🌱 Oak Park Sailor Competes In Independence Cup + Women's History Tour

Hello, everybody. Patch is back bringing you the top stories for Saturday.

📣 Our readers love to celebrate good news! You can now shout out your big announcement at the top of the Oak Park-River Forest Daily newsletter. Whether it's a grand opening, new product for sale, birthday, anniversary, engagement, wedding or new baby, let everyone celebrate alongside you! Submit your announcement here.

Now, today's weather: Mostly sunny, hot and humid. High: 93 Low: 79.

🏡 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 3 stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. The former vice chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for “devising and engaging in a procurement fraud scheme.” Sharod Gordon, an Oak Park resident, pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced Aug. 3. (Wednesday Journal)

2. Oak Parker Jasmin Washington competed in yesterday’s Independence Cup at Burnham Harbor. The regatta is designed for sailors with disabilities. “I stick to the motto that I can do anything sighted people can do, I just need to modify it a bit,” Washington told the Sun-Times of her visual impairment. The 22 year old won a New York regatta earlier this summer. (Paid source: Sun-Times)

3. The OPRF Museum will host a women’s history walking tour Aug. 13. A guided walk along Lake Street will examine “women in our community who broke down barriers in the fields of government and civic life, cultural affairs, and social services.” (Museum)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• The weekly farmers market is held in the Pilgrim Church parking lot. (7 a.m.)
• Stop by the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library Book Fair. (9 a.m.)
• Create hand-painted tiles at Dole Center. (10 a.m.)
• Bring broken items to Repair Cafe at Fox Center. (10 a.m.)
• Trailside Museum of Natural History hosts an info session on mosquitoes. (10:30 a.m.)
• The Taste of Elmwood Park will debut its first-ever meatball-eating contest. (4 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A mural in Austin has been removed after some residents said it featured racist caricatures. (AWN)
• Business association Downtown Oak Park gave a social media shoutout to Randy Nicholson for his work maintaining sidewalks and planters on Lake and Marion streets. (DTOP)
• Brookfield Zoo announced that 42-year-old gorilla JoJo died last week. (Landmark)
• Resident registration is now open for fall and winter programs at the Park District of Oak Park. (PDOP)
• Save the date: Wonder Works will host a “Family Game Extravaganza” Aug. 27, in partnership with the OPRF Museum. (Wonder Works)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Laurie Christofano, Realtor | RE/MAX In the Village — (Visit website)
• Add your business here

Events:

• Elmhurst Brewing Crafts & Drafts Market! (August 7)
• One-of-A-Kind Meerkat Experience Coming to Oakbrook Center (August 30)
• Add your event

That's all for today, Oak Park and River Forest! See you tomorrow for the Sunday edition.

— 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.