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ForestParkReview.com Vol. 106, No. 8
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REVIEW FEBRUARY 22, 2023
Madison Street may get $500K streetscape makeover
Forest Park candidate forum, Tuesday, Feb. 28 PAGE 20
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Cold Comfort Housing Forward focuses on unhoused vets
Village, Chamber working to upgrade decades old streetscape elements By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter
It was much like people looking in the mirror, noticing that their hair had turned gray and asking themselves, “When did that happen?” Independently, Laurie Kokenes, director of the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce, and Sal Stella, the village’s public works director, both noticed that although many businesses had given their storefronts facelifts, Madison Street’s own streetscape was looking old and tired after decades of incremental wear and tear. Stella began the makeover story by saying, “About a month or so ago, I was contacted by Laurie from the Chamber of Commerce. She had explained how she had heard some internal talk about talking to the village in trying to upgrade some of the aesthetics on Madison Street. ” See MADISON MAKEOVER on page 13
Photo: Todd A. Bannor
Sleep Out 4 Change event took place in Forest Park. By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter
The temperature was forecast to hit a low of 19 degrees on Feb. 17 in Forest Park, but Housing Forward board member Erich Krumrei was enthusiastic about sleeping outside in a card-
board box to raise money and awareness of homelessness issues. The Iraqi war veteran noted before the event, “I’ve been watching the weather very closely. The colder the better. The idea is to get out there in the elements and suffer a little so you have a bit of an idea of what people
IN Big Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 THIS ISSUE Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16 Classified
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go through when they don’t have a home.” Krumrei, who lives in Oak Park and owns Play it Again Sports in Forest Park, notes he was inspired by Gimme Shelter, an event hosted by See COMFORT on page 12
D91 OKs STEAM construction
How D91 teaches Black history
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