Maria Pappas on senior property tax relief Page 3
Patchwork aid system, uncertain funding leave migrants in limbo
Illinois allocated $160 million to migrant aid in November, more funding is ‘on the table’ By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois
CHICAGO – As Illinois faces sub-zero wind chills, thousands of recently arrived migrants are sleeping in precarious situations throughout Chicago and its suburbs – overcrowded shelters, police stations, former convenience stores, library basements and spare rooms in churches, to name a few. Many of these recent arrivals have come to the state with few possessions and in need of food and shelter, which those cities and the state have scrambled to provide amid a lack of federal coordination. Since migrants began arriving – many bused or flown from Texas and other southern U.S. border states since August 2022 – the state has already allocated more than $500 million to set up emergency services, shelters and other supports. So far, more than 34,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago from Texas alone, though many have since moved onto other states where they’ve been connected with family. In November, Gov. JB Pritzker announced See MIGRANTS on page 2
JANUARY 24, 2024
Vol. IX No. 4
vfpress.news
Edwin Walker IV dies at 91 Page 5
Broadview’s First Black Fire Chief Sworn In MICHAEL ROMAIN
Derek Bryant, Broadview’s first Black fire chief, takes the oath of office administered by his old boss, Calumet City Fire Chief Glenn Bachert, during a Broadview village board meeting on Jan. 16.
Derek Bryant comes to the village after retiring as a commander for Calumet City’s fire department By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Dozens of community members, many of them firefighters, packed the boardroom
inside Broadview Village Hall, 2350 S. 25th Ave., on Jan. 16 to witness the swearing-in of the first Black fire chief in the village’s history. Derek Bryant served 22 years as a Calumet City firefighter, retiring as a captain. According to his LinkedIn, Bryant has also served as safety and security director for Lincoln Elementary in Calumet City and Bremen High School District 228 in Midlothian. He was also a Hazel Crest police officer from 2004 to 2021. Calumet City Fire Chief Glenn Bachert, who presented Bryant with a plaque
on behalf of the Calumet City Council thanking him for his years of service and a retirement badge. Chief Bachert said Bryant’s retirement went into effect on the same day as his swearing-in as Broadview’s fire chief. “As with every fire department, there is a proud history and tradition that goes along with it,” Bachert said. “Broadview is no different. Derek was part of the history of Calumet City and now it’s a new chapter in his life as being See FIRE CHIEF on page 4