🌱 Lake Theatre Renovations Begin + Parish Rectory Plans

It's a new week, Oak Park and River Forest. Let's get to the latest local headlines.

But first, today's weather: Becoming windier and milder. High: 51 Low: 37.

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

1. A man was shot and killed Friday night in the 1000 block of North Central Avenue. The shooting was reported around 11 p.m. in the Austin neighborhood. (ABC)

2. Lake Theatre will begin replacing seats throughout the cinema this week. Work is expected to last about one month and will “not impact all of its individual theaters at the same time,” according to Village Manager Kevin Jackson. Dumpsters and delivery trucks could affect parking on Lake Street in the early mornings. (VOP)

3. St. Catherine-St. Lucy is “actively exploring a long-term use” for the rectory on Austin Boulevard. Part of the space is being used by Housing Forward as an overnight shelter through April 30. Rev. Carl Morello began a study to determine the possibility of converting it to a social service center for Austin families as the parish “stands on the cusp of Oak Park and Austin…. I want to see it stand as a beacon of hope and light, reaching out to those who need services.” (Wednesday Journal)

4. The OPRF Museum will host a history book club at the end of the month. Attendees will discuss “City of Scoundrels,” set in Chicago in 1919. The April book selection is Jennifer Close’s Oak Park-set “Marrying the Ketchups.” (Museum)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• See "Portrait Studies: Art From Life" by Delia Jean Hickey on display at the Maze Branch of the library. (10 a.m.)
• The Nineteenth Century Club presents “Salvador Dali: The Image Disappears.” (1:15 p.m.)
• Forest Park residents can attend a public meeting at Village Hall to weigh in on the village’s application for state funding to replace lead pipes. (4 p.m.)
• River Forest Public Library hosts Pajama Story Time for kids 2-7. (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A group of Oak Park firefighters attended the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois legislative conference last week. (Twitter)
• More than a dozen Oak Park sight-seeing activities are featured in a recent Travel Lens article, including Scoville Park, Austin Gardens and the Hemingway District. (Travel Lens)
• The Village of River Forest is moving ahead with its electric aggregation program. (VRF)

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That's the news for March 20! See you tomorrow for more local stories.

— 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.