Man Charged With Murder of His Grandfather - DNAinfo.com Chicago Earlier this month a story we shared a story about the murder of an elderly man who was about to be transported to a dialysis appointment. It even elicited a comment from 6th Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer as seen in a TV report. This morning thanks to a shared link from Concerned Citizens of Chatham we now know who did that unfortunate deed: William Strickland, of the 400 block of East 95th Street, is charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery with a firearm in the March 13 death of his 72-year-old grandfather, also named William Strickland. The elder Strickland was waiting near his house in the 400 block of East 95th Street for a ride to a dialysis appointment at about 3:30 a.m. He was approached by two males, police said, and shot multiple times. He was declared dead on the scene. The younger Strickland is expected to appear in court Saturday.

Rahm Emanuel I noted a report from Charles Thomas from ABC Chicago last week about Mayor Rahm Emanuel losing support in the Black community. Ben Joravsky recently noted that Black votes helped the Mayor securing his victory over two years ago. Thanks to a number of issues such as school closings and crime where would the Black vote be and his electoral chances in two years time? At the very least, I'm having a hard time finding many black voters—outside of appointees, contractors, and aldermen—with nice things to say about Mayor Emanuel's administration. Even though lots of black people voted for him. Admittedly, there's nothing scientific about my survey. It mostly consists of me going up to anyone of any race, creed, or color and asking: (a) Did you vote for Mayor Emanuel? and (b) If so, are you happy with what you got? And the overwhelming response from black people goes like this: Yes. And—hell no! Some people are too embarrassed to confess. So they&#

Most residents of Chatham are aware that the Chicago Park District owns Cole Park, Brown Park and Tuley Park. But, most are not aware that this is not the only land they own in Chatham. The Chicago Park District also owns a parcel at the Northeast corner of 80th Wabash. There were several initiatives under the Daley administration to clear vacant properties that had become a nuisance to the community and transfer them over to the Chicago Park District to be used for recreation of some sort. This lot has been vacant for some time now and this is the time the Chicago Park District is preparing their Capital Budget for the next 5 years. So what would you like to see happen with this site? Click here to take survey NOTE: The above survey is not endorsed by the Chicago Park District nor The 6th Ward Aldermandic office. The survey results are non binding and will be used for research purposes.

To be held at Greater Salem Baptist Church, 215 W.  71st St. on Saturday, April 6 starting at 10:30 AM with representatives of the Dept. of Streets & Sanitation to discuss the grid system for garbage collection. Have any questions you may contact Ald. Sawyer's office at (773) 635-0006 or via e-mail at service @ 6thwardchicago.com. You may also refer to the flyer below.

Thurdsay  April 4,2013  7pm Chatham 14 Theaters 210 W 87th St Admission: Free  Must RSVP at  http://freeangeladavis-chicago-eswgnotif.eventbrite.com/?utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=swgnotif001&utm_term=eventname&ref=eswgnotif   FREE ANGELA AND ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS might seem like a cumbersome title but it rings with truth and historical significance to all those who continue to be inspired by her fight for political and racial justice. As a woman of colour living in a city that is far from repressive, I am always aware that I benefit from the struggles of the civil rights movement, and of the urgent need for the younger generations to be reminded of, and inspired by, the victories of the 1960s and 1970s. This exceptionally well made documentary, by writer-director, Shola Lynch, goes a long way to answering that need for a definitive record of Angela Davis’ central political struggle: her rise to notoriety when the Regents of

Natasha Korecki reports: The unofficial race to replace William Beavers on the county board is gaining interest with the onetime chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Roland Burris not only throwing his hat in the ring, but upping the ante. Kenneth Sawyer, the cousin of Ald. Roderick Sawyer, said Monday that if a group of ward committeemen appoint him to replace Beavers, he would do it for free. That is, for the term of the appointment, which runs until 2014. Sawyer said he would take the county commissioner salary - which is about $85,000 - and create scholarships for those in the 4th District. Sawyer, 45, who lives in the Chatham neighborhood, is in investment banking. "I wouldn't think of taking a salary. I think people have been tired of looking at these things - the sequester in Washington, the pension issues in Illinois," he said. As you all know Beavers was convicted in federal court for tax evasion and his seat on the county board is now vacant. Now we're

As we enter into spring and the temperature starts to rise our young people will start to come into the parks in our community. Our Chicago Park District parks supervisor, Gene Morgan, has done a yeoman's task of creating opportunities for our young people to engage in positive activities. He has created tumbling, gymnastics and soccer teams that compete in citywide events and is planning more for the spring and summer. Gene and his staff have gathered young men from 13-18 to play in Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's basketball tournament. Unfortunately, because of budgetary constraints the current staff cannot accompany the teams to play in the tournament that will be held at Jackson Park on Thursday and Friday evenings. The teams need coaches who can commit to working the entire 47 week schedule. Coaches must be Chicago Park District certified volunteers. Individuals interested can obtain a volunteer form from the Chicago Park District website http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/asset

Mary Mitchell Another perspective on the school closings. Both sides makes sense to me parents are concerned for the safety of their children and the city can't afford to keep many of these schools open. Something does have to give here. Mary Mitchell at least attempts to explain the rationale for closing some of the schools. BTW, you may need an account with the Sun-Times to be able to read the whole column: There is no easy way to close a school, even one with a floor full of empty desks. But Chicago Public Schools Chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett appears to have given it her best shot. She appointed a commission that was guided by Frank Clark, the former CEO of ComEd. Clark not only stands shoulder-to-shoulder with top executives across this country, he has a long track record of trying to improve the quality of life for African Americans in this city. That Byrd-Bennett put this explosive issue in his hands should have been enough to convince naysayers that the matter wo

Last week after the news of school closings I noted a report that claimed that Mayor Emanuel is losing support in the Black community. Which is all fine and good in taking part in the time honored practice of freedom of speech and petitioning your public officials. At the same time I asked who'll replace the Mayor. Then we see one possibility, Toni Preckwinkle. Check out this write-up by Mick Dumke: As the top official in Cook County government, Toni Preckwinkle didn't have any formal say in the decision by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his education team to shutter 54 Chicago elementary schools . But she does have a few thoughts on the matter. Like: What are they thinking? "I talked to a member of the school board that I knew and said what a terrible idea I thought it was," Preckwinkle told me in an interview. "You know, schools are community anchors. They're social centers. They're part of a community's identity. And often kids go half a dozen blocks

You might have seen this over at Ald. Sawyer's 6th Ward Chicago fb page. The grid system is coming to portions of Wards 6, 9, 15, 16, 17, & 18 according to the map you see in the graphic below. Trash pick-up will not be done according to wards. Of course if you expect trash pick-up on a certain day there probably won't be a change. For example if you normal expect pick-up on a Tuesday there will be no change to that.

Sometimes I wonder if we could get a pizza joint of some type on our various commercial strips or buildings whether that's on 87th, 79th, 75th, 71st, Cottage Grove, King Drive, or State Street. Once upon a time Reggio's had a location on 79th & Langley and now the closest one to us is on 87th west of the Ryan at the Chatham Ridge shopping center the same area as the Harold's Chicken Shack . The pic you see above was said to have been taken in the 1980s and was posted to the Reggio's Pizza fb page . Further information on this pic was found on Reggio's official webpage . The building itself is currently being used for the Congressional office of Bobby Rush .

A friend of the blog recently pointed this out to me from the Sun-Times article I linked to on Friday. Sometimes I miss things that are in front of me! Two other names surfaced as possible replacements on Friday; both of whom are tied to Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th). Sawyer acknowledged that his cousin, Ken Sawyer, and his chief of staff, Brian Sleet, are among those angling to replace Beavers. Beavers’ replacement will be by appointment, based on the Democratic ward committeemen’s vote, which is weighted according to voter turnout in Beavers’ last election. JP Paulus stated that some portions of the 6th is embedded within the 4th District. That means if Rod Sawyer wants his chief of staff to get the position that will mean he may well already got a vote there. Although let's remember the votes are weighted and that means: Ald. Howard Brookins (21st), chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus, will cast the largest number of weighted votes as 21st Ward Democratic committe

Jahmal Cole, a Chatham resident recently won a National Competition for Toyota (Scion) Brand. Scion flew him and 50 of America's most passionate entrepreneur's out to LA to meet with executives and to compete for a grand prize. The competition was very tough and they were mentored by CEO's from Spotify, Monster, Entrepreneur Magazine, film makers, Famous Clothing Designers etc. In the end, he was able to secure a victory for his family, the Chatham community, and his Publishing Company Role Model Publishing (LLC). Through book sales, he has been able to fund monthly presentations at Whitney Young Library, and also run teen mentoring workshops. He plans to host these workshops this summer. You can find out more about the competition at these links. http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/19/5275701/young-entrepreneurs-win-scion.html http://www.scion.com/motivate/winners/ Books are available now online at www.rolemodelmovement.com

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com . [ VIDEO ] If you check out RAGE's fb page you will see how they consider themselves hard hit by CPS' plan to close schools. They provide this breakdown of which schools will be affected and where students are expected to attend. In the video above Englewood parents involved in the group Action Now marches at the home of a CPS board room filmed by our local NBC affiliate.

Just jumping on JP Paulus's post from earlier noting the conviction of former Alderman and current County Commissioner Bill Beavers. I'm sure the former county board President still has his fans out there in considering this . Todd served one term between 2006-2010 when he was succeeded by Toni Preckwinkle after she defeated him in the Democratic primary. He even flirted with joining the field for the 2nd Congressional District primary. When you think about it, I always imagined sitting on the county board as a commissioner was a better fit for him than attempting to live up to his father as President of the county board. What do you think? With the ink barely dry on William Beavers’ guilty verdict form, another familiar name is angling to replace the disgraced Cook County commissioner. Former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger told the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday he wants in. “Actually, I do have an interest,” in replacing Beavers on the Cook County Boa

Photo from Chicago Magazine of soon-to-be-former Cook Couny Commisioner Bill Beavers Cook County Commisison William "Bill" Beavers has been found guilty of tax evasion. The jury took a mere 2 hours to find him guilty on all counts. You can see below for links which detail the suspicious financial dealings of the soon-to-be former commissioner. Much if not all of the 6th Ward falls under Beavers' 4th District, so his representation covers much of our readership. And his now removal from the board opens up a power vacuum that doesn't have an immediate name. We would also like to note that current 34th District Elgie Sims ran against Beavers in 2010, and lost by fairly close 55% to 45%.  A Green Party (NOT a Republican) member was on the ballot in November but lost 10% - 90%. We would love to hear form our readers if you recall voting for that office, why you cast your ballot. Here are some articles which talk about the situation with Beavers:   Cook County

[ VIDEO ] While crime has been an issue almost since Emanuel has been in office as mayor, many are not quite happy with the plan to close schools that has recently been released. Charles Thomas of our local ABC affiliate reports that these two issues are weakening Black support for the Mayor who was a former chief-of-staff to the 1st Black President of the US. When President Barack Obama said that Emanuel would make a fine mayor for Chicago, the city's black voters took the president at his word. He won 59-percent of the black vote in the 2011 mayoral race. Fast forward over two years to crime, unemployment and school closings and a major block in Emanuel's political base is showing weakness. "You're hurting my community and I have a problem with that," Chicago Public Schools parent Michelle Young said. The mostly African-American demonstrators noted correctly that most of the schools on the CPS underutilized list are in predominantly black neighb

R.A.G.E (Resident Association of Greater Englewood) posted these photos on their Facebook page . These signs are located at 63rd & Halsted. As of 1:00 Wednesday, they reported onfacebook: Both sides are now filled up with positive words which completely override any negative comments... Do you think we should try a similar thing in Chatham, and other neighborhoods?

To be sure, Seaway Bank had been in talks years ago with Highland Community Bank to by them out but they never appeared to get together on a deal. And Seaway had already acquired two banks in 2010 and 2011 who were failing so Seaway isn't in the running this time . A would-be savior has emerged for foundering Highland Community Bank, one of just three black-owned banks left in Chicago. But the definitive agreement from the parent of startup Generations Community Bank to acquire Highland, announced today, is subject to raising at least $8 million in equity both to absorb loan losses at Highland and to capitalize it to grow. Matthew Roth, the former Harris Bank executive who has pursued starting up a minority-focused community lender on the South Side for several years, said in an interview that he and his team believe they understand the depth of the loan problems at Highland. He declined to say how much he thinks he needs to raise from investors, but one person familiar with Hi

Ward Remap Prompts Aldermen to Protest, Consider Legal Action - DNAinfo.com Chicago In this case we can only assume this is an injunction to stop the many city council committees from using the future remapped wards to consider their respective agendas. The city's muddled ward remap is prompting two aldermen to formally object to its pell-mell imposition and consider legal action to win an injunction. "They're just disenfranchising voters," said Ald. Nick Sposato (36th). "We have a constitutional and fiduciary responsibility to represent our constituents we were elected by," added Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd). At issue is a new ward map that was drawn up after the 2010 census. Some aldermen have already started honoring the ward boundaries established by that map — providing services to residents who lived in other aldermen's wards under the previous map. Sposato and Fioretti believe those new boundaries shouldn't be honored until after the spring

Future boundaries of the 6th Ward colored red More fallout from last year's ward remap more committees are planning to use the new map to conduct their business and as a guide for who they may defer to: Four more City Council committees are now recognizing Chicago’s new ward boundaries when it comes to making pivotal decisions impacting, traffic, transportation, housing and licensing, infuriating endangered incumbents, who claim their voters are being “disenfranchised.” Two months ago, Zoning Committee Danny Solis (25th) sent a letter to his colleagues informing them of his decision to implement the new boundaries. Solis said he would continue to honor the longstanding tradition of “deferring to the aldermen of the ward in which a zoning change or sign order” is located. But, that political deference would now go to the new alderman — not the old one. The Zoning Committee chairman said he made the decision to end a year of political limbo in response to complaints from deve

Photo of Regal Theater auditorium courtesy of Cinema Treasures You may be wondering why this is relevant . This chief is the owner of the Regal Theater located near 79th & Stony Island. This case involves her investment in that venue: A former south suburban police chief is in custody after being charged with witness tampering in a federal fraud case involving a $1.25 million state grant. Ex-Country Club Hills Chief Regina Evans is accused of coaching a witness to lie to the grand jury about allegedly cashing fake paychecks and returning the money to Evans. Evans, a former Chicago police lieutenant, and her husband were charged last year with siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars from the job-training grant to pay friends and relatives and cover the mortgage on the couple's landmark New Regal Theater on Chicago's South Side. The money was supposed to help train dozens of minorities and women for construction jobs. In the latest charges, authorities say Evans d

Recently Uptown Update took a look at recent plans Mayor Rahm Emanuel has made for seven neighborhoods around the city. Of course UU had something to say because these plans involved the Uptown neighborhood. Today we look at communities on the south side that includes Englewood and Pullman which will be our focus. Of course we can provide an honorable mention to the Bronzeville neighborhood. A “permanent farmer’s market” that could rival Seattle’s Pike’s Market. The nation’s longest protected bike lane. An Uptown Music District. A pedestrian bridge over Lake Shore Drive at 35th Street. An elevated, boardwalk bike trail at the Drive’s north end. Those are just some of the ideas that could become a reality, thanks to a $3 billion plan that shows Mayor Rahm Emanuel is taking Daniel Burnham’s, “make no small plans” mantra to heart. Emanuel has identified seven geographic areas brimming with either development or promise — Bronzeville, the Eisenhower Corridor, Englewood, Little Vi

Posted this information last month and at that time there was one on the west side. I'm sure for many of you it was very last minute however we recieved this info at the last minute. This time we're going to remind you at least a week in advance, however, we'll be sure to post one more reminder either two days or the day before the job fair. The flyer will be posted below but here's the direct info for where and when this next CTA job fair is to be located. Saturday, March 23, 2013 from 9 AM to 1 PM Roberto Clemente Community Academy 1147 N Western Ave , Chicago, IL 60622 Again please refer to flyer below for more details as to the educational and experience requirements for this position. Also please remember that CTA - as per a press release -  is seeking to fill 700 customer service assistant positions at L stops throughout the city.

In a conversation with the Ward Streets and Sanitation office they are asking residents to  follow several request to help keep the ward clean and rodent free. With the new grid system coming these request will help  keep residents from getting sanitation code violation fines. First the 6th Ward Clean and Green is April 20, 2013. Block clubs and other organizations are asked to call early to reserve equipment(no power tools). The flyer is below The following are request Place trash inside the carts and close lids. keeps pest out of cans and trash off the ground Limit large items(chairs, bed frames, etc,) to one to two items per week. There are no more "Bulk" or "Junk" pickups and these items go on the regular truck.Also, place these items out as close to pickup date as possible to discourage salvage trucks from "stripping" mattresses and other cloth items for the metal frames.  You MUST call the Street and Sanitation office to schedu

I intended to post this much earlier but found myself sidetracked so therefore you will recieve this brief lesson today. These are for those of you who are considered aspiring leaders and want to see what works in politics. This is something that isn't even lost upon me and it's very easy to believe that today's technology will be the primary methods of getting out the vote. Anyway, Rich Miller writes about a study conducted by two political scientists showing methods of getting out the vote. He shares this conclusion: There is absolutely no substitute for physically touching voters. And there never will be. Talk all you want about technology. But unless the tech is directly related to helping a physical street canvass, then it’s mostly a waste of money. And if you can’t touch them, using volunteers to talk with voters is the next best thing. Robocalls are cheap, which is why they’re so over-used. And while they might have an impact at the margins, they’re nowher

This event was posted on Saturday and it's for those of you who own Chicago Bungalows that were built before 1940. You can recieve a $4000 weatherization grant for your home. However, you may also recieve: if your refrigerator is over 8 years old, you could be eligible to get a brand, new refrigerator as well under the appliance grant. three (3), new,window air conditioners you could be eligible for too!  Again, this event will take place St. James Lutheran church at 8000 S. Michigan Saturday March 16 from 11 AM to 4 PM. Please click this link above for more info although one page of the flyer will be show below. Also feel free to visit www.chicagobungalow.org

Changes are abound at CTA for college students and those of you who pay cash for fare especially on the L: CTA board members Wednesday signed off on two price hikes of more than 30 percent — one affecting college students; the other expected to impact tourists and infrequent L riders. As of this fall, the board agreed to raise the cost of U-Passes used by full-time college students from 81-cents to $1.07 a day ­— a 32 percent price increase. It also approved a $3 fare for L passengers who choose to buy one-way tickets with cash once the plastic-card-dominant Ventra payment system starts this summer. That’s 33 percent more than the $2.25 fare the same one-ride passenger would pay now — or in the future if using a plastic Ventra card with a special chip. The U-Pass price change could affect up to 130,000 full-time students at 52 colleges who now can use the deeply-discounted transit cards for unlimited daily rides. Usually, CTA officials said, universities embed the cost of U-Passes

Recently Role Model Movement's Jahmal Cole alerted us that he was asked to do monthly presentations at the Whitney Young Library located at 79th & King Drive. One of the speakers for this month's event is Resident Association of Greater Englewood's Ay-Sha Butler. She will fit in with the topic of revamping our education system as Englewood is very serious about having a discussion about the schools in their neighborhood. Will you be there on Tuesday March 26th? Refer to the graphic below for more details and expect a reminder as the day of the event approaches. BTW, the more people who attends these events at Whitney Young Library the more likely a new library can be built. I suppose doing so would be two-fold, supporting a future local leader and insuring that a more adequate facility can finally be built!

Concept of the new interior of the 95/Dan Ryan terminal We posted about this event late last month. A hearing for the improvement project for the 95th terminal is coming up below is the date and location: 95th Street Terminal Improvement Project - Public Hearing Thursday, March 14, 2013 from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Harlan High School 9652 S. Michigan Avenue Once again feel free to refer to the document for more details about this project you can also visit the project's official CTA website . Especially if you're interested in commenting on this project expected to begin in 2014. The year after the big project to rebuild the Dan Ryan route of the Red Line expected to commence in this coming May 2013. For public comments on this project the deadline is March 21, 2013 at 4:30 PM and you can send them via e-mail or the post office. Again refer to the document below for more details:

State Rep. Elgie Sims is sponsoring a "State of the District "on TOMORROW Monday, March 11, 2013 from 5 PM to 6 PM to take place at the branch of Urban Partnership Bank located at 7801 South State Street . Basically: " State Representative Sims will give an overview of current Springfield legislation that affect the 34th District ". If you want more info this phone number is listed in the flyer below: 773-783-8800 .

It's coming on March 14, 2013 meeting held at St. Mark AME Zion Church on 7358 S. Cottage Grove Ave starting at 11 AM. If you want more information please use contact information provided in the post and refer to flyer below: Shenita Batie - 6th Ward Senior Coordinator 773-635-0006 Monday-Thursday 10:00am-4:00pm ShenitaBatie6thWardChicago @ Gmail.com

This event is for those of you who own a Chicago bungalow that was built before 1940. If you own such a home then you may be able to get a $4000 grant for some weatherization work. One side of the flyer is posted below, however, you can get both parts of this flyer at this link !

You know, this crept up on me this time around. Hopefully you knew this time was coming. Worlee most certainly did. Now is the time to set your clocks 1 hour ahead as it's now that time of year. It's Daylight Savings Time and it starts at 2 AM. Hopefully most of us don't have to get to work in the morning at least for those of us who aren't even off on Sundays.

That is if you believe the 2010 Census results. Apparently it's still being brought up even if not directly in this article : Nine out of 10 Chicago Public School students potentially impacted by school closings are African-American because their neighborhoods suffered population losses, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday. One day after a community activist branded the disproportionate impact on black students a “lawsuit waiting to happen,” Emanuel renewed his commitment to forge ahead with a politically explosive decision that Chicago has avoided for a decade. “There has been a big change in the city over the last decade ... and we need to make sure that our schools are reflective of the change in our city,” the mayor said. “We have postponed this. It’s actually a postponement that’s adversely affected our children’s education. Now, we need to deal with it in a very sensitive way, in a compassionate way, but achieve the goal, like the longer school day, to give all our

[ VIDEO ] This is news you should know about. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CTA President Forrest Claypool were scheduled to kick off an expansion of the program that gives ex-offenders a second chance with rail and bus apprenticeships Wednesday. Under the expanded program, bus apprenticeships will last up to a year while rail assignments will continue for nine months. High-performing apprentices will be eligible to apply for full-time CTA positions. As many as 200 bus positions will be included in the program along with 65 rail slots. You can learn more about these positions via this CTA Press Release and this Q & A about the apprenticeship program. And of course our best wishes for success!

We recently got this crime alert from the GCA. They want a good turnout at the court located at the 5th District Police HQ: 4 Mar 13 Hello 006th Police District Residents: The Chicago Police Department recently concluded a narcotics enforcement operation targeting violent street gangs in the area of 600-700 E. 79th. Approximately, two weeks ago, during the course an inspection of a commercial establishment located on the 600 block east 79th (District 6), two investigators from the Department of Business Affairs were assaulted by employees of that same location. One investigator was held down by three employees of the business while another unidentified individual verbally threatened to shoot the investigator in the head. Three individuals were subsequently arrested by the Police and charged. We are asking everyone to take time to attend court with us on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 1:00 pm at 727 E. 111th Street. We are asking that you please meet us first at 12:30 pm

Considering that CPS is seeking to close some schools, this is an interesting development : Chicago Public Schools officials are looking at moving out of their downtown headquarters as another way to ease a projected $1 billion budget deficit. The district has requested bids from real estate brokerage firms to help sell its building and scout for a new headquarters location. CPS says it has cut 30 percent of its staff since 2009 and with a little more than 1,000 employees has too much space at its present location, 125 S. Clark St. in the Loop. Potential savings from a move were estimated at up to $3 million annually. The district's move to Clark Street was also made to save money. CPS purchased the 20-story building that formerly housed Commonwealth Edison in 1998 for $8.2 million. Before that, its main offices were in a former Army distribution center at 1819 W. Pershing Road. The cost of heating and cooling that massive edifice was $6.2 million a year, leading to the move

March 5, 2013 Dear Friends, February has been a busy month here in the Capitol. I’ve worked on Senate Bill 26: landmark legislation that will allow Illinois to use federal money to provide health care access to uninsured, low-income adults. I’m continuing to address the foreclosure crisis from every possible angle so communities and homeowners can recover from the housing slump. And my colleagues and I observed Black History Month, drawing attention to the fact that Illinois was the first state in the union to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment outlawing slavery. Please read on for details, plus an exciting employment opportunity with CTA. Tomorrow Governor Quinn will deliver his budget address, and the legislature will begin to consider next year’s spending. My role in this process will be to represent the 16th District and work to allocate program cuts fairly so we do not balance our budget on the backs of those least able to bear the weight. Because the slu