Local News
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.
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.
Addressing the Real Need in Real Time
As someone who’s been organizing since I was a teenager, I can tell you that it’s hard to get people to focus on two things at once. Pick a real need and work on it in real time – that’s the way to win people over.
As Gun Deaths in America Top 14,000 So Far This Year, Rep. Kelly, Senators Booker, Warren Announce Introduction of Firearm Safety Act
With the Gun Violence Archive reporting that guns have killed more than 14,000 Americans so far in 2023, U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL), U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) announced today that the Firearm Safety Act -- common sense legislation to allow the Consumer Product Safety Commission to create safety standards for firearms -- is being introduced in the Senate for the first time. This bill is endorsed by Brady United, Everytown, Giffords, and March For Our Lives. Representative Kelly will reintroduce the bill in the House.
EARLY WALKER TO BE PRESENTED THE PRESIDENTIAL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Early Walker- CEO of I’m Telling, Don’t Shoot – will receive the prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award during a church service witnessed by over 1000 residents of Chicago. Various government officials will take part in presenting Walker the award which is signed by President Joe Biden.
New ACR Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines call for earlier and more-intensive screening for high-risk women
New American College of Radiology® (ACR®) breast cancer screening guidelines now call for all women — particularly Black and Ashkenazi Jewish women — to have risk assessment by age 25 to determine if screening earlier than age 40 is needed. The ACR continues to recommend annual screening starting at age 40 for women of average risk, but earlier and more intensive screening for high-risk patients. The new ACR guidelines for high-risk women were published online May 3 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR).
