End is near for local church
By Jeff Borgardt
Editor
Citing declining membership, the Church of the Good News, 2156 N. Wellington Avenue, is closing it’s doors.
The Rev. Edie Lenz said May 12 that descending membership and difficult finances contributed to the decision.
“Our last worship service will be May 18. This was a very difficult decision,” she said.
The two-story building is quite large, but no sq. ft. estimate was immediately available at press deadline. Lenz said the building has a basement and a 100-seat sanctuary “over three blocks.”
She said the decision to shutter the church was made by the denomination and not the local church, though the local site did have input.
The Church of the Good News has been holding one service per week with an attendance of between 20 to 25 people.
“It is getting more and more expensive to maintain our own property in the city,” she said.
Lenz, who became the church pastor in 2002, said the building has not been sold and no decision has yet been made about the future of the building.
Several community groups use the site including a mental health group associated with DePaul University, Lathrop Young Life and the Logan Square Neighborhood Association.
The church opened in 1962 to serve residents of the public housing development Lathrop Homes and the surrounding community. Lathrop population has declined sharply in recent years.
The Church of the Good News is affiliated with the Reformed Church of America.
Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater sold for $2.25 Million
The Board of Directors of Victory Gardens Theater has announced the sale of the Victory Gardens Greenhouse, the company’s longtime home at 2257 N. Lincoln Avenue.
Purchasing the building are Chicagoans William and Wendy Spatz, of Spatz Development LLC, for an independently appraised value of $2.25 million.
The sales contract, which is subject to the approval of key lenders, includes a special covenant stipulating the Greenhouse must be maintained as a live theater venue for the next 25 years.
According to Wendy Spatz, Vice President of Spatz Development, “We look forward to managing the Greenhouse by following Victory Gardens model. We plan to honor and keep the Greenhouse name, operate as a non-profit theater, invite the five current resident companies - Eclipse, MPAACT, Remy Bumppo, Shattered Globe and Teatro Vista theaters - to continue presenting their seasons with us, fulfill the terms of other license agreements negotiated by Victory Gardens, and expand the current slate of theater classes for novices to working professionals.”
Spatz, a Chicago arts patron who also serves on Victory Gardens board, continued, “When the sale is completed, we plan to significantly invest in much-needed capital improvements to the Greenhouse, including its two 199-seat theaters, and both 60-seat studios.”
Proceeds from the sale are earmarked for continued capital needs at Victory Gardens new mainstage, the $11.8 million Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue. This includes filling the gap between the $11 million that was raised and the $11.8 million in capital expended to purchase and renovate the Biograph, as well as the eventual build-out of a second floor, 120-seat studio theater. Remaining funds will go toward establishment of an endowment for the theater. Proceeds will not be used for general operating expenses.
According to Jeffrey Rappin, Victory Gardens Theater’s newly elected Incoming Board President, “We are well into our second season at our beautiful new home at the Biograph, and our patrons are happy and comfortable in our expanded facility. But we still have work to do to realize our dream of making the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater an American Center for New Plays...Continuing enhancements to the Biograph and establishing an endowment are important steps in that process.”
Victory Gardens administrative offices will remain at the Greenhouse for the foreseeable future.
Victory Gardens is primarily devoted to new work, and since its founding in 1974, has presented mainstage productions. The company emphasizes the work of Chicago writers and its own 14-member Playwrights Ensemble, a relationship that helped Victory Gardens receive the 2001 Tony Award for Regional Theatre.
Victory Gardens first home was on the top floor of the Northside Auditorium Building, 3730 N. Clark St., current location of the Cabaret Metro nightclub. In 1981, Victory Gardens moved operations to 2257 N. Lincoln Avenue, occupying the first floor facilities, with Body Politic Theatre residing upstairs. In 1995, the Body Politic ceased operations, and Victory Gardens purchased their share of the facility. Since renovating Chicagos Biograph Theater and celebrating its grand opening in September 2006, Victory Gardens has been managing both the 2257 N. Lincoln location, renamed the Greenhouse, and Biograph venues.
Working with a $3.1 million annual budget in 2008/09, Victory Gardens continues to expand its artistic, financial and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director Dennis Zacek, Managing Director Marcelle McVay, Associate Artistic Director Sandy Shinner, Incoming Board President Jeffrey Rappin, Past Board President John Palmer, a dedicated staff and board, and the support of more than 5,000 loyal subscribers.
At the completion of the 2006/07 season, Victory Gardens balance sheet showed total net assets of $9,045,793 with a negative balance of $192,321 in operating funds. It is anticipated that income and expenses in the current season will balance due to the extension of the company’s current hit world premiere production of Joel Drake Johnson’s Four Places, and recent challenge grants from Ensemble playwright John Logan and long-time board member Rhonda Rochambeau.
The Chicagoans own Spatz Development LLC, a long-established developer and manager of shopping centers, which has recently diversified into non-retail projects throughout the country.
“We are not strangers to non-traditional projects, but the Greenhouse is our most exciting, and probably the most personal,” said Wendy Spatz, Vice President of Spatz Development. “We are committed to both maintaining the current Victory Gardens model operating the Greenhouse as a non-profit, and developing planned growth in two areas - training and education, and support for new and emerging companies.”
In terms of education Wendy and Bill Spatz plan to increase the space dedicated for classrooms, offer additional courses, and hire more teachers, with the goal of having an affiliation with a major higher-education theater program. “We would like to see a major institution offering college credit to our Greenhouse students.”
Reaching this goal as well as incubating new and emerging companies will require a substantial investment in upgrading the building. “We are prepared to complete the upgrade within 12 to 18 months of closing on the property,” said Spatz.
Spatz Development owns and/or manages 21 shopping centers in ten states, and has several non-retail projects under construction including a 271-home subdivision, and a 92,000 square-foot office tower in the Baton Rouge, LA area. Spatz is also redeveloping and expanding a retail site in Washington, D.C. In addition they own and operate a 40,000 square-foot grocery store, a 10,000 square-foot daycare center, and a 3,300 square-foot Laundromat.
Their latest Chicago-area development was a 174,000 square-foot center in West-suburban Carol Stream with a
Home Depot.
Author details history of elevated tracks
Train system has 115 years of stories
By Lindsey Reiser
Special to Inside
A Chicago writer reported on eleven-and-a-half decades of train-riding history at the Chicago Cultural Center May 8.
Greg Borzo is a former journalist turned science writer for the Field Museum. He is also an everyday L commuter, along with a half a million other Chicagoans that board the train daily.
Rather than simply disregard the system as a near-adequately functioning but necessary means of getting around, Borzo became curious about the beginnings of the L figuring something that has long been a Chicago institution most likely has an interesting history. After signing up as a tour guide at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., he used his resources to delve deeper into the train’s makings. During this legwork, he not only discovered an encyclopedic amount of information about the L itself, he also found out that no comprehensive book had been written for a popular audience. Thus began a four-year effort of research and writing, the final result being the book “The Chicago L.”
In honor of this, the Friends of the Parks hosted a lecture by Borzo last Thursday at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., as part of their Creative Living in the City series. Before the presentation, photos of the L flashed chronologically on the projection screen, from the first elevated train in New York to the 2006 fashion show held on the Brown Line. There was even an image of Spiderman clinging to the side of Manhattan’s elevated subway, which sent a few chuckles through the crowd.
Borzo then took the podium and began talking about the origins of his book as well as the origins of the train. He first pointed out some flack he had received simply from the book’s title, and the usage of “L” rather than “El.”
He told how he had received some rather unhappy letters. Borzo defended himself, however, saying that the CTA’s official label for the system is simply the “L”.
The first elevated tracks were built in New York City in 1867 as extensions of the already-established subway system. Chicago’s very first “L” line was completed in 1892, which ran from Congress to 63rd Street and was pulled by a steam locomotive. One of the cars from this train, train No. 1, is now on display in the Chicago History Museum, and is an example of the decadent and detailed craftsmanship of the time. Gold detailing, a rich mahogany interior, and stained glass upper windows all adorn the car, which would have originally been destined for the rubbish heap.
There was a long and winding sequence of mass-transit-hopefuls before Chicago finally settled on the L.
As the city grew in the mid 19th century, there was a greater call for public transportation. Lower income workers living on the outskirts of the city could not afford their own horse and buggy, the most efficient way of getting around at the time, and usually only had their own two feet to get from place to place. To solve this problem, the city established the Omnibus, old stage coaches converted into public cars. This was a step in the right direction, Borzo said, though it exacerbated the already severe traffic problems in the city, and commuters would often have to ride on top of the car due to overcrowding inside. Other modes were also tested, including the horse-drawn railcar and trolley car, but the most successful line before the elevated train was the cable car, brought to Chicago by convict and robber-baron Charles Tyson Yerkes.
Yerkes began to buy up the rail lines throughout the city and convert them to cable car lines, as well as tunneling under the river and eventually creating a transport system with nearly 86 miles of track, the largest cable-car system ever to exist, which ran for a total of 24 years, Borzo said.
It wasn’t until the Columbian Exposition of 1893 when the technology exhibited there would launch the L into the modern world of public transportation, and secure its place as a mass transit staple. Many of the inventions shown at the World’s Fair involved new ways to use electricity, such as the Intramural train used to transport people throughout the fairground. The Intramural was about three miles long, with a “turning loop” at either end for the train to change directions. What was unique and innovative about this train was that it drew its power from an electrically charged third rail, then the first example of this technology, but the same basic system the L still uses today. With this new application of electric power, the L no longer needed the bulky steam engine to pull its passenger cars, creating a cleaner, more modern and efficient transport system.
The L was used for more than mass transit, as well. Early on it had served as a quick way of getting newspapers circulated throughout the city, a means of transporting freight, and even served as a more convenient form of the funeral car, since the traditional horse and buggy procession would take hours to reach distant plots, such as Calgary Cemetery near Evanston. The train also took tourists and class field-trips to the Stockyards years ago, after a tour of which the adults received a free steak dinner.
It isn’t just the L’s history that Borzo is concerned with, it’s continued existence as a living institution and Chicago icon was a large chunk of the lecture. It is a symbol of the tightly woven fabric of Chicago, as it is the only mass transit system that physically defines its city’s central hub.
It has run 24/7 for 115 years as a green form of transportation, long before the word “green” meant anything other than the color. In fact, today one L train full of commuters is enough to keep 1,000 cars off the road. During the presentation it was compared to the Eiffel tower, as both are examples of riveted steel plate construction perfected. The lecture demonstrated the many ways in which Borzo wants to see the L; not just a way of getting from A to B, but as a work of art, a reminder of where we’ve come from and where we’re going, and an entity that brings people together.
Along with a plethora of information, Borzo also provided a horde of photographs, new and old, to help illustrate the progression of the train throughout Chicago’s history. His book has lots of images, but many of the slides displayed during the presentation are not in the book.
He said part of the reason for the lecture was to share new photos he had found. A particularly interesting one is of the future site of the Kimball Station in 1907, then just a flat, empty field. Some of the images of commuters from a century ago look similar to Chicago’s modern commuters, Borzo pointed out.
Recent photos display some of the views of the city that can be seen from the train, something the author claims people don’t appreciate enough anymore. Images of the Chicago Public Library, the pink Fisher Building, and the architecture Chicago is known for remind that some of these buildings even exist, let alone are visible from the daily commute.
More information about the book is “The Chicago L” is available on Arcadia Publishing’s website.
Information sought in hit and run
On Tuesday, May 6 at 10:16 a.m. an elderly woman was fatally struck by a U-Haul pickup truck driven by a white man or white Hispanic at 3200 N. Sheridan Road.
Those who witnessed the accident, or have any information regarding the driver of the vehicle, are asked to please contact the Major Accident Investigation Unit at (312) 745-4521.
Polish and Spanish speakers available.
Free play set in 1930’s Chicago
The Theatre School at DePaul University presents “Hurrah for the Next Who Dies,” written by Mark Mason and directed by Damon Kiely, as part of the 2007-2008 New Playwrights Series production.
This tale of media corruption opened May 9 and runs through May 18 at the Athenaeum Studio Three.
The play is performed Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 PM.
On June 9, 1930, Chicago Tribune reporter Jake Lingle was gunned down. Set in the “separate and lonely places” of Capone’s Chicago, “Hurrah for the Next Who Dies” examines the scandals, killings and betrayals surrounding Lingle’s death.
Mason’s thought-provoking new play reveals the dangerous pairing of violence and corrupt media that defined a dark time in Chicago’s not-too-distant history, and serves as a warning for the future of truth in the Windy City.
New Playwrights Series productions feature a new play written by a current Theatre School student or recent DePaul graduate.
Playwright Mason graduated from the Theatre School in 2007 with a BFA in Playwriting. He is a native of Joliet, where he was a columnist for the Joliet Herald-News. He has had his work performed as part of the Theatre School’s 24-Hour Theatre Festival.
Director Kiely served as the Artistic Director of American Theater Company from 2002 to 2007.
A post-show discussion with the cast and members of the staff will take place on May 15.
The cast of “Hurrah for the Next Who Dies” features Blake Dalton Bagby (The Bum), Ian Paul Custer (Jake Lingle), Edward Karch (Jack Zuta), Zach Kenney (Rusty McHugh), Jason T. Love (Chief Michael Slattery), Matthew Olson (Murray “The Camel” Humphrey), Victoria Oman (Rebecca Vogel), Adrian Snow (Leona Byrd) and Kyle Wallace (Ferdy Dormitzer).
Admission is free, reservations are recommended. Call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999. The Athenaeum Studio Three is located at 2936 N Southport Ave. Street and lot parking are available, and the theatre is accessible via public transportation.
Emanuel Honored Officer’s Cross by the Republic of Poland
At a ceremony in Chicago, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) received the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland from Minister Michal Kaminski and Minister Robert Draba from the Chancellery of the President of Poland. This award is given by the Republic of Poland to foreigners and Poles abroad for distinguished contribution to cooperation between Poland and other countries.
“It is truly an honor to receive this award,” said Emanuel. “Poland is a first-class friend and I will continue my fight in Congress to ensure that the Poles of Chicago are never treated like second-class citizens. I look forward to continued dialogue and partnership on improving the cultural and economic ties between our nations.”
Emanuel has led the way to modernize and expand the Visa Waiver Program. In his first term in Congress, Emanuel introduced an amendment to the foreign aid bill calling on the Secretary of State to include Poland in the Visa Waiver program. In the 109th Congress, Emanuel introduced a resolution calling on the Secretary of State to include Poland in the Visa Waiver program [HR 78.] Last year, President Bush called on Congress to expand the program to deserving nations making it easier for citizens of our allies to come to the United States and at the same time share information to thwart terrorist plots. In 2007, Emanuel introduced the Visa Waiver Modernization Act of 2007 [HR 1543] expanding the Visa Waver program to our allies in the global war on terror including Poland.
The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland is bestowed on foreigners and Polish citizens permanently living abroad, who by their activities have made outstanding contributions to international cooperation and to bonds between the Republic of Poland and other nations and countries. In September 2007, at a ceremony at Millennium Park in Chicago President Kaczyñski thanked Emanuel for his work on behalf of Polonia. Emanuel was in Washington D.C. and was unable to attend the event, and today Emanuel officially accepted his award.
State investigates frozen fund complaints
Secretary of State Jesse White announced that the Securities Department of his office is coordinating with other state securities regulators in an investigation of auction rate securities. White’s office received complaints from investors who are unable to access the funds that their brokers claimed were the equivalent of cash or money market accounts.
Secretary White echoed the statements of Karen Tyler, the president of the North American Securities Administrators Association, in calling for a nationwide investigation of the sales practices and supervisory issues related to auction rate securities.
“Investors are entitled to the truth and if an investment product cannot be liquidated for a long, long time, investors should not be told that the product is good as cash.” White said.
Some of the investors who turned to White’s office were senior citizens who needed access to their monies for expenses, while others had income tax payments due.
When the investors attempted to withdraw their funds, the brokers told them they were frozen and not available due to failures in the auction rate market.
Many investors are now left in a bind because they relied on their brokers’ assurances that the funds were liquid.
Secretary White’s securities department is one of nine states that have taken the lead in a nationwide investigation of brokers who were involved in auction rate securities sales. The other states are Massachusetts, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas and Washington.
White urges investors to contact his office if they have had difficulty with their auction rate securities or are unable to access their investment funds as promised. The Securities Department may be reached at 312-793-3384. For additional information about investment fraud and the department, visit avoidthescam.net.
Buddhist Lama to speak
On June 9 at 8 p.m., the Diamond Way Buddhist Center Chicago will host Lama Ole Nydahl at the Gleacher Center, 450 North Cityfront Plaza Drive. Lama Ole will give a public lecture entitled “Buddhism – The Art of The Moment,” followed by a Q & A session and a short meditation.
Lama Ole Nydahl has been traveling and teaching for 36 years, visiting a different city virtually every day. He has visited Chicago at least once a year since 2004, and in 2007 he gave a three-day course at the Chicago Cultural Center. Known for his modern and practical approach, Lama Ole offers teachings that are timeless yet relevant to our contemporary lifestyle. The transformative methods of Diamond Way Buddhism provide deep understanding into the nature of mind, as well as the world around us. This view provides great stability in an increasingly uncertain world, in which difficult situations may occur at
any time.
After completing intensive meditation training in the Himalayas in 1972, Lama Ole Nydahl and his wife Hannah started teaching Buddhism at the request of H.H. 16th Gyalwa Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. The Karmapa is the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism and is considered the king of the yogis of Tibet. Since then, Lama Ole and Hannah have founded more than 550 Diamond Way Meditation Centers in 48 countries around the world, with an estimated 30,000 practitioners. These centers are under the spiritual guidance of H.H. 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Trinlay Thaye Dorje.
Lama Ole Nydahl has given numerous print, television, and radio interviews, and is the author of seven books translated into the many languages of his students: Entering the Diamond Way (1985), Ngondro (1990), Mahamudra (1990), Riding the Tiger (1992), The Nature of Mind (1993), The Way Things Are (1996) [all with Blue Dolphin Press], and The
Great Seal (2004) [Fire Wheel Publishing].
Exhibit on lawns opens at Nature Museum
Just in time for summer, the Notebaert Nature Museum introduces “Lawn Nation: The Art & Science of the American Lawn.” Starting May 23, this Chicago-only exhibition looks at the cultural underpinnings and environmental consequences of turf grass, America’s largest irrigated crop.
“Lawn is the most common landscape people encounter when they step outside,” said Jill Riddell, vice president of exhibits and strategic initiatives. “No other ground cover in Chicago is as ubiquitous as mowed turf. This exhibition takes a close look at what this landscape of lawn really is and why we have so much of it.”
From lawn leisure to lawn theory, Lawn Nation presents the work of more than 20 artists, photographers, filmmakers, scientists, academics and landscape architects, all coming together to bring attention to the lawn and its affect on all of us.
“Turf grass is a choice, not an inevitability,” Riddell added. “People who are lucky enough to have a yard have to wrestle with questions of how to make it look good and easy to
maintain, how to use less water, how to use
fewer pesticides.”
Visitors to Lawn Nation will encounter tips on sustainable lawn care and videos about lawn history. The information comes alongside such installations as a 3D perspective of a bug in the grass. Museum-goers also will have a chance to go on a scavenger hunt for garden gnomes, play indoor croquet and sit on a literal lawn chair.
For Lawn Nation, the Nature Museum is partnering with Openlands, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing public open space in northeastern Illinois, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College, which is hosting a sister exhibition called Beyond Backyards that will open on June 20.
“The environment is on everyone’s mind,” said Laurene von Klan, president and CEO, “and people’s lawns have impacts on what animals live here, how clean our water is, and even climate change. We love our lawns, and that’s why we need people to understand them better.”
Lawn Nation will be on display at the Nature Museum May 23 through Sept. 7 at the museum, 2430 North Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park.
City graphic designers win awards
Since January 2007, the Chicago Office of Tourism, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, has been honored with multiple awards for its graphic design and Chicago Blues Audio Tour.
The Office of Tourism received 10 graphic design awards for brochures and collateral materials for initiatives including Niki in the Garden, Discover Chicago Fashion and Silk Road Chicago. Bestowing organizations included the North American Travel Journalists Association, the State of Illinois, Graphic Design USA and the Society of Typographic Arts.
The Chicago Office of Tourism also received recognition for its Chicago Blues Audio Tour, which has been downloaded more than 225,000 times since it was released in 2007.
The tour was awarded a 2007 MUSE Award from the American Association of Museums recognizing outstanding achievement in museum media, and third place honors in the National Association for Interpretation’s Interactive Multimedia Awards.
“We are so proud to receive these awards, which recognize our strong commitment to cultural tourism and to providing top-quality visitor experiences and information,” said Chicago Office of Tourism Director Dorothy Coyle.
Lincoln Park chamber dishes out annual awards
The Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce will present their 18th annual Awards Luncheon on May 15 at Salvatore’s Ristorante, 525 W. Arlington Place.
The chamber’s business person of the year will be Nancie King Mertz of Art de Triumph & Artful Framer Studios, 2936 N. Clark St.
Nancie King Mertz is an award-winning fine artist whose original work has graced magazine covers and catalogs, has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and has been showcased in more than 30 one-person shows in Chicago during the past 20 years. King Mertz produces more than 100 original oil, pastel and watercolor paintings annually, 50 percent of them plein air. Her work features the beauty of urban environments and pastoral scenes. She has traveled to Hong Kong, Singapore, Amsterdam, Austria, the Czech Republic, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Spain, Wales, Mexico, the Bahamas and throughout the United States for painting trips. This April, King Mertz joined other plein air painters to travel to Southwest China, hiking into remote mountain villages to paint the locals and their daily lives. Many of King Mertz’s original paintings and hundreds of prints of her work, published by her husband and business partner, Ron Mertz, are available at Art de Triumph & Artful Framer Studios, a custom framing and fine art studio. King Mertz has been an active member of the chamber for more than 17 years and regularly attends networking events. She also served on the Chamber Board for six years and on the Ambassador Committee for several years. She currently serves on our Retail Task Force and Membership Attraction Committee.
The chamber’s small business of the year is Fave Media, Inc. at 2350 N. Clark Street.
Twin brothers Jon and Jeff Seymour founded Fave Media, Inc. two years ago when they set out to help solve the numerous problems local businesses face with online advertising. Fave produces entertaining and informative videos for local businesses, and hosts these videos on their hyper-local search engine www.GetFave.com. The business takes pride in keeping both video production and hosting costs competitive. More than 75,000 consumers a month visit www.GetFave.com, which recently launched nationally with more than 16 million business listings. Fave is a chamber 2008 Gold Sponsor. Fave regularly takes advantage of chamber marketing opportunities, and the owners and staff regularly attend networking events.
The chamber of commerce named Victory Gardens Theater as their community contributor of the year.
One of Chicago’s most respected Off-Loop theaters, Victory Gardens Theater has been the city’s top presenter of new work since its founding more than 30 years ago. Victory Gardens, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., emphasizes the work of Chicago writers and its own 14-member Playwrights Ensemble, a relationship that helped it receive the Tony Award for Regional Theatre in 2001. In 2006, Victory Gardens opened its new, 299-seat mainstage in Lincoln Park’s historic Biograph Theater, following an extensive $11.8 million renovation. The new Victory Gardens Biograph Theater boasts a faithfully restored façade and marquee, a contemporary interior and lobby bar, a state-of-the-art stage, and a multipurpose room available to neighborhood groups for meetings and events. Victory Gardens continues to grow under the guidance of Dennis Zacek, now celebrating his 30th season as artistic director; Marcelle McVay, managing director; a dedicated board; a staff of nearly 50 full- and part-time employees; and the support of more than 5,000 loyal subscribers.
The chamber will also present the Frank Hasner Member Momentum Award to Debbie Todd of the Lincoln Park Community Shelter, 600 W. Fullerton Parkway.
Todd has been actively involved in the Lincoln Park community for many years. She joined the Lincoln Park Community Shelter as the full-time volunteer coordinator in September, 2005. Todd has also been active in the chamber and has forged mutually beneficial partnerships between the shelter and chamber. Todd has been active in the Community Outreach Task Force for the past two years, helping to organize the Cell and Cartridge Collection for Charity, the holiday toy drive and our participation in Mayor Daley’s Clean and Green Day. She has also recently become involved with “Give Local,” a new effort to encourage businesses and residents to get involved in the community. She also serves on the Professional Development Committee of the Association of Volunteer Administrators of Metropolitan Chicago.
Health center wins award
Saint Joseph Hospital’s Lakeview Clinic, 2949 N. Clark St., received the Chicago Vaccines for Children Award from the Chicago Department of Public Health for the fifth time since 2003.
Richard Spangler, M.D., chairperson, Department of Pediatrics, Saint Joseph, and attending on staff at Lakeview Health Center, along with the pediatric staff, was recognized for exceeding immunization compliance rates in 2007.
Valerie Williams-Lee, Nurse Educator from the Chicago Department of Public Health, presented the VFC Award to Chicago area health care providers that achieved high immunization compliance rates of 80 percent or more for patients during 2007 assessments.
“Our pediatric staff is proactive in providing care for our patients and commendable for consistently excelling in immunization compliance rates,” said Rosemary Kaminski, clinical nurse manager at the Lakeview Clinic. “Our young patients will be off to a healthy start in life.”
The VFC program is a federal program that provides free immunizations for individuals up to age 18. Lakeview Health Center is one of Saint Joseph Hospital’s outpatient facilities serving between 6,000 and 7,000 pediatric patients, the majority of whom are uninsured or underinsured. The clinic is the two-time recipient of the Governor’s Award for enrolling more than 2,000 people in state health programs.
Local resident inducted into senior hall of fame
Nominated by Thomas Tunny, Alderman of the 44th Ward, Sheila Sachnoff of 3100 N. Lake Shore Drive was among those inducted into the Chicago Senior Citizens Hall of Fame on Saturday May 8 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel. Sachnoff is on the board of directors of Jane Addams Senior Caucus.
In his letter nominating her Tunny wrote, “She worked more than forty years as a market research analyst. She assisted clients from the steel industry, farming, consumer products and the funeral industry.”
His letter went on to say that these days Sachnoff’s special interest is affordable housing. She says, “Everyone deserves a decent clean place in which they can afford to live.” Once when she was rallying and residents of Rienzi Plaza to save their homes Sachnoff was questioned by a passerby: “Do you live here? Do you need this affordable housing for yourself?”
She replied, “You do not have to be homeless to know homelessness is wrong. You do not have to be a nomad to know that being driven out of your neighborhood is wrong.”
Tunny’s letter of nomination went on to say, “Since 1964 Sachnoff worked with the League of Women Voters on environmental quality, affordable housing and international relations. During the development of the revised State of Illinois Constitution of 1970 Sachnoff helped organize and staff citizen forums in communities.”
Hip hop theater May 22
Steppenwolf Theatre Company continues its 2008 Traffic Series with Kuumba Lynx: Educatin’ Energy on Thursday, May 22 in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.
Fusing literary and performance art with music and movement, Kuumba Lynx presents an evening of hip-hop theater. The organization strives to empower Chicago’s youth by developing programs that preserve, promote and present urban hip-hop culture, both as an artistic aesthetic and as a social justice movement.
The recent winner of Young Chicago Author’s Louder Than A Bomb 2008 poetry slam, Kuumba Lynx is an arts-in-education, not-for-profit organization working to provide access to cross-cultural and interdisciplinary arts while building community. Kuumba Lynx performances strive to meet the ISP goals for Fine Arts and Social Sciences.
Medical marijuana legislation altered
In a press conference April 30, Sen. John Cullerton (D-Chicago), lead sponsor of a bill to protect from arrest seriously ill Illinoisans who use medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation, announced significant changes to the legislation based on input from law enforcement.
Although members of the law enforcement community have been among the most vocal opponents of the bill, Cullerton said the recent amendments reflected specific objections law enforcement officers raised in good faith in a meeting with bill proponents last month.
“I’m grateful to the members of the law enforcement community who sat down with us to help us craft this improved medical marijuana bill,” he said. “Thanks to their help, I’m confident we have legislation here that protects our most suffering patients while ensuring law officers are able to do their jobs and keep our streets safe.”
Also at the press conference, medical marijuana activist and Chicago multiple sclerosis patient Julie Falco announced a new campaign to reach out to representatives by sending personal video appeals by seriously ill patients asking for support on the medical marijuana bill.
“I think it’s important for people like me who are counting on compassion to prevail to let legislators know who we are and why we need this law, especially those whose conditions prevent them from appearing in person,” Falco said. “It’s very easy for hysteria and fear to take over the debate, but this medical cannabis bill is about only one thing: easing the suffering of seriously ill people with a medicine that is proven safe and effective.”
Despite opposition from some elements of the law enforcement community, medical marijuana enjoys great support among the medical community and among Illinois voters. In February, the American College of Physicians – the second largest physician organization in the country with 124,000 members – became the latest major medical association to endorse laws protecting patients and doctors from arrest for using medical marijuana.
Also in February, a Mason-Dixon telephone poll of 625 randomly selected Illinois voters commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. found that 68 percent of respondents agreed that “seriously and terminally ill patients should be allowed to use and grow medical marijuana for personal use if their doctors recommended it.” SB 2865 – the medical marijuana bill – is expected to reach the Senate floor within weeks.
Butterfly ball fundraiser held
More than $1.6 million was raised at the Chicago Academy of Sciences Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum 2008 Butterfly Ball on Friday, May 2. The theme for the annual Butterfly Ball was “living green in Chicago” as this was the first sustainable ball in the museum’s history.
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Case of Aon, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew McKenna of Schwarz Paper Company, and Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Reyes of Reyes Holdings provided dedicated leadership as Butterfly Ball Co-Chairs, along with a 42-member Ball Committee.
This year’s ball featured an unprecedented number of “Monarch Sponsors” such as Aon, Huron Consulting Group, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Richard Notebaert, Sidley Austin LLP, Tiffany & Co., and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Walter. Thanks to the work of the Co-Chairs and Committee, and the support of over 30 Vice Chairs, the Butterfly Ball was said to be a huge success.
“As we celebrate 10 years of the Butterfly Ball, I am thrilled to see tremendous support form Chicago’s top corporate and civic leaders, “stated Laurene von Klan, Museum President and CEO. “The environment is top of mind for many, and the Nature Museum is the leader in teaching Chicagoans about nature and the environment.”
Kurtis Productions created a video featuring Nature Museum visitors, staff, and supporters of all ages sharing their eco-resolutions.
A variety of green living tips were displayed throughout the dinner. Calihan Catering, which uses fresh farm goods from people who practice sustainable agriculture and organic ingredients whenever possible, served a meal including Midwest raised tenderloin of beef set on a red wine reduction sauce. The Flower Firm provided arrangements from local nurseries. Even the Chico Bag gift bags were complete with eco-friendly items. Guests danced the night away to music provided by the Stu Hirsh Orchestra.
The Butterfly Ball is the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum’s largest fundraiser with proceeds from the event directly supporting the museum’s exhibitions, public education programs, conservation initiatives, and research efforts. The 2009 Butterfly Ball will be held on Friday, May 1 at the Nature Museum.
Celebrating 150 years of science exploration and education, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is the teaching and learning center of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, founded in 1857 as Chicago’s first museum dedicated to educating Chicagoans about nature and science through the preservation and display of native specimens, classroom activities, and dissemination of scientific knowledge.
Today the Nature Museum continues the academy’s tradition of education about nature in greater Chicago, research, and conservation through participatory exhibits and programs, educational outreach, and ongoing scientific activity. Its collections, due to their age and type, are among the most important in the region. The museum’s distinctive experience includes extensive involvement in schools and classrooms and the opportunities for visitors to learn about nature up close.
The Nature Museum engages visitors, especially urban dwellers, in new ways to connect with and preserve the natural world through a unique indoor/outdoor experience.
Disabled dancers in performance
Victory Gardens Theater’s Crip Slam Series will present Heidi Latsky Dance, in an Alliger Arts Production, titled “Gimp” a special evening of interconnected new works inspired by the expressive physicality of both disabled and able-bodied dancers on Thursday, May 15, at 7:30 pm at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.
Gimp is an evening of unexpected movement portraits, featuring a roster of performers who embody unique physical virtuosity.
New York-based Heidi Latsky and her company examine the uncompromising ways people are often identified or defined by their physicality. By illuminating limbs, Gimp accentuates uncommon beauty, mystery and grace, and the ways in which bodies support and rebel. Outstanding technique, raw beauty and the physical poetry of risk-taking combine for an elegant landscape of portraits.
“Victory Gardens and the Access Project have selected Gimp to challenge perceptions of mobility and celebrate the universality of our experiences,” said Sandy Shinner, Associate Artistic Director, Victory Gardens Theater.
“Gimp is a wonderful vehicle for dialogue, outreach, and community engagement, as it confronts audiences with their preconceptions, challenging us to re-think accepted notions about dance, performance, and body image.”
Tickets are $15. For tickets and information, call the Victory Gardens box office, 773-871-3000, or purchase online.
Gimp is wheelchair accessible and will be signed and audio described. In addition to the public performance, members of Heidi Latsky Dance will present a Master Class exploring Heidi Latsky’s method of work, followed by an interactive discussion on the perceptions of dance, dancers, and their bodies. This event, co-hosted by Victory Gardens Theater and Access Living’s Arts & Culture Project, is Wednesday, May 14, from 5:30 to 8 pm at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater. The Master Class is open to dancers and anyone interested in dance. Participation is free but space is limited.
Now in its 15th year, the Victory Gardens Access Project is a model outreach effort designed to involve people with disabilities in all aspects of theater, both on and off the stage. Through the program, Victory Gardens has been Chicago’s earliest adopter of assistive services such as providing Sign Language interpreted performances, as well as captioned and audio-described shows, large-print and Braille programs, pre-show Touch Tours of the theater and set, dedicated wheelchair seating, and TTY phone lines.
Originally developed by Remains Theater with funding from the Lila Wallace Readers Digest Resident Theater Initiative, the Victory Gardens Access Project is supported by Kraft Foods, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the Harry S. Black & Allon Fuller Fund, Daniel Efner, the Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation, and the Samuel A. Burstein Family Foundation.
GlobalFest slated for May 17
Come celebrate the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Lincoln Square neighborhood at GlobalFest, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 at St. Matthias Transfiguration School, 4910 N. Claremont Ave.
Children – from preschool through eighth grade – study countries around the world, culminating in a festival of food, activities and entertainment. Teachers, families and community members will join in the learning and experience the rich cultures of eight different countries. This year, GlobalFest will feature Norway, Vietnam, Brazil, Germany, Guatemala, Spain, Morocco, Jamaica and the states of New York and Alaska.
Be entertained in the auditorium with song and dance performances by the children. Enjoy food and themed drinks from around the world. Classrooms are open as different countries. Join us as we navigate to Norway, vacation in Vietnam, explore the Amazon Rain Forest in Brazil, celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany, take a spin through Spain, journey to Morocco, jam in Jamaica, bite the big apple in New York state and have a whale of a time in Alaska.
Bid on Silent Auction prizes and enjoy entertainment in the Gym. Bid on more than 70 auction prizes including a sailing trip for six on Lake Michigan, a catered six-course dinner for 10 at your home, a night at the Ritz Carlton, priceless items created by our children, and Cubs, Sox and Blackhawks tickets.
Children will enjoy the dance in the gym, while the adults have fun at the outdoor beer garden.
Wristbands are required for entrance and entitle wearer to all-you-can-eat food from the different countries as well as the entertainment.
Wristbands are available in advance at the school for $10 for adults and $6 for children. At the door, wristbands will be $12 for adults and $8 for children.
Mayor offers State of the City speech
Mayor Richard Daley used his annual City of Chicago address to confront the city’s challenges: gun violence, especially against children; a national economy in recession and a school system that is progressing but needs to redouble its efforts to keep student achievement going.
Chicago has made real and lasting progress to secure its future since he has been in office, Daley told an audience of community, government, political and other leaders at the Hilton and Towers, 720 S. Michigan Av. The city has come far since the days of “Council Wars,” when the city was divided along racial lines.
“We’ve lowered our voices, raised our sights and put the racial divisiveness behind us so we can look to the future and address our shared problems. As a result, we’ve improved the lives of people from every walk of life and helped secure our future,” the Mayor said.
Daley reviewed the city’s progress in many areas such as improving schools; creating new opportunity and diversifying the economy; better managing government; enhancing the city environment; improving neighborhood quality of life and being selected as America’s candidate to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“But, there is more to be done. This is no time to rest. The challenges we face are great,” he said.
In the speech, the Mayor announced a city initiative that will expand summer job opportunities for young people this year and a new Chicago Public Schools summer program aimed at helping 8th graders make the sometimes difficult transition from elementary to high school.
The city will spend an additional $1.5 million dollars to provide an additional 1,000 young people with summer employment opportunities. The money will support the city’s partnerships with the schools, the Park District, After School Matters and leading corporations.
The program will target the top ten communities with the highest levels of teen violence and the lowest economic opportunities.
“A summer job is a short-term way to give young people something much better to do than just hang around the streets. It puts money in their pocket and keeps them out of harm’s way, too,” he said. “But government can’t do this alone. Most jobs are in the private sector and today I want to challenge our business leaders to strengthen their efforts to provide jobs for young people.
They can do this by supporting our program and by hiring our young people themselves. We need everyone’s help to keep our kids occupied in a positive way this summer,” he said.
In the long run, our young people need more than a summer job. They need to stay in school and graduate and go on to some kind of higher education if they are to reach their full potential, Daley said.
“For many of them, making the transition from elementary school to high school is very difficult. Many never successfully make it. They get frustrated, and they quit school. That’s why this summer Chicago Public Schools will offer its new ‘Freshman Connection’ program for eighth graders,” he said
“Freshman Connection” is a four-week program that runs five days a week starting June 30. It has academic instruction in the morning and recreation activities in the afternoon at no cost to the students.
The program will be held at the students’ destination high schools, so it will give them a chance to become familiar with their new school and their new classmates. And that will make it easier to get used to the new routine of high school, the mayor said.
“Already 15,000 students have signed up. I want to stress this program has room for every 8th grader in the city that’s starting public high school in the fall. The more kids who take advantage of “Freshman Connection,” the more who will graduate from high school,” he said.
Daley also announced that this summer the Chicago Park District will allocate an additional $500,000 to expand its NeighborSports program to serve an additional 1,500 teen-agers. Last year, the program served 4,000 young people.
For the first time, NeighborSports will be offered on Friday and Saturday nights until 10 p.m. at 20 sites in high crime neighborhoods. And the Park District also will be able to keep 17 swimming pools open until 9 p.m., Daley said.
Altogether, this summer, After School Matters and other programs will provide more than 140,000 children the chance to participate in arts, computer and sports programs or have a summer job. It’s up to their parents to assure they take advantage of the opportunities we offer.
Daley said no challenge is more frustrating or daunting than gun violence, especially against children.
“It has reached epidemic levels across the nation. On the one hand, in Chicago, we’ve embraced the latest technologies, new strategies and good policing to bring homicides and violent crime to historic lows. But, on the other, gun and gang violence are killing our children, devastating our families and outraging our city.”
Daley reviewed the many steps that the city, community and religious groups and police have taken to protect our children and prevent gun violence, including extending and enforcing the city’s curfew, adding police patrols to troubled schools, installing neighborhood and school safety cameras, adding more after school programs and getting more students to stay in school and go on to college.
Daley reviewed the findings from a meeting of city and community leaders he convened last week to ask what more could be done to protect our children and end the gun violence.
“On this we agreed -- we can make our neighborhoods safer for our children and all the people of Chicago. We will never turn our backs on protecting Chicago’s children. We also agreed that the steps we’re taking are solid and that we need to ask even more of ourselves to protect our children,” Daley added.
He said that “more parents need to take responsibility. They need to know where their children are at all times. They need to guide them away from gangs and drugs and toward staying in school and going to college. More of them need to ‘lay down the law’ in their own homes.”
He challenged school and park leaders, as well as community and religious groups to expand their after school programs. He challenged every Chicagoan to rise up against the violence and report crimes and criminals in their neighborhoods and turn in illegal weapons. “Community silence means only more death and despair,” Daley warned.
Daley went on to say that protecting our children and preventing gun violence also requires good policing and having stricter gun laws.
“I want the gang bangers and drug dealers who kill our children and prey on our families to know that that we’ll always stand against them and their illegal ways,” he said.
Daley said that includes everything from stepping up the presence of the Chicago Police Department in key areas to more effectively targeting resources to gang and drug hot spots.
He also asked Chicago’s police to fully, but fairly enforce the law, adding that “we will not tolerate police misconduct or abuse of authority.”
He also asked Chicagoans to support the city’s ongoing efforts to pass common sense gun laws in Springfield and stand against the NRA and other gun extremists who will work to defeat them.
Daley also used the speech to address the nation’s recession, making the point that since he’s been mayor, “we’ve strengthened the city’s economy, made it more diverse and brought new businesses large and small both downtown and to our neighborhoods.”
He went on to say that although Washington D.C. has yet to act on major economic challenges, Chicago has done its part.
“Years ago we saw the housing foreclosures crisis emerge and we acted,” Daley claimed.
In 2003, Daley said, the city created the HOPI program which has helped hundreds of Chicagoans keep their homes and helped soften the impact of the nation’s foreclosure meltdown in Chicago. The city has also implemented an early warning system for property owners and held nine borrower outreach days in the neighborhoods hardest hit by the problem.
Daley went on to say he has viewed the assessment system as “broken” for years. With his support, the legislature has twice passed legislation to cap the taxable value of property at 7%. Still, Daley said, this year the legislature needs to raise the exemption level or this fall property tax bills for many of our hardest hit homeowners will increase.
Daley said he has convened a group to advise him on how best to bring about fundamental reform in property tax assessments which, he reminded the audience, have the highest impact on property tax bills.
Daley added that to protect those who are struggling the city has assisted thousand of families in applying for the Earned Income Tax Credit and that it has contributed $2 million in the last two years to help low income Chicagoans pay their heating bills.
Public health agency OK’s Oak Street Beach asbestos study
Despite calls for more information by local environmental groups, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5’s public health agency partner has issued a formal consultation letter to EPA that validates the technical approaches used in a study to assess potential exposures to low levels of asbestos found at Chicago’s Oak Street Beach.
“The review of the data collected by the Chicago Park District in 2005 provides an extra level of assurance that the Oak Street Beach testing was appropriate and sufficient to reach a public health conclusion,” said Regional Superfund Director Richard Karl. “Going forward, EPA and its federal partners will continue to be available to the park district for consultation as requested.”
The study was conducted in September 2005 by LFR Inc., an Elgin-based contractor retained by the Chicago Park District.
The study evaluated whether people could be exposed to asbestos while engaging in typical beach activities, such as playing catch, building sandcastles and sunbathing.
EPA provided limited technical consultation regarding the “activity-based testing” protocols used by LFR.
The final report from this study, entitled “Report on Activity-Based Air Sampling - Oak Street Beach, Chicago, Illinois,” was released in April 2006.
EPA recently requested that its public health agency partner, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) review this report.
The ATSDR consultation letter to EPA concludes that the air samples collected contained asbestos concentrations consistent with levels that would be expected in urban areas and that recreational activity at Oak Street Beach does not pose a public health hazard.
It also says the sampling methods and analytical protocols used in the study were consistent with methods recommended by both EPA and ATSDR for assessing asbestos exposure.
In addition, it is believed that based on the data collected in 2005, it did not recommend additional sampling at Oak Street Beach. However, if additional sampling efforts are conducted, officials say they are willing to review sampling protocols and results.
|
