WednesdayJournal_080625

6,

J URNAL

Local scouts retrace the Lewis and Clark expedition

Oak Park-based Troop 16 traveled 150 miles across Montana this June, following the path of the iconic journey

By ELIZABETH SHORT Contributing Reporter

From 1804 to 1806, Capt. Meriwether Lewis and Lt. William Clark traveled nearly 8,000 miles across the American West in their historic expedition. Lewis, Clark and their entourage traveled from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back in a keelboat and two dugout boats, exploring, mapping, and recording the re gion acquired by the United States during the Louisiana Purchase as well as the Pacific Northwest.

Earlier this summer, scouts from local Scouting America Troop 16, which is based in Oak Park, retraced a section of the original path that Lewis and Clark

Marckess was being mentored to gradually take over leadership of the depar tment

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

he person tabbed earlier this year to lead Park’s finances into the future has resigned after a few months on the job.

Oak Park had announced that it hired CarMarckess as the village’s finance director in late February, with her starting in that leadership role on March 3. The village confirmed this week that she had resigned from

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Oak Park police nearly doubled tra c enforcement in 2024

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN

Oak Park police

number of traffic stops they made last year.

The department near amount of traffic stops it made in 2024 compared to 2023, making 5,167 stops last year compared to 2,604 the to figures included in the department’s annual report shared earlier this month. department had only made more than 4,000 stops once in the previous cording to the re Police Chief the re port with 22 village board meeting. The department “increased targeted traffic enforcement to improve roadway safety and ensure safe mobility for all road user the re port.

The increase in traffic enforcement oc curred even though the department’s officer numbers ha department had 86 officers on staf more than 20 less than the department had on staff in 2020 17 less than it had in 2022 when it made onl 3,065 stops, according to the report.

Trustee Cory Wesley said he often hears from residents who feel the department isn’t doing enough to crackdown on reckless drivers and that these figures will give him something to point to in those conversations

“I call that out because traffic safety is probably one of the number one things I hear from people in the village,” he said. “The first thing I always hear from them is we need to do more enforcement and I always tell them that we do a lot of enforcement and these numbers show that we are doing a lot of enforcement.”

During the coronavirus pandemic and the years that followed, traffic enforcement dwindled nationwide. A New York Times investigation found that traffic citations decreased sharply while road deaths surged in many major American cities during those years.

Wesley said he’s seen the quality of driving in and around Oak Park deteriorate since the pandemic and that the department needs to continue doing its part.

“This shows the de gree of the issue over

the pandemic and how people’s driving patterns have just eroded and how we’ve ended up with people driving on the shoulders on the expressway every day,” he said. “I know several parents, unfortunately, who were seriously injured dropping their kids of f or picking their kids up from school. This is an issue that is definitely very close to me and close to the community that I hear from and I really appreciate you all putting in the work to help keep us safe in that re gard.”

WEDNESD AY JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf

Senior Audience Manager Stac y Coleman

Sta Repor ter Brendan He ernan

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

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

Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Emma Cullnan

Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Operations Associate Susan Babin

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

Senior Advisor Dan Haley

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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

JAVIER GOVEA

FINANCE MANAGER

that position, and that her final day with the village would be Friday, August 8.

“The village expects to begin the recruitment for finance director to lead the department later this month,” Oak Park spokesperson Dan Yopchick said.

Marckess declined an interview with Wednesday J ahead of publication.

Oak Park’s Capital Improvement Plan feature prominently in the village board’s upcoming meeting calendar for the fall. Marckess’ onboarding included Oak Park extending Interim CFO Donna Gayden’s contract for one year before Marckess was meant to assume full leadership of the finance department.

“I’m grateful for the time I spent serving the Village of Oak Park,” she said. “At this time, I’m choosing not to comment on my transition, as I believe the communications team at the village is best positioned to speak on any organizational matters.”

She was hired to run the department that’s responsible for managing the village’s finances, including financial planning and analysis, budgeting, accounting, record keeping and re porting, decision support and analysis and assessment and management of financial risks and emerging trends, according to the village

“At this time, I’m choosing not to comment on my transition, as I believe the communications team at the village is best positioned to speak on any organizational matters.”

C ARRIE MARCKESS

The resignation comes as Oak Park looks to dig in on finalizing its budget for 2026.

The village board’s finance committee began meeting last week and discussions of the budget and other financial matters like

“This will allow the new fidirector to step into exsting financial projects such as the annual audit, the long-ter m ic planning, and the budet without losing Interim CFO ’s knowledge and skills,” staff wrote in an agenda tem on the matter ahead of a 11 board meeting. “It will also allow the finance director to make key hires, including the newly created budget manager position, while maintaining capacity for the department as a whole.”

Gayden has ser ved as interim CFO since 2023, with her employment at village hall organized through a deal with MGT of America Consulting, according to village documents. She re presented the department during last week’s finance committee meeting. Marckess arrived in Oak Park after serving as assistant finance director for the village of Bloomingdale. Marckess has also served on the Board of Tr ustees and as Secretary for the Illinois Metropolitan Investment Fund. She is the latest Oak Park departmental leader to resign this year, joining ex-Development Services Director Emily Egan and ex-village DEI head Danielle Walker.

Village to adopt 1% replacement grocery tax

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Less than two months away from the state’s deadline, Oak Park has decided to impose a 1% tax on groceries to replace the identical state tax that Illinois eliminated last year

An ordinance ratifying the local tax was included on the consent agenda for the Aug. 5 Oak Park village board meeting following a discussion ofthe matter at a July 31 finance committee meeting. The new tax will not be discussed by the full board at the Aug. 5 meeting, as the board manages a packed regular agenda including discussions on Flock safety’s license plate reading cameras, the Oak Park Avenue streetscaping project, zoning reform and more, according to village documents.

Village staf f advocated for the village to ratify a re placement tax as Interim Finance Director Donna Gayden said Oak Park would face a budget shortfall ofas much as $1.4 million ifit did not re place the scrapped state tax.

“If we do not pass the ordinance, that would be a shortfall in the budget for revenue that we have to look for elsewhere,” she said. Illinois’ grocery tax disappears Jan. 1, 2026. The state gave municipalities an October 1 deadline to decide ifthey would ratify replacement taxes

Gayden said the resident impact ofthe tax is estimated at about $65 per household each year, but that that number is likely inflated by non-residents who shop at Oak Park grocery stores.

The village cannot afford to lose out on that source of revenue right now as other streams look less stable, village leaders said last week. Leaders acknowledged that it is a “regressive tax,” meaning it would disproportionately impact lower income residents

Village President Vicki Scaman had campaigned against implementing such a tax ahead of April 1’s municipal election but begrudgingly supported ratifying the measure as a present necessity

“This is challenging for me because I had wanted to work to not need to do this,” Scaman said. “When I was campaigning for reelection I answered this question by saying ‘I would try not to have to do it’ and what I’m sharing today is that with the climate at the federal level and the insecurity around cer-

tain grants or whether some ofthem will even exist in the future, I don’t have that. I am afraid that by not collecting it this gap would actually cause a greater financial burden to our residents. But I am not happy about it. So, we would hope to not be in this situation forever and that we would see grant opportunities grow and not be diminished in the future.”

Scaman said that the state missed an opportunity by not helping provide a clear alternative that would’ve allowed more towns to move forward without replacing the tax. The village could move to repeal the tax in the future.

Trustee Brian Straw said that the tax is needed, but that the village needs to be proactive in supporting organizations that fight food insecurity in and around Oak Park “Can we earmark additional funding from the grocery tax that we take in to combating issues of food insecurity, because part of the policy reasoning behind eliminating the grocery tax is around food insecurity,” Straw said. “It is something to consider, to address some ofthe concerns around implementing this regressive tax. Pretty much all ofthe taxation levers we have in municipal government are regressive tax levers. Property tax is regressive, sales tax is regressive. Most of our revenue levers are regressive in nature and one of the ways we combat that is when we have to implement a regressive tax looking at the effect ofthat regressive tax and maybe allocating some portion ofthat funding to combating effects ofthe regressive nature of that tax.”

People who receive federal SNAP food benefits have not paid the state tax on SNAP eligible items and will not be subject to the Oak Park tax, Gayden said.

Most ofOak Park’s surrounding communities have ratified grocery replacement taxes, including Berwyn, Cicero, Brookfield and Forest Park. The village ofRiverside declined to impose a replacement tax last month, but the town only has one grocery store and collects about halfas much tax on grocery sales in a decade as Oak Park does in one year

The city of Chicago has not yet decided on ifit will enact the replacement tax. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has campaigned in favor ofthe tax, with his administration saying the city would stand to lose $80 million.

LEWIS AND CLARK Scouts follow epic jour ney

from page 1

traveled through Montana. Seventeen scouts, four adults and 10 canoes trav 150 miles down the Missouri River over the course of a week.

The troop’s for mer Scoutmaster, Te Dutton, lives in Montana, which led the troop to consider the state as a destination. “The trip evolved into, ‘What if retraced some of the steps of the Lewis and Clark expedition,’” said Scoutmaster Andrew Lennie.

The group took the train to Havre, Montana on June 21 and made their way to Benton where they began their trip during the middle of the Solstice Storm. This brought record-br eaking low temperatures and precipitation, so the first day of the trip was “extremely challenging,” Lennie.

“We believe in the idea of friction,” said Lennie. “And by that we just mean something that’s challenging. Not impossibl e, and not necessarily overly dangerous, but definitely something that needs to be overcome…If you can paddle 25 or 30 miles in a day, and set up camp, and cook, and do all these things – you can do whatever a future working life will throw at you.”

T hey traveled in two groups split up by ages: one for scouts aged 15-16 and one for 17-18. Every day after canoeing the scouts set up camp at a different site. T hey also explored the re gion with hikes; one mor ning the scouts woke up at 4 a.m. and hiked for an hour to watch the sun rise across the river valley

“I don’ t think there were any bad moments on that trip,” said Noah Lennie, 16 (Noah Lennie is Andrew Lennie’s son).

Troop 16 scouts canoed (and rock-climbed, right) a section of the famous Lewis & Clark expedition through Montana, led by Scoutmaster Andrew Lennie.

“We were canoeing probably from 7 a.m. to the afternoon.” Other highlights included playing cards and hiking in the mountains

“Sometimes you just stop of f the river and make your own hike without any trails,” he said. “Being with all my friends and the sunsets were really good too.”

T he trip was considered “high adventure,” so only prepared Scouts were allowed to join. “Our troop does trips like this annually, but to participate, a Scout needs to have experience, demonstrate maturity and contribute meaningfully to the Scouting progr am,” said Assistant Scoutmaster Doug Zobel. “They g et to this

point over the years by first learning skills from older Scouts and then later teaching those skills to the newest troop members.”

Scouts were given planning and navigation responsibilities. Adults were present to ensure the health and safety of scouts and to help with logistics. Noah Lennie, who was in the younger group, said that he had many opportunities to lead in the first canoe

“We would switch of f who had the map in our canoe so if you were sitting in the middle you’d have the map… It was pretty easy to navig ate and it was fun. You felt in charge.” He said that the experience made him feel more inde pendent.

T hey ended the trip with a visit to former Scoutmaster Dutton in Great Falls, Montana, where they toured a hydroelectric dam, visited the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, and saw the Lewis and Clark caverns. They flew home on July 2.

“If you look at the Lewis and Clark expedition, they operated as a patrol, and there was very much an eg alitarian viewpoint behind it,” said Scoutmaster Lenni e. Lewis and Clark are “g reat role models to look to for the boys,” he said. Ultimately, the choice to lear n about the history of Lewis and Clark tied directly back to the Scouting America mission of producing “better young men to become better men.”

Community Foundation names Carrie Summy as their new leader

The nine -year foundation vet ser ved as interim president and CEO since April

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Carrie Summy said her first interaction with the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation made her feel like she wasn’t the kind of person meant to get involved

Now, she’s landed the agency’s top job and is intent on making sure the foundation is there for everyone and upholds its fundamental purpose of “helping the helpers.”

as a program and development coordinator overseeing the Leadership Lab program on a part-time basis after co-founding the local service organization The Neighborhood Giving Project. She went on to serve in a variety of roles with the foundation, most recently as director of external af fairs, working closely with Martinez and the board on strategic planning, donor relations and other projects

She lives in River Forest with her husband and four children.

so it can live up to its mission, Summy said.

“I’m really excited to said. “That’s going to be to build our culture.”

The foundation learned during the pandemic local nonprofit groups ment. Sweeping federal threatening the bottom lines of nonprofits, Summy said.

The community f leader helping organizations continue serving their clients, she said. The will soon be hosting workshops for local organizations on how to navigate those headwinds, Summy said.

I want.”

“When I first moved to Oak Park, what I received in the mail looked like a fancy wedding invitation, it was on heavy card stock with fancy fonts, it was an appeal letter for the community foundation,” Summy said. “While it was very pretty and I noticed it, I also felt like it was above me. I felt like this is something I don’t belong to, they’ve got the wrong person. I was a young mom and I just thought I will never be at the level of whatever this organization is. I tell you that background story because to me, it’s important that nobody feels that way.”

Summy said her time with the organization has included reckonings with a few “tipping point” moments. Both the obstacles nonprofits faced as result of the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide racial justice protests that followed the murder by police of George Floyd challenged the foundation to reflect on its strateg y and messaging, she said.

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Summy stepped in as interim president and CEO in April after Antonio Martine z left the foundation for a new role heading university advancement at Dominican University in River Forest. T he foundation’s board announced that she’d be staying in that role on a permanent basis earlier this week.

Changes the group made around that time included identifying addressing racial equity and social justice issues as the foundation’s core mission and updating its messaging to make it clear that the foundation served a region beyond just Oak Park and River Forest, including Chicago’s West Side, Berwyn, Cicero and Proviso Township.

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“The board looks forward to the continued growth of the foundation with Carrie at the helm,” said Doug Dixon, chair of the foundation’s board of directors. “I have known Carrie for most of my relationship with the foundation, which is close to a decade, and her track record is impeccable. She’s an excellent listener, and she addresses problems with a ‘Yes and’ attitude, which is a great collaborative approach that results in solutions that are win, win, win.”

Summy first joined the foundation in 2016

“It’s an enhanced vision and mission that we’ve been working towards these last four years,” Summy said. “One thing I’ll say is that for the city as a whole, there’s a large community foundation, The Chicago Community Trust. There’s a lot of family foundations that do a lot of support. But then really when you kind of cross that city line and even with the Austin neighborhood, that support drops. There is a lot of need here in Oak Park and our sur rounding communities. That’s our responsibility, that’s our role here. Getting out and about in all those towns and getting to know who’s working there, who’s doing what. That’s my job, that’s what I’ve got to figure out.”

“I want to increase that engagement, it’s built into our core values anyway,” she said. “Our core values are equity, inclusion and courage. If you’re thinking about equity and inclusion, it’s about access and representation. The best way to do that is

“I’m always thinking about the foundation in terms of what can we do beyond a check? What can we do beyond that to support our nonprofit sector beyond that and how collaboratively can we uplift and support our entire sector here in west Cook? Because the nonprofits are the folks doing the hard work.”

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Work to support those goals has included extensive community surveying to make decisions infor med by experiences of people receiving services, updating the foundation’s grant process and pushing forward a special focus on supporting community health and mental health.

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Oak Park village manager addresses West Sub ‘crisis’ at board meeting

Village Manager Kevin Jackson responded to a trustee’s question about what the village is doing amid hospital concerns

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

At a recent board retreat, Village Manager Kevin Jackson responded to a question from an Oak Park trustee about the “crisis” at West Suburban Medical Center.

Jackson said the village has a role to play in managing the impact of the issues at the safety net hospital, which is situated in Oak Park near the village’s border with Chicago. Wednesday Journal has recently reported about a variety of issues at the hospital including the abrupt dismissal of family birthplace nursing staff, unsafe temperatures inside hospital buildings during a recent heat wave and accreditation issues causing a loss of the hospital’s resident doctor program among other challenges facing the institution.

The discussion followed a question from Trustee Jenna Leving Jacobson while the

board talked about what health and safety goals it would set in its plan for 2026. She said she had been hearing from concerned residents who wanted to know what the village was doing to address the “increasing crisis” at the hospital.

“Managing the impact on the community is clearly a health and safety situation,” Leving Jacobson said. “It’s not going well over there and our community is noticing. They’re coming to us to figure something out, if we can.”

ture, and we will be communicating more,” he said. “We’ve been very engaged on the hospital issue on a variety of fronts. There’s the health and safety of the clientele there, there’s actually how they perform as a neighbor in our community.”

Making sure that both the hospitals in Oak Park are functioning is also key to the village’s economic vitality plan, he said.

“On the West Suburban side of that equation, we want to make sure that we’re doing all we can,” Jackson said. “We also want to look at it from a standpoint of if the worst thing happens. We’re thinking about that.”

With the uncertain future of the hospital, a West Side-based committee was formed to open up communications between the Austin and Oak Park communities and the owners of the hospital, and to hold those owners, Resilience Healthcare, accountable to its neighbors.

Jackson said that the board can expect to hear more about what the village is doing to play a role in supporting the institution to get back on track.

“I can’t unpack that completely tonight, but President Scaman and I are dialed in and we’re thinking about the larger pic-

“The hospitals are a focal point in our economic vitality strategic plan,” he said. “We need to really be strategically focused on protecting them, but also opportunities to expand. They support a large workforce and support other industries.”

Jackson also said that part of monitoring the situation includes preparing for the worst.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford helped organize the nascent group, which so far has met once and consists of four West Sub representatives and two community members.

The village did not have an update to provide last week on if any representatives of village leadership will be included in those meetings going forward.

West Sub’s River Forest campus has HVAC issues, too

The hospital’s Oak Park campus and its sister hospital Weiss Memorial have had recent problems with air conditioning

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Last week, Growing Community Media received a video reportedly from inside West Suburban Medical Center’s campus in River Forest that showed results of flooding which brought down portions of ceilings in hallways and offices.

On July 28, River Forest Village Administrator Matt Walsh told Growing Community Media that a tenant inside Building C on the River Forest campus on Lake Street

reported that there was water damage as a part of contracted work.

After village representatives met with property management personnel, Walsh confirmed on July 31 that the water damage was a result of a malfunctioning HVAC unit, which leaked water that affected two floors of Building C. Walsh said there was no structural damage, and much of the destruction occurred in a part of the building that was mostly unoccupied.

“After viewing the damage, the village notified property management that permits would need to be pulled for the repair work,” Walsh said in an email. He added that most of the repairs will fix walls that were affected by the water damage.

While hospital officials address the malfunctioning HVAC, Walsh said West Sub officials are using temporary air conditioning in Building A and Building C while working toward a more permanent solution. He added that a few tenants from Building A have

been temporarily relocated to other buildings on the campus.

“The village continues to monitor the conditions at the Medical Center and is motivating West Suburban to find permanent solutions as quickly as possible,” Walsh said.

West Suburban’s River Forest campus has also had issues in the past with its elevators which, before February, hadn’t passed inspection in a year.

West Sub’s River Forest HVAC issues follow similar air conditioning problems at the hospital’s Oak Park campus and sister institution, Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.

When Weiss’ air conditioning went down in June, 22 patients were taken to West Suburban in Oak Park. But both Block Club Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times reported that West Sub was also having HVAC issues, causing the hospital to be hotter than Weiss in some units.

A spokesperson from Resilience Health-

care, the company that owns West Sub and Weiss, previously told Growing Community Media that the entire HVAC system at West Sub was replaced in 2024. A subsequent FOIA filed with the village of Oak Park by Growing Community Media found no evidence that Resilience pulled any permits from the village last year for an HVAC project.

Possibly partially as a result of its HVAC issues, in July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a notice, confirmed by the Illinois Department of Public Health, that said Weiss Memorial would lose Medicare funding on Aug. 9. The notice said the funding loss was because Weiss isn’t in compliance with Medicare standards in nursing services, physical environment and emergency services. Medicare reimbursement provides a majority of Weiss’ revenue, a likely issue for the safety net hospital that treats fewer patients with private insurance and more people with Medicaid or no insurance.

KEVIN JACKSON

Ilove to eat outside. Yet, I’ only managed to dine on my deck once this year. Th because I draw a line when it’s over 90 de grees and 90% humidity. Still, I’ve managed to picnic at Ravinia and also in Austin Gardens in Oak Park while seeing Oak Pa Festival Theater’s dazzling production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

Grab the al fresco while you can

SMALL BITES RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Set a route to rout your hunger at the River Forest Food Truck Rally, Aug. 22 from 5 –9 p.m. in the Metra depot parking lot, 8001 W. Central Ave. Loading in are: Billy Bricks, Spoon Burger, Happy Lobster, 5411 Empanadas, Hawaiian Food Truck, Pinoy Grill Filipino Street Food, My Funnel Truck, Hello Boba and Roost Chicken and Biscuits. Slake your thirst with offerings from Kinslagher Brewing and Cooper’s Hawk Winery. For splashy summer cocktails go to 6727 W Roosevelt Road in Berwyn for Autre Monde’s pop-up aperitif society. Tuesdays from 5 – 10 p.m. 15 rotating selections include non-alcoholic options. Try the Italian Stallionette – a vermouth spritz with fresh lime,orange liquor and dried lime; or the house-bottled Boulevardier – bourbon,

On Thursdays head to Wise Cup, 1018 Lake St. in Oak Park, for their Mumbai burger – a ve ggie/potato fritter tucked inside a soft bun, graced with chutney. Get ‘em after 5 p.m. paired with a mango lassi. It’s a sweet and spicy sensation.

There is a sprinkling of news about Brown Cow Ice Cream, 7347 Madison St. in Forest Park. First, the shop was named in the Chicago Sun-Times as one of 12 artisanal ice cream shops that change the rules. In the article touting 24 flavors all with 18% of luscious butterfat, owner Colleen Brown says she opened up because there was no ice cream shop to weave summer memories in rest Park. Her other bit of news is that she is looking for the next owner of said shop. Could you be the next scooper hero?

New Orleans in its heart, but also in Forest Park and on the sales floor, Shanahan’s, 7353 Madison St., is looking for a new owner as Tim Shanahan looks to retire. Do you ve a French quarter?

Kribi Coffee, locations in Forest Park and Oak Park, got a shout-out on TV for their coffee concoction of the

week (July 28-Aug 4), which was a coquito latte honoring WGN’s Ana Belaval’s 20th anniversary on the station. The name meaning “little coconut” references an eggnog-like holiday spiced drink that originated in Puerto Rico.

And now with condiments concerns in the media: on Michelle Obama’s IMO podcast Barack Obama weighed in about ketchup. In his opinion, “You should not eat ketchup after the age of eight.” He was firm that this includes all ketchup, not just ketchup on hot dogs. “You gotta outg row it.”

The Bears football season will be upon us Aug. 10, and that makes me yearn for chicken wings. But they also pair nicely with a picnic table! You’ve got a few options locally to get your fix, including the newly opened Wings Galore at 210 Lake St. in Oak Park

Small chain Wing Snob hasn’t been in town much longer at 7115 W. North Ave. in Oak Park. And the ‘ole poultry jugger naut Wingstop is at 515 Madison St. in Oak Park.

Got news, questions or answers for this column? Email them to us at Eats@oakparkeats.com.

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Wings Galore at 210 Lake St., Oak Park

Wednesday Journal’s once-upon-a-time sign

Dear reader,

In the summer of 1980, a determined group of local people with a whole lot of moxie launched Wednesday as a single paper years into a family of munity titles, welcoming the Forest Park Brookfield Landmark and Austin Weekly News into the fold.

The past 45 years ha highs and lows, tough choices and proud moments. Through it all, our small but mighty team alwa delivering independent and authentic local journalism. Always.

In 2019, to protect that mission for the long term, Wednesday Journal, Inc. transitioned into the nonprofit Growing Community Media. And since then, we’ve continued to do what we’ve always done: tell the stories of our communities.

In 2025 we face a different kind of challenge. Local news continues to suffer serious headwinds, and the economics of journalism are more fragile than ever.

our mission, we’ve made the decision to leave our physical office and transition to a fully remote newsroom. Going remote allows us to in, and limited rting and in our communities, rather than erhead. It allows us to keep showing up where it matters e not going anywhere. a larger effort to . New products are in development. New partnerve more to share later this summer, but the decisions we’re making now are laying the foundation for a strong and sustainable future. We do this work for you: our readers, our neighbors, our supporters. Thank you for standing with us, for celebrating this 45-year milestone, and for believing in what local jour nalism can do.

With gratitude, Max Reinsdorf Interim Executi ve Director Growing Community Media

POLITIC AL SHAKEUP IN 7TH DISTRIC T

Dem party role contes as Davis retires, Welch and Harmon vie for se

With cash on hand, both leaders seek key par

By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter

The July 31 announcement that longtime 7th District Cong ressman Danny K. Davis was not running for re-election has changed the local political dynamics in more ways than one

Don Harmon, State Senate President and Democratic Oak Park Township Committeeman, said Sunday that he will be circulating nominating petitions for the party of fice of 7th District State Central Committeeman, an office Davis has held since 1998.

Meanwhile, Har mon’s counter part in the Illinois General Assembly, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has started actively campaigning for the post and has secured an endorsement from Davis and 18 other political figures, including River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci and State Rep. LaShawn Ford.

Minutes after Davis’s July 31 press conference in which he endorsed Ford for his seat in Cong ress, Welch released a statement trumpeting “Endorsement List Grows” for his campaign for Davis’s state central committeeman seat.

The endorsements were bannered on Instagram and X, and a copy of the press re-

lease was posted on the Democrats Illinois House website. Under the headline “The momentum is grow trademark exclamation point, he framed his running for the position as “strong leadership, winning coalitions and the will to fight to make people’s li tle easier.”

Nominating petitions the March 17, 2026 primary ballot may be circulated for signatures starting Tuesd Aug. 5. They must be filed with state elec tion officials between Oct. 27 and No Monday morning Davis confirmed he was stepping down from the State Central Committee next year and was endorsing Welch for the seat. “I haven’t had a press release put out yet, but I will,” he said.

Davis did not go into detail re garding why he endorsed Welch, although he noted that Proviso Township “is a good part of the (7th) district.”

“The state central committee is supposed to help develop policy for the party and help organize the area,” Davis said. “To (foster) participation and get registration to vote.”

Davis said he expected Harmon to run for the central committeeman seat, saying, “Don told me if I didn’t run, he would. I’m not surprised he’s running.

Oak Park Township Committeewoman

Eileen Lynch said Sunday that Harmon was traveling on legislative business and unavailable to speak directly to the media. She forwarded a brief statement acknowledging the recent political developments, and a one sentence statement from Harmon saying he was “planning to circulate petitions as I have in the past several elections, and I’ll evaluate the field as we approach filing (deadline).”

For 15 years, Harmon has eyed a seat on the powerful Democratic State Central Committee. Twice in the time period — in 2009 and in 2022 — Harmon has stepped back after Davis chose to run for re-election, saying he would not oppose Davis “I didn’t know what the cong ressman’s intentions were when I collected the signatures,” Harmon told Wednesday Journal in 2022. There was similar uncertainty in 2009, when Davis said the misunderstanding was due to his waiting until the last moment to file his own nominating petitions.

If Har mon does in fact choose to r un for committeeman, it would set up a contest that would be both very expensive and likely be portrayed as a public internal fissure in the state Democratic Party heading into an unusually high interest

2026 general election season.

Both men have the money and political bases to stake a claim to the seat. Harmon has the backing of the Democratic Party of Oak Park. He had $413,710 in his state central committeeman fund as of June 30. He created the campaign fund in November 2017.

Welch is the Democratic Committeeman for Proviso Township, which is immediately west of Oak Park

Welch has clearly been working for some time behind the scenes to secure crucial political support outside his and Harmon’s power bases. Besides Ford, who represents North Austin and part of the near west suburbs, Welch has secured the support of four Chicago politicians from areas on the West Side of Chicago crucial to being elected in the 7th Cong ressional District, including long-time 37th Ward Alderwoman Emma Mitts and recently retired 27th Ward Alderman Walter Bur nett.

He is also endorsed by State Representative Jawaharial ‘Omar’ Williams (D-10) and State Representative Kam Buckner (D-26). William’s district covers parts of Austin, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park and the near west side. Buckner represents Bronzeville and parts of downtown.

EMANUEL “CHRIS” WELCH DON HARMON

SPONSORED CONTENT

Taste of Elmwood Park celebrates 40 years

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter

Since 1985 this is the food festival that never stops pulling out all the stops. Elmwood Park spreads a red checkered table cloth out so you can dig in Aug. 7 to 10 in Central Park, at the corner of Fullerton and 75th Street.

No one features food, family and fun like this village! Thursday and Friday night and Saturday and Sunday noon to night there will be kids’ games, arts & crafts and rides.

There is no entry fee into the park. Food vendors accept cash and drink tickets can be purchased at each side of the park.

The food is varied and amazing. From pretzels to toasted ravioli, pizza to sand-

wiches, sweet corn and meatballs there are no lack of options. Go around the world with samosas, burgers, nachos, tamales, egg rolls and tacos. Then cool off and sweeten the day with Italian ice, slushies, iced coffee, tiramisu, biscotti, gelato and cannoli.

Twenty-nine food vendors will stack your plate high with all the goodies. In alphabetical order: 4 Jokers Restaurant,

FIT TO BE FRIED FRIED MAC & CHEESE, BBQ RIB SANDWICH FUNNEL CAKE, LEMONADE SHAKE UP CURLY FRIES/RIBBON CHIPS

MACNCHEESE BITES, PULLED PORK SANDWICH CHEESE STEAK OR PORK CHOP SANDWICH

GRECIAN KITCHEN GYROS GREEK NACHOFRIES FRIES LOKOUMADES GREEK SMASH BURGER

GRINGO & BLONDIE TAQUERIA NACHOS

CARNEASADA TACOS AL PASTOR TACOS ELOTE IN ACUP

SHWINGS FRESH CUTFRIES FRIEDSHRIMP WINGS, CHICKENNUGGETS

JIMMY S RED HOTS VIENNA BEEF HOTDOG VIENNA BEEF POLISH SUPREME TAMALE

FREEZE POPS

(LEMON STRAWBERRY MANGO COCONUT)

BIG DADDY DONUTS

OGDONUTS (CINNAMON/POWDER SUGAR)

DELUXE DONUTS (VARIOUSFLAVORS) CANNOLI DONUTS

DONUTSSUNDAE

CAPUTO S FRESH MARKETS

FAMOUS ITALIAN SAUSAGE SANDWICH

HOMEMADE OCTOPUS SALAD

STEAK PARMESAN SANDWICH

EGG PLANT PARMESAN SANDWICH

BADA-BING SHRIMP

CIRCLE TAVERN

TOASTED RAVIOLI MOZZARELLA STICKS

SWEET CORN FRITTERS

RAY GUY'S GIARDINARDI

DONNY G’S SASUSGAE & GRAVY

MINI SUB SANDWICHES

ELMCREST BANQUETS

BOWTIE PASTA WITH VODKA SAUCE

HOMEMADE BISCOTTI

JOHNNIE S ITALIAN BEEF ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES WITH SWEET OR HOT PEPPERS

MARIA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT HABANEROMANGOCHICKEN TORTA

MASSA CAFÉ ITALIANO GELATO, FRIED DOUGH, PANZEROTTI

MASSA PIZZA COMPANY

SICILIANSLICEPIZZA

VODKABURRATA ITALIANSAUSAGE PEPPERONI, CHEESE

NEW STAR

EGG ROLL, CRAB RANGOON 2 PC, CHICKEN FRIED RICE CALIFORNIA MAKI COMBO PLATE

OLD WORLD PIZZA

DEEP DISH SLICE

DOUBLE DOUGH SLICE

POMPEI ELMWOOD PARK

PIZZA STRUDEL BEEF ANGELO OR ITALIANO OGCOMBO

ROSEBUD RESTAURANTS

HOUSEMADE MEATBALL WITH POLENTA MEATBALL OR CHICKENPARMSANDWICH

RUSSELL’S BARBECUE

JR BEEF SANDWICH, JR. PORK SANDWICH RIBTIPS

SICILIAN BAKERY

MEAT ARANCINI CANNOLI TIRAMISU NUTELLA BOMBOLONI

HOTOR COLD ESPRESSO ICED COFFEE TIRAMISU

STRAWBERRY SLUSHIES FROZEN STRAWBERRY SLUSHIES

TACOS 2 GO

LECHON TACOS, CHICKENTACOS QUESABIRRIAS, AGUASFRESCAS

TOP BUTCHER

STEAK SANDWICH

PULLEDCHICKEN SANDWICH

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MAC & CHEESE WITH MEAT

TRI CAFE

GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN TENDERS

GARLIC PARMESAN SHRIMP

GRECIAN CHICKEN PITA

LOADED BACON CHEESE FRIES

CHOCOLATECHUNKCOOKIES

SLOPPY JOE SANDWICH W/ CHIPS

SLOPPY JOE NACHOS

PULLED PORK NACHOS

CAJUN POLISH / FRANCHEESE W/ CHIPS

UNION TAP

BUFFALO CHICKEN SLIDERS

CHEESEBURGER SLIDERS

BAVARIANPRETZELS/W QUESO MAC & CHEESE

Armands, Ava’s Italian Ice, Big Daddy Donuts, Captuto’s Fresh Markets, Circle Tavern, Donny G’s, Elmcrest Banquets, Fit to Be Fried, Grecian Kitchen, Gringo & Blondie Taqueria, Shwings, Jimmy’s Red Hots, Johnnie’s Italian Beer, Maria’s Mexican Restaurant, Massa Café Italiano, Massa Piazza Company, New Star, Old World Pizza, Pompei, Sergio’s Seafood, Rosebud Restaurants, Russell’s Barbeque, Sicilian Bakery, Strawberry Slushies, Tacos 2 Go, Top Butcher, Tri Café, Union Tap In the Taste Lounge, you can wind down with a cocktail until you get your second wind or get your legs pumping to the live DJs spinning every evening. You must be 21 years old to enter the lounge area.

AUGUST 7-10

CENTRAL PARK (CORNER OF FULLERTON AND 75TH AVENUE)

ELMWOOD PARK’S FINEST RESTAURANTS

THE TASTE LOUNGE COCKTAIL BAR FEATURING LOCAL DJ’S

BEER & WINE • KIDS GAMES & RIDES ARTS & CRAFTS

Fitness in the park! Come to Central Park with your gym shoes on. Aug. 9 at 11:30 a.m. you can pre-work off those calories by taking a fitness class, free from Renew Studios. The next day get ready for deliciousness again with The Barre Studio at 9:30 a.m.

day at noon the Sam Fazio Quintet starts the tunes, followed by Ginger Road, One of the Boyzz, iPop and Mike & Joe.

The Mayor’s Cup bocce tournament and the annual meatball eating contest is on Aug. 9 at 4 p.m.

Live music each night will keep the whole park rocking. Thursday Ocean’s Rat Pack kicks it off with the classics – Sinatra, Martin and Davis – at 6 p.m. The Shagadelics come on after to disco the night away. Friday the music starts with Drawers, HiFi Superstar, then the Lounge Puppets. Saturday keeps the fun pumping starting at 1 p.m. with Triangle Park, The Wayouts, The Gingers: Redheads that Rock, Anthem’s Grand Illusion and Wedding Banned. Sun-

Parking is limited so public transit is encouraged. The Metra stop at 75th and Grand Avenue is directly in front of Central Park. Parking shuttles will run from John Mills School, Parks and Recreation Center, and Elm Middle School.

Know before you go:

Website: TasteofElmwoodPark.com

- 8:15 PM ANTHEM’S GRAND ILLUSION STYX TRIBUTE 9:00 - 11:00 PMWEDDING BANNED PARTY HITS AUGUSTSUNDAY,10TH 11 AM - 10 PM 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM SAMQUINTETFAZIO STANDARDS 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM GINGER ROAD COUNTRY 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM ONE OF THE BOYZZSOULFUL ROCK 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM MIKE & JOE MODERN ROCK 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM iPOP DECADES OF HITS BE SURE TO CHECK

Poor Phil’s, Oak Park’s rst

legit bar and restaurant, hits 40

The Murphy family, serial entrepreneurs, are still pouring good times

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter

When asked why Poor Phil’s has thrived for more than four decades at the corner of Marion and Pleasant streets in Oak Park, Mary Murphy, the manager and daughter of the owners, quickly responded.

“We got the best corner in town!” she said.

stick with their jobs for decades.

The Murphy family has been at this intersection for even longer. Mary’s parents, Dennis and Bunny, have been pioneering Oak Park restaurant entrepreneurs since the 1970s when they opened Murphy’s Offthe-Mall -- yes there was an actual downtown pedestrian mall. That famous for its burgers spot was on North Marion Street.

In the early 1980s the Murphy’s opened Philander’s, Oak Park’s first upscale, liquor-serving restaurant, on Pleasant, just west of what is now Poor Phil’s.

It also helps that the menu is filled with an abundance of seafood: oysters, lobster, soft-shell crabs, shrimp, etc. A wide-ranging beer selection, cocktail menu, wine list and drinks to please the kids (and kids in all of us) has served this bar/restaurant through the decades too.

The restaurant has a Cheer’s-like ambietual friendliness and TV fame). Casual, relaxed with tap handles from brews of the past hanging from the ceiling, vintage posters and signs who

Philander’s “was a limousines type thing back in the day, very flashy. People wore actual dress-up clothes, suits.” At the grand opening, Mary Murphy remembers, “I was in my twirly red dress, running around. It was so great. What a great time!”

Later, Poor Phil’s Shell Bar joined the party next door. It was deliberately a casual place and its name was a sly reference to fancy Philander’s next door. Both restaurants took their monikers from Philander Barclay, the eccentric turn of the last

Know before you go

poorphils.com

139 S. Marion St., Oak Park Hours: Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight

in this century.

enough there will be lights out,” Mary Murphy said.

Not that there weren’ t some stumbles along the way. The COVID pandemic, as for most restaurants, was a touch-and-go time.

In time, the Murphys sold the upscale restaurant to its manager, who renamed it Barclay’s. Poor Phil’s steamed forward, the flagship of the Murphy family.

“I always laugh when people come in t. At least not

Dennis Murphy said, “My wife and I along with our eight kids have been, through the years, joined by some great staffs. Other relatives and friends have come and gone. However, we learned that not everyone is cut out for the restaurant business!”

“I’m the only child that stayed. I’ve been here my whole life. I started working here in 1993, when I was 19. Everybody else just kind of went of f and did their own thing and I just worked well with my parents. I stayed. And I loved it,” said Mary Murphy.

While the senior Murphys have mostly retired, Dennis still has a hand in the place.

Those smiling crabs and winking beer stein cartoons are his and he helps with creating the menu.

“My dad will still come by and be like there’s a light out. OK, dad. And sure

“Thank God for our re gular customers! They came in. They were social distancing, and it worked out. I love that everybody, just the whole community was just like, OK, let’s keep everybody open. And it was great. They all came together and that’s why we’re here. We’re a big community place and we know everybody. People come in and we know their names,” said Mary Murphy. “We’ re kid-friendly too. People call sometimes and ask, ‘Can I bring my kid?’ Absolutely.”

Along with seafood, Phil’s is known for a perfectly crunchy catfish poor boy and the legendary Murphy burger. A lobster roll sandwich just debuted on the menu too.

Happy hour rolls around Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. with drink specials, half-priced appetizers and shrimp or oysters at $2 apiece

Dennis Murphy said, “The average life of a restaurant ain’t great. With luck, five years. Forty years is like ancient.”

“Poor Phil’s feels like it might be one of the oldest restaurants in town,” Mary Murphy said.

Perhaps the historical society can sort that out, but there is no doubt that Poor Phil’s has done a fine job anchoring their corner, welcoming in customers hungry for a friendly face and top-notch fare.

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Poor Phil’s manager Mary Murphy ser ves up a Murphy burger and lobster roll.

Oak Park police investigate $12,000+ cigar heist

By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park police are investigating an incident in which more than $12,000 in cigars and cigar equipment were stolen from a garage

Unknown suspects re por tedly gained access to an Oak Park resident’s unlocked Subaru Forester and used a garage door opener to open a garage at a home in the 800 block of Clarence Avenue overnight on July 29. Once inside, the suspects stole a large wooden cigar humidor, a special box designed to keep cigars climate controlled, according to police.

The thieves re por tedly made of f with the humidor, 750 cigars and several cans of butane. The value of the stolen items is estimated at $12,505, according to police

Oak Park police are also investigating an incident in which an unknown suspect re por tedly smashed the window of an Oak Park resident’s Audi Q5 parked in the 100 block of Forest Place and stole three loose

cigarettes, causing $400 in damage, according to police.

Aggravated assault at gas pump

Oak Park police are investigating an alle ged aggravated assault that happened at a local gas station over the weekend

A Chicago resident was pumping gas at a gas station in the first block of Harrison Street when he was approached by a man who offered to pump their gas, according to police. According to police, “the victim replied sarcastically” and the man pulled out a handgun and threatened to shoot the victim. The suspect put the firearm back in a holster and walked away from the scene going south on Austin Boulevard, according to police.

Domestic battery arrest

Oak Park police arrested two local women on domestic battery charges in unrelat-

ed incidents last week.

Police arrested a 27-year-old Oak Park woman on charges of domestic battery in connection with an incident in 1000 block of S. East Avenue shortly before 10:50 p.m. July 31, according to police

Police arrested a 21-year-old Chicago woman on charges of domestic battery and criminal damage to property in connection with an incident in the first block of Division Street at 10:11 p.m. July 30, according to police.

These items were obtained from Oak Park’s Police Department re ports dated July 23 – 28 and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed a description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

POLITIC AL SHAKEUP IN

Danny Davis to retire from Congress a er nearly 30 years

The longtime representative of Illinois’ 7th district announces he won’t run again and endorses La Shawn Ford for his seat

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

A crowd of over 100 locals and members of the media gathered at the West Side office of Cong. Danny Davis on July 31 to hear whether he would choose to run for a 16th term.

After nearly 30 years re presenting Illinois’ 7th congressional district, Davis announced he won’t be seeking reelection next year, instead declaring his retirement come Jan. 2027.

Davis started the press conference at 2815 W. Fifth Ave. with exuberant thanks to those who have supported him up-close, like his wife of 55 years, and from afar

“I want to thank the people who offer to pump my gas at the service station when I pull in there in the morning to get some gasoline. I want to thank the folks at the supermarket when I go grocery shopping, who ask if I want to take their place in line,” Davis said. “I really want to thank the thousands who believed we could make a difference.”

When asked by the media why he’s retiring now, Davis, 83, said it’s largely because of his age.

“I’ve got a brand-new rocking chair. I’m going to sit back in my rocking chair and relax a little bit,” Davis said, adding that he’s looking forward to sleeping in. But he plans to remain eng aged by reading, researching and campaigning to keep getting Democrats elected.

Davis said he hopes that his le gacy in Congress will be that he inspired and activated people to get eng aged in policy at a different level.

“The only regret that I have is I didn’t start doing this earlier,” Davis said. “Chicago, Illinois has done some marvelous things. The road has not always been the easiest, but I’ll

tell you, I’ve had so much fun.”

Davis started his career in public in 1979. He served as alderman of Ward for 11 years and on the Cook Board of Commissioners for six y was elected to Congress to represent the 7th district in 1997 and, since then, has brought billions of dollars to his district by a ing for affordable housing, health care education. He said he was instrumental in writing the Affordable Care Act.

“There have been changes, positi regressive. But you know, there also a time when one decides that there are ne avenues, new approaches, new opportunities,” he said.

Endorsing La Shawn Ford

Rep. Ford speaks at a press conference where Danny Davis announced his retirement and endorsed Ford to ll his seat

Davis also endorsed State Re p. La Shawn Ford, 53 and an Austin native, for his seat, pointing to Ford’s commitment to, and understanding of, the community.

“It is my honor, it is my pleasure, and it is my delight to endorse you,” Davis said to Ford as the crowd started chanting the state re presentative’s last name. Davis said he’s excited to have “a young, seasoned person who can grow into leadership.” He added, “You don’t have to be old, and you don’t have to have gray hair, to re present.”

“This is a big deal. The biggest deal of all is that Congressman Davis has passed the torch, but told me, ‘You’ve got to finish the race,’” Ford said. “It didn’t come easy. I feel like every day I talked to him, he was interviewing me,” though Davis and Ford’s constituencies largely overlap on Chicago’s West Side and the western suburbs.

“Growing up, I always noticed a bond between my dad and Congressman Davis,” said Tia Ford, the state re presentative’s daughter, who said the public officials are

“cut from the same cloth.”

“I am deeply thankful and gratefully acce pt the endorsement of Congressman Davis, a true champion of our community,” Ford said. “Your support, Congressman Davis, is not just an honor. It’s a strong affirmation of our shared mission to uplift and empower the people we serve.”

In an interview with Ford that was embargoed until Davis announced his retirement and endorsement, Ford told Growing Community Media that, if elected, he’ ll focus on helping people who are unhoused, are reentering society after incarceration or need af fordable health care. He also said he’d help end the continuing war on drugs.

At the July 31 press conference, Ford said he’d collaborate with Re publicans, as he has for nearly 18 years as a state re presentative in Springfield, as “meaningful progress requires communication.” In his current position, Ford has also “learned that authentic leadership involves building relationships and fostering open dia-

logue. It’s about understanding the challenges and crafting solutions to gether.”

Ford added, “I am prepared to collaborate with stakeholders, families, businesses, hospitals, nonprofits, and advocates within the 7th congressional district to build a more vibrant community by working to gether to craft policy that genuinely meets our shared needs.”

Other candidates who have filed to fill Davis’ seat come the primary election in March include Chicago attorney Jason F riedman, for mer Marine John McCombs, pastor Jerico J. Brown, Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, and Richard Boykin, Davis’ for mer chief of staf f who was later elected to re present the 1st District on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Tekita Martinez and Danica David Leigh are also r unning, and Emelia Rosie filed with no political party affiliation. Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin also announced she’s r unning, but hasn’t yet filed.

TODD BANNOR

POLITIC AL SHAKEUP IN 7TH DISTRIC T

Davis endorses State Rep. La Shawn Ford

Ford shares what Davis’ suppor t means and his priorities if elected

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

After weeks of speculation about whether Danny Davis would choose to run again for Illinois’ 7th congressional district — a position he’s held since 1997 — the congressman announced at a July 31 press conference that he’s retiring and endorsing La Shawn Ford in the Democratic primary election in March 2026.

Ford currently serves as state representative for Illinois’ 8th district, which covers parts of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood and the western suburbs. Earlier this month, Ford broke the news to Austin Weekly News that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection. The announcement came around the time he filed to run for Illinois’ 7th congressional district. But Ford said, if Davis decided to run again, he’d retire from politics Ford’s political career will now continu if he wins the primary for the 7th distric congressional district — which represents parts of Cook County like Oak Park, For Park, River Forest and much of Chicago’ West Side — and then the general election in Nov. 2026. And he now has a leg up with significant endorsement.

“When someone gives you their endorsement, that means a lot. That’s putting thei reputation out there,” Ford told Austi Weekly News in an interview embargoed until Davis’ announcement. He added that it feels even more significant getting suppo from someone whose job he’s running “If I’m going to endorse you because you’ running for alderman, or if I endorse yo because you’re running for senate, that’s different than ‘I’m going to endorse you to actually carry on my le gacy in the U.S. House “It puts you at an advantage, and it gi people the confidence that you’re read Ford said. He added that Davis’ endorsement helps with public opinion of Fo since the state representative said Davis has respect from both his constituents and peer in Washington, D.C. “To have him as a mentor and someone who will continue to help

in the process, if there’s a win, is huge. You don’t start off on ground zero.”

Ford said he and Davis share a lot of the same values, especially when it comes to legislation on helping people who are unhoused, use substances, are reentering society after incarceration or need affordable health care

“I will definitely join the forces making sure that Obamacare is fully restored and that those who need to have preventive care have it,” Ford said. Davis “is a strong healthcare congressperson, so that helps out immediately where I could step right in and continue on the groundwork that he has already established.”

He added that he also wants to champion work against prosecuting people with low-level of fenses, like cannabis and psychedelics.

“These are things that we really need to address in our gover nment to stop the war on drugs, causing people to become criminals for these types of offenses,” Ford said.

Ford said one of Davis’ successes he’s most proud of is the Second Chance Act,

which the congressman introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives. The federal law, passed in 2008 with bipartisan support, mandates that the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs fund grants for state and local gover nment, plus nonprofits, that go toward reentry support and reducing recidivism. This includes resources for helping people with substance use, finding employment and housing

“It really is a piece of legislation that changed the way America looks at people who have had criminal records,” Ford said. “Some people go to Congress, and they never pass anything. This bill has put millions of dollars throughout the country to help people that have criminal records reenter all over, in Republican districts and in Democratic districts. Red and blue states have benefited from Congressman Davis’ Second Chance Act.”

Building on the Second Chance Act, Ford passed a bill in Illinois in 2015 that allows ex-offenders to seal criminal records for nonviolent offenses. He said requests for such legislation came out of his meetings with the

community, who saw those trying to retur n to society after incarceration struggling to secure jobs or apartments because of their records. Such meetings and relationships with locals, Ford said, are one of Davis’ assets

“Community is where his strongest strength is,” Ford said. “You see people walk up to Congressman Davis as if he’s not a congressman. They walk up to him and call him ‘Danny’ because every day he’s out there with the people. That’s another thing that I admire, and that’s my approach.”

But Ford said he is also aware that there’s a balance between honoring your predecessor’s work and bringing a new perspective. Ford said he plans to use technology as a resource more than Davis has. While Ford said there are few, if any, areas where Davis hasn’t fought for more funding, he brings a unique view on higher education after working with colleges and universities throughout the state on their annual budgets.

“I know that there is some work to be done, and there are some groups that we can unite with, to fight for college affordability and less debt,” Ford said.

Working on budgets within Illinois, Ford has seen how the state gets significantly less unding than others.

“We have to get more money from the fedver nment back to Illinois,” Ford said, ould lead to not raising taxes again for Illinois residents

Aside from his knowledge about budng in Illinois, Ford said he’s learned about patience while being a state presentative. He also said he’s become rsed in being present when the community needs him, like during the Covid-19 pandemic, the floods on the West Chicago in the summer of 2023, and throughout the opioid crisis.

“Many people think that you have to pass a bill in order to be successful. That’s not always necessary. What’s necessary is to supthe community and build coalitions around the community so that their issues are heard,” Ford said. But that “doesn’t haper night,” he added.

“Those who have done public policy or are new to it may not understand that it takes time to build trust, and it takes time to build ommunity around an issue,” Ford said. n’t want to just [pass] public policy an harm and have unintended conse-

TODD BANNOR

La Shaw n Ford reaches out to his sister, who is blind, at a press conference, July 31, announcing Congressman Danny Davis’ retirement

Homes

Historic Preservation Commission has an active summer

Some matters more controversial than others, including South Boulevard proposal

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

From garage designs to new development proposals, the Oak Park’s Historic Preservation Commission has had an active summer.

While some of the agenda items are relatively routine, there are others such as a previously rejected proposal for South Boulevard that is trying to rise from the dead and a proposal for landmark status for a Lake Street building.

“All of our meetings have been pretty busy,” said Commission Chair Lou Garapolo, noting that the full agendas are fine by him as long as there is time for the commissioners to have good discussions about the issues before them.

“That’s what we ’re here for,” he said. What follows are summaries of two proposals:

1035 South Blvd. Proposal Lives On

One recur ring item that found its way back before the commission on July 24 is the proposed 10-story building at 1035 South Blvd. The developer, Sachem Building LLC, missed an earlier deadline. Thus, the review process started anew when they again asked the HPC for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for the proposal.

Garapolo said that the developer stated that they had not made changes to the design since the last meeting on May 22, when all of the commissioners voted against the project.

“There were no changes to the design, so our discussion was pretty much the same as it was at previous meetings. One commissioner was not in attendance, so the vote came back nine to zero against the development.”

Atefa Ghaznawi, Urban Planner in Historic Preservation for the villa ge, said that the developer can:

■ Appeal the HPC ‘s decision and request a public hearing with the HPC

■ Revise the proposal and come back to the HPC for a Certificate of Appropriateness Application

■ Withdraw the COA application

In late July, the developer submitted an appeal request for the proposed development at 1035 South Blvd. A public hearing will be held on Aug. 28, said Ghaznawi.

A legal notice will be published in Wednesday Journal 15 days prior to the public hearing and the property owners within 250 feet of 1035 South Blvd. will be notified via mail prior to the public hearing.

COURTESY OF JCSA CHICAGO

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

The submittal for public hearing will be available online on the Village website, one week prior to the meeting: https://www. oak-park.us/Gover nment/Citizen-Boardsand-Commissions/Historic-Preservation.

A copy of the application and applicable documents will be on file and will be available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison St., Oak Park, 60302, Monday through F riday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

If there is a hearing, the public will be given an opportunity to be heard and crossexamine the applicant. Those interests should submit a cross-examination form at the village hall or by emailing the HistoricPreservation@oak-park.us before 5 p.m. on the day prior to the public hearing.

Garapolo said that if the developer requests a public hearing and does not make any changes to the design, he expects the commission will vote against the proposal, as they have at all three previous meetings in which the development has come up for a vote

Sachem, re presented by architect John Schiess, has been before the commission multiple times starting in December 2024, when Schiess attended an advisory session with the HPC. The commission voted against the pr oject on Jan. 9. On March 27, the developer pulled the project from the HPC agenda the afternoon of the commission meeting. On May 22, the HPC voted no on the project, and on July 24, all commissioners in attendance again voted against the development.

Garapolo said the changes to the proposed design since that initial meeting have not been significant. “From the first meeting, the changes have been so minimal. T here are 10 guidelines that we look at and eight of them have not been addressed.”

Garapolo says that the HPC has in the past approved developments when revisions were made that were satisfactory to the commission in terms of meeting the guidelines. Complete guidelines for projects coming before the HPC can be viewed at https://www.oak-park.us/files/assets/ oakpark/v/2/historic-preservation/architectural-review-guidelines/architecturalreview-guidelines_adopted-12-03-24.pdf

Garapolo said that at each meeting, HPC hears from residents, almost all of whom are opposed to the project. Acknowledging that it is unusual to have so many meetings devoted to the same proposal with the same design, he said, “I’m sure it’s frustrating for the residents and it’s frustrating for the commissioners.”

Field’s Building Considered for Landmark Status

The commission is holding a special meeting on Aug.14 to consider the landmark application of 1144 Lake Street. The for mer Marshall Field’s building was added to the National Re gister of Historic Places in 1988.

In designating a local landmark, the HPC considers the following factors:

Historical And/ Or Cultural Importance

■ Significance as an example of the architectural, cultural, economic, historic or social development or heritage of the Village of Oak Park, the state or the United States;

■ Location as a site of a historic event, with a significant effect on the Village of Oak Park, the state or the United States;

■ Identification with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the architectural, cultural, economic, historic or so-

cial heritage, or other aspect, of the Village of Oak Park, the State or the United States;

Architectural And/ Or Engineering Importance

■ Existence on the National Re gister of Historic Places;

■ Embodiment of those distinguishing characteristics of significant architectural type, or style or engineering specimen;

■ Identification as the work of a builder, designer, architect, craftsperson, engineer or landscape architect whose individual work is significant in the development of the Village of Oak Park, the State or the United States;

■ Contains design elements, detail, materials or craftsmanship that make the property or building structurally or architecturally innovative, rare or unique;

■ Re presentation of an architectural, cultural, economic, historic or social theme, style or period, expressed in distinctive areas, districts, places, buildings or structures that may or may not be contiguous.

Ghaznawi , the urban planner, said that landmark designation helps retain the unique architectural and cultural character of Oak Park

A landmarked building becomes eligible for property tax reductions, grants or credits for restoration and maintenance, and can attract visitors and boost local tourism, benefitting surrounding businesses If the designation is approved, the owner of the building is also given a plaque

In addition, changes to landmarked buildings require approval, ensuring that alterations align with the Historic Preservation Ordinance, Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, and Architectural Review Guidelines.

At the HPC meeting on Au g. 14, the landmark nomination application fo r 1144 La ke St. is scheduled for a preliminary d etermination of eligibility and public hearing of the nomination. If the c ommission approves the preliminary d etermination, the public hearing will follow immediately.

JAVIER GOVEA

BACK TO BOOKS: Barnes & Noble wants to open a book store in the former Marshall Field’s building on Lake St reet

Senior living communities offer a myriad of benefits that enhance the quality of life for older adults. One of the primary advantages is the opportunity for social interaction. Residents can participate in a variety of activities, from arts and crafts to group outings, fostering friendships and reducing feelings of isolation.

Senior living communities also free residents from the burdens of home maintenance and chores. Housekeeping, laundry services, and meal preparation are typically included, giving residents more time to enjoy their hobbies and interests. Moreover, senior living communities often provide various levels of assistance, from independent living to full-time care, allowing residents to age in place comfortably. This flexibility ensures that as needs change, the appropriate level of care is always available.

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

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310

ktrainor@wjinc.com

VIEWPOINTS

Recruiting locals for a research project

Oak Park and Forest Park have been selected by Yale University and Midwester n University for a new, cutting-edge research project investigating the beliefs of older people

This groundbreaking project, titled Action Community Engagement (ACE), has been in the works for several years and recruitment in Forest Park has now begun. The available slots are filling fast. Oak Park recruitment begins next week. If you have any interest or questions, please call the project coordinators at 708-445-2711 or email actioncommunityengagement@oakparktownship.org.

MARC

BLESOFF

If you’re over 60, English speaking, and live in either Oak Park or Forest Park, you can receive $130 by completing all the research activities, which include:

■ Attending six 1-hour weekly group discussions

■ Participate in community group activities

■ Complete three surveys, including a follow-up interview

The study is also recruiting group leaders to facilitate each of the six discussion sessions. The compensation for a group leader is $515 per group ***

As an elder person, one of my beliefs is that the two key existential problems facing all of humanity today are climate change and demographic change. The study announced above deals with one. The short piece below, written by Harry Rick Moody, deals with the other:

Letter to my granddaughter (for 2096)

Our granddaughter was born in 2016 and in 2096 she will be the same age I am now. I’ve written this letter for her to be opened in that year in the future:

I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the world that we’ve left to you. I’m sorry, but I did the best that I could. By now, if you’re reading this, you’re 80 years old, exactly the same age as I was in the year 2025, when I wrote this. The world you’ve lived in since you were a little girl is very different from the world in which I grew up and lived in I was born in the last year of World War II, and, yes, during my life I was aware of extreme weather events. But not the fire and flood, drought and heat waves that you’ve already had to live through. When I was young, I knew there were climate problems. But hardly anybody took them seriously. At a certain point, in the 1980s, we got war nings. But, once again, we didn’t take them seriously. Even when things began to get bad — by the 2010s when you were born — little was done to reduce greenhouse gases or to limit fossil fuels. Many of us knew what had to be done. But we didn’t do it

I did the best I could: cutting back on air travel, reducing meat consumption. Your grandma and I even went vegan because of climate issues We’ve contributed money to politicians trying to reduce global warming. I went on all those protest marches. I even joined groups of older people who realized we had created a mess for you. But it wasn’t enough. Things got worse and worse until the time I finally died. That’s why I’m leaving this letter for you: just so you know that some of us cared, some of us tried to stop things from getting worse. All I can say is: I’m sorry

IN MEMORIA M

On Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 11 a.m., a funeral will be celebrated at St. Edmund Church for a young Guatemalan migrant who died July 25 as a result of a tragic car accident.

Jorge Borrayo was only 25, had just received his work permit, and had a job interview scheduled on Monday, July 21 but the accident occurred the night before. He was in the Trauma ICU at Cook County Hospital until life support was removed the following Friday. His friend Hector and his “Chicago family” were with him when he passed.

Jorge and Hector received services at Oak Park Migrant Ministry’s Centro San Edmundo last year but then returned to volunteer with us on a regular basis. Jorge and Hector moved from being one of those served to being servers themselves and they were an intimate part of our volunteer community. They worked in the men’s clothing room, embodying “donations with dignity” by helping the men select clothes that fit well and looked good on them.

She keeps telling me how comforting it is for her that his community in Chicago is mourning him as well and will be holding a funeral service. Jorge’s cousin will be part of the opening procession, connecting us more with the family

MaDonna Thelen of Unity Temple wrote and will lead the intercession prayers

The bilingual funeral will be videotaped and posted on the parish YouTube channel for the family. The Guatemalan flag will be placed on top of his casket and the presider will wear a stole from Guatemala.

Members of the migrant and volunteer communities will be pallbearers. Food for the reception afterward is coming from everywhere.

So many diverse communities are coming together to celebrate this young man’s life. He was the bridge between the volunteers and the migrants. Although raised Catholic, he and Hector were members of a small Episcopalian congregation near the shelter where they first landed in Chicago.

Rev. Amity Carrubba of that community will be a co-presider at the funeral along with Father Carl Morello from the Oak Park Catholic Community..

We have been in frequent communication with his mother in the rural Guatemalan community of Esquintla, and we are incorporating their traditions and spirituality in the service by including a poster of their patroness, the Immaculate Conception (the poster is being printed by Sign Express, just down the street on Oak Park Avenue) as well as photos of the memorial that the family set up in their home

It is inspiring to see how migrants and volunteers, Catholics and Protestants, a rural community in Guatemala and a wealthy suburb of Chicago are coming together to celebrate the life of a young man who made the difficult trip to the U.S. to escape difficult conditions, worked hard and was generous and friendly to all, but whose life was cut short just as things were falling into place for him and his friend Hector

When Jorge was still in ICU, we set up a little table in the hallway at Centro San Edmundo with a picture of him, some flowers, a candle, and some paper so people could write a little note of love and support. The volunteers wrote messages, but so did a number of migrants who remembered how he helped them select nice clothes in the men’s clothing room.

Migrants mourning a migrant from a different country in a different country.

Celine Woznica, an Oak Park resident, is a co-director of the Oak Park Migrant Ministry at Centro San Edmundo.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Jorge Borrayo was killed in an auto accident in July.

Thanks to Congressman Danny Davis

Thanks for the work you have done over decades, from Chicago’s city council to the county board and for nearly 30 years in Washington as the 7th District’s congressman.

And thanks for choosing to retire now.

The nationwide push for decisive generational change among Democrats in power is real and it is right. This nation is in for the fight of its life as the work of saving democracy is now immediate and profound

Traditional politics — of incremental change, the moral arc of history bending toward justice and compromise with rational opponents — is dead. And we do need new leadership at the cong ressional level, ready to take up this fight with new tools and fresh energy

We hope there are other elders holding on to Democratic seats in Congress who will take Danny Davis’ path toward a graceful retirement and the chance to be feted before their deaths for the legitimately important work they have done.

For Davis there has been steady progressive leadership, with breakout issues such as the Second Chance Act, which opens up hope and a path for our fellow citizens coming out of prison. Davis has been the decisive leader of this successful effort though there is, of course, more work to be done

Davis also gets credit for working to choose his successor with his endorsement of State Rep. La Shawn Ford. There are now a number of candidates entering this race with a range of credentials. It will be a highly contested primary next March. It is inevitable and positive that an open seat for Congress in a safe Democratic district will attract a bevy of contenders.

Davis could have taken the safer route and announced that he would not endorse in the race and touted the advantages of an open primary. Instead, after what we know was a long courtship, he is decisively backing Ford. We have covered Rep. Ford for decades and know he is smart, decent, progressive, community-connected and politically-savvy Davis and Ford share some notable history on the West Side and the near west suburbs. Both were schoolteachers and had nonprofit experience before they went into politics. And they share a certain personal style of quiet fire, congeniality and a sense of institutional history.

Interesting days ahead.

Only choice on grocery tax

Oak Park’s village trustees gave every indication they were ready to pass a 1% tax on groceries at a meeting held after press time. Good decision.

This tax will replace the state’s 1% grocery tax, which ends Jan. 1. So there will be no change in what shoppers are paying. But with estimates that this tax is worth $1.5 million in annual revenue to the village, there was no choice but to approve it.

In a meeting last week, trustees previewed their votes while several noted that such a tax is “regressive.” We take the point. But not having adequate funds to provide gover nment services is also problematic.

Occupying a shaded bench in the southeast corner of Mills Pa late last Saturday after the first good-weather w end of this blistering summer I found myself in the company of many. Everyone, it seemed, was out and about, sidling down sidewalks peopling the parks — as if it we first balmy weekend following a hard winter. We’ve been stuck under a dome of heat, humidity and wildfire haze for most of June and July. On this first Saturday of August, the haze still hung heavy, but the heat and humidity had blessedly dissipated

TRAINOR

Mills Park is one of the best places in Oak Park to unwind, relax, let your dog chase a ball, spread a blanket, practice Tai Chi, and generally disengage from the stressors of one supremely stressed-out society

But I came there to work, notebook in hand, writing about my grandsons, always a labor of love. I wasn’t paying much attention to the setting, as pleasant as Pleasant Home just of f Pleasant Avenue can be

A young couple ar rived with two helmeted daughters, settled in on a nearby bench and commenced a lesson in riding a bike without training wheels, dad hovering and instructing while mom insistently reminded: “Keep pedaling, keep pedaling, keep pedaling …”

But that was all background to my task at hand. Nothing could dislodge my concentration, not even the black-vested police officer, who walked past in the direction of the circular bench collaring a yellow poplar tree where the paved walkways meet in the center of the park.

Even that didn’t pique my interest until I heard a voice of authority ring out: “Sir, wake up! Sir, wake UP! Sir, WAKE UP!” Three officers were bent over a prostrate figure, trying to rouse him — unsuccessfully. They administered a dose of Narcan, which didn’t get results, so one of the officers went back to the cruiser and got another.

This time it worked, just as the ambulance and firetruck, sirens blaring, announced their arrival. By the time the gurney rolled past us, the overdose victim was on his feet looking dazed and disoriented as the paramedics directed him lie down on it

An older man who was watching asked if he could share my bench. He said the young man, who appeared to be in his 20s, maybe 30s, was with two others, but when he laid down to “take a nap,” they left him behind

As the paramedics wheeled the man to the ambulance, he crossed his arms, covering his face — a gesture perhaps of embarrassment, shame, despair?

A moment of personal reckoning?

Life and death and show ing up Right choice by Davis

A middle-aged woman in a motorized heelchair and her father positioned themselves on the grass nearby. She was the one who called this in. The leader of the responding police detail stopped to talk to her on his way out. He confirmed that her call likely saved ’s life, and he wrote something on his pad. Her contact info so the tment or the village could issue a notice of commendation? She deserves at least that much.

After he left, my benchmate and I issued our own commendations She shrugged and quipped, “All in a day’s work.”

But of course it was more than that.

She said she noticed the man’s head hanging of f the edge of the bench and his arm awkwardly draped groundward. She knew he wasn’t asleep. He was unconscious. So she got involved. She made the call.

We overuse the term “heroic,” but “good citizen” gets short-changed. Good citizenship stands out in a country where millions of unconscious citizens don’t even bother to vote. Good citizens should never be taken for granted.

Her name is Kelly. She lives nearby and visits the park regularly, luckily for this young man. Did she save his life, we wondered aloud, or merely prolong it until the next overdose? At the very least, I said, she gave him a chance. That’s all anyone can do Some skeptics might say it won’t do any good, but this looked to me like a 50/50 proposition. Maybe he’ll come down on the right side of those odds.

We’ ll never know what troubles brought him to this juncture, but saving him was worth a shot — or two doses of Narcan at any rate — just to give him that chance. Will the authorities or the hospital social worker or the chaplain get through to him, maybe connect him to resources that will help him turn his life around? Will anything good come of that life? Did Kelly’s good deed, in other words, do any good?

Maybe, maybe not, but it did me good to see our social net function so ably on a beautiful summer after noon in early August. Public safety personnel barely ruffled the peace and quiet of the place, which quickly returned.

Before she left, Kelly mentioned that her daughter is going away to college in a few weeks I’m guessing this gave her socially responsible act special meaning.

Whatever the future holds, on this day one troubled young man got his life back

Because one good citizen showed up

SHRUB TO WN by Marc Stopeck

Board of review is open for appeals

The Cook County Board of Review has announced that it will be accepting appeals of the 2025 assessed valuations of Oak Park properties from now until Aug. 19.

The township can help Oak Park residents file appeals with the Board of Review in two ways. First, residents can call the Township Assessor’s Office at 708-383-8005 to make an appointment to get help in preparing evidence to substanti ate their appeals.

The second option is to attend a meeting with the Board of Review. At the meeting, representatives from the office of Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers Jr. will explain the appeal process and help residents file their appeals. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Aug. 11 in the auditorium of Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School, 325 S. Kenilworth Ave.

Even in non-reassessment years, such as 2025, taxpayers can file appeals as the value of properties can change from year to year. Taxpayers should be aware that the money-saving effects of a successful 2025 appeal will not appear on tax bills until the fall of calendar year 2026.

WEDNESD AY

of Oak Park and River Forest

Viewpoints Guidelines

e goal of the Viewpoints section is to foster and facilitate a community conversation and respectful dialogue. Responsible community voices are vital to community journalism and we welcome them. Space is at a premium and readers’ attention is also limited, so we ask that Viewpoints submissions be brief. Our limit for letters to the editor is 350 words. For One View essays, the limit is 500 words. Shorter is better. If and when we have su cient space, we print longer submissions, but when space is limited — as it o en is — we may ask you to submit a shorter version or hold the piece until space allows us to print it.

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

■ 350-word limit

Oak Park properties were last reassessed in 2023, and under Cook County’s three-year reassessment cycle, the next reassessment for Oak Park properties will take place in 2026.

Ali ElSa ar

Oak Park Township Assessor

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

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

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Decide rationally, not ideologically

Irecently heard Rahm Emmanuel say that he told presidents Clinton and Obama that “sound is not always fury, sometimes it’s just sound, and don’t assume just because someone is screaming at you that they represent more than their own voice.”

JACK POWERS

One View

Oak Park has a tiny, noisy minority of defund/abolish the police ideologues (1) for merly known as Freedom to Thrive, rebadged as Activate Oak Park

Our Citizens Police Oversight Committee (CPOC) isn’t the objective, narrative-free group its mission demands nor residents deserve. Remarkably, the cur rent chair was a Freedom to Thrive organizer. (2)

Four CPOC members co-signed a 2022 letter opposing the installation of Flock license-plate-reading cameras that the Oak Park Police Dept. (OPPD) requested. (3) Recently, refer ring to Flock, CPOC’s semiannual report says that “despite repeated requests by CPOC for evidence of “successful investigative outcomes … OPPD remains unwilling to provide such data.”

Chief SHATONYA Johnson explained to CPOC multiple times that few crimes are solved by one technology or piece of evidence; almost always a combination of factors and multiple cooperating departments lead to an outcome, making it impossible to assign a contributory value to a specific technology for any eventual outcome, often coming years later. Such a report would be meaningless yet require a significant administrative burden and cost. CPOC has a reasonable answer to this question. Some members refuse to accept it and inaccurately insist that OPPD is being “uncooperative.”

Having failed in 2022 to preclude camera installation and in 2024 to prevent contract renewal, Flock opponents adopt objections de jour seeking an angle that works. Their latest: ICE using legal channels to access Oak Park data. Yes, the chance is not zero, but it’s slight. Do they accept ICE accessing data from cell, car, I-Pass, and license plate cameras in adjacent towns? Or do they just oppose OPPD having an effective investigative tool? They refuse to acce pt that only OPPD has access to our Flock

data. It isn’t shared. Stringent limitations were imposed on Flock, partly, if not largely, because of these ideologues They demanded strict limits, diminishing effectiveness, then disingenuously claim low productivity proves cameras are ineffectual.

Trustees Straw and Leving Jacobson said recently they respect the chief and department. If sincere, why do they reject OPPD’s emphatic request to retain an effective tool?

This year River Forest’s chief requested an increase to 37 Flock cameras (Oak Park has 8). Uncontroversial, routine board vote, passed unanimously. No circus, no ideological sideshows conflating social issues with an effective investigative tool. Bike lanes are deemed a safety issue; public surveys and hearings were held. Neighborhood meetings were attended by some trustees. The plan was approved. Several trustees lamented community outreach falling short, citing the need for future improvement of community engagement.

So, why no such outreach on a much bigger safety issue? Will ideologues drive the issue without due process and the board properly engaging the community?

We should give a depleted OPPD the tools it needs to succeed; otherwise we should prepare for the results

ICE isn’t the issue, crime and public safety is

Eye on the ball.

Sources:

1) Ideologue: an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology, Merriam Webster

2) https://www oakpark. com/2020/07/29/alarming-racial-disparities-in-oak-park-policing. The author is the current CPOC chair

3) https://www.oakpark. com/2022/03/29/say-no-to-flock-cameras. Four current CPOC members are listed among the cosigners

Jack Powe rs is a 35-year resident of Oak Park and a current member of CPOC. He is not writing on behalf of CPOC or any other member.

A second grandfather to me

Mr. Johnson, the grandfather of friend Len, and his wife mo daughter Euclid Avenue in and that is when I met him.

The Johnsons had o a farm west of Mr. Johnson told me that one day he decided, at the age of 73, that he had had enough of planting, milking and harvesting, and he the rest of his days w be spent on more leisurely pursuits

The day after the Johnsons moved to Oak Park, Mr. Johnson went into the living room, selected the strongest chair, and moved it to the front porch. He then settled his large frame into the chair and watched the world go past. Not having gone beyond the eighth grade, he had no interest in books or newspapers, but his Bible was on a table next to his chair as was his pipe and sweet-smelling tobacco.

I realized, as did everyone else who knew him, that he planned to spend the rest of his life seated contentedly on the porch from early mor ning until sundown, and as the seasons changed, he did not deviate from his plan.

On some evenings when I was visiting Len, I sat on the porch and listened to Mr Johnson’s stories of his younger days on the farm, and I was awed hearing tales of wild animals and terrible storms and tornadoes.

He told us that, when he was 20, he

enlisted in the Ar my, was shipped to Cuba and fought He was unhappy, though, that he wasn’t at San Juan Hill with Teddy

Because he spent many , he became a r of nature. He ned the habits of many , and was delighted by the scents coming from his garden.

When fall came, he counted locks of southbound geese, and on October nights when the harvest moon was low in the sky, he hated to give up his chair and go to bed.

Winter did not deter Mr. Johnson; he simply donned long underwear, a heavy coat, a felt hat and ear muffs. He held the bowl of his pipe and drank hot coffee, and told everyone that he was quite happy and comfortably war m.

Over the years, his beard grew long and very white and with his soft chuckle, he reminded me of Santa Claus.

Meanwhile, his chair aged along with him, and one day it collapsed leaving Mr. Johnson sprawled on the porch floor. His son-in-law helped him to his feet, and Mr Johnson vowed that he would from that day for th stay in the house unless a stronger chair could be purchased for him. He did get the chair, but his wife and daughter restricted his visits to the porch.

Mr. Johnson was a second grandfather to me, and his stories and friendship remain happy memories

Mohr development needs resident input

Oak Park residents deserve to know more about the Mohr Cement development project at Harlem and Garfield — the village goals, the site issues, and the pros and cons of possible uses — before the village makes a decision.

As longtime South Oak Park residents, we share Noah Sullivan’s concerns [No thanks to giant gas stations, Viewpoints, July 23]

about the advisability of a truck stop on the site, and the seeming lack of transparency and opportunity for resident input.

We all understand the need for tax revenue; we also need to be mindful of maintaining the attractiveness of the village as a desired place to live and raise a family. Nancy Lynn & Andy Teitelman Oak Park

Not in my front street

Add my name to the many Oak Park residents, living on Harvard or elsewhere, who oppose the presumptuous bike plan passed by village trustees on July 22 (and Jim Taglia, thank you for voting against it).

Presumptuous because you other trustees did not listen to the residents who spoke at village meetings or submitted comments in opposition. You should have opted for a village-wide referendum on the plan.

This plan is a solution in search of a problem. As you point out, there are already traf fic lights at Oak Park and Ridgeland avenues, and a stop sign at East Avenue

The plan is also a case where a NIMBY attitude is justifiable. You have created inconveniences for Harvard Avenue residents whose parking will be taken away. Reducing access to homes or garages for delivery people, guests, and those with limited mobility is insulting and over-

kill, especially during winter when far fewer people ride bikes. Did you think about that?

A less expensive strategy to keep cyclists and pedestrians safe is to install devices that, when a button is pushed, activates flashing lights to alert drivers to stop

Also, have you noticed how many cyclists, especially middle- and high-school students simply ignore the rules, riding the wrong way on one-way streets, not wearing helmets, speeding through stop signs and red lights? What makes you think they will suddenly stop being scofflaws?

As Kurtis Todd’s excellent letter in the July 30 Viewpoints section points out, your bike plan erodes trust in village government. Maybe the silver lining will be a bunch of new trustees voted into office in the next election, when everyone but Jim Taglia will be voted out. Now that’s a plan I can wholeheartedly support Ellen Edwards Oak Park

Term limits are ine ective

As a mom who calls River Forest home, I’ve been watching the debate around term limits with growing concern. I’ve read the op-eds, letters to the editors and even the Facebook conversation. What I’ve come to understand is that term limits are a bad fix for real issues.

But what troubles me just as much as the policy itself is how the conversation around it has been anything but democratic. The group pushing for ter m limits didn’t really have any organized opposition. It was a one-way campaign that had little true community dialog. Their messaging was designed to trigger frustration rather than foster understanding. There was really no healthy community conversation, no exchange of ideas. Just an echo chamber filled with busybodies with an axe to grind convincing voters that term limits were a silver bullet. Then, of course, they put it on the ballot during a sleepy, low-tur nout election. Uncontested races on the ballot leading to families like ours, not tuned into a rushed ballot initiative with long-term consequences. That’s not democracy. That’s manipulation.

If the question of ter m limits came back in 2026, during a real election, when voters will already be energized to vote in the U.S. Senate primary (especially with Senator Durbin stepping down), I truly believe the outcome would be different. When more people show up, and when they’ve had a chance to hear both sides, I have faith that voters will see ter m limits for what they are: performative, shortsighted, and ineffective.

The reality is that term limits sound good in theory, but they hurt us citizens in practice. They push out effective leaders simply because of an arbitrary clock. They limit institutional knowledge and give more power to unelected actors, not less. And they do nothing to fix the root causes of voter apathy or civic disengagement.

If we’re serious about accountability, let’s focus on transparency, participation, and making it easier, not harder, for people to get involved. That’s the kind of reform River Forest deserves.

Not another bumper sticker solution. Molly Clarke Cooper River Forest

Inhumanity of Trump’s deportations

I am a proud veteran of the Ar my and the Ar my Reserve, retiring as a major in the Medical Service Corps in 1994. During my time in the military, I worked with many amazing service persons who chose to bring a spouse from another country to share their life. These non-citizen spouses and Americans by choice brought tremendous talent to the American military. Yet current U.S. Gover nment policy under Donald Trump, Stephen Miller and Christy Noem is ar resting and deporting non-American spouses of active duty military and veterans. None of these people ever wore the uniform but experienced the changes that military service brings to the service persons or veterans

Traditionally one of the rewards of serving your country under arms has been expedited Green Cards and then citizenship for the service person, their spouse and their children This is no longer the case. In his first ter m, Trump deported non-citizen combat veterans and now he has taken to deporting the spouses of U.S. citizen combat vets and service people

The same day my monthly American Le gion member magazine ar rived with a story of the ar rest and planned deportation of a veteran’s spouse who only days before had given birth and was breastfeeding her new baby — stopped only through Republican Senator Kennedy’s intervention on MSNBC and the sad suicide death of a U.S. citizen, Marine

,and National Guard vet after his 17-year unsuccessful journey to bring his wife back to the U.S. from Kenya after she was deported while he was on active duty in the War Against Terrorism.

I am saddened and embar rassed by yet another broken promise to these two veterans who volunteered for the military, put on the uniform and put themselves in har m’s way to protect our right to freedom. I then began to think of the all the American citizens who married nonAmerican spouses that I served with and say, “But for the grace of God,” my Ar my buddies could have suffered the same fate There is so much wrong with this massive deportation process. I will leave for others to talk about the businesses that are failing after most of their employees have been ar rested, the patients left untreated or cut off from medical treatment after their doctors and nurses are arrested, and the crops left to rot in the fields and the cows left un-milked and sick from this, the old and disabled persons left without home care when their skilled care giver has been ar rested and deported.

I raise my voice for my brothers and sisters under arms who have had their spouses taken away despite their service and sacrifice. How can a country tur n its back on them?

Welcoming vs. cheerleading

I support what another letter writer said last week about Oak Park not needing to give subsidies to a profitable, expanding, nationwide company like Bar nes & Noble. So it’s troubling that Oak Park official John Melaniphy is quoted in Crain’s Chicago Business on July 18, greatly praising B&N stores, and saying, “When people want instant gratification, they can go to Bar nes & Noble.” Why doesn’t he say this about Oak Park’s locally-owned businesses, or not say it at all? There’s a difference between welcoming and cheerleading, and perhaps this crosses the line. I shop and dine in Oak Park three to four times weekly, living in Galewood, favoring locally owned places. Why is Oak Park so eager to give away money to large corporations that don’t need it, as B&N is already negotiating with the building owner?

Ronald Weslow Chicago

Frank Vozak Oak Park

River Forest has a better bike plan

The ter m NIMBY has been used for a number of years to describe people who claim to be inclusive, as long as it’s in someone else’s backyard One example is someone who claims to want a racially diverse community, as long as a Black family doesn’t buy a house next to them. Another example is attempts to open a group home (for any number of needs) in a neighborhood. To compare such situations with bike lanes is sophomoric, insulting and dishonest.

Depriving individuals from living in a neighborhood because of their race or disability is a far cry from opposition to bike lanes. The insensitivity expressed by for mer trustee Susan Buchanan, and others, makes me question their commitment to what Oak Park is supposed to represent — respect and concern for the wellbeing of all individuals

Housing is expensive in Oak Park and the residents who will be directly impacted purchased their homes, knowing they would be able to park

in front of their property and that visiting relatives and friends would be able to park nearby. Then the village decides they will change that. Not only will the residents not be able to park in front of their homes, both sides of the street will be blocked. It doesn’t take a genius to realize this change will affect not just their ability to park but also will lower their property value. Will their property tax be reduced?

A few years ago, River Forest painted bicycles in the middle of streets, with the message that the roads were to be shared with bicyclists, making drivers cautious and alert to cyclists. It was definitely a lot cheaper than the Oak Park plan.

The treatment of the residents on Harvard is anything but the message that Oak Park likes to convey as to its commitment to the well-being of all. One might even suggest a bit of hypocrisy.

Patti Marino River Forest

If you’re angry, stay angry … and involved

At an event in New Hampshire on April 28, our gover nor made an appeal for all of us to channel our anger and discontent toward meaningful protest and direct action against the terrible policies of our national gover nment. Voicing our discontent cannot only happen around Election Day. We must constantly remind each other, our elected officials, and the world that the whole of the nation does not agree with the actions of this administration.

The mass protests of the last few months have been well attended by many in our community Our local Democratic Party, in collaboration with other community activist organizations, have been bringing people to march together, to let each other know that we are not alone in our disaffections and our discontent.

There is anger about disappearances of our neighbors by ICE, who cloak themselves in masks to hide their shame, targeting citizens and immigrants with impunity

There is anger about the defunding of programs across the country that supported our schools, hospitals and research institutions, which means more disadvantages for children,

more untreated illnesses, more environmental damage and less scientific progress

There is anger about the destruction of Gaza, which the U.S. has ceaselessly facilitated while ignoring the declarations and war nings of the UN and of international humanitarian organizations — that Israel is an apartheid state killing tens of thousands of civilians. We have violated our own human rights legislation, specifically the Leahy Laws, which were enacted in 1997 to prevent us from providing weapons to ar mies that credibly violate human rights. Even Israeli human rights groups now acknowledge they are committing genocide against the Palestinians. If you feel this anger, and express it in protest, in conversation with your friends and families, in letters to your representatives or in posts on your social media, I encourage you, do not stop! Whether it be an activist group, a political campaign, or a book club, stay involved! Oak Park and Forest Park are full of caring and passionate people and many opportunities to continue the struggle.

Jonah Harlan Forest Park

Tony Kinert, 85 Owned Olde Town West

It is with great sadness that we announce the assing of Anton David “Tony” Kinert on July 15, 2025 after a brief illness. Bor n in Freeport, llinois on Oct. 19, 1939 to Harry and Teresa (Balles) Kinert. His family moved to Oak Park hen he was young. He attended Oak Park and ver Forest High School where his father was a popular basketball coach and where he met his mer wife Rebecca Downey, with whom he had

ver until he bought Olde Town West in Forest ving the best deep dish pizza around. He was wn for the many pranks he played. An avid gardener, alcade Pride Award in Oak Park for his beautiful rdens. He retired to Marco Island, Florida to be near his mother, Teresa, where they loved to make jewelry, garden and go garage saling together.

Tony is survived by his children, Michael Kinert, Aimee (Mark) Jepsen, Kellie Kinert (Von Mock), and Kevin Kinert; his grandchildren, Matthew, Kaitlyn and Annaka Jepsen; and his sister, Karen Kinert-McKenna and her children, Terry Sanders, Christy Navarro and Tim Jansky.

Connie Rakitan, 74 Led Faith & Fellowship Ministry

Constance Maria Rakitan, 74, died on Aug. 2, 2025. Born on July 15, 1951, she ran the Faith & Fellowship Ministry for people with mental illness out of St. Catherine-St. Lucy Parish since 1979. “It gives people an opportunity to pray together with other people with like interests and like needs,” she once said. “It’s a place where they are OK and welcomed.”

St. Catherine-St. Lucy Church will be reopened, for one day only, for her funeral on Friday, Aug. 8, at 10 a.m.

Connie Rakitan was the wife of the late James Michael; the mother of Michael “Mick” Rakitan (Liz Visteen); the sister of Andrew Mark Swietek and Patricia (Patrick) Wright; the aunt of Michael Anthony (Caitlin) Giammusso.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, Aug. 7 from 3 to 9 p.m. at Linhart Funeral Home, 6820 Cermak Road, Berwyn. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 8 at St. Catherine-St. Lucy Church. Cremation private

Bruce Samuels, 82

Community organizer

Bruce Samuels, 82, a longtime Oak Park esident, dedicated public servant, community orgahusband and father, died on Sunday, July 27, 2025. He helped develop the Head Start program as well as Sesame Street City and was tment of Labor’s here he spent nearly 40 ears rescuing millions of dollars in emee pensions that unscrupulous employHe considered the work zzled pensions as his eatest accomplishment. He also helped m his local political landscape by co-founding the Illinois Green Party, serving Library Board and running for Oak Park village trustee three times.

Bruce Steele Samuels was born in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1943, grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, and ear ned his B.A. from City College of New York. He married Julie Natco in New York in 1968. They had their first two children, Rachel and Aaron, in 1970 and 1972 respectively as they migrated west and eventually settled in Oak Park in 1973. When they tried to buy a house there and found themselves redlined by banks, their activism and media appearances were instrumental in the creation of the federal Home Mortgage Disclosure Act in 1975. That year they had their final child, Noah, and continued to work tirelessly side-by-side to make a better world for their three children, helping to establish the first recycling program and health food co-op in the village in the 1980s and working to shut down a nearby toxic incinerator in the 1990s In his leisure time, Bruce enjoyed racquetball, genealogy, reading, Scrabble, collecting coins and stamps, and watching deer and other wildlife at the Thatcher Woods forest preserve near his home. He is survived by his three children and his niece Jennifer. A celebration of life party will be held at his Oak Park home on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 12 to 3 PM. Those wanting to attend should email shaktihands “at” gmail “dot” com for the address

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Oak Park Animal Care League at https://www.animalcareleague.org/waystogive.

OBITUARIES

Audrey Ungaretti, 83 Seamstress, cook, painter

Joe and Helen No

Audrey Helen Ungaretti, 83, died peacefully on

Ungaretti in the 1960s and they with two children.

After earning her Bachelor of Arts from DePaul College supporting her family men’s ties whi education. She later became a teacher in several Chicago public schools. After her children were war mth and wo Belk, Carson’s

Bobbi Schaper Eastman, 50

Oak Park Realtor

https://www.gofundme.com/f/ support-norah-and-emily-afterbobbis-loss/cl/s?utm_campaign=fp_ sharesheet&utm_content=amp13_t1&utm_ medium=customer&utm_source=copy_ link&lang=en_US

A model of humility and kindness, she was a devoted parishioner of St. Edmund Church in Oak Park and famous for her signature deviled eggs. As a mother, she supported her children in every possible way. She for med meaningful, lasting connections and continued to expand her circle — befriending and, in some cases, “adopting” those in need of care and kindness. Even in her final years in assisted living, she built deep friendships with residents and staff alike

She was an avid oil painter whose subjects ranged from serene waterscapes to imagined portraits and bird-filled skies. She loved Hawaii and enjoyed golf trips with girlfriends to northern Wisconsin. A gifted cook, she delighted with handmade crescent moon cookies, meatballs, or pizzelles.

Audrey is survived by her children, Joy and Paul (Carol), and her grandchildren, JP, Natalie, Sarah, and Ella. She was preceded in death by two grandsons, Collin and Josh, who now welcome her with open ar ms

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Hospice Foundation — one of the organizations that cared for her during her final days.

Friends and family are invited to a memorial service at 1 p.m. on Aug. 9 at St. Edmund Church (188 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park) followed by a Celebration of Life luncheon at Rustico (155 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park) starting at 2 p.m.

Arrangements were handled by Zimmerman-Har nett Funeral Home.

Warner, including their highest award, the Founder’s Club. Prior to her time as a Realtor, Bobbi worked behind the scenes for the luxury Chicago developer, LR Development (now Related Midwest).

As a self-proclaimed Mama Bear, she supported not only her daughters, but also their classmates by volunteering at their schools. During her time volunteering with the Julian Middle School PTO, she raised tens of thousands of dollars as a result of retooling the lunch fundraiser. Friends would also find an extra container of fresh soup by their door often unprompted with a note sharing her kindness.

A very outgoing and gregarious person, her loud infectious laugh could make anyone’s day better. And she had a passion for animals, including dogs, cats, lizards, birds, and her mit crabs. She and the girls fostered dozens of kittens for Animal Care League (a couple of which were lucky enough to become part of the family).

Preceded in death by her parents, Pat and Paul Schaper, she is survived by her daughters, Norah and Emily; her uncle, Art (Dawn) Leonard; her sister, Debbie (Kevin) Carlson; and her ne phews, Jeremy, Matthew, and Joshua.

A Celebration of Life will take place on Aug. 7 at Café Deluca, 7427 Madison St., Forest Park, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Appetizers will be served with a cash bar.

Donations to support Norah and Emily with funeral expenses, daily bills and colle ge expenses can be made at:

Timothy

Ca rey, 67 ed show tunes, gifted storyteller

Timothy Flindell Caffrey, 67, a longtime Oak Park resident, died on July 31, 2025 due to complications from lung cancer. Born on Aug. 1, 1957 in Plainfield, New Jersey to George Doane . and Katharine (Flindell) Caffrey, grew up in Cleveland and was a lifelong an of the Indians (Guardians) and Browns. He attended Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Wester n Michigan Unirsity. A consultant and training facilitator in the fields of leadership and employee development, his work, mainly with Fortune 1000 companies, took him across the globe through 48 states, North and South America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa. But his heart lived at home with his family and pets. He found joy in humming show tunes from Carousel to Sweeney Todd and walking his faithful yellow Lab, Wrigley More than anything, Being a dad was the role he was proudest of. He took an active role in volunteering, reading to his daughters’ school classes, coaching T-ball, and serving as president of the Beye School PTO. He was a gifted storyteller, always keeping his audiences entertained by painting vivid pictures with his words and tur ning everyday encounters into hilarious, unforgettable memories.

Tim is survived by Kristin (née Bergsland), his wife of 36 years; his daughters, Katie and Carrie; his siblings, George Caffrey (Jean), Betsy Caffrey, Tina Garland (David), Stephen Caffrey (Amanda Wyss), and Kate Caffrey (Michael Reed); his sister-in-law, Tricia Caffrey, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Jim, and his son Christopher

A visitation will be held on Aug. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Oak Park Conservatory (615 Garfield St., Oak Park) in the Rubenstein Room. A celebration of Tim’s life will be held at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the CAST theater program (https://www castatjulian.org/donate) or the American Lung Association (https://action.lung.org).

SPORTS

OPRF’s basketball feeder program is making strides

Junior Huskies enter their second year

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

In its debut last year, the Junior Huskies basketball feeder program saw more than 300 boys and girls participate.

“It’s going real well,” said program director Phil Gary, who is entering his sixth season as varsity head coach of the Oak Park and River Forest High School boys basketball team. Gary believes the feeder program has room to grow, and he’s looking for increased participation this year.

“We have a good number,” he said, “but we want to have as many kids as possible be involved in our fall leagu e.”

For OPRF girls basketball varsity head coach Renee Brantley, the Junior Huskies are a valuable asset, helping her high school progr am grow and improve.

“It’s been great being involved with the community and g etting connected with the younger ballplayers,” said Brantley, about to begin her third season leading the Huskies. “Just seeing them learn, grow the g ame, develop chemistry with each other, and g et f amiliar with how we do things has been really impactful.”

Player evaluations for the Junior Huskies fall league take place Aug. 9 and 10 at the River Forest Community Center, 8020 W. Madison. On Aug. 9, third and fourth grade boys will be evaluated from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., followed by fifth and sixth grade boys from noon until 1:15 p.m.

T he following day, girls from grades 3-5 will be evaluated from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

T hen boys entering seventh and eighth grades will g et a look from 3:35 to 4:50 p.m.

Each participant rece ives a unifo rm, and f all league g ames be gin Aug. 16 at OPRF. Games are held each Saturday until Oct. 25 and there will be one practice each week.

According to Gary, the league’s schedule is designed to accommodate those participants who play sports in the f all like football, soccer, and volleyball.

Oak Park and River Forest High School boys basketball coach Phil Gary (center, in black baseball cap) addresses campers at the 2024 Junior Huskies Basketball Clinic, held at OPRF.

“It will help keep kids playing football or other sports in basketball shape,” he said.

Besides the f all leagu e, other aspects of the Junior Huskies include a skills academy, which r uns every Tuesday, Sept. 9 through Oct. 14; a winter travel leagu e team whose season r uns from November through mid-March; and youth basketball camps for boys and girls.

Brantley and Gary ag ree that having a strong feeder progr am helps the high school progr ams at all levels

“It allows us to g et eng aged with the talent in the community and establish a great culture,” Brantley said. “It g ets kids excited about playing basketball at OPRF. T here’s a lot of talent here and we want to retain that talent as much as possible.”

“As coaches at the high school level, we

g et to see the future early,” Gary said. “We g et to see the kids who are growing and developing. By the time they are freshmen, they know the pl ays we run and recognize a lot of f amiliar faces. It’s a winwin for everybody.”

Gary also believes the new gymnasium being constructed in Phase 2 of OPRF’s Imagine Project will be a g ame-changer for both the Junior Huskies and the high school progr ams

“We’ll be caught up to speed with a lot of high schools, particularly in our conference [West Suburban Silver],” he said. “A lot of schools in our conference have updated gyms, which helps kids want to be in them more.”

While Brantley admits there’s a challenge for OPRF to retain local talent with

nearby private schools like Fenwick, Montini Catholic, Nazareth Academy, and T rinity around, she’s been heartened by the support she sees in the community.

“We feel like we’ve built meaningful connections,” Brantley said. “It’s great going to the grocery store and they call out, “Hey, coach.” You provide them guidance and offer constructive criticism about their g ame and support them as much as possible.”

Gary is looking for more donors and sponsors to help build up and sustain the Junior Huskies.

“Any donation helps. It ’s all for the kids and it goes for a good cause,” he said.

For more info rmation about the upcoming f all league and other progr ams, or to help out, please visit jrhuskiesbball.com

PROVIDED BY PHIL GARY

Triton College to debut women’s ag football

Spor t continues its rise in popularity

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Over the past few years, women’s flag football has become one of the fastest growing sports in the country, with at least 65 colleges sponsoring it at the club or varsity level, according to the National Football League’s FLAG program.

Locally, Oak Park and River Forest, Fenwick, and Lyons Township high schools made their IHSA debut last fall. And Triton Colle ge in nearby River Grove announced on July 31 that it will add women’s flag football to the athletic program, with competition starting next spring.

“This is exciting news for Triton Athletics,” said Garrick Abezetian, Triton’s associate vice president for athletics in a press release. “Flag football has seen immense popularity recently, and this is an opportunity for us to contribute to that movement and offer more for Triton students and our community. I can’t wait to see everyone out on the field.”

“The decision supports strategic enrollment and athletic program growth for our institution,” said Triton Colle ge President Mary-Rita Moore. “Equally important is that this investment supports our community’s passion for Trojan athletics and the growing interest nationwide in flag football as an emerging sport for women. This is how a public community colle ge can make a positive difference in the lives of our students.”

OPRF’s ag football program began in 2024.

Flag football has expanded at a rapid rate thanks to the backing of the NFL and other organizations that create accessible leagues for all. Further evidence of this growth will be on display at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where both men’s and women’s teams will compete

“The NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association), expanding NFL FLAG opportunities for female student-athletes at member institutions, demonstrates clearly that football is for all,” said Troy Vincent,

NFL executive vice president of football operations. “It is exciting to see junior colleges offer NFL FLAG as a varsity sport to female athletes.”

“The NJCAA Foundation is passionate about the value women’s flag football brings to institutions’ overall growth, the student-athlete experience, and equality across playing fields,” added Andrew Givens, the foundation’s executive director. “This is an opportunity for women of the association to compete at the highest level,

and we are for tunate to work hand in hand with NFL FLAG and RCX Sports during this exciting time.”

RCX Sports is an organization that focuses on working with NFL, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer teams to create opportunities for youth to play the sports they enjoy Izell Reese, who played seven seasons in the NFL and currently serves as RCX Sports chie f executive officer and NFL FLAG executive director, said, “RCX is dedicated to creating opportunities for all athletes to play so that every child can in important life skills only learned through sports. Through NJCAA wom’s flag football, young women will not only be able to compete, they’ll earn a aluable education that will set them up for success after colle ge.”

Triton competes in NCJAA Re gion Four and fields teams in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. This spring, three local student-athletes gained All-American status in track and field.

On the women’s side, Riverside-Brookfield alum Ava Connerty won the 100-meter hurdles at the NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, becoming the first Triton athlete to win an individual national women’s track title. She and fellow RBHS alum Joaliz Rodriguez were members of the Trojans’ 4 x 400 relay team. On the men’s side, OPRF alum Anthony Beacham ran the leadof f leg on Triton’s 4 x 100 relay team, which finished sixth at nationals, gaining All-American status.

River Forest 14U Baseball in Junior League World Series

Third consecutive year team has advanced this far

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

For the third consecutive year, the River Forest/Elmhurst 14U baseball team has reached the Junior League World Series, held in Taylor, Michig an. Last week, the team took the Central Region in impressive fashion, winning five

games by a combined score of 55-0. They then opened the World Series, Aug. 3, with a 1-0 victory over Santa Rosa, California. Patrick Boeh allowed two hits over six innings for the win. Elliot Buchner gave up three hits in the seventh but was able to escape the jam and post the save. Charlie O’Neill’s fielder’s choice RBI in the second inning was the game’s only tally.

On Aug. 4 against Wilmington, Delaware, River Forest/Elmhurst jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning. But Wilmington rallied for four runs in the third, then scored twice in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead River Forest/Elmhurst rallied in the top of the seventh to tie the game and force extra innings. But they left a runner stranded at third in the top of the eighth, and Wilm-

ington scored in the bottom half for a 7-6 victory.

Calvin Lee scored twice and Levi Ardell had two RBI for River Forest/Elmhurst, which fell into the consolation bracket of the double-elimination tournament with their loss. The team faced a must-win situation versus Needville, Texas on Aug. 5, after deadline.

STEVE JOHNSTON

NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park --Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302-- will receive electronic proposals until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 28, 2025 for Project: 25-14, Garfield Traffic Signal Upgrade - Rebid. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, the improvements consist of: salvaging, replacing and/ or relocating existing traffic signal heads, conduits, posts, and foundations; modifying existing controllers; relocating pedestrian push buttons; and all appurtenant work thereto.

Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at 4:00 p.m.

Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oakpark.us/your-government/ budget-purchasing/requestsproposals or at www.questcdn. com under login using QuestCDN number 9819104 for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.

The work to be performed pursuant to this Proposal is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

Bill McKenna Village Engineer

Published

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

You are hereby notified that a Public Hearing has been called by the Housing Authority of the Village of Oak Park, Oak Park, Illinois to be held at the Village Hall of Oak Park at 123 Madison Street, (Lombard and Madison), Oak Park, Illinois in Village Hall Council Chambers at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, for the purpose of considering the following item of business:

To hear comments from the Public on the Public Housing Agency Plan.

The draft of the PHA Annual Plan for 2026 along with the public’s comments will be considered by the Authority before adoption of the Annual Plan to be submitted by Wednesday, October 15, 2025, to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The draft plan is available for inspection at the following locations during normal hours of operation, Monday through Friday, 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.:

Oak Park Housing Authority, 21 South Boulevard Oak Park, IL 60302

Mills Park Tower, 1025 Pleasant Place Oak Park, IL 60302

Written comments will also be accepted prior to the hearing for inclusion in the public record. Address all comments or inquiries to:

Oak Park Housing Authority

Executive Director Re: PHA Annual Plan 2026 21 South Boulevard, Oak Park, IL 60302

Published in Wednesday Journal August 6, 2025

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

e Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. is newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an 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.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

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

2025 Public Works Garage Rooftop Solar Installation Design-Build Services

The Village of River Forest is requesting proposals for qualified solar photovoltaic (PV) proposers (“Proposers”) for turnkey installation of a rooftop solar PV project. Proposers shall have demonstrated experience in designing, planning, scheduling, permitting and constructing complete solar PV systems, have knowledge of local utilities, provide project financial analysis, and support the Village in securing rebates and other financial incentives available for the project. Respondents must be able to demonstrate previous experience with similar projects described herein. Submittals should include the firm’s qualifications, project team, resumes, project approach, and recently completed related engineering work (high value will be placed on experience assisting municipalities with design engineering for improvements similar in scope).

The RFP is available for download starting Thursday, July 31, 2025, at:

www.vrf.us/bids

Proposals must be submitted by Thursday, August 28, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. to:

Village of River Forest

Attention: Jack Bielak P.E., CFM Director of Public Works & Engineering 400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305

Proposals will be considered based on the criteria set forth in the RFP.

No Proposal 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 deadline.

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

Published in Wednesday Journal August 6, 2025

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

SHRED IT

AND FORGET IT!

Saturday, September 6, 2025 from 8:00am to 12:00 noon

(NOTE: If the trucks fill-up sooner—we finish sooner!)

Forest Park Bank, the locally owned and managed community bank, is pleased to continue the tradition of sponsoring the Annual FREE Sensitive Document Shredding Event in the Municipal Parking Lot located south of the Drive-Up Facility. The Bank has, again, engaged a professional shredding service to shred your documents with an industrial shredder.

You may bring up to two 12” X 12” X 18” boxes of documents to be shred at no charge. Three-ring notebooks and binders with large metal rings cannot be shredded. Staples are allowed. If you have questions about this event, please contact the bank at 708.222.2800 .