Local News
Friend Health Deepens Back of the Yards Commitment With Expanded Clinic
Friend Health, a community-anchored federally qualified health center (FQHC) serving Chicago’s South Side, celebrated the opening of its new Back of the Yards community health center on Saturday, November 22, in a ceremony with community residents and Chicago dignitaries. The opening represents the largest expansion in Friend Health’s nearly three decades of service, the latest proof of its rapid growth and momentum in bringing whole-person, affordable care to Chicago’s South Side.
Rep. Kelly announces WELLS Act, a new maternal health bill, in honor of Mercedes Wells
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) announced plans to introduce new maternal health legislation with Mercedes Wells, a constituent who was forced to give birth in her truck after being discharged from a hospital. The WELLS Act, named in honor of Mercedes, will urge hospitals and birthing centers to develop and implement a safe discharge plan.
Achievement supported by unprecedented investments in higher education under the Pritzker Administration
Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) announced that public universities in Illinois achieved the highest enrollment level in 10 years, with nearly 190,000 students enrolled during the fall semester of the 2025-26 academic year. Total enrollment at Illinois public universities increased for the second consecutive year and is the highest in 10 years according to IBHE’s annual First Look Fall Enrollment report.
Chef Curtis Duffy’s Ever Retains Two Michelin Stars in the 2025 Michelin Guide
Ever, the celebrated restaurant led by Chef Curtis Duffy, is honored to share that it has been awarded Two Michelin Stars in the 2025 Michelin Guide, as well as Michelin’s Service Award recognizing the restaurant’s exceptional front-of-house hospitality.
CHICAGO COMMUNITY BUILDERS COLLECTIVE AND PARTNERS PROVIDE 300 MEALS FOR SNAP RECIPIENTS IN NORTH LAWNDALE
Chicago Community Builders Collective (CCBC), the general contractor for the Bally’s Chicago Casino project, in partnership with UCAN Chicago, Bally’s Chicago, McHugh Concrete Construction, UJAMAA Construction, and Brown and Momen, hosted two-free meal giveaways, providing meals to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients impacted by the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. Select photos are linked below.
Do312 Announces Do312 MORE Holiday Promotion, Offering a Year of Chicago Events for $50
Do312, Chicago’s premier source for the best things to do in and around the city, today announced the launch of its Do312 MORE Holiday Promotion, offering Chicagoans a new affordable, experience-driven gifting option through Dec. 17. For $50, gift-givers can provide a full year of personalized monthly event tickets, including concerts, comedy, festivals and local cultural events, without the traditional holiday stress of shipping, sizing or second-guessing.
Modern DMV, Made Easy: Giannoulias Unveils Brand-New, State-of-the-Art Naperville One-Stop-Shop DMV
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias unveiled the new, state-of-the-art DMV in Naperville, offering faster, streamlined services and efficiencies.
South Suburban College to Celebrate Radiologic Technology Graduates, Including Students Displaced by Abrupt College Closure
South Suburban College (SSC) is proud to announce a special pinning ceremony honoring the accomplishments of the 2024–2025 Radiologic Technology cohort, including students who continued their education at SSC after being displaced by the sudden closure of Northwestern College. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Kindig Performing Arts Center on SSC’s Main Campus.
Support for People Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers
As the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia continues to climb, advocates warn that public policy has not kept up with the increasingly urgent needs of families. Leaders from the Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) stress that lawmakers must take decisive action now to strengthen protections, expand services, and provide meaningful financial support to millions of caregivers nationwide.
A Winning Hand
This year, as I sat to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with friends-laughter floating across the table, stories being passed like side dishes-my spirit felt unusually quickened. I experienced the familiar gratitude that Thanksgiving always brings, something quieter, yet more urgent: an awareness that the challenges and blessings of this year felt both intimately familiar and achingly fleeting. Time has its own rhythm, but this year it seemed to move with a swifter current. Perhaps you, too, have sensed that change since last January. At the same time there came a moment of feeling helpless to these things that have so rapidly changed, affecting so many facets of our lives. I took a deep breath and allowed myself to feel the weight and wonder of these past months.
Chicago Urban League Opens Empowerment Center In West Chatham
The Chicago Urban League recently celebrated the opening of its Empowerment Center, located at 8331 S. Stewart. The hope is that with the opening of the center, community members and Black people across the city will have access to equitable opportunities, from good paying jobs to quality education, owning homes and building generational wealth.
Education Couture Promotes Literacy And Learning
A local program, founded by a speech-language therapist, is making literacy more accessible and culturally relevant. Ruckiya Ross first came up with the idea for Education Couture in 2014 while working in the Chicago Public Schools. In her work in communities on the South side, she noticed literacy gaps and also noticed that learning didn’t excite the children as much as pop culture, music and fashion. She wanted to make children as passionate about reading as they were about other things that grabbed their attention. She left CPS, Ross returned as a volunteer to test an idea that blended therapeutic practices with hip-hop rhythm and neuroscience-based strategies to spark engagement and build vocabulary. Those early experiments became the foundation for Education Couture. Querida Flores and Ruckiya Ross, of Education Couture, took the time to answer questions that were submitted to them by the Citizen Newspaper.
The State of the Southland: Village of Lynwood
Jada Curry has been the Mayor of the Village of Lynwood since 2021. Well into her second term, Curry is looking towards the future of the Village of Lynwood and celebrating the ways the Village has progressed since her first term.
Timeless Gifts To Host 16th Annual Christmas Duets Concert And Fundraising Gala
Joan Collaso founded Timeless Gifts Performing Arts Program for Youth and Young Adults with a concert that would pair aspiring performers with seasoned world class musicians for a Christmas Concert. After the success of the concert, Collaso decided the concert was something she wanted to do every year. But, she wanted to turn it into a program where young people would participate in a six-week summer program and have a concert after the six weeks, along with the Christmas concert.
