Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Mohammad Samra

Mayor Brandon Johnson launches community safety plan that invests in at-risk areas

2023-12-14T17:03:47.991-06:00

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday announced a community safety plan that will focus first on neighborhoods that “have suffered from decades of indifference or disinvestment.”

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday launched a community safety plan centered around investing in at-risk areas, an initiative he said would be “people-based and place-based.”

Johnson, joined by members of the City Council, community leaders and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling, announced the community-led initiative would focus on “harnessing the full force of government, community organizations, businesses, the philanthropic community and youth and faith leaders to solve decades-long problems in a new and bold way.”

“Isn’t it about time that we do what safe communities around this country have done, which is to invest in people?” Johnson said at a press conference in Englewood. “Everyone has a role to play and making sure that our communities are fully supported.”

The plan will first focus on neighborhoods that “have suffered from decades of indifference or disinvestment,” Johnson said. It focuses on addressing root causes of violence through long-term investments in education, economic opportunity, community investment, violence intervention and prevention, housing and policing.

Eric Smith, vice-chair of BMO Harris Bank and co-chair of the Civic Committee Public Safety Task Force, said the business community will try to raise $100 million in funding for some of the plan’s programs

During his mayoral campaign, Johnson pledged to prioritize public safety and vowed to boost mental health staff responses to 911 mental health calls. He also said he would establish trauma recovery centers “in collaboration with the state government.”

Snelling said year-to-date homicides were down 12 percent, and shooting victims were down 17 percent. Still, he stressed the importance of partnership between the community, law enforcement and government to ensure the plan works.

“The community wants us to enforce the law, but they also want to be heard,” Snelling said. “In order to do that, there has to be a level of mutual respect that we have to create.”

Heartland Alliance cuts 65 jobs, shuts affordable housing division

2023-12-14T05:30:00-06:00

Olivia Moorer, a former Heartland Alliance employee, was one of 65 employees to be laid off by the nonprofit.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Heartland Alliance, a Chicago-based social service organization that dates from 1888, is shutting down its division that operates affordable housing developments in Chicago and Wisconsin after laying off 65 workers.

Ed Stellon, the group’s chief external affairs officer, said the nonprofit is “managing a very severe cash flow challenge.”

He said the layoffs were among 125 workers who got temporary furloughs in recent months. “It’s just a terrible situation for them,” Stellon said.

Heartland’s setbacks have prompted speculation from laid-off workers that its housing unit will file for bankruptcy. Stellon said that won’t happen, but the unit has ceased operations.

He said the group is trying to sell its properties while making sure the trouble doesn’t spread to other Heartland services, which include health care and international programs for oppressed people. After the job cuts, Heartland has 1,236 U.S.-based employees, Stellon said.

“Our North Star throughout this process has been preserving the services we offer throughout the globe,” he said.

Heartland’s roughly 1,200 affordable housing units were turned over to receivers in May and June as the organization’s financial troubles mounted. More than 1,000 of the units are in Chicago.

Stellon said in an email to the Sun-Times: “We are currently working with investors and the receivers to transfer the properties to other owners who can continue to operate them as affordable housing. We are cooperating with receivers, public agencies and the investors to try to assure that tax credits are not affected.”

Furlough to termination

A former Heartland Alliance employee told the Sun-Times the organization was “sunsetting” due to financial difficulties and that “a small group of people were making the decisions with everyone else left unaware.”

The former employee, who wanted to remain anonymous, was told the organization’s “full intention was to bring furloughed staff back.”

Stellon said the laid-off workers were primarily in administrative and back-office roles.

Multiple former employees accused Heartland of violating the state’s WARN Act, which requires employers with 75 or more full-time employees to provide 60 days advance notice of pending closures or mass layoffs.

A mass layoff is when more than 25 employees — if they make up more than a third of the workforce at a single organization — are let go during any 30- to 90-day period without the organization itself shutting down, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Terminations of more than 250 employees are also defined as a mass layoff in Illinois.

State WARN records show Heartland Alliance reported 48 “temporary layoffs” Sept. 29. Heartland’s health unit also reported 40 furloughs Oct. 28.

Former Heartland Alliance employee Olivia Moorer holds up a tote bag from Heartland at her home in Lincoln Park.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Olivia Moorer worked as an associate for Heartland’s internal communications department for nearly two years.

She said the furlough announcements were made Sept. 29, the same month former Heartland President Evelyn Diaz stepped down. After eight years, Diaz announced in August that she would be departing the nonprofit Sept. 1, with Don Laackman assuming the role of interim president.

Moorer said timing of Diaz’s departure and the subsequent furloughs was too much of a coincidence.

Diaz “was out at the end of August. I was furloughed at the end of September. I have a hard time believing she didn’t know what was about to happen to all of us,” Moorer said.

Moorer said she liked working with her team, but there was a “bit of a disconnect” between its business services, human resources and payroll and the programs that included employees working on the ground — like visiting prisons to help inmates before they’re released, or traveling to shelters to provide medical assistance.

Moorer also said there was a “lack of empathy” from leadership.

In an unedited farewell video viewed by the Sun-Times, Diaz said employees’ “jobs really were easy.”

“She’s gonna say that about folks who are working in shelters with migrants who have just come from Venezuela, who are dealing with some of the most difficult things a human can go through,” Moorer said.

Liz Proscia, former communications manager for READI Chicago, a program to fight gun violence, said her final straw with Heartland leadership came after her supervisor and team “put years into their work and were furloughed without notice.”

“None of us fault any of the program leadership for anything that has happened,” Proscia said. “It’s just really disappointing to see the people at the top do this to their staff, and ultimately, to the participants.”

Proscia, who worked with READI Chicago for over a year, said she was living paycheck to paycheck. She resigned Nov. 13, after finding another job.

“Even if they had given us a warning, we would have at least had time to prepare and figure things out,” Proscia said. “I got very lucky to find a job because I probably would’ve been unhoused if I didn’t.”

Moorer searched for jobs while she was furloughed because she anticipated she’d be terminated. Her grandmother died a week after she was furloughed, and Moorer said she had a depressive episode because of it.

“It made me feel like I wasn’t where I should be in life,” Moorer said.

Still, she said she appreciates the team she was able to work with at Heartland.

“The one thing I will always carry with me from Heartland is the people I worked with,” Moorer said. “My team was phenomenal, and I will always have an incredible network of professionals, individuals and friends that no amount of poor leadership can ever take away from me.”

Pandemic-related losses

Without discussing specifics, Stellon said the housing unit’s finances suffered during the pandemic, which caused heavy job losses among people with lower incomes. Many couldn’t pay rent, he said.

Other experts in affordable housing said Heartland was vulnerable because its properties were devoted to the lowest income groups that need support services, often to avoid homelessness.

“Developing and managing affordable housing is not for the faint of heart,” said Joy Aruguete, CEO of Bickerdike Redevelopment, a leading affordable housing provider in Chicago. “There’s not much fat in affordable housing to cover such a catastrophic situation as COVID.”

Bickerdike was a partner with Heartland in redeveloping the Chicago Housing Authority’s Lathrop Homes into a mix of market-rate and subsidized rental units. Aruguete said her group has taken over Heartland’s piece of the project.

The largest Heartland properties in receivership are Hollywood House at 5700 N. Sheridan Road and the Leland apartment complex at 1207 W. Leland Ave.

Bickerdike’s Aruguete has neighborly approach to affordable housing

‘Tough model’

Heartland Housing’s most recent tax filing, for the 12 months through June 30, 2022, hints at its woes during the COVID-19 era. It said its “program service revenue,” principally rents, fell to $1.56 million from $3.17 million during the prior 12-month period, although donations and other income sources held steady.

“We have kept our donors apprised of the situation and have been gratified by their concern and willingness to help us preserve the vital services we deliver in the Chicago area,” Stellon said. Heartland’s website said it also serves Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa.

The receiver for most of its Chicago-area buildings is a division of Community Investment Corp., whose main activity is arranging financing for investors to buy and fix up affordable housing.

Jonah Hess, director of the receivership unit, said Heartland’s buildings are generally older properties that suffered from deferred maintenance.

“Security was scaled back as Heartland was trying to cut costs. We have brought that back, and that has helped a lot,” Hess said.

Overall, he said Heartland’s buildings were in better shape than those his unit usually gets under the city’s Troubled Buildings Initiative. City officials filed the petition to put Heartland’s buildings into receivership.

Hess declined to speculate on why Heartland Housing was so deeply affected by the pandemic.

“The debrief on that will be an interesting one,” he said. “But in affordable housing, it’s a tough model when it works.”

Heartland Alliance started in Chicago in 1888 as Traveler’s and Immigrants Aid. It lists renowned social reformer Jane Addams as founder.

One of the largest Heartland Alliance properties in receivership is Hollywood House at 5700 N. Sheridan Road.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Pro-Putin ‘Z’ stickers plastered throughout Chicago’s Ukrainian Village

2023-12-13T21:29:06.444-06:00

Attorney Svitlana Iva-Ugryn found a Russian “Z” symbol on a window of her office. Others were found on area businesses. The Z represents support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Stickers bearing the letter “Z” appeared on buildings throughout Ukrainian Village this week.

The simple letter might not mean much to many Chicagoans, but Svitlana Iva-Ugryn knows exactly what it means — and was disturbed to see one on her office window.

The symbol signifies support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“For Ukrainians, it’s a very triggering symbol because it’s on these military machines that invaded Ukraine, especially in the territories where people were tortured, killed and where the mass graves were found,” Iva-Ugryn said.

And to underscore that message, the sticker that appeared on the windows of the office she shares with her husband in the Near Northwest Side neighborhood carried Russian words meaning “for the victory.”

Iva-Ugryn is an immigration attorney and her husband, Vitaliy Ivanyshyn, is a therapist. Ivanyshyn found one of the stickers on their office window at about noon Monday.

The letter Z, which doesn’t exist in the Cyrillic alphabet in Russia and Ukraine, was first used by Russians to mark their tanks as they massed near the border just before the invasion last year. Its specific meaning is murky, with different theories being suggested.

But no matter its origins, the symbol has come to stand for something sinister, Ukrainian-Americans say.

It is a “symbol for Russian fascism,” Liliia Popovych of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America told the Sun-Times.

“They’re basically trying to tell us that they’re going to reach Ukrainians everywhere,” Popovych said. “It’s not just a war for territory, they basically want to erase all of the Ukrainians.”

And the sudden appearance of the symbol is especially alarming to Chicago’s Ukrainian community as support for the country’s fight against Russia has waned since the war started nearly two years ago.

A sticker with the letter “Z” — symbolizing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and the phrase “for the victory” written in Russian is stuck onto an office window in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village.

Provided by Svitlana Iva-Ugryn

To see that symbol on their window brought “a mix of anger and also sadness,” Ivanyshyn said. “Anger for how people can do that. And sadness because I don’t understand why. Why do people exist like that, with that hate?”

‘It feels like an attack’

At first, Iva-Ugryn worried it was a personal assault because of the Ukrainian flag hanging in their window. But when she went on Facebook, she learned that other Ukrainian businesses, the Ukrainian National Museum, St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and St. Nicholas Cathedral School had all been marked.

“The Ukrainian school is most disturbing to me. There are refugee children there. Imagine that for them,” Iva-Ugryn said. “It’s disturbing because we didn’t know why it’s happening right now. It’s the second year of the war, and all of a sudden for this to happen, it feels like an attack.”

She wonders if it’s in part because of the ongoing tension in Congress over supplying additional aid to Ukraine.

Svitlana Iva-Ugryn, an immigration attorney, speaks to a Sun-Times reporter Wednesday about a Russian “Z” symbol found on the window of her Ukrainian Village law office and other local businesses.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

The Z symbol has appeared across Russia and in social media, but Iva-Ugryn, who came to Chicago with Ivanyshyn 16 years ago from western Ukraine, says she’s never heard of it surfacing in Chicago. So this week’s incidents have put the city’s Ukrainian community and many others on edge.

“Everyone is very, sickly worried,” Iva-Ugryn said.

Iva-Ugryn and Ivanyshyn have ordered cameras for outside their office. She took the image of the sticker to the 12th District police station to report it.

“The police didn’t understand the gravity of this happening because they didn’t know what the meaning is of this sign,” Iva-Ugryn said. “But because I personally drove there and showed the officer articles with pictures of those military cars and machines, then he understood.”

‘Posted to intimidate our Ukrainian community’

Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th), whose ward includes Ukrainian Village, condemned the action, calling it “an intimidation tactic against those who oppose Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

The stickers were also posted on the Ukrainian Village Veterinary Center and its mural, businesses on Chicago Avenue and on a “Help Support Ukraine” banner, along with other places throughout Ukrainian Village, according to Villegas and Iva-Ugryn.

A Ukrainian-themed mural by Sean Archer Art at 1859 W. Chicago Ave. in Ukrainian Village. The mural was marked with a “Z” symbol sticker.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

“Make no mistake: these stickers were posted to intimidate our Ukrainian community,” Villegas said in the statement.

About 54,000 people of Ukrainian heritage lived in the Chicago area as of February 2022, and many call the Ukrainian Village neighborhood home.

“I hope Ukraine can get as much support as we need from the United States because this is not just our war,” said Popovych of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.

Iva-Ugryn opened her immigration law practice on Chicago Avenue just before the Russian invasion in February 2022.

She hoped she’d be able to ease into working with clients, but that never happened. Her caseload quickly filled with people seeking refuge from Ukraine in Chicago.

‘We now need even more help’

When the war broke out, Chicago showed strong support for Ukraine, especially other ethnic groups like the Polish community, Iva-Ugryn said. People started to learn more about the country, its history and the complicated relationship between Ukraine and Russia.

“Ukraine was put on the map,” Iva-Ugryn said. “Chicago Bulls were sending players to the school. The media started showing up to our events and rallies.”

Attorney Svitlana Iva-Ugryn says that when war broke out last year in Ukraine, Chicago showed strong support for the country: “Ukraine was put on the map.”

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

But now, nearly two years later, that attention and support has waned.

“People are getting used to it, they see it now as some kind of local mess,” Iva-Ugryn said. “But that’s the problem, we are now in the second year and are seeing a change of dynamic. We now need even more help than in the beginning because the situation is quite dire.”

Iva-Ugryn recently spent three weeks in her home country, including a short stint near the front lines in Slavyansk, a city in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Soldiers shared their worries about countries like the U.S. losing interest in their cause.

“We just want politicians to stop playing with people’s lives,” Iva-Ugryn said. “We want people to understand this is not a question of politics, this is a question of our physical survival.”

Contributing: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere

Obama surprises Chicago South Shore pre-K class with gifts and a story

2023-12-12T16:57:02.326-06:00

Former President Barack Obama reads “Santa’s Gotta Go” by Derrick Barnes to a pre-kindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

About 20 children in a prekindergarten class at Parkside Community Academy, at 6938 S. East End Ave., in South Shore squealed and cheered as former President Barack Obama arrived.

Obama — wearing a Santa cap with a red sack full of presents slung over his shoulder — smiled as he greeted the children, who were unaware that they’d be visited by the former president.

“Oh, my God,” one young student yelled in excitement as Obama entered the spacious classroom.

Former President Barack Obama walks into a classroom to surprise a pre-kindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

He took a seat near the entrance of the room and began to read “Santa’s Gotta Go” by Derrick Barnes to the students, occasionally pausing to crack a joke.

“He called Mrs. Claus babe!” Obama exclaimed after reading a section of the book as children and teachers laughed.

Obama, who was joined by Parkside Principal Tori Williams-Hughes, CPS Chief Schools Officer Felicia Sanders and CPS Network 12 Chief Shenethe Parks, made the surprise holiday visit as a way of spreading holiday cheer in the community ahead of winter break.

And he came bearing gifts. Each student in the classroom received toys, and every student at the academy got winter accessories.

“For him to take the time to come here out of his busy schedule to read a book, it just shows that he is still a leader,” Debra Gardner, a teacher at Parkside for nearly three decades, told the Sun-Times.

Former President Barack Obama reads “Santa’s Gotta Go” by Derrick Barnes to a prekindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama were in Chicago for the school event and for meetings with Obama Foundation staff and board members.

The academy is not far from where Michelle Obama grew up, living with her brother and parents in an apartment at 7436 S. Euclid Ave. South Shore, along with nearby Woodlawn and Washington Park, will be neighbors of the future Obama Presidential Center, now under construction in Jackson Park. It will open in 2025.

“It’s a little new to them to really understand the magnitude of who he is and what he’s done for the country,” Williams-Hughes said.

Halfway built, the Obama Presidential Center is already a South Side landmark

Obama chose to visit Parkside due to its proximity to the future presidential center, according to a spokesperson with the Obama Foundation.

After he was done reading, Obama approached fourth grader Kaliyah Montgomery and told her he remembered her once asking him a question.

The Obama Foundation chose Montgomery, who attends Parkside, to read to the students because she participated in a surprise video project with her classmates that asked Obama about the presidential center.

Fourth grade student Kaliyah Montgomery, 9, reads Jodie Shepherd’s “Barack Obama: Groundbreaking President” to a pre-kindergarten class Tuesday before former President Barack Obama appeared at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Montgomery, who read Jodie Shepherd’s “Barack Obama: Groundbreaking President” to the students minutes before Obama arrived, said she didn’t remember what she asked Obama two years ago but that she’d go home and tell her mother about the encounter.

When he finished reading, Obama took a seat on a colorful rug with the students to pose for pictures, chanting phrases like “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Kwanzaa,” “Happy Hanukkah” and “Happy New Year” as students surrounded him.

“Who’s gonna help me get up?” Obama jokingly asked as students gathered around him and volunteered to do so. He then hugged teachers and staff and took a selfie with them.

“I just thought it was so great that they were able to listen to a story from him, and they were interactive,” Ashley Barrett, a fifth-year teacher at Parkside, said. “When they grow up, they can do something great [like] be a president.”

Contributing: Lynn Sweet

Former President Barack Obama reads “Santa’s Gotta Go” by Derrick Barnes to a pre-kindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Jaquan Alcorn, 5, points as he and other students react as former President Barack Obama reads “Santa’s Gotta Go” by Derrick Barnes to their prekindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Former President Barack Obama is shown mid-sentence as he reads a book to a pre-kindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

A close-up of ex-President Barack Obama reading to a prekindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Isaiah Brown, 4, and other pre-kindergarten students react to former President Barack Obama’s surprise visit to their class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Former President Barack Obama looks serious as he reads “Santa’s Gotta Go” by Derrick Barnes to a pre-kindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Former President Barack Obama smiles as he reads “Santa’s Gotta Go” by Derrick Barnes to a pre-kindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Former President Barack Obama takes a photo with a pre-kindergarten class and teachers after making a surprise visit Tuesday to Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Students help former President Barack Obama stand up after he sat down on the floor to take a photo with their prekindergarten class and teachers Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Former President Barack Obama chats with students in a prekindergarten class Tuesday after a surprise visit to Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Former President Barack Obama chats with fourth-grade student Kaliyah Montgomery, 9, during a surprise visit to a prekindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Former President Barack Obama hugs pre-kindergarten teacher Debra Gardner after making a surprise visit to her classroom Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Former President Barack Obama puts his arm around pre-kindergarten teacher Debra Gardner as students and other teachers look on in her classroom Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Cherish Mays, 5, holds her gift up while she and other students react to presents from former President Barack Obama, who surprised their prekindergarten class Tuesday at Parkside Community Academy in South Shore.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Chicago Marathon expected to expand to 50,000 runners in 2024

2023-12-07T11:16:55.84-06:00

Sara Linton runs in Chinatown during the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is expanding next year, with 50,000 runners expected to cross the finish line.

Over 123,000 runners applied for a chance to participate in the race, according to a spokesperson for the marathon. The number of entry applications was up from 86,000 for the 2023 race and 80,000 in 2022.

Next year’s record-breaking field was announced by marathon organizers Thursday, the same day runners who entered the marathon’s drawing find out their selection status for next year.

Runners who are selected through the drawing will join those who guaranteed their spot during the four-week application window.

Guaranteed entries into the race include Chicago Marathon legacy finishers, time qualifiers, international tour group participants, charity runners, 2023 Bank of America Chicago Distance Series finishers and those who canceled their 2023 race entries, according to an announcement from the marathon.

Runners who did not receive an entry through the drawing can still sign up through the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Charity Program, which includes 200 nonprofit organizations raising money for such causes as education, youth development and social services. Anyone registering to run with an official charity is required to raise at least $1,750.

The expanded field comes after this year’s marathon raised a record $30.4 million.

“The 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon was record-setting across the board from historic performances and countless personal bests to record-breaking participation and charity fundraising,” said Carey Pinkowski, executive race director. “We look forward to welcoming a new field of participants in 2024 and once again putting on a race that unites the local and global running communities on the streets of Chicago.”

Marathon officials said 48,472 runners completed the 2023 race.

Kelvin Kiptum set a marathon world record with his time of 2:00:35 to win the men’s division of the 2023 marathon. Sifan Hassan, in her second marathon, set a course-record time of 2:13:44 to win the women’s division.

The 2022 race had a smaller field in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a marathon spokesperson said. That year, 39,387 runners crossed the finish line.

Next year’s race is scheduled for Oct. 13.

Expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library aims to deliver free books to all kids in Illinois

2023-12-06T17:43:25.772-06:00

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which mails nearly 3 million books a month in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and Ireland, is expanding. Counties in Illinois will begin receiving books as they sign up through local partner programs.

Getty

Children under 5 years old throughout Illinois are expected to receive free books through the expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program, which began in the state this summer.

Counties in Illinois will begin receiving books as they sign up through local partner programs, a spokesperson with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said. Counties will be able to sign up based on the capacity of partner organizations.

Although the program isn’t mandatory, the governor’s office “strongly encouraged” every county in Illinois to sign up.

Over 30,000 children across 40 Illinois counties are already receiving books from the program, according to the governor’s office. Some of the counties already participating include Cook, DuPage, Kane and Sangamon.

A timeline for when the books will begin going out wasn’t immediately available.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the statewide expansion of the program Tuesday. The announcement came with the goal of providing all Illinois children under 5 years old with free books mailed to their home.

“I couldn’t be prouder to announce that Illinois is beginning its journey to provide every child under the age of 5 an opportunity to sign up and have a free book delivered to their house every month,” Pritzker said. “Research shows that early literacy makes a big difference for our youngest learners when it comes to developing language and social skills.”

Pritzker announced the partnership in June after allocating $1.6 million of this year’s budget to fund the program throughout the state.

“I am so excited to announce that Illinois is expanding my Imagination Library statewide,” Parton said in a video posted from Pritzker’s X account. “Thank you to Governor J.B. Pritzker and all our local program partners across Illinois who worked so hard to make this dream a reality.”

“Every child should have access to books at home,” said Tony Sanders, Illinois state superintendent of education. “The Dolly Parton Imagination Library and state of Illinois are removing barriers to early literacy by providing free books to our youngest readers.”

The program mails over 2.8 million books a month and has gifted over 220 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland, according to The Dollywood Foundation.

The Imagination Library launched in 1995 in Parton’s home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, and was inspired by her father’s inability to read, according to the foundation.

Ban the ban, not the book? Giannoulias caps return with string of legislative wins, including anti-censorship law

To check to see if a program is available in your area, visit the “Find My Program” page on www.imaginationlibrary.com. You can enroll your child or sign up to be notified when a program comes to your community.

Chicago man pleads guilty to shooting CPD officer and ATF agents in 2021

2023-12-06T11:40:30.846-06:00

Eugene McLaurin has pleaded guilty to shooting a Chicago police officer and two ATF agents on July 7, 2021.

Sun-Times file

A Chicago man pleaded guilty to shooting a Chicago police officer and two federal agents in 2021 because he thought they were rival street gang members.

Eugene “Gen Gen” McLaurin pleaded guilty to three counts of assaulting a federal officer and two counts of using a firearm during and in retaliation to a crime of violence, according to a plea filed by the U.S. District Court.

McLaurin faces a maximum of life in prison, according to court files. Sentencing is scheduled for March 13.

Eugene McLaurin

Chicago police

McLaurin, driving a white Chevrolet Malibu, began following an unmarked Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives vehicle about 5:40 a.m. on July 7, 2021, as it headed east near the 400 block of West 118th Street because he thought the officer and agents inside were members of an opposing gang, authorities said.

As the ATF vehicle reached the on-ramp to Interstate 57 from Ashland Avenue, McLaurin pulled alongside them and opened fire using a 9 mm Glock 9 pistol, briefly paused, and fired more rounds at the vehicle, according to court documents.

One special agent was shot in the left hand and another was shot in the right arm and right side of his body, according to officials. Both suffered permanent injuries from the shooting, according to court documents.

The police officer, who was driving the unmarked vehicle, was grazed in the head, according to court records.

All were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, officials said.

Shortly after the shooting, McLaurin put the pistol in a sewer drain and hid the key to the Malibu inside a dryer vent tube in his basement, according to court files.

He was initially arrested by Chicago police hours after the shooting, and he was transferred to federal custody a day later.

McLaurin was previously convicted of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, narcotics delivery and street gang contact, according to court records.

Center on Halsted names Joli Angel Robinson as new CEO

2023-12-05T15:38:31.127-06:00

Joli Angel Robinson is the incoming CEO of the Center on Halsted.

Courtesy of Stephanie Drenka

The Center on Halsted, a Lake View center that offers health services and outreach to Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community, on Tuesday named Joli Angel Robinson as its new CEO.

“I am humbled by this opportunity to further the Center on Halsted mission of advancing the community and securing the health and well-being of the LGBTQ people,” Robinson said in a statement.

“I look forward to the collective impact we will make as we center equity in our work and play an integral role in furthering a more inclusive future in Chicagoland and beyond,” Robinson said.

Robinson will officially start work Jan. 8. She succeeds Modesto “Tico” Valle, who stepped down March 1.

As CEO, Robinson’s duties will include helping shape the strategic direction of the organization to “ensure the Center is equipped to address the evolving challenges and needs of today’s LGBTQ community,” the organization said. The center serves over 1,000 visitors a day.

In her most recent role as president and CEO of Housing Forward in Dallas, Robinson led efforts aimed at addressing homelessness and advocating for racial equity. She secured over $23 million in federal funding through a competitive grant process, according to Housing Forward.

Robinson, who has more than two decades of LGBTQ+ leadership experience, serves on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, where she provides strategic oversight and engages as a thought partner in supporting the organization’s mission and contributes to the North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce board.

“We are delighted to welcome Joli Angel Robinson to our team and look forward to the ways she will use her wealth of experience and unwavering commitment to inclusivity, equity, and positive community to make a positive impact on our organization and the greater Chicagoland LGBTQ+ community,” Victor Ravago, chairman of the Center on Halsted’s executive committee, said in a statement.

Thousands from near and far flock to Chicago’s Thanksgiving Parade

2023-11-23T09:49:54.302-06:00

Riverside Brookfield High School’s marching band performs as an inflatable Kermit the Frog floats above them at the annual Chicago Thanksgiving Parade on State Street.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The staccato beat of snare drums filled the crisp morning air as thousands flocked to the Loop early Thursday for the 89th annual Chicago Thanksgiving Parade.

Chicago Heights residents Kathy Wells and Thomas English, who have been together for 10 years, waited near the parade’s start at State Street and Ida B. Wells Drive. They were most looking forward to the giant balloons.

The parade streamed north to Randolph Street and saw the return of the beloved giant balloons, including Teddy the Turkey, Kermit the Frog, Rudolph the Reindeer and Peppa Pig.

The balloons haven’t been part of the parade since 2018. A shortage of helium was, in part, what led to the inflatables being sidelined, said Dan Mulka, executive director of the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade Foundation.

Giant balloons, including Teddy the Turkey and Kermit the Frog, return to city’s 89th Thanksgiving Parade

The parade also featured marching bands, staged live performances, equestrians and more.

Paradegoers cheered on as members of the Jesse White Tumbling Team jumped onto mini trampolines and did midair flips.

Many nodded their heads to tunes performed by the marching bands, including “Feliz Navidad” and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ 2011 hit “Can’t Hold Us.”

Some spectators posed for pictures with parade floats and band members serving as their backdrops.

Lennie Bertrand of Watseka leads two miniature horses while carrying his dog Cocoa during the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade on State Street in the Loop.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Jonathan Beverly made the trip from western Nebraska for his first parade since his son got a job as a hotel manager.

“It’s very vibrant, surprisingly welcome,” Beverly, 59, said of his impression of Chicago.

Jacqueline S., 39, and her family arrived in town Wednesday night from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Last year the family arrived late for the parade, and Jacqueline was looking forward to seeing the “joy in her daughter’s face when she gets to see different things.”

When asked how much it meant to Jacqueline to share the parade with her 3-year-old daughter, she said it was “very meaningful, especially when it’s at no cost to individuals to participate.”

Maria M., her husband and two kids made the trip from Hoffman Estates.

“One of the awesome things about living near Chicago is that we get an actual, awesome parade to see,” Maria said.

Her daughter, Camila, 8, said she was looking forward to having fun with her family.

A float carrying Santa Claus — jingling bells and Mrs. Claus walking beside his float — played the tune “Here Comes Santa Claus“ as the parade began to come to a close.

As the last marching band left the starting line, quieter city sounds returned.

Dancers with the Chicago Chinese Culture & Arts Society perform during the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade on State Street.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The parade, originally called the Christmas Caravan, was started in 1934 to help lift the spirits of residents going through the Great Depression, according to the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade’s official website.

“What once started as an attempt to boost Chicago’s economy has evolved into a cherished holiday tradition for Americans across the country,” a press release said.

Members of Richton Park’s Southland College Prep Charter High School’s marching band perform.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Smiling spectators take in the sights and sounds. The weather was crisp, with a high of 45 and partly sunny on Thanksgiving.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Battery Creek High School’s marching band came to town from Beaufort, South Carolina, to perform.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Equestrians take part in the parade as an L train passes near the Harold Washington Library Center.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The Jesse White Tumblers did acrobatics to the amazement of the crowd.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Drummers with the Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago perform.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

It takes 20 to 40 people to hold the strings on the giant balloons.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Contributing: Phyllis Cha

Berlin Nightclub closes after 40 years in Chicago

2023-11-21T21:13:35.699-06:00

Berlin Nightclub closed its doors for good early Sunday morning after 40 years in Lake View.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Berlin Nightclub announced late Tuesday that it had ended its four-decade run as an anchor of the LGBTQ+ community.

The Lake View night spot closed its doors for good Sunday.

“The party ended at 5 a.m., November 19, 2023 — nearly forty years and more than 10,000 nights from when it all began,” the nightclub said in a statement on its website. “So the doors are locked. The music is silenced and our dreams are now memories. We hope you made some memories with us and that you smile when they visit you.”

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A post shared by Berlin (@berlinnightclub)

The announcement comes as the nightclub was in labor negotiations with Unite Here Local 1.

“The workers of Berlin are heartbroken to hear of Jim [Schuman] and Jo [Webster’s] decision to permanently and abruptly close this historic institution,” the union representing Berlin employees said in a statement Tuesday.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

“The workers of Berlin are heartbroken to hear of Jim [Schuman] and Jo [Webster’s] decision to permanently and abruptly close this historic institution,” the union said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “This is the wrong decision.”

Most employees were bartenders, bar backs, security, door workers, coat check workers, stage managers, audio/visual technicians and social media staff, according to a press release from the union late Tuesday night.

“Berlin’s owners decided to close rather than offer us more than minimum wage. We decided to organize the union at Berlin Nightclub because queer and trans workers are worth more than that. That was true then. It is still true today,” said Jolene Saint, who had worked as a bartender at Berlin Nightclub for six years.

The nightclub owners cited “expenses of increased security, insurance and licensing, equipment, rent, and more” as some of the reasons why Berlin shut its doors.

“We could not imagine morphing the bar into a bottle service, VIP-area venue,” the announcement said.

“When some of Berlin’s unionized workers went on strike and picketed on August 4th and 5th, we were shocked,” club owners said in a separate statement posted to the venue’s website. “Our entertainers and many of our staff were asked not to perform. As we rent our space, Berlin has high fixed costs and we can ill afford to lose a sold-out weekend in the summer or continue to operate with such uncertainty.”

In a separate post to social media, Unite Here Local 1 said the union “made it clear to the company that our original proposals were not final and we were negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement that was financially practical for the business ... While we are sad that Jim and Jo have made this decision, we know that our community is resilient, creative and capable of dreaming things into its place.”

Schuman and Webster took ownership of Berlin after co-founder Tim Sullivan died in 1994.

“It was a remarkable tornado of talented performers and staff, inspired friends and customers, a crazy location and a lot of dreams,” the announcement said. “It’s time for us to go home.”