Village Free Press_013124

Mother Stegall gets her flowers Page 4

Panel of experts suggest legislative measures to reverse journalism decline Potential solutions include tax breaks for subscribers, advertisers

JANUARY 31, 2024

Vol. IX No. 5

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Mayor confirms Starbucks coming to Maywood Page 5

Michael Jurusik, you have some explaining to do Why are you questioning the legal status of this newspaper?

By ALEX ABBEDUTO Capitol News Illinois

A bipartisan task force of legislators and journalism industry leaders has filed a report to the General Assembly detailing the decline of local journalism in Illinois and exploring ways the legislature can help revive it.

The Local Journalism Task Force, created in January 2022, found that about one-third of Illinois counties have either no source of local news or a single source, citing research by the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism.

See TASK FORCE on page 3

FILE

Michael Jurusik, an attorney with Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins who represents Maywood, during a village board meeting in 2021.

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Publisher

The news industry is in turmoil, with even billionaire-funded major dailies like the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post undergoing massive job cuts.

Nowadays, whole counties are lucky to have a single crime reporter. According to Northwestern University’s Local News Initiative, 204 counties in the U.S. have no newspaper, digital news site, or public

radio newsroom and another 228 counties are at “substantial risk of becoming news deserts in coming years.”

Maywood is fortunate because the village has a local media platform that actually cares enough to report on what’s happening in town with some regularity.

Village Free Press isn’t close to what suburbs like Maywood need, because there’s only so much a single person (myself) who functions as reporter, editor, photographer and publisher can cover. But it does,

in fact, at least partially fill a deep void.

Maintaining a weekly newspaper, however small, is a next-to-impossible burden, but the load is lighter with community support and we’re exploring ways to pursue significant sources of funding that will allow us to thrive. One of the easiest ways that communities can support the newspaper is by paying to place legal advertisements with that local newspaper.

See JURUSIK on page 2

2 Village Free Press, January 31, 2024

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JURUSIK

Publisher/CEO

Michael Romain

We want answers

Chief Operations Officer Kamil Brady

from page 1

Creative Designer

And yet, Maywood hasn’t placed a legal advertisement with Village Free Press since 2021, when Mayor Nathaniel George Booker was elected. Instead, the village has been paying either the Chicago Sun-Times or the Chicago Tribune — both newspapers that don’t regularly cover Maywood.

What’s more, the village has premised its decision to avoid publishing legals with VFP on the legal opinion of its attorney, Michael Jurusik, of the law firm Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, who has claimed since 2018 that VFP somehow does not make the cut to be a fully legal newspaper like the Sun-Times or Tribune.

That is false.

Between 2019 and 2021, Jurusik’s false claim prompted Maywood officials to establish the befuddling practice of publishing the very same legal notice with the SunTimes or Tribune whenever they published a notice with VFP, as if to indicate that the village needed insurance lest VFP’s ‘lesser legal’ status put the village at risk of having their notices declared “null and void.” This meant that Maywood was unnecessarily (and absurdly) paying double every time it published a notice in VFP. Again, VFP has the very same authority to publish legal notices as the Sun-Times or Tribune. In fact, VFP is the only legal newspaper in the state with a point of publication in Maywood. In the words of Don Craven, the general counsel and president/CEO of the Illinois Press Association, of which VFP is a dues-paying member: “There is no question that your publication is eligible to run public notices in Illinois … Maywood is your chosen place of publication, and that choice is reflected in your registration with Public Notice Illinois.”

When a new mayor was elected in 2021, he hired a village manager who decided, rightly, that it didn’t make sense to pay double for one legal notice so she simply made the directive to stop placing legals with VFP. Wrongly, she made the decision without even notifying me or anyone else at VFP, who could’ve told her the truth, which is that the village can publish notices with VFP alone, without the help of one of those two daily newspapers. I could have directed her to all kinds of taxing bodies that publish all manner of legal notices with VFP and VFP alone. And if cost were an issue, we would have gladly beat the price of those two bigger competitors. We would have provided our circulation information and spelled out

Shanel Romain

HOW TO REACH US John Wilk Communications, LLC 3013 S. Wolf Rd. #278 Westchester, IL 60154 PHONE: (708) 359-9148 | EMAIL: michael@wearejohnwilk.com VFPress.news TWITTER: @VILLAGE_FREE FACEBOOK: @MAYWOODNEWS The Village Free Press is published digitally and in print by John Wilk Communications LLC. The print edition is distributed across Proviso Township at no charge each week. © 2024 John Wilk Communication LLC

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After the former manager, Chasity Wells-Armstrong, was fired after months of conflict with Mayor Booker (a story that only VFP covered with regularity and which other publications like Kankakee’s Daily Journal picked up only after learning from us), the decision she made about legal placements did not change — not even after a board trustee requested late last year that the village publish a tax hearing notice with VFP. Again, the main justification for Maywood not placing legal advertising with VFP under Mayor Booker and for paying double the amount when the village was placing legal ads with VFP under Mayor Edwenna Perkins was based on false information about our legal status that Michael Jurusik was feeding (and continues to feed) village officials.

I haven’t said much about this and did not know that the issue would come up last year, but I’ve been forced to respond to protect my professional reputation and the reputation of my newspaper. It’s one thing for a municipality to avoid doing business with the only newspaper that covers the town. It’s another thing to base that decision on a falsehood about the legal status of your community’s lone legal newspaper — one owned by someone who grew up in Maywood no less.

On Jan. 24, I emailed Jurusik, Booker and the village manager, Jim Krischke, requesting that they have Jurusik clarify the legal basis for questioning the legality of my newspaper. They have yet to provide any clarification, which is what prompted me to write this missive.

So, I’m asking again. Jurusik, please spell out the reason for why you have been questioning the legal status of Village Free Press and telling Maywood officials that it’s somehow risky and hazardous to place public notices with my newspaper, despite my newspaper having the same legal status as the Sun-Times or the Tribune. What is your legal reasoning? I know in the past, you’ve vaguely mentioned legal precedent (old court cases). But why is there a need to cite legal precedent when a newspaper’s legality is pretty cut and dry.

As a municipal attorney, you’re no doubt aware of the state statute governing public notices and I’ve forwarded you the opinion of Don Craven, one of the state’s top experts on legal newspapers. He knows my newspaper is a legal publication that doesn’t need to be hand-held by either the Sun-Times or the Tribune.

I’m a Black journalist and newspaper publisher under 40 years old. I’ve gotten used to people second-guessing me and questioning my credibility. But it doesn’t mean that I have to sit down and take it.

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Village Free Press, January 31, 2024

3

TASK FORCE

Possible solutions from page 1 Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, said he plans to introduce a bill this session including some of the task force’s suggestions.

The policies recommended by the task force are a mix of strategies intended to increase funding, mitigate high operational costs and keep newsrooms local. Many of the recommendations have been implemented or introduced in other states.

The findings The task force heard testimony and examined data and research from other experts and organizations around the state to create a final report detailing their findings and policy suggestions. Among its most startling discoveries is that one-third of Illinois’ newspapers have closed since 2005, creating an 86 percent decline in newspaper jobs over that span.

The report noted that as people consume more news online and local businesses are replaced by chains, subscription and advertising revenue decrease while operating costs – like buying paper and postage – continue to increase. The report said that means “people have taken the hit,” sometimes in the form of lay-offs to help outlets lower expenses.

Rural areas are most affected, but the report noted that news outlets in urban areas like Chicago are also affected. The Chicago Tribune’s staff decreased by 82 percent from 2006 to 2022, according to research by historian Jon Lauck. The task force also found broadcast outlets and outlets covering minority communities in urban areas are also struggling.

As a result of declining coverage, the task force said people in these underserved areas are missing out on crucial information.

“In too many towns, no one is covering local city council meetings,” Stadelman told reporters at a news conference. “No one is covering local school board meetings. So, how can residents know what’s going on?”

The report noted that with about 8,500 units of local government in the state, some offices might not comply with appropriate rules and regulations. The task force said journalists can help expose those situations and hold leaders accountable.

The task force cited a story about how The Harvey World Herald, “caught Harvey officials violating the open meetings act and prompted reform in that area.”

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS PHOTO BY ALEX ABBEDUTO

Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, introduces the final report of the state’s Local Journalism Task Force. It details a decline of local news coverage throughout the state but proposes ways the legislature can support newsrooms.

Recommendations The task force suggested a series of tax credits that could give money back to people who subscribe to local outlets, small businesses that spend money advertising in local news, and outlets that pay journalists at least $50,000 a year.

The task force also suggested a tax exemption that would allow local outlets to not pay business and occupation taxes. A similar exemption was passed in Washington and took effect Jan. 1. Washington’s Office of Financial Management estimates the exemption will lower state revenue by $1.2 million when implemented for a full fiscal year, according to the report.

An “advertising set-aside” policy requiring a certain percentage of government advertising money be spent on advertising space in local media was also suggested by the task force. According to the report, $9.9 million of government advertising money was spent across 220 local outlets last year in New York City, which instituted a similar policy in 2019.

Other suggestions in the report include giving grant and fellowship programs state

funding to help pay for journalist training and employment. Four states have implemented these strategies.

New Jersey’s grant consortium program, which funds a variety of local news programs, operates with $4 million in funding, of which $3 million comes from the state. California, New Mexico and Washington each work with local universities to place fellows in local newsrooms. California’s program is potentially the largest and most expensive of these, according to the report, with $25 million allocated to it with a goal of placing 120 fellows over the course of three years.

Other solutions proposed by the task force include incentives for large media companies to share their ad revenue with local media and incentives to donate closing news outlets to community organizations before they are purchased by larger national corporations.

carefully consider any next steps to avoid infringing on free speech, influencing coverage and regulating the definition of journalism.

“I just want to be sure, particularly as we head into another election season here in Illinois … any decisions we make may have an effect on our constitutional liberties, and that they are being made for all the right reasons,” DeWitte said.

But Stadelman, who was previously a broadcast journalist in Rockford, said state involvement in news distribution is common, citing state public broadcasting subsidies and Europe’s support of its local news.

“I spent most of my life and career in news.

I was skeptical of government involvement in news,” he said. “I think we’re at a point where there are ways that this can be done carefully and thoughtfully.”

Next steps

Editor’s note: Two members of the Local Journalism Task Force – Sam Fisher and Jason Piscia – are also members of the Illinois Press Foundation board. The Press Foundation operates Capitol News Illinois and provides it funding.

Task force member Sen. Donald DeWitte, R-St. Charles, shared concerns about mixing state-sponsored support and independent journalism. He said that legislators need to

4 Village Free Press, January 31, 2024

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Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch reads House Resolution 551 honoring Mother Eddie Mae Stegall for her work in the Maywood community.

Speaker Welch Gives Mother Stegall Her Flowers While She Can Smell Them

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Eddie Mae Stegall, affectionately known as Mother Stegall, may have thought she was at Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s district offices at 1005 Roosevelt Rd. in Westchester to give her thoughts on his performance in office so far.

“I see you on the TV — you’re looking good,” Stegall told Welch during small talk before Welch told her why she was there.

“I was hoping I could bring you to Springfield, but it’s so far and such a long drive that I figured it would be easier to do it here,” Welch said. “This is a very special and long-overdue recognition of you for all the work you’ve done in this community.”

Welch then read the House Resolution 551 that honors Mother Stegall for her “decades of devotion and service” to her church, Miracle

Revival Center, 2010 St. Charles Rd. in Maywood.

Mother Stegall has been a member of Miracle Revival since 1984, serving under the church’s former pastor, Bishop Willie J. Chambliss, until his retirement in 2014. Now, Stegall serves dutifully under the church’s current pastor, Rev. DeAndre Patterson.

For nearly 40 years, Mother Stegall served on the church’s Mother’s Board, coordinated the church’s Greeters Ministry and was a member of the Nursing Board. She’s also served with the Sunday School Ministry.

Beyond the church, Mother Stegall was pivotal in establishing the Community Health Awareness initiative, conducted through West Suburban Neighborhood Development and Miracle Revival Cathedral in 2006.

“Her visionary leadership saw the establishment of the church’s annual Community Health Fair, a transformative event providing free medical and dental services, distributing essential supplies, and offering wholesome entertainment for the entire community,” the resolution reads.

Welch said he read the resolution on the Illinois House floor but wanted to read the document to Mother Stegall.

“I’ve been watching the things you’ve been doing and I want to say thank you,” Mother Stegall said, as her children looked on.

You can read the full House Resolution here.

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Village Free Press, January 31, 2024

5

NEWS briefs

Prominent Hildebrand Family To Get Honorary Street Sign In Westchester The family that owns Hildebrand Sporting Goods, 1809 Roosevelt Rd. in Broadview, will get an honorary street sign in their name.

The Westchester village board unanimously approved an ordinance on Jan. 9 designating a portion of Westchester Boulevard, from Pell Street to Cermak Road, Hildebrand Boulevard.

“As the owners of Hildebrand Sporting Goods, the Hildebrand family have been prominent members of the community for over 70 years,” reads a memo by Public Works Supervisor Steve Crowley.

“The store has been a reliable outfitter to many local schools, teams and businesses over the years, and the family has been charitable and generous to their customers and neighbors,” the memo adds. “The Hildebrand family has lived on Westchester Blvd for over 50 years, and their residence is a known landmark in the community.”

The designation comes nearly a year after the business lost co-owner Deborah Hildebrand, who died in April 2023. Deborah’s father, Harry “Bud” Hildebrand, founded Hildebrand Sporting Goods in 1952, Harry’s Chicago Tribune obituary states.

When it opened, the store was at 19th and Roosevelt. Harry moved the store to its present location in the late 1950s, the Tribune reported. The store carries a wide range of sporting equipment, and customized clothing and trophies.

Berkeley Event Facility Closes, Building For Sale The Dream Event Space & Banquet Hall at 5245 St. Charles Rd. in Berkeley is closed less than two years after it opened, village officials recently announced.

In a Jan. 12 board memo, Justyn Miller, Berkeley’s assistant village administrator, said Dream’s owners “had allowed their business and liquor licenses to both expire” at the end of 2023 and the property is now for sale.

Berkeley officials have since made changes to the village’s zoning codes with the hopes of luring a restaurant to the site.

An attempt on Jan. 27 to contact the owners of Dream was unsuccessful, but a phone call t0 the business prompted an automatic text explaining that on Dec. 13, Berkeley village officials “notified us that we cannot hold any events at the property.”

Dream opened in 2022 in a space that was formerly the old Luis & Luigi’s Restaurant.

According to a recent listing by @ Properties, the real estate firm, the renovated Dream property is approximately 5,600 square feet, a 28-space parking lot and a two-car detached garage. It’s on sale for $395,000.

Maywood Mayor Confirms New 1st Avenue Coffee Chain Will Be A Starbucks The building at 1718 S. 1st Ave. in Maywood, the site of the old Checkers, is going to be a Starbucks, Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George Booker announced on Facebook on Jan. 17, confirming rumors that had been floating around for months.

Vequity LLC, the Chicago commercial real estate firm that developed the Checkers restaurant, announced last year that they were developing a national coffee chain at the site but did not disclose the chain’s identity. In September 2023, Mayor Booker said he also couldn’t disclose the information due to legal reasons.

In his Facebook post, Booker said Maywood’s first and so far only Starbucks should be completed and a ribbon-cutting held in the second quarter of this year.

Last year, the village board approved a $550,000 tax incentive for Vequity paid out of the Madison Street/Fifth Avenue Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. Vequity built a 29-space parking lot and drive-thru lane on the site of two residential buildings it demolished at 1704 and 1718 S. 1st Ave. At the time, the firm estimated that the Starbucks development could cost approximately $4.5 million.

Berkeley Announces Road Closures As Electric Avenue/Vallette Street Bridge Undergoes Repairs Starting at 7 a.m. on Jan. 31, crews will be working on the Electric Avenue/Vallette Street Bridge at I-294 and I-290, so the roadway will be closed to through traffic west

of Coolide Avenue in Berkeley and east of Edgewood Avenue in neighboring Elmhurst, Berkeley officials announced on Jan. 24.

“The contractor is scheduled to pick up the closure no later than 5:00 p.m. each day. The closure is anticipated for three business days, subject to change,” officials said. “The Illinois Prairie Path will be open while the local roadway is closed, however, at times, flaggers may be utilized to assist trail users in utilizing the trail while the work takes place.”

The work is part of the Illinois Tollway’s Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294) Project designed to reconfigure and improve the I-290/I-88 Interchange at I-294, officials explained.

6 Village Free Press, January 31, 2024

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WHAT’S HAPPENING JAN. 31 - FEB. 7

bit.ly/vfp-community-calendar There’s a lot happening across the Proviso Township area in the coming days. We’ve provided a list of some of the community events that will take place in our area. Don’t see yours on the list? Get in touch with us.

FILE

Robert Sykes Jr., shown in the top lefthand corner wearing the gray suit and bowtie, attends a celebration in 2017 for his cousin, the late Rev. Wallace W. Sykes, shown seated.

Sykes Jr. died on Jan. 20 at 66.

Robert Sykes Jr., Maywood Churchman And Entrepreneur, Dies at 66

to family as Uncle Bobby, was 8 years Affectionately known as Uncle known old when he began working at Bob’s Grocery, he would develop his business acuBobby, he was patriarch of the where men, money management skills and the imof helping people. family behind the venerable portance As a young man, Sykes Jr. hosted quarter at a building the family owned down Bob’s Grocery and a leader in parties the street from the store. As an older man, the Second Baptist Church Sykes Jr.’s Maywood home was the gathering

By Michael Romain Editor

Robert David Sykes, Jr., grew up the scion of a family who owned Bob’s Grocery in Maywood, a neighborhood institution that fed countless residents by extending them lines of credit when they were unable to pay for their food. By the time of his death on Jan. 20 at 66, he had become the family’s patriarch.

Sykes, of Maywood, was the third of six children born to the late Robert and Mildred Sykes. In 1965, the couple opened Bob’s Grocery and the store would become a community staple on the corner of 13th and Randolph in Maywood for about four decades.

According to his obituary, Robert Sykes Jr.,

place and focal point for multiple generations of Sykes family members.

He eventually started a business that sold homemade Mississippi Sausage to businesses in the Chicago area and would also manage properties, start a snow plowing company and launch R.D. Sykes Contractor. Sykes Jr. worked at American Airlines for 39 years.

Sykes Jr. grew up in the Second Baptist Church, located down the street from Bob’s at 431 S. 13th Ave. in Maywood, where his cousin, Rev. Wallace W. Sykes, pastored for five decades. Sykes Jr. eventually became a member of the church’s deacon board and trustee board. He was also a constant presence at the church’s South 7 Prayer Hour, a daily morning prayer group.

Services for Robert Sykes Jr. were held this past Friday and Saturday.

Thursday, Feb. 1, noon, in Bellwood, Broadview and Maywood

provided by The Windy City Elves and Carl Anthony. Tickets for adults (13 and over): $30 and kids ($15). Kids 5 and under eat free. For more info or to buy tickets, visit westchester-il.org/news/souper-bowl-2024

To kick off Black History Month, the Pan-African flag will be raised simultaneously at the Village Halls in Bellwood, Broadview and Maywood. For more info, contact Barbara Bailey at mpdcommish@aol.com or (708) 533-6350.

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 11 a.m. to 11:40 a.m, 12:20 to 1 p.m., Emerson Elementary School, 311 Washington Blvd. in Maywood

Saturday, Feb. 3, 10 to 11 a.m., Hillside Public Library, 405 N. Hillside Ave. in Hillside Elmhurst Bank will host the Financial Protection Series focused on preventing financial exploitation (Don’t get scammed this Valentine’s Day). Refreshments provided courtesy of Elmhurst Bank. Registration required. To register or for more info, visit hillsidelibrary.org/

Saturday, Feb. 3, 4 to 8 p.m., Westchester Community Center, 10201 Bond St. in Westchester Attend Souper Bowl 2024, an all-you-can-eat souptasting extravaganza featuring soups from local restaurants, including Alpine Banquets, Broadview Family Restaurant and Paul’s Pizza and Hot Dogs. Entertainment

My Brother’s Keeper Maywood I West Cook County will launch its 2024 Reading Challenge for kindergarten through second grade students. Readers needed. To register, bit.ly/mbkfebruaryreading and to get more info, visit maywood-il.gov/_T10_R107.php

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 5:30 p.m., Westchester Masonic Temple, 10210 Canterbury St. in Westchester The Old Glory Lodge #141 will host Community Recognition Night featuring Westchester Fire Chief Michael Mavrogeorge and the Timothy Christian High School Academic Team. Submit your dinner RSVP to WB Lugo at ilugo1@hotmail.com

Community Highlight The Memorial Park District Wildcats’ seventh grade teams won first place in their division at the Midwest Showdown 2024.

vfpress.news

Village Free Press, January 31, 2024

CAPITOL briefs

Hey Business Owners!

Do you need to:

State money to address food deserts; unemployment at 4.2%; tax season opens Fresh food availability targeted in grant program; IDOR begins processing returns

Build Brand Awareness

By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS Staff

Illinois’ Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced the application window is open for $3.5 million in funding to help local grocery stores provide fresh foods in areas with limited availability.

The money is a part of an equipment upgrade program in Illinois’ Grocery Initiative – a $20 million program championed by Gov. JB Pritzker last year. The initiative aims to provide aid to areas of the state where a lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables, along with other healthy choices, can lead to higher incidences of obesity, cancer, and other negative health outcomes.

Read more: As many Illinoisans struggle with food access, lawmakers consider state grants for grocers The grants can be used to help replace old equipment with more energy-efficient supplies. This round of funding is intended for existing grocery stores, with additional money for new stores expected to be released soon. Grant information can be found at DCEO.Illinois.gov.

December Unemployment Illinois’ statewide unemployment rate rose to 4.2 percent in December 2023, according to preliminary data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

That number, which was not seasonally adjusted, reflects a 0.2 percentage point increase from December 2022. The ChicagoNaperville-Arlington Heights region was the only one of 14 metropolitan areas that saw its unemployment rate decrease, to 3.9 percent from 4.2 percent.

Boost Sales

ILLUSTRATION BY CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS

Gov. JB Pritzker is pictured at a grocery store in Springfield.

Rockford and Kankakee claimed the highest unemployment rates, both at 5.9 percent.

Bloomington had the lowest at 3.8 percent.

Much of the state hovered between four and five percent.

The state, however, reported an increase in the number of jobs in eight regions, accompanied by a decline in five regions. The Peoria region was unchanged year-over-year.

Tax Season 2024 The Illinois Department of Revenue will begin processing 2023 tax returns next week, coinciding with the federal Internal Revenue Service beginning its tax filing season.

“We encourage taxpayers to file electronically as early as possible as this will speed processing. If they are due money back, they should choose direct deposit as that ensures the fastest issuance of refunds,” IDOR Director David Harris said in a news release Thursday.

More than six million returns were processed in Illinois last year, with roughly 90 percent filed electronically through the state’s MyTax Illinois portal.

New this year is an increase in the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, which is now 20 percent of the federal EITC and includes additional groups of taxpayers in younger and older age brackets. Volunteer fire and emergency workers also have a new credit, with those that qualify receiving a $500 credit.

The tax filing deadline is April 15.

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