🌱 Senate Confirms Reynolds As U.S. Marshal + Weekend Event Preview

Good morning, Oak Park and River Forest! Here's the news for Thursday.

First, today's weather: Cloudy and cool with a shower. High: 52 Low: 49.

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

1. The U.S. Senate confirmed on Wednesday that LaDon Reynolds will be the U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois. The recently retired Oak Park police chief was nominated for the post by President Joe Biden last November. (Paid source: Tribune)

2. Concordia President Russell Dawn outlined the university’s “next steps” in facing claims that the school has a culture of discrimination. A town hall and student survey are among the efforts to "take action together," Dawn wrote in an email to the school community. (Wednesday Journal)

3. Three catalytic converters were stolen from cars in Oak Park between April 12-22. Reports were made in the 300 block of South Maple Avenue, the 200 block of South Humphrey Avenue and the 100 block of North East Avenue. (Wednesday Journal)

4. The Park District of Oak Park will celebrate Arbor Day tomorrow with free events and activities. “Scavenger hunts, tree stories, games, arts and crafts, giveaways and more” are on the calendar for Friday in Taylor, Maple, Scoville and Carroll parks. (Patch)

5. The Book Table and Centuries and Sleuths will take part in the Chicago Bookstore Crawl this Saturday. The April 30 event is being held in honor of Independent Bookstore Day and offers a discount to participants. (ChiBooks)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Oak Park Public Library presents "The Art of Alfred Hitchcock. (2 p.m.)
• Buy your tickets for the highly anticipated “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which opens May 5 at Lake Theatre. (Noon)
• Get vaccinated at Cheney Mansion. (4 p.m.)
• Hephzibah Children’s Association kicks off its kids' resale event. (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The Oak Park Farmers’ Market will return May 21 and run through October. The village is currently hiring assistants to work the market for the season. (VOP)
• River Forest actor Dwight Sora will take the stage tomorrow in Filament Theatre’s production of “At the Vanishing Point.” (Paid source: Forest Leaves)
• Former Fenwick High School boys swimming coach Luke McGuire will be inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Hall of Fame this weekend. (Fenwick)
• Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is set for April 30 at the Oak Park Township office. (Patch)
• On the waiting list to read “The School for Good Mothers,” by Oak Park author Jessamine Chan? The library has similar titles to check out while you wait. (Library)

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• Hortons Spring Kickoff Truckload Sale — April 30 & May 1 (April 30)
• A Family Concert (April 30)
• Hire A Pro To Tackle Mom's To-Do List (May 8)
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That's all for today, OPRF! See you tomorrow for more local stories.

— 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.