🌱 Thieves Target 7-Eleven + Oak Park Woman Earns Wings

Good morning! Here's your OPRF Daily for April 21.

First, today's weather: Warmer; breezy in the morning. High: 67 Low: 49.

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

1. A group of four people robbed the 7-Eleven at 661 South Blvd. on April 13, according to Oak Park police. The armed offenders stole $400 from the register, along with merchandise and an employee’s cell phone. (Wednesday Journal)

2. Three new surveillance cameras will be activated today in Forest Park. According to Mayor Rory Hoskins, cameras will be located in “high traffic locations” along Madison Street, including Harlem, Circle and Desplaines avenues. (Forest Park Review)

3. A ground-breaking ceremony was held last week for the long-awaited Lake and Lathrop condo project. Developers said 16 residential units have sold and interest in the retail space is “very strong.” (Wednesday Journal)

4. Oak Park native Gabrielle Cole graduated flight school at Fort Rucker and earned her Army aviation wings as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot. According to WGN, Second Lieutenant Cole is one of six women helicopter pilots in the Illinois Army National Guard. (WGN)

5. The Oak Park Public Health Department is seeking feedback for its strategic plan. Residents who take an online survey will be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift card redeemable at 60 Oak Park restaurants and retailers. (VOP)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Go “Inside OPRF Museum” with a monthly virtual program. (11 a.m.)
• Hit It! Fitness hosts a Mother’s Day Sip + Shop event. (6 p.m.)
• District 90 hosts a discussion on “Raising Resilient Children” at Roosevelt Middle School. (6:30 p.m.)
• "The Ground Between Us" screens at Dominican University as part of the One Earth Film Festival. (6 p.m.)
• Local author Patrick Cannon discusses his book “At Home in Chicago: A Living History of the Domestic Architecture” at OPRF Museum. (7:30 p.m.)
• "Swing into Spring" with the Robin Watson Combo at Donny G's. (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Friday is Earth Day! The Oak Park Public Library made a list of seven ways to get involved, from film screenings to neighborhood cleanups. (Library)
• Actor, playwright and producer Sandra Delgado was named Lund-Gill Chair of the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences at Dominican University. (DU)
• Save the date for Oak Park Education Foundation’s Bingo Bash on May 13. (OPEF)
• Geoffrey Baer’s “Great Chicago Quiz Show” begins airing tonight on PBS. (WTTW)
• Tonight's Barbara Henry poetry reading at River Forest Public Library has been canceled. (Library)

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• "6 years new" Berwyn dream home just hit the market (Details)
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That's all for today! 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.