🌱 New EV Stations Installed + OPRF Student Earns National STEM Honor

Hello, Oak Park and River Forest readers. Thanks for staying up to date on the local news affecting you. In today's five-minute digest:

• Burglars target parked cars
• A new mentorship program is designed for young men
• The park district hosts jazz and cooking events

But first, today's weather: Rain and snow showers. High: 44 Low: 32.

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

1. Burglars broke into three cars Jan. 17-18, stealing a catalytic converter and jewelry. According to Oak Park police, the burglaries occurred in the 200 blocks of North Kenilworth and South Grove avenues. A third was reported in the 6500 block of Roosevelt Road. (OPPD)

2. Oak Park now has 13 charging stations for electric vehicles after four new stations were installed. New units were added to the Avenue Garage and the village parking lot on North Boulevard. Each station has two ports. (VOP)

3. An OPRF High School senior was named a Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar. Nadya Dhillon is one of only five Illinois students to earn the honor, and the first student in OPRF history to be honored in “the nation’s oldest and most prestigious STEM competition.” (OPRFHS)

4. The OPRF Chamber of Commerce is launching a new “Stop and Shop” series. Once a month, chamber members can receive a 15 percent discount at a selected local business. Today marks the first event, with Candycopia serving as the retail host. (OPRF Chamber)

5. Oak Park Public Library is partnering with Your Passion1st for a new weekly mentorship program designed for young men. “The goal is really just to inspire them to overcome any adversity that they have in their life and empower them to leverage what they’re good at,” the nonprofit’s CEO Chris Thomas told Wednesday Journal. (Wednesday Journal)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Make vision boards at River Forest Public Library. (3:30 p.m.)
• Venture downtown as Chicago Restaurant Week begins with a “First Bites Bash” at the Field Museum. (6 p.m.)
• Learn about cooking Cajun cuisine at Cheney Mansion as part of the monthly “Cooking Around the World” series. (6:30 p.m.)
• Tony Morrison and the Garfield Park Jazz Collective perform songs from movies at Pleasant Home’s Jazz Night. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Ideas for using the historic Altenheim site in Forest Park include creating “a data center, a smaller-scale solar panel farm and senior housing.” (Review)
• PAWS Chicago is hosting an adoption drive in honor of what would have been Betty White’s 101st birthday. The late comic actor was born in Oak Park in 1922. (NBC)
• Oak Park native and novelist Kevin M. McIntosh is featured in Education Week, discussing his book “Class Dismissed.” (Education Week)

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Events:

• Lobster rolls, grilled cheese, + seasonal soups are coming! Order Happy Lobster by Tuesday. (January 25)
• The new favorite, Pizza Friendly Pizza coming! Order by Thursday. (January 26)
• Date Night Tapas at Home from Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! Order by Wednesday. (January 27)
• Sweet Mandy B's is coming! Don't miss this sweet treat on Saturday. Order by Thursday. (January 28)
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Job listings:

• Oak Park Residence Corporation is Hiring (Details)
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That's all for this Thursday! See you tomorrow for another edition of the Daily.

— 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 Daily? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.