🌱 Proviso Tension Escalates + Farmers Market Sets Return Date

Happy Saturday, Oak Park and River Forest! Here's the news for March 19.

First, today's weather: Cloudy, a little rain; breezy. High: 45 Low: 34.

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

1. Proviso Superintendent Dr. James Henderson is speaking out about video footage in which he appears to yell expletives at a school board member. Henderson released additional camera angles of the incident, saying board member Claudia Medina “aggressively came towards me and violated my personal space while shoving me with her body and screaming demands.” (NBC)

2. A Chicago teen was arrested after trying to steal a car on March 13 in the 200 block of Madison Street. Tyshawn McDade was charged with attempted vehicular carjacking. (OPPD)

3. The Oak Park Farmers Market will be back on May 21 but is seeking a manager for the season. The weekly market is expected to “return to a pre-pandemic model,” featuring 17 vendors and annual events. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Resilience Healthcare is promising a “new chapter” for West Suburban Medical Center after acquiring the hospital from Pipeline Health. Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman said Resilience leader Manoj Prasad “is committed to Oak Park and the greater region.” (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

5. The River Forest Village Board declared an official resolution this week in support of Ukraine. Village officials approved the resolution to “recognize, honor and indicate support for the fight for democracy and Ukrainian independence.” (VRF)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Learn CPR with the Elmwood Park Police Department. (9 a.m.)
• Get vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Oak Park Health Department. (1o a.m.)
• FitzGeralds hosts its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. (Noon)
• The Park District of Oak Park breaks ground on the new Community Recreation Center. (1 p.m.)
• Learn about Navajo beading at Dole Center. (1 p.m.)
• Catch the OPRF High School production of “The Tempest.” (3 p.m. and 7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Fritzi’s Delicatessen plans to open next month. (Wednesday Journal)
• The Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest will celebrate three young soloists at its March 27 performance. (Patch)
• Triton College students went to Springfield this week for a model government simulation. (Lawndale News)
• The Oak Park Education Foundation is planning ahead for its Bingo Bash in May. (OPEF)

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• American Diabetes Association Diabetes Alert Day: Understand Your Risk (March 22)
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That's all for today, OPRF! See you tomorrow for more.

— 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.