Ten years ago, the Chicago Board of Education and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided to close nearly 50 public schools, mainly on the South and West sides of the city. Some buildings remain vacant; others are being transformed into community assets.
Austin
When he takes office on May 15, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will be the first mayor in nearly a century to call the West Side home.
Street fests, live music, craft brews and beach season usher in the weekend. Here are 12 things to do in and around Chicago this weekend.
The project is part of the city’s INVEST South/West initiative and led by the Chicago Department of Transportation. The initiative works with a variety of partners to revitalize marginalized communities.
COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black and Latino Chicagoans prompted state and local officials to prioritize hardest hit communities. But a new report finds that despite efforts to address racial inequities, vulnerable communities’ needs remained unmet.
A group of police officers and community leaders are using their time off to give back to underserved communities by getting young kids to play sports. We head to Columbus Park on the West Side to learn more.
Austin has dealt with decades of disinvestment and is acutely feeling the impact of gun violence. However, many residents, community organizations and local businesses are working to address some of the systemic issues the community faces and to bring investment to the area.
Country crooners, art festivals, yards of yarn and sudsy 5K races usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.
With a pair of giant steel arms jutting from its frame and a nearly all-glass exterior, Galewood’s “Miracle House” looks as futuristic in 2021 as it did when it was built in 1954. And it has an origin story as quirky as its appearance.
Each year, city officials define a budget for Chicago. While the city budget process includes public hearings, an event Saturday sought to get community input on their budget priorities.
Bordering the western suburb of Oak Park, community leaders say Austin often grapples with violence and disinvestment – as of late it’s struggled with COVID-19 and an uptick opioid overdoses.
Several hundred people participated in a march against gun violence as neighborhoods across Chicago deal with a recent spike in violence — and as the city prepares for an influx of federal agents at the behest of President Trump.
The West Side neighborhood of Austin has become a hot spot for COVID-19 cases. According to the city, it falls into a zip code that has recorded a COVID-19 case rate of between 431-720 people per 100,000.
Like other predominantly African American neighborhoods in Chicago, Austin has seen a disproportionately high number of COVID-19 cases. We speak with state Rep. La Shawn Ford, whose district includes much of the neighborhood and several western suburbs.
Social distancing and the statewide stay-at-home order has changed the way reporters gather and share the news. We check in with Michael Romain, editor of the Austin Weekly News, as part of our series COVID-19 Across Chicago.
Holiday trees, Christmas tubas, Hanukkah goblins and a winter solstice bonfire usher in the weekend. Here are 10 things to do in and around Chicago.
