Wrigleyville Businesses Relieved Cubs Will Remain on North Side
There’s relief among businesses in Wrigleyville now that the Cubs have reached an agreement with the city over its $500 million renovation plan. Local residents and neighborhood groups had been worried that businesses would suffer if the Cubs couldn’t come to terms with the city and decided to play baseball elsewhere. Jaime Gamez, owner of […]
Employment Opportunities: Center for Neighborhood Technology
The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) is a Chicago-centric “creative think-and-do tank” that works on issues including climate, energy , water , transportation and community development for Chicago and its environs. It was founded in 1978, and is a leader in promoting urban sustainability or “the more effective use of existing resources and community assets to improve the […]
Illinois’ Clean Energy Policies to Bring Thousands of Jobs by 2030
The Union for Concerned Scientists (UCS), an independent non-profit dedicated to scientific analysis, released a new report called A Bright Future for the Heartland that estimates that Illinois’ current energy policies will create 8,400 more new jobs in the state by 2030. This jobs estimate is in addition to jobs that have already been created, […]
Only One Austin TIF Project Completed in Decade, AustinTalks Finds
By AustinTalks Chicago’s tax-increment financing program is designed to eradicate blight, create jobs and promote economic development in neighborhoods that need it most. But TIF - which diverts property tax dollars to private developers in an effort to spur growth – appears to be doing little to help the residents of Austin. Of the 184 private-sector TIF […]
Looking Back at “Put Illinois to Work”
In downtown Chicago, an institution celebrated its 30th anniversary while reflecting on its latest triumph: the employment of more than 27,000 Illinoisans this year. But it wasn’t in any of the towers or myriad governmental mega-office buildings, but in their shadows, on a single floor of a rather plain office building. Past the almost unnoticeable […]
Report: Senate’s Climate Bill Failure Leaves 481,000 Great Lakes Jobs on the Table
By Jeff Gillies, Great Lakes Echo When the U.S. Senate abandoned greenhouse gas-curbing legislation, they also pulled the plug on 1.9 million new clean energy jobs, according to a report released by a coalition of business groups. The report cites state-specific numbers of “jobs forgone” for only four Great Lakes states — mostly those with […]
Happening in the 2nd Ward
A special South Loop Community Meeting to discuss important issues specific to the South Loop agenda including the Park Plaza at 16th and Indiana, naming of the new South Loop field house and speed bumps and traffic control near 18th and Calumet will be held on 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at the 1st […]
Microbusinesses Survive, Thrive in Touch Economy
A report from Maureen Kelleher, Chicago’s New Communities Program 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 […]
Housing, Local Job Opportunities Make for Safer Neighborhoods
A news report from Bill Healy, Chicago Neighborhood Stabilization Program “When you gonna come work for me?” Melvin Bailey shouts at a young man walking down Homan Avenue on the city’s West Side. “We got orientation coming up next week.” The young man’s pants are sagging, a look Bailey says is unacceptable in the working […]
Free Health and Safety Training Monday in Austin
A news report from Kelsey Duckett, AustinTalks.org On Monday, Local 881UFCW will host a free training session for those working or looking to find employment in the retail industry. The OSHA Health and Safety training will be held at the South Austin Coalition office, 5660 W. Madison St., at 6 p.m. and is open to all West […]
Program to Help Ex-Offenders Nearly Overwhelmed by Growing Demand for Services
Officials at a Far West Side organization fear if client demand continues to rise, more and more recently released prisoners will be left fending for themselves. Roger Ehmen, director of Westside Health Authority’s Prisoner Re-Entry Center, said a recent jump in numbers shows the dire need for the program in Austin. Ehmen said the center […]
West Side Program Helps Ex-Offenders Get a Second Chance
Charles Ezzard speaks with ease and confidence, pausing from time-to-time as if visually sifting through the past chapters of his life. He recounts times of hardship, yet immediately changes pace when speaking about his future. His face lights up as he states his goals, such as finishing school and giving back to the community. In […]
Local Organizations Protesting CTA Budget Plans
On Jan. 18, Martin Luther King‘s birthday, a national holiday, several local organizations and individuals plan to a march to protest budget cuts that will mean layoffs for CTA workers and reduced service for local residents. According to NoCTAcuts.org, the CTA plans to layoff 1,000 bus drivers and maintenance workers. The CTA service cuts will […]
Will a New Residential Development Rise from the Ashes of U.S. Steel?
In years past, U.S. Steel’s South Works plant in South Chicago gushed flame and created towering piles of slag as it forged the steel that built skyscrapers around Chicago and across the country. Nowadays, South Works is mostly empty, deserted land. But developers hope to turn it into a mixed-income development that they say will […]
CTA Service Cuts and Layoffs Would Hit Underserved Communities Hardest
Over 50 Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) workers and union representatives faced the chilling winter winds last week to protest proposed service cuts and layoffs, which protesters warn will leave disadvantaged communities out in the cold and possibly violate their civil rights. “We’re here to bring awareness to the massive cuts and layoffs,” said Keith Hill, […]
