🌱 Activists Plan Museum Protest + Symphony Celebrates 90 Years

Hello, Oak Park and River Forest. In today's edition of Patch's daily newsletter:

• Car thefts continue across the area.
• St. Edmund Church is readjusting its Holy Week schedule after suffering storm damage.
• An Oak Park official shares her health struggles during a keynote speech.

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Here are the top 4 stories today in Oak Park-River Forest:

1. Car thefts continue on Oak Park streets, along with police recovering stolen vehicles at later dates. Two Hyundai models were stolen earlier this week and were later recovered by police in Palatine and North Chicago. Offenders damaged two other cars by smashing windows in the 1000 block of North Humphrey and the 1100 block of South Lyman. A bicycle was also stolen Wednesday from outside Percy Julian Middle School. (OPPD)

2. Advocates for renaming the Trailside Museum will be protesting Tuesday at Harlem Avenue and Lake Street. More than 1,000 people signed a petition to rename the museum in honor of longtime curator Virginia Moe. The Forest Preserve District of Cook County said they could not justify altering the current name of the landmark: the Hal Tyrell Trailside Museum of Natural History. Activist Jane Morocco told Wednesday Journal “a lot of us really feel like the county is trying to erase her memory.” (Wednesday Journal)

3. Oak Park Health Director Dr. Theresa Chapple-McGruder spoke about maternal mortality Wednesday at University of Illinois Chicago in honor of National Public Health Week. The local official also took to Twitter to “acknowledge the emotional & mental toll this job takes on the regular,” and to thank the public health workforce, tweeting: “I see you, I thank you, I pray for your strength & mental health.” (Twitter)

4. The Chicago Tribune is celebrating “major milestones” for the region’s musical institutions, including the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest. The local ensemble dates back to 1933 and will perform May 21 at Concordia University. (Paid source: Tribune)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• The Park District of Oak Park takes attendees on an archery field trip. (9:30 a.m.)
• River Forest Public Library hosts family story time and play. (10 a.m.)
• Earth Day crafts continue at Oak Park Public Library. (3 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Due to storm damage, St. Edmund will move its Holy Week and Easter services to Ascension Catholic Church. (Wednesday Journal)
• Dominican University graduate Berto Aguayo was named the American Red Cross Social Justice Hero of the year, ABC Chicago reports. He founded the youth leadership program Increase the Peace. (ABC)
• Registration is still open for River Forest Park District’s spring soccer and STEAM Club programs. (Park District)
• Oak Park Township is now offering HomeMeds medication screenings for seniors. (Patch)
• St. Celestine Church in Elmwood Park resumed its Lenten pasta dinners this year after a lengthy pandemic pause. (Paid source: Elm Leaves)

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You're all caught up on the news for Good Friday. See you tomorrow for a holiday weekend edition of the newsletter.

— 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.