RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD Also serving North Riverside $1.00
Vol. 35, No. 18
April 29, 2020
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LTHS delays graduation
Construction shuts Grand Boulevard in downtown Brookfield PAGE 3
Prom, commencement ceremony postponed tll late June PAGE 9
Local restaurants forge ahead during shutdown PAGE 7
D103 board at odds over new director-level hires 6 custodians furloughed, longtime staffers fired By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
A divided Lyons School Board voted 4 to 2 at a special meeting last week to hire two administrators, even though most board members had not even seen the resumes of the people that they were voting to hire. The board also voted 4 to 2 to furlough six custodians and to eliminate the positions of three central office employees in what Superintendent Kristopher Rivera described as costsaving moves. The new hires are Sheila Johnson, who was hired to be the school district’s new business manager. She replaces Martin McConahay, who was hired as interim business manager last fall. Meanwhile, Robert Koc was hired as the new buildings and grounds director, replacing Mark Galba, whose contract was not renewed after he has spent most of the last year on medical leave. “I don’t know anything about these people,” said board member Sharon Anderson before voting against hiring both Johnson and Koc. “We were never given any type of resume. No communication from the superintendent saying we’ve got interviews, we’re going to be bringing people to the board for approvals, nothing.” At the meeting Rivera said resumes for Johnson and Koc were inadvertently left out of the online board packets that board members access online. Anderson and Marge Hubacek voted against the new hires See D103 on page 16
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
INSPIRED: Amy Jacksic has raised more than $10,000 to help feed Riverside families in need who are suffering the consequences of the COVID-19 shutdown.
Father’s loss to COVID-19 spurs effort to help neighbors Riversider raises more than $10,000 to aid villagers in need By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
In early April, Riverside resident Amy Jacksic was on the telephone talking to her healthy and still-working 74-year-old father, Rich Jacksic,
who lived in southern New Jersey. They discussed how many people were losing their jobs and hurting financially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. They talked about how many people were likely falling through the gaps of governmental
Payne Plumbing & Heating
aid efforts and how everyday citizens could help their neighbors until government programs began functioning. Just a couple days later, on April 7, Rich Jacksic started feeling ill and was See COVID-19 on page 16
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