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RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD Also serving North Riverside $1.00

Vol. 35, No. 1

January 1, 2020

Burrito-ville El Faro #2 opens in Riverside PAGE 3

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North Riversiders protest for sidewalks PAGE 8

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Notable residents we lost in 2019 PAGE 11

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North Riverside 2019 votes to freeze 2019 tax levy YEAR IN REVIEW

Falling EAV, low CPI convince trustees for 1-year reprieve

By BOB UPHUES Editor

If you live in North Riverside and your property tax bill goes up next year, don’t blame village government. On Dec. 16, trustees voted 5 to 1 to freeze the village’s 2019 property tax levy after the village’s finance director argued that asking for increase might actually result in a further reduction of the levy.

Trustee Marybelle Mandel was the only member of the village board voting against the levy freeze.

The village board directed Cook County to levy $577,830 next year, though North Riverside likely will collect slightly less than that, since the village has experienced tax collection rates between 95 and 98 percent annually since 2014.

Finance Director Sue Scarpiniti in a memo to the village board in November laid out the reasoning for suggesting a one-year property tax freeze. The state of Illinois caps annual property tax levies for non-home rule communities like North Riverside at 5 percent or the level of the consumer price index (CPI), whichever is lower.

For 2019, the CPI is 1.9 percent. While, the village is able to capture additional property tax revenue when total equalized assessed value of property increases due to new construction, that activity has fallen off in recent years.

See LEVY on page 9

The Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library will break ground in 2020.

Change is in the air

Legal cannabis, a new library and labor peace in North Riverside

By BOB UPHUES Editor

If you could sum up the Landmark area in one word in 2019, it would probably be “change.”

While some of those changes

were spurred by outside forces – like the Illinois General Assembly – others were the result of local voters and governments taking it upon themselves to act.

Here are some of the biggest stories of the past year:

Payne Plumbing & Heating

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See YEAR IN REVIEW on page 6

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The Landmark, January 1, 2020

Happy Holidays!

Growing Community Media

We’ve created a new non-profit with one purpose: to own our four respected and essential community newspapers and, then, to grow independent, sustainable journalism in our seven neighborhoods for the decades to come.

That path will surely include printing newspapers and selling all the advertising we can. But we’ll add more digital reporting, more specialized beats, video, podcasts and events.

And where’s this new stream of non-profit revenue coming from? From readers and donors in our seven neighborhoods who see the essential value in independent community journalism.

Partner with us.

Find out more at GrowingCommunityMedia.org

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

IN THIS ISSUE Big Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Kosey Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Editor Bob Uphues Sports Editor James Kay MELISSA ELSMO/Contributor

COME HUNGRY: El Faro #2, which calls itself the home of the giant burrito (above right), opened in Riverside in December.

The restaurant also features a fresh salsa bar for dine-in customers.

El Faro #2 open for business in Riverside

E

Martha and Pablo Zavala bring a bit of Mexico

l Faro #2, home of the giant steak burrito, located at 3422 Harlem Ave. in Riverside, is open for business.

“This is a true family business;” says Martha Zavala co-owner of El Faro #2, “and we have built it on love.”

Jose Felipe Hernandez Zavala and his wife, Maria Guadalupe Zavala, opened the original El Faro with their son, Pablo Zavala, in 1980. Located in Summit, the 24-hour Mexican eatery is open 7-days a week and has become well known for serving giant burritos at a great value.

Quality, size and pricing helped create the loyal following that sustains El Faro’s flagship location to this day.

Capitalizing on the near 40-year success of El Faro’s Summit location, Pablo and his wife Martha Zavala, purchased the former Riverside Restaurant, remodeled the space and opened El Faro #2 on Dec 11. El Faro #2 will be open 365 days a year but will close nightly at 10 p.m.

The hands-on owners remodeled the space themselves in hopes of highlighting their culture by painting the walls a deep red. Zavala’s mother sewed the colorful tablecloths by hand and cacti, sombreros, and colorful artwork round out the look of the casual dining room.

“I’ve tried to bring a little bit of Mexico to Riverside,” says Zavala.

Zavala admits their opening week was stressful. Despite that fact they had hoped

to open without fanfare, word got out quickly El Faro #2 was open. Thoughts of transitioning slowly and handling a steady, but manageable flow of customers were dashed on opening day when a line snaked out the door into the parking lot.

The restaurant was bombarded with guests for the first few days and some customers were frustrated by slow service, but Zavala notes most people seemed to understand the pressure the young restaurant was under and remained supportive of their efforts.

“It is going great now,” says El Faro # 2 manager Adrian Zavala. “It was stressful at first, but we are working out the kinks.”

Nothing is premade at El Faro #2 and all dishes rely on fresh ingredients prepared by hand.

The restaurant does not offer delivery as all dishes are meant to be eaten as soon as they are cooked.

Patrons are encouraged to dine in the restaurant to ensure their burritos, tacos or tortas are enjoyed at peak freshness. El Faro #2 also boasts a salsa bar for dine-in customers. The self-serve display features salsas roja and verde as well as pico de gallo and fresh chips.

“My father-in-law taught me, the fresher you have the food the more your customers will appreciate you and your hard work,” says Zavala. “I really learned a lot from him.”

And customers are taking note of El Faro’s attention to detail.

MELISSA ELSMO

Elmwood Park residents Dawn and Jorge Rodriguez are always looking for good Mexican food and were pleased with the offerings at El Faro #2. Both were especially happy to find a salsa bar on site and noted they rarely find properly made pico de gallo in a restaurant, but El Faro’s fresh salsa met their high standards.

“He is very picky about his rice and beans,” says Dawn Rodriguez of her husband. “The rice here is fluffy and the beans have great flavor, so he has no complaints.”

One table over, Berwyn resident Christina Tellez was enjoying a plate of nachos al pastor.

“We have been waiting for this place to open and my lunch is just delicious,” says Tellez. “The pork is succulent, I really love the salsa bar and we will be back for pozole.”

El Faro #2 is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Hot Tips: ■ Listen up--Your order number will be called as soon as it is done, and you’ll need to make your way to the front of the restaurant to pick up your meal. Getting your hands on your food quickly ensures service will remain swift in the busy restaurant.

■ If you are looking for a burrito break, co-owner, Martha Zavala, suggests trying El Faro #2’s house-made chicken and cheese enchiladas.

■ If you are on the hunt for pozole or menudo, El Faro #2 will have the Mexican pork stew and beef tripe soup available on Saturdays and Sundays.

Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Editorial Design Manager Claire Innes Editorial Designer Scot McIntosh Advertising Design Manager Andrew Mead Advertising Designers Bobbi Rollins-Sanchez, Debbie Becker IT Manager/Web Developer Mike Risher Advertising Director Dawn Ferencak Advertising Sales Marc Stopeck Inside Sales Representative Mary Ellen Nelligan Client Engagement Natalie Johnson Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Distribution Coordinator Wakeelah Cocroft-Aldridge Front Desk Maria Murzyn, Carolyn Henning Publisher Dan Haley Associate Publisher Dawn Ferencak Business Manager Joyce Minich Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

HOW TO REACH US ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-442-6739 ■ FAX 708-467-9066 E-MAIL buphues@wjinc.com ONLINE www.RBLandmark.com The Landmark is published weekly on Wednesday

by Growing Community Media NFP an Illinois non-for-profit.

The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00.

A one-year subscription costs $30 within Cook County and $40 outside the county. Advertising rates may be obtained by calling our office. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS 0019-585). Postmaster send address corrections to Landmark, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302. © 2020 Growing Community Media NFP.

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The Landmark, January 1, 2020

BIG WEEK January 1 - 8

New exhibit at Compassion Factory

Compassion Factory Art Gallery and Studio, 9210 Broadway Ave. in Brookfield, presents a new solo show of work by glass artist Margieann from Jan. 3 through Feb. 1.

Margieann creates unpredictable, whimsical glass pictures and shadow

Happy birthday King!

North Riverside Public Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., continues its annual tradition of celebrating the birth of The King – Elvis Presley – with a special movie matinee on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m.

This year, watch Elvis sing, romance and swan dive his way through life while having “Fun in Acapulco.”

The 1963 film follows the exploits of resort lifeguard Mike Windgren (Elvis) as he conquers his fear of heights, a holdover from his days as a circus performer, to become a cliff diver and win the heart of Margarita Dauphin (Ursula Andress).

Free.

boxes that capture special moments in time and inspire delight and curiosity.

An opening reception with the artist will be held on Friday, Jan. 3 from 7 to 10 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursdays from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free.

‘The Nerd’ coming to TWS

“The Nerd,” the third mainstage production of the Theatre of Western Springs’ 91st season, was written by Larry Shue and is directed by Kevin Theis. It’s a side-splitting, rollicking comedy perfect for the dark days of January.

The play runs Jan. 16-26, 2020 at Theatre of Western Spring, 4384 Hampton Ave. Tickets are $22 and $24. Call the box office at 708-246-3380 or go to theatrewesternsprings.com.

Pillars planning gala

Get your tickets now for Pillars Community Health’s annual gala, “The Ball,” which will be held Saturday, Feb. 1 from 6 to 11:30 p.m. at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace.

Proceeds from the black tieoptional gala, which features live music, dancing raffles and casino gaming, will benefit Pillars Community Health, which provides health and social services in the western and southwestern suburbs.

Tickets are available at PillarsCommunityHealth.org/Ball.

Winter gear collection

Lyons Township High School para-educators are holding a collection of new winter hats, scarves, gloves/mittens and socks for District 204 area children and adults in need. The drive continues through Jan. 14.

Drop off items at the libraries/discovery centers at either the North Campus, 100 S. Brainard Ave. in LaGrange or South Campus, 4900 S. Willow Springs Road in Western Springs.

And more Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St., presents a solo show featuring the work of artist Jennifer OldisKryczka through Jan. 4. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday (except major holidays) from 1 to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public.

■

The Riverside Township Lions Club is collecting unwanted Christmas lights for recycling. Working and non-working lights that are for indoor or outdoor use can be dropped off at the Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road,

Jay Fontanetta and Rob Nardini in ‘The Nerd’ or the North Riverside Public Library, 2401 Desplaines Ave., during normal business hours through Jan. 15.

North Riverside Public Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., hosts welcomes adult and seniors to Conversation Café/ Café y Conversacion on Jan. 4 at 10:30 a.m.; Crafternoons: Wine Cork Trivets on Jan. 4 at 1:30 p.m.; iPhone Basics on Jan. 7 at noon; Move and Groove (for seniors with limited mobility) on Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. and Social Media Basics: Instagram on Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m. To sign up for senior and adult events, call 708-447-0869 or visit www. northriversidelibrary.org/events.

■

■ For kids there’s Drop-in Open Play (tots and kids) on Jan. 2 at 10:30 a.m.; Tales & Treats (ages 2-5) on Jan. 4 at 10:30 a.m.; Messy Mornings with Munchkins (ages 2-5) on Jan. 7 at 11:30 a.m.; Every Child a Reader/Cada Nino un Lector (ages 6+) on Jan. 8 at 4 p.m.; and learn to play instruments at Make Some Music (grades 5-12) on Jan. 7 from 6-7:30 p.m.

■ Hitzeman Funeral Home, 9445 31st St. in Brookfield, will host the next of its monthly grief support gatherings on Jan. 7 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The theme of the gathering will be “Managing Grief in the New Year.”Seats are limited. RSVP

by Jan. 3 to info@hitzemanfuneral.com or call 708-485-2000.

The Brookfield Elks Lodge, 9022 31st St., hosts bingo every Monday night. Doors open at 5 p.m. and games start at 7 p.m. minimum cash payout of $2,275 a night, plus pull tabs, lightning, tic-tac and raffles.

■ The community is invited to jog, walk or run inside on the indoor track at the Lyons Township High School South Campus fieldhouse, 4900 S. Willow Springs Road in Western Springs from 6 to 7 a.m. on days when school is in session through March 20, 2020. Free.

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

P O L I C E

R E P O R T S

DUI suspect motors into Holiday Magic A 59-year-old Berwyn man was charged with drunken driving after he allegedly drove his 2000 Ford into the Brookfield Zoo grounds at about 8:25 p.m. on Dec. 22 – during the zoo’s packed Holiday Magic lights festival – before he was stopped by zoo police on in a pedestrian-only area between the Trading Post gift shop and zoo administration building at the south end of the park.

Brookfield police arrived at the scene and interviewed the driver, who reportedly told them at he’d had 10 beers and two shots of alcohol and that there was no point submitting to field sobriety tests, because he was drunk.

Security camera video submitted to Brookfield police by the zoo reportedly showed the man drive into the zoo without paying, enter an employee-inly area and then enter the zoo grounds.

It’s the second straight year a motorist has entered zoo grounds during Holiday Magic.

On Dec. 27, 2018, an 84-year-old woman drove into the zoo through an employee-only access area near the South Gate shortly after Holiday Magic ended for the night. The vehicle ended up getting stuck on the south mall after striking a post.

The woman, who was disoriented but not otherwise impaired, told police she was trying to get to Ogden Avenue, which was in the opposite direction.

No one was hurt in either incident.

Cops perform life-saving CPR Brookfield Police Chief Edward Petrak is lauding the actions of officers David Kudla and David Harrison after they revived a 73-year-old Indian Head Park man who slumped to the floor unconscious while drinking coffee with others at Loca Mocha inside the Brookfield Metra station at 8858 Burlington Ave. on Dec. 21 at 8:25 a.m.

The man reportedly had no pulse and was not breathing when the officers arrived and started performing CPR. Paramedics transported the man to Loyola University Medical Center where he was treated and is expected to make a full recovery.

“I am extremely proud of you guys,” Petrak wrote in an email to the officers, which was copied to other village and police officials. “Because of you, [the man] and his wife were able to spend another Christmas together. A coffee shop full of customers, [the man’s] friends and other Brookfield residents witnessed first-hand your life saving actions that early morning.”

Asleep at the wheel North Riverside police charged a 62-yearold Burbank man with driving under the influence of alcohol after he was reportedly found asleep behind the wheel of his red

BMW at the Canadian National Railroad crossing in the 2300 block of Desplaines Avenue on Dec. 21 at about 3:35 a.m.

After waking up the driver, a police office reported that he appeared intoxicated and failed field sobriety tests. He reportedly refused to submit to a breath test. In addition to being charged with DUI, the driver was cited for improper parking on a roadway and his vehicle was impounded by police.

Sts. Peter and Paul

Kids hurt in suspected DUI crash Two boys, ages 9 and 14, were admitted to the hospital for observation after sustaining what later were termed minor injuries they suffered when their mother reportedly slammed her Buick into a Jeep stopped in the 8300 block of Cermak Road, waiting for a train to clear the crossing at about 10:10 p.m. on Dec. 25.

A 32-year-old Berwyn man whose Jeep was stopped in traffic at the rail crossing told police that he observed the Buick approaching at a high rate of speed and that he placed his car in drive, but was unable to move before being struck. He was not injured.

Police charged the driver of the Buick, a 37-year-old Chicago woman, with driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving and cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

“Faith Active in Love”

250 Woodside Road, Riverside, IL 60546 Telephone (708) 442-5250 Rev. Dennis J. Lauritsen, Pastor

Weekly Sunday Worship

Liturgy of Holy Communion

10:15 a.m.

www.stspeterandpaulriverside.org

Please Call (708) 613-3362 to add a listing in the Church Guide

Need a helping of

Bus beat down A 53-year-old Chicago man needed stitches to close up a two-inch gash to his forehead, which he received during a beat down aboard a Pace bus on Cermak Road near Desplaines Avenue in North Riverside on the afternoon of Dec. 19.

According to police, the victim was seated on the bus when a young man sat down next to him and spread his legs wide open, squeezing the victim against the wall of the bus.

When the victim asked the other passenger to move over, a verbal altercation started, escalating into a physical fight. A second person jumped into the fray, according to police, and the victim was punched in the head several times before both offenders fled the scene.

Another passenger called 911 to report the fight, but police were unable to locate any suspects. Paramedics transported the victim to Loyola University Medical center for treatment.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Dec. 1927, 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 Bob Uphues

Call Jill at 708-442-6739 or visit RBLandmark.com and click subscribe

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The Landmark, January 1, 2020

YEAR IN REVIEW Change on the way from page 1 Starting today, as long as you’re 21 years old, you can walk into a store and buy it – in multiple forms, without a note from your doctor -- take it home and enjoy it to your heart’s content.

Illinois has been on the path to legalized recreational use of cannabis for some time, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker made it official on June 25 when he signed the bill passed a month earlier by the General Assembly.

And while other suburban communities struggled with the impending reality of legal weed, outlawing its local sale, Brookfield and Riverside are welcoming the possibility.

Riverside, in particular, jumped on the bandwagon, making dispensaries a permitted use along the Harlem Avenue corridor.

Brookfield followed suit late in the year, allowing dispensaries and other cannabisrelated businesses as special uses in its commercial and industrial districts.

As of the start of the New Year, the village of North Riverside hadn’t yet nailed down amendments to its zoning code, regulating where such businesses can locate and under what conditions.

But, the village’s leadership last year indicated it was all for such businesses – and the sales tax revenue along with them -- coming to town.

Louise de Marillac in LaGrange Park knew what was going to happen. That October, the archdiocese announced that the two parishes would merge into a single entity with St. Louise School serving the new parish, but apart from that decree things remained murky.

As 2019 progressed, things got clearer. Rev. Denis Condon, formerly the pastor of St. Louise was named pastor of the combined parish. And on July 1, he hopped in his car and made the commute from his home in LaGrange Park to the combined parish’s office in the St. Barbara rectory.

On Oct. 21, the new parish adopted its new name, Holy Guardian Angels, a name decreed by Cardinal Blase Cupich after parishioners, who had submitted several choices, voted for it by an overwhelming majority.

The two church buildings, designated as “worship sites,” retain their old names, the new, unified parish itself forges ahead.

After 5+ years, a contract When trustees vote to ratify a new contract with its union firefighters on Jan. 6, it will mark the first time since April 30, 2014 that there’s been an official deal in place.

In December, Mayor Hubert Hermanek Jr. announced that the two sides had agreed to a seven-year contract – good through the end of April 2021, ending an acrimonious, expensive chapter in the village’s history.

In 2014, the administration sought to privatize the village’s firefighting services and filed suit that fall to have a judge agree that it could unilaterally void the most recent contract and terminate the union firefighters.

But, the strategy failed to produce that outcome and in 2019 the administration sought to avoid arbitration and went back to the bargaining table. The new deal isn’t groundbreaking, but it allows both sides to take a breath before going back to hammer out what could be a more substantive deal early in 2021.

Getty retakes District 103 control

File Photo

GRIM RETURNS: Tom Weiner and Connie Esparza look at election returns on April 2. The two hopefuls for seats on the District 103 school board failed in their bids.

Whether any of the three villages will end up with a dispensary is still unknown, but the villages have signaled they’re open for business.

Hello, Holy Guardian Angels By the end of 2018, the parishioners of St. Barbara Church in Brookfield and St.

Voters turned back the clock in LyonsBrookfield School District 103, delivering the future of education in Lyons, Stickney, McCook, Forest View and the southeast quarter of Brookfield to a school board controlled by Lyons Village President Christopher Getty.

After the April election of a slate of four candidates backed by Getty, whose political organizations and allies spent more than $20,000 during the campaign, the new school president, Jorge Torres, began holding up key hires that new Superintendent Kristopher Rivera proposed, forcing Rivera to rescind verbal job offers and delaying the superintendent’s ability to build his administrative staff.

The failure to allow Rivera to hire a business manager resulted in the school district blowing the state’s deadline for passing a fiscal year budget. The document passed by the school board in October was cobbled together by plugging in year-old revenue assumptions and questionable health insur-

File Photo

CHURCH MERGE: St. Barbara Church (above) remains one of two “worship sites” for the newly constituted Holy Guardian Angels Parish, forged by the merger of the former Brookfield parish and St. Louise in LaGrange Park. ance figures.

After a summer’s worth of contentious school board meetings, Torres and his majority eliminated committee of the whole meetings as the school year began. While ratcheting down the sniping, the act also took away a monthly opportunity to hash out issues.

In the past month, the principal of George Washington Middle School announced he would be leaving at the end of the school year, ensuring that the District 103 administrative merry-go-round will continue spinning into next year.

Retail receding One of 2019’s most unlikely stories was Sears surviving the decade. The storied retailer, in a tailspin throughout the 2010s, continues to hang by a thread as it sells off its last remaining assets – the most recent being Die Hard car batteries, sold to Advance Auto Parts for $200 million cash in the waning days of last year.

It appeared certain that Sears would disappear when it was saved from oblivion by its chairman, Eddie Lampert, who paid $5.2 billion for the company, which at the time operated about 425 Sears and Kmart stores and employed about 45,000 people.

The road has been rough since then. After announcing in November that it would close another 96 stores nationwide, Sears/Kmart will be down to less than 200 locations including one in North Riverside, whose size was halved in 2017.

Will Sears be around next Christmas shopping season? It sure looks questionable.

They’re not the only ones. Payless Shoes

and Forever 21 joined the parade of retailers seeking bankruptcy protection last year.

With more sure to come in 2020.

Meanwhile, North Riverside is grappling with a future where retail sales won’t be the financial lifeline of the past and has embarked on its first-ever strategic planning process. Can the village adapt? Check back in 2030 to find out.

New library looms By this time next year, you’ll be checking out books and attending programs at the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library.

Unless there is some sort of intervention, ground will break for the new building at 3541 Park Ave. in a few months, starting a new chapter in the history of the local institution, which got its modest start in 1913 as a project of the Brookfield Women’s Club.

This latest iteration – the wholesale movement of the building from its longtime home at 3609 Grand Blvd. – really began in 2007, when the library board began trying to identify a suitable location for a larger building.

After running into a brick wall in the Hollywood section of the village, the library was able to acquire the property that formerly housed Brookfield United Methodist Church, coincidentally the church where Linda Sokol Francis had been a prominent member and whose $1 million gift in 2018 clinched the deal for the construction of the new building.

Shifting gears after voters turned down a building bond referendum in 2016, the library board hired a new architect, saved money and won approval for a new 21,000-square-foot building that will be bet-

The Landmark, January 1, 2020 ter able to accommodate what remains a vibrant, vital part of Brookfield.

District 96’s Hollywood dreams Small local school districts aren’t necessarily known for bold power plays, but Riverside School District 96 came through with one in 2019.

After a property buying spree the past couple years that allowed the central administration to move to a building on Harlem Avenue and will allow for a large addition to be built this summer onto Ames School, the school board turned its attention to Hollywood.

In June, the school board made an unsolicited offer to buy the Hollywood Community Association’s property at the corner of Washington and Hollywood avenues in Brookfield for $340,000.

Such a deal would have allowed the school district to demolish Hollywood House, expand Hollywood School and allow for the separation of play and parking spaces at the landlocked school.

The HCA balked at the offer and responded with a 30-year lease deal offering land north and west of the Hollywood House to expand play areas – but not parking. The two sides continue to kick around a possible deal while seeking a parking solution elsewhere.

New blood in Brookfield Just when Brookfield thought it had its top administrative staff all ironed out, news late in 2019 brought tidings of two more depar-

tures. Fire Chief Mark Duffek and HR Director Michelle Robbins announced their retirements in late November, but otherwise things seem to be settling down inside village hall.

While 2018 saw village hall in total flux, with a parade of retirements, resignations and terminations that led to months of interim solutions in key spots, permanent pieces started falling into place this year.

In February, Village Manager Timothy Wiberg announced a new planner and new public works director. By spring, he’d named a new police chief and assistant manager and parted ways with the village’s building department chief, setting up the hire of a seasoned community development director in October.

With the departures of Duffek and Robbins, Wiberg in the span of a little more than a year will have overhauled, almost entirely, Brookfield’s central administration.

D95, reimagined After spending the previous school year in active construction sites, students at Brook Park School in LaGrange Park and S.E. Gross Middle School in Brookfield walked into completely transformed surroundings in September.

A gleaming new K-2 wing, gymnasium and playground greeted elementary students at Brook Park while a huge new gym and new cafeteria, music and art spaces and a cuttingedge STEM lab debuted at S.E. Gross.

The changes came courtesy of BrookfieldLaGrange Park District 95 voters, who in 2017 approved a $20 million bond issue. Af-

ter a smaller-scale project about a decade earlier, district officials went all-out to bring learning into the 21st century.

No breaks in case of missing woman The last time anyone saw 53-year-old Brookfield resident Erica Thompson was on surveillance camera video on Sept. 25, 2019, making a transaction at First National Bank of Brookfield.

While police, aided by experts from the FBI, were able to track the movement of Thompson’s cellphone into the early morning hours of the following day, she hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Her dark purple Nissan Juke has also not been seen since.

In the three full months since Thompson’s disappearance, police have been trying to identify places she might have gone. Based on cellphone data, police spent two days in November searching waterways that cut through the area south of Brookfield, including the CalSag Channel. Cellular data indicated that Thompson’s phone traveled through

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Countryside, Hodgkins, McCook, Forest View, Summit and Bridgeview early on Sept. 26.

In addition, Clear Channel Outdoor has been running “missing” bulletins featuring Thomson’s face and the number for police on digital billboards throughout the Chicago area.

Late in November, Cook County Crime Stoppers stepped in to offer a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading investigators to Thompson.

“I feel at this point, we have to find her one way or another,” said Thompson’s sister, Dana Kujawski, at that time. “It’s like a nightmare.”

Brookfield Police Chief Edward Petrak said last week that the case is still being actively investigated, but there have been no breakthroughs so far.

Stay warm.

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The Landmark, January 1, 2020

North Riverside residents protest for sidewalk

Edgewater Road homeowners confront mayor at Santa ride

By JACKIE PISANO Contributing Reporter

On the 8100 block of Edgewater Road, a small block nestled in North Riverside’s southeastern-most part of town, nothing has annoyed lifelong resident Joseph Maruska more than the fact that both ends of his block are missing the quintessential piece of suburban life -- sidewalks.

For more than 40 years, Maruska has witnessed generations of residents trudging through ice and snow in the winter, or walking in the middle of the street just to walk between Edgewater Road and 30th Street along Lincoln Avenue and Groveland Avenue because of the lack of pavement along parts of those streets.

Time and time again, Maruska says, he has tried speaking with people from the village about installing about 100 feet of sidewalk on both Lincoln Avenue and (Groveland Avenue.

But to no avail.

“I think it’s absolutely terrible, because every time I see kids with parents having to go in the street, it just reinstates the fact that I can’t win a simple little battle of putting 100 feet of sidewalk in on both sides,” he said. “It’s just really frustrating.”

So, Maruska rounded up a group of neighbors to organize a mini-protest on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 21, the day Santa and village officials made their annual pre-Christmas rounds aboard a fire truck through the village, including Edgewater Road.

Holding up signs reading “All we want for Christmas are

JACK PISANO/Contributor

FED UP: Jason Hinsley (center), Joseph Maruska (right) and another resident who declined to be identified by name stand on the southwest corner of 30th Street and Lincoln Avenue on Dec. 21 to vent their frustration with not having sidewalks connecting to Edgewater Road. sidewalks” and “40 years without sidewalks,” Maruska was joined by a few other residents on the southwest corner of 30th Street and Lincoln Avenue as Santa, Mayor Hubert Hermanek Jr. and village trustees disembarked to greet residents and pass candy out to children.

Though a newer resident to the neighborhood, Jason Hinsley joined in the protest because he says there is no reason why residents should have to even go to a village board meeting in the first place to ask for “a basic need that the government is supposed to provide in any small town.”

“Every neighborhood has sidewalks in North Riverside, except for this one,” Hinsley said.

Hinsley, and a few other residents who asked to remain anonymous, added that work schedules and family obligations make it difficult to attend regular board meetings, and all they want to see are equal amenities for their block just as other blocks do throughout North Riverside.

“It’s a surprise that it’s something there’s an issue with,” Hinsley added.

To the residents’ pleasure, Hermanek and several trustees walked over to the group, speaking with them for nearly 10 minutes about their concerns. Listening to their frustrations, Hermanek told the group that next spring, he would make addressing the issue among his top priorities.

According to Hermanek, he has already directed village engineers to study the area and determine the best solutions, locate utility easements are and how they line up with homeowners’ property lines.

“When we know how to proceed, we will then budget for the improvements on the south side of the village,” Hermanek said. “There should be no reason why this project cannot be completed by springtime. We will work with the residents to achieve a mutually acceptable solution.”

Seeing some traction on the issue, Maruska said it’s looking like hopefully, his longtime Christmas wish will finally come true.

“This is our primary issue -- the safety of our children, first and foremost,” he said.

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

9

Longtime staffer retires from Brookfield Library

Circulation assistant Marty Blank closes out 22-year chapter

band, Jim, checked out a few books last week.

“He is well versed in literature,” said Jim Ryan. “He’s a wealth of knowledge when it comes to, say, mysteries and/or science fiction if you’re asking him for a recommendation.”

Blank, who worked in bookstores for more than 20 years before getting hired by the Brookfield Public Library in 1997 when he was 45 years old, loves to talk, especially about books and movies.

“Across that desk is just a great way to talk with people,” Blank said. “I just enjoy talking with people, finding out their interests. If they like any of the same books and movies that I do, I’ll talk their ear off.”

Blank was living in Forest Park and was between jobs in the fall of 1997 when he saw a want ad in a newspaper. He was hired and the Brookfield Library hasn’t been the same since.

Two years after later, Blank moved to Brookfield and lives in a condo in the village’s downtown.

Blank has always loved books and movies.

His father, also named Martin, was an advertising man who took Blank to many movies grow-

ing up in Evergreen Park and Lombard. His father wrote a murder mystery titled “Shadowchase: A Novel of Murder,” which is available for check out at the library.

After graduating from high school, Blank studied film at Columbia College but withdrew after a couple of years and began working in bookstores including the famous, now-defunct Chicago chain of Kroch’s and Brentano’s.

As a young man, he was a big fan of Ernest Hemmingway and Ray Bradbury. He loves hard-boiled detective novels and especially enjoys the writing of Raymond Chandler and Michael Connelly. He loves film noir.

But his interests range widely and he has read broadly. He reads a lot of history and biography and has many books about the Civil War. Recognizing Blank’s interest in film in 2005, then head of Adult Services Jim Krause suggested that Blank might want to start a film discussion group at the library.

“I jumped at the idea,” Blank said.

Now Blank shows movies generally twice a month. They’re usually critically acclaimed but little-known independent or foreign mov-

ies that don’t get much circulation outside the film festival circuit. The next movie he will show is the French-Canadian film “Genese,” on Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m.

On occasional weekends, Blank will usually show a more popular movie, perhaps one from Hollywood’s golden days of the 1930s-1950s or a more recent movie.

“I like the old stuff and try to get that in as much as I can.” Blank said.

Circulation Director Jim Berg, who has worked with Blank since 1997 said Blank has been a fixture at the library, kind of like the character Norm from the old TV sitcom “Cheers.”

He’s is a big presence and a lively conversationalist; someone everyone knows and wants to talk to. Berg said that it has been fun working alongside Blank all these years.

“He’s kind of like the Roger Ebert of Brookfield,” Berg said. “He knows a lot about movie trivia, a lot about pop culture. It’s always been fun talking to him about popular culture and current events and movies. He’s well-versed in a lot of different areas.”

Blank said he is retiring because he wants to spend more time getting back to his own writing and have more time to himself. He writes short stories and essays and plans to rejoin the Brookfield Writers Group, which meets at the library twice a month. He’s also a big jazz fan and active in the Brookfield Jazz Society.

But Blank still plans to be at the library a lot, even though he will no longer be paid to work there. In many ways, the library has become Blank’s home. It has certainly been the centerpiece of his life and has been the perfect place to share his boundless love for books and movies with likeminded people.

“I’ve made friends that I hang out with,” Blank said, “people I socialize with, go to the movies with.”

He seems to know everybody.

“If I didn’t work here I wouldn’t feel nearly as much a part of the community,” Blank said.

Blank and library were just a perfect fit.

“It’s just been the best experience of my life,” Blank said. “I’ve really enjoyed the staff and the patrons. I really just feel like I found

“Because the village is primarily landlocked and any significant new construction values for tax purposes has already been captured, this year will be an extremely difficult one for the village as there is no opportunity to raise substantial revenue from property taxes,” Scarpiniti wrote to the village board in November.

Freezing the property tax levy, however, is seen as a temporary strategy. Scarpiniti also stated that the village should resume extending its annual property tax levy in 2020, since the EAV of currently vacant properties – like the former Toys R Us, Tony’s Finer Foods and Sears Auto Center sites – are under construction and expect to reopen with new businesses next year.

“This strategy will allow the village to maximize our tax collections and capture additional revenue beyond the tax cap lim-

its in those years,” Scarpiniti stated in the November memo.

Property taxes comprise just a small fraction – less than 5 percent -- of the revenue North Riverside collects to fund its operations and provide services to residents. It’s largest source of revenue is sales taxes.

One of the reasons property taxes remain so low in North Riverside is that for a period of about 20 years, village boards froze the annual property tax levy – even during years where the village experienced significant new development, whose added EAV would have resulted in more revenue.

As a result, the village doesn’t collect enough in property taxes alone to fund even its police and fire pension obligations. In 2020, that expense alone is expected to cost the village a little more than $3 million.

The state does allow municipalities to

levy taxes to fund police and fire pensions, and those levies are not subject to tax caps.

However, for the village to begin doing that, it would have to pass a referendum.

Pensions in large part are now funded by the collection of fines generated by the village’s red-light cameras. However, that revenue has also begun to level off and the firm the village uses to administer its red-light camera program, SafeSpeed LLC, is under federal scrutiny as part of what looks to be a wide-ranging federal corruption probe of area politicians.

Neither the company nor any of its employees have been charged with any wrongdoing.

“I continue to urge the board to consider a more stable method of funding the public pensions – one that is longer term in nature,” Scarpiniti wrote.

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

The Brookfield Public Library will seem a little different in 2020 with the retirement of longtime circulation assistant Marty Blank on Dec. 31.

Blank has been a vital presence at the library during his 22 years there. He does far more than check out books. He talks to patrons, makes book and movie recommendations based on his vast knowledge and has led film discussions at library since 2005. He has gotten to know much of Brookfield and has become a friend to many.

Youth services librarian Christal Beyer remembers Blank signing her up for a library card when she was 16 years old.

“He was very welcoming and friendly, outgoing, and he still is as the heart and soul of the library,” Beyer said.

Even though Blank, 68, is retiring he still plans on leading movie discussions at the library and he plans to volunteer at the circulation desk every now and then.

“Marty is an institution here at the library and we’re very glad for all of his years of service, but we’re also glad that he’s staying on with us to show his films,” said Brookfield Public Library Director Kimberly Coughran.

After working at the circulation desk for more than two decades, Blank knows most of the regular patrons. He knows what they like to read and watch, and he is not hesitant about making recommendations.

Checking out a book with Blank is not typically a short, quiet experience. He often will engage a patron and have a chat about the books the person is checking out.

“Almost every time you check out a book, he’s read it,” said Marie Ryan after she and her hus-

LEVY

Tempory freeze from page 1 When Costco was built, the village’s EAV from new construction soared to $4.6 million, Scarpiniti stated in her memo, the highest level in 20 years. Construction at the outlots near Costco added another $1.4 million to the village’s total EAV in 2015.

After that, however, activity leveled off and the village’s EAV began dipping with the loss of major retailers like Carson Pirie Scott. In 2019, Scarpiniti said she expected the village’s total EAV to drop by $100,000, though Cook County won’t have that figure available until mid-2020.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

BOOK WORM: Marty Blank helps a patron check out a book from the Brookfield Public Library on Dec. 26. He retired after 22 years as a circulation assistant at the end of December.

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The Landmark, January 1, 2020

Trial again delayed in township treasurer-LTHS dispute School chief expresses frustration at latest hold-up

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

The trial of the lawsuit that the Lyons Township Trustees of Schools office has filed against Lyons Township High School has been postponed once again.

The suit involving the had been scheduled to go to trial on Dec. 16 after settlement talks broke down, but the Township Treasurer’s Office requested a postponement, said LTHS District 204 Superintendent Timothy Kilrea.

“We were prepared and requested to begin the trial and it’s just disappointment,” Kilrea said. “We knew months ago that the 16th, 17th and 18th were the dates that we were scheduled to go and we wanted to go.”

The case had originally been set for trial in September, but at that time Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Mulroy strongly urged the parties to try and reach a settlement. But after about a month or so of talks, the two sides could not reach a deal and the case was set for trial in December.

The Township Treasurer’s Office (TTO),

which is operated by the Lyons Township Trustees of Schools, sued LTHS in 2013, claiming the high school owes it nearly $4.5 million.

The Township Treasurer’s Office, which by state law manages finances for school districts in Lyons Township, claims that District 204 has not paid its full share to the TTO since 2000.

But in a pretrial motion, Mulroy ruled that the statute of limitations restricts the amount that the TTO can recover, if it wins at trial, to damages incurred for during only the five years before the lawsuit was filed, or approximately $1.9 million.

LTHS claims that it had an agreement with the TTO that the high school would not have to pay its full share of fees, since it didn’t rely on the TTO for much of the financial work that the TTO does for other school districts.

The TTO has already spent more than $2 million in legal fees on the case, while LTHS has spent about $500,000.

No new trial date has yet been set, Kilrea said.

Michael Thiessen, the president of the Lyons Township Trustees of Schools did not return a call seeking comment about the reasons for the delay.

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The Landmark, January 1, 2020

I N

11

M E M O R I A M

In memoriam: Remembering those we lost in 2019

A look back at notable residents and former residents of the Landmark coverage area who died in 2019 Dolores Bilek, 88

Susan Fong, 80

Vera Lynch, 103

William Sherman, 66

The longtime North Riverside resident was well-known in the village as owner of Polar Bear Ice Cream at Cermak and Forest in the 1970s and early 1980s, where local residents flocked in the summer for a cool treat and many local teens snared their first jobs. April 3.

Immigrating to the United States from China in 1958, Fong cut her teeth in the restaurant business in Milwaukee before joining forces with family and her husband, Paul Fong, to start the successful Cantonese Chef restaurant in Chicago’s Chinatown. In 1976, the couple bought the property at 26th and Desplaines in North Riverside and created Chef Shangri-La., known for its Cantonese cuisine and Tiki-inspired tropical drinks. Aug. 19.

The North Riverside resident was a pioneer in the world of Chicago fashion, working her way through the ranks at Marshall Field and Company from holiday season worker to fashion merchandiser/buyer. In 1962, she took on the role of manager of Marshall Field’s new store at the Oakbrook Center shopping mall. She worked for the company for 45 years. Oct. 8.

Named Riverside’s deputy fire chief in 2015, Sherman spent 45 years as a Riverside firefighter and mentored hundreds of firefighters as a training officer in Riverside, Arlington Heights, Western Springs and at the Romeoville Fire Academy.

An avid local historian, he was named an honorary member of the Riverside Historical Commission and actively chronicled the history of the fire department prior to his death on Dec. 19.

James Buresh, 76 A scion of the Brookfield family who founded and operated Frank Buresh’s Lobster House, James met his wife, Carole, while bartending a party at the eatery and the two would celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary just before his death. An attorney, he led the legal, financial and taxation team at Sears which was instrumental in moving the company’s headquarters to Hoffman Estates. Sept. 30.

Thomas F. Carey A resident of Riverside since 1983, Carey starred as a quarterback at Mount Carmel High School and the University of Notre Dame before obtaining his law degree and eventually ascending to the position of president of Hawthorne Race Course, which has been a family business since 1904. He was instrumental in rebuilding the track after a devastating 1978 fire and oversaw its comeback prior to his retirement in 2005. Dec. 17.

Anthony Garbis, 80 Emigrating from Kefalonia, Greece in 1958, Garbis would own a string of grocery stores in the 1960s and 1970s until buying a former Jewel store in downtown Riverside in 1980 and founding Riverside Foods, which remains a vibrant family business. Though officially retired, Garbis was a fixture at the store when he wasn’t at his home in Kefalonia, which he built – the culmination of a lifelong dream -- in 1995.

Dec. 4.

Llewellyn “Lou” Heine, 89 A Purple Heart recipient as a Navy corpsman during the Korean War, Heine was president of Riverside Little League and was a tireless volunteer with the Riverside Lions and American Legion. He was named Riverside Person of the Year, along with his wife, Martha, in 1999. March 19.

Michael Colgrass, 87 The son of Brookfield’s longtime postmaster, Colgrass would leave Brookfield after high school and embark on a musical career, which would see the one-time swing band drummer earn a Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1978 for his experimental piece “Déjà Vu,” commissioned the year before by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. July 2.

Rev. John Hergenrother, 79 Father Hergenrother was named pastor of St. Louise Parish in LaGrange Park in 1985 and assumed the title of pastor emeritus in 2010. In addition to his parish assignments, Hergenrother assisted the archbishop of Chicago as chancellor and as a judge for the Metropolitan Tribunal. July 8.

Rev. James Murphy, 80 Father Murphy was introduced to Brookfield Catholics relatively late in his career. Already a priest for 38 years when he was named pastor of St. Barbara Parish in 2003, he would retire and assume the title of pastor emeritus in 2009. Oct. 1.

Neil Pellicci, 64 The beloved longtime administrator at Komarek School in North Riverside served as the institution’s principal from 1987-2002 and then as superintendent until his retirement in 2015. A physical fitness buff who worked for 14 summers as lifeguard supervisor at Oak Street Beach, he competed in several marathons and triathlons. June 5.

Wayne Pesek, 68 North Riverside’s firstever village administrator worked for the village for more than 30 years, starting off as a part-time seasonal employee in the Department of Public Works. He worked his way up to public works director in 1975. Named administrator in 1982, Pesek oversaw the acquisition of the Melody Mill Ballroom property and the subsequent construction of the municipal complex there in the 2300 and 2400 blocks of Desplaines Avenue. He retired in 2001. Sept. 25.

Richard Tuscher, 72 A longtime resident of the Hollywood section of Brookfield, Tuscher was long involved in local politics, serving as a member of the Brookfield Zoning Board of Appeals and president of the Brookfield Library Board before being elected to the Riverside Township Board of Trustees in 1997. He was appointed township supervisor in 2006 and remained in that role until retiring from government in 2017.

March 19.

Rev. Leon Wagner, 94 The pastor of St. Mary Parish in Riverside from 1975 until 1992, Father Wagner presided over a major interior renovation of the church and oversaw the construction of a new rectory, a split-level residence on Harrick Road across the street from the church. He retired in 1992 to South Carolina, where he continued to assist at a number of parishes. March 7.

To run an obituary Please contact Bob Uphues by e-mail: buphues@wjinc.com, or fax: 708/524-0447 before Monday at noon.

Please include a photo if possible.

12

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

L A N D M A R K

P H O T O S

I N

R E V I E W

2 0 1 9

PHOTOS BY ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer

A year in photos

As always, there was plenty going on in Landmark Land during 2019, and we tried to capture as much as we could. Some of our favorite images from the last 12 months were playful, some somber, but all reflected living in our communities. Clockwise from top left, Riverside and relatives of the late Scuffy Gross celebrated the longtime townhip assessor with the annual Scuffy Gross Memorial Regatta on the Des Plaines River; North Riverside became Circus Town in 2019, first with the family-friendly Circo Hermanos Vasquez (above) and later with the more adult-themed Cirque Paranormal; Riverside Swim Club was buzzing with high-dive daredevils all summer long; Riverside hosted its annual Easter Egg Hunt at Big Ball Park in April; a week later, students and parents gathered at George Washington Middle School for a vigil in the wake of two students taking their own lives; Swan Pond Park, as ever, was a popular place for sledders in January.

Opinion

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

THE LANDMARK VIEW

KOSEY CORNER

The spice of life

Looking forward to the New Year

T

he print edition of the newspaper is pretty tight during the week after Christmas. Businesses, particularly retail outfits, have run their holiday races and are assessing the success or damage and things tend to be on the light side, news-

wise.

That’s why you’ll so often see year-in-review type stories. They’re not only a way to wrap a ribbon around the past 12 months and give it some sort of framework, they’re handy for filling space that otherwise is reserved for hard news.

We hit some of the high spots in our Year in Review story, which you’ll find on this week’s front page, but what we didn’t have room for was a roundup of what many readers come to the newspaper for – the oddball stories that give life that little extra spice.

Here are a few you might remember from 2019: ■ Riverside celebrated the 150th anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted’s General Plan of the village with a host of events, including an old-time baseball game, a picnic event, a year-end gala and a housewalk.

Then there was the Hot-Air Balloon Affair.

Often scheduled, more often canceled and rescheduled, the only time a balloon lifted off, the winds drove it back down, spilling its passengers – including a Landmark photographer -- out of the basket as it made a hard landing.

Maybe next year!

■ In March 2017, a notorious pill mill that had inappropriately dispensed millions of doses of highly addictive, dangerous painkillers to people throughout the nation finally left Riverside.

But as the new property owner prepared to demolish the building, local firefighters found that the clinic’s staff had left behind all kinds of dangerous controlled substances, from fentanyl citrate to hydromorphine, in a lockbox.

■ This summer, the Gold Star Memorial in Riverside’s Guthrie Park got refurbished. At the same time, the village felt it was a good time to pour a new concrete base for the Driver Monument, a huge, old granite horse trough, which had been listing dangerously.

When the crane lifted the monument from its base, however, it broke into three sections. As luck would have it, the monument suffered no damage and was cemented back into one piece on its new, firm base.

■ Who would have pegged North Riverside as Circus Town U.S.A.? Apparently the folks over at the North Riverside Park Mall, who brought two, count ‘em, two circuses – one for the kids and the other more on the R-rated side -- to the mall parking lot, attracting thousands of people and bringing in some unexpected revenue.

The mall hopes to do it all again in 2020.

■ When the Riverside Restaurant, home of breaded pork tenderloin and roast duck, closed its doors in April, lines were out the door as diners sought one more Bohemianinspired meal.

While the European cuisine stalwart is still missed, its replacement El Faro #2, home of the giant burrito, generated excitement of its own, with reports of lines out the door on opening day in mid-December.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

S

eems like only yesterday we were seated at the Chew Chew Café, located in the Arcade Building, watching the clock as a New Year was about to begin.

We expressed some caution, as there was talk about what was going to happen -- it was the year 2000 and the fear mongers were at it again. The clock struck midnight and we continued celebrating. Twenty years later, we are still trying to remember to put the correct date on checks.

We will begin the year by changing the calendars, like the one in the kitchen with pictures of the family. The calendar from St. Mary’s will find a spot, so I can know what is happening liturgically.

In the TV room is our favorite the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader -- a page a day. Long story about this, but it is a special yearly gift. Thank you, Nancy Dvorak. She can tell you the story.

Mother Nature must have lost her calendar, because she sure has been confused lately. Halloween looked like Christmas and Christmas looked like Easter. I’m no meteorologist, but my theory is it has something to do with the tilt of the earth on its axis.

We sat outside around the fire pit at the Duve house to

13

play the grab bag game while some had a rollicking game of croquet. Yes, croquet! A fun time was had by all. Sorry, all you kids who asked for ice skates from Santa.

Always nice stories round this time of year.

Bern Gordus from North Riverside called to let me know what happened to the North Riverside Golden Agers group for their holiday get-together. Seems they had arrangements at a hall in Berwyn on Harlem Avenue only to arrive and find out the establishment had been overbooked. No room at the hall.

It wasn’t a star that led them down the street to Connie’s Restaurant where they were greeted by owner Bill Sotiropoulos. No Grinch at Connie’s, Bill assured them there was room and welcomed the group of 60 people in the restaurant’s party and event room.

According to Gordus, the restaurant was so accommodating they were sure to have gained some new customers. A happy ending for the North Riverside Golden Agers. Think I know where they will be eating next time.

The eternal optimist in me is looking forward to a good year, and with that I wish you all the same. And, to McKenna Kosey, Happy Birthday!

JOANNE KOSEY

LETTERS

Sherman family thanks village for support While this has been an extremely difficult time for us, we have had so many people around us providing love and support. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you.

Thank you to all who came to the Celebration of Life for Bill.

Thank you to everyone who donated to the Riverside Firefighters Association and Riverside Historical Commission in honor of Bill. These were two organizations that he was proud to be a part of.

Thank you to the Riverside Fire Department for assisting with the celebration on Friday. You helped with set up, clean up, parking and traffic flow. You also made sure to check in with us throughout the event to see if we needed anything. We cannot thank you enough for your help and assistance with the celebration.

Thank you to the Riverside Town Hall for providing the space for the event. It is exactly what Bill wanted and more than what we could’ve hoped for. And leave it to Bill to get the elevator fixed the day of !

Thank you to the Landmark, especially JoAnne Kosey

and Bob Uphues, for writing such kind words about Bill.

Bill always said he had a wonderful life and Riverside was such a big part of that. He was honored to live in such a tight knit community.

The Sherman family Riverside

Need a gym much more than a library Brookfield residents have defeated a referendum for a new library, yet we are on the verge of getting one anyway. I am unaware of any community group, other than the library board, clamoring for a new one.

I agree with Rev. Sokol that we need a community center with a well-appointed gym much more than we need a new library. Keep the existing library and put a stateof-art recreation center/gym across the street.

We could ask the queen of Sokoltown, Linda, if that would be OK with her. Of course, this new facility would still be named after her.

James L. Miller

Brookfield

14

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

OBITUARIES

Rosalie M. Jevorutsky, 88 Department store clerk Rosalie “Rose” M. Jevorutsky (nee Delzotti), 88, of Brookfield, died Dec. 22, 2019. She was born Oct. 14, 1931 and worked as a clerk in a department store prior to retirement.

Ms. Jevorutsky was a minister of care, Eucharistic minister and a member of Catholic Women’s Club at St. Louise de Marillac Parish. She was also a Eucharistic minister and lector at St. Barbara Parish and a parishioner at Five Holy Martyrs.

She was the wife of the late Henry E. Jevorutsky; the mother of Carol (Larry) Lemkau and Joseph (Patricia) Jevorutsky; the grandmother of Jason Lemkau, Matthew (Leslie) Lemkau, Aaron Lemkau, Nicholas (Ashley) Jevorutsky, Jacquelyn (Joseph) Pollien and David Lemkau; the great grandmother of Liliana and Genevieve Lemkau, Henry and Mila Jevorutsky; the sister of the late Dominic (Barbara) Delzotti; and the aunt of many nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 28 at St. Louise de Marillac Church, followed by interment at Resurrection Cemetery in Justice.

Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.

Louis F. Schauer, 91 Chicago Zoological Society life trustee Louis F. Schauer, of Riverside, died Dec. 20, 2019.

Mr. Schauer was born in Chicago on Dec. 4, 1928 to Mary Vittich Schauer and Frank William Schauer. He grew up in Chicago attending public schools and graduated from Northwestern University in 1949 and Harvard Law School in 1952.

Upon graduation from Law School, he served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Upon discharge in 1955, Mr. Schauer joined the Chicago law firm of Lord, Bissell & Brook, becoming a partner in 1963. He remained with the firm until his retirement in 1992.

His life took a sharp upturn when he met Nancy Wilson, who became his wife. Mr. Schauer suffered the sadness of having both Nancy and their son, Christopher, predecease him. His older sister, Lorraine, also predeceased him earlier this year.

Mr. Schauer was a most generous man, not only with his means but with his time.

He was a gregarious man with a fine sense of how to tell a story; he had a ready smile and a quick wit.

His life was filled with many interests. As a lawyer, Lou responded to a concern in the American business community in the 1970s that an increase in shareholder litigation against directors of large corporations had highlighted the risks individuals assumed in serving on boards of directors.

Mr. Schauer chaired committees of the American Bar Association, working with a handful of other lawyers, corporate officers and insurance professionals to develop forms for insurance for directors and officers that were then sold to the largest corporations; now this insurance product is sold to organizations of every size. As a partner at Lord, Bissell, he developed this practice, founding a department concentrating on issues of liabilities of corporate directors and officers.

Mr. Schauer’s legal interests took him into other arenas. He served as village attorney for Western Springs and later as president of the board of trustees of the village. He also served as chairman of the Western Suburban Mass Transit District.

His concern for our world led him to devote substantial energy to the Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Zoological Society. Mr. Schauer was a longtime member of the CZS Board of Trustees, served as secretary of the board for many years and played a key role in CZS’s collaboration with the Australian government in conserving 850,000 acres of wildlife habitat. He became a life trustee in 2005.

Nancy and Lou Schauer’s artistic interests led them to the Theater of Western Springs beginning in 1957. Lou served as business manager for several years and later as treasurer.

He was on the theater’s first board of trustees and also served later terms. He continued to serve on committees of the theater until his death. During his 62 years of devotion to the theater, he was cast in 16 plays.

Mr. Schauer also was on the board of the Chicago Opera Theater.

Lou is survived by relatives and friends, the good he did for many, and the memories of those who were fortunate to know him.

Ivins/Moravecek Funeral Home, Riverside, handled arrangements.

To run an obituary Contact Bob Uphues by e-mail: buphues@rblandmark.com

Happy Holidays!

Growing Community Media

We’ve created a new non-profit with one purpose: to own our four respected and essential community newspapers and, then, to grow independent, sustainable journalism in our seven neighborhoods for the decades to come.

That path will surely include printing newspapers and selling all the advertising we can. But we’ll add more digital reporting, more specialized beats, video, podcasts and events.

And where’s this new stream of non-profit revenue coming from?

From readers and donors in our seven neighborhoods who see the essential value in independent community journalism.

Partner with us.

Find out more at GrowingCommunityMedia.org

@RBLandmark

Sports

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

15

LTHS and RBHS boys hoops compete at York tourney Zilinskas stars for Bulldogs

By MELVIN TATE, JAMES KAY Contributing Reporter, Sports Editor

Riverside-Brookfield and Lyons Township high schools headed to York and participated in the annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic. Here is how the first few days went down for the Lions and Bulldogs.

Day One Riverside-Brookfield boys basketball team prevailed in its’ first-round matchup against Stagg by a score of 65-48.

Trailing 10-9 after the opening quarter, the Bulldogs outscored the Chargers 41-26 over the next 16 minutes to take a commanding 50-35 lead.

Paul Zilinskas led RBHS with 28 points, going 5-for-8 from three-point range. Other contributors to the victory were John Hanley (10 points), Jack Stivers (8 points, 5 rebounds), and Nate Schoditsch (7 assists).

LTHS used a 35-16 outburst over the middle two quarters to notch a 64-45 victory over Sandburg.

LTHS guard Grant Niego led the Lions with 19 points and 10 rebounds. John Wall added 9 points and 11 rebounds, and Ben Engels and Josh Heath each contributed 8 points.

Day Two The Bulldogs led Wheaton North 25-23 at halftime, but the Falcons erupted for 23 points in the third quarter and 19 more in the fourth to win 65-53.

Wheaton North, which shot 58 percent from the floor, had four players score in double figures, led by Xander Mueller’s 17 points. Garrett Horner tallied 16 points, Ben Bonga 15, and Zack Lorensten 14 for the Falcons.

Zilinskas led RBHS with 13 points and 7 rebounds. Luke Gentile, Dylan Meehan, and Jamir Truman each added 8 points for the Bulldogs.

Against St. Laurence, the Lions used a 30-14 first quarter to cruise to an 81-53 victory.

Niego led LTHS with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Josh Heath added 19 points and 7 rebounds. Ben Engels (9 points, 10 rebounds) and Stefan Vasic (9 points, 5 rebounds off the bench) were other key contributors for the Lions.

Day Three Things started off promising for LTHS as it led 13-9 early in the second quarter, but then Schaumburg went on a 12-0 run to take the lead for good. Committed to University of WisconSee ROUND UP on page 16

THREAT FROM DEEP: RBHS’ Paul Zilinskas (No. 10) has averaged 22.3 point per game in three games at the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

16

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

S P O R T S

ROUND UP

pouring in 18 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, including 12 in the second quarter.

“Paul was huge. When he’s scoring like that, we’re tough to beat,” Reingruber said.

“He can score in a multitude of ways, and he from page 15 did it again tonight.” sin, the 6’8 Hodges showed why he’s one of Although no other Bulldog reached douthe state’s top junior players by scoring nine ble-digits in scoring, RBHS (7-5) had plenty of his 13 points during the run. of solid all-around performances. Jamir “We had to send two guys on him every Truman finished with 9 points and 4 retime he put the ball on the bounds, Luke Gentile floor,” said Niego, who finhad 8 points and 4 asWEB EXTRA ished with a game-high sists, Dylan Meehan had For a complete holiday tournament 27 points along with 7 re8 points and 6 rebounds, bounds. “He causes a lot and Jack Stivers added a sports roundup of attention which causes game-high 8 rebounds.

LOG ON TO kickouts and that’s very This article does not RBLANDMARK.COM hard to stop.” contain the most recent In the second half, LTHS Jack Tosh tournament results since the print (5-5) kept Hodges off the scoreboard and trailed 30-29 entering the edition was designed before the conclusion of fourth quarter. However, despite Niego the tournament. scoring 11 points in the final eight minutes, Fenwick battles in Proviso West Tournament Schaumburg was able to maintain the lead Over the course of four days, the Friars and ultimately secured the victory.

Jared Schoo led Schaumburg (12-2) with made a statement to the rest of state that 16 points and 5 rebounds. Hodges finished they are ready to contend for a title. Bryce with 9 rebounds, and Vaurice Patterson had Hopkins, who is one of the top collegiate a solid all-around game for the Saxons with prospects in the country, averaged 28.8 points per game, 13.8 rebounds per game, 4.5 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

“Schaumburg plays very good defense assists per game, and 2 blocks per game at and didn’t give us a lot of open looks,” said the tournament. He capped off 2019 with a Sloan. “There weren’t as many opportuni- 44-point performance against Zion Benton ties as they were in our previous game (a High School and hit a buzz beater to give the 81-53 win over St. Laurence), and we didn’t Friars third place honors. make as many open three-point shots as we How they got there did yesterday.”

Fenwick faced Larkin High School in the After suffering a 65-53 loss to Wheaton North in Friday’s second round, Riverside- first round of the tournament and beat Brookfield was looking to come out strong the Royals 69-56 on Dec. 26. Hopkins had 28 in its consolation-round game against Prov- points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and one block while his teammate Max Reese rounded out idence Saturday.

The Bulldogs certainly accomplished that his night with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 aim and then some as they jumped out to assists.

Fenwick controlled the momentum for a 16-0 first-quarter lead on the Celtics and most of the contest outside of one Larkin cruising to a 62-43 victory.

“We haven’t gotten off to great starts re- run in the second quarter that put the Royals cently, and so we were preaching that,” said within striking distance at 36-30. However, Reingruber. “The guys came out ready to the Friars responded with threes from Cal Malchow and Eian Pugh (Hopkins assisted play.

Zilinskas helped set the early tone by on both shots) to put Fenwick up 44-32. Two transition dunks later from Hopkins and the Friars never looked back.

On Dec. 27, the Friars fended off Uplift High School’s second half surge and took down the Titans 64-55. Hopkins finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 Montini Christmas Tournament blocks, and 3 steals. Reese ended his night 12/26: (W) Fremd 42, Lyons Township 49 with 18 points (9-of-11 from the field), 5 12/27: (L) Lake Forest 46, Lyons Township 26 rebounds and 2 steals. After a rough out12/28: (W) Lyons Township 67, Hersey 59 ing against Larkin on Dec. 26, Pettigrew bounced back and 12 points, 6 assists and 3 Fenwick Girls Basketball steals.

12/26: (W) Fenwick 53, Prospect 41 Both teams struggled to generate offense 12/27: (L) Main South 55, Fenwick 50 in the first eight minutes of the game un12/28: (W) Fenwick 60, Dundee Crown 42 til the Friars used a 14-4 run in the second quarter to distance themselves from the TiRBHS Girls Basketball tans. Up 23-15 entering the second half, Hop12/23: (W) Riverside-Brookfield 69, Shepard 36 12/26: (W) Riverside-Brookfield 64, Argo 40 kins and Reese collectively scored 10 points 12/27: (W) Riverside-Brookfield 53, Morton 69 in the first three and a half minutes of the 12/28: (W) Riverside-Brookfield 7, Jones 46 third quarter to give the Friars a 31-15 cushion (they finished the quarter with a 40-28 lead).

Holiday hoops

S C O R E B O A R D

SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor

LIFT OFF: Fenwick’s Bryce Hopkins attempts dunk versus Uplift High School. He averaged 28.8 PPG at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament The Titans’ full court press in the fourth quarter helped shrink Fenwick’s 18-point lead to six points after Uplift’s Taijay Brown hit a layup in traffic. However, Hopkins scored five points in the last 55 seconds of the game to lift the Friars past the Titans.

On Dec. 28, Fenwick lost 64-63 in the semi-finals in a heart breaker to Morton High School. The Mustangs drained 25 seconds off the clock before finding Trenten Nadolski underneath the basket. He went up for a layup and was fouled by Pettigrew, who was trying to recover the Friars’ broken coverage with 0.9 seconds left in the game. Nadolski completed the threepoint play and pushed his team to the next round.

Assistant coach Titcus Pettigrew said af-

ter the game that Trey stood in front of the team and apologized for the foul and that, “[Trey] will learn from this experience. This is a part of the game and you need to have a short memory in sports.”

Hopkins finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists while Pettigrew had 14 points, 2 assists and 3 steals and set the tone on offense and defense.

On Dec. 29, the Friars held an 8-point lead with 4:14 left in the game before Zion-Benton came back to tie the game. With 12.9 seconds left in the game, Peck put the game in the hands of his star.

Hopkins took the ball up court, dribbled behind his back to shake off his defender, found some room at the top of the key and buried a three to win the game.

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

RBLANDMARK.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

WEDNESDAY

CLASSIFIED Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

17

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI

NEW!

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

Wednesday Journal Classified must be notified before the second insertion.

The newspaper reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

Place your ad online anytime at: www.RBLandmark.com/Classified/

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

HELP WANTED

ACCOUNTANT Meditech Medical Billing and Consulting, Inc. seeks Accountant. Mail resume to 240 E Lake St, #300B, Addison, IL

NETWORK SPECIALIST The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Network Specialist in the Information Technology Department.

The ideal candidate will need to be knowledgeable and capable to apply the principles and procedures of computer systems, such as, data communication, hierarchical structure, backups, testing and critical analysis.Hardware and software configuration of computers, servers and mobile devices, including computing environments of Windows Server and Desktop OS and applications, Unix/Linux OS, VMware, IOS/ Android. Network protocols, security, configuration and administration, including firewalls, routers, switches and wireless technology. Cabling and wiring, including fiber network, telephone, serial communication, termination, and punch-down. Telecommunications theory and technology, including VoiP, serial communication, wireless protocols, PBX, fax, voicemail and auto-attendant.

Interested and qualified applicants can visit our website at http://www. oak-park.us/ for more details.

PART-TIME BUS DRIVER The Village of Forest Park has immediate opening for a responsible part-time PACE Bus Driver to transport senior citizens, disabled residents and school children. Must have a valid Illinois C Class CDL license and attend PACE training.

In addition, must be physically fit and submit to criminal background check, annual physical exam and drug and alcohol testing. $12$14.00/hour DOQ. Apply in person at Howard Mohr Community Center, 7640 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

708-771-7737 CHILDCARE WORKER The Village of Forest Park has immediate openings for before and after school program. Part-time hours are M-F 2-6 p.m. Must be at least 18 years old, have a driver’s license and pass drug screening and background check. Apply in person at Howard Mohr Community Center, 7640 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

708-771-7737.

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Customer Service Representative (part-time 20 hours/week; M-F 10am-2pm) in the Public Works Department. This position provides customer service to the public by providing a variety of responsible and difficult customer service and receptionist work including high volume telephone and email communications; and to perform customer service duties with direction from the Environmental Services division including but not limited to service requests, green block party requests, refuse billing adjustments and refuse cart audits. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www. oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

This position is posted until January 13, 2020.

PARKING RESTRICTION COORDINATOR The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Parking Restriction Coordinator in the Development Customer Services Department. This position will plan and coordinate all activities and operations associated with the Village of Oak Park Parking Restrictions Program and provide assistance to the Parking & Mobility Services Manager and the Director of Development Customer Services in coordinating the provision of such services to the public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oakpark.us/. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than January 17, 2020.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER Apsiva, Inc. d/b/a Catsy., seeks Software Engineer. Mail resume to 505 N LaSalle Drive #300, Chicago, IL SYSTEM ANALYST Procom Enterprises, Ltd., seeks System Analyst. Mail resume to 951 Busse Road, Elk Grove Village, IL TEACHER AND TEACHER AIDE MINI ME BUNCH seeks teacher and teacher aide to enhance and expand daycare serving children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Teacher must have at least AAS in Early Childhood Education. Minimum 1 year experience preferred in each position.

Must love children and be outgoing, patient, flexible. Contact 773-521-9499.

SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE NEW CONCEPT FOR MAYWOOD In this quiet residential neighborhood

SUBURBAN RENTALS CICERO Lg 3 RMS, 1BR. $795/mo. No pets.

Sec. dep. Incl. heat, water, appl., etc. Blvd Manor area.

BROKER 312-780-9257 3BR 1 BA APARTMENT Recently updated, hardwood floors throughout, ceiling fans in every room. Kitchen w/ granite countertops. Garage parking 1 space, 2 spaces outside parking. Storage in basement. Washer & dryer on property free to tenants. Award-winning schools. Close to public trans, parks & shopping. $1500/mo. Elec. Included. Tenant pays heating & cooking gas only. 1 month req’d for security.

Jim 708-955-1684 RIVERSIDE 5RMS 2 BR incl. heat, water, parking, appl., etc. $995/mo. Sec. dep.

Lease. Parking area, close to train, bus & shopping.

BROKER 312-780-9257

ROOMS FOR RENT AUSTIN CLEAN ROOM With fridge, micro.

Nr Oak Park, Super Walmart, Food 4 Less, bus, & Metra. $116/wk and up.

773-637-5957

CITY RENTALS

ITEMS FOR SALE

APARTMENT FOR RENT 5400 W BLK GLADYS 2 bedroom apt w 1/bath 2nd floor of 2 flat building in Austin area. $1200/ mo. + 1 mo. security. Avail Feb. 1.

Call 773-576-5122 fredb60615@gmail.com

1999 ELIZABETH TAYLOR CLEOPATRA DOLL $70.00 Call 708-513-0087

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT THERAPY OFFICES FOR RENT Therapy offices for rent in north Oak Park. Rehabbed building. Nicely furnished. Flexible leasing. Free parking. Free wifi; Secure building; Friendly colleagues providing referrals. Shared waiting room; optional Conference. Call or email with questions. Shown on Sundays.

Lee 708.383.0729 drlmadden@ameritech.net

COMMERCIAL RETAIL SPACE RETAIL SPACE–FOR LEASE A 1600 Sq Ft. Retail Space for Lease in Strip Mall: 321 S. Harlem Ave., Forest Park, IL. 60130. Vacated. Available Now. Upgraded. Formerly a Cleaners. End space. Heavy foot/road traffic area.

45-Space Parking Lot! For more details: Serious Inquiries ONLY: EMAIL: poppygator@yahoo.com CALL/TEXT: PB at: (708)250-7997 www.RBLandmark.com

SUBURBAN RENTALS

M&M property management, inc.

708-386-7355 • www.mmpropmgt.com 649 Madison Street, Oak Park Contact us for a complete list of available rentals throughout Oak Park and Forest Park.

Apartment listings updated daily at:

902 S. 3RD AVENUE

CHEST OF DRAWERS & DRESSER WITH MIRROR $65.00 each. Dust proof drawers.

Blonde finish.

708-848-8755 HENREDON DINING SET Henredon Aston Court carved wood oriental dining table and chairs.

4 side and 2 arm chairs. Must see!

Claw foot, pedestal table. Negotiable.

773-640-3582 LENOX CHINA AUTUMN PATTERN Lenox dishes, Presidential Collection, Autumn pattern, gold trimmed w/ hand-painted beads, service for 8, $125 per 5 piece place setting. Made in USA. 773-640-3582 SCANDINAVIAN TEAK WOOD BOOKCASE Adjustable shelves. 6 ft 7 in high, 4 ft wide. Must see! $175.00 negotiable.

773-640-3582 SHEARLING COAT Brown shearling coat w/ attached hood. $149.00 708-848-8755

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

Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400

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

cat calls

Oak Park’s Original Pet Care Service – Since 1986

You have jobs. We have readers!

Find the best employees with Wednesday Classified! Call 708-613-3342.

A&A ELECTRIC

We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles We fix any electrical problem and do small jobs We install Surge Protectors • Home Re-wiring • New Plugs & Switches Added • New circuit breaker boxes • Code violations corrected Service upgrades,100-200 amp • Garage & A/C lines installed Fast Emergency Service | Residential • Commercial • Industrial Free Home Evaluations | Lic. • Bonded • Ins. • Low Rates • Free Est.

708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area

ELECTRICAL Red Star Electric

Your Neighborhood Electricians *Licensed *Bonded *Insured

-Residential/ Commercial Electrical Upgrades -Electrical Service/ Panel Upgrades -Electrical Vehicle Charging Stations -Standby Generators 708 722 1388 www.RedStarElectric.net

HANDYMAN Mike’s Home Repair Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do

708-296-2060 HAULING BASEMENT CLEANING

FLOORS

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

KLIS FLOORING INC.

HEATING / AIR CONDITIONING

New hardwood flooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-finishing, staining. Low prices, insured.

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

GARAGE/ GARAGE DOOR

Garage Doors &

Smart Door Openers

HEATING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT Furnaces, Boilers and Space Heaters Refrigerators Ranges • Ovens Washer • Dryers Rodding Sewers

Sales & Service

Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience

(708) 652-9415

FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.

Free Estimates

www.forestdoor.com

HANDYMAN CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE Drywall Repair • Painting Fans Installed • Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning • Window Repair

Lost & Found, Items for Sale, and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified.

To place your ad, call 708-613-3342

ELECTRICAL

Let an American Veteran do your work

Our 73rd Year

524-1030

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

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

Ceiling Fans Installed

PETS

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

(2 blks W of 1st Ave & 1 blk N of Madison)

Reserve your own affordable 2 or 3 BR condo unit of 1000+ sq ft of living space being built on this historic site. You’ll benefit from a unique 12-year tax freeze and lower monthly living expenses from energy saving systems/appliances, and you can help design your own individual unit. Plans also include building 5 new townhomes onsite.

For details Call 708-383-9223.

1998-1999 HARLEY-DAVIDSON KEN & BARBIE DOLLS $80.00 for both Call 708-513-0087

ELECTRICAL

708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000

FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small

708-488-9411 Find more homeimprovement pros on the next page!

☛

Happy New Year!

18

The Landmark, January 1, 2020

RBLANDMARK.COM

CLASSIFIED HVAC

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WINDOWS

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Cold rooms, we have the solution!

Our acrylic storm window inserts will make your rooms warmer, and reduce outside noise We can make for exterior or interior or both, any size to fit your window.

No need for expensive window replacement, low cost local install or DIY. Direct from manufacturer, we’re right up the street in Galewood, see our factory video. Owner is an Oak Park resident since 2008.

Call for a simple, free estimate, fully guaranteed or your money back BBB A+ rating.

sales@stormsnaps.com Alpina Manufacturing, 6460 W. Cortland St. Chicago Visit our website for easy online ordering or call us for info:

773-202-8887 STORMSNAPS.COM free local delivery

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y19002756 on December 9, 2019 Under the Assumed Business Name of SAFE SAVINGS FOR YOU with the business located at:4003 CONGRESS STREET, BELLWOOD, IL 60104. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: MELISSA FENTRESS 4003 CONGRESS STREET BELLWOOD, IL 60104.

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: Y19002724 on December3, 2019 Under the Assumed Business Name of KISAKIDCARE HOME DAYCARE with the business located at:1040 N AUSTIN BLVD, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: KISA ERINN MICHELLE MARX 1040 N AUSTIN BLVD OAK PARK, IL 60302.

Published in Forest Park Review 12/18, 12/25/2019, 1/1/2020

Published in Wednesday Journal 12/18, 12/25/2019, 1/1/2020

Starting a new business in 2020?

Call the experts before you place your legal ad!

Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice here.

Call 708/613-3342 to advertise.

Public Notice: Your right to know

CLASSIC PAINTING

Attention!

Home-improvement pros!

®

Let the sun shine in...

PAINTING & DECORATING

HHHHHHHHHHH H H H H H H HVAC H H Furnace repair– H H all makes.

H H Inspect furnace, H H vacuum burner.

H Trouble calls, no heat. H H H H 708-612-4803 H Serving the suburbs.

H H refs.

H H LicensedGood • Bonded • Insured H H HHHHHHHHHHH

Easy press fit from the inside

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

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE OF INTENT REQUEST FOR THE RELEASE OF FUNDS On January 9, 2020, on behalf of the Oak Park Housing Authority (OPHA), the Village of Oak Park (Village) as the Responsible Entity will request the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to release funds for 5-Year Action Plan 2017-2021 public housing Capital Fund Program costs in Oak Park, Illinois at a total cost of $906,881. Proposed work at Mills Park Tower consists of further modernization of the dwelling units in resident bathrooms, replacement of baseboard heaters, electrical/mechanical and painting/ caulking improvements, exterior water-proofing and the replacement of the building roof. An Environmental Review Record covering this activity has been made by the Village, which documents the environmental review. This Environmental Review Record (ERR) is on file at the below address and is available for public examination and copying upon request from January 2-8, 2020. The ERR is also available on the HUD Environmental Review Online System (HEROS) at: https://www.onecpd.info/environmental-review/environmentalreview-records On behalf of OPHA, the Village of Oak Park and Cara Pavlicek, in her official capacity as Village Manager, consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to environmental reviews, decisionmaking, and action, and that these responsibilities have been satisfied.

The legal effect of the certification

is that upon its approval, OPHA may use the Capital Fund Program funds, and HUD will have satisfied its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. HUD will accept an objection of its approval of the release of funds and acceptance of the certification only if it is on one of the following bases: (a) that the certification was not in fact executed by one or both of the responsible entity’s Certifying Officers; (b) that the responsible entity has failed to make one of the two findings pursuant to Sec. 58.40 or to make the written determination required by Secs. 58.35, 58.47 or 58.53 for the project or activity, as applicable; or (c) that the recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs or undertaken activities not authorized by Sec. 58.75 before release of funds and approval of the environmental certification by HUD. Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required procedure (24 CFR Part 58) and may be addressed to William Dawson III, Director, Office of Field Operation, HUD Chicago Office of Public Housing, 77 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 2414, Chicago, Illinois 60604. Objections to the release of funds based on other than those stated above will not be considered by HUD. No objection received after 5 p.m., January 24, 2020 will be considered by HUD. Cara Pavlicek, Village Manager (Certifying Officer) 123 Madison Street Oak Park, IL 60302

Published in Wednesday Journal 1/1/2020

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC D/B/A MR. COOPER Plaintiff, -v.ERNEST BROWN, MELENA ASHER, DANIELLE BRIDGES, ERNEST BROWN, III, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF VERA BROWN, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, JULIE FOX, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR VERA BROWN (DECEASED) Defendants 2018 CH 08189 1114 NORTH AUSTIN BLVD 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 March 14, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 13, 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 1114 NORTH AUSTIN BLVD, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-307-0300000 The real estate is improved with a

single family residence.

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

PUBLIC NOTICES SPECIAL ASSESSMENT NOTICE Village of Brookfield Special Warrant No. 361 NOTICE is hereby given that the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, County Department, County Division has rendered judgment for a special assessment upon property benefited by the following improvement: the public alley in the 3500 block between Forest Avenue and Prairie Avenue in the Village of Brookfield, as will more fully appear from the certified copy of the judgment on file in my office and that the warrant for the collection of this assessment is in my possession. All persons interested are hereby notified to call and pay the amount assessed at the collector’s office of the Village of Brookfield, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513 within 30 days from the date hereof.

The assessment may be paid in ten (10) equal annual installments at the rate of six percent (6%) per annum payable beginning on January 2, 2020, and on the 2nd day of January of each of the nine successive years. Each installment is to be calculated as follows: ten percent (10%) of the total amount assessed against the tax parcel of property plus interest at the rate of six (6%) percent per annum on the unpaid balance due.

Dated: December 23, 2019.

Doug Cooper Village Collector, Village of Brookfield Published in Landmark 01/01 and 01/08/2020

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.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-18-06406 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2018 CH 08189 TJSC#: 39-7776 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 # 2018 CH 08189 I3140280

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.

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

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

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 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.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 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.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-16-08522 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 16 CH 009347 TJSC#: 39-7886 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 # 16 CH 009347 I3140426

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION CITIZENS BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION F/K/A RBS CITIZENS, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO CHARTER ONE BANK, F.S.B SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO HINSDALE FEDERAL BANK FOR SAVINGS Plaintiff, -v.CARL T. GROESBECK, LEIGHTON HOLDINGS, LTD., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 16 CH 009347 331 N. TAYLOR 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 March 19, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 31, 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 331 N. TAYLOR AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-109-0110000 The real estate is improved with a residence.

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

P

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The Landmark, January 1, 2020

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The Landmark, January 1, 2020

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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST Plaintiff, -v.CHRISTINA LOCELSO, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF THERESA LOCELSO, DAMON RITENHOUSE, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THERESA LOCELSO (DECEASED) Defendants 2019 CH 04850 1130 S. HARVEY AVENUE OAK PARK, IL 60304 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 10, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 22, 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 1130 S. HARVEY AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60304 Property Index No. 16-17-319-0130000 The real estate is improved with a residence.

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.

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of re-

demption.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

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

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 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.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 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.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-19-01584 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2019 CH 04850 TJSC#: 39-7931 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 # 2019 CH 04850 I3140848

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 7, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 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 914 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD UNIT #C-8, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-320-0401025 The real estate is improved with a condo/townhouse.

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 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.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 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.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100

BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-18-07459 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2018 CH 08851 TJSC#: 39-8067 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 # 2018 CH 08851 I3141155

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 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.

For information, HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 111 East Main Street, DECATUR, IL, 62523 (217) 4221719. Please refer to file number 321472.

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.

HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC 111 East Main Street DECATUR IL, 62523 217-422-1719 Fax #: 217-422-1754 E-Mail: CookPleadings@hsbattys. com Attorney File No. 321472 Attorney Code. 40387 Case Number: 18 CH 05792 TJSC#: 39-7333 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 # 18 CH 05792 I3139989

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR THE POOLING AND SERVICING AGREEMENT DATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 ABFC ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-WMC1 Plaintiff, -v.DARYL SATCHER, MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., OAK PARK TERRACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION Defendants 2018 CH 08851 914 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD UNIT #C-8 OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION TIAA, FSB D/B/A EVERBANK Plaintiff, -v.ROSEMARY NASH, THE 720 N. AUSTIN CONDOMINIUM Defendants 18 CH 05792 720 N. AUSTIN BLVD., UNIT 101 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 November 13, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on February 14, 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 720 N. AUSTIN BLVD., UNIT 101, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-105-0211002 The real estate is improved with a residential condominium.

The judgment amount was $100,942.18.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the

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The Landmark, January 1, 2020

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