Tuesday, December 31
UIC Approves $5 Million Matching Grant for New Illinois Manufacturing Lab
Trustees at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) recently approved a $5 million grant to support a new manufacturing initiative that hopefully will advance economic development throughout Illinois. Gov. Pat Quinn reportedly promised $5 million in state support for the Illinois Manufacturing Lab, to be matched by other sources.
RTA Hosts Ventra Public Meetings for Customers across Chicagoland
The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) recently partnered with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to hold six public meetings for their customers across Chicagoland. The meetings were geared towards informing seniors and physically disabled customers about Ventra, the new payment system for the CTA and Pace that allows customers to pay for train and bus rides with the same payment methods they use for everyday purchases.
cps Launches New Mentoring Program for Kindergarten and 8th Graders
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has launched Mentoring the Next Generation, a new district-wide school volunteer initiative for CPS staff to provide students in kindergarten and 8th grade with extra instruction and preparation for their next steps in education.
New Bronzeville Arts and Recreation Center Planned for 2015
A long planned and much needed recreation center project may finally come to fruition in 2015, providing the Bronzeville area with a place for youth to spend time and engage in positive endeavors. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Park District Superintendent Michael Kelly, 4th Ward Ald., Will Burns and 3rd Ward Ald. Pat Dowell and Quad Communities Development Corporation announced last week plans for a new arts and recreation center at Ellis Park, 535 E. 35th Street.
Nelson Mandela Funeral Journey
I really wasn’t planning to go back. I was cooking when my friend Emma Bell called me and tentatively shared the news-Nelson Mandela had died.
Additional Accountable Care Organizations Added to Serve Medicare Patients
As the health care world adjusts to changes in laws due to the passage of the new Affordable Care Act, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are growing in number.
Mayor Announces Grocery Store Task Force Members
Shortly after announcing a Grocery Store Task Force in response to the 72 Dominick’s store closures throughout Chicago as of Dec. 28, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced last week, the Task Force team's members.
Thursday, December 26
Tutu Chides ANC for Excluding Minority Whites at Mandela Services
(GIN) - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an activist in the anti-apartheid struggle, said he was dismayed at the “blatant exclusion” of Afrikaners from last week's memorial services for Nelson Mandela.
Amazon sees delivery drones as the future
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon.com is working on a way to get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less — via self-guided drone.
'SNL' Plans to Add Black Female Cast Member Soon
"Saturday Night Live" plans to add one or two black female performers to its cast as soon as January.
UIC Receives $1.14 Federal Grant to Address Special Education Teacher Shortage
According to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), public schools nationwide face a shortage of special education teachers, disproportionately affecting minority students particularly in metropolitan areas like Chicago because of the large African American and Latino student body that exist there, and because minority students are placed in special education programs at a disproportionally higher rate than students of other ethnicities.
Paralegal Program Offered at South Suburban College
If you’re contemplating new career goals in the New Year, you might want to consider attending South Suburban College's (SSC) Open House for its Paralegal Program.
Boot Camp Workers Take Part in Clean-Up Projects
More than a 100 people who are serving Cook County Sheriff’s Vocational Rehabilitation Impact Center (VRIC) sentences have been working on manual labor projects to help out local communities, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced last week.
Chicago Southside NAACP Host Free Mandela Movie Screening for ACT-SO
The Chicago Southside chapter of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) presented a screening of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom to raise money for its’ ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) program.
Illinois Officials Tell Thousands to Start Over on Health Insurance
Get Covered Illinois (GCI) is advising people who have applied for coverage on the federal web site, healthcare.gov, and who believe they may have been incorrectly referred to the state for Medicaid coverage, to restart the process by using the screening tool at Getcoveredillinois.gov.
The "Money Mob" Works to Galvanize Local Support for Neighborhood Businesses
The Money Mob (MM), a trio of young professionals, has made it their business to alert the urban community about quality, independently-owned, African-American businesses in Chicago.
Wednesday, December 18
Mayor Announces Task Force to address with Dominick Store Closures
In response to the recent announcement that Dominick’s will close all of its 72 stores located throughout Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a City task force is in place to find operators for the closed stores to ensure that affected citizens continue to have access to food and fresh produce and to address the economic impact and jobs lost due to the closures.
"Fight for 15" Protests Rallies Held across the City Calling for Higher Wages & Better Benefits
As part of the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago's (WOCC)"Fight for 15" campaign, several rallies were held last Thursday across the city of Chicago, mostly in front of national retail and food chains including McDonald’s, Sears and Family Dollar where employees of the establishments demanded that their current minimum wages be increased to a “living” wage of $15 per hour as well as the right to form a union without retaliation.
Mandela’s Chicago Visit: A Lasting Impression
The impact of former South African President Nelson Mandela’s visit to Chicago in the summer of 1993 still resonates with citizens here and most certainly with those who met directly with him including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush, and former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
Winnie Mandela: Her Life and Legacy
As we commemorate the life and legacy of the late South African President, Nelson Mandela, one has to also acknowledge the woman who played a prominent, political and private role in his life.
Wednesday, December 4
Black Models Slam Racism in Brazil Fashion with Topless Protest
Some 40 black models, most of them women, staged a topless protest in Rio de Janeiro against the low presence of Afro-Brazilians on fashion catwalks.
Illinois Law Enforcement to Focus on Front and Back Seat Belt Law
As part of the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign, Illinois State Police (ISP) and over 200 local police departments throughout the state were on patrol during the Thanksgiving holiday checking to see if motorists were wearing their seatbelts or if they were driving under the influence.
Marian Catholic Marching Band Shines in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Marian Catholic High School (MCHS) Marching Band, 700 Ashland Ave., Chicago Heights, Ill., proudly strutted their stuff in the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade in New York City on Nov. 28. This was MCHS's second time participating in the world class parade which aired on NBC on Thanksgiving day that drew 50 million viewers and over one million spectators along the parade route.
President Obama Honors Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients
The Presidential Medal of Freedom, established 50 years ago by President John F. Kennedy, is our nation’s highest civilian honor. The medal has been presented to more than 500 individuals who have made especially “meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
Repairs Underway at 124th & Wentworth after Road Collapses
The City of Chicago is actively working to repair the street at 124th and Wentworth Ave. after a "wash out" (a sudden erosion of soft soil or other support surfaces by a gush of water) caused the road to collapse creating a large sink hole.
Women Needed for U of C Fibroid Treatment Study
Researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine are testing to see if MRI-guided HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound) will yield quicker recoveries and fewer side effects than current treatments for the removal of uterine fibroids in women.
Local School Council Member Charged with Indecency exposure
A South Side Local School Council (LSC) member was charged in Sept. with a serious crime. Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Michael Sullivan confirmed that Reginald Jones, 43, was arrested and charged at 9:18 a.m., Sept. 9, on the 1000 block of west Taylor Street with 1 felony count of indecency exposure and driving on a suspended license.
Chicago Sky Donates Athletic Apparel to Hyde Park Academy
The Chicago Sky, a professional women's basketball team based in Rosemont, Ill., donated much needed basketball apparel to the Lady Thunderbird girls basketball team at Hyde Park Academy (HPA), 6220 S Stony Island Ave., last month.
Illinois Posts Largest Recent Job Gains in the Midwest
Illinois’ economy had the largest growth of any state within the Midwest with over 25,000 jobs added in September and October of this year. Other states within the region posted a negative or small net gain in jobs.
South Shore Drill Team March in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
It came down to the wire but a group of South Side youth had a chance to venture outside of their neighborhoods for an opportunity to take part in a world class, out-of-state, holiday event thanks to the help of a few generous donors and sponsors.