Landmark_073025 by Wednesday Journal

Two for the 7th Pages 10 and 11

USPS needed stamps for its 250th.

Riverside’s Chris Ware delivered

Ware, a contributor t e New Yorker wh began his career i Chicago’s alt weeklies, designed a sheet of 20 stamps tha show a mail carri neighborhood jour

By WEB BEHRENS Block Club Chicago

What’s older than the Declaration dependence? Believe it or not: the United States Postal Service.

The organization now known as the USPS was established in Ju one year before the 13 original colonies declared themselves to be their own nation. This week, the agency celebrates its semi quincentennial with a creati new stamp design featuring artwork Riverside’s cartoonist extraordinaire Chris Ware.

8 one-act plays written by ill be performed for ug. 1 and 2

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

A festival of short, one-act plays celebrating ast, present and future is coming to town this weekend to celebrate the village’s rsary of incorporation this year. the Riverside Theater Guild and rs, “Bends in the River” will be g. 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. at L.J. Hauser Junior High School. Admission is free to the public.

“It’s performed by 27 local actors. It includes See FESTIVAL on pa ge 5

Stay Golden Lemonade’s trailer is pictured at the Brook eld farmers market on July 19, 2025. e stand includes two seats so customers can sit and enjoy their drinks

Teen brings mobile lemonade store to Brook eld’s farmers market

Ava Millan, 15, runs

Stay Golden Lemonade

every Saturday

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

When life gave lemons to 15-year-old Bloomingdale resident Ava Millan, she decided to start her own business — by making lemonade.

Last year, the teenager started her company, Stay Golden Lemonade, as a re gular lemonade stand in her family’s driveway. The business is themed after her golden re-

triever, Milo. She said she had the idea after her mom, Ashley Millan, showed her a TikTok video of someone else who started a similar business.

“We both thought it would be a great idea for something we can bond over and spend more time together over the summer,” Ava told the Landmark.

Her mom said the stand’s success was almost immediate.

“We started in a tent, and then we had cars pulling over in our driveway, like, ‘What are you guys doing?’” Millan said.

“I started reaching out to the local market, just to see if they would be interested in having us there. We really decided to step it up when we were at a market in Lombard,

and we had a group of girls come, and they said, ‘We follow you on Instagram. We come to every single event and market that you guys do, and we just love the puppy theme!’”

After realizing they were developing a core group of fans online, Ava saved up the company’s profits and was able to buy a trailer out of which she now sells the dogthemed drinks that earned Stay Golden its reco gnition. Served in cups displaying a picture of Milo as a puppy, the stand’s drinks include names like “Ocean Retriever,” “Strawberry Fetch” and “Peachy Pup.”

“I didn’t actually think it would turn out

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Senior Advisor Dan Haley

BOARD OF DIREC TORS

Chair Eric Weinheimer Treasurer Nile Wendor f Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson, Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson HOW TO REACH US ADDRESS 141 S.

708-467-9066 E-MAIL dhaley@wjinc.com ONLINE www.RBLandmark.com

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Ocials say IDOT tra c safety stats paint a dangerous pictur

6 died in car crashes in Riverside from 2010-2023, most along the edge of to

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

Riverside officials have said car crash fatality data since 2014 from the Illinois Department of Transportation doesn’t tell the full story of traffic safety within the village

According to IDOT, six people died in car crashes in Riverside from 2010-2023, a fact that came to light when the Landmark reported on a petition for a Vision Zero plan in town that would increase traffic safety through policy and road design with the goal of eliminating traffic-related serious injuries and fatalities altogether.

Matthew Buckley, the village’s public safety director, told the Landmark the traffic fatalities in Riverside had extenuating circumstances behind them unrelated to the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

Buckley said Riverside police have direct access to the past 10 years of IDOT’s

traffic safety stats, giving him information about the five crashes that killed someone in town from 2014-2024.

In 2016, one driver on Harlem Avenue struck a tree with their car before being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. That driver died from their injuries while undergoing surgery, Buckley said.

Another person died that year in a separate crash on Harlem Avenue, this one a pedestrian.

“This was at 4:15 in the morning, where an intoxicated individual stepped of f the curb into the street, into the path of a vehicle that was driving by,” Buckley said. “The witnesses said that the vehicle that struck this individual couldn’t avoid them.”

Harlem Avenue is under IDOT jurisdiction, though the western half of the major road falls into Riverside.

In 2019, a juvenile passenger died when the car’s driver, also a juvenile, lost control of the vehicle, which spun into a tree on

Buckley said a bundle of firewood that had been loose in the backseat struck the passenger in the head during the crash.

side and the leader behind the Vision Zero petition, said she reached out to the village to confir m IDOT’s data before she had planned to give public comment about the petition at a village board meeting in May.

Then, two people died in crashes on First Avenue. In 2022, an intoxicated driver was speeding, and the car was hit by another vehicle, causing the death of the driver’s girlfriend, a passenger. In 2023, a driver had a heart attack and died while on the road, leaving his car to strike the RiversideBrookfield High School sign at the intersection with Forest Avenue.

Like Harlem Avenue, First Avenue is under IDOT jurisdiction.

Outside of traf fic fatalities, Buckley said 29 cyclists and 11 pedestrians have been struck by cars in Riverside since 2014. He said a majority of the cases involving a cyclist were caused by the cyclist.

“They were either on their cell phone or not looking where they were going,” Buckley said.

“Chief Buckley said to reference the data on IDOT and that getting more detailed data would be difficult, so that’s what I did. I used the data from IDOT, and I wanted to share for people that it’s not entirely safe,” she told the Landmark. “It’s encouraging that our advocacy ef for ts have resulted in the village police department taking a closer look at traffic safety data. This kind of engagement is exactly what we want.”

Kramer said that, while roads like Harlem and First avenues are under IDOT’s jurisdiction and known to be more dangerous as higher-volume throughways, “They’re also in Riverside, so we still have a responsibility to work with IDOT. I know

on pa ge 5

JAVIER GOVEA

FESTIVAL

Stories of Riverside

from page 1

eight different one-act plays that were written by community members past and present, and it’s directed by 10 community members,” said Jacob Palka, the festival’s executive producer. “Each little vignette is a slice of life in Riverside.”

Seven of the plays are about 10 minutes each and will be shown in succession both nights without an intermission, Palka told the Landmark. T he eighth is a series of two-minute scenes, shown between the other plays, “about the conversations you overhear at Riverside Foods and all the funny stuf f that we talk and gossip about,” he said.

Some of the plays harken back to important moments and “crannies” alike in Riverside’s history, like the designing of its roads by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux or the operation of a trolley that used to run through town, Palka said.

As the mastermind behind the festival, Palka said it’s been in the works since last summer.

“The Riverside 150 committee has been planning for probably two years now all their activities, and [committee member] Jane Lauritsen reached out to me and asked if the theater guild might be interested in reviving a show that was originally written for Riverside’s 100th in the ‘70s, and that show was called ‘[At the] Bend in the River,’” he said. “Many people who are still in town might’ve been in it as kids, and they had it over at RB, and they had music, and each scene was a different decade in Riverside history.”

Palka opted not to revive the 1975 pag-

Continued from previous pa ge

that it takes a lot more time and ef fort, but I think it’s something we still should pursue.”

On Vision Zero, Buckley said it could take time for the village to determine what it can do to change the roadways.

“We’re involving our traffic engineer as well as our public works director, our parks and recreation director. We’re all going to work together to try to come up with some plans and, after that, see what is a viable plan for here in Riverside, and then, after that, it’s the funding portion of it,” he said.

eant but instead took inspiration from it

“We thought, ‘Well, why don’t we let Riversiders now write their view of life here?’” he said. “I know there’s a lot of artsy-fartsy people in Riverside, but we were nervous we wouldn’t get a lot of script submissions. We announced this, and then there were about five months that people had to write their one-act plays, and we got about 16 or 17 submissions.”

T he cast and crew features some big names, including Neal Fischer, a North Riverside-nat ive author and commercial director; Mike Speller, who played vice principal Mr. Lippman in Nickelodeon’s ‘90s comedy “Welcome Freshmen;” Jennifer Pollock, wife of Village President Doug Pollock; and John Reeg er, an actor and playwright whom Palka called “Chicago theater royalty.”

“It’s really a testament to Riverside, in that it is a place that attracts that calibe r of people and inspires that caliber of people,” Palka said. “There are a lot of artsy folks that live here. T hey call it home; they find it rejuvenating; they find it a peaceful, relaxing and inspiring place to live. … I think all these people that have contributed are doing it because they have a love of their home, of Riverside, where they grew up, and its rich history.”

Palka said the level of eng agement from the community may lead to similar theatrical ef for ts in the future.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the 150th, but we’ve found throughout this process that there are clearly a lot of talented people in Riverside who have come out to join us, and whether it’s another one-act festival or a straight play, we clearly have the talent,” he said. “We have really good scripts, and I think we’re, hopefully, doing them justice, and I’m just excited to see the reaction from the audience.”

In the meantime, he said educating Riverside’s cyclists and pedestrians, especially children, is the key to improving traffic safety in town. This year, Buckley said he tasked a Riverside sergeant with making a presentation for Riverside students on the importance of bicycle safety before summer break.

“Having lights on your bikes. Knowing how to look before you cross an intersection, how to use hand signals,” he said. “We still see kids out there not doing the right things, so it means we still have our work cut out for us by educating, but I think it does make a difference when it comes

down to it.”

He said the most important aspect is making sure cyclists are aware of their surroundings and acting with safety in mind. When crossing the street, he recommended pedestrians and cyclists alike make eye contact with approaching drivers, so they know they’ve been seen.

“Riverside is a safe community for riding bikes and for pedestrians, but we all need to do our part. My whole goal is to have zero accidents,” he said.

Kramer ag reed education and enforcement of traffic safety laws are important to ensuring people can safely navigate River-

side, but she said that shouldn’t be all.

“Those are seen as cheaper and easier, and it also puts the responsibility on the guilty party. I will say, we are all guilty, I’m guilty, of committing traf fic er rors. I used to drive to Riverside from Chicago when I didn’t live here, and I remember speeding on some of these streets to get to work. I look back in hor ror that that’s what I did, but it was because it was easy to do,” she said. “Now that I live here, I think, ‘Oh God, these speeding drivers. They could hit my child.’ I think education is impor tant. I think enforcement is important, but that’s not the only solution.”

3rd time’s the charm for Brook eld’s pro bike races

Sti ing hea stanched c but the communi made it a success

By TRENT BROWN Staf

The third annual Cycle Brookfield Criterium, a day full of ing in downtown Brookfield, took Wednesday, July 23.

As the sixth of events that comprise the ries, the Criterium brought spectators and racers from near and Prairie Avenue south of the train tracks

After the two previous races took north of the tracks, a new route was nec essary this year due to ongoing roadwa construction on Grand Boule was an inte gral pa

Chris Valadez, the president of Brookfield, told the Landmark didn’t yet have data on the number of tendees but that, “anecdotall fewer people than in previous y

“With the weather and the heat ad that was being broadcast definitely anticipated seeing some fe numbers,” he said, 90-de gree temperatures. “I to be out there for wouldn’t have been out there as long as I was either, so I don’t blame anyone for staying in the AC.”

The new route didn’t bring spectators to the same businesses as last year, but its combined start and finish line was situated directly in front of Irish Times, and the race took cyclists past Phil’s Sports Bar & Grill. The owners of both bars said they were seeing more business than usual the day of the Criterium.

“That table of people over there are from Colorado. There was a bunch of guys in from Oklahoma earlier. I was just sitting with a man from California,” said Martin Lynch, owner of Irish Times. “It’s been excellent. People are literally coming from all over. I heard some European accents, maybe Italian, earlier.”

Lynch said the pub brought in extra staf f for the day to prepare for the bump in business.

Phil Stanton, the owner of Phil’s, said the sports bar saw more local people dipping in and out to cool of f or take a drink to go, which the village allowed just for the day, though many of the folks who stuck around inside were re gulars.

“I’ve got mixed emotions about [the Criterium]. We are not an event-driven bar. We are a day-in, day-out bar. We make our money a little bit, 365 days a year, so one big event isn’t going to move the needle for us, but I like it. It changes things up,” he said. “I’m assuming it’s going to go back across the tracks next year. It’s been fun. I’m glad they had it here. I’ll be glad when it goes back across.”

Some of the racers felt the same way, including Lalith Jalakam, the 19-year-old

founder and owner of the Detroit Mavericks, a pro cycling team.

“I really liked last year. I liked the brick corners. It was right in the middle of downtown with shops on both sides. I’m like, ‘This is the perfect place,’” he said.

“I’m a little bummed they moved it, but [the old course] is right there.”

If the Criterium returns next year — “and I want to underscore the ‘if’ there,” Valadez said — it likely would return to that previous route

“Although we like the south side course, the activation of the community, some of the businesses and even just the spectating view down Grand Boulevard is really nice. You have both sides [of the road] that you can leverage,” he said.

If the Criterium does return for 2026, Valadez said residents may be able to expect a new 5K foot race early that morning along the cycling route

“People understand bike racing better in Brookfield, but people really understand foot races. Racing doesn’t start until 11 a.m.; most 5Ks are usually first thing in the morning, and why not? We have the roads locked down,” he said.

Despite the lower turnout, Valadez said the Brookfield community was instrumental to making this year’s Criterium happen after some sponsors pulled out just a week beforehand.

“We reached out to our community, our

Continued on pa ge 7

TRENT BROWN

OFF AND RIDING: Professional cyclists get underway at Broo eld’s Criter ium race on July 23.

Continued from page 6

core group, those who were Cycle Brookfield members and non-members alike. We did a plea to them. We said, ‘Hey, if you want to see this event return, we’re about four grand short,’ which is the truth. We were about $4,000 short by Wednesday, July 16,” he said. “By Thursday evening, July 17, we met our goal. The community, our members, folks stepped up. I put a donation link out, just asking for $25 to support the event. Within less than 24 hours, we had reached our goal because of this community.”

While the event bears Cycle Brookfield’s name, Valadez gave his thanks to volunteers from the Brookfield Women’s Club and Compassion United Methodist Church who helped make it a success.

He said it takes a village to put the Criterium on — literally.

“The village of Brookfield has been a fantastic partner to us, and, hopefully, we have been to them,” he said. “They’re bringing resources, staf f, police, fire, department of public works. All have come to gether to really bring a world-class, professional event to Brookfield, and I’m honored to partner with them and have them in our cor ner for this.”

Our Century, Your New Beginning.

ERICA BENSON

CHRIS WARE

Riverside’s own

from page 1

The stamps were released July 23, along with a 32-page prestige booklet to commemorate the USPS’ 250 years of service.

The postal service noted in a statement that Ware created the stamp artwork and co-designed the pane with Antonio Alcalá, an ar t director for USPS.

“I was indeed flattered and honored to be asked to do a stamp,” Ware told Block Club

“I figured I would either scare of f the Post Office with my ideas and/or make something that wasn’t printable,” he said. Instead, “I was pleasantly surprised to find that everyone working for the USPS was unpretentious, funny and very ag reeable.”

Despite his penchant for self-deprecation, writer-artist Ware has managed to attain worldwide renown on the strength of his meticulously rendered, achingly moving comics. His work has been featured in multiple solo museum exhibitions, from Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art in 2006 to a current showcase in Barcelona. The first comics artist to be invited to exhibit at the Whitney Biennial, he also re gularly draws covers for The New Yorker.

An Omaha native, Ware moved to Chicago in the early 1990s to pursue his master’s de gree at the School of the Art Institute Now 57, he lives with his wife and daughter in Riverside.

His professional career be g an in Chicago’s alt weeklies, starting with NewCity in 1992 and eventually The Reader. A multiyear saga originally published piecemeal in those newsprint pages became his acclaimed first book, “Jimmy Corrigan: The Smar test Kid on Earth,” still in print 25 years later

To anyone familiar with Ware’s precise sequential ar t — jam-packed with details yet somehow never cluttered — it comes as no sur prise that he has brought that signature storytelling style to the USPS.

EY

FOR DETAIL: Chris Ware’s sheet of stamps for the 250th anniversar y of the postal ser vice br ings his usual focus on small details and keen observations.

ever tried to tell a story with a sheet of stamps,” Ware said.

“It takes a peculiar level of psychological fortitude to be a mail carrier, I think, and I wanted to try to honor that.”

CHRIS WARE Local cartoonist

With these stamps, he adds another “first” feather to his cap: “A very kind person at the USPS told me that, as far as their historian could determine, this was the first time anyone had

Titled “250 Years of Delivering,” the sheet honors the post office’s milestone anniversary by documenting the quotidian life of a mail carrier making deliveries. The 20 interconnected stamps (printed in four rows of five) deliver a bird’seye view of a busy city, packed with perfectly drawn buildings, geometric trees and dozens of humans bustling about. In inimitable Chris Ware fashion, the progression of stamps also takes the viewer through all four seasons

The carrier strolls past coffee shops, gover nment buildings and various public gatherings across her busy year, visiting settings that would fit into any Chicago neighborhood. Across the stamps, she waves frequently and accepts letters from neighbors, including

A Landmark partner

a construction worker who pops out of a manhole cover to give her one. The last stamp shows the carrier in her cozy home with her family, after an extremely long day.

In a press release, the post office notes that the Ware-designed stamps contain special homages to the office’s 250-year history, including a statue of a pony express rider and various types of post office vehicles and collection boxes, from a cluster mailbox found in an apar tment building to the traditional blue curbside structures. There’s even a stamp collector examining his collection.

“I was hoping to make something that a letter carrier might happen to see and maybe feel some connection to,” Ware said. “Their lives seem to be a ‘Groundhog

Day’ level of g rind and re petition, passing through a consistent, re peating landscape that nonetheless slowly shifts and changes around them. It takes a peculiar level of psycholo gical fortitude to be a mail carrier, I think, and I wanted to try to honor that.”

Beyond his current admiration for the work of postal carriers, Ware had a brief connection to the post office as a kid.

“I tried briefly to collect stamps,” he said. “For some reason, I couldn’t ever figure out why I was doing it — no pox upon philatelists, with whom I clearly share some DNA. I’d inherited a half-filled book of stamps from my second father, but it only highlighted how ignorant I was about the world, so I stuck to collecting superhero comic books instead.

“Now I hate superheroes in all forms, so maybe I should try stamps again.”

The sheet of 20 stamps costs $15.60 and will be sold online and at any U.S. post office. The price reflects a slight bump in the cost per stamp, which on July 13 increased by a nickel to 78 cents each.

this big and we would be this successful, but I was definitely hoping for it,” Ava said.

On top of its blue-and-yellow color scheme and puppy theme, Stay Golden is also known online for its “secret menu” items. While the mobile stand has a more permanent list ofdrinks that are for mally available, Ava and her mom, with help from the rest ofthe family, will sometimes experiment with new drink combinations that they tease online, so their most dedicated followers have an extra option or two at every market and pop-up

“Our favorite thing to do is sit down and [figure out] what recipe should we try out today,” Millan said. “It seems like people really like being able to get something a little exclusive, something that’s not on the menu, and it allows us to be creative without having to change the permanent menu every single week.”

Customers who can prove they follow Stay Golden on social media can also earn a $1 discount on their drink of choice, she said. Due to the company’s canine theme, Ava is partnering with pet shelters to donate a portion ofthe profits toward pet adoptions. Last year, Stay Golden worked with Anderson Humane in South Elgin, and it’s still looking for a shelter to work with this year

In 2025, the company became a vendor at the Brookfield far mers market on Saturdays at village hall, 8820 Brookfield Ave.

“It’s fairly large compared to a lot of other markets, and it’s actually a very beautiful area. It gave us those quiet town vibes, and there were so many people there, and also diverse vendors. Sometimes you’ll go to a market, and they’ll

have a lot ofthe same,” Millan said. “We actually lived nearby in Berwyn for a long time, so we had always heard about it locally, so we wanted to check it out and see it for ourselves. We were really sold on it, and wewere crossing our fingers. Like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s so many people. We hope they have room for us!’”

She said the lemonade stand sold out within two hours the first time they set up shop in Brookfield, netting the company $600 to $700.

“We had a line around the market, which we didn’t expect. Usually, we sell around $400, $500 in lemonades throughout a whole day,” she said. “People were asking Ava, ‘Where’s your shop? Where’s the store? Where can we get this during the week?’ We just had such a warm welcome.”

Ava said she’s aiming to open a brickand-mortar shop next summer, likely in Bloomingdale or Lombard and already has plans for how she would decorate it. Her mom said she prefers the traveling, pop-up model, but what Ava says goes.

“She brings it up all the time,” Millan said. “She goes to high school in Lombard, so her idea is, during lunchtime or after school, lots of kids would go there. She plays several sports there, and they all know about her lemonade business, and they’re always telling her, ‘You need to have a shop over here so we can go hang out there and buy your lemonade.’”

In the meantime, she said she and Ava are working to grow Stay Golden’s social media presence even further while polling her followers to determine ifa shop would have a steady stream of customers.

“I just think that it would be really cool” to have a brick-and-mortar storefront, Ava said. “Sometimes, setting up, it’s draining a little. It would definitely be easier, and I feel like it would be a little thing I can do after school. Especially in the summer, I can work there every day. I would be able to go there, and it would be a little space place for me.”

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Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins is running for Congress

Hoskins shares his priorities if electe d to the U.S. House of Representatives, 7th District in Illinois

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

As longtime Congressman Danny Davis decides whether he’s going to run agai for the 7th district U.S. House of Re presentatives seat in 2026, other local politi cians are throwing their hats in the ring to re present the area that covers much of Chicago’s West Side and near west suburban communities

One such candidate is Rory Hoskins, who has been mayor of Forest Park since 2019 and works as an insurance attorney. He filed with the Federal Elections Commission to run for the seat on July 18 and already has priorities lined up for what he’d advocate for if elected.

“I want to serve the community, and I want to be a part ofthe ef fort to undo a lot ofthe harm currently being done in Washington D.C.,” Hoskins told Growing Community Media on why he’s running for Congress. He mentions wanting to restore safety net programs and veteran benefits, maintain the Department ofEducation, plus protect social security, Medicaid and Medicare.

While Davis has advocated to support health care and education ef forts, both throughout his district and the country, Hoskins said Davis has also accomplished quite a bit in Hoskins’ own neighborhood.

“Congressman Davis has been a great re presentative for Forest Park. He’s helped us with infrastructure programs, so I’m going to continue in that tradition,” Hoskins said.

For example, this year, Davis submitted a project request to the Appropriations Committee for the Forest Park Water System Improvements Project. The $2 million request would help fund re placements to failing sections ofthe village’s water

mains, improving water quality and availability for residents. And when Forest Park discussed options for building new water reservoirs earlier this year, Village Administrator Rachell Entler said Forest Park could receive up to $15 million in funding to cover them and was meeting with Cong ressman Davis’ office to discuss how to access such finances

Hoskins said, ifelected to the U.S. House, he would focus more on transportation, since the whole ofthe Eisenhower Expressway runs through the 7th congressional district, along with several CTA and Metra train lines. Hoskins has been a staunch advocate for the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act, filed with the Illinois House of Re presentatives last year, which would merge the CTA, Metra and Pace into one entity.

“Part of my work in advocating for transit gover nance reform and transit agency consolidation would factor into my work in Congress, ifI were to serve,” Hoskins said, adding that he’d seek appointment to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“I would also work on returning the federal gover nment to a place that really works to combat and prevent extremism and violent extremism,” Hoskins said. “I think ifstate, local and federal governments work to gether, they can come up

with ways to address the rise that we’ve seen in extremism and polarization.”

Hoskins and his family have lived in Forest Park since 1999. He has twice been elected to serve as a dele gate to the Democratic National Convention, meaning he cast a vote for the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. In 2023, he was appointed to the Inter-Governmental Policy Advisory Committee that assists the Office of the U.S. Trade Re presentative Before becoming mayor, Hoskins served as a Forest Park village commissioner from 2007 to 2015. He said the village of Forest Park has similar demo graphics to the 7th congressional district.

According to Data USA, in 2023, the 7th congressional district had over 737,000 residents with a median household income ofmore than $80,000 and a poverty rate of over 18%. The median age was 35 and about 41% ofthe district was Black, 30% white, nearly 9% Asian and 7% Hispanic. In 2023, Forest Park had about 14,000 residents with a median household income over $81,000 and a poverty rate of over 10%. With a median age of40, about 53% ofthe population was white, nearly 25% Black, about 7% Asian and 6% Hispanic.

As Davis contemplates running for reelection, there’s the opportunity for someone who grew up in a different era to take his place. Hoskins is in his early 50s, and Davis is 83.

“There is a generational shift that is occurring,” Hoskins said. “I believe I have a broad set of relationships and experiences that would allow me to effectively eng age and re present the entire district.” With a potentially open seat in a highly Democratic district, the line is lengthening to run in the 7th district primary if Davis retires. So far, the list includes State Re presentative La Shawn Ford, Chicago attorney Jason Friedman, for mer Marine John McCombs, pastor Jerico J. Brown, and Richard Boykin — for mer member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners for the 1st district. Tekita Martinez and Danica David Leigh are also running as Democrats, and Emelia Rosie filed with no political party affiliation.

RORY HOSKINS

Marine vet turned stand-up comic launches U.S. rep campaign

Political unknown John McCombs is

running to replace Danny Davis in

7th District

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

John McCombs hasn’t spent much of any time around the political punchbowl — he’s been out on the road working on punchlines

McCombs, a Joliet native and Marine Corps veteran turned Chicago stand-up comedian, has filed to run to represent Illinois’ 7th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. McCombs’ has never run for any public office before, but he’s starting big running for a seat held by Rep. Danny Davis for three decades.

He also works as a sexual assault prevention educator for service members.

The drive to run came in the wake of President Donald Trump’s victory over Democrat Kamala Harris last November. Democrats at the federal level must do a better job at connecting with people and fighting the president’s agenda, McCombs said.

“I’m a communicator, a fighter, a leader, that’s what I’ve got to lean on,” he said.

The Democrats need house reps who are sharp and capable of communicating their message with all generations and walks of life. Kind of like an experienced touring comedian can, McCombs said.

“This is the mindset of every comedian, you have to walk into a room full of people and you have no idea what happened five minutes before you got there, you have no idea these people’s backgrounds and you have to try and make them laugh,” he said. “You have to try and find that common ground, you have to find the humanity in people.”

“When you do that, you find that we agree on 95% of stuff, we get so caught up on the 5% that we miss the 95%.”

McCombs’ campaign’s core issues include

e McCombs knows that in part because his dentist bill joke gets the same laughs in red states and blue states.

“The joke goes ‘I had a filling in my tooth fall out on tour and I didn’t know what I was going to do, everybody in Europe was like well why don’t you see the public dentist,” he said. “I’m like, ‘what the f%#k is a public dentist?’ They’re like oh it’s a government subsidized dentist that provides services to the public, you don’t have this in the U.S.’ and I said ‘oh, no we just chew on the other side of our mouths until the GoFundMe kicks in.’”

In an effort to get his message out, McCombs has been traveling the 7th District on foot from his Wicker Park home through Chicago’s South and West sides and the district’s suburban communities

Wherever the campaign goes, he wants to make sure that it stays grounded in actively serving people as a candidate, and that he stays grounded in himself. He held to that goal with his recent launch party which was a comedy show benefiting Housing Forward, bringing in dozens of donations off the housing support agency’s wish list.

“If I have the ability to help people today, then let’s help them today,” he said.

REPORTING SERVICE INDUSTRY TIPS

eople who work in restaurants, salons, hotels and similar service industries often receive tips for the customer service they provide. Tips are generally taxable income, and it’s important for people working in these areas who regularly receive tips to understand the requirements on reporting tips.

Tips are optional cash or noncash payments customers make to employees. Cash tips include those received directly from customers, electronically paid tips distributed to the employee by their employer and tips received from other employees under any tipsharing arrangement. All cash tips must be reported to the employer, who must include them on the employee’s Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement.

Noncash tips are those of value received in any medium other than cash, such as: tickets, passes or other goods or commodities a customer gives the employee. Employees don’t report noncash tips to their employer, but they must report the value of them on a tax return.

Any cash tips the employee didn’t report to the employer must be reported separately on Form 4137,

Social Security and Medicare Tax on Unreported Tip Income, to include as additional wages with their tax return. The employee must also pay the employee share of Social Security and Medicare tax owed on those tips.

Employees don’t have to report tip amounts of less than $20 per month per employer. For larger amounts, employees must report tips to the employer by the 10th of the month following the month they received the tips. The employee can use Form 4070, Employee’s Report of Tips to Employer, available in Publication 1244, Employee’s Daily Record of Tips and Report to Employer, or they can use an employer-provided form or other electronic system used by their employer. For more information on how to report tips taxpayers should review the Tip Recordkeeping and Reporting page of IRS.gov.

JOHN MCCOMBS

JOHN MCCOMBS/FACEBOOK

By Linda Sokol Francis. E.A.

Generations Connect Through Film Screenings

On July 14th, the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association in Oak Park held a showing of the 1953 movie From Here to Eternity. This movie follows the lives of three soldiers and the people they meet in the months leading up to the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. This movie won 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and both Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra) and Supporting Actress (Donna Reed). In 2002, the movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

In a demanding world like ours, leisure time becomes a luxury, and it’s easier to consume media alone through streaming services than to

watch something in a community (and if one goes to the theater, it’s usually to watch something contemporary).

For parents, their time is largely tied to the needs of their children, and what free time they have left is often tied to the desires of their children, in entertainment choices and otherwise.

In this world, leisure itself has largely become bound to the same clock that drives our obligations; if we’re not careful, leisure becomes something we must consume in tight windows prescribed by somebody else, a product that always finds us snacking

but never leaves us full. For the elderly, these conditions can leave them feeling the world is passing them by, and for younger generations, the long-term effects are just as debilitating.

It becomes all the more important, in this environment, for people of all ages to mindfully carve out some time for leisure that removes them from the strongest forces of contemporary culture, in both time and locale. For younger generations, this may mean spending time with the elderly watching a movie that, many decades ago, was once the

contemporary culture of their youth. For all ages, it may mean doing activities from outside American or Western culture. Mostly, it means purposefully spending time building connections, not just with those immediately around them, but with the world and across generations. Mindfully building these connections improves the lives of the elderly, the young, and everyone in between.

Join FirstLight Home Care for the classic film noir The Man with the Golden Arm starring Frank Sinatra on Monday, August 11th at 1:30pm at The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association 178 Forest Ave #1, Oak Park, IL . This Oscarnominated film examines still relevant social issues through the lens of one man’s struggles. $5 suggested donation.

Drunk driver crashes into semi-truck on Harlem Avenue

Riverside police ar rested a man July 19 for driving drunk after his car crashed into an oncoming vehicle.

Around 2:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 3400 block of Harlem Avenue, just north of Lawton Road, on a report of a two-car crash.

One officer spoke with the driver of one of the cars, a Jeep, who said he had been driving north on Harlem when he “accidentally” veered into the southbound lanes and struck the front bumper of an oncoming semitrailer truck. T he driver told police he was distracted by texting his wife and was also tired.

T he driver of the semitrailer truck told a matching story where the northbound Jeep struck the truck head-on from the southbound lane.

While speaking with the driver of the Jeep, the officer smelled alcohol on his breath and noticed he had glassy, bloodshot eyes and his words were slurring.

T he man’s pants were also soiled, and the man said he had needed to use the bathroom and urinated on himself. When asked, the man said he had drunk one beer earlier.

T he man ag reed to take field sobriety tests, during which he displayed multiple indicators of impairment. He struggled to maintain his balance and did not listen to the officer’s instructions all the way before starting the tests. Afterward, the officer asked the man to provide a preliminary breath test, but the man declined, saying he “did not want to risk blowing too high” because he had drunk more than two beers earlier, police said.

T he of ficer placed the man under ar rest and transported him to the Berwyn police station for processing. Ther e, the man declined a chemical breath test and did not answer police questions after being read his Miranda war ning.

Police charged the man for driving under the influence, improper lane usage, failing to reduce speed to avoid a collision and operating an uninsured vehicle. Police released the man with an Aug. 15 cour t date.

Speeding with an expired license

Brookfield police ticketed a 29-year-old Summit man July 17 for speeding.

Around 10:15 p.m., an officer was on patrol on the 8800 block of 31st Street when their squad car-mounted radar determined a silver Chevrolet was driving at 55 mph in a 30-mph zone. The officer used their emergency lights to pull the car over into the parking lot at 9132 31st St.

After the officer made contact with the driver, the man said he was in a hurry to get to work. When asked, the man was able to provide valid proof of insurance for the car, but he handed over a driver’s license that had expired in October 2023.

The officer charged the man with speeding 21-25 mph above the speed limit and driving with a license that is more than one year expired, setting a court date on Aug. 26. They told him to leave his car where it had been legally parked before sending him on his way.

These items were obtained from the Riverside Police Department re ports dated July 19 and the Brookfield Police Department re ports dated July 14-21; they re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port 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 Trent Brown

OBITUARIES

Mildred Mentzer, 102

Homemaker and steno grapher

Mildred Mentzer (nee Sika), 102, of North Riverside, for merly of Mt. Greenwood, died on July 21, 2025.

As many of her family and friends can attest, Mil was a meticulous housekeeper, a fantastic cook, a fabulous baker and a perfectionist at sewing and mending. All of the laundry was “sprinkled” and ironed — even Curt’s handkerchiefs, underwear and T-shirts. As a very competent stenographer who took verbatim notes, she was always the designated secretary. At home she either wrote “lists” in shorthand or in the Czech language so no one had a clue what was written.

She was a lifelong member of both CSA Fraternal Life, Lodge Woodrow Wilson for 89 years and the American Sokol Organization, Sokol Town of Lake and Sokol Spirit for 86 years.

Mildred was the wife of the late Curtis J. Mentzer; the mother of Milissa S. (the late Carl) Dropka and Cary J. Mentzer; the

grandmother of Michael C. (Christiana M.) Dropka and Raymond C.J. Mentzer; great-grandmother of Kamila R. Dropka and Lukáš A. Dropka; the sister of the late Bess (the late Frank) Oplatek; the aunt of Linda (John) Stock and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation was held on July 24 and 25, followed by a funeral service at Hitzeman Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 9445 31st Street, Brookfield, IL 60513 and private inurnment at Bohemian National Cemetery, Chicago.

Memorials appreciated to the CSA Scholarship Fund, 2050 Finley Road, Suite 70, P.O. Box 249, Lombard, IL 60148 or American Sokol Future Leaders Fund, 9126 Ogden Ave, Brookfield, IL 60513. Information 708-485-2000 or www.HitzemanFuneral.com.

Joyce Meyer, 96

Secretar y

Joyce E. Meyer (nee Konvalinka), 96, of North Riverside, died on July 7, 2025. She worked as a secretary.

Joyce was the wife of the late Robert F. Meyer; the mother of Robert Scott Meyer, Karen J. Meyer and Leslie G. (Paul) Schaber; the grandmother of Paul Schaber, Joseph (Tayla) Schaber, Michael (fiancé Rebecca Pittman) Schaber, and Sarah Elizabeth Schaber; and the great-grandmother of Joseph and Camden.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 30 from 3 to 8 p.m. at Hitzeman Funeral Home Ltd., 9445 31st Street, Brookfield, IL 60513. Lying in state will take place on Thursday, July 31 from 10 a.m. until the funeral service, 11 a.m., at St. Michael Lutheran Church, 500 E. 31st St. in La Grange Park. Interment at Chapel Hill Garden

West Cemetery, Oakbrook Terrac Memorials are appreciated to St. Michael Lutheran Church, 500 E. 31st St., La Grange Park, IL 60526.

Information 708-485-2000 or www manFuneral.com.

Maria Flores, 86 Preschool aide

Maria Ines Flores, 86, of Brookfield, for merly of Puerto Rico, died on 2025. Born on April 20, 1939 in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, she worked as a preschool aide before retiring.

Maria was the wife of Francisco lez and the late Eugenio Borges; the mother of Jose (Rebecca) Borges and the late Hector Borges; the grandmother of (Randy) Palmer, Natalie (Sean) O’Brien, Clayton Borges, Joshua Borges, Joey Borges; the great-grandmother of Mason, Cameron and Dylan Palmer and Mia, Joey, Natalia and Luca Borges; the sister of Catin and Iris; and the aunt of many. Visitation will be held on Friday, Aug. 1 from 9 a.m. until the chapel service, 11 a.m.,

Heaven Cemetery, Hillside. Online condolences, memories and photos may be shared with the family at www. JohnsonNosek.com.

To run an obituary

Please contact Ken Trainor by e-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com, before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.

Seoul Avenue brings Korea to Lake Street

Genuine Korean food, no fusion

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter

No need to get your passport out to enjoy authentic Korean food. Seoul Avenue opened in early July at 728 Lake St. in Oak Park – the for mer location of Papaspiros.

Tteokbokki dishes, soups, rice bowls and fried favorites fill the menu. There are five Korean BBQ options, including beef bulgogi – soy marinated thin-cut strips of beef, grilled and served with rice and a mix of grilled cabbage, onion and carrots.

When restaurant owner Minha Sung first arrived in the U.S., he took ESL (English as a second language) courses at Dominican University. He later moved to New York for culinary school. Upon returning to the Chicago area, he worked briefly at a sushi restaurant where he met Chef Anthony Jung. Though Sung moved on to open his own restaurant/bar in Glenview, the two kept in touch.

They got back together when Sung sold his Glenview business with an eye towards opening a new venture with a Korean menu.

“I sold my previous restaurant and then I looked for a location near downtown. I was looking for one year,” Sung said, but nowhere seemed quite right. Then he remembered his time in the Oak Park and River

Forest area and, “There was no Korean restaurant here.”

After an extensive renovation, Seoul enue is up and running.

“We’re serving authentic Korean food. No fusion. OK, a few items is fusion, but like bulgogi is really authentic Korean and taste is almost same as in Korea,” Sung said. “We serve popular Korean food. Everybody knows kimchi, but we serve rice cake dishes and some soups.”

According to Chef Anthony Jung, it was an easy choice to join the venture when Sung invited him in.

“Because I know he’s a hard worker. worked together short time at the sushi restaurant, but we matched personality,” Jung said.

The two take pride in the quality of their dishes. All meat is prime grade. And other ingredients are up to the same quality.

“We go every morning before opening to the Asian market in Schaumburg. So, everything is really fresh,” said Jung.

“Every sauce we made ourself. And for every dish it is different,” Sung said. “Beef bulgogi and pork bulgogi both are spicy, but the sauce is totally different. And then we also serve fried tonkatsu. Everybody think is from Japanese, but this is Korean style, so really different. I want customers to try that.”

Tonkatsu, spelled donkatsu on the menu in reference to the Korean version, is a breaded and fried pork cutlet, served with a house-made sauce with optional top of melted cheese.

Another menu stand out is dolsot bibimbap – a rice dish, traditionally served in a very hot stone bowl. The heat of the bowl crisps the rice on the bottom and comes with sautéed carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts and other ve getables. The rice is topped with a fried egg and served with gochujang sauce, which is a Korean chili sauce that is a staple of the cuisine.

The drink menu offers many flavors of

ing area will open in the future. But the focus is on the food.

“We’re gonna do a higher standard,” Chef Jung said. “We want to show people what’s the best of Korean food.”

Know before you go:

Address: 728 Lake St., Oak Park

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m.

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Chef Anthony Jung and ow ner Minha Sung

Sports

Triton hurdler Connerty earns scholar-athlet award

National honor goes to Riverside reside

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Triton Colle ge sophomore Ava Connerty of Ri made significant strides to become the National Junior Colle ge Athletic Association Division III national champion in the 100-meter high hurdles this women field season.

There also was the work involved in just being a studentathlete while balancing her part-time job as a pharmacy technician for 21 hours weekly in three 7-hour shifts.

“It was just school, work, track – nothing else for the whole season. It was pretty hard, but time management was really everything,” Connerty said. “There were a lot of long days because I’d work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then I’d have practice from 5 to 7 p.m. Then at the end of the day I was so drained. But it was all worth it at the end.”

Connerty recently was honored as the NJCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Scholar Track Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The 2023 Riverside Brookfield High School graduate is the first Triton athlete to receive the USTFCCCA award.

“It’s really like a big reminder of the time and ef fort put into both school and track paying of f,” Connerty said. “It’s an honor to be reco gnized nationally for something that’s been a big part of my life.”

Connerty became the Trojans’ first national champion in women’s track, May 10, in Utica, N.Y. Her lifetime-best 15.24 seconds won the 100 hurdles by 02 of a second. Connerty also was an All-American with the Trojans’ thirdplace 4 x 400 relay and second in the 100 hurdles at 2024 nationals after joining the team in mid-season.

Academically, Connerty maintained a 3.9 grade-point average as she worked toward an associate’s de gree in psy-

chology, which she is completing this summer. Learning of her scholastic honor more than two months after her national title only added to the satisfaction.

“I didn’t know they reco gnized an athlete of the year just based on academics,” she said. “I didn’t expect it at all. It was really a nice surprise.”

Connerty will continue track at NCAA Division II Nova Southeastern University (Davie-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and pursue a bachelor’s de gree in psychology. Head women’s and men’s track and cross country coach Jonathan Carter just completed his second season with the Sharks.

“I’ve always wanted to go to a school in Florida,” said Connerty, who has family in Ft. Lauderdale. “[Carter] seemed really interested in me because he’s trying to rebuild the track program. It seemed like I’d be a really good fit and that’s what really drew me in.”

Kallas is NJCAA Athlete of Year

Colle ge of DuPage freshman and national champion Will Kallas of Riverside was named the NJCAA DIII Male Field Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA.

The 2024 RBHS graduate won the outdoor NJCAA DIII title in pole vault with 4.50 meters/14 feet9 inches, May 8, in Utica, N.Y., after being a USTFCCCA All-America seventh at indoor nationals, March 7-8, in Lubbock, Texas with a then personal-best 4.63m/15-2 1/4.

Kallas also achieved a personalbest 50.69 for the 400 and was part of the third-place, NJCAA honorable mention All-American 4 x 400 relay (3:26.59, 51.34 split) at outdoor nationals. The Chapar rals (195 points) captured their fifth consecutive outdoor NJCAA team title by 66 points over Harper.

On March 28, Kallas cleared a lifetime-best 4.85m/15-11 in pole vault at St. Louis University, nearly two feet better than his then RBHS school-record 14-0 from the 2024 indoor season.

COURTESY OF TRITON COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Ava Connerty

WILL KALLAS

Basketball is a bond for Loftus siblings

RBHS record-holder Brenna nishes at Wash U, Danny excels as senior

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Danny Loftus enjoyed basketball ecstasy this past season with a career-best 44 points against Elmwood Park, Dec. 17. Just a few years earlier, Loftus was the one watching a similar RBHS performances from the stands.

Older sister and girls basketball standout Brenna achieved multiple 40-point games and went as high as 48 before graduating in 2021. They’re among the few — perhaps the only — brother-sister combination to achieve 40-point games in Illinois high school basketball history.

“I don’ t think I’ve heard of anyone [else], Loftus said. After that, [RBHS boys basketball coach Mike Reingr uber] looked into it and couldn’ t find much so it was pretty cool.”

After contributing to each other’s success since first playing together with their father Mark, the siblings are entering their next basketball chapters. Brenna just completed four seasons with NCAA Division III Washington University (St. Louis) and graduated with a degree in psychology. She’ll be attending law school at the University of Illinois.

Danny will major in political science and pre-law as he hopes to make the men’s basketball team as a walk-on at the University of Iowa, a school he wanted to attend regardless of playing opportunities.

“Getting to watch him grow up and see and hear about the player he was senior year compared to how he played when he was 12 and younger, it was super-sweet,” Brenna Loftus said. “[The 44-point game] I didn’t get to see in person but I heard about it. My parents let me know when I was at school. It was super-exciting. And honestly, I was like the celebrity sibling.”

Mark Loftus proved to be a great mentor. He played colle ge basketball at Knox in downstate Galesburg and was a co-captain. He then attended DePaul University Colle ge of Law and currently practices law.

“It’s special, the three of us have this sport that has bonded us and he can share with us,” Brenna said. “I remember being younger and thinking about how annoying it was dad had the nicest jump shot. And [Danny] has it too.”

Brenna set quite a standard as the RBHS girls program’s career leading scorer with more than 2,500 points. For Illinois girls high school basketball single-season records on

IHSA.org, Loftus still ranks No. 8 for field goals (389) and No. 9 for free throws (257 for 362). Both occurred her 201920 junior year when she scored 1,044 points (30.7 per game) and passed 2006 RBHS graduate Maggie McCloskey’s 1,905 career points.

“Brenna being my sister was always a big motivator for me growing up. Sixth through eighth grade, she was really killing it at RB. I’d hear everyone talk about her and I was just so proud to call her my sister,” Danny said. “[In high school], we definitely played similar ways. She was good in transition and more of a two-point scorer. The mid-range, that was a huge part of my g ame.”

The 2019-20 Bulldogs finished with a program-best 30-4 record and won the Class 3A re gional in one of Brenna’s most memorable games. At home, the Bulldogs defeated Comer 60-49 with Loftus scoring 40 points in front of a packed and enthusiastic crowd that reminded Brenna of RBHS boys’ games.

“When I think back on those (40-point) games, now a couple of years removed, the feeling’s the same. I played with really incredible teammates who trusted me and were very team-oriented and shared the ball and wanted to see us win,” Brenna said. “That isn’t always the case. It was special to share it with teammates that were super-proud of me and also wanted the team to succeed. I got to play with special teammates and that made it feel so much more special.”

Danny’s junior year as starting guard for an insideoutside attack was fueled primarily by all-state center Stef Cicic. With Cicic graduated in 2024, Reingruber challenged Danny to provide a breakthrough senior season and he more than delivered.

“I worked hard that offseason and summer. And it paid of f,” Danny said. “I didn’t foresee a lot of the reco gnition or statistics or any of the accolades. I just wanted to get better.”

Danny received special mention on the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s 4A all-state team and was unanimous All-Upstate Eight Conference. His 242 field goals broke the single-season school record of 228 by Ryan Jackson in 2010-11.

Brenna saw, and felt, it coming.

“I remember him being really shrimpy and being able to body him up for a really long time. I think I came home after freshman year in colle ge and I tried to bump him and he didn’t move. I think he ended up swatting my shot into the ground,” Brenna said. “I guess watching him grow up as a player and into himself was really fun. Maybe not fun all of the time because he started beating me, but other than that.”

The two could only attend each other’s games sporadically. Brenna might be in town. Danny would visit St. Louis with his parents or watch the Bears play at the Univer-

sity of Chicago.

For WashU, Brenna played in 102 games (62 starts), averaging 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds. Her sophomore year, Brenna contributed to a 57-56 upset of No. 1-ranked rival New York University in St. Louis.

“I think of [WashU basketball] as an amazing time. I met really talented people I’ll be friends with the rest of my life,” Brenna said. “That level of competition, balancing that while handling that kind of academic work, it’s definitely hard and with its ups and downs but overall it was amazing and I’m super-grateful to have had it.”

Brenna’s final season was a transition after starting 51 games the previous two seasons. She was the only true senior for an entirely new coaching staf f.

“My senior year was just as much fun as the other three,” Brenna said. “I adored my teammates, the freshmen I got to w elcome. In a way it felt the same but at the same time there was a lot to adjust to.”

Danny said he received enticing offers to play basketball at smaller schools. He never really wavered from attending Iowa.

“I really wanted to go to a big campus and when I visited Iowa about a year ago, I loved it. The second I went on campus I was like, ‘This is where I wanted to be,’” he said. “I was really thinking about [other schools], but as the season progressed, I kind of decided DIII or II wasn’t where I wanted to be. I wanted to hopefully go to a big university and hopefully play but also get a big-time colle ge feel.”

DANNY LOFTUS

BRENNA LOFTUS

COURTESY OF WASHU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS Brenna Lo us

VILLAGE OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION LEGAL NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that a public hearing will be held by the Village of Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission on August 14, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at the Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois on the Historic Landmark nomination for 1144 Lake St, Oak Park, Illinois (P.I.N.: 16071190120000 and 16071190130000).

The public hearing is being held in accordance with the requirements of the Oak Park Historic Preservation Ordinance. The Historic Preservation Commission will take public testimony during the hearing and make and forward their recommendations to the Village Board of Trustees following the conclusion of the public hearing.

For further information on this matter contact the Department of Development Services, Planning Division, Village of Oak Park, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois MondayFriday 8:30AM-5:00PM in person, by telephone at (708) 358-5443, or by email at historicpreservation@oakpark.us.

Published in Wednesday Journal

PUBLIC NOTICE

OAK PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT 97 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

AUGUST 12, 2025, AT 7 P.M.

The Board of Education of Oak Park Elementary School District 97 will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at 7 p.m. in the Board Room of the D97 Administration Building, located at 260 Madison St. Oak Park, IL 60302.

The purpose of said hearing will be to receive public comment on a proposed waiver application to allow District 97 to provide physical education with a licensed physical education teacher on an alternating schedule of 3 days a week per 5-day week, followed by 2 days a week the following 5-day week for students in sixth through eighth grades.

Published in Wednesday Journal July 30, 2025

PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Brookfield, Illinois that bid proposals will be received for the following project:

SALT STORAGE FACILITY

IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT

VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS

This project will include the installation of a poured in place concrete footing, foundation wall, floor slab, and other related work to allow for the construction of a Salt Storage Facility. This project will not include the installation of the truss system or the fabric cover.

Sealed bids will be received up to the hour of 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, the 13th day of August 2025, in the office of the Village Manager in the Village Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois. All sealed bids received will be publicly opened and read at 11:00 A.M. on the same day, Wednesday, the 13th day of August, 2025, at the Village Hall.

Electronic copies of bidding documents, consisting of the bid proposal, project specifications, and project plans are available from the Edwin Hancock Engineering Co., 9933 Roosevelt Road, Westchester, Illinois 60154. Bidding documents can be requested by emailing info@ ehancock.com. No bidding documents will be issued after 4:30 P.M. on Friday, the 8th day of August, 2025.

All bidders wishing to obtain bidding documents must be approved by the Village prior to obtaining bidding documents.

A non-refundable fee of Fifteen dollars ($15.00) will be required to obtain bidding documents. Proposals will only be accepted from bidders that have obtained bidding documents from the Edwin Hancock Engineering Company.

All bid proposals offered must be accompanied by a bid bond, cashier’s check or certified check in an amount not less than Five Percent (5%) of the total amount of the bid, as a guarantee that if the bid proposal is accepted, a contract will be entered into and the performance of the contract properly secured. Checks shall be made payable to the Order of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Brookfield. No bid proposal shall be considered unless accompanied by such bid bond or check.

Any bidder in doubt as to the true meaning of any part of the bidding documents may request an interpretation thereof from the Village. The bidder requesting the interpretation shall be responsible for its prompt delivery. At the request of the bidder, or in the event that the Village deems the interpretation to be substantive, the interpretation will be made by

PUBLIC NOTICES

obtained bidding documents from the Edwin Hancock Engineering Company.

written addendum issued by the Village.

In the event that a written addendum is issued, either as a result of a request for interpretation or the result of a change in the bidding documents issued by the Village, a copy of such addendum will be emailed to all prospective bidders. The Village will not assume responsibility for receipt of such addendum. In all cases it will be the bidders’ responsibility to obtain all addenda issued.

The Contractor and Subcontractor shall comply with all regulations issued pursuant to Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130), and other applicable Federal Laws and regulations pertaining to labor standards.

The Village of Brookfield reserves the rights to determine the lowest, responsive, responsible bidder, to waive irregularities, and to reject any or all bid proposals.

BY ORDER

THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES

VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS

Published in RB Landmark July 30, 2025

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Brookfield, Illinois that bid proposals will be received for the following project:

2025 FIRE HYDRANT PAINTING PROJECT

VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS

This project includes painting approximately 225 fire hydrants at various locations within the Village of Brookfield.

Sealed bids will be received up to the hour of 11:15 A.M. on Wednesday, the 13th day of August, 2025, in the Village Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois. All sealed bids received will be publicly opened and read at 11:15 A.M. on the same day, Wednesday, the 13th day of August, 2025, at the Village Hall.

The Village of Brookfield reserves the rights to determine the lowest, responsive, responsible bidder, to waive irregularities, and to reject any or all bid proposals.

BY ORDER THE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES

VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS

Published in RB Landmark

30, 2025

Notice is hereby given by the Board of Education of Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, Cook County, Illinois, that a tentative budget for said school district for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, will be on file and conveniently available at the school district’s administrative offices at Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, 160 Ridgewood Road, Riverside, Illinois, from and after 8:00 a.m. on July 1, 2025.

Notice is hereby given that a public hearing on said tentative budget will be held at 7:00 p.m. on September 9, 2025, at Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, 160 Ridgewood Road, Riverside, Illinois.

Published in RB Landmark July 30, 2025