🌱 'Brutal' Winter Storm Expected + Accessibility Funds For CTA, Metra

Good morning, Oak Park and River Forest! No events are included in the Daily today due to the winter storm forecast. I hope you're all able to stay safe and warm. In today's news:

• Blizzard conditions are anticipated to begin this afternoon
• A group of Oak Park cyclists is logging thousands of miles on their bikes
• Major accessibility improvements could be on the way for neighboring transit stations

But first, today's weather: Afternoon snow, 2-4 inches; colder. High: 34 Low: -8.

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

1. A serious winter storm will move through Chicagoland today, the National Weather Service reports. Storm warnings are in effect across the area, with forecasts of high winds, plummeting temperatures and heavy snowfall accumulation of up to eight possible inches. “Brutal” conditions are expected into Friday night, during the height of Christmas travel. (Patch)

2. Temperatures will drop to below zero tonight, with a low of -5 degrees expected Friday night. Rush Oak Park Hospital has a 24-hour warming center for people in need of shelter from the storm. (VOP)

3. More than $180 million in government funding will go toward making CTA and Metra stations more accessible, according to an NBC report. The All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) Act was championed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth. (NBC)

4. Oak Park cyclist Larry Ritsert has traveled more than 6,200 miles on his bike this year. The 71 year old told the Wednesday Journal he bikes with a group of retirees who call themselves the “Oak Park Old Pharts.” (Wednesday Journal)

From my notebook:

• Today’s COVID-19 testing event at Stevenson Park has been canceled due to the projected winter storm. (VOP)
• Cook County officials are sharing safety tips to prepare for severe winter weather. (WGN)
• The First United Church of Christ has disbanded after more than 160 years in Forest Park. (Review)
• Plans for the closed Sears building on the West Side include a new medical facility, apartments and other retailers. (AWN)
• A new robotic assistant has joined the nursing staff at Loyola Medicine's MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn. (Newswise)
• On this date in 1941, hundreds of locals gathered at OPRF High School to raise funds for the Red Cross Emergency War Relief Campaign. (OPRF Museum)

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Now you're in the know, Oak Park and River Forest! I'll be back tomorrow with another Daily. Until then, stay warm and safe!

— Georgi

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.