WednesdayJournal_021826

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Avenue landlord says preservation ignored by Oak Park ’s

Bushouse says area beneath Oak Park Avenue’s vaulted sidewalks should be preser ved, considers lawsuit

By LACEY SIKORA and GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporters

James Bushouse isn’t happy about Oak Park’s Renew the Avenue project, the sewer and streetscape project that has long been planned for Oak Park Avenue, the street bisecting town.

It’s not just that the street closures which will run through Thanksgiving will affect his tenants in the building he owns on the southeast corner of Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street. Bushouse also argues that the village is effectively practicing eminent domain in seeking to fill in the area beneath the vaulted sidewalks adjacent to his historic building with concrete. That, he says, will ruin a part of the village’s history that should be preserved.

Bushouse is seeking support for his position from state historic preservation officials. But if that support does not come through, he is threatening to sue the vil-

the Avenue’ project

lage to stop its plans

The massive and costly sewer and water system project has already begun on blocks north and south of the Hemingway District commercial area. The current timeline has construction beginning on the 100 blocks of North and South Oak Park Avenue in late March or early April.

Any delay could make it difficult to complete the work before the holiday shopping season which is critical to small businesses.

Police station expected to cost nor th of $63 million, Village Hall renovations more than $26 million

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

The future of Oak Park Village Hall and the long-promised standalone Oak Park Police headquarters came into sharper focus last week.

The village had acknowledged in a January interview that there was no legal Remembering Frank Paris, longtime River Forest village president Page 31

A 5-2 majority of Oak Park’s board of trustees voted to give support to a construction plan that would see an addition built on to the south side of Village Hall that would house a new council chambers alongside a new building entryway and welcome desk. The plan puts construction costs for Village Hall renovations at an estimated $26.2 million on top of $63.7 million in expected construction

VILLAGE HALL on pa ge 10

TODD BANNOR

Scov ille Building ow ner James Bushouse in the vault under the Oak Park Avenue sidewalk on Feb.12.

From D97 student, to D97 student teacher to D97 teacher to state award winner

Elyse Smith, a Mann kindergar ten teacher, is honored by the State Board of Education

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

Elyse Smith was both personally and professionally raised in Oak Park’s District 97 schools.

As a youngster, she attended Longfellow Elementary School and Percy Julian Middle School, before moving on to Oak Park and River Forest High School and Illinois State University.

She returned to do her student teaching at Whittier Elementary before accepting her first job as a fifth-grade teacher back at Longfellow in October 2006, after a short stint as a district substitute.

Today, she teaches kindergarten at Horace Mann Elementary. And now she is a Cook County Co-regional Teacher of the Year, as awarded by the Illinois State Board of Education.

She is one of 13 re gional Teacher of the Year winners and has the possibility of being named the outright 2026 Illinois State Teacher of the Year in April.

“I think a lot of people think teaching is easy,” Smith said. “It’s not. It’s not for the faint of heart. That’s the biggest challenge. … without teachers, none of us would be where we are. You can do because you had a teacher.”

Smith was named Cook County Co-regional Teacher of the Year with educators from Chicago Public Schools District 299 and Hoffman Estates High School District 211. It ’s n ot hard to see why she was selected. Before her school year starts, she visits the homes of her kindergarteners and chalks their sidewalks with the phrase, “Welcome to Ms. Smith’s Class!”

And 12 years later, every spring, she visits her for mer kindergarteners before or after their high school graduation, whether they went to OPRF, Fenwick or some other school, within a reasonable driving distance.

In between, she sees education, and herself specifically, as a key pivot point in young lives that are growing up in an increasingly complex world.

“I think that educators wear many hats,” she said. “We are not just teachers. We are people that are sometimes almost a social worker, taking care of them, almost another parent teaching them right from wrong.”

Smith was recommended by a current kindergarten parent for consideration for the annual Those Who Excel and Teacher of the Year Awards from the Illinois State Board of Education. That set in motion work she had to choose to do, including gathering letters of recommendation from an administrator, a colleague and a parent. She went through

a similar process in the 2012-13 school year and made it into the top 10 finalists. But there were no re gions back then.

This time, she was a winner, and how did she find out? Well, that’s a story unto itself.

Her principal, Hussain Ali, coordinated a meeting Feb. 5. As Smith strode down the hall of Mann Elementary, she pondered what it could be. Supposedly it had to do with one of her students.

She arrived and was greeted by Ali and a screen featuring multiple people, including District 97’s co-interim superintendents, Dr. Griff Powell and Patrick Robinson, and a number of other names she didn’t recognize.

One of them happened to be state superintendent of education Dr. Tony Sanders.

Color Smith now very confused. And then it all became clear.

“The state superintendent was just saying, we were blown away by the letters of recommendation and everything you’ve done, and you’re the co-Teacher of the Year for the Cook County region,” she said. “When I figured everything out, I was so appreciative,

so full-circle and blessed. I want to be the teacher my children want to have, a teacher where you have a lifelong connection to.”

Count Ali as almost excited as Smith is about the honor

“As a principal, you hope to work alongside educators who not only teach children, but also transform communities,” Ali said. “Ms. Smith does exactly that. Her commitment begins before the school year even starts, with home visits that build trust, ease family anxieties and send a clear message that every child is known and valued.

“Ms. Smith re presents the very best of our profession, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this honor.”

While there may be a shor tage of teachers today, to Smith, there is no better profession and she encourages others to make that commitment.

“It gives you creativity and purpose, and incorporates social and emotional learning,” she said. “I think it gives you purpose because you’ re building relationships with students and family.”

Oak Parker takes home silver medal in speed skating pursuit

OPRF grad Emery Lehman and US skate team fall to hosts

in Olympic nal

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Speed Skating reached the Olympic final in the team pursuit before losing out to Italy.

T he American team of Lehman, Casey Dawson and Ethan Cepuran, a Glen Ellyn native, finished 4.51 seconds behind the hosts, who won their first gold medal in the event since the last Italian-hosted Winter Olympics in 2006. Lehman and the U.S. men had taken home bronze in 2022’s Olympics in Beijing, which was the U.S.’ first

medal in the event since 2010.

China won the bronze medal over the Netherlands, beating them by a nar row 0.09 seconds in their playof f.

T he United States entered the Olympics riding a six-race undefeated run on the international stage and had won gold at the 2025 World Championships, according to NBC Sports.

Lehman, an Oak Park and River Forest High School graduate, appeared in his fourth Olympic games this year.

PROVIDED

Elyse Smith helps a student dur ing class.

Oak Parker Emery Lehman earned a silver medal at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, as the U.S. Men’s

AIPAC cash to Conyears-Ervin in 7th District sparks upset

Ford said he turned down same o er; Collins, Mendoza question candidate Showalter calls $2.8M spend ‘corruption;’ Friedman denies rumor he will leave rac

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing

A Super PAC connected with the American Israel Public Af (AIPAC), has involved itself in the hotly contested Democratic race to replace the the 7th Cong ressional District.

The United Democra reportedly committed to spending $2.8 million in television ads suppo City Treasurer Melissa the March 17 Democratic primary. That commitment far surpasses the spending of any of the 13 other candidates in the race, many of whom condemn the Super PAC money.

TODD

The cash infusion could give ConyearsErvin an edge in the race but might also raise concerns among some voters.

The first Conyears-Ervin ad paid for by UDP praises Conyears-Ervin as someone who understands the issues facing the voters of the 7th District and makes no mention of Israel, the Middle East or foreign policy State Rep. La Shawn Ford, who has been endorsed by Davis to succeed him, said he had held discussions with representatives from UDP, including an in-person meeting last month. But Ford said he was unwilling to commit to supporting unconditional aid to Israel which was, he says, the requirement to get support from UDP.

“I’ve also had meetings with the very people that’s spending this money,” Ford said. “They want you to say ‘yes’ to everything that they have requests for. There’s no gray lines as it relates to their beliefs. It’s a yes or no. .... Don’t have a conversation; that this is what we want. We want you to vote with us in Washington 100% of the time, and we want to control our member, and that’s what this is about. And I refused that type

7th District Congressional candidate Melissa Conyears-Erv in speaks to voters at the Oak Park Public Library on Feb. 7.

of relationship. My relationship will, and always has been, to the constituents and re presenting the needs of the district.”

Anabel Mendoza, a self-proclaimed progressive candidate, said the Super PAC funding “is disgraceful. We’ve seen how AIPAC has infiltrated elections all across the country. Now they’re setting their sights on Illinois 7th District, that this seat is for sale. AIPAC and their shell PACs have poured millions of dollars of dark money into our elections. And their goal is really simple. It’s simple, but it’s also insidious. It’s to buy seats. They want to be able to control who is in those seats, and they want to do so so they can bankroll genocide and war crimes and violence and that is something that I will always stand against. So I think it is a disgrace that AIPAC is getting involved and that there is a candidate in this race who is willing to sell out their values.”

Kina Collins ran unsuccessfully against Danny Davis in 2020, 2022 and 2024. She’s

again as a progres-

“This is not the first time that AIPAC has eyed this seat, as some folks would ollins said. “They came in the 2024 race, and I was actually the only canstate of Illinois that against, opposing And I think that this is a perfect example ampaign finance refo rm

“I think it exposes the type of campaign ears-Ervin is willing to run,” Collins added. “It is not going to help is backing her.”

rd said the UDP spending on behalf of Conyears-Ervin is an attempt by a special oup to buy the election.

“This money dwarfs, or tries to dwarf, ice of the voters in the 7th Congressional District, and it would tell you immediately who this candidate will be beholden Ford said. “This is them buying their candidate, literally.”

Ford said that he didn’t believe that the tactic would work. “It’s not a district that’s for sale,” he said.

In a statement issued by her campaign, Conyears-Ervin said that, if elected, she will work “to get all dark money out of politics.” She said she had traveled to Israel and has seen threats it faces on its borders while also saying, “I believe the United States must do more to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.” She said that if elected “nobody will tell me how to vote.”

Up until AIPAC announced its spending on Conyears-Ervin, it was widely believed that most pro-Israel donors connected with AIPAC were supporting Jason Friedman, a Jewish candidate in the race. According to an article in the left-leaning American Prospect magazine, more than 35 people who are donors to AIPAC contributed approximately $140,000 to Friedman’s campaign last year.

The American Prospect also re ported that AIPAC helped org anize online fundraisers for both Conyears-Ervin and Friedman, sponsored by something called ProIsrael Network.

But now it appears that AIPAC’s related

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf

Senior Audience Manager Stac y Coleman

Sta Repor ter Brendan He ernan

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

Columnists Marc Bleso , Nicole Chavas, Jack Crowe, Vincent Gay, Mary Kay O’Grady, John Stanger, Josh VanderBerg

Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial & Digital Design Lead Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Marketing & Adver tising 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

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Eric Weinheimer | Treasurer Nile Wendor f Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson

PHONE 708-524-8300

BANNOR

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park buys AI chatbot to ol

Oak Park’s village board has approved a new contract with its digital media services provider that includes a new artificial intelligence chat bot service designed to answer residents’ questions.

The village board approved a new multiyear contract this week with Granicus, a longtime village contractor which provides technology services supporting the village’s website, public meeting broadcasts and more. The new contract is worth over $162,000 in its first year, which includes about $45,000 for installing and licensing of an AI-powered Government Experience Agent, a public-facing chatbot feature which the company refers to as a “GXA.”

The company markets the AI tool as a way for municipalities to accurately answer resident questions without using staf f’s time.

“GXA transforms service delivery for

governments, providing always-on, precise, consistent and contextually relevant responses to resident questions in easy-tounderstand language,” Granicus said in marketing materials for the product. “Unlike commercial AI tools, GXA is tuned to understand government interactions and accesses only approved agency data to deliver the best possible responses, creating better experiences for residents and lighter workloads for staf f.”

Two Oak Park’s trustees who have backgrounds as technology professionals — Derek Eder and Cory Wesley — were split on whether or not the tool’s a worthwhile investment.

feature conflicts with Oak Park’s environmental sustainability and community engagement goals.

“If you have a quick question, the chatbot will give you a quick answer if it can. If it can’t, then you can pick up the phone.”

CO

RY WESLE Y Oak Park trustee

Eder said he wasn’t convinced the AI tool would save staf f’s time and that he felt the

“We have a goal in the Climate Ready Oak Park Plan to invest in socially and environmentally responsible IT technolo gy, so this is in direct conflict with that,” Eder said. “If you want to know why your energy bill is going up, its basically because of data centers. That is such a concern that Springfield is debating what to do to re gulate that right now, this is a real concern.”

“I want us to be a techforward community, but in this particular case an AI bot really goes against the values we espouse as a village around inclusion and being connected with one another. By putting a bot between our resi-

dents and our staf f, we’re saying ‘I don’t want to talk to you.’”

Wesley said passing on the chatbot tool would not mean that Oak Park would be divested from data centers or their environmental impact, as most of the modern internet is run through largescale data centers. He also said that providing a chat bot service to residents wouldn’t stop residents who wish to communicate with a village staf fer directly from doing so.

“If you use Amazon, Facebook, Dropbox you name it, anywhere on the internet you log in and get a service it is all being housed in a data center somewhere,” Wesley said. “I think the chatbot will serve those who aren’t looking to have that interaction with our staff. If you have a quick question, the chatbot will give you a quick answer if it can. If it can’t, then you can pick up the phone.”

The board voted to approve the contract 5-2, with Eder and Trustee Jenna Leving

Oak Park gives $1 million to help Madison St. a ordable housing deal go through

A 36-unit project at 1106 Madison St. is in reach thanks to village funding, developer says

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park’s Village Board approved a deal to spend $1 million to help bring a long-discussed af fordable housing development on Madison Street closer to being a reality.

The village board voted unanimously to approve paying $1 million from its Af fordable Housing Fund to secure the transfer of 1106 Madison St. from the Fellowship Christian Church to the Interfaith Housing Development Corporation. In July 2024, the village board had ag reed to help support the organization developing a 36-unit affordable housing property called “Keystone Apartments” on the land, but the developer struggled to raise the grant funding to acquire the parcel from the church, according to Perry Vietti, the nonprofit housing organization’s president.

“At a certain point as a small nonprofit organization that does this kind of work we can only put up so much money so I

think that’s also been part of the challenge,” Vietti said.

If the nonprofit’s development is unsuccessful, the village will take over ownership of the property.

Vietti said that his organization approached the village about the change in strate gy in the fall, as the developer had not been approved in past rounds of grant funding that it had hoped to use to buy the land from the church. With the village committed to support the land transfer, Vietti said the organization will be better positioned to receive the Illinois Af fordable Housing Tax Credits he said will pay for 65% of development costs for the project.

“It takes the potential of losing the property as we’re applying for the funding out of the equation,” he said. “So it just sort of locks that down. We’re all hopeful that we’ll get funded this year. You know, we’ve applied a couple times before, but I’m hoping this is the char m this time.”

“It helps us get funded if we have local

Arcade Building project goes to Plan Commission, Feb. 19

Previously rejected by Historic Preser vation Commission

By LACEY SIKORA Real Estate Reporter

The rock y road to constructing a 10-story, 24-unit apar tment building adjacent to the historic Boulevard Arcade Building on South Blvd. will make a stop before the Oak Park Plan Commission on Feb. 19. Because the proposed building abuts the Boulevard Arcade Building, the owner, under guidance of project architect John Schiess, sought a Certificate of Appropriateness from the village’s Historic Preservation Commission during several appearances before that group. The preservation commission denied the COA. Some resi-

dents in the area have been vocal in their opposition.

In November 2025, Oak Park’s village board heard the owner’s appeal and issued a COA for the building. It was then directed to the Plan Commission for review.

The plan commission will consider the application of Sachem Builder, LLC and its principal J. Trent Stoner for the project at 1035 South Blvd.

The plan commission meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, 123 Madison St. and is open to the public. Public comment is welcome.

The application, including renderings can be seen here: https://www.oak-park.

resources coming in as well. It shows that you have local support and that the primary funder is not paying for everything.”

While the village payment will secure the nonprofit’s ownership of the property, it actually decreases Oak Park’s overall investment commitment in the property. In 2024, the village had pledged $1.2 million in Af fordable Housing Fund support for the development.

“We’ re saving in the interim,” said Village President Vicki Scaman. “By us purchasing the property for the developer we’re improving their chances of receiving the grant.”

“They’re able to gain access to more money and we’re contributing less than what we ’d previously committed.”

The deadline to apply for the tax credits is at the end of February, Vietti said.

Keystone Apartments, as a permanent supportive housing location, will serve residents earning 30% or less of the area median income, which is $25,200 a year for

a single person household in Chicagoland, according to the City of Chicago.

The property will also include dedicated space for Housing Forward to provide social support services to the residents.

Interfaith Housing also developed Grove Apartments, af fordable housing located above the Sugar Beet Food Co-Op at 812 Madison St. in Oak Park.

Vietti thanked the Oak Park board for its trust in his organization and its commitment to supporting new af fordable housing in the village.

“It’s not just saying they support the project, but they’re willing to help us take out one of the challenges that we’ve had in locking down this property,” Vietti said.

“The village is saying that af fordable housing, specifically permanent supportive housing, housing blended with services for for merly homeless people, is a priority. They’re willing to put money forward and, in a sense, take a risk with us and set this property aside.”

A proposal for a 10-sto ry building behind the historic Arcade Building may or may not be pushed ahead.

us/files/assets/oakpark/v/1/boardsand-commissions/plan-commission/ applications-for-public-hearing/1035-combined-pdf-all-application-docs-1_27_26-traffic-study-added-reduced.pdf

The owners are requesting relief from zoning ordinances re garding building height, off-street parking and unit density. The agenda for the special meeting is available on the village website: https://www. oak-park.us/Gover nment/Citizen-Boardsand-Commissions/Plan-Commission

COURTESY OF JCSA CHICAGO

Neighbors call for North Ave. streetscape work with new petitio

Petition backers show suppor t for Nor th Avenue revitalization

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Nearly eight years after the state supported a study calling for a streetscaping project on North Avenue along its border with Oak Park and Chicago, area residents are asking state leaders to get the project of f the ground.

Galewood Neighbors, a community organization for the Chicago neighborhood, began taking signatures last month for a petition calling on state agencies and law makers to “support the completion and implementation of the North Avenue Streetscape and Business Development Project.” The high traffic street has been plagued by unsafe, high-speed driving, parking issues and lackluster pedestrian access making it challenging for residents and businesses to thrive, neighbors said.

Close to 200 Oak Park and Chicago residents have signed on to the petition thus far, including many who own businesses on the street, according to Galewood Neighbors chair Steve Green.

“We decided to create the petition as a positive reinforcement, because this has been going on for so long, seven years or

AI CHATBOT Tech

forward?

from page 4

Jacobson dissenting. Before voting to approve the deal, Trustee Brian Straw said the village would collect metrics on residents’ satisfaction with the service and then have the option to g et rid of the GXA after a year if it didn’t work out. He also said he’d like the village to monitor met-

eight years have passed almost and nothing’s been done,” he said. “There’s just a long list of examples of people driving way too fast. The traffic needs to be slo down. For the businesses, if they do have parking in their back, it’s j gle for them. If there was some ing so people could safely park the stores on North Avenue, it would help business tremendously.”

The need for the project has been clear for years while visible progress has been nonexistent, according to North Avenue District Chair Judith Alexander. She is an Oak Park resident.

“Never was a streetscape more wanted or needed than ours,” she said. “We have two interrelated issues: safety and economic development.”

In 2018, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning produced a detailed re port on strategies for revitalizing businesses in the North Avenue corridor and improving traffic safety on the road through streetscaping improvements. That study was followed by another from the Chicago Department of Transportation produced in 2020, which reached similar conclusions.

The studies found that infrastructure improvements for North Avenue like curb extensions, sidewalk improvements, added parking and other traffic calming measures were needed to support vitality and safety in the area.

While the state re por tedly allocated mil-

rics related to the tool’s energy use and environmental impact

“We have structured the contract in such a way that we could drop this chatbot in year two if the utility that residents are g etting out of it doesn’t outweigh the environmental impact of the technolo gy,” Straw said.

Oak Park’s new deal with Granicus would pay the company as much as $162,666 in its first year, with the proposed deal r unning through 2031. Adopting the GXA tool would come with a $15,000 onboarding fee, followed by yearly subscrip-

lions for the work back in 2019, a groundbreaking date is still a mystery, Alexander said.

“That was 2019 in the capital budget and we still don’t have a streetscape,” Alexander said.

Oak Park’s current capital improvement plan mentions state funding for the project, along with a potential start date for North Avenue streetscape construction in 2028, according to village documents

“The State of Illinois approved $27.4M to the City of Chicago for a joint streetscape on North Avenue from Harlem to Central. Funds were released in the summer of 2023 and the Chicago Department of Transportation is working with the state to get the ag reements in place with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity so that design work can get started,” village staf f wrote in Oak Park’s most recent capital improvement plan. “Construction would be no sooner than 2028.

tion fees starting at $30,381, according to the company’s proposal.

T he chat bot would only give residents answers with info rmation from “finetuned” village-provided sources. The GXA wouldn’ t pull any info rmation from the open web as AI Large Language Models like Chat GPT do, according to village staf f.

“It only responds when its confidence score meets a conservatively set threshold, ensuring the info rmation closely matches the user’s question,” Oak Park Chief Communications Officer Dan

The state funds should cover all costs for the streetscape project although the village will likely need to pay for design and construction costs associated with any of the village’s water and sewer improvements which are still to be determined. Design of the water and sewer projects would start in 2026 with construction possibly starting in 2028, depending on the scope and schedule of the future streetscape project.”

Neighbors drafted the petition with the hope that it would emphasize resident and business owners’ support for the planned work and bring a start date for streetscape construction into reality, Green said.

“The opportunity here is fantastic,” Green said. “We want to see a thriving North Avenue corridor in our part of the city. Independent small business owners have it tough already with everything else going on in the world. This is just one more thing that you know they really shouldn’t have to wor ry about.”

Yopchick wrote in a memo to the board in December. “This approach minimizes the risk of ‘hallucinations’ and ensures responses remain grounded in verified agency data. GXA’s hallucination rate — the chance of fabricating an answer — is effectively zero. It doesn’t invent information. When er rors occur, they usually stem from incomplete or outdated details in the source content, which can lead to missing context for the user. We proactively address these issues during onboarding by reviewing and updating agency content.”

Construction at 6700 W. North Ave. in 2021 in Chicago’s Galewood neighborhood.

School of Rock Oak Park raises thousands for sta impacted by ICE crackdown

Leaders of an Oak Park music school have raised over $4,000 in community donations to support immigrant sta members

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

When two staf f members at an Oak Park music school abruptly stopped re porting for their shifts as the presence of immigration officers in the village grew, management at the school took notice.

School of Rock Oak Park soon learned that the two staff members had stopped coming to work because they feared they’d be detained and deported as the Department ofHomeland Security’s Operation Midway Blitz mass deportation effort began ramping up in Chicagoland last year. Now, the music school has organized an ongoing fundraiser to benefit the staff members, who are remaining anonymous, and their families, according to Amy Renzulli, the school’s owner

T he staffers didn’t ask for the fundraiser, and it took some convincing for them to accept the money, Renzulli said. Over its first two weeks, the fundraiser g enerated over $4,000 in community donations to support them.

“They’re proud, they have families, they want to work, they don’t want to have to rely on other people’s generosity, but they’re grateful,” Renzulli said

The school had also kept paying the staffers their wages, Renzulli said.

“We kept paying them while they were out,” she said. “It wasn’t that much money but it was something we could do

Renzulli said the school had run fundraisers in the past to support staff who’d lost their homes in fires and navigated serious health diagnoses, so leaning on the school’s

community to help support staff members missing work due to fear of deportation came naturally.

“I find that a lot of people are asking ‘what can I do’ and ‘how can I help,” she said. “I think I’ve tried to do what I can with the resources that I have. And when I say resources I really don’t mean money, I mean the community that we’ve built.”

In addition to the two staffers, the school, which provides music education and performance opportunities to children, teens and adults, has likely lost some students as fear ofdeportation intensified among area immigrants last year, she said. The school, run for the last 13 years out ofa solid concrete building on Lake Street that used to house a roofing company, adopted a buzz-in door lock system years ago, which Renzulli said she’s thankful for after seeing images of immigration agents entering childcare facilities and local businesses to detain people.

As the fundraiser continues, Renzulli said she wants the school to continue fostering a safe, welcoming community for all.

“When you’ re here, harmonizing, singing with each other, those are good vibrations and it can counteract what’s happening outside,” she said. “This building is a fortress and it’s a shelter and it’s a place that I think is really important right now.”

OPRF honors trio with cellence awards

A chef, a historian and a singer who advocates for women

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Three alumni from Oak Park and River Forest High School were honored last week at a school assembly during they received the school’s Tradition of Excellence alumni award and sat for brief interviews with Student ficers.

This year’s honorees were Stephanie “Sparkle” Edwards, platinum recording artist who has been reco gnized as an ad vocate for abused women and girls, Northwestern Uni History professor and author Kate Masur, and owner Jourdan Higgs.

Edwards, known as Sparkle, graduated from OPRF in 1986. She was a cheerleader at OPRF, co-captain her senior She wore her OPRF letter jacket to the awards assembly began singing gospel music at the age of 4. An older brother founded an OPRF gospel music group. As a young performer Sparkle began working with R Kelly, who is now in federal prison for convictions on child pornography and sexual abuse charges in two trials

Sparkle’s platinum song Be Careful, was a duet with R. Kelly. It debuted in 1998.

In 2008 Edwards testified against Kelly in a 2008 Cook County trial in which Kelly was acquitted. That case centered on a video Kelly had recorded with an underage girl, since identified as Rashona Landfair, who grew up in Oak Park and was the niece of Edwards. Landfair declined to testify at that trial but this year has published a book about her experiences with the title of Who’s Watching Shorty.

At the 2008 trial, according to published reports, Edwards identified Landfair as the girl in the sex video that was at the center of the case. Edwards told the students who interviewed her that she felt an obligation to stand up for her niece and other victims of R. Kelly. She has gone on to become an advocate for abused women and girls.

“The advocacy came to me in just that moment,” Edwards said at the OPRF assembly. “I would be the girl who would step in front of someone throwing a punch. I would take a

PROVIDED

Alumni Stephanie “Sparkl e” Edwards, in OPRF jacket, Jourdan Diggs and Kate Masur at school assembly on Feb 12.

punch or punch back.”

Even in high school Edwards had a presence about her.

“She was a prima donna, she was a loudmouth, but sweet,” said her friend and fellow cheerleader Denine Garrett who attended the assembly with Sharon Stewart, another close friend of Edwards.

In 2024 Edwards received the Courage award from the Ford Foundation for Social Justice for her advocacy work

Masur, graduated from OPRF in 1989. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a Ph.D. in American Culture from the University of Michigan she has taught American history at Northwestern since 2005. Masur is probably best known for her 2021 book. Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History.

Masur told Wednesday Journal that growing up in Oak Park and attending OPRF sparked her academic interest in issues of race

“When I got the email that they were honoring me with this I felt like it was one of the best things that’s happened to

ke growing up in Oak Park and going to this high school was super important for me not just academally academically, but also socially and in terms nterested in,” Masur said. “It made a huge ference in my life.”

Masur was the captain of a state championship swim team OPRF during her senior year. She placed 12th in both the freestyle at the 1989 state meet earning points that helped OPRF win its first state championship in mming. As a sophomore Masur swam on the 200y team that finished sixth in the state.

“Kate has always been impressive,” said OPRF Math e Gaida who was on the OPRF swim team with Masur. “She was captain, my sophomore and junior years, so unior and senior years. Just led with such character and poise and was always challenging us to do our best and really build an inclusive team, from All Americans down to our JV squad, really helped unite us together in a

aduated from OPRF in 2004. Once he moved off at Northern Illinois University he develnterest in cooking and starting watching cooking orientated television shows such as Watched Diners, DriveInn and Dives, Hell’s Kitchen and other shows

“I started cooking my third year in college, just by watching stuff on TV and then just kind of started making things on my own,” Higgs said.

Upon graduating he got a corporate job with Chase Bank and then worked for Verizon for 11 years doing customer service and employee training work. But he continued to cook on the side developing his skills and started his own catering company.

Once the Covid pandemic hit Higgs and a friend decided that they would pool their savings and start a restaurant even though he had never even worked in a restaurant. They each put in $60,000 and in 2021 opened Provare, an Italian Creole fusion restaurant located at 1523 W. Chicago Ave.

“It’s been great since we opened,” Higgs said.

Provare has been so successful that Higgs and his partner last year opened another Provare in Houston.

During the assembly Higgs was asked what advice he has for current OPRF students

“Bet on yourself ” Higgs said.

New D97 superintendent likely by Feb. 24 meeting

Two nalists are under consideration

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Board of Education is expected to hire its next superintendent at its Feb. 24

meeting. The board has apparently made its choice and has been ne gotiating a contract with its pick.

The two finalists are: Community Consolidated School District 59 Superintendent Terri Bresnahan and Riverside Elementary School District 96 Director of Teaching and Learning Angela Dolezal. They had their final interviews with the school board and committee of stakehold-

ers, including staf f and parents, on Feb. 2.

Both finalists also participated in a Zoom town hall on Jan. 29 in which they answered identical questions posed by the school board’s consultant, for mer Illinois State School Superintendent Carmen Ayala. Those who watched the town hall were able to rate the finalist’s answers to the questions that were posed to them.

“We had a very thorough process,” Dis-

trict 97 school board President Cheree Moore said at the Feb. 10 school board meeting. “We are still processing. We have not finalized anything but as soon as we do we’ll have a celebration.”

The district’s superintendent post opened last summer when Ushma Shah unexpectedly resigned her position just before the star t of the school year.

Beyond Hunger clears Oak Park zoning board for North Ave. HQ

Nonpro t’s proposal for defunct grocery store to proceed to village board

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

The premier hunger prevention agency for Chicago’s West Side and near western suburbs cleared another hurdle in its bid to establish a new headquarters at a defunct grocery store site.

Oak Park-based Beyond Hunger, which provides hunger reliefto people across 13 zip codes in Chicago, Oak Park, Forest Park and several other West Cook suburbs, has applied for special-use zoning permission from the village to take over the vacant building at 6209 W. North Ave. The charity is on its way to purchasing the blighted for mer home to several grocery store chains and a fitness center to turn it into its permanent headquarters, according to Beyond Hunger CEO Jennie Hull.

“We’ve needed a new home to bring all our programming under one roof,” Hull told Oak Park’s Zoning Board of Appeals at a hearing Feb. 11.

The zoning board approved the food pantry’s application

unanimously. Beyond Hunger needed to go through Oak Park’s zoning approval process in order to operate a warehouse and distribution facility in Oak Park

The planned facility will feature 6,000 square feet for warehousing space support, a large parking lot and much more, according to Hull’s application to the zoning board.

“This space will include a large amount ofwarehouse space, a client focused community market that will look and feel like a grocery store, a drive thru for our online market program, storage and staging for our home delivery program, and a cooking classroom/kitchen for food demos and cooking classes as well as social services space for our benefits access coordinator who helps the community sign up for benefits like food stamps and medical services,” Hull said.

Beyond Hunger has served people out of its location in the basement of First United Church at 848 Lake St. for nearly 50 years. Helping well over 70,000 clients over the last year, the charity has outg rown that space, Hull said.

Right now Beyond Hunger’s office and pantry hours are

3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays. It is open for donations from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The charity is considering revisions to the schedule of some of its programming like its food box pick-up program and its market program so as not to increase traffic in the parking lot that might impact the surrounding area, Hull said.

Beyond Hunger’s application will go before Oak Park’s village board for final approval in the coming weeks.

Park District of Oak Park Referendum March 17, 2026

Proposed Facility Highlights

• 25-Yard Lap Pool

• Warm-Water Pool

• Indoor Splash Pad

• Small and Large Slide Features

• New Locker Room Areas

• Updated Lobby & User Access

• Party / Program Room

Learn more: pdop.org/indoor-pool, referendum@pdop.org or scan the QR code

Attend a Community Info Session

Wednesday, February 25

7 p.m. at the CRC

Please RSVP for Free Childcare

Schematic design from the proposal

Community Vision. Community Decision. Your Vote.

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VILLAGE HALL

Estimated costs

from page 1

costs for the police station, whose design revolves around the adaptive reuse ofa nearby bank building.

Those price estimates do not include additional costs associated with things like land acquisition, design work, finance and legal fees and other contingencies. For the police station alone, those additional costs will likely total at least an additional $10 million, according to Oak Park Public Works Director Rob Sproule.

The review ofthe concepts comes after village officials embraced a new plan for the future police station which dif fered sharply from the original vision for the station, which would’ve put up a new police HQ on Village Hall’s south lawn.

Board members voted in January to authorize an ef fort to acquire the U.S. Bank building at 11 Madison St. via eminent domain with the plan to redevelop it into a new police headquarters. The 37,000 square foot building is listed for sale at $2.65 million and is located only two blocks away from Oak Park Village Hall.

U.S. Bank officials spoke before the board last month to express their disapproval of the move, saying that they hadn’t planned to close the branch when they put it up for sale but planned to lease it back from a new

owner. The bank vowed to fight the eminent domain bid.

For decades, Oak Park police have operated out of Village Hall’s basement, a space considered too small and outdated to suit the needs ofa modern village police department. The village has been working to find a path to a new base of operations for the department since at least 2015, when it commissioned a property condition assessment on Village Hall.

Over the last decade, the village has spent millions on design work, kicked around several concepts for both building projects, fired one architect and hired another.

Renovating Village Hall has long proved to be a tricky proposition for Oak Park’s village boards. Since it opened in the 1970s the building has tried to exist as both a functional municipal building and as a funky, modernist tribute to the principles ofdemocracy and transparent government.

Meg Kindelin, founder ofproject architectural firm JLK, said that the architects on the project have strived to keep as much ofthe symbolism and style that’s defined Village Hall alive through the renovation.

“I do think that with this kind ofidea that the transparent government and this whole idea that this building means something, it’s really nice to have that at the fore ground and give that back as a gift to Oak Park,” she said. “Not to be too over the top with my language. But I think it’s relevant and this building deserves it.”

VILLAGE

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY 11 TH JUDICIAL SUBCIRCUIT

It’s Knox vs. Carrozza in 11th judicial subcircuit race

Democratic primary election March 17 is the only contested judgeship in the area

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Oak Park resident Jarrett Knox and Elmwood Park resident John Carrozza are vying in the upcoming Democratic primary for the position of judge in the 11th judicial subcircuit. The district runs north from Oak Park to include areas such as Leyden Township and parts of the northwest side of Chicago.

The Knox versus Carrozza race is the only contested race in the 11th subcircuit. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kim Przekota is running unopposed in the other 11th subcircuit race. In 2024 Przekota narrowly lost a judicial race to Audrey Cosgrove but Przekota was appointed to the bench last year.

The primary will take place March 17. Judges are elected to 6-year ter ms

Knox and Carrozza, both first time candidates, have contrasting backgrounds. Knox, 44, an assistant state’s attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Child Protection Division, has spent his entire legal career working in the public sector or legal aid work focusing on child protection and domestic violence cases. Carrozza has spent his entire career running a small general law practice based in River Grove that has focused on criminal defense work

Carrozza, 48, says the breath of his legal experience makes him more prepared to be a judge than Knox.

“He seems like a great guy, from all of my interactions with him, but I would definitely say that we have a big difference in experience,” Carrozza said. “Based on my expertise and my experience I think I’m better suited.”

Carrozza noted he has experience in both criminal and civil cases though the focus of his law practice is criminal defense work

“I’ve seen people from all walks of life,” Carrozza said. “I’ve seen a lot of them at their worst and I helped them get through those situations.”

Knox also feels that his experience has prepared him to be a judge. Although he has only handled one criminal case, a misdemeanor case while in law school, he feels that his work in child protection cases and domestic violence cases has given him abundant courtroom experience.

“Being in a courtroom on a daily basis

really gives me the skills that I need to not onl have legal knowledge but to be an effective courtroom manager wh think is a really big part of being a judge,” Knox said.

Knox says tha he would also brin empathy bench.

“I want to be a judge because near entire career has and working with survivors of who are traditionally kind of gins,” Knox j the difference that it makes to have a judge who, you know, not only knows the law but who understands that what we’re doing in the courtroom has real world and real time impacts on people and judges who approach cases with fair ness and patience and really give people before the cour t dignity.”

Knox has an edge in endorsements. His endorsements include State Senate President Don Harmon, Oak Park Village President Vicki Scatman, Franklin Park Mayor and Leyden Township Democratic Committeeman Barrett Pedersen, State Senator and 38th ward Democratic Committeeman Robert Martwick, Frank Avino, the Democratic committeeman for Norwood Park Township and the Democratic committeemen from 41st and 45th wards

The most notable endorsement Carrozza has is from his hometown mayor Skip Saviano, a Republican.

But Carrozza said he is focused on winning support from voters not politicians.

“I think the only real endorsement that matters, the only endorsement I’m looking for is that from the people,” Carrozza said. “That’s what I’m going to continually work for and I hope I have their endorsement, the actual voters endorsement.”

Knox said the support from politicians matters noting that both he and Carrozza sought support from the 11th subcircuit Democratic slating committee

“I’m no politiKnox said.

“This is my first nto this sort system and I’m not doing it because olitical person or because I’m olitician but beause I want to do this thing and I really think I would be that. I think onnected to olks that people have voted for. Peoho have had the opportunity to meet me and talk to me, meet my opponent, talk opponent and say, ‘oh this is the guy e supporting.’ I think that is just kind another way to connect the message to more people.”

Knox grew up in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee where the famous Scopes Monkey trial about the le gality of teaching evolution in schools took place in 1925. After attending colle ge at Carson Newman University in Jefferson, he came to Chicago. He worked for a nonprofit for a couple of years and then went to law school at DePaul. His first job out of law school was working for the Le gal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services, representing victims of domestic violence. His next job continued that work at the Domestic Violence Clinic. From 2011 to 2018 Knox worked for the Cook County Office of Public Guardian repre-

senting children. In 2018 and 2019 Knox was an administrative law judge for the Illinois Department of Human Services, hearing appeals from denials of requests for various types of public assistance before taking a job in the Child Protection Department of the Cook County State’s Attorney of fice.

“No one is going to jail or anything like that as a result of what we’re doing,” Knox said. “Sometimes it does result in terminating parental rights but that’s not the goal and that’s not the initial filing.”

Knox and his wife Catherine, a kindergarten teacher at Lincoln School, have three daughters and also host foster children for short periods of time.

Carrozza grew up in Elmwood Park and graduated from Fenwick High School in 1996. He wrestled at Fenwick, and in 1996 won the Catholic League championship in the 119-pound division. He went to colle ge at the Citadel, a military school in Charleston, South Carolina to wrestle but a knee injury ended his wrestling career.

After college Carrozza earned his law degree from John Marshall Law School, which is now called the UIC Law. He has spent his entire legal career in private practice. Carrozza is a 4th degree member, the highest rank, of the Sheridan-Carroll Knights of Columbus Council and heads the council’s Tootsie Roll drive.

Carrozza is married to his for mer high school sweetheart, Marianne, who is now a Spanish teacher at Fenwick. They have two daughters.

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VILLAGE HALL

$63 million plus from page 10

The tension between art and function is particularly apparent inside Oak Park’s council chambers, which symbolically seats the village board beneath their community audience. But the room has always been plagued by accessibility and emergency safety challenges including steep stairs that take visitors from the main level of Village Hall up into a tube that opens into the “beautiful” council chambers, Village President Vicki Scaman said.

“The fact that we enter this room through a tube is insane,” Scaman said. “If there was any kind of emergency in this room, and we all had to exit, and you had between 30 and 55 people exiting in a quick time, and you’re going through one door, through a tube, and I know I’m very dramatic about that, and then down an extremely steep set of stairs, that is going to be tragic, and we are lucky that nothing has ever happened. It’s been that way since 1974, yes, but the world is changing, and it’s only changing faster.”

In its proposals, JLK architects opted to treat the chambers as too weird to live, but too rare to die.

Village trustees were instructed to vote between two different plans for the village hall renovation that differed primarily in how they replaced the council chambers.

The plan trustees ultimately rejected would’ve expanded Room 101, currently used for smaller community meetings. In both plans, the current council chambers would be left as is and used for smaller staf f and community meetings.

coming together between the public and the staff who do such great work here,” Trustee Brian Straw said. “I think that putting council chambers where 101 is doesn’t create that sort of transparent gover nment element that has always been the history of this building.”

“It’s been that way since 1974, yes, but the world is changing, and it ’s only changing faster.”

While that plan was slightly cheaper overall, renovating that room presented a significant financial challenge and would’ve abandoned much of the symbolism of the current council chambers. The plan the board voted in favor of would build a new entrance to village hall that would allow visitors to walk straight into the new council chambers as they come into the building.

VICKI SCAMA N Village president

Trustee Jim Taglia stood in opposition to most of the board when he said that the village should consider a redevelopment scheme that kept the current council chambers in use with a few accessibility focused updates.

“It’s an expensive work around, in my view,” Taglia said. “I’d like to know why we have to look at abandoning this as our council chambers. Is that necessary? I mean, why is that absolutely mandatory? And why can we not do anything but one of these other two concepts? Because when we left the last meeting, I wasn’t under the impression that that was an automatic.”

Kindelin said that JLK had tried to moder nize the council chambers, but that doing so was both impractical and “ridiculously expensive.”

“I did desperately want to keep you in this room, because I like the symbolism, and that’s where my heart is. However, if we’re looking at what the world that this building was designed in is not the world we live in today, unfortunately, it just simply is not. I’m a historic preservation architect and an architect, and I look at buildings through time and the way they change, the way the building must change to reflect the world around it.”

Regardless of the chambers, Taglia and Wesley voted against endorsing the plan in part because of vagueness surrounding the construction costs. Both said they’d have liked to see an itemized cost list for police station construction.

“I’m trying to understand how big of a check I’m voting for tonight,” Wesley said. “I’m not sold on this one, President Scaman. Honestly, the costs here are much higher than I anticipated.”

“There can be a little bit more of that that

Trustee Cory Wesley said he was also open to preserving council chambers as the home for village board meetings.

With the board’s 5-2 endorsement of the plan, architects will dive deeper into schematic designs for the projects before returning to the village board.

7TH DISTRIC T DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Jazmin Robinson cites legislation to improve 7th district

The HR professional is running for Congress under her HEAL Act to address the root causes of inequity

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Editor’s note: Ahead of the March 17 primary, Growing Community Media is profiling the candidates running in the 7th Congressional District in Illinois. Whoever wins the November election will succeed Rep. Danny Davis, who is retiring after nearly 30 years in the position. This week, GCM reported on Jazmin Robinson.

A senior-level human resources professional, Jazmin Robinson is running for Congress on her HEAL Act. It addresses the r causes ofaffordability and co ruption with legislation for free health care and education, better access to gover nment, and a living wage — all paid for by taxing the rich more.

oftrouble, Robinson said. Attending trade schools used to be free, covered for students by state funding, and many public colleges were founded as tuition-free institutions.

■ “When I see other candidates say, ‘I’m going to do housing’ or ‘I’m going to help bring back child credits,’ that’s not the root cause. How about just free childcare? We can afford it,” Robinson said. “Why can’t people afford housing? Because they’re paying a ton in health care, they’re paying a ton in childcare. Childcare is a mortgage payment.”

■ To amend access to government and fair markets by banning PACs and lobbyists

■ “Ifthey have more influence on the government than the voter, that’s not a good thing,” Robinson said. “I’m the only candidate that I know of who’s only taking individual donations.” She cited a study done by Princeton University that shows how the bottom 90% ofincome earners have a near-zero impact on congressional policies.

“All candidates are kind of treating the symptoms ofthe disease, and I’m trying to cure it,” Robinson said of the HEAL Act.

In her day job, Robinson builds and manages employee benefits, both nationally and globally. She protects workers’ rights and enforces fair treatment ofemployees by negotiating with vendors for medical, dental and vision insurance. She also deals with large insurance companies that deny employee claims and helps to educate employees when there are changes

“I basically do the work of Congress in the private sector,” Robinson said.

Robinson is focusing on leveraging obscure laws and identifying specific ways Congress can improve through her HEAL Act. It promises:

■ Free, quality universal health care

■ Free education Some states offer free preschool, which could be implemented on a national level to keep kids engaged and out

■ Robinson also wants to break up monopolies by amending multi-million-dollar contracts that Congress awards to one company, rather than splitting it between smaller businesses

■ Create a living wage of at least $25 per hour. Ifelected, Robinson wants to give credits to small businesses to help them grow and hire a grant director and coordinator in her office to help small businesses and nonprofits apply for grants

The HEAL Act could cost up to $3 trillion per year for the federal gover nment and save families up to $95,600 a year. Robinson said it could be funded by a fair tax plan, like the ones the United States had under Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower.

“We were kind ofin the same situation that we’re in now, where we have the ultrawealthy and the poor. When they did that fair tax system, it created our middle class,” Robinson said.

About $2.2 trillion ofthe HEAL Act would be funded by having large corporations, millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share in taxes. A similar amount is already spent

on Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act and could be redirected to fund free health care for everyone

After President Donald Trump was elected to a second term and passed the Big Beautiful Bill, Robinson was looking for ways to be more politically involved. She thought ofthe tens ofthousands of people who are going to die because they can’t afford health care and said none ofthe candidates had strategies to address it.

“The other thing that frustrates me is these candidates are, like, ‘I’m going to bring back money to the district.’ But how?” Robinson said.

She specifically cites community project funding, where every congressperson annually gets $10-to-20 million to improve their districts’ infrastructure, public safety and economic development. Robinson suggested using community project funding to replace lead pipes and invest in 7th district libraries and schools

She named federal surplus personal property donations as a way to get laptops, furniture and vehicles that the federal government is no longer using into the 7th district. She said, in the bills that could accomplish these things, legislators can write earmarks that dictate that resources must go to those who need them most.

Unfair politics

Robinson said corruption in politics starts at the ballot box. Democratic and Republican candidates have to collect so many signatures to get on the ballot. According to Illinois Policy, independent candidates running for the U.S. House are, on average, required to collect nearly 18 times as many signatures as Democrats and 23 times as many as Republicans

“That’s why there’s no independent candidates,” Robinson said. “You need a lot of money, you need a coalition, and honestly, it’s very hard to get right. Who made those rules?

It’s our Illinois State Assembly. La Shawn Ford’s part of that.”

Robinson added that, once elected, congresspeople can join committees that help to progress legislation.

See JAZMIN on pa ge 15

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JA ZMIN ROBINSON

SIDEWALKS

Underground vault

from page 1

agreement in place regarding the 200-foot stretch of vaulted sidewalks outside Bushouse’s Scoville Block building but that discussions were ongoing

Asked for comment after Bushouse told Wednesday Journal of his intention to block the impact on his building, village officials chose not to allow interviews with either Greg Smith, the village attorney, or Bill McKenna, the village engineer

Instead it issued a statement to the paper which read in part, “The village remains committed to working with all stakeholders and moving forward with a long-awaited project that balances preservation, progress and the long-term vitality of the Hemingway District and Oak Park as a whole. The importance of the project requires the village to keep it on schedule in order for the public to enjoy the benefits of the project at the earliest opportunity.”

Moses Valdez, president of the volunteer Hemingway District Business Association, said, “We rely on this project getting done in a timely manner. We’re a community. My thinking is, there are challenges in life, but instead of being upset about it, how can we make it a better community for everyone?”

A landlord in the village since the 1970s, Bushouse said he stopped buying property in the 1980s when it became apparent to him that the village wasn’t interested in historic preservation.

This particular building, he said, is an important piece of Oak Park history.

“The building was planned in 1899 before the village of Oak Park was even incorporated,” he said. “The Scoville family basically built Oak Park We should be calling it Scovillette.”

On the ground floor, his building is home to tenants such as Mulatta and Billy Bricks On the floors above, there are apartments for rent. In the basement level, he said, there’s a piece of Oak Park’s past that will be lost to concrete if the village proceeds with its new sidewalk plans.

In that lower level in a vast room filled with mechanicals, vintage furniture and

He added, “This was a credible, structural system that I’m not going to let be destroyed.”

Bushouse said he is very concerned about what destroying the existing sidewalks will do to the terra cotta marble facades of his building. For that reason, he is engaging an engineer to come up with a cost estimate for the value of those areas. At the same time, he is concerned about the village’s lack of historic awareness

“I want to continue to tell the story,” he said.

To that end, Bushouse has been seeking the help of the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office to see if they will help him fight the village. However, he is concerned that his contacts in the office are not giving it adequate attention.

other memorabilia from Oak Park’s past. The original vaulted sidewalk is visible on the west side.

Facing the street, the wall is lined with Joliet limestone. Holding it up are cast iron columns that Bushouse says Scoville imported from France.

“The village wants to fill it all in with light weight concrete,” he said.

Bushouse, who says he just learned of the village’s plans to fill in the basement area of his building six months ago, says the plan is “not just bad engineering, it’s bad government.”

If the state Historic Preservation Office can’t step in, Bushouse says his next step is to sue the village.

“That’s who I am: a steward. I take care of my property.”

TODD BANNOR

e Scov ille Building in the 100 North block of Oak Park Avenue on Feb. 12.

TODD BANNOR Detail of the transom of the Scov ille Building entrance

TODD BANNOR

Vintage photograph of the Scoville Building

TODD BANNOR

James Bushouse, ow ner of the Scov ille Building

TODD BANNOR

Scov ille Building vault under Oak Park Avenue sidewalk

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

Invites you to our annual

Invites you to our annual

JA ZMIN Running for Congress

MUSEUM GALA

MUSEUM GALA

to the party and then you can get on the committee. But if you don’t do what those donors say, they’re going to primary [challenge] you and kick you out.”

Heart of our Villages

Honoring the 2023 Award Winners

from page 13

Heart of our Villages

That’s why Robinson wants to ban PACs and lobbyists, who have so much influence over career politicians.

Honoring the 2023 Award Winners

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional people whose stories make our villages so special CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

“That’s the biggest thing is educating my constituents and telling them what I’m doing for them. Because if I don’t show you proof that this is what we did, we brought in funds, they’re going to be like, ‘What are you doing for me?’”

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual

Most recently, Robinson said she wasn’t invited to the Bellwood Chamber of Commerce’s for um this month because of concerns about space and safety . The Chamber later said she could attend.

“I can draft a law, but if I don’t get on a committee, we don’t put it up and vote for it, it doesn’t move anywhere,” Robinson said.

CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

Members of Cong ress are expected to pay party dues in order to be a part of certain committees, she said. Some committee taxes can climb to millions of dollars per ter m.

We celebrate the stories of Oak Parkers

Thursday March 9, 2023

“We need to stop voting for candidates that we like or that we see a lot of in the media. We got to look at the people who have less money and look at their policies,” Robinson said, along with their strategies. “You’ re electing someone in probably one of the most important offices in the world that’s going to drastically impact your life.”

GALA

MUSEUM GALA

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional people whose stories make our villages so special

We celebrate the stories of Oak Parkers and River Foresters whose lives of service are models for our communities

Thursday March 9, 2023

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Heart of our Villages

“These organizations are really doing such a disservice to voters by gatekeeping and excluding candidates from forums and are violating IRS re gulations too,” Robinson said in an email.

Honoring the 2023 Award Win

Honoring the 2023 Award Win

Foresters whose lives of service are models for our communities

Heart of our Villages

“Where are you going to get that money if you don’t have a bunch of high donors? They tell you to call those lobbyists, PACs and the wealthy to ask for donations to give

Ni ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Park

Ni ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Park

Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

Aside from eliminating PACs and lobbyists, Robinson said she’d serve differently from Cong. Danny Davis by hosting quarterly town halls and educating voters more.

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m.

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m.

AIPAC CASH

out of the race.

$125/ticket

$125/ticket

When it comes to unfair politics in her personal life, Robinson said she’s not been invited to more than one forum for 7th district congressional candidates. She said she was kept out of two forums in December, one hosted by the Illinois Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Plan, National Nurses United, The People’s Lobby and ISPC and another hosted by Proviso Dems and Speaker of the Illinois House Emanuel “Chris” Welch. She said neither organization invited her to join the forum or responded when she asked to be included

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional people whose stories make our villages so special CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional people whose stories make our villages so special CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

Thursday March 9, 2023

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual

from page 3

MUSEUM GALA

We celebrate the stories of Oak Parkers and River Foresters whose lives of service are models for our

Thursday March 9, 2023

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Other Democratic candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring for Davis’s seat include Richard Boykin, Kina Collins, Melissa Conyears-Ervin, David Elrich, Anthony Driver Jr., Dr. Thomas Fisher, La Shawn Ford, Jason Friedman, Rory Hoskins, Anabel Mendoza, Reed Showalter, and Felix Tello. Republican candidates are Chad Koppie and Patricia Easley.

We celebrate the stories of Oak Parkers and River Foresters whose lives of service are models for our communities

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Ni ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Park Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

Ni ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Park Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

from doing what’s right -- not now, not ever.”

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

Questions? 708-848-6755 or oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net

Questions? 708-848-6755 or oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net

PAC, UDP, has shifted its support to Conyears-Ervin. Friedman’s campaign issued a statement Wednesday responding to rumors that he was being pressured to drop

Heart of our Villages

“I joined this race to fight and deliver results for everyone,” Friedman said in a statement released by his campaign. “The people of the 7th District deserve a re presentative with integrity, not career politicians with ethical baggage who sell out their constituents to the highest bidder. I won’t be bullied, and I won’t back down

Reed Showalter, another progressive candidate in the race, has staked out a very anti-AIPAC and pro-Palestinian posture. He also condemned the UDP spending in support of Conyears-Ervin.

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m.

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m. $125/ticket

Honoring the 2023 Award Winners

$125/ticket

Questions? 708-848-6755 or oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual MUSEUM GALA

Questions? 708-848-6755 or oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net

“They are trying to buy a moderate who will fund continuing genocide and war

ople whose stories make our villages so special CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

crimes overseas with just a wall of cash at the end that is going to say nothing about what her record or her positions on the Middle East are and entirely an attempt to buy their way into a member who will kowtow to everything they want to see,” Showalter said in a video posted to his campaign Instagram account. “This is what corruption looks like.”

The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest Invites you to our annual

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional

Camille Wilson White

Honoring the 2026

Jan Novak Dressel

Thursday March 9, 2023

6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Honoring the 2023 Award

Join us to celebrate the Exceptional people whose stories make our villages so spe CamilleWilsonWhiteandJanNovakDressel

ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Park

Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

Camille Wilson White Jan Novak Dressel

Heart of our Villages 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday March 9, 2023 Ni ne t een t h Cen t ur y Cl ub , 178 Fore st, Oa k Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and carving station

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m.

$125/ticket

Questions? 708-848-6755 or oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net

Entertainment at 6:30 P.M.

Remarks and Award Presentation at 7:30 p.m. $125/ticket Questions? 708-848-6755 or oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net

Thursday, March 12, 2026 • 6:30pm to 9pm

Nineteenth Century Club, 178 Forest, Oak Park e Sokols

winter/spring 2026

Enrichment and guide Camp

OAK PARK SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Summer Camp

Camp Sessions

SPRING BREAK CAMP: STAGE READY! (3/30-4/3)

SUMMER WEEK #1: MUSICAL THEATER Camp (6/15-6/19)

SUMMER WEEK #2: K-POP Camp (6/22-6/26)

HWhat It Means to Be a Lifelong Musician

ave you ever wondered what would have happened if you didn’t quit lessons as a child? Which instrument would you still play? Which songs would you enjoy, and who would you play them for? So many adults carry a nostalgia for the music they once knew—or never quite learned.

imagination. And when we play it, listen to it, or simply let it move through us, we also receive real emotional, psychological, and physiological benefits. Music transcends language, age, and even time, because it lives on past us, carried forward in every life we touch along our own musical journey.

SUMMER WEEK #3: MUSIC EXPLORERS Camp (PREK-2nd; 6/29-7/2)

SUMMER WEEK #4: PIANO & VOICE Camp (7/6-7/10)

SUMMER WEEK #5: WORLD OF MUSIC Camp (7/13-7/17)

SUMMER WEEK #6: AUDIO ENGINEERS JR. Camp (7/20-7/24)

SUMMER WEEK #7: SOUND STORIES Camp (7/27-7/31)

SUMMER WEEK #8: BAND TOGETHER Camp (8/3-8/7)

SUMMER WEEK #9: K-POP Camp (8/10-8/14) All classes from $120.00

Studies show that music serves a purpose in life far greater than the music itself. It challenges us to develop discipline, resilience, perseverance, patience, selfawareness, collaboration, and

At Oak Park School of Music, we hope to foster lifelong musicians who find a love of music for music itself— and for the life lessons it offers each of us, and everyone whose lives we touch along the way.

chicagoedgesc.com/club/summercamps

Oak Park police investigate $11,000+

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park police are investigating a case involving thousands of dollars in stolen fine art.

An Oak Park resident contacted police after learning that someone had falsely signed for two FedEx packages being delivered to their home on Linden Avenue before stealing the items inside. One package re por tedly contained two paintings that had been shipped from Amsterdam, while the other contained silver medallions, according to police.

The total value of the stolen goods is estimated at $11,107, according to police. The theft occur red shortly after 1 p.m. Feb. 9, according to police.

Aggravated battery

Oak Park police arrested a Chicago man on felony charges in connection with an alle ged attack on a train stopped at an Oak Park station.

Police arrested the 20-year-old man after identifying him as the person suspected of attacking another Chicago man while the Metra train was at the Oak Park station in the 700 block of South Boulevard at 10:10 p.m. Feb. 8, according to police.

Police arrested the man in the 300 block of Austin Boulevard on charges of aggravated battery and criminal damage to property. He was held and processed for bond

hearings, according to police. These items were obtained from Oak Park’s Police Department re ports dated Feb. 8–13 and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port 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.

Happiness is a warm cup in wintertime

Local merchant Todd & Holland spills the tea

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter

Todd & Holland Tea Merchants understand that this time of the year calls for something warm in your hands to get through the dregs of winter.

Owner Laurie Jackson is happy to introduce people to tea, beyond the boxed teabag, at her Forest Park store at 7311 Madison St. The shelves are filled with black, oolong, green caffeinated teas and many herbals too

“One thing we try to stress here is education and a lot of people focus on the tea ceremony,” Jackson said. “There are different types of ceremonies, but what they all have in common is that the point is to sit down, to stop, slow down, think very deliberately about what you’re doing, about your day, about whatever it is that you want to.”

She has nothing against a morning cup with the caffeine you need to achieve, but relaxing with a high-quality cup can be a ritual that brings more to the table.

Her shelves are full. A quick overview of the selection includes Jasmine pearls, Moroccan mint, champagne raspberry, orchid oolong, gunpowder pinhead extrafine, chamomile, rooibos and honeybush varieties. From around the world comes Assams, Ceylons, Darjeelings, senchas and more.

When tea-curious customers come in, the staf f usually suggests a flavored tea to start of f. Todd & Holland’s original spice tea blend, with a cinnamon and orange profile, is often a first pour

bitter. Green tea is a very fast stee p, like two minutes. Black tea will start to get a little bitter after five or six minutes. Herbal tea could be 10, 15 minutes and you’ll be fine.

The longer you steep it, the more flavoring it infuses,” Jackson said.

“It was the tea that started the business. It outsells every single lot of our teas,” Jackson said.

All true teas come from one plant, camelia sinensis. White, green, oolong, black and even matcha are all variations on that one leaf. The difference is made in how it’s processed and the amount of oxidation allowed. A vital thing to know is how to brew each.

“Green tea is brewed at a very low temperature, 170-185 degrees. Same thing with oolongs, and the blacks and the herbals are at 212 degrees. So if you put a green tea in 212 degrees boiling water, it tends to taste

A selection of popular tea blends

Many people come into the store to explore the health benefits of tea. Jackson said she and the staff are not equipped to dispense medical advice, but they do refer serious inquiries to Larrabee Herbs in Elmwood Park

“They have herbalists there. They’ll be able to say if you should focus on this herb or that herb. Then [Todd & Holland] can come and say, okay, this tea will meet those requirements,” Jackson said.

In addition to teas, herbal and non-caffeinated rooibos blends, the emporium also carries plain elements, such as peppermint, hibiscus and lemongrass. Those can be added to their other teas to boost the flavor in an individualized way.

But wait, what about a refreshing iced tea?

“A lot of the herbal teas, which are called tisanes, they are naturally caffeine. The same thing with the rooibos tea, which is

red bush tea from South Africa. They all make for a nice cold brew. You can just take the pouch, drop it in with cold water overnight, and then the next morning you’ll have a pitcher,” Jackson said.

She also mentioned that mocktails using teas have become popular, especially ones featuring their smoked teas. Desserts flavored with matcha have also taken off too.

“Tea is so versatile, whether you’ re drinking it, whether you’ re baking with it, or whether you’ re just serving it on the side. It’s a very, very versatile drink,” Jackson said.

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Owner Laurie Jackson

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Patricia McGowan FOUNDER’S CLUB

Michelle Galindo FOUNDER’S CLUB

Margarita Lopez FOUNDER’S CLUB

Steve Scheuring FOUNDER’S CLUB

Saxena Saxena FOUNDER’S CLUB

Heidi Rogers FOUNDER’S CLUB

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Beyond Hunger New Moms Housing Forward Hephzibah

Steve Green PRESIDENT’S CLUB

Bill Geldes DIRECTOR’S CLUB

Maya Puentes DIRECTOR’S CLUB

Brian Yabes DIRECOR’S CLUB

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email:

w

Insider insights on coolest Oak Park homes

By LACE Y SIKORA Contributing Reporter

than a year, Preservation Oak Park has educating and entertaining locals with its 360 ents, with themed evenings where a speakers have 360 seconds to share their a topic.

This month’s focus, “Wow, That’s Cool!,” will take Fitzgerald’s on Feb. 25. It will include speakin some of Oak Park’s most interesting ell as experts on topics that many lovers history will find – you guessed it – pretty cool. presenters are expected, at the 7 p.m. Roosevelt Road in Berwyn. While the , advanced re gistration is requested Chris Payne, one of the founding memarchitecture-focused preservation group says that the popular events fill up quickly, and he’s

looking forward to the slate of six speakers. Doug Freerksen of Von Dreele Freerksen, a local general contractor and historic home expert, will give a talk titled, “Where to Put the Coolerator?” Freerksen will cover the work his fir m has done to restore Frank Lloyd Wright’s Heurtley House

Julie Blankemeier is an Oak Park homeowner who will talk about her home’s television debut on the TV show Fargo. She and her husband weren’t big television watchers when a houseguest urged them to respond to a location scout’s outreach about filming the show on their Euclid Avenue block. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience of opening up their home to the film crew and stars like Chris Rock, even when the pandemic made things a little dicey The family was relocated to a hotel for part of the filming.

Blankemeier said the architect of her home is unknown but some attribute it to H.G. Fiddle. The

OUR HOME MEETS FARGO: Film crew workers at the Euclid Avenue home for the lming of the TV show Fargo, Nov. 21, 2019.

Doug Freerksen

ill discuss the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Heurtley House.

FRANK LLOY D WRIGHT TRUST/JAMES CAULFIELD

home stood in for the Kansas City home of Rock’s character’s family in the show.

Having her home serve as set “was such a great experience,” Blankemeier said, but she admits she didn’t make it past the second episode when the series aired. “I don’t like dark stuf f, and this was so dark, I couldn’t watch it.”

Oak Park tour guide and brick expert Will Quam runs Brick of Chicago on Instagram and has a book coming out this spring. Quam will speak about Brisch brick and Brisch bungalows.

Michael Brisch and his family ran Brisch Brick and had a factory that made Chicago common brick in Stickney. Michael’s brother, Andrew, was a builder and developer, and according Payne, built some of Oak Park’s most notable bungalows: 701 S. East and 745 S. East, which are local landmarks.

Macey Morales, the marketing manager for the Berwyn Development Corp. has a talk titled, “No Ghosts, Just Memorable Design.”

S he’ll cove r Byline Bank and Berwy n’s m id-century modern b ank structures. Located at 3322 South Oak Park Ave., Byline Bank has metal sculptures i nstalled on i ts façade

Retired anthropologist and cemetery scholar Paula Fenza will discuss Louis Comfort Tif fany and Tif fany Studios’ work at Forest Home Cemetery.

Fenza said that Forest Home is a reflection of Midwest culture. “It was established as a non-denominational, non-sectarian cemetery that was open to everyone. It’s made up of a number if immigrant and diverse groups.”

e diverse gathering spot represented by Forest Home Cemetery.

Oak Park interior designer Christine Baumbach will speak on her Jerome Cernydesigned home on Woodbine Avenue where she and her family have lived for 45 years.

Born in Chicago, Jerome Cerny studied at the School of the Art Institute, the Armour Institute and Yale University. Before opening his own studio, he worked for architects Benjamin Marshall and David Adler. His homes in the Oak Park area have a unique French country appearance.

Before you go

360 Oak Park will be at FitzGerald at 6615 Roosevelt Rd. in Berwyn on Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m.

The event is free, but pre-re gistration is requested. The event is 21+.

For additional information and tick ets visit:

https://www fitzgeraldsnightclub c om/tm- ev ent/360-oak-pa rk -w ow thats-cool/

CHRISTOPHER PAYNE

TIFFANY MEETS FOREST HOME:

701 S. East Ave., Oak Park GOOGLE

S. Oak Park Ave., Ber wy n

New bill protects our rights p. 26

A parent’s guide to sideline etiquette

If coaching is teaching, then parenting on game day is something else entirely. It’s spectating

That distinction matters because too often parents arrive at g ames ready to step into a role that isn’t theirs. Coaching takes time, preparation, and intentionality. Coaches put in hours getting kids ready for game As a parent, your job is far simpler and far more important: get your kid to the game on time, ared, and then enjoy the product. it

No one really wants to come to a game to hear an anxiety-riddled, play-by-play telecast of what the team should be doing. Sports, as much as I love ve a strange way of bringing out the worst in basic etiquette. We forget things like sitting everyone can see, lowering our voices, and asking ourselves whether our behavior is affecting the people around us.

I was reminded of this recently at a game where a few parents were giving the referee a hard time about a couple of missed foul calls. The official was ly a veteran and had reached the end of his patience when he finally turned to a parent and said, “Do you really think I care who wins this game? I’m probably missing calls for both teams.” That shut things down immediately. There were several noticeable glances of appreciation in the crowd. Not because the referee was perfect but because someone finally said what many were thinking.

When parents overcoach during games, we also deny kids the opportunity to figure things out on their own. If you’ve watched enough sports, you can often see mistakes unfolding in slow motion. Kids freeze, hesitate, or look around trying to make sense of what just happened. It’s tempting to jump in with instructions, but we have to remember they’re learning in real time. They don’t have 10,000 hours of experience or a catalog of highlights running through their heads.

The corollary is simple. If you went to see your child perfor m in a school play and they forgot their lines, it would be wildly inappropriate to shout the dialogue from the audience. You’d give them the space to recover, adapt, and learn. Sports deserve that same grace.

Don’t get me wrong, parents don’t need to sit in shavasana during games Cheering is good. Celebrating effort is good. Getting excited as a fan is part of the experience. But the stands should be a place of encouragement, not instruction.

When our voices start directing play or venting frustration, the focus quietly shifts from the kids to us. Spectating is actually pretty easy when we let coaches coach, referees referee, and kids play.

Show up prepared. Cheer with joy. Trust the process. Then, after the game, when emotions have cooled and the car ride home begins, that’s the time for coaching your child.

Vince Gay has over 20 years of experience in education, ranging from classroom teacher to building administrator. The proud parent of two school-age children, he has been an active member of the Oak Park community for more than a decade.

OA K P ARK ’S HOUSING HIST OR Y Racism, antisemitism, ethnocentrism take hold

Part II of our series on the history of Oak Park housing as it relates to racial diversity and equity in the village

The 1920s were a decade marked by the village’s greatest period of commercial and housing development. Oak Park’s population soared from 10,000 in 1900 to 40,000 in 1920, then to 64,000 in 1930 and its peak of 66,000 in 1940 (1). During these years Oak Park’s Black population almost disappeared — falling from 169 to 57 by 1950. It was a period when the village’s exclusionary housing trends continued to be aggravated by dominant racial beliefs, religious prejudice, socio-economic interests and local policy decisions.

This happened in a context much like today’s, of oppressive racial and cultural beliefs. White replacement theory was widespread and articulated in best-selling books like Madison Grant’s The Passing of the Great Race, which was deeply racist and antisemitic. With the massive nationwide immigration of Eastern and Souther n Europeans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Oak Park’s

white Protestants believed their political and social dominance was in jeopardy

The open presence of the 300-member Women of the Ku Klux Klan illustrated the anxiety and resistance to social change of many Oak Parkers — especially toward village newcomers of Irish, Italian and Jewish identity. Like most who came to the village for the rest of the century, these groups sought the comfort, prestige and middle-class amenities suburban Oak Park continues to offer. Opposition that spurred exclusionary attitudes and policies emanated from popular beliefs about culture, education and housing a century ago that still linger more silently in today’s policy debates in our schools, in zoning decisions, and in housing reform

In what historians refer to as the Progressive Reform Era in the early 20th century, upper-class business interests, through the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, advanced a

PROVIDED

60th Anniversar y Dinner of the Oak Park Maywood Improvement Association. KKK adver tisement in the Oak Leaves

OOUR VIEWS

Our slow-m al reckoning Questions on Oak Park plan

ak Park’s village board acted last week to move forward with active architectural planning for a new police station at Madison and Austin while also advancing plans for notable renovation and expansion of village hall.

It was a split vote at 5-2 with trustees Wesley and Taglia in opposition to aspects of the project.

We understand the sense of urgency to move forward on projects that have been under discussion and have already cost a good bit of money in the planning. Oak Park has to have a new police station. Everyone ag rees on that. We’re supportive of the plan to re-use the bank building at Madison and Austin to house a modern police station.

But we have questions, too.

As presented last week by staf f and architects, the combined projects come right up to $90 million, not including the cost of expenditures like professional design work, legal fees and the acquisition of the bank building. That’s $64 million for the cop shop, which is more than we anticipated, based on the reuse of a large existing structure. And $26 million to renovate and expand village hall.

Yet there was no attempt to explain how Oak Park will pay for this. T here has never been a transparent attempt to lay out the financing plan for this project. Simply, that’s nuts.

How much further can the planning process go forward before at least the broad sweep of financing is reviewed and given some sort of of ficial nod. It is clear that Oak Park has considerable cash on hand. How deep into reserves can Oak Park go? $30 million? What is the bonding capacity of the village to pay for this? A referendum? What will that amount to? What will it cost individual taxpayers? There has been talk of staggering these projects by at least a few years. What does that save or cost?

This topic needs to be put on an agenda. The financial experts at village hall and likely a couple of bond consultants need to present a plan to pay for this.

Here’s another question. How deep can the village get into this project without owning the bank building? Yes, the plan is to take this property via eminent domain. It seems likely to work. But how long will it take? And what if there is a prolonged legal fight with U.S. Bank?

Finally, part of what the village board signed of f on last week was a plan to expand village hall to include a new welcome area and, significantly, new council chambers. We admit to having strong positive feelings about the current council chambers with its philosophical statement about elected officials sitting at the feet of their constituents. We also acknowledge the warts of the facility with its main entry point through a tunnel at the top of steep stairs — and the safety concerns for those same electeds sitting effectively in a shooting gallery with limited exits.

That said, we ’d like more discussion about plans for changes to village hall.

Aweek ago Saturday, I attended the 4th Annual Black Heritage Performing Arts Community Concer t at Shiloah Baptist Church on the Southwest Side of Chicago. Among their stated objectives: “to preserve and promulgate Black Culture, to transform minds and behaviors, to improve interpersonal communication, to appreciate and embrace diversity, through the Performing Arts.”

After 2½ hours soaking it all up, I marveled again what a remarkable and resilient people Black Americans are and how much they have enriched our culture in spite of all that this country has put them through. At one point during the proceedings, a minister came to the podium and said, “I love you all — and there’s not a thing you can do about it.”

TRAINOR

I could only shake my head in wonder. The “Racial Reckoning,” declared in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis in 2020, has all but evaporated. In the ensuing white backlash, DEI programs (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) have been demonized, diminished, and/ or dismissed as little more than elaborate white guilt trips.

I still hear people grouse about “Black Lives Matter” (“What about white lives?”). I suggest they think of it as the first three words of a fuller statement: “Black Lives Matter as Much as White Lives” (because white lives throughout our history have always mattered more). Sometimes they get it.

My own racial reckoning, an ongoing up-anddown evolution, has lasted most of my life. It accelerated when I recognized that I grew up in a society where “white” Americans, as a group, are relatively privileged and considered superior, whereas people of color are re garded as inferior –and that neither is fair and neither is true.

Growing up in such a stratified culture, it is almost impossible to avoid absorbing some of the attitudes and stereotypes that are so pervasive. For some, these attitudes are all too conscious — the Trump administration springs to mind. With the rest of us, it’s mostly unconscious. The goal of DEI, Black Lives Matter, and the Racial Reckoning has been to make our unconscious biases conscious so we can do something about them. But because so many white Americans are so resistant to acknowledging they might be tainted by racism, I use the term “racial conditioning” to, hopefully, make everyone feel less defensive

Despite my ef for ts to become “anti-racist,” as author Ibram X. Kendi put it, or maybe because

of those ef forts, I discovered some of those attitudes and stereotypes lurking within. Turns out you can’t just wish them away. They’re sneaky. I learned this when I caught myself “in the act” of silently judging people of color and assuming they were less competent. My racial conditioning got the better of me. Fortunately, they ke pt ving me wrong. It was my “pleasant surprise” that tipped me of f. Why was I “surprised”? I started noticing the pattern. Sound familiar?

I’ve seen this tendency in other white Americans too — being critical, judgmental, disapproving — in effect, “You’ re suspect until proven competent.” It must be awful for people of color, who have spent their lives under this hypercritical white “gaze,” like living with a perfectionist who can never be pleased.

When I interact with a person of color now, I assume the best, not the worst. I assume I’m in the presence of a person of quality — and in almost every case, I’m proven right. When I lapse and catch myself making unjust assumptions, I stop myself and say, “There you go again” and let it dissipate. This seems to work I still have a long way to go, but there is a psychological payoff for dumping our unwanted biases. It’s liberating. Yes it’s work, but it’s doable — and rewarding. Yes, there is so much more to ending racism than cor recting our unjust assumptions and improving our interactions with people of color — not electing racists who implement racist policies would obviously help.

But I don’t understand why so many of us resist this reckoning. There’s nothing to be ashamed of if we all admit we have biases we need to shed. If we come up short, as we will from time to time, there’s no need for shaming, only sympathy We’re all in the same predicament. And if you’ re fur ther along this path, turn around and help someone who isn’t. That’s part of our “reckoning” too.

To relate to people of color as equals, first you have to genuinely believe they’re your equal, which is surprisingly easy because, my experience tells me, they are. It’s about respect, knowing they likely had to work twice as hard in this unequal society to be as successful as they are. That builds character. So it’s only fair that we should work twice as hard to meet them without our biased baggag e. That builds character too. In the end — someday, hopefully — we’ll all see eye to non-critical eye.

And then we’ll be free at last from this persistent cultural curse.

In defense of dignity and the rule of law

We have all born witness to what happens when federal power is weaponized against the very people it is supposed to protect. Over the past months, communities across Chicagoland – our communities – and Minneapolis have been shaken by scenes that belong in history books warning us what not to become: masked federal agents jumping out of unmarked vans, grabbing residents off sidewalks, terrorizing families outside schools, hospitals and courthouses. In the most horrific incidents, they have killed innocent people exercising their constitutional rights.

Let’s be clear: this is not about public safety. This is not about order. This is a federal assault on basic human and constitutional rights. It is chaos — deliberate chaos — and it is wrong

Like many of you, I am distraught, angry

and frightened by what we’re witnessing. I never thought I would live in a country where unidentified gover nment agents with military weapons could disappear people on American streets. I never thought I would have to reassure families that their rights still matter when they drop their children at daycare.

But here we are. And here in Illinois, we are doing something about it.

it signed immediately into law by Gov. JB Pritzker

The purpose is simple: your rights follow you everywhere. nto the courthouse. Onto ampus. To the hospital. To your child’s daycare. No badge, no title, no mask puts anyone above the Constitution.

identities or violate longstanding rights and protections

We also established 1,000-foot safe zones around courthouses so survivors, families and witnesses can seek justice without fearing arrest. We strengthened privacy protections in hospitals, daycares, and colleges.

Working together, the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus, and a broad coalition of advocates, passed a new law designed to restore some measure of dignity, accountability and basic constitutional order. I was proud to sponsor it — and prouder still to see

$40M is hard to justify

I attended the Feb. 4 park district discussion on the possibility of constructing an indoor pool at Ridgeland Commons. I encourage every voter to view the video of that meeting, which is available on the Park District of Oak Park website. Several issues were discussed that are important to consider when voting to issue up to $40M in bonds for this construction project. The current pool needs work. It was constructed in 1962, and the park district says it has reached the end of its useful life The decision that must be made is either to repair the existing pool at a cost of about $10M or to replace the pool with a year-round indoor facility with a lap pool, warm-water pool, and splash pool. A survey was conducted that concluded there is support among Oak Park residents for an indoor pool. Having conducted population surveys myself, I believe that this one was conducted with an appropriate design. However, the survey questions did not state that if the indoor pool was constructed, the village would lose one of its outdoor pools. This oversight may have had an impact on respondents who answered the questionnaire. Attitude measures are not always good predictors of people’s behavior. The real question that must be addressed is whether the people of Oak Park will use this facility in sufficient numbers to justify the $40M price tag and the increase in taxes that will accompany it

Rehm Pool was closed to additional swimmers four times last summer because it had reached capacity on those days. The previous summer, it

For too long, these federal agents have operated with impunity — hiding their faces, refusing to identify themselves, altering license plates, and using fear as a tactic without consequence. Under our new law, if agents abuse their authority, victims will have a clear legal path to hold them accountable. Illinois residents can pursue civil actions, including punitive damages when agents conceal their

was closed two times for this reason. By contrast, the Ridgeland Common Pool has an average usage of about 50% of capacity and has not been closed during those same periods. If it were to be open year-round as an indoor pool, there might be more people using it or, conversely, usage might remain at 50% of capacity.

The additional cost of keeping it open throughout the year is not part of the $40M price tag. Our family uses Rehm and the Forest Park pools principally because of the difficulty in parking at Ridgeland Commons. This is not an issue that will be addressed in this construction project. If parking remains a sticking point in the use of this facility (and it will), there is no reason to believe that there will be a substantial increase in usage. As one attendee stated (and I paraphrase), “I don’t want to be walking several blocks with my child on cold February evenings to attend swim classes.”

If the voters decide not to endorse the building of an indoor pool, the park district says it already has $10M in its capital fund to complete the repairs. No further taxation required.

Given everything that was presented to us, I plan to vote No in the upcoming election. To vote Yes would require a leap of faith (or in this case a deep dive) that there is a substantial expectation that an indoor pool on that site would attract enough users to justify such a breathtaking expenditure.

Daniel Beach Oak Park

The White House hates our new law, which is serving as a model for other states, and I expect it will be challenged

But defending people’s rights has never been about choosing the easy path — it’s about choosing the just one.

Entiendo español un poquito. Entiendo justicia.

This moment demands resolve, solidarity and a reminder that Illinois will not be bullied into abandoning its people. Not now. Not ever

Don Harmon is a lifelong Oak Park resident and president of the Illinois State Senate

Senior tax deferral program expands

There are three Illinois programs that provide property tax relief to homeowners who are at least 65 years of age. But only one program, the Senior Tax Deferral, is accepting applications now. Applications for the other two programs, the Senior Citizen Exemption and the incomebased Senior Freeze Exemption, have not been issued yet but should be available in the next few weeks Senior Deferral is essentially a loan from the state, allowing low- to moderate-income seniors to borrow against the equity in their homes to pay as much as $7,500 in property taxes per year. Unlike a normal loan, however, the deferral does not require loan payments. Borrowers will eventually pay 3% annual interest on the loan, but the interest and principal will not be repaid until the home is sold, or within a year of the applicant’s death. This year, senior households with

annual income of up to $75,000 can qualify for the deferral. This is an increase over last year, when the maximum income was $65,000.

Basic Eligibility Rules for Senior Deferral:

• Application Deadline: March 1

• Minimum Age: 65 years old as of June 1, 2026

• Maximum Income: $75,000 in total income for all members of the household in 2025

• Owner-Occupant: Applicant must own the house and live there for at least Home Equity in the senior’s home must exceed the amount deferred

My office is available to provide additional details about eligibility for the program and help seniors apply for it. 708-383-8005

Ali ElSa ar Oak Park Township Assessor

No, Mr. President, we are not apes

Ihave lived long enough, preached long enough, and walked these streets long enough to know when America is moving forward — and when it is sliding backward. We have seen moments where this nation reached for its better angels, but we are also witnessing, in real time, a dangerous return to the darkest chapters of our racial history.

REV. IRA ACREE

One View

The viral video posted by President Donald Trump depicting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes is not merely offensive — it is racist to its core, dehumanizing in its intent, and dangerous in its impact. This is the same imagery used for centuries to justify slavery, segregation, lynching, and the denial of Black humanity. You cannot separate this act from that history. It is soaked in the same old poison.

That this occurred during Black History Month makes it even more tragic and revealing. At a time when America should be reflecting on the long road from chains to change, from cotton fields to the Oval Office, we are instead confronted with a reminder that racism is not dead — it is digital, it is viral, and it is being amplified from the highest platforms in the land.

To blame an unnamed staffer is not leadership — it is cowardice. Leadership requires accountability. Leadership requires repentance. Leadership requires the moral courage

to say, “I was wrong.” Silence and deflection only deepen the wound.

Friends, this is not about partisan politics As the Leaders Network continues to say, this is about the soul of America. When a president nor malizes racial mockery, he licenses hatred When he refuses to apologize, he legitimizes bigotry. And when millions watch without consequence, the nation itself becomes complicit.

Black people are frustrated because we recognize the pattern:

No apology. No accountability. No consequences

But I remind America of this truth: progress has never come from the comfort of the powerful — it has always come from the pressure of the people

We marched before. We organized before. And we will not be silent now.

We are not apes. We are not jokes. We are Americans. We are human beings.

We are children of the most high God!

And no video, no lie, no racist trope — no matter how viral — will ever strip us of our dignity

Mr. President, God is not mocked, and history will record that you used the highest office in the land to traffic in the lowest form of racism.

Rev. Ira Acree is lead pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church.

Park pool plan and contingencies

There are a lot of reasons to not like the pool plan proposed by the Park District of Oak Park. The plan would remove the Ridgeland Common outdoor pool, replace it with a smaller pool, eliminate the diving area, shorten the lanes and (one assumes) transition from a seasonal model to year-round operation without clearly outlining the long-ter m operating costs. These are substantive issues that deserve careful public scrutiny

However, what has been largely absent from public discourse is any mention of the mechanical issues at Fenwick pool since last fall, where the park district hosts weekly lessons. These issues have canceled programming for both children and adults. I have experienced this firsthand, as the Adult Inter mediate swim class I was registered for was cancelled. I have also seen how disrupted swim instruction affects children — my own daughter struggled during the interruptions caused by COVID. It is frustrating for families, and it undoubtedly places strain on park district staff,

lifeguards and instructors whose programming and employment have been disrupted through no fault of their own. Should we build a new indoor pool? I’m not certain. It is a complex question and highly dependent on personal priorities. Because it is nuanced, we should respect that reasonable people may reach different conclusions. At the same time it is worth acknowledging that the park district was unexpectedly confronted with a problem outside of their control that has severely impacted their program offering for both fall and winter

I think we should give them a little benefit of the doubt for the rushed referendum, knowing they are seeking to provide stable, quality services to the residents of Oak Park, and it is understandable that they would want to reduce their dependency on other spaces to provide stable, high-quality services to Oak Park residents

Reed Showalter is impressive

We appreciated the coverage of the forum for District 7 candidates. Reed Showalter shows/demonstrates a very clear view of the big picture and the big problems. He has the wisdom, vision and varied experience to help gather forces to solve the big problems with targeted strategies. He seems wise beyond his years, with lots of fresh energy, and also

possesses the courage to honestly answer charged questions, rather than using evasive “political speak.” What a relief. This shows his character We are so impressed and excited to vote for Reed Showalter

Gina Orlando Forest Park

WEDNESD AY

of Oak Park and River Forest

Viewpoints Guidelines

e 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 su cient space, we print longer submissions, but when space is limited — as it o en is — we may ask you to submit a shorter version or hold the piece until space allows us to print it.

We reser ve 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 super cial 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 speci c 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.

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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.

Pieces can be submitted through our online form at oakpark.com or directly to Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor, ktrainor@wjinc.com. For the latter, we prefer attached Word les or plain tex t included in the email.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

■ 350-word limit

■ Must include rst and last names, municipality in which you live, phone number (for veri cation only)

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

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Joshua Reed Oak Park

is car-elevator would not work

One of the many reasons why the 10-story tower proposed behind the Boulevard Arcade Building does not work, is that it requires a car-elevator system to move cars in and out of the building. Car elevators are notorious for malfunctioning and require lengthy re pair times. Of the 39 parking spaces, 36 of them require the use of car elevators to move them either one or two stories. The process of moving a car in and out is extremely slow compared to a ramp system. Just imagine the back-up in an already crowded alleyway if 10-15 cars are trying to get into the building while several others are trying to exit simultaneously.

This lengthy queue in the alley is bound to lead to perilous gridlock which could create life-threatening situations due to delayed emergency responders, i.e. fire trucks, EMTs and police. There is not enough room in the alley for a fire truck or large emergency vehicle to pass the line of cars that are waiting for the car elevator system.

This life-threatening risk is something that can be prevented and why the village of Oak Park should not approve this proposed building with a car-elevator system.

John Marquardt Oak Park

Move the Epstein saga forward

I am starting to question the Epstein theatrics. Yesterday’s news (Feb. 11) featured Pam Bondi being questioned by various members of Congress. Present were numerous Epstein victims. Those who had never been called by the DOJ for infor mation were asked to raise their hands. All did. Very impressive. But I cannot get it out of my mind. And every American wants to know. Why couldn’t they have been asked to raise their hands to answer this question: “Did Donald J. Trump ever force you to have sex with him when you were a minor?”

OK, I understand the fear in going public

Jour nalism had a bad day when the Washington Post decided recently to cut its staff by more than a third. It was just the latest squall in a blizzard of newspaper closings and contractions

Those cuts made us check our own journalism forecast and count our blessings. Hometown news outlets face different, but no less daunting, challenges than WaPo. At the national level, there are often numerous outlets and sources covering the same story. In other words, people can g et the same news from a variety of places.

However, communities such as ours rely on the local “papers” — those still printed, as well as the electronic versions — to cover schools, gover nment, business, and a whole lot more in our towns. No one else is covering those stories in any depth, if at all.

So I have a simpler approach. Have every one of the dozens of victims merely answer yes or no to the same question on an otherwise blank piece of paper that does not identify, in any way, those who answered. Why won’t the Democrats do that and either end a charade or move forward? By the way, I am a Democrat. I am just sick of the political theatrics by both parties. You don’t need the DOJ to question victims at this stage. But to not have even one victim single out Trump is starting to bother me big time

Bruce Golden Oak Park

‘No’

to losing the outdoor pool

Everybody wants a year round indoor pool! Oak Parkers deserve it!

But at what cost? $40,000,000? Ouch! But we can afford it. (By “we” I mean “I”). At the cost of the Ridgeland outdoor pool? Ouch! We can’t afford it!

I’ve seen the 50 meter Ridgeland Common lanes routinely packed with six or eight swimmers per lane. Packing them into a new indoor pool less than half the size would be impossible without swimming on top of one another, bumping, cursing, etc. It can’t be done

It belonged in the Community Recreation Center (CRC) where it was planned, but omitted, according to news reports, in order for that site to achieve energy neutrality

and allow the PDOP to pin a medal on its chest — impossible with the energy needed to heat an indoor pool’s water. Solution? Put the same energy cost in some other facility! Pin a sleight of hand award next to the energy medal.

As for the referendum? I have to go back to my law-school days and a course on securities law. The SEC’s famous “Rule 10(b)5,” defines deceit and fraud to include omitting “material information necessary to make a statement not misleading.” Omit it? Deceitful. Fraudulent. The referendum omits the fact that the proposed indoor pool will replace the RC outdoor pool. Deceitful. Fraudulent.

Frank Stachyra, Oak

Park

Concealed carry vs. law enforcement

The issue of Alex Pretti being armed with concealed carry brings to mind the issue of the Second Amendment right to own and carry a firearm, the only limit being a weapons-free zone. Back in 2010, as chair of the Board of Health, I raised the concer n about what would happen if a private citizen legally carrying a firearm was challenged by a swor n police officer. We as a commission could find no real answer to the question. Now we have seen the answer to this question: if an officer believes your legal firearm is seen as a threat, then you are at risk of having that officer take your life if he feels “you present a risk to his

ese cuts got our attention

With its steadfast commitment to community coverage, Wednesday Journal has been on the beat for 45+ years. Now a nonprofit known as Growing Community Media, Wednesday Jour nal and its sister publications, Austin Weekly News, Forest Park Review and the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark, all serve their communities at the hyperlocal level.

With diversified revenue streams, GCM publications are no longer dependent solely on advertising and subscriptions, though both are still solid income sources. Individual and philanthropic gifts and other income streams — such as community programs — are helping to sustain our organizations and coverage We are grateful for those contributions, gifts and grants.

Since becoming a nonprofit, our volunteer

board and other community members have stepped up to support and guide GCM in the evolving business of covering local news

These volunteers increase our capacity and outreach efforts, with events such as the new “Inside Scoop,” which debuted on Sunday, Feb. 1, at Robert’s Westside and showcased Forest Park Theatre Company and Comedy Plex. Future Inside Scoops will include kidfocused organizations and local resources for young families and people new to the area.

Our near-wester n suburbs are full of engaged citizens eager for local connections and local information to help them make infor med decisions.

What else can you do? If you haven’t already: subscribe to one of our newsletters. Donate to our nonprofit organization to help

life,” based upon the opinion of President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Secretary of Homeland Security. I don’t believe in the use of firearms to protect oneself on the streets of America and therefore don’t believe in either open or concealed carry. But the Supreme Court has made clear that my belief is inconsistent with American jurisprudence and that the Second Amendment entitles a citizen to stand his ground and defend himself with said weapon.

Do you see the inconsistency there? Frank Vozak, Oak Park

us continue to bring news, opinions, and information to your doorstep or computer. Ask us about volunteer opportunities. Promote GCM publications to your friends and neighbors. Speak up through our opinion pages on issues that are important to you. Stay engaged.

We appreciate your continuing support on every level. And we remain committed to maintaining the journalistic tradition started nearly half a century ago of covering local news

And we welcome feedback on how we’re doing.

Deb Abrahamson, Chris Hauri, Jessica Mackinnon Carolyn Newberry Schwartz, Jill Stewart, Robyn Ziegler

Growing Community Media Volunteer Development and Events Committee

No immigration reform? Blame the Republicans

Iwould like to respond to Eileen Dwyer’s letter “Where is immigration reform?” which appeared in the Feb. 11 Viewpoints section. Her main concern was that Congress was not taking action to solve the immigration problem.

I would like to introduce some historical facts into her opinion. The best chance to enact comprehensive reform came in 2013 during President Barack Obama’s second ter m, when a bipartisan group of senators dubbed the “Gang of Eight” agreed on a bill that would toughen security at the Southern border and make it harder for employers to hire migrants who had entered the U.S. illegally while providing legal status and a path to citizenship for millions of such migrants who had resided in the U.S. for many years. The proposal passed the Senate 68 to 32 with strong bipartisan support. But because it did not enjoy the support of a majority of House Republicans, then-Speaker John Boehner refused to bring it to the floor for a vote, and the measure died. This bill had

CRC gymnasium equity

Today at 9:30 a.m. the CRC gym was divided in half, with three pickleball courts on one side and pickleball courtsize space for basketball on the other, with a curtain separating them. On the active pickleball side the three courts were full with 12 players, and there were 12 more players waiting for their tur n. At the same time, there was just one person shooting baskets on the other side. The cur tain can easily be moved to make space for an additional pickleball court, yet somehow the staf f do not have the decision-making authority to make that happen, based on their observation and judgment at the time. It may be “equal” to have half the gym for pickle and the other half for basketball, but it is not “equitable.” Twenty-four residents on one half versus one on the other. In the mornings during the week this is typically the population distribution. If this decision is being made by Park District of Oak Park leadership with real data, please show us what you have!

Amy Starin Oak Park

the support of all Democrats and a significant minority of Republicans: enough bipartisan support to easily pass the House But because it did not have the support of a majority of Republicans, it was not brought up for a vote, even though it would have easily passed the House of Representatives and been signed into law by President Obama. Congress did not fail to bring about Immigration Reform — the Republican Party did.

ALAN KRAUSE One View

Ten years later, in October 2023, Senate Republicans made it clear that they would not back additional aid for Ukraine without a bill that would help secure the southern border of the United States. With the blessing of both Senator Chuck Schumer, the Majority Leader, and Senator Mitch McConnell, the Minority Leader, a bipartisan team of senators began negotiations to produce a bill that enough members of both parties could accept to overwhelm objections from

progressive Democrats and America-First Republicans

The team negotiated for four months to produce such a bill.

Donald Trump, the all-butcertain Republican presidential nominee, contacted House Speaker Mike Johnson and told him he was polling far ahead of Joe Biden on the issue of who could best solve the immigration problem. Any Congressional solution to the immigration problem would hurt Trump’s election chances in November 2024.

House Speaker Johnson then stated publicly that he would not allow the Senate bill to reach the House floor for a vote, even though the Senate bill probably had enough House votes to pass and President Biden was sure to sign it. Once the House Speaker made that statement publicly, Republican senators were unwilling to run the political risk of supporting an immigration reform measure that would not become law, and the

Stop the RF Madison plan

Five years ago, the village of River Forest published an “expression of interest,” seeking development proposals for the Madison-Ashland properties. In that proposal, the Village stated:

“Concept/Program - The village believes a mixed-use project (two to four floors) of groundfloor retail and residential or office above could fit contextually within the district. … “Sensitivity to the Neighbors - The subject property is near single-family residential property and any development should be sensitive to that fact and aim to be congruous.”

In 2023, neighbors in and around the Madison TIF convened to discuss acceptable features for development. We held numerous meetings, some including village staff. We presented a combined memorandum at meetings of the village board, the EDC, and the ZBA. That memo reflected a desire for a building that combined owned residential and commercial spaces, and no taller than three stories, consistent with the current zoning for the Madison-Ashland-facing parcel.

Despite the village’s expressed intent, extensive input from the constituency, and the successful defeat of re-zoning in 2024, on Jan. 14, the village advanced an over-scaled, five-story, 72-unit fast-tracked development proposal that reflects neither neighbor concer ns nor the village’s own stated intentions for the property.

Senate bill failed

Once again, Republicans Donald Trump and Mike Johnson, not Congress, are the people who killed “a humane solution to immigration that protected our borders and respected the dignity and humanity of all people, those here and those who desire to enter our country.”

Republican Donald Trump will also be the person who prevents any possible immigration solution for the next three years, since it takes a 66% vote in the House and Senate to override his veto of any possible Congressional action.

It is the Republican Party, not Congress, that is responsible for the fact that there has been no major immigration reform in the United States in the last 40 years.

Main Source: Brookings Commentary: “The collapse of bipartisan immigration reform: A guide for the perplexed,” William A. Galston, Feb. 8, 2024

This current proposal was not properly vetted; it was not and is not set to be meaningfully debated in public. The village board is pushing this plan forward with great speed. Discussions about “groundbreaking” have already ensued. Even more troubling, the village appears to have done no meaningful due diligence on the developer before advancing the project. This utter lack of caution by the Village Board is especially concerning given River Forest’s history of badly vetted development, i.e., Lake and Lathrop.

We, the constituents and homeowners in this community, are asking our Board of Trustees for accountability. Some of our homes are in the Madison TIF, with our tax dollars being diverted for 23 years. We urge the village to stop this proposal, respect our valid concerns, and adhere to the village’s own original intent for this property.

The “expression of interest” document can be found online in the packet for the EDC May 4, 2022, meeting, here: https://www.vrf.us/events/ event/2164

Deborah Borman, Ed Pogue, David Sorkin, Anne Sorkin, Kathy Corcos, Kathryn Jandeska, Jim Ross, Trudi Ross, Freida Pantos, John Pantos, Bridget Erfort, David Erfort, Diane Conmy, John Conmy, Jon Reith, Boonlye Tan, Mark Frank, Connie Geocaris River Forest

River Forest’s track record

I would like to comment on the River Forest plan for Ashland and Madison. I have read the recent ar ticle and the need for fur ther study. That being said, I point to the debacle that we look at every day since about 2016 on the corner of Lathrop and Lake. I get that Wintrust Bank has been told to clear it out and they have not. But we all participated in the meetings at villa ge hall as they continued to give Mar ty Paris extensions, and here we are in 2026.

If they can’ t make sound decisions on Lake and Lathrop, how can we expect them to come up with a plan before thinking it through on Madison and Ashland? Believe me, our proper ty value has gone down due to the mess on our cor ner. It’s a lovely view. Just venting.

Joyce Gipson Ri v er Forest

Alan Krause Oak Park

What gives with the carwash?

While taking issue with the village board’s decision to pursue an eminent domain case against the U.S. Bank facility at Austin and Madison, Marc Stopeck’s Feb. 11 editorial cartoon [Shrubtown] seems to depict Village President Vicki Scaman as flighty. In short, he depicts the village’s attempt to force U.S. Bank to the bargaining table on the price overlooks the current services provided by the bank, including payment of property taxes. Taking a further swipe at Vicki in a sidebar to the cartoon,

Stopeck opines that the vacant lot at Austin and Roosevelt could be a better choice

Perhaps he should page through earlier issues of Wednesday Jour nal to learn that, nearly two years ago, the Village Board approved a special use permit for the construction of a car wash at that location. Then Marc could conjure up another cartoon asking the developers, why construction is taking so long

Chris Donovan Oak Park

Stormtroopers, the sequel

In my mind’s eye I see a cartoon panel. Two figures stand side by side, each gripping a rifle at port ar ms. One is from George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise, from 1977 onward; the other is from a recent newspaper’s front page. The caption under the first says “Stormtrooper 1977,” under the second, “Stormtrooper 2026.” In both cases human individuality and even identity are purposely blanked out. No nametags or numbered badges can be seen. Masks and often sunglasses, along with military-grade weaponry and armor, are all you can see, and all you are intended to see. Impersonal, implacable, ir resistible force is the threat. “Be afraid. Be very afraid” is the very loud message,

whether only implied or spoken. This is our world, our “free” country, in 2026.

I doubt I’m the only one who remembers the cautionary tales in George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, each now 75-plus years old. Fatuously, we believed war nings like his would surely be enough to prevent any such dastardly destruction of democracy in our beloved nation.

But fiction, now flying the banner of “President Trump’s agenda,” is well on its way to becoming fact. Only we, dear fellow citizens, can ensure that a different reality prevails

And time is fleeting.

Fred Reklau Oak Park

Old maybe, but making history

Oak Park’s most senior residents at Brookdale Senior Living have joined in volunteering to support the March 28 “No Kings, No Thrones, No Crowns” event at Scofield Pa rk, 1-3 p.m., with a march along Lake Street to Harlem Avenue. We may be old (average age 86+), but we still want to make our mark on and support what’s happening in our country today. The event will be part of literally thousands of similar gatherings all across the country that day. Like the last No Kings march in October, when 7 million Americans gathered in protest of Donald Trump and his miscreants in Washington D.C., events here in Chicago, Minnesota, and elsewhere have built momentum for even greater protests in advance of the 2026 midterm Congressional elections.

We seniors want our voice heard and we want to help younger generations by supporting change.

Silence is not an option. Being old is not an excuse for not making our voices heard. We need to defend ourselves and our communities from this administration’s unjust and cruel acts of violence. So on March 28, we plan to rise up as best as we can, many of us with canes and walkers, wheelchairs and, with aides supporting us, plan to take to the streets, and say it loud: No thrones, No crowns, No kings!

We’re not watching history happen — we’re making it! We hope many more Oak Parkers and River Foresters will join us.

Jeanné Schulte Matthews

Oak Park

JOHN DUFFY

A less enlightened era

from page 24

class- and race-based curriculum tracking of students. They helped institutionalize racially-segregated, occupationally-focused school experiences. Despite strong opposition from the early Chicago Teachers Union and its charismatic leader, Margaret Haley, Chicago’s corporate elite secured two distinct school curriculums — one for the managerial class and another for the working class. That model soon became common across the nation (2).

Paralleling this development by the end of World War I was a full-blown American eugenics movement led by Lewis Ter man at Stanford University, who reinforced and made even more acceptable existing racist beliefs with a new pseudo-sciencebased research claiming a natural racial hierarchy. “Scientific” racism then became imbedded in federal and local school and housing policies that assumed the infallibility of white racial supremacy (3). The American eugenics movement along with the legal and social racism of Jim Crow practices were admired and adopted by Nazi Ger many. Both shaped the deeply discriminatory Nuremberg Laws and led to the genocide of millions of European Jews and other people deemed racially and socially inferior by the fascist regime of Ger many (4).

About the same time, President Wilson removed thousands of African Americans from gover nment jobs, segregated the federal work force and reinforced racist beliefs in a manner similar to the current U.S. president.

The Great Migration of millions of African Americans to cities of the North in pursuit of freedom and economic opportunity aggravated the ethnocentrism of Oak Park elites. In nearby Chicago, white violence against African Americans became epidemic at the end of World War

I. In the week-long race riot in 1919, 28 African Americans and 15 whites died and 2,000 Black residents were left homeless. The Illinois state militia eventually restored order to Chicago as Oak Parkers cautiously and nervously watched, as they would do years later in 1968 following Dr. King’s assassination (5).

It was in this context that Oak Park’s long-established Black residents sought to thrive as a community of less than 200 residents. A few Black families owned their own homes. Like today, most Blacks rented living space. Some owned small businesses. Others worked as skilled and unskilled laborers and as traditional domestic servants. They joined in social discourse and civic action in the West End Men’s and Women’s Club of Oak Park and regularly interacted with the larger Black community in nearby Maywood. Unlike Oak Park, Maywood reserved a section of their village for Black home ownership. The small Black community in Oak Park lived mostly concentrated along Williams Street, now called Westgate, where Target and the Emerson high rise now sit in our thriving downtown business district (6).

In 1909, Black residents looked to organize a lasting community institution, the Black Church, to establish the essential foundation for the centuries-old, African American culture. The house of worship, regardless of denomination, has been and continues as the cornerstone of Black life It was the incubator of moral fervor, artistic vision, and political action. It served as a sanctuary in their arduous journey to finding freedom in a racially hostile world. And prevailing white power in Oak Park opposed a per manent place for the community’s first Black church — Mt. Carmel Baptist (7).

Part three of this series turns to that story which would be painfully re-lived in the late 1980s with another denial to Black people hoping to establish a church in Oak Park

Sources for this essay are available online at oakpark.com.

What happened to the CRC pool?

I am not a big pool user, but I do not like the idea of demolishing the Ridgeland Common outdoor pool. I attended the opening of the Community Recreation Center (CRC) and I recall that they said then that the building was only

the first phase. They planned to add an indoor pool there when the money was available. I’m wondering what happened to that idea.

Joyce Porter Oak Park

OBITUARIES

Frank Paris, 87

Former River Forest village president

Frank Martin Paris, 87 of River Forest and Stuart, Florida, died on Jan. 28, 2026. Born on November 27, 1938, he was a lifelong River Forest resident who later also called Stuart home. A devoted public servant, entrepreneur, mentor, athlete, adventurer, he believed in trying everything life had to offer. He served River Forest for more than 20 years, first as village trustee (1988–1992) and then as village president (1992–2008). He ran on a vision of bringing the village into the 21st century and delivered through practical, community-focused leadership. Under his leadership, River Forest was recognized as one of the top 10 suburbs in the Chicago area by Chicago Magazine.

His work helped lower taxes by legalizing alcohol sales, preserved neighborhood character by developing the Priory into singlefamily homes rather than high-density condominiums while adding significant park land, and advanced the demolition of the long-abandoned Wieboldt’s building, leading to the development of the River Forest Town Center mall.

He served as chairman of the River est Traffic and Safety Commission, was a for mer and current director of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce and served as president of the River Fo Service Club. Like his father, Frank Paris, he was honored in 2007 as Man of the Year with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Italian American Chamber of Commerce Bor n and raised in River Forest, he ated from St. Luke School in 1953 and from Oak Park and River Forest High School in 1957. He became the first OPRF wrestler to advance to the Illinois State Tour nament in Champaign and played football on both side of the ball — nose guard on defense and an offensive lineman. He continued wrestling and football at Northwester n University and the Kellogg School of Business, graduating in 1962.

ing company. He sat on numerous civic and corporate boards

A longtime member of the Oak Park Country Club and Sailfish Point in Stuart, Florida, he was an avid outdoorsman and traveler, who loved fishing, hunting, and boating. His life was filled with “Frank stories,” all rooted in a willingness to step up when it mattered

Frank was married since 1968 to Gail Paris (née Leabhard), whom he called “the person I admire most in the world.” He helped his children pursue their dreams and start their own businesses — F. Mar tin Paris Jr. (Lea), Arthur Paris (Cassandra Damm), Amy Paris (Mark Menacho), and Elizabeth (Beth) Cohen (TJ). He was the grandfather of F. Martin III, Conor, Maeve, Jack, Quinn, Grace, and Hugh Paris (Marty); Severin, Zelda, and Huxley Paris (Arthur); Luke and Cruz Menacho (Amy); and Benjamin, Catherine, and Olivia Cohen (Beth); and the uncle of many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Rosalie Paris (née Lezza) and is survived by his sister, Jeanine Schutz (John); his uncle, Tony Paris; and his brothers- and sisters-in-law Joyce Stockholm; Jack and Nancy Strand; and Jane and Don Stahlhut. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.

Delores King, 95 ommunity

Frank left law school early to start Paris, O’Day, & Reed, a highly successful product-liability insurance firm. After selling the company, he co-founded Oak Brook Bank and became its president, then went on to buy and sell several businesses, including Taylor Chain Bolt Master, a chain-link manufactur-

years.

She was also very involved in her children’s real estate company, “DK,” headquartered in Oak Park. During the early years she helped around the office and every year she would bake over 1,000 cookies for the annual Christmas party and for special friend of the family. She volunteered with the US at O’Hare Airport with her daughter, Debbie and was also was a longtime volunteer at Rush Oak Park Hospital.

Only 5 feet tall, she was feisty and the loveliest lady you would ever meet.

Delores is survived by her children, David, Dennis and Debbie, her niece and nephew, and their families. She was preceded in death by her parents, older sister Phyllis and the rest of her siblings.

Services will be private.

Robert Ulicny, 76 Educator, dean of students

Delores June King, Oak Park, died peacefully on 13, 2026. Born on g. 25, 1930 in Port Huron, Michigan, she was the second oldest of seven children. She graduated w Paw High School and then from the Grand Rapids School of Bible & Music. ried in 1956, she had three children an. They moved to Chicago in 1965 and then to Oak Park for the ed in hospitality most est Suburban Hospital, Weste Hospital and then for the last 20 years at Triton College. She especially loved Triton, interacting with students, teachers and all. Upon her retirement at Triton, the Student Association threw her a party. Her passion was her children and serving the community. She was an active member of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park and taught Sunday School there for 50+

Marion Hogenboom, 88

Former D91 school board member

Marion (Ellsworth) enboom, 88, of ombard, for merly Oak Park, died Feb. 8, 2026. She was 88. Born on Oct. 25, 1937, in Almont, Michigan, to George and Mamie (McMeans) Ellsworth, graduated from rsity in 1959 with a mathematics major and also completed a gree from Northwester n University in 1980.

Robert Andrew Ulicny, 76, a resident of Oak Park for over 50 years, died of natural causes on Jan. 28, 2026, in his vacation home in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. Bor n in Oak Park, he attended Nixon Elementary School in Westchester, and Proviso West High School in Hillside (class of 1968). He graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1973, and earned a master’s degree in special education from Northeaster n Illinois University. He served as special ed teacher and dean of students at his alma mater, Proviso West, for over 20 years, and retired after an 11-year career as dean of students at Downers Grove South High School.

An avid sports fan, he had a lifelong love for the Chicago Cubs. He was preceded in death by his parents Bohus and Katherine (Schweig) Ulicny, his brother Frederick, and his sister Kathleen Brandt.

Robert is survived by his wife, Nora Rundell Rowley; his sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Marty Casey; his nephew, Daniel Casey; his cousin, Tom Kosik; and many other cousins and friends.

A memorial celebration will be announced at a later date.

His favorite charities are Doctors Without Borders; United Way of Door County, Wisconsin; and Miami University Alumni Association; memorial contributions are appreciated

She taught high school math for two years following college graduation before leaving the workforce to raise her family. She became involved in the Oak Park schools when her children were in grade school, including PTA, committees interacting with the school board, and as chair of the committee for med to study ways to maintain racial balance in the schools. Subsequent to the committee completing its work, she was elected to the school board that implemented the committee’s recommendations

After earning her master’s degree, she retur ned to the workforce as assistant dean of the graduate school of Northwester n University, and four years later as a professor of finance at Elmhurst Colle ge

She and her husband, J. Dean Hogenboom, who predeceased her, were married on Aug. 22, 1959. They were longtime members of First United Church of Oak Park

Survivors include their three children, Karen Hogenboom, Kathy (Greg) Olgers, and Mark (Maryann) Hogenboom; five grandchildren, Eric (Elena), Alex, Kyle, David (Sarah) and Amy; a great-grandson, Jeremy; a sister, Doris McCullagh; a sister-in-law, Irene Hogenboom; and seven nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Wilma Powers; and three brothers-in-law, the Rev. Kermit Hogenboom, Pat McCullagh and Byron Powers

Arrangements were handled by Blake Lamb Funeral Home of Lisle. In accordance with her wishes, she was cremated. No visitation is scheduled. A celebration of life will be scheduled for the summer at First United Church of Oak Park

In lieu of flowers, please consider sending donations to the Alzheimer’s Association of America.

SPORTS

Franco makes history Fenwick wrestling

Senior is the rst Friar girl to get to state

By MELVIN TATE

Contributing Reporter

Fenwick High School senior Valerie Franco accomplished a remarkable feat at the IHSA girls wrestling sectional at Phillips in Chicago, Feb. 13-14. She won the 190 lb title and became the first in the girls’ two-year history to qualify for the state finals.

“It still feels unreal, and even now I still can’t believe it,” Franco said. “Since this is my senior year, I wanted to make history, not just to prove that I can make it to state, but to be a role model for any girl who thinks she can’t make it to state in wrestling.”

“It’s extremely exciting for the future of Fenwick girls wrestling,” said coach Seth Gamino. “Val just wrestled an amazing tournament. It’s an accomplishment.”

Franco (20-4), who came into the sectional unseeded, pinned Ezra Velez of Reavis at 4:38 in the first round. She then defeated Julissa Az of Mather 4-2 in the quarterfinals, then Kendra Hayden of HomewoodFlossmoor 7-4 in the semifinals.

In the title match, Franco faced Lucia Terrazas of Thor nton Fractional South. In the third and final period, she took down Terrazas and pinned her with :31 left for the victory.

“My mindset entering sectionals was to

stay focused and wrestle every match to the best of my ability,” Franco said. “I had coaches in my corner and I had mates, as well as my family keep me going through all my matches

Franco added that she’ll adopt a similar mindset for the state finals, place Feb. 27-28 in Bloomington.

“I’m very grateful and proud of for this opportunity. I can’t wait to see lies ahead of me,” she said.

Fenwick Boys

At the Class 2A Antioch Sectional, 13-14, the Friars qualified two juniors state. Harrison Brown (30-16) finished fourth at 120, and Burke Burns (27-8) placed fourth at 157. The top four sectional placers in each weight class advance to the state finals at the State Farm C University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, Feb. 19-21.

“They both wrestled exceptional,” Gamino said. “The Antioch sectional is a tough one with a lot of good schools. They had some real gritty matches, especially in the blood round. It’s very exciting for them to go to state.”

Fenw ick’s Valerie Franco had her hand raised in victor y a er defeating HomewoodFlossmoor’s Kendra Hayden 7-4 in a 190-pound girls wrestling sectional semi nal at Phillips on Februar y 14. Franco went on to win the title, becoming the rst girls wrestler from Fenwick to qualif y for the state tournament

Gamino said both Brown and Burns will gain valuable experience this week re gardless of the outcome.

“They get to see the lights, get to see what

it’s like, then work hard for their senior year with a little more experience when they get back down there. It’s a huge plus,” he said. “We’ re extremely young and it’s great for them to get some experience and see what they can do.”

Gamino added that solid showings this

week by Brown and Burns could serve as a catalyst for next year’s squad, which will have more experience.

“They’re two scrappy kids, never count them out. Anything can happen,” he said. “There are a lot of bright things for Fenwick’s future. It’s a very exciting time.

A superb sectional for OPRF wrestling

Boys send eight to state; Campbell, Miller represent girls

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys wrestling team has displayed

its dominance in many ways this season.

Having already clinched a spot in the upcoming dual-team state finals, the Huskies flexed their muscles at the Conant Individual Sectional, Feb. 13-14. OPRF had eight

wrestlers, including four champions, qualify for the Class 3A individual state finals, which take place at State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Feb. 19-21.

“It was a great weekend,” said OPRF coach Jason Renteria. “I’m a little hurt that a couple of my seniors didn’t make it, I was hoping they’d punch their tickets to Champaign. But the guys going downstate

COURTESY OF VALERIE FRANCO

Area teams ready for girls basketball state tourney

Trinity is top seed in its own 3A sectional with Fenwick seeded third

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Trinity High School has become the area’s most successful girls basketball program, as five consecutive IHSA re gional championships attest. But the Blazers have not been able to break through to win their first sectional title since 2016, when they placed third in the state in Class 3A.

Trinity once again has high hopes for a postseason run. The Blazers (20-10) are the top seed in their own Class 3A sectional and opened with a re gional semifinal against Pritzker at Elmwood Park, Feb. 17, after deadline. Assuming a victory, Trinity meets Elmwood Park or Bulls Prep in the re gional title g ame, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m.

Head coach Kim Coleman likes how things look going into the playoffs.

“I’m proud of the way my team competes with pride, intensity, passion, and love for one another,” she said. “I think we left some food on the table, but we’re blessed to be able to compete and work toward our goal.”

The Blazers are led by seniors Zaria Goins, a four-year varsity player, and Chloe Santos, who a three-year varsity player Both made this year’s Girls Catholic Athletic Conference All-Conference Team

are wrestling lights-out and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

MJ Rundell (37-3), last year’s champion at 106, won the 113 lb title, pinning Jack Koenig of St. Patrick at 2:48 in the final. At 126, Jamiel Castleber ry (32-3) got a technical fall victory in the final over Vannak Khlev of Glenbard Nor th. Aiden Noyes (327) defeated Gavin Hoer r of Maine South 4-1 to win the 150 lb title, and at 157, David Ogunsanya (30-3) defeated Cadin Ljubenko of Maine South on a technical fall for the championship.

“David, Jamiel, MJ have all been there before multiple times and know what the goal is,” Renteria said. “That’s being top-three or on the podium at this point. It’s huge, but I need to make sure to put in their heads that it’s not a big deal, it’s just another day. When they’re relaxed and level-headed, they’re very dangerous on the mat.”

Zev Koransky and Pier re Nelson each finished runner-up. Koransky (28-9) was

along with sophomore Keyera Gamble (10.1 points per g ame, 8.9 rebounds per g ame). Goins (10.3 ppg, 5 rpg) has made All-Conference the past three seasons and Santos (7.8 ppg, 5 rpg), who recently passed 1,000 career points, made it the past two.

Although Trinity is the top seed, Coleman is not focused on it. Rather, she’s taking all opponents seriously.

“I really don’t put a lot of energy into it because at the end of the day, you have to survive and advance no matter the level of the opponent,” Coleman said. She added that Trinity’s key to postseason success will be playing as a unit.

“We need to play for each other, prioritize defensive connectiveness, ball movement, and center our love for the g ame,” Coleman said, “and, most impor tantly, have fun. That alone will take us where we want to go.”

Fenwick

One of the top sectional challengers for Trinity is neighboring Fenwick. The Friars (13-15), the third seed, enter the playof fs on a roll, having won six of their past seven g ames

“I am pleased with the understanding and the deter mination to play hard and

edged out by Jake Colleran of Maine South in the 144 lb final, 2-0, and Nelson (25-11) lost to Sean Cook of Niles Notre Dame 15-6 in the 285 lb final. Also advancing were Alex Cohen (29-14), who finished third at 132, and Lucas Albrecht (10-5), who finished fourth at 215.

Senior Isaiah Gibson nar rowly missed placing in the top four, losing in the final wrestleback to eventual third-place finisher Aiden Quevedo of Schaumburg at 138. Had Gibson prevailed, he would have clinched a state berth.

But Renteria was impressed by how Gibson responded after just missing out on state.

“That was honestly the cool part. Gibby took some time after the blood round match and the first words that came out of his mouth after he took time to g rieve were, ‘Now it’s time to get a team trophy,’ he said. To see guys hear tbroken bounce back and get ready is huge. You don’t see many kids

compete no matter what,” said Fenwick coach Lenae Fergerson. “That was something I think we struggled with early on in the season and now we have a better understanding of what playing for 32 minutes and the impor tance of that means.”

Fenwick saw two players named to the GCAC All-Conference team. Sophomore Avani Williams made it for the second consecutive season, averaging 13.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Senior Cammie Molis averaged 9.1 ppg.

Fergerson thinks Fenwick is prepared for the playof fs given the rigorous schedule it faced.

“Both our Thanksgiving and Christmas tour naments had some really good teams, which I think helped prepare us along the way,” she said. “Our strength of schedule will play a part in helping us be ready for the re gional and sectional rounds.”

Fenwick is hosting a re gional and faced Intrinsic Char ter on Feb. 17, after deadline. A win would advance the Friars to the title g ame, Feb. 19, at 6:30 p.m., against either Amundsen or ITW Speer

In order to make a deep run, Fergerson stresses that Fenwick must focus on the little things that often make the dif ference in the tour nament.

“Rebounding, defending, executing, and

deal with hear tbreak and be able to move to the next level right away. It’s huge for his maturity to be able to move on.”

Jordan De zara (106), Zach Chasson (120), Jeremiah Her nandez (165), and Donovan Lope z (175) also wrestled at Conant but did not advance.

OPRF Girls

At the Phillips Sectional, Feb. 13-14, the Huskies qualified two for the state finals, which take place at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, Feb. 27-28.

Senior Caliyah Campbell (23-6) won the 170 lb championship, defeating Sara Mar tine z-Lopera of Kelly 4-1 in the final. Senior Isabella Miller, who was a sectional qualifier last year, punched her ticket to state this year thanks to a second-place finish at 140. Miller (24-4) lost in the final to Tyanna Jackson of Warren on a fall at 3:47.

“They were amazing,” said OPRF inter-

playing to gether for 32 minutes,” Fergerson said.

OPRF

It was another dif ficult re gular season for the Huskies as they finished 6-22. But coach Renee Brantley looks at it as a learning experience

“We lost some competitive g ames that I felt we could’ve won but played hard,” she said. “I’m pleased about how some players have ste pped up into new roles. I think we just need to lear n how to put four quar ters to gether.”

A bright spot for OPRF was the play of freshman Katara Watson and junior Taryn Draine Watson, named to the West Suburban Silver All-Conference team, averaged 13.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 assists per g ame and 1.8 steals per g ame while Draine averaged 10.2 ppg, 5.2 r pg, 1.2 apg, and 2.5 spg.

The Huskies are seeded 15th in the Class 4A Maine South Sectional. OPRF faced host DePaul Prep in a re gional semifinal, Feb. 17, after deadline

“It’s a very competitive re gional,” Brantley said. “I’m excited to see how well we compete [We need to] rebound, take care of the ball, be aggressive, and play four quar ters.”

im coach Nyles Pascasio. “They were fighting hard throughout the entire day against hard opponents and luckily were able to get some dubs

“Caliyah had a really hard-fought match [final] and it was an amazing job for her Isabella had a very close final and was able to stay ahead, unfortunately, she got pinned with a reversal. She was fighting her hardest to get out of it but wasn’t able to do that.”

Pascasio said both Campbell and Miller are excited about re presenting OPRF at state He adds that they’ ll use the time before the finals to prepare and hone their mindset and approach.

“We’ re going to get back to the lab, work on our craft, and keep working hard,” Pascasio said. “Perfect our techniques and make sure we’re ready to go to state. We keep telling to have a winning mentality. That’s what we’ve been preaching all year, having a great mindset.”

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: M26001329 on February 3, 2026 Under the Assumed Business Name of PIZZA DOM with the business located at: 905 S. LOMBARD AVE. UNIT 2, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: DOMINIC VALLONE 617 WILLOW GLEN ST. ADDISON, IL 60101, USA

Published in Wednesday Journal February 11, 18, 25, 2026

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive bids for Microsoft Office 365 Licenses. The full bid document, “26IT-0001 Information Technology,” is available on the Village website www.oak-park.us. Bids will be accepted until February 27, 2026 4PM Central.

Published in Wednesday Journal February 18, 2026

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

VILLAGE OF OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION

DOCKET NUMBER: PC 2503 (Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment)

HEARING DATE: March 5, 2026

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the agenda permits

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room

201 - Council Chambers, Village of Oak Park, 123 Madison Street Oak Park, Illinois 60302

PETITIONER: Village of Oak Park, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302

REQUEST: The Petitioner, Village of Oak Park, seeks a text amendment to the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance as follows: 1) amending Article 8 (“Uses”) – Table 8-1 (“Use Matrix”) of the Zoning Ordinance by adding “Cocktail Lounge” as a permitted (P) use in the HS –Harrison Street Zoning District, DT – Downtown Zoning Districts, and the NC – Neighborhood Commercial Zoning District; 2) amending Article 2 (“Definitions & Rules of Measurement”), Section 2.3 (“Definitions”) of the Zoning Ordinance by adding a definition for “Cocktail Lounge” as follow: “An establishment that serves alcoholic beverages for on premise consumption and serves appetizers, snacks, or pre-packaged food items for consumption on the premises in a manner that is incidental to the

sale of alcoholic beverages. Live entertainment and music may be provided as an ancillary use to the cocktail lounge. A Cocktail Lounge shall not exceed 2,000 square feet, excluding the square footage devoted to a kitchen. A cocktail lounge includes a speakeasy or similar lounge.”; 3) amending Article 8 (“Uses”), Section 8.3 (“Use Restrictions”), Subsection (A) (1) by adding “(l) Cocktail Lounge is allowed at grade level or on the ground floor within the first 50 feet of the street line;” and 5) amending Article 10 (“OffStreet Parking & Loading”) – Table 10-2 (“Off-Street Vehicle and Bicycle Parking Requirements”) of the Zoning Ordinance by adding “Cocktail Lounge” under “USE” and requiring “1 per 500sf GFA” for vehicle parking spaces & “1 per 1500sf GFA” for bicycle spaces.

A copy of the proposed text amendment is on file and available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Plan Commission may continue the hearing to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

Illinois 60302

Published in Wednesday Journal, February 18, 2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

In accordance with the Open Meetings Act, this is to advise you that the Riverside Township Mental Health Board will hold the meetings below at the listed locations:

Mental Health Board Meeting Notices

“The Kids Are Not Alright” Saturday, February 21st @ 1:00 PM

Riverside Township Hall –2nd Floor, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois

RTMHB Budget Committee Wednesday, February 25th @ 6:30 PM

Riverside Township Hall –Community Resource Center, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois

If you have any questions, please contact Board President, Adam Wilt, at awilt.rtmhb@gmail.com or call Adam at 708-804-4400.

Published in RB Landmark February 18, 2026

Submit events and see full calendar at oakpark.com/events

South Humphrey, Oak Park, Il 60302