Wednesday Journal 113022

New operator at West Sub may take over this week

Separate sale of real estate still pending negotiations

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Resilience Healthcare, a Michig an-based healthcare management group, is expected to assume all operations of West Suburban Medical Center late this week. The hospital’s current owner, Pipeline Health Systems LLC, announced a sale ag reement had been reached with Resilience in a Nov. 23 news release.

The sale is pending approval from a Texas bankruptcy court and also includes Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, as well as West Suburban’s River Forest medical campus and the Chicago Health Medical Group. The change in ownership has been in the works since last March and has had some bumps in the sales process.

“We are excited about this progress and look forward to a closing date of Dec. 2 for Resilience to assume the hospital operations and continue serving the communities

Photo by Rachel Rosner

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Oak Park 1121 South Blvd.

Henish Bhansali, MD Kristen Vealey, MD

e new Jim Crow

In her new book, The White Wall: How Big Finance Bankrupts Black America, New York Times finance re por ter Emily Flitter shares the absurd experiences of Black financial professionals like Ricardo Peters, a JPMorgan Chase employee.

For instance, Peters was “assigned a three-letter identification code for use inside JPMorgan’s computer systems, and the code was APE.” When he asked a superior to change the code, which had invited teasing from his coworkers, his request was denied

ROMAIN

Flitter depicts white financial executives, thinking the coast is clear, raising their middle fingers after diversity meetings or calling initiatives putatively designed to attract more Black clients as “Urban Markets,” or outright denying financial services to Blacks who have the money and credit-worthiness for those services on the basis (completely unfounded) that those prospective Black clients are on welfare and haven’t worked hard enough for their money

Those sentiments are par for the course in white-dominated workspaces these days. Scholars like Jason Hackworth and Lawrence Bobo have outlined the formation of this white-collar racism. Hackworth, summarizing research by Bobo and his colleagues, writes that “Jim Crow racism disintegrated in the 1950s and 1960s because of the confluence of two major factors: the activism of the civil rights movement that punctured notions of biological inferiority and the erosion of the souther n agricultural economic system upon which Jim Crow was based.

“These events did not, however, make racism disappear. Rather, it morphed to laissez-faire racism,” which is racism that “blames blacks themselves for the blackwhite gap in social economic standing and actively resists meaningful efforts to ameliorate America’s racist social conditions and institutions.”

While Jim Crow racism was premised on Black biological inferiority, laissez-faire racism is premised on notions of Black cultural inferiority, Hackworth writes in his 2019 book Manufacturing Decline: How Racism and the Conservative Movement Crush the American Rust Belt.

Hackworth adds that laissez-faire racism “provokes, and is provoked by, a sensibility that justifies, disregards, or individualizes

disparate impact … [it] does not acknowledge racial animus unless it is for mally stated in the most openly bigoted way. It animates and generates strenuous denials of racial intent in a range of policies that clearly impact black people more than white. As long as the language of Jim Crow racism is not used in policy documents or justifications, conservatives (and many white moderates) insist it cannot be racist.”

Hackworth argues that since the 1960s and 1970s, conservatives and neoliberals have deployed laissez-faire racism to become the dominant political force in America, replacing a New Deal emphasis on bank regulations, antimonopoly protections, labor laws and social welfare programs with an emphasis on what Hackworth calls “organized deprivation,” or an emphasis on austerity, limiting local autonomy, disembedding the market from political constraints, and punishing unruly people Organized deprivation, the author adds, is rooted in a white reaction to Black political progress, namely the success of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

In essence, without the power to enslave, segregate and plunder outright, the forces of white supremacy got savvier, deploying dog-whistle imagery and language that, like a double-edged sword, appealed to both the “racially anxious and the racially resentful.”

“Racially resentful white voters view pathology and danger as innate to black people or at least the result of poor individual choices” — a sensibility fueled by “the remnants of Jim Crow racism and by those who feel that the civil rights movement was an unjustified assault on their white privilege.” Meanwhile, racially anxious white voters “do not believe themselves to be resentful” but may be attracted to ideas like low taxes and small gover nment.

Laissez-faire racism creates proxies like Ronald Reagan’s welfare queen or the 1980s “super predators” that are powerful metaphors, arousing both anxiety and resentment, which fuel electoral success and policies premised on austerity for everyone but the non-wealthy, punishment for the poor, and tax cuts for the wealthy.

A pivotal year

The year 1968 was a tur ning point in the conservative campaign to leverage

laissez-faire racism for political gain. The presidential election that year included George Wallace, the openly whitesupremacist gover nor of Alabama; Richard Nixon, the for mer vice president and “law and order” candidate who was testing out the laissez-faire racism that would help his party capture the South and route Democratic Sen. George McGovern in the 1972 election; and Vice President Hubert Humphrey

The successes secured by the moder n civil rights movement resulted in Blacks securing elected offices, attending white schools and purchasing homes in white neighborhoods, which comprised, in the minds of many whites, “racial threat conditions.”

Similar to the Trump effect now, those white communities experiencing the greatest number of racial threat conditions were where Wallace’s open racism and Nixon’s dog-whistle “law and order” rhetoric were most successful, Hackworth argues. And they were concentrated in the industrial Midwest, home to cities with growing Black populations like Detroit and Chicago — where conservatives could conjure themes of inner city decay, rampant criminology and urban pathology several decades before they would dominate coverage on Fox News and anchor Trump’s “Big Lie” of an election stolen by fraudulent inner-city voters.

Some of you may be old enough to remember the two or three years leading up to 1968, which were marked by racial disturbances across the country. Perhaps nowhere in the west suburbs were those disturbances more heated than in Maywood, where Blacks were moving next to whites at an increasing clip and voicing their growing frustration with racial prejudice.

Voting for Goldwater

The 1967 Ker ner Commissioner report, for instance, identified two disturbances that occurred in Maywood the summer of that pivotal year, which don’t seem to have included major disturbances at Proviso East High School in October

There are signs that laissez-faire racism was taking hold in the Chicago area even before the 1968 election. Barry Goldwater — the Arizona senator who was ahead of his time in advocating for laissez-faire racism before people knew what to call it and whom Martin Luther King said “articulates a philosophy which gives aid and comfort to the racists” — got substantially more votes than President Lyndon Johnson in both River Forest and Oak Park townships in the 1964 presidential election. In Proviso Township, Goldwater nearly tied Johnson.

The president beat the senator by less than 2,000 votes in Proviso Township in a year that Johnson won in a national landslide.

In the 1968 election, Wallace got nearly 10% of the vote in Proviso Township while Nixon trounced Humphrey. Nixon also beat Humphrey handily in Oak Park and River Forest townships, even though Nixon only won by less than 1% nationally.

I’m not implying that everyone who voted Republican in the 1960s was racist, but we have to ask ourselves, as we face yet another period of white reaction after the election of a Black president, did racial sentiments play some factor in those elections and in what ways?

In the 1960s, Oak Park residents were afraid the village would go the way of nearby Austin, a place where whites, in droves, were rushing to get away from their Black neighbors. Was Goldwater’s over performance here in 1964 due, at least in part, to this racial dynamic? Was Nixon’s and Wallace’s over-perfor mance here in 1968 due, at least in part, to the unruly Democratic Convention in August or the rumors reported by Claude Walker in the Forest Park Review in 1967 about “every negro student [at East having] a switchblade knife”?

I agree with Hackworth that those electoral victories, in a period of extreme civil unrest and uncertainty, were won, in part, because conservatives were able to successfully pathologize and criminalize Blacks, particularly Black men. Hackworth calls this the conservative movement’s “strong bonding capital,” which unites whites and even some conservative nonwhites across the political spectrum — left to right — which is why it’s so enduring.

This white fusion politics was a deliberate and concerted strateg y on the part of Nixon’s campaign. Just listen to a Nixon political insider talk candidly to journalist Dan Baum in 1994 about the War on Drugs: “You want to know what this was really all about? The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana, the blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”

They knew then and they know now.

CONTAC

‘Tis the Season: Holiday Traditions From Radio’s Golden Age

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2-3 p.m.,

Oak Park Public Librar y

From Jack Benny’s annual shopping trips to Lionel Barrymore’s portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge, there were several ongoing holiday customs on the airwaves during the pre-television era.. This presentation o ers a box full of classic seasonal sounds from radio’s past, designed to spur the imagination and share a bit of Yuletide spirit. Register now at oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Holiday Ar t & Craf t Fair

Saturday, Dec. 3, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.;

Sunday, Dec. 4, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy and St. Giles Parish The name says it all: a showcase of several holiday-related items to decorate the abode for the coming month. 1101 Columbian Ave., Oak Park.

Stories & Craf ts for Preschoolers

Thursday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y

Preschoolers and accompanying adults share stories, songs, and a craft. Drop-in event limited to 15 preschoolers, each with one adult. Register now at oppl.org/calendar

The Winding Path To

Publication: 1950s and Today

Monday, Dec. 5, 1:15-2:15 p.m.,

Nineteenth Centur y Charitable Association

Author Caroline Woods (Fräulein M and The Lunar Housewife) will go into detail about her path to publication–the eight years it took to write, nd an agent for, and publish her rst book, and the very di erent process for the second. She will also discuss the pitfalls and hurdles people faced in the 1950s, including government censorship, pro-capitalist bias, sexism, racial discrimination, and other themes Woods explores in The Lunar Housewife The program is free, but there is a voluntary suggested donation of $15 for non-members. A three-course meal will be served at noon before the program (doors open at 11:30 am). For more information, visit http://www.nineteenthcentury.org. 178

Forest Ave., Oak Park

BIG WEEK November 30-December 7

Paper Snowflakes

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2-3 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 7, 3-4 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y

Get into the winter spirit by learning to make paper snow akes. Take your creations home or help cover the librar y windows with snow. Best for grades 2+. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

VIRTUAL: Life More Wonder ful, Not Just Less Horrible

Thursday, Dec. 1, 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Former criminal defense attorney Marc Bleso speaks on the aging process and how it can work to your advantage, rather than being a liability. Bleso is currently the chairperson of the Oak Park Aging Commission. Fees on sliding scale: $40 for suppor ters, $35 basic, $25 reduced Register at Sage-ing International.

Bir th of a New Perennial Garden

Wednesday, Dec. 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m., vir tually through Oak Park Public Librar y

This event is a personal introduction to the design principles of Piet Oudolf, one of the leading naturalistic

landscape and garden designers in the world and de signer of Chicago’s Lurie Garden. The talk is par t memoir, par t histor y, and par t design theor y–with some practical Oudol an “dos and don’ts” for gardeners at ever y level Register now at oppl.org/calendar

Cla ssroom Kitchen Series: Appetizers for the Holidays

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 6:30-8 p.m., vir tually through Oak Park Public Librar y Kristyn Slick of Classroom Kitchen hosts an interac tive vir tual cooking series focusing on ingredients commonly utilized during the fall and early winter. Appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, canapes, and nger food are all fair game. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

Medicare Educational Seminar

Thursday, Dec. 1, 5-6 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y Medicare can be confusing. Find out what Medicare covers, what it doesn’t, and your potential out-of-pocket exposure, and learn about Medicare Supplements, Medicare Advantage Plans, Par t D Prescription Coverage, and cost-saving strategies for the year ahead. Presented by Ivan Morgan from Premier Medicare Bene ts. Register now at oppl.org/calendar

Midwinter ’s Tales: Simple Gif ts Oak Park Festival Theatre

Sunday, Dec. 4, 3 - 5 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church

This celebration of poetry, scenes and songs incorporates a variety of spiritual and secular traditions, including many members of the community. Adults, $40; students, $25. 924 Lake St., Oak Park

Noche de Loteria/Loteria Night

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 6-7 p.m., Tacos ‘76 Loteria is a long-standing game referred to as “Mexican Bingo.” Enjoy a few rounds of Loteria with your family and friends and win prizes. Throughout the night, both Spanish and English will be spoken. Fill your card and you win. For all ages. Register now at oppl.org/calendar. 838 Madison St., Oak Park

It ’s A Wonder ful Life

Monday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m., FitzGerald’s

The ultimate holiday movie that set the standards returns for a special showing ... on three screens This movie will be shown each Monday through Dec. 19.

6615 Roosevelt Road, Ber w yn.

Midday Meditation

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 12-12:30 p.m., vir tually through Oak Park Public Librar y With the onslaught of the holiday season, this would be a good time to stop, take stock and reduce stress. The session starts with Kundalini breath practices that o er powerful practices to shift your state of mind and make meditation more accessible. Register now at oppl.org/calendar

C AROLINE WOODS

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Takeout 25 leading local green dining initiative

Local restaurants enter process to form the rst Green Dining Distric t in Illinois

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

Takeout 25 has par tnered with the Illinois Green Business Association (IGBA) to seize the opportunity to form Illinois’ first ever “Green Dining District” in the Oak Park area. The Urbana-Champaign based organi zation is funding the local program through grants and has ambitions to grow this first ef fort into a state-wide program.

The effort is in early stages, but responses from restaurant owners have been positive to date Ravi Parakkat, founder of Takeout 25 and a current village trustee was joined by Cassie Carroll, director and co-founder of IGBA to make a presentation to restaurateurs at an owners meet up held in October. The group agreed that it would be compelling and unique to build the state’s first sustainable restaurant

While IGBA’s Takeout 25 restaurants be modeled after districts located and Reno, the Oak program will be ground up with input from restaurant o To get the ball r is completing on-site ments in approximately 12 Oak Park area restaurants. She has already completed assessments at Carnivore and The Daly Bagel and expects to visit Khyber Pass, Na Siam, Addis Café, Anfora Wine Merchants, Spilt Milk, Poke Burrito, Blackout Baking, Media Noche Café (Berwyn) and Top Butcher (Chi cago) in the coming weeks and months

“I am looking at things like volume, production style, energy consumption, water use and waste,” said Carroll who started IGBA in 2008 and has restaurant industry experience. “We can find ways to help individual restaurants meet their sustainability

goals, but we will also find common threads between businesses that will help us create a green baseline for the area. From there we can create criteria for participation in a community wide program.”

Additionally, Carroll is eager to amplify the good decisions local restaurants are already making and build upon those successes. She said simple tradeoffs like switching to a programmable ther mostat that can be set to a lower temperature outside of busi ness hours can create enough savings to allow for the purchase of eco-friendly packag ing products

“It’s about finding wiggle room in the budget,” said Carroll. “There is a gap in the economy that leaves smaller businesses behind when it comes to sustainability, and we want to help them do more by taking advantage of small opportunities and working collaboratively.”

While this effort naturally centers around Oak Park, Parakkat said he does not want to exclude any restaurants affiliated with Takeout 25 from participating in the green dining program. Parakkat and Carroll agree they are aiming for 25% of Takeout 25 af filiated restaurants to become part of the officially become dining district.” The ould expand natually from there. is clear he is in executing the a “commercially manner that has estaurants in Oak Forest and sur ommunities Carroll backs up this thinking by highlighting the collaborative nature of the program and both agree businesses should be attracted to the marketing and PR value of becoming the first collection of restaurants to form a green dining district in Illinois.

Parakkat and Carroll anticipate solidifying and sharing the criteria for participa tion by April 2023. They intend to roll out the program next summer. Participation will be voluntary and restaurants opting into the program will be subject to annual assessments to ensure they are meeting program requirements

Takeout 25: Goodness and gi cards

Takeout 25 has launched its annual holiday gift card bundle program. Candycopia is sponsoring the ef fort that of fers bundles of gift cards to local eateries in $25, $50, $100, and $250 packages. Each bundle contains a sur prise assor tment of $25 gift cards to an ar ray of local restaurants.

Pre-purchased bundles will be available for pick up on Dec 10 between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the Oak Park Re gional Housing Center 50th Anniversary Champagne Brunch at St. Catherine of Siena – St. Lucy Catholic Church, 38 N. Austin Blvd., Oak Park.

A special $150 bundle, containing two $25-gift cards, is designed to support the Oak Park Re gional Housing Center and includes admission for one to their 50th Anniversary Champagne Brunch. Take out 25 restaurants, Mora Asian Kitchen, Kribi Cof fee, The Daly Bagel, Top Butcher Market and Twisted Cookie will be serving brunch fare and beverages at event.

In the spirit of the season, an anonymous Oak Park resident bought $1,000 in Takeout 25 Holiday gift card bundles and donated them back for distribution

to people in need. The individual has further committed to match gift card donations from other community members. Any bundle purchased may be donated. Parakkat has ar ranged to have all donated gift cards distributed to local families receiving support services through the Oak Park Residents Corporation and the Oak Park Housing Authority. Takeout 25 will be transparent about the amount of donated gift cards distributed, but recipients will be ke pt anonymous Sales close on Wednesday, Dec 7 at midnight.

Purchase tickets to keep or donate:

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

GREEN EGGS AND HAM? Ravi Parakkat and Cassie Carroll discuss Oak Park’s green future at Hemming way’s Bistro

A family band of poets

By JESSIC A MACKINNON Contributing Reporter

The Gearen family — John, Ann and their daughter, Cameron — are passionate about poetry. All three are published poets who edit each other’s work, share book recommendations, and attend authors’ readings together. Literary creativity was fostered and encouraged in their home.

“Each of us cares about words to the point that stories and dinner table conversations are more interesting. You can feel the craft in the conversations,” said John.

“Poetry was always around me when I was a kid, primarily because of my mom,” said Cameron. “We read a lot instead of watching TV or playing Uno. We were just super-geeky literature people — and it was a good fit for me because I loved read ing and writing.”

As a child, Cameron wrote what she referred to as “epic” plays, drafting neighborhood kids and coercing their parents to watch the productions in her basement. She also wrote a newspaper on yellow legal paper and distributed it to neighbors.

At Oak Park and River Forest High School, Cameron got more serious about writing. Her work was published in the Crest, OPRF’s literary magazine, and she was on the staff of the Tabula yearbook. She won the Hemingway Prize for poetry two years in a row. The Crest, Tabula and Trapeze (student newspaper) rooms were clustered close, creating an adolescent hive of literary activity on the third floor.

“OPRF was a great place to be a creative kid. A lot of my friends were super-creative and they went off to do cool things in film and photography It was a productive and fertile atmosphere,” Cameron said.

She pursued a bachelor’s degree in English at Wesleyan University and wrote her thesis on contemporary female autobiography, with a focus on the poet Alice Ryerson, founder of the renowned Ragdale artists colony in Lake Forest. Cameron met Ryer son through her mother, Ann, who has been awarded four coveted Ragsdale residencies. She ear ned her master’s degree in poetry at Indiana University.

Throughout a colorful life, including teaching English in rural Thailand; a ninemonth stay in a Thai ashram, where and her for mer husband edited a newspaper titled, “Seeds of Peace;” and teaching gigs at the high school and colle ge Cameron has remained devoted to her ing, even while juggling two children. has written two books, Night, Relati Day, in 2004, and Some Perfect Year in 2016.

She served as a writer in residence the Er nest Hemingway Birthplace from 2017 to 2019, which gave her the circle opportunity to select and mentor winner of the Hemingway Foundation dent essay contest, a re-envisioning Hemingway Prize that had couraged her writing decades ago.

Ann has served as the North Star and inspiration for both her daughter and her husband. She is the co-founder of a tightknit writing community in Hope Town, Bahamas, where she and John have spent their winters for more than 20 years. Like her daughter, Ann loved reading as a child, especially poetry.

“My family had a set of classic books for children and every book was a dif ferent color The poetry book was pur ple and that was the one I took to bed at night and read with a flashlight,” she said.

She also loved the poetry units in school, par ticularly “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes and “Silver” by Walter de la Mare. She can still recite by hear t the latter’s opening stanza. “Slowly, silently, now the moon/Walks the night in her silver shoon.”

Ann majored in English at Louisiana State University and ear ned her doctorate in English language and literature at the University of Chicago. She wrote much of her disser tation, which focused on the developing image of women in the poetry of William Butler Yeats, at her kitchen table, carving out time when her family was slee ping. One of her favorite Yeats females is “Crazy Jane,” about whom he wrote in his later years

“In his early work, Yeats’ female charac ters are idealized, pre-Raphaelite women and, frankly, kind of droopy. Crazy Jane

is a fascinating, wild character In the end, his women are much more interesting and mature,” Ann said.

It’s no sur prise that Crazy Jane appealed to Ann. In the 1970s she helped edit Primavera, a feminist literary mag azine that featured poetry and prose exclusively by women. The now-defunct mag azine, which was founded in response to the plethora of little mag azines run by and for men, flour ished for 25 years

Ann has had two books of poetry published, Homecoming in 2007, and The Gate in 2020.

John embraced poetry later than his wife and daughter — but he writes faster, so he’s catching up He has enjoyed a successful ca reer managing the commercial real estate practice of the prestigious Mayer Brown law fir m. A lifelong Oak Parker, he is the oldest son of Virginia and Jack Gearen, a for mer Oak Park trustee and president who she pherded the village’s controversial 1968 Fair Housing Ordinance to passage, an event that prompted several demonstrations on the family’s front lawn.

John’s interest in writing may have been sparked by his mother, whom he remembers as a spirited writer “She wrote with pistols in her hands, firing of f ar ticles and op-ed pieces to major newspapers,” he said.

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, where he star ted the student

newspaper, John enrolled in Yale University Law School and clerked for Spottswood Robinson, an African American judge on the U.S. Cour t of Appeals in Washington D.C. He retur ned to Chicago in the early 1970s.

John has had two books published, Light on Water in 2020, and Joe the Body Pro in 2021. The latter contains poems written in the unique ver nacular of his for mer personal trainer, an Italian fireman from Cicero.

“Joe’s language was so rich. I would come home after working out and write a poem in his voice, based on a rif f that he had said during our session. It was tons of fun,” he said.

John and Ann have taken poetry classes to gether and re gularly attend the Sun Valley Writers Conference. During the pandemic, Cameron org anized online readings of their work.

When asked why they are so passionate about poetry, Ann said that it makes their lives richer

“Poetry enlarges your life It helps you look at the world more carefully. Often, I find myself writing haikus because of things that come into my head as I’m walking and looking at snow or whatever is happening around me,” she said.

“We’ re like a family band,” laughed Cameron.

The Gearens stay connected through creative wordpla

ALEX ROGALS/Sta Photographer

POETIC LICENSE: (L-R) Ann, Cameron and John Gearen are at home with literary creativity

“OPRF was a great place to be a creative kid. It was a produc tive and fer tile atmosphere.”

CA MERON GEAREN

Final roster not set, but familiar faces and new hopefuls are ready to run

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

As many snuggle inside to enjoy the cozi ness ofwinter, political hopefuls have spring on their minds. Three village trustee seats will be up for grabs in both Oak Park and

es for village trustee in River Forest and Oak Park

River Forest this April. Some incumbents are campaigning for second terms, while two newcomers are hoping to earn a nod from voters. Other incumbents haven’t made up their minds and a for mer trustee is planning a comeback.

First-time candidates Michael Santoro and Brian Straw are making a play for trustee in River Forest and Oak Park, respectively Santoro, a third-generation River Forester, wants to keep property taxes manageable for River Forest residents and bring in family-friendly business ventures. Straw serves on the Oak

Park Transportation Commission and wants to make Oak Park streets safer and more ac cessible for cyclists and pedestrians, which he believes will make the village more equitable and lessen its carbon footprint.

River Forest Trustees Bob O’Connell and Katie Brennan are both seeking reelection. The two have been collecting petition signatures to secure spots on the April 4 ballot. While Brennan declined to share any more information regarding her campaign, O’Connell told Wednesday Journal he hopes to usher in more economic development

ifelected again. Economic development, O’Connell said, was his “strong suit.”

Developments which occurred during O’Connell’s time on the board include the opening ofthe Sheridan in River Forest, an assisted living community for seniors. O’Connell called the Sheridan a “beautiful, wonderful facility.”

The Village ofRiver Forest will soon be de molishing the Lutheran Children and Family Services building on Madison Street to make

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.

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

Sunday, December 11 4pm The Annual Holiday Concert BOX OFFICE (708) 488-5000

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

BRIAN STRAW

KATIE BRENNAN

MICHAEL SANTORO

SUSAN BUCHANAN SIMONE BOUTET

CORE Y WESLE Y

BOB O’CONNELL

tual

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

One of the unexpected benefits of the Oak Park Village Board retur ning to in person meetings is the lack of clocks — specifically Trustee Jim Taglia’s clocks. When the board was meeting vir tually, it seemed like Taglia’s tur n to speak always coincided with the tur n of the hour, resulting in a discordant cacophony of noise as his many time pieces chimed, dinged and rang all at once

“I have probably 30 clocks,” Taglia ac knowledged.

A collector of clocks, he inherited his passion for timekee ping instruments from his father. Taglia has a few clocks, includ ing one of the grandfather variety, that his father passed down to him. He also has a clock from his great-grandmother that is well over a century old and still operational.

Most of the clocks are wind-up, which he maintains through re gular oiling and, of course, winding. Some clocks in his collection use an electric oscillator fueled by quar tz crystals His Atmos clock is powered by changes in air pressure. His Geochron displays the dif ferent phases of the sun, showing where it’s light and dark across the world. He also has several mantel clocks,

Despite the abundance of clocks offering endless oppor tunities to check time, Taglia is not a particularly punctual person. He sets his clocks ahead a few minutes to help combat his penchant for tardiness “I’m usually the latest one to ar rive,” he admitted. “I’ ll probably be late to my own funeral.”

Pretty much all of Taglia’s clocks are handmade and the sheer size of some can leave a person awestruck. He has 7-foot-tall grandfather clocks, with elaborate inter nal mechanisms that are hard to keep running properly — and even harder to repair “A clock is a dif ficult thing to get re paired nowadays because there aren’t many wellversed enough to be able to re pair one,” he said. “It’s kind of a dying ar t.”

The complicated skeleton of diminutive

wheels and springs hidden behind a beauti fully crafted exterior is what draws Taglia to clocks Lately, he’s been collecting English-made lanter n clocks And despite their name, they aren’t car ried like lanter ns or even pocket watches The weight-driven brass clocks weigh 15 to 20 pounds each.

Lanter n clocks are some of the earli est mechanized clocks, dating back to the 1600s. A member of the National Associa tion of Clock & Watch Collectors, Taglia owns an 18th-century lanter n clock.

“Back in the day when they made those clocks, they only had one hand on them because people didn’t care about the precision of the second hand,” Taglia explained

You could say he is cuckoo for clocks, but one type, sur prisingly, he does not have is the cuckoo clock.

He did have one in the past, however Taglia failed, however, to pass on his love of clocks to his children, as his father did to him. His five kids want nothing to do with them, according to Taglia — the clocks often interfered their children’s studies.

“Four of our five play piano and took lessons. Practicing with the clocks going of f every 15 minutes was definitely a challenge for them,” said Taglia’s wife, Anneke, who made her husband stop the clocks before their daughter’s cello recitals, which were held at home, so they wouldn’t inter rupt her playing or the audience’s enjoyment.

Anneke had a nice grandfather clock growing up, but she does not share in her husband’s enthusiasm for those or other types of clocks There are just too many, she said, and they constantly go of f.

“I did put my foot down when he had this really old clock that he wanted to put in our bedroom,” she recalled. “I told him, ‘No, we’re not going to have a grandfa ther clock in our bedroom chiming every hour.’”

As in all mar riages, compromises must be made. The clock sits in the Taglias’ bedroom, but it doesn’t function, resulting uninter rupted rest for the light-slee ping Anneke.

As a member of the village board, Ta glia was one of the most eager to retur to in-person meetings at village hall. There are certainly fewer clanging interruptions now. Not that the meetings are any shor er; they still re gularly exceed three hour Maybe one or two clocks in the council chamber might not be a bad idea.

He’s cuckoo for clocks but that doesn’t make him punc

ALEX ROGALS/Sta

Holiday light show this Saturday in Scoville Park

Follows Downtown Oak Park’s Winter fest event

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

While Oak Park didn’t get Four th of July of fireworks, the village has something special planned to ring in the holiday season. A festive, professional light show will take place this Saturday after noon in Scoville Park

Don’t expect any loud bangs or firework debris The light show will feature aerial drones with attached light fixtures. The drones will fly in coordination, creating a spectacle of lights — weather permitting.

The show is scheduled for 4:45 p.m., Saturday, after the conclusion of Downtown Oak Park’s Winterfest, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Marion

Street between Lake Street and North Boule Winterfest features holiday cookie walk, complimentary hot chocolate Lake T free showing of Jingle Jangle: A Christmas 10 a.m. A bearded man in a red suit (initials to make an appearance during Winterfest.

The holiday light show serves as mer rymaking. The blocks of Lake Str Avenue adjacent to Scoville Park will blocked of f from 4 to 5 p.m. on Saturda date the gathering light show audienc Parking is free at the village-owned Lake and Forest Garage, and Holley Cour parking is available in those structures in December.

The light show is funded by a private nally intended to subsidize July F which were canceled in light of the Highland Park

Heather Mack seeks pre-trial release on bond

Oak Park woman in federal custody related to mother’s murder in Bali

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

Oak Park native Heather Mack on Nov. 21 formally requested a judge grant her release on bond from federal custody as she awaits a scheduled criminal trial in July for conspiracy to murder her mother.

Mack, who spent seven years in an Indo nesian prison for her part in the murder of Sheila von Wiese Mack, has been in federal custody at the downtown Metropolitan Correctional Center since retur ning from Bali in November 2021.

Mack’s second attor ney, Michael Leonard, noted that Mack served a “lengthy period of incarceration,” in Indonesia and that for the past 13 months she “has been detained at the MCC, including in extremely difficult COVID conditions.”

Leonard told Judge Matthew Kennelly his client is not a threat to the general public, saying she has had her passport seized “(or can be, if it is not already in the possession of Pre-Trial Services).”

“Apart from the long-standing conflict that Ms. Mack had with her mother prior to her mother’s death, Ms. Mack had absolutely no record of presenting any danger to anyone She has no criminal history, apart from the foreign conviction which arises out of the

same issues presented in this case.”

In fact, Mack was arrested five times as a juvenile for battery to her mother, was convicted and placed on court supervision for 18 months, something federal prosecutors alluded to at Mack’s first court hearing on Nov. 2, 2021. Assistant U.S. Attor ney Terry Kinney told Judge Charles Norgle that the gover nment would subpoena Mack’s medical and psychiatric records to obtain information about her prior “violent attacks” on her mother before the murder.

“It goes to the element of her being a danger to the community,” Kinney said.

Leonard also argued that Mack “has no means to travel.” However, that remains in question; Mack has a relationship with a Beverly Hills socialite and friend of her late mother, who is purportedly planning a book or movie deal with Mack.

In any event, Leonard argued, “any perceived risk of flight can be mitigated by elec tronic monitoring, home confinement, or other conditions of pre-trial release.”

“In addition, Ms. Mack’s counsel proposes that Ms. Mack live with a third-party custodian, and counsel is providing the contact information for that individual to Pre-Trial Services – as well as providing the identity of that proposed individual to the govern ment.”

Leonard also stated that “Ms Mack voluntarily ag reed to retur n to the United States to face the charges at issue in the present case.” Under Indonesian law, Mack was required to leave the country with her daughter, Stella.

But in the days prior to retur ning to the United States, Mack commented in the media about looking forward to resuming a nor mal life in Califor nia, clearly unaware of a sealed federal indictment charging her with conspiracy to murder her mother

That indictment was unsealed the mor ning the FBI ar rested Mack as she ste pped of f a plane at O’Hare Airpor t. At the time of her ar rest, attor ney Brian Claypool, who was then re presenting Mack, told the media that “the FBI had directed Mack to retur n to Chicago and not Los Angeles as she’d originally planned.”

The attor ney Mack retained in November 2021, Bruce Steinback, was subsequently sanctioned this past Se ptember by the Nor ther n District of Illinois’s Executive Committee. Among the penalties imposed was his ef fective suspension from the practice of law within the federal Nor ther n District of Illinois for a minimum of one year He may appear before the cour t with another attor ney present.

On Nov. 17, Leonard for mally confir med

to the cour t that he had discussed the executive committee’s order re garding Steinback with Mack, saying he “has provided to Ms Mack the restrictions placed upon Mr Steinback by this district; discussed those restrictions with Ms. Mack; and Ms. Mack acce pts those restrictions imposed by this District’s Executive Committed Order.”

Mack is scheduled to be back in federal cour t in person the mor ning of Dec 21 for a status hearing.

In related news, Mack’s for mer boyfriend and accused co-conspirator, Tommy Schaefer, was ordered to be placed on the cour t’s fugitive calendar by Judge Kennelly after he was re-assigned the case following the retirement of Norgle.

Schaefer, also from Oak Park, was convicted along with Mack in a Bali cour t in April 2015. He remains imprisoned there serving out an 18-year sentence

Also recently a Cook County Circuit Cour t Judge awarded temporary custody of Mack and Schaefer’s daughter Stella to Sheila von Weise Mack’s niece, who lives in Colorado. Three other people were seeking custody of the child, including Schaefer’s mother, Kia Walker, for mer Sheila Mack friend Diane Roque Ellis, and the Indonesian woman who had been caring for Stella, Oshar Suar tama.

VILL AG E OF OAK PARK

Ex-Oak Parker peddling pretty pimple patches

Making a fashion statement out of acne

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Who says having acne can’t be fun? A former Oak Parker is working to dispel the notion that bad pimples make for a bad time. With Plumpie Skin, you can now express personal flair while treating your blemishes. The indie skincare line offers artist-de signed hydrocolloid acne stickers — pimple patches, only cute. The patches are for mulated with acne-fighting ingredients azelaic acid, zinc and salicylic acid. Each comes with a different cutesy cartoon design to elicit bright smiles as well as bright skin. They are especially designed for teens and pre-teens. Hormones wreak havoc on the pores during adolescence, which heightens kid insecurity. Plumpie’s project manager, Lauren Carroll, knows this too well. She used to feel very self-conscious about her own skin when she was a student

at Oak Park and River Forest High School.

“Something like this would have made me feel a lot better and more comfortable about going out,” she said.

Now working with Plumpie, the OPRF

alumna is excited about helping teenagers feel more confident about their appearance with a product that embraces youthful flai “When I look at a lot ofskincare brands and a lot of beauty brands in general, there’s this one-dimensional aspect to wh is beautiful,” said Carroll. “Nobody smiles, which I think is so sad.”

From stars to butterflies, the Plumpie acne stickers are a far cry from traditional, muted, neutral-colored pimple patches. These stickers look more like a fashion accessory than an acne treatment. The patches have been worn by social media influencers Mia Dio and Juwan Gutier re according to Carroll, whose favorite patch is a little duck wearing a flower.

The patches come in packs of36, costing $25. They are only available for pu chase through the Plumpie website. T little stickers might even work as stocking stuf fers for anyone who appreciates a little whimsy.

After all, “if you have acne, you should be having fun having your acne,” Carr said.

COURTESY OF PLUMPIE

COURTESY OF PLUMPIE

One Night Only! Lake Theater Showing of the Award-Winning Documentary

Timelier than Ever - October 2022: ACLU Petitions U.S.

Supreme Court to Uphold Right to Boycott

Monday Dec. 5th 7pm, Lake Theater

M.C. Jerome McDonnell, Former Host of Worldview, WBEZ Q&A After the Film with Special Guests: Rebecca Glenberg, Senior Supervising Attorney, Illinois ACLU Dima Khalidi, Director Palestine Legal

In recent years, 34 states, Including Illinois, have passed laws intending to silence boycott and other nonviolent measures aimed at pressuring Israel on its human rights record. These dangerous bills remove the legal protection that has been awarded to boycotts for generations.

As this wave of anti-boycott legislation has swept through the country, so has a counter-wave in defense of freedom of speech. With full access to the plainti s and in revelatory moments with elected o cials, BOYCOTT chronicles one of the most consequential First Amendment battles of the past few decades.

Masks Also Required

To reserve your tickets, please scan this QR code: or register at www.cjpip.org/events

Sponsored by: Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine (www.cjpip.org)

Co-Sponsors (list in formation): American Friends Service Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, Arab Jewish Partnership, Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy, Center for Constitutional Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace – Chicago, Palestine Legal, US Palestinian Community Network

way for what O’Connell hopes will be a “tax generating operation.”

Like O’Connell and Brennan, River Forest Trustee Erika Bachner’s term will end in April. Whether she will seek reelection, as her contemporaries are, is unclear. Bachner did not wish to make a comment.

The same goes for Oak Park Trustee Jim Taglia, who has served the longest of any current Oak Park village board member. He was appointed in 2017 by for mer mayor Anan Abu-Taleb to fill the remainder of Adam Salzman’s ter m. Taglia then won a full four-year village trustee term in 2019. Before that, he spent six years on the Oak Park Township board of trustees

At the present moment, however, Taglia said he is focused on the Village of Oak Park’s 2023 fiscal year budget, which will be adopted before the end of the year. He has not yet decided if he will run for another ter m this spring.

“I’m certainly leaning toward it, but I will say I haven’t made a final decision y et,” Ta glia said.

Oak Park Trustee Susan Buchanan, who was elected alongside Taglia, has confirmed she intends to run for a second term this spring. Finding the work of a trustee “really stimulating,” her goals as a candidate align with those of the village board, including pushing for more sustainability initiatives and more equitable policing. If

elected again, she also wishes to continue cultivating the relationship between the business community and the village board and shepherding in “wise developments.”

“I think the work I’m doing is helping Oak Park move forward in areas that the majority of people want us to move forward in,” she said.

Cory Wesley was appointed to the village board in October and his term will expire in April. He was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Arti Walker-Peddakotla who had resigned the seat. Wesley nar rowly lost to Walker-Peddakotla in the 2019 trustee elec tion. While Wesley had already announced his intentions to seek a full term, his brief time in office has strengthened his resolve to do so

“It’s all about doing the hard work of governing Oak Park to make it better for everyone who lives here, and all the people who might want to come here,” Wesley said. “I find that exciting.”

Rounding out the trustee contenders is Simone Boutet. The for mer Oak Park trustee told Wednesday Journal she has finished collecting her petition signatures. Boutet previously applied for the appointment that went to Wesley. Her priorities, if elected, include crime prevention and relationshipbased policing, among others.

Boutet’s last bid for office was mired with controversy. During her 2021 run for village president, Boutet baffled voters by drop ping out of the race, then reentering, only to drop out again a few weeks later.

“I don’t foresee doing that again,” Boutet said.

Beyond Hunger’s Fall Benefit Concert was a Huge Success

This year’s fall benefit concert featured Drive-By Truckers with opener, Nathan Graham. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, and all those who attended, we raised enough funds to provide nearly half a million meals!

WEST SUB

Sale agreement reached

around Weiss and West Suburban,” said Jane Brust, a Pipeline spokesperson.

The ag reement between Pipeline and Re silience is bifurcated. While Resilience will take over the operations for both hospitals this week, the two healthcare groups are still working out the details re garding the purchase of the medical facilities and underlying real estate. That second phase is still under discussion.

“We expect it close in the next few months as the second transaction of the deal,” said Brust. In an email Brust acknowledged the real estate portion of the transaction is not finalized. She said that $92 million remains the stated sale price with a $12 million refund going back to West Suburban and Weiss as previously committed.

The cash infusion from the real estate sale remains notable to Pipeline which said that the failure to close the deal on the two Chicago area hospitals by the end of August is what led it to file for bankr uptcy.

Resilience is led by healthcare executive Manoj Prasad and his financial partner, Rathnakar R. Patlola, who manages Ramco Healthcare Holdings LLC. Prasad said in

response to a Wednesday Journal inquiry that he will not comment until the final deal is signed.

The newly for med Resilience Healthcare will be just the most recent owner of West Sub. After being an independent community hospital for most of the last century, West Sub has gone through six ownership changes -- both nonprofit and for-profit owners – since it was purchased by Loyola Medical in 1996. Loyola returned the hospital to independent status three years later. West Sub sold itself again in 2004 and Re silience will be its fifth owner since then.

The California-based Pipeline says it invested $60 million in the two hospitals since it took over ownership in 2019. Pipeline and its affiliates filed for bankruptcy Oct. 2. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas is expected to approve the sales ag reement this week, ac cording to Brust.

West Suburban is considered a safety net hospital. More than 80 percent of the hospital’s patients live in the Chicago’s Austin community. Weiss is a high Medicaid hospital.

“Pipeline Health is excited to reach this milestone in discussions and plans for change of ownership and we are grateful to hospital leadership, employees and physicians who have continued their ongoing dedication to the patients they serve,” said Brust.

Photo by Matt Kosterman

West suburbs, East Gar eld Park get more o -peak, evening Metra service

Oak Park trains more frequent and won’t bypass West Side, Maywood stops

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

West suburban and Chicago West Side riders will get more Metra service starting Dec 5, with Oak Park, Maywood and Chicago East Garfield Park neighborhood getting more ser vice than they had even before the pandemic.

The new schedule represents something of a retur n to pre-pandemic service levels for the Union Pacific West Line riders, which serves East Garfield Park’s Kedzie station, Oak Park, Forest Park, River Forest, Maywood, Melrose Park, Bellwood and Berkeley.

Similar to what Metra did on other lines earlier this year, the headways were adjusted to be more consistent, and ser vice frequency was improved in several stations

In Oak Park, trains will stop an average of once every 15 minutes during rush hour – an improvement compared an average of 30 minutes under the current schedule and the av erage of 20 minutes before the pandemic.

And while, even before the pandemic, many trains skipped

Kedzie, Maywood and Melrose Park stations, all trains exce some express trains and late evening trains will no there.

During the Nov. 11 Metra Board of Directors meeting, tra Executive Director Jim Derwinski announced that transit agency will be beefing up service for several lines tha are still operating below pre-pandemic service levels, ing Union Pacific West Line.

According to schedules released on Nov. 22, Metra ing nine trains in each direction, increasing the number of trips from 40 to 58. It will restore the after 10:30 p.m. evening trains that were suspended early in the pandemic, albeit with slightly different schedules.

Metra increased the number of rush hour trains, which will stop at Kedzie and west suburban stations once every half an hour For Oak Park, inbound mor ning rush hour trains will stop every 15 minutes, and outbound after noon rush hour trains will stop there every 10-20 minutes

With a few exceptions, the off-peak and evening trains will stop at each station once every hour. There are currently two-

hour gaps in several parts of the off-peak schedule – something that was an issue even before the pandemic.

In a statement to the media, Derwinski described the new schedule as a way to address the growing travel demand and adopt to the post-pandemic commuting patterns

“We are greatly encouraged by the growth in ridership so far this year and are happy that we are able to expand service on the UP-West Line to provide commuters with another op tion as winter sets in,” he stated.

IGOR STUDENKOV/Sta

ANNUAL STATEMENT OF AFFAIRS SUMMARY FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2022

Copies of the detailed Annual Statement of Affairs for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2022 will be available for public inspection in the school district/joint agreement administrative office by November 30, annually. Individuals wanting to review this Annual Statement of Affairs should contact: Oak Park Elementary School District 97 260 Madison St., Oak Park, IL 60302 708.524.3000 8:00 - 4:30

School District/Joint Agreement Name Address Telephone Office Hours Also by January 15, annually the detailed Annual Statement of Affairs for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2022, will be posted on the Illinois State Board of Education’s website@ www.isbe.net. SUMMARY: The following is the Annual Statement of Affairs Summary that is required to be published by the school district/joint agreement for the past fiscal year. Statement of Operations as of June 31, 2022

Local Sources 1000 79,501,787 8,891,721 4,332,787 1,538,375 81,442 1,265 414,814 55,439 83 Flow-Through Receipts/Revenues from One District to Another District 2000 0 0 0 0 State Sources 3000 7,240,736 6,346,337 0 1,016,524 0 0 0 0 0 Federal Sources 4000 3,936,857 16,462 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total Direct Receipts/Revenues 90,679,380 15,254,520 4,332,787 2,554,899 81,442 1,265 414,814 55,439 83 Total Direct Disbursements/Expenditures 86,421,661 9,052,667 6,214,658 4,465,373 2,874,171 15,414,962 0 0 Other Sources/Uses of Funds 1,189,304 (7,000,000) 1,179,728 0 0 10,000,000 (3,000,000) 0 0

Beginning Fund Balances without Student Activity Funds - July 1, 2021 15,059,039 4,525,815 5,462,880 3,833,711 4,468,106 6,151,653 5,456,865 3,841,023 120,155

Other Changes in Fund Balances 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Ending Fund Balances without Student Activity Funds - June 30, 2022 20,506,062 3,727,668 4,760,737 1,923,237 1,675,377 737,956 2,871,679 3,896,462 120,238

Ending Fund Balances (all sources) with Student Activity Funds - June 30, 2022 21,269,379 3,727,668 4,760,737 1,923,237 1,675,377 737,956 2,871,679 3,896,462 120,238

GROSS PAYMENT FOR CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL

Salary Range: Less Than $25,000

Agha, Fatim, Alejos, Darren, Alexander, Jolynn L, Allgood, Kimberley, Arvetis, Thomas, Ausley, Donell, Bacalzo, Derek, Backeberg, Briquelle I, Bassett-Dilley, Mariannell E, Beauprez, Lynne R, Berg, Carolyn, Bernabe, Carrie, Best, Laura B, Bochner, Michael, Bokum, Heidi, Booker, Willona, Bopp, Karen, Brent, Virginia, Brooks, Kathleen E, Brotman, Barbara L, Brown, Kristina, Buerger III, Carl, Bulls, Jennifer A , Burger, Barbara T , Cafi, Edita, Ciosek, Mark, Clarke, Catherine Elizabeth, Coaker, Lloyd, Cofield, Antoinette, Cole, Toyya, Cordoba Casas, Azahara M, Covarrubias, Teegan M, Crittle, Camille, Cuplinskas, Asta K, Daly, Jessica, Domin, Haley, Driscoll, Christine, Dunn, Diane, Dunn, Jeanette D, Dwyer, Grace, Egeberg, Nenita, Eggert, Laura, Elshtain, Eric P, Endres, Anne M, Enloe, Sarah M, Ennenbach, Jessica, Fencl, Mary Ellen, Ficca, Lynda H, Fields, Jade, Flemming, Ashley R , Forestal, Kathryn, Fountain, Erin, Freiburg, Michele E, Fromm, Maribeth, Frost, Gail, Galindo, Bianca C, Gallagher, Emily, Gillard, Conar J, Glass, Marisa V, Godek, Diane M, Gornik, Nathan, Gray, Robert, Griffith, Rachel, Grillo, Natalie M, Gulley, Canika, Haefner, Eva, Hall, Marcus, Hampton, Candice, Hanna, Emily R, Hartman, Edward, Haussmann, Sharon, Hefner, Mary Rose, Hermann, Tara, Hernandez, Noreen, Herrmann, Gina L, Hicks, Toni J, Hilliard, Samantha, Hilts, Ashley, Hoekwater, William, Horner, Stephanie A, Howard, Robert W, Hurst, Latrina M, Husband, Kywanni, Inksetter, Julia D, Irons, Jonetta S, Iversen, Ingrid L, Iversen, Michael, Ivy, Michelle, Jacobson, Lauren M, Johnson, Alayna M, Johnson, Richard E, Jolicouer, Claire, Jones, Alice, Jones, Esther, Jones, Jabari T, Jones, Marie, Jordan, Jeanette, Judon, Gina D , Kelley, Carol Lynetta , Kich-Crowley, Judy, Kiska, Lindsey M, Kizak, Antoinette, Kojak, Allison N, Kolevski, Bojan, Kowalczyk, Patricia, Kubista, Alicia, Lattanzi, Daniel , Liebman, Gale, Locke, Lakesha, Lococo, Frank S, Lofton, Katherine, Loud, Janice, Lucas, Micaela A, Lyman, Sophia, Magura, Loriann, Manetta, Claire E , Marban, Noe, Martin, Paul Elliot, Martinez, Brenda A, McCarthy, Mary, McConville, Terri S, McCreary, Kelly, McDonald, Maureen, McDonnell, Anne K, McFarlin, Suzanne, Mendez, Nicole C, Michels, Lisa, Miller, Olivia, Minter, Shantana, Monaghan, Isabel, Morrow, Jada, Moss, Charlee, Murphy, Kristine, Murray, Bernard, Nowinski, Alissa K, Nu-Tall, Kimberly, O’Dowd, Amy R, Oxley-Hase, Sloane, Paul, Libbey A, Pecora, Kathryn, Poplett, James, Poreba, Christine, Powell, Shanta M, Powers, Maureen M, Puntillo, Megan, Riordan, Maeve, Robert, Soundara, Robinson, Deborah, Robinson, Tiffany, Rodriguez Bazzi, Natalia, Rowe, Ruth A, Ryniewicz, Jennifer, Schemidt, Jennifer, Schnack, Amanda, Schulman, Kristi N, Schulz, Tammy J, Shah, Lori, Shannon, Sara E, Shea, Lisa R, Sisk, Donna K, Sisk, Kathryn, Smith, Elizabeth Chambless, Smith, Kerry, Smith, Lincoln, Smith-Cole, Faith, Sotelo, Magdalena, Stebbing, Kottie, Strong, Sidney, Suggs, Linda M, Summers, Cynthia M, Tavianini, Paul M, Termini, Sarah, Thomas, Darryl E, Tirman, Anna E, Trbonja, Hata, Turek, John, Turnbull, Amanda, Turner, Saronda, Umunna, Ben-Paul, VanDerhei, Diane, Vercnocke, Kayleigh, Verzani, Tiffany, Villasin, Rene A, Waddell, Lurene B, Wallner, Jacqueline, Weber, Jeffry J, Weigel, Donna, Weigel, Theresa, Williams, Cheryl, Williams, Patricia, Williams, Philip S, Wilson, Edwin , Word, Felicia , Wuchte, Kelly A , Zaidain, Samantha , Zielinski, Christine

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Salary Range: $40,000 - $59,999

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Salary Range: 60,000 - $89,999

Abbott, Susan, Ablan, Megan, Acosta, Theoni, Adduci, Sarah N, Adelman, Jonathan B, Advani, Shilpa P, Aguirre, Lidys Y, Andersen, Mark, Anderson, Elisa B, Anderson, Julie, Armstrong, Rhapsody A, Asgharzadeh, Parisa, Awe, Elena, Bachmann, Eric, Bagley, John M , Bagri, Juliana, Baldassarre, Jennifer R, Banks, Tyler, Barahona, Tania E, Barker, Ruth, Barone, Melissa, Baylian, Jessica L , Beck, John, Belmont, Kathleen E , Berenson White, Yael S, Berkeley, Rachel-Lee K, Bigeck, Ryan R, Blackman, Francis, Blecha, Joel, Borah, Cynthia, Bowman, Taylor, Boyle, Malachy J, Breit, Robert C, Bringley, Maria S, Brinson, Shehara, Brooks, Clare, Brown, Dana, Brown, Lauren S, Browning, Jennifer, Brummell, Lee, Bultas, Christina A, Byrnes, Julie, Cahill, Mary M, Carbray, Caroline, Carr, Anna, Carter, Sheila Y, Casselle, Rahwa, Chiappetta, Anneliese, Chinski, Nicole, Chrystall, Linda, Chu, Elizabeth Kim Clark, Natalie K, Colucci, John P , Colucci, Michael P, Conley, Laurie Ann, Connell, Hannah C, Conroy, Shannon, Contraveos, Aaron J, Contraveos, Agnese, Conway, Elizabeth A, Corcoran, Ellen, Cordero, Alina E, Cortez, Xelina, Costanzo, Danielle N, Cousin, Johanna, Dabney, Veronica, Dajani, Ruby, Daniel, Matthew N, Datz, Madison A, Davis, Andrew, Davis, Arianna, Deaton, Patrick, Deegan, Benjamin J, Degman, Kiera, Dembski, Michelle J, Dolan, Michael James, Domecq, Juan, Donovan, Georgia, Downs, Matthew, Dupuis, Samantha, Ebert, Quinn Nicole, Egan-Pater, Kelly A, Egner, Katherine K, Ferguson, Kelly, Fishman-Strait, Samuel, Fleming, Kasey, Flynn, Nora Katherine, Fogg, Karen E , Foronda, Cecilia, Fourman, Grace, Fowlkes, Krystal M, Fox, Kaitlyn E, Freeman, Megan A, Gallup, Hannah, Garcia, Felicia, Gawne, Heidi C, Gearhart, Michelle, Gehrke, Jeffrey, Gibson, Shantorria, Giorango, Lauren, Golemes, Lindsay K, Gonzalez, Christina, Goodman, Megan C,

Goulding, Stephanie, Graber, Mary C, Grant, Nicole E, Grogan, Marjorie, Hanna, Lisa, Harrington, Christiana, Harris, Gina, Harvey, Lawrence, Heide, Lindsay, Heidloff, Savannah L, Helm, Keisha M, Henrichs, Brianne M , Herron, Katie, Hiatt, Clare, Hill, Elizabeth Mae, Hill, Laura, Hoak, Rosa, Hoerner, Riley, Holich, Jennifer, Hoskins, Steven, Hosler, Chelsea R , Hwang, Jordan, Jacobo, Julia C , Jacobson, Erin E, Jacobson, Evan, Jaramillo, Aaron, Jarosch, Elizabeth A, Jirka, Heidi Marie, Jones, Jennifer M, Jones, Kimberly G, Joyce, Kelly A, Kadlec, Christian R, Kearley-Pruitt, Carina, Kearns, Colleen, Kelly, Kathleen H, Kemper, Susan, Kessler, Lindsey R , Keuler, Kathryn R , Kiefer, Elizabeth, Kilrea, Timothy B , Klette, Katharine, Knox, Catherine M , Konovsky, Betsy, Kontos, Elena, Koransky, Tamara, Kula, McKenzie E, Kula, Taylor, Lagioia, Vito A, Lahucik, Ann M, Law, Tyronda L, Lee, Miles C, Logan, Jennifer, Lopez, Brent, Lopez, Elisa, Love, Angelica, Luhrs, Meagan R, Lukehart, Jason, Maggio, Sabrina K, Masters, Molly J, McGill, Raven, McKinney, Carin C, McKinney, Wesley, Meglan, Laura, Meierhoff, Molly Anne, Meilinger, Rebecca J, Meisinger, Rebecca, Meredith, Catherine G, Merriweather, George T, Milliern, Jennifer, Missman, Anna, Mohammad, Marta, Moody, Kiera C, Moroney, Myles C, Mucha, Katrina E, Munoz, Karla L , Murawski, Nathan, Naples, Molly Kathleen, Niewald, Elizabeth A , Nikolakakis, Caroline A, Ninan, Jincy, Nowaczyk, Steven R , O’Brien, John P, O’Keefe, Kathleen M, Olson, Steven, Orrico, Jennifer A, Pabellon, Meaghan E, Park, Shirley, Parr, Noelle J, Pastuovic, Jacqueline , Patino, Margaret, Perkins, Steven D , Perros, Sarah, Peterson, Jamie, Pezanoski, Cathie A , Planek, Anne M, Pletsch, John J, Plumley, Sada J, Polega, Shannon E, Pros, Christopher R, Pruitt, Cristina Eve, Raad, Jason, Radogno, Nancy, Ranney, Shabaaz R, Rhoades, Jennifer S, Richards, Jennifer H, Ricker, George, Rodrigues, Nathon, Rodriguez, Tasia, Romine, Corynne, Rote, Emily, Rudin, Lisa, Ruff, Michaela, Russ, Jennifer, Ruzicka-Stout, Monica T, Ryan, Alyssa R, Ryan, Sean, Ryan, Sideeka, Sakamoto, Molly, Saliny, Lauren, Sbarboro, Francesca, Scanlon, Luke, Schmidt, Joshua, Schrag, Allison, Schulte, Patrick E, Schwabenbauer, Briana, Scott, Dominique, Shannon, Ericka, Siddiqi, Lamia F, Simatic, Charles M , Small, Stephanie D, Smith, Esther, Smith, Stephanie S, Sorensen, Michael, Southward, Courtney, Spillane, Karri L, Stenger, Julia, Stigger, Nichelle, Stringham, Nefret H, Suerth, Stephanie, Swistowicz, Phillip , Szymczak, Cameron, Tacchi, Amber, Tague, Emily, Tatro, Hannah, Tencate, Therese, Tomalis, Deborah L, Torres, Rebecca, Touchette, Melanie, Trathen, Kathryn S, Trout, Lauren B, Tsaganos, Georgia, Tucker, Miranda, Turner, Katelyn, Tyler, Courtney M, Tysse, Kate M, Utter, Rory K, Valle, Kelly M , Vella, Megan, Villa, John, Voigts, Amanda, Von Bokern, Mandra, Wawzenek, David C, Weber, Rachel, Weck, Madonna N, Wehman, Christine S, Welchko, Christina R , Wetzel, Christine E, Wheatley, Rachel A, Whitley, Katherine B, Williams, Emile, Williams, Mohogany Q, Williams, Nina, Williams, Rasheedah, Williams, Sarah C , Wilson, Megan, Winchell, Jamie L, Winchell, Ryan, Winkelhake, Hilary Ann, Withers, Richard, Wiza, Noah P, Woodson, Erin P, Yigzaw, Salome, Youman, Lisa M, Youngberg, Michael, Zand, Noah, Zaragoza, Silvia, Zarosl, Jennifer L

Salary Range: $90,000 and over Alejos, Katy J, Ali, Hussain, Anderson, Michelle, Andries, Paula, Apostol, Emmanuel, Arensdorff, Michael, Ashford,

Kristine, Baker, Amy, Baker, Caroline, Baker, Seth, Banks, Renita, Barnard, James, Bates, Bess A, Bauman, Natalie, Bautista, Adam P, Beader, Kimberly, Bell-Bey, Kila, Berger, Colleen M, Berger, Kevin E, Berman, Abigayle B, Bland, Antoine M, Boudreau, Hannah C Brazen, Donna J, Bronner, Donna, Brown, Kina L, Brown, Valerie A, Bruno, Molly, Buckley, Jennifer A, Budde, Leslie, Bulger, Mark J, Burries, Catina, Cairns, Katherine, Campbell, Natalie, Capuder, April, Carr, Chemaine L, Carrillo, Fernando, Casanovas, Joseph, Chase Vivas, Elizabeth, Childress, Erica, Childress, Marvin, Chinn, Amy, Christian, Jeremy, Ciosek, Anne, Circo, Carla J, Clark, Nicole, Coglianese, Steven, Colella, Jessica A, Collins, Monica, Colmenero, Maria Elvira, Court, Adrienne Lynn, Creehan, Emilie, Cruz, Michael Christian, Daniels, Dione, Darley, Anne E , Dean, Katherine , Decancq, Nicole M, Delia, Caroline, DeSanto, Jordan, Dinatale, Jacqueline, Dolan, Emilie C, Dombek, Jill, Dorka, Meghan J, Doyle, Carolyn, Dunn, Julieann, Durham, Candace Kaye, Eichstaedt, Douglas, Featherstone, Jeffrey R , Feierberg, Patricia , Fenske, Emily F, Fenske, Jessie, Foleno, Karen, Friel, Juliette, Friesen, Judy, Gaffney, Pam A , Gates, Ryan, Germanier, Janette M , Gillespie, Michael, Glover-Rogers, Donna, Gonsur, Steve R , Gordon, Ryan T , Green, Jerome, Grimaldi, Hilary K, Groben, Patricia L, Guarino, Nancy , Gunnell, Sharon L, Hamm, Tracy J , Hancock, Joshua, Haro, Sari, Harris, Faith M, Hart, Deanna, Haus, Darren, Hausfeld, Mark, Hayward, James M, Heide, Nora, Hill, Stacey, Hodge, John, Hoehne, Nancy R, Hoover, Stephanie, Hoskins, Monique, Hughes, Paula R , Ivey, Marion, Jacoby, Rocio R, Jamrosz, Christine M, Janu-Chossek, Lori, Jaros, Jennifer A, Jaskiewicz-Garcia, Margaret , Jefferson, Amy R, Jenkins, Alicia, Jerkatis, Aaron, Johnson Thompson, Arnetta, Johnson, Evette F, Johnson, Tyeshiea, Kamm, Carrie, Kannan, Ashley A , Kanwischer, Thomas, Karia, Anjali Asokan , Kaunelis, Lauren, Kelly, Mary E , Keto, Erica, Kibblesmith, Rachel E, King, Julianne, King, Patrick D, Kinnaman, Anna P , Klein, Stacie, Kraft, Darren, Lacey, Beth, Lawrence, Tawanda, Leban, Todd, Lee, William, L’heureux, Jean M, Lofton, Eboney L , Louthan, Sarah, Lyles, Sherita, Mabry, Amber Dawn, Maciak, Matthew, Madsen, Susan M, Maher, Jacqueline P, Manns, Yolanda, Manuel, Melissa, Manus, Paul, Mariani, Amy D, Marinelarena, Liza, Martin, Angela B, Martinez, Blanca Noemi, McCauley, John, McComb-Williams, Chasity , McDaniels, Danielle , McDonald, Timothy, McDowell, John W , McGlynn, William J , McKeand, Lauren M , Mendez, Sarah D, Middleton, Donna, Milburn, Jessica, Miller, Karolyn, Missman, Jeffrey, Moore, Sarah D, Morrell, Jason, Mucha, Patrick J, Mulsoff, Beth, Mura, Susan M, Murray, Kristiana C, Naber, Scott, Nagano, Virginia , Narvaez, Delfidio J, Nelson, Allison, Nelson, Jennifer, Nelson, Sondra, Neubert, Ulrike, Noonan, Katie M, Olsen, Jennifer J, Olson, Lauren E, Otten, Deanna, Packer, Paul E , Pacyna, Jill, Parkinson, Betsy, Pasquinelli Cardelli, Roxane Marie, Patterson, Elisabeth, Pearce, Sharon, Pearson, Lisa , Pelling, Lori E , Pepp, Rebecca, Perez, Becky, Peronto, Aniela , Pettenuzzo, Marissa Grace, Pines, Nicole L, Podlasek, Eric, Poleski, Margaret, Polley, Martha B, Powell, Griff E , Pryor, Nicole L, Quickery, Katherine, Raia, Jennifer, Rajashekar, Veena, Rapoport, Carolyn, Reeves, Laura A, Rehfield, Marianne E, Reising, Thomas, Rigali, Megan B, Righeimer, Andrew, Robertson, Stacey, Robey, Seth, Robinet, Linda, Robinson, Patrick C, Robinzine, Lauren M, Rocco, Thomas, Rogers,

SALARY SCHEDULE OF GROSS PAYMENTS FOR CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL AND NON-CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL

OPRF students at forefront of COP27 climate change issues

UN conference in Egypt addresses global impact

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Two Oak Park and River Forest High School students traveled to Egypt in November to attend COP27, the United Nations annual conference on climate change. While at the conference, which was held in Shar m El-Sheikh, Egypt, OPRF students Manolo Avalos and Victoria “Tori” Evans got to chat with Al Gore, meet people from all over the world including leading climate scientists and Evans even attended the speech Presi

dent Joe Biden delivered at the conference. Evans was thrilled to snag a very brief interview with Gore, the for mer vice presi dent. She asked him a question while at an event hosted by Climate Reality, a non-profit group which Gore founded and leads.

“That was just incredible,” said Evans of talking with Gore. “I mean I’ve looked up to Al Gore for forever. He was the first (presi dential candidate) that my mom voted for. My household has been a big fan for a while. And I took his Climate Reality leadership training which helped me get started in environmental work in the first place and so it was a very full circle moment for me getting that experience and kind of seeing how much my hard work and the hard work of all

GENERATIONAL CHANGE: Al Gore meets with stude nt attendees from OPRF High School

the other people in Climate Reality has been paying off.”

Evans recorded her question and Gore’s answer. Evans, an 18-year old senior from Oak Park, asked Gore about Climate Reality’s new global emissions tracking system.

“He said he was optimistic about the use of the tool for that accountability and I think

that was really profound and I hope it does catch on more because it is an incredible tool,” Evans said.

The interchange with Gore was brief but exciting for Evans

“I would say max about two minutes, it was not long,” Evans said. “It was more of like a brief conservation but it was outstand

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PHOTO S BY DAVID SAT TLER

ing regardless and I had a really fun time just getting to talk to him.”

Evans and Avalos, a 16-year old junior from River Forest who is the president of the OPRF Environmental Club, were part of a group offive Chicago area teenagers who were sponsored as “youth observers” at the conference by the Oak Park-based environmental group Seven Generations Ahead This was the third consecutive year Seven Generations Ahead took OPRF students to the COP conference.

All the students got the chance to meet and mingle with Gore.

Hearing Biden speak was another exciting moment for Evans.

“It was just insane to me,” Evans said. “I was toward the back so I was very far away from Biden himself.”

Still she was in the same room as the President ofthe United States hearing him speak on a subject that she is passionate about.

“I think it was incredible to see Biden and hear him speak and it was definitely very moving, but I would say that other countries clearly were kind of getting tired ofthe kind ofthe sort ofsmall promises that the United States was making rather than kind ofthe big contributions that they were expecting or are necessary,” Evans said.

While at the conference Avalos and Evans met all sorts of people: activists, scientists, delegates and gover nmental officials.

“We spent some ofour time trying to track down different delegates from different nations to get the perspectives oftheir countries specifically so we had conversations with the delegate from Tonga, I talked to one ofthe ministers ofNorway I believe, like delegates from Zimbabwe, a bunch ofdifferent countries,” Evans said.

They also watched numerous panel dis cussions and struck up conversations with people from all over the world including

with those who rode the same bus that took them from their hotel to the conference and back each day.

“It was pretty amazing listening to the different languages on the bus,” Avalos said.

Avalos, who took a lot ofvideo ofthe conference, said that his most exciting and memorable moment was getting to interview re nowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, a professor at Texas Tech.

They both said attending the conference made them even more motivated than they have been to work to reduce emissions and protect the Earth. Evans said that it was moving to talk with people who are being directly affected by climate change and to get more of a global perspective.

“Sometimes I think we take for granted being in a developed nation and seeing what we have and you don’t realize the very real struggles ofother areas,” Evans said. “And just hearing their stories and then also hear ing about how much they were calling for the United States to act and do their pa rt was re ally eye opening.”

Evans said people in the United States and other developed countries must do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

“We really need to protect these other people and we’re not,” Evans said.

Avalos and Evans attended the first week ofthe two-week conference. Seven Generations Ahead paid for the students airfare and expenses and also paid for one parent to ac company each student. Evans’s mother, Stacey Kielbasa, accompanied her on the trip. Both of Avalos’s parents, Katie and Steven Avalos, made the trip

Evans, who is a captain ofthe OPRF girls swimming team, arrived in Egypt a day later than the rest ofthe Seven Generations Ahead group because she had to attend to some other business first. On Nov. 5 she closed out her high school swimming career by swimming two events in the sectional meet at Leyden High School. Right after fin ishing seventh in the 100-yard butterfly in the middle of the meet Evans showered, rapidly changed clothes and hopped in the car with her parents to rush to O’Hare to catch her flight to Egypt

“I felt bad being the captain and not being there with the team through all ofit, so that was really hard,” Evans said. “But I think COP was a once in lifetime opportunity. My team understood. It was sad in the moment but I think they all understood that it was important to me and they all wanted to sup port me.”

Evans and Avalos will discuss their visit to COP27 on Dec. 6 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Cross Function at 1033 South Blvd. in Oak Park at a free event sponsored by It’s Our Future, the youth arm of Seven Generations Ahead

Manolo Avalos

Woman overstays her welcome

A 30-year old North Chicago woman was ar rested for trespassing after initially refusing to leave KFC, 316 Madison St., around 7 p.m., Nov. 22. T he woman finally exited the building but be g an to act erratically and started to scream at the KFC employees to come outside and fight, according to the Oak Park Police Depart ment.

When police arrived, the of fender was asked numerous times to leave the prop erty, at the manager’s request. Instead she ran back to the building and be g an at tempting to tamper with equipment.

Burglary

■ Someone removed seven credit and debit cards, cash and an Illinois driver’s license from an unlocked Ford Econoline parked in the 800 block of North Ridgeland Avenue between 2 and 3 p.m., Nov. 26.

■ Someone ransacked the interior of a 2019 GMC Acadia parked in the 400 block of Washington Boulevard between 2:30 p.m., Nov. 22 and 12:30 p.m., Nov. 23.

Motor vehicle theft

■ A 2021 Hyundai Tucson, parked in the 500 block of North Humphrey Avenue, was taken between 2 and 2:47 p.m., Nov. 26.

■ A 2018 Hyundai Sonata in the 900 block of North Taylor Avenue was taken between 8 p.m., Nov. 26 and 7:43 a.m., Nov. 27. Chicago police recovered the vehicle at 3:55 p.m., Nov. 27 in the 4900 block of West Lake Street in Chicago.

■ A 2016 Kia Soul in the 200 block of South Maple Avenue was taken between 2 p.m., Nov. 27 and 9 a.m., Nov. 28.

■ A tan 2017 Hyundai Elantra in the 6100 block of Roosevelt Road was removed between 6 and 10 p.m., Nov. 23.

■ Someone removed a 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio, left running with the keys in the ignition, in the 100 block of Forest Avenue between 4 and 4:18 p.m., Nov. 24.

Attempted motor vehicle theft

Someone broke the rear passenger side window of a 2020 Kia Niro then damaged the vehicle’s ignition between 12:01 a.m. and 9:21 p.m., Nov. 23.

Recovered motor vehicle

■ The 2000 Lexus, re ported stolen Oct. 29 from the 100 block of North Oak Park Avenue, was recovered by Chicago police in the 6200 block of West North Avenue in Chicago at 4:34 p.m., Nov. 23.

■ The 2018 Chrysler Pacifica, re ported stolen Oct. 20 from the 400 block of North Kenilworth Avenue, was recovered by the Illinois State Police in the first block of North Main Street in Glen Ellyn at 11:23 p.m., Nov. 22.

■ The 2021 Kia Seltos, re ported stolen Nov. 2 from the 300 block of South Harvey Avenue, was recovered by police in the 4600 block of West Deming Place in Chicago at 2:10 a.m., Nov. 23.

■ The 2019 Hyundai Elantra, re ported stolen Nov. 23 from the 600 block of South Scoville Avenue, was recovered by Chicago police in the 3800 block of West Fillmore Street in Chicago at 12:59 p.m., Nov. 25.

■ The 2018 Hyundai Sonata, re ported stolen Nov. 27 from the 900 block of North Taylor Avenue, was recovered by Chicago police in the 4900 block of West Lake Street in Chicago at 3:55 p.m. that day.

Theft

■ Someone removed a package containing two coats between 5:12 p.m., Nov. 20 and 9 a.m., Nov. 21 in the 200 block of Washington Boulevard

■ Someone removed $225 in cash out of a server’s book at Cooper ’s Hawk, 950 La ke St., between 5 and 6:21 p.m., Nov. 18.

■ The catalytic converter was removed from a 2003 Honda CRV parked in the 600 block of North Cuyler Avenue between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., Nov. 20.

Criminal proper ty damage

■ Someone broke the rear passenger side window of a 2017 Kia Sportage between 4 p.m., Nov. 20 and 8:40 a.m., Nov. 21 in the 500 block of North Taylor Avenue.

■ Someone damaged the rear entry gate of an Oak Park resident’s wooden gate between 7 p.m., Nov. 22 and 9:01 a.m., Nov. 23 in the 1000 block of South East Avenue.

■ Someone shattered the rear driver side vent window of a 2014 Kia Cadenza between 8 p.m., Nov. 22 and 9 a.m., Nov. 23 in the 400 block of South Humphrey Avenue.

These items, obtained from Oak Park Police Department reports, Nov. 22-27, represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

oakpark.com/real- estate email: buphues@wjinc.com

slate

Oak Park cohousing development gets green light

Groundbreaking for 24-unit development expected early next spring

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

This fall, the first intergenerational cohousing community in Illinois took big steps forward towards construction in Oak Park

Both the Oak Park Plan Commission and the Village Board of Trustees unanimously ap proved the development planned for Madison Street at Carpenter Avenue, and the building is on its way to breaking ground in 2023.

To date, the 24-unit building has eight owners with units already reserved and nine equity investors. Susan Stall, chair of the membership and marketing committee for Oak Park Commons development, says those investors

have already committed $1.2 million of the building’s estimated $11.5 million cost.

It’s a process that began almost four years ago when a group of interested Oak Park residents gathered with the interest of trying to build an intergenerational cohousing development. Susan Stall and her husband Charlie Hoch were in that early group.

What began as a few people interested in exploring the benefits of cohousing for young and older people turned into a group dedicated to creating a multifamily building with shared common spaces to foster social interaction in a building that promotes energy conservation and environmental sustainability.

Oak Park resident Jonathan Shack and his wife were on board early in the process. The couple are lifelong Oak Parkers. A friend told them about the group in Oak Park, and Shack and his wife went to some meetings and decided it fit the bill for the kind of in tentional living they were interested in “Cohousing in general, and Oak Park Commons specifically, embodies what Oak Park used to be li ke,” Shack said. “It’s about neighbors gathering for social events, help ing each other when they’re sick, giving

rides to kids. It’s something you just don’t see anymore. For us, it’s getting back to what we grew up with in Oak Park.”

After getting involved on a personal level, Shack also jumped in on a professional level, and his building firm, Altierra, will be in volved on the construction side

This is his first time constructing a co housing building, and he points out that there are a few differences between this and a typical multifamily development.

“For a building this size, it’s not very common to have large common spaces like this will have,” Shack said. “There will be a large roof garden and deck, an exercise room, a lounge room with a fireplace and a communal kitchen and gathering space on the fifth floor.”

Stall notes that there are a few community expectations as well. Members will each volunteer 10 hours a month doing work that meets collective needs, which will re duce monthly assessments and promote community as members share the burdens of cooking, cleaning, managing and governing.

That kind of common goal was attractive to Marion Kuper, who with her husband Keith recently retired from farming in Iowa. The couple started looking at cohousing developments in California, where one of their twin daughters lives.

They liked the idea but found the options there too expensive. Their other daughter lives in Chicago, and they stumbled across

FOSTER DALE ARCHITECTS

Rendering of the planned Oak Park Commons development at 839 Madison St., Oak Park.

the Oak Park Commons website and decided to attend a meeting.

The couple was familiar with cooperative business concepts, having both been involved in food co-ops in the past, and they liked it as a business model. On a personal level, they were attracted to the concept, too.

“They want to create something that’s in tergenerational, with vibrancy and people of all ages,” Kuper said of Oak Park Commons “All of these things are super appealing, so we had to get involved.”

She and her husband have put down a de posit on a unit and are excited about watching the building take shape Kuper and another investor, Sunny Hall, are working together on the roof garden plan.

Those who are ready to commit to living in Oak Park Commons pay a refundable $5,000 fee to reserve the unit of their choice, and 5 percent of the unit price at the time of their purchase The $5,000 can be folded into the 5-percent payment, and units start at $282,193. There are one-, two- and threebedroom units available.

Longtime Oak Parkers Sheila Flaherty and her husband have also reserved a unit in the building. The two had read about co housing efforts elsewhere in the country and were drawn in by the Oak Park Commons

e 24-unit Oak Park Commons cohousing development w ill be built on this vacant southeast corner site at Madison Street and Carpenter Avenue in Oak Park.

volunteer table at the Far mers Market.

F laherty admits to having some initial concer ns about the cohousing model, as she values her privacy, but she says her more social husband was always on board. The two toured other cohousing develop

ments, and she quickly realized that she could have some alone time while also engaging with people frequently, something she says is more and more appealing after a pandemic spent with little human contact.

At first, F laherty felt the project was less

concrete, but as the group has overcome many hurdles

“We’ve done some big things. We’ve purchased the land, we passed the village planning commission and board, we’ve got signs up,” F laherty said. “This is getting real.”

Shack says things are definitely gaining momentum, and receiving such unanimous praise from the village was a big boost. Af ter receiving notes on their construction drawings, the group will finalize those be fore going back to the village for permits and hopes to be breaking ground in early spring 2023, with a possible delivery date of late spring 2024.

“Everyone in the group is really excited,” Shack said. “This will be a great addition to Madison Street. It’s really going to be thriv ing from both a business and residential standpoint.”

Oak Park Commons holds re gular meetings via Zoom with some in-person gather ings as well for those interested in learning more about cohousing in Oak Park Their next Zoom meeting is planned for Dec 8. Anyone interested in lear ning more about the concept can visit their website: oakparkcohousing.org

GOOGLE MAPS

Simeon edges Fenwick to claim Prep Bowl crown

D’Alise named Friars with standout tw per formance

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Fenwick High School was considered the underdog in nual Chicago Prep Bowl final No Chicago Public League champion which has several top college its roster

Yet the Chicago Catholic League pion Friars competed valiantly Wolverines and even took a late falling 33-30 at Triton College its Prep Bowl final record to 4-6-1.

“It was an evenly matched game ways,” said Fenwick coach Matt “Both sides made mistakes, but plays.”

It took Simeon (12-1) just score on the opening possession Elzy caught a 27-yard touchdo Keshaun Parker to give the Wolverines a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest. But Fenwick sophomore defensive back Jack Paris came up big on Simeon’s next possession, intercepting Parker and retur ning 21 yards to the Wolverines’ 37. Three plays later, quarterback Marek Hill found a wide-open Dennis Moore for a 5-yard touchdown reception, and Pat Durkin’s 2-point conversion gave the Friars an 8-7 lead Late in the quarter, Andre Crews’ 28-yard run on third and 8 from the Fenwick 31 set up his own 2-yard touchdown plunge to give Simeon the lead again. However, the extra point was blocked, leaving the score 13-8.

A Luke D’Alise interception then a defensive stop on a Simeon fake punt gave Fenwick the ball inside Wolverines’ territory on consecutive possessions to start the second quarter But the Friars tur ned the ball over on downs both times and Crews made them pay with a 51-yard scoring dash over left tackle with 4:57 left in the half The play gave Simeon a 19-8 lead

Fenwick (7-6) took the second-half kick

off and marched 64 yards on eight plays to get back into the game Hill’s 1-yard run on fourth and goal followed by kicker Luis Avalos’ point after brought the Friars to within 19-15 at the 8:49 mark of the third quarter.

But Simeon responded later in the third. After stopping Fenwick on downs, the Wolverines went 39 yards on seven plays to re store their 11-point lead as Cameron Ashley scored from four yards out on fourth and goal.

However, Fenwick refused to yield. Rowan White’s 41-yard reception off a deflected pass set up D’Alise’s 5-yard touchdown run. A 2-point conversion pass from Hill to Dur kin cut the deficit to 26-23 with 10:49 left in regulation.

Elijah Romeus intercepted Parker on Simeon’s next possession and three plays later, Hill hit Moore with a short pass Moore broke a couple of tackles and sprinted down the Fenwick sideline for a 63-yard touchdown and gave the Friars a 30-26 lead with

6:03 to go

But it didn’t take long for Simeon to regain the lead for good. Crews caught a screen pass from Parker and dashed 48 yards down the left side for the go-ahead touchdown with 4:40 to go. Crews (28 carries, 156 yards, 3 total TD) was named Simeon’s Prep Bowl Most Valuable Player.

Fenwick attempted to rally once more as back-to-back 15-yard runs by D’Alise got the Friars to the Simeon 37. But the drive stalled, and Hill was sacked by Antwan Roquemore on fourth down with 2:34 left. However, Fenwick held on defense and got the ball back on the Simeon 40 with 1:18 to go Runs of 20 yards by D’Alise and 11 by Hill got the Friars close enough to at tempt a g ame-tying field goal. But Avalos’ kick from 43 yards out drifted left as time expired.

“Luis gave it a great ef fort,” Battaglia said. “We just couldn’t get over the hump at the end.”

D’Alise, who plays both running back

and linebacker, was named Fenwick’s Prep Bowl MVP He ran for 161 yards (151 in the second half) and a touchdown on 21 car ries and had two interceptions and 12 tackles on defense

Hill threw 154 yards and two scores and ran for another, but he completed just 10 of 34 passes.

“There are a lot of things we could’ve done better,” Battaglia said. “But everyone competed and played hard, and we can build of f of that for future seasons. Obviously, you don’t like to lose the last g ame. It’s bittersweet because we had a tough, hard-nosed senior class. They were great leaders.”

While Fenwick loses talented players such as Durkin, Moore, Joep Engbers, Aaron Johnson, Mirko Jaksic, and Conor Stetz to graduation, D’Alise, Hill, Paris, Romeus, Avion Brown, and Nate Marshall form a good core to build around. But re building the of fensive line is a priorit y this of fseason

C AROL DUNNING/Contributor

Fenw ick quar terback Marek Hill scrambles out of the pocket to look for a receiver dur ing the Prep Bowl against Simeon Nov. 25. Hill threw for two scores and ran for anothe r, but it wasn’t enough as the Friars lost 33-30.

OPRF gymnasts eye return to sectionals as a team

Strong freshman class joins six who advanced from regionals last season

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Oak Park and River Forest High School senior Caroline Raducha knows about suc cess in three sports

She hopes to continue that in her final season with the girls gymnastics team, which has reached sectionals as a team the past four postseasons

“Every gymnast contributes in a variety of ways. I think my strengths are vault and [balance] beam,” Raducha said.

“We definitely have some really strong freshmen coming in, which is great. We have a lot of flipping vaults that have a lot of potential. I’d also say we’re very strong on bars F loor [exercise] also is great. I

think vault will definitely be our strongest event.”

The Huskies retur n six individual sec tional qualifiers whose perfor mances contributed to a season-high 135.65 points at the Downers Grove South Re gional.

Raducha and senior Maya Lim again reached sectionals individually along with juniors Violet Ruff, Jane Walker, Eleanor Wolski and Gabby Morales Lim, Walker and Ruff qualified as all-arounders.

“Some of them are really excited about getting better. We have enough de pth and they all train all-around,” OPRF coach Kris Wright said. “We’ re excited. I think we’ ll do well and be in the upper part of our conference.”

The season be gins with the Rolling Meadows Invitational on Dec. 3.

Raducha again got a late preseason star t after competing in diving this fall. Last spring, Raducha qualified for the state badminton tour nament in doubles with Katherine DeHaan, going 1-2.

“Definitely right now the transition to gymnastics from diving is pretty dif ficult. They are similar spor ts but dif ferent ways of doing movements,” said Raducha, who usually competed vault, beam and bars last season. “Also [I’m focused on] being a leader for the younger girls and because I have experience from other spor ts, someone they can look up to when they have a question or things they need to talk about.”

OPRF last season was sixth at the Oswe go Sectional (131.65).

Ruff came closest to reaching state in dividually. Ruff tied for seventh on vault

(9.0), which was .15 points from advancing automatically with a top-five finish.

Lim also advanced to sectionals on all four events. Walker had the next high est finish with 14th on beam and also advanced on uneven bars and vault. Raducha (vault), Morales (beam) and Wolski (floor) advanced on one event.

“I’m hoping to increase my dif ficult on a couple of routines I’ve had for a few years and to definitely go back to sectionals, pref erably as a team,” Walker said.

Junior Claire Re zny retur ns with varsity experience, mostly on beam. Maisie Hoer ster and Alexis Henderson lead the strong freshman class

“We’ re kind of excited about maybe what [the freshmen] can bring to the table,” Wright said.

Richardson’s late basket earns Trinity tourney consolation title

Blazers nish 3-1 at Elmhurst Classic

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Cier ra Richardson’s basket in the closing seconds gave the Blazers a 50-48 victory over DePaul Prep in the consolation championship g ame of the Elmhurst Classic Thanksgiving Tour nament on Nov. 26.

Marshall each scored nine points in the loss opener Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m. against enwick in the Chicago Elite Classic at the University of Illinois at Chicago is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

nwick boys close out tourney with victory

SPORTS ROUNDUP

The Blazers finished the tour ney with a 3-1 record. In the consolation final, held at Timothy Christian, Richardson fin ished with a g ame-high 26 points and added nine rebounds and three steals

Lauren Miller continued her strong star t with her fourth double-double of the year (13 points, 12 rebounds). Freshman Chloe Santos had seven points and 10 rebounds.

On Nov. 23, Trinity routed Niles Nor th 58-16. Miller led the way with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five steals. Santos posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. So phia Rodrigue z and Maeve Lundt each scored seven points and Richardson added six points, nine steals and five assists.

The Blazers had their home opener on Nov. 29 (after Wednesday Jour nal’s print deadline) against neighborhood rival Fenwick

OPRF boys go 2-2 at Thanksgiving tourney

The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys basket-

ball team went 2-2 at the Wheaton Academy Thanksgiving Tour nament last week.

After losing the opener 63-58 to Plainfield Nor th in double over time Nov. 21, the Huskies bounced back Nov. 23, squeaking out a 61-59 victory over the host War riors. Christian Marshall - named to the All-Tour nament Team - led with 15 points and 4 steals. Mehki Austin scored 11 points, and Alex Gossett and Max Johnson each added nine points

On Nov. 25, OPRF routed Bar tlett 83-62. Marshall and Paul Kitch each had 15 points Alex Vincent had a doubledouble with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Gossett and Rodney Mur phy each added eight points.

On Nov. 26, the Huskies fell to Downers Grove Nor th 73-

School went 2-2 in the season-opening Hoops 4 Healing Thanksgiving Tour nament at Oswe go Neuqua Valley Nov. 21 in the opener, back the next evening with a 73-61 vic Panthers. J.T. Pettigrew led the way with 20 points and 11 rebound s. Dominick Ducree had 19 points ile Damion Por ter Jr added 12 points, three rebounds and five assists

On Nov. 23, Fenwick dropped a hard-fought contest against West Aurora 60-57. Por ter had 17 points and four rebounds, Darshan Thomas 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Pettigrew 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the loss

On Nov. 25, the Friars rolled past Naperville Nor th 5846. Thomas had a double-double with 14 points and 10 re bounds Por ter had 13 points, three rebounds and five assists Ducree added nine points, four rebounds and three assists, and Pettigrew had eight points and seven rebounds.

After its home opener versus Rich Township on Nov. 29 (post print deadline) and the Chicago Catholic League opener at De La Salle on Dec 1, Fenwick will meet OPRF at the Chicago Elite Classic on Dec 2. Tickets will be on sale at the school this week.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

VIEWPOINTS

Baby, it’s cold outside!

The first snow of winter appeared before the mounds of dried leaves left our streets. The memory of those beautiful autumn trees was swept away by winter’s early visit.

I can’t help but think how fortunate most of us are to be warm and comfortable in our heated rooms. When I was a kid, radiators tried with all their might to keep us warm, but typically with minimal success. The radiators were burning hot to the touch, but 5 feet away, it was cool. My mom would scold me if I complained. She spoke of having to huddle around a wood-burning stove when she was a child. When I was a teenager, there would be almost daily morning discussions with my mom about my winter clothing choices. She always chose the war mest, ugliest things for me to wear (often my Aunt’s hand-medown clothes), and of course I would strongly object. Mom always won the morning battle. However, when I would rk, I would remove as much clothing as I could, and proceed to “fashze during the day. Besides dressing for the winter weather, my ifying me both inside and satisfy her inside requireepared her famous . It was not a broth. Rather, it was ridge-like and could better be than a spoon. Most of the amily thought it was tasty, but also noted it could double as wallpaper paste. I teased about Mom’s soup, and yet I often make a similar thick, stick-to-your ribs soup when my family has the sniffles or a cough. I swear it even helps soothe COVID-19 patients!

It’s painful lately watching Elon Musk

Ihave watched documentaries on Elon Musk before and even wrote two papers on him for a study project. I was fascinated with the person who could overcome so many challenges to become a space innovator as a nonphysicist.

HAUSMAN

In addition to my “attractive” winter clothing, my mom insisted on war ming the outsides of me by slathering Vick’s Vaporub on my neck and chest. The scent of this camphor “eau de cologne” would cling to my skin for hours after application. My embar rassment mattered not to my mother; I still had to go to work or school.

Growing up in our household, school and work were considered both a privilege and an obligation. The rule was unless you were “close to death” you never missed a day of either. According to the school, an absent day was a mark against the student, and at work it was simply, “no work, no pay.” In those times, we did not have the luxury of taking vacation or sick days with pay. So we worked and went to school … fever, sniffles, or whatever!

I am sure my grandparents never dreamed that someone could set a dial to a desired temperature on an invention called a “thermostat,” and have the furnace heat their rooms well. Even though over the years most of our lives have been made more comfortable, I know many have not had the benefits that I’ve had.

In this Thanksgiving season, and every day, I am forever grateful for my personal blessings. Now if only we could design a kinder, war mer society appreciative of our diverse population and our democracy — forgoing cold and hateful thoughts

Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

And that would warm us, too, inside and out.

My daughter wants to be a physicist and saw herself applying as an inter n at SpaceX soon. My daughter is also a high-functioning autistic who excels at a lot. To us, he was an example of how those with autism challenges can succeed, and succeed in such a big way. The world is still adapting to the alternative thinking, seeing, and feeling of those on the spectrum. They add innovation to our world.

EL SERUMAGA

So it is hard to watch his recent actions and behaviors. We are scratching our heads. We know he is also diagnosed with bipolar as he has shared openly. So what happens when someone who seems to be in other ways a well-meaning person (let’s give him the benefit of the doubt), makes dastardly and disruptive decisions that affect so many?

Do we just say, he’s not processing his trauma from past life challenges and is acting out because of his autism and bipolar? Do we encourage him to get help? Do we try to understand and gently nudge him? Or should we launch an attack?

As with Kanye “Ye” West, who, as of late, has displayed the same destructive behaviors (they are friends btw), how long do we watch without calling attention to the fact that, regardless of how rich, how powerful, how successful a person might be, it doesn’t exclude them from pain, trauma, implosion due to the latter, and the need to get help?

Many people go through these things but the unfortunate few who are in the public eye in such a major way become public spectacles. I am not saying Musk or even Ye are victims, but as we want Musk to just stop and get a handle on

Twitter, the bottom line is that the man making all the decisions is in obvious crisis.

I want him to get the decision-making support he needs in order for his Twitter ventures to not drown out more important and worthy news, and to just “make the noise stop.” It’s hard to watch and listen to.

But I also want him to have the support he needs because the last thing America needs is more chaos and avoidable crap. It also makes me wonder if we are the kind of community who will say, ‘Hey, buddy. Let’s talk about this. You OK?’

I confess, if I had not seen documentaries about him and saw the empathetic, idealistic tortured soul behind the Musky mask, I might not feel the desire to cut him a tiny ounce of slack. But here I am, conflicted and not in his inner circle, saying to myself, “Elon! For the love of all of those with ASD, please don’t make them look bad! Please get some solid help, advice, counseling, and throw in a good purging cry for good measure.

From a lover of people with ASD.

EL Serumaga is a resident of River Forest and Founder of Ecovici.com.

David Hammond: A gift of beans for Christmas p. 33

NORAD AND USNORTHCOM PUBLIC AFFAIRS/PUBLIC DOMAIN

Elon Musk

OUR VIEWS

Last chance?

If things go on plan, this Friday West Suburban Medical Center will be operating under new ownership. Considering the alternatives, this is very good news for Oak Park, River Forest and the West Side

However, assuming it takes over this week — and we are waiting for a bankruptcy court in Texas to rule Tuesday afternoon, after our print deadline — then the newly created Resilience Healthcare will become the sixth owner of this critical institution since 1996. That is stunning instability for a community hospital even in a national health-care environment that has been disrupted in myriad ways over the past two decades.

We worry.

Most immediately our concern is that Pipeline Health Systems, the outgoing owner, was willing to tur n over operations of West Sub and its sibling hospital Weiss Memorial in Uptown, before there was an ac tual agreement on the sale of the actual medical facilities and the associated real estate. Suggests to us that the ongoing financial losses at these two hospitals were staggering to Pipeline, even after it declared bankruptcy in late October, directly because it did not have a deal to sell its two Illinois hospitals. Also suggests that the two men who spun up Resilience for the purpose of this acquisition are working to drive a hard bargain on the real estate.

Good for them, assuming they have the financial wherewithal to both sustain the hospitals, invest in them, and most critically, have the vision to operate two safety-net hospitals.

After nearly a century of proud independent operation as a community hospital, West Sub has become a basket case since it was sold in 1996 to Loyola Medical. Since then we have seen Resurrection, Vanguard, Tenet, Pipeline and now Resilience. In a Chicago market where there has been enormous consolidation of hospital ownership with Rush, Loyola, Northwester n and the University of Chicago snapping up local institutions, it is not good news that none of them have come calling for West Sub.

West Suburban is as critical today as it has been in its century-plus service to the Greater West Side. Its future is not assured. So now we wait, hopefully not for long, to hear from Manoj Prasad, the lead person in crafting this acquisition.

Earth’s frontline

It must have been remarkable for two OPRF students with a passion for our climate crisis to travel to Eg ypt for the annual UN climate conference. Under the auspices of Oak Park-based Seven Generations Ahead they joined three Chicago high school students at the week-long event as “youth observers.”

On our front page today we have the picture of OPRF’s Victoria “Tori” Evans interviewing Al Gore, the for mer vice president and, perhaps, the Earth’s most notable voice on the climate catastrophe we face

Evans and Manolo Avalos, the OPRF student who leads the school’s Environmental Club, were frank in discussing how meeting students and leaders from countries already being impacted by climate disruption shifted their own perceptions of the crisis.

That is a lesson we all need to grasp.

Learning to love November

November is a hard month to love, with Central Standard Time’s blanket of early darkness descending like a fiat from the old Soviet Politburo. Boom. Here. Deal with it. The sun, fickle lover, heads south for its annual dalliance with the other hemisphere.

Leaf blowers are deafening in their mindless mission to project all leafy matter into the streets, where work vehicles, fronted by enormous cages, push them into small mountains to be packed into dump trucks for the jour ney to mulch utopia.

KEN TRAINOR

As there is no escaping November — unless you have an alternative abode in sunnier climes — our only choice seems to be learning to love it somehow. If James Taylor is right that “the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time,” that includes the changing seasons, even the seasons we love less. Our four-part year doesn’t allow the luxury of complacency, so we are left with celebrating the changing markers and rhythms. It helps to have a vantage point, a perch from which to view the year’s visual slide show.

My vantage point as a kid was the Maze branch library on Gunderson, just north of the expressway, that quaint, book-filled cottage of stone and brick, that marks each season by pasting pastel construction paper Easter eggs, flowers, flags, falling leaves, and snowflakes in the windows of the children’s section, as they have since I was a kid 60-some years ago, and maybe since its doors opened in 1936.

Because the library overplanted trees that obscure this charming structure’s facade during the growing portion of the year, one of the best things about November is the leafless view of the warm lights aglow within during these night-dominant latter days.

And speaking of vantage points, high overhead, sandhill cranes on sunny days can be heard on their bi-annual aerial sprint toward warmer habitats, bleating their never-ending mantra: “Cold, cold, cold! Holy crap! How’d it get so cold?!”

The cranes make a lot of noise as they fly over, in groups of a couple of do zen to hundreds, circling and collecting before continuing south, each V led by a single crane, the others in tight, if fluid, formation. Oak Pa rk is on their flyway path,

but you have to be in the right place at the right time, and you hear them before you can see them.

They are all business, their long necks stretched taut, taking full advantage of vast wing spans. And they really move

When we think of birds flying south, we think of geese. Canada geese, however, have been wintering here for decades, creating an unholy mess after grazing on our grass.

Cranes are the real thing, a mass migration of thousands, driven southeast by a cold northwest wind, guided by unerring instinct, an inbred genetic memory. We, the landbound, find them thrilling, a giant flying chorus of bleating hearts, setting a breakneck pace, pointing toward the future while endlessly re-enacting the past.

They are a metaphor of transcendence for flatlanders, symbols of freedom, but they’re really just getting the hell out of Dodge with winter nipping their tail feathers. They’ re locked in an annual circuit that forces them south, then seduces them nor th ag ain each March. They aren’t free to question their hard-wiring long enough to say, “I think I’ll winter here this year instead.”

Back on ter ra firma, November’s charms are subtle: the stillness of the world, post-World Series, post-Farmers Market, postelection, post-leaf blow ers — the calm before the holiday storm, leafy collages plastered on and framed by sidewalk squares. The primary colors depart, leaving burnished browns and russet reds, the squirrels hurdling leaf piles on their way to building a food stash for the upcoming season of slimmer pickings.

November has its fans. “It’s a time of peace and planning,” says a friend, “a time of looking ahead to the lights and bells and whistles of December. It’s going from outside joy to inside joy. In November you can hear the leaves when you walk. I love the dried hydrangeas. I love November brown.”

November white, on the other hand, is harder to love, especially when it comes several inches deep with icy wind chill. But that’s November, too. This year the thermometer hit 76 de grees mid-month, and a week later it was 14 above zero.

Maybe Brook Benton (“Rainy Night in Georgia”) was thinking of November when he sang, “No matter how you look at it or think of it, it’s life and you just got to fit it in.”

SHRUB TO WN by Marc Stopeck

New book celebrates Unity Temple

Frank Lloyd Wright called Oak Park’s Unity Temple the first truly modern building. While one could argue with that statement, it’s certainly true that the building was groundbreaking when it was finished in 1908. No one had ever thought of constructing a public building — much less a house of worship — from reinforced concrete. Wright chose the material as a way of bringing in the project within the congregation’s $40,000 budget.

He failed — the final cost was closer to $80,000 — but he gave the congregation and Oak Park a landmark building, one that underwent a complete restoration, completed in 2017. That restoration, directed by the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation and restoration architect Gunny Harboe (FAIA), with a grant from the Alphawood Foundation, was a contributing factor in the building being designated in 2019 as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (The 20th Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright). It shares this honor with seven other Wright buildings, included Chicago’s Robie House

The restoration and UNESCO honor also encouraged me and my photographer partner James Caulfield to re think and revise our 2009 book on the Temple. The new book, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple: A Good Time

Place Reborn, has 50 percent more pages than the original, and the all-new photographs are displayed in a larger format. It was made possible by a generous grant from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. This is our seventh book on Chicagoarea architecture and architects. Our most recent book, At Home in Chicago: A Living History of Domestic Architecture, was the Gold Medal winner in architecture at the 2022 Independent Publisher’s Book Awards. We are currently planning a major revision of an earlier work on famed architect Louis Sullivan.

The book was published by the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation (utrf.org), founded in 1973 to restore and preserve Unity Temple; promote public awareness of and engagement with architecture; and educate the general public, including local, national and international visitors of all ages about the significance of Unity Temple Oak Parker Heidi Ruehle is the executive director.

Copies of the new book are now available at the Temple (875 Lake St.), which is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday, at the Book Table (1045 Lake St.) or online

Pat Cannon Oak Park

WEDNESD AY

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

My memories of Barbara Ballinger

I’d like to thank Wednesday Journal for printing tributes to Barbara Ballinger, former head librarian of the Oak Park Public Library. I’d also like to add my own personal memories of her:

I worked at the library for four years in the late 1980s. It was a time of immeasurable professional growth for me under Miss Ballinger’s leadership, and with the consecutive Children’s Services heads, Ruth Peaslee and Rita Cavanagh, as well as the highly professional librarians and support staff in Reference, Adult Services, and Circulation.

Miss B, as many of us called her, directed a library with best practices because her decisions were infor med by the mission of the public library, a mission untar nished by time or trends.

Miss B had a warm and genuine interest in people. She was interested in and cared about the staff. If she asked about my family, I knew it was not a pro-for ma question. She wanted to know how my family was doing. Miss B took time with her staff. She gave me encouragement and helpful advice after a presentation to the library board — advice I have not forgotten. She took me with her to a children’s literature lecture at the Uni versity of Chicago, and the conversation

in the car rivaled the lecture. She wrote an inspiring note when I left the library. She was a warm, kind, encouraging, thoughtful person.

After Miss B retired and I moved on to other positions, we frequently came across each other around town — at Far mers Mar ket where she stocked up on blueberries to freeze and enjoy throughout the winter; at library programs; at Oak Park River Forest History Museum events

It was after one of these events, five years ago, that she asked me to drive her home, then invited me into her condo for a chat. It was a long, satisfying conversation. I basked in the presence of her poetry collection — an entire bookcase of poetry.

Finally, and I think this is metaphoric, we who worked at the old building knew when it was officially spring because Miss B would invite us, as we had a moment, into her office in the southeast corner of the building, there to enjoy and be inspired by the beauty and potential of a flowering tree in full bloom outside her window.

Blessings on your soul, Miss B. Thank you.

Elaine D. Johnson Oak Park

CREDIT HISTORICAL SOCIET Y OPRF

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

Medicare is not free

Premiums, copays, and coinsurance are re gular features of health insurance. Orig inal Medicare has a deductible of $1,556 [2022 figure] for each hospital stay. Medig ap policies can be purchased to cover the de ductible Medicare Advantage plans have per day co-payments; the amount varies from plan to plan.

The Original plan, Par ts A and B, have no out-of-pocket caps, but Medig ap plans do cover at least some of the costs. Advantage plans have an out-of-pocket cap of $7,550 for in-network and $11,300 for out-of network services

Under the Original plan you will be charged 20% of the cost of a doctor visit af ter you have met the annual deductible of $233 [2022 figure]; a Medig ap policy will pay par t or all of the 20%. De pending on your Advantage plan you will pay a flat co-pay for a doctor visit or a percentage of the bill. You will pay less if you use your plan’s network rather than an out-of-network doctor You must pay a monthly premium even

if you never visit a hospital. Original Medicare Part A is premium-free if you have worked and contributed long enough to the plan. The monthly premium for Part B is $170.10 [2022 figure], but the premium will be higher for those with higher in comes Part D drug plan premiums vary

Advantage plans require Part B premiums of $170.10; some plans require a second monthly premium as well. There are usually no additional premiums for drugs.

Both Original and Advantage plans cover emergency visits to the hospital. Under the Original plan you will be responsible for 20% of the doctor bills and Part A pric es Costs under Advantage plans are uncer tain because they de pend on the plan you chose

Finally, Medicare is obviously an arcane subject, but it can be wor th many dollars of savings to those who take the time to understand its nuances.

Al Popowits

Ri v er Forest

Support a referendum on ranked-choice voting

At one of its upcoming meeting Oak Park Village Board of Trustees considering whether to place a referendum on the April ballot that asks if for Oak Park trustees should use choice voting. I urge everyone to the trustees now to ask that this dum be placed on the ballot so voters input into this impor tant, impactful sion for election improvement.

Why ranked-choice voting? To candidate will have to win the of votes — that’s not true now. You’ your choices. If your first-choice candidate doesn’t win, your second or third might. You will vote for who you want, waste your vote to “strategically” a candidate you don’t want. Dive groups will have a better chance for re presentation. Candidates will have to compete to ear n the second- and third-choice votes from their opponents’ suppor ters, resulting in less ne gative campaigning.

There are solid, convincing reasons why Oak Park should use ranked-choice voting to elect its trustees If ranked-choice voting

is put on the ballot in April, voters will be heard on this issue

Call or write the Oak Park Village Board of Trustees, requesting that they add this referendum to the April ballot.

Barbara Paterick Oak Park

NOTICE OF PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX

INCREASE

FOR OAK PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 97, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

I. A public hearing to approve a proposed property tax levy for Oak Park School District No. 97, Cook County, Illinois for 2022 will be held on December 13, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. at the Board of Education Meeting Room, 260 W. Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302.

Any person desiring to appear at the public hearing and present testimony to the taxing district may contact Patrick King, Senior Director of Finance, 260 W. Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois at (708) 524-3133.

II. The corporate and special purpose property taxes extended or abated for the year 2021 were $84,992,549.

The proposed corporate and special purpose property taxes to be levied for 2022 are $89,240,000. This represents a 5.0% increase over the previous year’s extension.

III. The property taxes extended for debt service for 2021 were $4,339,519.

The estimated property taxes to be levied for debt service for 2022 are $4,131,675.

IV. The total property taxes extended or abated for 2021 were $89,332,068.

The estimated total property taxes to be levied for 2022 are $93,371,675.

This represents a 4.5% increase over the previous year’s total levy.

Avoiding strangers, you miss a lo t

‘Stranger danger” is a strate gy some parents use to keep their kids safe. Children are cautioned not to talk to strangers. I know a boy who was so indoctrinated by stranger danger, he became hysterical whenever a strange adult approached. Kids are taught stranger danger despite the fact that only 1 in 10,000 missing children are kidnapped by a stranger.

Adults are not indoctrinated this way. Many of us, though, developed a fear of strangers during the peak of the pandemic We deliberately crossed the street to avoid the person walking toward us. This kind of avoidance no longer seems necessary. In fact, a recent “T ribune” article was titled, “Why you should talk to strangers.”

Author Stephanie Vo zza re por ts that strangers can be a powerful source of infor mation. For example, I met a young man named Tyren Thomas, who works in IT and of fered to fix my creaky old computer. He also told me he is an “extraver ted introver t.” I had believed the human race was divided into introver ts and extraverts. But more than half the population are actually “ambiverts.”

These people are natural introver ts who become extraver ted when circumstances call for it. Ambiver ts tend to have good people skills. They excel as salespeople. We might consider an extraver ted salesperson to be “pushy” but ambiver ts know how to put the customer at ease

They enjoy meeting new people but, be cause they’ re introver ts, they can endure only so much socializing. They appear to be easy-going but their minds are always running. They hate making shallow small talk and prefer talking about big ideas They love those rare moments when they meet a kindred soul.

Some of us become ambiver ts due to our occupation. I had a ter rible fear of strangers. It took years of detective work and interviewing people as a repor ter to over

come my fear of strangers. Now I can enjoy gatherings here I don’t know anyone This happens from time to time in Forest Park. I’ve been to backyard parties where I barely know a soul. I also found that attending a block par ty where we don’t live can be a challenge. On Election Night, I was invited by Dr Eddie Korneg ay to watch results at the VFW. I admired Korneg ay for running for state representative of the 7th District. He took on Speaker of the House Chris Welch.

Dr Korneg ay’s courage prompted me to cast a rare Re publican vote. I acce pted his invitation to the VFW for the same reason. I didn’t expect to know many people there but saw some familiar faces. There were also plenty of strangers. I had a meaningful talk with a couple who had traveled there from Crystal Lake. I also met more members of the Korneg ay family. I even found a kindred spirit in Tyren Thomas. We had both attended Catholic schools and endured our share of academic struggles

It can be rewarding to eng age with stranger s. That’s how we get to know the do g walkers in the neighborhood. We also meet the stroller pushers. Sometimes we need a stranger ’s help. A friend of mine had fallen in the street and I couldn’t lift him. I didn’t have my phone to call the paramedics.

A female do g walker responded to my call for help. She was the strongest stranger I’ve ever met and single-handedly got my friend to his feet. He wasn’t hurt and was grateful for her help

When I was growing up, my family had a tradition of inviting strangers for the holidays

So if you’ re shor t of strangers this holiday season, I would be glad to stop by for pie.

John Rice, a Forest Park resident who grew up in Oak Park, is a columnist for our sister publication, the Forest Park Re view

I had believed the human race was divided into introver ts and ex traver ts. But more than half the population are ac tually “ambiver ts.”

Time was, most of our beans came from cans. Then a few years ago, daughter Lydia gifted us a few bags of Rancho Gordo beans for Christmas Since then, we’ve never been tempted to use any other beans, certainly not from a can.

Rancho Gordo specializes in heirloom varieties of legumes, including lentils and peas, but mostly they’re about the beans: exotic varieties (like buckeye, mayocoba, and King City Pink beans) as well as more familiar ones (like black, pinto, and garbanzo beans). They offer 30 kinds of beans, all from small farms in Mexico and the West Coast. These might be the best beans you’ve ever tasted.

When I tried the Rancho Gordo garbanzo beans, I realized just how good garbanzos could be. Unlike the canned beans we used to buy, the flavors of the Rancho Gordo beans were so much deeper, more nuanced,

A gi of beans for Christmas

with more tooth — and they look beautiful, coming in man shades and combinations of purple, yellow, beige, black and red.

About a year or so ago, we became members of the Rancho Gordo Bean Club. Every quarter, they send some pounds of beans (including ones with a very limited growing season or yield). Of course, these beans — sold dry, in 1 pound bags — are more expensive than the canned or re gular grocery store dried versions. The garbanzos, for instance, are $6.25 for a pound of dried beans … but I can pretty much guarantee, they will be the best garbanzos, and maybe the best beans, you’ve ever put on a plate.

Rancho Gordo shipments include sug gested recipes for the beans, but we like experimenting. After a friend posted a picture of a particularly beautiful soup/ stew using a Lima-like Royal Corona bean,

Carolyn made a pot (photo), and it was knockout: lots of veggies in a tomato-based broth, and the Royal Corona beans kept their shape while staying lush and creamy — just fabulous, much like the fasolias gigantes from Papaspiros that I wrote about years ago.

We like meat, but we know we should be

cutting back, both for reasons of personal and planetary health. Beans are highly nutritious: the Harvard School of Public Health has written that “Legumes, which include beans, peas and lentils, are an inexpensive, healthy source of protein, potassi um, and complex carbohydrates, including dietary fiber. On average, legumes contain about 20-25% protein.”

Beans also, of course, are delicious and extraordinarily versatile: they can be in corporated into soups and stews, but many varieties take quite well to mashing and eating as a hummus or dip

Just as my daughter bought us beans for Christmas, you might consider buying a few bags of Rancho Gordo beans for friends and relatives on your holiday gift list. It’s unlikely they’ve ever before rece ived the gift of beans for Christmas, but the likeli hood is high that these precious legumes will make them very happy.

You can order straight from Rancho Gordo, and locally, you’ ll find bags of Rancho Gordo beans at Oak Park’s Carnivore grocery store.

PHOTO DAVID HAMMOND

Royal Corona beans

Mars and Venus: Di erent but in the same solar system

Pastor Walter Mitty was the last of the men’s fellowship group to leave the Main Café last Saturday, and as he passed the cash re gister he noticed that Alice wasn’t busy “I see that you are wearing a Dar ren Bailey for Gover nor button,” he said hop ing to star t a conversation.

The pastor of Poplar Park Community Church had recently heard about a conce pt called dee p canvassing which promotes long conversations seeking to build trust while going door-to-door instead of giving a one-minute elevator speech in favor of the candidate you’ re promoting

The cantankerous waitress had a cyni cal, suspicious look on her face but decided she would take on that “pointy headed liberal” anyway.

“You damn right, Rev,” she be g an.

Mitty was used to her abrasive combativeness, and calmly asked, “I really would like to know, Alice. Why would you vote for him instead of Pritzker?”

The Trump voter and election denier actually be lieved her re gular customer was sincere and relaxed a little. “Well, for one thing, Rev, he’s a real Christian. He and his wife fast every Tuesday, he opens campaign meetings with prayer, and he star ted the Full Ar mor Christian Academy.”

Pastor Mitty took that comment in and said, “And I suppose that explains why he’s pro-life and supports the Dobbs Decision.”

Alice looked at Mitty quizzically and asked, “Are you ag reeing with me?”

“No, just trying to understand.”

“And on top of that,” she continued, “he wasn’t bor n with a silver spoon in his mouth. He’s a thirdgeneration far mer and he understands me. I don’t think Pritzker has ever come home with an aching back because he’s been on his feet all day like I do every single day.

Alice was on a roll.

“He understands in his gut how working people are suf fering from inflation. And he tells it like it is re garding crime. Liberals call him racist because he tells the truth. Pritzker has to dance around the fact that the highest crime areas are on the South and West sides.”

“Thanks, Alice. I appreciate your taking the time to explain your views.”

Alice hur ried of f to tend to some new customers with a befuddled expression. She hadn’t gotten any pushback.

Two days later, Pastor Walt and his neighbor Michael decided to hang out at Ber nie Rolvaag’s

bookstore and cof fee shop. Ber nie had no customers, so he sat down with the two friends, and before they could take the first sips of their cappuccinos, Fr. Bob Sullivan walked in the door and joined them

Mitty was still upset by what Alice had said two days earlier and told the whole story blow-by-blow to his three friends.

“Sounds like it was hard work to listen to Alice without pushing back,” was Fr. Sullivan’s response to his colleague’s venting.

Mitty sighed. “I guess you’ re right, Bob. I had the best of intentions to be a good listener, but …”

“What Alice said about Bailey being religious,” Michael be g an, “struck me. You all know that Pritzker is Jewish, right? I’d say that he is religious but not in the same way Bailey is. He comes to temple on the big holy days, but for him religion seems to have more to do with principles like fighting for the rights of minorities and promoting the good of the whole community rather than the rights of individuals.”

“Like his mandates re garding COVID?’

“Right, and his faith, from what Rabbi Levine tells us, is more willing to question God than Evangelicals are. I remember him quoting Pritzker once saying, “There’s always that question that exists, I think, when you contemplate the world: ‘If God exists, then why all the suf fering?’ … That question is almost the basis for faith.”

“You got me thinking,” said Ber nie after sipping his cappuccino. “I have a lot of books these days about the culture wars, and it seems like everything gets polar ized. I mean like Prizker and Bailey are both religious but it feels like they live on different planets.”

Father Bob laughed and added, “Or dif ferent uni verses.”

Ber nie nodded agreement to the Franciscan and continued, “Polarization everywhere. Radical right vs. radical left. Follow the science or my own individual judgment. Empirical evidence vs. revelation. Good for the economy or good for the environment.”

“Originalist interpretation,” added Fr. Sullivan, “or evolving — re garding both the Constitution and the Bible.”

Michael said, “You know, before she died Ruth and I would sometimes see things differently, I would try to reason with her, and she would still not see it my way.”

“And you were always right,” said Ber nie with a laugh.

“Of course,” Michael replied. “But I loved her more than I needed to be right.”

Tom Holmes writes a column for our sister publica tion, the Forest Park Re view.

e wrong ght

Anews blurb several weeks ago concer ned Englewood STEM High School. Just after 3:30 p.m., a huge fight broke out involving around 200 students. Four teen CPD squad cars were sent to the scene and five people were later ar rested.

Where is the outcry/response from the parents of those children who attend that school offering their solution to a problem that should not be? I don’t want to hear another ang ter ritory” as we are almost 23 years into the 21st century, and tolerating gangs in an era of global competition puts our children even fur ther down at the bottom of the educational barrel.

School is not a fashion show, nor is it a social media meet up. One of my favorite quotes is from the genius Albert Einstein who said, “Education is not the lear ning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” We need, more than ever, young people who can think. But those children also need a safe environment where they can think and not wor ry about their safety Our children suffer because the adults who should create the proper environment for them to get an education are MIA.

JONES

A STEM school specializes in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Those are the four areas of knowledge that our young people need in order to be productive members going into the future. The impor tance of those young kids lear ning to think and be creative and successful is paramount. We need doctors, lawyers, scientists, and computer specialists, etc We don’t need another criminal thug who is a future candidate for the prison industrial complex.

A similar situation occur red at a high school in Shreve por t, Louisiana. One father took action and got 40 other fathers to volunteer and create a group called Dads on Duty. Guess what? Once the men showed up, the fighting pretty much stopped. The Dads are there to show the kids that someone cares. And considering that far too many Black children come from fatherless homes, the men’s presence is an additional plus We need something similar here in Chicago

Fixing the violence problem is not going to be an easy task. Every time another young rapper is killed, our children are exposed to violence. Violence is on some young people’s plate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They can get 24/7 access to it via the inter net and websites like Worldstar, which glorifies it. Rap music, especially the Drill music genre, promotes it with lyrics that glorify putting someone to death.

Black people fought for the right of our children to get an education — not for Black children fighting each other when they should be getting an education.

Arlene Jones writes a column for the Austin Weekly News

OBITUARIES

Jay Champelli, 80 Dedicated community ac tivist

James (Jay) Michael Champelli, 80, a longtime resident of Oak Park and a longtime Ascension pa rishioner, died from cancer on Nov. 20, 2022. The son of Ethel (O’Toole) and Jose ph B. Champelli, he was bor n in Chicago on Oct. 27, 1942.

The friendships Jay for med in high school at Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago lasted through life While his faith called him to the priesthood, Jay deter mined his love for God was best expressed through mar riage to Joyc e Marie Williams, whom he met while both were students at DePaul University.

He raised his family in Oak Park and devoted countless hours to community service as chair man of the Parking and Traf fic Commission, the Village Manager Association, and the Great American Lightshow As sociation — for which Jay persuaded many a friend and acquaintance to solicit donations for the annual 4th of July fireworks show. A passionate fan of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architec ture, he loved being a docent with the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio An admirer of talented storytellers, he volunteered with the Heming way Foundation, giving tours of the Hemingway Bir thplace Museum. He also served as a board member with the Unity Temple Concer t Series.

As a member of St. Edmund and Ascension parishes, he directed the guitar choirs and relished singing with the Ascension Choir He enjoyed planning liturgies and his role as a Eucharistic Minister, often bringing communion to people in the hospital. He was an active participant in small faith groups and the close friendships he for med with other members helped sustain him spiritually.

Music was a form of prayer for him and a central part of his life since childhood. He played the guitar, banjo and accordion and was an avid photo grapher who documented many a Door County sunset on family vaca tions and was happy to host slide shows.

He enjoyed cooking and delighted in creating homemade pizza, meat balls, dolmades, gumbo, pumpkin pies and peanut butter cookies for family and friends, often topped of f with a glass of homemade limoncello

His creative talents balanced his lo gical, cu rious mind, which was nourished by crossword and sudoku puzzles, and mag azine ar ticles from Scientific American, Consumer Re por ts and Natural History. His travels, whether to Italy, Ireland or Indiana, would be gin with extensive research

He star ted his professional life in banking before becoming a computer programmer and systems analyst. When he retired from the Oak Park Re gional Housing Center, he continued to suppor t the nonprofit as a volunteer His concer n for the welfare of people living in poverty motivated him to volunteer with Tri-Village PADS, which provided over night shelter to people experiencing homelessness. His support continued after it evolved into Housing Forward.

Mar ried to Joyc e for 56 years, they shared their love for music and danc ing, camping, stories, and g ames with their children Lisa Marie (Christopher), Jose ph William (Christine), Jon Robert (Angelique) and Theresa Susanne (Michael). He was the older brother of Mary Kathleen (Kay) Keat ing, who predeceased him in 1987 and was both ne phew of and caretaker for his father’s sisters: Mafalda, Ida and Pearl. He was the grandfather of Kira, Peter, Audrey, Lucy, Adeline, Alex and Zach. His grandson Ethan predeceased him.

A visitation was held on Nov. 25, at Peterson-Bassi Chapels, 6938 W. Nor th Ave., Chicago, https://www. petersonfuneralhome.com. A funeral Mass was celebrated on Nov. 26, at As cension Church, 808 S. East Ave., Oak Park, IL 60304.

To help honor Jay’s commitment to community service, please consider donating to Housing Forward, https://www.housingforward.org.

Evelyn Krueger, 85

Legal secretar y, music direc tor

Evelyn Grace Krue ger, 85, est Park and Oak Park, died on 20, 2022. Bor n on April 27, 1937, graduated from Park College bachelor’s degree in Music and the music director and organist Waldensian Presbyterian C She worked for many years gal secretary and brought joy many people through her beautifu music which was the love of of the Nineteenth Century C tion, she was the music program chair for nine years and an avid supporter of many environmental groups.

Evelyn was the daughter of the late Raymond

and Anne Krue ger; the sister berta (Peter “King”) DeVuono rry Krue ger; the aunt of Caruono, Susan Reckert, Richard DeVuono, Becky (Rick) Mad zzo and Michelle Ann Krue ger z; the great-aunt of 10; and the cousin and friend of many.

Services were held on Saturday, 26 with private inter ment at Cemetery.

flowers, memorials to the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association (NCCA) at www.nineteenthcentury.org are appreciated.

Arrangements were handled by Conboy-Westchester Funeral Home

Helga Humes, 88

Elisabeth Helga Humes (née Wenzel), 88, of Oak Park, died at home on Nov. 19, 2022. Bor n on Nov. 18, 1934 in Aschaffenburg, Ger many, the sec ond of three daughters, she came of age in the dif ficult post-war years of reconstruction. Educated at a local convent school run by an order of British nuns, she worked for a time for Kleinstof f GmbH before spending a year in Epsom, England, as an au pair She became a secretary in the li brary on a U.S. Ar my depot in Aschaffenburg where her future husband, Thomas Humes, was stationed. Their courtship be gan following a Mass at the Hertz Jesu Church in Aschaffenburg, where they were later mar ried on Jan. 14, 1961. They retur ned to Thomas’ hometown of Oak Park, Illinois and three daughters soon followed: Caroline, Joanne, and Michelle. Active, curious, and engaged in her community throughout her life, she had a wide circle of friends and maintained close ties to her family in Ger many. Once her three children were in school, she developed a strong interest in business, the stock market and became an in for med, thoughtful investor. She decided to further her own education and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rosary Colle ge in River Forest with a major in accounting and then worked for several years as an accountant. Her lively interest in the arts led to becoming a “picture lady” at St. Edmund School, and she was a frequent visitor to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera, Goodman

Theater, Steppenwolf, and Court Theater. She read avidly and especially enjoyed English mysteries. She was also a Francophile and took French language classes in her spare time, traveled to France with Elder Hostel, and enjoyed French food. She was a very good cook. She enjoyed holiday gatherings and an annual family reunion at their home in South Haven, Michigan. Though illness eventually presented her with many challenges, she remained a helpful and supportive presence in the lives of those she loved, especially her three daughters and the younger generation of the family

Helga was the wife of Thomas; the mother of Caroline Humes (Truman Anderson), Joanne Littrell (James) and Michelle Humes (Victor Vanek); the grandmother of Christine Littrell (Kendall McDowell), Erik Anderson, Kevin Littrell and Eleanor Anderson (Ben Seltzer); the great-grandmother of Kendall McDowell; the sister of the late Maja Kissner and the late Lotti Schnarr; and the daughter of the late Josef Wenzel and the late Karolina Wenzel.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 at Peterson-Bassi Chapels, 6938 W. North Ave., Chicago. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec 3 at St. Edmund Church, 188 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls at www.mer cyhome.org.

Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m. HELP WANTED

River Forest Public Schools

River

Qualifications:

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI

HELP WANTED

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

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

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

DEFINITION

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

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Reports directly to the Information Technology Services Director.

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES:

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

Essential duties and responsibilities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

software and other forms of systems and data.

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

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

13. Participate in research and recommendation of technology solutions.

Other important responsibilities and duties

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

2. Participate in the preparation of various activity reports.

3. Travel and support remote facilities and partner agencies.

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

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

6. Complete projects on a timely and efficient manner.

7. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

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

9. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

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

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

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

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

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

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

VB scripts.

Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment.

Technical writing, office productivity tools and database packages.

Ability to:

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

- Walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time

- Operating assigned equipment

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

- Working in and around computer equipped vehicles

Maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and perception needed for:

- Making observations

- Communicating with others

- Reading and writing

- Operating assigned equipment and vehicles

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

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

Experience and Training Guidelines

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

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

Vaccination against COVID-19 strongly preferred.

WORKING CONDITIONS

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

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Administrative Assistant in the Public Health Department. This position provides a variety of responsible administrative and analytical functions; records and monitors department budget and fiscal requirements of grant-funded programs; oversight of Accounts Payable process; prepares reports and serves as a resource for computerized office applications. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/ jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

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 Sunday. If you are mechanically inclined please mention it.

Please come to 7343 Roosevelt Rd. in Forest Park to pick up an application. 708-771-2945.

Thank you

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.

• 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

HELP WANTED • NETWORK SPECIALIST

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

BERWYN DELUXE 1 BD

32nd st and Oak Park Ave. Huge apartment. Deluxe 3.5 rooms, 1 bdrm. Includes heat, water, storage, parking, appliances, laundry facility, etc. Freshly painted. Close to shopping, parks, hospital, train, stores. 1 month security deposit. 1 year lease. $995 per month.

No pets, no smoking. Avail Nov or Dec. Broker 708-347-2500

PUBLIC NOTICES

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 NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

SUMMONS (Family Law) CITACIÓN (Derecho familiar)

CASE NUMBER (NÚMERO DE CASO): HF22130927

NOTICE TO RESPONDENT (Name): AVISO AL DEMANDADO (Nombre): ANGELO C GALLARDO

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: MERCEDITA M. GALLARDO

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

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): OCT 21, 2022

CHAD FINKE, Clerk, by (Secretario, por) SARAH GOUVEIA, Deputy (Asistente)

[SEAL]

Published in the Wednesday Journal November 23, 30, December 7, 14, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

Public notice is hereby given that the Board of Education of Riverside School District 96 in Riverside, Illinois will receive sealed bids for:

Blythe Park Auditorium Repurposing Project

Copies of the Bid Documents including plans and specifications will be available starting November 7, 2022. Bidders can download electronic Drawings and Specifications from the BHFX Plan Room, www.bhfxplanroom.com. Printed sets may be ordered and paid for by the contractor.

All bids offered must be accompanied by bid security in the form of certified check or bid bond made payable to the Owner in the amount of not less than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the aggregate of the bid as a guarantee that if the bid is accepted, a contract will be entered into and the performance of the contract properly secured. The successful bidder for the project is required to furnish Performance and Labor and Material Payment Bonds in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the bid amount, with sureties to be approved by the Owner, and in the form required by the Bidding Documents.

sufficient time to register at the building prior to being permitted to proceed to the meeting location.

Bids will be received until 1:00 PM, December 6, 2022, at the District office at 3440 S. Harlem Ave, Riverside, IL 60546. A public bid opening will take place afterwards at 1:30 PM, December 6, 2022 at the Hauser Middle School, 65 Woodside Road, Riverside, IL 60546 in the Hauser Auditorium.

The Board of Education reserves the right to reject any or all bids or any part thereof.

Published in the RB Landmark November 23, 30, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE

The Village of Forest Park will be accepting nomination papers from candidates for municipal office from December 12, 2022, through December 19, 2022, in the office of the Village Clerk, 517 Desplaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois 60130.

The clerk’s office will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday, December 12 through Monday, December 19, 2022.

For additional information, call Vanessa Moritz at (708) 615-6202.

Published in Forest Park Review November 30, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on 20 December 2022, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall, 517 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois, the Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider a text amendment to Title 9:

Zoning Regulations of the Forest Park Code of Ordinances to amend 9-5A-3: Prohibited Uses in the I-1 Industrial District.

The applicant for this petition is the Village of Forest Park, 517 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois.

Signed: Marsha East, Chair Planning and Zoning Commission

Published in the Forest Park Review November 30, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on 20 December 2022, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall, 517 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois, the Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider a conditional use permit to allow the replacement of three existing billboards with new, digital billboards in the I-2 Industrial District on the following described properties(s):

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

The successful bidder is required to pay the general prevailing wage for work under this Contract as ascertained by the Illinois Department of Labor, and shall submit certified payroll records, in compliance with the Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130) and the requirements of the Bidding Documents.

A pre-bid meeting will be held on November 15, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Hauser Middle School, 65 Woodside Road, Riverside, IL 60546 in the Hauser Auditorium. Bidders must allow

That part of the Southeast quarter of the Northwest quarter of Section 13, Township 39 North, Range 12, East of the Third Principal Meridian, bounded and described as follows: Beginning at a point on the Northwesterly line of Des Plaines Avenue, a distant 50.00 feet Northeasterly, as measured at right angles, from the center line of the main track of the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad (later the Chicago Great Western Railway Company, now the Chicago and North Western Railway Company), as said main track center line was originally located and estab-

HOME SERVICES

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

lished across said Section 13; thence Northwesterly parallel with said original main track center line, a distance of 370.00 feet; then Southwesterly at right angles to the last described course a distance of 25.00 feet, more or less, to a point distant 25.00 feet

Northeasterly, measured at right angles, from the center line of the most Northerly main track of the Chicago and North Western Railway Company, formerly the Chicago Great Western Railway Company) as said main track is now located; thence Southeasterly parallel with said last described main track center line to a point on the Northwesterly line of said Des Plaines Avenue; thence Northeasterly along said Northwesterly line of Des Plaines Avenue, to the point of beginning and commonly known as the southwest corner of Van Buren Street and Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park, Illinois.

That part of the East half of the Northwest quarter of Section 13, Township 39 North, Range 12, East of the Third Principal Meridian, (except the West 33 feet thereof) lying West of a line 50 feet West, measured at right angles thereto, of the center line of Des Plaines Avenue; South of the South right-of-way line of Chicago and Great Western Railroad, and Northerly of the following described line; Beginning at a point in a line 33 feet west of, measured at right angles there too, the center line of Des Plaines Avenue, 160 ft southerly, measured along align 33 feet west of, and parallel with the centerline of Des Plaines Avenue, from the South right-of-way line of said Railroad; thence Southwesterly on a line forming an angle of 54 degrees, 41 minutes, 34 seconds, (measured from South to Southwest from the last described parallel line extended Southerly) 763.81 ft; thence continuing Southwesterly on a straight line to a point in the West line of said East half of the Northwest Quarter of said Section 13, 213.75 ft north of the southwest corner thereof.

Commonly known as 711 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, IL

PIN: 15-13-112-021-0000

The applicant is the Chicago Transit Authority.

Signed: Marsha East, Chair Planning and Zoning Commission Published in the Forest Park Review November 30, 2022

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on 20 December 2022, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall, 517 Desplaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois, the Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider a text amendment to Title 9 of the Forest Park Zoning Ordinance to add a Permitted Variation. Additionally, there will be a public hearing for a variation request to allow the resubdivision of two adjacent lots, under common ownership, on the following described properties(s):

Parcel 1: LOT 7 (EXCEPT THE NORTH 30 FEET) AND LOT 6 (EXCEPT THE SOUTH 56 FEET) IN BLOCK 7 IN RAILROAD ADDITION TO HARLEM IN THE SOUTH EAST 1/4 OF SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL

MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, IL-

LINOIS.

Commonly known as 118 Rockford Street, Forest Park, IL

Parcel 2:

THE SOUTH 56 FEET OF LOT 6 IN BLOCK 7 IN RAILROAD ADDITION TO HARLEM, BEING A SUBDIVISION IN THE SOUTH EAST QUARTER OF SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL

MERIDIAN IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

Commonly known as 7515-7521 Dixon Street, Forest Park, IL

PINs: 15-13-407-026-0000, 15-13407-034-0000, 15-12-407-018-0000

The applicant is Jerome Olson.

Signed: Marsha East, Chair Planning and Zoning Commission

Published in the Forest Park Review November 30, 2022

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

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive qualifications submittals via email to the Office of the Village Engineer, at bmkenna@oak-park.us , until 4:00 P.M. on Thursday, December 22, 2022, for the following: Transportation & Traffic Engineering Services for Transporation Committee

Traffic Calming Petitions & School Safety Plans. The Village is in need of professional engineering services to administer resident-based traffic calming petitions and also to develop and/ or revise any school safety plans on as as-needed basis. The Village is anticipating an initial 3-year term of an agreement for these professional services.

In general, work involves collecting traffic data; developing and generating collision diagrams and various traffic studies or reports; making

recommendations for any traffic calming or other transportation related improvements; preparing and presenting reports to the Transportation Commission and Village Board; and communicating with petition organizers, residents, and stakeholders. The Village currently has approximately twenty claming petitions in-hand to be worked on by the selected consultant as well as any petitions received during the term of the agreement. Work on school safety plans is on an as-needed basis.

The Request for Qualifications may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/bid starting on Monday, December 5, 2022. For questions, please call or email Eric Otto, Civil Engineer, at 708-358-5728 or eotto@oak-park.us

Published in Wednesday Journal, November 30, 2022

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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.

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

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on September 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.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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

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

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

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

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

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

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

For information, 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

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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION TOWD POINT MORTGAGE TRUST 2016-4 US BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE; Plaintiff, vs. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE; ERIC STARKS, JUSTIN STARKS, ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF THE ASPEN G3 TRUST, A DELAWARE STATUTORY TRUST; UNKNOWN OWNERS, GENERALLY AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 22 CH 5335

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-06-222-018-0000.

Commonly known as 464 Lenox Street, Oak Park, IL 60302. The mortgaged real estate is im-

proved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act.

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Mr. Matthew C. Abad at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Kluever Law Group, 225 West Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 236-0077. SPS001394-22FC1

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3207850

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK NA AS TRUSTEE FOR WAMU MORTGAGE PASS THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2005-PR1 TRUST; Plaintiff, vs. MARY WOLFE; JPMORGAN CHASE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FKA WASHINGTON MUTUAL BANK, FA; CITY OF CHICAGO, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 10876

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-17-331-015-0000. Commonly known as 1028 South Austin Boulevard, Oak Park, IL 60304.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act.

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 220-5611. 21-009135

F2

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3207815

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Bill McKenna Village Engineer

November 30, 2022

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER. 2022 QUARTER 4

THE AUSTIN RENAISSANCE

Since 2010, Austin Coming Together (ACT) has facilitated collaboration to improve education and economic development outcomes in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

Today, we serve a network of 50+ organizations committed to improving the quality of life in the Austin community. Our strategic plan is called Thrive 2025 and outlines how we will mobilize our resources to achieve four impact goals by the year 2025: Quality Early Learning, Safe Neighborhoods, Living Wage Careers, and Stable Housing Markets.

ACT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers

CHAIR

Larry Williams

Broker, State Farm Insurance

VICE-CHAIR Angela Waller

Community & Government Relations Director, Advocate Aurora Health

SECRETARY Bradly Johnson

Chief Community Officer, BUILD Inc.

ACT STAFF

Leadership

Darnell Shields

Executive Director

Andrew Born Strategic Advisor

Operations

Deirdre Bates* Director of Operations

Dearra Williams

Executive Operations Lead/ Assistant to the CEO

TREASURER

LaDarius Curtis

Senior Director of Community Engagement & Health, West Side United EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Darnell Shields

Austin Coming Together

Directors

Sharon Morgan

Director of Graduate Support & Community Outreach, Catalyst Schools

Reverend Reginald E. Bachus

Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church

Strategic Initiatives

Sandra Diaz* Service Delivery Enhancement Manager, Austin Community Hub Janelle Martin Austin Community Hub Specialist

Emone Moore Engagement Coordinator, Austin Community Hub

ACT MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

A House in Austin Academy of Scholastic Achievement

Austin Childcare Providers Network

Austin Community Family Center

Austin Weekly News (Growing Community Media)

Be Strong Families

Beat the Streets Chicago Because I Care

Bethel New Life

Beyond Hunger

BUILD Inc.

By The Hand Club For Kids Cara

Catholic Charities

Chicago Austin Youth Travel Adventures

Chicago Community Loan Fund City of Refuge Defy Ventures Illinois

Tenisha Jones

Senior Director of Strategy & Operations, West Side United

Reginald Little

Community Banking Professional Dawn Ferencak

Senior Marketing Strategist, Chicago Parent Deborah Williams-Thurmond

Community Outreach & Engagement Specialist, Habilitative Systems, Inc. Ruth Kimble

Founder & CEO, Austin Childcare Providers Network

Dollie Sherman Engagement Specialist, Austin Community Hub JeVon D. Moore* Planning & Investment Manager, Austin Forward. Together. Ethan Ramsay Lead Organizer, Austin Forward. Together.

Grace Cooper Project Specialist, Austin Forward. Together. Natalie Goodin Micro Market Recovery Program Coordinator Nicholas Galassini Micro Market Recovery Program Intern

Jerrod Williams

Law Clerk, Illinois Appellate Court Max Komnenich

Associate Principal, Lamar Johnson Collaborative

In Memoriam

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jack Macnamara 1937–2020

FOUNDING BOARD CHAIR Mildred Wiley 1955–2019

Marketing & Development

Alicia Plomin* Director of Marketing & Development

Scott Prywitch Marketing & Development Coordinator

Maria Romero Luther Marketing & Development Associate

*Also part of the ACT Leadership Team

Erikson Institute

Friends of the Children

Friendship Community Development Corp. of Austin

Greater West Town Community Development Project Housing Forward i.c. stars

IFF Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

Jane Addams Resource Corporation

Kids First Chicago

KRA Westside American Job Center

Learning Edge Tutoring (fka Cluster Tutoring)

Legal Aid Chicago (fka LAF)

Manufacturing Renaissance Mary Shyrese Daycare

Maryville Academy Mercy Housing Lakefront New Moms

OAI, Inc.

Oak Park Regional Housing Center

Open Books

PCC Community Wellness Center

Project Exploration

Renaissance Social Services, Inc.

Sarah’s Inn South Austin Neighborhood Association St. Joseph Services St. Leonard’s Ministries

Stone Community Development Corporation

The Catalyst Schools

The Journey Forward

The North Avenue District, Inc. Towers of Excellence

UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work VOCEL

Westside Health Authority West Side Forward Worldvision Youth Guidance

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER: 2022 QUARTER 4.

Turning the tide: Why capital investment is crucial to community-led development

By Darnell Shields Executive Director, Austin Coming Together

Over the past year, there have been a sizable number of advancements in opportunities to redesign, revamp, and revitalize Chicago’s Austin community. Looking back at our progress is important not only to celebrate what has been accomplished but also to breathe life into the year ahead of us. With many community projects launched into motion recently, Austin Coming Together (ACT) is here to maintain its standing and support of community led transformation into 2023. Disinvestment is “the withdrawal or reduction of an investment” while misinvestment is “to invest incorrectly or unwisely,” and Austin has been hindered by both while other Chicago neighborhoods have continued to prosper. Traditionally, investment in Austin has been in activities and efforts that limit access to opportunities instead of increasing access, like mass incarceration and more policing.

Despite being the City’s second largest community in population with 93,000 people, Austin residents constantly find themselves struggling to access adequate resources like food, housing, healthcare, education, employment opportunities, and more.

The journey we are on is one that is shared among everyone. Only together can we tap

the promise and potential our community possesses in building a better and brighter future for all.

In response to growing challenges, the community came together several years ago to inspire dynamic change. The Austin Forward. Together. (AFT) quality-of-life plan, which ACT stewards, was created to address 23 strategies with 84 total actions across 7 Issue Areas between 2019 and 2024: Community Narrative, Education, Housing, Youth Empowerment, Economic Development, Public Safety, and Civic Engagement. Created by and for Austin residents, the plan is the primary vehicle that has sparked the Austin renaissance.

With many of the plan’s actions already having been initialized over the past four years, the Austin renaissance is underway and going strong. Four unique development projects have not only been significant

indicators of its progress but also have been amplifying and accelerating the progress of the AFT plan in several of its issue areas.

Those projects are:

• BUILD THE FUTURE (headed by BUILD Chicago)

• North Austin Community Center (headed by By The Hand Club For Kids)

• Laramie State Bank Redevelopment (headed by Austin United Alliance)

• Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation (headed by Westside Health Authority and Austin Coming Together)

The number of physical development projects in the works today is at a level Austin has never seen before. In addition to the sheer number of projects, the fact that they aim to develop permanent, long-term fixtures addressing a variety of issue areas in the community is what makes this moment truly

special. The unprecedented momentum across these projects could have never been a reality without the inextinguishable dedication and support from our member organizations, supporters, and residents of the Austin community.

Austin has led the charge in these efforts and is striving for real change. This representation of projects is unique in that they are ALL led by community-based organizations, partners, and residents. The time is now for the Austin community to continue working alongside one another in turning the tide. The support and investment we have received through these projects will move our community forward, and ensure we are no longer held back.

The Austin renaissance is transformative because it relies on the deep support and commitment of all who call Austin their home. n

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER: 2022 QUARTER 4.

Construction is underway on the North Austin Community Center, the sixth site for By The Hand Club For Kids which will serve as a sports, education, and wellness facility for youth and their families.

A selection of the many

development projects

that are part of Austin’s revitalization

Here are the details on some of the multiple development projects happening in Austin right now that are key to its transformation and connection to community goals listed in the Austin Forward. Together. (AFT) quality-of-life plan. AFT is a set of goals created by and for the community designed to address 23 strategies with 84 total actions across 7 Issue Areas between 2019 and 2024: Community Narrative, Education, Housing, Youth Empowerment, Economic Development, Public Safety, and Civic Engagement.

BUILD THE FUTURE AFT ISSUE AREA ALIGNMENT: Youth Empowerment, Public Safety

BUILD THE FUTURE is a bold $24 million campaign to invest in Austin youth with a full city-block campus, featuring 51,000 sq feet of new and renovated space at Austin’s southern gateway at Laramie and Harrison. This welcoming and supportive safe space will dramatically expand BUILD’s services and capacity and allow them to open more widely to the community. The transformed campus will stand for growth, opportunity, joy, and every child’s right to grow up and achieve their potential.

BUILD THE FUTURE WILL INCLUDE:

• A Youth Council to help ensure the project continues to be what Austin wants and needs

• Expanded hours and days to serve youth and the community

• Expanded capacity from 100 at the current site, to 2,000 in the new campus

• Full-sized, climate-controlled gym, track, and fitness center

• Public café and community garden

• Art studios and classrooms, galleries, performance spaces, and fully-equipped recording studio

• Makers lab, woodshop, and computing center, all hosting new workforce programs

• Youth lounges and homework spaces

• A mental health center with expanded services to youth and their families

• New greenspace, playfield, and outdoor community event space

NORTH AUSTIN COMMUNITY CENTER AFT ISSUE AREA ALIGNMENT: Youth Empowerment, Public Safety

THE BY THE HAND CLUB IN NORTH AUSTIN WILL INCLUDE:

• Form a Community Advisory Committee to help ensure the project addresses community wants and needs

• Offer 100 hours weekly of free activities for youth and adults

• Make scholarships available for after-school services for 400 K-12th grade students

• Professional-level basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball, and futsal camps, leagues, and academies for youth of all ages with fees on a sliding scale to ensure neighborhood access

• A mental health center with expanded services to youth and their families

• Best-in-class sports programs, competitive opportunities, and health and wellness training provided by the nonprofit Intentional Sports

• A partnership with the Grace and Pace Revise Center to provide education, health, awareness, advocacy, and community-linked services to develop individuals’ and families’ capacity to thrive

• A chance for youth to improve their cognitive ability, social interactions, and the likelihood of graduating high school, just by playing sports

• Public café and community garden

• New greenspace, playfield, and outdoor community event space

By The Hand Club For Kids broke ground in August 2021 to begin construction on their sixth site in North Austin which will serve 400 kids from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The innovative space will be a 150,000-square-foot professional-level sports, education, and wellness facility on a 10-acre campus. It will provide the same opportunity for growth, impact, and sustainability as their other sites offer. Located on Laramie, it will have outdoor and indoor fields, including Chicago’s only FIFAregulation turf arena for year-round indoor sports.

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER: 2022 QUARTER 4.

LARAMIE STATE BANK

AFT ISSUE AREA ALIGNMENT: Economic Development, Housing, Community Narrative

The proposed $37.5 million project will renovate the landmark bank building to potentially include a:

• blues museum

• bank branch

• café

• business incubator

The Laramie State Bank Redevelopment Project will revive the now vacant yet prominently known landmark at Chicago and Laramie Avenues and transform it into a hub with a variety of commercial and residential amenities. Built in 1929, the design of the bank deeply reflected the renown and prestige the Austin community once had. The property’s reactivation and redevelopment are vital for Austin’s image and spirit. As an Austin landmark, this project will preserve history and fuel the growth to come in the community.

The approximately 20,000 sq ft of adjacent land might be redeveloped into a mixed-income, multi-story rental building that includes a green roof, a public plaza, social spaces, and outdoor art. The project is expected to generate up to 150 construction jobs and around 22 full-time positions. The plan is for construction to be complete by March 2024, with full occupancy in the building by March 2025.

ASPIRE CENTER FOR WORKFORCE INNOVATION

AFT ISSUE AREA ALIGNMENT: Economic Development, Community Narrative

The Aspire Initiative (ASPIRE) builds on the momentum of the AFT quality-of-plan by mobilizing existing community assets with a set of four new investments to impact the growth in educational and economic opportunities for Austinites of all ages. Learn more at AustinComingTogether.org/ASPIRE.

ASPIRE will kick off with The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, an effort to repurpose a closed school at Madison and Central Avenues into an anchor for commercial revitalization and a destination for topnotch workforce training. The site will be activated with a POPfit area that will have year-round outdoor workout equipment and a field that will transform into an ice rink in the winter.

The Aspire Center is a massive, long-term investment that will build area capacity to:

• Train over 4,900 workers in programs that will increase their ability to earn a living wage over a period of 5 years

• Create 100 new living wage jobs within the first five years and anchor $36 million in investment to the targeted geography of the community area

• Increase the income of 500 Austinites and help 250 more acquire access to capital for business and/or property ownership by the year 2030

The Aspire Center will transform the abandoned Emmet Elementary School into a state-of-the-art, multi-use facility that will include a:

• high-tech manufacturing training center for working-age youth and adults

• business incubator for startups

• restaurant with indoor/outdoor dining and social events

• financial opportunity center in partnership with BMO Harris Bank

• selection of other workforce and social service providers Read the AUSTIN

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER: 2022 QUARTER 4.

Plan Leaders

Community Narrative

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Briana Shields

Briana Janeé Arts

Kenneth Varner Healthy Schools

Campaign

Dearra Williams Austin Coming Together

STRATEGY LEADS

Lasondra Kern Community Resident

Suzanne McBride Austin Talks

Michael Romain Austin Weekly News

Alicia Plomin Austin Coming Together Cindy Gray Schneider Spaces-n-Places

Economic Development

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Jerrod Williams

South Austin Neighborhood Association

Heather Sattler Community Development Consultant

STRATEGY LEADS

Erica Staley Manufacturing Renaissance

Emily Peters Jane Addams Resource Corporation

Tina Augustus Chicago West Side Chamber of Commerce

Roxanne Charles West Side Forward

Education

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Crystal Bell

Ella Flagg Young Elementary School (retired)

Charles Anderson Michele Clark High School

STRATEGY LEADS

Ruth Kimble Austin Childcare Providers Network

Madelyn James Austin Childcare Providers Network

Pam Price Chicago Public Schools

Cata Truss Community Resident Sean Schindl Kids First Chicago

Housing

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Athena Williams West Cook

Homeownership Center

Allison McGowan Community Resident

STRATEGY LEADS

Shirley Fields Hunters Realty

Rosie Dawson Westside Health Authority

Athena Williams West Cook

Homeownership Center

Public Safety

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Bradly Johnson BUILD Inc.

Marilyn Pitchford Heartland Alliance

STRATEGY LEADS

Adam Alonso BUILD Inc. Edwina Hamilton BUILD Inc. Bertha Purnell Mothers OnA Mission28 Jose Abonce The Policing Project Ruby Taylor Taproots, Inc.

Youth Empowerment

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Carmen Scott-Boria BUILD Inc.

D’elegance Lane Community Stakeholder

STRATEGY LEADS

Deonna Hart BUILD Inc.

Aisha Oliver

Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Helen Slade

Territory NFP

Dollie Sherman Austin Coming Together

Civic Engagement

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Deborah Williams-Thurmond Habilitative Systems Inc.

STRATEGY LEADS

Arnold Bearden South Austin Neighborhood Association (SANA) Crystal Gardner Protest to the Polls Sharif Walker Bethel New Life

Contact ACT’s Lead Organizer, Ethan Ramsay at 630.474.4016 or eramsay@austincomingtogether.org for more information

Igniting investment: How continued support will shape the lives of Austinites

By Scott Prywitch Marketing & Development Coordinator, Austin Coming Together

With the progress and actions seen among these development projects, the Austin community has found itself at a pivotal moment.

The support from member organizations and resource partners has moved the community forward, but their continued involvement and investment are beyond necessary to ensure the trajectory of the Austin renaissance.

CONTINUING THE MOMENTUM

Projects already in the works, such as the revamping of the Chicago Avenue and Central Avenue commercial corridors, have sparked the interest of some charitable foundations for further engagement and investment. For example, Austin Coming Together (ACT) hosted The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in August for an immersive tour of Austin highlighting a variety of development projects including BUILD THE FUTURE, the ASPIRE Center for Workforce Innovation, the Laramie State Bank redevelopment, and Austin POPCourts! Tour guests got the chance to see the many successes of these development projects and hear from representatives of the community-based organizations leading them.

BRINGING HOPE

The revitalization of Austin through these projects is not only important for its physical development and sustainability, but it’s also important for its lasting image and spirit. The change brought about by these projects will prove that hope for a thriving Austin is valid. With the power of the Austin renaissance, Austin residents will not bear the burden of accessing basic resources. They will reclaim the narrative of their community and be empowered to live happier healthier lives. With the power of the Austin renaissance, Austin residents will blaze a trail for future generations to flourish.

ACT is excited about what these projects will bring to the Austin community and its residents. However, to advance along this path toward full transformation, individual and organizational efforts must be deeply connected and committed to Austin’s overall strategy, plans, and goals.

Not only does investing in Austin’s redevelopment mean progress on the AFT plan will be amplified and accelerated, but sustained support assures that outcomes happen as intended: to create a brighter, more equitable future for the Austin community. n

Austin has defined its needs and is on the path to address them. But we need funders to continue to stay at the table and be responsive to those needs.

DARNELL SHIELDS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER

LEFT TO RIGHT—Athena Williams, Executive Director of Oak Park Regional Housing Center, talks about the redevelopment of the Laramie State Bank building during an Austin community tour for The MacArthur Foundation; Team members from The MacArthur Foundation take photos as they hear about the plans to reactivate Laramie State Bank and the adjacent land into a mixed-use space; A close-up of original terracotta tiles on the outside of Laramie State Bank that are part of its 1920’s world-class Art Deco architecture.

We about AUSTIN. We about OUR CITY. We about EQUITY.

Chicago’s Austin community is full of incredibly passionate individuals and groups who truly care for one another. It has beautiful architecture, housing stock, and an immense potential for growth. But it is also struggling now more than ever from health inequities ranging from job loss to food insecurity.

Austin Coming Together (ACT) has worked alongside our 50+ member network to serve and care for Austin families since 2010. ACT’s Austin Community Hub and its provider network engage Austin residents in order to build trusted relationships and help them get connected to opportunities that improve their lives!