Next WJ Conversation JEFF MAURO - The Sandwich King, page 6 W E D N E S D A Y April 18, 2018 Vol. 38, No. 39 ONE DOLLAR
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
D97 holds off on possible busing cuts
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It’s a start Mitzi Demeter, of Chicago, and her 5-year-old daughter, Remley, last Wednesday, during a groundbreaking ceremony for the New Moms affordable housing development going up on Chicago Avenue.
Bids indicated savings were not as great as consultant projected By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
The District 97 Board of Education announced earlier this month that busing for elementary students in the district will not be eliminated. The move, board members realized, will not save as much money as they had expected just a few weeks ago. The decision likely brought relief to the dozens of D97 families who expressed frustration and alarm after learning that the district was even considering eliminating buses for all but middle school and special education students, or perhaps making families pay for the transportation service. Many of those frustrated parents and guardians packed a regular meeting on April 10 to lambast the process by which the board had made the proposal to cut bus services, with some complaining that the district was overemphasizing cost savings at the expense of students and families “You come asking us for money in referenda and tell us if you don’t do this See D97 BUSING on page 16
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
More than coffee percolates at Oak Park café After a year, L!VE Café creates community-building model that could go viral By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Two thousand miles away, a revolution is brewing, and it started here in Oak Park. “When I first moved here, I didn’t know anybody,” said Cote Soerens, 38. An immigrant from Chile who now lives in Seattle, Soerens said her local independent coffee shop was her saving grace. The space allowed her to meet new people, find new opportunities and forge enduring relationships.
The experience converted her into a believer in the importance of vital community spaces. But it wasn’t until she visited L!VE Cafe, 163 S. Oak Park Ave., roughly three years ago, that Soerens found a model her own coffee shop. L!VE, which recently celebrated its oneyear anniversary, has quickly become the 21st-century equivalent of the town square in Oak Park, where any visitor on any given day is likely to cross paths with anyone from the mayor to the local newspaper publisher to a poet and educator like
Jamael Clark, a café regular. “L!VE Cafe has a unique personality that embraces everyone,” said Clark, who uses the stage name Isiah Makar. “I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with individuals ranging from educators, researchers, politicians, poets, musicians, investors, lawyers, etc. I think the persona of the business owner influences the culture of the business.” Reesheda Graham-Washington, who See L!VE CAFE on page 13