🌱 Dominican Professor Fired + Trustee Nominee + Weekend Event Preview

Welcome back, Oak Park and River Forest! Let's get to today's top stories.

First, today's weather: Fog in the a.m.; hazy, warm. High: 83 Low: 67.

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Here are the top 4 stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. An adjunct professor at Dominican University was fired after “an alleged assault on [an] African American sociology professor” last month, the Wednesday Journal reports. According to a police report, Franciscan Sister Felicia H. Wolf “tapped” Professor Chavella Pittman on the forehead during a diversity workshop. (Wednesday Journal)

2. Twelve people applied to fill the vacant trustee role on the Oak Park Village Board. Arti Walker-Peddakotla stepped down last month due to health concerns. Village President Vicki Scaman must nominate a replacement within 60 days of Walker-Peddakotla’s resignation. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

3. Dom’s Kitchen and Market is moving ahead with plans to open in the historic Marshall Field’s building on Lake Street. It has been vacant for 11 years. No start date for construction has been confirmed. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Ascension-St. Edmund Parish will host a meeting tonight about its renaming process. The two churches consolidated into one community earlier this year. A second gathering will be held Sept. 18; the deadline to submit name ideas is Sept. 25. (Ascension)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Children’s book author Sherri Duskey Rinker comes to Concordia University for a meet-and-greet and book signing. (9:30 a.m.)
• Take a Wellness Walk in Thatcher Woods. (1 p.m.)
• “What the World Needs Now Is Poetry” is held at Dominican University. (7 p.m.)
• See “Knives Out” in Scoville Park for the park district’s final Movie In the Park event of the summer. (Dusk)
• Register for this weekend’s Makin’ Tracks 5K in River Forest. (All day)

From my notebook:

Another busy weekend is ahead in Oak Park, River Forest and surrounding areas. Patch can help you plan ahead.

Friday:

• Catch a tennis tournament in River Forest, check out Berwyn’s Oktoberfest or the ORPF High School production of “Little Women.” (Patch/Berwyn/OPRFHS)

Saturday:

• The Annual Pie Bake-Off returns to the Oak Park Farmers Market and the Irish American Movie Hooley continues at Lake Theatre. (VOP/Hibernian Media)
• Run a 5K race in River Forest or Austin; celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Convivencia in Taylor Park. (Park District/AWN/OPRHC)

Sunday:

• Shop the Oak Park Conservatory’s Fall Mum & Bulb Sale, or head to Concordia University for a “Community Sing” event. (PDOP/CUC)

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Events:

• BHHS Chicago Sponsors Free Community Shred Event and Food Donation Drive on Sept. 17 from 9 a.m.- noon (September 17)
• Art Market @ HopGarten Itasca (September 17)
• Imperial Oak Brewing Artisan Market (September 18)
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• Personalized Italian Language Lessons (Details)
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You're all set for Thursday. 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.