Memorial Day pics in the 9th ward

Two posts from Marathon Pundit to mark the Memorial Day holiday. One was taken at the former St. Salomea Catholic Church @ 118th & Indiana Ave. (also known as Salem Baptist Church) in Roseland. That's the pic you see above.

The other pic was taken at George Pullman School located at 11311 S. Forrestville Avenue in Pullman.

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful and safe Memorial Day holiday.

Crain's: Why so many young Chicago men pull the trigger

Go Falcons!

One attempt to get a handle on the issue of gun violence in Chicago's crime ridden neighborhoods. At one point in time this blog strived to avoid issues of crime even though I recognize it as a reality in our fair city.

Regardless the fact that a shooting and the volume of them is news not just locally but nationally also is problematic. We all hope for a solution to save our young people. No easy answers, but something has to be done about the violence.

Also for this, there will be three parts to this series. I hope to be able to share the other ones as they're published.

The Walgreen's on 95th & King Drive is closing

In about one month the Walgreen's location at 347 E. 95th Street will be closed permanently on June 27, 2017. It'll just be another vacant storefront just like the former Wendy's across the street on 95th.

The flyer you see below is seen on a table as you enter the store and signs are posted in that location alerting customers of the impending closing. This particular space had only been open for roughly a decade.

9th ward monthly community meeting

This notice was e-mailed to Ald. Anthony Beale's e-mail list over the weekend regarding the next 9th ward community meeting tomorrow Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at the Pullman Presbyterian Church @ 550 E. 103rd Street. And of course if you attend you would hear updates from representatives of  city departments and agencies.

Flyer itself is below

HINZ: Illinois sees incomes rise as population falls

In order to read this article you may have to subscribe, however, I will excerpt what I can.

With that said many of us thought Illinois wasn't doing well. The jobs were leaving and as a result so were the people. How is the state's income going up?

Between 2013 and 2016, Illinois was one of only three states to lose population, dropping 0.6 percent and seeing declines in 91 of the state's 103 counties, RCF says, examining federal data.

But in the same time frame, Illinois added 200,000 jobs—slower growth than the nation as a whole, but still up. The job losses were concentrated in what might be called the Deere/Caterpillar section of the state, from the Quad Cities to Peoria.

More jobs but fewer people means the state's per-capita income rose 11.7 percent in that period. Except for Michigan, whose auto industry has been on a tear, the income growth here was greater than in every other surrounding Midwest state, including Indiana.

Capitol Fax: Unclear on the concept

Gov. Bruce Rauner was at Chicago State University yesterday. In reality I know about this thanks to this tweet:

"Let's calm down, please" CSU Provost says after she introduces Rauner and the Chicago State crowd boos him

— Tony Arnold (@tonyjarnold) May 11, 2017

And then today Rich Miller further opines on the scene at Chicago State yesterday.

We already know why though the budget stalemate has affected public universities in Illinois. We also know Chicago State has been struggling with or without the budget stalemate.

 I can only imagine if the CSU Faculty Voice has anything to say about Rauner's visit.

The decline of Black Chicago

Chicago Mag illustration Richard Mia

 Another piece courtesy of Chicago Magazine on the decline of Black Chicago:

Since the early ’80s, blacks in South and West Side neighborhoods have been steadily leaving the city, resettling at first largely in the Cook County suburbs. But over the past 15 years, more and more have been leaving the area entirely for northwest Indiana, Iowa’s Quad Cities, and Sun Belt states, says Alden Loury, the director of research and evaluation at the Metropolitan Planning Council. Today there are roughly 850,000 blacks in Chicago, down from 1.2 million in 1980.

The reasons for this are varied: The foreclosure crisis saw blacks evicted disproportionately from their rental apartments and houses; the Chicago Housing Authority leveled high-rises like the Robert Taylor Homes, scattering public housing residents; the lack of stable employment in South and West Side neighborhoods continues to force residents to look elsewhere for jobs; and school closures further disenfranchise communities. “There are not a lot of messages that Chicago cares about its black residents,” says Mary Pattillo, a sociology and African American studies professor at Northwestern University and author of the book Black Picket Fences. “When you lose the institutions that cultivate attachment, it makes it a lot easier to pick up and leave.”

How does Chicago send the message that the city cares about its Black residents?

BTW, feel free to share the article here's a tweet from @chicagomag

Today’s most-read story: The Real Problem with Chicago's Shrinking Population https://t.co/JEVokZHtIS pic.twitter.com/AXOFYvXdMn

— Chicago magazine (@ChicagoMag) May 9, 2017

 

Starting Monday, Seaway Bank is now under new ownership again

This new logo for Seaway was found on fb recently, an indication of that brand's new future.