W E D N E S D A Y
July 2, 2025 Vol. 45, No. 1
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JOURNAL @oakpark
of Oak Park and River Forest
‘The Bear’ meets Frank Lloyd Wright
Oak Park’s Fourth: Parade, yes Fireworks, no Page 3
Oak Park is divided by class, says new racial equity assessment Oak Park’s board of trustees hears presentation on Racial Equity report By BRENDAN HEFFERNAN Staff Reporter
By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter
Season four of the popular Hulu series The Bear dropped last week, and Oak Parkers were thrilled to find their hometown featured in episode 5. Chef Carmy stops by the Frank Lloyd Wright Home &
Studio and tours the home, which Wright completed in 1898. Lourdes Nicholls, a longtime Frank Lloyd Wright Trust volunteer and employee of Growing Community Media, was excited to see the show. The avowed fan of The Bear noted that during the episode, actor Jeremy Allen White gained
access to places that are normally offlimits in the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, including the kitchen and balcony of the drafting room where artist Orlando Giannini and sculptor Richard Bock (who designed the “horse fountain”
A consultant’s report on racial equity in Oak Park was set to go before the village board July 1 presenting suggestions on how the village can better address residents’ experiences of racism and inequality. The Racial Equity Assessment Report was prepared by the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute, a university agency that’s worked on a number of high-profile consulting projects with governments around the state. With help developing the report from village staff, UIC was expected to present a variety of suggestions for village policy, including updates to its messaging around
See THE BEAR on page 9
See RACIAL EQUITY on page 8