🌱 Oak Park Police Offer Steering Wheel Lock + Hospital Chief Indicted

It's Friday, Oak Park and River Forest! Some top stories heading into the weekend include:

• Local officials are seeking funding for a bridge replacement at Harlem and South Boulevard
• Bloc dispensary could move into Forest Park as early as July
• Fenwick athletes are competing at the state finals

But first, today's weather: Mostly sunny and chilly. High: 29 Low: 22.

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

1. WGN reports that a former Rush Oak Park Hospital official has been indicted for mail fraud and money laundering. According to the Chicago news station, Robert Spadoni is accused of defrauding a hospital of more than $600,000. WGN notes that the indictment “does not specifically name Rush as the hospital system Spadoni worked for.” (WGN)

2. The Oak Park Police Department will distribute a limited amount of steering wheel locks to owners of certain Hyundai and Kia cars “in response to a sharp increase in vehicle thefts.” Pre-registration is required for the free locks, which can be picked up Feb. 25. Police said these specific cars are being targeted because they use a key rather than a push-button ignition. (VOP)

3. Government officials from Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park are teaming up to seek funding to replace the railroad bridge at Harlem Avenue and South Boulevard. The project is expected to cost more than $34 million. (Review)

4. Bloc Dispensary could open in six months inside a former CVS location in Forest Park, pending village approval. A spokesperson from its operations company Justice Cannabis Co. told Wednesday Journal the location would provide up to 25 new jobs. (Wednesday Journal)

5. Oak Park and River Forest High School is set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Empty Bowls dinner. The annual event will be held March 3 and benefits Beyond Hunger and Housing Forward. (OPRFHS)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Animal Care League hosts a walk-in dog foster open house. (6 p.m.)
• South Chicago Dance Theatre performs at Unity Temple. (7:30 p.m.)
• Madison Street Theater hosts a Valentine’s Hangover Reboot. (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Four wrestlers from Fenwick High School are competing this week in the IHSA state finals at the University of Illinois. (Wednesday Journal)
• The Oak Park River Forest Museum is launching a new history book club Feb. 23. (OPRF Museum)
• The Village of Northbrook will add a 10-cent tax to single-use bags. The Daily Herald cites Oak Park as an example of a village implementing the tax without hindering customer visits to grocery stores. (Paid source: Daily Herald)
• This week marks the birth date of Marion Mahony Griffin, “a key member of Wright’s Oak Park Studio and one of America’s first female architects.” (Frank Lloyd Wright Trust)
• First United Church of Oak Park is seeking a part-time organist. (First United Church)

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Featured events:

• Jazz Prayer (February 17)
• Handel Week Festival Concert I (February 19)
• Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest Performs Rarely Heard Masterpieces (February 19)
• Symphony Presents Ravel and Vaughan Williams (February 19)
• 2nd Annual International Women’s Day Concert — A Tribute to Women in the Arts (March 5)
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That's all for today! See you tomorrow for another edition of the Patch newsletter. Thanks so much for reading!

— Georgi

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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.