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In Illinois politics the big story is the fall of Chris Welch as Illinois’ house speaker. Bad political and ethical judgments have brought him down.
At the Journal and our sister flag, the Forest Park Review, this is a local story. Has been for 20 years. That is how long the Review has been covering Chris Welch and his suspect ethics as he rose to head the school board at the Proviso Township High Schools.
Might seem innocent. Might seem like small potatoes. But achieving absolute dominance of a three-school high school district, pocketing taxes from a dozen villages, is a worthy fiefdom for manipulation and self-serving. From controlling hiring and lucrative contracts, Welch had a long run there.
Even as East, West and the Proviso Math and Science Academy swirled the academic and financial drain, Welch hung tight to his power. It got so bad the State of Illinois actually took over District 209 for multiple years.
Credit to our Bill Dwyer, a staff reporter, who has been covering Welch for a long while. He’s back today with an analysis of how one of the state’s most powerful politicians landed here.
Sydney Lovan reports on Oak Park’s village government bailing out the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber in September to keep it from closing.
And Dwyer spent a recent Saturday morning in Thatcher Woods with a group of O’Hare Flyer critics and skeptics. The high-speed rail being proposed would traverse the Forest Preserve in River Forest.
There’s more here. There’s more coming.
Thanks for reading. And as our end-of-year fundraiser continues, think about investing in this nonprofit newsroom.
With thanks.
Dan Haley
Interim editor
The Lead
Democrats, media finally see through Chris Welch’s polite posturing
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Around 50 people trekked through Thatcher Woods to hear several experts talk about the impact of the proposed O’Hare Flyer express train.
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OPRF Chamber gets emergency funding from village to remain afloat
The Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce was at risk of shutting down due to financial struggles until the village stepped in to provide $37,500 in September, according to Village Manager Kevin Jackson.
Property transfers for September 2026
The following property transfers were reported by the Cook County Clerk from August 2026. Where addresses appear incomplete, for instance where a unit number appears missing, that information was not provided by the clerk.
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