Landmark_082725

Garbage truck crashes into antique storefront

Heart’s Desire Antiques in LaGrange Park is closed until further notice

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

A garbage truck on August 21 drove into the front of an antique store in LaGrange Park

The truck, operated by Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS), was turning left from Newbury Avenue onto 31st Street when it continued to turn left, driving over the sidewalk and through a tree and concrete planters before continuing into the facade of Heart’s Desire Antiques, 1014 E. 31st St., said Susan Hull, the store’s owner.

Hull said the store, which has been open at the location for 28 years, was empty of people and had not yet opened for the day when the crash occurred.

“I got a phone call at like 8 a.m. that this truck was in my store,” she told the Landmark. “It was really a shock.”

The truck destroyed a large amount of the store’s inventory that it struck, and the force of the collision sent debris fly-

See ANTIQUES on page 7

Aug. 21.

pension funding policy

e village is on target for 100% funding by 2040, beating 90% state requirement

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

Riverside trustees directed village staf f to draft a new policy to ensure the village maintains flexibility while proactively meeting the state’s required level of police pension funding by 2040.

Finance Director Yvette Zavala said Riverside, like all Illinois municipalities, must have its pension fund for police officers 90% funded by 2040, adding to the fund year over year while the funds generate interest through an investment pool that has been managed by the state since 2019.

Art teacher brings pottery out of the classroom (and makes a lot of dust)

Ryan Bothwell runs his own pottery studio when he’s not at Forest Road Elementary in LaGrange Park

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

Before LaGrange Park art teacher Ryan Bothwell learned how to do pottery, he had “zero interest” in the subject, he said. Now, Bothwell runs his own pottery studio out of Brookfield and teaches the art to young students in and out of his classroom.

Bothwell is the owner of Bothwell Pottery, which opened in 2021. The business, offering individual pottery classes and weeklong ceramic summer camps as well as educational clay parties, first operated out of a basement apartment in a building Bothwell and his wife owned

This summer, Bothwell has based the camps out of his own classroom at Forest Road Elementary School in LaGrange Park while searching for a new permanent studio. He said he was grateful to the administrators at Forest Road and LaGrange School District 102 as well as the custodial staff at the school: “Pottery camps make a lot of dust,” he said.

After a slower start during the pandemic, Bothwell said the studio has hit a cap on the number of students it serves during summer camps each year

“At first, especially, I got a lot of kids from Brookfield schools that maybe had a lesser or not as much of an art program, and then as time went on, more and more people found out about it,” he said. “That first summer, I might have had one week or two weeks of camps, maybe 15 to 20 kids. Now, it’s grown; the last two summers, I’ve had close to 150 kids, this summer and last summer, come through the studio.”

He said he’s even taught some of his own students over the summer.

Bothwell got his start in pottery well after he became an art teacher nearly 30 years ago.

“In 2014, there was a local studio that wanted someone to teach their pottery classes. I said, ‘I really don’t know. All I do

is little pitch pot projects and little things. I don’t really do ceramics.’ They said, ‘No, no, no, we want a teacher to make sure the kids are managed, and we’ ll help you with the ceramic side of it,’” he said. “While they were teaching me, I would teach the kids, and, simultaneously, they let me take classes at the studio for a discounted price, and it seemed fun, so I started doing it.”

Bothwell began to make his own pottery. At first, he said he primarily made mugs.

“I was also home brewing at the time, and I thought it would be quaint to drink my homemade beers out of my homemade mugs. Turns out, I was able to start producing quite a quantity, and I would sell at beer festivals and local breweries,” he said. “I got much better at making the pottery than I did the beer, so I quit making beer and stuck with the pottery.”

The ceramicist said he quickly fell in love with the art, leading him to throw clay on the wheel deep into the night after he was the only one in the studio. After some time, that desire matured into wanting to open his own

studio and share the skills he had developed

“I’ve always been an elementary, middle school-age art teacher, so it was a natural transition for me to take the passion that I had grown over about five years that I was making and selling pottery to eventually start offering classes and camps,” he said.

While it’s not the only thing he teaches, Bothwell said ceramics have found their way into his classroom when school is in session, too.

“I have a comprehensive curriculum. I teach drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, printmaking, weaving even. Anything you can think of from your elementary [school] experience when you were making art, I try to introduce that to the kids throughout their six years here, and it does include a little bit of pottery,” he said. “We have a lot less time when it comes to the school day. I only see the kids for about an hour a day. I still introduce them to a couple of clay projects every year … I’m lucky enough to have the equipment and the tools here at school to do projects like that.”

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one-year subscription costs $57 within Cook County and $95 outside the county. Adver tising rates may be obtained by calling our o ce. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS 0019-585). Postmaster send address corrections to Landmark, PO Box 6670, River Forest, IL 60305. © 2025 Growing Community Media NFP.

Brook eld resident reimagines his family in new no

Bill Hillmann’s ‘White Flight’ comes to shelves on Sept. 2

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

In the 1990s, Bill Hillmann and his family moved from Rogers Park on Chicago’s far north side to LaGrange during a tumultuous time — one of his sisters was recovering from being shot while his older brother was freshly released from jail.

After a few years, he and his family relocated from LaGrange to Brookfield, where Hillmann has lived on-and-off for two decades and where his parents settled down once and for all.

Now, the author, boxer and professor at East-West University has dramatized his family’s experiences during their stay in LaGrange and time in Brookfield — the good, the bad and the ugly — in his autobiographical novel, “White Flight,” set to publish on Sept. 2 through Tortoise Books.

PROVIDED BY JULIA BORCHERTS

“White Flight” is the ctional tale of Joe Walsh, a teenager whose family moves to LaGrange and later Brook eld from Chicago and whose life events mirror Hillmann’s own.

Hillmann will celebrate the book launch with a reading and meet and greet at the Green Mill Jazz Club in Chicago, 4802 N. Broadway, on Sunday, Sept. 21, from 3-5 p.m. He said he’s looking into bringing a similar event to Brookfield, too.

A spiritual successor to his 2014 book “The Old Neighborhood,” “White Flight” follows a mixed-race family who, much like Hillmann’s own, briefly moves to LaGrange in the ‘90s before settling down in Brookfield. While Hillmann said his family is mostly white, two of his sisters are Afro-Caribbean adoptees, which added to the tension the family experienced in the suburbs, he said.

“The family, they kind of escape, but, of course, they’re still goofy Chicago people. They move out onto LaGrange Road, and there’s a huge culture clash that happens,” Hillmann told the Landmark. “At one point in the LaGrange part, they’re having a fight about something [with the neighbor] because my sister bumps their BMW

Then the lady is like, ‘Who is she? The maid?’ That really happened. They really thought that my sisters were the maids.”

The protagonist, a teenager named Joe Walsh, experiences similar life events to Hillmann. Joe’s sister is recovering from a gunshot wound when his family moves, and his brother is released from jail, too. In the meantime, the teen starts attending St. Joseph High School in Westchester, discovers his love of boxing and studies physics, just like Hillmann did.

“He starts accumulating wins and fights. He wins the Golden Gloves [amateur boxing tournament], and he starts to dream about going to the Olympics,” Hillmann said, based on his own time in the Olympic boxing circuit. “But every step, he kind of runs into a brick wall. Then, he finds his way through it, and then he gets to another layer, and he runs into another brick wall.”

The conflict in the book escalates when Joe’s brother starts to fall back on his old ways and their grandmother enables his behavior, Hillmann said, culminating in a violent confrontation between the two brothers.

“He decides he’s got to kill his oldest brother,” Hillmann said. “It’s a really crazy family drama.”

Eventually — spoiler alert — after the story takes Joe to Louisiana and he ends up in prison alongside his brother, his brother manages to redeem himself before dying

in Joe’s arms. Hillmann said he and his brother really fought, physically as well as verbally, like the characters in the book, but that his real-life brother survived the ordeal and managed to turn his life around.

“In the book, I hint at it a little bit. As he’s dying, the main character is holding his hand in the hospital inside the prison, and he’s telling him, ‘You’re going to live You’re going to do great. You’re going to meet a great woman, and you’re going to marry her. She’ll give you children, and you’re going to have a big house in the suburbs, and it’s going to be beautiful,’” he said. “The real-life happy ending is the coolest thing.”

Hillmann said the 150-page manuscript that eventually became “White Flight” was first written in 2005 while he was in colle ge and had just been introduced to the world of literature and writing, inspired by the likes of Ernest Hemingway.

He started writing about the events of his life but said he “realized pretty quickly that I was really embarrassed” by the qual-

ity of his fledgling prose.

“I put that down. I went back and wrote ‘The Old Neighborhood.’ I wrote that for 10 years, and that came out in 2014. Then, I said, ‘OK, I got to write the sequel,’ so around 2015, I started working on it again,” he said. “I put a lot of ef fort into it and took a lot of years with it, and I’m really happy with it. I think it’s the best thing I ever wrote.”

He said the message of the book is that there’s always the possibility to overcome the obstacles you face and find redemption.

“No matter how good you are, or how good you’re trying to be, life is probably going to grab you and tear you down and drag you through the mud. The thing is, even in an inhumane environment and world, you can still hold onto your humanity, and you can overcome,” he said. “Your spirit can be set free, no matter how bad the things [are] you had to go through … You just got to hold onto the goodness and to the hope and love, and you can survive, and you can escape, and you can make it.”

Be Proactive: Plant Large Trees & Evergreens

Some of the cooler weather over the past week has offered a refreshing glimpse of the fall season that is quickly approaching. This shift in seasons raises an important question: what does it mean to take a truly proactive approach to landscaping at this time of year?

The best answer is simple yet highly effective: plant large trees and evergreens.

Fall provides some of the most favorable conditions of the entire year for establishing new plantings— lower ground and air temperatures, resulting in rates of evaporation that decrease significantly. This allows more moisture to be retained over a longer period of time—a critical factor in helping new trees develop a strong, healthy root system that will sustain them for years to come.

Also keep in mind that before the ground freezes, it is important to apply anti-desiccant sprays �Wilt-Pruf is recommended) to minimize the moisture loss to transpiration, as cold winter winds are able to pull moisture out of the still-living plant tissues.

When spring rolls around, as the ground unfreezes (along with the snowpack), this early-season hydration is what allows them to “wake up” strong, fueling new growth and giving your landscaping a vibrant head start for the year.

Riverside could freeze some property tax assessments

Trustees w ill decide in January 2026 whether to join the program

By TRENT BROWN Staff Reporter

Riverside’s village board is set to decide in January whether the village could join a statewide program that would allow some resident homeowners to freeze the valuation of their property taxes for about eight years as an incentive for home improvements.

Village Planner Anne Cyran on Aug. 21 told trustees that, come January, they would have to approve an ordinance opting Riverside out of the Property Tax Assessment Freeze Program, or the village would be entered into the program by default. While trustees seemed split on whether to opt out of the program, they ag reed to direct village staf f to draft such an ordinance so the village can have its choice when the time comes to make a decision.

The program, operated by the Illinois

State Historic Preservation Office, allows residents of historic, owner-occupied homes to freeze the assessment of their property taxes for the next eight years while they make home improvements over the course of two years that are worth at least 25% of the home’s initial assessed value, Cyran said.

At the end of the eighth year, the home’s value is reassessed, and the difference from the frozen value is added in equal increments over four more years, meaning the owner does not pay the full property tax on their improved home until their 12th year in the program, a full decade after the improvements were completed

For example, a home worth $400,000 would need at least $100,000 worth of improvements after two years, Cyran said. The home, now worth $500,000, would still be taxed on the value of $400,000 until the ninth year, at which point the evaluation would increase by $25,000 each year until it reaches the full $500,000 in the 12th year. But there’s one important caveat: the state operates the program, meaning any resident whose property qualifies can seek

to freeze their tax assessment, but each taxing body must individually opt out of the program, and the freeze is only applied to the portion of the property tax that is levied by taxing bodies that did not opt out.

“The village’s levy is approximately 15% of the property tax bill. If the village participates in the program, 15% of the property’s tax assessment will be frozen,” Cyran said.

For taxing bodies that opt out of the program, the corresponding portion of the tax bill increases every year as the property’s value is reassessed.

“The schools and Triton Colle ge make up, I think, 73% of a tax bill, so that’s a pretty significant amount. I didn’t hear back from Triton Colle ge about whether they opt out,” Cyran said. “If, collectively, the schools and the colle ge opt out of the program, that’s a large chunk of the property tax bill that wouldn’t be frozen.”

Cook County, which does participate, accounts for about 4% of the tax bill, she said.

To qualify for the program, a home “is generally more than 50 years old, and it is not significantly altered from how it was designed” both internally and externally,

Brook eld Chamber of Commerce Business Spotlight

Don’t miss the 16th Annual Brook eld Arts Festival!

The 16th annual Brook eld Fine Arts Festival returns to Kiwanis Park Sunday, September 7th from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM! Festival goers will enjoy a day of art, music, dance, theater, food, drink, and community in Kiwanis Park’s beautiful outdoor setting. Admission is free and the festival is easily accessible by foot, car, or the Metra BNSF line.

For 16 years, the Brook eld Fine Arts Festival has been a beloved local tradition with an eclectic range of art and activities for all ages. This year the festival will have painting, sculpture, pottery, textiles, jewelry, photography and more. There will be interactive art experiences for kids and adults in a family friendly atmosphere.

The 2025 Brook eld Fine Arts Festival will feature a strong focus on interactive and community-driven experiences, strong support from a wonderful team of volunteers, and expanded entertainment programming that includes a larger performing arts showing to complement the visual arts.

Cyran said. In the course of the improvements, existing historical features must be maintained or replaced as necessary with the same materials.

The home must also fall into a National Historic Landmark District, which all of Riverside has since the end of 2023.

The village board last discussed the program in 2017 and 2018, Cyran said, when the cost of newly constructed additions and garages did not count toward the investment requirement of 25% of the preassessed value. Now, they do count toward the expenditure requirement, she said.

Riverside has opted out of the program since 1999. The potential change comes after the village’s preservation commission unanimously recommended Riverside participate in the program on Aug. 14, as the village could collect more taxes from improved homes after their freeze ends, and the cost to other residents is minimal.

Riverside did not opt out of the program from 1986-1998, Cyran said, after doing so from the program’s creation in 1980 through 1985.

According to village documents, one home in Riverside received a freeze in 2020.

Presented by

This year’s festival coincides with the

All three are just steps from BNSF Metra stops, o ering art lovers from Riverside, Berwyn, Oak Park, Hinsdale, Western Springs, Clarendon Hills, Naperville, and beyond the chance to visit multiple festivals in one day — with Brook eld as the perfect starting point.

Be sure to follow the Brook eld Fine Arts Festival on Facebook and Instagram for updates, artist spotlights, and sneak peeks at this year’s entertainment lineup.

The entertainment lineup will include Latin dance with Sway Dance Chicago, Mexican Folklore Dance by Dance on Grand–featuring dancers from RiversideBrook eld High School, S.E. Gross Middle School and Brook Park Elementary School, and performances by the Brook eld Theater and the Glaser Players. There will be sidewalk chalk contests for adults and kids and the Linda Sokol Francis Brook eld Public Library tent will host creative activities for kids. There will also be food and beverages from local favorites. This year’s festival coincides with the West End Arts Festival in La Grange and the Downers Grove Fine Arts Festival.

All three are just steps from BNSF Metra

ANTIQUES

No injuries from page 1

ing that struck more of the antiques in the back of the store, Hull said. She said the truck drove about 15 feet into the store before coming to a stop

According to a written statement from the LaGrange Park Police Department, the incident occur red around 8 a.m. on Thursday. The driver of the garbage truck was treated on the scene by paramedics and taken to the hospital “with non-life-threatening injuries,” the release said.

The 1000 block of East 31st Street was closed to traffic in both directions until about 10:53 a.m. following police assessments and cleanup of the area. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

LRS representatives were not available

Thursd afternoon er the phone or through the company’ to ans

Hull said she was told not to enter the store al clean-up crews had finished up the hole in the p. m. on Thursd

“Until a structural engineer comes out, we

Hull said she not be

Christmas seasons, when Heart’s sees a major uptick in business.

“We’ that’s a day-to-day thing. Sometimes, you’ll ha she said.

Michele, an employee declined to share her last name, said she heard the Brookfield Connections book.

Clean-up crews worked to board up the front of Heart’s Desire Antiques ursday a ernoon a er the garbage truck that drove through the facade had been cleared away

oup as early as 8:33 a.m. on Thursday

“Sue wasn’t answering her phone, so I some clothes on and came over because I needed to see what was happening,” she said. “I have no words.” he said she never thought an incident one could happen due to the tree and lanters between the facade and the street.

Andrea Slivka, who owns the adjacent Happier Now Cafe & Market, said she was the force of the collision that left the truck halfway within the store. Slivka said she was thankful no one was injured, especially no children passers-by, as Thursday was the first day of the 202526 school year in LaGrange Park, and students may have been walking to nearby

Forest Road Elementary School moments before the crash.

Hull said the most touching thing has been the outreach she’s experienced from the community.

“The village manager came over right away,” Michele said.

“The c ustomers and neighbors that have reached out to us … T hey’ve all b een really great,” Hull said of the c ommunity and village staf f who responded to the crash. “ I’m j ust hoping this all g ets fixed and done fast. ”

While she couldn’t yet name the date, Hull said Heart’s Desire will have a grand reopening once the store is back in working order.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

The fund is on track to be 100% funded by 2040 at its expected rate of return on fund investments of 6.5%, but Riverside ought to take proactive action to contribute to the fund as outlined by the for thcoming policy, Zavala said.

In order to ensure the fund continues to grow over time to meet the 2040 target, Zavala said the village’s annual investment returns ought to fully cover the benefits Riverside pays out to retired police. Contributions to the fund from the village and its employees should be left to accrue additional interest to pay of f future years’ benefits and decrease the unfunded portion of the pensions, she said.

At the end of 2024, the fund was reported by Riverside’s actuary firm, Lauterbach and Amen, to be around 44.43% funded, while sur rounding communities have an average funding level ab ove 60%, Zavala said. Each year since 2014, Riverside has contributed more to the police pension fund than was recommended, she said; the fund grew by about $1.4 million in 2024.

While Riverside has contributed more to the fund than the state has required, further contributions could be needed to

enefits payments to the value of assets below the 6.5% eturn, Zavala said. Last year, Riverside paid out about $1.7 million in benefits payments, she said, while it only earned roughly $1.2 million as a return on the invested funds.

The value of the fund did grow by about $336,000, she said, but the difference between the return on investments and the paid-out benefits could put the fund’s stability at risk in the future.

“We’ re doing well, but we can do better,” Zavala said. “The g oal is to have your return, your i nterest mad e, be able to make your annual pay ment. ” If that doesn’t happen, part of the yearly contribution must be paid out immediately and cannot be left to accrue further interest.

“Staf f recommends taking a proactive approach to this, because if that number keeps growing, the difference, the actuary can come back and say, ‘Now you guys have to decrease your [rate of] assumption,’ and it’s better to have a choice than be forced to do it,” as doing so would leave Riverside to contribute more into the fund each year, Zavala said.

By being proactive and paying additional monies into the fund in years with a surplus, the village can meet its minimum requirements in other years without putting the fund’s future at risk, she said.

Suspended driver caught with broken headlight

Brookfield police ticketed a 31-year-old Lockport woman on Aug. 21 for driving with an inoperative headlamp.

Around 9:15 p.m., an officer was driving north on the 4100 block of Prairie Avenue when they noticed a southbound car with its driver’s side headlamp out. The officer pulled the car over near Grove Avenue after it turned east onto Ogden Avenue. After the officer made contact with the driver, she provided her driver’s license and proof of insurance.

The officer ran the woman’s infor mation and learned her driver’s license was suspended. After the officer infor med the woman, she said she was aware it had been suspended but thought it had been reinstated.

The officer cited the woman for driving with one headlamp and for driving on a suspended license and issued her a Sept. 30 court date. The woman parked her vehicle legally and was sent on her way after saying she would have family pick her up

Windshield, mirror smashed

Police responded on Aug. 24 to a Brookfield resident who reported his car had been damaged overnight. No one was arrested.

Around 8 a.m., an officer arrived on the 4400 block of Raymond Avenue and spoke with the resident, who said he had last seen his car undamaged around 7 p.m. the previous night before discovering damage to the windshield and driver’s side mirror that morning. The resident also said he saw broken glass on the street and three bricks lying nearby.

Police searched the street for residential surveillance cameras and made contact with a homeowner whose cameras captured the incident.

In footage obtained from the neighbor’s

cameras, police saw two individuals enter three from d the two individuals were one man and one woman who exited from what appeared to be a Chevrolet Malibu before approaching the resident’s car. After they threw the objects at the man’s car, police observed a brick striking its windshield and another striking the back of the car. A glass bottle also struck the broken mirror before breaking into shards.

Police collected shards of the broken bottle for evidence, but finger print dusting did not yield either individual’s identity.

These items were obtained from the Brookfield Police Department reports dated Aug. 18-25; they represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Trent Brown

CO RRECTI ON

A story titled “Hen party in Riverside” that ran in print Aug. 20, 2025, misstated which village trustee raised to staf f the inconsistency in the village code about the number of hens allowed to be kept per property. It was Trustee Cristin Evans. The Landmark re grets the er ror.

By Linda Sokol Francis. E.A.

HOME ENERGY AUDITS MAY QUALIFY FOR AN ENERGY EFFICIENT HOME IMPROVEMENT CREDIT

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 created several clean energy credits. Each of these credits has requirements for the type of clean energy property or service purchased and how they are claimed. This includes a nonrefundable energy efficient home improvement credit for the purchase and installation of certain energy efficient improvements in taxpayers’ principal residences.

The credit amount is equal to 30 percent of the total amount that taxpayers pay during the year for qualified energy efficiency improvements installed during the year, residential energy property expenditures, and home energy audits.

To qualify for the credit, a home energy audit must identify the most significant and costeffective energy efficiency improvements to the residence, including an estimate of the energy and cost savings to each improvement.

The maximum credit for home energy audits is $150. Therefore, taxpayers can claim a 30 percent

credit on audits that cost up to $500. The home energy auditor must provide a written audit report to the taxpayer. When obtaining a residential energy audit make sure that it meets the credit requirements. Specifically, taxpayers will need to substantiate that a qualified auditor conducted their home audit. To satisfy this requirement, the written audit should state that the auditor is certified to conduct the home energy audit.

The home energy efficient home improvement is a non-refundable credit, meaning that it can only reduce the amount of tax you owe and will not create a refund.

For more information on these credits and other clean energy credits related to the Inflation Reduction Act, check the Inflation Reduction Act

Credits and Deductions page on IRS.gov.

Special Program

Special Program

Special Program

Sept 29, 2025

Sept 29, 2025

Sept 29, 2025

Sept 29, 2025

MK Pritzker

MK Pritzker

MK Pritzker

MK Pritzker

MK Pritzker

MK Pritzker

A

House that made history

Special Program

Sept 29, 2025

A House that made history

A House that made history

The Illinois Governor’s Mansion, Legacy of an Architectural Treasure

A House that made history

A House that made history

The Illinois Governor’s Mansion, Legacy of an Architectural Treasure

A House that made history

The Illinois Governor’s Mansion, Legacy of an Architectural Treasure

The Illinois Governor’s Mansion, Legacy of an Architectural Treasure

The Illinois Governor’s Mansion, Legacy of an Architectural Treasure

The Illinois Governor’s Mansion, Legacy of an Architectural Treasure

Join us for a special presentation by the First Lady of Illinois, MK Pritzker, sharing the story of the people who populated the Illinois Governor’s mansion over the years and her efforts to restore it to its former glory.

Tickets on Sale August 28

Join us for a special presentation by the First Lady of Illinois, MK Pritzker, sharing the story of the people who populated the Illinois Governor’s mansion over the years and her efforts to restore it to its former glory.

The Illinois Governor’s Mansion, Legacy of an Architectural Treasure

Join us for a special presentation by the First Lady of Illinois, MK Pritzker, sharing the story of the people who populated the Illinois Governor’s mansion over the years and her efforts to restore it to its former glory.

Join us for a special presentation by the First Lady of Illinois, MK Pritzker, sharing the story of the people who populated the Illinois Governor’s mansion over the years and her efforts to restore it to its former glory.

Lunch & Program $60 Program Only $30*

Tickets on Sale August 28

Join us for a special presentation by the First Lady of Illinois, MK Pritzker, sharing the story of the people who populated the Illinois Governor’s mansion over the years and her efforts to restore it to its former glory.

Join us for a special presentation by the First Lady of Illinois, MK Pritzker, sharing the story of the people who populated the Illinois Governor’s mansion over the years and her efforts to restore it to its former glory.

Join us for a special presentation by the First Lady of Illinois, MK Pritzker, sharing the story of the people who populated the Illinois Governor’s mansion over the years and her efforts to restore it to its former glory.

Tickets on Sale August 28

Lunch begins at noon; program to follow at 1:15 pm. Advance reservations required.

Tickets on Sale August 28

Tickets on Sale August 28

Lunch & Program—$60 Program Only—$30*

* Fee waivers available for the program; email pritkzerquestions@nineteenthcentury.org or call 708 -386-2729

Lunch & Program $60 Program Only $30*

Tickets on Sale August 28

Lunch & Program $60 Program Only $30* Lunch begins at noon; program to follow at 1:15 pm. Advance reservations required.

Tickets on Sale August 28

Lunch & Program $60 Program Only $30*

Lunch & Program $60 Program Only $30*

Lunch begins at noon; program to follow at 1:15 pm. Advance reservations required.

Lunch begins at noon; program to follow at 1:15 pm. Advance reservations required.

* Fee waivers available for the program; email pritkzerquestions@nineteenthcentury.org or call 708 -386-2729

Lunch begins at noon; program to follow at 1:15 pm. Advance reservations required.

* Fee waivers available for the program; email pritkzerquestions@nineteenthcentury.org or call 708 -386-2729

* Fee waivers available for the program; email pritkzerquestions@nineteenthcentury.org or call 708 -386-2729

* Fee waivers available for the program; email pritkzerquestions@nineteenthcentury.org or call 708 -386-2729

178 Forest Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60301

* Fee waivers available for the program; email pritkzerquestions@nineteenthcentury.org or call 708 -386-2729

708-386-2729 www.nineteenthcentury.org

Lunch begins at noon; program to follow at 1:15 pm. Advance reservations required.

Lunch & Program $60 Program Only $30* Lunch begins at noon; program to follow at 1:15 pm. Advance reservations required.

* Fee waivers available for the program; email pritkzerquestions@nineteenthcentury.org or call 708 -386-2729

178 Forest Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60301

178 Forest Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60301

708-386-2729 www.nineteenthcentury.org

178 Forest Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60301

178 Forest Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60301 708-386-2729 www.nineteenthcentury.org

708-386-2729 www.nineteenthcentury.org

708-386-2729 www.nineteenthcentury.org

178 Forest Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60301

178 Forest Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60301 708-386-2729 www.nineteenthcentury.org Special Program Sept 29, 2025

708-386-2729 www.nineteenthcentury.org

YOUR BEST LIFE withLisaCapone

Celebrating 100 Years

Cantata Adult Life Services (formerly known as the British Home) turned 100 this year, and we’re marking this milestone with a community-wide celebration you won’t want to miss! Join us on Saturday, September 13 for the Cantata Centennial Festival, a full day of live music, delicious food, family fun, and special moments honoring our century of service.

Enjoy performances from talented local musicians, explore unique vendors, and sample offerings from popular food trucks. Kids will love the family-friendly entertainment, while adults can relax with beer, wine, and great company.

We’ll also announce winners of our 50/50 raffle—supporting Cantata’s mission while giving lucky participants a chance to win big. This once-in-a-century celebration is our way of saying thank you to the community that has been part of our story for 100 years.

Delivering that ‘wow’ factor and joy to sippers

River Forest man turns dream into

By JACKIE PISANO Contributing Reporter

For as long as he can remember, Maxwell Blessen has felt a calling to create an exceptional, unrivaled product — something which would excite others by its one-of-akind experience, packaged and delivered with a smile.

And eight years ago, the River Forest native and Fenwick High School graduate was finally able to channel his energy into what he loved.

It was in a dream that Blessen first envisioned the idea of Joy Tea — a mission of concocting teas with extraordinary flavors

unique tea business

and delivering a healthy, feel-good drink to consumers.

For Blessen, what he’s consistently found frustrating is the fact that mass-produced teas in the U.S. seem to lack a certain joie de vivre, and that the beverage world has heavily focused solely on quick jolt sources like coffees and energy drinks, leaving teas silently kicked to the curb.

“Tea in America is boring, which is a terrible tragedy,” Blessen says. “The typical tea experience in America is ordering some random generic tea like black tea or green tea, getting a little sachet and water that’s way too hot for that tea … [and] everyone wonders why more people don’t

drink tea?

Simply put, Blessen says, Joy Tea is essentially a movement to shine the spotlight on tea — specifically ancient Chinese teas — and reveal the abundance of hidden culture, stories and flavors these teas hold.

“I don’t say this with any romantic exaggeration — tea (Camellia Sinensis) is one of the most influential plants on Earth,” he explained. “It is the basis of early global trade, it was an early precursor to medicine in China with history dating back to about 5,000 years ago, and it fueled both wars and peace, emperors and people alike

“There is so much more out there, so our job is to bring those flavors, experiences

ent variables to land on his new products.

“For our first product line, we don’t just green tea,” Blessen explained. “We use a special, seven-times scented jasmine een tea, grown 1,800 meters above sea level in Fujian, China — the birthplace asmine green tea over 1,000 years ago. This specific jasmine flower only opens at night, and when it does, it releases its beautiful, delicate fragrance.”

Blessen says Joy Tea’s mission is to provide teas that impress customers with a healthier option making them feel good, all ile preserving ancient Chinese tea traditions.

“We don’t just use any tea, we use ancient tea; tea with rich history — centuries, if not millennia, of tradition and cultivation,” he said. “We are not chasing perfection; I don’t think that’s attainable. want you to drink a Joy tea and uncontrollably say the word, “wow” — which happens quite a lot, much more than you’d think or I imagined. I think we are on the right track.”

lution, open up and become more fragrant.

“The more people drink tea, the more we can share these wonderful stories and flavors, and the more we can support the far mers and people that have preserved these ancient teas for thousands of years,” he said. “Tea is the antidote for moder n life.”

Though Blessen is the only person working the Joy Tea trailer, he feels immensely supported, from family and friends to investors and customers.

“I’m just the driver, I guess, but I would actually say I’m more in the passenger seat with God, family, friends, customers and supporters in the driver seat,” he said. “I knew I needed to bring the story to the customer, and not wait for them to come to me.”

and stories to you with fun, healthy, delicious drinks.”

Blessen’s precursor to Joy Tea started back in late 2017, when he first created Joy Milk Tea. He was tired of drinking coffee every day and wished there was a great milk tea in the market instead. Having grown up in an Asian f amily, he had discovered milk tea at a young ag e, and frequently wished there were comparable options for the drink like the variety of coffees out on the beverage market.

After finding the market fell short of his expectations, Blessen took matters into his own hands and started making his own tea. Quickly, Blessen said, his product grew to become the largest American canned milk tea brand

Using real tea, no powders and all-natural ingredients, Joy Milk Tea blossomed to being sold in retail stores including Meijer and Whole Foods, while selling simultaneously at local far mers markets across Chicago.

In 2024, Blessen decided to turn things up a notch.

With the of hope of serving a newer, more refined product and developing a brand-new vision for his brand, he decided to wind down operations of Joy Milk Tea and pivot to focusing more on tea broadly, dialing in to Chinese tea and rebranding as Joy Tea.

Establishing a mobile tea trailer, Blessen’s new enterprise has popped up daily this summer at various sites across the

Oak Park and River Forest, including outside the Oak Park Public Library, Keystone Park, the Marion Street business district and the Oak Park Far mers Market.

“I feel like this idea has always been somewhere deep in my subconscious,” he said, “but the clarity of [my] vision has never been as crystal clear as it is now, with the experiences I’ve had in the tea business and the time I’ve had to observe and learn.”

As for the name of his business, Blessen says the idea was simple — tea makes people happy and his flavors bring customers joy.

“It just works,” he said. “Tea is one of the only clinically proven drinks to lowe stress (cortisol), so basically, drinking tea makes you less stressed, which is kind of like being full of joy.”

On Instagram, Blessen promotes Jo Tea as using ancient tea to make modern drinks, boasting options including jasmine green silk tea, green mango jasmine green tea and grapefruit jasmine green tea.

“People would generally feel a lot better if they drank more tea,” Blessen said. “Our products are designed to be the perfect afternoon drink, a great morning ritual or a little treat at the end of your day.”

The teas he sells today have been in development for close to a year, but are the sult of years of experimentation. He’s tasted hundreds of teas, worked with dozens of far ms and estates all over China, and experimented with time, temperature and concentrations across hundreds of differ-

With Joy Tea, Blessen zeroes in on flavor and tea integrity with caffeine and Ltheanine, fueling customers with a savory drink without the crash of traditional coffees and energy drinks, and the added benefit of stress-reduction that comes from tea consumption.

Joy Tea also doesn’t incorporate syrup water like other teas branded as “refreshers;” rather, Blessen makes layered and flavorful drinks, which he says evolve with di-

After months of success and frequent days of selling out of product completely, Blessen says his new, long-term goal for Joy Tea is to open a physical location. He’s currently scouting the Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park business districts for the ideal location to launch a 2026 store opening.

“We want to be the Starbucks of tea, meaning when someone thinks “tea,” they think “Joy,” he said. “When you come to Joy, you’ re going to get a short story, a tea that makes you say ‘wow’ and a better day — simple.”

For more information about Joy Tea, including the trailer’s rotating location schedule, visit @joy_tea_usa on Instagram.

OBITUARIES

Betty Burgaila, 83 Receptionist

Betty L. Burgaila (nee Broz), 83, of Brookfield, died on Aug. 21, 2025. She worked as a rece tionist for a manufacturing firm. Betty was the daughter of the late Leonard Broz and Irene Broz (nee Spevacek); the mother of Renee (Robert) Fonck and Roxanne (John) Kozal; the grandmother of Ryan (Karlie) Polhemus, Liam Polhemus, Lanie Polhemus, Anastasia (Jesse) Kwak, Tatiana Kozal, Katarina Kozal and Natasha Ko Rose Polhemus and Ryan Polhemus Jr. Visitation will be held on Frida and Aug. 30 from 10 to 10:30 a.m. at Hitzeman Funeral Home, 9445 31st Street, Brookfield. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Saturday at St. Louise de Marillac Church, La Grange Park with interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside. Information 708-485-2000 or www.HitzemanFuneral.com.

ed many friendships while teaching. She remained an educator after her retirement in 1994, volunteering as a tram narrator for Brookfield Zoo where she worked among her favorite animals, especially Olga the walrus. Her passions included sewing for f amily and school events, reading and crossword uzzles, handily completing each week’s Sunday NYT uzzle in ink. She enjoyed bicycling around town and walking her dog to Swan Pond. In her later years, she emained a neighborhood walker, greeting old friends, meeting new ones and chatting with their children and ets. The Riverside Public Library, Guthrie Park Events and 4th of July celebrations at Longcommon Park were inte gral part of her enjoyment of life in Riverside, and appreciated the assistance of Riverside’s fire and olice personnel in her later years and caring neighbors and home care givers on her jour ney

Eliza is survived by her three children, Victoria (Darell), Chris (Judy) and Nancy (Tim); her grandchildren, Emily (Matt), Anna, Mike and Jack (Jordyn); and greatanddaughter, Rose.

George Ridyard, 57

Loved music and lighting up a room

Eliza Taus, 92

Teacher, Brook eld Zootram narrator

Elizabeth May Taus (Betty Masa), 92, died on Aug. 5, 2025. She was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Frank Victor. She attended Farragut High School where she played flute in the band and earned her bachelor’s de gree from Chicago Teachers Colle ge with honors in 1955. A Riverside for 66 years to the exact day, she spent more than 32 years teaching in the Chicago Public School system, primarily at Robert Burns Elementary School, which she also attended growing up. She enjoyed including music, singing, writing and art to supplement the academic curriculum for her students and cultivat-

George A. Ri dyard, 57, for merly of Lyons, died on Ju ly 27, 2025. A man of many p assions throughout his l ife, he found joy in fishing , hunting and riding hi s motorcycle. He also had a great love fo r musi c. W hether it was strumming his guitar s or j ust sitting back and enjoying wh atever he f elt li ke listening to, it definitely sti rred his soul.

He was one of a kind. He knew how to have a great time no matter he was doing and c ould always light up a lose friend once said “George, this is your wo rl d, we all j ust live in it,” and we all sure did at one point or another throughout his life. He will truly be missed George was the father of Katelyn and Tyler; the brother of Te r ry (Candy), St eve (Leonora), James (Jenny), Patrick ( Patty), S andy, Carol, Mary and the late Christine; and the uncle and friend of many. Services we re held at I vins/Mor avecek Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St., Rive rside.

Richard Rice, 75 Electr ical engineer

Richard A. Rice, 75, of Riverside, died on Aug. 20, 2025. A retired electrical engineer, he was the husband of the late Laura and the father of Heather Rice (Nate Graves) and Vanessa (Jim) Lewandowski.

Ar r angements we re handled by I vins/ Mor avecek Funeral Home in Rive rside. Funeral info 708-447-2261 or www mor avecek.com.

Russell Trunk, 84

Worked at International Har vester

Russell L. Trunk, Riverside, died on Au 2025, sur rounded f amily. Born on Sept. 14, 1940 in Cicero to his pa ents, Francis and Loretta Trunk, he dedicated mor than 30 years of service to International Harvester where he worked along side his brother Known for his strong work ethic, kindness, and devotion to f amily, he will be deeply missed .

Russell was the of Kathleen (Sal) Dodaro, Michael (Alex) Trunk, (Brandon) Lanehart, and Robert (Lisa) Trunk; the grandfather of 11 and great-grandfather of 17; and the brother, uncle and friend to many.

Services were held at Ivins/Mor avecek Funeral Home, 80 E. Burlington St., Riverside.

To run an obituary

Please contact Ken Trainor by e-mail: ktrainor@wjinc.com, before Monday at noon. Please include a photo if possible.

RBHS girls tennis hopes UEC titles keep on coming

Sullivan, exper

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Senior Soleil Kaciuba enjoyed sending of f her Riverside Brookfield High School senior girls tennis teammates with an Upstate Eight Conference title in their 2024 debut.

“It was my last year with a lot of my close friends who were seniors,” said Kaciuba, a fourth-year varsity player. “It was our last hurrah. Winning conference together was just a super-success for the whole team.”

With six all-conference returnees, the Bulldogs see no reason why they can’t repeat. At the 2024 UEC Meet, seniors Alekse Alijosius and Abigail Krue ger and (No. 2 doubles), senior Abby Weinert and junior Brooke Zavorski (No. 3 doubles) and junior Paige Zavorski (No. 3 singles) also were flight champions. Kaciuba was second at No. 1 singles and senior Ava Sweeney was part of the fourthplace No. 4 doubles team.

“I think this season’s goal is to win conference again, especially because we know we can do it,” Alijosius said. “After winning last season, I think that excitement and confidence in our abilities definitely carries over. Also, since it’s our senior year, we’re very enthusiastic to make our final season a good one.”

Adding to the depth are seniors Anabella Del Angel, Kennedy Holokovsky and Maggie Porter. The Bulldogs graduated four seniors from their 2024 UEC lineup who also were inte gral to winning the four-team Metro Suburban Conference title in 2023.

“An important goal is to try to win conference again,” Krue ger said. “I think the main key to success is for us to bond as a team. It’s important for us to lift each other up and be good teammates.”

LTHS girls tennis

Now in her third varsity season playing No. 1 singles, Lyons Township junior Abby Sullivan continues to get stronger, especially mentally.

“I think a key for success is going to be remaining calm

RBHS Soleil Kaciuba comes to the net for a volley during her #1 singles match against Glenbard East last year.

and patient in pressure moments. If I lose my cool, I could give up points that are crucial to winning the match,” said Sullivan, who trains at Score Tennis & Fitness in Countryside. “I especially worked over the summer remaining consistent and practicing my serve a lot for times of pressure. I also tried to hit a lot more.”

Sullivan is among several returnees for the Lions, who finished third in the final West Suburban Conference Silver Division overall standings behind Hinsdale Central and Oak Park and River Forest after a 4-2 Silver dual record.

At the WSC Silver Meet, senior Rhia Nagle (N bles) and sophomore Elise No

of second-place finishers. Sullivan (No. 1 singles) and senior Erin Hanzlik (No. 4 doubles) were third and junior Sophia Dalgety (No. 2 singles) was fourth.

Seniors Caroline Robb and freshman Chloe Owens also should contribute this season in singles.

At last year’s sectional, three returnees came one victory from top-four finishes to qualify for their first state meets — Sullivan and Dalgety in singles and Novey in doubles.

“It’s a veteran group with a lot of returning experience that is hungry to improve on last year,” LTHS coach Clint Buetikofer said. “Season goals are to be top three in coners qualify for state.”

Sports

More experienced Bulldogs have playo s on their minds

RBHS bring back 16 starters, All-UEC Mason, Mrozik-DeJesus, Garcia

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Riverside Brookfield High School senior football player Warren Mason still wears a knee brace but only as a precaution after the MCL knee sprain that kept him from playing in the 2024 season finale.

“It was brutal and I’m back to 100 percent now,” Mason said.

The final memories of 2024 only serve as motivation especially after the Bulldogs finished 4-5 and came one victory from being eligible for their fourth consecutive trip to the IHSA state playoffs.

In their debut in the Upstate Eight Conference East Division, the Bulldogs were 2-4 to share fifth place. They lost to three of the four playoff-qualifying teams but also surprised Glenbard South 26-21 in Week 6.

They open this season Friday at playof f qualifier Niles West (5-5 in 2024), which they beat 34-13 in last year’s opener.

“I think we all look at each other as brothers. We all have a strong connection. It’s fight or die for each other,” Mason said. “Obviously winning is big but making every game look smooth is the biggest. To me, if you can make every play look smoother, every game look smooth, you can get things to go how you want. That’s a successful season.”

The Bulldogs return 16 full- or parttime starters (8 offense, 7 defense, 1 special teams). That includes All-UEC selections Mason, senior wide receiver Xavier Mrozik-DeJesus and junior quarterback

Giancarlo Garcia, one of six returning sophomores on varsity in 2024. Senior lineman Damian Nieves and senior safety Oscar Aguir re received honorable mention. Mason, Jaden Barrett, Mrozik-DeJesus, Nieves and Ben Biskupic are senior team captains. New to the program, Biskupic was voted on by teammates.

“I just want to make sure we have greater team success,” Mrozik-DeJesus said. “(AllUEC) was a great feat and I’m very glad that I got it, but it means nothing if we don’t make the playoffs. We’re all going to keep working to make that playof f goal and maybe get all-conference again.”

The dedication showed during offseason work. RBHS head coach Sam Styler said several team records were achieved in weight training. The coaching staf f also met re gularly in the offseason. Returning assistants Brad Vojcak (offensive coordinator), Keith Miller (offensive line), John Evans (defensive line) and Nick Santos (running backs) are joined by Hunter Hughes (wide receivers/quarterback) from the junior varsity and program newcomers Marcus Griffin (defensive coordinator), Michael Love (cornerbacks) and Eric Kostiuk (offensive line). Styler coaches special teams and defensive backs.

“Obviously the season didn’t go the way that we wanted to [missing playoffs] but I think our senior leaders are excited. They’re hungry,” Styler said.

“I think just the amount of guys coming back [is a strength]. They’ve set a great tone of the younger guys understanding now how this grind is. Being able to translate that down, we’re seeing a much stronger culture in the program. Our coaching has been phenomenal. I can’t say enough about the amount of work they do.”

Last season, Garcia passed for 1,468

RBHS Warren Mason (5) pulls down an interception against Argo dur ing a preseason scrimmage game Aug. 22, in Brook eld.

yards and 12 touchdowns with a 97.7 passer rating and rushed for a team-high 447 yards with 7 TDs. Xavier-Mrozik was the top receiver with 36 catches for 592 yards and 5 TDs.

Also returning are senior running back Jacob Retana (79 rushes, 281 yards, 3 TDs) and junior Nick Caputo (21 catches, 210 yards, TD), Mason (10 catches, 178 yards, 3 TDs) and senior Jayden Karas (8 catches, 119 yards) as receivers. Senior Joey Campagna and junior Joaquin Jara return on the offensive line.

Nieves, an offensive line starter the past two years, moves primarily to the defensive line. Outside linebacker Mason was second with 61 total tackles and had a team-high three interceptions with a blocked field goal. Other defensive returnees are Aguir re, junior lineman Andrew Olivares (3.5 sacks), junior inside linebacker Bryan Rimpila, senior cornerback John Evans, Jr. and senior safety Michael Kallas.

Senior punter/placekicker John Bielo-

bradek also returns.

Barrett again will contribute at linebacker and slot receiver. Key newcomers include junior linebacker Anthony Lembcke and sophomore offensive lineman Charlie Jicha.

“We’re more juiced, energetic, happy to be here,” Barrett said. “Compared to last year, we’re having a lot more fun, finding ourselves a lot better, finding a better identity.”

The 6-foot-1 Biskupic, already used to success in boys basketball, will contribute at defensive end. He finally was persuaded by Vojack to join football.

“I’m trying to get to the quarterback, contain, stop the run. I’m learning from guys like Damian. He’s been a great leader,” Biskupic said.

“I joined the program to win. The sports I play here are winners so that’s just the mentality I bring. The postseason’s the main thing but when we get there we don’t want to be like, ‘Oh, the job’s finished.’”

LTHS football raises the expectations bar

Lions want to go beyond 2024 Silver championship, trip to 8A quarter nals

By BILL STONE Contributing Reporter

Perhaps it’s fitting that Lyons Township High School football team senior captains Patrick Cheney, Brady Rusk, Jack Slightom and Roman Sosnovyy all have different uniform numbers this season. Some changes are nods to the past. All have some connection to the future – and perhaps an even better season than the Lions’ historic run in 2024.

“Our motto this season is exceed the standard,” Sosnovyy said. “Last year we set the standard of 9-0 in the regular season and unfortunately we had a tough (Class 8A playoff) loss against Naperville Central. We want that state final win. We want it bad and that’s motivated us a ton this year.”

The Lions’ high expectations continue after a phenomenal 11-1 finish in 2024 – the most victories for any season dating back to 1917.

The first 9-0 regular season since 1943 was climaxed by their first West Suburban Conference Silver Division title since 2010 and first outright since 1987 with a perfect 6-0 mark before losing in the Class 8A quarterfinals at home to Naperville Central 24-7.

While the Lions graduated their three allstaters, two-way starters Sosnovyy, Cheney and Rusk return from their 11 All-WSC Silver players. Cheney and Sosnovyy also are in their third varsity seasons

LTHS returns nine starters (5 defense, 4 defense) and several others who saw significant playing time. The Lions get tested immediately with Friday’s opener at Joliet Catholic Academy, which lost last year’s 5A state final to Nazareth 29-27.

“We have a lot of very, very good football players. We have a lot of guys that will be young out there, new to varsity football, but we’re doing everything we can to make sure they’re prepared for Week 1, Week 2,” LTHS coach Jon Beutjer said. “I know that they’ve worked so hard. Football is such a huge commitment from December all the way until now and I know they’re looking forward to relishing and enjoying the fruits of all of their labor. I think this team can be very good. These guys continue to get better and we’re really excited about the season.”

Cheney (No. 2) and Sosnovyy (No. 55) have returned to their numbers as freshmen, when the 2022 LTHS team also reached the 8A quarterfinals. The 2023 team excelled before losing in the second round at home to semifinalist York 17-14.

“What we’ve learned is that leadership role and how to lead the team to victory. We’re going in a dark alley and we’re coming out clean,” Cheney said. “I’m sure it’s a good feeling to get that (championship) ring after the season. That’s the goal – week by week.”

Beutjer said the Lions’ linebacking crew is among the state’s best. It’s fueled by Cheney (47 tackles, 5 for loss in 2024), Rusk (9 tackles) and senior Lou Ratcliffe (68 tackles, 16 for loss).

Senior defensive back Anthony Pearson from Brookfield and lineman Sosnovyy also return.

Senior Jimmy Hillmann from Brookfield are Sosnovyy are back on the offensive line with Sosnovyy expecting even more reps Rusk also returns at tight end (14 catches, 88 yards, 2 TDs) as well as Cheney as a situational running back (65 yards, 3 TDs).

Rusk has switched to No. 3 after wearing No. 87 through all of his years of organized football.

“I feel like that is the end of an era and now being a senior captain, somebody who wants to lead the team. I’m taking on a new number, new role, opportunity,” he said. “We did graduate a lot of really good players but I’m personally super confident in the guys we have. I

feel like we have what it takes this year.”

Other varsity returnees include seniors Jack Slightom, Frank Suero, Sam Foerlich, Lukas Sanguinet, James Praser, Jakub Radecki, Sean Malinowski and Miko Zecevic. Key varsity newcomers include juniors Owen Mateja, EJ Kuhlman, Nathan Fitzgerald, Brady Koren, Cole Harris, Charlie Harrington and Kyndell Barnes, sophomores Ian Collins and Grant Smith and freshman Jack Williams.

Slightom takes over at quarterback for graduated all-conference Dom Pisciotti who, like Slightom, also is a baseball standout.

Soon after the Lions’ baseball season ended this spring, Slightom verbally committed to play baseball at the University of Cincinnati. Slightom, who was 6-for-11 passing for 92 yards and 1 TD as Pisciotti ’s backup, has switched from No. 18 to 13 – his baseball number

“Dom was such a great quarterback. My goal is just doing exactly what he did and maybe pushing it a little further,” Slightom said.

Suero, Kuhlman and Williams will share running back duties. Placekicking is among senior Dylan Wolf and senior Ryland Avants and sophomore Wolfie Ketterling, both also members of the soccer team.

“That’s all we’re really focusing on, getting 1 percent better than we were the day before,” Beutjer said. “We feel like when you do that from December all the way to August, great things can happen.”

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

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: M25000761 on August 6, 2025. Under the Assumed Business Name of LISAMKEEFE. COM with the business located at: 1173 HOME AVE., OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: LISA KEEFE SCOTT 1173 HOME AVE. OAK PARK, IL 60304, USA

Published in Wednesday Journal August 13, 20, 27, 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: M25000804 on August 18, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of NEWLOOK DESIGN STUDIO with the business located at: 907 RIDGE ROAD, WILMETTE, IL 60091. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: STEVE ECONOMOU 1141 SHERMAN AVE, EVANSTON, IL 60202-1335, USA

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals.

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777.

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

The Board of Education of Oak Park Elementary School District #97 will receive sealed letters of intent for in and/or out of school time program proposals at Brooks and Julian Middle Schools located in Oak Park, IL, 60302, until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 19, 2025. The letter of intent should include the name of the organization, intent to submit a response, the organization’s background information and areas of documented expertise in the out-of-school time space.

Copies of the scope of services may be requested by emailing Eboney Lofton (elofton@op97. org). The cut-off date for receiving the scope of services is 3:00 pm, Friday, September 12, 2025. Responses mailed or delivered shall be marked to the attention of: Oak Park School District 97 Attn. Dr. Eboney Lofton 260 Madison Street Oak Park, Illinois 60302

The front of the envelope should be clearly marked “In and/or Out of School Time Programs for District 97 Middle Schools”. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Dr. Eboney Lofton at elofton@op97.org. Faxed or electronically submitted bids will not be accepted. Any faxed or electronically submitted proposals will disqualify vendors.

Responses Due Date: Friday, September 19, 2025 at 3:00 P.M. Only those responses complying with the provision and specification of the response will be considered. The Board of Education reserves the right to waive any informalities, qualifications, or irregularities and/ or reject any or all responses when in its opinion, such action will serve the best interest of the Board of Education of Oak Park Elementary School District 97.

Lonya Boose, Board of Education Secretary

Published in Wednesday Journal August 27, 2025

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION

DOCKET NUMBER: PC 04-

25 - Special Use Permit, Alley Vacation, and Plat of Subdivision

HEARING DATE: September 11, 2025

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits.

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302

PETITIONER / APPLICANT: QuikTrip Corporation, 50 South Main Street Ste 200, Naperville, IL 60540

OWNER(S) OF RECORD:

SEC Harlem Acquisition, 714 Enterprise Dr. Ste 103, Oak Brook, IL 60523

SUBJECT PROPERTY

ADDRESSES: 1137-1155 Garfield Street and 915 S. Maple Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304

REQUEST FOR ALLEY VACATION

REQUEST FOR SUBDIVISION

TO CONSOLIDATE LOTS AND REALIGN BOUNDARIES

LEGAL DESCRIPTIONSUBDIVISION LOTS 1 THRU 12, AND THE VACATED ALLEY, INCLUSIVE, IN BLOCK 2 OF ROBSON WEDDELL’S ADDITION TO OAK PARK, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF THE WEST 694 FEET OF THE WEST ONE-HALF OF THE SOUTHWEST ONE-QUARTER OF SECTION 18, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, EXCEPT SAID PARCEL TAKE FOR ROAD DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: THAT PART OF LOT 3 IN BLOCK 2 OF ROBSON WEDDELL’S ADDITION TO OAK PARK, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF THE WEST 694 FEET OF THE WEST ONE HALF OF THE SOUTHWEST ONE QUARTER OF SECTION 18, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, SAID PARCEL DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT 3; THENCE NORTH 89 DEGREES 26 MINUTES 11 SECONDS EAST (ASSUMED) 15.00 FEET ALONG THE NORTHERLY LINE THEREOF; THENCE SOUTH 32 DEGREES 22 MINUTES 38 SECONDS WEST 27.41 FEET TO THE WESTERLY LINE OF SAID LOT, SAID LINE BEING ALSO THE EASTERLY RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF HARLEM AVENUE (ILLINOIS ROUTE 43); THENCE NORTH 00 DEGREES 48 MINUTES 23 SECONDS WEST 23.00 FEET ALONG SAID WESTERLY LINE TO SAID POINT OF BEGINNING, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

A SUBDIVISION OF THE WEST 694 FEET OF THE WEST ONEHALF OF THE SOUTHWEST ONE-QUARTER OF SECTION 18, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

REQUEST: The Petitioner seeks Village approval of a plat of subdivision to consolidate and subdivide Lots 1 through 12 of the Subject Property, and the vacated alley into two lots of record associated with the proposed development.

SPECIAL USE FOR GAS STATION

Published in Forest Park Review August 20, 27, September 3, 2025 Published in Wednesday Journal, August 27, 2025

GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA

LEGAL DESCRIPTION – 16-FOOTWIDE ALLEY TO BE VACATED BEING A PART OF BLOCK 2 IN ROBSON WEDDELL’S ADDITION TO OAK PARK, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF THE WEST 694 FEET OF THE WEST HALF OF THE SOUTHWEST QUARTER OF SECTION 18, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS AS RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 15, 1887 AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 798586, BEING MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF LOT 1 IN SAID BLOCK 2, THENCE SOUTH ALONG THE WEST RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF MAPLE STREET TO THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF LOT 4 IN SAID BLOCK 2; THENCE WEST ALONG THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT 4 TO THE NORTHWEST CORNER THEREOF; THENCE NORTH ALONG THE EAST RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF HARLEM AVENUE TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF LOT 3 IN SAID BLOCK 2, THENCE EAST ALONG THE SOUTH LINE OF LOTS 1, 2, AND 3 TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, CONTAINING 2,720 SQUARE FEET, OR .062 ACRE MORE OR LESS.

REQUEST: The Petitioner requests the Village vacate a 16-foot-wide Village alley bisecting the Subject Property. The vacated alley would become part of the newly created Lot 1 per the subdivision application.

LEGAL DESCRIPTION - LOT 1

LOTS 1, 2, AND 4 THRU 8, INCLUSIVE, PART OF LOT 3, PART OF LOT 9, AND THE VACATED ALLEY IN BLOCK 2 OF ROBSON WEDDELL’S ADDITION TO OAK PARK, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF THE WEST 694 FEET OF THE WEST ONEHALF OF THE SOUTHWEST ONE-QUARTER OF SECTION 18, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS,

LEGAL DESCRIPTION - LOT 2

LOTS 10 THRU 12, INCLUSIVE, AND PART OF LOT 9 IN BLOCK 2 OF ROBSON WEDDELL’S ADDITION TO OAK PARK, BEING

REQUEST: The Petitioner seeks Village approval of a special use permit to allow the construction and operation of a gas station pursuant to Section 8.3 (“Table 8-1: Use Matrix”) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance on a portion of the Subject Property located at 1141 Garfield Street, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Number 16-18-300-003-0000, in the GC General Commercial Zoning District. The Plan Commission may also consider any related and additional relief that may be discovered during the review of this docket.

The proposed development is located at the southeast corner of Harlem Avenue and Garfield Street. The proposal includes construction of a 6,609 square foot building with eight fueling dispensers (16 fueling stations). The site plan depicts 48 parking spaces (including two handicapped parking stalls) located along the north, east, and south sides of the site.

Copies of the applications and each of the applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Persons with disabilities planning to attend and needing special accommodations should contact the Village Clerk’s Office at 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, or call (708) 358-5670.

ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN THESE PROCEEDINGS ARE INVITED TO BE HEARD.

Michael Sturino, Chairperson OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION, Sitting as a Zoning Commission Oak Park, Illinois 60302

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