🌱 Oak Park Protester Arrested + Local Olympian Advances

Good morning! Georgi Presecky here with the latest Oak Park-River Forest Daily.

First, today's weather: Clouds and sun; not as cold. High: 41 Low: 37.

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

1. Former Oak Park village president candidate Cate Readling was arrested last week for civil disobedience while protesting the prison release of former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke. Protesters calling themselves “The Laquan Nine” were ordered to stay away from the downtown federal courthouse and fined more than $200. (Wednesday Journal)

2. Oak Park Village Hall reopened Monday with a full schedule after a two-month closure due to COVID-19. In-person services will now be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. (VOP)

3. Proviso Township High School District 209 staff will officially strike Feb. 18 after failing to reach a deal with district officials over the weekend. Another negotiating session is set for Feb. 23. (VFP)

4. The Medal of Honor was on display over the weekend in River Grove. American Legion Post 335-VFW 5979 became only the third museum in Illinois to display the military’s highest award for valor in combat. (WGN)

5. Oak Park speed skater Emery Lehman and his teammates competed in the men’s team pursuit overnight at the Beijing Olympic Games. U.S. skaters Lehman, Casey Dawson and Ethan Cepuran finished with the second-fastest time during the Feb. 13 quarterfinals. (NBC)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Beyond Hunger and Oak Park Township Senior Services host a virtual food demonstration. (11:30 a.m.)
• “Journey into the flavors of traditional African-American cuisine” at Triton College. (Noon)
• Kids 5-8 can create mini-murals and write poems at Forest Park Public Library in honor of Amanda Gorman’s book “Change Sings.” (4 p.m.)
• Temple Har Zion kicks off its virtual “Cook with Celebrity Chefs” series with Chef Paula Shoyer. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The River Forest Park District spring camp guide is now available online. (Park District)
• The OPRF Chamber of Commerce released its list of Top 10 Business Concerns for 2022. (Chamber)
• Elmwood School fourth grader Erhan Mulvihill will compete in the West Suburban Cook County Bee next month, a stepping stone to the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals. (Paid source: Elm Leaves)
• North Riverside Park Mall is hosting an Art Fest contest for artists of all ages. (Landmark)
• The Brian and ShaRhonda Dawson Collection of African-American artifacts is now on display at the Oak Park Public Library. (OPPL)

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That's all for today! See you tomorrow morning for another update.

— 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.