W E D N E S D A Y
January 7, 2026 Vol. 46, No. 27
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JOURNAL @oakpark
A Speci al Adverti s i ng Secti on
New Year January 2026
New Year New You
of Oak Park and River Forest
Page 16
Oak Park OPRF by day, then moviemaking provides $450k
Condne brings students to work on his outside projects including new horror movie
for mental health crisis program
By JESSICA MACKINNON Contributing Reporter
The old adage, “if you want something done, give it to the busiest person in the room,” could not be more apt when describing John Condne. A member of the faculty at Oak Park and River Forest High School, where he has taught film and media for two decades, Condne also juggles the demands of operating his own thriving film production company, Take Care Productions. In essence, he’s grinding out two full-time jobs, and then some. “I know so many people my age who hate their jobs. They don’t want to get up and go in the morning. I’ve been teaching for 23 years and I’m running my own film company. And I love every minute of it,” Condne said. Condne’s enthusiasm for his job doesn’t jibe with the storyline of his newest film, Kombucha, which was released in December. The horror-comedy, described in marketing materials as a cross between a David Cronenberg film and The Office, follows a struggling musician trapped in a tedious office job at a start-up called Symbio. See JOHN CONDNE on page 14
Oak Park will provide $150,000 in yearly funding to NAMI Suburban Living Room program for three years By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
PROVIDED
John Condne (left) with Jake Myers, former OPRF student teacher and director of ‘Kombucha’.
Oak Park’s village government is committed to funding a new community mental health crisis program over a three-year pilot period. Oak Park’s village board voted in the fall to provide $450,000 in grant funding over the course of three years to NAMI Metro Suburban to support the mental health care organization establishing a new “living room” crisis care program in Oak Park. NMI had already allocated over $205,000 in yearly funding for the program but needed $150,000 in yearly See MENTAL HEALTH on page 13
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Your local newsroom thanks you! As the new year begins, I wanted to reach out to say thank you. Over the past few weeks, we asked a lot of our readers and supporters. We did so because the moment is real and our need is urgent. Local journalism is facing deep uncertainty, and our newsroom needs help. And when we asked, our community answered. You answered. Because of your generosity, we raised nearly $170,000. That support will go directly toward sustaining the journalism our communities rely on. This note is not about declaring success or pretending the work is done. The future of nonprofit local news remains uncertain, and fundraising will always be part of what it takes to keep going. But this moment made clear that this work is supported by people who care deeply about strong, independent local reporting. That matters more than we can say. Your support reminds us that while the long road ahead is not guaranteed, it is still possible. And that the only way forward is together. Thank you for stepping up when it mattered. Thank you for believing in this work. We could not continue without you. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year. With gratitude, Max Reinsdorf, Interim Executive Director
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Three big stories to follow in 2026 in Oak Park
W E D N E S D A Y
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Zoning reform, next steps on big projects, hospital uncertainty and continued immigration enforcement will loom large this year By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
It may be a new year, but there’s plenty of topics that dominated local conversation last year that will continue to be big stories through 2026. Last month, Wednesday Journal published an article on the challenges that defined 2025 in Oak Park, a historic year by any measure. That article featured looks back at the impact that ICE and Border Patrol’s operations had on Oak Park and its neighbors, the village’s evolving plans to give the Oak Park Police Department a new headquarters and the impact of federal funding cuts on local organizations, all of which will still be relevant in 2026. Like that piece, this is not an exhaustive list of hot topics, but a look at a few other stories that will likely leave a lasting impact as they evolve this year.
Zoning reform Big changes to Oak Park’s zoning code look like they’re on the way. On several occasions in 2025, village trustees spoke to the desire to eliminate the single-family only zones from Oak Park’s zoning map in an effort to open up development opportunities for more “missing middle” housing in the village. The board took a step towards that goal at its Aug. 5 board meeting by approving a contract with Opticos Design to study what remaking Oak Park’s zoning policy will look like. The consultants’ project has preceded as a public engagement effort called “Shape Oak Park.” “Missing middle” housing is defined as medium-density housing “that provides diverse housing options along the spectrum of affordability, which includes duplexes,
JAVIER GOVEA
Lake Street in downtown Oak Park triplexes, fourplexes and bungalows,” according to the National League of Cities. In an Oak Park context, village leaders have identified a lack of multi-bedroom condos and other affordable housing types suitable for families as a gap in the village’s housing stock. When the village board took a vote to ratify the zoning code in May, as municipal boards are required to do each year by state law, trustees Cory Wesley and Brian Straw voted against ratifying the village’s zoning code in protest of the inclusion of the single-family zones. In explanation of his protest vote, Wesley said that single-family zones have historically been used as tools used to covertly restrict racial integration in northern cities. “We’re a progressive community, we believe in racial equity, and yet we’re sitting on top of racially inequitable zoning,” he said. Following the protest votes, Village President Vicki Scaman said the board was primed to embrace zoning reform in the near future. “What I’m hearing tonight is when that comes forward to us in the (Requests for Proposals) that we will be ready to act,” she
Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf Senior Audience Manager Stacy Coleman Staff Reporter Brendan Heffernan Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora Contributing Editor Donna Greene Columnists Marc Blesoff, Nicole Chavas, Jack Crowe, Vincent Gay, Mary Kay O’Grady, John Stanger, Josh VanderBerg Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls Marketing & Advertising Associate Emma Cullnan Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Operations Associate Susan Babin Social Media and Digital Coordinator Maribel Barrera Special Projects Manager Susan Walker Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs Senior Advisor Dan Haley
said in May. “I just think that we will be a pretty amazing group to host the conversation and the sense of urgency is heard.”
West Suburban Hospital 2025 was filled with headlines covering troubles at West Suburban Hospital, Oak Park’s century-old safety-net hospital. Journal reporting on the institution last year covered failed elevator and fire safety inspections, HVAC issues amid sweltering summer heat, the mid-shift dismissal of the hospital’s family birthplace nursing staff, the abrupt closure of its neonatal and obstetric units, the shuttering of its acclaimed family residency program and its parent company Resilience Healthcare’s tens of millions in reported debts to both public and private entities. The Oak Park hospital took these hits as Resilience Healthcare announced in August that West Sub’s sister institution, Weiss Memorial, would cease operations. During a village board strategy session over the summer, Oak Park Village Manager Kevin Jackson remarked that Oak Park leaders were preparing for a worst-case scenario when it came to West Sub. See BIG STORIES on page 8
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair Eric Weinheimer | Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane, Steve Edwards, Judy Greffin, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson
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Migrant Ministry moving to St. Bernardine School Shift prompted by planned sale of St. Edmund School, home since early 2024
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
The Migrant Ministry of the Catholic Parishes of Oak Park has shifted its base of operations from St. Edmund School to the former school at St. Bernardine Parish in Forest Park. The move was prompted by the planned sale of St. Edmund School, 200 S. Oak Park Ave., because the cost to heat and maintain the building wasn’t feasible, said Celine Woznica, one of the leaders of the Migrant Ministry, an interfaith coalition led by Oak Park’s Catholic parishes. Woznica said the ministry has operated out of St. Edmund School since early 2024, serving approximately 15,000 migrants in its “free stores,” providing clothing, shoes, coats, bedding and toiletries, as well as serving breakfast and offering a children’s playroom. It also offered English as a Second Language classes, social services in partnership with Rincon Family Services, and helped over 300 migrants complete their asylum applications, Woznica said. The ministry also helped migrants fill out work permits. “Over 500 volunteers have donated their time to the Migrant Ministry in what has been an incredible interfaith effort involving many of the various Christian denominations in the Oak Park area, as well as members of both Jewish faith centers and Unity Temple,” she said. “Many volunteers do not follow any faith tradition but consider Migrant Ministry ‘their church.’”
GREGG VOSS
Volunteer sorts donations at Migrant Ministry. Rev. Carl Morello, the pastor of Ascension and St. Edmund, along with St. Giles and St. Catherine-St. Lucy, which closed last summer, said Migrant Ministry’s move is bittersweet. “It’s sad in this regard,” Morello said. “If I wasn’t in the position where we had to sell the school, the Migrant Ministry would still be there, and I’d like it to be in our backyard. The reality is, we can’t keep
the school, so we’ll be taking the next step and selling it. “We have discovered there is still a need. The group has continued to do what they can to help people, (and) to find another site in the Catholic community is a very positive thing.” Morello added that he is working with the Archdiocese of Chicago to identify potential purchasers of St. Edmund School,
but “it’s been a slow process.” Woznica said that Migrant Ministry initially considered St. Bernardine School, which closed in 2013, but were told that the archdiocese was using it for offices and storage. That led to a potential home last fall at Boulevard Presbyterian, located at 607 Harvard St. in Oak Park, but then the space at St. Bernardine School became available – six large classrooms had been emptied to accommodate Migrant Ministry. “We could not refuse this offer,” she said. “St. Bernardine’s is less than a block off the Blue Line, so more easily accessible to the migrants. The school offers more than twice the space we were offered at Boulevard Presbyterian. It has a parking lot, making it easier for our volunteers to park right next to the building.” She added that, “We are so grateful to Boulevard Presbyterian for their initial offer of a space and celebrate the interfaith aspect of this ministry. It’s truly been a blessing.” Morello, who graduated eighth grade from St. Bernardine School, said he sees a bit of divine intervention in the fact that the space became open. “All politics aside, these are people in great need,” he said. “The scriptures are all about that. We’re giving flesh to what our Catholic values are. And that’s important. “The other thing that has really happened, this has been a means of drawing people from other denominations and people that have no affiliation, they are helping because that’s what they are called to do. It’s humanitarian.”
Local Venezuelan immigrants react to Maduro’s capture Emotions include happiness, shock, uncertainty, sadness, anxiety
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
Saturday morning came early for C.M.. About 1 a.m., friends of hers from college in Venezuela began frantically texting her that something was happening in her home country, which she had departed in Octo-
ber 2024 due to its leader, Nicolas Maduro. She proceeded to the social media platform X and what she saw was astounding. There were helicopters and explosions over that nation’s capital, Caracas. “My initial reaction was, ‘This is AI,’” said C.M., who lives in Oak Park with her parents. Wednesday Journal is choosing
not to use her last name for her protection. “I started to watch more videos … This is actually happening. “I assumed the helicopters were from the U.S. I waited, then my friends didn’t give me any updates, so I went to sleep.” When she awoke at 6 a.m., her friends were excitedly sharing the news.
“They were laughing that Maduro had been captured,” she said. “They were happy. I was happy. So many years we’ve been waiting.” Then the reality set in – happiness became shock, then uncertainty for C.M. and See MADURO on page 8
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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JAVIER GOVEA
OP police still aiming for 116 sworn officers by mid-2026 son told Wednesday Journal in an interOak Park police staff grew view last April. “I am personally outside recruiting every day I’m not in the police by six sworn officers in department.” In response to the hiring deficit, Oak back-half of 2025, but the Park has changed officer compensation and benefits to try and bring more police department’s staffing target recruits into the fold, including salary increases, generous family leave offerings, is still a ways off
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
The Oak Park Police Department made progress in officer staffing last year, but the force is still far from fully staffed. Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson told Wednesday Journal in April that the department had 86 sworn officers with the goal of getting to 116 by “mid 2026.” The OPPD finished 2025 with 92 sworn officers on staff and is still eyeing 116 as a goal for the coming months, according to the village. In 2019, the department had 109 sworn officers. According to the police department’s annual report for 2025, 2024 brought the greatest amount of officer turnover that the department’s seen in recent years. The department hired 19 new officers that year but lost 20 to either retirement or resignation, ending 2024 with 85 officers on staff, according to that report. “We’re just doing a huge push,” John-
$4,000 sign on bonuses to recruits who earn spots as patrol officers, retention bonuses and approved hiring for lateral transfers from other police departments, Johnson said. The department will also operate with a larger budget this year in part due to increased funding for recruiting. In total, the department will operate with a budget of $30,159,380 this year, up by more than a million from 2025. The increase over last year is driven primarily by staff salaries and benefits increases. The department is now asking for a $40,000 increase to its budget for background checks in anticipation of increased hiring next year, according to the department’s budget proposal. The department’s pension contribution is increasing by $637,159 next year, as the department’s fringe benefits funding goes up by more than $855,000. Personnel compensation is set to go up by $261,483, as laid out in the police department’s collective bargaining agreement.
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
YOUR
BEST
LIFE with Lisa Capone Fresh Beginnings The start of a new year is a perfect time for seniors to embrace fresh beginnings and focus on staying motivated and engaged. Here are some simple tips to help make 2026 a year of growth and joy. Set Meaningful Goals: Start with small, achievable resolutions like walking daily, reading a book each month, or trying a new recipe. Every success boosts confidence and adds purpose to your day. Explore New Interests: Learning something new can stimulate your mind and spark creativity. Try painting, knitting, playing an instrument, or even joining a class on a topic that interests you. Stay Connected: Building social connections enhances mood and supports emotional well-being. Attend community events, join clubs, or simply spend more time with friends and family. Focus on Wellness: Gentle exercises like yoga or walking paired with nutritious meals and staying hydrated can greatly improve your energy and overall health. At Cantata, we’re dedicated to supporting residents in making the most of every moment. Let’s make 2026 a year filled with opportunities to grow, connect, and thrive together! For more info, visit Cantata.org (708) 387-1030 Independent Living • Assisted Living • Memory Support Short-Term Rehab • Long-Term Care • Home Care
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Robert’s Westside will pay 100% of ticket sales to bands Owner says venues take advantage of musicians
By SEAN SCHOLZ Contributing Reporter
Donnie Biggins, owner of Robert’s Westside in Forest Park, is doing what major ticketing companies and music venues won’t – give every dollar made from all ticket sales to performing artists. Biggins knows he’s forgoing profit and potential income. And with experience as a concert promoter, musician and bandmate himself, he’s aware of the intense politics in the music industry. It is a completely conscious decision. But financial concerns were not at the forefront of Biggins’ mind. He was frustrated with a seemingly backwards system in the music business that values artists, whom the industry would not exist without, the least. “Having these relationships that I’ve built … seeing people come through and work with me year after year and listening to what their experience was like working with somebody else, or how they were treated, or what their payout was,” Biggins recalled, “And basically, just being, like, ‘f**k that.’ I’m in control of my finances. And this is what I want to do for you. And so I’m going to do that, and I think you deserve it.” And so starting Jan. 1 of this year, Robert’s Westside, 7321 Madison St., will pay 100% of ticket proceeds to the musicians. The money artists see from their music, brand or live shows can pale in comparison to the total amount of money generated. After numerous fees, percentage cuts and with some venues even taking a bite out of money made from merchandise sales, artists realize only a sliver of the revenue their art brings in. For bands, already decreased earnings continue to get diced between multiple group members. Biggins talked about other local venues where owners take a portion of musician tips at free shows to cover production costs. “If an owner tried to take a percentage of tips from a waiter or a bartender, those people would quit on the spot. It’s unethical. So why treat a musician that way?” Bobby’s Eastside, the next-door neighbor of Robert’s Westside, lets restaurant-goers
TODD BANNOR
Donnie Biggins, (on red acoustic guitar), and the Shams Band played on the venue’s opening night in 2023.
PROVIDED
Biggins is the owner of Robert’s Westside in Forest Park and show attendees drop money into a tip bucket right in front of the stage where artists perform. The door to the right of Robert’s Westside is Bobby’s, a bar and restaurant with frequent live shows – free of cost. DeeOhGee, a rock ‘n’ roll band based in Nashville, have performed at Robert’s Westside before. Though having played
across America and a number of times in Europe, they seek out people like Biggins to connect with. “I think what Donnie’s doing, what some of the venues in Nashville do too – that’s an act of humanity and generosity that isn’t required,” Matthew Paige, band vocalist and guitarist, said. “We play those festivals that are real, not super mega corporate sponsored festivals. We play real venues that are run by real people. We try to keep it as real as we can, you know, and make it make sense.” That shared recognition of humanity and appreciation for live music is part of what’s allowed Robert’s Westside to viably ditch ticket profits. All 2026 concertgoers will know when attending the venue, ticket money is going straight from their wallet into the artist’s pocket. 100 percent of it. Biggins, a longtime musician himself, isn’t losing sleep over giving artists money he thinks they deserve. “There are takers and givers in this world. I’ve been raised to be a giver, and this is proof of action in my own behavior, and how I can back it up and not be hypocritical.”
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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Oak Park grants $645k to Housing Forward for 2026 emergency shelter operations Village providing Housing Forward shelter with additional funding after group misses out on state grants
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park will provide over $645,000 in funding to Housing Forward this year in order to cover operating costs for the group’s new Oak Park homeless shelter. At its final meeting of 2025, Oak Park’s village board approved a measure allocating $645,587 in one-time grant funding to Housing Forward to support the operation of the group’s recently opened overnight shelter at 112 S. Humphrey Ave. in the vil-
lage. The new shelter’s October opening doubled the number of people that Housing Forward could provide overnight shelter to, and village officials have credited its opening with quickly reducing the number of people living on the street in Oak Park. This grant for 2026 operating expenses was requested after Housing Forward did not receive grant funding from the state of Illinois, according to village staff. The Oak Park grant money would be offset by any public funding the shelter receives over the year, said staff.
“While the state allocated $7 million to support emergency services for unhoused residents in 2026, Housing Forward was not awarded funds to support shelter operations in 2026,” village staff wrote of the grant. “As a result, staff are requesting authorization for up to $645,587 to sustain the village’s emergency shelter operations in 2026. If additional funding is later secured through the state or Cook County to support shelter operations, the village’s contribution will be reduced accordingly.” The shelter opened this year after signifi-
cant public investment from both Oak Park and Cook County. Oak Park provided over $367,000 in grant money for the shelter last February, while the county delivered an additional $250,000 to support the project in July. Village officials told Wednesday Journal last month that approximately 20 people had been sleeping in the vicinity of Scoville Park before the new shelter opened in the fall. Several of those people were directed into beds at the new shelter as winter set in, according to village staff.
RF Township appoints Buta as trustee
toms including developmental delays, Nonprofit executive served intellectual disability and distinct facial features.” Buta has extensive experience on township’s mental health in fundraising. He has served on the township’s mencommittee tal health committee since 2023 and just
By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
Phillip Buta was appointed to fill the vacancy on the River Forest Township Board of Trustees on Dec. 18 that was created when Karen Taubman recently resigned from the township board. Buta, who had been serving as the chairman of the township’s mental health committee was chosen from a field of three candidates. “We just felt he was the best qualified,” said John Becvar, River Forest township supervisor. “He obviously has been a multiyear volunteer with the township so that we felt he really knew what he was getting into and had been proven to have been a very strong volunteer.” Buta works as the executive director of the BJB Foundation and the MED 13L Foundation. MED 13L is, according to the foundation’s website, “a complex developmental disorder with a spectrum of symp-
became the committee’s chairman in September. In 2019 he served on the River Forest School District 90’s Community Caucus and served on the District 90 Inclusiveness Advisory Board from 2019 through 2023. The other two people who applied to fill Taubman’s seat on the township board were appointed to fill committee vacancies on township committees. Kevin Ryan was appointed to replace Buta on the mental health committee while Lindsay Rask was appointed to replace Mark Hosty, who was recently appointed township clerk to fill the vacancy created when Margaret Detmer resigned that post, on the youth and family services committee. “We were very fortunate that all three applicants were able to be slotted into opportunities within our township,” Becvar said. “All three people who raised their hand, they all got appointed. Only one person could be appointed trustee but 100% got appointed to roles within the township.”
PHOTO CREDIT
Township Clerk Mark Hosty swearing in Buta at the Dec 16 township board meeting
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C R I M E
Woman arrested for child endangerment and DUI By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
A Northwest Indiana woman was arrested for driving under the influence and child endangerment after a traffic accident in Oak Park on Christmas Eve. Oak Park police stopped the 24-year-old from Munster, IN in the 300 block of North Oak Park Avenue shortly before 7 p.m. on Dec. 24 after a witness identified her as the driver of a vehicle involved in a traffic accident. The arresting officer noted that the woman smelled strongly of alcohol, ac-
BIG STORIES from page 3 “The hospitals are a focal point in our economic vitality strategic plan,” Jackson said. “We need to really be strategically focused on protecting them, but also opportunities to expand. They support a large workforce and support other industries.” “We also want to look at it from a standpoint of ‘if the worst thing happens.’ We’re thinking about that.”
MADURO
Complex emotions from page 4 her parents. “One thing happening is that Maduro (was) captured,” she said. “The government is still there and the people are still in power. How is that going to backfire for the people in Venezuela?” Juan, another Venezuelan immigrant who has frequented the Migrant Ministry of the Catholic Parishes of Oak Park at St. Edmund School, agreed. “As soon as we found out, we were able to notify our family members, since many were unaware of what had happened at that moment,” Juan said. Wednesday Journal is not using his real name for his protection. “For us, it was a moment of anxiety and uncertainty, thinking about all the things that
cording to a police report. The woman reportedly refused to take a field sobriety test and was arrested at the scene, according to police. She was charged with driving under the influence and two counts of child endangerment, according to police.
The 44-year-old was arrested shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 29 and charged with two counts of battery, two counts of aggravated assault of a peace officer and resisting arrest, according to police. She was processed and held for bond hearings, according to police.
Aggravated assault on OPPD officers
Domestic Battery arrest
A Chicago woman is facing several felony charges after an alleged attack on two Oak Park police officers. With the hospital facing an uncertain future, Wednesday Journal will continue to monitor the state of affairs at West Sub, which has cared for people in Oak Park and Austin since 1912.
Streetscaping for Oak Park Avenue and Chicago Avenue There are a few big-ticket construction projects to watch in Oak Park as they proceed into the new year, in both the public and private sector. Those projects are headlined by major streetscaping efforts in decould happen to the many people who were near the scene of the events. “It was a moment of sadness, joy and great anxiety, just remembering everything that many Venezuelans have had to go through to keep fighting.” Another Venezuelan immigrant who said she was “bewildered” by the events in her home country was Yevette. Wednesday Journal is also not using her real name for her protection. Current conditions on the ground in Venezuela range from precarious to outright dangerous. “I was talking to many of my relatives, and they say there’s a lot of tension, worry and fear among the people about the possibility of a second invasion,” she said. “There are police in the streets, and those who are there can’t talk about Maduro’s capture because they’ll be arrested. That’s the new law there, because they say it’s treason. “Most businesses are closed because they are afraid, to put it more clearly, that they
An Oak Park woman was arrested in the early morning hours of Dec. 27 on charges of domestic battery. The 41-year-old was also charged with re-
sisting arrest. She was processed and held for bond hearings, according to police. These items were obtained from Oak Park’s Police Department reports dated Dec. 25–Jan. 5 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed a description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
velopment for both Oak Park Avenue and Chicago Avenue in the village. In September, the village board approved design concepts and construction costs for a Chicago Avenue streetscaping project that will honor famed chemist, civil rights advocate and Oak Parker Percy Julian. The project will add artwork, historic installations, new sidewalk paving and other design elements to Chicago Avenue from Austin Boulevard to East Avenue — where the Julian home sits at the northwest corner. Work will also soon begin on streetscap-
ing for Oak Park Avenue between Ontario Street and Pleasant Street. In addition to traffic safety and aesthetic upgrades, the project also includes extensive water and sewer work to replace century old belowground infrastructure. This “Renew the Avenue” streetscaping project had been expected to take place last year, but construction was pushed back to 2026 after the initial round of bidding for the project only received one, well-over budget proposal. Construction is expected to begin the week of Jan. 19, according to the village.
will be looted because there might be an uprising.” C.M. said that civilians have to be wary of the collectivos, an informal group that supports the current regime that attacks people who do not support Maduro’s political party. “People are happy this finally happened, but you can’t go out in the streets and celebrate,” she said. “It’s like a silent celebration.” Yevette added that, “people are still imprisoned for thinking differently from Maduro’s regime. Many things happened, but I also have to say that the regime hasn’t fallen yet because some of them are still there. As long as they remain in power, Venezuela will not be free.” Juan said there is disappointment among his family members in Venezuela about what happened. “They simply believe it’s all a show orchestrated by the U.S., and they are disappointed because the same corrupt and drug-trafficking elite remains in power,” he said. “We
want a transparent government that will end corruption, enact laws that are respected and remove from power those who have done so much to harm Venezuela.” Yevette said the beacon of hope for Venezuelan immigrants locally has been the Migrant Ministry, known among them as Centro San Edmundo. “Thanks to their generosity, many have found a home and unconditional support during these times of need,” she said. “Their commitment and dedication are a true gift to us and to all immigrants.” C.M. not only participates in the Migrant Ministry, she is also a volunteer, working in the area of immigrant support services, filling out asylum applications. Not only did the Migrant Ministry help her father with his own asylum application, it gave him something else. “The courage to tell his story,” she said. “They have helped us build a community here and give us a hand. They have been a huge part of our journey here.”
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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RF ethics commission asks further refinement to ordinance Complaints against DRB members dismissed By ROBERT J. LIFKA
being under the jurisdiction of the commission were complaints relating to the truthfulness of the Tennis Club’s application and The River Forest Ethics Commission Jan. whether the DRB was the appropriate body 5 took steps toward dismissing conflict of in- to review the application. terest charges made in a complaint by a resiIn his complaint, Harding said four of the dent against four members of the village De- seven members of the DRB, Elias Yanaki, velopment Review Board (DRB) stemming Maryanne Fishman, Jane McCole and Ron from a controversial request by the River Lucchesi, were in violation of the ethics orForest Tennis Club to install lights. dinance because they also are tennis club The complaint, by resident Paul Hard- members. As such, they are part-owners of ing, was the first to be filed after the village the club and have a financial conflict of inboard revised the ethics ordinance in July. terest, he said. That action followed filing On Jan. 5 Malina exof a conflict-of-interest complained his interpretation of plaint against a member of the conflict-of-interest secthe village’s Economic Detion of the ethics code. velopment Commission in “Members of a control January. group are not the same as However, in announcing members,” he said. “Memtheir decision Jan. 5, Ethics bership does not create a Commission members Reconflict of interest per se.” becca DeGroff and Ross LisDeGroff questioned why suzzo suggested fine-tuning DRB members were not adREBECCA DEGROFF the conflict-of-interest secvised of the wording of the RF Ethics Commission member tion of the revised ethics orethics ordinance as it apdinance. The third member, plies to conflict of interest. Greg Ignoffo, who is chair, “It smells bad,” she said. did not attend the meeting. “It doesn’t seem right.” The committee’s decision Following an executive will be forwarded as a recsession that lasted 45 minommendation to the village utes, the ethics commisboard for consideration, sion, however, dismissed the which is expected at the Jan. complaint against Fishman, 12 meeting, according to Matt Walsh, village McCole and Lucchesi, “based on the village administrator. attorney’s interpretation of the ethics code Per the ordinance, the decision an- and related advice given to the DRB.” nounced Jan. 5 will not be considered to be In his complaint, Harding singled out final until the announcement is transcribed Yanaki for serving as the proposal’s appliand signed by DeGroff and Lissuzzo, Lance cant and giving a 30-minute presentation at Malina, village attorney, said. the November DRB public hearing, which The Jan. 5 meeting was the second meet- he said is a “clear violation” of the ethics ing held by the Ethics Commission on Hard- ordinance. ing’s filing, which contained four separate On Jan. 5, Yanaki defended himself from complaints and was made in November. the accusation in a detailed statement. CitAt the first meeting, held Dec. 2, two of ing multiple communications with various those complaints were determined to be See ETHICS on page 13 subject to further review. Dismissed as not Contributing Reporter
“It smells bad. It doesn’t seem right.”
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Act 3: New performing arts space in the works for OPRF Modernized theater and music space is on the drawing board By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
Plans for the construction of new larger and more modern performing arts spaces, focusing on music, are coming into view at Oak Park and River Forest High School. At the Dec 18 OPRF Board of Education meeting, architects presented conceptual plans for Project 3, or what the school is now calling Act 3, of the ambitious Imagine Plan to renovate and modernize the school building. Project 3, if approved by the school board as seems likely, will center on the southwestern portion of the existing g building. g There would be new band, orchestra and choir rooms as well as a new black box theater, and some new physical education spaces. Cost estimates are not yet known; a bond referendum in either 2026 or 2027 might be needed for the financing. The current band and choir rooms, which were built 60 years ago, do not meet modern educational standards, Anthony Svejda, chair of the OPRF music department and band director, said during the school board meeting. Svejda said that 60 years ago OPRF’s music rooms were considered state of the art and something that other schools emulated, but those days are long gone. Svejda said the rooms outlined in the conceptual design would be a major upgrade and lead to a vast improvement in the music education experience. The ability to do much more recording would be a game changer. “With the newly designed and constructed music space, we can implement instructional and assessment practices that are simply not possible in our current facility,” Svejda said. “Recording would become a regular component of ensemble instruction, which is not possible in our current
mode. Practice rooms and mid-sized rehearsal rooms would provide structured opportunities for students to work independently or in small groups fostering collaboration, accountability and deeper musical understanding.” The conceptual plans include two story band, orchestra and choir rooms and a control room with direct access to the band and orchestra rooms. “A modern recording environment would provide real-world learning opportunities in sound production, song writing and guitar classes offering hands on experiences with professional recording processes,” Svejda j said. The new facilities, which involve the destruction of the 1 West Gym, would include rooms that would allow for more chamber music rehearsal possibilities and include soundproof practice rooms. The wall of the 1 West Gym with murals would be retained. “A modern, fully accessible music environment ensures that all students, regardless of background, prior experience or resources at home, have an equitable opportunity to develop their skills, find their voice and see themselves as musicians and creators,” Svejda said. Thoughtfully designed storage facilities would eliminate the need for students to lug large and sometimes heavy instruments up and down stairs or to squeeze them into an elevator. Anthony Arbogast, OPRF’ head of business services, said providing more music spaces is a major goal of Project 3. The design was challenging because architects initially planned to enlarge the footprint of the existing building by building out west towards the mall that separates the school building from athletic fields. But they discovered that there is a
COURTESY OF OPRF
Chorus room major ComEd transmission line under the mall and ComEd would not allow any construction on or over the mall. To move the transmission line would cost perhaps $30 million and take as long as four years so that was a non-starter.
Other aspects of the plan and financing A new black box theater is also planned for the first floor. The conceptual plans call for building a new adventure gym, cardio room, adaptive PE gym, and multipurpose gym with a basketball court on the third floor. The basement will include a new wrestling room, a new training room, and new locker rooms for members of the wrestling, cross country and track and field teams. Architects and school officials considered seven options and settled on one. But the plans are still just concepts at this point. “We should not see the designs we see tonight as a final answer to anything,” said Greg Johnson, OPRF superintendent. The next step is to develop a schematic design. At its Jan. 15 school board meeting, the school board is expected to approve paying the FGM architectural firm $365,000 to develop a schematic design that should be completed by April. A cost estimate for Project 3 will not be developed until the schematic design is finished. Karin Sullivan, school spokesperson, said it is impossible to even give a ballpark cost estimate until the schematic design is completed. A timeline presented by the school at the school board meeting states the school board will decide on the scope and budget
for Project 3 in April and May of 2026. Going ahead with Project 3 would probably require getting a bond referendum approved by voters as OPRF’s cash reserves are being spent down on the current Project 2 construction project which is about seven to eight months from being completed. That project includes a new swimming pool and it completely demolished and is rebuilding the southeast portion of the school building. The school’s presentation lists April 2027, when school board and village elections take place, as a possible referendum date. The school could also possibly put a referendum on the ballot at the November 2026 midterm election but it is generally thought that bond referendums have a better chance to be approved during lower turnout elections. Board members and school officials say they want to take their time and build something that will serve the school and community far into the future. “The idea is to build something that will stand the test of time for 100 years,” Johnson said. School board member Tim Brandhorst said something similar. “Performing arts are the crown jewel of this institution,” Brandhorst said. “This is a project that [would be designed to last] … for the next 50 to 100 years.” Fred Arkin, another school board member, was positive about the early presentation. “They got it. They did it right,” Arkin said. “It aligns with the original concept of the Imagine plan which is needs based, student focused, through an equity lens.”
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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Making a point about fencing, empowerment ‘When I put on the mask,’ says Scott Holliday, ‘it’s like I’m transported into a different mind space’ By GREGG VOSS
where he dons his gear, demonstrates lunges with his foil – one of three types of fencing weapons – shares his book, titled, Scott’s Fencing is a time-honored combat sport, Fantastic Fencing Journey, and speaks to tracing its roots back to ancient civiliza- building confidence, discipline and focus. Not only that, he’s captain of the Fenwick tions like Egypt and Rome. But in Scott Holliday’s mind, today it’s a means to bring kids fencing team and a nationally ranked men’s foil fencer, a two-time USA Junior Olympic together for empowerment. Holliday, a Fenwick High School senior qualifier and a USA Fencing All-American and All-Academic honoree. from Oak Park, is the founder and CEO of It’s a busy life, but Holliday wouldn’t have the nonprofit Black Boys Fence, which exposes youngsters to the sport and opens a it any other way. “It’s very fun and exciting and also very window to what Holliday has been passionate about since he started fencing when he versatile,” he said of his favorite sport. And keep in mind, as a young man he tried plenwas 10. Black Boys Fence has been around for ty – soccer, lacrosse, basketball and tennis. “Nothing clicked as well as fencing did,” about two years and offers clinics and partnerships with schools on the West Side, he said. “When I put on the mask, it’s like I’m transported into a different mind space. I feel invincible and that’s a feeling I want to chase forever.” He’s well on his way to that end. Next fall, he’ll be attending Columbia University in New York City and plans to walk on to one of the best Division I collegiate fencing teams in the nation, while also studying political science and economics. But first, about fencing: The foil is the smallest weapon of the three, the others being the sabre and the epee, but it’s the quickest with the hand, so one has “to be very sharp, agile and precise, so you can score,” Holliday said. In addition to a protective mask, pants, long socks and shoes, there is an underarm protector, jacket and the lame (la-may), a sort of a gray vest you place over your shoulders. That’s the PROVIDED BY GREGG VOSS target area, where you score Fenwick High School senior Scott Holliday provides a touch on your opponent instruction at a Black Boys Fence clinic. but also try to protect yours. Contributing Reporter
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Fenwick High School senior Scott Holliday is the founder of Black Boys Fence, which introduces the sport of fencing to Black youth. In a typical match, your objective is to get five touches in a three-minute increment. In some matches, the goal is to score 15 touches in three sets of three-minute increments. Black Boys Fence came about because Holliday wanted to build exposure for the sport, but he quickly discovered that wasn’t enough. So he pivoted. “I decided to do live demonstrations, go to schools and outreach more,” he said, “community centers, churches, schools, just being the person so [kids] can see themselves in the sport.” And they do. The first reading he did of his book, he asked, “Who’s that on the cover?”
The response? “A bunch of kids said, ‘That’s me on the cover!’ [It’s] seeing themselves as something totally different than the norm.” That’s the point. Look at fencing as an opportunity as much as a sport, no matter your young age. “To kids at Fenwick and Oak Park and River Forest High School, if you’re interested, give it a try,” said Holliday, who trains with RedStar Fencing Club Chicago. “Try something new and exciting and be impressed with yourself.” To learn more about Black Boys Fence, visit the website, BlackBoysFence.com, or the Instagram profile.
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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‘A Huskie in his heart,’ Griff joins OPRF community
Golden Retriever has become high school’s first facility dog By ELIZABETH SHORT Contributing Reporter
“Is he here?” A dozen students filed into OPRF’s Student Activity Center during fifth period lunch, more excited than usual. “Where is Griff ?” OPRF’s newest huskie is not a huskie at all, but a golden retriever. Griff, 1.5 years old, had his first day as OPRF’s facility dog on Dec. 3. Throughout the month, students have been able to meet Griff during their lunch periods. Griff and handler Ginger Bencola, prevention and wellness coordinator at OPRF, made their way through the crowd and settled into Griff ’s enclosure within the student center. A group of students filed in behind the pair, immediately sitting on the floor next to the dog. Griff flipped over onto his back, belly in the air. Four students rubbed his belly at once. He stuck one paw up in the air. His face had a smile. Shortly before the COVID pandemic, Bencola began coordinating therapy dog visits to the school during finals week and lunch periods for “de-stress with dogs” sessions. This was always popular with students. Bencola said a line of students would snake down the hall and around the corner. “We should do this more often,” students would tell Bencola. Last year, Bencola partnered with special education teachers Lauren Conway and Claire Downs, and the group wrote a proposal to get the school its very own facility dog. OPRF then applied with Paws Giving Independence (PGI), a nonprofit that trains facility and service dogs in Illinois. Eventually, Griff matched with OPRF, and PGI donated him to the school. Bencola, who earned a graduate certificate in animal-assisted social work from Slippery Rock University in 2024, has been attending weekly training sessions with Griff on Tuesday nights. “We needed a very outgoing, friendly, affectionate dog. And I don’t think we could
PHOTOS PROVIDED
Students welcome Griff to his post as ‘therapy dog.’
have a better fit than Griff,” said Bencola. “He never seems to get tired of meeting more of our students. His tail is always wagging. He rolls over for belly rubs with everyone.” Not many schools have facility dogs, but there are a few in Illinois that have implemented similar programs. Black labrador retriever Pippin is at Lyons Township, goldendoodle Krieger works at Meadowbrook, and Riverside Brookfield just welcomed golden retriever Harley to its team. In preparation for Griff, D200 leaders reached out to other schools about their experiences with facility dogs. “It was all really positive feedback,” said Kris Johnson, director of student services. Griff lives with Bencola, and as the two of them walk towards the building every morning, Griff ’s tail wags more and more. When Griff wags his tail, his whole body moves. Walking through the hallways at OPRF with Griff, Bencola sees students turn and smile. Students “flock to him,” said Johnson. “He’s Mr. Popularity.”
“You can truly see joy on their faces when they see him, when they interact with him,” said Bencola. “Students have shared with me how much this has brightened their day, changed their experience at school. Students are already saying we should have another dog. In the future, Griff will visit classrooms by teacher request, and he will be available for students in crisis for “comfort visits.” Johnson said he will also be a great help in
special education classrooms, and at Community Integrated Transition Education (CITE), OPRF’s transitional program for students in special education. In December, Griff already visited one student who had recently experienced a significant loss. Griff immediately went into “comfort mode,” said Bencola. When the student visited, Griff lay at the student’s feet and put its head in their hand. Griff had a gentle, calming presence, and the student told Bencola that Griff had helped a lot. “All dogs have that intuitive sense,” said Bencola. “But certainly Griff has been trained to know when somebody might need that extra type of support.” Conway said that she sees students relax and become calmer when they visit Griff. “I have seen such excitement and happiness in this building at a time when we all need it,” said Conway. “He’s an absolute joy.” Conway tries to visit Griff at least once a day. Sitting in Griff ’s enclosure in the Student Activity Center, one student threw a yellow ball in the air. Another squished a neon green alligator toy, making it squeak. Griff still remained on his back, smiling. “He’s part huskie,” said Bencola, kneeling on the floor next to Griff. “A Huskie in his heart.”
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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MENTAL HEALTH Hands on support from page 1 grants from the village to cover the program’s budget. “The village of Oak Park is proud to join committed partners in supporting this nationally recognized model here in our community,” village officials said in a statement this week. “By investing in the Living Room Project, Oak Park reaffirms its commitment to expanding and enhancing access to critical, compassionate mental health services for residents.” Oak Park Township’s Community Mental Health Board supported NAMI’s proposal to the village. Living room programs are a type of mental health crisis intervention care in which trained crisis recovery staff work out of home-like spaces where patients come to de-escalate their mental health episode without the need for hospitalization. The NAMI Metro Suburban chapter group already operates living room programs in Summit and in La Grange. Local living room programs can help reduce the strain on emergency rooms, according to NAMI’s presentation to the
ETHICS from page 9 village staff members, he contended that he was never told until after the November DRB public hearing that he should not have made the presentation. He also pointed out that he had recused himself to avoid a conflict of interest. “I recused myself from the very beginning,” he said. “Ethics is critically important to me.” Malina acknowledged not advising Yanaki against giving the presentation at the public hearing saying he was “under the impression” that somebody else would act as the club representative. The ethics commission ruled that Yanaki’s presentation at the DRB public hearing was “inconsistent” with the ethics ordinance but did not sustain the complaint “based on the full record of this case including … his communications with village staff.” DeGroff and Lissuzzo suggested that the
Oak Park board. “Although emergency rooms are designed for acute physical ailments, over 12% of all visits are due to mental illness or substance use,” NAMI wrote in its proposal. “Despite not having psychiatry beds, Rush Oak Park Hospital reported that for calendar year 2023, it had 757 visits to the emergency department related to psychiatric crisis. Over 27% of those visits were from Oak Park residents. This underscores an urgent community need for effective and accessible mental health support in Oak Park. Unfortunately, many hospitals and their emergency departments – including Rush Oak Park Hospital and West Suburban Medical Center — are not adequately equipped to treat mental illness, whether because of short staffing, hospital policy surrounding treatment times, or stressful surroundings.” According to the proposal, the West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center, which handles 911 calls for Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park, received over 2,500 calls related to psychiatric distress, most of which were for Oak Park residents. NAMI would look to convert its office space at 816 Harrison St. in Oak Park into a home for the program, according to the group’s proposal.
ethics ordinance be fine-tuned regarding conflict of interest. “Going forward we believe our community wants village-covered individuals to err on the side of caution and recuse themselves in the future in this type of situation,” they said. “To the extent the ethics code is not clear, we want to explore whether such changes can be added legally if at all and, if so, amend the code to provide such clarity.” After the meeting, Harding accepted the findings. “I think it’s a reasonable outcome,” he said. “They did acknowledge that the ethics ordinance needs improvement. “In my opinion, it’s a moral victory. In other words, I was happy.” The controversy began at a DRB public hearing in November on the Tennis Club’s request, filed in September, to install lights on the courts at 615 Lathrop Ave. That hearing had such a large turnout, it was scheduled for continuation. However, tennis club officials first revised their application, then later withdrew it, leaving the proposal in limbo.
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JOHN CONDNE Making movies from page 1 He is gruesomely transformed, at a cellular level, after drinking the free kombucha in the company break room. The mind-altering drink, intended to make employees more productive, literally makes them work themselves to death. The film started as a seven-minute short written by Jake Myers, Condne’s former student teacher at OPRF, and Geoff Bakker. The short was a huge hit at film festivals across the country so Myers turned to Condne and Take Care to expand it to a long-form feature. It’s been shown to soldout audiences at influential film festivals in Los Angeles and Provo, Utah as well as in London, Brussels, Italy and France. As producer, Condne was responsible for all aspects of the production, including the hiring of the cast, most of whom were from Chicago’s Second City, paying the bills and overseeing the final product. “I steer the ship behind-the-scenes, make sure everyone is eating and happy,” he said. A cadre of Condne’s current and former students worked on the film, including Kristopher Rey-Talley, who served as executive producer and is co-owner of Take Care Productions, which they launched three years ago. The two first worked together on Blood. Love, Kryptonite in 2007. Rey-Talley graduated from New York University before returning to Chicago. The two make a good team. Condne oversees the business side of their company and Rey-Talley handles the creative side. Condne often brings current students to his film shoots. He estimates that over the years he has paid more than $4 million in salaries to 50 or so former OPRF students, many of whom have gone on to careers in the commercial and film industries. The students get a unique introduction to the real world of filmmaking. “When I bring students to the set, they don’t just hang around. The crew members talk to them about their jobs and explain what they do. Everyone on my crew is very chill—it’s important to be able to put out fires without causing panic. We’re like a family. We take care of our people—it’s part of our brand,” Condne said. Although he was always interested in filmmaking, Condne was inspired to pursue a career in the industry through a high school class much like the one he now
teaches. After getting a bachelor’s degree in communications at Oakland University in Michigan, he moved to Chicago and earned a master’s degree at Columbia College. He dabbled in filmmaking but wasn’t making much money so he did a number of odd jobs before landing a position as an elementary school substitute teacher. He enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to get another master’s degree in teaching at Concordia University Chicago. He taught one year at Elmwood Park High School before an opening as a film and TV teacher became available at OPRF. In 2018, Condne served as series producer for Steve James’ Academy Award-nominated documentary America to Me. The 10-part series depicted the daily lives of 12 OPRF students and explored the school’s efforts to deal with racial, class and equity issues. The experience was indelible. “I owe my career to OPRF,” he said. “I’ve felt really at home here. It’s given me the opportunity to meet people like Kris -- and if I hadn’t met Kris, I wouldn’t have started my production company, and Steve -- and if I hadn’t met Steve I wouldn’t have had the experience of working on America to Me. I’m still learning from people who are better creatives than me.” While Condne has been very successful creating commercials for companies including Nike, Woodford Reserve and Weber Grills, he maintains that he really wants to focus on long-form features, particularly in the horror genre. “Horror fans are very enthusiastic. People like to be scared and on the edge of their seats. I really enjoyed watching audiences
ERIN MCKINNEY
John Condne (right) with Kris Rey-Talley, former OPRF student and co-owner of Take Care Productions, Condne’s production company at the Trieste Science Festival. watching the film to see their reactions to certain scenes. The genre has relatively simple concepts and doesn’t require A-list actors. Oftentimes all or most of the action takes place in one house — think The Exorcist, The Shining, Halloween,” he said. Condne and Myers are already planning a sequel to Kombucha and expect to start filming this summer when they’re both
on break from teaching. He advises that the film will take place during a corporate retreat. And he promises it will be scarier, more disgusting and funnier than its predecessor. You’ve been forewarned. In the meantime, you can watch Kombucha on DVD and Blu-ray through Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon Prime and YouTube.
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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At Funkytown Brewery, locals brew good Three OPRF grads serve customers left behind in the craft beer revolution
By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter
As the craft beer market has expanded over the past 20 years, three former Oak Park and River Forest High School students perceived an opening – a population that wasn’t being reached by other brewers. Starting in 2018 they set up shop in a parent’s garage and tried to make a beer for those who had been left behind. “We’ve always been beer drinkers, but we’re always the only Black dudes showing up to the barbecues, birthday parties with craft beer,” said Rich Bloomfield, co-founder and CEO. “But people were generally curious about it. So it just kind of hit us one day, there’s truly a lack of diversity in this beer space from the ownership level down to employment and even in consumption. We want to be an authentic voice that could reach out with a warm introduction to craft beer across race, Black, Latino, Asian, and include more women into the beer space as well.” After taking some brewing classes co-founders Bloomfield, Zach Day and Greg Williams started up in Day’s parent’s garage. “It helped bring us together just for general laughs and giggles but also we were working on something and learning a lot.” Bloomfield said. “Our first batch was terrible,” Zach Day said. “It looked just like beer, but it tasted terrible.” “I don’t know why we were so confident,” Bloomfield said. “The color was perfect. We bottled it. The carbonation was perfect. But then you tasted it, it tasted just like water.” Through perseverance and grit, they finally developed a recipe to their liking. Fastforward and their flagship beer “Hip-Hops and R&Brew” is an award-winning pale ale with low bitterness and astringency. “We wanted to make sure that any kind of newcomer into beer would have a good starting point in their own onramp,” Day, director of brewing and operations, said. “We always focused on being more welcoming on the tongue versus like an IPA. Still, it’s something that the aficionados can respect as well.” Several other styles have joined the company’s offerings. An American amber ale called “Woo-Wap-da-Bam.” A Marzen called “Homecoming.” “Cuffin’ Season” is an Irish red
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Greg Williams, Zack Day, Rich Bloomfi eld at Pilot Project Brewhouse ale. And “Summertime Chi” is a Belgian Witbier. All are brewed at Pilot Project in Logan Square. You can get these at local stores: Whole Foods in River Forest, Jewel in Oak Park, Binny’s in Elmwood Park. And in restaurants/bars: The Beer Shop, Kettlestrings Tavern, Poor Phil’s. In the four years that Funkytown has been distributing their brand has caught PROVIDED on rapidly. “We were able to grow pretty fast,” Bloomfield said. “We landed, like, almost trophy accounts: United Center, Soldier Field, Rate Field. We landed in Wrigley.” Bloomfield and Williams are now full-time at Funkytown. Day is currently keeping his other work. The trio has lots of plans for 2026. “We set ourselves up on a platform for growth,” Bloomfield said. “First, focusing locally here in Chicago, expand-
ing our distribution, expanding our awareness, and focusing a little bit more on event curation.” Their founding purpose, to bring craft beer to a wider audience, is reflected in both this growth and in the name they chose. “We wanted something that would have broad appeal, but we wanted to have a story that connected to us,” Bloomfield said of the name. It references not only the song “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. but also funk music by George Clinton and others in the 1970s, “Funkified” song by Da Brat in the 1990s, and Isaiah “J.R.” Rider’s famous “East Bay Funk Dunk” signature move – a between-the-legs dribble and dunk. “The ‘town’ part is the community that we’re trying to build around it. All together it’s about being creative and showing things in a different perspective that attracts people,” Bloomfield said. “And that’s what we want to do with Funkytown Beer.” Occasionally the three of them still get together in the Day’s garage in Oak Park. Will it someday be as iconic as the garage where Apple computers started? “That’s what my parents are banking on,” Day said with a laugh.
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Homes
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
Kicking off the New Year with a look back at Homes in 2025
Preservation, climate action and rising prices all made news By LACEY SIKORA Real Estate Reporter
The past year in Homes provided a glimpse into the homes and gardens of Oak Park and River Forest. We learned about Historic Preservation Commission discussions and followed historic homes that were shared with the public through housewalks sponsored by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, the Oak Park and River Forest Historical Society and the Infant Welfare Society. We examined real estate stats and the works of famous architects. We peaked inside the doors of homes on the local market and brought a little bit of Homes into the lives of our readers. Before we forge ahead into 2026, here’s a look back at some highlights of the Journal’s Homes section in 2025.
January
February
In January, we delved into the work of architect H.G. Fiddelke with an interview of Fiddelke super-fan Michael Thomas who explored Fiddelke’s work in Forest Park and Oak Park in a talk at the Forest Park Baptist Church, which was designed by Fiddelke.
In February, we sat down with the Oak Park Area Association of Realtors and learned how the local industry group prepares real estate agents to best support the needs of people looking to buy and sell homes in the area.
PROVIDED
REALTORS ON THE ROAD: Local Realtors at the Illinois REALTORS® Capitol Conference in Springfield. Left to right: Ricardo Braglia, Ed Bellock-Treasurer, Gabe Caporale, Jonathan Zivojnovic, Bobbie Shaper Eastman-Director, Elissa Palermo-Immediate Past-President, Linda Rooney-Vice President, John Lawrence, Sharon Halperin-CEO
March In March, we talked to local architect Frank Heitzman about his latest preservation work: the rehabilitation of a building he owns on Marion Street in downtown Oak Park. Heitzman worked to restore the bay window and copper details that originally graced the 1890’s-era building.
April We attended several open houses hosted by OPCAN, the Oak Park Climate Action Network in April and learned about ways locals are making their homes more sustainable. PROVIDED
A stained glass windows at the Forest Park Baptist Church.
COURTESY OF FRANK HEITZMAN
Loving building restoration on Marion Street.
See HOMES on page 21
LACEY SIKORA
Joe Konopacki, President and CEO of Insight Property Services, explains the importance of blower door testing to identifying leaks in a home.
20
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
OAKPARK.COM
21
OAK PARK APARTMENTS COMPASS REAL ESTATE
Hills-DeCaro House
Building at 8-12 Van Buren Street has a new heat pump split system.
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT TRUST/JAMES CAULFIELD
Sanford and Grace Vaughan House. (E.E. Roberts, 1898).
HOMES IN REVIEW from page 19
May In May, we visited one of the homes featured on the 2025 Wright Plus Housewalk, the Sanford and Grace Vaughan House. Designed by E.E. Roberts, the house was recently remodeled following a serious fire.
June We kicked off summer in June with a conversation with local design firm North & Madison. Designers Robin Flaherty and Jess Milburn were excited about their debut collection of bathroom vanities and wallpapers, which they are using to liven up homes throughout Oak Park and River Forest.
TODD BANNOR
July During July, Oak Park River Forest Historical Society board member Frank FioRito shared his extensive research on a lost River Forest subdivision: Edgewater Park.
August In August, we took a deep dive into Historic Preservation issues in Oak Park, including the many meetings devoted to proposed new construction at 1035 South Boulevard.
COURTESY OF NORTH & MADISON
Robin Flaherty and Jess Milburn.
September September brought the sale of an Oak Park icon, the Hills-DeCaro House on Forest Avenue. We talked with long-time owner, Mark Smylie about living in and preserving the home, which was remodeled by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Bill and Denise Scholtens are the owners of Elements Architectural Group and of the former Pieritz Bros. building.
October
November/December
In October, Bill and Denise Scholtens shared their passion project, the rehabilitation of the former Pieritz Bros. building on South Boulevard and Ridgeland in Oak Park. The building now houses Bill’s architectural firm, Elements Architectural Group, and recently celebrated the opening of tenant 3Fold’s croissant bake shop.
November provided a glimpse into how multi-family homes can live green with a dive into the partnership between two locally owned business Oak Park Apartments and Energy Matters. We closed out 2025 with a look into the sales and rents at four Downtown Oak Park high-rises.
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Way Back Inn plants trees of recovery from addiction Openlands grants greens nonprofit’s Maywood campus By SEAN SCHOLZ Contributing Reporter
On the corner of Oak Street off busy 1st Avenue dawns new life. Years from now, holes in the ground will have turned into budding trees, planted by people reclaiming control of their own lives. Community events and volunteer days will utilize the area as it greens, and a once small act on a fall day will give back and serve as a timestamp. Steps from an always busy Route 171 lies Way Back Inn’s main campus in Maywood. At Way Back Inn, clients seek to overcome addiction with substance use and gambling. The nonprofit invests in their clients through a holistic treatment approach, partnership and community outreach. Their mission is to curate a “comprehensive” and “personalized healing environment.” Way Back Inn channeled its focus on partnership to assist clients in recovery and beautify its area with the help of
Openlands, the Chicago region’s premier conservation organization. Openlands’ TreePlanters Grant allowed Way Back Inn to gather clients and community members for a tree-planting event on Nov. 1. “We wrote the grant, and we were kind of connecting it to individuals in recovery. It’s very cathartic and therapeutic to actually get connected with nature,” said Chris Ward, an outreach coordinator at Way Back Inn. “To be outside, to connect with others, to work together – to accomplish something.” As a break from the hard work done inhouse to overcome addiction, clients at Way Back Inn step outside into green spaces and interact with surroundings. Sun poked through the clouds across the campus area and gave way to a “perfect storm,” as Way Back Inn executive director Anita Pindiur put it. “We’ve been involved in some smaller, other projects, but we never actually heard of Openlands,” said Pindiur, “It was through President Vicky Scaman in Oak
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WAY BACK INN
Event attendees plant trees at Way Back Inn’s Maywood Campus. Park that we met with (former Trustee Su- Despite operating in very different areas, san Buchanan) and we were able to start at their core, the missions are the same. Renewal, care, restoration. All this relationship.” concepts that can be applied to Openlands works to support both people recouping lives lost the environment with an arto addiction and revitalizing ray of programs and projects land lost to big-budget developinvolving education and handsment. on stewardship in which evWhen clients embark on eryday people can contribute. their journey at Way Back Inn, The TreePlanters Grant, one they experience nature in their of Openlands programs, gives hands. The simple joys Earth selected grantees the opportuoffers are rediscovered, or new, nity to plant trees in their own green hobbies are introduced. neighborhoods. Giving clients While cultivating their own the ability to feel their environrecovery, clients cultivate their ment, physically and spirituimmediate surroundings in the ally, is a point of emphasis for process. Way Back Inn, so the partnerThe Nov. 1 event provided ship made sense. fellowship and vitamin D for a “They have areas and zones single day, but the fruits of that selected that need trees and labor will be realized for years have that space that really CHRIS WARD – for the area, environment and needs a little bit more greenall in recovery. ery,” the executive director “There’s a lot to say about the said, “We just fell perfectly into beginning of planting a little that area, and we were also wanting, willing and had the volunteers to tree, then watching it grow, sort of resembe able to do their work.” bling what it’s like to begin recovery,” said Oddly, parallels can be drawn between Ward, “because it really is just a seed that the work Way Back Inn and Openlands do. gets planted at first.”
“There’s a lot to say about the beginning of planting a little tree, then watching it grow, sort of resembling what it’s like to begin recovery.”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WAY BACK INN
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
VIEWPOINTS
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M. Call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com
C O N S C I O U S
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Shrubtown
p. 25
A G I N G
My New Year’s list of 5
’ve been thinking about the difference between New Year’s resolutions and living with intention, the difference between setting goals and being present, and the difference between staring at the horizon and noticing what’s right in front of me. This year, the night after Christmas, I had an epiphany about my New Year’s resolutions. Seemingly all at once, I crafted a package of five that I can accomplish consistently in 2026 (the operative term is ‘consistently’): implement a new fall-asleep routine resume regular workouts at the local Tennis and Fitness Center eat more green salad each week get a massage at least once a month get help doing some important personal work, i.e. resume therapy For most of the past 30 years or so, my wife and I have had a New Year’s tradition with some close friends. Before we all share our new resolutions, we review the ones from the previous year, which she’d written down. And I realize now that I’d never really thought much about those resolutions between the past and present New Year. In other words, I didn’t really accomplish much of them. Thirty years. I guess it’s been a “nice” tradition? I’m downright enthusiastic about this year’s resolutions. This “list of 5” feels important and doable and even fun! I’m looking forward to seeing how I do. Wait! No! Not how I do, rather how I am as I do them. I’m not even sure where they all came from. I’ve been thinking about resolutions on and off for a few weeks, and then boom! as I was falling asleep they all came together, and I had to get out of bed and go write them down. Committing to this list of 5 feels like I’m doing something good for myself, and part of that is because I’m aware that the clock is ticking. Not the clock bringing me closer to death (that clock is always ticking), rather the clock that is about the opportunities afforded by my aging. Conscious aging is about recognizing the possibility of opportunities afforded by our aging. Getting older is about change; change is about both loss and opportunity. Having some of this awareness may account for my changed attitude about New Year’s resolutions this year. Coming up with this list of 5 is helping me to embrace my aging. It is also allowing me to offer the respect due my own growing old. Yes, respect is due. Not minimalizing. Not trivializing. Not infantilizing. Conscious aging is about respecting the older people we see in family or at work or in the supermarket line or driving in front of us. It’s about respecting the older people taking care of others and doing something good for themselves. It’s about respecting ourselves. Let’s all resolve to respect our own living and dying, and to age with agency.
MARC BLESOFF
ADOBE STOCK
RIFL takes aim at the firearms industry
D
r. Anthony Douglas is coming to the Oak Park Public Library Veterans Room at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Jan. 13, to speak about the Illinois RIFL Act (Responsibility in Firearm Legislation) also known as HB3320/SB2279. This bill will be before the Illinois Legislature this session, and, if adopted into law, will require firearm manufacturers to share the financial consequences of gun violence with taxpayers and the state of Illinois. This would result in a “significant realignment of firearm manufacturers’ financial interest toward gun violence prevention and reducing the harm their products cause. Manufacturers would pay into a state treasury fund based on how frequently their products are recovered in an injury or death. The funds will be allocated to evidence-based violence prevention strategies like community violence intervention and gun violence victim services.” Douglas is a doctor at the University of Chicago Medicine Trauma Center on the City’s South Side. He knows firsthand the toll that gun violence takes on its victims. He also has observed, on an all-toofrequent basis, the present inequities of a system that causes everyone — except the gun manufacturers — to shoulder the burden for all of these soaring gun violence victim costs, while the manufacturers, who produce and sell the guns that enable the gun violence in the first place, walk away bearing no responsibility for the carnage they have enabled. Douglas is the architect of the policy experiment that has evolved into the Responsibility in Firearm Legislation Act. RIFL is already backed by a growing coalition of Illinois state lawmakers and advocates. It is sponsored
by state Sen. Robert Peters in the Senate, and state Rep. Kevin Olickal in the House. Rep. Olickal has stated, “We are optimistic about the coalition we’re building, and we’re hopeful that we can get something done in [2026].” Please come on Jan. 13 to hear Dr. Douglas speak on this bill. I think you will find it worthwhile. Some of us are focused on preserving our democracy and rightly so, but I would urge that we cannot afford to set aside, and put on hold, all the other important causes we have been advocating while we fight the fight for our Democracy. We must continue to shine a bright light on all of them and keep them moving forward even as we fight to preserve democracy. It is our continued engagement on all these issues that serves as a necessary underpinning for our democracy, making it work. Democracy demands citizen participation, and that means, as difficult as it can be at times, we have to stay well-informed and well-educated. We have to keep our heads in the game. The presentation by Douglas will last less than a half-hour with time afterward to ask any questions you may have. There is no admission charge and registration will not be required. It is my understanding that, following Douglas’ talk, two local organizations will make short presentations explaining the work they are doing in community violence intervention and in gun violence victim support. The impact that passage of the RIFL Act would have on gun manufacturers in Illinois could have national implications. Ray Heise is the retired Oak Park village attorney. He is a member of the Oak Park-based gun-violence prevention group, Gun Responsibility Advocates.
RAY HEISE
One View
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
O U R
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V I E W S
Oh, a pool referendum
he Park District of Oak Park gets points we suppose for actually going before the public with a tax hike referendum this March. The out of the blue proposal to ask Oak Park voters to back a $40 million plan to replace the outdoor pool at Ridgeland Common with an indoor pool more focused on lap swimming will be on the ballot in 60 days. There is a contrast to be drawn between the park’s approach and the consternation many felt when Oak Park and River Forest High School chose not to ask voters to approve a tax hike for the Project 2 capital project at the high school which includes a large indoor pool. That said, we feel some consternation over a stealth proposal that turned up unexpectedly on a mid-December park board agenda. When asked where or when board discussions of this major project were held, the Journal was told it was discussed in broad terms during a board retreat last summer. Now the district has just two months to make its case both for the necessity of an indoor pool and for the loss of the outdoor pool at Ridgeland. We’ll be paying attention.
I
Safe haven for Migrant Ministry
t is good news that the Migrant Ministry has found a new home at St. Bernardine’s old school in Forest Park. This passion filled project rose up two years ago out of the Catholic parishes of Oak Park. And significantly it has been actively supported by faith communities in Forest Park, River Forest and the West Side (and not to ignore the atheists and agnostics who have joined in this work). So the news last fall that the ministry would need to leave its space at the former St. Edmund School on Oak Park Avenue was a worry. The Archdiocese of Chicago decided the school building needed to be sold as the costs of investing in the building were too steep. This is a good resolution and brings new and vital purpose to St. Bernardine’s School. Six large classrooms have now been cleared for the ministry’s use. We are in a complicated, unnecessarily complicated, moment regarding immigration in America. Here’s a slice of the local reality. Most of the migrants who found their way to Oak Park two years ago are from Venezuela. They fled the corrupt administration of Nicolas Maduro for the promise of America. Now America, under the Trump administration, has invaded Venezuela and brought Maduro to the states for trial. Donald Trump’s motives for this action are highly suspect and what happens now in Venezuela is unknowable. What is clear is that these good people deserve the support and the opportunity they are being offered through the Migrant Ministry. A ministry now in a location that should be open to them for as long as is necessary.
V I E W P O I N T S
From catastrophe to eucatastrophe
N
ew year. New beginning. Beginning of the end of the Trump presidency? Beginning of a new era for America and the world? Beginnings can be quite exciting. One thing we know for sure: It’s no longer 2025, a year we knew would be rough going in and which turned out to be even worse than predicted. This year feels different, though, more hopeful — 2026 sounds so much better than 2025. The odds are inching in our favor. By “our,” of course, I mean The Resistance. Is the tide turning? No matter how many enablers you have, it’s impossible for an insane person to take over the world. Hitler learned that the hard way — Trump will too. Not everyone has actively joined The Resistance, but more and more will. Americans are waking up. You don’t need to be “woke,” which is a dead word anyway. Awake is good enough. The past year was a “catastrophe,” i.e. “an event causing great and often sudden damage or suffering; a disaster.” But maybe 2026 can be our “eucatastrophe,” a word coined in 1939 by J.R.R. Tolkien, who wrote “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy during the build-up to World War II, a catastrophe of epic and global proportions. I heard the term for the first time just recently when a friend sent me a copy of a sermon delivered by Rev. William Evertsberg at Kenilworth Union Church on the North Shore. The Greek prefix “eu,” he said, means “good,” as in “eutopia” (or utopia), eulogy (“good word”), and euthanasia (“good death”). Eucatastrophe sounds contradictory. A good catastrophe? The more commonly known version is “Every dark cloud has a silver lining.” For many months after the 2024 election and well into 2025, I couldn’t find any silver linings in our national catastrophe. How could this possibly lead to something good? Is any “good” worth the catastrophe that produces it? Maybe not, but we don’t always have a choice in the matter, and we definitely didn’t have one as 2025 unraveled. We did have a choice in the 2024 election, but American voters, non-voters, and alt-voters just couldn’t get on the same page in order to stop an obvious existential threat to our democracy. In this first week of 2026, however, a few silver linings are glimmering. The opposition is now better organized, battle-tested, tougher. A recent blog by Robert Reich assesses the state of The Resistance (10 Crucial Things You Can Do in 2026, robertreich_at_substack_com_f5h2p7t1n5d-
KEN
TRAINOR
2hf_j0zc7508@icloud.com). It’s worth reading. We need to ratchet up our resistance — boycotts especially, our greatest power, voting with our wallets, refusing to support businesses, media outlets, and other craven cowards who caved in to, or are actively colluding with, this illegitimate regime. We need to send strong signals to the likes of Elon Musk (Tesla, etc.), Jeff Bezos (Amazon, the Washington Post), CBS, AT&T and others, because dollar signs are the only signs they pay attention to. See Reich’s list in the blog mentioned
above. Meanwhile, Trump is getting crazier by the week. Though he tries to project his insanity on his critics, everyone knows there’s only one person in this country suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and that’s Himself, which is one of the reasons Democrats did so well in off-year elections. Even the Supreme Court finally mustered enough spine to rule against him on his absurd deployment of National Guard troops in Illinois and elsewhere. So a lot is riding on 2026. We can’t count on Trump suffering a total psychotic meltdown before the mid-terms (though we can hope). If control of Congress flips in the November election, his crusade of cruelty will be minimized. If Red states, however, manage to rig the elections, the resistance will continue into the foreseeable future. That’s a lot of resistance and a lot of persistence. Stay awake and stay connected. Take care of each other. Still, it was a relief to turn the page on 2025. The question is whether we can turn the Catastrophe of 2025 into the Eucatastrophe of 2026 (and beyond). We’re moving into uncharted territory. Our failed system is way overdue for an overhaul. We’ll have to make this up as we go along. But good can come from this catastrophe. The first quarter-century of the new millennium has been anything but hopeful: 9/11, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Great Recession of 2008-09, Trump’s first term, the COVID pandemic, Trump’s second term. Catastrophes all. On the other hand, we also managed to elect our first Black president and, very nearly, our first woman president. That was our eucatastrophe. What else might we be capable of ? Welcome to the beginning of the second quarter of the 21st century. And, hopefully, to the Eucatastrophe of 2026.
V I E W P O I N T S S H R U B T O W N
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
by Marc Stopeck
W E D N E S D A Y
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Viewpoints Guidelines
Making gun manufacturers accountable
Sadly, our society’s obsession with guns, a national health issue, results daily in many deaths from easy access to killing machines. In Illinois, multiple community and statewide organizations work diligently at stemming that violence. Many of the organizations, small and large, advocate successfully for sensible gun legislation. One of the important pieces of proposed legislation is the so-called “RIFL” [Responsibility in Firearm Legislation) Act. This proposed bill, SB 2279 in the Illinois Senate and HB 3320 in the House, aims to correct a major cost imbalance. Illinois taxpayers and citizens pay billions of dollars each year for the damage gun violence does to people in our communities. RIFL seeks both to require Illinois licenses for gun manufacturers who sell their wares in the state and to collect funds for direct victim assistance from those manufacturers.
We citizens play multiple roles with respect to such legislation. One such role is simply becoming aware of the legislation and its importance so that we can collectively take action. That’s why multiple gun responsibility organizations are sponsoring an Oak Park Town Hall on the RIFL bill at 7 p.m. on Jan. 13 at Oak Park Public Library in the Veterans Room. Please set aside the time to come and listen to the discussion and learn about what you can do. We know that once the bills are brought up in legislative committees, we’ll need as many supporters as possible to submit witness slips. It’s easy and quick online. We hope to see you at Oak Park Main Library on Jan. 13.
Ed McDevitt
Member of Gun Responsibility Advocates River Forest
The goal of the Viewpoints section is to foster and facilitate a community conversation and respectful dialogue. Responsible community voices are vital to community journalism and we welcome them. Space is at a premium and readers’ attention is also limited, so we ask that Viewpoints submissions be brief. Our limit for letters to the editor is 350 words. For One View essays, the limit is 500 words. Shorter is better. If and when we have sufficient space, we print longer submissions, but when space is limited — as it often is — we may ask you to submit a shorter version or hold the piece until space allows us to print it. We reserve the right to edit submissions. We do not have time to allow the writer to review changes before publication. We also do not have time to do more than superficial fact-checking, and because of our national epidemic of misinformation and conspiracy theories, when writers include statistical evidence to support their opinions, we require them to include the source of that information, such as credible websites, print publications, titles of articles and dates published, etc. Be as specific as possible so that we and our readers have some way of assessing the credibility of your claims. Links may also be included for the online version. We follow the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics: seek the truth and report it and minimize harm. As a result, we will do our best not to publish pieces that espouse doubtful or debunked theories, demonstrate harmful bias, or cross the line into incivility. While we will do our best not to engage in censorship, we also do not intend to be used as a platform for misinformation. Your sources for fact-checking are a critical step in keeping the discourse honest, decent and respectful. All submissions must include your first and last name and the municipality in which you live, plus a phone number (for verification only). We do not publish anonymous letters. One View essays should include a sentence at the end about who you are. If we receive your submission by 5 p.m. on Sunday, you can expect your opinion to be included in that week’s paper (and online), space permitting.
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
A grave violation of international law
et me be unambiguous at the outset: I do not support narco-trafficking, and I do not support Nicolás Maduro or the corruption of his regime. Opposition to criminality and authoritarianism, however, does not justify the abandonment of international law, constitutional governance, or the most basic principles of sovereignty. The United States used military force inside another sovereign country, removed its head of state, and did so without authorization from Congress and without even notifying congressional leadership, including members of the president’s own party. That action constitutes a grave violation of international law and a serious breach of the constitutional balance of powers in the United States. Sovereignty is not conditional on a leader’s moral standing. It is a foundational principle of the international system pre-
cisely because allowing powerful states to decide unilaterally which governments deserve protection leads to instability, retaliation, and perpetual conflict. The use of force to seize a foreign leader is not law enforcement; it is regime change by military means. Equally troubling is the domestic constitutional dimension. The President of the United States is not an imperial executive and not a king. Even in matters of national security, the Constitution requires consultation, notification, and accountability. Congress was sidelined. The American people were sidelined. This is not how a constitutional republic wages force abroad. Statements attributed to senior defense officials suggesting that the United States can act “wherever it wants” are deeply
ROBERT MILSTEIN One View
The gladness of the holidays
It’s been many years since I have sent either Christmas cards or missives, but I want to share a couple of my reactions to yours [A beautiful Christmas and season of gladness, Ken Trainor, Viewpoints, Dec. 24]. Your grandsons’ turning 12 provoked my nostalgia for simpler Christmases. Soon enough they may be saying, “Oh, Christmas is only a week away! I wish it were at least two weeks; I have so much to do.” Soon enough, they will feel the busy-ness of the season. And have to be awakened from a sound sleep on Christmas morning. But then I remember my Aunt Laura, who was the proof that Christmas isn’t just for children. We had to wait until she arrived, usually on Dec. 23rd, to decorate
the Christmas tree because she loved that so much — and because she was the only one who really enjoyed putting the lights on the tree in the first place. Her arrival at our house was the start of the celebration. And for her entire life, into her 70’s, she was always the first awake on Christmas morning. Our custom was that no one was allowed to come downstairs until we were all ready. One of my lasting Christmas memories is of her sitting at the top of the stairs waiting impatiently for the rest of us and mumbling, “Does Bob really have to take a shower first?” Wishing all of us her — and your — gladness for the season and 2026.
Betsy Davis Oak Park
More sycamores
Last night I dreamt that WJ printed a letter from someone in London, writing about a magnificent specimen of an American sycamore tree in a London park, and agreeing “with Frank Stachyra that the ugly London plane trees could not compare in beauty to the Americans.” And hoping that many Oak Park
alarming. That logic is historically dangerous. Power without constraint is not strength; it is the very condition that undermines the legitimacy and safety of a nation. As an American, I find such assertions profoundly disturbing. Far from making the world more secure, this action increases global instability. It invites retaliation, emboldens rivals, weakens international norms, and places American service members and civilians at greater risk worldwide. History teaches us that disregard for law does not deter violence — it multiplies it. Respect for the presidency does not require silence. Loyalty to the Constitution demands opposition when its core principles are violated. I reject the notion that constitutional government and interna-
backyards would soon have rows of sycamore seedlings being readied for transplanting locally, to preserve these treasures for future generations. What wise words! Thanks for publishing it.
Frank Stachyra Oak Park
tional law are inconveniences to be brushed aside. Diplomacy matters. Law matters. Process matters. The President of the United States holds an office that deserves respect. But respect for the office does not mean acquiescence to actions that erode the constitutional order and normalize unilateral force. Power must be exercised responsibly, lawfully, and with restraint. I urge the president to reconsider the course now set, to engage Congress as required, and to reaffirm that the United States remains a nation governed by law rather than by will. If that restraint is not forthcoming, then Congress — and the international institutions committed to sovereignty and the rule of law — must assert themselves. Robert Milstein is an Oak Park resident and a former village trustee.
Good riddance to 2025
The world according to Trump has drained me emotionally and mentally. I spent the first 100 days of this term recording all his executive orders and government cuts in a spiral notebook, trying to keep up with the nonsense and wrongly thinking it would not go on. But still today I wake up each morning to yet another despicable thing that has occurred. This has substantially diminished the joy and happiness in my life. This is not the America I recognize or love. I am scared about the erosion of our democracy, our world standing and our national security. The elimination of diversity, inclusion and equality in every aspect of life is definitely taking America in the wrong direction, away from our 1776 founding ideals. The attempts to distort American history are appalling. I despise what is happening to the immigrants, to the Palestinians and the lack of support for Ukraine. The Venezuelan boat strikes and killings are not what America does, especially without Congressional authorization. Trump’s obvious admiration of foreign dictators is repulsive and should alarm every American, no matter their political affiliation. This administration has no empathy, no morals, and no respect for the Constitution and the rule of law. We are being governed strictly by intimidation,
retaliation, chaos and corruption. Let’s not forget the reversing of all climate change initiatives, the renaming and destruction of buildings, the acceptance of expensive gifts from foreign adversaries and the billions of dollars shamefully being extorted by Trump and his family. The list goes on and on. My New Year’s resolution for 2026 is to reclaim the joy and happiness in my life. I’m tired of letting all the atrocities of this administration diminish the last few years left in my life (I soon will be 76). The question is, how do I achieve this? I refuse to put my head in the sand and not stay an informed citizen. I have attended five protest rallies to date. I’ve attempted to persuade known Trump supporters to see what is happening. I’ve written letters to senators. What will it take to awaken the Republicans in Congress to abide by their oath of office? Have enough Americans confronted the fact that Trump is not good for America and works only to gain more power and money? My hope is that every Democrat, dissatisfied Independent and dissatisfied Republican will vote in the November 2026 mid-term election.
Linda Walker
Oak Park resident since 1996
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V I E W P O I N T S
River Forest term limits, advisory or binding?
Since the April 1, 2025 election, there have been several letters to Wednesday Journal with sensational claims that term limits is “the law” in River Forest. A wild claim that because the cover sheet for the petition included the term “said binding,” the question on the ballot was binding. They’re not related. The great majority of petition circulators, the signers and certainly the voters do not see petition cover sheets. It’s a fact that the petition to put the question of term limits on the April 1 ballot included the word “binding” in the title, but it’s also a fact that the legal description of the question included the word “advisory”: “We the undersigned … petition that the following advisory question of public policy be placed on the ballot.” However, voters saw only the question on the ballot without the word “binding.” Just the question. It’s a fact that the Yes votes won by 117, but how many votes were Yes advisory and how many votes were Yes binding?
After holding lengthy discussions about the inconstancy of the petition and the absence of clarification of the question on the ballot, the majority of the board leaned toward concluding the voters approved an advisory question. In October it requested by a vote of 6-0, that staff draft a “binding” question for the November 2026 ballot. Stunningly, at the November board meeting after a trustee motioned the board put the “binding question” on the ballot as previously agreed to, no second to the motion was made. The measure failed to move further. The result is River Forest doesn’t have term limits. Therefore, anyone who desires to run for a third term or more should do so. It will be up to the proponents to object to a candidate’s petition given that the village board did not move forward with a binding referendum. Repeat, River Forest doesn’t have term limits.
Janet Saeger
River Forest
Holding onto each other for dear life
Two hope-affirming events happened to me in Oak Park during the busy week before Christmas. I would like to spread the hope as I share both. There was a woman, a complete stranger, standing next to me on Lake Street and we were contemplating crossing over an icy snow mound to get to the other side. It was a busy, frigid day. We decided we could do it if we hung onto each other so we proceeded slowly; however, I soon began to slip, then slide, and worried I would bring her down with me. She quickly held me upright with all her might as she leaned against a parked car to keep her footing. We made it the rest of the way holding onto one another for dear life. Neither one of us is young any longer, so I couldn’t help shedding a tear as I thanked her and she said, “It had to be God.” She scurried off with the other
shoppers. Later that same week, I went to the Art Institute via Oak Park’s Village (Blue) Cab. The driver dropped me off on Michigan Avenue and I paid him with my debit card which I failed to retrieve as I exited the cab. The traffic was so heavy I felt sorry for him. Soon, I received a call from Blue Cab company saying the driver was circling the block to return my bank card. I could only salute him with a peace sign as he held my card out his window then checked his side mirror to maneuver back into traffic. I thought, “It had to be God again. He certainly gets around.” I do not know either of these people but I hope they know how much I love them. Feel hopeful in 2026.
Marilyn Jancewicz Forest Park
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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M E M O R I E S
A voice from the back
hen I was a senior at OPRF High School, the student teacher for our English class was Helen Dickerson, the daughter of my mother’s best friend. I knew Helen was a shy person and was probably tense about being in front of a group of people not much younger than herself. Helen was a senior at Northwestern, but she was not yet 21. During the first week of Helen’s presence, our English teacher did everything possible to help Helen adjust in the areas of taking attendance, grading and returning papers and working one-to-one with students when extra help was needed. During that first week, the students got to know Helen, and she got to know some of our strengths and weaknesses, so she should have been ready to take over our academic training. The day came for Helen to teach, but many of us saw that she was very nervous. She appeared to be well prepared, with hopes that she would not get rattled, but it didn’t work out that way. After starting the lesson on her first day, she couldn’t evoke a single response from us. Not only were there no hands raised to answer her questions, but even the brainy kids did not seem to know the answers. Helen had the look of complete failure on her face. After she graduated from college, she told me that her knees were shaking and her stomach was churning. In fact, she vowed that if she lived through the
day, she would never return. She felt she did not have the skill to be a teacher and would be better off as a librarian or a researcher. But suddenly, as she believed all was lost, a boy in the back of the classroom asked her to repeat her last question. The boy, Jack Timmins, was a friend of mine. Helen repeated the question and Jack answered correctly. Jack then asked Helen to explain something else, and my class began to come alive, as did Helen. For all of us, the period flew by in the most exciting way. Helen told me that from then on, she found only great delight in working with the class, and if things started to get slow, Jack came to her rescue and she told me that, because of Jack, she discovered she truly was a teacher. Helen retired after teaching English for 30 years, and she often thought of Jack and wondered what career path he followed. She wished that she could personally thank him because raising his hand that day in 1957 saved her from despair. I told Helen that Jack had joined the Marines after high school graduation and served three years. After his time in the service, he studied at Northwestern for eight years and became a physician with an office on the North Side of Chicago. As it turned out, she contacted him and they resumed their friendship. So both of their lives turned out to be successful and gratifying. Truly a happy ending.
JOHN
STANGER
Parks’ pool-plan change
What has happened to the indoor pool that was going to be added to the CRC on Madison Street? [Parks plan referendum on indoor pool at Ridgeland Common, News, Dec. 24] Are we now going to have
an indoor pool at the CRC and an indoor pool at Ridgeland Common?
Michael Papierniak Oak Park
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
More sports opportunities
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Yes, to a new park pool
I’m writing to add my voice to Rachel Lada’s recent letter regarding who participates on sports teams in the middle schools. My son’s experience at OPRF left me wondering why only some kids get to participate when we all pay the taxes that support every public school program. Only the very skilled get the benefits of being on a team, being coached, and enjoying playing an organized sport. Everyone else is turned away. In academics, it would be like telling every student who’s not in AP classes to go home. I suggest intramurals instead of highly selective teams that deprive most kids of the benefits of organized sport.
Kathleen Capone Oak Park
I strongly support the creation of a Park District Comprehensive Aquatics Center at the Ridgeland outdoor pool/indoor ice rink. Given the excellent planning and administration skills of Executive Director Jan Arnold, CPRE, and her amazing expansion of cradle-tograve, active-and-passive recreation through our park district, within a very tight budget, any project she endorses I am totally in for. But the project itself stands alone in its merit and in the community need and desire for a comprehensive aquatic center — swimming, water aerobics, and easy exposure to aquatic recreation from cradle to grave. While the YMCA, Gottlieb Exercise Center and the aquatic programs at the high school provide valuable services, there remains a need for increased expansion of year-round aquatic familiarization, recreation and
More information needed on park pool issue
Wednesday Journal published an editorial on Dec. 24 regarding the Park District of Oak Park’s pool referendum in March 2026. The editorial stated, “They have surveys saying a majority of villagers would support a mythical pool in an unnamed location at an unspecified price tag.” This is incomplete. The park district surveys show a high percentage of support for the proposed pool — among the survey responders. There are no actual numbers of survey-takers or the total number of voters in Oak Park. Without complete information, the voters are not able to make informed decisions. I believe the park district must provide this information. I have contacted the park district requesting them to do so. Wednesday Journal should also point this omission out and request the information from the park district.
Marty Bernstein Oak Park
physical conditioning and exercise. Swimming is one of the best and lowest impact forms of physical exercise and conditioning, yet is one of the most expensive to access. The comprehensive exercise and water sports programs at the three existing aquatics centers leave little room for new aquatic opportunities. Not only this, but the community lost two other sources of indoor pool recreation (namely the Gottlieb Health Club and the pool at Oak Park Hospital) to provide land for commercial and health-care development. We definitely need a park district indoor pool and Jan Arnold is definitely the planner to bring this resource to our community on time, under budget, and funded within our tax base’s fiscal health.
Frank Vozak Oak Park
No more safe deposit boxes at Chase
It is so upsetting to see companies care less and less about their customers and more and more about the bottom line at all costs. I can only assume that is why the Chase branch on Lake Street in Oak Park is closing its wonderful basement safe deposit vault and forcing all owners of safe deposit boxes there to clear them out. Having a safe deposit box at our bank, and the access we have to it, has been something I took for granted.
But I guess once again, a big corporation like Chase does not care. So no safe deposit boxes for us, despite that seeming to be a basic service of this storied bank branch in our community. Shame on Chase. I am very disappointed in their business decision to close this safe deposit vault permanently.
Melanie Weiss Oak Park
Condolences to the Carmodys
Grief is a loss that no one should have to suffer, especially during the holidays. For instance, earlier this year when Eddie Sitzman passed away, my friends and I were upset. My friends and bosses Mike and Phil Carmody,
Anna Keller and John Carmody from Opportunity Knocks are grieving right now about the death of their dad. My condolences go out to them.
Ron Turner Oak Park
Safety measures at street crossings
A recent viewpoint questioned the effectiveness of the RRFBs (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons) that are being deployed around the village. Some of these flashing lights have been around for a few years; several more will be installed next year. I don’t have any statistics one way or the other, but as a regular bike rider in Oak Park I find them to be quite helpful at busy street crossings. I regularly use the RRFBs at Erie and Oak Park when traveling east-west across the village. For the most
part, drivers on Oak Park Avenue do stop when the lights go on and I am then able to safely cross to the other side. Madison Street is a different story. Many drivers disregard the beacons on Madison. I believe this is because that street, even after the road diet, still feels like a higherspeed thoroughfare. Some driver education along with better signage and other traffic-calming measures would make the existing RRFBs more effective and provide for safer crossings of Madison.
Ridgeland, where no RRFBs exist today, can be quite difficult to cross on bike or on foot and there are numerous schools near that road throughout the length of the village. The RRFBs that will be installed on Ridgeland next year will greatly improve the situation for students walking to and from school. But RRFBs by themselves are not the answer to safe biking and walking. Even better would be some curb bump-outs or other traffic-calming measures at key
locations. There are many different infrastructure options that can lead to safer biking and walking, but each one by itself has limited effectiveness. Safe biking and walking in Oak Park requires RRFBs, but it also requires many other components that work in tandem with the beacons to improve the overall effectiveness of our transportation system as a whole.
Karl Lauger Oak Park
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Wyanetta Johnson was a beloved and lifelong advocate for racial justice and equity for children, parents, professionals, and teachers throughout the Oak Park and River Forest communities. “Mrs. Johnson,” as her allies referred to her, or “Grandma” as generations of students fondly called her, passed away on New Year’s Day, 2026. While she had been limited in her activism in the past few years, she continued to inspire and counsel today’s racial equity workers. Mrs. Johnson was born on April 18, 1939. Her early years were spent in and around the Sikeston and Charleston area of Missouri, where both Black and white people worked as sharecroppers. Her family was engaged with racial justice efforts in the generation before the Civil Rights Movement. She was a leader in African American Parents for Purposeful Leadership in Education (APPLE) from the late ’80s when she joined with other Black community members, working to protect and guide Black and other children in Oak Park schools. She helped children navigate and succeed in school settings that were trying to transition to integrated, inclusive and culturally
What is the outcome of the Term Limit Referendum Vote in River Forest? That’s a good question, and one that many residents have asked me. Despite hours of discussions (both on and off the record) and thousands of dollars spent on multiple legal memoranda by the village of River Forest’s outside attorneys, the impact of the River Forest residents’ vote to impose term limits on
V I E W P O I N T S
Wyanetta’s quest
respected places for Black children. In the current era, Mrs. Johnson was a leading voice in calling for District 200 to adopt a racial equity policy and expand high-status learning to all students by launching the Freshman All Honors Curriculum, now in its fourth year. She served as president and vice president of APPLE, working closely with other Black leaders, white allies, and progressive board members to move the high school into the era where racial equity became the district’s avowed priority in the first decade of the new millennium. In the ’80s, APPLE had a presence in all the schools in Oak Park. Mrs. Johnson and other parents mentored Black students during the school day and after school, leading study skills and homework assistance programs. They organized career days, “Saturday school,” seminars for parents, and overnight retreats for children. Through APPLE programming and generous donation of time and resources, Black mothers, fathers, and community members were engaged in guiding Oak Park’s Black children. Mrs. Johnson was known for her
energy and generosity, often reaching into her own pocket – whether to feed children or to assist in enrolling students at Triton or other programs. In what one might consider a successful precursor to Social Emotional Learning, APPLE had their own room at OPRF High School, where all students were welcomed, counseled, tutored, and found rest. Remarkably, Mrs. Johnson also counseled first-year teachers on classroom management and discipline. For several years in the 1990s, she and other Black parents organized the wildly popular Fashion and Talent Show, a standing-room-only event open to all students. In 1994, OPRF administrators and some teachers became territorial about roles and space, so APPLE moved out of the school. Subsequently, Mrs. Johnson united APPLE in an election coalition, creating a multiracial alliance of the Oak Park NAACP, the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Alliance, students, and racial equity advocates from District 97, who successfully reversed new forms of in-school segregation in the 1980s. Mrs. Johnson regularly was also involved in organizing around elections at the local,
Trustees should enact term limits the village board is still not officially resolved. We are told that we find ourselves in a “case of first impression” – a situation that has not yet been dealt with by the courts, and that if the village board enacts term limits (in accordance with the outcome of the residents’ April 1, 2025 vote), the term limits ordinance could be challenged in court in the future. If my math is correct, such a
challenge could not happen until 2035 at the earliest. That is a long time to maintain this uncertainty, and it seems unfair to residents, incumbents, and potential candidates. In my opinion, this is not good governance, and we can do better. At a minimum, I recommend that the River Forest Village Board pass a resolution documenting the history of this issue, and state that the board intends to
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
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state, and national level. In the first decade of the millennium, with attorneys and community education experts, Mrs. Johnson helped organize a legal challenge to the gross inequities Black children experienced in Oak Park’s special education and discipline policies. Those efforts set the stage for a subsequent major overhaul of special education at OPRF and the beginning of evidence-supported ways to bring equity to the school’s discipline practices. Wyanetta Johnson, through more than 40 years of advocating for children and teachers, epitomized the adage “speak truth to power.” She never failed to do so. She advocated with an open, loving heart, showing kindness and respect to all she encountered in her calling to make Oak Park schools truly for all children who walked through their doors. That is the exact standard our schools must seek to realize today. All who knew Wyanetta will continue to press forward with her vision and her boundless dedication to that quest.
Mary Bird, John Duffy, & Burcy Hines Oak Park
respect and follow the intention of the voters, as reflected in the term-limit vote results. Even better would be for the village board to simply step up and enact the term limits ordinance, reflecting the residents’ referendum vote.
Katie Brennan
River Forest trustee and village board member
Trump appoints himself King of the World
Re: “Trump: U.S. to ‘run’ Venezuela,” p. 1, Chicago Tribune, Jan. 4, 2026: President Trump has overthrown the government of a sovereign country and kidnapped its president (and his wife), whom he intends to prosecute in the U.S. for what sound like made-up offenses (such as “a narcoterrorism conspiracy”). He claims he will now personally “run” this foreign nation according to his personal whims, and he “plans to sell large amounts of the nation’s oil to other
countries.” As has become the norm in what used to be America, all of this was done without Congressional oversight, without any consultation, and without any justification. The American president has openly declared that he personally has the authority to overthrow governments, claim possession of their land and resources, and to sell them as he wishes. There is no pretense that there exists any legal or Constitutional basis for these acts of international piracy. This
behavior is comparable to Putin invading Ukraine or Hitler invading Poland. Evidently, Trump feels that risking starting World War III is worth it to distract Americans from his Epstein scandal. Whether they realize it or not, every American citizen is now complicit in the commission of war crimes on an enormous scale. The old excuse “I was just following orders” will not fly. Because President Trump has brow-beaten the Republican Party and the
spineless Supreme Court, he now imagines he has limitless power. But despite the bravado of the President and his sophomoric “Director of War” Pete Hegseth, the U.S. no longer has the most powerful military in the world, China does. We now stand on very dangerous ground, and being represented by a man who lusts to appoint himself the King of the World is perilous indeed.
Tom DeCoursey Oak Park
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
Chuck Cozette, 67
O B I T U A R I E S
Jerry Norton, 88
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Joyce Tasch, 95
Patricia Davis, 83 Pat Davis, 83, a longtime Oak Park resident, died at home on Dec. 27, 2025, surrounded by family who will miss her dearly. She loved family, people and life. She lived a life filled with love, compassion and generosity. Born in 1942 in Chicago, she had a lifelong passion for all things Chicagoan. She moved to Oak Park in 1969, with her husband James, where they raised their two sons, Jim and Rich. When daughtersin-law Irena and Lisa joined the family, she loved them just as much and adored her two grandchildren, Valentina and Fia. She loved having her family together. She also had many lifelong friendships around the world, friends she made along the way. She found the time to keep in touch with them, her neighbors and the many people she touched over the years. She dearly missed her late brothers, Ed, Ernie and Wally and kept in touch with many of their children. Her cat Griz, and dog Bear, held a special place in her heart. She embraced all life had to offer and had an adventurous spirit. There were many family camping trips when her sons were younger, then later trips out west to the Calgary Stampede and the mountains, trips on the east coast to the ocean, and even a ride on a Harley in her later years. Visitation was held on Jan. 3 at Salerno’s Galewood Chapel with a eulogy, sharing of memories, and a luncheon.
Publisher of West Suburban Living
Professor of law, community activist
Teaching, music and horses
A man of integrity, who was known for loyalty to Lord, family and friends, Charles Gerard Cozette, 67, died suddenly on Dec. 11, 2025. The youngest of three boys, he was born in 1958 and grew up in Oak Brook. Playing any sport at every opportunity, he was a 1976 graduate of Hinsdale Central High School, where he earned the starting right fullback position on the soccer team that won the 1975 state championship. In 1980, he completed his studies at Missouri University’s School of Journalism and later earned a Master of Communications degree from Wheaton College in 1987. Sports continued to be a significant part of his life — he ran a marathon, participated in several triathlons and played competitive basketball for decades. Following college, he took an extended European trip, and wrote a story about his travels, which was published by the Chicago Tribune. Chuck and Jennifer Clark met, fell in love and married on Jan. 30, 1988. It was the money he earned as a youngster mowing lawns every summer, which he saved and invested, that provided the down payment for their first home in Oak Park. They raised four daughters, and the household always included at least two or three dogs, a few of which were strays in need of a home. Coming from a family of boys, he never knew what girls did until he got to high school, but he was a devoted dad of girls. One of his great joys was teaching his daughters all about sports and serving as their coach on countless girls soccer, basketball and softball teams over the years. In 1994, he became a business owner, publishing a magazine for the western suburbs of Chicago called West Suburban Living. Every issue for 30 years always included a Bible verse. Chuck often quoted Luke 12:48b “From everyone who has been given much, shall much be required.” This was a guiding principle of his life. He had a heart full of gratitude, which was the impetus for living a life that served others.
Jerry Norton, 88, a longtime resident of Oak Park, has died. Born on Oct. 6, 1937 in Salina, Kansas, one of five children of Frank Norton and Helen Schrader Norton, he was educated in the Salina Public Schools, at Kansas Wesleyan University (1959), Washburn University Law School in Topeka (1962) and Northwestern University (1967). In Kansas he was engaged in law practice in the Norton family firm (1962-1966). In 1966 he and his wife Margaret drove their VW Beetle to the big city, settling in Chicago and later in Oak Park, their home for many years after. For 48 years he taught hundreds of law students who went on to become prominent attorneys, judges, legislators and government officials at Chicago-Kent Law School from 1966 to 1971 and Loyola University Law School from 1971 to 2015. He especially loved engagement with his classes, but he was also a scholar and an active participant in the civic life of the communities where he lived. At ChicagoKent he was an organizer of the Police Law Institute and editor of the Police Law Reporter. Over the years during his tenure at Loyola he published articles in many journals. Between 1992 and 2002 he was active in CEELI, the American Bar Association’s Central and East European Law Institute, where wrote draft law reviews and concept papers for legislation submitted in the countries newly released from the domination of the Soviet Union. In Salina and in Oak Park Jerry served on community boards and committees. He was a chair of the Plan Commission in Oak Park and a founding member of the Friends of the Dole Branch Library. He was grateful for his life and pleased to share his knowledge, which was considerable. When after 20 years as a trustee in 2024 he was awarded emeritus status in a unanimous vote by the trustees of his Kansas Wesleyan and received this accolade: “Your leadership, insight, and unwavering dedication have left a lasting impression on the university’s mission and its future.”
Joyce Tasch, 95, completed her earthly journey on Dec. 30, 2025, in River Forest, leaving behind a legacy of love and inspiration. Born on Dec. 15, 1930, in Bloomington, Illinois, she was a testament to the power of will. She embraced life, and her passionate heart was evident in everything she pursued. Education played a significant role; she studied at Dominican University, honing her talents in education and voice, and she was a dedicated teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. Her voice was her instrument and her gift to the world, as she filled stages with her presence, leading community theater productions with grace and strength. Beyond the classroom and the stage, Joyce was also an expert equestrian, competing successfully at state and national levels. Even into her 80s, her determination never wavered, and her success in the saddle was a testament to her enduring will. She inspired her children and grandchildren to pursue her passions of teaching, music and horses. She is survived by her children, Alcuin T, Gail, Martin (Jeanne), William (Brandi), and Robert (Alicia); her grandchildren, William (Emily), Michael (Olivia), Kyle, John (Emma), Andrew (Heather), Elizabeth (Scott) Humbarger, Lyn, Kelly, Tori, Lance, and Max; and great grandchildren Lucas, Benjamin, Cyrus and Oliver. She survived three husbands, Alcuin M. Tasch, Tom Zurek and John Lennon. Her life was a symphony, a passionate pursuit of her God-given talents, and the embrace of family and friends. Her twiceearned title as Senior Idol was far more than an accolade; it was a reflection of a life lived with an indomitable spirit. Each performance, be it on horseback or under the spotlight, was a melody of praise. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 6 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Zimmerman-Harnett Funeral Home, 7319 W. Madison St., in Forest Park. Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Jan. 7 at St. Luke Catholic Church. Interment at St. Joseph Cemetery in River Grove. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Dominican University are appreciated.
An adventurous spirit
W E D N E S D A Y
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
To run an obituary Please contact Ken Trainor by e-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.
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Cathi Snyder Flanagan, 69
Choir member, crocheted for charities Catherine (Cathi) Snyder Flanagan, 69, of Fayetteville, Georgia, died on Nov. 18, 2025, after a short battle with cancer. Born in Chicago, she grew up in Oak Park, attended Ascension Grade School, Oak Park and River Forest High School, and Rosary College (Dominican University). Cathi moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she began her family. An avid reader and sports fan who loved hockey and baseball, she enjoyed crocheting with a group that created things for local charities. Above all, she loved singing in her church choir. She was a loving daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, and friend, and the world is a little darker without her. She was preceded in death by her father, Richard Snyder and her brother, Joseph Snyder. She is survived by her mother, Louise Snyder; her siblings, John, James, and Mary Snyder; her daughters, Michelle (Joshua) Petty and Kelly Paquin; her much loved grandchildren, Hailey King and Drew Paquin; as well as nieces and nephews. There will be a Mass to celebrate her life at 10 a.m. on Jan. 16, at Ascension Church, 808 S. East Ave. in Oak Park.
Donna Schuler, 89 Teacher, mom, activist
Donna Rae Vastine Schuler, 89, died peacefully on Jan. 1, 2026 in her River Forest home surrounded by family. Born at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston on April 16, 1936, she attended St. Jerome Elementary School in Rogers Park and Scholastica High School in Chicago, class of 1954.
O B I T U A R I E S The eldest daughter in a large, loving family of 12, she grew up in Rogers Park enjoying the lakefront, dance lessons, and attending summer camp. In high school, she was a ferocious reader and found school intoxicating, eventually graduating as valedictorian of her class, Donna received a scholarship to DePaul University and was later crowned Homecoming Queen. She met the love of her life, Ralph Alfred Schuler, after a class at DePaul in a bar near the el. Courtship was quick, and they were married for 62 years. They became teachers who both had a lot to say, especially at 5 a.m. in the morning while getting ready for work and waking up their five children to start their day. It’s a family joke; they never stopped talking. An avid reader all her life, To Kill a Mockingbird was her favorite book. She often recited the line, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view.” Donna lived by this truth and actively emulated this ethic to her children and students. She was fair, strong, and clear about right and wrong: not because it was easy, but because it mattered. She stood by her conscience, even when it would have been simpler not to, and in doing so, she showed us what real integrity looks like. She often said her father was her Atticus. Her children and grandchildren collectively agree that Donna was our Atticus. She loved being an Oak Parker. The family lived in their dad’s childhood home on South Lombard Avenue. She loved how the neighborhood offered the kids independence; they could walk to the grocery, walk to the park, walk to the public pool, and walk to our school — because gosh darn, the kids never got a car ride anywhere! The neighborhood was packed to the brim with kids, so play opportunities were always right outside our door. She became a pillar of the community, volunteering as Girl Scout regional director, troop leader for her two girls, and also served as summer camp counselor at Wild Rose Camp. She served on the PTO Board, Teachers Union Board, Garden Club of Oak Park and River Forest and the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association — all the while raising five children and teaching seventh grade English at Oak Park’s Emerson School (now Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School) As an English teacher, she might approve of the long list of delightful adjectives that describe her: Loving, doting, curious, tenacious, dedicated, thoughtful,
particular, strong, candid, wise, considerate, well read, brilliant, sassy, and a fierce advocate for children and social fairness. One granddaughter described her as formative – subtly powerful, shaping others through care and challenge. Another described her as emboldening; always filled with a sense of purpose, passion and courage. Above all, she was committed to family and traditions. She once said, “If my family lived in Alaska, I would live in Alaska!” Toward her retirement, she was adamant about getting a house with a pool because she wanted her home to be a perpetual magnet for her kids and grandkids to come over for a swim, which happened every weekend during the summers. Inevitably, a swim turned into brunch, lunch, birthday parties, barbeques and a whole day affair of pure fun. One of her favorite traditions was to visit the Marshall Field’s on State Street for Christmas festivities. She even let the kids miss half a day of school, which was a big deal since both parents were educators. She continued the tradition with her grandchildren, who were delighted to eat at the Walnut Room, visit the toy store, see Santa, look at the decorated windows and always ate Garrett Popcorn on the el ride home, simply the best day of the year. A beloved tradition she shared with her grandchildren involved wrangling them into baking cranberry bread for their teachers at Christmas, directing the production of over 30 loaves a year among her 11 grandchildren. Another tradition was the annual family vacation to the beaches of Nags Head, North Carolina. Originally starting as cottage renters, spending time with the whole family down by the beach fostered strong familial ties. Eventually, she persuaded Ralph to build their own beach house near the ocean, where precious memories were formed through generations. A dedicated lover of the theater, for many years she was committed to seeing one play each week and enjoyed spoiling her children and grandchildren, bringing them to see wonderful productions. She insisted on staying informed; newspapers, books, and magazines were her daily companions, and she led many vigorous intellectual discussions with her loved ones. An avid traveler, she delighted in great adventures to places like Australia, Africa, China, Russia, New Zealand, Egypt, and various U.S. and European destinations. A truly extraordinary woman, she
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touched so many lives as a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, activist, and high-impact teacher. Her legacy of love, teaching, and strength will continue to inspire. Donna is survived by her children, Richard, Laura (John), William, Stephen (Mary Jo), and Stacy (Eric); her 11 grandchildren, Matthew, Nathan, and Ellen (Schuler), Keith, Audrey, and Caroline (Reardon), Andrea and Ryan (Schuler), and Ash, Henry, and Anna (Wettstein); four great-grandchildren, with one on the way; and her siblings, Diane, Vickie, Greg, and Jimmy Vastine. Our family will remember Donna Schuler at a celebration of life next month. In lieu of flowers, we request memorial donations to any of the following 501c3 charitable entities: The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association Founders Memorial Scholarship fund (ncca.membershipclicks.net) Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory (fopcon.org) The Imagine Foundation benefitting facility improvements at Oak Park and River Forest High School (Imagine-Foundation.org).
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Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
SPORTS Sports year in review
Fenwick football’s state championship tops the list of stories
T
he year 2025 held its share of thrills and high points in local high school sports. In addition to regional and sectional champions, the area celebrated an individual state champion as well as a team state champion. Multiple games featured dramatic rallies and the passion that high school sports bring out. I had a hard time narrowing down to my list, but in the end, I think I got it right. Read on and let me know. Here’s my Take on the top five sports stories of 2025:
MELVIN TATE Tate’s Take
Fenwick football pulls upset, wins Class 6A state title The Friars were widely seen as underdogs in the 6A title game against powerful East St. Louis. Thing is, they didn’t care. They entered the contest with confidence and a belief that they could get the job done. That’s what happened, Dec. 2, as Fenwick defeated East St. Louis 38-28. “This feels like a movie. A lot of guys on this team, we’ve been dreaming of this since like fifth grade,” said Fenwick quarterback Jamen Williams, who completed 8 of 14 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns. “This is a really big moment. I’m just grateful for it all.” Adding to the moment was that the game was played following a three-day delay caused by a major snowstorm. Head coach Matt Battaglia appreciated the extra time he got to spend with his team. “Just a great team. I’m glad the state gave me three extra days with this group because I would gladly take three more months. This is a special group,” he said.
Fenwick football beats Nazareth in thrilling 6A semifinal Prior to the 6A title-game victory, Fenwick defeated Nazareth 28-27 in a semifinal at Dennis Moran Field, a place where the host team rarely loses, especially in the playoffs. Trailing 21-14 late, Fenwick needed a big play defensively, and Josh Morgan provided it with a diving interception at his 27. The Friars then marched 73 yards to tie the game with 1:13 left on a 4-yard keeper by Williams. Nazareth had a field goal try to win in the final seconds, but it failed, sending the game into overtime. Fenwick got the ball first, and Williams found Tommy Thies open for an 11-yard score. On Nazareth’s OT possession, Charles Calhoun scored from 1 yard out. Instead of kicking the extra point, the Roadrunners opted to go for two and the victory. But Jake Thies stuffed Calhoun at the line to secure the win for the Friars and ignite a field storm by the Fenwick students.
OPRF’s Rundell wins state wrestling title Following in the footsteps of older brothers Jake and Matthew, Oak Park and River Forest High School wrestler MJ
COURTESY OF SAMANTHA SMART
MJ Rundell after defeating Jon Higueros of Joliet Catholic.
CAROL DUNNING
Fenwick Defensive Lineman Luke Leone hoists the championship trophy with teammates at Victory Rally celebrating the school winning the Illinois Class 6A Football Championship on December 4, 2025. Rundell won the IHSA Class 3A 106-pound championship at the state finals on Feb. 22, defeating Niko Odlotti of Loyola 4-1 in the final. Rundell became the Huskies’ first state champion since 2020, when Josh Ogunsanya claimed the 145-pound title. “It’s pretty nice. It’s definitely something I’ve been working hard for. It’s good to see it pay off,” said Rundell, who finished the season 43-4.
OPRF softball stages late rally, advances downstate On June 9, the OPRF softball team trailed by a run in its Class 4A UIC Supersectional game against Loyola Academy. The Huskies were down to their last out, but Leia Hammerschmidt and Charlie Terry drew two-out walks, then Sofia Ayala, down to her final strike, drilled a single to left, bringing in Hammerschmidt and tying the game 3-3. In extra innings, OPRF scored five runs in the eighth and went on to win 8-3, punching its ticket downstate. “It feels amazing. I’m super-excited and proud of everyone,” Ayala said.
OPRF, Fenwick, Trinity volleyball reach supersectionals In an exciting postseason for local high school girls volleyball, OPRF, Fenwick, and Trinity all reached the supersectional round in their respective classes. OPRF made Symone Speech’s debut as head coach a terrific success. Speech, a 2015 OPRF alum, led the Huskies to the West Suburban Silver championship, the program’s first in 32 years, as well as a Class 4A sectional title, the first since 2013. “They were devoted to doing something bigger than themselves. They were ready to do something that hasn’t been done in a long time,” Speech said. In 3A, Fenwick won its first sectional title since 2016. And in 2A, Trinity honored late head coach Ken Uhlir, who unexpectedly died in April, by winning the program’s first sectional title since 2008. “Every game we played throughout the season, we just felt [Uhlir] there and we did it for him,” said Trinity setter Maddie Trendel.
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OPRF boys, girls basketball learn lessons in holiday play By MARTHA BRENNAN Contributing Reporter
The OPRF girls basketball team (4-12) went 1-3 at the Loyola Christmas Tournament, Dec. 22, 23, 26 and 27. On Jan. 2, the Huskies attended the Grow The Game Shootout at Naperville North where they won 58-25 against Elk Grove (3-13) and the next day lost 76-50 against Resurrection (10-5). The Christmas Tournament began with tough competition. In their first game, they fell 60-16 to Carmel Catholic (10-4). OPRF girls head coach Renee Brantley said the Corsairs took advantage of the Huskies’ weaknesses. “They move the ball really well,” Brantley said. “We just got out-physicaled.” The following day, the Huskies regrouped but fell 42-37 to Jones Prep (6-7), a team they had defeated earlier in the season. Junior captain Taryn Draine had a team-high 19 points for OPRF. The Huskies had the upper hand in their previous matchup, but Brantley thinks the squad needed a stronger sense of urgency this time around. “You let a team like [Jones] hang around, they build confidence,” Brantley noted. “It’s important to play four quarters, and not just
two or three.” After a Christmas pause, the tournament resumed on Dec. 26. Unfortunately for the Huskies, it resulted in a 49-31 loss to Lane Tech (9-9), despite the Huskies’ two-point lead heading into halftime. Draine led OPRF with eight points and seven rebounds. But Brantley felt this game brought out a new level of passion in her players and served as more of a learning opportunity than a scoresheet loss, emphasizing that junior Selah Backeberg was a key part of the team’s fight. On the 27th, the Huskies finished strong to secure a 59-26 win over Morgan Park (3-10). Backeberg and freshman Katara Watson led OPRF with 20 points each. “I could tell that they understood they let one slip away yesterday,” she said. “I definitely think it put [the season] in the right direction.” Brantley added that Draine was crucially “active on the defensive end” and “rebounded at extremely high level” to contribute to the team’s turnaround. The winter break concluded with a win against Elk Grove 58-25 and a 76-50 loss against Resurrection. Heading into the rest
of the season, the Huskies will benefit from the leadership of senior captains Gabriella Chesney and Tavia Allen, as well as Draine.
OPRF boys basketball In 2024, the Huskies left the Pontiac Holiday Tournament as consolation champions. In 2025, the squad (4-7) left with an 0-2 record. The tournament took place Dec. 29-31, during the school’s winter break, where the Huskies recorded a 60-57 loss to Joliet West (77), Dec. 29, and 64-55 loss against St. Charles North (6-9), Dec. 30. Following the tournament, their break concluded with a 63-42 loss against Hersey, Jan. 3, at Addison Trail’s MidSuburban/West Suburban Challenge. Phil Gary, the OPRF boys head coach of six years, said the Joliet West loss was a result of the team’s slowness to create momentum. “I thought we got off to a slow start,” Gary said. “When you spot teams early points it usually comes back to bite you in the second half.” And it did. The team tried to catch up, but it was too late. Sophomore Trent Williams led OPRF
Holiday splits for Fenwick boys, girls hoopers By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter
The Fenwick High School boys and girls basketball teams each went 2-2 over the holidays. Here’s a recap of their respective tournaments:
Fenwick boys
At the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic hosted by York, the Friars split their four games. While head coach Dave Fergerson hoped to make it to the final day of the five-day tournament, he was pleased with the progress made by his team. “Playing in the Jack Tosh, if you can break even and go 2-2, that’s a solid outing,” Fergerson said. “Obviously, we’d have loved to be 3-1 and get to [the final day], but it was a really good tournament.” In the tournament opener, Dec. 26, Fenwick (6-8) fell to Perspectives-Leadership 65-52. Corey Griffin led the Friars with 10 points, while Garrett McNally, Jake Thies, and Jimmy Watts each added nine points. Fenwick then won back-to-back games in
the consolation bracket. On Dec. 27, the Friars edged South Elgin 68-63 in overtime, and on Dec. 29, they defeated Conant 61-57. Griffin led the way with 14 points. Raphiel Stewart added 12, and Thies and Watts each had 11. Fergerson saluted the play of Griffin, a freshman, following the South Elgin victory. “I know what Corey can do. I trust him, and he delivered like I knew he would,” he said. Against Conant, Watts had a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds, and Thies added 13 points. Griffin, Stewart, Thies, and Watts are among seven players who joined basketball late due to their participation in the football team’s state championship run. Fergerson feels that they’ve gotten their basketball conditioning back. “That’s super-important. Everyone’s had their whole team the whole season,” he said. “We’re starting a little bit late, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” In the semifinals of the consolation bracket, Dec. 30, Fenwick faced York. The Dukes’ Joseph Lubbe hit a three-pointer with 1:25 left in regulation to break a 42-42 tie, and York held on to defeat the Friars 49-47. Thies had
nine points while Griffin and Kayonta Williams each had eight. “We fell a little short at the beginning of the game and you’ve got to put together four quarters,” Fergerson said. “It was a tough loss. Overall, I thought we played OK. We always want to be better than we were the day before, and I thought we did that. We’ve still got some work to do, some growing to do.” Fenwick hosts Brother Rice, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m., then meets Romeoville at the St. Ignatius Shootout, Jan. 10.
Fenwick girls Like the boys, the girls went 2-2 over the holidays, finishing sixth at the Komaromy Charger Classic at Dundee-Crown. “We definitely played some solid competition, which helps show our weaknesses and struggles, stuff we need to work on,” said Fenwick coach Lenae Fergerson. “[But] 2-2 is pretty solid.” In the opener, Dec. 26, Fenwick (5-9) defeated Buffalo Grove 56-49. Avani Williams had a game-high 23 points and five steals, Cam-
with 26 points; the next closest scorer being junior George Gray, a transfer from Mount Carmel, with 12 points. Gary praised Williams’ performance. It was his first start on varsity, and as a sophomore, this achievement was special. “He played excellent,” Gary said. Against St. Charles North, Gray led the team with 15 points. Referring to Gray’s potential, Gary was happy to see his “best player” excelling again. “He played a lot better game two,” said Gary. “When you’re the best player, it’s expected for you to be the best player all the time.” Against Hersey (11-1), the team knew they would face a challenge, given their opponent’s nearly flawless record. As for the rest of the season, currently 0-2 in conference play, the team is focusing on creating momentum early in games and “not waiting until the second quarter and halftime.” Creating energy early in the games is just as important as putting in work off the court, and the Huskies know that. “If we have to run more [in practice] we’ll do that,” said Gary. “And we still have to make free throws.”
mie Molis 15 points, and Eleanor Gibson six points, eight assists, and five steals. The following day, the Friars lost to eventual tournament champion Naperville Central 56-46. Williams had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Alex Purta had 11 points and five rebounds. Fenwick got back into the win column, Dec. 29, with a 51-44 victory over Mundelein. Molis led with 26 points and Gibson added eight points. In the fifth-place game against Hononegah, Dec. 30, the Friars fell 61-37. “We’re disappointed with how we played that last game, digging a hole like that,” Fergerson said. “We came out and won the second half; had we played that way in the first half it could’ve been a different outcome.” Molis and Williams were named to the AllTournament team. Williams averaged 14.8 points and seven rebounds per game, and Molis 12.2 points per game. Despite the rough way the tournament ended, Fergerson feels the Friars are trending in the right direction as the season goes into the second half. “It’s a lot of growth,” she said. “I’m excited, as are the players.” Following a home game against Trinity, Jan. 6 (after deadline), Fenwick hosts Leyden, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m.
34 Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026 HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI • Deadline: Monday at 5 p.m.
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PUBLIC NOTICE The River Forest Township Board of Trustees has approved the following meeting dates for 2026: RIVER FOREST TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES.REGULAR MEETINGS Tuesday, January 13 2026 Tuesday, February 10 2026 Tuesday, March 10 2026 Tuesday, April 14 2026 Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Tuesday, June 9, 2026 Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Tuesday, August 11, 2026 Tuesday, September 8, 2026 Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Tuesday, December 1, 2026 Meetings will take place in person at 6:30 PM at the River Forest Civic Center Authority (RFCCA)building. 8020 W. Madison Street, 2nd Floor, River Forest, IL 60305 The River Forest Civic Center Authority Board of Managers approved the same meeting dates. The..meetings of the River Forest Civic Center Authority Board of Managers will take place in the same location immediately following the River Forest Township Board of Trustees meetings. Any changes in time, date or location as well as Zoom remote participation information will be posted in..advance on the River Forest Township website (www. riverforesttownship.org), at the River Forest Civic Center Authority Building and at the River Forest Library.
PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Published in Wednesday Journal January 7, 2026
Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for: 2026 Street Improvement Program This project includes the replacement of curb and gutter, sidewalk and driveway aprons, hotmix asphalt surface removal, frame/ lid adjustment, resurfacing, and other associated work. The bidding documents are available for download starting Wednesday, December 24, 2025 at: www.vrf.us/bids Bids must be submitted by Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at: Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305 The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work. No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening. Bidders shall be prequalified by IDOT for: HMA Paving The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids. Published in Wednesday Journal December 24, 2025, January 7, 2026
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PUBLIC NOTICE Public notice is hereby given that the Board of Education of Riverside School District 96 in Riverside, Illinois will receive sealed bids for: Hauser Junior High School Window Replacement Project Copies of the Bid Documents including plans and specifications will be available starting December 15, 2025. Bidders can download electronic Drawings and Specifications from the BHFX Plan Room, www.bhfxplanroom.com. Printed sets may be ordered and paid for by the contractor. All bids offered must be accompanied by bid security in the form of certified check or bid bond made payable to the Owner in the amount of not less than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the aggregate of the bid as a guarantee that if the bid is accepted, a contract will be entered into and the performance of the contract properly secured. The successful bidder for the project is required to furnish Performance and Labor and Material Payment Bonds in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the bid amount, with sureties to be approved by the Owner, and in the form required by the Bidding Documents. The successful bidder is required to pay the general prevailing wage for work under this Contract as ascertained by the Illinois Department of Labor, and shall submit certified payroll records, in compliance with the Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130) and the requirements of the Bidding Documents. A pre-bid meeting will be held on December 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM at Hauser Junior High School, 65 Woodside Road, Riverside, IL 60546 in the Hauser Cafeteria. Bidders must allow sufficient time to register at the building prior to being permitted to proceed to the meeting location. Bids will be received until 1:00 PM, January 12, 2026, at the District office at 3440 S. Harlem Ave, Riverside, IL 60546. A public bid opening will take place afterwards at 1:00 PM, January 12, 2026 at the District office at 3440 S. Harlem Ave, Riverside, IL 60546 The Board of Education reserves the right to reject any or all bids or any part thereof.
PUBLIC NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD Notice of Public Hearing Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission January 22, 2026, at 7:00 PM NOTICE is hereby given that the Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Edward Barcal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue Illinois for the purpose of considering a request from Jose Mata for a Variations from §62.17 to reduce the required Side Yard setback from three (3) feet to two (2) feet to allow a detached garage on the property located at 3412 Grand Boulevard , Brookfield, Illinois 60513 (PIN 15-34-130-015-0000, 15-34-130016-0000 and 15-34-130-0170000) Legal Description:
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ADVERTISEMENT OF BIDDING Request for bids for the Park District of Oak Park - Field Park Renovations, 935 Woodbine Ave. Oak Park, Il. 60302
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LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park—Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, IL 60302—will receive PDF proposals via email, at christopher. welch@oak-park.us, until 4�00 P.M. on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, for the following: Phase I Preliminary Engineering Services for the Lombard Relief Sewer Plan. The Village is in need of phase 1 engineering services for the replacement of an undersized combined sewer system in the northeast section of the Village that was identified in the 2014 villagewide sewer masterplan. The project consists upsizing the existing sewer on Lombard from Greenfield Street to Erie Street (existing sewer varies from 33” to 35” diameter) to a 96” sewer and installing a new 96” sewer from Lombard Avenue to Taylor Avenue on Erie Street and from Erie Street to Lake Street on Taylor Ave terminating with a new connection to the MWRD interceptor at the intersection of Lake Street and Taylor Ave. The Request for Qualifications may be obtained from the Village’s website at https://www. oak-park.us/Building-Business/ Request-for-Proposals starting on Wednesday January 7, 2026. For questions, please email Christopher Welch, Assistant Village Engineer, at christopher. welch@oak-park.us. THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Bill McKenna Village Engineer Published in Wednesday Journal January 7, 2026
Owner: Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St, Oak Park, IL 60302 The Park District of Oak Park will accept sealed bids for the Field Park Renovations. The project consists of landscaping, mulch and outcropping stones around the Field Center, removal of select trees, playground equipment, splash pad, light poles, and paved areas. The work includes a new playground, synthetic play turf surfacing (by others), splash pad equipment, drinking fountain, pedestrian lighting, landscaping, berm installation and fencing. The Park District of Oak Park will receive individual sealed Bids until 11:30 a.m. (Central time) on Wednesday, January 28th, 2026, at 218 Madison St., Oak Park, IL. Bid documents and requirements will be available on the Demand Star website at 3:00pm, January 7th, 2026, under “Active Bids” at: the following link. pdop.org/rfps-bids A mandatory on-site pre-bid meeting will be held at 10:00 am on January 20th, 2026, at Field Park, 935 Woodbine Ave., Oak Park, Il. 60302. For information, contact Bill Hamilton at bill.hamilton@pdop. org or 708-725-2052. Only bids prepared in compliance with the bidding documents will be considered. This project must adhere to the Prevailing Wage Act of 2025. The Park District encourages minority and women owned business firms to submit bids. Park District of Oak Park By: Sandy Lentz, Secretary Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St. Oak Park, IL 60302 Published in Wednesday Journal January 7, 2026
Published in RB Landmark December 24, 2025, January 7, 14, 2026
LOTS 9, 10 AND 11 IN BLOCK 53 IN GROSS 1ST ADDITION TO GROSSVILLE, IN THE NORTHWEST ¼ OF SECTION 34, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/ or written comments. Written comments may be provided prior to 4:00 PM on the day of the public hearing to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Libby Popovic, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513, lpopovic@brookfieldil.gov, or 708485-1113. Oral or written testimony may be given during the public hearing. The application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours. Please reference PZC Case 25-19. Public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Individuals with disabilities requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in any meeting should contact the Village of Brookfield (708) 485-7344 prior to the meeting. Wheelchair access is available through the front (South) entrance of Village Hall. By the Order of Chuck Grund, Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman. Published in RB Landmark January 7, 2026
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.D & 5 / 0 4
0 1 #'#A , ""*:' 2 A G % ) : ( , - G . , ' 9 ' $= $$ "< + 5 ' ( & O + &' - ;<4 E ? & 1 5 '25 ' 1 * !<=,=;=,<30<
0 * F & 0 5 # . * ( ' : P - + ' ) * + ) + " * * $# * 1 & ' !"4 ( 1 ) & 2 ) & '1 * !<=,"00,4#<4
2
6*:' 2 F * & L$= + M 4 ' N && : & * & ) & ' : - E8 - : '1 - ' 0$4 C & 1 ) 2) ( 1 *
- < E 4 2 $ 4 "' ( 7 ' % % 9 )) ) + . C & K / & ' !"4 ( 1 ) & 2 ) & '1 * !<=,"00,4#<4
2 $ 2 4 " 9 + & ' ) + & C&+ 1 & ' !"4 ( 1 ) & 2 ) & '1 * !<=,"00,4#<4
+ - , ># :*G7 > * + ) + & & ) 9 : & * & ( : & C +) * && * && + ) &C&&+ 8 * &&1 - !"<< > : 1 * 2* ) 1 * !<=,"00,03<<
-+- - & 8 + 9 0 7 !"' $# A+( + ? 1 $ + A+( *1 . . - + ' -& !"$0 % : 1 + ' & 2 *+ &1 + !!",3$0,4404
$ $ H . ( H - &4 . % 0
0 4 - )
7*G7 !""8!G" && . ' ? *& -& ) " ' / 8 ?& % & && * * ) & 1 + Q* ' / . ' ? *& 0"<3 #0 . ' 1 "$#,400,=03<
"' ' ( * G & .& > : ++ ' & 1 : & ' !"4 ( : 1 ) & 2 ) & '1 * !<=,"00,4#<4
2 4* + ? !"7 5 F , ??E !"#$ %
- & ) + ( ' * 6: 1 && 7 * && 1 ( & ( & ) ' ) ) + & 1
36
Wednesday Journal, January 7, 2026
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
“Quality, Affordable, Independent Housing for Seniors” Our beautiful 6-story building provides quality, affordable, independent housing for seniors. We offer 75 studio and onebedroom apartments. Amenities include an award winning interior landscaped atrium, central meeting room, library, laundry facilities, computer learning center, internet access, electronic key entry system, parking, onsite management, and 24/7 emergency maintenance service. The Oaks is funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development through HUD’s Multifamily Housing Program. Monthly rent is based on the resident’s income, with individuals paying approximately 30% of their monthly income toward rent.
114 South Humphrey, Oak Park, Il 60302
For more information, please visit us at www.oakparkha.org or contact us at 708-386-5812.
New Year New Floors!
7040 West North Avenue • 773-889-7500
OPEN: Monday-Thursday 9am – 5:30pm • Friday-Saturday 9am – 5pm Located in the North Ave Business District
Since 1906 Chicagoland’s Oldest Floor Covering Store
Custom Stair Runners & Rugs • Carpet • Hardwood • LVP & LVT