🌱 Road Resurfacing In River Forest + Bakery Marks 40 Years

Happy Friday! In today's Oak Park-River Forest Patch newsletter:

• More details emerge about the indictment of a former Rush Oak Park Hospital executive
• Cook County grants more than $1 million to Housing Forward
• Find out where Austin resident Brandon Johnson falls in the Chicago mayoral race

But first, today's weather: Turning cloudy and very cold. High: 28 Low: 25.

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

1. More details are emerging in the indictment of former Rush Oak Park Hospital executive Robert Spadoni. The 58 year old was charged last week with mail fraud and money laundering for a scheme that reportedly lasted more than seven years. Misappropriation of hospital funds was first identified in 2021. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

2. Housing Forward will receive a $1.2 million grant from the Cook County Department of Public Health. The organization distributed more than $14 million in Behavioral Health Initiative grants to “build healthier communities.” Housing Forward funds will go toward opioid overdose prevention. (Patch)

3. River Forest officials plan to use Rebuild Illinois grant funding for a major road resurfacing project, the Wednesday Journal reports. An estimated $737,000 could go toward repaving in the next fiscal year, but the specific streets involved have not yet been reported. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Chicago mayoral candidate and West Side resident Brandon Johnson came in fifth in a recent WBEZ poll asking voters who they’ll choose to lead the city in April. Eleven percent of polled voters chose Johnson over incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, Paul Vallas and Willie Wilson. (WBEZ)

5. Silverland Bakery is celebrating 40 years in the community, the Forest Park Review reports. The baking business launched in Elmwood Park in 1983 before moving to Oak Park and eventually Forest Park in the 1990s. An anniversary celebration is in the works. (Review)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• It’s the last chance to see the “Tending/Tender” exhibit and Dominican University’s O’Connor Art Gallery. (10 a.m.)
• Build your own walking stick at Thatcher Woods with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. (5:30 p.m.)
• Make marbled clay dishes at Dole Center. (6 p.m.)
• Wonder Works Children’s Museum hosts its 12th Annual Wonderivia Trivia Night fundraiser. (6:30 p.m.)
• Ovation Academy students perform “Disney’s Frozen: Kids.” (7 p.m.)
• The Redmonds Duo perform at Salerno’s. (7:30 p.m.)
• The Bono Bros perform live music at Maya del Sol. (8:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Steering wheel locks will be distributed tomorrow to Oak Park car owners who registered for the police department giveaway. River Forest police are also offering the locks to drivers of certain vehicles who register by appointment. (VOP/VRF)
• Wednesday Journal will host a forum March 16 featuring candidates running for seats on the Oak Park Village Board. The trustee forum will be held at Village Hall. (Wednesday Journal)
• The OPRF Museum is honoring Black History Month with online tributes to local historical figures, including Percy Julian and Marjorie Judith Vincent. (Museum)
• OPRF High School will host a career fair for prospective teachers and substitutes Feb. 25. (OPRFHS)
• Seventh grade shadow days are open at Fenwick High School. (Fenwick)

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That's all for today! See you tomorrow for another edition.

— Georgi

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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Oak Park-River Forest Patch newsletter? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.