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Articles by Talion Taliaferro
Instincts vs. principles
Day before yesterday, Michael Gerson made a comment on the PBS News Hour that rang true to me. He said that President Trump doesn't have principles. He has instincts. Hillary Clinton, in contrast, had principles but her instincts weren't in tune with where millions of voters were at. She said as much in her new memoir. She more or less admitted that her head was in the right place, but her political correctness prevented her from revealing what she felt.
The great motor mystery
The 1972 Chevy Nova SS was sponsored as a racecar by the Ferrara Pan Candy Company after Larry Edwards sold it to a Forest Park police officer. | Photos courtesy Chris Edwards In the 1970s and '80s, a cherry red 1972 Chevy Nova SS raced the drag strips in Wisconsin. The racecar was driven by former Forest Park police officer George "The Candy Man" Webber and sponsored by the Ferrara Pan Candy Company.
Big Week Sept. 13-20
Friday Films: The Sense of an Ending Forest Park Public Library will screen The Sense of an Ending, a British-American drama mystery starring Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, and Harriet Walter. The PG-13 film follows elderly divorcee Tony Webster (Broadbent) as he unravels a mystery from his youth. Based on the Julian Barnes novel by the same title, the film runs 1 hour, 48 minutes. Don't drive hours to go on a camp-out. The park district is turning the ballfields into a campground.
Mediterranean eatery approved for downtown space
A new restaurant is coming to Madison Street following Forest Park Village Council action Monday. Falafel Restaurant will open at 7314 Madison after the village council unanimously approved a conditional use ordinance for a dine-in restaurant. The location formerly housed American Art Works and is also the original home of Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor. Steve Glinke, director of public health and safety, said the restaurant is expected to serve Mediterranean cuisine.
Cultural Park committee presents favorable findings
The Ad Hoc Committee on Cultural Park released its findings on Monday, including three possible configurations for the park. | Courtesy Frank DiFebo About 50 Forest Parkers attended Monday night's village board meeting to hear Ralph DiFebo's ad hoc committee present their findings on the proposed Cultural Park. For about 35 minutes, five speakers shared their research on noise levels, design, estimated cost and more.
Twenty years later, public hoops still an exciting prospect
Back in 1997, I wrote about what I saw as the village's most pressing problem: the need for an indoor recreation center. "Having an indoor recreation center would address a problem facing many of our Forest Park pre-teens and teens," I said. "It would give them something to do during the long winter months." "I asked a group of responsible, mature Forest Park teens what they did for entertainment in our village.
St. John, YMCA sign 5-year childcare agreement
St. John Lutheran Church and the West Cook YMCA recently signed a five-year agreement allowing the Y to use space in St. John's school for before- and after-school programming. The space had been empty for three years. Rev.
Mediterranean eatery approved for downtown space
A new restaurant is coming to Madison Street following Forest Park Village Council action Monday. Falafel Restaurant will open 7314 Madison after the village council unanimously approved a conditional use ordinance for a dine-in restaurant. The location formerly housed American Art Works and is also the original home of Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor. Steve Glinke, director of public health and safety, said the restaurant is expected to serve Mediterranean cuisine.
PMSA teacher apologizes for anti-DACA Facebook post
A Proviso Math and Science Academy teacher has apologized for a Facebook post in which he said undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children should "go back." The post ignited a furious response from current and former students at the Forest Park school. When reached by phone on Tuesday, math teacher Dan Pellegrini confirmed that he posted the comment to Facebook, but he apologized before reversing his position.
Library drive adds second week
The Forest Park Public Library kicked off its annual Food for Fines drive with an additional announcement: The week-long event will now happen twice a year. Alicia Hammond, community engagement manager for the library, said the drive will take place in April as well as September beginning in 2018. "We're doing it to coincide with National Library Week," she said.
Rib Fest 2017 photo gallery
Rib Fest 2017 photo galleryTuesday, September 12th, 2017 1:57 PMShare on FacebookShare on TwitterEmailPrintTasters sample ribs on Saturday, Sept. 9, during Rib Fest at The Grove in Forest Park. | Alexa Rogals/Staff Photographer Jerome Ivy, with Pit Zone BBQ, flips a slab of ribs and dodges the smoke. | Alexa Rogals/Staff Photographer Shannon Phillips, with Aaron's Full of Flavor BBQ and catering, offers samples.
Forest Parkers express support for Dreamers
Most Forest Parkers, based on an unscientific sample, disagree with President Trump's decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which could see some 800,000 young adults nationwide become eligible for deportation beginning in March. As you would expect from Forest Park residents, 85 percent of whom voted for Hillary Clinton last year, the majority of responses received by the Review were critical of the president's decision.
Cultural Park progress
The grand concept of creating a Cultural Park, part performance space, part art installation, all welcoming, reached a high point and a wall on Monday night at a meeting of the village council. A good-sized and supportive crowd was on hand to hear the formal presentation by the ad hoc committee created by the village to study the feasibility of building a mini-Ravinia on the acres of village-owned land at the Altenheim.
Taxing trash, not citizens
We read with great interest the information about the growing budget crisis at our village hall. We would like to offer what we see as a solution, ready to implement to avert the further raising of our taxes, which as always, should be a last resort. These stickers offer a "pay-as-you go" needed remedy for waste pick-up without having to increase your tax burden.
Staley Da Bear Visits Field-Stevenson
Staley Da Bear Visits Field-StevensonMonday, September 11th, 2017 7:35 AMBy Field-Stevenson ElementaryForest Park School District 91 Staley, the Chicago Bear's mascot, helped demonstrate to Field-Stevenson students how getting enough sleep, eating right, coming prepared and being a good listener can help them maximize their potential.
Forest Park turns out for hurricane survivors
Storey Novak, 10, of Forest Park, receives donations from people throughout the community on Sept. 2, at the Novak's home on Hannah Avenue in Forest Park. | Alexa Rogals/Staff Photographer Storey Novak, 10, of Forest Park, looks for space to put donated items. | Alexa Rogals/Staff Photographer Kelly Rice, left, and Carol Novak, both of Forest Park, carry donated items to the yard on Sept. 2, at the Novak's home on Hannah Avenue in Forest Park.
Man pretends to be owner in rental scam- Forest Park police reports Aug. 28- Sept. 1
Man pretends to be owner in rental scam A 45-year-old Chicago man told Forest Park police he responded to a Craigslist ad for an apartment rental on Harlem Avenue. The man met with the renter, a 27-year-old Forest Park man twice, on Aug. 11 and 13, and gave $1,500 as a security deposit and first month's rent. He was told the apartment would be ready Aug. 27. On Aug.
Disabilities community shows money power
Progress Center members hang outside on Aug. 24, during a "shop-in" day for the Progress Center for Independent Living at Schauer Hardware on Madison Street in Forest Park. | Alexa Rogals/Staff Photographer At first glance, drivers on Madison Street during the evening rush hour on Aug. 24 might have thought they were witnessing a protest march. Thirty-six black, brown and white skinned folks all dressed in red shirts were marching from Desplaines Avenue east on Forest Park's main business strip.
Readjusting after two years in Kyrgyzstan
Leah Cozzi, second from right, with her host family: parents Kuttubek and Venera, grandmother, and sisters Ayana and Aidana. | Courtesy Leah Cozzi Leah Cozzi returned in July from teaching English with the Peace Corps in Kyrgyzstan, a place most people have never heard of. During her two-year stint, she, and everyone she lived and worked with, learned something.
Bob Sherrell's story, part 8
"When I first met Kathleen," he recalled, "she was petitioning to leave the convent and was an activist in Cabrini Green, a public housing project with a bad reputation. I was just coming out of a really bad marriage and bad religious experiences. There is a quality about Kathleen. She's not naïve. She's kind. That's probably her most dominant characteristic." They got married at St. Dominics Church in Cabrini Green in 1972. The all black choir sang gospel songs.
Nick Ardinger makes a fashion statement
Forest Parkers may have seen Nick Ardinger walking around town wearing a kilt. That fashion choice, Ardinger said, is partly because of his Scots-Irish heritage, partly because kilts are comfortable and partly because he was bored at work one day, looked kilts up online, found one on sale and thought wearing one would be fun. "Wearing a kilt," Ardinger said, "challenges some of your assumptions.
Big Week Sept. 7-13
This month we honor the stories of grandparents in our community with a tea, tasty treats from our local bakeries, and a book talk spotlighting our favorite books about families. Midlife Maze: A Map to Recovery and Rediscovery After Loss Join psychologist and author Janis Johnston, Ed.D. While no one wants to experience loss, there is tremendous learning to be had from grieving—whether from the loss of a job, loved one, a home, or one's own hopes and dreams.
Village Council retracts firing of police officer
The Forest Park Village Council, at its Aug. 28 meeting, unanimously approved a resolution that rescinds the firing of a Forest Park police officer, Roberto Salas, and allows the 20-year veteran to collect his pension. The council's action is the latest twist in a months-long story. As reported by the Forest Park Review, Salas was fired in November 2016, shortly after a 47-year-old Forest Park woman accused him of sexual assault.
Village Council rescinds firing police officer
The Forest Park Village Council, at its Aug. 28 meeting, unanimously approved a resolution that rescinds the firing of a Forest Park police officer, Roberto Salas, and allows the 20-year veteran to collect his pension. The council's action is the latest twist in a months-long story. As reported by the Forest Park Review, Salas was fired in November 2016, shortly after a 47-year-old Forest Park woman accused him of sexual assault.
At last, budget scrutiny
It took an odd while, but all eyes at village hall now seem focused on finding a combination of ways to cut costs and raise revenues in order to avoid an end-of-fiscal-year budget deficit. Meeting last week, the mayor, village council, administrator, finance director and department heads reviewed spending cuts. Many of them are small — reducing the number of calendars the village prints — but others were more substantial, such as overtime in the police department.
New school-funding law could impact taxes
A referendum to lower property taxes could possibly be one result of the new law to revamp state aid to education in Illinois. A provision in the new law, which was passed last week by the state legislature and quickly signed into law by Governor Bruce Rauner, allows voters in well-funded school districts to petition for a referendum to lower property taxes. It appears that Forest Park School District 91 will be one of the school districts that falls into that well-funded category.
Village staff makes progress on budget deficit
Work continued, Aug. 31, at Forest Park Village Hall as elected officials and village staff met again in an effort to reconcile a budget deficit, which now sits at around $1.2 million, Village Administrator Tim Gillian estimated. Thursday's meeting, which focused more on trimming expenses rather than increasing revenues, was the second public budget gathering of village leadership in August. The same group met Aug. 17.
Love, from one town to (a few) others
Forest Park's huge heart was on display Saturday in Storey Novak's yard, where her mom and grandma couldn't hold back their tears, and dozens of neighbors paraded up with supplies for flood victims in Beaumont, Texas. Another Forest Parker, Kyle Fitzgerald, also had tears flowing, as he listened to firsthand accounts on the radio. "Their stories totally grabbed me," Kyle said, "I'm going to Houston." Kyle bought a used Winnebago, so that he and his partner, Justina, would have a place to sleep.
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