🌱 Funeral Fight Leads To Arrests + Oak Park Hospital Safety Ratings

Happy Friday, Oak Park and River Forest! In today's daily guide to the news:

• A River Forest activist is honored.
• Oak Park recording artist Kara Jackson shares the meaning behind her debut album.
• Elmwood Park students volunteer to clean up local parks.

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

1. More than 50 people were involved in a fight at a funeral in Maywood Friday. Two people were arrested at Rock of Ages Baptist Church after a physical fight broke out. One person was shot. (Patch)

2. Rush Oak Park Hospital received an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group’s recent patient safety report, along with MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn. West Suburban Medical Center and Loyola University Medical Center were given “C” grades. More than 100 Illinois hospitals were included in the annual rating. (Patch)

3. River Forest board members honored the achievements of resident Harriet Hausman with a proclamation late last month. The longtime River Forest Township trustee is an award-winning activist who served on the ACLU board. (VRF)

4. Oak Park artist Kara Jackson is receiving rave reviews for her debut album, “Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?” The former National Youth Poet Laureate told the Tribune the music is dedicated to her late friend Maya-Gabrielle Gary, a young Oak Parker who died of a rare cancer in 2016. “What really anchors my own work is this sense that you don’t have to go searching for something to write about,” Jackson said. “My best friend could be a worthy enough subject to be uplifted. And that’s enough.” (Paid source: Tribune)

5. Park district and school officials broke ground Tuesday on OPRF High School’s new track and field project. It is expected to open in October. (Instagram)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Oak Park Public Library hosts a Cinco de Mayo celebration for teens. (3:30 p.m.)
• Hear live music on the patio at FitzGeralds. (5 p.m.)
• Experiment with ceramics at Dole Center. (6 p.m.)
• The Actors Garden offers a Musical Theatre Club for kids 10-16. (6:30 p.m.)
• Performances of “Newsies, Jr.” continue at Brooks Middle School. (7 p.m.)
• Winifred Haun & Dancers perform at Unity Temple. (7 p.m.)

📷 Oak Park-River Forest Photo of the Day

Thanks to Judith Alexander for sending in this image of her cat admiring the blossoming mock-crab tree! Please feel free to share your photos with Patch by clicking here.

From my notebook:

• Several departures are in store for Oak Park officials this summer, according to the Wednesday Journal. John Lynch will leave the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation for a role in the private sector, while OPRF Chamber Executive Director Liz Holt will depart her role after six years. Tammie Grossman is retiring in June after serving the village since 2008 in several departments. (Wednesday Journal)
• River Forest Public Library is closed today for staff training. (Library)
• Elmwood Park Elementary School students partnered with the village to clean up area parks. Second graders, school staff and public works officials volunteered their time in Central Park, Yellow and Blue Parks and Kiddle Koral. (Paid source: Elm Leaves)
• The 16th Annual Autism & Developmental Disabilities Walk-A-Thon will be held tomorrow at Proviso West High School. (CCDPH)

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Featured events:

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You're all caught up on this Friday, Oak Park and River Forest! Thanks so much for being here and have a great weekend.

— 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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Oak Park-River Forest Patch newsletter? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.