🌱 Trustees Honor MLK + Property Tax Tips + Racial Healing Event

Hello, Oak Park and River Forest! Let's get to today's Daily.

But first, today's weather: A passing morning shower. High: 43 Low: 33.

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

1. Illinois lawmakers passed legislation last week to ban certain assault weapons in the state, a move Republican opponents are expected to challenge. Oak Park Democratic Senator Don Harmon finished his remarks on the subject with a challenge for opponents of the ban: “We’ll see you in court.” (Paid source: Tribune)

2. Oak Park trustees will honor Martin Luther King, Jr. at tonight’s village board meeting, along with students from Percy Julian Middle School. The meeting will be streamed online and through local cable. (VOP)

3. Sellers of the George Smith Home have reduced the asking price twice since it hit the market in December, according to an Oak Leaves report. The Frank Lloyd Wright house on Home Avenue is now listed at $595,000, down from its original listing at $770,000. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

4. The Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge officially closed last week with a screening of “Gone with the Wind.” Owners are expected to announce a new tenant for the building in the coming days. (Reel Chicago)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Get property tax tips from Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi at The Carleton. (9 a.m.)
• Megan Red Shirt-Shaw speaks at Dominican University for the National Day of Racial Healing. (5:30 p.m.)
• The Oak Park Public Library hosts adult improv. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Unification teams from the four Oak Park churches will meet today to enter a new phase of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s “Renew My Church” process. (St. Giles)
• OPRF High School is seeking a new member for its community finance committee. (OPRFHS)
• The Park District of Forest Park could assist the village with improving the Altenheim property “down the line.” (Review)
• Portillo's drive-through locations are now cashless, the company announced. Cash will still be accepted from customers inside the restaurant. (NBC)
• The vacant property formerly occupied by Carson Pirie Scott in North Riverside has reportedly been purchased for an unknown price. (Landmark)

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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.