🌱 River Forest Hosts Safety Meeting + Teachers Plan Strike Vote

Happy Wednesday! Here's everything you need to know today in Oak Park and River Forest.

First, today's weather: Sunny and frigid. High: 11 Low: 7.

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

1. The Village of River Forest is expanding its street camera program this year. Cameras will be installed "south of Washington Boulevard, north of Lake Street and north of Augusta Street" over the next three years, according to the police department. (Paid source: Forest Leaves)

2. Oak Parkers who missed the village manager forum last weekend can view a recording of the event on the village website. Interim Village Manager Lisa Shelley, Eric Johnson of Carpentersville and Lionel Lyons of Petersburg, Virginia spoke about their backgrounds, anticipated challenges and priorities for Oak Park. (VOP)

3. River Forest will host its Quarterly Community Safety Meeting tonight at Village Hall, with a Zoom option for residents who prefer to attend virtually. Scheduled speakers include members of the police department, Beyond Hunger and Housing Forward. (VRF)

4. The Proviso Teachers Union will vote on a potential strike this weekend, according to the Forest Park Review. Contract negotiations have reportedly “collapsed” at Proviso Township High School District 209. (Forest Park Review)

5. A new abstract art exhibit opens today at Dominican University’s O’Connor Art Gallery. Riverside artist Kim Piotrowski will introduce her exhibit “Anxious Heaven” at an on-campus event at 4:30 p.m. (Paid source: Forest Leaves)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• A new weekly mixed-media painting class kicks off at Studio of Art. (11 a.m. and 7 p.m.)
• Join the Forest Preserves of Cook County for a live stream from Thatcher Woods. (Noon)
• The Chicago Federation of Labor Workers presents a virtual resume-writing workshop. (2 p.m.)
• Bestselling author Silvia Moreno-Garcia discusses her novel “Velvet Was the Night” in a virtual River Forest Public Library event. (7 p.m.)
• French conversation hour with the Oak Park Public Library. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named River Forest a Green Power Community. (VRF)
• Léa French Street Food will open a new location next month at 70 E Lake Street. (Downtown Oak Park)
  
• Agatha Christie-inspired mystery “The Secret Council” opens its run at Oak Brook’s First Folio Theatre today. (Paid source: Pioneer Press)
• On this date in 1967, a record was set in Oak Park when 23 inches of snow fell over a 24-hour period. (OPRF Museum)

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That's all for today, OPRF! See you tomorrow for more local news.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based reporter with seven years of experience writing for entertainment-based publications. She represented FF2 Media for five years at film festivals across the U.S., from Sundance to Austin. 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 campus newspaper, she earned honors from The Associated Collegiate Press Association and American Scholastic Press Association. She began working for Patch in 2019.