The Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) is encouraging everyone with Medicare to check if their plan still meets their needs and budget during this year’s Open Enrollment Period, which began on Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7, 2025. Individuals can get free help comparing health and drug plan options by contacting the state’s Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP).
Mayor Brandon Johnson has announced the return of Chicago Fall Fest, a coordinated two-week-long series of cultural and community fall events designed to engage Chicago’s youth and residents of all ages. This year’s effort, which will showcase events through November 2, will provide Chicagoans with events celebrating Halloween, Día de los Muertos, Diwali, and more. Chicago residents of all ages are invited to access additional information on ChicagoFallFest.org.
3Arts, the Chicago-based nonprofit grantmaking organization, announces the 17 recipients of this year’s 3Arts Awards: dance artists Wendy Clinard, Chih-Jou Cheng (程之柔), and Torrence “Tea Buggz” Griffin; musicians Tommy Carroll, Ariella Granados,Kara Jackson, and Maxwell Senteney; teaching artists ebere agwuncha, Victoria Boateng, and Tom Lee; theater artists Rammel Chan, Nina Castillo-D’Angier, and Kristin Idaszak; and visual artists Jess Atieno, Leasho Johnson, Fern Logan, and Odette Stout. The organization will honor the new recipients on Monday, November 10 at 5:30pm at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E Randolph Street. Tickets to the 2025 3Arts Awards Celebration include a welcome reception, awards program, and a jubilant after-party. Tickets cost $150-$300 and are available at 3arts.org/tickets. Funds raised during the event will be split between 3Arts and Chicago nonprofit Center for Native Futures.
In celebration of International Day of the Girl, former First Lady and founder of The Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance, Michelle Obama, announced a new commitment to support organizations that educate and empower adolescent girls around the world.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will recognize National Principals Month throughout October with a series of events aimed at honoring and highlighting the dedication, expertise, and accomplishments of the District’s more than 600 principals.
Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and school leaders, teachers, and students to launch the Illinois Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools program and celebrate the 2025 award recipients at Glen Oaks Elementary in North Palos District 117. Twenty-eight schools from across Illinois received the 2025 designation for demonstrating exemplary academic performance.
GRAY is pleased to announce the opening of JudyLedgerwood’s new permanent, site-specific installation at the CTA’s newly renovated Blue Line Racine Station. The Racine stop renovation is part of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)’s multi-year project to make the Blue Line Forest Park Branch fully accessible.
The Zeta National Educational Foundation, Inc. (ZNEF) celebrated its 50th Anniversary Gala on September 4, with an evening of reflection, empowerment, and recognition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The event honored five decades of educational impact and featured Guest Host and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated member Jericka Duncan, CBS News National Correspondent and CBS Weekend News anchor, along with a special performance by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Musiq Soulchild.
L'Oréal Paris USA proudly celebrates the 20th anniversary of Women of Worth by announcing the ten honorees for the 2025 program. L'Oréal Paris recognizes these extraordinary women who embody leadership, service, and innovation, and are driving transformative change across the United States through their non-profit organizations. In recognition of this milestone, L'Oréal Paris spokespeople Eva Longoria, Helen Mirren, and Aja Naomi King are helping to amplify the missions of this year's honorees through exclusive content.
At some point, many of us look around and realize we’ve been blessed—and burdened—by a lifetime of stuff. I am at that point in my life. My closets are filled with clothes I haven’t worn in years, my basement and attic are stacked with boxes packed away decades ago, and don’t even mention the books once loved but now unread for years.
In an unpredictable world, businesses must be prepared to face unexpected challenges, such as natural disasters or economic shifts. The ability to adapt quickly is crucial for maintaining resilience and ensuring long-term success. Senior Business Consultant Moises Figueroa Hernandez with JPMorganChase in Chicago, shares some immediate and long-term actions businesses can take to navigate disruptions:
Stephanie Coleman- Alderman of the 16th Ward- recently was joined by officials from the City of Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, Representatives from McDonald Restaurant, and Englewood residents in a McDonalds Ribbon Cutting and a City of Chicago announcement of a multi-million-dollar development of 63rd and Ashland in Chicago.
Inside Garfield Park Conservatory’s Horticulture Hall on Oct. 9, leaders of West Side health and social service community gathered for Wellness West’s fourth annual forum, “Reimagining Care: A Healthcare Transformation Blueprint.” The collective message was clear: Chicago’s West Side continues to bear a disproportionate burden of chronic disease and shortened life expectancy, and only durable, cross-sector collaboration, and a vigilant defense of the social safety net, will address this injustice.
National Health Education runs through Oct. 24th. Writer Melanie L. Brown wants to use her book to inspire others. Brown, a virgin/abstinence expert, is the author of “My Life Without Sex: A 40-Year-Old Virgin Shares How to Set Boundaries to Wait for Sex.”
Patrick Wimp was set to graduate with a degree in Business and started dabbling in screenwriting. He fell in love with it and applied to DePaul University for graduate school. He graduated from DePaul in 2011 with a Master of Fine Arts.