Masks Are Back + Senate Helps Students

Welcome to the weekend, Oak Park and River Forest. Let's get started with your daily news.

First, today's weather: Partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 83, low: 65.

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

1. Masks are back. The Oak Park Department of Public Health is urging residents to wear masks in all indoor settings, regardless of whether or not they are vaccinated. Breakthrough cases of the virus in vaccinated people are still considered rare and mild, but face coverings are proven to slow the spread of COVID-19. (Wednesday Journal)

2. Illinois Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park is praising Governor J.B Pritzker's passage of several new bills this week to help students, especially those with special needs. (Twitter)

3. Sugar Beet Food Co-op is getting a new look, with the Oak Park’s Community Design Commission approval of new window graphics. (Wednesday Journal)

4. The Oak Park Police Department and nonprofit organization Housing Forward are working together to help the homeless in Oak Park. (VOP)

5. Families are finding new ways to "create their own adventure" outdoors with the Forest Preserves of Cook County. (Chicago Parent)

Today in Oak Park and River Forest

• Oak Park Public Library hosts “Shake, Rattle and Read” via Zoom. (10 a.m.)
• Make resin mold art at Dole Center. (Noon)
• Hear live music at Wild Tied Onion House. (6 p.m.)
• Lincoln Park Zoo hosts a summer wine fest. (6 p.m.)
• Harry Tonchev Trio performs at Compound Yellow. (7 p.m.)
• The Flat Cats perform in Scoville Park. (6 p.m. Sunday)

Oak Park-River Forest Patch Notebook

• “We were supposed to rebound and rejoice this summer. Instead, we’re learning that recovery can’t be rushed,” Tribune columnist Heidi Stevens writes in a new piece about the ebb and flow of the pandemic. (Chicago Tribune)
• David Mercurio was ordained as the new pastor of St. Paul Thai Lutheran Church. (Forest Park Review)
• “Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life” will be released in October, reflecting on the life and career of the iconic Oak Park actor. (PRWeb)

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Mainstreet Virtual Senior Expo & Education (August 3)
• Free Open House at Anderson Music Studio (August 4)
• Free Family Mini Photo Session (August 7)

You’re all caught up on the latest news here in OPRF. I appreciate you reading the Daily.

It seems these pandemic times are getting tough again, but I try to remember the words of Coach Eric Taylor: Clear eyes, full hearts, mask up, can’t lose. I think that’s what he said, right?

See you Tuesday,

— Georgi

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.