the village free press Vol. II No. 26
D89 shines at Special Olympics, PAGE 2
JUNE 27, 2018
thevillagefreepress.org
Jevon Carter er drafted, PAGE 2
Maywood retains law firm, joins opioid lawsuit Board signs agreement with Edelson PC to go after drug makers, pushers By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
The village of Maywood has joined a growing list of municipalities named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against “more than 20 pharmaceutical companies and their subsidiaries, drug distribution companies and three doctors who formerly ran an alleged opioid ‘pill mill’ out of a now-shuttered pain clinic in Riverside,” according to previous reporting. During a Regular June 5 meeting, the Maywood Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a retention agreement with Edelson PC, a Chicago law firm, which recently filed the class action lawsuit on behalf of 11 municipalities, including Bellwood and Melrose Park, in the Chancery Division of Cook County Circuit Court. Maywood Trustee Ron Rivers was absent. The eight-count lawsuit, filed May 23, seeks monetary damages as a result of a “civil conspiracy” on the part of the doctors and drug firms comprising deceptive marketing, fraud and negligence. Among the pharmaceutical firms listed as defendants are Purdue Pharma, Allergan and Cardinal Health Inc. A pain clinic See MAYWOOD RETAINS FIRM on page 6
ALEXA ROGALS
HONORED: Proviso East Men’s Basketball Coach Donnie Boyce and East Women’s Basketball Coach Ezra PridGeon Jr. receive awards during the June 20 Night of Champions in River Forest.
Star power lights up awards party Pirates Biosah, Buenrostro and basketball teams win big
By MARTY FARMER Wednesday Journal
Athletes from Proviso East High School stole the show at the fourth annual Night of Champions on June 20. Night of Champions honors the achievements of elite high school teams, athletes and coaches from Proviso East, Oak Park and River Forest (OPRF), Fenwick, Riverside-Brookfield, Lyons Township and
Nazareth Academy. Approximately 400 guests packed the Dominican University auditorium, receiving awards ranging from Most Inspirational to Coach of the Year, and listening to banter from Emery Lehman, a two-time Olympic speed skater and OPRF alumnus. Proviso East’s track and field star Moses Biosah won Male Athlete of the Year, and Janet Buenrostro won Female Athlete of the Year for her tennis game. The Pirates’
tradition-rich boys and girls basketball teams came away big winners as well, winning Female and Male Teams of the Year, respectively. Biosah, a Forest Park resident by way of Nigeria, finished first in three races at the Pirates Midwest Classic and captured two more races at the Proviso East Sectional, among many other accolades all season. He See NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS on page 7