🌱 Students Protest Gun Violence + Oak Parker Restores Batting Cages

Good morning, Oak Park and River Forest! Today's Daily includes students taking a stand, signs of summer in Elmwood Park and a free beef sandwich giveaway. Let's get to your quick headline guide.

First, today's weather: A.M. showers; breezy, cooler. High: 62 Low: 53.

Our local sponsor has some great stuff to offer:

Are you a parent in Oak Park looking for summer activities for your child? Magical Minds Studio hosts a series of week-long summer art camps for children from PreK through middle school, from June 13 to Aug. 19. Programs include puppet making, Legos, ceramics, clay, painting, photography and Outdoor Adventure for middle schoolers. Enroll by May 15 with the code PATCH2022 and receive a 10 percent discount. To learn more and to see this summer’s schedule visit Magical Minds Studio today.

Click here to get your business featured in this spot.

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

1. Oak Park students held a protest Wednesday following the Texas shooting which left 19 children and two teachers dead. Students Against Gun Violence marched in Oak Park to demand politicians enact gun control laws in the U.S. (NBC)

2. An Oak Park resident purchased and restored the former Bat A Ball Batting Range in Melrose Park. Scott Friesen opened the refurbished Sam’s Batting Cages last month and is drawing visitors from across the western suburbs. (Wednesday Journal)

3. A local woman was featured on CBS News this week for her use of a “game-changing” epilepsy treatment. University of Chicago neurologists equipped Oak Parker Karisa Reyna with a device that detects epileptic activity at its onset and “stops a seizure in its tracks.” (CBS)

4. Rehm Pool and Elmwood Park Aquatic Center will open for the season Saturday. Ridgeland Pool is set to open Tuesday. (PDOP)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Learn about President Gerald Ford’s ties to Oak Park with the OPRF Museum. (11 a.m.)
• Make a hummingbird window cling at Dole Center. (6 p.m.)
• Third Coast Percussion performs at Unity Temple. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• It’s National Italian Beef Day! Buona Beef is offering a free sandwich to its app users all weekend long. (NBC)
• The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is asking residents to discontinue the use of bird feeders through the end of the month due to avian flu. (VRF)
• District 97 was named one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” by the National Association of Music Merchants. (Wednesday Journal)
• Brookfield Zoo will host a “Wines in the Wild” event June 11. (Instagram)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Laurie Christofano, Realtor | RE/MAX In The Village — (Visit website)
• Add your business here

Events:

• Northbrook Symphony Season Finale (May 29)
• Meet Me in Manhattan, An Old Fashioned Way to Beat Cancer www.scoreboardcharities.com (June 10)
• Add your event

You're all caught up. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a Memorial Day weekend edition of the Daily.

Until then,

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.

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