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State Treasurer Michael Frerichs Returns $20.8 Million In Unclaimed Property in April
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office returned nearly $20.8 million in unclaimed property during April, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL OFFERS TIPS ON RECYCLING, DONATING ELECTRONICS ITEMS
As Illinois residents may contemplate recycling electronic items when spring cleaning their homes, Attorney General Raoul is encouraging them to take advantage of environmentally-friendly recycling programs and to be mindful of potential personally identifying information left on their smart devices.
REP. KELLY, SENATORS DUCKWORTH, DURBIN INTRODUCE TWO BILLS TO INCREASE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), along with U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), reintroduced two bills to expand and increase access to employment opportunities for underserved youth. The Helping to Encourage Real Opportunity (HERO) for Youth Act and the Assisting in Developing (AID) Youth Employment Act, which was previously titled the Creating Pathways for Youth Employment Act, will increase federal resources for communities seeking to create or grow employment programs and provide tax incentives to businesses and employers to hire and retain youth from economically distressed areas.
MAYOR LIGHTFOOT ANNOUNCES HISTORIC $54M IN GRANTS FOR 133 SMALL BUSINESSES
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot named 133 Chicago small businesses, not-for-profits, cooperatives, and environmental organizations as finalists for more than $54M in City grants. The finalists were selected from over 670 applications received by the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) in early 2023 and represent the largest single round of economic development grant-making in Chicago history. Award amounts range from $10,000 to $5.9M. Collectively, the finalists announced today promote business revitalization, job creation, and neighborhood transformation through the estimated $253M in construction and development they will generate.
PROJECT SYNCERE RETURNED TO A FULL IN-PERSON EVENT FOR THE 6TH ANNUAL ENPOWERED GAMES AT WINTRUST ARENA PRESENTING "AWESOME AUTOMATIONS"
Project SYNCERE (Supporting Youth's Needs with Core Engineering Research Experiments), returned to a full in-person event at Wintrust Arena for its 6th Annual ENpowered Games engineering competition, with this year’s theme of "Awesome Automations".
CHICAGO RESILIENCY FUND 2.0 DISTRIBUTES FIRST $1.2M IN RELIEF PAYMENTS
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) Commissioner Brandie Knazze announced that $1.2M has been distributed to more than 2,400 eligible households who applied for financial relief from the Chicago Resiliency Fund 2.0. The purpose of the fund is to provide $500 relief payments to populations that had difficulties accessing and qualifying for federal relief payments, including households with dependents who were excluded from federal stimulus payments, undocumented residents, and domestic workers.
WASHINGTON PARK VACANT LOT TRANSFORMED BY BLOOMING OF 100,000 RED TULIPS PLANTED
Neighbors gathered at a “Blooming in Bronzeville” block party to marvel at the stunning bloom of 100,000 bright red tulips planted last fall by MacArthur Genius Grant Recipient and artist Amanda Williams as part of her ‘Redefining Redlining’ installation. Planted on a vacant lot that had once been a residential unit and was torn down due to redlining, the installation is inspiring neighbors to see the agency they have to take strengthen their community.
ENpowered Games help students solve challenges with STEM centered exercises
Cheers and the sound of clapper toys and boom sticks filled Wintrust Arena on Wednesday, May 3rd, for the ENpowered Games, hosted by Project SYNCERE. During the Roll Call, the schools were shown on the Jumbotron and their schools were called out. As the students arrived on the floor, they were greeted with high fives and cheers from the volunteers. One of the students likened the experience to being in the NBA.
Blacks in Green creates sustainable vision for Woodlawn
Recently, Blacks in Green received $10 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to serve as an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center. The hope is that investment will result in clean water, clean air and clean energy. The organization was one of 17 organizations to receive this investment.
Turner Haus Brewery Founder receives Diversity in Brewing Scholarship
Turner Haus Brewery started about 10 years ago and is the brainchild of Blair Aikens and her cousin Steven Turner. Turner, who started as a home brewer, brought a beer to share with his family. He was living in Nashville at the time and had come back to Chicago for his grandmother’s funeral.
Star of ‘Belle Collective’ talks about upcoming season
Sophia “So Gucci” Williams watched the first season of OWN TV’s “Belle Collective” and thought she would be a great fit for the show detailing the lives of six Black women entrepreneurs living in Jackson, Miss. People started to tell her that she should be on the show. Then, one of the cast members contacted her and wanted to pitch her for the show.
Access to pre-apprenticeship program helps those interested in skilled trades
Lonnie Baker wasn’t sure what he wanted as a career choice. So, he decided to attend South Suburban College. He took a few classes, which gave him some insight into other career paths. It wasn’t until he had to get work done on his property that he pinpointed plumbing as a career.
Great Lakes Credit Union Expands Access to Financial Empowerment
Great Lakes Credit Union (GLCU), a community-minded financial institution serving northern Illinois, today announced it has lowered its par value share minimum from $5 to $1. This decision represents a significant step toward increasing financial accessibility for individuals and families in the community, as the lowered par value reduces the barrier of entry for GLCU members.
SPLC Files DOJ Complaint to Address Ongoing Discrimination in Jefferson Parish School District
Today, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) submitted an administrative complaint with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice seeking federal intervention to address pervasive and ongoing discrimination against students and families in the Jefferson Parish School District.