W E D N E S D A Y
July 31, 2019 Vol. 39, No. 52 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Taekwondo team effort Page 40
River Foresters protest rail project
More than 250 people have signed a petition against the Union Pacific’s activities By NONA TEPPER Staff Reporter
Last June, River Forest residents noticed workers cutting down 17 trees along the Union Pacific railroad tracks. Then they saw workers installing a gravel road up to the train line, where trucks started rolling up and down daily and trespassers began climbing and strolling along the rail bed. These indicators were the first residents had of the Union Pacific (UP) and Metra Third Rail Expansion project, a more than $100 million initiative that aims to install additional train tracks, in an effort to leave the 110 Metra and UP trains that power through River Forest daily with shorter idling time and fewer delays. Locally, the project installs 1.8 miles of new train line from UP’s Vale Interlocking facility in River Forest — just east of the Desplaines River — to 25th Avenue in Melrose Park. Neighbors claim the project has been pushed forward without any concern for those who live nearby, and allege that UP lied to Congressional leaders about noise levels in order to use taxpayer dollars to complete the project. “People care about this issue. They don’t want to See RAIL PROJECT on page 13
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
HIGH-STEPPING: Gina Jacobs, of Chicago, does the two-step on July 29, during a meeting of the 40+ Double Dutch Club at Whittier Elementary School in Oak Park.
Jump-starting a movement
Chicago woman launches Double Dutch club for women over 40 By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER
O
Staff Reporter
n a warm summer evening on the playground of Whittier Elementary School, about two dozen women over the age of 40 have assembled to jump back to a time when skipping rope, sharing stories and
having fun was a way of life. They are part of Oak Park’s new 40+ Double Dutch Club (40plusdoubledutchclub.com), which joined a quickly growing movement of jumping clubs across the country. “Now we tire faster but that’s OK, and it doesn’t matter your size or shape, as long as you’re trying, then you can play.
So ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Gypsy, gypsy girls unleashed, we’re reliving memories,” 40+ Double Dutch Club founder Pamela Robinson sings as one of the members effortlessly jumps rope. Other members gather around, sharSee DOUBLE DUTCH on page 15
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