Local News
New Research Shows Consumers Increasingly Adopting Tech-Driven Purchasing Habits
Citi Retail Services (CRS) recently announced the results of its third-annual nationwide study on evolving consumer shopping trends during the holiday season. The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found that this holiday season, in addition to rushing to the mall, consumers are increasingly powering up their computers and mobile devices or simply interacting with their virtual assistant. While nearly three-fourths (73%) still plan on visiting a brick and- mortar store to purchase holiday gifts, a sizable 57% additionally plan on turning to their computer to shop, 42% to their mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, and 13% to their virtual assistant, such as Alexa or Siri, to facilitate their holiday shopping needs.
HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA CLUB PRESENTS ELF THE MUSICAL JR. AS THEIR FALL PRODUCTION
The Bloom High School Drama Club is preparing for their fall production of Elf The Musical Jr. which will open at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Nov. 29. There will be another 7 p.m. show on Friday, Nov. 30 and a performance at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 1 at Bloom High School, 101 W 10th St, in Chicago Heights. Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $5 for students, $5 for senior citizens, and kids 5 and under are free.
New Food Hall To Open In Historic South Side Neighborhood
A new food hall is scheduled to open in the historic Pullman neighborhood in late January. One Eleven Food Hall will house three South Side restaurateurs and will be located in the 111th Street Gateway Retail Center that was developed by Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives.
Friend Of Late Mayor Harold Washington Says The Future Is In The Hands of the Black Community Once Again
Conrad Worrill is a highly regarded African American writer, educator, and activist from Chicago. Worrill was also a friend of the late Chicago Mayor, Harold Washington who died in office 31 years ago. In honor of the anniversary of Mayor Washington’s death, Worrill took the time to recall some of his memories and spoke on how the political climate has changed from then to now.
TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS OF ILLINOIS GIVES FOUR AWARDS TO SOUTH SUBURBAN CHICAGO TOWNSHIP
Thornton Township was recently honored with four awards by the Township Officials of Illinois. The awards included, Best Township Social Media, Best Township Communication Messenger of the Year; Ernst Lamothe Jr., Most Innovative Township Program Award, and Best General Assistance Caseworker of the Year; Lakeela Jennings.
Arts, Entertainment, History and Culture Headline the 2019 Forever Stamp Lineup
In the spirit of the coming new year, the U.S. Postal Service recently revealed several of the new Forever stamps and other stamps to be issued in 2019.
South Suburban Schools Train on Storytelling Techniques to Tackle Youth Disconnect
A new movement is brewing up in Chicago-area schools to tackle the social and emotional disconnect of youth that’s triggered by the increasing domination of social media and cell phone usage in society. And Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144 in Markham, Ill. is leading the way.
Assessor’s Office again certifies assessments early
Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios announced today that his office has certified the 2018 City of Chicago Triennial Reassessment earlier than last year’s triennial reassessment and will again publish all assessed values ahead of the anticipated schedule.
UNCF Chicago Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement
—UNCF Chicago joins #GivingTuesday to encourage philanthropy through education. Benefiting historically black colleges and universities, UNCF Chicago aims to change the narrative of HBCUs across the nation by equipping minority students with the resources necessary to transition into college and ultimately the workforce. With the recent release of UNCF’s new publication, HBCUs Make America Strong: The Positive Economic Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the value can be seen in how HBCUs perform in annual job creation and economic development: 134,000 jobs nationwide and almost $15 billion in total national economic impact. In Chicago alone, UNCF Chicago awarded 784 scholarships to IL students.
MOVIE MAKER MONDAYS TEACH FUNDAMENTALS OF SCREENWRITING AND FILMMAKING
Contexture Media Network is currently in the midst of hosting their first session of Movie Maker Mondays, a six-week workshop series that provides useful information about film production. The workshops are being held every Monday from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Movie Studio Grill, 210 W. 87th St., in Chatham and the cost is $60 per session.
Employees of African-American business owners are more likely to receive robust benefits packages
As unemployment rates remain low across the country, strong employee benefits packages are a key driver of both recruitment and retention. According to Nationwide’s fourth annual survey of U.S. business owners with 1-499 employees, 85 percent of African-American business owners say they offer some form of an employee benefits package — well exceeding the broader business owner market (64 percent). Across every benefit category included in Nationwide’s survey, more African-American business owners indicate they provide more benefits to their employees than the general population of business owners.
CHICAGO ACTIVISTS TAKE CITY WIDE BUS TOUR TO DISCUSS COMMUNITY CONCERNS
The Grassroots Collaborative recently organized a city-wide bus tour with stops on the north side, west side, and south side to share stories and discuss the most pressing issues that they see with the current state of affairs in Chicago.
Ford Honors Over A Dozen Unsung Heroes For Their Work In Chicago’s African American Communities
Ford Motor Company recently hosted the Freedom Unsung Awards at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr., to honor Chicago activist that have made significant contributions to the African American communities across the city. “Ford has always honored people for their legacy and we have honored a lot of very famous people. We had an exhibit on the women of the Civil Rights Movement that toured the country for four years and we realized as we did that and as we do other programs that there are so many heroes in the community that never ask for anything and are just doing what they are doing,” said Pamela Alexander, director of community development for the Ford Motor Company Fund.
University Of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy Unveils Three-Year Evaluation
After three years of operation, The Civic Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago has released a formal evaluation of their first three cohorts. The results of the evaluation show that the interdisciplinary programming the University is providing has benefited the individuals and organizations that have participated and Chicago’s civic network as a whole.
