🌱 Catholic Schools Drop Mask Mandate + Oak Park Police Survey

Happy Friday! Here's your guide to the news in Oak Park and River Forest.

First, today's weather: Cold; morning flurries. High: 30 Low: 19.

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

1. Two robbery suspects are in custody after a police chase from Palatine to Forest Park on Feb. 22. The suspects robbed a pharmacy and were pursued by several authorities before eventually crashing at the intersection of Lathrop Avenue and Polk Street. (Forest Park Review)

2. National consultant BerryDunn has begun its community safety assessment in Oak Park, examining the police department’s operations. Residents are encouraged to take a survey and attend a March 3 meeting to provide their views on the services of the Oak Park Police Department. (VOP)

3. Masks will be optional at Oak Park Catholic schools beginning Monday. The Archdiocese of Chicago announced its schools will drop mask requirements for staff and students on Feb. 28. (Patch)

4. The Forest Park Tap Room is once again fielding complaints from neighbors about rowdiness, excessive noise, violence and foul language at the Madison Street bar. It reopened in January after having its liquor license revoked last summer. (Forest Park Review)

5. It’s a busy weekend for local high school sports: the Huskie swim and dive team will compete in the IHSA state finals today, while six OPRF athletes will head to the first-ever state final for girls wrestling. Fenwick and OPRF basketball teams also play regional games tonight. (Wednesday Journal)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• HealthcareX hosts a virtual job fair for Oak Park careers. (11 a.m.)
• Open studio at Oak Park Art League. (1 p.m.)
• Public Skate at RCRC Ice Rink. (3:30 p.m.)
• Make your own walking stick at Thatcher Woods. (5:30 p.m.)
• See Concordia’s production of “The Women of Lockerbie.” (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The city of Chicago is stepping in to fill the vacancy left by the West Side Aldi closing last October. (CBS)
• OPRF High School is gathering information from graduates for its alumni directory. (OPRFHS)
• A House in Austin is now serving 50 families after less than two years on the West Side, according to a new Tribune feature. Oak Park resident Erica Hilgart founded the organization for kids and families to take classes and join support groups. (Paid source: Tribune)

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Events:

• Handel Week Ii Second concert: The Intimate Handel (February 26)
• Learn How To Reduce Your Risk For Heart Disease During American Heart Month (February 28)
• The Facility in Mokena Hosting Free Use of Force Law classes in March & April (March 5)
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• Residential Property Manager with Oak Park Residence Corp. (Details)
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That's all for today, OPRF. See you tomorrow for more local news.

— 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.