🌱 Suitcase Killer Released + New District Map Approved

Good morning, ORPF! Let's get to the news for this Saturday, Oct. 30.

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First, today's weather: Mostly cloudy and breezy. High: 58 Low: 44.

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

1. Thirty-five people tested positive for COVID-19 this week in Oak Park. Cases range in age from younger than five to older than 70. (VOP)

2. Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park debated Republicans this week about a decades-old Illinois law that some are using to skirt vaccine mandates by citing religious objections. Harmon likened it to a drunk driver telling a police officer “they would refuse a Breathalyzer test on the Health Care Right of Conscience Act.” (Paid source: Tribune)

3. Local entrepreneurs are encouraging shoppers to purchase holiday gifts now to allow time for supply chain delays. Lita Selmon, the owner of Oak Park candle bar Einnim, told ABC she is concerned about running out of certain supplies before gift-giving season. (ABC7)

4. Illinois lawmakers finally approved the state’s new legislative map early Friday morning. Gov. J.B. Pritzker still needs to sign off on the map, the third attempt at redrawing the state’s congressional districts based on 2020 census data. (WTTW)

5. Heather Mack was released from an Indonesian prison Friday. The Oak Park teen was convicted of killing her mother in a Bali hotel room in 2014. The now 26 year old served seven years of a 10-year sentence. (AP)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• The final farmers market of the season is held at Pilgrim Church. (7 a.m.)
• “Discover Dominican” at the university’s open house. (10 a.m.)
• Smart Love Family Services hosts “It Takes A Village: Free Support for Families of Color.” (1:15 p.m.)
• New thriller “Last Night in Soho” screens at Lake Theatre. (4:25 p.m.)
• River Forest’s Rose Guccione takes the stage in “Late Nite Catechism.” (5 p.m.)
• BCMC performs at Compound Yellow. (7 p.m.)

Oak Park-River Forest Patch Notebook

• Fenwick High School teacher Roger Finnell announced he will retire in 2022 after 59 years at the school. (Fenwick)
• The century-old Girl Scouts Service Unit 409 is seeking new members and volunteers in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park. (Wednesday Journal)
• Chef Laura White took over the kitchen at Kettlestrings Tavern last month, with a focus on “food that fits the community.” (Wednesday Journal)
• The Oak Park Police Department’s community service dog “Pawfficer Howie” is now on Instagram. (OPPD)
• Dr. Ngozi Ezike of the Illinois Department of Public Health is encouraging eligible residents to get the COVID-19 booster shot. (CBS)

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That's the news for Saturday! See you tomorrow for a Halloween edition of the Daily.

— Georgi Presecky

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About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based writer who spent five years covering film festivals for FF2 Media. 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.