F O R E S T PA R K
ForestParkReview.com Vol. 108, No. 38
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REVIEW
BEST SSMALL WEEKLY WEE NEWSPAPER NEWS ILLINOIS IN ILL
SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
PTO hosts ‘color run’ PAGE 8
Residents want more police presence, transparency from Pioneer Tap
Police dept. may lease vehicles from Enterprise
Police Chief Ken Gross says, ‘Our officers always patrol that area, but they can’t just be there’
Village staff is analyzing whether the cost savings make it an option worth exploring
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
After 24 police reports involving Pioneer Tap in the first four months of this year, the village ordered the Randolph Street bar to close for a week in April ahead of a hearing to determine whether it could keep its liquor license. At that April 24 hearing, Pioneer Tap was cleared to reopen, fined $650 and its owner Marty Sorice was directed to develop a corrective action plan for the bar. That correction action plan required Pioneer Tap to increase security staff on weekends, play music at a lower volume, close windows when the music or crowd might be disruptive, make new signage to remind patrons they are in a residential area, and request to meet with the village quarterly to discuss issues and be notified if there’s an uptick in perceived problems. Nearly five months later, residents who live nearby Pioneer Tap are still complaining about alleged disruptive
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
For 34 full-time officers, the Forest Park Police Department has 13 patrol cars, five cars for detectives, two administrative vehicles, one drivable parking enforcement car, two motorcycles and an ATV. But many of the frequently used vehicles are outliving their lifespan, according to Police Chief Ken Gross. One of the cars is a 2011 vehicle, two are 2015, and one is 2017. To address the police department’s aging fleet, Gross met with Enterprise Rent-A-Car Sept. 17 to discuss the car rental business leasing government vehicles as a potential cost-saving measure for the village. “The lease would allow for a circulation of cars, so you don’t have 10-year-old cars in the fleet. If you have newer cars, there’s in theory
See PIONEER TAP on page 4
FILE PHOTO
See ENTERPRISE on page 4
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
A look back in time: The movie house on Madison Street
Tom Holmes: Affection and love with an accent
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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IN Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 THIS ISSUE Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10