🌱 24-Hour Gas Station Ban Is Back + Oak Park's 'Perfect' Pie

Happy Friday, Oak Park and River Forest! In today's Daily:

• A Biden administration official visits Chicagoland
• Elmwood Park police offer a new solution to catalytic converter theft
• OPRF High School administrators discuss its new freshman curriculum

But first, today's weather: Partly sunny and very cold. High: 27 Low: 20.

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Here are the top 5 stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. An Oak Park ban on 24-hour service at gas stations will move ahead after a Cook County judge blocked a motion by business owners to stop it, the village announced. An ordinance prohibiting business from operating between 12 and 5 a.m. is now in effect. The law also applies to 7-Eleven locations. (VOP)

2. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg plans to visit the Chicago area today “to highlight infrastructure investments” at O’Hare International Airport. Buttigieg announced over the summer that the city would receive more than $2 million from the U.S. infrastructure bill. (Patch)

3. The Elmwood Park Police Department is offering catalytic converter alarms to help curb auto part theft. A limited supply is available, and a $20 installation fee is required. Police Chief Frank Fagiano said the program will help “deter thieves from coming into our community to commit these crimes.” (FOX)

4. Officials at OPRF High School say it’s “too soon” to determine the success of its redesigned freshman curriculum following the release of first-quarter grades. The Wednesday Journal reports that the freshman track was redesigned to be more inclusive of Black and Hispanic students in honors courses. See the full grade report here. (Wednesday Journal)

5. A workers’ rights amendment will be added to the Illinois Constitution after more than 50 percent of voters approved it on last week’s ballot, the Associated Press confirmed. The Sun-Times describes the amendment as guaranteeing workers the right “to organize and collectively bargain for wages and other employment issues.” (WBEZ)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• It’s Film Lover Friday at River Forest Public Library. (Noon)
• “She Said” opens at Lake Theatre, telling the story of the New York Times reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein story that launched the #MeToo movement. (4:30 p.m.)
• Trinity High School presents a production of “The Wizard of Oz,” running through Sunday at the Fox Auditorium. (7 p.m.)
• Slowfire Arts Foundation hosts a benefit gala at Foundry FP. (7 p.m.)
• Dominican University presents “A Midsummer Night's Cirque” in the Lund Auditorium. Additional performances are Nov. 19-20. (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A Forest Park resident was scammed out of more than $2,000 by someone claiming to work for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. (Review)
• Only one Republican sits on the Cook County Board of Commissioners following late election results reported Monday. (Paid source: Tribune)
• River Forest officials spoke about “Housing For All Ages” at this week’s Townships of Illinois Annual Conference. (Twitter)
• Oak Park’s Spilt Milk Pastry made the Tribune’s list of 28 Chicago establishments “with perfect pies for your Thanksgiving Day feast.” (Paid source: Tribune)
• In-person sales begin today at the Oak Park Conservatory’s Winter Greens Market. (PDOP)

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That's all for today! Have a safe and happy weekend. See you tomorrow for another edition of the Daily!

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Oak Park-River Forest Daily? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.