PicoBlog

Longtime Como’s employee Pete, pictured in the restaurant at 18. He’s now 60. “What a great run he has had,” the pizza joint posted on its Facebook page. | Como’s Pizza/Facebook

Two staple eateries in the west suburbs — both pizza joints — are no more. Perry’s Pizza Joynt, 39 North Ave. in Northlake, closed on April 5 after 44 years in business. And Como’s Pizza, 1903 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Broadview, closed for good on March 31 after 46 years in business.

Como’s had announced in December 2022 that it would close permanently, prompting an outpouring of support among community members that resulted in the restaurant reversing its decision in January. This time, though, there’s no going back. The sign on the door proves it: “Thank you for all the great years. We are closed (yes for good),” it reads.

The Maywood nonprofit Housing Forward will break ground soon on its new 16-unit permanent supportive housing facility at 1014-1020 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Broadview. Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said a groundbreaking ceremony will occur at the site on April 24. Get more information on the project here.

Local seniors interested in living in the Bellwood Senior Apartments, the new four-story, 80-unit apartment building for senior citizens under construction at 540 25th Ave. in Bellwood, can now apply online. The Apartments are scheduled for completion later this year. Click here for more info and/or to apply.

Four years after Portillo's workers from multiple locations in Illinois, including the one in Forest Park, demanded a $15 minimum wage and improved working conditions, the national restaurant chain has its first union.

But as the Eatery reports, the newly unionized workers are not employed at any Portillo’s restaurant. They work at a Portillo’s warehouse in Addison. The workers’ victory, which happened in an election on April 13, “marks the first time workers at any one of Portillo’s nearly 80 facilities — restaurants or production venues — have successfully organized.”

On Saturday, the food production workers, who are members of Des Plaines-based Iron Workers Local 853, held a press conference outside Portillo’s flagship Chicago restaurant at 100 W. Ontario St. They accused the company of intimidation and demanded that Portillo’s begin collective bargaining negotiations.

The workers have the support of Arise Chicago, a pro-labor organizing nonprofit, their union and Melrose Park resident and state Rep. Norma Hernandez (77th), whose district spans parts of Proviso Township.

“During their organizing drive, workers faced an onslaught of company intimidation, false claims, mandatory captive audience meetings, and retaliation,” an Arise Chicago spokesperson stated. “The company is now under federal investigation by the National Labor Relations Board for several Unfair Labor Practice complaints (ULPs).” 

In 2019, the Forest Park Review reported on a group of employees who “brought a petition inside the restaurant, but managers there refused to take it and asked the employees to leave. The petition was signed by over 600 employees from multiple Portillo’s locations, including Forest Park, and was brought to the Ontario Street location because it is the flagship restaurant.”

Maywood Police arrested 18-year-old Michele Ianelli, of Bartlett, on April 19, charging the teen with mob action and street racing for his alleged role in multiple incidents of street “takeovers.”

"These incidents brought over 100 vehicles, along with an unruly crowd and reckless drivers, who shot fireworks, sprayed painted graffiti, and damaged a church. While officers attempted to disperse the mob, green lasers were pointed at them," police said. Police also seized and impounded Ianelli’s vehicle. Read more here.

• On Thursday, April 20, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Berkeley Public Library, 1637 Taft Ave. in Berkeley, the Berkeley Neighborhood Watch will host a crime prevention seminar.

• On Thursday, April 20, 7 p.m., at Bellwood Village Hall, 3200 Washington Blvd. in Bellwood, the Bellwood Community  Police Neighborhood Watch Group will host a meeting on the topic: Trends in Public Safety. For more info, call Bellwood Police Commander William Goodrum at (708) 547-3500 (Ext. 1330).

• On Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Bellwood Police Department, 3200 Washington Blvd. in Bellwood, the police and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will host a drug take-back event. Bellwood residents can turn in unneeded and unwanted medication that will be disposed of properly in the interest of safety. For more information, contact Bellwood Detective Woods-Ortiz at (708) 547-3500 (Ext 1304).

Inside the newly renovated main floor of the Bellwood Public Library. | File

A $2.5 million capital improvement project at the Bellwood Public Library, 600 Bohland Ave., is nearly complete. The library’s main floor has been open for a few months. The lower level should be done by the end of this month, said Bellwood Library Executive Director Amy Crump.

The main floor features a new business center and computer workspace. The new main service desk was pushed a few feet from the entrance. The youth room has new paint, flooring, fixtures and a service desk. In fact, the whole interior is much brighter. 

The Bellwood Public Library’s new service desk. | File

Crump graciously gave me a tour of the main floor a few weeks ago. She said downstairs improvements include a new teen area for gaming, crafts and other activities; a remodeled meeting room that will come with updated technology; and new collaborative workspaces.

“The building was built in 1960 and the only real things done to it were done in the early 1970s,” Crump said. “[Part of the main floor] used to be the garage for the book-mobile. They had a book-mobile in the early 1970s. When they sold it off, they enclosed the garage. They also expanded the kids’ room just a little bit. So, this recent work was fairly major.” 

Crump said a grand opening ceremony is scheduled for June 10.

Last month, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Illinois’ senior senator, visited Hillside to discuss the “importance of passing the Fire Grants and Safety Act, which would reauthorize the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program,” Hillside village officials explained.

“Every day, firefighters put their lives on the line to protect our communities and help save lives,” said Durbin during his visit on March 31. “Congress has a responsibility to pass the Fire Grants and Safety Act to make sure fire departments have access to the funding they need for training, personnel, and equipment.”

Since 2005, the Hillside Fire Department has received more than $5 million from the grant programs. In 2013, they hired five personnel and in 2019 three personnel. They also “acquired radios, auto-CPR devices, cardiac monitors, a vehicle exhaust system, a ladder truck, self-contained breathing apparatuses, emergency air supply packs, and more” with the funding. Read more here.

• On Monday, April 17, 6:30 p.m., at Northlake City Hall, 55 E. North Ave. in Northlake, the Northlake City Council will hold Finance and Rules Committee and regular Council meetings. Among items on the agendas: the possible appointment of Patricia Edwards to the Senior Commission, a police officer swearing-in, and a resolution to allocate funding for Parview Drive Bridge and Palmer Avenue Bridge improvements. See the full Finance and Rules agenda here. See the full Council meeting agenda here. 

• On Monday, April 17, 5 p.m., at the Westchester Village Hall, 10300 Roosevelt Rd. in Westchester, the Westchester village board will hold special board and Committee of the Whole meeting. Agenda items include: an Arbor Day proclamation, an ordinance providing for a feasibility study and report regarding the designation of the Roosevelt/Mannheim TIF District, and a GROW Ecological Commission annual report. See the full agenda for the special board meeting here. See the full agenda for the special Committee of the Whole meeting here. 

• On Monday, April 17, 7:30 p.m., at Broadview Village Hall, 2350 S. 25th Ave. in Broadview, the Broadview village board is scheduled to hold a board meeting. An agenda could not be found on the village’s website. 

• On Tuesday, April 18, 6:30 p.m., at Berkeley Village Hall, 5819 Electric Ave. in Berkeley, the Berkeley village board will hold a regular meeting. Agenda items include: a police swearing-in and a formal proclamation recognizing and congratulating Berkeley resident Patty Asaro. The board will also vote on a motion to waive bidding requirements for purchasing three 2023 Dodge Durango V8 all-wheel drive police pursuit vehicles totaling no more than $150,000. To see the full agenda, click here. 

• On Tuesday, April 18, 7 p.m., at Council Chambers, 125 S. 5th Ave. in Maywood, the Maywood village board will hold a Committee of the Whole and Special Board meeting. Agenda items include: a public hearing on a possible 45-day extension of the 180-day moratorium on hair salons, nail shops, barbershops and other businesses. To see the full agenda, click here. 

• On Wednesday, April 19, 6 p.m., in the Village Board Room, 3200 Washington Blvd. in Bellwood, the Bellwood village board will host a regular meeting. Agenda items include: the Metropolitan Mayors’ Caucus Greenest Region Compact providing guidelines for municipalities to achieve reduced carbon dioxide emissions, among other goals. To see the full agenda, click here. 

• On Monday, April 17, 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Hillside Public Library, 405 Hillside Ave. in Hillside, there will be a mobile blood drive. To schedule an appointment, click here or call/text Camille from Versiti at (847) 305-9998. 

• On Tuesday, April 18, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Proviso East High School, 807 S. 1st Ave. in Maywood, Cook County, the Active Transporation Alliance and Civiltech Engineering will host an open house to inform community members about a recent study to connect a 2.5-mil gap of the Des Plaines River Trail between the CTA Forest Park Blue Line station in Forest Park, the Illinois Prairie Path that runs through Maywood and the Salt Creek Trail near 26th Street in North Riverside. The public can learn about the study’s findings, view potential trail alignments and provide feedback on plans to make biking and walking through Maywood, Broadview, Forest Park and Nroth Riverside easier and safer. For more info, click here. 

• On Saturday, April 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Maywood will host the annual Village Pride, Village Wide cleanup event. Volunteers will start and finish at the Maywood Park Gazebo near 5th Avenue and Oak Street in Maywood. For more info, click here. To sign up, click here.

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