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W E D N E S D A Y

November 17, 2021 Vol. 42, No. 16 ONE DOLLAR

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JOURNAL

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of Oak Park and River Forest

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Debate over extending public health chief’s authority

Ike rebuild?

Page 6

BIG SHOT

Emergency COVID powers lapse without board decision

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

After Oak Park Public Health Director Theresa Chapple-McGruder led an exhaustive five-day vaccine clinic for thousands of children across district schools, many parents were stunned to learn that village trustees initially let Chapple-McGruder’s emergency regulatory power expire Nov. 15 without plans to extend her authority. Now, they and other residents are showing support for Chapple-McGruder, demanding village board members renew her regulatory power as the pandemic continues.

Presley (First Grade) receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, Nov. 11, during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Longfellow Elementary School in Oak Park. See story on page 19.

See PUBLIC HEALTH on page 15

SARA JANZ/Contributor

In southwest Oak Park, worry after recent shootings Neighbors meet with police, document incidents in their neighborhood

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Last week’s shootout between two moving vehicles that continued as they drove

from Maple Avenue onto Lexington Street was the last straw for residents who live in that southwest Oak Park corridor, many of whom heard several gunshots. Fed up with the increased crime right outside their

doorsteps, neighbors are banding together in a coordinated campaign to demand something be done to increase safety.

“The incident with the shootings on Lexington is just the catalyst for our initiative,”

said Michael Pajonk, who lives in the 1000 block of Wenonah Avenue.

The shootout was not an isolated incident of crime for the area. Neighbors involved in See SHOOTING on page 11

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Biden’s ‘win,’ crackpot realism, and limits of ‘savvy style’ reporting

‘P

resident Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law on Monday afternoon, a bipartisan victory that will pour billions into the nation’s roads, ports and power lines.”

That was the first sentence of a Nov. 15 New York Times article on Biden’s infrastructure bill and a great illustration of why neither elite journalism nor elite politics will save us in our current moment of overlapping existential crises — from authoritarianism to climate change.

As with the rest of the article and virtually all of the elite press attention given the political machinations that made the bill signing possible, that opening sentence is in the mold of what media critic Jay Rosen calls “the savvy style in political journalism.”

Last year, Rosen wrote a perceptive essay for PressThink on why “the savvy style” was so inept at confronting the existential dangers of a Trump presidency.

Media savvy, Rosen writes (quoting a description he’d formulated nine years prior) isn’t about being “honest or correct on the facts,” it’s not about being “just, good, fair, decent, strictly lawful, civilized, sincere, thoughtful or humane.”

Savviness, rather, is “that quality of being shrewd, practical, hyper-informed, perceptive, ironic, ‘with it,’ and unsentimental in all things political. And what is the truest mark of savviness? Winning, of course! Or knowing who the winners are.

“Prohibited from joining in political struggles, dedicated to observing what is, regardless of whether it ought to be, the savvy believe that these disciplines afford them a special view of the arena, cured of excess sentiment, useless passion, ideological certitude and other defects of vision that players in the system routinely exhibit. The savvy don’t say: I have a better argument than you. They say: I am closer to reality than you.”

Savvy-style journalism, Rosen points out, may have worked in a two-party political system in which both parties operate based on shared principles, such as that political power in American democracy should only be secured through free and fair elections.

Savvy-style journalism, however, is not sufficient in a system in which, say, one party is determined to win at whatever cost — free and fair elections be damned. This is what the political analysts Thomas E. Mann and Norman Ornstein call an asymmetric advantage.

Right now, the Republican Party, the rough American equivalent of Russia’s 20th-century Bolsheviks, have benefitted from asymmetric polarization since they were radicalized under former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the 1990s. By this point, as Mann and Ornstein (and a host of others) have demonstrated, the party has stopped even pretending to care about governing.

To make “bipartisanship” a constitutive element of so-called “objectivity” in journalism when one half of the country’s governing apparatus outright rejects government is malfeasant.

Again, take the New York Times article as an example. The bill is framed as a “win” for a sitting president and a “win” for “bipartisanship.”

The Times reporter, Jim Tankersley, describes the bill as a “bipartisan victory” simply because members of both parties signed onto it and because of its monumental price tag.

The Republicans know this is how the bill’s passage will be reported and are demonstrating their own savviness by giving the legislation just enough support by putting a few of their cult members in front of the cameras when Biden signs it and attending the ribboncuttings for the infrastructure projects the bill will make possible, largely despite their symbolic and theatrical opposition.

This is precisely how Republicans played the rollout of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (which spent about $50 billion on transportation infrastructure). Most Republicans fought against it, but nonetheless showed up smiling at the ribbon-cutting ceremonies (as Obama rightly pointed out during his famous appearance at the GOP’s House Republican retreat in 2010). Obama’s C-SPAN’ed criticism notwithstanding, the GOP knows the “savvy,” Politicoand ESPN-like political press is feckless at holding them accountable for their mendacity.

The other reason the “savvy style” fails in our current moment is because its emphasis on merely describing how the winners won and being hip to this political cynicism very quickly slips into aiding and abetting when confronted with political players who believe that the truth is whatever they make it.

Take, for instance, Karl Rove, who prefigured the fascism of Donald Trump and the current Republican Party by a few decades.

“We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality,” Rove told reporter Ron Suskind in 2004. “And while you’re studying that reality — judiciously, as you will — we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out.”

And that’s how things have, in fact, sorted out since then, with a lot of help from the media. Because while elite journalists are describing whatever reality those in power make, they’re ignoring the reality of most people in the country, which is partly how we ended up with Trump in the first place.

It’s one thing to describe how decisions are made, which elite media does pretty well. It’s another thing to describe, preferably before they’re made, how those decisions will affect the lives of most Americans, which the “savvy style” rarely does.

“The victory comes at a precarious political moment for Mr. Biden,” Tankersley writes,

MICHAEL ROMAIN

saying nothing of the precariousness of the people in this country who are most materially precarious.

The president’s “poll numbers have dropped amid rising inflation, which has sent prices for food, gas and household items soaring” and Biden is “struggling to complete the next part of his domestic policy agenda,” which are tax cuts and spending programs focused on issues that don’t really get much detailed attention from the Times.

Again, note that the “struggling” subject, in a sentence that mentions inflated food and gas prices, is the most powerful person in the world not named Zuckerberg or Xi. Consistent with this “savvy style” reportage, Tankersley’s article almost considers it a given that the money will actually be spent in the ways that political elites describe, even though the reality most of us inhabit here in our merely middle-class existence tells us that’s rarely the case.

Watch Open Door Repertory’s interview with Michael Romain at opendoortheater.net/backstory-project For a more sobering assessment of Biden’s infrastructure bill, I leaned on the coverage at StreetsBlog USA, an online publication that makes its advocacy for human-oriented movement (i.e., walking, bikes, public transit, etc.) very clear.

According to a 2015 article in StreetsBlog, the majority of federal infrastructure spending is funneled through “state departments of transportation, and those agencies have an absolutely terrible track record when it comes to making smart long-term decisions. As long as state DOTs retain unfettered control of the money, potholed roads and decrepit bridges will remain the norm.”

This kind of news coverage puts Biden’s bill in the context of how American urban planning has actually operated since World War II. Reading the Times, you’d think the bill simply sprang from Joe’s head, fully formed.

Philip Harrington, then the acting commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Superhighways, wrote in 1939 that the “direct benefit to motorists” of his proposed system of local superhighways would be “more time savings, more direct routes and accident reduction.”

He said neighborhoods would also benefit.

A decade later, construction started on the Eisenhower Expressway. We know how things have turned out since then. They’ve gone just as William Barclay Parson, New York City’s subway system chief, predicted back in 1900, when he lamented about the city’s rapid transit problem.

“The instant this [railway] line is finished there will arise a demand for other lines,” he said. And that’s also been sort of an iron law of roadway construction. More roadway spending begets more roadways which beget more demand which beget more spending.

Meanwhile, our collective quality of life has consistently deteriorated since the proliferation of post-WWII city planning models, centered as they have been on cars and the concept of infinite economic growth over people.

“We now regard the promotion of robust health of body and mind as necessary public duties, in order that the individual may be benefitted, and that the community at large may possess a higher average degree of good citizenship. And after all has been said, good citizenship is the prime object of good city planning,” wrote Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett in their famous 1909 Plan of Chicago.

Can you imagine a zoning officer or city planner talking like this today? Of course not and that’s partly because post-WWII urban planning — particularly the emphasis on single-use zoning and highway construction — has been centered on “the twin acts of classifying and counting,” techniques that were “successful in building munitions and allocating troops,” Duany, Plater-Zyberk and Speck write in Suburban Nation.

The most salient way to gauge Biden’s infrastructure bill is by how it affects most people and our quality of life, not the legacies or electoral prospects of political insiders; how far it goes toward mitigating climate change; and to what extent it returns us to the principles expressed by Burnham and Bennett, which was basically the conventional wisdom among planners before the Second World War. This kind of analysis isn’t Beltway savvy, it’s just solid wisdom that’s lacking in most mainstream political reporting. Rosen calls this kind of framing “the citizen’s agenda model” of journalism, which he believes is an antidote to the “savvy style” model of elite national journalism.

The more I reflect on this bill within a “citizen’s agenda” framework, the more middling the major “bipartisan victory” described by the Times becomes, and the more the politics that produced the bill and the national journalism that covered its creation look to be productions of what sociologist C. Wright Mills in 1958 called “crackpot realism.”

That’s the frame of mind of the professional managerial class that brought us a slew of other post-WWII “bipartisan victories,” at least so-described by the mainstream press before reality, actual reality, not the kind abstracted from the head of arrogant politicians, settled in like old age on a gangster.

The Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War, the War on Drugs, the War on Crime, the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, the 1986 Tax Reform Act, the 1956 Interstate Highway Act, you name it. These were all “wins” in their time, before unintended consequences required new “bipartisan victories,” which the mainstream media is always eager to entertain.

“For they still believe that ‘winning’ means something,” Mills wrote of these crackpot realists, “although they never tell us what.”

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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BIG WEEK Month 17-24

BackStory Project

Green Tuesdays in the Village

View anytime with Open Door Repertory Last of the of BackStory Project series features an interview with Growing Community Media’s Michael Romain, equity editor and editor of the Austin Weekly News and Maywood’s Village Free MICHAEL ROMAIN Press. His weekly column in Wednesday Journal has grown a growing following. The interview will be available Tuesday, Nov. 16 online at https:// www.opendoortheater.net/backstory-project.

Tuesday, Nov. 23, hosted virtually by Oak Park Public Library An annual public education series on environmentally sustainable topics and issues relevant to the village of Oak Park and surroundings. This year’s theme is “Trajectory.”“Oak Park: State of the Environment” will be presented by Michael Iverson, architect, planner, urban ecologist and educator. Register at oakpark. librarycalendar.com/events/virtual-green-Tuesdaysvillage-state-environment-2021.

Friday@Hemingway’s

“Paradise Square” Thursday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., Nederlander Theatre, Chicago The Oak Park Regional Housing Center is hosting a special performance of the Broadway-bound musical, Paradise Square, a galvanizing story of racial harmony undone by a country at war with itself, at the historic James M. Nederlander Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show begins at 7:30. 24 W. Randolph, Chicago. To purchase tickets and more information, please visit https://oprhc.org/paradise-square. A Community Conversation will be held, free of charge, on Saturday, Nov. 20, 1 to 3 p.m., Nineteenth Century Club, 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park.

Virtual Holiday Housewalk

“Antigone” at OPRF

Oak Park-River Forest Infant Welfare Society Tickets are now on sale. Virtually tour six Oak Park and River Forest homes, festively decorated for the holidays. On-demand access begins Dec. 10. Grand Raffle: enter to win $10,000. Winner announced Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. All ticket packages provide full access to all virtual home tours from Dec. 10 – Jan. 10. The new IWS Children’s Clinic is scheduled to open in spring 2022 in Oak Park.

Little Theatre, Nov. 19 and 20, at 7 p.m.

The OPRF Theatre Department stages its first classical Greek play since 2008.

Live performance before a socially-distanced audience. The production features a diverse cast and a timely theme about individual conscience vs. the state. Tickets are $6, students/ seniors; $8, adults. TicketLeap.com/ Antigone or at the box office. OPRF High School, 200 N. Scoville, Oak Park.

Sarah’s Inn Holiday Gift Project Sarah’s Inn is collecting donated new toys or gift cards for clients and their children. Shop local or online. Gifts need to be delivered

by Dec. 3. For more information or to schedule delivery, email mariami@sarahsinn.org.

“The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story” Through Nov. 21, Wednesday through Friday, 8 p.m.

Saturdays, 1 p.m. Sunday, 3 and 8 p.m.

Pleasant Home Last call for Oak Park Festival Theatre’s Jeff Recommended theater experience in Pleasant Home, moving from room to room as Poe “grapples with love and madness” five years after the loss of his great love, his wife, Virginia, who haunts his memories and his home. $44; $35, seniors; $25, students. 217 Home Ave., Oak Park.

Nov. 19, Ethan Philion Trio, Jazz The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park (EHFOP) hosts events on the third Friday of each month (Sept.-Dec.) with an emphasis on the arts including literature (poetry, prose, reading), performance (music, dance, theatre) and the visual (drawing, painting, photography). Refreshments served. Open to the public with admission, preferred pricing to patron members, free to foundation society members. Hemingway Birthplace Museum (proof of vaccination is required, all COVID-19 guidelines and mandates followed). Next up: Dec. 10: Jeanette Andrews, Illusionist (note second Friday of December). 339 N. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park.

For more, visit hemingwaybirthplace.com.

Mary Magdalene Monday, Nov. 22 at 1:15 p.m., Nineteenth Century Club The Monday Enrichment Series presents: “Mary Magdalene.” Travel back to the dusty roads of Jerusalem as she describes the days now known as Holy Week to the Christian religion. Megan Wells, award-winning playwright actress and master storyteller, brings to vivid life a woman of strength, heart, and deep purpose. Presented in the third-floor ballroom.

Proof of vaccination and masks required. Seating socially distanced.

For more, https://www.nineteenthcentury.org/our-public-programs.

Programs are free for members. A $15 donation at the door is requested for non-members. A three-course lunch is served at noon before the program (doors open at 11:30 a.m.); $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers. Make an on-line lunch reservation no later than the Thursday before a program, online or call 708-386-2729.

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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OPRF club leads drive to stock Community Fridges Two in Oak Park, one in Maywood need support

Here’s how to donate With the help of several community partners and leaders, Clark’s Suburban Unity Alliance has opened three community fridges in Oak Park and Maywood.

The two in Oak Park are located right outside Carnival Grocery, 824 S. Oak Park Ave., and Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church, 405 S. Euclid. Ave. The community fridge in Maywood is in front of the Hampton House, 804 S. 17th Ave. For those interested in monetary donations, head online and visit paypal.me/opunityfridges, and for a complete list of donation guidelines, visit www.opfridge.com.

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

One club at Oak Park and River Forest High School has set out to help feed individuals and families in need during the holiday season. Led by OPRF’s multicultural leadership club, students have launched a holiday food drive that will benefit a community fridge and pantry located just outside of Carnival Grocery, 824 S. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park.

The drive officially kicked off Nov. 3 and runs until Dec. 14 and is open to all OPRF faculty, staff and students. On the list of sought after donations are pantry essentials, including canned and boxed goods, as well as table sauces. Because the dry items are being stored at the school’s student activities center before the drop-off, perishable, refrigerated or frozen food will not be taken, said Kiko Achurra and Anthony Clark, a pair of OPRF teachers who have teamed up to launch the effort.

Achurra, who co-leads the multicultural club with fellow teacher, Lee Williams, said the monthlong holiday food drive is the club’s first and hopes it will become a tradition.

Achurra said the drive also embodies the club’s mission to serve and partnering with Clark seemed perfect. Outside of school, Clark is an activist and founder of the nonprofit, Suburban Unity Alliance, which has played a role in establishing a handful of community fridges in Oak Park and nearby suburban Maywood.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

STOCKING UP: Anthony Clark talks about the importance of the Community Fridge during the opening in the parking lot of Carnival Grocery on Oak Park Avenue.

For Achurra and Clark, the drive is about spreading awareness on food insecurity and a message on the true meaning of community. For over a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has not only exacerbated hardships for families locally but pushed people into isolation, and this food drive is an example of staff and students “being together and being here,” Achurra said.

While the club-sponsored food drive is only open to the

OPRF community, Clark said there are still plenty of ways local residents can pitch in. They can s drop off donations to the community fridges in Oak Park and Maywood, which provide people access to food and personal items 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can also raise money to buy items or sign up to clean or manage the fridge, Clark said.

A complete list of donation guidelines, including food and toiletries, can be found at www.opfridge.com.

“Everyone has a strength,” Clark said. “Everyone has an ability to make a difference.”

“The point is to get involved,” he said. “Sitting back when you know issues exist essentially means you’re complicit.

If you truly want to address issues, get involved in whatever capacity you can, because even a reshare, even a post just telling people about the fridge truly makes a difference.”

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Long delayed, Ike rebuild pushed with new federal funds

Local political leaders urge Ike plan as Biden signs infrastructure bill

By ANDY VIANO Forest Park Review Editor

Better than Home for the Holidays!

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With the stroke of his pen Nov. 15, President Joe Biden may have breathed life into a dormant plan to remake the Eisenhower Expressway, a plan its proponents argue would help clear stifling traffic backups, create better and safer access to public transportation, and bring new economic opportunities to communities along the highway corridor that consist heavily of minority and lowincome residents.

State and local leaders calling themselves the Rebuild 290 Coalition, including Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (7th district), Senate President Don Harmon (39th) and Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman, shared their optimism at a press conference Nov. 8 in Chicago, despite no public guarantees that any construction was imminent.

But the fact that the press conference came before the signing of the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill and before the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced any firm plans to move the project forward is a sign of just how serious officials are about getting the rebuild off the ground and how confident they are that the state will redirect some of those federal funds to Interstate 290, one local mayor said.

Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, who was invited to attend the event, called the signing of the infrastructure bill a major development for an ambitious plan that has languished since IDOT’s most recent proposal was published in 2017.

“I don’t think they would have come to a public press conference to talk about their expectations if they didn’t think there was a real possibility of those expectations being realized,” Hoskins said in an interview last week, before the bill was signed. “I walked away really optimistic from that press conference.”

The press conference came in the wake of a study released by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) that touted the wide-ranging benefits of a reconstructed Eisenhower, including needed repairs on an outdated roadway, renovations to stations along the CTA Blue Line, improved pedestrian safety on highway crossings, and a major economic boon to the area’s residents.

“Unlike many other highway projects, this project offers benefits to all modes of transportation, modernizing the corridor to serve the future transportation needs of both nearby residents and commuters,” the study reads.

For its part, IDOT would not speculate on what impact the infusion of federal dollars could have. A spokeswoman confirmed that the approximately $3 billion project proposed in 2017 was not part of IDOT’s Proposed Highway Improvement Program for fiscal years 2022-2027 but did not respond when asked whether an influx of cash from the feds could alter those plans.

IDOT does have two smaller projects — a $46 million effort to improve highway drainage and construct a new pump station near the Des Plaines River, and a $60 million plan to rebuild seven of 39 “overhead structures” — included in its 2022-2027 slate.

“IDOT under Gov. [J.B.] Pritzker is overseeing historic investments in the state’s infrastructure across all modes of transportation,” Maria Castaneda, IDOT’s public information officer, wrote in an email. “Under the governor’s leadership, IDOT looks forward to working with our federal partners and local stakeholders as a nationwide infrastructure package is now a reality and [as] additional federal guidance becomes available.”

Construction of the Eisenhower Expressway was completed in the late 1950s and, according to the ILEPI study, up to 90% of the “underlying pavement and subbase” remains from its original construction. In addition, of the 44 bridges that cross the highway, 34% are “structurally deficient” and 86% are “functionally obsolete.”

An IDOT website, eisenhowerexpressway. com, lists reports and studies on the highway dating back as far as 2010, and concerns about traffic jams related to the so-called Hillside Strangler — the area where interstates 88, 290 and 294 converge — date back well beyond that.

IDOT’s 2017 proposal, as detailed in its assessment report, centered around a full reconstruction of I-290 from Mannheim Road to Austin Boulevard that would include rebuilding dozens of ramps and bridges along the way (and eliminating the awkward leftlane exits at Austin and Harlem Avenue). It would also overhaul several stations along the CTA Blue Line, including the Forest Park terminal, and create wider sidewalks, add bike lanes, improve accessibility and create “safety islands” for pedestrians on some busy streets.

That 2017 IDOT proposal was the basis of

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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Oak Parkers will have Ike input Village president to push for wider bridges

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

COURTESY DAVID MOEHRING

Eisenhower Expressway, looking west from Oak Park Avenue. the ILEPI analysis that served as the backbone of the Nov. wrote in the ILEPI study, specifically citing the stations at Austin and Harlem Avenue. “They require transit riders to 8 press conference.

The ILEPI study concluded, in part, that in addition to use narrow sidewalks along busy roads and dangerous pethe benefits listed above, the IDOT project would “dramati- destrian crosswalks across I-290 exit and entrance ramps. cally enhance access to jobs for Chicago’s most disadvan- The use of many of these facilities [is] difficult, if not impossible, for a person in a wheelchair.” taged communities.”

The other key feature of IDOT’s project, and something A separate study by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), referenced by ILEPI in its report, that would make the highway unique in the state of Illiestimated that the number of jobs available within 45 min- nois, is what engineers call a “managed lane” reserved for express bus service, vehicles with at least utes of each household along the Eisenhower three passengers, and made available as a toll Expressway corridor would increase by more lane for those willing to pay. Envisioned as the than 17,000 under the proposed project. CMAP inside, or left, lane, between 25th and Austin, projected that 31% of the residents traveling the HOT3+ (high-occupancy travel for three to jobs via I-290 would be from so-called Ecoor more people) lane would function as a sonomically Disconnected Areas (EDAs) and escalled carpool lane and decrease travel times timated that 1,300 of the jobs created would be in those lanes by up to 56%, CMAP estimated. high wage positions that do not require a colCurrently, the highway shrinks to three lege degree. lanes between Mannheim Road and Austin, The ILEPI report defines EDAs as “areas something that contributes significantly to with a concentration of low-income residents traffic delays and, the ILEPI study says, an and either minority residents or residents increase in fatal crashes, particularly in spots with limited proficiency in English.” where the highway fluctuates between three Mary Tyler, ILEPI’s transportation director MARY TYLER and four lanes. The IDOT proposal creates an and the report’s author, said that by simply cutILEPI’s transportation director Title eight-lane highway throughout the 13-mile ting down on congestion, the radius of where a stretch slated for renovation, and a HOT3+ resident along the I-290 corridor could look for lane would be the first of its kind in Illinois, a job increases significantly.

Tyler said.

“If you improve travel times, you are giving Meanwhile, despite the enthusiasm at the Nov. 8 press people the opportunity to travel to more opportunities because they are not being stuck in traffic,” Tyler said in an conference and the benefits trumpeted by researchers, interview. “That’s one of the main components, opening up the project still has no concrete future. The exact dollar more access in a similar amount of time. Everyone has a amounts headed to Illinois for highway improvements and the method in which money from the federal government slightly different definition, but everyone’s got a limit of will be allocated is still an open question, at least as of Nov. where they can go [for work].”

Job access could also be impacted by the multimodal de- 15, but local leaders whose constituents would stand to bensign of the proposal, which ties together highway travel efit believe they have found the funds to move forward.

“Maybe the exact plan that the Rebuild 290 Coalition is and public transportation. The overall project would increase access to and, Tyler said, protect the safety of com- advocating is not part of what IDOT already had on the tamuters looking to use the CTA Blue Line, much of which ble, but what IDOT had on the table I don’t think ever really runs parallel to I-290. reflected the huge infrastructure bill that we expect Presi“The existing CTA Blue Line stations adjacent to I-290 dent Biden to sign,” said Forest Park’s Hoskins.

“It’s kind of a game-changer.” have significant limitations for pedestrian access,” Tyler

“If you improve travel times, you are giving people the opportunity to travel to more opportunities.”

With the reconstruction of the Eisenhower Expressway in line to potentially move forward, but without the state’s Department of Transportation having allocated money from the new federal infrastructure bill yet, Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman told Wednesday Journal she was more than ready to have the highway in better condition but has no power in the planning process.

“I desperately want to see this happen,” she said. “I am advocate for this, but I am not a player in the plans.”

Scaman said she would be leaning on Don Harmon, Illinois Senate President (39th) and an Oak Parker, to inform the village of a possible timeframe for funding allocation. The amount of engineering work that will be carried out, she believes, will rely very heavily on how much money the project is given. The engineering blueprints have been in the works for about a decade, according to Scaman.

“We have many different renditions of what a plan could look like,” she said.

She does intend to push for substantially wider bridges in Oak Park when those discussions come around, believing it a matter of both safety and equity.

“I feel that they’re necessary for safety for bike-ability, walkability and for transportation,” she said. “And also, I believe it to be an equity issue in connecting the south end of Oak Park to our other business districts.”

Showing attention to the section of Oak Park south of the Eisenhower Expressway, she called, “long overdue.”

As there have not been any conversations regarding this project at the current board table, Scaman could not say whether she believes the village trustees would agree in her assessment.

Discussions will begin to happen in earnest in Oak Park once construction plans come forward, according to Scaman. Those discussions will include a process for which Oak Park residents can provide their own input. As to when people can expect those discussions to begin, Scaman could only provide “hugely a rough estimate” of 2023.

Those afraid that the small village will get even smaller due to this particular highway renovation project should not worry at this point, as the village president stated she is not aware of any expansion of the ditches in the plans.

“No need to take additional land away from the village of Oak Park to make repairs has been outlined to me,” she said.

As for the rather unconventional center exits to Oak Park, those are unlikely to be repositioned, according to Scaman. However, there are no finalized plans to confirm that definitively.

“I can’t say never, but as far as I am aware, that’s not in the plan.”

Stacey Sheridan

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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Chamber board elects ‘youngest, gayest, Blackest’ president Darien Marion-Burton will take charge in January

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park native and local business owner Darien MarionBurton has been elected as the new board president of the Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce, making him the self-described “youngest, Blackest, gayest” person to ever assume the position. The 28-year-old, whose term begins in January, is succeeding Dr. Mary Ann Bender, who championed the business community during the height of the pandemic.

“Mary Ann has done so many great things for our organization, and really positioned us in a place where we’re a voice of authority,” said Marion-Burton. “My goal is to capitalize on that.”

Though his age puts him well below that of the typical chamber member, Marion-Burton is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to leadership experience and zeal. Since becoming a member in 2018, he has been active in a variety of chamber events, including co-captaining the volunteers of Bite Night in 2020. He has also worked on the planning committee for the chamber’s Golf Outing event, hosted the chamLIZ HOLT ber’s podcast and acted as Chamber executive director membership ambassador.

For the past year, he has served as a director on the chamber board.

Liz Holt, chamber executive director, gave Marion-Burton her stamp of approval. Holt told Wednesday Journal she and Marion-Burton have been working together since he opened his own marketing firm D.M. Burton in 2018, which has allowed Holt to watch his success grow.

“I know Darien is just what we need as we move into 2022 – strong leadership with a keen sense of community, and a good balance of business acumen and vision for a strong future,” Holt said.

Bender is similarly pleased that Marion-Burton will

“Darien is just what we need as we move into 2022 – strong leadership with a keen sense of community, and a good balance of business acumen and vision for a strong future.”

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

NEW LEADER: Darien Marion Burton is the new president of the Chamber of Commerce board. take over the presidential post. The two have been working together as Bender transitions out of the role and MarionBurton into it.

“As a small business owner, he can relate to what our businesses go through every day – not only the struggles but also the daily success stories,” Bender said.

Marion-Burton was also quick to share his appreciation of Bender, under whose leadership the chamber’s advocacy efforts increased exponentially. Bender was only two months into her term when COVID-19 hit, necessitating her to take on the unenviable task of working to keep the reeling business community afloat.

“She led us with such integrity and grace through that,” said Marion-Burton.

Come January, Marion-Burton intends to not only continue Bender’s work but expand upon it. He plans to address poor employee retention, which many businesses are experiencing throughout the country, by establishing some sort of workforce

development program or employee sharing system. MarionBurton also intends to double down on the chamber’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, starting with the creation of a new chamber affinity group for people of color.

“One of my big things is I want to institute a BIPOC businessowners group,” he said. “We have a lot of affinity groups, but that one just hasn’t existed.”

This particular affinity group is needed as non-white people face unique challenges when starting businesses that white people generally do not, said Marion-Burton. He believes COVID-19 served to highlight those challenges, which include not having access to capital.

As president, Marion-Burton hopes to grow the chamber’s young professional membership-base. While he has always felt welcomed by the chamber, he understands that others may not feel as comfortable getting involved.

“I think our chamber itself is so special and I just want everybody to experience that.”

A mural designed to heal divides unveiled on North Ave. On Nov. 13, the North Avenue District’s North Art Bridge mural series launched with unveiling at Code Ninjas in Oak Park

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

Oak Parkers and Galewood residents gathered at Code Ninjas, 7119 W. North Ave. in Oak Park, on Nov. 13, to mark the unveiling of the first of what they hope will be a series of window and wall murals designed to help bridge the divide between the communities.

The mural series is spearheaded by The North Avenue District, an organization that

aims to revitalize the North Avenue commercial corridor between Harlem Avenue and Austin Boulevard on both Oak Park and Chicago sides.

Judith Alexander, the organization’s chairwoman, said that busy traffic and a shortage of good pedestrian crossings hinders the ability of residents of the two communities to patronize each others’ businesses. She hopes the mural series helps change that reality.

The Code Ninjas mural was painted by young people who attend St. Giles Catholic Parish school, which is located in Oak Park, but serves Galewood, as well.

Alexander said getting more people from both sides to cross North Avenue is a major component of her organization’s vision.

“We really want to turn North Avenue from a barrier to a bridge,” she said. “North Avenue is difficult to cross — physically and literally. [During the 2018 Chicago Metro-

politan Agency for Planning North Avenue Revitalization and Mobility Plan study], I think about 30 percent of people said that they don’t cross North Avenue. And some of the business owners told me, ‘I sure wish I could get people from the other side.’”

But art alone won’t surmount the physical barriers to access along the busy corridor. Alexander said her organization is also pushing for better crosswalks, sidewalk improvements, more landscaping and traffic

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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Students helped create the mural at Code Ninjas. calming measures.

The murals, she said, will help with cultural revitalization in the area. Alexander cited Wicker Park and Pilsen as examples of communities where street art has played roles in community revitalization.

Alexander’s organization was instrumental in the Oak Park Area Arts Council’s 2018 installation of a mural on the west wall of the Wonder Works Children’s Museum on the Oak Park side of the corridor, at 6445 W. North Ave. She said the new mural installed outside of Code Ninjas is ideally located at the intersection of North and Harlem avenues, where Oak Park, Chicago, River Forest and Elmwood Park converge.

“It’s a wonderful location, on the corner of North and Harlem, so it’s kind of an entryway to our district,” she said. “And the murals will be facing North Avenue and they’re large and colorful, so they’ll be a wonderful welcome.”

Chris Kvapil, who runs the Code Ninjas location in Oak Park, as well as two other locations in the Chicago area, said the organization’s involvement with the mural project is a natural extension of its mission.

“With what made us successful, this was an opportunity to build bridges with our community,” he said.

The mural’s design was inspired by Black British artist Lakwena Maciver, who paints murals that employ bright colors, eye-catching geometric patterns and phrases of affirmation.

Jocelyne Adkins, the program director for

By Discovery, which provides after school arts programming to Oak Park elementary school students, said the students who painted the

mural looked to Maciver’s work when thinking of their own patterns.

“Their dedication to their task never wavered,” Adkins said. “Nor did their ability to enjoy the process.”

Connor Yaffe, 8, of Oak Park, said the mural project “was really fun,” echoing the thoughts of 11-year-old Emma Hartweg, of Galewood.

“It was really fun and cool that something that I helped make is going to be shown to a lot of people,” Hartweg said.

Senate President Don Harmon (39th) said the mural project made him reminiscene on his own days as a student at St. Giles, when he and his classmates painted the windows of what is now Buona Beef, 7025 W. North Ave. “This is a proud tradition for St. Giles students to paint windows on North Avenue,” Harmon said.

“This is what we need in our community,” said state Rep. Camille Lilly (78th). “I’m very excited about the energy that’s bringing together the local businesses, the government and the residents to the benefit of North Avenue.”

Alexander said that, in the future, more North Art Bridge project murals will be painted by professional artists and local students.

She said her organization hopes to have a mural painted by students from Galewood’s Sayre Language Academy, 1850 N. Newland Ave., and Oak Park’s Mann Elementary School, 921 N. Kenilworth Ave. She said the only thing standing in their way are the funds.

“There are various public sources of grant funding in Chicago and Oak Park and we’ll also be looking for donations,” she said.

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11

A symbol of sustainability

Clean Up Give Back partners with Takeout 25 to install library bench

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

On Nov. 15, in the lobby of the Oak Park Public Library Main Branch, 834 Lake St., a quartet of Oak Park and River Forest High School students unveiled a dark green bench made from upcycled plastics.

David Seleb, executive director of the Oak Park Public Library, was on site to welcome the bench donated by Clean Up Give Back, Takeout 25 and the Village of Oak Park. A plaque on the bench says, “Supporting our restaurants, upcycling our plastic, building a sustainable community.”

“We really didn’t know what we were getting into,” said Aubrey Johnston, Clean Up Give Back member, holding up a garbage bag. “This bag of plastic weighs 3.7 pounds.

SHOOTING

Meeting with police from page 1 the campaign have produced a document, complete with a map, listing each recent criminal incident and where it took place.

Such incidents include armed carjackings, observed drug deals and drug use, people drinking and engaging in sexual activity in parked cars, speeding, blowing through stop signs and even public defecation.

The most recent shootout is included, as is the alleged gang funeral procession that occurred Sept. 23, where an undercover officer reported seeing someone waving a handgun out of a vehicle window. When police tried to stop the driver of the vehicle, the person allegedly accelerated toward the officer, who fired once into the vehicle before the driver fled. Police chased the car along Lexington Street, according to the neighbors’ documentation.

The goal of the campaign is to collaborate with law enforcement and the village of Oak Park to determine possible solutions that would have the two-fold purpose of calming traffic and preventing further criminal activity.

“One of the things that I’m very much hoping for is that there is recognition of our unique characteristics in terms of our neighborhood — its openness, its location to the highway, and the easy exit of anyone who is committing a crime,” said neighbor Mike Baldwin.

So far, the neighbors have found the Oak Park Police Department open to participating in these discussions. The neighbors held a meeting last Sunday that was attended by

We collected 40,000 of these to get to the 500 pounds we needed to earn this bench.”

The students are members of the Oak Park chapter of Clean Up Give Back, a Des Plaines based non-profit dedicated to building communities through environmental stewardship. Under the mentorship of Oak Park resident Adrienne Eyer, the studentled group joined forces with the Interfaith Green Network and accepted the NexTrex “plastic film recycling challenge.” Plastic film includes grocery bags, newspaper sleeves, bubble wrap and sandwich bags among others. Working in partnership with big box stores like Jewel Osco, NexTrex transforms film plastics into eco-conscious decking and challenges others to help support their work by increasing their plastic flow.

“In order to earn a bench, these students needed to collect 500 pounds of plastic film,” said Eyer. “We were told it would take six months to reach that goal, but they ended up See BENCH on page 15

15 to 18 residents, as well as Oak Park Police Chief LaDon Reynolds, Commander Paul Kane, and Officer John Rumoro, the area’s resident beat officer. Trustee Jim Taglia also came to the meeting but did not respond to requests for comment.

The meeting lasted about an hour and provided an opportunity for residents to tally for the police some of the criminal incidents that have taken place in the last few years, and a chance to discuss possible solutions, according to Baldwin, who lives in the 900 block of South Wenonah Avenue.

“They agreed it would be appropriate to set up a meeting with the police department and village management to talk through the bigger picture and start to come up with some planning to move forward,” said Baldwin.

Reynolds declined Wednesday Journal’s requests for comment. Kane told the paper the meeting with neighbors “went very well.”

While crime is certainly up on highways — ABC-7 reported Nov. 5 that state police are investigating 207 shootings on Chicago-area highways so far this year — Kane does not necessarily believe the area’s proximity to the expressway is entirely to blame for the neighborhood’s uptick in criminal activity.

“There’s an increase of violent crime everywhere these days,” said Kane.

To combat this, the Oak Park Police Department is working more with neighboring departments through the West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement (WEDGE) task force, Kane told neighbors at the Sunday meeting.

“Some of the departments around here are working together, and we actually have them coming to town this coming weekend to run some combined missions with us,” he said.

The police department has also enhanced its patrolling in the neighborhood to have a more visible police presence. He called the type of illicit activities occurring in this particular

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

TAKE A SEAT: From left, Ravi Parakkat and David Seleb join Clean Up Give Back members Aubrey Johnston, Libby Bollinger, Frankie Krystal, Lily Clifford and group mentor Adrienne Eyer at the bench dedication held at the Oak Park Public Library on Nov. 15. stretch of Oak Park “crimes of opportunity,” so the department is trying to eliminate that window of opportunity by “using resources more effectively and direct them in some of these areas.”

“I would say that I don’t necessarily believe Oak Park is the destination for these crimes to occur, I just think it happens to be where the crime is occurring,” Kane said.

The most recent shootout between people in two different vehicles started in Forest Park. The drivers then turned onto Lexington Street, entering Oak Park.

“They could have easily turned right or easily gone south. It could have been a Berwyn issue; it could have been a Forest Park issue,” said Kane. “But they turned into Oak Park.”

Kane made it clear that happenstance does not diminish the significance of what happened, nor does the department take it lightly.

Higher visibility of police, he believes, will help dissuade people from committing unlawful acts near the area.

Police have no control over changing traffic patterns or putting in calming measures; they only have the authority to enforce what is put in place by the village of Oak Park. Neighbors, however, have said village staff has not been willing to engage with them as readily as the police have.

“The village certainly doesn’t seem to be enthused about raising those issues or doing any sort of outreach to us as a community, even though they know and have the records to support these incidents happening along Lexington,” said Pajonk.

Neighbors reached out to Jill Juliano, the village’s transportation engineer, with their concerns and the reasoning behind them, but only got what they considered a perfunctory response, a table of potential options, and a document explaining the petition process.

“It was very much an administrative re-

sponse and really didn’t address the safety concerns we have,” said Baldwin. “It was very clear to me from that one interaction that the village was not going to take this up as something that needs to be addressed.”

Wednesday Journal reached out to Juliano and Public Works Director John Wielebnicki for comment but was redirected to Oak Park spokesman David Powers.

“They typically are not involved in the public discussion of whether or not traffic calming is what is needed in a particular case,” said Powers.

The neighbors have their own ideas to increase safety and prevent crime. Included in the document is a list of possible trafficcalming solutions, including implementing a one-way, right-turn-only, constrained traffic pattern at Harlem Avenue and Lexington Street, as well as partial or full street closures.

Cameras and speed bumps are also among the suggestions, as is constructing cul-de-sacs at either Lexington Street and Maple Avenue or Lexington Street and Harlem Avenue.

“The cul-de-sac is definitely something that there’s interest in, but it’s going to require analysis to understand what the real impact of that would be across the neighborhood,” said Baldwin.

The neighbors believe that partnering up with the village and law enforcement is necessary for their initiative to be successful. To get the village on board, the neighbors are switching their focus to members of the village board. A letter writing campaign is in the works.

“We’re not taking an adversarial position vis-à-vis the village,” said Baldwin. “We want to work with them, and we’d like to see them take the initiative and outreach to us as well, recognizing there are concerns, there are issues. And present to us some options to make citizens of Oak Park safer.”

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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Chicago Magazine singles out The Daly Bagel

‘The Ultimate’ named among best dishes of the year

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

Six Chicago Magazine contributors reflected on an “incredibly delicious year” before compiling a list of the dishes they simply “couldn’t stop thinking about” in 2020. The Daly Bagel, 130 Chicago Ave., earned a notable position on the tight list of 27 dishes published on Nov. 9 — the team of food-focused writers singled out the boutique bagel shop’s sandwich called “The Ultimate.”

“This came as a complete and utter surprise,” said Adrienne Guldin, kitchen manager at the bagel shop. “We had no idea it was happening, and I think we’re still a little shocked, but we’re proud that we rose to the top in such a wide field of deliciousness in the entire Chicagoland area.”

After some quick calculations, Guldin figured The Daly Bagel had served nine times more Ultimate sandwiches in the week the article came out than the shop had sold during the entire month of October; at one point the shop sold out of whitefish spread. Amanda Daly, owner of The Daly Bagel, was not surprised by the huge increase in sales.

“Oh my gosh, all I’ve heard customers saying this week is, ‘The Ultimate, The Ultimate, The Ultimate,” said Daly who learned about honor from her sister-in-law. “So much of everything that has happened with this shop has happened because people who come in talk us up. It been so humbling.”

The article declared, “the chewy New York–style bagels at this Oak Park spot are hands down the best in the area” before highlighting the specific sandwich. A celebration of traditional flavors, The Ultimate features smoked whitefish pate from Soft Wave Fish Co. on a freshly baked bagel garnished with pickled onions and fresh cucumber. Daly met the fish purveyor at the Riverside Farmers Market and opts to use Soft Wave’s spread as a muchneeded time saver in an already labor-intensive business.

The Ultimate joins Vigan Longganisa from Boonie Foods, the 12-Layer German Chocolate Cake from Moody Tongue Brewery and the Olive-Oil-Poached Mackerel from Table, Donkey and Stick among others.

“So much of what The Daly Bagel has become is about other people,” said Daly. “This is about our staff and our customers. This recognition is something we share with the community.”

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

BAGEL MAKERS: (From left) Toney Araujo, dough lead, joins Amanda Daly and Adrienne Guldin in the kitchen at The Daly Bagel on Chicago Avenue in Oak Park.

More bliss for The Daly Bagel

GEORGE’S MOURNS Death of Saki “Dennis” Konstantos PAGE 30

MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor

The Ultimate from The Daly Bagel, shown on an egg bagel, earned a notable mention in Chicago Magazine.

After trying more than 30 untoasted bagels in Chicagoland Nick Kindelsperger, food writer at the Chicago Tribune, declared most bagels in the area to be “soft, fluffy and bland.” Ten bagels, however, rose to the top of the field and Kindelsperger ranked them in an article published Nov. 15.

Oak Park’s The Daly Bagel slid in to the tenth slot on the list.

Kindelsperger noted bagels “taste best within a few hours of baking” and tasted a plain and everything offering in the privacy of his own car immediately after purchase.

The article said several suburban bagel shops were left off the list because of the sheer strength of the bagels offered in the city, but The Daly Bagel proved to be a suburban standout.

Kindelsperger said, “the gleaming white shop is one of the most inviting storefronts to score a bagel in the area. The bagels themselves are just the right size, with a light and crackly crust and a chewy inside.”

Melissa Elsmo, Oak Park Eats Editor

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

13

Alleged drunk driver decimates Barnard’s Schwinn North Avenue shop, possibly Oak Park’s oldest family business, may face demolition

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0

Mollie Hemingway

Concordia nominates conservative journalist for honorary degree

Mollie Hemingway authors new book, ‘Rigged’

publishing company billed as the “leading publisher of conservative books.”

Hemingway’s father Larry Ziegler is a retired pastor of Mount Zion Lutheran Church in Colorado, which like Concordia is affiliated

By F. AMANDA TUGADE with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Staff Reporter Matanyi declined the Journal’s request for an interview with Dawn.

Concordia University Chicago President Matanyi told the Journal that “I can’t speak Russell Dawn has nominated conservative for the president and why he put forth a nomijournalist Mollie Hemingway to nation in particular, but I can say receive an honorary doctorate dethat we get many nominees every gree from the River Forest-based semester, and [those] nominees institution, according to univerfrequently reflect a wide range of sity spokesperson Eric Matanyi. viewpoints held by our faculty and Wednesday Journal first learned staff.” about the president’s nomination “Recognizing, respecting and through an anonymous letter. The discussing diverse viewpoints is nomination was later confirmed one of the primary values of a

by Matanyi. Honorary degrees university education,” he said. are often given to individuals who “That’s why people go to a unihave made important contribuRUSSELL DAWN versity, and doing so, recognizing, tions to their fields of study. respecting and discussing those Hemingway is the senior ediviewpoints really prepares our students for tor of The Federalist and was referred to as success.” “one of Mr. Trump’s favorites” by New York Matanyi said that university faculty and Times reporter Jeremy W. Peters in an August staff nominated many people this semester, 2020 article. In that same piece, Peters exam- including Hemingway, and a degree recipient ined how writers such as Hemingway, who has been chosen for the 2021-22 school year. He once openly criticized former president Don- explained further that a faculty-led committee ald Trump, now sided with him and publicly reviews all nominations before making a final worked to “explain away” his policies. selection.

Hemingway’s “stories for The Federalist “I can tell you that the fair process does not earned presidential retweets and affirmation favor specific nominees nor does it favor those for their scathing criticism of Democrats and who submit nominations, and I do know that the news media, whom she accuses of lying the voting on final recipients also occurs anonabout just about everything when it comes to ymously,” he said. the president,” Peters wrote.

In addition, CUC does not award the same Early last month, Hemingway released her number of honorary degrees to individuals book, “Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and each year. In previous years, CUC had two or the Democrats Seized our Elections,” through three recipients or none at all, and the faculty Regnery Publishing, a Washington D.C.-based committee makes that decision, Matanyi said.

A man reportedly driving under the influence crashed into Barnard’s Schwinn on North Avenue late Thursday night, causing severe damage to the bicycle shop, which is believed to be Oak Park’s oldest family-run business. The driver, a 44-year-old Elmwood Park resident, has been charged with a DUI and ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, as well as for not having proof of insurance.

The vehicle collided with the brick singlestory commercial building at 6109 W. North Ave. at about 10:20 p.m., Nov. 11. The driver was found inside the vehicle by an Oak Park police officer who heard the crash while patrolling nearby, according to Oak Park spokesman David Powers, who stated the officer was on the scene “almost immediately.”

COURTESY DENO ANDREW

Barnard’s Schwinn damaged building The vehicle’s only occupant, the man was transported to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood for evaluation and treatment.

Powers told Wednesday Journal he was later released to Oak Park police.

Due to the substantial damage from the crash, the building will likely have to be demolished, according to Powers. Wednesday Journal has reached out to Barnard’s Schwinn for comment.

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Heather Mack to remain in federal custody

Under indictment for plotting to murder her mother overseas

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Former Oak Park resident Heather Mack will remain in federal custody. The development comes after Mack’s hearing in stateside courts, held last Wednesday at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in downtown Chicago.

Freshly back in the United States following her deportation from Indonesia, Mack is under federal indictment for plotting the overseas murder of her mother Sheila von Weise Mack, who was bludgeoned to death with a metal fruit bowl in 2014 at an upscale Bali resort. Her body was discovered in a suitcase outside the hotel.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that a prosecutor told U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle both sides had agreed to Mack’s ongoing detention. The hearing was attended by von Weise Mack’s siblings, William Wiese and Debbi Curran.

“As difficult as this is for our family and all of Sheila’s friends, we are pleased that Sheila will finally have her day in court,” Wiese reportedly told reporters following the hearing.

Mack was recently released from prison in Indonesia, where she served seven years of a 10-year sentence for helping Tommy Schaefer, her then-boyfriend, carry out the murder. Upon her release, she was subsequently deported and arrested by U.S. authorities shortly after landing at O’Hare Airport. She will return to court Jan. 18.

Schaefer, also an Oak Park native, is currently in Indonesia where he is serving 18 years in prison. He is also mentioned in the indictment.

REUTERS/JOHANNES P. CHRISTO

Heather Mack, jailed in 2015 with her boyfriend after being found guilty of playing a role murdering her mother and stuffing the remains in a suitcase, is escorted by immigration officers after being released from Kerobokan Prison, at Immigration Detention House in Jimbaran, Badung, Bali, Indonesia, on Oct. 29.

North Blvd. building fully evacuated, engineering study next Complete structural inspection may take month

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

The tenants of 930 North Blvd. have all been successfully relocated into temporary living quarters after having to vacate the building due to potential structural issues. The village of Oak Park issued the evacuation order after it was found that floors on at least two levels of the building slope as much as four inches toward the center of the structure.

Sent Nov. 5, the order stipulated that all existing tenants had to be evacuated from the building by 11:59 p.m., Nov. 10, which caused a frenzy for tenants and 33Realty, the company that manages the building. Eric Weber, the owner of 33Realty, confirmed the building was safely vacated within the timeframe, but it “was no easy exercise.”

The cost of evacuation and relocation is being handled by Texas-based Goldman Investments, the company that owns the building, according to Weber, but 33Realty used its own employees and property managers to move tenants.

“We put people in a variety of housing options, some of them in buildings that we manage where we were able to maneuver some tenants around those buildings so we could slip these tenants in,” said Weber.

Others were moved into third party rental buildings and hotels. Some tenants are supportive of how the situation is being handled

930 North Blvd., Oak Park

BOB UPHUES/Editor

and others not so much, according to Weber.

“It was not easy, and you feel for these people,” said Weber of the relocated tenants, some of whom had lived in the building for as long as 15 years.

Weber’s company just started overseeing the building on Oct. 15. 33Realty and its two sister companies were contracted by Goldman Investments to handle the building’s management, leasing and renovations. Goldman Investments purchased the building in December 2019.

Weber told Wednesday Journal neither Goldman Investments, the tenants of 930 North Blvd. nor 33Realty knew the extent of the building’s structural issues as they were not visible to the naked eye. It is not uncommon either for older buildings to have sloping floors either, according to Weber.

“This is an old building and it’s got warped floors, but you didn’t see even in the units drywall cracking or trim separating from the walls,” he said.

While being unattractive, cracked drywall and separated trim are also indicative of more serious structural problems within buildings.

The village of Oak Park conducted a property maintenance inspection of the building in 2019 when the building was purchased by Goldman Investments. However, those inspections only evaluate whether the building is up to maintenance code, according to Tammie Grossman, director of the development customer services department.

“Those property maintenance people are looking for things like workable smoke detectors,” she said. “They’re not looking for structural issues.”

Grossman does not remember the village of Oak Park ever before having to order an evacuation of a building due to structural issues during her tenure.

A report from a structural engineer will determine how severe, or not, structural issues are at 930 North Blvd. But safety measures need to be taken prior to that inspection. Such measures include minor reinforcements as the engineer will have to drill into and remove sections of the building to assess the condition of its internal rebar and concrete support system. Weber estimates it will take around three to four weeks for the engineer to conduct a complete building inspection.

The engineer will also need to inspect the structural beam that is located above the outof-use indoor pool on the building’s first floor.

The beam was put in over 10 years ago, according to Grossman. Due to the pool being pitched, ladders cannot stand up in the pool, so 33Realty is in the process of building a platform so the engineer can safely access the beam.

Representatives from the development customer services department have been monitoring 33Realty’s progress, popping by “just about every day,” according to Weber. Grossman confirmed that 33Realty has been cooperating with the village and working closely with her department.

“We’ve got to keep them apprised the whole way as it’s a pretty sensitive situation. Obviously, the situation that occurred in Miami puts increased exposure on this,” said Weber, referencing the tragic collapse of the 12-story condominium that left 98 Miami residents dead this past June.

Both Grossman and Weber told Wednesday Journal that just how much renovation, if any at all, is necessary to make the building safe hinges on the results of the structural engineering report, which will be reviewed by by HR Green, the village of Oak Park’s contracted contractor firm.

“We don’t know what the report is going to say,” said Grossman.

With tenants dispersed and 33Realty trying to manage their living situations for them Weber wishes he had an estimate as to how long it will be until people can return to living in the building.

“I want an answer, but I don’t have one,” he said. “And we’re still a couple weeks away from even getting that report that determines what we do next.”

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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PUBLIC HEALTH Emergency powers from page 1 During the Nov. 15 village board meeting, several Oak Parkers advocated for ChappleMcGruder as a medical leader and for her work since joining the public health department in April. They cited her efforts to enact safety guidelines, educate the community on COVID-19 and partner with local entities, including last week’s vaccine clinic launch for 5- to 11-year-olds at Oak Park Elementary School District 97 and Oak Park and River Forest High School.

“Her timely and innovative efforts continue to keep Oak Park residents safe,” said resident Eunice Hawkins, an Oak Park mother. Hawkins said she was worried and discouraged to hear that the health director’s emergency powers were “allowed to expire,” especially as winter draws near and could spark a new surge.

“I strongly urge the board to extend Dr. Chapple’s emergency powers immediately,” she said.

Village President Vicki Scaman told Wednesday Journal Chapple-McGruder would continue to have authority to regulate businesses and schools in regard to Covid even without emergency authority.

Hawkins’ concern, though, matched those of hundreds of parents who signed a petition over the past few days, asking board members to review the order that granted Chapple-McGruder the power to make reasonable rules, regulations and orders in response to the Covid pandemic. The village board previously extended that authority twice, its last vote taking place in June with a sunset expiration date of Nov. 15. Typically, the health director would need the approval of both the village board and the board of health to move forward with any changes, rules or regulations.

The petition, which went live late last week via Change.org, was created by some local parents who call themselves Concerned Citizens of Oak Park and has amassed 388 signatures as of Nov. 16.

“It just seems like someone who has done such a good job of keeping our community [Covid] transmission [rate] where it is and keeping our kids safe for the most part in school, that [it] would be extended,” Laura Sakiyama, an Oak Park mother who helped start the petition, told Wednesday Journal over Zoom ahead of the Nov. 15 meeting.

But there are some residents hoping the village board keeps its stance and allows the order to expire. Kate Odom is one of them.

“My stance is we should not extend this emergency order. We are not in a state of emergency,” said Odom, who is also an Oak Park parent. “Our health department is putting out policies that do not match our community’s needs.”

Odom said she believed that ChappleMcGruder’s quarantine policies at the elementary school level are too restrictive and younger students need more testing options to return to school just like the high school students. She also said the health department needs to prioritize children and teen’s mental health, a crucial issue exacerbated by the pandemic that she has seen gone unaddressed.

Sakiyama and Oak Park parent Julia Howland told the Journal she was “honestly frightened” and disappointed to learn that Chapple-McGruder’s regulatory power would come to an end in mid-November without any public discussion at the board table.

“This is the worst time to be letting up on a lot of our mitigation measures,” said Howland, who like Chapple-McGruder, is an epidemiologist and works closely with the Illinois Department of Public Health’s maternal and child health program. “This is a time where we really need skilled, strong leadership to lead through this vaccination campaign, get children vaccinated and as

BENCH DEDICATION Seating at library from page 11 collecting 2,200 pounds in 12 weeks. This bench is a testament to these kids and this community.”

The students managed collection boxes in several locations where residents could deposit qualifying film plastics. The receptacles were emptied, and contents were delivered to the River Forest Jewel, 7525 Lake St., to be shipped to Trex. There are clear rules in place that prohibit plastic donations from accumulating in the entryway areas of participating big box stores, but plastics came in so furiously that the store manager gave the group access to the loading dock to house the plastics — Eyer considers the Jewel staff to be the “heroes behind this project.”

The students were overwhelmed by community support for the project and wanted the

well as protected as possible in an as equitable way as possible. That’s the work that Dr. Chapple is able to do, and if her emergency powers are allowed to expire, her ability to respond efficiently and effectively will be significantly reduced.”

A much bigger problem But that’s not entirely the case, said Scaman.

Ahead of the Nov. 15 meeting, Scaman told Wednesday Journal that Chapple-McGruder would still maintain similar authority over the Village of Oak Park, including schools and businesses, even when the order expired. The order granting the health director regulatory power was adopted early into the pandemic when “immediate action” was required for various facets of life in the village, Scaman said.

“We’re just not in that place anymore,” said Scaman. “Still, even if Dr. Chapple decided that she needed to close a business or direct D97 to additional [Covid] mitigations, she still has that full authority to do that, in the same way that she, as a public health director, can close a restaurant for inspections or challenges their inspections.”

“If something were to change, if we were going to see restaurants be closed again [because of COVID-19] and people were told to stay home, then we would most certainly reinstate that,” said Scaman. “It’s not meant to be in effect for the entire time.”

During the Nov. 15 meeting, interim Village Manager Lisa Shelley told the board that she met with Chapple-McGruder and Village Attorney Paul Stephanides a couple weeks ago to discuss the order in question and whether it should be placed on the Nov. 15 meeting agenda.

“We went through it as a group. When I found out that we didn’t need to renew it, and that the authority would remain in its place, that’s why it didn’t appear,” Shelley said. “We didn’t put it on because nothing would have changed.”

bench to be placed in a public space where it could be used and appreciated by the community. The students also recognize the pandemic has increased the use of single-use plastics in the form of grocery bags and takeout food packaging. They reached out to Ravi Parakkat, Oak Park village trustee and Takeout 25 founder, in hopes he could use the momentum of Takeout 25 to help find a permanent home for the bench.

“Members of the Takeout 25 community have expressed concern about our increased use of single use plastics in the last year and it has been a sore point for me, too because I care deeply about these issues.” said Parakkat. “We want to support local restaurants and we also want a sustainable community.” Parakkat noted it took one call to the library to secure a spot for the bench.

“I think this is the perfect place for the bench and we are honored to have it here,” said Seleb to the students. “One of the four strategic priorities at the library is stewardship so this fits in perfectly with the work the Oak Park Public Library is committed to doing in the community.”

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Scaman told the Journal in the week leading up to the Nov. 15 meeting, she spoke to village staff and four trustees who also agreed to let the order expire. Scaman said she never anticipated that the order would draw any controversy, but once she learned there was some opposition, there was no time to revise the agenda.

“I did my round just to make sure that there was at least a majority of the board that didn’t want to extend the order,” Scaman said.

Trustee Arti Walker-Peddakotla, however, was one of the elected officials Scaman did not reach out to and expressed her frustrations at the Nov. 15 board meeting, starting her comments off with, “I wonder what happened here.”

Walker-Peddakotla made a motion Monday evening to put the issue of extending Chapple-McGruder’s emergency power on the next village board agenda which will be Nov. 22. That motion was approved. The trustee said some “boat shopping happened because individual trustees were called and asked about their opinion on this issue – and I was not one of those trustees. Those were all private conversations that happened outside of a public forum and outside of the public domain.”

Walker-Peddakotla said the decision to not bring the matter to the board table and hold a public discussion or vote is a “dangerous” precedent, and if that same method of collecting a majority vote occurred with other issues, the village would not have been able to engage in discussions, especially those centering on racial equity.

“That’s the precedent that is being set here, and it’s a dangerous one because it means that a majority of the board can work in the interest of a potentially minority of community voices. That, we should not want that in the best interest of our democracy.”

Scaman responded to Walker-Peddakotla, “I hear you. I do.”

“I should have called her,” Scaman told the Journal in a separate interview.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

LOOKS GOOD: From left, Audrey Johnston, Lily Clifford, Frankie Krystal and Libby Bollinger, check out the bench on Monday, Nov. 15, inside the Oak Park Public Library.

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ART BEAT

Dominican returns to live theater with ‘Mamma Mia’

By DOUG DEUCHLER

T

Theater Critic

he theater department of Dominican University is currently presenting the long-running hit Broadway musical Mamma Mia. Three performances remain this weekend. It is Dominican theater’s first live show since the beginning of the pandemic, so this production is truly cause for celebration.

There are some folks who deride this “jukebox musical” as being improbable and contrived. But the reality is that this two-act, two-hour production is thrilling and tightly directed; the large, talented cast is highly energized; the inventive choreography is top-notch; and the 20-some ABBA songs are fluffy and fun. You may recall that ABBA, a Swedish group, was most popular during the disco era, but they’re born again with this entertaining show.

Krista Hansen, director and chairman of the Theater Arts and Music Department, says, “After 18 months of separation from live theater, what better way to reunite artists and audiences than through a show that celebrates human connection?”

Upon arrival at Lund Auditorium in River Forest, audience members must present both their ID and their “vaccination card” in order to be admitted. Non-performers kept their masks on during the entire production but the actors are not masked. I was glad. I saw a show a few weeks ago in which the entire cast was masked. Not only did some of the dialogue in that production seem garbled, but it was usually impossible to see any of the cast members’ facial expressions.

I am ashamed to admit I was somewhat dreading seeing undergraduate performers playing the variety of ages called for in this cast. But the ensemble is definitely multiaged, so casting was undoubtedly opened beyond the confines of the Dominican campus. It’s a perfectly cast show.

This 1999 musical is a celebration of love, motherhood, friendship and forgiveness. But there is no attempt to establish the period. We learn the leading character was born in 1978. Surely this young lady is not 43. She is said to be 20, so I assume the period is the late ’90s, when this show first opened.

The music and lyrics of Mamma Mia are by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson. Catherine Johnson wrote the book.

PROVIDED

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME: Melissa Crabtree, Kelli Clevenger, and Leslie Rodriguez play three long time friends in “Mamma Mia.”

The rather simplistic plot begins with 20-year-old brideto-be Sophie (Lilli Adam), who has been raised by her single mom and has never learned the identity of her father. She snoops into her mother’s past, learning the names of three men she dated 20 years earlier, then secretly invites the guys to the wedding to see if she can uncover which one is actually her dad. She is desperate to learn the truth.

Instead of Mamma Mia, this show should be called “My Three Dads”. One of them is Sophie’s actual father, but which one? The men are played by Tyler Sonkin, Matt Whalen, and Dan Collins.

They are each funny and charming.

Adam has strong stage presence.

In this production her character, Sophie, is about to marry another woman, played by Hershey Suri.

We realize almost immediately the plot is merely a clothesline on which the many ABBA songs are PROVIDED hung. Yet none of it feels forced or Melissa Crabtree, Kelli Clevenger, and Leslie Rodriguez play three long time friends awkward. Since these songs were never created for a stage musical,

in “Mamma Mia.”

however, they don’t really move the plot along. But each fits rather naturally into the storyline.

Sophie lives with Donna, her single mom (Kelli Clevenger), who runs a small hotel on the Greek Isles. The actress plays the complex but entertaining character with fierce independence.

Two of Donna’s best buddies show up to help with the wedding.

Leslie Rodriguez, who has comedic ease in her delivery, has some great moments as Rosie, especially during her performance of “Take a Chance on Me.” Melissa Crabtree is spectacular as Tanya. A highlight is “Does Your Mother Know” with Luke Nowakowski. Crabtree also has great comic timing.

The characters are forever dancing and smiling and bursting into catchy songs. It’s infectious and enjoyable. Ben Paynic, who also serves as the dance captain, is especially spirited. The stage really comes alive with the big ensemble dance numbers. Dyanna Daniels created the ingenious choreography. The cast is more than up to the demands of this high-energy show.

Musical director is David Fiorello. Scenic designer is Shane Cinal. The Greek island setting consists of a twolevel performance space.

Performances remain Friday, Nov. 9 and Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7:30. There is a matinee at 3 p.m. on Sunday the 21st. Tickets are $18. Admission is free to Dominican students.

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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C R I M E

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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Shooting victim uncooperative in investigation While responding to reports of shots fired in the 1200 block of North Taylor Avenue at 1:44 a.m., Nov. 13, officers found blood and a bullet shell casing inside an empty apartment unit, the door to which was open. The blood and casing were in plain view, according to police reports.

The male victim was later found near North Avenue and Taylor Avenue with a gunshot wound to his foot but would not cooperate with the investigation. He was transferred to Loyola Medical Center where he was treated and released.

Death investigation ■ Police

are investigating the death of a 26-year-old white male Chicago resident who was found unresponsive lying on train tracks at 3:55 a.m., Nov. 14 after being struck by an eastbound train at the CTA Blue Line station, 854 S. Oak Park Avenue. The man was pronounced deceased via telemetry by Advocate Hospital and the body was transferred to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

■ The traffic death of a 54-year-old white male is being investigated by police. The man was struck by a vehicle Nov. 3 after darting into traffic at Interstate 290 and Harlem Avenue and was transported to Loyola

Hospital in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries Nov. 14 and his body was transferred to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Aggravated battery A man was hit four times with yellow paintballs that were fired at him from the passenger’s side of a black sedan while he was walking in the 6700 block of Roosevelt Road at 2:48 p.m., Nov. 14.

Recovered stolen automobile The 2012 Hyundai Elantra that was reported stolen Oct. 31 from the 100 block of South Harvey Avenue was recovered by Chicago police Nov. 10 in the 4000 block of West Adams Street in Chicago at 10:28 a.m. without apprehension.

Burglary Security footage captured a man forcing open the drive thru window of Buona Beef, 7025 North Ave., and climbing into the restaurant at 11:15 p.m., Nov. 9; once inside, the man kicked open the office door and ransacked the office. No loss was reported, but the damage is valued at $100.

Motor vehicle theft An unlocked white 2010 Acura MDX was taken between 3:17 a.m. and 3:25 a.m., Nov 11 in the 200 block of South Maple Avenue. The estimated loss is $10,000.

Theft ■ The

catalytic converter was cut from a white 2015 Nissan NV200, which was parked in village of Oak Park lot 59 in the 100 block of South Kenilworth Avenue between 2 p.m., Nov. 5 and 6:30 a.m., Nov. 8.

■ Someone cut the catalytic converter from a 2009 Toyota Prius that was parked in the 500 block of South Boulevard between 7 p.m., Nov. 7 and 10 a.m., Nov. 8.

■ The catalytic converter was cut from a brown 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander between 10 p.m., Nov. 8 and 2 p.m., Nov. 9 in the 700

block of North Humphrey Avenue.

■ Someone cut out the catalytic converter from a white 2017 Chevy cargo van between 12:52 p.m., Nov. 9 and 12:45 p.m., Nov. 10 in the 200 block of South Maple Avenue.

■ The catalytic converter was removed from a gray 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander between 9:30 p.m., Nov. 3 and 8:30 a.m., Nov. 4 in the 1000 block of Randolph Street.

■ Someone removed the catalytic converter from a blue 2008 Kia between 2 p.m., Nov. 6 and 5 p.m., Nov. 11 in the 900 block of Wesley Avenue.

■ A package delivered by the U.S. Postal Service was removed from a locked mailbox in the 400 block of North Humphrey Avenue between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Nov. 6.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports Nov. 9 through Nov. 14 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

Our deep sympathy to George, Johnny and everyone at George’s Family Restaurant as we mourn the death of Saki Konstantos - son and brother.

With affection and friendship, from all of us at

Garland Flowers

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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D97 kids roll up sleeves for COVID vaccinations Health department vaccinates 2,292 kids in a week

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

Since the spring, Rebecca Zobel, a nurse at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, has joined the Oak Park public health department’s medical reserve corps and helped administer the COVID-19 vaccine to adults at various clinics held across the community. But on Nov. 9, Zobel got the chance to vaccinate one of Oak Park’s youngest residents: Zobel’s 11-year-old daughter, Samantha.

That Tuesday night, inside the Lincoln Elementary School cafeteria, Zobel knelt beside Samantha who sat with her left tie-dye T-shirt sleeve rolled up, anticipating the needle’s sharp prick. Family friend and vaccine clinic volunteer, Amanda Osta, was on standby, comforting Samantha, holding her hands. Zobel’s husband was there, too, capturing the moment where Samantha’s grimace turned into a big toothy smile.

As a mother and a frontline worker, Zobel said she was overcome with emotion when she gave Samantha her first shot of the two-dose Pfizer Covid vaccine. A Lincoln fifth grader who turned 11 last month, Samantha was the last in her immediate family to become eligible for the vaccine.

Samantha’s older brother completed his shots months ago when the vaccine was made available to individuals ages 12 and older.

“She knew it was coming,” Zobel said of Samantha. “My husband and I both had them, and her 13-year-old brother had his earlier this year.”

Over the last couple of weeks, the federal government authorized an emergency use for Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for 5to 11-year-olds. That age group makes up 39% of Covid cases in the country among individuals younger than 18, according to a news release by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which initially sanctioned the emergency use and was backed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In response to the federal approval, the Oak Park Depart-

SARA JANZ/Contributor

YOUR TURN: Parker Oliphant, (10) preparing for the vaccine on Thursday, Nov. 11, during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Longfellow Elementary School in Oak Park.

ment of Public Health launched a five-day vaccination clinic for its eligible children. From Nov. 9 to 13, the department held eight vaccine clinics for Oak Park School District 97 students across eight of the district’s elementary schools and hosted an additional event Nov. 13 for children who are homeschooled or attend private schools. At D97 alone, 2,292 students received their first dose of the Covid vaccine; plans to administer the second dose are set for early December.

Other District 97 parents such as Bryan James and Ranga Bodla said they were excited and relieved once they heard their children could get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

An epidemiologist, James told the Journal via Twitter he followed the conversations on vaccinating children younger than 12 “pretty closely for a loooooong time” and was “ecstatic” when the CDC made the final approval. James and Bodla said they also appreciated that the health department held the vaccine clinics at their children’s schools, so they felt safe and comfortable and surrounded by familiar faces.

On Twitter, James posted a couple photos of his daughter, 5-year-old Coraline, after she got her shot at one of the D97 schools. One of the SARA JANZ/Contributor pictures showed Coraline, MONKEY SUPPORT: Families wait outside in line on Thursday, Nov. 11, during a COVID-19 a kindergartener, flexing her arm, showing off her vaccination clinic at Longfellow Elementary School in Oak Park.

band-aid and clutching a Dum-Dum lollipop, while another revealed her holding up a sign with a red circle and slash around the word “COVID.” “Even though she hates shots, she was very excited for this vaccine,” James said in a Twitter message. “She said she knew it meant she could one day play inside with her friends without a mask. She says she doesn’t even remember what it was like before being inside without a mask! and [sic] that it will be ‘weird.’”

But not all parents from District 97 shared the same feelings as James and Bodla. Oak Park father Arnold Bacani said he was hesitant to sign up his son, Lucas, for a Covid vaccine. Bacani said he was worried about the vaccine side effects and that 6-year-old Lucas, who has special needs and is unable to verbally communicate, would not be able to relay how he felt afterward.

“I don’t know any other people who got vaccinated at his age. I know other people who are 12 years old and above [who received the COVID-19 vaccine], but from 6 years old and above, I don’t know anyone yet,” Bacani said in Tagalog, noting he later decided to schedule Lucas for an appointment at Longfellow Elementary after learning more about the vaccine’s safety.

For Bacani, Zobel, Bodla and James, they believe the latest vaccine effort adds another layer of protection for their children, one that is crucial to help bring a sense of normalcy back into their lives.

“I know all parents need to make their own decisions, but as a nurse, I am absolutely on board with the multidisciplinary scientific community that’s coming up with these vaccines,” said Zobel. “I agree with, and support, and encourage getting a vaccine for everyone who’s able to in order to protect themselves, their family, their friends and anyone who’s unable to really get the vaccine.”

“It’s an important step to make the pandemic manageable and to help make our families safer and to be able to have our kids return to some of their normal activities,” she said.

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S P O R T S

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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Friars rally from early deficit to get past Nazareth Two 4th quarter interceptions seal Fenwick’s first trip to state semis since 2016

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Fenwick High School football team entered the fourth quarter of its IHSA Class 5A quarterfinal at Nazareth Academy on Nov. 13 clinging to a four-point lead in a stadium where the host Roadrunners have made a habit of winning playoff games.

Nazareth had driven into Friars territory, and senior defensive lineman Suieman Abuaqel knew a big play needed to be made to turn the tide.

Little did he know that he would be the one to get it done. Nazareth quarterback Logan Malachuk attempted a screen pass on the first play of the quarter, but Abuaqel read it, intercepted the ball and returned 58 yards to seal a 28-17 victory for Fenwick, which advances to the state semifinals for the fourth time in history, joining the 1981, 1995 and 2016 teams.

“I saw the running back with my peripheral vision and slid to my left,” Abuaqel said. “The ball came right to me, and I just took off. It’s my first touchdown ever, and it was a great play for the team.”

“Suieman got everyone’s heart jumping,” said Fenwick quarterback Kaden Cobb of Abuaqel’s momentum-changing play. “We needed that. It got everyone back on track, and we finished the deal.”

The Friars (10-2) fell behind 10-0 after one quarter as Malachuk connected with Justin Taylor on a 44-yard touchdown pass and Zack Hayes booted a 26-yard field goal. But Fenwick remained composed and gradually gained control.

“We preach it all the time -- stay calm and collected,” Cobb said. “We hadn’t been down by 10 the whole season, and when it

CAROL DUNNING/Contributor

Fenwick running back Danny Kent’s 106 yards on 22 carries led a rushing attack that ground out 192 yards during Friars’ 28-17 state quarterfinal win over Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park on Nov. 13. happened, I told the guys we’ve got to come back, stay strong, and see what happens.”

What happened was a Fenwick comeback in the second quarter. On fourth-and-goal, Cobb (22-of-25, 174 yards, 2 TD passing; 11 carries, 49 yards rushing) scored on a 6-yard run at the 10:11 mark. After getting a three-and-out defensively, the Friars drove deep into Nazareth territory, but Iain Ramage’s 35-yard field goal try was partially blocked and fell short.

Fenwick’s defense forced another quick punt that gave the offense the ball at its own 47. On fourth and 5 from the Nazareth 20, Cobb found Max Reese (8 receptions, 59 yards) in the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-10 halftime lead.

“That was huge,” said Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia of the touchdown pass with :58 left in the half. “It gave us the lead and swung all the momentum towards us.”

The Friars tacked on more points in the

second half as Cobb found Pat Durkin open for a 3-yard touchdown pass on another fourth-and-goal play that capped a 12-play, 65-yard drive. Fenwick seemed in control with a 21-10 lead at the 7:32 mark of the third quarter.

However, it took Nazareth just 42 seconds to get back into the game. Malachuk, after dropping a snap, recovered and threw a 56yard touchdown pass to Taylor to make the score 21-17.

Fenwick moved the ball deep into Roadrunners territory on the ensuing drive, but a pair of penalties stalled things and forced the Friars to punt. A Kaleb Miller 14-yard run and a Quentrell Harris 25-yard reception had Nazareth at the Fenwick 39 entering the fourth quarter. But Abuaqel’s interception on the first play turned out to be a backbreaker for the Roadrunners.

When Nazareth next got the ball on its 8 with 3:28 left, any faint hopes of a miracle were extinguished as Den Juette picked off Malachuk to effectively end the game.

The Friars outgained Nazareth 367 yards to 278, buoyed by 192 yards on the ground, led by Danny Kent (22 carries, 106 yards).

On defense, Will Gladden had an interception as the Friars picked off Malachuk three times on the day.

Fenwick will meet Sycamore in the Class 5A semifinals at Triton College Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. The Spartans (9-3) have shut out in their last two playoff opponents, including 14-0 against St. Patrick in the quarterfinals.

It’s another challenge for the Friars, but they’re eager to return to home after spending the last two weeks on the road.

“The fans, students, and parents always give us a boost,” Abuaqel said. “They remind us of who we’re playing for. It’s going to be an exciting environment.”

Two OPRF swimmers score points at state finals

Osga breaks school record time, places 7th in 100 back

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

The Oak Park and River Forest High School girls swimming and diving team tied for 26th place with 10 points on Nov. 13 at the IHSA state meet in Westmont.

Freshman Sadie Murphy capped a strong season with a 10th-place showing in the 200yard freestyle, clocking in at 1 minute, 52.89 seconds and gaining all-state status, given to the top 12 finishers in each event.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment as a freshman to reach the finals and score points,” said OPRF coach Clyde Lundgren.

“Being able to manage the pressure and swim on Saturday [in the finals] is a testament to Sadie’s maturity and resiliency.”

Senior Teagan Osga ended her Huskies’ career in fine fashion, placing seventh in the 100 backstroke and breaking her own school record with a time of 56.02 seconds.

“It was a really cool way to see Teagan finish out her season and career,” Lundgren said of Osga, who will swim at Northeastern University in Boston next year.

Lundgren felt OPRF’s season went very well. The Huskies defeated crosstown rival Fenwick High School twice this year, the latter victory coming at the sectional meet on Nov. 6. It marked the program’s first sectional title in at least 20 years.

“The girls swam fast and dove well towards the end of the season,” Lundgren

said. “I’m really proud of the coaches and swimmers, and grateful for the parents and the support they provided all year.”

Drumm leads Friars with top-6 finish Fenwick finished in a tie for 20th place at the state swimming meet, amassing 15 points.

Senior Lindsey Drumm, who is heading to Dartmouth College next fall, ended her high school career as an all-stater with a sixth-place finish in the 100 butterfly (55.30).

“Lindsey did a great job,” said Fenwick coach Steve Thompson. “Her leadership has been instrumental to our success. She was a great mentor for our younger kids at the state meet.”

Drumm also teamed with freshman Anna Doherty and juniors Baileigh Racky and Kailyn McHugh on Fenwick’s 200 medley relay, which placed 10th in a time of 1:46.32.

Thompson anticipates McHugh and Racky becoming the Friars’ leaders in 2022.

“Baileigh and Kailyn have two state meet experiences under their belt, and they got their first finals experience on Saturday,” Thompson said. “Their future is in front of them.”

Thompson thought Fenwick’s season went well, even though its lengthy sectional meet winning streak was snapped by OPRF. “These girls showed tremendous perseverance,” he said. “As a team, we finished about as well as we could have, and the way they came together at the end of the year was special.”

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S P O R T S

@ @OakPark

OPRF girls begin new era with Redmond at helm

Fenwick girls hope for return ticket downstate

Tough schedule includes tournaments at Hinsdale South, Morton College

By MELVIN TATE

Friars look to send off retiring head coach in style

Contributing Reporter

When former Oak Park and River Forest High School girls basketball coach J.P. Coughlin announced his retirement this spring, it caught senior guard Lilah Gery by surprise.

But when Coughlin’s replacement, Carlton Rosemond, introduced himself to the team this summer, Gery felt rejuvenated.

“When I heard him for the first time, he was excited,” she said. “He’s pushed us on the court and been there for us off of it.

He’s a really good guy, and we’ve all had a boost of confidence as a program.”

The Huskies return several players, including seniors Darnesha Fraley, Kennedy Jones, Martha Lipic and Sadie Lyons as well as juniors Reese Garland and Elizabeth Majka.

“Lilah’s experience is invaluable,” said Rosemond of Gery, a four-year varsity player. “She’s been a great leader in practice and showing how bad she wants to make this a good season as she finishes out her OPRF career.”

Last spring’s pandemic-shortened season saw an inconsistent Huskies squad put up a 5-9 record. Gery said she would like to see the Huskies consistently put together complete games.

“We need to work on staying locked in through all four quarters,” Gery said. “In the past when things got tough, we kept our heads down. We’re working on fighting ad-

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

OPRF junior Reese Garland shoots a layup during basketball practice at the high school on Nov. 10. The Huskies kick off the season this week playing in the Hinsdale South Invitational. versity and doing what it takes to win.”

OPRF will be put to the test this season with a competitive schedule that was slated to open Nov. 16 against Stagg at the Hinsdale South Invitational. After those games, Rosemond feels he’ll have a better understanding of where they stand.

OPRF will also participate in the Morton College holiday tournament, where several of the Chicago area’s top teams

will compete. In addition, the Huskies have crosstown games with Fenwick and Trinity, as well as a tough league schedule in the West Suburban Conference’s Silver Division.

“I hope the conference will allow us to become battle-tested,” Rosemond said. “It gives us opportunities to see where we stack up. I’m excited to show that this is a different OPRF team, and so are the girls.”

Trinity looks to thrive in post-Williams era Inexperienced varsity squad could feel some growing pains

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

While Trinity will undoubtedly miss Makiyah Williams, a McDonald’s AllAmerican nominee now playing at Marquette University, coach Kim Coleman relishes the prospect of revamping the team as the Blazers enter the 2021-22 season this week.

“We’re a young team. We don’t have a ton of varsity playing experience,” she said. “Cierra [Richardson] and Lauren [Miller] are the only ones with plenty of varsity minutes, and we’re leaning on

them to lead the way this year.”

Juniors Maeve Lundt and Sophia Rodriguez are Trinity’s other returning players from last year’s team, which went 6-8.

A challenging schedule could lead to growing pains for a young and inexperienced team like the Blazers. But Coleman is fine with it because she believes her players will grow throughout the course of the year.

“We set our schedule up in a way to prepare us for the state tournament,” Coleman said. “Our conference [the GCAC Red] is one of the best, if not the best, ones in the state. Those non-conference

games are going to provide us with the experience we need to be able to compete in the conference and state tournaments later in the season.”

Coleman believes the Blazers can be competitive without Williams.

“Opponents are wondering what will we do now that Makiyah isn’t here anymore,” she said. “We feel it’s the next person up, and we’re excited to showcase our young talent, put these kids on the map, and keep the success of Trinity basketball going.”

Trinity opens the season Nov. 20 at the Elmhurst Classic Thanksgiving Tournament versus Walther Christian.

With longtime head coach Dave Power announcing he’ll retire at the end of the 2021-22 season, the Fenwick High School girls’ basketball team would like to send him off in style.

“Our goal is to go to go downstate and make a statement,” said Fenwick senior guard Mira Schwanke.

The Friars, who went 6-7 in the pandemicabbreviated 2021 season, return five players who saw significant playing time, including Schwanke, senior guard Mia Caccitolo, senior forwards Amanda Hansen (Adelphi signee) and Elise Heneghan and junior forward Cam Brusca. Senior forward Audrey Hinrichs returns after missing last season due to injury.

“If we’re healthy, we’re going to be a tough team to beat,” said Power.

Other players to keep an eye on include seniors Lorrittza Richard and Jody Watson; juniors Bella Daley, who just concluded an allstate in cross-country season, Raina Ford, and Allie Heyer; and sophomore Grace Kopech.

Fenwick has a rigorous schedule between competing in the tough Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division and making appearances in the New Trier Thanksgiving and Dundee-Crown holiday tournaments, which both feature plenty of Illinois’ top programs.

Power -- three wins away from 1,000 in his career – said he wants the focus to be on the season, especially his senior players, instead of his impending retirement.

“I’ve been with some of these girls for a long time, and this is our last go-round together,” he said. “They’ve had great success in the state tournament, reaching the sectional final twice and making it to the Elite Eight once. … I’m excited to see what we can do now that we’re at the finish line. I wouldn’t trade them for anyone in the world.”

The seniors have enjoyed playing for Power, and Hinrichs continues to learn from him every day.

“He’s a crazy dude, but he knows his stuff,” Hinrichs said with a laugh. “It’s been great.

He’s such an amazing coach.”

Fenwick opens its season Nov. 17 at home versus Phillips as part of the New Trier Thanksgiving Tournament. Power’s 1000th win could potentially happen Nov. 19 against Taft.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M. Call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

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What can be done about leaf blowers? p. 29

Hate + Guns = Violence

ome 50 years ago I volunteered at the Better Boys Foundation (BBF). It was, and continues to be, an organization helping troubled African-American teens in Chicago’s Lawndale community. Initially, it was housed in an old warehouse building. Upon entering, all were greeted by a huge wooden box containing some guns and knives. A large chalkboard above it read, “Leave all guns and knives here.” Installed on the premises was an official-sized boxing ring, donated by middleweight boxing champion Archie Moore. This exciting gift was so thrilling for the BBF boys that they were willing to give up their prized weapons in order to get into the ring.

Archie Moore’s gift was his way of encouraging fisticuffs for settling disagreements between these restless, angry teens. Their lives were full of tension, hopelessness, and violence.

Walter Peyton, the Chicago Bears’ football star at that time, added to Moore’s gift by purchasing 100 pairs of undershorts for these teens who rarely had any underclothing. He also donated several pairs of brightly colored boxing trunks for the kids’ use at BBF. It was always exciting when celebrity visitors from the world of sports, entertainment, and politics came to BBF. From time to time even some young interns from Cook County Hospital would come to talk about the value of education and urge these kids to graduate. More than half of the teens had been jailed at one time or another in their young lives, and schooling was unimportant to them.

Most of the BBF kids saw others as the enemy except for members of their own gang. I asked one of the teens at Christmas what he most wanted. His answer was, “a good gun.” I asked if he realized that the only use for a gun is to kill. He answered me with the words, “So what?!” The fact is these underfed, under-clothed, and under-loved kids did not recognize that we are all human beings. They saw uniforms; they saw uncaring teachers; and domineering, degrading white folks. They saw that many whites were racist against them, and in return, many became racist against whites.

They were not discerning as to whom they could trust. They were most attracted to people with a wad of money and/or a fancy car.

It is now 2021, many years since I left BBF, and guns are even more of a problem today than they were. Probably the best years between then and the present day were the Obama years. Many barriers for Black and Brown folks eased and opportunities opened. There were positive changes and finally a sense of a future for them. Sadly, whatever gains were made, they were reversed under the Trump administration.

The average Black teen may have a better, more hopeful life today, but hate and racism continue to pervade and cause more division between communities. Guns are deadlier than ever and have become more prevalent. Mass killings are more frequent occurrences, and gun regulation is more

HARRIET HAUSMAN One View

See HAUSMAN on page 29

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Are we safer today in Oak Park?

uring my campaign for village trustee, I committed to community safety as a priority, as it must be for any well-functioning municipality.

However, crime — crime involving guns in particular — has risen in Oak Park and, according to our police department, we are confiscating an illegal firearm locally on an average once a week.

At the same time, Oak Park has experienced over 10% attrition in our police force. According to officer exit interviews, the key reason for this attrition is the lack of support for our police department from elected officials and from the community at large. This attrition is particularly concerning given that effective policing will continue to be an important part (but not the only part) of any community safety solution. Hence keeping and attracting the best police officers for Oak Park is crucial. This is difficult to achieve if the community is viewed as undermining and undervaluing the services that police can provide. Oak Park wants to attract community-minded, service-oriented individuals to our police department to keep all of Oak Park’s residents safe.

I truly understand the legitimate outrage people feel as bias in policing actions disproportionately impacts Black and Brown lives. I also understand the history of

distrust leading up to the murder of George Floyd and other national events involving police brutality. However, outrage is useful only if it spurs us to actually deliver different and positive outcomes. Ultimately, we all want everyone in our community safe without bias and prejudice.

Oak Park exists in the middle of a country that has shown itself unwilling to legislate any meaningful gun reform, a nation unable to address widening socio-economic disparities. While crime always has been a part of human history, these social factors, exacerbated by the pandemic, further breed and enable violent crime. There is very little Oak Park — or any single community — can do to address national problems in the short term. However, we can and should influence the national debate through realistic solutions that work for us and potentially can be replicated in communities across the nation. But none of this happens overnight.

In the frustrating absence of national changes, let’s acknowledge the reality that our local police department, a pioneer in community policing, plays a vital role in keeping us safe. They cannot do this without our support. The police department is made up of people like you and me. People with families, people of

RAVI

PARAKKAT One View

See PARAKKAT on page 26

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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The Ike’s rebuild moment

here is a long-dormant plan to rebuild the Eisenhower Expressway from the dirt up, to reconfigure the space within Oak Park’s Harrison to Garfield ditch to allow two added lanes, to modernize and make the Blue Line el accessible from the Loop to Forest Park, to finally get rid of the space-saving but long unsafe center entry and exit ramps at Austin and Harlem, to replace all, and potentially widen, some bridges from Racine to Mannheim.

That plan, on which Oak Park lobbied heavily, and with some influence, more than a decade ago, went on the shelf after the state of Illinois’ Department of Transportation spent upfront for planning and development but then had no access to federal dollars for actual construction.

That changed Monday when President Joe Biden signed a rich, bipartisan infrastructure plan. There will be billions flowing to states to cover an array of hard infrastructure investments. And the rebuild of the 60-plus-year-old Eisenhower is essential and readymade.

Certainly that was the view of Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman, Illinois Senate President Don Harmon (Oak Park), Speaker Chris Welch (Hillside) and other political leaders last week as they touted the Rebuild 290 Coalition.

The goal, and certainly neighborhoods and towns along the Ike from the West Side to the far edge of Proviso Township are well represented here, is to make sure the Ike project is top of the list when IDOT apportions those federal dollars in the very near future.

There is still work to be done on a plan last seen four years back. Still at issue is how grand and expansive rebuilt bridges will be. The new bridge at Harlem, for instance, will be wide enough to allow bus lanes to drop off passengers at the Blue Line. Oak Park is lobbying for added width on the Oak Park Avenue bridge and maybe at East Avenue. Oak Parkers were divided five years ago on whether they wanted tall walls lining the highway to block sound and visuals of the roadway from neighborhoods.

While it is right and necessary to eliminate the center exits and entries, the replacements were stunningly intrusive in Oak Park and encroached on the south end of Columbus Park. A fresh look will be necessary.

We are glad to see Forest Park’s Hoskins taking a more pro-active approach on this plan’s impact on his town than his predecessor. Making sure two more lanes do not cut into the community, lobbying hard for a far better CTA terminus at Desplaines, and replacing the humpbacked Circle Avenue bridge with something far more connective of the north and south sides of town is imperative.

Finally, this rebuild comes in a moment when there is rightfully renewed focus on how the original interstate highway system was built through cities in the 1950s and 1960s.

So many of the decisions on routes and which neighborhoods would be decimated and divided had absolute racial motivations.

That consciousness needs to be brought to the final stages of the design debate. Do Blue Line stops on the West Side get reopened? Can the Blue Line be extended west toward more job opportunities? How does Columbus Park, a gem of the Greater West Side, get protected this time after it was sliced into back in the 1950s?

All important questions we need to collectively work through while making sure it doesn’t stop work on a project that absolutely must move forward.

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Solace in the leaving leaves

or the past week, because the world of human beings was a depressingly stupid place, I took solace in the leaves.

It was their week anyway, their swan song, their leave-taking. But before their final bow, for their encore, they blushed, flush with red and yellow and orange and brown, a crescendo of color.

Since April, these leaves have been our comforting companions, easily taken for granted, but not in this, their peak week, with flattering flourish, as if to command our attention one last time.

And succeeding.

After their seven-month pantomime of permanence, they made a shameless show of glorious fragility. How many leaves do you suppose festoon these trees? Hundreds for sure, maybe a thousand, maybe more. Now with reckless extravagance, dozens take flight with each small gust, as if this were all pre-arranged. Careful collusion. Some signal sent. Ready? Let’s soar.

This, their moment of genuine freedom at last, airborne, twirling, tumbling, floating, somersaulting. This is what it’s like to be a bird! ’S wonderful, marvelous. I envy them their climax and wonder what show mine might make someday. But they will return next April, or others just like them. It is we who do not return. This is the sweet melancholy of autumn.

They detach so softly, as if awaiting just this breeze-burst to set them adrift, as if longing for it, having fulfilled their mission, as if their final, fervent wish was to give themselves back to the soil. Some flutter from the greater height of an old-growth oak, nestling down, down, into the limbs of a smaller maple, thick with yellow leaves that resemble widespread hands, waiting to catch them. But most find their way to the grass below or plaster the pavement like a collage project, wet with recent rain, striking a pose before decomposing.

Once upon another time, I wrote, in the guise of an ancient Irish woman, whose voice I was surprised to find lurking within, who spoke of “leaves fallin’ sleepy like they didn’t care anymore, and coverin’ the ground so I can’t help but crush them with my unmindful feet, hearing their cracklin’ as if with every assault of my boot, they surrendered the holy oil of life.

“It reminds me of Eden’s autumn, when the

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persuadable woman, seduced early and ever after, broke the seal o’ the summer’s fruit, and saw her sin in the ensuin’ decay, and saw her shame in the blushin’ o’ the leaves. With each cold draft now, I feel a little deeper the despair that drove us from the garden.

“But how will I hear the soft singin’ o’ the wind when the trees are all barren and there’s nothin’ to tame it but the hard and brittle branches? And where will life be hidin’ then?

“I’ve come to dread the changin’ o’ the seasons. It tears you. And what do I find scattered about my feet just now but the pages of my life, listin’ my regrets and the witherin’ of opportu-

nity.”

I was 23 then and recited it one night in 1975 with friends, using the best brogue I could muster.

A friend in attendance was inspired by my prose, and the music of another, to work up the courage to court a woman in whom he was interested.

They have been married 44 years, and the pages of their forged life list no regrets, no withering of opportunity.

Almost a half-century later, neither do the leaves scattered about my feet just now.

Boris Pasternak, through the eyes of Zhivago, saw in the falling leaves life’s impermanence, not something to be mourned so much as marked, savored, honored. The life cycle working its magic.

These aren’t metaphors falling so gently, almost joyously to the ground. They are the very leaves that blessed this passing year, finishing their mission with a flourish. I don’t praise them so much as look up to them, enjoy them while still here.

Following a few blustery days filled with rain and even snow squalls, many trees, dense with their thousand leaves just a week ago, have been stripped bare. Others have shed and shed and still have hundreds of leaves left to go, aglow with color, even under the greyest of skies.

The changing climate has pushed peak color into November, and we are too ignorant or greedy or lazy or corrupt to do much about that. But I can’t help secretly being pleased by the company of leaves for several weeks more.

Still, it would be unseemly to complain about bare limbs when these trees yielded a bumper crop and show no signs of withholding their bounty as we look forward to another spring in our fertile suburban forest.

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

Oak Park needs a non-police crisis intervention team

As the village plans for 2022, our newly elected board of trustees has an opportunity to make good on its promise of big new ideas and real investments in our community’s well-being. With the 2022 budget, this board can set a new course, making a good-faith commitment to a more equitable vision of public safety. Eighteen months after last year’s racial reckoning, it is time to build a future that is both safer and more compassionate for everyone in our community.

The Oak Park Village Board can lead our community into this safer, healthier future by allocating $800,000 expressly for the creation of a non-police crisis intervention team in their 2022 Budget. This amount is independent of the police department’s budget, but represents about 3% of the department’s proposed 2022 budget — which aligns with commitments other communities have made when establishing similar programs. This proposal would fund about four nonpolice interventions a day, with the intent to increase this number over time as trust in civilian professionals grows and the community adds clinical capacity.

This approach to health and safety is part of a growing Treatment Not Trauma movement across the country and here in our backyard. Denver is expanding its Support Team Assisted Response program, which has handled hundreds of crisis calls without needing to involve police even once. Closer to home, Evanston is building a system similar to Denver’s, and Maywood is collaborating with neighboring communities to find a way to route some 911 calls exclusively to mental health professionals. In August, Governor Pritzker signed the Community Emergency Services and Supports Act (CESSA), which will require emergency response operators to refer calls seeking mental and behavioral health support to a service that can dispatch a team of qualified professionals instead of police.

With the Illinois CESSA legislation, federal ARPA grant money, and successful examples of this model around the country, Oak Park is well-equipped to create a non-police crisis response program that works for our community.

It’s time to build intent into action by allocating funds toward creating this team in 2022. Let’s make Oak Park a leader in providing mental health services, compassion, care, and support to our community members when they are at their most vulnerable.

Brandon Johnson, Cook County Commissioner 1st District - Norma Hernandez - Tim Thomas - Madhurima Chakraborty, Trustee,

Oak Park Public Library Board - Matthew Fruth - Susanne Fairfax - Virginia Bloom - Gavin Kearney - Kina Collins - Anthony Clark Athena Williams - Terri Powell - Cassandra West - Kevin Barnhart - Jacquelyn Rodriguez - Makesha Flournoy-Benson - Ana Garcia Doyle - John Duffy - Rob Breymaier - John Edgerton - Henry Fulkerson - Dot Lambshead Roche - Sheela Raja* - Paul Goyette - Jenna Holzberg - Shobha Mahadev - Jenna Leving Jacobson - Lynette Hish* - Rev. C.J. Hawking - Jim Schwartz - Suzanne Feeney - Swati Saxena - Michelle Mascaro - Darlene Kitterman - Barnali Khuntia - Samina Hadi-Tabassum - Cate Readling - Julie Justicz - Laura and Scott Sakiyama - Alicia Chastain - Christine Fenno - Kelly Bencola - Derek Eder - Rebecca Davis* - James Pfluecke - Michelle Major - Kate Walz - Colleen Cira* - Lisa Pintado-Vertner - Ranga Bodla - Aarti Tejuja* - Aneel Chablani - Dr. Erika Montgomery* Amisha Patel - Neena Hemmady - Katherine Liebl - Reshma Desai - Alexandra Sherman* - Adam Paradis - Alan Raphael* - Sean Fulkerson - Laurette Anderson - Steve Krasinsky - Claire Battle - Marcy Grant - Madeline Loy - Matt Collier - Nicole Sumida* - Marge Epstein* - Terrence Roche - Matthew Ash - Matty Ash - Cheslynn Ash - Elizabeth Forte* - Natalie Young - Elana Kranz - Sebastien Gros - Deborah Fletcher - Laura Noah - Sharmili Majmudar - Ryan Jacobson, MD - Andrew Williams-Clark Rekha Rajkumar - Aaron McManus - Jason Jenkins - Dr. Stacey Belmont*, Director, Belmont Depression and Anxiety Center - Joan Dyer - Kathleen O’Keefe - Michele Freiburg - Marjoyre Wright - Jessica Freiburg - Eric S Forte - Monali Shah - Stephen Hempel - Kisa Marx - Alexandra Blom - Richa Singhal - Melisa Alabsy - Ian Steckler - Molly Mansfield - Mary Davis Fournier Kate Odom, PsyD* - Beth Micucci - Melissa Foster - Nikhil Trivedi - Kim Jackewicz - Lisa Rader - Katrina Funk - Emma Meade - Anne McNamee-Keels - Janice Lodato - Libbey Paul - Yvonne Judice - Dagmar Schalliol - Samantha Chapman - George C. Valaika - Jennifer Ash - Pat Carew - Julia Nash - Mary Bird - John Murphy - Kelley Clink - Amy Overby - Remer Brinson - Lauren Robinzine - Andrea Charest - Darlene Kitterman - Barnali Khuntia - Marie MacBain - Donna Villa - Dorelle Miller - Kris Stokes - Kelly Brinson - Margaret Bracey - Charlene Cliff - Sarah Gray - Puja Mohindra - Bianca Bradshaw-Castillo - Jillian Karl - Brittany Russell - Brieanne Maldonado-Cruz - Whitney King - Christy Cutts - Varsha Hemmady-Wroght - Martha Martinez - Gavin Souter - Rick Villa - Norine Gutekanst - Mary Katherine Powell - Joan Davis - Anne Mellios - Miranda Johnson - Tom Johnson - Celine Woznica - Mary Ann Buck - Samantha Ashley - Thomas Katers - Katharine Thurman - Steven Hish-Frisbie Nora Schlesinger - Shira Leon * Mental health professional

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Senior Editor Bob Uphues Equity Editor/Ombudsman Michael Romain Digital Publishing and Technology Manager Briana Higgins Staff Reporters Stacey Sheridan, F. Amanda Tugade Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Arts Editor Michelle Dybal Columnists Marc Blesoff, Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger, Stan West Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey Business Manager Joyce Minich Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Development & Sales Coordinator Stacy Coleman Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs 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.

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

Unfortunate untruths about OPRF’s curriculum change

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ntruth #1: The fall 2019 OPRF community curriculum presentations were billed as community conversations. In fact, the title page was labeled “Freshman Curriculum Conversation.”

Parents who attended these infosessions quickly understood they were not two-way conversations. Nor were these sessions intended to foster further community deliberations. In no uncertain terms, these meetings were good old-fashioned “road-shows” trying to sell something.

During one of the presentations, a parent asked how the effectiveness of the pilot program would be evaluated to ensure we were getting the student outcomes we want from such a program. The answer was quite telling. It was explained that the pilot was never intended to understand if students were positively or negatively impacted academically, just how to make it easier to implement for the administration and teachers. Detracking was happening and these “conversations” were about telling us how it was going to happen.

The speaker said, “Based off what we see here, we do believe that combining these classes IS the path to go, there is NO DOUBT about that … but the idea of backing away … is something we are not willing to turn away from.” I encourage our community to listen to the entire school-produced presentation here to judge for themselves: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=cKPvRwrMiQw. For those looking for the pilot program discussion, tune into hour 1, minute 25, second 6. By the way, the pilot program was cancelled. Why? These “road shows” were never intended to be conversations with the hopes of learning what parents wanted for their children. The message to parents and taxpayers was: You al-

ready bought the product the school is selling with your taxes anyway, thank you and move aside.

Untruth #2: During the most recent OPRF Board of Education meeting, board members suggested that our community obviously supported OPRF’s detracked curriculum initiative because people voted for pro-detracking candidates during the last election. This simply is not true.

I voted for Tom Cofsky because I thought he was thoughtful. Tom seemed to appreciate the value of historical data. He liked looking at numbers and trends and seemed reasonable. I still think that today and appreciate his service. However, before voting for Tom, I knew he favored OPRF’s detracking plan even though I didn’t. I believed Tom would continue to look at data and to continue to listen and learn during his service to our community.

That is why I voted for him, not because of his position on detracking. Many people are not single-issue voters. And, sadly, there was only one candidate who wanted to understand the actual OPRF specific plan before committing to it.

So while I don’t believe the last election was a referendum on detracking, the next election is now shaping up to be just that. Our children would have benefited from a community coalescing around an agreed upon path with full transparency, more relevant research, honest dialogue and deliberation, and a true pilot with student achievement at the center of that process. We unfortunately did not get any of that.

Now that our board brought it up, maybe we do need a referendum on detracking?

Go Huskies.

Ross Lissuzzo, a former Oak Park resident, lives in River Forest.

PARAKKAT

form the basis for thoughtful deliberation and decision at the board table in the coming months, replacing mere outrage and frustration.

Meanwhile, I encourage the community — including our elected leaders and opinion builders — to consider carefully the long-term implications of our current words and arguments. Are they really making us safer, or are we just making political statements? We don’t have to disparage our police department to make a case for other solutions that help us create a safer community for our children.

Let’s explore these ideas with the understanding that good solutions can co-exist and complement each other. Let’s reject the voices of a small but vocal minority that has weaponized this topic to divide us and come together to seek the right combination of solutions to keep our community safe today and tomorrow.

Ravi Parakkat is an Oak Park Village Board trustee.

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LISSUZZO One View

Supportive reform from page 23 all colors, people who are our neighbors. So I encourage each of you to voice your support for them.

Now does this mean that the Oak Park Police Department is perfect? Of course not.

Do we need to hold individual officers and the department at large accountable in case they exhibit bias in their actions? Absolutely. Do we need to explore ways to improve and evolve our community safety approaches (e.g. mental health response)? For sure. This is the reason the Oak Park Village Board has commissioned an independent consulting firm to assess and make recommendations on this complex and important topic. We look to their findings to

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Public health director’s voice needs to be heard

We were dismayed to learn that Oak Park Public Health Director Theresa Chapple-McGruder’s request to continue her emergency powers was denied board discussion at the Nov. 15 Village Board of Trustees meeting — allowing this authority to sunset. To our knowledge, there was no public discussion where Dr. ChappleMcGruder could share her perspective with the community. Without a voted continuation, she will not have the authority to make immediate decisions without additional Oak Park board approval.

Oak Park is fortunate to have a state-certified public health department with a newly appointed leader committed to protecting our and her community. Chapple-McGruder, a nationally-recognized public health expert with a doctoral degree in epidemiology, has spent hours learning about the department’s programs and services, finding resources she can leverage, and working to build the infrastructure of the department that is currently not fully staffed, while monitoring COVID disease trends nationally and locally, and making tough decisions to protect our community.

She has also worked countless hours to help lead communicable

disease mitigation efforts that help keep our schools and community as safe as possible. She partnered with District 97, and others so that all D97 kids were offered (and over 2,000 in just four days, received) first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Oak Park was among the first in the nation to have this free, local opportunity for its students. With all of this experience and these accomplishments, her voice deserves to be at the village board table.

More than ever, we need to support the expertise of public health leaders who have been the brunt of people’s frustration with the pandemic.

Chapple-McGruder and our community deserve a public discussion about these issues. We hope the Oak Park community will support her and the Oak Park Department of Public Health, by living our values of transparency and open discussion, especially when it comes to our public health during a continued pandemic.

Christina R. Welter, DRPH, MPH Elizabeth Jarpe-Ratner, PhD, MST, MPH Gina Massuda-Barnett, MPH Andrea Kovach, JD

Working moms of elementary and middle-school children, public health and health policy professionals, and Oak Park community members

Public Health expiration is reprehensible

I’m a working parent of two small children, so I don’t have as much time as I’d like to be involved in local government. I’ve had to trust that the people who have been chosen to serve Oak Park in an official capacity are doing so with integrity. I know not everyone is going to agree on everything.

The board’s decisions are not always going to align with my preferences. But the blatant attempt of leadership to let the Oak Park Department of Public Health authorization expire without a vote that includes all trustees, and without a chance for the rest of the community to comment, is reprehensible.

Regardless of how you feel about the OPDPH making pandemic-related decisions, the members of this com-

munity have a right to know what’s going on, and each and every trustee should be part of decision making.

I’m angry that I have to state something so obvious, and that the people who are leading my community think it’s OK to behave this way. But mostly, I’m ashamed. I moved to Oak Park because I thought it was a place that wanted to do better. Time and time again Oak Park has had that chance — and failed. This is yet another missed opportunity.

Going forward, I expect the members of this administration to treat each other and the entire village with respect. No one is going to agree with all of your decisions, but all of us have a right to know about them.

Kelley Clink Oak Park

V I E W P O I N T S

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Festival Theatre seeks new board members

A

s we close our theater season for 2021, the Oak Park Festival Theatre Board (OPFT) and staff are feeling very grateful for the tremendous support we’ve received from our community recently. A huge “Thank you!” goes out to all who joined us for a production and donated to keep our vital mission going. We honestly could not have done it without you.

Now we are reaching out to our west suburban and adjacent Chicago neighbors to find people interested in joining our board of directors. We need you! We encourage new voices and ideas, and OPFT is looking for people who wish to be a part of an inclusive vision for performing arts. Even if you have no experience on a board, we encourage anyone with enthusiasm and skills to help oversee our nonprofit professional theatre. It’s fun, interesting, and is a career growth builder as well.

Do you know someone who would enjoy being a leader in our organization? You can find out more about the role at https://oakparkfestival.com/volunteer.

People sometimes take the presence of local arts organizations for granted — until they are no longer there. Then we mourn their passing and wish we had done more to support them. This year, the resources we received from donors and special government pandemic funds kept our theater afloat. Because we perform our summer production outdoors at the Park District of Oak Park’s Austin Gardens, we were fortunate to have been able to re-open in person, although at reduced seat-

ing capacity. We incurred increased costs due to required COVID safety procedures such as regular testing of our actors and staff, and renting outdoor restroom facilities. We also chose to increase the compensation for our actors and interns. Ticket prices remained reasonable (and free for kids!) as we are committed to encouraging a broad audience to attend our productions.

Many community members supported Oak Park Festival Theatre through our giving program, and we could not have kept going without this generosity. The Park District of Oak Park is making Pleasant Home available to us at a reasonable cost for our fall production of The Madness of Edgar Allen Poe – A Love Story.

This allowed a seasonal favorite to be presented once again.

All of the preparation for next year’s season is underway now. Our board and staff are in the midst of planning and fundraising so we can be back in Austin Gardens next summer. As we prepare, we invite you to be an active participant in our theater as a leader, an audience member, and as a sponsor. We want to know your feedback, too, and how you think we can provide the best possible cultural and entertainment experience for you. Write to us on our website: https://oakparkfestival.com/volunteer.

See you in the park in July 2022!

Barbara Cimaglio is the OPFT Board president and an Oak Park resident.

BARBARA CIMAGLIO One View

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

Rhythm of Light The window to the east heralds a rhythm of light.

In the early morning hours, It is difficult to determine whether the bluish-glow of dawning or a streetlamp captures my gaze.

Visual verification is necessary before deciding to roll over or begin my day.

Lights flicker on as I descend the stairs, approaching the darkened kitchen.

A red light signals the coffee is ready.

Opening the refrigerator for a splash of cream, the interior emits a soft yellow hue.

Caffeine in hand, I walk upstairs to view the orange sunrise as it filters through the barren trees outside the window.

Carole Novak Oak Park Writers Group

Personalization House 127 N Marion, Oak Park (708) 383-4100

Congratulations to Personalization House on their remodeling! gopersonalize.com

27

Among the Celebrants: Brian Kirst, Lauren Nemiroff, & Eric Priceman, Personalization House; Dr. Mary Ann Bender, Weil Foot & Ankle Clinic; Jenny Shepherd, Jenny Shepherd Public Relations; Christine Barnard, What Now? Advisors; Teri Miller, Beyond Hunger; Theresa Jurgus, Baird & Warner; Laura Best, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices; Michael Glab, Nutriquity; Liz Holt & Mark Walden, OPRF Chamber of Commerce; Cam Davis, Village of Oak Park.

Photos by Todd Bannor of Bannor & Bannor

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

V I E W P O I N T S

Climate change requires electrification of buildings Climate change is in the air. The COP26 conference is calling the world together to address climate. In the U.S., President Biden is proposing $550 billion to fight climate change. The state of Illinois has passed a far-reaching climate bill. With a new village board, Oak Park needs to move aggressively.

Our new Climate Action Plan should include an ordinance requiring all new buildings to be fully electric. This means using only electricity for space heating, cooling, water heating, clothes drying, and cooking.

A fully electrified building uses no natural gas.

This would immediately address the biggest source of greenhouse gases in Oak Park. It would bring direct emissions from new buildings to zero — a healthy step toward reducing all emissions by 50% by 2030, as called for by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Electrification is very practical and costeffective. One heat pump system can replace both furnace and AC, more simply and efficiently. The Park District of Oak Park’s new Recreation Center will be all-electric. New York, San Francisco and other cities are already moving to ban natural gas in new

buildings. In addition to the climate benefits, electrification means better indoor air quality and simpler maintenance.

Oak Park is in a building construction boom. The large apartment buildings built during the last few years all heat with natural gas, which locks in carbon emissions for the 50 to 100+ years building lifetime. (At some point, they may be forced into expensive retrofits to reduce emissions.)

There is no logical reason for new buildings to include onsite use of fossil fuels. A comprehensive Climate Action Plan will address this issue but it may come too late. Buildings planned for the Madison Street corridor may have much of their design completed. An electrification ordinance published in a year — or even a few months—may be too late.

But it is not too late to try. An electrification ordinance should be published as soon as possible. And village officials should seek opportunities to urge electrification on developers even before an ordinance is in effect.

Doug Burke Mac Robinet

Senior Climate Action

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REACH for a bright light in a dark world Thanks to Wednesday Journal for publishing the story of Shana Wills and her organization, Refugee Education and Adventure Challenge (REACH), and to Amanda Tugade for telling it so well [Using the great outdoors to connect refugee teens, News, Nov. 3]. The article captures the spirit of REACH as it is expressed in the words of a mother and several of the refugee teens who are part of the REACH community. The sense of community that is built as the groups explore a wide range of natural environments and acquire important new English, service learning, and outdoor technical skills, all while having fun, is the essence of this organization.

In the process, Shana is recognizing and encouraging the leadership qualities that emerge as young people form bonds and develop confidence.

I have found the work that Shana Wills is doing with newcomer families exceptionally creative and inspiring. I have been struck by the originality of her thought in conceiving, founding, and running REACH. With this organization, she brings together all that she has learned in a long career in refugee relief and advocacy with

her love of nature and the outdoors. With a small budget, strong partnerships, and a lot of volunteer assistance, she takes groups of teenagers on wilderness education excursions, like camping, hiking, kayaking, and climbing, and helps foster deeper connection with others and with nature.

How Shana has been able to adapt to the pandemic conditions and sustain this mission is something of a mystery to me. But she has done so, and as a supportive bystander, I find her example to be a reason for hope for the future. Reading the news each day, I find myself anxious about the multiple crises we face in this age of climate change and its many consequences.

But I know from history that there have always been people who see avenues for positive change. Living in Oak Park for 50 years, I have seen many examples of leaders who organize movements to solve problems and enrich the community. I count Shana as one of those leaders and encourage my neighbors to check out her website and learn more about REACH (https:// www.reachinchicago.org).

Stephanie Ferrera Oak Park

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Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

29

Stop the leaf blower racket!

What can be done about leaf blowers?

Thank you for your recent column [Give us a break: Ban leaf blowers, Ken Trainor, Viewpoints, Nov. 3] decrying gas-powered leaf blowers.

Apart from the extremely annoying, ever-present, needless attack on our eardrums and peace of mind, your confirmation of the extreme levels of noxious emissions is very compelling.

My question is what can be done?

I have not been engaged in local civic matters, to this point. Are you aware of any organized effort to change our village’s position on this nuisance? Do you have any suggestion on how join in a discussion?

Dave Crossett Oak Park

Editor’s note: Contact Village Trustee Susan Buchanan (sbucha3per-

sonal@gmail.com), and the Oak Park Environment and Energy Commission (Laura Derks, lcderks@gmail.com), which is studying a ban.

Also, Go Green Wilmette and Winnetka are sponsoring a multi-village leaf blower virtual meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. Contact Beth Drucker (beth@gogreenwilmette.org) for more information and the link.

Pampered cemetery or healthy environment?

If you want your village to have the look of a pampered cemetery, move to one. If instead, you want to live in an ecologically healthy environment, ban the leaf blowers.

Pat Healey

Ken Trainor’s criticism of noisy, environmentally polluting leaf blowers addresses a problem that transcends race, age, one’s political affiliation or sexual orientation. It’s an anatomical bit of equity: We all have eardrums, that thin flap of skin stretched tight that vibrates when a sound hits it. Whatever that sound is, it reaches our brain via the inner ear, which sends a signal to the brain. The brain then wants its owner to “attend” to that sound and give meaning to it.

In the case of those gasoline-powered, unmuffled leaf blowers, the normal brain says “Stop that racket!”

At this time of year, a leaf blower’s quintessential purpose is fully engaged, owing to the ubiquitous presence of deciduous trees shedding their leaves. Countless leaves.

Leaves everywhere! However they don’t all fall off all at once, and so individuals and landscape crews engage in a protracted determination to vacuum them, bag or burn them, or use them for compost.

Whatever the case, leaf blowers — the high-tech rake first created in the 1940s — tend to be those aforementioned earsplitting noise-makers. My apartment building has a huge courtyard with numerous tall trees. Each week, the landscape crew shows up as early as slightly past 8 a.m. This week, I endured well over an hour of leaf-blowing auditory assault. By early evening, after another period of leaf shedding by the courtyard trees, it looked the same as before the morning noise-makers finished up, in spite of crew members seeming not to know when to stop already! At times, I have watched them seemingly attacking dirt or leaf molecules. It is an absurd sight. But worse than sight is the sound.

Clearly the technology exists for battery-powered, muffled blowers. Sure, it will incur a financial cost to upgrade. Rebate incentives? Or simply required by law, with the noisemakers ticketed and fined, as a public hearing health issue.

That, or if government can’t attack the cause of the problem, then eliminate the effect: how about free, high-tech ear plugs?

Joe Harrington Oak Park

End leaf blower madness!

A big “Amen” to Ken Trainor’s column regarding leaf blowers! The case against them could not be stated better.

I am sharing it with friends and encouraging them to write to the village board members.

May this madness end!

Oak Park

HAUSMAN

Guns, hate and violence from page 23 difficult than ever for our legislators to pass.

Rampages have occurred in schools, Muslim mosques, Jewish synagogues, churches, Black meeting halls, gay bars and at peaceful protest marches. All have been hate targets.

The only way I see some of the violence

stopped is if weapon manufacturers cut back on their gun and ammunition inventories.

Yet I know that there is too much money at stake for this to happen. Then there’s the NRA. It opposes restrictions on militarystyle weapons sold to individuals. They also oppose background checks of prospective gun buyers, the elimination of crossing state lines to buy a gun, and mail order purchases.

These minimal safeguards for gun licensing do not interfere with hunters or gun collectors, but the NRA continues to oppose these safety controls. To ensure their influence, the

NRA has been one of the highest financial contributors to Republican candidates in recent elections.

Movements like Black Lives Matter and the Rainbow Coalition, however helpful in making strides in equality, have in response engendered more fear and hate among white supremacists. I am usually optimistic about changes for the better, but I have no solutions to quell racism, hate, or the proliferation of guns. Would that we could set up a national box and place a sign above it, asking people to leave their guns and ammunition there, as

Debra McQueen Oak Park

BBF did, but that isn’t possible.

I put my faith in like-minded citizens advocating for change. Additionally, I hope some of our elected officials will be brave enough to oppose the NRA and fight for legislation that more effectively regulates guns in our society.

To keep our nation strong, we need our diverse races, creeds, and religions to support each other. That is the strength of a democracy.

Guns, hate, and violence can only destroy our country.

30

O B I T U A R I E S

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

Margaret FitzGerald, 92 Active reader

Margaret Dell FitzGerald, 92, of Oak Park, died on Nov. 7, 2021, after a brief illness. Born on Oct. 22, 1929, to William Daly and Bernice (nee Norris) in Oak Park, she spent her youth and young adult years in Chicago. While a student at Mundelein College, she met her husband, Christopher James FitzGerald III, on a blind date while he was a student at Loyola University. They were married on June 17, 1950, and had nine children, 19 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren.

In addition to a very dynamic and busy family life, she graduated from Rosary College (now Dominican University), served as a Great Books discussion leader, volunteered at St. Edmund Catholic Parish, was active in book clubs, served as a docent at the Hemingway Museum, and volunteered reading to children at St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy Parish. She also enjoyed extensive international travel.

Chris and Margaret were early part-owners and investors in FitzGerald’s Night Club in Berwyn. A lifelong learner, she was seldom without a book nearby.

Margaret was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her daughter, Margaret Mary. She is survived by her daughter, Mary Claire (Matthew), William (Kate), Christopher (Kathleen), Geoffrey, Sheila (Gregory), Brian (Maggie), Catherine (Joseph), and Terrence (Chris).

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, Nov. 19 at St. Edmund Parish, 188 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park. The church will be open at 10 a.m. for visitation before the 11 a.m. Mass.

In lieu of flowers, kindly donate to the Salvation Army in her memory.

Miles Brundage, 79 Longtime dentist in Oak Park

Miles Edwin Brundage, DDS, 79, of Oak Park and River Forest, died on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2021 peacefully in his sleep. Born on June

28, 1942 to his parents Edwin Brundage and Myra (Simmons) Brundage, he attended Oak Park and River Forest High School where he was senior class president. He then attended Northwestern University where he received his BS and his DDS and started his career in dentistry, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfathers.

He joined the Navy in 1968 after graduating and served proudly in the Vietnam War on the USS Chilton LPA-38. He then returned to Oak Park where he continued to practice as a dentist for 48 years.

Miles is survived by his wife, Pat; his sisters, Nancy and Diane; his daughters, Trish and Abbie, their spouses Wes and Jason; and his grandchildren, Jake, Clayton, Miles, Luke, Maddyn and Dylan.

A funeral service will be held on Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, 924 Lake St., Oak Park. Private burial will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Christ Episcopal Church.

Arrangements were handled by Zimmerman-Harnett Funeral Home.

Ann Marie Boggess, 97 Supervised a WWII ammunition facility

Ann Marie Boggess, 97, nee Mossner, of River Forest, died on Nov. 10, 2021.

Born on Nov. 17, 1923, she earned a scholarship in Chemical Engineering to IIT and was a supervisor of an explosive ammunition facility during WWII. Ann Marie was the wife of the late Thomas P. Boggess III; the mother of Thomas P. (Sandy) Boggess IV and Nancy L. (late Tim) Jorgensen; grandmother of Thomas “Phil” Boggess V, Robert W. (Natalie) Boggess, Kari Jorgensen and Erik Jorgensen; great-grandmother of Haley, Joshua, Nicholas and Zack; and sister of the late Alfred “Eddie” (Barbara) Mossner.

Services were held on Nov. 16 at Westchester Bible Church, followed by interment at Mt. Emblem Cemetery.

Arrangements were handled by ConboyWestchester Funeral Home.

Robert P. Gamboney Funeral Director I am there for you in your time of need.

All services handled with dignity and personalized care.

Cell: 708.420.5108 • Res: 708.848.5667 I am affiliated with Peterson-Bassi Chapels at 6938 W. North Ave, as well as other chapels throughout Chicagoland.

Edward Borg, 94

Worked at the River Forest Tennis Club Edward Eric Borg, 94, died peacefully on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. Though born in New York City, he lived the majority of his life in the Chicago area.

His parents, Hjalmar and Anna Borg, immigrants from Sweden, settled on Chicago’s North Side. He spent the majority of his career working for First Chicago Bank until he took early retirement. However, he continued to work part-time at the River Forest Tennis Club until he was 91 years old.

He loved to travel leisurely, whether driving to Florida for family Disney World trips or taking the train out West with Ruth to the Grand Canyon or Jackson Hole. Little made him prouder than his grandchildren, and he loved to share their accomplishments with anyone who would listen. He also adored the many Labrador retrievers he had throughout the years.

Therefore, in lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Rescue Chicago (https://rescuechi.org/donate/), a 501(c)(3) independent charitable organization unifying Chicago’s shelter and rescue community. They support Chicago Animal Care and Control by providing supplies, medical sponsorships, veterinary care, blankets, and harnesses to shelter dogs.

Please note that your donation is for “Papa Ed’s Dogs.”

Ed was the husband of Ruth (Hanson) Borg.

They had just celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary in October. He is survived by Ruth and their three children, Steve (Diane) Borg, Lori (Nick) Foley, and David (Dawn) Borg, as well as their seven grandchildren, Sarah (Ben) Ohanesian, Kristin Heidloff, Mark (Sandra) Borg, Julie (Jeremiah) Brown, Olivia Borg, Anna Borg, and Elana Borg.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, Nov. 29 at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest, where he was a member for nearly 50 years. There will be a visitation at 10 a.m., followed by a service at 11 a.m.

Harry Clow Sr., 78 Forest Preserves accountant

Harry Edward Clow Sr., 78, died peacefully, surrounded by his children, on Nov. 19, 2020. He grew up in Oak Park and spent his youth on his family’s farm in Loyal, Wisconsin. A graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School, class of 1961. After graduating from Wright Junior College, he worked as an accountant for the Forest Preserves for most of his career. The last several years of his life, he worked as a ticket seller for the Chicago Cubs. In his youth, he was incredibly proud to have earned the rank of Eagle Scout and was also a Sea Scout. He was very handy and could fix just about anything, from cars to houses.

He was a kind soul who attended every Catholic event of his family’s lives, including weekly Mass, despite not being Catholic.

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM Harry was preceded in death by Sally (Schaefer) Clow, his wife and best friend, as well as his parents George and Eva, and his brothers John and George III. An incredibly proud father and grandfather, he is survived by his children, Harry Jr. (Maura Harding), Colleen, Kevin (Jennifer Cote), Gabrielle, and Keldra (Mike) Rabichow and his grandchildren, Peter, Michaela, Harry III, Maeve, Richard, Sally, Anna, Betsy, and George Clow, Schaefer and Grace Estrada, Michael and Madeline Rabichow, and Alice Olsen. He is missed by all who knew him and were touched by his humor, generosity and kindness.

A private burial has been held.

Saki (Dennis) Konstantos, 36

Managed George’s Restaurant George’s Family Restaurant was as busy as ever Sunday morning, with full tables and the waitstaff bustling about, but deep sadness hung in the air over the passing of one of DENNIS AND GEORGE the diner’s most KONSTANTOS familiar figures: Dionisios Konstantos, better known as Saki or Dennis.

The youngest son of Ourania and George Konstantos, the owners of the popular diner at 145 S. Oak Park Ave., he cared deeply about his family’s restaurant and everyone who entered it. His life was cut short by a heart attack at the age of 36, but he will be remembered as a friend who was as quick to give hugs as he was to top off your coffee. He died on Nov. 10.

“He was a wonderful son,” said George Konstantos. “I love him very much.”

His dedication to the diner, went beyond greeting customers by name and memorizing how they liked their hash browns. Beneath his cheeky humor and unpretentious personality was a compassionate soul who worried when elderly regulars didn’t show up at their usual time. He kept their preferred tables open just in case.

“He worked hard at this restaurant always,” George said. “He loved the people.”

When staff was short, he picked up the slack — waiting tables, working the register and manning the grill himself. During quieter hours, he could often be found listening to the lengthy stories of chatty customers or engaging them in friendly debates.

“Inside the Oak Park community, there were few faces as welcoming as Saki’s,” Oak Park Eats Editor Melissa Elsmo said. “No trip to George’s was complete without seeing Saki.”

He is survived by his parents, George and Ourania Konstantos; his brother, John; and his sister, Konstantina. He was the uncle of Fereniki, Ourania and George.

Services were held on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at St. Lazaros Greek Orthodox Chapel in Des Plaines, with interment at Ridgewood Cemetery.

Stacey Sheridan

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

Growing Community Media

31

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED • NETWORK SPECIALIST Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class.

Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

DEFINITION To perform various network/system administration, computer support, and operational activities for the Village including computer system setup, configuration, and testing.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED Reports directly to the Information Technology Services Director.

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES: Essential and other important duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following: Essential duties and responsibilities 1. Ensure that best in class customer service is provided to both internal and external customers and also embrace, support, and promote the Village’s core values, beliefs and culture.

2. Configure, test, and deploy network systems, such as, firewalls, routers, switches, wireless equipment, network servers and storage arrays.

3. Configure, test, and deploy system servers, such as, file, print, Internet, e-mail, database, and application servers.

4. Configure, test, and monitor server and end-user systems for security, such as, user accounts, login scripts, file access privileges, and group policy management.

5. Configure, test, and deploy end-user systems, such as, workstations, laptops, mobile devices, printers, and software.

6. Test, configure, deploy, and support security systems, such as, facility access system, video & audio system.

7. Monitor and auditing of networks, systems, and user activities to ensure security and efficiency of systems. Create scripts and reports of detail activities for regular review.

8. Perform and participate in disaster recovery activities, such as, backup procedures, data recovery, and system recovery planning.

9. Assist end-users with computer problems or queries. Troubleshoot systems as needed and meet with users to analyze specific system needs.

10. Ensure the uniformity, reliability and security of system resources including network, hardware,

software and other forms of systems and data.

11. Prepare, create and update user/technical procedure documentations and provide computer training.

12. Assemble, test, and install network, telecommunication and data equipment and cabling.

13. Participate in research and recommendation of technology solutions.

Other important responsibilities and duties 1. Train users in the area of existing, new or modified computer systems and procedures.

2. Participate in the preparation of various activity reports.

3. Travel and support remote facilities and partner agencies.

4. Operate, administer and manage the Village and Public Safety computer systems, including E-911 center, in-vehicle computer systems.

5. Prepare clear and logical reports and program documentation of procedures, processes, and configurations.

6. Complete projects on a timely and efficient manner.

7. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

8. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

9. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.

QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge of: Principals and procedures of computer systems, such as, data communication, hierarchical structure, backups, testing and critical analysis.

Hardware and software configuration of. computers, servers and mobile devices, including computing environment of Windows Server and Desktop OS and applications, Unix/Linux OS, VMware, iOS/Android.

Network protocols, security, configuration and administration, including firewalls, routers, switches and wireless technology.

Cabling and wiring, including CAT5/6, fiber network, telephone, serial communication, termination, and punch-down.

Telecommunications theory and technology, including VoiP, serial communication, wireless protocols, PBX, analog, fax, voicemail and auto-attendant.

Principles and methods of computer programming, coding and testing, including power shell, command scripting, macros, and

VB scripts.

Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment.

Technical writing, office productivity tools and database packages.

Ability to: Maintain physical condition appropriate to the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities, which may include the following: - Walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time - Operating assigned equipment - Lift 50 pounds of equipment, supplies, and materials without assistance - Working in and around computer equipped vehicles Maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and perception needed for: - Making observations - Communicating with others - Reading and writing - Operating assigned equipment and vehicles Maintain mental capacity allowing for effective interaction and communication with others.

Maintain reasonable and predictable attendance.

Work overtime as operations require.

Experience and Training Guidelines Experience: Three years of network/system administration in the public or private sector, maintaining a minimum of 75 Client Workstation computers. AND Training: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in computer science or a related field. Certifications in Microsoft Server Administration, Networking, Applications and Cisco Networking.

Possession of a valid Illinois Driver License is required at the time of appointment.

Vaccination against COVID-19 strongly preferred.

WORKING CONDITIONS Work in a computer environment; sustained posture in a seated position for prolonged periods of time; continuous exposure to computer screens; work in and around computerized vehicles outdoor and garage facility; lifting heavy equipment, communication cabling and wiring into walls and ceilings.

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Visit downtownoakpark.net/ job-listings for details.

Budget and Revenue Analyst The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Budget and Revenue Analyst.

This position will Serve the public with professional administrative and analytical duties in the areas of budget preparation, purchasing, payroll, data analysis and process improvement. Provides, prepares and maintains records, and financial and statistical reports and analysis which assist in the Village’s ability to improve business processes and gain efficiencies through better use of technology. Budget duties include assisting in the development, analysis and application of performance measures with regard to Village services and resources; preparing, modifying, tracking and monitoring Village expenses and transfers; and conducting budget-related research and analysis. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park. us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. First review of applications November 1,2021.

Seasonal Farmers’ Market Manager The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Seasonal Farmers’ Market Manager in the Health Department.

This position manages the Oak Park Farmer’s Market including the vendors that sell directly to the public within established guidelines. This is a part-time seasonal position with work from January-mid November and work required on Saturday’s from May through October. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs.

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

LEGAL SECRETARY The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Legal Secretary in the Law Department. This position will perform a variety of responsible and advanced legal secretarial and clerical duties in support of the Law Department; perform complex clerical duties within the assigned work unit; and provide secretarial and administrative support to Law Department staff. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs.

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than October 22, 2021.

Starting a New Business?

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking to hire a School Psychologist for a full-time position for grades PreK-4th starting in December 2021. To qualify, candidates must have a valid Illinois Professional Education License with endorsement in School Psychology (PreK-4). A Master’s Degree is preferred as well as 5 years of successful educational experience in both general and special education; and at least five years of successful experience in evaluating students, collaborating, and problem-solving with school and District teams. The right candidate will facilitate MTSS meetings, including individual and grade-level planning meetings. Integrate D90 practices around equity and inclusivity into daily work and relationships with students, families and colleagues.

Duties include: Completing appropriate psychoeducational assessments for children who have or are suspected of having a disability. Identifying and assessing the learning, development, and adjustment characteristics and needs of individuals and groups, as well as, the environmental factors that affect learning and adjustment. Using assessment data about the student and his/her environment(s) in developing appropriate interventions and programs.

Responding to parent and teacher requests for evaluations in accordance with Illinois law and maintaining compliance in accordance with Illinois special education law.

Application Procedure: Interested candidates should complete the online application available at district90.org SE Principal Engineer I sought by Enova Financial Holdings, LLC. in Chicago, IL for SE Architectural Design. Apply at jobpostingtoday. com Ref# 33128.

Publish Your Assumed Name Legal Notice in • Austin Weekly News • Wednesday Journal • Forest Park Review • Riverside/Brookfield Landmark

Call the Experts Before You Place Your Legal Ad! Call Stacy for details:

773-626-6332

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 In print • Online • Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year

OakPark.com | AustinWeeklyNews.com | RBLandmark.com | ForestParkReview.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com

32

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

CLASSIFIED

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG MARKETPLACE

RENTALS & REAL ESTATE

WANTED TO BUY

SUBURBAN RENTALS

CARS WANTED

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

Mercedes, Corvette, Mercedes,Porsche, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, MuscleCars, Cars, Ferrari’s,Jaguars, Jaguars, Muscle Mustang && Mopars Mopars Mustang Top $$ Etc. $$$$Top $$allallmakes, makes, Etc.

STUDIOS, 1, 2 & 3 BR

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

Best Selection & Service

708-386-7355

MMpropMgmt.com

SUBURBAN RENTALS

ITEMS FOR SALE PIANO FOR SALE

Chickering 1938 grand piano, 5’4”.

Good condition. Refurbished and restrung in the past. Buyer must move.

Reasonable at $1000.

DOWNTOWN OAK PARK 2BR APT

Call 312-339-2370

2BR, 1BTH apartment for rent.

Hardwood floors. Renovated and freshly painted. Small, vintage building. No smoking. No pets.

Parking included.

708-657-4226

2BR APT FOR RENT

Collector James Collector James 630-201-8122 630-201-8122

CLASSICS WANTED

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles HOME SERVICES Domestic / Import Cars: HAULING ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, A&A ELECTRIC Ceiling Fans Let an American Veteran do your work Mustang & Mopars Installed We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

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.

Collector James

630-201-8122

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

847-888-9999 Order online:

www. suregreen landscape.com

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

HANDYMAN Mike’s Home Repair Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do

708-296-2060

CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE Drywall Repair • Painting Fans Installed • Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning • Window Repair

FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small

708-488-9411

HANDYMAN Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates

773-637-0692 Ask for John

BASEMENT CLEANING

Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery.

708-848-9404

LANDSCAPING BRUCE LAWN SERVICE Spring Clean-Up Aerating, Slit Seeding Bush Trimming, Lawn Maintenance brucelawns.com

708-243-0571

OAK PARK & FOREST PARK

PAINTING & DECORATING 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

PLUMBING Supreme Plumbing & Sewer Services Installation: kitchens, baths, showers •Sewer Systems Piping Clogged drains •Water heaters

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed Quality workmanship & service 20+ years’ experience Locally owned & operated

Free Estimates!

708-955-7844

johnlavin530@gmail.com License #PR-1234

WOODWORK

2 BR, 1 BA, 2nd floor unit of 2-story house. $1350/mo., 2 occ. max.

2 blocks to downtown Forest Park and downtown Oak Park; 1 block to Green Line Harlem stop and Oak Park Metra stop. Hardwood floors, bright and spacious rooms, storage and coin-op laundry in basement, parking space for one vehicle included. 1 year lease required.

Tenant pays electric, gas, water. No smoking. No pets allowed. $40 non refundable application fee with a min 690 credit score. Last month’s rent due at signing. Inquire by email at voyageursllc@gmail.com.

CICERO 3724 S 53RD CT

A beautiful 2 flat in South Cicero off 35th st. Features include 3 bedrooms, central air, garage parking.

Modern appliances include dishwasher. Utilities separate. $1,700 per month plus security. Lease with option to buy possible.

708-383-8223 or 773-676-6805

ROOMS FOR RENT

Large Sunny Room with fridge, microwave.

Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $125.00. New Mgmt.

312-212-1212

OFFICE /RETAIL FOR RENT RIVER FOREST–7777 Lake St. * 1116 sq. ft. * 1400 sq. ft. Dental Office RIVER FOREST–7756 Madison St. * 960 sq. ft.

OAK PARK–6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. * 3 & 5 room office suites FOREST PARK–7736 Madison St. *2500 sq. ft. unit Strand & & Browne Strand Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011

2BDR FOREST PARK APT

Forest Pk Apt- 2nd flr, 1bdrm, 1ba, lg eat-in kitchen, lg livingroom, parking, coin laundry in basement, includes heat, cooking gas and water. close to I290/Blue Line, shops, Loyola Med and Rush- Oak Park Hospital. no smoking-no pets $1100/mo. 1-1/2 mo sec dep. 708-262-2444 or 708598-8898. view by appt only.

Terry's

Woodwork Restoration On-site refinishing of wood

and fiberglass since 1977.

Includes doors, woodwork, windows, staircases and new woodwork etc. All work done by hand. NO sanders. Your unfinished project my specialty!

References available.

Contact Terry Seamans at 630-379-7148 or terryseamans@yahoo.com

Reach the people making the decisions.

Place an ad in GCM Classified!

Call 773/626-6332

CITY RENTALS AUSTIN RENAISSANCE APARTMENTS

A HUD subsidized affordable Apartment property announces the opening of its waiting list for both One and Two Bedroom Apartments! Resident rent is approximately 30% of gross household income, some restrictions apply. Our property is located on Washington Blvd in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

Apartments offered with an occupancy of one to four persons. Properties feature modern kitchens, include appliances, and offer onsite maintenance. Austin Renaissance will accept requests for application packages by U.S. Mail postmarked no later than , September 15, 2021. Send or email a written request for an application package that includes your name, mailing address. Daytime telephone number, Email address, and the number of persons in your household to: Town Center Realty Group LLC, PO Box 64, Huntley IL 60142-0064 or Email requests to mrpaul.tcrg@gmail.com Application packages available by mail or email delivery only. No walk-ins accepted.

Town Center Realty Group LLC

Illinois Classified Advertising Network COLLECTABLES POSTAGE STAMP SHOW Westin Hotel 400 Park Blvd Itasca IL November 19-21 Hours Fri Sat 10-6 Sun 10-4 Free Parking and Admission Info at www.Chicagopex.org

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

CLASSIFIED PUBLIC NOTICES

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 BY E-MAIL: EMAIL@GROWINGCOMMUNITYMEDIA.ORG

PUBLIC NOTICES

VILLAGE OF OAK PARK PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD for the: Community Development Block Grant Program Year 2020 CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION REPORT PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Notice is hereby given that the Village of Oak Park Program Year 2020 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) will be available for public review beginning Wednesday, November 17, 2021. The CAPER is the City’s annual CDBG report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It will reflect the Program Year 2020 results, which began October 1, 2020 and ended September 30, 2021.

The Village of Oak Park invites comments on the CAPER. The public comment period will begin

November 17, 2021, and end December 1, 2021 @ 5:00PM CST. The report will be available by visiting the Village of Oak Park, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302 and at: www.oak-park. us/cdbg.

Written comments can be sent to this address to the attention of Development Customer Services, CDBG Department or may be emailed to grants@oak-park. us. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities and non-English speaking persons, as needed. Any Public comments will be submitted with the CAPER to the Village Board and HUD.

Published in Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

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: YY2100806 on November 1, 2021. Under the Assumed Business Name of CFC SERVICES with the business located at: 424 MARENGO AVENUE APT. 1W, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: CELESTE ADRENA FRAZIER 424 MARENGO AVENUE, APT. 1W FOREST PARK, IL 60130, USA. Published in Forest Park Review November 10,17, 24 2021

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: Y21008001 on October 18, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of LEE REALTY CONSULTANTS with the business located at: 1137 HIGHLAND AVE APT 2, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: AUDREY LEE-MCCLENTON 1137 HIGHLAND AVE APT 2 OAK PARK, IL 60304, USA. Published in Wednesday Journal November 3, 10, 17, 2021

33

PUBLIC NOTICE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS CHANCERY DIVISION IN THE INTEREST OF Case No. 2021CH02999 NOTICE BY PUBLICATION NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU, Unknown Heirs of Joseph Wilbourn aka Joe E. Wilbourn, respondents, and to all whom it may concern, that on 10/28/2021 a petition was filed by Emilia Merchen & Jason York in this court and that in the courtroom of Judge Myerson in Chicago, Illinois.

On 11/29/21 at 10:15am this case may be heard regarding the abandoned vehicle at 516 Washington Blvd, Oak Park, IL 60302. Court will be held over Zoom.

UNLESS YOU APPEAR AT THE HEARING AND SHOW CAUSE TO THE CONTRARY, AN ORDER OF JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT MAY BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU FOR THE TITLE REQUESTED IN THE PETITION. Published in Wednesday Journal November 3, 10, 17, 2021

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: Y21008136 on November 9, 2021. Under the Assumed Business Name of SUTTON PROPERTIES with the business located at: 1140 S DUNLOP AVE, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: SUTTON FAMILY PROTECTION TRUST NO. 2 5585 ADA DR SE, ADA, MI 49301, USA Published in Forest Park Review November 17, 24, December 1, 2021

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION US BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR VRMTG ASSET TRUST; Plaintiff, vs.

LORNA J. RANKER; CHARLES K. RANKER; CITIZENS BANK NA; Defendants, 18 CH 2459 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-17-327-034-0000.

Commonly known as 1185 S. LOMBARD AVE., OAK PARK, IL 60304.

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

For information call Mr. Ira T. Nevel at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 18-04613 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3180215

acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale.

The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

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

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

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

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

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 2005452IL_615522 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 19 CH 00561 TJSC#: 41-2313 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 19 CH 00561 I3180795

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-05-307-028-0000.

Commonly known as 1118 N. Austin Boulevard, Oak Park, IL 60302.

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

For information call Mr. Matthew C. Abad at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Kluever Law Group, 225 West Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 236-0077. SPS000616-20FC1 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3179623

SOCIATION, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants, 19 CH 4010 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-07-301-021-1004.

Commonly known as 1101 SOUTH BLVD., UNIT 204, OAK PARK, IL 60302.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a condominium residence. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9 of the Condominium Property Act Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Mr. Ira T. Nevel at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 19-01329 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3179601

of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required

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

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300 E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-19-08871 Attorney ARDC No. 00468002 Attorney Code. 21762 Case Number: 2019CH11236 TJSC#: 41-2318 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 2019CH11236 I3179810

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR FFMLT TRUST 2005-FF11, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005FF11 Plaintiff, -v.BRIAN HOLLOWAY Defendants 19 CH 00561 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 23, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on December 9, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 125 SOUTH LOMBARD AVENUE, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-08-302-0150000 The real estate is improved with a yellow vinyl siding, one story single family home, detached two car garage.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON SUCCESSOR TO THE BANK OF NEW YORK NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERS OF THE CIT MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2007-1 ASSET BACKED CERTIFICATES SERIES 2007-1; Plaintiff, vs.

JOYCE PILLOW; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 18 CH 6228

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE FOR HIS ASSET SECURITIZATION CORPORATION TRUST 2007OPT1, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-OPT1; Plaintiff, vs.

CHARLES T. GRANT; JUANITA J. GRANT AKA JUANITA LACOURT; PRAIRIE PLACE AT 6436 ROOSEVELT CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 14415 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, December 6, 2021 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-18-428-043-1019 & 16-18428-043-1064.

Commonly known as 6436 Roosevelt Road, Unit 311, Oak Park, IL 60304.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a condominium residence. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9 of the Condominium Property Act Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiff’s Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 3609455. W18-0641 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3179556 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION BAXTER CREDIT UNION Plaintiff, vs.

JOSHUA T. STEGMEYER, WENDY E. JARVIS, NILES ON MARION CONDOMINIUM AS-

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION Plaintiff, -v.MARY WOLFE, CITY OF CHICAGO Defendants 2019CH11236 1028 S AUSTIN BLVD OAK PARK, IL 60304 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 14, 2020, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on December 15, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1028 S AUSTIN BLVD, OAK PARK, IL 60304 Property Index No. 16-17-331-015 The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale.

The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

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

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition

Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice: Your right to know In print • Online Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year OakPark.com PublicNoticeIllinois.com

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2021Fall leaf collection set to begin...

The annual fall leaf collection program is scheduled for Nov 1 – Dec. 10 with six 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:

• Drive cautiously – crews will create safe work zones and close intersections for a few minutes while removing large leaf piles.

For more information call 358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us

Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 18 Nov. 25F Dec. 2 Dec. 9

EAST AVE.

THURSDAY

Nov. 3 Nov. 10 Nov. 17 Nov. 24 Dec. 1 Dec. 8 Last day to rake is Tue. Dec. 7

Last day to rake is Wed. Dec. 8

SOUTH BLVD. TUESDAY Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Nov. 30 Dec. 7

Last day to rake is Mon. Dec. 6

EAST AVE.

HARLEM AVE.

• 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.

WEDNESDAY

MONDAY Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 Nov. 29 Dec. 6 Last day to rake is Sun. Dec. 5

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.

• 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.

NORTH AVE.

ROOSEVELT RD.

2021 FALL LEAF COLLECTION SCHEDULE

Start delivery of

today!

Enclosed is my payment of ¨$43 for 12 months Name ___________________________________________ Address _________________________________________ City _______________ Zip ______ Phone ______________ Email ___________________________________________ Visa/MC/Discover # _________________ Exp Date _______ Signature ________________________________________ Mail to: Circulation Dept., 141 S. Oak Park, IL 60302 Offer valid for new subscribers in Cook County only. Expires 11/30/16

Or visit www.oakpark.com/subscribe/

36

Wednesday Journal, November 17, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

WE’RE BUILT TO SERVE

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As a local community bank, we offer financial solutions tailored to this area.

we reinvest your deposits with us...

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OAK PARK’S COMMUNITY BANK Bank local to help our community GROW which builds up our local economy and nurtures growth in our area.

151 N. Oak Park Ave. | Oak Park, IL 60301 708-948-0405 | www.bankoakpark.com

SCAN THE QR CODE TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT TODAY!!

ASK US ABOUT OUR GRAND OPENING SPECIAL, AND YOU CAN GET UP TO

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✓ Enroll in online banking

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STATEMENT SAVINGS

No required minimum to open.

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✓ Deposit $15,000 of new money6

✓ Maintain a minimum balance of at least $15,000 on the last business day of each of the 3 consecutive calendar months following the calendar month your new account is opened7

Visit the branch or go to bankoakpark.com/welcome to redeem this offer.

YOU CAN COUNT ON SERVICE FROM PEOPLE WHO KNOW OAK PARK:

Get to know us better at oakparkbank.com/meetus.

Melissa Cleveland Vice President and Director of Retail Banking

Chris Griffith Director of Commercial Development

FREE PARKING! First 90 minutes at the Avenue Garage across from the branch.

Oak Park Bank is a branch of Hinsdale Bank & Trust Company, N.A. 1. General Bonus Information. These Total Access Checking and Statement Savings account bonus offers are valid for new accounts opened January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. These Total Access Checking and/or Statement Savings account bonus offers are not available to existing or closed checking and/or savings account customers of Wintrust Financial Corporation (‘WTFC’) and its subsidiaries or its active employees. Limit 1 bonus payment per customer, regardless of the number of accounts opened. If you qualify for this Total Access Checking and/or Statement Savings account bonus offer, you are ineligible to receive the same bonus offer or any other interest rate offer in the same product from any other WTFC location. 2. Free ATMs. There is no WTFC transaction charge at any ATM in the Allpoint, MoneyPass, or Sum surcharge-free networks. Other banks outside the network may impose ATM surcharges at their machines. Surcharge fees assessed by owner of other ATMs outside the network will be reimbursed. Reimbursement does not include the 1.10% International Service fee charged for certain foreign transactions conducted outside the continental United States. 3. Total Access Checking Account Bonus Information. If you qualify for any other WTFC savings offer it may be combined with this Total Access Checking account bonus offer. Your new account must be open, in the same product, and have a balance greater than zero to receive the bonus payment. Balance is determined as of the end of each Business Day as the funds currently in your account including deposits and withdrawals made in the Business Day. The $300.00 bonus payment is subject to IRS 1099-INT reporting and may be considered income for tax purposes for the tax year in which the bonus was paid. 4. Total Access Checking Account Bonus Qualifications. (i) Open a new Total Access Checking account, (ii) tell us you are aware of this Total Access Checking account bonus offer at account opening; (iii) have at least monthly occurring direct deposits totaling $500.00 or more each month made to your new account for 2 consecutive calendar months after the calendar month your new account was opened (‘Qualification Period’). For example, if you open your new account in January, you would need to have “Direct Deposits” made to your new account in February totaling $500 or more and in March totaling $500 or more; and (iv) enroll in online banking and activate e-statements within the Qualification Period. A direct deposit is defined as any payment made by a government agency, employer, or other third-party organization that is made via an electronic deposit. A direct deposit does not include teller/ ATM/mobile or remote deposits, wire transfers, online banking/telephone transfers between accounts at WTFC, external transfers from other accounts at other financial institutions or ATM/debit card transfers and deposits. After you have completed all the above bonus qualifications, we will deposit the bonus payment into your new account within 30 calendar days after the Qualification Period. BANKER INSTRUCTIONS: Enter offer code WFC00DMTA300 during account opening. 5. Statement Savings Account Bonus Information. If you qualify for this Statement Savings bonus offer, you are ineligible to receive this Statement Savings bonus offer or any other savings interest rate offer from any other WTFC location. If you qualify for any other WTFC checking offer it may be combined with this Statement Savings bonus offer. Your new account must be open, in the same product, and have a balance greater than zero to receive the bonus payment. Balance is determined as of the end of each Business Day as the funds currently in your account including deposits and withdrawals made in the Business Day. The $200.00 bonus payment is subject to IRS 1099-INT reporting and may be considered income for tax purposes for the tax year in which the bonus was paid. 6. New Money. New money is defined as money not held at any WTFC location. 7. Statement Savings Account Bonus Qualifications. (i) Open a new Statement Savings account; (ii) tell us you are aware of this Statement Savings account bonus offer at account opening; (iii) deposit $15,000.00 or more of new money, defined as money not held at any WTFC location; and (iv) maintain a minimum balance of at least $15,000.00 on the last business day of each of the 3 consecutive calendar months following the calendar month your new account is opened (‘Qualification Period’). After you have completed all of the above bonus qualifications, we will deposit the $200.00 bonus payment into your new account within 30 calendar days after the Qualification Period. We will use your balance in your new account as of the last business day of each of the 3 calendar months to determine if the minimum balance requirement was met. Fees may reduce earnings. A maintenance fee of $5.00 will be imposed every month if the daily balance on any day of the month falls below $200.00. Transaction limitations may apply. BANKER INSTRUCTIONS: Enter offer code WFC00DMSA200 during account opening. A listing of WTFC locations can be found here: wintrust.com/locations.