Village Free Press_050521

MAY 5, 2021

Vol. V No. 18 A circus comes to town, PAGE 4

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D209 board member says mailer paid for by district

Evelyn Young-Huff inside of her Vital Signs Healthcare Training Institute in Broadview on April 30.

Controversial 8-page color mailer called ‘Setting the Record Straight’ funded by district

Michael Romain

New Black-owned CNA training school opens in Broadview

By MARIA MAXHAM Forest Park Review

Amanda Grant, a member of the Proviso Township High Schools D209 school board, confirmed that an 8-page, double-sided, 8.5 x 11, color “Setting the Record Straight” mailer sent recently to families across Proviso Township was paid for by the school district.

She did not indicate how much that cost was, but the Review has sent a Freedom of Information Act request for information related to the mailer, including the cost of designing, printing and mailing the document, which is presented in both English and Spanish and has the official district See D209 MAILER on page 9

Choose an account you can rely on.

New butcher opens in Melrose Park, PAGE 5

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Vital Signs Healthcare Training Institute brings extra dosage of cultural competency

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor Evelyn Young-Huff has been a certified nursing assistant (CNA) instructor since 2010, teaching at a local community college when she isn’t working full-time as an emergency room nurse. But for years,

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Only $100 required to open.

Young-Huff said, she’s wanted to start a program of her own.

Since 2015, Young-Huff had been trying to open a CNA school in Maywood, but after experiencing problems acquiring space in the village, she eventually shifted her sights to nearby Broadview.

In June, the first cohort of six students will start their training at Young-Huff ’s Vital Signs Healthcare Training Institute, 2400 S. 24th Ave. in Broadview. Young-Huff is renting space in the building owned by the Broadview Park District.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, certified nursing assistants — profes-

sionals who provide basic care for people, often under the direction of licensed nurses — are among the fastest growing occupations in the country, with the demand for the job expected to grow by 8 percent this decade. They often apply their care skills, which include helping people bathe, eat, groom and use the restroom, among other functions, in nursing facilities and longterm care facilities.

Illinois, in particular, has among the highest concentration of nursing assistants in the country, with the average annual wage for those in the profession at around $32,000.

See VITAL SIGNS on page 2

WHEN YOU OPEN OUR MOST POPULAR CHECKING ACCOUNT enroll in online banking, activate e-statements, and have at least monthly occurring direct deposits totaling $500 or more for the 2 consecutive calendar months following the month of account opening.2

Stop by our two Proviso Township branches, or make an appointment with a banker today at 708-483-0030.

1759 N. Mannheim Rd. | Stone Park 1111 W. Madison St. | Maywood 708-483-0030 | provisobank.com

Proviso Community Bank is a branch of Hinsdale Bank & Trust Company, N.A. 1. Total Access Checking Bonus Information. This Total Access Checking account bonus offer is valid for new accounts opened January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. This Total Access Checking account bonus offer is not available to existing or closed checking account customers of WTFC and its subsidiaries or its active employees. Limit 1 bonus payment per customer, regardless of the number of accounts opened. If you qualify for this Total Access Checking account bonus offer, you are ineligible to receive this Total Access Checking account bonus offer from any other Wintrust Financial Corporation (‘WTFC’) location. If you qualify for any other WTFC savings offer it may be combined with this Total Access Checking account bonus offer. Your new account must be open, in the same product, and have a balance greater than zero to receive the bonus payment. Balance is determined as of the end of each Business Day as the funds currently in your account including deposits and withdrawals made in the Business Day. The $300.00 bonus payment is subject to IRS 1099-INT reporting and may be considered income for tax purposes for the tax year in which the bonus was paid. 2. Total Access Checking Bonus Qualifications. (i) Open a new Total Access Checking account; (ii) tell us you are aware of this Total Access Checking account bonus offer at account opening; (iii) have at least monthly occurring direct deposits totaling $500.00 or more each month made to your new account for 2 consecutive calendar months after the calendar month your new account was opened (‘Qualification Period’). For example, if you open your new account in January, you would need to have “Direct Deposits” made to your new account in February totaling $500 or more and in March totaling $500 or more; and (iv) enroll in online banking and activate e-statements within the Qualification Period.

A direct deposit is defined as any payment made by a government agency, employer, or other third-party organization that is made via an electronic deposit. A direct deposit does not include teller/ATM/mobile or remote deposits, wire transfers, online banking/telephone transfers between accounts at WTFC, external transfers from other accounts at other financial institutions or ATM/debit card transfers and deposits. After you have completed all the above bonus qualifications, we will deposit the bonus payment into your new account within 30 calendar days after the Qualification Period. BANKER INSTRUCTIONS: Enter offer code WFC00DMAP300 during account opening.

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

CNA

Support needed the village free press Editor & Publisher Michael Romain Senior Sales & Strategic Consultant Kamil Brady Editorial Designer Andrew Mead Advertising Design Support Mark Moroney, Javier Govea 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

from page 1 The profession is particularly concentrated with Black women, who make up about 1 in 3 nursing assistants in the country, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Nine in 10 nursing assistants are women, but there are an increasing number of men coming into the field, Young-Huff said.

Young-Huff, who lives in Romeoville, said despite the vocation’s growth, there’s still not enough awareness in the Proviso Township area about the CNA profession and how it can lead to even more career opportunities, particularly among those who may not be inclined to go to college.

“I’ve always wanted to come back into my community and start a nursing program,” said Young-Huff, a Maywood native who graduated from Proviso East High School. “I was a CNA. When I was going through nursing school, my CNA training helped me through and it’s helped me throughout my career.”

Young-Huff said her heart is Maywood and its surrounding Proviso Township suburbs, adding that she hopes she can one day bring CNA training to the high schools in District 209.

She explained that, because of her perspective as a Black woman who grew up in the Proviso Township area, she has a sensitivity and understanding of minority students that is often missing in CNA training programs run by large education institutions.

“Sometimes the students don’t get it, they don’t understand and the instructors don’t understand where they come from,” YoungHuff said.

“You have to understand your audience. I understand. I grew up in the area. I know what they’re facing,” she added. “I was a single parent going through nursing school — baby in one arm, book bag on my back with my uniform on catching the bus. So, I understand.”

But despite the need for more cultural competence in CNA training and for more minority-owned training programs, small, Black-owned programs like Vital Signs aren’t adequately supported, Young-Huff said, adding that she’s paid the considerable costs of launching her business out of her savings.

She said that her own experience proves the point, adding that her path toward garnering the necessary approval to operate her school from the Illinois Board of Higher Education was littered with unnecessary obstacles, many from the IBHE itself.

“The state needs to recognize us — we’re not recognized,” she said. “But we have to pay large sums of money to be recognized every year.”

The IBHE even held up the approval process for two years even though the board already had her documentation, YoungHuff said.

Before opening her Broadview location, Young-Huff said there was a fire that threw yet another glitch in the process.

“Right before the fire, someone from the Board of Higher Education came out,” she said. “They don’t normally come out to sites, but they came out. Someone said this was a concession stand. Instead of knocking on the door and seeing what’s going on inside, they just reported it as a concession stand.”

Young-Huff added that the IBHE even wanted to shut her down at one point, because she didn’t have any students.

“They were like, ‘You know, you don’t have any students,” she said. “Well, I couldn’t have any students, because the place was set on fire. It was just one fight after another and it seems like minority operators are the ones who are targeted. I know other

people who have schools who didn’t go through any of what I had to go through. They open their doors and the open up another one and another one. I’ve been fighting for five years. That’s five years during which I could have increased my students and the program offerings, but I’ve been fighting with people down in Springfield.”

A representative with the IBHE could not be reached for comment on Friday afternoon.

According to an IBHE directory of vocational schools, Vital Signs Healthcare is one of just two Black woman-owned CNA training schools in Proviso Township. The other school, Best Step Academy, owned by Blessing Ukeka, is located at 10e4438 W. Cermak in Westchester.

Young-Huff said if she could talk to Gov. J.B. Pritzker “we’ll have a long conversation,” adding that the state needs to adequately fund minority-owned CNA operators, particularly since all signs point to the demand for the vocation only increasing as the country ages and as federal lawmakers show an inclination to fund home-based care work.

For instance, President Joe Biden’s roughly $2 trillion infrastructure bill would allocate around $400 billion to fund home-based, long-term health care services, NPR reports. The question, however, is whether that money will trickle down to programs like Vital Signs and Best Step.

“We need the funding to help us out,” Young-Huff said. “If we had the funding, we’d be able to add more programs and more

SENSITIVE INSTRUCTION: Evelyn Young-Huff inside of her Vital Signs Healthcare Training Institute in Broadview on.

Michael Romain

vocations.”

Young-Huff said she’ll operate her training program when she isn’t working as a full-time nurse. She said she plans on scaling up both enrollment and staffing in the future. Each training cohort lasts for eight weeks and costs between $1,260 and $1,275, Young-Huff said.

Kisha Stansberry, Young-Huff ’s niece and a Maywood resident working on her nursing degree at Northwestern, said the community benefits when more caretakers are formally trained, particularly by culturally competent instructors like her aunt.

“A lot of people are caregivers to a relative and they get paid by the state, which requires them to have no training,” Stansberry said.

“But caregivers don’t know how to really take care of people without preventing bed sores and things like that,” she added. “You have to have a little compassion. Compassion is not taught, you have to have it, but some of those skills can prevent people from having to go back and forth to the hospital.”

For information about Vital Signs Healthcare Training Institute, call (708) 223-0967.

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

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D209 board approves resolution in support of supt.

During April 13 meeting, five board members signed off on resolution supporting D209 Supt. James Henderson

By MARIA MAXHAM Forest Park Review

At the April 13 Proviso Township High School District 209 board meeting, President Rodney Alexander said he’d come up with a plan to show the public that, in the midst of drama and accusations surrounding Supt.

James Henderson, the board supports the “well qualified, over accomplished” administrator.

Alexander said there have been many lies told about Henderson, but “they’ve all been debunked,” although he didn’t mention specifics. As a result, Alexander wrote a resolution in support of Henderson and asked board members to sign it.

“I wanted to send a clear message to this district that this board stands behind Dr. Henderson 100 percent,” Alexander said during the meeting. “Doesn’t matter what

BOARD OFFERS SUPPORT: The D200 board signed off on a resolution supporting D209 Supt. James Henderson on April 13. one or two board members say or do. They’re not the board. The board is a quorum of at least four.”

The resolution was signed by Alexander, board Vice President Theresa Kelly, and board members Della Patterson, Sam Valt-

ierrez and Ned Wagner.

Neither Claudia Medina nor Amanda Grant signed the resolution, though Alexander said about Grant, “I believe [she] still supports Dr. Henderson in her own way.” He added: “That’s a six to one board, people; it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Medina has been publicly outspoken about her distrust of Henderson, so her refusal to sign was no surprise.

Grant declined to comment at this time on her reasons for not signing.

The resolution mentions analyses and work performed by Henderson since he’s come to the district and “declares that James L. Henderson Ed.D is a competent leader.”

Achievements listed in the document that are attributed to Henderson’s leadership include that he: § Is performing analyses in D209 that have uncovered “very hard truths about current operations, technology, and academic performance”; § Has partnered with food banks to ensure food was provided to district students over school breaks; § Has “ensured financial solvency and identified $9.5 million in cost savings and corrected departmental procedures and

internal financial control measures”; § Has secured COVID-19 vaccinations for staff; and § Has “demonstrated a commitment to invest in the teacher workforce and bringing increased diversity to classrooms across the district.” § After reading the resolution, Alexander defended Henderson more, saying of him, “He’s only doing what the board says. And we know as of April 6, that the community doesn’t have a problem with what the board says because you elected us again.” § The April 6 election in which Alexander, Grant, Valtierrez and Patterson were reelected was uncontested. § Alexander added: “So to continue to fight against this board is to fight against your very community. Get on the train, there’s room, we still got a couple seats … Come on over. Come on over and ride with us.

Because all we’re trying to do is improve outcomes for students.” § A version of the resolution can be found on the district’s website at tinyurl. com/4w926t7j.

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

Voter turnout low across Proviso on April 6 The Cook County Clerk certified election results last week

By MICHAEL ROMAIN & RANEEN EL-BARBARAWI Editor

Last week, the Cook County Clerk’s office officially certified the results of the April 6 Consolidated Election with the Illinois State Board of Elections and the results show tepid turnout rates across the nine suburbs that comprise the Village Free Press coverage area.

The VFP suburb with the highest turnout was Broadview, where 25 percent of registered voters cast their ballots. Bellwood had the second-highest voter turnout rate, at 19 percent.

The turnout rate for all of suburban Cook County was 16 percent, up 2 percent from the last Consolidated Election in 2019.

Although turnout was low across the board in the nine VFP suburbs, those municipalities that hosted contested mayoral races all experienced a bump in turnout from 2019.

Berkeley, Stone Park and Westchester, where mayoral races were uncontested, ex-

perienced slight decreases in turnout from 2019.

Melrose Park, whose mayoral race was uncontested, experienced a 5 percent jump from 2019. Although Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico ran uncontested, his slate’s trustee candidates all faced challengers.

Northlake, where turnout was lowest among VFP suburbs at just 4 percent, did not have any races on the ballot in 2019.

In addition to Broadview and Bellwood, turnout in Maywood and Hillside was also up compared to 2019. All four suburbs had contested mayoral races.

Three of the four races featured two candidates while the Maywood race featured four candidates at the top of the ticket who made the ballot, in addition to one write-in candidate.

On Election Day, some candidates and voters in Maywood worried that the delayed openings of two poll sites may have depressed turnout, if only marginally.

Two polling sites in Maywood at Garfield Elementary, the school at 1514 S. 9th Ave., and at Lincoln Elementary, 811 Chicago Ave., opened later than the scheduled 6 a.m. opening time, possibly causing some voters to miss out on casting ballots, according to multiple observers.

Maywood Mayor Edwenna Perkins and Trustee Isiah Brandon — both candidates

for mayor who said they were outside of Garfield when it opened at 6 a.m.

“Some people were trying to make it to the polls to vote before going to work and they didn’t get a chance to do that,” Brandon said, adding that he observed “a good 10 to 15 people who went in and had to leave.”

Perkins said “it was just three people,” including a man who “had to go out of town, one young lady who left and came back and another young lady I don’t know what happened.”

Nia Sanders, a Maywood trustee candidate who was outside of Lincoln said she felt the situation was “unfortunate, because the people of the community don’t get to exercise their right.

“This is the one time some of them can come to vote before going to work or doing whatever else they have to do,” Sanders said.

Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough said the polling sites opened late because there election judges who were scheduled to work

those sites were no-shows. Her office ultimately obtained a court order so that the two Maywood sites, along with 28 others throughout suburban Cook County, could stay open an hour later.

In a statement released April 27, Yarbrough’s office said that while turnout across suburban Cook County “increased just slightly over the last Consolidated Election in 2019,” mail voting and early voting both reached “record levels this year with 55,196 suburban residents casting their vote by mail and 84,311 voting early.”

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

After year’s absence, circus returns to North Riverside mall Circo Hermanos Vazquez returns to east parking lot of mall, will run from until May 24

By BOB UPHUES Riverside-Brookfield Landmark

After a one-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Circo Hermanos Vazquez returns to the east parking lot of the North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, from April 30 through May 24.

The Circo Hermanos Vazquez, which has units that tour both Mexico and the United States, was a hit during its first swing through North Riverside, drawing thousands of visitors during its 40-show residence in April 2019.

“It’s like a brand new start,” said Glenn Lindholm, general manager of North Riverside Park Mall on the circus’ return. “It’s a good event for us and it’s a good event for the community.”

While it’s difficult to know just how much

The village also derived revenue from its places for eating tax through the sale of food and drinks at the circus.

Circo Hermanos Vazquez has scheduled 36 shows this time around – they won’t be offering a matinee performance on Saturdays – but they will perform daily. From Monday to Friday, shows are at 7:30 p.m. On Saturdays, there are two shows, at 5 and 8 p.m. On Sundays, the circus hosts COMING BACK: The Circo Hermanos Vazquez and its big top three performances, at 2, show will return to North Riverside Park Mall on April 30 5 and 8 p.m. and perform daily through May 24.

Tickets are not cheap – general admission for Alex Rogals kids 2-10, seniors, military and disabled are $25, additional foot traffic the family-friendly while adult general admission is $30.

There is also preferred seating for adults circus brought to the mall, the village reported taking in gross revenues of about that can go as high as $60 per ticket, but if $38,500 in 2019 mainly via North Riverside’s you order online through the circus’ website amusement tax, which takes a 5-percent cut (circovazquez.com) there are discounts.

Circo Hermanos Vazquez’s vivid pink and on all ticket sales.

Proviso Community Bank

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blue big top tent will be located south of Olive Garden/Miller’s Ale House in the mall’s east parking lot, and signs will direct vehicles and visitors where to go.

While the circus will again feature a range of performers, from dancers to trapeze artists to clowns, there are some changes in 2021. The circus no longer includes animals, and in recognition of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, inside the big top both audience members and workers must wear face coverings.

In addition, the circus is limiting attendance to 50 percent for each show, with family groups spaced at least six feet apart from one another. Before each show, workers will sanitize inside the big top and there will be hand-sanitizing stations and other health precautions taken where food and souvenirs are purchased.

In 2019, two circuses visited North Riverside Park Mall – a more adult-themed show took up residence there in August – but Lindholm said Circo Hermanos Vazquez will be the only circus coming to the shopping center this year.

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

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New butcher opens in Melrose Park

Antonino Faso’s Meat King at 1710 W. Lake St. opened last month

By SHANEL ROMAIN Community Correspondent

Antonino Faso, owner, a 23-year-old Melrose Park resident, said his experience living in Sicily while a teenager has informed his newest venture — Meat King, a butcher located at 1710 W. Lake St. in Melrose Park.

“My family lived in Sicily for about two years,” Faso said on Saturday. “My grandfather was always around animals and all kinds of different meat and that’s when I realized what fresh meat was and what people are missing out on.”

Faso, who owns Meat King, said the butcher opened around two weeks ago.

“We have all types of meat: pork, beef, chicken, lamb, veal,” he said. “People can

get the cuts that they want and that they won’t find in typical grocery stores.”

Faso said he got his start in business with a Slice Factory that he owns in 1710 W. Lake St. in Elmwood Park.

Faso said that with his newest venture, he hopes to expose area residents to premium meats that they may not be able to easily obtain at a typical grocery store.

“At your typical grocery store, you don’t know the quality of the meat you’re buying,” Faso said. “All of our products are choice products delivered straight from the plants, which are all in Illinois. You know what you’re paying for and what you’ll get.

The quality isn’t going to change.”

Meat King is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

TAKING THE THRONE: Antonio Faso, the owner of Meat King in Melrose Park, inside of the store on May 1.

Shanel Romain

Hillside supports tax incentive for local lumber company Village Board also votes to allow billboards on villageowned property, approves firefighters’ union contract

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

The Village of Hillside Board of Trustees voted unanimously during its April 26 meeting to support a local company’s application for a property tax incentive.

Hillside Lumber company, 4324-38 Warren Ave. in Hillside, applied for the Class 6(b) property tax incentive.

The family-owned company, which has been operating in Hillside since it launched in 1993, supplies lumber materials and buildings. The company also makes doors, windows and other interior building components.

The classification would reduce Hillside Lumber’s property tax rate for the next 12 years, so that the applicant can use that money to either build a new industrial building or rehabilitate an existing one.

According to village administrator Joe Pisano, the company asked for the incentive so that it would be able to stay in Hillside, retain its 16 existing employees and hire four

additional employees.

While properties classified as industrial are normally taxed at 25 percent of their value, the Class 6(b) classification lowers the rate to 10 percent for 10 years. After that, the rate rises by five percent every year until it returns back to 25 percent.

Any application must get the support from the local municipality in which the business is located before Cook County officials make a final decision.

Hillside Mayor Joe Tamburino said the tax break to Hillside Lumber may cost the village around $54,000 in property tax revenue each year over 12 years, but that “in that same period, our estimated sales tax revenue from Hillside Lumber will be around $3 million.”

Tamburino added that the company is investing more than $300,000 in building improvements. He said the company is one of the top 10 taxpayers in the village.

The board’s approval happened over the vocal opposition of the Hillside Forward community group, which ran a full slate of candidates against Tamburino and his Citizens Improvement Party.

Hillside Forward members argued that the board should not approve a tax incentive for the company after it voted last year to increase the tax levy.

In a statement issued ahead of the April 25 meeting, Roger Romanelli, head of Hillside Forward and one of the trustee candidates

for the group’s Hillside Neighbors slate, argued that the Class 6(b) designation was “rewarding Hillside Lumber for giving him political contributions.”

Illinois State Board of Elections records indicated that Hillside Lumber made three donations totaling $1,000 to a campaign committee chaired by Tamburino in 2005, 2006 and 2016. Records don’t show that the company contributed to the mayor’s most recent reelection bid.

“They have not contributed a dime to my reelection as mayor,” Tamburino said.

“I didn’t go to any of these people for that.

It’s a different year to begin with. We didn’t even have an official fundraiser.”

Board votes to allow billboards on village property, approves firefighters’ union contract During a regular meeting on April 26, the Hillside Board of Trustees voted unanimously to allow the village to put billboards on its property.

Village Administrator Joe Pisano said that while the village currently has no firm plans to put install billboards on its property, village officials wanted to have that option just in case Hillside ever decides to do so further down the line.

In an interview after the meeting, Pisano, who has worked for the Village of Hillside

in various capacities for the past 30 years, explained that there has been a moratorium on new billboards at and near residential areas for at least as long as he’s been working there.

The few billboards that are up were grandfathered in. Pisano said that the revisions would explicitly allow those billboards to remain up “until the end of their useful life.”

He said that the village has been looking at billboards as “something that could generate revenue and provide us with some opportunities we didn’t have before.”

Contract approved During a regular meeting on April 12, the Hillside Board of Trustees unanimously voted to approve a new collective bargaining agreement between the village and Hillside Firefighters Association, Local 4474.

During an interview on April 30, Hillside Mayor Joe Tamburino said the new contract “pretty much carries forward everything from the last one.”

The new contract, which runs from May 1 through April 30, 2024, includes an annual 2 percent raise for the first two years and a 3 percent raise in the contract’s third year, the mayor said.

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

Illinois to lose Congressional seat based on 2020 Census State goes from 18 to 17 seats in U.S. House, continuing decades-long trend

By TIM KIRSININKAS Capitol News Illinois

The U.S. Census Bureau announced on April 26 that Illinois will lose a seat in Congress based on the results of the 2020 census.

Illinois will move from 18 to 17 seats in the U.S. House, an expected result after some advocates had warned that an undercount could lead to the loss of two seats. The state has lost at least one congressional representative in eight of the last 9 decades after peaking at 27 seats in 1910 and remaining there until the 1940 census.

Six other states will also lose a seat, including California, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.

Illinois, Mississippi and West Virginia are the only three states to lose population over the past decade, Census Bureau officials said Monday. It’s the first time the Census Bureau logged a decade-over-decade population loss in the state.

According to data released Monday, the state has a total population of just over 12.8 million people, a drop of 0.1 percent when compared to 2010.

While the population loss was not as pronounced as some had originally anticipated, Gov. JB Pritzker said in an unrelated news conference Monday that he was “concerned” about outmigration in the state, which he said has been taking place “for more than a decade.”

“We’ve got to turn that around,” Pritzker said. “That’s something that unfortunately before I became governor was a bit set in clay, if not stone. And now, we’re working very hard to make sure we’re going the right direction.”

Pritzker attributed the population loss primarily to college students who choose not to attend school in the state.

Under the state constitution, members of the General Assembly are tasked with drawing new legislative boundaries following the decennial census. The new legislative boundaries are then sent to the governor for approval or veto.

Census Bureau officials said that specific data used for redistricting would be provided by Sept. 30. The delay in official numbers could cause complications for Illinois’ redistricting process, which is currently under-

way.

Some Democratic state lawmakers have proposed using data from the American Community Survey in place of census data to create legislative and congressional district maps by the end of June as required by the constitution.

Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican who is the minority spokesperson on the House Redistricting Committee, said in a Monday news conference that ACS data provides “a small snapshot” of population data when compared to the census, and could risk leaving populations out of consideration.

“We’ve heard witness after witness testify at our redistricting hearings that ACS data does not fully represent minority communities, that it does not fully represent rural communities,” Butler said.

“As we’ve said all along throughout these hearings, ACS data is not what you need to use to draw the maps because it’s not going to give you the granular data and the correct data,” he added.

Republicans have repeatedly called for an independent, nonpartisan commission to draw new legislative boundaries without taking partisan politics into consideration, a proposal which has not been entertained by members of the state’s Democratic supermajorities in either chamber.

“The maps need to be drawn, in my mind, without the political data put in them,” Butler said. “The most important data for the majority is going to be the political data and people’s home addresses that they include in there, and they’re going to draw the maps how they see fit probably.”

Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, who chairs the Senate Redistricting Committee, and Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, who is the committee’s vice chair, released a joint statement following the news.

“We are reviewing the information released today by the U.S. Census Bureau and remain committed to working with our partners in Washington to ensure Illinois continues to receive the federal resources and support our communities need,” the statement reads.

“While the Census Bureau confirmed full redistricting information may not be released until September, we will not abandon our duty to craft a map by June 30 as required by the Illinois Constitution. As others seek to delay and distract, we are focused on gathering input from communities of interest across Illinois to create a fair map that reflects the diversity of our great state.”

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Municipal leaders decry proposed cuts to local revenue During April 20 new conference, local leaders blasted governor’s plan to cut their share of Local Government Distributive Fund

By RAYMON TRONCOSO Capitol News Illinois

Municipal leaders are pushing back on a proposal by Gov. J.B. Pritzker that would further reduce state funds given to local governments each year.

Several municipal groups held a virtual news conference on April 20 to outline their concerns with the governor’s suggestion, representing over 200 municipalities in the Chicago-Metro area. Elmhurst Mayor Steve Morley, who serves as vice president for the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, acted as a moderator for the event.

Morley said local governments cannot afford cuts to the share of state income taxes

directed to municipalities, known as the Local Government Distributive Fund, or LGDF, in light of the disastrous effects of the coronavirus pandemic on city revenues.

“We’d like to address really two issues as it relates to LGDF. One is, we want to protect against further cuts,” he said. “The other thing that we want to talk about is not only halting any further reduction in the distribution of funds that rightly belong to the municipalities, but we actually want to discuss how we restore the distribution of these funds to the original levels that were

agreed upon over 50 years ago.”

According to Morley, when Illinois first adopted its flat income tax in 1969, it was agreed that 10 percent of the revenue generated from the income tax would be redistributed by state government back to municipalities.

This was the case until 2011, when Democratic former Gov. Pat Quinn reduced the LGDF share of income tax revenue, while also raising Illinois personal income tax from 3 to 5 percent, and its corporate tax rate from 4.8 to 7 percent in an attempt to balance the state’s budget.

Illinois currently has a 4.95 percent income tax rate and a 7 percent corporate tax rate, and the LGDF contribution has fallen to 6.06 percent of state income revenue.

In 2020, Pritzker pushed an amendment to the Illinois Constitution that would have allowed for the state’s income tax to be graduated rather than flat.

According to the Illinois Department of Revenue, accompanying legislation passed by the General Assembly would have kept taxes the same or lower for the vast majority of Illinoisans while raising personal income taxes for those earning over $250,000 annually. The top rate would have been 7.95 percent

on those earning more than $1 million.

The state Department of Revenue projections estimated the tax increase would affect about 3 percent of Illinoisans.

Following a lopsided defeat for the amendment in November, Pritzker promised to not raise the flat tax, but suggested “painful cuts” would be necessary to balance the state’s budget.

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

7

Vaccination data now available online

County data on vaccine rates show Westchester, Melrose Park with highest vaccination rates in VFP’s readership area

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

The Cook County Department of Public Health now allows the public to see how many people are getting vaccinated in their respective suburbs.

The data is included in the department’s COVID-19 Surveillance Data website — the online portal that since March 2020 has been showing the rate of COVID-19 infections in suburban Cook County.

According to the data, as of May 2, among the nine suburbs in the Village Free Press readership area, Westchester had the highest share of its population that has gotten the vaccination — 55 percent have gotten at least one dose and 36 percent have been completely vaccinated.

Melrose Park, Berkeley and Northlake have the second-, third-highest and

fourth-highest rates of people who have received at least one dose: 50 percent, 46 percent and 46 percent, respectively.

Berkeley, Melrose Park and Hillside have the second-, third-highest and fourth-highest rates of people who have been completely vaccinated: 31 percent, 30 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

Berkeley, Melrose Park and Northlake are among 32 Priority Communities identified in March by Cook County officials as traditionally underserved and where officials will target specific efforts for ensuring equitable access to the vaccine. Bellwood, Maywood and Stone Park are also considered Priority Communities.

Among VFP’s nine target suburbs, Maywood and Stone Park have the lowest rate of residents with at least one vaccine dose (30 percent) and the lowest rate of residents who have completed the vaccination process (19 percent).

Both of those rates lag behind suburban Cook County’s total vaccination rates of 43 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

Last month, county officials outlined various measures for increasing the vaccination rates in those 32 Priority Communities, which county officials identified using the

COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index, and the Social Vulnerability Index.

Both of the indices “factor socioeconomic, household composition & disability, minority status and language, housing type and transportation, pre-existing health conditions and the state of the community’s healthcare system in their equations,” county officials explained in a statement released April 21.

Those measures for increasing vaccination rates in Priority Communities include community-assisted scheduled, through which the county reserves appointments as mass vaccination sites for community groups.

They also include the implementation of pop-up clinics, such as the one held March 11 at the Garden House Apartments, a senior living complex at 515 S. 2nd Ave. in Maywood. Roughly 100 senior citizen residents of the complex were vaccinated that day.

Last month, state and county officials announced that all Illinois residents over the age of 16 are eligible for vaccination, with mass vaccination sites across the state, including in Forest Park and at Triton College in River Grove, now taking walk-ins.

“Equity is front and center in our vaccination strategies, and now that all residents of Cook County age 16 and older are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID, we must ensure that all communities are not only included but prioritized as we roll out our strategies,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “This is the very definition of public health and we will meet the challenge.”

On the COVID-19 Surveillance Data website, county officials explain that their vaccine data is based on “individuals who have received one dose of a single dose vaccine series or two doses of a two dose vaccine series at least 17 days apart are considered to have a complete vaccine series.

“Demographic data may not add up to totals due to missing data. Coverage rates are calculated using 2010 census data and should be considered estimates as populations may have fluctuated over the last decade.”

To access the COVID-19 Surveillance Data website, visit: ccdphcd.shinyapps.io/ covid19/.

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

Child’s anti-racism efforts includes Maywood bookstore

Oak Park 10-year-old is uses donations to buy anti-racism reading materials STACEY SHERIDAN Wednesday Journal

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Ten-year-old Lauren Burns has embarked on an endeavor in order to increase the availability of antiracist children’s books and books penned by Black authors.

Using donated funds to purchase the reading materials, Burns will stock up Little Free Libraries across Oak Park in an effort to encourage empathy and understanding.

And she’s choosing to patronize independent bookshops, including AfriWare Books, 1701 S. 1st Ave. (Suite 400) in Maywood.

Burns said she wants “to help not just the community, but the world know about how unfairly people are being treated.”

Burns has set up a GoFundMe to purchase the books and started a blog to document her progress. She has amassed $1,140 through her internet campaign, far surpassing her original goal of $500. Her friends have rallied around her to help.

“I was actually super grateful for one of their parents, because they donated $100,” said Burns. “It was a really big donation.”

She has also researched authors, vetted reading materials and reached out to knowledgeable adults for recommendations. Her favorite book is Jelani Memory’s “A Kid’s Book about Racism.” She said she plans to buy several copies of it.

Burns said she was inspired to do the book-sharing initiative while watching the TV news about two months ago.

“They said lots of children – even in wealthy neighborhoods – don’t have books or don’t have access to books,” said Burns.

“So, I thought this was one little way I could help with that.”

The project is anything but little, contributing to manifold social causes that extend beyond increasing accessibility to reading materials. The books Burns has earmarked are age-appropriate educational tools that help children understand the damaging effects promoted through racist ideologies, as well as the merits of antiracism.

“I have been amazed at the thinking, the reasoning behind it,” said her mother Charisse Burns. “She really feels deeply about a lot of things and she loves to try to make the world a better place.”

She is also conscious of where to purchase, choosing to patronize independent shops including AfriWare Books and the

BUYING BLACK: Lauren Burns, 10, wants to increase the availability of antiracist books in her hometown of Oak Park and she’s been buying from independent shops like Maywood’s AfriWare Books.

Alex Rogals

Book Table in Oak Park.

Burns plans to deposit multiple books across “20 to 50” Little Free Library locations in Oak Park, including the one outside William Hatch School, 1000 N. Ridgeland Ave., where she attends fourth grade. So far, she has purchased about 25 books.

Burns’s graphic design tutor, Oak Parker Tree Havener, helped her create flyers to spread awareness of her antiracism literature campaign.

“We’re just going to be putting them around the community, but I’m going to get permission from [Oak Park village] hall because you can’t post lots of stuff around the community without asking,” she told Wednesday Journal.

Despite all her big ideas and her tender age, Burns handles her philanthropic ventures with the acumen and gumption of someone more than twice her years. Her parents credit her teachers as well as the community for supporting and encouraging Burns, who last year organized a schoolwide fundraiser to help immigrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“We’re very proud of her that she’s thinking of other people,” said her father David Burns. “And that she’s not afraid to do something.”

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

9

D209 awards no-bid, $33K contract to Texas firm The board approved a contract with Walker Quality Service for consulting services to bring food operations in-house by 202122

By MARIA MAXHAM Forest Park Review

The Proviso Township High Schools District 209 school board approved awarding a contract to Walker Quality Services (WQS), a Texas-based LLC, to consult with the district to get in-house food service up and running by the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.

The recommendation to use WQS came from Supt. James Henderson, who in the action item before the board wrote that a consultant was necessary to ensure that district facilities are properly equipped and staffed with appropriately trained individuals and that menu, ordering and inventory software programs are implemented.

Henderson did not mention during the April 13 open board meeting that, while superintendent in his previous job in Holmes County Consolidated School District in Mississippi, he had tried to award a contract to WQS there. Online minutes from the June 11, 2020 Holmes County meeting show WQS on the agenda, although the motion failed

D209 MAILER

Widespread concerns from page 1 logo and address on it and was sent with non-profit postage.

The document appears to be an attempt to debunk what the author, board President Rodney Alexander, calls “lie, after lie, after lie, after lie” on the part of board member Claudia Medina and accuses her of having “revealed herself to be someone who hates Black men in leadership.”

Alleged lies Medina is accused of in the document are claims that Supt. James Henderson’s previous school district is bankrupt, claims that she isn’t receiving information from the district and thus needs to request it via FOIA, and calling attention to previous news articles that show Henderson in a bad light.

“KEEP TALKING Medina – GOD has the last word! YOU don’t understand whose we are – We [Alexander and Henderson] are not only highly qualified for this work but are

and WQS was not hired.

In D209, six board members voted unanimously in favor of the contract on April 13.

Board member Claudia Medina had left the meeting immediately prior to the vote.

The agreement between D209 and WQS is for $6,600 per month until at least the end of September, when the contract can be extended in writing by both parties, for a total of at least $33,000, assuming a start date of May 1.

The $6,600 per month includes a consultant from WQS on-site four days each month. That figure includes lodging, meals, travel and transportation. If additional onsite time is needed, WQS will seek approval from district staff. In that case, WQS will charge $1,600 per day per consultant plus costs for lodging, meals, travel and transportation.

According to the contract, WQS will work with the school food authority (SFA), who was not identified in the document, to consult with the district on getting in-house food service set up. This includes creating a timeline and budget, providing recommendations on necessary remodeling and equipment, coordinating bids and hiring of contractors, and giving input on hiring programs for staff to run the in-house food service.

The total amount of the contract is over the $25,000 threshold above which state bidding procedures must be followed, requiring necessary legal notices of a request for proposals (RFP), sealed bids and selection of the lowest responsible bidder.

However, Henderson’s recommendation for WQS pointed to Board Policy 4:60, which

allows exceptions to state bidding procedures, such as “contracts for the services of individuals possessing a high degree of professional skill where the ability or fitness of the individual plays an important part.”

This wording is pulled directly from state code ILCS 5/10-20.21.

In such cases, according to the board policy, “when possible, the district will solicit at least three (3) written quotations.”

The district did receive two other written quotations, from Chicago-area-based firm Training Solutions, LLC and Louisiana-based School Food and Wellness Group, a well-known company with two full-time team members based in the Chicago area, according to the proposal sent to the district.

Training Solutions, LLC quoted a total cost of $13,500 for their consulting services.

School Food and Wellness quoted $150 an hour for between 70 and 115 hours, a range of between $10,500 and $17,250.

Both firms’ quotes were significantly lower than the minimum $33,000 proposal from WQS, but since the district claimed the “professional services” exemption, they are not under any obligation to choose the cheapest consultant.

The proposal from WQS included this: “In the pages that follow, we have addressed the district after our walk through of the facilities …”

The Review reached out to the two other firms that submitted proposals to see if they’d also done walk-throughs of the facilities. One of the firms responded, stating that they had not done a walk-through and, in fact, had been given less than 48 hours’

anointed for a time such as this to lead this work,” reads one part of the document.

The document also accuses the Forest Park Review, specifically Maria Maxham, the paper’s editor, of being a mouthpiece for Medina. Medina and Maxham, says Alexander, “continue to double-down on their lies, as if it’s going to make the lies true.”

The document further accuses the Mississippi State Auditor of participating in “a smear campaign against Dr. Henderson’s name for not utilizing a particular legal firm” after the state entity released an audit they said showed “widespread problems” and issued a press release regarding such.

The Review reached out to all board members regarding the mailer, including Alexander, who was contacted both by phone and email, and by time of publication had heard from two, Grant and Ned Wagner.

Grant said, via email, that she had no idea the mailer existed until she received it in the mail.

“I had absolutely no involvement in this,” she said. When asked what her knowledge was of who funded the document, she replied: “Unfortunately, the district paid for this.”

Wagner, too, said he wasn’t aware of the mailer ahead of time.

“I had no idea it was being developed,” Wagner said. “I would not have authorized it, but I will continue giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. I’m trying to be supportive of everyone, inclusive of Claudia [Medina].” He added: “I’m going to give [the mailer] a pass. I don’t want to add fuel to the fire. We need to heal.”

Residents in Proviso Facebook groups posted pictures of the mailer, overwhelmingly expressing the opinion that it was a waste of taxpayer money. Comments ranged from “Another Monty-Pythonesque example of failure, waste, and corruption” to “Totally inappropriate and a waste of taxpayer money. I’d like to know how much this mailing cost and who approved it” to “This the most unprofessional mess I have seen, I pray more people decide to run, this is terrible and a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

More information on the costs and distribution of the mailer will be printed once the Review receives information from the district.

CONTACT: info@vfpress.news

notice to prepare a proposal if they wished to be considered for the contract.

However, by using the state bidding law exemption, D209 was under no legal obligation to hire the lowest bidder, nor does there appear to be any requirement that equal opportunity, time, or tours are required to be given to consultants providing quotes.

In March, the D209 board approved payments of $7,500 to Ernest Clark, former CFO of Holmes County Consolidated School District, and $16,000 to Mississippi-based Samac Technology Networking Solutions to assist in the internal audit of technology.

These payments were between $5,000 and $25,000, so were not subject to official RFP policy. According to board regulations, in such cases three competitive quotes should be sought. But the district identified Clark and Samac as sole source providers and was thus exempt from the need to seek additional quotes.

The Review reached out to Henderson prior to writing this article, with specific questions about the contract and bids, and received the following response from the district’s public relations coordinator, Nicole Wilson: “The Superintendent will NOT be offering any further comment(s) to you, or any other reporters at the FPR, until you are ready to turn your pen to actual issues that impact the experiences, opportunities, and academic performance of students within this district.”

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

NEWS briefs Westchester makes April 30 Arbor Day April 30 is now Arbor Day in the village of Westchester after the Village Board unanimously passed a proclamation at a regular meeting on April 13.

The annual observance is designed to encourage people to plant trees and to understand their importance.

Arbor Day’s roots in America date back to the early 1870s in Nebraska City, according to History.com.

“A journalist by the name of Julius Sterling Morton moved to the state with his wife, Caroline, in 1854, a little more than 10 years before Nebraska gained its statehood in 1867,” the website explains. “The couple purchased 160 acres in Nebraska City and planted a wide variety of trees and shrubs in what was primarily a flat stretch of desolate plain.”

Arbory Day is now observed around the country and the world.

Westchester’s proclamation, which was signed by outgoing Village President Paul Gattuso, explained the importance of trees to the natural world and the economy.

“Trees are a renewable resource giving us paper, wood for our homes, full for our fires and countless other wood products,” the proclamation reads.

“Trees in our village increase property values, enhance the economic vitality of business areas, and beautify our commu-

nity,” the proclamation explains, adding that trees “wherever they are planted, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal.”

Hillside restaurant raising funds for slain employee’s family A Hillside restaurant has started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for a beloved worker who was fatally shot in Chicago on April 21.

Mario Sanders, a 29-year-old man from Chicago, was shot in the chest and shoulder in the city’s Lawndale community, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.

Angela White, a supervisor at the Lawrence’s Fish and Shrimp, 50 S. Mannheim Rd. in Hillside, said that Sanders worked at

the restaurant for three years and was beloved by employees.

“He was a wonderful person,” White said.

“He helped everybody. He even helped us train all of our employees.”

According to the GoFundMe, White had a 5-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter. He was “a well-liked and valuable member of the Lawrence’s team in Hillside. More importantly, he was a loving father to his beautiful children,” the GoFundMe adds.

The GoFundMe was started five days ago by the restaurant’s owner, Dan Griffin, and is designed to provide financial support for Sanders’s children.

“His Aunt Marshell will be taking on the responsibility of raising them and will be given the funds to take care of their needs,” the GoFundMe explains.

The restaurant’s goal is to raise $10,000

by May 7. As of Saturday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised $3,036.

Northlake man charged with reckless homicide after fatal accident April 3 The Northlake Police Department announced April 29 that they have charged a Northlake man with reckless homicide in a fatal crash that happened on April 3.

A laboratory test confirmed that John Catton, 62, was reportedly driving under the influence when his vehicle struck 37-yearold Bellwood resident Maria Alba, who was crossing the street near Mannheim Road and Major Avenue.

“A death investigation was initiated by the Northlake Police Department with the assistance of the West Suburban Major Crimes Tasks Force Traffic Crash Unit,” Northlake Police said. “Catton was charged with one count of felony Aggravated Driving Under the Influence causing death. Bond was set at $20,000 with a pending court date in the future.

“Members of the public are reminded that these complaints contain only charges and are not proof of the defendant’s guilt.

A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt

beyond a reasonable doubt.”

PMSA ranked 15th ‘best’ high school in Illinois by U.S. News & World Report Proviso Math and Science Academy, 8601 Roosevelt Rd. in Forest Park, is ranked 15th on U.S. News and World Report’s new rankings of Best High Schools in Illinois.

The school is ranked 324th nationally out of nearly 18,000 public schools that the publication ranked.

In previous years, such as in 2018, U.S. News has ranked PMSA as high as 8th in the state and 175th in the nation.

In a methodology provided online, U.S. News explained that the data used to produce its rankings comes from a range of third-party sources, including annual Common Core data, statewide math and reading level assessment tests and high school graduation rates, Advanced Placement exam data and International Baccalaureate examination data.

Proviso East and Proviso West were both unranked by U.S. News.

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

PUBLIC REAL ESTATE NOTICES FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE PUBLIC FOR SALE NOTICES

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING CONCERNING THE ANNUAL BUDGET OF THE VILLAGE OF BROADVIEW BEFORE THE CORPORATE AUTHORITIES OF THE VILLAGE OF BROADVIEW, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS (FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING MAY 1, 2021 AND ENDING APRIL 30, 2022) PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Corporate Authorities of the Village of Broadview, Cook County, Illinois (the “Village”), will hold a public hearing on the 17 day of May, 2021, at 6:30 P.M. In response to the growing concern related to the spread of the novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and pursuant to executive orders issued by the Governor of Illinois in response to COVID-19, the hearing will be held virtually and broadcast on the Village’s website. The purpose of the hearing will be to consider the tentative Annual Budget for the Village of Broadview for the fiscal year commencing on May 1, 2021 and ending April 30, 2022 and to receive public comments on the same.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF THE REGULARLY 2nd REVISED SCHEDULED MEETINGS OF THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF MELROSE PARK, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR OF JANUARY 1, 2021 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING LLC Plaintiff, -v.NORTH STAR TRUST COMPANY, AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO BANCO POPULAR, TO PIONEER BANK AND TRUST COMPANY AS T/U/T NO. 26246 DTD: 10/23/96, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Defendants 17 CH 12124 510 ANDY DRIVE 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 April 7, 2021, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on June 8, 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 510 ANDY DRIVE, MELROSE PARK, IL 60160 Property Index No. 15-02-107-0620000 The real estate is improved with a single family home with attached 1 car garage.

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 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.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.

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.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 20-04346IL Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 17 CH 12124 TJSC#: 41-645 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 # 17 CH 12124 I3168097

Public comment requests for the meeting must be written and filed with the Village Clerk at least one hour and thirty minutes before the scheduled meeting via email to the Village Clerk Kevin McGrier at kmcgrier@broadview-il.gov.

Persons submitting public comments via email are strongly encouraged to provide their name, their telephone number, and their home address to allow the Village to contact them if so merited and if such information is relevant to their comment.

Copies of the tentative Annual Budget for the Village (upon which the Annual Budget Ordinance for the Village of Broadview will be based) are and have been available for public inspection at the Office of the Village Clerk.

By order of the President (Mayor) of the Village of Broadview, Cook County, Illinois.

DATED the 24th day of April, 2021.

Village Clerk Village of Broadview, Cook County, Illinois Published in Village Free Press May 5, 2021

TAKE NOTICE THAT, the Village of Melrose Park, Cook County, Illinois, will conduct the regularly scheduled meetings of the President and Board of Trustees on the second and fourth Mondays of each calendar month, unless otherwise noted below, at the hour of 6:00 p.m. at the Village Board Meeting Room located on the First Floor of the Police Department of the Village of Melrose Park at One North Broadway Avenue (Broadway & Main Streets), Melrose Park, Illinois 60160. Schedule for the calendar year of January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021: January 25, 2021 February 22, 2021 March 22, 2021 April 26, 2021 May 24, 2021 June 28, 2021 July 26, 2021 August 23, 2021 September 13 & 27, 2021 TUESDAY October 12 & 25, 2021 November 8 & 22, 2021 December 13 & December 27, 2021 THE VILLAGE OF MELROSE PARK BY: /s/ Mary Ann Paolantonio, Village Clerk Published in Village Free Press May 5, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21006612 on April 14, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of CHEF RELL with the business located at: 3938 W GLADYS AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60624. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: CHARELL MARQUISE KING 3938 W GLADYS AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60624, USA Published in Village Free Press April 28, May 5, May 12, 2021

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals.

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777.

Village Free Press

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Village Free Press | May 5, 2021

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