🌱 Blue Line Vandal + Campaign Donation Scrutiny + Black History Movie

Welcome to a new week, Oak Park and River Forest! Let's get to today's local news.

But first, today's weather: Times of clouds and sun. High: 42 Low: 38.

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

1. A woman shattered the window of a Blue Line train car Wednesday near the Austin Boulevard stop, according to Oak Park police. The offender fled on foot. (OPPD)

2. An Oak Park woman was arrested last week for stealing from a Willowbrook Walgreens and “leading police on a chase,” FOX reports. Monteriana Williams, 20, and two others were charged with retail theft. (FOX)

3. Democratic committee “All for Justice” is under scrutiny for failing to properly disclose its expenditures leading up to the November 2022 election, the Tribune reports. Oak Parker and State Senate President Don Harmon donated more than $700,000 from his campaign funds to the committee, which supported Democratic candidates for the state supreme court. “Everybody is supposed to follow the rules,” Harmon said in a statement. “If something isn’t disclosed in a timely manner, it should be corrected immediately.” (Paid source: Tribune)

4. An OPRF High School graduate was recently named to the Pro Football Writers 2022 All-Rookie Team. Dallis Flowers, 25, is a kick returner for the Indianapolis Colts. (Wednesday Journal)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• The Nineteenth Century Club continues its Monday Enrichment Series. (1:15 p.m.)
• Oak Park Public Library hosts its Latinx Author Book Cafe. (6 p.m.)
• St. Giles hosts a screening of “My Name is Pauli Murray” in honor of Black History Month. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Mayor Lori Lightfoot and former Chicago Cub Jason Heyward attended the opening of the North Austin Center sports complex. (Paid source: Tribune)
• Kids science classes begin this week at Keystone Center. (Park District)
• The River Forest Public Library has completed the first phase of its renovation project. (VRF)
• Wonder Works Children’s Museum will host a Valentine’s Day Sock Hop Feb. 12. (WW)
• Dominican University is seeking applicants for its Positive Science Identity scholarship. (DU)

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That's the news for this Monday. See you tomorrow for another 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.