🌱 Armed Person Barricaded Inside Apartment + Fenwick Coach Retiring

It's Friday, Oak Park and River Forest! In today's Daily:

• An update on the Austin apartment explosion
• A free architectural festival returns to Oak Park
• A young River Forest thespian takes the stage

But first, today's weather: Breezy in the afternoon. High: 58 Low: 37.

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

1. Oak Park officials urged caution Thursday when an armed "individual in distress" barricaded himself inside an apartment in the 1100 block of North Harlem Avenue. The report was made around 11 a.m. and an area of Harlem was closed to traffic. As of 6 p.m. last night, first responders were still on the scene. (NBC)

2. Residents displaced by the Austin apartment building explosion last month can now receive low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Association. A temporary “Disaster Loan Outreach Center” is open at Town Hall Park through Oct. 20. (AWN)

3. Visit Oak Park President and CEO Eric Wagner announced he is leaving the role. The Board of Directors will undergo a “national search” for his replacement. (VOP)

4. Open House Chicago will return to Oak Park this weekend. Several local sites are featured as part of the free public architecture festival, including Cheney Mansion, the Oak Park Conservatory, Pleasant Home and Pilgrim Church. (Open House Chicago)

5. Fenwick High School volleyball coach Kathleen O’Laughlin will retire this year after 19 seasons. The school’s tennis team won the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division championship earlier this month. Wednesday Journal has a full guide to fall high school sports here. (Wednesday Journal)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Candycopia hosts toffee-maker Kim Larson for a “Meet the Maker” event, featuring toffee flights, wine pairings and kids’ activities. (6 p.m.)
• Take a “spooky stroll” in Austin Gardens. (6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.)
• Housing Forward hosts a Casino Night fundraiser at the Nineteenth Century Club. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Longtime Harwood Heights mayor Ray Willas died this week at age 90. (Legacy)
• River Forest middle school student Clare Wols will star in an upcoming production of “Man and Moon” at Madison Street Theater. Performances begin Oct. 21. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)
• Chicago organizations Communities United and Lurie Children’s Hospital will receive a $10 million grant to “change the mental health landscape for youth.” (Paid source: Tribune)
• Geoffrey Baer of WTTW featured Pleasant Home among his top Open House Chicago sights to see this weekend. (WTTW)
• Special Consensus will perform bluegrass tunes at FitzGeralds Oct. 28. (Paid source: Oak Leaves)

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Events:

• Festival of Hymns & Anthems (October 15)
• Chicago Artisan Market — Sunday, Oct. 16 at Morgan MFG (Fall Market) (October 16)
• Trinity High School Open House (October 16)
• Tale of the Tombstones (October 16)
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That's all for today! See you tomorrow for the weekend edition.

— 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.