AustinWeeklyNews_050725 by Wednesday Journal

My Fearless Future creates accessible spaces to discuss domestic violence

Founder Chantelle Branch hosts self-love workshops to educate locals and help them nd resour

By JESSICA MORD Staf

When someone a Branch’s self-love parlors in an church, Branch gr coats and offers refreshments into a workshop, often with the help of expert.

Through the organization My Future, these self-l way of supporting and of domestic violence and other crimes in an accessible way.

“Once we are in that space and people feel safe to share, those co ally good healing space Branch, who started My Austin in 2018.

Branch previously li in 2008, spent 9 months living Shelter Service, a women’s domestic treatment center in Wheaton, following years of a physically and emotionally sive relationship.

Years after Branch left the shelter, she started speaking out against domestic vio lence and abuse. She joined the Family Shelter Service’s speaker’s bureau in 2016, she shared her story with donors, at universities. She said she got a lot of posi tive response from attendees, w shared their testimonials with her

“I wanted to create My Fearless Futur because I wanted women to, first, fearless, to have the courage and the to leave,” Branch said. “And you’ have to be vulnerable You’re going to ha to be transparent. You can’t just hold it in and never tell anybody because you’re never going to get help.”

Though Branch no longer works at a Chicago salon, she was in the beauty industry for over 25 years and uses what she’s learned to lead her self-love parlors and workshops.

“I take my beauty industry experience and merge that with my counseling and

human services background to create emotional wellness spaces,” she said. “I thought of a way to connect domestic violence and people without it being so taboo or so sad.” Branch has hosted workshops for over 1,000 students. For example, at Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School in Austin,

students at aul Mitchell Hair & Beauty School to olice station oom to ofrking with organization that

e obviously living in and working y because they need some esources and tools,” access My eauty serwe create, women in the ve

Branch said, when she was figurin g out where to take her children so her abusive partner would n’ t find them, she didn’t know the 15th District CAPS offic e had an officer assigned to d omesti c violence cases.

AU STIN WEEKLY news

Interim Executive Direc tor Max Reinsdorf

Sta Repor ter Jessica Mordacq

Reporting Fellow Ananya Chandhok

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Fellow Vanessa Lopez

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Reporting Partners Block Club Chicago

Columnists Aisha Oliver

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Ben Stumpe

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Operations Associate Susan Babin

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Senior Advisor Dan Haley

Chair Eric Weinheimer Treasurer Nile Wendorf

Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane, Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson

Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson

CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com ONLINE www.AustinWeeklyNews.com

PROVIDED

FEARLESS: Chantelle Branch (below) leads a self-love parlor workshop.

Decrepit Wright home in Austin makes second list of most endangered Illinois sites

Landmarks Illinois places J.J. Walser House on its annual list

By DAN HALEY Interim Editor

After making Preservation Chicago’s annual list of most endangered historic buildings back in March, the J.J. Walser House has now been named one of the 10 most at-risk structures in the state by Landmarks Illinois.

That troubling designation was made last week by the group as it released its 31st annual such list.

The home at 42 N. Central Ave. in Austin was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is the famed architect’s only West Side building. The now derelict home has suf fered severe damage to its roof and foundation, and the deterioration is continuing.

Built by Wright in 1903 for Joseph Jacob Walser, a printing company executive, the home was purchased in 1970 by Anne and Hurley Teague. The couple worked to stabilize the home. It was named a Chicago Landmark in 1981 and was added to the National Re gister of Historic Places in 2013.

However, Anne Teague took out a reverse mortgage on the home, and after her death it went into foreclosure.

Multiple groups, including Austin Coming Together, are now working to save the house, which has been unoccupied for at least six years. The ef for ts to gain control of the Walser house are complicated by the foreclosure. Also working to salvage the house are Preservation Chicago, Landmarks Illinois and the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.

Landmarks Illinois said that if the mortgage situation can be resolved, it is possible that heirs of the Teagues might transfer ownership, possibly to Austin Coming Together.

PHOTO S BY PAUL MORGAN

J.J. Walser House

CREDIT PAUL MORGAN

FEARLESS FUTURE

Taking

care of themselves

from page 3

“I just never felt safe calling the police,” Branch said. “For me, there was nobody in my neighborhood that could help me.”

So, through My Fearless Future, Branch provides information to locals about how to g et an order of protection or a parenting ag reement, and how to navig ate shelter or transitional housing – all of which she’s experienced

“To have that safe space to rebuild – a lot of women don’ t have that,” Branch said.

My Fearless Future has helped over 150 women experiencing domestic violence to find such spaces.

And Branch’s work isn’ t stopping there, as she’s working with Crime Survivor for Safety and Justice to create le gislation.

House Bill 1710 would require Illinois State Police to submit or provide quar terly information about homicides, improving transparency around homicide data. T he House passed the bill in April, and

it’s now in the Senate. And House Bill 3632 would create the Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act and allow for the review of open, unsolved murder case files

At the church Branch used to attend in Austin, she noticed there was nothing advocating against domestic violence – no pamphlets with listed resources taped to bathroom stalls or a designated advocate to speak to the cong re gation. So, Branch shared her domestic violence story with the church in October.

She got positive feedback from other church attendees, who encouraged her to start a support group at the church, which Branch is developing this year.

“I would like to be able to build it and take it to different churches or different groups that have large communities and say, ‘This is how you just begin the journey of emotional and mental wellness.’”

Branch will have a wellness tent at the Westside Community Que on June 14. T here, community organizations will share resources and Branch will help those who have experienced a crime to fill out an application for a victim compensation grant, which she said is extremely long and complicated.

“A majority of the people in the communi-

ty don’t know about it, but it’s been out since 1984,” Branch said. “It’s a grant that will allow you to get assistance if you lost a child that was killed by her boyfriend, a child that was killed in the street, or your spouse.”

“We’re here and we want to help,” Branch added of Westside Community Que participants. “I didn’t hear that when I was going through domestic violence. I didn’t hear that in church or at school.”

PROVIDED

Attendees to “take a mome nt to stop and pause, like you would in the salon.”

Volunteers ll wheel barrows w ith mulch at the Protect our Hood Earth Day event at Austin Tow n Hall on April 26.

live in the neighborhood but believe in the work was powerful. Some supporters don’t even live in the city, but they’ve been following Root2Fruit and came out to show their support, which is always a major accomplishment for us,” Oliver said.

Root2Fruit Youth was for med in 2020 during the pandemic and created the Austin Safety Action Plan (ASAP), a completely youth-led initiative. Neighborhood kids met re gularly to organize the plan, ultimately designating a local safe zone for their community.

The youth who helped create the ASAP safe zone were connected through the park district, where Oliver had originally met and brought them together. This past Protect Our Hood was centered at the Austin Town Hall Cultural Center, which participants consider the headquarters for the Austin Safety Action Plan.

“That (ASAP) safe zone is the area where we were cleaning up and doing all the work. So it’s really shaped around the idea that we’ve created a model for community safety by activating safe spaces — and it’s a youth-led model. That’s where Protect Our Hood came from,” Oliver said.

Oliver said Protect Our Hood is a code created for the community, one that they want people to pledge to those who support the youth and their ef for ts — and they ask them to take that pledge. The Protect Our Hood Community Code outlines 16 principles aimed at uniting the community through shared values, beautification effor ts and relationship-building.

“Anytime ASAP is activating, it’s going to be something done within the safe zone,” Oliver said.

The next Protect Our Hood event is scheduled for June, planned around the time when younger children in the neighborhood attend day camp. The event will focus on helping the park district clean, organize and prepare the park for the approximately 200 to 220 kids participating in summer camp.

“We’re going to help the park district

TODD BANNOR

At 5840 W. Midway Park, Schock designed a house built in 1901. It has prominent prairie elements, like the urns on the porch, broad overhanging eaves and a hipped roof. There’s also a Dutch gable above the front door and oriole windows, which are common in Gothic and Queen Anne-style houses.

At the corner of Menard and Race avenues, Tom Walker and his family live in the Catherine Schock house. It is named for the aunt of Frederick Schock, who built the house in 1887 in the shingle style, similar to Queen Anne. Walker bought the house in 1989. It has over 5,000 square feet, including 22 rooms across three floors. Walker’s son and daughter-in-law live on the lower levels. On the top floor, Walker and his wife have their own kitchen and living space. With the exception of the first floor’s interior, most of the Catherine Shock home has been updated. Walker said it was a learning process for contractors to redo parts of the exterior – like when they had to steam shingles to wrap them around curved parts of the facade

Less than a block away, Schock designed a home for his mother, Marie. For the last 33 years, Jerry Ehrenberger has lived there with his partner. He said that, while much of the siding has been redone – and was likely originally stained gray in 1888, then painted green, then blue before they moved in – the home’s cedar shingles are original. The blue home also boasts exaggerated gables

At 5704 Ohio St., there’s an elaborate Italianate home, a design style that was popular in the 1870s. This and a home on Central Avenue are likely two of the first

homes built in Austin. This house is a great example of Italianate architecture, which is largely characterized by long windows, short overhangs and bracketed eaves.

After Francis Scott Key Public School closed in 2013, the Field School bought its building, designed by Dwight Perkins, who worked for Schock and Burnham.

In 1907, Perkins became an architect for the Chicago Board of Education, where he designed about 40 schools across the city. The Field School operates out of the building just north of the old Francis Scott Key while renovations are underway to the original structure –which Perkins designed with five central bays that peak with flat arches.

Around the corner from the Field School, which is on track to open within the next year, is Austin Town Hall, constructed in 1929. The limestone and brick building has balusters under its windows and ornamental pillars built into the facade Constructed the same decade as the house at 5830 W. Midway Park, Austin Town Hall also has quoins lining its cor ners.

The architecture tour ended at the firehouse, where Captain David Meyer worked since 1996 before he died last month in the line of duty. Schock also designed this fire station, built in 1899 in a gothic design with pointed arches and pressed metal designs.

The eight-square-block area travelled during the walking tour was, in the 1890s, a mix of residential houses and a city center of bustling businesses and the historic homes listed above. Though today the same spot in Austin is mostly residential, the neighborhood’s vibrant community remains.

VANE AND PROUD OF IT: Jerry Ehrenberger said the house’s weathervane – reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh – and a large pine tree out front show his passion for Christmas decorations.

LUNCH & COMMUNITY

Kehrein Center for the Arts | 5628 Washington Boulevard May 9 | 11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

VIVA LA VIDA

National Museum of Mexican Art | 1852 W. 19th Street May 22 | 9:00–11:00 a.m. or 1:00–3:00 p.m.

WALKING & WELLNESS CLUB

Salvation Army Freedom Center | 825 N. Christiana Avenue Fridays | 8:30–10:00 a.m.

JESSICA MOR DACQ

NOTICE INVITATION TO BID TO METROPOLITAN WATER

RECLAMATION DISTRICT OF GREATER CHICAGO

Sealed proposals, endorsed as above, will be submitted back to the District via an electronic upload to the Bonfire Portal only, from the date of the Invitation to Bid, up to 11:00 A.M. (Chicago time), on the bid opening date, and will be opened publicly as described in the Invitation to Bid by the Director of Procurement and Materials Management or designee at 11:00 AM on the stated bid opening date below for: CONTRACT 25-654-11

FURNISH AND DELIVER PARTS AND REPAIR SERVICES FOR SLUICE GATE VALVE ACTUATORS

Estimated Cost: $1,077,700.00

Bid Deposit: NONE

Voluntary Technical Pre-Bid Conference: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 10:00 am Chicago Time via ZOOM Link.

Compliance with the District’s Affirmative Action Ordinance

Revised Appendix D, Appendix C, and Appendix V.

Bid Opening: June 3, 2025 ********************************

The above is an abbreviated version of the Notice- Invitation to Bid. A full version which includes a brief description of the project and/or service can be found on the District’s website, www.mwrd. org; the path is as follows: Doing Business > Procurement and Materials Management > Contract Announcements.

Specifications, proposal forms and/ or plans may be obtained from the Department of Procurement and Materials Management by downloading online from the District’s website at www.mwrd.org (Doing Business > Procurement & Materials Management > Contract Announcements). No fee is required for the Contract Documents. Any questions regarding the downloading of the Contract Document should be directed to the following email: contractdesk@ mwrd.org or call 312-751-6643.

All Contracts for the Construction of Public Works are subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130/1-et.seq.), where it is stated in the Invitation to Bid Page.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals if deemed in the public’s best interest.

By Darlene A. LoCascio Director of Procurement and Materials Management

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT, CHANCERY DIVISION FGL HOLDINGS, LLC

Plaintiff, v. ANTHONY LANE, as SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE THEODIS LANE AND ALICE LANE LIVING TRUST DATED APRIL 12, 2016; GLENDA HICKS; THE CITY OF CHICAGO; AND UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, Defendants.

Case No: 2023-CH-03716

Property address: 4415 West Monroe Street Chicago, Illinois

60612

Sheriff’s No. 250022

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S FORECLOSURE SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on March 27, 2025, Thomas J. Dart, the Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, or his deputy, will on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at the hour of 1:00 p.m., at the Richard J. Daley Center, outside Lower Level Room 06, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois, or in a place otherwise designated at the time of sale, in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest and best bidder or bidders for cash, the following described real estate:

PIN No. 16-15-107-108-0000

COMMON ADDRESS: 4415 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60624

The total judgment entered against the property was $40,000, as of March 27, 2025.

The property consists of a multi-family residential building.

Terms of Sale: Ten percent (10%) due by cash or certified funds at the time of sale and the balance is due within 24 hours of the sale; plus, for residential real estate, a statutory judicial sale fee calculated at the rate of $1.00 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser to the person conducting the sale, not to exceed $300.00, for deposit into the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund. No judicial sale fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR FREDDIE MAC SEASONED CREDIT RISK TRANSFER TRUST, SERIES 20173, AS OWNER OF THE RELATED MORTGAGE LOAN

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale.

All payments shall be made in cash or certified funds payable to the Sheriff of Cook County. The subject property is subject to real estate taxes, special assessments or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “As Is” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

In the event the property is a condominium, in accordance with 735 ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(l)(H-l) and (H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-l), you are hereby notified that the purchaser of the unit, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and legal fees required by subdivisions (g) (l) and (g)(4) of Section 9 and the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Illinois Condominium Property Act. Pursuant to Local Court Rule 11.03 (J) if there is a surplus following application of the proceeds of sale, then the plaintiff shall send written notice pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/151512(d) to all parties to the proceeding advising them of the amount of the surplus and that the surplus will be held until a party obtains a court order for its distribution or, in the absence of an order, until the surplus is forfeited to the State.

If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney.

The property will not be open for inspection and Plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the Court file to verify all information. For information regarding this sale, interested parties may contact: Samuel J. Schumer, Clark Street Law LLC, 191 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60606, (312) 576-8580, sam@clarkstreetlaw.com.

Dated: April 29, 2025 Thomas J. Dart

Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois

Samuel J. Schumer Clark Street Law LLC 191 N. Wacker Dr., Suite 1600 Chicago, IL 60606 Tel: (312) 576-8580 sam@clarksreetlaw.com Cook County Atty. No. 101420 I3265554

Plaintiff vs. UNKNOWN HEIRS OF SARA MCCOTTRY A/K/A SARA ELIZABETH MCCOTTRY, LAURA HARISON HAMLET A/K/A LAURA HARRISON HAMLET ANDDEQUINCEY HAMLET, OLD SECOND NATIONAL BANK SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO AUSTIN BANK OF CHICAGO, ARROW FINANCIAL SERVICES, LLC, APPLIED CARD BANK, JOSEPH W. MCCOTTRY JR POSSIBLE HEIR, JACQUELYN J. MCCOTTRY POSSIBLE HEIR, TORKESSA S. MCCOTTRY POSSIBLE HEIR, CURTIS LEE MCCOTTRY POSSIBLE HEIR, JULIE FOX AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendant 24 CH 3245 CALENDAR 63 NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on May 28, 2025, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-09-111-010-0000, 16-09111-011-0000.

Commonly known as 631 N. LOREL AVE., CHICAGO, IL 60644.

For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Suite 201, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 3571125. 24-00833 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3264582

U.S. Bank Trust National Association, as Trustee of the Bungalow Series IV Trust Plaintiff vs. Estate of Georgia A. Barnett; Horris M Polland Sr., individually and as independent Administrator of the Estate of Georgia A. Barnett; City of Chicago; Clear Haven 2021 Trust; Unknown Owners and Nonrecord Claimants

Defendant 24 CH 1604

CALENDAR

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on June 3, 2025, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-05-420-040-0000.

Commonly known as 952 North Massasoit Avenue, Chicago, IL 60651.

The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Sottile & Barile, LLC, 7530 Lucerne Drive, Suite 210, Middleburg Heights, Ohio 44130. (440) 5721511. ILF2306018 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3265012