🌱 COVID Cases Jump 75 Percent + Housing Center Celebrates 50 Years

Welcome to the weekend, Oak Park and River Forest! Today's Daily includes:

• The latest local COVID-19 numbers
• A tribute to a beloved Berwyn man
• Good news for a neighboring movie theater

But first, today's weather: Cloudy, a shower in the p.m. High: 42 Low: 37.

Business owners and marketers in Oak Park-River Forest: Do you want to build awareness with local customers? I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. Click here to learn more.

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

1. COVID-19 cases in Oak Park increased by 75 percent this week when 105 people reported positive tests to the local health department, up from 60 last week. It is the highest number of reported cases since August. Cook County is now at a medium risk level for the virus. (VOP)

2. A vigil was held in Berwyn Thursday for the 83-year-old local man who was found dead in North Riverside earlier this week after being missing for five days. The family of Jose Arevalo said his brain will be donated to science and they hope his loss helps other families struggling with Alzheimer’s disease. (Paid source: Tribune)

3. OPRF High School’s executive director of operations has resigned, the Wednesday Journal reports. Ron Anderson served in the role for more than two years and is leaving for a position at the National Institute of Building Sciences. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Oak Park Regional Housing Center will celebrate 50 years of service today with an event at St. Catherine of Siena. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis will be in attendance to lead a champagne toast at the anniversary brunch. (Chamber)

5. Several buyers are interested in taking over the historic Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge, the Tribune reports. Earlier this week the owners announced it would close in January after nearly a century of film screenings. “We don’t want it to close, and maybe somebody will see this as a golden opportunity for them,” Dino Vlahakis said. (Paid source: Tribune)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Trinity High School hosts Breakfast with Santa. (9 a.m.)
• Economy Shop hosts its penultimate sale of the year. (9 a.m.)
• The CW and the CTA visit the River Forest Jewel to host “Fill a Bag, Fill a Bus” for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. (9 a.m.)
• See a free screening of “The Polar Express” at Lake Theatre. (10 a.m.)
• Learn about solar heating at Austin Gardens’ Sustainable Saturday. (10 a.m.)
• One Lake Brewing hosts a Holiday Makers Market, a sip-and-shop event featuring Santa and several local artists. (11 a.m.)
• Oak Park Art League hosts an Open House and End of Year Appreciation Party. (1 p.m.)
• See “Joan & Bette: A One-Woman Musical,” presented by River Forest Township and library. (2 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A Hillside man was arrested last week for threatening a Forest Park Walmart employee at knifepoint. (Review)
• Today is the last chance for vaccinated individuals to receive a COVID-19 bivalent booster in order to be as protected as possible from the virus by Christmas, according to CDC guidelines. (CNN)
• Foundry FP is still in the process of obtaining a liquor license after being open for nearly a year. (Review)
• Proceeds from today’s Holiday Bazaar at The Sheridan will support Beyond Hunger. The eighth annual event is hosted by the Oak Park River Forest Area Association of Realtors. (Beyond Hunger)
• The Park District of Oak Park is hosting several holiday themed crafts today. Attendees can learn to make winter collages, greeting cards or gingerbread houses. (PDOP)

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Events:

• Chicago Artisan Market (Holiday Edition) — Sunday, Dec. 11 (December 11)
• Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest Presents Schumann and Sibelius (December 11)
• Raised in the Shadow of the Party (December 12)
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That's all for today! See you tomorrow for a new edition.

— 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.