🌱 Monkeypox In Oak Park + Abduction In Maywood + Family Shortage

Good morning! Let's get to today's top stories in the Oak Park and River Forest area.

First, today's weather: Humid with a stray t-shower. High: 84 Low: 69.

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

1. The Oak Park Department of Public Health has identified a presumptive case of monkeypox in the village. It is Oak Park’s first case of the virus, which was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization on July 23. Learn the signs and symptoms here. (VOP)

2. An AMBER alert was issued and canceled Tuesday afternoon when a 3-year-old girl was abducted during a DCFS visit in Maywood. Police said she was found safe around 2:30 p.m. at a home in La Grange. (Patch)

3. An armed carjacker approached two children Friday in the 1100 block of Wesley Avenue, Wednesday Journal reports. A male suspect got into the parked car where the children were waiting for their father and told them to get out of the vehicle before driving away. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Hephzibah Children’s Association is facing a shortage of foster families, the Oak Park organization told Wednesday Journal. An informational meeting about fostering is set for Aug. 20 at Thatcher Woods Pavilion. (Wednesday Journal)

5. Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood was named among the state’s best hospitals, according to U.S. News and World Report. Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University Medical Center were recognized as two of the best in the nation in the new report, released Tuesday. (Patch)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Duly Health and Care offers free blood pressure screenings at Oak Park Public Library. (10 a.m.)
• “Peter Rabbit 2” screens at Lake Theatre as part of Classic Cinemas Morning Movie Series. (10 a.m.)
• Teens can explore archery at Miller Meadow. (6 p.m.)
• The Box Band performs an outdoor concert at Dominican University. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Save the date: Housing Forward will host a fundraising trivia night Aug. 18 at FitzGerald’s. (Housing Forward)
• Forest Park Public Library will resume plans to improve its outdoor patio. (Library)
• Oak Park Township is collecting school supplies through Aug. 5, with the option to donate directly from an Amazon Wish List. (Township)

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That's all for today! Thank you for reading.

— 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.