Forest Park Review 052020

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Vol. 103, No. 21

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F O R E S T PA R K

REVIEW MAY 20, 2020

State of emergency reinstated PAGE 4

Principal retiring after 20 yearss PAGE 10 @FP_Review @ForestParkReview

Water, water everywhere

Residents report worst flooding in over a decade

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

In what some residents are calling the worst flooding they’ve seen in more than a decade, basements all over town took in inches to feet of water overnight on Sunday, May 17. The eastbound I-290 expressway was closed temporarily, as were sections of Desplaines and Harlem avenues.

Mayor Rory Hoskins said his own house got about 2 inches of water in the basement, and he acknowledged that was far less than many other people.

“We definitely don’t consider ourselves victims,” said Hoskins, who added that he’s been talking to mayors and leaders from other towns whose residents are going through the same thing. “It’s a small consolation that we’re all in this together,” he said.

Village Administrator Tim Gillian said this storm is “right up there” with other bad flooding suffered by the village. “Without a full analysis it’s hard to compare exactly,” he said, but a lot of people have been affected.

Susan Mangiaracina, who has lived in Forest Park for 26 years, said this is the very first time her house has flooded.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, with water just pouring into the house,” said Mangiaracina, who reported 6 inches in her basement. “We’d get occasional seepage, but nothing like this. It was bubbling up from the sewer and seeping in.”

She said she knows other residents got a lot more water in their homes, but it surprised her to get any at all after so many years. “Was there just too much water? Why this time?” she asked.

Businesses on Madison Street reported flooding too.

Todd & Holland Tea took in at least 8 inches. Marty See FLOODING on page 15

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

NO JOB MORE IMPORTANT Denita Johnson (left) plays with her son Christian outside their house in Forest Park. Since the schools have closed, Johnson, like many other parents of children with special needs, has learned to fill the role of teachers and support staff her son no longer sees in person.

Special needs and distance learning

‘Every day is hard’

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

Denita Johnson, like many parents these days, finds life a constant juggling

IN Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 THIS Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 ISSUE Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

act. Between working from home and caring for two children, a first grader and a one-year-old, it’s difficult to find balance.

For Johnson, though, the struggle of helping her school-aged child with distance learning is compounded by the

fact that seven-year-old Christian has autism.

“It’s very, very hard,” said Johnson.

“Consistency is huge for children with autism.” And with school no longer in session like it was pre-pandemic, adSee SPECIAL NEEDS on page 11

Small businesses surviving, innovating

COVID-19 percent positive declining in Forest Park

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Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

Join Us in Celebrating the 2020 Seniors Over 60!

Since 1963 in the United States, May has been designated Older Americans Month.

And every year since 2011, this has also been the month when we have held Celebrating Seniors Week to celebrate, recognize and raise funds for older adults in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park who have displayed grace, caring, compassion, fortitude and resiliency in bettering our quality of life.

However, like so much in our society, this year will be different

because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Celebrating Seniors Week, a series of educational, entertaining and other activities, will be held at a to-be-

determined later date, based on recommendations from health officials and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

Meanwhile, please join us in recognizing and applauding this

year’s Celebrating Seniors Over 60 Class. We thank these people from Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest who have made significant contributions to our communities and quality of life!

Joy Aaronson

Vickie Engelhardt

Jim Kelly

Theodore Ratajczyk

Sam Vaccaro

Ceal Bacom

Josette Feingold

Terry Kinsey

Phyllis Rubin

Ken Wahlstrom

Mary Bellile

Karen Glass

Judith McDevitt

Susan Scherer, MD

Ruby Whitaker

Dennis Bonner

Robert Glass

John McDonnell

Albert Sora

Carolyn Williams

Linda Bonner

Nancy Greco

Sheila McDonnell

Hyunchoo (Judy) Sora

Roger Wilson

Mary Anne Brown

Kathleen Haney

Jean Meister

Muriel Sweeney

Etta Worthington

Delilah Chan

Bill (Butch) Holmes

Bill Moy

Janice Thomas

Celine Woznica

Wendy Chiang

Phyliss Pendleton Howard

Mike O’Connor

John Tibensky

Don Woznica

Janet Cushing

George Isdale

Barbara Pendleton

Linda Tibensky

Bill Young

Mark Eggerding

Rich Jung

Wallace Pendleton

Barbara Vaccaro

Thomas Zurowski

The Celebrating Seniors Coalition: • Fosters collaboration between the business community, government agencies and non-profit organizations to help the senior population.

• Raises public awareness of issues affecting seniors.

• Promotes senior groups and organizations that serve persons 60 and older.

• Raises money to support at-risk and vulnerable elders.

Learn more about our history, past honorees and how you can get involved: www.CelebratingSeniors.net

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

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Social-distancing improved my social life

ver since I began social distancing, my social life has improved.

That’s because I had already been “sheltering at home” for years. Those of you who work from home know what I mean. Working alone in your home is about as isolating as it gets. My only “human” contact came via emails, texts and occasional work-related calls.

When it came to casual phone conversations, they made me so nervous I’d pace around the room, or do laps around the block. All of that has changed thanks to the pandemic.

For the first time in my life, I’m a “phone guy.” I stay perfectly relaxed during 45-minute calls.

These long calls have allowed me to stay close with my siblings. We talk more now than we did when we were growing up under the same roof. We even resolve issues that go back to those peanut-butterand-jelly days.

I’ve also used the phone to reconnect with high school classmates and other longtime friends. We reminisce like retirees are required to do. We also discuss the current crisis and keep tabs on how we’re coping.

Besides the phone, I enjoy mask-to-mask conversations. My social life has expanded

beyond trips to Ed’s Way and picking up meals from local restaurants. I was recently invited to my first-ever socialdistancing party. For years, I’ve been hoping to be invited to a yard party. I’d hear the laughter and music and smell the wood smoke. I would consider crashing the gathering with a six-pack but lacked the guts.

I brought a four-pack to the social-distancing party. About 10 of us were spread out over three front yards and the parkway. It was comfortable because I already knew almost half of them. It was also a treat to meet new people. After two hours of lively conversation, they extended a standing invitation to future get-togethers.

We’ve also hosted social-distance gatherings at our home. Our location is ideal because we have a roomy front porch and spacious yard. It’s delightful to sit outdoors and enjoy food, drink and music with loved ones. We even got to know our neighbors after living here for two years.

It turns out we’re surrounded by fascinating people. We have a doctor downstairs whom I interviewed for a column. She has lived all over the world and has had some incredible adventures. The woman next door has a son who is a journalist in Cen-

JOHN RICE

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tral Africa and a daughter who is a surgeon in New Orleans. I’d like to sit around their dinner table.

The social whirlwind starts in our apartment. I am no longer home alone. To say that I have constant companionship would be an understatement. The three of us somehow coexist peacefully and rarely get on each other’s nerves. Tiny things, though, can set us off, like someone eating too loudly. By rotating from one room to the next, we keep our sanity.

We also have social encounters on the streets of Forest Park. We keep a safe distance, but I notice we have more time to linger. My dad said social life flourished during the Great Depression. People had plenty of time to talk or play cards, because they literally had nothing better to do.

Obviously, a global pandemic and another Great Depression are a poor tradeoff for an improved social life. That would be like saying amputation is a good cure for foot odor. I believe, though, that the current crisis is changing our behavior in some positive ways. Just stay 6 feet away from me if you’re going to slurp soup.

■ 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 . . .

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 Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Debbie Becker, Mark Moroney Sales and Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Front Desk Carolyn Henning, Maria Murzyn

Publisher Dan Haley 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.

Out-of-county subscriptions: $33 per year.

Air mail, Spanish flu and burial vaults In 1919, the Post Office Department, without the support of the Air Force, started mail flights from New York City to Cleveland, establishing the transcontinental Air Mail route. A strip of land in Grant Park was established to continue the route from Ohio to Chicago.

The Grant Park hangar was limited by y size and inclement weather from the lakefront, so a new site was proposed.

Checkerboard Field, located between Roosevelt Road and 22nd at First Ave., had the best year-round flying conditions and was selected. Early in 1920 a hangar and small garage were built. In May the Checkerboard Air Mail Field was in operation.

By May 15, 1920, the Air Mail Service was extended to Omaha, Nebraska with Iowa City, Iowa as the halfway refueling stop.

Over the course of the next year, Checkerboard, also called the Maywood Air Mail Field, would transition to be the main repair and overhaul center for the entire service.

To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the first flights of the Air Mail system, Wilbert Haase was selected to fly mail during National Air Mail Week in 1938. This letter highlights many of his life accomplishments, including work with concrete, vaults and air mail.

REVIEW

Forest Park Review is published digitally and in print

by Growing Community Media NFP. © 2020 Growing Community Media NFP. F O R E S T PA R K

REVIEW Wilbert Haase, grandson of Forest Park founder Ferdinand Haase, was known as an “Edison type” and applied his creativity to the vault business.

When the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918 and 1919 hit Chicago, burial vaults were used to prevent the spread of the disease to others. Wilbert had managed the family concrete and cemetery business at Forest Home Cemetery and grew it to the Wilbert Vault Manufacturing Company and American Vault Works.

By 1930, Wilbert Haase had invented the first water-proof concrete vault in the country. He took to the skies to introduce his vaults to potential manufacturers throughout the country. By 1980, there were more than 300 manufacturers and distributors from New York to Texas.

Jill Wagner

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. @ForestParkReview

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Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

State of emergency reinstated at special meeting Mayor says move is symbolic as well as practical

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

The declared state of emergency was reinstated in Forest Park on May 18 during a special village council meeting. The declaration is good until the next village council meeting on May 26, at which time it will be voted on again if deemed necessary by the mayor.

Commissioner Dan Novak was unable to attend the remotely held ZOOM meeting

and was excused due to a prior commitment. The vote was unanimous, with Mayor Rory Hoskins and Commissioners Joe Byrnes, Ryan Nero and Jessica Voogd voting in favor of the declaration.

The first few minutes of the meeting were unavailable for public viewing due to the meeting not being broadcast immediately.

“I think it would be wise for this council to discuss whether or not we want to continue operating under a declaration of emergency,” said Hoskins early in the meeting.

The vote followed fairly heavy discussion about what the declaration meant and why it was necessary. During the meeting, Hoskins made it clear that the emergency state is important for both practical and symbolic reasons.

From a practical point of view, said

Hoskins, it grants the mayor authority to make emergency expenditures without village council approval, in the event of a serious event that requires a nimbleness and speed not possible if a quorum must first be reached.

For example, money might be spent on assistance measures for small businesses, which, said Hoskins, are “hemorrhaging” right now.

Additionally, said Hoskins, the emergency declaration gives more bite to the village authorizing cease and desist notices, if necessary, to businesses not complying with mask-wearing regulations.

“It allows us to enforce guidelines on local businesses if they are noncompliant,” said Hoskins during the meeting. “I’d like us to have a basis for issuing cease and desist let-

Ike shut down due to shooting

Photo by David Ristau Jr.

A shooting on the Eisenhower Expressway stopped eastbound traffic on Saturday, May 16 around 3:28 p.m. Forest Park police were called to assist state police at Circle Avenue and I-290, according to Forest Park Police Chief Tom Aftanas. Aftanas said the case is “not ours” and is being investigated by the state police. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, a 32-year-old Broadview man driving eastbound on I-290 was hit by a shot fired from another vehicle. He was taken to the hospital. The injuries were not life-threatening. The case is still under investigation.

ters… to any groups in violation of social distancing protocols.”

But the message the emergency declaration sends to the village is also important, said Hoskins.

“This is about the signal we send to the community,” the mayor said. “We are not at normal.” He mentioned calls to the village about local deaths and the 108 cases of COVID-19 in the community, a number that has risen by more than 20 in a week.

“We don’t want to send the message that everything is back to normal,” said Hoskins.

Voogd showed support of the declaration especially, she said, in light of the technical issues that caused the special meeting to be held in the first place, coupled with the fact that one commissioner couldn’t make it.

“It worries me that if we need to call a special meeting of all the commissioners, we can’t all make it, and a decision needs to be made. I would then be more inclined to continue the state of emergency until we’re at least in that phase 4 range [of the state of Illinois’ Reopen Illinois plan].”

Byrnes also supported the declaration.

“We don’t know what might arise tomorrow,” he said. “It’s sensible to keep this thing going.”

Nero, however, questioned what types of expenditures could come up that would require the mayor to use executive power again. Referencing a phone call he’d had with Hoskins, he said they’d talked about possible needs for emergency spending, and he was confused about what that might be, since masks had already been ordered for first responders.

“We talked about a few different items: PPE, temperature guns, things like that,” said Nero. “My impression was that for the next few weeks or the foreseeable future, based on that [phone] conversation, there wasn’t anything you could see that we were going to need that we couldn’t decide as a council.”

Nero also questioned the need to look at sanitizing equipment for first responders and village property, something both Byrnes and Hoskins brought up, as emergency purchases.

“You have to be thinking at some point that there’s going to be a new normal, and the cleanliness and disinfecting is going to have to be part of our regular operations,” said Nero. “At some point, it’s going to be a budgeted item and part of our normal business. So help me connect the dots here, because otherwise then we’re always going to be under a state of emergency. Because we’re never going to be not disinfecting.”

Hoskins said, “We’d like to believe that everything is going to return to normal pretty soon.” But he added that we are only in the second phase of Governor J. B. Pritzker’s plan to reopen the state.

“We may send the message that everything is back to normal, and I think that might be a little irresponsible on our part,” Hoskins said.

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

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D209 gets creative to honor Class Of 2020 Virtual celebration planned to make up for in-person ceremony

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

The Proviso Township High School District 209 Class of 2020 will join students in districts across the state in becoming the first-ever class to go without an in-person graduation ceremony; instead, the district will air a virtual commencement video on May 24.

Earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that his five-stage plan for reopening the state prohibits gatherings of more than 50 people until the last stage — which will only come about when there is a vaccine for COVID-19, the disease can be effectively treated, and/or shown to be significantly decreasing by the lack of new cases over a sustained period of time “through herd immunity or other factors.”

In a board memo, D209 officials said the district “seeks to preserve as much of the commencement experience as possible, while adhering to the health and safety guidelines from the state of Illinois.”

Provided

A DIFFERENT KIND OF CELEBRATION: Although in-person graduation ceremonies won’t be held for D209 students, other ways to honor graduates include yard signs like this one.

The district hired Fogarty Company to create a “customized website for each senior, that includes graduate accomplishments and videos from friends and family” at a cost of $10 per graduate, in addition to

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editing costs. The package also includes “a commencement video that is shareable and downloadable.”

District officials said Fogarty “is able to deliver the finished product by May 24 as

long as [the district] is able to upload the required content by the due dates.” District officials distributed yard signs to D209 graduates that have been cropping up across Proviso Township.

In a one-on-one interview with Gov. Pritzker, state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch (7th), the former board president of D209, asked the governor to send a few “parting words or a message” to graduates in D209 and across the state. (The video can be seen at https://youtu.be/QOeGSKNKlVI).

“I know this is very difficult for many who had expected to be going to proms and graduation parties, and to have a graduation that your parents and grandparents get to come to,” Pritzker said. “But with all the difficulty you are going through, I think you’re going to look back on this … and you’ll be telling your kids and your grandchildren about how unusual your graduation was compared to theirs. I think it will end up being a story that will live with you and help shape you in a very positive way because it’s often the challenges that help shape us.”

District officials also created multiple videos in which board members, faculty, administrators and others congratulate the Class of 2020. All videos can be seen on the D209 YouTube channel at youtube.com/ channel/UC10EemqsdWB_m17TQFqpDIQ.

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Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

Man pulls knife at Dollar Tree, declares he is Jesus

A man declaring he was Jesus during his arrest pulled a knife on a Dollar Tree employee after trying to steal a toothbrush on May 13 at 12:43 p.m. Police picked up the offender as he was walking eastbound on Roosevelt toward Planet Fitness. The knife used in the assault wasn’t on his person, but police recovered it, a kitchen knife, a little while later on the ground.

According to the employee, the suspect selected a toothbrush and attempted to leave the store without paying. When the employee approached the suspect, he threw the toothbrush at the employee and left, yelling racial slurs. The employee followed the suspect outside, where the offender pulled out a knife and “held it out in a threatening manner.”

The suspect denied stealing anything and also denied pulling out a knife. He said he carries a knife for protection because terrorists all over the world are after him.

Throughout the arrest, according to the police report, he declared that he was Jesus Christ.

Glitter penises ejected Police were called to a Madison Street business on May 14 at 4:19 p.m. when a business owner received a suspicious package in the mail. The package, which she had not

ordered, contained a white tubular object with a spring inside. The owner was concerned that the object might be harmful.

The reporting officer inspected the package and object. “Due to my training, experience and familiarity with that type of package I was able to identify the package as a glitter bomb,” wrote the officer in the police report. “In order to confirm the package was in fact a glitter bomb, I opened the package in a safe direction.”

The officer reported that, “The package ejected several pieces of multi-colored glitter shaped as penises.”

Nobody was harmed in the incident.

Multiple catalytic converters stolen from vehicles The police department reported thefts of at least five catalytic converters from cars during the week. The details are as follows: • On the 1000 block of Marengo Avenue during the overnight hours between May 10 and May 11 • On the 7300 block of Franklin Avenue on May 15 sometime between May 12 and May 14 • On the 7600 block of Jackson Boulevard on May 13 at 11:07 a.m.

PREVIEW HOUSE Produced by the Advertising Department

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• On the 1000 block of Hannah Avenue on May 14 at 3:30 a.m.

• On the 1000 block of Lathrop Avenue during the overnight hours between May 13 and May 14

Multiple vehicles burglarized • A car was ransacked on the 500 block of Beloit Avenue between May 10 and May 11. The owner can’t remember if she locked her car. Nothing was missing.

• Police were called to the 100 block of Marengo Avenue on May 11 when a woman noticed her car, which had been left unlocked, had been burglarized some time since the previous day. Approximately $20 was taken, although the thief had left her wallet and three credit cards behind.

• Coins in the center console cup holder were missing from a car parked behind a residence on the 500 block of Marengo Avenue on May 11.

• The owner of a vehicle on the 500 block of Ferdinand Avenue discovered a long, deep scratch on the driver side front quarter panel and door when she was leaving for work on May 11. She then discovered the driver side rear tire had been slashed. She believes the vehicle

was damaged at approximately 1:30 a.m. because her dog began barking at that time. Nothing was missing from the vehicle except snack foods.

• A man discovered his car on the 400 block of Marengo Avenue had been entered sometime between May 10 at 3 p.m. and May 11 at 8:30 a.m. when he found the door ajar. He said he had forgotten to lock the door. Nothing was missing.

• A car on the 100 block of Circle Avenue, left unlocked, was entered and the interior ransacked sometime between May 10 at 5:30 p.m. and May 12 at 3:30 p.m.

Nothing was taken.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, May 10-15, 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

This home is a stunner!

illed with beautiful woodwork and art glass, 706 Lyman in Oak Park is a home updated with high-end finishes and large open spaces.

finished second floor over the new garage. This bonus space is currently used as an office, but it could be almost anything -- art studio, music studio, guest house.

The extra-large living room has a fireplace and opens to a bright sunroom. Prepare you holiday meals in the updated kitchen and serve them in the lovely spacious dining room.

A large mudroom off the kitchen leads to a huge deck and a lovely backyard with a paver patio. The first floor also has a brand new bath.

Upstairs you’ll find generous bedrooms with windows on two walls.

Located close to the Harrison Arts District, you can easily walk to shops, coffee spots, art galleries, and restaurants. Just a few blocks from the blue line and seven blocks from the green line, this home offers convenient access to the city.

One unique feature of the house is an entirely

706 Lyman is currently listed for $465,000.

For more information, contact Erica Cuneen at Beyond Properties, 708-220-2025 or erica@ beyondpropertiesrealty.com.

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

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COVID-19 and the ‘race tax’ Why are blacks dying disproportionately?

Start with historic plunder of black wealth

By MICHAEL ROMAIN

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Staff Reporter

ccording to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly a third of COVID-19 cases in the United States have afflicted African Americans, who comprise only 13 percent of the country’s roughly 330 million people.

Since this disproportionality was made abundantly clear a few months ago, there’s been a tendency to look at it spatially.

“In urban centers large and small across the U.S., the novel coronavirus is devastating African-American communities,” writes a reporter for National Geographic.

“The environments where most live, the jobs they have, the prevalence of health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and how they THIS IS THE DEBUT OF A are treated by WEEKLY COLUMN OF MY the medical REFLECTIONS ON RACE, establishment EQUITY AND COVID-19 have created a toxic storm of severe illness and death.

(These common, underlying conditions make coronavirus more severe.)”

That’s indeed the case. In Chicago, African Americans are 29 percent of the city’s population but make up roughly half of COVID-19 deaths. And those case numbers and death totals are concentrated in black communities like Austin.

But make no mistake, the disproportionality is not just limited to black spaces. Black bodies everywhere are at higher risk of contracting and dying from this disease.

African Americans are 18 percent of Oak Park’s roughly 52,000 residents, but as of May 15, they were 44 percent of the 236 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, according to the Oak Park Public Health Department.

In Forest Park, where African Americans are 27 percent of the population, as of May 18, they represented 41 percent of the 107 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases.

What the data shows is that for African Americans, there is no escaping the risk of race. But what most commentary I’ve read about the racially disproportionate impact ignores is how this risk was manufactured by whites in the first place and that it was the perception of risk that created the reality.

We can attribute COVID-19’s disproportionality to a range of factors,

several of which National Geographic outlined above, but in the grand scheme of things, those are all secondary to the essence of the matter, which is the chronic wealth gap between African Americans and whites — a gap that was cleaved by the idea that blacks are unworthy, particularly of credit to finance homes (a primary source of wealth for most people) and of capital to build more wealth.

What’s more, the historic denial of credit and capital to blacks has been directly correlated to the accumulation of the same among whites.

Take, for instance, the Freedmen’s Savings Bank. Founded in 1865, pamphlets promoting the bank at the time described it as “Abraham Lincoln’s Gift to the Colored People.” But the bank wasn’t actually a bank in the traditional sense.

Instead of lending to freedmen in order for them to grow their own businesses or purchase their own property, the bank simply collected the freedmen’s savings and served as a “teaching institution” designed to “instruct freed slaves about American values and ‘to instill into the minds of the untutored Africans lessons of sobriety, wisdom, and economy,’” writes Mehrsa Baradaran in The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap. Within a decade of its founding, the bank had collected more than “$75 million of deposits by more than 75,000 depositors, an amount that would be approximately $1.5 billion today.” Despite freedmen comprising virtually all of the depositors, they were not represented in the bank’s management. And they had no say in how the money was invested.

In 1870, the bank’s managers persuaded Congress to “amend and deregulate its charter,” effectively turning the savings institution into a private investment bank.

But soon after deregulation, instead of investing the deposits in black businesses or property that would allow African Americans to begin wealth-building after two centuries of slavery, “the bank managers” — the very people who were preaching the value of financial sobriety and wisdom to the freed slaves — “began speculating in real estate and then, quite simply, a close ring of managers with unfettered discretion plundered the savings of the freedmen.”

Those investments began to unravel in the Panic of 1873, which precipitated the bank’s free fall. In March 1874, “in a last ditch effort to save the bank,” the trustees made Frederick Douglass its president.

After lending the bank “$10,000 of his own

money to cover the bank’s illiquid assets,” Douglass quickly figured out the ruse and alerted Congress to the bank’s insolvency declaring, “that he ‘could no longer ask [his] people to deposit their money in it.’”

The bank was shut down for good in 1874, but not before “more than half of accumulated black wealth disappeared through [the bank’s] mismanagement.”

According to the 1969 book The Negro as a Business Man, by John Henry Harmon, Arnett Grant Lindsay, and Carter Godwin Woodson, “What is most lamentable is the fact that only a few of those who embezzled and defrauded the one-time liquid assets of this bank were ever prosecuted.”

Or take the history of the U.S. housing market.

“From the inception of the housing market in the United States, its viability had been structured around a scaffolding of racial knowledge that presumed insight into the speculative elements of ‘good housing’ and ‘good neighborhoods,’ which could then be actualized through ascending property values,” writes Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor in Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership.

Segregating African Americans into urban ghettos like Austin and “starving those communities of resources and other investments greatly limited their access to better-paying jobs and well-resourced public schools, while pushing them into substandard housing,” Taylor writes.

“These conditions were then spun into the evidence that African Americans were unfit as potential homeowners and deleterious to property values within the housing market.”

That blacks were unfit for good housing was a justification for confining them into “black-only neighborhoods where they could not ‘infect’ the larger housing market.” The “scarred geography” of places like Austin was the “physical evidence invoked to legitimize keeping” blacks out of places like Oak Park.

Real estate operatives profited on the “allure of exclusivity for whites” that was created exclusively from the distance their homes were from “inferior” black communities — what’s called a “race tax” (in one sense, the tax is colorblind, because it can also be felt by whites who live within proximity to blacks; just ask Oak Parkers who own homes on the east side).

But the very remedies that, at certain points in history, more enlightened whites have proposed to address this race-based economic exploitation have themselves

MICHAEL ROMAIN

been tools for further exploitation and predation.

In the early 1960s, after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the urban riots (what historians more accurately call upheavals or rebellions), the federal government slowly implemented laws to open up the segregated housing market, but the very real estate operatives and private interests that created the segregated market in the first place were now put in charge of carrying out so-called reforms.

Taylor calls this post-1960s era of reform “predatory inclusion.” In the past, blacks were denied the ability to purchase long-term, low-cost, governmentbacked mortgages. Now private real estate operatives, aided and abetted by government policies, coaxed blacks into purchasing “subprime,” or junk, loans in order to feed an overheated housing market that was desperate for higher profit margins.

When the subprime industry collapsed in 2008, black homeowners who were disproportionately herded into taking out those junk loans (regardless of their actual credit standing) lost everything while the profits, disproportionately owned by whites, were largely protected. Again, virtually no one was prosecuted.

Even for blacks in the suburbs, the creation of what Bararadan calls a “Jim Crow credit market” paved the way for a debt-cycle to become self-reinforcing.

“While the small black middle class may have been earning incomes similar to the white middle class, their upward mobility carried much higher interest,” she writes. “Over 70 percent of suburban black families had to borrow just so they could purchase cars, appliances, furniture, and the life necessities.

“Because the black middle class had more debt, they were charged higher interest on each new loan. More debt begets higher interest and vice versa. The added debt burden and high interest was a direct result of the lack wealth, and, looping around once again, the debt made it even harder to accumulate more wealth. The debt-wealth cycle fed on itself.”

In 2016, the $171,000 net worth of a typical white family was 10 times greater than the $17,150 net worth of a typical black family, according to a recent Brookings report.

Risk follows race, whether African Americans live in inner-cities like Austin or in suburbs like Oak Park — and in both places the equation equals plunder.

In order to evaluate future reforms then, “we must absorb the lessons of the past and make sure we are not repeating the same mistakes,” Baradaran writes, adding that we should apply a “short litmus test to any policy proposal: does the program require some collective sacrifice or does it place the burden of closing the wealth gap entirely on the black community?”

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

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Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

! o G o T Up!

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9

10

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

After 20 years, ‘time to pass the torch’ Betsy Ross principal, known for inspiring teachers, retiring

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

“Nobody loves the kids more than Bill Milnamow does.” Patty Marino, Betsy Ross secretary for 10 years, didn’t hold back when asked to speak about Milnamow who is retiring after 20 years.

Teachers and staff are heartbroken that he’s retiring now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, without a chance for the kind of celebration he deserves, said Marino. They were planning a big ceremony with the school community and his family. Cards from the kids.

Past teachers and staff coming back to honor the man who led the school for two decades.

“I just can’t imagine Betsy Ross without him,” said Marino, who has a unique perspective as both a parent of kids who went through Forest Park public schools and as a long-time staff member. She said one of the things that makes him such a good leader was his constant presence in the classrooms, not just in his office.

“He established relationships with all the kids,” said Marino. “He made them all feel comfortable.”

Peggy Perry, who has been a teacher with District 91 for 19 years, echoed that sentiment.

“Bill is the kind of principal that students want to share their successes with,” said Perry. She said that one thing she’ll remember about him is how whenever a student lost a tooth at school, the first thing they wanted to do was see Milnamow.

“Whether it was their first or third, they couldn’t wait to go see Mr. Milnamow to have their ‘gummy’ picture taken and then have their picture posted on the bulletin board in the hallway.”

And like Marino, she expressed how hard it is to imagine the school without him.

“When I think of Betsy Ross, the first person that comes to my mind is Mr. Milnamow,” said Perry, who has taught in other schools in the district. “I am so happy to

have been able to spend the last seven years back at Betsy with Bill as my principal. He has been an amazing leader for teachers, a role model for our students, and so respectful to his staff. I am proud to be a teacher in Mr. Milnamow’s school building.”

Lupe Huner, whose four daughters attended Betsy Ross, said they’ve known Milnamow since her oldest started kindergarten in the fall of 2011. Her youngest is finishing second grade at Betsy Ross this year and will be moving on to Field Stevenson in the fall.

“We will definitely miss him,” said Huner.

Few who have worked with Milnamow would be surprised that for the past seven years in a row, teachers at Betsy Ross have been awarded the Crystal Apple Award, recognition that goes to the top teacher in the district. Marino says it’s a testament to how much Milnamow inspires the people around him.

Milnamow said in an interview that he’s proud of his teachers, but he can’t take credit for them winning the award.

“The teachers push each other and encourage each other,” said Milnamow. “I don’t have to push them.”

He credits his teachers’ success with the fact that they work well together. “The teachers are so collaborative,” said Milnamow.

In the 20 years he’s been at Betsy Ross, he’s seen the school – and the district – go through significant changes. He was around for the district transition to grade-level centers, which he said was the biggest change he’d experienced in his time in D91.

“That was a big change for the school and community,” said Milnamow. “We worked hard with the PTOs to work it out and make the transition as easy as possible.”

The one thing he said he wanted students coming over to Betsy Ross to feel was: “This is your home.”

“The PTO did a tremendous job with that,” said Milnamow, because they worked hard to make sure every student and family felt welcome.

The transition meant that teachers, too, were moved from building to building to accommodate the new structure.

“They were used to different things in different buildings,” said Milnamow. “We didn’t want it to be a ‘me against you’ en-

vironment. It needed to be collaborative.

A team approach was imperative.”

But, he said, his staff started working together from day one and never looked back.

As for his retirement now, he said he’s looking forward to “slowing down.”

“I won’t miss the pressure,” he said. “As principal, I took seriously the responsibility to constantly work Provided to make things better.” He is PASSING THE TORCH: Bill Milnamow, principal of Betsy Ross for 20 looking for- years,is retiring in June. He is pictured here with Lily, Mia, Abby and ward to travelAli Huner, all of whom attended Betsy Ross. ing, when it’s safe to do so, said Milnamow, “the learning loss won’t be and spending time on family genealogy.

But he will miss the students and teach- huge. The kids will catch up quickly.”

Milnamow said he’ll miss the school, but ers. And he’s sad his retirement won’t be he’ll miss the town too. exactly what he expected.

“Forest Park is special,” said Milnamow, “I wish the kids were here,” said Milnamow, who’s still in the office three days mentioning how every part of the village a week. “I wanted to finish the year as pulls together, including the mayor, the planned. But this is necessary, although un- chamber, the library, the park district, the fortunate.” community center. “It’s a wonderful place Still, though, instead of talking more to be. I can’t imagine a better place to work about what he’s missing out on, he turned or be a part of.” the attention back to the teachers and staff.

He said he’s confident Tinisa Huff, who will “I’m very proud of how they pulled this all take over in June, will lead the school well. together,” he said about distance learning. He’s had the opportunity to work with her “The teachers have been reaching out to the since December, and he said he’s excited about kids and their families. Now, in this situa- the change and to see what she can accomplish. tion, the crisis has made it obvious how well “I think moving forward it will be fantasthey work together.” tic with Huff,” said Milnamow. “It’s time to Because of the effort of all the teachers, pass the torch.”

Virtual CROP Walk breaks all records

There’s nothing virtual about the record-breaking $85,000 raised this month by the annual CROP Walk – converted this year by COVID-19 into a virtual event and online fundraiser.

Joanne Despotes, chair of the Hunger Walkathon West, announced Sunday that the CROP Walk expects to take in $85,000 after all the checks have been counted and numbers tabulated.

“We will have a record income in 2020,” she said, “due to the generosity of so many supporters and the hard work of the planning team, the team captains and participants. It’s amazing and heartening that people have embraced the needs of their neighbors during this frightening time.”

Instead of 300 participants gathering at Pilgrim Church on May 3 for a rally and big send off, each participant was on their own walking in back yards or parking lots or even cemeteries. The amount given is surprising and gratifying, because most of the money raised in the past was done in churches by face to face meetings. This year, of course, almost all of it was done online.

Despotes said 25 percent of that $85,000 will be distributed to local food pantries

and agencies. The rest is distributed through the Church World Service to fund empowerment projects such as well-digging and latrine construction in the U.S, and across the world. Ted Despotes, the HWW treasurer summed up the reaction to the good news by the members of the planning team by saying, “God has smiled on our efforts this year as in the past. This will feed a lot of hungry people.”

Tom Holmes

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

SPECIAL NEEDS Doing it all from page 1 justing has been difficult.

Prior to the COVID-19 shut-downs, Christian had already had some upheaval at his District 91 public school. Johnson said he had a rough start to the school year, with a mixed kindergarten and first grade class initially and more than one teacher. In fact, he’d had a brand-new teacher for only about a month before school closed.

Just when it seemed like things might be settling into a routine at school, the COVID-19 crisis struck.

“It was completely a shock to his system when the schools closed,” said Johnson. “He didn’t understand why he couldn’t go anymore.” Because his language is limited, it was difficult to communicate to Christian why things were suddenly so different. He had meltdowns for two weeks when school was first cancelled.

“If a school bus drives by the house, he doesn’t understand why he can’t be on it,” said Johnson. “He doesn’t understand why we can’t go to the park.”

And remote learning has been a huge challenge. Zoom meetings, which many of the teachers use for communicating with children, is an impossibility for Christian, who won’t even sit still to watch television.

“It just doesn’t work for him,” said Johnson. “He needs one-on-one, individual, hands-on instruction. He gets distracted easily and needs redirection.”

Johnson has found remote help from the support services at school invaluable. The art teacher sends instructional videos with projects for the kids, she said. She can follow the instructions to help her son. Detailed steps on using Christian’s Assisted Learning Device have been helpful. The occupational therapist reaches out regularly with focused activities, and the physical education teachers sends out weekly exercises for the kids.

“Without music, OT, gym, art and speech, I would have no resources or direction,” said Johnson.

As for academics, however, Johnson’s felt the need to become Christian’s full-time teacher. Worksheets are sent home but without instruction. And once she’s completed them with Christian, she’s not sure what do to next.

“I feel like they don’t care about his academic life,” she said. “It’s over a month into stay-at-home, and as of now they should have been collaborating and figuring out how to help kids like Christian. I feel completely abandoned by his teacher.”

At first, said Johnson, she cried. Then she said she decided to start googling. “I thought, ‘Let’s try to maintain what he’s learned.’”

She googled. She downloaded work. She found a free website with site words. She bought books at Costco. And she’s become more than a mother.

“I was already dealing with his behaviors because of his autism. And now I’m trying to be his mom and his therapist and his teacher. It’s hard. Every day is hard,” said Johnson.

Her priority academically, said Johnson, is to make sure he doesn’t lose what he’s learned so far. He knows his name, letters, numbers, and simple addition, among other things, said Johnson.

“I pray every day that he doesn’t regress,” she said. “He’s come so far. But what if I’m not doing enough? What if I’m not doing it right?”

Her day begins at 5 a.m. when she wakes up to get in a few hours of her own work. After that she gets started teaching Christian.

They take a break, then start up again in the afternoon.

“I’m lucky that my job is very flexible,” said Johnson. “I can break up the day and schedule meetings.”

One of her biggest fears right now is that schools won’t be open again before she’s asked to return to work. But taking things one day at a time is the only way to move forward.

“I just want people to know that Christian is autistic, but he’s still a person,” said Johnson. “Kids with behavioral problems or learning disabilities laugh at jokes and want to have fun just like everyone else.

Their families want them to succeed. I just pray that someday we’ll live in a world where resources for these children aren’t so scarce.”

The Review reached out to District 91 Superintendent Lou Cavallo on May 11 regarding this story. He said in an email: “I know nothing about these issues and no parent has brought any issues to my attention. In fact, I’ve only heard praise from parents about how our teachers have gone above and beyond for the students in these unprecedented times.” He added that, “It also seems in bad character for the Review to write such a biased article without any verification, in my opinion.” To verify, the Review held the article for a week to allow him time to respond to specific questions about special ed and remote learning, but he did not respond.

11

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Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

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Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

FLOODING

Water must go somewhere from page 1 Sorice, who has owned businesses in town for 37 years, said he got water in the basement of one of his Madison Street establishments for the first time ever.

How much rain did Forest Park get?

How much water fell on the village and surrounding communities? As one village official put it: “We got a sh*t ton.”

For a more scientific answer, the Review reached out to Allison Fore, public and intergovernmental affairs officer of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD).

“Over the last 96 hours, the Chicago metropolitan area has seen between 6 to 8 inches of rainfall,” said Fore in an email on Monday. In the month of May, she added, “we have experienced unprecedented rain, and we are continuing to experience it at record levels.”

For the entire month of May so far, 8.19 inches has fallen over the Chicago metropolitan area, almost as much already as the record 8.25 inches recorded for the entire month in 2019.

Where does the rainwater go?

The ground. The sewers. The river.

The Deep Tunnel.

Fore explained that most sewer systems in the Chicago area were built over 100 years ago. Forest Park, she said, “operates with a combined sewer system, meaning it was originally designed to drain sanitary flow and a limited amount of stormwater directly to the waterways.” Sewer separation and installing wider water mains are projects the village has been undertaking over the past few years, but with so much rain coming down so quickly, it’s impossible for systems to keep up with

the deluge.

“Today, most of the local sewers are required to carry much more water than they did when they were first put into service,” said Fore. “Consequently, they can exceed their capacity, resulting in backups and overflows due to insufficient flow capacity at some point in the sewer system.”

Gillian concurred. “Simply, it’s a matter of exceeding the capacity of the system,” he said. “When the ground gets saturated, the water runs off. It goes into the sewers or into the Deep Tunnel, which empties into quarries.

When those are full, our backup is the Desplaines River. The water has to go somewhere.”

Unfortunately when there’s so much rain, that “somewhere” can include people’s basements.

control over the flow of the water.”

What people may be referring to is the MWRD’s ability to reverse the flow of the Chicago Area Waterway system to Lake Michigan at two locations: the Wilmette Pumping Station and the Chicago River Controlling Works downtown.

“There are several factors we consider when determining to release floodwater to the lake, including the rate the river water level is rising at each lakefront control location, whether rainfall intensity is continuing or beginning to decrease, and the storm conditions on the radar,” said Fore.

As of May 18, Fore reported that the Wilmette Pumping station had started reversing on May 17 at 3:45 p.m. and at the Chicago River Controlling Works on May 17 at 7:20 p.m. and both were still ongoing.

What is the Deep Tunnel?

How can residents protect their homes?

According to Fore, the MWRD has constructed 560 miles of intercepting sewers fed by approximately 10,000 local sewer system connections. Below this, is what is referred to as the Deep Tunnel but is officially known as the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP), a huge system of tunnels 8 to 33 feet in diameter that empty into three large reservoirs.

“TARP prevented more than 8 billion gallons from entering our streets, basements and polluting our waterways. However, TARP is not the answer for every flooding problem,” she said.

“Sewer backups may arise for a variety of reasons, ranging from conveyance of water flow in local pipes, the groundwater table, undersized drainage designs and roof loads, and sump pumps attached to house lines.”

And when rain falls so quickly and so heavily, stormwater can enter sewers faster than it can flow through them, backing up into streets and unprotected basements.

As for the rumor that there’s a switch the village can flip to force the water to flow into the Deep Tunnel?

“If there was a flip like that, we’d use it,” said Gillian. “The village has no

In Forest Park, there is an assistance grant program that reimburses residents for installing flood-control systems up to $1,500.

According to Gillian, “Over the last four years we have provided just over $75,000 in flood assistance grants,” which are available to owner-occupied properties, not income properties.

“Unfortunately,” said Gillian, “when we go a few years with no major rain events, people don’t apply.” He added that he’s currently looking into availability of grant money given the COVID-19 situation. Questions about the assistance program can be directed to village hall at 708-366-2323.

Gillian recommends that people do backflow preventive work on their homes and waterproof if there are any foundation issues. Although these systems aren’t always 100% effective and seepage can still occur, especially in old homes, they’re the best defense for homeowners against water entering houses.

In the short term, said Gillian, the village’s public works department will be picking up ruined and discarded furniture and household items from alleys and, if not possible to get into the alleys, from curbsides in front of homes.

Fore said the MRWD promotes Overflow Action Days, during which residents are encouraged to use less water at home.

“Launched in 2016 with our partners at Friends of the Chicago River, we urge residents to use less water at home when weather forecasts predict significant rain,” she said. “This allows sewers more capacity to handle increased volumes of water. We remind area residents to conserve water before and during rainstorms. Actions such as delaying showers or reducing their duration, flushing less, and waiting to run the dishwasher or laundry can help reduce the amount of water in the sewer system.”

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

UNDER WATER: Concordia Cemetery filled with water on May 18 after the previous night’s heavy rain.

15

JASON MAXHAM

MILES OF SMILES: Sarah Gasse ran 13.1 miles through and around town on May 17. Friends gathered at locations along the route to cheer for her. She raised over $1,000 for the 209 Together Scholarship Fund.

Running in the rain for scholarship fund 13.1 miles, with a little help from some friends

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

It wasn’t the first half-marathon she originally planned. But on Sunday, May 17, Sarah Gasse ran 13.1 miles through Forest Park and neighboring towns. In the rain. By herself. To raise money for scholarships for Proviso high school students.

Gasse, who’s on the board of the 209 Together Scholarship committee, said she realized that fundraising would be different this summer than usual, since inperson events can’t be scheduled.

So Gasse decided to ask for donations for her run.

And she raised over $1,000, enough to fund an entire scholarship.

Gasse said the support and solidarity of local friends made “what would have been a lonely, boring, much slower run” go faster. Friends, including local runner Julianne Murphy Bonwit, drove around to meet at different spots along Gasse’s route to cheer for her. With drums, pots and pans and whistles, people showed their support. And then they got in their cars to drive further along the route to do it all over again.

“I am so grateful for the love,” said Gasse. “I feel it deeply in my heart. I receive so much love, I feel it’s only fair that I return some of that love back to the universe.”

Those interested in donating to the 209 Together Scholarship Fund can visit https://www.facebook. com/209Together/.

16

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

‘Making lemonade’ out of the lockdown Small businesses respond to the lockdown

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

It’s been two months since Gov. Pritzker’s executive order changed the way every small business in Forest Park does business. Some are doing better than others.

Many are finding that necessity is the mother of invention. All are grateful for the way village residents have tried to support them.

Jeff Russell who owns Jeff’s Millionaires Barbershop, located across from The Park, has been closed by government orders, and it’s difficult to sell haircuts online or at curbside. Peter Gianakopoulos said sales at his Old School Records have declined by two-thirds, and Rod Nunley said business at Elite Tire and Battery is 80 percent of what it was two months ago.

Others are doing better. Famous Liquors was designated an essential business. Owner Jeff Sukowski said “business is about the same” even though they are open 27 hours a week less than before COVID-19. Counter Coffee’s owner, Vito Claps, said his business is down by only 10 percent and he has not had to lay off or furlough any of his staff.

Dan Bjornson, an accountant on Madison Street, said, “My business has been steady, but more relaxed because of the extended tax deadlines — slower, but not lost.”

Plumbing is, of course, an essential service. Ruth Stefl, whose husband owns Stefl Plumbing, said that at first their business was slower than before the pandemic, but “we are noticing people have plumbing issues that can’t wait, backing-up sinks, drains, water heaters, problems during the rain, sump pumps, and ejectors out. We have not furloughed anyone. Some days we get done early, but for the most part we are keeping busy.”

Some small businesses have been helped

by SBA loans like the PPP and EIDL. Connie Brown said, “I applied for the EIDL through the SBA website and the PPP Loan through my bank. Both were funded, thank heavens.”

Team Blonde, Counter Coffee, Todd and Holland Tea Merchants, and Stefl Plumbing have received SBA loans, but Core Strength, Old School Records, Dan Bjornson and Jeff Russell have not heard anything to date.

Steve Glinke, director of Building Planning & Zoning for the village of Forest Park, has a pretty good read on what is happening in the business community. He described three kinds of businesses — those waiting for the government to save them and will

not survive; those who are playing by the governor’s directives, are staying open, but are not the kind of business that lends itself to innovation; and those who “are up to the challenge to innovate and adapt.”

“On the whole,” he added, “they are upbeat and optimistic.”

Many Forest Park small business owners are responding to the lockdown by being creative and innovative.

Connie Brown shut Brown Cow down for two weeks and had a walk-up window installed for customers on the sidewalk. Vito Claps took advantage of the shutdown to remodel the downstairs area of Counter Coffee.

Heidi Vance and Jayne Ertel built a new e-commerce website for their Team Blonde Boutique, Eco Spa and Salon during the first week of the quarantine and have tried to substantially increase their social media presence “to drive people to our new site to increase sales.”

The Gillian-Baker Team realtors have started hosting virtual “happy hours.”

“Grab your favorite drink and join us,” wrote Dorothy Gillian in an email, “to commiserate and encourage each other through this tough time!”

The Forest Park realtors also teamed with other small business owners — Chris Everett of Everett Wealth Solutions, Julianne

Rizzo of Oasis Senior Advisors, Patty Mullin of Organizing Unlimited — to present a webinar on Zoom titled, “Right Size Your Next Move.”

Cheryl Sauvey who owns Core Strength Personal Training is now leading her virtual workouts from kitchen at home. “My kitchen is my new gym,” she said, “and I’m making it work. I have returning past clients FaceTiming in from Huntley and South Barrington. And as far as Kochi, Japan.”

Looking to the future and reopening, she said, “It’s possibly a new normal, and requests have been voiced to keep the remote training going even when my studio is reopened.”

Many credited long-term relationships for keeping them afloat during this economic storm. “The purpose of our happy hours,” Gillian explained, “is to stay in touch with our clients — not to sell them a house but to make sure they were OK during these crazy times. Our business is based on building relationships with our clients.”

Janet Todd said that over the 26 years she and her husband Bill have been in the tea business (Todd & Holland), they’ve built up a loyal clientele. “Tea seems to be essential to many people,” she said. “We’ve seen a large increase in tea gifts being sent to others ‘Just thinking of you,’ not for a special occasion.”

How are they making it work? Vito Claps replied, “It has been a massive combined effort between staff, management, and this incredible community.”

Augie Aleksy, owner of Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore, had this to say about the relationships he has formed with the patrons of his “niche” business. “It’s been pretty busy, sales-wise. There are, thank God, many customers, not all local, who don’t want Centuries & Sleuths to vanish under the threat of Big Disease. The public’s reaction has been almost biblical, at least for those who read.”

UNCERTAIN TIMES: Todd & Holland Tea Merchants, 7311 Madison St., is among the Forest Park businesses who have received pandemicrelated loans from the government. Others are still waiting.

JASON MAXHAM

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

COVID-19 number rises, but county says percent positive down Increased testing also contributing to more reported cases

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

Last week, the county’s COVID-19 reporting website listed 82 cases of the illness in Forest Park. On Monday, it reported 108 cases. This jump of 26 cases may seem like a lot.

However, that number alone doesn’t tell the entire story since it encompasses the total number of cases to date, including those of people who have since recovered from the illness.

According to Kimberley Conrad Junius from the Cook County Department of Public Health, “In the past week, the percent positive [percent of positive results among those tested] in Forest Park went from 13.7 percent down to 10.1 percent. This trend is consistent with the overall decreasing trend in percent positives in our region and in Illinois, generally,” said Junius in an email on May 18.

Additionally, said Junius, “with increased testing, we expect to see more

positive cases,” and she indicated that “it looks like testing increased in Forest Park.”

However, even with more testing and positive percentages potentially decreasing, Junius said people must do their part to stay safe.

“We want everyone to remember that even with business and school closures and a stay at home order in effect until May 30, the state is still reporting 2,000+ new cases in Illinois per day,” said Junius, who added that people need to stay vigilant about the following: • physical distancing (6 feet or more) from others • using a face covering when social distancing is not possible • handwashing • disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, and • staying home when sick Overall, the county reported 24,463 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,033 deaths as of May 18.

In updated information from Illinois Department of Public Health, Aperion Forest Park, 8200 Roosevelt Rd., has two more total cases of COVID-19 as of May 18. The number has risen to 12. Only one COVID-19 death has been reported at the facility.

17

D209 hires interim superintendent Dan Johnson, 20-year D209 veteran, appointed at May 12 board meeting

excellence,” said D209 Board President Rodney Alexander.

“It has been a great privilege to serve the students and families of the Proviso community for the last 20 years. I’m honored and humbled that the board has appointed me to serve as interim superintendent, and I look

By MICHAEL ROMAIN forward to the opportunity to work alongStaff Reporter side our caring and dedicated faculty and At its regular meeting on May 12, the Dis- staff in this new role,” Johnson said.

Johnson will serve as interim superintentrict 209 school board unanimously appointdent effective May 13 until the ed Dan Johnson as interim board selects a new permanent superintendent going into the superintendent by July. John2020-21 academic year. Johnson will be paid based on a proson replaces outgoing Supt. rated annual salary of $220,000 Jesse Rodriguez, who is leav— or $6,431 for the 38 days the ing at the end of this school district anticipates his interim year to become superintendent role to last. of Zion-Benton Township High Last month, the D209 school School District 126. board opted to restart its Johnson has worked within search for Rodriguez’s succesProviso Township High School sor after an executive search District 209 for 20 years. His DAN JOHNSON process facilitated by the experience ranges from being Interim Superintendent firm Ray and Associates had a classroom teacher to servwhittled down 45 applicants to ing as an assistant principal at three finalists. both Proviso East and Proviso West, district “After our last round of interviews, we let officials said in a statement. Most recently, he was the district’s director of student and it gestate in our collective mind and we realized we didn’t find anyone who is a perfect family services.

“We know that Mr. Johnson will help fit and so we reopened the application promaintain consistency and ensure effective cess,” said former D209 Board President Ned and efficient operations. He is respected in Wagner on April 25. Wagner said the posiour community and I look forward to work- tion was reposted on Monday and applicaing with him and our board in our quest for tions will be accepted until June 5.

Our Community Needs Community Journalism It’s not just about crime reports and board meetings. We also need inspiring, funny, heartwarming and, at times, heartbreaking stories about our friends, neighbors and children. Perhaps now, more than ever.

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18

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

OPINION O U R

V I E W

Special-needs challenges

W

e all cope these days with our specific circumstances. Lost wages. Loneliness. Actual illness. Worries from the pandemic’s front lines, whether that is working in a hospital or at Walmart.

Today, though, as we read Maria Maxham’s strong profile of Denita Johnson and her Forest Park family, we offer up a prayer for neighbors not just coping to manage “distance learning” with their kids but for families with special needs.

Christian, Denita’s young son, is a District 91 firstgrader who has autism. And while she has praise for the district’s art, speech, gym and occupational therapy staffers, she is extraordinarily frustrated with the academic portion of distance learning for her son.

And she carries both weariness and worry that Christian’s hard-won academic accomplishments — his letters, numbers, a start on arithmetic — will be lost in this COVID season of pain. Further, she worries that if school does not reopen in August, her employer will want her back in her office in any event.

Certainly some of this stress is shared by every Forest Park parent. But it is always amplified when special needs are added. So hold a thought for Ms. Johnson, for her kids and for teachers who clearly need more help in meeting the needs of these children.

Thanks, Mr. Milnamow A lot of long-distance so-longs right now. In Forest Park we’re saying goodbye to Bill Milnamow, retiring from the District 91 public schools after 20 years.

Milnamow has been at Betsy Ross all those years as its principal.

That’s pretty remarkable all by itself. Tough job being a principal and finding the individual with the stamina to do it in the same place for two decades is rare. Finding a school community, or a subset of a school community, that doesn’t cause a squawk enough to lead to a principal’s departure in all that time is rarer still.

But at Betsy Ross, Mr. Milnamow is making his virtual exit with the wind still at his back. Our story this week quotes Betsy Ross teachers, the school secretary, parents and administrative colleagues testifying to his perpetually strong connection to students, his combination of active involvement with teachers while allowing them room to teach, his underlying belief in collaboration as a management style.

And Milnamow offers his hosannas to Forest Park as he departs with praise for the Betsy community, with appreciation for leaders of all of Forest Park’s institutions.

“It’s a wonderful place to be. I can’t imagine a better place to work or be a part of,” he says.

Those are thoughts that are reciprocated.

I

A little oil banishes conspiracy theories

had used the last squirts of Windex at just the most perfect moment. It was one of those bottles that had great spray action and I needed it to mist a moss project-experiment I have going in my yard. So I cleaned it, filled it with water and, voila … the spray mechanism stopped working.

Why does this always happen? The lever suddenly develops a drop syndrome and won’t spring back to reset unless I hit the bottle on something, jostling the lever back into position to eject water.

Googled it. Somewhere on the internet it claimed these bottles only work for a single use and are designed to fail after the exact number of sprays that correspond to the ounces in the bottle. I was amazed to think that engineers had designed these plastic spray bottles to be “single” use. It is diabolical, reallife evil-genius stuff, an amazing accomplishment and only as logical as blaming a political party for a pandemic.

Determined to avoid the path that would lead me to become BFF’s with “deep state” peeps, I was going to find a way to make the bottle functional and be nontoxic so I can mist my moss. I pumped some vinegar through the sprayer — maybe it was clogged or dirty. It helped! The sprayer was strong again, but it was brief, and once again it required intervention to reset the spray.

I was not about to say “good-bye” to this bottle, our relationship was different than bottles in the past. I wanted to work it out because the blue liquid was gone.

Ask anyone in my family, they will tell you that I have “super-finding powers.” Can find anything, a lost phone in a snow bank that dropped from my pocket in Rogers Park hours earlier, a rare special book that fell off the roof of my car on Marengo, hundreds of pipe cleaners for masks even when craft stores are closed for a pandemic, and anything my kids realize they are missing. Sometimes I call on St. Anthony for a hand, or I walk away for a bit, or I start doing something else, but I have a skill that has been crafted from many years of losing things.

I’m not sure when I chose to embrace my finding skills rather then get frustrated at my losing skills, but I am much happier “changing the way I look at a situation.” Right now, for example, like a scribe on the Titanic, my basement is filling with water. I am not just writing, I am channeling my appreciation and spirit to find the right point of view to make the most of the next 48 hours.

Don’t get me wrong, there are things that can really get my goat. Earlier today, I was waiting in line to go into a store. The sidewalk was marked with alternating 6-feet tape line and then an “x” which repeated for 20 or more spaces. About a dozen of us lined up, each on our very own “x” neatly standing 6 feet apart, waiting for customers to exit so we could enter. But something perplexing happened. When the line moved, the person in front of me chose to only move forward 3 feet, stopping midway between the “x” she left and her target ‘x’.

Perhaps an independent spirit, or someone lacking experience standing on “x,” or a narcissist, or maybe her ego is only limited to her own vantage point, but she caused quite the disturbance behind her. Everyone heard the proverbial “music start,” and together we all took the steps forward to the next “x.” But when she didn’t quite make it to her target, I was at the mercy of her choice. It really got to me. But she was very kind when I said something to her; it was just a simple oversight.

I find peace and harmony in the more predictable activities, like recovering from a flood or simply figuring out how to reuse a Windex bottle. I’ll take a logical problem that follows basic scientific rules any day over unpredictable human nature and ignorance.

The irony of the Windex bottle situation amused me, as the very product that “fixes everything,” was the only thing that actually worked in the sprayer.

That was my lightbulb moment. Windex was lubricating the gears in the spray device. I just needed a little non-toxic lubricant. Olive oil! Lubed up the sprayer with some olive oil, then screwed the sprayer back on and presto, it worked. Great action on the lever again.

It’s just a matter of perspective. Take a second to identify that no one is being tread upon, that there is no scheme trying to deter people from reusing spray bottles, no witch hunt needed, no conspiracy. It is science; the natural slipperiness of Windex keeps the spray mechanism working optimally, and a little olive oil is all it needed. The only thing we can control sometimes is our point of view, so have some olive oil, drop the blame game, and be happy.

JILL WAGNER

Send letters Forest Park Review 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 E-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com Fax: 708-524-0047 Please include name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

19

L E T T E R S

A year later, no word on the auxiliary police It’s been a year since Mayor Rory Hoskins took office amid plans to “talk” with Police Chief Tom Aftanas about Forest Park’s problematic auxiliary police force. But since that initial talk-about-a-talk, there has been no public report of this minisummit and, more importantly, no public comment about what Forest Park’s new mayor plans to do with the village’s undertrained but fully armed “volunteer” police cadre.

Hoskins’ interest in the issue was prompted by Better Government Association reporting — I was a co-author — that detailed a long history of problems with the village’s fake-cop outfit, including nepotism, alleged violence, and, of course, a stolen handgun that led immediately to an execution-style murder on the streets of Forest Park.

When we were writing that story, former Mayor Anthony Calderone, a one-time auxiliary cop himself, flatly refused to answer our questions and Aftanas, whose salary is, as they say, taxpayer-funded, ignored dozens of written questions seeking details about the auxiliary unit, including why his own son was on the force.

So, Mayor Hoskins, perhaps you can answer a couple questions: ■ Is Joseph Aftanas still an auxiliary police officer in Forest Park?

■ Why is anyone still an auxiliary police officer in Forest Park?

S W NE

!

H S LA

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Brett McNeil

South Bend, Indiana Editor’s Note: Brett McNeil, former editor of the Review, published a story on the topic of auxiliary police in Forest Park. It won a Lisagor award and ran in the Review in April 2019.

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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:

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT

CLOSET ORGANIZATION

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

ORGANIZE YOUR CLOSETS! We can offer safe, creative, professional, and affordable solutions to address the need of your cluttered, unorganized closets. Using either wire shelving components, or more attractive wood grain laminated particle board, we successfully work closely with our clients to help them with their organizing challenges. We also offer assembly services for and Ikea products. Contact us for a free quote today!

Brian@bkedesigns.com (312) 504-6149

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

ITEMS FOR SALE FOR SALE - HOME MEDICAL EQUIPMENT Used, as is, cash and carry Wheel chairs, walker, cane, shower bench, commode, hospital bed, power chair, adult tricycle Call Jerry (708) 848-4611 LENOX CHINA 5 piece place settings Lenox china, Tuxedo pattern IRISH CARDIGAN Men’s size large.

WATERFORD GLASSES Colleen pattern, 2 water goblets, 2 wine glasses, 5 double old-fashioned glasses 708-386-6160 PATIO/DECK CHAIRS/OTTOMAN New� Patio/Deck Chairs/Ottoman Dk.Brown Wicker,� 3 Matching Sets, ““Beautiful $300.00 for Everything!!!!!

708-220-0881 WALL SCONCES 1PAIR Stainless Steel/Frost Glass Globe Sconce Wall Lights for the Bathroom/Hallway. $100 for pair.

708-220-0881

ITEMS TO BE GIVEN AWAY HOSPITAL BED You pick up.

708-485-0929

WANTED TO BUY Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am – 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue.

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

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

PETS While you’re away, your pets are okay . . . at home

cat calls

Oak Park’s Original Pet Care Service – Since 1986

Daily dog exercising Complete pet care in your home )PVTF TJUUJOH t 1MBOU DBSF Bonded References

524-1030

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

devegaconcrete.com ¡ 708-945-9001

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

COMMERCIAL ˜ INDUSTRIAL ˜ RESIDENTIAL

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

A&A ELECTRIC

Let an American Veteran do your work

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

ELECTRICAL

HANDYMAN

FOUR SEASONS ELECTRIC

Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Repair

â&#x2DC;&#x2026;Cool your Homeâ&#x2DC;&#x2026; with Ceiling Fans!

Installing Ceiling Fans Rewiring Old Houses Service Upgrades

Reasonable Pricing & Free Estimates

â&#x20AC;˘ No Job Too Big or Too Small â&#x20AC;˘ Lic * Bonded * Ins * 24 hrs

708-445-0447

FLOORS

KLIS FLOORING INC.

New hardwood ďŹ&#x201A;ooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-ďŹ nishing, staining. Low prices, insured.

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

GARAGE DOORS Our 73rd Year

Garage Doors &

Smart Door Openers

Sales & Service Free Estimates

Illinois Classified Advertising Network WANTED TO BUY

FREON WANTED: We pay CA$H for cylinders and cans.

R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. Certified Professionals.

Call 312-598-1758 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com

3 Great Papers, 6 Communities

(708) 652-9415 www.forestdoor.com

HANDYMAN CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE Drywall Repair â&#x20AC;˘ Painting Fans Installed â&#x20AC;˘ Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning â&#x20AC;˘ Window Repair

FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small

708-488-9411

Lost & Found and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified.

To place your ad, call 708-613-3342

Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Do

708-296-2060

HANDYMAN Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs â&#x20AC;˘ Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates

773-637-0692 Ask for John

HAULING BASEMENT CLEANING

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

HEATING / AIR CONDITIONING HEATING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT Furnaces, Boilers and Space Heaters Refrigerators Ranges â&#x20AC;˘ Ovens Washer â&#x20AC;˘ Dryers Rodding Sewers Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience

FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.

708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000

22

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM

CLASSIFIED LANDSCAPING

PAINTING & DECORATING

NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN UP

Evergreen trimming & more.

Hand weed removal.

Clean-ups.

Call 24 hrs.

SureGreenLandscape�com

Attention Home-Improvement Pros!

In print • Online • Available to you 24/7/365

ForestParkReview.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com

708.749.0011

PLASTERING

Mulch & Topsoil

847-888-9999 •• 630-876-0111 630-876-0111 847-888-9999

Public Notice: Your right to know

Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/Plaster Repair Low Cost

FAST DELIVERY

Topsoil, Garden Mix, Mushroom, Super Mix, Compost, Gravel, Sand

Let the sun shine in...

CLASSIC PAINTING

708-447-1762

Premium Shredded Hardwood ���������������$20/yd Dyed Red/Brown �������$28/yd Playmat��������������������$28/yd Triple Brown �������������$28/yd Premium Blend Dark �$34/yd Premium Bark Fines��$42/yd Blonde Cedar ������������$48/yd • Spreading Available! •

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

McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.

Small & big work. Free estimates.

Complete Plaster, Stucco & Re-Coating Services

708/386-2951 • ANYTIME Work Guaranteed

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

ROOFING

MIDWEST ROOFING

Reach your target demographic.

Place an ad in Wednesday Classifieds! Call 708/613-3342

All Types of Roofing Repairs Shingles, Hot Mop, Torchdown • Free Estimates

773-637-0692

PPE

PUBLIC NOTICES OAK PARK TOWNSHIP NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to legal voters, residents of the Township of Oak Park, in the County of Cook, State of Illinois, that Public Hearings on the Tentative Town Fund, General Assistance Fund, and Community Mental Health Fund Budgets for Fiscal Year 2021, will be held at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, 2020, at the Oak Park Township Hall, 105 S. Oak Park Ave., in the Township of Oak Park. To request a copy of the Tentative Budgets named above for review, call Township Hall at 708-383-8005 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. A digital version of the Tentative Budgets is available at www.oakparktownship.org.

Oral and written comments concerning these proposed annual budgets are welcome.

All interested citizens, groups, senior citizens and organizations representing the interests of senior citizens are encouraged to attend.

Oak Park Township does not discriminate on the basis of handicapped status in the admission or access to, or employment in its programs or activities. Those needing special accommodations are asked to provide 48 hours notice.

Given under my hand in the Town of Oak Park, County of Cook, State of Illinois, the 14th day of May, 2020.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION US BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR VRMTG ASSET TRUST; Plaintiff, vs.

LORNA J. RANKER; CHARLES K. RANKER; CITIZENS BANK NA; Defendants, 18 CH 2459 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-17-327-034-0000.

Commonly known as 1185 S. LOMBARD AVE., OAK PARK, IL 60304.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser

of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Mr. Ira T. Nevel at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

(312) 357-1125. 18-04613 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3150861

hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-10-431-012-0000.

Commonly known as 830 South 16th Avenue, Maywood, IL 60153.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required

by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiff’s Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 3609455. W19-0247 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3150866

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION AM SOLUTIONS LLC; Plaintiff, vs.

ARIEL CHAPMON; TAJ CHAPMON; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 7196 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at the

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday Journal • Landmark • Forest Park Review

Gregory P. White Oak Park Township Clerk PLEASE NOTE: As of this time, it is uncertain whether the Governor’s ban on public gatherings will be lifted by June 23. Please visit the Township website at www.oakparktownship.org after June 16, or call us at 708-3838005. If the hearing is virtual due to continuation of the Governor’s orders, information will be posted on the website for participation Published in Wednesday Journal 5/20/2020

 www.ForestParkReview.com

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE On Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., Oak Park Elementary School District 97 will be conducting a “timely and meaningful consultation” meeting to discuss plans for providing special education services to students with disabilities who attend private/parochial schools and who are home schooled within the district for the 2020-2021 school year. The meeting will be held virtually through Zoom. The details are listed below.

If you are a parent/guardian of a home-schooled student who has been or may be identified with a disability, and you reside within the boundaries of Oak Park Elementary School District 97, you are urged to attend. If you have further questions pertaining to this meeting, please contact District 97’s Department of Special Education at 708-524-3030.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86139115281?pwd=d0JEOXd3TWNQM0hUK3BQVUcxZWJFZz09 Meeting ID: 861 3911 5281 Password: 0ZwbeE One tap mobile +13126266799,,86139115281#,,1#,572874# US (Chicago) +16465588656,,86139115281#,,1#,572874# US (New York) Meeting ID: 861 3911 5281 Password: 572874 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kWgFpTfxu

Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)

local employees = happy employees!

Hire Local. Place an ad

on FPR’s Local Online Job Board.

Go to ForestParkReview.com/classified today!

Published in Wednesday Journal 5/13 and 5/20/2020

Starting a New Business?

Call the experts before you place your legal ad! Publish your assumed name legal notice here.

Call Mary Ellen for details: 708/613-3342

Contact Mary Ellen Nelligan for more information.

(708) 613-3342 • Classifieds@ForestParkReview.com

P

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020

INC., REALTOR

23

(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

D L SO

D L SO

D L SO

Living Word Christian Center Food Distribution For Forest Park Families Saturday, May 23, 2020 in the parking lot of Living Fresh Market Many local families and individuals are facing difficult challenges due to the pandemic and the current stay-at-home order. Some households are even struggling to feed their families.

To assist the community of Forest Park at this time, Living Word Christian Center and Living Fresh Market have organized a community food donation on Saturday, May 23, 2020 in the parking lot of Living Fresh Market.

The event starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends when all food is distributed.

The food donation will feed 300 households.

Day of Event:

• Residents enter the Forest Park Plaza by Taco Bell and drive to the Living Fresh parking lot to receive their donation.

• Residents will not have to leave their cars.

• Residents will need to present an ID to show proof of residency.

• After verifying residency, volunteer staff will load the food packages into the resident’s trunk.

Individual Food Donation includes:

• Fresh vegetables • Fresh fruit • Whole chicken • Dry/Canned goods include dry beans, canned corn, canned beans Jiffy cornmeal, and macaroni • Living Fresh Market coupon to Seniors and First Responders. 10% Discount off Living Fresh purchases until July 1, 2020 or until the Stay-at-Home order is lifted.

Each food box will feed approximately four people for one week.

All volunteers and staff will wear the appropriate masks and gloves in loading the food into cars, and will follow the mandated social distancing guidelines.

24

Forest Park Review, May 20, 2020