Citizen Suburban Times Weekly 6-19-2019

Citizen Week of June 19, 2019

| Vol. 2 | No. 45 | www.thechicagocitizen.com

SUBURBAN TIMES WEEKLY

Living Grace Church in Lynwood is preparing to host their annual Jazz on the Grass event on Aug. 4. Photo Credit: Living Grace Church

SOUTH SUBURBAN CHURCH PREPARES TO HOST ANNUAL JAZZ ON THE GRASS EVENT

Every summer, Living Grace Church in Lynwood opens its doors to the community during their free Jazz on the Grass event.

This years free event will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 4 on the Church grounds, 20100 Lakewood Ave., and feature local jazz, R&B, and gospel performers. SEE PAGE 2

POLITISCOPE The 25th Amendment wouldn’t work to dump Trump PAGE 2

Marquette Bank Awards 56 Scholarships to Local Students PAGE 4

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Illinois State Cancer Registry Nationally Recognized as a Registry of Excellence PAGE 4

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MetroSouth Medical Center Will Close Unless A New Owner Steps Up PAGE 4

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COMMUNITY

South Suburban Church Prepares to Host Annual Jazz on the Grass Event Continued from page 1

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Every summer, Living Grace Church in Lynwood opens its doors to the community during their free Jazz on the Grass event. This years free event will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 4 on the Church grounds, 20100 Lakewood Ave., and feature local jazz, R&B, and gospel performers.

“This is probably the one event that we look forward to the most here at Living Grace Church because it’s an opportunity for us to open our doors to the community and show them a different side of the church world. We bring in a variety of gospel, jazz, and R&B artists and we give

them a platform where people can sit back and enjoy local artists and enjoy the fulfilled stressfree beauty in music,” said Jada Curry, member of the Living Grace Church Board of Trustees.

Some of the featured performers at Jazz on the Grass will be the Lowe Family Gospel Group and the J. Grant Experience. Every year, Jazz on the Grass hosts a variety of local performers with some having graced the stage in years past and others being new to the event at Living Grace Church.

“This is the first year where we actually struggled to narrow it down. We were trying to just present something new and fresh for the first couple of years so we brought back the same performers but then we started to notice that we were getting repeat attendees and they were telling their

friends and so we thought it’d be nice to expose them to some different performances,” said Curry.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs, blankets, and tents or umbrellas for shade and it is recommended that people arrive early to secure a good spot to enjoy the performances.

There will be plenty of food vendors at Jazz on the Grass but attendees are also welcome to bring their own snacks to enjoy.

Hosting Jazz on the Grass every year is an important part of Living Grace Church because it gives them a chance to reach out into the community and let people know that they are there to support them whether or not they regularly attend services.

“Part of our mission at Living Grace Church

is to love people and serve the world. Music is a universal language where love is probably most commonly expressed and so we’re able to provide a platform and create a day where people that are not very familiar with the church or not very comfortable with the church, for a variety of reasons, get to see that we’re all just human and we believe in having a good, clean, fun time and we enjoy fellowshipping with each other,” said Curry.

Every year Living Grace Church is able to connect with new community members not just from Lynwood but from across the south suburbs and Curry said that they always have at least one person from Jazz on the Grass decide to start attending Sunday service which she sees as an added benefit.

POLITISCOPE

The 25th Amendment wouldn’t work to dump Trump

BY ERIK M. JENSEN

Here’s some advice for frustrated impeachment advocates who think there might be other ways to force Donald Trump out of office: The 25th Amendment won’t help you.

But that hasn’t stopped people from trying.

Andrew McCabe, former deputy director and acting director of the FBI, gave the Constitution’s 25th Amendment a shoutout in February.

In an interview with “60 Minutes,” McCabe claimed that people in the Department of Justice, including Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and McCabe himself, had discussed trying to get a majority of the Cabinet to agree to remove Donald Trump from office.

(Rosenstein denied the story, but it didn’t go away.)

If that majority vote is all the amendment requires, it would provide a much easier process than impeachment to dump a president.

‘Doomed to failure’ Writing in The Wall Street Journal, prominent conservative lawyers David B. Rivkin and Lee A. Casey wrote that, if those DOJ discussions in fact took place and were serious, the participants were part of “a conspiracy by government officials against American democracy.”

That sounds awful, but any such technical conspiracy – if that’s what it was – was doomed to failure.

If the DOJ lawyers thought getting rid of a president – this one or a future holder of the office – was easy, they hadn’t studied the amendment’s language.

I’m a professor of law – a tax professor at that. I’m used to parsing difficult legal language, and I’ve written about constitutional

Erik M. Jensen

issues as well as ones that arise in bean-counting. The 25th Amendment is a complex law that is, by design, very hard to use.

Roots in Kennedy assassination A little history: The 25th amendment was ratified in 1967. A primary purpose was to provide a way to fill the vice presidency when that office becomes vacant.

Two events prompted the legislation. After the Kennedy assassination in 1963, Lyndon Johnson had no vice president until Inauguration Day 1965. Harry Truman had no vice president for over three years after he became president.

Since then, the amendment’s system to fill the vice presidency has worked as intended, twice, and without controversy. The first was in 1973, with Gerald Ford, after Spiro Agnew was forced to resign after pleading no contest to a tax evasion charge. The second was in 1974, when Nelson Rockefeller became vice president after Nixon resigned and Ford became president.

The amendment also sets out processes for the vice president to become “acting president” in two situations.

The first, the easy case, is when the president himself sends a writ-

ten declaration to the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate that “he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

The president says, in effect, “I can’t handle the job right now, but I’ll be back.”

The vice president steps in temporarily, and the president reassumes presidential duties when he notifies congressional leaders that he’s up to it.

This part of the amendment has been applied, without fanfare, a couple of times when a president was going to be briefly incapacitated because of anesthesia. Some historians believe that having a formal method for a temporary transfer of power would have been helpful when Dwight Eisenhower had serious health problems.

Fuzzy rules But the rules applicable to the other situation in which a vice president can become acting president are much less clear.

Somehow the idea got around – reflected in the alleged DOJ discussions – that, if some officials think a president is incapacitated, but he disagrees or is so out of it that he can’t voluntarily step aside, a majority of the Cabinet can promote the vice president.

I believe that understanding is wrong.

To begin with, under the 25th Amendment it’s “the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or such other body as Congress may by law provide” who must make the declaration of incapacity to congressional officers.

If Vice President Pence sides with the president – as I believe he would unless Trump were clearly incawww.thechicagocitizen.com

pacitated – it doesn’t matter what Cabinet officials think.

And “principal officers of the executive departments” doesn’t necessarily mean the Cabinet, although it could. “Cabinet” isn’t a constitutional term.

It’s up to the president who sits in his Cabinet, or, for that matter, whether the Cabinet sits at all. Not everyone in the Trump Cabinet is a principal officer of an executive department: the U.N. ambassador and White House chief of staff, for example. And many people who head federal agencies, and who therefore might be treated as “principal officers of executive departments,” aren’t in the Cabinet – like the secretary of the Navy.

It’s hard to determine whether there’s a majority of principal officers on board if it’s not clear who gets counted for this purpose.

Besides, the president could change the numbers by firing principal officers, whoever they might be, if he learns that a revolt is brewing.

Congress unlikely to act The amendment does permit Congress to provide for an alternative body that can, with the agreement of the vice president, make an initial determination of presidential incapacity.

It would be nice if Congress had done this at some point in the past 50-some years, to provide more certainty about what should happen when a president is incapacitated.

But I believe Congress is unlikely to act under the 25th Amendment until political tensions have eased – whenever that might be – and a different president is in office.

In any event, even if there were no computational difficulties, and even if the vice president were to

agree that the president is incapacitated, the amendment doesn’t provide for actually removing the president from office.

Instead, the president remains president; the vice president only becomes “acting president.” In such circumstances, the president would have little or no formal power, of course. But it’s unlikely his Twitter account would be shut down.

The president doesn’t go away Furthermore, a deposed president can return to power.

Under the amendment, once the president declares “that no inability exists,” he resumes presidential duties, unless the acting president and a majority of principal officers – that phrase again! – disagree and Congress, by a two-thirds vote of both houses, also disagrees.

Given those stringent requirements, a president is likely to get power back quickly if he wants it, unless his incapacity is beyond dispute (as was the case with Woodrow Wilson, in pre-25th Amendment days).

Those who want President Trump out of office should forget about the 25th Amendment; it won’t work as they hope or believe.

After publication of the Mueller report, much of the discussion about removing Trump has shifted to the possibility of impeachment.

But, with Republican control of the Senate, that process is unlikely to lead to a conviction.

If removal of the president is the goal, those who want it will probably need to try the old-fashioned method: the ballot box.

Erik M. Jensen is a Coleman P. Burke Professor Emeritus of Law at Case Western Reserve University.

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NEWS

MetroSouth Medical Center Will Close Unless A New Owner Steps Up

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

South Suburban residents are yet again facing the closure of a community medical center. This time, it’s MetroSouth Medical Center, 12935 S. Gregory St., in Blue Island that has announced their facility will be closing by the end of the year if a new operator doesn’t step up and continue providing medical services at the MetroSouth Campus.

“Closing the hospital is an immensely difficult and emotional decision, but the data is clear that patient needs have changed here and across the country.

Enormous half-empty hospitals are not what the future of healthcare looks like,” said John Walsh, chief executive officer of MetroSouth Medical Center. “Reuse of this campus as an outpatient center would be a benefit for the community. We are diligently pursuing such an opportunity, but we know the facility will not be able to operate into 2020 as a full-service community hospital.”

In a press release from MetroSouth Medical Center, the hospital shared that patient volumes have been decreasing since 2014 and that “increasing market saturation, reduced reimbursement from government and commercial payers, and ongoing operational losses contributed to the hospital’s decision.”

Over the last two years, MetroSouth claims to have reached out to nearly 40 healthcare organizations looking for someone that would be willing to take over the facility and continue providing healthcare

MetroSouth Medical Center, 12935 S. Gregory St., in Blue Island recently announced plans to close the facility by the end of the year. Photo Caption: MetroSouth Medical Center

services for the community but so far, they haven’t had any luck, according to a press release from Metro South Medical Center.

“The MetroSouth Center is vital to this region because it provides access to quality healthcare as well as being a significant regional economic engine. I am going to do everything I can at the state and local level to bring stakeholders to protect both the critical healthcare services that the residents of Blue Island and the surrounding communities depend on and the jobs our community needs to thrive,” said Illinois Representative Bob Rita (D-Blue Island).

If MetroSouth Medical Center does in fact close, former patients will have to look to neighboring communities for their medical needs. There are several hospitals and medical centers within a 10-mile radius including Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey and Advocate South Suburban

Hospital in Hazel Crest.

However, Rep. Rita said that rerouting people with medical needs to nearby communities isn’t a good solution to this problem and closing MetroSouth Medical Center will have negative and long-lasting consequences.

“The poor state of healthcare accessibility in our country is alarming and a closure of MetroSouth Medical Center will only make matters worse. Over 70 percent of the patients served by MetroSouth are on some form of Medicare or Medicaid. And even though the next nearest hospital is roughly 4.5 miles away, that will still force people and paramedics to drive an additional 15 minutes in light traffic. Heavier traffic will add to that time, and in emergency situations, the additional time could mean the difference between life and death,” said Rep. Rita.

Commissioner Donna Miller, 6th District Hosting Southland Blood Drive in partnership with The American Red Cross and Family Christian Health Center On Thursday, June 20, 2019, Commissioner Donna Miller (D-6th) in partnership with The American Red Cross and Family Christian Health Center will host its first Southland Blood Drive. This event is an opportunity for residents and blood donors who have supported the American Red Cross to address the critical shortage of Blood Types A, B & O. Residents of the Southland and surrounding communities are invited to donate blood to help someone in need on Thursday, June 20, 2019 from 10:00am – 3:00pm at Family Christian Health Center located at 19767 South Torrence, Lynwood, Illinois.

As stated by Commissioner Miller and Dr. Lisa Green, DO, CEO, Family Christian Health Center “Our collective efforts to address the blood shortage in the Southland has the opportunity to assist patients in hospital emergency rooms, medical treatments and patient care.” Appointments to donate blood can be made at 1-800-RED Cross (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org.

Within her first term of office, Commissioner Miller has seen many factors pertaining to the “lack of ” access to blood for patients, whether they were suffering from violent crimes, health factors or emergency room visits. The blood drive will be conducted by The American Red Cross (Chicago) and all participating donors will receive lunch and refreshments donated

by Family Christian Health Center. The need for blood is constant and ongoing, especially in the Southland.

Both Commissioner Miller and Dr. Lisa Green note that every time an individual donates blood, they can save the lives of at least three people.

Marquette Bank Awards 56 Scholarships to Local Students Darrell Garth Darrell/ Garth President Publisher

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Marquette Bank, a locally-owned neighborhood bank, continued its 50+ year tradition of awarding scholarships to local graduating seniors. This year, the Marquette Bank Education Foundation awarded individual scholarships of $2,500 to 56 graduating seniors from Chicagoland schools.

“Marquette Bank is proud to invest in the future education of these students. Our scholarship recipients have all exceeded their volunteer service requirements and have shown their commitment to making a difference in their community,”

George Moncada, president and chief of Marquette Bank, said. “We wish them much success in college and beyond in their professional lives.”

Since the scholarship program began during the 1967 -1968 school year, more than $3.4 million has been awarded to over 1,700 high school seniors from Chicagoland neighborhoods.

Students were selected based on financial need, scholastic achievement and a record of volunteer service in their communities. The scholarship can be used for any post-second-

ary education program, including: four-year universities, community colleges and vocational training schools.

The scholarship program is funded by the Marquette Bank Education Foundation (MBEF) and scholarships were awarded to students chosen by their school’s guidance counselors and principals. Recipients reside in cities throughout the Chicagoland area including Blue Island, Chicago, Calumet Park, Hazel Crest and Markham among others.

Illinois State Cancer Registry Nationally Recognized as a Registry of Excellence The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recognizing the Illinois State Cancer Registry as a National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) Registry of Excellence. The Illinois State Cancer Registry met all of the standards for data quality and completeness.

“I would like to thank and congratulate all those who have worked so hard to make the Illinois State

Cancer Registry one of the best in the country,” said Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “The quality, completeness, and timeliness of the cancer data allows not only Illinois, but others to confidently use the data for cancer control activities and to address the physical, emotional, and financial burden of cancer in the U.S.” www.thechicagocitizen.com

The Illinois State Cancer Registry is tasked with the collection, analysis, and reporting of cancer incidence and mortality data. Of the 50 cancer registries supported

by CDC , Illinois is one of only 18 that achieved this designation for the most recent data submission.

Meeting these standards allows Illinois’ data to be included in this year’s United States Cancer Statistics

report and other analytic data sets.

Regional- and state- level data can be used to plan and evaluate cancer control programs, conduct research, and monitor cancer trends. Each cancer registry is crucial to the success of cancer surveillance in the U.S. and many advances in cancer surveillance would have been impossible without these quality data.

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BLAZING A PATH FOR HBCU ACHIEVEMENT

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Head to www.nnpa.org/chevydtu and be there at the beginning.