Village Names Interim Manager + State Reports Zero COVID Deaths

Good morning, Oak Park and River Forest! Thanks for starting your day with Patch’s daily newsletter.

First, today's weather: Overcast throughout the day, with a high of 73 and low of 60.

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Here are the top stories in Oak Park-River Forest today:

1. Deputy Village Manager Lisa Shelley is in line to become the interim village manager as Cara Pavlicek leaves Oak Park to take over in Northbrook. Shelley has served on the village staff for more than 20 years, and has been in the deputy position since 2003. (Wednesday Journal)

2. Oak Park Festival Theatre returns to Austin Gardens July 15 with “The Tempest.” Performances will run Thursdays through Sundays until Aug. 21. (Oak Leaves)

3. The former education director for the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust has penned a new book. Architectural historian Lisa D. Schrenk’s “The Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright” examines the architect’s presence in the village around the turn of the century. (Wednesday Journal)

4. Metra announced this week that it is expanding rush hour service on seven of its train lines beginning July 12. The transit service expects ridership to increase throughout the summer as people return to in-person workplaces. (Metra)

5. As temperatures climb into the 90s later this month, the Village of Oak Park is reminding residents to stay safe in the heat. Free cooling centers are available at Rush Oak Park Hospital and West Suburban Medical Center. (Village of Oak Park)

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Oak Park-River Forest Patch Notebook

• Illinois reported zero COVID-19 deaths Tuesday for the first time since March 16, 2020. (Cook County Department of Public Health)
• Lively Athletics and Oak Park Brewing Company have formed a new partnership expected to launch in August. (Wednesday Journal)
• Two Fenwick High School football players have made NCAA commitments. (Wednesday Journal)
• Life Fitness is relocating its corporate headquarters to Franklin Park. (Franklin Park Herald-Journal)
• River Forest is seeking certification as a “Community Wildlife Habitat” through the National Wildlife Federation. (Village of River Forest)

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That's all for the Thursday edition of the Daily. See you tomorrow for another update!

— Georgi

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based reporter with seven years of experience writing for entertainment-based publications. She represented FF2 Media for five years at film festivals across the U.S., from Sundance to Austin. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As Editor-in-Chief of the Lewis University campus newspaper, she earned honors from The Associated Collegiate Press Association and American Scholastic Press Association. She began working for Patch in 2019.