Knickpoint Ventures today welcomed civic, community and business leaders to the topping-off ceremony at The Fields Studios, Chicago’s first purpose-built film studio that is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. It boasts nine sound stages on two lots totaling 132,000 square feet of sound stages and over 350,000 square feet of creative and production offices, plus mill and support space. The Fields Studios offers the largest sound stage in Chicago and is the latest addition to the mixed-use redevelopment of the 20+acre, 1.5 million-square-foot former Marshall Fields warehouse property on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
Pottery Barn, a portfolio brand of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM), the world’s largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer, announced the launch of a new collaboration with Sweet July, a lifestyle brand founded by renowned restaurateur, chef, two-time New York Times bestselling author and entrepreneur, Ayesha Curry.
Women experience depression twice as much as men, and Black women are only half as likely to seek care as White women. There are several barriers that account for the disparity in seeking support, including a lack of therapists from communities of color, cultural stigmas, and high costs. Through a $1.3-million commitment from JPMorgan Chase to Fresh Start Women's Foundation, the nonprofit will provide expanded resources and support directly to women of color.
Grammy®-winning musician will.i.am and stand-up comedian and actor George Lopez have joined Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) and Providence for a new series of public service announcements (PSAs) that raise awareness about colorectal cancer screenings, early detection and prevention, and focus on reaching medically underserved communities.
Black Restaurant Week LLC celebrates the flavors of African American, African and Caribbean cuisine with a series of regional cultural events and aims to support Black-owned culinary businesses with substantial programming outside of their 10 or 14-day, multi-city tour across the United States.
Free, healthy school meals for all Illinois students may soon become a reality if the state legislature funds the program recently passed in the House and Senate. House Bill 2471, the Healthy School Meals for All legislation, passed the Illinois House and Senate and paves the way for Illinois students to be hunger-free and ready to grow, learn and thrive.
Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Garien Gatewood will serve as the City of Chicago’s Deputy Mayor of Community Safety. As the first-ever Deputy Mayor of Community Safety, Gatewood will lead cross-government efforts to eradicate the root causes of crime and violence, and advance a comprehensive, healing-centered approach to public safety.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) celebrated Crossing Guard Appreciation Day with an award ceremony that recognized all crossing guards, including a few who earned special recognition for their dedication and skills. Observed annually each May in Illinois, Crossing Guard Appreciation Day recognizes the contributions that crossing guards make to keeping students and others safe as they commute to and from school.
Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce that individual tickets for the history-making production of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD are on sale on Tuesday, May 23. Academy Award® winner Aaron Sorkin’s new play, directed by Tony Award® winner Bartlett Sher and based on Harper Lee’s classic novel will come back to Chicago as part of a multi-year national tour across North America. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD will play Broadway In Chicago’s CIBC Theatre (18 W. Monroe St.) for a limited engagement August 8-13.
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez, City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Chancellor Juan Salgado, school administrators and families came together to recognize the growing number of CPS graduates who are leaving high school with a diploma as well as transferable college credits, up to and including an associate degree. Approximately 5,000 CPS Class of 2023 graduates earned nearly 40,000 total college credits from CCC while still in high school, saving an estimated $5.8 million in total projected college tuition costs.
Hope Chicago, the two-generation scholarship program providing debt-free college and vocational support to students and their parents at five Chicago Public Schools high schools, today released an impact report demonstrating the projected economic and social benefits of its innovative model.
City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin reminded entrepreneurs that June 6th is the last day to apply for enrollment in the fall session of the Goldman Sachs “10,000 Small Businesses” financial education program. The program is geared to small businesses that are looking to gain access to affordable capital and learn practical skills that will help them to grow their business. This innovative, structured, and intuitive, 13-week program, of which the Chicago Treasurer’s Office (CTO) is a partner, will begin in September and end in December, meeting weekly and in-person at Harold Washington College.
Working towards a socially just world can begin in one neighborhood and that’s exactly what Sisters in Cinema, a Chicago-based 501(c)3 is setting to accomplish in their Sister Outsider program, beginning on Saturday, June 17.
The State Treasurer’s Office made a record $100.7 million in investment earnings from the state investment portfolio in April, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced.
Nicor Gas spent $377 million with minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses in 2022, according to the company’s Supplier Diversity Report. More than 44% of the company’s total expenditures in 2022 were with diverse businesses and over half of that spend was with Illinois-based companies.