CHAMPIONS: Fenw ick Defensive Lineman Luke Leone hoists the Illinois Class 6A Football Championship trophy with teammates dur ing the Victor y Rally follow ing the Fr iars’ 38-28 victor y over East St. Louis in the title game at Illinois State, Dec. 2. See story on page 36.
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Inspiring music in beautiful spaces
THURSDAY
Dec 18, 7:30 pm
Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest
River Forest Development Review Board to hear public comments Jan. 15
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
The River Forest Tennis Club is revising its application to amend an ordinance to add lights to its tennis courts at 615 Lathrop Ave.
According to a communication delivered to club members Dec. 3, the club has “decided to pursue a plan to light only six of the courts (Courts 1-3 and 6-8) so that the light spillage on the Jackson Avenue side of the club can be reduced to zero.”
Additionally, the communication noted that it will end play at 9 p.m. instead of 9:30 p.m. and limit light usage from May 1 to Sept. 30, instead of April 1 to Oct. 31.
Neighbors, some of them strong opponents, said the revisions are an improv ment but still question the fair ness of the hearing process.
The village of River Forest development review board held a public hearing on the original application Nov. 6, which had such a large turnout, it was scheduled for continuation last Thursday at village hall. But that continuation was postponed to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 to allow public comment on the revised application.
The original application would have added 24 poles at 30 feet tall, with two LED lights on each pole, covering all 10 courts, arranged around the outside fence. According to Village Administrator Matt Walsh, the original application is still being revised for the new parameters and is not currently available.
“Staf f met with the applicant to discuss potential revisions to the application,” Walsh said. “We shared guidance re garding Planned Development Standards and applicable Comprehensive Plan sections that are relevant to the application.”
Club president Dan Baker could not be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday morning. Neither could Elias Yanaki, who served as applicant on the original application, and then recused himself from voting on it as a member of the village’s development review board. Also on the development review board are club members
Maryanne Fishman, Jane McCole and Ron Lucchesi.
The perception of a conflict of interest is still a major issue in the mind of neighbor Paul Harding. But there is a viable solution, he said.
“This is a simple thing to resolve,” he said. “Follow the ethics ordinance. Four people have to recuse themselves; you get four replacements and have a hearing. The tennis club gets their hearing, the neighbors get their hearing. It’s fair.
“Why are we putting ourselves through this by not doing the obvious thing?”
Neighbor Carey Palmer said she thinks the revised application “is a step in the right direction, I suppose. I personally don’t think this is going to change my stance.”
The conflict of interest question still looms, she added, and ag reed with Harding that a development review board vote “that is objective and impartial” is the most appropriate step.
“For posterity’s sake, to give the neighbors the assurances they’ re looking for, a board vote that isn’t impacted by people with membership status,” she said.
The club’s Dec. 3 communication to its members underscored its due diligence.
“Finally, please rest assured that the RFTC has conducted itself honorably every step of this process and has been consulting with the village attorney throughout, including in re gard to who can present on behalf of the Club and who must recuse themselves from the DRB’s deliberations,” it said.
But Harding said there is another issue for contemplation.
“The other thing that I don’t like is that this private organization is a tiny organization, tiny compared to the 11,000 residents of River Forest,” he said. “Why should this tiny organization have such a big influence on the village? This sets a terrible precedent for the village.”
WEDNESD AY
of Oak Park and River Forest
Interim Executive Director Max Reinsdorf
Senior Audience Manager Stac y Coleman
Sta Repor ter Brendan He ernan
Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor
Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora
Contributing Editor Donna Greene
Columnists Marc Bleso , Nicole Chavas, Jack Crowe, Vincent Gay, Mary Kay O’Grady, John Stanger, Josh VanderBerg
Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck
Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead
Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea
Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza
Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls
Marketing & Adver tising Associate Emma Cullnan
Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan
Circulation Manager Jill Wagner
Operations Associate Susan Babin
Social Media and Digital Coordinator Maribel Barrera
Special Projects Manager Susan Walker
Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs
Senior Advisor Dan Haley
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair Eric Weinheimer | Treasurer Nile Wendor f Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson
EMAIL Dan@oakpark.com
By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter
Eight of 15 candidates seeking to be on the March 17 primary ballot for the 7th district seat in Congress - six Democrats and two Re publicans - have seen their nominating petitions challenged
The six Democrats who had their petitions challenged are Jazmin J. Robinson, Anabel Mendoza, Anthony Driver, Jr., Felix Tello, Kina Collins and David Ehrlich. Both Republicans who filed, Chad Koppie and Patricia “P Rae” Easley, also had their petitions challenged.
For the past three weeks, hearing officers appointed by the Chicago Board of Elections (CBE) have been working to review those for mal objections, review hundreds, if not thousands of voter registration signatures, hear arguments from both sides and come to a decision.
Hearing officers have the same duties and powers as an Electoral Board, except they can make no final, binding decisions, only recommendations to the CBE which has sole authority to render a final decision.
Sometime within the next week, hearing officers will render their opinions to the CBE on those challenges, either recommending the objections be sustained, or rejected. If a petition objection is sustained, that candidate’s name will be stricken from the March 17 ballot.
Records examinations related to objections against the petitions of Kina Collins and David Ehrlich were conducted on Dec. 3, and their cases continued to Wednesday, Dec 10, after the AWN print deadline. Also continued were the cases against Anabel Mendoza (to Dec. 9) and Jazmin J. Robinson (to Dec. 10). The next hearing on the cases against Anthony Driver and Felix Tello were listed as “to be determined” as of Dec. 8.
The CBE listed the status of objections against Koppie and Easley as “recommendation pending.”
While each petition objection case is judged on its own set of facts, there are usually similarities. Marlo Payne, the objector to Patricia Easley ’s nominating papers, has alle ged that her filing “lacks the 232 signatures required,” specifi-
cally alleging that among the up to 620 signatures on her petitions, a majority are not “duly qualified, registered, (or) legal voters at the addresses shown opposite their names…”
According to Illinois Election law, based on the voter turnout in the 7th Congressional district in 2024, Democratic candidates must submit a minimum of 1,164 valid voter signatures to be on the March primary ballot while 232 valid signatures are required to be on the Re publican primary ballot.
Objectors have the burden of proving their objections by a preponderance of the evidence, and “relief will be denied if he or she fails to sustain that burden. ”
The eight 7th Congressional candidates whose petitions were challenged re present more than a third of all petition challenges the CBE is dealing with this election cycle, a smaller than usual number.
CBE spokesman Max Bevar said Friday that election officials expected to conclude the process by Dec. 17, although if candidates opt to appeal any CBE decisions in circuit court, that could take the process into January.
“It was a lighter year than usual, and we expect to be wrapped up sooner,” said Bevar, who noted that the CBE had a total of only 23 objections filed this year. All recommendations from CBE hearing officers must be voted on by the full electoral board; the next scheduled CBE meeting is Dec. 23.
The last day for 2026 primary candidates to be certified
for inclusion on the 2026 general primary election ballot is Jan. 8. That deadline allows the 108 local election authorities around the state to have finalized names for all races in order to proceed with printing paper ballots.
The practice of challenging candidates nominating petitions has its supporters and detractors. On the one hand, it’s seen as a necessary gateway onto the ballot. While established Illinois laws state in part that “Ballot access is a substantial right and not lightly to be denied,” candidate’s nominating petitions do get denied, and their names blocked from being on the ballot.
In 1974, a circuit court opined that “A procedure inviting or permitting every citizen to present himself to the voters on the ballot without some means of measuring the seriousness of the candidate’s desire and motivation would make rational voter choices more difficult because of the size of the ballot and hence would tend to impede the electoral process.”
Therefore, the court reasoned, ballot access should be conditioned “on a modicum showing of voter support” shown by the signatures of a set number of voters in an electoral district. Courts have found that such requirements are “not onerous” and do not deny due process. Ballot challenges are seen by some as anti-democratic and unfairly limiting the number of people able to run for office, as well as imposing economic burdens on a candidate in defending his or her petition submissions.
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
A project to build a multi-family housing complex on Madison Street in Oak Pa rk is moving forward.
T he village gave final approval to a set of zoning variance requests required for the development of a fourunit, three-story townhome complex on the vacant lot at 427 Madison St., for merly the site of a g as station at the southwest corner of Madison Street and Elmwood Avenue. T he project required variance approval from the village board and Oak Park’s zoning board of appeals because the building will be 40 feet tall, ab ove the required 35 feet, and have a smaller rear yard setback than the 25 feet required by the village
“The structures would be three stories plus a penthouse, consisting of a garage and family room at ground level, kitchen and living space on the second level, bedrooms on the third level, and a penthouse area with roof access on the fourth level. The garage level consists of two-stall spaces for each townhome,” village staf f wrote of the proposal.
“The garages would be accessed from a driveway along Madison Street, and there would be gates for pedestrian access from the east and west.”
T he development re presents an increase in Oak Park’s stock of “missing middle” housing types available for purchase, according to village staf f. Typical middle housing includes multiunit structures such as townhomes, duplexes, triplexes and four plexes, according to the National League of Cities.
Increasing the number of those housing types in Oak Park is a key goal for the village board, which has expressed interest in remaking the village’s zoning code in an ef fort to allow more multi-family residential properties to be built in Oak Pa rk neighborhoods. T he village recently launched a public eng agement campaign on the topic called Shape Oak Pa rk.
“Shape Oak Park is strategically updating the zoning code to create more missing middle housing — duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes that fit naturally into our neighborhoods while maintaining Oak Park’s cherished character, walkability, and scale,” village staf f wrote
of the initiative. “Missing middle housing — duplexes, townhomes, and small-scale buildings that match our neighborhood character — can create opportunities for teachers, f amilies, nurses, seniors, and everyone who wants to call Oak Pa rk home.”
Oak Park residents can take a survey on the re zoning initiative on the village’s Engage Oak Park platfo rm.
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park Village Trustee Brian Straw appeared in court again Thursday morning for a hearing in his federal conspiracy case tied to a confrontation with federal law enforcement at a protest outside the Broadview ICE detention facility.
Straw is one of several progressive political figures facing felony charges for alleged conspiracy to impede the work of a federal law enforcement officer and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, according to U.S. Northern District of Illinois court documents. During the brief hearing before Judge April Perry, attorneys for the defendants said they’re prepared to challenge the charges on both first amendment and selective prosecution grounds as the prosecution outlined a timeline for providing case materials to the defense as part discovery
Straw’s co-defendants in the case are 9th District U.S. Congressional candidate Katherine “Kat” Abughazaleh, Cook County board candidate Catherine “Cat” Sharp, 45th ward
Democratic committeeman Michael Rabbit and two other protestors named Joselyn Walsh and Andre Martin. The indictment alleged that Straw and his co-defendants were among a crowd of protestors who blocked, pushed against and banged on a vehicle being driven by a federal officer into ICE’s Broadview detention facility the morning of Sept. 26.
Federal prosecutor Sheri Mecklenburg said the gover nment will provide discovery materials to the defense after the first week of January. Perry set the next hearing in the case for Jan. 28.
Discovery materials the state provides will likely include “White House communications,” Mecklenburg said. A trial date for the case could be set after the state provides discovery.
Straw’s attorney Christopher Parente asked the prosecution to keep the case moving, considering his client’s schedule and responsibilities as an Oak Park trustee.
“We’re a little concerned about the delay,” Parente said. “The gover nment decided when to charge this case.”
‘Moms’ arrive at rst court date, discover county has not led charges
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
A group of more than a dozen women from Chicago’s near west suburbs arrested after staging a sit-in protest in the driveway of ICE’s Broadview detention facility appeared for their scheduled court date last week, only to find they weren’ t on the docket.
The group of “suburban moms,” several in a dri Frida Cook County Sherif
minute later, processed, and released with notices to appear in court at the Maywood Courthouse Wednesday, Dec. 3.
When the women arrived at the courthouse last week for what they expected to be their first appearance, they learned they weren’ t on the docket for an appearance, and that their cases were in limbo, according to Nikki Kidd of River Forest, one of the defendants in the case.
The protestors and their attorneys left court last week unsure of how their case would proceed, if at all.
“Essentially what we’ve been told is that were not filed, and they could either stay un-filed, or could potentially be filed at some point in the future,” she said.
Kidd said the protest was driven by a need to “do something” in the face of the sharp immigration crackdown felt across Chicagoland, including in the Oak Park area. Residents re ported widespread ICE activity in Oak Park the day following the protest Nov. 8, with Oak Park police called to the scenes of re ported ICE encounters in the 500 block of N. Lombard, the 800 block of S. Gunderson, the 700 block of S. Elmwood, the 1100 block of S. Gunderson and the 400 block of N. Euclid that day, according to the village.
The group includes some of the latest Oak Park residents to be arrested at protests at the facility, which has been the subject of several court orders issued by federal judges concerning the re ported inhumane treatment of detainees.
Sta says work comes in ‘well within budget’ 2025-2026
Our 94th Season!
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2025 – 4PM Holiday happening
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CHAPEL • RIVER FOREST
RAVEL Valses Nobles et Sentimentales
TCHAIKOVSKY Nutcracker Suite
BIZET L’Arlésienne: Suites I and II
HARRIS Christmas: a Medley of Well-Known Carols (Holiday Sing-Along)
Pre-concert Conversation with David Leehey at 3pm. Free reception after the concert.
Free parking in the garage located at 1124 N. Bonnie Brae Place (one block west of Harlem Avenue between Division and Thomas Streets) in River Forest. Chapel just west of garage exit.
Individual tickets $30 until the day of concert, $35 on concert day. All tickets will be at Will Call.
Students through college always FREE to our River Forest concerts! Go to SymphonyOPRF.org to order tickets, and to DONATE. Questions: Email TheSymphonyOPRF@gmail or call (708) 218-2648
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park approved a contract this week for new safety lights at 11 intersections
around town to support the village’s cyclist and pedestrian safety goals. The village will install all of the push button-operated lights, known officially as Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, over
the next few months with work on the project expected to be finished by May 15 according to the proposal. The village board approved the work deal with Lyons Electric Co. valued at $628,252, as the project is set to come in “well within budget,” according to village staf f.
The safety crossing lights were among the suggested infrastructure improvements in Oak Park’s recently ratified Bike Plan Update and the village’s Vision Zero traffic plan, which aims to eradicate all traffic deaths in Oak Park by 2035.
tion of 40 individual solar-powered RRFBs to protect 11 intersections.”
News that the light installation work is expected to come in within budget comes after the village shared that the first phase of work on the new Bike Plan updates was costing much less than expected.
“Y
ou’ll be seeing a lot of neighborhood greenways being installed in the next several months. That
“This project will install the majority of RRFBs specifically recommended as part of both the Bike Plan and Vision Zero, except for locations that overlap with 2026 planned resurfacing work or locations that have not been identified in planning documents,” village staf f wrote in documents supporting the contract. “The Vision Zero Plan also identified additional locations for pedestrian-activated RRFBs to improve pedestrian safety for crossings of major roadways at the intersections of Fillmore Street with Oak Park Avenue and with Ridgeland Avenue. This project includes the purchase and installa-
is something I am very excited about.”
BRIAN STRAW
Oak Park village trustee
On Aug. 5, Oak Park’s village board approved spending for the first round of new bicycle infrastructure laid out in the bike plan that the board ratified in July. This round of improvements will cost the village $809,903, more than $500,000 less than the $1.4 million that was budgeted for them in the plan, according to village staf f.
Trustee Brian Straw said that the work coming in under budget is a great start to the rollout of the plan, which village leaders hope will drive increased interest in cycling in Oak Park by making the entire village safer for bike riders.
“That’s a savings of approximately $600,000 on this project and it is a great project,” he said. “You’ll be seeing a lot of neighborhood greenways being installed in the next several months. That is something I am very excited about.”
e crosswalk at Roosevelt Road and Lombard features a new system that activates lights to warn motorists to stop for crossing pedestrians.
GraceEpiscopalChurch 924LakeSt.OakPark,IL
GraceEpiscopalChurch 924LakeSt.OakPark,IL
EveningComplineService
EveningComplineService
EveningComplineService
Sunday,December14,9pm
Sunday,December14,9pm
Sunday,December14,9pm
Sunday,December14,9pm
EveningComplineService
Enjoythirtyminutesofbeautyandstillness duringthisentirelysungservice.Taketime formeditationandspiritualreflectionby candlelightasthemusicwashesoveryouin Grace’shistoric,gothic-revivalsanctuary.
Enjoythirtyminutesofbeautyandstillness duringthisentirelysungservice.Taketime formeditationandspiritualreflectionby candlelightasthemusicwashesoveryouin Grace’shistoric,gothic-revivalsanctuary.
Enjoythirtyminutesofbeautyandstillness duringthisentirelysungservice.Taketime formeditationandspiritualreflectionby candlelightasthemusicwashesoveryouin Grace’shistoric,gothic-revivalsanctuary.
Enjoythirtyminutesofbeautyandstillness duringthisentirelysungservice.Taketime formeditationandspiritualreflectionby candlelightasthemusicwashesoveryouin Grace’shistoric,gothic-revivalsanctuary.
FREEANDOPENTOALL GraceEpiscopalChurch 924LakeSt.OakPark,IL
Enjoythirtyminutesofbeautyandstillness duringthisentirelysungservice.Taketime formeditationandspiritualreflectionby candlelightasthemusicwashesoveryouin Grace’shistoric,gothic-revivalsanctuary.
FREEANDOPENTOALL
FREEANDOPENTOALL
At 42 N. seph Jacob W Lloyd Wright-designed home on West Side, and one of fi Prairie Style structures in the city.
But in the years since its most owners died, the house has fallen into disrepair, this year making Chicago’s annual list of most endangered historic buildings 10 most at-risk structures in the state. At a foreclosure went to the lender, instead of one of the organizations aiming to sa lender, PHH Mortg statements erty, the house may continue along a path of dilapidation.
The Florida-based mortg the house made the only bid, of the auction. An sco Construction endangered properties in Austin Coming to bid on the house. But they said the price paid by PHH Mortg could af ford.
“That’s too high a property is in se tion,” Darnell Shield of Austin Weekly News. Shields is also on the of Growing profit parent News.
According to Crain’s Chicago Business, though the average sale price of Austin homes sold in the past year is $280,000, at least three-quarters of them were in movein condition. Those that needed rehab were mostly sold for less than $100,000. The Walser house is appraised at $65,000.
group like ACT.
Now, it’s up to the lender to decide what they want to do with the property. Shields said the lender hasn’t revealed whether it has any plans for rehabilitation.
“As the owner, there is still the obligation that they have to address anything that will cause the property to be unsafe or a detriment to the community because it’s a vacant building,” Shields said.
He added that Austin Coming To gether
“T here’s a reasonable amount that we ’re i nterested in purchasing the property,” Shields said, though he didn’t reveal wh at it was and said the ideal situation would be if the property was d onated. And, because of the state of the housing market, if it became a public site i nstead of a residence.
“The most socially responsible thing would be to turn it over to whoever is going to ensure that the property is invested in,” Shields said. And a public site could mutually benefit the owner, the Austin community and Frank Lloyd Wright’s le gacy. “If another opportunity arises with the now-owner to have this property be
if that opportunity presents itself.”
Shields compared the Walser House’s potential to what was accomplished with the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation across the street — which was transfor med from Emmet Elementary School after it sat vacant for years before the Westside Health Authority bought it and eng aged the community to find a new use.
“There was a conceptualization of using that site in some ways that continue to improve quality of life in the community and allow the property to be a value and not a detriment to the area,” Shields said of the Aspire Center. T he same would allow the Walser house to “transcend what the property will be valued at because it has
since 2019, when Anne Teague died. Her husband, Hurly, and she bought the home in 1970, and as a contractor, Hurley worked to stabilize it.
Today, the house has holes in the roof and foundation, the exterior stucco and trim are crumbling, and other parts of the interior and outside must be restored. Shields estimates that it needs over $2 million in re pairs.
T he Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has been working for years to save the Walser house, a Chicago Landmark since 1984 and on the National Re gister of Historic Places since 2013. The former is a designation that requires approval for exterior changes.
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
Membership of the River Forest Education Association has chosen not to ratify a tentative contract ag reement with River Forest School District 90 that was announced last month.
In a joint statement Sunday by the district and RFEA, ne gotiation teams re presenting both sides “will resume mediation as soon as is feasible with the goal of resolving open issues.”
But what those issues are, what the final vote tally was and when mediation sessions will resume, either before or after the holidays, weren’ t clear Monday
Teacher union co-presidents Cindy Crannell and Lauren Baiocchi said through an Illinois Education Association spokesperson that the union does not release vote totals, and that “we are in the process of finding a date that works for both parties.”
“We are working with our membership to make sure all concerns are addressed,” they added, without elaboration. They also confirmed the original bargaining team, including them, would continue to re present teachers in the negotiations.
Crannell and Baiocchi, along with district superintendent Dr. Edward Condon,
said in Sunday’s joint statement that “we remain committed to working together toward a contract that supports our teachers and ensures the continued success of our students and school community.”
Success has been solid for the district in recent years.
With a score of 85.36, Lincoln Elementary School earned Exemplary status for the third year in a row according to the Illinois Re port Card released last month by the Illinois State Board of Education. Willard Elementary School (86.17) was declared Exemplary for the four th straight year. Exemplary schools rank in the top 10% of the state. The next 67% are considered Commendable, which is what Roosevelt Middle School earned.
The main point of contention in the ongoing ne gotiati ons has been teacher compensation. While administrat ive salarie s in District 90 have ke pt pace with comparable school districts, Crannell and Baiocchi have said, teachers’ salaries in River Forest have f allen behind. Without a new contract, they said, the district r uns the risk of losing teachers to higher-paying districts, which could lead to increased teacher tur nover.
The sides were forced to bring on a new third-party mediator after the federal government shutdown precluded the original mediator from further participating.
There was strong public turnout in the public comment portion of school board meetings this fall, with consistently over 100 participants.
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
The Bulldog Gazette may not be the first iteration of a newspaper in Roosevelt Middle School’s long history, but it may be the first to capture digital innovation.
L aunched during the 2022-23 school year after the end of the p andemi c, it was, and is, a student-led venture that c ombines a blend of feature articles and – for the m iddle school level – hard news (li ke why schedule changes we re necessary) and o pinion pieces (where buildin g leaders and students are interviewe d) . What ’s pa rt icularly unique is that the
Gazette is a digital-first news outlet, according to Julie F leisch, a building literacy c oach who is the teacher sponsor of the publication.
“They work in [software] Canva, they each g et their own idea from start to finish,” F leisch said. “We have editors and leads who come in and make the final adjustments. T he kids do the writing, the formatting and design.”
On a recent Thursday morning, 13 youngsters pecked away at laptops and exchanged ideas while eating lunch … almost exactly like an actual newsroom.
According to Rose, an eighth grader who is the editor, the Gazette was an obvious choice as an extracurricular activity for her
“I really like the writing of it, and I like typing up the article and making it into this whole story, and I really like meeting teachers I would never know before if I hadn’t interviewed them,” she said. “I like when it comes together and I get to see the finished work and know people are reading it.”
Spoken like a true editor. The publication’s assistant editor is Lucie, a seventh grader, whose sentiments are similar
“I really like just letting my own and other people’s ideas being heard out a little bit,” they said.
The printed copy of the Gazette is about 10 pages and it is loaded with content and departments you might see in the Wednesday Journal. The October issue had a short feature congratulating the school’s cross country teams on a stellar season. That was flanked by a Teacher Double-Feature, a Q&A written by Rose with two of the school’s world language teachers.
Inside, you’ll find a student poll – what’s your favorite Jolly Rancher flavor? – Trivia Time, a Fun & Games page with a word search and a movie review, a recipe page, and a very interesting A or B feature that asks whether a photo is real or created with Artificial Intelligence.
The Gazette has impacted the top echelon of school leadership, including principal
Tina Steketee, who was an assistant principal back in the 2022-23 school year. The students who wanted to launch the publication presented their idea to her “The newspaper club provides a wonderful space for students to express their creativity, refine their writing skills, and connect with peers who share their interests,” Steketee said. “I applaud their dedication and congratulate them on their excellent work.”
But mostly, the Gazette is just a good time for its staff. Call it fun with a purpose.
“Last year I was an editor, so that was a lot of layout and technical stuff,” said Grace, a seventh grader. “This year I’m writing articles. I don’t really cover sports as much, but I did do an article once where I went to a game and filmed and took pictures and stuff. It was like a package.”
What are the hardest stories they’ve worked on? Camryn, another seventh grader, recalled their biggest challenge:
“Back when I first started doing newspaper, I did a story on the Grammys,” they said. “I think it was last school year. I hadn’t watched them, so I had to go back and watch the whole thing in my free time, and then actually had to write the article.”
Again, spoken like a true re porter.
But it ’s more than w riting. Sixth- gr ader Evie is a sort of Jill of all trades fo r the Gazette
“ I’m usually the photo person adding little pictures and stuff to make it look nice,” she said. “I also do the word searches, the puzzles and last month I did an AI quiz. And I do the sustainability page.”
Fleisch said that there are roughly 20 students per year that work on the Gazette, but the rules are flexible, so the youngsters attend by choice
“It ebbs and flows,” she said. “If they are in a sport in the fall, they will join us in the winter and spring.”
By HECTOR CERVANTES
Contributing Reporter
Austin residents on Wednesday got their first look at plans to redevelop the massive Mars Wrigley manufacturing site, a major project aimed at transforming the industrial property into a mixed-use residential community.
The plan calls for redeveloping the 20-acre site, which includes a Chicago landmarkdesignated historic building facing Oak Park Avenue, into a new mixed-use community. Roughly 140 residents packed the auditorium of the Sayre Language Academy for the meeting. And the reaction included neighbor concerns the project is too dense with new housing for the neighborhood.
Alderman Chris Taliafer ro said Mars eng aged LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) early on to lead community eng agement after deciding to close its facility on the 2000 block of North Oak Park Avenue. LISC worked with three local organizations: Gilbert Manor, Northwest Center and Austin Coming To gether to hold five community meetings across four locations, resulting in the LISC plan.
“Mars issued a request for proposal to find a developer willing to bring a project as close to the LISC plan as possible,” Talia-
fer ro said.
McCaffery was selected to develop a project aligned with that plan. Taliafer emphasized that these community meetings are meant for lowing McCaffery to feedback and that additional meetings and inter-community discussions are planned over the coming weeks.
Joseph M. Antunovich, CEO of Antunovich Associates and Dan McCaffery, CEO of McCaffery, presented the redevelopment plan to those present.
The plan includes 150 units dedicated to senior living, 197 units of multi-unit housing and 132 townhome units. Altogether, the project will bring a total of 479 new units to the site
“For those of you that are local families, these are 5- or 6-story buildings, with parking on the first floor and four stories of residential units above. The townhomes along the edges will be no taller than three stories to remain compatible with the surrounding neighborhood,” Antunovich said.
The plan includes stormwater management, connectivity to walking trails, transitoriented development near the train station and upgrades to infrastructure like sidewalks, streets, and utilities. The proposal also a 64,000 Square foot community “flex” space
which can be used for events, farmers markets and other uses.
The meeting ended with residents submitting their questions and feedback by writing notes for the developers and Taliaferro to review highlighting disagreements over affordability, density, transparency and which features the community actually wants Community members expressed concerns about affordability, density, transparency and who actually wants certain features.
The developers explained that new housing units need to be filled to secure financing and that Chicago needs more housing overall. A resident responded, saying the focus should not be on finance or citywide needs, but on the neighborhood itself, emphasizing that this is a community of homes
One resident said, “We don’t need housing,” Others raised concerns about affordability, asking, “How expensive are they going to be?”
McCaffery emphasized that unsold or unfilled units would stop any new housing debt from being incurred
“You won’t get it financed. Banks won’t ve you the money to keep building if people aren’t going to buy it,” McCaffery said.
When asked what the mixed-use elements the primarily housing plan would include and whether it would serve the broader neighborhood, McCaffery responded that it ould cover “all of the above.”
“It was a 95,000-square-foot reuse of the old building, which is a great opportunity to determine what goes in there. That’s one use. Secondarily, there will be some modest, though not huge food service near the Metra station,” McCaffery said.
Residents asked about security in the new development, specifically whether each block
“Are we being considered? You know, the city wants this and it’s good for other people. But what about us? It seems like we’re being talked to rather than collaborated with.”
LO CA L RESIDENT
could have security measures. The answer clarified that multifamily and senior housing buildings will have security within them, while street security for the rest of the area falls under the city’s responsibility, but all buildings will be constructed securely.
Residents asked about including a library in the plans. Taliafer ro said they are working with the city to bring one, noting that previous attempts had failed because of city-related issues.
Another resident inquired if the plan could avoid adding new apar tment rentals or if there were alternative options. McCaffery said apar tments are particularly appealing to young people, and if the goal is to attract younger residents, adding apar tments is appropriate. He acknowledged the concern but suggested this approach fits the neighborhood’s needs.
One resident spoke and said “Are we being considered? You know, the city wants this and it’s good for other people. But what about us? It seems like we’re being talked to rather than collaborated with.”
By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR
Contributing Reporter
A long-empty storefront at 5958 W. Lake St. in Chicago, for merly a gospel record store, is now spinning coffee beans in an onsite roaster. New Sound Cafe churns out fresh brews with soul, with the hope of becoming a gathering place.
Owners Andrew and Hannah Follett moved to Austin with their kids from Oak Park four years ago. Not long after the building caught their eyes.
“It had some character to it and it’s just kind of a neat space,” Andrew Follett said. “When you would look in the windows you would see these original tile floors with the maroon, green and white penny tile. And it was like, man, that’s a cool space. But it was completely empty.”
“No plumbing, no electrical, no walls, nothing. It was a shell,” Hannah Follett said.
The gospel record store that gave the café its name closed
sometime in the 1970s. And no one has lived in the upstairs apartments for a long time. It took some imagination and collaboration to reenvision the location.
“We enlisted an advisory board of people who either had expertise in coffee or community eng agement or longtime Austinites to help this process,” Hannah Follett said. “We also wanted to think carefully about things like price point and offerings.”
Thus, the onsite roaster.
“We can get unroasted beans much cheaper,” Andrew Follett said. “It only takes us 10 or 15 minutes to roast three pounds of beans. And we can do that as much as we want on demand. We can have fresher coffee.”
spiration for the business, according to the Folletts.
“Of course, anybody is welcome to come,” Andrew Follett said. “But we wanted to have a feel that was intentionally for the Austin neighborhood. Our church, Chicago West Bible Church, is on this block. We now have this kind of hyper-local community where we live two blocks from our church, school, and now the cafe.”
One hundred percent of the profits from the cafe are promised to go back into the community as well.
newsoundcafe.com
5958 W Lake Street, Chicago Hours: Sunday, closed Mon.-Wed., 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
“We do not have a kitchen, so we partner with Trini’s Tasty Pastries,” Hannah Follett said. “She is a caterer out of the Hatchery on the West Side. She supplies all of our food items, which include breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, soup, pastries.”
The area that used to be apartments upstairs is now a lounge to sip and chat or work There is also a large conference table that can be closed off and rented for meetings.
Community building was always a driver behind the in-
“We’ re partnering with local West Side, Austin-based organizations,” Hannah Follette said. “Austin residents are able to reinvest in their neighborhood. The money that they’ re spending goes to impact the work that’s going on in their neighborhood.”
A patio behind the building can been seen through wide glass doors from the ground floor of the cafe. Plans are afoot to plant more greenery there in the spring and to host events and music.
“We want this space to be a place where people can connect, get to know each other, run into people,” Hannah Follett said. “The kind of place where people are rubbing shoulders.”
By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park police arrested a man on aggravated assault charges over the weekend.
Police arrested a 27-year-old Chicago man in connection with an attack in the 400 block of Elmwood Avenue shortly before 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5, according to police. The alle ged attack re por tedly victimized another Chicago resident, according to police.
The man was taken into custody, processed and then transported to bond hearings, according to police.
Oak Park police arrested two men in connection with domestic battery incidents last week.
Oak Park police arrested a 39-year-old Chicago man in the 6200 block of North Avenue on domestic battery charges shortly
after 8 a.m. the morning of Saturday, Dec. 6, according to police.
Oak Park police also arrested a 40-yearold man on domestic battery charges in connection with an alle ged attack on an Oak Park resident. Police arrested a man shortly after 7 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7 in the 700 block of Austin Boulevard, according to police.
These items were obtained from Oak Park’s Police Department re ports dated Dec. 2–8 and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
generals’ offices and national homelessness abatement leaders, federal housing officials now look to be distancing themselves from the proposed changes, local leaders say re presented a radical change to how the U.S. combats homelessness.
Leaders at Housing Forward, the nonprofit agency responsible for people experiencing housing instability and chronic homelessness in Cook County’s western suburbs, said they shocked earlier this year by news that the Trump administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development was looking to impose new restrictions on how local organizations could spend federal money associated with the agency’s Continuum of Care grant program. The proposed restrictions included putting a cap on how much organizations could spend on permanent housing programs and enforcing new requirements on program beneficiaries, according to Housing Forward Executive Director Lynda Schueler
As the holiday season arrives, Cantata is filled with the spirit of togetherness as residents craft decorations, sing carols, and enjoy festive meals.
Per manent housing support programs are among the core strategies championed by homelessness experts for getting people into stable housing. The proposed changes would’ve only allowed Housing Forward to spend 30% of its grant money on permanent housing units, as the gover nment looked to force organizations to shift their spending to temporary programs, Schueler said.
“Permanent supportive housing is a model that has been adopted by HUD more than a decade ago as a way for the nation to end homelessness for highly vulnerable, high need individuals that require long term subsidies for housing because of their disability, because they are typically on a fixed income, of say, Social Security benefits or VA benefits, or in some cases, have no income at all,” Schueler said. “So in order for providers like us to help reduce unsheltered homelessness, HUD provides this level of funding for these rental subsidies.”
Schueler said most of the subsidized rental units that the group provides to its clients are paid for by federal funding. Housing Forward served more than 2,500 individuals and families last year across 26 suburban communities including Oak Park, Maywood, Forest Park, Brookfield. Berwyn and Cicero.
Among the rental assistance programs the organization administers, several are dedicated to providing stable housing and wraparound services to domestic violence survivors, people with severe mental health issues and young adults exiting the foster care system.
The federal grant program changes would fundamentally change how the organization works to combat homelessness, particularly among people living with long-term disabilities, Schueler said.
“This is a really hard pill to swallow right now, so it’s not just a loss of funding. It’s also a loss of permanent supportive housing as our answer and as a demonstrated and proven solution to end homelessness,” Schueler said.
More than 25% of Housing Forward’s budget is made up by funding coming directly from HUD, including seven permanent supportive housing contracts Housing Forward has with the agency that supports more than 300 long-term subsidized units for people with disabilities experiencing chronic homelessness, Schueler said.
Congress created the Continuum of Care program in 1987 to provide resources for states, local governments and nonprofits to deliver support services to homeless people, with a focus on veterans, families, and people with disabilities, according to Reuters.
The program has long been based on the “housing first” approach to combating homelessness, which puts people into permanent housing without preconditions such as sobriety and employment, Schueler said. The changes would ultimately put more people on the streets across the United States and create extra burdens for local health systems, Schueler said.
The proposed changes to the grant program, which were first introduced in late September, were met with a lawsuit filed by attorney general’s offices in 20 states, including Illinois, and another from the National Alliance to End Homelessness and Democracy Forward. The legal challenges argued that the program changes could drive some 170,000 Americans into homelessness.
In a Monday court filing, HUD leaders said that they were planning to abandon the proposed changes and new restrictions to the Continuum of Care grant program.
The move came after U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy told agency leaders they had created “intentional chaos,” in its handling of the grant program, according to Reuters.
Uncertainty around the future of federal funding has lingered since Trump took office this year, with HUD’s Chicago office seeing a large cut in personnel shortly after the president took office, Schueler said.
Winter brings its charm, but it’s also a time to focus on safety and well-being. Seniors should dress warmly in layers, wear shoes with good traction, and keep walkways clear to prevent falls. Staying hydrated and checking on friends and neighbors helps everyone stay well throughout the season.
For families traveling this holiday season, Cantata offers respite stays a perfect solution to ensure loved ones are cared for while you’re away. These short-term stays provide professional support, nutritious meals, and opportunities for holiday activities in a welcoming environment.
The holidays are about connection, joy, and peace of mind, and Cantata invites you to embrace the season safely while creating special memories.
Happy Holidays!
For more info, visit Cantata.org or call (708) 387-1030
By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter
Donny G’s Italian restaurante and bar is a mainstay just west of Harlem at 7308 W North Ave. in Elmwood Park.
The old school, elegant vibe carries through not only to the menu, but to entertainment on weekends and weekly specials.
New general manager Michael Mirza was immediately impressed when he joined the team four months ago. “Coming from the corporate world, everything comes out of a bag,” he said. “Here it’s different. It’s actually made from scratch, literally. Chef Alberto dices the tomatoes; he makes the sauce; he puts the salt; he does the pepper. He’s got his own recipe in his mind.”
Chef Alberto Pedina arrived at Donny G’s six years ago from La Scarola in the city.
“Whatever you get, you’re going to enjoy. That’s without a doubt,” Mirza said. “The bruschetta is probably our most popular. The second would be the fried calamari. Chicken Vesuvio is a very excellent choice
Christmastime is special here, but the specials last year round
as well.”
Chicken Vesuvio is a Chicago-born dish. It is said to have originated at Vesuvio Restaurant, downtown during the 1930s – an echo of similar chicken dishes originating in southern Italy.
The rest of the menu reflects that deep flavor ethos too.
“It’s just old-school Italian, great food, and then Friday, Saturdays, great entertainment, too,” Mirza said.
On Friday and Saturday nights music adds additional ambiance. Acts such as the Anthony Cassano Quartet fill the air with the sights and sounds of Frank Sinatra. Stella Raimondi sings Italian and American pop hits. Weekend valet service
makes parking easier too.
as well as rotating seasonal selections. In December it’s an eggnog martini. The wine list is Italian, but ready for all tastes and budgets.
steakhouse, but it is much more, according to Mirza.
“We do have steaks for sure, without a doubt. But our home is Italian food,” he said. “We have rotating specials. Every single week it’s going to be something different. It’s seasonal, or honestly, if the chef gets ideas that comes in mind, we’ll try it, say it’s phenomenal. We’ll just put it on a special for the next week.”
Catering is always offered, but on Christmas eve, it goes into overdrive.
“We set up a table and have everything planned out. Food comes out, we tray it up, put them in the boxes, label it and then we just dish it out. Honestly, so it’s very seamless” Mirza said.
Bread pudding (top) and locally baked Cannoli (bottom).
get your order in at least two days prior to the holiday.
G’s is up to par with the rest of the menu. Cannoli come from a local bakery. Bread pudding tempts many.
going to lie,” Mirza said. “But our tiramisu is phenomenal. It’s fresh. It’s amazing. It’s a whole different ball game.”
Donny G’s continues to bring you home, on a trip down memory lane or simply remind your tastebuds why you wish you grew up Italian.
Address:
7308 W North Ave., Elmwood Park Website: donnygsristorante.com
Hours: Sunday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday Closed Tues–Thurs 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.
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: M25001094 on November 18, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of ROAMWELL, A TRAVEL COMPANY with the business located at: 221 OLMSTED ROAD, RIVERSIDE, IL 60546. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: ALLISON FAKHOURY 221 OLMSTED ROAD RIVERSIDE, IL 60546, USA
Published in RB Landmark
November 26, December 3, 10, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: M25001053 on November 4, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of GREY PHOENIX ART STUDIO with the business located at: 3730-32 PRAIRIE AVENUE, BROOKFIELD, IL 60513. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: THERESE ANGARONE 3238 RAYMOND AVE BROOKFIELD, IL 60513, USA
Published in RB Landmark
November 19,
LEGAL NOTICE
The Village of Oak Park ��Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302�� will receive electronic proposals until 10�00 a.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2025 for Project: 25�22, EV Charger Installations. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, the improvements consist of: the installation of Electric Vehicle �EV� Charging Stations and associated conduit, cable and controllers, as well as pavement removal, earth excavation, concrete median installation, bollard installation, pavement markings, and all appurtenant work thereto.
Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 4�00 p.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oak-park. us/your-government/budgetpurchasing/requests-proposals or at www.questcdn.com under login using QuestCDN number
9971313 for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4�00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening. All prospective bidders must provide their Illinois Department of Transportaion prequalification with with their bid.
This project is financed with local Village of Oak Park funds and Illinois Environemtnal Protection Agency �ILEPA� Driving a Cleaner Illinois � Climate and Equitable Jobs Act �CEJA� funds. The work to be performed pursuant to this Proposal is subject to all state rules, regulations and guidelines including the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq and the requirements in the ILLINOIS WORKS JOBS PROGRAM ACT, 30 ILCS 559.
THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Bill McKenna Village Engineer
Published in Wednesday Journal, December 10, 2025
Notice is hereby given that pursuant to an ordinance adopted on the 4th day of December, 2025 (the “Ordinance”), by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois (the “Village”), intends to issue its Waterworks and Sewerage Revenue Bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $12,000,000 (the “Bonds”) and bearing interest per annum at not to exceed the maximum rate authorized by law at the time of sale thereof, for the purpose of paying costs of improving the combined waterworks and sewerage system of the Village through the replacement of lead service lines (the “System”), as further described in the Ordinance. The Bonds would be payable solely from the revenues of the System, including the portion thereof attributable to the Village’s recent water rate increases for the purpose of lead service line replacements. A complete copy of the Ordinance follows this notice.
Notice is hereby further given that a petition may be filed with the Village Clerk of the Village (the “Village Clerk”) within thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice, signed by 700 or more electors of the Village (the same being equal to 10% of the registered voters in the Village), asking that the question of improving the System and the issuance of the Bonds therefor, be submitted to the electors of the Village. If such petition is filed with the Village Clerk within thirty (30) days after the date of publication of the Ordinance and this notice and on or before the 15th day of December, 2025, an election on the proposition to issue said bonds shall be held on the 17th day of March, 2026. If such petition is filed with the Village Clerk within thirty (30) days after the date of publication of the Ordinance and this notice and after the 15th day of December, 2025, an election on the proposition to issue said bonds shall be held on the 3rd day of November, 2026. The Circuit Court may declare that an emergency referendum should be held prior to either of said election dates pursuant to the provisions of Section 2A 1.4 of the Election Code of the State of Illinois, as amended. If no such petition is filed with the Village Clerk within said 30-day period, the Bonds shall be authorized to be issued.
By order of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois.
Dated this 4th day of December, 2025.
/s/ Emily Stenzel Village Clerk, Village of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois
ORDINANCE NO. 4173
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the issuance of Waterworks and Sewerage Revenue Bonds of the Village of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois, in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $12,000,000, for improvements to the waterworks and sewerage system of the Village through the replacement of lead service lines.
*
WHEREAS, the Village of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois (the “Village”), operates its combined waterworks and sewerage system (the “System”) in accordance with the provisions of Division 139 of Article 11 of the Illinois Municipal Code, as supplemented and amended, and in particular as supplemented by
the Local Government Debt Reform Act, as amended (collectively, the “Act”); and WHEREAS, the President and Board of Trustees of the Village (the “Board”) has determined that it is advisable, necessary and in the best interests of the public health, safety and welfare to improve the System through the replacement of lead service lines, all in accordance with the preliminary plans and estimate of costs heretofore approved by the Board and now on file in the office of the Village Clerk, and to pay the engineering, legal, financial and administrative expense related thereto (collectively, the “Project”); and
WHEREAS, the Project has an expected useful life of not less than 50 years; and
WHEREAS, the estimated cost of constructing and installing the Project, including engineering, legal, financial, bond discount, printing and publication costs, and other expenses, is not less than $12,000,000, and there are insufficient funds on hand and lawfully available to pay such costs; and WHEREAS, it is necessary and for the best interests of the Village that the Project be undertaken and in order to finance the costs thereof it will be necessary for the Village to issue up to $12,000,000 bonds payable from the revenues of the System, including the portion thereof attributable to the Village’s recent water rate increases for the purpose of lead service line replacements (the “System Revenues”) as authorized by the Act (the “Bonds”); and
WHEREAS, the State of Illinois (the “State”), acting through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (the “IEPA”), has offered to make loans to the Village, to be evidenced by the Bonds, through the “Public Water Supply Loan Program” or the “Water Pollution Control Loan Program,” or from both of said programs, of the State (together, the “Program”), for the purpose of paying certain eligible costs of the Project; and it is necessary and advisable to authorize the acceptance of said loans and execution of appropriate loan documents at the appropriate time; and WHEREAS, pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of the Act, the Village is authorized to borrow funds from the Program and may issue the Bonds in evidence thereof for the purpose of providing funds to pay the costs of the Project; and WHEREAS, the loan will bear an interest rate as defined by 35 Ill. Adm. Code 662 (the “Program Regulations”) which does not exceed the maximum rate authorized by the Bond Authorization Act, as amended, at the time of the issuance of the loan; and WHEREAS, the principal and interest due on the loan shall be payable semi-annually, and the loan shall mature within 30 years, which is within the period of useful life of the Project; and WHEREAS, such loan or loans to the Village may be made pursuant to a loan agreement or agreements and bond ordinance or ordinances, with such terms and conditions as may be provided by the IEPA: NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Ordained by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois, as follows:
Section 1. Incorporation of Preambles. The Board hereby finds that all of the recitals contained in the preambles to this Ordinance are full, true and correct and does in-
corporate them into this Ordinance by this reference.
Section 2. Determination to Issue Bonds. It is necessary and in the best interests of the Village to undertake the Project for the public health, safety and welfare, in accordance with the preliminary plans and estimate of costs as hereinabove described, that the System continue to be operated in accordance with the provisions of the Act, and that for such purpose, there are hereby authorized to be issued and sold the Bonds in an aggregate principal amount (which can include construction period interest financed over the term of the loan) not to exceed $12,000,000.
Section 3. Publication. This Ordinance, together with a notice in the statutory form (the “Notice”), shall be published once within ten (10) days after passage hereof by the Board in a newspaper of general circulation in the Village, and if no petition signed by a number of electors being at least equal to ten percent (10%) of the number of registered voters in the Village, asking that the question of improving the System and issuance of the Bonds therefor, as provided in this Ordinance, be submitted to the electors of the Village is filed with the Village Clerk within thirty (30) days after the date of the publication of this Ordinance and the Notice, then this Ordinance shall be in effect and the Village will be authorized to issue the Bonds. A form of petition to be provided by the Village Clerk to any person requesting one is attached hereto as Exhibit A. In the event that no such petition is filed, the Village Clerk shall provide a no referendum certificate to the IEPA in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B and made part hereof
Section 4. Additional Ordinances. If no petition meeting the requirements of applicable law is filed during the petition period hereinabove referred to, then the Board may adopt additional ordinances or proceedings supplementing or amending this Ordinance providing for the issuance and sale of the Bonds, prescribing all the details of the Bonds, so long as the maximum amount of the Bonds as set forth in this Ordinance is not exceeded and there is no material change in the Project or purposes described herein. Such additional ordinances or proceedings shall in all instances become effective in accordance with applicable law. This Ordinance, together with such additional ordinances or proceedings, shall constitute complete authority for the issuance of the Bonds under applicable law.
However, notwithstanding the above, the Village may not adopt additional ordinances or amendments which provide for any substantive or material change in the scope and intent of this Ordinance, including but not limited to interest rate, preference, or priority of any other ordinance with this Ordinance, parity of any other ordinance with this Ordinance, or otherwise alter or impair the obligation of the Village to pay the principal and interest due to the Program without the written consent of the IEPA.
Section 5. Loan Not Indebtedness of Village. Repayment of the loan(s), as may be evidenced by the Bonds, by the Village to the IEPA pursuant to this Ordinance is to be solely from the System Revenues derived from user charges for the System and such other lawful sources as described in the preambles hereto, and the loan(s) shall not constitute an indebtedness of the Village within the meaning of
any constitutional or statutory limitation.
Section 6. Application for Loan. The President, Village Manager or Finance Director of the Village is hereby authorized to make application to the IEPA for a loan through the Program in accordance with the loan requirements of the Program Regulations.
Section 7. Acceptance of Loan Agreement. The Board hereby authorizes acceptance of the offer of the loan(s) through the Program, including all terms and conditions of the IEPA loan agreement(s) as well as all special conditions contained therein and made a part thereof by reference, such loan agreement to be as further approved by the bond ordinance and related proceedings for the Bonds. The Board further agrees that the loan funds awarded shall be used solely for the purposes of the Project as approved by the IEPA in accordance with the terms and conditions of the loan agreement.
Section 8. Reserve Account. The Bonds will be issued subordinate to certain outstanding bonds of the Village with respect to the System Revenues. As long as the Village has outstanding senior bonds that are payable from the System Revenues, the Village shall maintain an account, coverage, and reserves equivalent to the accounts, coverages and reserves required by the outstanding ordinances.
Section 9. Authorization of President to Execute Loan Agreement The Village President is hereby authorized and directed to execute the Loan Agreement with the IEPA. The Board may authorize by resolution a person other than the Village President for the sole purpose of authorizing or executing any documents associated with payment requests or reimbursements from the IEPA in connection with this loan
Section 10. Severability. If any section, paragraph, clause or provision of this Ordinance shall be held invalid, the invalidity of such section, paragraph, clause or provision shall not affect any of the other provisions of this Ordinance.
Section 11. Repealer; Effective Date. All ordinances, resolutions or orders, or parts thereof, in conflict with the provisions of this Ordinance are to the extent of such conflict hereby repealed; and this Ordinance shall be effective immediately.
ADOPTED by the President and Board of Trustees on the 4th day of December, 2025.
AYES: Evans, Fitzgerald, Gallegos, Marsh-Ozga, Mateo
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Kos
APPROVED on December 4, 2025
/s/ Douglas Pollock
President, Village of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois
PUBLISHED in the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark on December 10, 2025.
RECORDED in the Village Records on December 4, 2025. Attest:
/s/ Emily Stenzel Village Clerk, Village of Riverside, Cook County, Illinois
Published in RB Landmark December 10, 2025
The following property transfers were re ported by the Cook County Clerk from August 2025. Where addresses appear incomplete, for instance where a unit number appears missing, that information was not provided by the clerk.
The following property transfers were re ported by the Cook County Clerk from July 2025. Where addresses appear incomplete, for instance where a unit number appears missing, that information was not provided by the clerk.
Three of four luxury high rises have changed hands since 2024, generating collectively transfer tax revenue of more than $1.8 million for village
By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter
Beginning in 2016, a spate of high-rise buildings rose in downtown Oak Park. Vantage, The Emerson Apartments, Albion and Eleven33 were built between 2016 and 2019, bringing a combined 1068 luxury apartments to Oak Pa
With the recent sale of Eleven33 in November, we take a look at the buildings, their rents, property taxes and the transfer taxes paid to the village each time one of these buildings changes hands. The transfer tax rate is $8 per thousand of the selling price.
According to Cook County records, the property has a 2024 assessed value of $5,131,961, which translates to an estimated property value of $51,319,610. In 2024, the building’s property tax bill was $906,843.72.
Each of the buildings are classified as property class 3-97 by the Cook County assessor, meaning they are apar tment buildings with more than 7 units and some portion of the building set aside for commercial usa ge
The first of the four to rise above Lake Street was Vantage, a 21-story building at 150 Forest Ave. The building opened to renters in 2016 and includes 270 apartments.
The building has a mix of studios, one-bedroom and twobedroom units. Early rental prices started around $1,700 for a one-bedroom unit and rose to over $2,800 for a twobedroom. Today, the rent of a one-bedroom unit begins around $2,200 and a two-bedroom goes for more than $3,300 a month.
In 2018, Magnolia Capital and Goldman Sachs paid about $102.8 million for the building. In July of 2024, San Francisco-based FPA Multifamily paid $78.25 million for the property. At the time of the 2024 sale, the building was 96.2% occupied. Today, there are 18 apar tments at ReNew listed for rent on Apartments.com.
Next up, is The Emerson, which opened its doors in 2017. Located at 1135 Westgate St., The Emerson contains 270 units inside its 20-story frame. The Emerson offers studios, one bedroom and two-bedroom apar tments with different floor plans to choose from.
Early in its tenure, rents at The Emerson ranged from $1,608 per month for a studio to over $3,300 for a two-bedroom. Today, rents at the Emerson range from $1,900 for a studio to over $3,900 for a two-bedroom unit. There are cur rently 16 apartments listed for rent at The Emerson on Apartments.com.
In 2024, VA8 Emerson, LLC of Irvine, California purchased the building from LMC Oak Park Holdings, LLC, the original developer of the building, for $60,250,000.
The Cook County property tax portal has no property tax records for 1135 Westg ate St. in Oak Park.
from page 25
Open to renters in 2019, Eleven33 is located at 1133 South Blvd. T he 12-story building has 263 units, including studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and threebedroom units
At the time it opened, studios rents were just over $1,600, one-bedrooms starting at $1,800, two-bedrooms starting at around $2,650 and three-bedrooms staring at $5,949. Today, 1133 does not advertise its rent prices on-line or through apar tment search engines
This November, Draper & Kar mer, a Chicago-based developer, purchased the building for $88.5 million. While the building does not advertise available units on Apartments.com, a press release at the time of the sale indicated the building was 95% leased. The press release indicated that
rents in the building start at $1945. According to Cook County, the property had a 2024 assessment of $6,144,987, translates to an estimated property value of $61,449,870. The property had a 2024 tax bill of $1,748,453.11.
The Albion, building hands since it was ry building includes 265 units from studios up to three bedroom
When it opened, studios rented from $1,495 and up; one-bedrooms from $1,920 and up; tw three-bedroom units ranged from $4,715 to a top price of $5,450. dios are priced rooms star On Ap lists 13 apartments In 2024, the Albion had an assessed value of $6,890,445 with an estimated property value of $68,904,450. Albio tax bill ran $2,245,150.42.
Each time one of these buildings changes hands, a transfer tax is generated in the amount of $8 per $1,000 of sales price, netting the village revenue.
Dan Yopchick, chief communications officer for Oak Park, said in an email: “Real estate transfer taxes are fully explained in Article 23A-1 of the Village Code. Basically, the real estate transfer tax is imposed on all sales of real property, both residential and commercial, where there are a transfer of title and an exchange of money
or other assets. The tax on these sales is $8.00 per thousand dollars of the sales price. Where there is no exchange of cash or assets (such as a transfer of property to a trust) there is a fee of $30.00. With a couple of exceptions, stated in Article 23A1-14, all real estate transfer taxes are deposited into the General Fund.”
The recent sale of Eleven33 netted the village roughly $708,000 in transfer taxes, and the village received $482,000 from the 2024 sale of The Emerson. The 2024 sale of the Vantage, now ReNew, added roughly $626,000 to the village coffers.
Wednesday Journal, December 10, 2025
A salute to ser vice, p. 31
‘The traffic is just getting out of hand!”
“Taxes are going through the roof !”
“Parking is impossible!”
“We don’t have enough truly local neighborhood businesses and grocers!”
“Rent is getting out of hand!”
“Everything is getting more expensive, I just can’t cope!”
These are the top complaints of Oak Parkers. If I’ve missed any, let me know. (Helicopters?)
When faced with these problems, politicians will offer up rent control, road widening, subsidized housing, free parking, gover nment-run grocery stores and targeted middle-class tax rebates.
None of those headline issues are root causes, they are effects of a system that prioritizes low density, car-dependent development. The politicians’ solutions just make things worse.
Low-density development means both housing and retail are spread out. You need a car and car parking when you go shopping, so you need a car and parking at home. This limits the density of both residential and commercial districts, putting a hard cap on sales and property tax revenue, driving up our share of the tax pie
Spread-out development makes transit slow and costly, forcing more car trips. Clogged roads and limited parking tur n residents against new housing, decreasing supply and driving up rents. Low density kills walkable retail, pushing shoppers to big-box stores with parking lots. Car dependency causes more car dependency. It’s a vicious spiral, and at the bottom, our lowest-income neighbors pay $12,000 a year per car just to participate.[1]
The solution is bike lanes. No, bike lanes aren’t magic, but every one we build is a vote against the car-dependent system that got us here. It’s a vote for a future where the car isn’t the only way to live and work in Oak Park
Safe bike routes divert car trips, decreasing traffic and conserving parking. This enables higher commercial and residential density, increasing the funding we have for fixed infrastructure, decreasing our tax share. The new development this unleashes increases housing supply, controlling rents.
Every new bike lane creates a virtuous cycle — fewer car trips mean less parking demand, less parking means room for density, more density means more places worth biking and walking to.
It will, of course, take more than just bike lanes We need transit that goes where people actually go, and zoning reform so that we can build new housing Not more roads. Not more parking. Not more subsidies for a broken system.
We must begin the work of undoing 100 years’ worth of car-dependent urban design. But it will take vision. You can already see that vision in some parts of Oak Park, where residents walk to local businesses that provide most everything they need. Their kids walk or bike safely to school. Families get rid of one car, sometimes even both. In these areas beats the dense economic heart that subsidizes everyone else.
[1] https://www nerdwallet.com/auto-loans/learn/total-cost-owning-car
The following was delivered during last Sunday’s service at Unity Temple in Oak Park:
A prayer
The sound of whistles
Rode across the winds
Chirping like migratory birds
Laid by hardened hands
Liberation lives in the creases of a fold
Held in place by a day laborer
The fold flutters as it’s laid opened like the wings of monarchs
For we are one rhythmic cycle
Waiting to return
Josh is a passionate urbanist and entrepreneur who’s lived in Chicagoland for 30 years and has called Oak Park home for over a decade
My name is Janelle Miller and I am a resident of Broadview. For those still unfamiliar, Broadview is a small village with a majority Black and Brown population, with about 8,000 residents to call it home, a village living discreetly amongst more well-known neighbors like here in Oak Park. Yet a deep shadow has been held over us, rivaling those caste by skyscrapers. Living right alongside us since 2006, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility has been operating within Broadview’s industrial corridor. Just like me, most residents were unaware of ICE’s presence here until recent news was brought to our doorsteps. This
shadow looms large, not just directly for our community, not just here in Chicagoland, but now upon the nation and beyond
When you hear the words Broadview people go, “Ohhh …” Many of those concerned ask me, “How does it feels to live here? What do residents think? What is your mayor like?” The lack of voices and perspectives creates an incomplete picture of our realities here.
I can’t speak for everyone, but here today I can say that this resident is ashamed that there is free speech with curfew hours, that chemical agents and bullets rain down not just on protests but residents, that we are now center stage for this administration’s ills. Things done for the perceived protection of our residents and citizens are directly causing violence and panic to our neighbors in surrounding communities. Nothing about this facility being in our community creates safety — not back in 2006 when the doors opened, not during Operation Midway Blitz, not when BP and DHS leaves our community, not now, not ever
I tell them I feel unsafe as the buzzing sounds
Public pressure works. The River Forest Tennis Club, which seemed to be on a glide path to putting lights on each of its 10 courts on Lathrop Avenue, has now pulled back that application. In its place, the private club told its members last week it would now seek approval to light only six courts, none of them immediately adjacent to the homes on Jackson. The new application is expected to go before River Forest’s Development Review Board in mid-January.
This is progress. Is it acceptable to the wider residential neighborhood that surrounds the tennis club? We’ll find out in the weeks ahead.
Still problematic is the hearing process that any version of an application must go through. As we noted last week on this page, village code says hearings on zoning requests for an institution related to recreation must be heard by the review board. Trouble is a majority of the seven members of that board are members of the tennis club.
It is simply preposterous that the tennis club application will be reviewed by its own members. There needs to be a fix — and before Jan. 15. One neighbor and critic suggests swapping out the four tennis club members for a bunch of golfers or video game players before the next hearing. Or could the village board send the application to the zoning board?
A final question: Does the River Forest Tennis Club have any members who do PR? If they have such a practitioner, we hope they’d advise its leadership it would look better, more transparent, if they returned a call to a re porter from the local paper.
Outside of platitudes – committed to children, etc. – the two sides in the contract negotiations for a new teachers contract in River Forest elementary schools have gone silent. That comes as the unexpected, to us, rejection of a new contract recommended by the union was turned back by the rank and file.
Unclear when the River Forest Education Association and District 90 will get their negotiating teams back to the table. The coming holidays are likely to complicate progress. Not known is whether this vote was close or lopsided.
What we know is that this disagreement comes down to money. Teachers are frustrated that the “Exemplary” schools they drive, are paying less than comparable high-performing districts by their analysis. The district maintains its finances will be tightening in the next few years and it needs to be prudent on costs.
It is clear that the majority of district parents are in strong support of the teachers’ demands. Also factoring in is the search for a new superintendent which is now fully underway. Supt. Ed Condon surely would prefer that his final year not be consumed by this rancor. And while the top post in District 90 remains a plum, candidates for the job will take some pause in joining a district with labor issues.
o you talk to God? It might surprise you to hear that, as an agnostic, I bother talking to God at all. But agnostics, while not believing in God, don’t disbeli ther. We hold open the possibility on both ends of the belief spectrum. So I frequently find myself talking to the God Who May or May Not Exist. It comes naturally. When you’ alone in the cosmos, speaking to a hypothetical divine presence takes the edge of f existential loneliness. So many things never get said in life. This is the chance to say them.
In my version, the God Who May or May Not Exist uses the pronouns He/Him, She/Her, They/Them, It/It. I don’t much care for the name “God,” though it is the unavoidable title our culture has bestowed on the presumed/proposed/supposed supreme entity. The Bible isn’t much help either. Yahweh (remove the vowels and never say it) is the unnamed, or as some claim, “I Am Who Am,” which sounds like an unsolved, and unsolvable, riddle. In other words, T he Mystery. I prefer the simpler “You,” honoring Martin Buber’s spiritual masterpiece, “I and Thou,” and the sacred word “I-You,” which can only be spoken with your entire being. Now that’s saying something. We address our personal version of the Supreme through various strata of speech: straightforward intimacy (Jesus to Abba on the cross), coy informality (Tevye the milkman from “Fiddler on the Roof,” wondering whether it would ruin some vast eternal plan if he were a wealthy man), for mal solemnity (Bible, church talk), defiant g rievance (Job, the only person ever to put the biblical God on the defensive), and respectful humility (likely how you would speak if you genuinely believed a divine presence were listening … in real time).
Aloud or in thought, we use words carefully chosen, or chosen for us, or recklessly thrown out depending on our states of mind and emotionality, comprising a wide span of categories: solicitations or lamentations, psalms or blessings, bargaining or pleading, queries or requests, indictments or gratitude, suggested improvements humbly submitted for consideration as junior par tners and loyal members of the Grand Covenant — all under the aegis of “prayer.” We the pray-ers, these our prayers. Few keep a running tally on how many are “answered.”
Lately, my prayer practice involves unleashing a mid-night rant, rave, or rage, an end-of-
my-rope exasperation, an “I can’ t do this on my own” cry for help, for , for guidance, for grace, for strength, for understanding, for eness, for clarification, for a better brain, for a kinder heart, for a goddamn break!
The response, invariably, is deep, measured, peaceful silence, like the HAL 9000 computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey with that steady red light, observing, missing nothing, quietly in control, a non-judgmental divine presence — unless you try to disconnect it.
Inevitably, wrapped in the presence of that powerful silence, if I listen long enough, something comes unstuck in me (if only it could stay unstuck) and what it all comes down to is that, in spite of my ef forts, love is still not the dominant force in my life My shoulders droop in resignation, and I relent and say to Who May or May Not Exist (and to myself who sometimes exists), “I know, I know … Just do it.”
And I marvel, what wise being is this whose silence is not indifference but contains an answer?
And I realize it’s not that He/She/They/It has nothing to say, it’s that the divine has an extremely limited vocabulary, distilled to a single word. This Monolith isn’t mute at all but speaks only the language of love, which is manifested everywhere. In fact this Spirited Singularity never shuts up.
I end our “conversation” with the most beautiful prayer I know, by e.e. cummings, a poet who wouldn’t even uppercase his own name. But even he capitalized You:
i thank You god for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sk y and for ev erything which is natural which is infinite which is yes (i who have died am ali ve again today, and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth day of life and love and wings: and of the gay great happening illimitably earth) how should any tasting touching hearing seeing breathing human merely being — lifted from the no of all nothing — doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awak e and now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
Then in the dead of night, lifting myself from the no of all nothing, I resolve once more to obey my silent sidekick’s only commandment: Love
Just do it.
Bravo to Kris Hansen for the letter opposing the VOP’s mass plantings of nonnative London Planetrees [Viewpoints, Dec. 3]. I am just as opposed, primarily for aesthetic reasons, favoring instead its native cousin, the American Sycamore, a towering tree of great beauty.
Nothing is more spirit uplifting during the dreary days of winter than going out for a walk or run on one of those inevitable bright sunny winter days, with totally clear skies, and looking up to see the leafless Sycamore’s beautiful near-white bark against a pure blue sky. Picture-perfect pleasure.
The London Planetree, by contrast, has drab gray-green bark that offers nothing like the Sycamore’s beauty. I have asked the village forester why they are no longer being planted. The explanation was that they are susceptible to a fungal disease, anthracnose, that causes loss of leaves.
One of the top Google results on that is a 1976 article that notes that infected trees typically recover quickly and rarely die from it, noting also that so little is really known about the disease, but nevertheless recommending they not be planted. That has apparently become forestry doctrinaire policy. I am sure there is updated re-
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, we were enjoying a nice fire in the family room fireplace when it began to roar ominously. I checked the chimney from the outside and saw sparks spewing everywhere. I immediately called 911. Literally within 5 minutes I heard firetrucks heading our way. I cannot overstate how professionally and efficiently the Oak
search and knowledge, but my “research” is my 50-year exploration of Oak Park, where I find numerous ancient and beautiful specimens, usually the tallest trees around, including one directly across the street from my home, which prove the adage that they rarely die.
We still have many similarly outstanding ancient elm trees, despite the disease that killed most of them. Would it be so bad to lose some infected Sycamores as the price of providing future generations these magnificent native trees?
Please, VOP, reconsider.
I have experimented and find that a
Park Fire De partment handled our emergency. At least 10 firefighters swarmed the house. The chimney fire was put out without damage. Each firefighter treated us and our property with courtesy and respect. We are extremely grateful for their service.
Jim and Cathy Marshall Oak Park
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver with many causes, with the Hepatitis B virus one of the prominent culprits. Infection with this virus, often a subclinical one (i.e., one that is inapparent clinically) can result in chronic liver disease, cirrhosis (irreversible scarring of the liver), liver failure, liver cancer, and death.
A vaccine against the Hepatitis B virus was developed in the early 1980s. In 1991, administration of the vaccine became part of the routine vaccination regimen for children. In 1985, 26,654 cases of acute Hep B virus infection in children per year were re ported. Today, the number of children infected with the virus in the U.S. is less than 400 per year, almost all of them in children not vaccinated ag ainst the disease. Mortality from the virus has been halved.
On Dec. 5, the newly constituted Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP, which advises the CDC on vaccination policy)
changed the previous CDC policy of recommending automatic Hepatitis B vaccination for newbor ns. Instead, the advice to patients will be based on “individual-based-decisionmaking.” This means parents should consult with their pediatrician about the decision to vaccinate against the Hepa titis B virus.
Here are some data: If given at bir th (one dose, followed by two or three subsequent serial boosts), the vaccine reduces the risk of Hepatitis B by 98%, cancer by 84 percent and death from liver disease by 70 percent. The longer the interval from birth to the first administration of the vaccine, even if it is a matter of months, the worse the long-term outcomes.
References https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/why-hepatitis-b-vaccination-be gins-at-bir th
James Whalen, MD, is an Oak Park resident. This was part of a blog entry from The Medical Beat (medicalbeat.net) on Oct. 10.
single Sycamore seed ball is quite easily germinated to result in literally scores of seedlings. Try it yourself and nurse a few to saplings; when grown enough, plant them yourself where you please. (I’ve done that with acorns, resulting in the current row of some 18 native oaks (some now 20-30 feet tall) now found along Garfield between the post office and the Home Avenue footbridge). Future generations will bless you with the adage that “we sit in the shade of trees planted by others.”
As Growing Community Media (GCM) volunteers and also longtime residents of Oak Park and River Forest, we come together to support GCM because its newspapers report on — and help advance — the causes we care about most. Separately we donate our time and resources to education, homelessness, housing, hunger, literacy, public safety and other issues, and we understand that all of these issues rely on accurate, independent information to communicate what’s happening and how we can help. GCM provides that clarity every single week.
GCM’s publications — Wednesday Journal, Forest Park Review, Austin Weekly News, and the RiversideBrookfield Landmark — are portals to stronger community engagement. They connect us to local leaders, show us how our gover nment works, highlight small businesses, and tell the stories of the people who make Oak Park and River Forest, as well as Brookfield, Riverside, Forest Park, and Austin, vibrant places to live. They also keep us infor med about everyday topics — real estate, restaurants, schools, youth sports, public works, and the local arts and entertainment scenes — that shape our daily lives.
They connect us with each other and to our communities.
Strong, fact-based reporting doesn’t just inform a community; it strengthens it. Independent local news protects democracy, counters misinformation, holds power accountable, and preserves the culture and identity of our towns. When local jour nalism fades, so does civic health.
Across the country, hundreds of newspapers have closed, creating “news deserts” where there are fewer watchdogs, less transparency, more room for corruption, and weaker connections among neighbors. Research shows that towns without strong local news experience higher gover nment costs, lower voter tur nout, and deeper political divides.
Local news will only be as strong as the support we offer. We donate our time and expertise, as well as our dollars, because we believe deeply in GCM’s mission — and we invite you to join us. Your generous and sustained contributions ensure these nonprofit publications continue to serve our communities with trustworthy, timely and essential reporting.
Local news isn’t just information. It’s democracy in action.
Deb Abrahamson, Chris Hauri, Robyn Ziegler, Carolyn Newberry Schwartz, Paul Beckwith, Jessica MacKinnon and Jill Stewart
Development & Events committees of Growing Community Media
Editor’s note: This blog first ran on Dec. 9, 2016. Sadly, it applies even more now than it did then
Some of you are so saddened and frightened by the impending presidency of Donald Trump that you’re disengaging from political discourse—logging off Facebook and Twitter, abandoning the news, withdrawing from public life.
Don’t. Of all times not now.
Instead, consider the words of founding father and unrepentant rabblerousing pamphleteer Thomas Paine in his December 1776 piece, “The American Crisis 1.” Hi series of essays, aimed at rallying colonial support for the American Revolution, begins this way:
One View
do worse than to take Paine’s sentiment to heart. Advocating for fairness, kindness and civility is easy when the nation’s leaders more or less do the same. Championing those values when the guy at the top rolls the other way may prove a trial of the soul.
To withdraw from the public space now is to be a sunshine patriot — to shrink from the service of our country.
THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
If you believe America’s facing another crisis, you could
of Oak Park and River Forest
the things ou’ve valued about merica are in jeopdy, now’s the time to stand by those things.
A wise boss of mine once said of the rough days at rk, “These are the times you ear n our keep. The easy times, you do for free.”
The years ahead represent your soul’s chance to earn its keep.
Stay engaged
Charlie Meyerson is the proprietor of the email newsletter, Chicago Public Square (ChicagoPublicSquare.com) and a longtime Oak Park resident. He is also a member of the board of directors of Growing Community Media.
I am attaching a picture of my son, Sgt. Liam Crawford (1st Infantry Division - Big Red One) and my father, 2nd Lt. William N. Crawford III (World War II Ar my Air Corps veteran who turned 100 in October of this year.
Liam is a 2018 OPRF High School graduate and highly decorated member of the U.S. Ar my, who was deployed to Kuwait and South Korea, recently transitioning from historic Fort Riley, Kansas to continue his education at the University of Illinois Champaign with ROTC/National Guard.
The photo was taken on Thanksgiving Day this year
David Scott Crawford Oak Park
e goal of the Viewpoints section is to foster and facilitate a community conversation and respectful dialogue. Responsible community voices are vital to community journalism and we welcome them. Space is at a premium and readers’ attention is also limited, so we ask that Viewpoints submissions be brief. Our limit for letters to the editor is 350 words. For One View essays, the limit is 500 words. Shorter is better. If and when we have su cient space, we print longer submissions, but when space is limited — as it o en is — we may ask you to submit a shorter version or hold the piece until space allows us to print it.
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There are many so-called “fallacies of reasoning” that infest and corrupt potential honest, rational, logical discourse.
I want to focus on the “Sunk Cost Fallacy.” Some may call it the appeal to tradition fallacy but either way, it is alive and well here in late 2025. It is being used and has been used for the last several election cycles. Every two years we the people are asked to vote for cong ressional and/or executive candidates. How one chooses who to support is a very important matter. In less than a year, a mid-term election is due. There is clearly a lack of logical reasoning amongst the electorate. How else can our current state of chaotic, authoritarian governance be rationally explained?
Unless We the People actually do not want health care as a human right, or do not want public education to be easily af fordable, or are not concer ned about climate change or the cost of living, or are OK with racist, xenophobic, sexist public policies. Who voted for a government that supports genocides, and that takes away social safety net programs and the rest of the rot?
At this point some readers might conclude I’m alluding to the Re publican Party as the problem, along with those who vote Red. Well, of course our current dreadful administration is clearly not interested in the rule of law or following our Constitution. It’s the GOP that did it! But that conclusion is faulty. Remember, we have Red
and Blue political parties. GOP or DNC. How has the “opposition party” known as the Democrats not been able to prevent this radical political reality from gaining power? The Democrats are apparently not very good at appealing to a large majority of people who do want health care, education, climate action, an end to tax dollars supporting militarism, racism, sexism and the billionaire class. They are a very weak opposing party.
Our two-party system generated this dystopia. Logic should now dictate we need more than Red or Blue. Trying to convince the general public to support a third-party, however, is likely to be met with “you’ re wasting your vote.” Election after election the vast majority of the electorate still believes in this Duopoly. To keep supporting this either-or lockstep of Red or Blue is the Sunk Cost Fallacy writ large. Rather than think critically about how the Duopoly has failed this country, foolishly the majority of voters will double down on the status quo. Sunk Cost Fallacy: keep investing in either-or because too much has been invested in it already. Rinse and re peat.
We need more and better choices. Demand it. To stick with Red or Blue thinking, hoping the outcome will be different this time is magical thinking. I prefer critical thinking. We all should.
Joe Harrington Oak Park
If you are unaware of Debra Shore, she is an environmental dynamo. I first knew of her when I was needing information from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago, many years ago She was elected to that board for three 6-year terms. Then she was called upon to head the Environmental Protection Agency, District 5, which includes the six states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota, totally encircling Lake Michig an. And, of course, she was fired from the EPA recently by this administration.
Her talk will focus on “What do we know
and what should we be doing,” to protect this most precious environmental asset. Lake Michig an, its water supply and water quality, are essential elements needing protection due to growing environmental attacks and the continued loss of water sources here and throughout the world.
Debra Shore’s talk will take place at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association on Monday, Dec. 15 at 1 p.m., 178 Forest Ave. Oak Park. Visit the website NineteenCentury.org and then click Monday enrichment program.
Peggy McGrath Oak Park
Things tend to wear out, like old shoes and the knees in pants. So we throw them out. No big deal, right? A “usefulness” cycle.
Worn out linguistic habits also need re gular pruning. Being a deeply diverse language, everyday American English provides plenty of oppor tunities for casting insults and trashing.
Let’s make a category of Annoying Overuse. I nominate the word “amazing.” It is used so often that no one is actually amazed anymore. It has achieved meaninglessness. Other g arbage words include “unbelievable,” “totally,” “incredible,” “like,” “absolutely,” “really,” “literally.” It behooves us to think of alternative vocabulary.
Or how about the annoying overuse of the word “perfect”? We don’t really mean perfect. Perfect is the ideal Aristotelian adverb when most of the time we mean “next subject,” “sign here,” or “you’ re done.” Pick on an adverb your own size.
Another category is Annoying
Mispronunciation, with the seemingly innocuous “often” as star awardee. I frequently hear often mispronounced awwf-ten. This contagion has even leaked all over nightly newsreaders. Do we say liss-ten (listen) or soff-ten (soften), cass-tel (castle) or wiss-tel (whistle)? No! Silent T’s are a fact of life in our polyglot tongue so let’s silence the T in often, an innocent adverb. How about such blackboard-scratching mispronunciations as new-cue-lar (nuclear: noo-clee-ur), mason-airy (masonry: may-sun-ree), or reel-a-ter (realtor: reel-tor). Furthermore, neither “remodel” nor “install” are nouns. They are verbs, thank you very much. Last item in today’s chat salad is Plain Old Wrong Word, such as using cement (sticky stuff) when you mean concrete (agg re gate + water + sticky stuf f). Have you been annoyed by American English too? Perfect!
Karen Morris Muriello Oak Park
SNOW TRIUMPHANT: e Peace Triumphant war memorial celebrates its centennial w ith a festive dusting of the white stu
My friend Jim Parker had two pets — a dog named Fritz, an extraordinary terrier of unknown and mixed parentage, and an ir re gularly marked male feline named Pete. Fritz was acquired as a pup when Jim was 3. Untrained and undisciplined, Fritz had one major faild because of this, he r met a dog he
German shepherd, en our neighbors’ St. Bernard. Needless to say, Fritz never had a winning season, and he knew the veterinarian very well.
Over the years, Fritz lost half of one ear, received a deep gash on his left side and part of his tail when he tangled with a Bulldog. By the end of his fighting days, he could have ear ned medals for his wounds.
But Fritz was smar t, perhaps cagey would be a better word, and amusing in many ways. He loved to follow family members around Oak Park, if he could get away with it.
If Jim’s mother planned a shopping trip and tried to dodge Fritz, the second he saw her wearing her “shopping dress,” he would refuse to move. Mrs. Parker would
then put on a plain house dress over the other dress, a deception that worked for the most part.
One time Fritz followed Jim’s older sister to church, trotting up and down the central aisle until he found her and jumped onto her lap. This was amusing to the cong re gation but not to Jim’s sister. She carried him out of the church where he waited until she came outside when the service ended.
Miraculously, given his apparent death wish, Fritz lived for 18 years, dying while Jim was in colle ge. The family postponed telling Jim until he came home one month later for summer vacation.
The other long-term resident of Jim’s home — taking up residence shortly after Fritz arrived — was Pete the cat who also was blessed with a very long life.
Pete was an unusually intelligent creature. He could hook a paw under the screen door, edge it open, and glide into the house. If Jim’s mother left the window unlatched in her bedroom during the summer, Pete could perform the same act and slip quietly into the house in the early morning after a night on the town.
Pete also liked to follow Jim’s family members through the village accompanied by Fritz. At nap time usually in the late after noon, Pete often shared a sleeping box with his pal Fritz. They always arose without fail, though, when it was time to eat.
Waiting until Fritz was settled in the box, Pete would put one paw in the box, then another in that graceful slow motion ballet cats are so skilled at and gradually ease himself into the box and snuggle up to Fritz.
Pete also lived to the age of 18 — buddies to the end.
A welcome sign greets guests at the wedding of Julie and Steve Scheuring’s daughter at their Oak Park home.
I was drawn to “A family wedding in a family house” [Homes, Dec. 3]. Only after reading it did I notice the picture of the house behind the wedding couple. My reaction: “I know that house!” When my husband and I were planning to side our old house (I’m afraid we did) many, many years ago (I claim ignorance), we drove around Oak Park to find a house with the colors we might like. My husband found your house. Indeed, we sided ours in cream, trimmed in taupe and red. I’ve driven by your house many times since. It’s one of my favorites in Oak Park.
And we had our daughter’s wedding in our backyard, so the other pictures brought back more memories. In prep for our wedding, while our plumbing had been done, we did clean up our basement, which could be seen from the powder room on the landing above.
We were so very lucky to have wonderful neighbors on either side who opened their backyards (and ground-floor powder rooms) to our gathering. We had a dance floor in one yard, the barbeque setup in
the other, and more staging materials in the garage. Tents and lights abounded
Not an avid gardener, I hired a landscaper to take out two old bushes and advise on plants. He said, “Buy what you like,” and showed me how to group them. But this was a summer of periodic torrential rains that repeatedly drowned the flowers I’d planted, because … we had the lowest backyard on the block! I was repeatedly replanting
But on wedding day, a miracle happened. Our inherited orange daylilies were in full bloom along the north and south sides of the yard. Thankfully, we had no rain for the wedding … until about 9 p.m. when torrents drenched us, dripping through the separations between the tents. Fortunately, most guests were gone by then!
Thank you for your article, which brought back memories and a feeling of kinship and connection to a house in Oak Park — and a family I’ve never met.
As I headed out to work this morning (on foot) after yet another snow event, I was heartened that once again most (though not all) of my neighbors did their civic duty of clearing the snow from their sidewalks in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, once again the notable exception was our local gover nments who routinely fail to
clear snow from sidewalks along publicly owned parcels: the sidewalks alongside a village-owned parking lot, the bus stops along Columbus Park, curb ramps piled up with snow from passing plows, and so on. It’s a noticeable patter n throughout Oak Park and surrounding towns
For me it’s merely a hassle; I can step
over and through the piles without too much difficulty. But for our neighbors with limited mobility, removing snow — properly, full sidewalk width and down to the bare pavement — is a matter of basic accessibility and safety
It is unacceptable that the
same entities entrusted to enforce the rules that the rest of us follow can’t be bothered to lead by example and follow the same rules themselves. It is also a clear violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Last week I did something I have never done before: I prayed a rosary. I have been finding hope elusive this holiday season, as I have been hear tsick at the cruelty and fear being conducted in the name of our country. Every time someone is disappeared from their lives by federal agents acting on the current immigration policy is a hor ror, and this fall in the Chicago area there have been thousands.
One case in particular has weighed on me recently. Two weeks ago, a Dominican University student went to O’Hare to travel home for Thanksgiving when they were taken by ICE. I have been teaching a class this fall at Dominican University in River Forest. I value my relationships with my students, so this is one of my circles of connection. This loss was a hor rifying incident that has touched the whole community at Dominican. We later learned that this student was deported.
The current immigration policy is not only misguided, it is immoral. Rather than take responsibility for the entirely predictable consequences of our decades of failure to pass comprehensive immigration refo rm, the current federal administration has decided to impose ter ror on whole communities, with the worst harms coming to those least able to protect themselves.
I do what I can, but in cases like this, I feel acutely how little I can do. This was what took me to Tuesday afternoon prayers at Dominican, even though I am not Catholic (actually, I am Unitarian Universalist). The prayers last
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of helicopters permeate the walls of our home, as 70 percent of our police force is utilized to control protesters, as state police act aggressively toward those advocating for us all, as kidnapped people are kept in inhumane conditions without due process. No matter their status, people deserve dignity These are the building blocks of history, and time has proven that it won’t look favorably on those standing in silence. I ask us all, “Is this our legacy?” We are now at a juncture, having to reckon with Broadview’s name linked with some of the greatest failures of this nation’s history.
I am here today to stand with my siblings in this fight. I’m
week were dedicated to the student and their family, and Bishop Garcia-Maldonado of Chicago came to share some words. T he rosary, as I experienced it, was a ritual, where the magic lay in the re petition of words and movements, in their history, and in the unity of the group. We prayed for the student, for all people who have been detained, for all those living in fear, and for ourselves as well.
This student was pulled out of their life, on their way home to visit family. They would have been thrown into the dreadful conditions where federal agents hold detainees. Their dorm room will need to be packed up. They will miss final exams for the courses they worked on all semester. They have been tossed into another country, landing at whatever airport is convenient for the powers that be. Whatever they face next, it will be hard.
I was moved to gather in the way that is meaningful for this community. I joined students, faculty, and staf f of Dominican. I went to express my support, to add my spirit as a buffer to the hor ror experienced by this student as well as the ripples of fear experienced by the community. I also went because I am hurting and sometimes I don’t know where to put all of that. My hope is strengthened, again and again, by togetherness, and by being reminded that we are not alone.
Nina Brewer-Davis Oak Park
Willa Jean Williams, known as Jean, 82, died on Dec. 2, 2025 at her home in Oak Park. Born on April 19, 1943 in Edmondson, Arkansas, she was the second of eight children, migrated to Chicago as a young adult and settled in Oak Park in 2018.
A woman of profound integrity, her faith, calming presence, and sensible advice made her a steady rock for those who depended on her.
Her family considered her a Renaissance woman and one of the smartest people they knew. She was an excellent cook, a sophisticated fashionista who designed and sewed her own clothing, a skilled gardener who could grow anything, and a self-taught handyperson who did much of her own household maintenance.
here to tell you that the Broadview story is not set in stone, that residents do care! I’m here speaking today to stand in solidarity not just with those here in Oak Park, Broadview, and Chicago but in the world to say, “No, not in our name!” We will not be fast-tracked into compliance, into authoritarianism, into hopelessness. That we believe we can build a more generous and thoughtful world. That we will usher in the winds of change and plant the seeds here for the seventh generation, for each other in the present, that coalition building is possible and a more courageous world lies ahead!
I stand in solidarity with all my brothers and sisters who are undocumented, and for those who have mixed-status families, for those facing discrimination and who are vulnerable. You are a part of my family We see you and are here for you!
As a resident of Broadview we don’t want a detention center in any place, any way and in any where.
Janelle Miller is a concerned resident of Broadview.
After retiring from a 34-year career at ColeTaylor Bank, she became an entrepreneur. She sold real estate, developed all-natural skin care products, created effective homeopathic remedies, designed and sold jewelry, and frequently refurbished and sold items online. Despite the illness that plagued her later years, her sharp mind and resilient spirit remained.
Jean was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers and two sisters. She is survived by her five children, Audrey Williams-Lee (Byron Lee), Derrick Williams (Jocelyn Hines-Williams), Car royl Jones, Gwendolyn (Pete) Saunders, and Jacqueline Crowell; 17 grandchildren, PJ Cassell Jones, Jamal Macon Jr. (Alanis Ambrose), Jade Williams (Rasaq Shutti), Brittney Saunders, Kayla (Jesse) Trevino, Sydney Williams, Sherron Crowell, William Saunders, Javin Jones, Christopher Lee, Leah Jones, Kennedy Williams, Trey Saunders, Sarah Jones, Hannah Jones, Rebekah Jones, and Matthew Lee; five greatgrandchildren, Chloe Trevino, Penelope Jones, Alayla Macon, Nova Trevino, and Daniel “Ky” Jones; three siblings, Richard (Judy) Brownlee Jr., Arlester Brownlee, and Tommy Lee Harris; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Memorial visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 12 at Peterson-Bassi Chapels, 6938 W. North Ave., Chicago. A celebration of Jean’s life will take place at 10 a.m. on Dec. 13 at Pilgrim Cong re gational Church, 460 Lake St., Oak Park
Burton Robert Andersen, 93, of Oak Park, died on Dec. 5, 2025. Bor n on Aug. 27, 1932, to Alice (née Mara) and Burton Royal Andersen in Chicago, he had a close bond with his older sister, Joy (Ransdell), throughout their lives. He grew up in the Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago and attended Austin High School. His initial career plan was to be an opera singer, and he attended Northwester n University’s School of Music. However, his love of medicine prevailed and he changed course to become a doctor, transferring to the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where he earned his BA in 1953, then went on to complete a Doctor of Medicine along with a Master of Science in Physiology from the University of Illinois Chicago. Despite this change in professional direction, Burt maintained his love of music and continued to participate in musicals, choirs, and other singing events
In 1960, he met Louise Roberta Gross in a choir and after a whirlwind romance they married and had three children: Ellen (Richard) Benya, Julia (Brian) DeBroux and Brian (Srisupen) Andersen. After several years in Rockville, Maryland and Rochester, New York, Burt and Louise settled in Oak Park. Their love of nature inspired the annual Andersen family backpacking trip out West, the source of many legendary family stories
Burt had an illustrious career as a medical researcher and physician in infectious diseases, publishing 103 research papers, including studies that helped advance the understanding of neutrophil function during infection with various pathogens, as well as investigations into the treatment of tuberculosis. He served as Chief of Infectious Diseases first at the West Side VA Hospital and then the University of Illinois Medical Center between 1973 and 1999. Even after his retirement he stayed actively interested in science, serving as a research subject advocate and coauthoring a book on ancient Assyrian and Babylonian medicine. Other passions in his life involved
physical fitness, competing in 10K runs and biking to work. His love of nature was particularly focused on trees, and he planted a mini-forest in the yard of his Oak Park home. He traced the family history back over 150 years and traveled to Europe to gather information and meet long-lost relatives. He also visited New Guinea and China before it was very accessible to Westerners.
Louise died after a long illness in 1990. Burt met Hannah Voigt in 2012 when she accompanied his singing in a performance. Their shared love of music was part of their strong bond. Together they performed many times at Unity Temple and later shared their talents with their neighbors at Brookdale Senior Living in Oak Park. They also served as co-chairs of the Schubert Music Festival, held at Unity Temple. His soaring voice was particularly suited to the songs of Stephen Sondheim, which he sang with deep feeling
He is survived by his three children and four of his grandchildren (Mark Benya, Sarah Benya, Owen Andersen and Eleanor Andersen). He was preceded in death by his beloved Hannah and his granddaughter, Louise Andersen.
Burt will be remembered for his compassion and love for social justice causes, his dry sense of humor, his inquisitive mind, his calm demeanor, and his beautiful tenor voice, which remained strong to the end of his life
A celebration of Burt’s life will be held at Unity Temple on March 7, 2026 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Unity Temple (unitytemple.org) or WFMT.
William H. Baker, 88, of Oak Park, died on Dec. 1, 2025. Born on May 24, 1937 and raised in Hyde Park, he was a proud alum of Knox Colle ge, and a graduate of the University of Chicago Medical School. He met the love of his life, Ann, while attending Knox, and they enjoyed more than 65 years together in mar riage He served in Vietnam at the 85th Evacuation Hospital. He was a distinguished sur-
geon and scholar, spending the majority of his career at Loyola Medical Center. He enjoyed life with gusto and was equally happy in a tux with a fine glass of wine or in an old pair of pants with an MGD. A prolific reader, he loved photo graphy, music, playing golf and tennis, riding his bike, and telling corny jokes. After retirement, he invested much time and energy into writing op-eds. He will be missed dearly.
Bill was the husband of Ann, nee Velde; the father of Elizabeth (David Lupo) Baker, Jennifer (Laura Angelucci) Baker and Kriste Baker; grandfather of Veronica (Jason) Winnell, Jamie Heneghan, Tricia Heneghan and Sydney Lupo; greatgrandfather of Brody, Aubrey and Bryce; brother of Robert (Susie) Baker; and the uncle of many.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Knox Colle ge Baker-Velde Student Research Fund, named to honor Ann and Bill’s fathers, who were also Knox College alums
A memorial service was held on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 at the Oak Park Country Club. Arrangements were handled by Conboy-Westchester Funeral Home.
Dolores A. Proko (nee Brock), 96, of Oak Park, died on Dec. 6, 2025 in her Oak Park home. Born on Feb. 16, 1929 in Chicago, she worked as a business manager for a painting company before retiring.
Dolores was the wife of the late Robert T. Proko; the mother of Robert Proko Jr., Michael (Victoria) Proko, Joan (Wayne) Elliott and Thomas Proko; grandmother of Ari Elliott, Justin Elliott, Sara Vanikiotis Palluck and Jordan Elliott; sister of Joan (Ludwig) Kulovsek and the late Joseph (Delores) Brock Jr.; and the aunt of Susan Kulovsek, Steven (Valerie) Kulovsek and Scott (Sharon) Kulovsek. Private cremation services have been held.
Arrangements were handled by Johnson-Nosek Funeral Home, Brook-
field. Online condolences, memories and photo graphs may be shared with the family at www.JohnsonNosek.com.
Robert “Rob” Christopher Steffen, AIA, of Oak Park, died peacefully on Nov. 23, 2025. Born on March 15, 1951 in Chicago to Harriet and Richard Steffen, he grew up in Park Ridge and graduated from Maine South High School, where he participated in football and wrestling. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Illinois Chicago and went on to a 45-year career marked by thoughtful, preservation-minded design. He beg an his career at Holabird & Root and Booth Hansen before founding the Steffen Group. In 2004, he and colleague Lee Schwerin for med Steffen + Schwerin Architects
He served his community and profession through his involvement as a Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois (LPCI) monitor in Oak Park, a board secretary for the Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, and an Advisory Board member for the North Side Adult Rehabilitation Center of The Salvation Ar my Known for his gentle nature and quiet strength, he continued practicing architecture after his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2012, participating in Rock Steady Boxing and remaining an enduring source of calm and humor for those around him. Rob is survived by Marion (née Otto), his wife of 51 years; his children, Robbie, Tim (Angela), Barbie (Jordan), and Michael (Alex); his grandchildren, Haddie, Cole, Shane, Emery, Quinn, and Cameron; his siblings, Rick (Fran), Barb (Tom) Spicer, Chris (Dawn), Betsy (Mark) Porst, and Chuck Murphy; and many nieces and ne phews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A celebration of Rob’s life will take place in the early spring. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Rob’s name may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
early, respond
By BILL STONE
Contributing Reporter
Fenwick High School senior Tommy Thies already was part of a high school state football title even before the starting linebacker and the Friars became Class 6A state champions, Dec. 2. As an eighth ad-
Friars captured the program’s other IHSA state championship in 2021 in 5A.
“My dad [Scott] is the athletic director. I was wearing the game management ball [vest] with the big X, with the balls in my bag, giving them out,” Thies said. “It was really a dream come true.”
This championship was more memorable — and one that only a few ever believed possible. The Friars defied the odds one last time as they surprised heavily favored and defending 6A champion East St. Louis 38-28 at the frigid Illinois State University field in Normal.
PROVIDED BY SCOT T THIES
Fenw ick junior Jake ies (le ) and senior Tommy ies (right) w ith their father, athletic director Scott ies, who is holding the Class 6A football championship trophy following the Friars’ 38-28 v ictor y over East St. Louis in the title game at Illinois State, Dec. 2.
r trailed after taking a 14-13 lead 1:49 before halftime and always had the anly, even though East St. Louis (10-4) led 512-292 in tords and tied the game twice in the second half.
“It would be silly me to say I didn’t [dream of returning as r], but not every guy gets to experience this. I always believed myself in ke plays and put us in position to win games,” Thies r thought ve taken me to a state championship [game], let alone win, but I’m glad it did. It’s just a testament to the guys we have on this team.”
Jake Thies, Tommy’s brother, was a
Fenw ick’s Tommy ies (#7) takes a hando from Jamen Williams (background) and looks for daylight as Mike Murphy (#5) looks for someone to block during the Class 6A football title game against East St. Louis, Dec. 2. ies had 14 tackles in a 38-28 victor y that gave the Friars their second state championship.
game-changer. He rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns, including a 74-yarder for a 28-21 Fenwick lead with 1:25 left in the third quarter.
Defensively, he was tops with 19 total tackles (7 solos) and had an electrifying 39-yard interception return to the Flyers’ 3 that all but secured the victory just after senior Noah Sur’s 31-yard field goal for a 31-28 lead with 2:45 left.
On the next play, senior quar terback Jamen Williams scored from the 3 with 2:22 remaining.
“Really f un, probably the most fu n g ame I’ve ever pl ayed in,” Ja ke Thies said. “The last one with my brother; it meant everything. And c oming out on top, a great feeling.”
Williams was 8-for-14 passing, after an 0-for-3 start, for 155 yards with TDs to seniors Cameron Garrett (37 yards) and Raphiel Stewart (15 yards). Williams’ gameclinching TD run came inside a push pile loaded with teammates.
“I was going nuts. I blacked out, saying some very rated-R words. But in the end, I followed them right in there. They just
pushed me in,” Williams said. “This feels like a movie. A lot of these guys on this team, we’ve been dreaming of this since like fifth grade. This is a really big moment. I’m just grateful for it all.”
Senior linebacker Mike Murphy (teamhigh 9 solos) and Tommy Thies each had 14 total tackles. Senior cor nerback Odin Ferjak had a second-quarter interception that set up the F riars’ first go-ahead touchdown.
“A sur real feeling. Nobody expected us to win, besides the guys in this room,” Murphy said. “We just believe and we think we’re going to come out on top every single day.”
For head coach Matt Battaglia, this is his second state title in six seasons.
“Just a great team. I’m glad the state gave me three extra days with this group because I would gladly take three more months. This is a special group,” Battaglia said.
Murphy, also Sur’s long snapper, excelled despite being in the hospital earlier in the week following emergency surgery. Murphy’s infection in his left shin worsened to
East St. Louis was playing in its sixth consecutive 6A state title game, winning in 2022 and 2019 before the canceled 2020 fall season. The Flyers had scored at least 48 points in all nine victories with one forfeit Fenwick’s experience with tough op-
against us in every big game this year,” Battaglia said. “I think that definitely helped put a chip on our shoulder but really the difference was this team led by this senior class. Through their four years, they’ve only lost six or seven games.”
21-21 in the third quarter, Thies had his 74yard TD run on Fenwick’s next offensive play.
When the Flyers tied 28-28 with 9:13 remaining, Fenwick executed its most sustained drive (10 plays for 52 yards) – climaxed by Northwestern recruit Sur’s field goal. On the second play, Gar rett recovered a sidelines fumble at the Fenwick 36.
“We knew they’ve got special players everywhere so we knew they were going to make plays. It’s how you bounce back,” Murphy said. “We did a lot better in the second half.”
East St. Louis junior running backs Myson Johnson-Cook (183 yards, 2 TDs) and Ahmad Coleman (102 yards, TD) sur passed 100 yards rushing and junior quar terback Reece Shanklin passed for 183. Junior Amir Tillman’s 55-yard TD run put the Flyers ahead 13-7 with 55 seconds left in the first quarter.
However, the Friars led 2-1 in takeaways and East St. Louis had penalties in key situations (9 for 57 yards total). Illegal procedure penalties came before both unsuccessful fourth-down attempts in the second quarter when leading 13-7.
Facing fourth-and-15 from the 22, East St. Louis had an incomplete pass to the end
“Tommy [Thies] was playing great defense. He tipped the ball so I was surprised [at the interception] and I was like, ‘Oh. I’ve got to run,’” Ferjak said. “I knew that our offense was going to respond fast, and they did. Just like that, we had insane momentum throughout the game.”
“NFL guys talk about the middle eight all of the time – the last four minutes of the first half, first four minutes of the second half,” Battaglia said. “That was a critical time where we were able to steal a possession, get a stop.”
Tommy Thies, Williams and Sur were named 6A all-state by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association. All of the seniors went out with a bang — as well as the Thies brothers one last time as a football duo.
“We work out together in the offseason so just stuf f like that [I’ll miss], the little things. He’s just a great guy to have around. He’s really the leader of the defense, too, so we’re going to be missing him a lot,” Jake Thies said. “It’s my favorite [game together], obviously, a state championship. Just a full team ef fort – 11 guys on each side that wouldn’t lose no matter what happened. We knew if we fought for four quarters, we’d be hard to beat and that’s just what we did.”
By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter
OPRF High School basketball player
George Gray is a man of few words. T he junior, who transfer red in from Mount Carmel over the summer, is the type of player who lets his actions speak louder than his words. Yet despite being new to the rivalry with East Avenue neighbor Fenwick, he appreciates what the Huskies’ 51-43 victory over the Friars in the Chicago Elite Classic at UIC’s Credit Union One Arena, Dec. 5, means.
“It was really fun. I think my team played really well, and I’m happy,” said Gray, who finished with a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds. “[OPRF] is a perfect fit for me.”
Coach Phil Gary sensed that a breakout game was coming soon from Gray
“George was amazing tonight. The big stage, he needed to have his good signature
play just for his confidence, and I thought he did a really good job,” Gary said.
OPRF (4-1) is counting on its defense to create success this season, and Fenwick (3-3), the Huskies displ tenacity, holding the Friars to 26.9 shooting (14-of-52) for the evening. F made just four first-half baskets as OPRF built up a 26-14 halftime lead
“That’s our goal every game, to teams under a certain amount of points. I thought they did really good in the first half,” Gary said.
The Huskies grew their lead to 14 points in the third quarter, but the Friars, thanks to clutch shooting by Ryan Murray (teamhigh 14 points), started to chip drew to 39-35 with 4½ minutes remaining. That’s when Gray and Cam Woods (12 points, eight rebounds) hit consecuti three-pointers to stem the tide.
“They went on a little run,” Gr “but we all stayed together and composed
OPRF’s Cam Woods goes up for a lay up as Fenwick’s Corey Gri n defends during the Chicago Elite Classic, Dec. 5. Woods had 12 points and eight rebounds in the Huskies’ 51-43 v ictor y over the Friars.
OPRF forward George Gray drives to the basket against Fenwick at the Chicago Elite Classic, Dec. 5. Gray had a game-high 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
re able to pull it out.” ally is something Gary feels is a teachable moment for his team that will be brought up in practice this week. But he added that having some experienced ed beneficial down the stretch. up, you tend to take your the gas a little bit. I thought we did that,” he said. “Having seniors is always ry helpful. Logan (Johnson) is a senior,
Johnson had eight points and five reOPRF. Luke Vonglukiat and ord each had seven points for ich was missing several playof the football team that won the IHSA Class 6A title last week. flat,” said Fenwick coach t the end of the day, I hat to (OPRF), they came out and beat us. No complaints, no excuses.”
Among those who sat out are three key members: senior Tommy Thies and juniors Jake Thies and Jimmy Watts. Fergerson is optimistic that once the football players fully get acclimated to basketball, the Friars will be fine.
“It makes it very difficult when you’ re
missing major players,” he said. “Once I get all my main guys back, we’ll be OK, we’ll be a solid team. We’ll be different than what we are now.”
Moreover, Fergerson believes the experience his younger players received from playing on a big stage like the Chicago Elite Classic will help them going forward not just this season, but upcoming seasons as well.
“That will give them total confidence when they come and be ready to play here next year and moving forward. Most of the time, gyms are not even close to this size,” Fergerson said. “We’ re playing for the future.”
Conversely, OPRF now looks to build on the momentum gained by this victory.
“It boosts our confidence,” Gary said. “As a team, they know they can finish a lot better than how they did in the second half, so they’ re already excited for practice.”
OPRF hosts York in the home opener, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m., before road g ames at Downers Grove North, Dec. 13, and Niles North, Dec. 15. Fenwick plays at St. Laurence, Dec. 12, before having their home opener versus Aurora Central Catholic, Dec. 16.
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As Growing Community Media [GCM] volunteers and also longtime residents of Oak Park/River Forest, we come together to support GCM because its newspapers report on — and help advance — the causes we care about most. Separately we donate our time and resources to education, homelessness, housing, hunger, literacy, public safety and other issues, and we understand that all of these issues rely on accurate, independent information to communicate what’s happening and how we can help. GCM provides that clarity every single week.
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The Development and Events Committees of Growing Community Media:
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