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Illinois Court Appointed Special Advocates (Illinois CASA) receives State Funding for the First Time
Illinois CASA has been awarded a $2,885,000.00 in State funding. This is the first time in Illinois CASA’s 26 years of operation that they have received any state funding.
SOUTH SIDE COWORKING SPACE PROVIDES MENTORS AND WORKSHOPS FOR LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS
The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is home to Polsky Exchange, a co-working space on Chicago’s south side. As a Polsky Exchange member, small business owners and entrepreneurs gain access to new resources, mentors, workshops, and events to help them succeed
Chicago Urban League Names New President and CEO
A little over a year ago, the Chicago Urban League announced that their president and CEO at the time, Shari Runner, would be stepping down. Since that time, Barbra Lumpkin has been serving as the interim CEO. Recently, the Chicago Urban League announced that Karen Freeman-Wilson will be joining the team early next year to serve as the organization’s next president and CEO.
Cook County Health Files State Application to Construct New Inpatient and Outpatient Facility on the Provident Hospital Campus
Cook County Health (CCH) has filed a Certificate of Need (CON) application with the Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board (IHFSRB), and, if approved, plans to build a modern and efficient inpatient and outpatient facility on a vacant parcel immediately west of and adjacent to the current Provident Hospital located at 500 E. 51st Street, Chicago. The new facility will include expanded outpatient services and downsized inpatient facilities.
Grassroots Organization Uses Street Outreach To Reduce Violence And Recidivism
Target Area Development Corporation (Target Area) is a grassroots social justice organization working in Chicago to assist south side communities to build the strength and capacity they need to solve their greatest problems. The organization uses street outreach to address criminal justice reform, prevent violence, and supporting residents as they return from incarceration.
Committee Chairs Request Information from Consumer Bureau on Efforts to Protect Student Loan Borrowers
Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), sent a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathleen Kraninger requesting information and records concerning the CFPB’s efforts to protect consumers from unlawful student loan servicing practices.
Social Security Accelerates Decisions for People with Serious Disabilities
Andrew Saul, commissioner of Social Security, recently announced four new Compassionate Allowances conditions: CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder, Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, Primary Peritoneal Cancer, and Richter Syndrome.
Dolton 149 Back-to-School Carnival Draws Hundreds of Students, Parents
Dolton School District 149 held its annual back-to-school outdoor carnival on Saturday, August 25, drawing hundreds of the district’s students and families for rides, activities, food, music, and more at the event.
FORD CALLS FOR EQUALITY IN TEACHER PAY
State Representative La Shawn K. Ford (D-CH), applauds Governor Pritzker for signing HB2078 into law. HB2078 will increase the minimum salary for teachers over the next four years, reaching $40,000 by the 2023-2024 school year. Ford, who showed heavy support for the new law in the beginning, was also a sponsor who voted for HB2078. Ford believes the passage of this bill into law sends a message that Illinois demands better for educators in Illinois.
Reports, released and not released, put Capitol workplace culture in spotlight
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan believes the three other legislative groups should conduct independent reviews of their workplaces, his chief of staff said in an email Thursday. A report released by his office Tuesday concluded a culture of bullying and intimidation existed in the speaker’s office and throughout the Capitol system. The results of the investigation, called for by Madigan and a group of female lawmakers in June 2018, were made public because the speaker values transparency, Jessica Basham, his chief of staff, said.
Congresswoman Kelly Conducts First Non-Partisan Congressional Maternal Health Field Inquiry in Chicago
This week, Congresswoman Robin Kelly convened a non-partisan Congressional Maternal Health Field Inquiry, in collaboration with Advocate Children’s Hospital, to shine an urgent light on the rising rate of American mothers dying from pregnancy and childbirth. The inquiry’s findings will contribute to larger federal reporting and fact-finding efforts to craft a national response to America’s shocking and growing maternal morality rate. “This inquiry – the first in a national series – will take us a little further down the road to advancing legislation that will save mothers’ lives,” Congresswoman Kelly said. “Last year, I introduced the MOMMAs Act to protect mothers by establishing policies and practices to prevent maternal deaths.
Culture remains at the epicenter of the African Festival of the Arts
If you were to look for the exact heart and soul of the African Festival of the Arts on the grounds of Washington Park it would likely be the Ancestral Grove. There, for 30 years, the day before the start of the Festival, members of Africa International House, the staff, volunteers and the community gather to pay homage to the ancestors prior to the opening of the Festival.
AFTER LEADING NEIGHBORHOOD RUNS ALL SUMMER, NONPROFIT FOUNDER HOSTS INAUGURAL 5K RUN
For months, the founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, Jahmal Cole, has been leading small groups of runners through various neighborhoods across Chicago and encouraging them to meet new people and explore new places.
Auburn Gresham boosted by annual festival
The Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side is known for a lot of things and one of them is the annual 79th Street Renaissance Festival.
