WednesdayJournal_122524

By MICHAEL BANIEWICZ Contributing Reporter

TODD BANNOR

Which Journal stories grabbed your attention in 2024?

Here are 10 that commandeered your online interest over the past 12 months

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

In 2024, there were 10 notable stories Wednesday Journal readers like you were riveted by Whether you read our work to get the best local news possible, for strong opinions in our Viewpoints section or to smile at some lovely photos, you came to us to do it and we thank you for reading for another year.

Let’s see what captivated you in 2024.

10. Public lashes out at Oak Park library over management of Palestinian culture event (by Luzane Draughon) This issue piqued interest in the community and at the library earlier this year, reaching 12,164 views online.

“It’s time for Oak Park to stop putting Black women, especially, in positions of power and thinking we’ve solved racism,” said Juanta Griffin, the Oak Park Public Library’s multicultural learning coordinator

“I’m just really dismayed at the narrative that is happening around this whole situation … It’s very reckless and it’s dangerous and it doesn’t represent who we are as a library or who I am,” said Joslyn Bowling Dixon, for mer OPPL executive director.

9. Slain Oak Park police Det. Allan Reddins was a ‘family man,’ chief says (by Erika Hobbs) Our editor rushed to cover this breaking news over the Thanksgiving break, letting the community know that Det. Allan Reddins was shot and killed on duty. The last time an Oak Park police officer was killed in the line of duty was in 1938. The news gained 12,192 views. We later covered Reddins’ vigil, visitation and funeral in efforts to amplify the voices of his friends, family, colleagues and loved ones

8. Executive Director Joslyn Bowling Dixon fired by Oak Park’s library board

(by Erika Hobbs) After weeks of controversy and heated public comments at the library board table from both sides, Dixon was fired after fewer than two years in her role. Those who supported Dixon were angry, while others supported the decision approved by six of seven trustees. The OPPL board has yet to hire a full-time replacement. The story topped 12,313 views

7. Teenager shot in foot at Scoville Park released from hospital (by Luzane Draughon) Oak Park officers responded to a group of 20 to 30 kids in Scoville Park, witnessing an ongoing dispute. A teenage victim had a gunshot wound in his left foot and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The shocking news story reached 14,375 views

6. Cozy Corner set to close July 28 (by Risé Sanders-Weir) The 65-year-old diner at the corner of Lake and Marion streets closed over the summer after owners were infor med rent would be more than double

“Cozy Corner would have never been a success, if it wasn’t for this community,” said Peter Gerousis, one of the owners.

A total of 18,947 online views showed the community empathized for the owners and felt the loss of the community gathering place deeply. In October, Sanders-Weir reported that Breakfast House, a Chicago restaurant chain, would open in the same storefront.

5. Pete’s Fresh Market can’t confirm its opening date (by Luzane Draughon) Back in January 2024, a representative from Pete’s Fresh Market reported that the grocery store chain still could not confirm an opening date. With 20,157 views, this news story demonstrated that Oak Park readers were eager for the store to open after six years of delays and extensions

A year before, in January 2023, the village board had approved changing the opening date to June 30, 2024. It became clear that wasn’t going to happen.

“They are behind, right, everybody knows that,” said Cameron Davis, the village’s assistant director of development customer services

4. Still waiting for Pete’s Fresh Mar-

ket? Take a number (by Luzane Draughon)

Over the summer, Pete’s Fresh Market still hadn’t kept its promises on when it would open its Madison Street location. In June, Pete’s developers had finally submitted the permit application for the earth retention system, so they could start building the foundation and underground parking.

The story gathered 20,828 views. But readers are still hooked by this ongoing development, where construction has now started and the shell of the building is next. Oak Park trustees also approved a 16-month extension for the grocery store along with harsher consequences for future delays this summer.

3. ABC7’s Roz Varon opens up about life on the air (by Hope Baker) Longtime River Forest resident Roz Varon retired from her 35-year career as a traffic/transportation anchor in April. Varon has won multiple Emmy Awards for her reporting and programming

She’s also a breast cancer survivor. The story of her life and career reached 21,359 online views

2. Historic home hits the market for the first time in 50 years (by Lacey Sikora) This story with 23,579 views described the home and history at 522 Linden Ave., priced at $1.195 million.

“It requires a little bit of love, but it’s so special,” said Compass Real Estate Broker Rubina Bokhari. The owner decided to sell after 50 years in the house, and Bokhari said the house is one of the most remarkable in Oak Park

1. Housing Choice Voucher waiting list set to reopen (by Luzane Draughon)

The top story that grabbed our readers’ attention this year summited at 117,163 views, more than four times as many views as 2023’s top-read Wednesday Journal story. It was the first time the Oak Park Housing Authority opened its voucher waiting list for low-income households since 2022. Before that, the waiting list had not opened in 18 years.

We sincerely appreciate your support for Wednesday Journal and are already preparing to write, report and photograph more in 2025. We couldn’t do this without you.

WEDNESD

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Digital Manager Stac y Coleman

Digital

Sta Repor ter Luzane Draughon

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

Real

Assistant

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

Columnists Marc Bleso , Jack Crowe, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger

Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

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Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Ben Stumpe

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Business

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Special

Chairman

New program to aid Dominican University school social work students

SWIFT program comes cour tesy of a $3.8M federal grant

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

The challenges for those pursuing careers as social workers at schools are many, not the least of which is making sure the schools understand what the social workers’ roles are.

“The biggest challenge is making sure schools know what our role is, because social work is a fluid field,” said Jemina Lyle, who will earn her Master of Social Work de gree from Dominican University in May. “School social workers have to determine who the client is. Sometimes it’s the school, sometimes it’s the community and sometimes it’s the student.”

That’s part of what Dominican’s new Social Work Inte gration for Thriving Schools (SWIFT) Schools Project aims to address. It will be designed to better prepare Master of Social Work students and post-MSW students for the realities of the work they will do and ease some of the financial challenges of taking on a new job.

ate students with internships in selected, understaffed suburban Cook County school districts with mental health needs and diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

According to a press release, the grant allows Dominican to build on existing effor ts to grow interest in the school social work concentration and focus on culturally responsive recruitment and placement within under-resourced schools in communities near its River Forest campus.

SWIFT program director Maria Elena Pascarella, who is a clinical assistant professor and faculty lead for Dominican’s School Work Track, said the goal is to place 20 students per year over the five years of the grant. Grant funding will cover students’ tuition during their school placement, as well as stipends for the school social workers who will supervise them.

“There is a shortage generally of social workers, but it’s more pronounced in districts where there is a diverse student body.”

M ARIA ELENA PASCARELL A SWIFT program direc tor

The SWIFT program came to be through a five-year, $3.8 million Mental Health Service Professionals Grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand access to youth mental health services. Funding will allow the SWIFT program to place gradu-

Pascarella’s background is in social work at Holmes Elementary School in Oak Park, so she is well aware of the challenges SWIFT program participants will face.

“They have to be prepared to meet the need with a strong skill set of intervention, and what we call being culturally humble practitioners,” she said, “which means entering into communities knowing that the communities they are serving are the experts on their own experience.”

But Pascarella expects the program to foster successes for both the Dominican students and the communities they will serve.

“There is a shortage generally of social workers, but it’s more pronounced in

Elena Pascarella

districts where there is a diverse student body,” she said. “We know our students are uniquely qualified to provide mental health services in our partner schools, because of their lived experience.”

Getting the grant wasn’t easy. Pascarella said there were multiple people from the Dominican’s School of Social Work and the university’s Grants Development Department. on the grant application in April, finishing by the end of May. Notification that Dominican achieved the grant came in the middle of October.

“I actually happened to be at the Illinois Association of School Social Workers conference, so that was kind of a neat setting in which to find out,” she said.

Carolina Rodriguez, another social work-

er student, already sees many challenges in her current internship in the Waukegan School District.

“A big need in my district is (social workers) having to service another school,” she said. “They aren’t at their schools five days a week. Maybe they will be there four days a week.”

Though Lyle will have graduated by the time the program kicks of f with student assignments in August, she already realizes what a game-changer the SWIFT program will be for others.

“I think it will af ford more students to not worry about how they were going to pay for school,” Lyle said. “I know people who had to stop or quit their program, so that will alleviate any financial stress.”

Maria

Did you know Oak Park’s Grace Episcopal Church had a starring role in ‘Home Alone’?

Oak Park’s Hollywood connection to a Christmas classic

By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter

If you’re a “Home Alone” fan (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?), you’ve probably watched that heartwarming church scene more times than you can count. But here’s something you might not know: the interior of the church where Kevin McCallister has a heartfelt chat with his mysterious neighbor Marley was filmed right here in Oak Park at Grace Episcopal Church at 924 Lake Street.

A quiet moment in a holiday classic

The 1990 Christmas classic “Home Alone” follows 8-year-old Kevin McCallister, who is accidentally left behind when his family travels to Paris for the holidays. Amid all the booby traps and hilarious antics, there’s one scene that slows things down: Kevin, looking for a moment of peace, steps into a church where a choir is rehearsing “O Holy Night.”

He settles into a pew, only to notice his neighbor, Marley — the man he’s been told to fear — sitting nearby What happens next is pure movie magic: Marley warmly greets Kevin and the two share a conversation about family, fear and forgiveness. It’s a turning point for both characters and let’s face it, it is a sentimental moment that hits you right in the feels.

While the movie’s exterior church shots were filmed at Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette, those stunning interior scenes were actually shot at Grace Episcopal Church

Loc als love their

claim to fame

For Oak Parkers, Grace Episcopal’s connection to “Home Alone” is a source of pride.

“When Grace has been on the Open House Chicago tour, there have always

been people who wanted to know where Kevin sat. It’s part of popular culture,” Oak Park resident Cathy Tokarski said.

Longtime churchgoer and Oak Park resident Audrey Virgo also shared her excitement about Grace’s cinematic spotlight.

“I’ve been going to this church since I moved to Oak Park in 1999 and it’s exciting to see the film on the big screen. I think it was a big deal for everyone. I’m just happy to share how much I loved Kevin, the movie, the acting and his character,” Virgo said.

A peek behind the scenes

Grace Episcopal Church, built in 1898 and designed by architect John Sutcliffe, is a stunning example of Gothic Revival architecture. According to Grace Episcopal Church, the Great North Window above the altar, designed in 1923 by Willett Studios’ features Christ enthroned in glory, surrounded by saints, angels, and all of creation — a breathtaking piece of art further illuminated by lighting brought in by the “Home Alone” production team.

And for a festive touch, the church even puts up a cardboard cutout of Kevin McCallister during the holidays, giving fans an extra reason to visit.

Chicagoland ’s “Home Alone” hotspots

Grace Episcopal Church is not the only local star from “Home Alone.” This film features other iconic Chicago sites, such as the McCallister house and the Hubbard Woods Pharmacy (now permanently closed) in Winnetka, and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

For Oak Park locals, Grace Episcopal Church is a special icon of this holiday classic. Because Grace Episcopal Church is currently going through administration changes, it is not clear whether any tours will be of fered. To learn more, visit the website: https://www.graceoakpark.org/.

This Christmas, whether you’re rewatching “Home Alone” for nostalgia or introducing it to someone new, keep an eye out for that iconic church scene. Because now you know: That beautiful moment happened right here in Oak Park.

River Forest police cars are going electric

Vehicle will be the rst for any village department

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

The police force will be the first department in River Forest with an electric vehicle following action by the Village Board Dec. 16.

Trustees voted 5-0 to authorize the purchase of a 2025 Chevrolet Blazer electric police pursuit vehicle for $55,287 from Currie Motors Commercial Center in Frankfurt. The purchase was approved without discussion as part of the consent agenda. Trustee Ken Johnson did not attend. It will be used as an unmarked car for of ficers.

Although the purchase price is less than the $65,407 listed in the capital equipment replacement fund budget, the balance will be used for the purchase of specialized police emergency vehicle equipment and up-fitting labor, according to police Chief Jim O’Shea. The up-fitting and specialized equipment will be purchased and installed upon taking delivery of the vehicle, he added.

Delivery is expected in four months but the vehicle will not be on the street until

May. An additional 30 days will be needed for the up-fitting. Officers will not need specialized training but familiarity with charging protocols and button/controls layout.

“We are thrilled to welcome our first electric vehicle to the village fleet,” village President Cathy Adduci said. “We are always focused on providing our first responders with the best tools available to keep our community safe, and it is even better that we can do this in a sustainable way.

“This is also an important step toward achieving Electric Vehicle Ready Community Gold designation with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.”

The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus started the EV Readiness program in 2022 to prepare to meet the growing demand for EVs and EV charging infrastructure. Municipalities that joined the program received free technical assistance and training in a variety of critical areas as they worked toward the designation of “EV Ready Community.” River Forest applied for and was accepted into the second cohort, which officially began in August 2023. Local gover nment members of the EV Readiness cohorts follow a pathway toward EV Ready bronze, silver or gold by completing a number of actions presented in the EV Readiness checklist.

In a memo to Matt Walsh, village admin-

istrator, O’Shea said the Blazer is all-wheel drive vehicle and will continue to allow versatility in inclement weather conditions This will be the first all-electric vehicle in the River Forest vehicle fleet, across all village departments.

“The Blazer will serve both as a primary tactical enforcement vehicle and investigative surveillance vehicle, equipped with covert emergency lights and capable of carrying a myriad of specialized first responder and emergency related equipment,” he said.

“The all-electric Blazer will support the village’s sustainability goals while maintaining the operational readiness of the police fleet.”

O’Shea described the vehicle as an “administrative/plain clothes” type car that will not have to support a full complement of electronics or prisoner cage.

Staff members recommended the purchase after researching the limited available stock of police rated vehicles, which are generally not part of locally relied upon purchasing contracts, he said. Currie Motors is “a long time and preferred police vehicle dealer for the village,” he added. He noted that a dealer-issued $1,500 credit was given and staff members will also seek to apply for and claim any available electric vehicle rebates, credits or grants.

Stolen car crashes into CVS, creates a 10-foot hole in the wall

The impacted CVS is located at 6748 Roosevelt Road

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

The CVS located at 6748 Roosevelt Road has an approximately 10-foot hole in its wall after a stolen car crashed into it Thursday morning.

At 4:03 a.m. Thursday, the Oak Park Police Department said officers responded to the store after two individuals broke in and a burglar alar m went of f.

The two individuals had used a stolen vehicle to drive

through the pharmacy area of the store and break in. The estimated loss and damage are unknown.

One of the OPPD officers saw the individuals get into a different car, a gray SUV, and flee eastbound on Roosevelt Road. The officer was in pursuit until the vehicle entered Interstate 290 eastbound at Austin Boulevard, according to village of ficials.

The village’s chief building official met with police and CVS management, determining that the opening created in the wall is about 10 feet and that the wall appears to be loadbearing, according to officials.

“He has advised using extreme caution around the opening and during the re pair,” village of ficials said.

The CVS location is expected to be closed Thursday as management figures out next steps.

He said staff members have been researching e-vehicles for at least two years, anticipating advancements in technology and durability.

“At this juncture, we felt the new Chevy product was ready to purchase for unmarked/plain clothes operations based on industry testing,” O’Shea said. “We are still waiting for an e-vehicle which meets the prisoner compartment and equipment storage needs of the police department.

“We will be evaluating the feasibility of electric police vehicles with this car, specifically for River Forest needs and patrol operations.”

He said testing by the Michigan state police of the Blazer EV versus the gas police Tahoe, Explorer and Silverado showed it was among lowest projected stopping distance of all squads tested and found to stop in a straight line without fading or changing lanes in a skid. It has a “very low chassis” with a 50/50 front to rear weight distribution that translates to a car that is “really stable and glued to the ground.” The Blazer EV supports multiple charging levels and can add up to an estimated 71 miles of range in just 10 minutes and 273 miles per a full charge The EV batteries include an 8-year,

15 LGBTQ+ pride ags stolen in River Forest

River Forest police officers have arrested four people for multiple thefts of LGBTQ+ pride flags. At 1:37 a.m. Dec. 14, a River Forest police officer stopped a car at Chicago Avenue and Jackson Avenue. The driver was a kid and did not have a valid driver’s license, police said. Officers said they had three passengers exit the vehicle.

The police officers found two airsoft pistols in the car, along with 15 pride flags. The flags “appeared to have been forcefully ripped off numerous homes,” according to River Forest police reports.

Police located one River Forest victim. The driver and passengers were arrested, and refused to provide statements. The case was not able to be enhanced to a hate crime, according to police.

One adult passenger was charged with misdemeanor theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The three kids were petitioned to juvenile court for theft and curfew violations

“These hate-based incidents won’t be tolerated in our community,” River Forest Police Chief James O’Shea said. “The Village of River Forest continues to advocate for victims and witnesses with regard to these ugly and insensitive crimes.”

Criminal damage to property

Someone, by unknown means, slashed all four tires to an Oak Park resident’s 2015 Jeep Compass and all four tires to their 2007 Ford Ranger, too. The incident occurred between 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 and 7 a.m. Dec. 17 and resulted in an estimated damage of $1,600.

Burglary

■ Someone got into a Chicago resident’s 2015 Ford Transit 250 van between 10:30 a.m. and 5:49 p.m. Dec. 16 on the 1200 block of North Oak Park Avenue. The person stole various tools and batteries, resulting in an estimated loss of $10,000.

■ Someone shattered the window to break into an Electrical Energy Experts vehicle between 2 p.m. Dec. 17 and 5:49 a.m. Dec. 18 on the 400 block of South Harvey Avenue. The person stole a generator, tools and a work light with tripod. The estimated loss is $2,800.

Motor vehicle theft

■ Between 9:30 p.m. Dec. 15 and 8:30 a.m. Dec. 16, someone got into and stole an Oak Park resident’s white 2017 Chrysler Pacifica on the 700 block of Wesley Avenue. The estimated loss is $11,000.

■ Someone stole an Oak Park resident’s black 2025 Honda CRV between Dec. 18 and 19 on the 1100 block of South Lombard Avenue.

Retail theft

■ Around 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13, four women entered the Old Navy at 417 N. Harlem Ave. and stole children’s clothing. The estimated loss was $1,377.34.

■ Around 3 p.m. Dec. 19, two women stole merchandise from the Walgreens at 6412 Roosevelt Road. The estimated loss is $3,500.

Theft

Around 4:45 p.m. Dec. 16, someone stole an Oak Park resident’s wallet from their purse containing a driver’s license, debit and credit cards, gift cards and money. The incident, which occurred on the 6400 block of West North Avenue, resulted in an estimated loss of $1,570.

Arrest

■ A 36-year-old Chicago man was arrested at 3:18 p.m. Dec. 18 on the 100 block of Washington Boulevard for an aggravated battery that occurred on the 200 block of Clinton Avenue. He was also charged with aggravated driving on a revoked driver’s license

■ A 26-year-old Chicago man was arrested at 11:43 a.m. Dec. 19 on the 1000 block of Chicago Avenue for battery to a Maywood resident.

These items were obtained from Oak Park Police Department reports dated Dec. 16 – 20 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public›s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Luzane Draughon

Oak Parker teaches Black is beautiful with a book on Afros

‘My Afro is a Rising Sun’ is an ode to Black hair and a story about embracing culture and identity

By DEBORAH BAYLISS Contributing Reporter

The day that Yaram Yahu caught a glimpse of his fluffy Afro sitting like a crown of dark cotton on the top of his head was the magical moment that gave birth to the title of his fourth book.

“It was in April of 2022,” Yahu, of Oak Park, explained. “I went to get a drink of water after working out and saw the shadow of my afro in silhouette. It looked like a rising sun, and I thought, ‘my Afro is a rising sun and that is the perfect children’s book title,’ because you know, I have been writing children’s books for almost 20 years now.”

The idea stuck with him for about two weeks before he sat down to write the manuscript in May 2022. “My Afro is a Rising Sun” centers on a young boy who learns about his identity, culture and heritage through his Afro.

One of the book’s messages is for Black children and really anyone, to express themselves, see the beauty in themselves and to embrace their culture and heritage.

Perseverance is the book’s other message, he said.

“Another takeaway in the book, especially for marginalized people of color, is that obstacles will come your way and there will be things you will have to face…but it’s being able to persevere and shine through them despite those obstacles.”

Yahu wrote and self-published his first book “Heartland,” and founded his self-publishing business at 11. He also wrote a 500page novel as a sophomore at Oak Park River Forest High School.

“I got started [writing] when I was in fourth grade,” Yahoo, 29, recalled. “I went to Longfellow Elementary School here in Oak Park. My teacher, Mrs. Ambrosino, assigned a creative writing assignment that led me into writing full time.”

Yahu found his first representation in July 2022. The agent then sent the manuscript to publishers in September.

“A lot of people don’t know that you have to go through a literary agent who will then send the manuscript to the publisher,” Yahu said. “That’s how you get traditionally published.”

However, the road to getting there was by no means paved with gold. By Oct. 2022, the young author had gone through a series of job changes and was struggling financially.

Still, Yahu was determined to earn a living as a traditionally published author. Just as the weight of not knowing what he was going to do to get out of his financial straits was closing in, “My Afro is a Rising Sun” was released this month by Running Kids Press, part of Hachette Book Group. Illustrations for the hardcover picture book were done by DeAnn Wiley

“I went from having only 13 pennies to a five-figure, traditionally published author all within a day,” Yahu said. “I’m a living testament that all things are possible.

“People were telling me authors don’t make money and that traditional publishing is a waste of time, especially because I’m Black, because statistically, Black authors already have it more difficult than others.”

He’s no longer operating the self-publishing business he started with his first book. He does however, offer ghost writing and editorial services. With more than 10 years’ experience in screenwriting and editorial work, including at Beacon Press, Yahu’s writing has appeared in diverse publications such as Solstice Literary Magazine and Keystrokes. He studied at Emerson College, tutored at 826 Boston, and volunteered in places such

as Pakistan and Tanzania. Yahu is also developing several TV, novel, and picture-book projects while continuing his passion for storytelling across multiple genres.

Yahoo’s mother, Chajuana Calhoun, recalled how he displayed his early writing talents by filling up so many spiral notes with stories, that she and his grandmother had to get crates to hold them all.

“He just has such a creative mind,” Calhoun said. “Having that mind and being able to put it on paper is a talent. It’s pretty unique that he would come up with the title ‘My Afro is a Rising Sun.’ I’m very proud of him for that.”

“My Afro is a Rising Sun” can be found in 650 Barnes and Noble Book Stores in the U.S. and just went to the U.K. last week.

It’s in all Chicago Public Libraries as well as the Oak Park Public Library. You can also order the book from Amazon.com, Walmart. com, Target.com and the publisher’s website, hachettebookgroup.com. He can also be found at Yaramyahu.com for school and author visits.

PROVIDED

Author Yaram Yahu at a recent book signing

Oak Park librar y to host Kwanzaa celebration

The Dec. 30 event is free and open to all

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Oak Parkers looking to celebrate Kwanzaa or to learn more about the annual winter festivity honoring African-American culture can attend a gathering from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 30 at the Oak Park Public Library at 834 Lake St

The event is free of charge and open to anyone who’d like to attend. Attendees will witness a dance performance, drumming and storytelling to honor the Black American harvest celebration, according to library officials.

What is Kwanzaa?

Kwanzaa is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Donna Callender, artistic director and cofounder of Kuumba Kids, explained that during that period families or communities come together in a common place and celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa, a new one each day.

The seven principles are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith).

Callender said the idea is that families, including elders and young adults, or communities would teach these seven principles to their children or other community members during the seven days of Kwanzaa.

“You think about what each principle means, how [we can] incorporate this in our lives on a year-round basis, but [we] definitely bring it to the forefront during Kwanzaa,” she said.

In most African countries and tribes, Callender explained, when there is a harvest, there is a celebration. And Kwanzaa is a harvest celebration. During Kwanzaa, celebrants typically have a feast called Karamu Ya Imani (feast of faith), with various dishes

The Karamu feast was developed in Chicago in 1971.

Callender said sometimes Kwanzaa celebrants will exchange presents on the first day of the new year, but those presents must be handmade, not store bought.

“There’s more intention behind having to make something yourself,” she said.

“There’s definitely a greater love behind what you’re doing.”

People can celebrate Kwanzaa and other winter holidays, like Christmas, if they choose, too, Callender said. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

How does Oak Park celebrate?

Callender is hosting the event at the OPPL on Dec. 30, helping the community understand more about Kwanzaa and why it’s important.

“My responsibility for the day is to host the program and to give the information that I was blessed to have received,” she said, adding that when she first moved to the United States in 1994, she had no idea what Kwanzaa was. But as a mother, she was able to expose her own children to this part of African American culture.

Each year, Kuumba Kids have performed at the event, even doing a prerecorded perfor mance to showcase during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, nine performers, from second to 11th grade, will do a traditional west African dance called “Lamban.”

“This particular dance, Lamban, is a dance that’s done to give reverence to the Griots, the oral historians, of our culture,” Callender said. Those oral historians, or “mental librarians” pass down the traditions and histories.

The Oak Park event will have a “melting pot of performing arts” Callender said. In addition to the Kuumba Kids performance, a libation presentation will be performed by Ade Onayemi and Hasani Canon will do a drumming solo

It’s essential to represent different cultures, traditions and holidays in Oak Park, Callender said, because it’s how people lear n and become allies for each other.

“If I’m exposed to the different cultures and traditions of someone who is not from the same background as I am, not only does it give me information, but it also opens my mind,” she said. “I’m able to now be a better friend, a better supporter of that particular person and their culture. Because at the end of the day, everybody’s culture is important.

Exposure to different cultures and traditions also teaches individuals and their chil dren to be more understanding and more ac cepting, Callender pointed out. That, in turn, will make the world a better place, she said. And the world doesn’t have to be the entire globe, she said, one’s world can be wher they build their home or where they rais

their family.

This Kwanzaa celebration is an opportunity not only to learn something new, she said, but to learn something different.

“I would just encourage everyone to come out and see, experience, feel, touch,” she said. “Let all your senses be open to what this Kwanzaa celebration is going to be about.”

Kuumba Kids dancers perform at the Oak Park Kwanzaa celebration.

HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES

Plenty to celebrate from page 1

Christmas

On Dec. 21, Downtown Oak Pa rk invites friend s, shoppers and f amilies with children of all ages to the heart of downtown for the Home for the Holidays event. Th e f estivities begin at 11 a.m. with horsedrawn car riage rides that start from Mari on Street. T he rides are free of charge and c onclude at 2 p. m. While attendees are strolling through the downtown area, seve r al pa rt icipating businesses will be offering a free cup of hot cocoa to war m up with. A ttendees c an stop at Vi go Coffe e, Crep as C ulichi, K ribi Co ff ee or Wi se Cup from 11 a.m. to 3 p. m. to claim a war m refreshment. Vi sitors may also spot S anta wh i le enjoying hot cocoa, as he will be visiting Downtown Oak Pa rk businesses to greet the event’s attendees from noon to 3 p. m.

Have you ever shopped for grocerie s and visited the North Pole on the same day? If not, c onsider checking that of f your to-do list this Christmas season at Ca rn ival Grocery. Fo r two days, the grocery store will host a free event that is f amily friendly From 10 a.m. to 1 p. m. on b oth Dec. 21 and Dec. 22, the Ca rn ival Grocery will host S anta C laus for p hoto o pportunities. A ttendees will also be able to w rite their wish list letters and treat themselves to hot cocoa, c ider or snacks. T he first event on Dec. 21 will be located at 824 S. Oak Pa rk Ave., and the second day of f estivities will take p lace at 458 W. Dickens Ave. on Dec. 22.

will also have musical scores available for purchase. If you would like to warm up your vocal cords this holiday season, then you can book tickets to this concert at this link. This event will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Oak Park, which is located at 324 N. Oak Park Ave.

picke d up at the Chabad Jewish C enter or d elive red to your home

Kw anzaa

T he Oak Pa rk Public L ibrary will host a Kwanzaa c elebration at 6 p. m ., Monday, Dec. 30. A ttendees will learn about en principles of Kwanzaa and be mmersed in musi c, ar t and c ommunity Black A merican Harvest c elbration features d ancing, drumming , oetry and storytelling. A ll are welcome ibrary is located at 834

gister: https://oakpark.libraryc alenent/hold-82752

and c oncludes at 12:15 p. m. A ttendees ca n RSVP for the event using this link.

Fo r f amilies c elebrating Hanukkah (which means dedication in Hebrew, wh icheve r way you spell i t), there are seve r al options. On Dec. 25, the Chabad Jewish C enter of Oak Pa rk will host a C hanukah Festival at 4 p. m. T he f estiva l will include a gr and menorah lighting, a kosher Chinese dinner, latkes, sufgani yo t (sugared donuts), and a magic show f eaturing hypno-magician Je ff rey Powe rs People who are i nterested in attendin g the f estival must RSVP at this link. Th e a ddress for the event will be provide d upon reservation.

Fo r residents living in either Oak Pa rk or Rive r Fo rest, the Chabad Jewish C enter of Oak Pa rk is offering a free menor ah kit for Hanukkah. People i nterested in the o pportunity c an fill out a fo rm at this link to order their kit, wh ich c an be

For music lovers, the Sing-Along Messiah Concert with the Apollo Chorus of Chicago on Dec. 22 may be of interest. From 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. members from the Apollo Chorus of Chicago will be in Oak Park for a sing-along concert. T he event

New Year ’s Eve

T he St evenson C ommunity C enter is hosting parents and their little ones to their indoor pl ayground for a f estive New Year ’s Eve Bash. On Dec. 31, f amilies ca n c elebrate the upcoming new year with crafts, d ancing, a b alloon drop and a toast (apple juice). T he event will take p lace in the lowe r- level indoor pl ayground, at 49 W. La ke St. The pa rt y be gins at 10:30 a.m.

If you and your love d ones are early risers and do not want to stay up late for the ’s c ountdown, then the R idgeommon Re creation C omplex has red. Instead of counting down to idnight, you and your friends can skate nto the new year by c ounting down to noon. On Dec. 31, the RCRC Ice Rink will oon Year ’s Eve Skate from 11 a.m. A ttendees will have a ccess to ames and activities b oth on and of f the ice throughout the c elebration. Ice skates will be available for rent as well. lthough walkins are welcome, you may pre-re gister for this event using this link. T he N oon Year ’s Eve Skate c elebration will take place at 415 La ke St

A nother f amily-friendly option fo r a New Year ’s Eve c elebration includes the Wonder Wo rks Children’s Museum N oon Year ’s Eve pa rt y. Adve rt i sed as the “last PL AY date of 2024,” this event will include activities suited for children of all ages Families will have p lenty of fu n options to c elebrate the holiday durin g the event such as exploring the museum, wo rk ing on a new year ’s art project and greeting c ostumed character s. W hen the f estivities are c omplete everyone will be able to capture the memorable c elebration as a f amily using the p hoto b ooth. Wonder Wo rks will offer two o pportunities for families to count down to the new year to a ccommodate everyone’s busy schedules around the holidays. T he firs t c ount down and b alloon drop is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the second will be at 1 p. m. Both adults and children p lanning to attend must purchase a ticket fo r this event, wh ich is $15 for members and $30 for non-member s. Tickets c an be pu rchased using this link. Wonder Wo rks is located at 6445 W. Nor th Ave.

Hanukkah

Sing-Along Messiah Concert FILE

Kwanza celebration at Oak Park librar y FILE

Who is running for Oak Park village trustee in the 2025 election?

5 candidates, including 2 incumbents, are running to ll 3 seats

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Five candidates, including incumbent trustees Lucia Robinson and Chibuike Enyia, are running to fill three village trustee seats on the Oak Park board in the local election, April 1, 2025.

Joshua Vanderberg, James “Jim” Taglia, and Jenna Leving Jacobson are also running to fill the open seats. The village board officials are elected on a staggered cycle, meaning the three trustees elected in 2023 will serve until the next election in 2027.

In the upcoming spring election, Oak Park voters will also vote for a village clerk and a village president. The race for clerk is uncontested, with incumbent Christina Waters running for reelection.

But the race for village president is a highly contested one, with incumbents Vicki Scaman, who is president, and Ravi Parakkat, a trustee, running to fill the seat. Their positions have been published by Wednesday Journal.

The board members elected in 2025 will also get a raise. Newly elected trustees will get a bump from $15,000 to $23,000. Robinson and Enyia abstained from that vote.

The candidates’ positions are listed below in alphabetical order by last name.

CHIBUIKE ENYIA

Why he’s running

Incumbent Enyia, elected in 2021, told Wednesday Journal he’s running again because Oak Park is home.

He said he wants to see the village reach its full protentional, and progress takes time.

“The work we’ve started isn’t fin-

ished yet, and I want to keep pushing forward,” he said in an email intervie w. “I believe in this community, and I want to keep doing the work to help it grow and thrive.”

His priorities

The current trustee said his priorities for a new ter m would include working together as a board, engaging the community and tackling top Oak Park issues. Those include promoting sustainability, bolstering public safety, ensuring access to af fordable housing, gun violence prevention and transportation safety.

Enyia said that he wants a clearer and more inclusive decision-making process. That includes ensuring the board is responsive to concerns and ensuring equity and inclusion is built into every policy, program and conversation.

“At a time when the national climate feels increasingly unpredictable, it’s more important than ever to protect what makes Oak Park unique,” he said.

Contrasting c

Enyia said he’s committed to listening to every voice in the community, adding his approach to the one of collaboration, humility and consistent communica

So far as a trustee, he said, he’s supported safe gun storage, sustainability ef fordable housing initiati for unhoused residents. He said he’s pushed for transparency in ef ryDunn report, automated license readers and leaf collection. And he wrote he’s co-led ef for ts to improve public safety through alter native calls for response

Major changes

If reelected, Enyia wrote he’d like all trustees to seek input from village commissions earlier on to better inform board decisions. He added that he’d collaborate with Village President Vicki Scaman and Village Manager Kevin Jackson to have more efficient board agendas so that they are respectful of everyone’s time. And Enyia wrote he’d work to build stronger collaboration with other local government leaders.

“I feel these issues deeply — just like every member of our community — and I share the concerns, hopes, and vision that so many Oak Parkers have for our village,” Enyia said. “You are my priority now and always.”

JENNA LEVING JAC OBSON

Why she’s running

Enyia pointed out he’s also served as trustee through the pandemic, migrant support ef for ts and search for a new village manager.

“Each candidate can list their priorities and goals, but what we’ve learned is that there are always unexpected crises,” he said.

Jacobson, who teaches SpanDominican y, said she’s always felt about participating in democracy and community service. After the outcome of the national presidential election, she said she felt she needed to step up

“One of the ways in which we can take care of each other is by having a strong local government,” she said.

Her priorities

The candidate said she has five top priorities: access to healthcare, mental health support, gun violence prevention, response to the climate crisis and a focus on af fordable housing. The first four are part of the village’s IPLAN, a five-year plan created in

2022 that identifies public health priority areas.

Leving Jacobson said the Oak Park Public Health Department is sometimes taken for granted and needs to be fully funded and supported, especially as things could change nationally under a new presidency.

Leving Jacobson, a local leader of the Oak Park-Austin Area Moms Demand Action, also said gun violence pr evention has been her primary area of activism since she became a parent in 2018. She wants to invest in programs that support youth, those at risk of exposure to gun violence and survivors.

She said she will continue to push harder to meet the goals in Climate Ready Oak Park.

And community input has shown residents want a diverse and af fordable community. To achieve that, Leving Jacobson said the board needs to strengthen the inclusionary housing ordinance adopted in 2019.

Contrasting c andidates

Leving Jacobson said she brings a different perspective in terms of community organizing and advocacy. She serves on the District 97 school board, works at a free health clinic and volunteered as a Spanish interpreter during the Oak Park response to asylum seekers.

“I can promise that I will always lead with my values, and I believe those are shared values, of being compassionate and believing really strongly in our commitment to equity and inclusion,” she said.

Major changes

Leving Jacobson said she’d like to find more ways in which the board can engage with increasingly diverse voices in Oak Park. Trustees might be open to hearing those voices, but the village isn’t hearing from everyone, she said.

“Not all voices are given the same amount of time and space,” she said.

LUCIA ROBINSON

Why she’s running

Incumbent Robinson, elected in 2021, said serving in the role has been both rewarding and challenging.

The incumbent said she inherited a “divisive board discourse” when elected, adding it’s important to have a “solution-focused dialogue.”

She said she’s able to build strong relationships with colleagues while providing leadership that is “thoughtful,” “compassion-centered” and focused on “fiduciary integrity.”

“I’m always, always mindful of the fact that we are spending the community’s money and that has to happen, I think, with a high de gree of transparency and opportunity for the community to weigh in,” she said.

Her priorities

Robinson said she has four main priorities for a new term. Those are building up the police force, building a new police station, building up a strong economic development program and emphasizing an equity focus in village services.

The village is down about 30% of its full police staf f, Robinson pointed out. She said she wants to focus on supporting their work through robust recruitment and technological tools. A new police station goes along with that.

Robinson also said she wants to focus on completing capital improvement projects such as the Oak Park Avenue Streetscape. She also wants to create and invest in partnerships that aid economic vitality ef forts, like with the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce.

Robinson said she wants to help roll out the recently approved language access policy, as well as pass a language access ordinance, to ensure everyone has access to village services

Contrasting c andidates

Robinson, an attorney, said she approaches issues from a legal perspective. The development for Pete’s Fresh Market is

one example of that, she said. She pushed for an amended contract with specific deadlines and a fee structure for missed deadlines.

The current trustee also said it’s important to have continuity of leadership regarding ongoing projects like Village Hall and the police station.

Robinson, the only woman of color on the current board and of the candidates running, added that she can offer diversity of perspective. She’s a third-generation American who understands the difficulty of language barriers. And in Oak Park, there’s an increasingly diverse community with a rapidly growing Latino population.

Major changes

Robinson said she wants to see greater alignment between village board goals and the budget process. Creating a more comprehensive financial policy, something the board has been planning to do, is also a priority for her.

JAMES “JIM ” TAGLIA

Why he’s running

Taglia, a for mer Oak Park trustee who owns a chemical manufacturing company, said he was encouraged by locals, including some for mer board members, to run again. In the 2023 election, Taglia lost his seat. He said he was sick at the time and unable to campaign effectively.

“I really miss helping people, working with people … to solve problems, to make things better,” he said. “I’ve had a long track record of doing that.”

His priorities

The for mer trustee said his priorities for a new term include support for public safety initiatives, minimizing the financial burden for a Village Hall remodel and potentially reinstating raking leaves into piles on the street rather than bagging for collection.

“We need to improve the responsiveness of the village to resident concerns,” he said. “That’s a really core function of a

trustee.”

Taglia said he wants to prioritize the new police station by spending “what makes sense and what’s necessary.” It’s also important to him to get police staffing up.

The current board has been talking about potentially investing large sums of money into remodeling Village Hall, Taglia said, adding he wants to only fix what’s necessary, including functionality or accessibility issues.

“The average resident spends less than five minutes a year in Village Hall,” he said. “I don’t know that I want to spend $100 million so their five-minute visit is architecturally pleasing.”

Contrasting c andidates

Taglia said he already knows the “nuts and bolts” of being a trustee. He spent six years as a village trustee and six years before that on the Oak Park Township board. His experience on local committees, as a trustee, as a business owner and his institutional knowledge, are what Taglia said set him apart from other candidates.

One of the ways Taglia said he’ll strengthen the board is with his deep understanding of the budget process.

“It takes two years of your four-year term, if you’re new, to get up to speed,” he said. “When I start on day one, I am plugged into that, and I get it, I understand how it works.”

Major changes

Taglia said he’d like to see more focused village board agendas presented in a way that can be discussed in about two hours. Village board meetings tend to run longer.

When he was a trustee, Taglia said meetings ran long then, too. But he said it’s important to be efficient, adding that village staf f do not need heavy board oversight to accomplish priorities.

JOSHUA VANDERBERG

in prices, in property taxes and in insurance.

“I do think we need to keep our eye on the ball around property taxes,” he said. “But I think the village b oard has a number of p oli cy leve rs that it c an bring to b ear that c an significantly impact af fordability for locals.”

His priorities

Vanderberg said he also wants to foc us on Vi sion Zero priorities to increase pedestrian and biker safety in Oak Pa rk and wants to create a network of protected bike lanes. As an avid biker, Vanderberg said he’s wo rked hard to re p lace ca r t rips with biking ones and reco gnizes k ids need that protection as they walk or bike to school.

Contrasting c andidates

Vanderberg said although he’s competing with incumbents, he has been following village b oard proceedings closely fo r about five year s. He’s ser ve d as a member of the Civic Info rm ation Systems C ommission and wo rked closely with the village b oard and Oak Pa rk p olice chie f to make p oli cy changes around sur ve illance technolo gy.

“I have a ve ry data driven approach,” he said. “I dive i nto data sources and really t ry to learn wh at ’s going on b ehind the scenes.”

Major changes

Vanderberg said he would bring more attention to the c ost of remodeling Vi llage Hall and building a new p olice station. He said he’s c oncerned about that process after watching developments unfold and wants to think carefully about f uture designs.

Why he’s running

Vanderberg, a software executive, said Oak Park faces critical issues, including ones related to af fordability, such as an increase

“Nowad ay s, we have more employees who wo rk from home, and the next g eneration of Oak Pa rk citizens aren’t goin g to want to walk i nto a building and fil l out paperwork, they ’re going to want to be doing services online,” he said.

Each c andidate expressed a d esire to see high local voter turnout and increasing pa rt icipation in d emocra cy for the 2025 election. Eligible residents c an re gi ster to vote ahead of the April 1, 2025, election and check back for info rm atio n about where and when to vote

New sustainability coordinator hir for the village of Oak Park

Nalini Johnson started Dec. 9

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Oak Park’s new sustainability coordinator Nalini Johnson has filled the role that was vacant for about a year

Abby Zielinski previously held the job but left in November 2023 after she was promoted to civil engineer in the village’s public works department. That was around the same time that Marcella Bondie Keenan, the previous chief sustainability officer, left.

The new chief sustainability officer, Lindsey Roland Nieratka, began her role in July 2024. Johnson will work under Nieratka.

Johnson is a zoning and development professional, according to village officials She has more than 10 years of experience working with property owners, contractors, architects and engineers.

The newly hired sustainability coordinator has specialized skills in zoning, green building codes and sustainable development and infrastructure. Oak Park’s village board passed an electrification ordinance that went into effect Jan. 1, requiring all buildings constructed after that date to be all-electric with no natural gas hookups.

According to the job description posted in September 2024, the sustainability coordinator is expected to conduct policy analysis, program design and evaluation and community engagement.

The sustainability coordinator is also responsible for supporting the implementation of Climate Ready Oak Park, a plan adopted by the village board which “proposes achieving equitable carbon neutrality, resilience to climate change, and triple-bottomline sustainability,” according to the job description.

The CROP plan outlines specific timelines for sustainability goals. That includes reduc-

ing greenhouse gas emissions and reaching net-zero emissions

This year, the village board has allocated an additional $500,000 to the fund for 2025, approved a charging fee electric vehicle drivers and discussed additional marketing for the Oak Action Network’s climate coaching program.

Oak Park’s Sustainability and Office asked for $1.2 million in 2025 the village’s budget planning process, up slightly from $1.045 million in 2024. Those increases included the ener grant program, building energy use efforts, biodiversity work and climate plan administration.

The 2025 goals for the department include transitioning gas equipment to electric, increasing municipal aggregation, increasing green infrastructure and bringing back Earth Day celebrations.

Johnson earned a master’s degree in ur-

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Homes

A year in the life of Homes: e best of 2024

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

2024 in Homes was a year filled with the stories that make our locals villages home. We covered architecturally significant homes, condominiums, apar tments, reno tion projects, historic local sales, garden tours, organizations like the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, and local people who spend their time making homes for others.

January

We learned that Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn is applying placement on the National Re gister for Historic Places. Owners Jessica King and Will Duncan purchased the night club just as the pandemic began, and as they used social media to connect with fans, they learned a lot about history of Fitzgerald’s. They hope that placing the ing on the National Historic Re gister will preserve tory of the Roosevelt Road stalwart.

February

We followed the greening of local apar tments. The Gr in Forest Park was exploring environmentally updates, with the help of Seven Generations Ahead. Residents joined a community solar program, upgraded windows and chose a more sustainable HVAC systems, working with Oak Park-based Energy Matters.

March

Rendering of the education center in Oak Park.

We turned our eyes to local parishes, particularly Grace Episcopal Church, which were working tirelessly to aid a group migrants brought to Oak Park on Halloween 2023.

A community of volunteers rose up to aid them. As the migrants moved on to longer-term housing, the Rev. John Rumple of Grace Episcopal continued to advocate for those housed at the church who were in danger of falling through the cracks.

April

We covered plans by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust to build a new education center on its Oak Park campus. The planned center will consist of a new, contemporary building designed by architect John Ronan that will include a Reception Hall, Pavilion and Studio. An Art Resource Center will be housed in the re purposed historic building at 925 Chicago Ave., which will also include a Frank Lloyd Wright Reading Room and Archive.

May

We got a glimpse inside of an architecturally significant home that was hitting the market for the first time in 50 years. 522 Linden is one of only two in Oak Park designed by architects David Postle and John Fischer. Originally listed for $1.195 million, the home sold in October for $850,000. This story was the second-most read article on our website in all of 2024.

COURTESY OF JOHN RONAN ARCHITECTS AND FRANK LLOY D WRIGHT TRUST CHIC AGO

HOMES IN REVIE W

from page 15

June

turned our attention to design firm North & Madison and a few of their local projects in June. Duo Robin Flaherty and Jess Milburn showcased a colorful condo in rest Park and a River Forest home that got their signature treatment with a colorful palette and plenty of charm.

July

did a deep dive into things found in the walls when locals rehabbed their historic homes. Several residents shared their treasures that were revealed when they renovated. From bottles to toy buses to remnants of old wallpaper, the bits of the past are treasured by their homes’ new owners.

August

In August, we traveled to Austin to cover Frank Lloyd Wright’s J.J. Walser House on Central Avenue. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1903, the home is an early example of Wright’s Prairie Style. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy is working with Austin Coming Together to save the house and ensure its survival.

September

We covered a Frank Lloyd Wright house in River Forest that has been meticulously maintained and restored. Wright’s design for the Winslow house at 515 Auvergne Pl. in 1893 was his first major solo commission when he was 26-years old. The home listed for $1.985 million and sold for $2.2 million in November.

Oc tober

We took a trip to Madison Street in October to check the progress of Oak Park Commons. The first co-housing project of its kind in Illinois is currently under construction.

Rendering of the Oak Park Commons building.

With a mission to foster intergenerational connection, diversity and inclusiveness through a community of adjoining private apar tments that share a common space, the co-housing development is focused on creating a long-term community. Financed by Hoyne Savings Bank, the building has an estimated completion date of October 2025.

November

We looked at the priciest local condo sale in recent memory with the sale of a unit at 444 Ashland in River Forest for more than $1 million. Ideal Location Oak Park’s Eli Schultz and Mary Christine Pacer brokered the sale and said that there’s plenty of demand locally for high-end condominiums.

December

We closed out the year in December with a tour of the newest home for L’Arche. This is the first newly built home in the Chicago area for L’Arche, an organization that houses adults with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers. Residents are looking forward to living in a home that both accommodates their needs and is sustainably built.

Thanks for spending your year with the Wednesday Journal Homes section. We look forward to covering more homes, gardens, and architecture in 2025!

CREDIT NORTH & M ADISON

North & Madison gave this Forest Park kitchen a retro diner feel.

CREDIT MARTA STE WA RT-BATES

Items found in the walls of Marta Stewart-Bates’ home in Oak Park.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310

ktrainor@wjinc.com

Tips for enjoying the holidays

Here are some holiday tips, based on mistakes I’ve made and others I’ve observed:

■ Do not give a 3-year-old a gift card instead of a toy because you didn’t have time to shop. They will cry regardless of the amount.

■ Family parties are not the place to blindside someone by bringing up an embarrassing story … unless it’s really funny.

RICE

■ If someone gives you a box of candy, do not immediately exclaim, “Great. I can bring this to my next party!”

■ The secret to a successful party is for the hosts to be relaxed but still conscious.

■ Don’t make a speech about how itchy wool sweaters can be just before your sister hands you one

■ At any holiday gathering, you’ll have more fun asking people questions than telling your stories.

■ If your brain tells you that one more drink will make you feel even better, it’s time for coffee.

■ It’s best not to criticize your host’s main dish until you’ve tasted it. Tofu turkey can be amazing

■ Don’t be disappointed when the holidays don’t magically transform your relatives into the people you want them to be. Besides, it wouldn’t be Christmas without Aunt Helen complaining about her hip.

■ If you come from a big family with a wide age range, each person’s view is valid. No one has a monopoly on reality — or knows who really broke the picture window.

■ Gift-ripping jamborees were great growing up but thanks to inflation we now take tur ns

■ Small talk can be exhausting. That’s why we need football and sentimental movies to watch.

■ Even though you took psychology in high school and a glass of Merlot makes you even smarter, leave the mental diagnosis of siblings to professionals.

■ When you seat yourself at a table, I recommend the middle, because you’ll have more people to talk to. Also, wedge yourself into a spot where no one can ask you to get up and help

■ Clearing the dishes is a conversation-killer. It’s best to linger a while until everyone’s done discussing the TV

VIEWPOINTS

2024, the year in Shrubtow

Two Christmas narratives

When I was a boy in the 1950s, two narratives gave meaning to what I was experiencing. One featured Santa and presents under a decorated tree, and the other was about an event in Bethlehem, which was about a birth in a barn

The first narrative framed Christmas as a sentimental prosperity festival. My mom and dad and I would go to the Christmas Eve service at First Lutheran Church, which was very romantic — Silent Night sung while we held candles, the altar flanked by dozens of poinsettias, all three choirs singing glorious music.

Then we’d come home and open our presents. Somehow Santa always knew what I wanted. The next day we’d go to Red and Helen Allen’s house for a turkey dinner. My dad always got a big box of Russell Stover’s chocolates where he worked which we sampled.

Life was predictable, happy and safe. No one that I knew got a divorce, and the Packers always had winning seasons.

The second narrative was about a young woman who got pregnant before she was married, had to give birth in a stable, and she and her young family had to flee to Eg ypt as refugees to escape the ruler’s slaughter of innocent babies.

For some reason, that story didn’t bother me. Life was good where I was living it, and the emphasis in church was on the angels singing to the shepherds and three magi bringing gifts to the newborn child.

Both narratives seemed to put into words my experience and give meaning to it.

One of the songs we heard on WOMT radio had the lyrics, “You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear voices singing let’s be jolly, deck the halls with boughs of holly.”

“Amen,” we said, “this describes how we feel.”

Then I grew up, got married and went through a divorce at the age of 40. Suddenly hearing the sentimental prosperity narrative became extremely painful because it reminded me of how much I had lost. My two kids and

ADOBE STOCK

Ancient astronomers study the night sky

Searching for patter ns, portents, meaning,

Something out of the ordinary, to make them abandon their cloistered courts

To seek magic in the wider world.

A star stirs something, a deep longing, or prophecy, that begs fulfillment,

A restless and relentless urgency, and possibly a fool’s errand.

They set out, each on his own,

Gi of the magi, a Christmas meditation KEN TRAINOR

No bodyguards, no loyal attendants, no courtly hangers-on,

Because no one else feels the fullness of this longing,

Now shining hard overhead.

What moves the few to look for, and find, such signs, asking where this might lead?

For the rest of their lives, do they ponder what moved them to undertake such a journey,

Driven to believe in something so small, so fragile, so unlikely,

So promising?

What re port could they possibly deliver to their respective kingdoms

To justify their outrageous fugue?

“I found a child in a stable … I know how this sounds … but something is happening.

I don’t know what. Something has shaken loose.

What other stars did they, in due course, follow?

Did their people question their peculiar adventure?

Did these three stay on good terms with belief?

Did they become wise men?

In O. Henry’s famous fable, a young couple sells their most valued possessions,

Their gold, frankincense, and myrrh, to purchase an even greater gift,

Discovering the bottomless depths of their love

Whatever became of the watchless fob and the hairless combs?

Did they build a shrine to the extravagant genius of their gifts?

No one else sees the piercing brightness of this star.

They can barely beli eve their own belief in an age of unbelief.

When their paths converge, wonder grows, their conviction bur ns all the brighter,

A sign of some import, a sign that brings 3 skywatchers to gether,

Shaking their heads at their shared foolhardiness.

Yet the star in the west beckons, higher and higher, night by night, and they bow to its authority,

Achieving apex as they reach a small settlement of sheep herders and goat tenders

Called Bethlehem, where the only thing out of the ordinary is a baby in a stable.

These 3 kings have traveled great distances, and greater distances within,

To pay respect at the manger-throne of a new kind of king,

Where humility is the ultimate power and the ultimate royalty,

Before whom they cease to be kings, having wised up enough

To acknowledge the wild extravagance of their gifts,

Gold, frankincense, myrrh,

Laid at the feet of a carpenter’s son and the child’s strangely radiant mother

Who has her own wonder to contend with,

Watching the powerful and affluent bow before the powerless and poor,

A moment of incongruous kinship.

But what a feat of orientation, following a star that once hovered low in the West

Something will happen, somehow, in the lifetime of this child,

That bears watching … and waiting for …

And I’m not the only one who feels it.”

Did they become better rulers upon returning home?

Did these kings ever meet again? Did they send each other annual regards?

Did they wonder what became of the child, what became of the man?

What became of their gifts? And what gifts did they bring back?

Were they merely “two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house”? Or did they realize, “Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. They are the magi.”

What jour ney awaits the rest of us to embark upon?

What brilliance in our night sky beckons us to begin?

Belief is not a possession, some cherished object gathering dust in our shrines.

It is active agency, something beyond our grasp that we can’t stop reaching for:

The gift of the magi.

SHRUB TO WN Y ear in Review by

Marc Stopeck

WEDNESD AY

of Oak Park and River Forest

Viewpoints Guidelines

e goal of the Viewpoints section is to foster and facilitate a community conversation and respectful dialogue. Responsible community voices are vital to community journalism and we welcome them. Space is at a premium and readers’ attention is also limited, so we ask that Viewpoints submissions be brief. Our limit for letters to the editor is 350 words. For One View essays, the limit is 500 words. Shorter is better. If and when we have su cient space, we print longer submissions, but when space is limited — as it o en is — we may ask you to submit a shorter version or hold the piece until space allows us to print it.

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e tragedy of preventable crime

I would like to express my deep condolences to the family of Detective Allan Reddins. The brazen shooting of a unifor med peace officer in broad daylight has sent shockwaves through our community and the greater Chicago area. Our hearts and prayers should all be with his family, especially his young son, while they struggle with a loss many cannot comprehend.

After killings on the Forest Park Blue Line, a murder on Ridgeland, and a tragically slain police detective, Oak Parkers must honestly ask themselves: “Do I feel safe?” As recently as one month ago, I assume many would have replied that they do, if a supermajority endorsement of Kim Foxx and her successor Eileen Burke is anything to go by. Democrats are accustomed to tying themselves into knots regarding crime and escaping shamelessly when their good intentions are met with disastrous-yet-predictable consequences. We are told masochistically to think of violent criminals as victims of a “systemically” unjust society, and the havoc they wreak as the universe’s way of punishing those complicit in such a system. The perpetrator was described by police as a “habitual criminal” and had been arrested multiple times prior for domestic battery, resisting a police officer, and aggravated battery to a police officer

The man who murdered an Oak Park detective for the first time in 86 years had a history of violence against police, had

been previously arrested for violence against police, and was still permitted to bring violence into our community. These crimes are now among the non-detainable offenses under the Foxx-Pritzker SAFE-T Act, and while his previous crimes predate the passage of the misguided 2021 bill, it speaks to a culture of contempt for the police and law-abiding citizens.

It was cultural and budgetary hostility toward police that left our department understaffed, requiring Det. Reddins’ reassignment to patrol duties

This tragedy, like many others in Chicagoland, will be spoken of in ter ms most forgiving to the anti-police leadership of this state, city, and town rather than through the lens of accountability and preventable crime.

Heartbreakingly, the only thing we seem intent on preventing is a desperately needed course correction. A pledge from incoming State’s Attorney Burke to prosecute every violent criminal in Cook County to the full extent of the law and a commitment from Mayor Johnson and the Oak Park Village Board to fully fund our police force would do more for the safety of our citizens than any gun violence resolution. I pray they find the courage to do so

Alexander Papadakis Oak Park

WJ is where we come together

We didn’t know anyone in Oak Park when we chose to live here, but my husband Tom and I chose it with great intention. We fell in love with the spirit of the community, its history and schools. And our very first exposure to Oak Park’s aspirations and activities came from reading Wednesday Journal.

Thirty-five years later, Wednesday Jour nal is still providing the same fact-based, independent journalism. The local stories in the Jour nal, written and researched by reporters on the ground, help us stay current and connected to our community. Compare that to the untraceable, unaccountable and often polarizing and false information on social media, eroding the relationships we’ve built with one another

When the Jour nal and its three sister publications became the nonprofit Growing Community Media (GCM), I was proud to join

its board and work alongside people who care about independent journalism and its survival. I’m so impressed by our smart, curious and thorough reporters and editors. I rely on the Journal for breaking news I receive via email. I value all the people who submit letters and have a dialog about the wide variety of topics important to our community Wednesday Jour nal is where we come together.

Tom and I enthusiastically donate to Growing Community Media, helping independent journalism thrive in Oak Park, River Forest, Austin, Forest Park, Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield. Please join us in giving to GCM (oakpark.com/donate) to keep this treasured resource in our community going strong! Deb Abrahamson Growing Community Media board member

Why I remain optimistic about the future

My name is Manolo Avalos. I am a graduate of OPRF High School and a freshman at Triton Community College. I am also an environmental activist (I don’t like to call myself that, but it is true). If you have children or maybe grandkids, I get that you might be scared about what the incoming administration in Washington D.C., has said about our future and our climate crisis.

I am here to tell you that local actions matter now more than ever. Currently in Oak Park, there are openings on the Oak Park Village Energy and Environment Commission and we need the entire table to be filled at their meetings. We also need people making public comments on what our community should do to protect our future. So do not be afraid to apply.

If you are busy, I get it, but consider joining a group like Oak

Park Climate Action Network (opcan.org) which can be as low or as high a commitment as you choose. Even just making public comments at board meetings and commission meetings makes a difference. The village and the people who serve on its boards want to hear from you. The Oak Park Climate Action Plan requires the input of residents.

As a member of the River Forest Sustainability Commission, I can tell you that we would much rather listen to community members’ concerns for the future and suggestions of ways we can act than just talk to fellow commissioners about stuff like how much people are using the electric vehicle charging stations

So let’s hear from you!

gi of ‘Our Town Oak Park’

On Dec. 9, we attended a presentation by Ken Trainor at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association. He read selections from his book Our Town Oak Park, which is a collection of Wednesday Journal columns that he has written, covering the years 1990 to the present. Ken is a very talented writer and teller of stories about people who have contributed to making Oak Park what it has become today. In the book you will get to meet people you might never have heard of and learn of their accomplishments and contributions

Ken Trainor is Oak Park’s heart and soul, capturing the pulse of our town. He has a sense of seeing things in people that might escape others. Each column has twists which will surely give you new perspectives on some very interesting fellow Oak Parkers.

My sister remembers growing up in Oak Park in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. She earned her nursing degree from Oak Park Hospital Nursing School, married and then raised five children in Oak Park We also have five children who were born at Oak Park Hospital prior to the merger with Rush.

Manolo Avalos, River Forest

So we have done our holiday shopping for our kids and my sister, but don’t tell them ... they’re all getting Ken’s book, Our Town Oak Park … and we urge you to do the same! It’s available online (Amazon or Barnes & Noble) or at The Pile Bookstore in Berwyn. Bill & Lynne Higgins, River Forest

Julian house rehab is non-essential

As residents of Oak Park know, our property taxes are high. All of us who have received tax bills recently know this all too well. Accordingly, we should expect that our village board would be taking a hard and sober look at how our tax dollars are spent, and prioritizing projects and services from essential to “would be nice to have.” Essential services start with maintaining excellent police and fire services, maintaining our streets, sidewalks, sewers, etc. Next-level priorities should include updating village hall and construction of a new, separate police station. The Oak Park Village Board recently set aside $1,000,000 for the purpose of rehabbing Percy Julian’s house, and [perhaps] paying the overdue property taxes of Dr. Julian’s daughter, who currently lives in that house. The board also decided to go ahead with the plan to make a celebratory Percy Julian “Streetscape” on Chicago Avenue near Julian’s East Avenue house Far from being essential, these are “feel good” projects and should not be funded by the village, given the current state of our tax burden. The Julian family home is just one of thousands of private homes in our village, but seems to have been elevated to the level of shrine because a prominent Black scientist once lived there. Likewise, it’s unfortunate that Ms. Julian cannot pay her property taxes, but the rest of Oak Park taxpayers should not be on the hook for her debt. No doubt many cash-strapped Oak Parkers would also like to have the village of Oak Park pay to rehab their house and to pay their property taxes. It seems that all of this is another one of the village’s attempts at “restorative racial justice.” These projects, rather than being funded by the village, should be crowdfunded instead. Ten thousand households (out of 23,000 in Oak Park), contributing $150 each, would more than cover it. Given that Oak Park comprises people who are both relatively affluent and (by reputation) progressive and compassionate, it would take only modest contributions by likeminded folks to fund these Percy Julian legacy projects.

Mark Knickelbein Oak Park

JOHN RICE

Holiday

tips from page 19

series they’re streaming

■ I don’t like when people make flat-out pronouncements that a certain movie or book is good. Just say you liked it

■ Setting a place for a foreign student or another non-family member can enhance the holiday. I’ll never forget the fun we had with the Iranian students we hosted at the height of the hostage crisis

■ Gossiping can be as delicious as sweet potato casserole, but it leaves a bitter aftertaste.

■ My wife and I have a policy of not giving practical things as presents. I’m still recovering from the time my mother gave me a space heater for Christmas

■ Naps are not permitted during a holiday party, but sometimes I wish they were

■ As hosts, we always remind ourselves that we’re not responsible for whether our guests have fun. We can only provide them with food, drinks and hints when it’s time to go Merry Christmas and remember: Every time you donate to the “Review” an angel gets his wings.

John Rice is a Forest Park resident who grew up in Oak Park. He writes a weekly column for the Forest Park Review, a Growing Community Media publication.

TOM HOLMES Dueling narratives

from page 19

I bravely tried to fake it, but the presents under the tree couldn’t override the fact that one chair at the dinner table was empty I had been a pastor for eight years by then and that night the story of a young woman giving birth away from home before she was married made the sermon I gave meaningful, to myself if no one else, in a profound way for the first time in my life

It became my story. In the story, recorded in the second chapter of Luke’s gospel, God did not swoop down to Earth and bring peace even though the angels sang a hymn with those lyrics.

Instead of coming as a conquering superhero, God came as a vulnerable baby to vulnerable parents. Instead of making Israel great again, the message the narrative gives is that the greatest power in the universe knows what I feel like and is walking along with me through the darkest valley.

In the political campaign just finished, we heard candidates promising to use political power to make our circumstances better Some said they would make America like it used to be when I was a boy.

Now as an educated adult who listens to the news every night and has gone through two divorces and many other losses, those

promises ring hollow, and sentimental feelings are hard to come by, no matter how much turkey and pumpkin pie I eat and glasses of Bailey’s I drink.

The older I get, the more the second narrative resonates.

There’s a story about a man who asked his rabbi, “Why does the prophet tell us that God puts his words ‘on’ our hearts instead of ‘in’ our hearts?”

“That’s because,” the rabbi replied, “when your heart breaks, the words will fall in.”

The truth is that I never really heard the second Christmas story until I went through a divorce.

These days, most of my emotional wounds have healed; I’m happily married; my two adult children are doing pretty well; I’ve acquired the spiritual resources to weather the recent political storms; my expectations of heaven coming to Earth this side of death have been significantly lowered; and the young woman who got pregnant before getting married means a lot more to me than Santa does

If you still feel like rockin’ around the Christmas tree, good for you. With my walker, I might even join you, but in my ripe old age, the story about a man who lives at the North Pole just makes me shiver.

And the narrative about the baby in the manger rings truer than ever.

Tom Holmes writes a regular column for the Forest Park Review, a Growing Community Media publication.

Questions abound in million-dollar set-aside

A motion was made at the last village board meeting of the year to amend the budget to set aside $1 million for the “preservation of the Julian home.” There was no reference to this topic on the agenda. Instead, the motion was made after the public hearing on the budget, which is the last chance the public has to share their thoughts on the proposed budget. In their discussion, the president and trustees acknowledged that they did not know what they wanted to use the money for, other than “the preservation of the Julian home.”

The Julian Home is a private home that is occupied by a private citizen. It is not for sale. It is suffering from deferred maintenance. The back taxes are reported to be $169,000. It is possible that the home may be lost to a tax sale, in which case the tax buyer will very likely sell it to a private citizen. It is also possible that the home will eventually

be inherited by a family member and then sold to a private citizen.

The after-the-fact manner in which the “future” of the Julian home was handled raises a number of important questions:

Is the village going to use taxpayer dollars to pay the back taxes?

Is the village going to repair the house for the resident or the future owner?

Has the village been negotiating an agreement with the owner? If so, what are the terms?

Will the village record a lien to recoup these funds?

What about other homes in Oak Park with similar back-tax or deferred-maintenance challenges?

Is there a staff recommendation or other due diligence document which has not been shared with the entire board and the general public?

What is the public purpose?

Why the last minute?

Only trustees Robinson and Parakkat had the diligence to ask questions

In an online discussion with the village president, I asked for transparency on the purpose of these funds. The President responded that she would only share that information with Faith Julian. This is inconsistent with Oak Park’s obligation to be transparent in the use of public funds. These are our tax dollars. We all have the right to know the plan for setting aside $1,000,000 to do “something” with a private property

Percy Julian deserves to be recognized and honored. But not in secret. And not by way of a taxpayer subsidy to repair, or pay the taxes, on a private home.

Simone Boutet

Former Oak Park village trustee

Revenge is mine, sayeth … the Lord Trump

New Yo rk state justice Juan Merchan issued a ruling a couple of weeks back that Trump cannot claim presidential immunity to overtur n a jury’s guilty ve rdict on 34 counts of falsifying business record s to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stor my Daniels. Trump and his le g al team say the ve rdic t should be dismissed after the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in a separate case that presidents have immunity for of ficial acts they under take wh i le in of fic e.

A New Yo rk City jury, on May 30, 2024, had found Donald Trump guilty on seve r al counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money pay ments ahead of the 2016 election, that is befo re Trump was elected president the firs t time. Presidential immunity for “of ficial” bribery acts by a non-president?

T he historic decision re presents the first time a panel of jurors deter mined the guilt of a for mer president on c riminal charges. Trump maintained

Tapas Das Gupta, 92

Surgeon, researcher, mentor

pas K. Das Gupta, 92, died peacefully on the morning of Dec. 17, 2024. He was world’s leading authorities on treatment of melanomas and sarcomas and remained active in the scientific community until the very 22, 1932 in New Delhi, India a Das Gupta, he elated peers from to colle ge at was a turbulent eoning Quit India movement was trying to end British occupation. He became interested in politics and was elected student body president. At the age of 16, he organized a jute mill

his innocence throughout the six-week trial that saw a for mer fixer, adult film star, and ex-tabloid publisher take the stand to testify about catch-and-kill schemes linked to salacious storie s and six-figure pay ments made in secret. Trump’s sentencing on the guilty ve rdicts was originally set fo r Ju ly 2024 but now has been delaye d pending further appeals and the “immunity” decision. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from issuing personal attacks against Ju dge Merchan and threatening “trouble for an incompetent, imbecile judge” after Trump resumes office on Jan. 20. Does that mean Trump will take revenge on the judge?

JEANNE MATTHEWS

One View

Trump has alr eady be g un wh at many are calling his “revenge tour.” Trump promised retribution against his political enemies throughout the 2024 campaign cycle. The threat of that retribution has already be g un ag ainst

Ju dge Merchan and many more. On We d nesd ay, Dec. 18, Trump posted on his social media account, “Truth Social,” that one of his most vo c al Re publican critic s, for mer GOP cong resswoman Liz Cheney, could be in a lot of trouble because “numerous federal laws we re li ke ly broken by Liz Cheney, and these violations should be investigated by the FBI.” The president-elec t recently escalated his attacks on another favo rite target, the media, by filing a lawsuit ag ainst the Des Moines Re gister and its longtime pollster, accusing them of “election interference” for publishing a poll three days before the election that showe d Democratic Vi ce President Kamala Harris winning Iowa. Hmm, I guess he doesn’t think the 1st Amendment applies for Freedom of the Press that he d oesn’t like (and that didn’t cost him the election, anyway.)

Trump has gone ba ck and for th be -

OBITUAR Y

worker’s strike which grew to become a large protest movement. This attracted the attention of the British authorities and at one of the rallies, they opened fire. He was shot in the leg, captured, and jailed for 72 hours in solitary confinement before being released. But the strike was a success.

He returned to his studies, finished colle ge in only two years, and was admitted to medical school at 16. He had to lie about his age, as the minimum for admission was 18. Two years later, his actual age was uncovered, but he had the highest grades in the class, so rather than expel him, the administration delayed his progression for a number of months. During this hiatus, he found work in Darjeeling on a tea plantation, caring for the numerous cuts that af flicted workers on the job. In turn, these workers taught him how to identify the highest quality leaves, which started his lifelong love af fair with tea. Tapas was never picky about food, but he was a tea snob of the highest order.

He completed his medical training in 1953 and passed all exams with highest distinction, but frustrated by the colonial

nar row-mindedness of the medical establishment in India, he decided to go to the U.S. to further his medical career in 1956. Starting at Mt Sinai hospital in Chicago. His hard work, dedication, and intelligence propelled him to a faculty appointment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York

There he met the love of his life, Judy Murphy. They reveled in the cultural opportunities of the city, including museums, galleries, exhibitions, and theaters. He attended the University of London for a PhD and Judy followed him there. They mar ried in March of 1967. Shortly after, he was named head of surgical oncology at the University of Illinois Chicago and became renowned as a physician, authoring hundreds of papers, mentoring dozens of fellows, and saving many lives.

His career highlights include: publishing papers in prestigious journals (Nature, Science, Cell), chairing multiple FDA committees, becoming the first non-white person inducted into the prestigious American Surgical Association, and having the longest continuously funded NIH P-01 grant

tween suggesting his retribution will be “through success” and saying he “could or should investi gate, prosecute or jail a w ide range of people.” Trump ’s recent remarks have made critics think the latter is a likelier strat eg y, especially since he has announced his plans to nominate Kash Patel to serve as director of the FBI. Patel has promised to make “conspirators” in gove r nment face c onsequences, even going so far as to assemble a 60-person list of “Members of the Executive Branch Dee p Stat e. ” Le g al experts say it ’s unli ke ly the Trump administr ation could successfully prosecute critics, but that successful prosecution isn’ t really the point: havin g to spend time and money to fight le ga l c ases is its own fo rm of punishment. Trump ’s goal here is simple: it is to create a climate of intimidation so that p otential opponents will bow down and b end their knees in wo r ship of him. Jeanné Schulte Matthews is a resident of Oak Park.

in US history. He was always a champion of women’s rights and helped many female surgeons advance their careers despite the “old boy” network of surgery

Tapas and his wife were married for 57 happy years. They had two children, Joy (Rob Neely) and Neil (Carrie), along with five grandchildren, Asha, Drew, Olivia, Katie, and Molly. Nothing made him happier than spending Thanksgiving dinner with everyone around him. He told innumerable stories from his amazing life that could keep the entire table enchanted. His entire family is eternally grateful that he was able to enjoy one last wonderful Thanksgiving in 2024.

According to his wishes, he will be cremated and his ashes eventually returned to his native India to be scattered in the Ganges River. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be planned for the spring/summer of 2025.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, please send donations to the American Cancer Society or the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Arrangements were handled by ConboyWestchester Funeral Home.

Fenwick, OPRF boys hoops ready for holiday action

Friars and Huskies are trending upward

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Wi th high schools around the state on holiday break, there are p lenty of boys b asketball tournaments starting the day after Christmas

Locall y, Oak Pa rk and Rive r Fo r est High makes i ts annual pilg rimage to downstate Pontiac, wh i le Fenwick stays c lose to home to pa rt icipate in the Jack Tosh Holiday C lassic at Yo rk High School in Elmhurst.

Here’s how the Friars and Huskies ar e looking as they head into the holidays :

Fenwick

The Friars are off to a great start with a 9-2 record. Fenwick had an impressive week, facing three high-quality teams and handing two of them their first losses.

On Dec. 17, Nate Marshall’s 19 points and seven rebounds paced the Friars to a 71-58 Chicago Catholic League Blue victory over visiting Mount Carmel, which entered the game unbeaten. Ty Macariola added 16 points and Dominick Ducree 11.

“We’ve lost to Mount Carmel the last three years so this was personal for us,” Marshall said. “We brought it to them.”

“I don’t know if this was a statement win.” said Fenwick coach David Fergerson, “We just played Friar basketball. We like our chances when we come out and guard people

the way we do.”

At St. Laurence, Dec. 20, Ducree poured in 19 points and Macariola added 17, but it wasn’t enough in a 60-48 defeat by the Vikings. However, the following day in the Coaches United Invitational at Whitney Young, the Friars responded in fine fashion with a 42-28 victory over previously unbeaten Peoria. Ducree had a game-high 20 points and Macariola eight as Fenwick allowed the Lions just five second-half points

What made the Friars’ successful stretch even more remarkable was that it came during semester final exam week, which presented more challenges to the student-athletes. Fergerson was happy with how his team handled things.

“Two of out three isn’t bad considering who we played,” he said. “Mentally, my guys are exhausted, but I’m so proud of them.”

After taking a few days to relax and recharge, Fenwick meets Andrew in the opening round of the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York, Dec. 26, at 10:30 a.m. A truly unique event, the tournament takes place over five days (Dec. 26-28, 30-31) and has 32 participants, including Chicago-area powers Bolingbrook, Glenbard West, St. Ignatius, St. Laurence, and St. Patrick as well as downstate power Metamora.

Tickets are $5 per day and allows admission to all the games, which take place in two gymnasiums on York’s campus. Games can also be viewed live on YouTube for free; type in “York Sports Network.” For more information, visit jacktosh.godaddysites.com.

OPRF

The Huskies (3-4) have not played since Dec.

14, a 48-31 home loss to Downers Grove North.

But coach Phil Gary isn’t overly concerned about the long layoff, which came while OPRF students were taking final exams last week.

“I wanted to get one game in before Pontiac,” he said, “but with the way the schedule was set up, it wasn’t doable That’s why we have practice, so it’s fine.”

The loss to DGN snapped a two-game winning streak for OPRF

“We c aught Downers at a bad time,” Gary said. “We went real c old in the third q uarter and they we re able to extend their lead. It didn’t help that Big Al (Alex Vi ncent) g ot i nto foul trouble, bu t we pl ayed them g ood for three q uarter s.

Still, you ca n’ t have a bad q uarter against really good teams like Downer s. ”

Gary believes the Huskies have gradually improved the last two weeks, and he’s looking forward to the Pontiac Holiday Tournament (Dec. 26-28).

OPRF’s first-round game comes against Chicago Public League power Curie, Dec. 26, at 6 p.m.

“They’re a tough team,” Gary said. “They play hard and compete. But we’ll make sure our guys are ready to play We’ve just got to take care of the basketball.”

Every year, one of the goals for the Huskies’ program is to be playing on the final day at Pontiac, which this year has several great teams: Benet, Bloom, Curie, DePaul Prep, New Trier, and Simeon.

“You’re doing something good if you get to the final day,” Gary said. “We want to play four games at Pontiac. We want to go into the new year on a winning note and try to be better every day.”

For more information and updates, visit pontiacholidaytournament.com.

Fenwick High School senior boys basketball for ward Nate Marshall throws one down in a slam-dunk contest during Friars’ Frenzy November 14. A four-year varsity player, Marshall - an Auburn University football recruit -.is one of ve returning starters for the Friars.

into holiday tourneys

Huskies and Friars are enjoying good starts to season

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys wrestling team finished third in the Rex

Whitlach Invitational at Hinsdale Central, Dec. 21, with 180 points. The Huskies had two individual winners: sophomore MJ Rundell improved to 17-0 with a technical fall victory over Barrington’s Matthew Blanke in the 106-pound final, while at 138, Joe Knackstedt defeated Donald Cannon of Rockford East in the final to also remain unbeaten at 16-0.

“They’re head and shoulders above where

a lot of guys are now,” said OPRF coach Paul Collins of his undefeated duo. “A lot of times in high school wrestling, it comes down to the ability and will to fight, and overall we did that in a lot of matches. It’s a testament to the work the guys are putting in the room.”

Traditionally over the holidays, OPRF has gone to downstate Granite City and then to Minnesota for invitationals. However, this

year will be different as the Huskies travel to California for two meets, both taking place Jan. 3-4 – the Clovis Doc B Invitational and the Redwood Invitational.

“These are some of the better competitions in the country,” Collins said. “We wanted to give our guys an opportunity to compete at

WRESTLERS

from page 25

a high level. We ’ ll send our top guys to Clovis because that’s where a lot of the top teams will be, b ut we ’r e for tunate to have another g ood tournament [Redwood] near by where we c an send the r est. We ’ ll g et to bring everyone on the varsit y, and that’s cool. ” T he main purpose of the holiday trips is to fur ther build and develop camaraderie

“The stronger the r elationships ar e, ” C ollins said, “the stronger the team is.” Wi th a little time of f before the C alifo rn ia t rip, he said the Huskies will foc us on recove ry as a few wrestlers ar e

out or otherwise hampered by injurie s.

“We’ll also focus on technique and go over some things as a team and individuall y, ” he a dded. “We’ re excited fo r the time we have now. We ’r e going to ge t c hallenged in C alifo rn ia, and we ’ ll make that final push in Januar y. ”

Fenwick

T he F riars have had a g ood season so far; the highlights include winning the Hinsdale S outh Invitational, Dec. 7, fo r the first time in 14 year s.

“It’s going great,” said Fenwick coach Seth Gamino. “We have high expectations just like any year, and this senior class is special. Ten of them are in the lineup; they’ve stuck to g ether, and the young guys are looking up to them. I couldn’ t ask for a

better start to the season.”

Fenwick looks to ke ep momentum going forward at the Morton Holiday C lassic Dec. 27, f ollowe d by a t riangular meet at Providence Catholi c, Dec. 28, the St . Vi a tor Invitational, J an. 3, and a home q uad meet with De La S alle, St. Rita, and Waterloo on Jan. 4.

“We j ust want the boys to ke ep wo rking hard and g et b etter eve ry week, ” Gamino said. “We ca n’ t hang our hats on achi evements or doing well. We need to tighten up and c ommit as few mistakes as possibl e. ”

T he F riars also created a girls wrestling progr am this season, and four students c ame out. Cecilia Andin o, Au relia Auteri, Amirah Favela, and Valerie Franco made their season debuts at a d ual meet at Kennedy in Chicago, Dec. 14.

“It’s going with the times,” said Gamino, who is also c oaching the girls fo r now. “Girls wrestling is one of the f astest gr ow ing sports in I llinois and around the nation, and I always knew we would have a girls team. Three weeks before the season started, six girls a pproached me and said they wanted to wrestle. I was excited about it, b ut was also c oncerned because schedules had already been set.

“I said I would take on the r esponsibilities of c oaching,” he added. “When we go to a school that has girls wrestling, that’s when our girls will wrestle. T hey ’r e sticking with it, they have n’ t buckled or b ended , and I b eli eve they ’r e in it for the long haul; they ’r e not givin g up at all. Two are freshmen and two ar e j uniors; we c an start building the progr am around them. ”

Holiday hoops galore for local girls teams

B lazers, Friars, Huskies eager

for ac

tion Z

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

While many high school students ar e enjoying the holiday break, others ar e pa rt icipating in athletic tour naments.

T he girls basketball teams at F enwick , Oak Pa rk and Rive r Fo r est, and T rinit y are looking to build or continue momentum over the break, and their r espective holiday tournaments provide oppor tunities. Here’s where the Blazer s, F riars, and Huskies will be playing:

Trinity (8-3)

Tournament: State Fa rm Holiday C lassi c, Bloomington-Nor mal

W hen: Dec. 26-28, Dec. 30

Opening Game: Taylorville, Dec. 26, 5 p.m.

We bsite: theclassi c. or g

T he Blazers make their first a ppearance in one of the state’s long-running holiday tournaments with g ood momentum, having won f our of their last five g ames

“We f eel g ood,” said T rinity c oach Ki m C oleman. “It’s going to expose us to a different environment. We ’r e playing teams we ’ve neve r pl ayed before in all my time at T rinit y. We ’r e j ust g etting aw ay from wh at we ’r e used to and we know we

will be c hallenged in different ways we have n’ t seen in the Chicago area.”

C oleman is p leased overall with how the season is going, and she cites the suppo rt shown as one major factor

“I f eel b lessed to have amazing parents in my pr ogr am,” she said. “They want to suppo rt the c oaches wheneve r they c an, and they want their girls to be supported so they c an have the b est p ossible experienc e. T hey treat eve ry gi rl on the team as if they we re their own, and that’s the way it should be.”

C oleman b eli eves the State Fa rm C lassic will help the Blazers pr ep are for the second half of the season, given the talent they’ll see

“There’s a ton of talent in our area and downstate,” she said. “W hy not capitalize of f that and use it to g et b etter as we wo rk toward our ultimate goal?”

Fenwick (7-7)

Tournament: Komaromy C harge r C lassi c, Dundee-Crown High School

W hen: Dec. 26-28, Dec. 30

Opening Game: La ke Fo r est, Dec. 26, 11:30 a.m.

Info/updates: on X at @dcgballtourney or @godchsathletics

E ntering last year ’s Komaromy C lassi c, Fenwick was winless. This year, the F riars are much impr oved, and c oac h L enae Fe rgerson is looking forward to this week.

“I enjoy this tournament because it is

a mix of different schools and c lasses,” she said.

Fenwick ’s g oals for Dundee-Cr are to learn from each g ame and mak a djustments that will be helpful in the second half of the season.

“We use all g ames and this tournament as o pportunities to c ompete and g et ter at thing s, ” Fe rgerson said.

OPRF (1-9)

Tournament: Loyola Academy Christmas Tournament, Wi lmette W hen: Dec. 23, Dec. 26-28

Opening Game: Loyola Academy, Dec 23 (after press time)

Info/updates: on X (@L AG irlsHoops); on Insta gr am (@lachristmastour ney

It ’s a d aunting task this week for Huskies as they pa rt icipate in the Loyola tournament for the second c onsecutive year. T heir opener c omes against the host Rambler s, the defending IHSA C lass 4A state champs.

Neve r theless, OPRF c oach R Brantley sees the tournament as an op por tunity to learn and impr ove.

“I li ke this tournament because it great mixture of teams from various areas and classes,” she said. “I’m excited to see how well we c ompete and grow as a team. I’m looking forward to us playin g hard and pl ayers stepping up. Our goal is to g et b etter as much as p ossible and ta ke some momentum into the new year.”

Oa k Pa rk and River Fo re st’s Genev ieve Simkowski (22) fl oats up a shot agai nst Fe nw ic k’s Ke ira Kapsch (11) dur ing a nonconference game Thursday, Dec. 5, in Oak Pa rk .

STEVE JOHNSTON

Essential Civics

Happy Holidays!

3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 for the following: Village of Oak Park Generator Maintenance and Repair Services Project Number: 25-109 Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oakpark.us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours.

NOVENAS

PRAYER TO ST. JUDE May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved & preserved throughout the world now & forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude worker of miracles, pray for us. St. Jude helper of the hopeless, pray for us. Say this prayer 9 times a day for 9 days. By the 8th day your prayer will be answered. It has never been known to fail. Publication must be promised. Thank you Jesus. Thank You St. Jude. DK

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