WednesdayJournal_032526

Ford wins 7th, beats big money

By BILL DWYER  Contributing Reporter

As boxer Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

When La Shawn Ford got punched in the face — or more aptly, hit below the belt — by a multi-million dollar attack ad campaign by cryptocur rency interests, he hit back. But he stayed on plan. He had insisted since last fall that his campaign

strate gy was not to raise millions of dollars and car pet the neighborhoods with mailers, but to focus on the people he has met in the 7th Cong ressional District,

Voters sink Park District proposal for indoor pool

Park leader says Ridgeland Common ‘nostalgia’ on display as new indoor pool rejected by over 75% of voters

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park voters overwhelmingly rejected the Park District of Oak Park’s proposal to raise millions for a new indoor pool in the village.

The measure failed March 17 in a landslide defeat, with more than 76% of Oak Park voters voting “no” on the referendum question. Just under 16,900 Oak Parkers voted on the issue, good for a 40% tur nout in the village as Democratic primary elections for U.S. senator and U.S. re presentative drove people to the polls.

Oak Park had the largest tur nout of any suburban Cook County referendum election,

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BANNOR

La Shaw n Ford election night victor y party on March 17

DOJ to turn over White House communications to remaining ‘Broadview 6’ defendants

Defense for Straw, Agbughazaleh, Rabbit and Martin will get record of federal in uence, if it exists

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw was the only defendant in court Thursday morning when U.S. Judge April Per ry approved the defense’s request that any record of White House officials encouraging criminal charges view 6” be tur ned

As long as a House influence exists, that is

The defense team has argued that Straw and the other pr sive political figures felony conspiracy targeted over their tion and criticisms of administration. Prosecutors filed an indictment last October alleging that the six we tors who blocked, pushed ag on a vehicle being dri into ICE’s Broadview Detention mor ning of Sept. 26

perceived political “enemies.”

“We’ re not just out here trying to make things up, there’s things in the public record that show we’re in different times,” Parente said.

Perry stopped short of granting a defense team request to have internal White House documents included in discovery, limiting it to communications between district prosecutors and high-level federal officials.

The hearing came a week after the state dropped charges against two of the six original codefendants in the federal felony conspiracy case. The gover nment dropped the charges against Catherine “Cat” Sharp, a Chicago aldermanic staffer who gave up on her bid for the Cook County board citing the the prosecution, and Joalsh, a local musician who was the only defendant in the case a job in local proare Straw, 45th ommitteeman

Last week, the defense filed a motion asking for materials that could show an “improper influence” from top federal officials encouraging Northern District of Illinois prosecutors to charge the individuals.

U.S. Attorney William Hogan said the Department of Justice would provide a record of any White House communications concerning the case, but that he didn’t think any outreach had been made from high level federal officials.

“To my knowledge, and I’m not saying I know for sure, but my understanding is that there is none,” Hogan said. “I don’t think we’d have any problem disclosing that.”

Straw’s attorney Chris Parente argued Thursday morning that the case fits within a pattern of the Trump administration leveraging the Department of Justice to go after

Michael Rabbit, Katherine “Kat” ell four points y of winning Illinois’ 9th district essional prima, and Andre Martin, ed on Abughazaleh’s campaign staff. , May 26.

ide mirror and a agent’s vehicle was damaged in the incident and the car was vandalized, but none of the indicted individuals are alleged to have directly caused the damage themselves.

Prosecutors also recently ag reed to drop a part of the indictment that alle ged that Straw and the others had planned to injure a federal of ficer

Video of the confrontation included as an exhibit in the case also appears to show Abughazaleh using a megaphone to direct other protestors away from the “private property” at the DHS facility, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Parente cited a New York Times article published Thursday morning that reported that Justice Department officials had pressured U.S. Attorney offices to charge protestors with felonies.

The Times reported that federal prosecu-

tors had been directed to appoint “coordinators” to pursue cases against anti-Trump protestors under National Security Presidential Memo 7, a presidential directive expanding the definition of domestic terrorism to include not only violent crimes like assault, but also relatively minor ones, like revealing the personal details of agents or getting in the way of immigration enforcement.

The memo, which also cites the assassination of Charlie Kirk, was issued on Sept. 25, 2025, a day before the protest that led to the charges against the six. Hogan said he was not familiar with the presidential memo until Parente forwarded him the Times article early Thursday mor ning

In addition to the selective prosecution argument, defense attorneys have said they’re planning to try and have the case dismissed on first amendment grounds. The defense will also receive discovery materials covering any guidance the agent involved in the confrontation received from higher-ups regarding how he should interact with protestors.

Parente said the defense wants to see if agents had been directed to drive towards protestors in what he said could be a strategy to implicate protestors on impediment charges.

“This is just discovery, we’re not making these arguments yet,” Parente said. “If we’re right about this, then the gover nment can shut down any protest, any ‘No Kings’ rally, by having a car drive towards protestors.”

Thursday’s hearing came after months of targeted challenges by defense counsel about the validity of the prosecution’s conspiracy alle gation and evidence, as prosecutors have acknowledged they do not have evidence that the codefendants coordinated prior to the protest or that they knew each other prior to the day. The prosecution is alleging that they broke the law by way of a “spontaneous conspiracy.”

The so-called “Broadview 6” are among 32 known defendants to have been charged with nonimmigration crimes tied to Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago’s federal court. Many of those cases fell apart before reaching trial and the lone case which has reached a jury trial ended with an acquittal, according to the Chicago Sun-Times T he next hearing in the case is set for April 7.

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BRIAN STRAW

RF developer takes questions on past pr ojects

Critics take aim at Madison and Ashland process

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

Discussion of the proposed development of a villageowned parcel at 7620 W. Madison St. at the March 23 River Forest Village Board meeting cleared up some but not all issues that have been do gging the pr oject since it was proposed by village of ficials in January.

Viktor Jakovljevic and Chuck Westphal, co-owners of Chicago-based Five Thirty-One Par tners, which submitted the plan under consideration for a five-story mixeduse building on the site, addressed several issues and answered questions from officials. The development would feature 72 high-end apartments and first-floor retail space, along with 87 parking spaces.

The most interest was directed toward Jakovljevic’s involvement with Cigar Oasis, which was forced to move from its longtime home at 7619 Lake St. after Sedgwick Par tners LLC closed on that property in October 2017 with plans to raze the block and build a five-story, mixed-use development. Cigar Oasis fought the eviction but lost a court battle, which was blamed for the delay in starting that project.

Jakovljevic explained he was not the owner of Cigar Oasis, only one of four investors. He said they had a threeyear lease on the property but lost the court battle. He said they tried to work with Marty Paris, principal with Sedgwick, but were unsuccessful.

“Marty never approached us,” he added.

Village President Cathy Adduci acknowledged the cour t action delayed the start of the project by two months and Trustee Lisa Gillis said there were “numerous” delays and Trustee Respicio Vazquez said other tenants were involved with delays. In addition to the Cigar Oasis cour t action, the project was delayed for environmental cleanup from a dry cleaner business that was also on the site. Adduci also noted the village was never involved in the court action.

In response to a question from Trustee Megan Keskitalo, Jakovljevic said he has no connection with the Lake and Lathrop project.

“I have never ever had anything to do with Lake and Lathrop or Marty Paris,” he said.

When Keskitalo asked why he did not disclose his connection to Cigar Oasis in relation to the La ke and Lathrop project, Jakovljevic said he did not think it mattered. Jakovljevic also addressed questions about past legal problems of his own and the use of union labor on his projects.

He acknowledged losing a building in Melrose Park in foreclosure but blamed Wintrust Bank, explaining he had secured financing from another financial institution, but Wintrust bought the note from that institution, Wheatland Bank, and foreclosed, implying the foreclosure would not

have happened if Wheatland had held the note.

Jakovljevic said he has successfully completed “over 100 projects” since starting in development in1993.

“We survived the ups and downs,” he added.

In response to a question from Trustee Katie Brennan about mechanics liens involving developments with which he was involved, Jakovljevic said such actions do not involve the general contractor. A mechanics lien is filed by an unpaid contractor, subcontractor, laborer or material supplier. If unpaid, it allows a foreclosure action, forcing the sale of the property in lieu of compensation.

“The owner pays the subcontractors,” he said.

When Brennan asked about union picketers recently at a job site across Madison in Forest Park that Jakovljevic was working on, he said the union had an issue with one of the subcontractors.

“Unions don’t want small jobs,” he said. Westphal went further.

“A five-story development doesn’t interest union workers,” he said, adding the need for developers to manage budget constraints.

Prior to officials’ discussion with Jakovljevic, 10 residents expressed concerns about the project during the citizen comment portion of the meeting.

Comments by Patty Henek, Dan LaBarge, Lois Stanback, Margie Cekander, Debbie Borman and Greg Abcarian focused on the “process” the village is following with the proposed development.

Henek contended a sound process is not being followed; LaBarge said he’s “disappointed” in the process; and Stanback expressed concerns about vetting.

Cekander claimed the process is not working and “needs

to change”; Borman said the integrity of the process “is in question”; and Abcarian contends the process is “flawed.”

Lucia Guidice questioned the village’s due diligence and claimed residents want to know more about the project and Boonlye Tan questioned the accuracy of projections re garding the impact the development will have on local schools.

Phyllis Rubin cautioned the board to avoid a re peat of the failed Lake and Lathrop project when red flags were ignored and Tanju Sofu noted the 72 units planned for the development are more than the number of homes in the surrounding neighborhood.

Over the last year the village considered seven development proposals for the site. It was a process that started when JLL, the village’s real estate consultant, sent a request for proposals to nearly 12,000 developers in its database. JLL also did direct outreach to some developers. Twelve firms ultimately signed non-disclosure ag reements to move forward in the process with seven submitting proposals.

The village selected two finalists before the village board ultimately chose Five Thirty-one Par tners to move forward in its process.

Officials have emphasized that the Five Thirty-One Partners proposal is not final, stressing that they consider resident input to be important as they conduct ne gotiations with the developer and as the project goes through the formal planned development process, which includes several public meetings and hearings before a village board vote.

Officials pulled the plug on the Lake and Lathrop development in September 2023. That property is currently entangled in the courts.

AXIOS ARCHITECTS AND CONSULTANTS

Preliminar y concept rendering of the proposed Madison Street project.

Oak Park considers raising grocery bag fee

Village trustees debate raising the fee to match Chicago’s in an e or t to help Oak Park’s dwindling sustainability fund

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park leaders are looking for solutions to make sure that the village has a way to pay for its sustainability programs.

Oak Park’s sustainability fund, which has covered costs for the village ’s environmental progr aming since 2009, doesn’t have the revenue to keep up with its current expenses T he fund’s expenses have outpaced its revenue significantly in recent years, with the fund r unning an annual deficit of roughly $1.5 million.

Oak Park’s village board held a study session last week on possible remedies to the funding issues Without new revenue, the fund is projected to r un out of money by the end of 2027, according to

village staf f.

In 2025, the fund’s largest expenses were $400,000 for village sustainability personnel’s salaries, $500,000 to support the energy navig ator progr am and $750,000 for funding to the village ’s residential energy grant progr ams, according to village staf f.

To lessen the burden on the fund, the village will be gin paying sustainability staf f salaries using g eneral funds. But greater annual investments from the village ’s sustainability fund could also be a part of addressing the revenue gap.

In a memo to the board, Trustee Derek Eder called for more than a $1 million in annual investments from Oak Park’s g eneral fund for the energy loan program in order to stabilize the fund while kee ping pace with village energy goals

“The g eneral fund is one of the more equitable ways we can pay for this right, as opposed to applying fees,” Eder said.

If the sustainability revenue fund carries a ne gative balance for longer than two years, it would have to be rolled into Oak Park’s g eneral fund anyway, according to Finance Director Kevin Bueso

“If the village board is saying this is a core service, then it needs to be funded the way that other core services are funded, just like any other de par tment or operating de par tment,” Bueso said.

“We cannot car ry a ne gative f und balance in the special revenue funds continuously for longer than two fiscal years.”

T hese financial questions for the sustainability fund come after Oak Park has committed itself to an ambitious set of climate policy goals, headlined by a com-

WHEN MEMORY FADES

mitment to slashing local greenhouse g as emissions by 60% before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

One other measure to address the funding gap that board members discussed was the possibility of raising the village ’s tax on single-use plastic grocery bags

Oak Park’s sustainability fund received $175,890 from the village ’s 10 cent bag fee last year If the village had raised its tax to 15 cents per bag to match the City of Chicago’s rate, it would have brought in $351,690 for the sustainability fund, according to village staf f. Oak Park’s volunteer Enviror nment and Energy Commission recently recommended that the village raise its ba g

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Oak Park Fire Department gets $32,000 grant from sandwich chain

Firehouse

Subs Public Safety Foundation purchased the OPFD a machine to decontaminate equipment

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park’s fire fighters just got a major gift from a sandwich chain’s philanthropic organization.

The Firehouse Sub Public Safety Foundation recently gave the department a $32,000 grant to purchase a Solo Rescue Decon SelfContained Breathing Apparatus Washer and accessories, the village announced in a press release The machine will be used to decontaminate equipment that’s been in contact with hazardous materials.

“Using the machine to decontaminate

equipment, firefighters’ contact with hazardous substances and particles is minimized,” the village said in the release “The machine saves time by quickly decontaminating equipment in as little as three to eight minutes, compared to hand cleaning equipment which can take up to 30 minutes This machine has the capacity to clean up to 14 SCBAs, 56 facepieces, 21 helmets, 60 boots and 120 pairs of gloves per hour.”

Since 2005, the restaurant’s public safety foundation has supported first responders across North America, awarding more than 7,100 grants totaling over $105 million to public safety organizations over the last 20

e Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation awarded Oak Park a grant of more than $31,000 for new re department safety equipment.

years. The foundation supports equipment purchases, prevention education, scholarships and continued education, and disaster relief to first responders and public safety organizations, as well as support for military veterans, according to the organization.

“We are extremely grateful to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation and the great people from our local Firehouse

Subs restaurant in nearby Stone Park for this vital support of our department,” said Oak Park Fire Chief JT Terry. “Having reliable, up-to-date equipment enhances our ability to stay safe as we protect lives and better serve our community. This equipment will enable us work toward our goals of improving the overall health and wellness of our dedicated firefighters and paramedics on a daily basis.”

COURTESY OF VILL AG E OF OAKPARK

Who did Oak Park and River Fore vote for in the 7th District?

Kina Collins nished fourth in the 7th District race, but she was Oak Park and River Forest’s top choice

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park and River Forest favored progressive candidate Kina Collins in the March 17 7th Congressional District primary election. Collins finished behind State Rep. La Shawn Ford, Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and union organizer Anthony Driver in the Democratic primary for the U.S. House seat held by Danny Davis for the last three decades. But Collins, an anti-gun violence activist and self-identified Democratic Socialist, was the top vote getter in both Oak Park and River Forest.

Ford, who received Davis’ endorsement early on in the process, carried just under 24% of the total vote to win the primary, with

Conyears-Ervin pulling just over 20%, Driver winning 11.3% and Collins winning 9.4%, according to the Associated Press

At her election night party in Oak Park, Collins said a progressive candidate could’ve won the seat had there not multiple progressives in the primary race, splintering the vote among left-leaning Democrats.

She said bringing ranked choice voting to Illinois would also be necessary for progressive candidates to succeed in the district.

“As we are tallying up the votes, we’re seeing that progressives could have won had we consolidated,” Collins said, flanked by family on the stage at Comedy Plex in Oak Park. “I’m very clear-eyed on what our next journey is about the fight for ranked choice voting, because it’s literally about the viability of this district.”

Oak Park saw stronger turnout in the congressional primary than its next-door neighbor, with just over 25% of registered voters in River Forest casting ballots in the 7th district race compared to 36.8% in Oak Park. In total, 15,547 people cast ballots in the race in Oak Park while 2,185 voted in River Forest.

The local referendum asking Oak to allow the Park District of Oak Pa $40 million in bonds to pay for pool actually drew more votes in Oak than the congressional primary did, ing to Cook County election records. hike proposal, which voters struck down a more than three to one margin, had the biggest turnout of any suburban endum this week as 16,390 Oak Parkers voted on the issue.

The two villages’ voters re presented about 18.5% of the total turnout in the 7th District election, based on turnout figures from the AP.

The 7th district stretches from the West Cook suburbs to Downtown Chicago, picking up large sections of Chicago’s West Side and South Side along the way. The 7th district’s Democratic primary is the de facto decider for the seat, as a Republican has not won the dark blue district since the 1940s Collins received 22.6% of the Oak Park vote and just over 18% of the vote in River Forest. Ford finished second in Oak Park with 16.3% of the village’s vote while Ja-

son F riedman finished just behind Collins in River Forest with 16.89% of the village’s vote

Conyears-Ervin had significantly out spent Ford, Driver and Collins on the campaign trail. Her $620,821 in receipts reported to the Federal Elections Commission last month outpaced Ford by more than $135,000, exceeded Driver by nearly $400,000 and dwarfed Collins’ total by more than 11 to one, according to FEC records. Those totals don’t include the more than $5 million in interest group ad buys ConyearsErvin reportedly benefited from.

Welch rolls onto Democratic State Central Committee

Conyears-Er vin wrests committeewoman seat from Emma Mitts

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch took a major ste p forward in broadening his political power on Election Day with a landslide win over Oak Park Township Supervisor Tim Thomas for an open Democratic State Central Committeeman seat.

Unlike other races on the primary ballot, the committeeman race was not a head-tohead contest. Instead, voters were instructed to “vote for two” among five candidates. Under state law, the top male vote getter and top female vote getter win election to the party office.

With 277 of 291 precincts re porting, Welch had more than twice as many votes in Chicago wards as Thomas, 22.24% to 9.3%. With 100% of suburban precincts re-

porting, Welch had 17,702 votes, a muscular 37.52%. Thomas garnered 5,486 votes.

Meanwhile, Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who lost her bid for the 7th Congressional seat to La Shawn K. pointed incumbent committeewoman Emma Mitts in both Chicago and the suburbs. Conyears-Ervin had 31% of the vote in the city to Mitt’s 28%, a 2,428 vote advantage ened her lead in the suburbs, with 11,028 votes to Mitt’s 8,221, giving her a total 5,265 vote ad

Larry of Mayw

Welch’s campaign had a air of inevitability since last summer. He had wasted no time lining up support in

the 7th district committeeman race, announcing his candidacy and a list of nearly 20 endorsements on Aug. 31, the day Danny K. Davis for mally as his re placement in Congress.

Welch soon had nearly 60 reflecting exin some 20 Chiwards, adding to his solid r base in Proviso townbuilt a massive for a central

It’s tempting to compare the contest in David and Goliath terms, except re long, he at built a $715,000

war chest, some 367 times the $1,869 Thom-

as had raised, according to Illinois State Board of Election records. Welch received more than $519,000 in 46 individual contributions, including $338,060 from 11 state re ps, many on his leadership team.

While the Democratic Party of Illinois did pay $95,185 for three political mailers supporting Welch in mid-February, his state central committeeman fund, on Feb. 5 sent the DPI $20,000 and his personal campaign fund, People for Emanuel “Chris” Welch, sent the DPI $100,000.

The numerous House members who sent as much as $50,000 to Team Welch for the committeeman race can expect many times that in assistance if needed from Welch’s Democrat’s for the Illinois House. In the 2024 election cycle, Welch moved $11 million to fellow Democrats through that and other committees.

KINA COLLINS

CHRIS WELCH

Franklin dominates eld in 8th State House primary

Credits old school door-knocking as key to a rookie win

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

Real estate agent Shantel Franklin will be the first ever female state re presentati from the 8th House District after a surprisingly strong performance in a four-candidate field in her first political race Franklin, 32, who also served as an aide to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, six years, had 5,997 votes, nearly 46% of total, with around 88% of ballots counted. La tonya Mitts was a distant second with 25.9%, followed by Jill Bush with 16.2% and John Harrell with 12.2%.

With no candidate running in the Republican primary, unless someone files to run as an independent, Franklin will be unopposed in the general election in November and will be swor n in as state rep in January.

While her 20% winning margin may have been a surprise to some, it wasn’t to Franklin, who said her victory was the result of old school political leg work in the precincts, and networking with people “It was important to me, as a new face, to

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and rely on a network of political allies to bring in the vote beyond his 8th State House district power base.

Ford said some people had urged him to reach out and connect with big money donors and spend “hours and hours” soliciting funding. He chose another way.

“I spent hours and hours connecting with people in the community,” he said. “I was just hopeful the people who voted for me over the years, who saw me get up every day and work for them, would respond and listen. I put out my record, which is to be ready, on day one, to serve.”

As expected, Ford was outraised by three rivals. Jason Freidman raised $2.5 million, Dr Thomas Fisher raised $800,000 and Melissa Conyears-Ervin raised $620,000. Ford took in $495,000. But what he couldn’t have planned for was contending with an unprecedented amount of outside PAC money spent both

not be outworked by anyone,” she said on the day following the election.

“Building trust with voters really started when I gathered petitions (in August),” she said. “My strategy was ‘get your (butt) on those doors.’ I knocked on over 25,000 doors.

“I busted up a pair of boots in the process, but that’s OK.”

“It (wasn’t) always easy,” she said. “I wanted to veer off and have some events, but I stayed at it.” She said she’s picked up bits

supporting his main rival Conyears-Ervin and attacking him in starkly personal terms.

In addition, Conyears-Ervin, the current Chicago city treasurer, benefitted from $4,968,000 in supportive advertising by The United Democracy Project, which is affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC

The next closest 7th Congressional District candidate in outside support advertising, Anthony Driver, had $457,000 spent by union PACs for his campaign, less than a tenth of Conyears-Ervin

But no one in an Illinois Congressional race this primary had the amount of money spent attacking them as Ford; cryptocurrency PAC Fairshake spent $2,464,000 on two TV ads and at least one mailer.

The ads implied that Ford had been convicted of felonies related to bank fraud, that he was part of a pattern of corruption and had engaged in a “misuse of power” as a state representative. Both Ford and current Congressman Danny K. held separate press conferences denouncing the innuendo and outright falsehoods in the ads. “It could be so damaging to my re putation,” Ford said at the time. “It could have an impact on the out-

of campaign wisdom from veterans like the state re p she’s re placing, La Shawn Ford (who won his 7th Congressional primary Tuesday night) and Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch. Both pols stressed the essential nature of old school, face-toface retail politics.

Franklin’s near majority vote total was based on a huge vote differential in the suburbs. While Franklin led Mitts 2,516 to 2,044 in the city - an 8% difference -- she outpolled Mitts 3,481 to 1,348 in the suburbs as far south as Countryside, a 30-point margin (48.9% to 18.9%).

Franklin thanked the voters who turned out for her. She also expressed gratitude for the support of five mayors in the suburban area of the 8th House District, including Countryside, Hodgkins, North Riverside, LaGrange and LaGrange Park

Franklin said she’s grateful for her opponents and what they’ve done in the community, specifically mentioning the Rev. John Harrell and his Black Men United organization, “as well as Latonya Mitts. Her mom is my alderwoman.”

come of the election.”

Days before the election, Ford announced he had sent a cease-and-desist order to Fairshake, demanding they stop airing the ads.

There’s no sure way to determine what if any impact the ads had, but they didn’t sink Ford’s candidacy. As the votes were tallied election night, Conyears-Ervin was able to stay slightly ahead of Ford in the city wards

With 277 of 299 precincts reporting, she had 23.8 percent, 14,543 votes, to Ford’s 23.64 percent, 14,445 votes

But Ford took 7,720 votes in Oak Park, River Forest and much of Proviso Township, far outpacing Conyears-Ervin’s 4,462 votes, 24.4 percent to 14.1 percent.

Conyears-Ervin, was gracious in defeat “Tonight, I spoke with Rep. La Shawn Ford and congratulated him on his victory,” she said. “I pledged to work closely with him as city treasurer to lift up the West and South Sides and address the financial literacy gap within the Black community.”

Ford said he made the decision to stay with values he’d held through two decades in the Illinois House, “The old-time way of campaigning, knocking doors and phone calls.”

“We’re neighbors,” she said. “We’re all after the common good.”

“I’m excited where the district is headed,” Franklin said. “I live in this district. We have a stake in this district. And I want to see this district advance.”

Asked what her to do list in Springfield includes, Franklin said affordability and the cost of living are her top concerns. The Housing and Appropriations committees were high on her list. And education.

“We need a fighter for education, so I’d like to be on the education committee,” she said. Mitts and Franklin both finished strong in fundraising. Mitts had $39,899 banked on Jan.1 and took in $46,000 through February. The last two weeks she received $25,000 from her mother’s political organization, and $10,000 from Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC.

Franklin got a welcome $200,000 boost in February. More than a third of it from the Chicago Teacher’s Union, and in the last 10 days received $11,000, including donations from southern Illinois Democrat Jay Hoffman and three other House members.

Of course, he had some things that money can’t buy, including the support of the incumbent he sought to replace. “Danny K. Davis’s endorsement was major,” he said. He also had the backing of Speaker of the Illinois House Chris Welch, who played a key role for Ford in Proviso township.

Ford said he planned to contact each of his primary opponents and ask them to be part of a unity gathering soon, saying, “It’s very, very important those people are at the table with their ideas.”

Ford said he has consistently supported progressive goals that help his constituents He said those goals must sometimes be tempered by patience, and that he plans to take that patient and respectful approach to Washington. Just as with voters, he said, trust is crucial in working with fellow lawmakers.

“People have to know they can trust you,” he said. “Without that trust, it’s difficult to get things done. Being a legislator for 19 years, I’ve been to Washington (D.C.) and met with leadership and rank and file. The best way to get things done is to get to know people, not go in blazing, and pushing members on progressive ideas before getting to have a relationship with them.”

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Another ‘No Kings’ protest set for Oak Park, March 28

Scoville Park will host an anti-Trump rally this Saturday

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Another protest against President Donald Trump is set to take place in Downtown Oak Park this week.

The “No Kings” rally is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 28 at Scoville Park in the village, according to a schedule of demonstrations created by national protest org anizers. The Oak Park “No Kings” protest is one of more than 30 such protests scheduled for Saturday in the Chicagoland area and one of more than 3,000 repor tedly set to take place that day across the country, according to protest organizers.

Downtown Oak Pa rk has hosted se veral large anti-Trump protest marches since the president took of fice last year The most recent “No Kings” protest in Oak Park was on Oct. 18, 2025, when 7 million people re por tedly took place in demonstrations nationwide, according to protest org anizers

In the past, Oak Park protestors have gathered around the “Peace Triumphant” war memorial statue at Scoville Park before marching from Oak Park Avenue to Harlem Avenue in a loop along Lake Street. Previous protests have brought crowds of well over a thousand to the village’s downtown.

Other Cook County suburban communities where “No Kings” protests are expected for Saturday include Forest Park, Cicero, Evanston, Glenview and Wester n Springs, according to protest organizers The largest protest gathering in the area is expected at Grant Park in Downtown Chicago.

current offices at West Suburban Hospital and at 7411 Lake St. in River Forest will close on March 31. We look forward to seeing our

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POOL

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according to county records.

The park district was seeking voter approval to sell $40 million in bonds to fund construction of a new indoor aquatic center at Ridgeland Common while eliminating the decades old Ridgeland Common outdoor pool in the process

The push to replace the outdoor pool at Ridgeland Common with an indoor facility came as a surprise to many in the village.

The park district board unanimously approved placing a referendum on the ballot last December Jan Ar nold, the park’s executive director, said Wednesday the proposal presented to voters was the “most fiscally responsible” plan for delivering a new indoor pool for Oak Park, which park district leaders had identified as a strong desire in the community.

“Referendums are designed to ask the voters if they support raising taxes and a benefit of going to referendum and asking allows us to allow the community to vote on what they value, so they have spoken that they would rather have the three months of outdoor pool time at Ridgeland instead of a 12-month pool there,” she said. “The approach was for the park district board to make a decision in regards to what was the most fiscally responsible decision going forward, and then put it to the voters and say, ‘here’s what we think is the most fiscally responsible, do you want it yes or no?’”

“People have said for years that they want to have a vote when it comes to raising taxes for a project, and that’s exactly what the park

district board did,” she said.

Voters on Tuesday told Wednesday Jour nal they didn’t want to support funding for an indoor pool at the cost of losing of an existing outdoor pool.

“I don’t like the idea of getting rid of an outdoor pool and I think it’s going to be way more expensive than they are projecting,” Oak Parker Roberta Ar nold said after voting at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School. “I think it’s going to cost a lot of money to maintain an indoor pool and it’s going to use a lot of energy.”

There is no other site in Oak Park that’s viable for an indoor pool, Ar nold said.

“The reality is that from a green space (perspective), our community is lacking,” Ar nold said. “Taking over a park was not ever in the mix.”

Ar nold attributed the decisive vote in part to residents’ “nostalgia” for the Ridgeland Common outdoor pool.

“There was a lot of nostalgia for Ridgeland Common and that played out and that’s okay,” Ar nold said.

The park district will need to address the aging infrastructure at Ridgeland Common’s outdoor pool in the coming years, she said. There is “$10 million worth of work that’s going to have to be done at Ridgeland Common,” in the near future, Ar nold said.

“The park district will move forward with the need to bring in professionals in a few years to start talking about what that new, Ridgeland Common outdoor pool will look like,” she said. “The park district board said from day one that this was a community decision, and therefore the community has made the decision, and we will move forward with our capital improvement plan, looking at how we invest, and plan for, prepare for investing the necessary funds to keep Ridgeland Common operational as an outdoor pool.”

Oak Parker Kaegi proud of work as assessor even in defeat

‘The most visible person’ gets the blame, says Kaegi

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Fritz Kaegi won’t be serving a third ter m as Cook County Assessor. Kaegi, who has lived in Oak Park since 2010, was defeated in the March 17 Democratic primary by Lyons Township Assessor Pat Hynes. Kaegi’s time as assessor will an end in December after tw ter ms in of

“I’m r the elected officials, li two U.S. bers of C all the neighbors and other who supported us and be lieve in reform the property tax system. The any one told Wed telephone about making sure that the tax system of special interests and big co Hynes County of for mer Hynes, defeated Ka votes racking up 52% of

Hynes’s win was po for mance in suburban he won 56% of over 51% of Hynes did exceptionally well in the south suburbs

to 5,058 votes (34.65%) for Hynes. Kaegi also car ried River Forest handedly winning 59.93% of the vote.

Kaegi car ried Oak Park by a nearly two to one margin racking up 9,540 votes (65.35%)

SUSTAINABILIT Y

from page 5

fee. Trustee Brian Straw said the village could raise its bag tax even higher than Chicago’s as Oak Park works to discourage single-use shopping bags altogether.

“I’m definitely interested in increasing the retail plastic bag fee,” Straw said. “I’d be willing to go a little higher, f aster. Be-

But Kaegi was hurt, even in Oak Park, by voters upset by rising taxes and rising assessments. Assessments recently increased a great deal on the South and West Sides of Chicago and in the south suburbs. Chicago eassessed in 2025 and the south suburbs eassessed in 2024. The assessments, and hence the taxes, on many homes in arustin dramatically en in part, by r assessments of downommercial properties wners often won big in their property ppealing their asook County for years but assessing hether he was exesponsible or not he was the one in ofrk after votMann School in Oak Park et, was passing out literature to voters on primary day. i said rising tax bills upset voters. us when tax i said. “And eople are rightly frustrated with rising tax money spent to make sure that the frustration was directed as us even though we might not be responsible for it. Yeah, when you’re trying to reform a broken system you don’t make a lot

cause I think, you know, 20 cents, as opposed to 15 cents, will generate a little bit more revenue. As we continue stair-stepping, it will decrease usage until we get to the point of elimination.”

But other board members were anxious about the impact that higher bag fees could have on low-income residents and visitors shopping in Oak Park.

“When people are trying to af ford to buy bread, they’re not thinking about whether or not the rain forest is going to survive,” Trustee Cory Wesley said. “When I think

of friends and we had the full weight of the political machine working against us and the real estate industry, you know, spending over $100,000 to direct the blame at us.”

Kaegi said he understood the frustrations of taxpayers but put the blame on the Cook County Board of Review which rules on property tax appeals.

“We tried to make this campaign about how corporate tax breaks homeowner to be the most visible person in the tax system and to explain how tax is because another go body that most never heard of,” Ka “It’s c could g the guy one else, has average the interests that shift more they say in politics that if you’re Hynes had the endorsement of County Democratic Harmon and the Democratic Park sta endorse either had supported and Cook C ing session. Harmon voted for in the primary.

two personal loans to his campaign, totaling $750,000 last year

During the campaign Hynes characterized himself as a real estate professional and criticized Kaegi’s management of the office saying at a February meeting of the Democratic Party of Oak Park, where both he and Kaegi spoke, that the assessor’s office under Kaegi was “inefficient un” and made ous mistake after egre-

The race was an expensive one. Kaegi’s campaign committee, Friends for Fritz, raised more than $1 million. Kaegi made

about matching Chicago, I’m thinking that we probably get more people shopping from Chicago because we’re not matching Chicago on the bag tax, and I kind of like that. So this one’s challenging for me.”

How the fund balance is addressed, whether it’s through general fund investment, fee increases or other remedies, will continue to be a topic for discussion for village leaders in the coming months.

ew up in Hyde Park rior to being elected Cook ssessor in 2018 after incumbent assessor oseph Berrios in the Demoprimary Kaegi worked estment world as a manager for a mutubefore that as an emain in office until December. No Republiassessor in the Republican now Hynes’s only opponent eneral election is Libertary candidate Michael Murphy. my term,” Kaewhat he has ccomplish in his nearly 8 years

leaned up an office that was notorious for corruption and made it clean, without any trace of scandal,” Kaegi said. Kaegi said he believed he helped make the assessment process fairer.

A schedule for meetings for the village board’s finance committee will soon be released, Village Manager Kevin Jackson said.

“I think during the finance committee meetings, we’ll look to provide a lot more information on this,” Jackson said. “I do think we need to really talk with you guys about a common definition for what is considered a core service. And I think even within that definition, what are we legally obligated to provide versus what are we choosing to provide as a core service and what are things that are just added on based upon our goals that we’re trying to pursue.”

FRITZ KAEGI

PAT HYNES

Social Living with t Lisa Capone

SocialLiving Benefits YOUR BEST LIFE withLisaCapone

Police make arrests in battery incidents

Oak Park police made arrests in connection with several battery incidents that occurred over recent months last week.

Police arrested a 50-year-old Oak Park man on battery charges in connection with a reported attack on an Evanston resident in the 1100 block of South Maple Avenue on Nov. 11, 2025. Police arrested the man in the 1000 block of South Oak Park Avenue shortly after 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, according to police.

Police also arrested a 42-year-old Brookfield woman on domestic battery charges last week in connection with a reported violent Oak Park incident that occurred on Dec 27, 2025, according to police

Robber y incident

Oak Park police are investigating a repor ted violent attempted robbery on North Avenue in the village.

from his pocket, according to police. When the attackers failed to take the man’s phone and wallet, they grabbed his car keys and threw them on the ground before re portedly fleeing westbound on foot on North Avenue, according to police

Livinginaretirementcommunity canofferseveralsocial advantagesforolderadults.These communitiesaredesignedto promotesocialinteraction, engagement,andasenseof belonging.Herearesomeofthe socialadvantagestolivingina retirementcommunity:

Police arrested a 28-year-old Oak Park woman on battery charges shortly before 10:50 p.m. on Friday, March 20. The arrest came in connection with a reported attack on another Oak Park resident on Aug. 12, 2025 in the 600 block of South Harvey Avenue, according to police.

A Chicago man told police that he was standing outside in the 6300 block of West North Avenue when a woman called him a “pervert” before going inside a nearby business and returning with two men. The two men then began punching the victim and tried to remove his cell phone and wallet

These items were obtained from Oak Park’s Police Department reports dated March 17 – 24 and represent a portion ofthe incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race ofa 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 ofthe suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest — Brendan He ernan

Visit Cantata.org for more senior living advice or call (708) 387-1030 L

v i t i e s l i k e o u t i n g s , f i t n e s s

c l a s s e s , h o b b y g r o u p s , a n d g a m e n i g h t s k e e p r e s i d e n t s a c t i v e a n d i n t e r a c t i n g .

SocialEngagement: Daily activitieslikeoutings,fitness classes,hobbygroups,and gamenightskeepresidents activeandinteracting.

S e n s e o f C o m m u n i t y : A c l o s ek n i t e n v i r o n m e n t f o s t e r s m e a n i n g f u l r e l a t i o n s h i p s a n d

r e d u c e s l o n e l i n e s s .

SenseofCommunity :Acloseknitenvironmentfosters meaningfulrelationshipsand reducesloneliness.

Western suburbs to dispatch mental he alth services instead of police on some calls

B u i l t - I n S o c i a l N e t w o r k : L i v i n g

a m o n g p e e r s i n a s i m i l a r l i f e s t a g e m a k e s i t e a s i e r t o

Built-InSocialNetwork: amongpeersinasimilarlifeLiving stagemakesiteasierto connectandbuildsupportive networks.

West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch

Center, which dispatches Forest Park, Oak

Park and River Forest rst responders, is a par t of the state’s 1st cohor t

c o n n e c t a n d b u i l d s u p p o r t i v e n e t w o r k s

C o n v e n i e n c e : O n - s i t e d i n i n g , f i t n e s s , a n d c o m m o n a r e a s

m a k e g a t h e r i n g w i t h f r i e n d s s i m p l e a n d a c c e s s i b l e

Convenience: fitness,andcommonareasOn-sitedining, makegatheringwithfriends simpleandaccessible.

S u p p o r t i v e E n v i r o n m e n t :

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

mid-size center. Last year, WSCDC answered 120,000 calls, about 75,000 of which were emergency 911 calls

will dispatch the appropriate police or fire department. He said that encapsulates most of the calls WSCDC gets

R e s i d e n t s s h a r e e x p e r i e n c e s , o f f e r i n g e m o t i o n a l s u p p o r t a n d

e n c o u r a g e m e n t t o o n e a n o t h e r

SupportiveEnvironment: Residentsshareexperiences, offeringemotionalsupportand encouragementtooneanother.

E a s e o f M a k i n g F r i e n d s :

Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest are now a part of a statewide effort to have mental health professionals respond to certain 911 calls, instead of local police

F r e q u e n t e v e n t s a n d s h a r e d

s p a c e s n a t u r a l l y c r e a t e

o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r n e w

f r i e n d s h i p s

EaseofMakingFriends: Frequenteventsandshared spacesnaturallycreate opportunitiesfornew friendships.

VisitCantata.orgformore seniorlivingadviceorcall (708)387-1030.

In 2021, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Community Emergency Services and Supports Act into law. The law requires mental health referrals instead of police response in some situations Since the law passed, the Illinois Department of Human Services has been working with the Illinois State Police, EMS administrators under the purview of the Illinois Department of Public Health, plus state and regional advisory committees to fully implement the law by July 1, 2027.

Late last year, the first cohort of about 20 out of 175 dispatch centers in Illinois started training, including the West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center, which connects 911 callers in Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest to emergency resources.

Brian Staunton, executive director of the West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center, said he thinks their dispatch center was chosen for the first cohort because it has a

As a part of the law’s first cohor t, Staunton said the state is training WSCDC to provide mental health resources to firstpar ty callers with a level one risk matrix, or those who are nonviolent, don’t seem intoxicated, and present no threat of har m or property damage With these callers who give consent, WSCDC transfers their call to 988, the national mental health crisis line Staunton said 988 tries to deescalate situations over the phone and, if needed, dispatches mobile care response teams. In the Oak Park area, for example, Thrive Counseling Center’s 24/7 crisis support could be sent to make contact with a caller.

“The goal is to dispatch mental and behavioral health concer ns to trained professionals that specialize in treating patients with these needs, rather than sending police or EMS on these calls, unless immediate assistance is required,” Forest Park Village Administrator Rachell Entler told the Review.

Staunton said that, if a caller isn’t the person in need of help, or if they aren’t experiencing a level one risk matrix, WSCDC

“How much of a grand effect is this going to have on our operation or the village’s operation? It’s something we’ ll have to see, but I don’t think it’s going to have a big impact,” Staunton said of implementing the first part of CESSA

Staunton added that the hope is that, once all the state’s dispatch centers are trained to address first-party caller, level-one risk matrices, they will next be trained to dispatch mental health services for second- and thirdparty callers and for level-two risk matrices — which could include minor self-injurious behavior, verbal threats and serious mental illness that poses no immediate risk to har m oneself or others.

“People who need help should still call 911, and we can give them the proper resources at the proper time That’s always the goal,” Staunton said. He added that, as a part of the state’s first cohor t to implement CESSA, his dispatch center will “continue to communicate to gether and build something to better serve the community and give them support.”

JOIN US for Holy Week Worship Services

March 29-Palm Sunday 10:30

April 3-Good Friday 7;00

April 5-Potluck/Egg Hunt-9:30

April 5- Easter Sunday –10:30

HOLY

PALM SUNDAY Sunday, March 29 10:15 am

CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND ADULTS EXPERIENCE TOGETHER Quick & Lathrop in River Forest | 708-366-5822 | office@firstpresrf.org

Worship, Palm Parade, and Holy Communion MAUNDY THURSDAY Thursday, April 2 7:00 pm

Worship and Holy Communion, In-person only

HOLYWEEKANDEASTERMASSSCHEDULE ST.LUKEANDST.BERNARDINE

APRIL 2 HOLY THURSDAY

8:30a.m.|St.Luke,MorningPrayer

7:00p.m.|St.Bernardine,MassoftheLord’sSupper

APRIL3HOLYFRIDAY

8:30a.m.|St.Luke,MorningPrayer

3:00p.m.|St.Bernardine,WayoftheCross

Services on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. www.stchristophersoakpark.org/calendar

Easter Day, Sunday, April 5th

8 am•Rite I Spoken Eucharist 9:30 am•Rite III Wiggle Worship 11 am•Rite II Choral Eucharist

Easter egg hunts after the 9:30 and 11:00 services!

GraceEpiscopalChurch

Grace Episcopal Church A Place for Families, A Place for All 924 Lake St. Oak Park, IL graceoakpark.org St.BernardineChurch—801S.ElginAvenue,ForestPark St.LukeChurch—7600LakeStreet,RiverForest

7:00p.m.|St.Bernardine,LiturgyoftheLord’sPassion

APRIL 4 HOLY SATURDAY

8:30a.m.|St.Luke,MorningPrayer

12p.m.|St.Luke,BlessingoftheEasterBaskets

PalmSunday----March29,10:30AM

MaundyThursday---April2,7:30PM

GoodFriday----------April3,7:30PM

7:00 p.m. | St. Bernardine, Litur of the L 7:00 p.m. | St. Luke, i il Mass in the Holy

7:00p.m.|St.Luke,VigilMassintheHolyNightofEaster

APRIL5EASTERSUNDAY

APRIL 5 EASTER SUNDAY

8:00a.m.|St.BernardineMass

9:30a.m.and11:00a.m.|St.LukeMass

Easterblessingsfrom

A Place for Families, A Place for All 924LakeSt.OakPark,IL graceoakpark.org

PalmSunday----March29,10:30AM MaundyThursday---April2,7:30PM GoodFriday----------April3,7:30PM

GreatVigil------------April4,7:30PM

GreatVigil------------April4,7:30PM

EasterSunday------April5,10:30AM

Palm Sunday----March 29, 10:30AM Maundy Thursday---April 2, 7:30PM Good Friday----------April 3, 7:30PM Great Vigil------------April 4, 7:30PM Easter Sunday------April 5, 10:30AM Egg Hunt Following Easter Service

A Place for Families, A Place for All 924LakeSt.OakPark,IL graceoakpark.org

EasterSunday------April5,10:30AM

EggHuntFollowingEasterService

EggHuntFollowingEasterService

THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITIES OF OAK PARK

Holy Week and Easter Sunday 2026

* On Holy Saturday, 4:30 PM Mass at St. Giles and 5:00 PM Mass at St. Edmund will NOT be celebrated.

** On Easter Sunday, the Catholic Communities of Oak Park Sunday Night Mass at St. Edmund will NOT be celebrated.

ASCENSION and ST. EDMUND PARISH

HOLY THURSDAY APRIL 2

7:30 PM Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Ascension Chiurch

11:45 PM Night Prayer, Ascension Church

GOOD FRIDAY APRIL 3

9:00 AM Morning Prayer, Ascension Church

12:00 PM Family Prayers around the Cross, St. Edmund Church

3:00 PM Taizé Prayer around the Cross, Ascension Church

7:30 PM Solemn Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, St. Edmund Church

HOLY SATURDAY* APRIL 4

9:00 AM Morning Prayer, Ascension Church

11:00 AM Blessing of Easter Foods, St. Edmund, Murphy Hall

7:30 PM Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter, St. Giles Church

EASTER SUNDAY** APRIL5

8:00 AM Easter Sunday Mass, Ascension Church

9:15 AM Easter Sunday Mass, St. Edmund Church

10:30 AM Easter Sunday Mass, Ascension Church

11:00 AM Easter Sunday Mass, St. Edmund Church

ST. CATHERINE of SIENA–ST. LUCY and ST. GILES PARISH

HOLY THURSDAY APRIL 2

8:30 AM Morning Prayer, St. Giles Church

7:30 PM Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, St. Giles Church Adoration until midnight

11:45 PM Night Prayer, St. Giles Church

GOOD FRIDAY APRIL 3

8:30 AM Morning Prayer, St. Giles Church

3:00 PM Solemn Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, St. Giles Church

7:30 PM Living Stations of the Cross, St. Giles Church

7:30 PM Family Mass Community Good Friday

Prayer Service with Silent Passion, St. Giles School Gym

HOLY SATURDAY* APRIL 4

8:30 AM Morning Prayer, St. Giles Church

11:00 AM Blessing of Easter Foods, St. Giles Church

7:30 PM Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter, St. Giles Church

EASTER SUNDAY** APRIL5

6:00 AM Easter Sunday Sunrise Mass, St. Giles Courtyard (in the courtyard, weather permitting; otherwise in the Church)

8:00 AM Easter Sunday Mass, St. Giles Church

10:00 AM Easter Sunday Family Mass Community–Mass, St. Giles School Gym

10:30 AM Easter Sunday Mass, St. Giles Church

COME &

ForestPark BaptistChurch

Glorifying

Knox ran up vote in Oak Park on path to judgeship

Took 74% of vote in Oak Park to seal county court bid

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Buoyed by a strong showing in Oak Park, villager Jarrett Knox is on his way to becoming a judge. Knox, an assistant state’s attorney who works on child protection cases, defeated Elmwood Park r John Carrozza in a race in the 11th judicial subcircuit

March 17 Democratic P Knox received 61 percent vote to 39 percent for Ca Knox received 20,134 votes Carrozza, who has a small eral law practice that focuses criminal defense work, rece 12,841 votes.

around this campaign and around me and the support that they gave.”

Knox, 44, has no opponent on the November general election ballot as the Republican Party did not field a candidate in the primary. Knox is expected to be swor n in on Dec. 7.

“Congratulations to Jarrett. I thought he eat race,” Carrozza said after the election. “I think he’s going to make a great judge.”

Knox received 73.58% ofthe vote in Oak Park which was the big diffe ence in the race. Knox rece in Oak Park, slightly more than halfofthe votes he received in the which runs north from Oak wood Park and parts ofthe side of Chicago.

About his performance in Oak rrozza said, “I did camry hard in Oak Pa rk and I knew Oak Park was going to be oter turnout. I did my est there; I have absolutely no ets. In fact I thought it was absolute fantastic experience, eople that I met, the people that I was able to connect with along the way was just absolutely fantastic.”

ted by State Senate Presiwho is also the Demoommitteeman for Oak Park. signs sprouted up on lawns in prior to the election.

“This community pays attention, this community cares deeply about the democratic process and even these judicial races that sometimes get overlooked,” Knox said. “There was a lot of attention and I’m extremely grateful for that. I’m also, of course, very grateful for the support ofPresident Harmon and the Democratic Party ofOak Park as well as Vicki Scaman. Just the way that Oak Park really rallied

Knox was also supported by other Democratic politicians such as Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman, 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

JARRET T KNOX

Sam’s o ers STEM fun for youth ballplayers

Batting-cage business shifts to nonpro t model to qualify for grants, lower costs

By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter

Back in high school, Katie Moody played softball, so naturally going to the batting cages to take some hefty swings after a rough day is a pastime of hers.

Her spot of choice was – and is – Sam’s Community Batting Cages at 1425 N. 1st Ave. in Melrose Park, which serves a large radius, including Oak Park, River Forest and Elmwood Park

“I go there a lot,” Moody said. “I find it to be a great stress reliever. Sometimes I put my kids to bed, go up there, grab a beer and hit some balls.”

One day, she attended a STEM event at Julian Middle School in Oak Park, STEM standing for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

As luck would have it, she ran into Sam’s owner Scott Friesen, who was hosting a booth at the fair focused on physics, and raved about his facility.

Months later, she was at Sam’s, buying some tokens, and there was Friesen. By then, he had shifted the business to a nonprofit model. He needed a board president.

Here I am, Moody said.

“Being a nonprofit allows us to apply for grants, it allows us to keep costs low for

families and opens up the door with donors and community organizations,” she said. “Keeping this batting cage open and being able to offer low prices and help donors help us is incredible.

“It’s an asset to the community.”

Sam’s is more than just a place to hang out and hit some balls on a summer evening with kids from area little leagues, beer leaguers and couples on dates.

Call it fun with a purpose for the kiddos.

As Friesen puts it, it’s analog fun.

“I was a science kid,” he said. “I was a biolo gy major. I used to do a lot of interesting enrichment things. I was working on the [pitching] machines, I had a machine open and I was watching the mechanism that throws the balls.”

That was the birth three years ago of STEM at Sam’s, an hourlong activity in the late spring and early fall where he demonstrates physics concepts related to his favorite game – baseball.

“We measure the balls, they get to use the mechanics of what they are studying,” he said. “We talk about friction and gravity. They get to use a speed gun. ”

Moody said the value is learning outside the classroom.

“It’s a cool way to have some of the kids in baseball and softball learn about the batting cages, but it allows us to work with the community,” she said. “Horace Mann Elementary School is less than a 10-minute drive. It’s helping them learn STEM a different way. It’s hands-on learning.”

Friesen bought the batting cages in 2021,

for merly known as Bat-a-Ball, which had been vacant for about a decade, and his first season in business was 2022. His common customers are youth baseball and softball players, including their parents who drive them over. That’s different from his youth, when youngsters would ride their bikes to batting cages and hit all afternoon until their arms were sore.

For a couple of years, in running Sam’s as a for-profit business, there was a positive community response. The problem, like a lot of small businesses, was breaking even, to say nothing of making a profit.

“I’ve been supporting this with my personal finances since I started,” Friesen said. “I’m left with a decision. We have two options – we sell it and it gets knocked down, or I find a way to close the gap and

break even like a nonprofit through fundraising.”

That led to Sam’s Community Batting Cages, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization. He put together a board last May, which ultimately included Moody.

Making the move to nonprofit status wasn’t actually as hard as it might seem.

“On the tech side, it’s just a little tedious, but it’s not super-challenging,” Friesen said. “It’s just time consuming. I got some help from ChatGPT and I really appreciate the board, the folks that have been willing to come to board meetings. It needs proper oversight like any nonprofit.”

To learn more about Sam’s Community Batting Cages or to donate, visit SamsBatting.org.

TODD BANNOR

Scott Friesen, owner of Sam’s Batting Cages in Melrose Park, at the business on March 20.

Black Fodder Co ee’s

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter

The words “double chocolate cake” were all diner Lynda Jo Shlaes needed to know. She had already come to appreciate Black Fodder Coffee’s attention to detail in their custom cof fees at 349 Ashland Ave. in River Forest, but the cake confir med her as a re gular eater too. She admitted that she orders it at least twice a month.

“The double chocolate cake is like a chocolate cloud,” Shlaes said. “It is fantastic. And it’s health free and made is my thing.”

not to like?

The cake’s sponge base is made from mix of gluten-free flours. The middle a pillowy mousse, topped with chocolate g anache made with milk and butter grass-fed cows

When Black Fodder’s owners, couple Monika and Maciej Wolfar t, opened cof fee shop last year, their first goal was bring a level of care and sophistication the cup. The next ste p was to share they’d lear ned from more than a decade eating low-carb and gluten-free

“That second le g was healthy eating,” husband from Polish. ond just typi-

cal cof fee shop baked goods.”

According to the Wolfar ts, often when baked items are touted as “keto” they can be even worse due to the chemicals that are loaded into them to get the low-carb or gluten-free label. Rice flour for example, they said, can contain arsenic

“We use natural sweeteners,” Monika Wolfar t said.

“But the fact that something is natural doesn’t mean it’s automatically good for us. We star ted with erythritol and monk fruit, but we really try to follow where the research is really leading us It’s showing that those two are not without issues Double-blind randomized tests show that allulose is much better It’s actually really good for our biome. It’s probiotic.”

that there are people who are looking deeper than just the surface level of, ‘Oh, that’s low carb, or that’s keto, or that’s healthy.’ We wanted really to give them the ingredients that we believe are truly healthy.”

Maciej Wolfar t said, “Our philosophy: let’s do our best to serve people What would we, being kind of little freaks about healthy eating, eat ourselves? Let’s really see if our guests, our customers, will appreciate that.”

Apparently, Lynda Jo Shlaes did.

“It isn’t that I have a gluten problem or even a sug ar problem,” she said. “It’s just that I try to eat as healthy as I can. And their cake an indulgence that still feels healthy.”

These ingredients cost more. For example, the eggs they use are not only org anic and free-range, but also pasture raised, which is a higher standard of living for the chickens.

“We’ re paying much more for ingredients,” Monika Wolfar t said. “Maybe people will not really notice right away We believe

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Diner Ly nda Jo Shlaes and Chef Monika Wolfart

Double chocolate cake

Beyond Hunger celebrates new facility groundbreaking

Charity takes over former grocer y store and gym at 6209 W. Nor th Ave.

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

The premier hunger prevention agency for Chicago’s West Side and near wester n suburbs celebrated its move to its new Oak Park headquar ters last week.

Beyond Hunger, which provides hun-

ger relief to people across 13 zip codes in Chicago, Oak Park, Forest Park and several other West Cook suburbs, recently received final permission from the village to take over the vacant building at 6209 W. Nor th Ave for its food distribution operations. The charity welcomed community members inside the building on Thursday, March 19.

Designed to feel more like a grocery store than a traditional pantry, the space will improve ef ficiency, increase storage, and allow for greater distribution of healthy food, charity officials said last week.

TODD BANNOR

Beyond Hunger President Julie Hull speaks at the organization’s groundbreaking.

TODD BANNOR

Capital Campaign Steering Committee Co-Chairs Stephen Weber d Do Me

COURTESY OF BEYOND HUNGER Beyond Hunger sta

TODD BANNOR

Guests take their seats at Beyond Hunger’s groundbreaking in their new North Avenue building in Oak Park on March 19.

THE SPRING REAL EST AT E MARKET

Low inventor y, high prices, intense demand as spring market repeats

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

The spring real estate market is kicking into high gear, you’ ll be forgiven if you didn’t notice. There’s not a flood inventory hitting the market, and buyers are struggling get their offers accepted in a crowded field. Locally, buye and sellers seem to be stuck in the same cycle that’s domi nated the past few years: low inventory, high prices and fastmoving sales.

Local experts say they are getting used to the market conditions, but that doesn’t make it any easier on them or their buyers On the other hand, sellers may be enjoying another year of high demand

Kris Sagan has been working with REMAX in the Village for 22 years. The Realtor says of this year’s market, “The spring market is similar to last year, and the previous year In fact, this goes back to Covid times The lack of inventory continues to be one of the main issues.”

One bit of good news for buyers is that inter est rates have fallen since last year Linda Rooney of Berkshire Hathaway HomeService Chicago notes that falling rates might have increased the number of potential buyers in the market, bu without a corresponding bump up in inventory, that’s resulting in a tougher climate for buyers

Sagan says lower rates make buying a home more affordable, but because it hasn’t made it easier for potential buyers to nab a home, she’s putting more time into educating potential buyers She uses her initial consultations with buyers to make sure they know the local market and what to anticipate

tial buyers may love Oak Park, but they are expanding their search to River Forest, Riverside, Elmhurst and LaGrange in the hopes of finding a home they can get under contract.

Rooney is seeing the same thing. A few of her clients in recent years have abandoned their search locally and settled in Bolingbrook, Naperville and Aurora where they can get more for their money

“People are making that decision. Getting into Oak Park is just really hard,” says Rooney. The village board’s push for more “missing middle” housing is meant to address the shor tof available housing through zoning chang-

Rooney has attended meetings on the proposed changes and notes, “There are not a lot places for first time homebuyers. I can suggest townhomes… but, I think people do have that idea that they want to move into a house with kids.”

At this point in the season, Rooney says the bidding wars are already breaking out, and she’s already participated in several bidding wars on behalf of clients, at a range of price points. She’s heard of open houses with 40 people in attendance and a two-flat gar nering 17 of fers.

Sag an says, “I’m hearing about colleagues writing of fers for $50,000 over list and not getting the house.”

Both Rooney and Sag an say this is hard on buyers, who can get emotionally invested in the process, and hard on Realtors who spend a lot of time working with clients without results. Both say it’s not unusual to work with clients for more than a year to find the right home.

Sag an says the upside of all this is that it’s a great time to sell a house. “Properties that are prepped well, in good condition and priced well are getting multiple of fers.”

Sag an notes that mid-March is when Realtors are seeing closing numbers for contracts that were signed in January or February, and what she is seeing so far points to higher prices. “We’ re seeing impressive numbers, well over ask.”

Rooney says Realtors are struggling to get listings, but when they do, they go very fast. “The middle in Oak Park is now $500,000 to $700,000 and that’s just incredibly competitive.”

All of Rooney’s current listings are older homeowners looking to move She says these types of homes tend to need some updating, but homes that need work are “pretty viable for people right now because they just want something.”

“It’s difficult to go see a property, put in a good offer and then not get it,” Sagan says noting that some buyers are pulling back because they’re weary of the process Other poten-

“People are offering to buy as-is, with no requests, going over the asking pric e, and they’re still not getting it,” says Rooney

Oak Park remains a highly desirable place to live due to its location near the city and historic housing stock, and the Realtors don’t see that changing anytime soon. “People love Oak Park,” Rooney says

LINDA ROONEY

Oak Park home sells for $1,935,00

The following property transfers were re ported by the Cook County Clerk from November 2025. Where addresses appear incomplete, for instance where a unit number appears missing, that information was not provided by the

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310

ktrainor@wjinc.com

Nostalgia won’t solve our climate crisis

I’ve proudly driven a stick shift since I was 17. Next month, I’m trading it in for an electric car.

CHAVAS

My 1994 Geo Prizm took me through college and a move to Chicago until I sold it for $850 and a Walmart gift card. My current car, a Mazda 3 hatchback, has been with our family through two kids, a to Oak Park, and more road trips than I can count. It is the best car I have ever wned. But it’s time to let it (and my beloved manual transmission) go. hen it comes to new technology, many us place ourselves somewhere on the gy-adoption curve — innovators, ly adopters, early majority, all the way to With cars, I have been a laggard through multiple cycles of innovation: automatic transmission, driver assistance , hybrid cars. But there’s a lesserwn concept in the adoption curve: the leapfrogger, the person who held onto their landline until 2015 and then got an iPhone. Next month, I’m making my leap.

Whenever I bring up our EV decision, the first question people ask is about road trips. They jump straight to the edge case. And for families who genuinely drive long distances regularly, that is a fair question. But for me, this decision required an honest look at our actual lifestyle. We live in a walkable, bikeable community with easy train access downtown, where I work. We drive fewer than 40 miles a week and have a garage to charge in. The road trips we actually take regularly — to places like Madison, Southwest Michigan, Indianapolis — are all within range, with good charging infrastructure along the way. We are buying a car for the 99% case. If we ever need something different, we can rent.

A neighbor suggested I keep the Mazda as a second car. I thought about that. But I couldn’t justify holding onto a car that could be a gas-efficient, affordable option for someone who really needs it, just to preserve my preferred way of driving. That’s nostalgia. And nostalgia won’t solve our climate crisis.

Oak Park’s Climate Ready sustainability plan calls for net zero emissions by 2050, with a 60% reduction by 2030. We are already behind on our goals. Meanwhile, passenger vehicles account for roughly 25% of local emissions. But we know it’s not realistic for everyone to trade in their gas cars for electric at once. The Rocky Mountain Institute has a framework called “zero over time.” For those of us feeling overwhelmed by the scale of what climate action requires, zero over time offers a more accessible on-ramp: When your systems reach end of life, replace them with the cleanest available option. I’ll miss the stick shift. The feeling of actually operating a vehicle, feeling connected to how it works. It will be a transition to drive a big computer

But if not now, when?

VIEWPOINTS

OA

Local realtors in the 1930s invented colored maps to keep minority residents in their place

K P ARK HOUSING HIST OR Y

e 1930s: New exclusion and resistance

Episode 4 of a 12-part series:

As the Great Depression deepened in the 1930s, the housing industry faced three inter-related problems — bank failures, home mortgage defaults, and weak demand for new home construction. Unfortunately, in responding to the unprecedented crisis, the housing policy of the New Deal reform era and the years of World War II strengthened the exclusionary housing policies African Americans, Jews and other minorities faced in Oak Park (1).

On a hopeful note, many Oak Parkers thought about the possibility of racial justice in our community, a counterpoint to the brutal racial order in America, and foreshadowing the generation that would follow in the ’60s. These villagers engaged with African American political and cultural leaders who came to Oak Park and prompted discussions about the Black freedom struggle at more open-minded churches like the First Methodist Church and First Congregational Church (now First United Church of Oak Park). W.E.B. DuBois, “the father of the Black protest movement,” and Ida Wells-Bar nett, the courageous jour nalist who documented the scourge of unchecked racist lynching, spoke to large Oak Park audiences

Paul Robeson, the brilliant actor, singer, Olympian and outspoken civil rights activist, performed at a fundraiser for the Infant Welfare Society at OPRF High School (2).

At the same time, the village witnessed a revolution in white home financing and mortgage relief from new federal policies sponsored by the New Deal Democratic Party-controlled Congress. The legislation was morally flawed — institutionalizing white racism for the next 40 years. The laws created the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC). Each radically changed home ownership financing of pre-Depression America, but only for white, Christian Americans. Both precipitously widened the racial wealth gap in America (3).

In the 1920s down payments for home mortgages were near 50 percent and repayment periods were unbelievably short — from 3-10 years (4). Until largely wiped out during the Great Depression, the Black, Latinx and white working classes were often only able to finance home purchases through the hundreds of ethnically centered building-and-loan associations,

JOHN DUFFY

Pool goes down in ames

Misguided. Daft. Inept. Disingenuous. Or a glorious expression of democracy at work?

Just what was that Park District of Oak Park referendum on building an indoor pool? The referendum that went down in flames 75% to 25% on March 17. The referendum based on a dubious survey of some villagers that asked, “Wouldn’t it be great to have an indoor pool for the elders and kiddies and lap swimmers! Hoorah!” It was the referendum question that did not mention the new pool would take the place of the outdoor pool that has beckoned at Ridgeland and La ke for some 60 years. It was the pool referendum the park board coughed up out of the blue in December at the last possible moment to get it on the March ballot, the pool project that had not been on a board agenda as an identifiable plan during 2025.

This was the pool referendum the park district effectively orphaned and disowned almost immediately after it was publicized. Perhaps when it became crystal clear on social media that voters hated it and questioned where it came from.

Sure, there was a page on the district’s website with pretty renderings and a tax calculator. There were a handful of open houses. But where was the Citizens Committee for a New Pool out making the case and building support. Where was the signature page in the local paper with the names of the hundreds who supported the plan? And why did park officials, both elected and appointed, immediately say, “Our survey said some notable percentage of residents want an indoor pool, so here is one, and, oh, yes, it is in place of one of the two current outdoor pools, and honestly we don’t care if you vote it up or down, but, hey, democracy in action. Hoorah!”

It seems to be in the DNA of Oak Parkers to support tax hike referendums. Almost every one passes, even as people rightly crab about how high their property taxes have risen. So to lose a referendum by a 3-1 margin takes some doing.

The park district professes contentment at the outcome. It should be feeling humbled at having fully misread its constituents.

Ford beats dark money

We’ve long respected the hard work and active visibility of State Re p. La Shawn Ford. Over nearly 20 years in the state legislature Ford has been a strong re presentative of the West Side and suburbs, including Oak Park and River Forest.

So his winning the Democratic primary to replace Cong. Danny Davis, coming first among a dozen rivals, is fine with us.

The most encouraging aspect of his victory was overcoming the millions in dark money which was spent to either defeat him or to boost Melissa Conyears-Ervin, his top rival. Between AIPAC backing Conyears-Ervin and the crypto lobby working to take down Ford with its despicable attacks on his character, this outside PAC money swamped this race.

But it did not win the race. And that is its own victory.

Spring’s t stirring

Last weekend’s first Saturday of spring reminded me of a column I wrote about its counterpart in Mar of 2019:

Up early and heading to the lakefront on the first Saturday morning of spring. Prim era, Printemps, the field at Columbus Park silver with frost, but the March sun, climbing the cloud-free, blue vault, will soon coax that glaze to dew. For now, it poses a challenge to eastbound drive blaze of dawn assaults not-yet-fullyawakened eyes.

TRAINOR

Downtown, the sun’s light squeezes through high-rise canyon crevices, showing of f art deco adornment and terra cotta flourish. The rippled mirrors of glass towers reflect full-length buildings, the streets below animated with delivery trucks and metal dollies weaving ’round morning walkers, who extend coffee cups before them like torch-bearers searching for honest men. Early-risers, shedding drowsiness, slowly work their way into busyness and businesses. Jo ggers glide past, frozen torsos riding rhythmic legs, arms pumping in synchronized sympathy.

it creeps just north of equinox along the horizon each evening, setting later and later, Daylight Salvation Time pushing back the night.

On Marion Street, the sidewalk announces “Spring Arrivals” in pastel chalk fronting one shop. A chalked Easter Rabbit perches above a sign in front of another, promising “Something erybunny.”

The sunny side of the street still beckons, but soon enough shade will be our summer sanctuary. For now, though, sitting on a chair outside a coffeeshop, a customer tilts her face sunward, eyes closed, absorbing the abundance.

The Austin Gardens ice rink lies in tattered, thawed ruin. Traffic sounds recede and bird-chatter moves forefront in this urban arboretum. Char red remains from a controlled burn cover the forest floor, the aromatic aftermath still lingering. Winged revelers celebrate the departing frigid air and the awakening earth. Ir re pressible daffodil spears pierce the softening cr ust, eager to join the snow drops/crocus party as the annual parade of blooms begins.

One street-solicitant loves the Lincoln I tender from my Washington-less wallet while a vested sweeper directs yesterday’s careless discards into the hungry maw of his dust bin.

Back home, mid-morning, the sun floods tree bark and street crevices, turning eyes into superorgans that see, with an intensity forgotten since childhood, the plume of a cardinal, whose shar p, sweet call sounds slightly desperate. “Someone? Anyone? It’s spring!” Red’s richness proliferates. Many cardinals about to be bor n.

The wheat-chaff beige of last year’s lawns sport new shoots, multiplying and building to a green tsunami.

By early after noon, a parade prevails on The Avenue sidewalks, cabin fever driving inmates out of doors, blinking in disbelief, donning shorts but huddling beneath fur-lined, hooded parkas, against a shar p bree ze that can still lacerate. The chronically underdressed shiver in short sleeves, willfully wishing the season along.

Owners walk their dogs; smartphones walk their owners. A woman reads on a Mills Park bench, a sight unseen for many a month. Recreants bask on blankets, the sun high overhead. No more of this bowing to the Southern Hemisphere,

Temps flower into the 50s and Scoville Park’s playg round reaches full capacity, accompanied by the sweet-sour moaning of swing sets and shrieks of glee from those cooped up all winter. One girl high-fives Mom with every upswing. Bikes glide on the sidewalk downslope; a brilliant kite ascends with graceful tail, then crashes unceremoniously on the turf. Dad and a wheelchair-bound daughter watch girls turning cartwheels on the grass.

Spring’s prime is a full moon away, but the frozen months are finally, finally, finally surrendering winter’s night-heavy monopoly, giving way stingily, be grudging the very first stir rings of what must unfold in deliberate, yielding time, like a walker, hands clasped behind, inching forward with patient feet, neither rushed nor over-desired nor hoped for, with sure confidence that all will be fulfilled before our very eyes and noses, ears and tender touch.

From deep despair of ceaseless winter, we have been gifted another spring, one in a long line of marvels, chastising every doubt, more miraculous with every year.

Tomor row will be raw and rainy again because spring favors the plants.

The season doesn’t aim to please us.

But sometimes, it does.

To the people of the 7th District

Let me be gin with gratitude. I am dee ply thankful for the trust you have placed in me, for the support you showed throughout this campaign, and for the belief that car ried us forward to gether. This victory belongs to the people of this district. It belongs to the families, the workers, the seniors, the young people, and the volunteers who gave their time, their energ y, and their voice to something bigger than any one campaign I am honored by the responsibility you have given me, and I take it seriously. I also want to speak directly to those who did not suppor t me in this election. Your voice matters just as much. This campaign, and this next phase, is not about who you voted for. It is about who we re present. My commitment is to the entire 7th Cong ressional District, and that means making sure you are heard, respected, and included in the work ahead. I want to understand your concer ns, your priorities, and what you expect from your re presentation in Washington. You have a seat at the table, and I intend to make sure that seat is real. This election was not easy. It was shaped by millions of dollars in outside spending, with super-PACs and special interests attempting to influence the outcome of this race. That included ef for ts tied to AIPAC and the crypto-funded super-PAC Fairshake. We made a dif ferent choice. We declined AIPAC funding, and we stood fir m in our belief that this campaign should be accountable only to the people of this district. In Springfield, I suppor ted ef for ts to re gulate cryptocurrency and put consumer protections in place because I

LA SHAWN FORD

believe new markets must work for people, not against them.

That was not the easiest path, but it was the right one.

What we proved to gether is that a campaign rooted in people, not in special interests, can stand up to outside money and win. That matters because it sets the tone for how I will serve. I do not owe my position to any outside group or national org anization. I owe it to you. That inde pendence is not a slo g an, it is a responsibility, and I intend to car ry it with discipline and inte g rity.

As we move forward, this campaign enters a new phase. The work now is to bring people to gether, to listen more closely, and to build a coalition that reflects the full strength of this district. Our communities are diverse, our experiences are dif ferent, and our priorities are not always the same. Still, we all deserve re presentation that takes us seriously and works to deliver real results. That includes our young people, who are looking for oppor tunity, for stability, and for a future they can believe in. It includes our seniors, who have ear ned dignity and security. It includes working families and small business owners who are navig ating real economic pressure and deserve leadership that understands what they are facing I am ready to serve, and I am ready to do the work. Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your voice. And thank you for the opportunity to re present all of you.

Sad signs of the times

Driving up Austin Boulevard left me feeling sad as I saw campaign signs defaced, changing them from a sign promoting a candidate to one accusing them of wrongdoing. A friend told me yesterday that he had seen signs for La Shawn Ford similarly defaced. On TV I see attack ads against public servants running for higher of fice, the very public servants I have personally researched and found to be worthy of admiration for their active roles in improving our lives. In an election full of great candidates, all we see are attack ads written by mysterious Political Action Committees, the mill for attack ads in the general election ag ainst whoever becomes the candidate chosen by the voters

Have we forgotten what we believ e — that for the good of the country it’s the principles, not the person-

alities, of our leaders? To see politicians who share values, ethics, and concer ns about us as citizens tearing into each other is very disappointing. Long ago when I was involved in helping run candidates for election, I would be out on the streets of Oak Park knocking on doors and I would run into for mer Village Trustee Ray Johnson campaigning for the other guy. It was always a pleasant meeting.

We may have had dif fering ideas about the best ideas for improving Oak Park, but we respected each other’s love for our village and the validity of each other’s ideas. As Ray would always say: “You can disag ree without being disagreeable.”

I wish our cur rent politicians shared Ray’s wisdom. Frank Vozak

Oak Park

WEDNESD AY

of Oak Park and River Forest

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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.

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Nixing single-family zoning is no ‘solution’

The March 4 Wednesday Jour nal article on eliminating single-family zoning refers to “reforms” 11 times, along with public “education,” “making the case,” “updating,” taking “leadership,” a “legislative priority” of village trustees for “transfor mative change,” and it ends with the village president hoping the board will be “ready to act” on the proposal, and hear the “sense of urgency.” How’s that for dictating a favored outcome by framing the terms of the debate?

The target area for fostering more affordable housing is said to be South Oak Park, and the rationale that the code is a legacy that needs correcting: the use of zoning for racial segregation. I live south of the Eisenhower, largely dominated by single-family homes. Are we all racists then, needing to be “re-educated” and our attitudes and practices “reformed” into accepting different ethnicities?

I don’t recall even thinking about race when moving to Oak Park in 1974 and buying a single-family home 50 years ago. What I chiefly remember in fleeing the density of Chicago was driving around for an hour late on weekend nights looking for a place to park, and the dog poop on the parkways so thick that it was impossible to walk from

your car without stepping in it. And when the arrival of my second child required larger quarters (thinking ahead to quality of schools), choosing Oak Park because I could not afford Evanston.

FRANK STACHYRA

My community evolved over half a century from one affordably housing mainly “working class” people like railroad bridge workers, mailmen and the like, into a socio-economically more upscale population of greater means (and greater ethnic diversity too). When I moved in, everybody cut their own grass; now almost all save time for leisure, trading money for lawn service. Their high demand raised prices

The current move on zoning seems a simplistic and merely symbolic solution to a complex problem, the affordability crisis our country faces, and one that will actually accomplish nothing but virtue signaling on the part of its proponents. Do my attitudes really need “education” and my preferences “reform”? That reminds me of the Cultural Revolution in China.

If race plays a role in the current situation in Oak Park, it is solely as a factor in the much broader category of socio-economic well-being, which raises a host of other

Yes and no on single-family zoning

I am writing to in support of eliminating single-family zoning in the area, as this supports denser urbanism, a deep passion of mine. There are concerns about what is going to be put into plac e. Oak Park is a very historical village in the Chicago suburbs, and it truly does pride itself on that. Will the proposed housing add a modern touch to the village, where it would look out of place, or would it remain in a similar style to the buildings that it will be sur rounded by? Adding dense buildings will continue to push Oak Park in a progressive, sustainable manner, which this village has continued to do.

There are issues that I am concerned about. Address in ar ticles on the issue is the chance of added Airbnb or rental homes in the area. There could also be

moral questions of its own. But they won’t be answered by eliminating single-family zoning. The effect I see of a zoning change is solely on money. Single-family homes won’t be demolished for multifamily dwellings anytime soon. But they will over time — by investors who realize that values will be raised by putting more residences on a plot (part of a decades long effort by village powers toward increasing the tax base by increasing housing density). But the new multifamily residences won’t be any more “affordable” than the single-family homes they replace. They will be at the same high demand and cost that have pushed up single-family home prices

The new residents in denser neighborhoods will be the same upscale people who flock to Oak Park now. And yes, race will be the same socio-economic factor among them that it is now — if you don’t have the means, you won’t be able to afford Oak Park, just as I could not afford Evanston then, nor Lake Forest now.

The true crisis is that of affordability generally, and the wealth divide between the various “classes.” We have erected an economic system that, by design, sucks up

small amounts of the wealth produced by the majority who are just getting by, and accumulating it for the few plutocrats to whom it flows. In my 80 years, I have seen the economic model of the U.S. slowly evolve to do just that. The ideal was once to build a better mousetrap that will make the world beat a path to your door, and to be satisfied with that. But once the mouse was caught, the trap-buying ceased. And so came a great transition to a different economic model: one that requires perpetual payments, like renting cars instead of selling them, or bargain deals with resulting payments that never cease, with all the subscriptions you are paying for that you don’t even use

What we truly need are gover nmental “social engineering” solutions that will transfer some of that massive wealth back to where it came from, to those of our fellows who suffer most from the affordability crisis, and from housing costs.

In the meantime please spare us from the meaningless and ineffective “solution” that is the elimination of single family zoning, and the insult to our intelligence and morality from the insistent invocation of what are just hollow changes, as “reform.”

Frank Stachyra is a longtime resident of Oak Park.

Dig deeper into policestop data

high-rise buildings put into place. These potential changes would add gentrification to a village that could bring more affluent characteristics to a deeply diverse community. Gentrification has the potential to price out community members who already live in the area. This community prides itself on its diversity. A call to action to keep Oak Park a historical and diverse community is needed even more today than in the past, and it would like to remain in the future. If new housing put in place is af fordable, this community will continue to thrive on diversity and keep its strong school system intact. I am saying yes to density but no to a potential threat of gentrification.

Clayton Baird River Forest

Thank you, Wednesday Jour nal, for the front page story last week about how the majority (73%) of people stopped by police last year in our village were Black. I especially appreciate this breakdown of the data that gave more insight: “roughly 83% of all stops were in response to a call for service” from Oak Park residents reporting “suspicious” people or activity.

I was left wanting to know more about the types of activities my fellow citizens see as suspicious enough to call the police. Was someone doing something alarming like trying car door handles or ag gressively panhandling, or were they simply walking, biking or sitting somewhere?

I ask because as a white person raised in a racist society, I know that bias is real and can literally color our perceptions of others and their activities. Oak Park

needs to do more than document the racial disparity in traffic stops. We need to better understand what is driving it and if it is bias, then find ways to reduce it. An anti-bias, anti-racism communications campaign might be one tactic to educate ourselves — I’d be proud to see my tax dollars spent on that.

I’ve lived in Oak Park for 30 years. I love this community that is far from perfect but, to paraphrase Maya Angelou, is at least trying to “know better” so we can “do better.”

Keep re porting on that data, Wednesday Journal. Help us better understand what is driving residents to call the police on Black people so we can address misconceptions and racism.

Sheila Haennicke Oak Park

An inability to execute

I do not oppose this zoning policy; I oppose the village’s inability to execute it. Recent history suggests our leaders cannot manage even simple mandates without mucking them up. Before they attempt to redefine our community, they must prove they can complete the projects already on their plate. We need a holistic vision for our future. The village hides behind consulting reports to fix yesterday’s er rors while ignoring tomor row’s growth.

While I understand the values driving zoning policy changes, leadership does not communicate that it understands the practical considerations. A denser population demands a broader vision for our schools, traffic patterns, business

districts, and emergency services. We cannot grow our numbers without first reinforcing the infrastr ucture that supports them.

Beyond this single project, village leadership consistently fails to plan or execute in a manner that demonstrates strategic vision. We still see no traction on the police station — the top issue of the last election — nor have we addressed the staffing shortages in our fire and police departments. Because the village cannot build consensus on improvements for our schools and parks, this “progressive” agenda feels like a hollow shell without an engine to drive it.

Danny Urbina-McCarthy Oak Park

Rethink eliminating single-family zoning

I am very concerned that the elimination of single-family zoning will change Oak Park drastically, by creating a mixture of single-family and multi-unit buildings with increased noise, traffic and parking congestion.

Apparently, the envisioned multi-units will house renters rather than buyers. Renters tend to be transient and much less committed to the well-being of the community than owners would be We already have many high-rise buildings full of renters; why would we want to break up stable, historic neighborhoods to further increase the population density?

Collective racism & click-bait journalism

On March 11, I picked up my mail and my copy of Wednesday Jour nal to peruse over my tomato soup and grilled cheese. I was gleefully looking forward to the latest installments of the drama over the Ridgeland Common Pool referendum. I plopped down at the table and became momentarily physically ill at the headline:

CAROL PORFILIO

One View

“Oak Park police share 2025 field data; over 70% of stops were black”

My husband and I moved to Oak Park five years ago after many years living in the southeaster n U.S. For over two decades, the central precept of our ethos as a couple has been to address our own racism. Our basic format is:

1) Recognize where we were taught to be racist

2) Recognize moments when we choose to perpetuate racism

3) Honestly assess why we choose to perpetuate racism in that circumstance.

During our years in the South, we were given numerous opportunities to study the fictitious social institutions of whiteness and blackness. Superimposed race is economic disparity and educational deficits, to say nothing of gender or sexual orientation. All these social classifications intersect to determine the social privileges that enable you or the encumbrances that burden you. This headline creates the pernicious nar rative that racism in Oak Park is perpetuated by the police. While the headline was factually correct, it is diametrically opposite of what the data within the article indicated. The headline failed to note that the vast majority of those stops were not initiated by the police but by Oak Park residents calling to report a “suspicious” Black man or youth. The headline left the implication that

the police were racist rather than the very distressing truth that it is Oak Park residents who are racist in this context. The article itself was well written with correct and appropriate use of statistics, but the headline was misleading and of fensive to me

The insidious point of this is that the headline is so easy to believe for people of color who are constantly stopped by police. There is an incontrovertible need for widespread reconsideration of policing in America. The last two decades have brought an alarming rise in the militarization of police forces. In January 2021, the Southern Poverty Law Center released a study, “Hidden in Plain Sight: Racism, White Supremacy, and Far-Right Militancy in Law Enforcement,” which identified a rise in white nationalism in local, state and federal law enforcement.

However, the sacred memory of Detective Allan Reddins is still tragic proof of the dangers our police face every single shift.

I will not offer a conclusion but invite a new beginning. I would love for the editorial staf f of the Wednesday Jour nal to offer an apology to the Oak Park police for the headline. I would like for my neighbors to find a forum where they can be in consideration of what it is that causes you to perceive Black men (and other men of color) as a threat. And finally I would invite you to consider the experience of others, especially men and women of color.

Love your neighbor.

All your neighbors

Carol Porfilio, BSN, M.Div., an Oak Park resident, has held a number of positions in health care, religion, and the arts

I realize that Village President Vicki Scaman may be anxious to please the Governor, having been the only mayor to attend his round-table discussion on the BUILD program, but why should Oak Park be the guinea pig for this program? Will wealthy suburbs such as Winnetka, Wilmette or Evanston buy into this initiative?

Any position that the Oak Park Village Board might take on rezoning should be put to a binding referendum. After the debacle on leaf collection, I do not trust the board to reach the best decision for Oak Park

‘Rent’ was a wow

I’m a longtime Oak Park/River Forest resident; my kids, now in their 30s, are graduates of OPRF High School (former orchestra students of Patrick Pearson). I recently wrote to the OPRF Theater Department to congratulate them on the success of their spring production, Rent

Despite my skepticism that a high-school cast could do it justice this show (I attended the March 14 performance), wow, was I wrong! As an avid theatergoer in Chicago and New York, who has seen many Broadway musicals (including Rent with the original Broadway cast), I was completely blown away by the talent, charm and professionalism on stage. All of the principals were excellent; it was hard to believe they were teenage amateurs. It was not lost on me that Micah Merrill literally stopped the show in the second act.

Congratulations to the entire Theater Department. Keep up the incredible work. I’m proud that my tax dollars support such incredible results from our kids. You have my unequivocal support for Project 3 to enhance the fine arts spaces at our amazing high school.

George Uslenghi Oak Park

Alison Nelson Oak Park

A troubling developer

Pretty incredible River Forest Board meeting, March 9. It can be watched by all by going to https://www.youtube.com/live/3wVd8XDwE

All residents who made public comments about the proposed Madison and Ashland development had serious concer ns about the proposal and/ or the developer, who apparently has been brushing off the concerns of citizens right to their faces. Disrespect is not a good PR move, I’d say. The community must have trust in those who come in with ideas to hopefully improve our village. Brushing of f citizen concerns does not create trust. To refresh memories, the Madison/Ashland developer is Viktor Jakovljevic, owner of Cigar Oasis, who has raised residents’ concer ns before By the end of the public and board comments on March 9, Village President Cathy Adduci tried hard to distance herself and the board from the fact that Cigar Oasis would not vacate their site at Lake and Lathrop and, eventually, had to be evicted. She blamed it on what must have been the “relationship” with Marty Paris (discredited developer of the defunct Lake and Lathrop project). Adduci said the board should bring Viktor in to “talk about it.”

Why do that? Did she conveniently forget everything she said at board meetings in 2019? Cigar Oasis’ refusal to vacate caused a big problem. Adduci knows this is a troublesome businessman. So I’m wondering, as should we all, how the board chose this particular developer when he caused so much trouble for the village in the recent past. Sure, “talk to him” and give him a chance to say he’ll be respectful when what he has done has not been?

The rule of thumb is, “Watch what they do, not what they say.” What we should care about is that Adduci is supporting a contract with someone to develop Madison and Ashland, totally disregarding what he has done What the heck, Cathy, with Lake and Lathrop still our eyesore? Groundhog Day, anyone?

Source:

River Forest Village Board meeting, Nov. 12, 2019_SVBOT_Extracted 2 pages.pdf

Phyllis Rubin River Forest

JOHN DUFFY

Redlining restrictions

from page 25

which provided cooperative, community-based financial services that mainline banks refused to offer (think George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life). But by the ’30s these community-centered organizations had largely disappeared (5).

The HOLC and the FHA stepped in to insure new home financing and bail out homeowners facing foreclosure. In making case-by-case decisions, they used a protocol that came to be called “redlining.” Oak Park realtors, working with federal authorities, created color-coded maps of the village. The maps assessed financial risk based on the proximity of minorities, whom most of white America saw as undesirable. Financial institutions used these maps to enforce draconian limitations on making mortgages available to Blacks, Jews and other minority applicants in areas housing officials deemed unstable and risky. From 1934 to 1968, 98 percent of all FHA-insured loans went to white buyers as the federal government underwrote $120 billion in mortg ages (6).

Redlining deepened the scourge of racist financing for Black home buyers. Imitational racism forced Blacks into “contract buying,” where housing prices doubled, even tripled their actual value, as real estate speculators drained capital from minority neighborhoods (7). Frequently, before a family could complete multiyear contracts, often for minor issues, buyers would be foreclosed, wiping out all

Park district is out of touch

After the overwhelming voter rejection of the disemboweling of the Ridgeland Common Pool, the Park District of Oak Park released a statement. It began with:

“While a majority of Oak Park residents voted ‘no’ on the recent bond referendum to fund an indoor aquatics facility at the Ridg eland Common Recreation Complex, the park district remains focused on meeting the community’s recreational needs.”

Now maybe I’m just being overly sensitive, but why are those two clauses set in contrast to one another?

Something about starting the entire thing with “while” is just of f, much like the park district’s oft-cited survey indicating broad support for an indoor pool. The first part almost seems like a rebu ke of the will of the people, and the rest like the district thinks they know better than those who live in it. But maybe my well-earned disdain of PDOP is tainting my view. The statement continues:

“‘The Park District of Oak Park Board of Commissioners and staf f remain committed to serving our commu-

nity and appreciate the strong engagement throughout this process,’ said Kassie Porreca, president of the Park District Board of Commissioners.” (OK, that sounds pretty good, actually.) “We respect the outcome of the vote and will continue working to provide high-quality recreational spaces and programs for all.”

Hold on. Was there a chance that they weren’ t going to respect the outcome of the vote? And why does this read like a concession, like the PDOP Board had somehow lost? Why are they even taking a side in the first place instead of simply hewing to the desires of their constituents? This was not a nailbiter of an election. Roughly 76% of Oak Parkers rejected the initiative, and it was obvious from the beginning that the community was lining up against it. But PDOP, and the board we elected to re present us, was apparently caught completely off-guard by this. And if they misread the room so badly in this case, how can we possibly have confidence that they have any understanding of our needs?

equity. According to a research team based at Duke University, contract-buying drained minimally $5 billion from the Black community in the Chicago area (8).

Redlining also worked to harm the Jewish community in Oak Park. Using federal records, Oak Park historian Michael Zmora outlined how a for mer village board president and local real estate agents constructed the color-coded maps used by banks to approve or reject financing. These actions were the le gally approved, consciously exclusionary, and discriminatory actions of village civic and business leaders, not simply the consequence of personal bias.

The village board president in the late-’30s was president of the Real Estate Board and the Zoning Commission consisted of members from the real estate ranks. These re presentatives of Oak Park’s elite wrote the re por ts for the HOLC and the FHA that were the of ficial guidelines for determining home-loan risk (9).

The HOLC re port with its color-coded map targeted the northeast section of the village with a yellow color and a C- rating, just above the lowest red color designation. The re port noted that Northeast Oak Park “was a changing area due to Jewish infiltration” and that the possibility of a new synagogue would bring more Jewish migrants. It went on to state that the rating was also informed by concern about possible racial change (10).

In 1940, the village took one more antisemitic action. Officials blocked the construction of a new synagogue planned by the Jewish residents.

Source citations can be found in the online version at oakpark.com/Viewpoints.

The pool is one of the few capital projects that we’ve actually been able to vote on. I suspect that many of the other recent projects approved by the board would have been rejected by voters. Why do we need brand new buildings at pretty much every single park in the village? Even the CRC likely would not have enjoyed broad support had PDOP been more for thcoming that there would never be an indoor pool there.

Glaringly, PDOP’s statement makes no mention of making any operational adjustments to ensure they are more aligned with the community. And so it is not enough to simply vote against the pool. We need to demand that the park district make substantive changes and be more accountable. I will be going to the PDOP board meeting on April 16 to let them know how I feel, and I hope that 3 out of 4 of you will too.

Dan Stark Oak Park

My election take on th e 7th and the pool

HJACK CROWE

ere’s my election wrap-up on two local races: the 7th Cong ressional District seat and the Park District of Oak Park pool referendum: State Re p. La Shawn Ford won. (Full disclosure: I’ve known La Shawn for 20 years since he was involved in our feasibility study and the star t-up board to launch what is now Christ the King Jesuit Colle ge Prep on the West Side.) In winning, La Shawn showed a glimmer of light for how to beat outside super-PAC money, whether Israeli-suppor ting AIPAC or oligarchbased crypto coin “money.” That outside cash went to Melissa Conyears-Ervin, city treasurer of Chicago.

And she lost. Some of it had to do with La Shawn’s long presence in Austin and Oak Park. People know him. And trust him. Because he’s shown up My theory is that Oak Park played an

outsized role in La Shawn’s victory, but not in the way you may think.

Oak Park had lots of Kina Collins yard signs and few for La Shawn or ConyearsErvin. Collins, a progressive, had run three times against longtime Cong ressman Danny Davis.

A large chunk of Collins’ vote total overall this year, 9 percent, might have migrated to Conyears-Ervin if Collins were not in the race. If it had, La Shawn would not have won, by a nar row 3 percent, over Conyears-Ervin in a large candidate field.

We can call the Oak Park pool referendum a trial balloon that popped due to a lopsided no vote.

Despite quiet design planning at the Park District of Oak Park board level over the last year, the political groundwork never happened. In old Oak Park, we used to call them “teas.” Having neighbors over to the house to quietly push a political objective. No such thing this time

And the pool’s natural constituency, swimmers, were split. Outdoor 50-meter pool lovers voted No. Indoor year-round swimmers were Yes. And anti-tax people, who will always show up for local tax referendums, made the defeat decisive

Now … can we cover the Ridgeland pool for inside/outside use?

Request for clari cation

Dear Oak Park Village Board:

I recently received a spring cleanup letter from our yard maintenance service. At the bottom the owner added a handwritten notification: “There will be an increase in prices due to electric blower mandate, labor increase, and amount of leaves to dump.” When the crew arrived for the cleanup, they

No license for littering

I am a homeowner and property owner who lives on Oak Park Avenue on the block between Randolph and Pleasant streets, the block that has been closed for several weeks for sewer improvements. I have had the opportunity to watch/observe the contractor, A. Lamp Roadbuilders, perfor m their job, and I am impressed with how hard they work and the progress they’ve made.

However, I am very disappointed with their lack of respect for maintaining the

cleanliness of our street and properties

Each day, I find garbage with which the contractor litters our parkways and, unlike most construction sites, I’ve noticed that they do not have a construction dumpster on site.

This contractor needs to respect the neighborhood, provide waste containers, and instruct/police their workers in their use

Jim

Pay more, get less?

I was quite surprised to see that the “service charge” for my village of Oak Park Water Bill doubled in February. I reached out to the village and they sent me a copy of the ordinance. The village should’ve done more to notify residents by mail or email. If they can send an invoice to residents, they can send a notice about this extreme “service charge” increase. The rate increases are extremely high and the ordinance gives no reason-

able explanation for the increases. Just another action by the village of Oak Park that makes residents feel like the new motto in town is “pay more, get less.”

Meter size rate on Jan. 1, 2024 and rate on Jan. 1, 2026:

1 inch or under: $6 to $12

1½ inch to 3 inch: $12 to $24

4 inch or larger: $18 to $36

Michael

OBITUAR Y

removed a large pile of leaf debris muck in the street next to a stor m drain. I would appreciate a reply on whether we homeowners are now expected to clear the leaves in the street that were once removed by the village.

Thank you for your time.

To run an obituary

Please contact Ken Trainor by e-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.

Robert Parks Oak Park

Rita Ford Guernsey, 94

R. Rita Ford Guer nsey, 94, died on March 17, 2026. Bor n on May 4, 1931, in Janesville, Wisconsin, the daughter of Leo J. and Grace Garin Ford, she was a 1949 g raduate of Janesville High School and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1953. She mar ried Anthony H. Guer nsey on Aug. 17, 1963. He preceded her in death on Jan. 4, 2013.

Rita is survived by her daughter, Julia E. Guer nsey (Michael Love); her son, Michael A. Guer nsey (Xolaira Ayala); and her daughter, Sarah E. Guer nsey (Richard Holland) of Oak Park; her grandchildren, Abigail and Jack Kappelman and Isabel Love, Xolange Montilla Ayala, and Max and Hank Holland. She was also preceded in death by her parents; her sisters, Mary Ford Owen and Rose Ford Cummins; and her brothers, Bill, Jim, and Jer ry Ford

A memorial Mass will be celebrated at Ascension Church in Oak Pa rk at 10:30 a.m. on F riday, April 24. A visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the church before the Mass. Inter ment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Janesville. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Feed My Starving Children (https://www.fmsc.org).

McKelvey Oak Park

Mitchell Jr. Oak Park

SPORTS

OPRF, Fenwick baseball hungry for success

Both squads enter this season with con

By MELVIN TATE

Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School baseball team opened the season downstate last week against top-quality competition and came home with a 3-2 record

Following a 5-1 defeat to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin at Millikin University in Decatur, March 19, the Huskies bounced back at the Prep Baseball Report East Metro Classic in Edwardsville, winning three of their four games They defeated East Moline United 8-1 and Edwardsville 4-1, March 20. Then on March 21, following a 9-8 loss to O’Fallon, OPRF capped the trip with a 7-5 victory over McCraken County, Kentucky.

“Overall, I think the trip was extremely successful,” said OPRF coach Kevin Campbell. “We could’ve been 4-1, maybe 5-0 if it weren’t for three or four plays that we made mental errors on. That would’ve been great, but 3-2, there are a ton of positives that came out of the trip

“My outlook on the team hasn’t changed Pound for pound, there’s no team we can’t compete with.”

OPRF, which went 27-11 with an IHSA Class 4A regional title last spring and is ranked 23rd in this year’s PBR preseason poll, retur ns 11 players. Senior shortstop Johnny Nelson, a Wright State University commit, is a three-year varsity starter who Campbell feels is one of the state’s top defenders at his position.

The Huskies bring back five senior pitchers who will play college baseball: Griffin Ar nold (Augustana College), Cam Bar nes (Easter n Illinois University), Owyn Edwards (Kenyon College), Darren Law (Lewis University), and Dino Pantazopoulos (Claremont-MuddScripps College). Moreover, senior Tucker Henry was the team’s relief ace last year

“We’re not sure if he’ll be a starter or the go-to guy out of the pen again this year, but we know Tucker is going to play a big role,”

OPRF senior Johnny Nelson at a preseason baseball practice. Nelson, a three-year varsity starter, w ill play collegiately at Wright State University

Campbell said.

OPRF’s newcomers to watch are junior outfielder Brandon Beasley, who has committed to Illinois State University, junior third baseman/pitcher Sam Kalina, junior outfielder Robert Kolovitz, junior outfielder Connor Krumrei, and junior pitcher/first baseman Grayson Waters.

“It’s a very talented junior class,” Campbell said.

OPRF long has played tough schedules, but this season’s might be one of the toughest yet. This week alone, the Huskies host Lockport, which was ranked 13th in the PBR preseason poll, March 25, at 5 p.m., then visit perennial power Joliet Catholic, March 28, at 1 p.m. The annual East Avenue Showdown with Fenwick takes place at Triton Colle ge, May 1.

As if the challenges in non-conference play were not enough, OPRF will be in a dogfight with Downers Grove North, Hinsdale Central, Lyons, and York for the West Suburban Silver title. But Campbell adds this year’s tougher than usual schedule is by design.

“This is what our seniors asked for. They wanted to play the toughest schedule they possibly could,” he said. “The excitement’s there, the guys know what everyone’s expecting. It’s a great group and they’re working hard and getting after it.”

Fenwick

The Friars split their season-opening games last week, winning at Marist 4-1, March 19, and losing to Maine South at Triton College 5-1, March 21.

Fenwick, which went 19-16-1 and lost a 4A regional final to Brother Rice, retur ns 13 players. Junior outfielder Josh Morgan, a University of Cincinnati commit and a defensive back on the Friars’ Class 5A state championship football team, hit 388 last season and stole 15 bases Junior shortstop J.J. Obaldo hit .357.

Other top retur nees include senior infielder Johnny Buchman (St. Xavier commit), senior pitchers Liam Cahill, Harrison Dra-

gus, and Bobby Milder (DePauw University), junior catcher Ethan Gonzalez, and junior first baseman Jeremy Munoz. A newcomer to watch is junior pitcher Jack Fagan.

“Our team this season is built around depth, discipline, and a competitive edge that shows up in the way our players go about their work each day,” said Fenwick coach Kyle Kmiecik. “We have a solid group of veteran leaders who understand the expectations of the program and set the tone with their preparation and effort.

“At the same time, we have a group of younger players who are eager for opportunities and ready to contribute. What stands out most about this team, though, is the bond between the players. They enjoy competing together and genuinely support one another.”

Fenwick is also drawing upon the recent football championship experience of Cahill and Morgan for inspiration.

“They’re a huge asset for us. Those guys understand the level of discipline and focus required to win at the highest level, and that championship mindset is definitely contagious,” Kmiecik said. “We’ re absolutely using that success as motivation. The guys are hung ry to build on that momentum and create a le gacy of their own on the baseball field.”

COURTESY OF CAROL DUNNING

OPRF senior Cam Barnes pitches at a preseason baseball practice. Barnes has signed with Eastern Illinois University.

COURTESY OF CAROL DUNNING

COURTESY OF CAROL DUNNING Fenw ick baseball player Josh Morgan

Local so ball springs into action

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Last year, the Oak Park and River Forest High School softball team finished third in the IHSA Class 4A state tournament with a 30-9 record. This season could see a slower than usual start as the Huskies lost eight players to graduation and while there is an influx of good talent, the vast majority of the players are young and inexperienced.

OPRF coach J.P. Coughlin knows there will likely be ups and downs in the early going but remains optimistic about the season.

“It’s an adjustment from our senior-dominated group last year,” he said. “These kids work and practice hard. They’ll be alright.”

OPRF entered this week 1-1. The Huskies defeated West Aurora in the season opener, March 14, 14-11. Senior Leia Hammerschmidt, one of four returning starters, drove in six runs, including a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth. Freshman Zoe Daly got the win in relief.

On March 19, OPRF lost 8-1 to visiting Riverside-Brookfield at Ridgeland Common. The Huskies managed just two hits on the day.

Senior Julia Henderson and sophomores Charlie Terry and Harper Travis are OPRF’s other returning starters. The Huskies also bring back seniors Gabriella Chesney, Georgia Godellas, Avery Lane, Carolyn Rainey, and Isabella Saylor. Chesney and Rainey will be relied upon in the pitching circle.

Newcomers, besides Daly, are freshmen Lily Maas and Maya Mendell, sophomore Alessandra Gerut, juniors Lyla Austin and Lianna Ortiz, and senior Cecilia Piper.

As always, OPRF has a difficult schedule. Highlights include the annual spring break trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, March 30-April 1; the Rosemont Rumble Jamboree, May 1-2; and non-conference games with Fenwick, Marist, and Whitney Young.

Re garding this year’s West Suburban Silver title race, Coughlin believes it’s wide open. While he didn’t mention any specific goals for the season, he hopes OPRF will be playing at its best when the playoffs come around.

OPRF, Fenwick, Trinity ready for challenges

Trinity

The Blazer s, 2-17 last season, started this year on a very good note, notching a 6-5 walk-of f win over Aurora Central Catholic in nine innings at Triton Colle ge, March 19. Sophomore Gisella Corral’s single brought home Liv Trendel with the winning run. Freshman Jaida Escanio had an excellent debut, going 4-for-5.

“We’ re probably going to be inconsistent as young players can be,” Coughlin said.

“We’ll learn along the way. I’m not anywhere close to panicking; I know it’ll take some time.”

Fenwick

The Friars started the season with two defeats last week: 9-2 to Amundsen, March 19, and 4-0 to Mother McAuley, March 20. But head coach Valerie Jisa remains confident.

“This group has a lot of potential,” she said. “We have the talent and work ethic. Our focus will be on bringing it to g ether and competing at a high level.”

Fenwick returns five starters from last year’s 13-12 squad which won a re gional title: sophomore pitcher/utility player Sofia Kateeb, sophomore catcher Ellie Brady, junior shortstop Bella Bigham, junior infielder Alex Purta, and senior sec-

ond baseman Gianna Pescatore. Also, junior pitcher/first baseman Jordan Rossi retur ns after being on hiatus last season.

Senior Sophia Leonardi, who will play volleyball at DePauw University this f all, figures to be a key contributor for the F riars. Newcomers to keep an eye on are freshmen Ayanna Bourn and Hailey Smith-Young

For the first time since 2019, Fenwick has a spring break trip. Like OPRF, the F riars will be in Pigeon Forg e, and Jisa adds they’ll attend a Tennessee Volunteers’ softball g ame.

“Our goals this season are to put the team before the individual, play to our strengths, and keep the bigger picture in mind throughout a long season,” Jisa said. “This is a talented group and if we can consistently put the pieces to g ether and compete the way we know we can, we’re excited about what this team is capable of.”

“It was great. I’m really proud of them,” said Trinity coach Chardonnay Harris.

It’s been a struggle for Trinity the past two seasons as Harris, now in her third season, has gradually rebuilt the program from scratch. But the for mer OPRF star is optimistic about the Blazers, who returned 13 players, learning from the rough experiences and taking strides forward this spring.

“They’ve grown tremendously. What Trinity cultivates is sisterhood,” Harris said. “They’re more confident and talkative.”

Further more, Harris said her team is looking at Trinity basketball’s recent run to the IHSA Class 3A third-place trophy as inspiration.

“We actually went to their practice before they went downstate. Coach Kim [Coleman] invited us,” she said. “It’s nice to have girls for them to look at and a coach like Kim to use as a mentor.”

COURTESY OF CAROL DUNNING

OPRF senior Julia Henderson takes a sw ing at preseason so ball practice.

COURTESY OF CAROL DUNNING

OPRF senior pitcher Carolyn Rainey.

COURTESY OF CAROL DUNNING Fenw ick High School senior Gianna Pescatore.

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: M26001433 on March 6, 2026 Under the Assumed Business Name of VARGAS BLUE LINE ELEC with the business located at: 1545 S. 56TH CT., CICERO, IL 60804. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: ORLANDO VARGAS SOTO 1545 S. 56TH CT. CICERO, IL 60804, USA

Published in RB Landmark March 11, 28, 25, 2026

PUBLIC NOTICENOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for: Franklin Avenue from Madison Street to Washington Boulevard 2026 Proposed Watermain Plans

The project scope is the full replacement of watermain and upsizing to 8” PVC, replacing water services to the bee box or replacing lead service lines to the meter inside of the house, minor storm sewer work, and pavement patching.

The bidding documents are available for download starting Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at: www.vrf.us/bids

Bids must be submitted by Friday, April 17, 2026, at 10:00 am at: Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work

No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.

The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.

Published in Wednesday Journal March 25, 2026

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: M26001443 on March 10, 2026 Under the Assumed Business Name of 6700 SSD 17D with the business located at: 6700 S SOUTH SHORE DRIVE #17D, CHICAGO, IL 60649. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: EDWARD MATTHEWS 322 WEST 52ND STREET #323 NEW YORK, NY 10019, USA.

Published in Wednesday Journal March 25, April 1, 8, 2026

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed bids will be accepted for:

2026 Permeable Paver Maintenance

This project consists of 19,511 SF of permeable paver restorative maintenance and 585 SF of permeable paver removal and replacement to restore the stormwater conveyance and filtering capability of the pavement cross-section.

The bidding documents are available for download starting Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at: www.vrf.us/bids

Bids must be submitted by Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at:

Public Works Department, 2nd Floor Village of River Forest 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

The bid proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.

No bid shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals, without the consent of the ruling body from each participating Village, for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.

The Village reserves the right in receiving these bids to waive technicalities and reject any or all bids.

Published in Wednesday Journal March 25, 2026

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

PUBLIC NOTICE

Annual Town Meeting

Notice is hereby given to the legal voters of the Town of Riverside, in the County of Cook, and the State of Illinois, that the Annual Town Meeting of said town will take place on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, being the second Tuesday of the month, at the hour of 6:01 pm, at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, IL, for the transaction of miscellaneous business of the said town; and after a Moderator having been elected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of the officers, and decide on such measures as may, in the pursuance of the law, come before the meeting; and especially to consider & decide on the following:

Call to Order, Pledge of Allegiance, Election of the Moderator, Oath of the Moderator, Approval of the Minutes from the Last Annual Town Meeting, New Business, Township Reports, Setting the date for the next Annual Town Meeting, and Adjournment.

Jay Reyes Clerk, Riverside Township March 10, 2026

Published in RB Landmark March 25, 2026

REVISED: ANNUAL OAK PARK TOWNSHIP MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

To the legal voters and the residents of the Township of Oak Park in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, notice is hereby given that the Annual Township Meeting of said Township will take place on Tuesday, April 14th, 2026, being the second Tuesday of said month at the hour of 7:00 PM, at the Oak Park Public Library Dole Branch, 255 Augusta St., Oak Park, Illinois.

Published in Wednesday Journal March 25, 2026

equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals.

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

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