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Articles by Ruby Hutson
Citywide project to fund art installations on West Side
The 37th Ward is developing new art projects on Chicago Avenue and at other major intersections as part of a $1 million citywide initiative designed to fund the installation of public artwork in each of the city's 50 wards. "Cities that are culturally alive and thriving are the cities that are succeeding," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said last month when he announced 34 individuals and groups selected by 36 aldermen for the 50×50 Neighborhood Arts Project.
Austin schools brace for budget cuts
Austin schools are taking a big financial hit in CPS' new budget, along with many other South and West side schools, worrying community activists, residents and the teachers union. According to the school-by-school budget just released, 15 out of 19 Austin neighborhood schools will see funding cuts.
Austin Green Team Garden Tour 2017!
Austin Green Team Garden Tour 2017!Thursday, August 3rd, 2017 9:00 AMShare on FacebookShare on TwitterEmailPrintBy Community EditorThe Austin Green Team's Garden Tour will take place August 5, 2017 between 10am and 2pm. Free Bus Tour begins & ends at "Vision on Menard Garden" (corner of Division & Menard). Community event & refreshments following.
Free Buffet Dinner Presented By Inspiration Kitchens
Free Buffet Dinner Presented By Inspiration KitchensWednesday, August 2nd, 2017 9:00 AMShare on FacebookShare on TwitterEmailPrintBy Community EditorJoin us for a free buffet dinner presented by Inspiration Kitchens: Monday, August 28, 6 to 7pm Inspiration Kitchens 3504 W. Lake St. Open to all residents of Garfield Park and the surrounding communities (children 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult). For more information please contact: 773.801.1110 or info@inspirationcorp.org
W. Side fashion designer ramps up fight against cancer
After beating breast cancer eight years ago Barbara Bates, a Chicago fashion designer, has since made helping black and Latino women fight breast cancer a personal goal. Since 2014 the 62-year-old North Lawndale resident has sponsored the Walk Where You Live 5K Run/Walk to raise money for the Barbara Bates Foundation Women's Imaging Center at Mt. Sinai Hospital, 1500 S. Fairfield Ave. The annual event starts at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 at Douglas Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Drive.
ComEd looks to get more youths into STEM
Each year, ComEd's Icebox Derby program seeks to encourage elementary and high school girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM), and this year's 30 participants include students from the West Side. Vanessa Nieto is a 17-year-old senior at St. Ignatius College Prep on the Near West Side who likes math and said she wants to be a mechanical engineer. "I like creating crafts and I also like math.
Big Week | Articles | News | AustinWeeklyNews.com
Stop by the North Austin Library, 5724 W. North Ave., on Wednesday, Aug. 9, from 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to meet Chantelle Branch, the author of "Decisions." The novel depicts the struggles of 21-year-old Maci, who "becomes trapped like a slave by the man who she loves dearly." 'The Jam' launched on WCIU, The U, made its debut on July 31.
'Phony' Preckwinkle and her sugary drink tax
Well the judge has ruled that the sugary drink tax which had been on hold is legit and it can begin today, Aug. 2. That is also the day that I will never buy another pop in this county.
Austin organizations launch quality of life plan
Austin Coming Together held the first of the three planned community summits to find out what the community residents, business owners and community activists want in the Austin Quality of Life Plan. The planning process is spearheaded by Austin Coming Together, with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago providing funding and support. The idea is to create a plan based on what residents want to see in Austin and that various community stakeholders can work together to carry out.
Sugary drink lawsuit tossed
A Cook County judge on July 28 dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) aimed at stopping a one-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary beverages. The tax will go into effect on Aug. 2, according to a press release from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. The ruling, announced Friday afternoon, comes about a month after the new tax, passed in November 2016, was to be implemented. Friday's decision is the latest twist in a weeks-long legal battle.
West Side nonprofit gets $4.5M grant
The West Side's Safer Foundation is receiving a $4.5 million federal grant to help formerly incarcerated individuals find work. In all, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded about $73 million to 32 nonprofits nationwide, including to North Lawndale-based Safer Foundation. "We know that private sector employment breaks the cycle of recidivism, and reducing recidivism is reducing crime," Victor Dickson, the foundation's CEO, said earlier this month at a press conference announcing the grant.
Say no, have fun
Retired Army Sgt. Major Reginald Ferguson, left, gets help putting his shirt on from Marine Corps veteran Dion Bush on Saturday, July 29, 2017 during the 29th annual Say No To Drugs and Violence Parade and Back to School Rally in Chicago's Austin neighborhood. | Alexa Rogals/Staff Photographer Chad Perez, (top left) 3, of Chicago, holds up a sign on Saturday, July 29, 2017 during the 29th annual Say No To Drugs and Violence Parade and Back to School Rally in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.
Douglass to open next year but long-term fate uncertain
Douglass Academy High School will be open this fall, but its long-term fate remains uncertain. While its enrollment continues to decline, it is expected to receive more than 100 students—enough to keep it open for at least another school year. But beyond that, its future will depend on how many students will actually wind up staying enrolled, which Chicago Public Schools won't know until later this fall. There is also the question of funding. Because its enrollment declined, its budget has been cut.
New affordable housing comes to East Garfield Park
A new 36-unit affordable housing complex opened on July 30 in East Garfield Park. The Harvest Homes Affordable Housing development, at 3512-46 W. Fifth Ave., comprises four, three story buildings that were constructed at a cost of $14.1 million. Construction started in 2015 on what was formerly a vacant lot. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald.
Austin Coming Together: Thrive 2025 - Quarter 3
Austin Coming Together: Thrive 2025 - Quarter 3Thursday, July 27th, 2017 2:00 PMShare on FacebookShare on TwitterEmailPrintBy Advertising Department
Restorative justice court opens in North Lawndale
Elected officials and people who worked on the creation of the first restorative justice court in Illinois cut a ribbon to celebrate it's opening on July 20. | William Camargo/Staff Photographer Court officials and North Lawndale community members gathered Thursday at the Nichols Center, 3605 W. Fillmore St., to cut the ribbon on a new type of court that doesn't hand down prison sentences: Illinois's first Restorative Justice Community Court.
W. Side groups get grants for arts, financial literacy
Longtime West Side resident Arnold Julien heard "the most touching and horrific" thing a few months ago when a 6-year-old approached him during a dinner conversation he was moderating at the Austin Library. "He came up from the other side of the room and said, 'Can you save me?'" Julien says about the On The Table event sponsored by The Chicago Community Trust.
Advocates press for better media portrayal of West Side
The news story earlier this year involving four individuals accused of kidnapping and beating a special needs teen on the West Side and broadcasting the attack live on Facebook was too much for some Austin residents. Not just the brutal, senseless attack but the worldwide media firestorm it provoked. Chicago – already the focus of intense media coverage because of the nearly 800 homicides in 2016 – violence has once again been in the spotlight.
City activists, thinkers reflect on the black presidency that was
On Jan. 18, two days before the nation's first black presidency was set to end, and on the day of Martin Luther King's birthday, a crowd of roughly 40 people gathered inside of Dominican University's Lund Auditorium to grapple with a dilemma of Barack Obama's two terms. The event was held in order to consider Barack Obama's presidency in light of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy.
New book sheds light on black history of Chicago's West Side
Former Austin resident Jeff Ferdinand was hesitant to move with his wife to Austin in 2014. Friends and family warned him about the violence and becoming the victim of a robbery. None of those things happened, recalled Ferdinand, a Chicago elementary schoolteacher who's written a book about his time in Austin. Ferdinand recently self-published Austin Boulevard: The Invisible Line between Two Worlds, his first book. He and his wife Elise lived on Austin Boulevard near Lake Street for two years.
Why no Black History Month commercials?
Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone and so have the commercials that went along with it. I saw two commercials whose underlying theme was immigration. The first, by 84 Lumber, seemed to promote/validate "illegal immigration." There was a mother and young girl who took off on a journey. They traveled in a truck after obviously paying someone.
How the West Side fits into future plans for I-290
During a public meeting held last month, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Chicago Transit Authority gave West Side residents a look at possible roadway and public transit improvements for Eisenhower Expressway that are part of a $2.7 billion modernization project. The two agencies have been looking at making improvements between Racine Avenue and Mannheim Road.
Free homes for city workers?
Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin did not mince words as he lobbied more than 100 Austin residents to support his Neighborhood Revitalization Act at a town hall meeting held at Home of Life Missionary Baptist Church, 4640 W. Madison St., on Feb. 4.
New nonprofit seeks to offer parenting support for West Siders
An Oak Park couple are looking to bring more resources and activities for families living on the eastern side Austin Boulevard. Erica and Bret Hilgart have established A House in Austin, a non-profit aimed at helping parents nurture and support their children. They are hoping to convert a house they recently purchased, which is near the intersection of Race and Pine Avenues, into a programming space they can call their own.
Big Week | Articles | News | AustinWeeklyNews.com
On Saturday, Feb. 11, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin and BUILD Chicago will host a Black History Month Restorative Justice Symposium at BUILD's West Side offices, 5100 W. Harrison Street. The symposium will feature Vera Davis, the commissioner on women and health issues, and several panelists, including Benny Lee and Marie Moon, among others. Those interested should RSVP to danielle.watson@cookcountyil.gov or call (312) 603-4566. On Feb.
The West Garfield Park Youth Council talks with Sen. Lightford on CAN TV
On Feb. 2nd, the West Garfield Park Youth Council partnered with Senator Kimberly A. Lightford on CAN TV to promote a safe and drug-free community. The group discussed ways to engage, enlighten and empower other young people on the West Side of Chicago. Senator Lightford imparted knowledge to the youth, encouraging them to become agents for social and environmental change through community organizing and empowerment.
CAN TV Community Empowerment Show, Feb. 9th
Please tune into the weekly West Garfield Park Youth Council television show on CAN TV 21.
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