Oak Park Poet Earns National Honors + Local Bakeries Get Upgrade

Happy Friday, Oak Park and River Forest! Let's get to today's news.

First, today's weather: Mostly cloudy throughout the day, with a high of 76 and low of 63.

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

1. Oak Park student R.C. Davis is one of five high school students in the U.S. to be named National Student Poets, out of 19,000 applicants nationwide. Davis received $5,000 for the honor and will serve for one year as a “literary ambassador in the community,” where youth poetry has thrived for years. (AP)

2. OPRF High School District 200 officially announced its interest in purchasing Dominican University’s priory campus for $6-7 million, according to a letter of intent drafted by school officials this week. (Wednesday Journal)

3. Blackout Baking Co. is projected to open in September at 210 S. Marion St. River Forest resident Shana Taveras launched the company online in London and will serve cookies, brownies, scones and coffee at the Oak Park location. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Bitoy’s Sweet Treats was awarded a $250,000 city Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant to update the building at 5957 W. Chicago Ave. in Austin. (Austin Weekly News)

5. The Oak Park Department of Public Health reported 25 new cases of COVID-19 in the Village this week. Health officials continue to urge mask-wearing indoors, regardless of vaccination status, to slow the spread of the delta variant. (VOP)

Today's Oak Park-River Forest Daily is brought to you by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Oak Park and River Forest!

Today in Oak Park-River Forest

• Succulents and cacti are on sale at the Park District. (Online)
• Acoustic duo Gerald Dowd and Rachel Drew perform at Compound Yellow. (7 p.m.)

Oak Park-River Forest Patch Notebook

• Tickets are on sale now for the Illinois State Fair, set for Aug. 12-22. (State of Illinois)
• The Rush University Medical Center orthopedic program was once again ranked first in the state and sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. (AP)
• Dominican University's quad was featured in the NBC promo for the upcoming series "Ordinary Joe." (Facebook)
• Young adults in their 20s accounted for the most COVID-19 cases in suburban Cook County. (Cook County Department of Public Health)
• The North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council is attempting to combat crime in Austin with community outreach efforts. (Austin Weekly News)
• The Village is still seeking nominations for the 2021 accessibility, aging in place, historic preservation and sustainability awards. (VOP)

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)

That's all for now! See you tomorrow for a brand new Daily.

— Georgi Presecky