Village Free Press_010621

Vol. V No. 1 Another pedestrian hit

by Metra train, PAGE 2

JANUARY 6, 2021 Sacred Heart fights to stay open, PAGE 5

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The 2020 People of the Year for Village Free Press include (clockwise from top left) the Westchester Food Pantry, Empowerment Church, Miguel Jones, the COVID Equity Response Collaborative: Loyola, the Proviso Township Ministerial Alliance Network and Housing Forward. Read why we selected these people on pages 4, 6 and 7.

File photos

Our biggest stories of 2020 From the death of a beloved East alum to coronavirus and protests, here’s what made headlines in Proviso Township last year

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

The tragic death of a beloved Maywood native. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Protests after the murder of George Floyd. Widespread looting. A once-in-a-generation bond referendum for Westchester.

Those were among Proviso Township’s most important stories of 2020. We’ve included these stories as they appeared on the covers of the print paper last year.

“State trooper exemplified best of Maywood, mourners say” | The death of Greg L. Reeves, a retired Illinois state trooper who was fatally shot in a Lisle cigar shop on Jan. 25, rocked Proviso Township and the nation of Proviso East alum who knew and loved him.

“Coronavirus rocks Proviso Township” | In March, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Gov. Pritzker to restrict gatherings and most business activities outside of essential services, and to close schools, many of which have not opened

yet.

“Around Proviso, protesters call for racism’s end” | The death of George Floyd, who was killed on May 25 at the knee of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin while three other officers looked on, sparked a wave of protests across Proviso Township.

“Looters target west suburbs” | After George Floyd’s death, looting unrelated to earlier protests spread from Chicago to the suburbs, including many in Proviso Township.

“Westchester voters to weigh in on $42M referendum Nov. 3” | Voters in Westchester approved one of the biggest ballot measures in the suburb’s history on Nov. 3, when they voted to approve a $42 million bond referendum meant to pay for infrastructure improvements across the village.

“The absolute election of our lives” | Before Nov. 3, hundreds of voters in Proviso Township stood in line to make See TOP STORIES on page 3

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

TOP STORIES

Major headlines from page 1

the village free press

their voices heard at the ballot box. The lines were among the longest outside of Early Voting locations in years.

Editor & Publisher Michael Romain Senior Sales & Strategic Consultant Kamil Brady

“Loyola to get COVID-19 vaccine” | In November and December, both Hines and Loyola learned that they were selected among hospitals to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Editorial Designer Andrew Mead Advertising Design Support Debbie Becker, Mark Moroney HOW TO REACH US Village Free Press c/o Wednesday Journal 141 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE: 773-626-6332 FAX: (708) 467-9066 vfpress.news Twitter: @village_free Facebook: @maywoodnews The Village Free Press is published weekly

by Michael Romain. It is distributed free of charge at locations throughout Maywood. © 2021 Village Free Press We’re proud to partner with Growing Community Media, NFP. Publisher Dan Haley

“To learn to be human is to develop through the give and take of communication an effective sense of being an individually distinctive member of a community.”

—John Dewey

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

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NEWS briefs Fire engulfs Bellwood apartment building [CBS 2 Chicago report] An apartment fire trapped two people Saturday afternoon in west suburban Bellwood, sending one woman to the burn unit.

The fire started around 5 p.m. at an apartment building on the 800 block of Bellwood Avenue, near Lincoln Primary School.

Firefighters battled flames they say started in a rear unit. The fire then spread throughout the second floor.

Windows were blown out, and victims who were trapped on the second floor had to be rescued down some steps.

Officials said two people suffered smoke inhalation, and one woman was placed on a ventilator at the hospital.

The other victim is an elderly woman who was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The building has been condemned.

“Red Cross services have been offered to the residents, but in the meantime the building is uninhabitable,” Bellwood Acting Fire Chief Douglas Bombek said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Second person struck by Metra train on UP-W line in Proviso in less than a month Another person was struck by a Metra train on the Union Pacific West Line, according to Metra officials and a CBS 2 news report.

According to CBS 2, Metra officials “said train #509 struck a person around 5:10 p.m.,” on Friday, Jan. 1, “but did not have any information about the condition of the victim or circumstance of the incident shortly before 8 p.m.”

The incident, which happened near Melrose Park, resulted in Metra halting inbound and outbound train movement for a period of time.

Friday’s incident was at least the second time in less than a month that a Metra train on the Union Pacific West Line hit a pedestrian.

A Metra train traveling east on the line near the Maywood train station hit a pedestrian on Dec. 10. The condition of that victim is still unknown.

When reached on Sunday, a Metra media relations representative said that he did not have any more details on the incidents at the time, but would provide updates sometime this week.

“After being shot, the man ran and several witnesses attempted to provide him with medical aid, police said. He was rushed to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead.”

Clark lived in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, the medical examiner’s office reported.

Maywood Police are investigating the shooting.

Broadview mayor to hold free COVID-19 testing event Chicago man dies Jan. 1 in Maywood’s first homicide of 2021 A Chicago man was fatally shot in the 800 block of South 17th Ave. in Maywood on Jan. 1, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office and a Chicago Sun-Times report.

The man, identified as 31-year-old Gregory Clark, died from a gunshot wound to the chest, the medical examiner’s office said.

According to a Chicago Sun-Times report, Clark had gotten into an “altercation” just after midnight at the residence where the shooting took place, according to Maywood Police.

Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson will host a COVID-19 free testing event on Saturday, Jan. 9, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Broadview Chambers, 2350 S. 25th Ave. in Broadview.

Only six people will be allowed in at a time and attendance must wear a face covering.

Social distancing will be monitored. No outof-pocket expenses required, results will be emailed within 48 hours, must be 18 years old or older and photo ID is required for testing.

For more info, call (708) 681-3600.

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

These people ‘most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year’

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Last year in Proviso Township was, it’s probably no exaggeration to say, epic — primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which overturned our lives in a trillion different ways.

And then George Floyd was murdered, which prompted its own global reckoning that engulfed Proviso Township.

Quarantines and business closures and mask mandates collided with protests.

As with the inaugural People of the Year designation in 2019, common to all of the stories we covered were people, particularly people who were themselves the news or who played critical parts in major news stories happening in Proviso Township.

This year, we picked six individuals (or groups of people) who “most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year.”

That quotation is from Time Magazine’s Kelly Conniff, who explained the publications’ main criterion for selecting its Person of the Year, a tradition that Time has maintained since 1927, when it created the designation for Charles Lindbergh.

“At the end of 1927, the editors of TIME looked at the year’s covers and realized they had somehow failed to put Charles Lindbergh on the cover,” Conniff writes.

“He’d done his historic flight in May, but no cover. They decided they could get away with putting him on the cover months later by calling him “Man of the Year.” It was a stopgap. And here we are 87 years later.

The challenge is that on one hand, we’re trying to make a decision about who best represents the news of the year. But the pick also needs to have archival value. You need the sense that it will stand the test of time.

So ideally, we want our Person of the Year to be both a snapshot of where the world is and a picture of where it’s going. Someone, or in rare cases, something, that feels like a force of history.”

Rest assured, our People of the Year designation is not a stopgap measure. And while the people we picked for 2020 are not world-historic, they are important to the history of our little slice of the world — in particular, the little slice of life that Village Free Press covers regularly.

We know this presents us with certain limitations. There’s a lot of life in this township we don’t routinely cover. Note that we only added the suburbs of Berkeley,

Our 2020 People of the Year

Hillside, Westchester, Stone Park and Northlake within our coverage area along with Bellwood, Broadview, Maywood and Melrose Park, in mid-2020.

With that in mind, we understand the inherent flaws and limitations with a list like this. But there is a lot we cover that does have importance to the lives of many people in the township and there’s some value in attempting to craft a narrative about what life was like in our neck of the woods over the course of the year, as best we can, anyway, and for posterity’s sake. Of course, the best way to tell a good story is through some THE SEERS: Rev. Teddy Matthews, the pastor of Empowerment compelling characters. Church, said he envisions a different church after the pandemic These six selections than the one that’s existed in the past. (one individual and File five groups of people) were the driving forces behind some of the most consequential includes CERCL’s efforts.

“The idea behind Chicago CAN is twoactions of 2020 in Proviso Township— actions that could very well have ramifications in fold: first, to identify and provide actionable 2021 and beyond. Note, we’ve listed them data for public health decision-makers to address the most pressing needs during the in alphabetical order and not order of importance. It was difficult enough settling current pandemic, and second, to lay the on these six, let alone ranking them.

What’s more, the grant allowed CERCL to follow up its initial round of free testing with another round of free testing that started in November and that included sites in even more west suburbs.

Empowerment Church Pews? Stained glass windows? Permanent building funds? The COVID-19 pandemic is swiftly making those church staples relics of the past and Empowerment Church, which has held services in Melrose Park’s Cinemark Theater and a Bellwood school before transitioning to a fully remote congregation, may be on the vanguard of what church looks like post-pandemic.

That’s why Empowerment is on this list. The church’s young pastor, Rev. Teddy Matthews, said the transition from the church that “modern society has made the church out to be,” according to Empowerment’s website, to the church of the future was relatively smooth.

“For us, the transition was easy, in the sense of moving from in-person to online,” Matthews said in interview in August. “We were able to do it within about 24 hours.

We moved full virtual and were ready that Sunday morning [after the Gov. J.B. Pritzker prohibited large gatherings in March].”

Matthews said that since the transition, the church he founded out of a Bible class four years ago has flourished.

“That first Sunday virtual service, our attendance increased by over 75 percent,” he said. “I couldn’t fit 250 people in a building.

For us, the transition allowed us to really focus on something we believed in even

COVID Equity Response Collaborative: Loyola Back in April, after noticing the lack of COVID-19 testing facilities, Maywood Trustee Nathaniel George Booker approached Dr. Amy Luke, a Loyola researcher who lives in Maywood, about whether Loyola was offering COVID-19 testing in Maywood.

As a result of that inquiry, the COVID Equity Response Collaborative:Loyola, or CERCL for short, was born.

Over the summer, CERCL partnered with the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, a faith-based social justice nonprofit in Maywood, to provide free COVID-19 testing at Rock of Ages Baptist Church in Maywood and Casa Esperanza Community Center in Melrose Park. Silva said that the effort, which took place in August, resulted in more than 650 free COVID-19 tests.

In September, CERCL received a portion of $7.4 million in grant funds made available by the Walder Foundation, a private family foundation based in Skokie. The money has funded the Chicago Coronavirus Assessment Network (Chicago CAN) initiative, which

groundwork for the potential development of a combined viral research and public health platform that can serve as an early warning system using ongoing research to prevent future outbreaks from becoming pandemics,” stated Dr. Sandra Laney, the Walder Foundation’s senior program director of science innovation.

By its inclusion in this comprehensive project, CERCL puts Proviso Township right in the center of one of the most cutting-edge COVID-19-related research initiatives in the country.

THE HEALERS: Volunteers with CERCL conduct free COVID-19 testing in Maywood in the summer of 2020.

Courtesy Loyola University Chicago

before the pandemic, which is we are a local church with a global reach.

“We do seven services on Sunday online,” he said. “People can watch them any day of the week, 24/7. We also added a daily prayer See PEOPLE OF THE YEAR on page 6

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

Sacred Heart school looking for ‘miracle’ to stay open

The Melrose Park Catholic school is hoping to raise $225K to avoid closing

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

The families, board and administrators of Sacred Heart School, 815 N. 16th Ave. in Melrose Park, are hoping to raise enough funds to avoid closure amid a decreasing enrollment, school officials and Archdiocese of Chicago representatives have confirmed.

On Dec. 11, two people created a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of the School Advisory Board and parents of Sacred Heart.

“There is an urgency in our need for help,” according to GoFundMe campaign’s statement. “Our students, families and staff at Sacred Heart need a miracle and I hope that you can find it in your heart to help us during this difficult time.”

According to the statement, Sacred Heart parents got an email from the Archdiocese of Chicago on Oct. 30, informing them that the school is “in jeopardy of closing its doors after 120 years” and that they’d need to raise $225,000 by sometime in January “in order to keep our school operational.”

Manny Gonzalez, a spokesperson with

the Archdiocese, confirmed on Dec. 31 that the Archdiocese did send a letter to Sacred Heart families and that the school was among around seven within the Archdiocese that are on the precipice of closing. He added that COVID-19 may not be the sole reason for Sacred Heart’s possible closure.

“It’s not necessarily because of COVID,” he said. “If it was just for this year, I don’t think that would be an issue, but enrollment at the school has been trending downward for some time. While COVID may have accelerated some things, I don’t think that was necessarily the reason it is being considered for closure.”

Gonzalez said that the Archdiocese fundraises for schools “quite a bit.” Most recently, he said, the institution has been raising money for a Tax Credit Scholarship program that allows Illinois residents to donate money to a particular school that is then matched.

“The donation results in 75 percent off of whatever their state income tax is and could potentially increase their refund,” Gonzalez said. “That’s a program we’ve been utilizing and this year we got a two-for-one matching grant from donors, so every dollar people provide to a particular school through this program, that money is tripled by donors.

You get $10,000 and it will result in $30,000 [going to the school]. That’s one of the ways

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we’re urging people to give, but we also understand this is a rough time and a difficult economy.”

During an interview on Dec. 31, Joe Augelli, the operations director for Sacred Heart & St. Eulalia Parish, which oversees the school, confirmed that the GoFundMe was created on behalf of the school.

Augelli said Sacred Heart typically enrolls about 190 Preschool through 8th grade students during any given academic year. Last year, the school enrolled about 183 students.

Since March, when the pandemic first began forcing governments to introduce tight restrictions, the school has lost 53 students, he said.

“Right now we have 127 students,” Augelli explained, adding that the school is also looking to other funding sources, such as scholarships and grants available through the Archdiocese.

“Sacred Heart School has challenges that I am sure we can overcome,” stated the GoFundMe campaign statement.

“At the beginning of the School year, with the uncertainty of the pandemic around us, parents did not feel at ease sending their children to school,” the statement reads.

“Many chose to keep their children home for remote learning, with the intention of coming back to Sacred Heart when they return to work and or the virus has ceased or

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a vaccine is made. We need time to recover our enrollment numbers—right now time is against us.

“We have shown that we can pay our bills with our previous enrollment numbers.

This is the first time that we will not be able to do so. We are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep it from being closed! Our school is one of the only stable thing[s] in their life during these uncertain times. We do not want to see it taken away from them.

We want the chance to move ahead in 2021 and heal some of the hardships suffered in 2020.”

Gonzalez also struck a note of optimism, explaining that there’s a rather lengthy process involved in the Archdiocese closing a school.

“We’ve been having meetings with school communities over the past couple of months to discuss this,” he said. “We don’t want families to feel like they’re being blindsided or that they haven’t been informed. We also want to give them the opportunity to find another suitable school in their vicinity [if the school does close]. But I’m not even sure Sacred Heart will close. They might meet their goal. They’ve already done quite a bit on their end of raising the operating funding they need to stay open. I wouldn’t count them out.”

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

PEOPLE OF THE YEAR We felt their impact from page 4 call to help. We increased our tech support to serve people, so we make someone available to [pray with people who request it] all day on Sunday.”

But the church is still doing physical, faceto-face outreach, with Matthews himself a near ubiquitous presence at everything from drive-thru communion services to PPE giveaways (one event the church hosted was a combination of both) to ground-breaking ceremonies.

“I think this pandemic will change how we do church forever,” the future-minded

will soon move into the Write Inn have already been screened and approved by Housing Forward for permanent housing.

“We want to make sure that homelessness is rare and brief and short-term,” said Schueler.

Once permanent apartments become available, the individuals will move out of Write Inn and other approved clients will take their place.

Under the new hotel system, Housing Forward clients have increased their engagement with the organization’s services, including its employment readiness program.

“This is one of those silver linings that have come out of the pandemic,” said Schueler.

Our 2020 People of the Year

preacher said. “I think moderate sized churches and multiple services will be the new big. I don’t think we’re going back to megachurches, because people will be afraid of large sizes, which is what should’ve happened years ago.”

Housing Forward Housing Forward, the nonprofit headquartered at 1851 S. 9th Ave. in Maywood, made a major move last year in its battle to upend homelessness by entering into a year-long lease with the Write Inn in Oak Park. The Maywood nonprofit, which works to transition people experiencing homelessness into stable housing, uses the hotel to house clients in its interim housing program.

“We’re super excited,” said Lynda Schueler, Housing Forward’s executive director, during an interview in September.

“This is a game-changer for us.”

And for Proviso Township.

The interim housing program provides temporary housing for clients until a permanent residence becomes available. The 65-room hotel will not act as an emergency shelter. Housing Forward will use it strictly for interim housing. The individuals who

THE GOOD SAMARITANS: Lynda Schuler, the executive of Housing Forward, receives a donation from Maywood firefighters back in December.

File

Case managers check in daily with the clients staying in the hotels. The rotating shelter model made it difficult for case managers to keep track of people’s whereabouts.

The individuals utilizing Housing Forward also prefer the hotel system, according to Schueler.

“We’re going from a model where people slept on a two-inch thick pad on the floor, where they were sleeping eight inches away from a stranger,” said Schueler.

By Stacey Sheridan Miguel Jones Since getting elected to the Maywood Board of Trustees in 2019, Miguel Jones has made his presence felt beyond the village he represents—from partnering with Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson on the very first Tour de Proviso, which took bike enthusiasts from across the township

through Bellwood, Broadview and Maywood, to spearheading the recent effort to name the basketball courts at Connor-Heise Memorial Park after famed Maywood native son and NBA coach Doc Rivers.

But those alone aren’t necessarily what landed jones on this list. He’s among our People of the Year for 2020, because of his creative collaboration with River Forest officials last year — particularly River Forest Trustee Erika Bachner — which resulted in the village boards of Maywood and River Forest approving over the summer a first-ever Twin Villages Covenant.

During interviews with Village Free Press last year, Jones said he conceived of the proposal after listening to a Maywood resident talk about her reaction to a hate crime that happened in the parking lot of the River Forest Jewel back in June — a few months after the murder of George Floyd and the protests and rioting that followed in the wake of Floyd’s death.

The Twin Villages Covenant commits the neighboring suburbs “to the principles of humanity, equity and inclusion,” according to a draft of the document. “The Covenant will guide the overarching spirit of our distinct towns to think as one and to interact in more collaborative ways.”

Subsequent develops have demonstrated that the Covenant is more than just talk.

Last summer, , the River Forest Youth Soccer League offered to open its league up to young Maywood residents interested in joining — even if they didn’t have the money to pay the fees. Adam Stern, the league’s regional commissioner, said he was inspired by the George Floyd protests and by the spirit of cross-cultural and cross-racial collaboration reflected in the Covenant.

THE CONVENERS: Bishop Reginald J. Saffo and PTMAN were forces driving many major developments in Proviso Township last year.

File

And in October, residents from both villages met at Maywood Fine Arts to discuss a seemingly endless range of possible future collaborations — from a Broadwaystyle musical produced by members of both communities to joint Juneteenth celebrations to parades in honor of war casualties that would process through both villages — and to flesh out process and protocols, which include the formation of Covenant stakeholder committees.

This year will be a critical phase in the relationship between Maywood and River Forest. Skeptical residents in both towns will want to see if the Covenant leads to improvements within both towns, and across the borders, that are not just cosmetic, but materially substantial.

Proviso Township Ministerial Alliance Network (PTMAN) In 2019, the Proviso Township High School District 209 Board of Education voted unanimously to develop selective enrollment academies similar to Proviso Math and Science Academy (PMSA) at both Proviso East and Proviso West.

The move essentially replicated PMSA’s academically rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at the two larger campuses. The IB Programme allows high school students the opportunity to earn college credits at universities all over the world.

By 2020, the new academies were off the ground and running, having accepted their first classes of students.

What most people didn’t know about the academies was how integral the Proviso Township Ministerial Alliance Network, or PTMAN, was to their opening. The network is an aggregation of churches across Proviso Township and beyond, but its expansive presence isn’t always obvious. If you attend any of the group’s meetings, though, you’ll understand its power.

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

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The 2019 People of the Year Last year was our inaugural People of the Year edition. The six selections that year (four individuals and two groups of people) included: Westlake Hospital workers: In 2019, the workers at Westlake Hospital fought back against the hospital’s owner, Californiabased Pipeline Health, as Pipeline carelessly and ruthlessly shut down the century-old safety net institution.

School superintendents and other school administrators, school board members, police chiefs, mayors, trustees — they’re all regularly in attendance during PTMAN’s monthly breakfast sessions.

District 209 board President Rodney Alexander said the genesis of the new math and science academies dates to a March 2019 meeting in the living room of Bishop Claude Porter, PTMAN’s founder. The organization’s current chairman, Bishop Reginald J. Saffo, and local youth advocates Barbara Cole and Mike Burries were also present, said Alexander, who is a regular at PTMAN’s breakfast meetings.

“Last year, PTMAN had done a study on the number of African American students enrolled at PMSA,” said Saffo in an interview with Village Free Press in July 2019. I was very concerned at the low number of enrollment and how it was declining, so I had our team do the analysis and from that we determined that there was a decline.”

Saffo said he and his PTMAN team then contacted Alexander, which resulted in the meeting in Porter’s living room. Saffo said he wanted to make district officials aware of the study and to identify the reasons for the declining enrollment of Black students.

“He took it and he got back to us and we discovered that it was not the process, because PMSA didn’t ask race or ethnicity on the application,” Saffo said. “But what we did discover is that most of the African American students could qualify academically, but they had a desire to go to East or West, because they preferred to have the more traditional high school experience.

That was the twist to it. They were not being systematically excluded — it was by choice.”

Alexander brought up PTMAN’s concerns to his board colleagues and high school administrators and a year later, after long hours by D209 administrators like

Our 2020 People of the Year former Supt. Jesse Rodriguez and current Proviso West Principal Bessie Karvelas, the academies were open.

That process played out numerous times in 2020, with PTMAN the quiet force behind all manner of other developments in the township — from the D209 board approving in September the creation of a Black History course that’s required for graduation (Saffo had been a vocal proponent of the measure) to the village of Broadview providing free COVID-19 testing in December (PTMAN co-sponsored the initiative) to countless food and clothing drives held during the pandemic.

“I have supported PTMAN before I was on the board,” said Alexander, who lives in Bellwood. “I support their work, because they’re community-oriented and organized.

I have a lot of respect for preachers who do something outside of the church.”

Westchester Food Pantry When the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the country into an economic recession, the demand for food soared. Since March, residents in Proviso Township have relied on the steady presence of the Westchester Food Pantry.

Pantry officials said in November that, since March, the organization had provided 17 tons of foods, which equates to 29,000 meals and $103,000 worth of food at the retail cost. They said the Pantry’s Westchester clientele had increased, as well.

Steven Hunter: In 2019, the former Proviso East standout, retired NBA player and current community ambassador for the Phoenix Suns provided STEAM kits to students in Bellwood, Broadview and Maywood.

THE NURTURERS: The board of the Westchester Food Pantry with Amanda Grant, the nonprofit’s executive director (third from left), in front of what will soon be their new permanent home.

Last year, the Pantry was at an inflection point in its roughly 25-year history. Amid a historic pandemic and resulting economic recession, the pantry’s services were never more needed. And yet, its existence may have been more fragile than ever during a period where it needed to quickly find a new home and raise capital to fund the transition.

In November, the Westchester Board of Trustees unanimously approved a zoning change that allowed the pantry to relocate its permanent home from within Westchester Village Hall, which will be moved to another location in the coming months, to a small storefront at 1938 S. Mannheim Rd. Amanda Grant, the Pantry’s executive director (who as a D209 board member was also among our People of the Year in 2019), said the Pantry “represents everything good about Westchester. It truly does.”

Last year, the Pantry created a GoFundMe to raise $100,000 to fund their move to the new storefront this year.

Grant said that the funding will help retrofit any future space to the pantry’s specifications, which include installing proper refrigeration and making the space ADA accessible, among other things.

She said that the pantry chose the Mannheim storefront, because of its proximity to PACE bus routes, which is something the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the entity that supplies food and other supports to the pantry, requires of its partner agencies.

Grant said the storefront will require some renovations, such as HVAC improvements and tuck pointing, before the pantry can

Sen. Kimberly Lightford: In 2019, the Maywood native became the first African America female Senate Majority Leader in Illinois history.

Randall McFarland: In 2019, East alum and founder of the nonprofit Best of Proviso Township influenced a slew of major events that year — from a suicide outbreak to a major fire — by simply lending a helping hand.

Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch: In 2019, Welch played a central role in a series of major events in Proviso, such as the closing of Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park, and beyond, such as the introduction a bill that would allow student-athletes in Illinois to are endorsement deals.

D209 Supt. Jesse Rodriguez and the D209 school board: In 2019, the former superintendent and the board worked on a range of major developments, including major construction projects and a comprehensive overhaul of the district’s finances.

inhabit it. Funds from the capital campaign will go a long way toward ensuring that those renovations happen.

As of Jan. 4, the Pantry had met its goal, with the GoFundMe campaign attracting $100,209 in donations.

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

Berkeley’s ‘popular budget’ offers glimpse into finances

Village releases new Popular Annual Financial Report for first time

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

The Village of Berkeley was in good financial position at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with increases in revenues and millions in reserves, but it’s not clear how much that will help with the revenue declines the village has experienced since then.

Those are major takeaways from the annual financial reports for Fiscal Year 201920, which were released in mid-November.

The village released a regular audit and, for the first time ever, a shorter version of the report summarizing the financial picture and explaining the accounting terms, so that residents don’t have to dig through 157 pages of reports, tables and charts.

The fiscal year ran between May 2019 and April 2020, so it only captured the impact of the first two months of the pandemic. In the message to the constituents, Berkeley mayor Robert Lee wrote that, while the original budget for Fiscal Year 2020-21, which was approved in April 2020, was balanced, the village is expected to amend the budget before the end of the

current fiscal year to account for the decline in revenues throughout the pandemic.

For the past four years, Berkeley has contracted with Naperville-based accounting firm Sikich LLP to perform annual audits known as the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR). The village board approved the most recent financial report during its Nov. 13 meeting.

The shorter version of the report was put together by Berkeley’s administration department, which handles village finances, and is called the Popular Annual Financial Report. The report is designed to be easier to understand than the 157-page report. Both reports are currently available on the finance department’s website.

According to the reports, during FY 2019-20, overall village revenues increased by $140,935 compared to FY 2018-19, going from over $6.3 million to over $6.5 million. Much of that increase was due to property tax revenue, which accounted for 69 percent of Berkeley’s revenues, going from about $4.4 million to $4.5 million.

The second largest source of revenue — Berkeley’s share of state income tax revenues, which accounts for 9 percent of all revenues — saw a smaller increase, going from $505,736 to $564,574. The village also saw a slight increase, $95,918 to $101,113, in earnings from investments, which account for 2 percent of Berkeley’s revenues.

The sales tax and utility tax revenues

declined slightly. The former went from $393,796 to $351,226, while the later went from $424,648 to $380,229.

While the village report doesn’t mention it, CARF lists video gaming tax as a major source for the village’s general fund, the fund that covers most of Berkeley’s day-to-day expenditures. The report states that it brought in $102,535 — $17,465 less than the village projected.

The village’s expenses have gone up by 2.7 percent, although the increase wasn’t across the board. Public Safety expenses, which accounted for 58 percent of the budget, went up from $4.6 million to $4.95 million, which the report attributed to filling vacant positions.

During the last fiscal year, the police department took over municipal code enforcement functions, while the fire department took on building and zoning functions. General government expenses, which account for 27 percent of the budget, went up by 19 percent, from around $1.8 million to around $2.3 million.

Expenses related to highways and streets decreased by 22 percent, while sanitation decreased by 38 percent. But the reports still boasted about several major accomplishments in those areas. The village’s sanitary sewer replacement project was competed, with workers replacing 5,300 feet of sanitary sewer lines and rehabilitating 45 manhole covers. The village also replaced or repaired 100 sidewalk

concrete squares, as part of Berkeley’s sidewalk inspection program, and planted 40 trees.

According to an Oct. 27 village staff memo, at the end of FY 2019-20, the General Fund had a surplus of $61,004, and other funds had positive balances.

The financial report indicates that Berkeley is required to have enough reserves in the general funds to cover three months of budgeted expenses and that the village has “maintained sufficient cash reserves in excess of the village’s fund balance policy to survive the current economic slowdown without resorting to reduction in either staff or services.”

The reports also warn of the long-term effects of the pandemic, pointing to the rising unemployment numbers and the “anticipated increase in the number of personal bankruptcies and home foreclosures.” They state that, despite this reality, home renovation activity has “stabilized as residents improve their homes during this time, resulting in over 375 permits being issued.”

In the fall 2020 village newsletter, Lee wrote that the village’s anticipated revenue decline from a possible decrease in sales taxes, video gaming permits, building permits, and income and property tax revenues led village officials to “prepare for the worst.”

Berkeley has already instituted a hiring freeze, put major purchases on hold and reduced hours of operation at Village Hall.

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

121 SUPER POWER CHARACTER TRAITS INSPIRING AND EMPOWERING YOUTH TO ACHIEVE THEIR HIGHEST POTENTIAL

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Reading

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35. Improving Until the “Dream” Comes True

Obeying the Law

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Courage

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28. Cleaning & Organizing

40. Worshiping God

Beautifying

Reading

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PUBLIC REAL ESTATE NOTICES FOR SALE BID NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Memorial Park District, Bellwood, Illinois that sealed bid proposals will be received for the following Project: EISENHOWER PARK IMPROVEMENTS” Sealed bid proposals will be received up to l1:00 A.M. on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 in the Park District Administrative Office at Stevenson Park Center located at 3101 Washington Boulevard, Bellwood, Illinois. All bids submitted shall be identified “Eisenhower Park Improvements.” All sealed bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time in the Stevenson Park Center.

The scope of work of the Project includes furnishing all materials, labor, and equipment to construct a tennis courts, a shared-use path, fitness equipment concrete pads, tree planting and regrading adjacent areas for drainage purposes in accordance with the bidding specifications.

Specifications, Bid Proposals, and Plans for this project are available from the Engineer via email request to info@ehancock.com for a nonrefundable fee of Thirty Dollars ($30.00).

No bidding document requests will be accepted after 4:00 P.M. on Monday, January 25, 2021.

Only contractors that have been authorized by the Engineer will be allowed to submit proposals. All bidder must provide proof that they are prequalified with the Illinois Department of Transportation to perform the scope of work before being issued bidding documents.

The Director and/or Engineer have been authorized to refuse to issue plans, specifications and proposals to any person, firm, or corporation that they consider to be unqualified.

The Memorial Park District strongly encourages minority business firms to submit bids, and also encourages the successful bidder to utilize and employ minority businesses and persons for supplies, equipment, services, and construction.

Bid proposals must be submitted on the forms provided. All bid proposals must be accompanied by a bid bond, cashier’s check, or certified check payable to the Memorial Park District in an amount not less than Ten Percent (10%) of the total amount of the bid as a guarantee that if the bid proposal is accepted, a contract will be entered into and the performance of the contract properly secured. No bid proposal shall be considered unless accompanied by such bid bond or check.

A payment bond and a performance bond in the amount of One Hundred Percent (100%) of the contract price will be required from the successful bidder to guarantee the full performance of the contract. The Memorial Park District reserves the right to determine the lowest responsible bidder, to waive irregularities, and to reject any or all bid proposals.

BY ORDER OF MEMORIAL PARK DISTRICT Mari Herrell, Board Secretary Published in Village Free Press 1/6/2021

Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION FIFTH THIRD BANK; Plaintiff, vs.

JOSEPHINE BROWN; CHRISLYN BROWN; PAUL J. RATHMAN; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 9196 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, January 25, 2021 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-11-330-008-0000.

Commonly known as 510 South 2nd Avenue, Maywood, Illinois 60153.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call The Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Anselmo Lindberg & Associates, LLC, 1771 West Diehl Road, Naperville, Illinois 60563-1890. (630) 453-6960.

F19030020 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3161442 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION US BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR TOWD POINT MASTER FUNDING TRUST 2018-PM16 Plaintiff, vs.

GRADY RIVERS AKA GRADY A. RIVERS, JR.; GLENDA L. RIVERS AKA GLENDA RIVERS; Defendants, 18 CH 11332 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, January 25, 2021 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-11-317-010-0000.

Commonly known as 406 South 7th Avenue, Maywood, IL 60153.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a multi-family residence.

The successful purchaser is entitled to possession of the property only. The purchaser may only obtain possession of units within the multiunit property occupied by individuals named in the order of possession.

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

For information call Sales Depart-

11

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

ment at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 220-5611. 18-034750 F2 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3161439

that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption.

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

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

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

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

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-19-08990 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2019CH12290 TJSC#: 40-2398 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2019CH12290 I3161809

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 16, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on February 9, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 433 51ST AVE, HILLSIDE, IL 60162 Property Index No. 15-08-329-0150000 The real estate is improved with a residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.

No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

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

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

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

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

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

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-

SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-20-01586 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2020CH02367 TJSC#: 40-2527 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2020CH02367 I3162035

chaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption.

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

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

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

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-19-09690 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2019CH13161 TJSC#: 40-2394 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2019CH13161 I3162086

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION US BANK TRUST, N.A., NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR VRMTG ASSET TRUST Plaintiff, -v.DARLENE BURESKI, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, ANDREA DEFRANCESCO, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF JOAN DEFRANCESCO, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, JOHN LYDON, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR JOAN DEFRANCESCO (DECEASED), OFFICE OF THE STATE GUARDIAN AS SUCCESSOR PLENARY GUARDIAN OF THE PERSON OF ANDREA DEFRANCESCO, A DISABLED PERSON Defendants 2019CH12290 1513 NORTH 23RD STREET MELROSE PARK, IL 60160 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on November 2, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on February 4, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1513 NORTH 23RD STREET, MELROSE PARK, IL 60160 Property Index No. 15-03-126-0140000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.

No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

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

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION AMERIHOME MORTGAGE COMPANY, LLC Plaintiff, -v.SERGIO SALAZAR, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 2020CH02367 433 51ST AVE HILLSIDE, IL 60162 NOTICE OF SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING LLC Plaintiff, -v.JAMES RANDALL, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF JAMES HOOD, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, JOHN LYDON, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR JAMES HOOD (DECEASED) Defendants 2019CH13161 424 ENGLEWOOD AVENUE BELLWOOD, IL 60104 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on November 5, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on February 9, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 424 ENGLEWOOD AVENUE, BELLWOOD, IL 60104 Property Index No. 15-08-406-0330000 The real estate is improved with a residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours.

No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the pur-

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Village Free Press | January 6, 2021

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