FREE
■
Mayor Lightfoot, journalists of color want to cover you. Here is how,
Vol. 35 No. 24
■
June 16, 2021
■
austinweeklynews.com
■
Also serving Garfield Park
@AustinWeeklyChi
@AustinWeeklyNews
PAGE 9
Leadership Lab seeking fellows, page 6
An interview with Mayor Lori Lightfoot “By doing what I did, it started an important conversation,” the mayor said on her decision to grant interviews exclusively to journalists of color By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
On June 3, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot agreed to a 15-minute virtual interview with Austin Weekly News. She spoke about her controversial decision to provide interviews exclusively to journalists of color on the occasion of the 2-year anniversary of her inauguration, local media, the Loretto Hospital vaccine scandal and Invest South/West. AWN: I read the letter you emailed to various newsrooms throughout Chicago calling on them to diversify. I appreciate you for bringing the issue to the forefront, but although you mentioned large legacy outlets like the Chicago Tribune and Crain’s, you did not mention smaller, neighborhood-based and/ or non-traditional outlets, where Black and Brown journalists are much more likely to have positions of influence or even own. How can the city ensure that small, hyperlocal publications like Austin Weekly News, where minority journalists are more likely to be editors and publishers, owners and in other positions of authority, get equitable access to your office and to other city agencies? LL: By doing what I did, it started this important conversation about the lack of diversity in the mainstream press. See LIGHTFOOT on page 3
PROVIDED
Worth saving?
A West Side homeowner is working to save a coach house at 710 N. Lotus Ave. that may be up to 160 years old. Read more on page 4.
Austin farmers market is back
The market, organized by Forty Acres Fresh Market, runs through Sept. 30 By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago
The weekly farmers market outside Austin Town Hall Park is back. The city market is 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays at the Austin Town Hall Park, 5610 W. Lake St. It is organized by Forty Acres Fresh Market with the sponsorship of the
city’s cultural affairs department. The season runs through Sept. 30. Building off a successful expansion of the markets last year, this season will last longer so residents can get fresh, healthy produce from local growers like Parra Farms, as well as prepared foods and handcrafted goods. Danie’s Delicious Detox Drinks will return with juices and cleanses.
S W E N LASH! F
New vendors will also expand the range of goods available at the market. Meat products will be offered for the first time from the Chicago Meat Collective, and Chicago Fair Trade will join the market to bring ethically sourced coffee beans to the table. See FARMERS MARKET on page 8
You can get local news delivered right to your email in-box. Sign up for FREE at AustinWeeklyNews.com
2
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
West Side United awards Austin businesswoman grant Tina Augustus, who received $10K, one of 39 grant recipients
By SHELBY E. HAWKINS AustinTalks
Tina Augustus is one of the 39 grant recipients to receive financial support for her small business in the latest round of funding from West Side United. Augustus was awarded $10,000 to help keep Elevate Services, her marketing and communications business, afloat during the pandemic. The grant enabled the longtime Austin resident, who launched her business in May 2009, to buy much-needed equipment, and she plans on using some of the money to pay interns. Some challenges Augustus faced when COVID-19 disrupted normal business operations were less access to capital and delay in obtaining a minority business certification. But that hasn’t stopped her from finding the silver lining. “I’m very optimistic,” said Augustus, noting she comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her father owned an electrical service, and she used to draft contracts for him. “I came into business with a positive viewpoint regarding my success.” Like many businesses, Elevate Services saw a drop in business when the pandemic hit in spring 2020. Augustus said the setback only made her work harder; she branched out beyond Austin and started establishing new relationships. Augustus said being shuttered inside allowed her to
think harder about the best ways to market her services. “It allowed me access to the networks that were growing virtually,” she said. “I don’t look at it as a drawback but as something that puts us on a different platform.” West Side United chose recipients based on how they serve their communities and how they’re advancing equity. In a previous rounds of funding in 2019, West Side United invested $500,000 in seven local business. This time around the nonprofit wanted to give to more businesses, even if that meant giving less money. With financial support from JPMorgan Chase, Northern Chase and Allies for Community Business, a total of $390,000 was doled out this time around. Rachel Wilson, program manager at West Side United, said it’s important for the organization to support minority businesses because of Chicago’s history of racism and disinvestment on the West Side. “Businesses build communities,” Wilson said. Each of grantee received $10,000 and has been grouped into a cohort that will provide support in ways other than financial. They’ll get help with marketing and brand building, and participate in monthly workshops. To address the challenges that came with the pandemic, existing grant members were given a boost grant to make sure they had extra help. A fourth installment of the program will open in September.
CONTACT: austintalks.org@gmail.com
Proud to partner with Austin Talks
TINA AUGUSTUS
austintalks.org INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? Contact Lourdes Nicholls 708.613.3329 Lourdes@oakpark.com
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
LIGHTFOOT
wanted to know the budget, but really we wanted to know what was the vision for employing local residents, what was the vision for empowering and putting together a design, architecture and building team that was Black and Brown, and that was very explicit in the RFP. It was never done before. So while, obviously, the folks who were not successful have a lot to say, I think that what we’re gonna see coming out of this, is an extraordinary investment on the West Side, that we hope will catalyze and draw other investments in that area.
One on one from page 1
I’m hoping something really good and powerful comes from that,” the mayor continued. “I know that I’ve talked to a number of Black journalists, in particular, who … are really taking it to the mainstream media and really picking up the baton, if you will, and running with it to say, ‘You’ve got to diversify your newsrooms.’ That is a demand that’s got to be addressed.” I started this conversation because … this year I’ve probably done close to 55 standup press conferences and I rarely see diversity, a small handful. It’s almost all white reporters for the mainstream press. You know, one of the things that we started pre-pandemic and we’re going to pick up again as we move out of it, is going to the hyperlocal neighborhood press and I hope you’ll participate. I think we did that with some success in recognizing that a lot of the small, hyper-local media outlets don’t have huge capacity — maybe in many instances have freelancers and part-time folks, but it’s really important to me that we reach people in neighborhoods. AWN: Jacqueline Serrato, the editor for South Side Weekly, tweeted that her outlet had requested an interview, but despite them being a haven for Black and Brown, they were denied. Can you explain why that happened? LL: I don’t know anything about that. When we started this conversation, we got deluged with requests that we are still working our way through. I’m not aware of anybody getting denied. AWN: Are you familiar with HB 134, a bill filed by Sen. Steve Stadelman that recently passed both the Illinois General Assembly and that would create a statewide Local Journalism Task Force? And do you think a similar task force on the local level would be helpful? LL: I’m not familiar with the legislation, but clearly we’re in a time of transition when it comes to the media and we’ve been in this place for a while. The consolidation of media outlets, less and less people getting their news from traditional media sources, so this is a really pivotal time in the transition from what was to what will be and a lot of this is market forces. There has to be space for local journalism. You remember DNAinfo? That was wildly popular, because they took a hyperlocal approach on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. I think we all know why that publication went away, but I think that opens up an opportunity for publications like your own … So, we’ve got to think about how we create those kinds of spaces. I think it’s critically important.
AWN: How is the city holding Loretto Hospital accountable for giving out vaccine doses to people outside of Austin, which was first reported by Block Club Chicago?
LORI LIGHTFOOT Chicago Mayor
AWN: Here on the West Side, we’ve reported quite extensively about your Invest South/West initiatives, particularly the redevelopment of the Laramie Bank Building in Austin. There were some community stakeholders who felt that the community engagement process related to the Laramie project was not sufficient. For instance, only 37 of the roughly 100 people who attended the community meetings took the community survey, which was used as a key criteria in selecting the developers who were chosen. And it’s also not a guarantee that all of them were Austin residents. Can you address some of these concerns that people had with the community engagement process? LL: We are doing and will continue to do a level of community engagement around these opportunities to restore the hidden gems of these communities. That, to me, is critically important. From the start of Invest South/West, which launched on the West Side in October 2019, we’ve literally done hundreds of community meetings all across the Invest South/West geography. The goal was to hear from the community, what the needs were, did we get the area right, the corridors right. AWN: Are you satisfied with the level of attendance at those meetings? LL: There’s always room for improvement and you never quite ever get it perfect, but I think the effort has been there and we’ve reached literally thousands of people through these community activations that have been going on for quite some time. So, regarding the West Side, we looked at the Laramie State Bank, which is this beautiful building that’s been abandoned for years, maybe decades. So the idea was, give us your best ideas about how to revitalize this particular structure in the surrounding area. Obviously, we
LL: Just this week, we’ve indicated to them that they are suspended from participating in the vaccine program. The reality is, since we started seeing these challenges that arose after February and March, Loretto was out of the vaccine business for a time and then got back into it with heavy oversight from the Chicago Department of Public Health, which continued to do a very deep dive audit into what was happening at Loretto. That audit found a number of challenging problems with Loretto, not the least of which is that over 2,500 doses of vaccine are unaccounted for, meaning Loretto has a responsibility as a provider in the vaccine program to document every single dose that’s used, whose arm it went into, demographics about the person, and then report that up into a state record-keeping system. When we did our audit, Loretto didn’t have records to account for over 2,500 doses. That’s a significant issue. We notified them this week that they have been suspended from the vaccine program. We’re not going to ever leave the West Side community in the lurch. We’ve had other hospitals and other providers pick up the slack, as Loretto has gone through various stages and we’ll continue to do that. We’re going to do that with a lot of mobile and pop-up vaccine distribution opportunities on the west side.
AUSTIN WEEKLY
news
Equity Editor/Ombudsman/Editor Michael Romain Senior Editor Bob Uphues Contributing Reporter Igor Studenkov Reporting Partners Block Club, Austin Talks Columnist Arlene Jones Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Digital Strategist James Kay Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Designers Javier Govea, Mark Moroney Sales & Marketing Representavies Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck Sales & Development Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner ≈ Publisher Dan Haley Business Manager Joyce Minich ≈ GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA Board of Directors Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson , Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer ≈
AWN: Returning to the lack of coverage during your news conferences, can’t the city leverage its resources to urge the private sector to, say, invest in a fund that would help pay for more City Hall coverage by non-legacy neighborhood outlets — such as Austin Weekly News, the TriiBe, Block Club Chicago, City Bureau, AustinTalks, etc. — where minority journalists are concentrated and more likely to be in leadership roles?
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 TWITTER @AustinWeeklyChi
LL: “I believe there would be interest on the part of the philanthropic community, which is involved in a conversation now around journalism in the media,” she said. “I could talk to a couple people I’ve had these conversations with and really float your idea, which I think is a great idea. And if they’re interested, I would put you together.”
Austin Weekly News is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. It is distributed free of charge at locations across Austin and Garfield Park. Our hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Advertising rates are available by calling our office. Printed entirely on recycled paper. © 2021 Growing Community Media NFP.
CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
3
4
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
West Side homeowner fighting to save historic home
The coach house behind Linda Culver’s home has languished, now she’s working with preservationists to save the building, which could be up to 160 years old By PASCAL SABINO Block Club Chicago
Linda Culver always knew the coach house behind her family’s West Side home was old. But it wasn’t until the city moved to tear it down that Culver learned the building could date back to the late 19th century — a time when Austin wasn’t yet part of Chicago. The city is seeking a demolition permit for the coach house behind Culver’s family home at 710 N. Lotus Ave. due to concerns the building is unstable and unsafe. There have been hearings to discuss tearing down the building since May 2020, with the next hearing scheduled for June 28. Culver’s family has lived on Lotus Avenue since the 1970s. Her mother rented the coach house to several families over the years, but her family hasn’t been able to keep up the maintenance and it’s fallen into disrepair. Still, Culver said she could tell from its construction and the style of architecture the structure was built in an era MAX CHAVEZ long passed. HopDirector of Research and ing to confirm Special Projects her hunch and gather evidence to prove to the city the house was worth saving, she reached out to Preservation Chicago. “We didn’t know just how old or just how significant it is until recently,” Culver said. Executive Director Ward Miller and Max Chavez, director of Research and Special Projects, said they could tell from just a glance the house was a relic with a valuable history that should be preserved. The coach house appears to be built in an Italianate style of architecture, which can be identified by the narrow windows with carved hooded moldings. That style of building was popular in Chicago during a narrow window between the 1860s and 1870s, Chavez said, potentially making the house up to 160 years old. “It has a physical structure to it that
“It does speak to a time in Austin’s history … that is just not well document.”
PROVIDED
The long narrow windows and hood molds above them indicate the building was designed in the Italianate style. looks very singular and very different than anything in the area, and even Chicago overall,” Chavez said. “Rough condition doesn’t always necessitate demolition. This building is really significant and you can tell just by looking at it.” After researching records and archive materials, Chavez found the coach house likely was built on land owned by C.C. Merrick, a railroad executive who owned much of Austin before the neighborhood was incorporated into Chicago. Records show there were very few
homes in the area at the time the house was built. Much of the land that would become Austin was farmland, Chavez said. The building was likely designed to serve some agricultural purpose, like housing farmhands, Chavez said. “If it is an agricultural building … I think that certainly speaks to a time in Austin that you don’t really see reflected in the city anymore,” Chavez said. Today the coach house is in serious need of repairs. The roof of the building has a hole in it caused by a tree branch.
Culver’s family was unable to repair the roof, which eventually led to one of the walls deteriorating. Mimi Simon, a spokesperson for the city’s buildings department, said the city is pursuing demolition because there are signs the coach house could soon collapse and the city “does not have any records that indicate the coach house has significant historic or landmark value.” “The City’s top priority is public safety,” Simon said in a statement. To stop the demolition case, “at a minimum, they need to present a structural engineer’s report stating the building is structurally sound, which the City has not yet received. That said, it is ultimately up to the judge to postpone a trial date or to proceed with demolition.” Culver hopes to eventually get the funds to fix the roof, stabilize the walls and gut the interior, she said. She hopes the house can be saved and restored instead of torn down because it still has a lot of potential. Its old construction style gives it a “vintage chic … architectural kind of swag” that shouldn’t be forgotten, she said. “What was really gorgeous was the windows. … Those huge gorgeous long windows go all the way to the floor,” Culver said. In the meantime, Preservation Chicago is trying to find documents, permits or physical proof to bolster their appeal to the city to spare the coach house. Buildings as old as the coach house aren’t well documented, Chavez said, so they are hoping “there’s enough contextual evidence that demonstrates this is really significant.” If the building is preserved, it could still be useful to the neighborhood once restored as a rental apartment, or as a community asset like a museum that documents the history of Austin. “It does speak to a time in Austin’s history — and Chicago’s history, really — that is just not well documented. Especially since so many buildings burned in the Great Fire, you don’t necessarily have many old structures of this age around anymore, especially this far out,” Chavez said. Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
New data maps transit’s racial inequities
Redfin’s Bike and Walk scores show access, race, income connection By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
During his regular commute on the Blue Line, Al Bell often notices a rather striking disparity as the CTA train pulls out of the Forest Park station and travels east into Oak Park before going into the city. On Monday, Bell praised the Blue Line stations in Oak Park and the one in Austin, which is close to the Oak Park border, before lamenting that the quality quickly drops as he travels through the West Side. “I feel like the CTA should show the same care and concern for every station,” Bell said. “It’s the same transit for everyone.” That may be the ideal, but the reality plays out much differently, as designer and data analyst Dale Wunderlich recently illustrated in a series of maps and visualizations he published online in May. Wunderlich pulled the Walk Score and Bike Score ratings generated by Redfin, the popular real estate brokerage, and ranked CTA el stations. What he found was not a surprise: There’s a strong correlation between the wealth and whiteness of an area surrounding a station and its bike-friendliness and walkability. “Redfin’s Walk Score uses block length and density features, such as [the presence of grocery stores], and so it ends up reinforcing the food desert situations and all of the other things we’re concerned about, particularly in Austin,” Wunderlich said during a recent interview. According to Wunderlich’s data, there were only a handful of el stations in majority white neighborhoods that received below average walk and bike scores. And the difference is particularly stark between el stations that are
just a few miles apart, as Bell observed. For instance, the Harlem-Green Line stop at the Oak Park-Forest Park border, where the adjacent population is roughly 70 percent white, has a Green Accessibility Score (the sum of its bike and walk scores) of 155 while the AustinGreen Line el station, located less than two miles east in an area that is roughly 30 percent white, has a Green Accessibility Score of just 136. For commuters who have to travel through these areas, those low bike and walk scores are more than just numbers. They translate into very real complications, such as safety concerns that are exacerbated in transit areas that lack density of people and development. Marie Watts, who grew up in the West Side and currently lives in Maywood, regularly commutes on the Blue Line and said she’s been satisfied with the line’s service frequency and the station’s condition, but said she’d like to see more CTA workers at the Cicero station during the evening. “People get their purses snatched,” she said. “They get beat up and thrown off the platform and onto the tracks.” Nicole Smith, who lives in Austin and works on the South Side, was standing outside of the Cicero Green Line station waiting for the 54 bus. “They could use a lot more buses out here,” she said. “They’re supposed to come every 15 minutes, but sometimes, the wait is a lot longer.” Wunderlich said he hopes his data visualization leads to more awareness about the issue of transit equity and that perhaps the data can lead to concrete changes. “I was interested in providing this to people in the neighborhoods who care about transit and perhaps the information can be used in discussions with the [city officials from agencies responsible for transit, such as Chicago Department of Transportation],” he said. You can access Wunderlich’s data visualization at: https://tabsoft.co/34YEGCO.
CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
The Green Line station in Oak Park is less than two miles from the one in Austin, but they’re worlds apart when it comes to accessibility. SHANEL ROMAIN/Contributor
Please join us at our “Thrive with Pride” Cafe 1st Thursday of the month at 7 pm Contact us for login information and details at office@holycovenantmcc.org or call 708-387-1611.
Holy Covenant MCC
Thrive with Pride cafes are made possible through AgeOptions of Cook County and a grant from the Memorial Foundation
9145 Grant Avenue, Brookfield • 708-387-1611 holycovenantmcc.org • facebook.com/HolyCovenantMcc
“The” Friendship BAPTIST CHURCH Rev. Dr. Reginald E. Bachus, Pastor 5200 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60644 773-378-6600 fbcchicago.org facebook.com/friendshipbcchicago JOIN US FOR ONLINE SERVICES • FACEBOOK @FriendshipBCChicago • YOUTUBE @The Friendship Baptist Church of Chicago
Sundays - 9:30 AM Sunday School • 11:00 AM Worship Service
Wednesdays - 6:00 PM Bible Study
City Market at Austin Town Hall 5610 W Lake St, Chicago
Every Thursday June 10 to September 30, 1pm to 6pm. Food and fun for the whole family Fresh Produce • Local Vendors • Cooking Demonstrations Good Eats • Great Peeps City Market at Austin Town Hall And more! Sponsored by
5
6
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
Leadership program expands reach Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation seeking fellows from the West Side By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
The Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation’s Leadership Lab is now accepting applications for its 2021-22 program, but this most recent cohort will be a lot different from the past, the Lab’s organizers said. “We’ve really wanted to expand the experience,” said Jenny Yang, Leadership Lab coordinator. This year, Yang explained, the program is looking to recruit fellows from beyond Oak Park and River Forest, including communities on Chicago’s West Side and in suburbs located throughout western Cook County. During the program, participants meet once a month over 10 months for personal
and professional coaching and skills development. This year, the sessions will be offered both virtually and in-person. The deadline to apply is June 30 or until spots are filled. Tuition is $2,000, but scholarships are available based on need. “One of our key objectives is to expand our reach,” Yang said. “We want to talk to fellows, give them leadership experience and provide them with a personal journal and help them curate that journey. “You don’t have to be a mayor or in some high position in a company to be a leader. We know anyone can be a leader and we want to make sure we meet them where they are because the skills we’ll offer are applicable wherever they want to serve.” Yang said the program has evolved since its inception, adding that the Lab is “much more approachable, more actionable and more flexible” than in the past, when participants were largely drawn from Oak Park and River Forest. “When this was started, it was really designed between the Community Foundation and Dominican University to be a leadership
Bring Home a Taste of Some of your Favorite Moments
RibFest Every Day! Mickey’s is the place!
Mickey’s Rib Special 1/2 Slab Dinner Full Slab Dinner B.B.Q. RIBS & CHICKEN BURGERS & HOT DOGS
$11.99
$17.99
includes fries or baked potato, coleslaw and garlic bread
525 N Harlem Ave, Oak Park (708) 848-3333 11am - 9pm Daily
3 Vienna Hot Dogs w/ Fries $ .49
8
Italian Beef Sandwich w/ Fries $ .49
8
Wednesday
Gyros Plate Dinner 1 lb meat, 2 pita breads, fries & 3 cups sauce $10.99
Every day Special!
Gyros with fries $7.99
1/4 Lb Double Cheeseburger
Big Mickey! $ .99
2
Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation/Facebook
Antonio Martinez Jr., left, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO. program that helped people become defined pull it out themselves.” Yang said Leadership Lab fellows who as community leaders and it was focused on the Oak Park and River Forest area,” said complete the program get access to a reCathy Yen, a longtime nonprofit executive source library that’s available to all Lab parand a Leadership Lab facilitator who has ticipants and alumni. They also get to tap into a network of more than 200 Lab alumni. also completed the program herself. Yen said Leadership Lab’s desire to ex“The program has come a long way since then,” Yen said, adding that the program pand its reach beyond two suburbs is consistent with an expanding defiis focused on “a bunch of nition of community, one rooted C’s,” including competencies, less in one particular municipal coaching, context and COVID. boundary than in a much larger Yen said, for those looking geographic region. to apply, “your demonstrated That regionalism is also concommitment to the greater good is more important than sistent with the Community your resume.” She said the Foundation’s evolving mission, program typically attracts said Antonio Martinez Jr., the mid-career professionals lookFoundation’s president and CEO. ing to strengthen their core “The big thing is that we realcompetencies and sharpen ize the interconnectedness that their core values. we share with our surrounding DeRondal Bevly, a Leaderneighbors and communities,” he ship Lab mentor, said the said. “We know that what affects program is particularly necesus affects others and vice versa, sary in today’s fraught politiso it’s important for us, when ANTONIO MARTINEZ cal climate. we take a look at this leadership Community Foundation CEO “If you look at the energy program, to look at west Cook that was kicked up as a result County, the city of Chicago, and, of the 2020 election, people in particular, Austin, and do our were looking for an outlet to part to help people in those comdo something but just didn’t munities increase their leaderhave the skills, the toolkit and the networks ship capacity.” to be agents of change,” Bevly said. “This For more information on Leadership Lab program really fits the times to help those and/or to apply, visit: oprfcf.org/leadership-lab. people who know they’re leaders and have the potential, but don’t quite know how to CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
“The big thing is that we realized the interconnectedness that we share with our surrounding neighbors and communities.”
AUSTIN WEEKLY NEWS Mail your letter to the editor to: Austin Weekly News, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 or email michael@austinweeklynews.com
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
A
7
Signs of the times
nybody who’s been paying attention, will notice there’s one familiar sign that is now prevalent wherever one goes. That is the “help wanted” sign. I’m seeing it in every business I enter. “We’re hiring” is the theme. “We want you” is their call. And we’re not talking about minimum-wage positions. Many of the businesses are offering at least $15 an hour or more. Even restaurants are begging for help. For years the constant commentary out of the Black community has been the need for jobs — especially jobs for our young people. Yet I wonder how many of them are putting in employment applications for all the fast food and retail stores that need workers? And for those
workers who have backgrounds that in the past have been a hindrance to employment, perhaps now is the time to go in and speak with the hiring department and impress them so your past does not hinder your future. In a lot of states, the governor has ended the extra money that the unemployed were getting, saying they want to force people back to work. I don’t know if that’s going to be on the agenda for us here in Illinois, but why not try to get a good job while the market is open for employment? I understand people’s fears about COVID-19, but based on the number of people I see out and about, we are slowly getting back to normal. Here’s another sign of the times I am seeing: I went to Home Depot in the 1900 block of North Cicero Ave., and once I parked, I noticed the store looked different. That’s because the entire front set of window panes had been hidden behind plywood. Boarded up for another possible riot? I know the Chicago Police Department is putting their
ARLENE JONES
SUBMITTED
officers back on 12-hour days in anticipation of the Puerto Rican Parade, Father’s Day, Juneteenth and the 4th of July. Although I can sympathize with Home Depot’s decision, it is a sad reflection on the state of people’s behavior that a business is already boarding up in advance of possible civil unrest. Then again, we do have a cer-
tain segment of folks who are always looking for any excuse to cause a controversy. We need a massive coming together by leadership from the political, religious and activist communities, calling on people to be mindful of their behavior. Many businesses have struggled to recover from the riots of last year, and another would be devastating.
APPLY TODAY!
8
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
FARMERS MARKET Now here! from page 1 Two houseplant vendors will also have stalls at the market: Brenna’s Greenhouse and the Get Growing Foundation. “Farmers markets have evolved into more of makers markets. You have people that bake, you have people that make artisan crafts. It diversifies what’s being offered there. Houseplants help beautify a person’s home. They add more oxygen to the air. People in Austin deserve places where they can beautify their homes,” said Liz Abunaw, founder of Forty Acres. The markets are a great chance for small, local businesses that don’t have a lot of capital to attract more customers without much upfront investment, Abunaw said. “A farmers market is a way of bringing business to people. They try your food there, they love it, they might call for a larger catering order,” she said. City organizers are still accepting applications from vendors and it is free to participate. To join the Austin Town Hall Market as a vendor, apply online. The markets will be a welcoming environment for residents to gather safely outside and “bring more foot traffic and bring more activation” to Austin, said Alisa Baum, program director for the city markets. “People want to be outside and want to get together,” she said. “It’s nice to give them the opportunity to buy groceries, access fresh health food outside where people feel safe and comfortable.” Despite uncertainty last summer caused by the pandemic, the Austin Town Hall Farmers Market thrived, Abunaw said. The market’s popularity reflects the serious need for
PROVIDED
A produce stall for Forty Acres Fresh Market at the Austin Town Hall Farmers Market. more local food options, she said, as well as the powerful economic opportunity for businesses eyeing the West Side. “It was really the vendors from last year … they kind of paved this path to show that vendors could do well in Austin and set up shop here,” Abunaw said.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c) (3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
CONTACT: pascal@blockclubchi.org
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
9
Mayor Lightfoot, journalists of color want to cover you. Here’s how we can.
D
uring an interview last week, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot explained her controversial decision to grant interviews exclusively to journalists of color on the occasion of the 2-year anniversary of her inauguration. “By doing what I did, it started this important conversation about the lack of diversity in the mainstream press,” she told me. “I’m hoping something really good and powerful comes from that,” the mayor continued. “I know that I’ve talked to a number of Black journalists, in particular, who … are really taking it to the mainstream media and really picking up the baton, if you will, and running with it to say, ‘You’ve got to diversify your newsrooms.’ That is a demand that’s got to be addressed.” I see things a bit differently. Those of us who are the future of institutional media in Chicago have long abandoned attempts to break into and change legacy news outlets. We don’t want to diversify traditionally white newsrooms like the Sun-Times, the Tribune and Crain’s — we want to build newsrooms of our own. We don’t want to be included. We want equity. While Mayor Lightfoot’s scathing and accurate critique focused on these traditional white media institutions, it unfortunately ignored the many non-traditional neighborhood outlets where journalists of color are more likely to have positions of seniority and autonomy — and that we’re much more likely to own. I’m the editor of Austin Weekly News and the publisher of my own weekly newspaper in my hometown of Maywood, Village Free Press, and I would not trade what I do to be a City Hall beat reporter at any of those institutions Lightfoot rightly castigated — not even for higher pay. There are many other journalists and publishers of color who feel the way I do. The Cicero Independiente, the TriiBe, the South Side Weekly, the Crusader, the Citizen, the Defender — all are well-respected local media institutions either founded or helmed by journalists of color. And there are many other non-traditional media entities that are less rooted in the hierarchical, top-down and profit-hungry context of corporate news than in the decentralized, people-first and bottom-up context of community journalism. These non-traditional players are founded and/or helmed by people of all of income levels (well, not all), ethnicities, cultures, sexu-
alities and gender identities — from Injustice Watch, Block Club Chicago, City Bureau and AustinTalks to Oak Parker Charlie Meyerson’s Chicago Public Square and Reader copublisher Tracy Baim’s invention of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance (of which Growing Community Media is a proud member). I’ve collaborated at some point or another with virtually all of these entities and based on my experiences, for the most part, they’re rooted in an ethos of collaboration and interrelatedness that seemed eerily absent among Chicago’s civic powers when it came to trying to save the Tribune. Through a fellowship with City Bureau, an innovative South Side-based journalism lab that is sometimes known as the journalism school of the streets, I worked with a team of reporters that covered the 2019 election from the perspective of the people most affected by the winning politicians’ decisions. And Austin Weekly News currently co-produces a biweekly email newsletter with Block Club Chicago, the rising digital news site that is positioning itself to fill the void that will inevitably be left in the local media landscape once the carcass of the Chicago Tribune is licked clean by the hungry, vulture capitalist private equity firm Alden Global Capital. I regularly consume and donate to Chicago Public Square and have benefited monetarily from Baim’s CIMA collaborative. I see my own small suburban publication in the Cicero Independiente and have deep respect for its founders. Between all of these entities I’ve mentioned (along with many I haven’t), there’s a small army of people willing and able to cover City Hall — from staff reporters and freelancers to citizen journalists (such as City Bureau’s Documenters, who are trained to cover all kinds of government meetings) and students at the high school and college level. All we need are the credentials and the funding to compensate our labor. I asked Mayor Lightfoot about the former last week. “What if I said, ‘Look, tomorrow, I want to be a City Hall beat reporter and automatically increase the diversity in that room,’ what’s the process?” I asked. “That’s it,” she said. “You get credentials, you’re in. Talk to our press office.” I’d go one step further. What if philanthropies, businesses and individuals in Chicago and the suburbs pooled money into a single fund designed to pay for City Hall coverage by non-traditional, neighborhood media outlets,
MICHAEL ROMAIN
FILE 2019
ANNIVERSARY: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks to supporters on election night in 2019. particularly those owned by people of color? City Bureau, for instance, is already experimenting with wire reporting similar to what the Associated Press or Reuters provides, but CB’s reporting is done by journalists rooted in an equity lens and who are more attuned to the lived needs of people in marginalized communities. Austin Weekly News regularly publishes Block Club Chicago reporting in our print papers and online, just as a major daily would publish an AP report. If Mayor Lightfoot wants more journalists of color in her City Hall press conferences, she can do more than pressure a legacy media establishment that, for all intents and purposes, is a shadow of its former self. She and the City Council should use their considerable leverage in the philanthropic and business community to push for an infusion of financial support into local journalism. The city (and, quite frankly, local governments across the state) can also explore the following measures: ■ Convene a meeting with representatives from media entities like the ones I just mentioned, civic leaders and business executives in order to explore the concept of establishing and funding an immediate pool of money designed exclusively to pay for City Hall reporting done by non-traditional, neighborhoodcentered and marginalized media entities (regardless of race or ethnicity). And there should be a framework designed to institute safeguards for protecting this coverage from any undue outside influence. ■ The City Council should consider creating a Local Journalism Task Force similar to the one that’s being created at the state level with the passage of Sen. Steve Stadelman’s critical HB 134. Call it the Chicago Area Journalism Task Force and it would explore the crisis of journalism in Chicago and the suburbs, as well as come up with local solutions that would reinforce and enhance the solutions explored at the state level. ■ Mayor Lightfoot should also establish a regular pipeline between her administration and non-legacy media outlets, where journalists of color are often concentrated. Her people can start by compiling a comprehensive database of these non-legacy establish-
ments and doing more to attract our attention, because often we’re covering things that are happening on the street level, miles away from the Fifth Floor of City Hall. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t impressed that I got a 15-minute interview with the mayor on the event of her 2-year anniversary in office (and it took a while to even get that). And ethnic media roundtables do not suffice, either. If the mayor wants more journalists of color in front of her more often, she should first acknowledge the places where we exist. To her credit, the mayor seemed pretty receptive to some of these ideas, particularly the establishment of a funding mechanism for integrating marginalized journalists into her City Hall press conferences. “I believe there would be interest on the part of the philanthropic community, which is involved in a conversation now around journalism in the media,” she said. “I could talk to a couple people I’ve had these conversations with and really float your idea, which I think is a great idea. And if they’re interested, I would put you together.” With all due respect, though, I’m not waiting for that meeting to push these ideas out and to call on people to act. We can start now. If you’re reading this column and would like to see more City Hall coverage done by journalists of color and journalists (regardless of race or ethnicity) from non-legacy outlets and/or associations like Austin Weekly News, AustinTalks, the TriiBe, Block Club Chicago, City Bureau, South Side Weekly, Injustice Watch, Chicago Public Square, any entities affiliated with CIMA and countless others I’ve not mentioned, you can do something about it. Email me at michael@austinweeklynews. com or michael@oakpark.com, and/or call me at (708) 359-9148 and indicate your willingness to either donate and/or lend your time and skills to a fund that would make this kind of journalism possible before the year is out, because the crisis of local journalism is not just for one politician or group of philanthropists or legacy newsrooms to solve. All of us own this and it’s going to take all of us to fix it.
CONTACT: michael@austinweeklynews.com
10
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
River Forest Public Schools District 90
We are hiring Relationship Bankers in Oak Park, IL.
Visit the link below to check out this opportunity to join a great team! https://wintrust.taleo.net/careersection/2/ jobdetail.ftl?job=2100424&lang=en You can also learn about other career opportunities nearby. PART-TIME FACILITIES MANAGER Oak Park Church seeks part-time Facilities Mgr to oversee daily operations of physical plant weekday mornings; on call for emergencies. Prior experience & computer skills a must. Basic knowledge of heating systems, plumbing & electrical. Supervise custodians, contractors, and space-sharing agreements. Send resume to churchoffice@ firstumcoakpark.org JOB REQUIREMENTS • High school diploma (or equivalent). College or Technical Education preferred • A minimum of three (3) years of work-related experience • Computer skills including the ability to navigate and utilize internet and email communication • Strong organizational and communication skills • Driver’s license and reliable transportation with evidence of current insurance • Ability to lift and carry 50 lbs. • Sufficient hearing ability to manage communication in person and on phone • Own and operate a mobile phone JOB TYPE: Part-time PAY: Competitive hourly rate COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS: Masks are worn. Social distancing. Extra cleaning schedule. P/T SHAMPOO ASSISTANT Part-time Shampoo assistant salary plus tips please apply in person Anthony Lullo’s Hair Designs 721 South Blvd. 708 848 4455
GRANTS SUPERVISOR The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Grants Supervisor in the Development Customer Services Department. This position will perform a variety of responsible for developing. Administering and coordinating activities related to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and other grant-funded programs for the Village. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oakpark.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application no later than June 25, 2021. FLEET AUTOMOTIVE CREW CHIEF The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Fleet Automotive Crew Chief in the Public Works Department. This position will supervise, assign, review and participate in the work of staff responsible for providing skilled mechanical duties involving repairs to automotive, heavy or light construction and other power-driven equipment; and will perform a variety of technical tasks relative to assigned areas of responsibility. Position assists Fleet Services Superintendent in planning, budgeting and scheduling in Fleet operations. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www. oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. First review of applications June 23, 2021.
District 90 is seeking qualified and experienced applicants for the following positions: English Language Learners Teacher (Full-time at Roosevelt Middle School and Part-time FTE 0.50 at Lincoln Elementary School) Social Worker (Roosevelt Middle School) Physical Education Teachers, ( Full-time at Roosevelt Middle School and Part-time FTE 0.77 at Willard Elementary School) STEM Teacher, Grades 6-8 (Roosevelt Middle School) Instructional Specialist (Roosevelt Middle School) For detailed qualifications requirements and job duties, please visit our website at https://www.district90.org/about/employment for our complete list of employment opportunities. General Qualifications: Valid Illinois Professional Education License with endorsement in field of study, a Master’s Degree is preferred and successful teaching experience with students in a classroom setting is preferred. General Duties: Provide excellence in education by developing and implementing activities that encourage students to be life-long learners. Possesses knowledge of District policies and regulations relating to areas of responsibilities. Create an environment that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the developmental maturity and interests of each student. Application: Apply online at www.district90.org. Application Procedure: Interested candidates should complete the online application available at district90.org. Please do not send hard copies of supporting documentation, i.e. cover letters, resumes, licensure, etc. to River Forest Schools District 90; instead, upload these materials onto the online job application system for proper processing. RESIDENTIAL COUNSELOR Hephzibah Children’s Association is a social services agency in Oak Park, IL that helps children thrive and families flourish. We offer a variety of programs including residential group homes for children, family-based services (foster care and intact), and after school and summer day care. We are hiring for a full time Residential Counselor to provide physically and emotionally nurturing care for the children in the Residence, a structured environment that provides consistency and predictability in a community-based setting. This position will work weekdays (four 10-hour shifts) noon - 10:00 PM and every third Saturday. Flexibility to work other shifts is desired. Requirements include: • Bachelor’s degree • Experience working with special needs children. • Must be at least 21 years old. • Valid IL driver’s license and good driving record • Experience with Medicaid documentation a plus Hephzibah Children’s Association is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply. We embrace a respectful, multicultural, and inclusive environment for employees and the clients we serve
ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER Must have own transportation. For more information CALL 708-738-3848
BAND SAW WELDER TECH, GENL LABORER OPENINGS Local sharpening service has two openings: Band Saw Welder Technician and General Laborer position. Apply at 1233 Circle Ave., Forest Park, IL 708-209-1636
SUBURBAN RENTALS
SUBURBAN RENTALS
Apartment listings updated daily at:
HELP WANTED CAREGIVER WANTED MCKINLEY AREA Looking for a caregiver (PA) to work nights 11p-7a and days 7a-4p, days needed will be discussed, to care for adult female with special needs. Training by mother approved by DHS HSP. Contact Maria 312 2825760.
SUBURBAN RENTALS DOWNTOWN OAK PARK 1BR Small 1BR apartment in DTOP. Renovated and freshly painted. Harwood floors. Walking distance to El. No pets. $850/mo, utilities included. 708-657-4226
SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
RIVERSIDE 3 FLAT FSBO Three above grade 2BR apts. Unfinished basement w/ laundry & 1/2 BA. 4 car brick garage. Zoned for residential and office, if desired. Well maintained. $529,000 BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 708-446-1324
OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT
OAK PARK THERAPY OFFICE Oak Park: Free wifi; flexible leasing, and offices nicely furnished right down to the Kleenex. Secure building & friendly colleagues, often giving referrals to other office mates. Shared Waiting room, Conference room & option to join Peer Supervision Group. Ideal for new practice or 2nd location.
CEMENT
MAGANA
C O N C R E T E C O N S T RU C T I O N “QUALITY IS OUR FOUNDATION” ESTABLISHED IN 1987
COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL RESIDENTIAL
708.442.7720 '5,9(:$<6 )281'$7,216 3$7,26 67(36 &85% *877(56 6,'(:$/.6 612: 3/2:,1* 67$03(' &2/25(' $**5(*$7( &21&5(7( FREE ESTIMATES LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED
ELECTRICAL Ceiling Fans Installed
ELECTRICAL
A&A ELECTRIC
Let an American Veteran do your work
We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles We fix any electrical problem and do small jobs We install Surge Protectors • Home Re-wiring • New Plugs & Switches Added • New circuit breaker boxes • Code violations corrected Service upgrades,100-200 amp • Garage & A/C lines installed Fast Emergency Service | Residential • Commercial • Industrial Free Home Evaluations | Lic. • Bonded • Ins. • Low Rates • Free Est.
708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area
708-383-0729
FOREST PARK HIGHLY VISIBLE OFFICE/STORE AVAILABLE FOR LEASE 1350 SF w/ AC & HIGHLY VISIBLE MADISON STREET EXPOSURE. 7607 Madison Street. Village parking lot next door. Bright, clean office. Great Madison Street exposure! Call Francis 708-383-8574
ROOMS FOR RENT Large Sunny Room with fridge, microwave. Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $125.00. New Mgmt. 312-212-1212
GARAGE SALE Riverside
BLACKHAWK ROAD BLOCK SALE FRI 6/18 & SAT 6/19 9AM TO 4PM
Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am – 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue. Or call us toll free at 1-833-440-0665 for an appointment.
CEMENT
Over 20 households participating! Something for everyone!!
ITEMS FOR SALE
BLACK LEATHER COAT Beautiful black leather coat purchased at Saks 5th Avenue. Excellent condition. Size 6. $40. 708-488-8755
ITEMS FOR SALE
NEW AUDIX SPEAKERS PH-3S video shielded power speakers. $100 for both obo. Cash only. 708-383-7892 CHERRY WOOD CHAIRS 2 new cherry wood chairs with leather seat cushions. $70 each obo. Cash only. 708-383-7892 NEW STUDENT DESK New student desk. Cherry stain. 48w x 26d x 28.75h. $199 obo. Cash only. 708-383-7892 AREA RUG 8 FT X 9.5 FT very beautiful area rug. Design of natural figures in earth tones. $60. 708-488-8755 OAK TV STAND Oak TV stand with w/ 2 cabinet doors, 1 shelf. 32”h x 27”w x 18”d. $25.00 708-488-8755 ELECTRIC YARD TOOLS Electric Leaf Blower $25 Electric Hedge Trimmer $25 708-488-8755 CHAIRS Small bedroom arm chair with plaid slip cover. $25.00. Comfortable upholstered chair with matching footstool from Pier1. Very light green. $60.00. 708-488-8755
WANTED TO BUY WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead or plastic – other misc. toys. Call Uncle Gary
708-522-3400
NOVENA PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL) Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show me, herein you are my mother. Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to suc cor in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, show me herein you are my mother. Oh, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and publish; your request will be granted. E
AustinWeeklyNews.com
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021
AIR CONDITIONING
AIR CONDITIONING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT Air Conditioning Automotive A/C Refrigerators Ranges • Ovens Washer • Dryers Rodding Sewers Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience
FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.
708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000 APPLIANCE REPAIR
Supreme1 SUPREME ONE APPLIANCE
All major appliances•refrigerators•dryers washers•dishwashers•disposers•ovens
Julio Gonzalez 773-366-6520
HANDYMAN
HANDYMAN Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates
773-637-0692 Ask for John
LANDSCAPING BRUCE LAWN SERVICE Spring Clean-Up Aerating, Slit Seeding Bush Trimming, Lawn Maintenance brucelawns.com
708-243-0571
FAST DELIVERY
Mulch & Topsoil
Premium Shredded Hardwood ���������������$25/yd Dyed Red ������������������$30/yd Dyed Brown ��������������$30/yd Playmat��������������������$28/yd Premium Blend Dark �$34/yd Premium Bark Fines��$42/yd Blonde Cedar ������������$48/yd • Spreading Available! • Topsoil, Garden Mix, Mushroom, Super Mix, Compost, Gravel, Sand
SureGreenLandscape�com
847-888-9999 •• 630-876-0111 630-876-0111 847-888-9999
supremeoneappliance@gmail.com
Illinois Classified Advertising Network
Let the sun shine in... PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21007108 on June 3, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of THRIVE MOBILE PHLEBOTOMY SERVICES with the business located at: 228 DESPLAINES AVE 102, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: MARY STOKES, 228 DESPLAINES AVE 102, FOREST PARK, IL 60130, USA. Published in Austin Weekly News June 9, 16, 23, 2021
PAINTING & DECORATING CLASSIC PAINTING
Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/Plaster Repair Low Cost
708.749.0011
PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.
Small & big work. Free estimates. Complete Plaster, Stucco & Re-Coating Services
708/386-2951 • ANYTIME Work Guaranteed
LEGAL SERVICES
Licensed, Bonded, Insured, & EPA Certified Expert craftsmanship for over 50 years
INJURED? If you’ve been hurt in an accident in Illinois, call for a FREE CASE CONSULTATION. Calls Answered 24/7 by Staver Accident Injury Lawyers: 1-888-310-8322
w e n e h t t a s u Join
Public Notice: Your right to know
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO WELLS FARGO BANK MINNESOTA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE F/K/A NORWEST BANK MINNESOTA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET INVESTMENT LOAN TRUST, 2003-BC4 Plaintiff, -v.LESLIE WOLFE, CITY OF CHICAGO, AN ILLINOIS MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, 1ST FEDERAL SAVINGS & LOAN ASSOCIATION OF WESTCHESTER, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS Defendants 20 CH 200 1839 SOUTH KEELER AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60623 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on March 18, 2021, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on July 13, 2021, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 1839 SOUTH KEELER AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60623 Property Index No. 16-22-411-0390000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence. The judgment amount was $64,036.91. 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, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund,
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No 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 acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. 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.
• In print • Online • Available 24 /7/365 AustinWeekly News.com PublicNoticeIllinois.com
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE 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. For information, The sales clerk, LOGS Legal Group LLP Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301, Bannockburn, IL, 60015 (847) 291-1717 For information call between the hours of 1pm 3pm.. Please refer to file number 19-092360. 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. LOGS Legal Group LLP 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301 Bannockburn IL, 60015 847-291-1717 E-Mail: ILNotices@logs.com Attorney File No. 19-092360 Attorney Code. 42168 Case Number: 20 CH 200 TJSC#: 41-565 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 # 20 CH 200 I3170274
Attention HomeImprovement Pros! Reach the people making the decisions. Place an ad in Austin Classified!
Call 773/626-6332
To Be Given Away, Items for Sale and Lost & Found classified ads run free in Austin Weekly News! Call 773/626-6332 to place your ad.
m o c . s w e N y l k . ou live in nWee
Austi
11
od y o h r o b h he neig t r o f d e OU ne Y s w e n The
12
Austin Weekly News, June 16, 2021