High School Vandalized + Pizzeria Manager Helps Solve Crime

Good morning, OPRF! Let's get to the local news on this Wednesday, Sept. 22.

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First, today's weather: Possible light rain in the morning. High: 65, low: 49.

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

1. Oak Park River Forest High School administrators are asking parents to help address negative student behavior at the school in recent weeks, from vandalism to defying mask rules. Principal and Assistant Superintendent Lynda J. Parker penned a letter to families Monday urging students to stop vandalizing and stealing items from school bathrooms as part of a viral TikTok challenge. “While students may think this is a harmless prank, it is theft/vandalism and will carry the consequences of such,” Parker wrote. (OPRFHS)

2. A CTA Green Line rider was robbed at gunpoint Sept. 11. The armed robber stole an iPhone 11 and left the train at Ridgeland Avenue. Three days earlier, a Blue Line passenger was threatened with a box cutter by a thief who stole Apple airpods and exited the train at Oak Park Avenue. (OPPD)

3. The manager of Salerno’s Pizza helped the victim of a hit-and-run crash catch the offender. Manager Emilio Morrone assisted Charlie Meyerson in finding the truck driver who rear-ended him on Roosevelt Road by providing high-quality security footage of the incident, which occurred Sept. 13. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

4. Parks Foundation of Oak Park officials say they are about 75 percent of the way toward their goal to construct a Community Recreation Center. Organizers “envision an approximately 30,000-square-foot facility featuring indoor sports” and recreational opportunities. It could open as soon as spring 2023 if the remainder of the capital campaign is successful. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

5. Oak Park and River Forest arts and culture organizations are making a comeback, with safety protocols in place to protect patrons from COVID-19 as they return to the arts. The Free Readers Ensemble, Hemingway Foundation, Symphony and Festival Theatre have announced fall plans after pandemic-altered seasons. (Wednesday Journal)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• The Village of Oak Park seeks feedback from local business owners on filling the village manager role at a virtual forum. (8:30 a.m.)
• Story time in Dole Park. (10 a.m.)
• “Family Pond Paddle” on Thatcher Glen Pond at the Trailside Museum of Natural History. (4 p.m.)
• OPRF High School Theatre presents “My Heart’s a Suitcase.” (7 p.m.)

Oak Park-River Forest Patch Notebook

• St. Giles Catholic Church organist Joyce Johnson is retiring after 50 years at the parish. (St. Giles)
• River Forest Public Library is offering a mobile option for patrons to check out items using a smartphone. (RFPL)
• Oak Park native Bob Newhart discusses his early days of Chicago stand-up comedy in the new documentary “Live at Mister Kelly’s.” (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Initiatives in Art and Culture will tour Oak Park architecture this weekend as part of its annual conference. (Luxury Daily)
• The OPRF Museum will host “West Side Stories: People and Architecture That Shaped River Forest” this Friday at 2 p.m. (OPRF Museum)

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You're all caught up on the news for this Wednesday. As always, here is the link to subscribe to the Daily if you'd like to share it with friends and neighbors. And please email me any time at georgi.presecky@patch.com with thoughts on the newsletter! I love hearing from you.

— Georgi Presecky

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.