Landmark_052026

@riversidebrook

41, No. 20

Lawyer for ‘Starved Rock Killer ’ says he was innocent

ree victims all from Riv attended Riverside Presby

terian C

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Re

There is a commemorat away within the chancel byterian Church. It’s a little once you do, it lists the names women to which it was dedicated: Lindquist, Frances Mur ph ting, all cong re gation member In Andy Hale’s mind, the women, who were brutally murdered on March 16, 1960 at downstate Starve were present with him Saturda Hale is a Chicago attor ney the last decade on a relentless tice in the case against Chester was convicted of the murders 2019 – but never exonerated. about the investigation, the and possible new evidence, in the very sanctuary where the three women worshipped, was transcendent for him.

MURDERS on pa ge 6

Attorney Andy Hale presents ev idence the 1960 Starved Rock murders of three Riverside women wasn’t commited by Chester Weger, the man convicted of the murders.

o 6-unit buildings are in development alongside some -scale projects downtown

By STELLA BROWN Staff Reporter

Multi-unit housing is the name of the game hen it comes to Brookfield’s ongoing development projects

o new proposed six-unit housing developments are in the works at 8911 Burlington Ave. and 3827 Maple Ave., according to Libby Popovic, director of community development.

“One is in the works, and one is in kind of a t phase,” she told the Landmark. said the property on Burlington belongs to a private developer while the property on Maple is owned by the village

“8911 is just west of Phil’s [Sports Bar & Grill and] that shopping complex right there on Burl-

on page 11

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

We All Have Mental Health

Whether you are struggling with a temporary challenge or if you are living with a chronic condition, your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

Investing In Our Future

The Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township (CMHB) and the River Forest Township Mental Health Committee invest in a continuum of mental health care that is responsive to our unique and evolving community needs.

Together, we provided over $1.6M last year to help local organizations and schools offer prevention, early intervention, treatment, and quality-of-life services to Oak Park and River Forest residents.

Our grants resulted in:

More than 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Growing Crisis Among Youth

America’s youth mental health crisis has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. 6

Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness INCREASED 69%

between 2009 and 2021 for U.S. high school students

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Community Mental Health Board Of Oak Park Township

• Over 7,700 Oak Park residents accessing services

• Over 6,300 units of mental health treatment for Oak Park residents

• Over 150 educational presentations on mental health to Oak Park residents

• Over 1,000 Oak Park high school students trained in suicide prevention

In fiscal year 2026, CMHB provided nearly $1.4M in funding for mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability services. To learn more about our work in this area, visit oakparktownship.org/CMHB.

River Forest Township Mental Health Committee

• Supporting 10 local, not-for-profit agencies

• Over 7,000 hours of services provided to River Forest residents

• 150 hours of educational presentations on mental health to River Forest residents

• Over 250 River Forest high school students trained in suicide prevention

In fiscal year 2026, RFT provided over $215,000 in funding for mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability services. To learn more about our work in this area,visit www.riverforesttownship.org/mental-health. 50%

Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township

Now ’s the time to appeal your triennial property assessment

June 8 is the last day to appeal to lower your property’s assessed value

By STELLA BROWN Staff Reporter

In the triennial tradition of Cook County, property values in the southern and western suburbs, including Brookfield and Riverside, have been reassessed.

What does that mean?

With Cook County being the second largest county in the country, it divides its townships into three groupings — the north suburbs, the city of Chicago, and the south and west suburbs — and reassesses the values of all the properties in one of those three re gions on a rotating, annual schedule.

“The county is looking at data from the prior three to five years since the prior reassessment. Our last reassessment was in 2023. They’re compiling market data, and it’s a mass appraisal by a computer program,” said Mary Jo Miller, the assessor of Riverside Township. “They revalue everything according to that data. Because it’s mass appraisal, you as the taxpayer have a right to ag ree or disag ree with it, and that process is the appeal.”

Miller said the county’s valuation of one’s property is one of three factors that work together to create your annual tax bills.

“The other factors that affect your tax bill are the tax rate, which is a combination of the levies of all the taxing bodies in your district, and also the state multiplier. That actually gives you the tax dollars you pay. This is one factor that we can affect in that calculation,” she said.

She emphasized that appealing your valuation will not affect the tax bill you’ll have to pay this year for 2025.

“We’re appealing in the calendar year; however, we pay our taxes in arrears. We’re appealing the valuation they give us for 2026, and this value will hold steady for three years until the next reassessment, unless you appeal it and have a success,” Miller said.

Single-family homes had an average val-

uation increase in Riverside Township of 22%, she said, while condominiums had an average increase of 39%.

Class 2-03 homes, “the most common home within the township,” which are one story and between 1,000 and 1,800 square feet, grew 20% on average, Miller said. Class 2-05 homes, older than 62 years with two or more stories and up to 2,200 square feet, grew 25% in valuation on average, she said. Class 2-06 homes, which are the same as Class 2-05 but have a footprint between 2,201 and 4,999 square feet, had 34% average growth.

“[The county is] not giving you a breakdown of your improved assessed value, which is the building and the land. There were very large increases in the land values of the properties,” Miller said.

Of the portions of each municipality that fall within Riverside Township, Miller said North Riverside’s land values grew 17.5% on average, Lyons and Riverside Lawn’s land values grew 29%, Brookfield’s grew 33% and the village of Riverside’s grew 75%.

What can I do about it?

The deadline to file an appeal with the county is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, June 8. If an appeal is successful, the county will reassess the valuation of a property once again in comparison with similar properties, perhaps resulting in the valuation going down.

A property’s valuation determines what

proportion of the total tax levy it is responsible for in contention with all other properties within the taxing area, though a decrease in a valuation does not always mean the taxpayer will see a proportionate or equal decrease in the tax bill, Miller said.

If you want to appeal your property’s reassessment, Miller said the first step is to reach out to your township assessor’s office. For residents in Riverside Township, Miller’s office can be reached at 708-4477700 or assessor@riversidetownship.org. But be warned — you’re not the only one “We’re incredibly busy. I think this is going to be a record reassessment compared to 2020 in the numbers of residents that we will help and service by providing data for them to appeal online,” Miller said. “We try to do everything by appointments to keep the workflow, but we do get several walk-ins every day. So far, we’ve been able to manage the volume.”

In 2020, Miller said her office assisted about 1,100 taxpayers. While she didn’t yet have data she could share about this year, she said the office’s emailing list in 2020 had about 1,200 people, which has since grown to 1,600, meaning the assessor could help a similarly increased proportion of people.

“I can help people with a lack of uniformity appeal, where it’s based on comparable properties,” she said. “I would say about 60% of the people, I can find evidence to suppor t an appeal, and about 40% of the people that have made requests, I cannot find evidence to support an appeal.”

If you’re one of the 60%, your next step is to appeal online through the Cook County Assessor’s Office.

Miller said that new homeowners especially should pay attention to the reassessment process.

“If you think, ‘Oh, my mortgage or my escrow takes care of this,’ they do not. This is a homeowner’s responsibility,” she said. “Again, you’re appealing in the calendar year, but we pay our taxes in arrears. A lot of people think, when they get their tax bill, that’s the time to appeal, and those two cycles have nothing in common.”

RB senior creates studen self-advocac y survey

Aubrey

Kaczmarek’s

tool allows students to speak about their needs

By STELLA BROWN Staff Reporter

Students at Riverside Brookfield High School now have constant access to a survey tool that enables them to tell teachers how they best lear n and communicate and explain what accommodations they may need.

Aubrey Kaczmarek, a graduating senior, created the tool to achieve her Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts, she told the Landmark.

“It’s for girls to identify a problem in their community, and they will have to create a sustainable solution for the problem that could be controlled without the girl being there,” she said.

Teachers can add the survey to their digital classroom pages for students to fill out and submit at any point, Kaczmarek said. She said the survey has room for students to describe how they lear n best in ter ms of each of the five senses and to explain sensory issues they may experienc e or accommodations they’ve been granted as part of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 plan.

“There are a handful of questions For the first question, it’s hearing. ‘I hear best when I have,’ and there are a bunch of checkboxes. You could check of f, ‘I work best when I have’ audio, no audio, music, headphones, stuf f like that,” she said. “For seeing, ‘I work best when I have’ bright lights, dim lights, bigger text, smaller text. It goes for each of the five senses.”

Kaczmarek, who will attend Pikes Peak State Colle ge in Colorado Springs to study interior design, said she conceived of the survey due to her own experiences of having a lear ning disability and an associated IEP that went ignored or unaccommodated in the classroom.

“I was diagnosed with a lear ning disability in sixth grade once I transfer red to a public school. Ever since then, I’ve had to advocate for myself and tell teach-

ers, ‘Hey, I need help reading. I ca this on my own. I need audio for my experience, some teachers do that I have an IEP, or they just they don’ t accommodate me It really frustrating over the years stantly remind them, ‘Hey, I ca Can you help me read?’” she said.

“The survey was inspired by classes I’ve been in that did not mak advocacy feel welcomed or safe, teachers would make me feel speaking up for myself wasn’t OK Kaczmarek added. “I don’t want kid to be frustrated in classrooms of their dif ferences and selves This would help get open, safe communication between students and teachers, so gets frustrated.”

Even when teachers don’t discourage self-advocacy, Kaczmarek said the will allow students to discreetly nicate their needs if they don’t want mates to overhear sensitive inform

After developing the tool, Kaczmarek said she brought it to Kylie Lindquist, assistant principal of cur riculum struction at RB, who org anized the student to present her creation to the school faculty during a teacher institute day.“I honestly wasn’t nervous at all. The only thing I was nervous about was reading my own speech that I wrote because, obviously, I have a reading disability,” she said. “Lots of [teachers] were really excited. I had one teacher come up to me, and she said, ‘You don’ t know who I am, but your speech made me cry’ She said her son has dyslexia, and she understands how hard it is for him to read on his own, so me saying my story was really powerful, and it really impacted her.”

RB senior Aubrey Kaczmarek (center) is the creator of a new self-advocac y survey tool that’s being implemented at the high school.

after it was implemented at RB, though she attributed some of that volume to the approach of finals week, which is now underway

She said teachers and parents have reached out to her to g et their own copies of the survey to use outside RB, such as in their own classrooms in local middle schools.

way better lear ning it then than in high school.”

While the tool is based on Kaczmarek’s own experiences of not being accommodated, she said she created it to help other students like her

Lindquist and Kevin Baldus, RB’s director of special education services, did not respond to an interview request about the implementation of Kaczmarek’s tool.

Using data shared by teachers, Kaczmarek said about 170 students had filled out the survey in the first three weeks

“They want that survey in their classrooms. T hey told me that they absolutely love this. T hey want to be better teachers, and they want this to help their students,” she said. “They also told me that middle schoolers having the survey now and lear ning how to self-advocate now will be

“I know that I would definitely have thrived from [having] this tool in classrooms, but I’m more glad that other kids g et to have it as well. I’m graduating next week, so I won’ t have this tool anymore to use, but I’m really glad other kids will have this tool to use in their classrooms. I feel like this will really impact their lives and make a dif ference in how they selfadvocate,” she said.

AMY KACZMAREK

Reid ready to take reins at Blythe Park School

Chosen from 40 applicants, new pr incipal comes from District 181

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

There are commonalities between the business and education worlds, something of which Chris Reid is well aware.

Reid, recently named the new principal at Blythe Park School, said communication and relationships are crucial in both environments

“I communicated with suppliers and was involved with training employees and I think communication was key,” he said, addin that, “the ability to collec data and look at decisionmaking crosses over greatl in education. ”

Reid, who is replacing Ca simira Gor man at Blythe Park School, has more than 20 years of education experience at Community Consolidated School District 181 in the Hinsdale area. His was a hybrid role between administration and pupil services coordinator After his previous business career at a machinery fir m that built hydraulic manifolds, he broke into teaching at Hinsdale Middle School.

district.

“I am very confident he understands a high-functioning and successful school,” she said. “Casimira makes sure she mentors and guides, (and) one of the most impor tant aspects of our job is support at the building level and support that principal.”

Reid was chosen from a pool of around 40 applicants, and while some candidates might have been intimidated by a substantial district interview team, including parents, he saw it as a challenge.

“It was kind of exciting,” he said. “I thought the community was great. It was nice to know they were doing their due diligence to vet and hire the right person for the job.”

Reid spent time at Blythe Park School on Tuesday to familiarize himself with teachers, staf f and students

“I will say, it was interesting,” he said.

“I got to see a fourth-grade class leaving music, and the fifth graders were eager to meet me, but at the same time, they knew I wasn’t going to be their principal, (as) they are going on to Hauser.”

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YGIFT TAX ANNUAL EXCLUSION

our generosity in giving cash gifts is supported by the Federal government in the form of the annual gift tax exclusion. You can give up to $19,000 to as many individuals as you want each year without having to file a gift tax return (Form 709).

He said he is ready to take on the challenge of a school deemed Exemplary by the 2024-25 Illinois Re port Card. Gorman, who led Blythe Park School for 12 years, is moving on to the role of district director of teaching and lear ning, re placing Angela Dole zal, who de par ted in late March

“I’m for tunate that Ms Gor man is going to stay in the district,” he said. “It’s a good sign when people move up and want to stay in the district. District 96 has great resources and great parental involvement and collaboration. Those are all things I appreciated in District 181.”

District superintendent Dr Martha Ryan-Toye said recently that Reid is ready for his next step and ag reed it is a major plus that Gor man is staying within the

But that’s what he enjoys about education, which you don’t get in the business world.

Working daily with youngsters.

“You’re always sur prised and delighted by them,” Reid said. “It’s not hard to smile when working with children. It’s a calling. You see kids grow and achieve so far beyond what you expected.”

He’s also looking forward to the new Blythe Park School playground, a collaborative ef fort between the Riverside School District 96 and the village

“We had some new playgrounds come in during my tenure at District 181,” he said. “It allows for activity and entertainment, but also the social dynamics of lunch recess is so impor tant for development.”

This exclusion applies per donor. If you are married, you and your spouse can each give $19,000 to the same person, for a combined total of $38,000 per recipient in 2025, by using gift splitting (which generally requires filing Form 709).

Gifts exceeding the $19,000 annual exclusion amount typically do not result in immediate gift tax liability for most people. Instead, the excess amount counts against your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption, which is $13.99 million per individual for 2025 and $15 million for 2026.

Certain transfers are not considered taxable gifts, regardless of the amount:

• Payments made directly to a qualifying educational institution for tuition.

• Payments made directly to a medical care provider for medical expenses.

• Gifts to a U.S. citizen spouse (the marital deduction is unlimited).

• Gifts to a political organization for its use.

• Gifts to certain exempt charities.

You are generally required to file Form 709, United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return, if you make a gift to any one person that exceeds the annual exclusion amount, even if you don’t end up owing gift tax because of the lifetime exemption. The form is due by the federal income tax filing deadline of the year following the gift (typically April 15).

CHRIS REID

By Linda Sokol Francis. E.A.

“I could feel those women in this church,” Hale said post-talk. “I feel these women now, knowing that this plaque was over my shoulder. It was sur real.”

Nearby, someone said that, for better or worse, the case is part of the church’s history

“That’s why I feel like something is going to come of this,” Hale responded.

The crime

It’s a sordid case with many twists and tur ns, and Hale makes a convincing argument for why We ger, who died last year, wasn’t the murderer. In other words, Hale believes he was never meant to be a suspect … but instead a scapegoat

It’s less than 100 miles from Riverside to Starved Rock State Park, and the women set out in Murphy’s station wagon for a four-day visit on Monday, March 14, 1960, ar riving at Starved Rock Lodge, where We ger was a 21-year-old dishwasher. They checked into the lodge, had lunch, and set

of f on a hike in the park’s St. Louis Canyon.

Then they vanished

Two days later, all three were found dead in a shallow cave in St. Louis Canyon.

“The injuries were devastating,” Hale told Saturday’s 100 attendees, noting Murphy’s fractured skull. “You couldn’t reco gnize who they were, they were beaten so badly.”

The case became a national story, including coverage in the once-ubiquitous Life mag azine

All three were Riversiders, mar ried mothers, church members and people with hopes and dreams.

Frances Mur phy grew roses and was a member of the Riverside school board. She left behind four children. Oetting left three children, while Lindquist had t wo.

Lynda Nadkar ni is the community programs director at Riverside Presbyterian Church, 116 Bar rypoint Road, and helped organize Hale’s visit – the first time he had made a presentation about the case in Riverside.

Nadkar ni grew up in the church and said over the years the women had been almost ghostly.

“I’ve always felt their presence here,” she said. “It’s impossible to sit in the choir and sing and not feel those women.”

TODD BANNOR

Attorney Andy Hale shows photos of the 1960 Star ved Rock Murder victims. All were from Riverside and members of the Riverside Presby terian Church.

The investigation

We ger, who stood 5-foot-7 and weighed 180 pounds, compared with the victims’ 5-foot-6 height, was interviewed by the Illinois State Police March 18 and inter rogated again two days later. He passed three polyg raph tests by the end of the month, then passed three more that April.

Meanwhile, it came to light that a roughly 25-year-old man was seen speaking to the women with possibly three more men in a car A potential lead, of course, but Hale said the big break in the case was on March 21, when Illinois Bell phone operator Lois Zelensek connected a call between a party from La Salle County, where Starved Rock State Park is located, and Aurora

She heard part of the conversation, which made her blood run cold.

“They sure have a big writeup in the paper,” the La Salle County party said. Zelensek later said the Aurora voice sounded like an uneducated person.

The Aurora caller: “The kid has bloodstained overalls in the trunk of the car. He’s afraid he’ ll get caught.”

The La Salle County response: “Tell him to get rid of them. Bur n them.”

Zelensek’s daughter, Marsha Minott, sat in the front row Saturday.

“My mother was scared for my family,” Minott said. “She was a telephone operator and they overheard a lot of dif ferent things, and my father worked for the Aurora Fire Department and he kept telling my mom, ‘Do not say anything. We don’t need our family exposed to this.’”

Investigators, said Hale, traced the call to two brothers with organized crime connections and, significantly, to the husband of one of the victims. But the state’s attorney cleared them with, in Hale’s sur mise, a handpicked polygrapher.

Attorney Andy Hale presents evidence the 1960 Star ved Rock Murders of three Riverside women wasn’t commited by Chester Weger, the man convicted of the murde rs, at Riverside Presby terian Church on May 16.

Instead, the state tur ned its attention to We ger, who was driven to Chicago in late September by La Salle County Sherif f’s Deputy William Dummett for another polyaph test, which Dummett claimed Weger failed and went on to say that if Weger didn’t onfess, he would face the electric chair. he endgame arrived in November. Weger, had been relentlessly tailed by law enforcement for months, was interrogated for eight hours, Nov. 16, before confessing early the next mor ning

His story was that on his work break at the lodge, he was walking in St. Louis Canyon, decided to rob the women and let them go.

one attacked him, likely Frances Murwho apparently dislodged a hair from attacker, so he defended himself and killed them all before retur ning to work Hale doesn’t buy it

dence and plausible alter native suspects With moder n advances in DNA evidence, it was deter mined that a hair found at the scene likely dislodged by Mur phy was a male profile … but not We ger. A new process called genetic genealo gy connected the hair to three brothers. Coincidentally, the latter died of a heart attack the same day the women’s bodies were found.

The weapon was likely a tire iron or the end of a hammer, according to a forensic pathologist.

Hale said there is new evidence implicating a small-time La Salle County hood, who alle gedly admitted he helped plan the murders and stored the bloody clothes in his car, matching what Zelensek overheard on the phone call. That man’s sister later alle gedly implicated him.

Here’s another twist: Hale contacted a woman whose grandfather was in the Chicago mob and alle gedly organized the murders

But why remains a mystery.

In recent years, Hale has worked tirelessly to exonerate We ger, before and after his parole and death. Didn’t happen. A court in Will County, where the case was moved due to a conflict of interest in La Salle County, refused to vacate the conviction, possibly because it would have cost tens of millions of dollars in relief to We ger and his family.

Loc al help requested

What to make of all this? Hale said the case isn’t over, but there are a few heroes, including Frances Mur phy, who apparently fought her attacker and dislodged the hair evidence that led to the moder n conclusions, along with Lois Zelensek.

“The confession was a joke,” he said. “Nobody could believe it. In 1960, it was checkmate In 1960, we didn’t know false confessions were real.”

That led to We ger’s incarceration for 59 years, three months and six days. All the while, he maintained his innocence while he acquired the nickname the Starved Rock Killer

New evidence

Hale got involved a decade ago and was clear on his objective.

“My job as Chester’s lawyer, I have to show he didn’t do it,” he said. “I have to prove who did it.”

So he went to work looking for new evi-

“I contend this was a colossal coverup in 1960, and it’s a colossal coverup today,” he said. “I’m urging everyone in here, if you know something, reach out. Justice does not have an expiration date.”

Hale got to know We ger over the years and called him a “very humble person [with] a dry sense of humor

“I thought he was kind of a gentle person, the Chester We ger I knew after the last 10 years,” Hale said. “He really became a friend to me Our go-to after court in Ottawa was Cracker Bar rel.”

Nadkar ni said she believes the mob was involved in the murders.

“There were four victims,” she said. “The three women and Chester We ger.” If you know anything related to the Starved Rock murders, howev er seemingly inconsequential, email Andy Hale andy@ ahalelaw.com or visit https://www.andyhale podcast.com/contact

GREGG VOSS

Riverside Presby terian Church plaque

TODD BANNOR

Work begins to x Brook eld library’s leaking outer shell

Construction contractors ante up $635,000 leaving library with $1.2M coming out of reserves

By STELLA BROWN Staff Reporter

A four-month project to replace the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library building’s exterior shell is now underway.

A black substance has been dripping from the library’s outside walls since the library’s construction was completed in July 2021. An investigation found that a combination of three building materials used to seal the building created a chemi cal reaction that resulted in the black gooey substance leaking.

Construction work be gan Monday, May 11, and is expected to last through the end of September, though the library will re main open for its re gular hours and operations, according to an FAQ on its website.

The work comes more than a year after library of ficials took steps to settle outside of court with contractors and subcontrac tors in a dispute over a “black substance dripping” from portions of the building’s exterior envelope. According to an unfiled le gal complaint the library drafted last March, engineering, architecture and materials science fir m Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associated, Inc. discovered last year that the substance was created by the interaction between three specific materials used to construct the envelope which wraps the building.

“There is a zero burden to taxpayers.”

KIMBERLY

In the complaint, the library alle ged that the materials — W.R. Meadows’ AirShield liquid membrane and MaxLife Industries’ Ar morSeal sealant and ArmorWall NP sheathing product line — are known to liquefy when they come into contact with each other at high tempera-

tures, which the library fur ther alle ged the design for the wall system induced. Library trustees approved a settlement ag reement in August 2025, requiring each of the five implicated parties — architecture fir m Product Architecture & Design (PAD); construction fir m IHC Construction Companies, LLC; subcontractor fir ms L.J Morse Construction Co and BOFO Water proofing, LLC; and material supplier W.R. Meadows, Inc. — to pay the library and settle the matter

According to a copy of the settlement ag reement, L.J. Morse and W.R. Meadows each ag reed to pay $65,000, and BOFO ag reed to pay $90,000. IHC ag reed to pay $140,000, while PAD, which designed the

wall system, ag reed to pay $275,000. Altogether, the five fir ms ag reed to pay the library $635,000 to resolve the dispute

However, the projected cost of the full project is $1,763,000. That leaves a shortfall after the settlement payments of $1,128,000.

Kimberly Coughran, the library’s executive director, declined to give an interview with the Landmark about the replacement project. In an email, though, she said the library will make up the dif ference from its cash reserves. She described the library as having a “strong financial reserve.”

“There is zero burden to taxpayers,” Coughran wrote.

Coughran said in that email that the library is contracting with Wiss, Janney,

Elstner Associates for architectural design work and with Ward Contracting for construction work

Coughran said Ward came in as the lowest qualified bidder after a request for proposals was opened in March. On May 11, the same day construction work be gan, Brookfield’s village board approved an ordinance waiving the library’s permit fees for the work, which would have totaled $30,000, in the public interest.

Coughran said the work will see contractors remove the library’s existing tiles “elevation by elevation” in order to remove the old envelope and replace it with the new one. The tiles will be replaced with new versions of the same stainless-steel style

COUGHRAN Executive Director

TODD BANNOR

Linda Sokol Francis Brook eld Librar y

Retired North Riverside re ghter releases 3rd book

‘Expecting to Fly’ by Austin Nicholl covers Chicago’s live music scene in the ‘80s

By STELLA BROWN Staff Reporter

After becoming a North Riverside firefighter at age 35, lifelong Chicago resident Austin Nicholl took up another venture: writing.

“You spend quite a bit of time at the fire station. It’s 24-hour shifts, and instead of watching ‘Shawshank Redemption’ or some movie favorite at the firehouse for the 40th time, I decided to steal myself away in the back of fice and star t the research,” Nicholl told the Landmark.

T hose ef for ts led to the selfpublishing of Nicholl’s first “Smile on Your Brother,” in 2013, nonfiction work about the afteref fects of the death of a 20-year Marine who died in 1968 during Vietnam War.

“It seems like a common People think that they have a in them in some way, shape form,” he said. “I wanted to pr to myself, whether I did or whether I didn’t, and the topic for the book was dropped in my lap.”

Now, more than 12 years Nicholl has published two books, both memoirs: “Minutes to Memories,” published in 2023, about Nicholl’s childhood loves of sports in the ‘70s, and “Expecting to Fly,” published last March, about his experiences in Chicago’s live music scene in the ‘80s

were dealing with a lot. Death was eve where. I was still on the fire de par tment at the time, and the stress levels of f the char ts Music became a salvation. We would g et to g ether and forg the stresses of the day, enjoy each other company through the love of music.

That period made Nicholl think of time in colle ge and in his 20s during 1980s and the sense of community he his friends found in the live music back then.

“We’d study hard all week, trying what we could, also working jobs to pay our tuition and put ourselves through school. I was going to Loyola University at the time. On the weekends, we would hit the clubs in Chicago, looking for music to unwind and have some fun,” he said. “With no cell phones, it was more of a communal atmosphere. People were focused on the music and having fun; they

played with me to g et their input. ‘First of all, do you remember the show? Do you remember it like I did? Do you remember the places we were at, the things we did, and the time of your life that we were going through at the time?’” he said. “‘Did it mean as much to you as it did to me?’”

Retired North Riverside re ghter Austin Nicholl is the author of “E xpecting to Fly,” a memoir about Chicago’s live music scene in the 1980s

Nicholl said the inspiration for “Expecting to Fly” be gan during the 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns, when his family and friends would find refuge in music together

“We would get to g ether at friends’ basements, or a friend of mine owns a venue on Chicago’s lakefront, and he would generously open that up,” he said. “People

Healthy Minds Matter YOUR BEST LIFE with Lisa Capone

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weren’ t looking to make content or record the shows.”

Due to the book’s nature as a memoir, Nicholl said he only had to do a small amount of research, with the rest of its contents coming from his memories.

“I only had to do a couple of interviews with some of the people who were at the shows with me and the musicians who

T he author, who retired from Nor th Riverside’s fire de par tment about five years ago after 24 years on the forc e, described the process of writing the memoir as gratifying.

“I was gratified to g et the same feeling, same responses that I had thought about myself. What it can bring to our reality, [music] is kind of a remedy for everyone suf fering with anxiety, de pression, some people with loneliness I was so hear tened to hear people say that they felt music was a salvation for them, and I tried to encapsulate that in the book with all the stories that I told,” he said.

“I’ve been pretty gratified at the response to it, with people coming up to me saying, ‘Hey, I was at that show,’ or, ‘You really hit the nail on the head about what music can bring to our lives,’” he added. “Even those times back then, the 1980s, which gave a feel for a Chicago that’s long gone, but it was a really special time.”

“Expecting to Fly,” and Nicholl’s other two books, are available for purchase on Amazon.

Stay Connected: Reach out to family, friends, or neighbors regularly. Even a short conversation can lift your mood Keep Moving: Gentle exercises like walking, stretching, or chair yoga can boost your energy and reduce stress.

Try Something New: Learning a hobby, craft, or game helps keep your mind sharp and gives you a sense of accomplishment

Stick to a Routine: Daily structure provides a sense of stability and purpose Get Outside: Fresh air and sunshine can naturally improve your mood

Rest Well: Good sleep supports emotional balance and clear thinking

Mental health matters at every age This May, take small steps each day to care for your mind you deserve it

Visit Cantata.org for more senior living advice or call (708) 387-1030

FILE PHOTO

DEVELOPMENTS

ington. That is one that had been previously acquired by a separate developer that had gone through all of the planning and zoning phases to convert this into a six-unit multifamily [structure],” she said. “Everything was set, and then they ran into some hiccups with actually completing the development, so that land as well as all the plans were sold to a new group.”

That developer, the IMX Group, a self-described “full-service construction firm” with a local office in LaGrange, is moving forward “relatively quickly” with the undeveloped, grassy parcel, Popovic said.

“Based on our last conversations with the developer and how quickly they’re moving through the permit process, they’re looking to break ground this year,” she said.

About half a mile west, 3827 Maple Ave. used to be a commercial property before its roof collapsed, Popovic said. In the aftermath, the village acquired the property before demolishing the structure last November, she said.

“It’s since been cleared out, and the site’s

been ready [for redevelopment]. There was a developer that was interested in that particular property to acquire it and also develop it with multi-family We’ve had several conversations back and forth with the developer,” Popovic said. “In fact, we met with him last week to go into a little more detail.”

She said she and other village staffers are working with the developer, who she did not name, to see if the plans will include any variances from Brookfield’s zoning code that would require the village’s planning and zoning commission to approve it before it can go before the village board, which has the final say.

Popovic said the developer is looking at six units for the property, as “that was what the site would absorb.”

“We really want to have a thoughtful, contact-sensitive growth alignment that’s part of the neighborhood and the character,” she said.

These two developments are far from the only housing developments in the works in Brookfield. As of March, two developers were competing to turn the village-owned parcels at 3717-23 Grand Blvd., including the historic Theater Building property, into mixed-use apartment buildings ranging from 20 to 40 housing units ab ove retail space. One of them even proposed looking into whether

Brookfield could sustain a hotel there instead of rental housing

Just last week, village trustees on May 11 approved the final plans for a mixed-use apartment building at 8921 and 8947 Fairview Avenue, known colloquially as the triangle property. The preliminary plans that the village approved last spring called for 29 units, but the final plans only call for 27, with three ground-floor retail units. Those final plans include 15 enclosed parking spaces on the property and 17 parking spaces along the BNSF railroad on Brookfield Avenue to be leased to the building by the village.

And outside the realm of housing, two local developers are turning the undeveloped, grassy plot of land at 3415 Maple Ave. into a bar and grill designed for the Brookfield community, which Popovic said could go to construction before the end of the year

“Revitalization of the downtown and commercial areas is one of the priorities. It’s in our comprehensive plan,” Popovic said. “[These development projects] are all moving at the same time … These all take coordinated planning and managing expectations.”

Some residents may have concerns about parking downtown with three new multiunit housing developments being planned, she said. Popovic acknowledged there is a perceived lack of parking spaces, but she said

village staff have kept the issue top of mind as they’ve worked to bring these projects to life, engaging KLOA, Inc., for a for mal parking study late last year.

“Right now, the study doesn’t show that there is a parking problem, per se, although the perception sometimes seems like there is more parking that’s needed, depending on when people are parking and how they’re parking,” Popovic said. “We do have available parking up and down Burlington. We do have available parking up and down Brookfield [Avenue]. We’re exploring that in terms of allowing people to park there.”

Brookfield (and Riverside) officials came out last month in support of maintaining municipal zoning authority in the face of the governor’s plan to impose statewide zoning to encourage density and new developments as a solution to housing unaffordability in Illinois. In the wake of that move, Popovic said these new development projects are the village’s way of addressing “missing middle housing” in Brookfield.

“We’re juggling a mix of development, and we’re cognizant of what the parking is and what the zoning is. We’re in the middle of a massive zoning code update that will be coming in the next couple of months,” she said. “The village is already taking proactive steps.”

Submit events and see full calendar at rblandmark.com/events

Nor th Riverside driver’s plates and license are expired

Brookfield police on May 11 ticketed a 39-year-old North Riverside man after they learned his car’s license plates had expired.

Around 11 a.m., an officer was driving behind a white car while on patrol and discovered the car’s license plates and re gistration had been suspended previously due to a lack of mandatory insurance. T he officer pulled the car over at the intersection of Arthur and Garfield avenues and spoke to the driver, who provided a driver’s license but could not provide proof of insurance on the vehicle. The officer ran the man’s license and learned it had expired in 2024.

The officer told the man the car would need to be administratively towed, but the man said his passenger had a valid license and could take possession of the vehicle. The officer observed the passenger to have bloodshot eyes and thought he may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The passenger explained he had just woken up and ag reed to take standardized field testing, which showed the officer he was not under the influence.

The officer issued citations to the driver for suspended re gistration, no insurance and no valid driver’s license and set a May 26 court date. The officer ensured the man and his passenger switched seats and let them go on their way.

Aggravated speeding

Brookfield police ticketed a 53-year-old LaGrange woman for speeding on May 5.

Around 12:10 a.m., an officer was performing stationary radar in the parking lot of Citibank of f Ogden Avenue when they recorded a gray car traveling east at 59 mph in the 30-mph zone. The officer followed the car and pulled it over on the 8800 block of Ogden Avenue.

There, the officer made contact with the driver, who said she was late to pick her son up from elementary school. The woman provided the officer with her driver’s license and proof of insurance, and her information came back clear after the officer ran it through the police database.

The officer issued the woman one charge for aggravated speeding and set a June 9 court date before sending her on her way.

Tra c altercation

Brookfield police on May 4 responded to a report of a traffic altercation, but no one was arrested

Around 9:20 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the intersection of Ogden and Prairie avenues on a report of the altercation in which one of the drivers may have punched the other driver’s vehicle. The officer arrived and found the cars at the intersection of Ogden and Rose avenues in Lyons with a Lyons officer.

After speaking with each driver, the officer learned that there was no collision, and the altercation began on the Ogden Avenue bridge, where both drivers said they were cut off and brake checked. One driver said the other driver got out of his vehicle to yell at him before punching his car but said there was no damage to the car. The other driver said he did confront the first driver but denied punching his car. The officer did not notice any redness on the second driver’s hands to indicate he may have punched the car, police said.

After both drivers were sent on their way, the first driver arrived at the police department and said he had located a dent above the driver’s side taillight that he alleged the other driver had caused. The man said he would want to pursue charges, and the officer said they would check village cameras to see if the footage corroborates that the second man caused the dent.

The officer reviewed footage that showed the second driver approaching the first man’s vehicle twice, but he “pulled away” both times before reaching it, police said. At no point in the footage did the second man punch the first man’s car, police said, though the footage did skip around at times. Police did not take further action.

These items were obtained from the Brookfield Police Department reports dated May 4-12; they represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest — Compiled by Stella Brown

LETTERS

Shout out to Brook eld Public Works

I wanted to say thank you to the Brookfield Public Works team who put on a wonderful open house this past weekend. My son (5) had a wonderful time getting to wander around the various large vehicles, play lots of fun games (especially the duck-finding game!) and get some tasty treats. All the team members were outgoing and helpful, answering lots of questions from both kids and parents alike. We look forward to the event in October!

Bob Knox Brookfield

Thank you, forester Collins!

I live in the most beautiful village in a forest. I feel thankful every day for its natural beauty and the incomparable landscape design of Frederick Law Olmsted.

But today, we owe an enduring debt of gratitude to another great man who spent decades stewarding the care and maintenance of Olmsted’s Riverside landscape: our forester, Michael Collins.

As soon as I read the Landmark article about Mike’s next excellent adventure and the fact that he is leaving us, I tried to write this post. I thought of the meaning he has brought to our lives; how many village residents he has educated about trees and their care; how he turned the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) crisis, which caused widespread devastation across Riverside requiring the village to remove thousands of infested ash trees, into a lear ning experience.

He developed an ongoing Reforestation

Project to manage canopy loss through strict maintenance and chemical treatments. Shepherding the work of the Village Public Works Department, along with regional conservation agencies, he instituted controlled burns to manage vegetation and restore native ecosystems and habitat restoration.

Personally, he was always at the ready to work with our GS Troop 4590 to clean up local parks or Boy Scout Pack 24 to remove invasive buckthor n along the Des Plaines River.

When the now Dr. Shannon Marie proclaimed her Gold Award GS Project would be to plant 100 trees to celebrate GS’s 100th anniversary, Mi ke jumped on the chance to not only plant more parkway trees, but to guide Shannon through the grant-writing process to the Township, the Riverside Garden and Lions Clubs, and the permit process with the village to rent the train station, and sponsored her presentations at board meetings.

All this for one GS, but he re plicated this ef fort and support for countless children and school Arbor Day and other events. Shannon’s “Century of Trees” project was

a success. To g ether, they planted over 140 trees, and I will forever remember meeting him at 6 a.m. at the Public Works Department when the trees started to arrive on flatbed tr ucks. We saw the enormous magnitude of the project and its impact on not only the village, but Shannon’s life

Sure, Mike has been lauded and received multiple prestigious honors for his urban forestry and conservation ef forts, including the Forestry Professional of the Year Award and special reco gnitions, such as being inducted as a municipal director on the Board of the Illinois Arborist Association. I hope he knows that the most important of his recognitions, however, is knowing in his heart that he has forever improved this national gem of a village and our lives, enjoying his hard work and stewardship. I’m a little teary-eyed thinking of my princess grandbaby sitting with her kids one day under one of “Shannon’s trees.”

All the Layngs are eternally grateful, Mike, and wish you well. God bless and God speed. Karen Layng Ri verside

Local journalism matters. That’s why we made a bold decision to protect its future.

The RB Landmark is now part of NEWSWELL, a nonpro t journalism organization that provides resources, technology, and long-term support to community newsrooms across the country. This partnership strengthens our foundation while keeping everything that matters the same. Our newsroom remains local. Our staff remains in place. Our commitment to this community is unchanged. With the added support of NEWSWELL, we are better positioned than ever to continue delivering the independent, communityfocused journalism our readers rely on. Same mission. New chapter. Stronger future.

Sports

RBHS softball adds UEC

East title to achievements

Bulldogs (24-4) and Lions could meet again in 4A regional nal

By BILL STONE

Contributing Reporter

As junior catcher Alexis Busse and her Riverside Brookfield High School softball teammates tried to end a five-year wait for a true conference championship, a couple of extra days were no problem. The key victory for the Bulldogs’ Upstate Eight Conference East Division championship turned out to be their 1-0 victory at second-place Glenbard East.

The game was completed, May 6, after being halted by rain two days earlier tied 0-0 after three innings.

“Really exciting. I think (conference) was a huge goal because we haven’t won conference in so long, but next is (Class 4A) re gionals,” Busse said. “It was definitely more pressure because we only had three innings to do it, but we were able to hold them and get the run by the end.”

It’s among many wins for the 24-4 Bulldogs, who are the No. 2 seed in the 4A Marist Sectional behind the nationally-ranked host RedHawks (31-1).

“(That victory) was really fun and a ally good experience,” sophomore leadof hitter and left fielder Brailyn Naylor said. “We had confidence in each other. It was definitely difficult because that added onto how many games we had, but back and had a good win.”

The Bulldog mer Metro Suburban ence in 2021 and also in its 2024 finale, but by then the MSC was reduced to four teams

Other big wins this season include 7-2 over West April 28 to av conference loss (7-4 April 7) and outlasting Fenwick 10-9 in nine innings March 27 after tying the game in the bottom of the seventh.

Riverside-Brook eld’s shortstop Trinity Stevenson (7) gets set on defense against Lyons Township during a nonconference game, March 21, in Brook eld.

RBHS and No. 8 seed Lyons Township (15-12, 5-5 in West Suburban Conference Silver Division) are in the Lyons Township Re gional at the new and recently dedicated Stacy Ann Baker Field.

The Bulldogs won conference with an 11-1 record, two games ahead of Glenbard East (19-4, 11-3). Had the Rams won the May 6 restart, all things remaining the same, the teams would have shared the title.

RBHS beat LTHS in last year’s re gional final. They’ll meet again for the re gional title at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 23, if RBHS defeats No. 15 Kenwood and LTHS defeats No. 10 Reavis in the Wednesday, May 20, re gional semifinals.

“They’ve been playing really well,” RBHS coach Emma Jarrell said of her players. “We’ve had a ton of games the last two weeks and they’ve brought a lot of energy every day. We’re super-excited for the playoffs.”

At Glenbard East, sophomore Kate Hamilton delivered a runscoring single in the sixth after singles by Busse and Trinity Stevenson to begin the inning. Sophomore winning pitcher Amelia Pytel retired the last nine hitters in order.

Hamilton, one of the few varsity newcomers, played varsity basketball for the

first time this past winter.

“I just went up there with confidence I could get a hit and just pull through for my team but everyone contributed the same as me,” Hamilton said. “I love the girls I played basically with (on varsity basketball) and play softball. It’s helped me build better connections and get used to the intensity of varsit y.”

Top contributors include Mia Melendez (.452 average, 13 home r uns, 38 r uns batted in), Stevenson (.466, 5 HRs, 29 RBIs), Naylor (.407, 10 RBIs), Ella Ryzewski (.369, 16 RBIs), Hamilton (.366, 15 RBIs) and Busse (.356, 13 RBIs).

titude, it’s definitely a better game for the whole team. I think we’ve created a bond over the past year to play for each other,” Busse said.

T he Lions won their last three Silver g ames to finish third at 5-5 behind co-champions York and Oak Park and River Forest.

LTHS outlasted York 12-11, May 6, and defeated Glenbard West 11-3, May 11, and Downers Grove North 9-4, May 13.

Pytel (11-3) has 141 strikeouts in 99.2 innings. This is her second varsity season with Busse as the starting catcher “If we’re doing good or have a good at-

Top hitters include Ava Jacklin (.346, 6 HRs, 22 RBIs, 11 stolen bases), Maddy Pieroni (.317, 2 HRs, 13 RBIs), Mary Sandman (.333, HR, 12 RBIs), Bella Luciano (.405, 3 HRs, 8 RBIs), Danica Bezanis (.270, 10 RBIs), Julia Ahrens (.341, 9 RBIs). Freshman pitcher Sofia Kettaneh has 36 strikeouts in 58.2 innings. Senior Lucy Lee has 39 strikeouts in 57 innings.

STEVE JOHNSTON

ALEXIS BUSSE

BRAILYN NAILOR

DANIC A BEZ ANIS

RBHS girls track team chases down state meet appearance

RBHS excels in nale for coach Jensen; Toulios, Laux qualif y for LTHS

By LILY KOCOUREK AND BILL STONE Contributing Reporters

For the first time in more than 20 years, Riverside Brookfield High School had a 4 x 800-meter relay team that punched its ticket to the girls track and field state meet, May 13, at the Class 3A St. Ignatius Sectional.

For seniors Rebecca Dosek and Addie Vaia, this was the last chance to compete at their first state meets

“When we realized we qualified for state, I started crying right away. It was such an emotional moment because all of our hard work finally paid off.” Vaia said. “The first thing I wanted to do was celebrate with my teammates and go hug my parents in the stands because they’ve supported me through everything.”

The relay of Dosek, Vaia, junior Elizabeth Moran and freshman Natalie Moran secured the historic qualification with a second-place finish in 10:17.13. Top-two sectional finishers automatically qualify for state Friday and Saturday at Eastern Illinois University as well as entries that achieve state-qualifying standards at the sectional.

The race delivered one of the program’s biggest moments of the season in what athletes and head coach RBHS Lillian Holubek described as an emotional and “bittersweet” ending.

The Bulldogs balanced the excitement of qualifying with the reality that this marks the final season for longtime distance coach Blair Jensen, whose retirement has added another layer of meaning to the postseason run.

Before the race, Jensen emphasized confidence and composure to his runners.

“I always tell them to go out hard and settle into their race,” Jensen said. “Maintain through that first lap, because the second lap is really where the race starts. Focus on your race and don’t wor ry about anyone else.”

That message carried into the relay as the team battled nerves before stepping onto the track.

“At first we were really nervous,” Vaia said. “We got really quiet before the race started, but we kept reminding ourselves that we’ve done this so many times before. Nervous or not, you’re still going to run. The only thing you can do is to leave it all on the track.”

Dosek emphasized the team’s mindset beyond time and placements

“The only focus within running shouldn’t

Elizabeth Moran (le ), Addie Vaia, Natalie Moran and Rebecca Dosek quali ed for the Class 3A state meet in the 4x800-meter relay. ()

be getting that (personal record),” Dosek said. “Being able to have fun with running has been the reason for my success within the sport.”

Dosek and Vaia said they hope younger athletes carry on the culture Jensen helped build -- one centered on perseverance, enjoyment and teamwork rather than just times on a stopwatch.

“Never give up on yourself or your team,” Vaia added. “If you keep working hard and pushing yourself toward your goals you never know what can happen.”

LTHS/Nazareth/Fenwick

girls track

Lyons Township junior Mia Toulios is returning to the 3A state meet in an unexpected way. Known more for sprinting, Toulios qualified in high jump by clearing a season-best 1.52 meters/4 feet-11 3/4 inches in tying for second at the 3A Shepard Sectional May 13.

“It was definitely not (expected). I haven’t been doing good this season and by a miracle I was able to qualify for state,” Toulios said.

“Me and my friend (Downers Grove North’s Maya Nicholson) tied for second. I’m glad we didn’t have to do a jump off.”

Junior Lucy Laux also retur ns to state after a second-place personal-best 59.30 in the 400.

“I’m excited about that. I’m so hyped to go (back to state),” Laux said. “It’s very intense but it’s also exciting. It’s so much fun.”

Toulios and Laux competed at 2024 state with the 4 x 200. For the second straight year they just missed with the 4 x 400. They, junior Phoebe Klitchman and senior Sarah Wiggin were sixth at Shepard (4:05.92) and missed the 4:04.52 state cut.

A 2025 state qualifier in the 300 low hurdles Wiggins did not advance but ran a lifetimebest 48.26 for ninth. Sophomore Bianca Taylor (5.40m/17-8 1/2 in long jump) just missed the 17-11 cut and Nazareth junior Claire Sig mund was third in the 400 (1:00.19).

In 2A, Fenwick junior Julianna Gamboa of Riverside qualified in the 3,200 (7th, 11:49.73) by edging the 11:49.92 cut at the Clark Sectional Friday.

Boys track and eld

Riverside Brookfield and Lyons Township compete at the 3A Lyons Township Sectional Thursday, May 21. Discus will be held at Hinsdale Central May 20.

fy for state as well as entries that achieve state-qualifying standards at the sectional.

The Bulldogs were 12th at the one-division Upstate Eight Conference Meet Thursday at West Aurora. Junior Bryson Reum was sixth in the 400 (54.24).

The Lions finished sixth (54 points) at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Thursday at Proviso East.

Junior Joey Bockwell’s first-place shot put (18.33m/60-2) was just one inch shy of Adam Schaufelberger’s school-record 60-3 that won the 2015 Silver title. Bockwell set the indoor school record of 59-4, Feb. 19. Bockwell also was second in discus (48.20m/158-2). His personal best 164-6 is No. 3 all-time and near Brian Treski’s 172-2 school record from 1987.

Senior Brock Curtin was second in high jump (1.93m/6-4) with junior Charlie Pelling fifth (1.77m/5-10).

The 4 x 800 of seniors Austin Best, Tyler Gantt and Patrick Collins and sophomore Brennan Monohan was second (8:07.14) Senior Gustavo Mojar ro (400 in seasonbest 51.49) and junior Rashad Flowers (12.56m/41-2 1/2 in triple jump) were fourth. Gantt (4:21.28) and Monohan (4:21.84) finished 4-5 in the 1,600.

Top-two sectionals automatically quali-

ERICA BENSON

Lyons Township’s Joey Bockwell participates in discuss during the meet held at Prov iso East, May 14.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEANINE VAIA

RBHS boys lacrosse scores a big win on Senior Night

Bulldogs seek

playo

victories; LTHS baseball still in Silver title chase

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Senior Ayden Lumsden has seen growth in the Riverside Brookfield High School boys lacrosse team over four varsity seasons. The Bulldogs’ 15-4 Senior Night victory over Nazareth Academy May 11 was another shining example.

“Our (defensive midfielders), offense, defense are playing cohesively. We’re playing as a team,” Lumsden said. “Through my four years here it’s been different. I think our drills have improved. Overall this is more of a lacrosse team. I think we’re a little bit more finesse, more actual lacrosse playing.”

Especially with more than a dozen seniors, the Bulldogs (7-7) still have unfinished business as they begin play in the Oak Forest Sectional.

Lumsden, Benjamin Buscio, Patrick Galloway, Peter Laube and Eddie Schook have been four-year team members. Add to that seniors Troy Alvarez, John Evans, Jr., Luke Ferguson, Andres Gasca, Warren Mason, Xavier Mrozik-DeJesus, Damian Nieves, Jacob Retana and Joey Zimmerman.

Lyons Township (13-3) is the sectional’s No. 2 seed to St. Ignatius and RBHS is No. 8. The Bulldogs played No. 9 Whitney Young in Tuesday’s quarterfinals for the seniors’ final home game

In 2025, they recorded the program’s first postseason victory by beating Brother Rice 19-0. The seniors joke how first-year head coach Justin Headley with an extensive lacrosse background was an assistant coach with the Crusaders last season.

“I just feel these past four years these guys have truly become my brothers,” Schook said. “I’ve made life-long friends and it’s just been an awesome experience. We’ve had some awesome victories. It’s been so great to celebrate with these guys.”

Against Nazareth, RBHS scored the final six goals. Xavier-Mrozik earlier scored with a between-the-legs shot as the 2025 honorable

mention all-stater has eclipsed 50 goals for the season. The Bulldogs also have won their last three and came though in a “barn bur ner,” as Schook called it, 9-8 at Hoffman Estates April 21.

“That was probably the best I’ve seen them compete the whole year. It was back and back and back and forth and they came out on top,” Headley said. “(Nazareth) was probably our most complete win. We’re playing fluid lacrosse right now. We’re getting hot at the right time.”

Division I Mercyhurst-recruit XavierMrozik has been a key addition since transferring from Fenwick after his freshman year. Zimmerman has been with the Bulldogs the past two seasons after playing two at St. Ignatius.

“We have a really good group here and it’s going to be sad leaving everyone,” Zimmerman said. “It’s the best sport ever. You’re with a tone of guys getting physical, getting after it, super fun.”

In the Marist Sectional, the No. 8 RBHS girls (2-12) beat No. 9 Kenwood 24-6 Monday for their second win in three games. They play No. 1 St. Ignatius in Saturday’s quarterfinals

The LTHS girls (5-12) are the No. 6 seed in the Maine South Sectional.

Baseball

Lyons Township remains in the thick of another wild West Suburban Conference Silver Division title race after beating 2-1 Downers Grove North in Western Springs Monday.

LTHS (21-9, 12-5 in Silver) and Downers North (19-11, 11-6) were scheduled to play in Tuesday’s conference finale for both teams. Hinsdale Central (21-10, 11-5) and Oak Park and River Forest (24-8, 11-5) finish out with Proviso West and York, respectively.

In the Upstate Eight Conference East Division, Riverside Brookfield (19-8, 12-5 in UEC East) will finish second to Glenbard East (17-10-1, 15-2) after suffering a 17-0 loss to UEC West leader South Elgin Thursday They are scheduled to play the Rams Tuesday and finish with Larkin Wednesday, May 19. Glenbard East won the first meeting 12-10 May 5.

Senior first baseman Eli Costello (.359, 1 HR, 26 RBIs) has been among the improved Bulldogs from his 2025 numbers (.295, 0 HR, 22 RBIs).

“I think this year our team is doing better at hitting with people in scoring position and not striking out as much. I’ve been just playing more loose and having more fun,” said Costello, who achieved his first varsity home run in the first inning against Argo March 23. “It felt great to get the team going early and to get my first one out of the way.”

Boys tennis

Lyons Township and Riverside Brookfield boys tennis teams compete at the 2A Hinsdale Central Sectional Friday and Saturday. Top-four singles and doubles finishers qualify for the state meet.

The Lions finished third at the WSC Silver Meet Friday and Saturday and third in the final standings behind champion Hinsdale Central and Oak Park and River Forest.

Andrew Jain and Ari Chen finished second at No. 3 doubles.

Shay Sweigard and Noah Pavlik (No. 1 doubles), Rohan Nagale and Manny Gonzalez (No. 2 doubles) and Andy Sherman and Lucas Jay (No. 4 doubles) were third and Mateja Nokic (No. 1 singles) and Matt Johannes (No. 3 singles) were fourth

The Bulldogs finished third (35.5 points) at the UEC Meet Thursday at Glenbard South and third in the final overall standings.

Maxwell Kaplan and Gavin Armstrong

won the No. 4 doubles title. Linden Leander and Humza Ahmed (No. 1 doubles) and Elias Nolan (No. 3 singles) were second, Charlie DeButh and Mathias Kubon (No. 2 doubles) were third and James McKinney (No. 1 singles), John Decker (No. 2 singles) and Jake Carollo and John Sandusky (No. 3 doubles) were fourth.

net during the WSC Silver Conference Tournament, May 15.

IAN MCLEOD

RBHS For ward Luke Ferguson breaks loose and heads up eld dur ing game action at RBHS on May 11.

STEVE JOHNSTON Lyons Tow nship’s Shay Sweigard retur ns a shot at the

PUBLIC HEARING

VILLAGE OF NORTH RIVERSIDE

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF THE PROPOSED

APPROPRIATION FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION AND OF HOLDING A PUBLIC HEARING THEREIN

Notice is hereby given that copies of the Proposed Appropriation for the Village of North Riverside for the Fiscal Year commencing May 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027, are available for public inspection during normal business hours at the Village Commons, 2401 South Des Plaines Avenue, North Riverside, Illinois or on the Village’s website at: www.northriversideil.org.

Notice is hereby given that a Public Appropriation Hearing shall be held by the Mayor and the Board of Trustees for the Village of North Riverside:

Date: Monday, June 1, 2026

Time: 6:00 PM

Place: Village Commons 2401 South Des Plaines Avenue North Riverside, Illinois

All interested persons may attend the meeting and shall have the right to present oral and written comments and suggestions regarding the proposed appropriation. After the public hearing and before final action is taken on the proposed annual appropriation ordinance, the Mayor and Board of Trustees may revise, alter, increase, or decrease any line item contained in the proposed annual appropriation ordinance.

Final action on the proposed annual appropriation ordinance will occur on June 15, 2026.

SANDRA LID

VILLAGE CLERK

NORTH RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS

Published in RB Landmark May 20, 2026

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION

DOCKET NUMBER: PC 26-03

(Planned Development)

HEARING DATE: June 4, 2026

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the agenda permits

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201

- Council Chambers, Village of Oak Park, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302

SUBJECT PROPERTY ADDRESSES: 6100-6104 Roosevelt Road, Oak Park, Illinois 60304

LEGAL DESCRIPTION: LOTS 19, 20 AND 21 IN BLOCK 14 IN AUSTIN PARK, A SUBDIVISION OF THE EAST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 17, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

P.I.N.: 16-17-329-035-0000

PROPERTY OWNER: Yves Hughes, 609 S. Lombard Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304

PETITIONER: The Community Builders, Inc., 135 South LaSalle, Suite 3350, Chicago, IL 60603

REQUEST: The Plan Commission will conduct a public hearing on a planned development application (TCB-6104) for an affordable housing multiple-family development containing a total of 28 units, including two live/ work dwelling units, in the RR Roosevelt Road Form-Based Zoning District. The Petitioner seeks eight allowances from the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance associated with the Planned Development application as follows: 1) Article 5 (“Commercial Districts”), Section 5.4 (“RR District Dimensional and Design Standards”) Subsection (E) (“Density”) – Table 5-4: RR District Maximum Densitya decrease in the minimum lot area requirement from 750 square feet per unit to 376 square feet per unit, thereby increasing the maximum permitted number of dwelling units from 14 to 28; 2) Article 5 (“Commercial Districts”), Section 5.4 (“RR District Dimensional and Design Standards”), Subsection (F) (1) (“Front Setback”) - a decrease in the minimum front setback requirement along Roosevelt Road, from 2.5 feet to zero feet; 3) Article 5 (“Commercial Districts”), Section 5.4 (“RR District Dimensional and Design Standards”) Subsection (F) (3) (“Side and Rear Setback”) - a decrease in the minimum side street setback requirement along Lyman Avenue from 10 feet or 10% of lot width abutting Lyman Avenue to zero feet; 4) Article 5 (“Commercial Districts”), Section 5.4 (“RR District Dimensional and Design Standards”) Subsection (F) (3) (“Side and Rear Setback”) - a decrease in the minimum rear setback requirement

for all floors containing residential dwellings from 20 feet to 10 feet for the 2nd- 4th floors; 5) Article 5 (“Commercial Districts”), Section 5.4 (“RR District Dimensional and Design Standards”), Subsection (G) (2) (“Side and Rear Setback: Parking Located Adjacent to a Building”) - a decrease in the minimum landscape setback requirement between the parking and public right-of-way for parking located at the rear of a building but adjacent to an alley from five feet to zero feet and waiver of the requirement of landscaping; 6) Article 10 (“Off-Street Parking & Loading”), Section 10.4 (“Required Off-Street Vehicle and Bicycle Parking Spaces”) - Table 10-2 “OffStreet Vehicle and Bicycle Parking Requirements”- a decrease in the minimum off-street parking spaces requirement from 28 spaces to 16 spaces; 7) Article 10 (“Off-Street Parking & Loading”), Section 10.6 (“Bicycle Parking Standards”), Subsection B (“Design”) (1) - waiver of the requirement that each bicycle space within a row of bicycle parking be minimum of two feet in width by six feet in length, with a minimum vertical clearance of seven feet and a minimum aisle of at least five feet wide between each set of bicycle parking for maneuvering to provide stacked bike racks and waiver of the requirement of one floor mounted stand; and 8) Article 9 (“Site Development Standards”), Section 9.2 (“Exterior Lighting”), Subsection B.1 (“Maximum Lighting Regulations”) - an increase in the maximum illumination along the alley from 1.2 to 5.5 footcandles, and along Lyman Avenue at the residential entry from one footcandle to up to 66 footcandles, and along Roosevelt Road sidewalk from one foot candle to up to 79.5 footcandles.

A copy of the application and each of the applicable documents are on the Village website at www.oak-park.us and are available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Plan Commission may continue the hearing to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof. Anyone with questions about the application may contact the Village by phone at (708) 358-5441 or by email at planning@oak-park.us.

People with disabilities planning to attend and needing special accommodation should contact the Village Clerk’s Office at 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, or call (708) 358-5670.

ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THESE PROCEEDINGS ARE INVITED TO BE HEARD.

Michael Sturino, Chairperson, OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION, Sitting as a Zoning Commission Oak Park, Illinois 60302

Public Information Meeting

Scheduled by Village of Oak Park

The Village of Oak Park (“Village”) will hold a public information meeting concerning the proposed improvement of Ridgeland Avenue between Augusta Street and North Avenue. The public information meeting will be held on June 9, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, at the Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park Illinois, 60302. The meeting will be held in Room 101. All persons interested in this project are invited to attend this meeting. Persons with a disability desiring to participate in this meeting should contact the person listed in this Notice prior to June 4, 2026 to make arrangements for participating. The contact may be by telephone, in writing, by fax or by telecommunications device for the deaf (TTY).

This is a federally-funded project, the public information meeting is being held in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and the Illinois Department of Transportation’s public involvement policy.

The proposed improvements are primarily to resurface the pavement throughout the project area. In addition, varying combinations of medians, curb bump-outs, and leftturn restrictions will be implemented at Ridgeland Avenue’s intersections with Thomas Street, Berkshire Street, Lenox Street, Greenfield Street, and LeMoyne Parkway to increase pedestrian safety. Some street parking will be removed to enable these intersection improvements.

The existing traffic signals at Division Street and Lenox Street will be upgraded.

The Village is seeking public comments on the effects that the proposed improvements to Ridgeland Avenue between Augusta Street and North Avenue will have on Taylor Park. Taylor Park, which is under the jurisdiction of the Park District of Oak Park, is a significant, publicly owned park. As such, it is subject to protection under Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966. For the proposed improvement of Ridgeland Avenue between Augusta Street and North Avenue project, the Village intends to seek a finding from the Federal Highway Administration that

these effects constitute a Temporary Occupancy and therefore do not constitute a Section 4(f) use based on a determination that the project will not adversely affect the features, attributes, or activities that qualify Taylor Park for protection under Section 4(f).

Effects of the proposed improvement of Ridgeland Avenue between Augusta Street and North Avenue project on Taylor Park will include temporary disruptions to pedestrian access routes in Ridgeland Avenue right-of-way that connect to internal sidewalks within the park. Mitigation will include ensuring Taylor Park remains accessible through other entrances. Detailed documentation describing the impacts and mitigation associated with the effects of the proposed improvement of Ridgeland Avenue between Augusta Street and North Avenue project on Taylor Park will be available for review at the public information meeting, or prior to the meeting via the contact information at the bottom of this notice.

The meeting will be conducted on an informal basis. Representatives of the Village will be available from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Representatives will answer individual questions and record comments for those in attendance. Verbatim comments will not be recorded. The Village representatives will address topics such as the need for the project, the design alternatives under consideration, roadway system changes, pedestrian safety improvements, and the tentative construction schedule. Preliminary reports, including environmental documents and an engineering analysis with drawings, maps, and aerial photography, will be available for inspection and viewing during the entire public information meeting time. The same material is currently available for review and inspection at the Oak Park Public Works Center at 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302.

For more information, contact Abby Spentzouris, Village of Oak Park at 708-358-5700, publicworks@oakpark.us, or 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302.

Published in Wednesday Journal, May 20, 2026

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law.

All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777.

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:

2026 Village Hall Permeable Paver Parking Lot

The project scope is reconstruction of portions of the existing parking lot with permeable subbase granular material, permeable pavers, Portland Cement concrete pavement, curb and gutter removal and replacement, driveway apron removal and replacement, pipe underdrains, sidewalk removal and replacement, and all associated site restoration.

The bidding documents aråe available for download starting May 15, 2026, at:

www.vrf.us/bids

Bids must be submitted by June 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at:

Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.

No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.

The Village of River Forest reserves the right, in receiving these bids, to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.

Published in Wednesday Journal May 20, 2026

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

The Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200, located at 201 N. Scoville will conduct a Timely and Meaningful Consultation Meeting which will take place remotely via video/telephone conference on Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 8:00AM. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the district’s plans for providing special education services to students with disabilities who attend private/parochial schools and who are home schooled within the district for the 2025-2026 school year. If you are the parent of a home-schooled student who has been or may be identified with a disability and you reside within the boundaries of Oak Park & River Forest High School District 200, you are urged to attend. If you would like to join the meeting, please contact Shdata Redmond at sredmond@oprfhs.org or call (708) 434-3121 to request the Zoom Link information.

Published in Wednesday

May 6, 13, 20, 2026

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

We All Have Mental Health

Whether you are struggling with a temporary challenge or if you are living with a chronic condition, your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

Investing In Our Future

The Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township (CMHB) and the River Forest Township Mental Health Committee invest in a continuum of mental health care that is responsive to our unique and evolving community needs.

Together, we provided over $1.6M last year to help local organizations and schools offer prevention, early intervention, treatment, and quality-of-life services to Oak Park and River Forest residents.

Our grants resulted in:

50%

More than 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Growing

Crisis Among Youth

America’s youth mental health crisis has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. 6

Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness INCREASED 69%

between 2009 and 2021 for U.S. high school students

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township

Community Mental Health Board Of Oak Park Township

•Over 7,700 Oak Park residents accessing services

•Over 6,300 units of mental health treatment for Oak Park residents

•Over 150 educational presentations on mental health to Oak Park residents

•Over 1,000 Oak Park high school students trained in suicide prevention

In fiscal year 2026, CMHB provided nearly $1.4M in funding for mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability services. To learn more about our work in this area, visit oakparktownship.org/CMHB.

River Forest Township Mental Health Committee

•Supporting 10 local, not-for-profitagencies

•Over 7,000 hours of services provided to River Forest residents

•150 hours of educational presentations on mental health to River Forest residents

•Over 250 River Forest high school students trained in suicide prevention

In fiscal year 2026, RFT provided over $215,000 in funding for mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability services. To learn more about our work in this area,visit www.riverforesttownship.org/mental-health.

Creating a mosai of mental health support

How Oak Park’s Mosaic Counseling & Wellness is transforming community mental health care

By JACKIE PISANO Contributing Reporter

For as long as she can remember, Oak Park resident Carey Carlock has felt a profound, unwavering pull toward a life of service.

Though not always certain of the direction her future would lead, Carlock believed her greatest fulfillment would come from holding space for others during moments of trials and tribulations.

“I’ve always been drawn to listening, supporting and being in the helping field,” she said. “It just felt like a natural fit for me ever since I was a young person.”

Heeding her intuition, Carlock embarked on studies in counseling and psycholo gy, receiving her aduate de from Boston Colle ge early 1990s. Shortly after she returned to Chicago establish her career in the mental health profession.

Carlock’s career began in youth mental health treatment programs, including partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient programs, where she discovered a passion supporting direct care and group therapy.

Eventually, her journey led her to hospital administration — specificall landing the top position as chief executive officer of Forest Park’s Rive Hospital, the largest psychiatric hospital in Illinois and a facility which is 90% publicly funded

In her 13 years at the helm of Rive Carlock was credited with significantly framing the reputation of the behavioral healthcare facility.

“At Riveredg e, we were really trying to provide trauma-infor med care for those who might not have all the protective factors that other people do — those with high acuity and lots of other psychosocial stressors,” she said. “I loved that wo rk and was really proud of the recovery of that hospital.”

As CEO, Carlock was a steadfast advocate of championing ef for ts to destigmatize mental illness while providing top-quality care for some of the area’s most vulnerable populations.

“It was the privile ge and responsibility of career in a lot of ways to lead such

high acuity, such intensity,” she said. “The hospital had its own recovery that I was part of leading, and that was really mission-aligned.”

While Carlock was gratified by her work at Riveredge, two factors led to a new chapter in her career: persistent requests from neighbors and friends for mental health recommendations, and unexpected obstacles she faced when trying to find a therapist for her own son.

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“While out and about in Oak Park, people knew I was active with the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Board and in the mental health space,” she said. “At Little League games, book clubs or out getting coffee, people would often approach me and ask for recommendations for child psychiatrists. I didn’t really have a lot of resources in my own community; that tugged on me and I didn’t find that acceptable.”

At the same time, Carlock’s son was experiencing mental health challenges. While Carlock says she had privileges of a job in mental

healthcare leadership and access to quality insurance, she ran into the problem of therapists not returning her phone calls.

“I couldn’t find a therapist in my own community for my own son — that was unacceptable to me,” she said.

From there, it was mission pivot for Carlock. In June 2021, she left Riveredge and decided to open her own practice.

“It was almost incumbent upon me to say, ‘I know how to do this. I need to do this in my own community, for my o wn community,’” she said. “It felt like a mission to provide inte grated, high-quality care without a long waitlist in my own community so I could say ‘yes’ to moms who were looking for services.”

Carlock’s answer was Mosaic Counseling & Wellness, a behavioral health private practice promising to deliver highquality, community-based services with care that is intentional and holistic for each individual.

Essential for Carlock to have Mosaic’s home base be in Oak Park, in the summer of 2021, she purchased a vacant building in Oak Park’s Arts District on Harrison Street. While renovating the space, she opened Mosaic’s first small office in Elmhurst in the fall of 2021, with the Oak Park site officially opening in August 2022.

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Carey Carlock, founder of Mosaic Counseling & Wellness chats with Mosaic Oak Park therapist Lonn Obee

Mosaic’s rst Oak Park location, 215 Harrison St., opened in August of 2022.

MOSAIC

from page B3

Carlock landed on the name Mosaic, explaining that when things come apar t in life, there is splendor in helping guide someone’s mental health to a better state.

“Things that are in pieces at times come back together to make something beautiful,” she said. “By the time you reach out, you need someone to answer the phone and call you back — that’s part of the installation of hope.”

With therapy for children through seniors, Carlock says it was important for Mosaic to have therapists who not only reflected the variety of needs of locals but focused on community connection and advocacy

“It’s such a deeply personal relationship of what you’re trying to look for in a therapist — what you’re trying to get out of that therapeutic relationship and how you take that into the rest of your life,” she said.

“The goodness of fit is so important.”

Besides talk therapy, Mosaic features art therapy, dance therapy, therapy in Spanish and clinicians from a variety of backgrounds — something Carlock says ensures care remains culturally-sensitive and responsive.

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

Park (Arts District, Downtown and new this spring, the Hemingway District); Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Hinsdale and Orland Park. Mosaic employs nearly 100 therapists, two psychiatrists and four psychiatric nurse practitioners.

“Growing very quickly wasn’t the strategic plan, but we have an integrated, highquality client experience which I think propelled our growth,” Carlock said. “I am very proud, grateful and humbled by the growth.”

Carlock adds that in recent years, it has been “remarkable” to see society shifting toward more publicly addressing the importance of mental health care — and not just in times of crisis. While she says therapy may carry a stigma, she emphasizes taking the reaching out for care is brave.

“There is no health without mental health,” she said. “We don’t have to suffer and whiteknuckle it; we can give ourselves coping skills, support and credit for being brave enough to allow ourselves to get help. Therapy is not just heavy and sad — it can also be inspiring, hopeful and even fun.”

Carey is grateful people throughout Oak Park are seemingly proud in helping change the narrative around mental health.

“The intention is to try to have a diverse team, not only in how people are trained and how they treat people [but] so we can meet people where they’re at,” she said. “I say that with a lot of humility because that’s a big statement.”

If people reach out to Mosaic and the practice ends up not being the right fit due to niche clinical need or insurance factors, Carlock says they will keep communication open and refer individuals within contact networks to find that ideal therapist.

“Even if Mosaic isn’t the right door, we will help you get to the right place,” she said. Five years in, Mosaic has now expanded to seven suburban locations — three in Oak

“Oak Park is really pretty special in the reduction of stigma,” she said. “Honestly, people are proud to have a therapist. I don’t always see the same mental wellness-forward attitude in all the communities we serve.”

She appreciates that teens have greatly helped change the narrative as well.

“Many of my kids’ friends say, ‘I want a therapist,’ or ‘Why would I suffer without support?’” she said. “It’s prevention. It’s wellness. I feel really inspired by what is so different now with young people than when I was growing up.”

Outside of Mosaic, Carlock remains active at the state level. Last year, she testified in favor of Illinois House Bill 1085, a landmark behavioral health care and mental health parity law. The bill, which passed the Illinois General Assembly and was signed into

Oak Park therapists (le to right) Alexandra Backis, Kyla Gilmore and Alison Zdarsky share information about Mosaic at one of Downtown Oak Park’s ursday Night Out events in summer 2025.

law in December, aims to strengthen mental health and substance use disorder care by requiring state-regulated private insurers to offer better reimbursement rates for behavioral health services. Effective next January, it mandates 60-day credentialing for providers, aiming to expand network access for roughly 2.5 million Illinoisans Fundamentally, Carlock says therapy is serious work, but at Mosaic, is something she

aims to showcase as essential — and possible — for healing

“It’s incredible work and is such a privilege and responsibility,” she said. “It’s what I was intended to do, and I’m glad I listened to that voice about my community needing this. I believe in therapy because it works.”

For more information about Mosaic Counseling & Wellness, including new client inquiries, visit mosaiccare.com.

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A peek into the layout of a talk therapy space at Mosaic.

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Delivering resources and changing narratives

Oak Parker Cheryl Potts champions mental wellness through the lens of lived experience and personal passion

By JACKIE PISANO Contributing Reporter

For Cheryl Potts, leading Oak Park Township’s Community Mental Health Board isn’t just a career — it’s a deeply personal mission.

Serving as executive director since the f all of 2021, the longtime resident greets each day with the goal of not only assisting promotion of mental health services but working to shatter the stigma of mental health care by being open about her own firsthand experiences.

Whether finding ways to fund community services alongside elected officials, building partnerships with social service providers or speaking one-on-one with someone, Potts’ experiences of having a brother die by suicide, a f amily history of mental health concerns and facing her own mental health battles remain her catalysts for bringing real change to the way Oak Park addresses mental wellness.

“I thought it was a good opportunity to work in my own back yard and help my own neighbors with mental health,” she said. “What I really wanted to focus my career on was reducing the bar riers to access and eliminating the stigma and discrimination around mental health.”

Five years ago, Potts was selected to lead the charge of the Township’s Mental Health Board following 20 years of experience in the field of human services. With roles including nonprofit work with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and T he Kennedy For um Illinois, it has always been mission-critical for Potts to help eliminate mental health discrimination and destigmatize the narrative around reaching out for mental health and addiction support, both through lending a helping hand and openly sharing her journey from struggl e to recovery

“There should be no shame in reaching out for help when struggling,” she said. “People have in their head wh at they think mental i llness is, and it ’s usually ne gative thoughts. When you do seek out suppo rt and treatment, you c an be ve ry productive and live a normal life — and I think it ’s really important to share those storie s. ”

what they can contribute is not insignificant,” she said. “You could have a conversation with someone at a grocery store that could change their day. A lot of people are fearful and think ‘Well, I’m not a mental health exper t.’ But it’s about making those true, genuine connections which we miss so much in our society today.”

What Potts has enjoyed most with the board is truly having a direct impact at the hyperlocal level. She cites area resources like Thrive Counseling Center, NAMI Metro Suburban, Beyond Hunger and Sarah’s Inn as those which have joined forces to examine the root causes of conditions and make life easier for Oak Parkers in need

“When we bring people to g ether to solve problems, then I think we’re able to make a bigger impact,” she said. “The piece I love most is not sitting in the office but actually being out in the community.”

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“A lot of people are fearful and think, ‘Well, I’m not a mental health exper t.’ But it ’s about making those true, genuine connections which we miss so much in our society today.”

CHERYL POTT S Director Community Mental Health Board

Since 1973, the Community Mental Health Board has served Oak Parkers through planning, developing, evaluating and funding mental health services throughout the village. However, while Potts ag rees the resources for mental health care have evolved since the board’s early days, the candidness of the conversation hasn’t quite caught up fully.

“Having the g eneral public aware of

Even so, Potts adds that challenges to

the role have included being a small, local organization which still has to deal with all of the changes that happen at the federal level, from changes to Medicaid and insurance policies, and budg et cuts to critical funding sources.

“We have a wonderful community, but we don’ t live in a bubble — we are affected by all these things that destabilize any progress we’ve made.”

Nonetheless, Potts maintains honest conversations are essential to normalizing mental health challenges, which will in turn help connect locals with the extensive helpful resources available in Oak Park

“It really doesn’t feel like work — it feels like this is what I’m meant to be doing,” she said. “It’s a passion, and seeing the changes in people over time is what really reassures me that I’m doing the right thing.”

Black men talk abou mental wellness an overcoming stigm

Men’s Mentalhood and PCC Wellness team up for conversation

By ETHAN TUCKER Contributing Reporter

“In every adult man, there’s a broken boy that needs to be healed,” said Jonathan Muhammad during Men’s Mentalhood’s recent panel on Black men’s mental health at PCC Austin Family Health Center. On Saturday, May 2, Men’s Mentalhood partnered with PCC Community Wellness Center to host a community panel and breakfast focused on mental health awareness for Black men and boys on Chicago’s West Side.

Held at PCC Austin Family Health Center, 5461 W. Lake St., the event created space

for open conversations re addiction, emotional wellness and healing within the Black community.

Founder Victor Love said Men hood was created to address the stigma surrounding therapy and emotional vulnerability among Black men.

“We have suf fered through so much and swept so much under the ca Love “As a result, that’s how Love encouraged attendees to up from the neck up,” a phrase used throughout the event to promote mental wellness, self-awareness and emotional honesty.

Community members also shared personal testimonies about how Men’s Mentalhood has impacted their lives and created an environment where they feel safe discussing issues often left unspoken.

“I’m not where I was, and I’m not where I want to be, but I’m in a much better and more empowered mental space,” Muhammad said.

PCC Community Wellness Center leadership used the event to connect residents with available healthcare and behavioral health resources.

“Mental health in general is something that we’re really passionate about here at PCC,” said Alyssa Sianghio, CEO of PCC Community Wellness Center. “We are here in the community so people have accessible and fordable healthcare centered around you.”

Sianghio said PCC operates 14 sites across Chica’s West Side and neighboring communities, offering primary care, therapy, dentistry, food ograms and substance use recovery services. he Austin Family Health Center location opened in late 2024.

and accessible.

“Mental health is just like physical health,” Gutier re z said. “We want to take care of our minds and make sure we’re doing okay mentally and emotionally.”

“I’m not where I was, and I’m not where I want to be, but I’m in a much better and more empowered mental space.”

JONATHAN MUHAMMAD

Title

“It doesn’t matter what insurance you’ve got or no insurance at all,” Sianghio said. “It doesn’t matter what your background is what history you’ve got — we’re going to be here.”

Lisa Gutier re z, PCC’s behavioral health director, said mental health remains heavily stigmatized in many communities, but PCC hopes to make services more visible

The event also connected attendees with professionals working directly in youth development and behavioral health. In a separate conversation following the panel, Dr. William Steward III, acting superintendent of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, reflected on the importance of mental wellness among incarcerated youth.

“Mental health starts in your mind,” Steward said. “I have 160 kids locked up in our facility, and mental health means helping them see they are more than their past and more than their mistakes.”

The collaboration between Men’s Mentalhood and PCC Community Wellness Center highlights a growing ef fort on Chicago’s West Side to address mental health through community conversation, accessible care and culturally relevant support for Black men and boys

PROVIDED BY ETHAN TUCKER

Victor Love

PROVIDED BY ETHAN TUCKER

Men’s Mentalhood partnered with PCC Community Wellness Center to host a community panel focused on mental health awareness for Black men and boys on Chicago’s West Side on May 2.

e Living Room o ers ‘natural connectiveness’ for those with mental health challenges

Free service provides acceptance and empathy with listening focus

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

Like most of us, Marty has seen challenges in his life, some that were tough to overcome.

Things like that can weigh on a person, so much so that it can feel near impossible to attack head on.

That was Marty, and to a de gree still is, but these days, he’s got support and a safe place, which can make all the difference.

“Losing my job was traumatic even though it was five years ago,” he said, adding he also dealt with the loss of a loved one before that. “I think it was an accumulation of things where it wasn’t something I was aware of on a daily basis. It maybe just crept up.

“I didn’t really have anyone or resources to tur n to.’

This day, Marty sits in a comfortable chair in a closed-door room at The Living Room in Oak Park, 816 Harrison St., which opened April 8 and is a free service operated by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Metro Suburban branch.

I was very excited for the opportunity.”

Open from noon to 8 p.m. dail ing Room in Oak Park is a welcoming space – clean, quiet, with meeting rooms offset right upon entry, in all honesty, similar to a living room. When arriving, you’ll li run into Beck Beishen, a coordinator and trained specialist. He’s a soft-spoken guy who works with guests like Marty to help them by talking out life’s knotty problems that might be exacerbated ADHD, panic attacks and other issues.

But Beishen isn’t only a trained specialist. He’s been in Marty’s shoes and those of the 35 separate individuals that ha the location since April 8 – already a of the total anticipated in its first y

“It started in high school when toms became more severe,” he said. “It was ADHD combined with anxiety. It went undiagnosed for After high school, things just kind of w quickly, where I started to cope with the symptoms with what I was feeling that time with substances and alcohol.”

“I nd that knowing that the sta has their own history with mental health and recovery, there’s been a relatabilit y.”

MART Y A Living Room client

Dressed in a St. Louis Cardinals cap – though he chuckles when he says he’s a diehard Los Angeles Dodgers fan – Marty is in a good mood, because he’s confident that the Living Room in Oak Park has been a gamechanger for him.

“I was aware of La Grange and Summit having locations, and the living room concept was very appealing to me,” he said. “I live in Berwyn, three minutes from here, and just growing up in Oak Park, when I heard The Living Room was going to open,

That went on for 10 years, and by his mid-20s, he realized he was headed in the wrong direction. He entered a 30-day program that provided the tools to handle his challenges. What’s more, he realized he could take his mess and make it his message.

He decided he wanted to pursue a career in social services, and Friday he graduated with his master’s de gree in social work from UIC. He’s planning to pursue a doctorate.

But the point is that there is common ground for Beishen and guests like Marty who come with a wide variety of struggles.

“Plenty of resources in terms of good advice, and I find that knowing that the staf f has their own history with mental health and recovery, there’s been a relatability,” said Marty.

“There is just a natural connectiveness.”

The process of getting started at The Living Room is seamless. Walking in there is a short intake process that is compliant with HIPAA to ensure confidentiality

“After that, we just sit down and talk to the guests,” Beishen said. “Why are they here? What are their goals? For each guest it’s different, and it’s about meeting the guests where they are at and then trying to help build that into a strength.”

Shelly Lustrup is the chief executive officer of NAMI Metro Suburban, and she said T he Living Room in Oak Park –which is adjacent to T he Drop-in Center at 814 Harrison St. – offers multiple recovery tools to help guests, which sets it apar t from other living room-style models.

“It’s a community-based progr am that can be for both prevention and intervention,” she said, adding that “going to the hospital or the ER, where we know it’s usually not the best fit, oftentimes

it’s overstimulating, it’s loud, long wait times

“Instead, you can come to a living room and the team can work to help de-escalate, make any kind of safety planning.”

But consider that T he Living Room team can facilitate a hospitalization if it feels that’s what’s needed.

In its short existence, there are many success stories, including Marty’s, and there will be many more, he’s convinced.

“I think immediate acce ptance and nonjudgment, and a true eng aged empathy for listening to your situation and offering different resources to help you,” he said. “Quite frankly, it’s free, it’s accessible. I came here the first time and I’m like, why not give it a chance?”

For more information about The Li ving Room in Oak Park, visit https://namimetsub.org/

GREGG VOSS

Beck Beishen, a coordinator and trained specialist at e Living Room in Oak Park, makes a point during a recent session.

Half of the world’s population will experience a mental health disorder by the time they are 75 years old.1 As many of us know from experience, attempting to navigate the mental health system when you are at a low point can be incredibly difficult. The Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park encourages everyone to learn where to go for help ahead of time, with the hopes that you won’t ever need it.

You always have Someone to Call, Somewhere to Go, and Someone to Respond.

Someone to Call: In July 2022, 988 replaced the ten-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.2 This expanded resource provides 24/7, no-cost, confidential support for individuals in distress, including prevention and crisis resources. Calling or texting this number will connect anyone to a trained professional who is ready to help callers deal with their suicidal ideations (picturing their own suicide), mental health crisis, substance use issues, or other emotional distress. People who are worried about a loved one’s mental health crisis and want

CMHB Board President, Ann Schreiner Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township

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Somewhere to Go

to provide support can also contact 988. Someone to Respond: Thrive Counseling Center is an Oak Park-based comprehensive mental health center that provides a no-cost 24/7 crisis line (708-383-7500). The main difference between this phone number and 988? Thrive has the ability to send a mobile crisis team to the distressed person and provide on-site assessment and de-escalation. Their crisis counselors are all highly trained Master’s-level clinicians whose goals are to stabilize the immediate situation, provide support, and facilitate connection to ongoing help.

Somewhere to Go: Do you feel the need to go somewhere warm and inviting to talk to someone? Bypass the emergency department and go to NAMI Metro Suburban’s Living Room Program located at 816 Harrison Street in Oak Park. The Living Room is a place to go if you are experiencing stress in your life or an increase in mental health symptoms. It’s for anyone who is 18 or older who is feeling scared, anxious, angry, sad, or just needs someone to talk to. It’s a calm, home-like space where adults experiencing distress can

connect with a trained peer recovery support specialist who has lived experience for support, de-escalation, and tools to maintain mental health recovery. The Oak Park Living Room is open daily 12–8 p.m. Services provided are free of charge and open to all.

Importantly, if you are in or around a mental health crisis that has the potential to end in immediate harm to someone, it is always better to err on the side of safety and call 911. We mourn the loss of our loved ones to suicide and devote our efforts to educate, empower, and mobilize toward helping prevent future losses. Program these numbers into your phones, teach your children about them, and hang up a call list in a prominent place for you to reference. Our goal and hope is that you will never need to use them. #YouMatterOP

1) Harvard Medical School, July 31, 2023, https://hms.harvard.edu/news/half-worlds-population-will-experience-mental-health-disorder 2) 988 Lifeline https://988lifeline.org/

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