🌱 Oak Park Hires First DEI Officer + Safety Meeting In River Forest

Welcome back, Oak Park and River Forest! Patch is back to bring you a quick guide to today's top stories.

First, today's weather: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 79 Low: 66.

🏡 Attention, real estate pros in Oak Park-River Forest! We're now offering an exclusive sponsorship opportunity for an agent interested in attracting local clients and standing apart from the competition. Click here to learn more.

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

1. Oak Park Health Director Theresa Chapple-McGruder is warning families about the dangerous TikTok "blackout challenge" trend, which led to the death of her own 9-year-old cousin. The viral "game" encourages users to hold their breath until they lose consciousness, posing an extra threat to children who don't understand its dangers. (Wednesday Journal)

2. The Village of Oak Park has officially hired its first Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer. Dr. Danielle Walker began in the new role Monday after serving in a similar position in Denver. (VOP)

3. River Forest is offering in-person and virtual options for residents to attend tonight’s quarterly community safety meeting. Topics will include the opioid task force and the annual junior citizens police academy. (VRF)

4. Dominican University will conclude its “Summer Sounds” series tonight on the campus quad. The Chicago-based Street Jaxkson Band will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. (Paid source: Forest Leaves)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Selena” with screenings at the Lake Theatre. (2 p.m. and 7 p.m.)
• The Huskie Booster Club returns to in-person events for the first time since the pandemic began. All OPRF families are invited to Cheney Mansion for a school kick-off event. (6 p.m.)
• Head to Pleasant Home for Jazz Night on the porch. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The CDC has new guidelines for families to deal with COVID-19 as students head back to the classroom. (NBC)
• A group of activists is urging State Rep. LaShawn Ford of Austin to run for mayor of Chicago. (AWN)
• Housing Forward is hosting a trivia night fundraiser tomorrow at FitzGeralds. (Housing Forward)
• “Traffic headaches” are expected for drivers in Brookfield as railroad crossings are closed through Sept. 11 at 47th Street and Eberly/East Avenue. (Landmark)
• Oak Parker Mary Anne Mohanraj has published a collection of vegan Sri Lankan recipes. (Wednesday Journal)

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Events:

• Emmy-winning W. Kamau Bell & bestselling author Kate Schatz in Conversation (August 23)
• One-of-A-Kind Meerkat Experience Coming to Oakbrook Center (August 30)
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That's all for today! See you tomorrow for another 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