Graphic Designer Needed for OPRF Performing Arts Group

APPLAUSE, a performing arts group at Oak Park and River Forest High School, is looking for someone with the skills to make their programs and fliers come alive.

If you have a knack for knowing what looks good on a page, then a booster group at Oak Park and River Forest High School could use your help. APPLAUSE!, the performing arts booster organization, needs a volunteer who can help create concert programs, flyers, banners and other print pieces. The ability to design for the web would be a plus. The designs created would be used as templates, so any software used should be easily accessible to other volunteers. To learn more, contact Beth Franken at bfrank1111@comcast.net.

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Oak Park Woman Looks to Light Up the Town in Support of Newtown, CT

Lighting candles on door stoops, an Idea begun by Rachel Rettberg, will keep victims and families in the minds and hearts of area residents this holiday season.

As in so many efforts, mothers seem to light the way. And like so many others, Rachel Rettberg felt helpless in the wake of the horror that struck Newtown,  CT Dec. 14. Rettberg has three sons. One, Charlie, is 8, about the age of those who died. She felt it must have been mortifying to parents who found that their children were not coming home. And no matter where she was or who she was talking with, the shootings were on people's minds. But unlike natural disasters, where people can donate money, there didn't seem to be things that she could do to show that the victims and the town were on her mind. Then the day after the shootings she found a way. During a visit to St. Giles Parish on Saturday, her oldest son J.P., who is 10, asked to …

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Strategic Planning Survey Open Through Winter Break

OPRF getting set to present feedback at upcoming meeting.

Oak Park and River Forest High School still wants residents' opinions on the direction that the institution should take. The strategic planning survey will remain open through winter break, which concludes Monday, Jan. 7. To take the survey, either online or on paper, please contact strategicplanning@oprfhs.org or call 708-434-3511. Nearly two dozen focus groups have been completed. Feedback will be presented at an upcoming steering committee meeting and posted on the Strategic Planning page on the high school's website. Get breaking news alerts and follow us on Facebook for more news:

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OPRF Groups Sponsor Afternoon of Holiday Fun for Kids Sunday

Winter Wonderland Family Festival will be Sunday

If you and your youngsters have a bit of time on Sunday, here's an event that sounds like a whole lotta fun. The Winter Wonderland Family Festival, from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 16 at Oak Park River Forest High School, will feature plenty of holiday related activities for children under 12 years of age. The event will be in the student center at the school, 201 N. Scoville Ave. Cookie decorating, snow globe making and holiday craft-theme creating will be highlights of the festival. If you're into karaoke, this is the place to be. Youngsters can play games and, of course, get a photo taken with Santa. Admission is $5 with proceeds going to fund activities of the J.K. Braid Leadership Group and Hephzibah Huskies, student groups on campus that are…

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Person of Interest Held In Possible Student Abduction Attempts

Oak Park police credit passing motorists with stopping two possible abduction attempts of Oak Park students earlier today.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated with new information from police. Click here to read: Charges Brought Against Maywood Man in Child Abduction Attempts Oak Park police have reported that they are holding a suspect in connection with recent reports that students in Oak Park have been followed in the last 24 hours in possible abduction attempts. In one attempt, a teen-age girl bit a man and screamed as he grabbed her. In another, a middle-school student screamed and caught the attention of others nearby. Officially designated a "person of interest," police said they would consult with the Cook County State's Attorney to review their evidence. Police said they took the suspect into custody today around 9 a.m. on Madison Street in …

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Final Strategic Planning Focus Group Saturday

The final strategic planning focus group to help set the direction at Oak Park and River Forest High School will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 1 at the school, 201 N. Scoville Ave. E-mail strategicplanning@oprfhs.org or call 708-434-343-3511 to sign up.

Three to Be Named to OPRF Tradition of Excellence

Assemblies to honor them will be held at Oak Park River Forest High School.

The dean of the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, a Sandwich King and an advocate for performers with disabilities will receive this year's Tradition of Excellence awards at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Linda Brubaker, Jeff Mauro and Diana Elizabeth Jordan will receive their awards at a reception and dinner on Nov. 29 and make presentations to students during assemblies at 8:45 and 9:40 a.m. Friday, Nov. 1. Established by the Class of 1982, the annual awards recognize OPRF alumni who have made outstanding contributions to society through their personal and professional pursuits. Brubaker, a 1973 graduate, has been the dean of the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine since 2001. A life-long Oak Parker, Brubaker …

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Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Oreos - That'll Shake Ya

Concoction, along with proceeds from OPRF v. Fenwick basketball game, will benefit the American Cancer Society.

Chocolate, peanut butter, Oreo and ice cream - in a shake? They might not sound mouth-watering together, but Oak Park and River Forest High School is hoping that this blend will help bring in funds to battle cancer. From now until Dec. 1, Potbelly Sandwich Shop will feature "The Huskie Shake" with a portion of the sales benefitting the American Cancer Society.The store is at 1100 Lake St. in Oak Park. This is the second year that students from OPRF worked with Potbelly to create an ice cream treat with some of students' favorite things, said Courtney Sakellaris, OPRF's assistant athletic director. This wasn't the experiment that got out the lab. Last week students went to the Lake Street shop, got different ingredients and tried different …

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Matthew Hendrickson

11:30 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Thanks Jason! Sounds delish!   more ›

Founding Member of Hemingway Foundation Passes Away

Redd F. Griffin, 73, was a tireless supporter of Oak Park and an unabashed fan of Hemingway.

A life-long resident of Oak Park who was passionate about both the town and its most well-known resident has died. Redd F. Griffin, a founding member and past president of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, passed away Nov. 20 at Oak Park Hospital. He was 73. According to the foundation, Griffin was born and raised in Oak Park and was a graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School. He served in the U.S. Army stationed in Berlin when he witnessed President John F. Kennedy's famous visit to that city in June 1963. He also was there a few months later when Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963. Griffin worked at the Chicago City News Bureau and WTTW. He served as a state representative in the Illinois General Assembly in …

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