South Chicago finds new life after steel
South Chicago had been a proud working-class community for a century when the steel industry began a precipitous decline in the 1980s and early 1990s. The USX South Works mill, on the eastern edge of the community, employed 20,000 people at its peak but closed its gates in 1992. Other nearby mills including Wisconsin Steel also closed, leaving a shattered community of brownfields, empty stores and worn out housing.
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News and articles
South Chicago Heroes:
Joann Podkul and Kevin Murphy
Zebedee and Tonya Rivera
11/17/2009
The community heroes saluted by the New Communities Program lead agencies and their partners are the ones doing the heavy lifting, often with little acknowledgement or reward.
Weatherization = Energy Conservation + Jobs 8/5/2009
Residents of four NCP neighborhoods completed training for entry-level, green-collar jobs earlier this summer under a pilot program launched at the Local Economic Employment Development (LEED) Council.
Artist draws out developmentally disabled 7/22/2009
Chicago artist Monika Kimrey's work with the developmentally disabled at South Chicago Parents and Friends is already opening new horizons.
- South Chicago: A place of steely resolve 7/8/2009
- Southeast Chicago goes from steel to green 5/6/2009
- South Chicago toasts soon-to-open senior center 11/21/2008
- Video: South Chicago teens install mural 11/13/2008
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