🌱 Roadway Changes In River Forest + Safety Conversation At OPRF

Happy (unseasonably warm!) Wednesday, wonderful Oak Park and River Forest readers. In today's edition of Patch's daily newsletter:

• The Children's School is still in search of a new home, according to administrators.
• Earth Day events are being held all month in Oak Park, from sustainable soap-making to community clean-ups.
• Artists are needed to beautify the CTA Green Line's "dull, gray" walls.

But first, today's weather: Sunny, windy and very warm. High: 82 Low: 56.

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Here are the top 4 stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. River Forest trustees voted Monday to reverse traffic changes to Greenfield and LeMoyne streets at Harlem Avenue, the Wednesday Journal reports. The changes were implemented late last year for safety reasons. Several residents complained to the village that they were not notified about the new safety measures before they were put in place. (Wednesday Journal)

2. The Children’s School has yet to find a future home, Director Pamela Freese told Wednesday Journal this week. The Archdiocese of Chicago did not renew the school’s lease at St. Edmund, due to “significant financial factors.” (Wednesday Journal)

3. A “community conversation on safety” will be held tonight at OPRF High School. Attendees can submit anonymous comments about their areas of concern ahead of the event. (OPRFHS)

4. River Forest Township is offering a new financial support program for residents. The Emergency Assistance program was launched April 3 and is designed to aid people with “unpaid bills and expenses that pose a challenge to the safety of an individual or family, such as eviction, inability to get work, or shut-off of utilities.” (VRF)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• The OPRF Chamber of Commerce hosts a webinar on “Race and Trauma in the Workplace.” (9 a.m.)
• Concordia University offers an on-campus presentation on “Faith in the Halls of Power: Why Grace and Humility Are Needed Now More than Ever.” (1 p.m.)
• Oak Park Public Library hosts a sound bath meditation. (5:30 p.m.)
• Earth Day events continue all month long in Oak Park, including tonight’s natural soap making workshop at the Main Library. (6 p.m.)
• L'Institut français d'Oak Park hosts a wine and cheese tasting. (6 p.m.)
• Jonita Lattimore and Allan Glassman perform duets at the Nineteenth Century Club. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A woman stole more than $300 worth of clothing items from the Old Navy on North Harlem over the weekend. (OPPD)
• The commission to name the next Chicago Police Department superintendent held a community forum last night in Austin. (CBS)
• Applications are open for artists to beautify the CTA Green Line wall through the Oak Park Area Arts Council’s Mini-Mural Program, Oak Leaves reports. The deadline is May 12, with a second round of applications closing June 16. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)
• OPRF High School volleyball star Peter Zurawski is profiled in this week’s Oak Leaves after leading the team in several categories last season. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)
• River Forest Public Library announced the winners of its first short story contest. (Library)
• The Forest Park Kiwanis Club is celebrating 100 years of service. (Review)

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Featured events:

• Spring '23 Weekend Wonders in Elmhurst (1st-5th grades) (April 15)
• Wedding Band Event at Bella Cosa Jewelers (April 15)
• Artisan Market @ Imperial Oak Brewing Brookfield (April 15)
• A Charcuterie Happy Hour: Networking Event (April 19)
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That's all for today! Thank you for staying up to date on the latest local news. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me at georgi.presecky@patch.com with your thoughts on the newsletter, photos of the community or just to say hello!

— 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.