You learn a lot being the local government reporter in a town like Oak Park. Sometimes it's dry; sometimes it's entertaining. Monday's village board meeting was both. Here's a roundup of my observations.

Chris Ware's New Yorker magazine covers are threatening to turn him into this generation's Norman Rockwell. His latest focused on Mother's Day, depicting a couple of moms sharing a Happy Mother's Day card in the kitchen, while their three kids peek from the stairway.

Steve Skidmore has been reunited with his class ring. If you recall our May 1 story [Lost and found, News, May 1], the former Oak Park resident, and Baylor University grad, thought his 1970 class ring was long gone, but it washed up in the backyard of Kevin and Deb Quantock McCarey, following the April floods.

After turning 60 last June, Wednesday Journal's Ken Trainor never expected to be the youngest person in the room, but that was the case last Thursday night when the third class of "60 over 60" was inducted, the kickoff for Celebrating Seniors Week, May 16-23, a series of events coordinated by the Celebrating Seniors Coalition, led by Chairman Jim Flanagan.

The Wright Plus housewalk is a week from Saturday (May 18), which draws architecture buffs from all over the world. But this year's walk may also prove a draw for psychology buffs.

And speaking of famous Oak Parkers, Peter Sagal, host of the popular NPR current events show, Wait, Wait … Don't Tell Me, is also an avid long-distance runner who also writes a running column ("Roads Scholar") for Runner's World magazine. In his April 16 column, he talks about running his slowest marathon ever.

Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) announced this week that he has appointed federal and state policy professional Eileen Lynch, an Oak Park resident, to serve as his new district director. 

The Village of Oak Park received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officer Association (GFOA) for fiscal year 2013, which began Jan. 1, according to a village news release.