🌱 Oak Park Updates Mask Rules + One Earth Film Festival Returns

Happy Monday, Oak Park and River Forest! Here's the news for Feb. 28.

First, today's weather: Mostly sunny. High: 48 Low: 34.

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Here are the top 3 stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. Masks are now optional in Oak Park, including most schools, libraries, restaurants and other indoor spaces. Proof of vaccine will no longer be required at local establishments, per the health department. (VOP)

2. More than 76 percent of Illinois residents are now vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the state health department. More than 13,000 positive cases were reported last week, down from 20,896 the week before. (NBC)

3. The One Earth Film Festival will return to Oak Park this weekend with screenings at United Methodist Church. Films with environmental themes will also be shown virtually and at Chicago venues, including Navy Pier and the Swedish American Museum. (Reel Chicago)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Test your knowledge of African American history at an interactive game show hosted by Triton College. (11:30 a.m.)
• The Halim Time and Glass Museum visits the Nineteenth Century Club. (1:15 p.m.)
• Join the Oak Park Public Library for virtual pajama time. (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Highs will reach into the upper 50s this week across Illinois, according to the National Weather Service. (Patch)
• Plan ahead for Paczi Day at these Chicagoland bakeries. (Patch)
• Spring sports tryouts begin today at OPRF High School. (OPRFHS)
• Fenwick social studies teacher Arthur Wieckiewicz was named Teacher of the Month by WGN. (WGN)

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That's all for today! See you tomorrow for more local stories.

— 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.