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The Odyssey Project, a college credit program, lands in Austin,
Vol. 33 No. 33
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August 14, 2019
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Education Ed ti G Guide, id page 10
Durbin, area hospitals confront gun violence Senator’s HEAL initiative involves area hospitals collaborating to confront gun violence as public health crisis By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
United States Sen. Dick Durbin is hoping a partnership with local hospitals will help reduce violence and improve the quality of life in some of Chicago’s most challenged communities. Durbin talked about his Chicago HEAL initiative during a visit to west suburban Maywood on Aug. 7. As part of the initiative, 10 hospitals across the city and suburbs — including Sinai Health System, Cook County Health and Hospitals System, Loyola University Medical Center, Northwestern Medicine and Rush University Medical Center — have each committed to achieving three major goals in 18 focus neighborhoods on the city’s West and South Sides. Austin, West Garfield Park and North Lawndale are among those focus areas. “People say to me, ‘What are we going to do about the gun violence in America?’ I mean it’s horrible,” said Durbin said. “The latest stories are heartbreaking stories.” The senator referenced two mass shootings that happened in less than a day and rocked the nation. On Aug. 3, a 21-year-old gunman walked into a Walmart in El Paso, Texas and killed 22 people and wounded 24 others in what See HEAL on page 8
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
GIVING IT A WHIRL: Lime, an e-scooter vendor, holds an informational session on Aug. 7 in Humboldt Park. The event got more West Side residents interested in the low-key transportation device.
West Siders take e-scooters for test drives Lime, one of 10 e-scooter vendors, hosted demonstration on Aug. 7
By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
They’ve been popping out all over the West Side over the past three months. They are lined up on the streets, sometimes in rows, and, every once in a while, you can see people riding them. On June 15, the Chicago Department of Transportation launched the electric scooter rideshare pilot program. Ten companies
— including Lyft, which also operates the Divvy bike share program — got the licenses to put out scooters that residents can rent using their smartphones. The pilot includes all of the West Side and much of the Northwest Side, with neighborhoods that don’t have many Divvy docking stations like Austin and West Garfield Park receiving special priority. As part of the pilot, the vendors have to hold community events where residents
get a chance to learn how to ride e-scooters safely and legally. Lime, a San Francisco based company that operates scooter-sharing, bike-sharing and car-sharing programs throughout the world, held several events in Austin, West Garfield Park and most recently West Humboldt Park. Most people who interviewed said that they were glad that they had the opportunity to experience the
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See E-SCOOTERS on page 9
Larry Williams,Agent 5932 W. Lake Street Chicago, 60644 (773) 379-9010 larry.williams.b0bk@statefarm.com