2015 Studs Terkel Community Media Awards

Click to view this email in a browser 2015 Studs Terkel Community Media Awards Get your tickets for the Studs Terkel Community Media Awards today and join usMarch 12th for a great celebration. Questions: Please contact Maggie Walker or call us at 312-369-6400. ... more

CPS Schedules Make-Up Days for January Cancellations

CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools students will have to wait an extra day to begin their summer break this year. CPS has scheduled two make-up days for the two snow days in early January, CPS officials said. On Jan. 6th and Jan. 7th, snow and frigid temperatures forced CPS to cancel classes.... more

GADC's Education Director Selected to 1st Class at Civic Leadership Academy!

Congratulations to Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporations Education Director, Tenisha Jones on her acceptance to the 1st class at Civic Leadership Academy! @UChiEngagement #UChiCLA

Auburn Greshm FREE TAX SITE Starts January 21st!

The Center for Economic Progress (CEP) partners with the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) and the St. Sabina Employment Resource Center (ERC) to provide free tax preparation. The Tax Site intake area is at 7903 S. Racine and the doors opens at 5:30pm. This FREE service is ba... more

It is Your Unalienable Right To Dream

“I am happy to join you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nations. ...In a sense we have come to our nations capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and th... more

Students Demand End To Harsh School Punishments (VIDEO)

Biblical Procession Planned in Protest for Lathrop Homes Saturday

LOGAN SQUARE — Organizers with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association will gather with teens and community members Saturday to reenact a Biblical trail through the Lathrop Homes.The procession will pass more than 750 vacant units left in limbo at Lathrop, according to the association&rsquo... more

Pilot program to train Seattle parents for larger role at school

Many parents long for a greater role in their children’s schools, something beyond being asked to raise money. This year, through a grass-roots program modeled on a Chicago success story, about 20 moms and dads in Seattle will get that chance. In Chicagos Logan Square neighborhood, many par... more

LSNA Staff Lucy Gomez-Felicano and Lissette Moreno-Kuri selected for Illinois Latino Nonprofit Leadership Academy.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information: Lissette Moreno-Kuri Education Program Director 773-384-4370, x25 lmoreno-kuri@lsna.net Illinois Latino Nonprofit Leadership Academy Announces its Year 6 Cohort CHICAGO –August 24, 2014—Logan Square Neighborhood Association is pleased to a... more

Future of affordable housing unclear after SRO tenant deals

In a bid to preserve his home in Logan Square’s bug-infested Milshire Hotel, Fred Bartels testified before the City Council just last month in favor of a city moratorium on converting or demolishing single-room occupancy and residential hotels. On Friday, Bartels was making plans for what he... more

Honey 1 Barbecue is moving to Bronzeville and taking Chicago's barbecue heritage with it

Robert Adams Sr., owner and pitmaster at Honey 1 Barbecue in Bucktown—site of the lone commercial "aquarium" smoker on the north side—is about to open a new location in Bronzeville at 746 E. 43rd Street. And when he does hes "90 percent sure" hes going to shut down his present location. ... more

Yassa Coming Spring 2015

With an extensive menu of African fare and services, including catering and special events, Yassa is sure to provide your family with a delicious, and reasonably priced dining experience. Specializing in Senegalese cuisine such as Ataya-Chai (Senegalese tea), youre sure to find something to cater to... more

Now Hiring: Motivated People in Chicago's South Lakefront

2 Dishwashers, 2 Waitstaff, 1 Manager Position, please apply https://careers-741partners.icims.com/jobs/1022/job?mobile=falseandwidth=650andheight=500andbga=trueandneedsRedirect=false

Chicago Business Owner Overcomes Hurdles

Photo by John L. Alexander CHICAGO–Jewelry designer and boutique owner Fort Smith faced negativity from those around him early in life, but he didn’t let the lack of faith from others keep him down for long. Today, Fort Smith Boutique, 1007 E. 43rd St., a designer and cloth... more

CHICAGO’S ART SCENE ISN’T LIKE THE REST: IT’S SURPRISINGLY DIVERSE

Raymond A. Thomas is an award-winning, Chicago-based, full-time artist. He doesn’t have to flip burgers or teach a high school gym class to make ends meet. He also doesn’t have to move to New York or to Los Angeles to find a market for his work. Last year, in fact, one of his paintings w... more

The 63rd Bridge Closing Update

The 63rd Bridge Closing Update

Demond Drummer joins Smart Chicago as Managing Director of the Smart Chicago Challenge

Today Demond Drummer joins the Smart Chicago Collaborative as the Managing Director of the Smart Chicago Challenge, a plan to make Chicago the most dynamic digital city in the world. Demond comes to us from Teamwork Englewood, where he has been a Tech Organizer. As part of his work there in the Sma... more

63rd Street Bridge Closing to Traffic

Beginning Monday, January 12, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will begin a 10-month renovation of the 63rd Street bridge over the Dan Ryan Expressway. All automobile and truck traffic will be rerouted. We are waiting for some details, but here is what IDOT is currently releasing. &... more

A Look At Teamwork Englewood in 2014

News From Teamwork Englewood: 2014 has been an exciting year for Teamwork Englewood - full of accomplishments, exciting initiatives, critical community partnerships and the launch of several successful empowering programs for the Englewood Community. Since 2003, Teamwork Englewood has been working... more

WPC Announces Resignation of Executive Director

The Board of Directors for the Washington Park Consortium (WPC) announced today that executive director Brandon F. Johnson has resigned to pursue other opportunities. “I am tremendously proud of the strides Washington Park Consortium has made in support and technical assistance to Wa... more

Red Line South Reconstruction Project

Cermak-Chinatown to 95th/Dan Ryan • May 2013 – October 2013 CTA is rebuilding the south Red Line from just north of Cermak-Chinatown to 95th/Dan Ryan. The work will benefit Red Line riders for decades to come—through faster travel times, increased reliability, and spruced-up statio... more

The Crisis of Black Male Joblessness in Milwaukee: Trends, Explanations, and Policy Options

ABOUT THIS REPORT Since the late 1990s, issues surrounding race and employment have been a central research focus at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Economic Development (UWMCED). In a series of reports, the Center has analyzed racial disparities in employment in the Milwaukee regio... more

Alderman Pat Dowell Discusses Her Vote on on the Speed Zone Cameras and the Infrastructure Trust Ordinances

At the two most recent City Council meetings, I cast votes on two ordinances that will affect all residents of the city. I cast a no vote for the ordinance authorizing placement of speed cameras near schools and parks and voted in favor of the Chicago Infrastructure Trust ordinance. (See ordinance ... more

Alderman Willie Cochran Discusses His Vote on on the Speed Zone Cameras and the Infrastructure Trust Ordinances

Greetings to all: Over the last two weeks the City Council has had two matters, Speed Zone Cameras and The Infrastructure Trust that were voted on. These matters have been in discussion for approximately six (6) weeks. Over that period of time thorough discussion were had and questions and ... more

UIC Seeks Breast Cancer Research Study Volunteers

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 Wesley Walker Breast Cancer Survivors Move Forward Moving forward — that’s what researchers at the Institute for Health Research and Policy want to help African American breast cancer survivors do. Moving Forward is also the name of a community-based weight loss ... more

Woodlawn Health and Human Services Community Information Meeting

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 July 15, 2013 Please join the Network of Woodlawn, the Woodlawn Health and Human Services Consortium (WHHC) , and other Woodlawn health and human services providers for a discussion about Woodlawn’s health and human services. Secretary Michelle Saddler, Illinois De... more

Woodlawn Rolls Out Network of Woodlawn's Education Strategy to Community Residents

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 Woodlawn residents, stakeholders invited to participate in community meeting to guide the future of local schools Network of Woodlawn and Woodlawn Children’s Promise Community to host 10/27 meeting, the first in the Future of Woodlawn series (Chicago) … Th... more

Woodlawn Public Safety Alliance Continues to Organize and Pray to Stop the Violence

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 W.Walker The Woodlawn Public Safety Alliance will be leading a prayer vigil and march around the 6300 block of S. Rhodes on Thursday, October 18th from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The vigil and march is part of a response strategy to call attention to the escalation of youth violenc... more

State of Illinois Invests $2 million towards Decreasing the Digital Divide in South Side Communities

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 Governor Quinn Announces First Winner of Illinois Gigabit Communities Challenge State’s $2 Million Seed Investment Will Jumpstart Fiber Optic and Wireless Network in Mid-South Side Chicago Neighborhoods; Help Create Over 50 Jobs CHICAGO – October 16, 2012.... more

Murder At the Juke Joint!

Get Tickets by January 25, 2015!!! Roaring 20s Where Everything Was Illegal....Speakeasy Take a Walking Back In Time on Valentines Night Community Production to Support Having Fun Right Here In Your Own Backyard for Valentines Night. BRING IT HOME! Doors Open: 6:00 pm Show Begins: 7:00 pm -10:00 ... more

Hiring Community Watchers & Floaters

For School Year 2014-2015 Hiring Community Watchers and Floaters (Part-time) Monday, December 8 and Tuesday, December 9, 2014 9am – 12pm @ 9100 S. Burley Avenue Positions/Locations: Floating Community Watchers for Bowen High School, 2710 E. 89th Street and Corliss High School, 821 E. 103rd... more

Register for the CHA Waitlist Lottery this SATURDAY!

Check out Claretian Associates Executive Director, Angela Hurlock, to hear what she has to say about registering for the CHA Waitlist!

We are looking for a Cure Violence Program Manager!

The Program Manager will facilitate implementation of the program with fidelity to the Cure Violence model. The Program Manager is also responsible for building relationships with community based groups, residents, elected officials and law enforcement to educate community stakeholders about the Cu... more

Claretian Associates is looking for a Community Services Coordinator!

The Community Services Coordinator is a new position developed to respond to the growing need for affordable housing and services brought on by the crisis of foreclosing homes, expiring funding for affordable rental units and increasing rents, as well as the need for access to affordable food and fi... more

Learn how SWOP can assist you in enrolling your child or children into All Kids for free.

The All Kids program offers low and moderate Illinois children free or low cost insurance that covers comprehensive healthcare including doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, vision care and dental care and medical devices like eyeglasses and asthma inhalers. For more informatio... more

SWOP applies for an ISBE 21st Century Community Learning Center grant for 2014-15

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 The Southwest Organizing Project intends to apply to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant in partnership with Marquette Elementary School. The 21st CCLC will allow SWOP to expand educational, social-emotional, and en... more

SWOP’s "Reclaiming Southwest Chicago" Housing Campaign Moves Forward

SWOP SWOP continues to move on its effort to respond to the large numbers of vacant buildings plaguing the Southwest side by submitting a funding proposal to the Illinois Attorney General office as part of their request for proposals for the National Foreclosure Settlement Awards. Back in July 2012... more

SWOP LEADERS MAKE HISTORY AT DRIVER’S LICENSE BILL SIGNING

On January 28, SWOP leaders watched as Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed the highway safety legislation into law. Illinois makes history by becoming the first state in over a decade that had the courage to work in a bipartisan manner to pass driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants.... more

SWOP’s Next NAI Citizenship Workshop is March 23rd at Daley Community College

Wednesday, February 27, 2013 Since 2005, the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) has been a lead organization in the in the New Americans Initiative (NAI). Through NAI, administered by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) in partnership with the Illinois Department of ... more

Historic Gately Stadium Reopens
After Sweeping Renovation

Friday, November 11, 2011 Football players from eight public schools and South Side park districts that share decades-old Gately Stadium in Roseland gathered on Oct. 14 to celebrate a renovation that includes a new synthetic turf field, scoreboard, lighting and seating. They were joined just before ... more

Hoops in the Hood

Monday, December 19, 2011

New Hoops in the Hood video

Monday, December 19, 2011 For the last several years, Tu Multimedia, through videos and audio slideshows, has been documenting Hoops in the Hood, the summer basketball program that LISC/Chicago supports in communities throughout the city. Heres the latest.....

From Learn and Earn to Slam and Jam

Friday, November 11, 2011 John McCarron “There’s no time to get in trouble.” If the Near North Unity Project needed a motto this summer, Shelby Tharpe surely nailed it. It was a sticky-hot Friday afternoon and the 13-year-old was conferring with his buddy, Leon Wilbut, near basketb... more

Hoops in the Hood:
Profile of Volunteer Coach Darren Tillis

Friday, November 11, 2011 Community volunteers are an integral part of all successful neighborhood efforts – including Hoops in the Hood, a partnership of LISC/Chicago and organizations in 11 neighborhoods to offer summer sports programs focused on building youth engagement, leadership and co... more

Women's Business Development Center launches Latina Entrepreneurial Program

The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) has launched a one-of-a-kind Latina Entrepreneurial Accelerated Development (LEAD) Program. Focused on taking Latina business owners in the State of Illinois with high growth potential, the LEAD Program offers a full year of support, training and... more

Youth Guidance Set to Host 22nd Annual Parent Leadership Conference

Youth Guidance, a 90-year-old school-based agency working in conjunction with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), will hold its 22nd Annual Parent Leadership Conference in Oakbrook, Illinois, January 23-24, 2015. The event will feature engaging parenting workshops emphasizing tools and strategies to imp... more

Free Tax Preparation Service Starts January 21st!

Free Tax Help Español Get Your Taxes Done for Free From January thru April, CEP has free tax sites in communities throughout Illinois. Each year, we help nearly 20,000 people file their taxes and get all the tax credits they’ve earned and refunds they’re owed. Our free tax si... more

2014 Taste of Accion a Success

On behalf of the board of directors, staff and clients of Accion, thank you to all those involved in making the 2014 Taste of Accion an overwhelming success. November 18th was a great night. We celebrated our 20th Anniversary with nearly 350 clients, partners, and supporters who filled Preston Bra... more

Commercial area theft alert for Chicago Lawn

The 8th District Police Station in Chicago Lawn issued an alert Wednesday notifying business owners of an increase in robbery/theft related incidents in January. In each incident, an armed, male white offender enters a restaurant and demands money. The incidents have occurred in the evening or earl... more

City of Chicago, Business Affairs & Consumer Protection FEBRUARY CALENDAR Free Workshops

The City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) offers FREEbusiness workshops every Wednesday and Friday at City Hall, 8th Floor. To register for a workshop call 312-744-2086. You also can register by emailing BACPout... more

The School Project * Aftermath of Chicago's 2013 School Closings

NEWS RELEASE www.schoolprojectfilm.com Media Contact: Tim Horsburgh 773-472-4366; Rachel Dickson 773-656-8939; racheld@kartemquin.com The School Project teams up with University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research to revisit the... more

Valentine's Prayer Breakfast

Auburn Greshm Free Tax Site Starts January 21st!

The Auburn Gresham FREE Tax Site starts, Wednesday, January 21st! The Center for Economic Progress (CEP) partners with the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) and the St. Sabina Employment Resource Center (ERC) to provide free tax preparation. The Tax Site intake area is at 79... more

DREAM! Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2015

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream." - Martin Luther King Jr. January 19, 2015 JUST CLICK ON THIS LINK HERE TO HEAR THE “I HAVE A DREAM” SPEECH IN ITS ENTIRETY

Englewood Votes! Englewood Politcal Symposium

Englewood Votes! is a non-partisan coalition of Englewood and West Englewood organizations and residents working to increase voter education, participation and civic engagement in the community. The Englewood Political Symposium is designed to provide an open forum for candidates to interact with re... more

Youth Guidance Set to Host 22nd Annual Parent Leadership Conference

Youth Guidance, a 90-year-old school-based agency working in conjunction with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), will hold its 22nd Annual Parent Leadership Conference in Oakbrook, Illinois, January 23-24, 2015. The event will feature engaging parenting workshops emphasizing tools and strategies to im... more

The 63rd Bridge Closing Update

Demond Drummer joins Smart Chicago as Managing Director of the Smart Chicago Challenge

Today Demond Drummer joins the Smart Chicago Collaborative as the Managing Director of the Smart Chicago Challenge, a plan to make Chicago the most dynamic digital city in the world. Demond comes to us from Teamwork Englewood, where he has been a Tech Organizer. As part of his work there in the Sm... more

LargeLots.org: Translating Open Data to Tangible Change

One city that has figured out how to translate open data into tangible, street-level change is Chicago. An example can be found in the city’s Large Lot Program and its corresponding, consumer-facing website LargeLots.org. Through the city’s program, local landowners living on the same bl... more

Early voting begins on Monday, February 9

Early voting for the February 24, 2015 Municipal Election will begin Monday, February 9 and run through Saturday, February 21st. There are 51 Early Voting sites that will be open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registered voters can visit any location with a government issued ID to cast ... more

Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center Schedules Open Enrollment Sign-Up Events

Since November 15, 2014, Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center (PSMEMC) has partnered with PrimeCare Community Health and the Puerto Rican Cultural Center to assist community residents in enrolling for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment to sign up for health p... more

2014 Taste of Accion a Success

On behalf of the board of directors, staff and clients of Accion, thank you to all those involved in making the 2014 Taste of Accion an overwhelming success. November 18th was a great night. We celebrated our 20th Anniversary with nearly 350 clients, partners, and supporters who filled Preston Bra... more

Find Free Tax Preparation in Your Community

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $53,000 or less, people with disabilities, the elderly and people with limited English who need help preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free, basic income tax return pr... more

Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center Welcomes Arrival of First Baby Born in 2015

Entering the world at 10:14 a.m. on January 1, Khloe Averi Soto was the first baby to be born in 2015 at Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center (PSMEMC) in Chicago. She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces. This is the first child for parents Crystal Martinez and Jose Soto of Chicago’s Hermo... more

Three more portals for Smart Communities

The three Southwest neighborhoods in Chicagos Smart Communities program launched their portals yesterday, creating a wide new avenue for interaction among residents, businesses and organizations.They are works in progress, with some empty spaces yet to fill, but already the portals offer new stories... more

Peirce on Daley

Syndicated state and local government columnist Neal Peirces recent summary of Mayor Daleys legacy on the Citistates site will seem fawning to Daleys critics. There is only a brief mention at the end about patronage and corruption, and no mention at all about the privatization controversies that hav... more

Preview: Humboldt Park Launches Its Portal

Its still a work in progress, according to the team that made it happen, but the Humboldt Park Portal, a day after its "soft" launch, looks pretty good to me. It features a nice selection of stories from various contributors and organizations, a packed calendar (Movies in the Park, Jens Jensen birth... more

Take a Tour of Pilsen - by Video or Phone

Weve written here before about how neighborhoods are using multimedia tools to promote their work and their neighborhoods, but couldnt have imagined, even six months ago, how far the groups would come, and how fast.Audio slideshows are now available for 10 neighborhoods as part of the Chicago Commun... more

Front-Yard Signs Call Out Banks on Foreclosures

Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) is "naming names" of banks that are foreclosing on properties on Chicagos Southwest Side, where 7,300 foreclosures have been filed over two years in four area ZIP Codes. The bank names are prominently featured on yard signs that say "Deutsch Bank (or Citibank or J... more

Listen Up! Youth Speaks at CNDA on Feb. 17

“Learning is ever in the freshness of youth, even for the old.” -Aeschylus The ancient Greek had it about right – the young have much to teach us, even as we latter-day ancients labor to teach them. So why not, for a change, let some youngsters educate us about things urban at ... more

AmeriCorps Provides Pipeline of Talent, Energy

The community development employment pipeline doesn’t run in a straight line. No formal academic trail leads to this type of work, and while everyone entering serves an informal apprenticeship through on-the-job training, it’s hardly well defined. But for LISC Chicago, one of the most ... more

Police-Community Programs Win MetLife Foundation Awards

Good things happen when local police officers build real relationships with people in the neighborhood and partner with community organizations. That’s been known for a long time, and there are specific terms, ideas like “restorative justice” and “racial reconciliation,&rdquo... more

Community Organizing: Step One for Neighborhood Change

Dust the surface of any significant neighborhood improvement, from the clean-up of a park, to a new affordable apartment building, to the initiation of a public safety project, and you’ll likely find the fingerprints of a community organizer. Those projects rarely happen without public appro... more

LISC Chicago Business District Leadership Program

LISC Chicago’s Business District Leadership (BDL) program is bringing together nonprofit and public sector leaders to support training, education and capacity building for organizations offering services to business districts throughout the City of Chicago. Inspired by the award-winning Coro... more

Low Wage Workers Forum, TONIGHT 2/11, 6 p.m.

The surge of groups speaking today for low wage workers is unprecedented in Chicago. What do they want? Who are they? What’s likely to happen? Tonight – Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. these workers, the groups that represent them, and the community organizations and others that are standing behind... more

Students promote Martin Luther King’s values

Uplift High students participating in the Peace Ambassadors program will be honored Friday, January 17, 9:30 a.m., at 900 W. Wilson.

The Obama tour

Marking the fifth anniversary of Barack Obamas election as president, Forgotten Chicago is offering a tour of the Chicago sites from Obamas life in Chicago on November 10.

Ames parent mobilize

Ames Middle School parents will canvas the neighborhood Saturday morning to spread the word about community meetings at the school Tuesday at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Foreclosures and the black community

Author Laura Gottesdiener will discuss her new book, "A Dream Foreclosed: Black America and the Fight for a Place to Call Home," joined by activists from the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign and Residents Association of Greater Englewood, on Wednesday, October 30, 6 p.m., at the Center for the Study o... more

South Loop Pushes for Neighborhood High School

Many families living in the South Loop struggle with the issue of not having a suitable neighborhood high school for their children. Litigation attorney and community leader John Jacoby faces the same problem with his youngest daughter who next year will be a freshman in high school. Having lived in... more

Fire at South Loop Firehouse Restaurant prompts Landmarks Illinois to take action

A fire at a South Loop firehouse-turned-restaurant in early December has prompted Landmarks Illinois, a nonprofit preservation organization, to beef up its efforts to prevent future fires caused by construction-related accidents in historic buildings. The extra-alarm fire on 1401 S. Michigan Ave. wa... more

Are You Game for Making a Game? Global Game Jam Comes to Blue1647

BLUE1647 is a site for the 2015 Global Game Jam and you’re invited! No age restrictions, its free, and in a safe place. The Global Game Jam is a 48-hour worldwide event where you go to a local site, find a team, and make a game based around a secret theme. What’s the secret theme? I can&... more

Free Film And Discussion “Chicago’s School Closings”

Film Screening, Research Presentation, and Discussion – open to the public, free. Hosted by the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research and The School Project: David and Reva Logan Center for the Arts, Performance Hall University of Chicago Thursday, January 22nd 6:30 P.M. ... more

Illinois New Eavesdropping Law Still Trouble for Citizens?

ChicagoTalks followed the story of artist and free speech activist Chris Drew from his arrest for recording his own arrest, to his untimely death, and the subsequent overturning of the Illinois Eavesdropping law by the state Supreme Court. Here is an update on the new version of that law from the Re... more

In the News: Lewis says she's not stepping down

Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union, says she isn’t stepping down over an “inappropriate joke she made about Education Secretary Arne Duncan. While her remarks were insensitive, they were just 120 seconds of her 35-minute speech at a social justice event in Seattle last month, Lewi... more

CPS moves forward on principal prep program, single hs application

At a low-key board meeting, district officials told members they are formally looking for partners to better prepare principals. Also, board members approved a contract for the development of a singular application for high schools to take the place of the hodge podge of applications that parents mu... more

No time to waste on longer day

 Chicago’s children deserve better. The majority of the city’s public school students today are not being prepared for success in this increasingly competitive global economy. Without dramatic change, it is unlikely that Chicago students living in poverty today will even have the chance to live a mi... more

In the News: Groups ready to battle over closings

Community groups around Chicago have begun revving up for what likely will be a fierce battle to keep neighborhood schools open as CPS prepares to announce this years list of school closings and consolidations. (Tribune) All prospective Chicago Public Schools students would have to go through an ap... more

In the News: City schools face Common Core struggle

Some of the best Chicago public schools are struggling to measure up to the recently adopted tougher Common Core curriculum, according to the Tribune. Also, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard announced Monday a new online tool that will allow the public to read school reports for ea... more

Dozens of schools meet closings criteria

About 140 schools, most on the South Side, meet all the key components of the district’s draft criteria to be eligible for closing. This week, the district is holding community forums on the proposed criteria. Sometime after Nov. 21, CEO Jean-Claude Brizard will issue final guidelines. A week and a... more

A raw idea: Owners changing up pets' diets

Before dogs were domesticated, they ate what they killed -- and they certainly didnt cook it. Now, a new diet designed with that simple philosophy in mind is picking up steam in the pet industry. Some dog owners say it makes their pups healthier and happier, but others say its just not worth the... more

CTA financial statements reflect positive steps in efficiency and emissions

A push to lower emissions and some smart commodity buying led the CTA to a drastic reduction in operating costs.

Cancer survivor’s difficult road to hit smooth pavement across America

Evan Bartlett’s life began with a huge challenge. At four months old, he was diagnosed with a life-threatening form of cancer and given a 65 percent chance of surviving.

Color Jam brings back vinyl

Have you noticed the pop of color in Chicagos Loop? You may have touched it and not even realized. Color Jam, an art installation by multimedia artist Jessica Stockholder, blankets the corner of State and Adams.

Last chance to see Venus phenomenon, in this lifetime

Last chance to see Venus phenomenon, in this lifetime venuschicago Venus Transit Venussplash Transit of Venus dazzles thousands at Adler Planetarium Venus trek across the sun tracked by thousands at the Adler

New Evaluation Report Shows Positive Impact of Comprehensive Community Development

A perennial question facing community development practitioners is also one of the hardest to answer: Is our work really making a difference? A new study by Chris Walker, Director of LISC’s Research and Assessment division, finds that the answer is “yes.” Walker examined data on ... more

A Place People Call Their Own: Community Partnerships That Foster Community Health

With the growing recognition that neighborhoods have a significant impact on residents’ health, community developers are seeking creative ways to promote health and wellness through their revitalization projects and their program offerings. This article, from online community magazine The Lin... more

A Hub Grows in Harlem

When you get off the #3 train at 145th Street and walk down Lenox Avenue, you pass a hot wings place, two pizzerias, a soul food restaurant, a bakery, a candy store and a bar. There are three bodegas on the stretch, one with a cardboard box of bruised bananas, pale oranges and onions next to the reg... more

The National Farm to School Network

Farm to school programs bring local, healthy food to schools and preschool programs. The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is an advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food sourcing and food and agriculture education into school systems and preschools. The NFSN webs... more

Place-Based Strategies for Improving Health

This webinar shared innovative place-based approaches that develop the physical infrastructure needed for good health – including playgrounds, food markets and clinics – and introduced the programming, services, education and outreach that enable residents to make good choices about nut... more

NSP's Bronzeville Artists' Lofts

An article was written in Chicago Crains Business: When Andre and Frances Guichard opened their gallery nine years ago, they turned off the lights when the gallery was closed. Lights at night, they thought, might attract thieves to the African-American and African paintings, photographs and sculpt... more

New day dawns in Pullman

George Pullman had a couple of good reasons for building his railcar manufacturing plant and workers’ village on Chicago’s far South Side in 1881. One, land was cheaper there than near the city center. And, two, it was so far from downtown that his employees would be isolated from the &l... more

Homebuyer Fair Taps Instinct to Buy

They arrived, often two-by-two, like pilgrims to Mecca, drawn by the dream of homeownership to the soaring architecture of West Pullman’s Kroc Community Center on 119th Street. They came from Back of the Yards, Cicero, Chatham, Humboldt Park, and a handful of other neighborhoods, from one end ... more

In Logan Square and Hermosa, home buyers on the hunt

Vanessa Valentin and James Rudyk aren’t exactly salesmen – they’re respectively a community organizer and executive director for the Northwest Side Housing Center – but they recently demonstrated the art of persuasion while leading a trolley-full of potential home buyers thro... more

NSP: Where it's been, where it's going

Katie Ludwig discussing the Neighborhood Stabilization Program at a public meeting on Chicagos South Side. Gordon Walek Writer Bill Healy recently spoke with Katie Ludwig, an assistant commissioner dealing with foreclosure mitigation in the Chicago’s Department of Housing and Economic Deve... more

Measuring an Era

Demond Drummer wasn’t at all shocked to get such a heartfelt endorsement of the impact of what he teaches as the tech organizer at Teamwork Englewood. But how it was delivered was a bit of a surprise. One afternoon, while walking down the street in Englewood, one of his former students from a... more

Job Search 2.0

A hard-working student at Kennedy-King College in Englewood, Gabrielle Thompkins has turned to the Smart Communities program in a lot of ways. Help finding a job is just the most recent example. Thompkins is one of thousands of residents in the five Smart Communities who’ve taken computer tra... more

Report: Web Use Way Up in Smart Communities

Residents participating in LISC Chicagos Smart Communities program are using high-speed Internet more frequently, but greater access to affordable broadband at home remains an issue for at-risk communities, according to new research released by Broadband Illinois. The "Measuring Change in Internet ... more

Small, Smart and Ready

At Reciclarte Studio, Leticia Rodarte’s art gallery on Ashland Avenue, almost everything for sale is made from recycled materials, much of it by Rodarte herself. It’s a fun, funky kind of store—the type of place that brings in visitors from across Chicago to Pilsen. But Rodarte k... more

Lessons for Life

It’s yet another mercilessly hot July day in Chicago—the temperature hovers at 94 degrees outside—yet class is in session. More than a dozen local residents are sitting at computer workstations in Englewood’s FamilyNet Center at Kennedy-King College for a free, 90-minute co... more