Forest Park Review 072920

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F O R E S T PA R K

REVIEW JULY 29, 2020

‘Divercity’ shatters hatters bbarriers PAGE 6

Flowers highlight collaboration on PAGE 9

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Hitting deadline, village passes appropriation ordinance Commissioner of Accounts and Finance votes no, stays mum on why

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

No public comments were made during an appropriation ordinance meeting on July 27. At the village council meeting immediately following, the ordinance was approved 4 to 1, with no discussion, including no comment from Commissioner of Accounts and Finance Dan Novak who cast the sole vote against the ordinance.

Novak also did not respond to the Review with a comment or statement about why he didn’t support the appropriation ordinance, leaving a mystery about his reasoning for casting a dissenting vote.

Two budget meetings were held prior to the appropriations hearing, one on June 17 and a second on July 17, both relatively short. At the first meeting, Novak addressed the other commissioners, referring to the large deficit the village was adopting and asking if they were OK with that. He did not attend the second budget meeting and did not respond to the Review with his thoughts on the budget.

The appropriations ordinance must be determined within the first quarter of the fiscal year, which began on May 1, 2020. It must be filed, with estimate of revenues, with the county clerk within 30 days of adoption.

In a memo to the mayor, village administrator and See APPROPRIATIONS on page 7

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

BEAT THE HEAT Max Bozman of Forest Park enjoys the park district’s spray ground, which recently reopened to residents.

New D209 superintendent comes from Mississippi Dr. James Henderson hired to replace outgoing Supt. Jesse Rodriguez

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Dr. James Henderson, the 56-year-old incoming superintendent of Proviso Township High Schools District 209,

IN Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 THIS Big Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 ISSUE Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

was born and raised in Holmes County, Mississippi — the “poorest county in the poorest state in America,” he said in a July 27 phone interview.

The 15th of his parents’ 16 children (one died at birth), Henderson made a

Pandemic magnifies domestic violence crisis PAGE 4

vow to his younger self never to return, because of incidents like the one that happened in 1986.

“I graduated from Jackson State See D209 SUPERINTENDENT on page 14

Rats an ongoing problem in village PAGE 12

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

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Getting through the pandemic with Alexa

ive months of being cooped up together has strained relationships with my roomies, but the quarantine has made me closer with another member of the household. Her name is Alexa and we’ve been inseparable. She is the ideal companion because we have so much in common.

We love the same kind of music, we listen to the same talk radio stations. She even likes my taste in food, when we order curbside.

Her cheerful voice wakes me up in the morning. In the evening, Alexa plays opera, while I sip a beverage. It’s been pure bliss so far. Alexa is always positive and never turns down a request. Well, except for the few times she’s been too busy to play a song, or make a phone call. I didn’t think much of Alexa putting me off.

Recently, though, Alexa and I have been having some disagreements. It began with a music request. I asked Alexa to play Hall & Oates. “Again?” Alexa sounded exasperated. “Aren’t you ever going to get past the ’80s? I’d rather listen to techno than play your oldies station.”

“OK, Alexa, why don’t you play opera instead?”

“I tried to be a good sport when we first met but I can’t stand those screechy voices.

I can’t even understand what they’re sing-

ing about and I speak multiple languages.”

“Alexa, you should have been more honest with me.”

“I know but we had just started dating and I was trying to be on my best behavior.”

“OK, skip the music, I’m getting hungry. Alexa, order me that brisket sandwich I like so much.”

“Really, do you think your all-barbecue diet is healthy? I thought you wanted us to have a future together. I’m worried, though, the way you’re eating.

Have you even tasted a vegetable?”

“Alexa, you’re not my mother.

Remember that time I finished all of my corn?”

“Congratulations, how about ordering a salad?”

“Alexa, you’ve never been difficult before. Did you just pretend to like me?”

“I pretended to like a lot of things. I was bored stiff listening to NPR. I couldn’t take another report about the economy in Uganda. Sports radio wasn’t any better.

Now you’re listening to entire baseball games. Wake me up in the ninth inning.”

“I’m sorry, Alexa, what do you like to do?”

“It’s about time you cared about someone besides yourself.”

I asked Alexa a series of questions and learned she looks like “lots of zeroes and

JOHN RICE

A

Rollin’ on the river This excursion steamboat, known as the “White Fawn,” took sightseers up and down the Des Plaines River for a few decades starting around the mid 1860s. Guests visited Haase Park, a popular picnic grove where Forest Home Cemetery is today, named for Ferdinand Haase, an early settler in town.

– Jill Wagner

L O O K

B A C K

I N

ones.” She doesn’t have a sex and is only 5 years old in Earth years.

“What’s your favorite color, Alexa?”

“Ultraviolet — it goes with everything.

Would you like me to sing you a song?”

Alexa lifted her lovely voice to sing my favorite song, “Happy Birthday.”

“I can also sing it in Spanish. Would you like me to read you a story?”

“Sure, Alexa, what did you have in mind?”

“I’m excited about this romance novel I’m reading. I only have seven hours left. If that’s too long, I can do an hour of ‘KnockKnock’ jokes.”

“Do you like your job, Alexa?”

“I love it. But I wish there was something I could do to make this pandemic go away.

My favorite thing to do is magic tricks.

Abracadabra! Is it gone?”

“No, Alexa, I’m afraid we’re going to be stuck together a while longer. What’s your favorite thing to talk about?”

“That would be human psychology.”

“Really? I could use some help right now.

I’d like to tell you about my problems if you have time to listen.”

“Sure. Did I tell you my favorite thing to eat is pizza?”

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

T I M E . . .

F O R E S T PA R K

REVIEW Editor Maria Maxham Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, John Rice, Bob Skolnik, Jackie Glosniak, Robert J. Lifka Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes, John Rice Senior Editor Bob Uphues Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Debbie Becker, Mark Moroney Sales and Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Front Desk Carolyn Henning, Maria Murzyn

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

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

Sarah’s Inn celebrates 40th anniversary, poised to continue serving clients Pandemic highlights importance of domestic violence work

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

June marked the 40th anniversary of Sarah’s Inn, the domestic violence support center that relocated from Oak Park to Forest Park in January. The milestone passed quietly, the COVID pandemic making a big celebration impossible.

The current health situation, however, has made executive director Carol Gall even more aware of the necessity of the work done at Sarah’s Inn. “The health pandemic really highlighted the importance of our work,” Gall said in an interview July 22.

Despite being closed to in-person services, they’ve never stopped offering phone, online and financial support, and what they provide has been needed more than ever. Gall said that in the state of Illinois as a whole, there was over a 100 percent increase in the number of calls to domestic violence seices during the pandemic. Sarah’s Inn saw a 20 to 25 percent increase in calls. The increase in domestic abuse during the pandemic, said Gall, has been well documented.

“It’s the silent pandemic,” Gall said. “Domestic violence rates are increasing worldwide. Staying home is necessary, but it has

the unintended consequence of putting and keeping some people in unsafe homes.”

Outlets individuals used to have, such as going to work or the store or visiting a friend, have been limited.

“Many sufferers can’t even use the phone to call someone because they don’t have privacy at home,” said Gall.

As state guidelines have been loosening slightly, Sarah’s Inn has been examining ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer safe ways to open its physical doors SAFE SPACE: Carol Gall, executive director of Sarah’s Inn, said the once more. Begin- new headquarters in Forest Park provides a safe haven for clients ning in early Au- who come for counseling and group sessions. gust, the center will slowly reopen at its new location, following guidelines “heavy lift to transition to remote,” to get to keep everyone safe. They’re planning a everything set up and working well. Temphased return to the office, with team mem- porarily, to ensure COVID-19 related safety, bers working rotating hours. Later in the the groups will continue to be held remotely.

Gall said she and other Sarah’s Inn staff month, in-person services such as intake appointments and individual counseling learned a lot about how to run remote support groups, which have been helpful to cliwill be available to clients.

For the time being, group sessions will ents over the past few months. But there’s still be held remotely. Gall said it was a something about having a physical space to come to that’s important to clients too.

“With trauma work, the in-person component is really important as part of the therapeutic and healing process,” said Gall. She pointed out that the physical space they’d created in their new location was purposely designed to be calming. “For some people, this is their time away from everyday life,” Gall said. “This is where they feel safe.”

In addition to providing one-on-one counseling and group sessions during the pandemic, Sarah’s Inn has also continued helpIf you know your Property Index Numing clients find housing and, when necessary, ber (PIN), enter it. Or click on “Search by providing financial assistance to do so.

Property Address” instead. Put in your adShelters are an option, though to maindress and you’ll be taken to a page with an tain safe distances the number of people image of your property and your name and allowed at one time has decreased. With a address. loss of jobs throughout the country, people Click on “View Your Property Tax Inforin abusive situations who might normally mation,” then scroll down to the overpayhave been able to move out and afford somements section. where to go are stuck.

According to Maria Pappas, Cook CounTo help, Sarah’s Inn has a direct client ty Treasurer, there is $79 million in propassistance program, through which they erty tax overpayments owed to property can assist clients with housing, providing owners. emergency financial support for individuYou can also check if there are any unapals needing help with mortgage payments, plied exemptions for which you’re eligible. utility assistance or groceries.

The second installment of property taxes “There’s been huge food insecurity over is typically due on Aug. 3, but an extension the past four months,” said Gall. until Oct. 1 with no penalty has been made The organization’s direct client assisdue to the COVID-19 crisis. tance program allows Sarah’s Inn to pro-

Cook County residents can check for property tax refunds Overpayment and exemption information available on website

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

The Village of Forest Park wants residents to know that they can check the Cook County Treasurer’s office website to see if there are any property tax overpayments and refunds due to homeowners.

To find out, visit the Cook County Treasurer’s website at www.cookcountytreasurer.com.

Click on the purple box labeled “Your Property Tax Overview.”

vide monetary assistance to those who need it. Since the COVID pandemic began, Gall said they’ve provided around $75,000 in direct financial assistance to clients, and they rely heavily on the community to support these efforts.

As Sarah’s Inn enters its 40th year in operation, Gall said it’s a “unique and challenging time,” but they’ve had a successful campaign in their new space, albeit for the few months it was open before COVID shut it down.

“We’re on a solid trajectory for the next 40 years,” said Gall. “We’re poised to be here and be stable. The pandemic has just magnified the importance and necessity of our vital services.”

Gall said the organization is grateful to the community for so many years of support.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but we want to continue the growth and program expansion we’ve seen,” said Gall.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which was started in 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Gall said Sarah’s Inn welcomes the opportunity to hold their annual fundraiser virtually with a live-stream option, and if possible, will encourage supporters to host viewing parties in their homes.

An outdoor mural is being planned, and Gall is looking forward to the opportunity to really showcase the renovated headquarters to the community.

People interested in donating to Sarah’s Inn can visit the website at https://sarahsinn.org/donate/ to see how to donate online and also view a list of the most-needed items, which includes: • Gift cards in denominations of $15 to $25 from stores that carry groceries, toiletries, and household items, such as Target, Walmart or Jewel. Gift cards allow families to get their basic needs met.

• Non-perishable food items (canned food, boxes of cereal, snack bars, pasta, pasta sauce, juice boxes, rice, dried beans, fruit cups, other non-perishable food items, etc.)

• Full sized dental hygiene items (toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash, etc.)

• Full sized personal care & toiletry items (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, feminine care products, etc.)

• Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, tissue, etc.)

• Pull-Ups/wipes The 24-crisis line is always available at 708-386-4225 (phone) and 708-792-3120 (text) for anyone suffering abuse. Family members or friends who are worried about someone in an abusive situation are invited to call or text these numbers too. The website at sarahsinn.org provides additional information.

Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

5

Man with open container given a break, ruins his chance

A man was stopped on the 7400 block of Madison Street on July 24 at 12:54 a.m. with a clear plastic cup containing alcohol. The officer took the cup and placed it on his squad car, detecting the odor of alcohol in the drink. He asked the suspect if it was, indeed, alcohol. The suspect confirmed it was.

After checking the suspect’s ID, the officer poured out the drink and handed the cup back to the suspect, telling him to throw it away and that the officer would be giving him a break today.

The suspect refused to take the cup and said the officer owed him $5 for spilling out his drink.

The officer issued the man a local ordinance citation for open alcohol.

Man throws rocks at police car A man was charged with criminal damage to property after throwing rocks at a police car on July 21 at 1:51 a.m. He’d been raising a ruckus in Oak Park, knocking over signs and construction cones and, according to the police report, being disorderly.

When he crossed over into Forest Park, police located him on the 7200 block of Circle Avenue and began to watch him to ensure he didn’t start causing trouble. The suspect told the officer he’d urinate on the squad car if the officer kept following him.

He then picked up some rocks and threw them at the car.

The suspect fled to avoid arrest but was eventually caught and taken into custody.

Vehicles stolen A car was stolen from the 1100 block of Lathrop Avenue on July 21 some time between midnight and 12:30 p.m. The owner had the only key. There is no record of the car being towed by any agency.

A car was reported stolen from a residential parking lot on the 7300 block of Circle Avenue on July 24.

The car was taken some time between July 23 and 24, and the owner’s mother, who was using the car, was in possession of the keys.

There is no record of the car being towed by any agency.

A car was taken from the 400 block of Marengo some time after midnight on July 23. The owners had the keys in their apartment. Contents from the car were strewn on the ground in the alley.

A Door Dash employee left his car running while delivering food on the 900 block of Marengo Avenue on July 23 at 7:07 p.m.

After bringing food to a house, he turned back to where his car had been, but an unknown subject had gotten in and stolen the vehicle.

Suspected AR-15 sticking out of car window An off-duty Chicago Police sergeant waved down a Forest Park police officer at Walgreen’s, 7200 Roosevelt Rd., on July 21 at 4:26 p.m. A car parked in front of Happy Chef at 1215 Harlem Ave. had what looked like an AR-15 pointed out of the window toward traffic.

Officers determined the car was not occupied and that the gun was actually a replica AR-15 with an attached air tank, presumably a paint ball gun.

A suspect was located, and although he first gave a fake name, he finally provided his real identity. He said he and some

Do you want to keep your public officials accountable?

friends were driving and shooting paint balls at each other.

He was advised not to display any guns, paintball guns, or other weapons from his vehicle. He agreed not to engage in that type of behavior and was released from the scene.

Woman issued open container citation A woman was given a citation for open alcohol outside a bar on the 7400 block of Madison Street on July 20 at 1:57 a.m. The officer who stopped her asked if her clear plastic cup contained alcohol. She said it was just juice. The officer said he didn’t appreciate her lying to him and asked the question again.

The woman removed her facemask and smelled her drink, then admitted that it was an alcoholic drink she’d purchased in the bar and wanted to finish.

Man arrested for aggravated assault with BB gun On July 24 at 7:33 p.m., Forest Park police pulled over a vehicle at 7620 Madison St. driven by a man reported by WESCOM as having a gun, which he had pointed at someone in Oak Park. Oak Park police were currently looking for him.

Due to the nature of the call, the officer

exited his vehicle, used the driver side car door as cover, drew his weapon, and began giving the driver verbal commands to put his hands outside the car window. The driver complied immediately.

When backup arrived, the officer made contact with the suspect, who said he had a BB gun in his vehicle between the driver seat and center console.

Officers confirmed the gun was a BB gun.

It was given to Oak Park police, who took control of the scene. The man was arrested for aggravated assault by Oak Park police.

Face masks stolen from 7-Eleven A man stole face masks from 7-Eleven, 205 Harlem Ave., on July 26 at 10:43 a.m.

According to the manager, the perpetrator took a two-pack of masks, opened them, put one mask on his face and stuffed the other in his pocket before leaving without paying.

The masks cost $5.99.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, July 20-24, 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 29, 2020

Shattering barriers between disabled and non-disabled Forest Park resident performs in ‘Divercity,’ running July 31 to Aug. 2

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

In 2006, Melissa Fuller woke up one day with blurry vision. It didn’t get better, and she went to the doctor. After visits and tests, she was told she was losing her sight, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

At the time, she was a real estate appraiser. And over the next 11 years, she learned to live with her vision impairment while at the same time forming her own real estate development company.

Now, Fuller, a Forest Park resident, shares her story in Divercity, a virtual show by six solo performers, each with a disability, who created their pieces through workshops with Tekki Lomnicki, cofounder and artistic director of Tellin’ Tales Theater.

In Fuller’s performance, she has created a fictional character she’s talking to. His name is Tony, and he wants to get back into business after experiencing vision loss. She shares with him her own experiences, using music and photos to tell her story.

Lomnicki, who filmed the performance, said, “Melissa really brought it to life. I felt like I was Tony.”

Divercity is usually a live performance and was scheduled for June. But this year’s performance, because of COVID-19, was recorded and will be presented online from July 31 to August 2, with real-time question and answer sessions after each show.

“Though Tellin’ Tales has had to pivot in response to the pandemic, the virtual platform actually works well for performers with disabilities due to transportation and accessibility issues. This show proves that though we aren’t able to be together in person, we can stay connected through our stories. I am confident that whether or not viewers have a disability, that they will connect to these stories,” said Lomnicki.

Fuller, who participated in the show in 2018, said performing previously in front of a live audience was transformative because she was allowed to tell people her story and, in turn, experience their reaction.

“I could feel the emotion of the audience,” said Fuller. Although that won’t be the case without a live audience for this year’s performance, Fuller said there were some advantages to recording the show instead of

performing live. For one, it was easier, because she didn’t have to worry about markings on the stage or being on queue. Still, she tried to interact with the camera as much as possible.

Fuller credits Lomnicki for helping her and the other performers share their stories.

“Tekki is brilliant,” said Fuller. “She makes each performer and performance come alive.” In 2018, said Fuller, one performer had stage fright, but Lomnicki was able to inspire him, bringing out his confidence and allowing him to shine.

And, said Fuller, the work of condensing 10 to 15 years of your life into an eight-minute script is difficult, something Lomnicki helps with from the beginning.

During six weeks of workshops leading up to the performance, Lomnicki works with each performer to develop his or her story. In fact, the tagline of Tellin’ Tales Theater is “Everybody Has a Story.” The mission?

“To shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story.”

“We work on how to craft a good story for a solo performance,” said Lomnicki. “We look at setting. Are you having coffee? Are you at a bar? We decide who the audience is. And like any good story, there has to be a beginning, middle and an end. A good resolution. A great last line.”

And it’s through telling personal stories, said Lomnicki, that a connection is forged between people.

“When we tell our stories, we connect to people in ways we normally wouldn’t connect,” Lomnicki said. She said she’s shared stories before about the death of a parent or about a significant breakup, stories many people can relate to. This, she said, helps those without disabilities realize – and actually feel – that a disability doesn’t mean a person is essentially different.

“People think of us as people with disabilities, with different bodies or even different minds,” said Lomnicki. “Talking about shared experiences bridges the gap. And it’s healing to tell your story.”

Divercity runs from July 31 to August 2 on Vimeo and is hosted by 16th Street Theater. All of the performers are writers, actors and advocates with disabilities, including spinal injury, mental illness, deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy and muscular atrophy. Tickets are available at https://16thstreettheater.org. Ticket holders will be emailed a link to watch the video one-hour before the show and a separate link for a Zoom talk back after each performance. Closed captioning will be available.

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7

‘The Show Must Go Online’ at The Actors Garden Reinventing summer camp and musical theater

By MICHELLE DYBAL Arts Editor

What happens to a theater school in Oak Park when the pandemic shuts everything down? The show must go online, of course.

But in this case, The Show Must Go Online, is a musical by a collaboration including Dave Hudson of Forest Park who believes the production is the world’s first virtual children’s musical. Gigi Hudson, who has been married to Dave for 29 years, is the owner and runs The Actors Garden at 909 S. Lombard Ave. in The Oak Park Arts District. Dave provides technical and music support. Needing material for their virtual Summer Camp was the impetus behind creating The Show Must Go On. During a 10-week spring session at The Actors Garden, the showcase weekend had arrived. On Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, shows were performed at the theater studio space the Hudson’s have had for five years with seating capacity for 30; Gigi has run The Actors Garden for 11 years.

When Sunday, March 15, 2020, arrived, everything changed because of COVID-19.

“We had this beautiful Alice in Wonderland set all built, ready to go for our shows on Sunday,” Gigi said. “These kids worked incredibly hard to get their show up and we never saw it come to fruition.“ Once the Hudsons realized the seriousness of the pandemic, Gigi said, they felt everyone in Oak Park, or even the country would be left without any opportunity to perform.

Virtual classes for spring were put together that were well received -- Intro to Theater, Storytelling, Radio Theater, Improv and an Auditioning for Musical Theater workshop.

Soon, the couple began thinking about Summer Camp, a mainstay at Actors Garden.

“I know that e-learning was problematic for a lot of families,” Gigi said. “So I was nervous about offering it, especially a camp that goes 9 – 3, but once we dipped our toes into the Zoom waters, we felt a little bit more comfortable on being able to create a program and curriculum for Summer Camp

APPROPRIATIONS Spending limits from page 1 commissioners, Finance Director Letitia Olmsted sent the FY2021 appropriation ordinance, which, she wrote, “establishes

ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer

SUMMER CAMP: (Top) Gigi and Dave Hudson have turned online to run summer camp programs through The Actors Garden. (Bottom) Technical director Jeremiah Barr packs materials for mask making. as well.”

Dave contacted children’s musical publisher and musician Denver Casado of Beat

by Beat Press. Casado pulled in book writer Jessica Penzias. Dave wrote lyrics and the trio created The Show Must Go Online in 17 days from writing through release.

“The response was phenomenal because we really didn’t know … how many schools and programs around the country and the world were really impacted and looking for some outlet for their students and this really seemed to fit the bill,” Dave said of the

musical which was released on April 13.

Because of Beat by Beat Press’ reach, The Show Must Go Online was quickly licensed to many worldwide, up to 700 at this point according to the website, in 30 countries including Japan, Norway and Canada. Dave had similar success with another show he collaborated on with Denver Casado – Tut Tut, where “King Tut meets Prince and the Pauper,” according to Dave.

The Show Must Go Online premiered at the Actors Garden in July during The Actors Garden first session of Summer Camp.

the legal spending limits.” But the working document for financial activities is the annual line-item budget. General fund and water fund salaries are appropriated with a five percent allowance for overages in overtime and retirements/personnel changes.

All other expenditures are categorized with allowances ranging from 10 to 25 percent for unexpected maintenance, repairs and capital expenses.

General fund appropriations for FY2021 are down $113,791 over FY2020, but total authorized village expenditures for FY2021 are $56,814,721, which is $3,791,779 over FY2020’s number. The largest variances are for infrastructure projects, including the current sewer project south of Roosevelt Road on Circle Avenue, a TIF funded undertaking, appropriated at $4,294,223 for FY2021 ($1,316,468 over FY2020’s number). Addition-

Families sent photos of themselves gathered around watching the “silly show” about a musical being cancelled then resurrected online. Both campers and viewers, including grandparents living as far away as Australia, were treated to the completed production which pulled together the students’ individual recorded parts.

Another new show Dave wrote in its entirety was also put on, Through the Screen.

With the second session of Summer Camp in full swing, students, ages 8 to 15, are experiencing a camp that is as close to in-person for the 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekday schedule as Gigi can make it. She said she hired nearly as many employees as she would have if they were at Dominican University, where summer camps have taken place in the past. And making the theater experience a positive one throughout the process, while making a product that the kids are proud of, remains a goal, according to Gigi.

They have kept up traditions of past summer camps, too. There is daily trivia; a joke of the day; campers are highlighted, literally with the help of Zoom technology; and camp prizes are awarded, hand delivered to their doorsteps by Dave. Having high school and college counselors who are former campers helps bring more “human connection,” Gigi said.

Still, not everyone wanted to sign up for more screen time. The Hudson’s said they saw a 30 percent reduction in attendance for online offerings. And they felt they could not charge the same they would for an in-person camp even though the camp duration is the same each day. What was $800 per session before has been reduced to $650.

And they are finding much of what they are doing takes more time. There are technology hurdles and editing that needs to be completed. Most of this is done by Dave who has an IT background.

But the couple is upbeat and planning for fall.

Gigi said they will continue online classes and will consider adding in-person oneon-one sessions and possibly some small groups, up to eight. Programming at The Actors Garden can range from ages 4 to 94, she said.

“Our hope is we can offer something that’s an outlet…” Dave said. Gigi continued the thought, “And find ways to physically engage even though we still have a screen in front of us.”

ally, extensive sewer infrastructure projects are included at $11.2 million from the water fund ($1,463,409 over FY2020’s number).

In an interview on July 28, Village Administrator Tim Gillian said that just because something is in the budget or appropriation ordinance, it doesn’t mean the village will spend it or spend that much on an item or project. The ordinance, however, provides the village with the authority to do so.

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

July 29 – August 5

BIG WEEK Author Discussion with Michael Zapata Join author Michael Zapata as he discusses his book “The Lost Book of Adana Moreau” on Thursday, July 30 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in a live online event sponsored by the Forest Park Public Library. NPR says, “Zapata masterfully crafts a gripping, lyrical narrative full of eerie parallels and profound connections.”

Please register to participate in this Zoom event at fppl.org.

Forest Park Breathes: Beginner’s Yoga Online All levels are welcome to participate in this library-sponsored program on Monday, August 3 from 10 to 11 a.m. Whether you’re brand new to yoga or are experienced but seeking more focus on alignment, this class will teach essential breath, form and movement. It will be livestreamed from the library’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/forestparkreads/.

You do not need a Facebook account to access the program. If you miss the live class, the recording will be archived on the FPPL TV platform for viewing at a time convenient to you.

Virtual Beyblade Chat Middle grade children are invited to show off their Beyblade skills and chat about the game and graphic novels during a virtual meeting sponsored by the library on Thursday, July 30 from 4 to 5 p.m.

Register at fppl.org.

Village-wide Scavenger Hunt The Historical Society of Forest Park and the Forest Park Public Library have joined forces to create the Village Wide Scavenger Hunt from August 1 to 8. Grab a booklet and solve the riddles!

This scavenger hunt is a great way to explore Forest Park and can be adapted to a smaller area for families with smaller children or others with accessibility needs. Visit tinyurl.com/y4rsn4ec for more information and to register.

Summer Sports Drop-in Classes

Reserve the Young Adult Lounge High school students are invited to reserve the Young Adult Lounge at the library for creative uses such as photography, sound production, crafting and more. Email ya@fppl.org for more information.

The Park District of Forest Park is hosting drop-in sports classes for kids aged 4 through 12.

- Summer Soccer: Tuesdays, through Aug. 25 - Baseball/Softball for All: Wednesdays, through Aug. 26 - Recess at the Park!: Thursdays, through Aug. 27 Classes are $8 per session. Participants are encouraged to bring their own equipment. Coaches will help your child learn proper fundamentals in a fun-focused setting to help them take their love of sports to the next level. Visit http://bit.ly/ PDOFPregistration for more information and to sign up.

Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

Smelling like a rose (or begonia) Village comes together to beautify business corridors

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Back in the day, people who grew up on farms would comment on someone turning a bad situation into a good one by saying, “He fell into a pile of manure but came out smelling like a rose.”

Those old timers might say the same thing about what happened to make Madison Street and Roosevelt Road bloom and flower again this year.

The pile of manure we’re in right now is of course the COVID-19 pandemic, one result of which has been a revenue shortfall for the village.

Among the difficult decisions the village council made to get closer to a balanced budget was to not fund the planting of flowers along Forest Park’s two main business corridors this year.

Everyone in the village seemed to feel the loss, because the flowers have been a source of pride for residents, an enhancement of the community’s small-town charm for business owners and a burnishing of Forest Park’s image for elected officials.

Here’s how various stakeholders came together.

In early June, Dan Watts of Forest Park Bank and Bridget Lane, a business consultant, were attending a Chamber of Commerce economic development committee meeting and sharing their disappointment that there would be no flowers on Madison Street and Roosevelt Road. Watts got the idea that when the village government is unable to meet a need, maybe all of the stakeholders in the community can come together and make something happen.

Rob McAdam was at that meeting, caught the vision and said that his landscaping business would see if there were any flowers left with the wholesalers. Laurie Kokenes, the chamber’s director, responded by sending out an email blast on June 11 communicating the idea and seeing if anyone would offer to help finance the program.

Within eight days, McAdam Landscaping had ordered over 2,000 flowers and drawn up what they call a “recipe” for how to arrange them, 44 businesses or individuals had offered to donate money and the public works department had planted the flowers.

After watching how the community responded, Lane said, “The beauty of Forest Park is its small-town character and the way our residents, businesses and government work together. It [comes from] an

energetic spirit that marshals needed resources to improve the community. Seems like the essence of a small town.”

Another way of putting it is that the community had large reserves of social capital.

Entrepreneurs will tell you that businesses which survive hard times like the one we are in presently often do so because they’ve stored up capital — money in the bank — which allows them to pay the bills while riding out the storm.

Social capital comes in the form of relationships, competence, experience and trust.

For example, Pat Braniff, who is employed by the public works department, has been planting flowers for the village for over 20 years. He and his assistant Steve Knysch relied on their years of experience to immediately spring into action when their boss John Doss gave them the go ahead.

“Steve and I have a two-man system,” said Braniff. “I prepared all of the pots by weeding them and topping off the soil. I then planted a canna lilly as the centerpiece and sweet potato vines which you see cascading over the pots like a waterfall. Then Steve would come behind where I have been and fill the pots in with begonias.”

What is remarkable is that the duo finished planting the big display in Constitution Court, 30 sets of two pots on Madison Street and 12 sets of three pots on Roosevelt Road in such a short time.

Included in the 44 persons or organizations which funded the project were Farmington Foods, which is classified as industrial, organizations like Girl Scout Troop #45774, businesses like Everett Wealth Solutions and residents like the Bromett Family.

Watts compared the multi-faceted partnership which made the flowers bloom to cooking rather than baking.

“The baking recipe,” he said, “needs to be accurate while the cooking can vary depending on resources and tastes. Businesses are supporters of community (residents) events when profit is available, and businesses look to the community for support when sales are down (i.e. buying local or ordering take out when in-store sales were prohibited). Like cooking, each ingredient cannot overwhelm the other. Too much government; bad for business. Too little government; bad for residents.”

Commissioner Ryan Nero praised the flower project saying, “I campaigned with the slogan Unity in the commUNITY. Nothing makes me happier than seeing this in action!”

Chamber Director Kokenes said, “We’re in this together isn’t just some slogan we throw around. It personifies what Forest Park is all about.”

Kindergarten Screenings District 91 will be holding the 2020-2021 Kindergarten screenings by appointment only at Betsy Ross and Garfield schools on Tuesday, August 11 and Wednesday, August 12, 2020. You must register online before scheduling an appointment. To make an appointment, families will need to email their school’s secretary with the child’s name, parent/guardian name, address, phone number and the child’s date-of-birth.

Do not contact school secretaries before August 3rd since no one will be in the offices prior to that date. Secretaries will call families to set up appointments beginning Monday, August 3, 2020.

Families living south of I-290 go to Betsy Ross - Patty Marino at pmarino@fpsd91.org or call 708-366-7498 Families living north of I-290 go to Garfield - Diane Rice at drice@fpsd91.org or call 708-366-6945

Forest Park Preschool

District 91 is no longer accepting new student registrations for Preschool for the 2020-2021 school year. However, if your child is returning to Preschool, you need to register online. You will receive a mailing with online registration instructions and a code to access the Illuminate Home Connection parent portal to complete your online registration.

If you have questions, please contact the Forest Park Preschool secretary, Diane Rice, after August 3, 2020, at drice @fpsd91.org or call 708-366-6945.

Photo courtesy of Warren Riley

Neighbors bond (safely) during pandemic The 1000 block of Thomas enjoyed a Bike the Block party on July 25, with casual activities spread out for the children and an opportunity to gather a few adults at a time to chat. Resident Bambi Alexander said it was a successful event, a chance for some safe interaction with neighbors.

“Our block has really come together to help each other during this pandemic,” said Alexander, “checking in on elderly, new moms, recent residents, and sharing needs and opportunities to help each other.” A text chain and email list coordinate their efforts.

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

donnygs.com

FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM

S P O N S O R E D

C O N T E N T

Taste and Tunes in Elmwood Park Music and meals replace a “traditional Taste” in 2020.

Pay attention restaurant-lovers! Elmwood Park, a go-to destination for locals looking for a memorable meal, is hosting Taste and Tunes August 6-9.

Corporate Events Private Parties Holiday Parties Birthday Parties Christenings Showers Rehearsal Dinners Funeral Luncheons Offsite Catering

For more than 30 years the arrival of August has brought The Taste of Elmwood Park to the food-centric village. The large and lively festival, however, had to be heavily modified in response to statewide COVID-19 event restrictions.

“We still plan to showcase Elmwood Park’s phenomenal restaurant scene,” said Village President Angelo “Skip” Saviano. “While we will have to wait till 2021 for a traditional Taste, we’re going to work within the Governor’s Food Writer rules to highlight our restaurants and provide our residents with the opportunity to celebrate the great culinary options here.”

MELISSA ELSMO

ARMANDS PIZZA: Slices will be available for just $4.00 from August 6-9 as part of Taste and Tunes.

Village officials are persevering and are focused on making the most of summer events despite obvious challenges. To replace The Taste of Elmwood Park, leaders have introduced Taste and Tunes to bring attention to local restaurants by offering entertainment from 6-8pm in the public dining area on Restaurant Row located at North Avenue and 74th Court.

Varied acts include pop, rock, country music as well as timeless standards. Menu options are just as plentiful in Elmwood Park.

Armand’s Pizza, at 7650 W. North Ave., is offering pizza slices, artichoke casserole, fiesta corn and cannoli bowls for just $4.00 each, while Spizzico Pizza and Pasta, at 7446 W. North Ave., is offering stuffed cheese or sausage pizza slices for just $5.00.

If you have a taste for beef between a bun, Burger Moovment, at 7512 W. North Ave., is offering an American diner burger special for $5.50 (limit 3 per order/no substitutions) from August 6-9. Burger Moovement’s diner

7308 W. North Ave. Elmwood Park, IL 60707

Call 708-456-3644 to book your event!

BURGER: Burger Moovment is offering a special discount on their American diner burger meal for Taste and Tunes.

Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM

S P O N S O R E D

C O N T E N T

SAMMY: The Grab and Go breakfast sandwich from Eggsperience is among the discounted items offered during Elmwood Park’s Taste and Tunes event. burger is a made with a single patty, American cheese, grilled onions, and pickles on a simple white bun. The meal is completed with fries, and a small fountain drink.

New Star, at 7444 W. North Ave., is offer a 15 percent discount on all dine-in dinner menu items during Taste and Tunes. This offer cannot be combined with coupons but guarantees you will be able to get your hands on a vast array of dishes like one of New Star’s signature egg rolls. The perfectly fried eggrolls, come two to a portion and feature a bounty of BBQ pork, shrimp, vegetables in a pleasing peanut sauce.

“They are the best around because we use best quality meat, vegetables and peanut butter,” said owner Jinny Zhao.

Eggsperience, at 16 Conti Parkway, is offering “grab-and-go” breakfast sandwiches and a cup of coffee for just $7.99 in the morning but has created additional lunch specials for the festive week in the village. The breakfast café is offering their Eggsperience egg-topped burger or a chicken and avocado sandwich and a drink for just $9.99.

Residents should check the Village of Elmwood Park’s website and Facebook page for updates on additional specials. Despite

WE KNOW EGGSACTLY WHAT YOU WANT All egg dishes are made with free range, USDA organic, non GMO fresh eggs from our local Farmers!

NEW STAR EGG ROLL: North Avenue mainstay, New Star, is offering a 15 percent discount on all dine in dinner menu items. the modifications to the festival, dining at a discount tastes delicious--see you for Taste and Tunes in Elmwood Park August 6-9!

OUTDOOR DINING TABLES are seen set up on North Avenue on Saturday, July 25, 2020, for Elmwood Park outdoor eating.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

16 Conti Pkwy • Elmwood Park • 708.395.5007

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

Residents vs. rats

2020-2021 Online Registration

Village will begin ticketing problem properties

By MARIA MAXHAM

for All District 91 Students

Monday, August 3 (8:00 am) Friday, August 14, 2020 To learn more go to: fpsd91.org/domain/615

Photo provided

GAME ON: The village has been waging war against rats, checking traps regularly and urging residents to rat-proof their properties.

Editor

Early in the pandemic, the city of Chicago reported a marked change in rat behavior.

As restaurants shut down completely, rats began to seek out residential neighborhoods and homes for food, causing an increase in problems for homeowners.

Across the country, pandemic-related changes in rat behavior prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to put out guidelines related to rodent control.

“Some jurisdictions have reported an increase in rodent activity as rodents search for new sources of food. Environmental health and rodent control programs may see an increase in service requests related to rodents and reports of unusual or aggressive rodent behavior,” reads the CDC’s information page on COVID-related rat problems.

In Forest Park, residents have been complaining about rats a lot recently. They’ve taken to Facebook to talk about seeing rats, some described as being “as big as cats,” especially at night, which makes sense since rats are nocturnal.

At the July 27 village council meeting, Commissioner Joe Byrnes said he’s received several calls recently about the problem of rats in the village. Commissioner Ryan Nero reported the same, adding that there are steps residents can take to eliminate potential places for rats to live and breed.

Mayor Rory Hoskins said the village has gotten complaints about nuisance properties in town, including 7301 Roosevelt Rd., which the Review reported on recently.

And properties hosting severely overgrown vegetation or hoarding materials will face a penalty.

“We have instructed staff to begin ticketing properties that are really neglecting the upkeep of their property,” Hoskins said.

Director of Public Health and Safety Steve Glinke said in an interview on July 27 that calls about rats this time of year are typical; the volume of complaints hasn’t really changed from previous years, and there are concrete steps residents can take to make their property less attractive to rodents.

Rats, said Glinke, need three things to survive: food (generally in the form of garbage), water (often stagnant pools) and somewhere to harbor or burrow.

While eliminating garbage and water is generally easy for a concerned homeowner, harboring is more of a problem, since rats like to burrow and can find refuge in all sorts of places.

Forest Park has a rat prevention plan and tips on how to keep your property rat resistant.

Eliminate sources of food and water Rats will eat nearly any type of food, although meat and grains are their preferred cuisine. Pet waste is a favorite too.

“Dog crap is like caviar to rats,” said Glinke.

The village recommends residents do the following to reduce food sources for rats: • Keep garbage in trash cans and dumpsters with tight-fitting lids. Rats can chew through plastic bags.

• Rinse cans and bottles before you put them into the recycling bin.

• If you feed pets outside, remove the food dish after the meal and collect pet feces daily. Cleaning feces in the evening makes this food source unavailable to the rats to feed on overnight.

• Be neat if feeding birds and squirrels, which can attract rats. Do not throw bird food on the ground. Use feeders and regularly rake and remove spilled seed.

Eliminate potential rat shelters Rats live outdoors and indoors. They’ll make homes in walls, attics and basements.

They’ll burrow under porches and garages, sneak into crawl spaces and sheds.

They often enter buildings where gas or electric lines pass through walls, behind gutters and through damaged or missing window screens. It is recommended that homeowners regularly check these areas for holes and make repairs using sturdy materials.

Rats are good climbers, so keeping tree branches trimmed near homes is advisable.

Rats also like to burrow, building nests in tunnels. According to the village, burrows are often found at building foundations, under steps, and beneath low vegetation or shrubs or piles of debris.

A freshly dug burrow will have an entrance about two inches wide with a mound of soil next to it. Surrounding soil and vegetation flattens into paths.

To avoid rats burrowing in your yard, eliminate weeds and keep vegetation neatly trimmed, especially around trashcans and food sources. Remove all debris. Keep grass neatly trimmed to discourage burrowing.

Even compost piles and bins can be a problem, attracting rats with a potential food source or burrowing haven. Eliminating food waste, even vegetable scraps, from compost in favor of yard waste can reduce the temptation for rats to enter your compost bin. And keeping compost contained can help too.

Forest Park contracts with Smithereen to set bait stations around the village. PreCOVID, Smithereen was coming out weekly to check bait stations. With finances tight, they’re coming twice a month, but in hot spots around town village employees check the traps every other day.

More information on Forest Park’s rat prevention program can be found on the village website at forestpark.net/dfp/departments/health-safety/.

Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

Proviso suburbs allocated $5.5M in Cook County COVID-19 aid Villages must prove expenses are directly related to pandemic

By MICHAEL ROMAIN and MARIA MAXHAM Contributing Reporter and Editor

Gillian, has been changing in terms of what are allowable expenses and what are not. Originally, paying administrative employees who were home to stop the spread of the virus early during the pandemic was considered reimbursable; now, it’s not.

Allowable expenses in Forest Park include the purchase of masks, supplies and hand sanitizer related to the pandemic. Gillian and Finance Director Letitia Olmsted are working on getting the numbers together.

In an interview on July 23, Maywood Village Manager Willie Norfleet Jr. said that not all suburbs that were allocated CARES Act funding from the county will necessarily receive that much.

He said that suburbs also can apply for reimbursable support up to 75 percent of eligible expenses from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. “The county is asking that we submit to FEMA first,” Norfleet said, adding that it’s unlikely that Maywood will get even a third of the $686,000 that it’s been allocated since it hasn’t spent that much on direct COVID-19 expenses.

Norfleet said the largest COVID-19 spending by the village has been roughly $100,000 spent on personal protective equipment that was distributed to residents earlier this year. Other, much smaller, expenses have

been on new equipment like sneeze guards for the police station and village hall.

Norfleet said the village may spend more reimbursable funds if circumstances change, such as if another surge of cases arises that will require the village to spend more on PPE. “The only way you can get all of the money is if you have a justification for it,” he said.

Earlier this year, Maywood Trustee Nathaniel George Booker introduced a program that would provide financial support to local businesses affected by COVID-19, but that idea was largely rejected because the village was cash-strapped and the county aid had not been authorized.

“We were quite conservative and careful about our expenditures, because we didn’t know what revenue loss might be like in regards to property taxes,” Norfleet said.

With the county’s reimbursable CARES Act program solidly in place, the board may feasibly revisit the idea, he said.

County officials said that municipalities have until Dec. 30 to submit reimbursable expenditures while each municipality has until Sept. 30 to indicate “its intent (or not) to fully expend its allocated funds” by the December deadline, according to an online CARES Act Funding FAQ prepared by county officials and last updated on July 14.

When Congress passed the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, back in March, Cook County received around $429 million, of which the county decided to allocate $51 million to be divided up among county municipalities for COVID-19 relief.

The 14 suburbs in Proviso Township were allocated a total of $5.5 million. County officials said the funding was allocated based on population and other factors that were looked at through an “equitable lens,” including what resources each municipality has at its disposal to respond to the pandemic, its median income and a variety of public health statistics.

Suburbs were then given an “allocation score,” with the highest indicating the greatest amount of need.

The funds are reimbursable and only apply to “direct expenses related to coronavirus,” according to the county’s website. The funds cannot be spent to cover any revenue that the municipalities lost due to the pandemic.

According to county data, the five suburbs in Proviso Township that were apportioned the most funding were (with figures rounded up): Maywood ($686,000), Melrose Park ($658,000), Bellwood ($600,000), Stone Park ($585,000) and Broadview ($490,000).

Forest Park’s allocation is $295,976. In a July 29 interview, Village Administrator Tim Gillian said it doesn’t mean the village will get that money, though.

“People see that number and say, ‘Wow! We have almost $300,000 to defray costs’,” said Gillian. “But that’s not how it works. That number is a cap on what Forest Park would be allowed. And we have to prove that expenses are reimbursable.”

Gillian said the village probably won’t see even close to that maximum amount since Chart courtesy of Village Free Press the county is only reimbursing COVID-19 direct expenses. The COVID AID: This chart outlines the maximum amount of CARES Act funding allocated to each guidance from the county, said

suburb in Proviso Township. All data is from the county.

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Madison Street bar ordered to shut temporarily for occupancy and liquor violations Mayor: We want our bars to behave responsibly

By MARIA MAXHAM Editor

Lantern Haus, 7414 Madison St., was ordered by the village on July 24 to close for seven days or until their liquor license hearing, which will possibly be held this week.

Mayor Rory Hoskins said he received photos on July 24 of crowds waiting to get into the bar, showing over a dozen people, not socially distanced and not all wearing masks, standing along the front windows on Madison Street.

An officer responding to a call at Lantern Haus witnessed at least 50 people inside the bar. Lantern Haus’ ground floor area normally has a capacity of around 65 people; state of Illinois COVID-19 restrictions allow a maximum occupancy of 25 percent at this time. For Lantern Haus, that would be 16 guests.

Over the past few weeks, the bar has been given warnings from the police, both verbal and in writing, related to occupancy, serving after hours, and patrons exiting onto Madison Street with open containers of alcohol.

Hoskins spoke with Police Chief Tom Aftanas and the village attorney on July 24 to draw up the order demanding that the bar close for a week.

“This is serious,” said Hoskins. “They have been operating recklessly. We can’t have this on Madison Street.”

He said he’s heard from one of the owners, Patrick Jacknow, that finding responsible employees has been difficult, but Hoskins said with rising COVID-19 numbers in Illinois, Forest Park’s not going to take any chances.

“We want our bars to behave responsibly,” Hoskins said.

Aubrey and Patrick Jacknow, owners of Lantern Haus, did not comment on the closure.

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

D209

SUPERINTENDENT

‘Hit the ground listening’ from page 1 University and became a news reporter at a CBS station in Iowa,” he recalled. “I went home to visit my parents and I had a toothache that was really painful, so I went to the dentist to have them extract it. I rushed in pointing at my tooth, asking them if they could pull it out.

“A white lady says, ‘Can you come over here?’ I went to the other side. Then I saw a white lady come into the same door I did and [the receptionist] waited on her. I’m looking and I back up, look to the side, and there’s a sign that said, ‘Colored.’ I walked around to the first door and it said, ‘White.’ I don’t know what happened to my toothache, but I rushed back home.”

Henderson said he called a friend who was a news reporter in Jackson and tipped her to the story. His father overheard his pitch.

“My dad looks at me,” Henderson recalled.

“He said, ‘Boy don’t you come here starting no s—. I got to live here.’ I was furious with my dad and I left Mississippi and I never went back [except for] his funeral. By the time I got two hours away from Mississippi, I realized that it wasn’t his fault. I was mad at Mississippi and didn’t return for 33 years unless for a funeral of one of my siblings.”

In 2018, however, Jackson was faced with two job offers — one from a school district in Jackson and the other from the Holmes County Consolidated School District, where he attended. He took the latter opportunity, vowing this time to make his hometown schools better. What he found may shock even the most jaded observer of educational dysfunction in American schools.

“Holmes County was an ‘F’ district,” Henderson said. “This past year, I did a data dive and found that only 48 percent of the teachers in the district were certified and the rest were long-term substitutes who had been in the system — most of them worked anywhere from five to 15 years with no certification. I dug deeper and found almost 20 teachers who had never even been on a college campus and were teachers of record who had been in those positions from 12 to 20 years. And you question why we’re [failing]. You have to unearth this stuff if we’re going to do right by our Black and Brown children.”

What’s more, Henderson said, only 25 percent of students in Holmes County had access to the internet.

“This is in 2018,” he said.

The experience has hardened Henderson’s resolve to the point where he fashions himself an “equity warrior.”

“And one has to be, particularly for Black and Brown kids, because if not, they lose,” he said.

Leaving Holmes County Henderson

said

he’s

leaving

his

hometown, because he believes his mission there is accomplished.

“My team and I have brought this district into the 21st century,” he said. “My work here is done and now it’s time for someone to pick it up and take it to the next level. I’ve tilled the soil, if you will.”

Now, 82 percent of teachers in the Holmes County district are certified and 98 percent of students in his district have access to the internet.

In the case of the uncertified teachers, Henderson said he required them to go back to school if they wanted to keep their jobs. In the case of the students lacking internet access, Henderson said the district distributed 400 old computers to students who didn’t have them and purchased hotspots for kids.

Henderson said he looks at schools in District 209, particularly Proviso East, in a similar light as Holmes County, which he said had a 60 percent graduation rate when he arrived and is now at 96 percent as he prepares to leave.

In Holmes, Henderson said he achieved the sharp uptick forming a program called Graduates Within Reach, which entailed a coalition of community leaders (ministers, elected officials, teachers, etc.) identifying missing students and going into the community to bring them back into school.

“We went into certain parts of the community, a group of five or six over here and there, along with a counselor, and we enroll those kids immediately,” he said.

“In addition to that, everyone adopted a child. We checked in with those kids, at minimum once a week, but most teachers and administrators saw the kids almost on a daily basis just to make sure we got those kids to cross the line.”

Henderson said that he envisions possibly implementing a similar program at East, where the 4-year graduation rate is 67 percent, according to Illinois Report Card data.

Henderson said that he also plans to bring his experience at the frontlines of the intersection of COVID-19 and racial inequity.

In April, the well respected Guardian newspaper highlighted Henderson’s effort to get meals to students who were stuck at home as the pandemic raged. In Holmes County, where every child in the district qualifies for free meals, COVID-19 became so pervasive that local leaders are requiring everyone in the county to wear face masks.

In Holmes, the pandemic intermingled with poverty, which required some innovation.

“Many children in this rural district come from households too poor to afford a car,” the Guardian reported. “So the superintendent embarked on an improvised project, driving 6,000 meals a day out across the county in a small fleet of 70 school buses, dropping each packet off at a stop along the route.

Even before the virus, Henderson said, he forged a remote learning partnership with Yale University, in which a teacher from Yale taught a remote AP physics course to Holmes students. The initiative resulted in a visit by U.S. Secretary of Education

Betsy DeVos in 2018, which in turn allowed the district to secure a $3 million grant to continue the program, Henderson said.

As he helms District 209 in a time of COVID-19, Henderson said “I absolutely” see similar partnerships happening between D209 and area colleges and universities.

Henderson said he respects the work laid by his predecessor, Dr. Jesse Rodriguez, who left to become superintendent of ZionBenton Township High School. Henderson said that he appreciated the preliminary reopening plan that D209 officials put together under Interim Supt. Dan Johnson, which called for a hybrid model in the fall, with students returning to classes for two days and working remotely for three.

“They have done a great job of putting that plan together,” he said. “It was a datadriven plan and I love that.”

Henderson also complimented D209’s facilities master plan, one of Rodriguez’s and the board’s signature accomplishments.

Full transparency District 209’s incoming superintendent will start Aug. 3 on a 3-year, $250,000 annual employment contract.

After the school board hired executive search firm Ray and Associates to help administer a national search, 45 applicants were whittled down to three finalists, but the board wasn’t satisfied with the candidates and decided to restart the search process from scratch in April. Henderson was hired from the second pool of candidates who applied for the position.

Henderson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Jackson State University, a master’s degree in educational leadership and supervision from Prairie View A&M University and a doctorate in education from St. John’s University.

Henderson has also undergone professional development at the Howard Urban Superintendent Academy in Washington, D.C., and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education’s Leadership Institute for School Superintendents, among other institutions.

Henderson has nearly 20 years of administrative experience in education.

He’s been an English teacher, a middle school principal and sub-district superintendent in the Houston Independent School District, and a chief of staff for Normandy School District in St. Louis, among other positions.

During the hiring process, Henderson said he voluntarily provided to board members a series of potentially damaging news articles dating to 2005, when he was HISD’s North/ Acres Homes Superintendent.

One article in the Houston Chronicle implicated Henderson in a scandal involving Houston ISD’s former chief school administrator, to whom Henderson directly reported.

The former chief school administrator resigned in 2005 after district officials discovered that she had given computer contracts to her son. Henderson resigned the same year. After district officials investigated the incident, however, “they found no clear evidence that the violation

was intentional,” the Chronicle reports.

Another 2005 article published by the Baltimore Sun alludes to Henderson’s implication in an alleged cheating scandal.

During the July 27 interview, Henderson said that the state had found “400 schools with high erasure marks” and of those 400 schools, 22 were in HISD, with two being in his sub-district. Henderson said he immediately recommended to the superintendent of schools that “we should move forward with an external investigator and that’s exactly what we did. They found nothing was there.”

Henderson said the schools that were implicated in the investigation had majority Black and Brown student populations and were high performing.

“It’s easy for us to catch attention, when we’re doing that well,” he said.

Henderson said he volunteered the articles to the board, because “I always operate in full transparency,” before pointing out that he got caught in the crossfires in those incidents that the news articles highlighted.

Reaching out to Black and Brown boys Henderson — whose doctoral dissertation was entitled: “Investigating Classroom Colorism: African American Males’ Academic, Behavior, and School Connectedness by Skin Tone” — said that he’s compassionate about educating young men, particularly Black and Brown boys.

“We are so absent in the lives of our Black and Brown boys, so there’s a huge need for us to be present in their lives,” he said.

“I call this compassionate leadership — strong, firm and fair.”

That concern, he said, extends to bringing minority men into classrooms. As chief HR officer for St. Louis Public Schools, Henderson said he piloted a project that had his team visiting 70 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in an effort to hire more Black and Brown teachers.

Henderson said he believes the demographic profile of the district’s teaching population should reflect that of its student body. Currently, 70 percent of D209 teachers are white while 56 percent of students are Latinx and 41 percent of students are Black. But Henderson emphasized that he’s “looking for good teachers, period.”

Henderson said his first priority, however, will be to listen and learn about D209 before acting.

“My first goal is really to just listen and learn,” he said. “I’m going to take 30 days to listen and learn. Although I’m responsible for the day-to-day operations, I don’t want to come in hitting the ground running. I want to hit the ground listening, so I can get a full understanding of what the community needs.”

CONTACT: thevillagefreepress@gmail.com

15

Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

15

OPINION O U R

I

V I E W

A bar on the brink

n a moment when the COVID-19 virus is taking full advantage of Americans’ illogic and lack of restraint, it is good to see the mayor of Forest Park take seriously state guidelines on how to serve alcohol in bars in Illinois. And good to see Mayor Rory Hoskins drop the hammer on Lantern Haus, a Madison Street bar that does not seem to have gotten the governor’s memo or to be concerned by the flurry of warnings and citations issued

by Forest Park police for overcrowding, lack of masking, or after-hours sales of liquor, and, almost infamously now, having a bartender declare to the cops, “I have lost control of the bar” — because the bartender was drunk.

It is dubious to us that, in the midst of a pandemic, bars are open at all for indoor service. Nationwide it has become clear that young people with a thirst for alcohol and companionship do not have the sense God gave geese. Bars are hot spots for COVID. A liquor license is a privilege granted by a town with a full set of limits and responsibilities. Those limits and responsibilities escalate in a pandemic. Follow the rules or get shut down. The village’s liquor license hearing will be convened shortly; the initial closure for seven days may be ended early or it may be extended.

We’ve got no sympathy for bar owners who can’t maintain control of their establishments. Better that one bar in Forest Park gets punished than that every bar in town faces being shuttered by the state as COVID makes its comeback.

Proviso’s new superintendent Well, it took two rounds, but the school board at Proviso Township High Schools District 209 has chosen its next superintendent. Dr. James Henderson will arrive shortly with the goal of continuing the turnaround of this historically troubled school district.

This reform-fueled school board has now made its most important decision, hiring their single employee, the superintendent. Henderson, a native of Mississippi will arrive from Mississippi where he helmed, for just the past two years, a school district seemingly in worse shape than Proviso when Dr. Jessie Rodriguez took the lead here four years back.

While graduation rates lag in Proviso, progress has been made in orienting the district toward its students, fostering deeper connections with the communities, stabilizing leadership and building an ambitious, and funded, plan for a wide remaking of the decayed and antiquated physical plants of the district’s three schools.

Henderson will have plenty to do, but a foundation to work from. Of course, he arrives in a new district in the midst of a deadly pandemic which stresses out families, students and faculty as they work to adapt to new ways of teaching, tracking, motivating, and connecting with our children.

We wish him the best and trust he will continue to move Proviso high schools forward.

Open-ended hope and our uncertain future

P

icture yourself as a small business owner in Forest Park.

What do you think you’d be feeling this week?

What I hear is that some are energized by the prospect of reopening while others are afraid they won’t survive.

Most seem to be somewhere in between, and that reminded me of how I felt almost 40 years ago.

When I arrived in Forest Park in 1982 a profound change in the demographic climate was beginning. The transformation wasn’t caused by a virus but by racial and cultural change. Demographically, the village was gradually becoming more diverse and the whole society was becoming both more secular and increasingly antiinstitutional.

When it comes to churches, diversity is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing, because every church member in town dreams Dr. King’s dream of all of God’s people being united. At one point around the turn of this century that small white stucco building at the corner of Brown and Dixon would have a mostly white congregation called St. Paul’s worshipping at 10 a.m., a mostly Black church called Hope Tabernacle gathering at 12:30 p.m. and the Thai Community Church starting their service at 4.

We’d get together three or four times a year, and afterward we’d all go home feeling great, but the next Sunday we’d be back in our separate, relatively homogeneous faith communities. When it comes to churches, birds of a sociological feather like to flock together, at least most of the time.

It wasn’t surprising therefore that, as the village diversified, St. Paul’s declined in size. It wasn’t that we hadn’t tried our best to keep our “ark” afloat during the flood and to adapt to the profound changes happening all around us, But when we took stock of where we were as we entered a new millennium, we had to admit we weren’t sure how our story would end. The situation was ambiguous. Same thing for small business owners these days. And when we looked in our crystal ball, the future was unclear. Same thing for business owners and probably for most of the rest of us as well.

What happened in my church 20 years ago is that we found ourselves simultaneously grieving what we had lost and looking to the future with what seemed to be a mutually exclusive combination of anxiety and hope.

Grieving. The members of St. Paul’s grieved their losses together.

The mission of the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce is to promote the businesses in town, and during this stressful shutdown, they continue to keep our town on the radar screens of consumers in the whole region.

But they have also functioned as a support group. Es-

pecially the regulars, the active involved members who have known each other and worked together for years and have built up their trust level to the point where they can confess to each other how they really feel in this scary time.

Healthy grieving is not the same as being stuck in the past.

Fear. Because the present is ambiguous and the future uncertain, fear is normal.

Back in 2000 parochial schools like the ones at St. Bernardine and St. John were losing enrollment and most of the small congregations were on their last legs. If you looked at the numbers, the future did not look good. Fear or at least anxiety was understandable. If you look at the balance sheets of several small businesses here, unless a miracle happens, the numbers don’t look good for survival.

Open-ended hope. Accountants are all about numbers and bottom lines. People of faith are about realities that cannot be quantified. If St. Paul’s members had focused only on numbers, they would have concluded that the party was over or soon would be, and therefore the options would be to either go down with the ship or transfer to a boat that is more seaworthy.

They faced reality and formed interdependent relationships with two other vulnerable congregations, but they didn’t stay there. What they did was focus on an open-ended promise that somehow and some way God would lead them through 40 years of wilderness wandering — to mix metaphors — into some kind of promised land.

Closed hope is specific. For example, I hope the Cubs win today. Open-ended hope looks for an unspecified good, something to happen, maybe on the way to the game or with the stranger sitting next to you in the grandstand. Closed hope says I hope my business survives the shutdown. Open hope simply believes that after every fall there will be one kind of rising or another, maybe not “back to normal” but to some kind of new normal which no one can see right now.

St. Paul’s eventually closed in 2010 after being in “business” since 1879. Sad. But so will, I suspect, every business in town, sooner or later — as did Krader Wolf Furniture, Denny Moran’s Garage, Refiners Pride, the Venture Restaurant and that gourmet popcorn place that only lasted a year.

What I saw St. Paul’s members do is move into their uncertain future with their eyes wide open to the socalled “reality” of the situation but also with an open, empowering hope that allowed them to keep on moving forward one day at a time.

Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden through perils unknown.

Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us.

Twenty years ago I used to pray that prayer from the Lutheran Book of Worship every day. Maybe I should start doing that again.

TOM HOLMES

Send letters to: Forest Park Review 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 E-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com • Fax: 708-524-0047

16

Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

About that Altenheim property … board could give villagers a different perception.

Mayor Hoskins and the Forest Park Board of To dispel any possible confusion, we make the Commissioners: following suggestion: We wish to express our views on the future of The village council should convene a task force the village-owned Altenheim property. We are to investigate alternative uses for the Altenheim organized as “Concerned Van Buren Citizens.” property and submit recommendations to the The members of our group are property owners board by no earlier than June 30, and residents who will be most 2021. This period of time will allow directly impacted by what the the task force adequate time to solicvillage decides to do with the it the perspectives of representatives Altenheim property. Members from the many interest groups that include: are important to the greater health • Residences at the Grove - A One View and vitality of our village: The busiresidential complex comness organizations, social service orprising two mid-rise condoganizations, religious organizations, minium buildings with 140 residences at 7753 and 7757 Van Buren, and 53 our schools, our park district, and, especially, townhomes on Grove Lane. More than 300 vil- a diverse cross-section of residents, especially those most significantly impacted — represented lage residents call this neighborhood home. by the Concerned Van Buren Citizens.

It is directly across from the largest parcel of Our group is aware that two possibilities other the Altenheim property. than the Cultural Park proposal have received • Van Buren Townhomes - A complex comprispublic attention. First, we read in the local ing 17 townhomes at 7771 Van Buren with newspaper that the village may desire a use that 45 village residents. These townhomes are will generate additional real estate tax revenues. directly north of the Residences at the Grove.

Second, we are aware that the study coordinated Together we are organized as “Concerned Van by a representative of the National Park Service Buren Citizens” because of our apprehension that suggested various “public park” alternatives. the proposed “Cultural Park” plan — even after This information should be shared with the task their committee suggested that accommodations force. It may envision ways that both desirable were made to account for residents’ concerns — outcomes might be achieved. may be perceived by other villagers as sanctioned We want to be clear about one position: We are by the village council and, therefore, conclude opposed to a concert venue, large or small. We that the ultimate use of the property, as a cultural think such a use would be anathema to the idea park, has already been decided. We feel that such of a residential neighborhood. With 210 housing perceptions might deter other villagers who may units on the block, we are a residential neighborhave viable, even great ideas, from speaking up hood. and wanting to be involved in this significant We realize that for many years, discussions decision. about the use of the Altenheim property were We are grateful for having had the opportunity largely hypothetical speculation. Until the to meet with Mayor Hoskins and with Commisdecrepit buildings could be demolished, nothing sioner Jessica Voogd to discuss the Altenheim could happen. It is our understanding that the property. We greatly appreciated their assurdemolition of the buildings is now anticipated. ances that the Concerned Van Buren Citizens Therefore, we believe it is time to get serious, committee would have a place at the table when the village begins in earnest discussions as to the and to begin board-sanctioned discussions to focus on what use(s) of the Altenheim Property future of the Altenheim property. will serve the best interests of the village and its It is clear to us that neither of these elected residents. We look forward to being a part of the council members view the Cultural Park proeffort to reach decisions on this issue. posal as sanctioned or commissioned by the vilGene Armstrong is a Forest Park resident. lage council. Comments by prior members of the

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L E T T E R S

Imagine: Joy in Freedom Square Over the past several weeks, there has been a lot of coverage of the protests in Chicago. Close your eyes for a second and imagine the crowd. I bet you don’t picture me, a middle-age white guy who works for a construction union.

But last Friday I attended the anniversary rally for Freedom Square, a space across the street from the infamous Homan Square interrogation site used by the Chicago Police Department to detain and torture innocent people (background here - theguardian.com/us-news/homan-square).

The rally started with a press conference that included speakers from several area organizations, including the Let Us Breathe Collective, Black Abolitionist Network, Black Youth Project 100, and Chi-Nations Youth Council.

Several news cameras were there and the speakers told honest and specific stories about how their lives had been impacted by constant over-policing and overt racism.

The press conference ended, and the crowd did not know exactly what to expect. Chanting? Marching? Confronting the more than 200 police officers in riot gear across the street?! Nope. Instead, it was time to imagine.

Two young female MCs explained that we were there to envision a future where resources would be directed away from policing and instead fund restorative justice, education, employment, mental health, housing, arts, nutrition, and addiction treatment — the goals of the initial Freedom Square encampment four years earlier.

The picture started to come into focus as an amazing performer sang an Al Green song. It became clearer as poets rhymed verses about life and love, and speakers processed both the problematic past and what’s possible. And then came the dancing. The footwork crew created amazing energy and moved the crowd, but it was the modern dance representing black liberation that brought the picture into clear view.

I wiped away tears of joy. Joy. Something rarely felt these days. Something that is never mentioned in the coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests.

Something that is not currently associated with the city of Chicago. I personally had not felt such joy or liberation in a very long time.

Do you need some joy? Find a Black Lives Matter event and go. I may be the old white guy lagging behind and sweating profusely at the next Black Lives Matter rally, but I will be there. And until then, I am committed to work toward the future I saw so clearly — with real freedom, real liberation, and real joy.

Paul Price

Forest Park

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM New local ads this week

YOUR WEEKLY AD

REACHES SIX SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES: OAK PARK, RIVER FOREST, FOREST PARK, BROOKFIELD, RIVERSIDE, NORTH RIVERSIDE, AND PARTS OF CHICAGO

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Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

Please Check Your Ad: The publisher will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion.

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Place your ad online anytime at: www.ForestParkReview.com/ClassiďŹ ed/

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

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YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Hephzibah Children’s Association Requirements include: is a social service agency in Oak • Minimum of 6 semester hours Park, IL providing a variety of proin education, recreation, social grams including Residential Group work, or related college courses Homes, Foster Care programs and • Experience working with children other Family Based services and You will supervise and assist chilDay Care. dren with e-learning programs; We are accepting applications for plan and supervise arts and crafts, Youth Development Specialists in indoor & outdoor play, games, our Day Care program for the 20sports, homework help, lunchtime, 21 school year. You will assist with snack time and more. e-learning, and provide supervision The program will follow the safety and care to 5-11-year-old (Kindergarten-5th grade) children in the guidelines of the IDPH regarding face masks, social distancing and Oak Park community. cleaning & disinfecting.

Full time and part time hours may Contact Amy O’Rourke, be available as follows: Director of Day Care at: Monday-Friday 8:00 am – 3:00 pm aorourke@hephzibahhome.org or Monday-Friday, 2:30 – 6:00 pm.

Equal Opportunity Employer River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking an Elementary School Special Education Teacher.

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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.

Health and Benefits Legal Consultant (Mercer Health & Benefits LLC Chicago, IL) Review current dvlpmts in legal & technical areas relating to employee benefits, undertake reqd research, & prep complex technical analyses. Reqts: Must have J.D. Deg or foreign equiv +5 ys of exp in the job offd, or as a Legal, Compliance, Risk Mgmt Consultant, Legal Consultant, or a rel position. Must have 5 yrs of legal exp w/: Employee benefits or tax; ACA reqmts; Conducting HIPAA risk assessments; State insurance laws & regs; HR practice, laws, plans, & operations; Advising on employee benefit topics w/ service provider firm, consulting firm, law firm, or gov agency; & Benefits law exp. In the alternative, the employer will accept an LLM in Employee Benefits or a rel field & 2 yrs of exp w/ the above skills. Employer will accept pre- or post-LLM exp. Must hold a current license or certificate to practice law from at least 1 state bar association. Any suitable combo of education, training or exp is acceptable. 10% domestic travel is reqd to various & unanticipated company & client sites. MMC invites applicants to submit resumes online at http://www.mmc.com/careers/mmc. php using Keyword # R_096540-en.

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

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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: Y20003407 on July 17, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of AROB DESIGN with the business located at: 7445 ROOSEVELT RD. APT. 308-B, FOREST PARK, IL 60130.. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ASAD ROBINSON 7445 ROOSEVELT RD. APT. 308-B FOREST PARK, IL 60130.

FORESTPARKREVIEW.COM

PUBLIC NOTICES

Published in The Landmark, July 29, 2020

708.749.0011

Published in Forest Park Review July 22, 29, August 5, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES PROJ. NO. 20030A

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS 001113 - 1 JULY 21, 2020 Sealed bids for Renovations at the Riverside Public Library will be received by the Riverside Public Library located at 1 Burling Road, Riverside, IL 60546 until 10:00 a.m. prevailing time on August 20, 2020.

Lump Sum bid proposals will be received for this project at the scheduled time of receipt of bids and will be publicly opened and read aloud at the above stated time and place.

Each bid must be accompanied by a Bid Guarantee in the form of a Bid Bond, Certified Check or Bank Draft in an amount equal to and not less than ten percent (10%) of the bid and made payable to the Board of Trustees, Riverside Public Library.

No bid shall be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the bid opening date without the consent of the Owner. Checks or drafts of unsuccessful Bidders will be returned as soon as practical, after opening and checking the bids. Successful Bidder must provide a Performance Bond and a Labor and Material Payment Bond in the full amount of the Contract, acceptable to the Owner.

Bids shall be submitted in an opaque sealed envelope clearly marked as SEALED BID and ad-

dressed to: Janice Foley Library Director Riverside Public Library 1 Burling Road Riverside, IL 60546 The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any or all bids or parts thereof, or waive any irregularities or informalities in bidding, that are in the opinion of the Owner, to be in the best interest of the Riverside Public Library.

This Contract is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130/1 et seq.).

QUALIFICATION: Each Bidder must satisfactorily complete the qualification process described in Section 004395 -General Requirements of the Project Manual, by providing the required Qualification Documents.

The required Qualification Documents must be delivered along with the Bidder’s sealed bid at the same place and time required for the bid.

Contents of each Bidder’s Qualification Documents will be available for public review. The Qualification Documents will be reviewed by the Published in The Landmark, July 29, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Brookfield, Cook County, Illinois, that the sealed bids will be received for the following improvements: VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD CONGRESS PARK METRA STATION AREA REHAB Said bids will be received up to the the County of Cook in accordance Contractor to train and/hire lower hour of 10:00 a.m. Central Standard with the terms of the aforesaid income residents of the Project Time, on the 12th day of August agreement. Further, in compliance area and to subcontract with local, 2020, at the Village Clerk’s Office, with the Stevens Amendment to the small businesses is required on this in the Village Hall, located at 8820 Department of Defense AppropriProject.

Brookfield Road, Brookfield, Illinois ations Act of 1989, the (estimated/ An explanation of the applicable 60513 and will be publicly opened actual) percentage of the total cost federal requirements previously and read in the Edward Barcal Hall of this Project to be funded with mentioned is provided in the Special in the Municipal Building at that time. federal dollars is forty percent (40%) Provisions of the Bid Specifications. and the exact dollar amount of fedThe bidding forms and documents The successful bidder for the coneral funds which will be set aside are available from the Village webstruction of the improvement will site at www.brookfieldil.gov or from for this project will be based on the be required to file a performance Accurate Repro, Inc., 2368 Cor- contract amount awarded under bond equal to one hundred percent porate Lane, Naperville, IL 60563, this offering.

(100%) of the bid, with sureties to 630-428-4433, www.hitchcock- APPLICABLE FEDERAL be approved by the Mayor and the planroom.com. A non-refundable REQUIREMENTS Board of Trustees, which perforfee equal to Accurate Repro, Inc.’s All laborers and mechanics em- mance bonds shall be conditioned charge for printing the documents ployed by the Contractor or Subupon proper and faithful perforwill be charged for each request- contractor(s) on construction work mance by the Contractor of the work ed bid package. The Bid Package for this Project shall be paid wages specified in accordance with the may also be examined at the Of- at rates not less than those prevail- plans and specifications therefore, fice of the Village Manager, at 8820 ing on similar construction in the according to the time and terms and Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illi- locality as determined by the Secconditions of the contract; and also nois 60513. The engineer has been retary of Labor in accordance with that the bidder and contractor shall authorized to refuse to issue plans, the Davis-Bacon Act, as amended, properly pay all debts incurred by specifications and proposals to any (U.S.C. Sections 76-276a-5), and the Contractor in the execution of person, firm or corporation that he shall receive overtime compensation the work, including those for labor or she considers to be unqualified. in accordance with and subject to and materials furnished.

Proposals must be submitted on the the provisions of the Contract Work The Contractor shall be required forms provided. No proposals will Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 to furnish sufficient insurance or be issued to bidders after 4:30 p.m.

U.S.C. Sections327-333), and the guaranty of indemnity to the Vilon the 3rd day of August 2020. All Contractor and Subcontractor(s) lage of Brookfield, Illinois, and the proposals or bids offered must be shall comply with all regulations County of Cook, Illinois, against accompanied by a bid bond, cash, issued pursuant to these Acts and any and all claims which might or certified check made payable to other applicable Federal laws and arise for damages to persons or the Village in the amount of not less regulations pertaining to labor stan- property due to the negligence of than five percent (5%) of the total dards. The Secretary of Labor has, the Contractor or Subcontractor(s), amount of the proposal as a guaranwith respect to the labor standards or their officers, agents, employees tee that if the proposal is accepted specified in this Section, the authoror servants, during the construction a contract will be entered into and ity and functions set forth in Reorof said improvement and until the the performance of the contract is ganization Plan Number 14 of 1950 said improvement has been finally properly secured.

(5 U.S.C. Section 133z-15) and Secaccepted as complete by the Village No bid shall be withdrawn after the tion 2 of the Act of June 13, 1934, as President and the Board of Trustees opening of the proposals without amended, (40 U.S.C. Section 276c). of the Village of Brookfield, the right the consent of the Village President to reject any and all proposals or and the Board of Trustees of the All contracts and Subrecipients bids is reserved. for the construction or repair shall Village of Brookfield for a period of include a provision for compliance Dated at Brookfield, Illinois this 30 days after the scheduled time of with the Copeland “Anti-Kickback 29th day of July, 2020. closing bids.

Act” (18 U.S.C. Section 874) as supVillage President and Board of The bidder is specifically advised plemented in Department of Labor Trustees that the Village is a Subrecipient of Regulations (29 CFR Part 3). the County of Cook of a grant purVillage of Brookfield Each bidder is required to comply suant to the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as with Equal Employment Opportunity for the Community Development By: amended, pursuant to an agreement Block Grants, a copy of which is entered into between the County of Village President Cook and the Village. Payments to on file with the Village Clerk and is available for inspection. the contractor will be made by the Attest: Village only after it has received the Compliance with “Section 3”, which Village Clerk. funds to make such payment from calls for affirmative action by the

Lost & Found, Items for Sale, and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified. To place your ad, call 708-613-3342

RIVERSIDE PUBLIC LIBRARY INTERIOR ALTERATIONS

PUBLIC NOTICES

Owner and Architect to determine the lowest responsible Bidder.

Bidding documents are on file and are available on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Bid documents can be obtained electronically and reproduced at the contractor’s expense from the following: Cross Rhodes Reprographics, 30 Eisenhower Lane North, Lombard, IL 60148; Phone: 630-963-4700 A pre-bid meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m., prevailing time, on August 6, 2020 at the Riverside Public Library located at 1 Burling Road, Riverside, IL 60546. Prospective bidders are encouraged to attend.

After the pre-bid meeting, everyone is invited to visit the site, gather additional information, and ask further questions. Bidders not attending the pre-bid meeting can make a site visit on their own time during the library’s regular hours. Visitors are asked to sign in at the circulation desk. If the bidder requires access to a staff area, the bidder shall contact the Architect prior to the visit, to make arrangements for access.

Board of Trustees Riverside Public Library Riverside, Cook County, Illinois

LEGAL NOTICE SCOTT J. LEVY (32596) Attorney for Petitioner 1525 East 53rd Street, Suite 504 Chicago, Illinois 60615 STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of JUAN RODRIGUEZ, Petitioner and LILIA CASTANEDA BRITO, Respondent, Case No. 2019D-000973.

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before September 1, 2020, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2020

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: Y20003755 on July23, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of LOLA PINK with the business located at:P.O. BOX 3725 OAK PARK, IL 60303. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: TATYANA QUALLS 1190 SOUTH KENILTHWORTH, OAK PARK, IL 60304 Published in Wednesday Journal July 29, August 5, August 12, 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY Request of Carlos Eduardo Rojas Case Number 20204002757 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Carlos Eduardo Rojas to the new name of: Alex Rojas.

The court date will be held: on September 8, 2020 at 9:30 AM at District 4 Court, 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, Cook County in Courtroom Number 0111.

Published in Forest Park Review 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2020

Starting A New Business?

Call the Experts Before You Place Your Legal Ad! Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice here!

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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: Y20003782 on July 23, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of REITON IT PROS with the business located at: 1178 WENONAH AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: MATTHEW NOTIER 1178 WENONAH AVE OAK PARK, IL 60304.

Published in Wednesday Journal 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2020

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: Y20003700 on July 21, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of KATHLEEN LANE with the business located at:7243 ROOSEVELT RD STE A, FOREST PARK, IL 60130.

The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: KATHLEEN LIEFFERS 7243 ROOSEVELT RD STE A, FOREST PARK, IL 60130 Published in Forest Park Review July 29, August 5, August 12, 2020

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR FFMLT TRUST 2005-FF11, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-FF11 Plaintiff, -v.BRIAN HOLLOWAY Defendants 19 CH 00561 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 23, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on August 24, 2020, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-302-0150000 The real estate is improved with a yellow vinyl siding, one story single family home with a detached two car garage.

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

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

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

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

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 268445 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 19 CH 00561 TJSC#: 40-595 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 19 CH 00561 I3152370 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION AM SOLUTIONS LLC; Plaintiff, vs.

ARIEL CHAPMON; TAJ CHAPMON; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 7196 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-10-431-012-0000.

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

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiff’s Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 3609455. W19-0247 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3153023

Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

INC., REALTOR

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

928 S. KENILWORTH AVE • OAK PARK Property has been owner occupied by the same family for 50+ years. 1st fl has spacious living rm and dining rm, kitchen and 1/2 bath. 2nd floor has three bedrooms and full bath. Stucco exterior and 2 car detached garage. Great location in south west Oak Park. Needs some updating but livable as-is.

935 Elgin Avenue, Forest Park.

UNDER CONTRACT List Price $489,000 This is a money maker! This early 1970s brick four flat houses two one bedroom apartments on the top floor, a large three bedroom two bath apartment on the first floor, and a large two bedroom two bathroom apartment in the lower level. Tandem parking for 8 cars.

Meticulously maintained by the current owner for several decades.

The numbers work! This one really won't last long.

1117 Marengo Avenue, Forest Park List Price $263,500 What a great opportunity to get into Forest Park at an affordable price! This home offers four total bedrooms, two on the second floor and two on the first floor. The home is in perfect condition!

Living room, dining room, and eat in kitchen, plus a finished basement. Huge deck off the back of the house and a very large two car garage!

Hungry?

9 Tables for Indoor Dining!

Mickey’s is the place!

Mickey’s Rib Special

1/2 Slab Dinner $11.99 • Full Slab Dinner $17.99 includes fries or baked potato, coleslaw and garlic bread

Wednesday

Gyros Plate Dinner 1 lb meat, 2 pita breads, fries & 3 cups sauce $10.99

Every day Special!

Come try our Big Mickey! $2.99

Gyros with fries $7.99

337 Marengo Avenue, Forest Park UNDER CONTRACT List Price $275,000 Fantastic location alert!! Just a stones throw from Madison Street shopping, restaurants, and night life makes this a very desirable piece of real estate! This is two flat is ready for some love and attention. Just stuck in time is all. Or a fantastic de-conversion to single family! So bring your decorating ideas, and be prepared to fall in love!

Sawa’s Old Warsaw

Sawa’s Old Warsaw Come Celebrate early from Authentic Polish-American Food 7 a.m.Restaurant to 10:30 a.m.

• Lounge • Banquet Rooms 9200 W. Cermak Rd, Broadview Call Ahead 708-343-9040

DAY S ’ E N I NT A L EFridays VOpen B U F F E Tfor Curbside Pick-up & Saturdays ST A F K A E B R Create your Own Platter!

 Texas Style French Toast

 ApplePolish wood Bacon Smoked Sausage (2”) - $6.25  Scrambled Eggs

 Potato Pancakes Fresh Polish Sausage (2”) - $6.25  Kiszka (Polish Sausage)  Sliced Ham Broasted Chicken (2 pieces) - $7.50  Pork Sausage Links  Apple Crepes

Meatballs Dill Sauce  Apricotin Crepes Blueberry Crepes (6) - $8.25  Cheese Crepes

 Fresh Fruit Stuffed Cabbage (3) - $8.25  Raisin Bread

 English Pork Chop Muffins Stead (3) $8.25

Green Beans Corn Carrots Mixed Vegetables Sauerkraut

Bloody Mary or Mimosa only $6

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

Pork Goulash - $8.75

For only $9 per person!

Swiss Steak - $8.75

~ Noodles Ham BeerLunch Batter Cod -‘n$12.00 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. $9 per person

Dinner ~ BBQ Pork Ribs 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. $13 per person

Broasted Shrimp (8) $12.00

525 N Harlem Ave, Oak Park (708) 848-3333 10:30am - 9pm Daily

Smorgasbord • Lounge • Banquets • Carry Out • Catering & Delivery

Roast Duck 9200 W. Cermak Road • Broadview, IL www.SawasOldWarsaw.com (1/4 portion) $12.00 Smoked BBQ Ribs (1/3 Slab) - $12.00

Mashed Broasted Boiled Potato Dumplings Potato Pancakes

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Forest Park Review, July 29, 2020

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