RIVERSIDE-BROOKFIELD Also serving North Riverside $1.00
Vol. 35, No. 33
August 12, 2020
Sports roundup High school sports are back, but some athletes parting ways PAGE 17
RBHS teachers union blasts remote learning plan School proposes modified hybrid to those unhappy with 3rd party solution By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
The teachers union at Riverside-Brookfield High School is taking a strong stand against the use of a third-party provider for remote learning and has harshly criticized District 208 Superintendent Kevin Skinkis for his decision to use a company called Apex Learning to provide computerized instruction for those who choose 100-percent remote learning. A press release issued Friday by the executive board of the Riverside Brookfield Education Association (RBEA) said that the decision to use Apex was not made by the COVID-19 transition committee the school had established, but by Skinkis alone. “In no way, shape or form is Apex a proper remote learning option,” the RBEA press release stated. “Apex does not include human instruction or interaction. It is unacceptable to the RBEA that Dr. Skinkis provided Apex as the only option for families that chose remote learning. For Dr. Skinkis to simply ‘hand off ’ students and families who made the remote learning choice – many for serious health reasons—is disappointing and sad. The students in the community deserve better than that.” RBHS parent Peggy Rios, who works as a kindergarten teacher in Lombard, said that when she asked See REMOTE LEARNING on page 12
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Thousands lose power as derecho storm whips through villages PAGE 2 Forest Preserves frown on RBHS/zoo parking and field deal PAGE 16
This summer the gig’s in the driveway Many concerts cancelled, but music goes on in Hollywood
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
MUSIC MAKERS: Patrick Williams, left, and his wife, Kara Kesselring, both of Brookfield, trade their own Hollywood neighborhood driveway for a street in Oak Park, where they performed outdoors on Aug. 8 during a block party on Clarence Avenue. By HENRY WELDON Contributing Reporter
M
usic is one way to bring people closer together and yet remain six feet apart. In Brookfield, one musical couple who gigged regularly at bars and weddings across the Chicago area,
now just go as far as their front driveway. Kara Kesselring and Patrick Williams, residents of the village’s Hollywood section, have been hosting driveway concerts when the weather has cooperated since the COVID-19 pandemic began. “We’ve been doing these driveway concerts to connect with everyone in the community,” Kesselring said. “We’re even working on building a stage in our
yard for social distancing concerts. It’s nice to perform where our gear and equipment and house are.” Kesselring and Williams are both professional musicians who perform for a living. They’re accompanied by their 12-year-old daughter, Iris Williams, who also plays instruments and sings backup See CONCERTS on page 13
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The Landmark, August 12, 2020
Storm whips through area, cutting power, downing trees Widespread reports of large limbs down throughout the villages By BOB UPHUES Editor
More than 4,000 households in Brookfield, North Riverside and Riverside remained without power on the morning of Aug. 11, more than 16 hours after a powerful storm with high winds blew through the area beginning around 4 p.m. on Aug. 10. ComEd was reporting that more than 2,100 customers in North Riverside — some 64 percent of the village — remained without power Tuesday morning, and the utility’s online outage map (ComEd.com/map) indicated that it had no time estimate for when power would be restored. North Riverside was the hardest hit of the three villages with respect to power outages, but Riverside was hard hit as well, with 41 percent of electric customers, about 1,600 in all, still without power on Tuesday morning. Outages were far less prevalent in Brookfield, where 464 customers, less than 6 percent of the village’s ComEd customers, remained without power on the morning of Aug. 11. ComEd was reporting on Tuesday morning that nearly 400,000 households remained without power due to the storm. Scores of tree branches, including some of significant size, as well as some entire trees, blew down in the derecho, which recorded winds of up to 100 mph as it made its way across the Midwest from Iowa through the Chicago area.
PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTOR JANUSZ
BLOWN AWAY: A Bradford pear tree in the 3600 block of Cleveland Avenue, Brookfield, split in the high winds that blew through the area Monday afternoon. “We have about three trees that will have to come down completely,” said North Riverside Public Works Director Tim Kutt. “There are some big monster limbs.” Kutt said that a narrow corridor along 23rd Street seemed to be where the strongest winds blew through the village. One large tree fell between two houses in the 2200 block of 10th Avenue, causing some damage to the aluminum siding of a house there. Another large tree, uprooted completely near the intersection of 2nd Avenue and 23rd Street, narrowly missed a house.
“It had to be some kind of microburst,” Kutt said. “It hit really, really hard, and these weren’t diseased trees. These were fully headed trees that just snapped.” Downed tree limbs were scattered everywhere throughout Riverside and Brookfield. One adult tree had fallen across the front lawn of the Coonley Playhouse, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed landmark on Fairbank Road in Riverside’s First Division. That property has had close calls before. In 2013, a 24-inch-diameter bitter-nut hickory in the front yard of the home snapped during
a powerful storm and fell diagonally across the front lawn, taking out two other trees, but missing the house. Riverside Village Forester Michael Collins said a crew had cleared one maple tree that had failed completely on Byrd Road in the northeast corner of the village and that there were large limbs down all around town. “We don’t have a full handle on it yet,” Collins said Monday evening, “but all of the emergency stuff has been cleared.” Brookfield Village Forester Victor Janusz said a corridor of damage was evident roughly along Grant Avenue east from Eberly Avenue. “It looks like it was pin-balling down Grant,” Janusz said. Large branches were blocking sidewalks and streets, he said, and a few large branches had fallen on parked cars. The worst of the storm damage appears to have been located north of the BNSF tracks, with one of the worst incidents being damage to a large Bradford pear tree in the 3600 block of Cleveland Avenue. The tree split down the middle, with one large branch blocking the sidewalk and another landing on the roof of a brick bungalow. Janusz said he had two crews of about eight people driving through town picking up downed branches as they went and chipping larger limbs. Allen Goodcase, a south end resident who has a weather station at his home, said the storm didn’t amount to much near him. The strongest wind gust was 48 mph, he said, and the storm produced only three-quarters of an inch of rain. “It was not as intense as I expected it to be,” Goodcase said.
After Chicago looting, officials shut North Riverside Park Mall
Closure was a precaution and no incidents materialized By BOB UPHUES Editor
In the wake of widespread looting on the Magnificent Mile and elsewhere in Chicago during the early morning hours of Aug. 10, local officials took precautions Monday to prevent any violence, vandalism and looting from spilling over into other areas. North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, was closed for the day beginning about 11 a.m., and barricades were erected at the entrances to prevent vehicles from entering the parking lot. On the east side of the mall a little after 11 a.m., the entrance at 25th Street was blocked by a pair of police squad cars, with two officers directing motorists back to Harlem Avenue.
“We’re taking action based on what’s happening in the city and just taking precautions for any civil unrest,” said North Riverside Police Chief Carlos Garcia on Monday morning. “We just want to get ahead of it.” Garcia said there was “no confirmed intelligence” that North Riverside Park Mall was being singled out as a location where trouble might happen. The mall was not the only area shopping center to preemptively close Monday. Berwyn police, around noon on Monday, closed off access to Cermak Plaza and barricades remained up as commuters went to work Tuesday morning. Police also barricaded alleys and parking lots to businesses north of Cermak Road. The city of Berwyn also closed the Berwyn Public Library on Harlem Avenue, and Chicago Ridge Mall announced it had closed its doors for the day as well on Monday. “We don’t want what previously happened to take place,” said Garcia, referring to the
BOB UPHUES/Editor
NO ENTRY: Police stationed at the east entrance of North Riverside Park Mall on Aug. 10 direct motorists back to Harlem Avenue after officials decided to close the shopping center following a night of widespread looting in Chicago. looting of the mall and many other businesses in the vicinity of Harlem Avenue and Cermak Road on May 31 amid nationwide protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd. “We’re not taking any chances,” Garcia said. Nowhere outside of Chicago experienced any trouble Monday, and North Riverside
Park Mall reopened for business on Aug. 11, but police were continuing to monitor social media, said North Riverside Mayor Hubert Hermanek Jr. He added that North Riverside police planned to increase their presence at the mall on Tuesday.
The Landmark, August 12, 2020
Fitzgeralds spices up music with a side of burgers Saturdays in August to feature different chef’s creations
W
ill Duncan, owner of Fitzgeralds, 6615 Roosevelt Road in Berwyn, has embraced his collaborative side to lure music and burger lovers to his Berwyn music venue throughout August. After spending decades working in the music, restaurant and bar industries, Duncan made his longtime dream of owning a music venue come true when he purchased Fitzgeralds in March. Just two weeks later a global pandemic turned the music industry upside down. “It has been a bit of a roller coaster ride,” said Duncan. “But I’ve always been a thrill seeker.” Ever the optimist, Duncan is dedicated to making Fitzgeralds’ outdoor area an appealing and safe place for the community. Pooling diverse skills sets makes for a more memorable event, according to Duncan, and Fitzgeralds has teamed up with a quartet of chefs to bring a bevy of burgers to their generously sized patio on Saturdays in August from 5 to 10 p.m. “Collaborations bring something new to the table every time,” said Duncan. “We have the music covered and a great bar, but the food element was missing.” The Burgers are Best event series kicked
IN THIS ISSUE Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Kosey Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
BURGER BOSS: Brendan O’Connor, of Berwyn’s Big Guys Sausage, serves up a Bloody Mary Burger plate on Aug. 8 at Fitzgeralds on Roosevelt Road in Berwyn during the music venue’s first Burgers are Best event. The food-and-music series continues on Saturdays in August. off Aug. 8 with music from Dozen Buzzin Cousins and Fareed Haque and his Family Band. The burger du jour had a decidedly local feel with Brendan O’Connor of Big Guys Sausage Stand, 7021 Roosevelt Road, manning the grill. “I love serving up safe burgers that put smiles on faces,” said O’Connor. “And I have a soft spot for Fitzgeralds, because I grew up going there. Will Duncan is new, and he is doing a fantastic job.” In addition to serving up a classic burger topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion, O’Connor showed his creative side by offering a Bloody Mary Burger. The nine-ounce beef patty was larger than the standard Big Guys burger and came topped with 18-month aged gouda, a fried egg, pancetta, arugula, roasted garlic aioli and a house-made Bloody Mary ketchup. The sauce made from fire roasted Roma tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, and lime brought a brunch beverage flavor to the sturdy burger. The crowd-pleasing theme extends for the next three weekends bringing in an array of bands and three additional chefcreated burgers to Fitzgeralds. Masks are required and reservations are accepted for Fitzgeralds’ patio. Half of all available tables are left to accommodate walk-in customers. Fans of both burgers
MELISSA ELSMO Food Writer
and tunes are encouraged to pop by -- with proper social distancing, the patio holds at least 80 guests. On Aug. 15 Berwyn chef John Manion of Chicago’s El Che Steakhouse will fire up the grill at Fitzgeralds while The Corcoran Brothers Band and Chicago Farmer contribute tunes for evening. Manion’s burger will undoubtedly have an Argentinian twist and embrace his passion for live-fire cooking. Additionally, El Che meal kits, meats and provisions will be available via pre-order on El Che’s website for pick up at Fitzgeralds. Chef Michael Lanzerotte of Americanfare hot spot, Saint Lou’s Assembly, and Oak Park’s School of Rock Band will provide the burgers and music on Aug. 22. The Chandelier Swingers and Toronzo Cannon and The Chicago Way will provide entertainment as folks enjoy a burger by Nick Jirasek of sandwich-focused newcomer, Big Kids on Aug. 29. We’ve got food music and booze,” said Duncan. “When you get those three things working in harmony experiences can become memorable.” The Burgers are Best events are an effort to stay positive, stay focused and stave off challenges. Duncan noted there are some “bleak aspects” of both the music and restaurant industries at the moment, but he finds optimism in what he sees coming from communities that surround Fitzgeralds. “Fitzgeralds’ community members are supportive, connected and engaged,” said Duncan. “These events are going to be awesome.”
Editor Bob Uphues Sports Editor James Kay Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Javier Govea, Mark Moroney Advertising Designer Debbie Becker Advertising Sales Marc Stopeck Sales and Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Front Desk Maria Murzyn, Carolyn Henning Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich
HOW TO REACH US ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-442-6739 ■ FAX 708-467-9066 E-MAIL buphues@wjinc.com ONLINE www.RBLandmark.com The Landmark is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00. A one-year subscription costs $30 within Cook County and $40 outside the county. Advertising rates may be
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The Landmark, August 12, 2020
BIG WEEK
Veterans’ monuments in Chicago
Riverside American Legion Post 488 invites the public to join them for “Lest We Forget,” a free webinar to be broadcast on Zoom and Facebook Live, about historical veterans’ monuments nationwide and in the Chicago area. Chuck Michalek, longtime volunteer and board member at the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago, will offer his knowledge on the details of these monuments on Friday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. Michalek is also a member of the Friends of BNC, which seeks to preserve the cemetery’s heritage and buildings, including its numerous military monuments. Find Zoom access info at americanlegionpost488. weebly.com
August 12-19
Graphic design workshop Do you need high-quality graphics in your marketing tool kit but struggle with the know-how to make them a reality? Brookfield Public Library invites you to get the lowdown at “Lunch and Learn: Graphics with Canva” on Friday, Aug. 14 at noon. The Zoom presentation will cover stock photography, quick smartphone photography tips and resources for creating beautiful graphics via a live demo. Registration required at brookfieldlibrary.info or by calling 708-485-6917, ext. 130.
If you screen it, they will come Riverside Parks and Recreation will host a Drive-In Movie Night with a screening of “Field of Dreams,” starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Burt Lancaster on Friday, Aug. 21 at dusk (lot opens at 8 p.m.) in the parking lot of St. Mary Parish, 126 Herrick Road. The cost is $20 per vehicle and includes a medium size bag of Carey Corn popcorn and one treat from Aunt Diana’s.
Riverside Township tax appeal webinar
Spaces are limited. Reserve your spot at register.parksreconline.com/riverside.html.
Getting crafty
Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak will host a property tax assessment appeal webinar for taxpayers seeking to appeal their 2020 property tax assessments on Thursday, Aug. 13 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Riverside Township is open for appeals at the Board of Review through Aug. 28, and the hour-long sessions will educate taxpayers on the appeal process and how to file a successful assessment appeal. During the online events, taxpayers will have the opportunity to address their specific questions and
North Riverside Public Library invites you to tap into your creative side at “Crafternoon: Tissue Paper Flowers” on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 1:30 p.m. Make beautiful tissue paper flowers with the group on Zoom. If you register at least three days in advance, you can pick up craft supplies curbside. The program is meant to be intergenerational and not limited by geography. Invite your friends, family, grandparents and grandchildren. RSVP to bodenl@northriversidelibrary.org or visit northriversidelibrary. org/events for Zoom meeting access info.
And more Aging Care Connections hosts Aging Well Neighborhood Online Classes for seniors via Zoom every week. Coming up is The Truth About Funerals During COVID-19 on Aug. 13 at 10 a.m.; Act II Presents: Design for Life about home design to meet current and future needs on Aug. 14 at 9 a.m.; Senior Strong Fitness on Aug. 14 at 11:15 a.m.; and Game of Trivia on Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. Email AWN@agingcareconnections.org for participation links and questions. ■
The Lyons Township Assessor’s Office, 6404 Joliet Rd., Countryside, is open for property tax appeals through Aug. 14. Property owners who seek in-person assistance must make an appoint■
ment. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (closed for lunch noon to 1 p.m.) with extended hours until 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 4. Questions? Call 708-482-8300, and choose Option 1. North Riverside Public Library is offering the following virtual programs through Facebook Live, conference calls and the teleconferencing app Zoom. Programs include Talented Tuesdays every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. via Facebook Live on North Riverside Public Library’s Facebook page; Game Night Fridays every Friday at 7 p.m. via Zoom; and Seated Tai Chi Moving Meditation via Zoom on Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. RSVP to bodenl@northriversidelibrary.org or visit northriversidelibrary.org/ events for all Zoom meeting access info. Brookfield Public Library offers virtual classes ■
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and programs for patrons of all ages throughout the week. Most youth activities will be presented live on the library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ BrookfieldPublicLibrary. Events include literacy classes and Geek Labs, Zumba for Families and Mammals & More. Youth Services will also host a weekly sidewalk art challenge on Sundays. Each week’s winner will receive a gift card to a local business. For adults, there’s Chair Yoga via Zoom on Aug. 13 at 11 a.m. and DIY Rock Gardens on Aug. 13 at 4 p.m. on Facebook Live. Register for Zoom access info by visiting brookfield.evanced.info/signup. Riverside Arts Center is offering Boredom Buster Boxes and Virtual Party Boxes to give the kids some hands-on fun. Each box all the materials needed to complete an art project and ■
concerns via a chat room where analysts will be available to assist. Register to attend one of the two sessions at tinyurl.com/y6aqukrp.
instruction sheets. Order online and RAC will deliver the boxes to your front porch (no contact). Order at riversideartscenter.com/category/classes/ kids-classes. You can also enjoy the annual Members’ and Kids’ Exhibition virtually. Visit the RAC website at riversiartscenter.com, scroll down the home page to the exhibit information and click the “download” button. The exhibition includes all manner of styles and media, from figurative and abstract painting to photography, sculpture, glass and ceramics. Riverside Public Library offers virtual programs for adults, kids and families, including Virtual Storytime presented via Zoom on Aug. 14 at 10 a.m. Visit riversidelibrary.evanced.info/signup/calendar to register and get Zoom access info. ■
The Landmark, August 12, 2020
P O L I C E
R E P O R T S
Paint dumped on side of home, across driveway in Brookfield Brookfield police were called to the 3900 block of Sunnyside Avenue on the afternoon of Aug. 8 after a resident called to report that someone had poured red and white paint on the side of his home and onto his driveway. Police reported that the paint was still wet, as if it had been recently dumped there, but did not find any empty cans of paint on the block or in the alley nearby. The victim told police the vandalism had occurred sometime after 6 p.m. the previous day and he discovered the wet paint that day. According to the police report, a “no trespassing sign” that had been hung up across the victim’s driveway also had been moved.
Hammer through the window Brookfield police responded to a residence in the 4300 block of Prairie Avenue on Aug. 7 about 10:10 p.m. after a resident called to report that someone had just thrown a hammer through their front living room window. One resident told police she was lying down when she heard the sound of glass shattering. Another resident told police she was sitting in the living room when she observed a hammer come through the front window. No one was injured. Police recovered the hammer, which was lying on the floor of the living room near the window. Neither resident observed anyone outside the home immediately after the incident, nor could police locate anyone suspicious in the area after their arrival.
Trump flag stolen A woman called Brookfield police on the morning of Aug. 9 to report that her Trump 2020 flag, which had been flying next to the front porch, had been cut down and stolen during the overnight hours. Police were unable to obtain surveillance
video, according to police report, but the victim did tell an officer that, earlier that morning, she had observed a gold Prius driving slowly down the street. She said she did not notice if the flag was already missing by then.
Vehicle break-in A resident of the 4600 block of Grove Avenue, Brookfield, called police on the morning of Aug. 10 to report that overnight someone entered her unlocked vehicle, which was parked in front of her home and removed a pack of water and a bank deposit slip.
DUI Brookfield police charged a 42-year-old Brookfield man with drunken driving and cited him for other traffic offenses after officers responded to reports of a silver Ford Escape “all over the road” while driving in the 9500 block of Ogden Avenue, Aug. 4, about 8:45 p.m. Police stopped the vehicle nearby and reported that the driver appeared intoxicated and that he failed field sobriety tests. Police reported recovering two open cans of cold beer in the vehicle. At the time of his arrest, the driver also was wearing an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, said police, for an unrelated prior arrest and criminal charge. Police said the man also had a suspended driver’s license. These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Aug. 3-10, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
— Compiled by Bob Uphues
Riverside policing conversation rescheduled for Aug. 20 The village of Riverside has rescheduled its Community Conversation on Policing, postponed last week following an illness contracted by Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel. The session has now been scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20 at 6 p.m., immediately prior to the regularly scheduled meeting of the Riverside Village Board in the auditorium of Riverside Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road. The village board meeting is slated to begin at 7 p.m. The conversation on policing, which was called by Village President Ben Sells in the wake of the protests that followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis po-
lice in May, will feature Weitzel, Deputy Chief William Gutschick and Lt. Frank Lara. Sells will moderate the discussion. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, in-person attendance will be limited to 50 people. Members of the public can email questions they would like to ask to the village president at bsells@ riverside.il.us. Those in attendance at the special meeting will be able to ask questions of the panel directly. Any member of the public can watch the conversation on Riverside TV (Comcast Xfinity Channel 6 or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99) or via a livestream online at RiversideTV.us.
— Bob Uphues
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The Landmark, August 12, 2020
Despite teacher unease, D96 board OKs in-person learning Students will attend classes both at school and remotely; fully remote option available
By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
On Aug. 5, Riverside Elementary School District 96 became the final local school district to adopt a plan for starting school this year in the midst of a pandemic. The District 96 Board of Education voted 6 to 1 at a special meeting held in the Hauser Junior High auditorium to approve a hybrid plan, featuring part-time, in-person attendance for those who wish that and a fully remote option for those who do not feel it is safe to send their children back to school. It was first full, in-person meeting for the entire school board since March 4. The school board adopted the hybrid plan despite the fact that slightly more than half of teachers who responded to a survey sent out by the teachers union, the Riverside Education Council, opposed returning for in-person learning. Shari Klyber cast the only vote against the plan, saying that while she thought the hybrid plan was good, she thought that the COVID-19 positivity rate was just too large to have in-person learning right now. “There’s too much of an uptick right now, but I think it is a good plan,” Klyber said, adding that she felt the positivity rate should be below 5 percent before in-person learning starts. She said that most recent positivity rate in the area is 5.7 percent. In a subsequent interview Klyber said that she wished that the school board had received more input from teachers. Many District 96 teachers are uneasy about returning to teach students in person, because of health and safety concerns. Many teachers also face child care issues because their own children have to attend classes remotely for some or all of the time. According to the REC survey, 51 percent of members said they were opposed to returning to in-person learning. Of that number, 42 percent said they opposed in-person learning but would return to work if the school board approved a hybrid plan. Nearly 9 percent said they would consider applying for leave of absence if a hybrid plan was adopted. Thirty-five percent of REC members responding to the survey said that they supported the district’s hybrid plan. Another 13.4 percent said that they supported the plan with modifications. About 61 percent of REC members responded to the survey. “I think we’ve had mixed feedback,” District 96 Superintendent Martha Ryan-Toye said of the reaction of teachers. “We’ve been working very closely with the Riverside Education Council and we are aware of the great challenges in the return to work plan. We are continuing to work with staff with their child care, medical and health reasons, and we continue to promote a very safe plan.” The results of the survey were shared
PHOTO COURTESY OF DISTRICT 96
DISTANCED: Students who attend classes in person in District 96 will have their personal spaces clearly marked in the classroom, like this one at Blythe Park School in Riverside. Each student will be assigned two chairs, one for themselves and one for their books/supplies. with school board members before the vote. On Aug. 5 Ryan-Toye and Lynda Murphy, the school board’s liaison to the REC, held a Zoom meeting with REC co-presidents Jen Ohlman and Katie Kayastha. After that meeting Murphy emailed other board members the results of the survey and some comments. The return-to-school plan was developed in meetings this summer with a COVID-19 transition team that included 28 people, including 19 REC members and nine administrators. One member of that committee, Hauser sixth-grade ELA teacher Jen Kovar, said that she felt that the 100-percent remote learning option was never seriously considered. “Remote learning was never put on the table,” Kovar said. “We didn’t consider remote learning as one of the options. We kept coming back to the principle that in-person learning is best without acknowledging how restrictive that experience would be.” Ryan-Toye said at the school board meeting that the reopening plan is flexible and she anticipates that at some time during the school year the district will probably have to switch to 100-percent remote learning for a time. “I think we can live all scenarios in a single school year,” Ryan-Toye said. But Ryan-Toye said that education works best in person and it was important for teachers to build relationships with children and for children to be with each other. “Teaching is an in-person business,” Ryan-Toye said.
Kovar agreed with that, but she said under the restrictive social distancing requirements that will be in place, in-person learning will be but a pale imitation of what students and parents are accustomed to. “The teaching and learning is so hindered, so truncated,” Kovar said. “We can’t do collaborative projects, because the kids can’t go near each other. I can’t walk up to a kiddo to help her with her assignment.” Under the circumstances, Kovar said that she thinks 100-percent remote learning is the better option. “The quality of the teaching and learning is going to be so limited, so restricted, that it’s not worth taking the risk,” Kovar said. “We can do just as good of a job, if not better, through remote learning and keep everybody safe. We are putting people’s lives at risk.” Kovar said she recognized the hard work that administrators have put into making this decision. “I appreciate Martha and the committee and the principals working very hard in an extremely difficult, no-win situation,” Kovar said. Board members felt pressure before casting their votes. “This is weighing on everybody,” Murphy said. “This is not easy.” Board member Joel Marhoul said that he supported the reopening plan because it gave families the choice of whether to send their kids to school in person or have them do remote learning. “I don’t think there is one best option,”
Marhoul said. “It does come down to personal choice.” For families choosing the hybrid plan, the district’s four elementary schools will be on a different schedule than L.J. Hauser Junior High School. Elementary school students will attend school five days a week for half the day. Sessions will last for 2 hours, 40 minutes and will focus on core subjects, with other subjects being taught remotely. Elementary students in the hybrid plan will attend school in person either in the morning or afternoon. In the break between the morning and afternoon sessions, classrooms will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Hauser students will also be split into two groups, with one attending in person on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other attending in person on Thursdays and Fridays. All students must wear face coverings inside school buildings. Gym classes at Hauser will consist of students going outside for a walk and perhaps a snack. Students will be able to take off their masks while outside. “We really feel that the most important thing is getting some fresh air and walking around,” said Hauser Principal April Mahy. At Hauser, like in the elementary schools, students will stay in the same classroom with the same group of classmates with teachers moving from classroom to classroom. Wednesday will be a remote learning day for all Hauser students. No lunches will be served at any District 96 school, although grab-and-go sack lunches will be free for students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program and might be available for purchase by other students. No more than 15 students will be in a classroom at either Hauser or the elementary schools and strict social distancing will be enforced with students instructed to stay at least six feet away from each other. Students who choose the remote option will have all their instruction delivered remotely by District 96 teachers. Families who choose the remote option will have to continue with the remote learning for the entire first trimester. Families are being asked to pick between two options by Aug. 13. The first day of school is Aug. 31, although that could be pushed back a day. Grades will be given and remote learning attendance will be taken. School will be more rigorous and structured than it was during remote learning last spring. “What you experienced with learning in the spring is not going to be what you experience going forward,” said Angela Dolezal the district’s director of teaching and learning. “It will be less work for the parents. The actual instruction will be less parent-driven and more school-driven.”
The Landmark, August 12, 2020
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Seven years later, former cop’s lawsuit can go to trial Complaint related to nasty 2013 North Riverside election lingers By BOB UPHUES Editor
A federal judge ruled last week that a former North Riverside police sergeant’s nearly decade-old complaint that he was defamed by a former mayor and suffered retaliation from other village officials for supporting the administration’s political opponent can go to trial. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Norgle Sr. on Aug. 4 denied a motion to dismiss the case, saying there is a genuine dispute over the facts of the case, and that he won’t intervene by prejudging them. Police Sgt. Frank Schmalz filed the suit in federal court in November 2013, claiming that he was passed over for promotion and was taken off a plum gang-and-drug task force assignment because he and the police union he led supported Rocco DeSantis for village president in 2013, against Hubert Hermanek Jr. “After seven long years, Frank is relieved to finally get his day in court to show the
truth about what happened to him in the police department after the 2013 election,” said Schmalz’s attorney, Jeffrey R. Kulwin, in an email to the Landmark. The defendants in the case are the village, Hermanek, former Police Chief Lane Niemann and former Mayor Kenneth Krochmal. Hermanek and Niemann are accused of violating Schmalz’s First Amendment rights by retaliating against him following the election. Krochmal is accused of defaming Schmalz. It’s unclear when a trial might begin, but Norgle ruled last week that an updated final pretrial order with jury instructions be submitted to him no later than Oct. 5. “Due to COVID-19 issues, the court cannot today set a date for jury trial,” Norgle wrote on Aug. 4. “However, in due course, counsel will be advised in sufficient time to allow for comprehensive pretrial preparation and notification to all witnesses.” DeSantis, also a former North Riverside police officer, was an elected trustee when he announced in 2012 that he would seek election as mayor the following year. The incumbent, Kenneth Krochmal, was not running for a second term, pitting DeSantis, an independent, against Hermanek, a fellow trustee and mayoral candidate for the VIP Party. It was a chaotic, often nasty election cam-
paign that eventually saw DeSantis’ name removed from the ballot and Hermanek elected to his first term as mayor. Schmalz was a vocal, visible supporter of DeSantis and the slate he led, which ran under the Transparency and Accountability in Politics (TAP) Party banner. Schmalz stood to gain from a DeSantis victory in the form of being named police chief, and he was an enthusiastic campaigner, including standing outside the doors at the North Riverside Village Commons polling place on Election Day, encouraging voters to support his candidate. It was there that Krochmal allegedly “profanely and publicly” defamed Schmalz, according to the court record. Shortly after the election, Hermanek named Niemann police chief. Niemann removed Schmalz from the WEDGE gang-anddrug task force two weeks after the election and refused to promote him to lieutenant that summer despite a vacancy. Schmalz claims that his political activities resulted in his removal from WEDGE, while Niemann and Hermanek claimed they were the result of Schmalz’s duty-related injuries dating back to the summer of 2012. Schmalz’s last day on duty was June 28, 2013. He would subsequently undergo knee replacement surgery and submitted an application for full duty-related disability in 2015.
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That application was approved the following year. Even the progress of lawsuit has been unusual. The case has taken so long it has been overseen by three different U.S. District Court judges and one administrative law judge. The original complaint was thrown out, but Schmalz soon refiled it. The case appeared to have been settled for $60,000 in 2016, but Schmalz balked. Administrative Law Judge Mary Rowland sided with Schmalz, allowing the suit to continue. Rowland would make another appearance in the case in 2018, when Schmalz sought text messages between Hermanek and Niemann related to Schmalz’s dismissal from WEDGE. Schmalz’s inquiry led to the revelation that dozens of text messages between Hermanek and Niemann had been lost despite a court order to preserve evidence. Rowland said the lost messages were the result of “gross negligence” and ordered the defendants to pay for the attorneys’ fees related to Schmalz’s inquiry on that subject. She also ruled that Schmalz would be allowed to present evidence to a jury regarding the lost messages and their relevance to the case, and that the jury be instructed to consider that information when rendering a verdict.
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The Landmark, August 12, 2020
North Riverside trustees to change committee structure Goal is to reduce overlap, broaden debate By BOB UPHUES Editor
North Riverside trustees next week are expected to approve a change in the way they conduct business, specifically the structure of the village board’s standing committees, which meet on an as-needed basis to discuss policy initiatives and other governance matters. The plan is to shrink the number of committees from six to three and to increase the number of trustees who sit on each of the committees. Trustees agreed to move ahead with the plan at a meeting of the village board’s Recreation, Ordinance and Judiciary Committee on July 27. Because the change will require the village code to be amended, trustees will formally vote to make the change at their Aug. 17 regular business meeting. “All of our committees are basically overlapping anyway … and our committee meetings have like the entire board there,” said Mayor Hubert Hermanek Jr. “So, I thought that by having less committees with more [trustees] on it, because so many overlap, that
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it would help.” Hermanek said another option would have been to eliminate all standing committees and convene a committee of the whole whenever the need arose, but Trustee Deborah Czajka was alone in favoring that option. Reducing the number of committees will eliminate some confusion over what subjects should be tackled by what committee. For example, the village board has a committee that tackles public buildings and grounds, which overlaps with a committee devoted to streets, alleys and sidewalks. There’s also one committee for police/fire matters and another tasked with E911 issues. There are also obsolete committee assignments, such as separate committee assignments for Plan Commission matters and those related to the Zoning Board of Appeals. North Riverside trustees in January created a combined Planning and Zoning Commission. The three new committees will be an Administrative Committee, which will handle finance, appropriations, ordinances, licenses, health and judiciary matters; a Development Committee, which will address public property and transportation, public works and planning and zoning matters; and a Public Services Committee, which will address police, fire, emergency dispatch, recreation and waste hauling. Trustee Terri Sarro will chair the Administrative Committee, while Joseph Mengoni and H. Bob Demopoulos will chair the Development and Public Services committees, respectively. Hermanek said trustees were assigned to committees by virtue of seniority. As a result trustees Czajka, Mengoni and Demopoulos are members of all three committees, while Sarro, Fernando Flores and Marybelle Mandel are members of two. However, officials believe that having five
trustees on each committee will allow for a greater debate during committee meetings. “Moving to a five-person committee allows trustees more of an opportunity, because you’ll have more people that are actually voting items out of a committee that go before the full board,” said Village Administrator Sue Scarpiniti. While other trustees attended most committee meetings in the past and were polled to gauge their support for a particular measure, only a majority of the three committee members decided whether something would be presented formally to the full board. “It at least gives more of an opportunity for dissenting opinions from all the trustees to be able to voice those opinions in committee,” Scarpiniti said. There’s no set structure for how municipal governments approach moving legislation through the process. In Brookfield, for example, trustees typically convene a committee of the whole every two weeks, following the regular business meeting, to discuss major topics. The village board moved to that structure more than 15 years ago to give residents time to provide input on a subject before the village board took a formal vote. Riverside has changed its approach over the years. For many years, the village board held separate committee of the whole meetings, where no action would take place on any subject. The Riverside Village Board now folds those discussions into its regular business agenda as “considerations” to be discussed by the whole board but not acted upon. Both Riverside and Brookfield also have more active citizen advisory committees that also explore topics of interest to the village board and make recommendations that then come before trustees for further discussion. North Riverside in past years has done
New North Riverside Village Board committee structure Administrative Committee (Finance, health, appropriations, ordinances, judiciary, licenses) Chair: Trustee Sarro Trustee Demopoulos Trustee Czajka Trustee Flores Trustee Mengoni Development Committee (Water, sewer, drainage, zoning, public buildings, grounds, lights, public transportation, plan commission, cable committee, streets, alleys, sidewalks) Chair: Trustee Mengoni Trustee Demopoulos Trustee Czajka Trustee Flores Trustee Mandel Public Services Committee (Police, fire, 911 system, recreation, garbage) Chair: Trustee Demopoulos Trustee Czajka Trustee Mandel Trustee Mengoni Trustee Sarro comparatively poorly providing notice of committee meetings, where substantive discussions are held. While that has changed recently, it was difficult for the public in the past to find out when committee meetings were being held or what topics were being discussed.
Riverside sees COVID-19 case numbers spike Latest two-week case total nearly equals prior two months By BOB UPHUES Editor
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The Cook County Department of Public Health indicated that the village of Riverside has become something of a COVID-19 hotspot due to a rapid increase of new cases in the past two weeks. The county recently has added a new data point to its online map, which tracks cases in the Chicago suburbs. The new rolling “recent percent change” overlay “is calculated by comparing counts from the past 14 days to the 14 days preceding that.” According to that metric, Riverside saw a 133-percent increase in residents testing positive for COVID-19 compared to the
two weeks preceding the period ending the morning of Aug 11. Last week, according to the county, 14 more Riverside residents tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the village’s total up to 135. That one-week total represented the second-highest weekly increase in new cases in Riverside since the county began tracking data in March. The previous weekly high was 15 new cases for the seven-day period ending the morning of May 12. And the 24 new cases recorded in Riverside since July 28 falls just one short of the number of new cases the village saw during the roughly two-month period from June 2 to July 28.
Meanwhile, the rate of new COVID-19 cases in Brookfield slowed for the second straight week, with the county showing an 11-percent decline from Brookfield’s recent percent change figure over the past two weeks. Sixteen more Brookfield residents tested positive for COVID-19 in the seven-day period ending Tuesday morning, bringing the village’s total since the start of the pandemic to 259. North Riverside continued to see just a modest number of new cases of the disease in the past week, with three more residents See COVID-19 on page 15
The Landmark, August 12, 2020
Riverside police arrest home invasion suspect Berwyn man one of three reportedly involved in 2019 break-in, kidnapping By BOB UPHUES
Judge Paula Daleo set Noah’s bond for the Riverside case at $150,000 during a Editor hearing Aug. 5 at Maybrook. As of Monday, Riverside police announced last week that Aug. 10, Noah remained in custody at Cook they had arrested one of the men involved County Jail, awaiting an Aug. 21 hearing at in an armed home invasion that took place Maybrook. Noah’s arrest capped a nearly in the 200 block of West Quincy 20-month long investigation by Street in January 2019. Riverside detectives, aided by Detectives arrested Joshua investigators from the west subNoah, 23, of Berwyn, as he left a urban Major Case Assistance court hearing at the Maybrook Team and the U.S. Secret Sercourthouse on Aug. 5. Noah vice Technical Data Unit. had been free on bond and was “I know these types of crimes appearing in court for a misdecan be very traumatic to the vicmeanor gun charge related to tims, and I hope they can take the fatal shooting of a 30-yearsome comfort in knowing one old Berwyn man at an Ogden Avsuspect has been arrested and enue auto repair shop in June. JOSHUA NOAH held accountable,” said RiverThe Chicago Sun-Times reside Police Chief Thomas Weitported that 30-year-old Brian Brown was killed June 29 during a shoot- zel in a press release. “This case would not out at Hit Em’ Hard Customs, 6320 W. Og- have been able to be brought to a conclusion den Ave., sparked by an altercation over without the initial patrol officers’ response on the night of the incident and proper the progress of a car repair job. On Wednesday, according to Riverside documenting of evidence, interviewing police, Noah pleaded guilty to the misde- witnesses and preserving evidence for demeanor gun charge and was sentenced tectives. This was a total team effort.” According to police, three men kicked to three days in jail, which he’d already in the door of a West Quincy Street home served. At the time of his arrest, Noah was also early on Jan. 25, 2019 over an unpaid drug free on bond for a 2019 armed violence debt. They reportedly pistol-whipped a charge against him in Cicero. That case is woman who lived there and then blindfolded and kidnapped her son, who is in his 20s. still pending.
The offenders placed the kidnapping victim inside his mother’s car and then drove away with him, fleeing police responding to scene southbound on Harlem Avenue and eastbound on I-55 at speeds reportedly topping 100 mph. Despite the offenders’ getaway, police were able to track them because they’d stolen the victims’ cellphones. Police tracked the cellphones to an alley in the 4300 block of West 47th Street in Chicago, where the offenders had dumped the kidnapping victim. The victim suffered head injuries and was missing several teeth as a result of being beaten by his abductors, police said. His mother was treated for a head injury she sustained in the pistol-whipping. In addition to physical evidence, police analyzed cellphone data and, through the U.S. Secret Service’s Technical Data Team, reportedly were able to place Noah’s cellphone near the scene of the home invasion at the time it took place. “There was other physical evidence leading to him as well,” Weitzel said. The Cook County State’s Attorney approved charging Noah with one count of armed home invasion, a Class X felony punishable for between six and 30 years in prison, if convicted. The state’s attorney may also convene a grand jury to seek an indictment, which could result in additional charges.
Chicago police recover delivery car stolen at gunpoint Chicago police have recovered a silver Honda sedan stolen during a carjacking incident in the 200 block of East Quincy Street in Riverside on Aug. 1. Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel told the Landmark that he has sent Riverside officers to the city to process the vehicle for evidence. The unoccupied car was recovered by police in the 100 block of South St. Louis Avenue in the Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago. Detectives are still trying to identify the two suspects believed to be involved in the incident, which happened at about 6:50 p.m. An Uber Eats delivery driver said he had just exited his car, which was parked on the driveway apron of a home on the block when a man approached him from behind, stuck a hard object in his back and demanded his wallet, cellphone and car. Police believe the offenders followed the delivery driver, whose car had a Panera Bread sign on its roof, in a black Ford SUV caught on surveillance video trailing the Honda as it crossed the BNSF tracks on Harlem Avenue and westbound on East Quincy Street. — Bob Uphues
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The Landmark, August 12, 2020
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The Landmark, August 12, 2020
Brookfield church offers ‘Easter in August’ Cornerstone Community Church hopes event will attract young families By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter
The Easter Bunny might be a little disoriented by working in the summer, but the Rev. Dr. Gary Karwoski says that he will be at the Cornerstone Community Church, 9008 Fairview Ave. in Brookfield, early on Sunday, Aug. 23, distributing colored eggs all around the church building in preparation for an Easter egg hunt which will begin at 9 a.m. “Easter for almost all churches is the biggest day of the year, and this year we BOB UPHUES/Editor missed it, because of the lock down,” said Karwoski, pastor Cornerstone Community Church, of Cornerstone Community 9008 Fairview Ave., Brookfield Church. “So we pushed our Easter service off until this In all of its publicity, Cornerstone Commonth, so we can celebrate it in person, the munity Church is emphasizing that visitors way it should be.” He added that unlike Christmas, Easter will be entering a safe environment. All who is celebrated on a different date every year, attend will have their temperatures checked because the day is determined by the lunar (touchless) and be required to use hand sancalendar, like Passover is for Jewish people. itizer when they enter the building. Gloves and masks will be made availAs a result, it’s not as big a deal to move it to able for everyone. The pews are 12-feet long, a different spot on the calendar. The pastor of Cornerstone Church is also enough to maintaining a six foot distance, hosting the event as a way of bringing new and every other pew will be empty. Before being ordained in 1986, Karwoski families into his church. Unlike 50 years ago when, adults tended to worship in churches worked as a pharmacist for 11 years, even of the same denomination in which they while attending the Dallas Theological Semgrew up, these days there is more of an open inary where he eventually earned his Docreligious marketplace where, intentionally tor of Ministry degree. The service, which begins at 10:30 a.m., or not, churches are in competition with will be less than an hour with the message each other for members. “We need young families,” Karwoski said. lasting about 20 minutes. Karwoski is not “We’ll put many of the eggs in the space only the preacher, he’s also the leader of the where we have our children’s ministry, so praise band, which includes him on guitar that as parents follow their kids, they will along with others on drums, piano, bass and guitar. The band’s repertoire of 350 songs insee what we are doing with our children.” To get the word out to these potential cludes both traditional hymns and contemmembers, Karwoski has distributed prayer porary Christian music. Karwoski came to Brookfield in 2005 and cards to his congregation, because he believes that good things happen when people started Cornerstone Community Church as pray. He also has given church members in- what is known as a “church plant.” The convitation cards they can use to invite friends gregation that owned the building at 9008 and neighbors to join them at the church for Fairview Ave. at the time was the Brookthe special day, because he also believes that field Baptist Church, which was shrinking in membership. They approached Karwoski good things happen when people act. Cornerstone will get contact information about forming some kind of partnership. After exploring the matter for several from all who attend Easter in August, and will follow up with them, inviting them to months, the two congregations found that a seven-week series of video presentations they were compatible on many levels and and discussions called “In Pursuit of Je- decided to merge the two congregations in 2006. sus,” through the lens of global cultures.
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The Landmark, August 12, 2020
LTHS, Komarek will start school year with remote learning D204 teachers union recommendation influenced decision, says superintendent By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
Two more local school districts have announced they will begin the school year by having students attend classes remotely. Komarek Elementary School District 94 announced its intentions on July 31 while Lyons Township High School District 204 notified families with a letter to parents on Aug. 4. Just a couple weeks ago LTHS officials were finalizing plans for a hybrid model in which students would attend school for half days, four days a week. But over the last two weeks, school officials decided to change plans and switch to 100-percent remote learning. “The rising number of COVID-19 cases, both locally and nationally, combined with serious concerns from families and staff about returning to in-person learning, create a significant and prolonged risk of disrupted in-person learning,” LTHS District 204 Superintendent Tim Kilrea wrote in his letter to families. “A remote learning model is the most viable, flexible and equitable plan at this time.” The decision was influenced by the desires of the teachers union, the LTEA. At a special school board meeting on July 27, Kilrea said that the LTEA recommended remote learning. The remote learning plan this year will be very different than the rushed solution last spring after schools were abruptly shut down on March 13. “We heard from parents loud and clear that last spring was not the best,” Kilrea said at the July 27 school board meeting. This year students will attend classes remotely with their teachers at specified times four days a week. Wednesday afternoons will be reserved for virtual office hours so students and
REMOTE LEARNING
Skinkis: ‘RBEA propaganda’ from page 1 fellow teachers about Apex she heard many negative comments. “From what I understand there’s no instructor or teacher interaction at all,” said Rios, who is the mother of two RBHS students from Brookfield. Rios’ kids chose the hybrid option, although Rios is concerned about her children attending school in person in the midst of a pandemic. Skinkis said the fully remote learning option was added at the last minute because of a state mandate issued on July 23. Earlier in July, Skinkis had said that RBHS did not plan to offer a fully remote option. “The committee never intended to have a third-party provider,” Skinkis said. “This option was implemented to comply with the governor’s mandate.”
Compromise solution offered On Aug. 7, the school offered a compromise option, sending out a letter and video to fami-
teachers can connect individually if they need to. Four class periods will meet each day, meaning that students will have two periods of every class each week. Unlike last spring, students will be held accountable in terms of grading. “Unlike the spring shutdown, when state mandates limited our ability to deliver high-quality remote instruction, the 2020-2021 remote learning model will include a return to required attendance, grading of student work, clear expectations based on defined course objectives and four days of synchronous learning per week,” Kilrea said. All students will have to complete a daily attendance document. LTHS teachers will deliver their lessons online to their students in real time in what is called synchronous learning. Classes will meet for up to an hour at specified times. Classes in periods one through four will meet Mondays and Thursdays, while periods five through eight will meet Tuesdays and Fridays. Kilrea admitted that remote learning is less than ideal, but he said that under the guidelines made necessary by the pandemic in person school attendance would also be far from normal. “Our goal will be to return to in-person learning as soon as possible,” Kilrea wrote. “However, given the significant health and safety guidelines we must follow, there would be nothing normal about the daily in-person experience for students.” LTHS is taking steps to ensure that all students can attend their classes remotely. The school district purchased 500 Chromebooks over the summer to give to students who need them and expects to purchase 300 to 500 more Chromebooks before the school year starts on Aug. 20. Teachers will report to work on Aug. 13. Last spring approximately 80 LTHS students did not have internet access at home, but LTHS is going to arrange for homes without internet access to access the Xfinity Access Program for free Wi-Fi or will give free hot spot devices to families that need them. The school district will provide grab-and-go lunches for
lies which said that students could sign up for the hybrid option and not attend the in-person classes. “The committee believes that students who cannot attend the in-person portion of the hybrid model could still be successful in the hybrid model by attending the virtual days of instruction and working with individual teachers during their virtual office hours to make up the work they missed from the inperson sessions,” said the letter sent to RBHS students and families. Students and families had until the end of the day on Aug. 10 to contact the school to switch from the Apex model to the modified hybrid model where students won’t attend the in-person portion of the classes. That option did not impress Marty Sloan, a math and social studies teacher who is a member of the RBEA executive board and the president-elect of the RBEA. “It is still only half of the education offered to the families that chose to learn in person,” Sloan said in an email. “We are incentivizing families to take a health risk to receive a more complete education. “These families are being done a disservice from the district because they were never offered a legitimate fully remote option from the start. …
students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program and will provide virtual supports and student services for students that need them. For now, the remote learning model will apply for the first quarter of the school year but Kilrea said that the school is ready to quickly shift to a hybrid model with some in-person school attendance if conditions allow.
Komarek going remote for 1st quarter Students at Komarek School in North Riverside will be attending school remotely for at least the first quarter of the upcoming school year. Komarek District 94 Superintendent Todd Fitzgerald delivered the news to parents in a letter on July 31. The recent increase in COVID-19 cases and a lack of air conditioning at Komarek were major factors in the decision, Fitzgerald said. “Our facilities and the lack of air conditioning present concerns for students and staff that would be expected to wear masks during school hours on extremely warm days in August and September,” Fitzgerald wrote. “These factors, combined with our desire to provide the best and safest learning environment possible for our students and staff have led the district to commit to a full remote learning model to start the school year in August.” The first day of school at Komarek will be Aug. 19. The first quarter runs until Oct. 26. Late in the first quarter, Komarek officials will review the situation and decide how to move forward. Komarek had been planning for a hybrid start to the school year, mixing in-person and remote learning before deciding to start with 100-percent remote learning. “I recognize that this shift may provide relief to some, but I also know that this is unwelcome news for others,” Fitzgerald wrote. “We share our families’ desire to return to in-person learning as soon as possible, but also believe we must continue to make decisions that prioritize the health and safety of our students, staff, and the Komarek community as a whole.”
“If this is how disorganized our plan is for likely at-risk families, I can only imagine the logistical mess the district will be in if students are allowed in the building August 17.” Skinkis said that he was not concerned about the RBEA press release. “I just think that’s part of the RBEA’s propaganda,” Skinkis said. “Myself and the administration and the committee have worked extremely hard this summer. If anybody thinks that they can handle a global pandemic better, feel free. It’s not my responsibility to respond to what the RBEA puts out.” Some RBHS teachers are concerned and upset about having to teach in person this month while many other local high schools are starting the school year with fully remote learning including Lyons Township High School, Morton High School, Oak Park and River Forest High School and Proviso High School District 209. Skinkis said RBEA members are angry because they are upset about the return to inperson learning. He said that other local schools such as Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South High School, Reavis High School, Lemont High School, Ridgewood High School and Downers Grove North and South High Schools are also offering hybrid plans this fall which combine
in person and remote learning. “We believe RB is small enough and flexible enough that we can start in hybrid,” Skinkis said. “There’s no playbook for running a school during a global pandemic. We’re doing the best we can to get students back on campus and get some in-person learning. However, if this process cannot be done efficiently and safely, we will resort back to remote learning until those variables can be figured out.” Skinkis said he would deliver a report to the District 208 Board of Education at its meeting on Aug. 11 and will relay the concerns he has heard from teachers and families. “My message to the board [on Aug. 11] will be one day, one week at a time,” Skinkis said. “It has to be handled one day at a time. There isn’t anybody that can give you certainty when you’re dealing with a global pandemic, on either side.” The final decision on whether to continue to offer the hybrid model or switch to fully remote learning will be up the school board, Skinkis said. “I work for the board,” Skinkis said. “[On Aug. 11] I’m going to give a presentation and I’m going to give all the facts to the board, and I’m going to say to the board, ‘Does the board still want to pursue an in person or does the board want me to pull back?’”
The Landmark, August 12, 2020
CONCERTS
‘Just not the same’ from page 1 during the concerts. With music venues and bars closed around the area, times couldn’t be tougher for musicians. But in Brookfield, their driveway is the new stage. “The concerts feel very organic,” Kesselring said. “People are incredibly appreciative of it. This is the least amount of driving we have ever had to do.” While the couple doesn’t ask for any money, they do appreciate donations from those who enjoy their music. The couple used to perform live at many different bars and restaurants across the area, but since the spread of COVID-19 they have been pretty much limited to their new venue. “The gathering restrictions will cripple any live music,” Williams said. “Musicians always live gig to gig. It’s not weird to not know what will happen in the next six weeks, but it is weird to know that there won’t be much opportunity for live performances.” The nice weather has allowed the concerts to be a success. Williams hopes the weather lasts, but he’s not sure what he and other musicians will do once winter arrives. “A lot of bars that offer outdoor entertainment are trying to figure out what to do once it gets cold,” Williams said. “The nice weather has allowed us to perform at least 10 times [at venues away from home] so far.” The couple also teaches private music lessons, but since the pandemic began they have shifted to Zoom. “We did a fundraiser for a school and were able to raise some money for them during these hard times,” Kesselring said. “We’ve been trying to figure out creative ways to keep the music coming.” The two have made music their career and continue to pursue it despite the challenges
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PHOTOS BY ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
SAFETY FIRST: Clarence Avenue residents (top) sit a safe six feet apart while listening to live music performed by Brookfield musicians Patrick Williams (above left) and Kara Kesselring (above right) on Aug. 8, during a block party in Oak Park. they’re currently facing. Williams was touring when the pandemic struck and had to fly home from Canada with little notice. Kesselring said she had plans to play at some weddings, but those have all been cancelled through the remainder of the year. The couple has played together since the ’90s and they’re just glad they can play live music again, even if it requires a little more ingenuity.
JAMMIN’: Patrick Williams, left, and Kara Kesselring perform with guitarist Gino Sigismondi during a block party session on Clarence Avenue in Oak Park on Aug. 8.
“As much as you can go on Facebook Live and perform, when you don’t have the reaction of the audience, it’s just not the same,” Kesselring said. With the couple taking the saying “the show must go on” to a whole different level, they’ve seen people from across Brookfield come to Hollywood to enjoy some live music. “People bring their lawn chairs with them and have a good time,” Kesselring said. If you can’t catch Kesselring at a driveway gig, you may be able to listen while dining at La Barra in Riverside, where she sometimes plays outdoors on Thursday evenings. Last weekend, Kesselring and Williams performed outdoors at a block party in Oak Park. In the meantime, Kesselring and Williams plan on continuing the driveway concerts until it’s safe to perform indoors elsewhere again. They said while it might not be a usual setting for a concert, it’s better than nothing. “It’s just not in our human nature to be isolated,” Kesselring said. Kara Kesselring can be found on YouTube under the profile “Playing Singing Mama” and on her website onthedancefloor.com. Patrick Williams and his music can be found at underthestreetlamp.com. Their next driveway concert is set for Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. at 8512 Rockefeller Ave. in Brookfield. They’ll be joined by Dan Peters on guitar and vocals and Dan Leali on percussion.
Though Fall is still six weeks away, now is the time to begin preparing for the season and its impact on your landscape. With that in mind, pin these four priorities Scott to your to-do list. McAdam Jr. Core Aeration – reduces soil compaction and allows for improved gas exchange between the soil and the atmosphere. This will result in healthier root systems for the turf. Seeding – the prime window to start your seeding project is between August 15th and September 20th. Warm days, cooler nights, and less pressure from weed species is a recipe for healthy, sustained growth of new grass seed. Mulching – applying mulch in the fall will not only give your landscape a manicured appearance, but it will also insulate those roots of all your landscape plantings during the winter months. Planting – You can plant late into the fall. Because plants are using energy for root growth and storage before the next season, planting in the fall is an excellent time to establish healthy roots before spring. The McAdam Nursery & Garden Center is your source to meet a variety of needs, including those noted above. The center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and online at http:// www.mcadamgardencenter.com/
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The Landmark, August 12, 2020
Opinion KOSEY CORNER
THE LANDMARK VIEW
Solutions wanted
H
ere at the Landmark, we’re all for the conservation of forested areas woven through the fabric of Brookfield, Riverside and North Riverside. They are no less than treasures and provide welcome respite from the otherwise unrelenting urbanity of Chicago’s inner ring suburbs. With one exception. Due to the quirks of history and location, RiversideBrookfield High School has a very tiny campus with very few amenities it actually owns outside of the school building itself. Heck, half of its front lawn belongs to the village of Riverside and its parking lots belong variously to Brookfield Zoo and the village of Brookfield. Yes, the school district owns the football stadium/ track, tennis courts and a couple of small track-andfield pits west of Golf Road, but that’s it. That field north of the school, the one with the baseball diamonds? That land belongs to the Cook County Forest Preserve District, and the school district pays a handsome sum annually — last year it was north of $20,000 — to use it and a parking lot. Even then, the use is grudging. On nice spring and summer days, Brookfield Zoo uses the parking lot and athletic fields for overflow parking, even when there’s something going on at the parkingbereft high school. If crowds at the zoo demand it, the school must give way. As a result, RBHS has made deals with Brookfield and North Riverside to use their fields for practices and games for all levels and types of outdoor sports, putting them in competition with other organizations. It’s more complicated that it needs to be. We don’t know why the school district didn’t move years ago to try to acquire the property north of the campus from the Forest Preserves, when it might have been an easier sell. Probably because it really didn’t need to. Brookfield Zoo didn’t always draw a million cars to its gates every year. The zoo needs parking and the school needs accessible athletic fields. Both entities recently worked out a plan to make that happen — the high school has even set aside about $3 million to pay for it — but the Forest Preserves stepped in and put a kibosh on it. There are scores of very old oak trees they’d like to preserve, which we can understand. It seems, however, that if the Forest Preserves would like to preserve the trees and also provide Brookfield Zoo with the parking it needs, it could do a little more to help come up with a solution. It’s not like cars running all over that land on busy days at the zoo is a conservation strategy. Neither the zoo nor the high school is going anywhere, and this problem is going to remain. It doesn’t seem like the biggest conundrum any of these entities has ever faced. But, if there’s going to be a solution, the Forest Preserves are going to have to take a more active role. It’s something they ought to want to do as the landlord of the zoo and as a good neighbor, for the past century, of the high school.
F
For now, we are all masking up
ace it (pun intended), nobody really enjoys wearing a mask, unless maybe it’s a Halloween costume mask. However, COVID-19 has put us into cover-up mode. Obtaining a mask in the beginning of the cover-up was not too easy. Husband Joe managed to get his first basic blue mask when he went to Riverside Foods barefaced. However, he didn’t remember to wear it the next time he went to the store. Kind people that they are, they gave him another one, which he keeps in the car. Our next masks came from Carol Kraus, who has made over 1,000 masks and distributed then to those who needed them. Good for you, Carol. Two more masks, also homemade, came from our neighbor Janet Nunziato, and lovely they are. Our growing mask wardrobe now includes Chicago Cubs masks, purchased online. There were three in the package, for what I considered a reasonable price, to show my support for my Cubbies and be safe. As one would expect, people began to capitalize on mask wearing and they are readily available online and in stores. The price range varies depending on
where they come from, the material and style. Old Navy has a reasonable package of masks that come in many designs to suit your mood or your fashion choice. The designs range from plain to prints and patterns. You can support your local school or sports team. You may even have a printed message. There is also the style that is similar to an infinity scarf that you wear around your neck and can easily be pulled up to cover your mouth and nose. Online shopping sites will more than satisfy your choice since you are staying in as much as possible. Nobody really wants to wear the masks, but I do and so should you for the good of yourself and everyone else. I suppress the urge to reprimand those who are out and about without masks, but I will not hesitate to say “nice mask” if it really is. Being the eternal optimist, I know the day will come when I can put away all my masks, probably next to those handkerchiefs people used to use until they discovered Kleenex was more sanitary. But my friends, until then, wear your masks and wash your hands. Be safe!
JOANNE KOSEY
LETTERS
Decision to outsource remote learning ‘disappointing and sad’ The Landmark published an article on Aug. 4 titled “Third party will handle RBHS remote learning.” The article states that “The decision to offer a hybrid model and a remote option came about after the deliberations of a 19-person COVID-19 transition committee established this summer.” Nineteen members of the committee did meet during the summer; however, this committee was advisory only. The decision to outsource remote learning to Apex was made solely by superintendent Kevin Skinkis. This decision did not come from a recommendation from this committee. The Riverside Brookfield Education Association Executive Board strongly opposes Dr. Skinkis’ decision to outsource our students’ learning to Apex. In no way, shape or form is Apex a proper remote
Send letters to the Editor
Bob Uphues, Riverside-Brookfield Landmark 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 include name, address and daytime phone number for verification
learning option. Apex does not include human instruction or interaction. It is unacceptable to the RBEA that Dr. Skinkis provided Apex as the only option for families that chose remote learning. For Dr. Skinkis to simply “hand off ” students and families who made the remote learning choice – many for serious health reasons -- is disappointing and sad. The students in the community deserve better than that. The RBEA empathizes with parents like Pam Goodman and Peggy Rios. There is still time to get it right for these families. Your children deserve proper, quality education. APEX will not provide this. Our students’ education is too important to be left in the hands of a third-party vendor.
Riverside Brookfield Education Association Board
Riverside-Brookfield High School
The Landmark, August 12, 2020
OBITUARIES
Gloria D. Dearmore, 87 Retired secretary Gloria Diane Dearmore, 87, of Battlefield, Missouri, and formerly of Brookfield, died Aug. 5, 2020. Born June 6, 1933, Ms. Dearmore worked as a secretary in the engineering and technology field prior to retirement. She was the wife of the late Clovis H. Dearmore; the mother of Laura Diane (Greg) Thompson, GLORIA DEARMORE Amy Lee Weinert and the late Brian Phillip Lynch; the grandmother of Andrew (Sarah) Thompson, Robert (Griselda) Thompson, Daniel (Sydney) Thompson, Kathryn Weinert and Brian Weinert; the great grandmother of Zachary Thompson, Mathew Dean Thompson, Jordan Thompson and Mila Thompson; and the sister of the late Fred Birkhaug. Services have been held. Interment was at Bronswood Cemetery, Oak Brook. Memorials are appreciated to Westchester Community Church, 1840 Westchester Blvd., Westchester, 60154 or the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, 60601. Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield handled arrangements. For those who would like to express condolences online, visit HitzemanFuneral.com. If you wish to send a sympathy card or correspondence to the family, write to Hitzeman Funeral Home, 9445 31st St., Brookfield, 60513, c/o the Gloria Dearmore Family.
Thelma A. Lehnen, 84 Retired from Aon Insurance Thelma Ann Lehnen, 84, of Brookfield, died Aug. 4, 2020. She was a retired secretary for Aon Insurance. Ms. Lehnen was the daughter of the late Anton and late Clara Lehnen; the sister of Norman (Jenny), Lyla Provo, William (Kathleen), Ramon Lehnen and the late Audrey Zadrozny, Richard Lehnen, Connie Pendowski and Marlyn Brown; and an aunt and great aunt of many. A funeral Mass was celebrated Aug. 10 at St Mary Church in Riverside. Interment was at Assumption Cemetery. Ivins/Moravecek Funeral Home, Riverside, handled arrangements.
To run an obituary
Please contact Bob Uphues by e-mail: buphues@wjinc.com, before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.
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NEWS
Brookfield TIF district continue revenue gains More than $570,000 generated in 2019 for redevelopment of commercial areas By BOB UPHUES Editor
Brookfield’s Ogden Avenue Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District built on its record return in 2018, generating 9 percent more revenue in 2019. That information was included in Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough’s annual TIF report for Chicago and its suburbs released on Aug. 6. The report revealed that the region’s TIF districts as a whole generated a record 11.5-percent increase in revenue year over year, totaling $1.3 billion, to redevelop obsolete and blighted commercial and industrial areas. The biggest gains, Yarbrough reported, were seen in north and northwest suburban TIF districts, whose properties were reassessed in 2019. In the west and southwest suburbs, like Brookfield, revenues remained relatively flat year over year. But that was still good news for Brookfield, where two of its four TIF districts generated $573,557 combined. TIFs were conceived to spur redevelopment of obsolete and blighted commercial and industrial areas that, without a mechanism to fund infrastructure improvements or provide developers with incentives for doing so, would remain blighted and obsolete. Creating a TIF district freezes property
assessment levels within the district for all local taxing bodies for 23 years. As property assessments rise over time within a TIF district, the incremental revenue resulting from those increases is sequestered in a special TIF fund. Those funds can only be used for expenses related to redevelopment within the TIF district. The Ogden Avenue TIF, created by the village in 2008, stretches from Custer Avenue to Eberly Avenue and includes almost every property on Ogden Avenue. The TIF fund generated $393,493 in 2019. That was a 9-percent jump in revenue compared to 2018, when the Ogden TIF brought in $362,427. That 2018 total was a breakthrough for a TIF district that had spent most of the prior decade generating next to nothing as a result of the Great Recession that followed the 2008 economic collapse. The 2018 revenue generated by the Ogden Avenue TIF was a 634-percent increase over 2017. With last year’s revenue now on the books, the Ogden Avenue TIF has generated $1.38 million since its inception. That money has been used over the years to purchase property on Ogden Avenue and to buy property in the 4000 block of DuBois Boulevard that paved way for the creation of the Congress Park TIF in 2011. The Congress Park TIF, which consists entirely of village-owned, tax-exempt land,
COVID19
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from page 8
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Positivity rate 4.1% testing positive, bringing the village-wide total to 93. There were no new fatalities from COVID-19 in Riverside, North Riverside or Brookfield in the past week.
State positivity rate at 4.1% The state announced 1,319 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Aug. 10 and one additional virus-related death. That followed 1,382 cases and eight deaths reported Sunday, and 2,190 and 15 deaths reported Saturday. Low Sunday and Monday death and case counts in the state’s reported numbers have been an almost weekly trend during the pandemic, with higher numbers generally reported in the middle of the week. The rolling positivity rate for the past seven days was 4.1 percent as of Monday
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has not generated any incremental revenue. The village has attempted, and so far has been unsuccessful, in attracting a developer for the site. But, Brookfield continues to invest in the Congress Park TIF via loans from the Ogden Avenue TIF. The village recently sought bids for the first phase of a renovation project for the Congress Park Metra station area, which will be funded in part by a loan from the Ogden Avenue TIF. The Ogden Avenue TIF fund will also be tapped to pay for a comprehensive planning study for the Ogden Avenue corridor. The other revenue-generating TIF district in the village is the one created in 2016 at Eight Corners. In 2019, the TIF generated $180,064, about 6 percent less than 2018. Still, the Eight Corners TIF has generated $603,147 since 2016. That money has gone toward demolishing the village-owned former Brookfield Bowl property and could be used to help spur redevelopment of that site. The TIF funds have also funded streetscape improvements in the Eight Corners business district, like decorative street lights and could be used to overhaul the fountain at Veterans Memorial Circle. The Grand Boulevard TIF District, created in January to help spur redevelopment in Brookfield’s downtown, has not yet recorded any incremental revenue.
NUMBER OF COVID-19 CASES
Brookfield Riverside North Riverside
20 15 10 5 0 3/17 3/24 3/31 4/7 4/14 4/21 4/28 5/5 5/12 5/19 5/ 26 6/2 6/9 6/16 6/23 6/30 7/7 7/14 7/21 7/28 8/4 8/11 after reaching 4.2 percent over the weekend. It’s the fifth straight day of a rolling positivity rate of 4 percent or higher after it was below that number for nearly two months. There have now been 195,399 cases con-
firmed cases of the virus in Illinois, including 7,637 deaths since the pandemic began. More than 3.1 million test results have been reported in the state. Jerry Nowicki of Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.
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The Landmark, August 12, 2020
Forest Preserves nix RBHS, zoo parking lot/field deal Both sides back to the drawing board after ‘handshake deal’ falls through
By BOB UPHUES Editor
The Cook County Forest Preserve District has sent Riverside-Brookfield High School and the Chicago Zoological Society back to the drawing board after the two entities thought they’d worked out a deal that would give the school exclusive use of an athletic field immediately north of the campus. RBHS District 208 Superintendent Kevin Skinkis told the Landmark last week that the school and the Chicago Zoological Society, which operates Brookfield Zoo on Forest Preserve District property, had a “handshake deal” on a plan. That solution included an L-shaped 652-space parking lot, expanding the existing 166-space paved lot. The expanded parking lot would have wrapped around a roughly 400-by-400-foot artificial turf athletic field that would be big enough to accommodate a practice football/soccer field and practice diamonds for baseball and softball. The plan also would have added a third traffic lane north of Rockefeller Avenue, heading into the zoo’s South Gate. The additional lane was seen as a way to move vehicles through the entrance gate more quickly and reduce backups on busy days. The deal was considered firm enough that zoo officials were prepared to appear before the District 208 school board in July. But, according to Skinkis, the Forest Preserve District nixed the agreed-upon plan. “We were happy, the zoo was happy, but [the Forest Preserve District] wanted changes,” said Skinkis, who added that two Cook County commissioners working with local and zoo officials on the plan, Peter Silvestri (D-9th) and Frank Aguilar (D-16th), supported the handshake plan. “They were disappointed it didn’t get approved,” Skinkis said of the commissioners, who broke the bad news to school and zoo officials in a conference call last month. The stumbling block for the county, said Skinkis, appears to have been the loss of too many trees to make the plan a reality. That was confirmed by Carl Vogel, a spokesman for the Forest Preserve District in an email. According to Vogel, the Forest Preserve District identified a number of bur oaks in that area, including some that were as old as 250 years old. “Oaks are a keystone species for the local ecosystem -- an important habitat for native wildlife --and a species is that is imperiled in northeast Illinois,” Vogel said. The district has for years viewed land use requests very closely, Vogel said, and that a key advisory group was in the process of adopting position papers recommending “that the Forest Preserves give very stringent reviews of requests for land use other than remaining open and in a natural state.”
PROVIDED
NIXED: Riverside-Brookfield High School and Brookfield Zoo thought they had a deal that would provide the zoo with parking for more than 600 vehicles and give unfettered field access for high school athletics, but the Cook County Forest Preserve District has sent them back to the drawing board. “As Cook County becomes increasingly developed, the value of retaining our natural heritage for future generations has never been higher,” Vogel said. Chicago Zoological Society President/ CEO Stuart Strahl was on vacation last week and was unavailable for comment. School and zoo officials have been working since late 2017 on a plan that would provide enough overflow parking for the zoo on its busiest days and still provide RBHS unfettered use to an athletic field directly north of the school building. For years, the zoo has allowed the school to use a large grass meadow north of the school for athletic purposes. In 2006, the two entities signed an agreement allowing RBHS to use the zoo’s south auxiliary parking lot for faculty parking on school days and to use the athletic fields when they aren’t needed for overflow parking for the zoo. The school district paid the zoo $22,000
during the 2019-20 school year for use of the parking lot and fields. That cost does not include the school district’s expenses for plowing the parking lot in winter and repairing the ruts on the field and cleaning up trash after cars park there. A May 20 memo from Skinkis states that “the wear and tear that has occurred over the years from parking and driving cars on the playing surfaces have taken its toll.” The RBHS varsity baseball and softball teams and lower-level soccer and lacrosse teams use fields in Brookfield and North Riverside for games, which come with an additional cost for busing players back and forth. Spreading out teams in three different locations – some teams still are able to use oncampus outdoor facilities – poses another problem. There aren’t enough athletic trainers to cover every location. In 2017, the District 208 Board of Education issued $3 million in working cash bonds
to fund a solution. In 2018, the school district hired Westbrook Strategic Consulting, a firm run by former Elmwood Park Village Manager Jay Dalicandro, to assist the RBHS with government relations, zoning and other planning aspects of the project. Dalicandro worked alongside Silvestri for years in Elmwood Park, where Silvestri formerly was village president. Vogel said the Forest Preserve District hadn’t ruled out a solution completely and said it would continue to work with zoo and school officials. He said the district had requested a master plan for the area, “taking into account the needs and assets of the Forest Preserves, Brookfield Zoo, RiversideBrookfield High School and the villages of Brookfield and Riverside.” “We value our relationship with the zoo and with the local municipalities and remain committed to exploring how we all can best serve our constituents and fulfill our unique missions,” Vogel said.
The Landmark, August 12, 2020
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SPORTS
The roundup: the latest in local sports High school sports officially back, some athletes transferring out
The IHSA has said it is still trying to figure out how a state series would work and coaches that I have talked to have told me that figuring out regular season meets are the first priority. You can find the IHSA’s latest guidelines on its website.
By JAMES KAY
RBHS tennis raises funds for season
Sports Editor
It was a bumpy road to get there, but high schools sports are back. The IHSA recently announced new guidelines for fall sports and programs in our coverage area and teams started practicing on Aug. 10 to get back into the swing of things. Here’s the latest news on what is happening in local sports.
IHSA provides thorough guidelines for fall sports Over the last five months, high school athletes, parents and coaches have all waited for a firm answer on what a year in prep sports would look like. Last week, the IHSA announced it will pivot from a traditional threeseason campaign and replace it with four shortened seasons. Since then, the IHSA has provided teams and families with new guidelines that answer some of the questions around how teams will travel to game events, how referees and officials will operate this season, workouts requirements and safety procedures. Right now, athletic directors and coaches within each respective conference are communicating about how a season would work and what options are available for their programs.
When Riverside-Brookfield High School tennis coach Sam Weiss organized what he hopes to be an annual tennis tournament to raise funds for his program, he had modest expectations due to COVID-19. His goal entering the singles and doubles tournaments was $500. However, after word got out that he was looking for more participants, the community stepped up in a major way. Between the two tournaments, Weiss raised over $2,000, which was $1,000 more than the event raised last year. “I was blown away by the commitment from this community and its support,” said Weiss. “There was a guy who drove all the way up here for the doubles tournament who told me that his daughter used to be a part of the program. He said after he saw the article in the Landmark that he wanted to make a donation. A lot of people stepped up like that and asked how they could donate and where to write a check. I can’t thank them enough.” Weiss said that he had to turn people away from participating due to how many of them ended up wanting to play in the tournaments. He went on to say that the funds will be used for equipment and sanitation for the upcoming season.
PHOTO BY SAM WEISS
ACED: RBHS tennis head coach Sam Weiss raised over $2,000 for his program during his tennis tournament two weeks ago.
Fenwick star decommits from Louisville Fenwick’s Bryce Hopkins made a name for himself in summer showcases and tournaments which led to him garnering a scholarship from Louisville University. He led the Friars to the sectional finals (which were canceled due to COVID-19) last season and tantalized Cardinal fans with his college ready skill set. However, Hopkins decommitted from the Cardinals after the program found itself in another recruitment scandal. “I opened up my recruitment because there were a lot of uncertainties on what is going on with the sanctions,” Hopkins told 247Sports. “They also keep appealing [the sanctions] which is only making it harder on me.” Hopkins is the No. 2-rated prospect in Illinois and is ranked No. 32 in the ESPN 100. Since his announcement to reopen his
recruitment process, University of Oregon and University of Notre Dame have offered him scholarships.
Fifth Nazareth football player transfers Nazareth Academy continues to feel the fallout of COVID-19’s impact on Illinois high school sports. Earlier in the year, former Nazareth quarterback J.J. McCarthy transferred out of the state so he could play football in the fall. Since then, four more Roadrunners football players have decided to play elsewhere this upcoming season with the IHSA moving football to the spring. Wide receiver Landon Morris, center Domenic Virelli and offensive tackle Ryan Keeler leave a hole in the offense, while defensive lineman Amarion Evans announced on Twitter that he is also leaving the school.
After 26 years, Fenwick girls water polo coach retires
Jack Wagner leaves the job with nine state titles and more than 600 wins By JAMES KAY Sports Editor
When Jack Wagner came back to Fenwick in 2000 to serve as the school’s girl’s water polo head coach, his goal was to find players who had the drive to compete at a high level. It didn’t matter if a player showed the promise to be a program-altering star or a two-year benchwarmer. He demanded the best out of all his players. That is the legacy he leaves behind entering retirement after 26 years of coaching girls water polo. With nine state titles under his belt and more than 600 wins during his tenure at
would have a family,” said Wagner. the helm of the program, Wagner “I always had the thought in the walks away with nothing left to back of my head that when I have prove. a son and he graduates high school “Spending time at practice, getthat would be a good time for me to ting to know people, letting them walk away. He graduated this year get to know me and winning some and, honestly, this whole COVID state championships along the thing gave me more time to spend way, I am a really lucky guy,” said with my family. It made me realize Wagner. “I feel like they would that it was the right time to go.” have been successful whether I JACK WAGNER Over his 20 years as the school’s was there or not because [the playwater polo head coach, Wagner esers] were so hard working. I am the guy that gets the credit but I will always appre- tablished Fenwick as a championship juggerciate Fenwick and the players who worked not naut. His teams have a 9-1 record at the state finals and he led the program to back-to-backonly in the pool but in the classroom as well.” Citing the fragile state of IHSA sports and to-back championships from 2004-06. He also was an assistant coach for the Fribeing able to spend more time with his family during the pandemic, Wagner was able ars from 1993-98 before leading Indiana Unito make his decision with more ease than he versity’s first ever girls water polo team. He would if the circumstances were different. returned to Fenwick the following year. “When I came back to Fenwick after coachHowever, he is most proud of how he haning at Indiana University, I had no idea that I dled his teams throughout the years.
“I never treated the girls any different than I would treat the boys,” said Wagner, “And not only that, I treated them the way they would be treated in college if they went on to play at that level. When they walked onto the pool deck at college, they knew what to do and I think they always appreciated that.” Now that he has left Fenwick, Wagner said he’ll swap coaching duties for fishing, home landscaping and being with his family. “I’m a novice golfer,” Wagner said, laughing. In a press release, Athletic Director Scott Thies praised Wagner for his time and commitment to the program. “We thank Coach Jack Wagner for his tireless efforts in leading one of the most successful programs in the history of Illinois high school athletics,” Thies said. “Jack is an all-time great and a master at building teams, setting high expectations and getting everyone to bring their best every day.
18
The Landmark, August 12, 2020
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NOVENAS PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL) Oh, most beautiful ower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me, herein you are my mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to suc cor in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, show me herein you are my mother. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and publish; your request will be granted. C.A.C..
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PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y20003782 on July 23, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of REITON IT PROS with the business located at: 1178 WENONAH AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: MATTHEW NOTIER 1178 WENONAH AVE OAK PARK, IL 60304.
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR THE POOLING AND SERVICING AGREEMENT DATED AS OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 ABFC ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-WMC1 Plaintiff, -v.DARYL SATCHER, MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC., OAK PARK TERRACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION Defendants 2018 CH 08851 914 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD UNIT #C-8 OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 7, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on September 2, 2020, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 914 NORTH AUSTIN BOULEVARD UNIT #C-8, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-320-040-1025 The real estate is improved with a condo/townhouse. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/ or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.
The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-18-07459 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2018 CH 08851 TJSC#: 40-1745 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 2018 CH 08851 I3153301
Published in Wednesday Journal 8/12, 8/19, 8/26/2020
Published in RB Landmark 8/12, 8/19, 8/26/2020
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PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y20003700 on July 21, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of KATHLEEN LANE with the business located at:7243 ROOSEVELT RD STE A, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: KATHLEEN LIEFFERS 7243 ROOSEVELT RD STE A, FOREST PARK, IL 60130
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PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y20003966 on August 5, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of PRIVATE POOK GAMES with the business located at: 1016 S CUYLER AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: MICHAEL GROSSO, 1016 S CUYLER AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60304, USA.
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PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y20003983 on August 5, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of NEW AGE BABY with the business located at:400 KENT RD, RIVERSIDE, IL 60546. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: THERESA INTRAVARTOLO, 400 KENT RD, RIVERSIDE, IL 60546, USA.
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PUBLICATION NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY Request of Carlos Eduardo Rojas Case Number 20204002757 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Carlos Eduardo Rojas to the new name of: Alex Rojas. The court date will be held: on September 8, 2020 at 9:30 AM at District 4 Court, 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, Cook County in Courtroom Number 0111.
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Published in Forest Park Review 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2020
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19
SCOTT J. LEVY (32596) Attorney for Petitioner 1525 East 53rd Street, Suite 504 Chicago, Illinois 60615 STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division. In re the marriage of JUAN RODRIGUEZ, Petitioner and LILIA CASTANEDA BRITO, Respondent, Case No. 2019D-000973. The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending. Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before September 1, 2020, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition. DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk. Published in Wednesday Journal 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2020
Published in Forest Park Review July 29, August 5, August 12, 2020
PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y20003923 on August 3, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of PICKLE HILL DESIGN with the business located at: 333 LINDEN AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: GENE LOUISE ROWE, 3333 LINDEN AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302-2215 Published in Wednesday Journal 8/12, 8/19, 8/26/2020
PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y20003755 on July23, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of LOLA PINK with the business located at: P.O. BOX 3725 OAK PARK, IL 60303. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: TATYANA QUALLS 1190 SOUTH KENILTHWORTH, OAK PARK, IL 60304 Published in Wednesday Journal July 29, August 5, August 12, 2020
LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will be accepting Proposals from qualified Consultants for a Water Distribution System Leak Survey. Proposals will be accepted at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60302, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., until 3:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 for the following: Village of Oak Park Water Distribution System Leak Survey Project 20-138 Specifications and Proposal forms may be obtained at the Public Works Center by calling 708-358-5700 or on the Village’s website http://www.oak-park.us/ your-government/finance-department. Information is also available from the contact person, Interim Water and Sewer Superintendent, James Eggen, jeggen@ oak-park.us. . Upon formal award to the successful Consultant, a written agreement will be executed for the Project. The Village reserves the right to accept or reject any and all Proposals or to waive technicalities, or to accept any item of any proposal.
Published in Wednesday Journal 7/29, 8/5, 8/12/2020
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION AM SOLUTIONS LLC; Plaintiff, vs. ARIEL CHAPMON; TAJ CHAPMON; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 7196 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-10-431-012-0000. Commonly known as 830 South 16th Avenue, Maywood, IL 60153. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiff’s Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 3609455. W19-0247 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3153023
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20
The Landmark, August 12, 2020
21 E. BURLINGTON ROAD, RIVERSIDE | MYBURLINGTONREALTY.COM | 708.447.7207 -5 T 312-3 A S N EN SU P D O N A
T SA 0 N 3 : E -1 OP1:30 1
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1926 Berteau Ave, Chicago $695,000
59 East Quincy, Riverside $379,000
172 Maplewood Rd, Riverside $625,000
444 Washington Blvd, #204, Oak Park $200,000
404 Selborne Rd, Riverside $469,900
56 N Cowley Rd, Riverside $429,900
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