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November 18, 2020 Vol. 40, No. 16 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
OPRF survey: 66% prefer inperson learning District 200 to release draft hybrid learning plan on Nov. 19 By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter
A recent survey offers perhaps the most comprehensive look yet into pandemic learning preferences of Oak Park and River Forest High School parents and guardians. Roughly 66 percent of the 1,809 parents and guardians who responded to the survey indicated they “would opt their students in for on-site classes” while 34 percent would opt their students out, according to a summary of the survey results outlined in D200 Supt. Joylyn PruittAdams’ Monday Memo, a weekly update on the district’s plans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pruitt-Adams said the results were broken down by grade and race/ethnicity, with the grade level results roughly mirroring the overall results. She said 66 to 69 percent of parents/guardians in each grade said they would opt their students in. The survey results varied markedly when broken out based on race/ethnicity, with 74 percent of parents of white parents, 57 percent of parents of Latinx parents, 57 percent of parents of biracial students, 52 percent of parents of Black students and 45 percent of parents of Asian students saying they would opt their students in for in-person learning. “As a reminder, the survey was not to get a commitment from families but rather to help in our planning as we work on the draft hybrid plan that will be presented to the Board on Nov. 19,” Pruitt-Adams explained. See D200 PLAN on page 9
Net gain
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
Elena Calafell, of River Forest, stretches for the ball at the Keystone Park tennis courts. Thanks to warm early November weather, players have been trying to stretch the outdoor season as long as possible.
OPEDC pledges racial equity New statement with goals for promoting equitable development By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
This past summer racial disparities in the United States were thrust into the global spotlight, prompting organizations across the nation to reevaluate their operations. Coca-Cola made a pledge to invest in racial equity initiatives;
Quaker Oats is dropping the Aunt Jemima name and mascot from its pancake products and, locally, the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation (OPEDC) has committed to taking an active role in making Oak Park more racially equitable. “We were no different than most in that we started to look at ourselves and the way we do business and we wanted to try to put an equity lens on much of what we do,” said OPEDC Executive Director John Lynch. See EQUITY PLEDGE on page 13
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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A generation of lost men
arlier this week, I met ravish consumer of some of an old friend with whom the least edifying Hip Hop I’ve fallen out of comand the crass consumerism munication. He came to that comes with it; and, as America from Jamaica he aged, would increasingly some two decades ago. We appropriate Black styles and met while students at OPRF mannerisms and sayings and while neighbors (he lived (“What up G?”) while consolibelow me in a three-story dating his contempt for those apartment building on the aspects of Black culture that margins of River Forest that’s would have fortified his mind since been razed). against the amoral materiSome nights I’d sleep over alism that was feasting on at his unit and he would brag Commentary his soul like a brain-eating to me about his brash aspiraamoeba. tions — of being a Nascar driver, a pilot, If only my friend had cultivated a relaa model, of generally making the most tionship with the work of Black men like of his time in this land of the free and W.E.B. Du Bois or Carter G. Woodson; doing it, whatever it was, “big” (“go big rather than Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter. or go home” was his motto). Unlike, from In his 20s, my immigrant friend’s big his perspective, African Americans who American dreams began to deflate before seemed to squander our centuries here transmogrifying into their present form, because of our laziness, our dependency, now that he’s in his mid-30s and is no Jay our slave mentality, etc. Gatsby or Jay-Z — that is, a form of loss, My friend was a fervent believer in the of slow-cooked resentment, of a clumsy American Dream. And he had reason striving for agency and power and logic for his optimism. His adopted mother, in a world thrown into chaos. who also emigrated here from Jamaica, When I met him this week, one of was a professor at a reputable Chicago his few days off from his job fueling university who earned more herself than airplanes, he was proudly maskless and my Black American household of four conspiratorial. He shot off a barrage of combined. She eventually bought the questions, never pausing to entertain an apartment building our families inhabanswer. ited and became our landlord. Did I realize I was harming myself by His mother’s success, and the demonwearing a mask? What was the differstrable economic success of so many ence between the flu and COVID-19? Did I Black immigrants (contrasted with the know the virus was manufactured by the litany of Black American pathologies so Chinese? Did I care that the world was easily Googled), fueled my friend’s pasoverreacting to something that may not sionately ignorant diatribes during the be real? heated arguments that would often erupt He recommended I watch some Youbetween us whenever I broached the Tube videos by some guy who has someAmerican reality. thing to say about aliens. By that point, For instance, my friend was so intent I had tuned out of our conversation and on putting a wall of separation between was thinking about a passage in Masha his Jamaican pride and my “failed” Gessen’s book “Surviving Autocracy,” in Black American culture, that he adawhich she quotes the political philosomantly refused to identify as African pher Hannah Arendt. American; refused to believe that slavery “We know from experience that no one in Jamaica even existed; argued vehecan adequately grasp the objective world mently when I told him that Jazz and the in its full reality all on his own, because Blues, our greatest American artistic the world always shows and reveals itself expressions, were indeed invented by to him from only one perspective, which the Black and Brown descendants of corresponds to his standpoint in the enslaved people; refused to indulge my world and is determined by it. own assertion that Blackness is a source “If someone wants to see and experiof undiminished pride and not shame. ence the world as it ‘really’ is, he can do And yet, my friend was a slavish so only by understanding it as something that is shared by many people, fan of the Black men’s magazines that lies between them, separates and links would line the shelves of the old Borders them, showing itself differently to each bookstore at Harlem and Lake; was a
MICHAEL ROMAIN
and comprehensible only to the extent that many people can talk about it and exchange their opinions and perspectives with one another, over against one another. Only in the freedom of our speaking with one another does the world, as that about which we speak, emerge in its objectivity and visibility from all sides.” Gessen picks up on Arendt’s insight, explaining that “the ‘freedom of our speaking with one another’ depends on a shared language.” This is why the Trumpian attack on language “is an attack on freedom itself,” Gessen argues. The assault, she writes, is no less than an “autocratic attempt, the ultimate objective of which is to obliterate politics.” If we can’t agree on shared terms of dialogue — if, for instance, a discussion about masks devolves into an attack on the mask wearer or a discussion about slavery devolves into a denial that it even existed (“When you hear about slavery for 400 years … For 400 years? That sounds like a choice” Kanye West says) — then the space for politics, for negotiation within time and space, closes and force intervenes. My Jamaican friend is a case in point of how we’ve arrived at our current conspiratorial moment after years of gradual missteps. We are now a nation of millions of mis-educated, misguided, misaligned and, often times, miserably employed adult men. They are uniquely susceptible to disinformation and Trumpian appeals to toxic masculinity. They believe that the election was rigged, because they believe that the world, which in their glorious youth they believed to be theirs for the taking, is, in fact, rigged against them. Trump embodies their sense of victimhood and resentment and their last, best hope to get even. These men are of all races and ethnicities. They come from everywhere — from rural towns like Ottawa, Ill. to tony suburbs like Oak Park. The American system of education and a genuinely rigged economy failed them all; reorienting education (away from preparation to work and consume toward preparation to participate in citizenship and community) and righting the economy (away from an unhealthy focus on GDP and growth, and toward meeting human needs and healing the environment), may be the only means we now have to get these men back.
CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com
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180 Oak Parkers test positive for COVID-19
Village total for positive cases since March 18 at 1,346 By JAMES KAY Staff Writer
Oak Park continues to be ravaged by COVID-19 as 180 residents tested positive since Nov. 11, according to the Oak Park Department of Public Health. With the latest cases, Oak Park has had 1,346 residents test positive for COVID-19 since March 18, when the OPDPH started reporting cases. River Forest, which saw its highest singleday positive cases total on Nov. 15 with 15, had 49 new cases of COVID-19 since Nov. 11. Both villages’ positivity rates remained high over this past week and were up over 2 percent compared to where they were two weeks ago. Oak Park’s rolling average COVID positivity rate is 8.85 percent, while River Forest’s rolling average is 12.24 percent (as of Nov. 16). One Oak Park resident, a 79-year-old man who had tested positive for COVID-19, died this week. According to the village’s website, he lived at Berkeley Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, a long-term care and assistedliving facility located at 6909 W. North Ave. The latest fatality marked the third resident death at Berkeley in the past two weeks. Berkeley Nursing & Rehabilitation Center has now had 43 residents test positive for COVID-19 (two this week), six resident deaths, and four staff cases. Brookdale of Oak Park, which also had a staff member test positive for COVID-19, has had 18 total staff cases since March 18. There have been nine resident cases and one resident death at Brookdale, according to the village’s website. Belmont Village of Oak Park had two new resident COVID-19 cases this week, totaling four resident positive tests since March 18. Belmont has also had 18 staff cases (one this week) and three resident deaths. Oak Park Arms has had six resident and four staff cases, while one resident has died. Oasis of Oak Park has had 23 resident cases, eight staff cases and 12 resident deaths. Cook County’s director of communications, Natalia Derevyanny, announced on Nov. 16 that the county has had 5,711 COVID-19 related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
Little Miss Ann Monday, Nov. 23, 4 to 5 p.m., Virtually with the Oak Park Public Library See an award-winning Chicago children’s musician as she leads a concert with songs from her five kid’s albums that include soulful originals and reinvented classics. Kids clap, jump and sing along to these interactive and empowering performances. Recommended for ages up to 6. Register: oppl.org/calendar
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
BIG WEEK November 18 -25
New - Family Book Club Sunday, Nov. 22, 3 to 4 p.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Public Library Bring your family together with this new offering aimed at kids in elementary school and their households to learn, share and discuss important topics. This month, read Her Right Foot, by Dave Eggers, available through the library as a book and an ebook through Hoopla. Share thoughts at a librarian-led book discussion on Nov. 22 or discuss at home as a family using a resource guide. Register/more: oppl.org/ calendar
An Introduction to Middle Eastern Music Thursday, Nov. 19, 3 to 4 p.m., Virtually with the Oak Park Public Library Hear Wanees Zarour discuss the differences between Middle Eastern and western music, various styles and instruments, and how to listen and enjoy this tradition. Zarour is director of the Middle East Music Ensemble at the University of Chicago, co-director of the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra and leads the maqam/jazz fusion band East Loop. Register: oppl.org/calendar
Benefit Concert
Saturday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m., Virtually with Beyond Hunger
Hear Nathaniel Rateliff perform while proceeds provide meals to neighbors in need. Rateliff ’s range crosses Americana, rock, folk, R&B, pop and soul. Three-time Grammy nominee, Shemekia Copeland opens the event accompanied by Chicago blues legend, Ronnie Baker Brooks. $50, general admission; $100, includes backstage pass; $200, “Friends of the Concert” privileges. Tickets/more: gobeyondhunger.org
Chess Champs Tuesday, Nov. 24, 4 to 5 p.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Library Attend a chess workshop and take part in an open-play chess club led by Luis Tubens. Have a chess board ready or place a hold on a Discovery Kit Chess bag, print out a board and pieces or draw your own board and pieces. Recommended for ages 5-13. Next date: Dec. 22. Register: oppl.org/calendar
Writing Matters: Sue Miller Sunday, Nov. 22, 2 p.m., Virtually with the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association Join Oak Park author Elizabeth Berg in conversation with Miller whose latest book is Monogamy. Free. Register: nineteenthcentury. org. Signed copies of the book are available at The Book Table, booktable.net, 1045 Lake St., Oak Park.
Winter Greens Market
No Shush Salon Thursday, Nov. 19, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Zoom through the Oak Park Library Hear from writers who are participating in National Novel Writing Month, as they read their works in progress at this open mic. Each person will have 15 minutes to present. Spectators welcome. Register: oppl.org/ calendar.
Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Dec. 20, Oak Park Conservatory Shop online or in-person for wreaths, garland, swags and other winter accents. An array of balsam, fir, boxwood, winter berries, magnolia tips, spruce tops and more are available for winter containers and decorating. For those needing help putting a container together, drop it off and it will be arranged for you. More/order: pdop.org/events/ winter-greens-market
Peter Lenzo Sculptures
Let’s Go on a Turkey Hunt Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Various Parks of the Park District of Oak Park Get outside for this family-friendly activity. Download clues, explore parks — from 1 to 23 — and hunt down the pictures of the “escaped turkeys” at each park. Bring completed form(s) to Courageous Bakery and Café, 736 Lake St., Oak Park, and receive a special cupcake and Park District prize, while supplies last. Download clues the morning of the event.
Tuesdays through Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Terra Incognito Lenzo’s work draws inspiration from face jugs and is on display to view in person by appointment or online. More: terraincognitostudios.com, 246 Chicago Ave., Oak Park.
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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When Oak Park rejected a Black church
I
t was in the summer of 1987 that, with its membership drooping, the congregation of the Christian Scientist church at Oak Park Avenue and Ontario decided it was time to downsize. The congregation, without controversy, purchased a smaller church on Harlem and Augusta in River Forest. It’s still there 33 years later. But the church’s plan to accept an offer for its handsome 1916 Greek Revival space from a Black church based in Austin was nothing but controversial. The Unity Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church had grown to 1,500 members and was far too big for its storefront church at 211 N. Cicero Ave. The congregation made an offer of $500,000 with $60,000 down. The deal was on its way to closing when an Oak Park trustee raised a ruckus with pretty plain talk that so many Black people in the heart of Oak Park would scare off shoppers a block away in what was then called the Avenue Lake Plaza (the ALPs!). This overt racism was stunning in a town that, since the late 1960s, proclaimed its
commitment to racial integration and diversity. The village board stalled the purchase. Its partners at the Oak Park Development Corporation argued it should be allowed to buy the building even though the only building it had ever directly purchased was the decrepit Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio. When the heat got too great on village hall, there was relief when Chatka Ruggiero, a local who had done well investing in Oak Park apartment buildings, offered $525,000 cash to buy the building for use as a community arts center. And now Ms. Ruggiero has sold the building, ironically, to a church. Oak Park’s march toward racial equity has sometimes been a march straight into a wall. Worth remembering. Investing in our newsroom: We’re grateful that, in two weeks, our readers have already matched the $11,500 challenge provided by NewsMatch, a national
supporter of independent nonprofit journalism. Growing Community Media is one of 350 newsrooms nationwide invited to be part of NewsMatch this year. With that match made, we’re also grateful that the seven board members of this still new non-profit version of Wednesday Journal (and Austin Weekly News, Forest Park Review and RiversideBrookfield Landmark) have come up with a $10,000 match of their own. That is our next challenge as NewsMatch continues on toward its Dec. 31 deadline. These are critical days for us as we work to invent a sustainable model for neighborhood news for the years to come. You can donate at OakPark.com/donate. How about matching money we’re sending back?: Converting after 40 years as a for-profit company into a non-profit involves a lot of moving parts. It helps
DAN HALEY
Oak Park parks and library pausing services Caused by COVID spike By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
As positive COVID-19 cases rise steeply, the Park District of Oak Park and the Oak Park Public Library have both paused services to prevent further spread. The Park District of Oak Park announced Nov. 13 that it is taking a three-week pause from all recreational programs, beginning Nov. 14. While not officially mandated by law, the pause is in line with guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the village of Oak Park’s health department, according to the emailed newsletter sent by the park district. The park district is continuing its all-day childcare programs in partnership with local elementary schools. The Nov. 25 “School Day Out” program at Ridgeland Commons and Longfellow Center will also continue. Playgrounds, parks and dog parks will remain open. The library had originally intended to close its main branch until Nov. 19 due to a staff member testing positive but announced Nov. 14 that its main branch will remain closed for 30 days, starting Nov. 16. The library’s announcement stated that it would consider, based on the environment
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and subsequent health orders, reopening the main branch on Dec. 16. The library will resume all virtual services during the main branch’s closure. All in-person and contact-free holds pickup, as well as delivery services, will not be available during the closure. Staff will continue to be available to answer any questions. Library patrons should keep their books and other library materials as all return drop boxes are closed. All held materials will be available for pickup upon the library’s reopening.
FitzGeralds strikes the right tone On Nov. 14, FitzGeralds, 6615 Roosevelt Rd. in Berwyn, suspended onpremises operations indefinitely due to rising COVID-19 cases in Chicagoland. Saying via Facebook: “While we believe that our outdoor masked-up patio shows are a very safe environment, encouraging y’all to leave your homes while the authorities say the opposite just doesn’t feel right.” Plans for reopening FitzGeralds are not clear at this time.
Melissa Elsmo, Oak Park Eats editor
when readers are watching those moving parts, too. As part of our remaking, Growing Community Media adopted the ethics policies on donations of the Institute for Non-Profit News. You’ll find those policies on our website at GrowingCommunityMedia.org/donor-transparency. In that simple document, we state that we won’t accept donations from political parties, political entities, elected officials or candidates for office. All well-meaning. Except that our donor software does not know who is on the library board in Riverside, the elementary school board in Forest Park or the park board in Oak Park. And our skeleton staff, starting with me, have not been paying close enough attention to each online donation. A reader brought this failing to our attention and we’re working on it. Donations will be refunded shortly from the dozen or so electeds we’ve identified. Thanks for your support — unless you’re elected or want to be elected.
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Lake Street apartment complex approved
Oak Park village board also approves zoning changes By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park’s village board granted Michigan Avenue Real Estate Group (MAREG) permission to build a six-story apartment complex across from Scoville Park and the Oak Park Public Library’s main branch. The 84-unit building will sit on the former U.S. Bank drive-thru lot at 835 Lake St., just east of Unity Temple. The proposal came before the village board Nov. 16, having previously gotten positive endorsements from Oak Park’s Historic Preservation Commission and Plan Commission. Trustee Susan Buchanan mischaracterized the Plan Commission’s stance on the building’s design and massing. Buchanan stated she attended the project’s Plan Commission hearing but left before it concluded. “One thing I thought was pretty dramatic in the Plan Commission is that people really did not like the architecture,” said Buchanan. “There was really vehement opposition to it.” In fact, the majority of the commission approved of the building’s design. Only two
commissioners had unfavorable views of the architecture. Commissioner Paul May wanted MAREG to revise the design. He and Commissioner Lawrence Brozek were the only two members of the commission to vote against the project. Buchanan also told the board certain Plan Commission members found the building’s massing too large as well, when in actuality, the commission found the massing appropriate. Plan Commission Chair Iris Sims corrected Buchanan on the commission’s design opinions, saying the Plan Commission recommended approval of the project in a 5-2 vote. “It’s disingenuous to say that there were people or that this was unanimous or that architecture was a big thing,” Sims said. Sims told Buchanan that it was not the role of the Plan Commission to act as “taste police.” Trustee Simone Boutet viewed the project favorably and was pleased that in building it, MAREG had committed to providing the village of Oak Park with $1 million for its affordable housing fund. In lieu of setting aside units to be let at an affordable rate, MAREG is giving the village $900,000 to satisfy the village’s inclusionary housing ordinance. It’s giving an extra $100,000 toward the affordable housing fund as an added benefit. Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla told the
board she would be voting against the development for the same reasons she voted against the last MAREG development, which is slated to be built on Madison Street and Gunderson Avenue. Walker-Peddakotla was still concerned about MAREG’s history of labor union disputes, despite MAREG saying they had been remediated. She also believed MAREG should make units available for affordable housing instead of paying into the fund. MAREG’s Lake Street proposal she felt was a perfect opportunity for integrated affordable housing. “The biggest concern that I have is that we keep on having these buildings without integrated affordable housing,” said WalkerPeddakotla. “I hope we do something useful with the million dollars and actually build an integrated affordable housing building.” Walker-Peddakotla held true to her word and voted against the project, while the rest of the board, including Buchanan, voted in favor of it. The proposed development was approved 6-1. The board voted to concur with two other recommendations made by the Plan Commission related to zoning during the Nov. 16 meeting. As part of its consent agenda, the board adopted the recommended amendment to the zoning ordinance to allow certain nonretail business to occupy the front 50 feet
of ground-level space of buildings located in downtown Oak Park and the Hemingway District. As traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have been increasingly supplanted by e-commerce websites with the rise of online shopping, it has been difficult for buildings in those districts to maintain a retail presence. With the adoption of the amendment, the zoning has been broadened to allow art and fitness studios, health clubs, business service centers and recreation activities to occupy that prime ground-level downtown real estate. Business service centers include UPS, FedEx and similar outlets, bowling alleys and ax throwing ranges fall into the category of recreation. The village board also accepted the changes made to the zoning ordinance dictating the timeline of the development process. The changes include the elimination of a requirement that building permits must be submitted within nine months from when the village board approved the development project. The other approved changes are an extension of the timeline to begin construction from 18 months to 36 months from the date of village approval and the elimination of the requirement that construction must be completed within 36 months. The timeframe for completion, under the amended ordinance, will be established by the developer in the planned development application.
2020 Fall leaf collection set to begin.. The annual fall leaf collection program is scheduled for Nov 2 – Dec. 11 with eight pickups planned for each section of the Village. Residents should rake leaves into the street at least 18 inches from the curb the day before the scheduled pickup dates indicated on the map. Leaves raked into the street will be pushed into piles by Public Works crews during the night to reduce impact on traffic and parked cars. Leaves will be collected the following day. Residents who miss a scheduled pickup date should keep their leaves on the parkway until the night before the next scheduled pickup. Sweepers will be scheduled to run at the end of the collection program to clean up residue. Cooperation is essential to the success of this operation, so please follow these simple rules:
For more information call 358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us
Nov. 5 Nov. 12 Nov. 19 Nov. 26 Dec. 3 Dec. 10
EAST AVE.
THURSDAY
Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 18 Nov. 25 Dec. 2 Dec. 9 Last day to rake is Tue. Dec. 10
Last day to rake is Wed. Dec. 11
SOUTH BLVD. TUESDAY Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 24 Dec. 1 Dec. 8
Last day to rake is Mon. Dec. 9
EAST AVE.
HARLEM AVE.
• Do not park on or near a pile of leaves, which can hinder leaf removal operations. Heat from a car also could ignite the leaves. • Rake leaves onto side streets whenever possible. Try to avoid major thoroughfares where piles of leaves might create traffic hazards. • Do not rake leaves into or close to cul de sacs or traffic diverters. The equipment needs room to operate.
• Do not rake leaves into or close to bus shelters or bicycle racks. • Keep catch basins clear of raked leaves to avoid flooding. • Inform landscape services of the leaf collection schedule. • Obey all parking restrictions. Regulations will be strictly enforced. • Dampen piles after raking to avoid leaves being blown by the wind. • Drive carefully. Leaves are slippery when wet and large piles may hinder visibility. • Drive cautiously – crews will create safe work zones and close intersections for a few minutes while removing large leaf piles.
WEDNESDAY
MONDAY Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Nov. 30 Dec. 7 Last day to rake is Sun. Dec. 8
ROOSEVELT RD.
2020 FALL LEAF COLLECTION SCHEDULE
AUSTIN BLVD.
• Consider composting or using the leaves as garden mulch as an alternative to raking. • Rake leaves out the day before the scheduled pickup date. • Leaves only -- do not add brush, grass clippings or yard waste.
NORTH AVE.
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Our reporter’s swab forward report on her rapid COVID test
600 tests available, for a charge, Wednesday and Saturday in River Forest Oh, and she’s negative By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter
Details about Covid Concierge’s testing in River Forest on Nov. 18 and 21 can be found at the bottom of the article. Testing is not restricted to RF residents. On Tuesday, I found out that someone I’d been in “close contact” with a few days prior (talking for at least 15 minutes without masks within six feet of one another) had just tested positive for COVID-19. Cases have been skyrocketing locally, so I immediately set up quarantine in my basement and decided to get tested. I looked online to find somewhere to go for a test, and I was surprised at the lack of availability of testing. Places like CVS provide COVID-19 testing at many locations, but appointments are required, and they were booked out days in advance. Same with Rush and other nearby clinics and hospital. Did I really want to wait almost a week to make an appointment for a test, the results of which I wouldn’t get for days after? I finally settled on Loretto Hospital in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side. There, the tests are free, which wasn’t necessary for me, though is a requirement for many people. The hospital is close by. And, most importantly, no appointment was required. I showed up around 8:45 a.m. for testing that began at 9. There were probably about 100 people already in line, and it was cold outside, a chilly morning after several days of unseasonably warm weather. Over the course of about two hours, I advanced from black sidewalk marking to black sidewalk marking, each one measuring the distance I needed to stay from other people in line. We were all wearing masks. As I rounded the corner of the hospital, I saw that the testing was taking place in a canvas tent in the parking lot. Workers coming and leaving the tent were in full protective gear, and I wanted to joke with the people near me in line that it felt like a postapocalyptic novel, but we were keeping our 6-foot distance and not talking. Finally, I made it to the front of the line and was waved into the tent. I was ushered to a chair. My paperwork hung on a string in front of me, a detail that seemed even more dystopian, and I double-checked to make
sure my name was on it. I bent back my head and had my nose swabbed. I was told to leave. “When will I get results?” I asked. If positive, said the woman who’d swabbed me, I’d receive a call within five days. If negative, I wouldn’t get a call, but I could show up and wait in a different line in exactly a week to request a copy of my results. I went home knowing no more than I had when I left my house that morning and unsure when I’d get an answer. Two days later, I still had no news. And then, coincidentally, a week now since exposure, and still unsure if I’d contracted COVID, I read an email from my boss about a rapid COVID testing program coming to River Forest. I was to do a story on it. Lee Neubecker, River Forest resident and chair of the village’s Economic Development Commission, has organized a rapid COVID-19 testing event in town on two dates, Nov. 18 and 21. Neubecker talked about his involvement with Concierge Covid, the group that’s coming to administer the tests, and about the benefits of rapid testing to help stop the spread of COVID. Neubecker said he’d organized the driveup rapid testing in River Forest because of his own experience trying in vain to find somewhere to get tested quickly. Neubecker’s story shared some similarities with mine. At the end of October, he spiked a fever and tried to find somewhere to get a rapid test. He wanted to know right away if he was positive. But he couldn’t find anywhere to go that didn’t require an appointment and wasn’t booked out days in advance. That’s when he called Matt Schipper, who had recently started a business running rapid COVID tests. Schipper swabbed Neubecker that day. The result was positive, and Neubecker immediately quarantined himself. Neubecker put me in touch with Schipper, and I drove into the city that afternoon for a test.
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“It’s kind of like waiting for a pregnancy test in high school,” said Schipper as he put three drops of a solution that my nasal swab had been swirled in into a hole on a plastic testing device. It did resemble a pregnancy test. The control line showed up right away, an indication that the test was functioning properly, but we had to wait 15 minutes to see if a second line would appear; if it did, I had COVID. If not, I was fine. “With some people, that second line shows up right away,” said Schipper. “You know immediately they have it.” Some of those people, he said, reported having no symp-
toms. He said he always goes back and asks if they’re sure they had no signs. “Well,” they sometimes say, “I couldn’t smell my coffee this morning. But other than that, not really.” But loss of smell is a widely recognized symptom, said Schipper. It’s certainly on all the “common symptoms of COVID” lists. And some of these people, who don’t have symptoms or don’t recognize their symptoms, are going about business like usual. In other words, these people are not all quarantining, and are potentially spreading COVID wherever they go. Schipper is young and energetic. He’s got a great sense of humor, and he’s smart. His office is in the old Jam Productions building in Old Town, and Schipper has a history in the music and entertainment arena. He’s CEO of Event Medical Solutions, a company that provides full medical teams and risk assessment at major music and sporting events. They handle Lollapalooza every year. Soldier Field. They were hired by the City of Chicago to run McCormick Place’s Special Operations Response Management Team at the onset of COVID. But with summer events being cancelled due to COVID, Schipper had to pause and rethink. The more he talked to people, the more he realized that there was a lack of availability of quick, same-day COVID testing. And thus, he formed Covid Concierge, a business through which he provides rapid COVID testing to families and sports teams. To businesses. To organizations – and individuals – needing quick and accurate testing. “We want to provide same day testing with no wait,” Schipper said. More than that, he provides follow-up with the people he tests. “We don’t just swab and let you leave,” said Schipper. Positive results are delivered along with instructions to quarantine, including how long it should be done and what to do if symptoms worsen. Positive results for a person who’s asymptomatic include a second test, this one run through the lab, to ensure that the rapid result was accurate.
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My test had been waiting 15 minutes, and there was no second line. But Schipper fed the strip into a machine. “It leaves the guesswork out,” he said. “Eliminates human error.” In a few seconds, my result showed on the screen. Negative. I knew that there was still a chance I would become positive (symptoms can show up any time between two days and two weeks), but it had been a week since my exposure, See COVID TEST on page 18
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Amid 2020’s Toll & Toil, Giving Thanks As we approach the holiday season, it’s safe to say that this year has brought challenging times to McAdam Landscaping. We are not alone in enduring hardships—this pandemic has been difficult on everyone. That’s probably why 2020 has also been one of the most Scott rewarding in our 42McAdam Jr. year history: together, we have made it through. So, as Thanksgiving nears, we have much to be thankful for—and it comes under two major headings:
For Our Staff
With the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affecting so many facets of daily life, we are acutely aware of the physical, mental, and emotional impact it has had, and continues to have, on everyone. Through the year’s volatility, our office and field staffs have demonstrated remarkable commitment. We thank you!
For Our Community From residential customers to associations, businesses and municipalities, our clients have continued to entrust us to provide a variety of services. While daily life has certainly been turned upside down, we have tried our best to provide some level of normalcy and bring joy to them. Whether a new landscape, freshly manicured lawns, or even garden center products that propelled a customer toward a new hobby and rejuvenated love for the outdoors as they get their hands dirty, we thank you! Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.
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2001 Des Plaines Ave. Forest Park • 708-771-2299 www.mcadamlandscape.com
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
ART BEAT
Choral directors preach togetherness to their choirs By MICHELLE DYBAL
L
Arts Editor
ocal choirs have approached the art of group music-making during the pandemic in as many ways as there are organizations. From meeting outdoors to rehearsing and recording virtually to connecting online without singing at all, each group is finding what works for them — for now. “After doing research … choir is really one of the worst activities you can do with the coronavirus,” said Linda Crabtree Powell, conductor of Sounds Good! Choir, which is holding rehearsals on Facebook Live. “You’re singing, you’re exhaling, you’re putting out a lot of air. … Even if we sang soft or wore shields, there really wasn’t information that showed it was safe for us to do.” When group gatherings halted midMarch, Sounds Good was organized as seven choirs with a total of 400 members across Chicagoland, including one in Oak Park/River Forest. By March 24, Sounds Good adapted by meeting virtually to finish the spring season, recording one song, “The Storm is Passing Over.” This fall, 250 choir members rehearse weekly and have the option to work on up to five songs for a virtual performance, streaming Dec. 18. To rehearse virtually, choir members keep devices muted and sing along at their individual locations, hearing only the piano accompaniment, while the conductor sings or gives instruction. Singing in unison is a challenge because there is a delay in virtual platforms. For a performance, singers record individually and the videos are edited together to sound like everyone sang together in the same room. Four different conductors hold rehearsals on different days. Crabtree Powell’s group typically has 50 attendees, down from 100 when choir members met in person at the Nineteenth Century Club, Oak Park. Because Sounds Good is for those age 55-plus, one benefit of continuing is that it provides physical and mental stimulation, which if they discontinued, might cause some deterioration, according to Crabtree Powell. Organized social time keeps the group connected. “There really is a strong sense of community and friendship” among the OP/RF choir members, she said. Still, many have opted out, finding the technology difficult or the format not as satisfying as physically singing in person with others. That has been addressed differently by Pro Musica Youth Chorus, which has been meeting outside on the grounds of First United Church of Oak Park, with COVID-19 safety protocols in place, from early September through the end of October. Students, age 4-18, are now rehearsing virtually through the winter months, “until the weather allows us back outside, assuming the pandem-
Photo by Marc Stopeck
Pro Musica Youth Chorus students rehearse outdoors at First United Church. ic doesn’t foul our plans,” according to Beth Albrecht, board president. “We realized we wouldn’t be able to participate in traditional concerts this year, but we knew we needed to keep our chorus family together sharing music,” she said. Pro Musica’s season includes a virtual winter concert on Dec. 5, Sing We Joyous! on Dec. 12, singing Valentines in February, as well as online and possible in-person spring performances. At Oak Park and River Forest High School, choirs, like all District 200 classes, are meeting virtually. All curricular choirs — A Cappella, Chamber, Chorale, Treble,
and Bass Ensemble, along with curricular bands and orchestras — are participating in a virtual version of the annual Prisms of Winter Concert next month. Choir students completed individual recordings in October, which will be combined to create the sound of the complete ensembles. “The choir kids have been doing great,” said Meredith McGuire, choir director at OPRF. “I’m beyond impressed by their resilience. While I know they miss singing with their friends, they have done a great job of making the best of a less-than-ideal situation.” Missing from the Dec. 18 streaming per-
formance is the grand finale piece with all music ensembles, which has been an impressive conclusion to a show already packed with young musical talent. McGuire said that would have required editing some 450 individual recordings together. Other local choirs are working on holiday offerings. City Voices, part of the chorus of the Symphony of Oak Park-River Forest, will perform in Sing We Joyous! Michael Teolis Singers, while keeping in touch, is not meeting as a group. However, Teolis is releasing a Christmas Concert on its website with selections from past performance. It is expected on Dec. 5, the date of the group’s previously scheduled in-person concert. Oak Park Concert Chorale is also releasing archival music, but creating new works too. “Local composer Carl Schalk has written a lovely carol, ‘Gabriel’s Message,’ and I have composed the first movement of a Missa Brevis called ‘Kyrie,’” said Paul Lindblad, director. The works will be released once per month on Concert Chorale’s website, beginning in late November and the original compositions will be the first two selections, Lindblad said. For some choirs, the sense of community may be the most important part of their mission. Sing to Live Community Chorus, which usually performs two concerts per year in Oak Park and Glenview and has approximately 80 members, is one of these groups. Its mission is to “provide a unique musical outlet that fosters hope and celebrates survival for singers whose lives have been touched by breast cancer.” “We grieved at the beginning after having to cancel rehearsals mid-March,” said Melinda Pollack Harris, founder and CEO. “We all understood why, but it was hard, it being our 15th Anniversary.” She created Staying Together Virtually with weekly activities, including game nights and film and book groups. In October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Pollack Harris sent excerpts from their 10th anniversary concert, “trying to keep our audience, and singers, engaged,” she said. Heritage Chorale also is foregoing rehearsals and holding weekly Zoom presentations this fall for its members and others who want to sign up, according to its website. These include social nights, musicrelated workshops and singing/listening sessions. No matter what solution each choir has arrived at, staying connected is a common thread. “Choruses of all ages become close communities where singers form lifelong friendships,” Albrecht said. “For centuries, singing together has been a source of community resilience, and we’re happy to be a part of that tradition.”
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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Oak Park voters pass referenda Taxing bodies under no obligation to follow By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
The two Oak Park advisory referendum questions regarding the financial practices of local taxing bodies each passed by an overwhelming margin with roughly three quarters of electorates casting affirmative votes, according to election data from the
Cook County Clerk’s Office. The first referendum recommended 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?” Out of 21,384 votes cast in Oak Park’s 37 precincts, 74.27 percent voted in favor of the referendum.
The second referendum proposed 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?” That referendum passed by an even higher margin, with 77.24 percent of voters casting “YES” votes out of 21,384 votes cast. These numbers will certainly thrill Oak Park resident Kevin Peppard, who sponsored both referenda during the Oak Park Township’s annual meeting last July.
All referenda brought to the ballot through that process are entirely advisory in nature, meaning they are non-binding, despite the Peppard’s use of the word “binding” in the second referenda. As such, local taxing bodies are under no legal obligation to operate in accordance with either of the two that passed this November. With their passing, Oak Park voters have done little more than send the message that residents are unhappy with high tax levies and large spending projects; the taxing bodies can continue to tax and spend as they see fit.
District 90’s transition to in-person learning still on hold Continuation of remote education By MARIA MAXHAM Staff Reporter
River Forest’s District 90 has announced it will continue with remote learning until at least Nov. 30. The school had begun a transition to inperson classes in October, but with a rise in COVID-19 cases began an “adaptive pause” on Oct. 28, going back to remote instruction upon recommendation of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and
Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH). The goal was to return students to in-person learning on Nov. 16, but Supt. Ed Condon said in a Nov. 12 memo to parents that a return won’t be happening that soon. “Unfortunately, due to the continued increase in COVID-19 incidences, regional and local positivity rates, and weekly case counts, the district will continue to provide remote instruction to students through at least Nov. 30,” he wrote. Condon acknowledged that many families may be disappointed by the news that students will be learning from home for a longer period of time, and he said the district
D200 PLAN
Hybrid plan preferred from page 1 According to a summary of findings of the draft hybrid learning plan available on the district’s website, in order to “maintain social distancing requirements, we can accommodate roughly 25 percent, or 850, of our students in the building at one time.” The district has developed an “A Day/B Day schedule where students will be divided into four groups that will rotate through on-site classes. We also have developed detailed health and safety protocols, including weekly saliva testing. An exact date for implementing the hybrid plan has not been determined, as it will depend on school, local, and county metrics for COVID-19.” Back in October, Pruitt-Adams announced the formation of a 48-person advisory committee designed to help the district’s 85-person steering committee devise a plan for returning to a hybrid model of in-person and on-site learning. The advisory committee has been meeting weekly since Oct. 15. Unlike the steering committee, which was created in May and mainly comprises OPRF faculty, staff members, administrators and parents, the advisory committee is composed of a diverse array of community members, including medical experts.
is concerned about the students, “who are already experiencing a highly challenging and uncertain landscape.” But he assured parents that faculty and staff will continue to not only teach academics but respond to the social-emotional needs of students as well. Childcare support, offered through West Cook YMCA, has been restructured and will be hosted at the Dominican Priory Campus, with “expanded, dedicated space with a robust wireless network infrastructure.” To register, visit form.jotform. com/203077013142138. The district says it will continue to monitor local and regional COVID-19 metrics and
will follow guidance from CCDPH and IDPH. The district also has a consulting partnership with the Rush University Medical Center Infection Prevention Team, which has provided guidance on their blended inperson instruction transition, which is on hold for now. At least one individual at Willard Elementary School and one at Roosevelt Middle School tested positive for COVID-19 in November, according to updates from the district. Up to date news from the district on reopening or responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are available on the district’s website at district90.org.
Ventilating to avoid hyperventilating In her Nov. 9 Monday Memo, which updates the district and community on District 200’s progress amid the pandemic, Supt. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams said the district has upgraded its air ventilation system, in order to improve air flow in the building. “Given that our building is so old, the condition of our ventilation system has been a concern for many parents and staff members,” the superintendent explained. “The district is following guidance from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and AirConditioning Engineers, which, in response to the pandemic, recommends that schools upgrade to filters with a MERV-13 rating. “These filters are efficient at capturing airborne viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. During the past few months, we’ve upgraded the air handlers for nearly all classrooms to MERV-13 filters. In the 35 classrooms where the systems are too old to accommodate these filters, we will be providing individual filtration systems.” With in-person classes on the horizon, that should give some parents and students peace of mind.
Michael Romain
On Nov. 16, Pruitt-Adams announced that, with cases of COVID-19 increasing both in Oak Park and throughout Cook County, the district is extending remote learning at least through Nov. 24, which is the last day of classes before Thanksgiving break, she said. On Nov. 11, Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of
Public Health issued a stay-at-home advisory ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The draft hybrid plan is currently available online at: go.boarddocs.com/il/oprfhs/Board.nsf/vpublic?open.
CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Introducing: Takeout 25 Oak Park
Pathway to help restaurants manage the shutdown By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor
Ravi Parakkat, a 14-year Oak Park resident and current village trustee candidate, has pulled together local leaders and residents in an effort to buoy local restaurants through the challenging winter months of COVID ahead. After witnessing the “very binary debate” generated by one local restaurant’s decision to defy the governor’s dining room closure mandate, Parakkat went in search of a solution. “The debate between restaurant survival and public health does not yield any results that benefit the business or broader community,” said Parakkat. “The solution has to be
Let’s play Local Eats Bingo! Have you tried the calamari at Rustico? How about shrimp and fries from Surf ’s Up, New Pot’s basil fried rice, or the Kashmiri latte offered by Wise Cup? With so many restaurants in need of community support we thought it would be fun to turn it into a game. Visit Oak Park Eats (h ps://www. oakparkeats.com/blogs/local-eats-bingo) to view six Local Eats Bingo Cards and learn how you can eat to win! Anne Pezalla of Lively Athletics came up with the innovative idea for Local Eats Bingo. Meg Svec of Spilt Milk Pastry and Aubrey Jacknow of The Lantern House worked with Oak Park Eats to take this project to the next level. They are a helpful tool to help you meet your $25 weekly carryout pledge. Happy eating!
beneficial to both.” Parakkat put his background in consulting and small business ownership to use to create a mathematical formula designed to help community members see how making a small commitment can have a big impact on the local restaurant economy. There are approximately 100 restaurants in Oak Park and Parakkat assumed the average basic operating costs for a restaurant is $10,000 per month. That means the Oak Park community must generate a million dollars a month in restaurant takeout business to get the 100 restaurants $10,000 per month in revenue. Parakkat breaks it down further: “If we get 10,000 Oak Park households to spend $25 each a week or $100 each a month on local restaurants this winter, then we have the numbers.” Working with the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, OPRF Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Oak Park, the Hemingway District (and other business district leads), a5 Inc, Visit Oak Park, Wednesday Journal and other leaders in the business community, Parakkat is formalizing a campaign to inspire community members to pledge to spend $25 per week at local restaurants throughout the winter. The initiative is in its infancy, but you can learn more by visiting takeout25oakpark. com or joining the Takeout 25 Oak Park group on Facebook.
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
EAT UP. EAT IN: Ravi Parakkat is organizing a drive to spur Oak Parkers to order up at least $25 a week in takeout from a local restaurant during the COVID crisis. Parakkat is also a candidate for Oak Park village trustee in the spring election.
Melissa Elsmo
Oak Park ‘losing patience’ with restaurants serving indoors Pavlicek says village has authority to act By MELISSA ELSMO and STACEY SHERIDAN Oak Park Eats Editor and Staff Reporter
Oak Park’s village employees eat lunch and, says Village Manager Cara Pavlicek, when they are picking up a sandwich they are also observing if local restaurants are following the state directive against any form of indoor dining or drinking due to the sharp spike in COVID. In an interview Monday, Pavlicek said village staff is acting on complaints from citizens and their own observations
to enforce Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s ban on indoor dining and drinking. “We still believe in progressive discipline” for violators, said Pavlicek. That process begins with visits from restaurant inspectors or police commanders informing owners of violations. A warning can follow and then a formal “cease and desist” order from the village. Pavlicek said the interim public health director has authority to close restaurants entirely until they agree to comply. “We are clear that we have this authority,” she said. The village’s legal department has also responded to a local restaurant, which said it had found a “loophole” in the state’s action allowing it to book private parties indoors.
Pavlicek said there is no such loophole. She added that the village understands the dire circumstances local restaurants face. “Restaurants are in a terrible position,” she said. The village wants to work to boost curbside pickup, to extend outdoor dining as long as might be tolerable with colder weather. But she said outdoor tents with flaps down on four sides does not pass muster. Eating indoors is absolutely unsafe, she said, and “our patience is running out” with restaurants not following the rules. She pointed to the “exponential growth” of COVID cases in Oak Park over the past 30 days. “It is just shocking.”
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
INSIDE REPORT Local artist exhibits at MCA The Long Dream, which opened Nov. 7 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, features work by Chicago artists including a work by Jesse Howard, The Bewitching Hour. Howard is an Oak Park Art League member and teacher and has a work on display at the Oak Park Public Library’s main branch. He lives in Maywood. “Artists help us see our world more clearly. …” the MCA website says of the exhibition. “Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and a renewed reckoning over racial justice and inequality, The Long Dream invites visitors to see the city of Chicago, the world, and themselves, through the eyes of more than 70 local artists whose work offers us ways to imagine a more equitable and interconnected world.” The exhibit is named after Richard Wright’s 1958 novel. It is open through Jan. 17, 2021. Timed tickets must be reserved in advance
Welcome Our New Dermatologist Dr. Regina O’Brien Dr. O’Brien is now accepting patients at IDI Oak Park.
719 South Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302 Schedule your appointment. Call (708) 419-3216
Michelle Dybal, Arts Editor
Deb Abrahamson joins Growing Community Media board Deb Abrahamson, a veteran of several nonprofits in Oak Park and across the near west suburbs, has joined the board of Growing Community Media. Abrahamson is best known locally for her long service in building the Oak Park Education Foundation. She served for 10 years as its first executive director. Additionally, Abrahamson has served on the board of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. She is currently on the board of the Pro Bono Network which provides legal services.
Abrahamson is also the immediate past president of the board of Maywood Fine Arts, a near legendary arts organization in Proviso Township. GCM was formed in 2019 and since the first of 2020 has been the non-profit publisher of Wednesday Journal, Austin Weekly News, Forest Park Review and the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark. Abrahamson is the seventh member of the nonprofit’s board. Also serving are Judy Greffin, the chair, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer and Nile Wendorf.
Kettlestrings Tavern embraces stay home advisory Late in the evening on Nov. 15, Kettlestrings Tavern, 800 S. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park, announced they had made the difficult decision to temporarily cease service on their heated outdoor patio due to rising COVID-19 cases in Chicagoland and the stay at home advisory in the area. Saying via Facebook: “While we believe that outdoor dining
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can be done safely and warmly (well, warm enough), we are not comfortable encouraging you, our friends, to leave your homes given the expanding stay at home advisory.” Kettlestrings has adjusted their hours to reflect peak times for delivery and carryout orders. Owners will reopen the patio when the time is right to do so.
Melissa Elsmo, Oak Park Eats Editor
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM Sponsored Content
Nathaniel Rateliff Featured Artist in Concert to Help End Hunger NATHANIEL RATELIFF
B
eyond Hunger is thrilled to announce Nathaniel Rateliff as the featured talent for this year’s Virtual Benefit Concert to help end hunger. On Saturday November 21st Rateliff will spotlight works from his new critically acclaimed album “And It’s Still All Right” a very personal musical journey about hardship and finding joy through life’s struggles. Opening for Rateliff is Chicago favorite and vocal powerhouse Shemekia Copeland accompanied by Ronnie Baker Brooks. Copeland will highlight new works from her October 23rd release of “Uncivil War”,
an album already receiving critical acclaim. Both featured acts strike an emotional cord in relation to our community’s recent challenges related to the Pandemic and civil unrest. Following the show, VIP Backstage Pass ticket holders have exclusive entry into a special, live, question and answer session with Rateliff, moderated by esteemed radio blues icon Tom Marker. The entire night will be broadcast for ticketholders so that they may enjoy the rocking and poignantly moving
RESIDENTIAL — COMMERCIAL — RETAIL — CHURCHES — SCHOOLS
Blues and Americana performances all from the comfort of their own homes. Proceeds from the virtual concert event directly benefit the hunger relief efforts of Beyond Hunger. Located in the near-west suburbs of Chicago, Beyond Hunger provides nutritious groceries and social services support to sustain struggling families, serving more than 40,000 individuals each year.
SHEMEKIA COPELAND
To purchase tickets and help put food on families’ tables this holiday season visit gobeyondhunger.org/ events.
This special benefit concert to end hunger is made possible special thanks to sponsors The Moller Family Foundation, The Reedy Family Foundation, and WXRT.
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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EQUITY PLEDGE Focus on equity from page 1 In its newly created racial equity statement, the OPEDC states that it recognizes the “the relationship between economic inequality and racial injustice” and is taking action to address that societal affliction. “We want our business community to reflect our village,” said Lynch. The actions laid out in the statement include: proactive communication of the value of racial economic equality to development partners when discussing the values of Oak Park; targeted outreach to Black and minority-owned development and investment companies; the creation of a referral network with organizations that provide access to capital, advice and business services for Black and minority-owned business ventures; and working with community development organizations and private sector partners in the communities adjacent to Oak Park to expand development and investment that will benefit the whole area. “We’re actually in the process of mapping out the actions we’ll take,” said Jackie Barlow, OPEDC board chair. “A subgroup of the board will work with staff on tackling each one of them.” Barlow is a managing director of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce U.S. Lynch said he wants the development companies, business owners and investors to be entirely cognizant of the importance Oak Park places on racial equity when considering doing business in the village. OPEDC wants a diverse group of people working on each project and working in the businesses themselves. “It goes to construction and contracting; it may go to staffing once a project is built – it goes with any and all of those regards,” said Lynch. While the Chicago-area has “unfortunately a relatively small number” of large development companies, according to Lynch, OPEDC has already begun its targeted outreach efforts. OPEDC has reached out to the large companies that have expressed interest in de-
veloping in Oak Park to communicate that racial equity is a priority; it also plans to extend its outreach efforts to smaller companies as well. Lynch said OPEDC staff intends to work with its board members to identify developments in neighboring communities being done by Black and minority-owned companies. “It’s not going to be easy for us to find minority developers that are doing products of scale in the area; there just simply aren’t that many of them,” said Lynch. “But we’d like to find the ones that are. And the ones that aren’t, we’d like to encourage them to.” To help identify racially equitable companies, OPEDC has started perusing lists of minority-owned businesses published by Crain’s. “We’re already beginning go through those and identify minority-owned contracting companies and architecture companies and other firms that are related to the real estate arena,” said Lynch. “We’re going to reach out to those folks personally.” The racial equity statement has been in the works for months, starting in the summer, when members of its board of directors approached Lynch and suggested incorporating racial equity into the board meeting discussions. “One of the things we talked about is that there’s tremendous value in our organization in being able to convey the goals of the broader community,” said Lynch. “Racial economic equality is a value in Oak Park, and we want to make sure that we communicate that.” “The board really took ownership of drafting the statement itself and worked with staff to determine what were the ways we could be more intentional about inclusion and diversity in the work that we do,” said Barlow. With its racial equity statement, OPEDC is committing to continue and grow the efforts to make Oak Park racially equitable in its development projects and business partnerships. “I think that diversity and inclusion and equity are really core to who Oak Park is,” said Barlow. “It’s been implicit in what we do, but not intentional before. A really important piece of this is that we want it to make it intentional.”
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$500K state grant to beef up mental health in churches National Metro Suburban to work with faith communities By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter
Churches and other faith communities on the West Side looking to connect their members with mental health resources just got some new leverage to further that effort. The state of Illinois announced in November that it will allocate a $500,000 grant to two local affiliates of the National Alliance for Mental Illness — NAMI Chicago and Oak Park-based NAMI Metro Suburban — to enable those organizations to collaborate with faith communities in areas across the state hardest hit by COVID-19, including Austin and West Garfield Park. Rachel Bhagwat, director of growth and engagement with NAMI Chicago, said the organization has long partnered with faith communities, but the funding will allow NAMI to intensify its efforts amid a resurgence of COVID-19. “We’ve been working around this for a couple of months already,” she said. “We’ve been doing phone calls and emails; we did a community discussion on Zoom to connect with folks and bring them in. We’re also providing free education sessions for these
Photo provided
FAITH WITH WORKS: Ericka Bailey, right, a recovery support specialist with NAMI Metro Suburban and first lady of St. Stephen AME Church in Garfield Park. congregations virtually, where we bring in mental health clinicians and people with mental health experience.” Bhagwat said the funding will last through the remainder of 2020. Faith communities interested in accessing those resources can submit requests online at namichicago.org/ faith or call 833-626-4244. Individuals looking for support services can visit the web-
site and call that number as well. “We are honored for the opportunity to continue providing mental health support and education to individuals, focusing on communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,” stated Kimberly Knake, executive director of NAMI Metro Suburban. “Partnering with faith leaders in these communities is a natural fit, given the impres-
sive work already being done.” Steve Epting, senior pastor of Hope Community Church in Austin, had been partnering with NAMI well before the state funding materialized. He said the additional resources are critical in communities on the West Side. “It’s amazing the amount of stress that we find our parishioners under these days,” Epting stated, adding that he has partnered in the past with Bridges of Hope, NAMI’s initiative to educate faith communities about mental illness. “We brought Bridges of Hope into our church to help leaders get trained in how to identify those with mental health issues, which turned out to be a great asset. What I learned was that more people needed the information than I realized,” he said. Alexa James, CEO of NAMI Chicago, said the work of faith leaders in supporting people dealing with mental issues “has been made even more crucial during this difficult year.” According to a statement, NAMI officials explained that both NAMI Chicago and NAMI Metro Suburban “have seen a sharp uptick in the need for mental health support this year. Since March of this year, NAMI Chicago’s free Helpline has been at more than twice the volume it was before the COVID-19 pandemic began.”
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New coalition backs Black village trustee candidates
Supporting Anthony Clark, Juanta Griffin and Chibuike Enyia By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Three local organizations have united to back Black candidates running for Oak Park village trustee in the 2021 election. Called Represent Oak Park, the coalition was created by Black Residents of Oak Park, Live Cafe & Creative Space and political action committee (PAC) Activate Oak Park. “It’s a collaboration of love and respect and support and one of necessity,” said Brynne Hovde, of Activate Oak Park. Represent Oak Park has committed to supporting village trustee candidates Anthony Clark, Juanta Griffin and Chibuike Enyia, all three of whom are Black and active in the community. “It’s important that we have Black representation,” said Makesha Flournoy, an organizer with Black Residents of Oak Park, an online community group. “It’s about Black leadership and having their Black experiences center when making decisions at the board table.” While the candidates collaborate with each other, the group is emphatically not a slate and was not filed as such with the Il-
linois State Board of Elections. “Slate implies a particular kind of being that really leads to a homogeneous way of thinking and it signals and messages that we all believe all the same things,” said Reesheda Graham Washington, consultant and Live Café founder. While traditional to file a slate, not doing so allows candidates to present themselves as nuanced individuals with similar ideals but distinct ideas, Washington explained. “I’m not sure this group wants to be sending the message that they’re all going to think about all the things in exactly the same way,” said Washington. “I think we see how that sometimes gets us in trouble.” The candidates all work with and support each other, regardless of their slate status. Represent Oak Park will help facilitate the group as a whole, but also as individual candidates, by providing them with resources needed to successfully conduct a campaign in Oak Park. Those who want to support Represent Oak Park can do so by donating to the Activate Oak Park PAC. The funds will be used explicitly on means that benefit all three candidates or will be split between the candidates, according to Hovde. So far, the PAC has amassed $4,547, according to data from the Illinois State Board of Elections. Some of the donations have come from current members of the village board. Back in June, Trustee Arti Walker-Pedda-
kotla donated $1,132 and Trustee Susan Buchanan donated $250 to the PAC. “Being able to collaborate, pool resources and work collectively, even if not on a formal slate, is imperative for our candidates to be able to show up in a race,” said Hovde. The COVID-19 pandemic presents a new and novel reason for the candidates’ desire to work in collaboration with each other, according to Flournoy, who noted that having free time to campaign in general is a “luxury” not everyone has. “Not to mention, these folks have real jobs. These folks are out here making a living; they’re working class people,” said Flournoy. A familiar face at village board meetings already, Clark is a well-known community activist, as well as a military veteran and teacher at Oak Park River Forest High School. He founded the non-profit Suburban Unity Alliance group in 2016, which works to promote equity and raise awareness of discrimination. Griffin, who currently serves as the Oak Park Public Library’s multicultural learning coordinator, is running for village trustee on a platform of promoting inclusion and affordability in Oak Park. Over the years, Griffin has started a number of youth outreach programs, including “Uniquely You Tea Party” for young Black and biracial girls. Griffin is also instrumental in organizing Oak Park’s yearly June-
teenth celebrations. Enyia is a small business-owner and native Oak Parker, whose parents moved to the village from Nigeria. “They moved to this community as renters. He understands and his family understands what it means to work hard, not only to put food on their plates, but also for an education,” said Flournoy. Enyia mentors Black youth in Oak Park, a community where he grew up but one where he “hasn’t always felt welcome,” Flournoy said. Clark, Griffin and Enyia all grew up in Oak Park, which Hovde called “exciting.” “The authenticity and genuine nature of this group of candidates is really inspiring,” said Washington. Washington called the candidates “consummate professionals” who each possess a “heart of service.” “They’re dignified ambassadors to the places they are tied to and the people they’re connected to,” said Washington. COVID-19 permitting, Live Café will serve as campaign headquarters. Each of the three candidates have individual Facebook pages for their campaigns with websites coming soon. Represent Oak Park plans to host campaign and fundraising events for Clark, Griffin and Enyia. “These are the folks that should be at the [board] table,” said Flournoy. “I’m certain in my heart.”
Oak Park names interim public health director Search for permanent replacement to begin this month By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Firefighter and paramedic Joseph “J.T.” Terry has been named interim public health director of Oak Park following the departure of former public health director Mike Charley. Terry played a substantial role in mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks in senior care facilities while serving as interim deputy fire chief for infectious disease, a post he held from March 13 through June 5. “While unintentional, it was almost like a six-month transition period,” Terry told Wednesday Journal. During his time as interim deputy fire chief, he worked closely with Charley, whom he’s known for a decade, to develop his COVID-19 policies. In doing so, Terry also got to know other members in the village of Oak Park’s health department. This experience has made the process of filling Charley’s shoes more comfortable. “The only thing that’s a little daunting is the spike in cases,” said Terry. “But that’s not an Oak Park thing. It’s an international problem.” The village reported 68 new cases of COVID-19 on Nov. 13. Since March, Oak Park has seen a total of 1,280 positive
cases of the virus. Cook County has had a total of 5,904 COVID-19 infection deaths as of Nov. 9, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. “It is a scary time, and I don’t think anybody will deny or refute that, but I think people should know that they have a lot of control over what happens to themselves and their families,” Terry said. Terry stressed the importance of wearing masks, frequently washing hands and social distancing as much as possible to safeguard against contracting or spreading COVID-19. He advises people only to partake in essential travel activities, such as trips to the grocery store and doctor. “If you have to go to work, you have to go to work, but selfcontrol and doing what you can to prevent the spread is very important,” Terry said. With Thanksgiving right around the corner and Christmas at its heels, Terry directs people to keep their parties limited to groups no larger than six to 10 people, per health recommendations. “It’s a very special time coming up for the year,” he said. “But this is when we really need to come together and take care of ourselves and each other.” As interim public health director, Terry believes communication with the public is very important. The village of Oak Park’s website has a section specific to COVID-19, which is updated regularly with protocol and guidance changes, as well as information from the Illinois Public Health Depart-
ment (IDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). IDPH and CDC Terry warned people against getting information from unreputable sources spreading false claims about the virus and to avoid mistaking social media posts as facts. “I always stress when I have the opportunity to talk to groups to make sure what you’re reading and researching is the right information,” said Terry. Reputable sources Terry recommends include the World Health Organization, IDPH and CDC. Prior to COVID-19, Terry was the fire department’s emergency medical services coordinator and infection control officer. He has a master’s degree in threat management from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., according to the village’s announcement. Terry began working as the interim head of Oak Park’s health department Nov. 12, just one day after the departure of Charley. Terry is taking a temporary leave of absence from the fire department to fulfill the duties of interim public health director. Charley left Oak Park to become the village of Skokie’s new director of health and human services; he began his work there Nov. 16. According to Village Manager Cara Pavlicek, the village will begin searching for Charley’s replacement this month.
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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Community considers ‘simplified’ plans for Sears site
Ald. Taliaferro’s virtual town hall gives overview of modified plans By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
Community residents who tuned into 29th Ward Ald. Chris Taliaferro’s Nov. 10 virtual community meeting got a few answers about Novak Construction’s plans for the former North and Harlem Sears site, but many aspects of the project remain unknown. The property includes the former Sears store at the northeast corner of North and Harlem avenues and its main parking lot, as well as the auxiliary parking lot directly to the east of it. At the time the Sears closed, the property was owned by Seritage Growth Holdings, Sears’s real estate arm. The company hired Tucker Development to redevelop the property. Tucker eventually came up with a plan for mixed-use development that would incorporate the refurbished store building and apartments on the east parking lot. But in September, Seritage sold the property to Chicago-based Novak Construction, which decided to demolish the Sears
building completely and build a new grocery store, two retail buildings and a drivethrough restaurant, while keeping the plans for the east parking lot the same. During the Nov. 10 meeting, Jake Paschen, Novak’s executive vice president, explained that the Chicago City Council will have to make some zoning changes before the firm can proceed with its plans for the site. He also indicated that the company won’t commit any retail components until they secure the tenants. Paschen said he expects construction to start in 2021, with the goal of finishing it up sometime in 2022. Tucker Development has already gutted the original Sears building, as part of the planned renovations. Once Novak took ownership, it began demolishing the building. Paschen said he thought Tucker’s plan had too much retail and too many residences. “Our view was that it was too much, that there wasn’t market for that much retail,” he said. “And what we’d like to do is to make a simpler plan.” Each building would be around one story tall, as opposed to Tucker’s five. The construction schedule will depend on how soon they can secure tenants. “Our intention is not to build spec buildings, but to try to lease them first,” Paschen said. “And that would dictate what would
File photo
RAZE THEN RAISE: The shell of the old Sears building (above) at North and Harlem will be demolished, according to the latest plan. happen. And if, for example, the lease with grocery gets lined up [first], we’ll build that right away.” He declined to give any specific on what potential tenants they are talking to, saying only that Novak is open to having either a national or a more regional grocery store chain come in. He said that the parking lot would have 262 parking spaces for all retailers. And while Tucker’s plan called for using the store’s underground parking for residents, Paschen explained that they would fill it in using the materials from the demolished building. There are 10 houses located along Nordica Avenue, their back yards facing the east parking lot. When Tucker unveiled its proposal, several homeowners expressed concerns that residents of taller apartment buildings would be able to peak into their yards, as well as about the visual impact of those buildings looming over their houses. Homeowners from that block reiterated their concerns at the Nov. 10 meeting, leading Taliaferro to schedule a private zoom meeting between Paschen and Nordica homeowners that’s supposed to take place within two weeks. Another point of contention with Tucker’s plan was that all residential units would be apartments rather than condos. Paschen said that the company hasn’t decided what kind of housing units those would be, but didn’t rule either one out. If those buildings do become apartments, he said, Novak will manage them. Resident Neal Wankoff touched on one of the smaller points of contention with Tucker’s proposal — the visual design. Paschen said that, other than aiming for something the city would approve, they don’t have any idea what the design would look like. “Our intention is to build attractive buildings, buildings we’re proud of, but we don’t a have firm grasp of the design phase yet,” he said.
Other aspects that Novak is still researching is the impact on traffic, how much green space the development will have and how CTA Route 72/North Avenue would be affected. Taliaferro asked whether local businesses will be able to participate in construction. Paschen replied that his firm would be open to considering them. “Well, the best thing to do is to let us know who they are and what their qualifications are,” he said. Judith Alexander, chair of The North Avenue District Inc., said she likes many aspects of the plan, including more attractive building designs and that it wouldn’t add driveways. But she felt that the retail component could be made even more pedestrianfriendly. “To contribute to North Avenue’s vitality and pedestrian-friendliness, it would be desirable if the commercial buildings have windows and doors facing the street, along with setbacks or colonnades, landscaping between buildings and sidewalks on Harlem, as well as North, and pedestrian-scaled lighting,” Alexander wrote. “It’s important that the project not turn its back on North Avenue (or Harlem) and participates fully in the community where it’s located.” She also said that she would encourage Novak to add a community room that could sit about 25 to 30 people, arguing that this is something the corridor is lacking. The fact that the Starbucks at the east lot got good crowds before the pandemic, she argued, suggests demand for a space where residents could congregate. “There are still many unknowns about this project, of course,” Alexander added. “Though we await more details, we are encouraged that Novak Construction seems open to listening and responding to community concerns. We look forward to working with them.”
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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C R I M E
Armed teen hijacks car
A woman was sitting in her black 2016 Hyundai Elantra when a teenage boy approached with a firearm drawn and demanded she get out of the car at 5:20 p.m., Nov. 12 in the 1000 block of Home Avenue. As she got out, she noticed a second teenage boy nearby. The two got into her car, then drove off westbound on Lexington Street. The estimated loss is $10,100. The first offender is described by police as male, Black, approximately 17 years old and 5-feet-10-inches with a thin build wearing dark pants and a dark green hooded sweatshirt. Police describe the other offender as male, Black, approximately 17, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.
Burglary ■ Someone climbed into a residence through an unlocked window and took a set of car keys and a wallet containing credit cards and cash; the intruder then used the keys to remove the victim’s vehicle between 2:30 a.m. and 2:45 a.m., Nov. 9 in the 200 block of Flournoy Street. The loss is estimated at $13,000. ■ Someone took an HP laptop computer from an unlocked vehicle in the 300 block of South Austin Boulevard between 4 p.m., Nov. 11 and 6:30 a.m., Nov. 12. The estimated loss is $300. ■ The rear driver’s side window of a vehicle was broken and a laptop removed from inside the vehicle in the 1200 block of Forest Avenue between 10:30 p.m., Nov. 10 and 7:35
a.m., Nov. 11. ■ Someone broke into an automobile and removed about $3 in cash between 7 p.m., Nov. 11 and 10 a.m., Nov. 12 in the 300 block of South Lombard Avenue. ■ Someone walked into a garage with an open overhead door, then entered the vehicle parked inside and took about $30 in cash from the vehicle between midnight and 6:30 a.m., Nov. 12 in the first block of Washington Boulevard.
Motor vehicle theft ■ A 2003 Honda Civic was removed from the first block of Chicago Avenue between noon and 8:30 p.m., Nov. 11. The estimated loss is $2,000. ■ A black 2011 Acura MDX was taken from the 100 block of North Humphrey Avenue between 11:30 p.m., Nov. 13 and 7:45 a.m., Nov. 14. Estimated loss is $31,140. ■ A running vehicle, left unlocked and unattended, was removed from the 7100 block of Roosevelt Road about 6:30 p.m., Nov. 14. The estimated loss is $20,000.
Theft ■ Two women’s Trek bicycles were taken from a backyard in the 800 block of South Elmwood Ave. between 6 p.m., Nov. 9 and 2:10 p.m., Nov. 10. Estimated loss is $900. ■ Someone took a delivered package containing a curling iron from the vestibule of a building in the 900 block of Washington Boulevard between 10:17 a.m., Nov. 8 and noon, Nov. 9. Estimated loss is $70.
■ The front license plate to a vehicle was taken between 10:30 p.m., Nov. 11 and 11:30 a.m., Nov. 12 in the 900 block of Washington Boulevard. ■ A package containing Bearpaw boots was taken from the 700 block of Erie Street between 1 and 4 p.m., Nov. 12. The estimated loss is $50. ■ A package was taken from the front porch of a residence in the 1100 block of North Taylor Avenue between 7 a.m., Nov. 12 and 12:30 a.m., Nov. 13. Estimated loss is $40.
Criminal damage to property ■ Someone damaged the screen to a window in the first block of Madison Street between midnight, Nov. 3 and 4 p.m., Nov. 10. The estimated damage is $100. ■ Two paver bricks in the retaining wall of an outdoor classroom at Whittier Elementary, 715 N. Harvey Ave., were broken at 9:47 a.m., Nov. 11. Estimated damage is worth $100.
These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department came from reports, Nov. 9-16, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
Compiled by Stacey Sheridan
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COVID TEST
Finding an answer from page 7
SINGLE FAMILY HOMES
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ADDRESS CONDOS
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210 S. Lombard Ave. UNIT B, Oak Park . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$224,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 7531 Brown Ave. UNIT H, Forest Park. . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$295,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:30-3 1133 Chicago Ave. UNIT 3E, Oak Park . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$625,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
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and odds were I hadn’t contracted it. Getting quick results is essential in stopping the spread of COVID, Schipper said. “The denial of 20-somethings about COVID blows my mind,” he added. He said he’s seen people with symptoms that think they don’t have it until they see the positive result. And that, he said, is dangerous, because they go around exposing other people. What he likes about rapid tests, and why he’s invested in them, is because they give immediate results that kind of slap people in the face with the truth (my words, not his), that wake them up to the fact that they need to stay home. They also stop the fear; there’s no need to wait for days to find out if you have COVID or not. The fact is that anyone exposed should quarantine regardless of whether or not they take a test. But the truth is that not everyone does. Having access to a quick test and immediate results provides a concrete answer, a definite way to let someone know they need to stay home. This week, with kids returning from colleges and Thanksgiving approaching, Schipper wants to offer the opportunity for people locally to get rapidly tested. It might be safer not to gather for Thanksgiving at all. Gov. J. B. Pritzker recommends smaller and virtual celebrations this year, as cases around the state spike. So if you are going to gather with family, getting tested beforehand makes sense. Sure, you could have contracted the illness after your test. Or tested too soon. There are no guarantees. But if you want a test before digging into pie with your family, or want to make sure you don’t need to lock your college kid in the basement for a week, here’s how to get tested in River Forest: ■ Covid Concierge will be offering rapid COVID-19 testing at First Presbyterian Church of River Forest (7551 Quick Ave.) on Wednesday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 21. On each date, 300 tests will be administered, and pre-registration is required at covidconcierge.us. ■ You do not need to be a River Forest resident to register. ■ The tests cost $175, payable by cash or credit card. Covid Concierge will provide a receipt with a CPT code that can be submitted to insurance. Check with your insurance company to see if it will be covered. ■ Test results will be emailed within two to three hours of testing. ■ Anyone can register and be tested regardless of symptoms. Tests are done via a nasal swab. For information on other testing options, including free testing, the Village of River Forest has a list at vrf.us/news/item/389.
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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Homes
All in the family Multi-generation living brings balance and benefits By LACEY SIKORA
M
Contributing Reporter
ore Americans than ever are living in a multigenerational household. According to Pew Research in 2016, 20 percent of Americans were doing so, up from a low of 12 percent in 1980. Some of these are middle-aged adults, often called the sandwich generation because they are in the middle of raising kids and helping out aging parents. For adults in this category in Oak Park, living in close proximity to parents is frequently a matter of choice that many say has also made living through the pandemic -- and whatever else life throws at us -- a lot more tolerable. Whether it’s living in the same house or on the same block, these Oak Parkers think living nearby offers innumerable benefits to all parties involved. For Kirsten Straughan, who grew up in Oak Park, having her parents nearby as she and her husband raised their kids was always great for her family. When her kids were younger, her parents would help with them after school and were a big part of their lives. As her parents aged and wanted to downsize, Straughan says they wanted to stay in Oak Park, which has become a part of their identity, but they needed a house that would give them a bedroom and a bathroom on the first floor. “It was initially my husband’s idea to get them within walking distance,” Straughan said. When the bungalow across the street went on the market, her dad, who is an architect, was able to see how it would work. Her parents are rehabbing the house and preparing to move in this fall. Straughan notes that now, the tables have turned. Her kids are helping their grandparents with painting and moving, and she says this move will allow her parents to maintain their independence as they age while letting her and husband be a daily part of their lives. Like Straughan, Noelle Ross McLain Sutherland had childhood roots to Oak Park, but she was living in Belize a few years ago with her young son, far from her parents. When her mother passed away and her father began to experience health issues, she decided to make the move back to the Midwest. “My son is the only grandson. I’d just divorced and it seemed like a good time to come back,” Sutherland said. It helped that she found plenty of room in an 1888 Victorian home that allows her dad to have his own apartment. She says having their own spaces is key to the living arrangement’s success, and having two kitchens is definitely a positive. During the pandemic, Sutherland has loved being close enough to keep an eye on her father’s health and not have to worry about living an entire continent away, and he has provided her with much needed backup as single mom tackling remote learning with her son. Even beyond the pandemic, Sutherland says having her father play a role in raising her son has been great. “Having that multi-generational influence is good for a kid,” she said. “There are things I wouldn’t have thought about that he learns from my dad.”
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
FAMILY MATTERS: Barb and Hans Langoni (top, left) bought the home across the street from their daughter, Kristen Straughan (far right), and her family. Now, it’s the grandkids, like Sophie Straughan (top, second from right) pitching in to help them. Above (from left) Declan, Sean, Colin, Cora and Jessica Flannery (and their two dogs, Fox and Perry) are happy to have Jessica’s mom living just a few doors down on Cuyler Avenue. She says her parents were originally from Scotland, where it is much more common to have your parents live with you as they age. For her, that is something she wants her son to experience. “I want my son to see me taking care of my parents, to understand it’s important to take care of people you love,” Sutherland said. Jessica Flannery says that having her mom, Sue Bair, move onto her block of South Cuyler Avenue in 2019 has been fantastic.
“The kids are at Irving, and I work at the Oak Park Friends School,” Flannery said. “My whole life is on this block.” Flannery calls her mom’s move from Ohio to a home a few houses away the perfect distance and notes that when parents live farther away, visits can be intense. Seeing each other on a daily basis has allowed them to live their own lives, together. Flannery said that while no one could foresee the pandemic when her mother moved onto the block, having See FAMILY on page 21
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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FAMILY
notes, that her mother shares her cultural influence through food. “My mother always has amazing Indian food cooking throughout the day,” Hadi-Tabassum said. “It’s been a cultural immersion for my husband and the kids.” The 1898 three-flat near the CTA’s Oak Park Avenue Green Line stop has allowed everyone in the family easy access to work in the city while also being in walking distance of the grocery store and the kids’ school, and Hadi-Tabassum says that multi-generational living is much easier in an area that is not car-dependent. Her parents own the home and pay the mortgage, she and her husband pay the property taxes, and she says her sister pays for all the fun extras, an arrangement which allows all of them to afford to live in Oak Park. While living with parents and siblings can at times make her feel like she is living out her childhood as an adult, Hadi-Tabassum says the benefits far outweigh occasionally reverting to her 12-year old self. “Being intergenerational leads you to depend on each other,” she says, emphasizing that in day-to-day life and in emergencies having family to fall back on is important. Not long ago, her son was diagnosed with leukemia, and she says her mother was the first to know. “She knew with her intuition that it wasn’t just a cold, that something was wrong,” Hadi-Tabassum says of her son who is completing his treatment this year. “When you have those life crises, it’s so great to have family there.”
Keeping everyone close from page 19 her nearby during the pandemic has been a bonus. A retired teacher, Bair helps with remote learning for Flannery’s middle child, and can come over for dinner or have the kids over for sleepovers. Stressing that she never meant for her mom to become a babysitter, Flannery says that she has just become a much-loved part of their daily lives. “She walks me to work, she walks our dog, we watch ‘Law and Order’ together. My husband really likes having her here,” Flannery said. For Samina Hadi-Tabassum, multi-generational living has always been the norm. She grew up in an intergenerational home in India. When her parents immigrated to America, she says they were part of a great wave of migration post-1965. Aunts and uncles would live with the family until they could buy their own homes. Today, she shares her Oak Park three-flat with her parents, sister, husband and children. “I have three kids, and I can’t even imagine not having my parents here to help raise them,” Hadi-Tabassum said. As a professor at the Erikson Institute working with languages, Hadi-Tabassum also notes that in most parts of the world, children are raised in mule-generational homes with multiple sources of language. Here in America, children are primarily exposed to the language of only their parents. She sees big benefits to children being raised among a larger family structure. Both her children and her husband have learned Urdu and Hindi from her parents, and Hadi-Tabassum also
ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer
Samina Hadi-Tabassum, her daughter, Salma HadiSt. John; her partner, Bartholomew St. John; and their son, Yusef Hadi-St. John, share a three-flat on Taylor Ave. in Oak Park with Hadi’s parents and her sister.
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M. Call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com
Giving thanks for identity, family, and community
I
’ve been listening to the podcast, Seeing White. It is good to see that Americans are finally researching and talking about the origins and source of racism rather than studying the targeted recipients of its ire; as if “fixing” Black people might cure the country of white people’s racism. It’s been generally acknowledged that the concept of race is a social construct with no grounding in science. I’ve been thinking about how this social and political construct has come to be such an integral part of my identity; not by choice, but by simple fact. Racial identity is so knitted into the fabric of our nation that it is difficult to detangle it from its other permeations. It is an oppositional identity — white or not white. However, for Black people, it has also become a shared identity around culture and rejection, knitting together a range of Black ethnicities. But it is also not that simple. Black people, including African Americans, are so much more complex. We have layered identities formed by place and time that are rich and multifaceted and seldom acknowledged. I am Black — part of the diaspora of mother Africa. I am African American — descendent of the slaves that built this nation. I am also a daughter of the Gullah people of the Sea Islands of South Carolina and a daughter of the Caribbean island of Antigua. This layered identity takes me beyond cultural expressions of diet, music, or dialect. It influences how I see myself and how and why I connect with others, often in ways I don’t even realize. Some of these influences are at odds with modern middle-income standards defined by the overarching white culture. One example is the role of extended family. My maternal lineage hails from St. Hela Island, South Carolina (formerly Frogmore). The first migration took them to a nearby big southern city earlier on in the 20th century. The northern migration happened next, taking many to New York City; just as many from Mississippi and Alabama headed to Detroit and Chicago. None of these moves were made without the assistance of extended family. Folks moved in with aunts, uncles, and cousins until they found jobs and got on their feet. Parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles left behind raised their children until parents could send for them later. This is actually not much different from the story of 20th-century immigrants to the U.S. This family support system continues to be important, particularly for folks raising children and suffering hardships. And yet it has become even more difficult to maintain for those of us who are part of the subsequent migration in pursuit of educational and career opportunities. Those strong family ties have been stretched far.
LINDA FRANCIS
See FRANCIS on page 26
VIEWPOINTS
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
23
More support for local businesses p. 25
What if Thanksgiving were a verb?
T
he realization began in the spring when a neighbor said she would be growing extra vegetables for families in need. Would I be willing to do the same? Since my 1,500-square-foot yard is part patio, part Japanese garden, part “orchard” and part “farm,” then of course. In August and September, we took bags of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, and green beans to the local food pantry. It’s a mile from our house, in the basement of a church rectory, in a neighborhood of large and beautiful old homes. Approximately 30 families visit this pantry each Tuesday. And most of them walk. They are our neighbors. When the “farm” ran out, we offered to supplement the pantry with food purchases. We got a list for Aldi’s. You would be amazed at how much food $100 buys — and how many people it feeds. What if Thanksgiving were a verb? Through most of September, I was working in Park Ridge. Also working in Park Ridge, on the corner of Higgins and Cumberland, was a 30-something young man with a cup in hand. One of my sons told me years ago that he always carries a dollar or two in the coin pocket of his jeans for just this occasion. I carry them on the dashboard of my truck. After multiple days and dollars, I asked him how much he makes on a good day. “About $60 a day. That covers my hotel and meals.” The next time you think this is a scam and these people are making hundreds of dollars a day, watch in your side-view mirror as they pass car after car after car with their windows rolled up. Somewhere it is written, “Whatever you do for the least of these …” What if Thanksgiving were a verb? Turkey farmers are very worried that they will be stuck with huge numbers of large turkeys because so many of us are cancelling our traditional big Thanksgiving dinners. While some families agonize over the risk and rewards of deciding to travel or not, others see chairs that will never again be occupied. Death is the final act
in the human drama and it’s playing to full houses this year. While most of us will miss our get-togethers; there’s always next year. But for those who cannot look forward to filling those empty chairs “next” or any more years, can we pick someone and call, send flowers? Do something — anything — to help fill the hole in their hearts? What if Thanksgiving were a verb? As the days shorten and the weather turns too cold to sit out on the front porch, my wife and I end each day in front of our gas log fireplace with it’s warmth, a drink, and conversation about our day. But too many of our neighbors worry about simply keeping the heat on and the lights burning. There may be a moratorium on overdue utility bills but there is no moratorium on the worry. So the church secretary suggests sending us a copy of someone’s utility bill with the name and address blacked out. We send her a check made out to the utility with the person’s account number on the check. She mails the check and bill. Privacy respected, worry reduced, donation’s intent assured. Church as Pay-Pal. Who knew it could be that simple? What if Thanksgiving were a verb? Many years ago I was one of several people delivering turkeys to needy families in Oak Park. I will never forget walking into an apartment not six blocks from my home, delivering the meal, and realizing there was not a single piece of furniture in either the living room or dining room. Not a single piece. Knowing Oak Park after 40 years of living here, I would venture a guess that a family had sacrificed everything to give their kids a safe place to live, great schools to attend, and a future that would be in every way better. Human needs are not limited to one day a year — or one turkey, or one donation, or one visit to a food pantry. Thanksgiving should not be a noun for a day. What if Thanksgiving were a verb? Twelve million people, who were sailing along just fine nine months ago, are now desperate and out of work. One hundred thousand businesses, large and small, are gone for good. Food lines stretch for blocks, if not miles. These are not Third World problems of some distant, invisible “others.” These are real problems for people who are family, friends, and neighbors. None of us can help millions, but if millions of us each helped just one, would Thanksgiving be a verb? What if …
BILL SIECK
One View
Bill Sieck is a remodeling contractor in Oak Park. He sent this to his customers and wanted to share it more widely.
24
V I E W P O I N T S
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
O U R
V I E W S
Saving restaurants and ourselves
W
e were happy Monday to hear that Oak Park is “losing patience” with local restaurants that continue to flout the state-mandated closure of all indoor dining and drinking as COVID cases explode across Chicago and the nation. Working off complaints from residents and its own observation of violators, Village Manager Cara Pavlicek said village staff will ramp up from visiting non-compliant restaurants to cease-anddesist letters from the village attorney and, critically, held out the option of fully shutting restaurants down until they agree to comply completely. Good. This is not the moment to mess around. Indoor dining is plain dangerous. At the same moment, an ad hoc group of locals are banding together to create motivation and mechanism to spur Oak Parkers to consciously order takeout every week from one of Oak Park’s approximately 100 restaurants. We’re not good at math but the leader of this effort, Ravi Parakkat, calculates villagers need to order up a million bucks of takeout every month to funnel $10,000 to each restaurant. The ask is that locals spend a minimum of $25 per week for takeout at local restaurants. Here’s what we like about Parakkat’s effort (and, yes, he is currently a candidate for Oak Park trustee in the April election), it focuses us on possibility and urgency to save the critical and wonderful independent restaurant industry in our hometown. “The debate between restaurant survival and public health does not yield any results that benefit the business or broader community. The solution has to be beneficial to both,” says Parakkat. That’s straight thinking. Good to see his effort joined by the leaders of local business districts, the chamber of commerce, the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, Visit Oak Park, a5 Marketing, and Wednesday Journal’s Oak Park Eats. We love our restaurants. But we can’t let a few outliers kill us before this pandemic is finally beaten to a pulp. Order in. Eat up. Live to tell the story.
COVID to survey: Not your decision
According to a survey of parents at OPRF High School, 66 percent are ready (were ready?) to send their students back to the classroom at least on some sort of hybrid basis. Based in part on that survey, the school’s administration readied a new plan for hybrid learning to the school board later this week, according to Supt. Joylyn Pruitt-Adams. Pretty much simultaneously the school announced its teaching would remain fully remote at least through Nov. 24 when the school breaks for Thanksgiving. And here we have the conundrum of COVID. Everyone wants normal or some step toward normal. We all want to claim some level of control. And yet the virus, abetted by our growing sloppy response, says “no” to normal. So we have two school districts which have formed supersized committees of parents and staff to help influence next steps toward reopening. At the same moment, we have COVID spiking in our community and across this nation — which makes this no time to rely on a massive committee to render judgment on this moving pandemic target. Instead we need superintendents and school boards to make the nimble choices, the humble choices that focus fully on the health of our students and our teachers. COVID-19 will be beaten. But not until there is a vaccine in wide use to knock it down. In the meanwhile, this miserable and impossible year will run its course. We will find a middle path back for our schools. But first patience, with a side order of understandable frustration.
The Age of Reason … and lack thereof
I
have a confession: I’ve been cheating. ther has to be careful. Last summer as we Guilty as charged. A corollary to the old toured Brookfield Zoo’s children’s section, axiom, “Absence makes the heart grow we passed the reindeer pen and Bryce exfonder” is “Absence makes grandchilcitedly pointed to a sign about Rudolph the dren more adorable.” It’s hard to stay Red-Nosed Reindeer and asked (I think) if away. Bet I’m not the only cheater out Rudolph lived there. I was feeling harried there. trying to herd them away from all the nonI stayed away because of COVID conmask-wearing patrons. I said something cerns. The boys have been in school since like, “No, that’s not true.” the beginning of September. Choosing disNever say anything to kids that you cretion over valor, I pulled back from my haven’t thought about first. weekly gig of watching them while Mom’s The image of Tyler’s crumpled face is at work. It was the right decision, given still fresh in my mind. “You mean Rudolph this latest virus surge, but that doesn’t isn’t real?” he asked. Oh boy, did I step in make it any easier. reindeer poop on that one. I double- and And it certainly didn’t make it easier triple-talked my way around it, using anyto explain to two 6-year-olds. Fortunately, thing but reason. “Nobody’s ever actually they turned 7 in October. The Catholic Church holds seen Rudolph, of course, with the possible exception (or used to, anyway) that 7 is the “age of reason.” of Gene Autry and Burl Ives, but Rudolph wouldn’t I don’t know if that’s based on hard science, but it live here. He lives at the North Pole with Santa.” In a means their developing moment of sheer genius, I brains have reached a level bought them cups of Dippin’ where they’re capable of Dots ice cream, which made reason, which I define as my explanation more plau“clear-headed thinking that sible, or at least palatable. doesn’t allow wild ebbs and Tyler is anything but a flows of emotional irratioskeptic when it comes to nality to undermine it.” Rudolph the Red-nosed ReinBeing “capable” of reason, deer, who holds a higher of course, is not the same place in his pantheon than as “demonstrating” reason. even Santa himself. Seventy-two million Trump I’ve got to watch my step. supporters are “capable” of The responsibility is imreason. None were required mense. But it doesn’t keep to demonstrate that before me from cheating to see being allowed to vote, which them. I simply had to stop by is roughly how I define three weeks later to check democracy. My dynamic duo out their fox and raccoon already demonstrate greater Halloween costumes and capacity for reason than, tagged along for a little say, the current President of trick-or-treating because the United States. there’s only one thing REASON FOR THE SEASON: Bryce the fox (left) and more adorably cute than At any rate, their seventh Tyler the raccoon peruse a neighbor’s treats table grandsons in their natural birthday is when I started on Halloween. cheating. I stopped by the state and that’s grandsons day before with a friend dressed up as small forest while the boys were at mammals. school and we spent three hours assembling the tramAnd two weeks later, I had to stop by again to drop poline I bought for their present (these boys really off a birthday present and sing happy birthday to like to bounce). The following morning, I came back Mom. to spring the surprise, which Mom and the babysitter The risk, of course, in cheating is that the boys managed to preserve until I arrived. could pick up the virus at school and even though they The reaction was gratifying and soon they were may not show symptoms, they could give it to me and I bounding with delight. And the trampoline held, in could give it to others. So I try to keep my visits short, spite of the fact that I put it together (my capacity for which is not entirely reasonable. I was thinking an reason being greater than my mechanical aptitude). hour and a half would be safe if we’re outside some of Bryce, who is capable of both simultaneously, asked the time. The rest of their lives, or at least their entire if we could have a conversation while he bounced. He childhood, is closer to what they had in mind. loves conversations, even though I use too many big While this is enormously flattering for someone who words. It stretches his vocabulary — and stretches my was pretty much taken for granted as a human being ability to communicate in down-to-earth terms. You until I became a grandfather, it’s also an immense recould call it a trampoline conversation. It has its ups sponsibility. So applying reason to this Gordian Knot, I sliced it like Alexander the Great did in days of yore. and downs. A brilliant maneuver — but also cheating. I told them 7 was a great age. I told them I had to get back home because I’m using “What’s so great about it?” asked Tyler, the skeptic. this time away from them to work on a book project I thought about launching into a Papa Ken Talk about (which is true). They relented only after making me “The Importance of Reason in the Age of Irrationalpromise I would write a book about them. ity,” but reasoned I probably shouldn’t, so instead I reWhich I’m doing — one column at a time. plied, “It rhymes with heaven. It’s heaven to be seven.” That’s reasonable, isn’t it? Tyler sniffed suspiciously but let it pass. A grandfa-
KEN
TRAINOR
V I E W P O I N T S
An open letter to the Oak Park Village Board
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ear Mayor Abu-Taleb, Village Trustees and Staff, The COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting not only our lives, but our local businesses; in some instances devastatingly so. On behalf of the OP-RF Chamber of Commerce and its members, we want to express our extreme disappointment in the village of Oak Park and our elected officials. They should have, and could have, done more to help our businesses, not only early in the pandemic, but also in the summer months, and now as the weather changes. The OP-RF Chamber of Commerce’s advocacy for our local businesses began immediately in mid-March, and has continued ever since, asking the village of Oak Park to work collaboratively with other agencies and groups in the community. Specifically we requested the following: 1. Immediate assistance with procuring the needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our businesses; 2. Education regarding grants or loans, available to local businesses, and the Payroll Protection Plan and best practices guidance; 3. Guidance on modifications needed to remain open or reopen businesses safely; and 4. Immediate marketing assistance to promote “staying, dining, shopping local.” Specific to Oak Park, we requested the creation of a Small Business Task Force, to comprise Chamber representatives and a mix of current Oak Park trustees and village staff, the OPEDC, and current, local business leaders, who would work, collaboratively to identify realistic solutions to the challenges this pandemic has created. The task force last met in the middle of July, despite continued requests to reconvene the group. Even though there have predictably been increased challenges that have arisen, such as the resumption of restrictions on indoor dining and the disruptive construction taking place on Lake Street, the task force has continued to remain defunct. We have not heard of any further initiatives from the village or their partner agencies around support of the business community. Business owners and leaders were very clear four months ago regarding their needs by completing detailed questionnaires, the results of which were submitted to the task force. Besides obvious financial support, their
needs included coordinated and consistent marketing efforts to encourage the community to stay local and support local businesses. Inexplicably this has not happened. The pandemic was unforeseen, and we all found ourselves in a reactive mode initially; but by now our village should have pivoted from reactive to a proactive posture to assist our local businesses. Why has this not happened yet? Why hasn’t the village implemented a plan to sustain our restaurants during what is projected to be a peak in fall and winter COVID cases? Why hasn’t the village increased their efforts during the pandemic to encourage local shopping on Lake Street during the disruptive construction? At minimum, why is the village of Oak Park not promoting Staying/ Shopping/Dining Local through a targeted marketing campaign similar to what some of our surrounding municipalities have implemented? Oak Park should not be behind all the surrounding municipalities in supporting our local businesses. We are calling on the Oak Park village trustees, Mayor, and village staff now to help market our entire business community, share information more openly, and start forecasting different recovery and setback scenarios for all the business sectors. We implore you to start looking after our businesses like you have looked after our citizens during this pandemic, and generally, stop making it so hard to operate a business in Oak Park. Thank you.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE One View
OP-RF Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Staff Dr. Mary Ann Bender, board president (Weil Foot & Ankle) Lynn Palmgren, vice president (Palmgren Acupuncture) Sam Yousif, secretary (Fuller Health Group) Pamela Dass, treasurer (Forest Park Bank) Mike Lavery, past president (Excel Window Tinting) Bob Stelletello, past president and member at large (Right At Home Senior Care) Marc Stopeck, director (Growing Community Media) Christian Harris, director (MaidPro Oak Park) Kimberly Augustin, director (Kale Realty) Vicki Scaman, director (Oak Park Village Clerk) Heidi Ruehle, director (Unity Temple Restoration Foundation) Todd Bannor, director (Bannor & Bannor) Carla Taylor, director (Baird & Warner) Michael Glab, director (Nutriquity LLC) Liz Holt, executive director (OP-RF Chamber of Commerce)
Board dysfunction on full display The small business community has an urgent need highlighted by the pandemic. With several community partners serving aspects of the business community, no one is charged with marketing the entire small business community to consumers in Oak Park. This contrasts with the proactive support Forest Park, Berwyn, LaGrange and other communities provide to their business community. In March, the Chamber of Commerce reached out to village staff and the village board and asked for help to survive the pandemic. Their request for marketing support has been a consistent ask since March. As elected officials, our role is to solve community problems. We do that by listening to our constituents and holding staff accountable to create solutions to the problems we hear. We are not charged with creating solutions on our own as individuals.
It is eight months later and the village has not responded with a solution for marketing the business community as a whole. That lack of leadership, listening, and response makes people frustrated. When that frustration turns to anger, it is inappropriate to then become defensive. It is wildly inappropriate to attack our community partners in a public meeting or to attack each other at the board table. This culture needs to change. We need to focus on solutions and policy and not on bullying each other. I don’t reject bullying on my own behalf; I reject it on behalf of the community as a whole who suffer the collateral damage of an unproductive culture. Let’s work together.
Simone Boutet
Village trustee and candidate for village president
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 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 Deb Abrahamson, 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
H O W
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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 $41 within Cook County and $51 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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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
V I E W P O I N T S
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Wake up, folks: the campaign against democracy continues
n a speech 40 years ago to a group of conservative preachers, Heritage Foundation founder Paul Weyrich said, “Now many of our Christians have what I call the ‘goo-goo syndrome.’ Good government. They want everybody to vote. I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people. They never have been from the beginning of our country, and they are not now. “As a matter of fact,” he continued, “our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.” Weyrich’s idea continues to animate the GOP today. In dismissing a Democratic push for reforms, including vote-by-mail, same-day registration, and early voting to assist state-run elections in the midst of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump opined, “They had things, levels of voting that if you’d ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.” Starting with Nixon’s “Southern Strategy” in 1968, through Weyrich’s candid acknowledgement in 1980, to Donald Trump’s numerous rants, the GOP has consistently stood against reasonable voter registration
laws and fair and equitable access to the polls — because they know they lose in a battle ideas. What was that about believing someone when they tell you who they are? Republicans have been telling us who they are for half a century. Weyrich is gone, but his Heritage Foundation and voter suppression efforts endure. The GOP continues to do everything they can to keep Democratic turnout as low as possible. Republicans have also consistently shown they have no respect for the very concept of governance. Weyrich called good governance “goo-goo.” Ronald Reagan said government is “not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Antitax lobbyist Grover Norquist said his goal was to starve government until it was so small he could “drown it in the bathtub.” You don’t work with people like that. You work to defeat them. Or you lose. It’s just that simple. We don’t have to demonize Republicans, but we certainly can’t trust them either. Former George W. Bush speech writer David Frum doesn’t trust his old Republi-
can colleagues. In his 2018 book, The Corruption of the American Republic, Frum writes, “If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.” When Stacey Abrams lost the Georgia governor’s office after a 2018 election that saw blatant voter suppression by GOP officials, she channeled her outrage into a tireless campaign to recruit and organize voters. In less than two years, she altered the Georgia electoral landscape by registering 800,000 new voters and mounting a massively effective get-out-the-vote campaign. That’s the path forward to a government that serves all the people. Illinois Democrats are far from perfect. I personally disagree with some of their policies, and I do not support the corruption Michael Madigan has engendered during his 40-plus-year reign over the Illinois House. I have also criticized the lack of ethics and outright cronyism of state Rep. Emanuel Welch, who was appointed to oversee the Illinois House’s investigation into
BILL DWYER One View
Does COVID-19 move like smoke?
On April 2 the CDC published online research from Gangzhou, China that showed the COVID virus was airborne and followed indoor airflow to infect people. (1) On July 6, 239 scientists from 32 countries urged the World Health Organization to acknowledge the growing evidence that COVID-19 is airborne. (2) On Aug. 25, Time Magazine published an article that suggests COVID-19 Aerosol moves indoors like second-hand smoke. The New York Times, Discover Magazine, MIT, Medscape and others have published articles that support this idea. (3, 4, 5) How long do COVID aerosols remain in the indoor air? It depends on the room temperature and humidity. Colder room temperature and lower humidity greatly increases the time that COVID floats in the air. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has put a “SARS-CoV-2 Airborne De-
FRANCIS
Extended family from page 23 The closeness of cousins is less prevalent in my family as children are no longer raised in the same cities. So it is difficult to build, let alone sustain, the relationships. Higher income may shield us from some of the financial challenges, but many are just a layoff or a serious illness away from being back to square one. And even if we are able
cay Calculator” online, so you can check the numbers for this winter. Also, DHS updates research every week online under the title “Master Question List for COVID-19.” How does smoke move about indoors? Some people are old enough to remember when 9 out of 10 doctors smoked Camel cigarettes, and they probably can recall watching smoke floating around indoors. In rooms with poor ventilation, smoke can hang for hours and accumulate in a room like a cloud. It can spread widely indoors while thinning out. Decades ago, restaurants tried separate smoking sections. Comedian George Carlin said this was like creating a peeing section in swimming pools. A common way to remove smoke was to open a window on one side of the room and turn on an exhaust fan on the other side of the room. The following June 9 YouTube video
to stave off those hardships, the struggle of dealing with mini- and macro-aggressions, finding folks with whom you connect, and raising whole and happy children in places not designed to reflect who you are is real, with the consoling arms of family far away. Interestingly enough, those bonds formed from shared identity around culture and rejection help me to form chosen family miles away from my biological family and connect me inextricably to folks I have never met. Whether it’s the Black Student Union on campus, Black members of my church, or Black residents of Oak Park, I can find a group of people with whom I can build a sup-
allegations against Madigan. But Illinois Democrats at heart believe in small “d” democracy and in government’s ability to “promote the general welfare,” to be there for people in times of crisis when individuals are overwhelmed by circumstances, as so very many are now. Trump Republicans, to paraphrase Norquist, seek a democracy so limited at the state and national levels that it can collectively be “drowned in a bathtub.” Most former Republicans support democratic values, if not all Democratic policies. Frum writes, “The stability of American society depends on conservatives’ ability to find a way forward from the Trump dead-end, toward a conservatism that cannot only win elections but also govern responsibly, a conservatism that is culturally modern, economically inclusive, and environmentally responsible.” In other words, working to utilize the power of government for the common good, not “drown it in the bathtub” for the exclusive benefit of the privileged few. And both Democrats and democrats need to keep turning out to vote until that happens.
Our country will be whole again
shows how COVID aerosols might move like smoke: “Aerosois: Key to control the corona spread / COVID-19 Special – YouTube” (1) COVID-19 Outbreak Associated with Air Conditioning in Restaurant, Gangzhou, China Volume 26,Number 7 CDC. (2) “239 Experts with One Big Claim: The Coronavirus is airborne.” New York Times, July 25. (3) “COVID-19 is Transmitted Through Aerosols. We Have Enough Evidence. Now It is Time to Act.” Time Magazine, Aug. 25. (4) “What a Smoky Bar can Teach Us About the “6 foot rule” During the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Discover Magazine, Sept. 10. (5) “Think of coronavirus in bars like cigarette smoke says expert on importance of ventilation.” EuroNews, Oct. 13.
Thanks to you column [Democracy stages a comeback, Ken Trainor, Viewpoints, Nov. 11], I understand that my feelings Tuesday night through Saturday morning, post-election, were shared by so many others. I didn’t realize I was swimming in a collective consciousness. Then right after I heard the news, there was drumming and shouts from Scoville Park, then car horns honking. It was joyful and expansive. Now my waking thought each morning is, “Joe Biden is president-elect.” What a relief. Our country will be whole again.
Oak Park
Oak Park
Robert Sullivan
port system where I am. I was walking down Rush Street with a white college roommate and passed a Black gentleman who gave me the obligatory nod. She then mentioned noticing this happening on campus and asked me, in all seriousness, if I knew all Black people. I thought for a few seconds and answered “yes”. I don’t actually, but I relish the likelihood that I can be seen and acknowledged in places where I might be feeling unseen. As much as I realize the destructiveness that has occurred from the creation of race as a social construct, I embrace the beauty that has been created from the ruins. It takes
Elaine Johnson
work, and I am grateful that there are folks who continue to do the work of carving out community in sometimes barren spaces and in a larger community that may not see its necessity. I am grateful for the elders who have born the torch, my peers who have fanned the flames, and the Black youth ready to carry it forward. Thanks, fam. I love my Black people and I feel a kinship with the Black community that holds me and sustains me. Our shared struggle obligates us to one another. Just think how wonderful it would be if I could say that about all of my fellow Americans.
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The Joyful Giving Catalog Browse, read, share with your children. Give Locally – Give Joyfully! Everything you need for a better world: • More Art
• More Food
• More Compassion
• More Health
• More Education
• More Housing
• More Equity
• More Peace
Each of the organizations listed in this catalog paid a fee to participate. If you run a nonprofit and you would like to be listed here, or if you would like to sponsor a nonprofit to be listed here, please contact Lourdes Nicholls (Lourdes@oakpark.com) or Marc Stopeck (Marc@oakpark.com). Animal Care League Animal Care League offers a safe haven for pets in need. Rooted in the community since 1973, Animal Care League takes a proactive approach to animal care and adoption as well as preventative measures to help reduce the number of homeless animals in our communities. With over 1000 pets coming to our doors each year, Animal Care League counts on supporters to ensure that we can provide what is needed from routine vaccinations to life saving surgery. Make a difference in the life of a homeless animal by visiting animalcareleague. org where you can sign up to volunteer, make a donation, view our adoptable pets, and learn about upcoming events.
Beyond Hunger When the pandemic hit, we revamped our service model to keep everybody safe. Instead of inviting people to shop inside our food pantry, we now prepack boxes with nearly 80 pounds of groceries and pop them into car trunks or shopping carts for participants. We’ve added more home delivery recipients knowing that elderly and disabled individuals are more at risk for COVID-19. The contents of each box is tailored to meet the needs of our community. Along with food, we include toilet paper, toothpaste, and reusable washable masks. With your support, we can make sure no one in our community goes hungry this winter. Even a little goes a long way: every $1 donated can feed a neighbor for an entire day. To donate, visit GoBeyondHunger.org or send checks payable to Beyond Hunger, 848 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301
BUILD Since 1969, BUILD has helped Chicago’s most vulnerable youth escape gangs and violence to become positive
leaders in their communities. These young people face enormous obstacles and trauma, and so we surround them with the counseling, mentoring, training, and opportunities they need to build a future and succeed. We engage youth at every stage, with specialized teams dedicated to street violence interventions, gang detachments, creative after-school programming, academic school and college support, mental health care, community violence crisis response, and enrichment activities ranging from art and music to sports, podcasting, engineering and gardening. Potential doesn’t discriminate, neither should opportunity. Join us in BUILDing a better future. Visit and donate at buildchicago.org/
Celebrating Seniors Coalition Since our inception a decade ago, the Celebrating Seniors Coalition has been passionate about dispelling outdated and inaccurate myths about what it is to be a senior in our society. At the same time, the Coalition has raised funds to help meet the basic needs of daily living for dozens of elders in our community. As we get to the “other side” of the pandemic and embark on our second decade, join us in Celebrating Seniors—those people 60 and over in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park. Learn how you can join honor and support these esteemed elders at our updated website: www.CelebratingSeniors.net.
Cluster Tutoring
Cluster Tutoring is a nonprofit, community-based organization that provides free one-to-one tutoring to students in grades K through 12 from Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Tutor-student pairs work together during the school year on reading, math, and other homework to prepare the student for a successful academic career. When Cluster started nearly 30 years ago, fewer than half of Chicago Public Schools graduated from high
school. Now, all of Cluster’s seniors not only graduate but are accepted at colleges and other post-graduation programs. Donations go toward materials that help students learn. To learn more or to donate, visit clustertutoring.org.
The Collaboration for Early Childhood
teaching, learning and preparing students for success in their chosen vocations. Beyond academics, Concordia offers NCAA Division III athletic teams, intramural sports, touring music ensembles and numerous student clubs and organizations focused on service, recreation, spiritual life and more. Currently, more than 6,400 students are enrolled. To learn more, please visit CUChicago.edu or CUChicago.edu/GiveNow to support our students.
The Day Nursery Support young children this giving season. For over 15 years, the Collaboration for Early Childhood has embraced the vision that all children should arrive at kindergarten safe, healthy, and ready to thrive. This year we sharpened our equity focus and responded to the needs of our community members affected by the health pandemic and national events of racist violence. We launched Ready, Set, Kindergarten! a virtual support system for 30 families whose children transitioned to kindergarten in the midst of COVID-19. We distributed 175 ‘Activity Kits’ to families of children with disabilities to enhance their at-home learning. We supplied 62 families in need with essential items, and the work continues. For more information, or to make a donation, please visit us at www.collab4kids. org or follow us on Facebook.
Concordia University Chicago Concordia University Chicago is a liberal arts, Christ-centered, Lutheran university where truth, freedom, and vocation form students for lives of influence and service for the common good. Founded in 1864, the University is located on 40 acres in River Forest, Illinois. Historically a college for teachers, it now offers more than 100 areas of study through traditional, blended or online classes. Students can earn a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees through one of four colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education and the College of Graduate Studies. Professors are passionate about
Since 1912, The Day Nursery has provided exceptional early childhood education in an environment that welcomes all children, enhances individual strengths, and fosters the academic, social-emotional, and physical development that leads to school readiness. You can help lay the foundation today for successful adults tomorrow. To learn more about us and to donate, visit www.thedaynursery.org Randolph St, Oak Park, IL 60302 The1139 Friends the Oak Park 708.383.8211of - Fax: 708.383.0692 Email: info@thedaynursery.org - www.thedaynursery.org Conservatory A United Way Community Partner/NAEYC Accredited
The Oak Park Conservatory began as a community effort to house exotic plants residents collected during their travels abroad. Completed in 1929, it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Free to the public with 50,000 visitors annually, the Conservatory offers a rich atmosphere throughout three indoor showrooms featuring more than 3,000 plants. The Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory offers programs focused on enriching the visitor experience at the Conservatory. Toddlers through adults can participate in year-round educational and recreational programs, volunteer opportunities and special events. To learn more or to join, visit fopcon.org.
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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Creating a Legacy of Giving
No other organization puts your money to work in our community like the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. For 60 years we’ve connected individuals’ and families’ philanthropic aspirations with local organizations and initiatives, enhancing donor investments and changing lives for the better. With the networks we’ve nurtured, we make your giving go further. We have the knowledge and expertise to turn your financial gift into a lasting legacy – starting today and for years to come.
To learn more about the Foundation and explore how we can help establish a charitable fund tailored to your unique interests, giving level and personal timeline, visit oprfcf.org or call 708.848.1560.
OA K PAR K-R I V ER F OR E ST
Community Foundation
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The Joyful Giving Catalog Growing Community Media Growing Community Media is dedicated to building community through independent, non-partisan local journalism. We believe that high quality community journalism preserves and strengthens the fabric of our democracy. Independent community journalism holds local governments to account. It connects neighbors. It is the credible source when social media goes haywire, and it allows a community to debate and celebrate. Through Austin Weekly News, Wednesday Journal, Forest Park Review and Riverside-Brookfield Landmark, Growing Community Media reports local news and tells compelling local stories across many platforms. Our mission calls us to build fact-based accountability and connection, conversation and civility, diversity and a sense of belonging. Join our mission by donating at growingcommunitymedia.org or contacting dhaley@wjinc.com
Hephzibah Children’s Association Hephzibah is making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and struggling families. Oak Park’s oldest social service agency, Hephzibah is the only program in Illinois designated to care for the most severe cases of abuse and neglect of young children ages 3-11. Hephzibah Home provides comprehensive, therapeutic care for traumatized young children. Our Family Based Program supports more than 100 foster care children and stabilizes 150 families in crisis. Our Day Care Program delivers quality, affordable day care and summer camp programming for elementary school children in Oak Park. Make a difference with us at hephzibahhome.org.
Historical Society Forest Park The Historical Society Forest Park was founded in 1975 for the purposes of “collecting and preserving the rich heritage of Forest Park.” The historical society offers tours of Haymarket Martyr’s Monument in Forest Home Cemetery every Saturday in the summer, collect oral histories of Forest Park Veterans of Military service, hosts several historical events a year and celebrates Forest Park. For more information about the Society, its events and programs, or to donate visit forestparkhistory.org or mail us: Historical Society of Forest Park, PO Box 311, Forest Park IL 60130
Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest We are the community’s story tellers and our new facility is an 1898 Oak Park Landmark at Lake and Lombard called Oak Park River Forest Museum, selected by Illinois Association of Museums as Small Museum of the Year. We invested $1 million in private funds to create a welcoming space in a former firehouse. Come and check out featured exhibit “Open House: The Legacy of Fair Housing,” before it closes in 2021. We are not supported by tax dollars and a gift of any amount funds our 2021 schedule of programs, our research center, and our knowledgeable staff. Learn more and donate at oprfmuseum.org or 708-848-6755
Housing Forward Housing Forward is passionately focused on one vision – ending homelessness. We believe in bold, comprehensive approaches to prevent homelessness whenever possible, respond to housing crises, and stabilize individuals and families through permanent housing. With offices in Maywood and Oak Park, we offer wraparound services including case management, housing, outreach, employment, and emergency assistance. Last year, we served over 2,000 adults and families across 20+ communities. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our emergency shelter and supportive services programs consolidated into a 24/7 Interim Housing model for clients on a path to permanent housing—including medical respite. This site joins Sojourner House and Ohana House in assisting individuals and families, plus two new housing programs focused on youth and veterans. To learn more, volunteer, or donate, visit housingforward.org, email giving@ housingforward.org or call 708.338.1724 ext. 262.
IWS Children’s Clinic Help us champion childhood health! The OPRF Infant Welfare Society and our Children’s Clinic have continuously been there for at-risk children and families since the start of the pandemic. We serve the dynamic whole health needs of children: sick visits, critical vaccines at well child check-ups, integrated behavioral health services, and preventive and restorative dental care, including for children with special needs.
Together, we are ensuring the health and well-being of children in our community, including Oak Park, Chicago’s West side, Berwyn, Cicero and beyond. IWS Children’s Clinic serves 3,400 children each year, and your generosity is key as our costs of providing care have increased substantially due to COVID-19. A gift of $50 pays for two essential vaccines. A gift of $150 provides specialized dental services. Champion Childhood Health – Give Today! www.oprfiws.org/donate or 708-4068661.
L’Arche Chicago L’Arche Chicago provides high quality care in community-integrated homes for adults with intellectual disabilities in the OPRF area. Our mission is lived through daily life shared in mutuality: afternoon walks to the park, doctor’s appointments, and dinner parties. Moreover, L’Arche is committed to life together in a way that welcomes difference. As our society seems increasingly fearful of difference, L’Arche offers a counter story: that the differences so often keeping people apart can become the substance of joyful and transformative relationships. Make a needed local impact through our people and mission at www.larchechicago. org/opendoors
Maywood Youth Mentoring Program Organized in 1993 as a 501c3, the Maywood Youth Mentoring Program has served hundreds of middle to high-school youth providing a variety of programs, workshops, field trips, and experiences designed to increase academic potential and instill cultural pride. Since 2008, the program has hosted free monthly youth breakfasts with topics ranging from anger management/and conflict resolution, etiquette, police/community interactions, sexual health, drug and alcohol avoidance, and academic excellence. Youths practice critical thinking skills to encourage positive life choices. Volunteer mentors interact with youth providing positive role models for college and career choices. Funds are needed to continuously provide free services and incentives for participation. To volunteer, or to donate, visit us at maywoodyouthmentoring.org, or contact Barbara Cole, founder/CEO at 708-344-3577.
New Moms
New Moms believes in the strength, skills, and potential of all families and communities to achieve audacious possibilities for their futures. At New Moms, young moms take powerful first steps towards economic mobility and family well-being. Our 2-Generation Approach puts families experiencing poverty in control of their goals and unleashes their potential. We partner with families to construct the foundations of well-being by strengthening core life skills, incorporating early childhood development supports, building pathways to and preparation for education and employment, and expanding positive social networks and access to community resources. Learn more and donate at newmoms.org.
The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association
The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association strengthens our community through learning, giving, and sharing our landmark building through space grants to local non-profits (80% of its usage is non-profit). During COVID-19 our building has been largely closed, but we have been connecting with our community with weekly Monday Enrichment Zoom programs. We are also providing community outreach to food pantries, shelters and first responders. We need your help keeping our ‘doors’ open. If you would like information about donating, please contact us at 708-386-2729 x 3 or epayton@nineteenthcentury.org. You can also make a donation at nineteenthcentury.org.
Oak Park Art League Celebrating its centennial in 2021, the Oak Park Art League (OPAL) is one of the longest, continually running non-profit arts organizations in Illinois. OPAL is a vibrant cultural center where the invitation and challenge to use art as a medium for personal and community growth is made available to people of all ages. Since 1921, OPAL has brought arts education, appreciation, exhibitions, and the spirit of artistic inquiry to the surrounding community. OPAL is committed to meaningful community outreach to the population that makes up our greater community through partnerships and on-site art and programming with local social service agencies through our “Family stARTs” program. For more information about membership,
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The Joyful Giving Catalog volunteering, or to make a donation, please contact Executive Director, Jill Kramer Goldstein at 708-386-9853 or director@ oakparkartleague.org. The Oak Park Art League is located at 720 Chicago Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302.
Oak Park Regional Housing Center For more than four decades, the Oak Park Regional Housing Center (OPRHC) has been an advocate for fair housing. Our mission is to achieve vibrant communities and promote intentional and stable residential integration throughout Oak Park. The OPRHC is the only non-profit in Oak Park and the Greater Westside Region that encourages pro-integrative housing options. Our work is at the heart of why Oak Park is such a wonderful, diverse, and vibrant community, welcoming to everyone. Support our work with a donation at oprhc. org/donate. To learn more about the OPRHC call 708.848.7150, inforequest@ liveinoakpark.com, 1041 South Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302.
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation is based on a powerful promise: to create an enduring institution where people can come together and pool their resources to meet our community’s most pressing needs — not just now, but forever. For sixty years, generations of thoughtful and caring donors and residents have empowered the Foundation’s work to safeguard and advance the community in which we live, raise our families and work. From helping donors with legacy gift planning, to managing donor advised funds, to strengthening local non-profits, we connect. Visit oprfcf.org or call Rhea Yap at 708-848-1560 to start a fund, discuss your charitable estate plans, or make a donation today.
Oak Park and River Forest High School Alumni Association Through its Bobbie Raymond Summer Enrichment grant program, the Oak Park and River Forest High School Alumni Association helps current OPRFHS students experience life-changing experiential learning opportunities that advance their interests and knowl-
edge in preparation for higher education and future career goals. All freshman through juniors are eligible to apply for awards, though students from under-resourced families receive greater consideration. For more than 20 years, students have traveled to destinations throughout the U.S. and the world, taking part in cultural exchanges, camps, and enrichment opportunities. The future outlook of these life-changing opportunities, and their accessibility for students most in need depends on your support today. Donate at https://tinyurl.com/oprfalumnidonate
OPRF High School Scholarship Foundation In May 2020, the Oak Park and River Forest High School Scholarship Foundation granted $140,000 in scholarships to 63 graduating seniors. Since 1924, the Scholarship Foundation has been an important and growing partner in the community, providing much-needed financial assistance to OPRFHS students as college tuition and expenses continue to increase. Please visit our website at www.scholarships4oprfhs.org. and make a gift to our General Fund to help increase the number and amount of scholarships we offer or to the College Knowledge Project (CKP) Scholars Fund that supports our CKP alumni, many of whom are first generation college students. We hope you will join us by investing in the future of OPRFHS students today and make a tax-deductible donation. Contact scholarshipsoprfhs@ gmail.com to learn more.
Oak Park Mutual Aid Oak Park Mutual Aid (OPMA) is a coalition of neighbors dedicated to directly caring for one another and those around us in greatest need. We provide direct community support including food, clothing and limited financial assistance. Our website and volunteer responders also share a collection of resources that can help support those living in Oak Park and the surrounding area during this difficult time. To date, we have raised more than $47,000 in donations and assisted hundreds of area residents. As the situation will remain difficult for the foreseeable future, we need your help through donations and volunteering! https://oakparkmutualaid.com/
One Earth Film Festival By taking care of each other, we take care of ourselves. That’s the lesson that the COVID19 pandemic and the growing social & environmental justice movements are teaching us. And that’s the Power of We! The One Earth Film Festival continues to grow and expand our circle of engagement. Save the date for our exciting 10th anniversary One Earth Film Fest, March 5-14, 2021. The Festival was born in Oak Park, and this year, we will be screening virtually to a national audience. Join us for quality films, engaging discussion, meaningful action opportunities and community-building. Memberships start at $25 ($15 for students / seniors). 0 For more information and to donate, visit oneearthfilmfest.org/give.
Opportunity Knocks Opportunity Knocks is dedicated to enriching life and community for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) as they live, work, learn, grow and connect within their community. We use a dynamic, person-centered and community-based approach to programming that serves to engage the voice of our participants, foster interdependent connections, encourage exploration, promote holistic wellness and healthy relationships. We are 95% privately funded so your support is more important than ever this year in keeping our mission moving forward. To join us in creating a more dynamic and inclusive community for all, visit opportunityknocksnow.org, 8020 Madison Street, River Forest, IL 60305.
The Parks Foundation of Oak Park The Parks Foundation of Oak Park promotes giving opportunities to support initiatives for the Park District. Our mission is to collaborate with residents, community groups and partner organizations to support exceptional projects that enhance and enrich our parks and community life. We believe a commitment to equity and diversity is what makes our community strong. Our fundraising efforts enhance scholarship funding to make it possible for all community members to participate in Park District pro-
grams. Last year over 200 scholarships were provided to enable individuals and families to participate in park district programs. To learn more, and make a donation, visit parksfoundationop.org
PING! Providing equitable access to instrumental music for students in grades 4 through 12 in Oak Park and River Forest public schools has been the mission of PING! (Providing Instruments for the Next Generation) for more than 20 years. PING! loans band and orchestra instruments to students in need, and provides music enrichment through workshops; mentoring; and scholarships for summer music camps, school music trips, and private instruction. In this challenging year of COVID, PING! is adapting these enrichment programs to fit the needs of our students learning at home. Community support for our PING! students this year is more important than ever. For more information, or to make a donation, please visit our new website at pingoprf.org. If you have an instrument to donate, send us an email at pingoprf@gmail. com.
Pro Bono Network We believe access to justice should not depend upon your ability to afford an attorney. There are simply not enough legal aid lawyers to help people in dire need of civil legal aid. These include issues of safety from an abuser, adequate housing, critical care documents, and more. Pro Bono Network has enabled 400+ attorneys to give more than 24,000 hours of free legal assistance to over 4,300 clients whose lives were meaningfully changed. To get involved or donate, visit pro-bononetwork.org. Your support will make an impact the lives of many!
River Forest Public Library Foundation
River Forest Public Library connects our community with information and entertainment, with each other and the world. RFPL Foundation works to enhance the Library today and for the future through fundraising and advocacy. The Foundation fully funded major updates in the Children’s Room in 2019. We
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For This Charitable Couple, Giving is a ‘Wonderful Way of Life’
W
hen the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect Oak Park-River Forest and surrounding communities, Joanne and Ted Despotes rallied around the Oak Park-River Forest (OPRF) Community Foundation’s call for donations to its Rapid Response and Recovery Fund. The couple say Foundation staff have earned their trust, which made their choice to support organizations helping front line workers and vulnerable families and individuals an easy one. “When I read who some of the recipients were I said, ‘Oh, it’ll be a lot easier for me to give [to OPRFCF] and let them figure out specifically who to give funds to. Because I trust them,” says Joanne. “Honestly, there’s so much need and the Rapid Response and Recovery Fund is where the money needs to be. I think it’s a great thing that the Foundation is doing.” In addition to their recent contributions, the Despotes have made unrestricted donations and included the Foundation in their estate planning. They value the Foundation’s knowledge about the needs of the communities it serves today – and with eyes toward the future.
have provided support for the Lobby/Circulation renovation, Summer and Adult Reading Programs, special programming, and the Anne Smedinghoff Memorial Garden.
“The Foundation is still going to be supporting the types of organizations we are already committed to, so it seemed like a good place to make a legacy gift,” Joanne says. “We know that we’re supporting a community we really love.” Active participants with several local non-profits – Ted and Joanne volunteer for the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association where they are members, Joanne co-chairs the annual Crop Walk, which raised it largest total during its firstever “virtual walk” in May, and both are closely involved with First United Church of Oak Park – they encourage potential donors to do some homework. “One piece of advice I have for anyone contributing to an organization, this one or others: Allow the gift to go into their general fund so they can make decisions about where it’s going to go when they need it to, versus telling them where it has to go,” says Ted. “It’s a way to spread your donation as far as you can.” As children of immigrants, both Joanne and Ted are grateful they’ve had opportunities to work hard and create savings. They consider their contributions
UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago
Help ensure a strong community and a bright future for River Forest Public Library with your gift. We gratefully accept cash, credit/debit, securities and bequests. Visit RFPLFoundation.org/donate.
St. Angela School St. Angela School has walked with the families of Chicago’s west side for one hundred years— walked with a deep commitment to enriching the lives, and the futures, of their children. We have a rich and varied history – and a future of great promise. We provide our children with a safe and loving environment and challenging academics; we help them explore paths that lead to meaningful and rewarding careers; and we teach them, above all, to believe in themselves. As we prepare for our next hundred years, we’re proud to reaffirm our commitment to love and serve all those who choose to be part of our community. Learn more about St. Angela School at saintangela.org or call us at (773) 6262655
Ted and Joanne Despotes a way to support both community and country. “Giving becomes a way of life when you do it,” says Joanne. “I think it’s a wonderful way of life.”
nine other surrounding communities. Join us for our Virtual Celebration Benefiting the Stars of WSSRA. Auction opens 9:00am November 30. View Auction Items or make a donation at https://one.bidpal.net/ wssrastars2020
Youth Outreach Services UCP Seguin believes that all people, regardless of ability, deserve to achieve their potential, advance their independence and act as full members of the community. So we stop at nothing to provide life skills training, assistive technology, meaningful employment and a place to call home for people with disabilities, as well as specialized foster care for children. Our goal: life without limits for people with disabilities. Make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. Donate online at ucpseguin. org or send gifts to UCP Seguin, 332 Harrison Street, Oak Park IL 60304
West Suburban Special Recreation Association West Suburban Special Recreation Association provides recreational programming for individuals with disabilities who reside in Oak Park, River Forest &
Youth Outreach Services supports youth ages 12 to 21 and their families, by providing free programs that offer skill development, therapeutic interventions, and mentorship to improve their safety and well-being. Through the past 60 years, YOS has offered outpatient, community-based behavioral health and substance abuse treatment, after school mentoring and outreach, family therapy, crisis intervention services, case management, foster care, transitional living and housing services, in-school prevention curricula, and juvenile justice programs. Help youth flourish by donating at www.yos. org/donate or text @YOSCARES to 52014. Or help empower youth to reach their goals, by calling 773-777-7112 to refer them for services.
The Joyful Giving Catalog
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The Joyful Giving Catalog
Running through December!
Community of
All in
Uplifting stories of people making a difference
The Joyful Giving Catalog Browse, read, share with your children. Give Loc
Everything you need for a b
F O R E S T PA R K
JOURNAL REVIEW W E D N E S D A Y
Longer lives Why life expectancy is shorter on the West Side
PAGE 6
Basketball life An engineer found purpose through basketball
PAGE 10
Life as it is
• More Art
•M
• More Compassion
• Mo
• More Education
• Mo
• More Equity
•M
Each of the organizations listed in this catalog paid a fee to participate. If you run a nonprofit and you would like to like to sponsor a nonprofit to be listed here, please contact Lourdes Nicholls (Lourdes@oakpark.com) or Marc
Sponsored by
Meeting each person where they are
PAGE 12
Animal Care League
Community of Caring Pull-out section December 2
SEASON of
Giving
Animal Care League offers a safe haven for pets in need. Rooted in the community since 1973, Animal Care League takes a proactive approach to animal care and adoption as well as preventative measures to help reduce the number of homeless animals in our communities. With over 1000 pets coming to our doors each year, Animal Care League counts on supporters to ensure that we can provide what is needed from routine vaccinations to life saving surgery. Make a difference in the life of a homeless animal by visiting animalcareleague. org where you can sign up to volunteer, make a donation, view our adoptable pets, and learn about upcoming events.
Beyond Hunger When the pandemic hit, we revamped our service model to keep everybody safe. Instead of inviting people to shop inside our food pantry, we now prepack boxes with nearly 80 pounds of groceries and pop them into car trunks or shopping carts for participants. We’ve added more home delivery recipients knowing that elderly and disabled individuals are more at risk for COVID-19. The contents of each box is tailored to meet the needs of our community. Along with food, we include toilet paper, toothpaste, and reusable washable masks. With your support, we can make sure no one in our community goes hungry this winter. Even a little goes a long way: every $1 donated can feed a neighbor for an entire day. To donate, visit GoBeyondHunger.org or send checks payable to Beyond Hunger, 848 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL 60301
BUILD Since 1969, BUILD has helped Chicago’s most vulnerable youth escape gangs and violence to become positive
leaders in their communities. These young people face enormous obstacles and trauma, and so we surround them with the counseling, mentoring, training, and opportunities they need to build a future and succeed. We engage youth at every stage, with specialized teams dedicated to street violence interventions, gang detachments, creative after-school programming, academic school and college support, mental health care, community violence crisis response, and enrichment activities ranging from art and music to sports, podcasting, engineering and gardening. Potential doesn’t discriminate, neither should opportunity. Join us in BUILDing a better future. Visit and donate at buildchicago.org/
Celebrating Seniors Coalition Since our inception a decade ago, the Celebrating Seniors Coalition has been passionate about dispelling outdated and inaccurate myths about what it is to be a senior in our society. At the same time, the Coalition has raised funds to help meet the basic needs of daily living for dozens of elders in our community. As we get to the “other side” of the pandemic and embark on our second decade, join us in Celebrating Seniors—those people 60 and over in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park. Learn how you can join honor and support these esteemed elders at our updated website: www.CelebratingSeniors.net.
Cluster Tutoring
Cluster Tutoring is a nonprofit, community-based organization that provides free one-to-one tutoring to students in grades K through 12 from Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Tutor-student pairs work together during the school year on reading, math, and other homework to prepare the student for a successful academic career. When Cluster started nearly 30 years ago, fewer than half of Chicago Public Schools graduated from high
school. Now, all of Cluster’s seniors not only graduate but are accepted at colleges and other post-graduation programs. Donations go toward materials that help students learn. To learn more or to donate, visit clustertutoring.org.
Concordia University Chicago Concordia University Chicago is a liberal arts, Christ-centered, Lutheran university where truth, freedom, and vocation form students for lives of influence and service for the common good. Founded in 1864, the University is located on 40 acres in River Forest, Illinois. Historically a college for teachers, it now offers more than 100 areas of study through traditional, blended or online classes. Students can earn a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees through one of four colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education and the College of Graduate Studies. Professors are passionate about teaching, learning and preparing students for success in their chosen vocations. Beyond academics, Concordia offers NCAA Division III athletic teams, intramural sports, touring music ensembles and numerous student clubs and organizations focused on service, recreation, spiritual life and more. Currently, more than 6,400 students are enrolled. To learn more, please visit CUChicago.edu or CUChicago.edu/GiveNow to support our students.
The Day Nursery
Since 1912, The Day Nursery has provided exceptional early childhood education in an environment that welcomes all children, enhances individual strengths, and fosters the academic, social-emotional, and physical development that leads to school readiness. You can help lay the foundation today for successful adults tomorrow. To learn more about us and to donate, visit www.thedaynursery.org 1139 Randolph St, Oak Park, IL 60302 708.383.8211 - Fax: 708.383.0692 Email: info@thedaynursery.org - www.thedaynursery.org A United Way Community Partner/NAEYC Accredited
Giving Tuesday pull-out section on Nov. 25
The Joyful Giving Catalog every week
Each of the organizations in the Joyful Giving catalog paid a fee to participate in this year’s Season of Giving. If you run a nonprofit and you would like to be listed here, or if you would like to sponsor a nonprofit to be listed here, please contact Lourdes Nicholls (Lourdes@oakpark.com) or Marc Stopeck (Marc@oakpark.com).
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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Why these local leaders joined the GCM board Independent, fact-based, local news is the fabric that holds our community together – we cannot take it for granted and we must support it. Judy Greffin Board chair
AN UPDATE Growing Community Media’s Challenge We’ve met our first level challenge
$11,500 from the national NewsMatch foundation
MATCHED BY OUR READERS That’s $23,000 for our independent community newsroom. And now, our Growing Community Media
board of directors has added its own $10,000 challenge
I’ve called lots of cities home and have always turned to local news publications to help me get to know a new community. I joined the GCM board so our neighbors will always have the news and information they need to live their lives and engage in the community. Sheila Solomon Now more than ever, I believe independent local journalism is essential to keeping us engaged in our democracy and connected to one another. Deb Abrahamson
For far too long my West Side community and neighbors have been wrongfully disadvantaged by a narrative told about us and our home without our side being told. News media outlets have a responsibility to reflect resident experiences in the most authentic way possible but how can this be achieved without a way to hear directly from them. GCM’s focus on empowering Austin and other westside residents to take control and ownership of our own narrative by reporting the news and history from our perspective can provide us with a medium and platform to be more justly represented. Darnell Shields
I believe Growing Community Media is an important asset to the communities we serve. Gary Collins
Help us reach the next level.
Every dollar you donate now will be doubled. *Make a monthly recurring donation and it will be matched 12x!
To donate,
visit www.oakpark.com/donate
Independent community journalism contributes to a vibrant democracy and a civil society, two things that are being threatened on a daily basis. Now more than ever, we need to ensure that GCM is able to produce trusted journalism rooted in facts, promote civic discourse and connect our diverse community. Eric Weinheimer
With all of the changes in the media environment we must all work to keep journalism alive and thriving to offer accountability and transparency. For me, Growing Community Media represents an experiment to make it succeed at a local level. I want to help ensure the success of this experiment for the communities that I love. Nile Wendorf
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ANNUAL STATEMENT OF AFFAIRS SUMMARY FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2020 Copies of the detailed Annual Statement of Affairs for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2020 will be available for public inspection in the school district/joint agreement administrative office by December 1, annually. Individuals wanting to review this Annual Statement of Affairs should contact: Oak Park Elementary School District 97 School District/Joint Agreement Name
260 Madison St., Oak Park, IL 60302 Address
708.524.3000 Telephone
8:00 - 4:30 Office Hours
Also by January 15, annually the detailed Annual Statement of Affairs for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2020, will be posted on the Illinois State Board of Education’s website@ www.isbe.net. SUMMARY: The following is the Annual Statement of Affairs Summary that is required to be published by the school district/joint agreement for the past fiscal year. Statement of Operations as of June 30, 2020 Operations & Maintenance
Educational 64,661,643
Debt Services
Local Sources
1000
Flow-Through Receipts/Revenues from One District to Another District
2000
0
0
State Sources
3000
13,624,144
Federal Sources
4000
Capital Projects
4,425,043
2,530,726
3,053,772
0
0
50,000
0
1,734,719
2,555,825
0
0
0
Total Direct Receipts/Revenues
80,841,612
7,925,811
4,425,043
Total Direct Disbursements/Expenditures
77,326,595
8,768,939
Other Sources/Uses of Funds
(8,550,921)
0
Beginning Fund Balances - July 1, 2019
13,407,599
3,853,719
Other Changes in Fund Balances Ending Fund Balances June 30, 2020
7,875,811
Municipal Retirement/ Social Security
Transportation
Working Cash
Fire Prevention & Safety
Tort
397,457
752,448
1,391,492
3,014
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4,265,445
3,053,772
397,457
752,448
1,391,492
3,014
7,468,776
3,162,281
2,577,973
21,622,781
715,091
0
2,502,980
(4,000,000)
0
37,996,940
0
0
0
5,863,709
5,484,071
5,770,385
2,290,973
3,954,635
3,506,143
116,816
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8,371,695
3,010,591
5,322,956
2,587,235
6,246,184
19,062,589
4,707,083
4,182,544
119,830
SALARY SCHEDULE OF GROSS PAYMENTS FOR CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL AND NON-CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL GROSS PAYMENT FOR CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL Salary Range: Less Than $25,000 Carter, Sheila Y; Collins, Darrin; Gallie, Amy; Kelleher, Dierdre; Lindgren, Joan; McCorry, Alexandra; Rodriguez Bazzi, Natalia; Scanlon, Joseph M; Thorn, Lauren Salary Range: $25,000 - $39,999 Bagri, Sonali; Campbell, Laura M; Conroy, Shannon; Holich, Jennifer; Kahn, Samuel M; Mirkovic, Kathryn M; Muren, Rachel; Nicks, Carmelita; Smith, Laura Salary Range: $40,000 - $59,999 Adelman, Jonathan B; Alheim, Mary E; Beck, John; Blackman, Francis; Brooks, Clare; Brown, Dana; Clark, Johanna; Colucci, Michael P; Connell, Hannah C; Corrigan, Betsy; Daniel, Matthew N; Deaton, Patrick; Gonzalez, Christina; Gonzalez, Erika M; Graber, Mary C; Gross, Denise; Hamilton, Catherine Anne; Hodges, Kenya; Joyce, Kelly A; Kiefer, Elizabeth; Lazzara, Jessica N; Mullins, Margaret; Pass, John; Planek, Anne M; Raad, Jason; Radogno, Nancy; Schirmer, Zoe B; Stenger, Julia; Villalobos, Cecilia; Wampler, Jeannie M; Wawzenek, David C Salary Range: 60,000 - $89,999 Ablan, Megan; Advani, Shilpa P; Aguilar, Savanah Winterkamp; Aguirre, Lidys Y; Alejos, Katy J; Andersen, Mark; Anderson, Amy; Anderson, Elisa B; Anderson, Julie; Anderson, Michelle; Apostol, Emmanuel; Armstrong, Rhapsody A; Arreola, Gloria; Asgharzadeh, Parisa; Bagri, Juliana; Baker, Amy; Baldassarre, Jennifer R; Banks, Renita; Barker, Ruth; Barnard, James; Bates, Bess A; Baylian, Jessica L; Beader, Kimberly; Belmont, Kathleen E; Berger, Colleen M; Berkeley, Rachel-Lee K; Berman, Abigayle B; Bigeck, Ryan R; Bland, Antoine M; Blecha, Joel; Borah, Cynthia; Boudreau, Hannah C; Boyle, Malachy J; Brazen, Donna J; Breit, Robert C; Bringley, Maria S; Brinson, Shehara; Brown, Kina L; Brown, Lauren S; Browning, Jennifer; Brummell, Lee; Bruno, Molly; Buccieri, Rachel E; Buckley, Jennifer A; Bultas, Christina A; Burries, Catina; Byrnes, Julie; Cahill, Mary M; Cairns, Katherine; Carr, Anna; Carrillo, Fernando; Casanovas, Joseph; Casselle, Rahwa; Chan, Willa L; Childress, Marvin; Chinn, Amy; Chinski, Nicole; Choi, Petra Kim; Chu, Elizabeth Kim; Clark, Natalie K; Coglianese, Steven; Colella, Jessica A; Colucci, John P; Conley, Laurie Ann; Contraveos, Aaron J; Contraveos, Agnese; Conway, Elizabeth A; Cooper, Deborah L; Corcoran, Ellen; Cordero, Alina E; Cortez, Xelina; Costanzo, Danielle N; Court, Adrienne Lynn; Cousin, Johanna; Cruz, Michael Christian; Dabney, Veronica; Dajani, Ruby; Daniels, Dion; Datz, Madison A; Davis, Andrew; Davis, Willie; Debruin, Jennifer Kendall; DeBruyne, Nicole; Decancq, Nicole M; Degman, Kiera; Degman, Sean T; Delia, Caroline; DeSanto, Jordan; Dinatale, Jacqueline; Dolan, Emilie C; Dolan, Michael James; Dombek, Jill; Donovan, Georgia; Downs, Matthew; Ebert, Quinn Nicole; Eggert, Laura; Egner, Katherine K; Eichstaedt, Douglas; Emmendorfer, Erica; Feierberg, Patricia; Fenske, Jessie; Ferguson, Kelly; Fishman, Samuel; Fleming, Kasey; Flynn, Nora Katherine; Fogg, Karen E; Foleno, Karen; Fourman, Grace; Fowlkes, Krystal M; Fox, Kaitlyn E; Frame, Carolyn; Freeman, Megan A; Friel, Juliette; Friesen, Judy; Gaffney, Pam A; Garcia, Felicia; Gates, Ryan; Gawne, Heidi C; Gearhart, Michelle; Gehrke, Jeffrey; Gibson, Shantorria; Golemes, Lindsay K; Goodman, Megan C; Gordon, Ryan T; Green, Jerome; Grogan, Jorie; Guarino, Nancy; Guerrier, Anne Marie; Hanna, Lisa; Haro, Sari; Harrington, Christiana; Harris, Faith M; Harris, Gina; Hart, Deanna; Harvey, Lawrence; Haus, Darren; Hauser, Carmen R; Hausfeld, Mark; Heide, Lindsay; Heide, Nora; Heidloff, Savannah L; Helm, Keisha M; Henrichs, Brianne M; Hill, Elizabeth Mae; Hill, Stacey; Howe, Erin; Hussey, Colleen M; Jacobo, Julia C; Jacobson, Erin E; Jacobson, Evan; Jamrosz, Christine M; Jaramillo, Aaron; Jaros, Jennifer A; Jarosch, Elizabeth A; Jenkins, Alicia; Jerkatis, Aaron; Jirka, Heidi Marie; Johnson, Sarah; Jones, Kimberly G; Kadlec, Christian R; Kanavos, Stacey; Karia, Anjali Asokan; Kaunelis, Lauren; Kearley-Pruitt, Carina; Kelly, Kathleen H; Kelly, Mary E; Kemper, Susan; Kessler, Lindsey R; Kibblesmith, Rachel E; Kiferbaum, Rachel S; Kinnaman, Anna P; Kiolbasa, Sarah E; Kleespies, Lauren; Klemp, Casey Lynn; Kline, James R; Knox, Catherine M; Kontos, Elena; Koransky, Tamara; Kosari, Hasti; Kruse, Beth M; Kula, McKenzie E; Lagioia, Vito A; Lahucik, Ann M; Lamb, Allison; Landfair, Gina R; Larmon, Stephanie; Leban, Todd; Lee, Miles C; Lee, William; Lenzo, Sheri C; L’heureux, Jean M; Logan, Ciarra; Logan, Jennifer; Lopez, Brent; Louthan, Sarah; Love, Angelica; Lukehart, Jason; Mack, Amanda; Maggio, Sabrina K; Maher, Jacqueline P; Manetta, Claire E; Manns, Yolanda; Manuel, Melissa; Mariani, Amy D;
Marinelarena, Liza; Martin, Alice; Masters, Molly J; McAndrew, Patrick; McCauley, John; McDonald, Timothy; McDowell, John W; McGill, Raven; McKinney, Carin C; McKinney, Mary B; McKinney, Wesley; Medema, Shannon E; Meglan, Laura; Meier, Samuel A; Meierhoff, Molly Anne; Meilinger, Rebecca J; Meisinger, Rebecca; Meredith, Catherine G; Merriweather, George T; Milburn, Jessica; Miller, Karolyn; Missman, Anna; Mohammad, Marta; Moody, Kiera C; Morgan, Catherine M; Moroney, Myles C; Morrell, Jason; Mucha, Katrina E; Mucha, Patrick J; Mulsoff, Beth; Munoz, Karla L; Mura, Susan M; Murawski, Nathan; Murphy, Megan; Naber, Scott; Naples, Molly Kathleen; Narvaez, Delfidio J; Nelson, Allison; Neubert, Rike; Nieto, Anna; Niewald, Elizabeth A; Nikolakakis, Caroline A; Ninan, Jincy; Nowaczyk, Steven R; Nylec, Kimberly N; O’Brien, John P; O’Keefe, Kathleen M; Olsen, Jennifer J; Olson, Lauren E; Olson, Steven; Omenazu, Aimee; Pabellon, Meaghan E; Park, Shirley; Parr, Noelle J; Pasquinelli, Roxane; Patino, Margaret; Pecora, Kathryn; Pelling, Lori E; Perez, Becky; Perkins, Steven D; Peronto, Aniela; Perros, Sarah; Peterson, Cathie E; Peterson, Jamie A; Pettenuzzo, Marissa Grace; Pines, Nicole L; Pletsch, John J; Plumley, Sada J; Podlasek, Eric; Polley, Martha B; Pros, Christopher R; Pryor, Ayhesha J; Pryor, Nicole L; Quintero, Keira; Rajashekar, Veena; Rapoport, Carolyn; Reeves, Laura A; Rehfield, Marianne E; Reising, Thomas; Rhoades, Jennifer S; Richards, Jennifer H; Ricker, George; Rigali, Megan B; Righeimer, Andrew; Robinet, Linda; Robinson, Sabrena J; Robinzine, Lauren M; Rodrigues, Nathon; Rodriguez, Tasia; Rogers, Marquita; Rojas, Lauren Kate; Rollo, Richard H; Romine, Corynne; Rosales, Kimberly; Roskos, Meagan K; Rote, Emily; Rudin, Lisa; Ruff, Michaela; Ryan, Alyssa R; Ryan, Sean; Ryan, Sideeka; Sakamoto, Molly; Sakellaris, Kara; Saliny, Lauren; Saliny, Shannon; Scahill, Rebecca Marie; Scanlon, Luke; Schmidt, Joshua; Schulte, Patrick E; Shannon, Ericka; Sheth, Jane Sabatino; Simatic, Charles M; Small, Stephanie D; Smith, Elizabeth Chambless; Smith, Elyse; Smith, Esther; Smith, Stephanie S; Snitker, Derek; Solomon, Jenna C; Sorensen, Michael; Spillane, Karri L; Stewart, Megan; Stigger, Nichelle; Stringham, Nefret H.; Suedbeck, Michele M; Suerth, Stephanie; Sundquist, Kristen E; Swistowicz, Phillip; Tabar, Aurore M; Tague, Emily; Tangorra, Michael; Tatro, Hannah; Tencate, Therese; Thomas, Stephanie G; Tisch, Caitlin; Torres, Rebecca; Touchette, Melanie; Trathen, Kathryn S; Tresselt, Susan; Trout, Lauren B; Tucker, Miranda; Tysse, Kate M; Utter, Rory K; Valle, Kelly M; Vega, Lauren K; Vella, Megan; Vietzen, Elizabeth; Villasin, Katherine; Vincenti, Lawrence; Voigts, Amanda; Von Bokern, Mandra; Walsh, Susan; Walsh, Timothy; Walsh-Kallay, Jean; Weber, Rachel; Weck, Madonna N; Wehman, Christine S; Weiss, Leslie E; Welchko, Christina R; Wetzel, Christine E; Whitley, Katherine B; Wieczorek, Carrie A; Wilkes, Jasmine; Williams, Anne Marie B; Williams, David; Williams, Emile; Williams, Jillian; Williams, Mohogany Q; Williams, Rasheedah; Williams, Sarah C; Wilson, Cynthia; Wilson, Megan; Winchell, Jamie L; Winchell, Ryan; Winfield, Porsche; Winkelhake, Hilary Ann; Withers, Richard; Witz, Jeanne; Wiza, Noah P; Woods, Emily J; Woodson, Erin P; Wrenn, Jennifer A; Yigzaw, Salome; Yocius, Mary E; Youman, Lisa M; Youngberg, Michael; Youngberg, Rachel D; Zaniolo, Laura A; Zaragoza, Silvia; Zarosl, Jennifer L Salary Range: $90,000 and over Andries, Paula; Arensdorff, Michael; Ashford, Kristine; Baker, Caroline; Baker, Seth; Balicki, Linda J; Bauman, Natalie; Beauprez, Lynne R; Bell-Bey, Kila; Berger, Kevin E; Bronner, Donna; Brown, Valerie A; Budde, Leslie; Buie, Avivah; Bulger, Mark J; Capuder, April; Carr, Chemaine L; Cassin, Norma; Chase Vivas, Elizabeth; Childress, Erica; Chrystall, Linda; Ciosek, Anne; Circo, Carla J; Cole, Faith; Collins, Monica; Colmenero, Maria Elvira; Darley, Anne E; Dean, Katherine; Dorka, Meghan J; Doyle, Carolyn; Druckmiller, Kerri L; Dunn, Julieann; Durham, Candace Kaye; Ellwanger, Jonathan; Featherstone, Jeffrey R; Fenske, Emily F; Ficca, Lynda H; Fitzgerald, Todd T; Germanier, Janette M; Gillespie, Michael; Glover-Rogers, Donna; Gonsur, Steve R; Grimaldi, Hilary K; Groben, Patricia L; Gulley, Canika; Gunnell, Sharon L; Hamm, Tracy J; Hancock, Joshua; Hayes, Kathryn M; Hayward, James M; Herrmann, Gina L; Hjalmarson, Melissa A; Hodge, John; Hoehne, Nancy R; Hoover, Stephanie; Hoskins, Monique; Hughes, Paula R; Ivey, Marion; Jacoby, Rocio R; Janu-Chossek, Lori; Jaskiewicz-Garcia, Margaret; Jefferson, Amy R; Johnson, Evette F; Kamm, Carrie; Kannan, Ashley A; Kanwischer, Thomas; Kelley, Carol Lynetta; King, Julianne; Klein, Stacie; Korelc, Sandra L; Kraft, Darren; Lacey, Beth; Lawrence, Tawanda; Lofton, Eboney L; Lyles, Sherita; Mabry, Amber Dawn; Maciak, Matthew; Madsen, Susan M; Manus, Paul; Martin, Angela B; Martinez, Blanca
Noemi; McComb-Williams, Chasity; McDaniels, Danielle; McGlynn, William J; McKeand, Lauren M; McNish, Susan; Mendez, Sarah D; Middleton, Donna; Missman, Jeffrey; Moore, Sarah D; Murray, Kristiana C; Nagano, Virginia; Nelson, Jennifer; Nelson, Mary; Nelson, Sondra; Nickels, Julie T; Noonan, Katie M; Otten, Deanna; Packer, Paul E; Pacyna, Jill; Parkinson, Betsy; Pascarella, Maria Elena G; Patterson, Elisabeth; Pearce, Sharon; Pearson, Lisa; Poleski, Margaret; Quickery, Katherine K; Raia, Jennifer; Robertson, Stacey; Robey, Seth; Robinson, Patrick C; Rocco, Thomas; Roman, Edgar; Rosenblum, Gabrielle; Rossi, Andrea; Ruiz-Haneberg, Maria; Sakellaris, Nicholas J; Santos, Bessie; Scaro, Leanne; Schrems, Sheila Vietzen; Seymour, Andrew; Sheahan, Mark J; Shinners, Brian K; Sigunick, Julie; Smith, Lindsay; Stack, Marie G; Stamp, Laura K; Starks, Felicia; Sullivan, Cheryl C; Swanson, Mary; Sweeney, Kathleen P; Thompson, Arnetta; Tokarz, Karen Maureen; Turek, John; Turi, Stella; Turner-Reid, Marsha; Vincent, Cristen; Vogt, Amy; Wangerow, Patricia A; Weber, Jeffry J; White, Veronica; Williams, Lisa; Wright, Janet Christine; Zander, James; Zelaya, Christine; Zillman, Lynne V GROSS PAYMENT FOR NON-CERTIFIED PERSONNEL Salary Range: Less Than $25,000 Alejos, Darren; Aviles, Dana; Bandara, Buddhini; Boone, Howard; Brewer, Gwashauna A; Calloway, Lawrence; Cooley, Tenea S; Daun, Gina; Dembski, Debra; Diop, Lynn; Duncan, Erin; Durham, Alexandra; Evans, Sanna Lee; Fein, Jasmine; Fields, Adriene; Fleischman, Nina; Ford, Thomas; Fountain, Erin; Frazier, Nicole; Freeman, Florine; Garcia, Rebecca; Gervais, Adrienne; Gornik, Nathan; Gray, Robert; Harper, Angela P; Hermann, Tara; Hernandez, Noreen; Hill, Carl; Howard, Sonya; Husbands, Nakia; Jackson, Stacey; Jadrych, Cassandra K; Jasculca, Chris; Kalble, Kathleen; Khaaliq, Naiel; Kopecky, Jill; Lemus, Emilio; Lige, Anita; Locke, Lakesha; Loud, Janice; Maciak, Matthew; Macino, Julie; Madison, Micha; McGrone, Alyssa; McGrone, Ashley; McKenna, Corinne; Melby, Ashley; Meza, Cristina; Minter, Shantana; Moore, Coretta; Moore, Michael; Moss, Charlee; Murphy, Kristine; Murray, Bernard; Nwoko, Mercy; Ortega-Bramlett, Brianna; Plaza, Hector; Plaza, Jose M; Posey, Jemise; Powell, Otis; Pride, Neelam; Prisching, Joshua; Puckett, Paris; Rodriguez, Erika; Ryniewicz, Jennifer; Sappington, Anise; Shea, Lisa R; Sikora Richardson, Nickoll; Snydacker, Cynthia; Sordilla, Linda; Sotelo, Magdalena; Stackhouse, Valencia; Starr, Violet; Sterrett, Emily; Stewart, Marcus; Texas, Diamond; Thompson, Thomas; Tsagaris, Maria; Turner, Carla A; Turner, Saronda; Valencia, Alicia; VanDerhei, Diane; Wallner, Jacqueline; Washington, Patricia; Webster, Carol; Weible, Raymond; Williamson, Kisha; Worcester, Benjamin; Word, Felicia; Yu, Sara Salary Range: $25,000 - $39,999 Aguirre, Victor; Alejos, Desi; Allen, Veronica D; Azuma, Suzanne; Bacalzo, Derek; Bailey, Desiree B; Banks, Tyra; Banks-Holmes, Angela R; Bannon, Eleanor; Barney, Kristen M; Barrientos, Randy; Bassett-Dilley, Mariannell E; Battles, Youvette; Bell, April; Berry, Korea; Bishop, Marc; Bodzewski, Deborah; Bowman, Larrissa; Brooker, Sarah; Brown, Kristina; Burns, Maria; Carmack, Brenda; Carter, Vashti; Cecil, Melissa; Chamblis, Jeanette; Clago, Jacob; Colbert, Minerva; Cooper, Maya R; Cribbs, Keisha N; Dennis, Laura; Doss-Kuk, Lauren K; Duda, Paul; Duhem, Meribeth M; Egeberg, Nenita; EraciSullivan, Mary Pat; Fantetti, Diane; Flemming, Ashley R; Friley, Jeanette; Galvan, Isaac; Garcia, Rodolfo; Gillard, Conar J; Green, Sherrie A; Harris, Yolanda; Hasso, Crystal; Heflin, Margaret J; Herlehy, Mary; Hernandez, Angel; Hernandez, Eduardo; Holmes, Joanne; Howard, Robert W; Husband, Kywanni; Johnson, Alayna M; Jones, Marie; Jordan, Jeanette; Keller, Edward; Kiska, Lindsey M; Krzak, Steven; Landfair, Julie L; Mandeville, William K; Marshall, Cory A; McDonald, Maureen; Miller, Venus; Mobley, Bronwyn L; Moczarney, Natalie; Myles, Shawntale; Newman, Taylor; Nichols, Yulonda; Plummer, Samara M; Pohlman, Lenora K; Primak, Sherri L; Rasmussen, Claire; Reckamp, Matthew; Rice, Luchina; Richardson, Jessica; Richardson, Keren Michelle; Roberson, Sonjee; Roskopf, Lee Ann C; Scott, Juanita; Skocen, Vera; Smith, Monica; Smith, Tywone; Spiller, Deion; Stanton, Barbara; Stebbing, Kottie; Thigpen, Tanya; Tillman, James E; Tran, Jason; Turner, Katelyn; Vercnocke, Kayleigh; Wakely, Anne; Walker, Lakeitha; Wells, Amriss; White, Angela R; Whitehead, Georgia; Wilberg, Matthew; Williams, Russell; Woods, Tamel Salary Range: $40,000 - $59,999 Aguirre, Arselia; Billups, Swanson L; Boose, Lonya; Burch, Brandon S; Butler, Earl; Champ, LaToya; Cooper, Linda;
Curington, Dwayne C; Deloera, Salvador; Dietz, Debra D; Duran, Daniel; Eubanks, Darryl A; Ferguson, Jessie; Ferguson, John; Guerino, Tasha; Hairston, Bruce J; Harlan, Anna; Hernandez, Bryan; Hernandez, Felix; Hernandez, Mateo; Howard, Bernard; Johannesson, Lucille; Johnson, Cathrecea; Johnson, Etta; Kane, Charles; Kasper, Anthony; Kaye, Nora; King, Janet; King, Marshall D; Kostoff, Christopher Warren; Krikau, Lori; Kvam, Karen; Lampley, Mable; Larocca, Daniel T; LeBreck, Rochelle; Liddell, Chante J; Lottie, Michelle N; Lowry, Joanne; Marcinowski, Karol S; Martinez, Eduardo; McGrew, Jamarius; McKay, Ellen; McKay, Samuel G; Murry, Samonica; O’Malley, Margaret M; Orlin, Randi M; Paolinelli, Gina; Perkins, Jamari; Plaza, David; Reardon, Keith; Reed, Tiphany N; Richardson, Lavondrya; Simon, Kathryn; Stewart, Curtis J; Taylor, Debra; Trotsky, Jack; Vercnocke, Susanne; Watkins, Tanesha R; Woods, Deanna Salary Range: $60,000 and over Battaglia, Elizabeth; Brackett, William; Calvin, Anne E; Chaidez, Clemente; Claire, Michael T; Crocilla Jr, James Joseph; Davis, John; Dipaolo, Frank C; Dortch, Gilbert; Dove, Marjory; Edwards, Tulicia L; Ellis, Carla Denise; Francis, Christopher; Hackett, James J; Hill, David L; Imberger, Kristin; Jackson, Echelon L; Johnson, Michael; Keane, Jeanne; King, Patrick D; Marinier, Sheryl; Murphy, Matthew; Obidi, Siania; Raub, Daniel; Reardon, John H; Reynolds, Tina; Schwab, Susan; Siegfried, Amanda; Taylor, Rodney; Tomczynski, Adam L; White, David G PAYMENTS OVER $2,500, EXCLUDING WAGES AND SALARIES A T & T 122,533; ACACIA ACADEMY-THE ACHIEVEMENT CNTRS.INC 4,211; ACCESS CREDIT UNION 370,686; ACCURATE OFFICE SUPPLY 13,260; ACORN GARAGE INC 7,390; ACTION FENCE CONTRACTORS, INC. 15,425; ADVANCED MEDICAL PERSONNEL SERVICE 37,950; ADVENTURE STAGE CHICAGO VITTUM THEATER 2,776; AFFILIATED CUSTOMER SERVICE, INC. 45,119; AH TECHNOLOGY, INC. 37,468; AIMSWEB BY PEARSON 3,500; AIR CLEANING SPECIALISTS 10,150; ALARM DETECTION SYSTEMS INC. 43,111; ALLAN J COLEMAN 7,107; ALMA ADVISORY GROUP, LLC 38,036; ALPHA CARD SYSTEMS 2,773; AMALGAMATED BANK OF CHICAGO 6,321,303; AMERICAN CUSTOM SILKSCREENING 4,050; AMERICAN OUTLETS, INC. 2,605; AMPLIFIED IT, LLC 8,640; AN EXECUTIVE DECISION 21,387; ANDERSON LOCK 4,135; ANDERSON PEST CONTROL 8,352; ANDREW GREELEY CENTER FOR CATHOLIC EDUC 3,200; APPLE COMPUTER INC 603,999; ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER RMS, INC. 20,547; ASSURED HEALTHCARE STAFFING 72,457; AURELIO CONSTRUCTION CO. 110,329; AUSTIN MUSIC CENTER 7,411; AXA EQUITABLE 20,000; AXA EQUITABLE EQUI-VEST 24,180; AXA EQUITABLE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY 1,647,354; B & F CONSTRUCTION CODE SERVICES, INC. 13,161; BAKER TILLY VIRCHOW KRAUSE, LLP 61,840; BARRINGTON GABRIEL 5,555; BATTERIES PLUS, LLC 10,965; BEC EQUIPMENT LLC 26,525; BEC SERVICE LLC 153,643; BELGRADE BEHAVIOR CONSULTING 3,200; BENNETT ANNETTE 2,850; BLICK ART MATERIALS 22,495; BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF IL 378,008; BMO MASTERCARD MC CORP CLIENTS PAYMENT C 452,952; BOARD OF EDUCATION DIST #97 22,361; BOB ROGERS TRAVEL 39,860; BOB’S DAIRY SERVICE 78,621; BOILER INSPECTION SERVICES CO 6,300; BOOTH MICHAEL 9,423; BRAINPOP, LLC 5,100; BRANCHING MINDS, INC. 30,944; BREEZIN THRU, INC. 6,018; BRIGHT ARROW TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 7,676; BRIGHT MORNING CONSULTING, INC. 7,564; BRITTEN SCHOOL 217,821; BULLEY & ANDREWS 19,741,239; BUONA BEEF 10,874; BUREAU OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH, I 3,987; BURGESS CAMERON 8,700; BUSINESSSOLVER.COM, INC. 7,533; CAMELOT THERAPUTIC SCHOOLS LLC 33,438; CANON BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, INC. 190,455; CANON FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. 65,124; CARD QUEST, INC. 4,204; CARNEGIE LEARNING INC. 5,529; CASTRO DIANA 2,900; CDW CORPORATION 248,411; CENGAGE LEARNING, INC. 8,855; CENTER FOR TEACHING QUALITY,INC 19,000; CENTURY RESOURCES 54,339; CERAMIC SUPPLY CHICAGO, INC 3,426; CHICAGO OFFICE TECHNOLOGY 17,918; CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATRE 2,958; CHILDRESS MARVIN 4,000; CHILD’S VOICE SCHOOL 47,708; CHMIELEWSKI AMY 7,316; CINTAS CORPORATION 31,450; CLAUSS BROTHERS, INC. 61,134; CLIC-ISDLAF PLUS 259,485; CLYDE PRINTING COMPANY 6,492; COLUMBIA PIPE & SUPPLY CO. 51,811; COMCAST
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OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
35
The judge’s wife rules in favor of suffrage Fifth, and last, in a series of profiles of local suffragists, celebrating the centennial of women’s suffrage in the United States.
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gardens. In 1894, she helped organize the first mass meeting of Republican women in Cicero Township. As soon as women had won the right to vote for trustees of the University of Illinois, Madame Ball urged her fellow members of the Nineteenth Century Club to register to vote. Her friend and fellow suffragist Dr. Anna Blount later recounted Madame Ball’s role in establishing the Suburban Civics and Equal Suffrage Club. “One hundred postcards of invitation to a civic meeting [at the Ball’s residence] were sent out,” recalled Dr. Blount. Although the invitation didn’t say “suffrage,” that quickly became the focus of the event. Sixty women attended and 30 joined. At the Nineteenth Century Club, she debated suffrage with her best friend, an anti-suffragist named Elvira Adams. “The recognition of suffrage for women was the exciting moment in each meeting,” recalled one member. “Mrs. Ball was always ready with her motion that the club go on record as favoring suffrage. Mrs. Adams would immediately rise and move that the motion be tabled. After which, they would go off arm-inarm, the best of friends.” But in 1906, the die was cast and the club voted to support suffrage. In 1916, as thousands of women marched in Chicago to demand a suffrage plank in the Republican Party platform, Elizabeth Ball was at the head of the parade, a guest of honor and pioneer suffragist. Sadly, she died in June 1920, just two months before the Suffrage Amendment became law. She is buried in Forest Home Cemetery, and was recently featured on the annual “Tales of the Tombstones” cemetery walk. Mary Ann Porucznik is a volunteer at the Oak Park River Forest Museum, where she researched this article.
MARY ANN PORUCZNIK
hen Grace Wilbur Trout moved to Oak Park in 1906 and began her campaign to win full suffrage for the women of Illinois, she found a legion of supporters already organized to help. By then, the suffrage movement in Oak Park had been making strides for more than a decade and organizations such as the Suburban Civics and Equal Suffrage Club, the Nineteenth Century Woman’s Club, and the Chicago Political Equity League had strong memberships in the community. We may not be able to point to a single individual who started the suffrage campaign in Oak Park, but Madame Elizabeth Ball certainly comes close. Instead of a life of leisure and luxury, she chose to involve herself with social causes and suffrage. For 37 years, she served as a director of the Chicago Home for Girls (originally the Erring Woman’s Refuge). She was a 40-year member of the Chicago Women’s Club, serving not only as president but also as a charter member of the suffrage committee. Elizabeth Hall was 6 years old at the time of the Seneca Falls Convention, when full suffrage for women was first proposed. She grew up in Wisconsin, where she met and married her husband, attorney Farlin Q. Ball. Oak Park was still a part of Cicero Township when they arrived in 1884, and she quickly became a force in the community. She was often called “Madame Ball,” a title that recognized her husband’s status as a Superior — later Appellate — Court judge. She regularly hosted suffrage meetings in her parlor and
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KATRAKIS & ASSOCIATES, BCBS 3,382,529; DIST 97 BENEFLEX 204,626; DIST 97 FIRST INC 6,500; JACOB & HEFNER ASSOCIATES 178,417; JAMF COMMONWEALTH 417,767; DIST 97 HMO 6,019,534; DIST SOFTWARE, LLC 36,713; JCFS CHICAGO 45,795; JOSEPH 97 LIFE INSURANCE GROSS UP LIABILI 9,903; DIST 97 ACADEMY MELROSE PARK 100,366; JUNIOR THEATER GUARDIAN CRITICAL CARE 3,214; DIST 97 UNUM LIFE GROUP 22,500; K12 INSIGHT LLC 10,448; KAGAN 20,440; DIST 97 UNUM LONG TERM DISABILITY 25,555; PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 11,160; KEDDESIGN, LLC. DIST 97 VSP VISION 18,173; DIST 97 VSP VISION BUY UP 3,400; KEYS2BROADWAY EDUC. THEATER CO., LLC 29,810; 21,326; DISTRICT 97 ECC 256,545; DOMINOS 7,949; DON KEYSTONE EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT SERVIC 30,592; JOHNSTON INC. 19,121; DONE DEAL PROMOTIONS LLC KINSALE CONTRACTING GROUP, INC 275,778; KQ 10,570; DONOVAN SCANE CLARE 27,750; DOST VALUATION COMMUNICATIONS 64,665; KRISTEN L. CLEGG 17,192; GROUP 6,600; DREAMBOX LEARNING 7,047; DUDE LAGRANGE CRANE SERVICE, INC. 2,871; LAKESHORE SOLUTIONS 14,603; E.T. PADDOCK ENTERPRISES, INC CURRICULUM MATERIALS 8,098; LAKEVIEW BUS LINE 6,770; EARTHWISE ENVIRONMENTAL, INC. 10,782; EASTER 3,192,560; LAUREATE DAY SCHOOL 75,843; LAYDEN SEALS 77,538; ED-RED 3,500; EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT MATTHEW 2,676; LEADING PARTNERSHIPS, LLC 8,100; COOPERATIVE 11,064,986; EDUCATIONAL BROADBAND LEAP INNOVATIONS 40,000; LEARN 8,777; LEARNER SERVICE AGENCY LLC 4,800; EDWARDS YMCA CAMP & CENTERED INITIATIVES, LTD. 16,539; LEARNING A-Z 10,569; CONF CTR 20,702; EI US, LLC 3,026; EISENHOWER LEARNING TECHNIQUES, LTD. 2,900; LEARNING WITHOUT COOPERATIVE 5,250; EMBASSY SUITES GALLERIA 16,226; TEARS 20,834; LINCOLN INVESTMENT PLANNING 533,818; ENOME, INC. 39,035; EQUITY TEAM, INC 9,978; FE MORAN, LINCOLN INVESTMENT PLANNING RETIREMENT S 7,800; INC. 206,721; FIDELITY INVESTMENTS 779,325; FIDELITY LIONHEART CRITICAL POWER SPECIALISTS 14,914; LISA INVESTMENTS 45,330; FIRST STUDENT, INC 73,691; WESTMAN CONSULTING, INC. 49,900; LOBBYGUARD FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF IB WORLD SCHO 6,475; 14,950; LOFTON KATHERINE 8,158; LOMBARDO SPENCER FOLDING PARTITION SERVICES 4,314; FOLLETT SCHOOL 4,322; LOWERY MCDONNELL 4,576; M2 COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS, INC. 12,621; FOLLETT SCHOOL SOLUTIONS, 10,025; MACKIN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 4,644; INC. 12,314; FOLLETT SCHOOL SOLUTIONS, INC. 7,837; MAKEMUSIC, INC. 4,080; MALKO COMMUNICATION FOXHIRE, LLC 54,378; FRANCZEK RADELET & ROSE SERVICES, LLC 4,923; MANN SCHOOL PTO 3,865; MARILYN ATTORNEYS AT LAW 309,627; FRANK COONEY CO. INC O. MARSHALL CHAPTER 13 TRUSTEE 4,800; MASON 505,626; FRANKLIN COVEY 14,940; FREDRIKSEN FIRE MELISSA 57,793; MAXIM STAFFING SOLUTIONS 94,450; MC EQUIPMENT 15,833; FRENDT RICK 5,225; FRONTLINE MASTER-CARR 8,683; MCDONALD TIM 3,574; MEAD ELIJAH TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, LLC 12,547; FUN AND FUNCTION 3,500; MECHANICAL CONCEPTS OF ILLINOIS, INC 597,076; 3,198; GALIC LILIANA 2,618; GARAVENTA USA, INC. 14,243; MECK PRINT 6,267; MEGHAN M. HARGRAVE, LLC 13,100; GEOCON PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, LLC 13,437; GIANT MENARDS 9,090; MENDOZA ASSOCIATES, LTD 5,800; STEPS 104,223; Glenn Stearns Chapter 13 Trustee 10,500; MENTA ACADEMY - OAK PARK 14,755; MENTA ACADEMY GLENOAKS THERAPUTIC DAY SCHOOL 22,232; GLOBAL HILLSIDE 162,794; METROPOLITAN PREPATORY SCHOOLS EQUIPMENT COMPANY 10,085; GOPHER 12,692; 74,976; MICHAELS UNIFORM COMPANY 8,572; MID GRAINGER 54,210; GREAT MINDS 5,983; GROWING AMERICAN ENERGY 805,914; MIDWAY CONTRACTING COMMUNITY MEDIA 6,363; GUIDING LIGHT ACADEMY GROUP, LLC 80,452; MIDWEST COMPUTER PRODUCTS, 18,520; GYMNASIUM MATTERS, LLC 3,800; HAPARA, INC. INC. 128,053; MIDWEST EVENT SOLUTIONS LLC 4,901; 8,687; HARDING CHERYL 30,033; HARTGE JACOB 2,970; MILAZZO MARY KATHERINE 15,051; MITCHELL SEROTA & HARVARD UNIVERSITY 9,975; HAVE DREAMS 3,000; ASSOCIATES 4,750; MOBYMAX 6,993; MORROW LISA HEALTHPRO HERITAGE 33,845; HEARTLAND BUSINESS 5,000; MURNANE PAPER CO 101,198; MUSIC & ARTS 3,116; SYSTEMS LLC 21,213; HEINEMANN 107,355; HELPING MUSIC ARTS CENTER 2,919; MUSIC IS ELEMENTARY 5,578; HAND CENTER 105,448; HEPHZIBAH 93,755; HERFF JONES, NAPERVILLE PSYCHIATRIC VENTURES 2,502; NASCO LLC 6,940; HOME DEPOT CREDIT SERVICES 35,202; 3,765; NATIONAL BOARD RESOURCE CENTER 59,910;
DAVE ARMSTRONG PHOTOGRAPHY
Lee Conte portrayed Elizabeth Ball during the Historical Society’s Tales of the Tombstones cemetery walk at Forest Home Cemetery in October.
NATIONAL EQUITY PROJECT 49,801; NATIONAL PRODUCTS & FACILITY SERVICES 9,200; NCPERS-IL IMRF 3,040; NEOFUNDS BY NEOPOST 12,000; NEOPOST USA, INC. 5,846; NEW HORIZON CENTER 215,833; NEWS-2-YOU 8,391; NOLAN FIRE PUMP SYSTEM TESTING 15,377; NOLAND SALES CORP. 71,892; NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY BURSAR 8,452; NORTH-WEST DRAPERY SERVICE INC. 171,060; NORTHWEST EVALUATION ASSOC. 56,550; NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 13,600; NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 5,100; OAK PARK & RIVER FOREST TOWNSHIP 23,802; OAK PARK EDUC SUPPORT PROF IEA/NEA 18,713; OAK PARK EDUCATION FOUNDATION 8,000; OAK PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT 97 14,784; OAK PARK TCHR ASSISTANTS ASSOC 43,886; OAK PARK TEACHERS ASSOCIATION 371,804; OFFICE DEPOT 14,561; OLSON IRINA 3,075; OLSSON ROOFING CO., INC. 21,002; OPRF HIGH SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE 430,462; OPSD 97 FEDERAL 5,478,358; OPSD 97 FICA 3,068,799; OPSD 97 HSA (FURTHER) 51,500; OPSD 97 IMRF 1,599,223; OPSD 97 STATE 2,454,687; OPSD 97 THIS 1,074,734; OPSD 97 TRS 4,821,185; OPSD 97 TRS FED 15,682; ORGANIZED SPORTSWEAR 6,115; ORMISTON MEGHAN dba TECH TEACHERS 72,600; PACIFIC NORTHWEST PUBLISHING 5,244; PARKLAND PREPARATORY ACADEMY 171,303; PASCARELLA MARIA 4,000; PAUL H. BROOKES PUBLISHING CO. 2,924; PAULA KLUTH CONSULTING 8,200; PEARSON 28,784; PEARSON EDUCATION 129,458; PEARSON EDUCATION C/O PEARSON, INC 275,019; PEPPLER MISTI 50,404; PERFORMANCE FACT, INC. 85,900; PERIPOLE, INC. 2,605; PERRY TY 7,750; PESI HEALTHCARE 3,060; PETRANEK MARY 5,000; PHILLIPS AIR COMPRESSOR, INC. 15,081; PIONEER VALLEY BOOKS 11,512; PITTSBURGH PAINT 2,540; POLLEY MARTHA 4,028; POSTMASTER OAK PARK 2,800; POWELL SUMMER 5,588; POWER MECHANICAL SERVICES, INC. 880,847; POWERS MAUREEN 13,799; POWERSCHOOL GROUP, LLC 121,438; PRC-SALTILLO 3,026; PRECISION CONTROL SYSTEMS INC. 25,887; QUADIENT LEASING USA, INC 11,519; QUILL CORP 29,899; QUINLAN AND FABISH 4,804; QUINTERO KEIRA 2,795; QUINTERO ORYANA S. 5,937; R&G CONSULTANTS 19,449; R.E. WALSH & ASSOCIATES, INC. 29,408; RACHEL LOFTIN, PHD,PC 4,200; REACH SPORTS MARKETING GROUP, INC. 4,795; READING WRITING PROJECT NETWORK 23,200; RED WING BUSINESS ADVANTAGE ACCOUNT 5,703; REESHEDA N. GRAHAM WASHINGTON 12,300; REEVES LAURA 3,120; REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION #47 63,384; REGIONAL TRUCK EQUIPMENT 4,283; RELIANCE STANDARD LIFE INSURANCE CO. 48,609; RESEARCH FOR BETTER TEACHING 12,355; RESONANT EDUCATION, LLC 3,600; RGW CONSULTING 2,600; RIVEREDGE HOSPITAL 5,350; RIVS.COM INC. 15,375; ROBBINS SCHWARTZ, NICHOLAS LIFTON & TA 283,305; ROYAL PIPE & SUPPLY COMPANY 74,160; RUSH DAY SCHOOL 313,377; RUSSO’S POWER EQUIPMENT, INC. 26,214; RYAN DECLAN 2,696; RYAN KATZ 5,850; S A S E D 183,497; S E I U LOCAL #73 31,231; SAFE AND CIVIL
SCHOOLS 7,739; SALVO MATT 4,380; SBIMHOFF CONSULTING, INC. 19,305; SCHINDLER ELEVATOR CORP. 12,144; SCHOLASTIC CLASSROOM AND COMMUNIT 8,415; SCHOOL HEALTH SUPPLY CO 11,776; SCHOOL SPECIALTY 12,685; SCHOOLMINT INC. 11,000; SCOPE SHOPPE 3,879; SEAL OF ILLINOIS 180,509; SECURITY BENEFIT LIFE INS CO 18,887; SECURLY, INC 11,000; SELF 126,310; SENTINEL TECHNOLOGIES, INC 7,300; SHERWIN-WILLIAMS COMPANY 9,209; SHI INTERNATIONAL CORP. 3,007; SHIFFLER 3,815; SIGN EXPRESS 5,103; SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA 7,460; SONIA SHANKMAN ORTHOGENIC SCHOOL 153,573; SOUTH SIDE CONTROL SUPPLY CO. 96,498; SPANISH HORIZONS, INC. 3,240; SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES 31,990; SPECIAL EDUCATION SYSTEMS, INC 66,245; STALKER SPORTS FLOORS 17,375; STANDARD EQUIPMENT COMPANY 6,798; STANTON MECHANICAL, INC. 33,130; STARVED ROCK STATE PARK 2,925; STATE DISBURSEMENT UNIT 64,802; STEPS TO LITERACY 21,091; STR PARTNERS, INC. 1,302,036; SUMMIT INFORMATION RESOURCES, INC 21,840; SUNBELT RENTALS 12,380; T. ROWE PRICE TRUST CO RETAIL RETIREMENT 91,311; TAYLOE GLASS COMPANY 3,520; TAYLOR PUBLISHING CO.DBA BALFOUR 3,755; TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM 10,276; TEACHING STRATEGIES, LLC 5,419; TEMPERATURE EQUIPMENT CORP. 5,212; THE BOOK TABLE 3,039; THE CENTER: RESOURCES FOR TEACH & LEARN 2,790; THE HEPH FOUNDATION 18,625; THE MATH LEARNING CENTER 14,606; THE PRINTING STORE 2,613; THE SENSORY PATH, INC 3,000; THEATRICAL LIGHTING CONNECTION 3,785; THERMOSYSTEMS, INC. 4,782; THOMSON REUTERS-WEST 3,356; THYSSENKRUPP ELEVATOR CORP. 52,276; TOBII DYNAVOX, LLC 11,940; TOM VAUGHN, STANDING TRUSTEE 4,410; TRANE 78,103; TSA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. 6,787; TURNER CARLA 2,514; TWIN SUPPLIES, LTD 3,000; ULINE 9,426; UNIQUE PRODUCTS 3,675; UNITED RADIO COMMUNICATIONS 22,195; UNITED STATES TREASURY 84,141; UNIVERSITY OF OREGON EDUCATIONAL & COMMU 5,175; UNUM LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA 30,232; US BANK CORPORATE TRUST SERVICES 348,191; US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 5,970; VALIC 219,654; VAN DUSARTZ SUSAN 2,883; VERIZON WIRELESS 13,039; VEX ROBOTICS 5,702; VILLAGE OF OAK PARK 202,826; VILLAGE OF OAK PARK 107,615; VSP OF ILLINOIS, NFP 46,236; WAREHOUSE DIRECT 260,684; WASTE MANAGEMENT 64,703; WEIDENHAMMER SYSTEMS CORP 27,285; WEST MUSIC COMPANY 3,957; WILLIAMSON KISHA 3,920; WILSON LANGUAGE TRAINING CORP. 72,753; WINFIELD PORSCHE 4,065; WINKELHAKE HILARY 4,000; WISCONSIN CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEA 10,500; WOLOWITZ SUSAN 5,000; WPS 2,634; Y.E.M.B.A., INC 33,509; YWCA EVANSTON/NORTH SHORE 3,150; ZEARN, INC. 20,000; ZIEGLER FORD OF NORTH RIVERSIDE 13,016
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
V I E W P O I N T S
O B I T U A R I E S
How OPRF is combatting local food insecurity
Anne Berry, 88
The majority of families in our community have not experienced any issues with getting food on the table, which has been a privilege we take for granted. Now, in the wake of unemployment and lack of income from months of quarantine, many families may be in a struggle they have never experienced before: food insecurity. For those unfamiliar, food insecurity means struggling to feed oneself and one’s family due to lack of income or other resources. OPRF High School is trying to help supply said resources through its now ex-
panded meal distribution program. Prior to COVID-19, OPRF offered free lunches to students from low-income families. This year, in reaction to the pandemic, a new policy has been put into place. Meal distribution is now available to any family that has children under 18 living at home. Parents can come, no questions asked, and receive meals from OPRF — seven complete breakfasts and seven complete lunches containing proteins, whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and milk, which come with instructions for storing and cooking meals.
Why Wednesday Journal?
You mirror the community. You report on what we’re all doing. You print the letters of concerned citizens. You support businesses, NFPs, churches and other institutions that define us. You encourage engagement. You’re in it for the membership, not the ownership. You and your columnists write thoughtfully and bravely. You sacrifice for us. You hold us together. Don Nekrosius Growing Community Media donor Oak Park
For any family affected by food insecurity, pickup is every Tuesday, from 6:30-8 a.m. at Door 3 (on Scoville Avenue). Pre-pandemic, food insecurity was still an issue in the community, and it is now more rampant than ever. Receiving breakfast and lunch for each week may not sound like a lot, but for our friends, family, neighbors, and the community it could have a profound impact.
Emery Brandhorst
River Forest OPRF High School junior
Why don’t we stick up for the little guys? Once again, village government has done something that contradicts the will of the general populace. Almost everyone I talk to dislikes high-rises in town, and wants to support small local businesses, but you would never know it from what our government does. I like shopping at Pete’s on Lake Street (or at least did before the pandemic) but couldn’t understand why village government wanted them to open a second store on Madison within blocks of Sugar Beet and Jewel. There is no need for a grocery store there and it may kill Sugar Beet and badly hurt Carnival, not far away. I wrote a letter to that ef-
fect last year. Now this week I was shocked to find out that the village is reimbursing them for the purchase of their land and paying some of their rent! Why? They can afford it and they aren’t really needed. I want my tax dollars going to the small businesses that do need help. It gives them a real fiscal advantage over little guys like Carnival and Sugar Beet. Our mayor was elected specifically because so many in town wanted someone to stick up for local businesses for a change, but that sure isn’t what has happened. Why?
Joyce Porter Oak Park
Visit us online at www.OakPark.com
Drechsler, Brown & Williams
Robert P. Gamboney
Since 1880 Family Owned & Operated
I am there for you in your time of need. All services handled with dignity and personalized care.
Charles Williams, Owner/Funeral Director
Cell: 708.420.5108 • Res: 708.848.5667
203 S. Marion St. Oak Park 60302 708/383-3191
I am affiliated with Peterson-Bassi Chapels at 6938 W. North Ave, as well as other chapels throughout Chicagoland.
Funeral Home
Teacher, patron of the arts
Anne Berry, 88, died on Nov. 14, 2020 due to heart failure and complications from dementia. Born on Oct. 28, 1932 in Chicago, she was a resident of Oak Park throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s, and recently moved back to Oak Park after a living in Indianapolis for 30 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). A lover or art, she had a long career as an art teacher, working with all ages and all mediums. In retirement she was a docent for the Indianapolis Museum of Art. A hard working, quick-witted, avid reader and lover of travel, she was a politically active individual, who was delighted to vote in the past presidential election. Active until the end, Anne was taking the el to see Hamilton and attend chamber concerts in downtown Chicago. Anne Berry married Bill Berry in 1964. She was the mother of Jason Berry and Diann Harris; grandmother to Drew Harris; sister of Donald Andersen; mother-inlaw to Andrea Berry; aunt to many nephews and nieces; and a friend to many. She was predeceased by her husband and her son. Anne’s family would like to acknowledge the wonderful care she received at Brookdale Senior Living in her final months. Due to COVID restrictions, no funeral services will be held at this time. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to American Bird Conservancy at www.abcbirds.org.
Funeral Director
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM New local ads this week
WEDNESDAY
CLASSIFIED
YOUR WEEKLY AD
REACHES SIX SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES: OAK PARK, RIVER FOREST, FOREST PARK, BROOKFIELD, RIVERSIDE, NORTH RIVERSIDE, AND PARTS OF CHICAGO
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/Classified/
BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking a Part-time School Social Worker (One Day a Week) Qualifications: a) Valid State of Illinois Professional Educator License b) Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) preferred Job Duties: The School Social Worker provides needs-based behavioral and social-emotional services to the students, parents, and faculty/staff of a school. The role includes, but is not limited to, individual and group counseling with students; direct and indirect consultation with students and teachers; assessment, behavior planning and intervention implementation and monitoring; and universal screening/prevention of behavioral & social-emotional concerns. The individual hired for this position will be required to develop ISP goals, monitor progress towards goals and participate in annual reviews and re-evaluations as needed. The School Social Worker hired for this position will work with D90’s team and provide services at one of the private and parochial schools located in River Forest. The social worker will collaborate with parents, faculty and administration at the private and parochial school to meet the needs of students. This individual fulfills the requirements of the role as stated in Rules and Regulations for Special Education. Apply online at district90.org ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER PART-TIME Part-time Electrician’s Helper. Must have own transportation. Call for more info. 708-738-3848 PART TIME DRIVER Local Co looking for Part time Driver. Must be able to lift 75lbs, Valid Drivers License. Hours 6 am til 12 pm. Email HR@sievertelectric.com PERSONAL ASSISTANTS TO SUPPORT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Progress Center is hosting five personal assistant orientations in November. Personal Assistants earn $13.48 an hour to support people with disabilities so that they may live independently in their own homes, instead of institutions. Duties may include dressing, bathing, cooking, toileting, and cleaning. The orientations will be over zoom on November 13 (9:30 a.m.), 17 (9:30 a.m.), 21 (10 a.m.), 24 (9:30 a.m.), and 30 (9:30 a.m.). For information, contact garnold@progresscil or 708-2091500. 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, flexible. Contact 773-521-9499.
SUBURBAN RENTALS 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. $1400 a month, $1400 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
SUBURBAN RENTALS
COMMERCIAL/ RETAIL SPACE
COMMERCIAL/ RETAIL SPACE
A RETAIL SPACE FOR RENT–
1635 Sq Ft. IN SHOPPING CENTER: 315–325 S. Harlem Ave., Forest Park, IL.
• Very Good Condition–Recent Updates: NEW: Ceiling/floor tiles, basebrds, HVAC Unit, bath lav & sink/faucet, drywall. White primed walls throughout. • Suitable for almost ANY business type. • Heavy traffic area; Across: Rush-Oak Park Hosp. No Agents, pls. CALL: Jim (708) 828-6491
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 www.OakPark.com RiverForest.com
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:
ITEMS FOR SALE BENCH PRESS WITH WEIGHTS York set includes (4) 3 lb weights; (9) 5 lb weights; (7) 10 lb weights; (2) 50 lb weights together with poles. $79.00 708-488-8755 SMALL CHEST Small plastic chest with six dustproof drawers. Pretty burnt orange color, like new. 33”h x 12”d x 15”w. 708-488-8755 SMALL METAL FILE CABINET 13”w x 30”h x 10”d. 6 skinny drawers. 708-488-8755
CEMETERY PLOTS TWO BURIAL PLOTS WOODLAWN (2) burial plots at Woodlawn Cemetery side by side. Located in Birchwood Section. $5000 for both 847-858-7726 Andytarnoff@comcast.net
ITEMS TO BE GIVEN AWAY FREE SPINET PIANO You arrange and pay for mover. 708-383-7993
WANTED TO BUY WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys. Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400
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.
You have jobs. We have readers! Find the best employees with Wednesday Classified! Call 708-613-3342.
ELECTRICAL Ceiling Fans Installed
A&A ELECTRIC
Let an American Veteran do your work
We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles We fix any electrical problem and do small jobs We install Surge Protectors • Home Re-wiring • New Plugs & Switches Added • New circuit breaker boxes • Code violations corrected Service upgrades,100-200 amp • Garage & A/C lines installed Fast Emergency Service | Residential • Commercial • Industrial Free Home Evaluations | Lic. • Bonded • Ins. • Low Rates • Free Est.
708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area
FIREWOOD
FIREWOOD UNLIMITED
Fast Delivery MIXED HARDWOODS CBH & MIX 100% OAK CHERRY OR HICKORY 100% BIRCH Seasoned 2 years Stacking Available
HANDYMAN HANDYMAN Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates
HAULING BASEMENT CLEANING
www. suregreen landscape.com
HEATING/ AIR CONDITIONING
Credit Cards Accepted
FLOORS KLIS FLOORING INC.
New hardwood flooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-finishing, staining. Low prices, insured. Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com
HEATING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT
HANDYMAN
Furnaces, Boilers and Space Heaters Refrigerators Ranges • Ovens Washer • Dryers Rodding Sewers
Mike’s Home Repair
Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience
Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do
CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE Drywall Repair • Painting Fans Installed • Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning • Window Repair
CLASSIC PAINTING Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/Plaster Repair Low Cost
708.749.0011
PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.
Small & big work. Free estimates. Complete Plaster, Stucco & Re-Coating Services
708/386-2951 • ANYTIME Work Guaranteed
Licensed, Bonded, Insured, & EPA Certified Expert craftsmanship for over 50 years
PUBLIC NOTICES
Ask for John
847-888-9999 Order online:
PAINTING & DECORATING
773-637-0692
Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery. 708-848-9404
708-296-2060
Lost & Found, Items for Sale, and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified. To place your ad, call 708-613-3342
ELECTRICAL
FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.
708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000
LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will receive Bids from experienced vendors for auto/truck transmission repairs during the calendar year 2021 pursuant to the Request for Bids. Sealed Bids will be accepted at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, December 4, 2020 for the following: Village of Oak Park 2021 Auto/Truck Transmission Repair Bid Number: 21-104 Specifications and bid forms may be obtained at http://www.oakpark.us/bid or at the Public Works Center at the address listed above. Due to COVID-19 separation protocols, the Oak Park Public Works Center is closed to the public. To hand deliver proposals, proposers may leave their proposals in the Public Works mailbox or call 708.358.5700 and a representative will accept the bid package at the door. There will not be a formal “bid opening” for the contract. Electronic signatures will be accepted on all documents. Information is also available from the contact person, Fleet Services Superintendent, Ken Crowley CAFM, CPFP, at 708-358-5700 or kcrowley@oak-park.us. The deadline for questions is 3:00 P.M. on Wednesday, November 25 2020. Any addenda for this bid will be issued by 3:00 P.M. Monday, November 30, 2020.
FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small
The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue proposal documents and specifications only to those vendors deemed qualified.
708-488-9411
Published in Wednesday Journal November 18, 2020
Attention! Homeimprovement pros!
Reach the people making decisions - your target demographic. Advertise in Wednesday Classified. Call 708/613-3342
38
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
(708) 613-3333 • FAX: (708) 467-9066 • E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM
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PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
LEGAL NOTICE The Village of Oak Park will receive Bids from experienced vendors for auto/truck body and collision repairs during the calendar year 2021 pursuant to the Request for Bids. Sealed Bids will be accepted at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, December 4, 2020 for the following: Village of Oak Park 2021 Auto/Truck Body and Collision Repair Bid Number: 21-103 Specifications and bid forms may be obtained at http://www.oakpark.us/bid or at the Public Works Center at the address listed above. Due to COVID-19 separation protocols, the Oak Park Public Works Center is closed to the public. To hand deliver proposals, proposers may leave their proposals in the Public Works mailbox or call 708.358.5700 and a representative will accept the bid package at the door. There will not be a formal “bid opening” for the contract. Electronic signatures will be accepted on all documents. Information is also available from the contact person, Fleet Services Superintendent, Ken Crowley CAFM, CPFP, at 708-358-5700 or kcrowley@oak-park.us. The deadline for questions is 3:00 P.M. on Wednesday, November 25 2020. Any addenda for this bid will be issued by 3:00 P.M. Monday, November 30, 2020. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue proposal documents and specifications only to those vendors deemed qualified. Published in Wednesday Journal November 18, 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: Y20005049 on October 27, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of HAMM FAM ELITE APPAREL with the business located at: 1020 WASHINGTON BLVD UNIT 1B, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ANTONIA HAMMOND, 7720 S YATES BLVD, CHICAGO, IL 60649, USA, FRANK HAMMOND, 1020 WASHINGTON BLVD #1B, OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA, ROBERT HAMMOND 4907 W PATTERSON AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60641, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal 11/4, 11/11, 11/18/2020
Sealed separate bids will be received by the Board of Education, Oak Park Elementary School District 97 (the “Board”) for the following project: OAK PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT 97 SD97 - SUMMER 2021 ADDITION & RENOVATIONS BEYE, LINCOLN, LONGFELLOW, WHITTIER OAK PARK, IL 60302 BID GROUP 1 – DEMOLITION, EXCAVATION, CONCRETE, MASONRY, STEEL, GENERAL TRADES, MILLWORK/ CASEWORK, ROOFING, METAL PANELS, DOORS FRAMES & HARDWARE, GLAZING, DRYWALL & ACT, FLOORING, PAINTING, SPECIALTIES, ELEVATOR, WHEELCHAIR LIFT, PLUMBING, HVAC, and ELECTRICAL Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m. CST on Friday, December 11, 2020 at the Oak Park Elementary School District 97 Administrative offices, 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302, and will be publicly opened and read at 2:30 p.m. CST on that date. Bids shall be submitted in an opaque sealed envelope clearly marked: Oak Park Elementary School District 97 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302 Attention: Bulley & Andrews Project: SD97 SUMMER 2021 ADDITION & RENOVATIONS
Scope of work for Bid Group 1 generally includes, but is not limited to: Demolition, excavation, concrete, masonry, steel, general trades, millwork/ casework, roofing, metal panels, doors frames & hardware, glazing, drywall & ACT, flooring, painting, specialties, elevator, wheelchair lift, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. All bids must be submitted in accordance with the bidding instructions contained in the Bidding Documents for the project. Bid security in the form of a bid bond in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the base bid amount shall be submitted with the bid. Should a bid bond be submitted, the bond shall be payable to the Board of Education, Oak Park Elementary School District 97, 260 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302. All documents and information required by the bidding instructions contained in the Bidding Documents for the project shall be submitted with the bid. Incomplete, late or non-conforming bids may not be accepted. No bids shall be withdrawn, cancelled or modified after the time for opening of bids without the Board’s consent for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled time of bid opening. The Bidding Documents for the project (which include the bidding instructions for the project and other related documents) will be available Wednesday November 25, 2020 and are available for viewing/ download online without cost or purchase on the Bulley & Andrews, LLC One Drive, located at the fol-
lowing link. No username or password is required. https://bulleyandrews-my. sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/amantel_bulley_com/ EnFU50U2lZJHvgH8M5EOgUsB37AO8_Gejp_4_ry47Ql0mQ?e=AyfkWu The Board reserves the right to reject any or all bids or parts thereof, or waive any irregularities or informalities, and to make an award that in the Board’s sole opinion is in the best interest of the District. The site will be available for visits by appointment to be coordinated with Bulley & Andrews, LLC. Interested parties may inspect the existing conditions. Schedule an appointment with Alex Mantel of Bulley & Andrews in advance if you wish to visit the sites. All bidders must comply with applicable Illinois Law requiring the payment of prevailing wages by all Contractors working on public works. If during the time period of work, the prevailing wage rates change, the contractor shall be responsible for additional costs without any change to the contract amount. All bidders must comply with the Illinois Statutory requirements regarding labor, including Equal Employment Opportunity Laws. For additional information on the project, contact Alex Mantel of Bulley & Andrews, LLC at amantel@ bulley.com or 219-678-8383. Dated: 11/5/20 Alex Mantel Bulley & Andrews, LLC
Published in Wednesday Journal November 11 & 18, 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: Y20005127 on November 9, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of FOODIE AND FABULOUS with the business located at: 728 N AUSTIN, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: SHERRIE GREEN 728 N AUSTIN OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA Published in Wednesday Journal 11/11, 11/18, 11/25/20
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: Y20005108 on November 5, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of LA CUCINA DI SCUDIERO with the business located at: 2113 W LAKE STREET, MELROSE PARK, IL 60160. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: ALEX A SCUDIERO 2113 W. LAKE STREET MELROSE PARK, IL 60160, USA Published in Forest Park Review 11/11, 11/18, 11/25/20
Selling your home by owner? Make it stand out! Advertise here. Call 708-613-3342 to place your ad.
LEGAL NOTICE SERRANO LEGAL SOLUTIONS, LLC Attorney for Petitioner P. O. Box 3581 Oak Park, IL 60303 Attorney for Petitioner STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division. In re the marriage of MARIA ESPARZA, Petitioner and BRADLEY HILLERVIK, Respondent, Case No. 2020D007886 The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending. Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before December 11, 2020, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition. DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk. Published in Wednesday Journal 11/11, 11/18, 11/25/2020
LEGAL NOTICE LAW OFFICE OF LINDA EPSTEIN Attorney for Petitioner 722 W. Diversey Parkway, Ste. 101B Chicago, iL 60614 STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division. In re the marriage of NELLY R. COLON, Petitioner and KAJ PER WILLIAM PERSSON, Respondent, Case No. 2020 D 006163 The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending. Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your Appearance and Response electronically to said Petition in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, on or before December 4, 2020, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition. DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk. Published in Wednesday Journal 11/4, 11/11, 11/18/2020
Buying? Selling? Renting? Hiring? Wednesday Classified 708-613-3333
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION DOCKET NUMBER: PC 20-05 HEARING DATE: December 3, 2020 TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits LOCATION OF HEARING: The Plan Commission will conduct the public hearing remotely with live audio available and optional video. The meeting will be streamed live and archived online for on-demand viewing at www.oak-park.us/ commissiontv as well as cablecast on VOP-TV, which is available to Comcast subscribers on channel 6 and ATT Uverse subscribers on channel 99. The remote public hearing is authorized 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 testimony or comments regarding the application may be provided prior to the public hearing by email to planning@oak-park. us. The individual’s name and a reasonable part of their testimony or comment will be read aloud into the record at the public hearing if received no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the public hearing. If email is not an option, written testimony or comment can be dropped off in the Oak Park Payment Drop Box across from the south entrance to Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, to be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 3, 2020. All written testimony and comments will be distributed to the Plan Commission and made a part of the official hearing record. Those wishing to provide public testimony at the hearing must contact the Village Planner at planning@oak-park.us for instructions on attending the hearing live via Zoom by 5:00 PM the day of the hearing. Interested persons may also participate in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by emailing a
completed cross-examination form to clerk@oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing to sign up. Individuals who sign up to participate in this manner will receive an email from Village staff with information about how to join the hearing online through Zoom web-conference means or by phone. Questions regarding written testimony, comment or cross examination may be directed by phone to 708-358.5420 or email to planning@oak-park.us. SUBJECT PROPERTY ADDRESSES: 261-267 Washington Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: THE WEST 35 FEET OF LOT 3 AND ALL OF LOT 4 IN BLOCK 8 IN CLOSE’S SUBDIVISION OF THE EAST 1/2 OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 WITH RESUBDIVISION IN THE VILLAGE OF RIDGELAND OF LOTS 16 TO 23 INCLUSIVE, IN BLOCK 45, LOTS 1 TO 11 INCLUSIVE IN BLOCK 48, LOTS 1 TO 13 INCLUSIVE AND THE SOUTH 25 FEET OF LOT 14 IN BLOCK 55 AND LOT 23 IN THE RESUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 58 IN THE WEST 1/2 OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 8, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT OF SAID CLOSE’S SUBDIVISION RECORDED MAY 19,1892 IN BOOK 52 OF PLATS, PAGE 37, AS DOCUMENT 1668566, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. P.I.N.s: 16-08-319-001-0000 PROPERTY OWNER: IL Prado LLC, c/o Dennis Marani, PO Box 1040, Oak Park, IL 60302 PETITIONER(S): 261 Washington LLC, c/o Ambrosia Homes Development, Inc. (Tim Pomaville), 5401 W Lawrence #30137, Chicago, IL 60630 REQUEST: The Plan Commission will conduct a public hearing on a planned development application for a five (5) story 28-unit multiple
family building in the R-7 MultiFamily Residential Zoning District. The Petitioner seeks the following allowances from the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance associated with the Planned Development application, found in Article 4 Table 4-1 Residential Districts Dimensional Standards: an increase in density from an allowed 11 dwelling units to 28 dwelling units; an increase in height from the allowed 45 feet to 56 feet measured at the flat roof line; and a reduction in the required rear yard setback of 25 feet to 18 feet; a reduction in the front yard setback from 15 feet to 0.5 feet; an increase in maximum impervious surface lot coverage from a required 80% to 82%; and found in Article 11.6 Required Parking Lot Landscape Abutting a Street: a reduction in the required landscaping along a parking area from 5 feet of landscaping to zero landscaping. A copy of the application and each of the applicable documents are on the Village Website at www.oak-park.us and also on file and available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, during current business hours, Monday through Thursday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Plan Commission may continue the hearing to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof. Anyone with questions about the application may contact the Village by phone at 708358.5420 or by email at planning@ oak-park.us.
ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO BE HEARD
OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302
Published in Wednesday Journal November 18, 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: Y20005148 on November 12, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of FREELAND & THATCHER with the business located at: 805 LAKE ST UNIT 429, OAK PARK, IL 60301. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: HAWANYA BLAKELY 479 N HARLEM AVE UNIT 501 OAK PARK, IL 60301, USA
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: Y20005178 on November 12, 2020 Under the Assumed Business Name of INCLINE REAL ESTATE ADVISORS with the business located at: 319 UVEDALE ROAD, RIVERSIDE, IL 60546. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: JEFFREY K. CERMAK, 319 UVEDALE ROAD, RIVERSIDE, IL, 60546, USA
Published in Wednesday Journal 11/18, 11/25, 12/2/2020
Published in RB Landmark 11/18, 11/25, 12/2/2020
Selling your condo by owner? Advertise here! Call Mary Ellen for details 708-613-3342:
Starting a New Business next Year? Call the experts before you place your legal ad! Publish your assumed name legal notice in • Wednesday Journal • Forest Park Review • Riverside/Brookfield Landmark • Austin Weekly News Call Mary Ellen for details: 708/613-3342
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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Wednesday Journal, November 18, 2020
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S P O N S O R E D
C O N T E N T
Carry out cuisine crafted to eat with your hands
MELISSA ELSMO Food Writer
According to history.com, folks in this country eat a whopping 300 million sandwiches every day. Anxious to do our part to contribute to that staggering statistic, we went in search of some of the best bites between bread Berwyn has to offer. Of course, we had to snag an iconic Chicago sandwich, but also discovered a two-hand worthy Po’Boy, a beautifully simplistic bohemian sandwich, and a tried and true diner classic. At a time when conscientious people everywhere are prioritizing carry-out fare it stands to reason the most portable of foods should have a moment in the
spotlight. So, keep calm and carry out the food you can carry in your hands! The humble sandwich has been around since the Earl of Sandwich requested a hand-held meal in 1762. Since then they have evolved considerably, but if you have a hankering for an old school sandwich Czech Plaza, 7016 Cermak Rd., has just the offering. Look for their roast pork sandwich to arrive
on freshly baked rye bread and garnished with pickles, onion, green pepper and tomato — this unfussy creation has retro vibes and all the hallmarks of an ideal sandwich. Big Guys Sausage Stand, 7021 Roosevelt Rd., knows how to build a proper grab-and-go sandwich. Whether you are looking for a patty melt, turkey club or big A** ham sandwich, this counter service joint has you covered. Their two-hands required grilled shrimp po’boy brings a taste of NOLA to The Veltway. The sandwich features a ½ pound of grilled shrimp and “Burlesque sauce” to give every bite a signature tang. If you are looking for a proper chicken Parm sandwich visit Paisans Pizza, 6226 Ogden Ave. Crispy breaded chicken breast is lightly doused in marinara sauce and nestled on a fluff y tomato focaccia round. Textural juxtaposition makes this classic combo a marvel, but it has just enough mozzarella cheese to hold all that goodness in place. Rachel’s Deli, 7001 Roosevelt Rd., is a relative newcomer to the Berwyn restaurant scene. The Italian joint boasts a colorful exterior and serves an array of gourmet sandwiches. The Italian sandwich brims with capicola, salami, mortadella and provolone cheese, while vegetarians will appreciate Rachel’s caprese sandwich. No matter what sandwich you order plan to have it passed through the door in lieu of entering the restaurant for maximum safety. There are multiple origin stories for Chicago’s Italian Beef sandwich, but Novi’s Beef, 6746 Ogden Ave., has been putting beef on bread since the early 1960s. Customers can opt to snag their classic sammys through a quaint drive-thru window making them perfect pandemic fare. And sometimes you just crave a classic diner sandwich. Thankfully, Connie’s Family
ORDER IT WET: The combo (left) and the original Novi’s beef with sweet peppers
Paisans chicken Parmesan sandwich is hand-held comfort food.
Melissa Elsmo
Melissa Elsmo
Restaurant, 3271 S. Harlem Ave., has all the standards covered. The triple decker turkey club comes with fries, coleslaw and a cup of soup to bring the taste of tradition to your next lunch. *All of these sandwiches were ordered for carry-out and plated at home.
The Italian Sandwich from Rachel’s Deli on Roosevelt Rd.
Melissa Elsmo
The grilled shrimp po’boy from Big Guys Sausage Stand.
CLASSIC DINER FARE: Turkey club, a cup of soup and fries from Connie’s Family Restaurant. Melissa Elsmo
Melissa Elsmo
Looking for retro vibes? Check out the roast pork sandwich from Czech Plaza.
Melissa Elsmo