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RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD Also serving North Riverside

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Vol. 36, No. 8

February 24, 2021

@riversidebrookfieldlandmark

Apartment building owner ordered to fix code violations PAGE 6

450 vaccinated at North Riverside pop-up clinic

Riverside Building Dept. in flux as director departs PAGE 8

JUST AN OLD CHUNK O’ SNOW

Village, senior service agencies pull together event in just days By BOB UPHUES Editor

The village of North Riverside in partnership with several other agencies serving senior citizens pulled together on short notice a COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Feb. 21 that inoculated about 450 people, including some 170 seniors from North Riverside. Village Trustee Joseph Mengoni, who is one of three people running for North Riverside mayor in April, said that he was approached to help pull together the clinic because of his experience organizing other large-scale clinics for clients and employees of UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago, where he is executive director. See VACCINES on page 14

Elizabeth Gallegos, 6, and Kendra Gallegos, 11, took advantage of moderating temperatures last weekend to play in the snow at Commons Park in North Riverside on Feb. 20. SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor

LTHS board drops ‘Huck Finn’ from curriculum Twain staple as well as ‘Frankenstein’ are out after this year

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Mark Twain’s classic novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” will no longer be taught

at Lyons Township High School, which will drop the book from its curriculum after the school year ends. Presently, “Huck Finn” is assigned reading in Honors English I at LTHS, but the

District 204 Board of Education approved dropping the novel as part of curriculum changes approved Feb. 19. At the same meeting the school board approved an equity statement for LTHS

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The Landmark, February 24, 2021

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The Landmark, February 24, 2021

Riverside police deploy first hybrid squad car Lower fuel costs, smaller carbon footprint is the goal for green initiative By BOB UPHUES

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Kosey Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Editor

When Elwood Blues picked up his brother, Jake, from the Joliet pen in the “The Blues Brothers,” Jake was none too pleased to be riding in a former Mount Prospect police squad car. But Elwood, knew better: “It’s got a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It’s got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It’s a model made before catalytic converters, so it’ll run good on regular gas.” Cop cars have come a long way since then. They sure don’t run on leaded “regular” gas, and the newest addition to the Riverside police fleet can run without burning any gasoline at all. Earlier this year, the department’s new 2021 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor allwheel-drive hybrid hit the streets, the first “green” patrol vehicle deployed by the department. “The village board has made it clear that, when possible, we should come up with green alternatives for normal operations,” said Police Chief Thomas Weitzel. “This is our first jump into it.” Riverside trustees approved the $37,700 purchase from Currie Motors through Illinois State Police’s Suburban Purchasing Cooperative back on March 19, 2020 – the first Riverside Village Board meeting held virtually due to the COVID-19 emergency. The cost of the vehicle was $3,800 to $5,000 more than a conventional vehicle, said Weitzel, but he said the short-term cost could be balanced by lower fuel costs. “The tradeoff could be less fuel used and demonstrates the village is doing its part to reduce its carbon footprint,” Weitzel said. Weitzel said the pandemic delayed delivery for months, with Riverside finally receiving the vehicle at the end of last year. It’s been on the streets for about a month, but it won’t be in the regular patrol rotation until every officer in the department has a chance to get acquainted with it. “We’re in total training mode,” Weitzel said. “I didn’t want to put it out there until every officer had used it.” According to Weitzel, the hybrid patrol vehicle could save more than $3,000 annually in fuel costs and decrease carbon emissions by more than 30,000 pounds compared to conventional squad cars, which are used 24 hours a day and average nearly five hours a day idling. While patrol vehicles can be switched off

IN THIS ISSUE

BOB UPHUES/Editor

NEW WHEELS: Riverside Police Officer Dan Marrello (above) says the department’s new Ford Explorer Police Interceptor hybrid should meet the needs of the department and reduce fuel costs. during summer months, idling times increase in cold weather, said Weitzel, because the engines also power the onboard computer, radar and other electronic systems. If the engine is cold, said Weitzel, “To get the computers up and running, it can take as long as 20 minutes.” The hybrid vehicle does idle in the parking lot of the police department, ready for action, when it’s not being used. But it’s drawing power from the battery, and the gas-powered engine will only periodically start – and then run for only 30 or 40 seconds – to recharge the battery. Riverside Police Officer Dan Marrello, whose personal vehicle is a hybrid, said the new addition to the fleet ought to serve the needs of Riverside police. The engine will kick over to the gas motor if it’s accelerating quickly, but if an officer is doing routine driving and the battery is powered up, it’ll run completely without burning gasoline. “To me, the benefit is the day in and day out of just patrolling the streets and not wasting a ton of gas by just doing that,”

Marrello said. “City driving is what this is for. I can’t see this for like state patrol on I-55 where you go 100 mph after speeders. But, this is perfect for Riverside, I think. It’ll do well.” Marrello has driven the new hybrid on patrol in the past month and said he’s already seen evidence of it using significantly less fuel. “Typical 25 mph driving, which is patrol driving, with the stop signs and everything else, I was getting 21 miles per gallon, where I think it’s 13 with the other squads,” Marrello said. “So that right there was a big difference already.” Weitzel said the department is scheduled to replace another vehicle this year but will choose a conventional squad car. Riverside police may opt for more hybrid vehicles in the future, but Weitzel said he wants at least a full year’s worth of data on fuel and cost savings as well as performance reviews of officers who use the hybrid squad car. “If it meets expectations, we could move toward that,” Weitzel said.

Read it online at www.rblandmark.com

Editor Bob Uphues Sports Editor James Kay Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Javier Govea, Mark Moroney Debbie Becker Sales and Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich

Growing Community Media BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

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 digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00. A one-year subscription costs $34 within Cook County and $44 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. © 2021 Growing Community Media NFP.

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

BIG WEEK February 24-March 3

Leprechaun Trap Contest RICK MCINTYRE

Clap for the wolf man

Grown-up game night

Brookfield Public Library challenges kids to build a better leprechaun trap during its Leprechaun Trap Contest from March 1-16. Make a leprechaun trap at home to catch the mischievous magical creatures who always seek a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Then take a photo and email it to youthservices@brookfieldlibrary.info to enter the contest and win prizes.

Riverside Public Library invites adults only to participate in its final online Grown-up Game Night on Friday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. on Zoom. Put the kids to bed and join in playing some Jackbox favorites. You’ll need to watch Zoom on one screen while playing along on a mobile device. Register for the program at riversidelibrary.libcal.com/event/7358111.

Winners will be notified on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. Visit brookfieldlibrary.info for more information.

The Chicago Zoological Society continues its winter virtual lecture series on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. with Rick McIntyre, the acclaimed author of the “Alpha Wolves of Yellowstone” book series. McIntyre, who has recorded more sightings of wild wolves than any other person in history, will speak about his new book “The Reign of Wolf 21.” This true story is about a wolf pup whose father was shot and killed the day he was born. Wolf 21 and his seven siblings were raised by a single mother and a young adult male that joined the pack and helped her. Later, 21 left home and joined a neighboring pack as their new alpha male. Online reservations are required and can be made at czs.org/Brookfield-Zoo/Learning/Lectures.

Recycle batteries, phones at LTHS

Through Friday, March 5, the Lyons Township High School Recycling Club will host a battery and old phone recycling drive. All LTHS students, families and community members are invited to drop their used batteries and old cell phones in the labeled collection boxes in the lobby of each campus. The North Campus is at 100 S. Brainard Ave in LaGrange. The South Campus is at 4900 S. Willow Springs Road in Western Springs. Spent A, AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt batteries will be accepted at no cost.

Drive-thru pancake breakfast

Boy Scout Troop 24 will host its annual pancake breakfast -- with a twist -- this year on Saturday, March 6 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Riverside Presbyterian Church, 116 Barrypoint Road in Riverside. Due to the pandemic, the event will be drive-thru in 2021. Instead of sitting inside at tables, customers will remain in their cars and present or purchase tickets at one tent before proceeding to pick up their meals at a second tent. Tickets are $6 each in advance or $7 at the tent. Kids under 5 eat free. For advance tickets and information visit online at everyyear.org.

And more Lyons Township High School invites the community to enjoy an exhibit of student artwork online at lths.net/artwork. The virtual exhibit features pieces of art in various mediums and from all levels, including drawings, paintings, photographs, jewelry, textiles, video and sculpture. Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St., invites you “The Kitchen Sink,” a group show which runs through April 3 in the Freeark Gallery. The exhibition features the work of artists Bimbola Akinbola, Alex Bradley Cohen, Mari Eastman, Cassidy Early, Zehra ■

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Khan, Kelly Neibert and Sophie Treppendahl. Free. Appointments required. Hours are Thursday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Email info@riversideartscenter. com to schedule an appointment. Chicago Zoological Society’s animal care staff presents “Bringing to Zoo to You” Facebook Live chats each weekday at 11 a.m. through February. If you can’t tune in at 11 a.m., you can watch the videos later on Brookfield Zoo’s Facebook page or YouTube channel. North Riverside Public Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., offers a number of virtual programs through Facebook Live (facebook.com/NRPL2400), ■

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conference calls and the teleconferencing app Zoom. Programs include Makerspace Mondays on Facebook Live and YouTube on March 1 at 7 p.m. and Game Night Wednesdays on March 3 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. There’s also Spanish Language Book Club/Club de Lectura Espanol via Zoom discussing “El Atraco” by Daniel Silva on Feb. 26 at 10:30 a.m. and Stretching and Meditation via conference call (800-7475150, code 1453322) on March 1 at 6:30 p.m. RSVP to bodenl@northriversidelibrary.org or visit northriversidelibrary.org/events for adult Zoom meeting access info.

Brookfield Public Library offers virtual classes and programs for patrons of all ages throughout the week. Most youth activities will be presented live on the library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/BrookfieldPublicLibrary. For adults, there’s Chair Yoga via Zoom on Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. Visit brookfield.evanced.info/signup to register for Zoom programs. Riverside Public Library presents Sunset Meditation on Zoom with Koru teacher Gina Barsotti on Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. To obtain Zoom access info, visit the library’s online calendar at riversidelibrary.org/ calendar.html. ■

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The Landmark, February 24, 2021

P O L I C E

R E P O R T S

Man charged after cops find guns in stolen car A 26-year-old Chicago man charged with felony weapons offenses said he was unaware that two guns, one of which had been reported stolen, were inside the center console of a black Lincoln Continental -- which itself was stolen – that he attempted to enter outside the North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, on Feb. 20 at about 4:45 p.m. According to the police report, an officer on patrol at the mall saw the Lincoln unoccupied and backed into a parking space near Entrance 2. The vehicle had no front license plate and on the back was what turned out to be a fraudulent temporary Indiana registration tag. The officer did a computer check of the vehicle identification number, which showed it was registered to a rental company in Boston. Police confirmed that the company had reported the car stolen last September. Two men approached the vehicle as police waited nearby. As the men attempted to enter the vehicle, police pulled up in front of it. The person who was entering the driver’s side door immediately began running south while the man entering the passenger door began walking away. The driver eluded capture, but police detained the passenger, later identified as Donald Banana. Inside the car, police reported finding a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol loaded with 17 rounds and a .38-caliber pistol loaded with four rounds. Both were located in the car’s center console. The .40-caliber gun had been reported stolen out of Kentucky last November, police said. Banana reportedly denied knowing the vehicle was stolen and said he did not know there were guns in the car. He reportedly told police that someone he knows only by a nickname drove the car and picked him up in Chicago. The Cook County State’s Attorney charged Banana with a felony counts of being an armed habitual criminal, possession of a stolen firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He was also charged with a misdemeanor, criminal trespass to a motor vehicle. Banana remains in custody at Cook County Jail, awaiting trial.

Stolen plow truck rams through gate A pickup truck outfitted with a snow plow that was stolen from a North Riverside car dealership on Feb. 17 was recovered two days later, according to police. Surveillance video showed that someone drove the blue 2001 GMC Sierra 2500 off the lot at Castle Buick, 7400 Cermak Road, by ramming through the front gates at about 9:55 p.m. The pickup was reported recovered on Feb. 19 at about 11 p.m., but police did not note the location where it was found.

Ain’t moving Brookfield police responded to the 9400 block of Rochester Avenue on Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. after someone called to complain that a funeral at the Czech Mission Church was being interrupted by two drivers, a 33-year-old woman and an 85-year-old man, blowing their car horns at one another while refusing to back up to let the other through on a narrow street with cars lining both sides. A police officer was able to get one of the drivers to back up, resolving the issue without further incident.

Roof collapse Riverside firefighters and police responded to a residence in the 200 block of East Burlington Street on Feb. 20 at about 5 p.m. after getting a report of a collapsed garage roof. No one was inside the garage and no vehicles were inside the garage when the roof, which had a large amount of snow on top of it, collapsed, according to police.

Felony DUI for man passed out in car A 46-year-old Chicago man faces felony drunken driving charges and was cited for other offenses after North Riverside police found him passed out inside his red Nissan Altima, which was stopped in the roadway on First Avenue, straddling the Golfview Avenue turn lane on Feb. 20 at about 6:30 p.m. When police arrived, they reported that the vehicle was running and in gear. The driver, identified as Roberto Vivero-Lujano was not wearing a seatbelt, said police and his foot was on the brake. The officer positioned his squad car to stop the Nissan from rolling forward and he attempted to wake up Vivero-Lujano by pounding on the window multiple times. Vivero-Lujano eventually woke up and it took several attempts to get him to put the car in park, said police. Vivero-Lujano appeared very intoxicated, according to police, who observed an open box of beer and open beer cans inside the car. In addition, said police, Vivero-Lujano did not possess a valid driver’s license. The Cook County State’s Attorney approved charging Vivero-Lujano with aggravated DUI. He was cited for improper parking on a roadway, illegal transportation of open alcohol, for having no valid license and for not wearing a seatbelt. These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Feb. 15-21 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

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The Landmark, February 24, 2021

Judge orders fixes to Tower Building in Riverside Village reports many units without working smoke detectors By BOB UPHUES Editor

Riverside building department personnel will soon be able to finish up inspecting residential and commercial units at the Tower Apartments, 22-40 East Ave. and 25-39 Forest Ave. in downtown Riverside, after gaining access to only about half the units last week. On Feb. 19, a Cook County Circuit Court judge also ordered that the building owner and property management company be in daily contact with the village regarding the functioning of the newly installed boiler that heats the entire 50-unit building. Despite the recent installation of a new central boiler, heating system failures continued last week, prompting a village statement calling the situation “outrageous” and promising to “continue to pursue this matter by every legal means possible.”

The judge also ordered that the village be allowed to inspect about 22 units it was unable to access when inspectors showed up at the Tower Apartments on Feb. 17. Village personnel inspected 28 of the 50 units on Feb. 17. They were not able to inspect the remainder because tenants weren’t home and the master key provided to inspectors did not work. But inspectors compiled a lengthy list of code violations, including everything from a rear wooden porch/stairwell in “serious disrepair” to exterior porches not cleared of snow and ice “making them inaccessible and dangerous,” to at least a dozen residential units where there were no working smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors. On Feb. 19, the village submitted the list of violations to the judge, who ordered the building management to make the building code compliant and to equip units with functioning smoke/CO detectors as soon as possible. The two sides are due back in court for a status update on March 10. Riverside Village President Ben Sells last week posted a lengthy statement on Face-

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BOB UPHUES/Editor

The Tower Apartments, at Forest and East avenues, in downtown Riverside. book, explaining Riverside’s actions against the owner and property management company of the Tower Apartments and ensuring residents the village was working to force a resolution. “Substantial village resources have been expended over the past week and a half addressing this outrageous failing on the part of the building’s owner,” the statement said. “Village staff, including Code/Building Department personnel and the fire chief, have been in constant contact with a number of tenants and the company making the boiler repairs and replacement, as well as building management. The village has taken every legal means available to it to respond aggressively on behalf of the affected tenants.” The statement was triggered by the latest failure of the heating system earlier that day, on Feb. 18. According to the statement posted to Facebook by Sells, “The village was informed that the heat outage that occurred earlier today was due to build-up of steam in the boiler room, which tripped an emergency shut-off. Repair personnel are onsite now installing a steam vent.” The building had been without any heat at all, according to tenants who spoke with the Landmark, from late on Feb. 7 until the evening of Feb. 12, leaving tenants to endure indoor temperatures in the 40s and 50s or seek temporary shelter with friends or relatives. Tenants tried to heat their units by turning on ovens, boiling water on stove tops and using space heaters. In at least one instance, the use of a space heater shorted an electric circuit, leaving that tenant without the use of a stove or refrigerator. The village of Riverside on Feb. 10 filed a complaint in Cook County Circuit Court to force the immediate replacement of the building’s boiler, which heats all of the units, and allow village personnel to inspect every unit to make sure the repairs had been done and ensure the building’s code compliance.

It wasn’t until the evening of Feb. 12 that a new boiler was installed and heat turned back on. But, the heat was short-lived, going off after a couple of hours, according to tenants, sending temperatures falling again inside units. The heat turned on again, seemingly for good, on the afternoon of Feb. 14, but on the evening of Feb. 15 the boiler shut off again after a frozen steam pipe burst. The leak forced a water shutoff to the entire building while two separate leaks inside one unit were repaired. A Riverside Fire Department report of the incident noted that “there are no individual water shut offs for the units in this large building and the main water valve needs to be shut off when there are leaks. This compounds the issue because the boiler (which requires a water supply) also needs to be shut off during this process.” The village apparently does have the power to declare the building uninhabitable, but in the Facebook statement, officials said they were reluctant to take that step. “Many of the tenants still in the building do not have alternative housing and have been reluctant to accept alternative housing when it has been offered to them,” Sells’ Facebook statement said. Tenants and village officials commonly identify Riverside resident Ronald Kafka as the landlord/building owner. Kafka has consistently denied ownership of the Tower Apartments. On Feb. 14, about 20 people gathered outside Kafka’s home in Riverside to protest the conditions at the Tower Apartments. “The village shares the anger, outrage and frustration not only of the affected tenants, but of the community as a whole regarding the current situation,” the village’s Facebook statement said. “Neglect of critical maintenance issues has been a pattern with this particular property owner for many years.”

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

Brookfield Zoo prepares to reopen next week After two-month shutdown, visitors welcome back March 1

By BOB UPHUES Editor

The area may still be in the depths of a deep freeze, but Brookfield Zoo is coming out of its hibernation after a two-month shutdown to start 2021. According to the Chicago Zoological Society’s website, Brookfield Zoo will begin to welcome visitors into its gates on Monday, March 1. Hours of operation had not been updated prior to the Landmark’s press time. As was the case since the zoo reopened to the public last July, the park will be operating under COVID-19 restrictions. To ensure limited capacity allowing for social distancing, all visitors must reserve a time to visit the zoo. Those reservations must be made online in 20-minute intervals and both tickets and parking must be purchased in advance at czs.org/onlineticketing. No tickets will be sold onsite and, like last summer, the zoo is operating in a cashless environment. You’ll need a credit or debit card to purchase food, drinks and gifts inside the zoo. Restaurants and retail shops will also

be closed, but food, beverages and souvenirs can be purchased from carts in various spots on the park grounds. Visitors are asked to wear face coverings when entering the zoo and whenever it’s not possible to maintain six feet of space between your party and other visitors, including lines at food and gift carts. All of Brookfield Zoo’s indoor exhibit areas will continue to be closed to the public and other attractions, like the dolphin shows, carousel, the Hamill Family Play Zoo, the butterfly exhibit, playgrounds and the Motor Safari also will not be in operation. For the second consecutive year, however, Brookfield Zoo will present a special outdoor exhibit – Dinos Everywhere! – only this year, visitors can enjoy it a bit longer. The exhibit will be on display when the gates reopen on March 1. The exhibit, created by “Jurassic Park” advisor Don Lessum, features 40 life-size, animatronic dinosaurs located throughout the park, including the enormous 100-foot-long Argentinosaurus. The exhibit will remain on display through Sept. 6. More information is available at czs.org.

Thank you for your contribution to the Valentine Senior Social and making our guests feel LOVED!

FILE

Cantata • Nicole Gilhooley, Village Trustee • Mary’s Morning Mix Up Douglas Auto Body • Betty’s Flowers & Gifts • Caladonia Priority Print • Edward Jones Investments • Aging Care Connections Interfaith Community partner • First National Bank of Brookfield Hollywood School • Hitzeman Funeral Home and Cremation Services Brookfield Public Library • Brookfield Financial Plans Brookfield Aging Well • Village of Brookfield • Brookfield Chamber of Commerce

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The Landmark, February 24, 2021

Riverside building chief’s exit leaves organization in flux No full timers left in village’s Community Development Department

By BOB UPHUES Editor

The village of Riverside’s Community Development Department, which includes all things related to building permits and inspections, code enforcement and property redevelopment, finds itself in a state of flux with all three of its employees either gone or soon to depart. Last week, Village Manager Jessica Frances announced that the department’s director, Sonya Abt, is leaving her post on Feb. 25 after landing a new job as community development director in Montgomery, a village of about 20,000 people in Kane and Kendall counties. Abt was hired in Riverside in 2014 and has been involved in a variety of village planning, zoning and economic development initiatives, including the creation of

three business districts along known about Abt’s decision Harlem Avenue, an ongoing to leave Riverside for about a revision of the zoning code to month, however there does not support transit-oriented develappear to be an immediate plan opment along the rail line, leadto replace her permanently. ing the multiphase downtown Abt’s departure leaves the streetscape improvement plan, Community Development Deupdating the village’s sign code partment without any full-time and amending the zoning code employees. Building inspector to allow for planned unit develJose Rivera, who was also hired opments. in 2014, retired in December and SONYA ABT “Anyone who has looked the department’s full-time anaaround this village for the last lyst recently resigned. seven years or so has seen the really subAsked about her plans for the departstantial changes that have been made in ment, Frances told the Landmark, “There the village,” said Village President Ben will be more to announce in the future. I Sells at the Feb. 25 meeting of the village don’t have a plan that I’m ready to unveil board where Abt’s departure was an- yet.” nounced. “And Director Abt has been an Since Rivera’s departure in December, integral part of that from the beginning.” the village has been using Rick Dandan, a Frances told the Landmark that she had former municipal building inspector who

now runs his own firm, Lakeside Consultants and Code Services, to perform inspections. Dandan’s services were used in the past as a backup when Rivera was unavailable, said Frances. For more complex plan review and planning issues, Frances has hired Courtney Kashima of Muse Community and Design on a part-time basis. Muse has done similar municipal planning consulting in LaGrange and Forest Park. The firm specializes in urban planning and public engagement. According to the firm’s website, Muse is “well-versed in land use, zoning, mobility, economic development, historic preservation and more.” Abt, who has a background in urban planning and studied Riverside as a student, came to the village after 11 years as village planner in northwest suburban Bartlett.

Riverside to waive liquor license fees for another year Village will continue to accommodate additional outdoor dining

By BOB UPHUES Editor

Riverside trustees agreed on Feb. 18 to waive liquor license fees for a handful of local restaurants and bars for a second consecutive year due to uncertainty surrounding what COVID-19 restrictions may remain in place later in 2021. The village board will take formal action to waive the liquor license fees for The Chew Chew/Sawmilly, LaBarra Ristorante, La Estancia, Quincy Street Distillery and Mollie’s Public House next month. The fee would also be waived for Catrina Bar, a new establishment planned for 34 East Ave. that is slated to open next month in the small downtown storefront. Liquor licenses must be renewed by May 1 of each year. The fees represent a fairly hefty annual expense for business owners. Depending on whether the establishment also has a license for takeout/delivery of alcohol, liquor licenses can run between $1,050 and $2,700 annually. Quincy Street Distillery’s license is much less expensive at $385 to operate the small tasting room attached to the distillery. However, the total amount of revenue collected by Riverside from those fees, because there are so few liquor licenses awarded in the village, is not that much. By waiving those fees, the village will lose out on approximately $8,000.

FILE

RELIEF: In addition to waiving liquor license fees for bars and restaurants in 2021, the village of Riverside will again allow establishments to use the public right-of-way for additional outdoor seating as they did last year (above). “I think this is a time where we need to continue to help the restaurants as much as we can, and this is a small gesture we can make to help them out without a huge

expense to the village,” said Trustee Patricia Collins. The waiver does not extend to Brookfield Zoo, which sits partially within the

corporate boundaries of Riverside (the remainder is in Brookfield) and includes restaurants and other vendors serving alcohol to visitors. The zoo’s Class B liquor license costs $10,500 annually. In addition, according to Village Clerk Cathy Haley, the zoo’s foodservice vendor, SSA Group LLC, applied for and received approval for a Class B license in 2020 to serve alcohol on zoo property. However, said Haley, neither license is currently active since Brookfield was forced to close for so long during the pandemic. Trustees also agreed to extend the temporary use of village rights-of way to accommodate additional outdoor seating at downtown Riverside establishments. When the state of Illinois eased COVID-19 restrictions last summer as case numbers dropped, Riverside allowed LaBarra and Chew Chew/ Sawmilly to extend outdoor seating into the public parkway and into on-street parking areas. While LaBarra never extended seating into the street, they did place tables on the public parkway, while The Chew Chew set up tables for a time in the street parking area in front of the restaurant. Those onstreet tables went away after The Chew Chew built out its off-street outdoor seating area east of the building. Last year’s order also allowed Mollie’s and La Estancia to extend outdoor seating in front of those establishments.

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

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Census delay creates redistricting uncertainty Census Bureau won’t have numbers until after state deadlines By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are required to draw new legislative and congressional district maps this year, but that process may be thrown into chaos because of delays in producing the census numbers needed to draw equal districts. The U.S. Census Bureau announced Friday that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other delays, it will not be able to deliver the detailed, block-level data that states need for redistricting until Sept. 30, long past the deadline spelled out in the Illinois Constitution for the General Assembly to approve new maps. That’s also a full month after candidates are scheduled to begin circulating petitions to run for office and qualify for the March 15, 2022, primary election. The petition period begins Aug. 31 and filing begins Nov. 22, according to a spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Elections. “The constitution says that the legislature shall redistrict by law the year after the decennial census. So it’s pretty straightforward on that,” said Rep. Tim Butler, RSpringfield, one of the Republican House caucus’ lead negotiators on redistricting. “I’m sure 50 years ago [when the Illinois Constitution was written], they didn’t anticipate the problems that we would have over the past year with the pandemic and so on.” The U.S. Constitution requires states to draw new congressional district lines every 10 years, following the decennial census. States also use those numbers to draw maps for their state legislative districts. In Illinois, the process is spelled out in the

state constitution, which provides that the General Assembly is to redraw those maps in the year following the census and that it must adopt those maps no later than June 30. With Democrats controlling each chamber of the General Assembly and the governor’s office, that would normally mean the party controls the mapmaking process. But, the constitution provides, if lawmakers are unable to adopt new maps by that deadline, the task is automatically turned over to an eight-person commission evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, and between lawmakers and people who are not members of the General Assembly. That commission then has until Aug. 10 to produce maps that are agreeable to at least five members of the commission. And if the commission deadlocks in a 4-4 tie, the secretary of state then draws a name at random from a list of two individuals, one Republican and one Democrat, to break the tie. The commission then would have until Oct. 5 to file a redistricting plan that has the support of at least five members. But if the census numbers don’t arrive until Sept. 30, that would leave the commission with only five days to complete its task. That also leaves candidates little time to circulate petitions in order to file for office by the filing deadline in late November. Butler said lawmakers may have no choice this year but to push back the date of the primary. “Certainly, the election calendar is something that is probably going to be questioned in this spring session,” he said. “Obviously, this is something that just happened a few days ago, so we haven’t really heard a whole heck of a lot. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s ongoing discussions about moving the primary – not the general election next November, but the primary election, which is currently scheduled for March – maybe pushing it later in the year.”

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The Landmark, February 24, 2021

LTHS board hires principal as new superintendent Brian Waterman to take the reins in District 204 on July 1

By BOB SKOLNIK

all the time. “We have amazing parents and community members who have the highest expectations, Despite a national search and after inter- but who are also willing to sit right alongside viewing applicants from three states the Ly- us and support us while we strive for those ons Township High School District 204 Board expectations.” Waterman, 46, is in his seventh year as of Education decided that the principal at LTHS. He came to the best person to replace Tim Kilrea school after having served as the as superintendent was about 100 principal of Hinsdale South High feet down the hall and around a School for six years. Waterman becorner from Kilrea’s office. gan his career in education in 1999 On Feb. 16, the LTHS school as a business education teacher at board voted 6-0 to hire LTHS Westmont High School. Principal Brian Waterman to In 2003, he became an assistant succeed Kilrea as superintendent principal at Westmont, and two on July 1. years later he moved on to become “I am humbled by the Board an assistant principal at Glenof Ed’s confidence in me, as has BRIAN WATERMAN bard North High School in Carol been said throughout the interStream. view process,” Waterman said at Waterman received a Bachelor of Science the school board meeting immediately after degree in business and a Master of Business being hired. “I’m just really excited about the opportu- Administration (MBA) both at Eastern Ilnity to lead this district, primarily because linois University, a Master of Arts in educaof the passion that I do have for LT and for tional leadership from North Central College our students, our staff and our community. and a doctoral degree (Ed.D.) in leadership We really do have the best students. They’re and administration from Aurora University. He was chosen from a small applicant pool enthusiastic, they’re engaged and I know that they love this place too because they tell me of around 20 candidates. The search firm HazContributing Reporter

HUCK FINN

Families raised concerns from page 1 In recent years, many schools have dropped “Huck Finn,” because of racist language and stereotypes in the novel, including frequent use (more than 200 times) of the N-word. “’Huck Finn’ has been a book that we’ve been debating what to do with for quite a while,” said Scott Eggerding the director of curriculum and instruction at LTHS, who is a former English teacher and department chairman at the school. “Our AfricanAmerican students have expressed a lot of concern about the use of the N-word in the book.” Karen Raino, the chairwoman of the Language Arts Division at LTHS, said that the decision to drop “Huck Finn” from the reading list was unanimously endorsed by the schools English teachers. “The book has been controversial for years,” Raino said, adding that some criticize the novel for promoting a “white savior” theme. “Who doesn’t love Mark Twain? He’s an amazing satirist,” Raino said. “But several of our families through the years had raised concerns, especially families of students of color, had raised concerns about the ways their students have felt in the

ard, Young, Attea & Associates presented the school board with a list of eight candidates, seven of whom were interviewed. The three finalists then had second interviews before the school board decided to hire Waterman. District 204 school board President Tom Cushing praised Waterman before the vote to hire him. “He has demonstrated success and experience with diverse students and communities,” Cushing said. “Dr. Waterman embraces opportunities to collaborate and engage stakeholders in addressing challenging issues … He is a collaborative coalition builder eager to engage all voices. He is a powerful advocate for students and staff. He generally engages and authentically values teacher and student voice.” Board member Jessica McLean said Waterman stood out from the competition. She praised Waterman’s character and described him as a modest person and a good listener. Waterman will take over the top spot at LTHS at a challenging time as school officials work to do better on issues of equity and inclusion and to reduce the gap in academic achievement between white and Black and brown students. “As principal, I am proud of the progress we

from a list about the theme of social justice, a theme that is already explored in the class. In another move to modernize and diversify the curriculum, the novel “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead will replace “Frankenstein” next year in Accelerated English I. “The Nickel Boys” won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Whitehead is a Black author. LTHS next year will also offer a new senior elective MARK TWAIN English class, Multicultural American Literature, which classroom about the teaching of that text. will feature writings from Raino said “Huck Finn” has been in the non-white authors including, among othcurriculum for around 30 some years, loners, James Baldwin and Alice Walker. ger than any other book in any other Eng“That won’t have any white male authors lish class. in it; it will be more people of color,” Eg“Why teach a book that may alienate gerding said. some students when there are so many othIn high school English classes, the emer books that can teach the same skills?” phasis in recent years has changed from Raino asked. teaching specific books and authors to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” teaching skills. was first published in 1884 and is written in “The shift through Common Core, and the vernacular of pre-Civil War Missouri. The book has long been controversial with through phonics and whole language is that some early reviewers describing the book students need to be able to read and discern as trash. It was banned in Concord, Mas- meaning, and it really doesn’t matter what sachusetts in 1885 right after it was pub- they read as long they’re are reading books that have rich content, have good vocabulished. In Honors English I “Huck Finn” will be lary and the teacher should be focusing on replaced by a book that students choose the reading skills,” Eggerding said.

have made from an academic, extra-curricular, school climate, and community engagement perspective,” Waterman said in a press release issued by LTHS after he was hired. “Working collaboratively with students, parents, and faculty and staff, the leadership team at LT has implemented a variety of programs resulting in increased student achievement and an emphasis on equity and access for all students. As superintendent, I look forward to working with our staff, students, and community to further increase our progress.” Kilrea, who played no part in the superintendent search, praised Waterman after his selection. “I think Brian has a lot of great potential,” Kilrea said. “He’s an excellent principal and I have seen no reason why he will not be an excellent superintendent.” This is the second consecutive superintendent hire in which an LTHS school board chose to hire its superintendent from within. Kilrea, who is retiring, was the school’s director of human resources when he was hired in 2009 to replace longtime Superintendent Dennis Kelly. Waterman received a four-year contract. He will be paid $240,000 in his first year in that job, which will begin on July 1.

RBHS tweaks English curriculum The trend towards more diverse curriculum and reading assignments is not limited to LTHS. Riverside-Brookfield High is changing its year-long Honors Shakespeare class next year to a semester long class open to all students. A new honors world literature class will replace to year-long Shakespeare offering. “The typical high school student is not jazzed about taking a year-long Shakespeare class,” RBHS Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction Kylie Lindquist told the RBHS school board last fall when the course changes were approved. RBHS is also changing its western civilization classes to world history. “It’s more culturally relevant to our students,” Lindquist told the school board. “It allows students to explore more of the world. It gives students a well-rounded experience that western civilization simply doesn’t offer.” Eggerding noted that the curriculum is always changing and some other classic works, including “Death of a Salesman” and “The Scarlet Letter,” have been dropped from other courses in recent years. But many classic works, including those written by what some derisively refer to as “dead white men,” will still be read at LTHS. The Honors English I curriculum will continue to include Homer’s “Odyssey” and Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” “We still teach a lot of dead white guys,” Eggerding said. “We got a whole lot more dead white guys than we have people of color.”

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

State to expand Phase 1B vaccine plan this week COVID-19 case rates remain low in Brookfield, Riverside and North Riverside

By TIM KIRSININKAS Capitol News Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday that the state will move ahead with plans to expand vaccine eligibility under Phase 1B of its vaccination plan later this week. A total of 73,181 COVID-19 vaccinations were administered statewide combined Saturday and Sunday. The state has administered over 2.2 million doses to date, with 4.4 percent of the state’s population being fully vaccinated. In an unrelated Monday news conference, Pritzker said Feb. 25 eligibility expansion will include individuals aged 16 and older who have comorbidities, disabilities and underlying conditions. Residents will not be required to provide proof of an underlying condition in order to receive a vaccine, he said. “We’re not making people walk in with papers from their doctor to prove that they have diabetes or to prove that they have cancer,” Pritzker said. “We are relying on the honor system.” Residents currently eligible for a vaccine under Phase 1B include people aged 65 and older and frontline essential workers.

The state’s seven-day rolling average for administered vaccinations stood at 55,499 Monday. The average vaccination rate has dropped over the past week as the state saw inclement weather and shifted focus to administering second doses to those who have already received their first. “We saw a small delay last week because of weather nationally in the delivery of vaccines,” Pritzker said Monday. “But now [health departments] are seeing many more second doses being delivered to them than they’ve seen before.” As of Monday, Illinois ranked 19th in per capita vaccine distribution with 14 percent of the state’s population having received at least one dose, according to data from The New York Times. The state had previously ranked as low as 47th nationally in late January, according to that database. Roughly 4.5 percent of the population has received two doses. Pritzker said the initial lag in vaccinations was due to a decision to stay in Phase 1A longer than other states. “We wanted to make sure in Phase 1A that health care workers were covered completely,” he said. Pritzker said he expects the state will receive up to 500,000 vaccine doses from the

federal government this week, an increase from the nearly 300,000 per week the state has received in weeks past. Additionally, a new single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson could be granted authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Feb. 26. If approved, the new vaccine could make millions more doses available to states in the coming weeks. More than 850 vaccination sites are currently open across the state, with more expected to come online in the coming weeks as the state builds vaccination capacity and the federal government works to increase production to meet national demand.

New cases locally remain low In Brookfield, Riverside and North Riverside the rate of new cases of COVID-19 has slowed dramatically compared to late 2020 and early 2021, reflecting a trend seen throughout Illinois where the positivity rate has remained below 3 percent for a second straight week. According to the Cook County Department of Public Health, there were just nine Brookfield residents either confirmed or probable for COVID-19 during the week ending on the

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morning of Feb. 23. Brookfield hasn’t seen single-digit cases numbers in any one-week period since mid-July 2020. Since the pandemic began last March, 1,595 residents of Brookfield have contracted COVID-19, with 12 residents dying as a result of the disease. New cases also plummeted in North Riverside to just four in the prior week as of the morning of Feb. 23. It’s been six months since North Riverside experienced a single week where there have been fewer than five new cases. During the first three weeks of February, the village averaged 15 new cases per week. There have been 511 residents of North Riverside who have contracted COVID-19. Four village residents have died of COVID-19. For two weeks running, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health, Riverside has added 11 new cases, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 805, with three fatalities. Still, that weekly figure is more in line with the kinds of totals Riverside saw in September, prior to the fall spike. Vaccination site location and appointment information is available at coronavirus.illinois.gov. Bob Uphues contributed to this report.

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The Landmark, February 24, 2021

PHOTOS COURTESY OF “BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS: A HISTORY”

TREE LINED: When Samuel Eberly Gross developed his village of Grossdale, which later became Brookfield, planting trees was a big part of his design. In addition to planting scores of elm trees along Grand Boulevard and other deciduous trees on residential blocks (shown above in the background), he also planted pine trees along the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad line, as shown above in a panoramic photo dated 1895. Below left, an undated, but apparently earlier photo shows pine saplings to the left of tracks in the foreground.

Former manager: Felled pines were planted in 1981

Brookfield president McCabe convinced railroad of trees’ historic place By BOB UPHUES Editor

During the last week of January, the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad hauled out the chainsaws and a railroad car equipped with a crane to remove about 30 mature pine trees from the grassy right-of-way north of the tracks between Arden and Hollywood avenues. About three weeks have gone by and 70 to 80 of the pine trees between Prairie and Maple avenues, which line both sides of the tracks, still stand and have escaped the ax, for now. The pine trees had become such a familiar sight along the train line in Brookfield that residents simply took them for granted. No one seemed to be exactly sure how long they’d been there or who was responsible for planting them, save that it was pretty certain the village and some Boy Scouts had a hand in it. Back in January, the Landmark reached out to former Brookfield village manager Jim Mann, whose service with the village roughly coincided with the time period people recollected as that of the tree planting. Last week, Mann phoned the Landmark to unlock the mystery. Did he know when they

SURVEY SAYS: Back in 1981, Village President Pierce McCabe used the 1889 survey of Grossdale as another argument in favor of planting trees along the railroad right-of-way. That early map shows areas immediately north of the tracks that are labeled “park.” were planted? Why, yes he did. Mann was hired as village manager in early 1980, during the administration of Village President Pierce McCabe. In 1981, said Mann, the village received its first Tree City U.S.A. award – one the village would receive annually from then on – and McCabe wanted to solidify that designation.

“He got interested in wanting improvements along the Burlington tracks and worked on it with the local representative from the railroad,” Mann said. “Pierce talked the Burlington Northern into planting the trees. He got scouts to do the planting and got someone to donate the trees.” Mann recollected that all of the trees planted back then were along the north rightof-way from Hollywood to Maple. He didn’t recall when the trees in the south right-of way, which extend from Sunnyside Avenue to Maple Avenue, were planted. They are slightly smaller than those north of the tracks, so it may have been later. McCabe used as part of his argument for planting the trees, according to Mann, historic photos of Brookfield, including a panoramic photo from 1895 looking west down the rail line from roughly Prairie Avenue. In that photo, which was reproduced in “Brookfield, Illinois: A History,” published in 1993 for the 100th anniversary of the village’s incorporation, immature pine trees line the

north railroad right-of-way. Another historic photo, looking east down the tracks from just west of Prairie Avenue, shows tiny pine trees lining the north rightof-way. Mann said McCabe also used an 1889 survey of Grossdale, which in 1905 was renamed Brookfield, of the railroad corridor from Forest Avenue to Maple Avenue. Immediately adjacent to the north railroad right-of-way are block-long sections labeled “park.” Those sections appear to be in the locations where there are now parking spots next to the railroad. Back in the early 1980s, that was apparently enough to get the Burlington Northern (“Santa Fe” wouldn’t become part of the name until 1995) to permit trees to be planted in their precious right-of-way. “Every so often the Burlington Northern would come out to do improvements and some trees were removed,” said Mann. “But, for the most part, it was left intact.” Until last month.

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

D96 boosts in-person days at Hauser for final trimester Some elementary school parents call for all-day, in-class learning By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Hybrid students at L.J. Hauser Junior High School will have the opportunity to attend school in person four days a week starting with the beginning of third trimester next month. The new schedule will take effect during the week of March 8. Hauser hybrid students have been attending school in person twice a week with a shortened schedule. “Extra learning spaces have been created along with some adjustments to student cohorts make this possible,” Hauser Principal April Mahy and Assistant Principal Chris Harvalis wrote in an email to parents sent on Feb. 12. For now, at least, there are no plans to change the schedule for hybrid elementary school students who go to school in person for 2.5 hours a day, five days a week. That is not enough for most of the parents who made public comments at the Feb. 17 meeting of the Riverside Elementary School District 96 Board of Education. The parents welcomed the move at Hauser, but they said elementary school students need more in-person instruction, too, and called for the school district to move to a full, in-person school day as soon as possible. “I, along with many others, feel that two and a half hours of instructional time for K-5 students in our district just simply isn’t sufficient,” said Michelle Udelson, who spoke in person at the school board meeting

held at Ames School. Those elementary students in the hybrid model attend classes in person for 2.5 hours five days a week. The rest of the instruction is done remotely. That remote instruction, 30 minutes of which is typically face-to-face with a teacher, has been uneven, Udelson told the school board. “Our experience with this at Ames has been very mixed,” Udelson said. “Sometimes those 30-minute Zoom classes and lessons are lively, engaging, motivating. Other times some of these specials do not meet for two to four weeks at a time. Often it feels like busywork to fill the time rather than an educational experience.” Udelson said that children need more face time with teachers. “I do believe that we can do better for our students,” Udelson said. “We as parents don’t want more busywork or app assignments, but instruction and teacher-and-student interaction.” Carrie Zalewski, whose public comment was made via an email to the board, also called

for the more in person school. Zalewski has four children who attend Ames School. “Evidence suggests that distance learning has had disastrous consequences for students,” Zalewski said through school board President Dan Hunt, who read the email aloud. Zalewski said that children are missing out, especially in developing social-emotional skills and she believes it is safe for students to return to school for a full day. “We know about controlling the virus than we did in the fall, namely that masks, social distancing and handwashing work,” Zalewski wrote. “Add to this that teachers are now eligible to get the vaccine and that we are doing rapid testing, the choice is clear. ... The D96 kids need to get back into the classroom fulltime ASAP. Gretchen and Tom Lupfer also made a public comment by email, saying that they wanted the district to return to five days of week of full day, in-person instruction as soon as possible. “I believe we that can bring our children, K through 8, back into school full time in a safe manner,” Gretchen Lupfer wrote. “Many other districts are doing it, even without saliva testing. So can we.” Rory Dominick, another parent, also called for a shift to more in-person instruction. “The reality today is many kids are isolated,” Dominick wrote. “They are alone, they are sad, and we are teetering on a depression pandemic. It is now time to return to full day in person learning.” Dominick called for the district to survey parents to know what they want and what their risk tolerance is. District 96 Superintendent Martha RyanToye said the district plans to survey parents soon. “I appreciate where parents are coming

D96 seeks parent, community input for strategic plan Launching a strategic planning process during a pandemic? It’s not ideal, but Riverside Elementary School District 96 is discovering that it can be done. The district has been working since the fall to develop a new strategic plan to replace the one adopted five years ago. This week, the district is sending out a survey to parents and, through a link on the school district website home page (district96.org), has posted the survey online to get more feedback from the community. Ryan-Toye is hopeful that even district residents without children in District 96 schools will take a few minutes to complete the survey. The effort is being led by Perry Soldwedel of the Consortium for Educational Change, the firm the school district has hired to help develop the new plan. A committee of 35 people, including administrators, staff members, two school board

members, school board President Dan Hunt and board member Wesley Muirheid, parents, community members and four former District 96 students who are now in high school have been meeting virtually for the last few months to evaluate the district and try to plot a path forward. “All are stuff is virtual, it’s all on Zoom,” said District 96 Superintendent Martha RyanToye. The district was prepared to postpone the planning process for a year if virtual meetings didn’t really work, but that has not been deemed necessary. “The modified sessions, doing it all on Zoom has been great,” Ryan-Toye said. “I firmly believe it’s important to bring people together to talk about the big ideas and the future direction, make sure that we’re really connecting with our stakeholders, and that’s our teaching staff as well as our parents and

community members.” At a recent retreat, members of the plan committee developed a so-called SWOT analysis discussing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that the district faces. A draft copy of the analysis is now on the district’s website under the strategic plan heading. High student achievement, a highly qualified and stable staff and strong programs in arts and music were some of the strengths that were identified in the SWOT analysis. Weaknesses included the achievement gap between white students and Black and Hispanic students, the gap between student achievement in language arts and math, and the social-emotional well-being curriculum and supports. The district hopes to complete the new strategic plan by April 13. — Bob Skolnik

from,” Ryan-Toye said. “There is a question of how many parents feel that way, so I think we will plan to go forward with a survey just asking parents.” But Ryan-Toye said that a shift to full-day instruction at the elementary schools would be fraught with difficulties and would require a reduction in the six feet of social distancing that is now observed and would result in some children having different teachers. Currently, elementary teachers teaching hybrid students teach one group in the morning and another in the afternoon. “I do think that there are mixed opinions on this and it is important to know where the community is,” Ryan-Toye told the Landmark. “Even once we know where the community is, there are still great challenges in making shifts and changes.” About 67 percent of elementary school students in District 96 are enrolled in the hybrid model, with about 33 percent attending school completely remotely. But some families have notified the district that their children will be switching from remote to hybrid learning for the third trimester. When the third trimester begins, according to the district, about 71 percent of elementary school students will be enrolled in the hybrid option.

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The Landmark, February 24, 2021

Caledonia Senior Living mandates vaccines for residents, staff Indoor family visits have resumed for first time in almost a year By BOB UPHUES Editor

For almost a year, residents at Caledonia Senior Living and Memory Care in North Riverside and their loved ones have endured something akin to long-distance relationships. While family members have been able to see each other outdoors, when the weather was nice, or via Zoom, closer in-person contact has been pretty limited. Last week, in the wake of 100 percent of residents receiving both doses of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19, that began to change. For the first time since early March 2020, Caledonia began scheduling supervised indoor family visits in the Heritage Hall. “We’ve gotten more institutional since lock-

down, and we need to start dismantling those processes while remaining safe,” said Gus Noble, president of Caledonia Senior Living. “We took the first step to return to normal with the indoor visits at Heritage Hall. Once the vaccine is more widely available, families are going to be reconnected in a more direct way.” Part of the strategy for ensuring that reconnection is ensuring that everyone at Caledonia Senior Living – residents and employees – are vaccinated. While the institution saw enthusiastic reception for the vaccine in January – in addition to the residents, about 85 percent of staff were vaccinated – Noble announced last week that vaccines would be mandatory for all residents and employees by March 31. “How much we appreciate staff ’s vigilance cannot be overstated,” Noble said. “If we can use vaccines to reconnect families, that has to be at the top of the list. It helps us recommit to this field of caring. It has to be as close to 100 percent as possible to be as confident as we want to be.” Caledonia Senior Living held its third vac-

cine clinic on Feb. 23 to begin vaccinating those who did not receive a shot last month. Including part-time workers and third-party vendors who are onsite regularly, Caledonia employs about 100 people. “We’re not saying you have to do it [this week], but we’re saying you need to get your first shot by the end of March,” Noble said. “Until you get it, we will not schedule you.” Noble said he has met with staff regularly for months even prior to the vaccine’s distribution in order to answer employees’ questions and concerns, particularly from Caledonia’s employees of color. “While I can understand it, I don’t have the lived experience to know how that feels,” Noble said. “But we made a commitment that we’d be straight and transparent, and I said, ‘If you have any questions at all, ask me and I’ll do the research,’” Noble said. In the end, Noble said a vaccine mandate was necessary to ensure steady movement back to something approaching normal at Caledonia. “It was clear we had to have a mandate,

VACCINES

Agency collaboration from page 1 In three vaccine clinics organized by UCP Seguin earlier this month in Cicero and in DuPage County, Mengoni said the agency was able to vaccinate more than 1,000 Seguin clients and employees. Since Cook County Health opened its North Riverside clinic to senior citizens and essential workers in Phase 1B of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine program, Mengoni said he’s received many calls from frustrated residents who can’t schedule an appointment. “I thought, ‘We’ve got to host something here,’” Mengoni said. “If we can do something for our seniors in town, it would make it so much easier than trying to find an appointment.” Two weeks ago, Mengoni had been talking to Debra Verschelde, executive director of Aging Care Connections, which serves North Riverside and other western suburbs, about organizing a local clinic. Their talks were just informal and nothing had been planned. Then on Feb. 18, Verschelde called him. “She called and said this one just fell in our lap,” Mengoni said. While Mengoni was the local connection, the clinic itself was the result of a collaboration between many partners, including Age Options, Solutions for Care, Aging Care Connections and Oak Park Senior Services. The Pfizer vaccines administered on Sunday to senior citizens and caregivers in the gym at the North Riverside Village Commons came through Chicago Internal Medical Practice and Research (CIMPAR), a Melrose Parkbased medical group that had received vaccines from the Cook County Department of Public Health.

BOB UPHUES/Editor

FULL HOUSE: About 450 senior citizens and caregivers were able to get vaccinated at the pop-up clinic organized at the North Riverside Village Commons on Feb. 21. The event was a collaboration between village officials and several senior services agencies serving residents of the western suburbs. Mengoni had worked with CIMPAR for a pair of UCP Seguin vaccine clinics in DuPage County earlier this month. Nine nurses from CIMPAR were on hand in North Riverside to administer the shots, aided by a group of about 20 volunteers drawn from UCP Seguin staff, North Riverside village employees including Village Administrator Sue Scarpiniti and her staff, Fire Chief Bob McDermott and a handful of elected officials, including Mengoni, Trustee Terri Sarro, Village Clerk Kathy Ranieri and former Trustee Jason Bianco. Riverside Township Trustee Michael Dropka, a North Riverside resident, was also among the volunteers. “You can see that these people are really in need,” said Diane Slezak, a Brookfield resident and the CEO of Age Options, an Oak Park-based agency that provides services and resources for seniors. “These are not people who would be able to find their way on the in-

ternet, and that’s who we’re aiming at – those with the highest need. You see all the people on walkers and wheelchairs.” When Mengoni got the call Feb. 18 from Verschelde, it touched off a concerted effort by North Riverside village staff as well as employees at the partner agencies to reach out to residents and clients to schedule appointments. That effort began in earnest on Friday, Feb. 19 and continued Saturday. The village compiled its list of seniors to call from water billing records and those who applied for senior citizen discounts on vehicle stickers. Pam Foy, senior financial analyst for the village of North Riverside who was one of several tasked with contacting senior citizens to schedule appointments, said they probably made between 300 and 350 phone calls in scheduling 170 vaccines for North Riverside residents for the Feb. 21 clinic. “Most of them don’t have email, they don’t

and it was compelled by the same philosophy that led us to test everyone once and then twice a week,” Noble said. “I told them, ‘You are the reason we have had this record of success. But, at the same time I expect this to become mandatory, so bear that in mind.” Caledonia Senior Living had not had a single resident test positive for COVID-19 until mid-January, after residents received their first round of vaccines. The resident has recovered, said Noble, who added that he believes it was the vaccine that may have saved the resident’s life. The positive COVID result was also a warning that Caledonia had also been extraordinarily lucky for the past year. “It would’ve been great to go all the way through without any positives, but there is an element of luck,” Noble said. “Once it comes into the building, you really need your internal systems working.” The vaccine mandate is another of the internal systems to prevent the spread in the future. use the computer,” Mengoni said. “[Staff] went to residents’ homes on their way home from work and dropped off the forms so people could fill everything out beforehand.” The rest of the slots were scheduled for senior citizens throughout the suburban area who are served by the various senior service agencies involved. Oak Park resident Nilsa LaSalle said she had been trying to land a vaccine appointment for weeks when she received a call from Oak Park Township Senior Services late last week. “It was a fiasco trying to get an appointment,” said LaSalle, who had tried the Walgreens, Jewel-Osco, the Oak Park Health Department and other websites without success. “It’s been like a full-time job. I was very much relieved.” Elaine Morgan, a Maywood resident who is raising her two grandchildren, said she got her appointment through Aging Care Connections. She said she hoped getting a shot herself would help ease her grandchildren’s fears of getting vaccinated. “They’re scare about the shot and COVID,” Morgan said. “This will help, seeing mom get the shot.” “It was great to see all the partnerships,” said Paula Basta, the director of the Illinois Department on Aging, which provides state funding to agencies like Age Options to do vaccine clinics. Basta, who also received a vaccine at the clinic in North Riverside, said it’s not uncommon right now for these vaccine clinics to come together within days. “It’s typical at this point,” Basta said. “Everything shifts and changes very rapidly.” Because the North Riverside clinic went off smoothly, officials are hoping that another will be scheduled in the future. To prepare, the village has also begun compiling a waiting list of residents wanting a vaccine. Any North Riverside senior citizen who would like to get on the waiting list can call the village offices at 708-447-4211.

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

PEOPLE

Riverside tech exec pens book on digital disruption

need to transform is one thing, dan Pope, a Riverside resident for but being actually able to do it more than 20 years, is another altogether. This is the has just published rarified air of the innovator, the his first book on the undaunted leader and the pragtopic of digital transformations. matist. Indeed, digital transforThe book, titled “Respect the mation is a thorny problem that Weeds: Digital Transformation requires us all to dig deep as we Rooted in Principled Leaderreinvent our businesses.” ship,” explores the fundamental In “Respect the Weeds,” Pope challenges businesses face in a ADAN POPE uses weeds as a metaphor for the world permeated by digital innochallenge facing business leaders. vation and “Weeds are the most ingenious of plants,” disruption of tradihe said. “They find a way to thrive even in tional models. the most hostile environments. Although we “The age of digital may not want more weeds in our yards, you transformation has finally come,” said have to admire them. This book challenges Pope, who has served the reader to channel their inner weed as as chief technol- they face the challenges presented by digital ogy officer for many disruption.” The book, which Pope co-authored with years for many of the world’s leading com- Peter Buonfiglio, can be found online at panies. “Saying we tinyurl.com/2j78qjpa.

On campus ■ Grace C. Tucek, of Riverside, graduated from Clemson University cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science with minors in business and Spanish studies. A 2017 graduate of Fenwick High School, she was named to the university’s president’s list and dean’s list during her six semesters at Clemson. She also studied abroad and graduated in 3.5 years. ■ North Riverside resident Racquel Ardisana was among those awarded degrees from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, during the school’s virtual fall commencement ceremony in December 2020. Ardisana graduated with a Master of Arts degree, majoring in biology. ■ Gloria Corona, of Brookfield, was awarded the Roki American Company Ltd. Scholarship, the Catherine Achord Spanish Scholarship, the Dr. Patrick W. Rooney Scholarship and the Gift of Hope Hispanic Scholarship at the University of Findlay (Ohio) for the 2020-21 academic year. ■ Riverside resident Alyssa Schwarz and Brookfield resident Autumn RajcevichSchwer were among the more than 1,000 students named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list at Carthage College in Kenosha. Dean’s list students must achieve a grade-point average of at least 3.5 on a 4-point scale for the semester. ■ Among the roughly 1,600 students at Lewis University in Romeoville named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list for attaining a semester GPA of at least 3.5 were North Riverside resident Danny Zontos (aviation administration) and Brookfield residents

Lina Alamayreh (elementary education), Julisa Colon (criminal justice), Margarita Correa-Martinez (computer science), Justin Lohmeier (business administration), Jane McLaren and Gylmar Ponce (supply chain management). ■ Brookfield residents Marlena Barrido and Lydia Olson were named to the 2020 fall term president’s list at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa for attaining GPAs of 4.0 during the semester. ■ Brookfield residents Emily Hanna, Gina Pardun and Brittany Whigam; North Riverside resident Gabrielle Mandel; and Riverside resident Abigail Salamanca were named to the 2020 fall term dean’s list at Elmhurst University for attaining a GPA of at least 3.75 for the semester. ■ University of Iowa announced that several local students were among those named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list, including North Riverside resident Gianna Calderon; Riverside residents Cooper Lesniak, Anna Milleker, Isabella Mullins, Gabrielle Nolan and Jake Vaia; and Brookfield resident Katelyn Malinowski. ■ McKenna Kunish, of Riverside, was named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list at Arizona State University, where she is a senior. ■ Brookfield resident Grace Knowski was named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list at Millikin University in Decatur for achieving a GPA of at least 3.5. ■ Wheaton College student Kylee Hernandez, of Brookfield, was named to the dean’s list for the 2020 fall semester for earning a GPA of at least 3.5 for the semester. ■ Brookfield residents Mariah Dorsey

I’d be honored Pushpa Winbush, a school psychologist at Riverside-Brookfield High School, was selected as the 2020 Illinois School Psychologists Association Practitioner of the Year. Among her accomplishments, Winbush has redesigned existing behavioral interventions, created a website called Attendance Matters to serve as a resource for parents, started a peer mediation program, created an PUSHPA WINBUSH after-school group called Homework Hangout to support students academically and developed a problem-solving structure for team meetings. Winbush earned her undergraduate de-

(early childhood/special education) and Kaitlin Lizik (communication) and North Riverside resident Joshua Valentino (computer science) were all named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list with high honors at Aurora University for earning perfect GPAs of 4.0 for the semester. ■ Michael Pitts, of Riverside, was named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list at Cedarville (Ohio) University for earning a semester GPA of at least 3.75. ■ Derek Johnson, of Riverside, a senior majoring in computer science, was named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list at the University of Wisconsin-Stout for earning a semester GPA of at least 3.5. ■ Brookfield residents Ariel Sanchez and Anna Souders, along with Riverside residents Jacqueline Miller and Cathy Yuen were named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list in the College of Letters and Sciences and Riverside resident Natalie Skiest was named to the dean’s honor list in the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ■ Kara Hernandez, of Brookfield, was named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list at Missouri State University in Springfield for attaining a semester GLA of at least 3.5. ■ Among those named to the 2020 fall semester dean’s list at the University of Missouri in Columbia were Brookfield residents Gerald Hopkins and Dylan Meehan, North Riverside resident Anthony Esposito and Riverside resident Marie Allegretti. ■ Brookfield resident Ahmad Ayyeh, a senior member of the Lyons Township High School congressional debate team, earned third-place best speaker in his chamber dur-

gree at Illinois State University and is a graduate of that university’s specialist program in school psychology.

Olmsted Society elects new officers The Frederick Law Olmsted Society elected new officers and board members during their annual meeting, held virtually in 2021, in January. Elected president was Yvonne Lucero, along with Vice President Cindy Kellogg, Secretary Joanne Rogers and Treasurer Theresa Pelletier. Renewing board members are Kim and Rob Dixon, Sander Kaplan and Pelletier, Kellogg, Linda and Rick LaBelle, Dan Murphy and Olivia Barraza-Murphy, Sandie and Jim Petrzilka and Rogers. Newly elected to the FLOS board of directors were Bridget Doherty and Leon Pietrowski and Matthew Rogina.

ing the recent Illinois Congressional Debate Association Tournament. Students follow the procedures of senators and representatives in Washington, D.C., write legislation, work in committees and debate their own bills and resolutions. ■ Paige Barnes, of Brookfield, has signed a letter of intent to play volleyball at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. Barnes is a senior at Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park. ■ Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park has announced its honor rolls students for the first semester of the 2020-21 academic year. Those named to the A Honor Roll had a GPA of at least 3.8 while those on the B Honor Roll had a GPA between 3.33 and 3.79. Named to the A Honor Roll were Brookfield residents Zeyin (Michael) Feng, Greta Nelson, Sarah Newman, Kevin Prosen and Jannelle Steger; North Riverside resident Gianina Montoro; and Riverside residents Alice Buchman, John O’Meara and Elizabeth Selover. Named to the B Honor Roll were Brookfield resident Andrew Buenrostro and Riverside residents Daniel Gentile, Ana Kanatas and Emma Udelson. ■ Brookfield resident Anthony Traverso, a junior at Lyons Township High School, was among the members of the school’s Business Professionals of America Club to place at the BPA regional competition in January and advance to the state conference later this month. ■ Traverso was part of the four-person team to place second in the Economic Research team competition.

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

Opinion KOSEY CORNER

THE LANDMARK VIEW

Breaking the ice by going green

t was way back in 2008 that Riverside voters overwhelmingly voted in support of an advisory referendum asking if they supported the village taking an active role in pursuing “green” initiatives. Since that time, the village has followed through on a number of fronts – from repaving two large parking lots and a couple of alleys with permeable pavers to incorporating permeable pavers into the East Burlington Street/ Longcommon Road streetscape project to making it easier for homeowners to pursue solar energy solutions. The latest manifestation is the Riverside Police Department’s purchase of a hybrid patrol vehicle, the first of its kind in the village and hopefully not the last. As a matter of fact, if the hybrid vehicle turns out to perform as expected, we’d encourage every police department and village to begin incorporating more of these green vehicles into their fleets. In the past, there had been some pushback against hybrid vehicles from police leaders, mainly performancerelated. Police squad cars have a historic reputation as being hotrods of a sort, high-performance vehicles capable of running down bad guys driving shabby getaway cars. In recent years, however, most police departments have begun dialing back on the “French Connection” philosophy of car chases, because they’re simply too dangerous. In any case, these hybrid vehicles are fully capable of being powered by gasoline engines when the occasion calls for it. Where the benefit of hybrid vehicles will be felt is in the way cops work day in and day out. Patrol cars often sit for hours, idling and burning gas in order to be ready at a moment’s notice, or as officers wind their way through communities slowly, hardly in need of perpetual highperformance. When hybrids idle, they keep the car powered up by using battery reserves, which can be replenished by the engine kicking in when needed for short periods of time. And for routine driving while on patrol, the lithium ion battery provides plenty of power needed to get from Point A to Point B. This is going to save Riverside expense on gasoline and will be a more Earth-friendly alternative in an era where we can all do more to decrease our carbon footprints. When it comes to changing long-held traditions, it always takes someone to break the ice. That’s what Riverside police have done with their decision to purchase the hybrid, and we hope it’s the start of a wider initiative to replace not just police vehicles, but others in municipal fleets. It also provides an example to local residents who may still look askance at hybrids, though that prejudice may be softening as the hybrid technology improves. If it’s good enough for the cops, how can it not be good enough for chauffeuring the kids to school, dance classes and baseball practice?

NCAA tourney time revives memory of ‘Game of Change’

ormally this time of year, whatever that is today since normal is being redefined, I would be getting ready for “March Madness.” For those of you who don’t follow college basketball, it’s the national tournament where 64 NCAA Division I teams (plus a couple extras thrown in as wild cards) are whittled down to a “Final Four,” from whom the No. 1 team in college basketball is crowned. Normally, there’s that word again, I would take the sports section, pick my brackets and maybe find some action (we’ll skip over that). However, this year without the big crowds and far-flung playing sites, it will be very different. But, it’s still a good time to remember one of the great NCCA basketball tournament stories -- the 1963 champion Loyola University basketball team. The Ramblers started four black players on their roster, and they endured racism and hostility the whole season, and especially in the South. Loyola’s season that year also saw what became known as the Game of Change. In the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament,

Loyola was slated to play the all-white team from Mississippi State, which was prohibited by a state order from playing an integrated team. Mississippi State’s team defied the state order and played the game. Loyola won and would go on to win the national title. But, more importantly, the game played a large role in removing racial barriers in college basketball. Riverside native Patrick Creadon is revisiting the story with the documentary “The Loyola Project,” which focuses not only that Ramblers team but what players endured just to play their sport. The release of the documentary has yet to be scheduled. It will the latest documentary film by the award-winning team of Creadon and his wife, Christine O’Malley, who are known for their Notre Dame-centric productions of “Hesburgh” and “Catholics vs. Convicts.” Another Riverside connection to the Loyola story is former Riverside resident Jack Egan, who was a member of the 1963 Ramblers. A 5-10 point guard out of St. Rita High School, Egan was the second oldest of nine children who attended Loyola on a full scholarship. He is now an attorney.

JOANNE KOSEY

LETTERS

Weitzel embodies what it means to serve and protect In 1984, 23-year old Tom Weitzel joined the Riverside Police Department. It likely never occurred to him that he would spend the next 37 years of his life serving and protecting our village and its residents. Three years later, on Aug. 12, at 3:15 in the morning, Officer Weitzel came upon a car parked on the street in violation of the village’s no parking ordinance. As he approached the car, one of the three men inside stepped out with a shotgun and fired. Officer Weitzel took the shot to the chest while only about 10 feet away from the shooter. Fortunately for him, he was wearing a vest, and that vest saved his life. After recovering from the attack, Officer Weitzel returned to duty. He never talked much about the shooting – he still doesn’t – and that quiet and resolute courage is what all who know him have come to expect, and respect, in Tom Weitzel. In the following years, Officer Weitzel advanced steadily through the ranks until becoming acting chief of police in October 2007, and then officially chief of police in January 2008. Now, 13 years later,

Chief Weitzel has announced that he will retire on May 20. Courage, compassion, decency. That is what Chief Weitzel has stood for from his first day on the beat in 1984. He has steadfastly been a leader statewide for law enforcement policies that have always put citizens first. That he has gained such widespread recognition from his position in a small village of 9,000 residents is a testament to his leadership and vision. His peers know a leader when they see one. Under Chief Weitzel’s leadership, the Riverside Police Department has become an example of what community policing can and should be. The Riverside Police Department has been at the forefront of police reform and the broader movement for social justice long before they became the focus of nationwide attention. Why? Because it is the right thing to do, and that is the only reason that Chief Weitzel has ever needed. Thank you, Chief Weitzel, for your service to our community and the larger ideals of fairness, equality,

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

OBITUARIES

Annabelle Bilek, 89 Retired teacher Annabelle Bilek, 89, of Brookfield, died Feb. 14, 2021. Ms. Bilek was born Dec. 4, 1931 and was a retired school teacher. She was the sister of the late John C. Bilek Jr., Rosealie Mansell (Bilek) and Frank Bilek; an aunt to Richard Mansell Jr. (late), Robert Mansell Sr., Kenneth Mansell, Michael Mansell, David Bilek, Esther Bilek, Elizabeth ANNABELLE BILEK Righthouse (Bilek), Edward Bilek and Carl Bilek; a great aunt to 13 and great-great aunt to 10. On Feb. 27, there will be a private visitation for family only, followed by a funeral mass at St. Barbara Church, 4008 Prairie Ave., Brookfield, starting at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to a local VFW or animal shelter. Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.

Dennis S. Brancato, 70 Retired industrial engineer Dennis Stephen Brancato, 70, formerly of LaGrange and LaGrange Park, died peacefully in the early morning hours of Feb. 14, 2021 in Sun City, Arizona. Mr. Brancato, who was retired from a career as an industrial engineer, had moved to Ari-

zona in 2014 to be near his son and enjoy the benefits of retirement. He is survived by his wife, Louise Daniel; his son, Kirk J. Brancato (Kristen) of Avondale, Arizona; his brother R. George Brancato (Jean), of Brookfield; his niece, Lisa Truby (Nick) of South Miami, Florida; his nephew, Todd Brancato of Berwyn; Nancy K. Brancato (mother of Kirk) of Goodyear, Arizona; and grandnephews Mitchell and Griffin Truby, as well as grandniece Hannah Brancato.

Jeanne Drada, 78 Deli manager Jeanne Drada, 78, of Lombard and formerly of North Riverside, died Feb. 19, 2021. Ms. Drada worked as a deli manager for a food service company. She enjoyed gardening and traveling. She was the mother of Denise (Steve) Pomey, Janet (Dan) Lieb, Lois (Vince) Marra and Laura (Hugo) Hugger; the JEANNE DRADA grandmother of Brian Lieb, Paul Lieb, Nick Marra, Heather (Kevin) Beardsley, Justin Pomey and Jason Pomey; the greatgrandmother of Brayden Lieb, Cameron Lieb, Shealynn Lieb, Kayden Beardsley, Fiona Beardsley and Penelope Beardsley; the sister of Chester (late Becky) Drada and Don (Anne) Drada; and an aunt of many. Due to COVID restrictions, there will be a celebration of Jeanne’s life with a dinner at a later date. Online condolences may be offered to the family at KuratkoNosek.com. Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home, North Riverside, handled arrangements.

Charles J. Scheffel, 86 Longtime Lyons assistant fire chief Charles John Scheffel, 86, of Lyons, died Feb. 21, 2021. Mr. Scheffel was a U.S. Army veteran, a machinist at UOP in McCook and an assistant fire chief with the Lyons Fire Department with 25 years of service. He was the husband of the late Rosemarie (nee CHARLES J. SCHEFFEL Kunes); the father of Charles Scheffel, Sherilyn (Nasser) Ghazaleh, Ellen (Ronald) Will and Joseph Scheffel; the grandfather of Nicole (Nico) Montemagni, Joshua Will, Alexandra Ghazaleh and Chase Scheffel; and the brother of the late Carole Wuest. Visitation is Friday, Feb. 26 from 3 to 8 p.m. at Ivins/Moravecek Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St., Riverside, with a memorial service for Charles and his wife, Rosemarie, who preceded him in death on Nov. 27, 2020. Mr. Scheffel’s funeral service is on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. at St. John’s United Church of Christ, 4800 S Prescott, Lyons. Interment is at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside.

Scott W. Zubor, 41 Musician Scott William Zubor, 41, of Todd, North Carolina and formerly of Riverside, died Feb. 14, 2021 at his home. Mr. Zubor was born in Downers Grove on Dec. 17, 1979 to Mark Thomas Zubor and the late Cheryl Kay Westerdahl Zubor. He was a free spirit for whom life was truly an adventure.

He was a talented musician who traveled across the country, playing in and following bands he loved, while collecting numerous friends and stories along the way. It was during his travels that he met his SCOTT ZUBOR soulmate and wife, Samantha, and sons, Eli, and Atlas. Their greatest adventure began in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Todd, North Carolina, where they settled and added three amazing children to their family. Mr. Zubor was a loving husband and father who shared his passion for music and the outdoors with his family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Samantha Zubor; five sons, Eli, Atlas, Echo, Indigo and Harvest; his father, Mark Zubor; sister, Laura Donahue (Patrick); and two brothers, Kevin and Brian (Rhonda) Zubor; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins who loved him greatly. We are comforted knowing Scott is with his adoring mom, Cheryl, and are reminded of him in the bluest eyes of his sons. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family, c/o Boone Family Funeral Home, P.O. Box 786, West Jefferson, North Carolina, 28694. A celebration of Scott’s life will be held at a later date.

To run an obituary Please contact Bob Uphues by e-mail: buphues@rblandmark.com, before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.

LETTERS and justice for all. You will be missed, but your character and reputation will remain deeply embedded in the Riverside Police Department as an enduring reminder of what it means to serve and protect. Your grateful village wishes you a long and enjoyable retirement.

Benjamin Sells, village president Riverside

Riverside Legion remembers late veterans As our community gets through the beginning of 2021, I thought it was important to honor three great veterans that we have lost. Veterans are like time capsules. They can teach us so much from their experiences about where we

have been as a country and how to look to the future with a sense of history. When we lose veterans, we simply lose treasures. Ervin Aronowski passed away in April 2020. He was living in Homer Glen, but he was always a Riversider at heart. He served in World War II from 1944 to 1946. While we had not seen him at American Legion Post #488 meetings, we kept his membership up with the post because of our respect and honor for him. People looked up to him as if he was a father to them. Lester Schueneman passed away in November 2020. He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was a member of American Legion Post #488; he was a legion member for over 18 years. When American Legion Post #488 went virtual last year, he wanted to attend meetings but the technology was a bit of a challenge for him. He lived and worked in Riverside for years before moving to Darien. If you asked Lester to provide you with his address, he

would always default to his old Riverside address. He never lost the spirit of Riverside from his heart. Dr. Joseph Discipio was a military dentist long before I ever met him as child. He was my family dentist and my godfather. He was like a father and a grandfather to me … all in one. He was an incredible dentist. He was a life-long member of the American Legion. I tried to get him to transfer to American Legion Post #488 many times. I was proud of his service and expertise. I loved him. His passing leaves an empty spot in my heart. The members of American Legion Post #488 and Sons of the American Legion Squadron #488 will not forget these great individuals. We salute them, we will miss them, and we honor them as we honor all those that have preceded them. We have lost three treasures from our community.

Joseph Baar Topinka, post commander American Legion Post #488 Riverside

The Landmark, February 24, 2021 New local ads this week

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CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Customer Service Representative II 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 traffic; and to perform the more difficult and complex customer service duties depending on the department including but not limited to service requests, permits, parking passes, block party permits, accounts payable processing and vehicle stickers. This position is cross-trained with the other Customer Service Representative IIs in the Village. 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 February 26, 2021.

FIRE MARSHALL The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualiﬁed candidates for the position of Fire Marshal with the Oak Park Fire Department This position will manage, supervise, and coordinate the activities and operations of the Fire Prevention Bureau. Asist in the development, implementation, and coordination of various programs within the Bureau. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www. oak-park.us/jobs. First review of applications will be February 26, 2021.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST HEPHZIBAH CHILDREN’S ASSOCIATION PART TIME POSITIONS AVAILABLE Hephzibah Children’s Association is a renowned social service agency in Oak Park, IL that has been helping children thrive and families ﬂourish through innovative community-based programs. The Day Care Program is accepting applications for February – June, 2021 school year. We seek individuals to provide care and supervision of 5-11-year-old children. Positions are Monday through Friday from 12:15 – 6:00 pm. Responsibilities include assisting with and monitoring e-learning, supervising arts and crafts, activities, sports, group games, and indoor and outdoor play, lunch and snack, and homework help. The program begins in February and will be in Oak Park, IL serving 5-11-year-old (K-5th grade) children. The program will follow the safety guidelines of the IDPH regarding face masks, social distancing and cleaning & disinfecting. Requirements include: • Minimum of 6 semester hours in education, recreation, social work, or related college courses • Experience working with children If you are interested please contact: Amy O’Rourke, Director of Day Care by email at: aorrouke@hephzibahhome.org include letter of interest and resume. Hephzibah Children’s Association is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome qualiﬁed applicants from all backgrounds to apply. We value, advocate for and support diversity throughout our organization. We embrace a respectful, multicultural, environment for employees and the clients we serve.

PART-TIME COMMUNITY SERVICE COORDINATOR The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Part-Time Community Service Coordinator (10-15 hrs./week) in the Adjudication Department. This person monitors individuals who have been ordered to provide community service in the Village, coordinates with organizations that provide community service opportunities, etc. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/ First review of applications will be March 2, 2021. SEASONAL FARMERS’ MARKET ASSISTANT The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Seasonal Farmers’ Market Assistant in the Development Customer Services Department. This position will provide administrative support to the Farmers’ Market Manager to allow growers and producers of food to sell directly to the public within established guidelines. This position requires work in inclement weather conditions; some heavy lifting of up to 50 pounds; walking or standing for sustained periods of time. 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. Open until filled.

SUBURBAN RENTALS OAK PARK: ROOSEVELT/ OAK PARK AVE. CORRIDOR 2BR 4RMS close to blue line. On site laundry, parking, heat & water incl. $1200/ month 708-383-9223

ELECTRICAL

OFFICE & RETAIL SPACE FOR RENT

Ceiling Fans Installed

RIVER FOREST–7777 Lake St. * 1116 sq. ft. * 1400 sq. ft. Dental Office RIVER FOREST–7756 Madison St. * 960 sq. ft. OAK PARK–6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. * 3 & 5 room office suites FOREST PARK–7736 Madison St. *2500 sq. ft. unit Strand & & Browne Strand Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011

A&A ELECTRIC

Let an American Veteran do your work

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

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

HANDYMAN

Mike’s Home Repair

HANDYMAN

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

FOUND PET BLACK CAT Black cat in River Forest, along Chicago Ave, between Ashland and Park. Please contact 708-366-8880

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

FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small

FLOORS KLIS FLOORING INC.

708-488-9411

New hardwood ﬂooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-ﬁnishing, staining. Low prices, insured. Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com

Buying? Selling? Renting? Wednesday Classified 708-613-3333

SUBURBAN RENTALS

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

OAK PARK & FOREST PARK

708-386-7355

MMpropMgmt.com

Apartment listings updated daily at:

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.

Selling your home By Owner? Advertise n Wednesday Classified. Call 708/613-3342

PAINTING & DECORATING

BASEMENT CLEANING

HEATING/ AIR CONDITIONING HEATING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT

Request of WILLIAM DEWAYNE LEONE Case Number 20214000561

PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.

Small & big work. Free estimates. Complete Plaster, Stucco & Re-Coating Services

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Woodwork Restoration On-site refinishing of wood

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

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY.

708.749.0011

Ask for John

HAULING

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE

Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/Plaster Repair Low Cost

REFINISHING

773-637-0692

PUBLIC NOTICES

CLASSIC PAINTING

Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates

Terry's

and fiberglass since 1977. Includes doors, woodwork, windows, staircases and new woodwork etc. All work done by hand. NO sanders. Your unfinished project my specialty! References available. Contact Terry Seamans at 630-379-7148 or terryseamans@yahoo.com

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE

ZOOM MEETING ID: 936 6870 5913 ZOOM PASSSWORD: 862976 CALL IN: 3126266799

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of Asha Andriana Berry Case Number 20214000560 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Asha Andriana Berry to the new name of: Asha Andriana The court date will be held: On April 13, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. at 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, Cook County, IL in Courtroom # 0112. Published in Wednesday Journal 2/24, 3/3, 3/10/2021

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY.

ZOOM MEETING ID: 914 3462 0283 ZOOM PASSSWORD: 988648 CALL IN: 3126266799

PUBLIC NOTICE Cellco Partnership and its controlled afﬁliates doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) is proposing to build two 33-foot metal light pole telecommunications facilities in Forest Park, Cook County, Illinois 60130. Node OPB_436 – A will be located in the vicinity of 2 Brown Avenue. Node OPB_442 - A will be located in the vicinity of 7525 Madison Street. Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Project 6121000736/6121000739 - MB c/o EBI Consulting, 6876 Susquehanna Trail South, York, PA 17403, mbandstra@ebiconsulting.com, or via telephone at (717) 472-3070.

Published in RBLandmark 2/24, 3/3, 3/10/2021

Published in Forest Park Review 2/24/2021

Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience

The court date will be held: On April 13, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom Video-conference. Please use the information below to access the hearing.

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

The court date will be held: On April 13, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom Video-conference. Please use the information below to access the hearing.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE

Request of KEVIN KHANG DINH Case Number 20214000570

708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: WILLIAM DEWAYNE LEONE to the new name of: WILLIAM DEWAYNE LEODINH

Published in RBLandmark 2/24, 3/3 3/10/2021

Furnaces, Boilers and Space Heaters Refrigerators Ranges • Ovens Washer • Dryers Rodding Sewers

FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.

CITY RENTALS DELUXE 3BR APT 5955 W HURON First Floor. Large kitchen, all electric appliances. Near West Suburban Hospital. Near all public trans. $1150/mo. Call 773-637-8677 for appt.

ELECTRICAL

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: KEVIN KHANG DINH to the new name of: KEVIN KHANG LEODINH

You have jobs. We have readers! Find the best employees with Wednesday Classified! Call 708-613-3342.

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

CLASSIFIED

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

Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice: Your right to know

In print • Online • Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year RBLandmark.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com PUBLIC NOTICES CLAIMS NOTICE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, COUNTY DEPARTMENT, PROBATE DIVISION. ESTATE OF JASON EDWARD BOBZIN, DECEASED. NO. 2020 P 006222. Notice is given to creditors of the death of the above named decedent. Letters of ofﬁce were issued to COURTNEY MARIE BOBZIN-MOHAMMED, 1002 SPRUCE ST., APT 1A, GELNDALE HTS., Il 60139, as Independent Administrator, whose attorney of record is DANSBY G. CHEEKS, 108 MADISON ST., OAK PARK, IL 60302. The estate will be administered without court supervision, unless under section 5/28-4 of the Probate Act (Ill. Compiled Stat. 1992, Ch. 755, par. 5/28-4) any interested person terminates independent administration at any time by mailing or delivering a petition to terminate to the clerk.

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

RBLANDMARK.COM

Claims against the estate may be filed in the office of the clerk in Room 1202, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL, or with the representative, or both, on or before AUGUST 24, 2021, or, if mailing or delivery of a notice from the representative is required by section 5/18-3 of the Probate Act, the date stated in that notice. Any claim not filed on or before that date is barred. Copies of a claim filed with the clerk must be mailed or delivered by the claimant to the representative and to the attorney within 10 days after it has been filed. E filing is now mandatory for documents in civil cases with limited exemptions. To e-file, you must first create an account with an e-filing service provider. Visit http://efile.illinoiscourts.gov/ service-providers.htm to learn more and to select a service provider. If you need additional help or have trouble e-filing, Visit http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/FAQ/ gethelp.asp. ATTY. DANSBY G. CHEEKS, Published in Wednesday Journal 2/24, 3/3, 3/10/2021

LEGAL NOTICE ANNUAL APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Brookfield will hold a public hearing at 6:30 P.M. on March 8, 2021 at the Village Board Room in the Municipal Building of the Village of Brookfield, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513 on the Village’s proposed appropriation ordinance, which will serve as the basis for the Village’s 2021 Annual Appropriation Ordinance. The proposed appropriation ordinance will be on file in the Village Clerk’s Office for at least ten (10) days prior to March 8, 2021 and copies thereof will be conveniently available for public examination and copying. Brigid Weber, Village Clerk Published in RB Landmark 2/24/2021

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS

LEGAL NOTICE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS

Public Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) of the Village of River Forest, County of Cook, State of Illinois, on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in the First Floor Community Room of the River Forest Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois on the following matter:

Public Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in the First Floor Community Room of the River Forest Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois, to consider amendment(s) to the Village’s Zoning Ordinance which include, but may not be limited to, the following:

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: Y21005947 on February 8, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of GUERRERO DESIGN with the business located at 1 E. ERIE STREET SUITE 525-2263, CHICAGO, IL 60611. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: JULIO C GUERRERO JR. 2322 LARKIN STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109, USA.

The ZBA will consider an application for a major zoning variation submitted by Rosemary McAdams and Quinn Brennolt, owners of the property at 7612 Vine Street, who are proposing to construct a second story addition onto the existing home. Section 4-8-5 of the Village Code provides the Zoning Board jurisdiction to hold public hearings and offer recommendations to the Village Board concerning variations to Zoning Ordinance. The applicants are requesting a major variation to Section 10-9-7 that would allow the west wall of the home, which has a non-conforming side yard setback of 2.85 feet, to increase in height from one story to two stories. The applicants are also requesting a variation for a roof overhang of 1’-8” at the second ﬂoor level, resulting in a setback of only 1.18 feet to the roof edge. The Zoning Ordinance prohibits any increase in height of a wall which maintains a non-conforming side yard setback. The Zoning Code requires the roof eave to have a minimum 3-foot side yard setback. The legal description of the property at 7612 Vine Street is as follows: LOT 23, IN BLOCK 6 IN THE RESUBDIVISION OF BLOCKS 3 AND 6 AND THE NORTH 450 FEET OF BLOCK 7 IN HENRY FIELD’S SUBDIVISION OF THE EAST HALF OF THE EAST HALF OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. A copy of the application will be available to the public at Village Hall and on the Village’s website at www. vrf.us/zoningvariation no less than 15 days prior to the public hearing. The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting packet will also be available at www.vrf.us/meetings no less than 48 hours prior to the public hearing. All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. For public comments to be considered by the Zoning Board of Appeals and Village Board of Trustees in their decision, they must be included as part of the public hearing record. Interested persons can learn more about how to participation in the hearing by visiting www.vrf.us/zoningvariation.

1. A Text Amendment to Chapter 10-19-3(A) of the Zoning Ordinance regarding changes to the standards for review for Planned Developments to consider whether a proposed planned development is consistent with the goals and policies of the Affordable Housing Plan. The petitioner for the Text Amendment(s) is the Village of River Forest, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, IL 60305 This public hearing is being held pursuant to direction given by the Village Board of Trustees for the Zoning Board of Appeals to consider this amendment. For additional information visit www.vrf.us. All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. For public comments to be considered by the Zoning Board of Appeals and Village Board of Trustees in their decision, they must be included as part of the public hearing record. Physical attendance at this public meeting is limited due to COVID-19, with Zoning Board of Appeals ofﬁcials, staff and consultants having priority over members of the public. Public comments and any responses will be ready into the public meeting record. You may submit your public comments via email in advance of the meeting to: Cliff Radatz at cradatz@vrf.us. You may listen to the meeting by visiting https:// us02web.zoom.us/j/85079808303 or participating in a telephone conferences call as follows, dial-in number 1-312-626- 6799 with meeting id: 850 7980 8303. If you would like to participate over the phone, please contact Cliff Radatz by telephone at (708) 714-3557 or by email at cradatz@vrf.us by 12:00 pm on Thursday, March 11, 2021. For further information or for a copy of the proposed text amendments, please contact Acting Village Administrator Lisa Scheiner at (708) 7143520 or at lscheiner@vrf.us or visit www.vrf.us. Sincerely, Clifford Radatz Secretary, Zoning Board of Appeals Published in Wednesday Journal 2/24/2021

Sincerely, Clifford Radatz Secretary, Zoning Board of Appeals Published in Wednesday Journal 2/24/2021

Attention! Home-improvement pros! Reach the people making decisions–your target market. Advertise in Wednesday Classified. Call 708/613-3342

The ZBA will consider an application for a major zoning variation submitted by Greg and Amanda Palivos, owners of the property at 1018 Park Avenue, who are proposing to construct a two story addition onto the existing home. Section 4-8-5 of the Village Code provides the Zoning Board jurisdiction to hold public hearings and offer recommendations to the Village Board concerning variations to Zoning Ordinance. The applicants are requesting major variations to Section 10-9-7 that would allow the south wall of the proposed addition to the house to be constructed with a non-conforming side yard setback of 3.75 feet, and as a result, the combined side yard setback of the property would be non-conforming at 13.95 feet. The Zoning Ordinance requires the minimum side yard setback to be equal to 10 percent of the lot width or 5 feet, whichever is greater. The minimum required side yard setback for this property is 7.5 feet. The Zoning Ordinance also requires the combined side yard setback (the sum of the side yards at both sides of the house) to be equal to 25 percent of the lot width or 10 feet, whichever is greater. The combined side yard setback for this property is required to be a minimum of 18.75 feet. The legal description of the property at 1018 Park Avenue is as follows: LOT 8 AND THE NORTH 1/2 OF LOT 9 IN HENRY E. GRAVES SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 10, IN SNOW AND DICKINSON’S ADDITION TO RIVER FOREST, A SUBDIVISION OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 1 AND THE EAST 17 ACRES OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF SECTION 2, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN (EXCEPT PARTS CONVEYED TO THE CHICAGO AND WISCONSIN RAILROAD COMPANY) IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. A copy of the application will be available to the public at Village Hall and on the Village’s website at www. vrf.us/zoningvariation no less than 15 days prior to the public hearing. The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting packet will also be available at www.vrf.us/meetings no less than 48 hours prior to the public hearing. All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. For public comments to be considered by the Zoning Board of Appeals and Village Board of Trustees in their decision, they must be included as part of the public hearing record. Interested persons can learn more about how to participation in the hearing by visiting www.vrf.us/zoningvariation. Clifford Radatz Secretary, Zoning Board of Appeals Published in Wednesday Journal 2/24/2021

Published in Wednesday Journal 2/10, 2/17, 2/24/2021

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION QUICKEN LOANS INC. Plaintiff, -v.DRIKO DUCASSE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 2019CH08452 1226 N 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 December 17, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 25, 2021, 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 1226 N AUSTIN BLVD, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-127-0270000

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

The real estate is improved with a multi-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 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) 236-SALE 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. 14-19-06429 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2019CH08452 TJSC#: 41-167 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 # 2019CH08452 I3164170

Illinois Classified Advertising Network HEALTH

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WANTED FREON WANTED: We pay $$$ for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. Certified Professionals. Call 312-291-9169 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com

Starting a new business?

Call the expert before you place your legal ad! Publish your assumed name legal notice in • Wednesday Journal • Forest Park Review • Riverside/Brookfield Landmark • Austin Weekly News Call Mary Ellen for details: 708/613-3342

The Landmark, February 24, 2021

W NE

G! IN T LIS

NG MI O C

ON SO

442 Kent Rd, Riverside $588,000

273 Blackhawk, Riverside $450,000

444 Washington Blvd, #204, Oak Park $189,500

3608 Wenonah Ave, Berwyn $289,900

2034 73rd Ct, Elmwood Park $374,900

192 Waubansee Rd, Riverside $539,000

178 Maplewood Rd, Riverside $625,000

4441 Wolf Rd, #210, Western Springs $759,400

144 Scottswood Rd, Riverside $799,000

45 Longcommon Rd, Riverside $975,000

AL NT E R

293 Longcommon Rd, Riverside $975,000

38 S Waiola Ave, La Grange $1,665/mo

AL NT E R

8613 Rockefeller Ave, Brookfield $1,800/mo.

AL NT E R

58 Lincoln #3, Riverside $1,700/mo

AL NT E R

622 Robinhood Ln, LaGrange Park $2,200/mo

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

Visit us at www.atproperties.com/agents/Burlington to view all of our properties and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates on the local real estate market.