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Vol. 35, No. 50

@riversidebrookfieldlandmark

December 9, 2020

District 103 incumbents won’t run for re-election PAGE 8

Riverside home sales topped Chicago suburbs in 2020 PAGE 13

On the front lines of a pandemic

Residents near river voice support for Riverside floodwall

‘This isn’t normal,’ says ICU nurse who thought she’d seen it all

Barrier facing homes could be between 3 and 11 feet above ground

By BOB UPHUES

Editor

or a variety of reasons, even faced with the staggering figures – more than 280,000 people dead from COVID-19 and 200,000 more infected daily as the nation approaches 15 million cases since the pandemic started – many seem unconcerned. Misinformation, lack of a coherent national response, refusal to believe the warnings of experts and downright arrogance have resulted in people refusing to wear face coverings, crowding bars and restaurants and going about their lives without regard for the health of themselves or others. It bewilders Brookfield resident Melissa Litwin, who since March has seen a procession of the doomed wheeled through the doors of the intensive care unit at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, where she has worked as a nurse for the past 22 years. “I feel betrayed by society,” Litwin said in a recent interview with the Landmark. “I feel people’s biggest concern is what restaurants are staying open that they can go eat in. It’s so frustrating. They just don’t get it.” MacNeal Hospital’s intensive care unit has 17 beds. See ICU NURSE on page 15

By BOB UPHUES Editor

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

EYE WITNESS: Brookfield resident Melissa Litwin, an ICU nurse at MacNeal Hospital for 22 years, says those still failing to grasp the danger of the COVID-19 pandemic “just don’t get it.”

Riverside got its first public look last week at just how big and intrusive a proposed floodwall along the Des Plaines River could be for West Avenue homeowners, but for the first time since the floodwall was proposed in 2013 a chorus of residents from the area voiced strong support for the project. During the village board’s Dec. 3 meeting, which was conducted via Zoom, about a dozen residents who live on Groveland, Lincoln and West avenues urged village trustees to move ahead with planning for the floodwall, which would extend from Park Place south to the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad embankment and along Park Place from Groveland Avenue to Woodside Road. See FLOODWALL on page 17

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

Brook Park School rolls out STEAM program Students in K-5 introduced to trimester long interdisciplinary class By BOB SKOLNIK

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Contributing Reporter

Brook Park Elementary School is STEAMpowered this year and it’s more than hot air. In education circles STEAM –which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math -- is an interdisciplinary way to teach a variety of subjects and skills in a team-orientated way. “It’s far more than just sticking those things together,” said Lynda Nadkarni, the STEAM facilitator at Brook Park. “It’s more of a philosophy that teaches skills and subjects in a way that resembles real life. So, it takes those things and puts it in a real-life application.” STEAM classes are becoming commonplace in middle and high schools, but an elementary school program is somewhat unusual. The program is new at Brook Park School in LaGrange Park this year and is being taught remotely because of the pandemic. Nadkarni is a veteran teacher who has taught at Brook Park for 18 years. During that time, she has taught second and fourth grades. She has also taught art and middle school reading improvement during her career. She is excited to be running the new STEAM program. Nadkarni says the STEAM class, which runs for one trimester, teaches a variety of skills including critical thinking, modeling and testing problems, figuring out solutions, and, normally, in a non-pandemic year, a lot of communication skills as students collaborate and test ideas. But this year due to the pandemic there is not much collaboration. Second- and thirdgraders recently completed their project, building a sunlight and moisture detection device for plants. This winter, during the second trimester, fourth- and fifth-graders will build something called a TinkRbot, while in the spring trimester kindergarteners and first-graders will build a night lamp. District 95 has teamed with TinkRworks a Hinsdale-based company that specializes in developing STEAM curriculum. TinkRworks has worked with S. E. Gross Middle School in Brookfield for the past few years and was instrumental in developing the STEAM program there. The moisture and sunlight monitor for plants has a LED light, which signals the health of the plant and whether the plant is getting enough sunlight and water. To build it students had to learn basic computer cod-

IN THIS ISSUE Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Kosey Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

SCIENCE GUYS: Brook Park School second-grader Atticus Hein (left) and his dad, Chris, work to assemble a moisture and sunlight monitor, which also required Atticus to learn basic computer coding and plant biology. ing and programming, some basic computer hardware knowledge, as well as basic plant biology. “It was interesting, said Chris Hein, the father of Atticus Hein, a second-grader at Brook Park. “They had a good chance to pull together from a lot of different perspectives of things that they needed to work on.” Hein, who works as an engineering manager for Google and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science, was impressed by the weekly lessons during the seven-week project. “On the whole, I thought it was a really clever way to kind of incorporate all these different concepts and give them something hands on and very tangible to do,” Hein said. “It was challenging enough, I think, for them but not overwhelmingly so.” Instructions were provided by Nadkarni in weekly packets, slides and videos, some of which included Gross School students showing the younger kids how to proceed in certain steps. Nadkarni was available for office hours and help. “In case they have something that they get stuck on or they don’t understand, they can just pop on to the help desk and I help walk them through that piece,” Nadkarni said. Shannon Gardner, the mother of third-

grader Alanna Gardner, was impressed with the hands-on nature of the project. “What I like about the program is that it wasn’t them just watching videos and listening to lectures, they were doing things alongside of it,” Gardner said. Chris Hein, who is working from home, was also around to provide some assistance whenever Atticus needed some guidance. “Atticus did a nice job with it, but it certainly wasn’t an activity he could have sat and done by himself without some guidance,” Hein said. “He was the person who did all the steps; he just needed some extra instruction on how to get through them.” The students also received a premade pot and learned a bit about the history of pottery, which they decorated demonstrating the art in STEAM. Atticus’s device works and now sits in the Hein’s living room in a pot containing an elephant ear plant. Atticus was proud to show it off to his grandparents on video calls and checks it daily to make sure the plant is doing well. “On a daily basis he goes and he turns the device on and checks to see whether or not it’s getting enough sunlight and enough water,” Hein said. “He’s very proud of his creation.”

Editor Bob Uphues Sports Editor James Kay Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Javier Govea, Mark Moroney Debbie Becker Sales and Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich

Growing Community Media BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

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

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

BIG WEEK

December 9-16

All things dragon

Brookfield Public Library presents an interactive, family-friendly story time and art event via Facebook Live on Monday, Dec. 14 at 4 p.m.

Meet Mark Twain

Mark Twain may have died in 1910, but this year he’s celebrating the holidays in Riverside -- in the form of interpreter Warren Brown, a well-known Twain scholar and interpreter (catchthetwain.com), who has portrayed the famous author in over 1,200 events since 1996. Riverside American Legion Post #488 will host the performance live on their Facebook page (facebook.com/AmericanLegionRiverside) on Friday, Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. Capturing the wit and irony that portrays 2020 perfectly, Brown’s performance encompasses tall tales, funny wisdom and is perfect for children and adults alike. Email to americanlegionriverside@gmail.com with any questions.

And more The 39th Annual Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st St. in Brookfield, runs Wednesdays through Sundays through Dec. 20 and Saturday through Thursday, Dec. 26 to 31, from 3 to 9 p.m. The zoo is not open prior to 3 p.m. on Holiday Magic days. Advance admission and parking tickets are required. Buy tickets at czs.org/tickets. Visit czs.org/holidaymagic for more info. Santa’s Mailbox is back and ready to receive letters from local kids, courtesy of the Riverside Department of Parks and Recreation, just east of the historic water tower at 10 Pine Ave. in downtown Riverside. All letters received through Dec. 20 will get a letter back from Santa. Be sure to include a mailing address, so Santa knows where to send his reply. North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, hosts a holiday toy drive to benefit families of The Children’s Center of Cicero-Berwyn. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to mall’s center court through Dec. 14 ■

■

During “Marvelous Mythological Creatures: Dragon Edition,” read a story about dragons and explore ways they have been depicted around the world. After that, get a dragon drawing lesson and start some shimmering, shining dragon paintings.

Virtual holiday concert

Tune in at facebook.com/BrookfieldPublicLibrary.

Join the folks at North Riverside Public Library as they get into the holiday spirit during a Let’s Be Jolly Holiday Concert on Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. on YouTube and Facebook Live. Flutist Carlyn Lloyd and pianist Jon Warfel will play delightful music of the holiday season. You can tune in live at facebook.com/ NRPL2400 or go to YouTube.com and enter “North Riverside Public Library” into the search field.

Holiday cookie recipe swap Riverside Public Library invites you to swap recipes, trade tips and meet new people during its next Melting Pot Recipe Chat: Holiday Cookies, which will be held via Zoom on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Register to attend by visiting the library’s online events page at riversidelibrary.evanced.info/signup or by calling 708-442-6366.

and receive a mall coupon book. Riverside Department of Parks and Recreation invites you to register for Around Riverside in 80 Days, challenging you to get out there every day through Feb. 14 and walk, run or bike any distance to stay healthy this winter. Register to participate at tinyurl.com/y55r9zny and receive a sweatshirt of your choice. Riverside Arts Center invites you to bring art home with a Paint Your Own Pottery box. Choose either a platter or serving bowl and receive a box containing everything you’ll need to create a painted masterpiece. Kits are $50 (non-members $55) and you can order online at riversideartscenter.com/kids-art-classes-camps/bisque-box. RAC will arrange for delivery or pick up of your box on your specified day. Celebrate those who make the West Suburban Special Recreation Association hum during the WSSRA Celebration of Stars virtual benefit through Friday, Dec. 18 at 6:30 p.m. The celebration ■

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includes a silent auction, raffle, opportunities to make donations and more. View auction items, register and more by visiting wssra.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 discussion of “Fights: One Boy’s Triumph over Violence” by Joel Christian Gill via Zoom on Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m.; Crafternoons: Holiday Gift Tags via Zoom on Dec. 12 at 1:30 p.m.; WITS Workout for brain health via Zoom on Dec. 15 at 11 a.m.; and Crafterdarks: Holiday Donut Holes via Zoom on Dec. 15 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.; and Lego Builders Club on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. Register by calling 708-447-0869, ext. 230 or at northriversidelibrary.org/kids/youth-servicesregistration. 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 via Zoom on Dec. 10 at 11 a.m. and Job Searching with the Library on Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Register for Zoom access info by visiting brookfield.evanced.info/signup or calling 708-485-6917, ext. 130. ■

The Landmark, December 9, 2020

P O L I C E

R E P O R T S

Riverside cops arrest ‘prolific’ burglar Riverside police wrapped up a two-month burglary investigation last week when they arrested two people inside a Cicero motel room where they had reportedly stashed the proceeds from a Riverside garage and vehicle burglary as well as items believed to have been stolen in other towns. One of those arrested, William Wesley Brown, 44, of Chicago, is well known to Riverside police. According to Police Chief Thomas Weitzel, Brown over the years has been a “one-man crime wave” in the village, “fixated on committing crimes in Riverside even after getting repeatedly arrested.” Brown was charged with one count of burglary stemming from the October garage/vehicle burglary in the 100 block of Northgate Road. He was also charged with felony unlawful use of a stolen credit card, which was used at locations in Cicero and Chicago, police said. Riverside police also arrested Brown’s girlfriend, 34-year-old Nicolette R. Barton, of Chicago. She was charged with being a fugitive from justice after detectives confirmed she was wanted by the DuPage County Sheriff on an outstanding felony burglary warrant. Police developed leads through a cellphone recovered near the scene of the Riverside burglary and security camera video showing the stolen credit card being used. Detectives determined Brown was staying at the Cindy Lyn Motel in the 5000 block of West Ogden Avenue in Cicero and then obtained a search warrant, which they executed on Dec. 3. Brown’s criminal history includes 25 prior arrests for burglary, aggravated assault, theft and escape from police custody, among others.

Cops investigate fake kidnap scam An employee at a Riverside business was scammed out of $1,800, according to police, after someone calling the business’ phone line from Mexico through WhatsApp demanded the sum as ransom for the owner of the business who he claimed to have kidnapped. The victim told police she believed the caller, according to police, since such kidnappings and ransom demands are more common in Mexico. Two attempts to wire the money failed, but a third attempt at a currency exchange in Chicago went through. Shortly afterward, the business owner returned to the business and the victim realized the call had been a scam. She attempted to cancel the transaction, but it was too late. Neither the victim nor the business owner knew the offender who targeted them. Police continue to investigate.

Another jewelry smash-and-grab North Riverside police responded to North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, just after 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 after the owner of a jewelry business set up in a lower-level common area kiosk called to report a smashand-grab burglary. The victim told police three men approached the Reflections Jewelry kiosk and one of them asked about a gold chain valued at $3,000. All three left the area, but a short time later the one who asked about the chain returned and, without a word, began kicking out the glass display case. The offender took two or three trays of jewelry and ran out the nearest exit on the west side of the mall. The offender cut himself on the glass while grabbing the jewelry trays, according to the police report, allowing investigators to collect blood-stained glass as evidence.

Theft/burglary ■ The

owner of Rodriguez Auto, 8916 Fairview Ave. in Brookfield, called police on Dec. 4. to report that the night before he had chased off someone he observed to be inside an unlocked vehicle belonging to a customer. According to the owner of the vehicle, the offender had stolen a pair of gym shoes from it. The auto shop owner told police he was working at about 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 when he heard some loud noises outside. He opened the overhead garage door and observed a man inside one of his customers’ cars. When he yelled at the man, he closed the car door and jogged to a black sedan waiting about 50 west on Fairview Avenue. ■ North Riverside police responded to a residence in the 2300 block of Hainsworth Avenue on the morning of Dec. 4 after a homeowner called to report that a bicycle had been stolen from his garage the previous night. The victim told police that his garage had been open between 6 and 10 p.m. When he went to close it up he noticed the white Specialized Rockhopper bike was missing. It was valued at about $1,000. ■ An 11-year-old Brookfield boy and his mother went to police on the afternoon of Dec. 3 to report that the boy’s bike, which had been left along an alley fence in the 3500 block of Oak Avenue for about 30 minutes earlier that day, had been stolen. The silver Huffy mountain bike was valued at about $100. These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 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

Maybe it’s just too much. This year has been one shock after another. If you’re looking at your finances, and you just don’t see the way out, maybe it’s time to think about how you can get a fresh start through bankruptcy or Chapter 13. • You can get out from under a mountain of debt, or stretch our your car payments, or catch up on your mortgage so you can stay in your home. • If you have a business, and business is picking up, but the last few months have left you with more debt than the company can carry, maybe a Chapter 11 reorganization is what will get you through these tough time. • We are open and working to help our clients during this crisis. I’m meeting with clients by phone or video, and we can meet, discuss your case, and file for bankruptcy relief, all electronically. I’ve lived in Brookfield for 30+ years, and worked in LaGrange for 8; if there’s a way I can help my neighbors, I will.

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

Brookfield to outsource village hall janitorial services

Full-time public works employee now on the job will be reassigned By BOB UPHUES Editor

For the first time in more than a decade, Brookfield will outsource janitorial services at village hall, with trustees voting 5-0 on Nov. 23 to award Mount Prospect-based Crystal Maintenance Plus Corp. a oneyear contract for $19,860, with two one-year extensions likely.

The company will clean the village’s administrative offices, the police department and the parks and recreation area in the village hall’s lower level. In addition, the company will also maintain the gym at S.E. Gross Middle School on days when the Brookfield Department of Parks and Recreation uses that facility. Outsourcing the maintenance work will allow the one full-time union public works employee who spends 40 hours a week performing those services to be reassigned to the streets division, said Public Works Director Carl Muell. Having a full-time public works

employee perform the work costs the village $94,249 annually. Those dollars can now be directed towards core public works duties, like alley grading and pothole filling. Hiring a third-party vendor will also allow the village to have the cleaning work done at night, when the public and staff, except for the police department, are not in the building. Public works staff will still do room setups for board meetings and other functions inside the building. “To me it was just not practical to have the cleaning done during the day when people were working,”

Muell said. “I thought it was a little crazy.” According to Muell, the cleaning service will begin working in January at the start of the new fiscal year. Brookfield has never seriously tried outsourcing village hall janitorial services, though there appears to have been a brief period of time where it was given a trial run. Back in 2005, then-Village Manager Dave Owen pitched outsourcing village hall janitorial work at a time when the administration was shedding jobs due to cost-cutting measures proposed for the 2005-06

Brookfield will change auditor after 15-year run For the first time in 15 years, the village of Brookfield will have a new firm auditing its financial statements come the end of the 2020 fiscal year. On Dec. 14, village trustees are expected to pass a resolution naming Oak Brook-based Selden Fox as its auditor for at least the next three years. Selden Fox was the lower of two firms responding to a request

for proposals from the village in October. Brookfield will pay Selden Fox $28,500 to conduct its 2020 audit, with that fee going up to $28,800 for 2021 and $29,000 for 2022. The firm will also receive $400 each year for auditing the village’s TIF district reports. Since 2005, the firm Lauterbach and Amen has handled Brookfield’s

annual financial audit, with the village board simply renewing the firm’s contract every few years. The village has just wrapped up a three-year contract with Lauterbach and Amen, who were not offered a chance to respond with a proposal. “Although [Lauterbach and Amen] provided service for the last 12 audits, staff felt it was time to rotate auditing firms,” said Brookfield

By Linda Sokol Francis. E.A.

CHILD TAX CREDIT BY THE NUMBERS

axpayers may be able to claim the child tax credit if they have a qualifying child under the age of 17. Part of this credit can be refundable, so it may give a taxpayer a refund even if they don’t owe any tax. The taxpayer’s qualifying child must have a Social Security number issued by the Social Security Administration before the due date of their tax return, including extensions. A dependent who doesn’t have the required SSN may be eligible to be claimed for the credit for other dependents. Here are some numbers to know before claiming the child tax credit or the credit for other dependents. $2,000: The maximum amount of the child tax credit per qualifying child.

child tax credit per qualifying child that can be refunded even if the taxpayer owes no tax. $500: The maximum amount of the credit for other dependents for each qualifying dependent who isn’t eligible to be claimed for the child tax credit. This can include dependents over the age of 16 and dependents who don’t have the required SSN. $400,000: The amount of adjusted gross income for taxpayers who are married taxpayers filing a joint return before the credit is reduced. $200,000: The amount of adjusted gross income for all other taxpayers before the credit is reduced.

$1,400: The maximum amount of the

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Finance Director Doug Cooper in a memo to the village board, which briefly discussed the impending change at their Nov. 23 committee of the whole meeting. In their final year serving the village, Lauterbach and Amen was paid $29,800 to perform the financial audit for fiscal year 2019, which was delivered to the board earlier this year.

budget. At the time, the village’s fiscal year ran from May to April. The village went to a January-December fiscal year in 2007. Muell said he asked a senior public works employee if the plan ever went into action, and apparently it did, briefly. “In 2006, they contracted it out three days a week for about three months,” Muell said, though memories of the arrangement were sketchy. Riccardo Ginex, who was hired as village manager in late summer 2006, said public works staff handled village hall maintenance by the time he arrived. Selden Fox has been in the accounting/auditing business since 1978 and has a number of municipal clients, including Calumet Park, Cary, Crystal Lake, Forest View, Niles and Summit. Selden Fox is also the auditing firm for Riverside Township. “It’s nothing against our previous auditors,” said Trustee Michael Garvey. “An audit is someone from the outside looking at and giving an honest opinion as to the state of our finances and procedures, so I think it’s a good idea to have the change.” — Bob Uphues

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

New COVID cases up 100% or more since Nov. 3 Brookfield man, 83, is sixth village resident to die from virus By BOB UPHUES Editor

When the month of November dawned, it brought with it a sudden surge in the number of COVID-19 throughout the state of Illinois. The disease didn’t spare Brookfield, Riverside and North Riverside, all of which saw record weekly spikes in the number of people testing positive. By Nov. 3, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health, a total of 497 Brookfield residents had tested positive for COVID-19 in the 32 weeks since the county started publishing that data in March. Four of those people had died. In the five weeks since Nov 3, the number of people testing positive in Brookfield has gone through the roof. By the morning of Dec. 8, the village had blown past its 1,000th case to 1,052 – an increase of 555 new cases in five weeks, a 112 percent jump since Nov. 3. Two more people – 33 percent of the total number of Brookfield residents who have died from COVID-19 – also died during that period, bringing the village’s total since March to six. The latest fatality was an 83-year-old Brookfield man, who died from COVID-19 on Dec. 4, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner. Riverside and North Riverside have experienced similar increases in the rate of new cases, although no new fatalities in those villages

have been reported during the most recent surge. Since March, two Riverside residents and three North Riverside residents have died after contracting COVID-19. But, since Nov. 3, Riverside has seen the number of people either confirmed or probable for COVID-19 jump 104 percent. Between Nov. 3 and the morning of Dec. 8, the total number of cases rose from 268 to 548. In North Riverside cases soared 97.5 percent between Nov. 3 and Dec. 8, from 163 confirmed and probable cases to 322. The only bright spot for the seven-day period ending on the morning of Dec. 8 was that the rate of new cases dropped in all three villages. At 87 new cases, Brookfield saw its lowest number of weekly new cases in a month. The 39 new cases reported in the past week in Riverside were the lowest one-week total since the 16 added between Oct. 27 and Nov. 3. The village had been consistently above 50 new cases weekly since Nov. 3. North Riverside’s weekly total of 30 new cases as of the morning of Dec. 8 was also lower than three of the five prior weeks, but in line with the 31.8 average number of new cases during that time. But state health officials are warning residents not to get complacent. On Dec. 7, Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned Illinois residents that they are not yet out of the danger zone and that the next four weeks could be the most crucial of the pandemic. “In other words, the surge on top of a surge that national experts have said might define the holiday season is still the focus of our attention,” Pritzker said at his daily COVID-19 briefing Monday in Chicago. During the first seven days of December, according to Illinois Department of Public Health data, the state recorded an average

of just under 10,000 new cases and 153 virusrelated deaths each day, bringing the statewide totals since the pandemic began to 796,264 confirmed and probable cases and 13,343 fatalities. Those fatalities included 372 individuals who had died since the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 4. On Dec. 5 alone Illinois saw 208 virusrelated deaths, the second-highest single-day number since the pandemic began. Although the daily number of new cases remained high during the week, the overall case positivity rate – new cases as a percentage of tests performed – remained relatively stable. As of Monday, the seven-day rolling average positivity rate stood at 10.3 percent, marking the 15th consecutive day it stayed below 11 percent. “So far, we haven’t seen our positivity rates start to creep back up, which is a good sign,” Pritzker said. “But we also haven’t seen it substantially fall – not a good sign. It may be that our mitigations are working to offset the expected surge in cases. But we won’t know that for sure, for at least two more weeks.” While statewide hospitalization rates fell for the second straight week, down 7.7 percent from the week before, and down 9.5 percent from the period ending Nov. 23, hospitalization rates remained 14 percent higher than the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in April and May, Pritzker said. According to Illinois Department of Public Health data, as of Dec. 6 only 28 percent of the state’s staffed hospital beds remained available, and Pritzker warned that another surge in cases could stretch the state’s hospital resources to their limits. Heading into the December holiday season, both Pritzker and IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike urged Illinois resident to celebrate in

smaller, more intimate groups to reduce the spread of the disease. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to grant emergency use authorization to COVID-19 vaccines in the coming days, Pritzker said it could be a number of months before most people in Illinois have access to them. In the meantime, Ezike also urged Illinoisans to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu in order to avoid what she called a “twindemic.” Peter Hancock of Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

D103 incumbents won’t run for re-election next spring Former board president says she’s tired of serving in futile minority

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

The minority bloc members of the Lyons School District 103 Board of Education are giving up the fight. Sharon Anderson, Marge Hubacek and Shannon Johnson have all decided not to run for re-election in next year’s school board elections. Their seats are the only ones up in 2021 so even if they all ran and won, the majority on the school board would stay the same. Johnson plans on moving out of the district. “We’re planning on moving closer to my work, so if we don’t live here, I can’t serve,” said Johnson, who teaches second grade in Glencoe and gave birth to her first child seven

months ago. Hubacek, 72, is stepping down after one term on the school board, including two years as board president. She said she is tired of being in the minority on a divided school board. “It’s difficult to work on a board that doesn’t work together,” said Hubacek, who worked as secretary in the school district for 33 years before retiring in 2015. “The majority rules, no matter what.” Anderson is stepping down after serving on the school board for 15 years. “I need a break,” Anderson said. In 2017, Hubacek and Johnson ran on a slate with Anderson and defeated two incumbents. They, along with then board member Joanne Schaeffer, wrested control of the school board away from a bloc elected

in 2015 with the support of Lyons Village President Christopher Getty. Two years later, a Getty-backed group of candidates won all four seats up in the school board election, defeating Schaeffer in the process, to regain control of the school board. Hubacek said it has been frustrating to be in the minority and to serve on a board where there is little deliberation and where most decisions seem to be made in advance of school board meetings. “There have been legitimate things that we could have agreed on and they went ahead and just did whatever they were told to do,” Hubacek said. “It doesn’t make any difference. They still have the majority. In my opinion they’re still run by the government in Lyons. They’re still giving out political jobs.” The filing period for school board candi-

dates runs from Dec. 14 through Dec. 21. A candidate needs 50 signatures on nominating petitions to run. “It’s time for somebody else to step up,” Hubacek said. Anderson, Hubacek and Johnson said they didn’t know if any candidates not connected to Getty would run next year. “I think that they’re intimidated and it’s going up against the machine and it would be at least two years of what we’ve been putting up with,” Johnson said. “I just hope for the best.” Anderson and Hubacek did not completely rule out making another run for the school board in 2023 when four seats, the majority, will be up for grabs. “Two years from now, who knows what will happen because the board majority could be taken back?” Hubacek said.

Three of four incumbents will run again in District 96 Former board president Miller won’t seek another term

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Three of the four incumbents whose terms on the Riverside Elementary School District 96 Board of Education expire next year will run for re-election. The only incumbent who has decided not to run for another term is Jeff Miller, who has served on the school board for six years. “For me it just seems like the right time,” said Miller, whose youngest child is in eighth grade. “I won’t have any kids in the system anymore. It makes sense to have parents who have younger kids in the system, because they’re going to be more engaged in what’s going on.” Miller served as board president for his first four years on the school board. His intellect will be missed said fellow board member Joel Marhoul, who described Miller as the smartest person on the board. “I’m going to miss him,” Marhoul said. “I’ve enjoyed working with him.” Miller has been unafraid to challenge administrative recommendations and recently expressed frustration at the board table about how long it took to the district to join District 102’s COVID saliva screening program. Marhoul along with board President Dan Hunt and David Barsotti have all decided to run for second four-year terms on the school board. “I’ve enjoyed my time working on the board for the last three and a half years,” Hunt said. “I’ve enjoyed working with the

other board members and representing the community.” Marhoul and Barsotti both said that their belief in public service played a large role in their decisions to run again. “There are things that are in progress at the district that I’d like to be part of, and I think I can adequately represent the interests of both the community and the taxpayer at the board level,” said Marhoul, who had sought the endorsement of the Riverside Community Caucus for village trustee but was not chosen. Barsotti said he views his service on the school board as a way to give back to the community. At least one newcomer will be running for the school board. Stephanie Basañez Gunn plans to file nominating papers next week. Candidates for the school board must get at least 50 signatures on nominating petitions that must be filed between Dec. 14 and Dec. 21. Gunn, 37, has lived in the Hollywood neighborhood for nearly six years and is a resident of Brookfield. She works as the admissions director for the weekend and evening MBA program at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. The mother of two students who attend Hollywood School, Gunn has a law degree from DePaul University and earned an undergraduate degree in political science and government from the University of Texas. After getting her law degree, Gunn worked for nearly five years as an immi-

gration attorney before taking a job in admissions at DePaul College of Law. Gunn was born in Mexico and moved to Brownsville, Texas, when she was 8 years old. She says she would bring some diversity and fresh perspectives to the District 96 school board as a parent of young children, a Latina who speaks fluent Spanish, a working mom with a demanding career and as a resident of Brookfield. “I listen in the board meetings and sometimes I just feel the conversations are lacking some various perspectives,” Gunn said. Gunn also said her training should be useful to the school board. “My professional background would be beneficial to being a member of the board, just being trained in law and higher education,” Gunn said. “I really rely a lot on the facts, the data and I like to be rational and logical and look at all sides of an issue.” There are currently five men and two women on the District 96 school board. “I think having more female voices in government and civil service is important,” Gunn said. Gunn served for two years as the vicepresident of the Hollywood School PTA but is not currently an officer of the group. “It just really comes down to I’m an involved parent with two school-aged children in the district,” Gunn said of her reasons for seeking a seat on the school board.

“I think having more female voices in government and civil service is important.” STEPHANIE BASAÑEZ GUNN D96 school board candidate

The Landmark, December 9, 2020

Street parking pitched for teachers at Hollywood School Village says dismissal backups, snow plowing needs to be addressed

entrance. Village President Kit Ketchmark, whose children went to Hollywood School, said that at dismissal time, parents’ vehicles are already lined up along the east side of Hollywood Avenue from Washington Avenue to the cul-de-sac at the north end of the block. By BOB UPHUES Adding faculty vehicles parked on the Editor street into the mix would only make that Brookfield elected officials say they’re open situation worse, Ketchmark said. “If there’s 10 designated teacher/employto finding a solution to help Riverside Eleee parking spots in that area, where do all mentary School District 96 solve a staff parkthese cars go that are waiting to pick up the ing shortage that will result next year when students?” Ketchmark asked school district a new addition is built at Hollywood School. However, trustees and the village president officials during a discussion of the subject at the village board’s Nov. 23 commade clear they still had conmittee of the whole meeting. cerns that allowing on-street Ketchmark also worried that parking for staff along Holparent vehicles might begin lywood Avenue in front of the spilling over onto Rockefeller school would create headaches Avenue, where neighbors school officials hadn’t considin the past have complained ered. about school traffic. The school district plans on Trustee Michael Garvey building a multipurpose room also wondered how the school onto the rear of Hollywood would handle parking on HolSchool next summer, which lywood Avenue during winter will reduce the size of the existdays where there’s enough TIMOTHY WIBERG ing parking lot to about eight snowfall to trigger parking Brookfield village manager spaces. bans to allow streets to be School district officials earliplowed. er this year were able to swing a Right now, there’s no parkdeal with the Chicago Zoologiing allowed on that side of the cal Society to rent 10 parking spaces in the southwest corner of Brookfield street, so plowing that side of Hollywood Avenue isn’t an issue. If cars begin to park Zoo’s south parking lot. While the school itself has a staff of 17, there, it’s something that needs to be taken the addition of the new multipurpose room into consideration, Garvey said. “If it’s snowing throughout the day and creates the need for 26 parking spaces for the school, according to the village’s code. Dis- there’s eight cars parked there, it means that trict 96 has asked the village of Brookfield to street can’t be plowed,” Garvey said. “What do we do? It’s so important that create 10 parking spaces along the east side of Hollywood Avenue in front of the school street gets plowed in the winter.” Village Manager Timothy Wiberg told the to comply with the code. Though it would seem that the school has Landmark that village staff met with school enough parking for staff without the on- officials on Nov. 30 to address elected ofstreet spaces, there are others who visit the ficials’ concerns and said representatives schools throughout the week – music and art from District 96 would be back with some teachers, advanced learning teachers, math answers for trustees at their Dec. 14 comand reading specialists, speech/language pa- mittee of the whole meeting. “I believe we can come to some logical thologists, psychologists, social workers and conclusions about how to handle the snow others. The school district has proposed placing plowing,” Wiberg told the Landmark in the 10 parking spots, which could be oc- a phone interview. “Those and other iscupied between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on sues are things that can be solved and adschool days, north of the Hollywood School dressed.”

“[Snow plowing] and other issues are things that can be solved and addressed.”

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

sponsored content

Fair Housing: Its Impact Athena Williams, Executive Director, OPRHC

or over four decades, the Oak Park Regional Housing Center has been committed to its mission of promoting and sustaining Athena Williams, Executive Director residential OAK PARK REGIONAL integration HOUSING CENTER in Oak Park and the region. Our Fair Housing programming has been recognized as a model and a best practice within the community and across the nation. Through our rental referral program, OPRHC helps individuals expand their housing options by providing them with the ability and encouragement they may need to rent or purchase a home in any area regardless of their race or ethnicity. Oak Park Regional Housing Center works to continue to maintain residential integration in Oak Park and the region, block by block, building by building. Many people say, “Oak Park has achieved integration, why do we need the Housing Center”? Obviously I am going to tell you. OPRHC is needed now more than ever. With the growing developments, increase in market rate rents, there are segments of our population that we must target to help Oak Park remain true to its core values and its brand, the market of “excellence” that has been built into the Oak Park Housing stock. Excellence that arrived from the high market demands, not because of the location to the City of Chicago; not because of the good schools; not because of the beautiful community characteristics, but the racially and ethnically integrated fabric of which the Village of Oak Park has become. Even though the Oak Park Regional Housing Center has established this national model for integration, our work and our impact is not fully recognized. What is the impact of integration? Research has shown that a diverse workforce can improve financial performance. Racially diverse schools and classrooms create cognitive, social, and emotional benefits. In addition, living in a racially integrated community can positively impact an individual’s identity and how they interact with others. These actions require on going intention, and that

is what Oak Park Regional Housing Center is here to continue to do. Without this intention, these great benefits and impacts would diminish. This is why investments in the Oak Park Regional Housing Center is critical. OPRHC’s efforts to continue to promote and maintain integration positively affects property values, social and communal relations. In the past 48 years, OPRHC has introduced more than 70,000 new people to the Village of Oak Park. This alone has

increased the market value and notoriety of the greatest Village to live in the United States. In 2020, during one of the most anomalous times of our generation, OPRHC continued in our work and registered over 1200 individual apartment renters seeking to reside in Oak Park; another 100 seeking to reside in the region; provided homebuyer education to over 300 households; assisted others with improving their credit score; and helping over 75 individuals and their families become homeowners! And this is

Join Athena Williams, Executive Director of Oak Park Regional Housing Center and David Mendell, Oak Park Resident, journalist, and author of OBAMA: From Promise to Power, as we discuss racial inequalities and how the work of OPRHC has and continues to address these issues.

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For more information: oprhc.org/eoygiving, or email egraham@oprhc.org

just some of our impact for 2020. You live in Oak Park because you choose this community! Oak Park is not just a place to live but a way of life committed to diversity, integration, and equality. If you would like to see all of Oak Park continue to flourish with strong stable property values and a foundation of community integration as an asset, support the Oak Park Regional Housing Center! You can get more info at oprhc.org/donate.

The Landmark, December 9, 2020

Power outage preceded fire in Brookfield home A fire that sent flames through the roof of the home at 3820 Cleveland Ave. in Brookfield on Dec. 3 appears to have started in the attic as the result of an electrical malfunction, according to Fire Chief Jim Adams. Investigators are still trying to determine the precise cause of the fire, which ignited just prior to 5:30 p.m., but it caused heavy fire damage to the attic and roof of two-story frame home, with the first and second floors sustaining heavy water damage. Adams said the fire appears to have been accidental in nature. Two residents inside the home at the time were notified by a neighbor that smoke was pouring from the roof and they were able to exit the residence without injury. Police who interviewed the residents of the home reported that shortly before the neighbor informed them of the fire, the power went out in two upstairs bedrooms. One of the homeowners checked the circuit breaker panel in the basement and saw the switch tripped, but he was unable to re-engage power. A few minutes later, one of the residents began to smell smoke and the neighbor knocked on the front door to report the fire.

A police officer who arrived first at the scene reported that the entire 3800 block of Cleveland Avenue appeared to be covered by a blanket of smoke, while firefighters arriving a few minutes later reported smoke and fire coming through the roof. According to Adams, the fire was under control in about 20 minutes, but crews remained on scene until about 7 p.m. Brookfield firefighters were assisted in combating the fire by units from LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Riverside, Lyons, McCook, Westmont, Western Springs, Oak Brook and Forest View. Adams said the fire was not related to holiday decorations or the cold weather, but he took the occasion to remind Brookfield residents to be cautious when using space heaters, avoid overloading extension cords and keep natural Christmas trees watered. A fundraiser has been initiated to assist the family, who lost many personal belongings in the fire, with nearly $8,000 collected since the effort was started Dec. 5. If you would like to donate toward the effort, you can visit bit.ly/33UEjt8 online.

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

Brookfield family creates website spotlighting local businesses As online holiday shopping dominates during pandemic, guide attempts to level playing field By JACKIE PISANO Contributing Reporter

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, businesses big and small have had to radically shift how they serve customers. So, one Brookfield family took it upon themselves to show residents just what local businesses had to offer by creating a website promoting their products and services during the holiday season. No matter the size, business owners have had to adhere to social distancing guidelines, employ strict cleaning protocols, limit the number of customers indoors and sometimes just how many essential items they can buy, maintain inventory to stock empty shelves and address the additional demands of more phone and online business. And while big-box retailers have seemingly been able to adjust to the new demands of the shopping world due to more manpower and corporate funds, small businesses and mom-and-pop retailers have not been as fortunate. This holiday season, while some big name stores are projecting record-breaking sales, smaller retailers are expected to bear the brunt of the impact of the pandemic — struggling to make ends meet, laying off already thin employee rosters and having to close their doors for good. For Brookfield resident Allegra Fowler, standing by during the holidays and watching as dozens of local businesses suffer was not an option. She knew something had to be done. After all, small business energy is in her blood. Fowler, whose father and brother run family business A-Available Moving Company in Berwyn, was tired of seeing businesses in Brookfield struggle due to the pandemic and was worried about how they would fare during the holidays. “I know that for my family and other families like mine, the small business stuff is impossibly tough in 2020,” said Fowler, who works by day for Purdue University Global. One day this fall, after Fowler dropped off her youngest daughter at daycare in Brookfield and walked through the Grand Boulevard business district, an idea popped into

her head. “People are rightfully anxious about going into a store to make purchases, but then they don’t know all the good stuff that we have in Brookfield,” she said. Thinking about how she and her family had begun getting inundated with holiday shopping gift guides from big-box retailers, Fowler asked herself, “Why not do the same for local shoppers?” “People are so used to shopping from their phones, and local community shops don’t have that type of visibility,” she said. “While I wouldn’t disparage anyone for ordering through Target and Amazon for convenience, when those products are available in a way that are going to put food on your neighbor’s table, I think that’s something that needs to be put into the calculation, particularly in 2020 when the financial strains are disproportionately impacting small businesses.”

So, Fowler and her husband, Jake, took matters into their own hands, building an entire Brookfield Holiday Gift Guide website from scratch. The Fowlers, who had no prior experience building a website or the ins and outs of ecommerce, began researching every local business in Brookfield, from restaurants and retailers to spas and beauty salons by looking through the Riverside-Brookfield

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

MINDING OTHERS’ BUSINESS: The Fowler family of Brookfield, (from left) Jake, Ella, Evelyn and Allegra, have created and maintain a gift guide website this holiday season to boost local small businesses and help them compete for e-commerce dollars. Landmark’s community guide and studying Google Maps. From there, they created a list of all retailers in Brookfield and configured a simple Google website. Categorizing Brookfield business profiles into gift guides for groups for men, women, children, gift cards, and food and drink, the Fowlers developed an online page featuring unique gift ideas for users to identify the best items from Brookfield businesses for everyone on their holiday shopping list. On the website, users can peruse a variety of products, including clothing, jewelry, flower delivery options, home tools, gourmet snacks, gift cards and more, featuring the variety of Brookfield’s unique small business offerings. The website includes photos of the various products alongside the name and contact information for each business, and a link which takes the user directly to the business’ website, Facebook page or online ordering portal. While the Fowlers have only personally been in touch with about a dozen of Brookfield’s local businesses, their website includes a comprehensive listing of all businesses in Brookfield which have provided publicly accessible business information on the internet, including their name, phone number and website. For the Fowlers, the website is giving each business a fair shot at exposure. “We don’t have a horse in this race — this is not about us,” Allegra Fowler said. “We’re

trying to be really equitable, so that’s been a little bit challenging because some of the businesses have so much information that’s compatible with this type of guide, and then you’ve got some places that are boutique, small-town shops that have websites that are just like a welcome page. “We’ve tried to emphasize all businesses because [the guide] is not meant to differentiate those that have invested in online ordering. It’s meant to give everyone a fair shot.” For the most part, featured products on the website have been picked based on the Fowlers’ own editorial decisions about what goods looked fun and one-of-a-kind for each niche shopping list. However, some businesses have reached out for direction on what items they wished to see featured on the online guide. Some of the photos on the gift guide have been sent to the Fowlers directly from the retailers, while others have been shot by the Fowlers and their two daughters, 6-year-old Ella and 4-year-old Evelyn. The Fowlers are not receiving any revenue from the online guide. To them, what’s important is helping Brookfield’s homegrown businesses find new audiences and a new way to thrive during these challenging times. “Our small businesses are the backbone of the community,” Allegra said. “They are owned, operated and staffed by our friends and neighbors, and so investing in them is investing in those friends and neighbors.” To check out the Fowlers’ Brookfield Holiday Gift Guide, visit sites.google.com/view/ holiday-gift-guide-brookfield/home

The Landmark, December 9, 2020

Riverside tops Chicago suburbs for home sales in 2020 Other near west ‘burbs also on track for great year

By LACEY SIKORA

Contributing Reporter

hroughout the Chicago suburbs, home sales in 2020 have been brisk. Despite, or perhaps because of the pandemic sweeping the nation, houses have been selling quickly in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties -- up 7 percent in the first 10 months of 2020 when compared to the same period of 2019. In Riverside the numbers are attentiongrabbing. Year-to-date home sales were up a whopping 53 percent, the most of any suburb in the five counties. Other near west suburbs also saw substantial sales increases, but no other local suburb came close to cracking the top 10 in sales as measured by local industry groups. Keller Williams realtor Rory Dominick has lived in Riverside since 2008 and focused her real estate practice there since 2012. She says this year has been unlike any other year she’s seen since she started selling homes in 2005. She says it has not been unusual to see homes garner three, four or five offers, and she has heard of interested buyers knocking on doors in the suburb to inquire about homes that are not even for sale. In part, she says the unusual selling season has been due to “an incredible increase in the activity of buyers coming from the city.” Realtor Jeff Baker of the Burlington Group of @properties says the summer season was the busiest he’s seen since he started working in Riverside in 2004. “You could put a house on the market on Friday and have 30 showings over the weekend,” Baker said. Noting that inventory in the village, whose population is roughly 8,800, is down 10 percent and sales up over 50 percent, Dominick says of 2020, “It’s the perfect storm of high demand, low inventory.” Like other suburbs, she says that the pandemic moved a lot of potential city buyers into certain suburban buyers. As the pandemic and its accompanying restrictions dragged on, young buyers in the city were desperate for more space to work from home or school from home. On top of that, they were looking for a bit of green space to stretch their legs, and those of their children and pets. Dominick says these young buyers looking for their first suburban homes fueled a lot of sales in Riverside. “Anything priced between $400,000 and $600,000 is going fast,” Dominick said. Baker says he saw a lot of buyers from the city move up their timelines due to the pandemic. He notes that with shutdowns in place, young couples weren’t able to enjoy the restaurants and amenities of the city anymore, so they started looking for a place

This restored 1889 Victorian home at 945 Longcommon Road in Riverside is listed at $975,000

PHOTOS PROVIDED

HOT MARKET: 399 Shenstone Road in Riverside (above) just went on the market for $479,000 to multiple offers, while 293 Scottswood Road (left) sold recently for $460,000.

that provided more green space and access to good schools for the future. While young families in the past typically left the city when their kids were ready to start school, this year it was different. “We’re seeing clients with young babies looking now,” Baker said. “We didn’t see that in past years.” What makes Riverside so special? According to Dominick, the village hits a lot of notes that appeal to first-time suburban buyers. “It’s only 11 miles from downtown,” she said. “So, for someone who is thinking ‘I’m not ready to leave the city, but if I have to do it, I want something special,’ Riverside is close to the city but has that uniqueness of a cute town and tons of green space.” Baker says the suburb is on more buyers’ radars this year and thinks that the fact there is a Metra station downtown as well as highly rated schools is a part of the appeal. He says low interest rates have helped fuel the sales market, too. He also has seen a lot more activity on

larger homes as people within Riverside upsize, looking for more space to work and school from home. Dominick also has had a handful of clients move within Riverside. Again, she says these moves were often influenced by the pandemic. “People who lived here already realized their space wasn’t working for them anymore when they needed space for work and schooling at home,” Dominick said. “I had one couple that was planning to downsize who are now looking for a home with more space because their college-aged kids are at home.”

Good stats for other suburbs John Lawrence, managing broker of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Oak Park, says that while Riverside is having a fantastic year for sales, other near west suburbs are doing well, too. “The nice thing is that there’s good things in all of our markets,” Lawrence said. “There’s a different headline for each, but good news for all of them.” Lawrence compares Riverside to River Forest’s market, noting that the two suburbs are similar in size and appeal and both are near train lines with great housing stock.

“Both of them are sort of hidden gems in that they don’t have a huge area that draws in people from outside for dining or entertainment,” he said. He points out that while Riverside’ detached housing did well -- 158 single-family homes closed in the first 10 months of 2020 compared to 103 in 2019 -- the suburb’s No. 1 spot was also due to attached housing sales, which increased almost 100 percent from 11 units in the first 10 months of 2019 to 21 in the first 10 months of 2020. While attached housing sales might have decreased this year in River Forest, primarily because previous years saw higher sales when new developments were listed, Lawrence says detached housing is on track to have its best year ever in River Forest. “As of today, we are only six units off our all-time high, and with 19 properties pending, we should see probably a 40 percent increase year-over-year in detached housing.” In Oak Park, Lawrence says sales are on track to give the village perhaps its third best year in sales. He says that there are 474 closed sales and predicts that with pending transactions, Oak Park could get close to its all-time high of 544 sales for the year. While Forest Park has not seen the same highs in terms of numbers of sales, Lawrence says the village is also a good news story. “They have 100 closed sales at this point and will not get to their all-time high of 133,” Lawrence said. “It might be their fourth best year of all time.” That said, he notes that the average price in Forest Park has increased almost 40 percent over last year, and Forest Park can also boast that its median prices have risen above pre-recession levels, something few other suburbs can say. Lawrence says that Forest Park can also claim an almost 60 percent increase in the median price of attached housing in the past two years. “There’s a lot of good in Forest Park,” he said.

The Landmark, December 9, 2020

Opinion

THE LANDMARK VIEW

KOSEY CORNER

Time to fish or cut bait

95th birthday celebrated with a drive-by parade

iverside trustees will be faced with a huge decision when they meet, virtually, to cap off an extraordinary year on Dec. 17. It’s not an overstatement that its decision could change the face – well, the west face at least – of the village. Trustees are expected to vote on whether or not to give the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the greenlight to complete the design phase for a floodwall that will stretch along the Des Plaines River from Park Place to the BNSF railroad embankment and along Park Place from Groveland to Woodside. To give a sense of the height of that floodwall, take a look at the levee that extends the length of Groveland Avenue, add two feet to the height and then extend it along the entire length described above. Along its length, because ground level changes along that stretch, the wall will appear to be anywhere between three and 11 feet tall, sheathed in concrete. Just so we know what we’re looking at, picture those prefab faux-stone walls that serve as sound barriers along interstate highways. Something like that. There will be some property owners south of Forest Avenue, along the southern half or so of West Avenue, whose properties will be impacted the most, from a visual perspective. Their views over the river to the forest preserves to the west will disappear and be replaced by a concrete wall. For them, it’s a real hardship – both visually and financially – and something that can’t be discounted. This is no simple case, however, because the construction of such a floodwall will also relieve a hardship suffered by more than 200 households in the flood basin just east of the Des Plaines River south of Park Place. Recent history has shown that flooding events are getting more frequent and storms worse. Seven of the Des Plaines River’s 11 highest historic crests at Riverside – the U.S. Weather Service data available online stretches back to 1944 -- have occurred since 2008. The two highest happened within the past decade. Rains in April 2013 produced the record-high crest and devastating flooding. In May 2020, when rains brought the secondhighest crest on record, the area came within inches of suffering a repeat. This is a once-in-a-lifetime, perhaps the only time, Riverside will be able to provide flood protection to this area of the village and have someone else foot the lion’s share of the bill. The federal government and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago are earmarking more than $7 million for this project – far more than the village could raise on its own. While a decision to move forward with design on Dec. 17 doesn’t obligate the village to build the floodwall, such a decision really serves that purpose. Once design is complete, the village will be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars if it backs out. At the same time, the village will be negotiating with property owners on compensation for easements or entire parcels, so the Dec. 17 vote is a big deal. What trustees must keep in mind is what decision produces the greatest good for the village.

er family, her church and helping others have been the focal points of her life, so when Pat Zdarsky of North Riverside celebrated her 95th birthday on Nov. 6, it was time to celebrate her. Normally, and we know that isn’t a word used often lately, there would have been a large gathering of family and friends to celebrate the event. However, with a pandemic nixing a party, Plan B went into effect. Family organized a drive-by parade with at least 40 cars passing the Zdarsky home, some outfitted with loud speakers blasting rousing renditions of “Beer Barrel Polka” and “Happy Birthday.” Zdarsky and her late husband, George, with whom she shared 65 years of marriage, moved to North Riverside in the early 1950s, raising their four children, Michael, Patti Jo (Meyer), George and Brian. The family has grown to include nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Her life has been busy and full. She worked part time, ran her household, volunteered at her children’s school and never complained. Active at Mater Christi Church, she still maintains her membership in the Women’s

Guild, even having served as president. According to her daughter, Patti Jo Meyer, “I don’t know how she did all that she did. Mom didn’t preach to us, she taught us by example.” Her example is evident with members of the Zdarsky and Meyer families still active at Mater Christi Church. Meyer said she also learned more about her “amazing” mom when people began to tell her of some of the ways Pat had touched their lives. It was not unusual for her to stop at a person’s home with something to let them know they were being thought of; she always had time for people. It was also not unusual for friends to receive a greeting card from her to mark an occasion. I still have the anniversary card we received on our 50th wedding anniversary and a gift certificate to Mother’s Day Restaurant, one of her favorites, particularly for breakfast after Mass. Pat, like most of us, is staying close to home these days, but she enjoys the time she spends with her family, most of whom live in the area. So, happy birthday, Pat. It wasn’t the party we all would have liked to have given you, but the thoughts and intentions were there. God bless!

JOANNE KOSEY

OBITUARIES

Virginia E. Blangin, 89

Therese M. Martone, 74

Worked for U.S. Customs Service

North Riverside homemaker

Virginia Elizabeth Blangin (nee Exner), 89, of Brookfield and formerly of St. Paul, Minnesota, died Dec. 2, 2020 at her Brookfield home. Ms. Blangin was born Nov. 12, 1931 in St. Paul and was a retired work grade specialist for the U.S. Customs Service. She enjoyed dancing and spending time with her grandchildren. She was the mother of Paul, Deborah, Annette, Michael and Jim Blangin; the VIRGINIA E. BLANGIN grandmother of Jim, Joe, Angela and Jonathan; the great-grandmother of Jackson; the sister of Bob and the late Michael, Florence, Anna and Jeanette; and an aunt to many. Private Cremation Services have been held. Memorials are appreciated to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 8th Ave., 16th Floor, New York, New York 10001 or www.alzfdn.org. Online condolences may be offered at JohnsonNosek.com. Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.

Therese M. Martone (nee Daniello), 74, of North Riverside, died Dec. 1, 2020. She was born Oct. 3, 1946 in Chicago and was a homemaker. Ms. Martone was the wife of the late Dan Martone; the mother of Frank Anthony Martone and Dan James Martone; the sister of Henrietta THERESE M. MARTONE Daniello and Antoinette (Charles) Wolter; and the aunt of Nicole (Luis) Salgado and Karen (Dan) Medina. A funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 1 at St. Bernardine Church in Forest Park, followed by interment at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside. Online condolences may be offered KuratkoNosek.com. Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home, North Riverside, handled arrangements.

The Landmark, December 9, 2020

ICU NURSE

During her years working there, Litwin has seen the full spectrum of patients, many of them seriously ill. Death is a fact of life in intensive care units across the county, but now the ICU at MacNeal is often at capacity, almost exclusively with people suffering desperately from COVID-19. “By the time you get to me in the ICU, we’re the end of the line,” Litwin said. “I’ve never seen so much death. I know in the ICU there is a lot of death, but not like there has been. This isn’t normal. Our patients do recover, they do live. “Every patient, it feels futile.” Litwin, a single mother of a 12-year-old daughter, started working at MacNeal Hospital in 1992 as a medical assistant in a pediatric physician’s office. While a nursing student at Morton College, she transferred into the hospital proper as a patient care tech in the nursery of the mother/baby unit. Upon earning her RN in 1998, Litwin moved into the ICU. Since then, she’s received her bachelor’s degree in nursing and recently was licensed as a nurse practitioner. “Pre-2020 I loved working in the ICU,” Litwin said. “We had a variety of patients, a variety of illnesses. We even did open heart surgery, took care of post-op open heart patients and just regular ICU patients. Critical, but not as critical as they are now.” Making matters more challenging, particularly during the first weeks of the pandemic, was a sudden and large scale turnover in

ICU nursing staff. Some nurses left because they feared the danger of working directly with COVID-19 patients, while others left because ICU nurses suddenly were in critical demand. “People took the opportunity to take agency travel assignments and make a lot of money and crisis pay that you generally can’t get as a staff nurse,” Litwin said. All but one of the night shift nurses left, according to Litwin, while just a handful of her day shift colleagues remained. Many hospitals around the nation faced the same situation, she said, and responded by pulling nurses from other departments and by moving to a team system, which had mixed results. “I would have four patients and a team of other nurses to help me,” Litwin said. “But these other nurses were pulled from other parts of the hospital. They weren’t ICU nurses, so they were scared. That’s when we lost a lot of nurses.” While medical professionals have learned much more about COVID-19 and how to treat it, the recent spike in cases has meant ICU beds are at a premium. Litwin said that those who believe COVID-19 is primarily a disease that impacts the very elderly or those with underlying health problems are just wrong. “I’ve taken care of so many patients who have had absolutely no risk factors,” Litwin said during a phone interview on Nov. 24. “I took care of a 30-year-old woman two weeks ago – I just can’t get her out of my head. “We had to intubate her and she was begging, ‘Please don’t intubate me,’ so she knew. She had some knowledge that once you’re on that ventilator, your chances of survival are very low. “And she kept saying, ‘I have three children.’ She just broke my heart. … When I

met this woman in the morning she was just on oxygen with no IVs going in. By 6 p.m. at night she had 10 IV bags hanging. As of Nov. 24, the woman was still on a ventilator. Because family members can’t visit those suffering from COVID-19, nurses have had to step in, providing comfort as well as care while also serving as the patient’s conduit to loved ones. “We have iPads and we FaceTime with the family or Skype or Zoom and we have family in the room on FaceTime so they can see their loved one and what we were doing, hoping they would see we were doing everything we could do and the outcome is going to be the same no matter what,” Litwin said. She described talking via FaceTime with the family of a patient who’d gone into cardiac arrest and was revived twice before the family decided to instruct staff to not intervene again. “We stopped and he didn’t die right away, so I stayed there with him and held his hand and stroked his face and told the family, ‘I’m here with him, he’s not going to be alone,’” Litwin said. “And I have to hear the heartwrenching, ‘Daddy, daddy we love you.’ It’s hard to not get emotional too. You try to separate yourself, but it’s so hard. We’re all exhausted, overwhelmed, frustrated.” COVID-19 has also taken a close colleague, 48-year-old Neuman Kiamco, a nurse at MacNeal who contracted the disease and died after suffering more than a month. Kiamco had come to work in June, saying he didn’t feel good but chalked it up to allergies. He never made it through the shift. After co-workers encouraged Kiamco to visit the emergency room, they learned his oxygen saturation level was about 70 percent. “People come in walking and talking, and they’re oxygen level is so low and they don’t even know it,” Litwin said.

Kiamco died Aug. 30. Litwin and 100 others remembered him during a candlelight vigil held outside the hospital in September. Litwin said hospital staff wear masks at all times inside the hospital and have stopped eating lunch together. Dressed for hours in full PPE, Litwin says she can feel where her respirator mask cuts into her skin days later. “I go in the bathroom just to take breaks, because some of the transmission amongst employees has been through employees,” Litwin said. “Now, nobody takes their masks off ever [and] we’re eating lunch alone, because we just don’t want to give it to each other. Some people have been totally asymptomatic and have tested positive, and those are your superspreaders. So we’re extra cautious.” Being exposed to COVID-19 patients constantly has taken a mental toll on her and her daughter, Litwin said. She goes very few places outside of work and the grocery store, where the sight of people wearing face coverings incorrectly is aggravating. “I wear an N-95 when I go to the store, because I just don’t trust people,” she said. “There are too many people with their masks down below their noses. I’m not going to start fights with people in the grocery store about it, so I just protect myself.” Sometimes the stress manifests itself suddenly and unexpectedly. “Some days I think I’m going to have a good day, and as soon as I pull up to the street where the hospital is, there’s times where I just start crying,” Litwin said. “I can’t even help it and I didn’t even start my shift yet. “When you’re done you just sit in your car and reflect, ‘What the hell just happened? What did I just experience?’ I’ve been an ICU nurse for 22 years, and I always think I’ve seen it all and it’s unbelievable.”

OBITUARIES

Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home, North Riverside, handled arrangements.

Kerry J. Morrissey, 69

Josephine Rysz, 103

Lithographer

North Riverside resident

Kerry J. Morrissey, 69, of North Riverside, died Dec. 5, 2020 in Maywood. Mr. Morrissey was born April 4, 1951 in Chicago and was a lithographer at Segredhal Corp. He was the husband of Gloria (nee KERRY J. MORRISSEY Ramski); the father of Becky (Kevin Hisson) Morrissey and John (Michelle Akin) Morrissey; the grandfather of Violet, Veronica, Abbey and Ella; the brother of Gary (Sue) Morrissey and the late Perry Morrissey; and a brother-in-law and uncle to many. Cremation private. Online condolences may be made to the family at KuratkoNosek. com.

Josephine Rysz (nee Kobylarczyk), 103, of North Riverside, died Nov. 22, 2020. Ms. Rysz was the wife of the late John; the mother of Charles (Mary), Thomas (Susan) and Patricia (Richard) JOSEPHINE RYSZ Kengott; the grandmother of Julianna (Andy) Parker, Daniel (Amy), Margaret (Jonathan) Dickman, Bradley (Molly), Paul, Adam (Anne), Theresa (Kevin) Phillips, Mark (Megan) and Scott; great-grandmother of Payton, Joseph, Rachel, Connor, Lucille, Rosie, Paige, Charlotte, Adeline, Betty, Penelope and Dylan; and the sister of Margaret (Donald) Hoffman. She was preceded in death by her sib-

lings and their spouses, Thomas (Helen), Marie (Marlin) Chaplinski, Louis (Antoinette), Pauline, Martha (Cyril) Alger, Leon (Elaine), Elizabeth, Raymond (Gladys) and Louise (Harold) Sorenson. Visitation and services were held privately. Interment was at Queen of Heaven Cemetery. You may pay your respects or share a fond memory through the online guestbook at conboywestchesterfh.com. In lieu of flowers, donations to Catholic Charities are appreciated. Conboy-Westchester Funeral Home, Westchester, handled arrangements.

was an extremely creative, talented and gifted artist. She had many wonderful adventures with her close circle of “softball” friends and enjoyed wonderful summers on Jordan Lake outside of the Wisconsin JUDITH D. THOMM Dells. She was the wife of the late Robert Thomm; the mother of Lisa (Dr. Russ) Kesman, and Jeff (Shari); the nana of Dr. Russell (Kelsey Wolk) Kesman, Kelsey Kesman, Jessie Thomm and Robert Thomm; great grandnana of James Kesman; and the sister of Pamela (Philip) Briggs. Services will be held privately. Donations in Judy’s name are greatly appreciated to Agrace Hospice, 1670 South Blvd., Unit 102, Baraboo, Wisconsin, 53913 (agrace.org). All are encouraged to pay respects or share a fond memory through the online guestbook at redlinfuneralhome.com. Redlin Funeral Home, Baraboo, handled arrangements.

“Every patient, it feels futile” from page 1

Judith D. Thomm, 80 Former Brookfield resident was talented artist Judith Diane “Judy” Thomm (nee Reichel), 80, of Baraboo, Wisconsin, and formerly of Downers Grove and Brookfield, died Dec. 5, 2020 surrounded by her family. Ms. Thomm was born July 20, 1940 and enjoyed reading and arts and crafts. She

The Landmark, December 9, 2020

Strike a match Advocates for Wednesday Journal, Austin Weekly News, Riverside-Brookfield Landmark and the Forest Park Review came together with commitments totaling $18,000. And now they are asking you to match it. What appeals to this group we’re calling the MatchMakers? Sustaining an authentic, trusted source of fact-based, independent news. These 46 individuals were among our earliest supporters at GCM. The people listed here generously committed $250 or more. Their conviction, combined with new contributions (we’re suggesting $60 or more), will help us reach the combined goal of $36,000 by Dec. 31. Local news isn’t guaranteed. Our growing community of donors knows this. Hundreds contributed to meet two earlier financial challenges: the national NewsMatch and a $10,000 commitment sponsored by our board of directors. I gratefully, and humbly, join the Matchmakers in their appeal to all of you – to help raise the money that makes your local newsroom possible. With gratitude, to all those listed here and those to come! Dan Haley, Editor and Publisher Growing Community Media P.S. Please share this with your friends and family. And especially, share it with someone whose opinions you don’t agree with.

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

Ex-state senator at heart of federal corruption probe dies Martin Sandoval, 56, succumbed to COVID-19 By BOB UPHUES Editor

Martin Sandoval, the disgraced former state senator who was a key government witness in a corruption probe involving a former official of a politically connected red-light camera company, died Dec. 5 at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. The Cook County Medical Examiner reported that the 56-year-old Sandoval died from pneumonia resulting from COVID-19 infection, confirming statements made by his attorney, Dylan Smith, to other media companies over the weekend. “I was proud to have represented Martin Sandoval,” said Smith to the Chicago Sun-Times. “He was someone of considerable abil-

Martin Sandoval ity who had done a great deal of good in his life and someone who was working very hard to make amends for his mistakes and, in his own way, doing what he could through his cooperation with

FLOODWALL Vote Dec. 17 on moving ahead from page 1 That support could have an impact on whether or not the village decides to move forward with the project, which in the past has been strongly opposed by some homeowners along West Avenue and some who live north of the project area on Maplewood Road. “Personally, I think getting input from the people repeatedly affected by flooding is powerful,” said Village President Ben Sells in a phone interview following the meeting. While trustees made no decisions last week, they are expected to resume discussing the floodwall project at their meeting on Dec. 17, which will be conducted remotely via Zoom and on Riverside TV. Sells said trustees will vote on moving ahead with the design phase of the project at that meeting. Voting to move ahead with the design does not obligate the village to build the floodwall. However, if the village decided to kill the project once the design is completed, Riverside will be on the hook for money expended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to get to that point. As of last week, the Army Corps had expended roughly $130,000, with another $638,000 in funding from the federal government and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago earmarked

the government to contribute to their efforts to clean things up in Springfield.” Since late January, when the former chairman of the Illinois Senate Transportation Commit-

to complete the design phase. Elected officials now will go into their Dec. 17 meeting having heard strong support from several residents whose lives have been impacted by repeated flooding over the past decade or so. “Our first 18 years here were flood-free,” said Groveland Avenue resident Richard Rankin in emailed comments read into the record by Village Manager Jessica Frances during the meeting. “But, over the last decade it seems there are more and more close calls and flood events. … “The river I moved across from in 1990 now exists in a very different macro-hydrologic system.” Michelle Rietema, whose family moved to Groveland Avenue in the fall of 2012, were welcomed to town the following April with record flooding that, she said, “changed our lives forever.” The entire first floor of the home was damaged by flood waters, and the family lost “the sense of safety” that had attracted the family to Riverside in the first place. “The constant foreboding every time it rains has never gone away,” said Rietema in emailed comments read by Village Clerk Cathy Haley. “We are very aware of the potential for this to happen again and unless the city joins us in choosing options to help lessen the damage, both physically to the properties in the area as well as mentally for the residents who have to deal with the fallout each time the flood waters rise.” Those stories were echoed by others who live in the low-lying area immediately east of the Des Plaines River south of Park Place,

tee pleaded guilty to taking bribes and lying on a federal income tax return, Sandoval had been cooperating with federal prosecutors in their investigations into local and state politicians and their political contributors. In Sandoval’s case, the generous contributor was a former partner in the red-light camera company SafeSpeed LLC. In his plea agreement with the feds, Sandoval admitted accepting roughly $70,000 in bribes from the former red-light camera company official between 2016 and 2019. In exchange for the payments, according to his plea agreement, Sandoval had promised to be the red-light camera industry’s “protector.” In all, he admitted to taking more than $250,000 in bribes in exchange for benefitting the business interests of others. SafeSpeed LLC has not been charged with any wrongdoing and the company has distanced itself with the former partner, Omar

telling trustees of costly repeated renovation, the skyrocketing cost of flood insurance and the loss of personal belongings. But, support was not universal. A small number of West Avenue homeowners whose backyards have river frontage and whose access to the river and natural views will be forever altered by a floodwall, voiced their continued opposition to it. Depending on exactly where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers places the wall, sections of the concrete-sheathed floodwall south of Forest Avenue will be anywhere from 3 to 11 feet above ground level, with wall heights averaging between 4 and 7 feet tall. The tallest wall heights can be reduced by moving the floodwall farther inland from the riverbank, but that will result in a couple of homeowners losing large sections of their backyards and will place the wall much closer to their homes. The Army Corps also requires a 15-foot easement on either side of the wall where no trees or woody vegetation can be grown. “There’s this big wall in my yard now, which is much closer to my house along a 15foot right of way or easement,” said Patrick O’Laughlin, whose property faces the “high wall or close wall” dilemma. “So there’s no view at all out the back except this concrete wall and wires. It’s not pleasant and it’s going to really kill my property value.”

Still a long way out The presentation last week to the village board by Army Corps of Engineers project

Maani, who is also cooperating with prosecutors after entering into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government in September. Sandoval represented the 11th District in the state Senate, an area that includes Riverside south of the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad tracks as well as the villages of Lyons and Summit, where federal agents also paid visits in September 2019 days after raiding Sandoval’s Springfield and Chicago offices. No officials from either Lyons or Summit have been charged with any wrongdoing. Federal agents in the fall of 2019 also raided the offices of former Cook County Commissioner and McCook Mayor Jeffrey Tobolski, who pleaded guilty in September to taking bribe and extortion payments totaling more than $250,000 from more than five people and filing a false tax return. Tobolski also agreed at the time of his guilty plea to cooperate with federal prosecutors.

manager Jeff Zuercher was meant as an update and to publicly present images of what a floodwall south of Forest Avenue would look like. Elected officials made no decisions, and the Army Corps is still trying to determine the final alignment for the new section of floodwall behind the West Avenue properties. That alignment ought to be worked out by spring 2021, said Zuercher, and final design engineering would not be completed until spring to mid-2022, depending on how long any property acquisition takes. In addition to the new section of floodwall south of Forest Avenue, new sheet pilings would be driven into the river bank behind the existing levee along Groveland Avenue. The new floodwall would be two feet higher than the existing levee, which has never been overtopped during flood events. Water inundates the Groveland/Park Place/Lincoln flood basin through low points at either end of the levee. That’s why the proposal calls for the floodwall to extend at the same elevation east along the north side of Park Place and south of Forest Avenue. Plans also call for a floodgate across Forest Avenue and a pair of pump stations to keep sewers from surcharging. At the earliest, work on the floodwall might begin in the fall/winter of 2022 and it is expected to last for about two years. The total cost of the project is estimated at almost $7.2 million, with almost $4.7 million coming from the federal government. The remainder, about $2.5 million, has been pledged by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

CLASSIFIED

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

Public Notice: Your right to know In print • Online • Available to you 24/7/365 RBLandmark.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com PUBLIC NOTICES

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 virtually opened via zoom 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 Virtual Bid Opening will be held at 2:30pm CST on 12/11/2020 per link: https://us02web.zoom.us/ j/84381616944?pwd=cGRPcVZuVVh5S0tmZmVBUXlFSEJ5QT09

Meeting ID: 843 8161 6944 / Passcode: 039859 / +13126266799,, 84381616944# US (Chicago)

LLC One Drive, located at the following link. No username or password is required.

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.

https://bulleyandrews-my. sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/amantel_bulley_com/ EnFU50U2lZJHvgH8M5EOgUsB37AO8_Gejp_4_ry47Ql0mQ?e=AyfkWu

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,

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 25, December 2 and 9, 2020

LEGAL NOTICE VILLAGE OF RIVER FOREST NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR Bicycle Sign and Pavement Marking Project The Village of River Forest is now accepting sealed bid proposals for the Bicycle Sign and Pavement Marking Project. TIME AND PLACE OF OPENING BIDS Notice is hereby given that the Village of River Forest, Illinois, will receive sealed bids at the River Forest Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois until Tuesday, December 22, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. local time for Bicycle Sign and Pavement Marking Project, at which time the bids will be publicly opened and read. Bid proposals for this project will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work. The Village of River Forest reserves the right to accept the proposal deemed to be in its own best interest based on all of the above considerations. Bids will be acted upon by the President and Board of Trustees. DESCRIPTION OF WORK The proposed work is officially known as “Bicycle Sign and Pavement Marking Project” and further described as the construction of bicycle signs and pavement marking at various locations in River Forest, Illinois, as further described in the contract documents for the said work prepared by Kenig, Lindgren, O’Hara, Aboona, Inc. (KLOA, Inc.). AVAILABILITY OF CONTRACT DOCUMENTS Prospective BIDDERS and suppliers may obtain contract documents at Village of River Forest, 400

Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois, 60305, upon a non-refundable deposit of $45.00. Payment shall be in cash or check payable to the Village of River Forest. Contract documents may be examined at Village of River Forest, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois, 60305. BID SECURITY All bid proposals must be accompanied by a bid bond, certified check, or bank cashier’s check payable to the Village of River Forest for five (5) percent of the amount of the bid as provided in the General Provisions. No proposals or bids will be considered unless accompanied by such bond, or check. PREVAILING WAGE RATES When engaged in construction of a “public work,” within the meaning of Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/.01 et seq. (“the Act”), the Act requires Contractors and Subcontractors to pay laborers, workers and mechanics performing services on public works projects no less than the “prevailing rate of wages” (hourly wages plus fringe benefits) in the county where the work is performed. For information regarding current prevailing wage rates, please refer to the Illinois Department of Labor’s website at: www.state.il.us/agency/ idol/rates/rates.HTM. All Contractors and Subcontractors rendering services under a Contract for the construction of a public work must comply with all requirements of the Act, including but not limited to, all wage, notice and record keeping duties. Published in Wednesday Journal December 9, 2020

The term general prevailing hourly rate, when used in this requirement will mean the hourly cash wages plus fringe benefits for health and welfare, insurance, vacations and pensions paid generally, in the locality in which the work is being performed, to employees engaged in work of a similar character on public works. As a condition of making payment to the Contractor, the Village may require the Contractor to submit an affidavit to the effect that not less than the prevailing hourly wage rate is being paid to laborers, mechanics and other workmen employed on this Contract in accordance with Illinois or federal law, as applicable. PERFORMANCE BOND The successful BIDDER for the construction of the improvements will be required to enter into Performance and Labor and Material Payment bonds equal to 100% of the amount of the bid with sureties to be approved by the President and Board of Trustees, when entering into the contract for the work, which shall be conditioned upon the proper and faithful performance by the CONTRACTOR of the work specified in accordance with the contract documents therefore, and the ordinances providing for the work. REJECTION OF BIDS The VILLAGE, reserves the right to defer the award of the contract for a period not to exceed eighty (80) calendar days after the date bids are received, and to accept or reject any or all proposals and to waive technicalities.

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE VILLAGE OF STICKNEY, COUNTY OF COOK, ILLINOIS PROPOSED CICERO/PERSHING TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICT REGISTRATION FOR INTERESTED PARTIES REGISTRY

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

On December 1, 2020, the Village Council of the Village of Stickney (the “Village”) adopted “An Ordinance Authorizing the Establishment of Interested Parties Registries and Adopting Registration Rules for Such Registries for Redevelopment Project Areas in the Village of Stickney.” The purpose of the Ordinance was to establish a system for interested persons to obtain certain information relating to the Village’s establishment or amendment for any redevelopment project area under the Tax Increment Allocation Redevelopment Act (65 ILCS 5/11-74.4-1, et seq.) (the “TIF Act”). The Village is currently exploring the proposed Cicero/Pershing redevelopment project area (the proposed “TIF District”) under the TIF Act. The proposed TIF District is located within an area that is generally bounded by: 35th Street to the north; Cicero Avenue to the east; Sanitary and Ship Canal (the “Canal”) to the south; and Laramie Avenue to the west. The Registry for the Cicero/Pershing Redevelopment Project Area, together with the rules and regulations approved by the Village Board for the Village of Stickney for the Registries (the “Rules and Regulations”), are on file and available for public inspection during normal business hours at the office of the Village of Stickney Village Clerk’s Office, Village Hall, 6533 Pershing Road, Stickney, Illinois 60402. All interested persons or organizations may register with the Village Clerk for the Registry for the proposed Cicero/Pershing Redevelopment Project Area, as provided in the Rules and Regulations, in order to receive information related to this proposed Cicero/Pershing Redevelopment Project Area. Audrey McAdams Village Clerk Village of Stickney, Illinois Published in RB Landmark 12/09/2020

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY Request of Simone Michele Bartlett Paul Case Number 20206007305 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Simone Michele Bartlett Paul to the new name of: Simone Michele Bartlett. The court date will be held: On January 11, 2021 at 9:00 AM at 16501 S. Kedzie Parkway, Markham, Cook Count, Illinois] in Courtroom # 207 Published in Wednesday Journal 12/9, 12/16, 12/23/2020

Wednesday Classified 3 Great Papers, 6 Communities To Place Your Ad, Call: 708/613-3333

STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division. In re the marriage of WILLIAM JESUS GONZALES, Petitioner and FRANCISCO JAVIER ESPARRAGOZA ESPINOSA, Respondent, Case No. 2020 D 008427 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 23, 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 11/25, 12/2, 12/9/2020

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR MASTR ADJUSTABLE RATE MORTGAGES TRUST 2007-1, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-1 Plaintiff, -v.ELLEN M. RAVITZ, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 18 CH 03457 123 S. EUCLID AVENUE OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 13,

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 11, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 123 S. EUCLID AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-07-400-0160000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $657,505.06. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no

representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, Alexander Potestivo, POTESTIVO & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 223 WEST JACKSON BLVD, STE 610, Chicago, IL, 60606 (312) 263-0003. Please refer to file number 109484. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. POTESTIVO & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 223 WEST JACKSON BLVD, STE 610 Chicago IL, 60606 312-263-0003 E-Mail: ilpleadings@potestivolaw. com Attorney File No. 109484 Attorney Code. 43932 Case Number: 18 CH 03457 TJSC#: 40-924 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 18 CH 03457 I3155622

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The Landmark, December 9, 2020

EN OP

U TH

-2 12

2034 73rd Ct, Elmwood Park $374,900

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

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

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

3608 Wenonah Ave, Berwyn $289,900

112 Burlington St, Riverside $339,500

56 N Cowley Rd, Riverside $399,000

7240 Ogden Ave, Riverside $485,000

192 Waubansee Rd, Riverside $539,000

293 Gage Rd, Riverside $548,000 L TA N RE

399 Audubon Rd, Riverside $599,999

178 Maplewood Rd, Riverside $645,000

144 Scottswood Rd, Riverside $799,000

45 Longcommon Rd, Riverside $975,000

7312 W Ogden Ave, #1, Riverside $2,400/mo

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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