Wednesday Journal 092023

of Oak Park and River Forest

More Black students in sophomore Honors at OPRF

Detracking enters second year with modest successes

By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter

Well Cast

River Forest student’s sh lm earns top honors

This year 41% ofall Black sophomores at Oak Park and River Forest High School are taking an Honors or Advanced Placement course. That compares to 36 percent ofBlack sophomores at OPRF one year ago. That increase is probably mostly accountable to last year’s implementation ofthe Honors for All freshman curriculum at OPRF.

At the Sept. 7 Committee of the Whole Meeting of the OPRF school board, the school administration presented a one year evaluation ofthe revised freshman curriculum which eliminated the Colle ge Prep level for most freshman courses. In the subjects ofEnglish, World History, Physics and French or Spanish I OPRF freshman are enrolled in either an Honors class or a Transitions or remedial class with the great majority offreshmen being placed in Honors classes. The goal ofHonors for All is to give more Black and Hispanic students, and

See OPRF DETRACKING on pa ge 11

Andrew Older cast his line at atcher Glen Pond on Sept. 18.

Oak Park Public Library partners with nonpro t for book donation bin

Open Books helps Austin neighborhoods increase access to reading material

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

A permanent donation spot has been set up outside the Oak Park Library to collect gently used books for a local nonprofit to distribute to neighboring low-income communities.

Open Books, a Chicago nonprofit, provides books to thousands of readers each year through increased access, grants, book nooks, and bookstores. Now with an established donation spot in Oak Park, the nonprofit hopes to increase donations and put more books into the hands of excited readers in local communities.

Books, said the need for literature materials in Oak Park’s neighboring communities is great and the new site will hopefully help meet any gaps in reading deserts.

“It is quality, eng aging books in lowincome communities where they don’ t have much access to those,” Wylie said. “And it is just putting books in the hands of people.”

The nonprofits ef for ts don’t stop at putting books into people’s hands, it is about putting the right books into people’s hands, said Wylie, adding there is a strong focus to ensure there is diversity in the reading materials they provide.

“They are very mindful about what books they put out in the community,” Wylie said. “They focus on getting books that are bilingual and re present different ethnic groups.”

Books such as those have made Open Books popular at local neighborhood events, such as a block party in the Austin neighborhood, where many children happily accepted books.

“It was a lot of happiness, people love free books,” Wylie said. “It was appreciated that we were there and putting books in hands. The block party was awesome… those community instances when we can be there and make those connections with community activists so that we are hearing from them what they need and Open Books is good about coming in on their terms.”

nonprofits ef for ts in Austin don’t stop at block parties. One of the main ways they work to increase literacy in Austin is through their traditional book granting supports which provide teachers with highlycurated books for their classroom libraries. According to Alison Gerber, development director at Open Books, the nonprofit last year granted books to than 20 educators in the Austin com-

munity, with hopes of increasing that number for this school year.

Lori Pulliam, deputy director at the Oak Park Library, said the partnership opens up new ways for residents to donate

“We were excited about the opportunity to have an option for our community members who’d like to donate during the months when we aren’t collecting for the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library’s book fair,” Pulliam said. “Open Books shared that our community has always been a big supporter, through volunteering, donating and shopping at their stores.”

The “organic partnership” between the library and the nonprofit, as Wylie de-

scribed it, has already seen success.

According to Pulliam, within two weeks of the bin’s installment, they realized it needed to be emptied out on a weekly basis due to the high volume of donations.

Wylie encourages residents to continue to donate the books they have piled on the shelves collecting dust and said the nonprofit remains dedicated to ensuring they end up in the hands of those who need them.

“The collaboration with the Oak Park Library was easy and everybody seems to be happy,” Wylie said. “As an Oak Parker, we love our library, we love reading in our community and it seems it would be a natural place for cycling through a lot of books and sharing those when we are done with them.”

Laura Wylie, board member at Open

The Open Books donation bin is located in the alley behind the Oak Park Library on Lake Street.

CO DY CHAPMAN

e Open Books donation bin is located behind the Oak Park Main Library.

CO DY CHAPMAN

“It was appreciated that we were there and putting books in hands. The block par ty was awesome.”

LAURA WYLIE Open Books board member

Tinkergarten Nature Class

Tuesday, Sept. 26, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Oak Park Public Librar y, Main Library

Amy Carson, a longtime Tinkergarten teacher will lead kids and their beloved grown-ups through an outdoor learning session. Comfortable weather dress recommended, plenty of messy play required. Be sure to bring a towel or blanket to sit on.

Best for ages 18 months through preschool. Register now at oppl.org/calendar.

834 Lake St., Oak Park.

College Knowledge Jeopardy

Tuesday, Sept. 26, 6:30-8 p.m., Oak Park Public Librar y, Main Library

This presentation prepares students for college within a unique multimedia format. This ac tivity is available in two di culty tiers: beginner and exper t. Topics include paying for college, types of colleges, college admissions, and picking a major. Learn more at oppl.org/calendar. 834 Lake St., Oak Park.

Rick Holmstrom Band

Sunday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m., FitzGerald’s Lately, Rick Holmstrom has been widely seen as the guitarist with Mavis Staples. What might not be as wellknown is that he has recorded several great albums of inventive blues instrumentals. $20, 6615 Roosevelt

BIG WEEK

September 20-27

Oak Park Women’s Guild Sip & Stroll Fundraiser

Thursday, Sept. 28, 6:30-10 p.m., event begins at Oak P

Join us as we stroll through Oak Park restaurants and pubs for drinks and fun through the Hemingway Distric Tickets are available at donorbo events/487924. 151 N. Oak Park Oak Park.

Oaktoberfest

Friday, Sept. 22, 4-10 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 23, 12-10 p.m., Marion Street and North Boulevard

This two- day celebration in Downtown Oak Park bridges the gap between the last stirrings of summer and the rst of the fall. Featuring foods from local restaurants, specialty craft beers, a kids root beer garden, and live music. For a full schedule, check https://oaktoberfest. net/. 119 N. Marion St., Oak Park.

Salsa Danc e Party for the Preserves

Saturday, Sept. 23, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Thatcher Woods Pavilion

Come celebrate National Public Lands Day with the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Everyone is invited to this Part y for the Preser ves. Public Lands Day may be national, but you can celebrate this special day at Thatcher Woods Pavilion in River Forest. Expect a day full of salsa music, dance lessons, bilingual hikes, family activities, and food. Music and lessons are provided by Latin Street Enter tainment. 8030 Chicago Ave., River Forest

Listing your event in the calendar

Wednesday Jour nal welcomes notices about events that Oak Park and River Forest community groups and businesses are planning. We’ ll work to get the word out if you let us know what’s happening by noon

Wednesday a week before your news needs to be in the newspaper

■ Send details to Wednesday Journal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, 60302

■ Email calendar@wjinc.com

The Flat Five

Thursday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m., Unity Temple Restoration Foundation

The angelic harmonies of this quintet are the per fect choice to ll the temple walls, reminiscent of the Mamas & the Papas. $25-45, 875 Lake St., Oak Park.

Proposing A Social Ser vices Center At St. Catherine-St. Lu cy

Sunday, Sept. 24, 12 p.m., Ascension School Pine Room

A public forum will be held to discuss a proposal to utilize the rector y at St. Catherine-St. Lucy as a base for o ering social service ministries focusing on the need of families located in the Austin neighborhood. All are welcome. 601 Van Buren St., Oak Park.

Libraries on edge as bomb threats grow

Oak Park, Chicago, Forest Park and libraries across the state are taking steps to keep patrons and employees safe

By STACEY SHERIDAN Senior Reporter

The rising number of bomb threats made against the state’s public libraries is causing unease among local libraries in the western suburbs of Chicago.

And while all threats have been deemed unfounded, that has not served to make the situation any less frightening in the eyes of librarians.

“We’re all really relieved that these threats have turned out to be false, but, at the end of the day, they’re still threats and those aren’t designed to make people feel comfortable or safe,” said Vicki Rakowski, director of the Forest Park Public Library.

The Oak Park Public Library received threats twice: last Thursday and on Aug. 21, according to Dan Yopchick, spokesperson for the Village of Oak Park. The Aug. 21 threat read: “

“There will be a big explosion all over Cook county’s highways and librarys including Chicago gurnee and oak park. It will explode sometime tomor row 8/21/2023,” the threat said.

Local police found all the threats unsubstantiated following searches of all three Oak Park library branches. The threats are still under investigation.

“We all will continue to take any threat seriously, always putting people and safety first,” said OPPL Executive Director Joslyn Bowling Dixon in a statement to Growing Community Media. She declined to be interviewed for the story.

“Receiving emails or chats about threats of explosions—whether it is at our library or neighboring Chicago libraries—is difficult and stressful for our entire library team,” she added in the statement.

Bowling Dixon said that they are working with agencies, including the Oak Park

Police Department, state and national library organizations, the Illinois Library Association, and the American Library Association to address these threats.

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, an Oak Park resident, condemned the threats made against libraries in a statement to GCM.

“Threats against our libraries ha place in our society. I support librarians and staf f as they continue to provide welcoming spaces for everyone in our communities,” he said.

And in statement released last week, The American Library Association denounced the attacks. Libraries, they said, are supposed to be a safe haven where people can civilly exchange ideas.

“These ongoing and rising attacks on America’s libraries pose an existential threat to the cornerstone of our democracy Libraries are committed to upholding and defending the core values of inclusion and free and equal access to ideas and information, which are essential to an infor med democratic society,” the statement said.

“The freedom to read is a constitutionally protected right, and reading choices must be left to the reader, and in case of children, their parents.”

Threats of physical harm and harassment are not, they pointed out, protected speech.

Loc al preparation

Threats have been sent in recent days against a growing number of area libraries, including Chicago, Aurora, Bolingbrook, Addison, Joliet, Evanston, Morton Grove and Wilmette. The executive directors of the Brookfield, Riverside, River Forest and Forest Park public libraries all told GCM they are working with law enforcement to protect their staff and patrons in the event their libraries receive a threat. They did not share the specifics of any emergency protocols fearing that could make them vulnerable to attack.

“I, along with – I’m positive – every director in the Chicagoland area, feel very protective of staf f members,” said Kimberly Coughran, director of the Linda Sokol Brookfield Library.

The threats have disrupted services by

forcing targeted libraries to temporarily close doors as a safety precaution. About half a dozen libraries were forced to evacuate last week because of the bomb threats, just as Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias defended the state’s law prohibiting book banning before the U.S. Senate. The law goes into effect Jan. 1.

As secretary of state, Giannoulias also holds the position of the state librarian and, during last Tuesday’s senate hearing, he linked recent threats to partisan political ef for ts to remove materials such as “To Kill a Mockingbird,” from shelves.

“What I am concerned with is political attempts to ban books that are driving libraries to close their doors, stifle creativity, make librarians quit their jobs, and just a few weeks ago, literally have to evacuate due to numerous bomb threats at multiple locations,” Giannoulias told senators.

The same day, another round of threats hit Illinois public libraries, including an anonymous email to the Harold Washington Library in Chicago. The Chicago Public Library ended up closing all of its branches last Thursday.

“The exact same time that I was in D.C., libraries here were forced to close their doors and be evacuated because of bomb

threats,” Giannoulias said to NBC Chicago. “And unfortunately, that’s symbolic of what we’re seeing, literally – our bill was meant to protect libraries and librarians.”

Jonathan Friedman, the director of free expression and education of PEN America, echoed Giannoulias’ beliefs.

“The threats against public l ibra ri es in the Chicago area are yet another manifestation of the hostility we are witnessing toward b ooks, ideas and i ntellectual activity w rit large. L ibrary staf f and patrons are p ut at risk by threats of this kind and all A mericans who value the freedom to read and learn should be as appalled as we are at P EN A merica, ” F riedman said. A non-profit, P EN A merica wo rks to raise awareness for the protection of free expression.

Emily Compton, director of the River Forest Public Library, told GCM “people were wondering” if the threats were made based on ef for ts to censor and remove antiracism and LGTBQ+ literature from schools and libraries.

Compton, however, said she had no “facts” to back up any speculation.

“Librarians are pretty fact-based,” she said.

IGOR STUDENKOV

e Main Library was closed recently because of a bomb threat

River Forest shuts down Lake and Lathrop project

By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter

While some neighbors of the long-delayed and now stymied condominium development at Lake and Lathrop in River Forest were heartened that the village gover nment pulled the project’s building permits Sept 15, Marty Paris, the principal developer, told Crain’s on Monday that he remains confident he will complete the project.

The 22-unit mixed use condo project has gone through multiple incarnations and developers and endless delays that have stretched well over a decade. Since spring Beverly Bank and Trust, a unit of Wintrust, has been in court seeking through foreclosure to claw back a portion of the funds it advanced for the development project. Earlier this month a Cook County court appointed a receiver to manage the property River Forest’s village board had told Sedgwick Properties, Paris’ company, that

it had until Sept. 15 to secure financing for the project or lose its construction permits. When the receiver was appointed, the village pulled the permits and, according to Crain’s, opened communications with the receiver. Cleaning up the periphery of the site — construction fencing, cracked sidewalks — was the village’s first expectation of the receiver.

Phyllis Rubin, a frequent critic of the Lake and Lathrop project developer, said Monday she was not surprised that the developer failed to meet conditions set for th by the village

Ru bin, who lives kitty-corner from the development site, said her o pinion is b ased on the p ast b ehavior of Sedgwick Properties

“We’ve b een c omplaining all along,” she said refer ring to herself and some other village residents, many of whom live in her c ondominium building. “We have experienced their indifference to

us, their neighbors.”

Louise Mezzatesta, another neighboring critic, was pleased the village followed through and pulled the permits. She feared further extensions would be granted. Her concern now is what happens next.

“The trouble is that we’re stuck now without a good solution,” said Mezzatesta. “Now we have partial construction which is very unsightly and dangerous to boot.”

The Sept. 15 conditions included securing viable financing and providing proof of such financing to the village; resolving pending litigation with Beverly Bank and Trust; paying the village $98,905.32 for the permit extension fee; and paying $21,000 in unpaid property taxes. It is not known if any of those conditions were met.

The long-delayed condominium project has been on life support since April when the bank filed suit against Sedgwick Properties. Through the lawsuit, filed in Cook County court, the Wintrust-affiliated bank

is looking to claw back $4.2 million from the $20 million line of credit it issued in 2022. In the lawsuit, the lender has re portedly cited several provisions in its loan ag reement with Sedgwick affiliates that were violated, including that the contract required the borrower to stay in compliance with local re gulations and to stick to a tighter construction timeline.

The project has been on the drawing board since before the village board approved, in 2016, the proposal by Lake Lathrop Par tners LLC to build a four-story, mixed-use development containing 22 condominium units with 14,000 square feet of retail space. Variations on the same project had lurched and lingered for a decade previously. The original project included another story and eight more units but was scaled back.

“It’s a terrible situation,” Ru bin said. “That’s a prime piece of land in Rive r Fo rest. ”

Oak Park resident carjacked in her own garage

An Oak Park woman was carjacked by two men after parking her 2015 Infinity QX50 in her own garage on the 500 block of South Harvey Avenue at 12:05 a.m. Sept. 14. One of the men pushed the victim in the chest “numerous times,” according to the Oak Park Police Department, and demanded she turn over her belongings. Once she handed over her purse, mobile phone and keys, the two men fled in the victim’s Infinity, traveling in an unknown direction.

Oak Park detectives recovered the vehicle, which had been involved in an accident, on the 4800 block of West Fulton Street in Chicago at 5:12 p.m. Sept. 15.

Aggravated robbery

A Hinsdale resident was robbed by two men who struck her and told her they had a weapon, at 6:48 p.m. Sept. 11 on the 400 block of South Grove Avenue. The woman had just exited her vehicle, when one of the men pushed her against it and demanded she turn over her property. The two men hit the woman as she tried to fight back.

Her car keys fell from her pocket during the struggle and were picked up by one of the men. Both men fled in the victim’s black 2021 Subaru Outback.

Attempted aggravated robbery

Two men beat up an Oak Park resident during an attempted robbery at 11:52 p.m. Sept. 14 on the 300 block of Washington Boulevard. One of the men pushed the victim against the wall of a building then the other punched the victim in the face and went through his pockets, stating, “Buddy got a gun.” The two men fled eastbound on foot down the north alley of Washington Boulevard. No loss was re ported.

Robbery

■ A Berwyn resident was robbed by four men while out walking at 5:10 a.m. Sept. 15 on the 1100 block of Highland Avenue. The victim threw a drink at the one of the offenders, then ran away on foot. The offenders caught up with the victim on the 6200

block of Roosevelt Road, then battered him and stole his wireless headphones, Apple iPhone 12, lunch and a book.

■ An Oak Lawn resident was robbed of his backpack while riding his bicycle at 6 p.m. Sept. 15 on the 600 block of Lake Street. Someone hit the victim from behind, causing him to fall to the ground. The victim’s backpack, which contained a school-issued laptop and an Apple iPhone 11, was taken from him. The victim told police he saw a group of five to six offenders running from the scene

■ An Oak Park resident was robbed by two men, one of whom hit the victim in the head by unknown means, causing him to fall to the ground, at 11:45 p.m. Sept. 14 on the 100 block of South Ridgeland Avenue. The two men then stood over the victim, telling him, “give me all your stuf f or I’ll kill you.” The victim gave the men his Apple iPhone 6, his wallet, $30 in cash and his backpack.

Battery

A loss prevention employee was shoved by a customer at Target, 1129 Lake St., at 5:10

p.m. Sept. 16. The customer had previously been warned not to return to the store.

Motor vehicle theft

A white 2018 Hyundai Elantra was taken between 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 and 3:07 p.m. Sept. 16 on the 800 block of Lake Street. Chicago police recovered the vehicle at 7:03 p.m. Sept. 16 on the 100 block of North Mason Avenue.

These items were obtained from Oak Park Police Department re ports dated Sept. 12-18 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 physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

To register for your free screening mammogram, call (708) 660-6268.

Do you live in Oak Park, River Forest or Proviso Township and need to schedule a mammogram?

During the month of October, women who live in these communities can receive a screening mammogram for no cost at Rush Oak Park Hospital.*

Now, there’s no reason not to have one.

Breast cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in women — and mammography is the most effective screening tool. Experts at Rush recommend that most women have mammograms every year beginning at age 40.

Do you qualify?

• To qualify, you must not have insurance coverage.

• You must live in Oak Park, River Forest or Proviso Township. Proof of residence will be requested at the time of your visit (e.g., voter registration card, utility bill or personal check).

• Your mammogram must be performed by Oct. 31, 2023.

Digital mammography saves lives.

• We offer the latest technology in breast screening, including 3D mammography (also known as breast tomosynthesis), breast MRI, and hand-held and automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) screening for dense breasts.

A free mammogram could save your life.

* Funds are provided by a private grant for residents of Oak Park, River Forest and Proviso Township. Only those who do not have insurance qualify for a free mammogram.

Check out the Little Free Librar y near you

By JESSICA MACKINNON

Contributing Reporter

Based on the abundance of Little Free Libraries blooming throughout Oak Park, the community has a hard-core group of book lovers.

A recent infor mal survey (conducted by bike) revealed that Oak Park has more than 140 LFLs within village borders. For many, these little gems are magnets filled with treasures waiting to be discovered.

The Little Free Library movement was launched in 2009 by Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisc., who designed the inaugural book box to resemble a schoolhouse in honor of his late mother, who had been a teacher and a lifelong reader.

The LFL movement has grown to become an international nonprofit with more than 150,000 registered libraries in 115 countries. The organization donates books to marginalized communities, including tribal reservations, through its Impact Library Program, and promotes books by diverse authors through Read in Color, a program developed after the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The original goal of the Little Free Library movement was to build community, inspire reading and expand book access. According to LFL owner Tasia Rodriguez, that is certainly the case in Oak Park

“I think all the Little Free Libraries just scream ‘community,’ and that makes me love Oak Park even more— because these libraries are everywhere!” Rodriguez said.

While the following Oak Park little library owners have many reasons for installing their own book exchanges, they all ag ree that sharing their lifelong love of books is paramount. They volunteered to share with readers the children’s books that made them fall in love with reading, their favorite adult books, and the authors they would invite to a dinner party. Their answers were bountiful, but some have been edited for space.

Enjoy!

1. 1000 block of Highland Ave

Tiffany Martinelli, a school social worker in Cicero, has given free books to students at Goodwin Elementary School for 25 years. She vowed to install her own library as soon as she moved out of her condo into a house that would allow it.

Children’s Books: Good Night Moon, read by her mother at least 1,000 times; the Frog and Toad series, which she is now reading to her daughter, 4; The Baby-Sitters Club series; the many installments of the Anne of Green Gable series.

Favorite Books: In the Time of Butterflies (Alvarez), Cutting for Stone (Verghese), Interpreter of Maladies (Lahiri), When Breath Becomes Air (Kalanithi), The Red Tent (Diamant), Still Alice (Genova), Half a Yellow Sun (Adichie).

Authors You’d Invite to a Dinner Party: Beverly Cleary, L.M. Montgomery, Nelson Mandela and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “The first two captured my heart as a child and the second two lived lives I find both fascinating and heartbreaking,” Martinelli said.

2. 500 block of Oak Park Ave

Nora Abboreno’s family gave her a library for her birthday. Her son-in-law designed it so the first shelf could hold picture books. Her son painted the box to reflect her interest in flowers and monarch butterflies.

Children’s Books: Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal, and The Boxcar Children series (which made her an independent reader)

Favorite Books: The Covenant of Water (Verghese), Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (See), Be Mine (Ford)

Unread Classic: War and Peace, although Abboreno claims she’s just waiting for a snowstorm…

Authors You’d Invite to a Dinner Party: Abboreno insists she would just have an open house, including ghosts.

No shade to the public librar y, but village has a whopping number of mini-libraries too

TODD A. BANNOR

Ti any Martinelli installed a Little Free Librar y when she bought her house.

3. 1000 block of Fair Oaks Ave

Pam Whitehead, a contractor, built her library from recycled materials and painted it to match the colors of her house. She and her husband will be re-painting the front door of their house and will paint the library’s doors to match.

Children’s Books: Little House on the Prairie series; Black Beauty, King of the Wind, The Red Pony and The Yearling; and any Kurt Vonnegut books she could steal from her older brother.

Favorite Books: Lincoln in the Bardo (Saunders); Jazz (Morrison), A People’s History of the United States (Zinn); The Buried Giant (Ishiguro); The Seven Who Fled (Prokosch); The Last Buffalo Hunt (McCarthy); The Sellout (Beatty)

Authors You’d Invite to a Dinner Party: Kurt Vonnegut; George Saunders; Ernest Hemingway, so they could have an argument about feminism, and Emily Dickinson, to see what would happen between her and Hemingway.

4. 400 block of Lenox St

Monica Cecero, whose husband gifted her with her LFL for their 10th anniversary, claims she typically checks out 50 books at a time from the library (maybe be a slight exaggeration) and can’t pass an LFL without stopping—even if it’s inconvenient.

Children’s Books: Little Critter series, Berenstein Bears series, anything by Dr. Suess and Richard Scarry. She still has the copy of Sendak’s Chicken Soup with Rice that she got in kindergarten.

Favorite Books: There Is No Such Thing as Bad Weather (McCurk); Gross Anatomy (Altman); When in French, Love in a Second Language (Collins); Beautiful Ruins (Walter); Hunter, Gather, Parent (Doucleff)

Dinner Party: Children’s authors because they are so creative: Judith Byron Schachner, Mo Willems and Eric Litwin.

5. 900 block of Wenonah Ave

Amelia Mutso, a scientist, grew up with a lot of books and wanted to share her love of books with children on her block. She decorates her LFL for the holidays.

Children’s Books: Frog and Toad series. She and her children laugh out loud when reading the Owl at Home series.

Favorite Books: One Hundred Years of Solitude (Marquez); Lolita (Nabokov); Educated (Westover); Atonement (McEwan); Never Let Me Go (Ishiguro); Mexican

Gothic (Moreno-Garcia); The Art of Fielding (Harbach)

Authors You’d Invite to a Dinner Party: Stephen King, Kazuo Ishiguro, Margaret Atwood.

6. 500 block of S. Euclid Ave

Veronica Ramirez, was surprised by her library, which was a Mother’s Day gift from her children, installed sur re ptitiously while she was out for a r un.

Children’s Books: Ramire z maintains that it wasn’t necessarily the books themselves that made her fall in love with reading but the time her parents spent reading to her and the tradition of receiving books as gifts from her grandparents, aunts and uncles.

Favorite Books: The Prophet (Gibran), and poetry by Bukowski, Frost, Whitman, Plath and Neruda.

Authors You’d Invite to a Dinner Party: Toni Morrison, Emily Dickinson and Joan Didion because the conversation would be “beyond imagination.”

7. 600 block of S. Scoville Ave

Mary Cullen, a for mer teacher at Pilgrim Community Nursery School, was inspired to install her LFL by her daughter, who supports the Neighbor to Neighbor Literacy Project, which provides books to low-income neighborhoods in Chicago.

Children’s Books: Encyclopedias, Little Golden Books, Little Women, Jane Eyre, The Secret Garden

Favorite Books: The Year of Magical Thinking (Didion); My Brilliant Friend (Ferrante); The Chosen (Potok); The Crystal Cave (Stewart)

Authors You’d Invite to a Dinner Party: Chaim Potok, Elena Ferrante, Akwaeke Emezi, Amy Tan, Lisa See, Toni Morrison

8. 200 block of S. Euclid Ave

Frank Heitzman, noted Oak Park architect, is building a library in honor of his late wife, Sandy, a voracious reader longtime circulation manager at Forest Park Public Library. Frank provided the following answers on her behalf.

Children’s Books: Nancy Drew series

Favorite Books: Moby Dick (Melville); A Farewell to Arms (Hemingway); The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald); Blood Meridian (McCarthy); To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee).

According to Frank, Sandy’s favorite quote was “Fiction is the intelligible lie that uncovers the unintelligible truth of non-fiction.”

er Forest 8th grader catches honorable mention for sh lm

s lm on sh species ased at the Global elebration

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ

est eighth grader AnOlder has taken his passion for nto the subject of the One Earth ontest -- where he Honorable Men-

The 13-year-old Roosevelt Middle Schooler created a three-minute film, “Invasive Fish in the Des Plaines River,” to explain how the invasive goby fish

and Asian carp came to the river and how they are crowding out native species. Andrew included illustrations and maps to explain how the invasive species were introduced: the goby fish were introduced from Eastern Europe via ballast water from international ships traveling through the St. Lawrence Seaway into the Great Lakes, while the Asian carp traveled up the Mississippi river from southern waters where they are used to control algal blooms, a rapid increase in the density of algae in the water.

“Through this film festival, I hope to share my concern for native fish and their ecology that is threatened by invasive species,” Andrew said in his contest entry.

An avid fisherman, Andrew, who has a passion for being outdoors, has been an active member of Roosevelt’s fishing club and has participated on the Trout Team.

After learning about the contest through Roosevelt science teacher Cory Kadlec, Andrew gave thought to what different topics he could focus on. After learning about the goby fish in the fishing club, Andrew knew he had found the subject for his film.

“I have always thought about invasive species as happening in places around the world but I never had it up close where I could really see the effect it has,” Andrew said. “I wanted to learn more about how it affected all the other species, the environment, and what it could mean for the ecosystem in that area.”

Andrew set out to learn more about fish in Thatcher Woods, his local goto fishing spot, and submitted his film back in March.

In his video, Andrew also provides information on different ways people can help control the population, which in-

TODD BANNOR

Andew Older with his shing tackle at atcher Glen Pond

clude participating in fishing events aimed at catching goby and carp and eating more carp, because as he mentioned in the video, who doesn’t like a fish taco. Andrew also included information on different foundations, including the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Forest Preserve Foundation, to where people can donate towards the cause “By raising awareness about invasive species and taking steps to prevent their growth, we are making sure that the next generatio n are going to have fun memories of catching native fish,” Andrew said in the video. Founded in 2013, the filmmakers contest was originally a national contest but has expanded inter nationally for the firs t

OPRF DETRACKING Staying the course

from page 1

more students in general, access to rigorous Honors and AP classes.

The 32-page re port by the administration re ported that the school had maintained similar achievement patterns and made what the re port refers to as “small gains” in increased access to Honors courses. The changed curriculum is commonly referred to as detracking.

But the disparity among Black and white sophomores at OPRF is still great. Some 77% of white sophomores, and 85% of Asian sophomores are taking Honors or AP classes this year compared to 41% of Black sophomores and 60% of Hispanic sophomores

Under the Honors for All curriculum last year many more OPRF freshman took Honors classes than ever before. According to the report the percentage of freshmen earning at least one Honors credit last year increased from 69% to 88% and the percentage of freshmen earning the maximum possible five Honors credits nearly doubled, increasing from 15% in the 2021-22 school year to 29% last year.

But not all students thrived in the Honors for All Curriculum. Among the Black freshmen enrolled in Honors Freshman English last year at OPRF 14% received grades of D (6%) or F (8%). The previous year, when many fewer Black students were enrolled in Honors Freshman English only 3% of the Black students taking Honors Freshman English received a D and none received a F. Last year 13 students, (all either Black or Hispanic) received F’s in Honors Freshman English compared to just one student the year before The greater frequency of poor grades was

time in 2023. This year, they received 403 submissions from around the world from youth ages eight to 25 years old

T he contest acce pts submissions for animated or stop-motion films and the films were judged by a jury of 32 experts in sustainability and film.

Out of 403 submissions from 45 countries and 37 U.S. states, Andrew was awarded Honorable Mention alongside 11 other filmmakers.

“I was really excited,” Andrew said. “And I was excited to hear about how many submissions there were. I was really proud of myself.”

Caroline Older, Andrew’s mom, who

helped Andrew keep organized through the production of the film, said she was very excited and proud of her child.

“This is a great way to get kids feeling li ke they can make a difference,” Older said. “It gives them a much broader audience than if they were just to post on YouTube by themselves. The platform allows the students’ voices to be heard in different countries, that is really exciting.”

For Andrew, being able to combine his passions with the contest was a lot of fun and he is open to pursuing other projects like the filmmaking contest, he said.

Through his work for the film contest, Andrew was put in contact with local orga-

nization Deep Roots Project, which educates locals on how to grow their own vegetables in raised beds to promote a more equitable and sustainable food system, and he is filming their garden throughout the summer.

The film, along with other placing submissions, was showcased at this year’s Global Awards Celebration on Sunday, Sept. 17 at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago.

While Andrew is honored about the praise his film received, he believes anyone, regardless of their age, can be an advocate

“It is really easy to put your voice out there and spread the word about the environment,” Andrew said. “I think anyone can do it.”

not completely unexpected since many more Black students (106) freshman took Honors English last year than the year before (33). But administrators and school board members said the struggles that some students are having with the Honors freshman classes indicate a need for some finetuning and developing more interventions and supports for struggling students.

“To fail a class is not good for anybody,” said Tom Cofsky, OPRF school board president. “That tells us we’ve got work to do.”

Fred Arkin, school board vice-president, was also concerned.

“Maybe those individuals should have been in the Transitions course or were very marginal and needed different supports or maybe the supports we did give them weren’t as effective,” Arkin said.

“There’s a lot of questions. It’s the job of our administration to look at that number and come back to us with a conclusion.”

But both Arkin and Cofsky were generally pleased with the data presented in the report Arkin said his view of the first year of Honors for All was one of “guarded optimism.”

“T he sky didn’t f all and there are some positive notes to it,” Arkin said pointing to the increase in Black enrollment in Honors courses

Both Arkin and Cofsky said there was no evidence that the performance of high academic achievers suffered.

“I think we’re staying the course,” Cofsky said. “We’ve achieved one goal, which is a more representative classroom and, you know, the results will come over time. There’s some data that is promising, more kids taking more challenges. We realize that when you push kids into honors you need to make sure you can support them.”

Cofsky also said the cutoff line between Honors and Transitions courses for freshmen might have to be adjusted a bit

“That line, we might have missed it by a little bit,” Cofsky said.

Cofsky said the performance in the expanded Honors classes was a mixed bag.

“Some are thriving but some are failing,” Cofsky said. “Some got moved into this and they did not succeed and we’ve got to course adjust and we’ve got to say why.”

OPRF teachers and administrators are constantly tweaking instructional and assessment practices to improve results and meet students where they are.

“One example is history, where teachers implemented a new assessment format, a scored discussion instead of a project,” said Karin Sullivan, OPRF’s communications chief, in an email. “Teachers realized that discussion and academic talk was more successful. Students were more engaged and had rich discussions demonstrating their understanding in new ways.”

Across the board there was a wider distribution of grades last year in the freshman Honors classes as enrollment in Honors classes greatly expanded. Last year 51% of the grades in Honors Freshman English were A’s, 29% were B’s, 13% were C’s, 5 percent were D’s and 2 percent F’s. Some 639 students were enrolled in Honors Freshman English compared to 403 the year before when 72% of the grades in Honors Freshman English were A’s. The number of Black freshmen taking Honors English more than tripled and the number of Hispanic freshmen taking Honors English more than doubled (from 47 to 108).

The report also included results from the PSAT 8/9 test that is given to all OPRF freshman in the spring of their freshman year. The report states that the PSAT scores showed similar results as in recent years and that differences were not statistically significant although it did note that last year’s scores in evidence-based reading and writing were the

lowest in four years.

“The scores (on evidence-based reading and writing) were the lowest in four years; however, the differential is not statistically significant,” the report states.

A total of 84% of OPRF freshmen met or exceeded the EBRW standard while 4% approached the standard and 12% fell into the lowest category. Sullivan said the College Board, which administers the PSAT, does not break out percentages that exceed the standard from those that meet the standard.

One concern that some have expressed about the Honors for All curriculum is that the expanded Honors enrollment could end up slowing down the pace and reducing the rigor of the freshman Honors classes and this might harm the most advanced students. But administrators and Cofsky and Arkin said they have seen no evidence of that.

“There’s been nothing to say that there’s been any detriment to the students who were already thriving,” Cofsky said.

Overall Cofsky said he was pleased with the results in the first year of Honors for All.

“I’m very positive with the results,” Cofsky said.

John Duffy, a co-chair of the Committee for Equity and Excellence and Education, a group which pushed for years to detrack the OPRF curriculum and expand access to more rigorous courses, said he was generally pleased with the results thus far.

“They’re moving forward, they’re moving forward in ways that people refused to even consider for, I’d say at least 30 years, so I’d say this is a real step, a step towards equity, kids to have the opportunity, not to be denied high status learning for various reasons that have been used over time,” Duffy said.

Cofsky noted the Honors for All curriculum is still very new and that it will take some time to judge its impact

“It is a long jour ney,” Cofsky said.

OPRF chooses Gilbane for $102 million Project 2

Gilbane is one of the largest construction management rms in the country

By BOB SKOLNIK

Contributing Reporter

Oak Park and River Forest High School will pay nearly $6 million to a construction management firm to oversee the Project 2 construction that begins next year.

The total cost of Project 2 is projected be nearly $102 million. Under a contract approved by the school board on last week, OPRF will:

■ pay a $1.75 million construction management fee to the Gilbane,

■ reimburse Gilbane for $3.89 million for wages and salaries for labo r, and

■ pay Gilbane $355,000 for preconstruction services.

“Get it done on time and under budget, ” school board president Tom Cofsky told Gilbane Project Executive Jeremy Roling after the vote. Roling will manage Project 2.

Privately owned Gilbane is one of the largest construction management firms in the country. It is a leader in school construction and has managed many large, complex projects, including the construction of Terminal 5, the international ter-

minal at O’Hare Air port.

Project 2 is a large, ambitious project that will include the demolition and rebuilding of the southeast portion of the high school. The project includes the construction of a 10-lane swimming pool with a 420-seat observation g allery; a three-court, thirdfloor gym; a weight room; locker rooms; a dance studio; a yo ga/self-defense studio; two new P.E. classrooms; an ADA compliant elevator; a green roof; and the installation of infrastructure necessary for solar electricity generation.

Preliminary work is scheduled to begin in March with the tear-down in June. The project is expected to be completed by August 2026.

T he OPRF school board voted 6-0 to approve the contract with Gilbane. Board member Tim Brandhorst abstained. Brandhorst did not respond to re peated requests for comment.

T he management fee will be doled out in 32 equal monthly installments of $55,781.25, with the first payment being made in Februar y. Gilbane will provide a fee holiday on change orders until the cu-

Oak Park names Donna

By STACEY SHERIDAN Senior Reporter

mulative total of change orders reaches $4 million. After that, the Gilbane fee on change orders will be 1.75 percent of the cost of the change order.

The labor costs reimbursement is scheduled to paid out in 32 monthly installments of $121,562.50 with the first payment also scheduled to be paid in February.

OPRF and Gilbane had been ne gotiating about liquated damages, damages that Gilbane will have to pay if the project is not completed on time. OPRF wanted phasedtime deadlines, but ag reed to only impose liquidated damages if the project does not meet its final deadline of July 31, 2026.

If subcontractors and Gilbane had been made liable for liquidated damages at multiple points during the project, that could have raised costs because subcontractors likely would submit higher bids to compensate for the greater risk of having to pay liquidated damages.

“What we do n’ t want to do is be so tigh t in our requirements that we do not get enough bidders to be competitive and risk going over budg et on bid day,” OPRF Assistant Superintendent for Business Ser-

vices Anthony Arbo g ast told the school board. “So it’s kind of finding that fine line in the middle of how do we hold everyone accountable but then also making sure that this project is attractive enoug h to bring in a large number of bidders that we can have a competitive bidding day that goes very well for us.”

Gilbane and OPRF ultimately ag reed to a liquidated damages amount of $2,000 a day for any work completed after the da te of scheduled completion with a cap equal to half of the construction manager’s lump sum fee amount.

Roling told the Wednesday Jour nal that he and others at Gilbane are excited to begin work on Project 2.

“We’ re the number one K-12 builder in the United States,” Roling said. “Our volume is massive. We do a lot of K through 12 building in Illinoi s.”

Gilbane has worked on major projects at Stevenson High School, Proviso Berkeley District 89, Fenton High School. Roling said the Gilbane has constr ucted swimming pools at Libertyville, Highland Park and Deerfield High Schools.

Gayden interim chief nancial o cer

Village’s former CFO left to take on the same position in Northbrook

the future, in order to achieve our shared vision.”

Just as budget season starts to ramp up, the Village of Oak Park has appointed an interim chief financial officer to lead the village board and staf f through the development of the 2024 fiscal budget.

Donna Gayden, an external hire, joined village staf f in early September, overlapping one day with for mer village CFO Steve Drazner. Taking on the interim role, Gayden said, is a “tremendous opportunity.”

“The village has a sterling reputation as a vibrant, diverse and forward-thinking community and I am confident that my passion for service will resonate well here,” Gayden said.

“I look forward to engagement with the board, staff and residents as we work in partnership to address their current needs, and continue to plan for

Drazner announced last month he would be assuming the same position with the Village of Northbrook, reuniting him with the Oak Park’s for mer village manager Cara Pavlicek. He had served as the village’s CFO since 2016 and spent about four months as interim CFO before receiving that promotion.

Gayden most recently served as city manager and treasurer for the city of Long Beach, N.Y., beginning in 2020. During her time there, Gayden was tasked with restructuring the community’s debt burden and improving its credit rating, according to Oak Park spokesman Dan Yopchick.

Village Manager Kevin Jackson told Wednesday Journal village staff are “excited to have the support of Gayden, whom he called an “accomplished financial leader.”

“As our interim CFO, she will bring strong experience and a background as an engaging collabora-

tor with the ability to address a wide range of financial and managerial challenges,” he said.

Although Gayden spent the last three years in New York, she has significant experience working in Illinois. She has held interim finance director roles for the City of Country Club Hills and the Village of Bradley. She also served as the top administrative official of Hazel Crest and Glenwood for two and five years, respectively

From 2006-2010, Gayden worked as the controller for the Community & Economic Development Association of Cook County, a non-profit community action agency, where she was responsible for the organization’s operating budget in excess of $225 million, according to Yopchick.

Gayden has a master’s degree in tax law from John Marshall Law School and a master’s in accounting from Governors State University, as well as a bachelor’s in communications from Columbia Colle ge

DONNA GAYDEN

Public forums under way to introduce St. Catherine-St. Lucy Rectory social ser vices center

Sign up for dates to listen to the plans through November

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

A series of public forums are under way to discuss how to move forward with a plan to create a social services hub uniting Oak Park and the West Side

The Archdiocese of Chicago began its Renew My Church initiative almost six years ago, eventually combining Oak Park’s four Catholic parishes into two. Ascension joined with St. Edmund’s and St. Giles was united with St. Catherine-St. Lucy. According to Father Carl Morello, pastor ofthe Oak Park Parishes, an expressed outcome ofthe process was “to use St. Catherine-St. Lucy campus as a base for powerful ministry outreach to the West Side of Chicago.”

As part of this outreach, Morello launched a feasibility study to determine ifthe St. Catherine-St. Lucy rectory could be repurposed into a social service center to address critical, unmet needs ofunderserved families in the Austin neighborhood. Recently, the second floor ofthe rectory has been used by Housing Forward as a nightly shelter, but the feasibility study looked at longer term uses of the space.

Led by volunteers from both ofOak Park’s Catholic parishes, St. Giles/St. Catherine-St. Lucy and Ascension/St. Edmund’s, a feasibility team was divided into three committees: community-based needs, assessment, and business plan development; facility needs, assessment ofthe rectory and convent; and fundraising, designed to generate the resources to launch and sustain the new project.

Dan Doody and Jack Crowe co-chaired the feasibility study and the community outreach committee as well. As the part ofthe feasibility study, the team started with St Catherine-St. Lucy’s school, which enrolls 200 students, 85% of whom are from Austin and 100% of whom are eligible for the federal foods program.

Doody emphasizes that as the feasibility study committee talked with school families and then enlarged its scope to talk to other Austin families and existing not-for-profits serving the community, the underlying prin-

ciple was that the group had a lot to lear n. They set out to learn what services are currently being provided and what gaps exist in services. The group was determined to build services from the bottom up, through learning from grassroots work what the members ofthe Austin community said they needed and responding appropriately to those needs.

As the group for med an idea of what kind of community social services hub could be helpful in the area, they presented the feasibility study to Bishop Birmingham. The next step oftheir work is to explain the social services center to the community and gauge community support for the center.

The dates for the public forums are:

Sunday, Sept. 10, 11:30 a.m. St. Giles School Gym after Family Mass

Sunday, Sept. 17, 11:30 a.m.

St. Giles McDonough Hall

Sunday, Sept. 24, 12 noon

Ascension Pine Room

Sunday, Oc t. 15, 12 noon St. Edmund Murphy Hall

Tuesday Oc t. 24, 7 p.m.

St. Luke School Waldron Room

Thursday, Nov. 2, 7 p.m. St. Bernardine Cafeteria

Sunday, Nov. 12, 11:30 a.m. Oak Park Temple

Please register for the meetings convenient for you to attend by signing up online at bit.ly/3LnQqok or using the QR code below. Pre-registration will enable the group to prepare each venue for the number of people expected to attend. The group anticipates additional attendees due to last-minute scheduling changes, so please come even if you were unable to register. Questions? Please contact me at dan@doody.com.

Rectory at St. Catherine-St. Lucy Church.

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Fall in Love with the Altenheim

The Altenheim is a not-for-profit rental community for individuals who are 55 years of age and older. The Altenheim has been and continues to be a Home, not merely just a place to live. While much has changed in society over the past 136 years, The Altenheim’s culture of caring and respect has remained constant. The Altenheim’s dedication to its mission of providing quality housing in a comfortable setting is as strong and true today as it was at the time of its dedication in 1885.

the finest in independent living. Designed for those individuals who desire the freedom of a carefree lifestyle, Arborwood and Briarwood apartments feature all the comforts of home within an atmosphere rich in history and charm. Located just 10 miles west of downtown Chicago in the village of Forest Park, The Altenheim is conveniently located near major highways and local public transportation. Known for its big city access and small town charm, Forest Park is a friendly community with much

The inscription at the top of the Briarwood building heralds that, “when you enter tranquility awaits you”. The Altenheim is tucked away amongst the mature trees that line Madison and Van Buren Streets. Some say that The Altenheim is a well-kept secret and upon visiting find it to be a hidden Gem where life is fully and vibrantly lived.

The community is situated on a beautifully wooded site, our buildings, Arborwood and Briarwood; offer

to offer. The local library, park district, community center, and village hall are all walking distance.

There’s no place to call HOME quite like The Altenheim! We invite you to come for a visit and stay for the Lifestyle. You will Fall in Love with the charm and many advantages of living at The Altenheim.

7824 West Madison Street, Forest Park 708-366-2206 • www.thealtenheim.com

advantages

E.E. Roberts’ home sells on priv ate market

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

The for mer home of Oak Park architect E.E. Roberts sold to a new family at the end of August.

For architecture buffs, there wasn’t a lot of time to pounce on the listing. Within days of listing, it sold on the Private Listing Network, a site used by realtors to market listings among themselves instead of listing on the public Multiple Listing Service.

Laura Maychruk, of Laura Maychruk Real Estate, was hired by the owners to sell the house in the spring, and after going under contract, the new buyers agreed to let the sellers stay in the house for the summer. Maychruk noted that she didn’t have to do a lot to familiarize herself with the listing as she was the buyer’s agent for the sellers when the purchased the home in 2017.

Maychruk, who estimated she’s sold at least four homes designed by Roberts in her real estate career, said, “I sold this home last time it sold. My clients saw it then and immediately put in a full-price offer. It happened again this time on the Private Listing Network.”

In 2017, the home sold for $995,000. Last month, the home sold for quite a bit more. After garnering multiple offers, it closed at $1.3 million, about an 8.4% premium over its $1.19 million listing price.

Maychruk noted that she loves E.E. Roberts’ homes. “Anytime people say they have an E.E. Roberts house, I’m running over there,” she said. This house, which retained so much original detail, is special, she said, adding that the potential buyers who had a chance to tour it thought so, too

“You get chills walking in that house,” she said.

Credited with designing more than 200 homes in Oak Park, Eben Ezra Roberts was born in Boston in 1866 and educated in New England. He moved to Chicago in 1888, where he worked as a site superintendent for architect S.S. Beman at the Pullman development on the South Side.

In 1893, he established his own archi-

tecture practice when he moved to Oak Park. He eventually maintained two of fices in town: one on Marion Street at No rth Boulevard and the other out of his Superior Street home.

Roberts and his wife, Rossie, purchased the house on Superior Street in 1898. It was built in 1894 in the Victorian Italianate style. In 1911, Roberts added to the house, doubling the floor space. Over his tenure there, the home took on a Prairie style that reflected Roberts’ evolution as an architect.

T he couple raised two children, Margaret and Elmer, in the home, and E.E. Roberts lived there until he died in 1943. In 1912, he moved his architectural practice from Oak Park to Chicago and be g an to focus more on commercial designs.

Cathy Yanda of Baird & War ner re presented the buyers in the transaction this summer and said her clients, Russell Ainsworth and Rachel Watson, were already Oak Park residents who were looking for a new home.

T hey worked with Yanda to secure an

appointment when Maychruk first listed the house. T hey weren’ t initially searching for an architecturally significant home, but the home’s location and size were the big draws in the summer’s busy selling market. Once they saw the house, though, the history and the architecture drew them in

“They looked at other homes,” Yanda said, but there was no more looking once

See E.E. ROBERTS HOME on pa ge 18

‘You get chills walking in that house,’ a realtor says

Built in 1894, the Victorian Italianate-style house eventually took on a Pr airie style under Rober ts.

E.E. ROBERTS HOME

from page 17

they saw the house at 1019 Superior Street.

“This one, you walk in, and honestly, it’s a wow moment. It was kind of kismet,” she said.

The home maintains many original details, including 18-carat-gold-accented stained- glass doors, tile floors on the sun room and a glazed tile fireplace. On the staircase, a newel post with a built-in clock and storage cabinet are other original details that speak to the home’s heritage.

Yanda noted that her clients are nature lovers and loved the private nature of the back yard and the outdoor kitchen, as well as the updated interior kitchen that previ-

ous owners had remodeled to keep in line with the home’s Prairie Style.

Roberts’ redesign of the house in 1911 made it much more of an open-concept house than was typical for that time period, Yanda pointed out.

“You can move around in it a little better than in some of the other homes from that era,” she said.

Her clients are a family who also appreciate all of the original French doors, whic

allow them to create separate spaces for adults and children when entertaining Yanda said her clients, who saw the house in May shortly after it was featured

on the Wright Plus Housewalk, are very excited to be able to be the next custodians of the house, which has been lovingly maintained by generations of owners.

PROPER TY TR ANSFERS

Oak Park home sells for $1,290,000

The following property transfers were re ported by the Cook County Clerk from June 2023. Where addresses appear incomplete, for instance where a unit number appears missing, that information was not provided by the clerk.

Oak Ent I Llc Second City Renewal Llc

Ann Ververs Trust Hu Daniel Jun-Kit 110 S East Ave $280,000 Smeraglia Matthew Stelter Matthew

711 Hayes Ave $300,000 Lefevre Michael J Tr Grandview Cap Llc

Harvey Ave $301,000 Fernandez Jorge I Carlos Oscar

Julie A Tr

PROPER TY TR ANSFERS

Continued from page B19

OA K P ARK

ADDRESS PRICE SELLER BUYER

RIVER FOREST

Bldr Llc 510 Bonnie Brae Pl $150,000 Hernandez Eloy Zeno Laura Elizabeth 7956 Madison St $151,500 Szczesny Annette L Tr Oxsen Kate Marie

Keystone Ave $2,000,000 West William L Czupek Jennifer Lynn Tr

North Ave $245,000 Kim Hae Kyun Rembert Euneke

Franklin Ave $250,000 Barder Robert T Tr Corzine Louise Barder

Monroe Ave $415,000 Simon Richard J Lau Fetnando

1 Gale Ave $469,000 Poplett John Harlan Tr Mcdonnell Kathleen A Tr

Park Ave $475,000 Carr Nancy J Martinez Michelle

Monroe Ave $486,000 Ezugha Herbert Shah Dilip

Patterson Matthew F Bacon Robert

Fenwick, OPRF shine at Friar Invite

Girls swim meet show o the strength of local teams

By LAUREN RECCHIA Contributing Reporter

The Fenwick and OPRF girls swim teams continued their strong seasons Saturday at Fenwick High School, as Fenwick placed second (401 points) and OPRF placed fifth (293 points) at the Friar Invite. The Friars took second place in the 200 yard medley relay (1:53.07), 200 yard freestyle relay (1:42.55), and 400 yard freestyle relay (3:45.29) as senior captain Cailey Peele rounded out the relay teams for all three “I was a little nervous because this is our big meet,” Peele said, “but I’m glad our team performed well overall.”

Peele also placed sixth in the 50-yard freestyle (25.83) while Junior Evelyn Mulvihill took second (25.40) and Freshman Maggie Raniere placed third (25.71). Mulvihill and Raniere also swam in the 200-yard medley relay along with Freshman Joey Dumm, while the 200-yard freestyle relay consisted of Peele and Reniere with Sophomore Claire Wood and Senior Alex Lefko.

The Friars have put up solid times throughout the season and have been training well with new head coach Ben Munster. Junior Anna Dougherty has missed time with an ankle injury, but Peele is still proud of how the rest of the team has done

Fenwick’s Regan McDonald swims in the 100-yard butter y at the Friar Invitational on Sept. 16. e sophomore placed seventh with a time of 1:04.33 as the Friars nished second in the team standings with 401 points.

thus far.

“We have a lot of incoming freshman who are an amazing addition to the team,” Peele said. “We’re doing so well on both the JV and Varsity levels, and we’ll be even stronger when [Dougherty] comes back.”

With more meets to come for the Friars, including a dual meet with OPRF, Peele is determined to help make the team even stronger throughout the season.

“My biggest goal is to impact other people and make a positive impact on the

freshmen,” Peele said. “I want to be a good role model and be a great captain to the team.”

For the Huskies, junior Jessica Li took fourth place in the 200-yard freestyle with a season-best 2:03.54, as well as getting season-best times in the 100-yard freestyle (57.36), and 400-yard freestyle relay.

“As a team, I was very impressed by everyone’s performance,” Li said. “Many girls broke time barriers and swam confidently in events they may not consider as their strong suit. I have enjoyed seeing how everyone is growing from taking on new challenges.”

OPRF sophomore Avaa Ruffer placed fourth in the 100-yard butterfly with a season-best 1:03.89, while also getting a seasonbest 1:12.94 in the 100-yard breaststroke.

“Overall, team spirit was very high,” Ruffer said. “The day was filled with tons of cheering and good races. So far, the season has only been getting better, this meet being proof of that.”

Sophomore Hailey Boland finished with a time of 1:05.52 in the 100-yard backstroke, an event she has been training for with the help of head coach Clyde Lundgren.

“The team had amazing swims,” Boland said. “For the past few weeks, we have been training with the goal to confidently swim each event. [Coach Lundgren] has been encouraging and supportive as he helps to fine-tune my backstroke technique.”

OPRF boys soccer rise to the top

Latest victory puts them #1 in Chicagoland

By MELVIN TATE

Contributing

Reporter

E ntering this season, the Oak Pa rk and Rive r Fo rest High School boys socce r team figured to be one of Chicagoland ’s

top progr ams

Needless to say, the Huskies have met expectations. They became the top-ranked team in last week’s Chicagoland Soccer’s Top 25 poll and spor t a 10-0-1 record

“It’s a g ood a ccomplishment for the progr am,” said senior forward E aston Bo ga rd, “but it d oesn’t mean muc h if we do n’ t perform to that level. ”

OPRF won the Streamwood Fall C lassi c championship in gr and style on Sept. 16,

blanking the host Sabres 5-0. Bo ga rd and Carlo Lissuzzo each scored twice, and Christian Kello gg—filling in for starting g oalkeeper C ameron Smith, who’s out d ue to injury—got the clean sheet.

While being #1 in a p oll wasn’t a g oal for the progr am, OPRF c oach Jason F ried is appreciative of the honor

“You take it as reco gnition that everything you’ve b een doing has led to succ ess,” he said. “It’s not a bad thing; it

gives you more confidence. ”

At the same time, F ried d oesn’t want the Huskies to be c ontent. He wants them to ke ep doing the things that have led to all of this year ’s success.

“We want to find ways that make us b etter as pl ayers and as a c oaching staf f, ” F ried said.

See SOCCER on pa ge 22

C AROL DUNNING/Contributor

e lights came back on and Fenwick pulled one out

Defeat Wheaton St. Francis on a last-second eld goal

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

As the Fenwick High School football team rallied in the final minute of its Chicago Catholic League/East Suburban Catholic Conference Orange Division game against visiting Wheaton St. Francis, Sept. 15, a strange occurrence took place.

The lights at Triton Colle ge apparently had been set on a timer to turn of f at 10 p.m., because that’s precisely what happened with 1st and goal for Fenwick on the Spartans’ 8, trailing by two.

“It felt like a high school movie; it didn’t seem real,” said Fenwick quar terback Marek Hill.

After about a 20-minute delay waiting for the lights to come back on, the Friars were able to compose themselves and complete the comeback as Noah Sur drilled a 25-yard game-winning field goal for a 17-16 victory.

Fenwick (3-1, 1-0 in CCL/ESCC Orange) sputtered offensively in the beginning. Seven penalties in the first half, including six false starts, hampered the Friars.

But the offense eventually pulled it together and converted the first half ’s only score when Hill (23-of-39, 301 yards passing, plus 60 yards rushing) connected with Nate Marshall on a 4th-and-11 play for a 21-yard touchdown pass at the 7:55 mark of the second quarter.

“I’ve been talking to coach, asking him to give me more touches (on offense),” said Marshall (4 receptions, 46 yards). “He got me the ones I needed, and I capitalized on them.”

The Friars’ defense held St. Francis’ star quarterback Alessio Milivojevic in check

SOCCER

No. 1 in latest poll

from page 21

OPRF is led by Bo ga rd, a four-year varsity starter and Indiana University recr uit who has a team-high 13 goals. He says the key to the Huskies’ success has been the players buying into the system and staying committed to their style of play, which emphasizes possession of the ball.

“Everyone on the team is really willing

for the first half. But the Ball State commit got the Spartans (2-2, 0-1) rolling in the third quarter with two scoring drives—a field goal followed by a 51-yard touchdown pass to Zachary Washington—that put St. Francis ahead.

Things looked bleak for the Friars when, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Washington took it in from a yard out. However, St. Francis missed the extra point, one that would prove costly in the end.

to fight for each other,” Bo gard said. “But there still needs to be a little more growth in that area if we want to make it far.”

Bo gard chose Indiana, a school with a successful soccer history, because he wanted to stay in the Midwest and close to his family.

“Indiana’s been one of the best soccer progr ams for the last 15 years,” he said. “That’s what I’m in fo r.”

“Easton’s been a great leader on and of f the field,” Fried added. “He’s a special player, and he’s done a great job for us.”

But Bo gard’s focus now is helping OPRF reach new heights. T he progr am has nev-

Hill threw a pick on Fenwick’s next possession, but the defense managed to hold the Spartans, and the Friars took over from their own 26 with 4:22 remaining. It took just five plays and 59 seconds for Fenwick to get back into the game as Hill found T.J. Smith (5 rece ptions, 77 yards) open for a 47yard touchdown pass

The Friars then tried an onside kick, but St. Francis recovered. However, after allowing a first down, the defense held the

er won an IHSA supersectional, coming close two years ago when the Huskies fell on a late goal to Fremd 1-0 at the Barrington Supersectional.

T he Huskies also want to win the West Suburban Conference Silver Division, which won’ t be easy as rivals York (8th), Hinsdale Central (18th), and Lyons Township (19th) are also in Chicagoland Soccer’s Top 25 poll.

“It’s a tough group that g ets you ready for the playoffs,” said F ried, who also mentioned Downers Grove North and Glenbard West as challenger s. “There’s a lot of history between the teams, and

started its final drive from its 35 with 1:22 left. Hill completed passes of Bjorson (7 rece ptions, to Marshall. Then Francis 33, Hill in and got hit ounds, drawing a d the ball to the outage, Hill threw two incomplete passes, then the Friars opted to bring out Noah Sur to attempt a gords out with 10 fluttered, but sailed er the crossbar and was good for the

“I was trying to be as calm as I can,” Sur kick before. I had nerves [before the delay], but not in the

faith in Noah,” added Hill. “I told him as he was coming in and I was ot Noah in position, all he had to do was finish it.”

While Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia lauded his team’s resilience, he added that the Friars need to be more consistent from the start.

“The kids never stopped fighting, and that’s the most important thing,” he said. “We’ve been in this situation a lot since I’ve been here and we haven’t finished. This is the first time we’ve pulled it out. But now I’m hoping we learn from our mistakes so that we’re not in that situation again.”

Fenwick welcomes Niles Notre Dame to Triton on Sept. 22 for Homecoming, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

you’ve got to look at it as a privileg e to play them.”

Bo gard said OPRF knows the #1 ranking puts a bigger target on its back. But he added that the Huskies are embracing the challenge.

“We can’ t think it’s not there; we have to acknowledge it,” Bo gard said. “We have to live up to it, not just on the field, but in all aspects.”

OPRF hosts Leyden Township on Sept. 22 as part of Homecoming. T he match starts at 5 p.m. and will be followed by the varsity football g ame with Downers Grove North.

C AROL DUNNING/Contributor

Fenw ick kicker Noah Sur (#85) boots a 25-yard game-winning eld goal with ve seconds le to give the Friars a 17-16 v ictor y over St. Francis, Sept. 15.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310

ktrainor@wjinc.com

Hot dogs & Packers & Bears … oh my!

Before Marty and I married, he confessed that, although he only earned a minimal salary driving cabs (while going to law school at night), he splurged on Chicago Bears season tickets. I was/ am a sports fan and therefore I was delighted to join him in his upper-deck “nosebleed” seats. When our children were school age they clamored to be with us. Using Bear fan “reasoning” we rationalized that our games could be ideal family outing s. We agreed to take them out of Sunday school 15 ly in order to arthoroughly d this arrangement.

Marty and I attended the games er 40 years.

HAUSMAN

eling to Wrigley Field, where the Bears used to play, was Marty used his cab-driving skills to maneur through Chicago streets and game-day traffic. My dear Marty could not resist less traveled roads — which meant we often found ourselves going in the wrong direction!

Parking near Wrigley Field was also always difficult. Local residents sold spots any and everywhere they could, including on their front lawns. One Sunday, we paid for an ideal spot in a homeowner’s driveway close to the stadium. After the game, we were greeted by an angry homeowner and a hefty police-issued ticket on our car. It seems someone posed as the homeowner and sold us this driveway spot that was not his!

My brother and sister-in-law attended some games with us. She liked celery salt on her hot dog, and although we teased about her stuffing a jar of celery salt in her purse, we became aficionados of the condiment. And, of course, respectful of Chicago’s dining standards, we made sure all hot dogs were safe from ketchup! (An aside: What is it about outside g amewatching that elevates the lowly, unhealthy hot dog to the status of delicacy?!)

It’s no secret that many folks bet on games, my family included. Our “high stakes” wager was always the same: loser pays for hot dogs, next game! On cold days,

Meet the Nichols, Farmers Market vendors

ADUs: the answer to our housingchallenges?

On Wednesday, Se pt. 20, the village of Oak Park is hosting a public meeting to examine housing challenges in Oak Park Availability of af fordable housing — or the increasing lack thereof — should be at the top of the priority list.

COVID has supercharged the value of a single-family home in Oak Park, while rising interest rates have driven available inventory down to record lows.

More recent Oak Parkers may be as surprised as I was to learn that in the 1960s, Oak Park had a population of 64,000 people, 10,000 more than today — a function of smaller family sizes and more longtime residents choosing to age in place. Our village has the ability to accommodate many more people than we do tod demand to li is higher than unfortunatel do not ha housing, af or otherwise, to meet that demand.

The last decade of investment in downtown has helped at the high end of the rental market, and the inclusionary zoning ordinance is generating funds for affordable housing, but these solutions have been limited to just a small slice of the village.

Our zoning code, which was last updated in 2017, did not anticipate the impacts of COVID on housing demand, construction costs, and interest rates. Increased costs and minimum-parking requirements mean that only large, luxury apartment buildings are viable, and smaller, naturally affordable “missing middle” housing developments are impossible to build. Meanwhile, any new residential building that seeks to build more units or less parking than our zoning code permits must go

through the planned development process, adding complexity and inevitably attracting outrage from a small but vocal subset of community members.

It’s been over 50 years since Oak Park’s bold ideas around housing and integration shaped the future of the village, and bold ideas are needed again to preserve that commitment.

Here is mine: In 2021 the village approved a tool that could help increase our stock of naturally affordable housing in a way that would preserve the oft-cited “community character” and add gentle ensity that should mollify the concerns of one with a “Wrightelopment” or “No High Rise” sign in their front yard — Accessory Dwelling , or ADUs. While the original ntention of the ordinance was reportedly to provide flexibility to homeowners rather than be a tool for affordable housing, it’s time to rethink that e if we want to make a meaningful impact on retaining our true community character: our racial and economic diversity, which is at risk.

(https://www.oakpark.com/2021/09/24/oak-park-plancommission-poised-to-recommend-accessory-dwellingunits/)

The ordinance is remarkably flexible, empowering homeowners to make decisions for their own property with clear guidance and no new parking required (though you can’t lose a spot, more on this later). Every Oak Park homeowner can build one by right — no public meetings, no planned development process, no commission review (unless you live in a historic district).

OUR VIEWS

Right step at Lake & Lathrop

River Forest’s village gover nment has nudged and cajoled and pushed a series of developers forward at the cursed corner of Lake and Lathrop. That carrot-and-a-little stick approach manifested itself in endless extensions granted on the mixed-use luxury condo and retail project at what is inarguably the village’s most worthy site for development.

But watching Sedgwick Properties hauled into court this year by its lender, a division of Wintrust, in an effort to recoup several million already advanced to the project was too much for village officials. At the start of this month it finally laid down the law with Marty Paris, head of Sedgwick, and spelled out a daunting series of expectations which had to be met by last Friday to prevent construction permits from being revoked.

It is unclear if Sedgewick paid its back taxes. But when, last week, a Cook County judge placed the proper ty in receivership, it was clear Paris had made no deal with Wintrust and had no alternative financing in place. The village pulled the plug on its development deal with Sedgwick

In a Monday interview with Crain’s, Paris said he still had confidence he could complete the project. Self-confidence is a positive trait. When it tilts toward delusion, not so much.

Village government has spent years nursing this project just to avoid the current situation. It has no viable developer. There is a development site with just the start of vertical construction lingering there. The economy for financing new construction is the worst it has been since 2009.

Though ter minating Sedgwick’s role is the necessary decision, what comes next is highly uncer tain. The village, we presume, still wants a mid-sized luxury housing project with street level retail. Beyond that we are back to square one

Worthy start on detracking

We are one year into what is an aggressive ef fort at Oak Park and River Forest High School to boost the academic opportunities for Black and Brown students through a program the school calls Honors for All, but which is less eloquently known as detracking.

The plan eliminated the Colle ge Prep tier in most classes for freshmen and, instead, elevated those students into honors classes. The goal was for more of those kids to sign up for honors and AP courses in their sophomore year and beyond

By that measure, Honors for All is making some headway. In the comprehensive report received Sept. 7 by the school board, an additional 5% of incoming Black sophomores have opted into honors or AP courses this school year. That means 41% of Black students are in more rigorous classes than a year ago. A notable increase

There are challenges, as school officials readily acknowledge More suppor t will be needed for those students stretching into honors. Tinkering around the edges of instruction and cutof f levels is underway.

Most important though, and what we heard from the board, is that OPRF will stick with this bold initiative. Progress will be slow. There will be bumps. But the effort is essential.

Ineed to get out more, I thought Friday night, as I drove to the near North Side — East Illinois Street, just this side of Navy Pier, for a 50th anniversary celebration with my classmates from the 1972-73 school year at Loyola University’s Rome Center. My single semester in Rome, once upon an innocence, definitely qualified as getting out there. One of the many benefits of that experience was developing confidence in my ability to navigate situations (Rome in particular) that could best be described as “borderline chaos,” more chaotic at least than the environs I was accustomed to.

But life has changed since those youthful days of flexibility and fluidity. Now I’m a senior citizen, living in a semi-urban suburb, who avoids crowds and adventure traveling, content to leave that to the less risk-averse who have more resources and resourcefulness.

My evening out began with heavier-than-normal traffic on I-290. It was not only Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) but Mexican Independence Day weekend also and large red, white and green flags fluttered from the windows of many passing cars.

I arrived late but passed a pleasant evening at Pinstripes, reminiscing about Rome and playing comically inept bocce We left around 9:30 and two friends asked if I could drop them at their hotels

Two ill-advised turns later, we found ourselves on Upper Wacker Drive in the most amazing clusterfuss of vehicular constipation I have ever experienced. It made the helter-skelter streets of Rome in 1973 seem downright domesticated. Passengers hanging out windows and popping up through sunroofs. Ginormous flags streaming from the ends of gigantic poles. Hor ns blaring and music blasting from souped-up sound systems. Fireworks soaring from flatbeds of supersized pickup trucks. No one was in any particular hurry to get anywhere — except for me, of course, and my good-natured passengers, for whom I suddenly felt an acute sense of responsibility.

Clearly there is a lot going on beyond the borders of my little fiefdom, I thought, which cannot be adequately conveyed by TV or the internet. You have to get caught in the middle of it

I thought of a friend who suffered a stroke a few days earlier while driving, which made me wonder if I might follow suit. I would be a goner for sure. So I talked myself down from panic and other sorts of bloodpressure spikes. There was nothing to do but surrender to the ebb and flow of circumstances (mostly ebb)

We aimed for the Michigan Avenue bridge over the Chicago River, where I figured we could someday tur n and escape all this merrymaking.

No way. The police, whose presence was ample, had blocked northbound traffic with enormous Streets & Sanitation trucks, perhaps worrying

about high-priced commercial properties in that direction, so there was no alternative but to discharge my passengers with apologies and let them take their chances on the less-clogged sidewalks.

I, and my fellow motorists, proceeded (more accurately, “evolved”) along wackadoodle Wacker as it angled southwest. On the promenade, flags were waved with “we just won the World Cup” abandon, and curiosity-driven spectators soaked up the atmosphere, which was buoyant and the disorder, which was, well, orderly.

Life (and civilization) takes place in the eternal tension between order and chaos. And this annual street takeover takes place at the thin line between.

Happily, no one seemed overly tense about it, not even the police. The revelry never quite crossed the line. At one point, looking determined, a group of police headed in the direction of a young whirling dervish who was blocking traffic ahead of us as he twirled athletically for the benefit of admiring onlookers. Since Chicago cops are not exactly known as a laid-back bunch, I thought, “OK, here it comes.” But they walked right past him. Clearly, this scene was much bigger than anything they could control, so they focused on directing traffic. It was reassuring to see the forces of law and order allowing such a spirited outpouring to run its course. Meanwhile, I focused on finding any opening I could squee ze through to move my course along. After about an hour, I managed to tur n down Clark Street and was finally able to deploy the g as pedal again. I tur ned west on Van Buren because Ida B. Wells had been sealed of f by blue-lit police cruisers, wriggled past another parade on Halsted Street, and eventually got to Racine, where an inviting entry ramp awaited. Once on the expressway, I started my own celebration of Libertad. Driving unobstructed has never felt more liberating.

All this time, WFMT ke pt me company, and I gradually became aware of a wild symphonic composition raging from my radio. I don’t nor mally like music that simulates storms and tumultuous seas, but this one perfectly reflected, on an emotional level, what I just been through. The finale arrived just as I pulled into my parking space at 11 p.m., feeling triumphant, my navigating skills refreshed and re-confirmed.

The music, I found out later, was Benjamin Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes.” I, too, had been at sea but now my feet were back on terra firma.

And as I walked toward the secure sanctuary of my residential comfort zone, I had just one thought. I really need to get out more

KEN TRAINOR

From ying to farming

The author has been contributing a series of monthly essays on the Oak Pa rk Farmers Market. This month’s essay profiles one of the vendors.

I’m a city girl who grew up without a garden. I knew about ve getables and fruit from going to buy them at the grocery store with my parents. As a young adult on a drive in the country, I was trying to impress my companion and commented on the field of corn that we were passing. Tur ns out it was wheat.

But I recently had the opportunity to visit Nichols Farm in Marengo to see where their produce at Oak Park Far mers Market comes from.

Doreen and Lloyd Nichols aren’t traditional farmers whose ancestors passed the farm down to them. Lloyd was brought up in Niles and Doreen came from a city in Iowa. They lived in Glen Ellyn/Countryside and had goats and a small garden. In 1977, when they learned that DuPage County wouldn’t allow them to keep animals on their property, they looked for a place with more land that allowed animals. They found and bought 10 acres in Marengo. In addition to goats, they raised pigs, a cow, chickens and had a garden. After a few years, they sold the animals and slowly expanded the farmland

They expanded over time, acre by acre, tree by tree, greenhouse by greenhouse (21 now after adding four more new greenhouses this year). Currently, Nichols Farm comprises 587 sustainable acres, including approximately 100 acres of conservation land

The Nichols are gracious and friendly people. I spent the morning and part of the after noon at their farm We chatted on the deck of their home, then Lloyd drove me around in his John Deere Gator, pointing out the sites and stopping to show me a barn and greenhouse. He also stopped to pick several ears of corn, berries, and cut a watermelon from the vine to take back to Oak Park.

Lloyd and Doreen met while working for TWA Airlines. Doreen was a flight attendant and Lloyd had several different positions, including ramp service and agent. They held down two full-time jobs: airline during the week and farm on the weekends. When they were asked to move to St. Louis for TWA, they opted to go all in with the farm instead.

Their first Far mers Market was in Evanston in

1979, and they have never missed a season with the Evanston Far mers Market. Nichols Farm has been a vendor at the Oak Park Far mers Market since 1982. Before the pandemic, they were a vendor at 15 markets and have cut back to 10.

The bulk of their sales has shifted from primarily far mers markets to CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, where consumers receive a box of in-season produce re gularly, and also to bulk-delivering produce to 200 restaurants. If you have eaten at Rick Bayless’ restaurants, you may remember their Salsa Verde, which is made year-round from Nichols’ tomatillos.

I only saw part of the fields and was surprised to lear n that they grow 1,000 varieties of fruit and vegetables, including 200 kinds of apples.

Lloyd planted 23 varieties of apples and 450 trees in 1978. He and Doreen also told me that they chose the different types of apples by looking at the seed catalogs, something they still do

Far mer Chad Nichols, their oldest son, is the face of Nichols Farm at the Oak Park Far mers Market. Chad has two brothers, and all are involved with the farm: sales force, horticulture, and the business side

I’m always curious about people’s families and asked how they would respond if any of their grandchildren decided on different careers like hedge fund manager or medical professional.

Doreen and Lloyd said they never told their offspring to make Nichols Farm their career. When the boys were little, they played in the truck while their parents worked at the markets When they got older, they started working the summer markets. Now the grandchildren are also helping. Since many of the Nichols’ grandchildren are young, it’s too early to know if they will follow their grandparents’ or fathers’ career path, but the Nichols’ oldest grandchild is in college and studying pre-med.

Nichols Farm has grown to 40 employees. When I asked how they decide which new items to grow, they said, “Variety is our specialty. We try things and if they go well, we continue.” They also use seed catalogs, experiment, and take customers’ suggestions.

Joy Aaronson is an Oak Park resident, re gular Oak Park Farmers Market shopper, and volunteer at the mark et. She was a re gular contributor to Chicago Pa rent ma gazine and wrote the Kids’ World column for the former Logan Square Free Press.

Editor Erika Hobbs

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Senior Repor ter Stacey Sheridan

Sta Reporters Francia Garcia Hernandez, Amaris Rodriguez

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

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Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Ben Stumpe, Tram Huynh Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair Judy Gre n Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

About Viewpoints

Our mission is to lead educated conversation about the people, government, schools, businesses and culture of Oak Park and River Forest. As we share the consensus of Wednesday Journal’s editorial board on local matters, we hope our voice will help focus your thinking and, when need be, re you to action

In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for ling.

Please understand our veri cation process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that veri cation, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot con rm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay.

If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

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Joy Aaronson with Doreen and Lloyd Nichols at Nichols Farm.

Loyalty … to low standards

The most revealing part ofa recent River Forest District 90 school board meeting, the part showing how far from education these mini-politicians have taken their community, was this what-if moment: “Who’s to say five years from now there isn’t a group ofseven people here that say I want to remove a curriculum that talks about evolution from a process, or doesn’t talk about the Holocaust.”

The motion on the floor was expediting adoption ofa reading curriculum supported by science instead politics. “Remove Lucy Calkins Units of Study from consideration” was the motion from new board member Katherine Mackey. Still, all D90’s doyenne felt was an attack on their politics

The effectiveness ofschool curricula is something that can be imperfectly, but objectively, measured. It can be dispassionately discussed and deeply debated, and unfortunately it hasn’t been. Instead, residents have been jerked around with jargon and divided with distraction that, so far, has come at the detriment ofmostly low-income and minority students, and the newest demographic, the un-tutored

Mackey’s comment was on target, the arguments were disingenuous.

Trying to elicit a distracting emotional response by injecting extraneous topics like evolution or the holocaust is how River Forest lost a foothold on educational excellence in the first place. Cognitive science told us the learning theory was flawed long before the math and reading wars were re-waged in River Forest. Leaning into arguments about what children will learn, instead of whether they’ ll learn, typifies an ideologue mindset.

Abhorrent behavior won the day.

On Sept. 5, all four No votes seemed to tell River Forest there will be no dealmaking on what constitutes their version of“social justice.” Listen to the meeting and decide for yourselfif you want to stay distracted and divided, or worse, leave our public schools in the hands ofmini-politicians (https://zoom.us/ rec/pla y/Y5gja_8QibH621g10V0PRrurGruxROxco8S1_N_gonvNuoIfS2tS hxj-NZhxumi3VJmAVjB-l5LoBmF OCK1IUQsP40J2ti2?autoplay=true)

Steve Lefko River Forest

Why aren’t Republicans defending Hunter’s gun rights?

It is deeply ironic that the worst “crime” the Republicans could pin on a Biden was a technicality when Hunter Biden filled out a form to buy a handgun in 2018. Where is their stock hysterical reaction to his Second Amendment Rights being taken away by an evil federal bureaucracy? Why has the NRA not jumped to defend this patriotic American trying to buy a gun, as is his

Constitutional Right? Maybe their enthusiasm for protecting Biden’s Second Amendment rights is dampened by the fact that he only bought a handgun. Now ifhe had been buying an automatic weapon capable of massacring a classroom full of children, then they would consider that an action worth defending.

Tom DeCoursey, Oak Park

Let’s revive the OP Film Festival

Something is missing this fall: the Oak Park International Film Festival. For many years, Stan West organized this film festival, which would take place in the Oak Park main library every September. Last year Stan moved to another state and the festival ended. I wish he had passed the torch to someone else

While it’s too late for this year, I would like to revive it for next year. I have ideas about

HAUSMAN

from page 23

the guys toted blankets, and I filled the thermoses with warming broth and hot cocoa. Marty brought giant plastic bags to sit inside, keeping us dry in inclement weather. Every game, my sweet Marty gave me a big yellow mum corsage, festooned with orange and blue ribbons, that read “Go Bears!”

The Bears won or were in close contention most of those games. They were the team to beat, and over which opponents were proud to prevail. Sadly, they haven’t had a winning record in recent years.

Early on, when the team lost a game, we’d be furious at the poor perfor mance of players and the coaches. That was especially true when they played the Green Bay Packers, their most fervent, longstanding rival. But I do not remember a game where the Bears were as thoroughly trounced as this recent Home Opener. Although they failed in every category

how to continue it and raise its profile. However, I do not want to organize it myself. I would be happy to work on a committee to help support this project and have someone else either lead it or co-lead with me Ifanyone is interested in more information about this idea, please email me at Jo yceporter2001@yahoo.com.

Joyce Porter Oak Park

— offense, defense, and even home field advantage was of no avail — I felt no anger at the team, only empathy

At my tender age, I no longer attend games. I’m a less enthusiastic fan, and I’m more concerned about possible injuries to players. I’ve given up believing I’m a better coach than the Bears’ coach. An armchairsitting, TV sports-watching fan, my coaching career is now “sidelined.” These days I have a different view of games and players. My reaction to that opening-day loss was not that of an angry, fault-finding fan. Rather, I was grandma, feeling sorry for the dejected players who’d take responsibility and lots of bashing for their poor showing. Many of my views about football, other sports, and life in general, have changed over the years. I’ve gained what I feel is a measured and a more reasonable perspective that infor ms my actions and thoughts, and I’m appreciative for that. Let’s hear it for maturity frequently teaching us to think before we react.

Note: A personal, full-circle moment: My little daughter who’ d watch the games with us years ago, ne ver thought she’d be out on the football field itself. Lo and behold, that’s where she will be during halftime in October with the Voices of Hope Community Chorus, voicesofhopecc.org.

When watching the Bears was fun

e new 60?

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.

Aldous Huxley

Our country’s become longer in the tooth, with seniors soon outnumbering our youth. A nation of caregivers we’ve become; For love and true respect we beat the drum.

A plus with aging is no goin’ to work, or cultivating some old-person quirk. And people think that wisdom comes with age; In their eyes you’re omniscient — an old sa ge

Good looks will bring respect, like perfect hair, and certain qualities set you aglare: Show deep concern for global climate heat; Be sad and angry with the migrant beat.

Do you possess a refreshing outlook? Is it as clear as a flowing brook? Are you creative in use of new ways, discarding yesterday’s thoughts for today’s?

As older people, we gracefully claim the credit often, but rarely the blame, when our abundant exposure to life helps a community dealing with strife.

Remaining inte grated is our call, in pref ’rence to remain behind a wall. Freedom to contribute chases wrinkles, changing them to bright and shiny twinkles.

Suggestions about ways to stick around, include discussions from the higher ground; Set up and follow an exercise time; Enjoy the gentle sounds of a wind chime.

Get a loving Sheltie — shepherd’s dogs; Quite smart and will enjoy your monologues. Then ag ain, if you’re past 90, don’ t drive, especially if you want to stay alive.

We all need to feel useful, says our Church; If you really want to help, stop your search Your faith community provides grace To help the needy through worship place.

The alternative to giving your talent and your time, is the equivalent of sitting in your chair with frowning stare.

That’s like turning the beach over to the plover.

Tom Lynch, Oak Park

D97 and safe gun storage

Thanks for your recent article shedding light on the lack of action from District 97 in re gard to secure firearm storage communication. As the leading killer of children, gun violence is an increasingly concerning public health issue and educating families on best practices for secure storag e is a proven, effective tool to diminish its impact. As with all health education campaigns, finding the right medium for delivery is key.

Superintendent Ushma Shah claimed, “We are probably already sharing information in the best way possible.” I’d like to understand her meaning of “best” here. Or “sharing,” for that matter, because I’ve not seen D97 share anything on secure storage to date. If, as Supt. Shah claims, they are relying on par tner agencies for communication, shame on them. Parents in D97 are already captive audiences for district-wide newsletters, school emails, texts, and more.

When D97 has deemed something critical enough to address, we get blasted with it. Take, for example, the policy on tree nuts: All D97 schools are nut-free zones. I saw this in a district newsletter, in a principal email, and heard it from each of my children’s teachers on Curriculum Night. And thank goodness! An estimated 0.5 to 1% percent of children have sometimes deadly nut allergies, thus we all go the inconvenient extra mile to find acce ptable proteins. Worth it if it saves one kid, right?

Unlike nut allergies, the nature of firearms is such that your child doesn’t need to have a diagnosis to be at risk. Rather, if one local child has access to an unsecured firearm (an estimated 54% of gun owners don’t lock their guns up properly) and brings it to school, 100% of our school community is at an increased risk of death.

COVID is another recent example of the district’s willingness to communicate pertinent health information. I wonder why the district didn’t rely on Shah’s “best way possible” to share hand-washing recommendations? Likely because studies show that the most effective health education communication comes from easily accessible, trusted sources.

Gun violence is a public health issue and health education communication is hard. But from what I’ve seen, when D97 prioritizes it, they can be quite effective educators. Is it ironic that our leaders in education are reluctant to educate? Or is Supt. Shah and the school board telling us they just don’t care?

Nancy B. Schroeder Oak Park

Returning my wallet, restoring my faith

To the neighborly citizen who found and returned my driver’s license last week, a hearty thank-you. Your kindness is greatly appreciated and boosted my faith in humanity!

Meghan Strubel, Oak Park

CHAVAS

Are rental additions the answer?

from page 23

We have 11,000 single-family homes in Oak Park; if only 36 homeowners built and rented out an ADU, we’d have the equivalent of the much-maligned Chicago & Ridgeland apartment building without a new “high rise” in sight. Without unnecessary “luxury” features or parking requirements driving up rents, the units would be far more affordable than one in any downtown tower. Meanwhile, research shows that tenants who live in ADUs are more likely to be car-free or car-light and rely on transit, walking and biking to get around. Oak Park’s lot structure, combined with excellent walk scores and access to transit, make it the perfect community for rental ADUs to proliferate

Increased density through ADUs would also promote stronger community ties, with direct tenant/landlord relationships and renters becoming an integrated part of the fabric of Oak Park’s celebrated blocks.

Our local design and construction community would get more work with these smaller projects vs. large apartment projects, keeping more economic value here in the village Homeowners would have a new income source that can help cover the mortgage and make the house a viable purchase for a future buyer that might otherwise have not been able to afford a single-family home on its own, further promoting housing access in the community.

Call it the Oak Park version of the Chicago Two Flat, or an investment property in your own backyard

So how can we knock down barriers and incentivize Oak Park homeowners to build ADUs for rental income? Here are some ideas to get us started:

■ Create a low- or no-interest loan fund for homeowners who commit to rent their ADU to tenants within a target AMI (Area Median Income) range; the village could partner with a local bank or CDFI and use a source such as the affordable housing fund or community foundation as a guarantee/loss reserve against these relatively low-risk projects;

■ Streamline permitting processes and eliminate fees for ADUs that are built for rental purposes;

■ Reconsider the over night parking ban so that homes with ADUs can park a car in front of their house, maximizing living space that houses people instead of cars;

■ Design and publish a few standardized studio, 1 bedroom and two bedroom designs that could fit on the vast majority of typical Oak Park lot sizes, streamlining the cost of design and construction;

■ Form a team of “ADU Neighbors,” existing homeowners with rental ADUs who can share their experiences with “rental ADU-curious” homeowners, help them through the process, and form a community;

■ Engage with leading nonprofits like the Preservation Compact (https://www.preservationcompact.org) to explore incentives that create and preserve Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing, like property tax relief.

Perhaps the key to new doors into our village can be found over our garages.

Nicole Chavas is an Oak Park resident.

Bob Haisman, 77 Teacher, justice w

Ro man (Bob/Hais) died of ure on Saturda Sept. 2, 2023. Bor in Chicago 7, 1945, he life with neve pursuit of edge cinated especially him an outstanding teacher at Hinsdale South High School where he championed the rights and responsibilities of students and teachers. He was a good listener, which endeared him to others and made him a friend to many. His outreach was le g endary, and he will truly be missed

He grew up in a blue collar f amily in Berwyn and loved being outdoors, playing with the guys. But on Saturdays, he had to work with his dad. At an early ag e, Bob accompanied his mom on political errands, raising awareness of Democratic candidates and ringing doorbells to ask for support. By his teens, he was an expert, and his allegiance to liberal views never wavered. He always said that on his f amily’s wall were photos of Jesus, the Pope, and Franklin Roosevelt (his own wall displayed King, Clinton and Obama). A precinct captain for state Sen. Phil Rock, he also worked with state Sen. Don Harmon in many capacities. It was his dream come true to be able to work in the HQ of Obama’s two campaigns.

In every photo from his early days at Haley School, he is smiling broadly. In fifth grade, a teacher called his parents for a conference and encouraged them to send him to colle ge That had not been in the plan, but they adjusted their sights and made sure it would happen. He began colle ge at “UCLA” (University of Cicero, located on Austin), what the locals called Morton Junior Colle ge. Two years later he enrolled at Illinois State where he earned both a bachelor’s and master’s de gree.

Graduating in 1968, he was hired at Hinsdale South High School to teach history. T he school was brand-new, many young teachers were hired, and many became lifelong friends. Among students, he was known as Hais. He immediately joined the

OBITUARIES

HHSTA (Hinsdale High School Teachers’ Association), beginning his long career , fighting for the rights of teachers and students. During his 30+ Hinsdale, he org anized dinners and many other methraising money for student activities and was a leader in every fight for etter wages and working conditions for teachers and support personnel. He took a from Hinsdale to serve two terms as president of the Illinois Educassociation (IEA). When he arrived, the organization was apparently rife with nternal dissension. He, along with ExClay Marquardt, found positive framework for serving districts across the state.

If one had to choose the activity that showcased his heart and soul, it would have been teaching high school students. Being young and enthusiastic, he was a hit. He had a great sense of humor, worked tirelessly at creating lesson plans that would eng age students, and treated them as young adults rather than children.

Later in life, he worked hard on issues of social justice, poverty, hunger, gun violence and more. While he had no children of his own, he and his wife, Janet, had many nieces and nephews with whom they shared holidays and travel experiences, which included an overland trip from Germany to Russia; a small safar i experience to Tanzania; short cruises to Mexico; staying in private homes in Cuba; a trip to Italy; and one last big one to Australia. He and Janet celebrated their 40th anniversary this past July on an Ohio River cruise

Bob was pre-deceased by his parents, Louis and Mildred; his brother, Wayne; his brother-in-law, David; his sister-inlaw, Grace; and many dear friends. In addition to his wife Janet, survivors include Haisman f amily nephews and their f amilies, Dale (DeDe, Chris, Caitlin) and Brett (Tammie, Shannon, Sam); for mer sisters-in-law Diane and Margie; brother-in-law Jack Knowles and his children and their f amilies, Jacqui (Trish), Ben (Elizabeth, Maisie), and Rachel (Ashley, Kenzie, Claire); and David’s children, Juliet (Sag e, Lindsey, Autumn) and Adam (Alma, Camila, Victoria). All considere d him to be the best uncle they could have ever wished for.

A celebration of his life will be held on Oct. 7 (his 78th birthday) at 2 p.m., at First

United Church of Oak Park, 848 Lake St., Oak Park (corner of Lake and Kenilworth). T here will be a rece ption afterward, and we expect many stories will be shared as people gather. T he memorial service will be livestreamed at https://youtube.com/ live/iRPAu-l85ZQ?feature=share. If updated messages are needed, they will be posted at https://www.caringbridg e.org/ visit/bobhaisman

Suggested charities include Beyond Hunger, our local food pantry, where Bob worked for many years and served on the board; or First United Church of Oak Park. Both share the same address: 848 Lake St., Oak Park, IL 60301, and both acce pt online donations

Kevin McCauley, 80 Community servant, artist, sports fan

Kevin Paul McCauley of Chicag for merly of Oak Park, was called home on Sept. 6, 2023 after a long battle with asthma and respiratory illness. Born on 15, 1943 in Chicag he grew up in Riverside and dedicated his life to his community. He ser country as a medic in a career as a case specialist/ombudsman for the state of Illinois, where he created employment networks and advocated for public policy changes on behalf of the community. After retiring in 2002, he created the Westside Jobs Collaborative, producing the first-ever, Chicago-area, ex-offender job fair. He also collaborated with the UI Center for Disabilities to host the first virtual job fair for their clients. A mentor for the Easter Seals Veterans and Family Program, Junior Achievement, and a baseball coach in Lawndale/Garfield Park for many years.

Kevin was a down-to-earth, real soul who made everyone feel at home instantly. His exuberant laugh could energize anyone around him. As an artist, he drew several amazing pencil portraits of his family. He enjoyed camping, canoeing, fishing, visiting taverns and talking to those around him, and Western movies. As a lifelong

fan of the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bears he would have been extremely ir ritated that the Bears still could not beat Green Bay without Aaron Rodgers.

Kevin was preceded in death by a newborn sister, his parents, his son, and several McCauley cousins. He will be missed dearly by his family, friends, and many others, including the countless community members who were involved in the programs he created.

A wake was held on Sept. 18 at PetersonBassi Chapel. A funeral Mass was celebrated at 10 a.m., Sept. 19 at St Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy Catholic Church, followed by inter ment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to the American Lung Association, the American Legion (Commodore Barry Post # 256 at 6919 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn IL 60402), or a charitable organization of your choice.

Joe Gaske, 71 Loved shing and family

Joseph William Gaske, 71, died on Sept. 11, 2023. Born in Oak Park on March 30, 1952 to Joseph and Florence Gaske, he grew up in Bridgeview and attended Argo High School, then graduated from Hersey High School. He attended Millikin University graduated with a de gree in Industrial Engineering. He married Janet Souders on May 19, 1978 and they were blessed with two sons, Phillip and Joseph.

Joe was tall and strong, and his personality and love of life reflected that. He attended St. Louise de Marillac Church, taught Sunday School, and was a Eucharistic minister there for many years. An avid fan of the Chicago Bears and White Sox, he enjoyed spending time with his family, fishing, and watching his grandkids.

Joe Gaske is survived by his wife, Janet Souders Gaske; his sons, Phillip (Erin) Gaske and Joseph (Colleen) Gaske; his grandsons Zachary, Luke, and Jacob Gaske; his siblings, Margaret (Chris) Allen and William (Sharon) Gaske; and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial visitation will be held on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 12 to 3 p.m., memorial service at 2:30 p.m. at Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, 3847 Prairie Ave., Brookfield.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to St. Jude Children’s Hospital would be appreciated.

PART-TIME

ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER

Experience or not.

Retired person or person looking for extra cash

Call for more information.

708-738-3848

Managing Director, Valuation & Capital Market Analysis, Complex

Financial Instruments @ BDO USA, P.C. (FKA BDO USA, LLP) (Chicago, IL) F/T. Resp for leadng, exctng & dlvrng VCMA enggmnts by prtcptng in all aspcts of prjcts, from initl prpsl prprtn, thrgh prjct cmpltn. Trvl to vrs unantcptd clnt sites & BDO offce locatns ntnlly. Mast’s or frgn equiv in Accn, Fnnce, Econ, Sttistcs, Data Sci or rltd & 3 yrs of exp in jb offrd or Assoc, Bus Anlyst, Assoc Dir or rltd. Altrntvly, ER accpt Bach’s or frgn equiv in Accn, Fnnce, Econ, Sttistcs, Data Sci, or rltd & 5 yrs of prgrssvly resp exp. Mst hve 2 yrs of exp in: Fnncial srvcs indstr. Sttisticl mdelng to dvlp suprvsd rgressn mdls & unsuprvisd mdls incl clustr & sgmntatn anlsis; Sttisticl tchnqs, incld rgressn, dcision tree & clustrng methds; Advnc anltcs tchnqs such as random forest, XGBOOST & Neural ntwrks; Data cllctn, intgratn & optmzatn of sttisticl algrthms & strtegies rlatng to risk & fnancl anlytics; Data minng & strtgy dvlpmnt for risk & fnancl anlytics; Dvlp anltcl insghts & rcmmndtns for bsnss leadrs; Mnge team of data sci prfssnls; Microsoft Office Suite, spc Excel, PowerPoint & Word; &, Advnce prgrmmng lang such as Python & R. ER wll accpt any suitble combo of edu, trning, or exp. Mail resume: T.Brown, HR, BDO USA, P.C.; 615 South College St, Suite 1200, Charlotte, NC 28202. Jb title & code DS-IL in cv ltr. EOE.

Estimator sought by Blue Point Adjusting & Loss Management in Chicago, IL to prvd exprt advc for plcy hldrs rgdg loss & sbmt clms. Reqs BS any field. Mst hv perm auth to wrk in US. Snd rsm & cvr lttr to 5937 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60634

MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN

Property Management firm specializing in the operation of senior housing seeks individual to assume the role of the Maintenance Technician at one of a 56-unit property located in Forest Park. Position requires considerable interaction with residents and service contractors. Must be available to work on-call for afterhours

emergencies. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 2pm.

• Must have 5 years related work experience in property rehab, general building/property cleaning and equipment maintenance/repair.

• Working experience with painting, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical systems and knowledge of materials and equipment used in building and grounds maintenance.

•Knowledge of boilers, HVAC, plumbing, carpentry, mechanical systems, and electrical repair.

Please contact: 708-657-4055 or email tina@housingseniors.com regarding applications & info.

HELP WANTED

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Research Assistant in the Village Manager’s Office. This position will perform a variety of duties including assisting in coordinating aspects of equity and inclusion projects/initiatives, some data collection, data entry and analysis, synthesizing information, report writing, and presentation of results to stakeholders.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website https://www.oak-park.us/ your-government/human-resources-departments.

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

PART-TIME CIVILIAN CALL TAKER FOREST PARK, IL

The Forest Park Police Department, seeks a Part-Time Civilian Information Management Call Taker. Eligible candidates will be required to pass an aptitude test and an extensive background check. Qualifications include high school diploma (or equivalent), good verbal and written skills, working knowledge of the computer and Windows, ability to type accurately, a good working knowledge of the English language, the ability to treat customers and co-workers in a polite manner and the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines. Data entry skills and experience answering telephones/operating a switchboard are preferred.

EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS ARE MANDATORY.

Open until filled. $18.25/hour. Applications are available at Village Hall, 517 Desplaines Ave. and should be returned Attn: Vanessa Moritz, Village Clerk, Village of Forest Park, 517 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, IL 60130. Email: vmoritz@ forestpark.net.

POLICE RECORDS SUPERVISOR

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Police Records Supervisor in the Police Department. This position will manage, supervise, plan and coordinate the activities and operations of the Police Records Division Support Services Bureau, within the Police Department including records maintenance and management services; and coordinate assigned activities with other divisions, outside agencies and the general public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at https:// www.oakpark.us/yourgovernment/ human-resources-department. First review of applications will be September 22, 2023.

MARKETPLACE

COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Community Service Officer in the Police Department. This position will perform a variety of public service, customer service and law enforcement related duties and responsibilities that do not require the services of a sworn police officer; and to perform a variety of administrative duties. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at https://www.oak-park.us/your-government/human-resources-department. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

FARMERS MARKET MANAGER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Farmers’ Market Manager in the Health Department. This position manages the strategic planning and operation of the Oak Park Farmers’ Market; develops sustainable food strategies; and provides health and nutrition education, programming and promotion for the Village. During the Market season, this position would manage the internal staff and contractors needed to operate the Market, provides staff level support to the Farmers’ Market Commission, and manages vendor relations. The Market season runs from May through October, with the Market itself held outdoors each Saturday. During this time, the work week for this position is Tuesday through Saturday. Year-round, this position will provide nutrition education programming for the community in collaboration with the Health Education and Nursing divisions. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at https://www.oakpark.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled.

POLICE RECORDS CLERK

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Police Records Clerk in the Police Department. This position will perform a wide variety of specialized clerical duties in support of the Police Department including processing and maintaining documents, correspondence and coding reports; and to provide information and assistance to the public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at https://www.oakpark.us/your-government/human-resources-department.

GARAGE/YARD SALES

BELOIT SALE 900 BELOIT AVE, FOREST PARK FRI, SEPT. 22 & SAT, SEPT. 23

9AM-4PM

Child care center is closed and everything must go! Diaper changing table, cots, toddler chairs, housekeeping sets, cabinets, water & light tables, block sets. Dress – up clothes for preschoolers. Laminator with cart & cutting table, early childhood books, toys, puzzles and curriculum items. Bye- bye buggies, trikes, and scooters. Holiday decorations for all seasons.

NORTHEAST

OAK PARK SALE

1008 N. EAST OAK PARK

8:30AM-3PM

SAT, SEPT 23

Rain or Shine! 35 years of Household misc. Kitchen, garden, LOTS of Chicos women’s clothing, shoes, candles, readers glasses, cookbooks, vases, home decor, Vintage Quilt, table/bed linens, wall art, M/F outerwear, Blow molds.

CARS WANTED

708-296-2060

CLASSICS WANTED

CLASSICS WANTED

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles Domestic / Import Cars:

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles

Domestic / Import Cars:

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

Collector James • 630-201-8122

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

CLASSICS WANTED

GARAGE/YARD SALES

NORTH LOMBARD SALE

WANTED TO BUY

Collector James 630-201-8122

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles

WANTED MILITARY ITEMS:

833 N LOMBARD AVE, OAK PARK

Domestic / Import Cars:

SAT, SEPT. 23 9-3PM & SUN. SEPT. 24 11-3PM

Many quality items at reasonable prices. Noah ark items, sewing machines, and many other items. Come and see!

Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys.

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

OAK PARK YARD SALE

Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400

TOOLS WANTED:

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

I want to buy all your old tools American tools, Wilton Vise, Wood working tools, Machinist tools.

Call, Justin C 708-822-8822

1036 N. EUCLID AVE, OAK PARK

SAT. SEPT 23 10AM-4PM

Collector James 630-201-8122

H 708-445-0164

Huge salesman sample sale with gift items in original packaging. Candles, accessories, jewelry, purses, tote bags, teacher gifts, stocking stuffers, holiday items, bath & body. Gently used household items: bedding, auction catalogs, over 200 books, taxidermy, American Girl Dolls, pet items, toaster oven, fine China, Coach purses, games and more! Many new items with Wisconsin Badger’s Logo. Something for everyone!

SUBURBAN RENTALS

616 N. TAYLOR AVE., UNIT #2, OAK PARK, IL.

OPEN HOUSE SAT. 23RD 11-2 PM. OAK PARK RENTAL- $2200/MO

Immediate Occupancy! Oct 1st or sooner. 3

Bedroom, 1 Bath 2 Flat-Second Floor Unit. New Stainless Appliances. Hardwood Floors. Beautiful Architectural features-Stained Glass windows. Builtin bookcases. Sunroom. Deck. Close to Train and expressway and Chicago. Quiet peaceful setting. Must See! No Pets. No Smoking. Tenant pays for electricity. Appointments Call: Kathleen McCarthy, Broker • 630-420-0202

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

VILLAGE OF OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION

DOCKET NUMBER: PC 2305 (Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment - Zoning Ordinance Text and Map Amendments)

HEARING DATE: October 5, 2023

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

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 - Council Chambers, Village of Oak Park, 123 Madison Street Oak Park, Illinois 60302

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

REQUEST: The Petitioner, the Village of Oak Park, seeks a text amendment to the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance as follows: An amendment to Article 14 (“Zoning Approvals”), Section 14.1 (“Zoning Text and Map Amendment”), subsection B (“Initiation”) regarding property owner authorization for a Zoning Ordinance map or text amendment.

A copy of the proposed text amendment is on file and available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Plan Commission may continue the hearing to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO BE HEARD OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION

Oak Park, Illinois 60302

Published in Wednesday Journal, September 20, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park --Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302-- will receive electronic proposals until 11:00 a.m. on Thursday October 12, 2023 for Project: 23-8, Madison Street Improvements, MFT #22-0026700-RS. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, this contract includes removal of roadway, curb/gutter, sidewalk, brick pavers, driveway, lighting, and landscaping/ trees. Other elements include milling and resurfacing of HMA pavement, new brick pavement, new HMA pavement, water main removal/replacement, new water main, new lighting, landscape restoration, planting trees, curb/ gutter, sidewalks, driveways, pavement marking, signage, drainage/ utility lid adjustments, traffic loops/ handhole modifications, maintenance of traffic, and all incidental and collateral work necessary to complete the project as shown on the plans and special provisions.

Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday September 21, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oak-park.us/yourgovernment/budget-purchasing/ requests-proposals or at www. questcdn.com under login using QuestCDN number 8258675 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

Published

DOCKET NUMBER: PC 23-04 (Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment - Electric Vehicle Charging Station)

HEARING DATE: October 5, 2023

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

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 - Council Chambers, Village of Oak Park, 123 Madison Street Oak Park, Illinois 60302

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

REQUEST: The Petitioner, the Village of Oak Park, seeks text amendments to the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance as follows: (1) an amendment to Article 2 (“Definitions & Rules of Measurement”) by adding definitions for electric vehicle types, electric vehicle charging station types and electric vehicle charging station levels; (2) an amendment to Article 8 (“Uses”) by adding “Electric Vehicle Charging Station (Primary)” to the list of

deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.

All prospective bidders must prove they are pre-qualified by the Illinois Department of Transportation by providing a certificate of eligibility to the Engineering Division prior to receiving bid documents.

This project is financed with local Village funds and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grant funds. The work to be performed pursuant to this Proposal is subject to all state rules, regulations and guidelines including the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq., and Equal Opportunity requirements.

Contractor will be required to comply with the Business Enterprise Program (BEP) for Minorities, Females, and Persons with Disabilities Act (30 ILCS 575/0.01 et seq.). This project will have a BEP utilization goal set by DCEO for a percentage of the grant dollars going to businesses that have been certified as owned and controlled by persons who are minority, female or who have disabilities.

Contractors are required to reach the utilization goals or show good faith efforts to reach the utilization goals. See project manual for details. Non-compliance with the BEP goal and requirements will disqualify the bid.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

Bill McKenna Village Engineer

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

CALENDAR NUMBER: 12-23-Z

HEARING DATE: October 11, 2023

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

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on a special use permit application filed by Driven Car Wash, LLC, Applicant, pursuant to Section 8.3 (“Table 8-1: Use Matrix) and Section 5.4 (Table 5-12: RR District Use Restrictions by Building Type) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance to construct and operate an express car wash facility with an accessory drivethrough at the property located at 6000-6020 Roosevelt Road, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Numbers 16-17-331-024-0000, 16-17-331-025-0000, 16-17-331026-0000, 16-17-331-032-0000, 16-17-331-033-0000 (Premises”)

in the RR Roosevelt Road FormBased Zoning District.

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may also sign up to participate in-person in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by submitting a crossexamination form or by emailing Zoning@oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the ZBA to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

special uses; and, (3) amendments to Article 10 (“Off-Street Parking & Loading”) by adding a new Section 10.1 (G) (“Electric Vehicle Charging Parking Spaces”), amendments to Section 10.3 (“Off-Street Parking Design Standards”), Subsection I (“Electric Vehicle Charging Station) for clarification purposes, and an amendment to Section 10.4 (“Required Off-Street Vehicle and Bicycle Parking Spaces”) by adding a new subsection C(5) regarding required parking spaces. A copy of the proposed text amendments is on file and available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Plan Commission may continue the hearing to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

CALENDAR NUMBER: 15-23-Z

HEARING DATE: October 11, 2023

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60304

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on an application filed by the Applicant, Tyler McCray, seeking a variance requests for: 1) An increase in the maximum building coverage to 62.7%, where the maximum building coverage allowed is 60% of the lot per Section 4.3 (Table 4-1: Residential Districts Dimensional Standards) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance, and 2) An increase in the maximum impervious surface area of the lot to 66.2%, where the maximum impervious surface area allowed is 60% per

Section 4.3 (Table 4-1: Residential Districts Dimensional Standards) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance to permit a ground floor addition at the northeast corner (there is a proposed second floor addition, but requires no vari-

ance) of the existing residential building and a new garage located at the premises commonly known as 600 S. Cuyler Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Number 16-17-109-001-0000 (“Subject Property”), in the R-4 Single-Family Zoning District. A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may also sign up to participate in-person in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by submitting a cross-examination form or by emailing Zoning@oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the Board to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

Published in Wednesday Journal, September 20, 2023

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

DLJ MORTGAGE CAPITAL, INC.

Plaintiff, -v.UNKNOWN OWNERS AND/OR LEGATEES OF BERNARD JOHN HESTER, DECEASED, DIANE MARIE HESTER, BERNARD FRANCIS HESTER, JULIE FOX, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR BERNARD JOHN HESTER, DECEASED, SANTA MARIA CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, USAA FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendants

2019 CH 11767 210 N. OAK PARK AVE., UNIT GGGAR OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on July 12, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on October 16, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 210 N. OAK PARK AVE., UNIT GG-GAR, OAK PARK, IL 60302

Property Index No. 16-07-212-0101108

The real estate is improved with a condominium.

The judgment amount was $185,329.09.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driv-

er’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact JOHNSON, BLUMBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC

Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 30 N. LASALLE STREET, SUITE 3650, Chicago, IL, 60602 (312) 541-9710. Please refer to file number 21 8631.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. JOHNSON, BLUMBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC 30 N. LASALLE STREET, SUITE 3650 Chicago IL, 60602 312-541-9710

E-Mail: ilpleadings@johnsonblumberg. com

Attorney File No. 21 8631

Attorney Code. 40342

Case Number: 2019 CH 11767

TJSC#: 43-2878

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2019 CH 11767 I3228658

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION THE MONEY SOURCE INC.; Plaintiff, vs. UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF GERZINE SPENCE AKA GERZINE L. SPENCE; KRAMER RESTORATION OF DUPAGE COUNTY LLC DBA PAUL DAVIS RESTORATION OF DUPAGE COUNTY; RONNEISHA JINKINS INDIVIDUALLY AND AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF GERZINE SPENCE AKA GERZINE L. SPENCE; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 22 CH 4005

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, October 23, 2023 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 15-21-402-009-0000.

Commonly known as 1643 Manchester Avenue, Westchester, IL 60154.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call The Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney,

Diaz Anselmo & Associates, P.A., 1771 West Diehl Road, Naperville, Illinois 60563. (630) 453-6925. 7182183141 ADC INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com

I3229004

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

WILMINGTON SAVINGS SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR CSMC

2018-RPL6 TRUST

Plaintiff, -v.MELVIN E. KRUMDICK, DAVID E. GEE

Defendants 2022 CH 10770 1178 S. ELMWOOD AVENUE OAK PARK, IL 60304

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on July 11, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on October 12, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 1178 S. ELMWOOD AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60304

Property Index No. 16-18-429-013-

0000

The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $151,871.10.

Sale terms: 100% of the bid amount shall be paid in certified funds immediately by the highest and best bidder at the conclusion of the sale. The certified check must be made payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for

inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact KELLEY, KRONENBERG, P.A. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 20 N. Clark St., Suite 1150, Chicago, IL, 60602 (312) 2168828. Please refer to file number M22365.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. KELLEY, KRONENBERG, P.A. 20 N. Clark St., Suite 1150 Chicago IL, 60602 312-216-8828

E-Mail: ileservice@kelleykronenberg. com

Attorney File No. M22365

Attorney Code. 49848

Case Number: 2022 CH 10770

TJSC#: 43-2893

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2022 CH 10770

I3228527

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