Chicago is the home of Saul Alinsky—style community organizing. Now you can get that kind of training and turn around and move your neighborhood and community forward. The Community Renewal Society’s flagship three-day training identifies key organizing principles, how values influence those principles and how you can become an effective organizer and leader.

Civic Action Network staff and guest trainers lead participants through challenging sessions focused on organizing skills and faith-based principles. This training will challenge your presumptions, confront your priorities and move you to reflect on who you are capable of being as a community builder.

The training includes sessions on:

• History and Principles of Organizing
• Values
• One-on-ones
• Agitation
• Cutting Issues
• Taking Action
• Power Analysis
• Base Building and Communication
• Effective Meetings
• Analysis and Campaign Development

What: Community Renewal Society 3 Day Organizing Training
When: Wednesday, September 29 – Friday, October 1 from 9:00 a.m.  – 5:00 p.m. daily
Where: Community Renewal Society Office, 332 S Michigan Avenue, Suite 500
Cost: $250

Contact Alex Wiesendanger at (312) 427-4830×3840 or awiesendanger@communityrenewalsociety.org if you are a member of a CAN or SAN Church for a discounted rate.

The deadline for registration is Friday September 17 so Register Now!

For more information click here or contact Alex Wiesendanger (awiesendanger@communityrenewalsociety.org) at 312.427.4830 x 3840

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• 7 Lessons Saul Alinsky Would Give Progressives Today (alternet.org)

The results are of water quality are in, and Minnesota ranked first for the Great Lakes states — and 12th overall. Illinois was last in the region and 28th overall. Five percent of Minnesota’s samples exceeded the federal standard compared to 16 percent of Illinois’.

But beach experts say that states that test beaches more frequently may be ranked lower.

Illinois officials blame its low ranking on the frequent, often daily, beach water tests the state does during the beach season.

“The more you sample, the more opportunity you have to find something, the more opportunity there could be to close the beach,” said Melaney Arnold, spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Read the rest of this report, with a table showing the rankings, at Report ranks the water quality of Great Lakes beaches | Great Lakes Echo.

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• Why Do Great Lakes Beaches Close? The Answer Begins In Our Sewers (switchboard.nrdc.org)

Hyatt Regency Chicago. Photo/Google Images

Hyatt workers locked in tough contract negotiations – and hit by job cuts and reduced hours leading to chronic understaffing and increased injuries – will announce a boycott of one or more Chicago-area Hyatt properties tomorrow.

They’ll be joined by leaders of the Central Conference of American Rabbis announcing support from 200 Jewish leaders nationwide, at a 12:30 p.m. press conference in front of Hyatt Global Headquarters, 71 S. Wacker on Tuesday, Aug. 24.

The rabbis will call on Hyatt to meet biblical obligations to treat workers fairly, and will pledge to honor worker-led boycotts and strikes of Hyatt properties.

To continue reading click here to be directed to Newstips Blog, Community Media Workshop.

State Senator Jacqueline Collins (R) acknowledges several youth who participated in the Southwest Side's Smart Communities Initiatives at the Martin Luther King Skating Rink in Auburn Gresham. Photo/Ernest Sanders

As part of its Smart Communities initiative and efforts to sustain the greater Auburn Gresham community and nearby neighborhoods, the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) employed and contracted with youth between the ages of 14 – 19 to increase the quality of life of its businesses and residents.

Digital Youth Summer Jobs (DYSJ)

In partnership with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC/Chicago) and the City of Chicago, GADC received federal stimulus dollars through the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) to support a comprehensive broadband adoption campaign in its community.

As part of this campaign, GADC led a Digital Youth Summer Jobs (DYSJ) program to serve 12 youth for eight weeks. The program’s purpose was to provide an opportunity for youth to obtain digital life skills training, work readiness training, work experience and career knowledge through classroom training and internship opportunities within businesses, governmental agencies and not-for-profit organizations in technology-related fields.

To continue reading click here to be directed to LISC Chicago’s New Communities Program.

Online registration opened at 9:00 a.m. on Monday. If you were unable to register today, the Chicago Park District has reserved walk-in spaces. Walk-in registration will take place on Saturday, at each park’s field house at 9 a.m.

Photo/JUAN FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ, New Communities Program

Summer in the city has meant no shortage of outdoor activities in New Communities Program neighborhoods, ranging from the annual Basketball on the Block and Hoops in the Hood basketball leagues, to a blooming array of farmers markets and street festivals of all varieties.

The B-Ball/Hoops program, which combines basketball for youth, arts activities, health screenings, and a police presence to ensure the peace is kept, has tipped off in nine neighborhoods: Auburn Gresham, Back of the Yards, East Garfield Park, Englewood, Humboldt Park, Little Village, North Lawndale, Pilsen and West Haven. (More on farmers markets and street fests here.)

NCP lead agencies Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corp., Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp., Enlace Chicago, Lawndale Christian Development Corp., The Resurrection Project, Teamwork Englewood, and Near West Side CDC are managing or co-managing their leagues. GADC is paired with In the Paint, Teamwork Englewood is working with Safety Nets, and Enlace is holding court alongside Beyond the Ball.

To continue reading click here to be directed to New Communities Program.

Carlos Hernandez Gomez, Ace Reporter

Unveiling Carlos Hernandez Gomez Way Photo

Naming a stretch of Pulaski Road, “Honorary Casimir Pulaski Way” is redundant and pretty silly. Naming a stretch of Chicago pavement in honor of ace reporter Carlos Hernandez Gomez, 36, who died in last January is appropriate.

In a city with “Vito Marzullo Way,” honest citizens deserve to have a street named after an intrepid political reporter who wasn’t afraid to ask politicians tough questions.

ChicagoTalks is thrilled to hear that the City of Chicago, and Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) are naming a stretch of Racine Avenue the honorary “Carlos Hernandez Gomez Way.”  The ceremony will take place on August 27, at 4:00 p.m., on the North East corner of Racine Avenue and Ogden Street.

Here are some clips of Carlos in action from politifax for your viewing pleasure.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chicago will be one of a record 87 cities worldwide, that will be participating in the event. And remember, films submitted even one minute late on Aug. 15 will be disqualified. Last year, in 2009, 40,000 filmmakers made 3,000 films in 76 cities.

How it works:
On August 13, all participating teams must meet at the Red Bull Chicago offices, on the 5th floor at 180 N. Wacker Drive, this is where everyone will be assigned a genra, character, prop and a line of dialogue that they must work into their film.

On August 15, all films must be submitted on time, or they will be disqualified. Each submitted film will be screened for the public and judged by a panel of experts. The best film from Chicago will be chosen at this time and winners will be in the running for top honors at Filmapalooza, which is the 48 Hour Film Project’s annual awards. In addition, the top 12 international 48 Hour Film Project films will be screened at the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2010.

Competition Information:

START:

Date: Friday, August 13th

Time: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Venue: Red Bull Chicago Offices (180 N. Wacker 5th Floor)

END:

Date: Sunday, August 15th

Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (by 7:30pm to be on time!)

Venue: LimeGreen Entertainment Group Office (344 N. Ogden Avenue)

PUBIC SCREENING:

Date: August 17 – 19

Time: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Venue: Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema (2828 N. Clark)

Price: $12 (https://tickets.landmarktheatres.com/Ticketing.aspx?TheatreID=252)

PRIZE FOR THE WINNING FILM:

The Chicago Best Film is awarded a trophy, is screened at the 48 Hour Film Project Filmapalooza. The Grand Prize winner receives $3,000 cash, filmmaking equipment and the Grand Prize Trophy.

http://www.48hourfilm.com/photos/

After clocking out from a long day at a stressful job, the last thing working men and women seeking a little carefree after hour entertainment want to worry about is how they’re going to get home if they’ve had one or two drinks too many. From public transportation, such as, the Chicago Transit Authorities trains and buses, to taxi cabs and the Metra, if you live in the city, you have choices. Not to mention walking.

“Whenever I go out, it’s usually pretty easy to just take a cab,” Sophia Diaz, resident of downtown Chicago said. “You don’t have to worry about having a designated driver, which eliminates the chances of somebody driving drunk.”

While taxis might be one easy way to go from place-to-place, other options of getting around the cities well-known nightlife scene include the “El” train and public buses.

“The El is easiest for me,” Jose Lozano, 22, resident of Logan Square said. “I only go out like twice a year since most of my time is spent working, and there’s a train stop right by my job, so it’s the most convenient whenever I do go out.”

Chicagoans are constantly in a battle of which side of town is better, the North Side or the South Side, while some fear their safety is in jeopardy the farther south they go, others find that the drinks are cheaper, and parking is easier on the North Side.

“I definitely think that the North Side is safer, especially in Wrigleyville,” Diaz said. “Drinks are cheaper, parking is cheaper if you’re driving, but it’s easier to get around if you’re walking.”

“I like the bars in Bucktown,” Nelly Hernandez, 23, resident of Bucktown said. “There is a lot of diversity, and there’s one bar called Stone Lotus, which is right by my apartment so it’s really close.”

One concern of many “riders” of public trasportation is the level of public intoxication in the evening hours.

“I see drunk people on the El everyday,” Donnie Levy, 22, resident of Hyde Park said. “I usually go out only once a month, and when I do go out to the bars or clubs, it’s really irritating to walk onto a train and be surrounded by such erratic behavior. It can also be extremely frustrating when intoxicated people get on the bus right before me and they have no fare money.”

Public transportation is a safe, easy and hassel-free way of getting home safe after a night of fun. Just be sure to know which buses and trains run throughout the night. The CTA Red and Blue Lines both provide 24-hour service. It is important to know your route home before heading out, certain buses do not run all night, and those that do may stop in isolated areas that are not well-lit.

“I’ve had to wait over an hour for a bus to get home before,” Levy said. “The train station I live by doesn’t run 24 hours-a-day, which makes it difficult which is probably why I don’t go out that much. I mean the clubs are great and I’m all for the nightlife scene, getting to and from them is a problem.”

No matter how you get home, public transportation, taxi cab or by walking, be sure to be safe.

FOTP photo of the playground

The construction of a new playground in Grand Crossing Park on Chicago’s South Side is the site of the first community building project in a decade, and no one could be happier about it than Friends of the Parks’ Director of neighborhood parks and community relations Maria Stone.

“This project took about a year to put together,” said Stone, a 34-year-old Pennsylvania native. “Friends of the Parks worked with Kohl’s department stores and Children’s Memorial Hospital along with local legislators to secure $250,000 to build this park. We also coordinated with the Grand Crossing Park Advisory Council to get community volunteers to help construct the new playground.”

CeCe Edwards, Grand Crossing Park Advisory Council president, said Stone’s office worked with them and the Chicago Park District to make this project a reality.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“We need programs, we need mentors and volunteers; we need a lot of things the community people are not up on yet because the park was off the radar screen and now we got it back thanks to Friends of the Park,” said Edwards.

“One of the things my office does is help communities establish park advisory councils. I meet with concerned citizens in the neighborhood and help educate them on how to be an advocate for their parks,” said Stone. “Once a council is registered with the Chicago Park District and they start having board meetings, issues in the park such as broken swings, broken water fountains or vandalism are addressed and brought to Friends of the Parks’ attention. We, as the middleman, bring it to the Park District’s attention and make sure they do something about it.”

Stone, an impressive and energetic lady who holds a master’s degree in public administration from DePaul University, didn’t know a lot about Chicago’s rich park history before joining Friends of the Park.

“When I interned for the Chicago Park District’s Forests Initiative Program, there was a program where we served as a watchdog for the Cook County Forest Preserve,” said Stone. “We saved parcels of land from being taken and influenced the purchase of land so the Forest Preserve could increase the acreage of land they had.”

Taking on the responsibility of helping others make a difference in their communities has been a passion of Stone’s all her life.

“When I was younger, my mother would encourage my sister and me to volunteer on Thanksgiving, feed the homeless in Philadelphia. Those experiences helped guide us into realizing there’s a bigger world out there and we need to do something to help,” said Stone. “I am Ukrainian and growing up I was a member of a Ukrainian youth group where we were always doing things to help others, like doing clean ups in the park or raising money for Ukrainian projects. When I graduated and thought about a career path, I decided I wanted to do something where I could help people.”

“This job is a natural progression of how she lives her life,” said Kandy Christensen, Stone’s close friend and fellow Zumba, flamenco and ballet enthusiast. “Maria has a passion for leaving a positive footprint in the world. She’s always working on gardens, supporting local organic industries. She cares a lot about others and always tries to think of ways to incorporate fun stuff, such as kickball and sports programs, into the parks.”

“My job at Friends of the Park is so interesting. Everyday there’s something new,” said Stone. “Yesterday, I met with parks people from Milwaukee and learning about their Friends of the Park organization. Next week, I have a community meeting with Dvorak Park residents (a neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side) to help them start a park advisory council. It feels good to end my day knowing I did something to help somebody and make the parks better at the same time.”

Residents and community volunteers at Grand Crossing Park playground rehabilitation project appreciate the work Stone does on behalf of Friends of the Parks.

“A lot of community volunteers helped with the mulching and installation of new slides and swings. They’re excited to receive something so great with the help of Friends of the Parks,” said Datia Williams, a volunteer who grew up in the area. “Having something new in the community shows there is someone who cares about you. I think the good work being done here today will help the people in the community going forward.”

The biggest fans and advocates of community building projects like this are the children in the neighborhood who play in the parks.

“I used to hate it when other people say ‘You have a messed up, jacked up park. Your park is horrible.’ But now, we can finally say our park looks better than yours and we did it ourselves,” said Aaron Reese, 14, Henry Tanner Elementary School student and park patron.

And Stone likes the sound of that.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Since mid-summer, eight city teams, made up of CHA 13- to 15-year-old boys and girls, competed for a spot in the Windy City Sluggers League playoffs. Qualifying from the South Division were teams from Carver Park and Taylor Park, while Seward Park and Altgeld Park represented the North Division.

On August 9, the evening kicked off with Carver handily defeating Altgeld in a playoff game that ended 10-5, while Seward eked by Taylor with a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 10^th inning.  The final score was 9-8.

In the end, Seward emerged victorious against Carver with a final score of 10-5 in the championship game.  Altgeld and Taylor placed third and fourth, respectively in a consolation match.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

In its first ever season for co-ed softball, the Chicago Housing Authority has made the playoffs.

On Thursday, three teams will compete in the playoffs, and two in a championship game at Washington Park (fields 6 and 7) located at 5531 S. King Drive.

Since mid-summer, the eight teams, split amongst a North and South division, have competed for a spot in the playoffs and championship game. Now it is down to the four teams with the best records from each division. These teams will compete Thursday, Aug. 5 in a divisional championship game.  The two winning teams will then compete for the League trophy and bragging rights. The two other teams will compete for third and fourth place and all players in the playoffs will receive a medal for their participation.

Sponsored by CHA, Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) and the Chicago Park District all eight teams are made up of 13- to 15-year-old boys and girls and are coached by park district staff and CHA residents.

In addition to the Windy City Sluggers League, CHA in partnership with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, various companies and philanthropies has provided more than 5,000 vocational, recreational and educational opportunities for young people this summer.

WHAT:         Summer League Playoff and Championship Games
WHO: 120 teenage players
WHEN:         Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010; 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
WHERE:       Washington Park Fields 6 and 7 (5531 S. King Drive)

Ill General Assembly Logo

Sixty-two members of the Illinois General Assembly broke the law over the course of six years by awarding free tuition to the state’s public universities to 122 college students who didn’t live in the right legislative district.

The state lawmakers – several of whom serve in leadership positions – violated the law they had passed in the 1970s, the last time major changes were made to the century-old legislative scholarship program. Controversy over the program flared again this past year after a series of articles by ChicagoTalks that found repeated instances of scholarships being awarded to campaign donors, politically connected families and, in at least one instance, a lawmaker’s relative. ChicagoTalks also identified five legislators who require scholarship applicants to register to vote, a practice one constitutional lawyer called illegal.

More recently, the Chicago Tribune reported that a former state lawmaker gave nearly $100,000 in scholarships to the family of a longtime political supporter, raising questions about the loose enforcement of eligibility requirements.

Lawmakers doled out more than 6,000 scholarships totaling tens of millions of dollars from fall 2003 through summer 2008. ChicagoTalks checked the addresses of every student who received one or more of these awards by entering each into the Illinois Board of Elections’ district locator to confirm the student did in fact reside in that lawmaker’s district.

No state agency does these checks, although the Illinois Board of Education gathers basic information about each scholarship winner from lawmakers and keeps it in a database.

Matt Vanover, director of public information for the Board of Education, says that making sure a student lives in a lawmaker’s district is the responsibility of both the student and the lawmaker, not his agency. Until recently, no one at the state agency verified that students actually live in the right district.

Vanover said he is changing this policy in response to the Tribune’s recent article. He said along with processing the paperwork, the Board of Education will now verify recipients’ addresses. If the person checking addresses notices a student receiving an out-of-district scholarship, the lawmaker will be notified and responsible for correcting the mistake.

ChicagoTalks contacted the offices of all 62 lawmakers. Those legislators or staff who responded to interview requests confirmed they made mistakes and offered explanations like an aide for Rep. Karen May (D -Highland Park) did, saying the student received the scholarship because his application had been delivered by a guidance counselor from a school that was located in the district.

The student moved to a different district, but because he had started the school year at Highland Park he was able to finish the school year there. Since his application came from a school in the district, they assumed he lived in the district as well.

An aide to Sen. Larry Bomke (R-Springfield) said she assumed the senator had all of Rochester in his district, but now realizes that a portion is in another senatorial district.

“I look all of them up, and these two fell through the cracks,” said Lori Bottrell.

Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry) said the five students who received scholarships outside of her district were overlooked because they lived on the borders.

“It’s an embarrassing situation, but sometimes those things happens,” said Althoff.

The senator also said that 2010 would be the last year she awards scholarships until the state’s fiscal condition improves. Althoff will be joining at least 14 other lawmakers, which ChicagoTalks found last fall, who do not participate in the program.

Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) sponsored legislation earlier this year that would place some restrictions on the scholarships. But in May, Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed his proposal, saying the program should be eliminated instead.

Rep. Daniel Burke (D-Chicago) and Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-Chicago) both said they were going to start doubling checking addresses with the Illinois State Board of Elections to assure the winners they choose do in fact live in their districts.

Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) acknowledged giving scholarships outside of his district. He said he gives the unused summer school portions of the scholarship to educators who teach in his district but may not necessarily live there.

“We need to support the enrichment of our teachers,” said Ford.

He said he only gives scholarships to teachers who are committed to his district and believes the waivers would go to waste otherwise.

ChicagoTalks also tried contacting all of the students who received out of district scholarships. Only a handful of the students responded.

Most of the students willing to talk were unaware they applied and received a scholarship out of district. But, one recipient, Jasmine Lindsay, said Rep. Annazette Collins (D-Chicago) gave her the scholarship even though she knew Lindsay didn’t live in district. Lindsay said the representative told her father that students in her district were not taking advantage of the program.

“Annazette wasn’t getting reached out to so she reached out to me,” said Lindsay.

Lindsay said her father had interacted with the lawmaker a few times before she was told of and received the scholarship.

Collins was one of thirty-two lawmakers who were found to have given scholarships outside their districts, but she did not respond to inquiries from ChicagoTalks.

Several lawmakers said they had checked to make sure their winners lived in the right district and when told they did not, blamed the problem on the Board of Elections’ district locator. They said they instead used their local election authority, which in most cases is the county clerk, to confirm students lived in their district.

Eric Donnewald, director of division training and resource development for the Board of Elections, said the map used for district locator is the same map created and approved by state lawmakers. He said there is a possibility that the software could have trouble placing students who lived on a district’s borders, and that local election authority should have the final say since they code voters.

All 12 instances of this happening were removed from the final number of out of district scholarships given.

Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield, said  no one regulates the program it’s up to lawmakers to police themselves. A better solution, he and financial aid experts say, is to have the state agency that doles out grants and other scholarships (Illinois Student Assistance Commission) to handle the program.

“Tuition and fees are going up, so we should be putting all our resources in need-based programs with guidelines,” said Redfield.

Here are the 62 lawmakers who awarded scholarships to students outside their districts, as well as the recipients of the waivers:

1. Rep. Edward Acevedo (D-2 Chicago)
– Daniel Guerrero (2004)

- Nichola Guerrero (2008)

2. Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-32 McHenry)
– Kathleen L Atwater (2003)

- Matth Brummond (2006)

- Lindsey Ludwig (2004)

- Tyler Munson 2006,2007)

- Katherine Strand (2005)

3. Rep. Maria A. Berrios (D-39 Chicago)
– Emmanuel Serna (2008)

4. Rep. Michael J. Boland (D-71 East Moline)
– Sarah Bowlin (2003)

- Madeline Mason (2005)

- Sarah A O’Klock (2004)

5. Sen. Larry K Bomke (R-50 Springfield)
– Audra O’Brien (2005)

- Benjamin C Owen (2004)

6. Sen. Michael Bond (D-31 Grayslake)
– Jennifer Wolff (2008)

7. Rep. Michael Bost (R-115 Murphysboro)
– Carly James (2006)

- Brooke Miller (2004)

8. Rep. John E Bradley (D-117 Marion)
– Jennifer Krelo (2004)

9. Rep. Daniel J Burke (D-23 Chicago)
– Marcelo Sahagun (2006, 2007)

10. Sen. Bradley J Burzynski (R-35 Rochelle)
– Christopher Haab (2005)

11. Rep. Linda Chapa-LaVia (D-83 Aurora)
– Drew Nielson (2006)

12. Sen. James F Clayborne Jr. (D-57 Belleville)
– Andre Hodges (2004)

13. Rep. Annazette Collins (D-10 Chicago)
– Alana Biggers 2008)

- Candace Cosby (2006)

- Clarisa Ecrezarreta (2006, 2007)

- Brittany Fowler (2008)

- Torrance Giles (2003, 2004, 2005)

- Andre Holland (2003, 2004, 2005)

- Jasmine Lindsay (2006, 2007, 2008)

- Joseph Pocztowski (2005)

- Jack Washington (2006)

- Asif Wilson (2003, 2006, 2007)

14. Rep. Elizabeth Coulson (R-17 Glenview)
– Lauren Yang (2007)

15. Sen. Daniel Cronin (R-21 Elmhurst)
– Candice Jones (2003)

16. Rep. Tom Cross (R-84 Oswego)
– Rachel Solomon (2004)

17. Sen. John J Cullerton (D-6 Chicago)
– Jacqu Grossnickle (2008)

18. Rep. Shane Cultra (R-105 Onarga)
– Deidre Evans (2008)

19. Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-25 Chicago)
– Birtile McDaniels (2003)

20. Rep. Monique Davis (D-27 Chicago)
–  Erin Collins (2007)

-  Jocelyn Davis (2003, 2004, 2005)

-  Ryan Fields (2008)

-  Cydnee Kennedy (2009)

-  Cornel J McKay Jr. (2005, 2006)

-  James McKay (2006)

21. Sen. William Delgado (D-2 Chicago)
–  Ruth Venegas (2008)

22. Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-5 Chicago)
– Lauren Jackson (2007, 2008)

23. Rep. James Durkin (R-82 Western Springs)
– Destinie Lambert (2007, 2008)

24. Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-12 Chicago)
– Elizabeth Oppert (2007)

- Gretchen Watson (2003, 2004)

25. Rep. Mary Flowers (D-31 Chicago)
– Matthew Koll (2003)

- Chaka Washington (2003, 2004)

26. Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-8 Chicago)
– Jennifer Eng (2007)

- Marcie Gutierrez (2008)

- Lauren Lee (2007)

- Carolyn Ojikutu (2007)

27. Rep. Jack Franks (D-63 Woodstock)
– Carrie L Burdette (2003)

- Robert Ohr (2003)

- Dakota Pawlicki (2004)

- Danielle Slater (2007)

28. Rep. Julie Hamos (D-18 Evanston)
– John Rosinski (2007, 2008)

29. Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-5 Chicago)
– Alison Favors (2005)

- Jason Steward (2004)

30. Rep. Thomas Holbrook (D-113 Belleville)
– Jacob Long (2005)

31. Rep. Chuck Jefferson (D-67 Rockford)
– Amy Chavez (2005)

- Tyler Davis (2008)

- Rosa Labak (2003)

- Brenno McElrath (2008)

- Kayla Schumacher (2003)

- Kenosha Seaberry (2007)

32. Sen. David Koehler (D-46 Peoria)
– Trey Tennel (2008)

33. Rep. Renee Kosel (R-81 New Lenox)
– Lisa Evans (2003)

34. Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-33 Park Ridge)
– Xuyu Xiang (2008)

35. Sen. Chris Lauzen (R-25 Aurora)
– David Dalpiaz (2005)

36. Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-4 Maywood)
– Michael B Romain (2003)

- Jessica Smith (2004)

37. Sen. Terry Link (D-30 Vernon Hills)
– Rachael Jacobs (2007, 2008)

- Antoine Winbush (2007)

38. Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-58 Okawville)
– Beth Smoker (2003)

39. Rep. Karen May (D-58 Highland Park)
– Van Ceu (2006, 2007)

40. Rep. Michael McAuliffe (R-20 Chicago)
– Alycia LaPonte (2006)

41. Sen. James Meeks (D-15 Calumet City)
– Deon Posley (2006)

42. Rep. David Miller (R-20 Chicago)
– Myka Bell (2004)

- Kyla Wilson (2006)

43. Rep. Gerald Mitchell (R-90 Sterling)
– Mallorie Clark (2005)

44. Rep. Bill Mitchell (R-87 Forsyth)
– Abigail Miller (2007)

45. Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-57 Northbrook)
– Jacqueline Farrell (2003)

- Priti Patel (2007, 2008)

46. Sen. Michael Noland (D-22 Elgin)
– Valerie Brej (2007)

47. Rep. JoAnn Osmond (R-61 Antioch)
– Hayley Janney (2006, 2007, 2008)

48. Sen. Carole Pankau (R-23 Itasca)
– Ashley Bjork (2005)

- Bernard Healy (2006)

- Jacquelyn Jacob (2005)

49. Rep. Raymond Poe (R-99 Springfield)
– Murray Bryson (2008)

- Robert Nika (2006)

50. Rep. David Reis (R-108 Willow Hill)
– Jenny Power (2005)

51. Rep. Dan Reitz (D-116 Steeleville)
– Robert Rushing (2005)

52. Rep. Al Riley (D-38 Olympia Fields)
– Amia Ashford (2007)

53. Sen. Dale Risinger (R-37 Peoria)
– Justina Welchel (2005)

54. Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-12 Chicago)
– William Fudacz (2006)

- Edwin Gonzalez (2007)

- Mathew Lopresti 2006)

- Nicholas Perrone (2008)

- Melissa Smith (2006)

- Anna Taconi (2006)

55. Sen. Ira Silverstein (D-8 Chicago)
– Jennifer DeStefano (2004, 2005, 2006)

- Mi Shewakramani (2005)

56. Sen. Donne Trotter (D-17 Chicago)
– Joy Clemons (2003)

57. Rep. Michael Tryon (R-64 Crystal Lake)
– Kelsey McGrath (2008)

- Katrina Schuette (2008)

58. Rep. Arthur Turner (D-9 Chicago)
–  Alisa Thomas (2006)

- Jennifer Wilder (2005)

59. Sen. Louis Viverito (D-11 Burbank)
– Jody Farrell (2003)

- Matthew Hecker (2006)

- Danielle Herman (2006)

- Antho Robertson (2005)

60. Rep. Eddie Washington (D-60 Waukegan)
– Phillip H. Christmas Jr. (2004)

- Carla DeLafuente (2004)

- Lee England (2003)

- Trishondr Holmes (2007)

- William Sexton (2006)

61. Rep. David Winters (R-68 Shirland)
– Gregory Morrison (2004)

62. Rep. Karen Yarbrough (D-7 Maywood)
– Marquis Davis (2003)

- Roger Steele (2006, 2007, 2008)

Owner Vanessa Vargas was looking to hire two additional stylists within a year of opening Vixen. Photo/Eric Young Smith

While national economic headlines feature job losses and stock market shakeups, NCP neighborhood economics rely heavily on the smallest businesses – microbusinesses employing no more than five people. Surprising numbers of these tiny enterprises are fighting the economic tide to survive and even thrive amidst recession.

Take Vixen Beauty Lounge, a hair and makeup spa that opened on Division Street in Humboldt Park in May 2009, after a year in limbo while getting a license. Once able to open, Vixen’s personal approach and air of Hollywood 1950s glamour drew in 300 new clients in less than a year. In March, owner Vanessa Vargas was looking to hire two additional stylists.

This success was all the sweeter for the struggle it took to get there. Originally, Vargas and her initial business partner, Melissa Sanchez, began renting the space in 2008. (Sanchez has since moved on to other ventures.) Since it previously had been a salon, they thought obtaining a license would be simple. It wasn’t.

To continue click here to be directed to Chicago’s New Communities Program.

They blaze through red lights, skid around pedestrians and nearly collide with oncoming traffic. Sergio Rodriguez, a criminal defense attorney from Chicago called them “a nuisance.”

Who are they: Urban bike messengers.

“What these people don’t know is that the bicycle is more than a sport and more than a job. . . the bicycle is a philosophy, a way of life,” explains Chicago bike messenger Travis Hugh Culley, author of The Immortal Class. His book reveals the art of bike messaging through his firsthand account, shedding light on a misunderstood group.

Among Chicago’s 200 bike messengers, there is a sense of pride in what they do. Mike Malone, 27, has worked two years as a bike messenger in Chicago, “it’s partially my love of biking;” he said, “but it’s also just the freedom of not having someone look over my shoulder.”

On a typical day, the messenger will get a chirp from his boss on his Nextel with information about where to pickup and drop-off a package; he scribbles down or memorizes that information and takes to the street.

So what exactly are bike messengers carrying? For the most part, they deliver architectural blueprints, court documents, camera parts and subcontracts. Messengers can carry up to six or more packages at one time.

They also buy their own gear and carry it with them all day. A messenger’s equipment in addition to his bike includes a walkie-talkie, tire pump, spare tire, levers to take a tire off, bike lock and a collection of tools.

As soon as the messenger receives orders from dispatch, the focus becomes moving the package from point A, to point B as fast as possible.

“It’s like being in a videogame all day.  That’s why people love the job, because you’re getting paid to race,” explains Grant Fator, 27, a messenger who has worked in Chicago for a year and messaged in Austin for six months.

Messengers are sprinters; getting on and off their bikes as fast as they can and locking them up in three seconds or less. Most runs are a mile and a half, and to put that into perspective, the distance from 1200 South Michigan to 1200 North Michigan is about three miles. Timing is everything, so messengers have to plan their routes carefully.

Nico Deportago-Cabrera, 26, a veteran bike messenger explained that “with time you learn how to be more efficient.” A good messenger will make about 30 runs and earn about $100 a day. That is one a good day, Deportago-Cabrera said.

“They’re going to pay you more the faster you get to a place, the more red lights you run. I have literally seen messengers plow pedestrians down; I have seen messengers try to gun the red light and get smashed by a bus,” Fator said.

This is not a job for the fainthearted.

“In order to do the job that’s required of you, you have to be willing to break the law all day long,” said Chris Horner, 27, who has worked as a messenger for 2 years, adding, “you basically have to be fearless.”

Messengers are expected to know how to get around the city and where to take packages.

“When you hear, ‘take it to 233 S. Wacker,’ if you take [that package] in 233 S. Wacker, security guards will literally come up and ask if you’re a bike messenger and tell you to go around the back,” said Fator.

In order to avoid encounters with security, messengers must learn how to be unseen. This is one of many unwritten rules in this line of work.

At lunchtime, messengers congregate at the Thompson Center, mostly because of the cheap food, public bathrooms, protective awnings and because its central location. On nice days, it is a place where messengers do bike tricks outside.

At the end of the day, each messenger turns in a manifest, a record of when and who signed for each package. This is how a messenger is paid. They bike home and, because messengers are often roommates, swap stories over beers and cigarettes before going to bed.

“In general as a bike messenger if you’re going to last long-term it’s because you love the lifestyle,” explains Fator. “When you’re working from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. six days-a-week it pretty much envelopes your life. You are just dead tired all the time, but you are doing great work. You’re living that lifestyle all the time so you have to love it because you’re not making that much money doing it.”

“When you’re riding as much as we do you start to use all five senses to get around the traffic. It’s really impossible to explain,” said Malone, “another messenger, Josh Corby said ‘it’s kind of like watching a river flow over some rocks you can’t pick out the path the river takes it just flows around and through and just gets past the rocks’.”

Deportago-Cabrera said: There’s a rhythm that goes with [messaging]. You feel like you’re a part of this organism that is the city. It’s like you’re delivering oxygen to different parts of this body. You’re an insignificant part of it but you’re essential to it.

The job of bike messaging, when described by messengers, is an art form. It is something not everyone can do and few people master.

Messengers describe weaving through traffic like following a line through the city.

“There’s no stopping, that’s why guys ride without brakes. You just want to keep going around things and through things. You don’t want to stop,” Fator said.

“It’s when the pedestrians do the deer-in-the-headlights thing that we run into trouble,” said Fator. “If no one ever saw bike messengers and they just kept walking, we would be an inch away from you but we would be fine.”

The need for speed extends past the messenger’s workday into the nightlife. “Alleycat” races are high-speed scavenger hunts for bikers. Racers show up to a place at a certain time, pay a few bucks to the organizer, and right before they get the signal to go, each racer is given a manifest with a list of checkpoints.

At each checkpoint there is someone waiting to sign off. The first one to complete their manifest wins.

“Basically you’re doing your job afterhours and trying to be the fast guy,” said Fator.

Deportago-Cabrera was the 2009 Cycle Currier Champion, and he has competed in cities all over the world, taking him as far as Tokyo.

“It really got me amped on my job,” said Deportago-Cabrera of alleycat races.

For messengers, street credit means everything. That credit comes from surviving the winter in Chicago as a messenger and winning alleycat races.

The lifestyle of a messenger is high-risk. Injuries are part of the job. Of 113 Boston bicycle messengers who responded to a self-administered Harvard survey 90% reported injuries on the job; however, only 55% of those injured sought medical attention. In total, there were 25,000 “close calls” reported by the messengers over the course of their job experience.

Fator, like many messengers, does not have health insurance. Messengers can buy liability insurance through their companies, but it does not cover hospital stays.

“If any insurance stuff needs to be taken care of and it gets sent to your dispatch; 8 times out of 10 you lose your job over it,” said Fator.

When messengers get into accidents, they try to escape that situation as fast as they can. Fator expressed more concern about his bike braking than his body. He has had eight collisions with cars, and has been “doored” (hit by a car door) three times.

“Whenever [messengers] heal they’re out there doing the same thing because it’s a passion, it’s an adrenaline thing,” said Fator.

Of course, messengers know there is a risk. For many of them that is part of the job’s appeal.

Travis Hugh Culley said this his book The Immortal Class: Unforeseeable problems can surface, threatening serious injury, extreme fatigue, and frustration. But if a biker can keep a good outlook in the face of wrong addresses, rude recipients, flat tires, dying radio batteries, unruly cops, hotheaded security guards, and injured friends, he can become indispensable to a company.

People become messengers for different reasons, but they all share the passion for riding their bikes through a beautiful, living, breathing city. As Malone said, “I’ve found something that I love to do and can make a living at it. At the end of the day, it makes me happy. At the end of the day I feel satisfied that I’ve done my job. To me, that’s all that matters.”

Members of Hope Community Church pray before going out to help nearby residents. Photo/AustinTalks.org

Throughout the summer, the Austin community has taken steps to clean up the streets, fight violence and provide services to neighbors in need.

So far, programs like 100 blocks, 100 churches, organized by the 15th District CAPS office, and the Fight Against Foreclosure and US Bank, organized by theCoalition to Save Community Banking, Westside Health Authority and South Austin Coalition, have left their marks.

Those efforts gave Hope Community Church, 5900 W. Iowa, the idea to reconnect with the community surrounding its congregation through its recently created Block Ministry.

To continue reading click here to go to AustinTalks.org.

The owner of the internationally known improvisational comedy center, iO Theater, is considering a move to Lincoln Square. “I like the alderman and he wanted me there,” said Charna Halpern. “I think it’s a hip neighborhood.”

First reported by CBS 2 Chicago, iO Theater (formerly known as the Improv Olympic), must leave Wrigleyville to make room for a recently approved new hotel development across from Wrigley Field.

iO Theater's marquee. Photo/Kris Arnold.

Read the complete story by Mike Fourcher, at the Center Square Journal

Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School (3730 N. Oakley Ave.) is about to get a new and improved playground. This week Principal Sandra Caudill and Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th) broke ground on the new play lot, which will be installed by Chicago Public High School students. They are part of CPS’ Groundbreakers—a youth initiative playground program—and are employed by the city under the supervision of Groundbreakers director, Felicia Ramos.

Students, faculty and community members dig at the site of the new play lot at Bell School. Photo/Ald. Eugene Schulter

Read the rest of the story by Cody Prentiss, Center Square Journal

Residents of South Chicago and surrounding neighborhoods visited eco-friendly buildings and other environmentally significant sites in their communities during the Green Summit Tour on May 29.

Coordinated by NCP lead agency Claretian Associates and narrated by Ald. John Pope (10th), the three-hour-long meandering journey on a bus decked out like an old-school streetcar — with park-bench-style seating and a wooden interior — capped a month’s worth of green events and celebrations in South Chicago.

Residents on the South Side take a ride on the Green Summit tour bus to get a better look at the buildings and areas that are the most energy effective. Photo/Juan Francisco Hernandez

The bus left from Villa Guadalupe senior center on 91^st Street. Pope tipped his cap to several projects Claretian has championed, like energy-efficient homes built through the New Homes for Chicago program, with features like Energy Star appliances; the community garden outside the South Chicago Arts Center, where local residents regularly tend their plantings; and People’s Park, a peaceful haven on what had been three trash-strewn city lots notorious for fly dumping and drug dealing.

“We can see the impact of Claretian’s works in South Chicago,” Pope said. “Across the country, faith-based organizations like Claretian are stepping forward as stewards of the Earth.”

The benefits range from the fact that “people with limited incomes can live the American Dream” through subsidized housing, to the insights youth gain about growing vegetables. “People, especially kids, often times don’t realize where food comes from,” he said.

At the eastern end of 87th Street, the bus reached the gate of the 567-acre site that once housed the USX steel plant. Now closed to the public, the site — environmentally remediated to residential standards — will have plenty of public access once it’s developed as a mixed-use community, Pope said.

The tour passed LEED-certified infill housing (designated as eco-friendly by the U.S. Green Building Council), rooftop gardens at Comer Youth Center and Trinity Hospital, and solar trash compactors along Commercial Avenue that condense materials and bring both financial savings and preservation of landfill space.

The bus made two stops at buildings that Pope recognized for their eco-friendliness by presenting plaques to their denizens. The Rainbow clothing store at 91st and Commercial is the community’s first LEED-certified building, designed to sit right at the sidewalk for maximum pedestrian-friendliness. And the Victory Centre senior housing complex on 92nd Street has eco-friendly features like a rooftop garden.

“That’s good from an environmental perspective, but it’s also good from a social perspective,” Pope said, noting that the complex has helped to keep seniors from South Chicago near home. “They don’t want to pick up and move to Calumet City because that’s the nearest housing for seniors. The open space is more than would be required, which leads to a nice atmosphere.”

The year-old complex for those 65-and-older has 87 of its 112 units occupied, said Norma Munoz, sales manager. Residents receive three meals, medication reminders, assistance with showering and dressing, and physical and occupational therapy, and they can use a library and piano lounge, she said. For an earlier story about Victory Centre, please click here.

While the bus made its way through the Slag Valley neighborhood, Pope brought the uninitiated up to speed on the definition of slag, a byproduct of steelmaking. In cleaning up sites where it’s been dumped — and potentially using it for road surfaces — “we could kill two birds with one stone,” he said.

The tour passed the former Republic Steel site, where a memorial remains to 10 workers killed during a pro-union demonstration, as well as the former steelworkers’ union building on Avenue O.

The bus continued into the 580-acre William Powers State Wildlife Area, which hosts 26 species of fish in Wolf Lake, and then on to Calumet Park, built mostly on landfill at the edge of Lake Calumet, and home to the Southeast Chicago Historical Museum, where visitors can read everything from century-old news clippings to the latest issue of Re:New.

On its way back to Villa Guadalupe, the tour passed several more buildings that Pope touted as eco-friendly. The Solo Cup factory, which had planned to move out of Chicago into Indiana, stayed thanks to incentives that reduced permitting time and fees and enabled the building to achieve LEED certification.

The local police station has solar panels, Pope said, while the 10th Ward vehicle yard boasts wind turbines, energy-efficient windows, and a retention pond that catches storm water runoff. “We try to walk the walk with our buildings,” he said.

While the USX site has been remediated to residential standards, the former Wisconsin Steel site has not. And it never will be, Pope said, since it’s part of a Planned Manufacturing District and since some areas just need to be capped and designated as open space or parking lots, playgrounds or other uses that don’t need foundations poured below the surface.

“There’s little [pollution] goodies out there that haven’t been documented,” Pope said. “Some areas are just non-developable. … It would be too expensive to completely remediate. You identify and cap them. As long as we don’t disturb [the caps], there’s no chance for any environmental impact.”

On a hot summer-like day in June, the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) hosted their bi-annual “Health Fair on Block” on west 79th Street.

Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation's Tenisha Jones proudly displays Auburn Gresham's Elev8 banner at the bi-annual Health Fair on the Block. Photo/Pavlin Jankov

Inclement weather forecast did not hinder the success of this event. An estimated 500 – 600 people stopped to get free health screenings and receive valuable information pertinent to their individual health, their families’ health, and the communities’ landscape of comprehensive health initiatives.

During the health fair, nearly 45 students from Perspectives Calumet Middle School performed new dance and martial arts routines learned throughout the school year as part of their after school program showcase.

They displayed their talents in Lots of Love Preschool Academy’s parking lot to an engaged audience of pre-schoolers. Their performance to the preschoolers spoke volumes of community integration, significant to middle schoolers educating the next generation of leaders.

Perspectives’ student, Terranisha Douglas said, “The pre-schoolers looked like they were really enjoying it; they were excited.” Douglas and her student leadership colleagues also helped that day to secure over 200 signatures in support of Elev8.

According to  Tenisha Jones, GADC’s Elev8 program director, “This year Health Fair on the Block brought health, social supports, students, and the community together in the true spirit of a community. I am really excited and thrilled that our students and residents can benefit from our health fair.”

The Health Fair on the Block hosted over 40 health care organizations, businesses, and institutions, ranging from breast cancer awareness to women health services.

Dorothy Warren, representing the Breast Cancer Network of Strength spoke about her recovery from breast cancer and kidney failure and also to offer help and encouragement to those who are currently struggling with the disease. She also provided ways for early detection.

Chicago State University College of Pharmacy also provided our residents with onsite diabetes and high blood pressure screenings. This gave our residents an opportunity to visit with health care professionals right here in the community.

Among the health care organizations educating our residents on affordable insurance rates were WellCare and Harmony Health Plans. They provided information and offered plans so that our residents may visit local physicians - without breaking the bank. One resident mentioned that this will be his first time receiving insurance benefits and being able to afford it.

Another big supporter and participant in the health fair was Brotherhood Produce, a local black farmers’ market. Since the existence of the Health Fair on the Block, Senior Suites’ Auburn Gresham residents anticipate Brotherhood Produce’s return and purchase their fresh fruit and vegetables.

Carlos Nelson, the Executive Director of the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) calls this event, “A momentous period where we witnessed residents’ enthusiasm in receiving knowledge about health care services.”

A very special thanks is given to all participants and supporters of this health fair, especially CVS Caremark, University of Chicago Medical Center, and Atlantic Philanthropies’ Elev8 initiative.

Click here to see more pictures from this spectacular day. Click here to see a recap from our partners at LISC/Chicago.

Ninety-four low-income families have begun moving into the Rosa Parks Apartments, a new, affordable development spearheaded by Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp. in West Humboldt Park.

Rosa Parks Apartments, this building is the largest of eight buildings within three-quarters of a mile of one another in West Humboldt Park. Photo/Ed Finkel

Rosa Parks will consist of eight pre-cast masonry buildings erected on vacant land, clustered on six blocks within three-quarters of a mile of one another, offering one- to four-bedroom apartments for families with maximum household incomes of $23,000 to $38,000. All units provide central air, laundry, Internet and cable wiring, and community and exercise rooms.

During a grand opening ceremony held June 10 at the largest building, 541 N. Homan St., Gov. Pat Quinn led off with references to the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup triumph the night before. “We had a good night last night, we’re having a great day today, and we’ll have a parade tomorrow,” Quinn said.

With people losing their homes due to foreclosures, “It’s important that we fight back with all of our resources and all of our creativity,” the governor said. “We have an ethical duty to provide housing to everyone. The Blackhawks won because they banded together as a team. They did it because they believed in each other.”

The legacy of the building’s namesake is carried forward every time affordable housing is built, Quinn said. “This building is named after a special person in American history,” he said. “She never succumbed to the idea that separate-but-equal was O.K. Rosa Parks would not move to the back of the bus. She said, ‘That’s not right.’ … Many other walls have come tumbling down because of that good work.”

Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), in whose ward Rosa Parks is located, expressed pride in the project and said it fills a strong need. “Everyone deserves a decent and affordable place to live,” he said. “You should have seen the line of people waiting to get into this project.”

All buildings have energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, and the largest one – with solar hot water, rooftop gardens, low-flow fixtures, permeable pavers and other features — will be LEED Silver certified. Staff are giving residents information about these green-oriented components and how to maximize their use.

“I heard all the great things about energy efficiency, use of water and having affordable units for people to live in,” Quinn said. “This is a green building because it acts green every day.”

“Lasagna Financing”

Bill Eager, deputy commissioner of development finance for the city Department of Community Development, said he’s counted up to 12 different sources of financing for Rosa Parks, including four city programs. “It speaks to the willingness of many different groups to come together,” he said. “These deals are not always easy to do.”

The Illinois Housing Development Authority invested about $12 million in the project, $9.5 million from the federal stimulus package, said Gloria Materre, executive director.

“It’s lasagna financing. Everybody is involved here,” she said. “Who says stimulus money isn’t being put to work?” Materre added that funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has gone toward 1,750 affordable rental units in Illinois alone. “So many projects are halted because there’s no financing,” she said.

The private sector has been involved as well. “Bickerdike raises the bar on affordable housing,” said Katherine Mazzocco, vice president of funder Harris Bank. “I’m looking forward to excellent results from this building.”

“Some of these deals only work with investors and our partnerships in the banking community,” added Joy Aruguete, executive director of Bickerdike. “It’s not easy to get people to take the risk.”

Burnett tipped his cap to NCP lead agency Bickerdike for pushing the envelope of affordability. “They try to get the most affordable housing they can get,” he said. “They don’t limit themselves to the state’s policy, to the federal policy. They go beyond that to serve the people there’s no policy for. … Bickerdike makes it look so easy, just like the Blackhawks made it look so easy. This is not an easy thing.”

The results are well worth it for residents like Shalamar Southward, a resident of the 521 N. St. Louis building, who moved in January and described herself as “a single parent getting things in order” and a University of Illinois graduate. “I’m just trying to move forward,” she said. “I was surprised that I got called. … This is a new start for me.”

Barbara Buford, who lives in the 3941 Ohio St. building, read from a winning essay her daughter, Lashunda, wrote called, “Changes in the Community.” “It starts with ourselves, being willing, able and ready to make a change,” Buford read. “One voice cannot be heard. It will take a pack of hyenas to be heard.”

If you’re mad as hell about fraud and corruption, and sick of the government wasting your money, you don’t have to take it anymore.

The Better Government Association is hosting two Citizen Watchdog Training sessions from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on July 20 and July 27. Both sessions are free and will be held at Loyola University’s Quinlan Life Sciences Building, Auditorium 142, at 1032 W. Sheridan.

The big dogs at BGA will train everyday citizens how to monitor government in their communities, publicize what they find and advocate for real change in government. Veteran investigative journalists, political reporters and legal experts will share their tricks of the trade with watchdogs to identify stories, research and analyze government reports, writing bullet-proof FOIAs, develop sources and report on their findings in all areas of government. More importantly, watchdogs will be equipped with the tools to advocate for change and demand better government.

Former ABC 2 political reporter and BGA executive director Andy Shaw will make an appearance. Citizens will also have the chance to meet a real government whistle-blower and learn how she stopped corruption in her own government agency.

Both sessions are identical so watchdogs-in-training need only sign up for one session. The sessions are expected to fill up fast so RSVP early at mfoconnor@bettergov.org.

The Better Government Association (BGA) is an independent, non-partisan watchdog group committed to improving government.  With hard-hitting investigations and timely litigation the BGA exposes government corruption, waste and mismanagement.  We promote effective public policy and engage citizens to advocate for a transparent, accountable and honest government.

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A news report from Curtis Black, Community Media Workshop

Bank of America has objected that a new lawsuit by the Illinois attorney general – charging that the bank’s subsidiary, Countrywide Financial Corp., discriminated by steering minority homebuyers into risky subprime loans – covers practices prior to BoA’s takeover of Countrywide in 2008.

But those same borrowers could be facing foreclosure at BoA’s hands today, according to a new report from National People’s Action.

The network of community organizations found that Bank of America is “Chicago’s biggest forecloser and among the top owners of foreclosed properties” which lead to declining property values and increased debt for struggling homeowners.

Bank of America was responsible for 4,000 home foreclosure filings in Chicago in 2009, representing 17 percent of total filings in the city, according to the report.  The bank is on track to issue over 3,000 additional home foreclosures this year, NPA says.

According to the report, BoA, the largest service of loans in foreclosure in the nation, had over 1 million loans eligible for modification in the Home Affordable Modification Program, but offered permanent loan mods to less than 70,000 of those lenders – a mere 5.2 percent.

“Bank of America is bad for American neighborhoods,” said Theresa Welch of the South Austin Coalition in a release.  The Bank “controls the fate of more mortgages and homeowners than any other single company in America” and “therefore has a unique responsibility to deal aggressively with the foreclosure crisis.

“Bank of America must do a better job stemming foreclosures and help put an end to the devastation foreclosures are causing in local communities and on the nation’s economy.”

In Chicago, under pressure from community groups, Bank of America agreed to a pilot program with the Southwest Organizing Project and the Greater Southwest Development Corporation last year. The bank is cooperating on outreach to troubled homeowners and assistance with filling loan modification requests.

Though community groups are still awaiting results, the effort represents the kind of engagement BoA needs to undertake around the country, said Gordon Mayer of NPA. [Mayer is the former vice president of Community Media Workshop.]

SWOP is still waiting to see if the bank will make permanent the loan modifications that have resulted from the pilot, said David McDowell.  “It’s still moving forward, but it’s a long process,” he said.

“Our goal has been for Bank of America and other banks to become more proactive” in addressing the foreclosure crisis, he said.  He noted that Bank of America is the bank with the most foreclosures in SWOP’s area.

Related Articles:

Foreclosure Crisis: Report Criticizes for not Assisting Residents on the West Side

On Thursday, Buena Park resident and attorney Molly Phelan announced her campaign to run against Ald. Helen Schiller (46th), Phelan is the fifth challenger to enter the race for alderman.

Phelan is hosting a free event for 46th ward residents on July 14 – Bastille Day – starting at 7:30 p.m. at Nick’s Uptown, 4015 N. Sheridan Road. A cash bar is included and all residents are invited to attend.

Molly Phelan Photo/Lake Effect News

“It will be the start of another successful revolution, one which will bring Liberty, Equality and Community to the people of the 46^th Ward,” Phelan noted of the date in her press release.

An Uptown resident since 2005, Phelan was drafted by residents to help them in challenging the opening of a day labor office in Uptown at a meeting before the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals in 2008. The labor company withdrew its plans to open an office in the community after residents took legal action against the ZBA which had approved the plans.

“What I kept seeing in the 46^th Ward was outraged citizens who had protested but no legal action had ever been taken,” Phelan said by phone on Thursday. “As an attorney, we hold our legal responsibilities and advocacy for the law very dear. My frustration was the lack of response that the alderman had given to the wishes of the community. I felt like somebody need to stand up and fight for them.”

Phelan also became a community spokeswoman for the need for TIF reform. As the head of the Fix Wilson Yard group, she engineered a lawsuit filed by residents gainst the city and developer of Wilson Yard, claiming that both parties had violated the state’s TIF laws when creating the Wilson Yard TIF District. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed by a judge on grounds that residents had waited too long to file it after the five-year statute of limitations ran out.  Litigation has since been put on hold with the option of renewing legal action before December 2010.

Phelan’s name has been long rumored to be considering a run for 46^th Ward alderman in 2011, her announcement came as no surprise to those who follow ward politics; including Ald. Helen Shiller, who in 2008 claimed that the Fix Wilson Yard lawsuit was “politically motivated” and Phelan’s campaign kick-off for alderman.

“Regardless of when I decided to run for alderman, Fix Wilson Yard was an issue that I was invited to participate in by other members of the community who saw me as a leader,” Phelan said.

Small business development and deference to police officers in solving ongoing criminal issues top her list of ward priorities.

“I believe that extreme attention needs to be paid to the lack of funding that’s being provided to our public schools right now,” she said.

Phelan serves on the boards of the Uptown Chicago Commission and Buena Park Neighbors. In addition to her pro-bono legal work for Stop Labor Ready and Fix Wilson Yard, she is a CAPS beat facilitator and has been involved with Uptown Business Partners and Girls On The Run.

“I have taken every opportunity I can to make the 46^th Ward a strong, safe and prosperous community,” Phelan said in a press statement. “The people in this Ward have been neglected for over 20 years. Our schools are failing, our businesses are suffering, [and] our streets are not safe. The 46^th Ward needs swift and inspired leadership to bring prosperity and safety to this community. Everyone deserves better.”

So far, Phelan is the only woman in a field of male challengers, including the 2007 challenger, social worker James Cappleman; Chicago police officer Michael Carroll; social worker and former Alan Keyes political consultant Gerald Farinas; and 46^th Ward Streets and Sanitation Superintendent Don Nowotny.

Shiller is said to be making an announcement of her re-election plans in early August.

Phelan plans to run a grassroots campaign. For now, her campaign is staffed by volunteers but she plans to hire a professional campaign manager soon. She also said she will soon be posting her campaign platform on her website, www.phelan46.com.

“I think the people involved in this community already know some of the candidates pretty well.” Phelan said, “but there is a large portion of the community that’s not involved and I will make sure that I hear their concerns and help them as well.”

Dorothy Daniel, 78, never asked the government for a bailout like Bank of America did. But after making payments on time every month for her home of 40 years, she asked for help before she needed it, and now, Daniels, an amputee, is not only fighting for her life but to save her home from foreclosure.

Daniel is just one of thousands of West Side residents fighting for their homes or businesses. This time, the fight is with Bank of America, which has the greatest number of foreclosures in the country, in Chicago and in Austin, according to a new report released Wednesday by National People’s Action.

Elce Redmond and Rev. Sirchester Jackson hang a sign on one foreclosed home in Austin. Photo/Barb Duckett

Richard Simon, a spokesman for Bank of America, said the company’s policy is to exhaust all options before taking action to remove residents from their homes.

“When we have exhausted viable home ownership retention solutions, Bank of America is increasing efforts to provide customers with dignified and less stressful alternatives to foreclosure, with streamlined programs for shorts sales and deeds in lieu,” Simon said.

National People’s Action, which originally started in Austin, joined forces with the South Austin Coalition to release the report “Bank of America Forecloses on Chicago.” After announcing the major findings Wednesday, organizers led residents on a walking tour to hang signs and point out the number of Bank of America foreclosures on two streets.

Gordon Mayer of National People’s Action said within a 1-mile radius of theAustin Senior Satellite Center at 5701 W. Congress Parkway, there are more than 50 foreclosed homes.

“Bank of America is creating eyesores throughout Chicago,” he said. “And right here in the community of Austin the problem is bad – and only getting worse. They have a responsibility to help these home owners and work with this community to keep the people in these homes and keep the streets safe.”

The report shows that in Chicago, there have been more than 8,000 foreclosure filings since 2008, and Bank of America is on track to file 3,000 foreclosures before the end of this year.

In Austin alone, there were 151 Bank of America foreclosure filings in 2009, and since January 2009, there have been 50 completed residential foreclosure auctions by the bank.

Simon said his company has employed several special, even unique, initiatives in Chicago to address home ownership preservation and community issues arising from the foreclosure crisis.

“Bank of America is committed to helping mortgage customers remain in their homes through the federal government’s Home Affordable Modification Program, various proprietary programs and individualized solutions,” Simon said. “As the largest mortgage servicer in the country, we recognize and have taken our position as an industry leader in home ownership retention and foreclosure prevention solutions.”

That’s not what the advocacy groups concluded in their report.

Over 1 million of the foreclosed homes that Bank of America services are eligible for modification under the federal modification program, yet Bank of America has offered permanent loan modifications to only 5.8 percent, or less than 70,000 of those eligible, according to National People’s Action.

Simon disagreed with the report. He said since January 2008, Bank of America has completed 630,000 modifications through all available programs.

Rev. Sirchester Jackson of Mandel United Methodist Church said the foreclosure crisis is hitting lower-income communities the hardest, and in Austin, there is rarely a block that doesn’t have a vacant or boarded-up home.

“Over a year ago, the people and the government bailed out the banks, but today it seems like the banks have bailed on the people,” he said. “They took all this money from the government, from our pockets to cover themselves, and they can’t find a way to cover the people in these communities who need them. That’s not right.”

Theresa Welch-Davis tells the story of Dorothy Daniel who is fighting to keep her home of 40 years out of foreclosure. Photo/Barb Duckett

Daniel is one of those people. She was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago, and anticipating tough times, she made her first attempt to modify her loan through Bank of America. Daniel’s illness, which took one of her legs, forced her to quit her job, and after filing at least seven applications for loan modification – each one denied – she finds herself close to foreclosure.

Theresa Welch-Davis, housing coordinator for the South Austin Coalition, helped Daniel file nearly all of her applications, noting that Daniel asked for help before times got bad. But Bank of America workers either said they didn’t have enough information or they didn’t have the right information, Welch-Davis said.

“They had the information; they just didn’t want to help,” she said. “These banks, all of them, they aren’t playing around with foreclosure, they are playing with people’s lives and destroying this community. What they are doing isn’t right, and we won’t let them get away with it.”

Raymond Guy, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), said the congressman’s staff stands ready to help fight the banks. Welch-Davis and Juanita Rutues, vice president of South Austin Coalition, pushed Guy to appeal to everyone at the city and state level. He responded: We will appeal to the entire Illinois congressional delegation.

The purpose of Wednesday’s walking tour was to hang signs on Bank of America-owned homes. Signs reading “Another Foreclosure Brought to You by Bank of America” were hung on several properties. Each sign nailed to a board or taped to a door drew neighborhood crowds and more outrage about foreclosures.

Phillip Barnes, 44, who lives near a foreclosed property at 4854 W. Gladys Ave., said the home has been vacant for 10 years. The back of the house, weed covered and burnt with black soot from a recent fire, was littered with trash and contained an abandoned vehicle.

“It’s been a real eyesore on this block for years,” Barnes said. “It wasn’t until recently that they put the boards up, but people still breaking in and causing problems. I mow the front yard and keep the sidewalk clear as much as I can, but somebody needs to do something.”

Photo/Barb Duckett

Between 4800 and 4900 West Gladys, there are 14 foreclosed homes, some boarded, most just vacant with letters taped on the doors and personal belongings still inside.

Elce Redmond of the South Austin Coalition said it’s not just Bank of America that’s destroying communities, it’s every bank.

“Unfortunately, what is happening is the equity in the community is being drained completely, and this is a major social catastrophe,” he said. “People are getting poorer, and our banks are getting richer. Our society has become the tale of two cities.”

Noting that Bank of America is the largest mortgage servicer in the country, Simon said the company is working hard to address the housing crisis at all of its branches.

“Foreclosure is a sad and damaging result for the homeowners; a very costly result for the servicer and mortgage investor; and a detriment to the surrounding community,” he said. “While we cannot avoid foreclosure in some cases, particularly in today’s economy, Bank of America considers foreclosure only as a last resort.”

Rev. Jackson said foreclosure nationwide is a crisis – an epidemic, really – and it’s time the banks come to the table and work with communities to put people back in their homes and prevent others from being thrown out.

“This tour shows what is taking place right here in our community; this tour shows the impact it has had on Austin’s community,” he said.

“These vacant homes bring in crime, criminals and violence to the neighborhood. They drive property value down, and they take away from this beautiful community we live in. Somewhere along the line the banks have dropped the ball, and it is our obligation to hold their feet to the fire.”

At a nursing home in Bronzeville, state inspectors found a resident soaked in urine.  At a nursing facility in Elmhurst, some patients lost dangerous amounts of weight because they weren’t fed properly.

And at an Oak Lawn nursing home, an elderly man wandered away on a winter night without anyone noticing. Two hours later, he was found face down in the cold. He was admitted to the hospital for hypothermia and subsequently died.

These are just some of the incidents that have occurred at Chicago-area “one-star” and “two-star” nursing homes.

The federal government started rating nursing facilities in 2008 on a star system, with one star the lowest ranking and five stars the highest. Of the 335 homes in the six-county Chicago area, 47 percent currently receive one or two stars.

While Illinois lawmakers this year passed legislation to improve nursing homes, the reforms focus primarily on care for young, mentally ill patients. Little attention has been paid to the geriatric population – the bulk of nursing home residents.

Recently, Columbia College Chicago journalism students fanned out across the region to detail conditions in one- and two-star nursing homes. Besides touring the facilities and interviewing nursing officials, the students reviewed several hundred state public health inspection reports from 2001 to 2010.

The picture that emerges is grim: Some residents have died of neglect while others have routinely experienced indignities.

At the one-star Renaissance at 87th Street nursing home on the South Side, inspectors found that a man in a wheelchair had urinated and defecated on himself, and the fluid was dripping in a puddle around him. Inspectors also learned that the man had not been bathed in days.

After a staffer finally washed him, he was left naked in a chair and had to ask an inspector to help him put on his pants.

Wendy Meltzer, executive director of Illinois Citizens for Better Care, said nursing homes often struggle with inadequate staffs.

“They don’t know what they’re doing or sometimes they really just don’t care,” she said. “But most of the time it’s because there just really aren’t enough people to take care of the residents.”

Some nursing home officials, such as Marty Aukstuolis, assistant administrator for Renaissance, said their low government ratings were unfair.

“We’re nowhere near perfect, and of course we can be better,” he said. “But I’ve seen and worked at worse facilities.”

The government’s star ratings can be found at www.medicare.gov/NHCompare, while many inspection reports are available at www.idph.state.il.us/webapp/LTCApp/ltc.jsp.

Here are snapshots of four of the area’s most troubled nursing homes:

In Bronzeville, new name can’t shake old problems

For years, the old Chevy Chase Nursing and Rehab Center was a name some people in historic Bronzeville associated with shoddy care. Today, the facility has a new name — Bronzeville Park Skilled Nursing and Living Center — and its administrator, Tony Prather, said the home is “totally different.”

But a tour of the facility and a review of inspection reports suggest otherwise.

For example, inspectors in 2007 noted “build-up of dirt, mold, fruit flies … broken or missing wall and floor tiles, loose hand rails, standing water and exposed electrical wires” in the shower and bathrooms.

Three years later, Prather acknowledged he doesn’t check the showers every day, adding: “We know we have a fruit fly issue, but we’re trying to fix it.”

Prather said all of the aging fixtures have been replaced and that his wife did some remodeling.  Now, automatic sliding doors lead visitors through the facility’s renovated interior, where Bronzeville art dazzles the walls.  The facility’s community areas showcase flat-screen televisions and an interactive sensory room called Glady’s Place for residents to reminisce.

Despite the improvements, an exposed cable cord welcomed a reporter into Bronzeville Park’s senior lounge area while the smell of urine lingered through the halls of the second floor.

One problem, Prather said, is that sometimes a staff member will remark, “That’s not my resident.”  In 2003, a certified nursing assistant used those exact words after an inspector observed a patient soaked in urine, records show.

Prather said his response to such a statement is, “Does your check say Bronzeville Park room 323 bed 2 or does it say Bronzeville Park nursing?”

The federal government rates the home one star, or “much below average.” The facility’s latest annual inspection report details how a resident fell 15 times in 2008 and four times the following year.  The patient suffered from seizures and depression.  Prather said the resident would not comply with rules, and so “what can you do? Because you can’t restrain the resident.”

One of the more troubling incidents occurred in 2003, when a resident wandered from the home. The resident had many previous elopement attempts and suffered from a cognitive disorder.

On his seventh attempt, records show, he left his unit on the third floor undetected and walked out of the facility and nearly eight miles to his wife’s home “wearing a yellow lady’s winter jacket” in 30-degree weather.

Prather said he understands why some people are hesitant to place loved-ones in nursing homes. He said people think “no one is going to take care of mom like you’re going to take care of mom.”

Left unchecked, man dies in cold

On a January night in 2004, a 75-year-old patient with a history of wandering went missing from ManorCare West Nursing and Rehab in Oak Lawn. Six staff members, five of whom were aware of the patient’s past behavior, saw him meandering around the nurses’ desk just prior to the incident.

But no action was taken, and two hours later he was found lying face-down on a residential street. The wind chill factor hovered below zero, and his body temperature was 88.3.

He died the next morning from bronchial asthma and cold weather exposure. A doctor in the county medical examiner’s office said it seemed the patient was exposed to the cold temperatures “for more than a few minutes and more like a few hours,” records show.

Inspectors found that four days prior to the death the man went toward the front door, and the electronic monitoring device he was wearing set off alarms. Though the man was wearing a monitor the night he disappeared, staffers said they did not hear alarms.

In response to the death, the nursing home told regulators it would do a better job monitoring patients.

(For Chicago Tribune coverage of the death)

According to the government’s ranking system, the 191-bed ManorCare West rates two stars, or “below average.” The home scored low in both staffing and health inspection findings.

ManorCare spokeswoman Julie Beckert said the rating “doesn’t take into account that centers like ManorCare take very high acuity patients, so our staffing is different. We have more therapists, therapy aides and nurse practitioners that are not accounted for in staffing.”

Another example of neglect at ManorCare occurred in 2006 when a 97-year-old woman developed sores that became infested with maggots. The woman had to have her leg removed at mid-thigh.

The most recent readily available inspection report, from August 2009, revealed poor communication between nurses and doctors. One patient’s health status was not recorded daily, and a doctor’s orders were not written down and followed. As a result, the patient was hospitalized and, according to the physician, “not doing well.”

Meltzer, the advocate for nursing residents, said many facilities are so poorly staffed that overwhelmed workers might quit caring.
“You either go someplace else where you can do good work or you shut yourself off emotionally,” she said.

At South Side home, neglect a recurring issue

When an 83-year-old man fell at the Renaissance at 87th Street facility last year, he was not immediately helped because several nursing aides said they did not see him.

A nurse who found the man called his doctor and was told to monitor him for 24 hours. He had a slight fever so she gave him Tylenol. A few hours later, records show, he slipped into unconsciousness and died the next day.

Assistant administrator Marty Aukstuolis said neglect is not tolerated and that two of the aides were let go. But he said falls occur among the elderly.

“You don’t want them to fall,” he said. “No one comes into work saying, ‘I want a patient to fall and hurt themselves today.’ ”

In a neglect case in 2008, a resident in a wheelchair had urinated and defecated on himself. When asked about this case, Aukstuolis said: “If someone is intentionally doing harm to a patient, like leaving a person in their waste like that, it’s not tolerated.”

He said “unfortunately” the inspector went into the patient’s room before a nurses’ aide did and found that the resident needed cleaning.

Aukstuolis said aides are required to check on patients every two hours. “We don’t have the kind of resources where we can have someone spend 24 hours a day with one patient,” he said. “I wish we could, but we don’t.”

In Renaissance’s most recent available inspection report, some residents hadn’t had their bandages changed while others weren’t being helped with meals.

“Honestly, I can say this is a good home,” Aukstuolis said. “I wouldn’t work here if I didn’t feel it was a good place to work.”

Supervision issues plague Elmhurst facility

At first glance, Lexington of Elmhurst appears to be a well-kept, pleasant nursing home. It offers group activities, pet birds, common areas to watch TV and movies, and opportunities for residents to get their hair done on Wednesday mornings.

But the government rates the 150-bed facility in suburban Elmhurst a one-star home. A recurring issue: the lack of supervision, particularly at mealtimes. In some cases, this has contributed to significant weight-loss because residents were not being fed adequately, records state.

In 2003, four patients dependent on staff for feeding lost weight. One evening, an inspector saw that the four residents were not fed until 40 minutes after dinner started and after other patients had completed their meals.

In 2007, inspectors noticed a strong odor in the dining hall, where residents were having lunch. This was brought to the attention of the administrator and the director of nursing. The following day, inspectors wrote, staff reviewed the condition of the residents’ clothing and cleaned their wheelchairs.

By 2008 dining issues still had not been resolved. An inspector saw a female resident trying to cut beef cutlet, and the food was sliding on her plate.

She was also trying to eat soup with a fork. But staff did not try to help her, records state.

Another woman was trying to eat gravy from a plate with her fingers. Again, staff did not help.

In response to this inspection, the facility vowed to assist residents during meals, records show.

Bed sores have also been an issue. In 2006, inspectors found sores on a resident who was dependent on nurses to move around. While two sores were present when the patient was admitted to the facility, a nurse told inspectors that the home was unaware of two new sores.

In an interview with a Columbia reporter, Lexington representatives said the home recently had a change of staff and could not comment on specific violations. But the manager on the memory care floor, Mychelle Walter, said the facility does an excellent job. “I’m proud of the people we work with,” she said.

Local restaurateurs could see their overhead come down due to a new beer and wine license proposed by Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th), chair of the Committee on License and Consumer Protection. At the June 9 City Council meeting, Schulter introduced changes to the city liquor license ordinance to allow for a more affordable beer and wine license. The proposed license would cost restaurateurs $1,600 every two years, as opposed to the current two-year license fee of $4,400 that covers all alcohol.

“This new license category will give entrepreneurs more options,” Schulter said in a press release.

Read the full story at the Center Square Journal
This story has been updated on ChicagoTalks.

Take on Lance, on your own terms

Admit it, when you are pedaling away down any Chicago street the bike lanes fade and in your imagination it’s just you and Lance Armstrong leading the peloton.

This year, cycling site MapMyRide is offering you a chance to map your ride miles, and times against Lance Armstrong and the riders in the Tour de France. You can win prizes, but mostly it’s about the enjoyment and competition of comparing your best times with the best cyclists in the world.

If you haven’t seen MapMyRide, be sure top check out this program and its other features. Including, an ID bracelet you can buy (with or without a RFID chip) that will identify your location at all times. An application to track your map your rides and track your progress. You can also share your “secret routes” with the world.

See you on the trails, and don’t forget your helmet.

Cigarette butts, beer bottles and cans, fast-food wrappers and trash line many of the baseball fields in Austin, and some residents say the Chicago Parks District is striking out in maintaining fields at Levin Park, Amundsen Park, La Follette Park and Columbus Park.

Ray Jones practices fielding June 22nd at Levin Park with his Wolfpack team. No benches are provided for spectators. (Photo/Karen Kring)

Thomas Bowling, president of the Westside Youth League, said the bleachers are ripped to shreds, most fields have no dugouts and the coaching staff often arrives early to pick up trash before the kids arrive.

“We have asked the Park District to come out and straighten the diamonds up,” he said.

“But there is an overall lack of concern. These are not true baseball fields. They are not lined with chalk like traditional fields, most don’t have outfield fences and if they have dugouts, the benches are broken. The facilities on the West Side are in very poor shape.”

Gregg Mason, park supervisor at Amundsen Park, disagrees. He said his fields are in great shape and his staff works hard to keep them that way.

“Nothing is wrong with my fields,” he said. “We have between 70 to 90 youth that play on these fields, and honestly, mine are the best in the city on the Austin side. Other parks may have problems, but I don’t because I keep my fields in shape.”

But David Laxton, who coaches the Wolfpacks, a summer traveling team in its eighth year on the West Side, insists the Austin fields are sub-par, and Chicago Parks District and elected officials in the community are letting the kids down.

“This fields are a disgrace, they have trash on them and beer bottles. This is not an environment that you want your son or daughter playing in,” he said. “The fields themselves are just a dirt diamond; they don’t have dugouts, benches; they aren’t chalked; they don’t have bleachers; they are weed-covered; and there is just no upkeep.”

Regina Hayes, communications manager for Chicago Park District’s Central Region, which includes Austin parks, said landscape staff work hard to clean up the parks but cannot be on-site at all hours.

“Sometimes there are a couple hundred or thousand people at these parks, and our people work hard to get out and clean the parks first thing in the morning,” she said. “It is the summer time there is an increased traffic at these parks because of the warm weather, but our landscape people are there at 6 a.m. every morning. Sometimes the parks’ cleanliness is based on the time that you are at the park. . . . There are maintenance crews at the parks every morning, but we can’t be there all the time.”

Dirt clods are found throughout the infield at Levin Park, where the Wolfpack team practices. (Photo/Karen Kring)

Bowling, who also coaches one of the five Wolfpack baseball teams, said the poor conditions have forced his league’s teams to play only road games.

“We shouldn’t have to go outside of the community to play baseball everyday,” he said. “It is difficult on the kids, and it’s hard on their families who have to either leave work early, or sadly enough, not make it to the game at all to watch their son play.”

Bowling said the only positive about playing in the suburbs is the boys get to play on a “real baseball field.”

“You should see the look on these kids’ faces when we get to other parks. They are stunned and elated to play baseball in stadiums and on perfectly manicured field,” he said. “These fields have bright green grass and have just been mowed, the dirt is smooth and recently dragged with fresh white chalk lining the fields. The fields have dugouts with roofs, outfield fences and scoreboards.”

He said there isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t get the question: “Coach, why can’t we have fields like they do?” To which he answers, “I don’t know.”

Austin resident Dwayne Truss said it’s not right that there isn’t even one genuine baseball diamond on the West Side.

“This is an ongoing problem here, and the only way to get real results is to continue to push the Park District,” said Truss, who officiates in the suburbs. “It’s sad that the youth on the West Side don’t have the opportunity to play on real ball diamonds. The Park District wouldn’t get away with this in other, more affluent communities. That’s why we need to stand up to them and force the issue.

“It’s not just a totally different field, it is a totally different world for these kids playing in the suburbs,” he said. “These kids haven’t seen anything like that in their community, and it is sad. It is sad that the youth on the West Side don’t have the same opportunities.”

Truss said he doesn’t blame only the Chicago Park District but also elected officials who he said aren’t fighting for their communities and getting the job done.

Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) said the parks in Austin are generally in good shape and the Park District strives to maintain the “physical integrity of the parks.”

Mitts said she encourages anyone with a specific Chicago Park District issue or request to contact her office at 773-745-2894. She said communication is key, and if she doesn’t know about the problems, she can’t address them.

“In addition, I am committing that my staff will increase their joint observation patrols of our local parks and baseball fields, working to monitor the status of areas where Chicagoans can freely relax, play and learn.”

Ald. Deborah Graham (29th) and Ald. Ed Smith (28th) were unavailable for comment.

Laxton and others hope things improve for their West Side players.

“The Park District needs to put more emphasis on helping out these kids and giving them the opportunities they deserve,” he said. “It is unfair how they treat these kids and this community. It’s not right.”

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

A news report from Lorraine Swanson, AustinTalks.org

While slightly more Austin residents have returned their U.S. Census questionnaire compared to 10 years ago, the West Side community is still at risk of being undercounted if a participatory map available on the U.S. Census website is any indication.

Of the approximately 20 census tracts in the Austin neighborhood – roughly bounded by Austin Boulevard on the east, Cicero Avenue on the west, North Avenue on the north, and Roosevelt Road on the south – mail-in participation rates range from 48 percent to 63 percent. This does not include the “non-response follow-up,” or NRFU operation, in which census takers go door to door and try to count the households that did not mail back their census questionnaires.

The door-to-door work began May 1.

Still, all of Austin’s census tracts have shown some marginal improvement in mail-in participation rate over 2000. This may be partly due to an aggressive public awareness campaign to educate citizens on the importance of participating. Community leaders estimate that Austin may have been undercounted by as many as 20,000 residents in 2000.

Mail-in participation rates increased in most of the West Side neighborhood’s census tracts by 2 percent to 10 percent. Mail-in participation was highest in the census tract bounded by Central Avenue, Division Street, Chicago Avenue and Laramie Avenue at 63 percent, a 10 percent increase from 2000.

The area of the West Side neighborhood with the lowest number of census questionnaires returned was in the tract bounded by Cicero, Laramie, Kilbourn Avenue and Lake Street with 46 percent. Comparative figures for 2000 were not available.

Overall, census tracts in Austin are about the same as they were 10 years ago at under 60 percent mail-in participation, with 13 census tracts falling within the 50 percentile and six census tracts in the 40 percentile.

Juanita Rutues, a community activist and assistant manager at the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services’ Austin Senior Satellite Center, thinks the census is going well, at least according to the hand count among the 70 to 80 seniors who attend the senior center’s bi-monthly forums.

“Most of them understood the importance of the census from our forum,” Rutues said. “Every second week we ask if everyone has done their census, and just about all of them raise their hands.”

The senior center, operated by the South Austin Coalition, one of the oldest community groups in the neighborhood, took part in a push in February to persuade Austin residents to complete the census questionnaire, billed as “10 questions in 10 minutes.”

Less intrusive than past censuses that asked for citizenship status, household income, education level and whether households had indoor plumbing, the 2010 census asks such basic questions as the number of persons per household, birth dates, race and if respondents own or rent their homes.

Chicago census takers or enumerators who are now going door to door are being paid $18.25 per hour, compared to those in smaller cities and communities throughout the region, who are earning between $8 and $11 per hour.

Despite the lucrative census jobs, Rutues said she has seen few, if any, census enumerators working the streets in the Austin neighborhood. She blames the neighborhood’s foreclosure rate – one of the highest in Chicago as a factor.

“People are moving at a very high rate because of foreclosures,”she said. “A lot of it has to do with multi-family buildings going into foreclosure. Nobody is there.”

Jim Accuroso, a spokesman for the Chicago regional office of the U.S. Census, couldn’t answer questions about how the door-to-door operation was proceeding in Austin or any other Chicago neighborhood. Citywide, the door-to-door operation is at about 93 percent completion, with some neighborhoods lagging behind others; nationwide, the door-to-door headcount is about 95 percent finished.

Chicago’s door-to-door census count is expected to wrap up around July 10, Accuroso said. Overall, Cook County’s mail-in participation, which includes all of Chicago, is up 2 percentage points from 2000 at 69 percent of households that mailed back their census questionnaires. Statewide, the mail-in participatory rate is 75 percent in 2010 census, up from 72 percent in 2000.

The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States, as required by the Constitution, every 10 years. Questionnaires for the 2010 census began arriving in the mail at U.S. households in late March and early April. The census counts where residents were living on April 1.

There’s a lot of stake.

The final tally in the decennial census determines how $400 billion in federal money is spent among U.S. communities, as well as the number of elected representatives in federal and state governments. Should Illinois be undercounted, the state is at risk of losing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Article from AustinTalks.org

Former alderman Isaac “Ike” Carothers, who pleaded guilty to bribery charges earlier this year, was sentenced today to 28 months in federal prison. Carothers has been ordered to report August 23 to begin serving his sentence. While which prison he serves time at ultimately rests with the Bureau of Prisons, the recommendation from the presiding judge was Yankton, South Dakota. Carothers admitted to one count each of accepting a bribe and filing a false federal income tax return. As part of his deal, four wire and mail fraud charges were dropped. Calvin Boender, the developer charged with bribing Carothers, was found guilty in March. Carothers, who served the 29th ward, was replaced by state Rep. Deborah Graham.