Wednesday Journal 111622

Oak Park and River Forest

In-depth police assessment report released

Speci c recommendations in Berr yDunn repor t

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

In a detailed consultant’s re port more than a year in preparation the Oak Park police department received some praise but also detailed criticism and recommendations across a range of complex issues including its approach to police stops, inadequate capacity to track and use data collected, a too modest and non-strategic training program, chronic understaf fing and recruitment and retention failings and significant internal communication and eng agement ef for ts with its officers.

The re port also dinged the village gover nment for the dismal condition of the police headquarters in the basement of village hall on Madison Street.

The re port from BerryDunn, a consulting firm with strong ties to for mer law enforcement officials, also made direct reference to the similarities of its data analysis to that provided the village in 2020 by local volunteers in the Freedom to Thrive organization. However, in key areas the conclusions drawn from the data varied between the police consulting firm and the group of community org anizers.

COURTESY VILL AG E OF OAK PARK

My memories of the West Town

Earlier this year, Jeri Stenson and Sidney Hurst Jr. died. Both personified the dee p connection between Maywood’s and Oak Park’s African American communities. Sidney Hurst’s family was one of the first Black families to settle in Oak Park on a homestead shared by relatives of Jeri Stenson, longtime curator of the West Town Museum of Cultural History in Maywood.

I recall a visit to the West Town nearly 10 years ago, where I interviewed Stenson and the museum’s founder, Northica Stone, inside of Stone’s office. Both of those women — along with my aunt Francis mentioned below — have since died. I thought I’d share a portion of that account this week, in their memory.

ROMAIN

Northica Stone, president and CEO of Operation Uplift, parent organization of the West Town Historical Museum, didn’t so much verbalize the following as sigh it in exasperation: She’s old and growing older, but the world outside is fast and getting faster.

There’s a line from John Updike’s 1960 novel, Rabbit, Run, that comes to the reader as a thought by the 20-something protagonist Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstrom, a washed-up high school star basketball player who encounters a group of young boys shooting hoops in an alley “He stands there thinking, ‘the kids keep coming, they keep crowding you up’”

At twenty-something, these are my sentiments exactly. At Stone’s age, I imagine her brooding on the adolescent rowdiness of 5th Avenue and thinking, ‘The kids keep going, they keep passing you by.’

It was a Wednesday at the West Town Historical Museum, the only day during the week that is open for public visitation, and as far as I could tell I was the only visitor so far. I had called a few days beforehand to notify Mrs. Stone of my intentions to talk with her and take a tour. She suggested I come on Wednesday, the day when the museum’s curator and person-pretty-much-in-charge-of-everything-else, Jeri Stenson, is on site. This was the first time I’d walked through West Town’s doors, which is why Mrs. Stone’s lamentation rang more like a personal indictment. I silently realized I’m no different from everybody else who’s forgotten about this place, if we ever really thought about it at all.

But my twinge of guilt was short-lived when, as I was making small chatter with Mrs. Stone before for mally beginning our interview, Mrs. Stenson placed a frayed monochromatic photograph on the for mer’s office desk. It was an image of Washington School’s class of 1935 and among the sober, Depression-era pupils gathered for the photo, I spotted the taut face of my late great-grandmother, Venida Perkins (nee Linyard), peering into her future and my present — two faces merged in the act of looking, reunited by this preserved piece of the past.

“Nearly all of the people in that photograph are gone,” said Mrs. Stone as I stared at the photo, still transfixed.

“Except your aunt, Francis Linyard,” Mrs. Stenson said. She handed me another grainy photo — class of

1937, Washington School. The photograph made miraculous the fact that my great-aunt, my greatgrandmother’s younger sister, is still alive, nearly 90 years old. From being a schoolgirl during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, the corporate reign of Henry Ford, and the cultural supremacy of swing music/jazz to being a senior citizen during the presidency of Barack Obama, the corporate reign of Steve Jobs and the cultural supremacy of hip-hop has to be a shock to the senses. At least my aunt had some time to adjust. But only some.

There’s no denying the sense of loss that seems to per meate this barely-peopled place, the sense that its time-tested vanguards are still recovering from the death of a past that they wish could’ve been present for a bit longer and that they hope, with enough enthusiasm and funding, they can revive, albeit with severe modifications.

To think about transfusing the best of my greatgrandmother’s past — things like community and (relatively speaking) respect for tradition in general and the old in particular — into a present that seems sorely wanting in those qualities is to deal with some sordid contradictions.

During the time those graduating class photos were taken, Blacks were only allowed to live in a five-block radius extending from Madison Street to St. Charles Road and 10th to 14th avenues, and Washington was the only elementary school Black children were allowed to attend. But these five blocks, the result of racist restrictive covenants, encompassed a world that was defined less by its limitations than by its concentrated vitality. The contents of this world, and the historical conditions that created it, dominate the visitor’s attention.

“When we were growing up,” Mrs. Stone said, “our families were close, we created things for our kids to do we created our own opportunities, our own mom-and pops, but once things opened up, these activities seemed to go away. Those things that could feed a career, maybe not a college education, but [a decent life] … all that was just gone.”

It’s been one of the accidents of time that the West Town, which (as Mrs. Stenson was very quick to point out) specializes in the multiracial history of Proviso Township — not just Maywood and not just Blacks — that the majority of its visitors are not Black and not

from Maywood. Back in 1995, field trips to the museum somehow couldn’t be arranged by District 89, even though schoolchildren from places such as Hinsdale, Downers Grove and Oak Park would visit

“We’ve just been able to get District 89 to send their students here on field trips,” Mrs. Stone said.

Although in some ways it may appear that Operation Uplift and the West Town are on their last legs, Mrs. Stone isn’t in the business of accepting defeat. Her and Mrs. Stenson’s resolve takes on aspects of the heroic when one considers the sacrifices they’ve made on behalf of people who (like me before my visit) do n’t quite realize what it means to lose a community

As I looked at the youthful faces of my greatgrandmother and great-aunt, I began to wonder if my generation would be so fortunate to be remembered in such a way. Where will our memories go? How will they be shared? And will the anxious, attention-deficit generations we will no doubt leave behind even bother to think of us? Where will looking back fit into a future that (it often seems) may only be interested in itself ?

“The museum still has a place in Maywood,” Mrs. Stone insisted, before telling of the time she and her board of directors allowed the family of a gunshot victim to hold the funeral repast in a space on the second floor that houses a Percy Julian exhibition and memorials dedicated to some of Maywood’s first Black realtors.

“They [the family] came to us with limited funds, but I talked to the board and asked if our volunteers could handle that and they said you never know until you try,” she recalled. “It went off without a hitch.”

“There were so many youngsters […] they came in droves and it almost frightened you […] they came in their T-shirts” Mrs. Stenson said. “But they were respectful. We told the police and Chief Curry and they gave us excellent backup in case we needed it, but we didn’t need it.”

“It really gave us something to think about,” said Mrs. Stone

The women are confident that if more people simply come inside, enthusiasm will follow. Mrs. Stone said that people are often surprised after they visit for a while.

“Two years ago, CeaseFire [the anti-violence nonprofit] came to tour,” she said. “It was amazing how interested they were. One of the guys pleaded for us to stay open a little longer.”

He wanted to rush home and get his family

CONTAC T: michael@austinweeklynews.com

DISTRICT 89

Jeri Stenson gives a tour of the West Town Museum of Cultural History to District 89 students.

The Histor y of Unit y Temple

Monday, Nov. 21, 1:15 - 2:15 p.m., Nineteenth Centur y Club

The Unity Temple Restoration Foundation (UTRF), founded in 1973, is a secular, non-pro t organization whose mission is to restore and preser ve Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and provide ar tistic and educational programming. Heidi Ruehle, UTRF executive direc tor, will present the histor y of Unity Temple and a deeper dive into the comprehensive $25 million restoration of the building, completed in 2017. The presentation will conclude with an over view of the UNESCO World Heritage designation (2019) and its impor tance to Oak Park and national signi cance. Free, but with a voluntar y suggested donation of $15 for non-members. 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park.

Beyond Hunger ’s annual bene t with Drive-By Truckers and Nathan Graham

Saturday, Nov. 19, 8 p.m., FitzGerald’s Two leading lights in the alt- countr y eld per form for a good cause, as part of a bene t for Beyond Hunger. $250, 6615 Roosevelt Road, Ber w yn.

Folk Music Series Performance: Ruth Wyand

Thursday, Nov. 17, 7-8:30 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y Guitarist Ruth Wyand plays a mix of Americana, jazz, blues, folk, and countr y with a por tion of Piedmont picking and bluegrass clawhammer thrown in. Presented in par t by the generous suppor t of the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library. Register now at oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park.

Barbie Club

Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2-4 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y Kids can play with special Barbie dolls provided by the library, with special accessories including the dream house, fashions, accessories, shoes, horses, cars, and a choice of dolls. Kids provide their imagination. Register now at oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Six th Annual Holiday Hustle

Saturday, Nov. 19, 2 p.m., Good Ear th Greenhouse

This 5K foot race will be routed through Concordia Cemeter y, across from the greenhouse. Beverages and treats will be ser ved as par t of the Good Ear th open house. Check-in begins at 1 p.m. The rst 150 registrants receive a race T-shir t. $25 online, $30 at the door. 7900 Madison St., River Forest

Oak Park Concer t Chorale presents

A Feast of Carols

Sunday, Nov. 20, 4 p.m., St John Lutheran Church

OPCC Christmas concerts return. We present carols and Magni cats spanning from the 13th to the 21st centuries.

Organist Andrew Schae er will be featured along with premiere per formances of works by composers Har vey Hahn, Carl Schalk and Paul Lindblad. 305 Circle Ave., Forest Park. Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h8wdk

study

Ciorba Group

chosen unanimously, repor t expected in May

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

River Forest officials have hired a professional engineering firm to assist with an electric vehicle infrastructure study. The village board voted unanimously, Nov. 14, to hire Ciorba Group Inc. of Chicago to conduct the study at a cost not to exceed $31,078.22. The project was budgeted at $25,000, but the proposal by Ciorba and the only other proposal submitted exceeded the estimated cost. Jeff Loster, director of public works and development services, explained that staff members negotiated with Ciorba officials to scale back the proposal from its original $79,000 estimate by re ducing the scope of the project. The cost will be covered by the capital improvement fund. Items to be included in the scope of work are study of vil lage-owned facilities and park ing lots; the River Forest Town Center; the Community Center; the commuter parking areas; and campuses of Concordia University and Dominican Uni versity, which both are located in River Forest.

erty entities have already undertaken such a study on their own.

“Do we know if the Town Center has done a similar study?” Johnson said.

Trustee Lisa Gillis advised approaching the private property entities carefully.

“We have to have the right conversation,” she said.

O’Connell pointed out that in other parts of the country, such studies are required with new developments

In response to Trustee Katie Brennan’s question about grant funding, Loster said, “Grant opportunities can be part of the proj ect.” Adduci suggested looking for grant op portunities in the recently approved federal infrastructure bill.

Village Administrator Brian Murphy said staff members looking into grant opportunities at the federal level have been told that underserved communities are expected to be given a higher priority.

JEFF LOSTER

A memo to Murphy, Loster and Seth Jansen, management analyst, said the purpose of the study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the village to identify ideal locations for electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure for the vil lage-owned fleet vehicles and to encourage EV usage by the general public

The village installed an EV charging station outside village hall in February.

Trustee Bob O’Connell questioned why the village is paying for a study of private property, specifically the River Forest Town Center and the two universities. Loster explained that the Town Center and two uni versities are “high parking turnover areas” but acknowledged one or two of those locations could be exchanged for either or both Keystone Park and Trailside Museum locations, both of which were in the original request for proposals but were eliminated when the scope of the project was reduced.

Village President Cathy Adduci noted that the village could charge the private property entities for their portion of the study. Trustee Ken Johnson asked whether officials have investigated whether the private prop

The study also includes determination of electrical needs at each recommended site and a compilation of project report, which will include recommended scope of work and typical details to facilitate individual site construction.

Ciorba has performed similar work for the village of Elmwood Park, leading to installation of two EV charging stations. Other municipalities where Ciorba has performed work include Oak Park, Winnetka, New Lenox and Hanover Park

Village properties to be included in the study are village hall, the pumping station and the public works facility

Assuming the project starts this month, as officials are hoping, the final project report is expected to be delivered in May.

“

t of

t.”

River Forest public works direc tor

Nursing program at OPRF o ers hands-on training

Fundamentals of Nursing earns dual credit at Triton College

By ASHLEY BROWN Contributing Reporter

Students in standard medical PPE snap on the world-renowned blue latex gloves nurse medical dummies in fashionable hospital gowns lying on white hospital beds draped in thin white linens — all part of Oak Park and River Forest High School’s nursing program that allows students to get dual credit at Triton in order to ear n credits and hours toward their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license.

The Fundamentals of Nursing class allows students to get 40 hours of clinical experience at Rush Hospital while training in class with real medical equipment. Students are trained in 21 nursing skills, including first aid, the treatment of pa tients with Alzheimer’s or dementia, CPR,

medical charting, feeding patients, disease prevention and more.

Allison Hennings who was an ICU nurse for 12 years before becoming a biolo gy teacher at OPRF, said it’s amazing to see “the nursing world for the very first time

through the eyes of the student.”

During the pandemic years of 2020-2021, some students became qualified for their CNA license. Now students will once again be able to qualify for their CNA license and, with the help of Brian Dubina, pre-vocational education coordinator at OPRF, students lear n to create exceptional resumes that will connect them directly to the medical field af ter high school.

The class features students of all races, genders, and ethnicities sharing an interest in the medical field. Kristian Bray, an 18-year old senior at OPRF, says “It plays into my fu ture; it gives me a chance to have a realistic experience in something I see myself maybe pursuing.”

The nursing lab is filled with old hospital beds and medical equipment that the students use to practice basic skills like taking blood pressure, handling patients during physical therapy, and changing bed linens. Students go from practicing medical ter ms and case studies to doing hands-on lessons, such as taking each other’s blood pressure. Fundamentals of Nursing began in 2017.

This year, 52 students are lear ning the fundamentals Hennings, who is also the sponsor for Future Medical Leaders of America at OPRF, explains that the world is currently experiencing a severe shortage in CNAs which makes this class all the more important to inspire future first responders.

Sam Brown, a senior at OPRF, called it “an opportunity to move straight forward into hospital work.” Though he doesn’t plan to go into the medical field, he does enjoy this class, especially the hands-on experience they get.

In the first few weeks of class, students are certified in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver before going into the hospital setting. Every three weeks, students visit Rush Hospital for clinicals where they are able to work with real patients Many said they enjoy the experience of working in a hospital setting.

Jaclyn Thompson, who’s been co-teaching this class for six years at OPRF, and was previously a nurse for eight years, said she “loves watching [students] develop their confidence over their own clinical experience. I’m excited to see where it will go in future.”

PROVIDED

PPE: Katye Ashton dressed in medical garb dur ing nursing class at OPRF.

Longfellow’s ofrenda tradition marks Dia de los Muertos

Celebrating heritage helps students feel they belong

By JAMIE O’TOOLE Contributing Reporter

For their annual Dia de los Muer tos Ofrenda tradition, two teachers at Longfellow Elementary School use monarchs, the Illinois state butterfly, to re present and honor spirits of loved ones who have died. As students celebrate the Day of the Dead, they also lear ning about the border less nature of the monarchs’ migration.

An ofrenda is a home altar created by family members or community to welcome the deceased. Longfellow Spanish teacher Liza Marinelarena and Ar t Teacher Jennifer Raia be g an taking part in this tradition in 2020, when it was created by Oak Park resident Alma Mar tine z as a means of bringing to gether people who were experiencing loss and se paration.

“I wanted to create something that united the community in the midst of the pandemic,” Mar tine z said. This 31 people Oak Park gistered via

oughout leading up De Los Muer tos, Marinelarena taught her kindergar ten through fifth grade classes about the holiday’s cultural origins Her students brought photos or objects to remind them of loved ones to be placed on the ofrenda, sur round ed by other traditional elements, such as sug ar skulls and marigolds.

The ofrenda is open to the entire school, including family and faculty and allows students to feel re presented.

“I feel like the Hispanic students needed to see their culrk,” Marinelarena said.

Behind the ofrenda is a window display Raia created with her third-g rade class She produced a giant monarch butterfly and her students made smaller butterflies to sur round it using a wax transfer technique; then they painted the body using watercolor washes

After cutting it out and adding antennas, Raia’s students wrote a “hopeful” messages hidden in the line drawing of the wings. As her third-g raders make butterflies, they also lear n about ar tists who use the symbolism of monarch butterflies to por tray migration through their art.

“This is an oppor tunity in the ar t room to talk about

vant to children,”

they’v cyc , [so] they already have this connection.”

Her students know that for mer President Donald Trump had plans to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico to prevent immigrants from entering the U.S., and lear ning about the migration patter ns of butterflies and its symbolism in ar t has shown Raia’s students that for butterflies, there are no walls. Migration patter ns, and how they are af fected by climate change is another topic Raia brings up in class

“There are no borders in the natural world,” she said.

Marinelarena has connected her second-g raders with second-g raders in Mexico by participating in the “Sym bolic Monarch Migration.” Her second-g raders make butterflies to send to Mexico for the winter and students in Mexico send them butterflies back.

“The whole part of the project is building communica tion between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada,” she said.

Marinelarena said the Dia De Los Muer tos tradition at Longfellow increases visibility for Hispanic students who are the minority in Oak Park, and that re presentation plays a major part in a student’s growth and feeling of ac ce ptance.

Changing the lear ning environment in Raia’s classroom to reflect her students’ heritage and their experiences empowers them to feel like they have a voice, she said. To feel successful in school, a lear ning environment needs to manifest belonging, and in her classroom that star ts with sharing stories and backg rounds of ar tists similar to her students.

“Oak Park is a very diverse community, and [this tradition] has educated people of dif ferent races on how Mexi can culture celebrates and honors their ancestors,” Mar tine z said.

PROVIDED

FUTURE MONARCHS: ird-graders paint butter ies in Jennifer Raia’s art class (above and below le ).

Metra keeps passes a er board backlash

Move expected to increase 2025 budget shor tfall by $2

million

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

T he Metra Board of Directors voted unanimously on Nov. 11 to approve a 2023 budg et that includes kee ping the popular $100 Super Saver monthly pass and both all-system and three-zone day passes until at least the end of next year.

T he initial budg et proposal called for Metra to do away with the Super Saver pass, which works systemwide, in favor of returning to zone-based monthly passes, as well as re placing the current day passes with zone-based day passes that would cost the equivalent of two one-way tickets

T he proposal drew a back lash from several directors re presenting the collar counties and parts of suburban Cook County, who argued that returning to zone-based passes was the opposite of what Metra should be doing: making the fare system simpler and more user friendly.

STEPHEN

lowered the cost to $68 a month for Forest Park, Oak Park, River Forest and Galewood riders, and $88 a month for Brookfield and Riverside riders. But it would have also raised monthly pass prices for suburbs further out. While much of the backlash during the Oct. 12 meeting came from Metra directors re presenting the collar counties, board member Step hen Palmer, who re presents most of west sub urban Cook County, also argued against it, saying that the Super Saver has been popular with his constituents.

Since the Super Saver pass was introduced in July, the sales of monthly passes increased every month. According to the Nov. 11 ridership re port , as of October, the sales more than tripled compared to June, going from 10,141 tickets to 30,703 tickets. Sales of day passes have been dropping during the same pe riod, but as of October, they still account for 28.5% of all ticket sales, with 19.8% of all sales coming from the system-wide $10 day passes.

T he proposed changes were designed to strike a balance between at tracting riders and putting more money in Metra co ffers as federal stimulus fund ing is expected to r un out in 2025. The commuter rail agency has been using the funds to make up for passenger revenue shortfalls, and Metra Chief Financial Of ficer John Morris told the board that, if the status quo is maintained, it would add around $2 million to the 2025 budg et hole But the board and staf f ag reed this isn’ t the last word on fare changes as Metra continues to look for ways to a ttract riders.

At $100, the Super Saver pass is cheaper than zone-based monthly passes on most lines, including all the lines serving this newspaper’s coverage area. T he previously proposed fare changes would have

During the Nov. 11 meeting, Morris said he estimates that, with the status quo fares, the 2025 budg et hole will be $45 million. He also warned that the law requiring Metra to g et at least 50% of i ts revenue from fares, which the state waived for three years at the start of the pandemic, will return in 2024.

Metra currently g ets around 43.5% of its revenue from fares.

Now that Metra has p assed the budg et, it will need to go before the Re gional Transporta tion Authority Board of Di rectors for the final approval — but that step tends to be a for mality, especially when the budg ets are approved unani mously.

Palmer said he appreciated the staf f making adjustments after he and the other directors “threw you for the loop.”

“I know that the budg et we passed was a budg et for the people, saying we want you to come, we want you to ride with us,” he said. “We know that, right now, we made the right decision for the time we’re in

and the environment we’re in.”

“We know that, right now, we made the right decision for the time we’re in and the environment we’re in.”

PALMER Metra board member

More than 45K properties in County’s delinquent sale

18,000 owners owe under $1,000 in taxes

To pr event proper ties from being of fered for auction at the C ook C ounty Tax S ale that r uns Nov. 15-18, C ook C ounty Treasurer Maria Pappas is urging 45,088 proper ty owners to pay thei r d elinquent bills Proper ties with unpaid 2020 proper ty taxes (due in 2021) will be of fered at the sale

T he total d ue on d elinquent homes, businesses and land in the c ounty is more than $169 million. Owners have b een sent notices via ce rt ified mail in fo rm ing them that their unpaid taxes c ould be auctioned, wh ich would p ut a lien against their proper ties However, more than 14,136 bills we re retur ned by the U. S. Postal Servic e. In a dditio n to the mailing s, the Treasurer ’s Of fic e

published d elinquency proper ty tax lists in area newspaper s.

L ess than $1,000 is owed on 12,163 proper ties in Chicago and 6,100 proper ties in suburban C ook C ounty. Pappa s said homeowners need to make sure they are up to date on their taxes and g etting all the exemptions they d eser ve.

Owners c an avo id the Tax S ale by paying the d elinquent taxes and i nter est before the sale be gins. C heck to see if your taxes are d elinquent by visitin g c ookcountytreasurer.com. Use the box on the home page labeled “Avo id the Ta x S ale” to search for your home or other proper ty by entering a Proper ty Inde x N umber or an a ddress. Proper ty owner s c an also use the we bsite to make sure they are receiving the exemptions fo r wh ich they q ualify. T hese include the homeowner, senior and senior free ze exemptions

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2022 Fall leaf collection set to begin...

The annual fall leaf collection program is scheduled for Oct. 31 – Dec. 9 with six pickups planned for each section of the Village. Residents should rake leaves into the street at least 18 inches from the curb the day before the scheduled pickup dates indicated on the map. Leaves raked into the street will be pushed into piles by Public Works crews during the night to reduce impact on traffic and parked cars. Leaves will be collected the following day. Residents who miss a scheduled pickup date should keep their leaves on the parkway until the night before the next scheduled pickup. Sweepers will be scheduled to run at the end of the collection program to clean up residue. Cooperation is essential to the success of this operation, so please follow these simple rules:

• Consider composting or using the leaves as garden mulch as an alternative to raking.

• Rake leaves out the day before the scheduled pickup date.

• Leaves only -- do not add brush, grass clippings or yard waste.

• Do not park on or near a pile of leaves, which can hinder leaf removal operations. Heat from a car also could ignite the leaves.

• Rake leaves onto side streets whenever possible. Try to avoid major thoroughfares where piles of leaves might create traffic hazards.

• Do not rake leaves into or close to cul de sacs or traffic diverters. The equipment needs room to operate.

• Do not rake leaves into or close to bus shelters or bicycle racks.

• Keep catch basins clear of raked leaves to avoid flooding.

• Inform landscape services of the leaf collection schedule.

• Obey all parking restrictions. Regulations will be strictly enforced.

• Dampen piles after raking to avoid leaves being blown by the wind.

• Drive carefully. Leaves are slippery when wet and large piles may hinder visibility.

• Drive cautiously – crews will create safe work zones and close intersections for a few minutes while removing large leaf piles.

For more information call 358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us

NORTH AVE.

WEDNESDAY

Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Nov. 30 Dec. 7

Last day to rake is Tue. Dec. 6

HARLEM AVE. EAST AVE. EAST AVE.

THURSDAY Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 24F Dec. 1 Dec. 8

Last day to rake is Wed. Dec. 7

SOUTH BLVD.

TUESDAY Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29 Dec. 6

Last day to rake is Mon. Dec. 5

MONDAY Oct. 31 Nov. 7 Nov. 14 Nov. 21 Nov. 28 Dec. 5

Last day to rake is Sun. Dec. 4

ROOSEVELT RD.

AUSTIN BLVD.

MEMORIA M

Barbara Ballinger, 97, Oak Park librar y director, lover of poetry

By JESSIC A MACKINNON Contributing Reporter

Although she initially considered Oak Park to be only a temporary waystation in her life, Barbara Ballinger stayed for more than 60 years, becoming a vital fixture in our community and playing leading roles in the library, the Er nest Hemingway Foundation, First United Church of Oak Park, the Doris Humphrey Society and several other nonprofit organizations. Barbara, 97, died on Monday, Nov. 14, at The British Home, where she was receiving hospice care after a fall this summer

Barbara was a well-deserved recipient of the Senior Citizens’ Center of Oak Park-Riv er Forest’s 2017 Ulysses Award, which honors seniors committed to lifelong lear ning and who have made significant contributions to the community.

“It would be easier to list the things that Barbara was not involved in than those in which she was,” said Rev. John Edgerton, lead pastor at First United Church of Oak

Park, where Barbara participated in pastoral visits to members, the social justice committee, the buildings and grounds committee and a Brookdale fellowship group which continued to meet online throughout the pandemic.

Bor n in 1925 in Miami, Oklahoma, Bar bara began her library career with the Oklahoma City Public Library After graduating from the University of Kansas, she drove the Topeka Public Library’s bookmobile, for which she ear ned her chauffeur’s license.

She received her master’s degree in library science from the University of Illinois and landed a job in 1958 as the assistant director of Oak Park Public Library’s Maze branch.

She served as director of Oak Park’s library system for 32 years before retiring in 1991.

“Barbara was a grand woman, who led the library during a period of tension and change, guided by the principle that public libraries are for all. She was an outstanding public servant, committed to literature, education and Oak Park history,” said Jim Madigan, for mer assistant director of the library Rick Ashton, a friend and for mer librar-

,

to breaking down barriers between libraries and, according to Ashton, is largely responsible for the current SWAN network that allows for the seamless distribution of materials throughout the suburbs.

Sharing a July 21 birthday with Oak Park’s famous native son, Er nest Hemingway, Bar bara was a dedicated volunteer with the Er nest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park She helped create the Er nest Hemingway Foundation Archives, now housed at Oak Park’s Main Library, which includes translations of many of his works as well as a check for $100 that Hemingway intended to cover any outstanding fines.

The Friends of the Oak Park Library honored Barbara’s many contributions with the creation of the annual Barbara Ballinger

Barbara was a voracious reader and be longed to several local book clubs.

“She was a wonderful, loyal contributor to our book club for almost 40 years,” said Doris Angell. “She talked us into reading all sorts of books we might not have been inclined to read, like the multi-volume Swann’s Way and Mediations by Marcus Aurelius. She enjoyed a literary challenge and, consequently, we didn’t read junk.”

Angell, and several others who knew Bar bara well, remarked on her love of poetry, particularly by Gerard Manley Hopkins

“She would open our meetings with a poem by Hopkins. She would get a look of sheer joy on her face when she recited poetry, which she did by heart. She was just in seventh heaven,” said Angell.

CREDIT HISTORICAL SOCIET Y OPRF

Barbara Ballinger, 1990, shelving, or unshelving, Ernie.

CREDIT HISTORICAL SOCIET Y OPRF

Bridget Lamont, Barbara Ballinger, and Jim Edgar in 1984.

“What we loved about Barbara was her questioning mind — everything was interesting to her,” said Judy Wenzel, the daughter of Barbara’s great, close friend, the late Rupert Wenzel.

Caron Wenzel recalls visiting San Francisco for a family wedding and following Bar bara as she made a beeline into the famous City Lights bookstore, where she spent two hours perusing the shelves and c ommuning with the classics and books by Beat poets Barbara made a particularly strong impression on Beverly Jack son, the widow of Barbara’s nephew, Mark Weitzenhoffer.

“I used to tell people that I wanted to be just like Aunt Barbara when I grew up. I ad mired that she was free to do what she wanted to do, unencumbered by others’ needs. She had the abil ity to graciously get what she wanted from people. She just expected that you would respond positively because it was the right thing to do. In the family, we affectionately referred to that as being ‘Aunt Barbaraed’,” Jackson said.

Besides her love of literature and poetry, Barbara was devoted to the Chicago Sympho-

ny Orchestra, as one of its longest subscribers; the Lyric Opera, particularly Wagner’s monumental Ring Cycle; and the summer Ravinia Festival. Her great-nephew, David Weitzenhoffer, fondly recalls accompanying Barbara to see James Levine’s return to the CSO at Ravinia in 2016.

“We braved a torrential downpour and flooded roads and got soaked getting from the parking lot to our seats. But you could not have found a happier woman anywhere in Chicago, seeing the CSO present a marvelous performanc e of Mahler under Levine,” he said.

Barbara will indeed be missed by her family, many friends, and the Oak Park residents who continue to benefit from the nonprofits she helped thrive. “In the Jewish faith, we say when someone dies, ‘may they live in blessed memory.’ That is a true comfort now,” said Angell.

Barbara’s family plans to hold a memorial service in the near future. According to Barbara’s wishes, the service will be a concert, free and open to the public. Not surprisingly, she also requested the reading of a special poem.

CREDIT: HISTORICAL SOCIET Y OPRF

Elizabeth White and Barbara Ballinger in 1991 during her retirement party.

PROVIDED

Barbara Ballinger (center) at the 2013 lecture with librar y Assistant Director Jim Madigan (le ) and Executive Director Dav id Seleb (right).

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PAGE TURNER POSSUM WAS GOING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS:

For years, Page had dutifully read every inch of the Woodsday Journal. She prided herself on being well informed and made sure to relay her findings to her neighbors every week.

Until now. As the seasons changed, Page needed to do more with less, and was unable to pay for her weekly subscription. She had just begun to make peace with it, vowing to have Frog I. Phone share their tips for staying informed, when she heard a knock on her door.

“Good morning Page,” said Delivery Duck, handing Page a Woodsday Journal.

“You’ve made a mistake, I had to cancel my subscription,” said Page.

“Well that’s strange!” Delivery Duck showed Page that indeed the paper was for her, then paused in thought. “I did notice that your paper was added late to my stack. Maybe you should check-in at the office!”

Page agreed and set out to find Reporter Raccoon, whose keen instincts and observations were sure to provide some clarity.

Reporter Raccoon was fascinated by Page’s story.

“If your paper was added late, the culprit must have ordered it at the last minute!” Reporter Raccoon suddenly remembered someone at the office on Tuesday afternoon. “I didn’t get a good look at them,” she said, “but they were very still in the office lights, until suddenly, and gracefully, they fled.”

“Very odd.” Said Page. Reporter Raccoon led Page to Ad Rep Rabbit’s desk to see what else they could uncover

“Yes I talked to her.” He admitted. “But I can’t say too much. She was very soft spoken and I barely caught her name before she handed over the bucks.”

“Hmm… Quietly generous.” said Reporter Raccoon. “Curious.” “I know just who it is!” burst Page. “And I am going home.”

Who sent Page the Woodsday Journal?

Johnson,

New chief in town

PHOTO S COURTESY VILL AG E OF OAK PARK

Police Chief Shatonya Johnson was sworn into her new post as Oak Park’s police chief during an enthused event, Friday, Nov. 11 in the council chambers at village hall.

a 23-year department veteran, rose through the ranks and is Oak Park’s first female police chief.

Spice up your life: Chubby’s Hot Chicken heads to Forest Park

Owner of Austin’s Big Shrimpin brings a Nashville vibe to Madison

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

Listen up hot heads, Prentiss Har ris, Oak Park resident, OPRF dad and owner of Big Shrimpin, 5963 W. Madison St. in Austin, is poised to bring his version of Nashville hot chicken to Forest Park. Chubby’s Hot Chicken, is mere weeks away from opening in the for mer home of Small Batch Barbecue, 7441 Madison St.

For food lovers in the know, this won’t be the first time they’ve tasted Harris’ hype worthy fried chicken. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, he opened Chubby’s Char House, known for burgers and chicken sand wiches, in the same location that now houses Big Shrimpin

Harris closed Chubby’s in favor of embracing a more streamlined seafood menu to cut down on prep and staffing needs during the challenging time for restaurants. With hand battered shrimp, catfish, and signature Cajun salmon flying out of the Austin counter ser vice establishment, Harris set his sights on opening a second restaurant where he could bring his passion for serving pristine fried chicken front and center

The entrepreneurial spirit runs deep in Harris who grew up in Cabrini Green, falling in love with music and eating food prepared by his mother and grandmother His mother was known for being experimental in the kitchen and tur ned-out uncommon meals and scratchmade baked goods.

“She was a really good cook,” said Harris. “I mean everyone thinks their mom is a great

cook, but I realized when I was older and started eating at other people’s houses that she really was one of the best.”

Following in his mother and grandmother’s footsteps, Harris began his own cooking jour ney when he was just eight years old. He took early inspiration from cartoons, teaching himself how to flip pancakes for his siblings by watching Looney Toons, The Smurfs, and even Disney’s Gummi Bears. As he started embracing his natural abilities in the kitchen, Harris made his way to the library to get his hands on picture-laden cookbooks to fuel his creativity.

Harris credits his artistic side to being a Pisces — he was drawn to making music, cutting hair and drawing nearly as much as he enjoyed cooking. Despite his varied interests, Harris, a self-described “open book,” admits he tur ned to the streets

“There was so much money to be made out there and we didn’t have roles models in many other careers,” said Harris. “Desperation breeds mistakes and I made some mistakes, but I never gave up on my restaurant dreams.”

After a period of deep reflection Harris channeled his energy in a new direction. He

EXPANDING: Prentiss Harris, ow ner of Big Shrimpin in Austin and the fo rthcoming Chubby’s Hot Chicken in Forest Park, talks about his road to restauran t ow nership.

focused first on making music with considerable success and ultimately opted to fulfill his childhood dream of opening his own restaurant. Initially he wanted to open a hot dog and burger stand, but one trip to Roost Chicken and Biscuits, 2011 W. Roscoe St. in Chicago, shifted his focus to chicken.

“I had never had Nashville fried chicken before and the Roost made these hot chicken tacos,” said Harris “ I just loved them and thought I could make something like it.”

Just like he did as a boy in the library, Har ris threw himself into researching the differences between Nashville and Chicago fried chicken recipes. Eventually he created a unique approach all his own. Enter the Foghor n Leghor n, the hot fried chicken sandwich Harris named after a cartoon character he adored as child.

The sando is bound to be a standout on Madison Street in Forest Park just as it was in Chicago. A duo of perfectly fried Nashville style hot chicken tenders are served on a bun with house-made cucumber jalapeno slaw. Chubby’s Hot Chicken will also offer fried bone-in breast and leg quarters as well as sides in cluding collard greens, coleslaw, fried okra and macaroni and cheese.

“I want people who visit Chub by’s to understand the amount of

You need to know

■ Before embracing the culinary side of life, Prentiss Har ris, was part of the Chicago based hip hop duo, Dude ‘n Nem. They snagged a record deal and their 2007 single “Watch My Feet” made it to number 20 on the Billboard Mag azine Bubbling Under Hot 100 list. You can give it a listen on Spotify.

■ Har ris visited Nashville for the first time after he opened his restaurant in 2020. He said he “visited every chicken place twice” before deter mining his hot chicken was “spot on” and left feeling like a “country boy.”

■ The Fo ghor n Le ghor n, as served at Chubby’s Char House, made Melissa Elsmo’s list of best dishes of the year on Oak Park Eats in 2021.

love that goes into everything we do,” said Harris “I want people to know we buy the best ingredients and sell our food at a good price. We make consistency a priority in ev ery item that comes across the counter.”

Chicken heads should expect Chubby’s Hot Chicken to open in the coming weeks. Harris is planning a month-long “soft opening” with limited menu options Diners can expect Chubby’s to be open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

e Foghorn Leghorn features fresh jalapeno slaw and a spicy Nashv ille chicken.

Early line on OPRF frosh curriculum is: too early for conclusions

Black students are still underrepresented in honors classes

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

First quarter grade data for freshmen at Oak Park and River Forest High School reveal little change, with one exception, in grade distribution in the first year of the revised freshman curriculum. This year OPRF has eliminated “college prep” classes for freshman in English, Science and History and are teaching those classes at only the Honors and Transitions levels The revamped freshman curriculum is designed to place more Black and Hispanic students in Honors classes.

School administrators and board members cautioned that results from a single quarter tell little about the long-ter m results of the changes underway.

Grades for OPRF freshmen in this year’s first quarter showed a slight decrease in A grades, from 45.8% in the 2021-22 school year to 42.3% this year There was also a slight decrease in D/F grades Last year 8.4% of freshman grades were D’s or F’s compared to 6.5% this year Grades of B remained almost the same, 31.7% last year compared to 31.6% this year while C grades increased to 19.5% this year from 14.3% last year according to a report that administrators presented to the OPRF Board of Educa tion at its Nov. 3 meeting.

When broken down by race and ethnicity A grades for Asian or Pacific Islander students took the biggest drop, falling from 69.9% of grades by Asian or Pacific Islander freshmen last year to 59% this year However school administers say that data regarding Asian and Pacific Islander freshmen should be in terpreted with caution because of the small sample size. On a percentage basis Asian and Pacific Islander freshmen were more likely to receive an A than freshmen of any other racial or ethnic group.

While the number of A’s and B’s Black students received remained very similar to last

year Black OPRF freshmen ear ned more C’s and fewer D’s and F’s than last year In the first quarter of the 2021-22 school year 21.4% of Black OPRF freshmen ear ned a C grade in Honors or College Prep classes This year 31% of Black OPRF freshmen ear ned a grade of C in Honors classes. Grades of D decreased from 13% of all grades by Black freshmen in Honors or College Prep classes last year to 9.4% this year. F grades decreased from 9.6% for Black freshmen in Honors or College Prep classes last year to 4.5% this year. This year 25.4% of Black OPRF freshmen in Honors classes received A’s compared to 25.8% of Black freshmen in Honors or College Prep classes last year The number of B’s ear ned by Black freshmen also decreased slightly go ing from 30.1% last year to 29.7% this year

Hispanic freshmen ear ned slightly fewer A’s (37% this year compared to 41.3% last year) but more B’s (33.7% this year compared to 29.7% last year) and C’s (21.6% this year compared to 20.1% last year) than last year. D/F grades for Hispanic freshmen fell by 1.1% compared to last year

The grades of white students were little changed from last year This year 49.5% of the grades received by white freshmen were A’s compared to 50% last year The number of B grades for white freshmen at OPRF also declined slightly going from 33.5% last year to 31.7% this year. White freshmen ear ned more C’s this year (15.6% of white grades compared 11.3% last year) and the number of D/F grades received by whites fell to 3.3% this year compared to 5.3% last year

Black freshmen were still more likely to fail a class in the first quarter than other students 4.5% of the first quarter grades re ceived by Black freshmen were F’s this year compared to 3.3% of the grades ear ned by Hispanic freshmen, 2.7% of grades received by multi-racial freshmen, 1.6% of the grades given to Asian and Pacific Islander freshmen and just 0.6% of the grades ear ned by white freshmen.

Asian or Pacific Islander freshmen were the most likely to receive an A grade this year Fifty-nine percent of the grades re ceived by Asian freshmen were A’s compared to 49.5% of the grades ear ned by non-Hispanic white students, 39.5% of the grades earned

by multi-racial students, 37% of the grades of Hispanics and just 25.4% of the grades re ceived by Black freshmen.

OPRF administrators say it is too soon to draw any conclusions about the impact of the revised freshman curriculum.

“We need to be cautious about drawing conclusions too early,” said Laurie Fiorenza, the assistant superintendent for student lear ning

Ralph Mar tire, school board vice-presi dent, ag reed saying that one year of data is not very useful in evaluating the impact of the change in the freshmen cur riculum. Mar tire said that OPRF needs at least three to five years of data to do a good evaluation of how the new freshman cur riculum is doing.

“In a world that demands instant gratification this isn’t one of those areas you can get it,” Martire said. “System change takes a while and let’s not jump on any guns on evaluation and get false positives or false negatives. Let’s not get either of those. Let’s have an honest debate.”

Despite the elimination of college prep level in freshman English, History and Science classes at the freshman level Black freshmen at OPRF are still underrepresented in freshman Honors classes That’s apparently because Black students are overrepresented in “Transitions” courses, which are designed for students needing extra help, and are on a slower pace than college prep classes Some 10% of OPRF freshman are enrolled in “Transitions” level classes

While Black students make up 21.7% of the freshman class at OPRF they make up only 14.8% of the freshmen enrolled in the freshman Honors Science class, 17.3% of the freshman World History Class and 16.3% of

the freshman English class

White students make 49.4% of the OPRF freshman class but white students make up 55.7% of the Honors freshman science class, 53.2% of freshman Honors History class, and 54.7% of the freshman Honors English class

OPRF administrators surveyed a statisti cally significant number of freshmen enrolled in the restructured freshman classes to see what students think of their classes

Ninety-one percent of the surveyed students either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that “[T]his class really makes me think and 86% of the students either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I’m really learning a lot in this class.”

Eighty-two percent of the surveyed students either agreed (60%) or strongly agreed (22%) with the statement “I feel a sense of belonging in this class.”

Seventy-three percent of students agreed (57%) or strongly agreed (16%) they were challenged by the class in which they were surveyed. Seventy-eight percent of students said they had to work hard to do well and 67% said their class assessments contained difficult materials

Administrators and teachers continue to review the freshman curriculum through regular conversations and team meetings.

“Teachers are aware of what they need and they are communicating those needs to us and even this week, we have been processing their information, looking at what do we need to change, what do we need to do, how are we going to respond,” Fiorenza told the school board.

Fiorenza said she is working to provide professional development more in line with teacher needs.

By DAVID HAMMOND Oak Park Eats Blog

Popular images of the first Thanksgiving typically portray peaceful tableaus of Europeans and Indigenous people, chowing down in camaraderie and contentment. Whether this meal actually happened is almost irrelevant; what’s perhaps most important to remember is that, before Europeans ar rived in the New World, people were living here, and probably lots more than we might have thought.

In 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus, author Charles C. Mann challenges generally accepted population figures for North America before Columbus Previously, native populations had been estimated to be as low as 18 million people; Mann puts the indigenous population as high as 60 million. Though many met their end by sword and musket, more perished by imported diseases, and an exact death toll is impossible to determine. Mann believes that underestimating the number of those who perished during the European invasion was perhaps one way to mollify the guilt of those

who felt guilt for the widespread carnage.

A tangible reminder of the vast populations that once lived in North American can be found in the material remains of massive, pyramid-centric cities in both what is now Mexico and … Collinsville, Illinois.

Cahokia is a massive complex of pyramids and smaller earthen mounds in Illinois, right across the Mississippi from St. Louis. Built around 1,000 A.D., Cahokia

is believed to be the principal city of Mississippian civilization, which stretched all along the Mississippi River and was represented by many pyramidcentered communities.

The population of Cahokia has been estimated to be as high as 20,000, a little less than the population of moder n-day Maywood. What remains of this metropolis are a series of mounds, a reconstructed circular solar calendar, and one massive pyramid, Monk’s Mound, home to French missionaries after the indigenous population dispersed. Monk’s Mound’s base is about the size of the base of the Giza pyramid. It’s really big, but unlike Egyptian pyramids, the great pyramid of Cahokia is

reclaimed and named a UNESCO National Heritage site. You can visit Cahokia year round, and as November is Native American Heritage Month, this is a perfect time for a short drive to the St. Louis area to remember and reflect on those who once lived where we’re living now.

On Thanksgiving, many of us will be enjoying squash, corn, and beans. Indigenous people called these foods the “three sisters,” and they shared them with European colonists who, to be blunt, showed their appreciation by making their hosts history.

You can day-trip to Cahokia. If you want to stay over night, there are many options in St Louis, once called “Mound City,” a reflection of the many gigantic mounds bulldozed to make way for what would soon be proclaimed the Gateway to the West.

PHOTO DAVID HAMMOND

Cahokia, Monk’s Mound

POLICE

Extensive report released

from page 1

“There’s a little bit of a variation in ter ms of cate gorization within the dif ferent types, but what we see from the numbers in ter ms of the dif ferent races is quite identical to what the folks from Freedom to Thrive came up with,” said Ber ryDunn’s Michele Weinzetl at the Nov. 14 village board meeting.

Ber ryDunn’s re port recommended increasing police resources to combat the problems identified in its re port, includ ing updating police depar tment facilities, acquiring better data management systems to increase transparency and budgeting for more of ficers. The de par tment cur rently has 99 swor n of ficers, but the budget allows for 117 of ficers. Ber ryDunn recommended raising that number to 125 to get ahead of ongoing attrition. Freedom to Thrive has advocated for the direct op posite in ter ms of police staf fing levels.

The two re por ts did have one strong conclusion in common: The Citizen Police Oversight Commission should be granted greater investigative authority into complaints made by the public against Oak Park police of ficers. Ber ryDunn took it fur ther by suggesting the village implement an appeal process

“It’s minimally ef fective,” Weinzetl said of CPOC.

The similarity in the data compiled by Ber ryDunn and Freedom to Thrive was par ticularly striking in re gard to police stops made between 2015 and 2018. Freedom to Thrive found that 78% of people stopped by local police during those years were Black males. For Ber ryDunn, that figure was 76.7%. The consulting fir m used the same dataset used by Freedom to Thrive to see how it would align with the numbers pulled by Ber ryDunn. The fir m found that percentage decreased slightly during the years of 2019 through 2021; 72.3% of the people stopped by OPPD were Black males

Ar ti Walker-Peddakotla, for mer village trustee and Freedom to Thrive orga nizer, declined request for comment but slammed the Ber ryDunn re port in a series of scathing Twitter posts. Walker-Pedda kotla, who resigned last August, tweeted that the village should have paid Freedom to Thrive Oak Park for its re port, the rece ption of which she called “vile” and “vicious.” She fur ther tweeted that the

village owes the group, as well as ROYAL, Revolutionary Oak Park Youth Action League, an apology.

No such apology was made at the village board meeting. However, trustee Chibuike Enyia, who was not on the board at the time Freedom to Thrive submitted its re port, expressed his gratitude for the community org anizers’ work.

The mammoth Ber ryDunn re port was a year in the making. The consulting fir m was contracted in August 2021 to do an inde pendent analysis of the equitability of the de par tment’s policies and operations, in light of the murder of George Floyd in May of the previous year.

From the star t, Walker-Peddakotla was strongly against conducting an assessment, which cost the village roughly $159,000, when Freedom to Thrive had already released an analysis of the police de par tment the month before Floyd’s death. The Freedom to Thrive org anizer was the sole board member to vote against contracting Ber ryDunn, which is staf fed by for mer law enforcement personnel.

Another major similarity between the two re por ts was the ambiguity of the ter m “suspicious person” when used by police as a reason to stop individuals because it could contribute to bias-based policing.

Ber ryDunn recommended clearly defining the phrase and putting it into de par tment policy, as well as conducting conversations with 911 call centers re garding how to route those calls. The fir m fur ther recommended that of ficers stop unnecessarily pulling people over to conduct speculative searches, which are known as pretextual stops. The same directive was also applied to consent searches.

“There should be a basis for requesting it, it shouldn’t just be an arbitrary thing,” Weinzetl said.

Unlike Walker-Peddakotla, the board was pleased with the work conducted by the Ber ryDunn team and the re port it compiled, which is available on the Village of Oak Park’s website.

“This re port confir ms to me that Oak Park’s police de par tment is highly func tioning and a really competent police depar tment,” said Trustee Susan Buchanan.

The Freedom to Thrive re port is also available on its website.

Weinzetl was thanked for her ef for ts and the re port praised for its comprehensiveness. The entire re port with its sup por ting documents exceeds several hundred pages in length. The daunting size of the re port led the board to ask numerous questions during the three-hour meeting,

but the night’s million-dollar question was posed by Trustee Jim Taglia, who asked Weinzetl if Ber ryDunn’s findings would lessen the amount of crime in Oak Park

Her response was more theoretical than numerical. If implemented, Ber ryDunn’s recommendations would increase the ef ficiency of the police de par tment, thereby freeing time to further analyze the ef ficacy of crime suppression approaches and make adjustments if needed, according to Weinzetl.

Much of what Ber ryDunn has recommended will require time, money and ef fort to implement. A taskforce created by Village Manager Kevin Jackson is cur rently studying alter native police response models for answering mental health calls. Upcoming budgeting discussions will decide which potential expenses are prioritized.

For the village manager, the results of the Ber ryDunn assessment, war ts and all, provide an oppor tunity to build a more equitable police de par tment.

“It’s a pretty bold action to really comprehensively review your police de part ment,” he said. “There’s some synergy here that actually supports us moving forward to gether to try to make this a success.”

JAVIER GOVEA/Sta

CRIME

Man robbed at gunpoint in car

An Oak Park resident was robbed at gunpoint and made to lie on the cement in the early hours of Nov. 11. Two men fled with an estimated $1,200 wor th of items

The victim was seated in his vehicle at 4:43 a.m., Nov. 11 in the 1200 block of North Austin Boulevard when he was approached by two men, one of whom pointed a gun at him and ordered him to exit the vehicle.

The second man, who was also ar med, de manded the victim lie on the ground. Both men then robbed the victim of his possessions, taking his red Apple iPhone, wallet, credit cards, cash, backpack, laptop, keys and Nor th Face jacket.

The two of fenders fled the scene in a black or dark colored sedan driven by a third of fender, who remained in the vehicle during the robbery.

Aggravated vehicular hijacking

An Oak Park resident was standing near his 2019 Ford Explorer when he was ap

proached by a man who displayed a firear m and demanded the victim’s cell phone and keys, then drove of f in the victim’s vehicle at 3 a.m., Nov. 10 in the 100 block of South Humphrey Avenue. The man was last seen traveling nor th on Humphrey Avenue The estimated loss is $30,350.

Burglar y

■ Someone broke the glass windowpane on an apar tment backdoor to gain entry then ransacked the living room and bedroom once inside, taking an Xbox, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch and a DVD player from the residence between 3:40 p.m. and 5:10 p.m., Nov. 13 in the 300 block of South Euclid Avenue

■ Someone broke into an unlocked 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan then removed from the vehicle the victim’s garage door opener, then used the garage door opener to take a gray chop saw from the victim’s garage, between 5 p.m., Nov. 9 and 10 p.m., Nov. 10.

■ A black Nor th Face book bag, a lanyard with keys and a light silver-blue wallet containing credit cards were removed from a garage with an unlocked side service door in the 300 block of South Taylor Avenue be tween 11:30 p.m., Nov. 8 and 7 a.m., Nov. 9.

■ Two men distracted an Oak Park resi dent outside of her apar tment while a third went into her apar tment and took an unknown amount of gold jewelry between 4:47 p.m. and 4:51 p.m., Nov. 7 in the 700 block of Augusta Street. The men abruptly de par ted from the scene in a white sedan, according to the victim. Her upstairs of fice was also ransacked. The estimated loss is $10,000.

Motor vehicle theft

An unlocked 2005 Nissan Altima, left unattended with the keys in the ignition, was removed between 7:40 a.m. and 7:47 a.m., Nov. 11 from the 1100 block of South Kenilwor th Avenue. Illinois State Police

recovered the vehicle at 8:55 p.m., Nov. 11 near Interstate 290 and East Avenue

Attempted motor vehicle theft

■ Someone shattered the rear passenger’s side window of a 2002 Kia Sorento then stripped the vehicle’s steering column between 9 p.m., Nov. 12 and 9 p.m., Nov. 13 in the 900 block of Garfield Street.

■ Someone broke the rear passenger’s side window of a 2014 Kia Soul then ransacked the vehicle’s interior and damaged its steering column and ignition between 6:15 p.m., Nov. 9 and 8:20 a.m., Nov. 10 in the 400 block of South Kenilwor th Avenue A box of surgical masks was also removed from the Kia.

■ Someone broke the rear passenger’s side window of a 2011 Dodge Grand Cara van between 10:15 p.m., Nov. 9 and 8:45 a.m., Nov. 10.

■ Someone broke the rear passenger’s side window of a 2017 Kia Forte then damaged

its steering column and ignition between 4 p.m. and 9:06 p.m., Nov. 9 in the 400 block of South Kenilworth Avenue. The glovebox and center console were also ransacked.

■ Someone broke the rear passenger’s side window ofa blue 2022 Kia Sportage then peeled its steering column and damaged its ignition between 4:30 p.m. and 6:41 p.m., Nov. 8 in the 400 block of South Ke nilworth Avenue.

■ Someone broke the rear passenger’s side window ofa Kia Forte and stripped its steering column between 6 p.m. and 9:58 p.m., Nov. 7 in the 600 block of South Humphrey Avenue.

Theft

■ Someone took a black Trek bicycle after breaking the cable lock that secured it to a light pole in the 1100 block ofOntario Street between 10:40 a.m. and 1:25 p.m., Nov. 10.

■ A delivered package was taken from a front porch in the 1000 block ofNorth Lombard Avenue at 1:38 p.m., Nov. 8.

■ Someone removed the exhaust system with the catalytic converter from a 2011 Nissan Maxima between 11 p.m., Nov. 5 and 4 a.m., Nov. 8 in the 1200 block ofNorth

Lombard Avenue.

■ The catalytic converter was removed from a Toyota Prius parked in the 100 block of South Ridgeland Avenue between 10 p.m., Oct. 16 and 10 a.m., Oct. 17.

Criminal proper ty damage

■ The rear passenger’s side window ofa white Hyundai Sonata was broken between 5:30 p.m. and 11:07 p.m., Nov. 7 in the 600 block of South Taylor Avenue.

■ The rear passenger’s side window ofa gray 2015 Kia Optima was broken between 8 p.m., Nov. 6 and 9:01 a.m., Nov. 7 in the 500 block of South Austin Boulevard

■ These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from re ports, Nov. 8-14, and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases ha ve not yet been adjudicated. We re port the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

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Homes

An o er you can’t refuse

Bungalow once owned by mobster Sam Giancana hits the market

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

In Oak Park, the home where mobster Sam Giancana lived for 30 years recently hit the market for the first time since 1991. The Mediterranean-style bungalow at 1147 Wenonah Ave. was built in the late 1920s and designed by architect A.J. Fisher for first owner Joseph Leitzer.

Zak Knebel of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago is co-listing the house with Ca mille Hoover for $1.1 million.

Knebel says his clients have re modeled much of the house in their three decades living there.

Among their improvements he cites a full renovation of the basement where Giancana met his end. The lower-level space now includes a yoga/Pilates studio, family room,

full bathroom and is plumbed for a second kitchen. The sellers also rebuilt the original tile roof, replaced copper gutters and downspouts, renovated some of the bathrooms, and added new replacement windows and a blue-stone patio.

The five-bedroom, five-bathroom house retains many original features such as woodwork, hardwood floors and a marble fireplace mantel. The intact historical exterior and these original details likely look much as they did when Giancana purchased the house as a young married man with a distinctive career.

Born to Italian immigrants in 1908 in Chicago, various records list Giancana’s birth name as Gilormo Giangana or Salvatore Mooney Giancana. He is purported to have joined

See GIANCANA HOUSE on pa ge 25

Sam Giancana purchased the home at 1147 Wenonah Ave. in Oak Park in 1945 and lived there until his death in 1975. e house is on the market again for $1.1 million.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES CHICAGO

SAM GIANC ANA

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES CHICAGO

GIANC ANA HOUSE Hitting MLS soon

from page 23

his first g ang, the 42 Gang, as a teenage r.

By the time Giancana was 20, he had been a suspect in three murders. In 1929, he was convicted of burglary and larceny and served a few months in the Joliet Correctional Center

In 1933, he mar ried Angeline DeTolve, and they had three daughters together before she died in 1954. The couple bought the Oak Park house in 1945, paying $32,000 in cash.

In the late 1930s Giancana became one of the first members of the 42 Gang to join the Chicago Outfit. For the next two decades, he was involved in ille g al g ambling, ille g al liquor distribution and political rackets Convicted of bootle gging in 1939, he served three years in prison.

Once released from prison in 1942, Giancana resumed his work with the Chicago Outfit, orchestrating a takeover of the South Side African American payout, or lottery, system. Partly due to the success of this venture, he was made boss of the Chicago Outfit in 1957.

Giancana is rumored to have helped John F. Kennedy Jr win the 1960 election in Chicago and was likely involved in a CIA plot to kill Fidel Castro.

In 1965, he refused to testify when called before a grand jury and was sentenced to a year in jail, and his boss, Tony “Big Tuna” Accardo, re placed him within the outfit. Upon his release in 1966, Giancana fled to Mexico to avoid fur ther questioning by a

grand jury He remained he was ar rested by Mexican July 1974.

When he retur ned cana was given a police house, but shor tly before to appear before the which was investigating

n

Solutions!

from games on page 12

Mini Mystery Solution:

Page Turner Possum rapped on the door of her neighbor, Donor Doe. She appeared with Frog I. Phone, their other neighbor, who was visiting for tea.

“I know it was you!” Page said and held up the paper with a smile.

Blushing, Donor Doe told her story, explaining that with her keen ears she had heard Page Turner Possum cancel her paper. She knew she wanted to help, because she loved their weekly chats about the forest news, but

didn’t want to put herself in the headlights, er, spotlight, so she visited the Woodsy Journal and gifted a subscription.

When Frog I. Phone heard, they also wanted to help, and just that morning had made a donation in Page’s name, because they knew how much the paper meant to their neighbor.

Page thanked them both for their kindness and promised to always share the news with Donor Doe and Frog I. Phone, saying, “we neighbors have to stick together!”

Public Notices

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

HEARING DATE: December 7, 2022

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits

CALENDAR NUMBER: 21-21-Z

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“Board”) will conduct a public hearing on a special use permit application filed by the Applicant, Prosperous Platforms LLC, to operate a day care center (Little Leaders Academy) pursuant to Section 8.3 (Table 8-1: Use Matrix) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance at the property located at 400-404 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Numbers 16-08-118-0031-0000 (“Subject Property”) in the NC Neighborhood Commercial Zoning District. A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The Board will conduct the public hearing remotely with live audio available and optional video. The hearing will be streamed live and archived online for on-demand viewing at www.oak-park.us/ commissiontv as well as cablecast on VOP-TV, which is available to Comcast subscribers on channel 6 and ATT U-Verse subscribers on channel 99. The remote public hearing is authorized pursuant to Section 7(e) of the Open Meetings Act. The Village President has determined that an in-person public hearing is not practical or prudent due to the COVID-19

outbreak during Governor JB Pritzker’s current disaster proclamation. It is also not feasible to have a person present at the public hearing due to public safety concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may provide written evidence, testimony and public comment on the application by email to Zoning@oak-park.us or by drop off in the Oak Park Payment Drop Box across from the main entrance to Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, to be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 7, 2022. An individual’s name and their testimony or comment will be read aloud into the record at the public hearing if received no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the public hearing. Interested persons may also sign up to participate in-person in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses, present evidence, testimony or public comment by emailing Zoning @oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing. Individuals who sign up to participate in-person will receive an email from Village staff with information about how to join the hearing online through Zoom web-conference means or by phone.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the Board to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

HEARING DATE: December 7, 2022

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits

CALENDAR NUMBER: 21-21-Z

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“Board”) will conduct a public hearing on a special use permit application filed by the Applicant, Prosperous Platforms LLC, to operate a day care center (Baby Genius Academy) pursuant to Section 8.3 (Table 8-1: Use Matrix) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance at the property located at 326 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Numbers 16-08-118-0031-0000 (“Subject Property”) in the NC Neighborhood Commercial Zoning District.

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The Board will conduct the public hearing remotely with live audio available and optional video. The hearing will be streamed live and archived online for on-demand viewing at www.oak-park.us/ commissiontv as well as cablecast on VOP-TV, which is available to Comcast subscribers on channel 6 and ATT U-Verse subscribers on channel 99. The remote public hearing is authorized pursuant to Section 7(e) of the Open Meetings Act. The Village President has determined that an in-person public hearing is not practical

or prudent due to the COVID-19 outbreak during Governor JB Pritzker’s current disaster proclamation. It is also not feasible to have a person present at the public hearing due to public safety concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may provide written evidence, testimony and public comment on the application by email to Zoning@oak-park.us or by drop off in the Oak Park Payment Drop Box across from the main entrance to Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, to be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 7, 2022. An individual’s name and their testimony or comment will be read aloud into the record at the public hearing if received no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the public hearing. Interested persons may also sign up to participate in-person in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses, present evidence, testimony or public comment by emailing Zoning @oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing. Individuals who sign up to participate in-person will receive an email from Village staff with information about how to join the hearing online through Zoom web-conference means or by phone.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the Board to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

DOCKET NUMBER: PC 22-08 (Zoning Ordinance Text Amend ment – H Hospital Zoning District)

HEARING DATE: December 1, 2022

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereaf ter as the agenda permits

LOCATION OF HEARING: The Plan Commission will conduct a public hearing remotely with live audio available and optional video. The meeting will be streamed live and archived online for on-demand viewing at www.oak-park.us/com missiontv as well as cablecast on VOP-TV, which is available to Com cast subscribers on channel 6 and ATT Uverse subscribers on chan nel 99. The remote public hearing is authorized pursuant to Section 7 (e) of the Open Meetings Act. The Village President has determined that an in-person public hearing is not practical or prudent due to the COVID-19 outbreak during Gover nor JB Pritzker’s current disaster proclamation. It is also not feasible to have a person present at the public hearing due to public safety concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Written testimony or comments regarding the application may be provided prior to the public hearing by email to planning@oak-park.us The individual’s name and a rea sonable part of their testimony or comment will be read aloud into the record at the public hearing if re ceived no later than 30 minutes pri or to the start of the public hearing. If email is not an option, written tes timony or comment can be dropped off in the Oak Park Payment Drop

Box across from the south entrance to Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, to be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 1, 2022. All writ ten testimony and comments will be distributed to the Plan Commis sion and made a part of the official hearing record. Those wishing to provide public testimony at the hearing shall contact the Village Planner at planning@oak-park.us for instructions on attending the live Zoom meeting by 5:00 PM the day of the hearing. Interested persons may also participate in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by emailing the cross-examination form to clerk@ oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing to sign up. Individuals who sign up to participate in this manner will receive an email from Village staff with information about how to join the meeting online through Zoom web-conference means or by phone. Questions regarding writ ten testimony or comment can be directed to 708-358.5420 or email to planning@oak-park.us

PETITIONERS: David Osta, 620 Wenonah Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304; Anne Frueh, 617 Weno nah Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304; Michael Weik, 626 South Maple Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304; Bruno Graziano, 621 South Maple Av enue, Oak Park, IL 60304

REQUEST: The Petitioners seek text amendments to the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance as follows: (1) an amendment to Article 6 (“Special Purpose District”), Section 6.3C(1) to apply the dimensional standards in the H-Hospital Zoning District to

all uses within the H-Hospital Zon ing District; (2) an amendment to Article 6, Section 6.3C(2) to limit the height restrictions that apply to certain geographical areas and maximum height restrictions within those geographical areas as fol lows: a building height decrease from 125 feet to 80 feet for the area located east of Harlem Av enue, north of Monroe Street to Maple Avenue to the east; and a building height decrease from 80 feet to 50 feet for the area east of Wisconsin Avenue to the west side of Wenonah Avenue; and a building height decrease for the area east of Harlem Avenue, south of Monroe Street to the west side of Wiscon sin Avenue; and (3) an amendment to Article 6, Section 6.3C (Table 6-3) (“H District Dimensional Stan dards”) to increase the building set backs for front yards from 20 feet to 30 feet, interior side yards from 20 feet to 30 feet, those yards abutting residential districts from 30 feet to 50 feet, and corner side yards from 20 feet to 30 feet.

A copy of the application is on file and available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Cus tomer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday be tween 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Plan Commission may continue the hearing to another date without fur ther notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO BE HEARD OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION

LEGAL NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE COOK COUNTY REAL PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS FOR 2022

This publication constitutes official notice of the changes in assessment to all owners of real proper ty in Oak Par k Township. The 2022 assess ment changes as published herein are those deter mined by the Asses sor of Cook County

It is the duty of the Assessor to appraise all taxable real proper ty in Cook County at its fair cash value as of Januar y 1, 2022 Fair cash value is descr ibed as what the proper ty would br ing at a voluntar y sale in the nor mal course of business or trade The Assessor is required by law to assess said proper ty in a fair and just manner

The Assessor does not deter mine proper ty taxes Proper ty taxes are de ter mined by the spending needs and requests of municipalities, school boards, park districts and other local gover nment agencies which provide public ser vices to proper ty owners The Assessor’s sole responsibility is to estimate the value of real estate proper ty

In Cook County, real proper ty is classified according to its use. The clas sification system is used to deter mine the percentage of the fair cash value at which the real proper ty is assessed for pur poses of taxation Accordingly, real proper ty is assessed at only a fraction of its fair cash value, depending on its use and classification

Changes in assessment for land and improvements are listed separately. The dimensions of the land are also listed:

A Acres

B Back Lot

N Irregular Lot

S Square Feet

Cook County uses a Per m anent Index Num ber (P I N) system as a means to identify individual real estate parcels The PIN consists of a 14 digit number The first two digits identify the area or sur vey township; the second two digits identify the sub area or section; the next three dig its identify blocks.

Note:

Blocks are defined as follows:

Blocks 100 to 199 are located in the N.W. Quar ter

Blocks 200 to 299 are located in the N E Quar ter

Blocks 300 to 399 are located in the S W Quar ter

Blocks 400 to 499 are located in the S.E. Quar ter

The next three digits in the ser ies identify the specific parcel or lot The last four, (where applicable), identify individual condominium units, non operating railroad parcels or leasehold’s of exempt parcels

Whenever possible, the assessment list will be listed by the street name and the street or house number of the parcel. However, the Cook County Assessor’s Office official records rely on per manent Proper ty Index Num bers (P I N ) only No assessment of real proper ty shall be considered invalid due to an incorrect listing.

If you have any questions regarding the assessment of real proper ty you should visit the O ffice of the Assessor of Cook County, 118 N Clar k Street, Room 301, Chicago, Illinois 60602, or call (312) 443 7550

FRITZ KAEGI ASSESSOR OF COOK COUNTY

TOWNSHIP OF OAK PARK

AREA 16 SUB AREA 07

GOLDMAN INVEST 922 N B 128 037 0000 29442S 33858 637734

1133 OP LLC 300 011 0000 7423S 46393 181247

1133 OP LLC 300 012 0000 8069S 50431 195135

1133 OP LLC 300 013 0000 55204S 138010 7311390

ARTHUR DEVELOPMENT, LL 316 086 1001 8010S 720 47040

ARTHUR DEVELOPMENT, LL 316 086 1002 8010S 901 58800

ARTHUR DEVELOPMENT, LL 316 086 1003 8010S 901 58800

ARTHUR DEVELOPMENT, LL 316 086 1004 8010S 901 58800

ARTHUR DEVELOPMENT, LL 316 086 1005 8010S 901 58800

ARTHUR DEVELOPMENT, LL 316 086 1006 8010S 1171 76440

ARTHUR DEVELOPMENT, LL 316 086 1007 8010S 1171 76440

ARTHUR DEVELOPMENT, LL 316 086 1008 8010S 1171 76440

ARTHUR DEVELOPMENT, LL 316 086 1009 8010S 1171 76440

AREA 16 SUB AREA 08

NORTH SHR HOLDING LTD 122 039 1001 15969S 1668 10156

PATRIC A A HOLIAN 122 039 1002 15969S 1365 8310

RONALD E BISHOP I 122 039 1003 15969S 1365 8310

ANDREA DE FRAGA 122 039 1004 15969S 1365 8310

TAKYRICA STYLES 122 039 1005 15969S 1668 10156

N NO LEKARCZYK 122 039 1006 15969S 1820 11080

JILLIAN SHELBY 122 039 1007 15969S 1365 8310

JOYCE BARDLETT SALAAM 122 039 1008 15969S 1365 8310

BEVERLY JACKSON 122 039 1009 15969S 1365 8310

VANESSA RODDAM 122 039 1010 15969S 1820 11080

AREA 16 SUB AREA 18

CLARENCE & HARRISON II 226 037 0000 12231S 9173 314736

SCHEJBAL JAMES F 409 040 0000 6282S 6596 26648

AUGUSTA ST

DAN GARVEY&J MC DONALD 516 22105S 23210 89962

LAURA & DAN SULL VAN 723 14840S 4452 20548 ICG INC 732 6425S 6746 41306

AUST N BLVD N

AUST N OAKPARK R E INC 416 12071S 19917 84223 COREY SHUMATE 924 9071S 10204 21200

AUST N BLVD S

AMY M BELTEMACCHI 128 3336S 3336 65542

OAK PARK RESIDENCE CRP 404 9286S 15321 31667

GREENPLAN PROP XXII 618 8925S 14726 147024

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GREENPLAN PROP XXII 634 12375S 20418 2904

WALLACE E BEARD 1108 2975S 3049 19990

BELLEFORTE AVE

RENEE R GLOS BLOCK 640 5215S 5866 34349

KAT E ZAPATA 730 9222S 10374 17668

WENDY WURTZEL 835 9222S 10374 50748

M CHAEL & A WERTHMANN 933 8700S 11527 27101

JOHN GARAFALO 1001 7830S 10374 38169

RYAN & CAREY HOERSTEN 1219 8350S 11063 43027

CARPENTER AVE

WILLA JULIOUS 517 2700S 2700 24670

FRANK CZUBA 633 3600S 3600 37298

CHICAGO AVE

NCS MANGEMENT CO 30 10600S 66250 71307

FORTY WEST CH CAGO LLC 40 6600S 39748 548

FORTY WEST CH CAGO LLC 44 5000S 30112 10698

FORTY WEST CH CAGO LLC 46 3750S 22584 12

LAFAYETTE SINGLETON 300 6250S 846 11946 KE TH D COLEMAN 300 6250S 365 5153

JUAREZ & GONZALEZ 300 6250S 927 13090

GENOBIA FLETCHER 300 6250S 927 13090

REBECCA L EBMAN 300 6250S 952 13442 ALEXANDRA N OCAMPO 300 6250S 952 13442 HAZEL J ANTHONY 300 6250S 952 13442 VERL A THOMAS 300 6250S 952 13442

KARI A MARX 1018 6372S 7168 28140 P SK OURIS 1100 W CHGO 1104 5451S 13627 118627 408 AUSTIN CORP 1144 11243S 70268 174084

CHICAGO AVE W

DR JOHN G CRAWFORD 400 7215S 32287 39931

CLARENCE AVE

PHILIP KUNZ 521 4812S 4812 26371 STEVEN DUFF E & PAMELA 706 3125S 3125 25307

J

LISA TAAFFE 732 3875S 3875 24472

MARK CURCIO JR 825 6250S 6250 24385

PETER & GRACE FINN 832 3906S 3906 26170

ANDREW B ROHR & SHEELA 1027 4725S 4961 35187

CLINTON AVE

BRADLEY G EMZA 818 7500S 7500 39113

GINA A KOLK 1154 4566S 4794 25885

COLUMB AN AVE

EARLE B ATWATER II 838 6200S 6975 30990

AARON R PETTY 842 8060S 9067 51562

CUYLER AVE N

KUMAR MCMILLAN 140 6711S 6375 33812

KRCMAR ZDENEK 300 9177S 8718 44280

CUYLER AN ILLINOIS LIM 304 9632S 9150 42850

LARRY A SHELBY 332 6840S 6498 31730

FOSTER CHAMBERS 524 8550S 9618

KAY DAWSON 532 8550S 9618 37987

MARY BRADLEY 645 5973S 6719 23336

PATRICK & JENNIFER HER 845 4158S 4677 29515

CUYLER AVE S

ALTUS GROUP US INC 140 6020S 5719 28327

ASHLEY KAWUKI 219 6020S 5719 40669

ARNOLD NIEKAMP 233 6880S 6536 30118

DAVID SHOWALTER & JENN 314 8600S 7310 46506

J KORPR CS & C BURNS 322 8600S 8170 46419

ANTHONY P MUNOZ 512 4410S 4410 31795

PARNELL FLYNN 630 3150S 3150 36323

J DENHOED & J V AALST 832 4725S 4725 32043

EAST AVE N

J ER KSSON & N DEVROYE 403 17500S 18375 78002

R M STEFANSK 811 6200S 6975 35029

JOHN J HEMBLING 842 12460S 14017 25708

JUDY E GROSS 846 7538S 8480 53571

BRUCE & CAROL HUCK 1008 7355S 9745 29010

EMIL M CONSTANTINESCU 1013 6200S 8215 39884

ZACHARY GOODL NG 1131 6200S 8215 46342

EAST AVE S

TRUSTEE THE ARTALEJO H 130 8850S 8628 62811

STEWART L ORLIN 519 4158S 4158 37638

FOREST AVENUE RENOVAT 611 5292S 5292 26177

D ANE V HUGHES TRUSTEE 636 4410S 4410 28632

GREGORY J BATTOGLIA 943 4725S 4961 24355

THOMAS K SULLIVAN 1003 3150S 3307 21545

ROBERT A DAME 1037 3150S 3307 27298

LIL ANA & ROBERTO ROME 1042 3150S 3307 23788

LEVI LAROCO 1110 4725S 4961 26974

JOAN C JOHNSON TRUST 1123 4725S 4961 28468

BAIRD & ANASTASIA HARP 1140 6300S 6615 46189

MAX A SAKELLARIS 1160 4725S 4961 25324

JAMES J DRUMM II 1179 3150S 3307 28511

AGUEDA KIB R 1184 3150S 3307 28072

EDMER AVE

BOYD FAM LY TRUST 1200 5644S 7478 49800

EL ZABETH CT

KEELI M CKUS 11 8250S 8662 54254

ELMWOOD AVE N

DONNA J STEPHENS TR 167 8600S 9675 50083

MARTIN E GOLDHABER 215 14620S 12427 116025

THOMAS MCMULLEN 216 8600S 9675 38448

DAVID L GR FFIN 515 8428S 7163 55616

DERR CK & LISA KIKER 702 9100S 10237 54263

ALAN P DOLAN & JENNIFE 1127 6280S 8321 39973 DAVID

ELMWOOD AVE S

JOHN HAUSER 218 8750S 6343 54332

GREENPLAN ELMWOOD LLC 421 19950S 32917 248961

COLIN MATTIACE 708 5320S 5320 29636

SCOTT

C & E CARROLL 842 5320S 5320 38807

ANSEL PHILL PS 941 5696S 5980 22602

ASHLEA WINFIELD 951 3175S 3333 25064

E & S VALENTINE 1028 3175S 3333 29015

CHAD MCGAVOCK 1045 3175S 3333 23848

WILL AM COMFORT ANDERS 1111 3150S 3307 26585

ZACHARY GADOMSKI 1155 3851S 4043 27575

TOM ARN ERI 1163 3780S 3969 30197

For

www.cookcountyassessor.com

EUCLID AVE N

STEPHEN LONG 506 8750S 9187 56312

VICKI DECKERT 529 15390S 16159 47175

MICHAEL ROSE 620 17500S 16625 175919

NICHOLAS P BARTZEN 1025 6200S 8215 45825

JOSEPH JUDY LARSCHEID 1036 6200S 8215 29603

REGINALD MARSHALL 1116 5580S 7393 39555

G LLMAN & SIU 1133 6200S 8215 38665

MARCO MORALES 1137 6200S 8215 44312

EUCLID AVE S

JAIRO VILLALOBOS MUNOZ 640 4725S 4725 28790

MANUELE M NAR K 731 4410S 4410 23292

JUSTIN D P ETRO 942 4032S 4233 28602

ROBERT WOZNIAK 1034 4725S 4961 25309

AMANDA MC CAUGHEY 1048 4725S 4961 35863

FAIR OAKS AVE

DAN EL P MCGEE & PAMEL 512 7740S 8707 42077

THOMAS ABRAHAMSON 515 12900S 13545 69725

MARK TRINKA 600 8610S 9040 61638

BRIAN FLETCHER 619 8550S 8977 65445

CHRISTINE PASTOR 718 8550S 9618 52724

HINES TYRONE C 1221 7800S 10335 25150

FOREST AVE

MICHELLE TALBOT 231 7250S 7612 49056

KAR MARX 511 5040S 5670 30663

MARK FREDISDORF 549 7450S 8381 37917

JAMES E CALLAHAN 623 7450S 6332 69423

JAS & LEEANN HEININGER 946 9984S 13228 34353

GARFIELD ST

ANIMAL CARE LEAGUE 1009 6000S 37500 64123 1101 1103 GARFIELD LLC 1101 3520S 6820 5018 1101 1103 GARFIELD LLC 1103 3456S 6696 29316

H J MOHR & SONS INC 1109 6400S 12400 5518

H J MOHR & SONS INC 1125 26176S 50716 94580

GREENF ELD ST

SARAH MAHER 451 7100S 9407 45896

DENIS JANIS 455 7100S 9407 37736

GROVE AVE N

KEVIN W K RBY 327 4872S 5115 40944

SETH KAUFMAN 412 8928S 7142 51576

ELIZABETH ANDREE OLYMP 506 5600S 5880 34725

ELIAS & GUMMERE 537 7850S 8831 30357

JOHN F PUTNAM 545 7850S 8831 36933

KEN & IDA KIRSCH 601 6280S 7065 36566

CHOON AUN QUEK & KERI 718 6357S 7151 34638

BALAJEE VAMANAN 1014 8150S 10798 39214

TAXPAYER OF 1102 8282S 10973 44198

KURT & GAYLE HEDLUND 1221 8050S 10666 31947

GROVE AVE S

NOEL SCHENK 113 4230S 4758 27634

MILA TELLEZ 227 6345S 7138 27950

DOUGLAS W MACMILLAN 239 5640S 4794 39121

JAMES KEB NGER 328 7050S 7931 42767

MIRIAM & JUDITH SOLON 511 4950S 4950 22776

MARY ELLEN HOSSIN 924 5137S 5393 24867

TINGWE ZHANG 941 4566S 4794 24692

GUNDERSON AVE

JEFF & MARY DEGRAZ A 624 5320S 5320 27899

NICHOLAS W BRIDGE JR 831 6300S 6300 29657

FRANCIS MULLEN 1158 4410S 4630 28060

JANICE K B R 1184 3150S 3307 24121

HARALD ANONSEN 1185 3150S 3307 24761

HARLEM AVE N

EDWARDS REALTY CO 1531 20304S 126900 441173

HARRISON ST

HARRISON STREET VENTUR 146 3913S 3913 5600

221 HARRISON LLC 219 6300S 23625 49875

MORONEY HOMES LLC 307 3138S 7845 25075

MORONEY HOMES LLC 309 3147S 7867 25075

HARVEY AVE N

PEGGY STEWART WILSON 167 10260S 9747 29559

NANCY ANSCHEL 647 6624S 7452 23866

DINA ROSS 821 4725S 5315 24912

KEVIN KARNCHANAPHATI 914 4646S 5226 27599

ALAN HESTER I 1230 4493S 5054 21910

HARVEY AVE S

THOMAS & TERESA BENNO 120 6020S 5719 32750

V TO D G OVINGO 141 7396S 7026 32088

ABREGO 205 8600S 8170 43609

K MBERLY FOTZLER 226 6880S 6536 32013

SARAH SEKKI 511 4689S 4689 28636

GARRICK BRADLEY 519 3125S 3125 29198

N & G D NUZZO 524 3125S 3125 29414

LESL E T SCHAUSER 528 3125S 3125 27001

TIMOTHY HALT 539 6250S 6250 33561

DARIN BUCZKOWSKI 604 3125S 3125 34805

TIMOTHY LISLE 632 3125S 3125 29198

M GERACI & J PRE 728 4062S 4062 32194

WALTER J PAZERA 736 4687S 4687 25502

S N LLOYD & I D BRYANT 1174 3025S 3100 22442

HAYES AVE

JOSEPH FIOCCHI 1026 4125S 4640 22023

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TIM POMAV

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R P FOX ASSOC 220 5412S 33825 7635 EXEMPT 240

MILLER AVE

EXEMPT 1140

NORTH AVE

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LEGAL NOTICE

OAK PARK AVE N

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EXEMPT 200

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Published by Order of the Assessor of Cook County, Illinois

Fenwick win ov De La Salle keeps Bowl hopes aliv

Friars roll up 392 o ensive yards, blank Meteors 27-0

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

While disappointed to lose to Morg an Park 14-6 Oct. 29 in the first round of the IHSA Class 5A playoffs, the Fenwick High School football team would be glad to win this year’s Chicago Prep Bowl championship, which would be the fifth in program history and its first since 2010.

The Friars took the first ste p towards that goal Nov. 10 with a 27-0 shutout of De La Salle at Triton Colle ge in a Chicago Catholic League Playoff semifinal.

Junior Marek Hill star ted at quar terback for Fenwick and had a solid evening, completing 13 of 22 passes for 188 yards and adding a 22-yard touchdown run.

“I’ve been preparing for it all season,” Hill said. “The coaches did a good job with the game plan and made stuf f simple.”

The Friars received the opening kickof f and went 70 yards in 11 plays for the g ame’s

first score as Luke yards) powered his from 2 yards out. T failed, kee ping the score 6-0 F 8:15 mark of the opening quar Avion Brown interce quar terback Amar yards) on the next ball to the Meteors’ the Friars cashed 22-yard keeper Luis of his three point-afters 13-0.

Late in the half, play, 89-yard march capped by Mirko Jaksic’s 1-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal. It was the defensive lineman’s second touchdown of the .

“I got the ball and ran as hard as I could,” Jaksic said. “I always dreamed of scoring touchdowns and I’m happy I accomplished it.”

The Friars concluded the scoring with a 10-play, 72-yard drive that car ried over into the fourth quar ter. The big play was Hill’s 37-yard completion to Andrew Bjor nson that set up Ninos Ameer’s 7-yard touchdown run with 11:24 left.

Fenw ick running back Luke D’Alise (shown above against Morgan Park last month) carried the ball 13 times for 74 yards and a touchdow n during the Friars’ 27-0 w in over De La Salle in the quarter nal round of the Prep Bowl playo s on Nov. 10.

Ameer had 66 yards on 13 car ries while Hill had 37 yards on four car ries. Dennis Moore had four rece ptions for 55 yards and Elijah Romeus three catches for 35 yards as Fenwick’s of fense amassed 392 yards.

Defensively, Jaksic had five tackles and shared a sack with Conor Stetz. Jack Braithwaite also had a sack as the Friars held De La Salle to 119 yards of total of fense.

“We had a lot of young guys jump in on defense, “ Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said. “They knew what they doing and played hard.”

Fenwick meets St. Laurence, which de feated St. Patrick 39-7 in the other semifinal, for the Catholic League championship. Kickof f is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 17, with the winner facing either Simeon or Taft in the Prep Bowl.

OPRF, Fenwick swimmers notch Top 12 state meet nishes

Oak Park and River Forest High School sophomore Sadie Murphy had a solid showing at the IHSA girls swimming and diving state championships Nov. 11-12 at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont.

In the 200-yard individual medley, she placed eighth in a time of 2:04.70. Later in the 100 backstroke consolation finals, she took ninth in a time of 56.73 seconds.

Murphy was responsible for all of OPRF’s scoring as the Huskies finished in a tie for 29th in the team standings with 9 points

Fenwick High School senior Baileigh Racky qualified for the

consolation finals of the 100 butterfly, finishing 11th in a time of 57.37 seconds. She was the lone scorer of the meet for the Friars, who tied for 39th in the team standings with 2 points.

Loc al student-athletes commit to colleges

The following student-athletes from Oak Park and River Forest and Fenwick high schools signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers colle giately on National Signing Day, which took place Nov. 9:

Those committing to colle ge programs from OPRF in

cluded Drew Koenig (baseball, Webster University), Calvin Proskey (baseball, University of California at Santa Barbara), Dylan Wipf (baseball, Missouri University of Science and Technology) and Peter Zurawski (volleyball, Ball State University).

Fenwick athletes signing on the dotted line included Alessia di Silvestro (ice hockey, Suffolk University), Ca leb Groll, (volleyball, Lindenwood University), Baileigh Racky, (swimming and diving, Niagara University) and Brynne West (ice hockey, Quinnipiac University)

Girls basketball set to tip o this week

OPRF in rebuild mode with just one returning star ter

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School girls basketball team was all set to tip of f the 2022-23 season at home on Nov. 14 against Proviso East, but had to settle for practice drills instead.

According to OPRF coach Carlton Rosemond, the Proviso East coach called on game day to ask for a postponement. No reason was given, but it means the Huskies won’t begin play until Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. against Nazareth Academy to kick of f the Hinsdale South Thanksgiving Tournament.

In his second season, Rosemond hopes the Huskies can improve from their 10-19 record last winter. It’s an aim made a little more difficult by the fact OPRF returns just one starter, senior Libby Majka.

However, there are six other players re turning with varsity experience, including seniors Justice Clark, Sophia Henry, Lauren Kelly, Cydney MacDonald, Teshell O’Neal and Angelina Sunardio.

“We’ve got some new additions and have had to make some adjustments to the style we play,” Rosemond said. “I like the team we have, and they’re coming along.”

The Huskies’ top newcomers are sophomore Genevieve Simkowski and juniors Taylor Smith and Shardae Spruille.

“Shardae could be a breakout player this year,” said Rosemond. “Genevieve is long and quick and hopefully she’ll make an impact for us.”

OPRF will face some top competition this season at the Thanksgiving tournament at Hinsdale South, the Morton Colle ge Christmas Tournament and the MLK Tournament at Trinity

In addition, there are non-conference games with Fenwick, Mother McAuley (which eliminated the Huskies in a IHSA Class 4A re gional semifinal last season), New Trier, Riverside-Brookfield, St. Ignatius and Trinity.

The Huskies also want to progress in side the West Suburban Conference Silver Division. While Rosemond believes Lyons Township is the team to beat, he’d like to move up.

“My goal is to be somewhere in the middle or towards the top,” he said. “That would be great for us. I like our chances of competing against most of the teams in our conference, and we’ll see where the cards fall.”

New Fenwick coach embraces challenge

Fenwick High School’s new girls basketball coach, Lenae Fergerson, has a challenging task ahead of her this season. Not only must she replace all five starters from a Friars team that went 23-11 and advanced

Sliced Turkey

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to an IHSA Class 3A supersectional last year, she’s replacing legendary coach Dave Power, who retired with over 1,000 wins and three state championships But it’s something she’s looking forward to “The girls are buying into what we’re trying to teach them,” she said. “I’m pleased with their efforts.”

Fenwick returns three players that saw limited playing time on varsity last year in seniors Cam Brusca, Raina Ford and Allie Heyer

“They’re going to play a lot more minutes than they’re used to,” Fergerson said. “But they’re up for the challenge. They took a backseat last year because ofthe seniors, and they’re ready to show what they can do.”

Other returning players for the Friars are seniors Bella Daley and Melissa Moduca and juniors Grace Kapsch and Lily O’Neill. The top newcomers are three sophomores: Mia Hernandez along with twin sisters Clare and Kiera Kapsch

“We’re a younger team, but everyone’s up for the challenge ofstepping in,” Fergerson

said. “We want to build a culture ofplaying hard together. Losing all that size from last year, we have to play harder, and competing and defending are what we’re focused on.”

The Friars will take part in the New Trier Thanksgiving Tournament, the Marian Catholic Holiday Tournament, the DundeeCrown Holiday Tournament and the MLK Tour nament at Trinity.

There are also several intriguing non-conference matchups with local rivals OPRF and Riverside-Brookfield, as well as with Benet, Hinsdale Central, Marist and Willowbrook.

Fenwick doesn’t get any breaks in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division, which includes Loyola Academy, Montini and Mother McAuley, St. Ignatius and Trin ity.

The Friars open the season at Stevenson on Nov. 16.

Trinity ready to build on strong 2022-23

With three starters and three top re serves back from last year’s team that went 17-11 and lost the IHSA Class 3A Fenwick Sectional final to the Friars, Trinity High School girls basketball coach Kim Coleman is bullish on the Blazers this season.

“Our players know our expectations,” she said. “They know how and why we do things, and it’s an easier experience.”

Trinity’s returning starters are seniors Cierra Richardson, in her fourth year on the varsity, and Sophia Rodriguez and junior Lauren Miller, who was the team’s leading scorer last year

The Blazers also return key contributors off the bench in junior Luz Kwiatkowski Perez and seniors Jasmine Arzua ga, Killian Gitterle and Maeve Lundt.

Freshmen Zaria Goins and Chloe Santos along with sophomores Jaylani Hernandez and Arianna Rodriguez are newcomers hop ing to have an impact.

“Chloe is a really versatile kid who’s learning a lot under Lauren’s wings,” Coleman said. “She can score from all over the place; she can hit the three and does well in the block. We have high expectations for her.”

The Blazers have a grueling schedule this winter. In addition to games in the tough GCAC Red, Trinity has non-conference matchups with OPRF and Wheaton-St. Francis. They’ll also compete in the Elmhurst Classic and Montini Holiday Classic and host their own MLK tour nament.

Trinity opens the season Nov. 16 at Taft

Trinity forward Lauren Miller puts up a shot dur ing a recent practice. As a sophomore, Miller led the Blazers in scor ing last season.

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

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

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

A safe & smart choice.

A safe & smart choice.

A safe & smart choice.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

Faith and hope and survival

During these chaotic times, we need faith and hope. Many of us seek help through organized religion, while others find peace in communing with nature and various other ways. We live in a democracy with the freedom to choose any religion or none, without state interference. No matter what beliefs or faith we choose to follow, we are all learning the same basic ethic of how to live a moral, peaceful, and caring life. This universal message can rywhere and has existed throughout the ages and

VIEWPOINTS

e day Ginie Cassin challenged all of us to care

The following eulogy was delivered at the memorial service for Vi rginia Cassin, longtime Oak Park activist and booster, held at St. Edmund Church on Oct. 15:

For the 20 years that Ginie Cassin served as the Oak Park village clerk, I worked with her at village hall, first as a law clerk and then as village attor ney. During that time, Ginie and I became forever friends.

RAY HEISE

One View

Ginie to work with. We accomplished a lot in that way. Sometimes on those evenings, we would even solve many of the world’s problems.

At the end of the night, Ginie would call Bill and he would fetch her in the WACmobile — so named for its William A Cassin license plates. It was amazing how many places in town I would see the WAC-mobile in the course of any given day. Ginie never stopped serving the village, and Bill was there to support her every step of the way.

eged to travel eat deal, and I have always been fascinated observing varied religious rituals, spiritual pracr sessions commemorating both sad and joyous occasions. After an earthquake in Mexico City, I witnessed religious groups meeting outside houses of worship because the buildings were structurally unsafe. I also saw a group a women on hands and knees crawling up severely damaged church steps, seeking answers through their faith and hope.

We worked together on an endless number of projects and issues over those 20 years and Ginie always made it easy for me. It didn’t matter what the issue was, she brought everything she had to the table, and her gifts were many — her energy and passion limitless, her integrity beyond re proach, her creativity and insight invaluable. To top it of f, she was a great listener.

HAUSMAN

By contrast some years later, I attended a joyous religious festival in a churchyard outside of Athens. Parishioners and their priest sang, danced, and ate traditional food in grateful celebration. While in Madrid, I obser ved the very impressive sight of a solemn procession of barefoot worshippers carrying candles, walking into a church. When I visited Cuba, I heard church bells ringing Sunday morning, and saw many families going to church, in defiance of a Castro re gime edict.

Probably the most impressive service I witnessed was a Hindu wedding celebration in Egypt. The groom ap peared re gal, dressed in white and gold military-style uniform, sitting atop a handsome white horse. On the way to the temple, he was followed by a group of men on foot, and then by many beautifully dressed women in silk saris, accompanying the bride. She was stunning in her elegant red sari and bejeweled headdress, which was to be gifted to the groom at the ceremony.

As unusual as this Hindu wedding was, I noted similarities between it and other weddings I’ve attended here in the United States, especially as it relates to heartfelt parental blessings which seem to be part of all wedding

At one time or another Ginie, as village clerk, had responsibility for an extraordinary number of village func tions. In addition to the responsibilities normally associated with a municipal clerk’s office, she also had responsibility for things like animal control, the real estate transfer tax, special events, and many other things

When you asked Ginie for help, she always said “Yes.” The functions I just mentioned and many more, found their way to the Clerk’s Of fice simply because she was willing to take them on at a time when no one else seemed able to. It goes without saying that each and every one of these functions were perfor med well. You could always count on Ginie.

I have a thousand stories I would love to tell, but one story captures her essence. It took place near the beginning of my time with the village and more or less set a trajectory that guided me for the rest of my career there.

Ginie was one of the first people I met when I began working for the Village of Oak Park in June of 1975. I was one of a group of employees who had been hired around the same time through a federal program called CETA.

GINIE C ASSIN

You might be wondering when she found the time necessary to perform all of this work. The days tended to be a constant bar rage of people and meetings. Much of the work required time and quiet to think and do research and was done in the evening. Ginie and I were part of a small group of people known as “the night shift.” Many evenings, I would be in my of fice on the north end of village hall, and I would need a copy of an ordinance or resolution or a set of minutes. I would look out my door and see Ginie’s light on at the south end of the building and walk down to her office and ask her for whatever I needed. More often than not, she would be able to find what I needed right then and there. I remember thinking how blessed I was to have

Within days of our being hired, Ginie invited us to have lunch with her at a little restaurant on North Avenue called Royal Oaks. She greeted us with a genuine warmth that made us all feel like we belonged. I didn’t know it then, but this would be the first of thousands of times over the next 45 years that I would have the privile ge of witnessing and experiencing the kindness and respect that Ginie exhibited toward everyone with whom she came in contact. No matter who you were, when you met Ginie, you knew you were impor tant to her, and that you were being listened to

Although Ginie’s warm welcome was important to us, and much appreciated, she had more to say that day to this group of new village employees than simply “Welcome.”

Midway through the lunch, she stood up and asked for everyone’s attention. Without ever shedding that kind and respectful demeanor, she began to speak with a passion and determination that let us know what she was about to say was very important to her. Her message was a simple but powerful one, and in its timing and simplicity, as well stated as I have ever heard it.

Dispelling a rumor p.

OUR VIEWS

Go slow on parking

As part of its budget process Oak Park’s village board is contemplating a staf f recommendation to notably boost parking costs in the wider downtown area. Higher hourly rates, less free time in garages.

Small business owners are rightly objecting. We’d ask the board to rethink this specific change and to step back and think about the inter play of the huge investments made in the downtown to make it a viable place for inde pendent businesses but then creating a parking strateg y that is unwelcoming and unaf fordable. We get that there is no perfect solution. But what is on the table is unpalatable.

Two leaders now gone

Over the past two weeks, Oak Park has lost two consequential people. We want to take note.

Dr. Gerald Clay died Nov. 4 at 81. A remarkable and good man, Dr Clay was an early leader on issues of equity, inclusion and educational advocacy in Oak Park. He founded APPLE — African American Parents for Purposeful Leadership in Education — as the first organization respecting and raising the voice of Black parents in both District 97 and District 200. APPLE was a noisy voice that often annoyed and baffled school leaders who were still in denial about the profound roots of racism in our schools. APPLE was also pragmatic and nurturing in its work to gather Black parents as a cohesive force and in touching the lives of Black students, especially at Oak Park and River Forest High School.

Dr. Clay was likewise instrumental in creating a program for young Black male youth as they moved toward manhood. Rites of Passage was profound and engaging for a generation of young men. And he was a co-founder with Lanny Lutz of Black/White Dialogue, an effort to bring Oak Parkers together for the hard work of talking about race.

Dr. Clay was also regularly in the ear of Wednesday Jour nal editors and reporters as we worked to grow our thinking on the insidiousness of institutional racism in Oak Park. He was smart, generous and kind. And he will be missed.

Thanks to George Bailey for his remembrance of Dr. Clay in last week’s paper.

Barbara Ballinger, Oak Park’s longtime head librarian, died Nov. 14 at the glorious age of 97. In a loving obituary by Jessica Mackinnon in today’s Jour nal, there are so many voices calling out the virtues and delights of this wonderful woman.

A true leader in growing and evolving our libraries into the essential and core institution it is today, Ballinger set the tone that public libraries were welcoming places, welcoming for all. She is also credited with helping birth the interlibrary loan system across the west suburbs in the 1970s, a service we now take for granted

She also built the Hemingway collection and an Oak Park history collection at the library. In a long retirement she was active in the Hemingway Foundation, at First United Church, in the arts, and in social justice work

Ms. Ballinger was gracious and persuasive, a gentle force to be reckoned with and a steady friend and colleague. There will never be another Barbara Ballinger

e god I can believe in

Watching the midter m elections unfold … in … super … slow … motion, it’s tempting to believe in divine intervention — if you voted Democratic. Defying projec tions and predictions, common sense and conventional wisdom. It has all seemed a little miraculous.

But I don’t believe God is a Democrat — or a Republican, Libertarian or Green.

I don’t believe in a God that takes sides.

I do believe God approves of democ racy … and being green. Definitely being green.

KEN TRAINOR

I don’t believe God intervened in the 2022 elec tions, of course. I believe the American people intervened … and sent a message to the anti-democ racy minority in this country.

I believe in small “d” democracy and a small “g” god, the small “g” an acknowledgment that my humble guess about god isn’t any more accurate than anyone else’s — believer or nonbeliever

The god I can be lieve in is not locked in any faith’s bible, is not held hostage by theologians, is not a security blanket in a chaotic cosmos, is not the god that atheists don’t believe in

fitting words; alive in the contentment of companionship, the thirst that drives the search, the finding beyond the seeking; alive in leaves scattered in peaceful repose, aglow in the late fall twilight; alive in the order that undergirds disor der, in the calm following the storm, in the still life after the living, the origin of desire, the saga behind the siren in the night; alive in the landscape’s silent witness as a train glides beneath the stars; alive in the now/then/to be and the fine threads connecting all three, in everywhere and nowhere, in contradiction and benediction; alive in the soft steps above, where my ceiling is someone’s floor, in sympathy that salves the ache, in grace that follows loss, in sense that pursues the senseless; alive in the endings that birth be ginnings; alive in love tested

The god I can believe in cannot be tamed or contained, reckoned or reco gnized; cannot be owned or disowned, honored or dishonored, voted out or voted in, comprehended or apprehended,

God votes for democracy

The god I can be lieve in hides in the book of poems my eye is drawn to on my bookshelf, that practically leaps into my hand though I can’ t quite remember how it got there, and opens to a poem that makes me question the meaning of the word “random,” a poem that suddenly opens its door as if it were awaiting me all these years.

The god I can believe in looks like the outline of leafless trees against the afterglow of a November sunset; lives in the moment before I realize it’s a moment, before it is eng raved in the soft stone of memory; lives in the metaphors that exceed our grasp (Browning) and beckon us to keep reaching.

The god I can believe in is alive in the “enor mous littleness” of the ordinary (Patchen); in what draws the falcon to the dawn (Hopkins); alive in the mysterious alchemy of meaning; alive in the tingle left behind by an idea that inspires; alive in what is wondrous, before we clothe it in ill-

defined or refined; and can never be leashed, only unleashed.

The god I can believe in lives at the end of my rope, when I am most vulnerable and therefore most human.

The god I can believe in is more verb than noun, slips through my fingers when I try to hold on, can only be spied out of the corner of the soul’s eye, in the flutter of leaves as the trees let go, in the snow as it falls, but not after it has fallen.

The god I can believe in exists between the glance and the double-take, the glimmer and the afterthought.

The Nazarene knew it all along: god is yeast; god is living water

The god I can believe in makes the living come to life

Why I attended COP27

We have seen and heard from scientists that climate change won’t just go away with a magic wand. We all have to do our part — big or small. We are seeing the impact of climate change with more frequent events, such as hur ricanes and fires, as well as food insecurity caused by weather and climate justice issues. And all of these things, along with the over whelming nature of climate change, can have an impact on our mental health.

MANOLO AVALOS

But we cannot just sit by and do nothing. If we educate people, it is more likely they will know what is going on and take action. This is why I got involved with It’s Our Future and Seven Generations Ahead and why I attended COP27. What is COP27?

COP stands for Conference of the Parties. The summit is attended by countries who signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which came into force in 1994. Every year it is hosted by a dif ferent country, and this year it was held in Shar m El Sheikh in Eg ypt with re presentatives from nearly 200 countries who came to gether to coordinate global climate action for the upcoming year. I at tended as a student observer with four other area stu-

dents. When we get back we will be urging our local leaders to ste p up and move fast to bring education and awareness to the attention of the community and elected of ficials.

Stay tuned … you can also follow us on @Iofyouth on social media. I hope others will be inspired by what we are lear ning and sharing. We are always looking for more people to join our work. More infor mation is available on our website https://sev engenerationsahead.org/its-our-future.

Manolo Avalos is a junior at Oak Pa rk and Ri ver Forest High School and attended COP 27, aka The United Nations Climate Conference, with It’s Our Future, Se ven Generations Ahead and the PlanItGreen initiati ve supported by the OPRF Community Foundation.

Oak Park would bene t from ranked choice voting

On Nov. 8, over 80 percent of voters in Evanston voted for ranked choice voting (RCV). The day before, the Oak Park Village Board of Trustees discussed placing RCV on the April 2023 ballot. Oak Park prides itself in being a role model for change in Chicagoland, and we can take a big ste p for voting reform with RCV, which is a simple upgrade to our voting system that allows voters to elect re presentatives who will better re present us.

The process requires that a winner in an election receive a majority of the vote — 50% plus one in an election with one winner — and allows voters to rank their top choices rather than voting for a single candidate If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate who received the fewest votes is eliminated, and the votes of everyone who ranked that candidate as their first choice are transfer red to the candidate they ranked as their second choice. This process continues until someone receives a majority. A similar process occurs in a race with multiple open seats; the only difference is that the election threshold is lower.

RCV’s clearest benefits are apparent when used

in a contentious election. Oak Park is lucky to have held very few contentious and divisive elections, and in every instance that I can remember, both winners and losers have been courteous and respected the outcome. But Oak Park is also a very politically active vil lage, which means many people run for of fice.

In 2019, eleven people ran for Oak Park trustee Three of them won, but with as little as 12% of the total vote. Only 51 votes se parated the third- and four thplace candidates. In such elections, it is easy for multiple candidates who share similar platfor ms to split the vote, resulting in a situation not only in which none of them is elected, but also one where a whole perspective that may be shared by a sizable number of Oak Parkers goes entirely unrepresented

If the village board decides to put RCV up for a vote, we will have the oppor tunity to change that, ensuring that we are able to elect a gover nment that better re presents us.

Tim Mellman OPRF Class of 2022 FairVote Illinois volunteer

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

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About Viewpoints

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

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

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

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VIEW’ ESSAY

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

e bene ts of raising parking rates

As I read about the Oak Park Village Board’s consideration of changing the parking rates in the coming new year, as well as the opposition from local business owners, I urge you to consider the following:

1. No one who lives in Oak Park lives more than 5 miles from downtown; a re cent study suggested that eliminating car trips under five miles round-trip in the urban areas of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin would re sult in almost $5 billion in health benefits associated with improved air quality This same study estimated that replacing half of these car trips with bike trips could save almost $4 billion in avoided deaths and reduced health care costs by increasing physical activity (https://www.epa. gov/ greenvehicles/wh at-if-we-k ep t-our cars-parked-trips-less-one-mile).

2. Bicycle (and walking) infrastructure benefits business more than car park ing accommodations “Communities that support bicycling as a means of transpor tation and recreation have outsized economic benefits by attracting residents and tourists alike.” (https://bikeleague.org/ content/bicycling-benefits-business)

A recent article in Bloomberg news, “Free Parking is Killing Cities,” points out that America’s 250 million cars have an es-

timated 2 billion parking spots and spend 95% of their time parked. To make cities more equitable, affordable, and environmentally conscious, three simple reforms are suggested:

■ Stop requiring off-street parking for new developments

■ Price street parking according to mar ket value, based on the desirability of the space, the time of day, and the number of open spots.

■ Spend that revenue on initiatives to better the surrounding neighborhoods.

I agree and encourage the board to make bold decisions to support our whole community I support not just increasing park ing fees in Oak Park, but also encouraging people to get downtown and shop by foot, bike, and transit and helping to create in frastructure to make this a safe and practical option. In the end, parking touches on equity, climate, safety, and economic is sues — things most everyone in our village cares about.

We’re just blinded by the promise of free, abundant car parking and the assumption that everyone wants to or needs to or should drive everywhere always. This is not sustainable, nor does it make for a vibrant, livable community.

Rachel Poretsky Oak Park

45 minutes is not enough for free parking

T he parking commission must be joking: 45 minutes free parking?! Once you pull into the garage, it might be 10 minutes before you find and pull into your parking space. T hen there’s another 10 minutes to walk to your destination. You have to allow 10 minutes to walk back at the end. What can you do in 15 minutes? So if someone does not want to pay for parking, they will simply have to go somewhere other than Oak Park

When I go to many other communi ties, such as Elmhurst, I see loads of free parking because those communi ties are smar t enough to realize that

they gain from the tax revenue from the sales at the stores and restaurants, and the existence of these businesses are a large part of what makes the community attractive

T hese changes are incredibly shor tsighted. Even I, as an Oak Parker, may consider shopping elsewhere if the parking becomes too expensive. Apparently there has to be a restructuring of the village budg et so that the parking is not isolated and it gains from the sales tax revenue the free parking generates

Joyce Porter Oak Park

Move for ward with OPRF Project 2

I have a freshman at OPRF High School and two younger children who will attend OPRF in the future. I am writing to share my strong support for Imagine OPRF Proj ect 2.

I toured the completion of Project 1 and am thrilled with the outcome. The improvements made to the facilities thus far — renovation/constr uction of 75 classrooms, a revamped student commons area, a state-of-the-ar t student resource center, all-gender restrooms, and more — are thoughtful and pragmatic

One of the things that struck me most during the tour of Project 1 was that the scope of the work was not outlandish or extravagant. T here were no huge “bells and whistles,” rather simply moder nized classrooms and c ommunal spaces fit for today’s students Project 2 is no dif ferent. T he plan for the complete rebuilding of the physical education facilities on the southeast cor ner of the school, although costly, is not outlandish or extravagant. It is thoughtful, pragmatic, and long overdue. All areas in this section of OPRF lack the features that

should be found in a moder n school environment.

During my tour I was shocked at the condition of the roof, HVAC systems, gyms, locker rooms, bathrooms, and pools, along with the lack of ADA accessibility, storag e, and basic safety elements. What I observe d made it clear to me that any at tempt to continue to re pair this area of the building is futile and that the Project 2 plan is the right thing for OPRF

Just as the results of Project 1 benefit every student in the building daily, let’s not forg et that completion of Project 2 will equally benefit every student, every day. T he reality is that this entire section of the building is as much a classroom as is its refreshed science labs and it should be invested in as such.

I support OPRF’s ef for ts to upgrade all these spaces and to provide what’s best for our students, faculty, and community. I urge the District 200 school board to ap prove the Project 2 scope and move forward with it immediately.

Joyce Webster Oak Park

Build a better bridge … not for cars

Please disregard the entirety of Kevin Shalla’s rethinking last week on the Home Avenue Bridge. [Home Avenue Bridge should allow all traffic, Viewpoints, Nov. 9]. It absolutely must remain pedestrians-only.

If one of Oak Park’s six options over the expressway isn’t good enough for someone, then perhaps they should drive less We shouldn’t encourage more people to zip across the vil lage; instead, let’s do something for Oak Pa rk ers and the drivers already passing through.

Let’s build a kickass bridge on the Eisen-

hower.

A noteworthy bridge would be a giant billboard for Oak Park — one we already make 200,000 architecture-loving people per day slow down to see, because our predecessors knew the answer was not more cars

Creating a footbridge pleasing in form and function will bring about a better future for Oak Park And that’s what we should be building this for.

Dan Stark Oak Park

Time is running out

The decisions by the Oak Park Village Board on Nov. 7 came up shor t. Is the Climate Action Plan just a lot of hot air? Our health, the health of our planet, and the health of the mostly minority workers who are at the highest risk from g as-powered leaf blowers aren’t part of the equation.

Where is the equity in that?

Don’t delay, put the phase-out in action now. Shouldn’t our health and the will of the residents be more impor tant than an easy budgetary decision?

Kristi Sloniger Oak Park

For heroes only : the all-appetizer dinner

Sheeplike, we usually follow the “coursed” dinner presentation of appetizer/ entrée/dessert. Some cultures elaborate upon that basic three-step model — in Italy there’s antipasti, primi, secondi, dolce, etc. — but basi cally, it’s a three-step progression.

Though perhaps a bold assertion, I propose having only appetizers for dinner. Granted, it takes steely discipline to allow your eyes to roam no further than the first menu section, but for the brave, the truly heroic, it’s a dinner of only appetizers.

HAMMOND

Recently, we went up to Wisconsin to stay at the Grand Geneva and catch an eyeful of autumn colors. After an afternoon riding e-bikes (my favorite form of simulated exercise), we’d worked up an appetite and went to Grand Geneva’s ChopHouse, but not with chops on the mind: I only had eyes for appetizers

I’m very fond of Oysters Rockefeller, a common starter I don’t usually order be cause with the creamy spinach and cheese, I fear I’d be full before entrées arrive. At ChopHouse, I fearlessly dove into the very good Oysters Rockefeller, enjoying every one. The crab cake was also exceptionally

good, and I devoured it with gusto as I didn’t feel compelled to “save room” for lots more. I did want a little more, however, and a tartare of luscious wagyu beef was pretty much all I had room to consume

There are many reasons why it makes sense to have only ap petizers for dinner.

Appetizers are appetizing. And isn’t that what all good food should be? Because they’re designed to be visually exciting and super tasty, appetizers are, in a way, perfect food

Portion control is important, and with appetizers, you order a few, and if you’re still hungry, order another. Dealing with smaller quanti ties of food makes it easier to regulate food intake.

Physiologically, “feeling full is a result of your brain reacting to chemicals released when you put food or drink in your stomach. Your brain takes around 20 minutes to register these chemicals.” If you gobble without pause, like Joey Chestnut housing Nathan’s hot dogs on Labor Day, you can slam vast quantities before realizing you’re full to bursting. If you start with appetizers, however, you can pause, then order more as needed

Dispelling a false rumor

I was an election judge on Nov. 8 (Oak Park precinct 19). My wife heard a r umor that the ballots were discarded after the election. This is not true

Touch screen ballots: T he touch screen mechanism g enerates a paper ballot, but it does not count your vote. In the next ste p, the voter inserts this paper ballot into the reader, the ballot is read and counted. The ballot then f alls into a compartment, out of sight, below where it is inserted. Think of a mailbox (such as the one on a street corner): when an envelope is inserted, it f alls into a bag, out of sight, awaiting collection.

Paper ballot: T he same process occurs for a paper ballot that the voter completes with a marker. After being read, it f alls

into the same compar tment.

After the polls close, election judges open this compartment and load the ballots into a large blue bag. (I did this task in my precinct.) T he bag is sealed; judges (one from each part y) carry the bag to a central location, the Receiving Station. T he ballots (that the voters inserted into the reader) are available for recounts (ei ther by machine or by hand).

Every voter can be assured that the ballot inserted into the reader is the final document of your vote. If any dispute arises, the paper ballot that you inserted is the vote that counts. T he paper ballot remains available indefinitely.

Stephen Jordan Oak Park

We love a big, juicy steak, but about half way through, we slow down, and it becomes laborious just to finish the darn, though delicious, thing. It gets boring. Appetizers are never boring.

The quantities of restaurant food destined

for the dumpster could feed a small village

By ordering only appetizers, you finish more of what you’ve ordered and thereby limit the scandalous waste. You will, in effect, be making a better world … and that’s what heroes do.

Local Dining & Food Blogger

PHOTO BY DAVID HAMMOND Crab Cake at Grand Geneva Chophouse

The parenting habit never dies. Fully into our senior years, my husband and I have made some changes not only to make our lives better but to make our kids’ easier Downsizing into a home where we can age in place? Check. Taking care of our health to stay independent as long as possible? Check. Estate planning? That’s done too.

Then there’s end-of-life planning Most of us relish this about as much as a colonoscopy. Even as we accept the inevitability of death, we’d rather not think about it — about our own end or that of loved ones who may precede us — especially as we assume we can control it no more than predict it.

We have more control than we realize By thinking through and clearly communicating our wishes about medical treatments to family members and doctors, each of us can control the degree and nature of the interventions we undergo. In for med by our values and based on our personal measures, we can de ter mine our personal tipping point at which quality of life is more im portant than quantity

But without clearly stated prefer ences, our current health-care system’s default imposes on us a medicalized death, usually prolonged, often at the cost of greater suffering without the possibility of restoring full quality of life. Particularly for those of us who have had our full measure of years, this may not be what we want. The choice is ours if we will make it

It’s hard to make these choices for ourselves, but it’s even harder to make them for someone else — someone we love and don’t want to lose. I don’t want to impose that on my children. End-of-life planning gives me some peace of mind, but it’s just as much a gift to them. Af ter all, I’d do anything for my kids Compassion & Choices, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to end-of-life choices, offers excellent planning resources. For more, go to www.compassionand choices.org; to get involved, go to www.compassionandchoices.org/ volunteer. They will direct you to our local Oak Park group that meets monthly to discuss these issues

Wendy Greenhouse, Oak Park

Remembering Ginie Cassin

from page 33

As new village employees, she said, it was impor tant that we understood the core values of the village from the start. Good gover nment and equality were

HAUSMAN

A legacy of survival

from page 33

ceremonies In our country we also have varied ways to observe religious services and spiritual events.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Yom Kippur service at Oak Park Temple, compliments of the miracle of Zoom tech-

Important decision on Social Security

If you are 65 years of age, you have until Dec. 7 to make one of the most important decisions you will make all year. You will decide whether to enroll in original Medicare or Medicare Advantage Original Medicare is sponsored by the federal gover nment; Medicare Advantage by a host of private for-profit companies. The decision you make can have major health and financial consequences.

Original includes Par ts A, B, and D. Part A covers hospital care, Part B outpatient care, and Part D prescription drugs. Advantage Part C bundles A, B, and D, and may of fer other benefits such as dental and hearing plans. Advantage’s popularity is based on the promise of lower premiums and caps on outof-pocket expenses However, Advantage plans may have higher deductibles and/or co-payments.

Planning a good exit End predatory towing in downtown Oak Park

I read with disgust two letters in successive Wednesday Jour nals (Rick Klaus, Oct. 26 and Re inhardt Van Dyke, Nov. 2) describing predatory towing of cars parked in the lot near Old Navy, ATT, and Sweetg reen. Having experienced my car being towed arbitrarily (at Nor thwester n University), I reco gnize the helplessness and outrag e that this situation produces. Perhaps we should boycott the stores who have hired this predatory towing compan y. We understand tha t providing a

bedrock values of the village, she said, and these values guided the village in all it did. Good gover nment and equality may not seem like unusual or extraordinary values for a municipality to have, she added, but unfortunately they were not as commonly held as they should be. It was one thing to say the words but quite another to live them, and the village aspired to live them each and every day. She told us it was impor tant that we understand

nology It was surprising to me how quickly I became engaged with the congregants gathered there. The prayers, psalms, and the ser mon were meaningful and, as in other re ligious observances, the emphasis was on ac cepting responsibility for our misdeeds and committing to live a more caring, moral life.

As the service continued, my mind drifted to the Holocaust and the people reading their Yom Kippur prayers at that perilous time How did so many of those brave souls continue to have faith in the face of such Nazi hor ror? As the rabbi at Oak Park Temple read

You should also be aware that most of the Ad vantage plans are HMOs although there are PPO plans, which have a prescribed network of doctors and hospitals Your favorite doctor or hospital may or may not be in the network. Advantage plans may require a patient to get a referral to see a specialist as well as prior permission to obtain cer tain drugs or services; coverages can change from year-to-year

If you live in Oak Park or River Forest and are interested in evaluating or re-evaluating your Medicare coverage you may want to schedule an appointment with Oak Park Township Senior Services at 708-383-8060.

Al Popowits Ri v er Forest

parking lot gives the right to limit parking. But what if you go to several stores? Must you drive 100 feet and re-park? What if the tow truck simply absconds with your car despite patronizing the correct store, as occurred to the Van Dykes?

We are grateful that the Jour nal published these cautionary letters. This may save us and others costly aggravation.

Tom DeCoursey Oak Park

our actions needed to be guided by these same principles. To drive that message home, she cautioned each of us to be sure this was a commitment we were willing to make because it was a commitment that the village expected us to keep Ginie threw down the g auntlet that day. Her message was clear, unmistakable and from the heart, and she made us stop and think. Every one of us walked out of Royal Oaks Restaurant that day with a

from the Torah, I had a vision of the panicstricken Jews burying their scriptures and artifacts to save them from Nazi ravaging

Listening to the cantor and choir sing and to the plaintiff sounds of the cello played during the service, I became aware of my blessings, knowing that my family is safe. Gratefulness overwhelmed me even as my eyes filled with tears at the thought of those Holocaust martyrs

The survival of Judaism is their legacy

Would that the survival and strengthening of our democracy be our legacy. The pessi

clear understanding of the commitment she asked us to make to this village. Many of her special qualities were on display that day, but they were never more present than when she brought them to bear in the service of the village she loved.

Ginie challenged us that day with a passion and commitment I have never forgotten. Thank you, Ginie. Love you always.

Ray Heise is the former villa ge attorney of Oak Park.

mism I often feel because of the lies, hatred, and violence propagated by Trump and his followers began to fade as I participated in the service. I was uplifted by the realization that whether it be Judaism, Christianity, or any other faith or belief system, paramount to most people is that goodness and love will prevail over evil and hate. May we nurture hope and strengthen our belief that a mor al, caring future is possible for all. Harriet Hausman, a 98-year-old longtime resident of Ri ver Forest, is lik ely America’s oldest news paper columnist.

Celebrating 3 decades working to end homelessness

If you asked original Tri-Village PADS co-chairs Rev. Greg Dell or Juanona Brewster if they could foresee Housing Forward assisting 2,776 individuals and families in 2021, they would probably have laughed at the idea, given that the night they opened the first over night shelter in 1992 at First United Church of Christ in Forest Park, no one showed up!

NANC Y CARR

One View

Last year, we reached new heights in fulfilling our vision of ending homelessness. For the first time in our 30-year history, we assisted more households in preventing homelessness at the outset and creating more pathways to housing stability, driving down the number of people experiencing literal homelessness.

Help save local newspapers

I’m concer ned about the future of local media. I have heard how many communities have lost their local newspapers, and even the Chicago dailies are a shadow of what they were at their height. In recent weeks our mailboxes have been stuffed with anonymous “news” mailers with “alter native facts,” filled with lies and distortions about candidates and policy issues

than news Local news sources create healthier and more engaged communi ties

You can help assure that this local treasure survives and continues to of fer award-winning local coverage. This is good for democracy and for our communities.

When we be gan as Tri-Village PADS in 1992, we were an entirely volunteer-run org anization focused on delivering emergency over night shelter and a hot meal at three houses of worship in Oak Park and Forest Park. That first year our dedicated volunteers served 244 people. At the time, that was its own milestone There was no other service like it being of fered in the area, since there were those who doubted that homeless people even existed in these villages.

Over the next two decades, the organization steadily expanded the services it could offer through numerous initiatives and partner ships. These included coordinating medical care through the local hospital system, launching a daytime support center and Transitional Housing Program, establishing a Homeless Prevention Program, and be ginning a Street Outreach & Engagement Program.

During this period of agency growth, TriVillage PADS became West Suburban PADS, reflecting our commitment to finding innova tive solutions to the issues facing our clients across the 20 communities we were serving at that time.

In 2015, we became Housing Forward, marking another milestone in our history and the continued growth of the organization beyond the PADS over night shelter Today we of fer a variety of housing programs that address a wide range of needs and circumstances

We also laid the foundation for the next ste ps in our crisis response. Housing Forward’s first new construction development, which will provide 16 per manent supportive housing apartments for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, will break ground in early 2023 and will open its doors later in the year

As we mark our 30th anniversary of transi tioning people from housing crisis to housing stability, we know that our work is far from done. There is a continuing and growing need for our services to prevent homelessness whenever possible, respond to the crisis of homelessness, and create stability through housing.

Our commitment to ending homelessness is as strong today as it was in 1992, and we are honored to continue the legacy of the visionary founding volunteers. The foundation of compassionate response they laid has been our guide post for the past 30 years. Through their unwavering resolve, these forerunners transfor med how the community responds to homelessness and the housing crisis

It has been said that “the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” These words perfectly describe those who gave freely of their time, talents, and most impor tantly, their hear ts to build a better world for neigh bors experiencing homelessness

Nanc y Carr wrote this piece for the Housing Forward Happenings newsletter.

Michael Bloch, 56

The world’s greatest ‘gunkle’

Michael Bloch, 56, born on July 16, 1966 and raised the Oak Park area, died suddenly on Oct. 27, 2022. ke was humbleness, kindness, and love personi fied. He grew up in River Forest, where he attended local public schools and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1984. After graduat-

It’s frightening to think what would happen if that was the only source of print “jour nalism” around. In too many places across the country, that’s what it has come to

Here on the greater West Side, we are fortunate to have reputable weekly news sources under the nonprofit umbrella of Growing Community Media (GCM). This new nonprofit incar nation of the Wednesday Jour nal and its sister publications provides solid reliable reporting of community news All the way from Garfield Park through the suburban townships of Oak Park, River Forest and Proviso, residents now have access to feature stories and editorial coverage as well as the opportunity for local residents to share their viewpoints

But even our 40-year old local paper is on shaky ground; as newsrooms shrink and disappear around the country, GCM jour nalists are doing more with less. They have fewer staff and tighter budgets all while trying to help our community understand that hyper-local jour nalism is about more

OBITUARIES

ing from Indiana University in 1988, he retur ned to the near west suburbs For the last 29 years, he worked at Shaker Recruitment Marketing in Oak Park.

A lifelong sports fan, he played baseball in River Forest Little League as a kid, coached River Forest teams after graduating from college, and for more than 20 years ran various Little League programs while serving on the River Forest Youth Baseball and Softball governing board. His dedication to spor ts extended to Oak Park, where he coordinated adult soft-

Please consider doing the following: Subscribe to your local newspaper (and read it!). It will be delivered to your door every week to keep up with what’s happening in your community.

d k h c a s m

Encourage friends and family to become subscribers too This makes an excellent holida y gift

If you are a digital news consumer, consider making a tax-deductible donation equivalent to the cost of a Wednesday Jour nal print subscription — $48. Tell your friends to share this op portunity to invest in Growing Community Media and your newsworthy community These donations are tax deductible

If your circumstances allow, become a partner in good jour nalism with an additional contribution to Growing Community Media’s current, “Let’s Make a Match” campaign

Donate at https://growingcommuni tymedia.app neoncrm.com/campaign jsp?campaign=16&

Let’s work together to ensure that reliable news coverage does not vanish from the Earth!

Terri Powell Oak Park

ball leagues for the Park District for about 20 years.

Mike enjoyed working at Shaker and thought of his co-workers there as extended family. He shared his wicked sense of humor, and, late in his life, discovered his love of cats. He was maybe the greatest “gunkle” the world has ever known, sending surprise bouncy houses to birthday parties, photographing baby Chewbacca’s cross-country jour ney, telling ri-

diculous yet captivating bedtime stories, and buying all the candy at the movies. He loved a rare steak, a White Sox game, a fantasy sports league, Indiana University basketball, and spending time with friends and family He is survived by his mother, Jeanne Bloch, his sisters, Shana (husband Ryan) and Jennifer (husband Peter), and his nephew and nieces Eli Bloch Garcia, Luisa Bloch Garcia, Lucy King and Cora King

There will be a memorial service celebrating Michael’s life at 11 a.m. on Nov. 19 at Riverside Golf Club, 2520 S. Desplaines Ave., North Riverside

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for childhood brain tumors.

Arrangements were handled by Zimmer man-Har nett Funeral Home

Joseph Meier, 85 Longtime CPS teacher

Joseph D. Meier, 85, died on Nov. 1, 2022, at Riverside Methodist Hospital. Born on Oct. 24, 1937, in Newark, New Jersey, to Jo seph B. and Katherine E. (Cameron) Meier, he was a Chicago Public School teacher for approximately 38 years. He loved Jesus, faithfully prayed for almost 40 people each day, and was a Jehoshaphat of his generation. He was a plant whisperer, he was a masterful gardener, and his plants seemed to really love him. He

easily made friends with people and called a Wednesday Journal columnist on a regular basis to give his personal and comprehensive slant on local issues.

He married Irma Betty Dau on Aug. 5, 1967. She died on Feb. 7, 2022. He will be deeply missed by his daughter Lisa Meier of Co lumbus, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his brother, John C. Meier, and his sister, Lois Meier.

Funeral services were held on Nov. 12 at Roberts Funeral Home in Wooster, Ohio, followed by interment at Sherwood Memorial Gardens. Online tributes may be made at www.RobertsFuneralHome.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Israel Ministry, https://store.foi. org/donate/where-needed-most.

Bertha Peterson, 90

Longtime First Baptist Church member

Bertha (Jones) Peterson, 90, of Oak Park, died on Nov. 12, 2022. Raised in Wilmette, she attended New Trier Township High School, then graduated from Miami of Ohio with a bachelor’s de gree in Psycholog y. She married Walter Peterson in 1954 in Wilmette. They lived in downtown Chicago and enjoyed visiting jazz venues, eventually moving to Oak Park where they raised their two daughters, Wendy and Lynn.

Bertha worked for Oak Park Elementary School District 97 for 10 years as an administrative technical assistant in the Depart ment of Special Education. At the age of 44, she went back to colle ge to get her master’s de gree in Clinical Psychology at Roosevelt University in Chicago, then worked as a

school psychologist for Naperville School District 203 for 23 years, retiring at the age of 70. While working, she volunteered at the West Suburban Hospital Gift Shop for seven years.

The couple enjoyed hosting social events and were well known for their annual New Year’s Day celebration. They enjoyed dancing and traveling with friends and family. After Walter’s death, Bertha travelled in the United States, Mexico and Europe She was an avid bridge player, attended daily exercise classes (many of which were taught by her daughter Lynn), and loved attending the big band concerts at Fitzgerald’s Night Club. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were great delights and she made it a habit to spend special time with each of them.

Bertha is survived by her daughters, Wendy Donaghue (Kevin) and Lynn Purl (Jim); four granddaughters, Lindsey Purl [Mike Rutten], Kelly Reynolds [Troy], Ja mie Konrad [John], and Meghan Donaghue; and three great-grandchildren, Harper, Owen and Brigit.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, at First Baptist Church of Oak Park, where she was a member for over 60 years, and served on the board of trustees.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to First Baptist Church of Oak Park, 820 Ontario St., Oak Park, IL 60302.

John Cochrane, 88 Air Force vete

John Cochrane, 88, of Oak Oct. 8, 2022. He was a U.S. Air John was the husband of

chrane; the father of Kristine (Jim Angio) Cochrane and Susanna (Casey) Decker; the grandfather of Hannah (Sam) Shapiro, Jacob and Johnny Decker; the brother of the late Mary Barbara (late Paul) Bickell; brother-in-law of Ingrid (Bill) Peek and Jurgen Petzold; uncle of John Bickell, Barbara (Peter) Manson, Jessi (Jens) and Nicholas Petzold; and the great-uncle of Isabel, Andrew and Johann.

A memorial Mass will be held on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022 at St. Mary Church, 126 Herrick Road, Riverside at 10 a.m., with private inter ment at Abraham Lincoln Na tional Cemetery.

Arrangements were handled by Conboy Westchester Funeral Home.

Sam Abbinante, 89 Avid gardener

Sabino (Sam) Abbinante, 89, died on Nov. 6, 2022, after a short illness. Born on March 4, 1933 in Bari, Italy, he was an avid gardener loved to talk about Italy, flowers or his five beloved grandkids, and was always willing to give a hand to any family, friend or neighbo Sam is survived by his wife, Elaine; his son, Phil; his daughters, Gina (Rene) and andchildren, Rachel, Nicole, Shannon, Joey & Samantha; and his many family members near and far. memorial is being planned at

Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class.

Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

DEFINITION

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

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Reports directly to the Information Technology Services Director.

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES:

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

Essential duties and responsibilities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HELP WANTED

software and other forms of systems and data.

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

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

13. Participate in research and recommendation of technology solutions.

Other important responsibilities and duties

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

2. Participate in the preparation of various activity reports.

3. Travel and support remote facilities and partner agencies.

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

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

6. Complete projects on a timely and efficient manner.

7. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

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

9. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

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

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

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

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

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

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

VB scripts.

Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment.

Technical writing, office productivity tools and database packages.

Ability to:

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

- Walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time

- Operating assigned equipment

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

- Working in and around computer equipped vehicles

Maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and perception needed for:

- Making observations

- Communicating with others

- Reading and writing

- Operating assigned equipment and vehicles

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

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

Experience and Training Guidelines

Experience: Three years of network/system administration in the public or private sector, maintaining a minimum of 75 Client Workstation computers. AND Training: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in computer science or a related field. Certifications in Microsoft Server Administration, Networking, Applications and Cisco Networking.

Possession of a valid Illinois Driver License is required at the time of appointment.

Vaccination against COVID-19 strongly preferred.

WORKING CONDITIONS

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

ACCOUNT CLERK II

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

NURSERY SUPERVISOR AND CHILDCARE COORDINATOR

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

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

PART-TIME ASSISTANT FACILITIES MANAGER

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park 324 N Oak Park Ave, Oak Park

First United Methodist Church is seeking a part-time Assistant Facilities Manager to work the following hours:

- Sunday mornings 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM

- Two Mondays per month from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM

- Every Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM The position will also cover additional hours for weekdays and occasional weekend hours as needed.

Responsibilities of this position include:

- Opening and closing procedures on Sunday mornings and at the end of other church or guest events.

- Locking and unlocking appropriate doors for each event

- Overseeing the loading and unloading of bulky items through church doors

- Setting up and breaking down tables

- Directing guests to legal parking options

- Providing security for church events

River Forest Public Schools

Qualifications:

• Valid Illinois Professional Educator License with an endorsement in School Psychology.

• Prefer at least 5 years of successful educational experience in both general and special education; and at least five years of successful experience in evaluating students, collaborating, and problemsolving with school and District teams.

• Master’s Degree preferred.

Demonstrates knowledge of special education legislation and acts in accordance with those mandates; follows policies and procedures of the District. Develops and implements activities that encourage students to be life-long learners. Identify and assess the learning, development, and needs of individuals and groups, as well as, the environmental factors that affect learning and school success. Uses assessment data about the

students and their environments in developing appropriate interventions and programs. Conducts appropriate individual psychoeducational assessments for children who have or are suspected of having a disability and provides written reports of assessment results.

Participates in all staff conferences of students having received psychological evaluation or reevaluation, including hospital discharge. Provide support to special education personnel including assisting staff with development of functional behavioral analysis and behavior intervention plans, modeling “best practices” and assisting special educators with instructional practices.

For a complete list of duties, please visit our website at https://www.district90.org/about/ employment

Interested candidates should complete the online application available at www.district90.org.

Custom Frame Company

Clean, safe, fun work with graphic display frames that you’ll see in Wal-Marts, Verizon stores, CTA stations, all over US. No weekends, no evening hours, great pay and benefits.

Manufacturing

Top rated firm, Alpina Manufacturing LLC, founded in 1992, locally owned beautiful campus in Galewood, near Mars candy, 3 blocks north of Oak Park. We build and sell display framing systems to customers nationwide including Wal-Mart, Verizon, Circle K, Hospitals, CTA.

Apply in person M-F 8am to 4pm • Alpina • 6460 W Cortland St Chicago, IL 60707 www.fastchangeframes.com

- Contacting emergency medical, police or fire personnel when required

- Ensuring snow removal contractors arrive in time to clean sidewalks, or removing snow on private sidewalks if needed

- Accessing items in storage as needed, such as power strips, proper tape

- Handling minor repairs and contacting the Facilities Manager, Trustees or directly calling contractors when necessary

- On occasion there is some cleaning required of spaces used

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

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

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

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

FULL TIME HELP

WANTED

SPOTLESS CARWASH at 7343 Roosevelt and 7802 Madison St in Forest Park is in need of an attendant. We are looking for someone who likes to be outside and is friendly and likes people.

The duties are to meet and greet customers, make change, sell tokens, automatic and self serve wash instructions, keep the lot, equipment room, and perimeter clean.

Pay is $13.00 per hour to start. The hours an attendant is on duty are 9 – 11 and 12 – 5 on weekdays, 9 – 11 and 11:30 – 4 on Saturday and Sunday. Looking for Wednesday through

PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

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

HELP WANTED • NETWORK SPECIALIST

River Forest Public Schools, District 90 is seeking an experienced part-time School Psychologist

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y22009778 on October 25, 2022 Under the Assumed Business Name of SP TECH with the business located at: 1020 N DES PLAINES AVE SUITE 410, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: DELONDON C HAWTHORNE 1020 N DES PLAINES AVE SUITE 410, FOREST PARK, IL 60130

Published in Forest Park Review November 9, 16, 23, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss

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

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

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

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

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

IRIS Y. MARTINEZ, Clerk.

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

PUBLIC NOTICE

TO BIDDERS

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

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

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

Bid Opening will be held at 2:15pm CST within the board room:

Scope of work for Bid Group 1 generally includes: Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing, Plumbing & General Trades

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

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

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

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

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

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

For additional information on the project, contact Michael Damato of Bulley & Andrews, LLC at mdamato@bulley.com or 847-602-9512. Dated: 10/25/22 Michael Damato Bulley & Andrews, LLC

2, 9, 16 2022

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR

REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY.

Request of Olivia Rose Reynolds Case Number 2022CON001315

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Olivia Rose Reynolds to the new name of: Oliver Winchester Reynolds.

The court date will be held: On December 19, 2022 at 9am via Zoom at 50 W. Washington Street, Chicago, Cook County, Meeting ID: 96525616475 Password: 553663.

Published in Wednesday Journal November 16, 23, 30, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y22009829 on November 7, 2022 Under the Assumed Business Name of WRITE 2 READ RIGHT with the business located at: 5931 WEST MIDWAY PARK UNIT 2E, CHICAGO, IL 60644. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: MICHOL MARLENE WHITNEY 5931 WEST MIDWAY PARK UNIT 2E CHICAGO, IL 60644, USA.

Published in Wednesday Journal November 16, 23, 30, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE LAW OFFICE OF LINDA EPSTEIN

Attorney for Petitioner 722 W. Diversey Parkway, Ste. 101B Chicago, IL 60614

STATE OF ILLINOIS, COUNTY OF COOK, ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division In re the Marriage of: Laura Gonzalez, Petitioner, and Noe Ayala, Respondent, Case No. 2021 D 005047.

The requisite affidavit for Publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, Noe Ayala, Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, Laura Gonzalez, for Dissolution of Marriage and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent file your Appearance and Response electronically to said Petition with the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, on or before December 14, 2022 default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a Judgment for Dissolution of Marriage Entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

IRIS Y. MARTINEZ, Clerk. November 16, November 23, and November 30, 2022.

Published in Wednesday Journal November 16, 23, 30, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE SUMMONS (Family Law)

CITACIÓN (Derecho familiar)

CASE NUMBER (NÚMERO DE CASO): HF22125609

NOTICE TO RESPONDENT

(Name): AVISO AL DEMANDADO (Nombre): KALASH KIRTAN

You have been sued. Read the information below and on the next page.

Lo han demandado. Lea la información a continuación y en la página siguiente.

Petitioner’s name is: Nombre del demandante: SATNESH S. PRASAD

You have 30 calendar days after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter, phone call, or court appearance will not protect you.

If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnership, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs.

For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the California Courts Online SelfHelp Center (www.courts.ca.gov/ selfhelp), at the

California Legal Services website (www.lawhelpca.org), or by contacting your local county bar association.

Tiene 30 días de calendario después de haber recibido la entrega legal de esta Citación y Petición para presentar una Respuesta (formulario FL-120) ante la corte y efectuar la entrega legal de una copia al demandante. Una carta o llamada telefónica o una audiencia de la corte no basta para protegerlo.

Si no presenta su Respuesta a tiempo, la corte puede dar órdenes que afecten su matrimonio o pareja de hecho, sus bienes y la custodia de sus hijos. La corte también le puede ordenar que pague manutención, y honorarios y costos legales.

Para asesoramiento legal, póngase en contacto de inmediato con un abogado. Puede obtener información para encontrar un abogado en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en el sitio web de los Servicios Legales de California (www.lawhelpca.org) o poniéndose en contacto con el colegio de abogados de su condado.

NOTICE—RESTRAINING ORDERS

ARE ON PAGE 2: These restraining orders are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment is entered, or the court makes further orders. They are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them.

AVISO—LAS ÓRDENES DE RESTRICCIÓN SE ENCUENTRAN EN

LA PÁGINA 2: Las órdenes de restricción están en vigencia en cuanto a ambos cónyuges o miembros de la pareja de hecho hasta que se despida la petición, se emita un fallo o la corte dé otras órdenes. Cualquier agencia del orden público que haya

recibido o visto una copia de estas órdenes puede hacerlas acatar en cualquier lugar de California.

FEE WAIVER: If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order you to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party.

EXENCIÓN DE CUOTAS: Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario un formulario de exención de cuotas. La corte puede ordenar que usted pague, ya sea en parte o por completo, las cuotas y costos de la corte previamente exentos a petición de usted o de la otra parte.

1. The name and address of the court are (El nombre y dirección de la corte son): SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, 24405 AMADOR STREET, HAYWARD, CA 94544 - FAMILY LAW DIVISION

2. The name, address, and telephone number of the petitioner’s attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney, are: (El nombre, dirección y número de teléfono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante si no tiene abogado, son): SATNESH S. PRASAD, 607 LONGWOOD AVE., HAYWARD, CA 94541

Date (Fecha): MAY 27, 2022

CHAD FINKE, Clerk, by (Secretario, por) C. GALLO, Deputy (Asistente)

[SEAL]

Published in the Wednesday Journal November 16, 23, 30, December 7, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Processed USDA Commodities and Commercial Food Products

The Northern Illinois Independent Purchasing Cooperative will be receiving offers on its Request For Proposals for: Direct to Manufacturer Processed USDA Commodities and Commercial Food Products. RFP’s must be received by Wednesday, December 14, 2022 at 9:00 A.M. in the Business Office, Room 2136, of Oak Park and River Forest High School, 201 North Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois 60302. RFP documents may be obtained by contacting Micheline Piekarski at niipcinfo@gmail.com or by phone at (708) 434-3142. RFP’s should be placed in a sealed envelope marked: Processed USDA Commodities and Commercial Food Products

ATTENTION: Micheline Piekarski, Food Service Director.

Published in Wednesday Journal November 16, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

PROVISO EAST (See specific bid packages listed below)

ADVERTISEMENT FOR NOTIFICATION OF BID FOR PROVISO SCHOOL DISTRICT 209 – SECURITY EQUIPMENT

• Furnish and deliver only (1) Parcel Security Scanner and (3) Walkthrough Scanners

Township High School District 209, is receiving lump sum proposals from interested contractors for the Proviso School District Capital Improvements Project. This release includes the following:

PROVISO WEST (See specific bid packages listed below)

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

• Furnish and deliver only (1) Parcel Belt Security Scanner and (3) Walkthrough Scanners

PROVISO MATH AND SCIENCE ACADEMY (see specific bid packages listed below)

PROVISO MATH AND SCIENCE ACADEMY (see specific bid packages listed below)

• Furnish and deliver only (1) Parcel Belt Security Scanner and (3) Walkthrough Scanners

• Furnish and deliver only (1) Parcel Belt Security Scanner and (3) Walkthrough Scanners.

PROVISO EAST (See specific bid packages listed below)

• Furnish and deliver only (1) Parcel Security Scanner and (3) Walkthrough Scanners

BP # DESCRIPTION

28B Security Equipment Proviso East/West/PMSA

• The bid documents will be distributed to bidders on or about November 11, 2022

• The bid documents will be distributed to bidders on or about November 11, 2022.

• The proposals will be due on November 30, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. local time via www.ibidpro.com

PROVISO WEST (See specific bid packages listed below)

• The proposals will be due on November 30, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. local time via www.ibidpro.com.

To bid this project, bidders should prequalify with Gilbane Building Company via Compass at https://compass app.com/auth/register The bid proposals are to be completed online at www.ibidpro.com

• Furnish and deliver only (1) Parcel Belt Security Scanner and (3) Walkthrough Scanners

Bid security in the form of a bid bond in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the base bid is required from all bidders. Guarantee Bonds in the form of a Performance Bond and Labor and Material Payment Bond in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the bid will be required from the awarded Bidder.

To bid this project, bidders should prequalify with Gilbane Building Company via Compass at https:// compass-app.com/auth/register. The bid proposals are to be completed online at www.ibidpro.com.

Bid security in the form of a bid bond in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the base bid is required from all bidders. Guarantee Bonds in the form of a Performance Bond and Labor and Material Payment Bond in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the bid will be required from the awarded Bidder.

The work will be done in accordance with the Contract Documents. “FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS INVITATION TO BID MAY RESULT IN THE DISQUALIFICATION OF THE BIDDER”.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Plaintiff, -v.LOUIS G APOSTOL, AS SUPERVISED ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF GERHARD THOMSEN, DECEASED, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF GERHARD THOMSEN, DECEASED, UNKNOWN CLAIMANTS AND LIENHOLDERS AGAINST THE ESTATE OF GERHARD THOMSEN, DECEASED, UNKNOWN CLAIMANTS AND LIENHOLDERS AGAINST THE UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF GERHARD THOMSEN, DECEASED, ANTHONY MCGHEE, AS LEGATEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERHARD THOMSEN, DECEASED, PAWS ANIMAL SHELTER, AS LEGATEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERHARD THOMSEN, DECEASED, CITIZENS BANK, N.A. FKA RBS CITIZENS, N.A.

closure 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).

The work will be done in accordance with the Contract Documents. “FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS INVITATION TO BID MAY RESULT IN THE DISQUALIFICATION OF THE BIDDER”.

This contract calls for the construction of a “public work,” within the meaning of the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/.01 et seq. (“the Act”). The Act requires contractors and subcontractors to pay laborers, workers and mechanics performing services on public works projects no less than the “prevailing rate of wages” (hourly cash wages plus fringe benefits) in the county where the work is performed. For information regarding current prevailing wage rates, please refer to the Illinois Department of Labor’s website at: https://www2.illinois.gov/idol/Laws-Rules/CONMED/Pages/Rates.aspx. All contractors and subcontractors rendering services under this contract must comply with all requirements of the Act, including but not limited to, all wage, notice and record keeping duties.

This contract calls for the construction of a “public work,” within the meaning of the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/.01 et seq. (“the Act”). The Act requires contractors and subcontractors to pay laborers, workers and mechanics performing services on public works projects no less than the “prevailing rate of wages” (hourly cash wages plus fringe benefits) in the county where the work is performed. For information regarding current prevailing wage rates, please refer to the Illinois Department of Labor’s website at: https://www2.illinois.gov/idol/Laws Rules/CONMED/Pages/Rates.aspx All contractors and subcontractors rendering services under this contract must comply with all requirements of the Act, including but not limited to, all wage, notice and record keeping duties.

Defendants 22 CH 02162 916 N. HUMPHREY AVE. OAK PARK, IL 60302

NOTICE OF SALE

The Proviso Township High School District 209 and Gilbane Building Company reserve the right to reject any or all bids. All information submitted as part of this process shall be considered public information under the State Freedom of Information Act unless specifically disclosed on the applicable information by the Bidder. Challenges to such exemptions shall be defended solely by the Bidder.

The Proviso Township High School District 209 and Gilbane Building Company reserve the right to reject any or all bids. All information submitted as part of this process shall be considered public information under the State Freedom of Information Act unless specifically disclosed on the applicable information by the Bidder. Challenges to such exemptions shall be defended solely by the Bidder.

Published in Forest Park Review, November 16, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on September 16, 2022, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on December 19, 2022, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 916 N. HUMPHREY AVE., OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-127-0140000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $154,625.54.

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

For information, contact HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 601 E. William St., DECATUR, IL, 62523 (217) 422-1719. Please refer to file number 1640900.

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.

HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC 601 E. William St. DECATUR IL, 62523 217-422-1719 Fax #: 217-422-1754

E-Mail: CookPleadings@hsbattys. com

Attorney File No. 1640900 Attorney Code. 40387 Case Number: 22 CH 02162 TJSC#: 42-3560

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will re ceive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 2, 2022 for the following:

Village of Oak Park 2023 Village of Oak Park Emergency Street Lighting & Traffic Control Repair Work Bid Number: 23-105

Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/bid.

For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal November 16, 2022

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 fore-

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 # 22 CH 02162 I3206920

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.

e 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.

is 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: 1-800669-9777.

GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA

ADVERTISEMENT FOR NOTIFICATION OF BID FOR

PROVISO SCHOOL DISTRICT 209 SECURITY EQUIPMENT

Gilbane Building Company, Construction Manager, for and acting on behalf of The Board of Education of Proviso Township High School District 209, is receiving lump sum proposals from interested contractors for the Proviso School District Capital Improvements Project This release includes the following:

Anything but ordinary.

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Begin your journey to a healthier, happier you, visit dulyhealthandcare.com/OakPark or call 708-745-5744.

Oak Park 1121 South Blvd.

Henish Bhansali, MD Kristen Vealey, MD