The 17-year-old Oak Park and River Forest High School student who landed a handful of felony charges last month after a search of his apartment turned up large quantities of drugs, cash, and allegedly stolen goods apparently got some of the drugs via a FedEx shipment from California.

A handful of River Forest residents are refusing to take crime and violence sitting down. By all appearances, the village is a relatively safe place to live. Weekly police reports consist mostly of minor infractions, along with the occasional theft or burglary.

The following interview was conducted on Aug. 13 with Jay Friedman, music director of the Symphony of Oak Park-River Forest; David Leehey, president of the board of directors; and Carole Benson, symphony chorus member and member of the board of directors.

The Chicago area branch of the worldwide charity organization United Way has a new approach to its charitable initiatives — dubbed Live United 2020 — which was officially announced Friday morning. And that focus on early childhood education was good news for two local social service agencies but spelled trouble for a third.