W E D N E S D A Y
February 5, 2020 Vol. 39, No. 27 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Girls wrestling thrives Sports, page 38
River Forest takes developer to court Paris being forced to finish or remove back deck By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter
The River Forest home of Marty Paris, president and founder of Sedgwick Development, which is involved in the proposed development at Lake Street and Lathrop Avenue, has come under fire by the village of River Forest, which will pursue the issue in circuit court, according to Village Administrator Eric Palm. Palm, who described the situation as a code enforcement issue, said that following the December 2019 expiration of the permit for an unfinished deck with a fireplace on the back of the house at 711 Park Ave., the village is taking action to force Paris and wife Kerry Paris, who is also listed as homeowner, to either complete the project or tear down and remove the structure. This follows years of inaction by Paris, son of former village president Frank Paris, who was served with a stop work order by the village in 2016 when he began the house project without a permit. Eventually a permit was granted to Paris, but the work was never completed. Palm said the village will be officially giving the Parises paperwork and a notice of intent to go to court this week, after which the village must wait 15 days to actually file with the court. The goal, said Palm, is for the judge to compel See PARIS on page 16
Discussing Dignity
Photo by Kevin Penczak, WBEZ
Krista Tippett reads from “The Age of Dignity” by Oak Park resident Ai-Jen Poo, whom Tippett interviewed at Unity Temple, Friday night, for her show “On Being.” See story and more photos, pages 10-11.
Al’s Grill hailed for dementia-friendly service Oak Park recognizes restaurant for helping those living with dementia
By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
As Oak Park charges ahead toward achieving dementia-friendly status, the village has recognized Al’s Grill, 1100 Madison St., as the dementia-friendly champion of the restaurant sector.
“It’s a great feeling because it means a lot,” said Al’s General Manager Pete Mourtokokis, the son-in-law of owner Vasilios Loutos. Perfectly situated near Belmont Village and Rush Oak Park Hospital, Al’s Grill has for years utilized compassionate practices that made it a welcoming spot
for people of all abilities, especially those living with dementia. “It’s important to us, and aside from that, it’s important just in general for businesses to know how to deal with them, how to help them,” said Mourtokokis. See AL’S GRILL on page 12
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