Oak Park Nerd

Thank you!

Happening in March. “The Park District of Oak Park conducts prescribed burns of the native plant areas for the purpose of improving the health of the plantings. These burns are conducted on an annual basis at Taylor, Field, Barrie, and Lindberg Park and Austin Gardens…” pdop.org/prescribed-b...

On 3/3, the Oak Park Village Board will review a 31-page redline of the current Village Board Goals in order to set goals for 2026-2028. It will be an important guiding document. Excerpts from proposed redline below. Full Agenda item: oak-park.legistar.com/LegislationD...

On the Oak Park Village Board Agenda on 3/3- approval of 2026 Work Plans for citizen Commissions. Each Plan provides a solid education on each Commission’s work, all broken down by project, desired outcomes, and cost.
Full Agenda Item with each work plan: oak-park.legistar.com/LegislationD...

These Community Fridges are located around Oak Park. Please donate food if you are able, or take what you need.

US designates Iran as ‘state sponsor of wrongful detention’

Let that sink in

Judge orders 32 detainees released over ICE consent decree violations, but some have already been deported Two who could be released were among 37 detained during the feds' Sept. 30 raid of an apartment complex at 7500 S. South Shore Drive.

A federal judge ruled from the bench Friday that ICE arrests of 32 people during Operation Midway Blitz violated a consent decree, and that they should be released.

But the @chicago.suntimes.com is told many have already either been released or deported: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

The Chicago Public Square Illinois Primary Voter Guide Guide Chicago’s new front page

Voter Guide from Chicago Public Square is up! Great general info, as well as links for specific resources and recommendations. Good one stop shop. www.chicagopublicsquare.com/2026/02/the-...

Why Is The Cook County State's Attorney Prosecuting Nonviolent ICE Protesters? A Block Club investigation found dozens of protesters arrested by state police are still facing criminal charges for minor infractions, such as sitting on a concrete barrier — even after Gov. JB Pritz...

“A Block Club investigation found dozens of protesters arrested by state police are still facing criminal charges for minor infractions, such as sitting on a concrete barrier — even after Gov. JB Pritzker vowed to protect their First Amendment rights.” blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/26/w...

As Midway Blitz cases collapse, 'Broadview Six' prosecutors agree to scale back controversial indictment The high-profile case involves a group of activists and Democratic politicians who were arrested during the height of the Trump administration's deportation campaign. The developments come as prosecut...

“Prosecutors also acknowledged… that the timeframe of the alleged conspiracy is limited to Sept. 26, that it was ‘spontaneous’ with no evidence of an explicit agreement, and that all potential co-conspirators were present at Broadview at the time.” chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...

Spontaneous Conspiracy.

About Broadview 6 hearing on bill of particulars.

D97 selects Terri Bresnahan as its next superintendent - Wednesday Journal The Oak Park Elementary School District 97 chose experience in hiring its next superintendent, Terri Bresnahan.

www.oakpark.com/2026/02/25/d...

What to know about the March 17 primary for Illinois comptroller Four candidates are vying in the Democratic primary to replace outgoing incumbent Susana Mendoza as the state's chief financial officer.

Good info on this race. www.wbez.org/government-p...

A city blanketed in fear: Accountability Commission hears shocking testimony about ICE Article Summary JB Pritzker’s Accountability Commission hears stories about fear and intimidation that led to disruption of schools and a

“Commission Chair Judge Rubén Castillo urged the public to continue submitting information and providing feedback on the commission’s initial report in order to make the final version more robust.” na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

FairShake | Follow the Crypto Election activity by the FairShake PAC

Per Politico, pro-crypto Fairshake is about to start negatively targeting Juliana Stratton for Senate. They are already opposing La Shawn Ford for IL-07. www.followthecrypto.org/2026/committ...

Laura Washington: Will Black voters care about AIPAC’s role in Chicago congressional races? Pro-Israeli interests have jumped into heated contests in historically Black districts, sparking controversy and blowback.

“In the 7th, Chicago city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is up against 12 other candidates to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis… Clearly, the pro-Israel group aims to influence this historically Black district..” www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/25/c...

Oak Park Avenue restaurants already feeling construction impact  - Wednesday Journal Renew the Avenue is already affecting storeowners in the area, particularly restaurants.

Oak Park Avenue restaurants already feeling construction impact

Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump An NPR investigation finds the public database of Epstein files is missing dozens of pages related to sexual abuse accusations against President Trump.

“These include what appear to be more than 50 pages of FBI interviews, as well as notes from conversations with a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago when she was a minor.” www.npr.org/2026/02/24/n...

Judges plead with Congress for control of crumbling courthouses Complaints about the judiciary’s federal landlord reached a fever pitch after last year’s DOGE cuts.

“…complaints about GSA reached a fever pitch last year after haphazard moves by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative radically downsized the agency and targeted some courthouses for sale without any input from the judges...” www.politico.com/live-updates...

Politico Illinois published a list of “ad buy spending by super PACs” for the 7th.
Link (also in pic below): www.politico.com/f/?id=000001...

Why do I have to pretend that I'm going to print something in order to save it as a PDF. Why do I have to engage in a little ruse.

ICE officer training is 'deficient' and 'broken,' former agency lawyer tells congressional forum A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer says the agency’s training for new deportation officers is broken as ICE ramps up its hiring.

Ya think?

FedEx Sues for Refund of Trump Tariffs Rejected by Supreme Court

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/b...

Musk's xAI and Pentagon reach deal to use Grok in classified systems As Anthropic and the Pentagon fight, Elon Musk is moving in.

www.axios.com/2026/02/23/a...

Judges Grow Angry Over Trump Administration Violating Their Orders

“We’re at a moment where the courts are trying to figure out whether the Trump administration is systematically ignoring court orders, or whether it’s a function of overload plus incompetence plus an attitude of disrespect…” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/u...

Progressives pack Democratic primary race to replace U.S. Rep. Danny Davis A wide cast of established Chicago names and political newcomers are vying for the seat Davis has held for nearly 30 years.

Good summary of candidates for IL-07 which includes Oak Park. chicago.suntimes.com/elections/20...

ICE whistleblower comes forward to testify before Congress Ryan Schwank, a former ICE academy instructor, is expected to testify that ICE “is lying to Congress and the American people” about its training program.

Breaking MS NOW:

An ICE whistleblower is expected to testify at a congressional forum today that the agency is "lying to Congress and the American people" about its training of new recruits.

Ryan Schwank was an ICE academy instructor for new recruits before he resigned earlier this month.

Lead prosecutor in ‘Broadview Six’ immigration protest case leaving for DC ahead of high-profile trial The lead prosecutor in the politically charged ‘Broadview Six’ case accusing a group of Democrats and other protesters of conspiring to impede immigration agents at the Broadview ICE fa…

"The lead prosecutor in the politically charged ‘Broadview Six’ case accusing a group of Democrats and other protesters of conspiring to impede immigration agents at the Broadview ICE facility is leaving the office for a temporary detail in Washington D.C." www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/23/p...

New pleading of the Broadview 6 is linked below. Here are excerpts and photo regarding Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw.