Chatham- Southeast Citizen 9-11-2019

17 Million Voters Purged Nationwide Between 2016 and 2018 — Page 3

Citizen Week of Sept. 11 , 2019

| Vol. 55 | No. 24 | www.thechicagocitizen.com

CHATHAM SOUTHEAST

The Chicago Transit Authority recently held an RPM Construction Career Networking Fair to familiarize people with job opportunities that will be available through the Red-Purple Modernization project.

Photo Credit: Provided by the Chicago Transit Authority

LARGEST CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN IN CTA HISTORY AIMS TO BE AS DIVERSE AS CTA RIDERSHIP As the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) prepares for it’s largest capital improvement plan ever, the CTA and Walsh-Fluor, the projects main contractor, are working together to make sure that the project’s workforce is just as diverse as the CTA’s millions of daily riders. PAGE 2

BUSINESS

NEWS

REAL ESTATE

Brown Honored Among Most Influential Women in Corporate America

Harper Tours Urban Farm with State Agriculture Director

Check out our real estate listings for important foreclosure information

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NEWS briefly EDUCATION

HIGHER EDUCATION GROUP NAMED FINALIST IN SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS PROGRAM The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) announced recently that a group of three community colleges and three universities in the Will County region, including the University of St. Francis (USF), Governors State University, Joliet Junior College, Lewis University, Moraine Valley Community College, Prairie State College, has been named a finalist for the 2019 AASHE Sustainability Awards for the group’s Growing Sustainable Communities Together Through Leadership in Higher Education project.

Winners will be announced in mid-September and recognized during the opening ceremony at the AASHE Conference & Expo in Spokane, Wash. on Oct. 27. Finalists’ entries will be judged on overall impact, innovation, stakeholder involvement, clarity and other criteria specific to each category.

“To be named a finalist for the AASHE award is a tremendous honor. It highlights the work of the South Metropolitan Regional Higher Education Consortium’s Sustainability Committee, leading the way to work together with our communities to be equipped to solve sustainability challenges now and for the future,” said Janine Hicks, sustainability coordinator at USF. To learn more about AASHE’s Sustainability Awards programs, please visit http://www.aashe.org/get-involved/awards/.

HEALTH

AMERICANS PUT THEIR CARS FIRST: TWO-THIRDS SERVICE THEIR VEHICLE MORE OFTEN THAN THEY GO TO THE DENTIST While the temperatures may be starting to cool down, things are just starting to heat up between Americans and their cars as the majority admit to having strong feelings of love toward their personal vehicles, according to a new Cars.com (NYSE: CARS) national survey. The survey uncovered that nearly three-quarters of Americans (73 percent) love their car a lot, and more than two-thirds (69 percent) have a significant amount of pride in their vehicle.

But just how deep does Americans’ love for their cars run?

The majority of respondents are more concerned with maintaining the health of their vehicle than their own oral health — nearly two-thirds of respondents (63 percent) confess they service their vehicle more often than they go to the dentist.

Americans’ preventive health care comes second, too, as more than half of respondents (57 percent) say they service their vehicle more than they see a doctor.

Largest Capital Improvement Plan In CTA History Aims To Be As Diverse As CTA Ridership Continued from page 1

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

As the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) prepares for it’s largest capital improvement plan ever, the CTA and Walsh-Fluor, the projects main contractor, are working together to make sure that the project’s workforce is just as diverse as the CTA’s millions of daily riders.

The upcoming project is known as the Red-Purple Modernization and it consists of a 9.6-mile stretch of track that was built close to a century ago and currently requires frequent maintenance. Maintaining the track as-is has become costly and often slows train service, according to information provided by CTA. The Red Line, which runs north to south for almost the entire length of the city, is now Chicago’s busiest train line and serves several of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the city. This project will allow the CTA to increase service on the Red Line and serve more people by adding more trains during rush periods, according to information provided by CTA. Recently, members of the CTA’s Diver-

sity and Inclusion Programs staff joined the Walsh-Fluor Design Build Team at the Black Contractors Owners and Executives monthly membership meeting to talk about what opportunities will be available for disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) on the CTA’s Red-Purple Modernization project. The Black Contractors Owners and Executives meeting was held at LiveWire Construction, 12900 S. Throop St., in Calumet Park.

“We want to ensure that our workforce is as diverse as the ridership that CTA has, so that means that we’re pulling individuals from all across the City of Chicago from the south, the west, the north, and the east sides to ensure inclusivity as it concerns this project. We’re doing different things with the contractors, trying to partner with different pre-apprenticeship programs, and partnering with the unions as well to ensure that we’re reducing barriers so that individuals can ultimately be placed to work on this project and have long term employment,” said Chynna Hampton, senior project manager with workforce initiative for the CTA. In addition to meeting with the Black

Contractors Owners and Executives, the CTA also hosted an RPM Construction Career Networking Fair at the JLM Center, 2622 W. Jackson Blvd., where more than 170 attendees learned about training and apprenticeship opportunities that could lead to construction jobs on RPM and other projects.

“When you think about the CTA, you think about how we have the goal of transporting people and we transport people to different aspects of their lives, whether it be to work, whether it be taking your child to school. Our board chairman and CEO see it as important that this project be the catalyst to set the tone to ensure diversity in our construction projects,” said Hampton.

“Our Board Chairman and CEO found it really important with this, because a billion dollars of this project is construction based, that we ensure that this workforce is diverse and ensure that we are assisting with breaking the barriers for entry into the trade.”

To learn more about opportunities involving the RPM project visit www. transitchicago.com/rpm/jobs/.

LAW & POLITICS

UNDERWOOD TO HOST SERVICE ACADEMY FAIR Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) will host a service academy fair in the 14th District. Each year, Members of Congress may nominate up to ten individuals to four of the five U.S. service academies. Ahead of the October application deadline, Underwood will host a service academy fair for eligible students to learn more about each academy, the application process, and how to receive a nomination from their member of Congress. During these events, prospective cadets and midshipmen will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Air force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Details for the fair appear below: Naperville Service Academy Information Fair with Representatives Sean Casten (IL-6) and Bill Foster (IL-11) Saturday, September 14 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Naperville Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 908 Jackson Avenue Naperville, IL To RSVP to this event please visit https://www.eventbrite. com/e/2019-service-academy-day-tickets-67260300369.

Underwood previously hosted a service academy fair at Huntley High School on September 3 in Huntley, IL.

State Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, recently welcomed Illinois Department of Agriculture Director John Sullivan to Chicago to tour Growing Home, an urban farming organization in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood.

Harper Tours Urban Farm with State Agriculture Director State Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, recently welcomed Illinois Department of Agriculture Director John Sullivan to Chicago to tour Growing Home, an urban farming organization in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood.

“Urban agriculture works to provide people with the opportunity for healthy living, meaningful eco-

nomic growth and jobs and environmentally-friendly communities,” Harper said.

“As a longtime urban agriculture advocate, I was proud to welcome Director Sullivan to Chicago’s South Side to see these goals in action through the incredible work of the Growing Home farm.”

Harper is the first African American woman to serve as the chairperson of the Illinois

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House Agriculture & Conservation Committee, where she has focused on efforts to expand urban agriculture to reduce food deserts. Sullivan was appointed as Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture in January 2019

by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and served in the Illinois State Senate from 2003 to 2017, leading the Senate Agriculture Committee. Harper and

Sullivan served together on Pritzker’s Growing Our Agricultural Economy Transition Committee.

Harper represents the 6th District, which includes all or portions of Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, Back of the Yards, Canaryville, New City, West Englewood, Marquette Park, South Loop and River North.

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NEWS

17 Million Voters Purged Nationwide Between 2016 and 2018

BY STACY M. BROWN NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

A Brennan Center analysis has found that at least 17 million voters were purged nationwide between 2016 and 2018, similar to the numbers discovered between 2014 and 2016.

Using data released by the Federal Election Assistance Commission, the Brennan Center found that counties with a history of voter discrimination have continued purging people from the rolls at high rates.

“This phenomenon began after the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, a decision that severely weakened the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” the report states.

“Before the Shelby County decision, Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act required jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to submit proposed changes in voting procedures to the Department of Justice or a federal court for approval, a process known as ‘preclearance,’” the report’s authors wrote.

The Brennan Center first identified this troubling voter purge trend in a major report released in July 2018.

As the nation heads toward the all-important 2020 election cycle, many said they’re concerned with voter purging and the ever-present threat of voter disenfranchisement.

“Automatic voter registration is a great way to be sure that every eligible American is registered to vote,” said Dr. Margaret Groarke, an associate professor of political science at Manhattan College in New York.

“Whether this prevents voter suppression is

complicated by the fact that there are many ways that people suppress the vote,” Groarke said.

“Key strategies today are over-inclusive voter purges, strict voter ID laws, and making threats that people with unpaid fines or warrants shouldn’t come near the polls,” she said.

“Automatic voter registration might counteract the effect of purges, but will do nothing to stop other strategies,” Groarke said.

The Brennan Center report follows a Center for American Progress analysis that examined how conservative lawmakers are suppressing the votes of people of color, young people, and those with disabilities.

From discriminatory voter ID laws in places such as North Dakota, South Carolina, and Michigan to failures to provide early polling places in a majority-black neighborhood in Texas and the freezing of more than 50,000 voter registrations in Georgia, voter suppression is rampant in 2018, according to the CAP report.

“Voter suppression is widespread again this year, and these efforts from conservative lawmakers largely target people of color, young people, and people with disabilities,” Connor Maxwell, a research associate for Race and Ethnicity Policy at the CAP, said in a news release.

“Despite these efforts, there are many steps people can take to ensure their vote counts on election day,” Maxwell said.

Voting is a fundamental right for all U.S. citizens, “so we encourage everyone to double-check their voter registration; determine ahead of time whether you need to bring certain materials to the polls; and take advantage of the many voter assistance hotlines if you run into problems,” said Danielle Root, a voting rights manager at the CAP.

In its report, The Brennan Center noted why voter purges could prove problematic.

“If a voter moves from Georgia to New York, they are no longer eligible to cast a ballot in the Peach State. As such, they should be removed from Georgia’s voter rolls,” Brennan authors said, as an example.

The report continued: “Similarly, voters who have passed away should be removed from the rolls. Reasonable vote list maintenance ensures voter rolls remain up to date. Problems arise when states remove voters who are still eligible to vote.

“States rely on faulty data that purport to show that a voter has moved to another state.

Frequently, these data get people mixed up. In big states like California and Texas, multiple individuals can have the same name and date of birth, making it hard to be sure that the right voter is being purged when perfect data are unavailable.

“Troublingly, minority voters are more likely to share names than white voters, potentially exposing them to a greater risk of being purged and voters often don’t realize they’ve been purged until they try to cast a ballot on Election Day – after it’s already too late.”

The Brennan Center’s report authors said as the 2020 election cycle heats up, election administrators must be transparent about how they’re deciding what names to remove from the rolls.

They must be diligent in their efforts to avoid erroneously purging voters, the report’s authors said.

“And they should push for reforms like automatic voter registration and election day registration which keep voters’ registration records up to date,” the authors wrote.

City of Chicago Announces Expansion of Flexible Housing Pool

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Thanks to a $1.5 million investment from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois and Advocate Aurora Health over the next three years, the City of Chicago was able to announce the expansion of the Chicago and Cook County Flexible Housing Pool which supports residents experiencing homelessness with wrap-around services and access to affordable housing.

As one of the initial private funders for the Flexible Housing Pool, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois will be investing $1 million in the program to help secure affordable housing for homeless residents and hopefully improve their quality of health as a result.

“The average life expectancy among America’s homeless is between 42 and 52 years old, much lower than the life expectancy for

the general population at 78 years,” said Dr. Derek Robinson, chief medical officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. “One estimate is that more than 80 percent of all homeless people have at least one chronic health condition. By taking away the obstacle of homelessness, we can empower individuals to better manage their medical conditions and avoid complex problems like kidney failure, heart attack, stroke or blindness.”

The Flexible Housing Pool was created in 2018 with a $500,000 investment from the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund, $500,000 in 2018 City corporate funds, and $800,000 in housing and urban development funds from the Chicago Housing Authority, according to information provided by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services.

The Flexible Housing Pool’s target

clients are homeless individuals who frequently cycle through the criminal justice system or who often use local crisis response systems such as hospital emergency rooms, police stations, and paramedic services.

Outside of helping homeless individuals quickly connect with housing options, the Flexible Housing Pool also provides health and social support services for the residents they serve, according to information provided by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services.

“Homelessness should be everyone’s concern, and that is why we are joining forces with private and public entities to support a subsidy that quickly houses and provides supportive services for some of the hardest-to-reach homeless residents,” said Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot. “We are grateful for those hospitals and organizations www.thechicagocitizen.com

who have come forward to help address homelessness, and we hope others will follow suit.”

The first Flexible Housing Pool participant received housing in March 2019 and since then, there have been a total of 26 individuals who have been housed, according to information provided by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services.

“We invested in this program because we know helping people live well is about more than what happens when they see their doctor. Having a safe place to live is a big part of that whole-person care,” said Dr. Alvia Siddiqi, vice president of Population Health at Advocate Aurora Health. “We’re always looking for innovative ways to attend to important social needs that are fundamental to managing population health, and we’re proud to be a part of this effort.”

Security Summit warns of new IRS impersonation email scam The Internal Revenue Service and its Security Summit partners are warning taxpayers and tax professionals about a new IRS impersonation scam campaign spreading nationally on email.

Remember: the IRS does not send unsolicited emails and never emails taxpayers about the status of refunds.

The IRS recently detected the new scam as taxpayers began notifying phishing@irs.gov about unsolicited emails from IRS imposters. The email subject line may vary, but recent examples use the phrase “Automatic Income Tax Reminder” or “Electronic Tax Return Reminder.”

The emails have links that show an IRS.gov-like website with details pretending to be about the taxpayer’s refund, electronic return or tax account.

The emails contain a “temporary password” or “one-time password” to “access” the files to submit the refund.

But when taxpayers try to access these, it turns out to be a malicious file.

“The IRS does not send emails about your tax refund or sensitive financial information,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “This latest scheme is yet another reminder that tax scams are a year-round business for thieves. We urge you to be on-guard at all times.”

The new scam uses dozens of compromised websites and web addresses that pose as IRS.gov, making it a challenge to shut down. By infecting computers with malware, these imposters may gain control of the taxpayer’s computer or secretly download software that tracks every keystroke, eventually giving them passwords to sensitive accounts, such as financial accounts.

The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry, which work together in the Security Summit effort, have made progress in their efforts to fight stolen identity refund fraud. But people remain vulnerable to scams by IRS imposters sending fake emails or harrassing phone calls.

The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. This includes requests for PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.

The IRS also doesn’t call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer.

Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes.

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BUSINESS

Legislation Creates Worker Protection Unit in Attorney General’s Office Governor JB Pritzker recently signed legislation creating a Worker Protection Unit within the Office of the Attorney General which will protect Illinois workers from wage theft and other unlawful employment practices.

“When Illinoisans put in a hard day’s work, they deserve to be compensated fairly and treated with dignity, and this new Worker Protection Unit will make sure of it,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Attorney General Raoul and Leader Hoffman have led the charge to protect workers’ rights, and I’m proud to sign this legislation that ensures the state of Illinois expeditiously prosecutes employers violating state labor laws. Our hardworking residents deserve nothing less.”

The new unit law gives the Attorney General’s office the express authority to investigate and file suit against violators of the Prevailing Wage Act, the Employee Classification Act, the Minimum Wage Kwame Raoul Law, the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act and the Wage Payment and Collection Act. The new Worker Protection Unit will work collaboratively with the Illinois Department of Labor to detect unlawful conduct but may also take direct legal action against widespread and pervasive wage payment violations and unfair labor practices.

It also creates the Worker Protection Unit Task Force within the Office of the Illinois Attorney General to facilitate information sharing and collaboration between local and state prosecutors and regulators as well as promote a statewide outreach and enforcement effort targeting businesses that violate the state’s worker

protection laws. The task force will report on its work to the governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2020. Senate Bill 161 takes effect on January 1, 2020.

“Illinois’ diverse workforce is one of our most valuable assets, and I have long been committed to fighting unlawful employment practices, such as businesses stealing wages from and misclassifying their employees to undercut legal protections for workers. These practices harm workers, law-abiding businesses, and the Illinois economy,” said Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

“I appreciate Governor Pritzker signing this legislation to establish the Worker Protection Unit within the Attorney General’s office, and I would also like to thank Representative Hoffman and Senator Curran for partnering with my office to pass Senate Bill 161, which gives my office additional authority to protect the rights of hardworking Illinoisans.”

“Good, high-wage jobs are the backbone of a stable community. Businesses that step on their workers’ rights to widen their margins only weaken Illinois,” said House Assistant Majority Leader Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville). “I applaud the governor for signing this legislation into law, reaffirming that Illinois workers deserve fair pay, safe working conditions and freedom from workplace discrimination.”

In 2018, Gov. Rauner vetoed substantially similar legislation – SB 193 in the 100th General Assembly – sponsored by then-Sen. Kwame Raoul and Rep. Jay Hoffman.

Danielle Brown

Brown Honored Among Most Influential Women in Corporate America Danielle Brown, vice president and chief information officer for Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), was recently honored among the “Most Influential Women in Corporate America” as chosen by Savoy Magazine.

Savoy Magazine, which announced its 2019 designees in its recent Summer issue, states that this group comprises the “definitive listing of African American Women achievers impacting corporate America.” The full list can be viewed online at SavoyNetwork.com.

Brown, who reports to Brunswick Chief Executive Officer David Foulkes, joined Brunswick in 2016.

She is charged with managing a world-class information technology function that creates value through the use of technology, while managing investment and focusing resources to improve operating efficiency and the organization’s ability to utilize analytics to provide a base for further innovation as well as to strengthen Brunswick’s connection to customers.

She has been in the information technology industry for over 20 years, focusing on the design and delivery of cross-functional transformational programs and technology initiatives that directly impact financial and operational performance. Brown recently was a finalist for the prestigious Chicago CIO of the Year Award for 2019 as well as included in Crain’s Chicago Business’ Tech 50 list for 2019.

Brown spent much of her career with DuPont. In her 16 years there, she held a series of

information technology roles of increasing responsibility, including Asia Pacific Applications Delivery, where she lived in Singapore with her family for three years; Global Chief Information Officer for Crop Protection, a $3.2-billion DuPont Strategic Business Unit; and IT Transformational Productivity Leader, where her leadership helped to significantly reduce costs through the deployment of new, aggressive breakthrough technology.

She has a bachelor of arts in computer science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania as well as earning a master of science in information systems, and an MBA from Pennsylvania State University and Drexel University, respectively.

Savoy’s Summer edition features a cover story on Oprah Winfrey and includes articles on Issa Rae, Gayle King, Tyra Banks, Regina King, Valerie Jarrett, and Serena Williams as well executive profiles such as that of Brown.

Selection of the Most Influential Women in Corporate America begins by examining the landscape of spheres of influence impacting Savoy’s readership including; corporate sector influence, scholastic achievement, career growth, community outreach and recognition. The information received from over 500 prospective candidates in diverse fields was prescreened by the selection committee, which included the Savoy editorial board and community leaders with representatives from the academic and business arenas.

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CITIZEN On The Move

Jerome Simmons

79th Street Annual Renaissance Festival The Annual 79th Street Renaissance Festival is one of the longest running neighborhood Festivals in Auburn Gresham. Each year promises to be bigger and better than the last. Now with nearly 20,000 attendees coming out annually to enjoy local food, retailers, organizations, and performers from all genres from cultural to modern dance and blues to hip hop, there is literally something for everyone.

As always, this family friendly festival was free and open to everyone. Remember that the Annual 79th Street Renaissance Festival is an opportunity for us to not only showcase our community and have a great time, it's also an opportunity to shop responsibly and locally on the southside of Chicago and to support the hard working, small businessmen and women.

Tiff Joy brought the crowd to its feet performing her hit song.

Father Michael Pfleger, St. Sabina, Ed Callahan, Callahan Funeral Home and Sgt E. Dixon CPD

Ald David Moore (37), pictured with 99 year-old Estelle Long, enjoying the Festivities.

IL Senator Collins gave away information on the U..S. Constitution and Citizen Newspapers..

MAYFAIR ACADEMY BIG SUCCESS AT AFRICAN FEST

Peggy Sutton Dir. Mayfair and Erin Bennett and kids

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CITIZEN | Chatham Southeast | Week of Sept. 11, 2019

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