Saturday, May 18, 2013
Many residents in Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest were affected by the floods in April. Find out how you can apply for federal assistance.
The village governments in Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest have sent notices to residents recently to inform them that federal aid could be available for victims of the April flooding. President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration offering federal aid. The declaration covers those affected by the severe storms and winds between April 16 and May 5. Those applying for federal assistance will be asked to provide insurance, damage and financial information. A FEMA inspector will assess the damage at the home or business. Should the applicant qualify for federal assistance, a check should be available within the week for direct deposit in the applicant’s bank. Even those who think they don’t qualify are strongly encouraged to …
A roundup of some of the more bizarre items in area police blotters this week.
LA GRANGE A woman caused a disturbance at Walgreens, 2 N. La Grange Road, around 1:58 p.m. after her insurance declined to cover a prescription she was picking up for her mother, police said. The woman called police because Walgreens wouldn’t give her the medication unless she paid for it out of pocket. The officer told her this was a matter between her, Walgreens and the insurance company. She became disruptive, called the officer a few names and stormed off, the report said. Three girls who looked like they were in eighth grade took bricks from the yard of a vacant property in the 900 block of South 8th Avenue, police said. Police entered a special watch for the property and the caller was told to call police immediately if he sees …
Diezel is a sweet, energetic 4-year-old English bulldog/basset hound mix looking for a forever home.
Name: Diezel Breed: English bulldog/basset hound mix Sex: Male Age: 4 years Spayed/Neutered: Yes Personality: Diezel and his brother, Bullet, were taken to the West Suburban Humane Society when their owner could no longer care for them. Diezel is sweet and energetic, and loves to play and cuddle up on the couch. He cannot live with others cats, but would be great with dogs. He cannot live in an apartment, townhouse or condo, so a house with a large fenced-in yard would be best. Interested? Stop by the West Suburban Humane Society at 1901 W. Ogden Ave., Downers Grove, or call 630-960-9600.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Get the latest news on OPRF, Fenwick, Proviso East and Trinity and how they're doing in postseason play for all sports. Participate in making the news by sharing photos and posting updates in the comments!
It's playoff season for high school spring sports, and we're tracking all the action at Fenwick, Oak Park-River Forest, Proviso East and Trinity. With such a rich history of sporting success at our high schools, here's a quick and easy way to track the teams. You can also help us by sharing photos from games and meet. Follow a certain team? You can also post photos and updates to our Local Voices section here. ***"Next game" indicates the teams' next playoff game, not necessarily their next regular season game. State finals are May 10-11. State finals are May 31-June 1. State finals are May 31-June 1. State finals are June 7-8. State final meet is May 23-25. State finals meet is May 23-25. State finals meet is May 16-18. State …
Passed by a 35-21 vote, the bill now goes to the desk of Gov. Pat Quinn, who has not yet said whether he intends to sign it.
By a vote of 35-21, the Illinois Senate approved legislation on Friday that would allow doctors in the state to prescribe marijuana as pain relief for severe medical conditions. The bill now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn for his signature. According to the Chicago Tribune, the bill covers 33 specific conditions—including multiple sclerosis, cancer and HIV infection—and includes several controls, with a four-year trial program, dosage limits, fingerprinting, background checks and licensed dispensing centers. “This bill is filled with walls to keep this limited,” the paper quoted sponsoring Sen. Bill Haine (D-Alton), who urged lawmakers to pass the legislation as a compassionate measure for those suffering with extreme pain. In opposition, Sen. …
Marchex Institute says Illinois residents are among the worst offenders in the country when it comes to swear words, though we are pretty courteous with 'please' and 'thank you.'
Well gosh darn it, turns out we're a bunch of potty mouths here in Illinois, thank you very much. That's the finding from the Marchex Institute, a data analysis firm, which ranks Illinois as the 5th worst cursing state in the country, though acknowledges that we're pretty liberal with our "pleases" and "thank yous." Just in time for National Etiquette Week, Marchex released findings on the most courteous and the least courteous states in the nation. The Institute examined more than 600,000 phone calls from the past 12 months. You know, the calls that "may be recorded for training purposes." The calls were placed by consumers to businesses across 30 industries, including cable and satellite companies, auto dealerships, pest control centers…
A narcotics investigation that began in River Forest led police to a Maywood apartment, where 280 grams of heroin, as well as smaller quantities of crack and ecstasy, were found.
Police seized about $28,000 in heroin and arrested three Maywood men following an investigation that originated in River Forest. Earlier in May, a River Forest police officer conducted a street stop that netted narcotics and intelligence information. River Forest police teamed with the West Suburban Enhanced Drug and Gang Task Force and Forest Park police to execute a search warrant on May 9. The information police received led them to an apartment in the 500 block of Main Street in Maywood, where police found 280 grams of heroin and smaller quantities of crack and ecstasy. "The investigation revealed that the heroin, ecstasy and crack cocaine were destined for resale to west suburban residents," according to a River Forest police news …
River Forest police reports,
SUNDAY, MAY 12 Ian R. Sutherland, 18, of Oak Park, was charged with resisting arrest and underage consumption and possession of alcohol by a minor after police stopped him at 1:11 a.m. in River Forest. Police said he was stumbling on the sidewalk and when police tried arresting him he tried to flee. SATURDAY, MAY 11 Willa G. Clemons, 50, of Oak Park, was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a police officer after refusing to leave the Starbucks in River Forest, police said. They said she was causing a disturbance and then refused to give officers her name. FRIDAY, MAY 10 A women's green 21-speed Schwinn Midmoor bike was stolen from a garage in the 0-100 block of Ashland. The estimated loss is $200. THURSDAY, MAY 9 Jose L. …
Looking to see a movie? Here's the latest shows at Oak Park's Lake Theater, as well as other nearby theaters.
Looking to see a movie this weekend? If you're in the Oak Park area, check out Classic Cinemas' Lake Theater. Featuring a $6 matinee for shows before 6 p.m., a collection of movies that many national theater chains are playing and the old-timey experience of going to the movies, Lake Theater offers a lot to like. Playing This Weekend (May 16-19) Star Trek Into Darkness (PG-13) is the sequel in the new series of Star Trek films, with the crew meeting an "unstoppable force of terror" on the way home. The Great Gatsby (PG-13) stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the iconic millionaire partyboy in the roaring '20s. Reviews are pretty poor, but what I'm most interested in what people think about using director Baz Luhrmann's name as a verb, as in, "He…
Thursday, May 16, 2013
It's been a long week. You need a pick-me-up.
Friday's here. Thank goodness. One more day of work, and that's it. Here's a little inspiration to get you through to Saturday. For more than a month now, Patch and Grape-Nuts have teamed up to present stories about your neighbors, neighbors who have faced challenges that would seem insurmountable to many of us. But not to the people we've featured in this series, Journeys. Not surprisingly, the stories have generated dozens of comments on Patch and on Facebook: "Great story..." "Thanks for sharing..." "So wonderfully inspiring..." And, so, here they are again. Great stories shared to inspire. Take a look at what these people have faced. Then click on the story to see their responses. And feel better about your tough week. Pit Bull …
Michael Sewall
9:23 am on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
I hadn't gathered all of the info by the time of publication, but will be updating the article with that information throughout the playoffs. more ›