🌱 Village Hall Closed + Vaccine Proof Required In River Forest

Happy new year, Oak Park and River Forest! It’s great to be back bringing you the news. Let’s get to everything you might have missed over the holiday weekend.

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First, today's weather: Not as cold, becoming breezy. High: 37 Low: 24.

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

1. In case you missed it: 426 Oak Park residents tested positive for COVID-19 between Dec. 22 and Dec. 30. The Oak Park Department of Public Health also announced that five more people in the village died after contracting the virus. (VOP)

2. River Forest is now enforcing Cook County’s proof of vaccination requirements. The rule went into effect yesterday and means all patrons over the age of five must present valid proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter restaurants, fitness centers and entertainment venues. Oak Park’s requirements begin Jan. 10. (VRF)

3. Oak Park Village Hall will remain closed through at least Jan. 14 due to the COVID-19 surge. Online and phone services will continue operating. (VOP)

4. Oak Park native and television icon Betty White died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 99, just a few weeks away from her 100th birthday. More than 3,700 people have signed a change.org petition asking the village to officially declare Jan. 17 “Betty White Day” in Oak Park. (WBBM)

5. Longtime local educator and banker Don Offermann died Dec. 26 at age 84. He coached the Oak Park and River Forest High School track team for decades before serving as senior vice president of Forest Park Bank. (Forest Park Review)

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Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Virtual Midday Meditation with Oak Park Public Library. (Noon)
• Chinese comedy “Dead Pigs” screens at Lake Theatre. (1 p.m.)
• Middle School Makers session at River Forest Public Library. (3:30 p.m.)
• “Food Through Art and Culture” lesson for kids at Cheney Mansion. (4:3o p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The Oak Park Village Board will begin interviews today for the six finalists in the search for a new village manager. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)
• Oak Park and River Forest High School returns to school today with new COVID-19 protocols in place. (OPRFHS)
• The Department of Public Works will collect Christmas trees during regular refuse collection through Jan. 14. (Public Works)
• Oak Park-based Ronbo’s Fine Painting Inc. was honored in the Chicago Paint & Coatings Association’s 2021 Chicago’s Finest Painted Ladies Competition. (Wednesday Journal)
• On this date in 1946, Dominican priest Father John L. Curran returned to River Forest after surviving the Bataan Death March and imprisonment at a Japanese camp during World War II. (OPRF Museum)

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That's all for today, OPRF! Thanks for staying up to date on the news in your community.

Just a reminder that my email inbox is always open for your thoughts, stories and questions. Here's to a new year of news.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based reporter with seven years of experience writing for entertainment-based publications. She represented FF2 Media for five years at film festivals across the U.S., from Sundance to Austin. 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.