W E D N E S D A Y
October 21, 2020 Vol. 40, No. 12 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Virginia Cassin A monumental passing
Sample ballot, page 32
Ken Trainor, page 26
Dominican’s Carroll on the imperfect timing to retire ‘A gift’ to leave with university thriving By MARA MAXHAM Staff Reporter
Patient, passionate voters
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
More than 150 early voters lined up outside Oak Park Village Hall Monday for the first day of early voting .The line stretched along Madison Street and then down Lombard Avenue. Stacey Sheridan reports on page 10.
OP police to get mental health services Goal is to promote a “culture of wellness” in the department By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
The Oak Park Village Board voted to enter a $20,000 agreement to provide one-on-one mental health sessions for every sworn Oak Park police officer. During the board’s Oct. 19 meeting, Police Chief LaDon Reynolds said the department was “trying to establish a culture of wellness, not only physical but mental wellness.”
The police department has a force of 106 officers but an authorized strength of 121 officers, according to the request for proposal. Clinicians within the chosen provider, First Responders Wellness Center (FRWC), are former fire and police first responders. “There’s also evidence that officers are more likely or more inclined to open up to someone who understands the profession,” Reynolds told the board. The one-year agreement began Oct. 20, the day after the board meeting. The village has the option to renew the agreement for two additional one-year terms. Licensed See MENTAL HEALTH on page 12
Early on in her 27-year tenure as president of Dominican University, which was still Rosary College when she started, Donna Carroll made an important change. She took down a wall within her office that blocked vision to the hallway outside the office, and she moved her desk so when sitting at it, she could see who was passing by. “I wanted to see students walking past. I wanted to see who was dating whom,” Carroll said with a laugh. But the significance of the minor remodel can’t be underscored enough. The new president wanted to be part of the community, to do far more than sit alone in an office making decisions. Over the years, she said, she’s had an open-door policy, inviting students, staff and faculty to stop by. She gives parents of first-year students her personal cellphone number. Pre-COVID, she attended sports contests and arts performances. She was never content to “just” be the leader of a growing and lauded school. She became an involved member of the Dominican University community. Her accomplishments speak for themselves. During her 27 years at the university, tremendous growth occurred, with full-time faculty doubling, new schools and programs established, operating budget increasing four-fold, and campaigns raising over $165M in new assets. Among other accolades, she was named as one of the 20 Chicago “Women to Watch” by Crain’s Chicago Business and “100 Women of Influence” by Today’s Chicago Women. She has doctoral degrees in higher education administration and counseling psychology. She saw the institution through the transition See CARROLL on page 18
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
S P O N S O R E D
C O N T E N T
Discover the sweet side of Berwyn
M
ake an appointm e n t with your dentist. No matter if you are craving cookies, cake or ice cream, there are options abounding to satiate a sweet tooth in Berwyn. We explored every corner of the city and found a super selection of delightful treats. Read on to learn about our sugary discoveries!
Old Fashioned Candies Sisters Lynn White, Sandra Figatner and Donna Greenwald are carrying on their parents’ legacy at Old Fashioned Candies, 6210 Cermak Rd. Established in 1969 Food Writer by George and Theresa Brunslik, their daughters now keep the 50-year old business going strong. Assorted nut clusters, cordials and cream filled candies await at the shop that is also part museum — Old Fashioned Candies has their original cash register on display -- it maxes out at a sale of $3.99.
MELISSA ELSMO
Cake Bros Bakery Looking for a sweet start to your day? Pop by Cake Bros Bakery, 6737 W. 26th St., for a traditional Mexican pan dulce known as a concha.
Sisters Lynn White, Sandra Figatner, and Donna Greenwald show off a picture of their parents in their Berwyn candy shop.
Melissa Elsmo
Well-lit cases showcase Pierre’s Bakery offerings. While the panadería is known for elaborate custom cakes, the Berwyn bakery crafts the bread named for its similarity to a seashell in appearance and customarily enjoyed with hot chocolate or coffee at breakfast time.
Pierre’s Bakery For 17 years Pierre’s Bakery has been serving up a fusion of French and Mexican sweets at 6310 Cermak Rd. Flaky croissants, colorful custom cakes and vanilla flan attract guests, but customers clamor for Pierre’s tres leche cake. The widely popular white cake is soaked in three milks -- evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream — giving each slice its signature texture.
Neveria Naranja Dulce Visit Neveria Naranja Dulce, 6252 Ogden Ave., for an authentic Mexican ice cream shop
Melissa Elsmo
An assortment of filled chocolates and nut clusters from Old Fashioned Candies in Berwyn
Melissa Elsmo
experience in Berwyn. Co-owner Angelica Chavez and her family traveled back to Jalisco to perfect their artisan ice cream making techniques. The sweet side of the menu features fruit-forward paletas (popsicles) and classic favorites like hot chocolate ice cream made from Abuelita chocolate. Adventurous sorbet lovers should check out a mangonada. This sweet and sour dessert treat is made from mango sorbet, Tajín, and piquant chamoy. Fresh mango and a tamarind coated straw finish this memorable Berwyn dessert.
Vesecky’s Vesecky’s Bakery, 6634 W. Cermak Rd., is more than 100 years old. Today, fourth generation bakers work to keep their family’s Czech and Bohemian baked goods flying out the door of their Cermak Avenue shop. The Berwyn bakery is known for peddling cider donuts, sweet
rolls, filled pastries, butter cookies, sweetheart coffee cakes, kolacky and customizable Kolac. While the shop offers a variety of items every day, traditionalists often venture out for a loaf of Czech Houska—a sweet bread egg studded with raisins.
An Abuelita hot chocolate sundae and a mangonada from Neveria Naranja Dulce
Melissa Elsmo
Assorted conchas from Cake Bros.
Melissa Elsmo
Like a Kolacky, pie shaped Kolac is customizable with up to four toppings if you call ahead.
Melissa Elsmo
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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What rights?
D
evon Horton, the superintendent of encing the board’s response. “I don’t think that Evanston/Skokie School District 65, is a is right. Everybody should have the right to witness to how difficult it is to achieve express an opinion.” equity during a pandemic. I’ve seen some version of Raimondo’s reHorton, who is Black, decided that sponse quite a bit during this pandemic. I think “Evanston schools would give students from these statements are harmful, but not because marginalized groups first priority for seats they’re critical of a school administrator’s for in-person learning and all other students ostensible attempt to ‘do equity.’ It’s how these would be taught remotely,” according to a Wall kinds of critiques are framed that’s problematic. Street Journal article published Oct. 6. Raimondo is essentially pitting her personal During a Zoom meeting, the Journal reportfreedom versus equality; her negative rights ed, Horton said the decision was “about equity (i.e., her right to free speech) against the disfor Black and brown students, for special educatrict’s good-faith effort to address the fact that, tion students, for our LGBTQ students.” as an institution, it has aided and abetted the Commentary His stance earned him scorn, death threats moral crime of withholding from Black and “from both residents and nonresidents of Evanston” — a brown people the positive right to an education. college town, “home to many professors who work at The question I’d pose to Raimondo is if you feel that Northwestern University, which hugs the shorelines of rights are so important to you, imagine those rights being Lake Michigan,” where four years ago, “voters supported taken away? In other words, imagine what it’s like to be Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by more than 10 to 1. Black. Black people have to live within a nexus of un-freeLast year, the city created a first-in-the-nation reparations dom all the time. It is our birthright. fund for Black residents.” We almost take it for granted that we don’t have the same For its part, the District 65 school board wrote an open rights as whites and we expect whites to go crazy when letter to the liberal Evanston community. we so much as petition the government for a redress of “When you challenge policies and protocols established grievances; that’s because America has conditioned white to ensure an equitable experience for Black and brown stupeople for centuries to believe that their rights exist in dents, you are part of a continuum of resistance to equity inverse relation to the enforcement of rights for Blacks. and desire to maintain white supremacy,” the board wrote, In the Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund according to the Journal’s reporting. Burke to Sarah Palin, the historian Corey Robin traces this That position, unsurprisingly, startled parents like dynamic to its original form. Corinna Raimondo, a scientist from Italy and an adjunct When former vice president and pro-slavery political professor at Northwestern. The Journal reported that theorist John Calhoun declared that the destruction of Raimondo had started a petition urging the board to let all the evil institution would mean the destruction of “us as a people,” he was thinking of “individual men absorbed in children return to school. the day-to-day experience of ruling other men and wom“I’m being told to just shut up,” Raimondo said, refer-
MICHAEL ROMAIN
en,” Robin writes. “Take that experience away, and you destroyed not only the master but also the man — and the many men who sought to become, or thought they already were like, the master.” That’s how the system of white supremacy operates to this day, centuries after slavery’s end. So much of our language of personal rights and personal freedom is simply a mask for Calhoun’s way of thinking (the pandemic pun is intended). Unfortunately, too many people — white and Black — let themselves become bit players in this heinous system by pitting the cult of personal freedom (i.e., the freedom to go for what’s good for me and mine) against the common good. And the common good is only as robust as its most vulnerable parts, which include marginalized students in Evanston and Oak Park. Now, more than ever, we all need to align ourselves with the needs and interests of the most vulnerable people in our society — racial minorities, the handicapped, the poor, the sick — because their particular present is always and forever our collective future. I applaud what Horton is doing in principle, even though I’m not familiar with how that will work out in practice. And I think there may be valid criticisms of the plan and its execution. Please, have the debate. But we have to stop talking as if, by attempting to do justice on behalf of a historically and systemically excluded minority or by prioritizing the common good, an institution is trampling on our personal rights. That kind of narrative glosses over other people’s suffering, invites white revanchism, plays into the conservative misappropriation of “freedom” and makes it impossible to reach healthy consensus.
CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com
Police oversight committee gets new member
New commissioner organized Black Lives Matter rally By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park resident Khari Reed, who organized last summer’s kids Black Lives Matter educational rally, is the newest member of the Citizen Police Oversight Committee (CPOC), a citizen-led commission that reviews the investigations into complaints made against police officers. Following his Oct. 5 appointment by the Oak Park village board, Reed told Wednesday Journal he looks forward to serving on CPOC and working with the commissioners to “to further cultivate a positive relationship between the police department and the citizens of Oak Park.” Reed and his wife moved to Oak Park a little over three years ago. The couple has
who have had unfortunate expethree small children – two sons riences with the police departand a little girl. The family’s ment,” Reed said. experiences with Oak Park As a commissioner of CPOC, police, Reed said, have been Reed looks forward to helping ad“wonderful.” dress those instances effectively, His first experience with so they become few and far bethe police happened right after they moved to the village, tween. He’s also interested in seewhen their home’s alarm sysing how complaint data from Oak tem went off after the family Park compares to countrywide forgot to disable it. The alarm figures. KHARI REED triggered the police depart“I’m really trying to put into ment. When officers arrived, context how well Oak Park is Reed was standing in his front yard. doing when we look at different national “They weren’t overly threatened by an Af- benchmarks,” he said. rican American in the front yard while the Following the murder of George Floyd, alarm was going off,” said Reed. Reed organized a youth-led educational The officers were extremely professional Black Lives Matter march and rally for kids and checked to make sure everything was al- at Fox Park. Rep. La Shawn K. Ford was right, according to Reed. Officers displayed among those who spoke at the June 27 event. that same level of courtesy and professional- Kids as young as toddlers participated in ism every time Reed has encountered them. the event. “But I know that there are some citizens As a newly appointed CPOC member, Reed
has yet to develop relationships with his fellow commissioners. He hopes that as a group, they will work together to meet the expectations of the Oak Park community and develop an understanding of the positive contributions each member wants to make. Reed has new ideas he’d like to see implemented in the police complaint review process, including giving citizens the option to appear before CPOC and explain the situation to them directly once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. “Police departments really are given the public’s trust in terms of our safety and our protection,” said Reed. “To be mindful of that, the citizens have to be empowered.” If given the ability to testify directly to CPOC, Reed believes citizens will have a greater sense of validation and that their complaints will lead to meaningful change. “We don’t want to wait for something bad to happen and retrospectively review it,” Reed said. “We need to be more engaged now.”
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
BIG WEEK October 21-28
One Earth Mini-Film Fest Through Sunday, Oct. 25, Virtually Watch environmentally themed films, followed with discussions, interviews with filmmakers or film subjects. Oct. 21, 6 p.m. - Thirst for Power Oct. 24, 6 p.m. - Overload: America’s Toxic Love Story Oct. 22, 6 p.m. – Child of Nature Oct. 25, 11 a.m. - Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm Oct. 23, 6 p.m. – Beyond Climate Oct. 25, 3 p.m. - UseLess: Documentary About Food & Oct. 24, 11 a.m. - Ay Mariposa and Biomimicry Fashion Waste Oct. 24, 3 p.m. – Watermelon Magic Free; $8, suggested donation. Register/more: oneearthfilmfest.org/fall-mini-film-fest
‘Nocturnes’: A Science and Symphony Film Monday, Oct. 26, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Virtually with the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association Dr. José Francisco Salgado photographs natural phenomena and collaborates with musicians to present science films that provoke curiosity and a sense of wonder. Hear him talk about the creative process behind Nocturnes, his latest film with music by Claude Debussy, which explores how the night sky has inspired artists and motivated scientists to explore the universe. $15, requested donation for non-members; free, members. Register: nineteenthcentury.org
Family Drive-In Movie Night Sunday, Oct. 25, Sunset (~6:30 p.m.), Triton College, Parking Lot #1, Join in supporting the Collaboration for Early Childhood and view Babies, a documentary film that follows four babies from around the world. Tickets include popcorn, water and a goody bag. $25, single viewer suggested donation; $50, two or more viewers. Tickets/more: bit.ly/DriveInMovie_Collab. 2000 5th Ave., River Grove.
Request Mail-in Ballot, Register and Early Voting for Presidential Election Oak Park Village Hall is hosting early voting through Nov. 2 and has one of 50 boxes in Cook County for voters to drop off mail-in ballots, 123 Madison St. Any registered voter in suburban Cook County may request a mail ballot online through Oct. 29. Be ready with your driver’s license/state ID number or the last four digits of your Social Security number, as well as an email and your mailing address. Applications may also be printed and mailed. If you have moved or need to register to vote, you can do so in-person at a “grace period” location through Nov. 2, or in-person on election day at your polling place. Two forms of ID, including one with current address, are needed. More/ apply: cookcountyclerk.com/agency/elections
Passion for Retirement Possibilities Wednesday, Oct. 21, 10:30 a.m. to Noon, Zoom with Arbor West Neighbors Join Janis Clark Johnston, family psychologist and author, and learn about taking a fresh look at retirement identity for ages 55+. The Johnston Retirement Survey of 125 individuals suggests many choose to “rewire” and dive into new territory. RSVP: mherman@managinghorizons.com
Let’s Make Music Wednesdays, Oct. 21 and 28, 10 to 10:30 a.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Library Join Children’s library staff and other families to sing, dance, clap and make music together with instruments that are made and played at home. Best for kids up to age 6. Register: oppl.org/calendar
Shake, Rattle & Read Saturdays, Oct. 24 and 31, 10 and 10:30 a.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Library Join librarians for a session filled with books, songs, movement and more. Best for kids up to age 5. Register: oppl.org/calendar
Abracadabra - Night of Magic Tuesday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m., Zoom Support Housing Forward’s services for people experiencing homelessness in west suburban Cook County while being dazzled by a Chicago Magic Lounge magician performing card tricks and close-up sleight-of-hand. Halloween costumes encouraged and BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage.) $40, per person; $10, each additional guest in the same household. Register/more: housingforward. org/events
Living History Project Mondays and Wednesday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Virtually with the Oak Park Public Library Youth in grades 6 through 12 learn about the histories of social movements in the U.S. while developing leadership skills, such as cultivating social and critical thinking skills, developing research skills and gaining public speaking experience. Facilitated by long-time social justice and human rights activist Billy Brooks. Register for each date individually: oppl.org/calendar
Page to Stage: The Ghosts of Shakespeare Saturday, Oct. 24, 7 to 9 p.m., Zoom with Oak Park Public Library and Oak Park Festival Theater (OPFT) In this backstage tour into the actors’ process, OPFT Artistic Director Barbara Zahora, along with Artistic Associates Tony Dobrowolski and Matt Gall, explore through scenes and discussion, how Shakespeare brings the afterlife to life through the ghosts from Hamlet, Macbeth and Richard III. Register: oppl.org/calendar
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
River Forest finances stunted but stable
Reducing personnel costs, deferring projects helped balance revenue hits
jected decreases, use tax revenue is projected to increase $44,688. Palm explained that the use tax is collected on online purchases, which have increased during the pandemic. Projected decreases in other tax categories include $145,268 in sales tax, $184,052 in non-home rule sales tax, $39,480 in state inBy ROBERT J. LIFKA come tax and $63,995 in restaurant tax. Contributing Reporter The projected fines and fees decrease is While other municipalities are facing dire caused by decreases in revenue from parkfinancial outlooks due to a decrease in rev- ing fees and police tickets. Decreases are enues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, projected for daily Metra parking revenue, $48,794; permit parking revenue, $89,787; River Forest officials are breathing a sigh of relief after being informed that the village and police ticket revenue, $69,111. In addition to daily and permit parking is in a “really good” financial position. Village Administrator Eric Palm told of- fees being suspended through April and ficials at the Oct. 12 virtual village board May, parking revenue projections are down, meeting that a projected decrease of $418,357 based on the assumption that parking perin revenues and an unexpected increase in mits are not being purchased because peopension obligations of $377,144 have been ple are not using mass transportation or are offset by a projected decrease in expendi- still working from home. Police ticket revenues are down because tures of $501,089, due primarily to $374,857 in salary/benefit reductions and $500,329 no additional fees or penalties were asfrom deferral of replacement of capital sessed during the stay-at-home order and equipment and related postponement of a adjudication hearings were postponed. transfer from the capital equipment replace- Tickets issued for parking violations were also suspended at that time. ment fund. Not filling the vacant deputy police chief “The good news is we’re in a better position today than when we presented the bud- position and freezing cost-of-living (COLA) salary increases contributed to the projectget,” he said. When making that presentation in April, ed decrease in salary/benefit expenditures. Palm cautioned officials that the document The projected decrease includes a 2 percent they were adopting for the 2020-21 fiscal year COLA increase for non-union employees did not take into consideration the expect- effective Nov. 1. In recommending the ined decrease in revenues related to the CO- crease, Palm noted that non-union staff VID-19 pandemic but accurately predicted, members have worked “incredibly hard “We won’t have to make draconian cuts like these past six months.” Palm said the unexpected increase in penother municipalities.” As in the original budget, reserve funds sion obligations was due to changes in the will be used to cover deficits. However, Palm assumptions to the mortality tables. Hownoted that the amount of reserve funds re- ever, Palm noted that higher returns are quired has decreased by $82,732 with the expected under changes from the pension new projections. Without the pension in- consolidated law. He said investment data shows that indicrease, the budget would actually be balvidual pension funds typically earned lower anced, he added. Calling it a “significant and unbelievable returns than larger statewide funds, such as feat,” Village President Cathy Adduci cred- the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. Inited village boards past and present for “set- vested together, these funds are estimated to ting sound fiscal policies.” She also thanked earn as much as $1 million more per day in returns and generate an additional $820 milvillage staff members for their efforts. “What this shows is almost a miracle,” Ad- lion to $2.5 billion over the first five years duci said, noting the struggles of other mu- and as much as $12.7 billion over the next 20 nicipalities including Chicago and Oak Park. years, he said. The projected total tax revenue decrease “As those investment returns are realized, of $388,107 and projected total fines and fees we will start to see improvements to our undecrease of $207,692 were partially offset funded liability as a result,” he added. by an estimated $160,692 in reimbursement The revenue outlook could be brighter as grants for COVID-19 related expenses. revenue starts to come in from the village’s The village has applied for grants from the share of the state cannabis tax, as noted by Federal Emergency Management Agency Trustee Bob O’Connell, and the 3 cents per (FEMA) and Cook County. The FEMA grant gallon local gasoline tax that took effect July is estimated to be $60,000 and the Cook Coun- 1, as noted by Trustee Katie Brennan. State Farm ty grant, part of $51 million through the fedFinance Director Rosie McAdams exBloomington, IL eral Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic plained that $3,000 in cannabis tax revenue Security Act, is expected to be $100,942. 2001290 had been received so far and the local gasoAlthough most tax categories show pro- line tax revenue has “just started coming in.”
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Fans leap to Academy of Movement’s aid Donations pour in to combat COVID-19 woes By STACEY SHERIDAN
brought to you by
Staff Reporter
Prep for Winter With this Essential Checklist At McAdam, as we provide essential services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are grateful for the continued trust our customers have invested in us. In that spirit, we Scott offer this essential McAdam winter checklist to help you prepare your garden for the coming season:
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Beloved and respected, the Academy of Movement and Music has taught children an appreciation of dance and other forms of performance arts since its creation in 1971. Now, those children and their families are showing their gratitude by making donations to save the academy from its final curtain call. “It makes me feel really hopeful that the school will go on and continue to be a part of the community,” said Stephanie Clemens, its owner and founder. COVID-19 has presented profound operational and financial difficulties for the academy, from limited class sizes and canceled performances to continuing to pay the high overhead expenses for the large, old building off Lake Street where lessons are taught. Despite receiving loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster program, the
academy’s financial situation became an “emergency,” according to Clemens. “It’s always been hard for me to put my hand out and beg, but I’m responsible for the people that work for me,” said Clemens. “It was hard to say, ‘Look, this is getting down to the wire.’” At the urging of students’ parents, Clemens launched a GoFundMe campaign Oct. 13 to save the academy from permanent closure. And donations have come pouring in. In its first six days, the campaign amassed just over $49,000, roughly 82 percent of its goal. “The fact that the GoFundMe is as successful as it is in the first few days leads me to believe I can pay the mortgage and the taxes,” said Clemens. The Academy of Movement and Music began in Clemens’s Oak Park living room. Kids in the neighborhood and Clemens’s sons became the academy’s inaugural students. “I rolled up the rug and had two little neighborhood girls come to start,” said Clemens. “I had a toddler and a baby walking around in diapers at the time.” By the time the academy held its first recital in 1977, 77 children were learning
to dance under the tutelage of Clemens, a Julliard-trained dancer. The academy is something of an institution, teaching ballet and jazz, as well as the techniques of famed choreographers, including Martha Graham. One of Clemens’s sons now serves as the school’s ballet master. Upon retiring, Clemens plans to have him take over the academy. Outside of dance, the academy offers piano, guitar and voice lessons and preschool classes that nurture creativity and curiosity through art, music and movement. It also hosts creative movement workshops for people with disabilities and without. “I’ve put my life’s work into this,” said Clemens. Housed in the remaining portion of the old Bishop Quarter Junior Military Academy, the academy is at 605 Lake St. in Oak Park. Thousands of students have taken lessons at the academy. Many have gone on to get college degrees in dance and returned to teach. Through the years, Clemens has been able to keep in touch with about 1,000 former students and she “dearly loves” seeing them and their families. Many children of former students have become students. “It’s a very large family, but it’s a family and to see that go down because of COVID, it was terrifying and terribly depressing,” said Clemens. If the $60,000 GoFundMe goal is met or surpassed, Clemens believes the academy will be able to continue at least until next fall. “The goal will get us through August of 2021,” said Clemens. “And we’ll hope that there are vaccines and that we can function more normally.” In addition to what has already been raised, the academy will receive $5,000 from the Pinnacle Foundation through a matching grant. The GoFundMe page has no single large donor, but a long list of people who have made donations in amounts starting at $5. The largest individual donation on the list rings in at $2,500. Young kids are breaking into their piggybanks and sending Clemens their allowance money. Other students have committed to sending money out of each paycheck, including one former student who completed a college degree in dance. “I don’t know exactly where he is working, but he sent me $100 and he said, ‘I am going to keep donating this much out of every paycheck I get,’” said Clemens. Another student, Max Gorgol, now a graphic designer, revamped the academy’s website free of charge. Gorgol was an academy preschooler, as well as one of its dance students. Clemens is filled with appreciation for the support and love the academy has received. “And to hear how much it’s meant to people over the years – thankful is not a big enough word. It’s profound gratitude.”
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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ART BEAT
COVID? OPRF stages full theater season
First is ‘Clue: Stay-at-Home Version’ By MICHELLE DYBAL Art Editor
There is no compromise for COVID. With a full season of shows planned for Oak Park and River Forest High School students involved with theater, some aspects of the craft have been adapted while the program is as robust as ever. “Theater is on,” said Michelle Bayer, performing arts department chair and teacher. “For some of our theater kids… this is why they come to school, this is why they engage and we did not want to take that away from them when they lost so much second semester [2020].” As soon as school shut down due to COVID, Bayer and the Theatre Department faculty and staff, including Teslen Sadowski, Linda Burns and Ixtla Arceo-Witzl, began planning. “We saw what the kids reacted to with the loss of theater in their lives and this life of uncertainty,” Bayer said. “We were like, ‘We have to be on this. We have to have a plan.’ So we
BRAVO and CAST back at it Both Oak Park D97 Middle Schools have shows planned for their students interested in theater. At Julian, CAST has The Diary of Anne Frank scheduled for Nov. 14 and Aftershock on Nov. 21. Vote for Women is slated to show on Dec. 5. All three will be delivered online. Brooks just completed two virtual productions, H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds: A Totally Teen Online Theatrical Event and Super Happy Awesome News, A Virtual Musical. Dear Edwina, Jr. Zoomsical, for 6th graders, will be showing virtually in early December. James & the Giant Peach, Jr. Zoomsical, for 7th and 8th graders, will be online mid-December.
Michelle Dybal, Arts Editor
met constantly from March through May and even over the summer many times to discuss what we were going to do.” The result of their plan includes three options to execute a full theater season depending on whether school is being held in-person, virtually or a hybrid of the two; fall semester shows are being done completely virtually. For the school year, there are four student directed plays (previously referred to as Studio 200), four main stage shows and a spring musical. Drama Club and stage crew has also continued. The first play, which runs virtually this weekend, is the comedy whodunit Clue: Stay-At-Home Version. Auditions were held virtually and 12 student actors play the parts from Colonel Mustard to Miss Scarlet. “I was surprised how much I could evaluate via Zoom – I was worried,” Bayer said. “…but I cast a lot of newbies into roles who never performed before on our stages.” Stage crew is working on productions in different ways. Scenic artists are designing virtual backdrops instead of physical ones. Other students are finding and creating sound effects and one is writing music for Clue. Bayer calls the sound “highly complex” for this play. The props crew is working from home making props. For a scene that several actors are sitting around a dining room table, a props student made small tablecloths with matching fabric for each student actor to have at home so it looks like they are all in one place as the scene takes place in the virtual play. Another props student made skeleton keys at home. There are also boxes, which will contain weapons, that were painted by another student to look like matching presents. When it comes to hair and makeup, the actors had to learn new skills instead of having this done for them on site before a performance. Bayer said [hair and makeup artist] Patricia Cheney had a three-hour Zoom session with the students to go over how to execute this craft. This included learning how to apply a mustache, how to apply makeup to look older and how to fix hair for Clue. All the items – props, costumes, hair and makeup items – were put together in individualized boxes for the student
Photos by Shanel Romain
GETTING A CLUE: Nicholas Woods (t op) plays Wadsworth the butler, Sitota Blomquist (above, left) plays Professor Plum and Emory Brandhorst (with the gun in the greenhouse) is Mr. Green in ‘Clue.’
actor to pick up at designated times from school the Friday before tech week, when actors will rehearse with created backgrounds, props and in costume. The play will livestream to audiences on Friday and Saturday night. The school has absorbed the licensing fee to make viewing affordable. There is a $2.95 fee to cover the streaming service. Next up is a student directed play the following weekend, A Thirties Affair, also available through livestreaming. In December, the student directed show is Horse Girls and the mainstage show is It’s a Wonderful Life, a Radio Play. “The kids are so excited that they can be part of something that isn’t just academics, that they can share their art,” Bayer said. “Also, for a lot of the kids, they are prepping to go to college to major in theater or minoring in theater, so having that [potential] gap in their resume was really stressful.” The annual spring musical is a high-quality production that is enjoyed by much of the community. It is a large production with an ensemble involving many OPRF students and a pit orchestra. The plan for 2021 is no different, according to Bayer. While the school is still securing licensing to the show, Bayer said it is ensemble-based and involves 14 or 15 leads. They will again have a pit orchestra to involve students in instrumental music. “It is a perfect show for this time for lots of kids to have opportunities and for the topic,” she said. For spring semester, all the shows work in either a virtual or hybrid environment depending on what the school decides, Bayer said. However the shows go on, what is important is that they are going on at all. “Those that are dedicated to being in live theater crave the outlet for their art,” Bayer said. “An artistic person needs their art to feed themselves in the other aspects of their lives. … It feeds them and motivates them to do well in math class or science class because they’re also doing their art.” It is also is the place many of these students find friendships, positive relationships with adults and “where many of our kids find the greatest success in high school,” she said. “Clue: Stay at Home Edition” is available Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m., Tickets: tinyurl.com/clue2020program
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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INSIDE REPORT
No audience but still interviews for Mark Bazer COVID-19 has changed how Oak Parker Mark Bazer hosts hit The Interview Show on WTTW. But Season Six is underway. The show is still filmed at The Hideout in Chicago though without an audience and a crew which has shrunk to two. Bazer interviews ESPN Radio host and TV panelist (Around the Horn) Sarah Spain Oct. 23 at 11:30 p.m. Next up (Sunday, Oct. 25, 11 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 30, 11:30 p.m.) is Christian McBride, jazz bassist and bandleader. Bazer calls him one of the best in jazz and one of his favorite interviews. Stream all Season 6 shows after they air, including one with David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and another with historian Rick Perlstein discussing his book Reaganland: America’s Right Turn 1976-1980, at interactive.wttw.com/ interview-show.
Michelle Dybal, Arts Editor
Cheers! M3 visits One Lake Brewing Staff from My Block, My Hood, My City (M3) visited One Lake Brewing, 1 Lake St. in Oak Park, on Friday, Oct. 16 to taste the beer being sold to benefit the Chicago non-profit. Nathaniel Viet-VanLear, program manager of the organization’s Explorer’s Program found One Lake’s Black German lager sold under the nationally recognized Black is Beautiful label to be “smooth and balanced.”
Pete’s rounds out public meetings Pete’s Fresh Market held its third and final public community meeting, Oct. 8, to show initial plans, this time virtually, for its pitch to open a second Oak Park location in the 600 and 700 blocks of Madison Street, which would require demolition of the much-loved Foley-Rice automotive building, 644 Madison St. With the culmination of the public meet-
Owners of One Lake Brewing are donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the beer to the fast-growing, social impact organization whose mission is to provide “underprivileged youth with an awareness of the world and opportunities beyond their neighborhood.” “Three breweries have selected our organization,” said Viet-VanLear. “This is a movement. The more attention and recognition we get the more we can grow and expose more youth to our programs.”
Melissa Elsmo, Oak Park Eats editor
ings, a village requirement to begin the development process, the Pete’s team’s next step will be the Oak Park Plan Commission — once the grocery store chain submits its official application, which it has yet to do, according to Craig Failor, Oak Park village planner. Once submitted, the plan will be available for public perusal on the village of Oak Park’s website and a date set for the project’s hearing with the Plan Commission.
Stacey Sheridan
MARK BAZER
D97 supt. joins board of West Suburban Hospital District 97 Supt. Carol Kelley recently joined the board of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, according to a statement the superintendent posted on social media in September. “I strongly believe that healthcare is a necessity and a great equalizer to live our
best lives physically and mentally. I’m excited to attend my first meeting as a member of @WestSuburbanMC West Suburban Medical Center’s Board of Directors […] Eager to serve with other outstanding leaders and community members.”
Michael Romain
Read and discuss ‘Stamped’ with middle schoolers District 97 middle school students recently started reading Stamped: Racism, Antiracism & You, an adaptation of the National Book Awardwinning Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. Community members can read the adaptation, which was co-authored by Kendi and Jason Reynolds, and participate in a virtual discussion series that started on Oct. 9. “In conjunction with Brooks and Julian Middle Schools’ fall curriculum read, the sessions will follow along with the chapters being read during the month of October,” according to the Oak Park Public Library. “Students from Dominican University will lead the circles in the breakout sessions.”
In addition to the library, a range of local entities are supporting the sessions, including: District 97, District 200, the E-Team of Oak Park, and Dominican University’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transfor mation (TRHT) group. Remaining session dates: ■ Session 2: Tuesday, November 17, 6-7:30 pm ■ Session 3: Tuesday, December 1, 6-7:30 pm
You can pick up books at the service desk in the Main Library Lobby or download copies through Media on Demand/ Libby. Visit oppl.org to register for the discussion series.
Michael Romain
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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D97 board scraps Nov. 30 timeline for hybrid learning Board members opt for more cautious approach By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter
Less than a week after Oak Park School District 97 Superintendent Carol Kelley announced the district’s plans to transition from full remote-learning to a hybrid model involving a limited in-person learning by Nov. 30, the district has scrapped the target date in favor of a much more cautious and open-ended timeline. The school board unanimously agreed at their meeting on Oct. 13 to direct district administrators to do more planning and community outreach before making a final decision on transitioning to a hybrid model, which now won’t happen until after winter break. The board’s directive came after Kelley on Oct. 9 released the district’s Return to School Plan, a detailed 40-page document that had up until that point had been the district’s most comprehensive outline for switching from remote to classroom learning. The administration’s plan followed months of complaints, both verbal and by email, from parents dissatisfied with the administration’s handling of the transition. Many of those parents decried Kelley’s lack of communication about the district’s plan, as well as the lack of a firm date for returning students to classrooms. Other parents, however, praised the administration’s handling of a complicated, unprecedented situation, adding that the district’s remote learning needs should be considered in light of the fact that Black and Brown people have suffered disproportionately from COVID-19. The district’s plan for returning to classrooms has been premised on state and federal health guidelines and the COVID-19 positivity rate in the Cook County region. A weekly positivity rate of less than 5 percent is the state’s threshold for allowing students to return to in-person learning. At the Oct. 13 meeting, Kelley said that, as of Oct. 9, the region’s weekly positively rate was 4.8 percent, which suggests “the data is trending in the right area; however, we want to ensure that we can continue to look at this method before making a decision on whether or not we can safely move [to inperson learning].” Kelley added that the district continues to face the challenge of “reaching all of our families equitably” and said that as the district explores moving into a hybrid model, “I think it’s important for us to raise the question [of whether or not] the option might deepen the opportunity gap for some of our Black and Brown students.” The superintendent said some families in the district live in households with elderly relatives who may have preexisting
conditions. She said that, since families were allowed to choose between remote and in-person learning, students whose families opted for one form or another face the risk of being socially ostracized by the decision. Kelley also argued that students returning to classrooms could affect childcare providers who are currently utilizing the facilities. Most board members said that, in addition to equity concerns, they also had concerns about the district’s need to do more outreach to parents and the community in order to build enough information on which to base a sound decision on transitioning. Board member Gavin Kearney said he and other board members have read hundreds of emails from parents who are on either side of the debate, but that the administration could stand to do more analysis of public opinion and of the various learning models themselves. “I would propose that the board and administration develop a new process and timeline for back-to-school planning and that this be a process that reflects urgency, but also ensures that key questions and concerns are addressed,” said Kearney. “I also think it should be a process that’s transparent and provides parents, district personnel and other stakeholders with the opportunity to inform and react to proposed plans in draft form before they’re finalized and before people are asked to make difficult choices based upon them,” he added. School board member Jung Kim said waiting longer to make the switch to a hybrid model can be an “opportunity for more engagement and transparency,” adding that some schools, such as New Trier High School, have already had to pause in-person learning due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. “We’re in the social media chats, we’re listening, we’re reading your emails,” said board member Cheree Moore. “There’s no easy solution to this. A lot of us moved to Oak Park for the diversity, for the equity. The way things are settling now, we would have very segregated schools. Dr. Kelley has pointed this out. If you’re a person who values equity, we have to think about this plan as many Black and Brown families are not comfortable returning to schools.” Board member Rob Breymaier said the hybrid model “is a little bit more of the worse of both worlds than it is the best of both worlds,” adding that until there’s a COVID-19 vaccine, “I think it’s foolhardy to consider a hybrid plan beyond special education” and other specialized programs. Board President Keecia Broy addressed concerns that she said the board was hearing from many parents about the possibility of students not having their usual teachers or not being at their home school. When the district released the Return to School Plan last week, they were careful to point out that there was no guarantee students would attend classes at their home
school in a hybrid model. On Oct. 13, Broy said the possibility of students having different teachers or being moved from their schools has, from her perspective, been “off-limits.” “I can’t say that [the possibilities won’t be discussed], but there’s not a strong appetite for that,” she said, particularly considering that students’ social and emotional needs heightened amid the pandemic. “There’s constantly that anxiety among parents,” Breymaier said. “Worrying that their students will change teachers.”
In a statement on Oct. 14, Kelley said a town hall scheduled for Oct. 19 has been postponed until further notice, but that the administration plans to “carefully review” the roughly 200 questions that they received from parents and community members related to the transition. In its announcement last week, D97 administrators said parents would need to indicate their preference for either hybrid or remote learning by Oct. 20. With the board’s decision on Oct. 13, however, that’s no longer necessary.
Notice of Proposed Property Tax Increase for the Village of Oak Park I. A public hearing to approve a proposed property tax levy increase for the Village of Oak Park for 2020 tax year will be held on November 2, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. remotely and streamed live and archived online for on-demand viewing at www.oak-park. us/boardtv, as well as cablecast on VOP-TV, which is available to Comcast subscribers on channel 6 and ATT U-verse subscribers on channel 99. The remote public hearing is being conducted pursuant to Section 7(e)of the Open Meetings Act. The Village President has determined that an in-person public hearing is not practical or prudent due to the COVID-19 outbreak during Governor JB Pritzker’s current disaster proclamation. It is also not feasible to have a person present at the public hearing due to public safety concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Written comments may be provided prior to the public hearing by email to publiccomment@oak-park.us. The individual’s name and their comment will be read aloud into the record at the public hearing if received no later than 6:00 p.m. on November 2, 2020. If email is not an option, written comment can be placed in the Oak Park Payment Drop Box across from the entrance to Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 2, 2020. Questions regarding public comment can be directed to 708.358.5460 or by email to finance@oak-park.us. II. The corporate and special purpose property taxes extended or abated for 2019 were $40,058,175. The proposed corporate and special purpose property taxes to be levied for 2020 are $40,193,255. This represents a .34% increase from the previous year. III. The property taxes extended for debt service and public building commission leases for 2019 were $4,232,653. The estimated property taxes to be levied for debt service and public building commission leases for 2020 are $4,232,653. This represents a 0.0% increase from the previous year. IV. The total property taxes extended or abated for 2019 were $44,290,828. The estimated total property taxes to be levied for 2020 are $44,425,908. This represents a 0.3% increase from the previous year.
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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New app empowers voters with disabilities
Brink Election Guide app cofounded by Oak Park native By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
If people with disabilities voted at the same rate as non-disabled people, there would be about 2.35 million more voters in the United States, according to a 2018 Rutgers University study. “That is a huge, huge amount of people that certainly can swing a statewide election; it can swing a national election as well,” said Stephen Puiszis, Oak Park native and co-founder of Brink Election Guide, a new mobile app that makes the voting process more accessible. Voters with disabilities face serious barriers at the polls, from inaccessible polling places to being improperly turned away by poll workers. Disenfranchisement is common for people with disabilities, even as one in four adults have a disability of some kind in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “I think it’s our responsibility to help remove some of those barriers for them,” said Puiszis, whose sister has Down syndrome. The Brink Election Guide, available for download for iPhones and Android devices, empowers and mobilizes voters with disabilities to participate in the democratic process without hindrance and works in both national and state elections. And the app is entirely free. “We give you all the important steps you need to do to actually get your ballot counted,” said Puiszis, an alumnus of Fenwick High School. Brink Election Guide strictly adheres to accessibility guidelines set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium, the primary international standards organization for the internet. It has a colorblind-friendly col-
or scheme and large text. The app also uses text-to-speak for the visually impaired and is conducive to people with dexterity issues. The content is currently in English but will be available in Spanish by Nov. 3. “We are looking to make this more accessible to people with different types of cognitive needs and make it simpler and easier to understand,” said Puiszis. Using easily understandable language, the non-partisan app offers sample ballots, voting guides, important dates. Users can learn more about candidates and referenda then save that information so its readily available upon voting. The app will even take users directly to their secretary of state’s website where they can register to vote online. The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), a group of disability policy and advocacy lawyers, reviews all of the app’s content before it goes live to ensure it is completely non-partisan. Brink Election Guide also offers resources to handle issues that may arise when voting, such as if the accessible voting booth was not set up or was located at the top of a staircase, out of reach of people in wheelchairs. “We provide a series of phone resources you can call in real time,” said Puiszis. “Many states, through NDRN, will have election day hotlines to help people.” The app also provides recommendations on what to say to advocate for yourself and your rights, using information from the app’s legal partners and NDRN. Brink Election Guide provides pre-written scripts containing the piece of election law corresponding to particular scenarios. For instance, if a poll worker tries to bar a voter with a disability from taking a personal aide into the booth with them -- which is illegal under the Voting Rights Act -- the app has a rebuttal ready to go with that information. “We help people advocate for themselves in situations where something like this might arise, which is unfortunately all too
SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor
frequent and all too common,” said Puiszis. The company behind the app, Brink, is a registered 501c3, co-founded in 2018 by Puiszis and his business partner, Dylan Bulkeley-Krane, who served as the disability rights policy coordinator in Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. The World Institute on Disability sponsors Brink fiscally. To test the app, Brink partnered with Opportunity Knocks, a River Forest-based non-profit that provides support to teens and young adults who have developmental disabilities. Puiszis serves on the auxiliary board of Opportunity Knocks. Brink also conducted interviews with a number of people within the disability community not only to get their feedback on the app, but to better address their needs within it and to learn about the issues they’ve encountered. “There’s some pretty terrible stories,” said Puiszis. Testimonies from people with disabilities
Stephen Puiszis, co-founder of Brink Election Guide. fortified the Brink team’s desire to address disenfranchisement of people with disabilities. Puiszis recalls a particular experience someone in a wheelchair shared with the Brink team; the polling site had a ramp, but the accessible voting booth was placed at the top of two flights of stairs. “They were faced with basically the choice of, ‘Do I ask someone to carry me up the stairs?’ Or, “Do I have to get out of my wheelchair and crawl up the stairs?” said Puiszis. “You can’t help but feel that there is injustice and inequity in our voting process.” Ensuring that no person with a disability finds themselves in a similar dilemma while exercising their constitutional right to vote serves as the impetus behind the creation of Brink Election Guide. “It’s important that in 2020 as a nation,” Puiszis said, “we focus on ameliorating these accessibility issues for people with disabilities so that they can have equal access to voting.”
Maywood, River Forest Twin Village Covenant comes to life By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter
This past summer, the village boards of Maywood and River Forest each unanimously approved the Twin Villages Covenant, which commits the neighboring suburbs “to the principles of humanity, equity and inclusion,” according to a draft of the document. “The covenant will guide the overarching spirit of our distinct towns to think as one and to interact in more collaborative ways.” On Oct. 17, community members and elected officials from both suburbs gathered at Maywood Fine Arts, a nonprofit arts organization in Maywood, to talk about what
that Covenant looks like in practice. Roughly 30 people were broken into groups of around five or six each to brainstorm ideas for collaboration and how the Covenant can become reality. The list of programmatic possibilities seemed endless — from a Broadway-style musical produced by members of both communities to joint Juneteenth celebrations to parades in honor of war casualties that would process through both villages. “I like the concept of examining our presuppositions always,” said River Forest resident Johann Buis. “Tied to that is humility — mutual humility. As somebody once said, ‘Think more highly of someone else than yourself.’”
Buis and others said that for the Covenant to work in practice, the relationship between the suburbs that it helps build must be based on honest and open communication, transparency and democratic (“coming together as friends and neighbors, not based on a hierarchy”). Erika Bachner, the River Forest trustee, worked on the Covenant with Maywood Trustee Miguel Jones, who conceived of the initiative over the summer in the wake of civil unrest following George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. The local officials said Saturday that getting buy-in from residents in the community will be critical to its success. “Although I spearheaded this, this is not
something I want ownership over,” Jones said. “What will make this sustainable is us getting buy-in.” Maywood Mayor Edwenna Perkins and River Forest Mayor Cathy Adduci were both in attendance and expressed enthusiasm for the Covenant. “This is a historic moment for River Forest,” Adduci said. “We’re really excited.” Shakan Kirksie, an Oak Park and River Forest special education teacher who grew up in Maywood with Trustee Jones, her younger brother, said that the Covenant will allow both villages to build some mutuality after years of alienation.
CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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Lines long to early vote at Oak Park village hall
Technical issues with county voting machines slow progress By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Early voting has started in Cook County as of Oct. 19. The early birds who showed up to vote at Oak Park village hall Monday morning saw long lines, technical problems and emergency vehicles, after a woman collapsed on the sidewalk near the throng of voters. Mask-wearing voters stood in socially distanced lines stretching all around the building. Some people even brought portable chairs to sit in. When doors opened at 8:30 a.m., a line of 157 people had already assembled. The line, which Village Clerk Vicki Scaman called “insane,” quickly lengthened as village staff and poll workers struggled to keep things moving amid technological problems. Brian Butler, who had been waiting in line for an hour and 45 minutes, said his part of the line hadn’t received an explanation for the holdup. Butler doesn’t usually early vote, but said he decided to vote early in the hopes of avoiding lines. Four of the seven laptops supplied by Cook County failed to connect to the scanner needed to program the plastic cards needed for voters to insert into the voting machines, according to Scaman. Due to this error, voters were only able to use three of the 14 voting machines, also supplied by Cook County, Scaman said.
“The entire country has known that there was going to be an unbelievable turnout in this election and for the state to not be prepared is disappointing,” said Sarah Myata, who had been waiting for two hours. Myata said she has voted early in past elections, but never had to wait in line to do so until now. “I do think the turnout is great,” said Myata. In response to COVID-19, the village has taken several precautions for early voting, including sanitizing each station after each voter and lining people up outside of village hall. “Being a healthcare provider, I was encouraged that we would have to wait outside more to limit the amount of people inside the building at once,” said Myata. Martha Ekwurtzel, who arrived at 7:30 a.m. and finished voting at about 10:25 a.m., didn’t think the wait too terrible. “Everyone was in good spirits,” said Ekwurtzel. “I’d say the experience was still very pleasant, even though it took quite a while.” The monotony of waiting was unfortunately interrupted at about 10:30 a.m., when a woman, who looked to be in her 60s or 70s, lost consciousness, fell and hit her head hard on the concrete in front of people waiting to vote. Witnesses said the woman was walking along the sidewalk and appeared to be struggling to breathe before her collapse. Alarmed, village staff and voters called out to see if anyone was a doctor or nurse. Emergency medical technicians performed CPR on the woman, whose face grew increasingly purple, and transferred her onto a stretcher, as police officers took statements from witnesses. An ambulance transported the woman to a hospital for treatment. Police could not confirm which hospital nor the woman’s condition at this time. The woman is not believed to have been at
village hall for voting. After the police cars, ambulance and firetruck left, people’s attentions returned to voting. Yolanda Taylor, who said she had been waiting in line for over two hours, was concerned with the lack of volunteers to help with voting.
Oak Park village hall early voting hours ■ Mon., Oct. 19 – Fri., Oct. 23: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. ■ Sat., Oct. 24 - Sun., Oct. 25: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ■ Mon., Oct. 26 – Fri., Oct. 30: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. ■ Sat., Oct. 31 - Sun., Nov. 1: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ■ Mon., Nov. 2: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“There’s not enough people volunteering,” Taylor said. Taylor said she saw elderly people who were confused about where to go for early voting and people in wheelchairs struggling to get up the ramps – situations she believed that could have been avoided with more volunteers. “I literally had to pull somebody back up the ramp because they couldn’t get up,” Taylor said. “We could definitely do better than this.” By noon, the county had repaired the technical issues and all voting stations were in working order. Things started to move more steadily after that, with the line of people waiting to vote marginally shorter than that morning.
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MENTAL HEALTH
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mental health professionals will provide 55-minute sessions per individual sworn officer to assess their ability to manage with job stressors and learn additional healthy coping strategies, according to the FRWC proposal. “Officers have a tendency to internalize a lot of the trauma that’s associated with the job,” said Reynolds, who added that he planned to take part in the program. The job stressors of working in law enforcement can present difficulties for officers outside of the job as well, including interactions with family and friends, according to Reynolds. The sessions are neither a fitness for duty examination nor a form of punishment. It is also not intended to be a screening for mental health disorders or diagnoses. “Anything we can do to facilitate a healthy officer is something we need to push forward,” said Reynolds. FRWC is only required to provide information regarding the mental health status of an officer to the employer under legal mandate. “If they identify something that requires additional therapy, that’s between them and the officer,” said Reynolds. “But if it meets the level of some sort of legal mandate, they would make the notification.” If an officer presents a mental health issue during sessions that does not meet the threshold necessitating a legal mandate, the clinician will recommend the officer seek voluntary treatment and provide resources, the FRWC proposal states. According to Reynolds, the program came highly recommended by the police chief in the village of Mundelein. “The police chief has provided rave reviews and the officers have appreciated the program,” said Reynolds. “It’s been met with very positive responses from the officers.” The program provides such services as trauma support, group therapy, incident debriefing and crisis intervention. Officers have the option to attend sessions via telehealth, meaning virtual face-to-face sessions. “FRWC clinicians use evidenced-based treatment for trauma-informed care which includes: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, trauma and Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy,” the FRWC proposal states. The village board was widely supportive of entering the agreement, with the exception of Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla, who believed the program unnecessary as officers already have the option to seek
mental health services through their health insurance. “Why is the village paying an extra $20,000 for this? Officers can get this mental health care through their current health care plans,” said Walker-Peddakotla. Reynolds acknowledged that Walker-Peddakotla’s statement was correct but stated the intention behind entering a mental health services agreement specific to the police department was integral to changing the culture of law enforcement. “There is research that suggests there’s a stigma inside professional law enforcement as it relates to individuals seeking out mental health care,” said Reynolds. Having an established program within the police department would help to destigmatize such services, he explained. “Many years ago, an officer who would need that type of care, if that information was disclosed or if someone found out, they would be afraid that they would lose their job or be viewed as less than,” said Reynolds. The Oak Park Police Department is entering the FRWC program with the goal of eradicating that ethos among its sworn officers. “Mental health concerns are the same as physical health concerns; you just can’t see them,” said Reynolds. Walker-Peddakotla said she understood the stressors associated with law enforcement and the need for mental health services, given her experience as a military veteran, but employees should utilize services available under their insurance. “Furthermore, I think that what we need is mental health care for our citizens, first and foremost,” said Walker-Peddakotla, who cited the board’s decision to end village funding of the joint-taxing-body Youth Interventionist program in 2020. She said the village should create better avenues for citizens to receive mental health services and that “mental health first responders,” not associated with the Oak Park Police Department, should be hired. Trustee Simone Boutet said she agreed with funding the Youth Interventionist program but did not think it superseded the need to provide mental health services specific to police officers. “This to me is an affirmative program,” Boutet said. “This is a pushout that is mandatory for the officers so that they are well balanced.” A nationwide concern, Boutet continued, is identifying officers who are “not well balanced” to provide them with treatment so that their mental health issues do not impact the safety services they provide. Trustee Deno Andrews called the program a “good, early interventionist mechanism,” while Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb gave the agreement his full support. The village board voted 6-1 to approve the agreement, with Walker-Peddakotla casting the single dissenting vote.
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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Unite Oak Park unites for campaign launch event
Candidates talk transparency, civility on village board By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Village trustee and now village president hopeful Simone Boutet and trustee candidates Lucia Robinson, Stephen Morales and Ravi Parakkat braved heavy winds and chilly weather during the launch of their Unite Oak Park campaign slate Saturday, Oct. 18 in Scoville Park. Before a small crowd, candidates publicly committed to increasing government transparency, racial equity and harmonious problem solving, if elected come April. “We’re going to proceed with the slogan, ‘Let’s work together,’” Boutet told the crowd. In deference to the COVID-19 safety guidelines, the audience was purposely kept diminutive. About 50 people, standing on markers placed six feet away from each other, attended the event, which was also streamed live on Facebook. Upon choosing to run for village president, a term used interchangeably with mayor in Oak Park, Boutet said she began assembling a slate of candidates to campaign alongside her. “The first thing I decided to do was to recruit people that would run with me, so that we could have cohesion, trust building amongst ourselves based on respect for each other that we could bring to the village board and make progress on the issues,” Boutet told the crowd before turning the microphone over to her running mates. In local elections slates can form to run together on a common platform, but people vote on each candidate individually. Come election day, the full slate, a percentage of the slate or none of the slate could be elected. Morales addressed the crowd next, sharing his experience serving on the village’s Environment and Energy Commission and as chair of the Community Development Advisory Committee, where he has “tried to address the need for affordable housing in our community.” As a village trustee, Morales told the crowd he intends to bridge the racial divide in Oak Park and help the village recover from the pandemic’s toll. “At the start of this year, none of us probably thought we’d be where we are today,” Morales said. “Since March, we’ve had 800 people in our community affected by COVID-19.” Oak Park has had 792 positive cases of COVID-19 and 33 deaths associated with the virus as of Oct. 16, according to data from the Oak Park Public Health Department. The village, Morales said, now has a
unique chance to not only recuperate but improve under a responsive government. “We have citizen commissions that need to be listened to,” said Morales. “We have metrics that we can put in place for the government to know that we are actually achieving what you want us to achieve.” During her turn in front of the crowd, Robinson, a Mexican American compliance attorney, called for a renewed commitment to Oak Park’s core values – inclusion and diversity. “As Oak Parkers, we can do better,” said Robinson. As a trustee, Robinson told the crowd she will support programs and policies that seek to unite the people of Oak Park. According to Robinson, these efforts will include higher levels of government efficiency and transparency, COVID-19 recovery plans for businesses and equitable practices across multiple areas. “We are here to offer you a new discourse within the village board,” said Robinson in a subtle reference to the dysfunctional atmosphere inherent within the current village board of trustees. Like fellow slate member Morales, Parakkat also serves on the village of Oak Park’s Environment and Energy Commission. At the launch, Parakkat spoke of the need for a united front in tackling the political, economic and social struggles facing Oak Park. “Let’s come together,” he said. Parakkat believes the worst is yet to come in terms of the economic challenges posed by COVID-19, but the village has a “huge opportunity” to better position Oak Park for the future, especially in terms of sustainability. “Imagine if we can provide training and prepare our youth for green jobs of the future,” said Parakkat. “Imagine if we could actually create green jobs locally here in Oak Park. Parakkat told the crowd that he shares some of the disappointments and frustrations people have with the village’s current elected officials – a group he called divided and dysfunctional. If elected, Parakkat said he would bring a “collaborative approach to problem solving” and a “common thought leadership style.” “I stand for unity,” he said. Following Parakkat, Boutet returned to address the crowd, promising an earlier release date for meeting agendas and the creation of an open data portal to allow citizens to see where their tax dollars go. Toward the close of the event, she shared her appreciation for the people on her slate and her eagerness to start working. “I am so proud of the people that I’ve chosen,” Boutet said. “They are smart, they’re intelligent, and they are cooperative. And I am excited to get to work with them.”
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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No Chicago Marathon? No problem
Oak Park Marathon replaces Chicago’s for local runners
fortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, that wasn’t the case this year. Instead, the Oak Park Runners Club decided to do an unofficial alternate marathon right here in beautiful Oak Park. Club president Nick Bensen, vice president Geri By PAUL OPPENHEIM Bensen and other club members worked out a loop of just Contributor over 6.5 miles. They started at Lindberg Park, ran south to Monroe Street before heading east past Village Hall, and The Columbus Day weekend has also been the Bank of America Chicago Marathon weekend for many years. Un- back north to Lindberg Park with an intermediate water station at Longfellow Park. Four trips around the loop equaled a full marathon. All participants had to be alert for traffic as no streets were blocked. Club members could choose to run all four loops, or run as a relay team. Four runners could each run a lap, or two runners could run two laps apiece. Everyone was started at one-minute intervals to assure proper social distancing, and masks were mandatory at the start. Carey Pinkowski, Director of the Chicago Marathon and a longtime friend of the Oak Park Runners Club, Photo by Paul Oppenheim generously agreed to be the LONG DISTANCE: Members of the Oak Park Runners Club before running a marathon celebrity starter (he didn’t have too much to do that day, over Labor Day weekend. (Right) Runners Sherry Laniosz and Sarang Supekar.
anyhow). The total number of competitors included five participants doing the full marathon and 32 relay team members. There were numerous volunteers at the intermediate points and at the start and finish lines in Lindberg Park. Admittedly, this number didn’t quite measure up to the 45,000 runners in Mr. Pinkowski’s annual event, but it gave some local runners a chance to relieve their marathon fever. The weather was beautiful but maybe a bit on the warm side for marathoners. However, Bensen beat all the guys to earn bragging rights for the full marathon, while Team No Tony & the Trotters (Rainer Schochat, Kristin Otto, Jane Murphy and Jeff Forst) took the Four-Person Team honors, and the SWatt team (Doug Watt and Sarang Supekar) won the Two-Person division.
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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15
Making its bet, Cucina invests in air cleaning system
Next three months will be hardest yet for restaurants By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor
As winter looms, it has become important for restaurants not only to cultivate comfortability among patrons through frequent deep cleaning and sanitizing, but many establishments are also taking bolder steps to build trust by scientifically protecting their customers. “The next three months are critical for restaurants,” said Anthony Gambino, owner of Cucina Paradiso, 814 North Blvd. “The roughest waters are ahead of us with outdoor dining severely limited by colder weather.” As Gambino prepares Cucina Paradiso to celebrate its 25th anniversary, he is simultaneously grappling with the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the quarter century old business. “Thirty-five degrees is 35 degrees. It is just too cold,” said Gambino matter-of-factly. “We had a small pile of money to spend as wisely as possible. I consulted with my general managers and we all agreed we should spend the money inside.” Gambino began exploring air purification systems but did not want desperation to lead his team to make a bad decision. He had relied on Aria Group Architects, just down the block at 830 North Blvd., to bring his restaurant to life 25 years ago> So he opted to reach out to Jim Lencioni, Aria’s president and senior architect, before installing the iWave-C air purification system in Cucina Paradiso.
Aria Group Architects is a full-service architecture and design firm specializing in restaurant and hospitality projects including California Pizza Kitchen, Cooper’s Hawk, Shake Shack and numerous local restaurants. COVID-19 has not left the design firm unscathed — Aria’s restaurant design business is just 10 percent of what it was at this time last year, but Lencioni remains committed to helping local restaurants maximize their fall and winter business through design recommendations and resource sharing. “Over the summer, restaurants worked hard to secure tents and awnings to get some on-site business during the summer season. Now they are terribly afraid of losing that business,” said Lencioni. “There are people out there claiming various air purification systems are scientifically correct when that isn’t the case.” Lencioni put Gambino in touch with BTR Engineering, 104 N. Oak Park Ave, to get an impartial opinion on the iWave-C system. The verdict was overwhelmingly positive. The system has a hefty price tag, but a solid reputation for doing exactly what it claims. The iWave-C uses bipolar ionization to safely clean the air, without producing ozone, by killing airborne mold, bacteria and viruses. Gambino consulted with his managers and acted swiftly to have the iWave installed at Cucina Paradiso. “Our goal is to make Cucina Paradiso as safe as possible for everybody. People who are already comfortable eating inside are even happier now that we have the system,” said Gambino. “Time will tell if people who are on the fence about coming in will now that we have added the system.” In addition to turning toward technology for long term solutions, Aria recommends prioritizing wind protection, lighting, and artificial heat sources to extend outdoor din-
ing as long as possible. Additionally, restaurants owners should try to hang on to the increased carry out business while simultaneously moving toward indoor dining. “Our local environment is more challenging because of our hard Midwest winters,” said Shannon Sterne, Aria project designer. “We really encourage people to play up take-out especially if they are struggling to get enough diners inside to fill their restaurant to the allotted capacity.”
Anthony Gambino
George’s finds a clear path to safety Interior modifications implemented to help the mainstay diner survive a COVID winter By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor
In addition to practicing social distancing, staff and owners at George’s Family Restaurant, 145 S. Oak Park Ave., have made interior modifications in preparation for winter indoor dining. Tempered glass barriers have been installed between all booths offering patrons and staff members increased protection from COVID-19 while in the restaurant. Built on top of the back of booths, the glass dividers go to a height of six feet. “The restaurant still feels wide open, but people are still protected.” said Saki Konstantos, son of owner George Konstantos. Rather than rely on temporary plexiglass, the durability of easy-to-clean glass appealed to owners as a long-term solution to an ongoing problem. The dividers are permanent and allow for visibility through the restaurant. They increase safety while preserving the community feel diners like George’s are known for cultivating. “This represents a substantial investment for us, but we are trying to survive,” said Saki Konstantos, “We can use all our booths and still keep everyone safe. This is social distancing plus more.” George’s outdoor dining area is set to come down at the end of the month and Konstantos is hopeful the indoor improvements will minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the restaurant’s bottom line by reducing customers’ fear level. It was a decision designed to help the family business survive the winter.
Photo by Melissa Elsmo
CLEAR VIEW: Saki, Johnny and George Konstantos are masked up and ready to serve you at George’s Family Restaurant.
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Washington Blvd. apartment proposal gets praise Historic Preservation Commission happy with design By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
A proposal to build a five-story apartment complex on the empty lot at 261 Washington Blvd. got appreciative nods from the Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission during its Oct. 15 meeting. Proposed by Ambrosia Homes Inc., the apartment building will have 28 units with 28 parking spots, located on the first floor. Each unit will have an attached balcony. “This is essentially a frame building,” Ambrosia Homes President Tim Pomaville said of the building’s design. The lot is located in the Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District. As such, any proposal to build in the area is subject to an advisory review from the Historic Preservation Commission prior to going to the Plan Commission. The site, just east of Percy Julian Middle School, was once home to a three-story 1920s-era apartment building. That building was destroyed by fire almost exactly five years ago this week. Commissioner Lou Garapolo, an architect, was pleased with the amount of brick used in the design, calling it “very effective.” Garapolo found the multiple renderings provided by Ambrosia Homes very helpful in understanding how the building would look from different viewpoints. “I think it looks good,” Garapolo said. While Commissioner Noel Wiedner also expressed appreciation for the renderings, he wanted Ambrosia Homes to do something to make the proposed building more visually interesting, suggesting using texturized bricks. Commissioner David Sokol wanted to know if the proposed development could have roof access for residents. Roof access would require a small rooftop lobby and an elevator that goes all the way to the top, according to Pomaville. Those additions would change the categorization of the building from five-stories to six-stories and require a steel building frame instead of the planned wood frame. “It’s cost prohibitive,” said Pomaville. “That’s why we put
Photo provided
BRICK BY BRICK: The Historic Preservation Commission was pleased with the building design’s use of brick. balconies in every unit.” The balcony plan got a mixed reaction from Chair Rebecca Houze. “I’m sure people will enjoy balconies. Whenever I see them though, sometimes they seem a little out of character for the other apartment buildings right around here,” Houze said. Houze appreciated the complex’s brick façade and the variation to its roofline. She also appreciated that the proposed building was similar in size and scale to the apartment building that once stood on the now empty lot.
Commissioner Sandra Carr felt the proposed project suitable for that particular part of the Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District. “I think this is appropriate for that area,” Commissioner Sandra Carr told the applicant. Having concluded the Historic Preservation Commission part of the development process, Ambrosia Homes will go before the Plan Commission next. The Plan Commission will receive a written review of the proposal from the Historic Preservation Commission.
Advisory finance referenda on ballot for Oak Parkers
Fund reserves and spending limits on the table By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park voters have more to vote on in the upcoming election beyond who should step into the Oval Office. Two advisory referendum questions regarding the financial practices of local taxing bodies have made it onto the ballot. Oak Parkers will have the option to vote yes or no on both. Both referenda are non-binding; meaning, if passed, local taxing bodies, such as Oak Park public school districts, have no legal
obligation to operate in accordance with the outcome. One referendum suggests limiting the operating cash balance of Oak Park taxing bodies and having any excess money returned to taxpayers: “Shall the Operating Cash Balances of local Oak Park Governments be limited to one-half year’s Operating Expenses, as measured at the start of the fiscal year, with the excess returned as soon as possible to the taxpayers through temporarily lowered taxes?” Don’t dust off those accounting textbooks just yet – fund balances represent the remaining cash after paying all expenses and depositing revenues. Fund balances can be a safeguard when unexpected challenges arise.
For instance, Oak Park Township has a policy to keep an amount equal to four or six months of operations in its fund balance, according to township manager Gavin Morgan. If a major disaster struck, the township could rely on its fund balance to continue functioning for that period of time. Fund balances can also be used in scenarios less apocalyptic. In the past, Oak Park Township has had to dip into its fund balance to pay bills, after Cook County failed to forward tax collections on time. However, a fund balance wildly exceeding the cost of expenditures can be viewed as hoarding taxpayer dollars. The other referendum proposes necessitating Oak Park taxing bodies obtain voter approval on certain capital expenditures:
“Shall any capital expenditure of $5 million or more by any local taxing body within Oak Park be subject to a binding referendum for approval or rejection by the voters?” Despite the inclusion of the word “binding,” the referendum is decidedly not binding, due to the method in which it made it onto the ballot. As is the case regarding the fund balance referendum. Sponsored by citizen Kevin Peppard, the two referenda made it on the ballot after being approved by electors, or registered Oak Park voters, during the Oak Park Township’s annual meeting last July. Every referendum brought to the ballot through this process are entirely advisory, not binding, in nature.
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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C R I M E
Oak Park has four armed robberies in 45 minutes In a strange turn of events, the village of Oak Park had four armed robberies in under two hours on the evening of Oct. 19. In each instance, the offender was seen fleeing the scene after committing the individual robberies in a silver sports utility vehicle (SUV). The first armed robbery took place at 5:45 p.m. in the 200 block of South Boulevard, when a man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants approached an Oak Park resident. The man showed a firearm and demanded the resident’s property. After taking two cell phones and a wallet from the victim – an estimated loss of $650, the offender fled in the aforementioned silver SUV and was last seen traveling westbound on South Boulevard. Shortly after, at 6:08 p.m., another Oak Park resident became a victim of armed
robbery, when a man carrying a firearm demanded the resident’s property. In this instance, the victim stated the man was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with jeans. The offender took the second victim’s wallet – a loss worth an unknown amount, then fled the scene in what police reports describe as a “small silver colored SUV with tinted windows.” The vehicle was last observed moving west on Lake Street. Not even 10 minutes after the second armed robbery, the third happened. At 6:13 p.m. in the 100 block of North Harvey Avenue, a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark pants approached an Oak Park resident and, with firearm in full display, demanded the resident’s property. The offender took the victim’s cell phone and wallet, a loss estimated at $1,100. As in the previous two
incidents, the man drove away in a silver SUV. In this case, however, the police reports describe the SUV as “newer” and possibly a Lexus or Toyota. The vehicle, which also reportedly had tinted windows, was last seen going north on Harvey Avenue. The spree of armed robberies concluded with the robbery of an Acworth, Georgia resident at 6:24 p.m. in the 600 block of Scoville Avenue. A man brandishing a firearm approached the victim and took the victim’s purse, which contained cash and miscellaneous credit cards, an estimated loss of $350. The offender fled in a similar vehicle, described as a “gray colored SUV,” and was last seen traveling north on Scoville Avenue. Oak Park police have not responded to a request for comment regarding whether
they believe the same man committed all four robberies. The offender is described in each of the reports as a Black man, but the descriptions vary ever so slightly in details. The first report states the man was about 5-feet-9-inches in height and of a thin build, while the second report states the man as being about 5-feet-7-inches to 5-feet-8-inches tall with a medium build. The second report also includes that the man is believed to be about 20 years old. The man is described as being about 20 years old with a medium build in the third report as well; however, the third report gives the man an estimated height of about 5-feet-10 inches and says the man had a round face. The fourth report had no description of the offender other than being male.
Stacey Sheridan
Man shot in shoulder near church off Roosevelt Rd. Bullets damaged a window at West Central Seventh Day Adventist Church, 1154 Wisconsin Ave., during an outside shooting that left one man injured on Oct. 18. At 12:15 a.m., several shots were fired by an unknown shooter near the church. One of the shots struck a Chicago man in the shoulder area. The victim’s friends drove him to a hospital in Chicago, where he was treated and released, according to Oak Park police. “There is no description of an offender at this time,” Sgt. Angelo Episcopo told Wednesday Journal. “The investigation into this matter continues.”
Armed robbery ■ A Forest Park resident was robbed by two men, one carrying a handgun, at 9:57 a.m., Oct. 17, in the first block of Madison Street. The victim was approached by the two men, one of whom displayed the firearm, and they demanded he hand over cash. The victim complied and the two offenders fled on foot. Police describe the first offender as Black, 20 years old, 5-feet-7 and carrying a handgun. He was last seen wearing a red hat and a blue-jean jacket with white shearling trim. The other man is described as being Black, thin, about 5-feet-2 and in his teens. The second offender may have dreadlocks. The estimated loss is $110. ■ While sitting in their vehicle, three Chicago residents were approached by four men; two of the men leaned into the vehicle, pointed handguns and demanded money at 1:09 a.m., Oct. 16 in the 6200 block of Roosevelt Road. The offenders took a cellphone, jewelry, purse and cash from the victims, then fled on foot. The estimated loss is $2,140. One offender is described by police as Black
with a heavy beard, last seen wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. Police describe the other three offenders as Black with slim builds and wearing dark clothing. All four are believed to be between the ages of 16 and 20, according to police reports.
Burglary ■ Someone removed the garage door opener from an unlocked vehicle, opened the garage, and took a women’s light green and black Jamis Coda bike, a women’s light blue Schwinn bike, a women’s mint green bike and a men’s black and red Jamis Coda bike between 9 p.m., Oct. 11 and 8:15 a.m., Oct. 12 in the 900 block of North Elmwood Avenue. The estimated loss is $2,450. ■ A black Glock G44 pistol was taken from an unlocked vehicle in the 600 block of Harrison Street between 6 p.m., Oct. 11 and 9 a.m., Oct. 13. The estimated loss is $500. ■ Someone broke open a garage door and removed a Yard Machines lawnmower, a rototiller, a Northstar gas power washer and an electric chainsaw in the 800 block of North Elmwood Avenue between 5 p.m., Oct. 9 and 8 a.m., Oct. 13. Estimated loss is $940.
Motor vehicle theft ■ The 2016 Toyota Camry reported stolen on Oct. 10 from the 100 block of Forest Avenue was recovered by Chicago police at 9:19 p.m., Oct. 16, in the 200 block of North Lorel Avenue in Chicago. No apprehensions were made. ■ Someone removed a Chevrolet Trailblazer that was parked and running in the 600 block of Highland Park at 7:01 p.m., Oct. 17. The estimated loss is $4,869.
■ Someone removed a vehicle with an estimated worth of $15,000 from the 400 block of Thomas Street between 5:30 p.m. and 10:30
p.m., Oct. 15. Chicago police recovered the vehicle the next day at 12:25 a.m. after the vehicle was involved in an accident.
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
CARROLL
Going out on top from page 1 from Rosary College to Dominican University. But another accomplishment, perhaps not as newsworthy or tangible yet equally important, is this: Everyone around campus refers to her as “Donna,” not “Dr. Carroll,” a testament to the importance she places on relationships, getting to know the people around her on a personal level. That, of course, makes the announcement of her retirement more difficult for the members of the Dominican family who have gotten to know her well over the past 27 years. “On the one hand, because I’ve served for so long, everyone has to have been wondering when I’d be retiring,” said Carroll. “On the other hand, they were so shocked, I think, because of the timing.” Generally, Carroll said, university presidents announce their retirement in the spring of the previous school year, but her fall announcement came as a surprise to many. But announcing in spring, when COVID-19 was beginning to sweep the world, would have felt like leaving in a time of great instability. “I said, ‘Let me get the institution through the real challenges of COVID-19.’ We needed to open robustly in the fall, managing this well,” said Carroll. “It’s all about a timely transition.” Now, however, is an ideal time for the university to transition to a new leader, she said. “Despite the craziness of COVID-19, we have strong enrollment, stunning rankings, and great financial stability. This is an extraordinary moment for this institution.” Carroll pointed to the management team, calling them a “highachieving cabinet.” “I’m confident the vice presidents and senior team have a commitment to this institution and to be a strong and stabi-
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM lizing force,” she said. Institutions like Dominican run on cycles, said Carroll. The university is approaching its next fundraising campaign, a five- to seven-year commitment, which is “beyond the scope” of what she imagined for herself. “This moment may feel early to some people, even to me, but it’s not bad to make a transition when the institution is doing well. That’s a gift. I’ve had a long, successful tenure,” she said, adding, “It’s a responsible time for me to leave. The institution is well positioned to attract a strong pool of candidates.” Still, the thought of leaving is difficult, describing it as “heartache.” But she has plans for the months left, which will keep her busy making sure the institution remains strong for the leader who will take her place.
A legacy of social justice and opportunity The university’s social equity mission is something Carroll has focused on because it dates back to the very origins of the school and is inseparable from Catholicism itself. “In the foundational mission of the school was a commitment to equity,” she said, “reaching back to the religious missions of the sisters.” And it hasn’t changed. “That legacy positions us in a place of enormous strength,” she said. “We have tough conversations about race, economics, social issues. As part of our Catholic social teaching, it’s foundational to who we are.” During times of social unrest, Carroll sees her mandate as sharing the university’s message of social justice. “In contemporary leadership, it gives us a context in which to be clearly spoken, if not outspoken, about rights of all people, including undocumented students.” In fact, about 72 percent of the incoming class this year is Hispanic. Dominican University has been a Sanctuary Campus since 2016, and recently they have expanded that resolution to more fully incorporate an antiracist agenda. The village of River Forest is doing the same thing, she
Photo provided
PROGRESSIVE BUT ANCHORED: Donna Carroll will depart at the end of the current school year after 27 years as president of Dominican University.
noted. As they commit to making their welcoming resolution more robust, they’ve asked Dominican to partner with them on social justice initiatives. In that sense, Carroll sees the university and village “on parallel and complementary tracks.” But the village faces a bigger challenge. “How do you authentically engage in equality when you’re essentially homogeneous?” asked Carroll. The school’s long history of social justice allows them to be a good collaborator, she said, and the institution is ahead of the curve in demographics, with a “very diverse student body.” “I think getting to know each other better will be important,” she added. “Our diversity is an asset.” Social justice is also an integral part of the school’s faith as a Catholic university, not a side mission or add-on project. “The sense of care, the value of the person, of educating for character are all features of the Catholic faith,” said Carroll. “Our faith calls us to be strong supporters and allies for people who have less and are marginalized.” Taking chances on people and giving them opportunities is part of the legacy set by the Dominican sisters who ran the university for so long. Carroll was the first lay president of the university, a big deal at the time. “When the sisters hired me, they took a big risk,” she said. “I wore short skirts and high heels. I was different. My legacy is that opportunity. We have a diverse student body. They are different. And we want them to gain the self-confidence and aspiration to bring change.” When she was hired, Carroll was one of the youngest university presidents in the country. Now she’s one of the longest serving in the state. “It’s a sense of coming full circle,” she said.
A vocation, not just a job Carroll sees her presidency as a way of living and being, not just performing well herself, but ensuring the institution is healthy overall. “One of the things about living in the role — it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle,” she said. “It has its glamorous moments, but it’s about showing up every day. Being trustworthy. Being someone upon whom people can depend. A stable center makes for a healthy institution and an enduring presidency.” That takes endurance and unwavering focus, so Carroll is grateful the goals of the university are in line with her own personal beliefs. She regularly runs a seminar on mission and vocation, and talks about feeling grounded in her leadership. “Being president is a privilege every day, but it’s not easy every day,” she said. “I’m blessed to be at an institution that aligns with my own purpose.” As for choosing a new president, Carroll said her role will be as a resource to the school board, but she won’t be directly involved. She hopes for “someone who deeply respects the religious tradition of the place and who is deeply committed to the mission.” “We’re progressive, but still anchored deeply in the Catholic tradition and faith,” she said. She plans to working through the end of the school year, then take a breather. “When you’re in a position that’s so intense, you don’t have much personal planning time,” Carroll said. “I’ll take my time to decide what to do.” She does plan to write — mysteries maybe, but definitely a novel. She’ll do some national speaking and consulting. As for her long list of achievements over the past few decades, she said there will be time to think about them later. “It’s premature to celebrate a career when you still have 10 months ahead.”
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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Homes
Open House Chicago celebrates 10 years
Photo by Zachary Whittenburg.
Virtual and outdoor tours provide plenty for architecture lovers By LACEY SIKORA
I
Contributing Reporter
n a typical year, spring sees the Chicago Architecture Center well into planning Open House Chicago, the largest architectural festival in North America, opening architectural and cultural sites throughout the city’s neighborhoods and the suburbs of Oak Park and Evanston. Spring 2020 threw the Chicago Architecture Center a bit of a curveball. When the novel coronavirus pandemic hit the state in March, like countless other organizations, the CAC had to pivot and reimagine an event that, by definition, brought masses of people together in indoor spaces. The pandemic made long-range planning a bit difficult. “In March, we had no idea what October would look like,” said Zachary Whittenburg, director of communications for the CAC. “We had to make some executive decisions early on that we were
fairly confident we could do regardless of where we stood from a public health standpoint.” Whittenburg said it was important for the CAC to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the architecture festival in spite of COVID-19. The team at CAC worked tirelessly to create two methods of discovering the city’s sites without endangering participants by focusing on a two-pronged approach: virtual and outdoors. The 2020 Open House Chicago offers something for everyone in a format that has expanded from two days to 10 and allows participants to take part from home or outside with their own family group or small cohort. Remotely accessible content will include almost two dozen virtual programs, according to Whittenburg. The My Neighborhood My Story programs will provide deep dives into neighborhoods throughout the Chicago area. An event list and registration for the virtual tours are available at www.openhousechicago.org/programs and via the Open House Chicago app. These programs are ideal for residents of the Chicago area looking to learn more about a speSee CAC on page 21
Photo by Eric Allix Rogers
OPEN UP: On this year’s Open House Chicago tour are the Catherine Schlect House (top) by Federick Schock in Austin and Pilgrim Congregational Church in Oak Park (above).
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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COLONIAL REVIVAL STYLE with Tudor Revival influences built in 1909. This stunning six-bedroom home displays sophistication and tasteful elegant décor. It offers wonderful space for family and entertaining with beautiful views of the spectacular oversized corner lot. ......................................................................... $1,395,000
BEAUTIFUL, CLASSIC HOME offers everything for today’s modern living. Custom-built home has the highest quality finishes. No detail was missed. Brick and stone exterior, wrap-around porch, eleven-foot ceilings and oversized windows. LL has 2,000 feet of living area. ........................................................................$1,295,000
STATELY HOME located on a picturesque River Forest block! This 5 bedroom, 3 full/2 half bath home includes four floors of living with two finished family rooms, a large study and three fireplaces. Large sun-drenched rooms with elegant cove molding and windows. In-ground outdoor pool. ......................................... $819,000
RARELY AVAILABLE, “Cavalcade of Pride” award-winning home on 50 x 170 ft lot. Includes high ceilings, oak staircase, marble fireplace, separate formal dining area, spacious den/family room with stained glass and built-in bookcases, eat-in kitchen, and a large full basement with storage....................................... $599,000
1131 FRANKLIN • RIVER FOREST
ELEGANT CRAFTSMANSHIP can be found throughout this 5 BR French Normandy home. Sophistication is evident from the moment you walk in the door. Impressive foyer, formal LR with fireplace and built-in benches, family room, separate formal DR, updated kitchen, home office. ...................................................................................$999,000 GRAND SPRAWLING HOME with an abundance of interior and exterior living areas. 5 BRs, upstairs laundry, 3 full & 1 half BAs, 3 fireplaces, full basement with recreation room. Grand two story family room incorporated into an open plan kitchen. Hardwood floors throughout main level. ...................................................................$787,000 SPLITLEVEL HOME offers newly refreshed contemporary style and wonderful space. Home offers three bedrooms, three brand new bathrooms, beautiful front entryway, vaulted ceiling family room, sunroom, game room, deck, spectacular backyard, attached two-car garage .............................................................................................. $599,000 CENTER ENTRANCE COLONIAL offers wonderful space! Deep lot, large deck, and original details throughout the home. Features include large living room, sunny sitting room, hardwood floors, updated kitchen, family room, full finished basement, and a two-car garage ...........................................................................................................$440,000
CHARMING BRICK HOME located on a quiet Cul-De-Sac. This 4 BR, 2-½ bath home offers a spacious LR with fireplace, a family room with Walls of Glass, and a 1st-floor office. Lower Level has a Rec Room with another fireplace, workshop area, laundry room with tons of storage space. .........................................................................................$549,500 SUPER CHARMING light-filled home on extra-large lot. Delightful front porch, spacious foyer, formal LR & DR all with beautiful hardwood floors. Efficient galley kitchen opens to family room. Gazebo area out back surrounded by natural landscaping. Vintage barn off alley with a loft..................................................................................................... $475,000 GREAT MOVEIN READY HOME with 3 bedrooms and 1st Fl office. Features include a screened-in front porch with new hardwood floors, enclosed back porch that doubles as a mud room, all BRs with hardwood floors, finished basement with large living area, fenced yard, 2-1/2 car garage. ............................................................................$425,000 DUTCH COLONIAL with rehab already started, already gutted. Originally 2 bedrooms, but now open to new floor plan and added bedrooms and baths. Could be a flip or a great home to live in .............. ............................................................................................................$185,000
558 LATHROP • RIVER FOREST
LOVELY BRICK HOME offers wonderful space with beautiful views of the spectacular lot! Original details with two story foyer and hardwood floors throughout. This elegant home is beautifully constructed and large enough to accommodate family and friends for years to come.............................................................. $1,299,000
RIVER FOREST HOMES
FRENCH COUNTRY ESTATE built for flexible living. Fully renovated and expanded to preserve the feel and charm of a 1946 home, with all the conveniences of modern amenities and finishes. Sits on a private, double lot. Large pool, 5 BRs w/BAs, 2nd Fl laundry, private office, finished basement. .......................................................... $1,749,950 MODERN DREAM HOME centrally located on a corner lot with fenced in yard has plenty of entertainment space! Designer touches throughout the 6 bedroom, 6 full and 1 half bath home with beautiful LR, DR and large kitchen with open floor plan to the family room. So much more to see! ...................................................................... $1,699,000 STATELY SOUTHERN COLONIAL blends old world craftsmanship with elegant modern updates ideally located. Grand foyer, elegant LR with fireplace, recently remodeled gourmet kitchen, mudroom, family room, large basement with den/office. Meticulously maintained and ready to move in. ................................................................. $1,599,000 STUNNING FRENCH NORMANDY house that has been remodeled and refinished from top to bottom. New wiring, plumbing, hvac, all floors, generator, roof work, and more. Just drop in your furniture and enjoy, from the fantastic front entrance all the way to the basement. .............................................................................................$1,349,000
OAK PARK HOMES THREE STORY GRAND VICTORIAN on 100 x 218 lot in the heart of the Frank Lloyd Wright district. This estate features 6 Bedrooms, 2 Full baths, 3 fireplaces, many historic details including double front entry doors sourced from the Historic Pullman Estates section of Chicago. ...........................................................................................$650,000 BEAUTIFUL SIDE ENTRANCE COLONIAL with 4 BRs, 2 full & 1 half baths features a spacious center family room, cooks’ kitchen with mud room, gas fireplace, built-in shelving & art glass windows. Beautiful woodwork & hardwood floors throughout. Finished LL. Front & back heated walkway. ............................................................... $639,000 PRICE REDUCED ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY of this 4 BR, 3BA farmhouse has been preserved whenever updates were completed. Double door entry, antique light fixture, hardwood flooring, art glass windows, natural trim work and high ceilings are found throughout this home. ................................................................. $599,000
MELROSE PARK HOMES
WELL CARED FOR BEVERLY in great location! Features beautiful hardwood flooring in most rooms, remodeled master bath, updated kitchen, and finished basement with second kitchen for those large family parties! Freshly painted. Fenced yard. Absolute move-in condition!....................................................................................................$329,900
CONDOS/TOWNHOMES/2 FLATS RIVER FOREST 2BR, 2BA. Completely updated. .................$264,000 OAK PARK Two Flat ...................................................................$699,000 OAK PARK Two Flat ...................................................................$550,000
BRING YOUR IDEAS! Brick bungalow offers a lot of potential. Centrally located, this house sits on a 75 X 157 lot. Open floor plan, outside side deck, 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, finished family room in the basement with plenty of storage. Renovate or build new. Many options available.............................................. $539,000
OAK PARK 3BR, 2 full/1 half BA. Vintage beauty................. .$285,000 OAK PARK 3BR, 2 full/1 half BA. Downtown OP. ...................$257,000 OAK PARK 2BR, 2BA. Courtyard view......................................$249,900 OAK PARK 1BR, 1BA. Parking space included. .......................$124,500 OAK PARK 1BR, 1BA. Vintage building....................................$110,000 OAK PARK 1BR, 1BA. No stairs!...................................................$97,500 FOREST PARK 1BR, 1BA. Rare find. .........................................$89,900 CHICAGO 2BR, 2BA. Chic, move-in ready! .............................$499,950 PRICE REDUCED CHICAGO 2BR, 2BA. ............................ $424,000 CHICAGO 2BR, 2BA. Secure gated lot. ....................................$209,900
Find that Fall Home!
Shop for homes online at GagliardoRealty.com
Contact a Gagliardo Realty Associates Agent for a free market analysis
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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21
CAC
“One of the most fun, given that it is almost spooky season, is the tour of the Pulaski Park Field House. The building may be haunted,” Whittenburg said. Free Street Theater Creative Director from page 19 Coya Paz, along with the theater’s director of education, Katrina Dion, and CAC docent cific area of the city and can also be enjoyed Kathleen Hanley will lead a virtual tour of by those who are no longer able to travel to the mural-lined field house. the city for the event. For those looking to enjoy a safe, outdoor Whittenburg says the virtual events, experience, CAC is introducing an app powwhich require registration, bring togeth- ered by Vamonde, which goes live Oct. 14 and er local experts with the CAC’s expertly allows participants to experience themed trained volunteer docents for informative trails throughout the neighborhood sites. glimpses into Chicago neighborhoods. CAC stresses that there is no interior acSome of the virtual tours will provide cess this year, but says participants can unique access to architects like Gordon walk or bike through trail experiences. Gill and Carol Ross Barney. Other virtual “The audio narrations unpack a whole events include WXRT’s Lin Brehmer and other layer that you wouldn’t get just from Jazz Institute of Chicago’s executive direclooking at the exterior of the building,” tor, Heather Ireland Robinson, sharing ar- Whittenburg said of the app. chitectural and cultural spots in Chicago In addition, the app will offer “enhanceneighborhoods. ments” based on your location. “I don’t think anyone will miss standing in line for Open House Chicago,” Whittenburg said, though he noted small businesses have Open House Chicago 2020’s trails and online proenjoyed the crowds in previgramming will be centered in 22 Chicago-area neighous years. borhoods. More information on all programming can “There’s a positive ecobe found at: openhousechicago.org nomic impact on nearby Information on the Open House Chicago 2020 mobile businesses that it was imporapp can be found at: openhousechicago.org/app in the tant not to lose, especially iOS App Store and Google Play Store. this year when so many busiTo explore and register for remote content, visit: nesses are suffering,” Whitopenhousechicago.org/programs. tenburg said. “The enhancement on the app might tell you that you are right around the corner from a Joan Miro sculpture or a restaurant or In Austin: boutique that is open.” Austin Town Hall Cultural Center, 5610 W. Lake St. Oak Park, Austin highlights Kehrein Center for the Arts (Catalyst Circle Rock), 5628 W. Washington Blvd Adam Rubin, CAC’s direcSt. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 5700 W. Midway Park tor of interpretation, says Third Unitarian Church, 301 N. Mayfield Ave. that two of the neighborhood Catholic Charities Father Augustus Tolton Peace trails will spotlight archiCenter (Austin State Bank Building), 5645 W. Corcoran tecture in Oak Park and the Place. Austin neighborhood of Chicago. In Oak Park: In Oak Park, the Young Unity Temple, 875 Lake St. (reservations required) Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake St Cheney Mansion, 220 N. Euclid Ave. Pleasant Home, 217 Home Ave.
Local walking tours
How you can attend
Oak Park and Austin sites on Open House Chicago 2020
Frank Lloyd Wright trail will focus on the architect’s early years in the village. Rubin calls it an architectural coming of age story. The trail will include seven Wright homes dating from 1892 to 1909. Rubin says the Walter Gale and Thomas Gale homes straddle the pivotal years of 1892 and 1893. In 1892, when he designed the Thomas Gale House, Wright was still employed by Louis Sullivan and moonlighting. By 1893, he was starting out on his own. Rubin says that the houses show one foot in the Victorian era and one in the beginning of Wright’s new style. Further down the Oak Park trail is the 1909 Laura Gale House, which Wright called the progenitor of his 1935 design of Fallingwater in his 1951 memoir. “Frank Lloyd Wright was often moving on to the next style,” Rubin said. “There was no real page break. It’s always an evolution, which these houses show.” In Austin, a trail takes participants by four landmarked homes designed by architect Frederick R. Schock. Rubin says the houses tell a story. “Here’s a person who’s got a foot planted in the style of the era -- the Victorian or
Photo by Eric Allix Rogers
Eastlake style -- but who is also trying to do something different,” Rubin said. “He’s playing with the Shingle style. That style wasn’t really popular in the Midwest. He’s looking to the vanguard of houses on the East Coast and integrating that to a Midwestern, suburban Queen Anne house. He’s trying to do something that’s really unique and personal.” Schock designed houses in Austin for himself, his mother and his aunt, Catherine Schlect, evidence, says Rubin, that he was not just building a house, he was building community. That community is something that Whittenburg says Open House Chicago is trying to build on during a year when people can’t gather in person the way they usually do. He says that this year, CAC moved the curatorial focus of the event to Chicagoans, knowing that Chicago residents already have an understanding of architecture and want to learn more deeply. This year, Whittenburg says the CAC is telling its home, “Let’s celebrate the city and give Chicagoans some help in rediscovering their city.”
WALK ON BY: A pair of walking “trails” in this year’s Open House Chicago will take you by such gems as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple in Oak Park (right) and the refectory building in Columbus Park in Austin (top). Photo by Andrew Pielage courtesy of the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation.
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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riginally built by Ernest Hemingway’s uncle, 301 S. Euclid has stood witness to nearly 130 years of Oak Park history. This stately Victorian farmhouse is filled with architectural details such as cove and crown moldings, beautiful hardwood floors, natural trim work, French doors, vintage doorknobs and high ceilings. Relax by the cozy fireplace in the living room and enjoy the bay windows in both the living room and large dining room. Renovated in 2010, the eat-in kitchen was upgraded in keeping with the period architecture and features cherry cabinetry, Brazilian granite countertops, premium stainless steel appliances, including a Viking range and a wine cooler. A Shaw’s Fireclay farmhouse sink from England was installed along with a stunning Rohl brass faucet. The main level is complete with a full bath. The back staircase leads to the second and third floors. On the second floor you’ll find radiant tile floor heating in the main bath along with cherry cabinetry. A second full bath on same level features an original deep soaking tub. In 2005 the third floor attic was converted into a family room, plus a fourth bedroom and a bonus room all kept comfortable with zoned air conditioning. Privacy fencing surrounds the backyard which has three seasons of perennials and a paver brick driveway leading to a detached fenced-in 2-car garage. All this in a fantastic location on a wonderful block in Central Oak Park. 301 S. Euclid is currently on the market for $599,000. For more information, contact Gagliardo Realty Associates, 708-771-8040.
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Sunday, October 25th ADDRESS
OFFICE
LISTING PRICE
TIME
2445 S. Scoville Ave, Berwyn . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beyond Properties Realty Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$335,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3:30 1014 Hayes Ave, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$379,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1:30
SINGLE FAMILY HOMES
908 N. Humphrey Ave, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . Beyond Properties Realty Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $419,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1:30 917 N. Taylor Ave, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Re/Max In The Village. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $419,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:30-3:30 735 S. Harvey Ave, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Re/Max In The Village. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$450,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:30-1 1201 N. Ridgeland Ave, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$545,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4 923 Linden Ave, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$550,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 1135 Keystone Ave. River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$598,900. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2 2249 Post Rd, Northbrook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beyond Properties Realty Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$625,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4 1215 N. Grove Ave, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$650,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sat. 11-1 1416 Jackson Ave, River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . Gagliardo Realty Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $819,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2 600 N. Ridgeland Ave. Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$895,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sat. 12-2 940 Bonnie Brae Pl, River Forest. . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,139,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 221 Keystone Ave, River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . Gagliardo Realty Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,295,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
ADDRESS
OFFICE
LISTING PRICE
TIME
CONDOS
949 Lake St. Unit G1, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $169,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sat. 1:30-3:30 1023 Washington Blvd. Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $199,900. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sat. 11-1 140 Marengo Ave. # 606, Forest Park. . . . . @properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$229,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2 921 Ontario St. Unit C, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$289,900. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2 641 S. Maple Ave. UNIT C, Oak Park . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$354,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1:30 170 N. Marion St. UNIT 4, Oak Park . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$369,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12:30-2
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
VIEWPOINTS
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Tributes to Ginie Cassin p. 26, 31, 35, & 36
We can’t purchase the future
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his has been a year of disappointment for many. In 2020, nothing is as we had hoped or planned; and from time to time, many of us have taken a moment to complain or lament about what could have been. I can understand that. The leaders of our institutions, particularly our schools, have been struggling to develop work-arounds for what is an unprecedented situation with information and context changing constantly. What I struggle to understand are the views of a minority who expect things to be like they were and are demanding that others make it so. It seems to stem from a belief that those with power have a right to comfort and that that right has been purchased. The following phrases have been used to convey this: ■ We pay a lot in taxes so our kids deserve better. ■ You have to do what we say. We pay your salary. ■ Teachers need to get back in the classroom. It’s their job to teach my child. But there is no normal in a worldwide pandemic and there are limits to your purchasing power. You can purchase better supports and tools. You can’t purchase the certainty of the future. You can purchase quality health care for yourself and your family. You cannot purchase the committed health and well-being of others to give you the experiences you want — at least not anymore. Yes, taxes pay the salaries of civil servants, but everyone’s salary comes from someone else’s dime. With that thinking, Jeff Bezos should do my bidding given the amount of money I have pumped into Amazon. But paying for goods and services does not buy loyalty or servitude. The money that we all pay for taxes, does not ensure that everything in our society will be to our liking or even benefit us directly. We pay into the pot knowing that there are ways in which we benefit that far outweigh anything we can do on our own, regardless of our income. None of us is an island. Our lives are interdependent and interconnected in ways we barely imagine. This alone should compel us to care about how our actions, or the actions we propose, affect others, let alone any values or aspirations one might have to be a good person. The rugged individualism that so many value is actually a profound selfishness that assumes success is achieved purely on the merits of one’s own hard work, thereby rendering that person, and by extension their family, deserving of all that is best. And they determine what is best. Forget that the people in a position to make decisions are probably more knowledgeable about the context and content. Forget that their desires do not take into account the full range of variables that must be considered when making such decisions. They have purchased first-class seats and expect to be the first seated, drink in hand. That is the capitalist’s way; but it is
LINDA FRANCIS
See FRANCIS on page 28
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It’s OK not to vote for Trump
am now 82 and hope I have gained wisdom, and that my story will resonate with some readers, who will agree that it is OK to change political parties and even “split” the “ticket” when voting, especially this November. I hope my journey and views might influence decisions. From 1940 to 1950, I grew up in suburban Glenview in a Republican family. I was the oldest of six kids. Dad had strong views and was politically active in the community. Mom was a stay-at-homemaker who went along quietly, agreeing with whatever political view her husband espoused. After all, women only had the right to vote for 18 years when I was born in 1938. I was strongly influenced by my dad. I was so interested in politics that a couple of friends and I went downtown in 1952 when both political conventions were held in Chicago. We went to every presidential candidate’s headquarters to get buttons and literature. We were glued to the TV coverage, probably the first time conventions were televised. Republican Robert Taft vs. Dwight Eisenhower! Democratic Gov. Estes Kefauver vs. Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson! It was spellbinding! Glenview and the Chicago “North Shore” towns were solidly Republican. Democrats were hard to find and mostly kept a low profile. Republican Sen. Joe McCarthy from Wisconsin was busy scaring the nation, leading the Communist witch hunt, exposing “fellow travelers,” “pinkos,” Communist “sympathizers,” and the like, wherever they might be hiding in government, media, trade unions, education, etc. I wrote a paper for school supporting McCarthy, reviewed and edited by my dad! Many of us skipped school in 1951 to cheer as General Douglas MacArthur’s motorcade came down Sheridan Road. Democratic President Truman had relieved him of his command during the Korean War. As a national hero, he ran for President in the 1952 Republican primary. At school we got out of class to watch his “farewell” speech on TV. “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” Most of us thought Truman was a bad guy. I wrote another school paper about the Korean
War, defending the idea of fighting Chinese forces in China, which is what MacArthur had intended. All this brings me to 1960 when I was married. My wife and I joined the Young Republicans, and I voted in my first presidential election for Republican Richard Nixon (the loser in more ways than one). As the Kennedy presidency developed and Civil Rights issues became big national concerns, I believed that the Republican Party of Lincoln the Emancipator, would lead the nation to make Civil Rights progress. The Democrats had a huge problem with the Southern segregationist members. My wife and I became leaders in Open Housing in Oak Park. We sang “We Shall Overcome” with M.L. King. We marched and demonstrated for Civil Rights. But when I had to choose in 1964 between President Johnson and Sen. Barry Goldwater, I voted Republican! As years passed, I became more liberal in my political views. The Vietnam War was wrong. I voted for anti-war presidential candidates. The Republican Party changed. The segregationist Southern Democrats became Republicans! The first time I finally voted for a presidential candidate who won was for Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976, 16 years after my first presidential election vote! The Republicans have morphed into a party far removed in principle and deed from the party that included moderates like senators Everett Dirksen and Charles Percy, Gov. Jim Thompson, Oregon Sen. Mark Hatfield, New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, and many others. Four of my siblings and their spouses are now solid Democratic voters. At least five of our six kids and their spouses/partners and probably most of our 15 grandkids will vote Democratic. We wonder how our dad and mom would vote now. The Democrats are a party of diversity. It is tragic that most Republicans will not question Trump. I ask them, “What would Trump have to do to get you to oppose his isolationism, narcissism, lies, destructive policies, and bullying tactics?” It is OK to not vote for Trump.
BOB BELL
One View
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A consequential leader
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s she notes in an interview today with the Journal, when Donna Carroll was named president of Rosary College in 1993 she was one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. When she retires in 2021 she will be among the longest serving university leaders in America. It has been an outstanding run for a woman who has become the face of this essential River Forest institution. The first layperson to lead the school, Carroll found the balance to embrace and respect the school’s Dominican heritage with a determined mission to bring change and growth. Her all-in presence at the school gave her the credibility and affection to lead in new ways while affirming the foundational role of the Catholic sisters who had built it and the Catholic faith on which it was built. Carroll will be remembered — and she’s still president for 10 more months she will remind you — for gently jolting the school from Rosary College into Dominican University, a change much bigger than new signage. It reflected an academic and institutional ambition that she imagined and planned for. She has fostered a wildly more diverse student body and has crafted a social justice platform that infuses Dominican with a progressive Catholic message, which is profound and expansive. Carroll has also proven an able fundraiser, a builder of both campuses and consensus for continuing change. She will leave Dominican at the end of this current COVID-centric school year for what she describes as an unplanned retirement. It will be the first thing she hasn’t planned out thoroughly in some long time. Donna Carroll will leave Dominican in strong shape from the balance sheet to the mission statement. She has been a consequential leader.
St. Virginia
It was way back in 1993 that Virginia Cassin retired as Oak Park’s village clerk after multiple terms. At the time, the Journal’s editorial page dubbed her “St. Virginia.” It was just a bit in jest, a nod to the high regard in which she was held. Ginie Cassin was the best of Oak Park. A genuine friend to everyone. The ultimate connector of those with power to those on the outs. A wonderful listener. A determined advocate for causes she gave her full heart to. Early on, before being elected village clerk, that public cause was open housing. In office, it was transparent government. And in her long retirement, it was cementing the place of Ernest Hemingway in a village that never knew just what to make of its favorite son once removed. Ginie moved from her house on Grove, a home where she and Bill raised an actual passel of kids, in 2018. The move was to Minnesota where some of those kids had landed. She died last week at the determined age of 96. This village would do well to once more aspire to her generous spirit, her gracious ways, her easy smile and laugh, and her ability to persuade.
A correction
An editorial in this space last week stated incorrectly that the former St. Paul Federal Bank building on the Chicago side of North Avenue was being demolished for a new mixed-use apartment and commercial building. In fact, the building’s interior is being gutted but the exterior structure will be repurposed for apartments and commercial use. We regret this error.
V I E W P O I N T S
Ginie and Oak Park – a perfect match
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inie Cassin was a hard person to say no to. That’s what people said, all those people she “recruited” as helpers in her various visions for civic improvement. Once she slid her arm through yours, you were a goner. But she was also a person who hardly said no. Her working motto as village clerk for 20 years was “I can do that.” And mostly she did, everything from the logistics for Farmers Market and A Day in Our Village to helping write Oak Park’s landmark Fair Housing Ordinance. Virginia “Ginie” Cassin died on Oct. 16, 2020 from complications of a very long, very full, well-lived life in Oak Park, then Baxter, Minnesota, where her family mostly migrated and, last Friday, gathered to surround her with love as she expired at the age of 96. In other words, she died as she lived, bringing people together for the betterment of her community. She was happiest when she was useful, so the last few years might have been mildly frustrating for her, but there was no way around it. PROVIDED A nonagenarian has to make a few concessions. She hated leaving Oak Park, but family closeness was her Ginie Cassin presiding over a Memorial Day ceremony consolation. in Scoville Park. While she was here, though, for the better part of a century, Ginie made her mark. She was in the first century. A fitting memorial to Ginie Cassin, would be to wave of Catholics who got involved in local politics, build a Hemingway/Wright/Burroughs Wing onto the back in the day when that ruffled some Protestant Oak Park River Forest Museum and provide exhibit feathers. She and her life partner Bill got involved in the space for the underappreciated Hemingway Museum, Archdiocese’s Cana Conference like many couples, inwhose materials are now largely gathering dust in cluding my parents, in the early ’60s. That led to joining storage. the League of Women Voters, which led to As I wrote in 2018 when Ginie was preparthe village’s Community Relations Commising to leave her beloved village, “Great sion in 1963, and boosting the Fair Housing people produce great towns. Or is it great movement, which led to becoming Oak towns produce great people? Maybe it works Park’s first female village clerk, which led to both ways. Special towns make it possible chairing the Hemingway Foundation board for people with great potential to fulfill it. until age finally coaxed her into retirement That has certainly been true in Ginie Casever so gently. sin’s case.” Twenty years ago next month, I found Ginie seemed to agree with that assessmyself on a Hemingway Foundationment. sponsored trip to Cuba with Ginie and Bill, “I’ll miss the good feeling of being from and I let it slip that she reminded me of my Oak Park and being a part of Oak Park,” she GINIE CASSIN mother. Well, she knew my mom from Cana, said in 2018. “I feel it has been an honorable so she understood what a high compliment place to live, representing a good community that was, which meant my cover as an objective, hardwith a lot of good people in it. edged word-slinger was blown to bits. From then on, we “Most of my adult life, I have lived under very good bonded. But she actually was like my mom: warm, welgovernment, which has espoused policies that are very coming, gracious and hospitable on the outside, tough much in line with the way I feel about things, whether inside — and very short. it was racial diversity or the openness of the board and I wasn’t the only one who had a hard time saying no commission system where there are hearings and opto her. Actually, it wasn’t that difficult. All you had to portunities for people to put in their thoughts. do was surrender. She made it easy. It also helped that I “I think people rise to the occasion of being an Oak believed in her cause — convincing a clueless village of Park resident or business owner. And this might sound the mind-boggling treasure in its lap, the legacy of writa little funny, but I’m happy to have generally been on er Ernest Hemingway, born and raised here. We’re still the right side of things. It means that you match the place where you live.” largely clueless about it, despite the efforts of Ginie and Oak Park and Ginie Cassin were, indeed, a perfect so many other Papaficionados over the past 40 years. match. But they accomplished a lot and greatly enriched The family is planning a memorial in Oak Park in Oak Park’s historical legacy, unique among metrothe future. In the meantime, if you want to send a card, politan suburbs. Along with Frank Lloyd Wright and the address is 8182 Excelsior Road, Apt. 306. Baxter, Edgar Rice Burroughs (creator of Tarzan) this village Minn. 56425. launched three of the major cultural figures of the 20th
KEN
TRAINOR
V I E W P O I N T S
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League of Women Voters endorses the Fair Tax
eaders have doubtless heard about the Fair Tax Constitutional Amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot. The proposal is simple: it would permit Illinois income to be taxed at different rates, with higher incomes taxed at higher rates and lower incomes taxed at lower rates. The League of Women Voters of Oak Park-River Forest offers the following facts for voter consideration. State spending: For decades, under multiple administrations, the state has kicked the can down the road, piling up billions in unpaid bills despite serious funding cuts. Since 2000, spending cuts on core services (education, health care, human services, and public safety) have exceeded 20 percent, and cuts to higher education have approached 50 percent. The state cannot further cut its way out of the deficit without undermining core state services and placing additional burdens on local governments and school districts. The state’s failure to shoulder its share of the cost of preK-12 education has led to high local property taxes and huge inequities in the quality and adequacy of education between zip codes. Under the rates set by the legislature to go into effect if the constitutional amendment passes, the state will gain around $3 billion a year in new revenues, by raising taxes only on the top 3 percent with incomes above $250,000, and for small businesses, raising taxes only when passthrough profits exceed $250,000 per owner. These new revenues will be used to meet state obligations and improve education equity, while easing pressure on property taxes. Middle Class Income Tax: Our current flat tax system exacerbates income inequality and racial wealth gaps by shifting wealth from low-income house-
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holds, especially households of color, to the wealthiest, mostly white households. Changing the constitution to allow a graduated-rate income tax is the best tool to spread the total burden of state and local taxes more fairly. Today, high-income earners have just half the tax burden of the lowest 20 percent of earners as a share of their income, making Illinois one of the most regressive states. The constitutional amendment and higher tax rates for the wealthy will help balance this inequity and strengthen poorer communities through greater health-care access, improved education funding, and workforce development. If the constitutional amendment does not pass, revenues will likely be raised through the flat income tax, hitting low- and middleincome families hardest. Retirement Income: The legislature has the authority today to tax retirement income; nothing in the constitution prohibits it. Illinois is one of just a dozen states that has chosen not to collect income tax on any retirement income such as 401(k), IRA, pension or Social Security benefits. The Fair Tax amendment doesn’t change that. AARP of Illinois, the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, and Jane Addams Seniors in Action all support the Fair Tax. The Fair Tax is not a panacea or a quick fix, but it is sound tax policy. Moving Illinois from a flat tax to a graduated one, like that used by a majority of states and the federal government, is a prudent and necessary step in building a stronger financial foundation for Illinois. Please look for it near the top of your ballot and vote Yes. Beverly Graham is president of the League of Women Voters of Oak Park-River Forest.
BEVERLY GRAHAM One View
Fair Tax is a step in the right direction
n this election, Illinoisans are being asked to make at least two consequential decisions. One is to choose between Joe Biden and Donald Trump for President. The other is to decide whether Illinois, like 32 other states, should implement a graduated income tax — the Fair Tax. Right now, Illinois taxes all of our incomes at the same rate — the billionaire at the same rate as the family struggling to make ends meet. And at the same time, the state is struggling to meet its financial obligations. It is fair that we would turn to those who can most afford to pay — the wealthy. I have not heard anyone dispute this reasoning. Instead, the objections break down as follows: ■ “This is a license for Illinois to increase taxes further in the future.” In fact, the legislature can address our debts by increasing taxes now. It’s just that all Illinoisans would have to pay the increase instead of asking those to pay who can most afford it. ■ “We should not change the tax structure without reforming pensions, which are taking up a large portion of the state’s budget.” Some changes to pensions are needed. But there is no reason to tie the challenge of pension reform to the passage of a graduated tax.
This would just complicate the passage of both and make both less likely. ■ “We cannot trust Illinois politicians with increased funds.” Illinois politicians, like those in other states, have not always been responsible with the tax dollars we have sent them. The solution is not to deny ourselves the funds we need to address our debts. The solution is to vote out politicians when they have been irresponsible. The usually unstated objection is that wealthy Illinoisans don’t want to pay their fair share of taxes. And of course that is left unstated because no one wants to be seen as greedy. But I can’t think of a better word for it. The Fair Tax will not solve all of Illinois’ financial problems. But we do need it to increase our revenue and begin to correct the errors of the past and set us on a better course where we can fund the social services that our residents need. I hope that we all vote Yes on the proposed amendment to the Illinois Constitution, which would allow us to implement fair and graduated income taxes in Illinois. Jim Schwartz is an Oak Park resident, an educator, and a blogger at Entwining.org.
JIM
SCHWARTZ One View
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
W E D N E S D A Y
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Senior Editor Bob Uphues Staff Reporters Michael Romain, Stacey Sheridan, Maria Maxham Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Arts Editor Michelle Dybal Sports/Staff reporter James Kay Columnists Marc Blessoff, Jack Crow, Doug Deuchler, Linda Francis, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger, Stan West Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Mark Moroney, Javier Govea, Debbie Becker Business Manager Joyce Minich Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs
Growing Community Media BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer
About Viewpoints Our mission is to lead educated conversation about the people, government, schools, businesses and culture of Oak Park and River Forest. As we share the consensus of Wednesday Journal’s editorial board on local matters, we hope our voice will help focus your thinking and, when need be, fire you to action. In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for filing. Please understand our verification process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that verification, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot confirm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay. If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@ wjinc.com.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR ■ 250-word limit ■ Must include first and last names, municipality in which you live, phone number (for verification only)
‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY ■ 500-word limit ■ One-sentence footnote about yourself, your connection to the topic ■ Signature details as at left
Email Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com or mail to Wednesday Journal, Viewpoints, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302
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ADDRESS 141 S Oak Park Ave., Oak ParkIL 60302 ■ PHONE 708-5248300 EMAIL Dan@OakPark.com ■ ONLINE www.OakPark.com Wednesday Journal is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00. A one-year subscription costs $38 within Cook County and $45 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, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, Il 60302. © 2020 Growing Community Media, NFP.
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Long live the beautiful bubble
t takes guts to try new things. If you’re a loyalist of Wednesday Journal, then you might prepare yourself to be surprised, or maybe frustrated. I sure was, finding myself sitting with this paper’s editor, Dan Haley, at the newly opened Lathrop House in Forest Park. We were discussing an invitation to be a regular contributor as the paper works toward a “more diverse newsroom.” As Dan described it, the board of directors behind the paper’s new nonprofit model proposed the purposeful addition of more viewpoints, something less liberal. Dan, by way of mutual friends and his coverage of an unfriendly school board election, believed I might offer this difference. I hadn’t been endorsed by the paper back then and some of the reporting made me feel like the enemy — a conservative. My curiosity was piqued. “Cold brew for two, please.” It may seem trivial, but this was an order for the unfamiliar and important first step in the conversation that proceeded. I’m no coffee snob and something about this seasoned newspaper guy conferred the same. Yet, together we ordered something new and unexplored. We were there because others thought of us as different, and I’m not sure conflict wasn’t part of their design. Instead, an unfamiliar cup gave us something in common. The cold dark coffee was grounding for the conversation — a detente in the event our discussion spilled into the
uncomfortable. Dan spoke about pushing his pen with his newspaper for 40 years. He’s been serving his family and his community, doing what he loves and now it has to change. I didn’t sense reluctance. I sensed a quite capable man who had rolled with some punches over the years, in the industry and in life. He even admitted to doling out a few jabs with the mighty pen. While squeezing tight had worked in the past, the times were forcing him to relax his grip so his dream lived on. With true journalism nearly dead and algorithms eating up local papers like French fries, I offered my circuitous story in return. Growing up in some beautiful Central New York county, struggling for grades and direction, and ultimately finding a way to cancel parts of my past with advanced degrees and promotions in the Midwest, eventually I, too, encountered circumstances that relaxed my grip and changed my role to director of character development, Lefko Family Inc., an at-home dad and a job I wouldn’t trade for anything. Dan and I are entirely different men as these friends of friends had suspected, but the struggle in our stories connected us and we moved on to the details. The paper was adopting a new model for business as well as revisiting content. Going forward, readers should see more diverse voices and views. I knew going to the appointment that I was a diversity candidate for a liberal paper, although I’m
STEVE LEFKO
One View
still not sure if it’s rare views or simply my willingness to participate honestly and openly in community that earned me cold coffee. Dan described having more conservative columnists in the past. Some stayed for years while others took their lumps and left. The door to this volunteer job would have the same flexible hinges and my guts were already conditioned for something new. I’ve never been a regular subscriber. However, I’ve been interviewed and written about enough by its journalists and flipped enough pages to form a solid opinion. A soap bubble is an inner and outer layer holding together a thin watery middle. The colors you see are what’s left after light is reflected off both soap layers and across that watery middle. It isn’t a rainbow; the full spectrum of color from both sides mostly cancel each other out and what’s left is interference. We’re in a bubble in this area. And if we’re not careful to keep things thin between us, to allow more light between sides, to reduce interference then … well. Time will tell if this paper is able to diversify its newsroom, interest more readers and reflect a vibrant local democracy. Until then, I’ll do my best to help a fellow father and dreamer to preserve community journalism. Long live the beautiful bubble that is Oak Park and River Forest. Steve Lefko is a River Forest resident.
Remembering Ginie Ginie Cassin was a force of nature: a small, sweet and charming dynamo who was a force to be reckoned with. As she ended her many years of success as Oak Park Village Clerk, I met with Ginie, noted her trademark enthusiasm in milking a cow at one of our early Hemingway festivals and asked if she would join the Board of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park. In addition to serving as
a great board member and then foundation chairman, she and her husband Bill and their family became good personal friends. Ginie shared her love of antiques with my wife Charlene, who also shared Bill’s dry humor regarding the many hours and escapades Ginie and I spent in foundation service. We enjoyed friendship with each other as well as with Hemingway family and many other legendary
Oak Park movers and shakers of the era, often meeting around my basement ping pong table. We smiled and laughed and reminisced in each other’s company. We now join in honoring the love and legacy she left Oak Park, the Hemingway Foundation, and our lives. Heaven got a bright star but, Ginie, we will miss you dearly.
FRANCIS
expecting one’s voice to be amplified by one’s financial resources is all too American. From aid to other nations to pay-to-play, we have been taught that it is the U.S. way to use our resources to influence things in our favor, not because it is the right thing to do. Our ongoing effort to be “a more perfect union’ compels us to do better. Many current complaints are, too often, a form of entitlement that shows signs of sexism, racism, and/or classism. You seldom hear someone question whether a white male should forfeit his income no matter how poorly he performs, but it is often the go-to sugges-
tion when Black women are being questioned. You seldom hear someone question whether he is being paid too much, but the income of Black folks are often in question. This does not mean that Black people in leadership are perfect or do not make mistakes. It does recognize the inconsistencies in how critiques are levied when gender and race are taken into account. We all must strive to do better in the context of this pandemic. Better does not necessarily mean more or more than. Better may mean more caring, more patient, or at the very least, being less of a jerk.
from page 25 not democratic and it is not what makes for good community. I am not suggesting that folks should not be able to benefit from their financial gains. I am suggesting that the ability to buy one’s way has no place in the civic space and is the antithesis of democratic engagement. Money is not speech. We should all use our voice in constructive dialogue and debate. Yet
Scott and Charlene Schwar Oak Park
We need cultural maturing
We live in extremely polarized times. People treat each other rudely and with great disrespect. Currently, we are involved in a national screaming match in which no one is listening and no one is being heard. As a result, we feel less desire to try to communicate with those who feel differently than we do. We are feeling an escalation of anger and fear while experiencing greater adversity. Concurrently, there is an accelerated deterioration of the principles of kindness, respect, and personal integrity. Often we engage as children fighting on the playground. We are in dire need of a cultural developmental leap, a cultural maturing. Historically, countless events have propelled civilization in new and often better directions. The pandemic is one of these times. How can we use it to create a kinder and more respectful world? The question for each of us is: What story would you like future generations to tell about humankind’s response to the Pandemic of 2020? For any cultural change to happen we must take an honest look at ourselves individually and understand how each of us is contributing to the current state of our country. We must learn to live more consciously and intentionally. On Oct. 29 from 7 to 8 p.m., I am giving a Thrive Talk titled, “When I Am So Right and You are So Wrong: The Art of Disagreeing.” I will discuss specific and practical skills for creating our much-needed cultural developmental leap. To join the Zoom webinar please follow this link: https://zoom. us/j/93248032094
Steven Parker Oak Park
Supporting Curran
I am planning to vote for Mark Curran for U.S. Senator from Illinois. He is pro-school choice, pro-police, pro-military, pro-life. He supports term limits and opposes unlimited taxes. Check him out. Let’s send a sheriff to Washington!
Carolyn Righeimer
Oak Park
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OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
Dr. Blount’s suffrage prescription Fourth in a series of profiles of local suffragists, celebrating the centennial of women’s suffrage in the U.S. hen it came to make the argument for woman suffrage, few were more eloquent than Dr. Anna Ellsworth Blount. A close associate and ally of Grace Wilbur Trout, Dr. Blount was devoted to the suffrage cause. Originally from Wisconsin, she received her medical degree from Northwestern University Women’s Medical School in 1897, volunteered at Hull House, and soon settled in Oak Park. Like several other Oak Park women, Anna Blount was a member of Chicago Women’s Club and the Chicago Political Equity League. She was also one of the founders of the Suburban Civics and Equal Suffrage Club. When the Illinois Equal Suffrage Convention was held at the Scoville Institute in 1907, Blount was described as “the wittiest and most persuasive voice.” She often attended conferences and meetings around the country and she addressed both the Illinois State Legislature and the U.S. Senate, as well as many national suffrage meetings. In 1910, speaking before the Illinois Legislative Committee in Springfield, she argued, “We need equal suffrage, first and foremost for the sake of the men. … The men of a nation may be judged by the status of the women; there was seldom ever a great man who had not a great mother.” She also refuted several arguments against woman suffrage, pointing out that many of the same arguments had been made a generation earlier against the value of educating women.
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Nearly a month before Grace Wilbur Trout set off in a borrowed automobile to tour Chicago suburbs and campaign for suffrage, Blount organized a similar tour in northwest Illinois. She started in Rockford and made nearly 20 stops in one week, including Freeport, Galena, Dixon, and Oregon. In Ottawa, the local press described her as a “prominent Chicago physician and a brilliant woman.” Her speeches focused on “taxation without representation.” In addition to woman suffrage, Blount supported divorce reform and was a driving force in the emerging birth control movement and a proponent of sex education. To test the laws that prohibited physicians from discussing birth control with patients, Blount openly distributed information about birth control and wrote for Margaret Sanger’s Birth Control Review. She spoke out against women’s clubs that restricted African-American women from joining. Unfortunately, like many of her time, she also supported the eugenics movement. After the enactment of the Nineteenth Amendment, she continued her activist ways. In 1922, she ran unsuccessfully for village trustee. In 1925 she was elected president of the National Association of Medical Women; she also served as president of the Oak Park Physicians’ Club, which at the time had five women and 60 men members. Anna Blount died in 1953; two of her three children (a son and her daughter) followed in her footsteps and became physicians. Mary Ann Porucznik is a volunteer at the Oak Park River Forest Museum, where she researched this article.
MARY ANN PORUCZNIK One View
Dr. Anna Blount and her daughter
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Advising Democrats on the 2020 election Several readers asked if we could run past columns by the late John Hubbuch when space allows. This one was written last March before Democrats coalesced around Joe Biden. But much of it still applies. lthough my primary job is grandparenting and trying to find something interesting to watch on Netflix, I am also an unhired, unpaid political consultant. Having been born and raised in a Red State [Indiana] and lived most of my life in a Blue State, unlike most people I see things clearly. So today I feel it necessary to advise the Democratic Party regarding the 2020 election. First of all, stop talking about this election being the most important in history. All elections are important, but had Lincoln not defeated George McClellan in 1864 the Civil War likely would have ended without a resolution, and slavery would have hung on for years. In 1876, Tilden conceded to Hayes with the understanding that U.S. troops would withdraw from the South, thereby ushering in decades of Southern Redeemer rule.
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The last three elections were won in the purple states, so named because they swing back and forth between red and blue with each party gathering between 48 and 52 percent of the vote. These states have liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats. (Yes, these voters still exist.) All of the purple states are important, but the ones with the most electoral votes are Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio. Win most of these states, and come November election night the Democrats can party, or if they lose these states, they can move to Canada. Winning California by a million more votes than in 2016, or narrowing the margin in Texas, makes zero difference other than increasing the outrage against the Electoral College. So it follows that the Democratic nominee needs to win the purple states to be president. Barack did. Twice. Hillary did not. Remember, the purple states are purple because their voters are in the middle. They can actually be persuaded. The candidate rather than the party
JOHN
HUBBUCH
makes a difference. So which candidate? The only criteria is if they can win over the voters in the purple states. The issues are important only in that context. The same polls that predicted Clinton’s 2016 victory will be at it again, but I’m going on my political common sense. So … Do not nominate Bernie Sanders. Republicans will call him a Communist. He will say he is a Socialist. The purple voters won’t understand or care. His yelling and screaming for the six-month campaign will drive purple voters crazy. Do not nominate Elizabeth Warren. They may love her in Brooklyn, but they won’t in Racine. Too liberal. Too much like Hillary. I appreciate that sounds misogynistic, but there are lots of voters in the purple who are misogynistic. Elections are about what “is” not what “ought.” Biden, Klobuchar, and Bloomberg are fine, I suppose. I worried a bit about Pete
Buttigieg being inexperienced and gay, but he is very smart and charismatic. He’s just like Barack except he’s gay, white and short. And he’s just like Barack now that he has withdrawn and is no longer in the running. I like Joe. He’s old, but so is Trump, Bernie, Elizabeth and Bloomberg. Biden is not smooth, and bumbles a bit, but I suspect purple voters will like his experience, authenticity and moderate politics. And he was Barack’s VP, and Barack carried all the purple states. I think any of the three remaining moderates can beat Trump if they run a campaign that tacks toward the middle, gets out the vote and clowns Trump. We should all be worried about the left wing of the Democrats nominating Bernie and losing all the purple states. Most voters are too young to remember, but they should Google the 1972 presidential election — McGovern v. Nixon. It was the last time the misbegotten Democrats journeyed to Jonestown.
Biden is
not smooth, and bumbles a bit, but I suspect purple voters will like his experience, authenticity and moderate politics.
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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Did that just happen?
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y friend Tom and I, seventh-graders at the time, were playing “fast pitching” at Jefferson School on 16th Street and Wenonah Avenue in Berwyn. Fast pitching — some called it “wall ball” — involved drawing a rectangular strike zone on the side of a building. One guy would pitch, the other guy would hit, and then you’d switch. We played often. He was the Sox; I was the Cubs. I was the hitter one summer afternoon when Tom threw a fastball. I popped it up. The white rubber 10-cent ball floated over his head, bounced over the chain-link fence, and then hopped right into an elderly woman’s hand as she was walking by. She had been minding her own business, ambling slowly toward 16th, ignoring us. We watched in disbelief. She stopped, sensing the presence of something unfamiliar in her hand. She looked at the ball lodged in her palm, shook her head, muttered something, dropped the ball back onto the sidewalk, and continued her southward trek. She never looked back at us. Tom and I then made eye contact with each other and collapsed on the pavement in laughter. Over 50 years later, we still can’t believe, but will be eternally grateful for the little baseball miracle that occurred that day. Unlike the structured practices and games of the formal Little League, fast pitching was our little drama to direct. We were the umps, calling the balls and strikes, even as we pitched and hit. We had our rules about what was a single, a double or a homer. Our foul lines were demarcated by fence posts behind us that we had picked. Other than the pitcher himself, there were no fielders. Playing as the Cubs, my lineup opened with Don Kessinger, followed by Glenn Beckert, and in the third spot, Billy Williams. For each batter, I’d mimic the actual player’s stance and swing. Tom would do the same for each hitter in his Sox lineup. For lefties, we’d bat lefty; the opposite for righties. For switch-hitters like Kessinger, or Don Buford with the Sox, we’d bat left-handed if the other team’s pitcher was right-handed. Once, I threw a fast ball high and tight, hitting Tom in the head. Or so it seemed. The ball ricocheted vertically into the air. But we were both confused about what had actually transpired. I was puzzled by the fact that the ball had made the same “whup!” sound off of his head that it usually made while smacking against the concrete wall. The sound was so similar to the wall’s that I questioned whether the ball had actually impacted Tom. For his part, Tom wasn’t sure either. He asked, “Did that just hit me?” I responded, “I thought so, but your head sounded just like the wall.” By the time I was coaching youth baseball as a dad in Oak Park, wall ball was gone. But there were plenty of surprises. At the T-ball level, even with the formal rules of the game in force, the little guys created their own dreamlike moments. In one game, our batter hit the imaginary pitch into right field. Their right-fielder ran after it, which was to be expected, but then so did the other two outfielders, as well as all of their infielders, leaving the bases uncovered for our runner. Their coach laughed and yelled at the same time: “Not all of you!” The first kid to reach the ball picked it up and ran it back to the infield, followed by his teammates. Our guy made it to third for a triple. Then there was the time the ump had to pause the game because the center-fielder’s little brother had run out onto the grass in order give him a hug. I remember thinking as they embraced, “Well, look at that.” Everyone watched. I heard laughter and more than a few “awwwws” coming from the stands. Little brother finished his hug, turned around and ran back to his mom in the bleachers. The ump said, “Play ball!” Delightful, unexpected coaching moments kept awake the kid ballplayer in me. The unpredictable turn-of-events in youth baseball can flabbergast everybody: players, coaches, spectators — and even little old ladies who just happened to be walking by, minding their own business. Rich Kordesh, who grew up in Berwyn, is a former and future Oak Park resident, currently living in Chicago.
RICH
KORDESH One View
Photo courtesy of Debby Preiser
MOVING DAY: Ginie Cassin presided over many a Memorial Day ceremony in Scoville Park. The longtime village clerk and Hemingway board chair moved in 2018 for a new life with family in Minnesota.
Can-do Cassin bids Oak Park adieu In honor of Ginie Cassin, who died last Friday at the age of 96, We’re reprinting an abbreviated version of a story that ran on July 11, 2018: t’s not easy saying goodbye to someone like Virginia Cassin. Her family moved to Oak Park from Beloit, Wisconsin in the 1920s when she was 3. Except for three years in Dallas, Texas where her father was transferred, and three years at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin (psychology major, students went year-round during WWII), Ginie was an Oak Park resident. It isn’t easy for her to say goodbye either, even at the age of 94. But we gave it a shot, sitting in her kitchen on Grove Avenue for a couple of hours a few weeks ago, talking about neighbors, past and present, whose lives intersected theirs since 1952 when she and her husband, the late Bill Cassin, moved into the house where they raised eight kids. That was typical of Catholic families then, making them perfect candidates for the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Cana Conference, where they served as lay leaders, working with the legendary Msgr. Jack Egan, ministering to engaged couples throughout the Chicago area — an offshoot of the Christian Family Movement, whose three principles were “observe, judge, and act” in the life of your community. That led to finding out how village government worked and getting involved. She joined the League of Women Voters (free babysitting), which encouraged volunteerism, as did the newly formed Village Manager Association (VMA), and she soon found herself spending Saturday mornings at the old village hall (Euclid Avenue and Lake Street) helping to reorganize the outdated building permit records, which were stored in a large binder in numerical order. Ginie and the other “League ladies” created
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a new system, collecting all the permits for each property in Oak Park, thereby making the information accessible and searchable. “That was quite a revolution at village hall,” she recalled, and the beginning of better government services. She made a lot of friends doing it, including Doris Hoigard, who became the first woman zoning administrator in Oak Park. “We were always being the first woman this and the first woman that,” Ginie said. “Then we got into race relations.” Currently, Oak Park is celebrating the 50th anniversary of our Fair Housing Ordinance. But that process started in 1963 when the village formed the Community Relations Commission. She was one of two women on the 14-member commission, which included the police chief, the fire chief, Ascension pastor Msgr. FitzGerald, and a representative from First Congregational Church (now First United Church of Oak Park). The commission was chaired by the superintendent at OPRF High School. “They wanted it to represent all of Oak Park,” Ginie noted. “I was a woman, I was from south Oak Park (she grew up at Gunderson and Van Buren), and I was also a Catholic layperson, so I filled a lot of categories. “We were charged with writing the ordinance,” she said. The commission talked to people from all over the country, and people representing virtually every organization and entity in Oak Park. The all-volunteer Citizens Committee for Human Rights, led by Al Belanger and Bobbie Raymond, helped the Community Relations Commission do its legwork.
KEN
TRAINOR
See CASSIN on page 35
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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Legal Notice
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cookcountyclerk.com
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OFFICIAL NOTICE OF ELECTION, SPECIMEN BALLOTS, REFERENDA/QUESTIONS OF PUBLIC POLICY & POLLING PLACES
Aviso oficial de elección, balota de muestra, referéndums / preguntas de política pública y lugares de votación OFFICIAL NOTICE IS HERBY GIVEN, by
Karen A. Yarbrough, Cook County Clerk That the General Election will be held in Suburban Cook County on: que la elección general se llevará acabo en los suburbios de Cook County en:
Tuesday, November 3, 2020 Martes, 3 de Noviembre 2020
The General Election will be held in election precincts under the jurisdiction of the Election Division of the Cook County Clerk's Office. La eleccion general tomara acabo en precintos de eleccion bajo la jurisdicción de la división de eleccion del Cook County Clerk's Office.
The Polls for said General Election will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Locations are subject to change as necessity requires. Las urnas para tal eleccion general estarán abiertas de las 6 a.m. hasta las 7 p.m. Localidades están sujetas a cambio por necesidad.
At the General Election the voters will vote on the following contests and referenda questions. Referenda/Questions of Public Policy will be voted upon in those precincts of Cook County under the jurisdiction of the Cook County Clerk in which a Unit of Local Government has requested the County Clerk’s Office to place said referenda/questions of public policy on the ballot. En la eleccion general los votantes votaran por los siguientes puestos y cuestiones de referendo. Referendos/Cuestiones de Política Pública serán votadas en aquellos precintos de Cook County bajo la jurisdicción del Cook County Clerk en la cual una unidad de gobierno local le ha pedido a la oficina del County Clerk que provea dicho referendo/cuestión de política pública en la boleta TOWNSHIP OF OAK PARK
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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OFFICIAL NOTICE OF REFERENDA/ QUESTIONS OF PUBLIC POLICY
continued from previous page
OFFICIAL NOTICE OF POLLING PLACES The voting will be conducted at the following polling places for each of the aforesaid election precincts selected by the Cook County Clerk. Las votaciones tomaran lugar en cada de los antedichos precintos de elección seleccionados por el Cook County Clerk.
Ward 8500001 8500002 8500003 8500004 8500005 8500006 8500007 8500008 8500009 8500010 8500011 8500012 8500013 8500014 8500015 8500016 8500017 8500018 8500019 8500020 8500021 8500022 8500023 8500024 8500025 8500026 8500027 8500028 8500029 8500030 8500031 8500032 8500033 8500034 8500035 8500036 8500037
Pct # PP Name HATCH SCHOOL ST GILES GLEESON BUILDING ADELE H. MAZE LIBRARY HORACE MANN SCHOOL HORACE MANN SCHOOL FOX PARK HATCH SCHOOL DOLE LEARNING CENTER FOX PARK WHITTIER SCHOOL DOLE LEARNING CENTER FOX PARK LONGFELLOW SCHOOL ST GILES GLEESON BUILDING J L HEDGES ADMINISTRATION OFFICE ADELE H. MAZE LIBRARY LINCOLN SCHOOL HOLMES SCHOOL GWENDOLYN BROOKS MIDDLE SCHOOL 19TH CENTURY CLUB PERCY JULIAN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OAK PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY OAK PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY OAK PARK RIVER FOREST HIGH SCHOOL WASHINGTON IRVING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BEYE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WEST CENTRAL CHURCH GWENDOLYN BROOKS MIDDLE SCHOOL WEST CENTRAL CHURCH BEYE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OAK PARK CONSERVATORY BEYE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WASHINGTON IRVING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PERCY JULIAN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OAK PARK TOWNSHIP WEST CENTRAL CHURCH OAK PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY
Address 1000 N RIDGELAND AVE 1101 COLUMBIAN AVE 845 GUNDERSON AVE 921 N KENILWORTH AVE 921 N KENILWORTH AVE 624 S OAK PARK AVE 1000 N RIDGELAND AVE 255 AUGUSTA ST 624 S OAK PARK AVE 715 N HARVEY AVE 255 AUGUSTA ST 624 S OAK PARK AVE 715 HIGHLAND AVE 1101 COLUMBIAN AVE 218 MADISON ST 845 GUNDERSON AVE 1111 S GROVE AVE 508 N KENILWORTH AVE 325 S KENILWORTH AVE 178 FOREST AVE 416 S RIDGELAND AVE 834 LAKE ST 834 LAKE ST 201 N SCOVILLE AVE 1125 S CUYLER AVE 230 N CUYLER AVE 1154 WISCONSIN AVE 325 S KENILWORTH AVE 1154 WISCONSIN AVE 230 N CUYLER AVE 615 GARFIELD ST 230 N CUYLER AVE 1125 S CUYLER AVE 416 S RIDGELAND AVE 105 S OAK PARK AVE 1154 WISCONSIN AVE 834 LAKE ST
Township OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK OAK PARK
HCap Access Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
NOTE: The letter (N) following the polling place address denotes that the polling place itself is not accessible to the handicapped although other parts of the facility may be accessible. An exemption has been granted by the State Board of Elections and signs are posted indicating if the whole building is accessible or if there is a special entrance. NOTA: La letra (N) después de la dirección de un lugar de votación indica que el lugar de votación en sí mismo no es accesible para personas discapacitadas, aunque otras partes del edificio pueden ser accesibles. La Junta Electoral del Estado ha concedido una exención y hay carteles publicados que indican si todo el edificio es accesible o si hay una entrada especial.
Dated at Chicago, Illinois this 21st day of October 2020
Karen A. Yarbrough Cook County Clerk cookcountyclerk.com
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
Ginie’s legacy I was so blessed to have worked with some amazing public servants while I was at the village. No one was more dedicated, classy and passionate about her beloved Oak Park, its residents and village employees than Ginie. I also remember how loving and caring she was about her husband and family. She set the public service bar so high for so many years. She will be dearly missed but never forgotten.
Alex Alexandrou
Former paralegal and risk manager, village of Oak Park
PROVIDED
Ginie Cassin presiding over a Memorial Day ceremony in Scoville Park.
CASSIN
Gone, but never forgotten from page 31 “It took us five years to get that all together,” she recalled. Thanks to the connections she forged, Ginie decided to run for office in the early 1970s and was elected the first woman village clerk, beating a male candidate and former village trustee, who was stunned that he didn’t win. She served from 1973 to 1993. “I never thought of myself as a feminist,” she said, but that was probably only because the term wasn’t invented in fifth grade, when the annual Flag Day oration contest rolled around, and she got fed up with the boys being the only ones giving the speeches, so she entered and won with her talk about Henry Cabot Lodge titled, “The American Flag, Not the Dollar.” It was her first crack in the glass ceiling. “My parents were always in charge of things,” she recalled, “so it came naturally.” By 1973 she had become so familiar at village hall that being clerk also came naturally. “I was a very open-office kind of person,” she said, hiring staff who were “cordial, welcoming people. My office had to be a ‘welcome to Oak Park’ and that’s what it became. People used to say I was ‘the queen of village hall.’” Village clerk was a pretty sleepy position until she arrived. That quickly changed, her mantra being, “I can do that.” She and her 10 staffers “did all the things the Building Department does now. We took on animal control and animal licensing because the police didn’t like doing it.” The clerk’s office also supervised “citizen involvement,” recruiting volunteer members for the commission system. When the idea for a Farmers Market was floated (by Marge Gockel), she said, “I can do that.” Same with Day In Our Village. But the biggest change was alcohol. Oak Park had been “dry” for a century. She issued the first liquor license. “I would do whatever it took to make things happen,” she said. “We developed a
lot of goodwill.” She got along with all the village managers — except Ralph DeSantis, a Napoleonic figure in stature and weight, which he liked to throw around. “He wanted to take over my role,” Ginie said. So she invited him to lunch at Captain Bob’s, a seafood restaurant at Ridgeland and Harrison near the expressway. Being short in stature herself, they saw eye to eye, literally. When speaking with managers, her rule was “never break eye contact.” Never afraid to stand up for herself, she laid out the boundaries as she saw them. “It’s important to understand that I have a role here and you have a role here,” she told him. It helped, she said, that Mrs. DeSantis was clearly in charge in their marriage, which was obvious every time she showed up at village hall to visit. So with Oak Park’s first female village clerk and first female village president, Sara Bode, thrown into the mix, the little general was effectively triangulated by strong women. Ginie was also not afraid to take a stand at the board table. In the early ’90s, the trustees furtively appointed John Philbin to fill a board vacancy, despite a looming election, and they slipped in the vote at the very end of a meeting before adjourning — after the attendees and press had departed. She didn’t make many speeches as clerk, but she did that night. “I told them, ‘I don’t feel this is democracy.’” She retired in 1993, but immediately took on the role of board chair for the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, where she served another couple of decades. In addition to overseeing the spending of a million dollars from the state to completely restore the Hemingway Birth Home, she brought an even more important skill set to the foundation: her gracious manner and personal warmth. As one long-timer put it, “It’s almost impossible to say no to Ginie Cassin.” It wasn’t easy for someone so involved for so long to finally decide to leave her beloved village altogether. “I’ve gone through this over and over and over in my mind,” she said. “I’m kind of a
Ginie cared passionately about the village. She worked tirelessly for the village, often calling her husband, Bill, to come pick her up as she worked long into the night. She had a strong moral compass, grounded on a strong religious faith. She was a loyal friend and confidante. She loved life and we all are better for knowing VRC. You may wonder why Ginie called her husband late into the night to pick her up. Ginie did not drive. For Ginie, being village clerk was more than a job; it was a calling. She loved her job and she loved the village. She made a difference. Her death is the end of an era.
Dick Martens
Former Oak Park village attorney Ellie and I were saddened by hearing this morning that Ginnie Cassin had died. What a wonderful life she had, married to a wonderful fellow, Bill Cassin, blessed with a big family, and playing such important roles in the community. She was the first woman village clerk and did a super job. She contributed to the restoration of the decorative plaque at Farson-Mills House when I was the chairman of the Park District Farson-Mills House Committee by purchasing a heavy plaster replica of the plaque which I hung in her office at village hall. Ellie taught one of her granddaughters, who lived with the Cassins, at Holmes School. Ginny came to the parent-teacher conferences, her usual empathetic self. We enjoyed being involved with the Cassins at the Hemingway Museum, which would perfectionist, I always wanted to be taken seriously, and I’ve always been smaller than everybody else. I would like to feel that I had my boots on till the end. So maybe there’s a little ego there. I cherish the image I have in Oak Park. It’s such a warm family feeling here. That’s a hard thing to leave. “But there’s a whole part of my life up north now, way up in Minnesota. There’s a whole new batch of great-grandchildren who will never know me if I don’t go up there and have some life with them. It’s to my detriment that I haven’t gotten to know them. I want them to know who Grandma Ginie is. I would like them to know me in my increasing age for who I am, who I feel like I am, and not an old lady being pushed around. She said she’ll miss being in the July
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not have happened without their tireless devotion to the project. She was a force and a treasure. She was always so willing to lend a hand and support a good cause. (Ellie and I are reminded of Elsie Jacobsen too, another community treasure.)
Bob Bell
Oak Park Ginie was so very sweet to me when I came to the Hemingway House as the Writer-in-Residence, encouraging me to take to the house as my house, to savor its traditions and to linger in its rooms. She believed in the house’s importance and importance of encouraging art, of all kinds, through the home’s unique place in literary history. I will always be grateful for her kind and sincere support.
David W. Berner
Writer-in-residence, 2015-2017 Hemingway Foundation board member, 2017-2019 Virginia (Ginie) Cassin was an undeniable force of nature in Oak Park. I drove her in the front seat of a convertible in the July 4th Parade for several years — she had as many shout-outs as our Ernest Hemingway look-alike perched on the deck behind her. Seems she knew everyone and they knew her. Her years as chair of the Hemingway Foundation and as a longtime board member, led the organization to new heights with the restoration of the Birthplace Home, reaching visitors from here and abroad and attracting students, young writers, artists, musicians, scholars and many others to an array of public programs, in all the arts — very much in the Hemingway family tradition. She will be remembered for her dedication to the village of Oak Park, as its longtime clerk, and for her tireless energy to make things better for all who live and work here.
John W. Berry
Chairman, Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park Dominican University, School of Information Studies 4th Parade and at Day In Our Village and leading the Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies at Scoville Park and the Oak Park Arms. “I will miss being in a community where I am seen as a beloved old-timer. But I don’t want to turn into a disabled old-timer. “I’m very torn about leaving,” she said. “It was a tough decision, and I hope it’s a good one. Time will tell.” At 94, that’s what you call optimism. “My life is getting kind of misty,” she said, “my eyesight dimming, my hearing dimming. I feel like the end of Casablanca, walking off into the mist.” So, Ginie, speaking on behalf of Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains, and all the people of Oak Park, I would just like to say: It’s been a beautiful friendship.
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
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O B I T U A R I E S
Living through to the end This column first ran in 2017.
E
ighty-five years ago, when Ginie Cassin was 8 years old at Longfellow Elementary School here in Oak Park, she entered the Flag Day oratory contest, and ruffled a few feathers by doing so. Not only was she the first female to enter that holiday contest, she was also the first female to win the competition and move on to the finals at Lowell School, Forest and Lake. “I didn’t really have anything to prove; I just figured we all should have a chance here and I think I can do that,” she explained, as we chatted in her longtime family home. Today, at 93, Ginie talks about wanting to “remain in the swirl rather than being put off to the side.” She says her physical and mental acuity allow her to continue to participate actively, and for that she is grateful. “I think your attitude is more important than your years,” she says, and quickly follows up with the recognition that difficult changes and painful losses are part and parcel of her longevity. “Age gives you experience and it gives you perspective,” she says with a smile. “People, as they mature, have something that the ‘johnny-comelatelies’ don’t necessarily have. I just figure, at 93, this is not a time to just dry up and blow away.” We spoke of spirituality as an important factor in her longevity. Ginie appreciates and revels in the power that runs through her, the power she calls God. She now reads her daily thought at night, before sleep, rather than in the morning, as a gesture of respect.
I first met Ginie over 30 years ago when Dorie and I, young parents and new to the village, walked into the Village Clerk’s Office to learn more about our new hometown. In 1973, she had ruffled feathers again when she ran for clerk against retired Trustee Hal Herman, because she thought ‘I think I can do that!’ Ginie and her husband Bill and the Folletts and the Gearens and Bobbie Raymond and so many other courageous Oak Parkers stood up for Fair Housing at a moment in history when most towns succumbed to white flight. She is part of our proud and sublimely imperfect history. After Ginie left the clerk’s office, she was active in the Hemingway Foundation and developing the Hemingway Birth Home and the Hemingway Museum. To this day, she still organizes the Hemingway contingent in the Oak Park 4th of July Parade. Twenty five years ago, just because she thought she could do it, Ginie became the first female member of the Oak Park Rotary, which, of course, ruffled some more feathers. As a young mother with several children (and more on the way), Ginie joined the leadership of the League of Women Voters. She remembers thinking, “I wasn’t going to let a family do anything but enhance me. I’m just going to be an active person.” And today, as she grapples with issues of whether to sell her family residence and where to live next, Ginie feels the same way, refusing to let growing older do anything but enhance her, as she lives well all the way through to the end, whenever that may be.
MARC BLESOFF
Owen Petrzelka, 6 S’mores lover, spreader of joy
Owen Kemper Shaker Petrzelka, age 6, of Oak Park (and proud Mann Mustang), died on Oct. 6, 2020 after a heroic sixmonth battle with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and incurable brain tumor. He faced each day with the bravery, calm and mindfulness of a ninja and with an infectious giggle that took over his body and filled a room. He leaves us with wisdom beyond his six years, reminding us to be present, content, make others happy and spread joy — as well as confirmation that hot dogs are best when grilled and that there is no greater dessert than the s’more. Owen is the loving son of Adam Petrzelka and Amanda Shaker; protective big brother of Sydney and Wyatt; dear grandson of Anthony and Lucy Shaker; the late Gerald Klonke and the late Patrice “Pat” Klonke; cousin of dozens; and loyal buddy to many. In lieu of flowers, donations to The ChadTough Foundation (www.chadtough.org) would be very much appreciated. A celebration of Owen’s life will be planned when the virus relents.
Patricia Kostopulos, 87
Ascension usher, patron of the arts Patricia M. Kostopulos (nee Morand), 87, a longtime resident of Oak Park, died peacefully at home on Oct. 7, 2020. A lover of books, especially a good mystery, art, classical music, architecture, and, of course, one special architect, she was a longtime member and supporter of Ascension Church, where she served as an usher for over 20 years, and the Women’s Architectural League, where for years she tirelessly helped to raise money for scholarships for architecture students.
Robert P. Gamboney Funeral Director
Patricia Kostopulos was the wife of the late Gus W. Kostopulos, architect and village trustee; the mother of Elaine (John Schmelzer), Margaret (Mas Takiguchi), Greg (Brenda Smith), Terese (Blake Beck), Peter (Holly Schupple), and William; grandmother of Kara Takiguchi (James Woyak), Jack Takiguchi, Max Schmelzer, and Katherine Takiguchi; great-grandmother of Gus Woyak; and aunt to many, including Barbara Reineking (Ted). She was preceded in death by her sister, Doris Joan Koslow (the late Jack Barry and the late Joe Koslow), and her brothers Walter (the late Ethel) and Paul (Kathy), as well as her parents, Walter and Doris Morand. Services were private. Donations and memorials in her name should be made to Ascension Church in Oak Park, or the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library.
Robert Vernon, 75 Vietnam vet, CPA
Robert James Vernon, 75, of Oak Park, died on Oct. 5, 2020. Born on July 12, 1945, he was veteran of the U.S. Army in Vietnam and a CPA with the U.S. Government who retired in 2012 after 40 years of service. Bob Vernon was the husband of Christine Gawne Vernon; the father of Martin (Christina Mickens), Maureen (Martin) Finn and the late Stephen Devereux Vernon; grandpa of Lucien Vernon, and Emily and Graham Finn; son of the late Richard and Ruth Vernon; son-in-law of the late Duke and Mariruth Gawne; brother-in-law of Bernard M.D. (Suzanne), Judith (Gene) Krebs, Kevin (Mary Beth), Stephen M.D., David, Martin (Jean DeFrancesco) and Matthew (Linda) Gawne; and the uncle, cousin and friend of many. Services and interment at Mt. Carmel Cemetery are private. A public memorial will occur at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation in memory of Robert J. Vernon are appreciated. Arrangements were handled by Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home.
Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home
Since 1880
I am there for you in your time of need. All services handled with dignity and personalized care.
Family Owned & Operated
Cell: 708.420.5108 • Res: 708.848.5667
Charles Williams, Owner/Funeral Director
I am affiliated with Peterson-Bassi Chapels at 6938 W. North Ave, as well as other chapels throughout Chicagoland.
203 S. Marion St. Oak Park 60302 708/383-3191
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM New local ads this week
YOUR WEEKLY AD
REACHES SIX SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES: OAK PARK, RIVER FOREST, FOREST PARK, BROOKFIELD, RIVERSIDE, NORTH RIVERSIDE, AND PARTS OF CHICAGO
WEDNESDAY
CLASSIFIED
37
HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI
Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.
Please Check Your Ad: The publisher will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion. Wednesday Journal Classified must be notified before the second insertion. The newspaper reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement.
Place your ad online anytime at: www.OakPark.com/ClassiďŹ ed/
BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM ANNOUNCEMENTS
HELP WANTED
ONLINE ORIENTATION FOR PERSONAL ASSISTANTS Become a Personal Assistant and support people with disabilities. Progress Center is offering free, online personal assistant orientations throughout the month of October. Orientation dates include October 17, October 24 (Spanish Language), October 25, and October 30. After completing the orientation, you will be eligible to work with people with disabilities at $13.48 an hour. For more information, contact Rhychell at rbarnes@progresscil.org
ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER PART-TIME Part-time Electrician’s Helper. Must have own transportation. Call for more info. 708-738-3848
HELP WANTED BILINGUAL CCP SUPERVISOR Sahara Homecare is hiring a Bilingual CCP Supervisor for the Melrose Park location. We provide homecare services to seniors through the state-funded Community Care Program. Duties for the position include managing both homecare aides and client cases. Requirements -Able to communicate in both Spanish and English -Minimum High School Diploma -Familiarity with Microsoft OfďŹ ce including Excel -Strong written and verbal communication skills Please send your resume to Human Resources Coordinator Habeeba Nazneen at: habeeban@saharahomecare.com. For more information on job opportunities, please visit https://saharahomecare.com.
HAPPY KIDD’S WEST INC. 6928 W 16th St Berwyn, IL 60513 We are seeking a Director and 2 teachers. Director must be qualiďŹ ed and have Associate’s degree or equivalent. Teachers must be director or teacher qualiďŹ ed. Mon thru Fri. working with Infants to 6 yrs old. Compensable salary negotiable based on experience. Call 773-619-5545 or fax resume to 773-728-5437. TEACHER AND TEACHER AIDE MINI ME BUNCH seeks teacher and teacher aide to enhance and expand daycare serving children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Teacher must have at least Associates’ degree in Early Childhood Education. Minimum 1 year experience preferred in each position. Must love children and be outgoing, patient, exible. Contact 773-521-9499.
Selling your home By Owner? Advertise here! Call 708-613-3342.
River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking a Permanent Traveling Substitute Teacher for Willard and Lincoln elementary schools Qualifications: a) Valid Illinois Professional Educator License with Elementary Grade School Endorsement b) Successful teaching experience preferred Job Duties: The traveling elementary substitute teacher will be assigned to classes at the elementary schools on a daily basis, as needed. Apply online at district90.org River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking a Long-Term Substitute PE Teacher (November 30, 2020 – March 19, 2021) Qualifications: a) Valid Illinois Professional Educator License with Grade-Appropriate Physical Education Endorsement b) Successful teaching experience in physical education preferred c) A Master’s Degree is preferred Job Duties: Physical Education Teacher will instruct a class in physical education in elementary grades and work cooperatively with other classroom teachers and support area staff. The teacher will be responsible for supervising and managing the class, effectively teaching the curriculum to meet individual needs of children. Apply online at district90.org River Forest Public Schools District 90 has vacancies for Teacher Aides at Lincoln Elementary and Roosevelt Middle schools. Qualifications: a) Valid Illinois Professional Educator License with Endorsements; or Educator License with Stipulations with a Paraprofessional Endorsement. b) Successful instructional assistant experience is preferred in regular education or special education. Job Duties: The instructional assistant in Special Education will work with both general education and special education staff members to support learning for identified child(ren) with special needs. Responsibilities include instructing students in small groups and one-on-one settings. This will also encompass helping students to develop positive interpersonal relationships with peers and adults: utilizing and modeling school behavior management programs: and assist in communications between students, teachers and parents as requested. Apply online at district90.org
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SUBURBAN RENTALS
SUBURBAN RENTALS
M&M
property management, inc.
708-386-7355 • www.mmpropmgt.com 649 Madison Street, Oak Park Contact us for a complete list of available rentals throughout Oak Park and Forest Park.
Apartment listings updated daily at:
Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am – 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue. Or call us toll free at 1-833-440-0665 for an appointment.
SUBURBAN RENTALS
COMMERCIAL/ RETAIL SPACE
FOREST PARK 3BR Jackson Blvd, 3 BR apt., 2nd oor w/dining room and breakfast nook. New kitchen w/granite & stainless, new bath, central air, free laundry. 2 blocks to blue line, 2 blocks to Madison Street. 1700 + deposit & credit check required. Garage available. 312-802-8291
A RETAIL SPACE FOR LEASE IN A 6-SPACE SHOPPING CENTER: 1600 Sq Ft. • 321-B S. Harlem Ave./Madison St. area – Forest Park, IL. • Very Good Condition – Recently Updated. • Heavy foot/road trafďŹ c area. • End space. 45-Space Parking Lot! • For more details: Serious Inquiries ONLY: CALL/TEXT, at: Or: D.B. (708)828-6491
OAK PARK 2BR 2BA CONDO Condo for rent on a great location near downtown oak park: 2 bedroom 2 bath condo, only electric bill not included. $1600 a month, $1600 deposit. For more information please call 224-475-7929. OAK PARK: ROOSEVELT/ OAK PARK AVE. CORRIDOR 2BR 4RMS close to blue line. On site laundry, parking, heat & water incl. $1200/ month 708-383-9223
OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT RIVER FOREST–7777 Lake St. *1116 sq. ft. suite *569 sq. ft. with patio OAK PARK–1053 Lake St. *Entire 3rd Floor, 1275 sq. ft. OAK PARK– 6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. *3 and 5 room office suites Strand& & Browne Strand Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011 ď ? ď ? ď ? ď ? ď ? ď ? ď ? ď ? ď ?
ITEMS FOR SALE BENCH PRESS WITH WEIGHTS Set includes (9) 5 lb weights; (7) 10 lb weights; (4) 3 lb weights together with poles. $79.00 708-488-8755 COLLECTION ITEM LLADRO STUDIOS About 30 years old. Madonna and Child by Martinez. No. 11. Inscribed in sculpture. Brown porcelain, approx. 2 ft tall. $651.00 708-488-8755 ITEMS FOR SALE CHERRY WOOD CHAIRS Two beautiful cherry wood chairs with leather seats. $60.00 each. FAN $20.00 AUDIX SPEAKERS Two new Audix speakers. $60.00 each. Call Nell 708-383-7892 SMALL METAL FILE CABINET 13�W x 30�H x 10�D. 6 skinny drawers. 708-488-8755
GARAGE/YARD SALES Oak Park
GLASS & HOLIDAY ART SALEÂ 329 S CUYLER AVE SAT 10/24 10AM TO 2PM
Many pieces of beautiful recycled glass garden art, great for Holiday gifts. Handmade cards and Christmas ornaments, set of dishes, storage cabinet, children’s bikes and lots, lots more. Masks and social distancing please.
TO BE GIVEN AWAY LEATHER ROCKER/RECLINER Like New, Dark Brown Leather Rocker/Recliner Chair 35� wide Interested? Pls call 708.771.9310. No Charge
WANTED TO BUY WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, ags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys. Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400
NOVENAS PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL) Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me, herein you are my mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to suc cor in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, show me herein you are my mother. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and publish; your request will be granted. R.B. PRAYER TO ST. JUDE May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, gloriďŹ ed, loved & preserved throughout the world now & forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. St. Jude worker of miracles, pray for us. St. Jude helper of the hopeless, pray for us. Say this prayer 9 times a day for 9 days. By the 8th day your prayer will be answered. It has never been known to fail .Publication must be promised. Thank you Jesus. Thank You St . Jude. R.B. NEVER FAIL NOVENA May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised, adored and gloriďŹ ed throughout the world, now and for-ever. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I put my trust in you. Holy Mary Mother of Jesus, pray for me. St. Theresa child of Jesus, pray for me. St. Jude, helper of hopeless causes, pray for me and grant this favor I ask. Say this prayer 9 times a day for 9 days .R.B
CEMENT
CEMENT
MAGANA
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ELECTRICAL Ceiling Fans Installed
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708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area
FIREWOOD
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847-888-9999 Order online:
www. suregreen landscape.com
Credit Cards Accepted
FLOORS KLIS FLOORING INC.
New hardwood ooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-ďŹ nishing, staining. Low prices, insured. Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com
GARAGE DOORS Our 73rd Year
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Attention! Home-improvement pros! Reach the people making decisions - your target demographic. Advertise in Wednesday ClassiďŹ ed. Call 708/613-3342
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
CLASSIFIED
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
(708) 613-3333 • FAX: (708) 467-9066 • E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM
HANDYMAN
PLASTERING
Mike’s Home Repair
McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.
Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do
708-296-2060
CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE Drywall Repair • Painting Fans Installed • Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning • Window Repair
FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small
708-488-9411
HANDYMAN
Small & big work. Free estimates. Complete Plaster, Stucco & Re-Coating Services
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Licensed, Bonded, Insured, & EPA Certified Expert craftsmanship for over 50 years
PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of HEIDI RUTH RUEHLE-MAY Case Number 20204004288
Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates
There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: HEIDI RUTH RUEHLE-MAY to the new name of: HEIDI RUTH RUEHLE
Ask for John
The court date will be held: On 12/01/2020 at 9:30 a.m. at 1500 Maybrook Avenue, Maywood, Cook County Illinois in Courtroom # 112.
773-637-0692
HAULING BASEMENT CLEANING
Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery. 708-848-9404
HEATING/ AIR CONDITIONING HEATING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT Furnaces, Boilers and Space Heaters Refrigerators Ranges • Ovens Washer • Dryers Rodding Sewers Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience
FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.
708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000
LANDSCAPING
Secret Gardener
The
WEEDING 8"5&3*/( o 1-"/5*/(
Old-fashioned, common-sense gardening, with no herbicides or power tools.
708-899-8967
PAINTING & DECORATING CLASSIC PAINTING Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/Plaster Repair Low Cost
708.749.0011
Published in Wednesday Journal 10/7, 10/14, 10/21/2020
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: Y20004736 on October 6, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of MARISSA KELLEY VIRTUAL ASSISTANT with the business located at: 1410 N 12TH AVE APT 2, MELROSE PARK, IL 60160. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: MARISSA MARIAH KELLEY 1410 N 12TH AVE APT 2, MELROSE PARK, IL 606160, USA Published in Forest Park Review 10/21, 10/28, 11/4/2020
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: Y20004905 on October 14, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of VONLONGMIRE with the business located at: 1639 N. LOREL AVE., CHICAGO, IL 60639. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: DAVONTE LONGMIRE 1639 N. LOREL AVE. CHICAGO, IL 60639, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal 10/21, 10/28, 11/4/2020
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: Y20004886 on October 14, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of ETEACH UEXCEL with the business located at: 2027 S. 17TH AVE. APT. 5, BROADVIEW, IL 60155. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: CHERIAMOR HOUSTON 2027 S. 17TH AVE. APT. 5, BROADVIEW, IL 60155, USA.
Let the sun shine in... Public Notice: Your right to know Available to you 24/7/365 • www.rblandmark.com
PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The Village of Riverside seeks Letters of Interest and Qualification Statement submittals in response to a Request for Qualifications from qualified, licensed professional engineers and engineering firms for the performance of general civil engineering consulting services, to act as the Village Engineer and to assist Village staff in reviewing development applications and construction plans for compliance with Village and MWRD standards. The Village will follow the Qualifications Based Evaluation and Selection (“QBES”) process set forth in the Local Government Professional Services Selection Act (50 ILCS 510.01 et seq.) in order to select one or more of the successful respondents to perform the foregoing services on an “as-needed” basis. Qualification Statements shall be sent directly to the Village Manager’s Office at 27 Riverside Rd., Riverside, IL 60546 and must be received no later than 4:00 PM (CST) on Wednesday, November 18, 2020. Proposals must be submitted in a sealed envelope and marked in the lower left hand corner: REQUEST FOR STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS VILLAGE ENGINEERING SERVICES Please be at advised that the on-going public health emergency may necessitate changes to Village operating hours or physical access to Village offices; please monitor the Village’s website for any changes or updates related to such hours and access. Prospective bidders may obtain the Request for Qualifications Specifications at the Village’s website www. riverside.il.us or by contacting the Community Development Department, weekdays, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at 708-447-2700. Published by Authority of the Village of Riverside, Illinois Community Development Department Published in RB Lalndmark 10/21/2020
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Written Proposals for Architect Services for the River Forest Park District’s 2020 Platform Tennis Expansion Feasibility Study shall be received until the end of business day, November 5, 2020, emailed to msletten@rfparks.com. Beginning October 16, 2020, proposal information may be obtained electronically from the River Forest Park District website at www.rfparks. com. The Board of Commissioners of the River Forest Park District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive any technicalities or formalities which it deems to be in the best interest of the District. Any questions regarding this bid should be directed to Michael Sletten, Executive Director, at (708) 366-6660.
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS NOTICE TO BIDDERS AND INVITATION FOR BIDS FOR CUSTODIAL SERVICES FOR THE VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS ISSUED: October 21, 2020 BIDS DUE: 11:00 O’CLOCK A.M. CENTRAL DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME Thursday, November 5, 2020 VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS 8820 BROOKFIELD AVENUE BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS 60513 NOTICE TO BIDDERS AND INVITATION FOR BIDS FOR CUSTODIAL SERVICES FOR THE VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS RECEIPT OF BIDS The Village of Brookfield, Illinois, will receive sealed bids for custodial services to commence January 1, 2021, and ending December 31, 2021, with the option of renewal of the custodial services agreement for each of the subsequent two calendar years subject to an annual review by the Village’s Board of Trustees. The sealed bids will be received at the Village Manager’s office at the Brookfield Village Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513, until 11:00 o’clock a.m. Central Daylight Savings Time on Thursday, November 5, 2020 immediately after which time bids will be opened and publicly read aloud. Any bid unsealed or received after the deadline for submitting bids will not be accepted. Bids must be submitted on the forms provided. Submission of a bid shall be conclusive assurance and warranty that the proposer has examined the proposed work and understands all of the requirements for performance of the work. The proposer will be responsible for all errors in its bid resulting from failure or neglect to conduct an in-depth examination. Sealed envelopes or packages containing a bid shall be addressed to Mr. George Issakoo, Assistant Village Manager and plainly marked “BID FOR CUSTODIAL SERVICES FOR THE VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS” on the outside of the envelope. CONTRACT DOCUMENTS Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the Office of the Village Manager at 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513. No bidding documents will be issued after 4:30 P.M. on Thursday, October 29, 2020. Any questions must be made in writing and shall be addressed to Mr. George Issakoo, Assistant Village Manager, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, Illinois 60513 or electronically mailed to the Assistant Village Manager at gissakoo@brookfieldil.gov. The written questions, along with the Village’s responses, shall be circulated to all known prospective proposers without identifying the party submitting the questions. The cut-off for receipt of additional questions shall be 2:00 o’clock p.m. Central Daylight Savings Time on Friday, October 30, 2020, in order to facilitate preparation of any addenda. No inquiry received after that time will be given consideration. Replies and/or addenda will be electronically
mailed to all known prospective proposers by 4:00 o’clock p.m. Central Daylight Savings Time on Monday November 2, 2020. Receipt of any addenda must be acknowledged in writing as part of the proposer’s bid. Bidders shall be responsible for ensuring that they have received any and all addenda. The Village of Brookfield shall not assume responsibility for the receipt by the proposer of any addenda. There is no expressed or implied obligation for the Village of Brookfield to reimburse responding firms for any expenses incurred in preparing a bid in response to this invitation. BID SECURITY Each bid shall be accompanied by a bid guaranty in the form of a bid bond, executed by a corporate surety company, a bank cashier’s check or a certified check payable to the “Village of Brookfield” for not less than five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid. The bid guaranty checks of all, except the two responsive, responsible bidders which the Village determines in its sole discretion to be the bidders with whom the village desires to commence negotiations for a contract, will be returned after the proposals have been checked and tabulated. The bid guaranty checks of the two responsive, responsible bidders will be returned after the contract and the contract bond of the successful bidder have been properly executed and approved. Bid bonds will not be returned. RIGHT TO REJECT BIDS The Village of Brookfield reserves the right to waive technicalities and to reject any and all proposals for any reason deemed in the best interest of the Village of Brookfield. AWARD OF CONTRACT Unless all bids are rejected, the contract award will be made to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder that the Village of Brookfield in its sole discretion determines to be in the best interest of the village. In determining who the lowest responsive, responsible bidder is, the Village of Brookfield will consider all factors that it, in its discretion, deems relevant. October 21, 2020 Village of Brookfield George Issakoo, Assistant Village Manager Doug Cooper, Director of Finance
Published in Landmark October 21, 2020
Published in Wednesday Journal 10/21/2020
Published in Forest Park Review 10/21, 10/28, 11/4/2020
Attention! Home-improvement pros! Reach the people making decisions. Advertise in Wednesday Classified. Call 708/613-3342
Starting a New Business? Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice Here. Call for details: 708/613-3342
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR FFMLT TRUST 2005-FF11, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005FF11 Plaintiff, -v.BRIAN HOLLOWAY Defendants 19 CH 00561 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 23, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on November 25, 2020, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-302-0150000 The real estate is improved with a yellow vinyl siding, one story single family home with a detached two car garage. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real
estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 268445 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 19 CH 00561 TJSC#: 40-595 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 19 CH 00561 I3155753
Illinois Classified Advertising Network WANTED TO BUY
FREON WANTED: We pay CA$H for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. Certified Professionals. Call 312-598-1758 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com
Lost & Found and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified. To place your ad, call 708-613-3342
Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Available to you 24/7/365 www.rblandmark.com
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
live local?
work local.
Find your local job here!
On Wednesday Journal’s Local Online Job Board.
Search our ads today at OakPark.com/classified
To place an ad, contact Mary Ellen Nelligan (708) 613-3342 • maryellen@oakpark.com
39
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Wednesday Journal, October 21, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
189 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 (708) 386-1400
HomesInTheVillage.com
Featured Listings for This Week
Erika Villegas,
Managing Broker/Owner
Oak Park $850,000 5BR, 2.1BA Patti x124
Oak Park $789,000 5BR, 3.1BA Elissa x192
Oak Park $324,500 3BR, 2.1BA Elissa x192
Oak Park $739,900 Multi unit Maria x117
Oak Park $648,000 4BR, 2.1BA Patti x124
Berwyn $289,000 6BR, 2.1BA Maria x117
Oak Park $575,000 6BR, 2.1BA Marion x111
Riverside $459,000 3BR, 2.1BA Harry x116
Oak Park $143,000 1BR, 1BA Harry x116
Oak Park $429,000 3BR, 3BA Laurie x186
Oak Park $399,000 4BR, 1.1BA Laurie x186
Mike Becker
Elissa Palermo
Laurie Christofano
Kyra Pych
Marion Digre
Maria Rodriguez
Properties of The Week
735 S Harvey Ave Open Sun 11:30-1 pm Oak Park 3BR, 2BA...$450,000 Kyra x145
Oak Park $125,000 1BR, 1BA Mike x120
Morgan Digre
Linda Rooney
Leticia Cruz
Kris Sagan
917 N Taylor Ave Open Sun 1:30-3:30 pm Oak Park 3BR, 2.1BA...$419,000 Kyra x145
Jane McClelland
Patti Sprafka-Wagner
Sharon O’Mara
Harry Walsh