Lakeside Center Career & Training Fair at Olive-Harvey College #Ward09

This takes place on May 3, 2018 from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Olive-Harvey (10001 S. Woodlawn Ave). Lakeside Alliance is involved with the future Obama Presidential Library. Refer to the ig post below:

Update on the homeless sisters

By JP Paulus in January 2018

I'll let Worlee Glover's post from Concerned Citizens of Chatham speak for itself. We know them as the homeless sisters, however, we don't know their acutal identity. Hopefully in any further reports we'll find out soon. What is known, is that they have a brother in Ohio.

Previously: What a sad story that occurred over the weekend in Chatham

Crain's: South Works developer says project is still on

[VIDEO] What's going on with the site of the old South Works steel plant?

In a statement addressing a Chicago Tribune report last week in which Barcelona Housing Systems raised questions about the ambitious development's future, Ireland-based developer Emerald Living said Barcelona has not been part of the team behind the project for months and that Emerald "remains very committed to the New South Works project and Chicago."

The statement comes after BHS issued a statement to the Tribune that plans to buy the South Works site, which Emerald and Barcelona signed a contract last year to acquire, are "currently on hold because of soil contamination problems that need to be cleared," the report said.

An Emerald spokeswoman declined to comment on the apparent holdup but said in the statement that BHS played an advisory role when it came to "master-planning initiatives" and that it hasn't had a hand in the process since late 2017.

"The due diligence with respect to all commercial, legal, and environmental aspects of the project was handled exclusively by Emerald Living," the statement said. "BHS stepped back completely from New SouthWorks at that point and have not played any role in the project since."

Both statements cloud the prospects of the $3.5 billion proposal that Mayor Rahm Emanuel touted last year as a "major milestone" in the effort to redevelop the former U.S. steel mill site, which has sat unused since 1992.

The above video I googled searching for pics of the South Works site, is drone footage of the property recording in January 2015.

What a sad story that occurred over the weekend in Chatham

JP Paulus' shot of the sister's collapsed tent Jan. 2018

Back in January 2018, JP Paulus wrote about a pair of homeless sisters. They had camped out on the lot of a now closed Church's Chicken at 87th & King Drive:

They are two sisters who sit under a makeshift tarp tent. They claim it is a church, and that as such, gives them the right to be encamped wherever they are. They seem to sit in 2 chairs under the tarp, stay there all day, and then sleep there. They only occasionally come out.

They have been encamped by the former Church's Chicken on 87th & King Drive. They seem to have been there some time after it closed, and when they took off the Church's sign.So it has been a number of weeks, if not months.

Last week, I noticed that one of the chairs seemed to be down. A few days later, the "tent" hadn't returned to normal.

Now this was back in January. What a difference three months make? Here is something of an indirect update provided by Worlee Glover at Concerned Citizens of Chatham:

Tribune: Emanuel plan to get police to buy homes in more violent neighborhoods hasn't netted many sales yet

You know I sort of get the point of this program. How likely is it criminal activity would take place in front of a first responder like a police officer or a fire fighter? Though it's good to know that city workers will still choose Chatham :)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s latest attempt to get Chicago cops and firefighters to spread out into the city’s struggling neighborhoods has yet to draw much interest.

Six months after the mayor dangled a monetary carrot to try to get them to purchase homes in high-crime parts of the South and West sides, just two police officers have taken advantage, according to the city Department of Planning and Development. And both closed on houses in the South Side Chatham neighborhood that’s already known as a favorite landing spot for first responders and other city workers.

Emanuel’s program offers $30,000 loans to police officers and firefighters to buy a home in certain more violent areas of the city. If they stay for at least 10 years, they don’t have to pay the city back. It’s an idea employed by former Mayor Richard M. Daley in previous decades that Emanuel restarted last year.

Because of the low participation so far, some aldermen are suggesting changes. But the mayor’s administration wants to see if the program gains steam as the weather warms up and more young officers enter the homebuying market.

The proposal set aside $3 million to pay for the loans and passed the City Council easily last year, but not without skepticism from some aldermen about whether it would spur investment in areas that need it most.

The program was organized to promote homebuying by police, firefighters and paramedics in parts of Chicago’s six most statistically violent police districts, which include portions of several neighborhoods beset by crime and disinvestment like South Lawndale and Englewood. The districts, though, also include less violent parts of the city, notably Chatham.

Vote for your Local School Councils TODAY!

Today, the residents of Chicago can vote for their Local School Council (LSC).

Did you know that?  While we know parents at a particular school would be voting, the residents who live IN a neighborhood school's neighborhood boundaries can ALSO vote, even if you don't have a student there.

The voting is a bit confusing... most schools have 6 parents offices and 2 community offices to fill. But voters can only vote for 5 candidates. Now, they can be any combination of parents and communitiy.

For more information (such as which school you are eligible to vote in), see the Chicago Public Schools website. (Note: due to high interest, the CPS website might be down or nonresponsive. Please check again) The LSC elections map will let you know where you should vote.

Urban Partnership Bank: community shred day

When: Saturday, April 21, 2018
            10:00am-12:00pm 
Where: Urban Partnership Bank
             7801 S State

Here's a posting from Concerned Citizens of Chatham with flyer:

The new 95th terminal is open

[VIDEO] It was probably open since Saturday night when they had workers pass out flyers with regards to the change at 95/Dan Ryan. As part of this extensive rehab project a new south terminal is open and is now where Red Line riders will currently board not only Pace and CTA buses also Red Line trains.

There was work on a new platform directly under the south terminal so trains will be pulling from a different location than usual. The original station house on the north side of 95th will be rehabbed. As a result it is now closed. As you see in the video above there was a ribbon cutting ceremony that shows many state & local officials.

I did go up there around the time of the ribbon cutting to just check out the scene. Snapped a few shots long the way I would've liked to have gotten the inside of the terminal where there was a black curtain blocking the view of the back part of the terminal. There was a police officer posted to that curtain so I chose not to snap a shot of it. I presume this is where the ribbon cutting had taken place yesterday.

One thing that can be said utilizing ig is that Mayor Rahm Emanuel was there for this momentous occasion which you can see in the post below. Feel free to swipe to see a more complete record of Sunday.

What would you like to see at 83rd & King Drive?

83rd/King Dr August 2009

For this post I'm sharing a link to another post about this lot from August 2009. The basic history of this lot that it was formerly a Jewel store and then was a state police facility and finally a church. The lot is currently vacant after a fire destroyed the building that former stood here where the community garden stands.

Fast forward to 2017, Worlee Glover had mentioned in one of his posts on Concerned Citizens of Chatham about a 6th ward resident wanting to get support for a Trader Joe's. Well this could be a great site for a Trader Joe's. Then again who else would want to get their hands on this lot I can only wonder.

Olive-Harvey College open house

Our IG account had just been tagged with this. Olive-Harvey College at 10001 S. Woodlawn Avenue is hosting an open house for their college. You can RSVP at the link you will see in post embed below: www.ccc.edu/ohcopenhouse. It will be held on tomorrow Saturday, April 14, 2018 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Got any questions call OHC at 773.291-6100 or email them at ohcadmissions @ ccc.edu

April 6th Ward senior meeting #6wardchicago

Today is the senior meeting sponsored by 6th Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer. It takes place at the Alderman's service office at 706 E. 79th Street from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Flyer is below in this ig post. Want more info call the Alderman's office at 773.635.0006

Izola White, RIP

I don't know when JP Paulus found out (he did a quick post about this on our FB page Tuesday), however, she passed away recently. She owned a well-known soul food restaurant called Izola's near 79th & Rhodes that had closed in 2010 according this Tribune article. It first opened in 1957, condolences to her friends and family.

Hiring event at Olive-Harvey College #Ward09 #6thWardChicago

Sorry for the late notice of this, however, you may have noticed this on our ig page. Whoever runs the ig for Olive-Harvey College tagged our ig Sunday night. I had reposted sometime on Monday, however you arrived across this information hopefully you're able to attend this event for PepsiCo. Especially if you're looking for a job.

Refer to the flyer above for more details any questions contact career cents at 773.291.6349. OHC is located at 10001 S Woodlawn Ave.

The new 95th station is coming along

Snapped this shot of the new south of 95th terminal  on Friday. And snapped other shots around the station Friday morning and evening. They took some of the fencing away and perhaps it won't be too long before this new station is open. Of course the original north of 95th station remains open and there is some construction there as well.

Here's a post from ig that includes the above pic and additional shots with some video included.

Community hiring event for new Englewood high school #6wardchicago

You might have seen this on our ig page and what you see below is from Worlee's Concerned Citizen's of Chatham fb page. There will be an embed of the flyer below. This new south side high school is for the one to be built on the site of Robeson High School at 6835 S. Normal Blvd.

Community Hiring for New Southside High School

• Friday, April 6
  Kennedy King College
  740 W 63rd
  10:00am-4:00pm

• Friday, May 11
  Ujamaa Construction
  7744 S Stony Island
  10:00am-4:00pm

Call the Public Building Commissioner at 312.744.3090 or visit their webpage pbcchicago.com

Sorry for this late notice on this blog of the hiring event here's hoping you have some time to go Today. If not then you have some time for the May 11th event on Stony Island. Also note that this event was posted to Concerned Citizens of Chatham, The Sixth Ward's fb and ig pages since earlier this month.

Corridor Convo for 71st, 75th, 79th & Cottage Grove April 14, 2018

This evite was posted to our fb page yesterday and is worth sharing. Just remember at the end of January all the bloggers was there for the launch of Chatham Center Chicago. The latest concept to market Chatham and promote local businesses. It doesn't hurt that this launch was held at our newly revitalized local movie house.

• Date and Time
   Saturday, April 14, 2018
  10:00 AM – 12:00 PM CDT

• Location
  Urban Partnership Bank
  7801 South State Street
  2nd Floor Conference Room
  Chicago, IL 60619

Please join us on Saturday, April 14, 2018 to hear creative ideas for how to bring more vitality and opportunities to Chatham Center Chicago commercial corridors in the Greater Chatham area. In January of 2018, the Greater Chatham Initiative invited UIC urban planning and policy students (College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs) to conduct a studio course about revitalizing commercial corridors. Over the last 3 months, these 17 students have collected data and conducted fieldwork to assess conditions. The students have prepared short presentations to share their ideas for how the corridors can be improved. You are invited to see their ideas, and share your feedback. The event is free but registration is strongly suggested.

#MLK50

It's hard to believe it's been 50 years already. Back on this date in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Needless to say there were events held on this day to mark his untimely demise. At this moment I don't plan to pour through them.

However, I will share this quote from Dr. King shared via ig from Harold Washington College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. Perhaps he's right on the issue of education intelligence plus character. As we remember the movement he led and gave his life for we could ponder this quote. Of course that quote among others!

Reason: Little Pink House

[VIDEO] As stated with an earlier video from Reason magazine, one of the things I pride myself in doing with this blog is presenting ideas that get you to think. With that last video it illustrated ways that bigotry can prove to be expensive and proved to be an opportunity for an enterprising real estate entrepreneur in the 20th century.

This video takes a different track. John Stossel in his recent video with Reason talks about eminent domain. You may have heard that term fairly recently with regards to the former Dominick's on 71st/Jeffrey as there was significant interest in getting another grocery store to that space.

What Stossel discusses in this video is a movie called Little Pink House. It's about a woman who lost her house in an eminent domain fight that went all the way up to the Supreme Court of the United States. Basically the city of New London, Connecticut wanted to condemn an entire neighborhood for redevelopment which as you see in the video above still hasn't happened even in 2018. You can read up on the Supreme Court case here.

Could this be how many low-income Chicago neighborhoods can ultimately become relatively affluent neighborhoods? Is this what could happen to Englewood or Woodlawn? Is it what's happening with Bronzeville?

Let me elaborate with Bronzeville, that area for many years contained those notorious housing projects that have been demolished in the course of the past decade. Now granted these were government housing projects - and certainly not a case of eminent domain - that unfortunately trapped crime, social issues, etc and now the land where these projects stood are up for grabs. Will the future developments on these lands be housing for the rest of us or will they be for the affluent?

Feel free to chime in on what you think about the video. Better yet feel free to chime in on the "dreaded G word".

Chicagoland Hospitality Sector Center Employer Hiring Event

Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Chicagoland Hospitality Sector Center
218 S Wabash
9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Refer to embed from Concerned Citizens of Chatham below for more details.

Any questions call Herman Jackson at 312.281.7925 extension 19

Another shot of 69th & Wentworth

This was posted to the instagram profile called Vintage Tribune. In January I showed another pic of the buildings that used to stand at 69th & Wentworth. This was where the former Kennedy-King College stood before moving to 63rd & Halsted in 2007.

The Masonic Hall at the northeast corner of 69th Street and Wentworth Avenue is among buildings to be razed under a $10.2 million Englewood urban renewal plan in 1960. "The plan proposes face lifting of the aging neighborhood thru the techniques of spot clearance and rehabilitation of buildings in the south side community…", wrote the Tribune on Sept. 29, 1960. #vintagechicago #englewood #lostchicago #urbanrenewal #oldmasonic

A post shared by Vintage Tribune (@vintagetribune) on Mar 27, 2018 at 10:42am PDT

If only for this urban renewal project from the 1960s would this corner have remained a very active one. And also let's not forget that during the 1960s the Dan Ryan expressway was built so some changes were bound to happen anyway.