Health Department Hiring + More Kids Get COVID

First, today's weather: Humid and partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 91, low: 67.

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

1. More children are contracting COVID-19 as the delta variant surges in Illinois, Dr. Abigail Hodges of Oak Park Pediatrics reports. “We’re seeing a lot more positives at my office, but they’re not more sick than they were before,” Hodges told NBC5. More than 50 children under the age of 12 were hospitalized in Illinois due to COVID-19 in July. (NBC)

2. The Department of Public Health will be distributing COVID-19 vaccines at Thursday Night Out in downtown Oak Park tonight, using its new mobile response van. (VOP)

3. The health department is also hiring for two new full-time positions: health education manager and environmental health supervisor. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Though 20 percent of Illinois lawmakers won’t say if they’re vaccinated, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park both told WBEZ they got the vaccine . (WBEZ)

5. The Village of River Forest Board of Trustees announced this week that it will solicit proposals for lobbying and consulting services. (Wednesday Journal)

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Today in Oak Park and River Forest

• Tune in to a special White Sox-Yankees game at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa. (6 p.m.)
• Ryan Reynolds’ action-comedy "Free Guy" and Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect” open at Lake Theatre. (6 p.m.)
• “Craft and Chat” with River Forest Public Library. (7 p.m.)
• Line dance on the patio at Cheney Mansion Greenhouse. (7:30 p.m.)

Oak Park-River Forest Patch Notebook

• On this date in 1942, Oak Park hosted its first blackout drill of World War II. (OPRF Museum)
• Fall registration for park district programs is now open. (PDOP)
• The Oak Park Police Department has tips to prevent package theft. (VOP)
• The Cook County Department of Public Health is offering a free hotline for people in distress or crisis. (CCDPH)
• Leadership changes are underway at the Chicago Tribune. (Paid source: Tribune)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Hiring Open House! (August 12)
• Free-Family Food Distribution (August 14)
• Free comic Book day (August 14)

Job listings:

• Now Hiring Butchers! (Details)
• Head custodian/handy person (Details)

That's all for today! As always, free to email me at georgi.presecky@patch.com with thoughts on the Daily.

— Georgi

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based reporter with seven years of experience writing for entertainment-based publications. She represented FF2 Media for five years at film festivals across the U.S., from Sundance to Austin. 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 campus newspaper, she earned honors from The Associated Collegiate Press Association and American Scholastic Press Association. She began working for Patch in 2019.