Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Why Oak Park is ending its ‘Make Real Change’ panhandling campaign

Also check out CAMERATA CHICAGO PRESENTS: A HANDEL'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT for the Whole Family! on the Oak Park Patch calendar

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Friday December 12th Patch AM
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Hi there, Oak Park! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Why Oak Park is ending its ‘Make Real Change’ panhandling campaign
  • How a $4.5M credit line keeps Oak Park libraries open

Also on today's calendar: CAMERATA CHICAGO PRESENTS: A HANDEL'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT for the Whole Family! and 11 more events.

Find out what's happening in Oak Park-River Forestfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: I once read a book about anti-gravity. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Oak Park-River Forestfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Friday: Mostly cloudy with flurries, with a high of 30 and low of 4 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
  • Saturday: Frigid with snow and flurries, temps: high: 9, low: -2.
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny and very cold, with a high of 11 and low of 4 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Oak Park drops ‘Make Real Change, Not Spare Change' campaign (oakpark.com) — Oak Park is ending its “Make Real Change, Not Spare Change” campaign, which steered donations from panhandlers to a village fund for people experiencing homelessness and raised $1,400 for gift cards. Village staff say most panhandlers in Downtown Oak Park and the Arts District are not unhoused or local residents. The shift comes as Oak Park expands its ECHO program to connect residents to social services.
   

• Oak Park to fund $4.5 million line of credit to OP library (oakpark.com) — Oak Park’s village board has approved a $4.5 million line of credit to keep the Oak Park Public Library fully operating while it waits for delayed Cook County property tax payments. Without this temporary bridge funding, library leaders warned of possible building closures and furloughs as early as January. The library must repay the village shortly after taxes arrive or face interest charges.
   

📸 Around Oak Park

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Noteworthy Show Choir Returned To Oak Park Arms For 15th Anniversary Performance —Oak Park Arms Read on Patch
  • Sweetgreen, Inc. posted a job opening for Oak Park - Kitchen Lead 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

  • Some churches are turning traditional nativity displays into anti-ICE messages (abc15.com)
  • Buon Appetito at Donny G's (oakpark.com)

Berwyn

  • New laws: Gun storage, police background check changes take effect in 2026 (shawlocal.com)
  • The RACER Mailbag, December 10 (racer.com)

Cicero

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 couldn’t put it down.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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