W E D N E S D A Y
October 15, 2025 Vol. 46, No. 16
1980 - 2025
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J URNAL WJ45
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of Oak Park and River Forest
Buzz Café is closing Page 3
What other towns have done when building a new police station Recommendations to village board expected next month
TODD BANNOR
Resident Patty Henek speaks in favor of term limits at the River Forest Village Board meeting on Oct. 13.
New referendum on term limits set for Nov. 2026 in River Forest Split vote reflects tensions over timing and need for a new vote By ROBERT J. LIFKA Contributing Reporter
River Forest voters will have to go to the polls again to resolve the ongoing
term limits controversy. Following an hour of sometimes contentious discussion at the Oct. 13 village board meeting, officials voted unanimously to direct staff members
By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter
to prepare a resolution that places a binding referendum on the Nov. 3, 2026, election ballot. Village Administrator Matt Walsh said he expects the board to See TERM LIMITS on page 16
As village hall staff prepare to go before the Oak Park village board Nov. 20 with recommendations on how to proceed with planning and construction of a new police facility, Wednesday Journal took a look back to the last time the village sought to assess its needs and start the planning process. An informal review was conducted of how several municipalities in the greater Chicagoland area have gone about their planning for new police facilities. As part of that, we spoke to several current or former officials about their experiences. Oak Park officials have been discussing how to address numerous problems with both the village hall in general and the police department specifiSee POLICE STATION on page 8
A Collective Giving Group of the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation Celebrating 30 Years of Philanthropic Giving to Our Community Learn more at www.oprfcf.org
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
WJ45 1980 - 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Celebrate the Power of
Journalism GCM presents a special screening celebrating the power of journalism with the power of this timeless and timely film. Wednesday, October 29 -7pm Lake Theater, 1022 Lake St., Oak Park with two local residents with ties to the Watergate era introducing the film Find tickets at: classiccinemas.com/wj $25.00 to the public $15.00 to GCM donors and subscribers
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
W E D N E S D A Y
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
FILE PHOTO
Buzz Café to close Oct. 18
Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf Senior Audience Manager Stacy Coleman Staff Reporter Brendan Heffernan Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora Contributing Editor Donna Greene Columnists Marc Blesoff, Nicole Chavas, Jack Crowe, Vincent Gay, Mary Kay O’Grady, John Stanger, Josh VanderBerg Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls Marketing & Advertising Associate Emma Cullnan Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Operations Associate Susan Babin Social Media and Digital Coordinator Maribel Barrera Special Projects Manager Susan Walker Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs Senior Advisor Dan Haley
It’s the end of an era, but building may yet host another restaurant venture By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter
The owners of Buzz Café confirmed they will cease operations at the restaurant on Oct. 18. Kribi Coffee Air Roastery purchased the decades-old eatery in 2023 but now they say they want to focus on their more coffeeforward business ventures. Jacques Shalo opened Kribi six years ago with a location at 7324 Madison St. in Forest Park. They then expanded to a location at 1033 South Blvd. in Oak Park; purchased Buzz Café, 905 S. Lombard Ave.; and then opened another Oak Park location in the Albion building at 149 Forest Ave. “The area was just too saturated,” said Beth Hrycaj, vice president of business development for Kribi. “We were so close to the other location that we were actually just competing with ourselves. So it didn’t make sense to have them both.” Under a separate business entity, Shalo also owns Sugar Fixe Pâtisserie at 119 N. Marion St. in Oak Park. “Our business has become pretty diverse and complex,” said Jim Barker, chief operating officer of Kribi. “We are in the pro-
cess of really focusing in on our coffee roaster and being a coffee company. Getting back to the growth of our wholesale business. We looked at Buzz Café being a little bit different than the other cafes. We thought it would be best to put [it] up for sale because it’s such a pillar of the arts district. And give other people the opportunity to come in and run a full-service restaurant, so we could get back to our coffee roots.” Buzz Café had experienced some bumps in the road recently. On Sept. 17, owner Shalo posted on his Facebook feed about Buzz Café and customer complaints, “Many of you have been brutally honest with your opinions. We welcome them. You said that the new Buzz Cafe feels sterile. Yikes! We heard you! Watch for several funky changes coming soon!” “It’s very unfortunate that it’s the end of an era, but hopefully someone will be able to take it on and operate it,” said Jeremiah Shalo, who is the son of Jacques Shalo and president of Kribi. “This is the best move for us to help support the farmers back in Cameroon and narrowing in our business and, trying to be more successful in helping in ways that we believe are more momentous.”
Kribi has chosen to put the building up for sale, but not the actual Buzz Café business. That will close permanently. The property is represented by Eatz & Associates, a national business brokerage firm, specializing in the restaurant industry. “Maybe somebody will have some new and exciting thing that they want to do with it,” said Ted Aretos, partner at Eatz. “We’ve been working on quite a few leads. Tomorrow will be our first [showing]. A lot of people are used to going there for their coffee and sandwiches and stuff like that. And somebody else will hopefully be able to benefit off of that sort of built-in goodwill.” The South Boulevard Kribi location closed approximately six months ago as well. Kribi’s is opening a new roastery and corporate headquarters. “We’re going to be in the North Lawndale area,” Barker said. “Giving back to the community, helping provide for our neighbors with good paying jobs, not at a minimum wage, but the minimum living wage index. And giving training and development so we can further our mission of investing in the Chicagoland community.”
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair Eric Weinheimer | Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane, Steve Edwards, Judy Greffin, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson
H OW TO R E ACH US PO Box 6670, River Forest, IL 60305 ■ PHONE 708-524-8300 ■ EMAIL Dan@oakpark.com ■ ONLINE www.OakPark.com
CIRCULATION Jill Wagner • jill@oakpark.com • (708) 613-3340 PRINT/DIGITAL ADVERTISING Lourdes Nicholls • lourdes@oakpark.com • Ext. 3329 Emma Cullnan • emma@oakpark.com • Ext. 3304 CALENDAR EVENTS calendar@wjinc.com Wednesday Journal is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. The newspaper is available on newsstands for $2. A one-year subscription costs $65 within Cook County and $105 outside of Cook County. Advertising rates may be obtained by calling our office. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS 10138). Postmaster, send address corrections to Wednesday Journal, PO Box 6670, River Forest, IL 60305. © 2025 Growing Community Media, NFP.
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
DEPORTATION PROTESTS & COURT HEARINGS
Protests continue at ICE detention center in Broadview
Senators Duckworth and Durbin show up to support protesters By ZOË TAKAKI Contributing Reporter
Protestors, members of the clergy and state law enforcement continue to gather in Broadview for the ongoing protests at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center, which is being used as the headquarters for President Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz. The protests, which have been happening for a month, have been described by Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson as “American citizens exercising their first amendment rights.” In contrast, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem calls it a place where protesters inflict “acts of violence on a regular basis.” In the latest round, at least four people were detained on Friday by Illinois State Police. Projectiles and chemical irritants, like pepper balls and tear gas, were not deployed. Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff ’s Department and Broadview Police were the law enforcement seen monitoring and arresting protestors. State police
first made their presence known at the Friday protest last week, where an Oak Park Township Trustee Juan Muñoz was detained and released by ICE. Despite a 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. protest curfew put into place Monday, Oct. 6, protestors moved to the barricaded side of 25th street at around 7:30 a.m. Members of the clergy organized a communion that took place at 8:30 a.m. and included breaking bread and singing alongside protestors. Some members of the clergy asked Illinois State Police if they could offer communion to the detainees inside the ICE facility. They were denied. Lucas Hergert Northshore, senior pastor at the Unitarian Church in Deerfield, who helped offer communion, said, “Our attempt here today was to bring communion to the detainees, because we believe that they are a part of the same religious family that we are. They’re children of God, just like we are, and we should be let in, in order to offer those services to them.” He said that the clergy being denied entry made him feel sick. “A couple of days ago, I was driving, and I just had to pull over. I burst into tears. I have families that I know who are being affected by this, and they’re just so terrified right now,” he said. Seen later in the day outside the Broad-
OCT 17, 18, 19 HUGE FOREST PARK 547 MARENGO AVE
9:30 AM TO 4:30 PM
DOWNSIZING
SALE
Our huge annual Forest Park downsizing sale of high quality items of all kinds: Much silver and china; many kitchen items, both appliances & gadgets; some garden supplies & tools; linens; classic Schwinn Cruise bicycle; a few furniture items; some unusual Christmas items; much glassware; ladies' jewelry & purses; too much to list! NO EARLY BIRDS
ZOË TAKAKI
A clergy member breaking bread during the Broadview ICE protest on Oct. 10. view facility were Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin. “This is totally unnecessary,” said Durbin of ICE and the National Guards deployment to Chicago. “The diversion of so many resources in law enforcement to Broadview, Illinois is an illustration of resources that should be spent in the community to make it safer. I’ll work with any administration to reduce crime, but I certainly won’t abide by this approach of mass deportation.” Duckworth said, “Their exploitation
of our law enforcement and our streets is not what America is about…we’re going to push as hard as we can in the Senate.” She urged the protestors to remain peaceful, as well as exercise their First Amendment rights and express their opinions. Duckworth said that she and Durbin tried to enter the ICE facility, but were not let in. Durbin said he had been in once before, but Duckworth had never entered the facility. There were larger gatherings of protesters on Saturday.
Broadview mayor further limits protest spaces Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson has signed another executive order that limits how people can protest at the Broadview ICE facility, which has been an area subject to protests for over a month. Thompson has once again shrunk the area that protestors can gather at, no longer allowing protests to take place at 2000 S. 25th Ave. The decision, made in consultation with the Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriff ’s Office, means protests are only permitted on Beach Street. Critics online say the order sounds like a violation of the first amendment. This comes a week after Thompson signed an executive order implementing a designated protest area outside of the Broadview facility and implemented a
curfew limiting protest hours to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Protestors have been arrested for not following these executive orders. This action follows the Saturday night protest that resulted in 15 arrests. Thompson said that situation “degenerated into chaos.” Others had different accounts of the Saturday protest, with Attorney Robert Held being seen at the protest telling Illinois State Police, “You have not accurately explained why you are doing this. This could lead to violence because you are being aggressive. You have weapons and you are advancing on peaceful protestors. This is inappropriate, this is illegal. This is violating our first amendment rights.”
— Zoe Takaki
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
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DEPORTATION PROTESTS & COURT HEARINGS
Oak Park native, accused of assaulting Border Patrol Chief Bovino, appears in court
Judge sends case to grand jury By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
An Oak Park native accused of assaulting U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino appeared in federal court for a hearing last Thursday. Cole Sheridan was arrested by federal agents and charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer in connection with a reported altercation with Bovino during a protest at the Broadview ICE facility the morning of Oct. 3. Federal agents said Sheridan shoved Bovino back in response after the top-ranking Border Patrol agent had pushed him and other protestors. Sheridan appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Heather McShain on Thursday, Oct. 9 for a probable cause hearing after she’d ruled to grant him pretrial release earlier this week. McShain did not make a ruling at the end of the hours-long hearing, saying she’d take extra time reviewing the body worn camera footage of the incident overnight before ruling on the matter Friday afternoon. The next day, she ruled that the case proceed to a grand jury hearing. In probable cause hearings, judges rule on if law enforcement had sufficient grounds to make an arrest in order for the case to proceed. The government only has to prove that there’s a better than 50% chance that it had enough probable cause for the case to move forward. U.S. Attorney William Hogan said that Sheridan faced the charges because he had resisted agents and not complied with orders like other protestors. “There were many protestors in the video who were not arrested,” Hogan said. “That’s because they complied with law enforcement’s lawful orders. Mr. Sheridan, despite his impressive educational background and obvious understanding of English, did not.” Sheridan’s attorney Ben Horwitz said
that the Border Patrol agents were at fault in the incident, that they had set out to make a statement with a “show of force” and that his client did not break the law while peacefully exercising his right to protest. “This was an incident instigated by the federal authorities,” Horwitz said. “This was a wildly performative event.” The court watched 17 minutes of body camera footage depicting Border Patrol’s interactions with the protesters on Oct. 3, including the moments preceding Sheridan’s arrest. Bovino was not wearing a
into the ICE facility. Bovino is heard in the footage telling Sheridan and other protestors to “move back or you’re under arrest.” The video shows Epperson putting two hands on Sheridan before moving to arrest another protester. The next time Sheridan appears onscreen he is on the ground with Bovino on top of him, arresting him. Horwitz said the lack of body camera footage from Bovino leaves the government short of proving that it had probable cause for Sheridan’s arrest.
ZOË TAKAKI
Protest at the Broadview ICE facility on Oct. 3. body camera during the protest, so the footage entered into evidence came from Agent Jason Epperson, a border patrol officer from Erie, PA stationed in Chicagoland to take part in “Operation Midway Blitz.” Epperson’s body camera footage does not depict the alleged shoving match between Bovino and Sheridan. Sheridan appeared onscreen about 16 minutes into the video wearing a crop top, mask and white helmet. He comes into view on the video after law enforcement had already cleared protestors onto a grassy area to one side of the road leading
“Customs and Border Patrol have plenty of body worn cameras to go around, but Chief Bovino was not wearing one,” he said. “The level of proof that the government has shown the court is lacking.” After the protest, Epperson told Homeland Security Supervisory Investigator Jennifer Finerty that he’d seen Sheridan shove Bovino and that he thought he’d seen Sheridan take a swing at the Border Patrol Chief from his peripheral vision, said Finerty, the only law enforcement officer to testify during the hearing. Finerty was the lead investigator in the
case. She was on scene at the protest Oct. 3 but did not witness the incident, she said. Bovino told Finerty that Sheridan had shoved him, but not that he’d tried to hit him, she told the court. The Border Patrol chief also told Finerty that he’d injured his groin during “the events of the day,” singling out his interaction with Sheridan as a cause for the injury. Bovino needed an MRI and was ordered to take two weeks of bed rest to heal the injury, Finerty said. Bovino has continued his regular television and other media appearances since Oct. 3. Horwitz brought up an investigation by journalists at the California news agency CalMatters that found that Bovino had “misrepresented very basic facts” of a January immigration raid while arguing that the court should not accept criminal charges where his words and the words of an agent that reports to him make up most of the supporting evidence. “You did not take into account his deceitful statements to the media?” Horwitz asked Finerty. Hogan later dismissed Horwitz’ argument and CalMatters’ reporting as “internet stuff.” “You don’t need to make misleading arguments if you have a strong case,” Hogan said. The court also watched a brief YouTube video taken by an internet streamer from hours earlier that morning. It showed Sheridan being shoved by several Cook County Sheriff ’s deputies from one side of the road to the other while in what Horwitz described as a “standing fetal position.” Hogan said that the YouTube video outlined a pattern of Sheridan being disruptive to law enforcement at the protest. “He is clearly engaged in resistance at that point,” Hogan said. “It’s just passive.” Horwitz argued that the YouTube footage showed that Sheridan was there to express himself peacefully. “Nowhere in that video do you see him doing anything other than trying to keep his balance,” Horwitz said.
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
DEPORTATION PROTESTS & COURT HEARINGS
Fed charges dropped for Oak Parker with intellectual disability Paul Ivery was charged with felony assault against a border patrol agent, but the government dropped the charges after reviewing his disability records By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
“Free man!” That was the first thing Paul Ivery said as he turned away from the judge’s bench to face the crowd of supporters who’d gathered to see his federal charges be formally dismissed. Federal prosecutors filed a motion Friday, Oct. 10, to dismiss the felony assault charges the government brought against Ivery, a 26-year-old Oak Park man with an intellectual disability who was arrested at a Broadview ICE facility protest on Sept. 27. Prosecutors moved to drop the charges after reviewing records related to Ivery’s disability over the last week. Federal agents took Ivery into custody and charged him with felony assault of a federal officer after he allegedly threatened a Border Patrol agent and pulled down the officer’s helmet during his arrest, according to federal investigators. He was held in federal custody for four nights. Ivery, described by those who know him as having a deep appreciation for local law enforcement and military service members, told federal investigators he was at the protest to express “his disappointment that ICE agents were disrespectful towards the Broadview Police
Department and veterans,” according to the criminal complaint filed against him. Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes thanked the prosecution for dropping the case. He’d previously called prosecutor’s treatment of Ivery as “ableist at worst.” “That’s not true at the moment,” Fuentes said. “I think the government has taken Mr. Ivery’s background into account.” Fuentes also thanked Ivery’s attorney, Johnathon Brooks, for “the compassion” and diligence he showed in defending the Oak Parker. Scott Sakiyama, an Oak Park attorney and spokesperson for Ivery’s family, said the dismissal brings an end to Ivery’s nightmare. “These charges should never have been brought,” Sakiyama said. “Paul’s a great guy. The idea he was assaulting Border Patrol was ridiculous.” Sakiyama said the overwhelming support Ivery received from the Oak Park community made an impact in the case. As with previous hearings, more than 20 friends and neighbors from Oak Park attended Ivery’s hearing, including Village President Vicki Scaman. “The community really values Paul and his presence. They wanted to have his back,” Sakiyama said. “Oak Park as a community wants to stand up for people, and Paul was there standing up for peo-
ple. The federal government came after him, and we rallied for Paul. There was a lot of love and support in that courtroom, and I think the judge recognized that.” On Oct. 1, Fuentes had ordered that Ivery be granted pretrial release without the stringent house arrest restrictions federal prosecutors had requested, which would’ve forbidden Ivery from interacting with students at his job as a cafeteria worker and hall monitor at Oak Park and River Forest High School and put him under the supervision of a neighbor, among other restrictions. Fuentes said the federal pretrial release office who evaluated Ivery’s case determined he was “among the lowest risks it had ever seen.” Prosecutors had been planning to push to keep Ivery behind bars but reportedly shifted course at the last minute after learning about Ivery’s disability. During the Oct. 1 hearing, Fuentes read two letters of support for Ivery into the record during the morning’s proceedings, one from Scaman and one from a junior student at OPRF. In their letter, the student said Ivery’s arrest made them “feel very scared for our Oak Park community.” “He is not a criminal, he is a kind person,” the student wrote. “He is always attentive and hard working.” Fuentes’s reading of the student’s letter
PAUL IVERY brought Ivery to tears at the front of the courtroom. Scaman’s letter included personal commendations for Ivery from Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson and OPPD Sgt. Samantha Deuchler. “Our officers know him as the kid who stops and salutes when he sees them on the street,” Scaman wrote. “Paul contributes to all that makes Oak Park special. He’s a beloved member of our community.” When he left the courtroom Friday morning, Ivery gave a short speech thanking his supporters. In that moment, the free man’s mind was still with other ICE protestors facing federal charges. “There’s other people in the same situation as me,” he said. “This fight isn’t over.”
JACK CROWE’S COLUMN ON ICE Viewpoints, PAGE 31
‘No Kings’ protests scheduled for Oak Park and Forest Park Protests held in Oak Park and Forest Park on Oct. 18 amid increased federal presence in West Cook suburbs
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Protestors will gather in Oak Park, Forest Park and more than a dozen other
Chicagoland communities to demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s federal government on Saturday, Oct. 18. The “No Kings” protests are just the latest set of anti-Trump demonstrations
scheduled to take place in the communities since Trump took office earlier this year, including some also called “No Kings” protests. Oak Park most recently saw a few thousand protestors line Lake Street
on Labor Day, while more than 200 people gathered to protest Trump on June 14 at Constitution Court in Forest Park. See NO KINGS on page 17
Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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OPRF math teacher Hardin named best in the state ‘I’m not at the top of my game because there are more students to teach’
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
Oak Park and River Forest High School calculus teacher Sheila Hardin is the state’s best math teacher. That’s according to the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM), which recently awarded Hardin its annual Excellence in Secondary Mathematics Teaching Award. According to a District 200 press release, the award recognizes a teacher who is not only effective in the classroom but has also shown continued growth as a math educator and contributed to the advancement of math education. The award is a little more special for Hardin because she graduated from OPRF, arriving for her sophomore year, and studenttaught there as well. Her two children also attended the school. But what’s perhaps most fulfilling is helping students “get it” – even those who think they can’t, in Advanced Placement and non-AP calculus. “I think that there are students who hate
math and feel they can’t learn math,” Hardin said. “I take that as a challenge. You’re learning how to learn, and the fact is part of what I’m doing is teaching them how to learn. And part of learning is grappling with things that are hard. “(It’s) turning it around from just, ‘You must learn this to take this test,’ (to), ‘How do you learn in a situation that you don’t want to be in?’ I do try to relate it to everyday life. They are seeing calculus all around them. “ Getting to the point where all students are energized about learning an oftentough topic takes a lot of ambition. To that end, Hardin challenges herself with three goals before every school year. This year, her technology goal is to look at how artificial intelligence could have positive aspects. She’s also a racial equity coach at OPRF, so picking up new data points in this area is crucial. But in talking to Hardin, you get the sense that she considers herself more than an educator – that she is a practitioner. Her third goal this year is to build thinking classrooms.
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“I see myself as constantly evolving into my practice as teaching,” she said. “Teaching is a lifelong learning profession. I don’t feel done. There is no done. I’m not at the top my game because there are more students to teach.” Her colleagues see the same. “Sheila is a credit to the teaching profession,” said Julie Frey, OPRF’s math division head. “After all her years of teaching, she continues to strive to improve her practice through study and curiosity, and she always centers her practice around equity. Sheila is generous with her time and expertise, supporting new and experienced teachers alike.” Math teacher Christine Mondragon did her student teaching under Hardin. “It amazes me that 25 years later, I still continue to learn from her,” Mondragon said. “Sheila has instilled in the teachers at OPRF that as educators. We must never stop learning. There is no such thing as a
perfect lesson. Teachers have to keep trying to improve, by taking classes, going to conferences, taking leadership roles in the school, and presenting to other teachers.” Involvement in school is also a secret to Hardin’s success. She was chairperson of OPRF’s Faculty Senate for 12 years and is still involved in that entity, and is always available as a resource for any teacher at any time. Plus, her work as a racial equity coach provides more perspective on the day-to-day. “Equity means a lot,” she said. “Centering means I am being honest with myself as a white female math teacher in a classroom that’s diverse, knowing my students, how they identify, meeting them where they are at, looking at different things in my practice. “Have I said every name every three days? If I haven’t, why not? I try to be very reflective and challenge myself multiple ways.”
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OPRF math teacher Sheila Hardin, center, with one of her Advanced Placement calculus classes.
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
POLICE STATION PLANNING
POLICE STATION Comparisons from page 1 cally since at least 2015, when they retained Wisps, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. to conduct a Property Condition Assessment of the 76,000 square foot village hall. In November 2018 then-Village Manager Cara Pavlicek submitted a proposed resolution to hire FGM Architects for a Space Needs Assessment of the police department, at a cost of $53,680. Pavlicek said FGM was chosen “for their ability to perform the scope of required services, their qualifications, experience and relevant knowledge…” “A comprehensive, thorough process is required so that a credible projection of space needs for current and future uses can be identified,” she wrote. That 2018 resolution noted that “When (the) Village Hall was originally conceived, village officials contemplated that the area on the extreme south end of the site could be used as a future building site to house various community agencies or units of local government.” The village’s Space Assessment Team that worked with FGM included Pavlicek and three senior village hall staff, and six top ranking police staff, including then-Commander Shatonya Johnson, who is now Oak Park’s police chief. FGM’s detailed 129-page report was blunt. The executive summary called the physical environment in the police department “dysfunctional,” finding the existing facility is “missing many functional areas common to modern police stations.” “It is unfortunate how the police depart-
ment has had to adapt their procedures to work around building deficiencies, including safety and security issues,” the FGM report stated. “Our analysis finds that 78,112 sq. ft. of space is necessary for the Oak Park Police Department to operate effectively. The existing police station is only 35,688 sq.ft.” “(I)t became clear that the existing building is working against the police department,” FGM found. “Not only is the building too small, but the design of the building is negatively affecting the police department’s operations.” “It is not possible to make the existing police station efficient and effective without providing the police department additional space,” FGM concluded. Among the deficient areas FGM found were with detainee processing and lock up, evidence processing, the station’s “sally port” vehicle entry and prisoner transfer environment, evidence storage, records work areas, the investigations work areas, the firing range, and locker rooms.” In addition, Oak Park has no training area for mandated state and federal officer training throughout the year. FGM’s report outlined four possible approaches to the police station, emphasizing that only two would meet the department’s needs going forward. ■ Renovate the police department’s 35,000 square foot basement and build an addition on the village hall for additional police space. ■ Build a new police station somewhere else in the village. ■ Renovate the existing basement areas in the police department. ■ Keep the existing building as is.
“Once the space needs are approved and the village is ready to move forward, FGM
PROVIDED
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New Oak Park Police Department station proposal Architects is prepared to assist the Village of Oak Park with the next steps,” the space needs assessment draft stated. In February 2020, the village board approved an agreement with FGM. The contract would have paid $322,600 for schematic design, and an additional $428,800 for design development, $750,400 for construction documents and $107,200 for bidding, a total of $1,609,000 if all phases were approved. Pavlicek estimated at the time that the work “from board direction to bidding will take an estimated 9 months.” Subsequently, subject to the scope of the project authorized, she said, “the construction could take 18-24 months.” However, less than a month later, the project was paused due to the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic. In 2022, consulting firm BerryDunn submitted a report on the police department that reaffirmed the necessity for a new station. As the Journal reported, “FGM was re-engaged to update the space needs assessment, finding that the village could benefit from a completely new, redesigned village hall and police department.” FGM’s space needs assessment, village officials noted in July 2023, “could be the beginning of a move toward building a new station.” One option FGM presented involved building an addition to the current police station and renovating the basement for police training functions, at an approximate cost of $75.4 million to $77.8 million.
Building a police station elsewhere would cost an estimated $66.9 million and $69.5 million, not including the purchase of at least two acres of land. In 2024 the potential tear down of village hall was suggested, with an estimated price tag of $118 million to $124 million. That was met with both massive sticker shock and broad resistance to tearing down a historically significant building. On Nov. 21, 2024, Oak Park hired a new architect — Johnson Lasky Kindelin — to oversee the remainder of the village hall and police station project. JLK specializes in projects that involve historic preservation, with their hiring suggesting that village leaders were moving towards renovating the village hall building rather than rebuilding it. Village President Vicki Scaman addressed hiring the new architect at an Oak Park candidate’s forum hosted by Wednesday Journal ahead of this year’s municipal election. “We hired an architect that we truly believe is sincerely working with us and listening to the fact that we need a lower number,” Scaman said. “All you’ve been hearing from the board table is that we’re still looking for a lower number.”
Best practices from other towns Several key issues uniformly came up when discussing the challenges of building a modern police facility, both in interviews with law enforcement experts outside of
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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POLICE STATION PLANNING
Special village hall, police station meeting scheduled for Nov. 20 Oak Park will update the community on plans for the new police station and renovations to village hall Oak Park leaders have set a date to discuss designs and cost figures for the village’s long planned police station and Village Hall construction projects at a special meeting next month. The special meeting is planned for Thursday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m., according to the “tentative” village board meeting calendar published as part of the agenda for Oct. 14’s
village board meeting. Discussions on the current shape of the construction project, which is expected to top out at a cost of more than $100 million, have been delayed several times in recent months. The project is expected to deliver the Oak Park Police Department a new standalone police station — most likely on the patch of grass south of village hall’s parking lot — and include extensive renovations to the five decades old village hall building. The police department presently operates out of village hall’s basement, a space considered too small and outdated to suit the needs of a modern village police department. The village has been working to find a path to a new base of operations for the department since at least 2015, when it commissioned a property condition assessment
on village hall. Over the last decade, the village has spent millions on design work, kicked around several concepts for both building projects and hired a new architect. Village leaders still hope to break ground on the project next year, according to budget documents shared at a Finance Committee meeting this fall. Last week, Oak Park’s Finance Committee, which includes several sitting village trustees and Village President Vicki Scaman, discussed possible bond financing options for the project. That group also recently reviewed proposals for Capital Improvement Plan facility spending but tabled any discussion of the new police station and village hall renovation to a future special meeting. Issues long expected to be addressed by
the architect’s proposals include how will village hall be made more accessible to people with disabilities, how will parking at the facilities be impacted, what are the costs associated with both sides of the project and how can the village balance modernizing village hall while preserving its historical character. “We’re really looking forward to what creative solutions come out of this, defining this idea of what open government looks like here for the next 50 years,” Village President Vicki Scaman told Wednesday Journal in April. “The issues on which they’re trying to creatively problem-solve haven’t really changed — they’ve been big problems. “I trust that the seven members of the board are going to take what are continuing to be ingenious, creative ideas to solve that problem.”
Oak Park and in reviewing the available literature. They include conducting a thorough space needs assessment, gathering input from the officers who will work in the facility to understand their requirements, gathering input from residents regarding appearance and impact on neighbors, determining the municipality’s financial resources and planning for future needs not currently known or evident. What also became clear is that any planning should be public and transparent as deliberations take place. Wednesday Journal looked at the general characteristics of six police facilities in the greater Chicagoland area that are either being planned or are in the process of being built; Lake Forest, Wilmette, Libertyville, Lombard, St. Charles and Elmhurst. The Lake Forest police station is being relocated to a large commercial building being repurposed. The St. Charles station is being renovated. Both projects will cost around $24 million. The other four police stations involve new construction costing between $40 million and $50.5 million. The Elmhurst facility square footage is as yet undetermined, while the other five will be between 47,000 square feet and 58,000 square feet. With the exception of the Elmhurst po-
lice station, which is just 35 years old, the five other facilities are between 55 years and roughly 100 years old. Like Oak Park, the City of Lake Forest did a space needs analysis to begin its process. The results echo much of what Oak Park officials have found. Lake Forest Police Chief John Burke spoke with Wednesday Journal about the process he and other officials in the City of Lake Forest undertook planning for their new facility. He said input from all stakeholders was a priority, saying, “It’s been a partnership” with experts from public works, and people with various expertise, as well as the public. Burke said he and other police leadership met formally with planners on three occasions: at the start, midway through the process, and at the end when decisions were being finalized. “There was input from almost every officer that works here,” he said. “We had input from residents from day one, from the budget to the look of the building.” Burke and his two deputy chiefs visited numerous police departments in the region that had had new stations constructed in the past five years. “We looked at workflow, asked what they liked, what they’d do differently,” he said. Asked what the number one concern expressed, Burke replied, “A large training
area.” “Our training space is very limited, around 12 to 14 people,” Burke said. The new space will hold around 80. The additional space isn’t just a matter of convenience, he noted. “We can’t host police training (seminars). We’re always sending our officers to other municipalities for training sessions.” The FGM Needs Assessment noted that Oak Park has no training area whatsoever. It determined a required 1,500 square feet (50 by 30) for “Community meeting/Training,” space, as well as another 1,400 square feet for such purposes as chair and table storage, training supplies, a kitchenette, conference room, and communications and audiovisual equipment. Handling detainees safely and efficiently is also a challenge in a 60-year-old facility, Burke said. “We have installed metal tables with sharp, pointed corners. It’s not up to modern design standards.” Modern police tasks and activities like investigations and evidence processing and storage require far more space than in the past. Lake Forest’s new facility, Burke said, “will give officers the ability to spread out.” “The evidence area is three times the size of the old space.” With modern evidence procedures, he said, “you have to hold evidence forever.”
Having a well-designed work environment, with adequate space and natural lighting along with such amenities as officer health areas and adequate locker room space also enhances recruitment efforts. “It goes a long way toward recruitment and retention,” Burke said. Another goal Lake Forest had was accreditation by various law enforcement standard agencies. One piece of advice they got back from other police departments: you can never have enough storage space. “There was one resounding piece of advice: If you think you have enough storage space in your build, keep adding it. You’ll need it,” Burke said. Burke also values the large indoor parking capacity for police vehicles. Beyond basic security, housing police vehicles inside protects expensive assets. FGM’s needs assessment for Oak Park noted that “Having at least a portion of the vehicles in secure parking is a best practice.” Burke concurred, saying, “It’s very (useful) in terms of wear and tear. There’s a lot of electronics in those vehicles. Parking them in a climate-controlled environment, out of the elements, he said, adds to their longevity. Brendan Heffernan contributed to this report.
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
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Michael Jefferson, a 20th century art and design specialist and dealer in Chicago, makes a presentation at the 2023 Julian Middle School Career Day.
D97 launches career exploration planning Initiative designed to connect student academic experiences with the real world By GREGG VOSS
ROOFING
Contributing Reporter
JOE ROOFING
Some adults went through their middle school years with little discussion about future career options. Oak Park Elementary School District 97 is remedying that with its Career Exploration Planning initiative, which is designed to connect middle schoolers’ academic experiences with real-world applications. In this program, the word exploration is operant for both students and their parents. The district will launch in November, at the end of Trimester 1, the online SchooLinks career readiness curriculum, which is also used by Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200. When students first log on to SchooLinks, they will be asked 25 questions about their interests. They can then explore different careers that align with those interests. Parents will be able to see their child’s SchooLinks profile, so they will be aware of what career choices might be in the offing – which should engender discussions at home. “With human beings, we change over time,” said Dr. Luis De Leon, assistant superintendent of middle schools. “It’s discovering yourself through the process and projecting
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yourself into the future. And you have to revisit yourself multiple times in the process.” In 2022, Illinois mandated that students in grades six through 12 participate in career exploration. To that end, the PaCE Framework (Postsecondary Career Exploration) was adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for benchmarking key points in the college and career planning process for students. “The state provided the what, and the schools have the autonomy to work it out,” De Leon said, adding that PaCE is merely a starting point. “You can add to it, adjust it, build it up so it makes sense to the community.” Career Exploration is also tied directly into the Career Explorer dimension of the district’s Portrait of an Oak Park 8th Grade Graduate. The dimension emphasizes that graduates will explore a wide range of careers and their qualifications, including both college and non-college and trade pathways. To that end, Julian Middle School principal Adrienne Court and De Leon are part of a committee consisting of districtand building-level administrators and 13 See D97 CAREER on page 14
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
Ford announces Jesse White endorsement, strong fundraising 16 candidates crowd Democratic primary to replace Danny Davis in Congress
candidate.” Friedman, a Chicago businessman has a strong lead in fundraising, having raised over $1 million so far, including 243 donations for $3,500 each. At the end of the 2nd quarter on June 30, he had $905,687 on hand. On Oct. 7, Dr. Thomas Fisher, an emergency physician, announced his campaign By BILL DWYER had raised “over $375,000” in the seven Contributing Reporter weeks since launching his campaign in mid-August. State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, one of 16 Fischer said in a statement that the money people vying for the Democratic nomina- “will help the campaign expand direct voter tion for Congress in Illinois 7th district, an- contact and communicate Dr. Fisher’s vision nounced Thursday that he’s been to ensure affordable, accessible endorsed by former Illinois Seccare and greater economic opretary of State Jesse White. portunity across the district.” White, a legendary political figAnd while Richard Boykin ure in Illinois statewide politics hasn’t announced his 3rd who is widely liked and respected, quarter figures yet, he did air joins a powerful group of politihis first campaign ad on WGN cal figures who have thrown their television on Wednesday. In it, support behind Ford, including Boykin touts his roots in Enretiring incumbent Danny K. Daglewood, his overcoming ecovis and Illinois House Speaker nomic challenges to become a Emanuel “Chris” Welch. lawyer, and his 10 years as Rep. White’s endorsement for the LA SHAWN FORD Davis’s chief of staff, during March 2026 primary comes as which, he said, he “help(ed) Ford also said he raised about $250,000 through the first month of his cam- pass major legislation” with Davis. Ford says his main focus so far has been paign. “That was in just 30 days, without a canvasing neighborhoods and circulating fundraising company” Ford said, adding petitions. The campaign had a “Canvass the that he expected to hire someone soon. “We have a lot of work to do,” he said. “I Community Party” on Saturday, Oct. 4, and haven’t made a lot of (fund raising) calls expects to file “between 13,000 and 15,000 petition signatures.” yet.” But he’s taking nothing for granted. Ford started his fourth quarter with a fundraiser at a private home in Chicago’s “Every day we have someone at the Board Bronzeville neighborhood Oct. 2. “It was of Elections validating the (petition) sigwell attended, we had about 80 people in natures,” Ford said. “We’re making sure the house,” he said of the event, which both they’re good.” Welch and Davis attended. Ford said he’s confident that his record Official 3rd quarter fund raising totals as a state legislator and social activist with will be released by the Federal Election deep roots in the community will resonate Commission on Oct. 16. with an electorate looking to replace a vetAsked about the muscular fund raising eran 16 term congressman. by some of his opponents, including Jason “There’s no one else in this race that has Friedman and Dr. Thomas Fisher, Ford the accomplishments as a community leader replied, “I’m not conceding to being out and passing bills,” he said. “For 18 years.” fundraised, but if I am, I’m committed to See FORD on page 13 working hard to win, and show I’m the best
And Housing For All: An Evening with Author Maria Foscarinis Thursday, October 23 | 7-9pm
Unity Temple EVENT IS FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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Autumn brings crisp air and colorful leaves — but also new safety risks. A few simple steps can help keep you and your loved ones safe at home: Clear outdoor paths: Sweep or rake wet leaves from steps, driveways, and walkways to prevent slipping. Improve lighting: Replace dim bulbs, add motion-sensor lights outside, and keep indoor hallways and entryways well lit. Secure floors inside: Remove clutter, tuck away cords, and use non-slip pads under rugs. Wear safe footwear: Choose shoes with firm, non-skid soles instead of socks or loose slippers. Use support when needed: Keep railings sturdy and add grab bars in high-risk areas like bathrooms. Taking these precautions helps reduce fall risks and keeps your home safe and welcoming all season long. Visit Cantata.org for more senior living advice or call (708) 387-1030
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Housing Forward to host expert on national housing crisis Free event set for Oct. 23 at Unity Temple
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Housing Forward and Unity Temple will team up with a high-profile housing rights attorney on Oct. 23 for a discussion on America’s homelessness crisis. Housing Forward, the nonprofit agency that supports individuals and families experiencing homelessness in West Cook County’s suburban communities, is hosting an event at the temple with Maria Foscarinis, a fair housing advocate who has spent her decades-long legal career fighting to eliminate homelessness in America. Among other activities, she founded the National Homelessness Law Center in 1989 and served as its executive director until 2021 The free event will be held at Unity
Temple at 7 p.m. Oct. 23. After a conversation with WBEZ Reporter Esther YoonJi Kang, Foscarinis will take questions from audience members Foscarinis is considered “a primary architect” of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, according to her Columbia University Law faculty biography. The act, passed in 1987, was the first major U.S. federal law aimed at addressing homelessness. The act guaranteed education rights for children and youth experiencing homelessness and federal funding for local homeless shelters and other support services. She published her first book And Housing For All: The Fight to End Homelessness in America in June. “In her new book, And Housing For All, she argues that only by recognizing hous-
ing as a fundamental human right can we end homelessness in America,” Housing Forward said in a news release about the event. “Drawing on more than three decades of personal stories and advocacy work, Foscarinis offers insight into why past efforts have failed and what will change as we enter a new era of federal leadership.” The event comes as Housing Forward confronts significant funding challenges driven by federal budget cuts. Housing Forward CEO Lynda Schueler told Wednesday Journal in June that as much as 25% of the organization’s operating budget is at risk as a result of the cuts. Last month, Housing Forward cut the ribbon on a new 40-bed overnight emergency shelter at 112 Humphrey St. in Oak Park.
Helicopter over the ‘Ike’ is traffic enforcement, not ICE Assisting sheriffs crack down on motorists driving on the shoulder
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park officials said a law enforcement helicopter recently seen flying over the Eisenhower Expressway was not related to federal immigration enforcement. Oak Park officials said that the helicopter reportedly seen by residents over the expressway was a Cook County Sheriff ’s Officer (CCSO) aircraft conducting aerial traffic enforcement operations aimed at cracking down on motorists driving on the shoulder of the highway. Last week, CCSO said it had ticketed 900 drivers since June for driving on the shoulder of expressways. The law enforcement agency has increased its highway patrol efforts to address ongoing concerns about un-
safe driving, according to a video posted on the X account of the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office. At least 49 of those drivers were caught on video in footage taken from the CCSO helicopter, according to the agency. The village issued the statement to make it clear that the helicopter was not one being used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Border Patrol for federal immigration enforcement operations. The village said that there has been little communication from those federal agencies regarding local enforcement operations, and that the village is committed to not assisting in any of that enforcement in line with both state and village sanctuary ordinances. “The Village of Oak Park is aware of on-
going immigration enforcement activities conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies in the area, the village said in a statement. “These agencies have not provided prior notice or communication to Village officials or the Police Department. Under the Illinois TRUST Act, Oak Park Police are prohibited from participating in or assisting federal immigration enforcement. Officers are fully trained on the TRUST Act and the Village’s Welcoming Ordinance, which clarify that while local police do not enforce federal immigration laws, they retain full authority to enforce state laws and local ordinances. These responsibilities are essential to maintaining community safety and should not be mistaken for immigration enforcement.”
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
Oak Park hosts Period Action Day drive on North Ave.
Oak Park clerk and Cook County commissioner collaborate on free period product giveaway By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park’s village government collected donations to help provide women and girls in need with free menstrual products. The event was part of an international “Period Action Day” campaign encouraging communities around the world to organize events focused on ending “period poverty.” The initiative, founded in 2019, is aiming to donate 1 million menstrual products to those in need through dozens of local drives taking place on Saturday, Oct. 11. “Did you know that nearly 1 in 4 students in the U.S. struggle to afford period products,” the village said in a statement. “With this reality in mind, the Village Clerk’s office is joining Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps in observing Period Action Day with a special event from 2 to 5 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 11 at 6614 W. North Ave.” Event attendees received bags filled with a variety of menstrual products. Event organizers accepted period product dona-
FORD from page 11 He said the largest segment of current House members come from state and local elected office. (In fact, 70 percent, 305 current US House members, do.) “They say it’s a great training ground for Congress,” Ford said. He said he learned early on in Springfield that legislation doesn’t get passed just because it’s a good idea. “You know how difficult it is to pass bills?” he asked. “It takes time to build trust with colleagues. Your first job is to build relationships (with legislators). You
tions in the lobby of Oak Park village hall in the lead up to the event. Villag hall is at 123 Madison St. Organizers hoped to distribute at least 75 bags, with any bags still left over after the event being distributed to students at local schools. The “period swag bag giveaway” was a collaboration between the village clerk’s office, Stamps, 1st District Women’s Commissioner Mary Gardner, the Chicago Teacher’s Union, the Proviso West Suburban branch of the NAACP, Top Ladies of Distinction Inc. and Walgreens, according to event information published by Period Action Day. Walgreens has donated over 8,000 period product kits to Chicagoland girls’ organizations this fall, the company announced last month. Nearly 17 million menstruating women and girls live in poverty in the United States, according to the National Institute of Health. Nearly half of all teen girls also report experiencing stress or embarrassment over lack of access to period products, according to a 2023 study commissioned by menstrual product brand Thinx and nonprofit organization PERIOD. Oak Park Township and River Forest Township also accept period product donations for their “hygiene closets,” which provide free access to hygiene and self-care products to local youth. have to convince people to vote for your bills. You have to build coalitions.” Ford also expressed confidence that he has strong political ground support going into an exceedingly crowded 16 candidate Democratic primary on March 17. “Jesse White has a strong (political) base, He’s well respected in the state,” Ford said. “We have Welch (in Proviso Township), and hopefully we can do well with the Democratic Party of Oak Park, and the alderpeople in the city.” Ford said his campaign also has a ground game geared up, with motivated volunteers. “We’re going to hit every door,” he said. “Emails, texts, phone calls.”
Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
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Oak Park man arrested for aggravated battery of officer
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charges over the weekend. Police stopped and arrested the man after identifying him as the suspect in a reported vehicle burglary. Following his arrest, the man was also charged with assault, according to police. The man was issued a notice to appear in court and released from custody, according to police. These items were obtained from Oak Park’s Police Department reports dated Oct. 7 –13 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed a description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
D97 CAREERS from page 10
teachers across all content areas that are preparing the Career Exploration Planning initiative launch. The committee had its first meeting Sept. 30, Court said, with the next slated for Oct. 14. “It has been studied that middle school is a critical point in students’ lives,” Court said. “Focusing on Career Exploration, we’re increasing student engagement and fostering future planning. “They don’t necessarily know what they want to do, (so) when they go to high school they are able to make more purposeful decisions about what they want to do for a career,” she said. “Really being intentional about increasing engagement and opportunity and exposure will lead to positive outcomes in high school and beyond.” Coming in the spring at Brooks and Julian middle schools will be a robust Career Day, where professionals from a wide variety of careers will meet with students to discuss their work. Julian has had a Career Day for the past three school years and Brooks had one last year for eighth graders. De Leon said the Career Day gives “stu3/22/24 7:18 AM
dents the opportunities to think about careers from professionals from the fields, so they can connect their learning.” Court said it’s exciting how many paths a student could take, which is why Career Day is such an important event. “There is so much out there in the world, so it’s a really nice opportunity to learn what’s possible,” she said. “What does someone in this work do, what experience do they need and is it something I would be interested in?” But it’s important to note that while the state’s PaCE Framework and the district’s Career Exploration Planning interpretation of the framework is one thing, there is another key, and that is parent participation in their student’s learning. “I feel as a parent, it’s important to partner up with the schools and supporting what is happening with our students,” De Leon said. “They can take that into dinner table conversations … ‘What are your thoughts on this?’” Court agreed. “I think the importance of having conversations at the dinner table, ‘What was your key takeaway today?’” she said. “Really focusing on the transferrable skills and as students express interest in content, how can parents (foster that)? Is there an extracurricular program in the community?”
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
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Emergency room doc runs for Congress Former Obama administration fellow wants to reimagine the policies that affect his patients
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Come March, residents of the 7th congressional district will vote in a Democratic primary on the successor to Congressman Danny Davis, who, in July, announced he was retiring after nearly 30 years. One candidate running for the seat is Dr. Thomas Fisher. The Greek Town resident is an emergency medicine physician at the University of Chicago Medicine. He said his experience as a doctor in an emergency room for nearly 25 years largely inspired him to run for Congress. “I can treat illness, and I can stop the bleeding when people come to me, but I can’t fix what’s coming down the pipe,” Fisher said. “I’ve seen too much suffering at this point to remain silent and to continue to simply patch up the wounds once they’ve already been inflicted. I’ve decided to move upstream to bring moral leadership and public service to try to solve the things that bring waves of my neighbors to me, sick and injured.” As Fisher helps patients affected by gun violence, housing insecurity, mental health crises and insurance denials, he’s seen how the country’s systems and policies have put the lives of his neighbors in jeopardy every day. “I have seen all of the ills that have been created by society,” Fisher said. “I’ve held the hands of families who are grieving after a young person has been unexpectedly shot down. I know the toll of fentanyl when it hits our street . . . I know what health is, and I know the stakes.” That health spans beyond the care Fisher provides on the South Side, where he grew up. While, if elected, Fisher would advocate for lower health care costs and expanding access to care, he said the way to address the root causes of the poor health that he sees daily is by “creating an economy that honors our lives.” “Right now, we see costs for things like housing, utilities and food higher than ever, while wages have stagnated. Folks can’t get ahead. They can’t plan for the future or stay healthy,” Fisher said. “We can bring federal dollars to those problems.” Fisher also wants to see more funding for public education. He attended Kenwood Academy High School, and his mother worked as a social worker at Chicago Public Schools for over 30 years. “I know the value of a public education, and we need those things bolstered so that we’re not dependent on property taxes and the vagaries of one community having great public schools, and the next not because of how those things are funded,” Fisher said. He added that community colleges and public universities need more federal money too. Fisher also has experience on the boards of the Cook County Forest Preserve, where he worked to incorporate people into local green spaces and improve environmental justice, and Chicago Public Media, where he helped bolster public sources of information. “I am not an elected official. I see this as public service,”
PROVIDED
Dr. Thomas Fisher Fisher said of running for Congress. “This is an opportunity to bring expertise from outside of government to government at a moment of crisis.”
Creating and reimagining policy During Barack Obama’s administration in 2010, Fisher was chosen to be a White House Fellow and was paid to assist senior White House staff and government officials by participating in interagency meetings or designing and implementing policies. Fisher experienced his fellowship while the Affordable Care Act was rolling out, and he delivered the 2011 HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Fisher has both helped write policies and implemented Affordable Care Act policies for Blue Cross plans in five states. “It’s given me an understanding of how these systems are created, how they’re deployed, how they work, how they don’t work, the language and the communities that are involved,” Fisher said. Nearly a decade ago, while leading NextLevel Health — a former Medicaid managed care provider once based on Chicago’s West Side — Fisher helped launch a Medicaid plan that aligned incentives to address health inequities. “We grew to almost 80,000 members, we hired hundreds of people from the community, and we were based in the community to solve those problems,” he said.
But today, Medicaid cuts are impending with the passing of President Donald Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill in July. The federal government is “creating plans right now that are going to kick millions off of health insurance, and it’s going to have disruptive effects — not only to the people who need health care, but to the providers that serve people,” Fisher said. He added that there will likely be hospital closures, which will affect everybody, not just those who lose health care coverage. Fisher’s goal isn’t to revisit the way things were before Trump took office, but rather to reimagine the possibilities of policy. “How do we go forward and build a future we’ve never had before? One that honors our humanity, one that anticipates challenges of the environment, one that centers our bodies and lives, one that creates equity,” Fisher said. “This may be one of those moments where when we see so much disruption, we have the opportunity to again create something we’ve never seen.” The first example Fisher gives is universal health care. He added that, if elected, he’d like to explore emulating how California is working with generic medication companies to make affordable insulin. Fisher also mentions one of his colleagues who is working on a policy that makes gun manufacturers and sellers pay into a victim fund for those impacted by crimes using the guns that they made or sold. “I would love to support policies like that moving forward,” he said. The federal government is “destroying things that we need. And that might mean that there will be an opportunity — with vision, moral leadership and courage — for us to build something transformative in the near future.” Though Fisher said he admires Congressman Danny Davis’ tenure, he said his mindset about reimagining policies would set him apart from his hypothetical predecessor. “Congressman Davis has large shoes to fill,” Fisher said, specifically mentioning his successes with the Second Chance Act that improved reentry resources and in creating health care accessibility. “I am impressed by the legacy of leadership and service that he’s delivered,” Fisher said. “I’d love to update those experiences with my specific knowledge, network and track record in both health care and public service in the private sector because we need to build something that we’ve never seen before. We need to build a future.” Fisher has been endorsed by the 314 Action Fund, the only national organization that helps recruit, train and elect doctors and scientists. According to the Federal Election Commission, other candidates who are running for Davis’ seat in the Democratic primary include Richard Boykin, Jerico J. Brown, Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Jason Friedman, La Shawn Ford, Rory Hoskins, Danica Leigh, Tekita Martinez, John McCombs and Emelia Rosie — who’s not registered with a political party. “I’m encouraged by the fact that there are so many people running,” Fisher said. “That is the sign of a robust democracy.”
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TERM LIMITS
Another referendum from page 1 vote on the resolution at the Oct. 27 meeting. That vote was preceded by votes on two motions giving staff members different direction that failed by 4-3 margins. One would have directed staff members to prepare an ordinance codifying the result and outcome of the April 1, 2025, term limits referendum and the other would have directed staff members to prepare a resolution that places a binding referendum on the March 17, 2026, primary election ballot. Both motions failed 4-3 with Village President Cathy Adduci breaking 3-3 ties each time by voting against the motion. Trustees Erika Bachner, Katie Brennan and Megan Keskitalo voted in favor of the first two motions. Trustees Bob O’Connell, Lisa Gillis and Respecio Vazquez voted against. During public comment six residents spoke against holding another referendum and instead codifying the vote in favor of term limits from last April. The direction to staff is for the binding referendum language to mirror language used in a citizen group’s petition that placed the referendum question on the April 1, 2025 ballot. Although the referendum question itself was unchallenged, language on the documents accompanying the petition has caused confusion about whether that referendum was binding or advisory. The Yes votes totaled 53.15%, compared to 46.8% for the No votes. At the beginning of the discussion, Village Attorney Lance Malina reiterated his opinion expressed in a memo from Walsh to the board that the question of whether the referendum was binding or advisory defines the board’s options. “The only process that can alter a municipality’s form of government, including the imposition of term limits on local officials, is by the passage of a binding referendum by voters,” he said in the memo. At the meeting, he said an advisory referendum is “more of an opinion poll,” unlike a binding referendum, which “implements a proposed rule change if approved by a majority of voters.” In response to questioning by Brennan, Malina said the board cannot pass an ordinance to implement term limits based on the results of an advisory referendum. Bachner disagreed, citing Section 3.1-1017 of the Illinois Municipal Code, as she had
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM at the Sept. 22 board meeting. “The language is meant to address the question of whether municipalities can impose term limits retroactively or proactively,” Malina said, adding the language does not enable municipalities to impose term limits by simply passing an ordinance. He said implementing term limits by ordinance based on an advisory referendum would be “like a time bomb” that would go off if a candidate challenged its legality. However, he allowed that there might never be a challenge. In response to questioning by Keskitalo, Malina said the board could pass an ordinance implementing term limits “but it could be challenged.” “I don’t want to approve an ordinance that might be challenged,” Vazquez said. “I would rather fix it.” He and Adduci advocated placing a binding referendum on a future election ballot. “We need to do it right,” she said. Bachner disagreed and advocated approving an ordinance implementing term limits. “We should consider the referendum to be binding,” she said. “We have the authority.” Gillis and O’Connell supported placing a binding referendum on a future election ballot. With consensus trending toward placing a binding referendum on a future election ballot, the discussion turned to selecting a date. Keskitalo and Bachner advocated for the March primary ballot. “It’s frustrating to residents to keep moving it back and back,” Bachner said. O’Connell cited the December deadline for placing a referendum question on the March primary ballot to support his advocacy for the November general election. “We should take our time and do it right,” he said. “I don’t want to rush.” Adduci also advocated for the November general election due to the greater likelihood of a higher voter turnout. “We want more voters to come out,” she said. Six River Forest residents addressed the board during the citizen comment portion of the meeting, all of whom advocated adopting an ordinance on term limits and not holding another referendum. Margie Cekander asked, “Why wait?” and Dan Lauber asked, “Why not just adopt an ordinance?” Patty Henek said, “It makes no sense to schedule another referendum,” and Debbie Borman said, “Codifying is appropriate.” Phyllis Rubin called another referendum “a waste of tax dollars” and Stephanie Petersmarck added, “You’re wasting time and money.”
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
NO KINGS from page 6 These protests come as the Chicago area endures weeks of ramped-up federal immigration enforcement efforts via what Trump has called “Operation Midway
Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS Blitz,” regular confrontations between federal agents and protestors outside the ICE facility in nearby Broadview, the specter of out of state National Guard troops being deployed in the city and ongoing feuds between Trump and state and local leaders that have played out both in court and in the media. The Oak Park protest will take place in
Scoville Park and along Lake Street from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Protestors will gather in Forest Park at the same time in front of the Chicago Bulk Mail Center, not far from the currently unused Illinois National Guard headquarters on Roosevelt Road. As with the previous protests held in the villages, Saturday’s protests are part of a national series of demonstrations against Trump’s administration. More than 2,200 communities across the country will participate in the “No Kings” protests that day, according to Indivisible, one of the organizing groups behind the series of demon-
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strations. The largest of the metro area protests is expected to take place at Grant Park in Downtown Chicago beginning at noon. Other suburban communities holding protests include Arlington Heights, Evanston, Palatine, Gurnee, Elgin, Park Ridge, Wilmette and others. A “No Kings” protest is also scheduled for the Broadview ICE facility at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson signed an order last week requiring demonstrations at the facility to be over by 6 p.m.
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Donate at OakPark.com Lifting Up Small Businesses andtoday Disinvested Communities Growing Community Media is hosting a conversation between Mary Fran Riley and Bob Tucker Thursday, November 6th • 6:30 pm • Oak Park Public Library
Bob Tucker - President of Chicago Communty Loan Foundation
Mary Fran Riley - Director of Community Relations, Allies for Community Business
Small businesses are the heart of every community, but some have a harder time getting started and staying strong. Join us for an evening of insight and inspiration as Bob Tucker and Mary Fran Riley share what it takes to support local business in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Moderated by Growing Community Media’s Max Reinsdorf, this free event takes place November 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Oak Park Public Library.
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
1980-2025 – CELEBRATING 45 YEARS
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DISH ABOUT A DISH
Forest Park’s Habrae and its Kaeng Kua Seasonal special Thai curry that both the owners and diners crave By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Eats Reporter
Habrae restaurant, 7230 Madison St. in Forest Park, opened four years ago with the intention to feature desserts from Thailand. Owners Jumpol Prasitporn and Ussamee Sanmueanqchin live in Berwyn but are originally from Bangkok. They named their business by combining two words, hab and rae, which reference how street vendors carry food in Thailand. “We carry food in the basket. RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR The basket is called ‘hab.’ And Kaeng Kua – Pork belly curry special ‘re’ means travel,” Sanmueanqchin said. “So it’s like me put Kaeng Kua is a traditional curry dish. everything from Thailand in “We try to use the original ingredient,” Prasitporn said. the basket and carry to you “If you go to Thailand, you’re going to have the same taste.” guys.” habrae.com “It is perfect for the customer who can handle spicy and The desserts immediately love the coconut curry flavor, but it’s not too hot. The texture 7230 Madison St., Forest Park generated interest with vibrant is chewy and you will get a little bit sweet taste in there too,” colors, unique textures and balHours: Everyday Sanmueanqchin said. ance of sweet, salty and some11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The owners noted that other diners have balked at the times sour flavors. smell of fish sauce. But for Russell Jaffe it was just the sort “The desserts are very unique for the typical AmeriI love pork. Who doesn’t love of culinary adventure he was looking for. “It is very strong and very pungent. It’s very fishy. Spoiler can palate,” said Oak Parker pork belly?” alert, it’s from a fish! This is a dish where you can taste that Russell Jaffe. The dish is a specialty, made “People in this area not fawhen the chef can get her ingredient, but it still is sweet, flavorful, I mean, it’s just so miliar with the Thai dessert hands on fresh betel leaves, good. And it’s sweet; it’s sour; it’s spicy. This is a recipe, like, that much,” Prasitporn said. which have a warm, peppery, baby’s first fish sauce.” RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Upstairs from Habrae, the couple has another restaurant “So we add more food. We keep but slightly bitter taste – someHabrae owners Ussamee Sanmueanqchin and increasing the menu.” thing similar to arugula. “Thai concept going. Happy Izakaya opened in the past month On the first of several trips Jumpol Prasitporn with diner Russell Jaffe. food have a lot of ingredients serving sushi and other Japanese dishes in a festive, lanto the restaurant, Jaffe and his and very complicated,” San- tern-filled space. It fills a culinary gap on Madison Street. Coming to the end, we find ourselves where we startfamily picked savory dishes mueanqchin said. “Like chili, that they recognized from other Thai menus. like a ginger. And for the paste, have a lot of herbs in there. ed: with dessert. Jaffe says he has tried several, but the “Usually if I get Thai food, I get penang curry, which by And shrimp paste and fish sauce and palm sugar. Palm sug- sweet plus salty ones are his favorite, especially the saltthe way Habrae’s penang curry is insanely good,” Jaffe ar is different from the taste of regular sugar. You will get ed egg croissant. “It’s very unique. It is very sweet and it is very, very salty. said. “I started with that. Then I wanted to try something like a smooth – not too sweet. And coconut milk. I love the different. Kaeng Kua? This sounds good. Pork belly curry. curry so much, like a coconut curry.” I’ve never had anything like this. I loved it,” Jaffe said.
Get in on the flavor:
13 th Annual Casket Races
13th Annual 2025
Casket Races
Wedenesday Journal, October 15, 2025
Members of the team Cicada Speedsters participate in the annual Forest Park Casket Races last year. ERICA BENSON
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
13 th Annual Casket Races
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Wedenesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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‘Village of Cemeteries’ is dead serious about annual Casket Race taking place this Saturday ‘Pure joy,’ says Laurie Kokenes, Chamber leader By LEAH SCHROEDER Contributing Reporter
Forest Park, where the dead outnumber the living 56 to one, sure feels alive when residents crowd Beloit Avenue each year to watch the annual Casket Races. The tradition, which has been carried on since 2012, involves different teams creating a “casket car” with four handles and wheels, four runners and one rider. “It’s a nod to our unique cemetery history and it adds to that fun vibe that Forest Park is so well known for,” said Laurie Kokenes, executive director of Forest Park Chamber of Commerce and Develop-
ment, in an email statement to the Forest Park Review. “It brings the community together, celebrates art and creativity and it’s pure joy.” Kokenes said the event, which will be held the morning of Oct. 18, is one that Forest Park residents anticipate all year long. Many homeowners along Beloit Avenue hold Casket Race viewing parties in their homes. Vendors selling beverages, breakfast sandwiches and desserts also line the street. “It’s just plain fun,” Kokenes said. “See it once and you’ll be back every year, perhaps Continued on page 22
ERICA BENSON
Members of the team Dead Last in the annual Forest Park Casket Races in 2024.
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
13 th Annual Casket Races
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The Forest Park Police Department sprints for the finish line last year.
CASKET RACE from page 21 as a participant. It’s a great time to chat with neighbors and meet some new ones.” Trophies handcrafted by Forest Park Arts Alliance artists are awarded at the end of the race for first, second and third place, as well as “dead last,” funniest casket, creepiest casket and best house party along the course. This will be Forest Park resident Ian
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Pfaff ‘s fifth year participating in the race. He said his team, with the motto “all show, no go” consistently aims to win the award for creepiest casket. “(The casket is) typically way too heavy and way too big to be fast,” Pfaff said. “But we always make sure to come up with a new design each year and try to be bigger and crazier than the previous year.” Pfaff said his team enjoys encouraging crowd participation each year and seeing all of the “different personalities” of each casket. As for the team’s casket this year? Pfaff
ERICA BENSON
Cicada Speedsters (left), Christy Kutts of Chicago and Leah Textor of Oak Park, line up for the annual Casket Races last year.
Wedenesday Journal, October 15, 2025
13 th Annual Casket Races
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ERICA BENSON
Members of the team The British are Coming (left-right) John Lyons, Kristen Lyons, Teresa Molina Gonzalez, Brittany Tamal and Mark Ferraro prepare for their invasion.
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Crowds gather for the wake. said the plan “may or may not have something to do with a mind controlling alien from outer space.” “I love how many people show up,” Pfaff said. “I love how kind of just ridiculous it all is. I think it really captures the spirit of the community in a way that’s unique and fun and interesting, which is what I found Forest Park very much to be.” This year the races will begin at 11 a.m.
Prior to that, there will be vendors selling food and a parade of the caskets. After the race, there will be a kids and pets costume parade and trick or treating on Madison Street. “I love the creativity but mostly I get joy from the sea of smiling people all along the racecourse and the kids in costume all having a great day in Forest Park,” Kokenes said.
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13 th Annual Casket Races
ERICA BENSON
Members of the Sloan Bus prepare to be flushed. Bystanders can’t believe their eyes. And contestants practice ‘safety before speed.’
ERICA BENSON
13 th Annual Casket Races
Wedenesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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P R O P E R T Y
The following property transfers were reported by the Cook County Clerk from June 2025. Where addresses appear incomplete, for instance where a unit number appears missing, that information was not provided by the clerk.
OAK PARK ADDRESS
PRICE
SELLER
BUYER
303 N Marion Stk 119 S Ridgeland Avek 316 S Scoville Avek 600 N Euclid Avek 1132 Rossell Avek 917 Pleasant Stk 500 Washington Blvdk 340 S Kenilworth Stk 720 N Austin Blvdk 405 Wesley Avek 1115 N Harlem Avek 150 S Oak Park Avek 607 Washington Blvdk 432 Euclid Avek 631 Gunderson Avek 837 Erie Stk 803 N Oak Park Avek 119 Pleasant Stk 814 S Maple Avek 125 N Euclid Avek 644 Lake Stk 813 Lake Stk 420 Home Avek 228 N Oak Park Avek 827 Mapleton Avek 106 S Ridgeland Avek 938 Washington Blvdk 151 N Kenilworth Avek 224 N Kenilworth Avek 736 S Highland Avek 1121 S Elmwood Avek 922 S Taylor Avek 134 Percy Julian Sqk 1122 S Cuyler Avek 744 N Cuyler Avek 1170 S Highland Avek 255 South Blvdk 512 S East Avek 1051 N Taylor Avek 1125 Paulina Stk 407 N Marion Stk 1113 S Humphrey Avek 101 N Euclid Avek 840 S Humphrey Avek 115 Clinton Avek 612 S Oak Park Avek
$1,025,000 $1,050,000 $1,110,500 $1,125,000 $1,125,000 $1,600,000 $112,000 $120,000 $125,000 $147,000 $160,000 $162,000 $171,500 $176,000 $179,000 $196,000 $196,000 $198,000 $2,000 $221,000 $235,000 $245,000 $251,000 $252,000 $260,000 $275,000 $278,000 $335,000 $360,500 $375,000 $395,000 $400,000 $416,000 $435,000 $440,000 $455,000 $472,500 $501,000 $531,000 $549,500 $550,000 $550,000 $560,000 $586,500 $600,000 $600,000
Riley Kevin Hayden Kevin Groulx Heidi P Tr Louis Lisa Lau James N Tr 915-919 Pleasant Llc Jackson Kevin B Tr Bickley Keith A Lofton Glaston Thomas Clayton Marcia Tr Ramos Estrellita Q Mcnichols Thomas Chow Kevin Magana Anthony Joyner Nell L Est Fife David Marrs Gregory A Kidd Anthony Two Ton Holdings Llc Cox Bruce E Tr Surges Austen Solheim Jennifer Tsaf Prop Llc Blaisdell Sam Gilbert Chicago Title Land Trust Co Tr Parker John R Kelly Christine M Popowitz Elliot B Moriarty Charles Ward Kbs Prop Llc Oak Pk Series Land Trust Co Tr Tamillow Robert H Davis Corliss L Trathen Kathryn S Afl Hecm Llc Barlich Anthony D Nagano Jun Jones William L Sylvester Delewsky Richard Jay Olorunsola Margaret Tr Aikens Raymond Grt Llc Reeder Daniel Arthur Lee Brian S Smith A Thomas Fried Jason
Munoz Juan Bonomo Jamie Wilt Andi Melissa Chicago Title Land Trust Co Tr Jenkins Derell Asteria Llc Ammra Samer Pendola Kenneth Garcia Maria D Rodriguez Redisi Itzchel Vargas Sanchez Leslie Sherrod Jada J Kurek Robert J Villalpando Osmin Oscar Pappas Spencer C Michels Lauren Rodriguez Angel Enrique Ortiz Kirchhoff Maxwell V Hlede Vjekoslav Van Loon Kim Tamhane Meghana Shrikant Alvarez Ernesto Bojrab Ii Paul Kim Pio Leap Prop Inc Murphy Karyn Cousins Monica Friedman Elizabeth Ziegler James Yoo Samuel Scott-Haines Jonathan Oconnor James R Sanders Catherine Pluzhnyk Sergiy Christie Mary Lea Valdman Edon Patel Saumil Martinez Nicholas Spruit Gunnar Phillips Jade A Harrtich Nathan Head Jacob Steven Robinson Charles Brandon Singletary Lisa Johnson Jr Richard E Gold Jennifer
T R A N S F E R S
OAKPARK.COM
OAK PARK ADDRESS
PRICE
SELLER
BUYER
820 S Lyman Avek 22 Le Moyne Pkyk 235 S Marion Stk 630 N Lombard Avek 907 South Blvdk 715 South Blvdk 530 S Highland Avek 717 South Blvdk 643 Fair Oaks Avek 104 S Taylor Avek 300 S Austin Blvdk 818 N Euclid Avek 130 Le Moyne Pkyk 660 W Washington Blvdk 1117 Wisconsin Avek 518 N Euclid Avek 331 N Taylor Avek 941 Linden Avek 1129 N Elmwood Avek 414 N Elmwood Avek
$606,500 $610,000 $619,000 $620,000 $630,000 $645,000 $650,000 $653,000 $656,000 $685,000 $690,000 $735,000 $750,000 $78,000 $793,000 $860,500 $880,000 $909,000 $970,000 $990,000
Upshaw Heather M Rossen Peter Jeremy Grocholski Pawel Dungan Jeffrey Ferguson Kristin Eileen 717 S Blvd Llc Gerbie Jody L 717 S Blvd Llc Spivy Sara D Heidkamp Michael Tr Eyasu Debbiereneca R Myers Jessica Pugh Joseph Michael Han Seung Yup Douglas Christopher J Noonan Thomas Equitable Trust Co Gdn Ball Caroline Melaragno Keith F Tr Stenstrom Eric R
Knochenhauer Erin Marzullo Maya T Tr Browne Michael J Tr Blankenship Lisa Hull Michael U Shuster Jennifer Miriam Perugini & Sons Llc Mangelsdorf Iii Paul C Ali Moonis H Beazley Michael R 300 S Austin Llc Rao Anita Hulme-Lippert Robert Steven Dd3 Bldr Llc Viano Jeffrey D Kricke Gayle Elisa Tr Emanuel Marcus Rex Pinter Irene L Oren Mackenzie Worley John
RIVER FOREST 735 Clinton Pl 316 Franklin Ave 1411 Lathrop Ave 542 Thatcher Ave 1342 Jackson Ave 7200 Oak Ave 1540 Park Ave 1020 N Harlem Ave 1124 N Harlem Ave 424 Park Ave 8131 Lake St 17 Franklin Ave 1 Gale Ave 704 Monroe Ave 333 Ashland Ave 822 Forest Ave 1509 William St 545 Thatcher Ave 134 Ashland Ave 1422 Jackson Ave 551 William St 114 Ashland Ave 114 Ashland Ave 211 Ashland Ave 551 Park Ave 616 Bonnie Brae Pl 7968 Iowa St
$1,030,000 $1,040,000 $1,050,000 $1,500,000 $1,550,000 $160,000 $215,000 $267,000 $290,000 $300,000 $370,000 $435,000 $436,000 $475,000 $547,500 $550,000 $600,000 $610,000 $680,000 $722,000 $725,000 $725,000 $725,000 $730,000 $800,000 $821,000 $840,000
Keen Madeline E Tr Chauncey Patrick Mojonnier Deborah V Fellowes Catherine Extr Donatelli Jr Mark Reyes Michele Lapidus Michael J Kowalski Anna L Tr Wood Sydney K Jorge Joseph Kamm Klaire A Knutson Lori L Wolf Barry K Lau Fernando Hartzler James Delano Ashley Jochum Francis A Tr Flanagan Margaret Tr Heinimann Brian F Kenny Margaret F Tr Gelfand Vladimir I Angeloni Maria L Bgrs Llc Hosty John F Howell Gary W Brennaman R Dawn Bockus Keith
Moore Brian Dudgeon Ryan Zafeiropoulos Dimitrios Shirazi Aniseh Mulligan John Martz Aguilar Abraham A Aguilar Hernandez Mario I Brown Christian N Villanueva Larry Limon Yesenia Bates Kevin Brzeski Andrzej Mary Kay Nickels Trust Green Dev Llc Catrambone Mark Hunter Devon Yakonskyy Maksym Kirk Tyler Q Martin Jennifer Diamond Contandinos Giurini Ines X Bgrs Llc Donoghue John Baumann Devin Spirakes Jr Johnny S Pasquesi John Rogers Kevin Cameron
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TODD BANNOR
Building at 407 South Blvd., former home of Pieritz Brothers.
TODD BANNOR
OWNER OCCUPIED: Bill and Denise Scholtens are the owners of Elements Architectural Group and now of the former Pieritz Bros. building. A lustrous renovation of the exterior and interior of the building at Ridgeland and South is well along.
Historic preservation breathes new life into former Pieritz Bros. building Bill and Denise Scholtens, along with Elements Architectural Group, transform the block in more ways than one By LACEY SIKORA Real Estate Reporter
If you travel down Ridgeland Avenue in Oak Park, it’s unlikely you’ve missed the transformation of the corner of Ridgeland and South Boulevard playing out over the past two years. If you’ve been following carefully, you might have no-
ticed not only the building’s makeover at the hands of new owner Elements Architectural Group but also the signs of new businesses breathing life into the building. Hard to believe, but all of this progress started because Denise Scholtens just can’t stand to see a mess. A frequent customer of the building’s former, long-term tenant Pieritz Brothers, Scholtens recalled how sad she was when the office
TODD BANNOR
Ridgeland Avenue storefronts of the 407 South Blvd building. supply and stationery store closed in 2020. She noted that she was walking by the building and sad to see it in a derelict state. “Honestly, I kind of hate a mess,” she laughed. She told her husband Bill, owner of Elements, that they should buy the building for his office and rehabilitate it. The only problem was, it wasn’t for sale. As Bill recalled it, in February 2023 “I stopped by to talk to Rick at the comic book store. He told me it was already sold to a developer. I told him I wanted to buy the building and restore it. I gave him my card and thought I’d never hear about it again.” While walking through an airport in June he noticed that he missed several calls from the same phone number. He finally answered to find it was the building’s owner looking to make a deal. At the time, the 13,300-square-foot building was 83% See PIERITZ BROS. BUILDING on page 28
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
PIERTZ BROS. BUILDING
Ready for 2nd century from page 27
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM added. He is as passionate about historic preservation as he is about sustainability and says that the two do not need to be in conflict. In fact, some of the building’s original features were put in place in 1923 as early forms of climate control. Pivoting transom windows allow for fresh air exchange, 4x4 prism glass provides daylighting to cut back on electrical needs, and skylights do the same. Through the rehabilitation process, Scholtens got a crash-course in terra cotta preservation. The building’s distinctive terra cotta tiles were in need of much care and were very fragile, and in Scholtens’ words “kind of irreplaceable.” After finding a company in Connecticut that manufactured an all-natural stone
vacant. Originally built in 1923, the building officially belonged to the Scholtens on its 100th birthday. Their first order of business was converting what had been 13 small units into six, more-usable spaces. Elements’ architectural offices took over a large portion of the South Boulevard-facing space. Two retail spaces are currently being built out facing the corner and facing Ridgeland. Bill Scholtens said that Elements frequently works on sustainably-designed architecture projects and that bringing that into their new space was paramount. He wanted to create a model for net-zero energy rehabilitation. “People don’t know what that means. I’ve done it six times with other projects. I wanted to offer this as a model: ‘Here’s the problems, and TODD BANNOR here’s how I’ve solved them.’” Newly renovated interior space of Elements Architecture at The building is 407 South Blvd. now net-zero, and Scholtens can be seen discussing some of the measures he incor- cleaning product, Scholtens undertook the porated in the space here: https://www. painstaking process of cleaning 100 years youtube.com/watch?v=ZDOf2J0xCk8 of train soot from the fragile tile. At the While finding a sustainable new home end of the process, he has people asking for his office that employs a team of 10 ar- him for advice. “I am the terra cotta spechitects and interior designers was always cialist now,” he said. a goal, Scholtens could not have predicted While Denise Scholtens has a day job how excited he is to track their sustain- as a biostatistician, she worked alongside ability progress. Bill to envision the role that the building “One of the things I’m really, really ex- could play in the community. cited about is that we’re going to crush “Living here on the east side of Oak our net zero goals,” he said. Solar edge Park, there’s not a lot of walkable places,” software keeps him informed to the min- she said. “Along with Bill’s studio, we ute on the building’s energy expenditures. want to provide restful places for life toSo far this year, the building has created gether. We’re looking for a reason for the 21.6 megahertz of energy and has used community to come back to this space.” only 11.4 megahertz. Their flagship corner unit is already “Those numbers will change as we move rented out to Three-Fold bakery, which into the cooler months, but I’m pretty sure will offer coffee and croissants. The Scholwe’ll end the year energy positive,” he tens are in talks with potential other busi-
TODD BANNOR
William and Denise Scholtens of Elements Architecture in their newly renovated office space at 407 South Blvd. on Sept. 26.
TODD BANNOR
Newly renovated interior space of Elements Architecture at 407 South Blvd. nesses, and hope to turn the second-floor apartments into Airbnb units to allow Oak Parkers to have family come and visit. “We want to further the hospitality mission,” Bill Scholtens said. “This building is meant to be used. All the better if we can share it with a greater number of people.” He says that he and Denise love the design of restaurants and spaces they see
in the city, adding, “We’re dying for places like that in Oak Park. We just want to raise and elevate the whole quality and standards of Oak Park.” With their investment in the corner of Ridgeland and South, they hope to be well on their way to achieving that goal. One of Bill’s clients recently offered the highest praise of the space, saying, “This is going to change the culture of Oak Park.”
Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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VIEWPOINTS
Let sleeping cars lie
couple weeks ago, the village sent out reminders to residents who hadn’t yet bought their vehicle license — that $74 virtual sticker that lets you park on the street during the day. If you’ve lived here longer than a cup of coffee, you know parking in Oak Park is more divisive than naming the best burger in town (it’s Carnivore, and I will die on that hill). The $74 doesn’t bother me. What does is our overnight parking ban. For the uninitiated, Oak Park doesn’t allow parking on the street between 2:30 and 6 a.m. — unless you request an overnight pass. You get three for free each month, and then it’s $7 per night after that. There are two main reasons we’re told this rule exists. One is safety — the idea being that if a police officer sees a car parked on the street in the middle of the night, it’s either suspicious or belongs to someone who’s about to get a $50 reminder to move it. The second reason, though less often said out loud, is housing density. Limiting overnight parking helps discourage homeowners from carving up single-family homes into multi-units. Fewer parking options, fewer renters — simple math. Now both reasons make sense in theory. But in practice, we’ve got a fairness problem. Enforcement of the overnight parking ban is directly tied to how dense your neighborhood is. If you live near apartments, your odds of getting a ticket are sky-high. If you’re on a block of single-family homes, you’re probably safe. It’s not that one group is breaking the rules more — it’s just more efficient for the police to ticket in dense areas. Efficient, yes. Fair, not even close. So here’s the deal: either enforce the ban consistently or get rid of it. Option 1: Enforce it Hire an overnight parking team whose only job is to write tickets from 2:30 to 6 a.m. The revenue would more than cover their salaries, and the police could focus on more pressing issues than catching a Honda Accord sleeping curbside. And honestly, we don’t need much infrastructure to make this happen. We live near two colleges — hand a few students an e-bike, a stack of ticket books, and a case of Celsius, and you’ll have the most motivated enforcement squad in the western suburbs. Option 2: End it Let residents buy an annual overnight parking pass for, say, $1,000. That’s cheaper than what many pay now for off-street spots. Cap how many are sold per block and keep parking to one side of the street. Simple. And if we ended the ban, we’d probably see more people converting their garages — not their basements — into useful spaces like home offices, gyms, or extra rooms for kids. The average Oak Park garage is about 20-30% larger than the home’s primary bedroom. I like my car, but it probably doesn’t need more space to sleep than I do. Look, people will always argue about parking here. But the current system isn’t working. Either we care enough to enforce the overnight ban fairly, or we admit it’s an outdated rule that should fade quietly into the Oak Park night — right around 2:30 a.m. Vince Gay has over 20 years of experience in education, ranging from classroom teacher to building administrator. The proud parent of two school-aged children, he has been an active member of the Oak Park community for more than a decade.
VINCENT GAY
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Jack Crowe: This is America ... on ICE
p. 31
Two ways to defend democracy
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emocracy has been under assault this year in a way that none of us have experienced in our lifetimes. Many of us feel hamstrung, but here are two tangible things you can do in the next week to defend democracy: The national Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is accepting public comments on a proposal by the America First Legal Foundation to require voters to show a passport or other proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote. America First is the nonprofit conservative public interest organization founded by President Trump’s top aide Stephen Miller. The League of Women Voters has opposed this and other attempts to restrict voting by requiring citizenship proof. And it has joined with other organizations in a lawsuit to block this proposal. Such a requirement could disenfranchise rural voters, students, women and people of color. Obtaining proof of citizenship can be expensive. Many voters don’t have passports. Married women who changed their name face complications. Students living at school and young people living away from home likely don’t carry their paperwork with them. And states already have effective processes for checking citizenship before people who register are added to the voting rolls. You can register your concern at the EAC website. The commission is accepting public comment, but only through Oct. 20 (https:// www.regulations.gov/commenton/EAC-20250236-0001). Not sure what to say? Here are some sug-
gestions from the U.S. League as well as more background on the issue (https://www.lwv. org/take-action/urge-eac-notrequire-documentary-proofcitizenship#:~:text=US%20 Passport.,how%20to%20submit%20a%20comment). Meanwhile the League of Women Voters is a sponsor of the upcoming No Kings 2 protest on Saturday, Oct. 18. Our chapter will join other groups assembling at Scoville Park beginning at 11 a.m. There also is a protest downtown in Grant Park at noon. The League is a nonpartisan organization. Our top priority is defending democracy and we oppose masked federal agents who are detaining immigrants under deplorable conditions and deporting them, all without due process. We are appalled at those federal agents who are shooting pepper spray and rubber bullets at people exercising their right to protest. And we are concerned about the presence of federal troops and the idea of staging the military against American citizens and turning cities into battlegrounds. These acts of authoritarianism sorely test our democracy. Attending a protest might feel like shouting into the wind. But showing up at such an event can make a difference. The League’s United and Rise initiative hopes to engage and mobilize 8.5 million voters nationwide against the anti-democratic actions of the administration. The number 8.5 million is the estimated number of voters it would take to bring about change through nonviolent protest. Beverly Tuck & Judith Crown are co-presidents of the League of Women Voters of Oak Park and River Forest.
BEVERLY TUCK JUDITH CROWN One View
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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A sliver of hope
t was a moment in which it seemed a small measure of normalcy and decency was returned to our shared lives in Oak Park. Federal prosecutors representing a Department of Justice that has been fully perverted by President Donald Trump did the actual right thing when they dismissed charges against Paul Ivery, a young Oak Park man with intellectual disabilities who had been caught up in protests at the ICE detention facility in Broadview. By that time, though, Ivery had been arrested, interrogated, held in custody for four nights before he finally faced a humane Northern District of Illinois judge who derided prosecutors for insisting on harsh conditions for a pretrial release. Judge Gabriel Fuentes certainly telegraphed his views to prosecutors when he ordered Ivery immediately released pending trial. A week later, saying they had finally reviewed Ivery’s disabilities, the feds dropped the charges. The judge thanked them. He also thanked the federal public defender for his compassionate defense of Mr. Avery. And he acknowledged the impact that a rising tide of Oak Park support had on him. Never doubt that judges read the letters of support that are submitted to them, he said. We are in a moment when cruelty is the currency of the Trump administration. In this single instance we see some sign that all is not lost in pursuing American values this vital village shares.
Things we like We’d heard the worries that a helicopter had been hovering over the Eisenhower for hours and hours. Of course, people assumed it was ICE. Well, positive news: The helicopter belongs to the Cook County Sheriff and has been monitoring only the low-lifes who have taken to driving on the shoulders of the interstates. We have taken such dangerous actions as a further sign of the end of civilization, so we’re glad to see that the sheriff ’s department is on this case, and has been over several months. The closure this week of The Buzz is sad news. We’ll take this moment though to celebrate The Buzz and its inventor and determined curator Laura Maychruk who sold the business a couple of years ago. The Buzz was the core of the Arts District/Irving/el riding/ bike riding neighborhood. Maychruk breathed life into The Buzz but also into the amorphous concept of an arts district. As the leader of that district for decades, Maychruk lured entrepreneurs, launched events, outlasted the Kleronomos family, which kept multiple retail spaces vacant forever, and she always shared the limelight. We’d say there would not be an Arts District if there wasn’t a Buzz.
V I E W P O I N T S
No Kings, but maybe one billionaire
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his Saturday is the next “No Kings” rally against the reign of an authoritarian with delusions of monarchical grandeur. This country began by rebelling against just such an unjust monarchy, and 250 years later another wannabe royalist wants to re-establish it. And we get to exercise our First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly to say what we think of Himself and his aspirations. The Oak Park protest takes place, in and around Scoville Park, Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you haven’t attended one of these, it might do you good, or at least make you feel less alone. The clever hand-held, handmade signs and the energized camaraderie will lift your spirits. It’s important right now not to feel isolated during the haughty onslaught of Trump’s autocracy, as he and his henchmen dismantle the democracy they detest and that we hold dear. Their reign of domestic terrorism is oppressive and depressive. Turning out to see and be seen is an excellent antidote. It is essential that we stay sane, even while we suffer an insane, corrupt and incompetent president, just as our forebears started a revolution against an insane, corrupt and incompetent king. But I have to admit, I was dismayed to see that the event is titled, “No Kings, No Billionaires.” That was well-intentioned but ill-advised. Our governor, JB Pritzker, is a billionaire. He comes from a wealthy family, notable for its generous philanthropy. He’s also emerging as a leading Democratic candidate for president in 2028 because he’s one of the few Democrats who forcefully and publicly condemn the outrages of Virtual King Donald and his clown troupe of storm troopers. Pritzker is aggressively defiant, which is just what we need. He doesn’t hesitate to point out that Trump’s declining mental state warrants a 25th Amendment intervention. He is also attempting to block Trump’s inhumane and undemocratic policies, and has done so emphatically, which is a refreshing change of pace for a party that suffers from terminal tentativity and pathological politeness. When Donald Trump tries to run for a third term, who is going to stop him? Certainly not the Supreme Court. Bernie Sanders, a national treasure, can’t do it. Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris? Right now, JB Pritzker looks like a better bet. So “No Billionaires” is not a good slogan to adopt right now. We need all the help we
can get. There are plenty of reasons to mistrust billionaires. Their extravagant wealth insulates them from the realities the rest of us face. Their “success” can make them arrogant. They lose the “common touch” with ordinary Americans. If Donald Trump and Elon Musk represent billionaires at their worst, Pritzker makes a strong case for billionaires at their best. We don’t “need” a billionaire to battle a billionaire, but a billionaire with a clue shouldn’t be disqualified because of his wealth. And Pritzker has a clue. He’s not the first. Teddy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt came from great family wealth. Yet they did more to make life better for more Americans than anyone except Abraham Lincoln. They didn’t do it because of their wealth. They did it because they had a clue — and because FDR had a First Lady who helped keep him on track (though Eleanor, too, came from wealth). JFK was another who could have been a great president if fate hadn’t intervened. Having a clue means using your wealth and power to help people instead of just helping yourself. Pritzker fearlessly stands up to Trump when too many are biding their time or caving in. Pritzker raises my morale every time he stiffens his spine and goes after His Biliousness. So I can go along with “No Clueless Billionaires” as a slogan but “No Billionaires Period” loses me. We need someone who can rise to this occasion, and Pritzker is the only one who has cleared my (admittedly elevated) bar so far. Democrats, liberals and progressives sometimes get undermined by the purity of our principles and the absoluteness of our ideals. We should vigorously oppose rich guys who use their wealth to purchase power for self-aggrandizement, but not when they use it to help people, and Pritzker has a track record of doing that. Money has deeply infected our electoral process, but we won’t change that by refusing to vote for rich guys with a clue and allowing rich assholes to fill that void instead. Whether Trump runs again or not, that’s precisely who MAGA will be supporting in the foreseeable future: rich white pompous asses. I don’t know how many “good” billionaires are out there, but I will gladly make an exception for at least one.
KEN
TRAINOR
V I E W P O I N T S
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This is America on ICE
grew up a few blocks from the ICE Detention Facility off 25th Avenue, just south of the Eisenhower Expressway in Broadview. That made my visit to the Detention Facility protest this past Friday even more surreal. I’d read about what happened the Friday before. When ICE tear-gassed peaceful protestors for the benefit of the visiting director of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. She had watched an ICE police riot develop from her rooftop perch, next to a sharpshooter with a rifle on a tripod. Hoping for a good TikTok video. And then there were the troubling stories about Oak Parkers being charged with felonies by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago for “assaulting” ICE agents who had fired rubber bullets point blank. Shadows of Chicago police at the 1968 Democratic Convention. And then during the week, I had heard troubling detention stories. Hispanic-looking people being picked up by ICE at Home Depot in the nearby Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Chicago. Legal status irrelevant. And detained at the Broadview ICE facility in cells with a
JACK CROWE
dozen other people. No beds. For several days. Never fingerprinted or photographed. But pressured by ICE to sign some kind of self-deportation document. Or else being sent to Sudan. And finally getting hustled into a car, and dropped during the night at a gas station somewhere in Broadview. Phone not returned. This is America. So I resolved to go to Broadview this past Friday. And at
least be a witness. Here’s what I saw: A friend from Oak Park handed me a wrist bracelet, the kind made at Bead in Hand in the Harrison Arts District. It had a beaded phone number to call in case I got detained. Lots of pastors and church leaders. Lots of people singing. “Amazing Grace.” Praying the Our Father. Taking Communion. Praying for the detained and the ICE agents. A few young people dressed in black and using bad language. Cussing out. Giving the finger whenever a car with Texas plates entered. The Illinois State Police and Cook County Sheriffs were on the closed street and strongly
pushed back the first-time protesters who stepped a foot beyond the cement barriers. Their orders must have been: do not allow ICE to generate videos of “lawlessness” to support Trump invoking the Insurrection Act. The crowd stayed behind the barriers for the rest of the morning. Chanting. Singing. A little dancing. There were strong emotions. A med student who brought her tearful mother. A father with his high school senior daughter. Two Oak Park women, one an ICE protest veteran and the other a newbie. A guy from Logan Square. Folks from Evanston. And beyond. All concerned about how ICE was treating those they detained. Concerned about the direction of the country. This is America. And it’s time to respond, peacefully, like Martin Luther King would want.
Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025 W E D N E S D A Y
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Viewpoints Guidelines The goal of the Viewpoints section is to foster and facilitate a community conversation and respectful dialogue. Responsible community voices are vital to community journalism and we welcome them. Space is at a premium and readers’ attention is also limited, so we ask that Viewpoints submissions be brief. Our limit for letters to the editor is 350 words. For One View essays, the limit is 500 words. Shorter is better. If and when we have sufficient space, we print longer submissions, but when space is limited — as it often is — we may ask you to submit a shorter version or hold the piece until space allows us to print it. We reserve the right to edit submissions. We do not have time to allow the writer to review changes before publication. We also do not have time to do more than superficial fact-checking, and because of our national epidemic of misinformation and conspiracy theories, when writers include statistical evidence to support their opinions, we require them to include the source of that information, such as credible websites, print publications, titles of articles and dates published, etc. Be as specific as possible so that we and our readers have some way of assessing the credibility of your claims. Links may also be included for the online version. We follow the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics: seek the truth and report it and minimize harm. As a result, we will do our best not to publish pieces that espouse doubtful or debunked theories, demonstrate harmful bias, or cross the line into incivility. While we will do our best not to engage in censorship, we also do not intend to be used as a platform for misinformation. Your sources for fact-checking are a critical step in keeping the discourse honest, decent and respectful. All submissions must include your first and last name and the municipality in which you live, plus a phone number (for verification only). We do not publish anonymous letters. One View essays should include a sentence at the end about who you are. If we receive your submission by 5 p.m. on Sunday, you can expect your opinion to be included in that week’s paper (and online), space permitting.
Pieces can be submitted through our online form at oakpark.com or directly to Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor, ktrainor@wjinc.com. For the latter, we prefer attached Word files or plain text included in the email. LETTER TO THE EDITOR ■ 350-word limit ■ Must include first and last
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
Who is leading our moral outcry?
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ongregations Networking for Social Justice has recently co-hosted the HandsOff Rally, the No Kings Rally, and the Good Trouble Rally in Oak Park, demonstrating our support of the Constitution and the Rule of Law. We are back in Scoville Park this Saturday, Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for #No Kings #No Billionaires. Who is this group leading our moral outcry? In 2021-22 several members of four congregations concerned about justice and antiracism came together to share resources and form a network. We hosted a meeting at the library to identify key issues of Success and Challenge. From there we created a quarterly newsletter for a growing database. We promoted a Human Library with tabletop discussions of Climate Change, Immigration, LGBTQ, and Anti-Racism. The Working Group became nine members from seven congregations. By 2023 we were supporting awareness of Gun Violence in cooperation with Moms Demand Action and the banner campaign, “Imagine a World without Gun Violence.” Soon afterward we hosted Disparities and Determinants of Health and Wellness at an area church Early in 2024 more and more migrants were arriving in Chicago and some arrived at Oak Park Village Hall seeking assistance. Area congregations immediately stepped up with food, clothing and housing. Local nonprofits were mobilized to do more. Our standing-room-only meeting at the library for Oak Park’s Response to Migrants was well received and more people volunteered. Voter registration was key for the fall elections. Members volunteered to write postcards, canvass neighboring states, and at Early Voting where the lines were long. Our
quarterly newsletters broadcast events and resources to 130+. Our Working Group became a solid 12. Immediately after the election, we thought about the huge divide between Red and Blue. We called upon Braver Angels to facilitate a workshop to promote better skills for communicating with family members or friends who didn’t share our alarm. Next we hosted two workshops: “Countering Disinformation in Digital Spaces” and “Creating a Data Security Toolkit,” which were met by appreciative audiences at our Main Library. We also responded with our feet: taking action by joining the nationwide efforts of MoveOn and Indivisible to loudly protest! In September we coordinated with several local organizations and congregations in order to host pre-screenings and discussions of the documentary, A Binding Truth. It is the compelling story of building relationships by truth-telling about the legacy of slavery and our current racial divide. The film will be released this month on PBS. Currently we are making an effort to reach out to those of you who have other networks and would be willing to increase the connection among various organizations. We can link those concerned about reparations and criminal justice, such as Walk-the-Walk and Together is Better Alliance. There is interest in reaching area veterans to hear their views of the policy impacts on their oath to the Constitution. Another small group is working to create a public document expressing all of our concerns at this moment in our history. For more information or to share your energy, please contact: justicenetwork.op@ gmail.com Cynthia Breunlin, an Oak Park resident and member of Congregations Networking for Social Justice, wrote this on their behalf.
CYNTHIA BREUNLIN One View
Farewell, Buzz Cafe
My first memory of Buzz Cafe goes back to the early 2000s when I was a student at OPRF: my musician friend testing his chops for the first time by playing at The Buzz. Later, my wife and I would stop by for coffee and admire a local artist’s painting of a sunset that hung on the wall. We loved it so much we ended up buying it, even though we were broke college graduates at the time. That painting still adorns our wall as a cherished reminder of
those days. Later, when our kids were little, we’d stop in for treats after sledding at Barrie Park in the winter. Buzz became my go-to spot for coffee, and their almond croissants were addicting. When it was sold to Kribi, the vibe shifted and the place never felt quite the same, but I’ll always remember what it once was and what it meant to me.
Michael Daracz Oak Park
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Wake up in ‘Woke Park’
I felt compelled to respond to a recently run opinion piece concerning “Woke Park” [Viewpoints, Oct. 1]: Hi Mark, I’ve lived in Oak Park for years and let me tell you what I experience. I live in a community governed by care for all human beings where we don’t live in ignorance and fear of anyone slightly different than ourselves. We don’t support a campaign of cruelty by a pathetic wannabe dictator whose administration revels in the bigotry and harm they’re imposing on fellow human beings. You’re scared of yard signs because they espouse progressive and not ignorant values? You’re more than welcome to move to a community that embraces your wannabe dictator with yard signs reveling in hate and bigotry. You also seem scared of books written by anyone without your narrow world view. No one is forcing you to read anything, but typical conservative that you are, you feel the need to impose your bigoted views on others and limit what should be read. You complain about the schools being only very good? Move to a red state where education is far worse if you’d like to. And yes, educated people who care about others have long been concerned with poor police interactions with the community. Complaining about lessening greenhouse gases seems like an odd complaint but conservatives today are unserious
bigots who only focus on silly culture wars. I live someplace where we don’t choose hatred and bigotry but acceptance and inclusion. Yes, we don’t support the cruelty of ICE who are doing nothing but instilling fear into the communities of good hardworking families. Tell us more about how ripping naked children out of bed in the middle of the night (as agents responded with glee on the South Shore) makes us better or safer. Also, it turns out you need tax revenue to build a shining community. Feel free to move to a low-tax Republican area and see how your experience with services and schools differs. Your last comment about dogs at Farmers Market is strange and keeping with the angry, unhinged nature of Republicans today. I for one, am happy to live in a place where we lead with acceptance and kindness, and make decisions using facts not cruelty and bigotry. You complain so much about Oak Park yet have had the opportunity to leave for decades, and haven’t taken it. Turns out it’s actually a pretty great and special place, and those who use the term “woke” derisively generally have nothing other than ignorance and bigotry to espouse.
Cyrus Guzdar Oak Park
A tale told by tombstones
Join the Historical Society of Oak ParkRiver Forest for the 34th Annual “Tale of the Tombstones” Cemetery Walk on Sunday, Oct. 19. Take a walking tour of Forest Home Cemetery, featuring actors portraying some of the notable people laid to rest there. This year’s theme is “American Dreams ... American Nightmares.” Costumed actors will tell the stories from the grave of past residents who made their fortunes in our villages and lived what many consider the American Dream. Victims of the Eastland disaster and Iroquois Theatre fire will be among the nightmares portrayed. Visitors can amble through this historic and beautiful cemetery, led by trained guides who will point out impressive monuments, mysterious symbols, and burial traditions that span 150 years.
Tours depart from the cemetery’s main gate in 10-minute intervals between 12 and 1:30 p.m., and will last approximately 1.5 hours. Advance registration is highly recommended, and those who have not registered in advance may be turned away. When purchasing tickets, please select an available tour time. We may contact you to adjust your chosen time based on availability. Tickets are $25 or $20 for members and may be purchased in our online History Store, by calling 708-848-6755, or in the OPRF Museum Gift Shop, Lombard and Lake, during regular museum hours. Questions? Call of visit oprfhistorymatters@sbcglobal.net.
Frank Lipo
Executive director
V I E W P O I N T S
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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Timely topics in health care Medicaid is a government program designed to help low-income people pay for medical care. It is jointly funded by the states and the federal government. Congress has passed a bill (“One Big Beautiful Bill” OBBB) that will reduce federal Medicaid funding by 15 percent over the next decade.* This will raise premiums to the extent that 11.8 million Americans will lose health-care coverage, and this figure will rise to 17 million by 2034. Analysts from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania estimate that about 50,000 preventable deaths will occur annually. Rural areas, with a disproportionate rate of poverty will be hit hardest, and safety-net hospitals (those serving predominantly low-income populations) will inevitably have to close. Tylenol and Autism Twenty percent of pregnant women experience fever during pregnancy. Especially if the fever is 102 degrees or greater, the risks for the fetus are important. These include premature births, developmental anomalies such as heart disease, and neurodevelopmental problems such as spina bifida. Fevers from any cause should be brought
down quickly. Tylenol is the medication of choice and reduces the odds of bad pregnancy outcomes dramatically. Does Tylenol cause autism? Some research has found an association between pregnant women taking Tylenol and the eventual risk of autism in the fetus. Critics of these studies point out that they failed to take into account confounding variables (inapparent factors that make conclusions unreliable) such as genetics.** On the other hand, repeated studies, which include millions of observations of pregnancies, conclude that Tylenol is safe in pregnancy. Sweden maintains a health registry that is second to none. Using this source, American researchers examined the medical records of 2.5 million Swedish children, followed them for an average of 20 years, and concluded that the use of Tylenol by pregnant women is safe. A study from Japan followed 200,000 children and reached the same conclusion. Authoritative bodies that accept the conclusions of this research include the Ameri-
can Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Nevertheless, our president, with the health secretary at his side, has exhorted pregnant women not to take Tylenol during pregnancy under any circumstances. Pregnant women who follow this advice risk a plethora of fetal abnormalities if they refrain from taking Tylenol when they have a fever or severe pain. Another adverse effect in women who take the president’s position seriously is the guilt and anxiety that may attend Tylenol-using women who have autistic children. Even physicians who think Tylenol is safe in pregnancy caution against injudicious use of the drug by pregnant women. As with all interventions in medicine, a cost/benefit analysis is paramount. The data overwhelmingly favor responsible use of Tylenol in pregnancy for fevers and severe pain. The non-nuanced advice of two non-physicians is inappropriate — and wrong. *The OBBB is estimated to raise the
JAMES WHALEN One View
It’s ICE cold and getting hotter
It’s Oct. 3 as I compose this, and it’s hot (88 degrees) and sunny. Surely “normal” weather is somewhere in the not-too-distant future here in the Chicago area. Climate chaos is the new normal, so it seems. Another dramatic departure from the normal rhythms of life, both here in Oak Park and in many other parts of the U.S., has clearly made its presence felt. It’s a chilling presence. Unlike the weather that will revert from hot to chilly before long, this presence is still heating up, in an ICE-cold way. And it is aggressive. Also, clearly above any laws. Going on nine months ago, somehow, shockingly, and now very unsettlingly (for most of the electorate), the guy who staged a televised, live-streamed attempt to overthrow our government in order not to have to leave the White House after losing the November, 2020 election was not held to account. Never arrested, let alone charged or prosecuted. Why not? How reckless a dereliction of duty by the previous administration! He is now mainlining revenge like a junkie. On mostly Brown people. But actually, on the entire country, regardless of skin color as this horror show
national debt by $3 trillion over the next decade. **Genetic factors play a significant role in the development of autism. References ■ Adam Gaffney, MD, et al. “Projected Effects of Proposed Cuts in Federal Medicaid Expenditures on Medicaid Enrollment, Uninsurance, Heath Care, and Health,” Annals of Internal Medicine. September 2025, Volume 178, Number Nine, pages 1334-1345. ■ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/ PMC4550866/ ■ https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ is-acetaminophen-safe-during-pregnancy-202110292627 ■ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/ jama/fullarticle/2817406 ■ https://www.google.com/search?q=effec t+of+cuts+in+medicaid&oq=&aqs=chrome. 0.35i39i362l7j35i39i362i813.2837j0j15&sourceid =chrome&ie=UTF-8 ■ https://edhub.ama-assn.org/jn-learning/audio-player/19006030 Dr. James Whalen is an Oak Park resident. This first appeared in his blog, The Medical Beat.
Who is the real enemy within?
is staged far and wide. As though following the Third Reich playbook of the early 1930s, his ICE forces and even our military are roaming major cities (mostly Blue, with Black mayors) terrorizing communities, arresting people without warrants and “disappearing” them. Habeas Corpus? Due process? Our Constitution has been rendered null and void. The 1st, 4th and 14th amendments are especially being violated. This break from normal governance operates way outside of any proscribed laws. As a military veteran, I am appalled that the generals allow this lawlessness. They took an oath to defend the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. They need to re-visit that oath, as well as those 1st, 4th and 14th (section 3) amendments. This could have been so easily avoided. But it is here and not going away until forced to do so. The mid-terms? That’s 13 months away. Not that far off, but then again, given the increasing quotidian chaos, light years in the distance.
Re: “No, President Trump, Chicagoans are not the enemy within.” Chicago Tribune, Oct. 1, 2025: As President Trump grows ever bolder in his thirst for dictatorial control over the U.S., he ignores laws, judicial verdicts, and the U.S. Constitution. His appointees are subservient toadies who will blindly obey any order, no matter how absurd. For example, Trump wants to invade Portland because he saw 5-year-old footage of demonstrations on Fox “News,” although none are happening now. The Supreme Court is complicit in Trump’s overthrow of American democracy, and Congressional Republicans are morally bankrupt cowards. Who can stop this horrifying onslaught? I have often thought that our last hope is the U.S. military, although Trump is rapidly replacing soldiers with sycophants. I was astonished to see Trump instructing a room filled with hundreds of top military brass saying, “We should use some of the dangerous American [i.e., Democratic] cities as training grounds for our military.” Trump proposes that American military should shoot innocent American citizens, and the room was silent! If there are any true patriots left in the military, they should depose this wannabe dictator. Are the generals too well-off to care about their country? When soldiers are sent into American cities and told to shoot innocent civilians for the enjoyment of Donald Trump, will they “just follow orders”? Or will they see what this is about and refuse? Our democracy now hangs by a thread of human decency. Will it snap?
Oak Park
Oak Park
Joseph Harrington
Tom DeCoursey
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gap forms in the halting, eastwest traffic gliding slowly on 12th Street. From the Oak Park side, I run through the opening southward, skipping between a paused Ford truck and a drifting Mazda SUV. I still move comfortably at 71 as I enter the neighborhood where I ran until 17. The numbers in my age switch places. My mind’s normal flow of images reverses from outside-in to inside-out. A blue sign up to my left proclaims, “Clarence Avenue.” The Burger King to my right greets me like it did when Ken Sidorowicz and I walked there at night to talk and wolf down fries. A familiar, brown bungalow down the block calls out, “Hey Richie!” I imagine its door opening … Colorful, T-shirted figures, some wearing black gym shoes, others red sneakers, bolt past me down the concrete steps like kids going out to play. On this side of Roosevelt, in Berwyn, I’m a different guy in a different time. Nostalgia is a powerful, ironic force; its banality belies the intensity of its Greek roots. The current Oxford definition describes it as a “sentimental longing for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.” But these roots are not so Little-Houseon-the-Prairie-like. “Nostos” refers to homecoming, but “algos” refers to pain. In fact, nostalgia was first coined by a Swiss physician to capture the anxieties experi-
I would like to welcome Josh Vander Berg back to Oak Park after what apparently was a long trip away from the village. I assume he was gone because if he was here, he would have heard that the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) didn’t mention any of the “usual NIMBY complaints” that Mr. Vander Berg imagined when discussing 1025 South Blvd. [Preservation is not progress, Viewpoints, Oct. 8] If he were at the meetings, he would have heard the HPC listen to the developer,
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Across Twelfth Street enced by mercenaries fighting far from their homelands. Those anxieties manifested symptoms of physical and psychological disease. Homesickness was just that. When I left Berwyn in my late teens, I didn’t experience the warm version of nostalgia. Instead, for many years into my 40s, I tried to transcend being from there at all. Homesickness for me was something I tried to immunize myself from by stuffing my young, Berwyn self into deep, psychological shadows. Doing so made me freer to excel professionally and to bond with folks with more sophisticated, progressive backgrounds. But even then, nostalgia’s challenges weren’t new: They first reared their heads when I was 13. When my parents sent me from Berwyn to Fenwick as a freshman, I got my first taste of being seen as backward in the eyes of middle- and upper-middle-
class kids. Some of my teammates on the Friars baseball team called me “the greaser.” I did wear those pointed-toe shoes to school. I guess the kid from across Roosevelt carried himself differently from the guys from Oak Park and River Forest. I missed my friends who had gone to Morton West. Dad let me transfer there as a junior. But on my first day at Morton, in “M” Hall, I got into a fight. So much for going home again! A guy who had been ambling with his friends behind me stepped around in front of me and punched me in the face. He accused me of walking in front of him. Stunned, I was still able to get him into a headlock after the momentum from his thrown punch brought him in low. I held the headlock, spun him into the door of a locker and punched him repeatedly in his ribs. His friends jumped in: “OK, it’s over.” Someone yelled “Magro’s coming!”
RICH KORDESH One View
Here’s what actually happened
and many residents describe the proposal. He must have been on a long trip because the HPC meetings occurred on Dec. 12, 2024; Jan. 9, 2025; March 27, 2025; May 22, 2025; and July 24, 2025. Five meetings in which the commissioners discussed the guidelines such as Scale (height and width of the building); Building (form and massing); Architectural Elements (relative to surrounding buildings); Materials (and compatibly with the neighboring area). Traffic? There was never a mention of
traffic, crowding or affordability. If he had subscribed to Wednesday Journal, he would have read the accurate descriptions of the meetings that followed each of the meetings. If he had watched or tuned into any of the videos that the village makes available for all of the public meetings, he would have heard the commissioners discussing these guidelines and heard the many residents speak out about the many ridiculous aspects of the proposal. He probably
(Mr. Magro, I learned, was the school’s disciplinarian). People scattered. Someone ran off with my Latin book. I went on to class. Nostalgia is complicated; it’s more than a longing for a happier time. It’s also missing who you were when you were there, even if it was hard to be you at the time. It can walk you into a punch. Inner work and writing about the early days have caught me up with the boys and men I used to be. For almost 30 years, I’ve been an Oak Parker. I didn’t have to let go of the past to love it here. In fact, I made peace with it and brought the evolving Berwyn guy with me. Oak Park had, in fact, begun to bring that young man into the bold visions it framed of a strong, thriving multiracial community in the early ’70s. As I’ve written elsewhere (Peeling Back the Layers of Racial Bias, Wednesday Journal, Feb. 10, 2021), I was only 20 when, as a first-year master’s student in community development, I interned for a year in the Community Relations Department. I was so inspired by the way the village stepped out ahead of the other suburbs on race that I knew no matter where my graduate education and career took me, if I were ever going to come back to the Chicago area, it would be Oak Park. And that’s what happened. In 1996, I returned with a wife and four kids, purchasing a house on Scoville Avenue. Today, no matter what complicated memories 12th Street might evoke in me, the only home I truly pine for is the one I live in now.
would have also heard that the proposed building was on the same parcel of land that a Landmark building was located. This was not a discussion about building on a parking lot. So I have a suggestion for Mr. Vander Berg: the next time he is planning on an extended trip out of town, please consult the resources available in town before imagining what might have transpired.
Louis J. Garapolo, FAIA
Chair, Historic Preservation Commission
O B I T U A R I E S
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Alice Dunn, 83 Longtime teacher and parishioner at Ascension
Alice M. Dunn (nee Ondrla), 83, a longtime resident of Oak Park, died suddenly on October 11, 2025. She devoted her life to educating children, beginning at Hiawatha School in Berwyn until she became a mother in 1974. She stayed home to raise her daughters then returned to education through the Park District of Oak Park’s preschool program, and finished her teaching career with over 20 years at Ascension School’s second grade. An avid gardener with a fondness and a skillset to keep the most beautiful orchids in bloom, she also kept the door open to her home, with a warm welcome and a tray of homemade cookies, which she also used as bait to ensure visits from her grandsons, and then all of the kids in the neighborhood. A diehard White Sox fan who watched every game they played, even during the 2024 season, she was also a longtime parishioner at Ascension Church and enjoyed being part of that community and attending Mass every Sunday. Alice was the wife of Robert A. Dunn for 53 years; the mother of Julieann (Michael) Hedges and Megan Dunn; the Nana of Brady, Jack and Dylan Hedges; the sister of Thomas (Christine) Ondrla; aunt of Jennifer, Joseph, Mark, Alex, Caitlin, Moira and Robert, and friend of her childhood soulmate, Sharon Wisinski, and countless others. Visitation will be held on Monday Oct. 20 from 9:30 a.m. until the 10:30 Funeral Mass,
at Ascension Church, 808 S. East Ave., Oak Park. Alice will be interred privately at Queen of Heaven Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Ascension School, 601 Van Buren St., Oak Park, IL 60304 are appreciated. Arrangements were handled by Peter B. Kennedy & Co., Funeral Directors.
Dana Robertson, 70 Artist
Dana Maki Robertson, 70, of Chicago, died peacefully on Oct. 2, 2025, surrounded by family. Born on Feb. 9, 1955, in Chicago, he grew up in Hyde Park, attended Kenwood High School, and later graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago. He lived a life marked by humor, devotion to family and to his art. He was first and foremost a local artist known for his oil and acrylic-based abstract paintings, and an artisan whose carpentry and woodworking filled the rooms of many homes in the area. Even after finishing his productive art years, and while battling cancer and a number of other health issues, he remained an active member of the Northside art community and could always be found at new gallery openings. In his free time, he enjoyed fishing, hiking, playing blues on the guitar, and spending time with his family. His warmth and steady presence will be deeply missed. Dana was the father of Simon (Lulu) Robertson and Aaron (Maris) Robertson, both OPRF High School graduates, who
will remember him for his camaraderie, guidance, and sense of humor. He is also survived by his mother, Vivian Robertson, and three brothers, Eric (JoAnn), Preston (Edna) and Stuart (Çigdem) Robertson; his ex-wife, Stephanie Eiger, and many wonderful nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Richard Robertson, and a brother, David. A private Celebration of Life will be held October 19.
Barbara Kohut, 78 Teacher and Realtor
Barbara “Babs” Kohut, 78, of Oak Park, died peacefully in Hospice care at Elmhurst Extended Care on Oct. 8, 2025. Born in Chicago on March 16, 1947, the second child of John Omer Barnhart and Ramona Lynch Barnhart, she was raised in Richmond Indiana, graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati and later moved to Chicago. On a Chicago el platform, during her morning commute, she spotted the man who would become her husband, Bob Kohut. They married in 1975 and separated in 1996, but remained close, sharing holidays and a wealth of stories of their lives with their two sons. She lived with unbridled optimism in the goodness of people and in the world around her, thriving on community, friendship, and togetherness, most evident in her roles as the driving force behind
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the close-knit community within a community for the residents of the 900 block of Hayes in Oak Park and her career as a teacher, daycare owner, and Realtor. Sometimes she flew by the seat of her pants, but in five minutes, she could make someone feel like she was part of their family and vice versa. Barbara is survived by her sons, Cory and Scott; her husband, Bob; her daughterin-law, Abigail, and former daughter-inlaw, AnaPaula; her grandchildren, Eleanor and Henry; and her two sisters, Susan and Mary. She wa preceded in death by her parents, John and Ramona Barnhart, and her brother Bruce Barnhart. A funeral Mass was celebrated on Oct. 13 at St. Edmund Church in Oak Park. Interment was private. Arrangements were handled by Frank Reda, Funeral Director.
Elizabeth Nystrom, 42 Oak Park resident
Elizabeth A. Nystrom, 42, of Oak Park, formerly of Riverside, died on Oct. 6, 2025. She was the mother of Aria and Cee Cee Weissberg; the daughter of Mark C. and Anne Nystrom; the sister of Timothy Nystrom and Eileen (Gerardo) Leyva; and the granddaughter of Maryann and the late Joseph Moravek and Robert V. and Donna G. Nystrom. Services were held at Ivins/Moravecek Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington, Riverside.
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SPORTS OPRF offense struggles against Lyons Township Huskies gain less than 100 yards in Homecoming loss By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter
For much of John Hoerster’s tenure as head coach, the Oak Park and River Forest High School varsity football team has had an effective offense that helped ensure competitiveness against its West Suburban Silver opponents. However, moving the ball and scoring points this year has been a challenge for the Huskies, who have scored just two touchdowns during their current threegame losing streak. Friday night against Lyons Township, OPRF didn’t complete a pass until the fourth quarter and was held to less than 100 yards of total offense in a 32-6 loss at Oak Park Stadium. “It’s the story of our season,” said Hoerster. “We just couldn’t get the chains moving and kept our defense on the field, and after a while, those guys get worn down. We’re playing guys both ways and they’re on the field so much. We can’t sustain drives on offense, and eventually [opponents] are going to either spring [a big play] or get a long drive and the momentum. It’s really hard to stop the boulder when it’s rolling downhill.” In front of a large Homecoming crowd, things began promisingly for OPRF (2-5, 1-4 WSC Silver) as the offense moved the ball into LT territory. But the drive ended with Liam Brown throwing an interception to
Anthony Pearson at the LT 30. On the Lions’ first play, EJ Kuhlman fumbled, and the ball was recovered by OPRF’s Niko Vielehr on the LT 42. But two plays later, Pearson again picked off Brown, and the Huskies would remain inside their own territory throughout the remainder of the half. LT (5-2, 2-2) marched deep into OPRF territory, but the drive stalled, and the Lions settled for a 36-yard field goal from Ryland Avants and a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter, LT quarterback Jack Slightom found Brady Rusk for a 9-yard touchdown, then Avants connected from 24 yards out as the Lions took a 13-0 lead at the half. “It was great we were able to hold them to a field goal,” Hoerster said. “But what you really hope for is to get a stop and good field position for the offense. Then maybe they create something, we score, and it’s a different ballgame. But LT drove down and scored.” Slightom threw his second touchdown pass, 21 yards to Grant Smith, to give LT a 19-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, OPRF’s Chris Crape faked a handoff and scampered 68 yards down the left sideline to set up first and goal at the LT 8. On fourth down from the two-yard line, Liam Smith (11 carries, 44 yards) went in for the score. “The end zone hasn’t been a familiar place for us, so we felt good,” Hoerster said. The two-point conversion pass failed, but
STEVE JOHNSTON
Lyons Township’s Patrick Cheney (2) tackles OPRF’s Norlan Davis (7) during a West Suburban Conference game, Oct. 10, in Oak Park. the Huskies were feeling optimistic about staging a rally. However, any hopes of that materializing were dashed when the Lions marched 80 yards on the next possession, with Kuhlman (24 carries, 162 yards) taking it to the house from 43 yards out. “As soon as you feel like you get a little momentum, [LT] stops it,” Hoerster said. “It was tough. LT’s a good team, Coach [Jon] Beutjer does a great job over there.” On the first play of the fourth quarter, Slightom (10-of-14, 199 yards, three touchdowns) hit Smith again for a 26-yard score to ice things for the Lions. With OPRF virtually eliminated from state playoff contention, Hoerster would like to end the season on a positive note. “We’ll get back in the lab and work,” he said, “with a renewed focus and under-
stand we’ve got two weeks of football left. You don’t get to play high school football all your life, so enjoy every day you get a chance to do it.” OPRF hosts Addison Trail for Senior Night, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m.
Fenwick 48, Benet 7 The Friars (6-1) officially clinched a state playoff berth with a 48-7 rout of Benet Academy Friday night at Triton College. Jake Thies and Tommy Thies each had two rushing touchdowns. Jamen Williams threw for 210 yards and a touchdown, Will Tomczak had six catches for 82 yards, and Raphiel Stewart caught six passes for 73 yards for Fenwick, which faces Mount Carmel in Chicago at 7 p.m., Oct. 17.
Huskies flag football flies high Drone provides bird’s-eye view of on-field process and progress
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
In the thick of the state series, the Oak Park and River Forest flag football team
is flying. The Huskies dispatched Chicago Jones College Prep 39-7, Monday, in an IHSA sectional semifinal at Rockne Stadium, advancing to Tuesday’s sectional final against Chicago Whitney Young at 7 p.m. at
Rockne. But to get an accurate feel for how well the second-seeded Huskies have done this season, you have to look up. Literally. At the team’s practices, there is a four-propel-
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Fenwick’s Sur makes a difference in the community Every kick and punt raises money for charity
By MELVIN TATE Fenwick High School senior football kicker and punter Noah Sur is having a highly successful season — on and off the gridiron. Every extra point, field goal, and punt Sur makes not only helps the Friars during games, but it also helps raise money for Every Kick Counts. The EKC program is part of the Count The Kicks campaign, which is sponsored by Healthy Birth Day, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping pregnant mothers ensure the health of their newborn babies by reducing stillbirths. “In the early 2000s, five Iowa moms endured the heartache of losing a daughter to stillbirth or infant death,” said Kate Safris, a Healthy Birth Day board member. “During many conversations over coffee, the women decided to channel their grief into stillbirth prevention efforts to keep other families from facing the pain of losing a baby.” Sur, who has been on Fenwick’s varsity the past three seasons, became involved with EKC last year after seeing a post about
it on X (Twitter). EKC started in 2022. Former “A kicker was posting his camUniversity of Iowa kicker Keith paign for EKC and wanted to Duncan suggested the idea of raise money,” Sur told Wedneskickers and punters across the day Journal. “I looked a little country raising funds for stilldeeper and found it very interbirth prevention to Safris, who esting; I wanted to start my own says there are about 50 kickers campaign. So I reached out to and punters nationwide taking the EKC account, got the inforpart in this year’s campaign. mation necessary to make my “Our participating athletes own campaign, right before the consistently tell us how impactNOAH SUR start of my junior season. Ever ful their participation is,” Safris since, I’ve been posting on social said. “Knowing that the dollars media to help raise money for my campaign they raise can help save a life makes their and have been incredibly successful.” work on the field mean so much more. They As of this week, Sur has a total amount aren’t just helping their team win a game, of $6,855, including $2,813 this year. they’re doing something that positively im“I feel very honored to play a role in the pacts families in their community.” Sur plans to continue his EKC fundraisawareness for mothers during pregnancy,” Sur said. “It feels great to be able to con- ing campaign next year when he joins the tribute in a specialized way for only kick- Northwestern University football team. ers. I love helping mothers ensure their One of the state’s top kickers in the Class baby’s safety. I am incredibly thankful to of 2026, Sur chose the Wildcats over several be able to raise money and I am grateful for other major offers. “As soon as I heard about the offer from everyone who has helped me achieve these Coach [David] Braun, I knew [Northwestdonations.”
ern] would be my home,” Sur said. “I chose the Wildcats because of the opportunity that it presents me for life after college, a phenomenal degree, an elite college football conference team, intense competition in big settings of college football, great connections, and unrestricted access to resources.” Sur will major in either economics or business. For now, however, he’s focused on helping Fenwick (6-1) go on an extended run in the state playoffs, one he hopes will end on Thanksgiving weekend at Illinois State University in Normal – site of the state finals. “This year I think we are improving every week,” said Sur, who booted two field goals in the Friars’ 48-7 victory over Benet, Oct. 17. “We’re a very talented team with many weapons. Our goal is to win a state championship and win every day. “The key to postseason success is focus throughout practice and film, and to win every day of the week over our opponents. As the postseason approaches, our team must stick together and hold each other accountable.”
ler drone buzzing high above the field, recording everything below, piloted by head coach Jim Geovanes. Is it a little weird to see herself darting around from high above? For senior slot receiver Leia Hammerschmidt, not really. “I think playing under a drone gives you more responsibility,” she said. “I feel like a lot of sports do this.” From a tech standpoint it’s pretty cool, said Geovanes, whose team is 14-8 overall and finished 3-3 in the tough West Suburban Silver. “I’m kind of the CEO of the program,” he said. “The offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator and coaches are second to none. I have time to move around and check everybody. We’ll run a script of plays and look from a bird’s eye view where our openings are on offense.” What’s more, the video is uploaded to Google Classroom, so players and coaches can watch anytime. Pretty nifty, according to senior middle linebacker Elianna Brucato. “It’s hard to pick out everything because it’s high up,” she said, “but it’s kind of nice to see what we do better. Defense is about an-
gles. When someone is running a bad angle, you can see how to improve.” But for all the spatial advantages the drone provides, you still have to make plays on the field. That’s easier when, statistically, you have a top-five quarterback in state in senior Julia Henderson, who has played flag football since sophomore year and also plays softball. What has been the key to the Huskies’ success this season? “I guess just how well we work together,” said Henderson, who threw five touchdown passes against Jones College Prep. “We have great team chemistry and are all on the same page.” Hear, hear, said Hammerschmidt. “I have a good quarterback and we have a good connection, and running as hard as you can in practice and in the game helps,” she said. Likewise on defense, according to Brucato. “On defense you have to communicate and be loud,” she said, “making sure everyone is in the right headspace, to be focused and encourage each other.”
As for the 6-foot-1 Scholtens, Boehm said her M.O. was, “Throw the ball in my direction and I’ll get the ball.” Defensively, Fenwick was led by senior linebacker Stephanie Gonzalez, who also was the team’s punter and logged an 80yard boot vs. Glenbrook North. Junior Daija Barnes was fast on blitzes and “disrupted many offenses we faced,” Boehm said.
Contributing Reporter
Lee, Scholtens propel Fenwick offense: Though Fenwick’s season ended with a tough 27-24 regional semifinal loss to Morton, the campaign was deemed a success by first-year head coach Bryan Boehm. The Friars went 10-8 overall and 5-5 in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference under Boehm, who was a co-head coach in 2024. The tone for the season was set early with a 26-0 win on the road at York. “Being Fenwick, we go into Elmhurst, starting off the season and beating York, that propelled a lot of people and set the stage for an exciting season,” Boehm said. “It was nice that our girls didn’t stop, that they wanted to keep going with, ‘Let’s run this, let’s run that.’” Senior running back Heaven Lee was the catalyst on offense, along with senior receiver Elissa Scholtens. “A lot of the offense ran through her because it was short yardage, a give toss, a swing pass,” Boehm said of Lee. “Heaven was that emergency pair of golden shoes. If we couldn’t stop the rush, she was there and made something of it.”
Trinity’s encouraging first season: It was Trinity’s first year as a program, and the Blazers made solid progress behind a host of freshmen and sophomores, going 2-12 overall and winning their regional quarterfinal game 32-6 over Chicago Juarez. Freshman quarterback Peyton Haynes threw eight touchdowns, primarily to fellow freshman receiver Ijeoma Conley. Sophomore Hayden Smith did well on both sides of the ball as a receiver and linebacker. “I was very pleased with how the girls did,” coach Jim Moy said. “Many of them never played flag football before.”
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PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: M25000963 on October 7, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of BETSY’S BASEMENT with the business located at: 8641 PARKVIEW AV, BROOKFIELD, IL 60513. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ELIZABETH L SNYDER 8641 PARKVIEW AVE, BROOKFIELD IL, 60513, USA WENDY S. MCINERNEY 114 S. ASHLAND AV., LAGRANGE, IL 60525, USA Published in RB Landmark October 15, 22, 29, 2025
This ad requests that any unknown heirs make themselves known to the attorney herein. This ad will serve as a notice to creditors that they have 6 months from the date of filing of this petition to submit their claims. Atty Name: Matt Leuck Attorney for Petitioner 2318 Elmwood Ave Berwyn, IL 60402 708-243-6270 xkrinkles@aol.com Atty No. 11017 Published in RB Landmark 10/8, 10/15, 10/22/2025
NOTICE OF MEETING BROOKFIELD 8 CORNERS TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICT JOINT REVIEW BOARD Notice is hereby given to all interested parties that, pursuant to the requirements of 65 ILCS 5/11-74.4-1 et seq., a meeting of the Joint Review Board for the Brookfield 8 Corners Tax Increment Financing District will be held on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM, at the Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois. Said meeting will be open to the public. A copy of the Agenda for said meeting is attached. VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD By: Michael G. Meléndez Village Clerk Published in RBLandmark October 15, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: M25000916 on September 22, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of S&S NEW MAGIC TOUCH with the business located at: 4519 W LAKE ST, CHICAGO, IL 60624. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: LYSTRA BEARD 4519 W LAKE ST, CHICAGO, IL 60624 Published in Wednesday Journal October 1, 8, 15, 2025
Notice is hereby given to all interested parties that, pursuant to the requirements of 65 ILCS 5/11-74.4-1 et seq., a meeting of the Joint Review Board for the Brookfield 8 Corners Tax Increment Financing District will be held on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM, at the Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois. Said meeting will be open to the public. A copy of the Agenda for said meeting is attached. VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD By: Michael G. Meléndez Village Clerk Published in RBLandmark October 15, 2025
NOTICE OF MEETING BROOKFIELD GRAND BOULE� VARD TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICT JOINT REVIEW BOARD Notice is hereby given to all interested parties that, pursuant to the requirements of 65 ILCS 5/11-74.4-1 et seq., a meeting of the Joint Review Board for the Brookfield 8 Corners Tax Increment Financing District will be held on Tuesday October 28, 2025, at 3:30 PM, at the Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois. Said meeting will be open to the public. A copy of the Agenda for said meeting is attached. VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD By: Michale G. Meléndez Village Clerk Published in RBLandmark October 15, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: M25000943 on October 1, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of MANAGING HORIZONS PRESS with the business located at: 907 SOUTH BLVD UNIT 5, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: GIL HERMAN, 907 SOUTH BLVD UNIT 5, OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal October 8, 15, 22, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
SECTION 00 00 20 LEGAL NOTICE Village of Brookfield / 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513 Ehlert Park Field 1 Renovations Phase 1 & Phase 2 The Village of Brookfield does hereby invite sealed bids for Ehlert Park Field 1 Renovations Phase 1 & Phase 2. Work will include site clearing, building demolition, earthwork operations, prefab building installation, dugout shade installation, fencing, backstop, concrete paving, underdrain, restoration. Project manuals, including bid form and specifications, and construction documents are available after 10:00 AM on October 8, 2025 from BuildingConnected. Visit app. buildingconnected.com for details. There is no cost to download the PDF files. Hard copies are at the contractor’s expense. Bids will be accepted at the Village of Brookfield, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois, 60513 during regular office hours. All bids must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked with the Contractor’s name and address, and “Bid for Ehlert Park Field 1 Renovations Phase 1 & Phase 2,” on the face of the envelope. Bids must be received no later than 10:00 AM on October 22, 2025. Bids will be publicly opened and read aloud starting at 10:01 AM at the Village of Brookfield, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL, 60513. All bidders will be required to submit Bid Security in the form of a Bid Bond, Certified Check, or Cashier’s Check in the amount of 10% of the Base Bid, payable to the Village or Brookfield. Village of Brookfield reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, parts of any and all proposals, or to waive technical errors or omissions in submitted proposals. No submitted bid may be withdrawn until a period of sixty (60) days after the bid opening date, without written consent of the Village of Brookfield. The Village of Brookfield encourages minority business firms to submit bids on this project and the successful contract bidder to utilize minority businesses as sub-contractors for supplies, equipment, services, and construction. The contractor(s) selected will also be required to comply with all federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations and executive orders pertaining to equal employment opportunity.
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Questions should be directed to Daniel Wilson, Wight & Co. at (304) 644-7144, dwilson@wightco.com Published in RBLandmark October 15, 2025
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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Wednesday Journal, October 15, 2025
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