The National Weather Service predicting up to eight inches of snow today and tonight.  Our local municipal officials in Oak Park, River Forest & Forest Park are urging residents, merchants and visitors to plan accordingly.  When – let’s be proactive here and assume the worst – the Snow Emergency Parking Rules go into effect, cars may be towed.

Also, please be considerate of your neighbors by shoveling their sidewalks, if you’re able to do so.  You might receive some home-made goodies, or at least a smile from them.  What a wonderful way to show that you’re not such a bad neighbor.

Finally, we’ve said it before and we’ll say in again… if you experience an emergency, please dial 9-1-1;  and be sure that you’re not overexerting yourself moving the snow.  Many a heart attack comes from “just one shovel more!”

• Please pay close attention to the cold temperature and how tired you become. Don’t work to the point of exhaustion. Take breaks indoors to warm up.
• Stay hydrated – and that doesn’t mean beer or hard liquor!  You sweat more than you think while shoveling snow. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids before and after shoveling to replenish fluids lost in the process.
• Bend legs slightly at the knee, letting thigh muscles do most of the pushing and lifting work. Better yet, push the snow, do not pick it up!
• Your clothing should be well-fitting and worn in layers, and you should shed clothing as the body becomes warm. Remember, overheating puts strain on the heart. Wearing a scarf over the nose and mouth helps reduce breathing cold air, which also makes the heart work harder.

And remember… Snow shoveling is not the exercise to use to start getting in shape!  Use common sense and reach out to your neighbors both to assist and for assistance!

From the Oak Park Police Department:

Oak Park Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a man who robbed the Bleeding Heart Bakery, 1010 North Boulevard, Mon., Dec. 5 and left the clerk locked in a basement storage area.

Sketch of Bleeding Heart Bakery Suspect

The robber is described as African American, five feet, eight inches tall, and approximately 24 years old. He was last seen wearing a brown, zippered hooded jacket and a Louis Vuitton style baseball hat. A sketch is attached.

The robbery occurred at about 7:15 p.m. The suspect entered the business, grabbed the clerk and demanded money from the cash register. He then forced the clerk to a basement storage area, where he removed additional cash from a lock box. He locked the clerk in the basement area and fled. A neighbor heard the clerk’s shouts for help and called police. The clerk sustained minor injuries.

Anyone with information about the suspect or the crime is urged to call the Oak Park Police Department at 708.386.3800. Anonymous tips can be made by telephone to 708.434.1636 or via e-mail at www.oak-park.us/police.

As soon as we have a picture, we’ll post it here.

According to the Village of Oak Park, a recent rash of successful and attempted garage burglaries in one general area of north central Oak Park has the Oak Park Police urging residents to be on the lookout for suspicious persons or activities and not to hesitate to call 9-1-1 immediately if they observe anything out of the ordinary.

Overnight on October 19th, eleven garages were targeted with one or more offenders gaining entry to six garages and causing damage to five others in failed attempts to gain entry. According to an official statement, the intruders used either a pry bar or brute strength to gain entry. Among the items stolen were: golf clubs, a lawn mower, a snow blower, a bicycle and a camera.

While many garage burglaries in Oak Park occur because doors are left unsecured, Police say the garage owners in these instances had locked their doors, which is why entry was not gained to five of the garages.

“A determined thief can defeat most any kind of lock,” said Police Chief Rick Tanksley. “But as we saw in these instances, the thieves had to work for it and didn’t succeed in five of the attempts. In cases such as these, an observant property owner or neighbor willing to call 9-1-1 is the best defense.”

In addition to locking garage entry doors with deadbolts, Police also are urging property owners to install good lighting with features like motion detectors or automatic dusk-to-dawn switching.

In any case, the Oak Park Police will be stepping up patrols in alleys throughout the community.

If you have any information about these incidents or related matters please call the Oak Park Police at 708.386.3800 or e-mail police@oak-park.us.

Do You Know This Dog?

This beautiful lab was found wondering around Lake and Edgewood Streets in River Forest (near the Forest Preserve) on July 20th. She is at the Animal Care League in Oak Park now.

If you know anyone who is looking for this dog, call 708-848-8155.

A large music festival & carnival, Woodstars, will be coming to Proviso East High School in Maywood from 11 a.m to 9 p.m., starting on Thursday, July 28th and running through Sunday July 31st.  The website for the festival is www.woodstarsfestival.com.

Because of the large number of anticipated attendees, the Village of River Forest has implemented the following plans and procedures:

• No parking will be allowed on any streets between Hawthorne & Madison and Thatcher & Lathrop with the exception of those using the commuter parking along the north side of Hawthorne. This restriction will be in effect all day Thursday through Sunday. Those parking on the street will be subject to a ticket and potentially having their vehicle towed.
• Barricades will be placed at the entrances of all the side streets informing motorists of these restrictions and to help prevent non-resident traffic through the south side of town.
• The entrances to Washington Boulevard will be closed at Thatcher and at Lathrop.
• Residents in the south part of town are encouraged to navigate through side streets towards Lake Street to enter and exit River Forest. We strongly encourage you to stay off of Madison Street during this event.

If you are a resident of River Forest and have an event planned this weekend at your home and are planning on having guests, please call the Village of River Forest at (708) 714-3544 during normal business hours and (708) 366-7125 after hours to inform the Village of your event. Ideally, the Village of River Forest would prefer to have no vehicles parked on the streets, but realize some people may have events planned at their home. Please note that overnight parking permits will not be provided throughout the duration of the event.

For up to date information please visit the Village of River Forest’s website at:  www.river-forest.us.