Vol. I No. XIV
@village_free
OCTOBER 4, 2017
@maywoodnews
thevillagefreepress.org
Proposed charter school eyes Proviso Township students
‘WE CARE’: Brenda Windmon, 48, embraces Germaine Porter, a member of Mothers of Murdered Sons, in Conner-Heise Memorial Park in Maywood. The group’s founder, Phyllis Duncan, organized a vigil on Sept. 30 in the park for Michael Jones, Windmon’s 14-yearold adopted brother, who was killed in August while walking near the park in August. Read the story on page 5.
The school would open in the fall of 2019, said the official spearheading the proposal By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
One woman from River Forest wants to start an elementary charter school somewhere in the western suburbs that would try luring students who attend public schools in Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89, Bellwood School District 88, River Forest School District 90, Forest Park District 91 and Lindop School District 92 and Oak Park School District 97, among others. While the proposal has drawn considerable backlash among Oak Park residents, the reaction has been relatively muted among residents further west. Most community leaders in places like Bellwood, Broadview, Maywood and Melrose Park who were interviewed about the proposal said that See CHARTER SCHOOL on page 10
My aunt, the matriarch PAGE 8
SEBASTIAN HIDALGO/VFP
FBI releases new crime stats Data shows stark decrease in violent crime in Maywood
By JYLLIAN ROACH Wednesday Journal
On Sept. 25, the FBI released its annual Uniform Crime Report (which details crime statistics in localities across the country) and it paints a picture, although imperfect, of the public safety landscape in Maywood
and surrounding suburbs, including Bellwood, Broadview and Melrose Park. The information in this year’s report is from 2016, but also includes crime data going back five years. The FBI has collected, published and archived crime data from state agencies in the United States since 1930. Legislators
often reference these numbers while drafting new bills that impact crime. Chambers of Commerce and tourism agencies can also use the provided information to attract businesses and vacationers. And law enforcement agencies See FBI CRIME STATS on page 6