What would January be without a good roundup? We decided to have a little fun and poke into our website to see which stories you liked the most. Sorry, print readers, there’s no way for us to do that for you. If you want to weigh in, just email me.
In the meantime, let’s take a walk down memory lane to see what piqued your interest.
10. Midnight music blasts rouse hundreds of Oak Parkers by Stacey Sheridan; Over 350 calls made to police, also complaints in Austin. Mystery music sent hundreds of Oak Parkers complaining to police. But where did it come from?
9. Frustrated Roosevelt Road neighbors meet with police by Dan Haley; Worries over violence at Mike’s Place spilling into Oak Park Our publisher’s story chronicled the discontent over the Berwyn bar’s problems that affected its neighboring village. Mike’s had gone from being a “nuisance to being a public safety issue. … No one should have to live with the fear of a bullet through their window after a party [at Mike’s],” Chief Shatonya Johnson said at the time.
8. Man found dead in car in Oak Park by Stacey Sheridan; No signs of foul play During a welfare check, police found a man in a car with a gunshot wound to his head. No foul play was suspected.
7. Unhoused encampment takes root near Oak Park Metra station by Stacey Sheridan; Encampment is roughly two months old with five to a dozen residents Former Journal reporter Stacey Sheridan explored the camp that had been established about two months earlier. “There’s just simply not enough beds, and it forces people outside into dangerous situations,” said Lynda Schueler, Housing Forward’s executive director.
6. Tank Corner, beloved OPRF security guard and coach, dies unexpectedly by Bob Skolnik; ‘Our building is grieving,’ says communications chief This one goes straight to the heart. The beloved staffer died from pneumonia while recovering from back surgery. “He was just such a good man,” one teacher said.
5. Trio of OPRF grads head to Harvard by Bob Skolnik; ‘Normal kids with amazing OPRF teachers,’ they say Oak Park loves feel-good stories, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Getting into Harvard is, of course, not easy. Its acceptance rate is about 3.4%. Nevertheless, three stars from OPRF made the cut.
4. Oh, no! Gina’s Italian Ice goes up for sale by Lacey Sikora; After 46 years, Gina Tremonte is ready to sell building and business When summer was in full swing, the line for Gina’s Italian Ice could stretch down the block. Gina made her first lemon ice from an old Italian recipe. It sold for 15 cents. Oak Park wasn’t ready to let it go.
Our education reporter wrote that Dr. Elizabeth Thompson, or “SuzySidewalk” as she was known on Twitter, was put on “extensive leave” from Oak Park Pediatrics after the practice became aware of her homophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-mask and anti-trans tweets.
2. Oak Park architectural icon hits the market by Lacey Sikora; North East Avenue home offers 5,500 square feet of living space on four floors Oak Park and River Forest may love a feel-good story, but they really love articles about homes: Frank Lloyd Wright homes, Tudor homes, Prairie homes – you name it. When this home hit the market, you hit our site to get all of the details. We were glad to oblige.
And now, the moment you were waiting for:
- Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy Store to close Sunday by Luzane Draughon; Nearby locations include Elmhurst and Western Springs Oak Park sure hates to lose its frozen treats. This story by our new Journal reporter Luzane Draughon scored more than 29,000 pageviews – and it was only 155 words long!
We hope you enjoyed reminiscing. We’re happy to serve you and promise you even better stories in the year ahead. We couldn’t do it without you. Come back, read often and drop me a line, if you’re so inclined.