Oak Park
GOVERNMENT
New Illinois laws 2024: More laws in effect July 1, including minimum wage, tax increases
A host of new laws went into effect in Illinois Monday, at the halfway point of the year.Some of the new laws mean you will pay more at the pump and at your favorite Chicago restaurants, but it also means many minimum wage workers are getting a raise.ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watchMinimum wage increaseMinimum wage workers in Chicago and Cook County will be getting a raise July 1.Those workers will now make a base pay of $16.20 per hour.Chicago tipped minimum wage phase-outChicago started the first phase of cutting out tipped wages for workers. The...
Taste of Chicago was long held in July. Here's why it won't be this year
The annual Taste of Chicago food festival was a longheld July tradition in the city, until recently. The festival is now being held in September, largely due to two major events happening in Chicago for July and August -- and it's not the only festival to see changes. The events...
The village isn’t listening
After living in the village of Oak Park for 25 years, it is surprising how little our voices are heard in this small community. When the Madison Street road diet was implemented, there was prompt removal of the planters and trees without warning, evidently fearing community input. There was a 5-story apartment building approved despite a 7-0 vote rejection by the Plan Commission. Now we are pushing forward with leaf-bagging, which is opposed by the majority of the village. It has been stated that the recycling service may not be able to continue leaf pickup.
July means a set of new laws take effect in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WEVV) — Changes are coming for the State of Illinois, as new laws go into effect. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed new bills into law, all this in advance of the 2024 Chicago Pride Parade. House Bill 5507 removes barriers to the process of changing legal gender on...
OP Public Health Director Theresa Chapple steps down
After about three years in the position, Oak Park’s Public Health Director Theresa Chapple will be officially leaving her role July 12. Chapple is taking a couple weeks of vacation now, according to village officials, and is not expected back by the time her official tenure concludes. For now, Deputy Village Manager Lisa Shelley will oversee the public health department, which celebrated its 75th anniversary this year.
Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke Sentenced to Two Years in Prison (Video)
Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke has been sentenced to two years in prison and fined $2 million. The sentence was handed down for charges of racketeering, bribery, and attempted extortion. Burke is required to report to prison on September 23rd. Courtroom Proceedings. CBS News Clinical Reporter Chris was present in...
Son of late World War II veteran receives father's Purple Heart Medal
Ahead of Independence Day, the son of a late World War II veteran accepted a lost Purple Heart medal on his behalf.ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watchIllinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned the medal as part of a mission called "Operation Purple Heart."Jerome "Jerry" Even, survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. On Monday, his son accepted his Puprle Heart Medal.The medal had been abandoned in a bank safe deposit box and turned over to the state's unclaimed property division.10 more Purple Heart medals need to be returned to their owners.READ ALSO | 'Operation Purple Hearts' returns lost medals to rightful owners
Gov. Pritzker Signs LGBTQ+ Affirming Bills in Honor of Pride Month
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) — Governor JB Pritzker signed SB2930 and HB5507 in advance of the 2024 Chicago Pride Parade. SB2930 requires nonprofits to publicly report the aggregated demographic information about their boards of directors to encourage nonprofits to reflect the diversity of the communities they support. HB5507 removes barriers...
Comings and goings in Harlem
The town of Harlem, which was incorporated in 1884, included today’s Forest Park and areas of River Forest. The Harlem Post was a local German weekly newspaper for Harlem’s German population. According to the publisher, a German weekly was necessary because Harlem, based on its population at the time, “is considered one of the most German settlements in Illinois, because the large German papers do not reach this area, and because most residents are not able to understand the English weekly papers.” Its first edition was published on Sept. 12, 1895.
Name Changes Could Better Reflect Our City
The Chicago Public Schools are proposing to change the names of three elementary schools named after individuals with racist records: Christopher Columbus, the explorer who enslaved Native Americans; Melville Fuller, the chief justice whose Supreme Court issued Plessy v. Ferguson, ruling that Blacks and whites could have “separate but equal” accommodations; and President James Monroe, who enslaved 178 workers on his Virginia plantation.
West Side residents still struggling with clean-up one year after major flooding
It has been one year since devastating floods on Chicago's West Side.Last year, torrential rains hit the city, leading to major flooding. Hundreds of homes were damaged, and residents still desperately need help.ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watchA year later, John Carr recalled, his basement had waist-deep water. The water receded, leaving damage and growing mold, still."I just don't have the money. I do little at a time now, but I just don't have the money," Carr said.His story is not unusual. Volunteers with the Westside Long Term Recovery Group said they respond to a resident...
New Illinois law to assist transgender residents with updating their birth certificates
CHICAGO (CN) — A new law in Illinois will help transgender residents update their personal documents with their preferred gender. The law allows Illinois residents born outside the state to petition their county court "to issue a finding of fact or facts to correct or update a birth certificate issued by another state or country."
$102 million construction project underway at Oak Park, Illinois, high school
The Oak Park-River Forest (Illinois) district has begun work on construction of a $102 million physical education wing at Oak Park-River Forest High School in Oak Park. The Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest reports that the so-called Project 2 will will include a new swimming pool as part of a total demolition of the physical education facilities at the southeast corner of the Scoville Avenue campus.
Harvey mayor aims to freeze property taxes after residents get huge bills
HARVEY, Ill. (CBS) – As Cook County residents face large increases in their property tax bills this year, one south suburban mayor wants to guarantee his city won't raise taxes next year and urged other municipalities to follow suit.Lillie Rayborn has lived in Harvey for 20 years, but her latest property tax bill may make this the last year she can afford to stick around."I'm angry," she said. "I'm afraid I'm going to lose my house."Rayborn said last year, her bill was a little over $2,000, but this year, it doubled to more than $4,000."It's not fair to the seniors,...
Editorial: Walgreens could join other major retailers fleeing high-crime parts of Chicago
Walgreens is in trouble. And that means trouble for Chicago. The Deerfield-based pharmacy giant, having lost about three-quarters of its market value since the beginning of 2022, is embarking on a major turnaround plan, which will entail the closure of hundreds of stores nationwide if not well over 1,000. Fully a quarter of Walgreens’ roughly 8,500 stores in the 50 states, the District of ...
In Chicago’s tent cities, ‘a multitude of challenges’ to address the city’s rising homelessness
Robert Bulanon glanced at the sky and frowned at the rain. He hurried into his home and emerged, holding an umbrella over his head, picking his way between a barbershop pole, a pair of bus seats, a wheelbarrow, a grill where another man was cooking beef stew, and other objects scattered along the embankment of the canal. Bulanon, 52, is one of about 20 people who live in a set of makeshift ...
Restrictions on face masks proposed around country, but ACLU of Illinois has concerns
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Just four years ago, a mask requirement for indoor spaces was issued in Illinois at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and masks were still required on the Chicago Transit Authority and other mass transit as recently as the spring of 2022.But now, there is a growing movement of lawmakers and communities who want to ban masks. Civil liberties advocates have some major concerns about that idea.In surveillance videos of crimes being committed, the perpetrators are often wearing masks over their noses and mouths. In many cases, the coverings help hide the faces and identities of those...
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