W E D N E S D A Y
July 15, 2026 Vol. 47, No. 3
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JOURNAL @oakpark
of Oak Park and River Forest
World candy record? Page 8
Bresnahan moves quickly, quietly into D97 leadership
Madison and Ashland project gets quick support from RF development board
recommendation. The action came following a presentation on July 9 at Trinity High School by Viktor Jakovljevic, co-owner of Five See DEVELOPMENT on page 14
See BRESNAHAN on page 12
SYDNEY LOVAN
Viktor Jakovljevic presents Madison Street development plans at the River Forest Development Review Board public hearing on July 9, 2026, at Trinity High School.
Reporting Intern
The River Forest Development Review Board has given its unanimous but con-
ditional approval to a still-controversial plan for a multi-use project at 7620 Madison St. The review board will present its recommendation to the village board within 45 days and the village board has to review and act within 60 days of the
By BOB SKOLNIK Contributing Reporter
The new superintendent of Oak Park Elementary School District 97 is now officially on the job. Terri Bresnahan began work in D97 on July 1. The D97 school board voted 5-0 to hire Bresnahan on Feb. 24. It is the first time that D97 has had a superintendent who was not an interim since Ushma Shah resigned unexpectedly last August. Bresnahan comes to D97 refreshed after leaving her previous job as superintendent of Elk Grove based Consolidated School District 59 in late March by mutual agreement with the D59 school board after the D97 school board voted to hire Bresnahan. Bresnahan had been a controversial superintendent for nearly five years and last year Bresnahan and the D59 school board mutually
Community members remain concerned about choice of developer, density of project and traffic
By SYDNEY LOVAN
New superintendent meeting face-to-face with wide range of school staff