🌱 Kids Get COVID-19 + Railroad Work + Vigil To End Gun Violence

Hello again, OPRF! Welcome to the weekend edition of the Patch Daily. It's another busy Saturday in the area, so I'll save our usual notebook section for the Sunday edition to focus on events.

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First, today's weather: Clear throughout the day. High: 69, low: 50.

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

1. Sixty people in Oak Park tested positive for COVID-19 this week. “More than 40 percent of the new cases reported this week occurred in children under 12 who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated,” the Oak Park Department of Public Health said via social media. Nearly 3,700 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Oak Park since the pandemic began. (VOP)

2. More than 97 percent of River Forest District 90 employees are fully-vaccinated, the Wednesday Journal reported Thursday. Of the district’s 219 staff members, 213 submitted proof of vaccination before the state’s Sept. 19 deadline requiring educators to get the vaccine. (Wednesday Journal)

3. Union Pacific is working to improve the condition of the train embankment in Oak Park, which runs for three miles between North and South Boulevards. Track work is expected to be complete by mid-October. (Wednesday Journal)

4. A couple who met at a River Forest coffee shop are opening up a roasting company of their own. Alicia Zyburt was a barista at Blue Max (now Lathrop House) and Devon Owens was a regular customer. The pair will open Bae Coffee Company in Lakeview late this year. (Eater)

5. The health department is seeking feedback from Oak Parkers on its strategic plan for the next five years. Residents can provide comments on the village website regarding topics that should be added or removed from the plan or community health assessment. (VOP)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Unity Temple will unveil its plaque designating its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. (10 a.m.)
• The OK Classic softball tournament returns to Forest Park after being cancelled in 2019 and 2020. (10 a.m.)
• Eat at the Oak Park Oberweis and mention Beyond Hunger to donate 20 percent of your purchase to the organization's fundraiser. (10 a.m.)
• Oktoberfest at Brookfield Zoo. (11 a.m.)
• “Her Voice” Art Exhibition opens at Expressions Studio. (1 p.m.)
• FitzGerald’s presents the first ever Berwyn Blues Festival. (1 p.m.)
• “A Black Hawk War Guide” author Ben Strand speaks at Centuries & Sleuths bookstore. (2 p.m.)
• St. Edmund’s hosts a prayer vigil to end gun violence. (6:30 p.m.)
• Fall Fest for Fenwick parents at Riverside Golf Club. (6 p.m.)
• Top Shelf with Robin Watson performs at Tre Sorelle. (8 p.m.)

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That's all for this Saturday in Oak Park and River Forest. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with another update.

Stay well,

Georgi Presecky

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