Vol. VII No. 40 Chuy talks migrants in Northlake, PAGE 4
OCTOBER 5, 2022
vfpress.news
A taco truck parks in Berkeley, PAGE 6
More Proviso suburbs could legalize backyard chickens
Northlake voters will see ballot measure during Nov. 8 election By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Broadview resident Jennifer Murtoff grew up surrounded by chickens. Her grandfather was a small-scale farmer who grew staples like corn, wheat and soybeans. He also had chickens and when they got sick, Jennifer would nurture them back to health. Years later, Murtoff no longer owns chickens of her own but she’s become a self-taught expert in animal husbandry and owns Home to Roost, which may be the only urban chicken consultancy in the Midwest. “I live vicariously through other people’s chickens,” she said during a recent interview. Murtoff is now at the center of a growing movement among city-dwellers to raise backyard chickens. People go to Murtoff for advice on keeping their hens and for persuading other people that having backyard hens isn’t as bad as it may appear on the surface. Murtoff said she’s served as an expert witness at board meetings in a range of suburbs seeking to change their ordinances to allow backyard chicken keeping. So far, only two of the nine suburbs that are
SHANEL ROMAIN/Staff Photographer
A young girl rides her bike in Riverside during the third annual Tour de Proviso on Oct. 1. This year, over 450 people registered to ride in the biking event. Read more on page 20.
Tour de Proviso rolls into third year in Riverside Organizers said over 450 people registered to participate in the annual biking event founded by Broadview and Maywood elected officials in 2020 By SHANEL ROMAIN Staff Contributor
See CHICKENS on page 5
The third annual Tour de Proviso rolled through Riverside on Saturday for the first time since the event’s founding in 2020. The Tour de Proviso is the brainchild of Maywood Trustee Miguel Jones and Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson. The elected officials said they wanted to promote outdoor recreation and community togetherness during the pandemic. For its first two years, the biking event, which is a play on the worldfamous Tour de France, took place in Bellwood, Broadview and Maywood.
This year’s Tour de Proviso may have been the biggest one yet, with 450 registered riders. Riverside Village President Joseph Ballerine said he participated in the Tour last year but this one is particularly special. “I was honored to have been given this event this year by Mayor Katrina Thompson,” Ballerina said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to bring our communities together,” he said. “I have a great working relationship with See TOUR on page 20