🌱 Concordia Students Protest + Forest Park Plans Cleanup

Welcome back, Oak Park and River Forest! Here's a quick guide to today's local headlines.

First, today's weather: Clouds breaking for some sun. High: 50 Low: 41.

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

1. Concordia students gathered on campus last week to protest changes to the school’s mission statement. Students said the word “diverse” was removed and it sends the wrong message to students of color. According to the Wednesday Journal, English professor Paul Stapleton was also banned from campus last week for “continuing to raise concerns about the issues of racism toward faculty, staff and students.” The university would not disclose details. (Wednesday Journal)

2. The window of a home was shattered by a bullet April 10 in the 600 block of North East Avenue, according to the Oak Park Police Department. No further information about the shooting was reported. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

3. The Forest Park Community Cleanup is set for April 24. The second annual event is open to residents of all ages. (Forest Park Review)

4. The River Forest Sustainability Commission will host a public meeting May 10 about an ordinance for single-use food ware. The proposed change would ask businesses to distribute single-use food ware in delivery and takeout orders only by request. (VRF)

5. Oak Park Olympian Emery Lehman will take part in a Q&A session tomorrow at Cheney Mansion. The speed skater won the bronze medal with his teammates in Beijing earlier this year. (Wednesday Journal)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Stop in The Book Table for New Book Tuesday. (9 a.m.)
• Virtual story-time with River Forest Public Library. (10 a.m.)
• Val’s Halla Records offers a sneak preview of its Record Store Day offerings at FitzGeralds. (6 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Registration is open for a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Cheney Mansion on April 21. (VOP)
• LRS will collect one bulk item per week from Oak Park homes. (LRS)
• Compound Yellow is partnering with Alt Space Chicago to shine a light on local artists of color. (OPPL)
• A group of OPRF High School science students are competing this week in the national Junior Science Humanities Symposium. (OPRFHS)
• Glena Temple was formally inaugurated as the 11th president of Dominican University earlier this month. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

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Events:

• FREE WEBINAR | Renaissancing Renoir (April 19)
• Earth Day: Church of the Wild one day retreat (April 22)
• Catherine Chrisler Opening Reception (April 22)
• Majestic Mozart (April 24)
• A Family Concert (April 30)
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That's all the news for Tuesday, Oak Park and River Forest readers. See you tomorrow for another edition.

— 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.