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APRIL 1, 2020

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Safety is a priority for police, fire

COVID-19 pandemic brings new challenges

By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

Police officers and firefighters, who deal with the public on a daily basis, have changed the way they interact in order to keep themselves and the public safe.

Forest Park Chief of Police Tom Aftanas said one of the biggest changes for his department has involved minimizing in-person contact for smaller offenses.

Aftanas said that WESCOM, the West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center, has been getting phone numbers of people who call in with minor situations, such as a package theft or a stolen bicycle.

“Officers will call them back and get the relevant information over the phone,” Aftanas said. Unless there’s evidence that needs to be collected or a serious crime being committed, the department is avoiding as much in-person contact as possible.

Although Forest Park’s village hall is closed, people needing police assistance can ring the bell and be allowed into the lobby, where they can speak to a police representative through a glass separator.

Obviously, said Aftanas, if there’s a visible injury or evidence or photos that need to be collected or taken, an officer will come out to the lobby. But minimizing unnecessary contact is a goal in keeping the department safe.

See FIRST RESPONDERS on page 12

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

SOCIAL DISTANCING Forest Park residents keep their distance while greeting one another at the park. While the walking paths at the park district are open, all outdoor facilities are closed. See more on page 4.

County’s COVID-19 website here today, gone tomorrow Last week, the online data portal suddenly stopped working for a day

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

The number of COVID-19 cases in many suburbs is rising rapidly, but residents last week had a hard time accessing the Cook County Department of Public Health’s

IN Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 THIS Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 ISSUE Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

COVID-19 Surveillance Data portal, which is the best tool for tracking confirmed cases within individual suburbs.

After apparently going dark for a day, the site was back running on Sunday, albeit with multiple reports of people getting disconnected from the server. As

of March 30, the website reported 16 cases of COVID-19 in Forest Park.

Interviews with at least five suburban and county elected officials reveal a cloud of confusion surrounding the data portal’s sudden disappearance on March See COVID-19 WEBSITE on page 10

Resident makes masks from home

CROP walk goes virtual

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Census ad (FPR) 040120.pdf ForestFPSD91 Park Review, April 1, 2020

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Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

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Losing two of our stalwart neighbors

e lost two longtime neighbors this month.

Their deaths weren’t caused by the coronavirus but socialdistancing prevented us from giving them a proper sendoff.

One of these neighbors, Richard “Dick” Gray Sr. was previously profiled in these pages. The other was Ruth Hopp, who died on March 14 at the age of 80.

If it wasn’t for Ruth, we would never have moved to Forest Park. We were ready to rent elsewhere when she alerted us to a vacant house on Thomas. After we outgrew that bungalow, Ruth found a five-bedroom for us on Beloit. We belonged to the same church, so I called Ruth “God’s Realtor.”

We lived two doors from Ruth and Norm Hopp for 32 years! It was ideal because they didn’t have a backyard fence. This created a mini-park for our kids, which we dubbed “Rice Stadium.” We played baseball, football and soccer there year-round.

Our kids also had an extra set of doting grandparents. Ruth made an adorable recording of our kids singing Sunday school songs. She played piano for church services and accompanied choirs at retirement homes. With no formal training, she played by ear. Ruth recently played hymns at two

of our family funerals.

She loved playing the old hymns. Growing up in a religious family in Englewood, she attended a Christian high school but didn’t care for it and transferred to a secretarial school.

She enjoyed a career in clerical work and was employed at the Edward Don Company, 26th & Harlem, for 36 years.

Norm and Ruth have lived in their house for 48 years. They loved village life and often walked to The Park for softball games and fireworks. We had countless backyard conferences and enjoyed a standing invitation to Hopp family parties. We helped them celebrate their 50th anniversary.

I played basketball and baseball with their sons, Ricky and Billy. I felt like I was 14 again. My wife was a good sport about it, even when we had young children. If I saw Norm firing up his grill, he always made room for my meal.

Ruth was very sweet but could be tough when necessary. Norm was a school custodian and cut lawns on the side. At the age of 89, he still mows lawns for five Forest Parkers who are unable to keep up with their yardwork. Norm faithfully cut his next-door neighbor’s lawn, until at last a fence was put up between them.

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We watched Ruth’s funeral remotely and, of course, it wasn’t the same. We also missed the wake and funeral of Dick Gray. Ruth may have been “God’s Realtor” but Dick Gray was the real deal. Ruth drew us to Forest Park and Dick Gray advised us to stay.

I wasn’t aware of his long career on our fire department, until I read about it in the Review. His son, Rich, recounted the spectacular fires his dad had fought and said he suffered lung damage from firefighting.

Dick Gray endured breathing problems, until nine years ago, when he had a successful lung transplant. I considered him a medical miracle. He remained our neighbor until he sold the house on Beloit to Rich. Dick moved to Dunlop and remained in town the rest of his life.

Rich was blown away by the respect the fire department showed his dad after his passing and is planning to host a public celebration of his life when social-distancing is no longer necessary.

I think Ruth deserves a similar celebration. I’ll do the cooking, if Norm lets me use his grill.

■ John Rice is a columnist/private detective, who has seen his business and family thrive in Forest Park. He thoroughly enjoys life in the village and still gets a thrill smelling Red Hots, watching softball and strolling through cemeteries. Jrice1038@aol.com

T I M E . . .

Hometown heroes Two of Forest Park’s hometown heroes in 1994 were dispatchers Dora Warnock and Darlene Dunne. Not only responsive and responsible in assessing situations over the phone, they were known for their skill in transmitting information to the first responders.

They also managed the “Are You OK?” program in Forest Park. This was a daily computerized wellbeing phone call for seniors and shut ins.

F O R E S T PA R K

REVIEW Editor Maria Maxham Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, John Rice, Bob Skolnik, Jackie Glosniak, Robert J. Lifka Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes, John Rice Senior Editor Bob Uphues IT Manager/Web Developer Mike Risher Editorial Designer Mark Moroney Ad Design Manager Andrew Mead Ad Designer Debbie Becker Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Revenue & Advertising Manager Dawn Ferencak Ad Sales Marc Stopeck Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Front Desk Carolyn Henning, Maria Murzyn

Publisher Dan Haley Associate Publisher Dawn Ferencak Business Manager Joyce Minich HOW TO REACH US ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-366-0600 ■ FAX 708-467-9066 EMAIL forestpark@wjinc.com ONLINE ForestParkReview.com TWITTER @FP_Review Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Forest Park Review,141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302-2901. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS No 0205-160) In-county subscriptions: $25 per year. $42 for two years, $58 for three years.

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Jill Wagner

JUGGLING ACT: Dispatchers Dora Warnock (left) and Darlene Dunne at work at the Forest Park Police Department | Photo by Frank Pinc, November 30,1994

Share photos on Instagram using #fpreview or email alexa@oakpark.com.

All photos become property of Forest Park Review for possible future use in print or digital capacities.

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Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

D91 extends school closure to at least April 14 Kids encouraged to get fresh air but stay off playground equipment

By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

Park district reminder: all park facilities closed Walking trails open, but social distancing recommended

OFF LIMITS: Although the paths at the park district can be used, all outdoor equipment and facilities are closed.

By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

The Park District of Forest Park posted a March 27 reminder to residents that all park district facilities, including the playgrounds, outdoor fitness court and outdoor facilities are closed to the public through at least April 7. This include the restrooms, soccer field and skate park.

“Our walking trails remain open,” said the message on the park district’s website, “so if you decide to utilize these, please follow the NRPA [National Recreation and Park Association] and CDC’s recommended guidelines on social distancing.”

The park district also reminded people that congregating in groups is not advised.

ALEXA ROGALS/ Staff Photographer

“While it is important to get outside and be active, it is also important to make sure that we follow proper social distancing protocol, as well as avoiding any social gatherings and staying home if you feel sick.”

Earlier in the month the park district announced that all its programming is on hold until further notice. This includes postponement of the annual Easter egg hunts and the Celebrating Seniors Brunch.

Village looking out for seniors Community center closed but providing some services

By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

Despite village hall and the community center being closed to in-person access, Village Administrator Tim Gillian made it clear that the village will continue to offer assistance to seniors in Forest Park.

Gillian said all Forest Park homeowners on the senior citizen property tax exemption list will be receiving a letter from the village of Forest Park with instructions on how they can get help if needed.

Older adults needing assistance can contact the village at 708-366-2323.

The community center, which offers extensive services to seniors when open, is closed but is still available to help with the following services, which are subject to change: • Senior bus transportation, by appointment, for dialysis and medical appoint-

ments, with verbal health pre-screening • Assistance with grocery shopping needs • Food delivery if needed • Prescription pickup “We understand that COVID-19 has created extraordinary times, and please know that we are here to support your needs,” reads the letter. “If you do not need to go out, then don’t. Just call us and we will help you!”

All residents can call the following numbers: • Village Hall: 708-366-2323 (daytime) • Overnight: 708-366-2425 (non-emergency police) • Emergency: 9-1-1

District 91 has extended the date schools will remain closed until at least Tuesday, April 14. A March 27 email to parents from Supt. Lou Cavallo said the district is awaiting instruction from the governor and state superintendent about further mandatory closure, but in the meantime the district has decided to extend the closure past April 8. eLearning will resume after spring break on March 30, with teachers providing instruction and accessible to students from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Students can access lessons via Google Classroom, Zoom and other formats. According to the message, “Your child’s teacher will provide more information about how to access these lessons,” and an attendance document will be shared with parents.

Parents of kids in first or second grade that don’t have a computer or tablet can email their child’s principal and a Chromebook pick up will be arranged.

Lunches for all students in district will be provided to those in need from 11 a.m. until noon at Garfield School, 543 Hannah Ave., and at the rear gym entrance (door 15) of Forest Park Middle School on the 900 block of Ferdinand.

Those picking up lunches are instructed to practice social distancing and not go around the tables that are placed in front of the doors; staff will put lunches on the table for pick-up.

Cavallo also strongly encouraged parents to let their children get some outdoor time and exercise.

“Keep in mind, however, that congregating on the playground equipment at the schools is not a good idea,” said Cavallo in the email. “We still need to practice social distancing and remain isolated from others at this time. Also, we are not cleaning and disinfecting the playground equipment daily at the schools.”

Playground equipment at the park district and at village owned parks is off limits as well.

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

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Making masks at home ‘I see a need and I want to help’

By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

Sandy Byrnes has been sewing masks every day for weeks.

“I start at about 5 or 5:30 in the morning,” said Byrnes. “I start cutting, and then I sit down and sew. I take breaks to stretch my legs and eat.”

Since she started about two weeks ago, she’s made over 270 cotton face masks, which can be worn to help protect people from spreading the COVID-19 virus. They’re not N95 masks, but Byrnes is giving and sending them to people who don’t have access to protective equipment.

“They’re not used as surgical masks,” said Byrnes. But she explained that they can go over a surgical mask for extra protection. And they can be washed and used again.

One of her grandsons is a nursing student in St. Louis, and his cousin who works at the hospital said they were short on masks, so Byrnes sent some there.

She sent more to her grandson in Nashville, whose friends in the food industry needed protection.

She’s sent them to friends in Florida and donated them to people who want to visit their elderly grandparents.

Locally, Ed’s Way employees have benefited from Byrnes’ masks, as have some of the senior citizens in the community and the staff at ATI physical therapy. Her plan is to get them to the people who need them. For free. She accepts donations to pay for material but doesn’t ask for it.

Byrnes is running low on the ¼ and 1/8-inch elastic she needs for the masks, and is looking into the possibility of

using stretchy ponytail holders instead.

The idea to make masks at home came to Byrnes when she heard on the news that there were shortages.

Experienced in the art of sewing already – she makes quilts and teaches classes at the park district – Byrnes put out a message online to see if anyone wanted a homemade mask.

Immediately, people replied. So she picked up extra fabric and started cutting and sewing.

“It takes about eight minutes to make one mask if I work really hard,” said Byrnes. But that’s only the sewing part. Measuring and cutPhoto provided ting must be done beforehand.

SUNUP TO SUNDOWN: Sandy Byrnes, pictured with her husband Joe Byrnes, has “I want to make sure everyone’s been sewing masks for people on the frontlines for weeks. taken care of,” said Byrnes.

This isn’t the first time she’s And she’s made quilts that she donates to organizations used her skills and artistry to help like Ronald McDonald House and Hephzibah. She said her others. In the winter, she’s made fingerless gloves for the drive-through workers at McDonald’s, designed to keep husband Joe Byrnes, village commissioner, is known as the their hands warm while allowing them to handle cash and Quilt Man at the Fisher VA home at the Edward Hines VA do their jobs. She gives the same to homeless people as well. Hospital because he delivers her quilts there so regularly.

Byrnes said she’ll keep making masks as long as there’s And she never asks for a dime in return.

“I see them and think, ‘They need that!’ I know some peo- a need, and she’s always looking out for people who need something. “I see a need and I want to help,” she said. ple can’t just go out and buy it,” Byrnes said.

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Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

COVID-19 changing real estate business Priority is safety in uncertain market

By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

It’s spring, which is normally the season for open houses and showings, for Realtors to drive clients around to look for a new home. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, the market – and the way agents are doing their jobs – has changed. The economy is in jeopardy with businesses closing and unemployment rising.

Local Realtor April Baker, of the Gillian-Baker Team at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, said the way she does her job has “completely changed.”

“We’re shifting gears from personal and in-person to doing this virtually,” said Baker. “At the end of the day, the show must go on, but how we participate in it has changed.”

Open houses are being hosted online, with real estate agents going online at the house being sold and allowing “visitors” to ask questions and make comments. The Realtor can move around the house to show visitors different rooms or spaces on video.

“We’re reducing the number of people in homes we’re showing,” said Baker, who added that it’s easier to do for vacant homes than for those still inhabited by sellers.

Alternate methods for some appraisals through Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac include “desktop” or “exterior,” online or external-only appraisals.

But Baker pointed out that this isn’t possible for all homes and depends on the loan program the buyer is using.

For buyers’ home inspections, sellers are often requested to turn on all lights and to unlock or open doors in anticipation of the inspection to minimize things that need to be touched.

Village inspections, at least in Forest Park, are still happening. Steve Glinke, director of the Department of Public Health and Safety which oversees building and zoning for the village, says if a home is unoccupied, he gets the code and wears gloves to do the inspection. If occupied, he communicates with the residents ahead of time and asks if they want him to wear a mask in addition to gloves. Some do; some don’t, he said.

“I do everything I can to protect myself and the homeowners,” said Glinke. “I don’t touch anything I don’t have to touch.”

He said that there were already a

lot of closings in the queue before the pandemic began, and his goal is to make things as easy and safe for people as possible.

“Real estate closings are high-stress already,” said Glinke. “I don’t want to make the situation any more stressful.”

Although village hall is closed to inperson traffic, he and his staff are still taking and returning phone calls, and Glinke said payments can be handled through the village drop box. Transfer stamps are delivered to people in their cars in the parking lot by Glinke or his staff.

“We are still accommodating requests being made, as safely as we can while helping meet people’s needs,” said Glinke.

To further keep people safe during home selling, Baker said real estate rules have changed quickly to keep up with the current pandemic situation. While previously it was required that in-person showings were done for any homes listed on the MLS, virtual showings are now allowed.

And if sellers prefer not to show their home during this time, Baker said the home can be given temporary off-the-market status, which used to continue to accrue market time but currently does not. This change aims to reassure sellers that their homes won’t be looked at unfavorably once the market recovers.

“This is a serious advantage for sellers,” said Baker.

Baker said all this is a huge shift from February, which was “an extremely busy market” for real estate.

But even so, the market hasn’t come to a complete halt. Not only were there houses already in the sometimes-long process of contract to closing, there are still people selling their homes now.

Real estate is still deemed an “essential business” in Illinois, and everyone from the Realtors to the title companies to inspectors are making it their primary goal to keep everyone safe.

“Everyone understands the priority is safety,” said Baker. “We’re trying to take care of each other.”

Baker said interest rates right now are good for refinancing, and she encourages people stuck at home to work on home improvement projects if they’re looking to sell some time soon.

“It’s a good time to attack that to-do list,” she said.

Local restaurants help Oak Park Moms feed health workers $10,000 raised, 1,000 meals served

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, a phone call with her sister-in-law inspired Liz Murphy, an Oak Parker, to provide meals to healthcare professionals working long hours in our local hospitals.

Murphy’s sister-in-law, a respiratory therapist, lamented having eaten nothing more than a small bag of Cheetos during a grueling 24-hour shift. Local grocery stores had been cleaned out of supplies, self-serve food stations had shut down and hospital dining rooms were closed.

Hospital workers were facing severely limited dining options.

Murphy, a mother to an active four-year-old and with a career in advertising, is also a breast cancer survivor and knows firsthand the value of healthcare workers. Additionally, her sister is a nurse and her mother a former nurse.

Family connections and her personal narrative compelled Murphy to give back to the healthcare professionals and the behind-the-scenesworkers who keep hospitals running smoothly.

She turned to the internet and made a post on Oak Park Working Moms (OPWM), a powerful Facebook group made up of nearly 6,000 members, asking for donations to provide a meal for local health care workers.

“I thought I would get a few donations and send some cookies to a hospital,” said Murphy with a laugh, “but things really snowballed; it was overwhelming. We took in an unbelievable amount of donations.”

Murphy collected more than $10,000 in donations given largely in $5 and $10 increments.

With support from fellow OPWM members, Jennifer Phinney and Jill Wejman, Murphy was able to purchase far more than cookies. Relying on local restaurants, she delivered meals to 20 Chicago-area hospitals, with 50 to 100 mouths to feed at each location. Her simple idea morphed into feeding more than 1,000 hospital employees over the past two weeks including laundry workers, custodial staff, receptionists, nurses and doctors working on the front lines during the pandemic.

“I figured I could kill two birds with one stone,” said Murphy. “I could give a boost to our healthcare workers while supporting our local restaurants and the restaurants have been eager to help.”

At a time when local eateries are fighting for their future, Murphy indicated many restaurants added extra food to orders, offered discounts and personally delivered food to the hospital.

Thanks to donations made through OPWM, Connie Brown of Brown Cow Ice Cream, 7347 Madison St., Forest Park, partnered up with Donna Fantetti-Slepicka of River Forest Chocolates, 7769 Lake St., River Forest, to provide an array of sweets to local hospital workers at West Suburban Hospital.

The donations from OPWM’s were spread far

Photo provided by Elizabeth Murphy

Nurses with food donated from local restaurants. and wide among both local restaurants and medical facilities. Here are more examples.

Cindy Summer of Sugar Fixé Pâtisserie, 119 N. Marion St., Oak Park, closed her bakery in response to mandated dining room closures, but put her skills to use putting together an array of pastries for hospital staff at Rush Oak Park. She did the same for Loyola Hospital in Maywood.

In addition to desserts, all staff members working the night shift in the pediatric ward, Pediatric ICU, NICU, ER and the internal medicine floor at Loyola received a full dinner from Eastgate Bistro, at 102 Harrison St., Oak Park, thanks to Murphy’s fundraising efforts.

Brendan O’Connor of Big Guys Sausage Stand, 7021 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn, used donated funds to deliver roast turkey sandwiches and potato soup to Northwestern Hospital last week, while Patrick O’Brien of Scratch on Lake, 733 Lake St., Oak Park, delivered sandwiches and assorted sides to Cook County Trauma Center.

Fare from Delia’s Kitchen, 1034 Lake St., Oak Park, went to Comer Children’s Hospital; Tre Sorelle Ristorante, 1111 Lake St., Oak Park, provided a meal to MacNeal Hospital, and Kettlestrings Tavern, 800 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, delivered to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.

Starship Subs, 7618 Madison St., Forest Park, put together a nice box of sandwiches for first responders at Loretto Hospital. Owner Paul McKenna said he made every effort to maximize the donated money by offering discounted orders to keep costs down.

“These women are working moms,” said McKenna, “and Elizabeth has taken this on despite being very busy.”

McKenna’s daughter works in the emergency department at an Oak Park hospital, making his desire to support healthcare workers deeply personal.

“Everybody stepping up and working together is what makes our country great,” said McKenna. “This is a hard time and doing something like this makes people feel better.”

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

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C R I M E

Two armed robberies on same day

representing COVID-19 on a CTA train, were arrested on March 27 at 2:59 a.m. at 1 Harlem Ave. They were observed climbing over the barbed wire fence and into the CTA Green Line train yard after throwing two bags over. After being apprehended by police, one of the men reported that he’d been tagging trains for about two years, though this was going to be his first time tagging Green or Blue Line trains in Forest Park. He said he typically paints “German” colors on the trains but planned a reference to the current pandemic that night. The bags contained bolt cutters and several spray-paint cans.

Both men were charged with criminal defacement of property and criminal trespass to state supported land.

An armed robbery brought police to Boost Mobile, 7227 Roosevelt Rd., on March 24 at 5:30 p.m. An employee, hiding in the rear of the building, called police, who determined the offender was no longer on the scene. The employee stated that a black male wearing a surgical mask, blue latex gloves, a black winter hat with a brim, a dark blue hoodie, black pants and black Nike Air Force One shoes entered the store and displayed a handgun. He pointed the gun at the employee, demanding the employee put cash from the register into the offender’s backpack.

The employee was then forced to go to the back of the store.

A second armed robbery at 7-Eleven, 205 Harlem Ave., occurred on March 24 at 10:53 p.m. The store clerk called police and reported that a black man, approximately five feet two inches tall and 25 years old, wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans, gloves of an unknown color and no face mask, entered the store and pointed a handgun at the clerk.

The offender ordered the clerk to open the register, which contained no cash. The gunman then ordered him to open the safe under the counter. The clerk said he didn’t know how, and was ordered to open a second register, which contained an unknown amount of cash. The offender took the cash and fled the store. Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest police began searching the area, but the suspect was not located.

were notified on March 25 that packages had been delivered, and an unknown offender took possession of them. The packages contained an Apple iPad Pro (valued at $950), an Apple Pencil (valued at $120), an Apple Smart Keyboard (valued at $190) and a 13inch laptop sleeve case (valued at $18).

Packages stolen from porch

Woman spits on clerks, charged with battery

Packages containing expensive electronics were stolen from a residence on the 500 block of Desplaines Ave. on March 16. Police

A female offender was charged with three counts of battery for spitting on three different clerks at Thornton’s, 601 Harlem Ave., on March 25 at 10:04 p.m. According to the clerks, the offender got upset when she found the bathroom door locked, punching and kicking the door. She then approached the counter and began arguing with the clerks, eventually spitting in their faces.

After leaving the store, she got into a car, which headed toward the I-290 expressway.

Police stopped the vehicle. The driver coop-

Tip hotline Anyone with information regarding the cases mentioned in this report, or on another matter, is encouraged to contact the Forest Park police department’s hotline at 708-615-6239.

Information may be left anonymously.

Mural defaced – again The “No Human is Illegal” mural on the Circle Avenue bridge was defaced once again, this time with black permanent marker. The reporting officer, an evidence technician, took photos as evidence at 2:48 p.m. on March 24.

Chamber collecting PPE and supplies Donations needed for first responders

By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

The Forest Park Chamber of Commerce is helping collect critical equipment for local

hospitals. They are looking for the following: surgical masks, N95 masks, gowns, face shields, thermometers, thermometer covers, hand sanitizer, isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera, and gloves.

Any businesses or individuals who have these items to donate are encouraged to email christine@whatnowadvisors or laurie@exploreforestpark.com or call 773-507-5999.

erated by stepping out of the vehicle when asked, but the suspect, who was in the passenger seat, locked the doors and raised the windows as officers spoke to her. Officers finally were able to get her out of the car, and she was charged with one count of obstructing a police officer in addition to the battery charges.

Chips stolen from vehicle A $20 bulk pack of snack size chips, including Flaming Hots, Cheetos and spicy BBQ chips, was stolen from a vehicle on the 200 block of Circle Avenue overnight. Police were called on March 26 at 9:59 a.m. after the owner found the rear hatch door of his vehicle opened that morning.

Two men, one planning COVID-19 graffiti, arrested Two men, one planning to paint a “germ”

Woman robbed while returning dog to neighbor A woman’s car on the 800 block of Hannah Avenue was robbed while she secured a loose dog on March 23 between 6:15 and 6:35 p.m. She had parked her car in the garage and left it running while she caught the dog and returned it to its owner. When she got back to her car, she noticed her wallet, that had been on the front passenger seat, was missing. She reported there was cash in her wallet, along with her ID, credit cards and insurance cards.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, March 23-27, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded.

Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

Compiled by Maria Maxham

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Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

Measuring success by lives impacted, not dollars earned

Social equity drives cannabis business hoping to open in town

By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

“’When you do something you love, you won’t work another day in your life.’ You know that quote? That’s how I feel,” said Mario.

Mario turned 21 in March. He was recently declared cancer-free after a sudden diagnosis and intense treatment, during which he mitigated the effects of chemotherapy with marijuana to reduce nausea. And he has what he calls a dream job, working for Karuna, a recreational marijuana company hoping to get licensed in Illinois and open a dispensary and cultivation center in Forest Park.

Karuna founder and CEO Mike Cardozo won’t know until May at the earliest if he’ll be granted a dispensary license from the state, but he already has full-time employees on the payroll, and, through his incubator program, he’s training them to be budtenders, the term for employees working at medical or recreational cannabis retailers who interact with customers, answering questions about products.

At a recent training session Cardozo held in Chicago for his employees, one of whom is from Forest Park, the presentation by Cardozo and his business partners Matt Gaboury and Keoni DeFranco was vibrant, detailed, fascinating. Phrases like “lighting a bowl” and discussions about “shake,” the stuff left over in the bag after you use up all the flower, peppered the conversation in a casual way that takes a moment to get used to if you’re not in the industry and grew up with pot being illegal.

An in-depth conversation about terpenes highlighted how different types of cannabis produce different effects. But the way they interact with a person’s physiology can vary from person to person.

“There are so many hybrids,” said Gaboury while the trainees looked at the handouts and took notes. “Plus, individual biology means that different strains affect people in different ways.”

He talked about how someday there might be blood tests that can help determine the perfect product for each person. For now, though, the job of budtenders will be to help people evaluate what their expectations and desires are and matching them up with the perfect product.

“The budtender is the single-most important part of the industry,” said Gaboury, stressing to the trainees the significance of interacting and consulting with customers.

Cardozo lives in Maryland, but, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was flying out every month to personally teach his employees about various industry topics.

“The idea is to give them a foundation

that will launch them into successful cannabis careers, whether for us or for someone else,” said Cardozo. “We are enrolling every participant in online dispensary operations training, which provides industry-standard budtender certification. We offer them opportunities to work on application writing, legislative advocacy, production methods and more.”

Cardozo has 10 employees already on his payroll. Six are social equity employees, required by the state of Illinois, which has probably the strongest social equity component of any state that has legalized marijuana.

A social equity application in Illinois requires that the applicant has at least 10 full time employees, at least 51 percent of whom either currently reside in an area disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs or have been arrested for or convicted of a marijuana related offense now eligible for expungement.

Cardozo told his employees up front about the application rules. But for him, meeting the requirements isn’t just something he has to do; it’s something he says he believes in.

“It was about more than just employing a diverse group,” said Cardozo in an interview. “I want to see them end up in my position someday as an equity partner with their own company. Employment is a great start, but the social equity needle really starts to move once we see diversity in ownership positions. My intention is to provide enough support, education and guidance to our incubator participants that they eventually end up where I’m sitting.”

It might be easy to dismiss his words as lip service. After all, he’s already a successful business owner, co-founder of Chesapeake Alternatives, a Maryland medical cannabis processor and dispensary company acquired

by Green Thumbs Industries last year.

But his desire to help others isn’t something new. He grew up with two older sisters in a family where his parents understood that when you’re fortunate, there is an obligation to give back.

“I credit my family with shaping my perspectives,” Cardozo said. “My dad, in particular, taught us that a meaningful life is built on integrity and service to others. As he approaches his 80th birthday, he remains my most trusted advisor, role model and supporter.”

Cardozo was always heavily involved in volunteer work and has spent every summer since he was 19 volunteering for 10 days at the Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp, annual therapeutic residential summer camp for young burn survivors.

“It’s the most important week of my year,” he said.

Medicine was a passion for him, and he worked as an EMT and firefighter and in a psychiatric hospital for mentally ill adolescents. When the opioid epidemic claimed the lives of two friends, and he witnessed the epidemic destroy people around him,

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR: Mike Cardozo, CEO and founder of Karuna, hopes to get licensed by the state and open shop in Forest Park. he saw a way to help through medical marijuana.

“It became my life’s purpose,” said Cardozo. “It’s what gets me up every morning.”

He saw medical marijuana as a safe alternative to opioids, a way to help with withdrawal symptoms and effective for pain management.

“Marijuana is not a gateway drug; it’s an exit drug,” said Cardozo.

When Illinois began talk of legalizing marijuana and Cardozo saw the strong social equity component of the state’s plan, he was excited about the implications for helping people in other ways, about bettering the lives of individuals who had been negatively impacted by the unfair enforcement of drug laws. He sought out employees that would benefit from a job in the industry.

“We were looking for people who not only met the social equity criteria, but who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to enter the industry because of their background or criminal records. I wanted to find the people for whom the social equity program was intended. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the injustices there,” said Cardozo, who worked with Cabrini Green Legal Aid to find newly-released, formerly incarcerated individuals to help them file cannabis expungement paperwork, understand their rights, and take full advantage of the Illinois program.

“It was never about checking the box for us; it’s real,” said Cardozo. “When you value the social impact as much as the dollar, you can change lives. We are social entrepreneurs. It’s in our DNA.” Mario said he couldn’t believe it when he saw the ad for the job, specifically looking for people who had marijuana-related records.

“It sounded too good to be true,” said Mario, who was pulled over with weed in his car a few years ago. “It’s so hard to believe,” he said about his job with Cardozo, where he’s learning a lot.

Mario looks forward to helping new customers if and when the dispensary opens. “I love helping people discover new things,” said Mario, who said the group of trainees is diverse but comprised of people who all have the same passion.

“It’s my dream job,” said Mario.

Just prior to major shut-downs due to the pandemic, Karuna began a partnership with Western Illinois University, which has a new Cannabis and Culture minor. The plan is to provide internships and regular adjunct lectures to students at WIU in courses such as public policy, contemporary moral problems, and religion and drugs.

“We wanted to provide WIU’s students with opportunities to gain operational experience and share our knowledge,” said Cardozo. “This is the first partnership of its kind.”

Cardozo won’t know until May at the earliest if he’ll be awarded a license to open a dispensary in Illinois, and the deadline for applications for cannabis infuser craft grower and transporter licenses, which Cardozo is submitting, were extended from March 16 to March 30 to April 30, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The move came amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and also changed the method of submission to certified mail only, instead of allowing in-person submissions.

Cardozo said he is optimistic of getting licenses, and plans to open and operate in Forest Park, where he has already developed strong relationships with village officials and other business owners. But even if he doesn’t get a license, there’s pride in what he’s already done.

“Regardless of whether or not we win the licenses, we see it as a win-win scenario because the incubator will be improving lives through the training and support being provided to the participants,” he said.

“When all is said and done, I’ll measure my success by the lives I impacted, not the dollars I earned.”

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Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

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27. Deepening the confusion is the silence of Cook County health department officials, who have not responded to multiple questions about the quiet origins and sudden disappearance of such a critically important source of information.

The numbers were at odds with data from suburban officials like Maywood Village Manager Willie Norfleet Jr., who had been keeping a tally of all confirmed COVID-19 cases that the village’s fire department reported to him. As of March 26, according to Norflect’s count, Maywood had four confirmed cases, but the website showed six at that point.

Both the sudden knowledge that there could be COVID-19 cases in their suburb and the fact that there existed a tool for knowing that information in the first place surprised officials like Forest Park Village Administrator Tim Gillian, who told the Forest Park Review in an interview on March 26 that he didn’t know anything about the information despite asking the county for it.

“Village staff is working with the county to verify the information provided,” said Gillian, who added that he learned about the website from an article published March 26 by Village Free Press. “This information was not shared with the village despite repeated attempts to get verified and detailed information from Cook County.”

“I’m glad we have this information,” said Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins in an interview on March 27. “We spent time on Wednesday asking the county how we could get it, and regardless of how it came out, we have the information we need.”

As of March 29, Forest Park officials still had not received confirmation from the county. Hoskins said during an interview on March 28 that the only communication regarding the website he’s received came from a public health department official who said that a department liaison was not authorized to confirm the numbers of COVID cases in each suburb.

The Riverside-Brookfield Landmark, one of four local newspapers owned by Growing Community Media, first broke the news about the website’s existence on March 26. That same day, reports about the website were also published in the Forest Park Review, another Growing Community Media weekly, and Village Free Press, a weekly newspaper published in partnership with Growing Community Media.

The three articles published on the newspapers’ respective websites had garnered more than 75,000 page views

by March 29, leading to speculation that the website’s server may have been overwhelmed with traffic, since attempts to secure a connection to the site were increasingly difficult in the hours after the articles were published.

The Landmark’s article about the website

even caught the attention of David Bennett, the executive director of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which represents 275 municipalities in the Chicago area, according to its website.

In a statement that the village of Westchester posted to its Facebook page on March 27, Bennett explained that he learned about the article from the village manager of south suburban Flossmoor. By the time Bennett tried accessing the website, it was already down, he said.

“I called [the county public health department] and have been told they are experiencing technical issues because of the volume of hits it is receiving as they are trying to input the latest data,” Bennett wrote. “They say they are working as quickly as possible to return it to live.”

Bennett added that “a number of municipal officials in our region have been requesting this type of information from their county [public health departments] for a while now. Granted it’s not to the level of detail many want, but I respectfully suggest it’s a step in the right direction.”

County health department officials did not respond to multiple attempts to reach them for comment about the website.

The situation facing residents in suburbs without independent public health departments is stark in comparison to suburbs with their own public health departments and where the presence of regular COVID-19 updates could be spurring officials to act more decisively to slow the spread of the viral disease.

In Oak Park, the village’s health department has collaborated with the village government to regularly announce COVID-19 cases. As of March 30, Oak Park had 30 confirmed cases. The village was also the first municipality in Illinois to issue a shelter-in-place order, a day before Pritzker announced a statewide order.

For smaller municipalities without independent public health departments and regular COVID-19 updates, the county health department’s data is a crucial source of information guiding local officials’ decisions and helping to mobilize residents to take steps to protect themselves against the disease.

The website’s sudden disappearance even confounded First District Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, whose district includes Oak, Park, Forest Park, Maywood, a small portion of North Riverside and other west suburbs.

“I can’t speak to why the website is no longer accessible,” Johnson said in an interview on March 29. “If people found this information helpful that the county has provided and it’s not available, then it’s reasonable to ask why it isn’t.”

Johnson said that he plans on bringing the issue up to Dr. Terry Mason, the county public health department’s chief operating officer, and William Barnes, the executive director of the county’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Hours after that interview with Johnson on Sunday, the website was operational again.

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

11

Affordable and accessible housing in Forest Park

IFF provides independence through homes

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Alida Stiegal is a Forest Park resident who, although just 49, is a person with a disability caused by a condition called lupus.

It’s a disease which occurs when your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your body, which is scary enough.

But what is particularly discouraging is that, as even the Mayo Clinic reports, “The cause of lupus is unknown.”

Lupus can affect any organ system in the body. In Stiegal’s case it is her joints which swell up badly enough that the former special education teacher can no longer work.

“Sometimes,” she said, “it’s not so bad, and I can get around with a cane, but now it has flared up and I have to use a walker.”

When she moved here a year ago from Indiana, her first apartment was a studio on Desplaines Avenue. To get from the street to her home she had to lug her 30-pound walker up three or four stairs and to get to the laundry she had go down a long hallway and get through narrow doors with her walker and a basket of clothes.

She said the Progress Center for Independent Living, based in Forest Park, helped her apply to the state for a ramp, but that her landlord responded to the request by saying, “We’re not going to make this into a disability apartment.”

“It was very upsetting to me,” she said.

That’s when IFF came into her life. IFF, according to its website, is “a mission-driven lender, real estate consultant, and developer that helps communities thrive by creating opportunities for low-income communities and people with disabilities.”

Dena Bell, IFF’s Lead Developer for Housing, explained how the home on the 900 block of Ferdinand into which Stiegal moved just three months ago came into being. IFF bought the property in 2017. In 2019, Home First, a real estate developer under the IFF corporate umbrella, tore down the house and built brand new – and accessible – housing.

Stiegal said she’s happy in her new home. “It has given me more freedom to do the things I need to do to take care of myself,” she said.

What’s different in the IFF residence is wider doors that are easier to get through with a walker, a walk-in shower with grab bars, a washing machine and dryer in the unit and no stairs to get from the sidewalk to her home. In addition, IFF requires only 30 percent of her monthly income to go to rent. The state provides her with a disability check each month, the Department of Human Services provides her with a health care companion who stops in several hours a day four days a week, and her daughter lives close by in Oak Park.

Bell said, “At IFF, we feel this work is especially important because it provides affordable, accessible housing to people that need it, yet the resident experience is smallscale and community oriented.”

What Stiegal has gained in her new living quarters is dignity along with accessibility. “I want to be independent,” she said. “I don’t want to go into assisted living.”

File photo by ALEXA ROGALS

ACCESSIBLE: Three homes in Forest Park, including this one at 1006 Circle Ave., provide housing for people with disabilities.

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Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

FIRST RESPONDERS Astounding generosity from page 1

Giant tree topples over Damage to sidewalk, another tree

By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter

A huge tree uprooted and fell over, knocking down another tree and ripping up pieces of the surrounding sidewalk during high winds on Sunday. Director of Public Works John Doss said he received a call from the police on March 29 around

JILL WAGNER

5:30 p.m. about the incident, which occurred at 7621 Monroe St., behind the post office.

The tree, said Doss, was completely uprooted. On inspection, it was determined that part of the buttress root was rotten, which caused it to fall. This was not something that could have been identified before the fall, said Doss.

There were no injuries or damage to private property, although the sidewalk will need to be repaired. The public works department cleared away both felled trees.

Aftanas said his officers haven’t seen too much in terms of large gatherings of people, but if they see a child on playground equipment at a park, they’ll “give a friendly reminder” to the parent that children aren’t allowed on the playground at this time.

Aftanas said the parks themselves are exempt from the shelter at home order – it’s okay for people, maintaining social distance, to walk or run at the parks. But the playgrounds and playground equipment are not exempt.

Neither are the outdoor workout equipment or any of the outdoor park facilities.

When the nicer weather starts in earnest, Aftanas said he thinks the challenge of keeping people distant while outdoors might be more of an issue, but for now he’s seen a lot of people taking the shelter in place guidelines seriously.

“People can still go out and take a walk,” said Aftanas. “But you need to keep in mind how serious this can be. You may not be hit hard, but it can definitely hit somebody else hard. People need to be careful.”

He’s making sure his officers are out and visible in the neighborhoods like they always are, driving around and ensuring safety.

A challenge for him – and all local police departments – is the cancelation of officer training, such as DUI class, report writing, and other courses that provide continuing education for officers. And the police academy is on hold, meaning two recruits who were

currently attending and would have graduated in May and been out on the Forest Park streets by September are in limbo.

In terms of protective equipment for his department, Aftanas said they’re fortunate that he and Fire Chief Bob McDermott reached out to Cook County early, anticipating the issue to become as serious as it has. They received a good number of masks from the county and, at least for now, have enough on hand with more hopefully on the way.

McDermott said the fire department is following all the precautions and recommendations that are being handed down from the CDC and the Illinois Department of Health.

“When our firefighters and paramedics respond to a call, they are wearing masks,” said McDermott. “We also will put a mask on the patients. Anyone being transported to the hospital has to be wearing a mask.”

McDermott said that the fire department has temporarily suspended car seat inspections, station tours, CPR classes and blood pressure testing.

But he expressed confidence in the fire department to handle this developing situation.

“Right now the morale of the fire department members is good,” said McDermott.

“We are ready for whatever comes our way.”

Both Aftanas and McDermott said they’ve been stunned by how many people have reached out to the police department with donations and offers to help.

“We have received so much support from residents and businesses,” said Aftanas, mentioning organizations and people that have stepped up with donations of masks, hand sanitizer, and lunches for the department.

“The generosity has been astounding.”

CROP Hunger Walk goes virtual ‘Walk together apart’

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Forest Park resident Joanne Despotes has been hard at work along with her planning team getting ready for the 37th annual CROP Walk, aka Hunger Walkathon West (HWW).

Joanne is the chairperson for the whole event, and her husband Ted is the treasurer.

Up until a few weeks ago they and the planning team had added a few enhancements to the fundraiser which is always on the first Sunday of May, but on the whole the CROP Walk would proceed as usual with 300 walkers gathering in the sanctuary of Pilgrim Church in Oak Park for a brief inspirational rally before they went out to walk.

The best laid plans, however, of mice, men and the CROP Walk planning team did not anticipate COVID-19.

Because of the virus, Joanne made a very large pivot and sent an email on March 25 to the CROP team captains in all 35 participating congregations and organizations say-

ing, “We will have a VIRTUAL CROP Hunger Walk on May 3 since it is unsafe for us to get together in person. This will challenge us but will also allow us to be innovative. I know that we can come together and raise funds for our friends and neighbors like never before.”

What will make the walk virtual this year is that instead of everyone gathering in one place on May 3, they will so to speak “walk in place.” On a blog connected to the HWW website, planning team member Marty Colchamiro wrote, “Walk together apart this year. Plan to Walk on your own or with your immediately family. Choose a parking lot, from room to room in your house or apartment, around the block or at a city park.”

CROP is, in this way, making a digital detour from the way they’ve done things in the past in order to adapt to the constraints imposed by the coronavirus.

For example, Colchamiro suggested, “As you walk text, call or video chat with other friends walking at the same time you are.

We are using digital means to have our planning meetings in order to keep us all

ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer

TOGETHER APART: Unlike previous years, participants in this year’s May 3 CROP event will walk separately. safe with social distancing. We recently had a virtual meeting of the Leadership Day to discuss this and other ways to continue to raise money for those in need.”

Hunger Walkathon West had already taken significant steps toward going digital. Of the approximately 800 CROP Walks staged last year in the U.S., the Oak Park/River

Forest/Forest Park fundraiser was ranked number three in terms of the total money raised online.

Colchamiro uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to promote the walk, and the planning team is training congregational captains to do virtually all of their fundraising online.

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

Public Service Announcement

1 HANDS Wash them often 2 ELBOW Cough into it 3 FACE Don’t touch it 4 FEET Stay more than 3ft apart 5 FEEL Sick? Stay Home

Visit: www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public for more information

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Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

OPINION O U R

V I E W

Fresh eyes on paramedics

L

ook down the list of major expenses for Forest Park’s village government and the cost of paramedics will rank high. It is an essential service in a field without endless numbers of competitors.

Perhaps that is why Forest Park has, somewhat uncritically we’d say, stuck with Paramedic Services of Illinois (PSI) for more than 20 years. Maybe it was inertia.

In any case, PSI is gone. Replaced by Metro Paramedic Services, a larger company, servicing multiple neighboring communities and offering a notably lower cost.

The village council made the unanimous decision at its March 23 meeting, crediting village staff for actively sorting out the pros and cons and making a strong recommendation for the change. Village Administrator Tim Gillian specifically thanked Fire Chief Bob McDermott for the research he did on the issue.

Gillian threw some shade at PSI, which came back with an offer to match its competitor’s price. “If you can do it for less, why weren’t you already offering us a better rate?” he asked. Good question. Likely tied to the comfortable stasis of 20 years without hard questions.

Like every other town, Forest Park has economic challenges. Major costs have to be challenged. And vendors should be expected to either shave costs or upgrade services to keep the steady business a municipality provides.

Credit also goes to Mayor Rory Hoskins and the council for their openness to change. There are advantages to fresh eyes after a 20-year mayoralty. And certainly in a first term, everything ought to be ripe for examination.

Get it right Cook County As we suffer through endless — and daily — muddle and blather from the current president related to COVID-19, locals have come to rely on substantially more immediate and accurate information from our hometown and our state officials.

Local mayors including Hoskins in Forest Park, AbuTaleb in Oak Park, and Adduci in River Forest have grasped that we’ll all deal better and follow the imposed restrictions more closely if we know this virus is all about us. At the city and state level, Lightfoot and Pritzker have been exemplars of plain talk, delivered with context and concern every day at the same hour.

That’s why it has been disturbing and confounding to see the Cook County Department of Public Health so thoroughly botch a public-facing website seemingly designed to tell residents across Cook how many COVID-19 cases are in their town and of any deaths linked to their communities.

Our Growing Community Media reporters discovered this largely unknown site last week after tips from local officials. Since then the site has disappeared, reappeared, crashed, provided conflicting information. All the things a good public health communications strategy should avoid.

Can’t tell you at this moment the status of the site. Can tell you Cook County residents deserve straight information on a crisis that has upended each of our lives.

P

Humility, a prime characteristic of great leaders

astor Walter Mitty has known for many years now that when he feels depressed, it’s usually because he feels that he has lost control of something. And for the past week or so, he hasn’t felt in control of very much.

The coronavirus pandemic, of course, felt like a huge tidal wave that no one could stop. Being stuck at home all day.

No distractions like meetings or even March Madness on TV. And all he seemed to be left with is himself and a kind of silence, which, if he was willing to stay in it, stripped away his superficial public persona, revealing what was really going on inside.

In the silence, tunes from his growingup years started coming to mind. Like Barbara Streisand singing, “People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” He always thought those lyrics were kind of dumb. Like people who need to breathe oxygen are the luckiest people. Needing people, feeling vulnerable, feeling like everything is not in your control is just the way it is for everyone, if they are willing to admit it.

It was at that point he realized another reason he was feeling depressed: President Trump. “The guy never shows us any vulnerability,” thought Pastor Walt.

“He’s like Archie Bunker who said he’d be happy to say he was sorry if he ever did anything wrong.”

He remembered way back when he was a kid how his pastor at First Lutheran Church in Manitowoc starting weeping during one of his sermons. He couldn’t remember what triggered the tears, but that experience of a pastor who gave sermons in a booming voice, the experience of seeing him choked up, changed young Walt’s awe of him into a feeling like maybe this guy understands me, understands what it is like to be a vulnerable little kid.

Pastor Walt’s mind leaped forward several decades to a few weeks ago, to an interview George W. Bush was giving to someone on TV, and the interviewer asked him to name what he considered the characteristics of a great leader. And you knew that both the interviewer and the interviewee were aware that hiding behind that question was 45.

Bush responded with just one word: Humility. The former president himself was humble enough to admit that he had been wrong when he said there were WMDs in Iraq. But then he reminded everyone that the decision he made regarding Iraq was not made on the basis of his own instinct but was based on the intelligence he had gotten from people who knew a lot more about what was going on in Iraq then he did.

Pastor Mitty had always liked Bush as a person, even though he disagreed with some of his decisions. And he realized that one reason he liked him was because, like

his pastor back home, he was mature and secure enough to reveal some of his own humanity.

Then the pastor of Poplar Park Community Church realized he was being called to be a leader in these uncertain and threatening times — not as the president of a nation of 330 million citizens but as shepherd of a small congregation of 150 members. He knew he didn’t want to try to gain credibility by boasting and blustering from the pulpit, but what did that leave him? Didn’t people want a leader who knew all the answers?

Just then he glanced down at the latest copy of the Poplar Park Times, which happened to be open to page 17, where an open letter from Mayor Ernie Romano was printed. Ernie had never graduated from college.

He dropped out at the end of his sophomore year to run the family business after his father had died. So his grammar wasn’t always up to snuff and his vocabulary was limited, but people kept voting for him because they saw in him a kind of humility that somehow made them trust him as their leader.

He wasn’t stupid, to be sure, but before he would take a stand on an issue he would respectfully listen to people’s thoughts, even when they challenged his own.

It wasn’t because he was a saint but because he was realistic about his limitations as a human being and wanted whoever would write the history of Poplar Park to speak well of him.

What’s more, he did not paint naively optimistic pandering pictures of the future that contradicted what he had promised Poplar Parkers two days before. Instead he used four-letter words like grit and hope.

Mitty laughed out loud when he remembered the quip he heard years ago, that we should elect a teenager president while he still knows all the answers.

“We need an adult like Dr. Fauci at the helm instead of a teenager named Donald,” he decided.

Free associating, he found himself humming the tune to Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.” How did it go?

Something like “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you.” And how did she put it? “One eye in the mirror.”

Pastor Walt was starting to feel less depressed. He could see himself being a leader who solicited the opinions of even those who disagreed with him. He smiled as he named five of those kinds of folks right in his own congregation. A sign of being grown up, he concluded, is a willingness to admit your limitations. Fantasies of being superman or superwoman are for children.

He realized that the leaders he admired were the ones close enough to where he was in life to have empathy for what he was going through, and a congregation of a 150 members was a perfect place to be that kind of leader.

TOM HOLMES

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

O B I T U A R Y

Kevin Tideman, 43 Witty, he persisted

To run an obituary Please contact Ken Trainor by e-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com, or fax: 708/524-0447 before Monday at noon.

Please include a photo if possible.

Kevin Brice Tideman, 43, of Oak Park, died on March 8, 2020 in Chicago of complications relating to advanced Multiple Sclerosis. Born on April 12, 1976, Kevin suffered from an aggressive form of the disease beginning in his 20s, yet persevered in living longer than doctors thought he would. Gifted in intelligence and wit, Kevin maintained these qualities through the entirety of his life.

He was preceded in death by his mother, H. Dawn Tideman (nee Tyksinski), longtime employee of Dole Branch Library in Oak Park until her passing on March 10, 2009. He is survived by his father, Henry, and younger siblings Brian and Megan.

In lieu of donations, please advocate for universal health care, where individuals do not have to be denied care based upon insurance coverage, or endure limited liberty and opportunity due to the systems the U.S. currently has in place.

Public Service Announcement

1 HANDS Wash them often 2 ELBOW Cough into it 3 FACE Don’t touch it 4 FEET Stay more than 3ft apart 5 FEEL Sick? Stay Home

Visit: www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public for more information

www.forestparkreview.com

15

Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home

Since 1880 Family Owned & Operated Charles Williams, Owner/Funeral Director 203 S. Marion St. Oak Park 60302 708/383-3191

16

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM New local ads this week

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BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM HELP WANTED FOOD SERVICE WORKER – TEMPORARY FT SUMMER The Hephzibah Children’s Association Summer Day Care program is accepting applications for a Food Service Worker to be a full time seasonal employee in our program that runs from June 8th through August 14th. The days and hours are Monday through Friday, from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Responsibilities include preparing and serving snacks and lunch, maintaining established standards of food safety, keeping kitchen, lunchroom and equipment in good and sanitary condition, and meeting all required reporting requirements.

Requirements include: High school diploma or equivalent Quantity cooking experience Food Sanitation Manager CertiďŹ cation (or willingness to obtain by June 8th) Contact: Amy O’Rourke – Director of Day Care at: aorourke@hephzibahhome.org Equal Opportunity Employer.

IT Production Support Specialist U.S. Bank Nat’l Assoc (Chicago, IL) to analyze science, eng, bus & other data processing problems to automate/improve existing systems.

Req Master’s/CS, Analytics or rltd ďŹ eld & 2 yrs exp in trader facing IT Prod Supp role or Bachelor’s & 5 yrs. 2 yrs (w/Master’s) or 5 yrs (w/Bachelor’s) w/Calypso. 2 yrs w/Putty; Oracle; Windows Batch Scripting; trading issues incl pricing, trade ow, proďŹ t & loss; Eclipse; & Java. 1 yr w/SQL & UNIX. Apply online www.usbank.com.

MAINTENANCE PERSON WANTED American Security in Forest Park is seeking an experienced Maintenance Person to work part-time Mon-Fri, 4-6 hours p/day. $17 - $20 p/h, based on your experience and abilities.

You must live within 20 min of 15th & Harlem.

Job Req: Vehicle, Cell phone w/ texting, no criminal record.

Responsibilities: Building repairs and maint, basic electrical & plumbing, light cleaning, & a variety of other tasks.

Email your resume to jobs@ americansecurityservices.com or call 708-383-6969 ext. 240 M-F 9a-5 SUMMER SEASONAL STUDENT EMPLOYMENT The Village of Oak Park has openings for the 2020 Summer Seasonal Student Employment. Opportunities are in the Engineering, Water & Sewer, Streets Division, and Fleet & Forestry Divisions. Interested applicants must be 18 years old and actively enrolled in a post-secondary academic program. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www. oak-park.us/. Interested and qualiďŹ ed applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

ROOMS FOR RENT

Mobile Senior Software Engineer sought by Body Shop Bids d/b/a Snapsheet in Chicago, IL to work as a full stack mobile software engineer, designing and developing new mobile apps on iOS and Android.

Apply @ www.jobpostingtoday.com Ref# 83706.

SUBSTITUTE CUSTODIAN Substitute Custodian position at a church in Oak Park. Hours are 2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m, each third Monday, and 2:00 p.m - 7:00 all other Mondays, throughout the year. There is potential for additional hours as needed throughout the week, and during regular Custodian’s vacation times. Must possess proven ability to clean and maintain a large building, lift 50 pounds, and set-up/takedown tables and chairs for events.

Must also have good communication skills, work well with groups, positively represent the church when greeting visitors, and safely monitor entrances to the building.

This position reports to the Church’s Facility Manager. Please send inquiry or resume to churchofďŹ ce@ ďŹ rstumcoakpark.org

AUSTIN CLEAN ROOM With fridge, micro.

Nr Oak Park, Super Walmart, Food 4 Less, bus, & Metra. $116/wk and up.

773-637-5957

NETWORK SPECIALIST The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualiďŹ ed candidates for the position of Network Specialist in the Information Technology Department.

The ideal candidate will need to be knowledgeable and capable to apply the principles and procedures of computer systems, such as, data communication, hierarchical structure, backups, testing and critical analysis. Hardware and software conďŹ guration of computers, servers and mobile devices, including computing environments of Windows Server and Desktop OS and applications, Unix/Linux OS, VMware, IOS/ Android. Network protocols, security, conďŹ guration and administration, including ďŹ rewalls, routers, switches and wireless technology. Cabling and wiring, including ďŹ ber network, telephone, serial communication, termination, and punch-down. Telecommunications theory and technology, including VoiP, serial communication, wireless protocols, PBX, fax, voicemail and auto-attendant.

Interested and qualiďŹ ed applicants can visit our website at http://www. oak-park.us/ for more details.

PRESCHOOL ASST DIRECTOR & TEACHER HAPPY KIDD’S WEST INC. We are looking to hire 2 positions: Daycare preschool assistant director teacher qualiďŹ ed and a teacher position. Flexible hours. Associates Degree or credited ECE hours.

Total college credit is a minimum.

Candidate must be fun loving and friendly, and an energetic individual who is knowledgeable in daycare action and DCFS protocol. Degree and experience will determine your hourly salary. Call 708-484-8188 or fax resume to 708-484-8616.

SUMMER PART TIME SEASONAL HELP The Hephzibah Children’s Association Summer Day Care Program is accepting applications for the following part time seasonal opportunity in our summer program that runs from June 8th through August 14th.

Youth Development Specialist – Greeter: Two hour shifts Monday through Friday from either 7:30-9:30 am or 4:00-6:00 pm. Provide care and supervision of the children. Responsibilities include supervising indoor and outdoor free play, greeting and welcoming parents and children and serving snack. Requirements include H.S. diploma or equivalent and experience working with children.

Contact: Amy O’Rourke – Director of Day Care at: aorourke@hephzibahhome.org Equal Opportunity Employer.

SITUATION WANTED EXPERIENCED CAREGIVER Experienced caregiver licensed in compassionate care seeking employment within a home environment. Salary negotiable. Please call Ms. Tate at 708-691-2770

CITY RENTALS LOOK q

A MUST-SEE!!!

929-933 N. LEAMINGTON ST. BEAUTIFUL newly renovated Studios ($725 - $750) & 2-bdrm Apts. ($875 - $900) in quiet bldg.

Appls incld; tenant pays utilities.

Credit/bkgrnd check req’d. Sect.

8 Welcome! For private viewing, call 708-307-8178.

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT DOWNTOWN OAK PARK SUBLEASE We are looking to sublease our beautiful, spa-like ofďŹ ce. Our ofďŹ ce is already set up and is available for sublease in downtown Oak Park.

This ofďŹ ce is perfect for a physician, anesthetist, masseuse, and/or acupuncturist. Space is available immediately. Please contact us for pricing and to schedule a tour of the ofďŹ ce.

Ask for NikI. 708-613-4417 Nikimoreno33@gmail.com THERAPY OFFICES FOR RENT Therapy ofďŹ ces for rent in north Oak Park. Rehabbed building. Nicely furnished. Flexible leasing. Free parking. Free wiďŹ ; Secure building; Friendly colleagues providing referrals. Shared waiting room; optional Conference. Call or email with questions. Shown on Sundays.

Lee 708.383.0729 drlmadden@ameritech.net

SELLING YOUR HOME

BY OWNER?

Call Us For Advertising Rates!

708/613-3333

SUBURBAN RENTALS

M&M property management, inc.

708-386-7355 • www.mmpropmgt.com 649 Madison Street, Oak Park Contact us for a complete list of available rentals throughout Oak Park and Forest Park.

Apartment listings updated daily at:

COMMERCIAL RETAIL SPACE A RETAIL SPACE FOR LEASE IN STRIP MALL: 1600-1635 Sq Ft. *315 S. Harlem Ave. and Madison St. area - Forest Park, IL. *Very Good Condition-Recently Updated. *Formerly a Cleaners. *Heavy foot/road trafďŹ c area. *End space. 45-Space Parking Lot! *For more details; Serious Inquiries ONLY: *EMAIL: poppygator@yahoo.com *CALL/TEXT, at: P.B. (708)250-7997 Or: D.B. (708)828-6491

ITEMS FOR SALE CHINA CABINET & CHINA China cabinet with 12 5-piece place settings of Bavarian china. $259.00 708-488-8755 DINING ROOM TABLE Very large, genuine antique. Empire style from Marshall Field’s. Orig. $9000. Priced at $1900.

VICTORIAN DINING CHAIRS 6 beautiful Victorian chairs, reproductions. $500.

708-488-8755

WANTED TO BUY WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, ags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys.

Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400

NOVENAS PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL) Oh, most beautiful ower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me, herein you are my mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor in my necessity (make request).

There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, show me herein you are my mother. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and publish; your request will be granted. CAC

TAX ASSESSMENTS TAX ASSESSMENTS BUSINESS & APARTMENT BUILDING OWNERS Your current reassessment can affect your bottom line.

Find out future tax liability.

Contact us for a free review at www.ashtaxsolutions.com or call 773-941-4949

CEMENT

CEMENT Residential Commercial Industrial Licensed Bonded Insured Free Estimates ¡ Veteran Owned

Drives Walks Patios Stamped Concrete Curbs/Gutters Garage Floors Foundations Parking Lots Water Control

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MAGANA

C O N C R E T E C O N S T RU C T I O N “QUALITY IS OUR FOUNDATION� ESTABLISHED IN 1987

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708.442.7720 '5,9(:$<6 Â&#x2021; )281'$7,216 Â&#x2021; 3$7,26 67(36 Â&#x2021; &85% *877(56 Â&#x2021; 6,'(:$/.6 612: 3/2:,1* Â&#x2021; 67$03(' &2/25(' $**5(*$7( &21&5(7( FREE ESTIMATES LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED

ELECTRICAL Ceiling Fans Installed

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We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles We fix any electrical problem and do small jobs We install Surge Protectors â&#x20AC;˘ Home Re-wiring â&#x20AC;˘ New Plugs & Switches Added â&#x20AC;˘ New circuit breaker boxes â&#x20AC;˘ Code violations corrected Service upgrades,100-200 amp â&#x20AC;˘ Garage & A/C lines installed Fast Emergency Service | Residential â&#x20AC;˘ Commercial â&#x20AC;˘ Industrial Free Home Evaluations | Lic. â&#x20AC;˘ Bonded â&#x20AC;˘ Ins. â&#x20AC;˘ Low Rates â&#x20AC;˘ Free Est.

708-409-0988 â&#x20AC;˘ 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts â&#x20AC;˘ 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park â&#x20AC;˘ All surrounding suburbs â&#x20AC;˘ Chicago area

Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue.

Or call us toll free at 1-833-440-0665 for an appointment.

Attention! Home-improvement pros!

Reach the people making decisions - your target demographic.

Advertise in Wednesday Classified.

Call 708/613-3342

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM

CLASSIFIED ELECTRICAL Red Star Electric

Your Neighborhood Electricians *Licensed *Bonded *Insured

-Residential/ Commercial Electrical Upgrades -Electrical Service/ Panel Upgrades -Electrical Vehicle Charging Stations -Standby Generators 708 722 1388 www.RedStarElectric.net

GARAGE DOORS Our 73rd Year

Garage Doors &

Smart Door Openers

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(708) 652-9415 www.forestdoor.com

FLOORS KLIS FLOORING INC.

New hardwood flooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-finishing, staining. Low prices, insured.

Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com

HANDYMAN CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE Drywall Repair • Painting Fans Installed • Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning • Window Repair

FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small

708-488-9411

Mike’s Home Repair Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do

708-296-2060

HANDYMAN Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates

773-637-0692 Ask for John

Starting a new business?

Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice here Call for details: 708/613-3342

(708) 613-3333 • FAX: (708) 467-9066 • E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM

HEATING / AIR CONDITIONING

Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice: Your right to know

HEATING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT Furnaces, Boilers and Space Heaters Refrigerators Ranges • Ovens Washer • Dryers Rodding Sewers Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience

FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.

708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000

HAULING BASEMENT CLEANING

Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery. 708-848-9404

PAINTING & DECORATING CLASSIC PAINTING Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/Plaster Repair Low Cost

708.749.0011

PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.

Small & big work. Free estimates.

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708/386-2951 • ANYTIME Work Guaranteed

Licensed, Bonded, Insured, & EPA Certified Expert craftsmanship for over 50 years

PUBLIC NOTICES 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: Y20003431 on March 13, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of SPARK & SHINE ONLINE with the business located at: 45 E. BURLINGTON UNIT 10, RIVERSIDE, IL 60546. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ROBIN QUINN NEWBERRY 262 NORWOOD RIVERSIDE, IL 60546 Published in RBLandmark 3/18, 3/25, 4/1/2020

You have jobs. We have readers!

Find the best employees with Wednesday Classified!

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17

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ForestParkReview.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com

PUBLIC NOTICES 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: Y20003383 on March 10, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of A HAND UP with the business located at: 901 LAKE ST. UNIT 901, OAK PARK, IL 60303. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: PLESHETTE SIMONE DAVIS 901 LAKE ST. UNIT 901 OAK PARK, IL 60303 Published in Wednesday Journal 3/18, 3/25, 4/1/2020

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR THE POOLING AND SERVICING AGREEMENT DATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 ABFC ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005WMC1 Plaintiff, -v.DARYL SATCHER, MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., OAK PARK TERRACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION Defendants 2018 CH 08851 914 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD UNIT #C-8 OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 7, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 14, 2020, 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 914 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD UNIT #C-8, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-320-0401025 The real estate is improved with a condo/townhouse.

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

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

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

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

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

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

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

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

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

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-18-07459 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2018 CH 08851 TJSC#: 40-1381 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 # 2018 CH 08851 I3148148

UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 2019 CH 05533 300-302 NORTH CUYLER AVENUE OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 23, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 27, 2020, 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 300-302 NORTH CUYLER AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-107-0090000 The real estate is improved with a multi-family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

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

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

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

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

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

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in

order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

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

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-19-04111 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2019 CH 05533 TJSC#: 40-655 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 # 2019 CH 05533 I3148307

be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

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

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

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

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

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

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

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) 236-SALE 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. 268445 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 19 CH 00561 TJSC#: 40-595 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 # 19 CH 00561 I3148758

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS LEGAL TITLE TRUSTEE FOR TRUMAN 2016 SC6 TITLE TRUST Plaintiff, -v.EDILBERTO V. VERZO, MARCELINA C. VERZO,

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR FFMLT TRUST 2005-FF11, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005FF11 Plaintiff, -v.BRIAN HOLLOWAY Defendants 19 CH 00561 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 23, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on April 24, 2020, 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 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-302-0150000 The real estate is improved with a yellow vinyl siding, one story single family home with a detached two 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

18

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

Enjoy our FREE Online Workout at www.TENandFiT.com Greetings from Your Tennis and Fitness Centre Fitness Department!

We hope this finds you doing well and staying healthy, as you experience this period of shelter in place. Thank you for your patience. Everyone appreciates your role in supporting a more positive outcome to a difficult situation.

We miss you, our entire community at-large, and the vibrant atmosphere created by all.

Although we have faith in getting back to some level of normalcy, although, it may not be soon enough for your active needs. To help you stay fit weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to share trainer-led exercise demonstrations as they are made available to us.

Ellen Petrick presents

Bret Patnodeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presents

Strength Workout - Kickboxing New! Strength Workout - Foam Roller

Warm Up and Workout

The Yoga Centre Presents Meg Barber - Parivrtta Trikonasana Meg Barber - Samavritti Breath Practice Meg Barber - 1 Hour Yang Yoga Hatha - Teresa Heit-Murray

Visit Facebook.com/TenandFitOakPark and Facebook.com/TheYogaCentreOakPark for more info!

We know that you will enjoy these class offerings. More to come!

301 Lake St., Oak Park (708) 386-2175

Stay Healthy at www.TENandFiT.com

266 Lake Street, Oak Park (708) 524-YOGA

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

INC., REALTOR

19

(708) 366-8989 7342 MADISON ST, FOREST PARK, ILLINOIS 60130

9346 LANDINGS LN

317 ELGIN

1338 MARENGO

Bright two bed two bath on 4th. fl. with balcony in gated community w 24 hr. security guard. Ceramic tile fl. in kit and dinette.

Complex offers outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and clubhouse.

Elevator building w/inside heated garage. coin laundry on 1st.fl. In Des Plaines, close to shopping, schools and highway.....................$149,900

2,450 S.F. OF LUXURY! Center unit! 4 floors of living!

Enormous master with a soaking tub and enclosed shower, walk in closet, and a private balcony. 2nd fl. offers 2 additional large bedrooms, walk in closet, storage, and full bath. 1st fl is all oak flooring, living room with a fireplace and eating area, and an eat in kitchen. Bedroom #4 is located in the fully finished basement with a family room area, and full bathroom. 1 space garage. This is the LARGEST TOWNHOME on the market IN FOREST PARK!! ....................................................................................................$389,000

First floor apartment completely remodeled with 2 bedrooms and duplex 3rd. bedroom and half bath and family room in the basement.

Second floor is two bedrooms and one bath. Outside parking for 4 cars.

Projected rent for 1st floor between ...............................$1375 & $1450

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Temple Har Zion is warm, diverse, and committed to a profound and deep intellectual and spiritual life. Temple Har Zion is a leader in the Conservative movement in welcoming interfaith families.

20

Forest Park Review, April 1, 2020

THRIVE CHECK-IN Phone Support Line

If you are feeling overwhelmed about Covid-19, you are not alone.

Thrive Counseling Center has just launched a free phone support line.

If you need to talk, our professional therapists are ready to hear from you.

Please call the Thrive Check-In line at (708) 383-7500, ext. 888, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Thrive’s experienced professionals can provide support for any emotional issues you may be experiencing during this uncertain and often stressful time.

We’ll get through this together!

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120 South Marion Street, Oak Park, IL 60302 • (708) 383-7500 • www.thrivecc.org