🌱 Patch AM: How Oak Park’s Olympic speedskater is preparing for his final Games

Good morning Oak Park! We're back in your inbox this morning to keep you in the loop with what's happening in and around town. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How Oak Park’s Olympic speedskater is preparing for his final Games
• How Oak Park’s own Emery Lehman punched his ticket to Italy
• How Oak Park’s Don Harmon plans to steer the Illinois Senate

Also on today's calendar: Dinner + a Show with Comedian Joe Kilgallon and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Tuesday: Breezy with a shower in spots, with a high of 48 and low of 28 degrees.
• Wednesday: Colder with a bit of snow, temps: high: 35, low: 16. ⛄️ Brr!
• Thursday: Cloudy, with a high of 27 and low of 23 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Afternoon Briefing: Man charged in fatal Pink Line shooting (chicagotribune.com) — Oak Park residents can cheer on hometown Olympic speedskater Emery Lehman, who’s preparing for his final Games at Milan Cortina after winning bronze in 2022. His story appears in a broader Chicago news roundup that also covers a major police settlement proposal and other city headlines.
   

• OPRF alum Lehman is heading to his 4th Olympics (oakpark.com) — Oak Park residents can cheer on hometown speedskater and OPRF grad Emery Lehman, who just qualified for his fourth straight Winter Olympics. After winning the 1,500-meter at U.S. trials, he’ll race that event and the team pursuit in Italy, aiming to upgrade his previous bronze to gold.
   

• Harmon preps for new Senate year (capitolcitynow.com) — Oak Park’s own state Sen. Don Harmon is starting his seventh year as Illinois Senate president as lawmakers return to Springfield and budget talks loom. He reflects on term limits, partisan tensions, and a recently resolved campaign finance complaint, while emphasizing behind-the-scenes cooperation with Republican leaders despite their consistent opposition to final budget votes.
   

📸 Around Oak Park

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Oak Park

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Friday January 16

• Dinner + a Show with Comedian Joe Kilgallon
  Salerno's Pizza & Pasta of Oak Park, 7128 Roosevelt Rd, Oak Park
  8:00 pm

Sunday January 18

• Rembrandt Chamber Musicians: Philippe Quint plays Chausson
  Chicago Temple Building, 77 W Washington St, Chicago
  3:00 pm

Monday January 19

• Chicago’s Japanese-American History: Resettlement Stories
  The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, 178 Forest Ave, Oak Park
  1:15 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Wednesday January 14

• Story Time at the Conservatory
  Oak Park Conservatory , 615 Garfield St , Oak Park
  10:00 am

Friday January 16

• Jazz Prayer - Where Jazz Meets Spirit
  Good Shepherd Lutheran Church , 611 Randolph St , Oak Park
  7:10 pm
• Dinner + a Show with Comedian Adam Burke
  Salerno's Pizza & Pasta of Oak Park , 7128 Roosevelt Rd , Oak Park
  8:00 pm

Saturday January 17

• Dixon's Violin LIVE!
  Belle's Lounge by Valentine Distilling Co. , 161 Vester Ave , Ferndale
  4:00 pm
• Abstract Mystical Forest Sip and Paint 🎨
  Toast To Paint , 7185 W Bloomingdale Ave , Chicago
  7:00 pm

Sunday January 18

• Create Your 2026 Vision: A heart-centered vision board + visualization workshop
  Unity Oak Park Spiritual & Family Center , 405 N Euclid Ave , Oak Park
  11:00 am
• The Best Jazz Jam In the Western Suburbs Happens Every Sunday at Tre Sorelle!
  Tre Sorelle Ristorante & Pizzeria , 1111 Lake St , Oak Park
  4:00 pm

Wednesday January 21

• Kindergarten Readiness: Returning to Routines through Movement and Mindfulness
  St. Catherine - St. Lucy Catholic School , 27 Washington Blvd , Oak Park
  5:00 pm

Friday January 23

• Bravo Presents - Trolls the Musical, Jr!
  Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School , 325 S Kenilworth Ave , Oak Park
  7:00 pm

📣 Oak Park Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Oak Park PatchAM possible:

• Laurie Christofano, Realtor | RE/MAX In The Village — (630) 248-1976
  Moving doesn’t have to be overwhelming…
• Doug Lalli - Pianist/Composer/Teacher — (708) 228-7150
  Call 708-228-7150 to arrange for your first FREE lesson!
• Doug Lalli - Jazz Musician, Composer and Teacher — (708) 228-7150
  Call 708-228-7150 to arrange for your first FREE lesson!
• Art Studio 928 - Oak Park, IL — (312) 371-9526
  From Team Off-Sites to Parties – Host It at Studio 928!
• Oak Park Conservatory — (708) 725-2400
  Discover Oak Park’s Hidden Gem – A living world of beauty
• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

🪧 Patch Classifieds

• BHHS Chicago’s Kindness Foundation Granted $35,000 to Philanthropic Organizations in 2025
  The Kindness Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Chicago real estate brokerage Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, made 2025 year-end grants... (More info)

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• SAS Retail Services posted a job opening for Overnight Retail Merchandiser in Oak Park. Apply here.
• Valvoline, Inc. posted a job opening for Assistant Service Center Manager in Oak Park. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Oak Park here.

🗞 Nearby News

River Forest

• Basketball Recap: West Aurora's Win on Saturday Extends Winning Streak to Three (maxpreps.com)

Forest Park

• Swing Away Sports Club to open on Madison St. (forestparkreview.com)
• Parkway Dispensary closed (forestparkreview.com)
• Nationwide Protests Erupt After Fatal ICE Shooting in Minneapolis, Demonstrators Demand Accountability – [your]NEWS (yournews.com)

Berwyn

Ok Oak Park! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I took its bike away.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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