🌱 Couple Sues For Wrongful Arrest + The Mister Shop Is Closing

Welcome back, Oak Park and River Forest! Here's the news for March 16.

First, today's weather: Partly sunny and warmer. High: 69 Low: 51.

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

1. Classes are canceled through tomorrow at Proviso High School District 209 as teachers continue their strike. Union officials are asking for better pay, citing that the starting salary at OPRF High School is at least $10,000 more than Proviso schools. Today marks the eighth day its 4,200 students will miss class. (Paid source: Tribune)

2. An Oak Park couple who was mistakenly arrested for a February 2020 bank robbery is now filing a federal lawsuit against Oak Park and five police officers, the Wednesday Journal reports. Ottis and Dimitri Dugar are seeking a jury trial after they were arrested at U.S. Bank “despite no evidence to suggest they were dangerous or armed.” (Wednesday Journal)

3. Elmwood Park police responded to at least four incidents of vandalism between March 6-9. Playground equipment at Kiddie Koral Park and the skate park at 7400 Fullerton Ave. were both tagged with graffiti, according to police reports. (Paid source: Elm Leaves)

4. Two Democrats will challenge Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in the upcoming primary. One is Richard R. Boykin of Oak Park. (Daily Herald)

5. The Mister Shop will close after nearly five decades in North Riverside Park Mall. The men’s clothing store originally opened in Oak Park in 1948. (Wednesday Journal)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Take a guided wellness walk in Thatcher Woods. (1 p.m.)
• Autre Monde Cafe hosts a community dinner to raise funds for Ukraine. (5 p.m.)
• Join the Nineteenth Century Club for a book discussion. (5 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• River Forest residents gathered last week at Village Hall in support of Ukraine, sharing stories of loved ones who are evacuating during the Russian invasion. (FOX)
• Oak Park officials are seeking input on the village’s climate action plan. (VOP)
• Registration for Elmwood Park summer camps begins April 1. (VOEP)

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• Taxes in Retirement Webinar (March 17)
• Artistic Women of Faith (March 17)
• FREE WEBINAR | Saints, Symbols, and Spaghetti (March 18)
• American Diabetes Association Diabetes Alert Day: Understand Your Risk (March 22)
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You're all caught up! Thank you for reading and see you tomorrow.

— 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.