🌱 Theft At West Suburban Medical Center + Gun Charges For Maywood Man

Good morning, Oak Park and River Forest! In today's Daily:

• Weekly COVID-19 cases decrease in Oak Park
• A racial equity assessment of the village is on the way
• The Hemingway Foundation is accepting entries for its short story contest

But first, today's weather: A little snow at times. High: 34 Low: 27.

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

1. A thief stole two laptops valued at more than $2,000 from a fourth-floor recovery room at West Suburban Medical Center Saturday, according to an Oak Park Police Department report. The crime comes two weeks after a purse was stolen from a sleeping woman in the emergency waiting room at Rush. (OPPD)

2. A Maywood man was arrested for firing an automatic weapon during a drug deal in Villa Park, Patch reports. Curtis Lyons, 37, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, among several other charges. (Patch)

3. Less than 50 people reported positive COVID-19 tests to the Oak Park Department of Public Health this week. It is the lowest reported case count since November. (VOP)

4. The Village of Oak Park expects to choose a consultant in February for its racial equity assessment, the Wednesday Journal reports. Trustees have allocated $150,000 to put toward the project, “a tool to point Oak Park in the direction of achieving racial equity.” (Wednesday Journal)

5. The Ernest Hemingway Foundation is hosting a short story contest through April 15. Winners will be featured in the eighth annual Hemingway Shorts literary journal. (Library)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Hines VA Hospital hosts a job fair. (9 a.m.)
• Draw a charcoal ammonite at Dole Center. (10 a.m.)
• Learn about fire-building and containment at Thatcher Woods. (11 a.m.)
• Trailside Museum hosts a winter tree identification class. (1:30 p.m.)
• A “Ladies Night Out” book club event is held at GRND Coffeehouse. (5:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Oak Park firefighters rescued a dog from inside a wall this week. (CBS)
• The Forest Park Chamber of Commerce could see more than $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to support local businesses. (Review)
• Triton College is seeking adjunct instructors to teach courses related to health care. (VRF)
• Thai restaurant Habrae in Forest Park was featured on NBC Chicago’s “Food Guy” segment Thursday. (NBC)
• Tuesday is the final day to recycle holiday trees in River Forest. (VRF)

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That's all for today. See you tomorrow for more local stories!

— 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 Daily? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.