AustinWeeklyNews_061125 by Wednesday Journal

A first look at the Aspire Center

TaskForce Prevention will lead 2025 Pride Parade as Out Front Leader

West Side nonpro t gets prime position for the rst time

By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation opens this month after two years of construction, and about a decade of imagining and planning.

On a stretch of Madison Street that is seeing revitalization after decades

of systemic disinvestment, the Aspire Center offers free workforce training, plus financial, legal, family and emotional services. But the building, the for mer and long-empty Robert Emmet Elementary School, is more than a 78,000-square-foot, $47 million investment in Austin.

“We don’t want our community to just

visibly and physically change. We want the people to be a part of that,” said Darnell Shields, executive director of Austin Coming Together – which, with Westside Health Authority, helped develop the Aspire Center where both will now have their headquarters. Shields is

TaskForce Prevention and Community Services has been named the Out Front Leader of the 2025 Chicago Pride Parade, marking the first time a local community organization will lead Chicago’s Pride Parade on June 29.

The West Side nonprofit is reco gnized as it celebrates 35 years of service to LGBTQ+ youth of color.

Located in the Austin neighborhood, TaskForce Prevention and Community Services is committed to addressing the HIV/STI-related needs of adolescents and young adults living in systematically disenfranchised communities with limited resources, by providing HIV/STI prevention education, testing, treatment and care services

Building a moving business as a path to generational wealth

Walter Sims is working hard to establish his entrepreneurial chops

By DEBORAH BAYLISS Contributing Reporter

A young Oak Park entrepreneur who grew up in the Austin community, is working to build generational wealth for his family, one moving van and satisfied client at a time.

“I want to leave something for my kids and help my family,” said Walter Sims, 27. “So, in December of 2022, I changed my whole life and gave my full life to entrepreneurship and tried new things to build something positive.”

The pivotal moment that led to Sims’ mindset change, sadly, was the loss of his younger brother to gun violence at age 16 in 2022.

“After he passed away, I was losing other friends, close friends and I told myself, ‘I need to grow as a man and do something different,’” Sims said. “That’s when I started my business, Sims’ Family Transportation. I have been doing that ever since.”

The business has its ups and downs, Sims said, and has not reached its full potential as yet but he’s not about to give up.

In an article published last year by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, titled “The State of Black Owned Businesses,” Adrienne McFarland, program director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC), shared her thoughts on the current, and future outlook for Blackowned businesses across Chicagoland. A study a few years ago, she said, found that Black-owned businesses make up approximately 11% of all businesses in Illinois.

“Historically, Black entrepreneurs just don’t come from a world where there’s a support system that helps [them] sustain [their] business, tells you what you’re going to need before you even get started,” McFarland said in the interview.

McFarland continued, “Let’s say you’re

20 years old, and you’ve never met someone with a successful business. How do you know what to do? ... Who do you talk to if you can’t ask an uncle, a mom, or a dad investment into your business? That’s wh the main issue for starting a business is access to capital period, point blank.”

Sims has the full support of his mother who lives in Oak Park and father who sides in Tennessee.

“I’m so proud of him,” his mother Sharita Galloway said of her son. “I do wh ever I can to help him and invest in him. I’ll introduce him to someone and he does the rest.”

“There are a lot of things that people never told me about the growing pains and the ups and downs of entrepreneurshi Sims said. “A lot of people are not built it but I tell myself everyday that this is me and that there is no Plan B, this is going to work. People tell you to start a business but they don’t tell you about the part where you’re going to be down and some days you won’t make any money.”

McFarland’s advice, to young entrepreneurs like Sims, is to look for a business resource person, someone at a chamber of commerce or SBDC and become as knowledgeable as possible.

Sims right now, does not have a social media page so it’s primarily word of mouth and old-fashioned pounding the pavement to pass out flyers to get the word out about his business.

“I understand now that it’s more about digital marketing as well,” Sims said.

Sims is open to taking business courses to expand his knowledge.

Aside from his solid work ethic, Sims’ use of southern, polite terms of address such as yes ma’am and no ma’am, may be a helpful tool in growing his client base

“I got that from my dad and my mom,” Sims said. “My dad is from the South. I was always corrected as a child to say yes ma’am and no ma’am to my elders.”

In five years, Sims sees his business with a fleet of vehicles for moving, hauling and other work and about 25 employees.

Right now, Sims has one person working

with him.

Another challenging part of his moving business, Sims said, is when clients send pictures of what’s included in their move, however, there’s a lot more stuf f when he arrives.

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Sims said, thanking God for his business. “I’m cordial about everything and professional. I just let them know that next time, they’ll have to pay more.”

Sims at one point rented a trailer from U-Haul and hooked it to the back of his pickup truck. Now that his pickup truck is having problems, he rents a U-Haul truck depending on the size of the move.

“I want to let everybody know that even though I’m a moving business, I also have a logistics business as well,” Sims said. “I also do pressure washing for driveways, garbage cans, back porches. I offer lawn care services as well. I can do a wide variety of things. I’m really just trying to form multiple streams of income so that I can provide for my family and leave something behind for them.”

AU STIN WEEKLY news

Interim Executive Direc tor Max Reinsdorf

Sta Repor ter Jessica Mordacq

Contributing Editor Donna Greene

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Fellow Vanessa Lopez

Reporting Partners Block Club Chicago

Columnists Aisha Oliver

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls

Marketing & Adver tising Associate Emma Cullnan

Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Operations Associate Susan Babin

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Senior Advisor Dan Haley

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Eric Weinheimer Treasurer Nile Wendorf

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

Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson

HOW TO REACH US

141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

PHONE 773-626-6332 • FAX 708-467-9066

CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com

ONLINE www.AustinWeeklyNews.com

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adver tising rates are available by calling our o ce.

PROVIDED

Walter Sims

With West Side roots, Chicago Winds closes 1st football season

Women’s football team takes ve of seven games

By ZOE TAKAKI Contributing Reporter

The Chicago Winds women’s football team has dominated in their first season as a team, making it all the way to the Women’s National Football Conference Playoffs, which happened June 6 against the Mississippi Panthers. The Chicago team, with its Austin roots, lost that game, and their first season has now come to close.

This left them having won five of the seven games they played, which the team’s owner Angelique Smith said was a surprise to some, with the team being in their first year.

“Everyone doubted us in the beginning,” she said. “We were stamped to win only one of our games this first season, and we ended up winning five.”

Smith, a professional football player, grew up in west suburban Bellwood and spent her summers in Austin.

The team’s players have also broken WNCF stats, with quarterback Sarah Teubner throwing the most touchdowns ever in a regular season, wide receiver DaJour Miles setting a new record for recei ving yards and touchdowns and linebacker Madeline Violet breaking a record for most tackles

The team consists of 53 women, all from

different walks of life

“We have mothers to educators to engineers on our team, and it’s inspiring to see them come to gether and play the most professional level they can athletically,” said Smith.

Defensive end and South Side native Dee Hightower Riley said the team is a family

“We all have one goal in mind, to just progress and pave a way for women future footballers,” said Riley. “Under the leadership of Allan Williams, our head coach, we have made this season fun, entertaining and definitely challenging.”

Riley, who also played for the city’s previous women’s football team, the Chicago Force, said she has been waiting for this opportunity ever since the Force stopped playing in 2017.

“A lot of us have been waiting for years to come back and play under Chicago, and Angelique gave us that opportunity to do that,” she said.

Chicago has welcomed the team with open arms, with their first g ame having over 600 people in the stands.

“We sold out on merch. There were big, huge flags for the team that we didn’t even have. The fans got them made,” said Smith.

Mayor Brandon Johnson was also seen attending two Chicago Winds g ames, root-

ing along with the rest of the fans.

The team gives back to their fans and their city, participating in a number of volunteer events and with nonprofits across the city, including Bears Huddle, Cradles to Crayons and many more.

In the future, Smith said the team will try to organize girls flag programs on the West Side and South Side of the city.

The team is also working on getting a permanent field to play at and practice at

“It’s so difficult to secure a field in the city of Chicago. We’re working with the mayor’s office and trying to find us a permanent home,” said Smith.

Looking towards the future, the team is eager to start their second season, get more sponsors and recruit new, and existing, players.

“I have a smile on my face every time I think about and every time I talk about The Chicago Winds,” said Smith.

JOE PEARSON

Memorial coming to Austin Town Hall Park

Sonja

Henderson and John P. Weber are designing the sculpture honoring Ray Charles Easley

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

As the season for the Austin Town Hall far mers market kicks of f June 12, come next year, visitors will be able to admire an artistic bust of Ray Charles Easley at the park’s east entrance. Easley, who passed in 2013, was a respected community leader in Austin who, most prominently, served as the first vice president of the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP and chaired the branch’s labor and industry committee.

To honor Easley’s likeness, sculptors Sonja Henderson and John P. Weber helped organize two community workshops last month, where 20-some relatives and friends of Easley gathered to collage photos they had taken with him and recollect stories of how he touched their lives.

Some of those images and narratives will wrap around the base of a three-foottall bust of Easley, depicted through lowrelief vignettes.

“The stories have been very interesting. How we translate them into low relief, that’s quite a challenge. We can’t translate all of them, but we hope to evoke the flavor of his many-sided involvements and commitments to the community,” Weber said. “The only difficulty that we have with this project is that we didn’t get to know Ray Charles Easley personally. But so many people spoke about him in detail and in very warm terms that it became very clear that he had played a special role in this community.”

Henderson and Weber, who are both based out of Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, have already made sketches and clay renderings of the sculpture. Next, they will watch recordings of the two workshops to define the sculpture’s narrative imagery and didactic on the memorial “so people have a better range of what he did and who he was 25, 50, 75 years from now, rather than just a head,” Henderson said. The artists will then run the design by the Chicago Park District Enhancements and Artwork Committee, which approves

proposals for new park features and art. After the design is sent to a foundryman, they hope the sculpture to honor Easley will be installed next summer.

“We were very specific not to do a suited man with a briefcase because that is not how he was reco gnized and that’s not how people know him. They know him as somebody who was smiling and attentive, ve caring, warm and genuine,” Henderson said of Easley. “For public ar t, portraitur monumental and memorial work that is going into the public, you have to make the figure reco gnizable to almost everybo And everybody has a different view of who this person was, depending upon how and when they met him.”

Who was Ray Charles Easley?

PROVIDED

Henderson and John P. Weber

Easley, who was 55 when he died, lived on Chicago’s West Side all his life. After studying history at Northern Illinois University, Easley later served as the Village of Maywood’s human resources director, and worked with the Northwest Austin Council, Westside Health Authority and Westside Ministers’ Coalition.

Easley consistently helped West Side residents by facilitating job opportunities and teaching workplace and computer skills, according to a previous Austin Weekly News interview with his wife, Patricia. She said he started a landscaping business to help people find work.

“Ray was really passionate about the whole notion of job-readiness for all people.” She said that, at his funeral, “people came up and said, ‘Ray helped me get this job. He did my resume for me. He taught me how to tie a tie.’”

“He was just a person who was there for everybody, a person dedicated to helping people,” Vera Davis, the Westside Branch NAACP’s for mer president, previously told Austin Weekly News. “He really went out of his way to make sure the people on the West Side knew where the jobs were.”

Henderson and Weber have heard the same things about Easley over a decade after his death.

“As we researched his work with youth mentoring, so many stories have come out about him placing people in jobs and making sure that they were successful – meaning that they had longevity at those jobs and support,” Henderson said. “We love who Ray Charles Eastley was as a person, as a conduit in the neighborhood, as a fellow neighbor and, as John [Weber] would say, ‘very much a man of the people.’”

“He fit a lot of varied activities into a life that was cut short,” Weber said. “He was, for a lot of people, an oversized presence and personality and, at the same time, evoked the variety of his engagement with people, with youth, with his contemporaries.”

This isn’t the first time that Henderson and Weber – who founded the Chicago Public Art Group, which aims to engage with communities and share their stories through art – are working together. They designed the Martin Luther King, Jr. Living Memorial in Marquette Park, which was dedicated in 2016 on the fiftieth anniversary of King’s march through the southwest side green space. Henderson said she consulted Weber on her design for the Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Memorial in 2023 in southwest suburban Summit. Now, the two are putting together a memorial for Easley. Easley’s family has been fundraising for the construction of the memorial for about

a decade, Henderson said. After the raised money saw a matching grant, last April, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Ald. Chris Taliaferro’s office and the Chicago Park District collaborated to invite professional artists to apply for the $150,000 commission. The installation is funded by the ward’s discretionary capital funds.

While the workshops for the Easley memorial resulted in the showing of several photographs, many were personal photos of Easley and his family. So, the artists are still asking for anyone with pictures of Easley playing sports or meeting with local leaders to submit them, adding to the community and civic engagement portion of the lowrelief images around the monument’s base Henderson and Weber are hoping to put the workshop attendees’ collages and stories into a book to give to the Easley family, and maybe even go on exhibit somewhere.

“All of the work that we do and that DCASE does through these grants should be archived in some way and also turned over to the Department of Cultural Affairs for exposition and to the local libraries and the town hall as archival historic pieces,” Henderson said.

If you have an image of Ray Charles Easle y, reach out to publicart@cityofchicago org

Sculptors Sonja

PRIDE PARADE

Dr. Christopher V. Balthazar serves as executive director of this organization.

“We are really excited about Out Front community partner this the Pride Parade for a number of reasons. One, thinking about the sign of times where so many of our young their rights are literally under the pride planners to want to center our munity, it tells a very different stor zar said. “I think that it says that even though you are not being supported the federal gover nment right now, which I think that’s a very powerful message.”

Throughout June, TaskForce Prevention and Community Services will take part in Pride Month by hosting events and joining with partner organizations to celebrate, organize, and build community. As part of the month’s festivities, the organization will also be present at Chicago Pride Fest on June 21–22. The organization’s full Pride calendar is available on its social media pages.

Balthazar emphasized that while many Pride events often feel centered on North Side communities, this year’s intentional outreach sends a powerful message that LGBTQ+ people across the entire city matter and deserve to be seen and celebrated. When asked how his organization is planning to celebrate this honor during Pride Month and what can people expect from TaskForce’s presence at the front of the parade, Balthazar said they are plan-

— especially youth -- remains central to the oup’s mission, through leadership development, affirming care and communitybuilding.

“Our young people are so vibrant — they ve to dance and are excited for the opportunity to be part of the parade this year. I think they’re really looking forward to walking in the parade, maybe even voguing a little as they go. For many of them, this will be their first time ever participating in the parade, so there’s a lot of excitement around that too,” Balthazar said.

ning to celebrate out loud.

“We want to be proud and out loud about this. We are sharing the news with everyone. But also we plan to center our young people at the parade. Many of our young people love the art of voguing, which is a form of dance. They use it as a way of self-expression and as a form of empowerment,” Balthazar said.

Continuing to support the holistic health and wellness of the LGBTQ+ community

TaskForce Prevention and Community Services is embracing the joy of the moment alongside their youth, who will proudly walk in the parade. Balthazar notes that they’ve also extended an open vitation to supporters — donors, parents LGBTQ+ youth and the broader community to join in, emphasizing that Pride is a celebration for everyone.

“We realize that many of the services we offer help people become better leaders in the future. Our medical care, safe space, gender-based violence support and connections to mental wellness services. But what we’re truly invested in is building future leaders, because we believe the people we serve can become anything they want to be,” Balthazar said.

ILIYA MITSKAVETS/ADOBE STOCK

Mordacq holds the Kramer Trophy, anked by Stacy Coleman, Jav ier Govea, Dan Haley and Andy Mead. e Illinois Press Association named the Forest Park Rev iew the Best Small Weekly newspaper in the state.

Dear readers,

Last week we took a road trip to East Peoria. The Pair-a-Dice Casino and Hotel if you want to program your GPS. It was the annual Illinois Press Association conference and the editorial and advertising awards Honestly, winning awards from your peers is gratifying. We don’t do this hard and good work for the plaques. We do it for our readers and these communities. And while I always tell my colleagues that these contests can be a bit fickle, over 45 years now we’ve won a lot of them.

This year Growing Community Media and our four flags earned 35 awards. The Forest Park Review grabbed the handsome Kramer Trophy as the best small weekly paper in Illinois. Both Wednesday Jour nal and the Review placed for General Excellence. The Jour nal took first place for best website in its circulation category while the RiversideBrookfield Landmark took second place. Across the flags, our reporters, photographers, digital manager and designers and freelancers won for beat re porting, feature writing, obits, spot news photos, overall page design, and for a succession of our special publications such as Eats, West Side Magazine and the community guides. What did we cover to win awards? Zoning. Taxation. Casket Races. The death of a for mer park district director. And, of

course, Wally’s Waffles. The stuf f of local journalism.

Maybe you know, maybe you don’t, but five years ago our four flags became a nonprofit which we named Growing Community Media. That means we now proudly rely on our readers to help fund our scrappy newsroom.

This is a better moment than most to make the ask.

If what you know about these neighborhoods comes significantly from reading the Review, the Jour nal, the Landmark or the Austin Weekly News online, we need you to become a member of this hometown club. That’s our future. That’s how local news will continue, maybe thrive a little, going forward.

Best case scenario for us is for you to sign on as a monthly donor. Ten dollars a month would be great. Helps us build a strong foundation and make our plans. You’ll hardly miss $10 but your local news will keep on coming

That’s the ask. Now’s the moment. With gratitude.

Max Reinsdorf Interim Executive Director

Dan Haley Senior Advisor

EMMA CULLNAN

Jessica

ASPIRE

Center opens on Juneteenth

from page 1

also a member of the board of directors for Growing Community Media, which publishes the Austin Weekly News.

Shields took the Austin Weekly News on a first-look tour of the building ahead of its grand opening. Beyond the nearly completed Aspire Center’s expansive atrium addition, contractors are hurrying to finish work on areas for the building’s tenant organizations

On the building’s first floor – in the for mer auditorium and gym of Emmet Elementary, which closed in 2013 – Jane Addams Resource Corporation offers free training for the trades in over 8,000 square feet of offices, lear ning space and machines

Through JARC’s 10-to-16-week-long training sessions, participants can graduate with qualifications for trade jobs that pay up to $30 an hour. JARC will screen eligibility for those who want to be a part of their free training and, if they don’t qualify, they can start in the organization’s bridge program before be ginning hands-on lear ning.

“The question isn’t if you can be a JARC candidate, but when,” Shields said. JARC estimates they will train over 2,000 West Siders in the next five years.

Also on the first floor of the Aspire Center, BMO bank provides financial planning

“You

services within 2,000 square will move its headquarters to the center from Harrison Street. Though they will still make use of that building, their 7,000 square feet of new office and meeting space in the Aspire Center is about triple the amount they previously had.

On the building’s second floor, Westside Health Authority offers reentry services for those who have served time JARC also offers training to those who are out of prison, as every year nearly 40% of their participants have a record

The Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender and Legal Aid Chicago will also have space on the second floor to offer criminal, civil and domestic legal advice.

spac

ing’s second level that can be reserved by anyone as a free meeting space.

The entire Aspire Center property has free public Wi-Fi. The center is partnering with Comcast to make the property a live zone site, which has high-speed internet access in common areas while protecting digital information for tenant organizations. Comcast is also funding a laptop library, where visitors can check out computers, and the center is partnering with ScaleLIT to offer digital literacy training programs

On the back wall of the building’s rst level, artist Shaw n Michael Warren is painting a mural. Warren grew up in Austin and created a portrait of Oprah Winfrey for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in 2023.

The Aspire Center property includes a vast amount of public space with a community plaza and POP! Park. Shields said that he’s already heard from children who enjoy using the track and field out front of the building, who, according to him, say, “‘My mom would never let me go to the park, but she lets me go here.’”

At the Aspire Center, anyone can hang out in the atrium and second-floor common

“There’s a big digital divide in our community,” Shields said. According to a 2022 report by Kids First Chicago, predominantly Black neighborhoods, like Austin, have a disconnected household rate of about 30%, largely because of a lack of affordable internet, computers and the training for how to use online resources.

The third floor marks what will be the second phase of the Aspire Center project. Construction will likely start in the fall to convert old classrooms into space to host community programming, events and conferences for up to 250 people

TODD BANNOR

can see Austin in a way you haven’t seen it before,” Darnell Shields said of the second-level balcony, which is also public space and w ill soon have patio furniture.

TODD BANNOR

Repurposed elements from Emmet Elementary School, like wooden lockers, were turned into benches and wooden seats came from the building’s auditorium

“It’ll totally optimize the center,” Shields said, allowing them to host large groups without disrupting those using the center’s public space. It will also generate revenue, so use of much of the building can remain free to locals. “We want this place to be selfsustaining.”

Preser ving histor y, looking forward

While the Aspire Center has about 20,000 square feet of new build onto what was once Emmet Elementary – including new electric, plumbing and HVAC systems –much of the original structure, built in 1893, has been preserved.

Emmet’s staircases remain, decorated with ornamental trims, as do the walls of the school’s high-ceilinged classrooms and wide hallways, lined with wooden seats that were once installed in the building’s auditorium and wooden lockers that have been turned into benches. Many of the hardwood floors are original and refinished, as are the door and window frames, though the doors and windows themselves have been re placed. Wooden built-ins still adorn some of the new office spaces and hallways, too.

“This building re presents some of the most beautiful architecture,” Shields said of Emmet Elementary’s bones.

Shields added that the Aspire Center is only possible because of the Austin community. In 2018, Westside Health Authority bought the property. Though there were no

plans for it yet, the organization wanted to keep it in the community.

Around the same time, ACT launched the Austin Forward Together plan. As a part of it, the Aspire Initiative aims to offer support for West Siders from early childhood to aging in place.

Westside Health Authority started the Aspire Center’s journey by purchasing the site for $75,000, though the building is now managed by a joint venture consisting of organizations that lead other parts of the Aspire Initiative. While the Aspire Center focuses on workforce development, By the Hand Club for Kids after-school program leads the youth education and wellness portion of the initiative. ACT plans to revitalize Austin Colle ge and Career Academy High School, focusing on teenaged children, in addition to uplifting the community around them.

“You can’t create a thriving neighborhood high school in a neighborhood that’s not thriving,” Shields said.

Finally, Aspire Housing provides shelter to residents throughout their lives, an initiative aided by By the Hand Club for Kids and Habitat for Humanity.

“That’s the continuum that all healthy communities look for and Austin hasn’t had,” Shields said of the four parts of the Aspire Initiative.

The creation of the Aspire Center was heavily influenced by community engagement, since the project’s leads wanted it

to be built by Austin residents, for Austin residents.

“What we have been doing is a re-illumination of our connection … that connection allows us some stake and control of the system,” Shields said. “This is bigger than Austin. It’s a microcosm of a larger plight.”

And in turn, infrastructure like the Aspire Center helps continue the revitalization of Chicago’s West Side. A concentration of investment along Madison and

Chicago Avenues can be seen in the construction of the HOPE Center in Austin, the Sankofa Wellness Village in Garfield Park, and the Aspire Center at 5500 W. Madison St.

Investment in the Aspire Center was funded by more than $40 million from a state grant, Chicago’s TIF funding, new market tax credit equity, plus Blue Cross Blue Shield, BMO, the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, and United Way.

TODD BANNOR

JARC will use industrial equipment to o er free training for the trades.

TODD BANNOR

Classroom space on the rst oor of the Aspire Center.

TODD BANNOR

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

Longbridge Financial, LLC

Plaintiff

vs. Gerald Nordgren Appointed as Special Representative for Frankie Jones (Deceased); Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; City of Chicago; Willie R. Jones; Vondesia Jones; Unknown Heirs and Legatees of Frankie Jones; Unknown Owners and Non-Record Claimants Defendant 19 CH 6526

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 July 1, 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. 16-16-112-011-0000.

Commonly known as 5525 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60644. 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, Potestivo & Associates P.C., 223 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 610, Chicago, IL 60606. (248) 853-4400 ext 1200. 309590

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com

I3266742

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

U.S. Bank Trust National Association, as Trustee of the Igloo Series V Trust Plaintiff vs. Bensie B. Wallace; Dawana J. Wallace; City of Chicago; Unknown Owners and Nonrecord Claimants; Defendant 24 CH 6923

CALENDAR 58

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 July 2, 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. 16-04-411-029-0000. Commonly known as 4920 West Cortez Street, Chicago, Illinois 60651.

5501 WEST QUINCY STREET

CHICAGO, IL 60644

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

Attorney ARDC No. 00468002

Attorney Code. 21762

Case Number: 2024 CH 06527

TJSC#: 45-1329

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. ILF2406026 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3266709

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION LOANDEPOT.COM, LLC Plaintiff, -v.THOMAS QUINN, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF TYRONE M CARR, DECEASED, ILLINOIS HEALTHCARE AND FAMILY SERVICES, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, LATASHA D SCOTT, TYRONE M CARR, JR., UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF TYRONE M CARR Defendants 23 CH 09804 744 NORTH PARKSIDE AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60644

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on April 2, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on July 7, 2025, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 744 NORTH PARKSIDE AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60644

Property Index No. 16-08-206-0140000

The real estate is improved with a three unit apartment building.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

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.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT

PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC

One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-346-9088

E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com

Attorney File No. 23-16985IL_1006515

Attorney Code. 61256

Case Number: 23 CH 09804

TJSC#: 45-960

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 23 CH 09804

I3267177

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

U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCAF ACQUISITION TRUST

Plaintiff, -v.-

5501 W QUINCY LLC, AN ILLINOIS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, YISSOCHER ROTENBERG, AN INDIVIDUAL, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS, CITY OF CHICAGO

Defendants 2024 CH 06527

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on May 12, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on June 30, 2025, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 5501 WEST QUINCY STREET, CHICAGO, IL 60644

Property Index No. 16-16-109-0200000

The real estate is improved with a commercial property.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. 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, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876 THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com Attorney File No. 14-24-07208

Submit events and see full calendar at austinweeklynews.com/events

Grand Opening Celebration

Juneteenth

5500 W. Madison

Chicago, IL 60644

5500 W. Madison

Juneteenth

Chicago, IL 60644

Juneteenth Grand Opening Celebration

12 p.m. - 7 p.m.

To register, visit: bit.ly/3ZiCzq5

Juneteenth Grand Opening Celebration

JuneteenthGrand Opening Celebration

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Grand Opening Celebration

5500 W. Madison Chicago, IL 60644

Thursday, June 19, 2025

To register, visit: bit.ly/3ZiCzq5

5500 W. Madison

5500 W. Madison Chicago, IL 60644

Chicago, IL 60644

5500 W. Madison Chicago, IL 60644

Thursday, June 19, 2025

12 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Thursday, June 19, 2025

12 p.m. - 7 p.m.

To learn more about the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, visit www.acwichi.org.

To register, visit: bit.ly/3ZiCzq5

12 p.m. - 7 p.m.

To register, visit: bit.ly/3ZiCzq5

Have questions about the event? Please reach out to Dearra Williams at dwilliams@austincomingtogether.org

To register, visit: bit.ly/3ZiCzq5

To learn more about the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, visit www.acwichi.org.

Grand Opening Celebration

Have questions about the event? Please reach out to Dearra Williams at dwilliams@austincomingtogether.org

To learn more about the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, visit www.acwichi.org.

Have questions about the event? Please reach out to Dearra Williams at dwilliams@austincomingtogether.org

5500 W. Madison

Have questions about the event? Please reach out to Dearra Williams at dwilliams@austincomingtogether.org

Chicago, IL 60644

5500 W. Madison

Chicago, IL 60644

Thursday, June 19, 2025

To learn more about the Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, visit www.acwichi.org. Have questions about the event? Please reach out to Dearra Williams at dwilliams@austincomingtogether.org

Thursday, June 19, 2025

12 p.m. - 7 p.m.