Forest Park Review 070721

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GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA, NFP ForestParkReview.com Vol. 104, No. 27

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Tap Room gets 10 day suspension

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Progress Center mourns death of Larry Biondi PAGE 11

JULY 7, 2021

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Rats thriving since COVIDinduced increase in trash Residents can do a lot to control rodents, says village

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

“I’ve seen rats so big you could put a saddle on them and ride them down the sidewalk,” said Steve Glinke, director of the Building, Planning and Zoning department in the village. Rat control falls under his department, so he and his staff are in charge of fielding calls from residents concerned about rodents.

Glinke doesn’t hate that rat control is his responsibility because, he said, it gets him outside, where he checks rat traps, looks for evidence of rat populations, and disposes of corpses residents can’t bring themselves to touch. In the back of his code enforcement car, he has a big bin filled with rat control products: traps, peanut butter, poison.

The village works with Smithereen, a pest control service that investigates populations around town and puts out bait stations, but Glinke does a lot of rat removal himself. Last year, after a big storm caused trees and branches to fall, blocking numerous streets, a flurry of Facebook posts mentioned Glinke out with his chainsaw, cutting branches and cleaning the streets.

But it’s the less glamorous things like rat duty that are probably really more heroic.

In the back yard of an uninhabited house on Roosevelt Road, he pointed out the holes leading to See RATS on page 10

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

DIG IT: Ada Krasinsky, left, and Jani Westcott, both of Oak Park, shop for plants at the Empowering Gardens, 7730 Madison St.

Bars get back an extra hour Council approves midnight closing time

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

Bar hours for A1 taverns have been extended until midnight, seven days a week, after the village council approved a new ordinance on July 2 during a special meeting. The ordinance replaces the April 26 reduction of hours, forcing bars that don’t serve food to close at 11 p.m. every night until Labor Day. The revision was approved unanimously by Mayor Rory Hoskins and the three commissioners attending. Commissioner Dan Novak,

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who resigned at the last regularly scheduled meeting, was not in attendance.

During the meeting, Commissioner Joe Byrnes said he wished to amend the ordinance, allowing bars to stay open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights (Saturday and Sunday mornings).

Commissioners Jessica Voogd and Ryan Nero didn’t second the motion to amend, so it didn’t pass, but both expressed that they didn’t want to wait until Labor Day to extend hours further.

“I hear what you’re saying,” Nero said to Byrnes. But he described the 12 a.m. closing time as a “steppingstone.” For now, he said, “midnight is a good compromise.”

Bars reclassified in code cleanup PAGE 6

See BARS on page 7

Garage Galleries, Stoop Sessions returning PAGE 9

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Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

Tap Room receives second liquor license suspension Village fines bar $3,000 and dismisses multiple charges

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

At a June 29 hearing before liquor commissioner Mayor Rory Hoskins, Forest Park Tap Room was sentenced to a 10day license suspension, with three days already served, and a fine of $3,000. They also stipulated to three charges, with eight others being dismissed. This is the second suspension for the bar and its owners Lance and Hansel Law. At the hearing, a recess was announced to allow the Laws’ attorney, Mark Johnson, to work out a settlement with village prosecutor Sharon O’Shea. Though Hoskins said it would be a 20-minute recess, it lasted almost an hour and a half. When the hearing was resumed, O’Shea presented the settlement agreement, and Hoskins, on advice of village attorney Tom Bastion, accepted.

In addition to the suspension and fine, the Laws stipulated to three charges: being open after hours; an employee allowing the bar to remain open after the notice of suspension was served; and consumption of alcoholic drinks on the premises after notice was served.

Eight other charges were dismissed, including noise, open alcohol on the street, patrons allegedly harassing another business owner, and a subject arrested for possessing a loaded handgun he said he was going to bring into Tap Room but left in his car because he knew he might be searched.

“Just for the record,” said O’Shea, “those are incidents that occurred off premises.”

Tap Room, 7321 Madison St., was served the notice of emergency suspension on Sunday, June 19, after staying open and serving customers past 11 p.m. the previous day, though local ordinance requires all A1 bars, including Tap Room, to be closed at that time.

Even after the emergency suspension was served to Tap Room, however, officers returned with some documents and found three customers inside drinking alcoholic drinks and a bartender also consuming alcohol.

On June 23, a brief hearing for Tap Room was held, during which Hoskins as liquor commissioner issued a continuation until June 29. Since Tap Room hadn’t been served the actual notice of complaint until that morning, the bar was allowed to reopen that evening. Thus, they had already served three days of their 10-day suspension when it was issued during the June 29 hearing.

This is Tap Room’s second suspension; previously, the bar was forced to close from April 3 to 12 and pay a $2,500 fine to the village.

The Laws own another bar, Berwyn Tap Room, which has also had its liquor license suspended at least once within the past year. A FOIA response from the village of Berwyn revealed that Berwyn Tap Room’s liquor license was suspended from May 7 until May 28.

Like Forest Park Tap Room, Berwyn Tap Room has been referenced in multiple police reports and has been issued several citations. Alleged issues over the past 10 months included in Berwyn police reports have included excessive noise; drinks served past allowable hours (though the owners claimed these were private events with employees); fights outside the bar or originating inside the bar; accusation from a woman of being pushed down several stairs by

Tap Room, 7321 Madison St a security guard; a domestic battery; several issues of disorderly conduct, including two in which bar windows were broken, resulting in injuries to at least one person. In multiple police reports, reporting officers stated that the windows of the bar had been blacked out, making it difficult to see inside.

Last July, a group was allegedly escorted out of Berwyn Tap Room by security; then, in the middle of the street, a male suspect allegedly shot a gun. He had been in the bar earlier and left but was believed to be a friend of least one of the people escorted out of the bar. Later he told police that he was trying to protect a friend who was being accosted by the group from Berwyn Tap Room, so he took out his Glock 19 and “popped it in the air.” He admitted to being a member of the Insane Dragons gang.

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Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

Improvement

D

uring the pandemic, many homeowners used the down time to fix up their houses. But, as we know from watching those fixer-upper TV shows, we can’t have home improvement, without first doing some home destruction.

During 32 years of home ownership, I excelled at demolition.

I learned how to search and destroy décor that I found unsightly. For instance, our staircase leading to the second floor had the cheesiest-looking wood grain wallcovering I had ever encountered.

So, one day I grabbed a loose corner at the top and started ripping it down. Now that the pile of torn wallcovering was blocking the stairs, my wife agreed to some home improvement.

Destruction had been the easy fun part of the project but in Forest Park, no matter how ugly the wall covering is, there might be something worse lurking underneath.

Sure enough, what we found wasn’t exactly plaster. The builder instead had used a material known in the trades as “shirt cardboard.” This required us to hire a professional crew to replace the cardboard

with drywall, thus proving it’s cheaper to leave ugly alone.

Home destruction also occurred after I bought a crowbar at a garage sale for 50 cents.

When I got home, I looked at my rotten, peeling front stairs. My mail carrier was already picketing my house, protesting unsafe working conditions. OSHA had also opened an investigation. So I took the crowbar and quickly reduced my stairs to a pile of boards.

After warning my family not to go out the front door, I drove to a home improvement center. They didn’t sell any floor model staircases, so some assembly would be required. This didn’t discourage me. I had the privilege of pushing one of those big orange carts, just like a real handyman.

I maneuvered the cart into the lumber section. The treated wood was green and obviously not ripe. I bought a cheaper grade instead. I saved a few bucks, but it was going to be a challenge to nail these warped boards together.

First, I had to fit this tall timber into my subcompact car. I squeezed the boards in but there was no room for me to sit in the

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driver’s seat. So, I called my neighbor’s wife, who promptly arrived in her pickup.

I offered to help her load the wood, but she was afraid I’d get a splinter.

After she dropped off the pile in front of my house, I decided to call-in a favor. I reminded my brother-in-law that I had once helped him move his piano. He sighed and came right over. He had never attempted building stairs before and wondered how we would make the stringers. That was simple, I told him. Just lay the old stringer on a fresh board and trace it with a pencil.

After we drew the lines for the stringers, we borrowed a power saw from another neighbor. The blade kept stopping, though, every time I accidentally cut through the power cord. When we later returned it, my neighbor was polite enough not to notice the black electrical tape tourniquets we had applied.

At last, we got to the hammering phase, which lasted well into the night. It only ended when a woman threatened to call the cops if we didn’t knock it off.

So that old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” no longer applies if you want to improve your surroundings. I mean, you can’t make an omelet, or fix up a kitchen, without breaking a few eggs. If you do need help with demolition, I still have my crowbar.

T I M E . . .

CELEBRITY ROW This controversial painting took up many headlines in July of 2000. Forest Parkers then were debating public art on buildings. The center of the controversy was right at Madison Street and Circle Avenue. Robert Marani, owner of Tutto Tapas and Tutto to Go, commissioned artist Romano Mashietto to paint celebrities along Circle Avenue because it was “fun, different and progressive that was aesthetically pleasing to the entire community.”

The village council pulled the brush, putting the 53-foot by 10-foot wall of art on an indefinite stop while they debated if it was a sign, a billboard, art or a mural. One commissioner was very upset about an “obscene and atrocious” gesture on the celebrity wall. The depiction of Michael Richards, the actor who played Kramer on “Seinfeld,” had him thumbing his nose at the rest of the mural. The artist, out of respect to the commissioner, modified the gesture to a “peace” sign.

F O R E S T PA R K

REVIEW Editor Maria Maxham Senior Editor Bob Uphues Equity Editor/Ombudsman Michael Romain Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, John Rice, Bob Skolnik, Jackie Glosniak, Robert J. Lifka Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes, John Rice Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Mark Moroney Sales and Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich

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Forest Park Review, Month xx, 2021

July 7-14

BIG WEEK Kid’z N’ Klubs Golf Academy Proviso Township youth aged 8 to 17 can participate in a free golf academy through PLCCA and Fresh Meadow Golf Club, 2144 S. Wolf Rd. in Hillside. Sessions are available for beginners (from July 12 – 16) and for all levels (from July 19 – Aug. 20). Contact PLCC at 708-450-5500 x247 for more information about registration.

Free School Physicals and Immunizations The Loyola Medicine Pediatric Mobile Health Unit will be at the Park District of Forest Park, 7501 Harrison St., on July 15 and 22 for physicals and school immunizations. Appointments are required.

Please e-mail mbernero@fpsd91.org for an appointment or for more information.

Forest Park Annual Garden Walk Join the Historical Society of Forest Park on Saturday, July 17th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as beautiful outdoor spaces and gardens of Forest Park are showcased. Tickets are $15 in advance, and $20 day of the event.

All tickets purchased will be picked up at Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore, 7419 Madison St., on the day of the event. Your ticket will also enroll you in free giveaways and prizes. Safety protocols and social distancing will be followed for the event.

Nature Photography at Trailside Museum

Family Nature Scavenger Hunt Challenge

Join the Forest Park Public Library on Saturday, July 10, from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at Trailside Museum, 738 Thatcher Ave. in River Forest, to see nature from a new perspective and create unique photographs. Bring any camera you have, smartphones included.

Participants will learn about perspective techniques and explore the forest preserve. Photos emailed to the teaching artist after the event will be displayed online and at the library. Visit fppl.org/ events for more information.

Beginning on July 11, the library will be hosting a nature scavenger hunt. Search for interesting things in the natural world and hone your nature photography on the family scavenger hunt. The library will provide a map and what to look for, as well as access to a Padlet for sharing pictures of what you find on your walk. Children of all ages and their families are welcome. The program runs from July 11 through July 25. Visit fppl. org/events for more information.

Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

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C R I M E

Man accidentally discharges gun in apartment A man on the 7400 block of Washington Street was charged with unlawful use of a weapon on June 29 at 9:17 a.m. after he’d allegedly accidentally shot a gun with the bullet going through the wall of his apartment into his neighbor’s apartment. The neighbor was awakened from sleep around 7 a.m. that morning by a banging noise, which at the time she said she thought was one of her cats knocking something over. She went back to sleep, but when she awoke later, she saw a bullet hole in her bedroom wall and another in the adjacent wall too and some books, previously on a shelf, now on the floor. She called the police.

Officers interviewed her neighbor, who admitted he’d accidentally discharged a gun that he was trying to “de-cock.” He said he had borrowed the gun from a friend, wasn’t familiar with it and accidentally shot it. He said he picked up the shell casing and threw it over the balcony because he was so scared.

He then called his friend to pick up the gun immediately.

The shooter, however, has an active order of protection against him out of Iowa, so Forest Park police contacted the Iowa State’s Attorney’s office, who told local police to obtain the gun if possible. The suspect was “extremely cooperative,” according to the police report, right away calling his friend to bring the firearm to the station. The gun owner came with the gun unloaded and in a case, and since he holds a valid CCL and FOID card, the gun was photographed and returned to him.

The shooter will be charged with a misdemeanor Unlawful Use of Weapon and violation of the Iowa order of protection for being in possession of a firearm.

Drivers switch seats after hit-and-run A car involved in a hit-and-run near Harlem Avenue and Randolph Street fled the scene, but the victim was able to obtain photo and video of the offending vehicle on July 1 at 4 a.m. While an officer went to the offender’s listed address, police watched the video, which showed a man and a woman in the car. The man was driving the car during the crash, but shortly afterwards, he and the woman occupant switched places and she drove the car away from the scene. When questioned, however, the female of the offending vehicle said she had been driving the entire time, and the male claimed not to remember who was driving. The male’s driving record revealed his license was revoked for DUI, and he has had two previous convictions for driving while his license was revoked. He was charged with leaving the scene of an acci-

Resident picks fight with bar patrons

dent, driving on a revoked license and operating an uninsured vehicle. The woman was charged with leaving the scene of an accident.

CTA train car defaced A train car in “The Jungle” area of the CTA station at 711 Desplaines Ave. was tagged with graffiti. The damage was discovered on July 1 at 2:30 a.m. by an employee doing a check of the outer track area.

of the floor is elderly and he was concerned that resident might have left a burner on.

The resident did not respond when fire fighters knocked on the door, so they forced the door open to gain entry. The reporting officer made contact with the resident, who was there and stated he was cooking black eyed peas and forgot to turn the stove off.

The fire department cleared the smoke out of the unit and were able to temporarily resecure the damaged door.

Sports equipment stolen and resold

Citation issued for loud music

Sports equipment, including a bike and some softball equipment, were stolen from a garage on the 500 block of Hannah Avenue sometime between June 16 and 30. Owners called the police on July 1 after going into Play It Again Sports the previous day and seeing their mitt, with a family member’s name written on the thumb, for sale.

An employee said the item would be released to the family with a police report and took the item out of inventory until that happened. The store owner used store records to name the person who’d brought the mitt and several other items in a few days prior. He provided all relevant information to the police and is keeping the items sepa-

On June 29 at 11:18 p.m., officers curbed a vehicle that was playing music loud enough to be heard at half a block away. The driver was issued a local ordinance citation for loud music and was given a court date in village chambers of Aug. 11.

rate and out of inventory.

Burner left on causes smoke in building A resident of a building on the 300 block of Desplaines Avenue called police on June 29 at 4:10 a.m. as smoke filled the hallway of the third floor of the building. He told the Forest Park Fire Department that a resident

A resident of the 7300 block of Madison Street allegedly initiated a confrontation with patrons of Forest Park Tap Room, 7321 Madison St., on June 29 at 11:44 p.m. Police officers stationed nearby heard a verbal altercation between the resident and bar patrons, whom they had observed exiting the bar about 45 minutes prior. According to the police report, the resident was “obviously the verbal aggressor,” because he was yelling down to the group from his balcony, telling them to “go back to where you came from.”

According to the police report, the resident and his wife are regular callers to the police department, often complaining about noise from Tap Room customers and videotaping them, claiming they’re unable to sleep because of the volume from crowds of the bar.

The police report indicates that the resident appeared intoxicated on this particular night during this particular incident.

A short time later, according to the police report, officers observed a disturbance on Circle Avenue and saw the resident fleeing the scene. Bar patrons said he had just attacked them with a chair. They said he approached them, was verbally aggressive, then allegedly grabbed a metal chair from the coffee shop on the corner of Circle Avenue and Madison Street and threw it, striking a woman in the arm in the process.

The subject was arrested, charged with battery, and has a court date in August.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, June 27-July 1, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded.

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

Compiled by Maria Maxham

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Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

‘Footloose’ in Forest Park?

No live music or DJs allowed until September

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

In a move some residents on Facebook compared to the movie “Footloose,” a moratorium on accepting and processing amusement licenses until Sept. 6 was passed by the village council at a special meeting on July 2. Passage of the moratorium puts a temporary halt to any live music at bars or restaurants.

Mayor Rory Hoskins, however, indicated that the code may be rewritten and the ordinance lifted before the summer is over.

Hoskins and Commissioners Ryan Nero and Jessica Voogd voted in favor of the moratorium. Commissioner Joe Byrnes abstained. Commissioner Dan Novak, who publicly resigned at the last village council meeting, was not present.

A similar ordinance failed during the June 14 regularly scheduled council meeting when no second to the motion was made. That ordinance only targeted bars with A1 licenses, however, which was one of the reasons Byrnes said he didn’t second at that time. Nero and Voogd both said they thought that ordinance needed more fleshing out. The current ordinance applies to all liquor license holders.

Amusement applications, though regulated and loosely defined in the liquor code, haven’t been enforced in years, and the topic of temporarily disallowing amusement uses, such as disc jockeys or live music, was discussed at length by the ad hoc committee put together to find solutions to the current rowdiness problems with some bars on Madison Street. Committee members supported enforcing the code, which requires any establishment wishing to provide amusement to fill out an application from the village.

Amusement, in the current liquor code, is defined as “any public show, theatrical, animate or inanimate exhibition, musical, music, mechanical or manually operated entertainment device.”

Technically, according to current code, a bar or restaurant that wants to have, say, a live band play or a comedian perform is required to apply through the village. Until now, however, that wasn’t enforced.

The passage of this ordinance means that no bars of any classification can apply for a permit for entertainment until Sept. 6, and any bars that have entertainment already scheduled must cancel the act. So no live music or disc jockeys or puppet shows or singers until September.

Hoskins and the commissioners acknowledged that the current code needs to be updated, something Hoskins said he’s already working on with village attorneys.

“We have an insufficient ordinance that covers [amusements],” said Hoskins. The ordinance, he said, was adopted in the 1980s, “and what we’re finding is that it really doesn’t suit where we are.” As a result, Hoskins said, the village has asked the law firm to update the code, specifically the parts relating to amusements.

Nero agreed that the current liquor code, specifically as it relates to amusements and also live music outdoors, is “a little antiquated.”

The moratorium, he said, was a chance for the council “to pause, sit down, look at the ordinance and see what makes sense for the village of Forest Park.” Nero said he wanted the village to “get it straight, have it make sense for the bar and business owners so we’re not up here again.”

Voogd voted in favor of the moratorium but said that the issue needs to be revisited.

“Unfortunately, this does need to happen to clean up the language of the ordinance and figure out what is and isn’t allowable and let everyone know the process on how to go forward to have these things,” Voogd said.

It’s consistency, said Voogd, that’s important, and taking

time to have lawyers rewrite the code will offer that consistency to the village.

“I think we need to take this moment to clean [the code] up, and to make sure that everybody knows what is required of them,” Voogd said. “We owe that consistency to our business owners so that they can plan and properly run their businesses.”

The commissioners also brought up a separate but related part of the liquor code that currently prohibits beer gardens or outdoor patios associated with bars or restaurants from having any live music of any kind.

“I think there’s ways that we can rewrite that perhaps, and allow for that, to support our restaurants or bars for sure,” Nero said.

At the last regularly scheduled council meeting, Doc Ryan’s submitted an application for live music outdoors, but was denied because it was brought up that village code currently doesn’t allow outdoor beer gardens or bar or restaurant patios to have any live entertainment at all. With a rewritten code, this could change. The same would apply to Lathrop House Café, which was recently told to cease the live music performances they were holding since, according to village code, it’s currently not allowed.

Hoskins said he anticipated having a rewritten code on amusement applications and permits back from the lawyers and up for vote potentially by the July 26 village council meeting. That would cover entertainment inside bars or restaurants.

Updating the code on allowing beer gardens and patios to have live entertainment, however, might take longer, Hoskins said, and he didn’t think changes to that section of village code would be ready by then.

“We want to get it right,” Hoskins said. He suggested to the commissioners that concerns they have regarding amusements, whether related to the types of entertainment or anything else, should be communicated to Village Administrator Moses Amidei.

Three bars’ liquor licenses reclassified Village works to clean up liquor code

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

Three business’ liquor licenses were reclassified on June 28 during the village council meeting, as the village works to clean up existing code and rules related to liquor operations in town.

Lantern Haus’ license was changed from an A to an A1. ‘A’ license holders must derive at least half of their revenue from the sale of food, which is not the case at Lantern Haus.

McGaffers previously held an A1 license, but because they estimate at least 50 percent of their revenue comes from the sale of food, which their accountant has or will confirm with the village, they were switched to an A license instead.

Exit Strategy, a brewery that produces beer on location, was given an A7 (beer pub) license rather than both an A and A7 license as they had previously.

The benefit of the A license right now is that those license holders are allowed to keep their bars open later, till 1 a.m. on weeknights and 2 a.m. on weekends, while those with A1 licenses are forced to close at midnight every night after a July 2 ordinance allowed the bars to stay open just one hour longer, from the previous 11 p.m. closing time, which included weekends.

There are currently 15 A license holders: Caffe De Luca, Golden Steer, Goldyburger’s, Jimmy’s Place, Fat Duck, Lathrop House Café, Mexican Republic Kitchen & Cantina, Old School Tavern & Grill, Panda Café, Tacabron, Taco Tu Restaurant & Bar, Scratch Kitchen, Shanahan’s, O’Sullivan’s and McGaffer’s.

There are currently 14 A1 license holders: Angelo O’Leary’s, Blueberry Hill, Carole’s Next Best Thing, Circle Bowling Lanes,

Circle Inn, Doc Ryan’s, Duffy’s Tavern, Forest Park Tap Room, Mugsy’s, Pioneer Tap, Shortstop Lounge, Slainte Irish Pub, The Beacon and The Lantern House.

A2 licenses are issued to restaurants that sell alcohol “for consumption with, and as part of, the meals sold to them by such business.” These restaurants are Small Batch Barbecue, Charlie’s Restaurant, Chirrion Mexican Restaurant, Gaetano’s and Kribi Coffee.

A3 licenses allow only the sales of beer and wine within a restaurant and include Bua & Hana, Portillo’s Hot Dogs, and The Junction Diner.

A7 licenses are for brew pubs, and only Exit Strategy has this particular license.

A8 are for event spaces, the sole holder of one of these being Urban Pioneer Group.

B1 licenses are for the sale of alcohol as a packaged product not for consumption on the premises where sold. These have been issued to USA Beverage, Suburban Liquors, Cardinal Wine and Spirits, CVS Pharmacy,

Famous Liquors, Forest Park Liquors, and Living Fresh Market.

Class C is BYOB. Licensees are Starship Restaurant & Catering and Yum Thai Restaurant.

Class O liquor licenses are issued to offsite caterers, allowing them to bring alcohol as part of food service. Starship Catering has an O license.

In related news, at the June 28 village council meeting, an ordinance was passed that automatically closes out a liquor license if the related business shuts; prior to this code amendment, the license would sit open until a future council meeting during which the number of licenses in that category would be reduced. That left an open license for the liquor commissioner to issue without council approval. Now, no new liquor licenses can be created and thus issued without a majority vote of the mayor and commissioners.

Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

BARS

Less complaints from page 1 “I think this is the first step moving forward,” Nero said. “Let’s give the bars back another hour, see how it goes.” He added, though, that he wanted a set date at which the issue would be discussed again, not just leave the table with a vague idea that more discussion would follow.

“Maybe we get back together the first week of August, and if things are moving in the right direction, we can sit back down and make another decision,” said Nero.

Voogd agreed with Nero, asking Hoskins if the issue of extending hours further could be revisited in 30 days instead of waiting for Labor Day. Hoskins agreed.

Voogd also asked Police Chief Tom Aftanas, present at the meeting, to share his thoughts on extending closing time for bars.

“I can say for the last month there have been no issues like we experienced in early May,” Aftanas said. Call volume from people complaining about

issues with bars has gone down dramatically, he said, from five to seven calls a day to one or none most days.

“We know that eventually the time is going to be extended,” said Aftanas. “I can’t look into the future and say that, yes, this is the exact time to do that. Or that a month from now that time is going to be even better; we won’t know until we open up and see how things go.” He added that with the state and Chicago opening up, things will most likely improve since Forest Park won’t be the only place people will go for a night out.

But Byrnes, who’d proposed allowing longer hours on the weekends, an amendment that wasn’t seconded, said he thought the midnight allowance was “just kicking the can down the road.”

“We’ll never know what’s going on until we try something new,” Byrnes said. He said he understands the midnight curfew on weeknights. “But on the weekends we still have other establishments opened until one o’clock,” Byrnes added. That’s because the A license holders, those who get at least half their grow revenue from sales of food, are currently allowed to stay open until 1 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends, regardless of whether they serve food until closing time.

File photo

ONE MORE HOUR: Taverns that don’t serve food, such as Mugsy’s, 7640 Madison St., can now stay open until midnight seven days a week.

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Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

‘I’m the first, but I don’t want to be the last,’Welch says State’s first Black House Speaker says his position allows black youth to see themselves in the role

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Equity Editor

Sworn into office in January, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, who lives in Hillside, said life has changed markedly since ascending to his new position.

Welch said during an interview on June 28, that he had to fend off 3,000 text messages that began as soon as people realized he was the front-runner for the position. Once sworn in, the calls came.

“I’ve gotten calls from Gov. Pritzker and Willie Brown, the first Black speaker of the California General Assembly and former mayor of San Francisco,” Welch said. “Nancy Pelosi called me out of the blue. I didn’t answer her call, because it was an unrecognized number.”

Welch said he didn’t imagine that on Jan. 8, while driving down to Springfield, he would be the new speaker less than a week later. His mind was set on helping re-elect Mike Madigan, the longest-serving leader of a state or federal legislative body in U.S. history.

But things began to snowball quickly when even Madigan himself realized that he wouldn’t get the required 60 votes to keep his job.

Welch said he was going through security at the Bank of Springfield Center, where the General Assembly had been meeting during the pandemic, and he saw another unrecognized number.

“I normally wouldn’t answer, but I did and it’s Speaker Madigan,” Welch said. “I asked him to hold for a second so I could put my bags down. He says, ‘I’m calling to let you know I’m suspending my campaign for speaker. I think it’s time to allow someone else an opportunity to get the 60 votes.’ And then he says, ‘Chris, do you want to be speaker?’”

Welch said Madigan gave him some advice. Secure the backing of the Illinois House Black Caucus and the Latino Caucus.

“And he goes, ‘I should’ve started here — call your wife,’” Welch recalled, adding that the moment was so overwhelming he could barely compose himself while on the phone with his better half.

“By the time I called ShawnTe, I was a mess,” he said.

What was the moment that really prompted him to realize the significance of what had happened?

“The time that it sunk in was on Martin Luther King Day,” Welch said. “I’m at home. I hadn’t slept in a week, so I finally got some sleep and I’m having breakfast with ShawnTe and the kids and my son Tyler says out of the blue, just out of the blue, ‘Daddy, when was Illinois founded?’ I said, ‘1818.’

“And I can see his face doing the calculation. He said, ‘That was over 200 years ago and you’re the first Black person to have your job?’ I said, ‘Yeah, son,’ and that’s what King was fighting for. For us to have those opportunities. I wish I had a photo of his face or a video at that point, because his face was what really hit me. He realized what a big moment it was for our family, for me, for the state. That’s what got me.”

Life’s changed for Welch personally, he said. In the hours and days following the Jan. 6 Insurrection in Washington, D.C., there was security assigned to protect his home 24/7.

“Here was my Black face on every newspaper cover in the state,” Welch said, explaining the heightened risk he and government officials around the country faced during that

Photo by Michael Romain

MR. SPEAKER: Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch in front of his district offices in Westchester. He’s expanded his office complex since becoming house speaker. time.

But there’s a positive flip side to the exposure, he said.

“I’m the first Black speaker, but I definitely don’t want to be the last,” Welch said. “Now, Black kids across the state can say, ‘I can be that, because I can see that.’”

Within the last two years, west suburban Cook County, and Proviso Township in particular, has become ground zero for state government. Along with Welch, Oak Park Senator Don Harmon is senate president while Maywood Senator Kimberly Lightford is Senate Majority Leader.

“All roads lead to the west suburbs,” Welch said. He explained that having that kind of representation affords elected officials and mayors in Proviso Township and nearby suburbs significant leverage.

“When we were protesting last summer as a result of George Floyd’s murder, we were going around to communities saying we need to invest at least $1 billion in Black communities, now here I am Speaker of the House and in charge of the budget process in the House,” Welch said.

“I was proud of the budget the governor signed last week.

In that $42 billion budget, there wasn’t $1 billion to Black communities, but $4.9 billion to Black communities,” he said.

Welch said he’s proud of the accomplishments that have happened during his first session as speaker, before naming what he said represented “just a small snippet” of wins.

“We got a balanced budget that led, for the first time in decades, not one, not two but three credit rating increases last week,” Welch said.

“Fitch moved us from negative to positive. S&P and

Moody’s moved us from negative to stable. Those are huge goals,” he added. “To navigate us through a redistricting process that experts say is a model for true diversity, I’m proud of that. We got ethics reform done — that was a big thing, we’re going to try to rebuild trust in the legislature.”

Welch also lauded the passage of a state elections bill amid a time of national political turmoil.

“While Republicans across this country are passing laws to suppress voter participation we led the way for a law that expands voter participation,” he said.

And Welch said he’s also working to distinguish himself from his powerful predecessor in how he helps get House Democrats elected, offering a more robust apparatus of campaign and fundraising services.

On June 28, Welch was preparing to host the grand opening of the new headquarters for Democrats for the Illinois House, which is adjacent to his district office in Westchester. Welch said his government and political offices are deliberately separated to avoid any confusion.

“As speaker, I’m the leader of our Democratic Caucus and I wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for our Democratic Caucus,” he said. “It’s my job to make sure Democrats get elected and re-elected to the Illinois House.”

Thanks to the office expansion, he’ll have space where his Democratic colleagues can make fundraising phone calls and calls for support, with Welch offering tips and advice along the way.

On the way out the door, he picked up a rubber wristband etched with what may be a working mantra.

“Better,” it said.

Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

Local art and music returning this summer

Garage Galleries looking for artists, hosts; Stoop Sessions starting up

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

Garage Galleries organizers have announced applications are now open for this summer’s event to be held on Aug. 28 from 2 to 7 p.m. The group is looking both for artists to display their work and garages willing to host art displays.

Priority acceptance will be given to 2019 and other previous artists and hosts.

Garage Galleries is a volunteer-driven artwalk through the neighborhood, in which residents throughout town open their garages as galleries where local artists present their work. There’s no entry fee or juried selection process for artists wishing to present, and the garage galleries receptions are casual and friendly.

The event wasn’t held during 2020 due to COVID-19, but the 2019 event was a celebration of art throughout town, including pottery, painting, collage, photography and other forms of art, displayed in garages, sometimes with refreshments and always

with great conversation.

Safety precautions and physical distancing will be part of the 2021 event, and if COVID conditions warrant it, the event may be cancelled.

If you’re interested in showcasing your work, hosting in your garage or volunteering (to help in advance or just day-of), visit tinyurl.com/GarageGalleries.

Stoop Sessions starting up again The Forest Park Arts Alliance (FPAA) is bringing back Stoop Ses-

sions this summer, events where musicians play music on front porches.

Residents and visitors bring their own chairs or picnic blankets and enjoy the performance.

This summer’s first event will be on Wednesday, July 14, at 7 p.m. at 914 Beloit Ave. The featured artist is Kathleen Lane, a vocalist from Chicago, who blends folk and indie sounds. For more information, visit the Forest Park Arts Alliance group on Facebook, facebook.com/ groups/1395302483899525.

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Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

RATS

Rodents on the rise from page 1 rat burrows along the sides of the garage. The burrows, he said, are extensive interconnected networks with multiple entryways and exits.

Between the garage and the house rats run back and forth so frequently that they’ve worn an obvious rodent-sized path in the grass. Two rat carcasses, practically just skeletons, lie alongside the path.

The next-door neighbor came outside. His back yard is clean, and he just replaced wood along the bottom of his deck. He’s worried that the rats will destroy it.

“I spend hundreds of dollars a month on rat control,” he said, holding up two large containers of rat-control product.

“It’s like Saturday Night Fever over here, but every single night, with the rats just running back and forth.” He was laughing, but his concern is real. Rats aren’t just ugly; they’re destructive, able to chew through wire, wood and drywall. They can even chew through brick and uncured concrete.

Another neighbor two doors down came out and yelled thanks to Glinke.

“We’re doing the best we can,” he said.

The problem with that particular uninhabited house and others like it, said Glinke, is that the property is privately owned, in this case by a company out of state that only sends someone over for maintenance when forced to. Their grass gets overgrown. The house is vacant. The rats take over.

It’s property maintenance that’s the best defense against rats, Glinke said. So when a property is vacant and the owner or landlord absent, the village tries its best to enforce clean-up and compliance, and when they don’t get a response, they’re forced to step in.

Rats have long been a problem in Forest Park, like they are in many towns. And things got worse during COVID, said Glinke. For starters, in the interest of cutting budgets during a time of lean finances, Smithereen started coming out every two weeks instead of weekly. And second, with more people at home during the day, “there was an enormous spike in garbage generated from people at home,” said Glinke. Less rat control plus more garbage is heaven for rats.

Norway rats, the kind most seen locally, are highly adaptable. They forage for food and can live on almost anything.

Smithsonian Zoo cited a study that revealed over 4,000 different items in the stomach of a single wild Norway rat. And they don’t limit themselves to what humans consider food.

“Dog shit is like caviar to rats,” said Glinke, repeating a sentiment he’d expressed to the Review during his last interview on the topic. “It’s basically partially digested dog food. They love that.”

Although rats can forage, they like to set up home close to a regular source of food. That might be a garbage can with a hole chewed in it, giving them easy access. It could be a compost pile. And they especially like to burrow into the ground along the sides of a garage, for example, when there are ample weeds and grass to provide cover.

In their extensive burrows, females reproduce regularly and year-round. Each female can have seven litters a year, and each litter has, on average, eight pups. Gestation takes about 22 to 24 days. A few months after birth, the new females reach sexual maturity and begin reproducing. It’s easy to see how the rat population can quickly get out of control.

Glinke said the village doesn’t mind fielding calls from residents who’ve seen rats on their property. But the village is limited on how much they can help a private residence in rat-control efforts. First, staff members aren’t licensed exterminators. And second, their role in maintaining private property is limited legally and financially.

Glinke recommends talking with neighbors if you have

Courtesy of Village of Forest Park Photos by Maria Maxham

RATS! (Clockwise from top left) Rats chew holes like this one in the lids of garbage cans. At an uninhabited property on Roosevelt Road, rats run so frequently between the garage and house that they’ve worn a path. The entrance to a rat burrow alongside a garage. Rats’ front teeth can chew through almost anything, from cardboard to drywall to brick. problems with rats. In at least one pocket of Forest Park, he said, neighbors have organized an unofficial rat-control group for their own block, regularly providing assistance to one another on keeping weeds and shrubs trimmed and alleys cleaned to avoid problems with rodents and communicating about their efforts.

And on the south side of town, a feral cat population seems to do a good job keeping the rat population under control. Oak Park’s Animal Care League has a Trap, Neuter, Release program that, according to the organization’s website, will be back up and running soon.

Forest Park does not have an official feral cat program, but the City of Chicago has been taking advantage of cats to help control their rat problem.

According to Treehouse Humane Society, their Cats At Work program has released 1,000 cats into Chicago neighborhoods since 2012, placing about 10 to 15 feral cats each month. The organization vaccinates and spays or neuters cats that wouldn’t do well living in a home and releases them back into the city.

“Cats are placed two or three at a time into residential or commercial settings. Often, they’re brought in to provide environmentally friendly rodent control. Property and business owners provide food, water, shelter, and wellness to the cats who ‘work’ for them,” reads the Treehouse website.

To be clear, Forest Park hasn’t advocated managed feral cat communities. But Glinke brought them up in a recent budget meeting while talking about increasing rat control expenses.

“Those cats are pretty gangster,” Glinke said.

A link to information on rats from the village is available here: forestpark.net/dfp/departments/health-safety/. The department of health and safety can be reached at 708-6156276.

Glinke’s tips on rats Glinke provided the following tips to residents concerned about rats: ■ Call the village if you’re concerned. A staff member can visit to give you tips on rat-proofing your yard and home.

The number for the Department of Building, Planning and Zoning is 708-615-6276.

■ Rats look for reliable sources of food. Don’t put out bird feeders, or if you do, make sure you sweep up stray seed regularly. If you have dogs, pick up their poop right away.

Rats eat that. Again, caviar. Compost should be secured in a rodent-proof container.

■ If your garbage can has holes in it or is damaged in any way, call the village at 708-366-2323 for a replacement.

■ Keep your outdoor area well maintained. Mow grass regularly. Don’t allow weeds or dense shrubbery to grow, especially against the sides of buildings where rats like to burrow.

■ Don’t take or move rat stations you see in alleys. Smithereen places them strategically around town.

■ In an arrangement with Smithereen, residents can pay for a three-visit rat-control service for $150, which Glinke said is a good deal. Call 708-615-6276 for more information.

Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

11

Progress Center loses popular advocate Larry Biondi, 58, died on June 28

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Larry Biondi, 58, was a highly respected staff member at the Progress Center for Independent Living (PCIL) on Madison St. His colleagues called him a fearless advocate for disability rights. Horacio Esparza, PCIL’s director, said, “Larry’s legacy of 28 years of tireless fighting for the rights of people with disabilities will always live on. He was arrested dozens of times for resisting during so many protests, for yelling at the world that people with disabilities count too.”

Gary Arnold, PCIL’s program director, explained that many in the disability community are unhappy with the way Jerry Lewis’ annual telethon portrays children with muscular dystrophy, always showing them as sick or weak.

“Larry was a regular at the annual MDA Telethon protest,” Arnold recalled, “and one year I tagged along. Before heading out to the protest, a few people, including Larry, called the MDA donations in order to tie up the phones.”

Biondi was also a regular in Springfield testifying before legislators in the House

and Senate advocating for disability rights.

Because he was born with cerebral palsy, he was confined to a wheelchair and had a severe speech impediment. His office mate, Clark Craig who also was born with the disorder but in a milder form, would interpret for him.

Those disabilities, however, never prevented him from living life fully. It was like he was competing in the hundred-yard dash with the addition of having to jump over hurdles.

An example of Larry’s feisty determination is the time he was robbed while traveling on the Blue Line to a dentist appointment. Two men approached him. One stole his phone which was mounted on a bracket on his wheelchair, while the other used his joy stick to wheel him part way out of the open train door.

At that point any fear that might have been in the PCIL Advocacy Coordinator left him. He shifted his wheelchair into reverse, got all the way back on the train, approached the guy who had his phone, grabbed his coat and started yelling at him.

Esparza wrote a tribute to his colleague in which he said, “From Larry I learned that no disability has limits, that limits are set by society.”

Larry told him that as a child he wanted to ride a bicycle, but the doctors told his parents that would be impossible. “And with

that big smile that characterized him, Larry said, ‘And guess what? ... I ended up putting hundreds of miles on a trike my parents bought me.’

“That was Larry,” Esparza concluded, “strong, a fighter, defying great adversity.”

He also had a sense of humor, Esparza said. “Larry had a language limitation and in a conference in which we both presented, I heard him ask the participants: ‘What university degree do you think I studied?’ and the participants mentioned all except what they would never imagine. Larry, smiling, said, ‘Communication Sciences’.”

Esparza spoke for the staff and clients at PCIL when he said, “Thank you Larry for being my friend, my fighting partner, my great example and mentor. You taught us that we should live life smiling.”

Lawrence J. “Larry” Biondi, 58, died on June 28, 2021. Born on Feb. 17, 1963, he spent 28 years tirelessly fighting as an advocate for social justice, especially for persons with disabilities. His leadership and great legacy will be remembered by his colleagues at the Progress Center for Independent Living and ADAPT. Larry was the son of the late Beatrice (nee Zimmerman) and Roy Biondi; the nephew of Anna Marie Pierotti and Fr. Lawrence Biondi, S.J.; the cousin of Anita Kidd, Maria Pierotti and Peter Pierotti; and other cousins, Atina, Peter, Nicholas, Matteo, Gi-

Lawrence J. “Larry” Biondi, 58 ana and Luca; and many other Zimmerman cousins.

A visitation was held on Tuesday, July 6 at 9:15 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. at Queen of All Saints Basilica, 6280 N. Sauganash Ave., Chicago, IL 60646. Entombment is private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Larry’s name can be made to the Progress Center for Independent Living, 7521 W. Madison St., Forest Park IL 60130. If you’d like to view a LiveStream of the Mass, please visit Larry’s obituary at www.smithcorcoran. com. More info 773-736-3833.

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Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

These athletes went up against the pandemic and won Proviso East team won the 4x400-meter relay at conference

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

It was a season like no other for the Proviso East High School Boys Track and Field team.

Like all other district sports teams, they had to sit out most of their 2020 season, and the 2021 season was truncated. The team only had eight runners, significantly less than the average of 25 to 30 runners the team would field in any other year.

But that didn’t stop them from racking up a few regional accomplishments. Four runners earned first-place finishes at the West Suburban Conference 4×400-meter relay race and one of those runners made it to state. Marc Jones, the head coach for Proviso East’s Boys Cross Country and Track, said that he was impressed with the runners’ dedication.

J’Lyn Gay, of Maywood, and Kadher Kessougni, of Forest Park, graduated this spring.

Jaloni Johnson, of Forest Park, will be a junior this fall, while his older brother, Javon Johnson, also of Forest Park, will be a senior.

All four played other sports while doing

track. The Johnson brothers both play basketball while Kessougni played soccer and Gay played football. They said that they joined the track team because it was a good way to stay in shape.

“If you’re doing any sport, track helps you out with endurance, speed and flexibility,” Javon Johnson said. “Track is central to my body.”

Jaloni Johnson added that seeing his older brother run track made him curious enough to try it.

Jones said that, normally, the track season starts on the week of Martin Luther King Day, but, with the pandemic restrictions, the 2021 track season didn’t kick off until April 13.

Another issue was that, because of the pandemic restrictions, they couldn’t do as much training.

Jones said that, once the season started, they did regular temperature checks and asked students a range of questions about possible COVID-19 symptoms. Everyone wore masks and hand sanitizer was readily available.

Jones said that none of the runners tested positive for the virus, and the runners and the school staff all got vaccinated The runners said that returning to sports after months without having a chance to practice was challenging, and so was the

shortened season, the small team and the fact that all sports had their seasons in the final three months of the school year. The athletes also said that it was strange to race without fans in the stands and while wearing masks, but they added that things worked out well in the end.

“The coaches always pushed us to do better every day,” Kessougni said. “That played a big part in what we can do as a team.”

“Yeah, it’s different, definitely a rushed and a difficult year, but I got to build new friendships with new teammates, and it was a fun experience,” Jovon said.

“This was a good experience for me, meeting new people, forming new friendships,” Jaloni said. “And it’s definitely something different, instead of just basketball.”

All four runners said they were impressed with how fast the runners from the other schools were.

Kessougni was the only one of the four who wound up taking part in the state championship. While he got 20th place, he said he was glad to make it that far.

“The fact that this happened this year amazed me, because I didn’t expect to be going downstate this year,” he reflected.

The Johnson brothers said that they intend to keep doing track and that they look forward to a more normal season.

Gay, who is going to Ellsworth Community College in Iowa on a football scholarship, said that he would like to keep doing track, if he can commit to the sport along with other commitments. Kessougni, who is going to Bradley University in Peoria said he is keeping his options open.

Jones said that, while East track athletics is no stranger to conference championships and state competitions, he said his athletes over-achieved this year, particularly amid all of the pandemic challenges.

“I’m really proud of our student-athletes district-wide, because of the work and commitment they put in this year,” he said. “The best I expected from this season was just to have fun, because we had such a short season.”

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Proviso East track and field athletes J’lyn Gray, Kadher Kassougni, Jaloni Johnson and Javon Johnson won the 4x400-meter relay at conference

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Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

Pritzker warns COVID-19 Delta variant could dominate by fall

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker stressed the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations June 28 as positivity rates and hospitalizations continued to decline but variants of the virus have proven to be more transmissible and dangerous to those who are not vaccinated.

The governor cited a central Illinois youth camp that has led to more than 85 associated COVID-19 cases.

The governor said at least one “unvaccinated adult” from the central Illinois camp was hospitalized after the outbreak. According to an Illinois Department of Public Health news release, “although all campers and staff were eligible for vaccination, IDPH is aware of only a handful of campers and staff receiving the vaccine.”

While the majority of the linked cases were teens and the perceived risk to youth is often small, IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a news release that long-term symptoms can be serious and youth spread can be transferred to those with compromised immune systems.

Some attendees of the camp also later attended a nearby conference, leading to 11 more cases of the virus. The outbreaks occurred in Schuyler and Adams counties, according to a news release. On June 22, the Schuyler County Health Department

informed the public of an outbreak at The Crossing Camp in Rushville, which offers “christ-centered camps for youths k-12,” according to its website.

The state health department is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention to handle the outbreak and “is in the process of identifying the presence of any specific variants in this outbreak.”

IDPH had identified 9,697 COVID-19 variants in the state as of Monday. That includes 84 instances of the Delta variant, which prompted a high-ranking official at the World Health Organization to warn this week that vaccinated individuals should still be wearing face coverings to protect against community transmission.

“Vaccine alone won’t stop the community transmission. …People need to continue to use masks consistently, be in ventilated spaces, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, the physical distance, avoid crowding,” Dr. Mariangela Simao, WHO assistant directorgeneral for access to medicines and health products, said according to transcripts of a news briefing.

Pritzker said his administration expects the Delta variant, which has proven more transmissible and dangerous to unvaccinated individuals, “to dominate our cases statewide by the fall.” He and others appeared masked at a news conference in Chicago that was called to celebrate the opening of a business center in the North Lawndale community.

He said he was wearing a face covering, even though the state no longer requires one for those who are vaccinated, because he thought it was “appropriate to do so.”

“I would say, from my own perspective, if you’re going into a heavily crowded area, you don’t know if somebody is not vaccinated, and so you should just bring your mask with you and keep safe,” he said of individuals regardless of vaccine status.

Pritzker mentioned Israel’s vaccine response, noting the country had high vaccination rates but had recently reinstated indoor mask mandates and other mitigations as the Delta variant spreads.

“The lessons here at home and across the world are a harbinger of what could happen here, particularly in low vaccinated areas,” he said.

According to IDPH, approximately 53.1 percent of Illinoisans over age 12 were fully vaccinated as of Monday, while that number was 55.7 percent for those 18 and older and 73.7 percent for those 65 and older. For those receiving at least one dose, the numbers were 68.8 percent, 71.3 percent and 89.8 percent, respectively.

Still, Pritzker said, that left more than 5 million Illinoisans not fully vaccinated and therefore “unprotected.”

Several Illinois counties have vaccination rates under 25 percent. Those include Fayette County at roughly 23 percent in southern Illinois, Henderson County at roughly 21 percent in west-central Illinois, Hamilton

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13

County at roughly 24 percent in southern Illinois and five of Illinois’ southernmost counties, Hardin (24.5 percent), Pope (23 percent), Pulaski (22 percent) and Alexander (14 percent).

As of Monday, the seven-day rolling average for vaccinations administered daily was 43,219, roughly equal to the pace it was on the day the state announced a $10 million vaccine lottery that will include anyone who has received a shot in the state. The 96,042 doses reported administered Saturday, however, were the most in one day since May 20.

While the state’s case positivity rate saw a small uptick of 0.1 percentage points Monday from the day prior on a rolling seven-day average, that number remained near a pandemic low. Hospitalizations also remained near pandemic lows, with 433 patients in hospital beds as of Sunday night, including 108 in intensive care unit beds and 46 on ventilators.

While the confirmed death toll has risen to 23,219 since the pandemic began, the state saw fewer than 10 COVID-19-releated deaths for seven of the past eight days as of last Monday.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

14

Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

OPINION O U R

S

V I E W

The liquor code

ometimes feels as if Forest Park has a lovehate relationship to alcohol.

For many people in town and in surrounding towns Madison Street bars are the identifying marker for Forest Park. And then they tell you a story about St. Pat’s or Thanksgiving weekend from years ago.

Certainly the bars and the liquor stores have been the mainstay of Madison Street during the early days and the hard days when the street was otherwise filled with tacky antique stores and doctors offices. As Madison Street reimagined itself with upscale shops and actual restaurants the love for the bars waned some. And this year as the pandemic eased and people poured back to the street some bars have been center stage for outrageous and inappropriate actions.

Brings us to today when the village government continues its rolling, often uneven, response to barbased crime and bar owner nonsense. Last week, in a village council compromise, straight up bars got an hour of late night business returned with a closing time now set at midnight. Forest Park Tap Room, a main perpetrator of abusing its privilege of selling alcohol, got another suspension and fine.

This time the suspension is for 10 days. Critics, including the Review, find that inadequate.

The larger news though is that the village government is now making a thorough review of its pieced and patched together liquor code. This is an overdue step. The current and past administration made piecemeal adjustments mainly to limit and better control the granting of liquor licenses.

Last month the council acted to tighten the ordinance to prevent the mayor/liquor commissioner from passing along an “open” license. That’s good. Liquor commissioner/czar is too much power in a situation this complex. We need more vetting of potential license holders. We need more open discussion of who is entitled to a license. After all the current location of Forest Park Tap Room was a furniture store far longer than it was Healy’s. That corner is not owed a liquor license.

A key piece of the rethinking of the liquor ordinance will be guidelines related to entertainment broadly defined. This could be a live band, a DJ, even a puppet show. The council acted last week to prohibit all live entertainment through Labor Day. Gives its attorneys time to sort out what the actual goal is here as well as getting the village through the heat of the summer.

We think decisions here are complex. If Forest Park wants more than taverns having a band on the patio, it could be one way for a bar owner to differentiate. The same is true for a bar with a majority Black customer base which brings in a DJ. Treating all types of entertainment equally, even creepy puppet shows, is essential. Expecting and enforcing standards of behavior and observance of the ordinance is also essential.

Y

Let freedom ring … within reason

esterday afternoon, Pastor Walter Mitty and Fr. Bob Sullivan got together for coffee at Bernie Rolvaag’s History/Herstory Book Store.

After telling his ecumenical friend about his overnight trip to see Susan and his two nephews, Mitty asked, “Bob, why is it that Evangelicals seem to have a corner on the patriotism market?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, did you happen to see Johnny Christian’s Let Freedom Ring Fourth of July Special Sunday evening? I’ve never seen so many American flags in my whole life. They were waving on the two big screens flanking the podium. There must have been 50 standing side by side on the podium, and each of the 2,000 people in the audience had their own little to flag to wave back and forth in unison as they belted out “Oh beautiful, for spacious skies.”

“Oh, now I know what you mean. Members of St. Mary’s who vote Democratic will put up Hate Has No Home Here signs on their front lawns, but they’d never put God Bless America stickers on their bumpers.”

“Even though, if they thought about it,” Mitty added as he got up to put a little more cream in his coffee, “they might say those very words in the prayers at Mass.”

When Mitty returned to their table, Fr. Bob noticed that his friend’s coffee was noticeably whiter and began to say, “And you said that the theme of the TV special was Let Freedom …”

Pastor Mitty was unable to hear the end of Fr. Bob’s sentence, because a pack of five 2147 cc V-Twin Harleys roared by outside on Main Street making it impossible to hear.

After they had passed, Fr. Sullivan looked around to make sure no one was within earshot and muttered, “Damn bikers. Someone needs to make a law to put mufflers on those machines.”

“So, what were you saying?”

“I was saying,” Fr. Bob repeated, “that Evangelicals seem to be in love with the word freedom and I was going to say something about their opinions regarding cancel culture and critical race theory and political correctness.”

This time Fr. Bob was interrupted by the bookstore’s owner. “OK if I join you? It’s a slow day in the bookstore and the coffee shop, so I can add my two cents to the discussion. What problem are you guys solving today?”

“We just started talking about freedom,” said Mitty.

The bookstore owner laughed. “Independence Day weekend, what could be a more appropriate topic?”

Fr. Bob was going to get started on the topic of freedom when he was drowned out, this time by the thump-thump blaring from oversize speakers competing for attention with the roar coming out of what were euphemistically referred to as mufflers in a Dodge Charger high rise quan-car with mag wheels passing by on Main St. “There oughta be a law,” the priest muttered when the noise got far enough down Poplar Park’s main drag that he could be heard again.

“So you think that guy shouldn’t have the freedom to express himself ?” asked Bernie with a wink.

Getting Bernie’s point, the Franciscan paused to organize his thoughts.

The bookstore owner took advantage of the pause to add what he called his “two cents.”

“Seems to me that whenever we talk about freedom we have to add the words, ‘from what.’ Progressive women want to be free from the government telling them they can’t have an abortion and conservatives want to have the freedom to not wear face masks.

What’s more, Mark Zuckerberg irritates the hell out of them when he tells them what they can and cannot say on Facebook.”

“Your point, Bernie,” Fr. Bob began, “made me think about how my dad talked about the ’60s, how what we would call liberals these days rebelled against everything authorities told them to do. They grew beards and long hair. Girls stopped wearing bras and wore what they called unisex clothing. Conformity, for them, was a four letter word.”

“My dad had an eight-track tape by the Five Man Electrical Band,” Bernie added. “He knew all the words: Sign, sign Everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery Breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that Can’t you read the sign?”

Fr. Bob remembered the song, shook his head and said, “So what you’re implying is that those nonconformist hippies have grown older, acquired political power, and now they’re telling everyone what to do — regarding the environment, face masks, the economy, racism.”

The three friends sat in silence for several minutes, sipping coffee and pondering.

Finally, Bernie said, “I have two books on my shelf.

You all remember Erich Fromm’s Escape from Freedom?”

“That’s the one, if I’m not mistaken,” said Mitty, “in which Fromm argues that we humans have an ambivalent relationship with freedom. That freedom brings with it a scary accountability resulting in loneliness and a feeling of insignificance, and that’s why people are willing to relinquish their freedom to demagogues like Hitler.”

“And the other,” said Bernie, “is Bowling Alone.”

“I see where you’re going,” said Fr. Bob. “Putnam argues that in pursuing the freedom of extreme individualism we are being disconnected from social structures which we need as social beings. That we, so to speak, have thrown the baby out with the bathwater of conformity.”

“That makes me think,” said Mitty, “if Fromm is right that human authorities are not able to resolve our problematic ambivalence regarding freedom and Putnam is correct that we as individuals are not doing a very good job of finding our way through life either, maybe we need the best and wisest among us to draft something new, a Declaration of Interdependence.”

TOM

HOLMES

Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

O B I T U A R Y John Saraceno, 69 Forest Park home inspector

John A. Saraceno, 69, of Mexico Beach, Florida, formerly of Forest Park, died on June 24, 2021. He worked as the village of Forest Park’s home inspector. A father, grandfather, brother, veteran and friend, he loved his family and enjoyed spending time at the beach. Loved by many, he will be greatly missed.

Left to treasure his memory are his daughters, Sarah Arnett Martinelli (Michael), Victoria Saraceno Hanrahan (Edward),

Rebecca Saraceno and Julia Saraceno; his sons, Joseph Saraceno (Jenni) and Joshua Saraceno; and his grandchildren, Ella Saraceno, Ashely Saraceno, Joseph Martinelli, Dino Martinelli, Mia Francesca Martinelli, Arya Hanrahan, Edward C. Hanrahan and Madelyn Hanrahan.

A celebration of life is planned and will be announced at a later date.

To leave online condolences, please visit www.heritagefhllc.com.

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16 Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice: Your right to know In print • Online • Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year ForestParkReview.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI

Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

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PUBLIC NOTICES

VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Riverside will be held on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the business of the Planning and Zoning Commission may permit, in the Riverside Township Hall Auditorium (2nd Floor), 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, to consider proposed text amendments to the Village of Riverside Zoning Ordinance relative to accessory uses.

Application No.: PZ 21-02 Petitioner: Village of Riverside Proposed Text Amendments: Various changes to the Village’s accessory structure regulations. Affected sections include, but may not be limited to, Section 10-7-3 (Accessory Structures and Uses) of the Riverside Zoning Ordinance. Among the potential changes being considered are changes relative to the provisions regarding uses within accessory structures, allowing plumbing fixtures in accessory structures, and changes to the existing regulations and formula regarding the maximum size of individual accessory structures and the maximum percentage of lot coverage of accessory structures.

The above application and proposed text amendments are available for inspection at the office of the Village Clerk, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546. The proposed text amendments may be added to or otherwise revised as a result of the public hearing. During the Public Hearing the Planning and Zoning Commission will hear testimony from and consider any evidence presented by persons interested to speak on these matters. Persons wishing to appear at this hearing may do so in person or by attorney or other representative and may speak for or against the proposed text amendments. Communications in writing in relation thereto may be filed at such hearing or with the Planning & Zoning Commission in advance by submission to the Village’s Community Development Department at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546 prior to 4:00 p.m. the day of the public hearing.

The Public Hearing may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Dated this 2nd day of July, 2021.

Jill Mateo, Chairperson Planning & Zoning Commission Published in The Landmark July 7, 2021

LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park (“Village”) will receive proposals from qualified contractors to perform the collection of Municipal Trash, Recycling, Food Scrap/Yard Waste, Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics and other collection services pursuant to the Request for Proposals.

Proposals will be accepted at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 5, 2021 for the following: Village of Oak Park Municipal Trash, Recycling, Food Scrap/Yard Waste Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Collection Proposal Number: 21-110 Specifications and proposal forms may be obtained at http://www.oakpark.us/bid or at the Public Works Center at the address listed above or by calling 708-358-5700.

There will be a mandatory Pre-Proposal meeting held virtually on July 20, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. To attend the Pre-Proposal meeting or for questions on the Request for Proposals contact Cameron Hendricks, Environmental Services Manager, at 708-358-5700 or by email to chendricks@oak-park. us. Attendance will be limited to two people per contractor.

The Village Board of Trustees reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals or to waive technicalities, or to accept any item of any proposal. There will be no formal ‘Proposal opening’ for the contract.

Electronic signatures will be accepted on all documents.

Upon a formal award to the successful proposer, a written agreement will be executed for the Services and will be required to post performance security and to provide a certificate of insurance as set forth in the Request for Proposals.

Published in Wednesday Journal July 7, 2021

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK COMMUNITY DESIGN COMMISSION HEARING DATE: July 28, 2021 TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits CALENDAR NUMBER: 02-21-DRC APPLICANT: Lissa Dysart ADDRESS: 812 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL REQUEST: The Applicant, Sugar Beet Co-op, is seeking a variation from Section 7-7-15 (C) (1) of the Village of Oak Park Sign Code, which requires that permanent window signs affixed to or painted on the inside of a window shall occupy no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the surface of each window area, in order to affix new window graphics that would cover between approximately 26% to 94% of the surface of multiple window areas at the premises commonly known as 812 Madison Street.

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The Commission will conduct the public hearing remotely with live audio available and optional video. The meeting will be streamed live and archived online for on-demand viewing at www.oak-park.us/commissiontv as well as cablecast on VOP-TV, which is available to Comcast subscribers on channel 6 and ATT U-Verse subscribers on channel 99. The remote public hearing is authorized pursuant to Section 7(e) of the Open Meetings Act. The Village President has determined that an in-person public hearing is not practical or prudent due to the COVID-19 outbreak during Governor JB Pritzker’s current disaster proclamation. It is also not feasible to have a person present at the public hearing due to public safety concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may provide written evidence, testimony and public comment on the application by email to Zoning@oak-park. us or by drop off in the Oak Park Payment Drop Box across from the entrance to Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, to be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on July 28, 2021. An individual’s name and their testimony or comment will be read aloud into the record at the public hearing if received no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the public hearing. Interested persons may also participate in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses, present evidence, testimony or public comment by emailing Zoning @oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing to sign up. Individuals who sign up to participate in this manner will receive an email from Village staff with information about how to join the meeting online through Zoom web-conference means or by phone.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the Commission to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

Published in Wednesday Journal July 7, 2021

LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids at the Public Works Service Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, until 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 22nd, 2021 for the following BID 21-132 VILLAGE OF OAK PARK UNITERRUPTED POWER SUPPLY FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL CABINETS PROJECT REQUEST FOR BIDS Bid forms may be obtained from the Public Works Customer Service Center by calling 708-3585700 or by stopping by the office located at 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Information is also available from the Streets Superintendent, Scott Brinkman, sbrinkman@oak-park. us or on the Village’s website: https://www.oak-park.us/yourgovernment/budget-purchasing/ requests-proposals. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue proposal documents and specifications only to those vendors deemed qualified. No proposal documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of proposal opening. For more information call the Public Works Service Center at 708.358.5700.

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21007190 on June 14, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of GEEK WRANGLER with the business located at: 3130 KENILWORTH AVENUE, BERWYN, IL 60402, PO BOX 510 OAK PARK, IL 60303. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: DAVID SCHAEFER 3130 KENILWORTH AVENUE, BERWYN, IL 60402, USA.

LEGAL NOTICE VILLAGE OF STICKNEY 6533 Pershing Road Stickney, Illinois 60402

Published in Wednesday Journal June 23, 30 and July 7, 2021

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: Y21007299 on July 1, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of JOYFUL NOISE MUSIC STUDIO with the business located at: 256 WASHINGTON BLVD #2, OAK PARK, IL 60302, 411 PARK AVE #3, RIVER FOREST, IL 60305. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: OLIVIA MULLINS 256 WASHINGTON BLVD #2, OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal July 7, 14, and 21, 2021

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Published in Wednesday Journal July 7, 2021

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.

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

Wednesday Journal • Landmark • Forest Park Review

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Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice in • Austin Weekly News • Wednesday Journal • Forest Park Review • Riverside/Brookfield Landmark

Call the Experts Before You Place Your Legal Ad! Call Mary Ellen for details: 773/626-6332

The President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Stickney will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at 6:45 p.m. at the Village of Stickney, 6533 Pershing Road, Stickney, Illinois 60402 for the purpose of presenting the proposed Annual Budget and Appropriation Ordinance for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2021 and ending April 30, 2022. You are hereby invited to attend the public hearing and you will be given an opportunity to be heard in respect to any matters pertaining to the proposed Appropriation Ordinance. All persons attending the hearing will be required to wear face masks and 6 feet social distancing requirements will be strictly enforced. A copy of the proposed Annual Budget and Appropriation Ordinance is available for inspection at the Village of Stickney and has been available for inspection at least ten (10) days prior to consideration for passage.

A copy of the tentative Annual Budget and Appropriation Ordinance is available for public inspection at the Finance Department at Village Hall, 6533 Pershing Road, Stickney, Illinois during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In the event of questions, please contact David Gonzalez, Treasurer for the Village of Stickney at (708) 749-4400.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Governor of the State of Illinois’ declaration of an emergency, the below described public hearing will be conducted in person and via Zoom in compliance with P.A. 101-0640. All persons attending the hearing in-person will be required to wear a face mask at all times while in the building and will further be subject to strict social distancing (6 feet separation). Electronic attendance via Zoom is strongly encouraged. The information for the Zoom hearing is as follows: Website: Zoom.us Meeting ID: 312 915 7558 Password: 768782 PUBLIC COMMENT: Persons not attending the hearing in person may submit “Public Comment” to the Village Clerk no later than one (1) hour before the scheduled start of the hearing. Please send public comments to the Village Clerk at villageclerk@villageofstickney.com.

Audrey McAdams Village Clerk Date of Publication: July 7, 2021 Published in RB Landmark July 7, 2021

Find Help Wanted & Marketplace listings on the next page!

Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

CLASSIFIED

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PUBLIC NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD

Notice is hereby given by the Board of Education of Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, Cook County, Illinois, that a safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services plan for said school district for the 2021-2022 school year, will be on file and conveniently available at the school district’s administrative offices at Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, 160 Ridgewood Road, Riverside, Illinois, from and after 8:00 a.m. on July 9, 2021.

Notice is hereby given that a public hearing on said safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services plan will be held at 7:00 p.m. on August 10, 2021, at Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, 160 Ridgewood Road, Riverside, Illinois.

Published in RB Landmark July 7, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD Notice of Public Hearing Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission July 22, 2021, at 7:00 PM NOTICE is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Brookfield on Thursday, July 22, 2021, at 7:00 PM in the Edward Barcal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois to consider an application for a variation from the Village Municipal Ordinance for property located at 3700 Grand Boulevard (PIN 15344200010000).

The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/or written comments. Please check the following webpage one week before the meeting for more information: https://brookfieldil.gov/ audio-files/ The variance application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours. Written comments may be provided prior to 4:00 PM on the day of the meeting to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Kendra Kuehlem, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513 and at kkuehlem@brookfieldil.gov.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in any meeting may contact the Village of Brookfield at (708) 4857344 prior to the meeting. Wheelchair access is available through the front (south) entrance of Village Hall.

Public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. By the Order of Chuck Grund, Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman.

Published in RB Landmark July 7, 2021

17

Notice of Public Hearing Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission July 22, 2021, at 7:00 PM NOTICE is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Brookfield on Thursday, July 22, 2021, at 7:00 PM in the Edward Barcal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois to consider a zoning text amendment to Sec. 62-219 Parking Credits and Reductions.

The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/or written comments. Please check the following webpage one week before the meeting for more information: https://brookfieldil.gov/ audio-files/ The variance application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours. Written comments may be provided prior to 4:00 PM on the day of the meeting to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Kendra Kuehlem, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513 and at kkuehlem@brookfieldil.gov.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in any meeting may contact the Village of Brookfield at (708) 4857344 prior to the meeting. Wheelchair access is available through the front (south) entrance of Village Hall.

Public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. By the Order of Chuck Grund, Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman.

Published in RB Landmark July 7, 2021

HELP WANTED River Forest Public Schools District 90

District 90 is seeking qualified and experienced applicants for the following positions:

• English Language Learners Teacher (Full-time at Roosevelt Middle School and Parttime FTE 0.50 at Lincoln Elementary School) • Social Worker (Roosevelt Middle School) • Speech and Language Pathologist (Roosevelt Middle School) • Physical Education Teachers, ( Full-time at Roosevelt Middle School and Part-time FTE 0.77 at Willard Elementary School) • STEM Teacher, Grades 6-8 (Roosevelt Middle School) • Instructional Specialist (Roosevelt Middle School) • Kindergarten Teacher Part-time FTE 0.50 (Willard Elementary School)

For detailed qualifications requirements and job duties, please visit our website at https://www.district90.org/about/ employment for our complete list of employment opportunities.

General Qualifications: Valid Illinois Professional Education License with endorsement in field of study, a Master’s Degree is preferred and successful teaching experience with students in a classroom setting is preferred.

General Duties: Provide excellence in education by developing and implementing activities that encourage students to be life-long learners. Possesses knowledge of District policies and regulations relating to areas of responsibilities. Create an environment that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the developmental maturity and interests of each student.

Application: Apply online at www.district90.org. Application Procedure: Interested candidates should complete the online application available at district90.org. Please do not send hard copies of supporting documentation, i.e. cover letters, resumes, licensure, etc. to River Forest Schools District 90; instead, upload these materials onto the online job application system for proper processing.

BAND SAW WELDER TECH, GENL LABORER OPENINGS Local sharpening service has two openings: Band Saw Welder Technician and General Laborer position. Apply at 1233 Circle Ave. Forest Park, IL 708-209-1636 GRANTS SUPERVISOR The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Grants Supervisor in the Development Customer Services Department.

This position will perform a variety of responsible for developing. Administering and coordinating activities related to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and other grant-funded programs for the Village. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oakpark.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than July 16, 2021.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT SANITARIAN The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Sanitarian in the Health Department. This position will perform a variety of duties including education and enforcement activities for the promotion and protection of the public health environment. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than Until position filled.

POLICE RECORDS CLERK The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Police Records Clerk in the Police Department. This position will perform a wide variety of specialized clerical duties in support of the Police Department including processing and maintaining documents, correspondence and coding reports; and to provide information and assistance to the public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than July 16, 2021.

OFFICE COORDINATOR The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Office Coordinator in Information Technology. This position will perform a variety of responsible and complex administrative duties for the IT Department; provide information and assistance to Village staff regarding requests for service; and provide administrative support to the IT Director and the IT staff. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than July 16, 2021.

PART-TIME ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER Must have own transportation.

For more information CALL 708-738-3848

CAREGIVER SERVICES WANTED HOME HEALTH ASSISTANCE River Forest family seeking overnight in-home healthcare assistance.

Nursing students, Respiratory Therapists, CNAs, LPNs, RNs, etc. welcome. For more information, contact kpatterson10@gmail.com.

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

Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400 Lost & Found, Items for Sale, and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified. To place your ad, call 708-613-334

18

Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

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SUBURBAN RENTALS

SUBURBAN RENTALS

ROOMS FOR RENT

DOWNTOWN OAK PARK 1BR

Apartment listings updated daily at:

Small 1BR apartment in DTOP. Renovated and freshly painted. Harwood floors. Walking distance to El. No pets. $850/mo, utilities included.

Large Sunny Room with fridge, microwave. Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $125.00. New Mgmt.

312-212-1212

708-657-4226

SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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

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

STUDIOS, 1, 2 & 3 BR Best Selection & Service

OAK PARK & FOREST PARK

708-386-7355

MMpropMgmt.com

COMMERCIAL/RETAIL SPACE FOR RENT

RIVERSIDE 3 FLAT FSBO Three above grade 2BR apts. Unfinished basement w/ laundry & 1/2 BA. 4 car brick garage. Zoned for residential and office, if desired. Well maintained. $529,000

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 708-446-1324

RETAIL SPACE FOR RENT A RETAIL SPACE FOR LEASE IN SHOPPING CENTER! 315-325 S. Harlem Ave. Forest Park, IL. 1,000 sq ft. Good cond. *Recently Updated. Heavy Business/Traffic Area. (Min. Monthly Rent in the area: $17.50 sq ft.)

OUR PRICE-NEGOTIABLE! TEXT, EMAIL or CALL Mr. B.(708)828-6491 If leave a message: Include Your Name, #, and Type of Business.

OFFICE /RETAIL FOR RENT RIVER FOREST–7777 Lake St. * 1116 sq. ft. * 1400 sq. ft. Dental Office RIVER FOREST–7756 Madison St. * 960 sq. ft.

OAK PARK–6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. * 3 & 5 room office suites FOREST PARK–7736 Madison St. *2500 sq. ft. unit Strand & & Browne Strand Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011

OFFICE /RETAIL FOR RENT LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION FOREST PARK HIGHLY VISIBLE OFFICE/STORE AVAILABLE FOR LEASE 1350 SF w/ AC & HIGHLY VISIBLE MADISON STREET EXPOSURE. 7607 Madison Street. Village parking lot next door. Bright, clean office. Great Madison Street exposure! Call Francis 708-3838574.

!

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT THERAPY OFFICE OAK PARK Free wifi; flexible leasing, and offices nicely furnished right down to the Kleenex. Secure building & friendly colleagues, often giving referrals to other office mates. Shared Waiting room, Conference room & option to join Peer Supervision Group. Ideal for new practice or 2nd location.

708-383-0729

S W E N !

H S A FL

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 equalopportunity basis.

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-6699777.

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Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

INC., REALTOR

19

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

320 Circle Ave Forest Park $111,400 Fourth floor unit with balcony facing east. Great building within walking distance to Madison St. shopping and bus transportation. coin-op laundry in building. Covered parking space!

337 Marengo Ave Forest Park $655,000

1039 Troost Ave Forest Park $350,000 Huge three bedroom home in need of rehab.

Three car plus garage!

Enormous 75 foot lot.

Sawa’s Old Warsaw Come Celebrate early from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Restaurant • Lounge • Banquet Rooms

Sawa’s Old Warsaw

Completely remodeled four bedroom three and a half bath home!

August delivery!

RESIDENTIAL — COMMERCIAL — RETAIL — CHURCHES — SCHOOLS

Y A D S ’ E N ENTI ET V A LAll-Star B U F FGame              

AST F K A E R B cookout!

Watch the game on our giant big screen TV Texas Style French Toast Apple wood Bacon Scrambled Eggs Potato Pancakes Kiszka (Polish Sausage) Sliced Ham Pork Sausage Links Apple Crepes Apricot Crepes Blueberry Crepes Cheese Crepes Fresh Fruit Raisin Bread English Muffins

7-11pm

Free Polish dogs Bloody Mary $3 Miller products or Mimosa Budweiser • Coors • Miller only $6 • Miller Lite

All that plus Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Milk or Coffee...

is open!

For only $9 Buff peretperson!

Tuesday-Saturday • 11pm-4pm Lunch ~ Noodles ‘n Ham Dinner BBQ Pork Ribs $15~lunch 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. $9 per person

4 p.m. to 9 p.m. $13 per person

9200 W. Cermak Rd, Broadview 708-343-9040 www.SawasOldWarsaw.com www.SawasOldWarsaw.com

Smorgasbord • Lounge • Banquets • Carry Out • Catering & Delivery 9200 W. Cermak Road • Broadview, IL

SERVING OAK PARK AND RIVER FOREST SINCE 1976

20

Forest Park Review, July 7, 2021

53rd Anniversary!

Forest Park Invitational

Total circulation is over 3,000!

Special Advertising Section

No Glove

Nationals The longest running softball tournament in the nation!

Step up to the plate and be a sponsor of this great section!

Program will be distributed at the tournament and inserted into the Forest Park Review on Wednesday, July 21st.

Publishes: July 21st - Ad Deadline: July 15th

to reserve your space, call

(708) 524-8300