🌱 Madison Street Shooting Shuts Down 'Chicago Fire' + Gallery Closes

Good morning! Here's your Friday edition of the Oak Park-River Forest Daily.

First, today's weather: Partly sunny and very warm. High: 85 Low: 69.

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Here are the top 5 stories today in Oak Park-River Forest:

1. A shooting on Madison Street shut down production of “Chicago Fire” Wednesday, according to a CWB report. The NBC series was filming exteriors at A.A. Rayner and Son’s Funeral Home when shots were fired on the northwest corner of Madison and Mason. The Hollywood Reporter later debunked claims that a bullet damaged camera equipment. (The Hollywood Reporter)

2. Railroad workers reached a tentative agreement to avoid a strike Thursday, after negotiating for more than 20 hours. Metra’s Union Pacific West line will run through the Oak Park area today as scheduled. (Patch)

3. A new task force will be formed to “explore alternative response models for police calls” in Oak Park, the Wednesday Journal reports. Consulting firm BerryDunn made the recommendation after studying the Oak Park Police Department’s current service call format, which includes a partnership with Thrive Counseling Center in response to mental health crises. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Gallery Pink will close this month after more than two decades on Harrison Street. Owner Janice Elkins told the Wednesday Journal she will continue creating art in an assisted living apartment in Chicago. Paintings and sculptures will be marked down and sold beginning Sunday. (Wednesday Journal)

5. Fenwick High School is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its undefeated football season with a Class of 1962 reunion at its homecoming game tonight. Thirty players from the championship team will be in attendance at Triton College as the Friars take on the De La Salle Meteors. (Fenwick)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• The River Forest Collegiate Invitational men's tennis tournament kicks off. (9 a.m.)
• Berwyn's Oktoberfest returns and runs through tomorrow night. (6 p.m.)
• See the student production of “Little Women” at OPRF High School, with additional performances tomorrow and next weekend. (7 p.m.)
• Author Marie Myung-Ok Lee discusses her new novel "The Evening Hero" at the Hemingway Birthplace Museum. (7 p.m.)
• The Dennis O’Brien Band performs a courtyard concert at St. Giles Parish. (7:30 p.m.)
• The 8th Annual Irish American Movie Hooley opens at Lake Theatre. (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• R. Kelly was found guilty on six counts in a federal child pornography trial in Chicago this week. An “Oak Park hotel” was repeatedly mentioned as a meeting place in witness testimony. (WGN)
• The Oak Park Fire Department recently saved a kitten trapped under a car in the 700 block of Washington Boulevard. The Village shared the full story on its Instagram page. (VOP)
• Tab Service Company will move into the Galewood storefront formerly occupied by Walles Music. (AWN)
• It’s the final day to donate to the Hunger Action Month food drive hosted by Beyond Hunger. (BH)

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Events:

• BHHS Chicago Sponsors Free Community Shred Event and Food Donation Drive on Sept. 17 from 9 a.m.- noon (September 17)
• Art Market @ HopGarten Itasca (September 17)
• Imperial Oak Brewing Artisan Market (September 18)
• Try something new with Laos to Your House! Eggrolls, bowls, and more. Order by Wednesday. (September 22)
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Gigs & services:

• Personalized Italian Language Lessons (Details)
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You're all caught up. Thanks for being here this week! 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.