🌱 Water Mains Break + Leaf Blower Ban + Rush Oak Park Wins Award

Welcome to the weekend, Oak Park and River Forest! In today's guide to local news:

• Safety concerns continue at Elmwood Park High School
• Hospitality revenue is on the rebound in Oak Park.
• A Women's History Month celebration takes place today on Harrison Street.

But first, today's weather: Mostly cloudy and windy. High: 28 Low: 20.

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

1. Two water main breaks occurred Friday morning in Oak Park due to a ComEd transformer failure. Repair work caused closures and delays in the 900 block of N. Oak Park Avenue and the 400 block of S. Lombard Avenue. (VOP)

2. A week after a student was arrested for bringing a gun to Elmwood Park High School, many residents attended a school board meeting to express frustration and concern about the district’s handling of the events. “I’m concerned…they’re not taking the proper steps to mitigate this in the future,” parent Jeanette Robles told NBC Chicago. The next board meeting is April 19. (NBC)

3. Oak Park officials voted to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers year-round beginning in June 2025. The delay will allow “ample time for bilingual outreach and time for landscaping businesses to phase out current equipment,” according to a Wednesday Journal report. About 1,000 residents signed a petition asking for the ban due to “extreme noise.” Leaf blower use is already banned from June and September. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Rush Oak Park Hospital was recognized by Healthgrades with a Patient Safety Excellence Award. Nineteen other Illinois health centers received the honor, which goes to the top 10 percent of hospitals in the nation in the category of patient safety. (Paid source: Crain’s Chicago Business)

5. Hospitality revenue in Oak Park “soared” in 2022, according to Village Manager Kevin Jackson’s weekly report. More than $225,000 was generated through taxes on local hotel, motel and short-term rentals, which is “believed to be a new record high.” It marks a one percent increase over the 2019 revenue. (VOP)

Today in Oak Park-River Forest:

• Make chalk pastels at Dole Center. (10 a.m.)
• Kids can take a “Jedi training” class at Pleasant Home. (11 a.m.)
• Celebrate Ramadan with a “Read-Aloud and Craft Hour” at Oak Park Public Library. (11:30 a.m.)
• FitzGeralds hosts its annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. (Noon)
• Learn about Ireland, snakes and St. Patrick’s Day at Austin Gardens. (2:30 p.m.)
• Compete in environmental-theme challenges at Austin Gardens’ Eco-Olympics. (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A presentation this week on River Forest’s stormwater plan is “just the start of the conversation” on flood mitigation in the village, President Cathy Adduci said this week. (Wednesday Journal)
• A Women’s History Month celebration is being held today in the Oak Park Arts District. The annual “Women Owned Works” event supports women-owned businesses on Harrison Street. (OPAD)
• WGN’s “Around Town” segment visited Wonder Works Children’s Museum earlier this week. (WGN)

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Featured events:

• "Music to Dine by" at Tre Sorelle by Mancini (March 18)
• Live Jazz Jam Sunday at Tre Sorelle Ristorante by Mancini (March 19)
• All Hail the Queen: Tribute to Aretha Franklin (March 25)
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• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago Announces Move Confidently 2.0, Make Room (Details)
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You're all caught up! 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.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Oak Park-River Forest Patch newsletter? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.