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Vol. 35, No. 46

@riversidebrookfieldlandmark

November 11, 2020

Hermanek going solo in run for third term PAGE 6

Grim week sees COVID cases skyrocket Brookfield saw more than 100 residents infected in the past week

Local teens dive into civic duty as election judges PAGE 8

W HODUNIT? Actors (from left) Aydan Leffel (Professor

Plum), Jovanis Prodanich (Mr. Green), Jon Murphy (Colonel Mustard) and Gwen Adelman (Miss Scarlet) perform for the cameras during filming of the RBHS fall play “Clue” on Nov. 6. The play will be streamed beginning Oct. 13. See story, page 3.

By BOB UPHUES Editor

As the COVID-19 pandemic established its presence in Brookfield this spring, the village marked a grim milestone when the 100th case was reported seven weeks after the first appeared. Brookfield wouldn’t reach 200 total cases until July 20, some 10 weeks later. As of the morning of Nov. 10, a total of 607 people had tested positive for COVID-19 – with 110 of those coming in just seven days. The prior record for cases in a one-week period was 41, set just last week. After seeing case increases through October of roughly 20 or so per week, the number of new cases have skyrocketed in Brookfield, Riverside and North Riverside during the first two weeks of November. “The virus is winning the war right now,” said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker during his daily COVID-19 briefing in Chicago on Monday. Riverside also blew past its previous record of 18 cases in a one-week period, with 54 residents testing positive for COVID-19 in the seven day period ending on the morning of Nov. 10. North Riverside in the past week recorded 32 new cases; the village’s previous one-week record was also 18. No new deaths from COVID-19 were reported locally, but those numbers are rising statewide and the recent See COVID-19 on page 16

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Locally, it was Biden, in a blowout

More than 60% of votes went Dem’s way in Brookfield, North Riverside and Riverside By BOB UPHUES and BOB SKOLNIK Editor and Contributing Reporter

In early June, Brookfield’s Tony Williams didn’t know just how to process

what was happening in the country. Already in the midst of a deadly pandemic, cities across the nation were experiencing a wave of civil unrest it hadn’t seen in more than 50 years – and a presi-

dential election was looming, one that would turn out to be a referendum on the incumbent, Donald Trump. See ELECTION on page 9

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The Landmark, November 11, 2020

S P O N S O R E D

C O N T E N T

Mexican fare with a homemade flair in Berwyn La Lupita celebrates a mother’s touch in every dish

For 16 years La Lupita, 6539 Cermak Rd., has been a celebration of the hard work and grit it takes to succeed in the restaurant industry. “The restaurant is named after my mother, Lupita Figueroa, and you can still find her in the kitchen,” said Salvador “Sal” Figueroa, the manager. “Our dishes are all homemade with her recipes, her seasonings, and her special touch.” For as long as Sal can remember his mother has been involved in the food industry. Though the origin-story of the Cermak Road mainstay takes us far from the Berwyn thoroughfare. Though Sal is American born he and his family returned to Cuernavaca in Morelos, Mexico when he was just two years old. Food Writer

MELISSA ELSMO

As he and his sisters grew up, Sal watched his mother set up a dining table in their front yard. Friends and strangers would take a seat and Lupita would bring out an array of homemade dishes like pozole blanco and a deep dark mole with origins in her hometown located in the Guerrero region of Mexico. The money she earned helped the family, but more importantly she was honing the recipes that would eventually form the spine of La Lupita’s menu. In 1992 the Figueroa family returned to the United States and settled in Chicago. While Lupita took factory jobs, she proved to be an insatiable cook and quickly started offering her culinary services to local businesses and neighbors.

Lupita’s Mixed Fajitas feature a combination of skirt steak, chicken and shrimp sauteed with onions, tomatoes and green bell peppers..

“We could not keep her out of the kitchen,” laughed Sal. “I would come home and there would be strangers eating in our kitchen. Before long she had cooked for so many friends and neighbors that she had good business catering parties.” Then, in 2004 Sal drove past a vacant restaurant on Cermak Road. More kitchen than dining room, the diminutive space held just four tables and offered the perfect steppingstone for Lupita to take her culinary career to the next level. Thanks to her loyal customer base the transition to restaurant ownership went smoothly for the scrappy cook — by the time Lupita opened her namesake restaurant she had built enough relationships to sustain the business well beyond its infancy. “Looking back, now I can see Dalia Figueroa, Chef Rick Bayless, Lupita Figueroa, my mother is a true example of Fabi Figueroa, and Salvador Figueroa at the James an entrepreneur,” said Sal proudly. Beard Awards after-party in 2019 “She passed along that mindset to Provided all three of her children.” Today Lupita and her children all have distinct roles at the restaurant, but her passion to keep home-style Mexican food front and center on Cermak remains unwavering. Today La Lupita serves both yellow and blue

Melissa Elsmo

corn tortillas made from scratch and continues to offer her complex mole and three variations of pozole daily. Served with flautas, La Lupita’s pozole blanco features hominy with pork meat, pork rinds and avocado, topped with a flavorful white mole sauce. White, green and red pozole have been the “icons of La Lupita” for years, but the dish has become more popular since Lupita was invited by acclaimed chef, Rick Bayless, to serve her pozole verde at the after-party for the James Beard Awards last year. “What an experience,” said Sal. “When Chef Bayless introduced himself to my mom and shook her hand I just stood there watching. I was so proud.”

A mango-rita (left) and cucumber margarita feature a sweet and sour tamarind rim.

La Lupita at 6539 Cermak Rd in Berwyn.

Cazuela de Pozole Blanco Estilo Guerrero from La Lupita

Melissa Elsmo

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

IN THIS ISSUE Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Kosey Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Editor Bob Uphues Sports Editor James Kay Food Editor Melissa Elsmo ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

SUSPECTS ALL AROUND: From left, Jon Murphy (Colonel Mustard), Gwen Adelman (Miss Scarlet), Jovanis Prodanich (Mr. Green), Ella Johnson (Mrs. Peacock), Aydan Leffel (Professor Plum), Brooke Craig (Wadworth, the butler) and Allice Sylvie (Mrs. White) perform “Clue,” the fall play on Nov. 6 at RBHS. A video of the play will be available to watch online Oct. 13.

At RBHS, the show must go on

After filming fall play, ‘Clue’ available for viewing this weekend By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

The show must go on. Student actors and faculty at RiversideBrookfield High School were not going to let a global pandemic stop them from putting on a fall play. Last weekend, two separate casts performed the murder farce “Clue” without an audience on successive evenings. RBTV filmed the performances and is preparing a video that will be available for streaming on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 and thereafter. It will cost $8 to watch the play, which can be accessed from a link beginning Nov. 13 on the RBHS website at rbhs208.net. The video is being delivered through Broadway on Demand. “You can watch it on your TV, you can watch it on your computer, you can watch it on your phone, you can watch it on any device you want,” said Assistant Director Sarah Johnson. During the performance, the actors wore clear masks so their faces would be visible. However, the bulky masks caused some problems with sound quality and other technical problems, so a few retakes were done. Glitches forced one performance to stop and go back to

the beginning. Acting while wearing a mask was challenging. “It was really different getting used to having to act while wearing masks, because it was a little bit more difficult to use the bottom half of our face,” said RBHS senior Haley Rayfield, who played Miss Scarlett in the Saturday performance. Acting for a camera instead of a large crowd was also different, although one cast sat in the theater while the other cast performed to provide some semblance of a live audience. “Acting for camera is a whole different thing than just acting on stage,” Rayfield said. “Kind of figuring out a hybrid between those two was definitely a challenge, but I think we’re all really all glad that we had the experience.” Putting on a play during a pandemic, and mostly during a time when students were not even coming to school in person, was just a challenge. Even while RBHS students attended classes from their homes during the first quarter of the school year, cast members came to school every afternoon and on weekends for rehearsals. “We all are wearing masks and gloves at all times,” said RBHS senior Tess Obuchowski, who played Mrs. White in the Saturday performance. “We took time at the beginning of the rehearsal and at the end to sanitize any props that we touched. Everybody was as socially distanced as possible.”

The cast members all signed a pledge to maintain social distancing at all times and engage in risky behavior like going to parties or even hanging out with friends outside of school. “They were just impeccable about their mask wearing; they were really committed to doing the show,” Johnson said. Cast members knew that if just one of them tested positive for COVID the whole show would be shut down. There were a couple scares when cast members got sick, but no one tested positive for the virus. “They were really so thankful for the experience, to get out and do something and see their friends,” Johnson said. “They were just phenomenal.” “Clue” was a good play to perform during a pandemic. The cast is relatively small -- 13 roles -- and elaborate sets were not required. While learning lines, the cast rehearsed outdoors as much as possible. “We tried to be outside all we could,” Johnson said. After filming the performances with three cameras and a crew of five, RBTV is now in the process of getting the video ready for streaming. “Getting it ready to be streamed by a company, we want it to look extra great,” said Gary Prokes, the faculty member who heads up RBTV. “We’re going to do some things to make it have a good look and a good sound.”

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HOW TO REACH US ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-442-6739 ■ FAX 708-467-9066 E-MAIL buphues@wjinc.com ONLINE www.RBLandmark.com The Landmark is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00. A one-year subscription costs $34 within Cook County and $44 outside the county. Advertising rates may be obtained by calling our office. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS 0019-585). Postmaster send address corrections to Landmark, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302. © 2020 Growing Community Media NFP.

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

TYPHOID MARY

Going viral

At a time when a contagious virus poses serious questions about the threats and quandaries of epidemics, it’s instructive to know the world has been through this before, and the story of the woman known as “Typhoid Mary” couldn’t be timelier. Brookfield Public Library invites you to the Zoom presentation “Who Was Typhoid Mary?” on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. Between 1900 and 1907, an Irish immigrant cook named Mary infected dozens of New Yorkers with typhoid fever. Tracked down through detective work, she was finally taken into custody and quarantined -- remembered as the first “healthy”carrier of a deadly virus. Register at the library’s online calendar page at brookfield.evanced.info/signup/calendar.

BIG WEEK November 11-18

Trade tips, recipes for Thanksgiving

Riverside Public Library kicks off a new monthly club called The Melting Pot Recipe Chat, where foodies of all kinds can trade tips, swap recipes and meet new people. The club will convene via Zoom for the first time on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. and will focus this month on Thanksgiving favorites. Register to attend by visiting online at riversidelibrary.evanced.info/signup.

Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St., presents “Humor Us,” a group show where art and humor intersect, and “In Time and Paradise,” an installation by Kelly Kristin Jones celebrating Illinois women and their fight for women’s rights around the time of the 19th Amendment. The shows run through Nov. 17 and can be seen by appointment Thursday-Saturday from 1-5 p.m. Email to info@riversideartscenter.com. The Brookfield Chamber of Commerce continues its 60-to-Win raffle drawings every Thursday through Nov. 19 at 4:30 p.m. at Joe’s Saloon, 9220 47th St. in Brookfield. You can also watch a livestream on the Brookfield Chamber of Commerce Facebook page (facebook.com/BrookfieldIllinois). Winners’names will be posted each week at brookfieldchamber.net. North Riverside Public Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., is offering the following virtual programs through Facebook Live, conference calls and the teleconferencing app Zoom. Programs include Makerspace Mondays on the first and third Mondays of the month at 7 p.m. and Talented Tuesdays on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 5:30 p.m. both via Facebook Live on North Riverside Public Library’s Facebook page; and Game Night Wednesdays every Wednesday at 7 p.m. via Zoom. For adults, there’s the Deeply Rooted Book Club, which focuses on the history of inequality and civil rights in the United States through a mixture of fiction and non-fiction. They’ll be discussing “Homegoing”by Yaa Gyasi via Zoom on Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. There’s also Crafternoons: Scrabble Tile Coasters on Zoom on Nov. 14 at 1:30 p.m. Register at least 3 days in advance and pick up supplies curbside. And, there’s Stretching and Meditation via conference call (800-747-5150, code 1453322) on Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. RSVP to bodenl@northriversidelibrary.org or visit northriversidelibrary.org/events for adult Zoom meeting access info. For kids, there are the following Zoom programs: ABCs and 123s on Mondays at 10:30, Stories and Sharing on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.; Lego Builders Club on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.; and Glow Stick Family Dance Night on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. Register by calling 708-447-0869, ext. 230 or at northriversidelibrary.org/kids/youth-services-registration. Brookfield Public Library offers virtual classes and programs for patrons of all ages throughout the week. Most youth activities will be presented live on the library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/BrookfieldPublicLibrary. There’s also Chair Yoga on Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. via Zoom and Charitable Giving in 2020 and the New Tax Rules with Louis R. Marchi of Fidelity Charitable via Zoom on Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. Register for Zoom access info by visiting brookfield.evanced.info/ signup or calling 708-485-6917, ext. 130. Riverside Public Library continues its in-person Riverside Reads book club on Nov. 17 at 2:30 p.m. with discussion of “The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah in the second-floor meeting room at the Riverside Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road. Register at riversidelibrary.evanced.info/signup/calendar. Call 708-442-6366 or email informationservices@ riversidelibrary.org to place a hold on a copy of the book. ■

■

How Betty made cooks better

Riverside Public Library invites you to join historian Leslie Goddard for a special Zoom presentation “Betty Crocker and Her Cookbook That Changed How America Cooks” on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Long before Martha Stewart, there was Betty Crocker. In 1950, her brand-new Picture Cook Book hit shelves, with sales that rivaled that of another big book, The Bible. To date, it has sold more than 75 million copies. BETTY CROCKER Created in 1921 by a flour company, Betty Crocker became the most and most trusted advisor to American cooks. Goddard looks at how Betty Crocker was invented, why her cookbook has endured and what makes her so iconic. Register by visiting the library’s online calendar page at riversidelibrary.evanced.info/signup.

And more ■

RYAN TUCK

New show at Compassion Factory Compassion Factory Art Gallery and Studio, 9210 Broadway Ave. in Brookfield, invites you to schedule an “art break” by soaking up some warmth, color and inspiration at a new exhibition “Resonance,” featuring the work of Ryan Tuck, through Nov. 28. Tuck’s abstract work has been focused on the relationship between chaos and order, and he emphasizes color and texture while using a wide variety of quality, archival materials and techniques. Admission is free and all works of art are for sale. Kids and adults welcome, but the space is limited to 25 people at one time, so reservations are required. The gallery is open Nov. 12, 14, 19, 21 and 28. Register for a time to visit at tinyurl.com/y27u9epy.

Free flu shots

The Cook County Department of Public Health is offering free flu shots to residents of Brookfield, Riverside, North Riverside, Lyons and McCook on Saturday, Nov. 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Veterans Park, 26th Street and Veterans Drive in North Riverside. The mobile flu vaccine clinic will administer shots on a first come, first served basis. If you have insurance, please bring your card. If you do not have insurance you will still be able to get a flu shot, just bring proof of residency of one of the five villages.

■

In case of inclement weather, the clinic will be relocated to the Riverside Metra station, 90 Bloomingbank Road in downtown Riverside.

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

P O L I C E

R E P O R T S

Police sound alert on new unemployment benefits scam Police in Brookfield, North Riverside and Riverside have been inundated with calls from residents reporting a new COVID-19 unemployment benefits fraud scheme, this time involving letters requesting personal information in order to access those benefits. Riverside police issued a scam alert over the weekend after receiving about a dozen such reports in the past couple of weeks. According to Police Chief Thomas Weitzel, this new scam is a fresh take on one prevalent during the early weeks of the pandemic. Back in April, people began reporting receiving what appeared to be pre-paid debit cards from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). People were asked to activate the cards by calling a phone number to establish a PIN. During that call, they’d be asked for personal information. The new scam involves a letter being sent to residents, purportedly from their employers, saying they have been approved for unemployment benefits and directing them to verify personal information to access those benefits. In all of the recent Riverside incidents, those receiving the letters were still employed, Weitzel said. One resident who filed a report told police he owned a company and that every one of his employees had received such a letter. Police are warning residents not to give money or personal information in response to any unexpected request, to be skeptical of information on caller ID, to hang up on robocalls, to search online for scams that sound similar and to talk to someone they trust before taking any action. To report suspected scams and to obtain more information, people can also visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website at ftc. gov/scams or call their local police department.

Two arrested after car stolen Two people have been arrested in connection with the theft of a car from the parking lot outside CVS, 7200 Cermak Road in North Riverside, on the evening of Nov. 1. Police responded to the pharmacy parking lot at about 5:05 p.m. after a 52-year-old Berwyn man called to report that someone had just stolen his 2006 Ford Taurus while he was inside the business shopping. The victim told police he was inside the store about 15 minutes and that when he exited, someone informed him that two people had driven off with his car. The victim also told police that he’d left the car unlocked with the keys in the ignition and the car running while he was inside. The car contained tools for his carpentry business. According to North Riverside police, on Nov. 7 Maywood police recovered the automobile at First Avenue and Madison Street. They also arrested a 30-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man. Information on charges was not immediately available.

Man charged with theft from laundromat A 38-year-old Chicago man has been charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing $250 from washing machines and vending machines at a Brookfield laundromat in August. Gregory Williams turned himself in to police on Oct. 21 after detectives made multiple visits to his residence earlier in the month. Police identified Williams as a suspect through fingerprint evidence obtained at the scene. Police in September reported that three people were involved in the incident late on Aug. 26 at Family Sudz, 9016 47th St. Surveillance video showed Williams using a pass key to open the coin boxes on the machines while the other two, a man and a woman, blocked the view from outside. According to the police report, Williams told police he found the set of keys while doing laundry at the business. Williams reportedly said he didn’t know the identity of the other man and only knew the woman’s first name.

Vehicle break-in Brookfield police responded to the 9100 block of Sheridan Avenue on the morning of Nov. 8 after a resident called to report that someone had entered his unlocked vehicle overnight and removed two containers of prescription painkillers and an identification card.

Window smashing continues For the third time since August and for the second time in two weeks, a resident of the 4300 block of Prairie Avenue, Brookfield, called police to report that someone had thrown an object through their living room window. The latest incident happened Nov. 6 just after 8 p.m. The victim was in the living room when a rock came crashing through the window, according to the police report. No one was hurt.

DUI crash Brookfield police charged a 38-year-old Chicago man with drunken driving and other offenses after he allegedly drove his 2013 Jeep through a road construction sign and into a pit in the 4100 block of Eberly Avenue on Nov. 7 at about 9 p.m. The man was also driving on a revoked license, according to police. In the car with him were a 40-year-old woman and her 6-month-old child. Police charged her with child endangerment. These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Nov. 1-8, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

— Compiled by Bob Uphues

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The Landmark, November 11, 2020

North Riverside mayor will go it alone in 2021 Hermanek seeks third term without a party or slate’s support By BOB UPHUES Editor

North Riverside Mayor Hubert Hermanek Jr, elected to the post twice at the top of a VIP Party slate, will seek a third term as an independent and without any other candidates running for clerk or trustee alongside him. As for the VIP Party itself, it appears to be undergoing some sort of transformation, as yet unannounced. Party officials were expected to announce a slate of candidates as early as this week. As of Nov. 9 there was no word from the party on that score. Regardless, Hermanek said he was pushing forward with his independent run, saying he believed residents trusted his ability to keep the village’s finances on sound footing. “When I took over as mayor, the village was subsidizing everything – water, vehicle stickers. I stopped that because our revenues were not keeping up,” Hermanek said. “We had no [cash] reserves and were under tremendous financial distress when I came in.” Hermanek said he pushed for the village to

diversify its revenue streams, some of them admittedly controversial. Under his time as mayor, the village welcomed video gambling. The proliferation of gambling within restaurants and bars brought additional revenue, and the emergence of standalone gambling parlors not only brought in a cut of the gaming receipts but also revenue from the expensive liquor licenses the village charges for them to operate. The village under Hermanek also doubled its places-for-eating sales tax, which resulted in hundreds of thousands more annually in revenue. A separate fee to fund water and sewer system infrastructure projects is not necessarily beloved, but it has resulted in a large-scale, multi-year improvement to the water system west of First Avenue, interrupted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another program that has brought in millions during Hermanek’s time as mayor has been the village’s red-light camera program, an initiative mostly resented by the thousands of motorists who pass through the intersection of Harlem Avenue and Cermak Road every day. Its connection of a company, SafeSpeed LLC, has also brought scrutiny. A former company official was caught up in 2019 in a wide-ranging federal corruption probe into suburban officials – North Riverside not among them. That official, no longer connected to SafeSpeed, has

agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. SafeSpeed continues to operate red-light cameras in North Riverside. While recognizing red-light cameras are not popular, Hermanek said the revenue was critical for meeting the village’s police and fire pension obligations, something North Riverside has done under Hermanek, a reversal from past practice. “The money has to come from somewhere,” Hermanek said. “You can say you’ll get rid of red-light cameras, but where are you going to come up with $1.6 million to fund pensions? It’s easy to promise cuts, but if the residents pay less, then that’s a subsidy the village is paying and leads you to financial difficulties. It’s not free to live in the village.” Asked whether there might be voter fallout over Hermanek’s five-year legal battle ending last year that sought to privatize firefighting services in North Riverside, the mayor instead pointed to events of the past year. In the past 12 months, the village and firefighters union agreed to a new contract, which will expire right after the 2021 election, and Hermanek recently hired a new fire chief, who he said has the support of union members. “I hope it’s put to bed,” Hermanek said. “I’ve admitted my mistakes to them and I’ve said that I’d do things differently if I had to do it again.”

While it’s unclear whether Hermanek will face a challenge from a VIP or revamped party slate, it’s widely believed that Trustee Marybelle Mandel will run for mayor in 2021 after winning the most votes of any trustee candidate in the 2019 election. She did not respond to an email seeking confirmation of that question. If history is any indication, she may not make her plans known publicly until Dec. 21, the final day for filing nominating petitions. When she ran for mayor in 2017, she filed nominating petitions two hours before the filing period ended. Hermanek won that election with 51 percent of the vote in a three-person race that also included Trustee H. Bob Demopoulos. He also did not respond to an inquiry from the Landmark about whether he was considering another run. If Hermanek’s former party runs a mayoral candidate, that person would likely siphon votes from Hermanek if a third candidate, such as Mandel, also ran. One of the reasons he is not running with a full slate, Hermanek said, was that he didn’t want to draw votes away from candidates whose policies he largely may still agree with. “That’s a consideration they’re going to have to discuss,” said Hermanek of his former VIP colleagues. “If our policies are close together, it’ll dilute support for me.”

By Linda Sokol Francis. E.A.

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The Landmark, November 11, 2020

Buyer lined up for St. Barbara school building, convent Letter of intent signed, deal pending archdiocesan approval By BOB UPHUES Editor

A real estate development company with experience in converting institutional buildings into residential properties is looking to buy both St. Barbara School and the St. Barbara convent in Brookfield, according to Rev. Denis Condon, pastor of Holy Guardian Angels Parish, which owns the buildings. Condon told the Landmark that the parish had a signed letter of intent to buy the properties from the development company, whose name he declined to disclose since the sale has not been completed yet. It could take some time yet before the sale is completed, said Condon, because it must be approved by the Archdiocese of Chicago. “There will be nothing before the first of the year,” Condon said. Both the school, 8900 Windemere

Ave., and convent, 4000 Forest Ave., are listed for sale as a package for $850,000. The Chicago-based real estate investment firm 33 Realty has the listing. According to the listing, the school building potentially could be converted into about 15 apartments, while it identifies the convent as “an ideal teardown for a single-family home builder.” Neither building is being used by Holy Guardian Angels Parish, which was created by the merger of St. Barbara and St. Louise de Marillac parishes in 2019. St. Barbara School closed its doors in 2012 and afterward housed religious education classes and was used as an emergency overnight shelter for BEDS Plus, which serves those facing homelessness. The school building, however, was rendered uninhabitable in late 2019 when the building’s heating plant failed. The convent is also is uninhab-

BOB UPHUES/Editor

St. Barbara School, 8900 Windemere Ave., Brookfield ited and has not been in use for a number of years, said Condon. “It has just sat there doing nothing,” said Condon, who added that both buildings contain lots of asbestos tile and would be

too costly for the parish to rehab and make them usable for parish purposes. “The way the convent is built, it’s useless for any other reason [than remaining a convent] unless

Brookfield proposes 2020 tax levy hike of 5.4% Pension obligation grows by $285,000 year over year By BOB UPHUES Editor

The village of Brookfield is proposing to extend its 2020 tax levy for village operation and pension contributions by about 5.4 percent, but when the dust settles next summer Cook County will limit that increase to something close to 3 percent, according to Doug Cooper, the village’s finance director. Cooper introduced the proposed 2020 levy to village trustees on Oct. 26, with the village board expected to pass the final levy, which will include the tax levy for the Brookfield Public Library, at its meeting in December. The annual tax levy for non-home rule communities like Brookfield is capped by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, better known as the state’s tax caps, at 5 percent or the consumer price index, whichever is lower. For 2020, the consumer price index is 2.3 percent, but state law also allows municipalities the ability to levy taxes on new development at the full amount. Exactly how much the county will assess the value of that new development won’t be known until mid-2021. So, in order to collect as much of that rev-

enue as possible, local governments add a few percentage points onto the CPI in their tax levies in order to make sure they get it. “We always want to make sure we capture that growth,” said Cooper, who estimates that growth by combing through building permits issued during the year. Estimating new growth is not an exact science, and when the county calculates the final tax levy next year, the amount Brookfield has asked for will be reduced to something closer to the CPI. In 2019, for example, Brookfield extended its levy for operations and pensions by 3.8 percent, a total of just under $9 million. The county’s final 2019 tax levy allowed Brookfield to collect about $8.6 million in 2020. For the purposes of creating the 2021 fiscal year operating budget, said Cooper, he used 3 percent as his projection for property tax revenues. The 2020 proposed tax levy to fund day-today village operations is roughly $9 million. More than three-quarters of that levy is being earmarked for expenses related to public safety. About $4.1 million is being levied for police and fire protection and another nearly $3.3 million is being levied to pay the village’s police and fire pension obligations. Pension costs grew by about $285,000 year over year, said Cooper, due to a change in the

way the state calculates benefits for Tier 2 employees, that is, police officers and firefighters hired after Jan. 1, 2011. Taken by themselves, pension obligations account for more than one-third of the village’s total tax levy for operations, a number that has grown dramatically through the years. In 2015, Brookfield levied about $2.4 million for pension obligations, while its levies for general operations and public safety since that time have stayed mostly flat. Brookfield levies additional, uncapped taxes to pay down debt it has issued, something residents have been feeling in recent years as the village has issued three rounds of 10-year bonds to fund street improvements totaling $22 million. Prior to 2016, the village didn’t levy anything for debt service. But with the first rounds of bonds sold that year, Brookfield levied about $1 million to pay the debt. In 2020, the village sold its third and final round of bonds, and the debt service levy this year is about $2 million. “It’s at the full level now,” said Cooper of the debt service levy due to the street bond issuances. The first round of bonds will mature in 2026 after which taxpayers will see the street bond debt service burden begin to ease in stages, through 2030.

it was renovated,” Condon said. “We don’t really want to use it.” While neither the parish nor the real estate developer interested in the buildings has approached the village with a formal plan, the Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Ave., to consider a text amendment to the zoning code to allow as a special use “multifamily developments in single-family zoning districts as part of an adaptive reuse of an institutional building.” The village is the applicant seeking the text amendment. Members of the public are invited to provide comment on the proposed zoning amendment either in writing prior to the hearing or in person. Written comment can be sent to the Planning and Zoning Commission via Village Planner Elyse Vukelich at evukelich@ brookfield or by mailing a written comment to Vukelich at the village hall address.

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The Landmark, November 11, 2020

Unable to vote, teens work polls as judges More and more young people step up to perform civic duty By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Those who went to vote in person on Election Day on Nov. 3 likely saw some new and unfamiliar faces serving as election judges. And many of those faces belonged to judges who were too young to vote themselves. With many veteran election judges, who tend to be elderly, deciding to sit this one out because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of local teenagers and other new election judges stepped up. “I wanted to kind of help fill that space,” said 17-year-old Tess Obuchowski of Riverside, who served as an election judge for Riverside Township’s 9th precinct, whose voters cast ballots at North Riverside’s Village Commons. The teenage election judges tended to be interested in politics and wanted to participate

in the election in some way, even though they are too young to vote. “I feel like it’s a very monumental one, and since I’m unable to participate through voting I kind of wanted to contribute how I could,” Obuchowski said. Obuchowski’s mother, Diane Silva, also served as first-time election judge last week, and she and her daughter were just one of two mother-daughter pairs working as election judges at Village Commons. Mary Stimming was a first-time election judge who recruited her two children, 19-yearold Paul and 17-year-old Elizabeth Centorcelli, to serve as election judges. Paul was stationed at Blythe Park School while Elizabeth joined her mom at the Village Commons. “It’s cool to see how it all works,” said Elizabeth Centrocelli. Ethan Bork, a 17-year-old election judge from North Riverside liked seeing the election process up close. “It’s just fun to be part of this process that you hear so much about, especially being under 18 where I can’t vote,” Bork said. Bork was working Riverside Township’s 10th precinct at Village Commons. He was one

BOB SKOLNIK/Contributing Reporter

OLD HAND: Riverside resident Nellie Brennan, right, has worked as an election judge at the Riverside Township Hall for the past 50 years. She wasn’t going to let a pandemic stop her from working the 2020 election.

Pandemic can’t deter 89-year-old election judge While many of the older, longtime election judges decided to forego working the polls on Nov. 3 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, not all of them sat out Election Day this year. Nellie Brennan, who is 89, was at her familiar post on the second floor of the Riverside Township Hall, serving as an election judge for Riverside’s 4th precinct. Brennan began serving as an election judge in Riverside 50 years ago. She said that she wasn’t going to let a pandemic keep her away. “I’m healthy as a horse and strong as a

bull. I’m not tired,” Brennan said around 5 p.m. after she had been on the job for about 12 hours. “I’m excited by seeing the people be so dedicated to humanity, to vote and care for our democracy.” But she wasn’t ignoring the risks presented by the novel coronavirus. “I’m very concerned,” Brennan said. “I’ve got my mask and my [face] shield.” Brennan said she also had planned to wear a surgical gown but decided that it was too warm on the second floor of the Riverside Township Hall for that.

— Bob Skolnik

BOB SKOLNIK/Contributing Reporter

NEW BLOOD: Ethan Bork, right, a 17-year-old North Riverside resident made his debut on Nov. 3 as an election judge at the North Riverside Village Commons. He was one of several teens not yet old enough to vote who worked last week’s election. of five election judges in that precinct -- not one was older than 25. Bork and 16-year old Nora Ford, also of North Riverside, were joined by 22-yearold Nick Morrison and 23-year-old Colin Hughes, both residents of Riverside, in the precinct. The oldest election judge in the room was 25-year-old Nadia Johnson of Chicago. Morrison, a senior political science major at Knox College, likes being immersed politics. “I think it’s my civic duty to work as an election judge,” Morrison said. “Part of that is because I’m a political science major and politics is my life.” The young election judges said that they were not too concerned about the virus even though they were working a long day inside a room filled with people coming and going all day. “I think we’re taking all the right precautions,” Ford said. “We wipe down everything every five seconds.” Obuchowski wore a face shield in addition to a face mask, because she is in the Riverside-Brookfield High School fall play and wanted to take every precaution. It was a long day. Polling places open at 6 a.m. in Illinois on Election Day and election judges were supposed to arrive at 5 a.m. The polls closed at 7:00 p.m., but after the voting stops election judges have to stay to make sure numbers match, prepare documents and shut down equipment. That typically takes about an hour. Getting up so early was perhaps the hardest part of the job. “I can’t say it was fun getting up at 4:30, but a little bit of coffee does the trick,” said Bork, who also sipped Red Bull during the

day to keep his energy up. “It’s definitely been a long day.” The young election judges tend to be savvy about technology, and that helps these days with electronic voting and records being kept online. “The student judges are great,” said Anita Houck, an election judge at Riverside Township Hall who worked with two teenage election judges, Kate Johnson and Jessica Steele for Riverside’s 4th Precinct on Election Day. Johnson found being an election judge interesting and enjoyable. “It’s been really cool to learn the different things that go into making an election,” Johnson said. “It was confusing at first, but I think we’ve figured it out and I am really enjoying it.” Election judges have to be at least a junior or senior in high school and have to have their job applications signed by their high school principal. They are paid $200 for the 14 or 15-hour day, up from $180 before the pandemic “I’ll probably just save it for college,” Obuchowski said. “That’s what I do with most of the money I earn.” During slow times during the day the election judges chatted or caught up on homework. This year, for the first time, Election Day was a state holiday so school was not in session. Eva Bothwell, 16, paged through her Advanced Placement U.S. history study guide during slow times at the polling place at Congress Park School in Brookfield. She was reading about the DemocraticRepublican Party and the Federalist Party, the first political parties in the new nation “I guess it relates to the election,” Bothwell said.

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

ELECTION

Fewer ballots cast from page 1 On June 1, Williams walked over to the Veterans Circle at Eight Corners, raised his fist and started dribbling a basketball. His #shutupanddribble initiative transformed into a calling, Williams’ way to connect with residents, promote equity and call for unity. On Nov. 7, shortly after the presidential election was called for Democrat Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris, Williams was back at the circle, basketball in hand – this time to celebrate. “Today’s dribble was so joyous,” said Williams as drivers sped around the circle, many beeping their car horns in support. “Today was way different. It almost made me feel like it adds purpose to what I was doing for my own personal reasons.” While Williams’ celebration didn’t compare with what was playing out simultaneously in cities all over the country, his visible joy reflected the way Brookfield residents – as well as those in Riverside and North Riverside – voted in the Nov. 3 presidential election. For the fifth straight presidential election, all three villages voted for the Democratic candidate. And in 2020 they did so overwhelmingly, something that played out across much of suburban Cook County. In Brookfield, 64 percent of those casting

JOE BIDEN ballots for president voted for Biden – a better showing locally than both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Obama never reached 60 percent in Brookfield, while Clinton garnered 60 percent in 2016. Trump in 2020 came away with 33.2 percent of the vote in Brookfield – a result that was an improvement over his local showing in 2016 when he got 31 percent, mirroring a phenomenon seen in polling results across the country. Brookfield’s results generally fell in line with suburban Cook County, where Biden took 64.5 percent of the vote to Trump’s 34 percent. In Riverside and North Riverside, voters reacted a little differently.

Riverside voters chose Biden by 66.4 percent over Trump’s 30.5 percent. Riverside was the only one of the three local communities where Biden outperformed Clinton’s 2016 showing (59.8 percent) and where Trump slightly underperformed his result (31 percent) four years ago. While Biden also did better in North Riverside this year than Clinton did in 2016 – Biden got 61.1 percent in 2020 compared to Clinton’s 58.6 percent – Trump did noticeably better in North Riverside this time around. Back in 2016, Trump collected 33.5 percent of the vote in North Riverside. In 2020, he got 37.1 percent. Cindy Vitek of Riverside, normally a ticket splitter, said after casting her vote that it was time for a change. “I tend to lean a little more to the liberal side and I have been disappointed with the direction that our country had gone in the last four years.” Vitek said. “I’m hoping for a change and some renewed energy.” Trump voters said they thought he did a good job even if they didn’t always like his personality. Davia Backus came to the United States from Lithuania 30 years ago. She said her experience growing up in the former U.S.S.R. played a big role in her decision to vote for Trump. “Because I came from socialistic country and I don’t want to go back to what I came from,” said Backus after voting at Congress Park School in Brookfield when asked why she voted for Trump. Backus, 55, was not an enthusiastic Trump

voter, however. “Trump, the way he acts, it’s embarrassing,” Backus said. “Basically voting not for Trump but more like for the Republican Party, but not for Trump actually.” Brookfield residents Tim and Jeanine Vileta both voted for Trump at S.E. Gross School. “I think he’s doing a great job,” Tim Vileta said. “He’s a hard worker and I feel more safe with him, my own safety and the country’s safety.” Biden voters spoke of shared values and their antipathy for Trump. “I voted for Joe Biden because a lot of his values align with my own,” said Kaitlynn Tagney, 33, of Brookfield, after voting for Biden at Congress Park School. “I believe in climate change, I like [Biden’s] approach to handling COVID, especially over how Trump has handled it.” One perhaps surprising bit of information gleaned from the township level election data released by the Cook County Clerk’s Office on Monday afternoon is that fewer people cast ballots locally in the 2020 presidential election compared to 2016. The exception to that was North Riverside, where 43 more ballots were cast in 2020 than four years ago. But, in Riverside and Brookfield, whether because of the ongoing pandemic or for other reasons, overall turnout was lower. In Riverside, voters cast 109 fewer ballots in 2020, while in Brookfield there were 657 fewer ballots cast, according to the Cook County Clerk’s township level election results.

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

Connecting the world through conservation

Local zookeepers preach ecological and social change through Project Dragonfly By JACKIE PISANO

Contributing Reporter

espite growing up amid the quaintness of Riverside — a suburb nestled only miles from the hustle and bustle of one of the nation’s largest and busiest cities — nothing fascinated teenage Racquel Ardisana more than exotic animals, global environments and nature conservation. Luckily for Ardisana, Riverside was also only a stone’s throw away from the Brookfield Zoo — a place lauded as a world leader for conservation, research and a collection of more than 2,000 mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and natural spaces. While a student at Riverside-Brookfield High School, Ardisana spent much of her free time with the zoo’s youth volunteer corps, shadowing zookeepers, assisting with animal habitats and even getting to do a research project with the dolphins. After graduating from in 2006, she headed to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where her work at both Brookfield Zoo and later, Shedd Aquarium, inspired her to go into marine biology. However, soon after graduating with her degree in integrative biology, Ardisana had a change of heart about wanting to move far from home, her family and her beloved Brookfield Zoo. “Growing up so close to the Brookfield Zoo is why this all kind of started,” she said. “Since we lived so close, we could pop over there all the time, and we did. I just fell in love with animals and conservation, and that’s why I wanted to make it my career.” Right after college, Ardisana began working full time at the zoo, where she recently celebrated her 10-year anniversary. She is a senior animal care specialist, exclusively working at the zoo’s Habitat Africa and its giraffes, African painted dogs and Mexican gray wolves. But, while Ardisana cherished her role at the zoo, she knew she needed to do something more to broaden her knowledge of both the animal kingdom and global community. Three years ago, she applied for a graduate program through Ohio’s Miami University, where she landed a spot in the university’s Project Dragonfly — a master’s degree program and conservation initiative with the goal of connecting students with conservationists around the world to launch conservation campaigns to encourage positive ecological and social change. With field courses taking place in 15 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and

the Americas, Ardisana was guaranteed to broaden her influence and learn more about preserving nature and animal habitats. As it turns out, Ardisana isn’t the only RBHS graduate in the program. Chelsea Vabro, a 2010 graduate, has been involved in the program’s “Earth Expeditions: Connected Conservation” student team which has worked together to help support the ongoing work of India partner, Applied Environmental Research Foundation — a registered non-governmental organization based in Pune, India. The Applied Environmental Research Foundation works through five programs in two biodiversity hotspots in India, with the aim of addressing the biological diversity loss of regions by building sustainable development models. Though working back home in Chicago this summer, Vabro has continued to work toward biodiversity conservation at a grassroots level with her student colleagues, collaborating on a pangolin-focused campaign for the India organization. Outside of her studies, Vabro works as an assistant lead keeper of the primate house at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. Each of Ardisana’s three summers involved in Project Dragonfly have involved a trip into the field to connect with various conservation biologists. During her first summer, Ardisana studied desert ecology and marine biology in Baja California. During summer number two, she jetted off to Mongolia to study the ecology of steppe ecosystems and civic media. While there, she worked with Mongolian students to create a podcast to spread the word about conservation and worked alongside the group of Mongolian students to study the behavior of Przewalski’s horses, a species which was extinct in the wild until zoos began breeding them and successfully reintroducing them in the Mongolian wild in the 1990s. But unfortunately, just as Ardisana was about to embark on her final summer with Project Dragonfly, COVID-19 struck. Not being able to travel to Kenya to study large mammal ecology, Ardisana instead worked alongside her fellow students and professors at Miami University to put together a new plan of action to allow students to continue their conservation efforts and still graduate on time. The team developed a course called “Earth Expeditions: Connected Conservation,” an alternative to the typical summer program, allowing virtual connection with partner groups and field partners around the world. One of Ardisana’s options was connection in Mongolia, where luckily, she had already done a huge amount of field work in summer 2019. With the team, Ardisana worked to support ongoing work with Project Dragonfly’s Mongolia partner, IRBIS Mongolian Center, initiating a forest field study of Pallas’s cats. In addition, the team created a wildlife

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HORSE PLAY: North Riverside resident, RBHS graduate and Brookfield Zoo animal care specialist Racquel Ardisana tracks behavioral data on Przewalski’s horses in Mongolia during summer 2019 as part of her Project Dragonfly research. learning guide and activity book for children ages 10-14, with the goal of encouraging them to get outside in their own backyard and strengthen their connections with nature and learning about their home and animals of Mongolia. To graduate in December, Ardisana also had to complete a capstone project, encompassing two-and-a-half years’ worth of papers and research projects from her various works with Project Dragonfly and culminating in the creation of a master portfolio which has allowed her to reflect on her successes in her global outreach communities and how it has influenced her personal educational journey. “I really wanted to look for good ways to connect people with wildlife and conservation when they’re at the zoo,” she said. “Through the research I’ve done with Project Dragonfly, I know that zoos are good places to connect people with wildlife, especially as we have less natural spaces outside for our kids to do that growing up. “I think it’s really important now for people to want to do that, because if people fall

in love with nature, they’re more likely to be more interested in conserving it and then we can have a more sustainable future.” Ardisana, who now lives in North Riverside, hopes to stay at Brookfield Zoo and grow into more of a curatorial role to have a say in the next steps the zoo takes in conservation efforts. “I want to make sure I get those stories out to people when I’m doing public chats and public programming,” she said. As for advice for local youth who, like herself, were constantly curious with the animal world? Get outside and explore nature. “Don’t lose your sense of wonder and keep asking questions about the world around you and investigating answers,” she said. “Anybody can be a researcher and a conservationist and a scientist, and that’s what Project Dragonfly really taught me. It’s made me question the natural world around me again, and I think that’s how we become good, informed citizens who make strong choices for the environment.”

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

SPONSORED CONTENT

Reconnecting - Neighbors Knowing Neighbors: The Power of Engagement By ATHENA WILLIAMS, Executive Director, Oak Park Regional Housing Center

he 2020 election, just over, was one for the ages. Tension and worry have been real. With this said, there were many actions taken in recent months by the federal government, particularly in Athena Williams, Executive Director areas around Fair Housing, that may directly impact OAK PARK REGIONAL HOUSING CENTER the very communities we work, live, play, and pray. With the newly announced administration, we are hopeful better days are ahead on the national front and Oak Park Regional Housing Center will join our National partners to work hard to make that so.

Fast forward to 2020. Did you know that over 40 percent of Oak Parkers are renters? Or, even more so, that over 25 percent of our neighbors live in those lovely old courtyard buildings on Oak Park’s busiest streets? Those are great apartments and so many of them have now been updated due to multiple partnerships with OPRHC. Even though, those apartment residences are not the easiest places to get to know your neighbors.

In 2017 the Housing Center developed an initiative called Neighbors Knowing Neighbors. The initial development of Neighbors Knowing Neighbors was to invite Oak Park apartment rental residents to neighboring block club parties. This served as a purpose for residents of the larger buildings to connect to the homeowners in the community via block parties that were happening just around their corner. It was a great project. We even held our first “On the Table” dinner event, with the Austin Community under the

This year, through the OPRHC Neighbors Knowing Neighbors program, we successfully reached out to over 500 of our rental residents to provide support during the early intense moments of the COVID-19 pandemic. we serve. Through our Neighbors Knowing Neighbors programming, OPRHC is launching the “Power of Engagement,” an initiative which will allow affinity groups — Oak Parkers who identify as white, Black, and people of color, Austinites, and potentially a group of people from the Proviso Township area — to meetup (virtually) to discuss ways our various communities address racial tensions and segregation. It’s important to note these conversations will occur separately and will have a facilitator to promote an honest and open dialogue. Our Community Engagement Specialist, Kamau “Maui” Jones, will be one of the facilitators for the discussions to note key moments in each individual meeting, also facilitating is Lisa Zeigler, our Strategic Initiatives Director.

Maui Jones was recently hired at the Housing Center as its Community Engagement Specialist. Facebook

Meanwhile, there is the groundwork of OPRHC. Back in the late 1960’s Roberta “Bobbie” Raymond, who would go on to found the Housing Center in 1972, talked about why we need to learn to depend on one another as neighbors. While these conversations were directed toward state and federal policies, it was only natural for the community of Oak Park to use this as a way to begin to foster a sense of connection and empowerment. This connection created a “neighborly” neighborhood in Oak Park. This was the beginning of the Village of Oak Park addressing Fair Housing, expansion of housing choices, elimination of “white flight”, and the fight against red lining.

same banner, “Neighbors Knowing Neighbors”. This year, through the OPRHC Neighbors Knowing Neighbors program, we successfully reached out to over 500 of our rental residents to provide support during the early intense moments of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the injustice displayed during nationwide riots, OPRHC took a stand and provided support for many community protests. But, as a Black woman leading such a notable agency, I personally realized that was not enough. Oak Park Regional Housing Center has addressed integration for more than four decades, but 2020 has confirmed that it is time that we move toward racial healing and transformation in the communities

Once each group has had the chance to voice their opinions, Neighbors Knowing Neighbors will bring everyone together for one epic discussion in an effort to further break down barriers. We know there’s a direct cost to segregation, and it needs to be publicly addressed. All of the work we plan to do will hopefully be presented on a grander scale in the spring 2021 during the OPRHC and community “Power of Engagement” diversity conference. I know I felt various and intense emotions tied to the election. Now that it is behind us, we need to come together and speak our minds to actively engage our collective problem-solving mindsets. The OPRHC is working to make it as easy as possible to do just that, but it’s equally as important we have as many different people with wholly unique perspectives willing to participate in the conversations.

Please join the conversations.

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

Riverside seeks grant to finish downtown streetscape After failing to win funding in 2018, village hopeful of moving ahead By BOB UPHUES Editor

The village of Riverside next year hopes to finally land a grant through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) so it can launch a third phase of streetscape improvements to its downtown that started in 2016.

IN THE PIPELINE: Riverside has applied for a grant to help fund construction of the third phase of streetscape improvements in the downtown. This phase would include East Quincy Street and the first block of Riverside Road. Village trustees on Nov. 5 passed a resolution authorizing staff to submit an application seeking about $642,000 in funding from ITEP, which would cover 80 percent of engineering and construction costs for the

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trails, streetscape beautification work and project, which would improve 700 feet of streetscape along both sides of East Quincy other improvements designed to encourStreet east of Riverside Road and 190 feet age safe travel across the various modes of along the east side of Riverside Road south transportation at the local level,” according to the program’s website. of East Quincy Street. The program will award individual grants The improvements include the installation of both permeable and impermeable of up to $2 million to pay for 80 percent of brick paver sidewalks along with bump outs a project’s cost, with the local municipality to shorten crosswalks, protect parking and contributing 20 percent. The village of Riverside has create room for raised planters, new trees and high-visibility used grants to fund the lion’s crosswalks. share of the first two phases Completing the project is exof its downtown streetscape pected to cost about $803,000. improvement plan. ITEP and With an ITEP grant in hand, vilfederal Surface Transportation lage would expect its share of Program funds were used in 2016 the cost to be about $161,000. Rivto complete the most ambitious erside applied for a similar grant phase of the work, which foin 2018, but was denied. cused on Longcommon Road and Should Riverside win the full East Burlington Street. amount, final design engineerThe seven-month long coning would be completed in 2021 struction effort set the stage with construction likely to begin for a similar but smaller projSONYA ABT in spring 2022. ect in 2019 that made over the Riverside community Sonya Abt, the village’s comstreetscape and improved pedesdevelopment director munity development director, trian safety south of the tracks said the Riverside project may along Riverside Road to East have a better shot at a grant this Quincy Street and west along year since the preliminary engiBloomingbank Road in front of neering has already been completed. the downtown train station. If the village doesn’t get the full amount, That second phase of work was funded at it’s possible the state could award an amount 70 percent by a federal Surface Transportathat would pay for 80 percent of the final de- tion Program grant along with motor fuel sign engineering, though that would delay tax funds. construction by at least a couple of years. Once the East Quincy Street/Riverside “This project is not something we have the Road streetscape is completed, the only capital reserves to do without grant fund- remaining piece of the downtown puzzle ing,” Abt said. would be the streetscape in and around ForIf the state denies Riverside’s grant ap- est Avenue/East Avenue. plication this year, the next opportunity to The village Capital Improvement Plan apply for an ITEP grant is in 2022. has that work budgeted for 2025. That projThis year, ITEP is making $105.6 million ect, budgeted at $835,000, would also require available to fund “biking and walking paths, grant funding to move forward.

“This project is not something we have the capital reserves to do without grant funding.”

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

Dear Reader, Well that was a heck of an election. In a heck of a year. If there is anything that this year has taught us, it’s that so much of life is uncertain and unpredictable. But it is reportable. Reportable when the news is scary, even disorienting. Reportable when our neighbors rise and build new ways to connect. That reporting – street level, with names and places you know -- is the work we do. Beyond any partisan stance, we’re relieved and gratified to hear a spokesman for President-Elect Joe Biden talk up the essential role of independent reporting in a democracy. While national reporting now turns to the transition between the Trump and Biden administrations, our focus in our seven neighborhoods turns to December filing deadlines, slate building and local candidates figuring out how to campaign in the coming April elections in this rolling COVID pandemic. There are village boards, school boards, park boards, library boards, referendums that will shape the communities we cover. Right now we need your direct help to make sure Growing Community Media has the resources to keep our independent community newsroom thriving. We’re asking for you to join in right now. The early response to our annual NewsMatch campaign has been gratifying. We’re committed to doing the reporting —not just in the weeks to come, but for as long as we can. And you can play a critical role in ensuring that happens with the Austin Weekly News, Forest Park Review, Riverside Brookfield Landmark and Wednesday Journal. Donate to Growing Community Media any time between now and the end of the year and NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12x or double your one-time gift, all up to $5,000. Will you do your part to support public service journalism that never stops working for you? You can make a difference. With gratitude, Dan Haley Editor and Publisher 141 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302 P.S. Go one step further and share this appeal with someone who will join us in standing up for high-quality, true-seeking journalism. The stakes are high, and you can help.

To donate, visit www.rblandmark.com/donate

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

THE LANDMARK VIEW

An ever-present threat

t’s been an eventful week, right? With a U.S. presidential election playing out over a period of days, followed by an attempt on the part of the loser to somehow maintain his grasp on power while surrogates announce from a landscaping company’s parking lot that he’s the victim of some elaborate conspiracy – that’s some “Twilight Zone” banana republic stuff right there, folks – it’s easy to forget there’s something else going on. Everyone is weary of the COVID-19 pandemic and its, to date, inescapable grasp on our daily lives. And, as a result, we’re letting our guard down. The warning signs have been flashing since the end of August, when positivity rates still hovered in the 3- to 4-percent range. New cases were beginning to tick up to the point that by the beginning of October, they were starting to look similar to the first wave. We’ve come to grasp since those early days, when we didn’t know exactly what we were dealing with, the kinds of things we can do to limit transmission. Washing hands, wearing a mask, maintaining our distance from others. For the most part we still do those things when we’re out and about, running errands, shopping, walking through the neighborhood. As November has dawned, however, the virus is spreading like wildfire. During the worst of the first wave in May and into June, the most new cases Brookfield saw in a one-week period was 31. On Nov. 3, the village topped that record, when 41 people tested positive during the prior week. That paled in comparison with what would transpire in the next seven days. From the morning on Nov. 3 to the morning of Nov. 10, Brookfield recorded 110 new cases. Riverside’s past one-week record was 18. Last week, the village saw 54. In North Riverside the prior one-week record of 18 was smashed by 32 new cases. No one has died from COVID-19 in any of the villages since roughly mid-July, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner, which may be fueling some belief that somehow we’re got this thing licked. But, we don’t. The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting that hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 are both up 150 percent since Oct. 1. During the first week of November, the average number of people hospitalized daily has returned to levels not seen since mid-May. The world got a gleam of light early this week when the German pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that a vaccine candidate had seen an efficacy rate of more than 90 percent in trials. That does not mean a vaccine is imminent or that it will be distributed worldwide any time soon. Clinical trials continue on that vaccine candidate. In the meantime, we have to recognize that COVID-19 is still a dangerous threat to our personal health, our economy’s health and our communities’ health. For the common good, we need personal investment to ensure that health. Now is not the time to give up. We can bend the curve again. So, let’s get started.

Opinion KOSEY CORNER

No ceremony this year, but thanks, veterans, just the same

oday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. In a normal years -- although not much has been normal in 2020 -- Husband Joe and I would be attending a program at Riverside-Brookfield High School observing the day and recognizing the veterans in attendance at the school’s annual Veterans Day ceremony. The morning typically began with breakfast followed by an assembly and a short program in the gym. Veterans who wished to talk directly to students visited classrooms and shared their service experiences. Husband Joe, an Air Force veteran, enjoyed relating his experiences as a Russian linguist in Japan stationed at Hokkaido on the northern tip of Japan and tracking the Russian cosmonauts, which included the first woman cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova. Not this year students. Originally known as Armistice Day, the holiday was first observed in 1919, marking the one-year anniversary of the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918. In 1945 following the end of World War II the obser-

vance was expanded to honor all veterans. Congress later would formally amend the law that created Armistice Day and President Eisenhower signed that bill in 1954, officially changing the name the Veterans Day. As so often happens, observances often take on a commercial flair and Veterans Day became one of those, with businesses announcing Veterans Day sales and businesses announcing special offers to entice present and former members of the military. How can we show our appreciation? Support those organizations which help veterans whether it be monetary or even something symbolic. How about a “thank you for your service” when you see a service person? Flying the American flag is another way to signify your support of our military. Obviously we don’t need a planned program to observe Veterans Day nor do we need a day designated to veterans. I guess we need a reminder. Every day we should be able to recognize the efforts of those who chose or were chosen to serve.

LETTERS

word, “flat,” in our 1970 constitution to “graduated.” It was an attempt to allow 97 percent of the population to pay less tax than the top 3 percent of earners. It was an attempt to align our state and federal income taxes No one is denying that Springfield has problems. Lack of pension reform, 7,000 plus units of redundant local government, a gerrymandered map that allows many representatives to have no competition and massive debt are some of the many problems that Springfield has not fixed. But this amendment had nothing to do with fixing any of these. This amendment was a mere attempt to get us into the 20th century as President Wilson successfully did with his progressive agenda in 1913. I am surprised that the majority of Illinois citizens do not know enough about history to counteract the claims made in ads paid for by the top 1 percent of income earners.

JOANNE KOSEY

Voters blew it on Fair Tax question The Fair Tax was not a tax hike, it was not a Pritzker tax, it was not a power grab, it was not an increase in legislative powers, It was not a referendum on how Springfield was performing, it was not an invitation to tax and spend and it was not out of line with the rest of America. It was an attempt to get us out of the 19th century. We have had a progressive income tax nationally for 107 years. It was an attempt to get us in line with almost all states that have an income tax, which is almost all states. Yes, even Iowa, hardly a bastion of progressivism, has a graduated income tax. It was an attempt to change one

OBITUARIES

August C. Kenning, 90 Western Electric retiree AUGUST C. KENNING

August Clifford Kenning, 90, of Brookfield and formerly of Berwyn, died Nov. 5, 2020 at Cantata Adult Life Services in

Jan Goldberg Riverside

Brookfield. Mr. Kenning was born March 27, 1930 in Chicago and was a retired tool and gauge inspector at Western Electric Company in Cicero. He was a member of Concordia Lutheran Church in Berwyn and a member of the Pioneers Club. He was the husband of the late Corrine (nee Schirmer); the father of Mark (Joanie) Kenning and Andrew (Debra)

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

Newman fends off challenge to win in 3rd District Will be first woman to represent Democratic stronghold By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

In early 2017 Marie Newman announced that she would challenge entrenched incumbent Congressman Dan Lipinski (D-Western Springs) in the 3rd District. The next year, Newman narrowly lost a bitter primary fight with Lipinski but stayed active and never lost sight of her goal In March, she narrowly defeated Lipinski in the Democratic primary and now Newman is headed to Congress after defeating Republican Mike Fricilone on Nov. 3 to become the first woman to ever represent Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District. “I’ve been on the ground every single day for three and a half years,” Newman told the Landmark on Wednesday. Unofficially, Newman received 54.5 percent of the vote (143,728 votes) to 45.5 percent (120,168) for Fricilone, with 99 percent of precincts reporting. The 3rd Congressional District stretches from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago southwest to near Joliet and includes the southern portion of Brookfield. While early returns immediately after Election Day showed Fricilone narrowly outpac-

MARIE NEWMAN

MIKE FRICILONE

ing Newman in suburban Cook County, as mail-in ballots were tallied they shifted the result Newman’s way. Unofficially, Newman won the Cook County suburbs with 51.45 percent of the vote. But Newman easily carried the district due to her performance in the city. Chicago precincts came in at nearly 66 percent for Newman. Newman had to change her campaign style in the pandemic and could not do much of the in-person campaigning at which she excels. A 56-year-old businesswoman and activist from LaGrange, Newman received strong support from activist groups such as Indivisible Brookfield, which was one of the first groups to endorse her back in 2017. A number of local activists from Brookfield and Riverside volunteered for the Newman campaign. In a Facebook Live speech on Tuesday night Newman thanked all the progressive groups that supported her along with the rest of her supporters.

OBITUARIES Kenning; the grandfather of Larry (Laura) Slaton and Ashley Tomasewski; the great-grandfather of Gianna and Cece; the brother of Eleanor (late Henry) Rinas; brotherin-law of Ernie (Lila) Schirmer and the late Mildred Arnold; and a fond uncle to many nieces and nephews. Services have been held. Interment was at Bethania Cemetery, Justice. Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements. Online condolences may be offered at JohnsonNosek. com.

Margaret Sebek, 74 Brookfield resident Margaret “Marge” Sebek (nee Adams), 74, of Brookfield and formerly of Cicero, died Nov. 8, 2020. Ms. Sebek was a member of various suburban art societies and the Polish American Cultural Club. She was the mother of Charles (Wendy) Sebek and Daniel Sebek; the sister of the late Rudy Adams, Theresa (George) Hayward, Genevieve Oratowski; and an aunt to many nieces and nephews. Services and interment are private. Hitzeman Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements. If you wish to send a sympathy card to the family, send it to Hitzeman Funeral Home, 9445 31st St., Brookfield, 60513, c/o Margaret Sebek family.

“This has been quite a journey as you know, and I’m deeply proud of the coalition we’ve have built.” Newman said. “You’ve knocked on hundreds of thousands of doors, you’ve made hundreds of thousands of calls, I couldn’t be prouder of that, and you did it all the while during a global pandemic and you got our message to every part of the district.” She also thanked Fricilone for stepping up to run against and defeating extremist Art Jones in the primary. Jones, who has a neoNazi past, was the Republican candidate in 2018 against Lipinski after no one else filed to run in the Republican primary. “I would like to recognize my opponent, Mike Fricilone, for running a very passionate race and for stepping up to prove that every single one of us in the 3rd District stands against Art Jones and his hate,” Newman said Tuesday night. Newman said that in Congress she would focus on pandemic relief, rebuilding the economy, fighting climate change and insuring health care for all. Fricilone, a member of the Will County Board from Mokena, said he thought that he lost because he didn’t have enough money to get his message out. According to federal campaign disclosure records, Newman raised about $2.8 million through Oct 14, although she spent most of that money in her expensive primary race against Lipinski. Fricilone raised $98,970.99 -- $23,000 of which was a personal loan he made to his campaign.

“The race came down to money,” Fricilone said. “My opponent probably outspent me 10 to 1, and had I had half of the money that she had, I would have been able to get the message out pretty much about what she was.” Fricilone could not persuade the National Republican Congressional Committee to back his campaign. On Wednesday, Fricilone rued that lack of support. “Had they done their due diligence and participated, it would have been a different outcome,” Fricilone said. Throughout the campaign, Fricilone portrayed Newman as a member of the most left-wing part of the Democratic Party and not a good fit for the 3rd District. “I think a lot of regular Democrats are going to be really surprised when they see my opponent standing with AOC and the Squad and pitching all of those extremist views that that group has, Fricilone said, referring to the GOP’s go-to symbol of the Democratic left, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Newman, who has been an anti-bullying activist, said that the time for name calling is over. “As we all know, we learn at an early age that name calling, bullying and fear-mongering is not helpful at all,” Newman said. “Working hard and producing solutions that actually work [are] very helpful, so I’m super excited that I have my solutions in writing, always have. I’m accountable to them and this district is ready to work with me.”

Riverside extends outdoor dining through next April With indoor dining banned, for now, village seeks to provide some relief By BOB UPHUES Editor

You may not think you’d like to sit outside your favorite restaurant or bar in Riverside and sip a glass of rose in the middle of January, but the village board last week provided that opportunity. At their meeting Nov. 5 – the first time since May 21 elected officials convened virtually instead of in person due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases – trustees voted unanimously to extend temporary sidewalk and outdoor patio access for downtown establishments through April 30, 2021. The action also waives a section of the village’s municipal code that prohibits dining tables and chairs from

being placed outside in the public right-of-way and private property December through March. “Everything helps right now,” said Ceasar Melidis, manager of La Barra Ristorante, 2 E. Burlington St. in downtown Riverside. “We’re making do with what we’re faced with right now.” After a cold end to October, a stretch of unseasonably warm weather to open November has certainly helped in the short term, with diners taking advantage of the continued outdoor seating. “It’s almost a day-by-day situation,” said Melidis, who scans weather forecasts daily to help him gauge potential traffic and make staffing decisions. “I think we’re going to be OK for the short term, but no one’s done this before.” Back in May, when residents of Illinois successfully flattened the curve on the first wave of COVID-19 cases that surged in the first months of the pandemic, village trustees approved expanding the ability for local establishments to offer outdoor dining and

drinking. In addition to opening up more space on public sidewalks on Longcommon Road and East Burlington Street, it also allowed Mollie’s Public House to expand its outdoor patio on private property to the west and created space in the street parking area outside of The Chew Chew for additional tables. Once The Chew Chew’s off-street outdoor dining patio, which can accommodate 40 people, opened west of their building later in the summer, tables were removed from the street. The Chew Chew continues to offer outdoor dining on its patio, which has been largely enclosed by PVC panels and outfitted with portable heaters, whenever temperatures top 50 degrees. La Barra Ristorante has also protected its outdoor seating area by enclosing it and adding heaters. Melidis said the restaurant has also purchased See DINING on page 16

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

D96 will start COVID-19 testing in late November School board votes to OK agreement to partner with LaGrange districts By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

By the end of the November, students and staff in Riverside Elementary School District 96 will have the opportunity to take a weekly saliva test that detects whether a person is infected with the novel coronavirus. The salvia test is not diagnostic, but it has shown itself to be highly accurate at identifying those infected by the virus, said District LaGrange-Brookfield School District 102 nurse Kelli Kalata, who spoke with the District 96 school board by telephone during the Nov. 4 meeting of the Riverside school board. On Nov. 4, after an hour of discussion, the District 96 Board of Education unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement with District 102 to participate in its testing

program. District 102 has built a lab in its science center to analyze saliva samples. Students and staff in District 96 will be offered a weekly saliva test. Vials will be collected at their school and then driven over to the lab, located at Barnsdale School in LaGrange Park. The saliva will be tested the day it arrives and results are usually available just a few hours. If someone tests positive, they, or their parents, will be notified and encouraged to get a diagnostic nasal swab test, although Kalata said that District 102 students who have tested positive have often been told by their doctors that an additional nasal swab test is not necessary, because the saliva test have proven itself to be very accurate. However, District 96 Superintendent Martha Ryan-Toye said the district would encourage those who test positive to get a diagnostic test. The school district will treat any positive saliva test as a positive COVID-19 result and the student or staff member will be asked to isolate for 10 days. Kalata said the test has identified 12 positive results, six in just the last week, in District 102

since their testing program began at the beginning of the school year. Participation in the test is strictly voluntary. Initially, only students who are part of the hybrid option in District 96 will be eligible to take the test. Parents will have to sign a waiver before their children can be tested. The school board approved participation in the testing program in the face of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the district and area. As of late last week, 16 students and four staff members, three at Blythe Park School, in District 96 had tested positive for COVID-19 since the school year began. “This is something that is necessary,” said school board member Shari Klyber. The test will be free of charge to District 96 students and staff. District 96 will pay $11 per test to compensate District 102 for the cost running tests for District 96. The program is projected to cost District 96 anywhere from $10,734 a week to $20,889 a week, depending on how many students and staff choose to take the tests. District 96 will also chip in $10,000, one-third of the cost of two additional machines that

will be purchased to analyze the samples. Total costs to the district could range from about $235,000 to as much as $437,000 for 20 weeks of testing. “It seems like it’s a reasonable cost,” said board member Joel Marhoul. “This is a worthwhile effort.” LaGrange School District 105 is also participating in the program. The three school districts are evenly splitting the costs of the two additional testing machines, which cost about $15,000 each. School board members and staff are concerned about the spike in positive COVID-19 cases in recent weeks and are especially concerned about a possible increase in cases after Halloween and Thanksgiving when kids and families are together. The onset of cold weather also has board members concerned about a possible increase in cases. Ryan-Toye said that she hopes to begin testing students and staff the week of Nov. 30. “This is an ideal time to be starting,” Marhoul said. “We are entering a time when everyone is going to be cooped up.”

DINING

COVID19

Further restrictions?

Not easing soon

from page 1

from page 15

sudden spike in cases overall had Pritzker calling on local leaders to redouble their efforts to get the virus under control. “Some elected leaders are allowing this continued rise in positivity to balloon out of control while taking no action,” he said Monday. “These mayors and city councils and county boards and state’s attorneys need to take some responsibility for keeping their constituents safe. I promise them that responsibility pales in comparison to what could come when the hospitals in your area are filling up and there aren’t enough nurses or doctors to save their constituents’ lives.” Pritzker appeared to be talking partly about a reluctance on the part of some local leaders to enforce restrictions on indoor dining, which went into effect in suburban Cook County in late October. While most local establishments have complied with the governor’s order, a few have openly defied it. In Brookfield, at least three establishments have flouted the indoor service ban. Brookfield Village President Kit Ketchmark has argued that the village doesn’t have the authority to enforce the governor’s ban, but in the face of the latest numbers, he broached the subject of enforcement at the village board’s meeting on Nov. 9. “We are once again asking all of our bars and restaurants to comply,” said Ketchmark. “We’ve had good compliance for the most part; I’ve had a couple that have not. Going forward we may want to consider some sort of local ordinance that would give us the power to enforce locally on this.” Ketchmark noted Pritzker’s announcement

Monday that he was ordering further restrictions on indoor gatherings in at least two more regions of the state this week, including DuPage County. “It appears that Cook County may not be far behind,” Ketchmark said, noting that the village board might revert to a more remote model for its meetings in the future, where only 10 people would be allowed inside the council chamber at any one time. Riverside already has reverted to village board meetings where trustees attend via Zoom. At their virtual meeting on Nov. 5, Village President Ben Sells urged residents to do their part to stop the spread of the virus. “In the last two weeks, we’ve seen a 147-percent increase in COVID cases in our village,” Sells said. “The data suggests that these transmissions are being driven largely in private homes, in private settings, which means it’s up to us, in our own interactions with friends and family, to do whatever we can to start to reverse this trend.”

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, the rolling seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate for suburban Cook County on Nov. 6 was 12.2 percent, up from 8.6 percent just 10 days earlier. All of Illinois has been on an upward trajectory of COVID-19 infections since early August. During his briefing on Monday, Pritzker noted the average number of new cases reported daily in Illinois has jumped 380 percent since Oct. 1, while the positivity rate has climbed 180 percent and both hospitalizations and deaths per day are up 150 percent. For the week of Nov. 2-8, the average number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 each day stood at 4,043, the highest it has been since the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in mid-May. The average number of people in ICU beds stood at 799 per day, the highest number since early June, while average ventilator use stood at 349 per day, the highest rate since mid-June. Peter Hancock of Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.

a blower heater that it intends to use when it gets colder. With COVID-19 cases rising steadily since August, Gov. J.B. Pritzker at the end of October imposed new restrictions on indoor dining, which local establishments largely have honored, though some restaurants and bar owners have defied the ban. Faced with carryout/curbside service only, Riverside officials wanted to at least provide a way to continue outdoor dining as an option. Riverside President Ben Sells warned residents that the governor has no intention to resume indoor dining as long as regional COVID-19 positivity rates continue to spike. “It’s very clear that there’s not going to be any easing of the restaurant restrictions until these case numbers turn around and start to come down,” Sells said. “So, if we want to support our local businesses, especially our local restaurants, there are two things we can do: We can take advantage of their carryout and outdoor dining capacity, but more importantly, we can do everything that we can to be strident in our efforts to reverse the trend of these COVID outbreaks.”

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

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NOVENAS PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL) Oh, most beautiful ďŹ‚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. CAC

CEMENT

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708.442.7720 '5,9(:$<6 Â‡ )281'$7,216 Â‡ 3$7,26 67(36 Â‡ &85% *877(56 Â‡ 6,'(:$/.6 612: 3/2:,1* Â‡ 67$03(' &2/25(' $**5(*$7( &21&5(7( FREE ESTIMATES LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED

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HANDYMAN Mikeâ€™s Home Repair Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Donâ€™t Do

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The Landmark, November 11, 2020

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PublicNoticeIllinois.com • RBLandmark.com PUBLIC NOTICES NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Park District of Oak Park November 19, 2020, 7:30 p.m. 2021 Budget and Appropriation Ordinance

FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.

Notice is hereby given that the Board of Commissioners of the Park District of Oak Park will conduct a public hearing concerning the adoption of the Park District’s 2021 Budget and Appropriation Ordinance on November 19, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom during the Board of Commissioners’ regular board meeting.

708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000

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Meeting ID: 863 7417 0042, Password: 555407; or (312) 626-6799 Dated: November 11, 2020 By: Commissioner Chris Wollmuth Secretary, Board of Commissioners Park District of Oak Park Published in Wednesday Journal 11/11/2020

PLASTERING

PUBLIC NOTICE ADVERTISEMENT OF BIDDING Request of bids for 2021 Rehm Park Improvements.

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Owner: Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St Oak Park, IL 60302

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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: Y20004939 on October 20, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of BLACK FAVES with the business located at: 4508 IDLEWILD LANE, HILLSIDE, IL 60162. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: TANISHA BLAKELY 4508 IDLEWILD LANE, HILLSIDE, IL 60162, USA. Published in Forest Park Review 10/28, 11/4, 11/11/2020

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: Y20004951 on October 20, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of FLAWEDDBLACK with the business located at: 8141 S INGLESIDE AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60619. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: THENIKA NEELY, 8141 S INGLESIDE AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60619, USA Published in Wednesday Journal 10/28, 11/4, 11/11/2020

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

The Park District of Oak Park will accept sealed bids for the 2021 Rehm Park Improvements at 515 Garfield Street, Oak Park, IL 60304. The project consists of the existing trees preservation and protection, removal of existing trees, playground equipment footings, playground mulch surfacing, sand surfacing, playground concrete curb, concrete walk pavement, asphalt pavement, fencing, site furnishings or amenities, as specified; installation of new playground play equipment, artificial play turf surfacing, 4’ ht. ornamental metal fence, concrete curb & walk, porous pave, drinking fountain, portable restroom (Portland Loo), drainage and grading, utilities, existing light relocation, site furnishings such as benches, picnic shelter, picnic tables, bike racks, ping pong tables, baggo game set and landscaping. The Park District of Oak Park will receive individual sealed Bids until 2:00 p.m. (CST) on Thursday, December 17th, 2020, at 218 Madison St., Oak Park, Illinois. The bidding documents and requirements will be available on the Park District’s website as of 8:00 am Monday, November 16th, 2020. A non-mandatory pre-bid walk-thru is scheduled for Friday, November 20th, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (CST) at 515 Garfield Street, Oak Park, IL. Bid bonds will be required by bidding contractors. Copies of the bidding specifications are available via the Park District of Oak Park website at: http://www.pdop.org/bids-and-rfps/ For additional information, contact Chris Lindgren at chris.lindgren@pdop.org or (708) 725-2050. Only the bids prepared in compliance with the bidding documents will be considered. This project must adhere to the Prevailing Wage Act of 2020. The Park District of Oak Park encourages minority and women owned business firms to submit bids for this project. Published in Wednesday Journal 11/11/2020

PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed separate bids will be received by the Board of Education, Oak Park Elementary School District 97 (the “Board”) for the following project: OAK PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT 97 SD97 - SUMMER 2021 ADDITION & RENOVATIONS BEYE, LINCOLN, LONGFELLOW, WHITTIER OAK PARK, IL 60302 BID GROUP 1 – DEMOLITION, EXCAVATION, CONCRETE, MASONRY, STEEL, GENERAL TRADES, MILLWORK/ CASEWORK, ROOFING, METAL PANELS, DOORS FRAMES & HARDWARE, GLAZING, DRYWALL & ACT, FLOORING, PAINTING, SPECIALTIES, ELEVATOR, WHEELCHAIR LIFT, PLUMBING, HVAC, and ELECTRICAL Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. CST on Friday, December 11, 2020 at the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Administrative offices, 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302, and will be publicly opened and read at 2:30 p.m. CST on that date. Bids shall be submitted in an opaque sealed envelope clearly marked: Oak Park Elementary School District 97 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302 Attention: Bulley & Andrews Project: SD97 SUMMER 2021 ADDITION & RENOVATIONS

Scope of work for Bid Group 1 generally includes, but is not limited to: Demolition, excavation, concrete, masonry, steel, general trades, millwork/ casework, roofing, metal panels, doors frames & hardware, glazing, drywall & ACT, flooring, painting, specialties, elevator, wheelchair lift, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. All bids must be submitted in accordance with the bidding instructions contained in the Bidding Documents for the project. Bid security in the form of a bid bond in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the base bid amount shall be submitted with the bid. Should a bid bond be submitted, the bond shall be payable to the Board of Education, Oak Park Elementary School District 97, 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302. All documents and information required by the bidding instructions contained in the Bidding Documents for the project shall be submitted with the bid. Incomplete, late or non-conforming bids may not be accepted. No bids shall be withdrawn, cancelled or modified after the time for opening of bids without the Board’s consent for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled time of bid opening. The Bidding Documents for the project (which include the bidding instructions for the project and other related documents) will be available Wednesday November 25, 2020 and are available for viewing/ download online without cost or purchase on the Bulley & Andrews, LLC One Drive, located at the fol-

lowing link. No username or password is required. https://bulleyandrews-my. sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/amantel_bulley_com/ EnFU50U2lZJHvgH8M5EOgUsB37AO8_Gejp_4_ry47Ql0mQ?e=AyfkWu The Board reserves the right to reject any or all bids or parts thereof, or waive any irregularities or informalities, and to make an award that in the Board’s sole opinion is in the best interest of the District. The site will be available for visits by appointment to be coordinated with Bulley & Andrews, LLC. Interested parties may inspect the existing conditions. Schedule an appointment with Alex Mantel of Bulley & Andrews in advance if you wish to visit the sites. All bidders must comply with applicable Illinois Law requiring the payment of prevailing wages by all Contractors working on public works. If during the time period of work, the prevailing wage rates change, the contractor shall be responsible for additional costs without any change to the contract amount. All bidders must comply with the Illinois Statutory requirements regarding labor, including Equal Employment Opportunity Laws. For additional information on the project, contact Alex Mantel of Bulley & Andrews, LLC at amantel@ bulley.com or 219-678-8383. Dated: 11/5/20 Alex Mantel Bulley & Andrews, LLC

Published in Wednesday Journal November 11 & 18, 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: Y20005127 on November 9, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of FOODIE AND FABULOUS with the business located at: 728 N AUSTIN, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: SHERRIE GREEN 728 N AUSTIN OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA Published in Wednesday Journal 11/11, 11/18, 11/25/20

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: Y20005108 on November 5, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of LA CUCINA DI SCUDIERO with the business located at: 2113 W LAKE STREET, MELROSE PARK, IL 60160. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ALEX A SCUDIERO 2113 W. LAKE STREET MELROSE PARK, IL 60160, USA Published in Forest Park Review 11/11, 11/18, 11/25/20

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

LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will receive electronically-submitted proposals for elevator maintenance and repair services until 10:00 a.m. local time on November 27th, 2020 for the following: Village of Oak Park Elevator Maintenance and Repair Services Proposal Number: 20-144 Bid forms may be obtained by calling 708-358-5700 or by e-mailing vics@oak-park.us between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. M-F. Proposals must be e-mailed to vics@oak-park.us . The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue proposal documents and specifications only to those vendors deemed qualified. No proposal documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of proposal opening.

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: Y20005049 on October 27, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of HAMM FAM ELITE APPAREL with the business located at: 1020 WASHINGTON BLVD UNIT 1B, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ANTONIA HAMMOND, 7720 S YATES BLVD, CHICAGO, IL 60649, USA, FRANK HAMMOND, 1020 WASHINGTON BLVD #1B, OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA, ROBERT HAMMOND 4907 W PATTERSON AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60641, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal 11/4, 11/11, 11/18/2020

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Published in Wednesday Journal November 11, 2020

Selling your Condo By Owner? Call to advertise:

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE SERRANO LEGAL SOLUTIONS, LLC Attorney for Petitioner P.O. Box 3581, Oak Park, IL 60303 Attorney for Petitioner

LEGAL NOTICE LAW OFFICE OF LINDA EPSTEIN Attorney for Petitioner 722 W. Diversey Parkway, Ste. 101B Chicago, iL 60614

STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division. In re the marriage of MARIA ESPARZA, Petitioner and BRADLEY HILLERVIK, Respondent, Case No. 2020D007886 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 December 11, 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.

STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division. In re the marriage of NELLY R. COLON, Petitioner and KAJ PER WILLIAM PERSSON, Respondent, Case No. 2020 D 006163 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 Appearance and Response electronically to said Petition in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, on or before December 4, 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 11/4, 11/11, 11/18/2020

DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk. Published in Wednesday Journal 11/11, 11/18, 11/25/2020

Starting a New Business this Year?

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

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

RBLANDMARK.COM

live local? work local. Find your local job here!

On the Landmark’s Local Online Job Board.

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To place an ad, contact Mary Ellen Nelligan (708) 613-3342 • maryellen@oakpark.com

The Landmark, November 11, 2020

G TIN 1-3 LIS UN W S NE PEN O

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G TIN S I L

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-2 12

1168 Clarence Ave, Oak Park $419,900

192 Waubansee Rd, Riverside $539,000

178 Maplewood Rd, Riverside $645,000

4441 Wolf Rd, #401, Western Springs $699,000

1128 Washington Blvd, 3A, Oak Park $147,500

399 Audubon Rd, Riverside $635,000

444 Washington Blvd, #204, Oak Park $195,000

3303 S Grove Ave South #603, Berwyn $159,900

112.5 Lincoln Ave, 2H, Riverside $109,900

3608 Wenonah Ave, Berwyn $289,900 L TA N RE

56 N Cowley Rd, Riverside $399,000

321 Delaplaine Rd, Riverside $790,000

144 Scottswood Rd, Riverside $799,000

45 Longcommon Rd, Riverside $975,000

622 Robinhood Ln, LaGrange Park $2,400/mo

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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