West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park and Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park have named Patrick Maloney, 47, to serve as chief executive officer, according to a news release.

Chicago Ald. Deborah Graham confirmed that Sears is in talks with Roundy's Inc. to open a Mariano's grocery store at the high-traffic intersection of Harlem and North in Chicago.

Paying for parking will be a cellphone call away in River Forest when the village rolls out the Passport Parking system this June for daily commuters.

Amie Marks, an Oak Park financial planner, started something she thinks will be big: a chance for local women to lunch, and discuss serious current events. She calls her monthly series "Women in the Know." The group meets monthly at caffe DeLuca, 7427 Madison St., in Forest Park. 

The question of merging River Forest village and township governments could be addressed as part of the League of Women Voters of Oak Park-River Forest's 2014-2015 program, the organization's president said last week.

A special commission charged with fighting racial discrimination in Oak Park's rental housing market held its first meeting, Tuesday, tentatively forming a 12-member task force made up of citizens and village officials.