🌱 COVID Outbreak At Middle School + White Accountability Groups

Happy Friday! Let's get to the latest local news in Oak Park and River Forest.

First, today's weather: Turning sunny and not as cold. High: 26 Low: 17.

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

1. The Oak Park Department of Public Health reported 569 new cases of COVID-19 in the village from Jan. 13-18. Oak Park is seeing a 6.48 percent positivity rate. (VOP)

2. Roosevelt Middle School reported its third COVID-19 outbreak since the second semester began. “Before we got back from winter break, we went 13 months without any school-based transmissions,” District 90 spokesperson Dawne Simmons said. (Wednesday Journal)

3. The Center for Covid Control is under investigation for allegedly scamming people seeking COVID-19 tests. The suburban-based testing company closed its locations in Brookfield, Forest Park and Oak Park last week due to “high demand,” but the Illinois Attorney General’s office is now looking into new allegations of fraud and deceptive tactics. (Landmark)

4. The American Medical Association said this week that Cook County could combat the increase in opioid overdose deaths by offering safe injection sites, “which have been associated with reduced overdose deaths when evaluated internationally.” In 2021, 17 people in Oak Park died of overdoses. (NBC)

5. Oak Park-based youth mentoring nonprofit YourPassion1st is expanding to Austin. An after-school mentoring program will begin this month at Youth Connection Charter School to help students focus on mental health and its connections to future careers. (Wednesday Journal)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Catch Oscar front-runner “The Power of the Dog” at Lake Theatre. (12:45 p.m.)
• Make a mini decorative quilt at Dole Center. (6 p.m.)
• Attend a “Frozen” party at Cheney Mansion. (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci is encouraging residents to sign up for the upcoming White Accountability Groups. (West Cook News)
• Austin-based electric bike company eBikeling is “thriving” during the pandemic. (Austin Weekly News)
• Pleasant Home will be closed to tours through the end of January due to COVID-19 concerns. (Pleasant Home)
• The Archdiocese of Chicago is expected to announce its plans for Oak Park’s four parishes one week from today. (Ascension)
• It’s the final day to take the Illinois Department of Transportation survey about the state’s rail system. (Illinois Business Journal)

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That's all for today, OPRF. See you tomorrow for another edition of the Daily.

— Georgi Presecky