On board with cutting boards
KC Mutchler, Geo Binns-Calvey and Alec Bloyd-Peshkin in Bloyd-Peshkin’s workshop.
Makers Collective raises $6K for the Chicago Abortion Fund
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
While it may be too late to purchase a handcrafted cutting board made in Forest Park by your own neighbors, you can support the next project by the For-
est Park Makers Collective – a group of three self-employed friends who are donating their time and sales to charity.
Forest Parkers Geof f Binns-Calvey, KC Mutchler and Alec Bloyd-Peshkin re-
See CUTTING BOARDS on page 10
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Forest Park will soon have a new grocery tax, but you won’t see any difference in your grocery bill.
At a June 9 council meeting, commissioners unanimously voted to pass an ordinance that would impose a 1% tax on groceries, or food that’s consumed of f premises of where it’s sold. at includes food sold at grocery stores, gas stations, and the likes of Walmart or Walgreens. Commissioners Ryan Nero and Jessica Voogd re absent from the meeting.
The tax will re place the one that, last summer, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced would be eliminated statewide starting Jan. 1, 2026.
“This ordinance is not implementing an additional tax,” Commissioner Michelle MelinRogovin said at the council meeting. “It is im-
See GROCERY TAX on page 6
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Proviso West grad lands 1st in state high jump as a rookie
Machi Nelson competed for the rst time in track and eld events
By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Contributing Reporter
Proviso West’s Machi Nelson finished of f his high school career with a huge win, landing himself a state championship in the high jump in this year’s ISHA 3A Boys
consistent,” Nelson told Forest Park Review.
However, for his senior year, he wanted to branch out and he had already been asked to join the track team in previous years but had turned down the opportunity.
“I was definitely nervous and stepping into a new world of a new sport is just different,” he said, adding that despite being an athlete there were differences in the sports he had to adjust to. “Most of it was different but I also think my natural ability to jump helped me a lot.”
Nelson competed in the long jump, high
It paid of f.
“It was a surreal moment, I didn’t really know what was going on and I didn’t know how to feel in the moment,” Nelson said. “It hit later in the day.”
The recent graduate is now keeping his eyes to the future, hoping to pursue not only a college athletic career but also go into sports management as a profession -- with hopes of helping other athletes fulfill their dreams.
And for the students at West? Nelson hopes he can be an inspiration and example as to why people should step outside their
Friends of the Oak Park Public Library
Book Fair
MAIN LIBRARY, 834 Lake St. 834 Lake St., Oak Park | 2 hours free parking
Friday, July 11: 9 am-5:30 pm
Saturday, July 12: 9 am-4:30 pm
Sunday, July 13: 2-4 pm
Everyone invited to fill up a grocery bag with their choice of items for just $10 a bag!
Teachers, Little Free Library Stewards, local nonprofits can select free items!
50,000+ books on all subjects
Mystery, history & sci-fi
Sections for kids & teens
3,000+ DVDs & 2,500+ CDs
$5/book treasures room
Everything else $2 or less
Cash and credit card
No entrance fee
Glorious
but cursed, Edgewater Park’s homes ooded, burned and, nally, were bulldozed
By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter
Drive down Thatcher Avenue near Division Street, look west and you see the forest stretching down toward the Des Plaines River.
But for a sometimes shining but, too often, so gg y moment, that patch of Thatcher Woods was known as Edgewater Park, a River Forest subdivision with a dozen or more homes.
Built in the late 1890s, Edgewater Park had its attractions. Frank FioRito, a local historian has been researching the subdivision since he first came upon famed photographer Philander Barclay’s images of the area from the turn of the last century.
FioRito points to the river setting, the available land, a nearby rail line and a picnic spot called Central Grove as lures to new residents. But he notes that unlike many other parts of the area now inhabited by River Forest and Oak Park, this parcel had never been home to Native Americans because “they had the good sense not to live there.”
FioRito is a long-time volunteer and current board member with the Oak Pa rk River Forest Historical Society and frequently contributes to the society’s newsletter. A self-proclaimed history buff with a bent for researching, he is always on the lookout for untold tales about the villages of Oak Park and River Forest.
A topic he first covered in the fall of 2021 garnered enough interest that he turned the article into a presentation and has been sharing it with standing-room-only crowds at both the OPRF Museum and the River Forest Library.
FioRito, who grew up in the area, is not sure how he first heard about Edgewater Park. But when he stumbled upon some photos taken by the legendary and eccentric Philander Barclay at the turn of the 20th century, he knew he had a topic he could sink his teeth into.
A Barclay photo in FioRito’s presentation shows the Wisconsin Central train
River Forest’s lost subdivision
line’s bridge over the Des Plaines River in 1890. The end of the line locally was an area past Thatcher’s Park, known as Central Grove, where there was a train station that was used only for events.
Central Grove was established as a gathering spot around 1888 and used for church and school picnics. River Forest was established in 1880 as a dry town, but it wasn’t uncommon for visitors to Central Grove to enjoy a bit of alcohol.
FioRito found reference in the Chicago Daily Tribune to a September 1888 picnic in Central Grove for over 5,000 labor picnickers who were said to have enjoyed some beer on the train out from the city. An 1891 Anarchists’ picnic in Central Grove to raise money for the Martyrs’ Monument Fund after the Haymarket af fair failed to raise much money after funds were diverted for the purchase of beer.
Beyond the Central Grove gathering spot, Edgewater Park was also becoming a residential area at the end of the 1800’s, likely for the first time.
The land was purchased by George Fadner around 1890, and the subdivision was filed in the Cook County Book of Plats in December 1892. The subdivision ran west of Thatcher to the river. The railroad was to the north, and the southern-most lots ran along Division Street.
By 1897, when the Des Plaines River flood-
UNDER WATER: e Des Plaines rose and the homes ooded at Edgewater Park (above); a map of the subdivision (below le )
ed, five to six feet of water went through Edgewater Park. Philander Barclay was on hand to photograph the homes surrounded by water. The flooding was re gular enough that people called the area Little Venice.
FioRito says it must have been a challenging place to live. As more villages developed upriver from Edgewater Park, their sewage flowed directly into the river. A sewage interceptor wasn’t installed until the 1930s. With a river that averaged three feet high in normal times but as high as 13 feet when flooded, that was a disaster for nearby homes.
Frequent flooding was also coupled with another hazard: frequent fires. A water
See LOST SUBDIVISION on page 8
PHOTO S PROVIDED BY THE HISTORICAL SOCIET Y OF OA K PARK AND RIVER FOREST
Friends of the Oak Park Public Library
Book Fair
MAIN LIBRARY, 834 Lake St. 834 Lake St., Oak Park | 2 hours free parking
Friday, July 11: 9 am-5:30 pm
Saturday, July 12: 9 am-4:30 pm
Sunday, July 13: 2-4 pm
Everyone invited to fill up a grocery bag with their choice of items for just $10 a bag!
Teachers, Little Free Library Stewards, local nonprofits can select free items!
50,000+ books on all subjects
Mystery, history & sci-fi
Sections for kids & teens
3,000+ DVDs & 2,500+ CDs
$5/book treasures room
Everything else $2 or less
Cash and credit card
No entrance fee
n f enue and 26th Street,
ening, from rks rside
GROCERY TAX
Replaces lost revenue
from page 1
portant for us to retain the revenue that the village is receiving from that tax. It is something that village residents already experience when they go to the grocery store, and it will not change.”
When the Review re ported the anticipated grocery tax cut last year, Commissioner Maria Maxham estimated that, without it, Forest Park would stand to lose about $400,000. But that accounted for av age annual revenue from Ed’s Way, wh closed last March. Though Aldi opened in November – joining Living Fresh Market as the only grocery-dedicated store in town – it hasn’t been open long enough for lage staf f to know how much it will make in grocery tax.
But Village Administrator Rachell Entler said that, with Aldi’s presence, the village will likely see more grocery tax revenu
“Any grocery tax revenue would now include Aldi in lieu of Ed’s Way,” Entler said. “I would guess the estimate would be higher since Aldi is bigger than Ed’s Wa
Davis says West Side safety-net hospitals at risk with Trump bill
impact on these safety-net hospitals, not only in urban America, but even worse in rural America,” Davis said in a statement. Starting at Loretto Hospital – which serves over 90,000 Austin residents annually and with and 85% of its patients on Medicaid or Medicare – Davis then traveled to West Suburban Medical Center, Humboldt Park Health, Ascension Saint Mary Hospital and Mt. Sinai Hospital. Those five safety net hospitals serve a vital role in providing health care to communities that have historically been underserved, like those on Chicago’s West Side. Without them, Chicagoans are likely to see worsening health disparities in neighborhoods that are already vulnerable
According to Davis, these five safety-net hospitals serve 80% of African Americans on Chicago’s West Side, and many of their patients are either on Medicaid or Medicare. Because the hospitals rely on Medicaid and Medicare funding, if the
Congressman Danny Dav is vents his frustration at West Suburban Hospital regarding proposed drastic cuts in federal funding.
If decreased funding doesn hospitals to close, behavioral, maternal and women’s health services would likely be reduced. For example, with federal budget cuts, Loretto Hospital anticipates a $9 million loss in revenue, 25% fewer primary care visits and delays in access to care.
“This isn’t just about dollars, it’s about lives,” Tesa Anewishki, president and CEO of Loretto Hospital, said in a statement. “When safety-net hospitals are threatened, so are the people who rely on them for care every single day. I firmly believe that eliminating vital services not only threatens the health of our patients but also undermines the very fabric of our community. We must ensure that access to essential healthcare is available and accessible for those who need it the most.”
Davis urges the public to call Senate Republicans at (202) 224-3121 and urge them not to pass the Big Beautiful Tax Bill.
LOST SUBDIVISION
Location, location, location
from page 4
tank for train engines to refill was located at the entrance of Edgewater Park. When trains parked there to refill, sparks could land on the nearby homes. From 1903 to 1905, three of the neighborhood’s 13 homes were destroyed by fire, and the general store caught on fire in 1903.
During his presentation, FioRito shares the stories of several families who lived in Edgewater Park, including John B. Nendrick Jr., who grew up in the area and drew a map of the area based on his memories of the houses.
At some point in the 1930’s, the initial attractions of the area had faded away according to FioRito. “The train went bust. There was flooding and fires. The Central Grove picnic area closed.”
In 1938, the subdivision was closed by order of the Village of River Forest. Any remaining homes were bulldozed. In 1957, Edgewater Park was officially removed as a subdivision of River Forest. FioRito notes that the area is now subsumed by the Forest Preserve near Thatcher Woods. He says that you can walk into the woods where Division crosses Thatcher and try to imagine where it all once was, but when he did so for his research, he wasn’t able to find a trace of Edgewater Park.
SMALL BITES
Small Bites – Summer tidbits and homegrown tomatoes
By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter
July is picnic, parade and celebration times. I can’t claim to know a lot about etry, but one of my favorite lines is from a Robert Frost poem, “The Death of The Hired Man.”
“Home is the place where, when you ha to go there, they have to take you in.”
To me, the meaning is kindness – a claim we make on each other that binds us into community, if we are willing to open our hearts to each other. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to ag ree in order to love each other. Good food can help us find common ground:
SANDERS-WEIR
Cucina Paradiso, 814 North Blvd. in Oak Park, is celebrating its 30th anniversary by giving a lucky diners presents. The grand prize is a trip to Italy; second is a Vespa scooter; and weekly $100 gift cards.
Pure Green juice bar has opened the doors on a new location at 703 Lake St. in Oak Park. Franchise owners Tangelia and Anthony Ward were drawn to return to the area for their first retail business after meeting while working at the nearby Mars factory earlier in their careers.
“We became a little bit more health conscious,” Anthony Ward said. “And when I ran across Pure Green I just loved the product so much. No added sugar. No added preservatives. It’s just 100% naturally organic. So, I brought the idea to my wife.”
The menu includes smoothies, acai and oatmeal bowls and bottled juices that are high-pressure, coldpressed.
“All the nutrients are still locked in there. Each bottle has 5 lbs. of fruit inside,” Tangelia Ward said. “Our most popular smoothie has spinach, kale. You’ll think it’ll taste more like ve ggies, but it’s actually pineapple, banana. You taste that fresh fruit and its love.”
Takeout 25 is back with its fifth annual Taste the Town on Saturday, July 19 from 4
p.m. inside Distro Music Hall, 6815 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn. The event features music and dishes from nine local restaurants, as well as a fully stocked cash bar. For the $50 cost, you receive two food coupons (additional coupons available on site). Youngsters under 16 eat free with a ticketed adult. Each year part of the proceeds go to a local This year it is Our Future Reads, ’s new nonprofit bookstore.
When purchasing a ticket, you can add on out 25 Community Cookbook. The book will include recipes and stories from 25 local restaurants.
“We are excited about the cookbook and now you can be part of this special publication by reserving your copy,” said Takeout 25’s Ravi Parakkat. “Cookbooks will be available by our anniversary, Nov. 17, just in time for the holidays.”
Crumb Crusher, 805 North Blvd., has just been certified “Illinois Made” along with only 25 other bakeries statewide. According to Enjoy Illinois, the state’s office of tourism, businesses with this certification source materials or expertise from other locals, demonstrating what makes the state unique. Layering onto that mission, the bakery has summer colle ge interns learning to bake and decorate cakes, and a high school student, Lu cy Horkavy, participating with the OPRF Chamber of Commerce’s NEXT program, which is a youth internship prog ram that bridges the gap between education and real-world experience.
A new location for authentic Mexican ice cream and snacks shop, La Flor Michoacana, is opening soon at 1023 Lake St. in Oak Park
Blackout Baking Co, 210 S. Marion St. in Oak Park, is celebrating Pride, by selling a boxed rainbow of sugar cookies this month with 20% of the proceeds going to Howard Brown Health.
Vote for Anfora, 128 S. Marion St. in Oak Park, as the USA Today Best Wine Shop. Currently our vino vendor is number two on the leader board. Help push them into the top spot! Voting closes July 21.
While I wait for the first tomatoes ripening off my vines at home, far mers markets are in full bloom:
■ Riverside Farmers Market, Wednesdays 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 10 Pine Ave. in Riverside
■ LaGrange Farmers Market, Thursdays 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 53 S. La Grange Rd. in LaGrang e
■ Austin Town Hall Farmers Market, Thursdays 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 5610 W. Lake St., Chicago
Pure Green ow ners Tangelia and Anthony Ward
■ Oak Park Farmers Market, Saturdays 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 460 Lake St. in Oak Park
■ Brookfield Farmers Market, Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 8820 Brookfield Ave. in Brookfield
Got news, questions or answers for this column? Email them to us at Eats@oakparkeats.com.
oking out for each othe
from page 1
cently for med the Forest Park Makers Collective. Their first project was constructing 54 cutting boards, selling them locally and donating $6,205 to the Chicago Abortion Fund.
“We love to make stuf f together and spend time together. And we thought, ‘Why not put our time to good use to make some cool stuf f?’” said Mutchler, who has a fulltime handywoman business called She Can Fix That. She added that Binns-Calvey and Bloyd-Peshkin ha “always been so
“We ha these resources, so we thought, the tabletops into smaller pieces before removing the existing epoxy finish and running them through a machine to flatten the wood. Then they cut the boards to different sizes, sanded them, and finished with a food-safe oil/wax and the addition of nonslip feet to the board’s bottom.
“We had some good conversations in between, but there was a lot of noise and dust and earbuds,” said Binns-Calvey, who does special effects freelancing, mostly for television commercials.
When the cutting boards were nearly finished, Mutchler, who does much of the threesome’s administrativ rk, designed
Making for a cause
yd-Peshkin said he was inspired to choose the Chicago Abortion Fund as the Makers Collective’s first donation recipient because he once saw the group speak at ent where they said they need money more than volunteers.
According to the Chicago Abortion Fund, the average cost of a first-trimester tion is over $500.
“Illinois is an island of reproductive freedom surrounded by states where it’s not, so it seemed like a no-brainer,” Geof f Binns-Calvey said of choosing the Chicago Abortion Fund.
“Roe v. Wade was turned over, and it feels like a lot of our rights are slowly being stripped away,” Mutchler added. “I wanted to contribute to something to help support other women who don’t have the resources, should they have to make literally the hardest choice of probably their entire lives.”
The Forest Park Makers Collective has a
with [the Chicago Abortion Fund],
I thought, ‘We’re just going to hand over this check,’” said Bloyd-Peshkin, (second from right).
“ ey were like, ‘ is is really an upli ing moment for us this week. It’s been a really hard week .”
e Makers Collec tive sold the smaller cutting boards for $100 and larger ones for $140.
few cutting boards left. They plan to save some products from each project to sell at popup events in the future. They said they hope to complete two or three projects a year, raising a minimum of $5,000 per project. The group says they have a few ideas up their sleeve, many of which are beautiful pieces that are also functional. But such projects will likely also depend on available materials, which the group is hoping to continue sourcing free-of-cost.
As for organizations they would donate to in the future, Mutchler said she’d love to choose one that supports trans kids and gender-affir ming care
“I think that over the coming years, we’ll be able to impact a lot of organizations with our ef for ts and the money that we donate,” Mutchler said.
While the Forest Park Makers Collective isn’t looking for more members at this time, they said people should feel inspired to contribute to a cause in their own way.
“If we can find ways to help other community members contribute in their own unique way, that’s even better. We are activating our community and the people around us to help them fight for what they think is important,” Mutchler said. She added that, if you’re feeling despondent about the state of the world, “Take a look around in your community and do the next needed thing,” like dropping of f food at the community fridge or donating supplies to the library for people who are unhoused.
“I know it’s cheesy, but your actions do have a ripple effect,” Mutchler added, “and I think that we’re seeing that to an extent here.”
“Times are getting a little crazy, and we have to look out for each other. That’s kind of the basis of all of this,” Binns-Calvey said.
Josh Tatro
Man threatens bartender
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Police were dispatched to the 7300 block of Roosevelt Road on June 22 for a threat re port. A man working at Carole’s Next Best Thing told police that a man came into the bar, said he had a concealed carry license and threatened to kill him. Police found a man matching the description near Fillmore and Hannah with another man. They put the man in handcuffs and ordered the offender to stop walking and get on the ground numerous times before he complied and was also handcuffed. Police re ported that both men appeared extremely intoxicated, and the offender had an open liquor bottle in his waistband. The offender told police that they were at Carole’s, where the bartender and patrons were jealous of him. He admitted to saying he was armed but denied threatening anyone’s life. The man was charged with assault and disorderly conduct. The man who was with him, who police said they’ve had previous interactions with where he acted aggressively, repeatedly threatened to shoot and kill officers and spat on them. He was found to have an active war rant for his arrest for aggravated battery to a police officer. He was charged with the warrant and one count of aggravated assault.
Damaged cars
Police responded to the Park District of Forest Park on June 21 after an employee re ported a smashed car window. The man told police that an unknown passerby told him someone threw a rock at the car’s rear window, and police found a rock inside the car. A tire was also deflated. Police called the driver over the park district’s intercom system, who told them she didn’t know anyone who would want to cause harm to her. Her mother, who owns the car, told police she didn’t wish to sign complaints
On June 22, a woman re ported that she parked her car in the village parking lot on Ferdinand Avenue, and when she came back several hours later, noticed the window was shattered. She said the center console and screen were damaged and items were strewn about, though nothing was taken. No one had been charged at the time of the re port
On June 24, a man who parked in the 1000 block of Des Plaines Avenue re ported that,
after returning to his car several days after parking, he noticed pry marks by the car’s driver door. He said he was unable to locate his work laptop, iPhone and iPad, plus sunglasses and cologne. He said he didn’t wish to sign complaints.
Battery
On June 21, police were dispatched to 7709 Roosevelt Rd. for a battery. Upon arrival, the victim was on Elgin Avenue. He told police that he had gotten of f the Pace bus and was walking down Roosevelt Road when a man approached, punched him in the face, then ran away. He said the man was in his forties and the incident happened in front of the Kagan and Gaines music store. The victim said he’d sign complaints against the man if he was located. Police were dispatched to Suburban Liquor, 7612 Madison St., on June 22, where a woman said a man smacked her butt. The man started walking, then running away, and police caught him on Jackson Boulevard. At the police station, the man kept screaming and hitting his head on the detention cell wall, so was taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital for evaluation. He was charged with battery.
Aggravated battery
On June 28, police went to Rush Oak Park Hospital emergency room, where they spoke with a patient about being stabbed in the 7300 block of Dixon Street the evening prior. The victim told police that he and his girlfriend got into a fight after she found a piece of jewelry that wasn’t hers in his residence. He re ported that his girlfriend punctured his chest with a nail file and helped him control the bleeding before going to bed. But when the man woke up around 1 a.m., the wound was still bleeding and he went to the hospital. He said he doesn’t want to press charges.
These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated June 19 – 29 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.
Yes on a grocery tax
We’d call it a no-brainer, but we’re still happy to give the Forest Park Village Council full credit for passing a new 1% tax on groceries sold locally.
The back story here is that Gov. JB Pritzker, in a show of political theater, made a splash last year when he killed the same tax on a state level but allowed individual burgs across the state to implement a local grocery tax.
Local communities were already paying the state grocery tax. So with this change, the cost to shoppers will be identical, and the essential revenue to local towns will remain.
Other communities surrounding Forest Park have, or are about to, put the new local tax in place. Brookfield, River Forest, Riverside and North Riverside are all in or soon will be. Oak Park is currently standing on its virtue, but we expect wiser heads will prevail and it will impose the tax, too.
For Forest Park, cash strapped as always, this is real money. Walmart sells a lot of groceries. Then there is Living Fresh Market. And while Ed’s Way closed last March, Aldi is now open on Harlem and its revenues will far outstrip what Ed’s Way contributed. One estimate offered by Commissioner Maria Maxham put the round number at $400,000.
That is simply too much money for Forest Park, or most any town, to ignore.
One board at a time
Forest Park is where the arts percolate and then manifest themselves in some cross between progressive ideals and entrepreneurialism.
Just for med is the Forest Park Makers Collective. These are three already active villagers who know their way around wood, power tools and doing good.
KC Mutchler, Geof f Binns-Calvey and Alec Bloyd-Peshkin were already friends bound together by a desire to build thing s. They took that energy and decided they’d create a project that raised some money for a cause while also creating a product they were proud of.
They took a batch of donated table tops and crafted them into 54 cutting boards. They’ve now sold most of them and have donated the proceeds, a cool $6,205, to the Chicago Abortion Fund.
The trio point out that Illinois is “an island of re productive freedom surrounded by states where it is not.” Providing funding to the group was their collective choice.
Now they plan to undertake two or three projects a year, each with the potential to generate a minimum of $5,000. One of the next nonprofits they are looking into supporting could offer help to trans kids and gender-affirming care.
“Times are getting a little crazy,” says Binns-Calvey. “And we have to look out for each other. That’s kind of the basis for all this.”
OPINION
Is democracy what we really want?
Iask that question, because I kept hearing progressives saying that what was at stake in the November election was democracy itself, and democracy is what we got, fair and square. If we define democracy as majority rule, what are we to do with the reality that the majority voted for a demagogue?
During the hand-wringing and attempts at an accurate post mor tem, I heard a lot of us liberals blaming the Trump voters. “Well, they are uneducated, parochial and unsophisticated. Their grievances might be real, but their blame is misplaced. They don’t have the intellectual sophistication to resist lies and misinformation.”
HOLMES
That all may be accurate and true, but the problem for us educated progressives is that this so called anti-democratic candidate was able to marshal enough votes to win the election, the foundational event in a democracy
Is one person/one vote what we really want?
As it turns out the founding fathers did not want a democracy, if you define it as majority rule. They established the Electoral Colle ge as a compromise between election by popular vote of the whole citizenry and being chosen by the legislature. Women, enslaved Blacks and even some free Black men were excluded.
They did not trust the hoi polloi.
Do we? Really?
If we trust anyone it is people with the letters PhD after their names and even they have to somehow pass a progressive ideology orthodoxy test.
I confess that what I really want is a meritocracy. When I’m feeling pretentious, I write B.A., M.A.T., M.Div., D.Min. after my name. I have little patience with people who talk authoritatively about subjects they obviously know nothing about.
But in a democracy people who know nothing about anything have the same number of votes as I do. One person/one vote.
I’m the president of my condo association. Owners who have no knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Oder, have an inflated sense of their own capacity to differentiate fact from fantasy, and project anger over their unhealed issues onto everyone who disag rees with them have the same number of votes as I do.
That’s democracy
Same thing in my cong re gation. I know more
about theology, the Bible, and church history than all of the members put together but when we decided if we wanted to have communion every Sunday instead of once a month, I had the same number of votes as the other members.
Half of us residents in Forest Park have colle ge degrees, but my sense is that those of us with post-high school education have the good sense, the humility, and the faith (note the intentional use of a religious term) that somehow, somehow, “all men are created equal” even though empirical observation would prove that it is far from being factually true.
If we do believe in democracy, we progressives need to stop telling MAGAs and ourselves in our own echo chambers that we know better than they do what is good for them.
We may in a sense be right, especially if we base our conclusions on research. But if Trump voters tell us they don’t want what we think is good for them and tell us to stop trying to pretentiously change their values and how they view reality, then politics goes back to pragmatic horse trading Former President Obama advised progressives to let go of “ideological purity.” Politics is, or at least should be, about understanding those who think differently than I do, finding common ground and not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.
That approach has worked in my mar riage, in my condo association, and in my church
There’s an old joke that goes, “When two people get married, the two become one, The question is which one.” In successful marriages one does not try to “convert” the other. Instead differences are celebrated, common ground is found and in some blessed times synergies are created out of what originally were viewed as conflicting dif ferences.
My temptation while in a conversation with people with whom I think I disagree, is to be for mulating my argument while they are talking instead of really listening in a sincere attempt to understand how they see the world.
Do we really believe that all people are created equal? If we do, then it means that everyone has something to teach me, that their eyes see truths that I’ve been blind to.
Without that way of looking at dif ferences, it’s hard to believe in democracy
A LOOK BACK IN TIME
‘Paraded out’ after WWI
It was estimated that between seven and eight thousand people attended the “Welcome Home” celebrations on the Fourth of July in Forest Park in 1919. As World War I had ended the previous November, a special day was planned. The parade with floats traveled around Forest Park starting near Elgin and Madison, moving all the way to Desplaines before heading south to Harvard, then up Beloit to Harrison to the “Fair Grounds” (predating the Park District).
The Review re ported, “As far as parades go the parade was ‘just mediocre,’ as people have paraded so much during the war period that they were evidently paraded out, and as the women’s organization said, “parade if you want to, but we refuse to budg e one step.”
In addition, the parade would have been only four days after the “Thirsty First” the night people stocked up on liquor because the “Wartime Prohibition Act” went into effect, making it illegal to sell alcohol over 2.75%.
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
e Maccabee’s Dove of Peace oat was celebrated in the 1919 Forest Park Independence Day Parade. e young Maccabee girls in the photo are dressed to represent di erent nations. e oat was created by legendary poultry artist, judge and expert w ith the American Poultr y Association Louis Stahmer, who lived at 7616 Madison St. at the time of this
The bigger draw for the large crowds, as implied by the Review, included a wrestling match between Jack Her mansen and “Red” Anderson, a circus by the Patriotic Service League girls, a band concert and, naturally, “a grand display of fireworks.”
Jill Wagner
Senior Advisor Dan Haley
Board of Directors
Chair Eric Weinheimer
Treasurer Nile Wendorf 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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NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Notice is hereby given by the Pres-
ident and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:
FY 2026 Tree & Stump Removal
This project consists of the removal of designated parkway trees throughout the Village in addition to stump removal and area restoration.
The bidding documents are available for download starting Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at: www.vrf.us/bids
Bids must be submitted by Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at:
Public Works Department, 2nd Floor
Village of River Forest
400 Park Avenue
River Forest, IL 60305
The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.
No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.
The Village of River Forest reserves the right, in receiving these bids, to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.
Published in Wednesday Journal July 2, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: M25000637 on June 26, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of THE PINWHEEL LAB with the business located at:1545 MONROE AVE APT 2, RIVER FOREST, IL 60305. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: JESSICA MO 1545 MONROE AVE APT 2, RIVER FOREST, IL 60305, USA
Published in Wednesday Journal July 2, 9, 16, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Village of Oak Park will receive bids for Microsoft Windows Server 2025 Datacenter Edition for one hundred sixty (160) cores, excluding Software-Assurance. The full bid document can be obtained from the Village website www.oak-park.us. Bids will be accepted until July 15, 2025 5PM Central.
Published in Wednesday Journal July 2, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE OF MINOR CHILD
STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY
Request of Laura Cadden to change the name of Minor Child Case Number 20254000863
There will be a court date on a Request to change the name of the minor child from: Aisha Omar to the new name of: Aisha Mairéad Cadden-Ocampo.
The court date will be held: On August 19, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at the Maywood Courthouse, 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, Illinois 60153 in Courtroom # 0111
June 25, July 2, 9, 2025
LEGAL NOTICE
State of Illinois County of Cook
PUBLIC NOTICE ID HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing on the adoption of the proposed Annual Budget and Appropriations Ordinance of the Park District of Forest Park, County of Cook, Illinois for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2025 and ending April 30, 2026 will be held at the Administration Building, 7501 Harrison Street, Forest Park, IL 60130 on July 17, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.
Jackie Iovinelli Park District Board Secretary Dated this June 25, 2025
Published in Forest Park Review July 2, 2025
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:
FY 2026 Tree Trimming Program
This project consists of the trimming of designated parkway trees throughout the Village.
The bidding documents are available for download starting Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at:
www.vrf.us/bids
Bids must be submitted by Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 10:15 a.m. at:
Public Works Department, 2nd Floor
Village of River Forest
400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305
The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.
No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.
The Village of River Forest reserves the right, in receiving these bids, to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.
Published in Wednesday Journal July 2, 2025
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. GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA
PUBLIC NOTICES
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION
WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND
SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE ON BEHALF FOR CSMC 2018-RPL12 TRUST Plaintiff vs. THOMAS EVANS, VEORIA EVANS, STATE OF ILLINOIS, MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC.
Defendant 19 CH 13708
CALENDAR 57
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 August 6, 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. 15-10-123-039-0000.
Commonly known as 316 22ND AVE., 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, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 1904973
INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3268790
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION PARAMOUNT RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE GROUP, INC. Plaintiff, -v.-
SABRINA MCDADE Defendants 2024 CH 06544 1014 GARDNER ROAD WESTCHESTER, IL 60154
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on April 22, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on July 24, 2025, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:
Commonly known as 1014 GARDNER ROAD, WESTCHESTER, IL 60154
Property Index No. 15-16-416058-0000
The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $258,302.82. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to
The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g) (4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).
IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 151701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.
For information, contact CHAD LEWIS, ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 6400 SHAFER CT, STE 325, ROSEMONT, IL, 60018 (561) 241-6901. Please refer to file number 24-224197. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc. com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.
CHAD LEWIS ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC 6400 SHAFER CT, STE 325 ROSEMONT IL, 60018 561-241-6901
E-Mail: ILMAIL@RASLG.COM
Attorney File No. 24-224197
Attorney ARDC No. 6306439
Attorney Code. 65582
Case Number: 2024 CH 06544
TJSC#: 45-1129
NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
Case # 2024 CH 06544 I3268586
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