We came across the following titles, included in last weekend’s annual Oak Park Library Book Fair at OPRF High School:
? The Trials of Lenny Bruce: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon (featuring performances, interviews, and commentary on audio CD) by Ronald K.L. Collins and David M. Skover
? The Man Who Would Be King: The First American in Afghanistan by Ben MacIntyre
? The Hornet’s Nest by Jimmy Carter
? Spoken East Armenian
? My Country, Right or Left (Vol. 2) by George Orwell, features Orwell’s review of Mein Kampf
? A Child’s Garden of Grass: The Official Handbook for Marijuana Users by Jack A. Margolis and Richard Clorfene
? Baby and Child Care, 1964 edition, by Benjamin Spock
? Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
? Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill by Robert Whitaker
? Wicked German for the Traveler by Howard Tomb (includes phrases for “Say, aren’t you a cruel dwarf/wolf in disguise?” and “We seek a golden ring/your head on a platter/a couple of cold beers.”
? No More Vietnams by Richard Nixon
? Bottom Line’s Big Fat Book of Free Money for Everyone by Matthew Lesko
A tidy sum for Sidy
Sidy Sankhale, co-owner of MaGawa Drum Studio, formerly at 237 Harrison, was fined $500 by a circuit court judge last Wednesday. Sankhale had been found guilty July 6 for violating the noise nuisance ordinance. At that time the judge told him to return Aug. 3, at which time if there were no further problems, he would dismiss the charges. However, on July 13 Sankhale received a second ticket for excessive loud music. Sankhale has a court date today on the second ticket, and has until Sept. 7 to pay the fine on the first ticket, or he’ll be forced to work 40 hours of community service as part of the Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program.
Told Friday of the penalty imposed on Sankhale, the complainant on both of Sankale’s tickets, William Tripplett, who lives near the south end of the 800 block of South Harvey, approximately 150 feet from MaGawa’s front door, was unmoved.
Tripplett said he personally phoned police several dozen times regarding excessive noise from MaGawa right up until the day the group moved out last week.
“They were making a racket up to the day they left,” he said. “I wish they’d fined him more and given him community service.”
Sankhale said he hopes to MaGawa (which is named is named after Sankhale’s grandmother back in his native Senegal) can remain in Oak Park. According to co-owner Josh Bernall, MaGawa, which also conducts children’s drumming classes in Elgin, will offer one kid’s class, one adult class and one drum circle a week temporarily at the Oak Park Art League.
“My daughter was born in Oak Park,” Sankhale said last week. “I want to stay in Oak Park.”
Lost Verizon
Though the Oak Park village board’s 4-3 vote last week allowing Verizon Wireless to install cellular antennas atop 715 Lake St. proved mildly controversial, there certainly would have been much more of a ruckus if Verizon had applied to place the gear at its top choice location: The roof of Oak Park and River Forest High School.
Sonny Ginsberg, who is head of the village’s Parking and Traffic Commission and also, coincidentally, the lawyer who represents Verizon on such matters, said he quickly realized placing the antennas atop OPRF wouldn’t be “workable” (presumably because it would have riled up Oak Parkers).
That might be because the equipment wouldn’t have benefited OPRF students, as they are banned from using cell phones at school.
