Local News

HELP FOR BLENDED FAMILIES

Ronnie and Lamar Tyler, an Atlanta husband and wife team, have announced the release of their new stepfamily documentary titled “Blended: The Unspoken Truth About Stepfamilies.” The power couple kicked off their documentary beginning September 16th, which was nationally recognized as National Stepfamily Day.

Dolton West School District 148 adopts $39.4 million balanced budget

A $39.4 million spending plan is in place for Dolton West School District 148.Following a public hearing at the September 27, 2016 School Board meeting, the Board gave unanimous approval to the final, 2016-17 budget.

Chicago Teens Celebrate After School Matters’ 25th Anniversary

1,000 civic, corporate and community leaders attended the After School Matters® Annual Gala on Monday, September 19 at Chicago’s historic Navy Pier to celebrate 25 years of successfully providing after-school and summer programs to Chicago teenagers. Over the past 25 years, more than 200,000 teens have participated in the nonprofit organization’s hands-on, project-based after-school and summer programs in the arts, communications, science, sports and technology.

Black Women for change Organization hosts Non-Violent Conference

With the spread of gun violence across America, Black Women for Positive Change (BW4PC), a national civic organization of African-American women in Washington, D.C., have joined with political leaders in America and overseas to host their 4th Annual 2016 Week of Non-Violence, Justice and Opportunities, October 15-23rd, according to a BW4PC press release.

57 Top Media Brands Come Together For Voter Registration Drive

Fifty-seven of the nation’s top media brands for women have come together in partnership with Rock the Vote on a voter registration campaign— #OurVoteCounts—to ensure that women participate in this historic election. This unprecedented nonpartisan effort will reach an audience of over 67 million women of varied interests, ages, races, political beliefs, geography and faiths, because votes from women in America mean more than ever in 2016.

Looking and Feeling Good Inside and Out for the Interview

The perfect resume means nothing if you can’t sell yourself at a job interview. And most interviewers form an opinion before you shake their hand -; potential employers really do judge books by their covers.

Comcast Business Expands Fiber Optic Network In Englewood

Comcast announced recently that it has expanded its network to Englewood Square, a 5.5 acre retail development anchored by Whole Foods in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. This proactive technology infrastructure investment, which includes fiber optic and coaxial cable, will give retailers in the development access to Internet speeds of up to 10 Gbps (100 Gbps on a case-by-case basis), along with a wide range of Comcast Business services, including Ethernet, Internet, Voice and value-added cloud services. Fiber means increased bandwidth – and increased bandwidth allows businesses to better serve customers, access more and more applications and services in the cloud, accommodate rapidly increasing numbers of employees in the field using mobile devices and exchange large amounts of data. Having the fiber so close also allows Comcast to install new customers more quickly and could reduce or even eliminate their start-up costs.

CI Builds Official APP for Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Clearly Innovative (CI), one of the Washington area’s leading digital and business solutions companies, built and launched the official mobile App for the Smithsonian’s’ new National Museum of African- American History and Culture (NMAAHC) that opened Saturday, September 24, 2016. The App contains features to provide information about the museum.

CHA’S Gene Jones Honored

Eugene “Gene” Jones, Chief Executive Officer for the Chicago Housing Authority, is being honored for his commitment to community sustainability by Holsten Human Capital Development (HHCD) not for profit, at Loyola University’s Kasbeer Hall. The Holsten Human Capital Development (HHCD) Annual Community Sustainability Awards were established to honor individuals who have played a significant role in building healthy communities in the City of Chicago.

CITIZEN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER WILLIAM GARTH, SR. DIES AT 78

A pillar in the community, Garth led the Citizen with a steady hand and worked hard to make the news operation the largest Black owned ABC audited newspaper in the Midwest. Starting out as an advertising salesman for the Citizen, Garth lived the American Dream. After gaining recognition as a master salesman at the Citizen, he ended up owning the newspaper chain in 1980 when he purchased the business from Gus Savage, a six term Democratic congressman who represented Chicago’s South Side.

Marcus Garvey’s family seeks support for presidential pardon

The family of Marcus Mosiah Garvey is seeking support from the public for a petition to secure a posthumous presidential pardon for the civil rights pioneer. The White House’s We the People platform said the petition needs 100,000 signatures by September 28th to generate a response from the Obama administration to pardon Garvey, who in 1923, was indicted for mail fraud by a U.S. Court, according to a PR Newswire report.

September 27 is National Voter Registration Day

On September 27, 2016, Americans will celebrate National Voter Registration Day with a massive 50-state effort to register voters before Election Day this November.

VALUING BLACK LIVES CONFERENCE CONVENES IN WASHINGTON

The Community Healing Network (CHN) will host Valuing Black Lives 2016: The Second Annual Global Emotional Emancipation Summit on September 15th -16th in Washington, DC. According to a Valuing Black Lives press release, the summit will bring together Black grassroots activists from around the world as well as representatives of national and international organizations to develop strategies that overturn the root causes of the devaluing of Black lives.

USING SPIRITUALITY TO OVERCOME ADDICTION

In spite of the multifaceted addiction problems that blacks face, studies suggests that belief and acceptance of spirituality have been a saving grace for those struggling with various addictions. According to a report by the Minority Nurse, an online newsletter, the church has been a strength for blacks.

I’LL-EQUIPPED TO IDENTIFY MENTAL HEALTH CALLS

According to an Associated Press report, a growing number of shooting deaths by police, involving the mentally ill has prompted lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department to investigate excessive force by police officers in cities like Baltimore, Seattle and Portland. In Chicago, Jennifer McGowan, associate director of National Alliance for the Mentally Illinois (NAMI) said NAMI offers Crisis Intervention Training or CIT so that Chicago police are better equipped to deal with the mentally ill.