Landmark 122221

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Vol. 36, No. 51

@riversidebrookfieldlandmark @riversidebrookfield_landmark

December 22, 2021

RBHS grad leads Wisconsin to NCAA volleyball title PAGE 15

Federal jury awards $160,000 to man who sued Brookfield police

Also serving North Riverside

@RBLandmark

Work to resume on Brookfield bridge project PAGE 3

SANTA-STIC

Village will challenge verdict, says decision ‘unsupported based on the evidence’

By BOB UPHUES Contributing Reporter

A jury has sided with a 67-year-old Brookfield man in a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing Brookfield police of false arrest and using excessive force during a 2016 arrest that resulted in criminal charges that were dismissed in 2018.

On Dec. 9, following a three-day trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, the jury ruled in favor of the plaintiff, Rogelio Valdez, and against See LAWSUIT on page 12

SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor

Emma Keller, 2, gives Santa a high five during the Linda Sokol Francis Libray’s annual Holiday Family Pajama Extravaganza, held this year at Brookfield Village Hall on Dec. 19. For more photos from the event, visit online at RBLandmark.com.

Omicron ID’d in suburbs as COVID cases trend higher Hundreds visit Dec. 19 pop-up clinic in North Riverside

By BOB UPHUES Editor

Suburban Cook County recorded its first positive test for COVID-19’s highly contagious

omicron variant last week amid a surge of new cases throughout the area, including Brookfield, Riverside and North Riverside.

On Dec. 15, Dr. Rachel Rubin announced a suburban Cook County resident has tested

positive for the omicron variant, saying it was only a matter of time before it became the predominant variant as has happened elsewhere in the world.

“Omicron is almost certainly going to over-

take delta as the main variant circulating in the United States and then, obviously in Illinois,” Rubin said during the Dec. 15 video See COVID-19 on page 11

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The Landmark, December 22, 2021

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

IN THIS ISSUE Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Kosey Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Property transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

BOB UPHUES/Editor

Work to replace the Brookfield Avenue bridge over Salt Creek in Brookfield is scheduled to resume in early 2022, when a water main will be rerouted via a trench that will be cut into the river bed. Once that work is complete, demolition can resume. Work was halted in early September after attempts to bore a hole for the pipe under the river were unsuccessful.

IDOT gives OK to cut trench in Salt Creek bed Work to reroute water main north of new Brookfield Ave. bridge expected in January

By BOB UPHUES Editor

The Illinois Department of Transportation has finally given the go-ahead for a plan to cut a trench through the bed of Salt Creek in order to reroute a 16-inch water main, which will allow the Brookfield Avenue bridge reconstruction to continue.

The village received notice on Dec. 7 that the approximately $470,000 operation had gotten IDOT’s blessing. Demolition operations had ceased at the site on Sept. 3 after two attempts to bore a hole under Salt Creek failed when the drills hit unknown obstructions about 10 feet under the riverbed.

No work has taken place at the site since that time and village officials have been waiting for IDOT to review and sign off on plans submitted by their general contractor, Lorig Construction.

IDOT’s approval was necessary because 80 percent of the cost for the work – initially pegged at about $3.5 million -- is coming via a federal grant, and such an expensive operation was subject to formal review. Brookfield is responsible for paying 20 percent of the project’s total cost.

The final cost of the project will be closer to $4.5 million, based on change orders already approved by IDOT. Including the cost for trench cutting, IDOT had OK’d additional costs amounting to about $835,000, according to a change order authorization document obtained by the Landmark in a

public records request.

While Village Manager Timothy Wiberg had hoped the trench cutting operation could take place prior to the end of 2021, those hopes have fizzled. It’s not clear exactly when that work will begin, but Wiberg said his expectation was that it would take place in January.

Village officials believed when the Brookfield Avenue bridge construction contract was approved in April that the new structure would be in place by the end of the year. The water main relocation, needed to accommodate the superstructure of the new, wider bridge, doused those hopes this fall.

An unexpected benefit from the need to cut a trench for the water main is that ComEd will now relocate an overhead power line that last summer was the cause of some consternation and held up work for two weeks.

The power line will now run through a conduit that will be placed alongside the water main in the new trench. The move will eliminate the need for utility poles and overhead power lines west of Salt Creek. ComEd has agreed to pay a portion of the $470,000 cost for the trench-cutting operation.

Brookfield’s village engineer, Derek Treichel told the Landmark that the trenchcutting/water main/Com Ed installation would take about a week to complete, with the entire project to tie in the rerouted water main taking two to three weeks.

Depending on weather, Lorig could decide to resume demolition prior to spring. Officials expect to provide an updated work schedule in early 2022.

Given the series of problems that have held up demolition and construction of a new bridge, Wiberg said he wouldn’t hazard a guess on when in 2022 the project will be completed.

“All I know is that it is my hope, my expec-

tation, that we get the water main work done over the winter so that, as soon as spring comes, Lorig can get back out there,” Wiberg said. “After that it shouldn’t take that long to complete, but I wouldn’t venture a guess on when that’s going to be.”

The trench-cutting operation itself will be fairly elaborate, according to a site plan obtained by the Landmark through a public records request. The initial phase of the operation would involve sinking two sheetpile cofferdams into the riverbed north of the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad right-of-way. Water will be pumped out of the area between the two dams to expose the riverbed for cutting the trench.

In order to keep the river flowing downstream with the dams in place, six 18-inch diesel-powered, end-suction pumps will be placed on the east bank of Salt Creek north of the upstream cofferdam.

The pumps will be designed to move 50,000 gallons of water per minute through three 24inch high-density polyethylene lines that will run up the riverbank and then south across the village hall parking lot before heading west back into the river south of the downstream cofferdam.

When the new bridge is in place it will be wider than its predecessor, a 1986 bridge deck set atop three concrete piers dating from 1916.

There will be no central pier supporting the new bridge, allowing the river to flow freely beneath it.

Pedestrians won’t have to squeeze by one another crossing the river along the north side of the bridge, which will sport a 10-footwide walkway in addition to a semicircular bump-out creating a small plaza overlooking the river.

Traffic will be separated from the walkway by a short wall, and the bridge will also be equipped with decorative lighting.

Editor Bob Uphues Equity Editor/Ombudsman Michael Romain Digital Publishing & Technology Manager Briana Higgins Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey Sales and Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Development & Sales Coordinator Stacy Coleman Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich

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@rblandmark.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 $36 within Cook County and $46 outside the county. Advertising rates may be obtained by calling our office. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS 0019-585). Postmaster send address corrections to Landmark, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302. © 2021 Growing Community Media NFP.

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The Landmark, December 22, 2021

December 22-29

BIG WEEK Kiddie New Year’s Eve Kidd

Kids ages a 5-8 can ring in the New Year early courtesy of Riverside Parks & Recreation during their Kiddie NYE Party Rec set for Friday, Dec. 31 from 10:30 a.m. se to 12:30 p.m. at the Scout Cabin, 417 Fairbank Road.

There will be games and activities before gearing up for the countdown and ringing in the New Year with noisemakers, treats and a celebration.

The cost is $15 per child ($20 nonresidents). Register online through re register.parksreconline.com/riverside.html regi or in pperson at Riverside Recreation Center, 43 Quincy St. E. Quinc

Read to the dogs

The Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library invites kids to join the Hinsdale Humane Society and Read to the Dogs on Zoom on Tuesday, Dec. 28 from 7 to 8 p.m.

Those who register by calling 708-485-6917, ext. 140 or at brookfield.evanced.info/signup will receive a confirmation email with instructions for signing in to the event.

Holly-Day Camp in North Riverside

North Riverside Parks and Rec offers families a way to kick cabin fever during the school break by inviting kids ages 4-12 to their Holly-Day Camp on Dec. 23 and Dec. 27-30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Village Commons, 2401 Desplaines Ave. Kids will enjoy sports, games, arts and crafts, treats and music. There will also be outdoor activities, so plan accordingly. Register for one or more dates at $25 per day ($27 non-resident). Before/after camp available (7:30-9 a.m./3-6 p.m.) for $10 per day.

Call 708-442-5515.

‘The Preacher’s Wife’ at North Riverside Library

Do you like Anime, Manga? Enjoy some Pocky? The Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library, 3541 Park Ave., invites kids and young adults in grades six through 12 to join its twice-a-month Anime Club which meets next on Monday, Dec. 27 at 4 p.m.

The club meets in Meeting Room 1 in the library’s lower level. Registration is required by visiting online at brookfield.evanced.info/signup.

And more Brookfield Zoo’s 40th Annual Holiday Magic festival of lights continues Dec. 26-31 from 3 to 9 p.m. each day. Reserved-time admission (available in 20-minute increments) and parking tickets must be purchased online prior to arrival. Visit CZS.org/ OnlineTicketing.

Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St., welcomes visitors to enjoy the exhibitions“Messengers” featuring the art of Liz Chilsen and “Obstacles and Intimacies” by Stephanie Brooks, which continue through Jan. 8, and “Vessels,” featuring the art of Tulika Ladsariya, Melissa Zeigler Monroe and Shawn ■

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Join the Anime Club

Vincent, which continues through Dec. 31. Gallery hours: Thurs.-Sat. from 1 to 5 p.m. or by appointment.

Visit Santa Claus in the lower level center court of North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, through Christmas Eve on the following dates: Dec. 22-23 from noon to 8 p.m. and Dec. 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visits are free, photo packages available for purchase.

North Riverside Public Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., invites you to join the Spice Club and swing

by Dec. 27-30 and grab a “Take & Shake” Bloody Mary Spice Kit. You’ll get a bag of pre-sorted spices, recipes and related goodies. Registration encouraged. There’s also in-person Yoga and Meditation courtesy of Age Options on Dec. 27 at 6:30 p.m. and ■

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North Riverside Public Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., will screen the 1996 film “The Preacher’s Wife” starring Whitney Houston, Denzel Washington, Courtney B. Vance and Gregory Hines during Mary’s Monthly Movie on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 2 p.m.

Based on the 1947 film “The Bishop’s Wife,” this seasonal comedy-drama tells the story of a pastor’s struggling to keep his congregation and marriage afloat and having his prayers answered by an angel who helps restore the pastor’s faith and family.

Free. Refreshments provided. Register to attend at the reference desk, by calling 708-4470869 or at northriversidelibrary.org/events-new.

Charcuterie Boards via Facebook Live (facebook. com/NRPL2400) or YouTube on Dec. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

Register for events at northriversidelibrary.org/ events-new.

Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road, invites kids to stop by the Children and Youth Services desk beginning Dec. 27 to grab a special New Year’s Take Home Craft kit to help ring in 2022. Available while supplied last.

Visit riversidelibrary.libcal.com/calendar for more.

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Riverside Chess Club, open to anyone age 5 through adult, meets in person each Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Room 30 of the Riverside Township Hall, 27 ■

THE PREACHER’S WIFE

Riverside Road. Players of all levels welcome. Children under 7 require caregiver over 13. Email sean@ riversidechessclub.org for more info.

Through March 25, 2022 the Lyons Township High School South Campus Fieldhouse indoor track, 4900 S. Willow Springs Road in Western Springs, will be open to the public from 6 to 7 a.m. on days LTHS is in session. There is no admission charge or fee to use the track. Please bring an ID and be prepared to sign in.

The Brookfield Elks Lodge, 9022 31st St., hosts bingo the second Sunday of every month. Doors open at 1 p.m. and games start at 2 p.m. with cash payouts.

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P O L I C E

R E P O R T S

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

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Man charged with impersonating cop at mall North Riverside police charged a 21-yearold Broadview man with impersonating a police officer after an actual officer on patrol at North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, observed a black Honda with darktinted windows displaying what appeared to be blue and red oscillating emergency lights and sounding a siren while driving behind another vehicle near Miller’s Ale House on Dec. 20 around 7 a.m.

When the police officer pulled up, the driver of Honda reportedly displayed a gold badge and claimed to be “working security.” Asked if he had any weapons inside the vehicle, the driver reportedly said he had an air pistol, which the police officer observed sticking out from under the driver’s seat.

Police ordered the driver out of the Honda and searched the vehicle, finding a control device for the lights under the steering wheel and a button on a control panel in the center console that worked the siren. The rear windshield displayed the words “emergency response team.”

The driver told police the vehicle belonged to his brother, but that they both worked for the same security firm and that he had activated the lights “to protect his co-workers who were getting out of work,” according to the police report.

In addition to a misdemeanor charge of impersonating a police officer, the driver was charged with illegal use of oscillating lights, illegal possession of emergency lights and for

driving on a suspended license. He was also cited for having no proof of insurance and having tinted windows.

Man charged with hit-and-run A 36-year-old Chicago man was cited for multiple traffic offenses after he reportedly crashed into the concrete retaining wall of Riverside Golf Club at the intersection of 26th Street and First Avenue in North Riverside and then ran from the scene on Dec. 19 at about 2:35 p.m.

A police officer on patrol nearby was made aware of the crash and reported observing a man wearing a black jacket running westbound from the crash scene. Police detained the man, wearing only a T-shirt in the 34-degree weather, a short time later in the 2300 block of First Avenue. They recovered his black hooded sweatshirt in the 2500 block of 2nd Avenue.

Police learned the man’s driver’s license had been suspended. He reportedly told them he ran because he knew his license was suspended. It’s unclear what caused the crash. Alcohol does not appear to have been a factor.

the man driving a gray BMW at 77 mph in a 30 mph zone southbound in the 2700 block of Desplaines Avenue on Dec. 14 at about 6:05 p.m.

According to the police report, the officer smelled a strong odor of cannabis and a computer check of the driver’s name and his passenger revealed they both had multiple felony arrests for drug and weapons offenses. At one point, the arresting officer drew his weapon and ordered both men to raise their hands because they reportedly kept their hands hidden and were uncooperative. They eventually complied and were detained without incident.

Police reported finding no contraband of note inside the vehicle.

Vehicle break-in A resident of the 700 block of Selborne Road, Riverside, went to police last week to report that during the overnight hours of Dec. 15-16 someone entered his vehicle, which was parked in the driveway, and rummaged through the center console, glove box and sunglasses holder.

Nothing was reported missing from the vehicle, including loose change left in the center console.

Flying down Desplaines

Ring missing from package

North Riverside police charged a 26-yearold Berwyn man with aggravated speeding after an officer on patrol reportedly clocked

A resident of the 3500 block of Harlem Avenue, Riverside, called police on Dec. 15 to report that upon opening a package that had just

been delivered, it was discovered that it was empty. It was supposed to contain a ring valued at nearly $1,800.

Child endangerment North Riverside police charged a 30-year-old Chicago woman with child endangerment after she reportedly left a young child sleeping in a car seat inside a locked vehicle in the west parking lot of North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, in temperatures at 36 degrees on Dec. 17.

Security video reportedly showed the vehicle arrive at the mall at 1:03 p.m. Police were called at 1:28 p.m. The child’s mother returned to the vehicle carrying a shopping bag from Spencer’s as paramedics were evaluating the child’s condition. She was arrested and police released the child into the father’s custody.

Police also notified the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services of the incident.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Dec. 13-19, 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

By Linda Sokol Francis. E.A.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A DISASTER THAT LEADS TO TAXPAYER RELIEF

N

o matter how devastating a disaster is, before the IRS can authorize any tax relief, FEMA must issue a major disaster declaration and identify areas qualifying for their Individual Assistance program. Following are some ways the IRS often offers tax relief after a major disaster strikes: The IRS gives taxpayers more time to file and pay. Taxpayers whose address of record is located in an area identified by FEMA for their Individual Assistance program will automatically receive extra time from the IRS to file returns and pay taxes. The IRS’s disaster assistance page provides disaster updates and links to resources. Information is usually available on the IRS Twitter account as well.

Taxpayers can also call the agency’s disaster line at 866-532-5227 with questions.

Taxpayers can qualify for a casualty loss tax deduction. People who have damaged or lost property due to a federally declared disaster may qualify to claim a casualty loss deduction. They can claim this on their current or prior-year tax return. This may result in a larger refund.

People can apply for a disaster loan or grant. The Small Business Adminislation offers financial help to business owners, homeowners and renters. This help is for those in a federally declared disaster area.

To qualify, a taxpayer must have filed all require tax returns.

Taxpayers might need a tax transcript to support their disaster claims. They can obtain free transcripts by using Get Transcript to access their transcripts immediately online or to request mail delivery. They can also, call 800-908-9946 to request mail delivery or submit Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return.

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The Landmark, December 22, 2021

RBHS students named ‘changemakers’ by charitable foundation

Join LTHS, Naz and Hinsdale in program to foster philanthropy

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Six Riverside-Brookfield High School students will have a chance this spring to help decide how to spend $30,000 from a charitable foundation.

Juniors Paulina Carmonia, Paige Fudacz, Sophia Gutierrez, Amanda Kogut, Dante Moscosa and Samuel Royer were selected to participate in the Young Community Changemakers program, known as YC2, of the Community Memorial Foundation, a Hinsdale-based nonprofit founded in 1995 when LaGrange Memorial Hospital was bought by Columbia Hospital Corp., a private for-profit hospital corporation.

The Community Memorial Foundation serves 27 communities in the western suburbs of Cook County and southeastern DuPage County, ranging from Riverside to Downers Grove, basically matching the areas that were served by LaGrange Memorial Hospital.

The foundation was funded by the sale of LaGrange Memorial Hospital in what is known as a private health conversion foundation under a rule that requires that the proceeds of a sale of a nonprofit hospital to a for-profit company go to help the area served by the hospital.

Since its founding, the Community Memorial Foundation has given away more than $80 million.

The six RBHS students will join 18 students each from Lyons Township High School, Nazareth Academy and Hinsdale Central High School for the next four months in learning about philanthropy and deciding which organizations to give money to.

The students will be split into two groups, and each group will decide how to distribute $15,000.

“The intent of the program is really to continue to build a culture of philanthropy throughout our region in the western suburbs,” said Beth Murin, the programs and communications officer for the Community Memorial Foundation. “Studies have really shown that when young people have the opportunities to be involved in philanthropic activities these individuals will continue to give, or serve, the non-profit sector throughout adulthood in a wide variety of ways.”

RBHS was added to the program this year because of relationships the foundation has with the school and the communities it serves.

The YC2 program originally partnered with just Nazareth and LTHS. Hinsdale Central and RBHS were added last year. Only seven RBHS students applied to be part of the program this year, which is why there are fewer of the school’s students in the program compared to the others.

Anastasia McCarthy who was one of 11 students, all juniors and seniors, from RBHS participating in YC2 last year said enjoyed being

in the program last year even though everything was virtual due to the pandemic.

“I learned a lot, actually,” McCarthy said. “It was very nice to be treated like an adult.”

Before participating in the YC2 program, McCarthy said she didn’t know much about philanthropy and foundations. Now she is looking into careers in the foundation and nonprofit world.

“I didn’t really know anything about this world,” McCarthy said. “It did open up that door for me.”

During the program, the students meet twice a month for about three hours on Sunday afternoons from January through April.

This year the plan is for students to meet in person and have sessions at the Holiday Inn in Countryside.

Murin will guide one group of 30 students and senior program officer Tom Fuechtmann will guide the other group, also numbering 30 students. Two lecturers and facilitators are also brought in to teach the students about foundations and grant making.

Fuechtmann is a resident of Riverside and

has worked for the Community Memorial Foundation for 20 years. His daughter, Grace, told McCarthy about the program last year.

“We need to create a culture of philanthropy in the western suburbs,” Fuechtmann said.

The Community Memorial Foundation focuses on health care.

“We award funds to nonprofits that improve health,” Fuechtmann said.

After the students learn about the foundation and community needs, they review grant proposals, read audit reports, do site visits and ultimately decide by a vote how to use the $15,000 each group is allocated to distribute.

“Each group can award a maximum of $15,000 to up to three organizations,” Murin said.

McCarthy’s group last year decided to focus on teen mental health and awarded grants to Pillars Community Health and Metro Family Services.

The other group awarded grants to Alivio Medical Center and the Oak Park-River Forest Infant Welfare Society.

D103 business manager resigning effective Jan. 4 School district has had four people in the position in past five years

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Lyons-Brookfield School District 103 is once again looking for a business manager after the school board voted Dec. 14 to accept the resignation of Sheila Johnson, effective Jan. 4. Johnson has worked as the school’s district’s business manager since April 2020.

Johnson did not return a call from the Landmark asking why she resigned and what she was going to do next. There is no longer a listing for Johnson in the staff directory on the school district’s website, but calls still go to her recorded voicemail message.

District 103 Superintendent Kristopher Rivera declined to say why Johnson resigned or what she will be doing after leav-

ing District 103. But he praised Johnson for the work she did in her time at District 103 calling her an “ultimate professional.”

“Sheila’s phenomenal,” Rivera said. “I hate to lose her. She’s extremely competent, she’s positive, energetic, just always available for everything.”

Rivera said it is likely that the district would hire an interim business manager to serve until the summer when the district can more easily hire a full-time replacement.

Prior to Johnson being hired in 2020, a retired business manager, Marty McConahay, served in an interim business manager for six months after Sherry Reynolds-Whitaker resigned in 2019.

Rivera said that he reached out to McCo-

nahay about filling in once again, but McConahay is not available.

Rivera said he knew Johnson was leaving in November and has begun interviewing possible replacements.

“We’ve had a couple rounds of interviews so far,” Rivera said after the Dec. 14 school board meeting. “We had a second one today.

Hopefully we’re going to make a determination really soon, because her end date is coming up.”

Whoever is hired as either an interim or permanent replacement will be the fifth person to occupy the business manager position in District 103 since 2016.

At the Dec. 14 meeting Johnson delivered a recorded presentation of the district’s annual tax levy which the board approved later

in the meeting. The school board approved a 4.99 percent increase in its annual tax levy.

However, that increase will be reduced by the county clerk to comply with the Illinois tax cap law, which limits the increase in the annual tax extension to the consumer price index (CPI) or 5 percent, whichever is lower.

Since the 2021 levy uses the CPI from the previous year, the district’s tax extension will only be increased by 1.4 percent plus the value of any newly developed property that came on the tax rolls in the district this year.

“We’ve levied the maximum we can so that we don’t leave anything on the table,” Johnson said during her recorded presentation.”

Johnson said that the district is expected to get about $22 million in tax revenue next year.

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

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RBHS clears teacher accused of harassing students After complaint was lodged, house egged and inappropriate fliers posted

By BOB SKOLNIK

that will be addressed but none of these allegations rise to actionable conduct,” Smetana wrote in her Oct. 6 letter to Elliott.

Smetana wrote that after one meeting with Despite being cleared by a school investigation, a longtime Riverside-Brookfield High Elliott and her daughter, the building adminphysical education teacher did not teach one istration reported the allegations to the Ilof his classes for much of the first semester linois Department of Children and Family after being accused of sexual harassment by Services but said that DCFS concluded “the actions reported did not rise to a level of a student.

For the past few months a substitute has abuse or neglect.”

According to Smetana’s letter, the matter been teaching Todd Fridrych’s second-period Wellness class because he apparently has was referred to Freytas to “impose any discipline as needed.” not felt comfortable teaching a School board President Deanna class that includes a student who Zalas old the Landmark that no accused him of inappropriately discipline against Fridrych has touched her one time earlier this been brought to the school board. fall. The student declined an ofThe situation has roiled RBHS fer to be moved out of Fridrych’s for much of the first semester. class.

Many students apparently sup“I insisted on it not happening,” ported Fridrych and blamed said Ariel Elliott, the mother of a the two girls for causing trouble student who said Fridrych hafor him. The home of the other rassed her. girl who had complained about Fridrych, who has taught at TODD FRIDRYCH Fridrych, but whose family did RBHS for 18 years, did not respond not pursue the matter, was egged to a request for an interview or a on Nov. 19, according to a Riverside police recomment.

Two students, one of them Elliott’s daugh- port.

At the same time, fliers supporting Fridrych ter, reportedly felt Fridrych singled them out early in the semester. Elliott filed a formal were posted by unknown people inside the complaint to the school on Sept. 15, a day after school. Some of the fliers posted at the school Elliott and her daughter had met with Princi- in November used language that also injected pal Hector Freytas, Assistant Principal Kylie a racist element into the issue. Elliott’s daughLindquist and Fridrych. A parent advocate, ter is Black. The other girl and Fridrych are white.

Dr. Karen Collins-Ayanlaja, a professor of Sheets of paper including Fridrych’s photo Education at Eastern Illinois University, also and phrase #Free Todd also included the attended the meeting at Elliott’s request.

Elliott’s complaint alleged that Fridrych phrases “Mans ain’t do nothing omm. System had engaged in predatory and unprofessional keep cheating us. My boy don’t deserve dis.” behavior and that he had sexually harassed below the photo.

After the egging incident and the appearher daughter. In an interview with administrators, Elliott’s daughter said Fridrych ance of fliers supporting Fridrych at the talked to her in a flirtatious manner and that school, Freytas sent an email to RBHS parFridrych told her to smile more. She also said ents, students and staff.

“Late last week, it was discovered that a Fridrych grabbed her arm once and another time took a volleyball that she was holding group of RB students had been distributing close to her chest away from her and touched and posting inappropriate flyers throughout the school without the school’s permission or her chest.

Assistant Superintendent Kristin Smetana, authorization,” Freytas wrote in an email that the school’s non-discrimination coordinator, he sent on the evening of Nov. 22. “The flyers led an investigation into the allegations. Ac- have also been accompanied by social media cording to a letter Smetana sent to Elliott on posts with a similar message. Postings of any Oct. 6, Smetana interviewed Elliott’s daugh- kind without the authorization of the RB adter, six other students in the class, Fridrych, ministration are strictly prohibited and may two other physical education teachers and result in disciplinary action.”

Freytas went on to say bullying would not Lindquist who had met earlier with Elliott be tolerated. and her daughter.

“Additionally, the RB administration takes Smetana concluded that none of the allegations, even if true, rose to the level of sexual instances of targeting and bullying very seharassment. Smetana found that Fridrych riously and we will not tolerate actions that threaten or target any if our students for any never met with Elliott’s daughter outside of class and that he behaved toward her in a way reason,” Freytas wrote. “Students who engage similar to how he behaved towards other stu- in behavior that targets of bullies students, either in or out of school, will be held accountdents. able for their actions by the school and possi“We understand that Mr. Fridrych’s habit of standing close to students or advising them to bly our local law enforcement agency.”

Also on Nov. 22, Ariel Elliott had a contensmile may make students uncomfortable and Contributing Reporter

tious meeting at the school with Assistant Principal for Student Affairs Dave Mannon.

Elliott told Mannon that if students attacked her house she would defend her property. After the meeting Mannon called Brookfield police, who sent two detectives to visit Elliott at her home.

“If anybody were to come on my property, they should know that somebody could get hurt because I will do what it takes to protect my property and my family and that’s a perfectly legal statement,” said Elliott recounting what she told Mannon, according to the police report.

Elliott believes Mannon called the police in an attempt to intimidate her.

“We have a long history with him in particular with a bunch of issues that he’s done at different times to different numbers of my children,” Ariel Elliott said.

During a congenial discussion with police outside her home, according to the police report, the detectives told Elliott they were aware of the egging of her daughter’s friend’s house in Riverside and the situation with the teacher that led up to it.

According to the Brookfield police report, detectives told Elliott that a special watch would be placed upon her house and they encouraged her to call the police if any incidents occurred.

Mannon didn’t return a call from the Landmark asking why he contacted the police after meeting with Elliott on Nov. 22.

Top RBHS officials were not willing to talk to the Landmark about the situation with Fridrych.

“The district will not comment on student or personnel matters,” said District 208 Superintendent Kevin Skinkis in an email.

Elliott was not impressed with the school’s investigation.

“They did not handle it at all,” Elliott said.

“I believe they ignored it because the only people complaining was the Black family. The white family didn’t say anything, they were too afraid. They’re the ones who got their house egged.”

Elliott said RBHS has been a hostile place too often for her children, two of whom are RBHS graduates. Elliott made a public comment at the Dec. 14 meeting of the District 208 Board of Education that did not directly address her daughter’s allegations against Fridrych, but referenced the way her children have been treated generally at the high school.

“RBHS for my family has not been Friday Night Lights or a comprehensive fluid experience of normal high school ups and downs,” Elliott told the school board. “It has been a constant dismissal of basic humanity, a disruption in my children’s ability to learn, judgment, lip service, dismissive behavior, lies, torment and the twisting of the truth. My children have learned what suffering is here.

“They must attend RBHS, a place that does not want them and has from our experience

actively tried to preclude their very existence.

There have been days my children have awakened and are convinced the subtle, and sometimes overt but constant abuse that they have endured and endured here will never leave their consciousness. And not just because of a few awful people or instances but because of your system of loathing the blackness of their skin and your preconceived idea of who they are.”

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The Landmark, December 22, 2021

D96, Brookfield poised to OK crossing guard deal Village gets to use Hollywood for rec programs, D96 gets guards gratis

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Riverside Elementary School District 96 and the village of Brookfield are poised to approve an agreement that would allow the village to use Hollywood School for recreation programming rent-free during the summer and on three weekday afternoons during the school year in exchange for providing two crossing guards for Hollywood School free of charge.

A draft intergovernmental agreement was hashed out after meetings between Brookfield Village Manager Tim Wiberg and District 96 Superintendent Martha Ryan-Toye and District 96 Director of Finance and Business Operations Jim Fitton.

But there could be a stumbling block. When they discussed the issue at their Dec. 15 meeting, several District 96 members said that if they approved the facility-sharing agreement they wanted, all residents of District 96 -- not just those who live in Brookfield -- to be charged the Brookfield resident rate for any programs held at Hollywood School.

“I think if we’re going to be entering this agreement the costs should be the same because it is the taxpayers’ dollars,” said District 96 school board member David Barsotti, a resident of the Riverside portion of the Hollywood neighborhood.

School board member Stephanie Gunn, a resident of the Brookfield portion of the Hollywood neighborhood, agreed.

“Whatever programming is being offered in our building those classes should be offered at the same cost to residents or non-residents [of Brookfield],” Gunn said.

When Wiberg was informed of the views of the school board members by a Landmark reporter he said that he wasn’t sure if charging non-Brookfielders in District 96 the

FILE

A Brookfield crossing guard stands by as a student crosses at Hollywood and Washington avenues outside of Hollywood Elementary School last year. resident rate would be a problem. Wiberg said he had not been informed by Ryan-Toye of the school board members’ views.

“It didn’t come up in any conversations we’ve had with her or any correspondence, so that is not in the agreement that my board was looking at,” Wiberg said.

Wiberg was asked if he thought that the village board

would agree to waive non-resident fees for District 96 residents who don’t live in Brookfield for programs at Hollywood School.

“I don’t know,” Wiberg said. “We’ll react if we have to.”

During a discussion of the draft agreement at the Brookfield Village Board’s committee of the whole meeting on Dec. 13, there was general support for the agreement, with only Trustee Kit Ketchmark questioning the arrangement.

In addition to having a facilities-sharing arrangement with the Riverside Department of Parks & Recreation, District 96 pays half the cost for crossing guards at its schools in Riverside.

Ketchmark didn’t explicitly urge the village to seek the same arrangement, but his message was pretty clear – Riverside shares facilities and District 96 pays for crossing guards. Why isn’t Brookfield getting the same deal?

Wiberg mentioned there’s only one District 96 school in Brookfield. There are four (on three campuses) in Riverside, with multiple dangerous crossing sites needing multiple crossing guards, especially in Riverside’s downtown.

While Barsotti was most skeptical of the agreement, saying the agreement benefited Brookfield more than the school district, other school board members thought that it was good way to resolve the issue.

“It sounds like a good deal to me,” said school board President Dan Hunt. “It’s a lot better solution than we pay them.”

School board member Shari Klyber also supported the facilities sharing agreement.

“This is about community partnership,” Klyber said.

Both the Brookfield Village Board and the District 96 Board of Education are expected to vote in January whether to approve the agreement.

Bob Uphues contributed to this report.

Brookfield to roll out app for requesting DPW services New software will streamline process and eliminate paper records

By BOB UPHUES Editor

The village of Brookfield will roll out a new way for residents to request public works services for problems ranging from filling potholes to trimming trees to fixing water main breaks through an app they can download to their smartphones or a widget that will be on the village’s website.

Assistant Village Manager George Issakoo and Public Works Director Carl Muell selected service tracking software called SeeClickFix, a module from Civic Plus, a firm that specializes in municipal website development.

Issakoo told village trustees during their Dec. 13 committee of the whole meeting that the initiative was part of management’s IT strategic plan and aligned with the village board’s goal for staff to focus on operational efficiencies and improved customer service through technology.

“In my past experience and working with Carl and talking about some of the operations at public works, we thought a great

tool for the village would be to process work orders digitally,” Issakoo said.

As has been the case for years, whenever someone calls or sends an email to village hall about a public works-related matter, staff generate a paper service request, handwriting complaint information, location and a description of work that needs to be done.

The paperwork orders are handed out to the various public works divisions responsible for handling the tasks. Public works notes what work was done, who did it and how long it took on that same work order, which is then routed back to village hall for archiving and for the village to provide answers to the person who requested the service.

“The problem with this is we’re not able to interact with the public as easily,” Issakoo said. “The requests can get potentially lost or misinformation might be put on there.

Whatever it is, the process is slower than it could be and should be.”

Implementing the SeeClickFix system will allow for two things, said Issakoo. First,

it will provide a quick and direct way for residents to request public works services.

Using a mobile app or through the web portal, residents can enter information about location and scope of the problem.

The app will also display to anyone using it all public works service requests submitted to the village. Staff also will receive any duplicate requests so they can see whether multiple people have requested resolution of the same problem. The system also accepts photos if residents want to supply a visual illustration of the problem.

“Every request allows us to ask specific questions to give public works more information,” Issakoo said. “Often times we’ll be in a situation where an email gets sent and we’ll have to go back and forth and try to contact the person because we need more information.”

Residents will continue to be able to email and call-in problems, Issakoo said, but staff will now be able to enter the information into the digital service request software instead of generating paper forms.

Requests can be submitted via personal

SeeClickFix accounts created by residents or anonymously. Those submitting personal requests will get confirmation of receipt as well as updates on the work order and a message when the work is complete.

Completed requests will be directed to the public works foremen overseeing the various divisions and they will assign the tasks to various crews, providing them a time frame for completing the job.

If public works needs additional information, they can communicate with the service requestor by messaging through the software. Each foreman will be assigned a tablet to receive and access the service request information in the field.

Because the system is also connected to the village’s GIS system, public works will have a history of service requests for specific areas and help pinpoint trouble spots.

“We can actually go by date, by request type,” said Issakoo. “I can focus in on all sorts of different requests that come through and you can see where in the village you’re seeing the most [requests].”

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

9

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PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF A SPECIAL MEETING

Riverside Township hereby gives notice of a Special Meeting to adopt the 2021 Levy on Wednesday, December 22, 2021, 27 Riverside Road, Room #4 Riverside, IL, 60546 at 6:30 p.m.

Vera A. Wilt Supervisor Published in RB Landmark December 8, 2021

Home is where the Heart is!

Let us all be Thankful for this beautiful community in which we live.

Happy Holidays!

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Through the Landmark’s error, this notice was not run as originally requested by Riverside Township on December 8.

The Landmark regrets the error.

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10

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

Dear readers, donors and those of you thinking about becoming donors, A week ago we told you we were two-thirds of the way to our $125,000 goal for the annual end-of year NewsMatch fundraiser.

And we announced a new $10,000 match from the Monroe and Fran Sullivan Charitable Fund.

Here’s the good news. We met and beat the Sullivan’s match. Now we are knocking at $100,000. That leaves $25,000 we need to raise by Dec. 31. And we now have a new challenge we’re offering to get us to goal.

The board of directors of Growing Community Media have combined on a $25,000 challenge. No gimmicks here. This is not a match. We have this money already banked thanks to the generosity and passion of our terrific board.

I want to call them out by name. Judy Greffin is our chair. Nile Wendorf is our treasurer. Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon and Eric Weinheimer are board members.

Now they are asking you to join them in investing in nonprofit community journalism across our seven neighborhoods. Your money goes straight into our newsroom. It pays the salaries of our reporters, our photographer, our dedicated freelancers.

If you believe, as I do, that Forest Park, Austin, River Forest, Brookfield, North Riverside, Riverside and Oak Park are better places to live because of the work of our reporters on the Austin Weekly News, Forest Park Review, Riverside-Brookfield Landmark and Wednesday Journal of Oak Park & River Forest, then now is the moment to become an active part of this newsroom.

Give at a level that works for you and your family. A $10 donation, $5 a month, $250 or $500. Each donation has great value to us.

Each new partner has our genuine gratitude as we pioneer this new model for nonprofit community journalism.

Be part of this. Enjoy your holidays. Stay safe.

Dan Haley Editor and Publisher Growing Community Media

www.rblandmark.com/donate or make your check payable to Growing Community Media at 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

COVID19

Vaccines urged from page 1

press conference. “Based on what we are seeing in Africa and Europe in particular, it’s likely to take over very quickly because it’s much more contagious.”

Rubin declined to say which suburb the person who tested positive lived or where that person may have been exposed to the disease. The person was asymptomatic, said Rubin, and had tested positive after being identified as a close contact of someone else who’d been infected with the omicron variant of the disease.

A week earlier, a Chicago resident became the first Illinoisan to test positive for the omicron variant. It was not revealed whether the suburban Cook County case was related.

The Chicago resident who tested positive in early December reportedly had been fully vaccinated and had received a booster, demonstrating the infectious nature of the variant.

The suburban resident had also been fully vaccinated, though possibly unboostered.

While omicron is highly contagious, symptoms generally appear to be less severe than those resulting from infection by the alpha or now-dominant delta variants.

“Preliminary data does indicate that omicron causes a milder form of COVID, which is good news obviously because that would decrease the number of deaths that we see and potentially decrease the number of hospitalizations,” Rubin said.

County officials still worry that hospitals could be overwhelmed if omicron causes an explosion of new cases. The best defense against that happening, said Rubin, is for those eligible to be fully vaccinated and get a booster shot if you are six months past the date of your second dose of vaccine (or two months past the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine).

“The literature is beginning to come out showing that if you are vaccinated with three doses, or two with the Johnson & Johnson, that can confer as much as 75-percent protection against getting severe COVID,” Rubin said. “So if you’re not vaccinated, it means you’re more likely to get a more severe case of COVID, even with the omicron.”

Late last week, the Cook County Department of Public Health issued guidance for mitigating COVID-19 during the upcoming holidays as the omicron variant spreads. In addition to urging those eligible to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible, health officials are advising that anyone who is not vaccinated to avoid gathering indoors with people outside their household.

Vaccinated people wishing to celebrate with family are urged to get a COVID test two to three days before the gathering and test again on the morning of the get together. Wearing masks indoors is also recommended.

Hundreds visit pop-up clinics On Dec. 19, hundreds of people lined up outside three Cook County Health clinics, including the one at 1800 Harlem Ave. in North Riverside, for a pop-up vaccine event hosted by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Nearly 3,000 people received doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines at three pop-up clinics Sunday in Arlington Heights, Blue Island and North Riverside.

The line at the North Riverside location, where vaccines were administered between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., reportedly snaked all the way out to the parkway along Harlem Avenue at one time.

60546 ZIP code posts highest 1-week case total No new fatal cases of COVID-19 were reported in Brookfield, Riverside or North Riverside during the past week, but the number of new cases for the week ending Dec. 20 in the 60546 ZIP code, which includes Riverside and North Riverside, have skyrocketed in the past three weeks.

As late as Nov. 30, the two villages had recorded a combined 13 new cases in one week.

For the week ending Dec. 20, the ZIP code recorded 106 new cases – 56 in Riverside and 50 in North Riverside.

The 106 new cases were the most in any oneweek period in 60546 since the pandemic began in March 2020. The second-highest total for the ZIP code was 105, recorded during the weeklong period ending Dec. 1, 2020.

That said, the seven-day rolling positivity rate of 3.11 percent as of Dec. 17 in 60546, according to the Northwestern University School of Medicine online COVID dashboard, was still lower than suburban Cook County generally.

The Cook County Department of Public Health on Dec. 20 was reporting a weekly positivity rate of 5.2 percent in the Chicago suburbs.

The weekly number of new COVID cases in Brookfield rose for the fourth straight week as of Dec. 20. During the week ending on that date, Brookfield recorded 89 new cases after recording 80 the week prior.

According to the Northwestern University online dashboard, the seven-day rolling positivity rate in Brookfield as of Dec. 17 matched suburban Cook County at 5.2 percent.

The increase in cases in each village has also seeped into the public schools, which are now on hiatus for the winter break until early January.

Riverside School District 96 on Dec. 17 reported 31 new student cases and three new staff cases at its five schools, with 12 students testing positive at Ames School and 10 at Hauser Junior High School.

The week before – also at the time a weekly high for the school year – District 96 reported 17 new student cases.

“It is concerning to see the number of increased cases in District 96,” said Riverside District 96 Superintendent Martha Ryan-Toye in an email. “We know these increased cases are reflective of the community at large. We encourage families to celebrate safely and return to school healthy. We also encourage all of our vaccine eligible students to get vaccinated.”

Riverside-Brookfield High School recorded 31 new student cases of COVID-19 in December, the highest monthly total since school began. The second highest was 10, in September.

For the week of Dec. 10-16 at Lyons Township High School, there were 42 new student cases compared to 17 the week before, which was a school-year high at the time.

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The Landmark, December 22, 2021

LAWSUIT

Mulling appeal from page 1 the defendants, former Brookfield police officer Andrew Lowry and Officer Rafael Alvarado, now a lieutenant.

In total, the jury awarded Valdez $160,000 in damages. That number included $75,000 in compensatory damages, $75,000 in punitive damages against Lowry and $10,000 in punitive damages against Alvarado.

Brookfield Police Chief Michael Kuruvilla said in an emailed statement that the village believes the jury erred in its decision and that the village “will challenge the verdict through post-trial motions and if necessary, an appeal. We are confident that some or all of this verdict will be reversed.”

Village officials and its risk management insurer, the Illinois Risk Management Association (IRMA), were confident enough to allow the case to go to trial, an unusual decision in these types of cases, which are almost always settled out of court.

“From the beginning of this lawsuit, the village has fully supported our officers and believe they conducted themselves appropriately,” Kuruvilla said.

“While we respect the jury and the pro-

cess, we are disappointed in the verdict “like there was a fire,” according to the and believe that it was simply unsupport- lawsuit. ed based on the evidence presented.”

While rushing down the stairs, both Torreya Hamilton, the attorney rep- Valdez and Lowry fell. Lowry broke his resenting Valdez, did not respond to an ankle, an injury so debilitating he retired email asking for comment. from the department in 2017. Valdez sufValdez, a retired CTA bus driver and fered a broken toe during the incident, U.S. military veteran, filed during which Alvarado dethe civil suit in U.S Dislivered two knee strikes to trict Court in 2018. He iniValdez after observing he tially also accused police had a pocket knife in his of malicious prosecution back pants pocket. and named five other poAccording to Kuruvilla, lice officers as defendants, Valdez testified that “he but a federal judge later did not believe the involved officers intended to hurt dismissed the malicious him as they escorted him prosecution accusation down a flight of stairs. Mr. and dropped the other five Valdez’s left great toe was officers as defendants. fractured, but he did not The lawsuit also iniMICHAEL KURUVILLA testify how or when the toe tially concerned two sepaBrookfield police chief was fractured and more rate incidents, one in 2016 importantly, did not beand one in 2017. However, lieve the officers purposely Valdez later narrowed the intended to break his toe. scope of the lawsuit to No other bodily injury was the August 2016 incident, which started when Valdez called 911 to claimed.” have police remove his adult daughter Valdez was charged with battery to a from his home because she was intoxicat- police officer and resisting arrest, but ed and allegedly had assaulted him. the charges were dismissed, according During that incident, Valdez was out- to court documents, in May 2018 after side his residence with Lowry when, ac- Valdez completed a court diversionary cording to the police report for that inci- program designed for veterans. Particident, Lowry arrested Valdez for “hitting pation in the program did not mean Vala police officer.” Valdez was handcuffed dez was either guilty or innocent of the and hustled down a stairwell by Lowry charges.

“We are disappointed in the verdict and believe that it was simply unsupported based on the evidence.”

The amount awarded by the jury is the largest sum Brookfield has been ordered to pay in a federal suit alleging excessive force by police in many years. The payout will come from IRMA, said Village Manager Timothy Wiberg, if the verdict and award are upheld upon appeal.

Brookfield police have been party to four other federal excessive force lawsuits since 2000. The Landmark was unable to determine how much the village agreed to pay to settle lawsuits in 2003 and 2009.

In 2014, the village paid $117,500 to a man who accused three police officers of hog-tying, beating and using a Taser repeatedly against him while he was handcuffed. Police had been called to the man’s apartment after a neighbor called to complain he was blaring music and pounding on the walls and floor of his apartment during the early morning hours in September 2012.

Two LaGrange Park men were paid $95,000 to settle their 2015 lawsuit accusing Brookfield police of wrongful arrest, malicious prosecution and excessive force. The two had been charged with aggravated battery and resisting arrest, but were found not guilty after video evidence presented in court exonerated them.

The village admitted no wrongdoing in settling both of those lawsuits, as well as the 2003 and 2009 lawsuits, before they went to trial.

Olmsted Society Stewards of the land and Olmsted’s Plan

Olmsted Society members are awesome!

Many have been members for decades, and they not only live in Riverside, some hail from other towns and states!

They appreciate the work we do in this unique Landmark Village, and understand that membership fees and donations support a variety of programs.

It’s time for our 2022 Membership Drive. Please renew or join today. Your tax deductible donation will allow us to continue preserving our natural landscape and fund our educational and outreach programs. Visit www.olmstedsociety.org/membership for details.

All are welcome to attend our Annual Meeting, 7 PM, Friday, January 21 2022, Riverside Township Hall and also via Zoom. The short business meeting will be followed with a presentation by Spencer Cortwright PhD., topic: Ecological Restoration of the Chicago area.

April 26, 2022 is the 200th anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted’s birth.

To commemorate Olmsted 200, year-long events will be held around the country, including Riverside. On January 9, a traveling exhibit about Olmsted’s life and career can be seen at Riverside Library. You won’t want to miss it! Please see our website for details about the Olmsted exhibit and other exciting activities that will take place throughout the year.

Warm seasons greetings to you and your family!

Our best to you in 2022!

Visit olmstedsociety.org or facebook.com/RiversideFLOS for details

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

P R O P E R T Y

New construction in Brookfield brings $550,000

13

T R A N S F E R S

The following property transfers were reported by the Cook County Clerk from October 2021. Where addresses appear incomplete, for instance where a unit number appears missing, that information was not provided by the clerk’s office.

Brookfield ADDRESS

PRICE

SALE DATE

SELLER

4141 Park Ave. 3333 Arthur Ave. 4128 Sunnyside Ave. 3632 Prairie Ave. 2919 Prairie Ave. 3231 Raymond Ave. 3114 Maple Ave.

$399,000 $130,000 $285,000 $191,000 $295,000 $289,500 $270,000

9/15/2021 8/27/2021 9/13/2021 9/28/2021 9/15/2021 9/07/2021 9/28/2021

Alberico, Matthew Marc Twomey, Philip A Foster, David J Randazzo, Andrew Romar TR 3632 Hansen, Carrie Thullen, Matthew J TR Posluszny, Thomas

9037 Roach Ave. 4433 Prairie Ave. 9007 Burlington Ave. 9546 Washington Ave. 3509 Kemman Ave. 3616 Raymond Ave. 3810 Arthur Ave. 3821 Park Ave.

$265,000 $529,000 $175,000 $200,500 $277,000 Unknown $290,000 $337,500

7/12/2021 9/14/2021 9/21/2021 9/14/2021 9/21/2021 9/10/2021 8/12/2021 7/16/2021

3519 Morton Ave. 3143 Elm Ave. 4512 Park Ave. 3201 Elm Ave. 3341 Elm Ave. 8802 45th Pl. 3517 Rosemear Ave. 3602 Grand Blvd.

3518 Oak Ave. 3914 Oak Ave. 3612 Prairie Ave. 4005 Forest Ave. 9210 47th St. 4237 Sunnyside Ave. 8923 Southview Ave. 9533 Henrietta Ave. 4210 Deyo Ave. 8653 Riverside Ave. 4416 Forest Ave. 3341 Elm Ave. 3922 Oak Ave. 4128 Vernon Ave. 3243 Oak Ave. 4433 DuBois Blvd.

4323 Prairie Ave. 4123 Park Ave. 3316 Prairie Ave. 3937 Elm Ave. 3936 Park Ave. 9328 Lincoln Ave.

$320,000 $240,000 $165,000 $260,000 Unknown $90,000 $297,000 $300,000 $550,000 $237,000 $315,000 $430,000 $330,000 $265,000 $525,000 $92,000 $20,000 $335,000 $204,000 Unknown $263,000 $212,500 $338,000 $320,000 $308,000 $254,500 $300,000 $210,000 $335,000 $1,757.91

9/30/2021 9/21/2021 8/24/2021 8/10/2021 9/17/2021 10/06/2021 9/25/2021 10/02/2021 9/29/2021 7/23/2021 7/05/2021 8/25/2021 10/13/2021 10/11/2021 7/30/2021 10/18/2021 4/21/2021 10/13/2021 9/16/2021 10/13/2021 10/25/2021 10/13/2021 7/29/2021 9/21/2021 10/16/202 10/20/2021 9/15/2021 9/20/2021 10/12/2021 8/30/2021

Mrkvicka, Katherine A TR Huynh, Man Ngoc Escobedo, Lisa Morgan, George A III Janney, Peter The Judicial Sales Corp Hummel, Eric J ChicagoTitle LandTrust Co TR 8002370374 Passarella, Ricky Hoppenrath,Timothy Extr Hesik, Kevin T Wood, Kyle The Judicial Sales Corp Pena, Julia Kotowski, Richard A Danielewicz, Renata SLT Investments Grp Inc Torres, Cesar Regino Cullen, Kisa Johnson, Grant Rivera, Maria Guadalupe Johnson, Laurie L Nemic, Stephen E Phillips, Mary B TR Szkirpan, Daniel R TR Snyder, Elizabeth Extr GIR Investments LLC Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC Gatch, Robert Phillips, Dawn Gomez, Angelica E Tlapa, Donna Rosado, Lanae Plimmer, Cherylene A Fultz, William A Besson, Jacques Meza, Ricardo Intercounty Judicial Sales Corp

BUYER Donnelly, Jennifer Sierra, Ricardo Gomez, Natalia McAteer, Barry Holcom, Samantha Murphy, Sean Chicago Title Land Trust Co TR 8002387065 Prokop, Sarah J Garcia, Christy J Echols, Ebony M Sullivan, Alyssa Deluna, Joseph A US Bk Trust Natl Assn TR Zarco, Eric Tafur, Johan Omar Acevedo, Alexander Riveron, Daria Houdek, Joseph M Furlong, Emily Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC Bavtijari, Lindita Renaud, Jason Lynn Van Beek, Andrew T Cosich, Tyler L Wilmouth, Daniele Culver, Jeffrey Honchock, Michael P Fourt LLC Sanchez, Sheila Michelle Bueno, Irma Y Quintero Grandview Cap LLC Hernandez, Jamie Vinella, John GJR Investments LLC PHH Mtg Corp Phillips, Nina Toan, Emily Mizek, Jeffrey Serrano, Francisco Jose Pav, Joseph R Robles, Maria E Willoughby, Joseph W Garcia, Cecilia Fulgencio, Jorge US Bk Na Tr

3518 Oak Ave., Brookfield

North Riverside ADDRESS

PRICE

SALE DATE

2516 Forest Ave. 2930 Desplaines Ave. 2533 4th Ave. 2523 2nd Ave. 2517 Park Ave. 2220 12th Ave. 2400 Lathrop Ave. 8021 29th Ct. 2409 4th Ave. 2317 13th Ave. 8129 26th St. 2533 2nd Ave. 8917 24th St.

$247,000 $175,000 $370,000 $357,500 $355,000 $250,000 $225,000 $215,000 $285,000 $260,500 $330,000 $350,000 $350,000

9/08/2021 9/24/2021 10/04/2021 7/26/2021 10/02/2021 7/28/2021 9/15/2021 9/15/2021 9/08/2021 10/15/2021 9/20/2021 9/24/2021 10/15/2021

277 Olmsted Rd. 95 Southcote Rd. 76 S. Delaplaine Rd. 99 N. Delaplaine Rd. 341 Scottswood Rd. 314 Herrick Rd. 466 Kent Rd. 95 Forest Ave. 316 Blythe Rd. 338 Northwood Rd. 81 E. Burlington St. 338 Northwood Rd. 2936 Harlem Ave. 297 E. Quincy St. 321 N. Delaplaine Rd. 290 Lawton Rd. 79 Forest Ave. 403 Selborne Rd. 220 Lawton Rd. 36 Woodside Rd. 294 Maplewood Rd. 555 Byrd Rd. 432 Uvedale Rd. 470 Selborne Rd.

$389,000 $370,000 $432,000 $785,000 Unknown $245,000 $629,000 $480,000 $920,000 $350,000 $263,000 $390,000 $450,000 $450,000 $830,000 $918,000 $549,000 $423,000 $800,000 $539,000 $550,000 $592,500 Unknown $700,000

9/30/2021 9/16/2021 9/30/2021 7/16/2021 9/16/2021 7/15/2021 10/05/2021 9/22/2021 8/02/2021 9/29/2021 8/19/2021 9/30/2021 7/15/2021 10/04/2021 9/08/2021 9/30/2021 9/10/2021 10/14/2021 10/15/2021 9/03/2021 10/19/2021 9/23/2021 10/07/2021 8/02/2021

SELLER Micovic, David TR 001 Mathews, John TR Dominguez, Yavet Jenkins, Janean Woods Barnas, Chong Mi Barker, Michael C Chicago Title Land Trust Co TR 5225 De La Torre, Marisela Busch, Carl J III Villarreal, Adrian McEwan, Colin A Czajka, Jacob Ross Arciniega, Linda G

Riverside

Ortega, Roberto Torp, David P TR Wilp, Gregory J TR 76 Len Bldr Inc The Judicial Sales Corp Gangi, Guy Thomas Pitts, Margaret Darovic, Elizabeth Minhaj, Mohammed Semanski, Carissa A Rio, Bradley Argumosa, Terri L TR Joe Investments LLC Hastings, Joel A Itasca Bk & Trust Co TR 12575 Greczek, Steven Alexander Teele, Matthew Kamm, Michael J Reilley, Brian D Nadro, Jason Esenther, Thomas M TR Herrera, Manuel J Woznicki, William S TR Calabria, Nicole R

BUYER Dowd, Susan Sepulveda, Abraham Sanchez, Juan M Perez, Silvestre Watkins, Lakenya L Cadena, Guerrero Urbina Chusan, Pablo Sommer, Duane A Reyes, Catherine Rodriguez, Michelle Plata, Emma JValdovinos Saldana-Huerta, Carolina Montelongo, Paola Michelle Gonzalez Conroy, Alice Layng, Kayla Viets Mendicino, Dominic E Evans, Tyler A UBS Bk USA Len Bldr Inc Mullen, Brigid Alijosius, Ainaras Bertucci, Anthony J Zimmerman, Joseph Perese, Jesse D Semanski, Carissa Chavez,Yurtzy Dattalo, James D Bombard, Hilary Hammond, William Claude Pyne, Benjamin Keehan, Catherine Jisa, Daniel W Boysen, Brian Timpson, Brigham J Slechta, Natalie PHH Mtg Corp Schwab, Kyle

14

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

THE LANDMARK VIEW

Working together

O

ne of the things we’ve always found hard to understand is just how difficult it has been at times for Riverside School District 96’s Board of Education to work out an arrangement to help compensate Brookfield and Riverside for providing crossing guards at local schools.

There always seem to be this contest of who’s getting the better deal, which is so weird because the money coming from both places is being provided largely by the same taxpayers.

The answer to who’s getting the best deal is this: The residents of the school district in Riverside and Brookfield.

Not all agreements need to be equal, by the way. There’s no set formula for how to set up these arrangements. District 96 agrees to share its facilities with the village and pays half the cost for crossing guards.

The village’s recreation department has also stepped up to provide before- and after-school programming for families in District 96 who need that extra care, especially with no fullday kindergarten an option right now in District 96.

Brookfield initially had asked District 96 to pay a portion of the cost for crossing guards, but later agreed to a deal more in line with the village’s agreement with Brookfield-LaGrange Park District 95, which is a straight facilities-sharing deal with no cost to the school district for crossing guards.

The village’s Parks and Rec Department also provides before- and after-school programming as a value added benefit.

They do the same for Lyons-Brookfield School District 103, providing those programs onsite at the schools.

These are all beneficial to the communities at large, and the costs and burdens are being shared, as they ought to be. This kind of cooperation between units of local government should be the model, not the exception, and certainly not a turf war.

We’re glad that the village and District 96 appear to be heading toward approval of the Hollywood school facilities sharing/crossing guard deal in January. Did the village win?

Did the school district win?

Families won.

Prime-time player

When Dana Rettke played basketball and volleyball for Riverside-Brookfield High School from 2013-17, it was clear she was a special talent. As a senior, she led RBHS to the state volleyball quarterfinals, rewriting the high school’s record book during her career as a Bulldog.

She chose the University of Wisconsin as her collegiate destination and the success continued. After being named the national Freshman of the Year, she helped the Badgers to three NCAA tournament Final Four appearances, capping it all last week with Wisconsin’s first national title and a collegiate Player of the Year Award to boot.

Rettke carved her name into the Badger’s record book as well, ranking first in points, blocks, block assists and attack percentage and second in total kills.

It was a remarkable way to cap her college career. Now she’ll look to continue to play as a pro and perhaps earn a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.

Whatever happens, Rettke has been a dominant player and deserves the congratulations that come with her success.

Opinion KOSEY CORNER

A couple ways to spread joy this season

I

t has finally arrived, Christmas is here.

Again we thought we had so much time, but we really didn’t.

As usual, the cards have not been sent. I like to think when ours do arrive you will have more time to read it. Looking at our two little trees -- decided to pass on the big one this year -- they could use a few more ornaments, or should I say less is more and be satisfied.

What presents have not been purchased can still be picked up at Walgreens or CVS. I did take time to get something for me -- a Bailey’s Irish Cream gift set with bottle and two cups. Thank you to me.

But the spirit of the season can be shown in many and here are a couple suggestions.

The Riverside Township Lions Club has arranged to have a truck at Riverside Foods on Dec. 26 to bring supplies to the tornado victims down south. Seeing the devastation, you can only imagine how much is needed.

Here are some suggestions to help fill up the truck: Baby items, diapers, toilet paper, hygiene items, blankets, and socks to name a few things. No clothing is being taken at this time. Here is an opportunity to

express the real sentiment of the season.

Let’s help the Lions Club fill the truck.

Riverside Village President Joe Ballerine is hoping we will all be good neighbors by helping the new Broadview Senior Apartments fill up their library. Nothing worse than bare shelves in a library.

You can help by bringing in books and puzzles, new or gently used, to the newly opened Sips and Sweets in the Arcade Building at 1 Riverside Road in Riverside, where owner Krista Brazel will be glad to collect your donations.

Have a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll when you drop off your books and/or puzzles. Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson is happy to have a good neighbor, and that would be us.

Thank you to the Riverside Township Lions Club and Ballerine for giving us some suggestions on how we can express the true meaning of Christmas.

To you my readers, I wish you peace this holiday season to you and your families. May the spirit we exhibit at this time continue throughout the year. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

JOANNE KOSEY

LETTERS

Full-day kindergarten long overdue in D96 When I first moved to Riverside in early 1991, it was time to sign up my oldest child for kindergarten. It did not surprise me then that morning kindergarten was the only choice.

Luckily for me, as a working mom of three, District 96 offered a program called Kindergarten Enrichment, an afternoon program paid for by those families who participated. That program was still offered three years later when my twins started school. It was expensive, but cheaper than hiring a babysitter.

I was shocked to learn that 30 years later, District 96 still

Send letters to the Editor Bob Uphues, Riverside-Brookfield Landmark 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 include name, address and daytime phone number for verification

offered only half-day kindergarten. Today the schools are bustling with enrollment, the surrounding districts offer all-day options and many parents, who are not particularly religious, choose Catholic schools so that their kids have an all-day experience.

I hope the board makes the right decision on this issue.

All-day kindergarten is long overdue. Parents pay enough in property taxes. They should not have to pay more for extra programs or private school tuition to fill in this gap.

Jan Goldberg Riverside

Sports

@RBLandmark

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

15

RBHS grad leads Badgers to NCAA volleyball title Dana Rettke named college player of the year to cap stellar season

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

During a timeout in only the second match of the season, fifth-year senior Dana Rettke sensed unprecedented potential for her University of Wisconsin women’s volleyball team.

“We were just firing on all cylinders [against Baylor]. Incredible. It was electric.

It’s why you play sports,” Rettke said.

“I was on the bench. I run over and I’m high fiving and thinking to myself, ‘This team is going to win a national championship.’ It was so vivid in my mind. If that’s the way we’re playing [Aug. 28], I’m so excited to see our growth and improvement the rest of the season.”

Rettke’s premonition became reality on Dec. 18.

For the first time, the Badgers won the NCAA championDANA RETTKE ship by outlasting Big Ten Conference rival Nebraska 22-25, 31-29, 25-23, 23-25, 15-12 in Columbus, Ohio.

A 2017 Riverside-Brookfield High School graduate, Rettke had 11 kills and 13 of an NCAA championship-match record 24 blocks by the No. 4-ranked Badgers (31-3).

The 6-foot-8 middle blocker was among many Wisconsin veterans who lost in the 2019 final to Stanford and the 2020-21 semifinals to Texas in April. Wisconsin also was national runner-up in 2013 and 2000.

“It’s so much a testament not only to the team but all of the people who helped build this program that came before us,” Rettke said in a phone interview Dec. 20.

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. It’s been like a crazy couple of days. The more I have that hat on and the more I see the trophy, it sinks in that we are national champions.”

This season, Rettke also achieved personal history.

Rettke became Wisconsin’s first American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Year after being 2017 Freshman of the Year.

She also is the first five-time AVCA first-team All-American and among the first two fivetime All-Big Ten First Team selections.

Rettke is Wisconsin’s career leader in points (2,333), attack percentage (.422), total blocks (751) and block assists (660) and second in kills (1,821).

TOM LYNN/WISCONSIN ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Riverside-Brookfield High School graduate Dana Rettke (16) was named University of Wisconsin’s first American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Year after leading the Badgers to an NCAA national title on Dec. 18. The 6-foot-8 middle blocker ends her collegiate run as Wisconsin’s career leader in points, attack percentage, total blocks and block assists. She is also No. 2 in kills for the Badgers all-time.

With the 2020-21 season abbreviated by COVID-19, the NCAA permitted athletes an additional year of eligibility. Rettke was among Wisconsin’s four graduate student players along with All-America setter Sydney Hilley, her roommate the past four seasons.

Fittingly, the national championship point came on Rettke’s final collegiate kill -- the only time all match she didn’t face a block.

“It was unreal. The set that Sydney made to generate that kill was just – I don’t even know I have a word for it,” Rettke said. “It was not me. It was Sydney putting me in a great spot to get that kill.”

Rettke grew up loving -- and still loves -- basketball. She happened to love volleyball more and followed that passion in high school.

At RBHS, she amassed 2,688 career kills

and continued progressing through club experience with 1st Alliance. Wisconsin teammate Lauren Barnes also played with Rettke at 1st Alliance.

“When I told my dad I was National Player of the Year, he was like, ‘Who would have thought you’d end up here?’ Not me, that’s for sure,” Rettke said.

“It was pretty cool but I can’t do any of that without my teammates. I enjoy all of those accolades for the team and individually, but I want to be remembered for loving my teammates more than anything and bringing a positive spirit in the gym.”

Wisconsin defeated No. 1-ranked and previously undefeated Louisville in a five-set semifinal. During the season, the Badgers beat No. 10-ranked Nebraska (26-8) in three and four

sets en route to a third straight Big Ten title.

“The [championship] level of play was just incredible. Nebraska had some crazy plays.

We had some crazy plays,” Rettke said. “We kind of knew what to expect, but it was just great volleyball all around.”

Rettke plans to play professionally in January with hopes of making the U.S. Olympic team. Rettke trained and competed with the U.S. national team in 2019, winning the Nations Volleyball League as the U.S. qualified for the Summer Olympics.

In August, the U.S. women won in Tokyo for their first gold medal.

“Oh, my God. I was crying. I played with that core group,” Rettke said. “Absolutely insane. I was so excited for them and the coaching staff.”

16

S P O R T S

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

RBHS boys head into holiday hoops tourney riding high Bulldogs are No. 3 seed at Jack Tosh Classic at York High School

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

After surviving a close call Dec. 17, the Riverside-Brookfield High School boys basketball team will get many more big tests soon.

The Bulldogs (9-1) are the No. 3 seed at York’s Jack Tosh Classic behind Glenbard West and Bolingbrook.

RBHS opens the five-day, 32-team action at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 27 against Sandburg. With a 61-53 Metro Suburban Conference home victory on Dec. 17 over St. Francis, the Bulldogs have won six straight heading into a Dec. 22 game with St. Edward.

“There’s some great teams at the Tosh,” R-B coach Mike Reingruber said. “It’s always very deep and very balanced.”

Lyons Township High School (6-3), which also has won four straight, and the Bulldogs could meet in the Tosh Classic quarterfinals.

LTHS plays Wheaton North at 9 a.m. on Dec. 27 in its opener.

Senior Brady Vaia’s late three-pointer on Dec. 17 put RBHS ahead to stay after St. Francis overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to tie the game. The Bulldogs were then perfect from

OBITUARIES

Shirley A. Aul, 79 Homemaker Shirley Ann Aul (nee Norwood), 79, of Lyons, died Dec. 16, 2021 at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.

Ms. Aul was born July 2, 1942. She was a homemaker and enjoyed playing cards and bingo.

SHIRLEY A. AUL She was the wife of the late Raymond Henry Aul Sr.; the mother of Raymond Henry (Joanne) Aul Jr., James Jason (Melody) Aul and Matthew Scott Aul; the grandmother of Jaclyn Paige Aul, Jacob William Aul, Zander Raymond Aul, Hunter William Aul, Nathaniel Robert Zyla and Jericho Alexander Aul; the sister of the late Donald F. Norwood; and the aunt of Donny Norwood and the late Tina Norwood.

Services have been held. Interment was at Glen Oak Cemetery, Hillside.

Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, Brookfield, handled arrangements.

Online condolences, memories and photographs may be shared at JohnsonNosek. com.

the free throw line down the stretch to pull away.

Joevonn McCottry and Joe Gilhooley each scored 16 points.

LTHS defeated Downers Grove North 75-58 on Dec. 17 to improve to 3-1 in West Suburban Conference Silver action and Prospect 57-44 on Dec. 18.

Nik Polonowski (27 points, 5 threes) and Billy Bach (22 points, 4 threes) had career scoring highs against Downers North and Jackson Niego added 11 points. Senior Tavari Johnson’s 12 assists was one shy of the single-game school record shared by multiple players.

Aidan Sullivan (15 points), Johnson (11 points), Polonowski (9 points) and Bach and Graham Smith (7 points each) paced the victory over Prospect.

LTHS girls atop WSC-Silver Senior Hailey Markworth converted a conventional three-point play with 7.6 seconds left to give Lyons Township High School a 3129 victory over Downers Grove North on Dec. 17 in LaGrange to take over first place in the West Suburban Conference’s Silver Division near season’s the halfway point.

Frances Rogoznica, 92 Riverside resident loved baking, bowling Frances Rogoznica (née Oles), 92, of Riverside, died peacefully on Dec. 18, 2021.

Ms. Rogoznica was born to Mary (nee Krochmal) and Jozef Oles and was raised in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood where she attended St. FRANCES ROGOZNICA Adalbert Grammar School.

For many years, she was a fixture behind the counter at Oles Candy Store, the business her Polish immigrant parents opened and where she was known for her boisterous laugh.

Once married, she followed her professional bowler husband’s passion and joined the women’s league at Marquette Bowl. In later years, she was a regular at the St. Bede’s bingo hall, where she shared her famous home-baked kolacky with fellow gamblers.

Ms. Rogoznica was the wife of 40 years of the late Andrew Rogoznica and the mother of Gail (Mark) McKernin and June Rogoznica (Andrew Kligerman).

The fourth of five siblings, Frances was preceded in death by her brothers, Casimer “Casey” and Stanley “Stas’” and her sisters, Lottie Schroeder and Helka Stefenhagen.

Her beautiful legacy includes grandchildren Erin (Nathan) Louer, Andrew (Kate) McKernin, Emma (Jack) Maloney, Matthew and Jackson Kligerman and great-grandchildren

The Lions (11-1, 5-0 in WSC-Silver) are the No. 5 seed at the 16-team Montini Christmas Tournament. They open with Hope Academy at 9:45 a.m. on Dec. 27.

Last season, LTHS shared the conference title with Downers North (12-2, 4-1) and York.

Downers North missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that could have snatched victory from the Lions on Dec. 17.

“Conference is a really big goal of ours and we definitely want to take it,” said Markworth, who had a game-high 14 points and another key basket with 45.8 seconds left to put the Lions up 28-27.

“This one was definitely exciting,” Markworth added. “I wouldn’t say that our clutch baskets fall on me all of the time. We could all have one at a certain time.”

Ally Cesarini added 12 rebounds and six points and Ella Ormsby had four steals.

The Lions handled the Trojans’ half-court, ball-control strategy that limited them to 44 possessions. After three turnovers on their first four possessions, the Lions had just four the rest of the game.

“It was a great game to watch, a great game to be a part of. Hats off to them. They gave us a very challenging game,” LTHS coach Meghan Caroline and Harrison Louer.

She was the aunt of Leona Mucha, Dawn Stefenhagen and Denise (Dan) Reese and also leaves behind five great-nieces and nephews, including Darren and Melanie Mucha, Kyle and Bradley Reese and Beverly (James) BeachGoebel.

Visitation In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Mary T. Sedlacek, 79 Owned bookkeeping service Mary T. Sedlacek (nee Markov), 79 of LaGrange Park, died Dec.14, 2021. Ms. Sedlacek owned her own bookkeeping service.

She was the wife of the late Raymond John; the mother of Raymond, Steven (Colleen) and Kristin Sedlacek; the grandmother of Raymond, Meghan, Kevin, Maggie and Reilly; and the sister of Ann and Paul Markov.

A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Louise de Marillac Church in LaGrange Park.

Interment was at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside.

Ivins/Moravecek Funeral Home, Riverside, handled arrangements.

Jewell R. Sova, 96 Retired waitress Jewell R. Sova (nee Loomis), 96, of North Riverside, died Dec. 19, 2021.

Hutchens said. “I’m really proud of our girls to keep their composure, finish the game and to finish on the winning side is always a plus.”

Cesarini had a career-high 19 points on Dec. 14 as LTHS won 66-55 at York. Markworth scored 16 points and Olivia Mezan contributed 10.

In the Grow the Game Tournament on Dec. 13, LTHS defeated Trinity 65-52 at New Trier behind Mezan (16 points), Izzy Lee and Markworth (13 points each) and Ormsby (10 points).

RBHS’ Wilczak named all-tourney Riverside-Brookfield High School senior Rachel Wilczak was named to the all-tournament team at the Oak Lawn Tournament last week.

The Bulldogs (6-7) lost to Thornton Fractional South 64-48 in the fifth-place game on Dec. 18.

RBHS had finished 1-2 in pool play, losing to Aurora Central Catholic 42-34 on Dec. 15.

The Bulldogs will play host to its five-team, round-robin holiday tournament. The Bulldogs meet Argo at 3 p.m. on Dec. 27 to get things started. On Dec. 28, they will face Morton at 3 p.m. and Shepard at 4:30 p.m. They’ll finish up against Niles North at 3 p.m. on Dec. 29.

Born Oct. 20, 1925, Ms. Sova worked as a waitress at Richard’s Lilac Lodge, a popular dining spot in the 1960s and 1970s in Hillside, prior to retiring.

Ms. Sova was the wife of the late John F. and the mother of Ronald and John. She is also survived by her sister, Shirley Simpson, and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation is Thursday, Dec. 23 from 9:30 a.m. until time of a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. at Mater Christi Church in North Riverside. Interment is at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

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

Online condolences may be offered at KuratkoNosek.com.

Florence K. Wenzbauer, 99 North Riverside homemaker Florence K. Wenzbauer (nee Pesata), 99, of North Riverside, died Dec. 17, 2021. She was born July 21, 1922 in Chicago and was a homemaker.

Ms. Wenzbauer was the wife of the late James, the mother of Gary (Lynn) Wenzbauer, Janice (Jack) Cline, James (Joanne) Wenzbauer and Jody Wenzbauer and the grandmother and great-grandmother of many.

Cremation was private. Inurnment will be held at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Hillside, at a later date.

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

Online condolences may be offered at KuratkoNosek.com.

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

Growing Community Media

17

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED • NETWORK SPECIALIST Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class.

Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

DEFINITION To perform various network/system administration, computer support, and operational activities for the Village including computer system setup, configuration, and testing.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED Reports directly to the Information Technology Services Director.

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES: Essential and other important duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following: Essential duties and responsibilities 1. Ensure that best in class customer service is provided to both internal and external customers and also embrace, support, and promote the Village’s core values, beliefs and culture.

2. Configure, test, and deploy network systems, such as, firewalls, routers, switches, wireless equipment, network servers and storage arrays.

3. Configure, test, and deploy system servers, such as, file, print, Internet, e-mail, database, and application servers.

4. Configure, test, and monitor server and end-user systems for security, such as, user accounts, login scripts, file access privileges, and group policy management.

5. Configure, test, and deploy end-user systems, such as, workstations, laptops, mobile devices, printers, and software.

6. Test, configure, deploy, and support security systems, such as, facility access system, video & audio system.

7. Monitor and auditing of networks, systems, and user activities to ensure security and efficiency of systems. Create scripts and reports of detail activities for regular review.

8. Perform and participate in disaster recovery activities, such as, backup procedures, data recovery, and system recovery planning.

9. Assist end-users with computer problems or queries. Troubleshoot systems as needed and meet with users to analyze specific system needs.

10. Ensure the uniformity, reliability and security of system resources including network, hardware,

software and other forms of systems and data.

11. Prepare, create and update user/technical procedure documentations and provide computer training.

12. Assemble, test, and install network, telecommunication and data equipment and cabling.

13. Participate in research and recommendation of technology solutions.

Other important responsibilities and duties 1. Train users in the area of existing, new or modified computer systems and procedures.

2. Participate in the preparation of various activity reports.

3. Travel and support remote facilities and partner agencies.

4. Operate, administer and manage the Village and Public Safety computer systems, including E-911 center, in-vehicle computer systems.

5. Prepare clear and logical reports and program documentation of procedures, processes, and configurations.

6. Complete projects on a timely and efficient manner.

7. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

8. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

9. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.

QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge of: Principals and procedures of computer systems, such as, data communication, hierarchical structure, backups, testing and critical analysis.

Hardware and software configuration of. computers, servers and mobile devices, including computing environment of Windows Server and Desktop OS and applications, Unix/Linux OS, VMware, iOS/Android.

Network protocols, security, configuration and administration, including firewalls, routers, switches and wireless technology.

Cabling and wiring, including CAT5/6, fiber network, telephone, serial communication, termination, and punch-down.

Telecommunications theory and technology, including VoiP, serial communication, wireless protocols, PBX, analog, fax, voicemail and auto-attendant.

Principles and methods of computer programming, coding and testing, including power shell, command scripting, macros, and

VB scripts.

Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment.

Technical writing, office productivity tools and database packages.

Ability to: Maintain physical condition appropriate to the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities, which may include the following: - Walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time - Operating assigned equipment - Lift 50 pounds of equipment, supplies, and materials without assistance - Working in and around computer equipped vehicles Maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and perception needed for: - Making observations - Communicating with others - Reading and writing - Operating assigned equipment and vehicles Maintain mental capacity allowing for effective interaction and communication with others.

Maintain reasonable and predictable attendance.

Work overtime as operations require.

Experience and Training Guidelines Experience: Three years of network/system administration in the public or private sector, maintaining a minimum of 75 Client Workstation computers. AND Training: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in computer science or a related field. Certifications in Microsoft Server Administration, Networking, Applications and Cisco Networking.

Possession of a valid Illinois Driver License is required at the time of appointment.

Vaccination against COVID-19 strongly preferred.

WORKING CONDITIONS Work in a computer environment; sustained posture in a seated position for prolonged periods of time; continuous exposure to computer screens; work in and around computerized vehicles outdoor and garage facility; lifting heavy equipment, communication cabling and wiring into walls and ceilings.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF HR AND RACIAL EQUITY The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Assistant Director of HR and Racial Equity in the Human Resources Department. This newly created position supports the management of activities and operations of the Human Resources Department and collaboratively develops and drives an organization-wide racial equity and social justice strategy, ensuring timely execution of objectives, and continuously monitoring the progress towards reaching milestones.

The incumbent will lead and provide subject matter expertise to the leadership team in the development and implementation of equity initiatives, both internal and external. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http:// www.oak-park.us/jobs.

Position opened until filled.

MEDICAL RECEPTIONIST Part time or Fulltime Medical Receptionist for an OB Gyne Office in River Forest Nye Partners in Women’s Health Please email resume to: yvonne@ nyepartners.com POLICE RECORDS CLERK The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Police Records Clerk in the Police Department. This position will perform a wide variety of specialized clerical duties in support of the Police Department including processing and maintaining documents, correspondence and coding reports; and to provide information and assistance to the public.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs.





Tired or bored of clicking away on a keyboard working at home? Manufacturing Keep your hands and mind busy with a fun, safe, clean assembly job. You’d have your own large assembly zone, at least 15-20 feet away from others, so we’re really safe here. Top rated firm Alpina Manufacturing LLC founded in 1992, Oak Park resident owner. Beautiful campus in Galewood, near Mars candy, 3 blocks north of Oak Park. We build and sell display framing systems to customers nationwide including Wal-Mart, Verizon, Circle K gas stations, Hospitals. Full time, Part time, Flex hours for working parents or students. We train, no travel, work in Galewood. Open to any backgrounds. Excellent pay, friendly caring management. Stop in anytime between 7am and 4pm M-F ask for Izzy to apply and check us out. Alpina Manufacturing 6460 W Cortland St Chicago IL 60707

River Forest Public Schools District 90 River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking to hire a School Psychologist for a full-time position for grades PreK-4th starting in December 2021. To qualify, candidates must have a valid Illinois Professional Education License with endorsement in School Psychology (PreK-4). A Master’s Degree is preferred as well as 5 years of successful educational experience in both general and special education; and at least five years of successful experience in evaluating students, collaborating, and problem-solving with school and District teams. The right candidate will facilitate MTSS meetings, including individual and grade-level planning meetings.

Integrate D90 practices around equity and inclusivity into daily work and relationships with students, families and colleagues.

Duties include: Completing appropriate psychoeducational assessments for children who have or are suspected of having a disability. Identifying and assessing the learning, development, and adjustment characteristics and needs of individuals and groups, as well as, the environmental factors that affect learning and adjustment. Using assessment data about the student and his/her environment(s) in developing appropriate interventions and programs. Responding to parent and teacher requests for evaluations in accordance with Illinois law and maintaining compliance in accordance with Illinois special education law.

Application Procedure: Interested candidates should complete the online application availableat district90.org.

Starting a New Business?

SANITARIAN The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Sanitarian in the Health Department. This position will perform a variety of duties including education and enforcement activities for the promotion and protection of the public health environment.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak- park.us/jobs.

Seasonal Farmers’ Market Manager The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Seasonal Farmers’ Market Manager in the Health Department.

This position manages the Oak Park Farmer’s Market including the vendors that sell directly to the public within established guidelines. This is a part-time seasonal position with work from January-mid November and work required on Saturday’s from May through October. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs.

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled.

A&A ELECTRIC PART-TIME ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER



Fun, Clean, Picture Frame Assembly JOB

Call for more info.

708-738-3848

Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice in • Austin Weekly News • Wednesday Journal • Forest Park Review • Riverside/Brookfield Landmark

Call the Experts Before You Place Your Legal Ad!

Call Stacy for details:

773-626-6332

In print • Online • Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year OakPark.com | AustinWeeklyNews.com | RBLandmark.com | ForestParkReview.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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

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

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal-opportunity basis.

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777.

Wednesday Journal • Landmark • Forest Park Review

18

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

CLASSIFIED

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

RENTALS & REAL ESTATE

MARKETPLACE

CARS WANTED

WANTED TO BUY

CLASSICS WANTED CLASSICS Restored or Restored or Unrestored Unrestored Cars Motorcycles Cars & & Vintage Vintage Motorcycles Domestic / Import Import Cars: Cars:

Mercedes, Corvette, Mercedes,Porsche, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang && Mopars Mopars Mustang Top $$ Etc. $$$$Top $$allallmakes, makes, Etc.

SUBURBAN RENTALS

WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys.

Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400

STUDIOS, 1, 2 & 3 BR Best Selection & Service

708-386-7355

MMpropMgmt.com CICERO 3724 S 53RD CT

CEMETARY PLOTS

A beautiful 2 flat in South Cicero off 35th st. Features include 3 bedrooms, central air, garage parking.

Modern appliances include dishwasher. Utilities separate. $1,700 per month plus security. Lease with option to buy possible.

708-383-9223 or 773-676-6805

FOUR PLOTS AT FOREST HOME CEMETERY IN FOREST PARK Located in Garden of the Chapel section. Lot 120-B, section 61, spaces 1,2,3,4. Bronze flush type markers only, per the contract. $600.00 or best offer.

DMCK2740@ATT.NET

OFFICE /RETAIL FOR RENT

Collector James Collector James 630-201-8122 630-201-8122

RIVER FOREST–7777 Lake St. * 1116 sq. ft. * 1400 sq. ft. Dental Office RIVER FOREST–7756 Madison St. * 960 sq. ft.

OAK PARK–6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. * 3 & 5 room office suites FOREST PARK–7736 Madison St. *2500 sq. ft. unit Strand & & Browne Strand Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011

CLASSICS WANTED

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles HOME SERVICES Domestic / Import Cars: HANDYMAN LANDSCAPING ELECTRICAL Mercedes, Porsche,ELECTRICAL Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, A&A ELECTRIC Mopars Let anMustang American & Veteran do your work

Ceiling Fans Installed

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles We fix any electrical problem and do small jobs We install Surge Protectors • Home Re-wiring • New Plugs & Switches Added • New circuit breaker boxes • Code violations corrected Service upgrades,100-200 amp • Garage & A/C lines installed Fast Emergency Service | Residential • Commercial • Industrial Free Home Evaluations | Lic. • Bonded • Ins. • Low Rates • Free Est.

Collector James

630-201-8122

708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area

FLOORS KLIS FLOORING INC.

New hardwood flooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-finishing, staining. Low prices, insured.

Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com

HANDYMAN Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates

773-637-0692 Ask for John

HAULING BASEMENT CLEANING

HANDYMAN Mike’s Home Repair Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do

708-296-2060

Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery.

708-848-9404

OAK PARK & FOREST PARK

BRUCE LAWN SERVICE Fall Yard Clean-Up Slit Seeding Bush Trimming Fall Leaf Clean-Up Senior Discount Snow Removal

brucelawns.com

708-243-0571

PAINTING & DECORATING CLASSIC PAINTING Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/ Plaster Repair Low Cost 708.749.0011

PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.

Small & big work. Free estimates.

Complete Plaster, Stucco & Re-Coating Services

708/386-2951 • ANYTIME Work Guaranteed

Licensed, Bonded, Insured, & EPA Certified Expert craftsmanship for over 50 years

WOODWORK Terry's

ROOMS FOR RENT

Large Sunny Room with fridge, microwave.

Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $125.00. New Mgmt.

312-212-1212

CITY RENTALS AUSTIN RENAISSANCE APARTMENTS

A HUD subsidized affordable Apartment property announces the opening of its waiting list for both One and Two Bedroom Apartments! Resident rent is approximately 30% of gross household income, some restrictions apply. Our property is located on Washington Blvd in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

Apartments offered with an occupancy of one to four persons. Properties feature modern kitchens, include appliances, and offer onsite maintenance. Austin Renaissance will accept requests for application packages by U.S. Mail postmarked no later than , September 15, 2021. Send or email a written request for an application package that includes your name, mailing address. Daytime telephone number, Email address, and the number of persons in your household to: Town Center Realty Group LLC, PO Box 64, Huntley IL 60142-0064 or Email requests to mrpaul.tcrg@gmail.com Application packages available by mail or email delivery only. No walk-ins accepted.

Town Center Realty Group LLC

Woodwork Restoration On-site refinishing of wood

and fiberglass since 1977.

Includes doors, woodwork, windows, staircases and new woodwork etc. All work done by hand. NO sanders. Your unfinished project my specialty!

References available.

Contact Terry Seamans at 630-379-7148 or terryseamans@yahoo.com

Reach the people making the decisions.

Place an ad in GCM Classified!

Call 773/626-6332

The Landmark, December 22, 2021

CLASSIFIED 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 2022 LIFE SAFETY WORK IRVING, HATCH, WHITTIER OAK PARK, IL 60302 BID GROUP 1 – Early Mechanical Equipment Release Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. CST on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Administrative offices, 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302, and will be publicly opened and read at 2:30 p.m.

CST on that date. Bids shall be submitted in an opaque sealed envelope clearly marked: Oak Park Elementary School District 97 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302 Attention: Bulley & Andrews Project: SD97 - SUMMER 2022 LIFE SAFETY WORK Scope of work for Bid Group 1 generally includes, furnish mechanical equipment.

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 December 15th, 2021 and are available for viewing/download online without cost or purchase on the Bulley & Andrews, LLC One Drive, located at the following link. No username or password is required. https://tinyurl.com/fuy5eare 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 219-6788383.

Dated: 12/13/21 Alex Mantel Bulley & Andrews, LLC Published in Wednesday Journal December 15, 22, 2021

19

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION DOCKET NUMBER: PC 22-01 HEARING DATE: January 6, 2022 TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits LOCATION OF HEARING: The Plan Commission will conduct the public hearing remotely with live audio available and optional video.

The meeting will be streamed live and archived online for on-demand viewing at www.oak-park.us/ commissiontv as well as cablecast on VOP-TV, which is available to Comcast subscribers on channel 6 and ATT Uverse subscribers on channel 99. The remote public hearing is authorized pursuant to Section 7( e ) of the Open Meetings Act. The Village President has determined that an inperson public hearing is not practical due to the COVID-19 outbreak during Governor JB Pritzker’s current disaster proclamation. It is also not feasible to have a person present at the public hearing due to public safety concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Written testimony or comments regarding the application may be provided prior to the start of the public hearing by email to planning@oak-park.us. The individual’s name and a reasonable part of their testimony or comment will be read aloud into the record at the public hearing if received no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the public hearing. If email is not an option, written testimony or comment can be dropped off in the Oak Park Payment Drop Box across from the south entrance to Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, to be received no later than 5:00 PM on January 6, 2022. All written testimony and comments will be distributed to the Plan Commission and made a part of the official hearing record. Those wishing to provide public testimony at the hearing must contact the Village Planner at planning@oak-park.us for instructions on attending the hearing live via Zoom by 5:00 PM the day of the hearing. Interested persons may also participate in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by emailing a completed cross-examination form to clerk@oakpark.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing to sign up.

Individuals who sign up to participate in this manner will receive an email from Village staff with information

about how to join the hearing online through Zoom web-conference means or by phone. Questions regarding written testimony, comment or cross examination may be directed by phone to 708-358.5420 or email planning@oak-park.us SUBJECT PROPERTY ADDRESSES: 201 Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: East Avenue: THAT PART OF EAST AVENUE LYING BETWEEN LAKE STREET AND ERIE STREET AND EAST OF LOTS 1 TO 6, BOTH INCLUSIVE, IN BLOCK 21 OF THE SUBDIVISION OF LOT 21 IN JAMES W. SCOVILLE’S SUBDIVISION RECORDED AS DOCUMENT NO. 450231 AND EAST OF VACATED ONTARIO STREET AND EAST OF LOTS 33 TO 43, BOTH INCLUSIVE, IN BLOCK 22 OF C.B. SCOVILLE’S SUBDIVISION OF LOT 22 IN JAMES W. SCOVILLE’S SUBDIVISION RECORDED AS DOCUMENT NO. 4779607, BOUNDED AND DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF SAID LOT 33, ALSO BEING THE INTERSECTION OF THE WEST LINE OF LINDEN AVENUE WITH THE NORTHERLY LINE OF LAKE STREET; THENCE NORTH 01 DEGREE 32 MINUTES 34 SECONDS WEST, ON THE WEST LINE OF SAID EAST AVENUE, 1073.60 FEET TO THE SOUTH LINE OF ERIE STREET; THENCE NORTH 88 DEGREES 18 MINUTES 52 SECONDS EAST ON THE EASTERLY EXTENSION OF THE SOUTH LINE OF ERIE STREET 40.00 FEET TO THE CENTER LINE OF EAST AVENUE; THENCE SOUTH 01 DEGREE 32 MINUTES 34 SECONDS EAST 930.00 FEET ON SAID CENTER LINE TO THE WESTERLY EXTENSION OF THE SOUTH LINE OF LOT 17 IN BLOCK 28 OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGELAND SUBDIVISION RECORDED MARCH 2, 1872 AS DOCUMENT NO. 16125; THENCE NORTH 88 DEGREES 18 MINUTES 53 SECONDS EAST 40.00 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION WITH THE EAST LINE OF EAST AVENUE; THENCE SOUTH 01 DEGREE 32 MINUTES 34 SECONDS EAST, ON SAID EAST LINE, 150.50 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION WITH THE NORTHERLY LINE OF LAKE STREET;

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21008380 on December 16, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of LOFTON SNOW REMOVAL with the business located at: 6127 S. UNIVERSITY SUITE 1058 CHICAGO, IL 60637. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: DARRONTE LOFTON 6947 S. NORMAL AVE CHICAGO, IL 60621, USA

at via Zoom: Meeting ID: 923 0250 9713 Password: 709022 Cook County in Courtroom # Cal. 6/ 1707

Published in Wednesday Journal December 22, 29 2021, January 5 2022

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of BABY GRAULAU 2021CONC001674.

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: BABY GRAULAU to the new name of: RICARDO LONGORIA The court date will be held: On February 2, 2022 at 10:30am

THENCE NORTH 86 DEGREES 45 MINUTES 18 SECONDS WEST ON SAID EXTENSION, 80.28 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, ALL IN THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 7, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. CONTAINING 48964 SQUARE FEET OR 1.124 ACRES, MORE OR LESS Linden Avenue: THAT PART OF EAST HALF OF LINDEN AVENUE LYING BETWEEN LAKE STREET AND ERIE STREET AND WEST OF LOTS 22 TO 32, BOTH INCLUSIVE, IN BLOCK 22 OF C.B. SCOVILLE’S SUBDIVISION OF LOT 22 IN JAMES W. SCOVILLE’S SUBDIVISION RECORDED AS DOCUMENT NO. 4779607 AND WEST OF LOTS 7 TO 12, BOTH INCLUSIVE, IN BLOCK 21 SUBDIVISION OF LOT 21 IN JAMES W. SCOVILLE’S SUBDIVISION RECORDED AS DOCUMENT NO. 450231 AND WEST OF ONTARIO STREET VACATED PER DOCUMENT NO. 18679926, BOUNDED AND DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT 32, ALSO BEING THE INTERSECTION OF THE EAST LINE OF LINDEN AVENUE WITH THE NORTHERLY LINE OF LAKE STREET; THENCE NORTH 87 DEGREES 56 MINUTES 21 SECONDS WEST, BEING AN ASSUMED BEARING ON THE WESTERLY EXTENSION OF THE NORTHERLY LINE OF LAKE STREET, 17.03 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION WITH A LINE 17.0 FEET WEST OF AND PARALLEL WITH THE EAST LINE OF LINDEN AVENUE; THENCE NORTH 01 DEGREE 29 MINUTES 52 SECONDS WEST, ON SAID PARALLEL LINE, 62.76 FEET; THENCE NORTH 25 DEGREES 02 MINUTES 55 SECONDS WEST 16.59 FEET; THENCE NORTH 01 DEGREE 32 MINUTES 22 SECONDS WEST 198.50 FEET; THENCE NORTH 20 DEGREES 24 MINUTES 23 SECONDS EAST 18.16 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION WITH A LINE 17.0 FEET WEST OF AND PARALLEL WITH THE EAST LINE OF LINDEN AVENUE; THENCE NORTH 01 DEGREE 29 MINUTES 52 SECONDS WEST, ON SAID PARALLEL LINE, 756.27 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION WITH THE

WESTERLY EXTENSION OF THE SOUTH LINE OF ERIE STREET; THENCE NORTH 88 DEGREES 18 MINUTES 52 SECONDS WEST, ON SAID EXTENSION, 17.00 FEET TO THE EAST LINE OF LINDEN AVENUE; THENCE SOUTH 01 DEGREE 29 MINUTES 52 SECONDS EAST, ON SAID EAST LINE, 1050.70 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, ALL IN THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION 7, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. CONTAINING 19290 SQUARE FEET OR 0.443 ACRES, MORE OR LESS PROPERTY OWNER: Village of Oak Park, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 PETITIONER(S): Fred Preuss, Director of Building and Grounds for Oak Park River Forest High School, School District #200; 201 Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 The Petitioner is REQUEST: requesting the vacation of the parcels described above along East Avenue between Lake Street and Ontario Street and along Linden Avenue between Lake Street and Ontario Street for existing use by the Oak Park River Forest School, School District #200 which includes general school use and various sports fields and tennis court use.

A copy of the application and each of the applicable documents are on the Village Website at www.oak-park.us and also on file and available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, during current business hours, Monday through Thursday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Plan Commission may continue the hearing to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

Anyone with questions about the application may contact the Village by phone at 708-358.5420 or by email at planning@oak-park.us.

ALL INTERESTED PARTIES ARE INVITED TO BE HEARD OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION Oak Park, Illinois 60302

Published in Wednesday Journal, December 22, 2021

Published in Wednesday Journal December 8, 15, 22, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21008331 on December 10, 2021. Under the Assumed Business Name of WORLD TRAVELER EXPERT with the business located at: 1009 FLORENCE AVE, EVANSTON, IL 60202. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: CHAN RICHARDSON 1009 FLORENCE AVE EVANSTON, IL 60202, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal December 22, 29, 2021, January 5, 2022

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF CSMC 2019-RPL11 TRUST Plaintiff, -v.THOMAS P. QUINN, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF VANESSA FUDGE (DECEASED), JOSEPH BERNARDI, VILLA OAKS CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF VANESSA FUDGE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 2021 CH 00225 426 N. HARVEY AVENUE, UNIT #1SE 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 October 18, 2021, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 20, 2022, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 030R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 426 N. HARVEY AVENUE, UNIT #1SE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-102-0201008 The real estate is improved with a condominium.

The judgment amount was $29,183.68.

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

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, 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 313858.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

POTESTIVO & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 223 WEST JACKSON BLVD, STE 610 Chicago IL, 60606 312-263-0003 E-Mail: ilpleadings@potestivolaw. com Attorney File No. 313858 Attorney Code. 43932 Case Number: 2021 CH 00225 TJSC#: 41-2661 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 # 2021 CH 00225 I3183852

The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

The judgment amount was $417,344.71.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, The sales clerk, LOGS Legal Group LLP Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301, Bannockburn, IL, 60015 (847) 291-1717 For information call between the hours of 1pm - 3pm..

Please refer to file number 19092500.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

LOGS Legal Group LLP 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301 Bannockburn IL, 60015 847-291-1717 E-Mail: ILNotices@logs.com Attorney File No. 19-092500 Attorney Code. 42168 Case Number: 19 CH 14891 TJSC#: 41-2041 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 # 19 CH 14891 I3182691

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR MERRILL LYNCH MORTGAGE INVESTORS, INC., MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, MANA SERIES 2007-OAR4 Plaintiff, -v.ELLEN C. SCHNACK, RANDALL C. SCHNACK Defendants 19 CH 14891 626 NORTH TAYLOR 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 October 4, 2021, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 5, 2022, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 030R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 626 NORTH TAYLOR AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-05-319-0080000

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The Landmark, December 22, 2021

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