🌱Austin Resident Dies After Explosion + First Responders Honored

Good morning! In this Saturday edition of the Oak Park-River Forest Daily, find out:

• Why a longtime Oak Park business is relocating.
• The number of new bivalent boosters distributed this week in Cook County.
• How today's community bike ride aims to help the planet.

But first, today's weather: A stray morning shower. High: 73 Low: 60.

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

1. An Austin resident has died after an explosion Tuesday at his apartment building. The 29 year old was one of eight people injured in the blast at 5601 W. West End Ave. Fire officials are investigating the cause. (Block Club)

2. Cook County is in the "low" transmission category for COVID-19 for the first time since May, the Daily Herald reports. More than 130,000 bivalent booster doses were distributed in Illinois this past week, according to the state health department. (Daily Herald)

3. Toomey & Co. Auctioneers will relocate to Chicago after 40 years in Oak Park. CEO Lucy Toomey told the Wednesday Journal the company merged with another auction house and had "outgrown" its space on North Boulevard. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Illinois Senate President Don Harmon did not call for the resignation of Sen. Emil Jones III, who is facing federal bribery charges this week. Gov. J.B. Pritzker called on Jones to resign Thursday, along with Sen. Michael Hastings who is being accused of domestic abuse. (Paid source: Tribune)

5. A free paper shredding event will be held this morning at the Public Works Center. Households can dispose of up to two boxes of sensitive documents. (VOP)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Take a community bike ride through Oak Park with Seven Generations Ahead. (8 a.m.)
• Make upcycled mittens at Dole Center. (10 a.m.)
• Hines VA Hospital hosts a job and health care fair. (10 a.m.)
• Stroll through River Forest history with an OPRF Museum walking tour. (10 a.m.)
• Brookfield Zoo hosts an Oktoberfest event. (11 a.m.)
• OPRF High School presents “Little Women.” (7 p.m.)
• Pacifica Quartet performs at Unity Temple. (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• In case you missed it in yesterday’s Daily: Oaktoberfest, the St. Giles Rummage Sale and Berwyn Blues Festival all continue today. (Patch)
• Oak Park and River Forest High School is offering tours of its “Imagine OPRF” renovations today. (OPRFHS)
• St. Luke and St. Bernardine Parish will honor first responders with a special mass tonight. (SLSB)
• The Brown Cow now runs its own in-house creamery in Forest Park thanks to a community fundraising campaign. (Review)
• Forest Preserve Districts of Cook County are celebrating National Public Lands Day with events across Chicagoland. (FPDCC)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Laurie Christofano, Realtor | RE/MAX In the Village — (Visit website)
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Events:

• Havana Blue (September 24)
• Oak Brook Artisan Market — Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 1-2 (Village Green at Oakbrook Center) (October 1)
• The Larry Biondi Legislative Training (October 4)
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Announcements:

• "LIVE2LEAD: Recharge" Workshop Aims to Catapult Leadership Skills to Exciting New Heights (Details)
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You're all caught up on this Saturday! Have a great weekend.

— 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