11 minute read
Crime
CRIME Gun at school report unfounded
Forest Park police found no evidence that a student brought a gun to Forest Park Middle School as was first reported on Monday, April 11 around 10:45 a.m.
The school was placed on a hard lockdown after the report, which was initiated when an eighth-grade teacher overheard two students talking about a 9-milimeter pistol. The student who allegedly claimed to have a pistol was brought to a secure office and police were called.
Upon further investigation it was determined that the students in question were actually talking about possessing a weapon in the videogame Fortnite that is similar to a 9-milimeter pistol.
The lockdown was released shortly after the incident was cleared up.
Man robbed at gunpoint on Blue Line train
A man told Forest Park police that two men pointed a gun at him and robbed him on a Blue Line train leaving the Desplaines Avenue terminal on Thursday, April 14 around 6:30 p.m.
According to a police report, the man was approached by two men who walked up to him and said, “give me all that [expletive],” with one pointing a gun at the man. The alleged victim turned over his wallet, cash, personal identification and cell phone, then exited the train at the Harlem Avenue stop. He believed the alleged suspects continued on the train.
The man did not report the incident until one day later, telling police officers that his fiancée convinced him to go to the police. His initial plan was, according to the report, to ride the Blue Line until he came across the men who robbed him and “do something stupid.”
A 64-year-old woman reported that a necklace she ordered from an online retailer had been stolen.
The woman arrived at the Forest Park police department on Monday, April 11 and said a $295 gold necklace with the word “mama” had not arrived two days prior, as scheduled. The woman later said she found an empty package that she believed once contained the necklace on the corner near her home.
No suspects were immediately identified.
Man calls offi cers ‘honkeys’
An irritated and allegedly intoxicated man reportedly harassed police officers and called them “honkeys” while they responded to a noise complaint at his home in the 200 block of Marengo Avenue on April 14.
Forest Park police responded to the location for a loud argument that was disturbing the neighbors at around 3 a.m. According to the police report, officers had been dispatched to the location on numerous previous occasions.
When they removed one of the alleged offenders from the home, he “yelled and berated officers” then later called them “honkeys and other derogatory remarks.”
No arrests were made.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, April 11-17, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
Compiled by Andy Viano
Jeff Levin: Our 1st Employee & 40 Years of Loyalty
We often talk about our decadeslong history serving the community. However, we wouldn’t be so deeply rooted without the dedication and loyalty of our team members. In that light, we would like to offer our sincerest congratulations to JEFF LEVIN, who recently celebrated 40 YEARS with McAdam Landscaping. Jeff has been with us since the beginning, and as the first employee to be hired by Rob and Scott, he exemplifi es our core value of loyalty. Each day, he brings a wealth of expertise and technical knowledge that are truly unrivaled and second to none. Jeff, words will never be enough to thank you for everything you have brought to McAdam Landscaping. We are sure many of you in the community have met or crossed paths with Jeff at some point over these many years, so please help us in congratulating this incredible milestone. Jeff – we are honored to have you as a part of this team, and as you said, “Maybe I’ll try to be here for another 40 years.” Congratulations and well-deserved! - The entire team at
McAdam Landscaping
2001 Des Plaines Ave. Forest Park • 708-771-2299 www.mcadamlandscape.com
Addis Café leaps Oak Park Avenue and plans dinner menu
Van Buren home means Ethiopian meals are on the horizon
By MELISSA ELSMO
Forest Park Eats Editor
In 2016, Kalkidan Tesfaye offered her homemade scones to the owner of the coffee shop at 818 S. Oak Park Ave. and he responded by offering her the entire shop. Figuring fate had intervened, Tesfaye accepted the offer and opened Addis Café. She has called the space home for the past six years and now the chefowner and her co-owner-husband, Michael Kumela, are poised to move their café across the street to 801 Van Buren St. this week.
The passionate chef, known to most as Kalki, is clear that moving a matter of feet will create a wealth of opportunities for the community-minded coffee shop — including a regular menu of Ethiopian dinner fare. The space has passed all village of Oak Park inspections and, after taking a few days to get settled, Tesfaye expects the café to open in the new location on Friday, April 20.
Tesfaye wasn’t looking for a new space, but project managers with The Community Builders who oversaw the construction of “The 801” at the corner of Oak Park and Van Buren, encouraged her to move into the retail storefront on the lower level of the building offering high quality, yet affordable apartments.
“They would keep asking ‘what is it going to take to get you in here?’” said Tesfaye. “They offered to build a full kitchen to my specifications and that was too good to pass up.”
While Tesfaye is deeply attached to her café’s current home, production has been limited without a full kitchen on site. Addis is known for serving up top-quality coffee drinks, crispy waffles, and hearty breakfast sandwiches despite having a cooking area outfitted with little more than an induction burner.
The capable cook craves the freedom a full kitchen could offer her business. Prior to relocating to Oak Park and opening Addis Café, Tesfaye and her brother spent 11 years operating, Addis Restaurant, an Ethiopian eatery located in Berkeley, California. A native of Addis, Ethiopia, Tesfaye has periodically hosted pop-up dinners featuring her vegan Ethiopian fare. After each successful pop-up calls for her to begin serving regular dinners have grown louder.
The new space is equipped with a professional ventilation system and is
MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor Kalki Tesfaye, joined by Addis Café barista, Jereh Brown, anticipates teaching employees to prepare Ethiopian fare at the new location.
Village mulls honoring re ghters who rescued woman
By IGOR STUDENKOV
Contributing Reporter
Forest Park firefighters rescued a woman from a burning house in River Forest — and Mayor Rory Hoskins is looking to hold a ceremony to recognize that.
During the April 11 village council meeting, Forest Park fire chief Phil Chiappetta said that on March 31 the firefighters responded to a call in neighboring River Forest. Learning that a woman was trapped in the burning building, the firefighters went in and were able to find her, resuscitate her and transport her to the Loyola University Medical Center.
Chiappetta said that the rescue came down to both the skills and speed. When it comes to rescues, he said, every second counts, and that firefighters arrived quickly enough in this situation to be able to find the woman before smoke inhalation could cause serious injuries or even death.
Chiappetta said that to the best of his knowledge this was the first time Forest Park firefighters were able to get a victim of a fire out alive.
Hoskins is planning to hold a ceremony honoring the four firefighters who performed the rescue but he and Chiappetta were still trying to figure out a date and time as of April 19.
Chiappetta told the council that his department was one of the several area departments that responded to the March 31 call. In a follow up interview, he said that the call happened at 9 a.m. at the 800 block of Franklin Avenue. They happened to be among the first to get to the scene. When his firefighters got a report that a woman was still in the building, they went in to find her.
“They went in, zero visibility, smoke down to the floor, they did a search, they found the woman, they pulled her out, they resuscitated her, took her to Loyola [medical center],” Chiappetta said. “She’s still in the hospital, but she wouldn’t have been alive if we hadn’t pulled her out.”
Chiappetta told the council that it was “very rare” for firefighters to be able to rescue a person like that, because firefighters not only have to arrive as fast as possible but find the victim as quickly as possible.
“In my career, no firefighter in Forest Park was able to pull a victim alive,” Chiapetta said. “I’m super proud of our crew. They did what they were trained to do. I give them props.”
Hoskins said that the village “will be putting together some kind of recognition ceremony” to honor the firefighters who performed the rescue, but he didn’t have a date at the time. Chiappetta said that, as of April 19, they were still trying to figure out a date.
“I’m very proud of our very professional, well-trained firefighters, to be able to do this kind of a rescue and save a life,” he said.
MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor
On Oak Park or Van Buren, comfort is a scone with jam and cream.
ready to accommodate industrial cooking appliances allowing Tesfaye to expand her café menu to include Ethiopian dinner offerings. The chef indicated she is going to take some time to “introduce herself to the new space,” but expects dinner service to begin “sometime this summer.”
When the time comes, dinners will likely be served Thursday through Sunday. She intends to keep her arsenal of vegan dishes on the menu and plans to enhance the offerings with meat dishes. Diners can expect Dorowat, the national dish of Ethiopia, to appear on Addis’ menu. The spicy dish features berbere braised chicken and boiled eggs served with spongey injera bread in lieu of utensils. The dinner menu embraces tradition and has been designed with the intention of bringing the community together over shared dishes.
In the meantime, customers are all very excited about the move and have offered to help in myriad ways. Four people dropped off dollies to help facilitate the process and musicians offered to entertain as friends and family carried well-worn tables, local artwork and other familiar items across the street. The bright space benefits from
a wall of windows and Tesfaye is excited to have patio seating on Van Buren. “Coffee in Ethiopia is meant to be shared — one pot would serve many people so friends, neighbors and sometimes even strangers would share a pot,” said Tesfaye. “My customers have spent time getting to know my customs and they have become like a family to me.” Even though it is just across the street Tesfaye is concerned that her customers will need time to adjust to the new shop, but she is going the extra mile to make sure everyone feels comfortable. “I have an elderly customer who comes here almost every day, and she was very worried about the move,” MELISSA ELSMO/Food Editor said Tesfaye. “So, I took her Kalki Tesfaye cra s a by the arm and we walked pour over co ee. over there together. She assured me that it wasn’t too far for her to walk.” Despite the relocation, things will remain the same — the pour over coffee, waffles, and scones customers have come to love will be on the menu the moment they open. Tesfaye anticipates it will feel like “the old meeting the new” when Addis Café opens at 801 Van Buren.
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