Issuu

Save a Lot abruptly closes West Gar eld store

‘This is going be a blow to the community itself ’

By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter

Aaron Hughes, a resident of West Garfield Park, said that he understood that the neighborhood Save A Lot location at 420 S. Pulaski Road had its problems. But

the alternative the neighborhood now faces– the store closed – is far worse.

“Some people might complain, but guess what – it [was] here,” Hughes told Austin Weekly. “It’s better than nothing. It’s better than having no grocery store at all.”

“This is going be a blow to the community itself,” Hughes said.

The location was among the seven Save A Lots operated by Ohio-based Yellow Banana that closed on Sunday, July 26. The

IGOR STUDENKOV

operator took over the store in 2023, after the city ordered it shut down in February 2022 due to a rat infestation. The location reopened under Yellow Banana’s management in September 2024.

The store employees confirmed the closure when Austin Weekly News stopped by on July 25, the last day of operations They indicated that Save A Lot didn’t offer them jobs at any other locations, and

See SAVE A LOT on pa ge 9

Young take the mic at Leaders Network event

Youth and Young Adult Division created to amplify voices on the West Side

By EMMA BRADFORD Intern Reporter

The Leaders Network, a West Side ministers social justice group, turned over its monthly meeting in July to young West Siders with a promise to listen to them and not just talk about them.

Janeicia Williams, at 27 a younger member of the network, works closely with West Side teens. She helped convene the group of young people who spoke at the July 14 meeting at the Columbus Park Refectory.

“It gave local leaders, especially leaders that attend the churches, that participate in The Leaders Network and other local organizations, the opportunity for them to share their voice and their ideas around why the teens’ trends happen, what motivates them and what they

See LEADERS NETWORK on pa ge 6

Austin Weekly News is now part of NEWSWELL, a nonpro t journalism organization that provides resources, technology, and long-term support to community newsrooms across the country. This partnership strengthens our foundation while keeping everything that matters the same. Our newsroom remains local. Our staff remains in place. Our commitment to this community is unchanged. With the added support of NEWSWELL, we are better positioned than ever to continue delivering the independent, communityfocused journalism our readers rely on. Same mission. New chapter. Stronger future.

All donations support local operations. Local journalism matters. That’s why we made a bold decision to protect its future.

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What happens when a North Lawndale CPS school sits empty for 13 years?

Neighborhood surrounding long-vacant school saw an increase in gun violenc

By RORY QUEALY Block Club Chicago

The for mer Matthew Henson Elementary School in North Lawndale has sat cant since it closed in June 2013.

The building’s windows are boarded up with plywood, its paint is chipping and its basketball hoops are torn and rusted. Demetrius Hobson, Henson’s principal before its closure, said he’s seen broken glass littering the school’s empty pl ground, the garden unkempt and dotting the exterior in the 13 years since its closure.

“When you go over there and you dri around, you see this dead zone in the middle of the neighborhood,” Hobson said. “From a vibrant, bustling center of support for the children and for the adults in the community to just blight.”

Henson, 1326 S. Avers Ave., was one of 50 Chicago public schools that closed amid the largest mass closure of public schools in the nation’s history in 2013, more than half of which remained vacant for the decade that followed, despite the city setting a goal to sell or tear down all closed buildings by 2017. Most of the closed schools, like Henson, were in majority-Black areas

MKB Business Strategies ag reed to buy Henson for $25,000 in December and plans to demolish the building to re place it with housing units. Eight for mer schools are still unoccupied and publicly owned.

“It’s just an abandoned space that no one has done anything with, as was promised when schools were closed,” Hobson said.

Now, 13 years after the closures, researchers at the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of

e shuttered Matthew Henson Elementary School, 1326 S. Avers Ave., in North Lawndale on July 2.

Public Health found that neighborhoods sur rounding these long-vacant buildings saw a 10% increase in g un violence, compared to similar neighborhoods where schools didn’t close.

Chicago Public Schools educators say these findings are unsurprising and confirm the alarm bells they raised when fighting the 2013 school closures

“These communities deserve an apolog y for the chaos and the disinvestment in them,” Hobson said.

CPS spokesperson Mary Ann Fergus said the district and the city for med an advisory committee aimed at redeveloping the closed school properties, which includes real estate professionals, com-

munity members and elected officials. CPS evaluates proposals for the properties based on financial feasibility, community benefits, alignment with local planning and community input, she said.

CPS has worked to re purpose the eight remaining for mer school properties, g etting bids for five of the sites this year. The district will present the bids to the community via meetings before they potentially progress.

Fergus said CPS implements protective systems and support services, like the citywide expansion of early childhood education and progr ams aimed at helping students to return to and complete their education, in response to community violence to mitigate trauma.

“Chicago Public Schools is dedicated to creating safe and supportive learning environments for students, teachers, and

AU STIN WEEKLY news

General Manager

Max Reinsdorf

OLIN BOYLE/BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

for the

ree pilot water tanks sit behind two road-closure signs blocking access to the west entrance of LeMoyne Street

West Side ooding reduction project expected to be completed in fall

12-foot-square concrete boxes will be placed underground for more stormwater storage

By EMMA BRADFORD Intern Reporter

The City of Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater

Chicago (MWRD) have teamed up to tackle flooding on the West Side by collecting and storing stormwater in about 200, 12-footsquare concrete sections along LeMoyne Street.

T he Wing Storage Pilot Project came from the collaborative ef fort to find the best way to address more storage capacity for the West Side. To g ether, the agencies “came up with an innovative solution that utilizes underground infrastructure to accommodate stormwater under side streets to give sewers more capacity to handle the flow,” according to MWRD.

T he $12 million infrastructure investment is the second of two underground Wing Storage installations; the other, on Maypole Avenue, was completed in the spring. T he two projects are expected to provide nearly 1.7 million g allons of stor mwater storage capacity.

According to ABC 7, the West Side storage tanks are part of a more than $500 million investment that the city plans to address flooding and upgrade the aging sewer system.

Construction on the LeMoyne Street project will be completed in the f all and

is expected to provide flood protection to more than 2,900 homes, businesses and other buildings across the 28th, 29th and 37th wards.

T he project aims to prevent a recurrence of severe flooding that impacted West Side neighborhoods during the major storms in July 2023. Austin, West Garfield Park and Galewood are all expected to benefit the most from the storage tanks

Emma Bradford is an intern for NEWSWELL CHICAGO through Re port for America’s Local News Internship Program.

EMMA BRADFORD

Construction

MWRD Wing Storage Pilot Project on July 24.

EMMA BRADFORD

VAC ANT SCHOOL

Trouble follows closed schools

from page 3

staf f,” Fergus said in an emailed statement. “CPS reco gnizes the trauma related to and following the closure of approximately 50 district schools in 2013.”

Study ndings

Thomas Statchen, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Chicago and the study’s lead author, said researchers analyzed the police department’s gun crime data from 2010 to 2019, looking at the density of shootings within half a mile of a school building.

Taking into account factors like poverty rates and racial demographics to ensure researchers compared neighborhoods similarly, they saw that trends in gun violence near schools diverged after the 2013 school closures, with the areas near closed schools seeing a 10% uptick in violence.

Statchen said while school closures were framed as an academic issue at the time, the findings show how deeply schools anchor their neighborhoods and suggest that the closures left gaps in the public spaces that help hold communities together.

“Schools also play a much larger role in a community,” Statchen said. “They’re places where parents get to know each other in pick-up lines or playg rounds. They’re public spaces within neighborhoods that have fewer and fewer of those available for public meetings, conversations, things like that.”

Statchen said there’s a long history of research, particularly in Chicago, on how the social fabric of a neighborhood affects gun violence, which the study adds to by demonstrating the effect of those weakened community ties.

“When you have lower degrees of interconnectedness with your neighbors, belief that you and your neighbors can make a difference in your community, things like collective efficacy, you see higher rates of firearm violence,” Statchen said.

Elizabeth Tung, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and a study co-author, said the research didn’t see the same increase in gun violence surrounding closed schools that had been repurposed. One example is Anthony Overton Center for Excellence, 4927 S. Indiana Ave. in Bronzeville, which was converted into a

captures the trauma and ongoing consequences of school closures for Black children and Black neighborhoods.

Gates — who served as the union’s political director in 2013 and protested in hopes of stopping the closures — said she worried at the time that violence would rise because the South and West side communities targeted for closures had already endured generations of disinvestment, leading to more students experiencing homelessness and many others traveling long distances each day to get to school.

“I wish they would listen to Black people. I wish they would listen to educators,” Gates said. “I wish that people in power would understand the le gacy of the impacts of this trauma of closing public schools.”

Chicago has had a moratorium on school closures since 2021, but that expires at the close of the 2026-27 academic year. Gates said the study’s findings should push city and state leaders to keep the moratorium in place.

Gates said as November’s Chicago Board of Education elections loom, candidates should have clear plans for reopening vacant buildings as community anchors and investing in after-school programs that keep students connected to their schools.

“I think this study gives us a lot of evidence, beyond the evidence that we’ve had previously, to say that anyone who supports school closings as a policy, that those people intend to do harm to Black families,” Gates said.

community hub

“Reuse seemed to mitigate, at least in part, the impact of school closure,” Tung said. “Whereas for the schools that remained vacant, and you had a massive vacant lot and an empty building, that’s where you really saw the increase in firearm violence.”

Tung and Statchen said they hope the study’s findings add nuance to decisions about school closures by underscoring that the consequences extend beyond academics They said the results should prompt policymakers to weigh whether closing a school is appropriate in the first place and to make the reuse of a school building — as a community hub or gathering space — a central

part of any closure plan.

“We still need to think about those individual students, but I think that we also need to think about the neighborhood effects in the communities that are impacted as well, because it’s not just individual students that are impacted by school closure,” Tung said. “And then for every student who does well at a new school, there’s probably another student who never makes it to school because of transportation issues and lack of access.”

More than just a school

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates said the study “rightfully”

Hobson, the for mer Henson principal, said the study’s findings didn’t surprise him because the 2013 decision to close 50 schools created pockets of blight across Chicago with little police presence, making them attractive to criminally minded people. He said some of the school’s students had family members involved in street gangs with boundaries that shifted block to block, and the closures forced children and families to cross lines daily.

Tenesha Hatter, Henson’s for mer assistant principal, said Henson’s closure was devastating. It was a multi-generational school where some students’ parents and grandparents had also attended, she said. She said they “couldn’t keep people out of the school” — there was a parent room that families used every day to work and congregate because they wanted to be in the building.

“It really was more than just a school,” Hatter said. “It was really a place where the community felt safe and felt that they could contribute to it and that we could contribute to the community.”

COLIN BOYLE/BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

e shuttered Matthew Henson Elementary School, 1326 S. Avers Ave., in North Lawndale

LEADERS NETWORK

e next generation from page 1

need as far as support,” said Williams.

Williams attends Greater Saint John Missionary Baptist Church with Pastor Ira Acree, a founder of the ministers group. Her mother is a secretary and serves on the board of the Great Lakes Credit Union that The Leaders Network brought to Austin.

“Providing this space is important,” Williams said. “A lot of times we’re talking about young people without giving them a seat at the table or a voice in the conversation.”

She said there have been too many conversations had over the best alternatives to solve an issue, “but there haven’t been enough youth-led spaces discussing what should come next, so it’s very crucial to

have them.”

The “Youth Take Over The Leaders Network” event allowed the young people of Austin “to speak directly to clergy, elected officials, law enforcement, community leaders, and the media about the challenges they face and the changes they believe are needed to create safer neighborhoods,” according to a press release for the event.

The problem of teen takeovers in Chicago raised concerns over public safety, accountability, and the lack of positive spaces and opportunities for young people over the last few years, but not much has been done to effectively address the issue.

“While much has been said about our youth, far too little has been heard from them,” the press release announcing the event said.

The event was designed for young people to discuss youth violence, education, employment, mental health and the opportunities they need to succeed, without the pressures of outside criticism.

According to a press release following

PROVIDED

Young leaders pose with the Leaders Network board of directors.

PROVIDED

From le to right: Dr. Marshall Hatch Sr., Young Adult Leader Janeicia Williams, Deborah Williams, Rev. Ira Acree, Minister Trina McGee, State Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, keynote speaker Rev. Joseph Moore, and Pastor Cy Fields.

better at addressing the deeper issues behind them.

Williams said advocating for the youth is also advocating for their greater economic opportunity.

She said that while school is out, youth are in parks and other sorts of free spaces because they cannot af ford to go to the arcade or the mall, so increasing “the economic prowess” of young people will give them more opportunities to gather in spaces where they belong.

In accordance with amplifying the voices of young people in Chicago, The Leaders Network’s Executive Board will be moving forward with the creation of a “Youth and Young Adult Division” within the organization.

“This new division will provide a permanent structure for young leaders to bring their voices, ideas, and solutions to the forefront of Chicago’s social justice movement while preparing the next generation of servant leaders,” the press release following the event said.

the event, the young speakers were able to express what they believed are the most pressing issues impacting their generation, “including violence, education, mental health, employment opportunities, safe spaces, and the lack of resources needed for young people to thrive.”

They were also able to share their perspectives on why teen takeovers are taking place, challenging Chicago’s leaders to do

Williams said the call to action is to keep having these conversations and keep having adults take the back seat to listen to young people.

“This meeting has led a call to the churches and the other caring adults to not just let this be the last conversation that we have just in this meeting forum, but to be able to talk to the kids at their church,” Williams said.

Emma Bradford is an intern for NEWSWELL CHICAGO through Re port for America’s Local Ne ws Internship Program.

Janeicia Williams of Greater St. John Bible Church, NAACP and Leaders Network with Rev. Ira Acree.

True Fit features streetwear, popula brands and local root

The store sells Nike, Roots, Ksubi Jeans and mor

By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter

Bright colors, bold graphics and sparkling details fill the window display at True Fit located just steps from the Central Green Line stop at 335 N Central Ave.

The display highlights RoughPlay Clothing, a popular New York-based streetwear label, featuring a graphic T-shirt with studded diamonds, mannequins wearing a red graphic hat and jeans and an orange spider web design shirt decorated with studded diamonds.

Opened on May 16, True Fit is a new Austin clothing store specializing in streetwear and casual fashion. The store carries a range of popular brands and

aims to provide customers with trendy styles while building connections in the local community

As manager, Akhtar Naushad is helping lead the store. Naushad discussed the business’s launch and his responsibilities in overseeing daily operations.

“We provide good customer service and a lot of people know me from Epic Style from across the street. I worked there 24 years and now I’m here. It used to be JB’s back in 2003, but now it’s Epic Stylz,” Naushad said.

The store emphasizes customer service by creating a welcoming shopping experience and offering customers competitive deals. It carries a mix of popular brands, including Roots, Godspeed, Purple, Ksubi

Jeans, Nike, Majestic and Essentials, while eping up with current fashion trends.

The store also plans to expand its inventory with new styles by purchasing additional merchandise at an upcoming fashion ket in Las Vegas.

t the grand opening, a lot of people ame in to look around the store. We had a ood response on the first day we opened,” aushad said.

aushad explained that some collections ed especially popular among shoppers added that younger customers tend to prefer trendier styles, while many shoppers ages 35 and older gravitate toward more lassic, plain clothing.

“Next year, we’ll try to bring in more. I want to upgrade the store and add more products. Hopefully, that will bring in more usiness and encourage more customers to shop here,” Naushad said.

hen asked why 335 N. Central Ave. was hosen as the store’s location, Naushad said the primary reason was the location itself.

“The main reason is that this street is ry popular, and there are a lot of people in this area. The train station is right there, so people are constantly coming in

and out. It’s a very busy street, and many people passing through the station can lear n about the store. That’s why we decided to open here, especially with Shine King across the street bringing more people to the area,” Naushad said.

The store is using social media platfor ms such as TikTok and Facebook to increase awareness and encourage more customers to visit True Fit. The manager said the store creates videos and marketing content to showcase the business and attract new shoppers.

“The hip-hop collection is mostly popular among young people, including high school and colle ge students. The younger generation likes this type of style, but customers up to 30 or 35 years old and older also enjoy these casual pieces. They prefer styles with fewer logos and graphics,” Naushad said.

Naushad emphasized that customers often come into the store looking for specific items and leave satisfied with their purchases. He added that it is rewarding to hear customers say the store made their day and that they found clothing they liked.

HEC TO R CERVANTES

A Grand Opening on Austin

SAVE A LOT Empty shelves

from page 1

they will be out of the job once the operations wind down.

The closing once again leaves West Garfield Park without any full-fledged stores. The neighborhood Aldi abruptly shut down in October 2021. Catholic Charities shut down the grocery store for families enrolled in the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program en, Infants, and Children (WIC), located 3932 W. Madison St., sometime in 2024. In a video posted on his political book page, Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), whose ward includes West Garfield Park the closure.

“Some of our residents of West Garfield Park don’t have the option to be go somewhere else,” he said. “They’ll be forced to utilize convenience stores, pay high prices and get g arbage food.”

Ervin said he “will continue to fight to get us what we deser ve, nothing less.”

“We want the same quality foods that you see in other communities on the West Side of Chicago,” he said. “That’s why I’m currently working with new grocers that will bring us those options. Our residents deserve better, and I will not stop fighting until we get it.”

Even before the city shut down the West

Garfield Park Save A Lot in 2022, the location faced complaints about expired food and unsanitary conditions. But the shortage of grocery stores on the West Side meant residents didn’t have much in the way of an alternative, especially after Aldi’s closure.

nana reopened a closed Whole Foods location in the South Side’s Englewood neighborhood as a Save A Lot

According to Supermarket News, all seven stores struggled to make a profit –an issue further compounded by reduced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Proam (SNAP) revenue in the wake of cuts included in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In April, Yellow Banana CEO Joe Canfield, who was described as a major force behind the Chicago opera, died of a stroke.

r the past few months, Save A Lot retedly “took on additional operational esponsibilities to keep these stores open and maintain continued service to custom” But on July 21, it announced that it was minating its relationship with Yellow Banana and closing the seven stores unless an estor comes through with funding. he development agreement required the six TIF-supported stores to remain open through 2035. If they close permanently, they must be re-occupied by a grocer within ear to avoid a default. Chicago Department of Planning and Development previously indicated that it was prepared to take legal action to claw back the funds.

When a grocery store shuts down on the West Side, it seldom gets replaced, and even when it does, it sometimes takes years. For example, after Save A Lot abruptly shut down its Austin, 5555 W. North Ave. location in December 2020, the building remained vacant until this February, when father-son team Ali and Khaldoon Omer reopened it as Central Fresh Market.

In November 2024, the city approved a proposal to redevelop the for mer West Garfield Park Aldi site and the few blocks further west into a mixed-use development that would include a grocery store. But, since then, there has been little traction, and the old Aldi site remains vacant.

A few months after the West Garfield Park Save A Lot’s closure, Yellow Banana, which operated 38 locations for the chain outside Illinois, announced that it would rehab and reopen it and five South Side stores the chain closed in the 2010s and 2020s. Chicago City Council approved $13.5 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds, another $13 million in New Market Tax Credits and private funding to help make that happen.

A redevelopment ag reement with the city required the company to open all six stores by March 2025 or lose the TIF dollars – a deadline that Yellow Banana was able to make in spite of numerous delays.

In a separate arrangement, Yellow Ba-

When Austin Weekly News visited the store last Saturday, most of the shelves – including meats and fresh produce sections - were barren. Much of the remaining inventory was marked down with 25% or 50% discounts. A small, but steady stream of customers came in, but many left empty-handed as they realized that what they were looking for was already out of stock. Hughes said he lives a few blocks from the store, and he will miss the convenience. As he noted, the closest grocery stores –Leamington Foods in Austin, at 5467 W. Madison St., Freshway Market in North Lawndale, at 3240 W Roosevelt Rd, and Aldi in Humboldt Park, at 800 N Kedzie Ave. –require multiple buses to reach. For many re gulars, Hughes said, that would not be worth the trouble.

He said he feels especially sorry for seniors who live at the Irene McCoy Gaines Apartments, a subsidized senior housing development at 3700 W. Congress Pkwy. “They come here all the time with their walkers,” Hughes said.

He also said that “as a working-class person,” he was concer ned about what’s going to happen with the employees.

“When they [reopened after the renovation], there were a lot of jobs, and a lot of folks in the community were getting those jobs,” he said.

IGOR STUDENKOV

A history of failed stores

IGOR STUDENKOV

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC

Plaintiff vs. VERNETTA M WILLIAMS; STATE OF ILLINOIS; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendant 25 CH 11890

CALENDAR 56

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 August 24, 2026, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty's office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell, in person, to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate:

P.I.N. 16-16-205-039-0000.

Commonly known as 4930 West Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60644.

The real estate is: 2 unit building. 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 189.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: At sale, the bidder must have 10% (or 25% if so ordered in the Judgment of Foreclosure) down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property is sold AS IS subject to all liens or encumbrances. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the circuit court case record, property tax record and the title record to verify all information before bidding. IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER THE ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(c) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff's Attorney, McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLP, 333 West Wacker Drive, Suite 1820, Chicago, Illinois 60606 312-346-9088. 25-23342IL

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

intercountyjudicialsales.com I3290705

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

PHH MORTGAGE CORPORATION Plaintiff, -v.UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ACTING BY AND THROUGH ITS AGENCY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN

DEVE LO PMEN T, U NKNOWN

HEIRS A ND L EGAT EES OF E DWARD HAMP TO N, DECEASED, EDWARD HAMPTON, JOKEN YATTA HAMP TO N, AMIR MOHABBAT AS SPECIAL

Your right to know In print • Online

REPRESENTATIVE FOR EDWARD HAMPT O N, DECEASED, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS

Defendants 2025CH10088 1122 N RIDGEWAY AVENUE UNITS 1 & 2

CHICAGO, IL 60651

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on April 28, 2026, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on August 18, 2026, 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 1122 N RIDGEWAY AVENUE UNITS 1 & 2, CHICAGO, IL 60651

Property Index No. 16-02-304035-0000

The real estate is improved with a multi-family residence.

The judgment amount was $336,955.49.

Sale terms: If sold to anyone other than the Plaintiff, 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.

Where a sale of real estate is made to satisfy a lien prior to that of the United States, the United States shall have one year from the date of sale within which to redeem, except that with respect to a lien arising under the internal revenue laws the period shall be 120 days or the period allowable for redemption under State law, whichever is longer, and in any case in which, under the provisions of section 505 of the Housing Act of 1950, as amended (12 U.S.C. 1701k), and subsection (d) of section 3720 of title 38 of the United States Code, the right to redeem does not arise, there shall be no right of redemption. 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)

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 115 S WESTERN AVE. UNIT 3, CHICAGO, IL 60612

Proper ty Index No. 17-18-105029-1003

Fax #: 217-422-1754 E-Mail: CookPleadings@hsbattys. com

Attorney File No. 2058522

Attorney Code. 40387

Case Number: 25 CH 09277

TJSC#: 46-935

(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.

For information, contact CHAD LEWIS, ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ

SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Plaintiff's Attorneys, 6400 SHAFER CT, STE 325, ROSEMONT, IL, 60018 (561) 2416901. Please refer to file number 25-322516. THE JUDICIAL SALE S 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.

CHAD LEWIS

ROBERTSON ANSCHUTZ

SCHNEID CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC

6400 SHAFER CT, STE 325 ROSEMONT IL, 60018 561-241-6901

E-Mail: ILMAIL@RASLG.COM

Attorney File No. 25-322516

Attorney ARDC No. 6306439

Attorney Code. 65582

Case Number: 2025CH10088 TJSC#: 46-1067

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 # 2025CH10088 I3290776

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

SELENE FINANCE LP Plaintiff, -v.-

BRIAN K BLASZCZYK, MONROEWESTERN CONDOMINIU M ASSOCIATION, INC.

Defendants

25 CH 09277

115 S WESTERN AVE. UNIT 3

CHICAGO, IL 60612

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on April 16, 2026, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on August 31, 2026, at The

The real estate is improved with a condominium.

The judgment amount was $282,316.89

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 s 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.

Fo r information, contac t HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC Plaintiff's Attorneys, 601 E. William St., DECATUR, IL, 62523 (217) 422-1719. Please refer to file number 2058522.

THE JUDICIAL S ALES 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.

HEAVNER, BEYERS & MIHLAR, LLC

601 E. William St. DECATUR IL, 62523 217-422-1719

Case # 25 CH 09277 I3291348

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777.