Marty Stempniak

Home prices have gotten slammed in the Chicago area over the past few years, but not so much when it comes to Oak Park and River Forest.

The village is holding a forum to discuss economic development at 6:30 p.m. on April 16 at village hall, 123 Madison St. Elected officials have started hosting quarterly forums on specific topics to gather residents thoughts, with the first one in October focused on public safety.

Plans to transform a long-vacant historic auto dealership on Madison Street into an Aldi grocery store may be moving forward. For months, the Batavia-based retailer has been sizing up the golden brick building at 644 Madison St. in Oak Park, which has sat empty since Foley-Rice Cadillac closed several years ago.

A well-regarded Chicago restaurant — owned by a couple of Oak Parkers — has been shuttered by city inspectors for going on three weeks. But after fixing a myriad of issues, the proprietors of the Depot American Diner hope to resume dishing out their famous pot roast and homemade donuts sometime next week.