🌱 Oak Park Native Debuts New Comedy + Summer Job Fairs

Hello, Oak Park and River Forest! Let's get to the latest local news.

First, today's weather: Mostly sunny and very cold. High: 25 Low: 22.

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

1. Classes were canceled all week in Proviso District 209 as teachers continued to strike. According to WGN, educators are seeking a 13 percent pay raise over three years. (WGN)

2. The new senior living community American House Oak Park is set to open this fall at 711 Madison St. The facility will offer options for independent and assisted living, along with memory care. (Wednesday Journal)

3. Oak Park will receive $200,000 to revitalize the North Avenue corridor, according to Sen. Dick Durbin's office. It is part of a $211 million appropriations package secured by Illinois senators. (Sen. Durbin's Office)

4. Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will take place downtown today. About 10,000 people attended last weekend’s Forest Park parade down Madison Street. Chamber of Commerce Director Laurie Kokenes said it “was by far the largest attendance we’ve ever had for the parade.” (Forest Park Review)

5. Oak Park native Langston Kerman stars in the new comedy “Bust Down,” which is now streaming on Peacock. He co-created the series with Chris Redd of “Saturday Night Live,” who is from Naperville. (W Magazine)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Sustainable Saturday at Austin Gardens. (10 a.m.)
• Join a Women’s History Month Walk in Thatcher Woods. (10 a.m.)
• Enjoy free live music inside 12 restaurants for Downtown Oak Park’s Jazz Thaw. (1 p.m.)
• The park district offers seasonal, part-time and full-time employment openings at a job fair at Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex. (1 p.m.)
• Learn about maple tree tapping at Trailside Museum. (1:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A Riverside church community is helping resettle a family of Syrian refugees. (Landmark)
• Brookfield Zoo will host a summer job fair today. (FOX)
• Oak Park police are taking part in a St. Patrick’s Day traffic safety campaign through March 18. (VOP)
• The owners of Empowering Gardens in Forest Park are looking to raise enough money this month to own the property, which they have rented for six years. (Forest Park Review)
• St. Giles School Principal Meg Bigane was named Middle School Principal of the Year by the West Cook Region of the Illinois Principals Association. (St. Giles)

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Events:

• Lowered Costs for 2022, Get Your Cannabis Card in 24hrs from Home! (March 12)
• FREE — Family Food Distribution (March 12)
• You Pay What We Pay Going on Now! (March 13)
• Chicago Artisan Market in Fulton Market — Sunday, March 13 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) (March 13)
• Taxes in Retirement Webinar (March 15)
• Taxes in Retirement Webinar (March 17)
• Artistic Women of Faith (March 17)
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That's all for today, OPRF! Have a great Saturday.

— 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.