W E D N E S D A Y
February 25, 2026 Vol. 46, No. 34
$2.00 @wednesdayjournalinc
JAZMIN ROBINSON
@wednesdayjournal
LA SHAWN FORD
ANABEL MENDOZA
JOURNAL KINA COLLINS
FELIX TELLO
RICHARD BOYKIN
RORY HOSKINS
JASON FRIEDMAN
ANTHONY DRIVER JR.
DAVID EHRLICH
MELISSA CONYEARS-ERVIN
THOMAS FISHER
A N A L Y S I S
The grey areas in the Black and White of the 7th Congressional District 13 Democratic candidates crowd race to replace Danny Davis By BILL DWYER Contributing Reporter
With the announcement that Cong. Danny Davis would retire after his current term, a torrent of Democratic candidates has joined the race to replace
Injustice Watch’s guide to the 2026 Cook County judicial primary elections
of Oak Park and River Forest
@oakpark
REED SHOWALTER
SECTION INSIDE
him, competing in a crowded Democratic primary on March 17 that will effectively select the 7th District’s representative in this overwhelmingly blue district. With Davis having held the seat for 30 years this is a once in multiple generations opportunity to win a seat in Con-
gress. The 13 Democratic candidates for the seat represent an array of political views, levels of experience and races. And they seek election in a vast congressional district which has seen See 7TH DISTRICT on page 21
North Ave. fire followed years of Oak Park suits vs. owner
Landlord says the building had gotten ‘out of hand’ By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
The Oak Park apartment building engulfed by a massive fire last week had long been on village officials’ radar over a lengthy record of safety code violations, according to county court records. The fire, one of the biggest seen in the village in recent years, came just months after Oak Park fire inspectors had warned the building owner of serious fire code violations. Legal records related to the village’s inspections of the property paint a picture of blatant safety violations and squalid conditions that fly in the face of Oak Park’s idyllic suburban reputation. See APARTMENT FIRE on page 14
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