coun in Chicago on Saturday rallies, defending democra nouncing the authoritarianism.
the western suburbs, including in Pa coordinator Tom Holmes, a longtime columnist near Court on June 14.
er Michelle Melin-R and both U3 and Caffe De Luca brought out be signs with them.
By MICHAEL DRAKULICH Contributing Reporter
A bakery/restaurant specializing in cannabis-infused baked goods was scheduled to open at 123 S. Harlem Ave. sometime this month. It is the site where a Mr. Beef once operated and that is most notable now for the retro mural now covering the exterior. But the opening has been delayed and the business owners, parent company, and the village have provided little meaningful official information about what has
TODD BANNOR
CRIME Man ghts stranger, then girlfriend on Harlem
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
On June 10, police responded to Elite Staffing at 1215 S. Harlem Ave. for a dispute. There, Forest Park police saw no one fighting, but Berwyn police said they were dispatched to the Citgo at 14th and Harlem Avenue, where a woman reported she was battered. The woman told police that she and a man were driving down Harlem before both got out of the car, and he pushed her to the ground. She said she was dating the man and drove him to Elite Staffing so he could find work for the day. Upon arriving, the man had a physical altercation with an unknown subject. She pulled him away and the pair left before the man became mad at her and pulled the car over. He was charged with domestic battery.
Criminal damage to property
Police were dispatched to Circle Inn just before 1 a.m. on June 9 after a report that a man broke a window and was being detained by bar patrons. Upon arrival, police handcuffed the offender, who said he was attacked by bar staff and broke the window during the fight. A bartender told police that the man walked out of the bar before paying his $22 tab. Outside, the security guard called after him. The man came back into the bar, became irate and knocked over stools. He took a pair of pliers from his backpack and threw them at the window, shattering it. He was charged with criminal damage to property.
On June 9, the landlord of 7345 Madison St called the police department to report that, around 5 a.m., an unknown man was pounding on the door and damaged it. A tenant of the building told police a man traveled up to her unit and started pounding on her door, saying he needed a place to crash and asking where the landlord was. She didn’t open the door, called police, and the man left. No one has been charged, but police created an extra watch for the address
While police were parked in the park district parking lot on June 9, a man approached the car and told them two kids were throwing rocks by the Roos Recreation Center, and his car was damaged. Two other patrons in the park district parking lot confirmed the man’s story. The man told police he was driving down Harrison Street, when someone threw a rock at his car, leaving a small dent on the rear driver’s side passenger door. The two juveniles’ parents arrived on the scene, and they were given citations for criminal damage to property
These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated June 9 -12 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
Danny Davis to those waiting to replace him: ‘People get r
Rep. La Shawn Ford and others explore running if Davis retires from Congress
By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter
As speculation swirls around the intentions of long-time incumbent. Rep. Danny K. Davis to run or not for a 16th term in Congress, Davis has a suggestion for those hoping to replace him.
“There’s a song by the Impressions,” Davis said, “People Get Ready.” Get ready, Davis said, not just to replace him, but to show a clear track record of working for those who would elect them.
Davis is expected to announce a decision “probably in the new few weeks,” he said.
When Davis spoke with Forest Park Review Friday morning, he was asked about one of those people, Illinois State Rep. LaShawn K. Ford (D-8), who has for mally registered as a candidate for the 7th District seat.
The Illinois congressional district covers parks of Cook County including Oak Park, Forest Park, River Forest and much of the West Side Ford, who has served in the Illinois House since 2007, filed a statement of organization with the Federal Elections Commission on May 21. He’s retained the election compliance firm of Acuity Politics, LLC, in Washington D.C.
Ford described his tial part of an exploratory ef clear that he will only proceed with his plans if Davis is not running
“I haven’t made an official announcement,” Ford said last case the congressman retire
He added: “I’m excited ity of running. But if decides to run, I’ll suppo
Ford said he is also of financial support
“I’m talking to supporters and I’m doin my best to put tog who added that his first stituent services
“Building coalitions with politicians is secondary. My goal is to make the case that I’ll always be there for the people. You have to stay focused on the constituents in the district.”
“Re-entry (into society), criminal records expungement, healthcare, safety net hospitals, these are the heart beat of our district,” he said.
Others currently listed by the FEC as candidates for the 7th Congressional seat are Jason Friedman, a Chicago attorney who filed in April, and John McCombs, a for mer Marine and aspiring comedian, also of Chicago, who filed in early May.
Jerico J. Brown of Chicago, a church pastor, has filed as an independent.
Davis mulls pros and cons
Davis is clear about the reasons why he should retire. He is also clear about the rea-
Davis and Ford take on Trump
During interviews with Cong. Danny K. Davis and State Rep. La Shawn Ford about their plans to seek the 7th District congressional seat in 2026, they each offered their takes on recent actions by President Donald Trump
“This is heavy-handedness,” Davis said of Trump’s response to peaceful protest demonstrations against his polices and actions. “People in this country believe in the right to protest. Our country was founded on protest.”
Davis said he was deeply concerned at the Trump administration’s demonstrated unwillingness to use established govern-
ment mechanisms to respond to differences of opinion.
“You work cooperatively with others to change the law,” he said. “That’s not what I see the president doing, not what I see ICE doing, not what I see DHS doing.”
Ford said, “I definitely believe in protecting democracy. I don’t believe the current president respects democracy and the Constitution.”
Addressing last Saturday’s No Kings protests, Ford said, “The only way we’ll protect democracy is to stand up against (what Trump is doing).”
sons he should run for re-election. Those dueling realities flavor his speech with caveats.
He says he is talking to a number of people, including those who have supported him through the years, to his doctors, and to many everyday people who he insists are and have always been his reason for serving, as a Chicago alderman, as a county commissioner, and as a congressman.
“I will make a decision probably in the next few weeks,” he said Friday, following a busy and particularly eventful week in Washington. “There are a number of things I’m looking at.”
Among those are his age. He is in his 15th term in Congress and will be 85 when the new Congress is seated. He said he feels fortunate to have remained healthy enough to do the work
“I’m no spring chicken,” he acknowledged. “Most people my age retired years ago.”
“I’m talking to people who have supported me,” he said. “I’m also talking to my physicians. And I’m talking to people.”
The work he’s doing, he said, is more important than ever
“These are real critical times for America. There are people urging me to run again for (numerous) reasons,” he said.”
Davis pointed to his position on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, where he spent much of his day on Wednesday. It deals with all legislation before the House, and members of Congress wait years to be appointed to the committee, let alone gain seniority on it
While another candidate can replace Davis and take his seat in Congress, what they can-
not do is replace his seniority. And that issue appears to be playing a major role in Davis’s thinking as he moves toward a decision on whether to seek another ter m.
“I’m a senior member of Congress, not just a member,” he said.
“If I don’t run, people like LaShawn Ford will. I think they’d do well to establish an exploratory committee.”
Reiterating his “get ready” counsel, Davis said anyone looking to replace him should earn it. “They should be talking to the people, listening to the people, serving the people,” he said. “That’s how you get elected. If they do that, they’ll get elected.”
Davis acknowledged Ford’s 17 years in the Illinois General Assembly. Since the 2020 redistricting, Ford has represented South Austin, southern sections of Oak Park and Forest Park, southern Broadview and part of La Grange.
Davis invited Ford to appear for an extended period of time on his last Zoom townhall on June 1, where Ford gave his overview of the recently concluded state legislative session.
“He’s certainly got the experience. He’s done good work,” Davis said.
Ford speaks like a man looking to carry on a tradition and continue a legacy. Davis, he said, “is an example of a representative for the people. Danny Davis has his finger on the pulse of the community.”
“I feel I have that same philosophy. I’m trying to earn his support,” Ford said. “We have a lot of relationship in doing community work. I hope our relationship carries over into an endorsement.”
JESSICA MORDACQ
Rep. La Shaw n Ford and Congressman Danny Davis at Billy Goat Tavern & Grill’s near West Side location on Aug. 20, 2024.
How Juneteenth came to Forest Park
Mayor Rory Hoskins re ects on his upbringing in the birthplace of the federal holiday, and how he helped introduce it to the village
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
This week, Forest Park, along with the rest of the county, celebrates Juneteenth. The June 19 federal holiday reco gnizes the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and freed a quarter-million slaves two years after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery.
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins grew up in Galveston and was no stranger to Juneteenth celebrations as a child. But when he moved to Forest Park, fewer people in the area had heard of Juneteenth – until Hoskins became the village’s first Black public official.
“Being a commissioner in Forest Park gave me a platform, and we had a growing Black population,” Hoskins said. “I looked around and we had German Fest and Saint Patrick’s Day, so why not start an event for the African American community?”
So, in 2008, Hoskins and a group of volunteers came together to create the annual Juneteenth Pool Party at the Park District of Forest Park.
“In 2009, most people in the Proviso area had never heard of Juneteenth,” Hoskins said during his speech at Forest Park’s Juneteenth flag raising on June 2.
Then, Hoskins said that he saw that the holiday was most reco gnized by a certain age group of people in the Chicagoland area.
“You have to remember that a lot of Black people in Chicago have roots in the South. What I found is that older black people knew what it was, and a lot of young people didn’t,” Hoskins said.
So public officials and volunteers set out to educate the younger generation, working with District 91 teachers and staf f to
spread the word about the inaugural Juneteenth pool party – an event chosen because public pools and beaches were one of the last places to be integrated.
This year’s pool party continues Hoskins’ goal to inform locals about the United States’ history with slavery – and about people who still experience it in other countries.
At the pool party, the nonprofit Abolition Institute gave law student Madeeha Syed its 2025 Aichana Abeid Boilil Award for anti-slavery advocacy. The award is named after a woman who was rescued from slavery in Mauritania by Abolition Institute’s partner organization, SOS Esclaves.
Mauritania is a country in northwestern Africa where modern slavery is still widespread. Though, in 2007, Mauritania was the last country to criminalize slavery, slave owners still exist there and are rarely punished.
Syed – a graduate of Benedictine University in Lisle and current student at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan – wrote a research paper on slavery in Mauritania after visiting the country to meet victims of slavery, government officials and activists.
Previous Aichana Abeid Boilil Award winners include Illinois State Re presentative La Shawn Ford, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Hoskins – who traveled to Mauritania with the Abolition Institute in 2021 and 2023.
“When I was in Mauritania, I promised some of the people that we met that we would use our Juneteenth tradition to help people understand what’s happening on their end of the planet,” Hoskins said. “There’s still a lot of discriminatory practices there that parallel what we saw in the United States between 1865 and the 1960s.” He added, “They take some inspiration from what’s unfolded here.”
Growing up in Galveston
In the 1970s and early ‘80s, Hoskins recalls celebrating Juneteenth in Galveston by getting together with his family for a large community picnic. It was hosted by Local 851 of the International Longshoremen’s Association, the largest union of maritime workers in the country, which
A party-goer exits the water slide at Forest Park’s 16th Annual Juneteenth Pool Party
Hoskins’ grandfather was a part of.
Though Hoskins recalls locals also putting on beauty pageants and gospel concerts during Juneteenth, he only understood the holiday from the perception as a child.
“I just knew I was at something with family and friends from the community,” he said.
After Juneteenth became a holiday in Texas in 1980 – the first state to reco gnize it as such – Hoskins remembers how it was reco gnized while he was attending the University of Texas at Austin. He said there weren’ t large celebrations, but the state capital closed for the day. And Hoskins remembers, during that time, people reco gnizing Juneteenth in other southern states like Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Nearing the turn of the century, Juneteenth started spreading north.
“People from the South took their tradition to other states,” Hoskins said. He was among them.
In 1994, when he was in his twenties, Hoskins moved to Chicago. Though he said he heard mention of Juneteenth on radio stations – and recalls a local organization or two hosting events to celebrate – “it wasn’t really widely observed,” he said.
That all changed by the time Juneteenth became a national holiday in 2021.
Though Hoskins has helped to host a
Juneteenth pool party for over a decade –and Forest Park resident and artist Kevin Leonard has made T-shirts and promotional materials for the Juneteenth pool party every year that include an image of the Juneteenth flag – Forest Park’s Juneteenth flag raising is a more recent addition.
“I don’t have a strong connection,” Hoskins said of the Juneteenth fla g. “I became aware of it around the time we started doing the tradition here.”
Hoskins said there was a national organization pushing to make Juneteenth a holiday, and two Forest Park residents were a part of it. One of them, Marjorie Adams Clark, was the first person to ask the village to have a flag-raising ceremony for Juneteenth, according to Hoskins.
In addition to the pool party and flag raising, Forest Park even hosted a Juneteenth parade once. In 2022, Hoskins rode a float with other local mayors, starting in Forest Park and ending at Proviso East High School. Brandon Johnson, who was a Cook County commissioner at the time, and Fritz Kaegi, Cook County assessor, also joined the parade.
“It takes a lot of time and energy to coordinate a parade,” Hoskins said of the one-time event. Though, as the Juneteenth tradition grows, Hoskins said he could see the parade coming back to Forest Park in the future.
TODD BANNOR
D91 rises jump in 5Essentials survey
Annual state survey moves Forest Park elementary schools up a notch
By HOPE BAKER Contributing Reporter
The results of the annual 5Essentials survey were presented by Supt. Elizabeth Alvare z during the District 91 school board meeting on June 12. D91 achieved the second highest level of organizational strength as a result of the survey, an improvement from 2024.
Administered by the Illinois State Board of Education, the 5Essentials survey gathers feedback from teachers, parents and students about school effectiveness, focusing on five key areas: effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environment, and ambitious instruction. The survey results help schools identify strengths
and areas for improvement, ultimately aiming to enhance student outcomes
Within the context of the survey, the state board assigns school ratings that fall into five categories: not yet organized, partially organized, moderately organized, organized, and well-organized.
When Alvare z began her role at D91 in 2021, the district was rated “partially organized” and then eventually achieved the “moderately organized” designation.
“In 2024, we were moderately organized and we were there for quite some time,” Alvarez said. “I’m proud to say that we are now an organized district.”
Areas where D91 is performing the highest are parent influence on decision making, teacher-teacher trust, program coherence, quality professional development and instructional leadership.
Areas where there is room for improvement are student-teacher trust, safety, peer support for academic work and academic personalism -- which refers to the ability of teachers to build strong, positive relationships with students and provide individualized support to help them succeed academi-
LETTER
cally.
Dr. Robert Hubbird, D91’s assistant super intendent of finance and operations, said be coming an organized district is a major tive — and it’s something the district had set out to accomplish in its strategic plan.
“It’s very exciting because really translates to is that we’re closing the achi ment gap,” he said. “We’re making sure our kids are on grade level or above grade le and performing at a higher rate.”
Hubbird said this new rating was r by making sure that everything they do ters around the students and ensuring tha they meet the needs of their staff.
“Whether its additional training they need or additional resources, it’s making sure they have the tools that are necessary to do thei job effectively,” he said.
During the meeting, an end-of-year financial projection was also presented by Hubbird, who said the district will end the fiscal year with a surplus.
“Right now, we’re looking at a surplus of about $300-400 thousand dollars, so that’s good and that helps us plan for next year,” he said.
We hope you’ll take the zoning challenge
Finding solutions for dif ficult problems is hard work It’s even harder when the problems go undetected. Here are a few red flags regarding zoning that you can join in on and talk with us about.
Present Ad Hoc zoning was initiated 100 years ago. That’s a time arch from horses to Teslas. Zoning itself is a classifying system, not a planning-for-development system. At that time, demographics, technology, car dominance, racial discrimination, white flight diaspora, poverty, public safety and quality-of-life ter ms were not even conceived yet.
In Forest Park you can follow the facts. Population is down; school-age families are down, both public and privates; schools have closed or downsized; and a five-decade housing shortage issue has never been addressed. How can sustainable community growth be nurtured? How can our community try to manage change and anticipate a promising future?
No one really wants to talk about it. In this time of uncertainty, it is wise to suck it up and start the conversation. There are really four groups of citizens that you may fall into:
1. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it: homeowner/landowners rule, status quo crowd;
2. Those who have had difficulties due to zoning and would like some relief (but are not holding their breath) crowd;
3. The “I need more information about zoning to make it better and I want to have a voice” crowd; and lastly, 4. The grass is greener crowd that moves somewher else.
Our 2025 Forest Park Zoning Challenge Team prefer to seek out the opportunities and solutions through collaborative discussion and then action. Taking the Fo Park Zoning Challenge is the first step in having a robust conversation and seek common-good solutions. It connects stakeholders. It connects Forest Park Village Council knowledge to the public’s knowledge. Good research is needed in order to make good decisions, rather than being ignored or kicked down the road.
Superintendent Elizabeth Alvarez presents the results of the the annual 5Essentials survey during Forest Park School District 91’s Board of Education meeting.
Matthew Bruhn
We are humbly asking you in any group mentioned above, or an individual or group that we have missed, to take the online free challenge. We need a movement. Register today. Go to the direct link to start taking the 2025 Forest Park Zoning Challenge (https://bit.ly/FPZoningChallenge).
Robert Cox
Facilitator, 2025 Forest Park Zoning Challenge
J. Bruhn died on May 21, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Matthew was raised in Forest Park and was the son of Geraldine (Gerry) Bruhn and Charles Bruhn. Matthew d by his daughter, Salina; andson, Dominic; and his brother, Mark. Matthew led a full life and will be sorely missed by his family and many friends.
An article in last week’s paper titled “Police awarded grant for more license plate readers” gave incorrect details regarding the cameras purchased with last year ’s grant from the Illinois Office of Attorney General. They were handheld digital cameras. We apologize for the error.
HOPE BAKER
NO KINGS Sending a message to
Trump
from page 1
noon, dozens of cars passing by honked their horns in support. Two drummers ke pt the beat as attendees chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.”
They “spilled over onto the sidewalks outside Louie’s Grill and U3 Coffee to protest what they considered to be Trump’s overreach re garding the Executive Branch and his deportation of migrants without due process,” Holmes said.
Holmes added that, several weeks ago, a comment that David Brooks made on the PBS News Hour hit a nerve. Brooks said the founding fathers intended for the three branches of government to be checks and balances for each other.
“But if one party controls all three branches, there is a ‘fourth branch,’” Holmes said of what he heard Brooks say. That branch is the American voters. Holmes said he was surprised by the number of such voters who came to the No Kings event in Forest Park. When he in-
BAKERY
Failed health inspection from page 1
stalled the opening.
The new restaurant, called Pretty Original Thing, bills itself on its Instagram page as the first federally legal restaurant that features a “4twenty (cannabis) infused savory menu.” This would be the second area location for Pretty Original Thing. It has another location at 1659 W. Division St. in Chicago.
According to its Instagram page, Pretty Original Thing is an offshoot of Wake N Bakery, a business that offers a variety of cannabis-infused baked goods, as well as cannabis-infused drinks and packaged goods. Wake N Bakery has locations throughout the country including in Oak Park.
Despite some information being available online about the business, the business owners and Forest Park village officials have said very little. Forest Park Review reached out to village officials, including Village Administrator Rachell Entler and
cluded his email at the end of his column in the May 21 edition of the Review and asked who would join in a demonstration, he received eight affirmative responses.
“The seed I planted will have borne fruit if 20 people show up,” Holmes said he thought to himself. “I was stunned by the size of the turnout.”
Photos by TODD BANNOR
Signs of the times:
Steve Glinke, head of public health and safety, multiple times collectively over the past several weeks, and neither returned our calls for comment.
Freedom of Information requests filed by the Review with the village government have also not yielded much information.
However, a subsequent FOIA request of the Cook County Department of Public Health yielded more than just health violations. According to record s, the state department of public health has prevented the business from opening. T he documents don’ t detail a reason why the state is apparently preventing the opening, but the owners of the new business, who are apparently the same people who own Mr. Beef, appealed to the county health department to override the state’s decision.
According to Alisha Patel, assistant g eneral counsel for Cook County Health, the county is not able to do what the business owners requested.
“Please be advised that, pursuant to 20 ILCS 2310/2310-15, CCDPH as a certified local health department, does not have authority to act contrary to determinations made by IDPH,” Patel wrote in an email. “CCDPH may only ‘administer and enforce the minimum program standards promul-
gated by the [Illinois Department of Public Health]’ within its local jurisdiction,” the email stated.
The Review’s comprehensive FOIA request to Village Clerk Vanessa Belmonte, asked for information on any zoning changes made, special use permits granted, information on the specifics of the business type/purpose, information on the parent company, and any indication when the business would open. Ms. Belmonte provided two documents, both health inspection re ports from Aug. 2024 and Jan. 2025 when the site operated as Mr. Beef.
According to the January health inspection, the Cook County Department of Public Health found numerous violations, including not having the proper resources to deal with sick patrons, no handwashing signs for employees, an inadequate supply of hand soap, improper maintenance of equipment, and an inadequate supply of sanitizing test kits. The owners will have to cor rect those issues in time for subsequent inspections prior to opening.
Attempts to reach officials at Pretty Original Thing directly yielded nothing. Their website is still under construction. However, the site did take requests for information. We reached out several times on
the website, as well as reached out through its social media pages and have not heard back. The company does have someone monitoring its social media pages and have responded to comments from its audience. Forest Park Review had also reached out to Pretty Original Thing’s parent company, Wake n Bakery. Its owner, Dr. Mohamed Lotfy, said the company is happy to be operating in Forest Park soon.
“We’ re thrilled to i ntroduce Pretty O riginal Thing, the new brand from Wa ke N Bake ry that brings our p assion for q uality i nto the wo rl d of savo ry c omfo rt food,” he said
“Forest Park felt like the perfect spot,” he said, “and the village has been incredibly supportive as we work through the final approval steps. Once the paperwork is squared away, we’ll polish up the space and get the ovens humming.”
According to Pretty Original Thing’s Instagram page, the opening was tentatively scheduled for the second week of May.
Several residents have taken to Reddit with their curiosity about the business. The exterior has changed significantly as the business readies to open. Artists have painted a colorful mural, somewhat reminiscent of graffiti-style art.
Property tax boosts may slow in D209 pending 2026 budget
Growth expected to decline in upcoming years
By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Contributing Reporter
The District 209 Proviso High Schools expect to benefit from another increase in local property tax revenue as the school board got a first look at the draft of the 2026 district budget at its June 10 meeting.
That $3 million dollar boost, though, will be lower than property tax increases seen in recent years as state and county laws link those increases to the rate of inflation. And inflation has cooled over the past two years.
Deborah Watson-Hill, the district’s top finance staffer, presented the update alongside Robert Grossi, a financial advisor working for the district.
While real estate tax revenue increased for the 2026 fiscal year, Grossi said the Consumer Price Index, CPI, links directly to property tax levy limits through the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, PTELL. That’s the state law that limits how
much local taxing bodies can increase the total amount of property tax revenue they collect each year.
“Cook County is a tax-cap county, which means your taxes can only grow at the rate of inflation,” Grossi said. “Over the past three years, the levies that the board approved in ‘22, ‘23, and ‘24 have averaged just under 4.5 percent.”
However, that percentage seems to be decreasing. According to Grossi, in December 2024, the levy percentage increase was 3.4 percent and in December 2025 the levy increase is going to be 2.9 percent.
“Right now, year-over-year inflation is 2.3 percent,” he said. “So it is more than likely that your main source of revenue, which is real estate taxes, is going to grow at less than half the rate it has in the past.”
Grossi said there are some other elements of caution for the district in terms of future budgets. He pointed to declines in corporate personal property taxes -- a local tax on corporate profits which have dropped across Illinois school district. Recent drops in interest rates have also cut into the money earned by the district on its cash reserves.
German Fest 2025
However, it is not all bad news for Proviso D209, as Grossi said that for the past eight years, the district has been able to keep its expenditures lower than its revenue.
“Since 2022, excluding major capital activity, the district has a structural surplus of around $25 million a year,” Grossi said. “That is a solid non-capital surplus.”
While Grossi said he is concerned over the general financial landscape of school districts in the state, he said Proviso D209 does not fall within that category.
“Your district is not one of those districts,” he said. “You have done a good job maintaining structural surplus, your fund balances are healthy -- not as healthy as other districts because you’ve committed funds to capital -- but you’ve put yourself in a good spot.”
In terms of the proposed preliminary 2026 budget, Watson-Hill said the district has a few “drivers” that they are taking into consideration when planning the budget, which she said could see additional changes during the summer months it is adopted.
Watson-Hill said the district is expecting to see a projected increase of
idence-based funding, which has steadily increased since Fiscal Year 2022 from $17,454,000 to the projected $20,320,000 for 2026.
While federal grants are expected to increase by $1 million for 2026, state grants are anticipated to decrease by $100,000, said Watson-Hill during the board meeting. Additionally other local revenues are expected to increase by $200,000 as well.
Additionally, the district is anticipating the following added expenses: an increase of four and a half percent in total salary expenses, a $6.4 million investment in capital projects, a $500,000 increase in out-of-district tuition. Watson-Hill said the $6.4 million capital investment does include retaining $4.5 million from the prior fiscal year.
The total anticipated revenue for the 2026 fiscal year is $125,820,000 with a budget expenditure estimate of $112,170,000.
Celebrating German warmth and good cheer at the Annual German Fest hosted at the Altenheim “Grove” on June 6 & 7. Event featured German food, live music, inflatables, face painting, vendors and libations.
D209 will hold a public hearing on Tuesg. 12 to discuss and vote on the final et to be filed with the Illinois State
The next school board meeting will be
Photos by FRED LEINWEBER
Juneteenth 2025
Mayor Rory Hoskins and Public Works workers raise the f lag at the Forest Park Juneteenth ag raising ceremony on June 2.
Brooks Middle School students top Juneteenth speech contest
Black Liberation was theme for speeches
TBy DEBORAH BAYLISS Contributing Writer
hree Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School students were the winners of Ase Production’s Jubilee SPEAKS! Juneteenth Oratorical Essay Contest. Held for the second year, the essay contest put on by Juanta Griffin – a community centered Oak Parker and executive director of Ase Productions – is a way to help youth find and use their voices, Griffin said. “Students spent time crafting their phenomenal speeches to make sure that they responded to the prompt ‘what Black Liberation means to them as a middle school student living in the year 2025,’ “ SAID Sarah
Perros, Brooks Middle School speech, drama and debate teacher. Perros who worked with the students
Eighth graders Neneifeoma Nwafo and Ivan Wells tied for first place and received $150. Eighth grader Paul Gage won second place and received $75.
“These students have all taken Speech, Drama and Debate at Gwendolyn Brooks,” Perros said. “Each speech was crafted with such love and with such dedication to the subject matter as well as to each student’s own individuality.”
The winners also shared their essays with the community at Oak Park’s Juneteenth flag raising event,” Griffin said.
That event took place June 11 in the Vil-
lage Hall courtyard, 123 Madison St. The ceremony featured speakers, live performances, food and more.
A community cookout followed June 14, with BBQ from Robinson’s Ribs and Q BBQ , vegan options from Chicago Style Vegan, soul food from Passion Eats Catering, hot dogs and hamburgers from Don’t Forget Your Lunchbox, and ice cream from Scream.
Main stage performers during the cookout included the Jesse White Tumblers, Kuumba Kids Cultural Showcase, JKed, soul and funk music from the Jason Grant Experience, and crowd favorites from DJ Cam Steele.
Griffin has been hosting village-wide Juneteenth celebrations with Anthony Clark for seven years.
“Anthony and I kicked all of this off and there is a village resolution acknowledging our work,” Griffin said. “I co-wrote the first Juneteenth proclamation with then Clerk Vicki Scaman (Oak Park’s current village president). This is the first year that Anthony won’t be co-hosting and the third year that the village is hosting the community cookout officially.”
Perros shared her thoughts on the importance of commemorating Juneteenth.
“It is so important to celebrate Juneteenth because it reminds us that we all must continue to work for a brighter future for us and for our children and for our children’s children,” Perros said.
Three young voices on the meaning of Juneteenth
Here are three speeches crafted by students at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School in Oak Park. They each foc us on Juneteenth and are framed by a prompt from the project’s organizers.
“What does Black Liberation mean to you as a middle school student in 2025?”
‘When I use my words, I am able to create positive change.’
By NENE NWAFO
We, as human beings, are all afraid of things. If you put a child with a fear of the dark in a dark room and tell them, “There is nothing there,” it will not make the room any brighter
Just because you cannot see what I am afraid of, does not mean that you, or anyone else can diminish that fear. I am the only one who can decide how “real” it is.
We as a people celebrate the freedom that we now have and look back on the horrors that once were, but seldom do we put ourselves in another’s shoes to experience what happened.
Juneteenth should be celebrated not only to acknowledge those who fell victim to slavery, the hundreds who felt exiled in their own land, but go deeper than that. That is my hope. To relive the fears and the faith and do anything we can to mend
those wounds is to create a positive change he Juneteenth holiday is proof that we have made progress, most eople already celebrate it. We are at the home stretch, all we need is the last few people, a last little push until marginalized groups no longer have to be called “marginalized.”
I have faith and trust that when we all recognize and celebrate uneteenth, then we can realize our fears together. This is when we all can nally and truly be equals. For me, I believe that celebrating uneteenth is so important because we are able to apply the knowledge that we have learned in school and make it applicable to our everyday lives
My own contribution to celebrating Juneteenth is through speaking, spreading awareness about what I feel is important. I believe that when I use my words, I am able to create positive change. I know that I will continue to practice this throughout my entire life. I hope my words ring true to you today, and I hope they will stay with you for years to come. Thank you
‘It is still there written in invisible ink. ’
By PAUL GAGE
Dive into the things you wish could change in our country: Racism.
(Pause to think prior to speaking) (In a heartfelt manner) Every person is unique, yet many are de ned by labels and stereotypes they never chose. These labels can shape lives in profound ways. while some labels and stereotypes have become frowned upon.
It is still there written in invisible ink, it’s still there in the shadows. (Pause beginning to get upset) Racism is not a new issue and IS an issue. ( nnoyed) S why do these labels persist? Why don’t people want to adapt? Is it because they don’t want to? Because they don’t understand change or want it; Or is it because they are sacred? (Pause)
that can be hard for some people and it can be scar y. (With power) However in order for REAL change to occur in the world we must all commit to stepping out of our comfort zones and embracing open-mindedness.
(Sits down next to “Mr. Fountain.”)
(Beat). Change can be scary (beat) but it also can be neces. (Pause) Mr. Fountain, remember that poem you used to tell me by Gil-Scott? “Now more than ever, All the family must be together ery brother, everywhere, feels the time is in the air. Common blood ows through common veins, and the common eyes all see the same. Now more than ever, all the family must be together.” (Smiling)
You told me that to remind me that we have to stick together because we are all human. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to remember our history and try every day, with untiring haste to make the world a more equal place for all
‘Juneteenth shows me what is possible for me.’
We are here to celebrat tant day today.
We should all celebrate June teenth for three reasons. First Juneteenth celebrates the people who fought for a better futur not just for themselves but for their families and descendants. These people made the change they wanted to see in this world and their e o
Although we still face challenges and prejudice today, we have to remember the future that our ancestors fought and died for and continue to try to make a positive change. Our ancestors fought for what was right, teaching us that we should never be afraid to speak out against hate and injustice. They fought for freedom and they fought for us
Second reason: We would not have common everyday items that we all use on a daily basis. Without the liberation of African Americans, we would not have had such essential items including ironing boards, sprinkler systems, and/or or the very rst home security system. All of these important inventions by African Americans were innovative and ahead of their time thus making life easier for all people.
The third reason, but de nitely not the last. Just as we all celebrate the Fourth of July, we MUST all celebrate Juneteenth. Think about it this way. The Fourth of July is a large celebration because of the fact that America won its independence from Britain and we all celebrate every year as a national holiday.
Racism has been present in the U.S. for a while and while we have “improved” (Pause), there is still a lot of work to be done before the world is a safe place for everyone regardless of the color of their skin. (Back to heartfelt tone)
Some people have already decided on how they want to view the world if you think one thing your whole life and suddenly the world is telling you another thing
This is why all must celebrate Juneteenth. Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of the enslaved people and recognizes the ongoing ght for racial equity. I know that as I head into my future, I want to continue to use my words for good. We all must learn how to work together, to speak out, but also to truly listen to one another.
The same is true for Juneteenth. We are at the 160th anniversary of The Liberation of the African American being freed from their oppressors and living life not as objects but as citizens of a country that formerly enslaved them. This is a powerful day that we ALL must celebrate.
I believe as a 13-year-old, I celebrate Juneteenth because it shows me what is possible for me. It shows me that I should not be afraid to face any challenge that life may bring, and celebrating Juneteenth encourages me to never stop ghting for what I believe in.
JUNETEENTH 2025
Oak Park youth program director speaks on the importance of Juneteenth
By DEBORAH BAYLISS Contributing Writer
Chris Thomas is executive director of YourPassion1st, a youth empowerment organization offering mentorship for male students in grades 6-12. The purpose is to help them find and follow their passion into the work force or entrepreneurship. Thomas explained what Juneteenth means to him and why it’s important to commemorate it.
“Juneteenth is important because we still deal with a lot of racial inequities,” Thomas said. “I think that a lot of Black history has kind of gotten wiped away and Juneteenth is the time once a year to remember and celebrate all that Black history is.”
Juneteenth marks the day more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, that Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston Island, Texas. He was there with federal troops to take control of the state and to enforce the emancipation of enslaved people in the re gion in 1865. And so Juneteenth honors the end to slavery.
“I think it’s important to memorialize front and center as we look at some of that allows for relationship and community communities,” Thomas said of the June 19 holida
Considered the longest-running holiday, Juneteenth officially became a federal holida on June 17, 2021.
In response to ef for ts of President Donald administration to unravel civil rights Americans and its movement toward erasing Black history, T homas said all races have a responsibility to fight racism.
“It’s not enough to not be racist,” have to be anti-racist. As Black people first and we have to build better relationships within our munities. … break g enerational curses and teach people how to deal with life.”
Juneteenth is not just a day to celebrate, it is a day to commemorate folks, people, instances of history that brought African Americans to their place in American history today, he said.
Re parations, he added, are necessary to help re pair
and help the healing that needs to happen in the Black community
Thomas partners with A Greater Good Foundation, the host partner of the 6th annual ‘Let’s Grow Together,’ a holistic wellness Juneteenth celebration which took place June 8 at Proviso East.
COURTESY OF DAVID T KINDLER
Chris omas
Forest Park Ma Hoskins brough Juneteenth to suburbs
He worries about all Americans losing rights
By DEBORAH BAYLISS Contributing Reporter
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins grew ton, Texas where Juneteenth was first celebrated in 1865 when still enslaved Black people first learned they had been freed.
Union troops brought word more than tw ter President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring freedom for those living in the Confederate states,
Even though Juneteenth has its origins in the ry disturbing institution of slavery, Hoskins said, it’s also a huge symbol of progress in this country.
“We celebrated re gularly,” Hoskins said of Juneteenth, which was made an official federal holiday under for mer President Joe Biden’ s administration in 2021. “It took our country so long to even decide to reco gnize the holiday marking the end of slavery.”
Elected mayor of Forest Park on April 2, 2019, Hoskins was the first African American ever elected to any public office in the Village of Forest Park when he was elected to village commissioner in 2007. He is now in his
“Slavery existed for 246 years and arguably shaped our society and shaped the way we treat each other and the laws and regulations and social norms for decades since,” he said.
Hoskins helped launch the first Juneteenth celebration in Forest Park in 2009, as a commissioner and that year, also assisted in starting the annual Juneteenth Pool Party. This year that celebration took place at the park district’s Aquatic Center on June 14.
Forest Park’s Juneteenth flag raising event took place
llage Hall.
Asked if he is concerned that African American freedoms or rights that were gained over the years could be lost, given the current administration’s effor ts to roll back time, Hoskins said, “First of all, I would not limit it to African Americans. Juneteenth isn’t something that’s just for African Americans, it’s for Americans.”
He went on to say that all Americans can lose freedoms.
“Today, women don’t have the same right to health care as they did maybe two years ago and we’re seeing other freedoms slip away in terms of due process rights and other things. I’m concerned about Americans, period.”
TODD BANNOR
Public o cials and guests at the Forest Park Juneteenth ag raising ceremony on June 2.
TODD BANNOR
Mayor Rory Hoskins, Hacen El Khair, River Forest President Cathy Aducci and Broadv iew Mayor Katrina ompson prepare the Juneteenth ag.
TODD BANNOR
Mayor Rory Hoskins welcomes Hacen El Khair, from Mauritania, where slavery is practiced despite being illegal.
TODD BANNOR
Public Works workers raise the ag at the Forest Park Juneteenth ag raising ceremony
Juanta Gri n looks back and forward on Juneteenth power
Co-author of Oak Park’s Juneteenth Proclamation
By DEBORAH BAYLISS Contributing Reporter
The words Juanta Griffin read aloud during an Oak Park village board meeting five years ago, from a Juneteenth Proclamation she co-wrote, resonates now more than ever.
“Juneteenth today celebrates Black freedom and achievement; as it takes on a more national, symbolic, and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are not forgotten…,” she read years ago. “It meant, ‘I see you as a people, not just a holiday, not just a culture. I see your pain.’”
The oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, Juneteenth, also called Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day, observes June 19, 1865, when federal troops entered Galveston, Texas, to ensure all enslaved people there were freed. The Emancipation Proclamation, which freed enslaved people in the U.S. following the Civil War, was signed more than two years prior.
While Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865, it’s also a reminder that the fight to maintain that freedom must continue.
Juanta Gri n, then the librar y’s Multicultural Learning Coordinator and curator of the annual Communi ty Kwanzaa Celebration rejoicing in the moment in 2023.
which, she said, are aimed at changing the direction from the civil rights focus of the past 60 plus years and erasing Black contributions and history.
Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women Law Center said in a USA Today news article last month, the pace of unraveling civil rights protections is unlike anything she’s seen in lifetime.
“Freedom is my birthright. It’s not something that can be given. It’s something you’re born with.”
JUANTA GRIFFIN
With Juneteenth celebrations and commemorations getting underway this month, Griffin, executive director of Ase Productions Inc. — a not for profit company offering community events, educational workshops, and theatrical productions with a primary focus on the African Diaspora experience — reminds everyone that the idea of freedom should not be taken lightly. She points to so many of President Donald Trump’s orders
“Freedom is my birthright,” Griffin said in a recent Wednesday J “It’s not something that can be given. It something you’ re born with. Unfortunatel here in America we have to fight to You see how quickly your freedom can disappear with just the flick of be deported or the laws that our ancestors died for can be erased.”
When people want to erase your histor they’ re not erasing it to something better, she said.
“I know my history,” Griffin said. “I’m from an ancient people and didn rive here. My history doesn’t start on the shores of this continent which means I can stand so much taller and keep going.”
Former Oak Park Village Clerk Vicki Scaman, Oak Park’s current village president, co-wrote the Juneteenth proclamation with Griffin.
e Idea Box inside of the Oak Park librar y hosted a Black history museum exhibit in honor of black history month, curated by then multic ultural learning coordinator, Juanta Gri n in 2023.
LET ’S GROW T OGETHER
Two Sistah’s Afrocentric Boutique table and sta at Prov iso East Let’s Grow Together event on June 8.
14th Pharoah Fashions at Prov iso East Let’s Grow Together event
Nourished for Hair and Body table at Prov iso East Let’s Grow Together event.
Your Passion First table
PHOTO S BY TODD BANNOR
River Forest home sells for $2M
The following property transfers were re ported by the Cook County Clerk from Mar 2025. Where addresses appear incomplete, for instance where a unit number appea missing, that information was not provided by the clerk.
FOREST P ARK
OUR VIEW
The great Dorothy Gillian
It is hard to think of a more consequential Forest Parker than Dorothy Gillian. And it is hard to think of Forest Park without her.
Gillian, 69, died Monday with her family at her side. Without ever having sought public office – though she was elected-adjacent owing to the efforts of her husband, Tim – Dorothy Gillian impacted this village in countless positive ways. Both as a volunteer across issues and causes and as a business person, Gillian was always involved A lifelong Forest Parker, Gillian was deeply rooted here but never seemed confined by this place as we have sometimes observed Forest Park lifers to be. She was open to change; she drove change in the village.
She was early in the effort to bring local restaurants back to Madison Street when she opened My Sister’s Café for five years. And in that era she played a lead role in the resurgence of the essential Forest Park thoroughfare through the Main Street program and then as an essential leader of the Chamber of Commerce across decades. Gillian was tireless in organizing people and events to lift the reputation of Forest Park as a destination.
Later she made herself perhaps Forest Park’s leading real estate agent. Certainly no one knew the residential housing market in the village better than she did during her 19 years as a Realtor
She was also devoted to her family and became a champion for her daughter Anna when she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as an infant. Both supporting her child and battling the illness, the Gillian family has raised some $750,000 to fight cystic fibrosis. Anna and Dorothy celebrated the science that allowed Anna not only to live but, just last year, to have a child of her own.
We share the loss of Dorothy Gillian with thanks for a life well lived and shared with this village
No Kings in Forest Park
Forest Park has a growing and determined progressive voice. The village keeps getting more blue in its presidential election choices. So we were not surprised by the modest but still healthy turnout last Saturday for Forest Park’s somewhat impromptu “No Kings” protest at Constitution Court. Instigated by none other than Tom Holmes, a longtime Review columnist, the event drew an estimated 200 people. Far more than the 10 people Holmes’ thought might show. With signs, drums, anger and hope, the local protesters made plain that they are fed up with the direction Donald Trump is trying to take America in his second ter m.
Mayor Rory Hoskins and Commissioner Michelle MelinRogovin were among the throng. A couple of local Madison Street eateries offered beverages to the crowd, which stretched from U3 Coffee to Louie’s Grill.
A good start, as it seems clear that more national protests lie ahead
OPINION
The myth of independence
This column first ran on July 3, 2024:
Independence Day, the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress, our foundational document, reads like a petition for dissolution of marriage
Recently in this village we’ve had a string of events that, in one way or another, were celebrations of freedom.
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all enslaved people were free. Sort of. Turns out they couldn’t actualize their freedom independently.
German Fest – Starting in 1820, more than six million people in “committed relationships” with German-speaking countries left what they considered abusive situations — military conscription, economic hardship, religious persecution — and entered into a new committed relationship with the U.S. in which they believed they would have more liberty.
But the liberty they experienced in the new relationship could be frightening, isolating and uncomfortable, so they coped with their individualistic freedom by becoming joiners — committing themselves to vereine, such as dancing groups, associations, and churches where they spoke German and associated with people with the same values and cultural memories.
One of the predecessor cemeteries of Forest Home was named Wald Heim. The old peoples’ home was named Altenheim. German was spoken in St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s and St. John Lutheran churches for up to 80 years. The cornerstone of what is now St. Paul Thai Lutheran Church on Dixon Street reads, “Duetsche Evangelische Lutheranische Kirche 1899.”
Ger man Fest, among other things, is a celebration of belonging.
Pride Fest - When I was growing up I didn’t know any gay people, or at least I thought I didn’t, because 99% were in the closet. I wonder if they even admitted to each other that they were attracted to the same sex. Those who did functioned under the social radar.
Times have changed. According to a 2022 Gallup poll, 7.2% of U.S. adults openly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or something other than heterosexual.
But the pioneers enabling the change didn’t do it alone
In 1924, Henry Gerber founded the first gay rights organization in America: The Society for Human Rights. Harry Hay and others organized the Mattachine Society in 1950. Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin founded the Daughters of Bilitis in 1955, the first lesbian rights organization in the U.S. Erich Krumrei organized the first Pride Fest in Forest Park by himself in 2022, but this year the celebration of
LGBTQ+ rights and culture was also hosted by OPALGA+ (Oak Park Area Gay and Lesbian Alliance) and the village of Forest Park. Freedom, it turns out, is hardly ever a solely independent achievement.
The members of the Progress Center for Independent Living are dependent on personal caregivers or technological aids or ADA laws enabling mobility. Progress in the disability community is never purely independent.
A friend of mine, who was talking about what it’s like to get old, told me, “It’s hard for me to ask for help.”
Indeed. Since I was diagnosed with my progressive disorder in 1997, my independence days have decreased significantly. My personal narrative was once one of increasing independence. Now at 76 years old with a disability, that myth has been tur ned inside out and upside down.
Business owners in town resist gover nment regulations on the one hand but on the other hand lobby for zoning regulations, breaks that promote business, and 160 members voluntarily pay dues to the nonprofit Chamber of Commerce to do what they cannot do independently.
At the top of the food chain, eagles live independently. Sea Gulls live in flocks, and most small fish swim in schools.
I’m not sure if any of us, living in this village with small town charm, are eagles
Frank Sinatra once sang, “I did it my way.” At best that statement is naïve. At worst it’s arrogant.
One issue in the upcoming presidential election will be the size of gover nment, whether gover nments, for example, should be able to mandate mask wearing or vaccine immunization or not. Freedom for MAGA folks means not being required to get a vaccine. Freedom for Progressives means not catching COVID from someone who hasn’t been vaccinated.
Or take a look at the issue of immigration. The surge at the border is motivated by millions longing for freedom from violence and poverty and striving to gain freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness
At first, most of us in this progressive lifestyle enclave were in favor of welcoming the stranger — in the abstract — until it began to affect our lifestyle in terms of village budgets. We had to choose, increase our charity, which meant increasing our taxes or telling those freedom seekers that they had to leave.
Freedom, as they say, isn’t free. How willing are we to put our money where our mouth is?
It’s partly a spiritual issue. According to my worldview, love includes the freedom, at least temporarily, to give up some of my individual freedom so that others with less can have more.
Read Tom’s blog at jerihttps://tomholmes10.substack.com.
HOLMES
Dorothy ‘Dot’ Gillian, lifelong Forest Parker, dies at 69
She was on the Chamber of Commerce’s board and was top Realtor in the village for years
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Dorothy “Dot” Gillian of Forest Park died peacefully on June 16 at age 69. She was staying on Paddock Lake in Wisconsin, her favorite place in the world, according to her obituary, with her family
Gillian lived in Forest Park her whole life. She was a real estate agent for 19 years, worked as executive director of the Main Street revitalization project and as a board member of the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce for over two decades – three of which she served as president.
Gillian is survived by her children, grandchildren and husband, Tim Gillian, who previously served as village commissioner and village administrator and is now on the Park District of Forest Park’s Board of Commissioners. They were married for 51 years.
For mer Forest Park Mayor Tony Calderone grew up with Dorothy and Tim in Forest Park Calderone and Dorothy were the same age, and he said that, from childhood, she was sociable and kind.
“Her outgoing personality and her bright smile always brought life to whatever the setting was. That ended up carrying out, not only as children, but as young adults and into adulthood,” Calderone said.
Calderone was mayor while Gillian was working for the Chamber and on the Main Street revitalization, during which he said she was “nothing short of very professional and personable with a strong love for the village of Forest Park.”
“There’s definitely going to be very tough shoes to fill. Dorothy was a very dynamic person and always tried to bring inclusivity to the various folks who were involved in each organization. It takes a person of a special character to be able to do that,” Calderone added. “It’s getting harder and harder to find people of her caliber and character who want to be involved.”
Laurie Kokenes, executive director of
the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce and Development, agreed
“As a lifelong resident, Dorothy gave so much of herself to Forest Park in countless ways,” Kokenes said. “Dorothy was always willing to roll up her sleeves and help wherever needed, and she knew the true meaning of collaboration. She never shied away from asking for input and would al every point of view before sion. Dorothy was always in it reason: to make a difference could. Our chamber came out of the pandemic stronger than ever because she chose to share her time and talents with us.”
April Baker, who lived in Forest Park for 13 years, was Gillian’s real estate partner for a decade. Before her passing, Gillian co-owned real estate company Gillian Group, which primarily sells properties in Forest Park, with her daughters Anna and Caitlin. Baker said she’s going to miss Gillian’s accepting and willing nature when Baker needed to vent or bounce ideas off of her. The mor ning after Gillian’s death, Baker said she wanted to call her to do just that.
Gillian was Baker’s realtor before she decided to become one herself. She reached out to Gillian to ask about the process, and the two ended up forming a team, selling property in Forest Park and Oak Park
“She was top realtor in Forest Park for many years,” Baker said. “She was my mentor and sometimes almost like a pseudomother to me.” When Gillian and Baker started working together, Baker was a single mom to a one-year-old and said that her own mother wasn’t present.
“She was more than a business partner to me. She was a dear friend and one I could always turn to for advice, whether it was real estate related or mother related,” Baker said. She added that Gillian was a “doting mother and grandmother.”
Gillian had overflowing generosity and attentiveness to building and caring for her relationships that reached everyone that she touched
“Real estate to her wasn’t just a business It was family, and her clients turned into lifelong friends,” Baker said.
Gillian is also survived by her children Ryan Gillian, Caitlin Thorsen and Anna Cramer; her grandchildren Mary, Liam, Henry, Harvey and Dottie –named after Gillian; and her siblings Patricia Roeder, Joe Madden, Ray Madden, Cathy LeBeda, Mike Gillian, Pat Gillian, Becky Hunnicutt, Peg Madden, Kelly Wuchte, Sharon Tier ney and John Gillian.
According to her obituary, eatest joy was time spent with her andkids doing special projects like cooking, sewing and crafting ollowing her death, Gillian’s family is asking for donations to the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry at St. Bernardine’s or CAST Water Safety
Baker said Gillian was very active with St Bernardine’s, including in its fashion show.
Baker also referenced the family’s work in raising funds to beat cystic fibrosis, an illness which afflicted their daughter Anna since infancy.
“The Gillians continue to be huge fundraisers and active in that community,” Baker said.
Since 1989 when Anna was two, the family has raised roughly $750,000 – money that contributed to research that developed the prescription drug Trikafta, which Anna started taking and has improved her life immensely. Mother, daughter and grandchild were featured on the Review’s cover in January 2024 telling the inspiring story of Anna becoming a mom.
Forest Park will miss “Having that presence there, having one of those people who truly cared about and loved Forest Park and wanted the best for it in every way and was there to work on the smallest thing to the biggest.”
“Her passing is a tremendous loss for all of us at the Chamber, and for me personally,” Kokenes said. “Dorothy truly was one of a kind – the kind of person who quietly made everything around her better.”
Gillian’s family is holding a visitation on June 19 at Zimmerman-Harnett Funeral Home, 7319 Madison St., from 2 to 7 p.m. with a memorial service at 6 p.m. There will be a celebration of life down the street at Fat Duck Tavern & Grill, 7218 Madison St., from 3 to 9 p.m.
Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf Sta Repor ter Jessica Mordacq
Senior Audience Manager Stacy Coleman
Contributing Editor Donna Greene
Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, Robert J. Li a
Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes
Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead
Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea
Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza
Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls
Marketing & Adver tising Associate Emma Cullnan
Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan
Circulation Manager Jill Wagner
Operations Associate Susan Babin
Special Projects Manager Susan Walker
Senior Advisor Dan Haley
Board of Directors
Chair Eric Weinheimer
Treasurer Nile Wendor f
Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane
Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson, Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson
HOW TO REACH US
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PUBLIC NOTICE
The Village of Forest Park is now accepting Statements of Qualifications for Phase III Construction Engineering Services for the Jackson Boulevard Resurfacing Project in Forest Park.
Notice is hereby given that the Village of Forest Park will receive Statements of Qualifications for Phase III Construction Engineering Services at 517 DesPlaines Ave, Forest Park, Illinois, 60130. Attention Rachell Entler, Village Administrator until 11am on Thursday June 26th, 2025 local time.
Any submissions that are received after the due date and time will be disqualified. Submissions are to be sent via email to rentler@ forestpark.net Additional information is available on the Village of Forest Park website. The Village of Forest Park reservices the right to reject any and all submissions or parts thereof, to waive any irregularities or informalities in the solicitation process and to award the contract in a manner best serving the interests of the Village.
Rachell Entler – Village Administrator rentler@forestpark.net
LEGAL NOTICE
The Village of Oak Park will receive bids for 1 Dell PowerEdge R760xs Server. The full bid document can be obtained from the Village website www.oak-park.us. Bids will be accepted until July 1, 2025 5PM Central.
Published in Wednesday Journal June 18, 2025
LEGAL NOTICE
The Village of Oak Park ��Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302�� will receive electronic proposals until 10�00 a.m. on Friday, July 11 for Project: 25�3, 2025 Sidewalk Improvements Program. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, this contract includes removal and replacement of public sidewalk, parkway and carrage walks, combination curb and gutter, driveways, and PCC basecourse; pavement adjacent to curbs, adjustment of drainage structures, buffalo boxes and all appurtenant work thereto. Sidewalk sequencing during the work and adherence to the completion date is of emphasis for this project as outlined in the plans and proposal forms. Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Friday, June 20, at 10�00 a.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oak-park.us/yourgovernment/budget-purchasing/ requests-proposals or at www. questcdn.com under login using
QuestCDN number 9740312 for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4�00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.
This project is financed with local Village funds and federal Community Development Block Grant �CDBG� funds and thus is subject to all federal rules, regulations and guidelines, including Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, Section 3, and Equal Opportunity requirements. Locally funded phases of the project are subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq. Please note, this Contract will be subject to the requirments set forth in IDOT Circular Letter 2023�30 “BUILD AMERICA / BUY AMERICAN ACT �BABA� � FINAL RULE.” This law requires certain materials to be manufactured and produced in America.
THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Bill McKenna Village Engineer
The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed Bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60302 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 for the following: Village of Oak Park CDBG Water Service Replacement Program - 2025 Bid Number: 25-123
Bid forms may be obtained from the Village of Oak Park website, http://www.oak-park.us/bid. Bid documents may be viewed at the Public Works Customer Service Center at 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Information is also available from the contact person, Water and Sewer Project Manager, James Eggen, jeggen@oak-park.us
All bidders will be required to submit Bid Security in the form of a Certified Check, a Cashier’s
Published in Wednesday Journal, June 18, 2025 LEGAL NOTICE
Check or a Bid Bond in the amount of Ten percent (10%) of the Base Bid, payable to the Village of Oak Park.
The successful bidder will be required to post performance security and to provide a certificate of insurance as set forth in the bid package. This contract shall be subject to the provisions of the Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS130/1 et seq.) to the extent required by law. This is a Federallyfunded project, funded with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and is thus subject to all applicable Federal rules, regulations and guidelines, including DavisBacon and Related Acts. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue proposal documents and specifications only to those vendors deemed qualified. For more information call the Public Works Service Center at 708.358.5700.
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. UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF WILLIE G. HENRY; FLORENCETTA HENRY; TCF NATIONAL BANK; ANITA HENRY; COURTNEY HENRY; EBONEE HENRY; MERCEDES HENRY; TIARA HENRY; JACK LYDON, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF WILLIE G. HENRY; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF FLORENCETTA HENRY, IF ANY; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendant 17 CH 13529
CALENDAR 61
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on July 21, 2025, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-09-315-063-0000. Commonly known as 635 Rice Avenue, Bellwood, IL 60104. The real estate is: 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: At sale, the bidder must have 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.
For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Codilis & Associates, P.C., 15W030 North Frontage Road. Suite 100, Burr Ridge, IL 60527. (630) 794-5300. 14-23-01315
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION ATHENE ANNUITY & LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY Plaintiff vs. UNKNOWN HEIRS OF JOYCE A. ROBINSON, CITY OF CHICAGO, CAPITAL ONE, N.A. SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), N.A., MIDLAND FUNDING LLC, RONALD ROBINSON, JUVONA ROBINSON, AMIR MOHABBAT AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendant 23 CH 1793 CALENDAR 59
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on July 21, 2025, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-17-113-013-0000. Commonly known as 236 N. FOREST AVE., HILLSIDE, IL 60162. The real estate is: 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: At sale, the bidder must have 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 2300555
