By Maureen Kelleher/LISC Chicago July 2, 2009 – Like the rest of the nation, Illinois is facing an economic crisis. The recession has caused state tax revenues to plummet, leaving a budget hole estimated at $9 billion. As the state fiscal year came to a close Tuesday, Gov. Patrick Quinn and the General Assembly were still... »

By Jeffrey Biertzer July 1, 2009 – Fix Wilson Yard, a group of community members who oppose the current plans for the Wilson Yard Redevelopment Project in Uptown, will continue their battle with the City of Chicago after an appellate judge recently ruled against their lawsuit filed last December, citing statutes of limitations. In early June,... »

June 30, 2009 – Maybe you’ve seen them in a parking lot near your house, zipping along a busy thoroughfare, or on display at a local street festival. It’s I-GO Car Sharing, and the Rogers Park community has been savvy on this non-profit’s purpose for years. “The Rogers Park community really reaches out to us because... »

June 29, 2009 – The Illinois Student Assistance Commission announced Friday thousands of college students are facing a loss of $275 million in grants and scholarships if state lawmakers do not pass a fully-funded budget by month’s end. Impending cuts would affect approximately 40,000 Illinois students currently receiving support from the Monetary Assistance Program, or... »

June 26, 2009 – A record-high 500,000 participants and spectators are expected June 28 in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood  for the 40th annual Gay Pride Parade.  With the increase in attendence, parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer said barricades would line the entire 18-block route for the first time. Previously, the city donated barricades for... »

June 26, 2009 – Lew Kreinberg’s back in town, and it’s like he never left. The veteran organizer, rabble-rouser, and troublemaker is still irrepressible and reflexively provocative. Eight years ago he retired from the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, the organization he co-founded in 1964, and moved to Mississippi. “Katrina blew us out,” he says, and... »

By Jame Ginderske of  The Urban Coaster June 25, 2009 – Area residents, outraged by the Chicago Park District’s proposal to charge new fees for overnight parking at Loyola and Leone Parks, packed this month’s meeting of the Chicago Park District Board. The result of their activism was a compromise. In exchange for daytime fee increases... »