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Village Free Press_090623

Page 1

The Taste of Melrose Park in photos Page 4

Vol. VIII No. 36

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

vfpress.news

Berkeley’s new food truck park seeks tenants Page 8

As food prices rise, some in Proviso go local

Organizations like the Westchester Food Pantry and Real Foods Cooperative are stressing produce grown closer to home By MICHAEL ROMAIN Publisher

A new survey commissioned by Bayer, the German pharmaceuticals corporation, and released in July, reported that 76% of Americans “see more empty shelves at grocery stores now vs. early 2022.” The survey also reported that 87% of respondents were concerned about rising grocery prices and 69% about food deserts. Sparse grocery store shelves and inflated prices are leading more and more Americans to take matters into their own hands. According to a 2022 survey by the National Gardening Association, roughly 41% of U.S. households participated in food gardening in 2021. In February, the New York Times reported an increased demand for “chicks that will grow into egg-laying chickens,” as more households take to backyard chicken-raising. And there are signs that the grow-your-own movement is taking hold in Proviso Township. In March, Northlake’s City Council approved an orSee LOCAL FOOD on page 10

Shanel Romain

Volunteers prepare for a free food giveaway outside the Fred Hampton Aquatic Center in Maywood during the annual Chairman Fred Hampton Streetz Party on Aug. 30. Read the story on page 3.

Westchester’s ‘business-unfriendly’ video gaming ordinance under review, officials say President Hribal said the suburb’s current two-year wait for a video gaming license is an automatic deterrent for legitimate businesses who may want to come into town

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Westchester Village President Greg Hribal, the former acting village manager who worked for the suburb for 30 years before retiring earlier this year, did not hide his frustration with the village’s current video gaming ordinance at a Committee of the Whole meeting on Aug. 22. “If I can tell you the number of restau-

rants that have been turned down to come to this town — from White Castle to Bennigan’s,” Hribal said at the meeting. “It just irritates me that we had all these opportunities but the board never got to hear [about them].” Hribal was referencing the village’s current video gaming ordinance, which requires businesses seeking the liquor license See ORDINANCE on page 2


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