the locked front door ofa home and removed two suitcases, cash, jewelry, a Canik 9 mm firearm, a safe, and personal documents between 8:45 a.m. and 9 a.m., Oct. 25 in the first block of Forest Av enue. The estimated loss is $170,700.

■ Three men allegedly broke into Tobacco Zone, 6638 W. Roosevelt Rd., at 3:33 a.m., Oct. 26 after throwing a brick and shattering the front glass door. Once inside, they ransacked the store, taking cash and 13 boxes ofcigars, while a fourth man stood look out in a new gray Dodge Charger, which served as the getaway car. The estimated loss is $4,300.

Motor vehicle theft

■ A 2017 Elantra was removed from the 200 block ofHarrison Street between 8 p.m., Oct. 23 and 7:50 a.m., Oct. 24.

■ A 2019 BMW X4, which was parked with the keys left inside, was removed from the 400 block ofLake Street at 5:52 p.m., Oct. 24. Chicago police recovered the vehicle at 1:52 a.m., Oct. 29 in the 5000 block of West End Avenue in Chicago.

■ A 2020 Kia Forte was taken from a park ing lot in the first block ofLe Moyne Parkway at 1:53 p.m., Oct. 25. The vehicle was recovered in the 700 block of South Kostner Avenue, Chicago at 3:32 p.m., Oct. 26.

■ A 2013 Lincoln MKS was taken from the 500 block ofHarrison Street between 8 p.m., Oct. 26 and 3:39 a.m., Oct. 27.

■ A Dodge Durango belonging to the Oak Park Public Works Department was stolen between 12:45 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., Oct. 27 from the 200 block of South Boulevard

■ A 2016 Kia Optima was taken between 6:55 a.m. and 6:59 a.m., Oct. 28 from the 200 block ofHarrison Street. The vehicle was re covered at 9:54 p.m., Oct. 28 in the 1000 block of South Harvey Avenue

■ A 2018 Kia Sportage was taken from the 300 block of South Boulevard between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., Oct. 29.

Recovered stolen vehicle

■ The 2011 Kia Optima that was stolen from Oak Park Oct. 22 was recovered by the Oak Park Police Department at 8:57 a.m., Oct. 24 in the 800 block of South Harvey Ave.

■ The 2017 Hyundai Tucson re ported stolen Oct. 21 from the 600 block ofNorth Forest Avenue in Oak Park was found at 6:17 p.m., Oct. 24 in the first block of North Long Avenue, Chicago.

■ The 2018 Hyundai Elantra re ported stolen Oct. 23 from the 200 block of South Maple Avenue in Oak Park was recovered in the 700 block of East 111th Street in Chicago at 7:15 p.m., Oct. 24.

These items, obtained from the Oak Pa Police Department, came from reports, Oct. 25-31, and represent a portion ofthe incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race ofa 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 ofthe suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

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Homes

Historic Hulbert homes hit the market

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

Aneighborhood in south Oak Park may have turned down historic district status in 2015, but the imprint of developer Thomas Hulbert that makes the area unique continues to draw in families looking for the ideal Oak Park experience.

Between Madison Street and the Eisenhower and Oak Park and Harlem avenues, the blocks making up this enclave are ripe with historic houses, green lawns and blocks made for block parties.

After completing his first subdivision in the Chicago area in 1890 in Humboldt Park, Hulbert turned to Oak Park for his next

HULBERT HOMES

from the house and her Pulitzer prize winning novel “The Stone Diaries” features a character of an architect who is supposed to be loosely modeled on Hulber t.

Now

Now safely moving new residents to our

Now safely moving new residents to our small, wooded campus.

campus.

moving new residents to our small, wooded campus.

safe & smart choice.

real estate foray. Hulbert advertised his homes to middle class families, touting the development’s af fordabilit y, safety and ac cess to Chicago via a new el station.

Walking into the house is a step back in time through the original front door with its art-glass inset and a trio of artglass windows. T he for mal living room’s fireplace is flanked by built-in bookcases with leaded-glass fronts, atop which sits more ar t-glass windows bearing the dia mond-shaped Craftsman motif.

T he living room flows to the dinin g room, which Nowicki calls his favorite room in the house.

Choosing a community you can trust has never been

difficult.

Choosing a community you can trust has never been more important.

Choosing a community you can trust has never been more difficult.

Our community has an impeccable record of safety

Sold between 1905 to 1913, the homes were designed in a number of styles in cluding Craftsman, Queen Anne and American Four Square. Roughly 158 Hulbert -designed homes remain in the neigh borhood tod ay.

“It’s a complete throwback to a Great Gatsby-like era of opulence,” Nowicki said.

crisis

Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

be honored for your family to be part of ours.

We would be honored for your family to be part of ours.

We would be honored for your family to be part of ours.

A recent real estate listing at 630 S. Kenilworth Ave. in the heart of the Hulbert -designed neighborhood has several claims to f ame, including the le g end that the house was home to T homas Hulber t himself.

Built in 1913, the home has Queen Anne and Victorian characteristics, including a deep front porch with a beadboard ceiling, dark woodwork, a plethora of built-in cabinetry and colorful leaded glass windows.

Michael Nowicki, who is listing the house on behalf of Ideal Location Oak Park, notes that the house has another ru mored connection to f ame. Author Caro l Shield s, who was born in Oak Park in 1935, is said to have lived across the street

The original wood wainscoting gives the room a dramatic feel and original light fixtures and french doors bring an early 20th-century feel to the space.

T he home features four bedrooms, with many original sets of built-in cabinets, and a full bath on the second floor as well as an unfinished attic space that is dormered and ready for renovators.

Beyond the history in the home, it also comes with something that is hard to come by in the densely settled suburb of Oak Park -- lots of land. T he listing in cludes two lots, each measuring 150 feet deep. The home sits on a lot that is roughly 37.5 feet wide, according to the Cook County Assessor, and

vacant lot to its

© VHT STUDIOS

Legend has it that the home at 630 S. Kenilworth Ave. is omas Hulbert’s own

it retains classic original features (above) such as art glass and

south is 50 feet wide

“I don’t think there’s another house in south Oak Park that has a 50-foot lot,” No wicki said.

While the lots have separate property in dex numbers and could be divided, Nowicki

says, “The ideal buyer is someone who wants both together.” The lots are priced together at $850,000.

The house has been much loved by its previous owners and could use some updating, “It’s hard to come into this house and not

see all the potential,” Nowicki said.

Nowicki also recently listed 734 Clin ton Ave. for sale. Just a block from his Ke nilworth Avenue listing, 734 Clinton Ave. is also a Hulbert home. Built in 1911, this house also sports stunning art glass and old

world char m with original woodwork and built-in cabinets

Updated and expanded to include five bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, the house is recently under contract at an asking price of $865,000.

VHT STUDIOS

e kitchen (above) has been updated, but the property’s signature feature is that it sits on two lots (right) measuring 77.5-by-150 feet.

SPORTS

Fenwick falls to Morgan Park in defensive battle

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Fenwick High School football team entered its IHSA Class 5A first-round playof f g ame knowing it would be a challenge to slow down Morg an Park’s high-powered of fense

But while the defense held up rather well, it was the of fense that ultimately doomed the Friars in a 14-6 loss to the Mustangs on Oct. 29 at Gately Stadium in Chicago.

“That’s the toughest of fense we’ve seen all year,” said Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia. “With the amount of speed they have on the field, no words can describe how I feel about how the defense played. They ke pt us in the g ame.”

Morg an Park (9-1) drove to the Fenwick 4-yard line on the g ame’s opening possession, but Marcus Thaxton’s pass on fourth and goal was incomplete and resulted in a tur nover on downs

The Friars (5-5), buoyed by runs from Will Gladden and Luke D’Alise, got as far as the Mustangs’ 28 on their opening drive, but E.J. Hosty’s incomplete pass on fourth and 3 gave the ball back to Morg an Park.

The Mustangs then capitalized as Thaxton hit Christopher Dur r Jr. for a 34-yard completion to move into Fenwick ter ritory. Then on fourth and 10 from the Friars’ 26,

the duo connected for a 26rece ption. Thaxton followe mare Washington for a 2-point and an 8-0 Morg an Park mark of the first quar ter

Hosty was intercepted by Jovan Clark on Fenwick’s at the Friars’ 29. However, tall and forced the Mustangs ball on downs.

Early in the second quar , Hosty stripped of the ball by Clark while scrambling, and his fumble was recovered by Mor gan Park’s Dion Andrews on the Fenwick 15. But the Friars’ defense held as Mirko Jaksic sacked Thaxton on fourth down.

Late in the half, Jaksic thwarted another scoring threat when he read a screen pass and intercepted Thaxton at his 41-yard line.

Fenwick finally got going of fensively to star t the second half as the Friars went 68 yards on 13 plays for a touchdown, D’Alise doing the honors with a 10-yard burst up the middle at 5:38 of the third quar ter However, the 2-point conversion failed, leaving the score 8-6.

D’Alise, a junior, had a huge night, gain ing 176 yards on 23 car ries along with a 15yard rece ption.

“Luke’s a war rior,” Battaglia said. “Thank God he’s coming back.”

Unfortunately, Gladden suf fered a seri-

ous injury during the drive while running the ball. There was about a 15-minute delay as an ambulance was called to transpor t him to a local hospital. As of press time, no fur ther infor mation was available.

Morg an Park responded by going 80 yards in 12 plays as Thaxton found Dur r over the middle for a 21-yard touchdown strike. But the Mustangs were stopped on a two-point conversion run, kee ping the score 14-6 with :50.6 left in the third quarter.

Three consecutive D’Alise runs totaling 49 yards got Fenwick into the Morg an Park red zone early in the final quar ter But the Mustangs’ defense stif fened and forced the Friars to give the ball up on downs with 8:35 left. It would tur n out to be Fenwick’s

final real threat for the evening as the of fense never moved the ball back inside Morg an Park ter ritory.

Fenwick ran the ball well, rushing for just over 200 yards. But the of fense was one-dimensional as Hosty completed just five passes in 14 attempts for 53 yards. Defensively, Jaksic had five tackles (two sacks) and an interception.

“They played their hear ts out, there is no doubt about it,” said Battaglia. “All season, our guys played with extreme ef fort. We’ve gotten better each week.”

Despite the loss, the Friars now enter the Prep Bowl playof fs They’ ll have a bye this week with their opponent to be deter mined later

Fenwick spikes Trinity to advance in volleyball playo s

By MELVIN TATE and BILL STONE Contributing Reporters

Enterin g the IHSA Class 3A state tour nament, Fenwick High School girls volleyball coach Kathleen O’Laughlin be

lieved things were star ting to click for her team.

In a sectional semifinal against rival T rinity High School on Oct. 31 at Little Village High School, the F riars scored the first eight points of the ma tch en route to

a 25-6, 25-18 victory. Fenwick (17-19), seed ed second, advances to the sectional title match against top seed Nazareth Academy on Nov. 2.

“We were super prepared going in,” added Fenwick senior Erin East, who

had a match-high eight kills along with a block. “We had our minds set on what we wanted and put all our ener gy out there.”

In the second set, Trinity (14-22) rallied and led a few times. But Fenwick gradually took control and pulled away to secure

ALEX ROGALS/Sta Photographer

Fenw ick running back Luke D’Alise (32) dodges a tackler during the Friars’ 14-6 rst round state playo loss to Morgan Park at Gately Stadium in Chicago on Oct. 29.

OPRF boys cross countr y headed to state nals

Newhar t, a runaway sectional champ, leads very improved Huskies

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Oak Park and River Forest High School senior boys cross country r unner Nick Parrell followed sixth at re gionals with an all-sectional seventh at the IHSA Class 3A Waubonsie Valley Sectional, the state’s toughest sectional, on Oct. 29.

“I’m very pumped, very pumped. I was thinking top 15, especially going into the first mile People were taking it out really f ast,” “Seventh I’ ll consistent. I like that.”

T he Huskies to the occasion. third (99 points) ear n their first the IHSA Class since 2016 and ond since 2010.

Senior Liam Newhar t was the lone OPRF state individual qualifier in 2021, but this season any loneliness is because he’s among the state’s frontrunners. He won the 3.0-mile sectional (14 minutes, 44.0 seconds) by 4.5 seconds.

Parrell (14:58.9) also broke 15 minutes Junior Michael Michelotti (11th, 15:05.1) was not 100 percent yet missed all-sectional by just 0.3, followed by senior Owen Augustine (36th, 15:40.1), juniors

the win.

“No way is one of [Trinity coach Ken Uhlir’s] teams going to let us g et out of here without giving a good fight,” O’Laughlin said. “We just had to focus on putting the ball away.”

Senior Maeve Welsh had 11 assists and two aces and junior Hazel Davis had three aces for Fenwick

T he F riars met Nazareth Academy in a non-conference match Oct. 10 in La Grange Park and lost in three sets, 25-21, 28-30, and 20-25. East had 10 kills, 17 digs, four blocks, and an ace that day in the losing ef fort

Daniel Johnson (51st, 15:53.6) and Lewis O’Connor (56th, 15:57.5) and sophomore Andrew Har mon (60th, 15:59.4). Johnson rejoined the lineup since dropping out of the West Suburban Conference Silver meet, battling sickness.

“We’ re super excited. Our team’s really improving, just looking to stay consistent and g et a little better going into state,” Ne whart said.

T he Huskies are thinking a top-five state finish at Peoria’s Detweiller Park, if not their first top-three state trophy.

T he last time they competed at Detwei ller Park in Se ptember, they won Peoria Notre Dame’s 71-team Richard Spring In vitational with many personal-best times WSC Silver rivals Downers e Nor th (75) and Hinsdale Central (78), the conference champion, were first and sec ond on Oct. 29. They and Plainfield South are the favorites. believe in those guys I they can g et a trophy have a commitment to other,” OPRF coach Chris Baldwin said.

Newhar t, 45th at state last year (15:09.27), also should contend for top five, if not become the program’s first state champion. He only has been beaten by three Illinois r unners and beat two of them in other races. Hinsdale Central senior Dan Watcke, who beat Ne whart for the WSC Silver title, was second at sectional (14:48.5) and fell while ascend ing a large hill.

“That’s my goal [top five] and maybe even better than that,” Newhar t said. “I

“We’ve got to play our hear ts out and fo cus,” East said. “It was neck and neck last time, but I think we can take them.”

Junior Erin Whiteside led T rinit y against Fenwick with four kills. Sophomore Claire Rambasek and junior Erin We ger each had three kills and senior So phia Rodrigue z added five assists for the Blazer s.

“We were just outmatched. It’s been that kind of year,” Uhlir said. “We had our moments in the second set where we were solid. But we ’re young and inexperienced. I star ted four girls that had never played varsit y.”

just beat one of the top athletes in the state I’ve got a lot going for me into state.”

Last year, the Huskies were 10th at sec tionals with Newhar t (26th), Augustine (51st), Parrell (16:35.44), Michelotti (73rd) and Johnson (118th).

“Our improvement is just astronomical I’d say,” Parrell said. “I’m really proud to have made it to state, because last year I know was a hor rible feeling.”

Sterritt OPRF’s lone girls’ qualifier

In the girls race, OPRF junior Lenny Ster ritt will be adding to her state meet experience – and her wardrobe.

“I’m excited to keep going,” Ster ritt said. “I like to go to state just to get the sweatshir ts I have five of them [including] from middle school so I want another one.”

Ster ritt (39th, 19:00.9) was the Huskies’ top finisher and their lone qualifier by be ing among the top 10 individuals not from the seven qualifying teams. The Huskies (283) were 12th as a team.

“I didn’t honestly expect [qualifying] at all. I wasn’t paying attention to the re sults,” Ster ritt said.

Senior Avery Minnis was 46th (19:07.3), 0.5 seconds from the last individual quali fying spot. Junior Katie Stabb was 60th (19:28.1) after being top 10 halfway through the race before collapsing near the finish.

Senior Natalie Quinn (71st, 19:45.7) re joined the lineup, followed by senior Malie Cassel (79th, 20:10.3), junior Anne Lynch (88th, 20:33.0) and senior Abby Lofg ren (97th, 20:51.2).

Fenwick boys advance downstate

The Fenwick High School boys cross country team will get to defend its IHSA Class 2A championship Nov. 5 in Peoria

The Friars finished seventh with 176 points at the Class 2A Kaneland Sectional on Oct. 29. The top seven teams in a sectional advance downstate.

Junior Nathan McKillop led Fenwick, coming in eighth in a time of 15:24.70. Se nior Grayden Rill (13th, 15:39,04) and junior Dean O’Bryan (25th, 15:56.08) also finished in the top 25.

Sophomores Finn Munley (54th, 16:37.08) and Benicio Carideo (90th, 17:10.81), junior Chris Badja (104th, 17:29.88) and senior Jake Leonardi (105th, 17:30.10) rounded out the Friars’ lineup

Daley, McGreal qualify as individuals

Neither Fenwick nor Trinity High School qualified for downstate in the girls team competition at the Class 2A Kaneland Sectional on Oct. 29. The Blazers were ninth with 250 points while the Friars came in 14th with 352 points.

However, each school had an individual qualifier, finishing among the top 10 individuals from teams not advancing.

Fenwick senior Bella Daley, who was allstate last fall, will get the oppor tunity to re peat the honor after placing fifth at Kaneland with a time of 18:20.34.

Also advancing downstate is Trinity freshman Molly McGreal. She came in 21st with a time of 19:00.44.

McAuley ends OPRF’s postseason run

The Oak Park and River Forest High School girls volleyball team achieved its most victories in Kelly Collins’ seven seasons as head coach.

The Huskies’ ascent should continue.

Although this season ended with a 25-15, 25-15 loss to Mother McAuley in the Class 4A Lyons Township Sectional semifinals on Oct. 31, only three seniors were among the 10 Huskies who played – Reese Garland, Molly Brown and Maeve Moran.

Ear ning All-West Suburban Conference Silver honors for the Huskies (27-10) were

junior outside hitter Grace Nelson and junior setter Kinsey Smith.

“They’re a great group of girls. [I told them] don’t let this one loss overshadow the successes that we’ve had this season and all of the growth we’ve had,” Collins said.

Nelson (9 kills, 7 digs), Smith (17 assists), Garland (3 kills), juniors Ella Hullinger (4 kills) and Kiera Kleidon (8 digs), sophomore Gabby Towns (3 kills, 2 blocks), and Brown and sophomore Tewa Woodson (ace each) led No. 4-seed OPRF against top-seed ed McAuley (35-3).

LIAM NEWHART

POLICE CHIEF

from eld of 19

page 12

The national search produced a group of 19 qualified candidates, 11 of whom came from Illinois. Jackson called the pool of candidates “really diverse.”

“We had, I think about nine people of color and three female applicants.”

The process, according to Jackson, was very positive. The applicants were reviewed, shor t listed and interviewed. The village board was not involved in re viewing applications or inter viewing candidates Johnson was the prefer red contender

“There was a joint acknowledgement between GovHR and myself that she was the top candidate for the job,” said Jackson.

Johnson said in a village news release she was honored and humbled to serve as the de par tment’s first female po lice chief. She was unable to be interviewed at this time due to her previously planned vacation, which Jackson called “well-deserved.”

“I can tell you she hasn’t gotten a break since she star ted April 14 as interim,” said Jackson.

What put Johnson above the other applicants was not just her 22 years of experience working in “pro gressive, responsi ble” positions within the Oak Park police, but her perfor mance as interim chief. She took on the role headfirst and Jackson said he was able to evaluate her work over the past six months.

“She served as interim capacity during a very dif ficult time and without a complete command staf f and made some significant progress on some very significant issues,” Jackson said.

A certified ne gotiator of 15 years, Johnson and the police de par tment were able to bring about a peaceful end to the recent standof f on Harlem Avenue Oct. 14 The in cident ended without injury after 18 and a half hours

Jackson praised the chief for her over sight in the murder investigation of Jailyn Lo g an-Bledsoe, as well as her work in trying to establish an end to 24-hour g as stations as a preventative measure against fur ther violent crimes All the while, she has continued to lead and manage the police personnel and the operations of the police de par tment.

“She has been going and going and going and going practically around the clock,” said Jackson.

The new chief has a long history of public service prior to her career in law enforcement. Before she joined Oak Park’s police force, she was a case manager with the Illinois De par tment of Children and Family Services She also worked as a correc tional of ficer at the Will County Jail and as a patrol of ficer for the Cook County Forest Preserves. Johnson even taught for a while as an adjunct professor of juvenile justice at MacCor mac Colle ge, now known as Generations Colle ge

“At the end of the day, we’re very fortunate to have had an inter nal candidate with her qualifications,” Jackson said. “Not every police de par tment in America has that advantage.”

MT. CARMEL

Roots remembered from page 14

c ollaboration b etween the Oak Pa rk Re parations Task Fo rc e, Black Residents of Oak Pa rk , the Oak Pa rk Rive r Fo rest Museum, the Oak Pa rk Area Ar ts C ouncil and the village of Oak Pa rk .

Christian Har ris, who leads the Task Fo rc e, said on Saturday that he hopes the historical marke r will launch the

be ginning of a c oncer ted ef fo rt in the village to remember and re pair this da rk histor y.

“It was pretty dif ficult for me to lear n that this history has neve r b een taught in Oak Pa rk schools. It was pretty dif ficult for me to lear n that the name of the street and the lot numbers had b een i ntentionally changed and move d to make it harder to trace the c ommunity that was here, ” he said.

“I always f elt li ke a g uest here — an invited g uest, but neve r theless a g uest with no real say and ownership in thi s town,” Har ris said, adding that, kno wing

SIDNE Y HURST Rich legacy from page 15

“Uncle Ralph was a jack-of-all-trades,” Sidney Jr said. “He worked at the Buick plant in Melrose Park and he worked various other laborer jobs like many of his friends.”

Local historian Doug Deuchler wrote in a 2005 Wednesday Jour nal ar ticle that Mt. Car mel “was clearly in the path of economic development” and after “several mysterious fires, the church was sold and razed.”

Many of the church’s members moved over to Maywood and some settled in the city

The late Niece Hillary White told the authors of “Suburban Promised Land” that her brothers, Garfield and Ar thur Hillary, were the first Black boys in the Oak Park-River Forest Boys Choir and that, as a child, she was the only Black to attend the Oak Park-River Forest Day Nursery on Harlem and Randolph in Oak Park

Hillary White also recalled childhood visits to Mt. Car mel, where her father was a deacon and where her brothers were baptized

“She recalled childhood visits to the church, where she marveled at the spirit and dignity of those who worshiped there,” the authors wrote. “Like so many others, members of her family transfer red to the Second Baptist Church in Maywood when Mt. Car mel Baptist Church closed during the De pression.”

“During 1930 the area where Mt. Car mel stood was developed as an “Old English” shopping district (Westg ate),” he said.

Blacks we re i nte gr al to Oak Pa rk from the be ginning and “continue to be tod ay,” gives him a newfound sense of ownershi p in the village

But those gathered on Saturday sai d they want more than long overdue apolo gies. Fo r i nstanc e, Har ris, A lexander and others in attendanc e are pa rt of a grow ing ef fo rt to g et the village to implement a local re parations progr am. Ea rl ier this year, the Task Fo rc e, using f unds from Euclid Avenue United Methodist C hurch’s Re parations Wo rk ing Group, par tnered with Dominican Unive rsity to administer a

“There is no trace of the early AfricanAmerican community that stood there first.”

In his 2004 “Images of America” book on Maywood, Deuchler wrote that Iva Hurst was a cook at the Palmer House in Chicago’s Loop in the 1880s, “when he saw a real estate handbill advertising a land sale in Maywood.”

Sidney Hurst Sr., the youngest in the family, can be seen in an old photo graph of four Hurst children included in Deuchler’s book. A 1905 photograph of all six Hurst children and Amanda Hurst is also included in the book.

Jeri Stenson, the longtime curator of the West Town Museum of Cultural History in Maywood who died earlier this year, told the authors that her Uncle Adolphus Heady was bor n at 838 Belleforte in 1904. Stenson said his daughter, Muriel Henderson, is related by mar riage to the famous sculptor Geraldine McCullough, herself a Maywood resident who eventually moved to Oak Park. McCullough’s well known Pathfinder sculpture graces the front of Oak Park’s village hall.

The Hurst family ’s story, as well as that of other prominent Maywood residents like Percy Julian, the famous chemist and inventor, can be found at the West Town museum.

Many of the museum’s org anizers, such as Stenson and its founder, Nor thica Stone, as well as its subjects, such as the Hurst family, are gone.

The stories, however, remain, as Stone said during her remarks at the 2013 event where Hurst Jr spoke about his family ’s Maywood origins.

“If we didn’t tell our stories,” Stone said, “they wouldn’t be told.”

CONTAC T: michael@oakpark.com

sur ve y to g auge how Black residents in Oak Pa rk f eel about local re parations

T he Task Fo rce p lans to present a for mal re po rt to the village b oard at some poin t in the coming months.

“We need c ollective j ustice for thi s church and other wrongs against the dignity and the economic powe r of Black Oak Pa rk ,” A lexander said. “It is time to acknowledge these hur ts and to re pair the har m that has c ost Black Oak Park economically.”

T: michael@oakpark.com

“We’re ver y for tunate to have had an internal candidate with her quali cations.”

KEVIN JACKSON Oak Park village manager

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

Ageism: A public health issue

Smoking cigarettes causes cancer. Second-hand smoke does, too. Most people read this and think “Duh. Everybody knows that.”

It wasn’t that long ago when people smoked ciga rettes on airplanes. Do you remember when the people sitting at the table next to you in a restaurant lit up cig arettes at the end of their meal? Our older neighbors remember. It was a long, hard and often emotional fight to ban smoking cig arettes in public places. In the end, it became a public health is . In the end, science-infor med olicy won out.

VIEWPOINTS

BLESOFF

Twenty years ago, what today is understood as accepted fact was a raging, divisive community ontroversy. Yes, people can still poison themselves and their own health privately if they so choose, ut 15 years ago our community decided in favor of public health. Second-hand smoke was prohibted in public places. Our town acted on the principle that what affects one of us affects all of us.

In her recent book Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live, Becca Levy, PhD outlines her 20-plus years of scientific research and experiment at Harvard and Yale universities. You may ask how can my beliefs about aging deter mine how long and well I live? Here’s two of Dr. Levy’s evidence-based examples:

1) People with pro-aging beliefs live an average 7½ years longer than people who fear or deny getting older, and 2) Pro-aging beliefs reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease among those people who have the APOE E4 gene that pre-disposes them to Alzheimer’s Levy has also quantified how ageism — a widespread form of prejudice that is directed at older persons — leads to excess costs of over $63 billion a year for a broad range of health conditions in this country. Levy’s research also found that, in one year, ageism was responsible for 17.04 million cases of the eight most expensive health conditions among those 60 and older

Levy’s findings make a strong case for efforts aimed at reducing the e pidemic of ageism, which produces not

OPRF High School

‘exemplar

Making OPRF’s frosh restructuring work

This year, Oak Park and River Forest High School has fully implemented the freshman restructuring plan that they have been developing for the past five years — and which argu ably came out of conversations that started a decade ago or more.

COMMITTEE FOR EQUIT Y & EXCELLENCE IN EDUC ATION

One View

The school and community sup porters worked together to create this plan to address the disparities in student outcomes that Oak Park and River Forest, like many other communities, has seen and perpetuated: disparities in racial groups taking and passing Honors and AP classes and tests, disparities in GPAs, and disparities in test scores

The school realized that continuing to way would continue to produce the same results, so they decided to make a chang

Previously, freshmen College Prep tracks in English, Social Science, and Scienc with 15% of students enrolled in Transitions level courses which go at a slower pace and are intended to offer more sup ports. Now all students previously would have enrolled in the Honors and College Prep tracks for those same courses are all placed in the Honors-level curriculum, while a similar percentage continues to participate in the Transitions curriculum.

The division of students into Honors and College Prep tracks was always to some degree about access — white students, Asian students, and higher-income students were all overrepresented in the Honors track. And the previous Honors track did not necessarily represent “higher-performing” students: while the average PSAT score of students in Honors classes in past years was higher than the average score of students in the College Prep classes, there has always been significant overlap in scores between these two groups.

Most College Prep students have always been capable of Honors-level work — now the school intends to provide them the support to engage in it. In the 10th through 12th grades, students will continue to experience the same curriculum they have in the past, but the hope is that more students, reflecting the demographics of OPRF, will access Honors-level courses as they move into later grades after having received the support and experiences they needed

in their ninth-grade year.

Some people have insinuated or claimed directly that the district does not have plans to monitor the outcomes of this restructured curriculum, but that is not the case. The district has developed plans to assess these changes

In the short-ter m, they are moni toring the growth in students’ skills in each of their classes, as well as the experiences that students, teachers, and administrators are having with the new curriculum.

In the medium-term, they are following the percentage of freshman students who enroll in sophomore Honors ourses with the goal that sophomore Honors enrollment groups such as Black and Latinx students. They are also monitor ning ades in

In the long-term, the district will monitor Honors and AP ade diser time, and PSAT, rify ously

re achieving at high levels ontinue to do so and those re previously under presented increase their ys of implementing its freshman restructuring. We need to hold them accountable for doing so We recognize that the school will likely need to provide new methods and sources of intervention and support to ensure continued growth and academic success for all students. As a community, we must be vigilant, demanding that all our students get the support they need and that resources are directed in an equitable manner.

The school also must carry out its plan to monitor outcomes in the short, medium, and long terms to guar antee that this plan moves the district toward its intended effects. Through the shared attention of parents, community members, and school staff, we must work to confir m that the school has the time and dedicates the resources to make this plan successful for all students.

Mary Bird, Mark Christiansen, John Duffy, Burcy Hines, Ralph Lee, Sarah Schriber, and James Schwartz are members of the Committee for Equity and Ex cellence in Education.

VIEWS

Shatonya Johnson has impressed us for some while. Happily she also impressed Kevin Jackson, Oak Park’s still new village manager. Jackson promoted Johnson from interim chief to the permanent post last week.

As we re port today, Jackson went through a legitimate national search for a new chief, eventually surfacing 19 credible candidates. But through the vetting and interview process, it was Johnson, a 23-year veteran of the Oak Park depar tment, who rose to the top Staying inside is always a critical choice for a manager. T he decision reflects a fundamental faith in the foundations of the police de par tment. We believe that is war ranted.

But as we’ve said a do z en times in the two-plus years since Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd on a public street and our nation be g an to face a reckoning over policing and racism, while Oak Pa rk has a very good police depar tment, its leaders have shown very little taste fo r making it a great police de partment.

Chief Johnson has the imperative, and we believe the conviction and the moment, to actively lift this de partment to its potential.

We’ve expressed our active frustration with for mer Chie f LaDon Reynolds, about the smar test cop we’ve ever met, fo r his deter mined refusal to be public-facing in this remarkable and dama ged era for policing.

Already we see that Chief Johnson has a dif ferent ap proach. When we saw her at the 4 th of July parade in Oak Park she was on her way to the funeral of the murdered Jailyn Lo g an-Bledsoe. She had been in direct communica tion with the teenager’s family. Her patient handling of an 18-hour standof f on Harlem Avenue, which ended without har m, was af fir ming of a de par tment focused on mental health interventions.

And last week at a village board hearing on a new policy requiring g as stations to close over night (Log an-Bledsoe was murdered in a Chicago Avenue gas station while buying a soft drink at 2 a.m.), J ohnson brought passion and fire to her case-by -case assessment of the violence that has been perp etrated in recent years in late-night gas station incidents

That’s empat hy. That’s leadershi p. And we’re impressed Now finally, the components of Oak Pa rk’s stumbling and overdue study of policing and needed refor ms is imminent. T he Ber ryDunn re port had better provide the foundation for Chie f Johnson, Manager Jackson and this village boar d to actively, ag gressively tur n this de par tment toward the community – especially the Black and Brown community Couple that with a strong further push to emp ower the Citizen Police Oversight Commission and, with a chief willing and ready to speak candidly, to foster transparency and we will cheer as this de par tment goes from good to great.

This nation has certainly lost its way when it comes to citizenship. The old citizenship was too much like “blind allegiance.” That may have worked in an earlier era, but not anymore. Passive acceptance led to corruption, producing the opposite of ac countability. When those in power believe they can do whatever they like, they tend to do what we don’ t like. If public servants don’t have a servant’s mentality, citizens need to remind them with a midcourse correction.

Questioning authority was an important step toward the new citizenship, but questioning alone led to an unhealthy extreme where gover nment was stripped of all credibility. In that fertile swamp, conspiracy theories and misinformation flourish.

KEN TRAINOR

gover nment does every day to keep us safe, healthy and prosperous often goes untold or unheard. But in fact, our gover nment is powered by dedicated public servants work ing in cities and towns across the country to support and improve our daily lives. …

A new citizenship and better government New chief’s great opportunity

The annual awards, they say, “shine the spotlight on remarkable accomplishments that benefit the nation, seeks to build trust in our gover nment and inspires more people to consider careers in public service.”

Tur ns out the words, “I’m from the gover nment and I’m here to help,” are not so scary after all.

The new citizenship asks something far more de manding, an apparent paradox: combining allegiance with questioning.

Call it “vigilant allegiance.”

The new citizenship recognizes that power corrupts, but it’s not inevitable. It’s just a tendency. Our job is to reduce that tendency in our elected officials by holding them to account.

As I said in last week’s column, a good citizen defends democracy while “still criticizing it, acutely aware of its flaws, always working to make it better, but recognizing that gover nment is necessary and works much better than the nihilists give it credit for — at least when people who believe in gover nment are in charge.” The only way to defend democracy is to strengthen and improve it so it works the way it was intended

A good citizen is skeptical but never loses faith in gover nment’s potential. Cynicism is bad citizenship. Without a vision of what is possible, we are lost.

And right now in this country, we have definitely lost our way.

The right has lost all faith in gover nment. Cynically, they elect only those who obstruct gover nance — or attempt to undermine it altogether

The right is drowning in bad citizenship.

But many in the center and on the left of the politi cal spectrum also have little faith in gover nment. They may have legitimate reasons for their skepticism, but good citizenship demands more — it demands the belief that gover nment is capable of governing well.

More than capable — in many ways, it is already governing well.

Each year, “Service to America” medals (known as the Sammies) are awarded by the Partnership for Public Service to those whom many of us too easily dismiss as “bureaucrats.”

But those “bureaucrats” are the ones who make gover nment work — and make it work better. The website (https://ourpublicservice.org) says Partner ship for Public Service is “a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that is building a better gover nment and a stronger democracy. The story of all that the federal

Two examples: The media couldn’t get enough of blaming the Biden administration for our withdrawal from Afghani stan in 2021, but they completely overlooked Hilary Ingraham and two other State Department employees who, in the aftermath, settled more than 72,000 Afghan refugees in 331 cities in 49 states.

72,000.

Or Gregory Robinson, named federal employee of the year. According to an article in The Economist, “The son of sharecroppers, Mr. Robinson took over management of the James Webb Space Telescope program in 2018, when it was 11 years behind schedule and $9B over budget. NASA credits him with turning things around and achieving the telescope’s flawless development. ‘I know the political rhetoric makes a lot of people not appreciate gover nment,’ Robinson said. ‘But I tell you, I think we’re in really, really great hands.’”

A bad citizen complains that gover nment “never does anything right.” A good citizen finds out how much good the gover nment is doing.

You can find out by watching this year’s Service to America Medals ceremony, which will be televised on Bloomberg TV on Nov. 23 at 7 p.m., CST

There is one more thing good citizens do: They vote — because they know voting is the best way to hold bad politicians accountable and give promising candidates a chance to prove what they can do. They vote because indifference, neutrality and cynicism are the greatest enemies of democracy. And because if we don’t vote, the crackpots will prevail.

Good citizens vote for the party that encourages voting. Why would you vote for a party that wants fewer citizens voting?

And voting for candidates who believe good gover nment is impossible is a self-defeating downward spiral of self-fulfilling prophecy. Good citizens vote for candidates who believe it’s possible to have effective gover nment that will work to improve the quality of all our lives.

Check out Partnership for Public Service at https:// ourpublicservice.org and then vote for better govern ment.

And on Nov. 23, tune in to the Service to America awards at 7 p.m., CST on Bloomberg TV

You just might begin to believe again.

WEDNESD AY

Community makes OPRF exemplary

On Oct. 28, the Illinois State Board of Education released its 2022 Illinois Re port Card for all schools in the state. I’m thrilled to share that, for the first time, the state has designated Oak Park and River Forest High School an “exemplary” school. That means we rank in the top 10% of all high schools in Illinois.

GREG JOHNSON

One View

This news is particularly gratifying, given that last school year we were only beginning to emerge from the pandemic and trying to establish a sense of nor malcy. It’s a testament to collective effort and, on behalf of the district administration, I want to thank the entire school community for your support.

Since 2018, the annual report card has included one of four summative designations for each school: exemplary, commendable, targeted support, or comprehensive support. Prior to the current report card, OPRF was designated a commendable school, based on overall perfor mance on eight academic indicators: graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, 9th graders on track to graduate, math proficiency on the SAT, English language arts proficiency on the SAT, climate, participation rate on the Illinois Science Assessment, and English lear ner progress to proficiency.

One of the goals in our strategic plan was to achieve exemplary status by 2024; meeting that goal two years ahead of schedule was certainly not a given. While we celebrated the return to full in-person school last fall, we also faced a lot of challenges.

Students persevered through the culture shock of being back in a building with nearly 4,000 people and relear ning how to “do school” after a year and a half of isolation. Our faculty and staff rose to the challenge of not just catching up students academically but also making sure they felt emotionally safe and cared for. Parents had to adjust, too, especially to new attendance

From good ag football player to Good Samaritan

I read with great interest the story on the newest Huskies fall spor t, girls’ flag football [ Girls fl y the flag for football , News, Oct. 12]. This new spor t seems to make all the sense in the wo rldas I remembered how much I enjoyed playing flag football as a colle ge in tramural spor t. T he team’s quar terback was truly an impressive athlete

T he Saturday following the WJ ar ticl e, I found my self unable to g et into my car in the OPRF parking structure after playing for four hours as a member of the Oak Park Far mers Market Band. It seems that

procedures that, to be honest, weren’t uni versally embraced.

We had analyzed our school data and found that OPRF already was in the top 10% of Illinois schools in ter ms of SAT perfor mance. However, our rate of chronic absenteeism was unacce ptably high. As a school, we took deliberate action to drive down absenteeism. We rolled out an Attendance Matters campaign, conducted hall sweeps to ensure students were in class on time, and implemented a new rule that five tardies to a single class convert to an unexcused absence.

Because families hung in there and helped reinforce our approach, we saw a dramatic change in chronic absenteeism, which fell from a five-year high of 20.5% on the 2021 re port card to a low of 13.6% on this year’s report card.

We’re proud that OPRF stands out in comparison to our peer districts. But I want to be clear: We still need to address areas where inequities continue to exist, and we always want to ensure we are helping all of our students realize the highest levels of achievement possible.

To that end, recent or upcoming initiatives include switching to an honors cur riculum for nearly all freshman core classes, revamping the math curriculum to address lear ning gaps, increasing AP class of ferings, improving student engagement with a classroom ban on cellphones, and focusing on restorative education practices as part of behavior management.

These are significant changes, and they aren’t always easy to make. But thanks to the ongoing support of our entire community, we will continue pushing toward the goal of achieving equitable excellence for all students

Greg Johnson is the superintendent of OPRF High School.

a late model Chevy Impala with fixed rear view mirrors parked so close to my car that I could not open the driver’s door wide enough to g et in. Honestly, I was beside myself being unable to g et into the driver’s seat.

But my solution ar rived in a tall thin female student whom I asked for help and she was able to get into my driver’s seat and back my car out of the wedged spot. I thought to myself what an amazingly kind and helpful OPRF student. As she walked away I saw her flag football helmet on her backpack, and then I remembered where I reco gnized her from — the WJ front-page photo of the quar terback of the new flag football team.

This student athlete speaks well for herself, her coaches, her teachers, and her parents with her willingness to be a little inconvenienced on a g ame day to help a senior citizen in need .

Frank Vozak Oak Park

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley

Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Michael Romain

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

About Viewpoints

Our mission is to lead educated conversation about the people, government, schools, businesses and culture of Oak Park and River Forest. As we share the consensus of Wednesday Journal’s editorial board on local matters, we hope our voice will help focus your thinking and, when need be, re you to action

In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for ling.

Please understand our veri cation process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that veri cation, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot con rm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay.

If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com.

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© 2022 Growing Community Media, NFP.

Chair Judy Gre n Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

‘ e Ebony Streak’ debuts this Sunday

In the days before mass media and social media, in the days before the Black Lives Matter movement and other recent ef for ts to achieve racial and social equity; and in the days before the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbade racial dis crimination in matters of employment and education, something shameful occur red at Oak Pa rk Township High School (as OPRF was still called).

KEVIN BRY

One View

On Christmas Day (no less!) of 1937, the Huskies football team participated in a kind of mythical High School National Championship game at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. They played the game, however, without one of their star players, back Lewis Pope, who was not allowed to play for no other reason than the color of his skin.

The school was not merely passively complicit. Rather, it ag reed to the discrimination.

This Sunday, Nov. 6, the Historical Society of Oak Park-River Forest is producing a staged reading of my one-act play, “The Ebony Streak,” which is based on the 1937 incident that caused a local scandal and received attention from well beyond the borders of our village. This production is presented at the high school in its Little Theater, with the gracious assistance of the school and will feature several OPRF alums.

The Historical Society provided valuable research assistance, with copies of newspaper articles and original source material, such as letters from local ministers and representatives of civil

rights organizations. Additionally, the play features many of Lewis Pope’s own words based upon a taped interview from when he was awarded the high school’s Tradition of Excellence Award in the 1990s. With such assistance and source materials, and building upon the research and writings of local historians such as Doug Deuchler, the play almost wrote itself.

The story of Lew Pope’s high school career and his life afterwards is moving and important to tell 85 years later. We have come far but still have far to go in matters of racial and social equity. It was an honor and privile ge for this playwright to use the words of the actual individuals involved — from local citizens, to school administrators and employees, to the truly heroic Lew Pope himself — to provide a glimpse into the way today’s progressive community was. And it has been a reminder that the fight ag ainst injustice and discrimination needs always to be fought. After the performance, there will be a panel discussion with questioning from the audience, which should be informative and inspiring.

Oak Park prides itself as a community that values both its history and its commitment to diversity and equity. “The Ebony Streak” is a dramatic treatment of the experience and the life of one of our heroes on the path toward diversity and equity.

“The Ebony Streak” will be performed Sunday, Nov. 6 at Oak Park and River Forest High School, 201 N. Scoville Av e., at 2 p.m. Admission is free.

An excellent edition, WJ

From Michael Romain’s article on the deliberate harm and exclusion of Black homeowners by restrictive covenants, the sample ballot, the pullout section on judges, the thoughtful letters re garding OPRF’s upgrades for this century, the special on Mary Anne Brown’s commitment to children, the school security contract shared among districts, the tax bills carefully explained by Ali ElSaff ar, to Ken Trainor’s concerning support ofgovern ment rather than bashing the local, state, and federal infrastructure which helps us. All this great coverage with room for sports and an aging men’s basketball leagu e.

T hank heavens for the local press! T hanks to Dan Haley and the dedicat ed staf f. Let the presses still roll and truth be re ported

Cynthia Breunlin Oak Park

Workers’ Rights Amendment is poorly written

The Workers’ Rights Amendment might be the perfect example of ignorance and intersectionality we’ve seen on the ballot in a long time

Does anyone know who’s really covered under the amendment? What about private sector workers? According to the amend ment’s chief sponsor, State Senator Ram Villivalam, no: the amendment does not ap ply to the private sector This makes sense as the National Labor Relations Act already gover ns private workers and Illinois cannot expand those collective-bargaining rights beyond what federal law allows That means only a small fraction of Il linois workers will be protected under this amendment. In other words, all the commercials and literature touting additional protections for elder care and construction workers are false.

How about advocates for police reform and their efforts to hold police officers more accountable for their misconduct? Unfortunately, any refor ms to qualified im munity will be off the table as they would conflict with an unionized police officer’s constitutional right to bargain over their “working conditions, and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work.” Qualified immunity, well, qualifies. Perhaps the most interesting impact this amendment will be on exclusive bargaining rights. For example, under current labor law, all teachers in a school district

must organize under a single bargaining unit. But the amendment states “no law shall be passed that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize.” Forcing a specific union on workers diminishes their organizational right, therefore the current monopoly of representation becomes unconstitutional, allowing teachers to organize however they choose STEM and minority teachers, each in low supply with highly sought-af ter skill sets, can branch off on their own. No longer tied to the others, these special groups will be able to bargain for a larger share of the existing pie, perhaps to the detriment of the others left behind. “Two English Teachers, A Sub, and A Theater Place”: the possibilities are endless as nowhere does the amendment define what constitutes an actual union. Certainly, our school districts are well versed on this matter and prepared to bargain multiple teacher contracts all with varying ter ms and conditions, no?

Simply put, the Workers’ Rights Amend ment manages to be both silly and danger ous No one involved really thought of the per manent ramifications of such amateur ish legislation. And make no mistake, this is per manent. There are no takebacks with the state constitution. In Illinois, one law rules: that of unintended consequences.

Nick Binotti Oak Park

Keep this block R5 zoning

The proposed rezoning of 327-329 Home Ave. from R5 to R6 should not be granted

1) This is a Historic District. A change in zoning here could set a precedence for other Historic Districts

2) Undue hardship would be placed on residents of 339 Home by the construction of an oversized building that would block their only source of natural light and most likely decrease their property values

3) Envision Oak Park states: “Village gover nment should ensure that historic development is properly preserved and new development appropriately complements the existing character of the community,” which a rezoning for a possible 14-unit

structure does not

4) The buyer of this property knew of the R5 zoning; he assumed that the village would grant him R6 zoning so he can make more money.

Let’s stick to our zoning regulations They are for maintaining the character of our wonderful neighborhoods.

I sincerely hope the village board will stand with the wishes and well-being of their taxpaying current residents instead of lining the pockets of a developer

Zoning is done for good reasons. Keep 32729 Home Ave. R5.

Johnilee Yankow Oak Park

Development costly for neighbors

My wife Bunny and I have lived in Oak Park for nearly 50 years. We moved here with two kids in 1975 because we were looking to live in a ra cially integrated community and Oak Park was struggling toward that goal. We loved the vintage homes, the tree-covered streets, the green parks, the top-notch schools We bought a big old frame house — not the vintage kind but the shabby kind, the affordable kind. We wound up rais ing eight kids in that house.

DENNIS MURPHY

One View

units are condo or rental, would not be compatible with the neighborhood’s character or that of the historic district.

The neighborhood consensus is that the increased density resulting from a zoning change will reduce all our property values. It will certainly radically reduce the value of all the condos in our building.

Looking out the window, instead of green space we’ll be staring at a blank wall, prob ably cinder blocks, a few feet away. Lotsa lost green, lotsa lost sunshine.

We established and operated four busi nesses in town over the years. Two of them, which we no longer operate, continue to service the community, provide jobs, and pay a lot of taxes We also served on our share of committees and commissions

Oak Park has developed over the years. We’re proud that we made our small contribution to that development.

A few years ago we downsized to a condo at 339 Home Ave. The building is about 60 years old, and we’re told it was the first multi-unit building in Oak Park that was purposely designed and built to be a condominium.

We liked Home Avenue because the street is lined with big ol’ single-family vintage homes and shaded by big ol’ trees. Many of those homes and trees have been in Oak Park a lot longer than the rest of us We even have a big ol’ green park right up the street.

At night it’s dark and quiet.

Now along comes a developer who wants a zoning change that would allow 16 units to be built on the two adjoining lots that butt up to our condo building.

We neighbors don’t like the idea at all. Why not? Well, opinions up and down the block have resulted in a list of negative impacts for the area.

One obvious result of the increased density is the increased traffic this development will generate on both Home Avenue and on Chestnut Lane which runs adjacent to the west side of our condo building. It’s also go ing to make it even harder to find a place to park on the surrounding streets.

Home Avenue is mainly a street of singlefamily, owner-occupied vintage homes. It’s also part of the Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District. Any large multi-unit building squeezed onto those two lots, whether the

You could say “this is a NIMBY issue.” But with our predicted plummeting property values who can blame us?

The developer claims the current zoning results in a financial and personal hardship. The developer further claims that the current zoning has hindered the sale of the property and that building a two-flat on the property, which is allowed by the current zoning, is not economically feasible.

Well, no surprises here. The developer knew the limitations of the current zoning existed when purchasing the property

Now the developer wants a zoning change for financial gain. Unfortunately, the requested zoning change also results in a financial loss for the owners of the adjoin ing properties. The value of the developer’s property goes up, the value of the adjoining properties goes down.

On Monday Nov. 7 the zoning map amend ment is scheduled to be presented to the board of trustees. The trustees can only vote yes or no

A village staff inter nal project review team indicated they would not support the application unless a deed restriction were in place limiting the number of units. However, the board will not be allowed to impose any restrictions on the property. It’s a yes or a no No restrictions

If the zoning change is granted, this developer and any future developer would have carte blanche to increase the number of units on the properties to 16. Developers could proceed without any restrictions.

The developer’s property value goes up, the neighboring property values go down.

Doesn’t seem right.

Dennis Murphy is the longtime owner of Poor Phil’s restaurant in Oak Park

Helpless in Oak Park

Last Tuesday afternoon, my wife and I parked our only car in front of Old Navy behind Lake and Harlem. Much to our puzzlement, our car could not be found when we returned 10 minutes later It had been “stolen” — illegally towed some 5 miles away to Melrose Park and held for ransom. We immediately contacted the responsible party whose representative was unrelenting and stated that the only way to retrieve our car was to come to their auto prison and pay a fee of $218.50. We felt utterly helpless

Under great duress, we paid this fee. The fact is that our car was towed away at 12:44 p.m. as recorded by the towing company, and our Old Navy receipt states the purchase of my wife’s sweatshirt was at 12:49 p.m. — five minutes later.

The representatives of the police depart

ment claimed “no jurisdiction” because the injustice occurred on “private proper ty” — regularly frequented by the public.

I was referred by the PD to another vil lage rep who hasn’t returned my call, plus I met with the store manager, and left two messages with the property management company and another at the village clerk’s office — all of whom have not responded.

The helplessness continues for me be cause I am discovering layers of unresponsive bureaucratic corporate and govern mental “pass the buck” behavior in what I consider a personal assault and injustice Yes, and I haven’t been reimbursed for the theft of my $218.50 either Something is very wrong with this picture. What would you do?

Reinhardt Van Dyke Oak Park taxpayer

e time is now to upgrade OPRF

Dear District 200 school board,

We are writing to you as residents of River Forest with one child currently at OPRF High School and another starting there in 2023. We are strongly in favor of the Imagine OPRF Project 2 with a complete teardown and rebuild of the southeast cor ner of the building.

We have been fortunate to have toured the completed Project 1 at OPRF We have seen firsthand how great it tur ned out and the value it brings to OPRF students every day. The board should be congratulated for the results of this work

We have also had the opportunity to take a PE teacher led tour of the athletic facilities, and we were incredibly sur prised to see the age and condition of the areas that we visited. We have relatives who attended OPRF in the 1950s and 1960s and there is no doubt that these

areas have had little, if any change since then. All the areas we saw are lacking the features that should be found in a 21st century school environment and are severely deficient relative to other schools in the area.

The things that were most shocking to us were the condition of the locker rooms, bathrooms, lack of ADA accessibility, lack of storage, and basic safety items that one would expect to see in a school educating 21st-century students.

While we understand that the cost is significant, we must ask: if now is not the time to rebuild a 100-year old portion of the school, when is the time? Are we go ing to wait for the building to be 200 years old?

To us the choice is obvious.

BLESOFF

from page 25

only a financial cost for society, but also a human cost for the well-being of not just older persons, but of our whole community. Here’s an image: a visible but not-toothick, low-hanging cloud of blue cigarette smoke covering our entire town, seeping

everywhere, touching everything and everyone — small babies and children breathing in the smoke — smoke so ubiquitous it is invisible, it is nor malized. People coughing everyday but nobody noticing it.

Now think of that ubiquitous cloud of smoke as being unconscious bias or any form of othering. Think of that smoke as being ageism — touching everything and everyone — systemic and inter nalized ageism, covering our entire town, seeping

Don’t dump your pumpkins in the forest

If you’ve heard anyone suggest dump ing pumpkins in the forest preserve for the deer and animals to eat, please don’t do that! Dumping pumpkins and other things in the forest preserves upsets their natural habitats in numerous ways. According to the Oct. 22 “Forest Way” newsletter of the Forest Preserves of Cook County, you can be fined up to $500 for dumping pump kins, yard waste — or anything in the forest preserves.

What can you do instead with your pumpkins when Halloween is over? If you don’t have a compost bin in which to put your pumpkins, don’t put them in the trash. In landfills, pumpkins decompose and create methane gas, a greenhouse gas extremely har mful to the atmosphere. And because most pumpkins are more than 90% water, during decomposition, the pumpkins’ water leaks out, or leaches into the landfill and that water collects other har mful contaminates from the landfill, eventually contaminating our waterways.

Many Illinois communities hold “pump kin smashes” every year on the Saturday after Halloween, where pumpkins are collected and properly composted, thus diverted from landfills. You can find a drop off location at: //scarce.org/pumpkins/. In Oak Park, you can drop off your pump kins on Saturday, Nov. 6 from 4-5 p.m. at Barrie Park; or in River Forest at Roosevelt Middle School from 9 till noon.

An enlightening four-minute video, produced by scarce.org, can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Fe co5-TEQ&t=84s

Mary Williams Oak Park

everywhere. Nor malized. We don’t see ads for cigarettes anymore in our local newspapers, but we do see ads claiming wrinkles are bad, claiming gray hair is bad, claiming old is bad and young is good.

One of the first steps in banning smoking cigarettes in public places was to under stand the science behind this public health issue. Becca Levy has contributed a large

Vote No on the Home Avenue development

I attended the Plan Commission hearing re garding a zoning map amendment to reclassify the properties located at 327-329 Home Avenue

In the beginning of the meeting, a commission member, Mr Gallagher, stated that he was a friend of the developer, Mr. Collins. Not only were they friends but Mr Collins was his employer and his boss Mr Gallagher was allowed to vote on this important matter when he should have recused himself.

The change requested is from an R5 to an R6. R5 allows for a single home or a two flat. R6 will allow for 16 units. There are already four units on the lots; therefore 12 can be built. The developer has stated that only four units will be built, but no conditions can be placed on granting a zoning change. If a change were to be granted, the developer would be within his rights to change his proposal and build the 12 units The proposed property is not quite a full lot and is simply too small to cram 12 units on the proper ty. His existing plan is too large for the lot. The proposal is for a 20-foot setback, then the new units In the back of the lot is an existing four-car garage In between the new units and the old garage, a new three-car garage will be built. There will be little green space left on the lot.

The proposed change is located within the boundaries of the historic district. I am concer ned that, if granted, this change will set a precedent. Changing the existing zoning will signal open opportunity that zoning changes will be made for other neighborhoods. Develop ers will assume they can buy properties no matter the zoned use and expect that their requests for changes will be granted

Is this our vision for the future: Build as many units on a lot as possible no matter the neighborhood, eliminate most green space, and change the look of our historic architectural heritage?

I respectfully ask that the village board reject this change and vote No!

Elizabeth O ’Brien Oak Park

early ste p in understanding the science behind the public health issue of ageism. Pro-aging beliefs are good for all of us, no matter how long we’ve been alive

Marc Blesoff is a former Oak Park villa ge trustee, one of the founders of the Windmills softball organization, co-creator of Sunday Night Dinner and a retired criminal defense attorne y. He is currently the chairperson of the Oak Park Aging-InPlace Commission.

Meg & Jordan Chalmers

Ri v er Forest

VIEWPOINTS OBITUARIES

A zoning change sends the wrong message

We are writing to respectfully urge the village board to reject a zoning map amendment to reclassify the properties located at 327-329 Home Avenue from its existing R-5 two-family zoning.

We are residents of the building located at 339 Home just south of the property under consideration for re zoning (327-329 Home). This proper ty, buil t in the 1960s, provides a moderat e, af fordable, and attractive living space for a diverse population of seniors, young fami lies, and first-time home bu yers in the heart of Oak Pa rk

T he proposed rezoning for 327-329 Home would ef fectively reshape the neighborhood and the land that is the be ginning of the Oak Park Historic District. Rather than the historic building and spacious green space that now abuts our proper ty, the change in zoning would have us facing a wall of a new building, housing as many as 12 units despite the fact that the current structure on the 327 lot already has four units — what should be the maximum for the entire double lot.

We are also concerned that the zoning change would create unintended consequences for the neighborhood — and all of Oak Park — by setting a precedent for zoning changes. Owners to the north on Home, or elsewhere in the village, would be within their rights to receive the same re zoning consideration. The consistent pattern for zoning for near by streets of Clinton, Kenilwor th and Grove are all the same as the 300 block of Home. Changing the existing zoning will signal an open season for zoning changes for sur rounding neighborhoods.

the council will create a slippery slope of unintended conseq neighborhood character, both on Home

in the village We urge you to consider all the consequences of creating this precedent that will invite developers to target other sites and communities in the village.

T he developer is an experienced and seasoned politician as well as a longtime real estate developer. He and his group knew the existing zoning requirements when they purchased the proper ty. Moreover, he and his group understood that the neighborhood was fully against any zoning changes

Notwithstanding unanimous opposition, they sought a zoning change to R-7 to build 18 units on the property located on the 329 lot and now they wish for the council to provide an R-6.

T he village of Oak Pa rk consistently stands for values promoting community, preservation of historically significant neighborhood s, and housing options for all of Oak Pa rk. It stands for creating more affordable housing as it is a critical need in our community. The developers have stated firmly and unequivocally that with the zoning change no units will be set aside for that purpose

We urge Village President President Vick y Scaman and the trustees to vote to uphold the clearly established neighbo rhood character and maintain the current R-5 zoning for the proper ties at 327-329 Home Avenue.

By doing so, village elected of ficials can fight and prevent rampant zoning changes in Oak Pa rk neighborhood s.

Furthermore, with a No vote, our elected leaders in the village can demonstrate that zoning fair ness is for all Oak Park residents, not just developers with no connection to the village.

A No vote will demonstrate that developers, no matter their are not entitled to special preference over residents

seph

Moshe Schub, 69

Attorney, youth baseball coach

Moshe “Mo” Y. Schub, 69, a resident of Oak Park, died on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022 after a 6-plus-month long battle with cancer. An attorney, he will be remembered for his sense of humor, his love for his son and grandchildren, knowing where to find the best — and cheapest — cheeseburger, and his passion for baseball, which he passed down to a generation of Glenview Little Leaguers.

Mo Schub was the father of AJ (Taylor) and the grandfather of Addison and Elliott Schub; the partner of Leslie Burns; the brother of Zeva Schub, Drora Schub, and the late Ora Schub; the uncle of Isaiah Freeman-Schub; and he will be remembered with respect and love by his clients.

A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a charitable donation to Make A Wish – Illinois, www.wish.org/ illinois/ways-help-us.

Arrangements were handled by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, www.cjfinfo.com.

613-3333

HELP WANTED

ACCOUNT CLERK II

Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class. Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

DEFINITION

To perform various network/system administration, computer support, and operational activities for the Village including computer system setup, configuration, and testing.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Reports directly to the Information Technology Services Director.

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES:

Essential and other important duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following: Essential duties and responsibilities

1. Ensure that best in class customer service is provided to both internal and external customers and also embrace, support, and promote the Village’s core values, beliefs and culture.

2. Configure, test, and deploy network systems, such as, firewalls, routers, switches, wireless equipment, network servers and storage arrays.

3. Configure, test, and deploy system servers, such as, file, print, Internet, e-mail, database, and application servers.

4. Configure, test, and monitor server and end-user systems for security, such as, user accounts, login scripts, file access privileges, and group policy management.

5. Configure, test, and deploy end-user systems, such as, workstations, laptops, mobile devices, printers, and software.

6. Test, configure, deploy, and support security systems, such as, facility access system, video & audio system.

7. Monitor and auditing of networks, systems, and user activities to ensure security and efficiency of systems. Create scripts and reports of detail activities for regular review.

8. Perform and participate in disaster recovery activities, such as, backup procedures, data recovery, and system recovery planning.

9. Assist end-users with computer problems or queries. Troubleshoot systems as needed and meet with users to analyze specific system needs.

10. Ensure the uniformity, reliability and security of system resources including network, hardware,

software and other forms of systems and data.

11. Prepare, create and update user/technical procedure documentations and provide computer training.

12. Assemble, test, and install network, telecommunication and data equipment and cabling.

13. Participate in research and recommendation of technology solutions.

Other important responsibilities and duties

1. Train users in the area of existing, new or modified computer systems and procedures.

2. Participate in the preparation of various activity reports.

3. Travel and support remote facilities and partner agencies.

4. Operate, administer and manage the Village and Public Safety computer systems, including E-911 center, in-vehicle computer systems.

5. Prepare clear and logical reports and program documentation of procedures, processes, and configurations.

6. Complete projects on a timely and efficient manner.

7. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

8. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

9. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of: Principals and procedures of computer systems, such as, data communication, hierarchical structure, backups, testing and critical analysis.

Hardware and software configuration of. computers, servers and mobile devices, including computing environment of Windows Server and Desktop OS and applications, Unix/Linux OS, VMware, iOS/Android.

Network protocols, security, configuration and administration, including firewalls, routers, switches and wireless technology.

Cabling and wiring, including CAT5/6, fiber network, telephone, serial communication, termination, and punch-down.

Telecommunications theory and technology, including VoiP, serial communication, wireless protocols, PBX, analog, fax, voicemail and auto-attendant.

Principles and methods of computer programming, coding and testing, including power shell, command scripting, macros, and

VB scripts.

Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment.

Technical writing, office productivity tools and database packages.

Ability to:

Maintain physical condition appropriate to the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities, which may include the following:

- Walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time

- Operating assigned equipment

- Lift 50 pounds of equipment, supplies, and materials without assistance

- Working in and around computer equipped vehicles

Maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and perception needed for:

- Making observations - Communicating with others

- Reading and writing

- Operating assigned equipment and vehicles

Maintain mental capacity allowing for effective interaction and communication with others.

Maintain reasonable and predictable attendance. Work overtime as operations require.

Experience and Training Guidelines

Experience: Three years of network/system administration in the public or private sector, maintaining a minimum of 75 Client Workstation computers. AND

Training: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in computer science or a related field. Certifications in Microsoft

Server Administration, Networking, Applications and Cisco Networking.

Possession of a valid Illinois Driver

License is required at the time of appointment.

Vaccination against COVID-19 strongly preferred.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work in a computer environment; sustained posture in a seated position for prolonged periods of time; continuous exposure to computer screens; work in and around computerized vehicles outdoor and garage facility; lifting heavy equipment, communication cabling and wiring into walls and ceilings.

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Account Clerk II. This position performs a variety of accounting clerical duties involving financial record keeping and/or transactions including accounts payable and receivable and to provide a variety of accounting support to the Development Customer Services Department. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oakpark.us/jobs. First review of applications November 4, 2022.

NURSERY SUPERVISOR AND CHILDCARE COORDINATOR

Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation is looking for a warm, welcoming and experienced Nursery Supervisor and Childcare Coordinator to work with the youngest among us on Sunday mornings in the nursery as well as coordinate babysitting for congregational events outside of Sunday mornings. This is one job with two different roles. As Nursery Supervisor, this person will provide a compassionate and consistent presence in caring for our babies and toddlers during the Sunday morning worship service times, supervise, train and schedule other nursery staff, maintain the nursery as a safe and clean environment, welcome and orient new families to the nursery, and build relationships with and communicate effectively with parents. The nursery hours are Sundays from 9:30–11:30am, and approximately one hour outside of Sunday morning worship service.

You can find more information about the position at https://unitytemple. org/job -postings/. To apply, send a cover letter and résumé to jobs@ unitytemple.org indicating “Nursery Supervisor / Childcare Coordinator” in the subject line.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Parking Enforcement Officer in the Police Department Field Services Division. This position will perform a variety of duties and responsibilities involved in the enforcement of Village parking regulations; and to provide general information and assistance to the public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

Designer III (Chicago, IL) F/T - Plan and design structures, such as commercial and office buildings, and other structural property. Prepare scale drawings or architectural designs, using computer-aided design or other tools. Evaluate, select, and apply advanced architectural and design methods with responsibility for project assignments including programming, design development, coordination, production, and construction documents including projects that large or complex in scope. Utilize technical skills in Autodesk Products (Revit and AutoCAD Architecture), Rhino 3D, Illustrator, Dynamo, Sketchup, Bluebeam and V-Ray. Requirements are Bachelor of Architecture (or foreign educational equivalent) or closely related architectural field plus 12 months of work experience in job offered or as Architect, Architectural Designer, Architect 2 or closely related. Past 12 months

- Handling minor repairs and contacting the Facilities Manager, Trustees or directly calling contractors when necessary - On occasion there is some cleaning required of spaces used

This individual must present himself/ herself to the public in a professional manner as a representative of our church.

May fill in when needed for the Facilities Manager or the Custodian This position reports to the Facilities Manager, Trustees or the Pastor as needed. Must be willing to serve on rotation for emergency response from our Burglar system or the Fire Department.

Successful completion of background checks must be completed prior to work. Covid vaccinations are required.

Pay - $20 an hour. Resumes can be sent to LKMasters47@gmail.com.

Custom Frame Company

Clean, safe, fun work with graphic display frames that you’ll see in Wal-Marts, Verizon stores, CTA stations, all over US.

Manufacturing

No weekends, no evening hours, great pay and benefits.

Top rated firm, Alpina Manufacturing LLC, founded in 1992, locally owned beautiful campus in Galewood, near Mars candy, 3 blocks north of Oak Park. We build and sell display framing systems to customers nationwide including Wal-Mart, Verizon, Circle K, Hospitals, CTA. Apply in person M-F 8am to 4pm • Alpina • 6460 W Cortland St Chicago, IL 60707 www.fastchangeframes.com

CLASSIFIED

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y22009744 on October 12, 2022 Under the Assumed Business Name of INTENTIONAL BREATH with the business located at: 1414 BONNIE BRAE, RIVER FOREST, IL 60305. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: MARY LISA WAHLFELDT 1414 BONNIE BRAE, RIVER FOREST, IL 60305.

Published in Wednesday Journal October 19, 26, November 2, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICES

LAW OFFICES OF MALIKA T. ASSAR, P.C. Attorney for Petitioner 420 West Huron Street, 1st Floor Chicago, IL 60654

LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss

Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of RAMIA SALEH KASSIM, Petitioner and MAHDI AHMED MOHAMMED GHALEB, Respondent, Case No. 2022D007467.

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your Appearance to said Petition and Response electronically to said Petition with the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, on or before November 18, 2022, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a Judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

Iris Y. Martinez, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal October 19, 26, November 2, 2022

LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF ILLINOIS)

COUNTY OF COOK )ss

Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the allocation of SHANNON JEAN FITCH, Petitioner and JOHN EASDALE BARCLAY, IV, Respondent, Case No. 2022D008089.

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Temporary and Permanent Sole Allocation of Parental Responsibilities, Child Support, and Contribution to Child-Related Expenses; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before November 18, 2022, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Temporary and Permanent Sole Allocation of Parental Responsibilities, Child Support, and Contribution to Child-Related Expenses entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal October 19, 26, November 2, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y22009773 on October 20, 2022

Under the Assumed Business Name of INFINITE HEALING TINCTURES AND CO. with the business located at: 7000 WEST FOREST PRESERVE DR. #1061, NORRIDGE, IL 60706. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: TENNILLE TENARD 1543 FRANKLIN AVE UNIT B RIVER FOREST, IL 60305, USA.

Published in Wednesday Journal October 26, November 2, 9, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y22009754 on October 18, 2022

Under the Assumed Business Name of WRAP THAT UP with the business located at: 4232 EDGEWATER AVENUE, HILLSIDE, IL 60162. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: STEEVE KIDD 4232 EDGEWATER AVENUE HILLSIDE, IL 60162, USA

Published in Wednesday Journal October 26, November 2, 9, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

Invitation to Bid

The Park District of Forest Park (“Park District” or “Owner”) will receive bids for the Aquatic Center – Main Pool Painting and Pool & Deck Repairs Project, located at 7501 West Harrison Street, Forest Park, Illinois 60130. Bid Documents, including Instructions to Bidders, Drawings, Technical Specifications, General and any Special Conditions, and Bid Forms, including required Contractor Certifications and Prevailing Wage Determination and Supersedes Notice, are available at Park District of Forest Park Administration Building, 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park, Illinois 60130 commencing on October 27, 2022, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

A Pre-bid Meeting will be held at Administration Building, 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park, Illinois, at 9:00 a.m. on November 2, 2022. Bidders can use this meeting to review the Specifications and allow any Bidders an opportunity to discuss any concerns with the Owner. Attendance at this

PUBLIC NOTICES

meeting by all persons desiring to bid on this Project is recommended.

Each bid shall be placed in an opaque sealed envelope and clearly marked “Park District of Forest Park, Aquatic Center – Main Pool Painting and Pool & Deck Repairs Project & The envelope shall be addressed and delivered to and received by the Park District at the following location: Administration Building, 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park, Illinois 60130. No responsibility shall be attached to any person for the premature opening of a bid not correctly identified.

Bids will be received until 9:00 a.m. November 10, 2022. Immediately thereafter, the bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. Bids received after that time or at a different location will be rejected and returned to the Bidder unopened.

The Park District of Forest Park reserves the right to waive technicalities, to accept or reject any or all bids, and/or accept only portions of a bid and reject the remainder. The owner will award the Contract to the lowest, most responsible and responsive Bidder, as determined by Owner. In considering the Bidder’s responsibility, the Owner may evaluate, among other factors, the ability of the Bidder to provide experienced labor sufficient in numbers to timely and properly complete the services, the financial capability of the Bidder, and the performance of the Bidder on other projects.

Bids shall not include federal excise tax or state sales tax for materials to be incorporated in, or totally consumed in, the prosecution of the Work. The Park District will furnish a tax exemption certificate at the Bidder’s request.

The Park District’s tax exemption number shall only be used by the successful Bidder for the Work of this Project.

After the bid opening time, no bid shall be withdrawn or canceled for a period of sixty (60) calendar days.

The Work of this Project is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq. A prevailing wage determination has been made by the Park District, which is the same as that determined by the Illinois Department of Labor for public works projects in Cook County. The Contract entered into for the Work will be drawn in compliance with said law, and proposals should be prepared accordingly and provide for payment of all laborers, workmen, and mechanics needed to perform the Work at no less than the prevailing rate of wages (or the prevailing rate for legal holiday and overtime work) for each craft, type of worker, or mechanic.

The Contractor(s) selected will also be required to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations, and executive orders, including but not limited to those pertaining to equal employment opportunity.

Direct questions to Jackie Iovinelli, Executive Director, Park District Of Forest Park, jiovinelli@pdofpstaff.org 708-366-7500 x 121.

Forest Park

PUBLIC NOTICESPUBLIC NOTICESPUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss

Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of Allocation of ERICA KENYATTA THOMAS, Petitioner and DERRON ANDRE BARNETT, Respondent, Case No. 2022D005669.

PETITION FOR TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT SOLE ALLOCATION OF PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES, CHILD SUPPORT, AND CONTRIBUTION TO CHILD-RELATED EXPENSES

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Temporary and Permanent Sole Allocation of Parental Responsibilities, Child Support, and Contribution to Child-Related Expenses; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before November 30, 2022, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Temporary and Permanent Sole Allocation of Parental Responsibilities, Child Support, and Contribution to Child-Related Expenses entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

IRIS Y. MARTINEZ, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal November 2, 9, 16, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed separate bids will be received by the Board of Education, Oak Park Elementary School District 97 (the “Board”) for the following project:

OAK PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT 97 SD97 - SUMMER 2023 LIFE SAFETY WORK OAK PARK, IL 60302

BID GROUP 1 – ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, PLUMBING, ROOFING, GENERAL TRADES

Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. CST on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Administrative offices, 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302, and will be read at 2:15 p.m. CST on that date. Bids shall be submitted in an opaque sealed envelope clearly marked:

Oak Park Elementary School District 97 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302

Attention: Bulley & Andrews Project: SD97 - SUMMER 2023 LIFE SAFETY WORK

Bid Opening will be held at 2:15pm CST within the board room: Scope of work for Bid Group 1 generally includes: Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing, Plumbing & General Trades

All bids must be submitted in accordance with the bidding instructions contained in the Bidding Documents for the project. Bid security in the form of a bid bond in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the base bid amount shall be submitted with the bid. Should a bid bond be submitted, the bond shall be payable to the Board of Education, Oak Park Elementary School District 97, 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302. All documents and information required by the bidding instructions contained in the Bidding Documents for the project shall be submitted with the bid. Incomplete, late or non-conforming bids may not be accepted.

No bids shall be withdrawn, cancelled or modified after the time for opening of bids without the Board’s consent for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled time of bid opening.

The Bidding Documents for the project (which include the bidding instructions for the project and other related documents) will be available Thursday October 27th, 2022 and are available for viewing/download online without cost or purchase on the Bulley & Andrews, LLC One Drive, located at the following link. No username or password is required.

https://tinyurl.com/ysfudxfr

The Board reserves the right to reject any or all bids or parts thereof, or waive any irregularities or informalities, and to make an award that in the Board’s sole opinion is in the best interest of the District.

The site will be available for visits by appointment to be coordinated with Bulley & Andrews, LLC. Interested parties may inspect the existing conditions. Schedule an appointment with Michael Damato of Bulley & Andrews in advance if you wish to visit the sites.

All bidders must comply with applicable Illinois Law requiring the payment of prevailing wages by all Contractors working on public works. If during the time period of work, the prevailing wage rates change, the contractor shall be responsible for additional costs without any change to the contract amount. All bidders must comply with the Illinois Statutory requirements regarding labor, including Equal Employment Opportunity Laws.

For additional information on the project, contact Michael Damato of Bulley & Andrews, LLC at mdamato@bulley.com or 847-6029512.

Dated: 10/25/22 Michael Damato Bulley & Andrews, LLC

Published in Wednesday Journal November 2, 9, 16 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD

Notice of Public Hearing Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission November 17, 2022 at 7:00 PM

NOTICE is hereby given that the Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in the Edward Bar-

cal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois for the purpose of considering a request for variations from §62-75 Bulk, yard and space requirements of the Village Code for property located at 9022 Fairview Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513 (PIN 15-34-419-030-0000).

Legal Description: Lot 37 in Block 20 in Grossdale, a Subdivision by S.E. Gross of the Southeast 1⁄4 of Section 34, Township 39 North, Range 12 East of the Third Principal Meridian, in Cook County, Illinois.

The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/ or written comments. Written comments may be provided prior to 4:00 PM on the day of the public hearing to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Kate Portillo, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513, kportillo@brookfieldil.gov, or 708-485-1113. Oral or written testimony may be given during the public hearing.

The application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours. Please reference PZC Case 22-10. Public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

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

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

Published in RB Landmark November 2, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

RESOLUTION NO. R-95-22 A RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR THE LEVY OF AN ADDITIONAL LIBRARY TAX FOR BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE

BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Village of Forest Park, Cook County, Illinois, as follows:

Section 1. The Board of Library Trustees of the Village of Forest Park, by Resolution dated October 17, 2022, has requested the corporate authorities of the Village of Forest Park to levy an additional 0.02% tax for the maintenance, repairs and alterations of library buildings and equipment, pursuant to 75 ILCS 5/3-4, in order to include the sum of $76,168.00 in the Village’s 2022 tax levy ordinance as the 0.02% Library Building and Maintenance levy.

Section 2. The corporate authorities of the Village of Forest Park hereby determine and propose to levy such additional 0.02% tax for the year 2022, subject to the provisions of 75 ILCS 5/3-4.

Section 3. The Village Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish a copy of this Resolution in the Forest Park Review, a newspaper with a general circulation within the Village of Forest Park, said publication to occur within fifteen (15) days of the adoption of this Resolution.

Section 4. Pursuant to 75 ILCS 5/3-4, notice is hereby given that if a petition requesting a referendum signed by 1,015 or more electors of the Village of Forest Park is filed with the corpo-

rate authorities of the Village of Forest Park on or before December 12, 2022, which is thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this Resolution, then the question whether this Resolution shall become effective and said tax imposed shall be submitted to the electors of the Village of Forest Park at a general or special election to be held in accordance with the election laws of the State of Illinois in force at the time of such election. The Village Clerk is hereby directed to provide a petition form to any individual requesting one.

Section 5. In the event no petition is filed with the corporate authorities within thirty (30) days from the date of publication of this Resolution, then this Resolution shall be effective and the additional library tax shall be levied accordingly, and included in the Village’s levy ordinance for library purposes.

ADOPTED by the Council of the Village of Forest Park, Cook County, Illinois this 24th day of October, 2022.

AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 APPROVED by me this 24th day of October, 2022.

Rory E. Hoskins, Mayor

ATTESTED and filed in my office, and published in pamphlet form this 24th day of October, 2022.

Vanessa Moritz, Clerk

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will re ceive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 for the following:

Village of Oak Park 2022 – 23–104 UPM COLD MIX APPHALT PATCH MATERIAL Bid Number: 23-104

Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/bid For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours.

2, 2022

Published in Forest Park Review November 2, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICES

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION ILLINOIS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY; Plaintiff, vs. KATHRYN CASSIDY AKA KATHRYN J. CASIDY AKA KATHRYN J. CASSIDY AKA KATIE CASSIDY; KATHRYN CASSIDY AKA KATHRYN J. CASIDY AKA KATHYRN J. CASSIDY AKA KATHIE CASSIDY AS TRUSTEE UNDER THE KATIE CASSIDY LIVING TRUST DATED SEPTEMBER 1, 2006, AS LIVING TRUST; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; MAJESTIC CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION; Defendants, 22 CH 1952

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: Unit 428-2-E in the Majestic Condominiums as delineated on a survey of the following real estate: P.I.N. 16-07-419-029-1011. Commonly known as 428 South Euclid Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60302.

(708) 613-3333

467-9066 BY

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a condominium residence. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g) (4) of Section 9 of the Condominium Property Act Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 220-5611. 22-004739

F2

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3204933

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION SELENE FINANCE LP Plaintiff, -v.LARSENIA HORTON, NEIL SMITH, ASSURANCE RESTORATION & CONSTRUTION, INC., PRAIRIE HOUSES OWNERS ASSOCIATION, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants

18 CH 12736

14 DIVISION STREET, # 14 OAK PARK, IL 60302

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of

Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 16, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on December 7, 2022, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 14 DIVISION STREET, # 14, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-127-0480000

The real estate is improved with a brown brick, three story townhouse, attached one car garage.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of

title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

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

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.

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

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

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088

E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 20-04687IL_613739 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 18 CH 12736 TJSC#: 42-1079

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

Case # 18 CH 12736 I3204167

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