Wednesday Journal 111319 by Wednesday Journal

W E D N E S D A Y

November 13, 2019 Vol. 39, No. 15 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

Special section page B21

Obama biographer David Mendell at Dominican, Nov. 20, page 14

Facing criticism, Rush Oak Park delays garage Commission asks hospital to meet with neighbors By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Consideration of Rush Oak Park Hospital’s plans to build a new 713-space parking garage is on hold until February, at the hospital’s request. At a Nov. 7 public hearing in front of the Plan Commission, the hospital proposed constructing the See GARAGE on page 16

SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor

Romeo and Juliet and Muti

Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Riccardo Muti, conducts the Symphony of Oak Park–River Forest during a rehearsal held at the Kehrein Center for the Arts in Austin on Nov. 10. For more photos, see page 12.

Oak Park native captures ins, outs of gun violence Dan Protess’ WTTW docuseries launches conversation on citywide epidemic

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

Reality Allah, an outreach worker with READI Chicago, an organization dedicated to lowering the number of shootings and homicides in the city by engaging the peo-

ple most likely to shoot or be shot, walks into the home of a prospective client who is on house arrest and notices something. “Is that a bullet hole?” Allah said, pointing to the living room window. India Hart, a teenager in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood, lives on a mani-

SHOPPER’S

cured block but attends a school eight blocks away where students play cards to pass the time because the teachers keep quitting. Hart has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the result of witnessing family See PROTESS on page 17

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I N S I D E

R E P O R T

Glamour-ish These are heady times for Wednesday Journal contributor Kwame Salter, whose 19-year-old granddaughter, Yara Shahidi, was recently named a 2019 Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine. Shahidi was among roughly a dozen other women who received the honor — from novelist Margaret Atwood and actress Charlize Theron to climate activist Greta Thunberg and soccer star (and Trump annoyer) Megan Rapinoe. Since 2014, Shahidi has starred as Zoey Johnson in the ABC sitcom Black-ish, and last year she began starring in the show’s spinoff series, Grown-ish, which follows Zoey’s transition into adulthood. Shahidi started appearing in TV commercials and print advertising when she was 6, so glamour isn’t new to the starlet. Oh, and the rapper Nas (“I woke up early on my born day, I’m 20 it’s a blsessin’ / The essence of adolescence

Yara Shahidi leaves my body now I’m fresh”), is the Grown-ish star’s cousin. Now that’s poetic.

Michael Romain

Pause that refreshes

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

A science demonstration involving Coca Cola has kids in rapt attention during Oak Park Education Foundation’s Super S.T.E.A.M. Saturday at Longfellow Elementary School in Oak Park, Nov. 9. The day the sandwich came back, police directed traffic outside the fast food joint, as cars waited in line to order for sometimes over half an hour. An officer directed traffic again on Nov. 7.

Stacey Sheridan

Best blog, best Trump smackdowns, second best suburb

Congrats to Oak Park’s winners in the Chicago Reader’s annual Best of Chicago survey. Charlie Meyerson’s Chicago Public Square (CPS) was voted Best Blog. Keith Taylor, who may pen the best Trump cartoons anywhere (his work is currently on display at the main library and seen daily in CPS), was named Best Comics Illustrator. And Oak Park ranked second to Evanston as best suburb — again. Meyerson describes Taylor, a longtime

member of the Oak Park Art League and a former president of that organization, as “the irrepressible (and believe me, I’ve tried) cartoonist who sends me far more breaking-news cartoons than I can cram into Chicago Public Square.” Those cartoons are positively therapeutic. The honors for Public Square are welldeserved. We will continue to quibble with Evanston over best suburb.

Ken Trainor

The chicken sandwich that clogged Madison Street

Popeyes created a frenzy last August when it released its highly-talked-about chicken sandwich. The sandwich, both the classic and spicy variety, was so popular, it sold out just two weeks after being put on the menu. As of Nov. 3, the sandwich is back at Popeyes, including the location at 610 Madison St. Demand for the surpassingly crispy delicacy clogged Madison faster than the arteries of people who consume it. Since its re-release, lines of cars queuing up for the Popeyes drive-thru have been spilling out onto Madison, which recently went from two lanes of traffic to one.

Village sweethearts The Historical Society of Oak ParkRiver Forest will hold its second annual Museum Gala on Thursday, Nov. 21, and will also bestow their second annual “Heart of the Villages” awards. This year’s honorees are Sherlynn Reid, longtime head of the village’s Community Relations Division, and philanthropist Chatka Ruggiero, who owns the Oak Park Arts Center. The event takes place at the Carleton Hotel, 1110 Pleasant St. from 6:30 to 9 p.m. For tickets and more information, call 708-848-6755 or email oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net.

Ken Trainor

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

Museum Gala Thursday, Nov. 21, 6:30 p.m., Carleton Hotel: Celebrate the Historical Society at the second annual gala and honor Heart of Our Villages Awardees Sherlynn Reid and Chatka Ruggiero. Proceeds fund operating costs and future exhibits at the museum. $125, includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. $125. Tickets/more: oprfmuseum.org/events/museum-gala, 708-848-6755. 1110 Pleasant, Oak Park.

Illusion with Jeanette Andrews Friday, Nov. 15, 7 to 9 p.m., Hemingway Birthplace: At Friday @ Hemingway’s, be entertained with a contemporary magician who specializes in interactive sensory illusions. $15. Tickets: hemingwaybirthplace.com/eventsprograms-1. 339 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park.

Back Room Stories Sunday, Nov. 17, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Hamburger Mary’s: Enjoy top-tier tellers at this monthly event. Featured tellers include Steve Glickman, OPALGA member in 1997 when the Village of Oak Park Board passed an ordinance creating a village-wide domestic partnership registry, the passage of which did not come without rancor and debate; native Oak Parker Alana Murphy, who works with migrant and refugee populations in Jordan, Morocco, the Philippines, Ecuador, China, and the U.S.; Beth Horner; Onyi Okoroafor, and hosts. $10. 155 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park.

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Free Readers Ensemble: “A Doll’s House, Part 2” Sunday, Nov. 17, 3 p.m., Nineteenth Century Club: See the Lucas Hnath play that picks up where Ibsen’s 1879 groundbreaking masterwork left off, when a wife and mother leaves her life behind. Now, she’s back. Freewill donations accepted. 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park,

A Moveable Read: Hemingway in the 21st Century Thursday, Nov. 14, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Maze Library: This month, examine Hemingway’s memoir, A Movable Feast, which captured Paris in the 1920s. Consider the difference between ex-patriation and emigration; what art arises out of periods of socio-economic crisis; and whether Hemingway’s insights into social equity, egotism and constructs of identity prove insightful to current periods. Brought by The Ernest Hemingway Foundation. Free. More: hemingwaybirthplace.com/ events-programs-1. 845 Gunderson Ave., Oak Park.

Vocal and Lute Music Sunday, Nov. 17, 10:30 a.m., Open Door Theater: At this Church of Beethoven concert, hear soprano Josefien Stoppelenburg and Joel Spears, playing lute, perform English Lute Song, theater music and Italian vocal pieces from the early Baroque period. $15; $10, students/kids. Tickets: brownpapertickets.com/event/4431460. 902 S. Ridgeland Ave., Oak Park.

November 13 - 20

BIG WEEK When Home Won’t Let You Stay Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Veterans Room, Main Library:

“9 to 5, The Musical” Friday, Nov. 15; Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 17, 3 p.m., Lund Auditorium, Dominican University: Dominican University’s production isbased on the 1980s hit comedy movie. With music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, it explores an unlikely friendship between three female coworkers bent on revenge against their chauvinistic boss. $18; $5, students.Tickets/ more: 708-488-5000, events.dom.edu/9-5-musical

Chicago Debut: Guitarist Samir Belkacemi Wednesday, Nov. 20, 7:30 to 9 p.m., Nineteenth Century Club: Join HHenry Fogel for an evening of Great Music and Conversatio sation with a classical guitarist influenced by a variety of wor world music. $30; $25, members; $10, students. Tickets: nine nineteenthcentury.org, or at the door. Combined pass w with Unity Temple Chamber Music Series: utrf.org/ chamber-music-series. 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park.

James A. Bowey, with live music and community narrators, leads a discussion considering the experiences of refugees and our responses to the needs of displaced people around the world. Held in conjunction with Bowey’s art installation.

Through Dec. 2, Idea Box, Main Library:

When Home Won’t Let You Stay, is a multimedia art experience with photography by Bowey, about refugees in America and provides perspective on the often hidden lives and experiences of refugees in our communities. More: oppl.org. 834 Lake St., Oak Park.

From Heaven Above to Earth I Come Sunday, Nov. 17, 4 p.m., St. Paul Lutheran Church, and Sunday, Nov. 24, 4 p.m., St. John Lutheran Church: The Oak Park Concert Chorale presents its Christmas concert,t, highlighting music about kings and stars. Music of local composers is featured, including Paul Bouman, music director emeritus of Grace Lutheran Church & School, who this year turned 100. Advance: $18; $10, seniors/students 13+. At door: $20; $12, seniors/students 13+; free, under 12. Tickets: 708-848-2130, OakParkConcertChorale.org. St. Paul: 1025 Lake St., Melrose Park. St. John: 305 Circle Ave., Forest Park.

Boogie Woogie Kid Sunday, Nov. 17, 2 to 3:30 p.m., River Forest Library: Matthew Ball (Boogie Woogie Kid) performs a family-friendly program of New Orleans Boogie-Blues-Swing and song favorites from the 20s, 30s and 40s. All ages. See why he has “The Fastest Fingers in the Mid-West.” Free. 735 Lathrop Ave.

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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ART BEAT

Concerts return to Unity By MICHELLE DYBAL

Contributing Reporter

n a space considered a treasure the world over, with programming that fulfills a dream for an Oak Park couple, performed by and for this community — that is the newly revived Chamber Music Series presented by the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation (UTRF) at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple. While there was a concert series at the temple for approximately 40 years, sponsored by the Unitarian/Universalist congregation, according to UTRF executive director Heidi Ruehle-May, it ended in 2013. A major restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural icon closed Unity Temple to visitors from 2015 to 2017. The space, which made UNESCO’s World Heritage list in July, was ripe for programming. “A lot of people were asking if we were going to bring [the series] back and there is a lot of interest in attending concerts here,” RuehleMay said. “When I wanted to start a chamber series, I needed some artistic directors.” A perfect fit was found in two local musicians with The Cavatina Duo world-class talent. “As musicians, you move to a place and always look around and wonder how you can bring music into the community,” said MingHuan Xu, violinist and artistic director of the Chamber Music Series. “I knew this was going to be a dream come true for us because we had this idea for so many years.” For the series’ first concert, Xu and her husband Winston Choi performed as Duo Diorama, a pairing formed before the two were married — in fact, it was music and Xu’s nurturing music teacher that brought them together. Now besides performing together, they also both teach at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA). They live in Oak Park with their 7-year-old twins. As music directors of the Chamber Music Series, they cull talent from their contacts on the music scene. The upcoming Nov. 16 concert features The Cavatina Duo — flautist Eugenia Moliner and guitarist Denis Azabagic. The married couple lives in River Forest. “Chamber music happens in a more intimate setting,” Xu said. “Audiences feel a lot more engaged because they are sitting close to the musicians and feel the power and im-

pact more strongly than sitting 50 rows out, so they have a lot more direct communication with the performers on stage.” Each concert is followed by a reception with the musicians present. The Holiday Concert in December features The Oak Park String Academy and The Chicago Consort. Although not a chamber concert, it offers an alternative for those seeking variety in concert choices, Xu said. February’s concert features students at a different level. Musicians from CCPA will perform solos and in small chamber groups. “Even though they are still in school, some are totally ready for the professional world,” Xu said. A highlight in 2020 is the commemoration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday. UTRF is celebrating with its April concert — a five-member chamber group that includes performers from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera Orchestra playing an all-Beethoven program. Four performers won’t travel far — Oak Parkers Dennis Michel, bassoon; Kuang-Hao Huang, piano; and married couple Susan WarPhoto provided ner, clarinet, and David Griffin, horn. The season concludes in May with the Avalon String Quartet. Three of the four members hail from Oak Park — Anthony Devroye, and Marie Wang and Blaise Magniere, who are married. Duo Diorma will join the performance, with Choi bringing his arrangement of an Astor Piazzolla piece to the mix. “Acoustically speaking, for classical music it’s fantastic,” Xu said of performing at Unity Temple. “As musicians, we can stretch our colors and dynamics to their extremes and the hall carries them all, meaning you can hear when it’s full and rich, but you can also hear when it’s … soft and sensitive.” Besides the Chamber Series, UTRF holds community, educational and performing arts events, and organizes tours. Ruehle-May said “as much as the strong congregation is able to enjoy this space that is theirs, we want other people in the community to enjoy it as well.” See the Cavatina Duo, Saturday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m., $30; $25, UTRF members. Chamber Music Series passes (five shows): $90; $75, members. 875 Lake St., Oak Park. Combined series pass with Henry Fogel Presents at Nineteenth Century Club (eight shows total): $160; $140, for members. Tickets/more: utrf.org/chamber-music-series.

November 20, 2019

Classical Guitarist Samir Belkacemi Classical Guitarist Samir Belkacemi makes his Chicago debut. Influenced by a variety of world music, his original compositions create the impression of orchestration.

Saturday

Nov. 16 w 7:30 pm St. John Lutheran Church 305 Circle Ave. Forest Park, IL

Day and Night

a musical journey

works by Barber, Brahms, Finzi, Mendelssohn, Pachelbel, Rachmaninoff

www.heritagechorale.com

Sunday

Nov. 17 w 4 pm

Pilgrim Congregational

460 Lake St. Oak Park, IL

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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Temple Har Zion proudly presents:

Bringing the Sacred Back into Judaism and into Your Own Home A Scholar in Residence Weekend with Rabbi Yoel Glick Programs Daily from Friday, November 15, through Sunday, November 17 Temple Har Zion’s Scholar-in-Residence weekend with Rabbi Yoel Glick, one of the pioneers of modern Jewish meditation, includes services, a discussion program, and, on Sunday afternoon, a workshop.

To RSVP and learn more about Temple Har Zion, please visit www.wsthz.org All events during this special weekend are open to the public.

Upcoming public events at Temple Har Zion include: A family-friendly play, Hershel & the Hanukkah Goblins Sunday, December 15 at 11 AM & 2 PM Sunday, December 22 at 1 PM & 4 PM Temple Har Zion 1040 North Harlem Avenue River Forest, Illinois 60305 www.wsthz.org 708.366.9000

Temple Har Zion is a dynamic and growing congregation committed to a profound intellectual and spiritual life. We are a welcoming, diverse, and caring community that is inclusive of interfaith families.

TEMPLE

HAR ZION

Need a helping of

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

Focus on the tax levies

or the past several years I’ve been sending up flares about the pending arrival of several million dollars in added property taxes being spun out of the four new downtown Oak Park highrises. Love them, hate them, doesn’t matter. Vantage, The Emerson, Albion and Eleven33 are going to produce an additional $3 million-plus in local property taxes. Every year. Some estimate it will be closer to $4 million when the buildings hit full occupancy. New development on Madison Street including townhouses, a coming Pete’s grocery store, new assisted living for seniors, will also boost the village’s tax base. Couple the new development with the imminent end of Oak Park’s two largest tax increment financing (TIF) districts – greater downtown Oak Park and Madison Street – and the moment of truth for Oak Park taxing bodies is upon us. Before the end of the year every taxing body will approve a new tax levy, which sets the pot of money they seek to collect next year from local taxpayers. Property tax hikes for non-home rule agencies, like school districts and park districts, under state tax caps are limited by the rate of inflation or 5 percent, whichever is less. But there are exceptions. Top among the exceptions is the ability of taxing bodies to tax the value of new growth coming into the village and to recoup dollars which over decades have been funneled into the village government controlled TIF buckets. Put these two revenue streams into play and there is a lot of money -- millions of dollars – available. It is a notable number. Maybe not a game-changer for the rest of local taxpayers who pine for their taxes to drop. That’s not likely to happen. But this new money can help mitigate additional, unsustainable tax hikes if local taxing bodies don’t just absorb the new money into their free-spending veins. That’s the warning I’ve issued multiple times. Right now is tax levy season. The library levy has already gone to the

village board, which for odd, historical reasons tacks the library levy onto its own. So we know the library is asking for its traditional 3 percent hike but is also adding on almost $700,000 which previously had been diverted into the TIF fund. Oak Park and River Forest High School is just out with its recommendation to the school board that it raise taxes under CPI by the 1.9 percent allowable this year. In addition, it adds all the equalized assessed valuation of property till now in the TIF and new growth (high rises and other new projects). If approved by the full board on Nov. 21 it will reflect a levy increase of 7.75 percent and compute out to a $5 million increase in property taxes collected. Still waiting to hear from the other taxing bodies on their plans for levy increases. Both the library and OPRF are arguing that they need to claim this new property this year or potentially forego including it in subsequent years. I get that. Makes sense that after all the years of seeing tax dollars diverted into the TIF that every taxing body would want to benefit from the hard-won successes of the development work. That said, claiming the new property does not necessitate taxing to the max. Ask for less total dollars and individual tax bills at least don’t rise as much. The argument made, so far, by both OPRF and the library that they are only taxing the same amount as the village diverted into the TIFs is weak tea. They are not obligated to continue that level of taxing. While taxing bodies have the right to benefit from an expanding tax base, so do taxpayers. That was the whole point of the TIFs, the major point of the highrises. In its presentation to the board, OPRF administrators argue that boosting revenues by $5 million a year will allow it to forestall the next tax referendum. There’s a reason for tax referendums and it is to give taxpayers a say in how much money they shell out. Delaying that opportunity by taxing to the max right now is not the goal.

DAN HALEY

Wednesday Journal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, Illinois 60302 PHONE 708-524-8300 ■ FAX 708-467-9066 ■ ONLINE www.OakPark.com | www.RiverForest.com CIRCULATION Jill Wagner, 708-613-3340 circulation@oakpark.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING Dawn Ferencak, 708-613-3329 dawn@oakpark.com

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Wednesday Journal is published weekly by Wednesday Journal, Inc. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Wednesday Journal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302-2901. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, Illinois (USPS No. 0010-138). In-county subscription rate is $35 per year, $60 for two years, $87 for three years. Annual out-of-county rate is $43. © 2019 Wednesday Journal, Inc.

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Wednesday Journal Wednesday Journal

CONVERSATIONS

Author of OBAMA: From Promise to Power – the first substantive biography of Barack Obama Called “the best source of background information on our president” by the National Review

Featured on NBC’s Meet the Press , ABC’s Good Morning America , the NBC Nightly News , the CBS Evening News , MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, PBS’s Newshour and Frontline and others. 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, biography/autobiography

David Mendell Wednesday, Nov 20 ■ 6:30pm Dominican University Performing Arts Center Tickets: $15 • oakpark.com/conversations $5 Student*

Moderated by Charlie Meyerson of Chicago Public Square

Get your tickets now. Student tickets will only be available at the Dominican box office, the night of the event. Student ID will be required for discount.

Sponsors:

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Drechsler Brown & Williams funeral home site for sale

Mixed-use development seen as likely for 34,000-squarefoot property By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Drechsler Brown & Williams funeral home, 203 S. Marion St., has been serving families for over 139 years. Now with the funeral industry rapidly changing, owners Charles and Lynne Williams are planning to sell the 34,000 square foot property and move toward retirement. What comes next for the prime property just south of downtown Oak Park and walkable to Metra and the Green Line is not certain though some sort of residential development is anticipated. John Lynch, head of the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, said his agency has been working with the property brokers hired by the Williams. He said there has been genuine interest in the property but that it remains a completely private business deal. The Williams decided to sell based on changes in the funeral industry. “For several years there has been a steady increase in families selecting services that do not require the use of our facility. We have, therefore, listed our property and anticipate retiring,” they wrote in a statement to Wednesday Journal. “We will continue to serve our community until the final closing of this transaction.” The property is currently zoned in DT-3 Pleasant Sub-District, the area adjacent to the heart of downtown Oak Park. According to Craig Failor, Oak Park’s village planner, that zoning “allows for pretty much the same thing as downtown Oak Park,” meaning that, if a new building were to be built on that lot, it could not exceed 60 feet in height, roughly around five stories. Should an apartment complex be built, the first

floor would be designated for commercial use, with apartments on floors above. Variances to current zoning could be applied for subject to approval of the Oak Park village board. As the property is in the Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District, the Historic Preservation Commission would have to review any plans to demolish the building and how demolition would impact the district’s character. M a t t h e w Ishikawa and Tom Svoboda, of real estate firm CBRE Group, are representing the property, marketed as “a mixeduse development opportunity” within walking distance of public transportation. The Oak Park Economic Development Corporation (OPEDC) is assisting the brokers. “We’ve been working pretty closely with the broker team for a little bit now to bolster their marketing efforts,” said Lynch, OPEDC executive director. According to Lynch, OPEDC has brought forward qualified developers to Ishikawa and Svoboda. OPEDC has also met and toured with several prospective buyers, educating them on development policies and opportunities in Oak Park.

From 9 funeral homes to none Seventy years ago, Oak Park was home to nine funeral homes. If Dreschler Brown & Williams Funeral Home closes, it will be the last in the village. Here, courtesy of the Oak Park River Forest Museum, is a list of the eight funeral homes advertising in the 1951 Yellow Pages. ■ Drechsler Funeral Home, 203 S. Marion ■ Emmering Funeral Home, 6126 Roosevelt ■ Grahl Funeral Home, 6748 Roosevelt ■ Haggard Funeral Homes, 124 Madison ■ P.M. Smith and Sons Funeral Home, 17 Madison ■ Village Chapel (owned by Postlewait, formerly Osgood Funeral Chapel) 523 Lake ■ Postlewait Funeral Co., 720 Lake ■ Williams Funeral Home, 412 N. Austin ■ Williams Kampp Funeral Home, 14 Lake Lynch doesn’t know if the two brokers have fielded any offers yet. “It is still a private transaction, so Tom and Matt are running that process,” Lynch said. “All offers would go directly to them and they’ll be ultimately responsible for vetting them.” Lynch hopes OPEDC will be included in some discussions as the brokers narrow down their list of potential buyers. He said it’s possible, but unlikely that the property will be bought for funeral home usage. “My understanding of the [funeral home] business is that it’s become more challeng-

ing to operate those kinds of facilities,” Lynch said. “We certainly haven’t heard from any other operators. I would be a little bit surprised if that’s the direction it ends up going in.” He thinks it’s likely that the site, which he described as “interesting,” will become a residential complex, saying, “It’s an opportunity to add additional residents to our downtown core to support our businesses, to support our restaurants and retailers downtown.”

Three join OPRF’s Tradition of Excellence

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

On Nov. 8, Oak Park and River Forest High School officials presented the 2019 Tradition of Excellence awards to three alumni. The annual designation was established by OPRF’s class of 1982 honoring “alumni or former students who have distinguished themselves professionally and who, through their accomplishments, have brought great credit to their alma mater,” according to a statement OPRF released earlier this month. The awards this year went to Maci Peterson Philitas, a 2005 OPRF graduate who

is the co-founder and CEO of On Second Thought, “the definitive delay-recall app that allows users to retract a text after hitting ‘send,’” according to the high school’s statement. Since launching in 2014, Philitas’ company has generated more than $1 million in revenue and is used in 190 countries. She’s been profiled by Forbes, NPR, the Washington Post, BuzzFeed, Black Enterprise, Fox, and WGN, among other media outlets. Philitas lives in Casablanca, Morocco. Nia I. Wordlaw, a 1993 OPRF graduate, is among the 1 percent of African-American women in the United States who pilot com-

mercial airplanes. Wordlaw, who has wanted to fly since she was 10 years old, is also the co-founder of Sisters of the Skies, a nonprofit designed to “provide encouragement, professional development, and support” to its members, according to the organization’s website. Wordlaw was featured in American Masters: The Women’s List, a 2015 PBS documentary that featured 15 pioneers, including attorney Gloria Allred, writer/producer Shonda Rhimes, and talk show host Wendy Williams. Wordlaw lives in Houston, Texas. Howard P. Willens, who graduated from OPRF in 1949, wrote the 2013 book History

Will Prove Us Right: Inside the Warren Commission Investigation into the Assassination of John F. Kennedy — the “only book ever written on the subject by a senior member of the commission staff,” according to OPRF’s statement on the honorees. Willens, who lives in Washington D.C., was an assistant counsel to J. Lee Rankin, the 31st Solicitor General of the United States who chaired the Warren Commission. As an assistant counsel, “Willens was involved in every aspect of the commission’s efforts,” the OPRF statement notes. CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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Park District of Oak Park to adopt equity policy

Initiative expected to be passed by commissioners on Nov. 21 By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

For the past few months, the Park District of Oak Park’s social equity committee has been working to develop a social equity policy that aims to increase diversity of residents using park district programs and its own staff, give all residents input on the decisions, pay special attention to unintended consequences of policy decisions and regularly ensure that what the park district is doing is effective. The policy officially was presented to the park district’s board of commissioners during their Nov. 7 committee of the whole meeting. The board is expected to give it a final approval during its Nov. 21 meeting. According a memo to the board, the social equity committee was created earlier this year as part of the implementation of the park district’s 2019-21 Strategic Plan. It is made up of 11 full-time and part-time staff members and Executive Director Jan

and that all of their needs are accommodatArnold. As the committee member and park dis- ed. A major part is trying to anticipate unintrict finance manager Illiana De La Rosa tended consequences “to ensure that they do explained to the board, for the past seven not limit participation or cause worse outcomes based on ability, race or months, they learned what eqethnic origin, age, sexual orienuity and inclusion means, and tation, gender identity or gender, talked about where the park socioeconomic level, religion or district is already doing a good country of origin.” job and where it can improve. Other major aspects include Then, it used the template pro“developing an advisory group vided by the National Recreand/or community network of ation and Park Association to groups that support inclusive create a policy. behaviors in the community” The equity policy itself touchand looking at the park district es on several areas. It states that hiring practices to ensure that all staff members will get exten“staff is representative of the sive training “using evidencediverse community and is an based content.” equal-opportunity employer.” “Training will be comprehenThe policy also explains that sive (covers multiple topics), ILLIANA DE LA ROSA the park district will monitor the based on credible research and Equity committee member effectiveness of implementing delivered by qualified personthe policy by getting feedback nel,” the policy states. “All new from staff and the community staff members will be quickly through meetings, surveys and oriented to inclusive policies outreach events. and practices. Trainings to be Among other things, the park district provided by WSSRA, Thrive, Oak Park would specifically look at minority populaTownship and others as identified.” Another major area is “organizational tions and people with disabilities “engaged support” -- taking steps to ensure that all in programing, utilizing facilities and takstaff members and residents feel welcome ing part in future planning conversations,”

“It sets expectations, and also serves as a way to hold ourselves accountable, and it supports the long-term change.”

whether all residents saw improvements in physical and mental health and whether the staff had adequate time to work toward the policy goals and objectives. De La Rosa emphasized that the policy isn’t meant to be the final word on the matter, because the park district must always try to learn from its mistakes and do better. But it was, she said, a positive step forward. “It sets expectations, and also serves as a way to hold ourselves accountable, and it supports the long-term change,” she said. Commissioner Jake Worley-Hood, who made equity a major part of his election platform, said he was happy with the policy, especially with the fact that it didn’t presume to have all the answers. “It’s embarking on the path [where] we’ll be learning along the way, and we’re charting the course,” he said. “This is what a systemic change looks like. It’s exciting. It’s amazing.” Board President Sandy Lentz agreed, adding that she appreciated the language regarding unintended consequences. Arnold also noted that, because the park district reviews its policies every year, there will be regular opportunities to make changes if something doesn’t work.

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Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Women In Leadership 2019

T The 2019 Committee members Carey Carlock, Tandra Rutledge, Eileen Lynch, Amanda Smith, Dawn Ferencak, Natalie Johnson (left to right)

Eileen Lynch- Committee member and Chief of Staff for the Office of Don Harmon

he Women in Leadership Conference is a gathering of women from all walks of life for a day of leadership development, networking, and empowerment. Our 2019 conference theme was The Power of Intention and we focused on 5 Pillars of Intention - Wellness, Humor, Equity, Intuition, and Gratitude. The 5th Annual Conference was held Wedenesday, October 30th at Riveredge Hospital. The Conference opened with a Power Networking Breakfast facilitated by Angela Nino and Lisa Bany of Improv Therapy Group. Linda Berger of Business Women Warriors, one of the Keynote speakers, shared about

“Owning Your Seat at the Table”. Reesheda Graham-Washington of RGW Consulting empowered the audience with “The Power of With: Posturing for Women Leaders in 2019 & Beyond”. To follow, there was a dynamic panel discussion with Brynne Hovde of Race Conscious Dialogues, Dima Ali, an IraqiAmerican activist, and Toni Ruppert of Antonia Ruppert Fine Arts. All moderated by Dr. Lizette Solis of Riveredge Hopsital. Hope England of Humor for Hope wrapped up the event on a high note with “Finding Humanity through Humor”.

Panel of Justice- Brynne Hovde, Toni Ruppert, Dima Ali (left to right)

Linda Berger speaking on “Owning Your Seat at the Table”

Reesheda Graham-Washington facilitating with “The Power of With: Posturing for Women Leaders in 2019 & Beyond”

Linda Francis hugging Carrie Summy

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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Bonnie Brae developer proposes new project

‘Don’t waste our time again,’ says commission chairman By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

At a River Forest Development Review Board meeting on Nov. 7, John Schiess, a River Forest-based architect, presented a new plan for the development project on the 1100 block of Bonnie Brae. The meeting was a pre-filing meeting, so the board did not vote on the project. “This is an opportunity for the board and residents to voice their concerns,” said Chairman Frank Martin. “There is no application on file right now,” Martin added before addressing Schiess. “But if you do decide to file an application, the things we discuss tonight are things you should consider when putting together the application.” Schiess has been hired as the architect for the project by Art Gurevich, vice president of Jenny Builders, Inc. and owner of Bonnie Brae Construction LLC. Gurevich owns the properties at 1101-11 Bonnie Brae. In November 2016, the village approved Gurevich’s plan to build 15 condos at 1101-07 Bonnie Brae and to convert a six-unit apartment building at 1111 Bonnie Brae into a three-unit condominium. The high-end condos would have been priced at $850,000 to $1 million.

Rendering provided

NEW PLAN: Architect John Schiess discussed plans for a townhouse development at a River Forest Development Review Board meeting on Nov. 7. That project never got off the ground due to issues with funding. Now, Schiess and Gurevich plan to submit a new application for the land that includes 19 three-story townhomes priced between $599,000 and $615,000. According to Mariano Mollo, broker for Forest Park-based Avenue One who is working with Schiess and Gurevich, this is the “sweet spot” pricing for townhomes in the area right now. Martin, however, again wondered about the financing end of things. “You better be prepared to defend this project with an economic analysis,” he said. “Don’t waste our time like you did several years ago.” Gurevich said the earlier plans failed because banks would not lend the money unless enough units had been pre-sold. But, no one would buy unless construction started,

said Gurevich, setting up a Catch-22. “It was a no-win situation,” said Gurevich, adding that the new project is different because there are no pre-sale requirement for financing. Development Review Board member Gerry Dombrowski brought up the fact that at the River Forest townhome development in the 7800 block of Madison Street, units are still unsold, and expressed concern that this project would be similar. According to Mollo, those townhomes are “outdated design-wise” without the open floor plan in the proposed Bonnie Brae project. “This type of townhome is better,” Mollo said. Board member Tagger O’Brien questioned whether a three-story design is what people are looking for. Schiess replied that this is a common type of design these days.

Another concern involved parking and traffic. At the beginning of the Nov. 7 meeting, Schiess and Gurevich planned to petition to have the required traffic study for new construction waived. Having completed one for their previous plans, Schiess said this project is “less intensive than the previous proposal, for which a traffic study was conducted.” But O’Brien brought up the fact that, at the time of the previous traffic study, a Concordia University dorm hadn’t been completed yet, and other changes in traffic needed to be considered as well. Martin agreed. “A study shouldn’t be submitted for one project and used for another,” said Martin. Schiess and Gurevich subsequently withdrew their petition for the waiver. Residents also expressed concern about traffic and parking, mentioning that the new proposal only includes four additional parking spots for visitors. Gene Sullivan, who has lived on Bonnie Brae for over 12 years, said that there is already limited parking on the street. Nineteen residences would increase this. He also mentioned concern over kids getting out of cars when dropped off for school. “I like that you’re putting your dollars where your mouth is by investing in the community,” said Sullivan. “But parking and traffic are of grave concern to residents.”

Lake Street sculpture finds new home in Mills Park

In storage for seven years, ‘The Gate’ back on view By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

“The Gate,” a limestone sculpture made up of two obelisks with rounded tips meeting in the middle, has been in storage for the past seven years. But, last week, it came out of the storage as the village installed it at Mills Park’s southern entrance. The sculpture was created by artist Michael D. Brown. Originally displayed as part of 2001 art show at Navy Pier, it was subsequently purchased by the village and installed on Lake Street, near Harlem Avenue, until street renovations led it to be moved into storage. Since then, Oak Park Area Arts Council has been trying to get it on public display again. Under the intergovernmental agreement, which the Park District of Oak Park Board of Commissioners is scheduled to approve on Nov. 21, the park district will be responsible for maintaining and repairing it. But if the park district ever decides to move it, the village will have the option of retaking

ownership. “The Gate” was one of the two sculptures acquired by John Lukehart, who at the time was a member of the Oak Park Area Arts Council. He went to the Navy Pier show and found out that, after the show was over, all the sculptures would either be sold or available for rent to municipalities for a year. “John Lukehart and Leslie Jones and Margot McMahon [herself a sculptor] went to the exhibition and used their own money to bring two pieces to the Oak Park community,” arts council Executive Director Camille Wilson White told the Journal in 2007. The village subsequently bought the sculpture outright. Since “The Gate” went into storage, Wilson White has been trying to find a new home for it. Park district Executive Director Jan Arnold told park commissioners at the Nov. 7 meeting that Wilson White approached her to see if the agency had any interest in displaying it. Arnold consulted Altamanu, a Chicago landscape architecture firm, and they suggested putting it in Mills Park. Putting it in the southwest corner of the park, she said, fit well with the existing plans.

“If you look at the [comprehensive plan] a number of residents requested more art in that park,” Arnold said. The village paid Brown to refurbish the sculpture and covered the installation costs. While the agreement isn’t technically in force yet, Arnold explained that they had to do the installation last week because Brown would soon be heading to Florida and they didn’t want to wait until the temperatures get too cold. Under the terms of the agreement, if the park district ever decides not to display the sculpture in public, the village would have a right to regain the ownership and remove the sculpture. But if the village doesn’t take any action, the park district will retain ownership, and will “have sole discretion regarding the future of the sculpture.” Commissioner Kassie Porreca said that “The Gate” was a good addition to Mills Park. “I saw the pictures — it looks much better at the park than on Lake Street,” she said. And “The Gate” got support on the park district’s official Facebook page. “Just wanted to say that the sculpture in Mills Park is awesome,” wrote Marlene Scott.

Photo provided

‘The Gate’ in Mills Park

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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R I C C A R D O

M U T I

C O N D U C T S

Music for the soul

SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor

Riccardo Muti led the Symphony of Oak Park–River Forest in rehearsing Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet, op. 64.” on Sunday in Austin. The rehearsal has become something of an annual tradition for Muti and the Symphony.

Join us for a

Thanksgiving Day Buffet Thursday, November 28, 2019 11:00am - Last seating, 3:00pm

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For Reservations call (708) 848-4250 1120 Pleasant Street • Oak Park, IL www.barclaysamericangrille.com

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

C R I M E

Oak Park woman robbed on Grove Avenue

An Oak Park resident was robbed at 12:17 p.m. on Nov. 5 in the 1000 block of South Grove Avenue after being approached by two men, who approached and demanded money, saying they had a gun. One of the men took the victim’s bag. The two men then fled from the scene on foot. ■ A Chicago resident was robbed in the 700 block of South Boulevard at 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 4, a by two men who forcibly took the victim’s Galaxy Note 8 cellphone, but then returned it to him. The offenders were described as black males, around 18 to 20 years old and 5-feet-10 inches tall. One was wearing a black stocking hat, black jacket and black pants. The other wore an orange stocking cap, blue jacket and dark pants. ■ Three males in their late teens, wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and dark pants struck a Chicago resident in the first block of Madison Street around 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 victim before taking his phone and wallet.

Vehicle hijacked At 6:25 p.m. on Nov. 8 in the 300 block of South Humphrey Avenue, an Oak Park resident’s car keys were forcibly taken by two men in their late teens, who drove off from the scene in the victim’s vehicle. Estimated loss of $8,000.

Vehicle theft ■ A 2016 Subaru Forester belonging to a Chicago resident that was reported stolen from the 300 block of South Oak Park Avenue was recovered by the resident in the 3100 block of North Central Avenue, Chicago Nov. 3 at 12 p.m. ■ Police recovered a 2019 Dodge Durango reported stolen on April 20 from the first block of Harrison Street in Oak Park was recovered by Chicago Police in the 1300 block of West Washburne Avenue, Chicago, around noon on Nov. 5.

Criminal damage to vehicle An Oak Park resident had the front windshield of their car smashed possibly by 12inch concrete rock in the 600 block of Adams Street, between 10 p.m. Nov. 3 and 5 a.m. Nov. 4.

Burglary ■ On Nov. 4 at 4:05 a.m. in the 800 block of Highland Avenue, a man wearing a dark jacket and dark hat went through the unlocked service door of an Oak Park resident’s garage and stole a Craftsman tool set, a Bosch cordless drill and a Milwaukee Sawzall, for a total loss of $350. ■ Copper pipes and electrical wire were stolen from a vacant apartment building in the 100 block of South Austin Boulevard be-

tween midnight Nov. 4 and 7 p.m. Nov. 8. ■ Between Oct. 3 and Nov. 4 in the 100 block of South Austin Boulevard, someone broke open a lock box containing a key to an Oak Park business. The offender then stole 300 feet of copper pipe and damaged the drywall. The estimated loss was $10,000. These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports Nov.

7-11 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

To run an obituary Please contact Ken Trainor by e-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com, or fax: 708/524-0447 before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.

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Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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Obama biographer comes to WJ Conversations

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Former Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendell made history writing President Barack Obama’s first biography, Obama: From Promise to Power. Mendell, who moved to Oak Park almost 20 years ago, will be sitting down with Chicago Public Square’s Charlie Meyerson on Nov. 20 for Wednesday Journal Conversations at Dominican University Performing Arts Center. For years, Mendell tirelessly covered Obama, his career and his family. He was privy to one-on-one conversations with the future president, traveled the world to report on him and had almost unlimited access to Obama and his inner circle. Mendell’s presence was so constant, he started to blend in with Obama’s team. “Other state reporters didn’t know I was a reporter,” Mendell said. “They thought I was staff.” Mendell chronicled Obama’s ascent from local statesman to rising superstar. His yearslong reporting efforts culminated in the 2007 publication of his book, making him the journalistic authority on the nation’s first black president. He found himself in something of a role reversal, turning from interviewer to highly sought-after interviewee. “It was bizarre,” Mendell said. “The first

interview I did was on Meet the porters clamored to find out Press. I was scared to death. why he’d missed the Safe Suddenly I’m sitting next to Neighborhoods Act vote. Carl Bernstein and Doris Ke“Nobody cared about the arns Goodwin and I’m thinking, health-care plan,” said Men‘How did this happen?’” dell. “Everyone wanted to Mendell called Bernstein, the know, ‘Where were you?’ He legendary Watergate journallooked like a failing politiist, one of his heroes. cian at that point.” “When I was in middle school, While on their annual HaI did a book report on All the waii Christmas trip, daughPresident’s Men,” he said. ter Malia fell sick; Obama chose to stay with her and After the taping, Bernstein David Mendell his wife. Looking back on asked Mendell to sign his copy it after years of covering of Obama: From Promise to and interviewing the family, Power, a surreal moment for Mendell no longer believes Mendell. “I don’t even rememthe sick daughter line was a ber what I wrote,” he said. “My ploy to prolong a tropical vahands were probably shaking.” cation. Mendell first covered Obama, “I think it was all comthen a state senator, in Janupletely accurate,” he said. ary 2000, a month after Obama “He was in Hawaii and he missed the vote on a gun-control had to make a choice, ‘Do I measure — a disastrous move, stay with my wife? Do I stay as Obama was running for a with my family?’” seat in the U.S. House of RepreNot long after, Mendell folsentatives against Rep. Bobby lowed Obama all through his Rush, whose son had been fa2004 U.S. Senate campaign. According to tally shot that year. Obama had gathered senior citizens in Mendell, Obama was extremely reluctant Hyde Park to promote a prescription drug to hire a driver, preferring to drive his Jeep, proposal, but that fell by the wayside as re- one side of which had a large dent. Mendell

would follow behind in his Saturn with its broken sunroof. “I was chasing around a dented Jeep in a Saturn,” Mendell said. “You wouldn’t have thought we were going places at that point.” The Tribune was one of the few media outlets taking Obama’s campaign seriously. “Early on, I always gave Obama a lot of attention that maybe other reporters didn’t give him,” he said. “It was funny because he would actually show me off like, ‘I’ve got a reporter following me around; see, I am a serious candidate,’ when no one was really taking him seriously.” The year of its publication, Mendell’s book received a prestigious honor from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), winning an Image Award. Although Mendell was also one of Obama’s fiercest critics, he recognized fairly early that Obama would go far in his career, turning heads in Washington D.C. and promoting change. “I was one of the few people who thought maybe he is going to president one day, but I didn’t say that out loud,” Mendell said. “There just seemed to be something attached to him.” Wednesday Journal Conversations with David Mendell is 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20 at Dominican University Performing Arts Center, 7900 Division St., River Forest. Tickets are $15.

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Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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Workshop promotes teen girls taking business classes

OPRF taps pros to help inspire future leaders By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park and River Forest High School held its first Young Women in Business workshop Nov. 7. The Business Education Department held the event to inspire young women to consider pursuing careers in business and encourage them to take advantage of OPRF’s business class offerings. “I think we’re achieving a level of inspiration and confidence building,” said OPRF business teacher and department chair Matt Prebble. The event was divided into eight sessions, one per class period, each with a different group of female students. Local businesswomen gave presentations and participated in group discussions with students to examine the importance of female representation in business and the social stigmas women with business careers face. Kaylin Simmons, a senior, said the workshop was informative and she learned there was a variety of different jobs in business. “I’ve never really wanted to own a business or anything like that, but that’s not the only thing you learn at this. You get to learn about marketing and other things like that,” she said. Beyond Green CFO Chee-Young Kim, one of the MATT PREBBLEE businesswomen who OPRF business teacher attended, called the workshop a great program. “I kind of wish I had this while I was in high school,” Kim said. She said she’s going to have her daughter, an OPRF student, take one of the classes. The business department, which intends to make the workshop a biannual event, also used the time to address low female enrollment in such classes and get feedback from female students currently enrolled in business classes. “We’re struggling with female enrollment. We don’t really know why,” said Prebble. Girls make up only about 33 percent of students taking business classes. “When you look at some of our classes, they’re very male, very white,” he said. “That’s something we’re getting feedback on today.” Prebble said the department suspects the idea that “business is for boys” is the prima-

“We have an opportunity here to start changing that. I think it starts at the high school level. Hopefully this is day one of what is a longterm, effective initiative.”

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

9 TO 5: OPRF wants higher female enrollment in business classes, which are primarily taken by white male students. Students listen to Matthew Prebble, the business education chair, discuss entrepreneurial skills. ry reason girls aren’t signing up. “We’ve definitely got a perception problem,” said Prebble, noting the fact that, out of the five business teachers, only one is a woman. During the workshop, girls said the titles of business classes can be off-putting. They also gave faculty ideas for what they’d like to see incorporated in business class curricula. Many shared that they didn’t even know about a lot of the different business courses OPRF offers prior to the workshop. “We need to do more work in our curricu-

lum design, not just class titles, just to make sure the females who do enroll feel welcome, feel like they can explore what they’re interested in and not just a few girls in among a class full of boys, not wanting to say much because they’re going to be judged by a bunch of boys,” said Prebble. Junior Iza Jedrzejzzyk said the workshop was worth attending. “I learned how to start a business, like the process of it, and that women made a lot of inventions that you wouldn’t even think about,” she said. “It’s more than you’d expect.”

Although the number of women-owned businesses in Illinois and the total United States has grown, the growth rate in Illinois is far lower than the national number. According to a 2018 American Express study, the number of women-owned businesses in Illinois rose only 35 percent, while nationally the number grew by almost 58 percent. “We have an opportunity here to start changing that. I think it starts at the high school level,” Prebble said. “Hopefully this is day one of what is a long-term, effective initiative.”

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

GARAGE

Delayed by outcry from page 1 garage as well as vacating a portion of Monroe Street between Wisconsin Avenue and Wenonah Avenue. The Rush proposal was met with some skepticism from the plan commission and mainly hostility from neighbors. “The demand for parking has grown,” said Robert Spadoni, Rush Oak Park Hospital vice president and chief operating officer. “I have gotten a variety of complaints, from not only the residents around there, but from patients, physicians, et cetera, about the parking problem.” According to Spadoni, the hospital had around 8,000 to 10,000 new outpatient visits last year. The hospital expects that number to grow, with the recent opening of its new emergency department. “The parking problem is getting pretty intense,” he said. The proposed garage, which would be built on the site of a current hospital surface parking lot at Wenonah Avenue and Monroe Street, would prevent patients from parking on residential streets and ease traffic around

By MICHAEL ROMAIN

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM the hospital, said Spadoni. Rush Oak Park has yet to choose an architect for the project. “We’re trying to be as sensitive to the issues that the neighbors have raised with regards to the parking lot over the last couple years,” he said. Issues include bright lights shining into people’s homes and landscaping. “What we’re trying to get here is we’re trying to close our campus, so, therefore, we don’t let everybody into the neighborhood; that’s the key,” said Spadoni. Village Engineer Bill McKenna has backed the vacation of Monroe Street. “It’s a fairly significant parking garage that they’re proposing. We wouldn’t really want that traffic to spill into the residential neighborhood,” he said. “Really, based on that site constraint, vacation of Monroe was really the best option to kind of isolate the neighborhood from the impact of traffic from that garage.” The hospital doesn’t have another site on which to build the proposed parking garage, said Spadoni. “The only other parcel we have is the one that borders Harlem and Maple. Everything else has a building on it,” said Spadoni. “There’s only a vacant lot on Wenonah and there’s a vacant lot between Maple and Harlem between Monroe and our power plant.” The power plant precludes the hospital from building a garage on that property. However,

the hospital plans to continue using it as a surface parking lot. Tearing down other hospital buildings is extremely costly, said Spadoni. The proposed garage on Wenonah Avenue and Monroe Street would sit directly next to the current hospital parking garage. However, the two structures could not connect which would have been Spadoni’s preference, due to a utility easement. The hospital expects the current garage to last at least another 10 years. The hospital did not reach out to any neighbors prior to bringing the proposal to the village. Reaching out to the public is not required. “I don’t believe [the application] required it,” said Spadoni. “If that’s what you want us to do, we’d be happy to do that.” Eighteen people signed up to cross examine Spadoni regarding the project, but most ceded their time to consolidate questioning. David Burna of the Central West Oak Park Neighborhood Association, asked Spadoni, if it was typical to not provide documentation about other alternatives and the reason other potential sites were dismissed. “Are you asking them to take it at face value that the other alternatives are not viable?” Burna asked. “I have met with the village on various occasions and we’ve talked through this,” Spa-

doni responded. “I guess the answer is no.” Sean Murray, also of the Central West Oak Park Neighborhood Association, wanted to know about the previous communication between the hospital and residents. “The only time I have any record of you talking to the neighbors was in 2015,” Murray said. “Have you talked to the neighbors since 2015 about essentially the current application?” “So when I said I talked to neighbors, I said they called me. I didn’t go out and talk to anybody,” Spadoni clarified. “And you are correct. I did have a meeting with the neighbors and if you’re telling me it was in ’15, I believe you. It’s whenever the flat level lot was.” Spadoni couldn’t remember the exact dates. He did say that he had spoken recently with neighbors who had called, wanting to speak with him about the proposed parking lot. “I have not physically went to their house,” Spadoni said. Public testimony at the meeting emphasized concerns from residents about the proposed garage’s effect on the neighborhood and their households. Following public comment, Spadoni requested that consideration of the proposal be continued until the plan commission’s Feb. 6 meeting. The commission granted the continuance. Spadoni also committed to meeting with the community.

Triton mid-managers strike for a day

Staff Reporter

Around 60 middle managers and labor activists picketed outside of Triton College, 2000 5th Ave. in River Grove, on Nov. 6 during a daylong strike at the 55-year-old community college — the first strike at the college in at least 30 years. The employees went back to work the next day with their contract issues still unresolved. Although the historic work stoppage did not appear to significantly impact the college’s day-to-day operations — classes, for instance, went on as usual — the strike is nonetheless part of a pattern of recent labor unrest that has national implications and Wednesday’s demonstration attracted some powerful labor allies. At the college’s main intersection at Fifth Avenue, on the south side of Hemingway Drive, an inflatable Teamsters fat cat bobbled in the 40-degree wind. On the north side, a few dozen union members paced the sidewalk chanting (“One, two, three, four, we won’t take it anymore! Five, six, seven, eight, come on Triton negotiate!”) and solicited honks from passing motorists. In October, 80 percent of the 53-member Mid-Management Association — which represents 63 mid-managers, including health services directors, assistance finance directors and career services directors — voted in favor of a strike authorization after talks with Triton’s negotiating team fell apart. The mid-managers are seeking a 4-percent

pay raise and retroactive pay dating to July 1, since their old contract expired on June 30. They’re also demanding to have more power over determining extra duty hours and that the college not require them to work 16 additional hours in return for contract gains, among other issues. But talks between the union and the college have been stalled since Oct. 24, when the union overwhelmingly rejected the college’s last offer that didn’t meet those demands. As previously reported, in an Oct. 31 email statement, Triton spokesman Derrell Carter said that the offer included a “three-year contract with four percent pay increases per year. The contract includes retroactive pay back to September 30.” Carter stated that the mid-manager’s claims about being asked to work more hours “is simply not true,” adding that if “a mid-manager works on a Saturday, they can switch these hours worked for time off in the future, hour-for-hour, resulting in no additional time worked.” A mediator that was appointed by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board is no longer involved in negotiations, Carter said on Nov. 6. As tensions between the mid-managers and the college ramp up, the union is fighting to maintain leverage in an increasingly lopsided fight. Back in August, the mid-managers were joined by 145 classified employees. Those workers, who include financial aid specialists, catalogers, account clerks and library

specialists, are members of a separate bargaining unit that has since ratified a new contract, which includes retroactive pay. And late last week, the college listed 59 mid-manager positions as vacant, prompting union officials to file a complaint with the Illinois Labor Relations Board. Charles Harper, a field director for Cook County College Teachers Union Local 1600, which has represented the mid-managers in the contract negotiations, said on Nov. 5 that the postings were “a clear effort to intimidate and suppress union activity.” Harper also referenced an FAQ that the college emailed the mid-managers ahead of the strike notifying them that striking employees aren’t eligible for medical coverage if they don’t work at the start of the month, that they won’t accrue pension service credit during the strike and that they aren’t eligible for holiday pay, among other reminders. Carter said that the college posted the positions not as a threat, but to “make sure our students are taken care of in a supportive environment.” He also said that the college’s operations would not be significantly impacted by the mid-managers’ strike — even if it lasted for multiple days or weeks. “We want to make sure that things are fair and equitable on both sides,” Carter said. “The good thing is we’re still negotiating and still at the table.” He added that 22 mid-managers who are part of the union reported to work on Wednesday. Kaitlyn Skoirchet, the Cook County Col-

lege Teachers Union, Local 1600’s chief of staff, later said that 16 of those 22 mid-managers weren’t eligible to be in the union. “These employees aren’t covered by the contract and thus weren’t even able to strike,” she said in an email. “The administration included them in the number to make it appear that more employees crossed the line than actually did.” Carter said that the strike has not affected the college’s day-to-day operations. As the teachers chanted, students like 19-year-old Matt Skinner and 26-year-old David Salgado walked to class. Skinner, a part-time engineering student, and Salgado, who takes continuing education classes, were both unaware of the contract negotiations and didn’t have any opinion on the matter when asked about the strike. If the mid-managers’ struggle has not yet resonated deeply on campus, it has nonetheless garnered the attention and support of prominent labor organizations. Randi Weingarten — the president of the American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second largest labor union, whose offices are in New York — had been virtually camped in Chicago at least since the start of the 11-day Chicago teachers’ strike, which ended last week. “This is the sixth time I’ve been in Chicago probably in the last two-and-a-half weeks,” she said. CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

PROTESS

Impact of gun violence from page 1 members get shot during a balloon release in 2018, held to celebrate the birthday of her uncle, who was killed the previous year. Hart said her father and the mother of her uncle’s 3-year-old child were both wounded during the shooting. “After this event, I couldn’t sleep at night,” she said. “I kept replaying everything in my head. It was crazy to me. I was worried about where I was going. I was nervous in school. Loud noises made me nervous.” Allah and Hart are among five people profiled in Firsthand: Gun Violence, a 15-part documentary directed and produced by Oak Park native and 1992 Oak Park and River Forest High School graduate Dan Protess. The serial documentary began streaming online at wttw.com/firsthand on Nov. 12. The documentary is part of WTTW’s new multi-platform initiative that also includes six stories reported in partnership with The Trace, the nonprofit news outlet that covers gun violence; it includes five “Talks” by experts who have proposed a series of community solutions to the city’s gun violence epidemic; a discussion guide; and a series of public screenings and dialogues with experts and policymakers. “There’s a gap in the coverage of gun violence in Chicago,” said Protess during a recent interview. “Maybe you get to meet one person in an article, but often you open the paper on Monday morning and there’s a death toll with little explanation about what happened in these shootings, let alone follow up about how this person has been impacted. “As a journalist, I get to have the most remarkable experiences that transform me in a way that our audience will never fully experience,” Protess said. “One of my goals with this project was to make sure there was as little behind the scenes as possible, so the second we showed up, the camera was rolling and we tried to capture everything.” That embeddedness may account for the ever-present anxiety the viewer may feel while watching each episode (each no longer than 12 minutes). You cannot understand Hart’s trauma if you don’t know how arbitrarily and suddenly death can intrude on an ordinary, sunlit afternoon — during a celebration of life, no less. The series opens with Allah and another man reacting to a shooting that happened 15 minutes ago during a scene shot in broad daylight. A grown man on a bike, a bystander, breaks down crying. The man who was shot (seven times, it turns out) was a friend of his. The man survived. That opening scene (we see a man walking and talking and in the next moment witness the aftermath of the shooting that nearly took his life) underscores Hart’s accounts of her own experience with gun violence and its attendant trauma later in the series. It’s downright gut-wrenching to learn that, in

Photo provided

DOCUMENTING TRAUMA: Oak Park native Dan Protess produced and directed ‘Firsthand: Gun Violence.’ the weeks leading up to prom and graduation, Hart experiences yet another tragedy. Protess said the experience of embedding himself in the lives of these survivors taught him there are no clear-cut heroes and villains in the city’s sad saga of gun violence. He said he also learned just how deeply divided the Chicago area is. “It’s so valuable to get out of your comfort zone and get to know people,” Protess said. “For this series, we were filming at someone’s house who just lost her son, and I was literally in view of [West Suburban Medical Center], where I was born. That’s just the reality.” The multifaceted engagement of the WTTW docuseries is reminiscent of Kartemquin’s outreach efforts for the 10-part docuseries America to Me, which aired last year on Starz, and included a series of public screenings, community discussions and online guides about racial equity. The film, directed by Oak Parker Steve James, was about OPRF’s long struggles with racial inequity. “Community engagement is absolutely a trend in filmmaking, as well as in the nonprofit world,” Protess said. “In the old days, you’d put your film out there and hope people would discuss it and ask the right questions, but over time we’ve realized that we can be part of that process. We can lead the discussion about issues surrounding our films.” The expert discussions have allowed community members like Jermaine Harris — a Chicago Police sergeant who works in the Austin community, where he grew up and currently lives — a platform to talk about solutions to the problems that Protess’ docuseries illuminates. “Our idea was to take the core principles of social justice (such as equity, access, participation and rights) and use them to develop a crime prevention strategy,” Sgt. Harris said, adding that officers have connected at-risk individuals to mentors and employment opportunities. He noted that even the district commander facilitates casual conversations with young men on the street in order to understand the deeper reasons for why they do what they do. “These projects are really opening our eyes to the stories behind the numbers,” Harris said. CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

VIEWPOINTS

Trying to love November p. 20

Terra Politica Oak Park

hese are fervid times in Oak Park politics. Between the proposed elimination of freshman honors classes at the high school, and the dust-up over free speech and identity politics at the village board, I can imagine that newcomers to the wacky world of our village find it confusing, even disturbing. Not to fear, for today I am here to provide you with a brief overview of our political landscape. At the outset, it is important to remember that a majority of residents don’t really know or care about any of this. These folks have demanding jobs. They are raising families. They shop. They go to the doctors. They exercise. They read. They live. The main reason people move to Oak Park is not because of its liberal politics. Cook County is about as blue as it gets. There are lots of diverse, liberal places to live in the area. People move here for a combination of reasons: proximity to Chicago, excellent public transportation, good schools and parks and housing stock. Plus there is stuff to do here — restaurants, churches, book groups, concerts, lectures. It is friendly for everybody — kids, seniors and pets. Local politics is a low priority for most of us. In fact, if it weren’t for this newspaper, like the tree falling in the uninhabited forest, no one would know anything. There is a minority, though, who are engaged. Some people are passionate about sports, celebrity or collectibles. Others are passionate about politics, even more so following the election of Mr. Trump. We are not in Obamaland anymore, Dorothy. My theory on this: There isn’t really much you can do about these dark times given that Illinois is so very blue. Our Illinois senators and congressfolk need no encouragement. You can write or call them, march at the Civic Center, donate money or sport a sign or a button. Those things might be therapeutic, but you are egotistical, even delusional, to think that you can make a difference at the state or national level. Sorry. But you have a better chance of making a difference at the village level. You can change the curriculum at the high school, or you can bemoan “oppression” in a village mission statement. You can support development or preservation. Most of the engaged are “good liberals.” Liberalism is not only political, it’s temperament. Its DNA includes social reform, tolerance of human differences, reasoned debate and demonstration. Over the centuries, good liberals have done a lot of good. In the last hundred years in this country, liberals are responsible for building an admittedly imperfect social welfare support system that has reduced suffering for millions of Americans. The evolving inclusivity of all Americans is largely the result of the tireless efforts of “good liberals.” They realize perfect is the enemy of good, compromise is fundamental to result, and humans are flawed. But some of the engaged are contemptuous of “good liberals.” They see them as part of the problem, not the solution. I’ll call them the New Left. For them, the pace of change is too slow. It needs to be speeded up. Those who dissent need to get with the program. Less evolution. More revolution. The group is more important than the individual. Your free speech is not part of their safe space. Their vision is the world as it ought to be, instead of the world as it is. Dreams can come true. Compromise is weakness. This is an old story. In Russia before and after the Revolution, the Communists and the Socialists hated each other. Same was true in Germany, and the minority Nazis took advantage. Kind of like Sanders, Biden and Trump (gulp). So the good liberals and New Left will battle it out in Oak Park in trench warfare for a few yards of political ground. It should be interesting. I just wish at the next election, the candidates will be explicit about their positions so that the electorate can make an informed choice. I believe, had the community known of a poorly vetted proposal to eliminate honors classes for freshmen, and a position that Oak Park was an “oppressive” polity, the election results would have been quite different.

JOHN

HUBBUCH

A well-supported new direction at OPRF

he freshman course restructuring at Oak Park and River Forest High School, combining college prep and honors, is not a dismantling of those things that are best at OPRF. It is an expansion of opportunity for all students to experience the highest quality of classroom learning. This direction and the essential procedures to realize racial equity in learning have been documented in District 200 self-studies since 2003 and in outside research for at least a generation.

3. authentic, rigorous, disciplined curriculum with high standards and performance-based assessments; 4. social-emotional and academic supports for all learners at every level of achievement success, and 5. ongoing quantitative and qualitative evaluation. Support for freshman re-structuring is also found in the recommendations of reputable national and international organizations calling for more equitable opportunity to learn for all children.

JOHN DUFFY

One View

Essential features

Inclusive and equitable learning

D200’s systematic evaluation of freshman courses guides the design work now underway. Key emerging ingredients include: 1. collaborative teacher inquiry around equity and professional learning that supports the most challenging learning all students need; 2. personalized and differentiated learning paths within racially and culturally diverse classrooms that are safe, welcoming and respectful

The National Council of the Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) asserts that traditional tracking in math courses fails to meet the growth needs of students assigned to lower math classes. NCTM stresses that this is especially harmful for students of color or students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Leading math educators call on schools to boldly address “disparities in See DUFFY on page 22

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

O U R

V I E W P O I N T S

V I E W S

Rush’s rush on parking

here are not many things we know for certain. But after 39 years of reporting on local hospitals trying to coexist with the residential neighbors that surround them in Oak Park, we know communication is vital. It’s obvious, right? Everyone in Oak Park is grateful and proud that we are home to two fine community hospitals with West Suburban and Rush Oak Park. First-rate health care. Job creators. Critical community partners. But inevitably, each hospital sits smack in the middle of a lovely neighborhood with residents who are inevitably protective of that neighborhood. As, happily, our hospitals have needed to grow over the decades, it has time and again created conflict. And the conflict has been exacerbated by secret plans unveiled only at the 11th hour, never an effort to directly communicate with neighbors and always resulting in a passionate fight. Because our village government is always going to watch out for the interests of these large and critical institutions neither West Sub nor Rush have ever lost an ultimate battle to construct a parking garage, ER or physician’s office building. But along the way, organized neighbors have slowed down projects and won concessions on how buildings were positioned on a site, how hospital traffic was actively separated from the neighborhood, how much of a naturally landscaped buffer they could force the hospitals to concede or the village to demand. Rush Oak Park ought to be basking in the deserved glory of just weeks ago opening its fantastic new ER. Instead it has already stepped in it with neighbors with its disingenuous application with the village to build a 700car parking facility on land it owns but which abuts hardest with singlefamily homes. Last week, a skeptical Oak Park’s Plan Commission took up the proposal. First commissioners and then neighbors set the hospital to tap dancing quickly with questions about why this giant project was not coupled with the ER plan, why there isn’t a hospital master plan, and why hasn’t the hospital been actively talking to its neighbors. Commissioners also asked why, if this is a serious proposal, didn’t the hospital bring an architect, a traffic engineer, a landscape architect to the presentation. By the end of last week’s plan commission meeting, a chastised hospital was asking the commission to shelve its plan until February. We hope that, in the meantime, genuine conversations begin with already well-organized neighbors. The dialogue should have begun months ago.

Make a green plan, OPRF It is a good thing for Oak Park and River Forest High School to shift to 100 percent green sourcing for its electricity over the next three years. Also good that the school administration estimates a 24 percent annual savings or $150,000-plus over three years. The school just took that route last month as it signed off on a new energy contract focused on sustainability, mainly wind and solar power. We especially liked the inquiry from Craig Iseli, a school board member, who asked Michael Carioscio, the District 200 operations chief if OPRF has a formal sustainability policy. Carioscio said the school has policies related to resource conservation but nothing that comes close to a fullblown sustainability policy. He noted that new construction and substantial renovations, planned to start on campus next summer and continue over several years, will be an opportunity to refocus. “We can really look at a lot of our practices that went unquestioned in the past and do things differently,” he said. Iseli’s response is our response. That’s good. The construction ahead is a good opportunity to build in efficiencies and innovations. But it will all gain greater focus and become more trackable if there is actually a systemic plan for green initiatives.

Trying to love November

t’s hard to love November. The penultimate month is the beginning of the end — not of life as we know it, but of life as we knew it … of summer so recently, so dearly and drearily, departed, the collapsed hosta leaves in front gardens providing eloquent testament. This year, as last, November also marked the end of autumn as late October’s heavy, wet snow and deep freeze stripped the trees of their leaves just before they reached peak hue. It’s hard not to feel shortchanged by November when winter arrives a full month early — again. It has been an unusual weather year — unusual being the norm now, it would appear, in the era of climate change. Several days of 20-below-zero in January; winter’s last snow falling on April 28; a cold, wet spring lasting all the way through June, depriving us of a full month of summer, though what we had was glorious, arriving just in time for Independence Day and departing just after Labor Day, gone too soon; and the first snow of this winter arriving at the end of October. Six months between the last and first snowfalls. A two-month summer and a two-month autumn. Not nearly enough to fully charge our internal solar batteries for what is to come. November is a hard month to love, with Central Standard Time, a blanket of early darkness descending like a fiat from the old Soviet Politburo. Boom. Deal with it. The farmers want an extra hour of light in the morning to milk the cows and kids shouldn’t have to go to school in the dark, even though they will in another month. The sun, fickle lover, heads south for its annual dalliance with some other hemisphere. Sandhill cranes high overhead follow in its wake, sprinting toward warmer climes, bleating their mantra, “Holy crap! How’d it get so cold?!” The leaf blowers are deafening in their dutiful mission to project all leafy matter into the streets, where vehicles fronted by enormous cages, push them into small mountains for dump trucks to dispose. As there is no escaping November, we must learn to love it somehow. If James Taylor is right that “the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time,” that includes the changing of seasons. And I do love the changing seasons (even if I mourn the season just changed). The year doesn’t allow us to grow complacent, so we celebrate the changing rhythms and markers. It helps to have a vantage point, like movies that choose a location and show its changing face over the course of a year. My vantage point is the Maze branch library on Gunderson, just north of the expressway, that quaint, book-filled cottage of stone and brick, which marks each season by pasting pastel construction paper Easter eggs and flowers and flags and leaves and candy canes and snowflakes in the windows of the children’s section, as they have since I was a kid 60 years ago, and maybe since its doors opened in 1936. Because the library overplanted trees that

obscure this charming structure during the growing portion of the year, one of the best things about November is losing the leaves obstructing the view — that and the warm lights aglow within during the night-dominant portion of the year. November’s charms are subtle. I love the stillness of the world, postWorld Series, post-Farmers Market, post-leaf blowers — the calm before the Holiday storm. I love tip-toeing through the ginkgo berry/crabapple minefields on the sidewalks. OK, not really, but I do love the leafy collages framed by each sidewalk square as I course my way through the village. I miss the primary colors but appreciate the subdued pigments of dried leaves, the burnished browns and russet reds, as the squirrels hurdle them on their way to hording food stocks for the upcoming season of slimmer pickings. It helps to have a friend who loves November. “It’s a time of peace and planning,” she says, “a time of looking ahead to the lights and bells and whistles of December. It’s going from outside joy to inside joy. In November you can hear the leaves when you walk. I love the dried hydrangeas. I love November brown.” November white, on the other hand, is harder to love, especially when it comes several inches deep with icy wind chill. But that’s the November we have at the moment, so we have to come to terms with it. If a young person’s fancy turns to thoughts of love in spring, an older fancy turns to something else come November — stated best by Ellis Peters in her book, Brother Cadfael’s Penance: “He had never before been quite so acutely aware of the particular quality and function of November, its ripeness and its sadness. The year proceeds not in a straight line through the seasons, but in a circle that brings the world and man back to the dimness and mystery in which both began, and out of which a new seed-time and a new generation are about to begin. Old men, thought Cadfael, believe in that new beginning, but experience only the ending. It may be that God is reminding me that I am approaching my November. Well, why regret it? November has beauty, has seen the harvest into the barns, even laid by next year’s seed. No need to fret about not being allowed to stay and sow it; someone else will do that. So go contentedly into the earth with the moist, gentle, skeletal leaves, worn to cobweb fragility, like the skins of very old men, that bruise and stain at the mere brushing of the breeze, and flower into brown blotches as the leaves into rotting gold. The colors of late autumn are the colors of the sunset: the farewell of the year and the farewell of the day. And of the life of man? Well, if it ends in a flourish of gold, that is no bad ending.”

KEN

TRAINOR

V I E W P O I N T S S H R U B T O W N

by Marc Stopeck

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Senior Editor Bob Uphues Associate Publisher Dawn Ferencak Staff Reporters Michael Romain, Stacey Sheridan Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Sports/Staff reporter James Kay Columnists Marc Blesoff, Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, John Hubbuch, May Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger, Stan West, Linda Francis Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Editorial Design Manager Claire Innes Editorial Designers Tom Deja Business Manager Joyce Minich IT Manager/Web Developer Mike Risher Advertising Design Manager Andrew Mead Advertising Designers Debbie Becker, Mark Moroney Advertising Director Dawn Ferencak Advertising Sales Marc Stopeck

Keep the focus on equity in Oak Park A lot of heat has been generated around the village board’s discussions on racial equity. Lost in the shuffle is the substance of the matter: what the village actually does that moves us forward on racial and economic equity. Let’s refocus. The board’s unanimous approval of the revised Oak Park Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement is significant and welcome, but the lengthy and contentious process conveys unwelcome signals of ambivalence. Is Oak Park abandoning its historical role as a leader in diversity, inclusion, and equity? Now the board must show its commitment to achieving its stated equity goals. It should implement the steps advocated by the Community Relations Commission and do so without delay. Things are off to a troubling start. By a 4-3 vote, the board declined to join the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a national network of governments working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all. In doing so, the board reneged on its earlier agreement to join GARE and rejected the unanimous, well-informed recommendation of the Community Relations Commission (CRC). The board now plans to have

Send letters to the Editor Ken Trainor, Wednesday Journal 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 E-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com Please include name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

village staff redo all of the CRC’s research into equity training programs, ignoring the skills and experience of CRC’s volunteer citizen experts and deferring instead to the recommendations of non-expert paid staff or perhaps highly paid outside consultants. Another troubling move is the board’s consideration of cutting its funding of the Oak Park Housing Center. The center may no longer be the most effective way to promote diversity and integration in Oak Park. But if not through the center, exactly how does the village plan to support that important mission? The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion statement is finally on the books. That’s good, but a statement is only a startingpoint. The village trustees hold ultimate responsibility for policy decisions. They were elected on the principles they presented to the voters, including equity. The board must now take concrete steps to realize the equity goals to which our village is committed. The trustees have expressed their love of equity: Now, let’s see how they will act on it.

Wendy Greenhouse, Gail Galivan, Joshua Klayman, Paul Sakol VOICE Oak Park

Inside Sales Representative Mary Ellen Nelligan Client Engagement Natalie Johnson Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Distribution Coordinator Wakeelah Cocroft-Aldridge Front Desk Carolyn Henning, Maria Murzyn Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

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, fire you to action. In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for filing. Please understand our verification process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that verification, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot confirm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay. If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

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■ 500-word limit

■ Must include first and last names,

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municipality in which you live, phone number (for verification only)

your connection to the topic ■ Signature details as at left

Email Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com or mail to Wednesday Journal, Viewpoints, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 708 613 3300

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

DUFFY

Educational equity from page 19 opportunities that different groups of learners have with respect to access to grade-level (or more advanced) curriculum, teacher expectations for students, and beliefs about their potential for success” (2019). The National Council of the Teachers of English (NCTE) statement on the Opportunity to Learn (2019) declares that schools must recognize “the vital role education plays in a democratic society; we believe that students must be granted equitable access to educational settings that build on the strengths of students, expand the capacity of learners … (and) create curriculum inclusive of diverse students and faculty, including curriculum with positive representations of diverse student and faculty populations and accurate information on histories of diverse populations.” The National Research Council of the National Academies (2002) emphasizes in its report on equity in education that the path for expanding to all students the opportunity to take high-status International Baccalaureate and AP programs requires the assurance that all middle- and high-school students enroll in enriched and challenging courses. The Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Pew Charitable Trusts reiterated these recommendations in their reports on creating equitable education opportunities (Conley, 2005). The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has made strong recommendations on expanding equity in education for its 36 member nations. The OECD states that “the design of education systems and the pathways through those systems can help or hinder equity. A fair and inclusive system needs to manage the extent of differentiation, by postponing tracking to at least the later teenage years” (2004). The Civil Rights Framework for Providing All Students an Opportunity to Learn through Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (2010) focuses on racial equity and opportunity to learn. It declares: “The practice of tracking students by perceived ability is a major civil rights obstacle to reaching President Obama’s benchmark for the United States to become a global leader in post-secondary education attainment by 2020.”

Moving racial equity forward Today, D200 is thoughtfully moving forward with a curriculum equity quest called for at OPRF High School over 25 years ago. These efforts offer possibilities, though no guarantees, that we can come closer to the day when access to learn the most challenging curriculum will be available to all of our children. John Duffy, EdD, chairs the Committee for Equity and Excellence in Education which collaborates with equity allies in Oak Park and River Forest.

V I E W P O I N T S

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Leaf blowers: Ban the worst I understand the concern from landscapers that a ban on leaf blowers would increase their costs, and I understand the objections to the pollution they cause. As others have mentioned, lobbying by landscapers caused the ban to be restricted to a certain decibel level, which in practice repealed the ban as it’s too difficult to enforce a decibel limit. Gas leaf blowers emit two kinds of pollution — noise and air. Electric leaf blowers

cause only noise. Let’s implement a ban that’s easily enforceable (no decibel level included), and yet would allow landscapers to operate efficiently: Ban gas leaf blowers and allow electric if they’re running off of house current (not a gas-powered generator). At least this would eliminate the air pollution due to gas-powered leaf blowers.

Kevin Shalla Oak Park

Oak Park

No loud trucks and dumpsters to collect and move them. No concern about filling landfills. In the ordinary course of events (without raking), nature breaks leaves down to provide nutrients for your grass. By cutting your leaves into much smaller pieces, you are just helping nature’s ordinary process along. Mowing your leaves does nothing more than return to the earth that which fell from your trees. You can say it: “I’m green.” Third, it is the least expensive means of removing your leaves. No one has to collect the leaves, move the leaves, dump the leaves, or dispose of the leaves. While I do not know the yearly cost for Oak Park’s leaf collection efforts, that cost will be removed from the taxpayers’ bill. In these municipal hard times, every expense should be studied and, at the very least, the people involved in Oak Park’s leaf collection efforts can be employed to do something much more productive and permanent. Finally, there is simply no rational reason why we must remove our leaves instead of just cutting them up so that they can naturally break down and become part of the circle of life again. It may be too late this year, but make a commitment next year to mow your leaves. You too will ask yourself, “Why did I ever rake?

Robert Vogt

An Oak Park resident who no longer rakes

Protest the library’s levy increase I love the Oak Park Public Library. I am a frequent user of both the Maze branch and the main library. I have always felt that the library was one of the best returns on my tax dollar. However, I am very disappointed and angry by the increase in the tax levy and the capture of the TIF dollars. Why was the levy increased if the library was going to capture an incremental $693K with the TIF expiration? Our property tax burden is high and not

In 2011, Edmund’s.com, the car rating people, tested the pollution generated from a two-stroke gasoline leaf blower and found that using the leaf blower for half an hour was equivalent to driving a Ford F-150 pickup from Texas to Alaska (3,900 miles).

Steven Olderr

Why did I ever rake? Throughout Oak Park, there are piles of leaves along every street. Everyone rakes/ pulls/pushes or somehow gets the leaves that have fallen onto their yard down to the street and builds their own leaf mountain in front of their house. At some time in the future, huge trucks will push the piles of leaves into bigger piles and then lift them up and place them into dumpsters. The leaves will then be carted away to some far off place. This past weekend, however, I discovered a better way. Do not rake, mow. That’s right. Break out your lawn mower and cut your leaves just like you do when cutting your grass. Try it. You will be shocked. I tried it for the first time this past weekend and all I kept saying was “Why did I ever rake?” There are several reasons why cutting your leaves (i.e. mulching) is far superior to conventional raking. First, it is physically easier and involves virtually no risk of injury. You simply operate your lawn mower in the same way you do when cutting your lawn. A gentle push forward or a slight pull back. If the leaves are particularly thick at some point, you simply push the lawn mower back and forth allowing the motor blade to do the work. You would almost have to try to strain yourself. Second, it is ecologically friendly and your green neighbors will be cheering for you. No piles of leaves in front of your house.

Leaf blowers pollute more than you think

increasing the levy could have provided some relief. If we really want economic diversity in this village, we need to stop this practice. Please reach out to Matt Fruth (m.fruth@oppl.org) at Oak Park Public Library to express your displeasure and ask him to reverse this money grab. Just because the library can take the money does not mean it should.

Lisa Reed

Oak Park

Support for Clean Energy Jobs Act

Farmers Market table partners raised 1,000 signed petitions in support of the Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2019. Last April through October, volunteers from Oak Park Area Climate Action and Illinois Sierra Club shared a table at Oak Park Farmers Market dedicated to soliciting citizen signatures in support of the Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA). Their combined tabling effort yielded 1,000 signed supporters for a state bill that promises clean, affordable energy, $39 billion in new private investment for clean energy projects, and a surge of renewable energy jobs in Illinois. Anticipating passage next spring, the CEJA bill currently has more than 30 supporters in the Illinois Senate, and nearly 60 in the House.

David Martin

Member, Oak Park Area Climate Action and Illinois Sierra Club

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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Executive Director Carol Gall (center) with committee members Liz West and Beth Cohen. Carol was honored at the event for five years of dedicated service and outstanding leadership.

Board Chair Sheryl Martin pictured with her husband, Dave.

Stand Tall 2019

s part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Sarah’s Inn hosted Stand Tall at the Oak Park Country Club on Saturday, October 19. This signature event, with master of ceremonies, Lisa Parker from NBC Chicago, was attended by nearly 300 community members, raising over $130,000 to support the mission of Sarah’s Inn. Chaired by Amy McFarlane, Ann Schimmel and Kim Wojack, Stand Tall featured a live and silent auction, a Build Your Own Bar raffle, and entertainment, and honored Executive Director, Carol Gall, for her five years of dedication and inspiring leadership. The program received outstanding community support from corporate and individual sponsors, including

Together Strong Sponsor Linda and Kevin Conway. The mission of Sarah’s Inn is to improve the lives of families impacted by domestic violence, and to break the cycle of violence for future generations. To learn more about Sarah’s Inn programs and services, or to get involved, contact joannas@sarahsinn.org.

Board member Boomer McInerney pictured with his wife, Rebecca, enjoying the Zippy Photo Booth!

Photo credits: Matt Kosterman Productions

Event committee member Molly Crawford with supporters Mary Lou and Marty Noll.

Event tri-chairs Ann Schimmel, Amy McFarlane and Kim Wojack enjoying the evening!

MC of the evening, Lisa Parker of NBC Chicago, kicking off the evening’s program.

Sarah’s Inn staff enjoying an evening to celebrate the agency’s work.

V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

We can’t go back to the world before Trump

few weeks ago, the president visited Chicago, and I wish I could have been out there protesting because I support every effort to remove him from office. He has demonstrated again and again that he is not fit to be president. In fact, during the campaign he never hid from us what kind of president he would be. Anyone who is surprised by the outcome of this presidency willfully blinded themselves to the facts of his nature. But I’m afraid that most of his supporters had their eyes wide open about what kind of person he is and what kind of president he would be, and they either explicitly endorsed it or tacitly accepted it. Some people simply wanted as president a racist, sexist, trash-talking shell of a man who was clearly damaged by a lack of compassion in his childhood, a man who has always gotten whatever he wanted and so thought nothing of holding up military aid to Ukraine to initiate an investigation of his political rival. These people are either openly racist themselves or they are so disconnected from the experiences of people of color as to be functionally racist for all intents and purposes. Other people accept his racism and sexism because this president was a means to an end for them — getting more conservative judges approved, or simply defeating Hillary Clinton. All of these supporters, including many Republican members of Congress, will find it very difficult to abandon their support for this president. But the election of 2016 was world-disrupting for me because it revealed the degree to which many white liberals, myself included, are part of the problem. I know many people, especially people of color, find laughable that so many of us had been asleep about the systemic racism and sexism coursing through the veins of our nation. But we were asleep, and some of us are beginning to wake up. For all of us — those who have been in this fight and those just waking up and joining in — there are twin dangers on the horizon. The

first danger is Trump himself, and it is vital that we remove him and his racist, norm-destroying behavior from office through impeachment or defeat at the polls. The second danger is that we will direct all of our thinking and pushing and striving toward his removal. This is the attitude that says, “If we could only go back to how it was before Trump, we would be OK.” This idea is alluring because it means we would only have to pull our country back to where it was just four years ago. But that is also utterly false. With or without this president, we live in a nation that locks up more people than any other country in the world and that disproportionately locks up people of color. We live in a country that is doing barely a drop of what we need to do to defeat climate change, which disproportionately affects poor people — especially, once again, people of color. Defeating this president is vital, but it is only a vital first step. We must consign him to oblivion, not go back to how things were before, so that we can push forward to true transformation — electing leaders who will provide basic needs to all Americans and put us on a path to zero carbon emissions. We must advocate for these policies and leaders, and we must create welcoming communities that truly appreciate and nourish the cultures, spirits, and bodies of people of color. To accomplish this, we need to connect with our relationships, with our planet, with ourselves — with our own values. These connections lie at the core of anti-racism, and they must fuel us to move beyond the initial goal of removing this president. We must accomplish that goal, yes, but at the same time we must begin to truly grapple with our core challenge: fostering a society that exists in equilibrium with all its members, with other societies around the world, and with the planet itself, i.e. creating a society that truly values and embraces all of its people.

JAMES

SCHWARTZ One View

Journal, your biases are showing When it comes to the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, Wednesday Journal’s reporting is slanted. They reported on the Oct. 28 Finance Committee meeting, and I quote: “Most commenters defended the necessity of funding OPRHC and integrated housing, while a few advocated that the center had fulfilled its purpose in maintaining an integrated Oak Park and has become obsolete in recent years.” [Housing Center’s 2019 funding reinstated, News, Nov. 6]. What WJ readers don’t know, however, is that, conveniently enough, the Journal did not choose to report on the Oct. 24 Finance

Committee meeting where two-thirds of the commenters strongly advocated for no funding for the Housing Center in 2020. The other third spoke on unrelated topics. In other words 100 percent of those who spoke about the Housing Center were in favor of no funding in 2020. If you’re going to cover the news, cover all the news, not just the items that support your personal views. Dan Haley, your biases are showing. In the recent words of our former President Barack Obama, “C’mon!”

Corey Gimbel Oak Park

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A G I N G

D I S G R A C E F U L L Y

A chip in the hip

This column first ran on July 19, 2016 B.T. (Before Trump): magine this. You go to some bureaucratic office to get some official form. You’re told you’ll need three forms of identification. You calmly smile and say, “My ass.” It would be my dream come true. I’m talking about the future, of course, when we’ll all be able to get a chip holding all our information implanted somewhere under the skin — let’s say the fatty area near the hip — and would never have to fumble for our credit cards, or drivers’ licenses, or search high and low for proof of birth, marriage, divorce, insurance, etc. All of our senior discounts and credit card “points” could be simplified. You could walk into an el station, a movie theater, or any other place that gives a discount or wants you to carry a fistful of coupons. After a quick scan, the money — minus the discount and plus any confusing points — would come out of the appropriate account. Whoosh. For instance, every time I go to the doctor, they give me a printout of all my meds. It’s embarrassingly long, but the nurses always remind me that I should carry it everywhere. Really? I try very hard to stay away from heavy handbags. I like to carry only my wallet, keys, phone, pills, inhaler, and Kleenex — no gun — in as small a handbag as possible. I would love to have all the info in my chip hip. I hate cash. I use my debit card for everything, so the money is gone from my checking account before I get home. I don’t

have to dig around when I’m paying for something and I can keep track of where my money goes. Plus I usually don’t have to figure out where to keep those odious paper receipts. A lot of my friends prefer to pay all their bills and actually balance their checkbooks at the end of the month. Then they complain about the paperwork or about gathering records at the end of the year to do their taxes. I do my taxes online and love it. The best step, of course, would be to have the government somehow access my records through my chip, do the math, deduct their money, and leave me the hell out of it. Yes, I’m one of those people who trusts the government. Why? Every time I think they’ve made a mistake, I’ve been wrong, so why bother? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not in love with technology. I choke back hot, salty tears whenever I have to upgrade my phone or computer or change a password, and I actually did cry when Comcast sent me a new box. Most of the time I don’t do the recommended upgrades, trying to avoid anything new and puzzling, and wind up suffering the consequences. Often someone will generously say, “Let me show you how to do this,” or “It’s easy, all you have to do is …” and I want to say, again, “My ass.” (Promise, that phrase will not become a staple of this column.) I don’t expect to live long enough to see the chip in my hip. But if I can order a book online and have it appear on my Kindle in less than a minute, I’m pretty sure it will happen.

MARY KAY O’GRADY

Speak less, listen more

Dear Ken, time and again, I find myself very grateful to you, for expressing (very well) the thoughts that I am thinking. And, of course, I am grateful that you share your voice through the Wednesday Journal. I am also, as a white male, grateful to you for writing that “males — white males in particular — would benefit from talking less and listening a whole lot more.” To which I (a white male) say: Amen! [Safe space vs. brave space, Ken Trainor, Viewpoints, Oct. 30] I recently caught part of a piece on WBEZ, in which the speaker explained his belief that the opposite of racist is not “not a racist,” but “anti-racist.” Similarly, I would say that the opposite of sexist is not “not a sexist” (and, particularly, not a defensive “I’m not a sexist!”), but “anti-sexist.” I’m reading a book right now, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo, which explains that this defensive reaction (“I’m not

a racist!”), which depends on a very narrow definition of racism (essentially limiting it to overt hateful acts typified by the pre-Civil Rights-era KKK), is a (maybe the) major obstacle to making further progress in the ongoing fight against racism in our society. I was reminded of this when I read some of the reactions (by white males) to Trustee Buchanan’s angry rebuke of Trustee Moroney (e.g., a letter writer asserting that “Shut up” is a system of oppression and a columnist defensively explaining why he didn’t feel guilty for “being a white male,” and characterizing Trustee Buchanan’s “outburst” as “crazy”). These reactions display a supreme lack of awareness of the history of gender (and race) relations in this country, and make me wish that the men who wrote them (and the other white males who angrily attacked Trustee Buchanan) would follow your advice.

Jack Bizot

Oak Park

V I E W P O I N T S

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Missing Mark Rogovin

miss Mark Rogovin. We beWhen we screened the documencame buddies in 1995, when I tary Picture Man, one student wrote about a Forest Park guy had tears streaming down her who painted murals and did face as she gazed at Milton’s carpentry for La Rabida Chilportraits of the poor. dren’s Hospital. I had no idea He spoke to the students in that Mark would be a fountain his distinctive rasp and his of fascinating stories. laugh was contagious. He was For the next 25 years, he kept the only person to address me me supplied with one topic after as “Jonathan” and it made me another. He introduced me to feel special. He made everyone Mexican immigrants living around him feel that way. in Forest Park, who all came Mark didn’t discuss pop culture from the same village. He set or sports. He preferred history up meetings with heroes of the and politics. We talked often beprogressive movement. cause he made many unHe uncovered stories expected visits. Without all over Forest Park warning, he’d suddenly but especially in Forest be standing in my living Home Cemetery. Mark room. Once I heard hamlived only a few hundred mering in my backyard. yards from the cemetery Without being asked, and it was his favorite Mark was reinforcing my haunt. His main focus rickety back stairs. was the Haymarket MarThe last outing we tyrs’ Monument. had, four of us from I could count on him Forest Park drove to see mentioning Haymarket Haymarket: A New Folk every time we had lunch Musical. As the cast Courtesy MICHELLE MELIN-ROGOVIN together. He would engage danced, sang and played everyone, from the owner to the busboy, their instruments, Mark in conversation. Mark never missed an opwas in his glory. I also cherish the memory portunity to make new friends. He would be of our last lunch together. I went to his the first to welcome a newcomer to his neighhouse and was fortunate to find him on a borhood. He was the neighbor who always ribs-only diet. made time to talk. Mark and I feasted on ribs and shared Mark was curious and wanted to get to laughs. His wit was as sharp as ever and the bottom of every story in Forest Park. I waited for him to zing me. He didn’t He was just like his dad, Milton, who enddisappoint. Besides eating ribs, Mark was lessly explored his neighborhood in Bufgorging on sweets. He stayed up late, eating falo, New York. Ferrara Pan candy and watching classic Mark and his sisters had the coolest movies. parents I’ve ever come across. They were When our lunch was over, we were beamnurturing and creative and taught their ing at each other. I promised to make him children to never stop fighting for social ribs but they were still in the freezer when justice. He took on many one-sided battles I heard of his passing. I was shocked and and sometimes enlisted celebrities in his saddened like everyone else. His wife, Michelle, received this reaction causes. He had dealings with Bono and from the people she informed: Mark’s regular Yoko but never bragged about his brushes UPS driver hugged her and teared up. So did with celebrity. Mark didn’t have a selfrestaurant servers and business owners all important bone in his body. over town. The touching tribute Michelle postHe didn’t talk about his impressive acaed on Facebook went viral and she received demic credentials either because he didn’t messages from Mark fans around the world. measure a person by how many letters they As for his final resting place, there was had after their name. Mark was not only no question it would be near the Haymarket humble, he was fun! Martyrs’ Monument. Mark was instrumenHe had a gap-toothed grin that contained tal in the placement of a bench facing the a hint of mischief. We enjoyed our share of monument. Ted and Kathy Pearson purmischief during our adventures. In the early chased the plot and Mark designed the black days of the Iraq War, we held signs with antigranite bench. Its inscription reads, “Sit and war messages on overpasses above the EisenHear the Voices for Peace, Justice and Freehower. Mark made the signs, of course. He dom.” Mark’s ashes will be placed there. also cranked out buttons. He believed short Whenever I miss Mark’s spirit, I can rest slogans could convey powerful messages. on that bench and gaze at his favorite spot I chronicled Mark’s achievements so on Earth. often, an editor pleaded, “No more Mark I might even bring some ribs. Rogovin articles!” How could I stop? When John Rice, who grew up in Oak Park, is a I was teaching, he was my go-to guest weekly columnist for our sister publication, speaker. The students were enthralled by the Forest Park Review. Mark and the images he showed them.

JOHN RICE

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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O B I T U A R I E S

Ed Gould, 70

Loved animals and the North Woods Edward (Ed) Lloyd Gould, 70, of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, formerly of River Forest, died on Nov. 4, 2019. Born in Chicago on July 14, 1949 to the late Harold and Sylvia (Caban) Gould, he was a longtime River Forest resident and a graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School. He began his career working for the family-owned business Acme Puig and continued on as a salesman before working at Brookfield Zoo, a period in his life he absolutely loved. He enriched his family and friends’ lives with his gentle demeanor and caring ways. He also possessed a great sense of humor, bringing those around him to tears of laughter. He loved animals — he was never without a few dogs and a cat — and was a diehard, Cubs, Bears, and Blackhawks fan. He retired to ED GOULD Rhinelander, where he enjoyed the beauty of the North Woods. Ed Gould is survived by his partner, Melanie Slonski; his children, Dave (Danielle) Gould, Sara (Jeff) Kovich, and Liz Gould; his grandchildren, Christopher, Ryan, Jack, Emma and Lily; his sister, Jayne Gould; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister, Ellen Cuzzo. A gathering in his honor will be held on Sunday, Nov. 24 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the residence of Jayne Gould, 1011 Keystone Ave., in River Forest. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Conservation International, P.O. Box 418608, Boston, MA 02241-8608 or on their website at Conservation.org.

Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home

Since 1880 Family Owned & Operated Charles Williams, Owner/Funeral Director 203 S. Marion St. Oak Park 60302 708/383-3191

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Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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Check First.

RELIGION GUIDE

First Congregational Church of Maywood

400 N. Fifth Avenue (1 block north of Lake St.) Come join us for Sunday Morning Worship at 11 am Pastor Elliot Wimbush will be preaching the message. Refreshments and fellowship follow the service. 708-344-6150 firstchurchofmaywood.org When you're looking for a place to worship the Lord, Check First.

You’re Invited to A Church for All Nations A Church Without Walls SERVICE LOCATION Forest Park Plaza 7600 W. Roosevelt Road Forest Park, IL 60130

William S. Winston Pastor

Roman Catholic

Good Shepherd

Sunday Service 7AM, 9AM & 11:15AM Believer’s Walk of Faith Broadcast Schedule (Times in Central Standard Time) Television DAYSTAR (M-F)

3:30-4:00pm

Nationwide

WJYS-TV (M-F)

6:30-7:00am

Chicago, IL.

WCIU-TV (Sun.)

10:30-11:00am

Chicago, IL.

Word Network

10:30-11:00am

Nationwide

(M-F)

www.livingwd.org www.billwinston.org

West Suburban Temple Har Zion

1040 N. Harlem Avenue River Forest Meet our Rabbi, Adir Glick Pray, learn, and celebrate with our caring, progressive, egalitarian community. Interfaith families are welcome. Accredited Early Childhood Program Religious School for K thru 12 Daily Morning Minyan Weekly Shabbat Services Friday 6:30pm & Saturday 10:00am Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 708.366.9000 www.wsthz.org

188 South Oak Park Ave. Saturday Mass: 5:30 p.m. Sunday Masses: 9:00 & 11:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m. Weekday Mass: 8:30 a.m. M–F Holy Day Masses: As Announced Reconciliation: Saturday 4:15 p.m. Parish Office: 708-848-4417 Religious Ed Phone: 708-848-7220 stemund.org

Worshiping at 820 Ontario, Oak Park IL (First Baptist Church) 9:00a-Worship 10:30a-Education Hour

All are welcome. goodshepherdlc.org 708-848-4741

St. Giles Family Mass Community

Lutheran—ELCA

United Lutheran Church

409 Greenfield Street (at Ridgeland Avenue) Oak Park Holy Communion with nursery care and children’s chapel each Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

OAK PARK MEETING OF FRIENDS (Quakers) Meeting For Worship Sundays at 10:00 a.m. at Oak Park Art League 720 Chicago Ave., Oak Park Please call 708-445-8201 www.oakparkfriends.org

Roman Catholic

Ascension Catholic Church

www.unitedlutheranchurch.org

708/386-1576

(708) 697-5000 LIVE Webcast - 11:15AM Service

St. Edmund Catholic Church

ELCA, Lutheran

Lutheran-Independent

Grace Lutheran Church

7300 W. Division, River Forest David R. Lyle, Senior Pastor David W. Wegner, Assoc. Pastor Lauren Dow Wegner, Assoc. Pastor Sunday Worship, 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Sunday School/Adult Ed. 9:45 a.m. Childcare Available

Grace Lutheran School

Preschool - 8th Grade Bill Koehne, Principal 366-6900, graceriverforest.org Lutheran-Missouri Synod

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church

305 Circle Ave, Forest Park Sunday Worship, 9:30am Christian Education Hour 8:30am Wednesday Worship 7:00pm Wheelchair Access to Sanctuary Leonard Payton, Pastor Roney Riley, Assistant Pastor 708-366-3226 www.stjohnforestpark.org Methodist

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park

324 N. Oak Park Avenue 708-383-4983 www.firstUMCoakpark.org Sunday School for all Ages, 9am Sunday Worship, 10am Children’s Chapel during Worship Rev. Katherine Thomas Paisley, Pastor Professionally Staffed Nursery Fellowship Time after Worship

808 S. East Ave. 708/848-2703 www.ascensionoakpark.com Worship: Saturday Mass 5:00 pm Sunday Masses 7:30, 9:00, 11 am 5:00 pm at St. Edmund Church Sacrament of Reconciliation 4 – 4:45 pm Saturday Taizé Prayer 7:30 pm First Fridays Feb.– Dec. & Jan. 1 Rev. James Hurlbert, Pastor Roman Catholic

St. Bernardine Catholic Church Harrison & Elgin, Forest Park

CELEBRATING OUR 107TH YEAR! Sat. Masses: 8:30am & 5:00pm SUNDAY MASSES: 8:00am & 10:30am 10:30 Mass-Daycare for all ages CCD Sun. 9am-10:15am Reconciliation: Sat. 9am & 4pm Weekday Masses: Monday–Thursday 6:30am Church Office: 708-366-0839 CCD: 708-366-3553 www.stbern.com Pastor: Fr. Stanislaw Kuca

We welcome all to attend Sunday Mass at 10 a.m. on the St. Giles Parish campus on the second floor of the school gym, the southernmost building in the school complex at 1034 North Linden Avenue. Established in 1970, we are a laybased community within St. Giles Roman Catholic Parish. Our Mass is family-friendly. We encourage liturgically active toddlers. Children from 3 to 13 and young adults play meaningful parts in each Sunday liturgy. Together with the parish, we offer Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based religious education program for children in grades K-8. For more information, go to http://www.stgilesparish.org/ family-mass-community or call Bob Wielgos at 708-288-2196.

Third Unitarian Church 10AM Sunday Forum 11AM Service Rev. Colleen Vahey thirdunitarianchurch.org (773) 626-9385 301 N. Mayfield, Chicago Committed to justice, not to a creed Upcoming Religious Holidays

Nov 15 Nativity Fast begins – ends Dec. 24 Orthodox Christian 23 Thanksgiving

Interfaith

26 Christ the King

Christian

24 Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahdur Day of the Covenant

Sikh

Baha’i

To place a listing in the Religion Guide, call Mary Ellen: 708/613-3342

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Nov 15-17

9 to 5, the Musical Music and lyrics by Dolly Parton Book by Patricia Resnick

Based on the 1980 hit movie, three unlikely friends take control of their office and learn there is nothing they can’t do, even in a man’s world. Set in the late 1970s, this hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era is outrageous, thought-provoking and even a little romantic.

NOVEMBER 15-17, 2019 Friday & Saturday 7:30 p.m. | Sunday 3:00 p.m. BOX OFFICE (708) 488-5000 • FREE PARKING 7900 West Division Street • River Forest, IL 60305

events.dom.edu

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Cross-country scoreboard 31

SPORTS

Fenwick playoff run ends against Hillcrest Turnovers get best of Friars By JAMES KAY Sports Editor

After their upset win over Walter Payton High School last week, the Friars (6-5) ran into a superior team in the second round of the IHSA Class 5A playoffs, ending their season with a lopsided 28-7 loss to Hillcrest High School (10-1). “They came really prepared to play today,” said interim head coach Titcus Pettigrew after the game. “They didn’t commit a ton of penalties and we shot ourselves in the foot with turning the ball over and personal fouls. There are things we can do individually to clean up, but I have to tip my hat to that well-coached football team.” 1Q: After Fenwick couldn’t get anything going during its first offensive series, the Friars immediately felt the star power of Hillcrest running back Mar’Kiese Irving. After the Hawks used the running game to get to the 35-yard line. Irving took a snap out of the wildcat, made the defense miss with his elusiveness in the open field, and found the endzone. After the missed PAT, Hillcrest had a 6-0 lead with 7:58 left in the first. The Friars responded by marching into enemy territory on the next possession. After a fourth down conversion, quarterback Kaden Cobb hit wide receiver Max Reese on a hitch route that put Fenwick on the Hawks’ 6-yard line. On first-and-goal, Hillcrest stripped the ball from running back Danny Kent and recovered the fumble. 2Q: Hillcrest and Fenwick traded stops until the Hawks took over with 6:21 left in the half. Starting on his team’s own 25 yard line, quarterback Robert Myles faked a handoff, and took off down the left sideline until being pushed out of bounds at the Fenwick 22 yard line. A delay of game penalty pushed the Hawks back to the 28 yard line, but Myles found Irving in one-on-one coverage in the endzone on secondand-17. Irving dragged his toes inbounds and held onto the pass to give his team a two-possession lead. After Hillcrest converted a two-point conversion attempt, Fenwick found itself down 14-0 with 5:09 left in the half. The Friars didn’t do themselves any favors on the next drive when a block in the back penalty took them back to their own 12 yard line. On the next play, Cobb threw a wobbly pass that ended up in the arms of Hillcrest DB Jamon Williams. A block in the back penalty put the Hawks at the Fenwick 33 yard line. The momentum shifted on the second play of the drive when Irving went down with an apparent lower-leg injury and had to be helped off the field. “Today, you saw the reason why [Mar’Kiese Irving] is going to be playing college football in the future,” said Pettigrew. “It sucks that he got hurt, but he’s not the only one on their team who can make plays. They have a lot of talent over there.” Fenwick ended the half with back-to-back sacks after Irving’s injury (he did not return) and seemed to have found a groove defensively.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

FINDING A SEAM: Fenwick’s Jacque Walls (1) runs the ball down field on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, during a playoff varsity football game against Hillcrest at Triton College in River Grove. 3Q: Hillcrest stunted Fenwick’s momentum on the opening drive when senior running back Darius Dawson took over Irving’s share of the workload. “Darius has been doing it all year,” said Hillcrest head coach Morgan Weaver. “He stepped up for us last week and he did it again today. He’s been through this before so it’s nothing new for him.” Dawson had eight carries and 48 yards rushing after he finished the drive off with a 10-yard touchdown with 6:52 left in the quarter. Down 21-0, the Friars had little time to mount a comeback. Starting at their own 28 yard line, Fenwick got to the Hillcrest 30. But the Friars ended up turning the ball over on downs after Hillcrest DB Prince Elston deflected Cobb’s pass attempt to Reese. 4Q: One minute into the fourth quarter, Fenwick had another personal foul penalty that pushed the offense back to the 14 yard line. On third and 13, Cobb threw a pass down the middle of the field for Reese, but Hillcrest DB Dantrez Smith jumped in front of the pass and ran 30 yards for the pick-six. After the PAT, the Hawks had a 28-0 lead with 10:14 left in the game.

The passing game came alive on the Friars’ next offensive drive. Cobb completed four of his five attempts for 50 yards. On the 2 yard line, Cobb rolled right and found Reese for the score. With his team down 28-7, kicker Bryan Dowd executed a perfect onside kick that ended up in the hands of safety Greyson Cone. However, the Friars were shut down by Hillcrest on the next four plays, ending the comeback attempt. Reporter’s Pad: When interim head coach Pettigrew was asked if he would take the head coaching job if offered, he said he would “gladly accept it.” However, Pettigrew also said that there haven’t been conversations between him and athletic director Scott Thies because the season hadn’t ended. The head coaching vacancy is open since former Fenwick head coach Gene Nudo stepped down when the school found out he had allowed a former assistant and convicted sex offender Frank Battaglia onto his staff briefly in 2016. In his first game as interim head coach, Pettigrew led his team to a 21-17 victory last week against Walter Payton H.S. Hillcrest head coach Morgan Weaver said Mar’Kiese Irving will be evaluated this week but his injury didn’t appear to be that serious. The Hawks will face St. Rita High School next week in the next round of the playoffs.

S P O R T S

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Inside Trinity’s ‘Running the Halls’ tradition

Cross-country team rewarded for excellence By JAMES KAY Sports Editor

On Nov. 8, Trinity honored its cross-country team for qualifying for the state finals. Since head coach Johann Gonzalez took over the program four years ago, he has started a tradition of rewarding his team with a surprise gift before state (if they get there). Trinity also has a tradition of having every state-bound team run through the school with every student lined up outside of their classrooms (this is called “Running the Halls”). Here is an inside look at how the school celebrated last Friday.

Preparing the ‘state surprise’ On the eve of the cross-country state finals, head coach Johann Gonzalez carefully placed the customized, Trinity Under Armour quarter zips he bought for his team on foldout tables in the main gym. One corner of the shirt had the school’s logo while the other boasts each runner’s last name in cursive. “I told them, ‘If we go to state, I will surprise you with some sort of gift,’” said Gonzalez. “This year especially has been one of the toughest roads we’ve had to get to state,

and I thought I would get them something they could cherish past their time in high school.” While the program has qualified for state every season since he took over as head coach, Gonzalez knows his team races in one of the toughest conferences in the state. At this point in the season, no victory should go unrecognized. “That first year when we qualified, I thought, ‘We have to treasure these moments because we don’t know if it is going to happen again,’” said Gonzalez. “So we started with this whole state gift tradition, and luckily we have been able to qualify a few more times after that.” In the first year his team went to state, Gonzalez rewarded his team with Nike jackets which were followed by a backpack the next year. Last year, he gave the team Under Armour tops and stepped it up this year by including Nike pants to go along with the quarter zips. “With all the hard work they put in, the kids deserve this,” said Gonzalez. At around 10:40 a.m., the coaches and most of the runners met and set down their belongings before “Running the Halls.” However, the frosh (of course) were late trying to get out of class for early dismissal. “I don’t know if they are trying to ask if they can leave, but I just got up and left,” said one upper-classman on

the team.

cheers and clapping from peers while others aimed phones to film the spectacle. Unveiling the postseason gear On the first floor, runners finished at the When the younger runners finally arrived, school’s front entrance, greeted by their Gonzalez led the team to the doors of the parents. With Trinity’s student population main gym and said, “Look for your name and flooding down from all three floors of the school, the team and their parents entered get dressed. This is your outfit for the day.” The team rushed over to the tables that the main gym for one last good-bye before held their reward for a long season of the trip to Peoria for the state finals. pounding the pavement. Each runner eagerAway from the congestion of the hallly rifled through the quarter zips. ways, the team and family members paused Like a true millennial, one screamed, in prayer to wish the runners luck. Coaches “Oh my god, the pants have a pocket for our chatted and shared laughs with the parents. phones!” Juniors Kate Foley and Sylvia Ritzler With the team running behind schedule, have been on this ride for three years. HavGonzalez asked the runners to quickly change ing done “Running the Halls” since their into their new attire so they could make their first year at Trinity, they recognize how speway to the third floor of the school. cial it is to have the support of the school Five minutes later, the team emerged from and community. the locker room delighted and ready for pic“The team dynamic is different every year, tures. and this season and this past sectionals was really, really, really difficult for us,” said FolRunning the Halls ey. “I think both traditions are nice because At the tail end of second period, Trin- you feel the warmth of the Trinity commuity students stepped outside of their class- nity cheering you on and Coach Yo [Gonzarooms and stood shoulder-to-shoulder along lez] supporting us with a gift before state is the school’s lockers. Macklemore’s “Can’t really nice. It’s a great sendoff for us.” Having taken the state gift up another levHold Us” blasted from the speakers as students on the second floor peeked toward the el, what does that mean for next year? “We heard some rumors about Nike Pegend of the hall, awaiting the latest stateasus shoes, so maybe next year we’ll get bound group to come bolting past. Descending from the third-floor staircase, those,” both runners said with assurance. the team jogged across the hall, showered by “But really, this is amazing, and we are so thankful that he has done this for us.” There appears to be a sizeable gap between the team’s “expectations” and what Gonzalez has in mind. “They told you they wanted Pegasus and air pods, didn’t they?” said Gonzalez with a laugh. “I was only joking about that earlier this year. I would love to get them that, but it’s not in the budget. We will figure it out.” Photo by James Kay For a program that hadn’t experienced this level of consistent success in a long time, figuring out the state gift for next year is a really good problem to have for any head coach.

(Opposite) Class 2A state runners battle through water during finals. (Above) Trinity’s X-C team “Runs the Halls.” (Below) Trinity received customized tops and bottoms from its head coach.

Provided by Kevin Roche

Photo by James Kay

S P O R T S

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

Girls cross-country teams dominate at state finals

Fenwick finishes in top four By JAMES KAY Sports Editor

Every season, the goal for cross-country teams in the area is to make the three-hour bus ride to Peoria, where the state finals are held, worth the drive. In the 2019 season, Fenwick, and Trinity high schools participated in the IHSA Class 2A state finals while Oak Park and River Forest High School battled in the Class 3A state finals. Spoiler: every team did well in its own respect. Here are the storylines you need to know for how each school performed in Peoria.

Fenwick takes fourth in state By a narrow margin, the Friars’ girls varsity team placed in the top-five in the state finals for the first time since 2011. “We knew going in that there were 10 teams fighting for the top three spots,” said head coach Kevin Roche. “It seemed like Benet [Academy] was a lock, but anyone could have been in the top three. The girls were great and ran well as a pack, but we didn’t know we were going to get fourth. I thought we would place seven or so, but there were a slew of teams bringing it. It was a fun way to end a season we were already really proud of.” Junior Maggie O’Malley finished 34th out of 209 runners who participated in the race and had the seventh-best time in school history. It was a memorable performance con-

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: OPRF team poses after sectionals.

sidering she couldn’t run her freshman year. She sat out that season due to shin splints and runner’s knee but attended practices to stay close to the group. “She’s progressed really well since her sophomore year and has bought into the process of getting better,” said Roche. “She pushed really hard to get to this point, and we are proud of her.”

Two OPRF runners in top 16 For the first time in school history, the Huskies had two runners qualify for allstate honors in the same year. Junior Nora Wollen and sophomore Josephine Welin placed 15th and 16th respectively. According to IHSA’s website, there have only been six OPRF runners who have garnered all-state status before Wollen and Welin: Margaret Manion (1980) Colleen Bolin (1994) Kristen Barnes (1995) Elaine Zelby (2004) Katherine Rack (2006, 2007) Mary Blankemeier (2013) Wollen’s 17:07:86 three-mile time was less than a second off of Blankemeier (17:07 threemile time in 2013). However, the IHSA’s records in 2013 do not include milliseconds. As for the other members on the team, the five runners behind Wollen and Welin had times under 19:15. During sectionals the week before, the team had four runners who had times over 19:15. Trinity is on the rise After telling Wednesday Journal the day before the state finals that the team’s goal was to place within the top 20, the Blazers just missed that mark, placing 22nd as a team. Even with falling short of that goal, the team saw freshman Delaney Burns improve her time from 20:21 during sectional round to 18:46 at the state finals. Junior Kate Foley and Burns ran under 19 minutes for the first time in their careers. “I don’t know if I would say that I expected [Burns] to finish that high but she was certainly capable of it, for sure,” said head coach Johann Gonzalez. “Her and Kate [Foley] going sub-19 was a big deal since we have only had a couple runners do that at state and they were seniors. Having a junior and freshman do it was a pleasant surprise.” Trinity will have nine of its Photo by MEGUMI HOSHI 10 runners come back for the 2020 fall season. With all the

experience they have accumulated over the last couple of weeks from the sectional and state rounds, the team has a shot at cracking the top-20 next season. Going into this year, Gonzalez increased his team’s offseason workload and saw the payoff from it this season. “I knew the programs that we were going to be going up against in regionals and sectionals were bigger than us and have put in some miles,” said Gonzalez. “I told the team, ‘Girls, if you want to be competitive, [increasing the workload] is what we are going to have to do. We had to be smart about it, but I wasn’t giving them enough credit for what they could do, and they responded really well.”

S C O R E B O A R D C R O S S - C O U N T RY BOYS STATE FINAL RESULTS 2A STATE FINALS 1 2 3 26

Maple Park (Kaneland) 74 Top 5 Times: 1:17:20.99 Dixon (H.S.) 95 Top 5 Times: 1:17:37.31 St. Ignatius 141 Top 5 Times: 1:18:53.58 Fenwick 693 Top 5 Times: 1:25:05.72

GIRLS STATE FINAL RESULTS 3A STATE RESULTS 1 2 3 4 24

Benet Academy Top 5 Times: 1:30:34.75 Lake Villa (Lakes) Top 5 Times: 1:31:15.88 Crystal Lake Top 5 Times: 1:32:06.72 Fenwick Top 5 Times: 1:32:50.54 Nazareth Top 5 Times: 1:41:42.34

110 177 179 199 602

Top Individual Runners 2A Notable Girls Runners 13 Colette Kinsella (Fr.) Nazareth 17:48.63 (5:56/m) 34 Maggie O’Malley (Jr.) Fenwick

18:11.71 (6:04/m)

38 Maria Quinn (Jr.)

Fenwick

18:14.88 (6:05/m)

59 Marie O’Brien (Sr.)

Fenwick

18:43.29 (6:14/m)

60 Delaney Burns (Fr.)

Trinity

18:43.82 6:15/m)

68 Kate Foley (Fr.)

Trinity

18:49.54 (6:17/m)

3A Notable Girls Runners 15 Nora Wollen (Jr.)

OPRF

17:07.86 (5:43/m)

16 Josephine Welin (So.) OPRF

17:09.13 (5:43/m)

Visit us online for the latest in Sports news and events www.OakPark.com

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM New local ads this week

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Architecture Group Manager sought by US Bank Nat’l Assoc in Chicago, IL to manage the design, dev’mnt & delivery of appls. Req Bach or higher in CS or rltd tech field & 10 yrs exp dev’ing & implmnt’ing appls. Must have 5 yrs w/ RESTful API dev’mnt & design, Java, Spring & Eclipse; 4 yrs w/ Git, Jenkins, Chef & Sonar; 3 yrs w/ Spring Boot & AWS; & Sun Certified Java Programmer certification. Apply online www.usbank.com.

CUSTOMER SERVICE The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Customer Service Representative III with the Development Customer Services Department. This position provides customer service to the public by providing a variety of responsible and difficult clerical work in support of the Development Customer Service department; and to perform the more difficult and complex clerical duties including but not limited to permits, parking passes, and vehicle stickers. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oakpark.us/. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than November 15, 2019.

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY Immigration Lawyers, P.C. seek Associate Attorney. Mail resume to 4901 W Irving Park Rd. Chicago, IL CLERICAL Clerical help needed. This position will begin training mid-January with part time hours but will increase to full time possibly February until May 1st Overtime and Saturdays are required as needed. Dependability and attention to detail is a must. This position you will be assembling tax returns, processing tax documents including scanning. Assembling will require you to organize the documents, separate forms and bind the return. No need to have prior knowledge of taxes. Please contact Nicole at nicolehorras@zscpa.com or (708) 848-3296 Clerical Help The Village of Stickney is seeking qualified applicants for a part-time clerical position. The applicant will be required to have Microsoft Office knowledge and accounting skills. Must have a minimum of a high school diploma or a GED equivalent. Bilingual is a plus. Must be able to multitask. Responsibilities will include performing clerical and administrative duties in an office setting. Should have knowledge of office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, facsimile machines, voice mail systems and personal computers. Will be required to answer phones and reroute calls to appropriate people. Weekly work schedule will be four hours per day. Starting salary will be $15.00 per hour. Background check and drug test is required. Send resume to the attention of Mayor Jeff Walik, 6533 W. Pershing Road, Stickney, IL 60402. Crossing Guard The Village of Stickney is seeking qualified applicants for crossing guard. It requires three hours per day when school is in session. The starting salary is $12.00 per hour. Background check and drug test is required. Send resume to the attention of Mayor Jeff Walik, 6533 W. Pershing Road, Stickney, IL 60402. 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.oakpark.us/. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than November 22, 2019.

ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER PART-TIME Part-time Electrician’s Helper. Must have own transportation. Call for more info. 708-738-3848 PAID-ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER POSITION The Village of Riverside Fire Department is seeking Individuals for the position of Paid-on-call Fireﬁghter; This is not a full-time position. Applicants must be: * In good physical condition * Reside within 1.5 miles of the boundaries of the Village of Riverside at time of appointment * Be 18 years of age at the time of application * Possess a high school diploma or GED. * Possess a valid driver’s license with a good driving record Applications for employment are available on-line at: http://riverside.il.us/Jobs Applications must be returned to: Village of Riverside Village Hall 27 Riverside Rd. Riverside IL 60546 Applications must be returned by November 27, 2019 at 4pm

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED Project Engineer (2 avail) – Sievert, Forest Park – Plan/budget production scheds, procedures incl. qual control. Local travel/no overnight , MS Ind. Eng., Res., cov., let. to S. Sievert, Sievert Elec., 1230 S. Hannah Ave., Forest Park, IL 60130

River Forest Public Schools serves grades K-8. District 90 has three long-term certiﬁed teacher vacancies (Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 4). Current State of IL Professional Educator License (PEL) with Elementary Grade School Endorsement required. Job Duties: The substitute teacher will be stepping into the role of the lead classroom teacher and will work cooperatively with the grade level team, other classroom teachers, the Student Services Team and support area staff. The substitute teacher will be responsible for supervising and managing the class, effectively teaching the curriculum to meet individual needs of children, evaluating individual student’s progress, and communicating progress with children and parents.

RECEPTIONIST Receptionist needed, starting ASAP. This will start as a part-time position until January. Then full-time with the requirement of overtime and Saturday’s during tax season. Best candidate will be comfortable using Microsoft Ofﬁce software and quick to learn basic use of our tax software. Candidate should be friendly and able to easily multitask. Interested? Email Nicole at nicolehorras@zscpa. com or call 708 848 3296. Software Development Engineer API sought by US Bank Nat’l Assoc in Chicago, IL to design, test, & dev SW. Reqs Bach CS or rltd ﬁeld & 5 yrs dev & implementing apps using Agile Methodology, Java, HTML, CSS, Ruby, Python, REST APIs, Jenkins, Github, & ServiceNow; 3 yrs SQL, Oracle, & Hadoop - Big Data; 2 yrs Springboot, NodeJS, Microservices Architecture Cloud technology - AWS Cloud Services, Containerization (Docker), Container Orchestration (Kubernetes), Sonarqube, Fortify, WhiteSource, & deployment pipeline creation. Apply online www.usbank.com

SUBURBAN RENTALS

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT

HANDYPERSON(S) FOR ODD JOBS River Forest couple seeking experienced handyperson(s) asap for odd jobs, including installation of wire closet shelving, book shelves and towel bars; mounting headboard to wall, other small jobs. Will pay by the job, negotiable. Contact ctoddquam@comcast.net.

RIVERSIDE - 3 BEDROOM Spacious 3 Bedroom apartment on second floor in historic Riverside. Living Room with wood burning fireplace and newly refinished hardwood floors. Formal dining room, plus a sun porch. 2 exterior parking spaces. In-ground pool. Tenant pays electric and cooking gas. Landlord pays heat, water and scavenger. Walk to Metra and downtown Riverside. Small pets okay. Credit check required - $35 fee per adult applicant. $1,900 per month, plus sec. Gaslight Realty. Call Joyce @ 708-691-2609

THERAPY OFFICES FOR RENT Therapy ofﬁces for rent in north Oak Park. Rehabbed building. Nicely furnished. Flexible leasing. Free parking. Free wiﬁ; Secure building; Friendly colleagues providing referrals. Shared waiting room; optional Conference. Call or email with questions. Shown on Sundays. Lee 708.383.0729 drlmadden@ameritech.net

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Lead Bus Driver Wanted Forest Park School District 91

The Village of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Forest Park Elementary School District 91 seeks a highly qualified, personable, organized, responsible individual for the position of Lead Bus Driver.

Mechanical Engineering Manager sought by Impro Industries USA, Inc. for the 1055 Remington Blvd. Bolingbrook, Illinois location. Applicant must have a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and at least twelve months of experience as a Mechanical Engineer in building, designing or maintaining machine or structure. Send resumes to ATTN: Human Resources, 21660 East Copley Drive, Suite 100 Diamond Bar, CA 91765.

Responsibilities Include: • Transporting students safely on designated route • Hiring and supervisory responsibility for all district bus drivers and assistants • Logistical planning and coordination of all transportation commitments within the district • Regular communication with parents and internal and out of district personnel • Recordkeeping and maintenance duties • Other duties as assigned

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ROOMS FOR RENT AUSTIN CLEAN ROOM With fridge, micro. Nr Oak Park, Super Walmart, Food 4 Less, bus, & Metra. $116/wk and up. 773-637-5957 Large Sunny Room with fridge & microwave. Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $101.00 week & up. New Mgmt. 773-378-8888

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RIVER FOREST *7777 Lake St. 1116 sq. ft. suite

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VACATION RENTAL MARCO ISLAND, FLORIDA 3 Bed, 2 Bath 2nd ﬂoor elevator building. Pool. 2 Blocks from Beach. Available December 2019, January 2020. Call 708-674-1036.

ITEMS FOR SALE ELECTRIC HOSPITAL BED DRIVE brand electric hospital bed with extra gel mattress. $250 obo. 312-6591205 FURNITURE ITEMS 42 inch round beveled solid cherry table. $249.00 2 Verona side chairs cherry with Pistel ink seat. Like new. $175.00 for both. The quality is exceptional, both table and chairs. End table, Pecan 26 x 20 x 22. $150 or best offer 708-383-7892 SHEARLING COAT Brown shearling coat w/ attached hood. $149.00 708-848-8755 VICKERY PAINTING An original painting by Charles Vickery called the North Atlantic Sea for the original owner. It’s 24” by 36,” frame is original picked out by Vickery, for more information call Lucy at 708-308-1427, it was appraised at $24K April 2018, asking price $10K or best offer.

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PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICE TO BIDDERS Processed USDA Commodity Foods and Selected Commercial Foods The Northern Illinois Independent Purchasing Cooperative will be receiving offers on its Request for Proposals for Further Processed USDA Commodity Foods and Selected Commercial Foods and for provision of Commercial Equivalents when USDA Entitlement is Exhausted. RFPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s must be received by Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at 9:00 a.m., in the Business OfďŹ ce, Room 270A, of Oak Park and River Forest High School, 201 North Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois 60302. RFPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s should be placed in a sealed envelope marked: Processed USDA Commodity Foods and Selected Commercial Foods ATTENTION: Micheline Piekarski, Food Service Director If you have any questions, please call Micheline Piekarski at (708) 434-3142. Published in Wednesday Journal 11/13/2019

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PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to â&#x20AC;&#x153;An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,â&#x20AC;? as amended, that a certiďŹ cation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y19002510 on November 1, 2019 Under the Assumed Business Name of DGCB GROUP with the business located at: 110 S. MARION STREET UNIT 305, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: DEBORAH GILLESPIE 110 S. MARION STREET UNIT 305, OAK PARK, IL 60302.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION M&T BANK; Plaintiff, vs. KRISHNA BIRBAL; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF KRISHNA BIRBAL, IF ANY; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 17 CH 6043 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty

Public Notice: Your right to know PublicNoticeIllinois.com

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

Judicial Sales Corporation will on Friday, December 6, 2019 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-10-230-056-0000. Commonly known as 1414-1416 Saint Charles Road, Maywood, IL 60153. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a residencial property. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 3609455. W17-0268 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3135866

funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Ms. Kimberly S. Reid at Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney, Marinosci Law Group, PC, 134 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60602. (312) 940-8580. 18-03565 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3135870

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION; Plaintiff, vs. BETTY A. PAYNE; B & B QUALITY HOME IMPROVEMENTS, INC.; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 18 CH 6876 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 Friday, December 6, 2019 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-10-311-006-0000. Commonly known as 523 22ND AVE., BELLWOOD, IL 60104. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE, ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERS OF THE IMPAC SECURED ASSETS CORP., MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-3, Plaintiff, vs. ANDREW ALMAUI, ARVEST CENTRAL MORTGAGE COMPANY SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO CENTRAL MORTGAGE COMPANY, HERITAGE TITLE COMPANY, UNKNOWN HEIRS OF ROBERT BEAULIEU, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, Defendants, 18 CH 15833 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 Monday, December 16, 2019 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-13-407-006-0000. Commonly known as 820 ELGIN AVENUE, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a multi-family residence. The successful purchaser is entitled to possession of the property only. The purchaser may only obtain possession of units within the multiunit property occupied by individuals named in the order of possession. 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 Mr. Ira T. Nevel at Plaintiffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 18-02929 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3136789

Published in Wednesday Journal 11/6, 11/13, 11/20/2019

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to â&#x20AC;&#x153;An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,â&#x20AC;? as amended, that a certiďŹ cation was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y19002550 on November 8, 2019 Under the Assumed Business Name of DB TAX AND BOOKKEEPING SERVICES with the business located at: 1001 EASTERN AVE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: DONNA C. BINION 1001 EASTERN AVE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104 Published in Forest Park Review 11/13, 11/20, 11/27/2019

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Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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In print • Online • Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year OakPark.com | RiverForest.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO WELLS FARGO BANK MINNESOTA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE F/K/A NORWEST BANK MINNESOTA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2007-OSI Plaintiff, -v.SHERI LYNN CULVER, VILLAGE OF MAYWOOD, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF LESSIE MATHIS, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, WILLIAM P. BUTCHER, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LESSIE MATHIS (DECEASED), JEANIE MICHELLE MATHIS, ANTIONETTE L. MATHIS, KATHY LAWRENCE, KANDACE MINOR, GILDA J. MATHIS, TALLEVETTE MUELLER, ANGELA NEIDERMANN, DONALD S. MATHIS, ANDREW L. MATHIS, JAVON A. MATHIS, LESLIE KEITH MATHIS, BILL J. MATHIS, STEPHEN F. MATHIS, PAUL A. MATHIS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF ANNETTE V. MATHIS, CARY ROSENTHAL, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR ANNETTE V. MATHIS (DECEASED) Defendants 15 CH 02303 1201-05 RANDOLPH STREET MAYWOOD, IL 60153 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on September 10, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on December 12, 2019, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1201-05 RANDOLPH STREET, MAYWOOD, IL 60153 Property Index No. 15-10-404-040 The real estate is improved with a residence.

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. Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at

the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 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. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-15-00446 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 15 CH 02303 TJSC#: 39-5912 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 # 15 CH 02303 I3136439

3RD AVENUE, MAYWOOD, IL 60153 Property Index No. 15-14-138-0070000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $31,030.30. 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 where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, The sales clerk, SHAPIRO KREISMAN & ASSOCIATES, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301, Bannockburn, IL, 60015 (847) 291-1717 For information call between the hours of 1pm 3pm. Please refer to file number 19-090471. 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. SHAPIRO KREISMAN & ASSOCIATES, LLC 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301 Bannockburn IL, 60015 847-291-1717 E-Mail: ILNotices@logs.com Attorney File No. 19-090471 Attorney Code. 42168 Case Number: 19 CH 5738 TJSC#: 39-5960 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 # 19 CH 5738 I3136302

19 CH 4010 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 Friday, December 6, 2019 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-07-301-021-1004. Commonly known as 1101 SOUTH BLVD., UNIT 204, OAK PARK, IL 60302. 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 Mr. Ira T. Nevel at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 19-01329 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3135872

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 where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, The sales clerk, SHAPIRO KREISMAN & ASSOCIATES, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301, Bannockburn, IL, 60015 (847) 291-1717 For information call between the hours of 1pm 3pm. Please refer to file number 18-087908. 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. SHAPIRO KREISMAN & ASSOCIATES, LLC 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301 Bannockburn IL, 60015 847-291-1717 E-Mail: ILNotices@logs.com Attorney File No. 18-087908 Attorney Code. 42168 Case Number: 18 CH 13588 TJSC#: 39-5787 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 13588 I3135465

Illinois Classified Advertising Network COLLECTIBLES POSTAGE STAMP SHOW Westin Hotel 400 Park Blvd., Itasca IL November 22-24. Hours: Fri Sat 10-6 Sun 10-4 Free Parking and Admission. Info at www.Chicagopex.org/

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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION BANKUNITED N.A. Plaintiff, -v.JEANETTE JOHNSON, VILLAGE OF RIVERDALE, AN ILLINOIS MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, VILLAGE OF MAYWOOD, AN ILLINOIS MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, STATE OF ILLINOIS Defendants 19 CH 5738 1419 SOUTH 3RD AVENUE MAYWOOD, IL 60153 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on September 16, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on December 17, 2019, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1419 SOUTH

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE FOR ARGENT MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2005-W1, ASSET BACKED NOTES SERIES 2005-W1; Plaintiff, vs. GENE A. DOCKETT; DITECH FINANCIAL LLC; ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; FIA CARD SERVICES, N.A.; VALERIE D. MATTHEWS; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 8564 Calendar 58 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 Friday, December 6, 2019 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-17-129-016-0000. Commonly known as 830 South Taylor Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiff’s Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 3609455. W19-0632 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION Selling Officer, (312) 444-1122 I3135875 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION BAXTER CREDIT UNION Plaintiff, vs. JOSHUA T. STEGMEYER, WENDY E. JARVIS, NILES ON MARION CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants,

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC D/B/A MR. COOPER Plaintiff, -v.CHARMAINE BRODNAX A/K/A CHARMAINE JACQUELINE BRODNAX A/K/A CHARMAINE JACQUELINE HARRINGTONBRODNAX, AVENUE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION A/K/A 828 AVENUE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION Defendants 18 CH 13588 828 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD, 1SW 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 September 6, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on December 9, 2019, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 828 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD, 1SW, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-326-0341002 The real estate is improved with a condominium. The judgment amount was $148,393.94. 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

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR THE POOLING AND SERVICING AGREEMENT DATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 ABFC ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-WMC1 Plaintiff, -v.DARYL SATCHER, MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., OAK PARK TERRACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION Defendants 2018 CH 08851 914 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD UNIT #C-8 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 February 7, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on November 25, 2019, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 914 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD UNIT #C-8, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-320-0401025 The real estate is improved with a condo/townhouse. 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 where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 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. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-18-07459 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2018 CH 08851 TJSC#: 39-6712 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 # 2018 CH 08851 I3136141

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.

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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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Contact Mary Ellen Nelligan for more information. (708) 613-3342 • classifieds@OakPark.com | classifieds@RiverForest.com

Wednesday Journal, November 13, 2019

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I’m proud to work for a Community Bank that understands our community.” ANN SCHIMMEL, VP CASH MANAGEMENT SALES OFFICER, BYLINE BANK

A Community Bank for Oak Park and River Forest. For more than 30 years, Ann Schimmel has been a resident and local banker in the Oak Park and River Forest area, working just across the street from Lincoln Elementary—where her three children attended school. “What I love most about our neighborhood is the feeling of community,” she says. “It’s suburban and urban, very progressive, with a strong arts and athletic community, and we have amazing access to the city.” Deeply committed to her customers, and her community, Ann is active with many nonprofit organizations in Oak Park and River Forest, including Sarah’s Inn, where she serves as a Board Member. “It’s important to me to work for a bank that gives back, and values investing in our local businesses, and the organizations and institutions that make a community like ours so vibrant.”

To learn more about our commitment to Oak Park and River Forest, visit bylinebank.com/oprf