🌱 Man Goes Missing Near Hospital + More Security Cameras For RF

Hello, OPRF! Patch is back with your five-minute guide to what's making headlines in the area.

I also wanted to give a special shout-out to some of our Patch Supporters, AJ Massie, Jacqueline Anderson, Oak Park Regional Housing Center, Angela Atwater and Carole Embry. Thanks for helping make local news happen in Oak Park-River Forest! If you want to support local news in click here to learn more about becoming a Patch Supporter.

First, today's weather: Mostly sunny and very cold. High: 18 Low: 9.

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

1. A 74-year-old man was reported missing after being discharged from West Suburban Medical Center. Chicago police say he was last seen around 5 p.m. Monday. (FOX)

2. Illinois households can now receive up to four at-home COVID-19 tests from the U.S. government. The website covidtests.gov launched Wednesday and is “meant to help a nationwide shortage” of at-home testing kits. (Patch)

3. The River Forest Village Board voted to install seven street cameras “in the area bounded by Madison and Washington streets and Lathrop and Thatcher avenues,” Wednesday Journal reports. The $94,000 project will supplement the 18 existing cameras installed in previous years. (Wednesday Journal)

4. The attendance rate at Oak Park and River Forest High School is “slowly” increasing after the dropping to 84 percent last week. “It’s starting to feel better and calmer, and more normal — as much as we can feel normal,” district spokesperson Karin Sullivan said. (Wednesday Journal)

5. The Oak Park Department of Public Health will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic today at Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church. Anyone older than 12 can be vaccinated at the event. First doses or boosters of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available. (VOP)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Go “Inside OPRF Museum” with a virtual historical society presentation. (11 a.m.)
• KidCreate Studio hosts a “Masters In Clay” class. (3:30 p.m.)
• Kids seven and older can celebrate “Squirrel Appreciation Day” at Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center. (6 p.m.)
• Studio of Art kicks off a weekly “classic and contemporary collage” course. (6:30 p.m.)
• Learn about the geothermal installation at Pleasant Home with a virtual presentation. (7 p.m.)
• The Robin Watson Combo performs at Donny G’s Ristorante. (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Longtime Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri of Elmwood Park announced will not seek re-election in 2022. (Paid source: Tribune)
• The Chicago Sun-Times has been acquired by Chicago Public Media and will become a nonprofit subsidiary to “grow and strengthen local journalism” in the city. (Patch)
• Rush Oak Park Hospital and West Suburban Medical Center are offering warming centers when the temperature drops below freezing. (Housing Forward)
• Heather Mack appeared in federal court Tuesday via telephone. The 26-year-old from Oak Park is facing federal conspiracy and obstruction charges stemming from the murder of her mother in Bali in 2014. She will appear again in April. (NBC)

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That's all for Thursday! See you tomorrow for more neighborhood news.

— Georgi Presecky