Our 2025 Fall fundraising campaign continues, details on the back page Your community. Your news. Now more than ever.
West Side violence ‘interrupters’ work to make neighborhoods safer
Once a victim himself Hardy works to stem gun violence
By DEBORAH BAYLISS Contributing Reporter
Nekenya Hardy, associate director of outreach and intervention for tute for Nonviolence Chicago, onto the stage at the Morgan MFG last month during Austin Coming gether’s Membership Award ev ceive the Illinois Peace Portrait Award for 2025.
An African American male with dreadlocks, Hardy easily fits a general description of countless other young Black males who could be caught in a life of violence. Instead, he is pa “violence inter rupters” who are helping change the lives of young Black men caught up in the perilous grip of street life, through a collaborative community approach.
A victim of gun violence in 2004, Hardy, 45, was approached by his cousin,
See NEKENYA HARDY on page 6
Habilitative Systems honors West Side educators
The HSI Race and Health Equity Awards are Dec. 12
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Seven educators on the West and South Side are being honored at Habilitative Systems Inc.’s 5th annual Race and Health Equity Awards on Dec. 12 at the Garfield Park Conservatory. The event is a fundraiser for HSI, which provides behavioral health and human services to 17 Chicago communities, many on the West Side. In 1978, HSI launched in a Lawndale church and now offers programs for adult mental health, child case management, crisis counseling and emergency housing, among other services.
See AWARDS on page 4
TODD BANNOR
Nekenya Hardy at Grace & Peace Church on Dec. 1.
Community Foundation O ers Professional Development to Local Nonpro t Leaders
As part of its goal to strengthen the local nonpro t sector’s impact on the overall quality of life in our communities, the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation has launched the Nonpro t Excellence program, a training series focused on professional development and leadership for community-based organizations serving the greater West Side.
“We are out and about, actively listening to our community leaders. e message is crystal clear: they are facing a wide array of signi cant challenges, across many di erent issue areas. ey need funding. ey also need peer-to-peer support,” said Carrie Summy, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “ e Foundation is in a unique position to serve as a collaborative bridge between organizations that may be doing similar work in di erent geographies or elds, and to create
opportunities for nonpro t leaders to learn from and be resources for each other.”
e Nonpro t Excellence program grows out of Impact Excellence, a longrunning Foundation initiative for local leaders.
Nonpro t Excellence will provide multiple opportunities for learning and exchange, including workshops, seminars, executive roundtables and other events. ese programs address core elements of capacity building and sustainability, such as an organization’s mission and vision, human resources issues, board governance and infrastructure, technology, marketing and
fundraising strategy. e program will launch o cially in January 2026, although the Foundation recently o ered a workshop on contingency planning in light of recent budget cuts and signi cant changes occurring at federal and state level, which was well attended and received. “ e information was super current and all extremely actionable” said one attendee.
“Nonpro t Excellence is key to our commitment to serve as a local resource and a trusted, valued partner for our social sector,” Summy said. “We are here to serve those helping our most vulnerable
community members, and we’re going to do that in as many creative ways as we can.”
Programming is o ered free of charge, and events will soon be posted on the Nonpro t Excellence page of the Foundation website, oprfcf.org. Local nonpro t executives and sta interested in participating in the program are encouraged to contact Program Director Elizabeth Chadri at 708-848-1560 or by email at echadri@oprfcf.org for more information.
CTA brings holiday spirit to Chicago streets
Chicago’s CTA holiday eet spreads cheer with lights, music and charitable food baskets for families across the city
By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter
Chicago kicked of f the holiday season with the 34th annual Allstate Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Holiday Fleet, spreading festive cheer across the city.
The trains and buses dazzle Chicago neighborhoods with festive decorations, twinkling lights and holiday-themed wraps on every car, creating a spectacular seasonal display as they travel the city. Food basket donations are also part of the program.
On Nov. 28 and 29, the decorated Holiday Train operated on the Green Line, delighting passengers with lights, music and Santa; the 91 Austin Holiday Bus carried the holiday spirit through neighborhoods on Sunday.
CTA’s Chief Transit Officer Donald Bonds said that planning for the holiday train and bus begins as early as September, particularly if a new design is being considered since printing and installation take time. He explained that while many elements from the previous year are reused, the process still involves adding new features and adjustments to ensure both the bus and train are ready on schedule.
“We also have a new holiday button that we give to passengers. We create holiday pins for CTA staf f and all of this gets wrapped into the plan, but it takes several months,” Bonds said. “Our planning department helps set up the routes for the bus, and we also have other tasks on the rail side, like making sure the schedule is printed and released to the public in a timely manner.”
This year, the CTA updated the bus wrap for the first time in about a decade. Bonds said that train and bus wraps are usually kept for several years after going through internal design processes.
When asked about unique stops or highlights on the Blue, Green and Pink lines, Bonds said that every stop is usually crowded, with Saturday picture days at key
stations like Forest Park and O’Hare drawing long lines of riders eager to take photos with Santa.
Bonds said that the lights, decorations and music on the trains and buses play a central role in creating a festive atmosphere.
“We’ve updated the sound systems on both trains and buses to ensure the music is clear and can be easily heard; and when people get on, they join in with the songs that are being played,” Bonds said.
The lights on both the buses and trains are especially important, Bonds said, creating a festive atmosphere that stands out at night, while passengers often add to the holiday spirit by wearing their own lights and decorations.
The CTA’s holiday bus and train not only deliver festive cheer to passengers but also support the broader community through a food donation program. Each year, CTA employees donate their time and money to assemble and deliver food baskets – each containing a full holiday meal – to community organizations across Chicago, with approximately 400 baskets donated this year
“We only have a limited amount of money that we try to maintain so we can continue this year after year. That’s why we set the target at around 400 to 500 boxes. But it’s a great help for all the communities across the city of Chicago. We don’t just focus on one side of town; we try to spread out across the city,” Bonds said.
The CTA has already selected recipients for the food donation program and begun preparations. The holiday bus plays a central role, transpor ting baskets along with Santa, elves and CTA staf f, while a utility truck follows to deliver the donations directly to the org anizations.
“We load the baskets onto the bus, and take Santa, elves and other CTA staf f along,” Bonds said.
Bonds explained that the CTA selects holiday bus routes primarily based on ridership to ensure they serve the most passengers. They also consider whether the 60-foot bus can safely navigate the streets, since some routes are quite tight. Careful planning ensures the bus can operate efficiently while reaching key neighborhoods across the city.
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HEC TO R CERVANTES
CTA holiday bus
AWARDS
Honored educators
from page 1
“I always say to folks, ‘I am because we are,’” Donald Dew, president and CEO of HSI, told Austin Weekly News. “Coming together, all these collaborative ef forts, and doing what we’ve been able to do over the decades is what it’s all about. We’re trying to keep hope alive We’re trying to keep the hope for a better future present and real.”
The first Race and Health Equity Awards were in 2020, among the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd and when the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus established its four pillars addressing health inequities. The same year, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law creating a statewide Healthcare Transformation Collaborative, which convenes health care providers and community partners to improve health care and reduce its disparities.
“I decided that maybe we should begin to reco gnize individuals who had been in the forefront of raising health equity for decades,” Dew said of why HSI launched the annual awards.
While the first two years and fourth year of the Race and Health equity awards recognized leaders in health care, the third year honored legislators. This year is the first awarding educators.
“A lot of people just don’t realize that education is really the driver of health equity. Education really influences health outcomes,” Dew said. That includes educating the community about healthy behaviors and educating health care professionals. He added, “Policy change often begins with education.”
Dew said Habilitative Systems chose awardees based on their impact, the needs
of the community where they work, and how many people have been impacted by the awardee.
“These are individuals who have fought the good fight” for decades, Dew said. “There hasn’t been a story written about the impact of educational professionals on the South and West Side of Chicago who have impacted current and future generations.”
West Side leaders awarded at the 5th annual Race and Health Equity Awards include:
Paul J. Adams III, executive chairman and founder of Providence St. Mel School in Gar eld Park
When the Archdiocese of Chicag withdrew fundin from a private high school in Garfield Park in 1978, Ad ams led national fundraising effo to keep it open. F lowing the successful campaign, the school became an independent nonprofit
leges and higher learning institutions. The stat is what Adams said he’s most proud of “It’s a great feeling,” Adams told Austin Weekly News. “Most of these colleges are some of the top colleges in the United States.”
But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Since Providence St. Mel became an independent nonprofit, Adams said there have been regular financial challenges. The school has to raise about 80% of its $6 million annual budget.
“The challenge is raising those fund s, and we are very happy that we can,” Adams said. “I think if we maintain a record of sending these youngsters to the best colleges and universities, we can continue to do the same thing.”
“Paul Adams taking that stand back in the day to say to the Catholic Church Archdiocese, ‘I’m not closing this school,’ that was revolutionary,” Dew said.
In 1996, Adams became Providence St. Mel’s president, presiding over preschoolers through high schoolers. Today, Adams serves as executive chairman of the school. About 80% of the school’s students live on the West Side
Over the last 47 years of Adams’ leadership, 100% of Providence’s graduating seniors have been accepted to four-year col-
In order to improve education on Chica’s West Side, Adams said schools and their f need to embrace artificial intelligence. A professor from the College of DuPage teaches AI curriculum at Providence St. Mel, where Adams said staff and students use programs like Chat GPT and Gemini.
“It’s going to help the students who have the most difficulty in learning,” Adams said, allowing educators to individualize material. “It’s not going to be effective if our teaching staff is not embracing it, so we have a very aggressive approach” to AI.
Adams said he’s pleased to be honored by his kinfolk with this year’s race and health equity awards: “It’s always nice for people in the community to recognize you.”
Bernard Clay, executive director of Introspect Youth Services Inc. in Austin
According to Clay, the U.S. Department of Education verified that Introspect Youth Services has helped over 78,000 young adults enter into post-secondary education. Introspect operates eight programs funded by the department, including Upward Bound, ones focused on math and science, and talent search programs
“I was extremely honored. I was around when Habilitative Systems started,” Clay said about being recognized at this year’s awards. “It’s always challenging when you serve first-generation, low-income students who are nontraditional college students.”
Clay said these students, who Introspect serves “first and foremost,” make up about two-thirds of the 2,500 children that the organization serves every year
“Talk about an unsung hero, who’s been sending thousands of kids to college and creating these great opportunities,” Dew said of Clay.
Clay is also chairperson of the Chicago Westside Branch NAACP Education Committee and said he hopes that public education on the West Side, and across the state and country, survives.
“We’re all in a battle to make sure access to opportunities for low-income students are available,” Clay said. “It is really frightening now that access to opportunities everywhere, but particularly in low-income areas, can be denied.”
“In Illinois, we really have to look at the way we fund public education,” Clay added, including both kindergarten through twelfth grade and post-secondary opportunities “We have a lot of students that go out of the state to get an education, and we should do a better job trying to keep those students.”
In 1975, Clay was a founding board member of Introspect Youth Services, which offers programs and services for middle schoolers and high schoolers on Chicago’s West Side and the near western suburbs, aiming to promote their development and success. Introspect Youth Services has helped tens of thousands of young people, primarily from low-income communities, to pursue higher education opportunities and employment.
Clay was Introspect’s first executive director and is celebrating the organization’s 50th anniversary in November. He said he’s most proud of Introspect’s success rate in young people pursuing education after high school.
David Sanders, president of Malcolm X College
As president of Malcolm X Colle
Sanders oversees about 14,000 students, 900 employees and a budget of over $70 million.
Previously, Sanders served as deputy chief operating officer for the City Colleges of Chicago, which Malcolm X Colle ge is a part managed daily operations
City Colle ges. He was also the lead executive project manager for the new Malcolm X Colle ge and School of Health Sciences,
which opened in 2016.
Now, Sanders is helping develop Malcolm X’s West Side campus in Austin, which he expects to open in the spring.
“I’m humbled by these things because, obviously, not only one person can achieve greatness,” Sanders said of winning the HSI award. “I think this is really reflective of all the faculty, staf f and the administrators that work here every single day.”
Since working at Malcolm X Colle ge, Sanders has led the school to 10-year reaccreditation and created an internal department to manage the accreditation process. Under Sanders in 2021, Malcolm X Colle ge had one of its highest retention rates at 72%. It also has the highest enrollment among community colle ges in Chicago.
“President Sanders just recently indicated that Malcolm X is graduating more nursing professionals than any other educational entity in the state of Illinois,” Dew said. “That’s just amazing, and that’s the kind of thing that we want to highlight.”
“We’ve made Malcolm X a destination place, a place where people want to come,”
said a decade ago, he heard ne gative comments about Malcolm X, that it didn’t have a clear vision or mission. Now, Sanders said he’s reco gnized out-of-town for Malcolm X’s successes.
In addition to overcoming ne gative public perception of Malcolm X, Sanders said he’s proud of the buy-in he’s gotten from the colle ge’s staf f to transform the institution by treating every student as their own.
“It doesn’t matter where they came from, doesn’t matter what their background is, doesn’t matter who didn’t give them what,” Sanders said of Malcom X’s students. “When they walk through that door, they’re our child. We must take care of them. It doesn’t matter whether they’re 11 or 90, they’re our responsibility. And let’s do that as if that was our own child. That actually brought everybody together.”
Sanders said his goal is for Malcom X is to be the No. 1 colle ge in the country in pass rates — which are determined by independent evaluations by Malcolm X’s licensing bodies — and re putation.
“R utation means that you ha not
by their children,” Sanders said. When it comes to education on the West Side as a whole, Sanders said, “I want to see every single student reach their destiny. That’s our goal. We have to do that.”
“That means we have to come to work every day, and we have to drop the things that may be causing us trouble or concern. We have to drop those at the door and focus on our mission to allow every single student to achieve their academic objectives,” Sanders added. “If we do that, not only will we continue to be a beacon of light for the City of Chicago and beyond, but we’ll also achieve our own personal goals and objectives.”
Dew hopes that educational opportunities increase for young people on the West Side.
“No person can grow beyond the environment, just like no flower will grow beyond the flower pot that it came contained in. You expand upon that flower pot, you expand upon the growth potential of that flower. The same thing is true when we create educational opportunities for fertile
le ge of Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago
■ Haki Madhubuti, MFA, Ph.D., an award-winning poet, the founder and publisher of Third World Press and distinguished professor emeritus at Chicago State University
■ Carol D. Lee (Safisha Madhubuti), an Edwina S. Tar ry professor emerita at Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy
■ Lisa W. Rollins, the re gional development director of the Chicago Re gion for United Ne gro Colle ge Fund
Funds raised from the awards will go to HSI services, Malcolm X Colle ge for its community health workers progr am, and to Jamaicans impacted by Hurricane Melissa. Lester Barclay, an Honorary Jamaican Consulate and Chairman of the Chicago Transit Authority, will also be at the awards
The HSI 5th annual Race and Health Equity Aw ards are on Dec. 12 from 6 to 9
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NEKENYA HARDY
Preventive measures
from page 1
Karl Bell, and Alphonso Prater, who were with Ceasefire at the time, asking him not to retaliate against the shooter or shooters but to join them at Ceasefire. He did so in 2005.
Prater along with Hardy are pa rt of the Institute for NonViolence Chicago team of violence inter rupters working the Austin and West Garfield Park communities
Promoted five times since starting with the Institute in 2017, Hardy has 1000 conflict mediations in Austin and is marking a total of 20 years violence prevention experience this year
Growing up in Austin
“I grew up on Massasoit [Street] and Augusta [Boulevard],” Hardy said. “My grandfather and my grandmother were there and I’ve been living there all my life. That’s all I knew was the street, right? It was in my household and in my community when I would go outside to play with my friends. It was in school where I went
to learn. It’s kind of sad to say, but I really didn’t know that catching a felony and going to jail could tarnish my background until I’d already had a felony.”
There was no Ceasefire or Institute for Nonviolence or any other organization that he knew of during those times that were trying to guide young men to do better, he added.
“My mother, father and cousins all were part of street life,” Hardy said describing that life as selling drugs, joining gangs, partying, surviving.” It was the only way I knew how to survive.”
It’s the same today for young Black male youth.
“We have a bunch of young men out here who want to get out of g angbanging and selling drugs and who want the better things in life and want to get out of that type of environment,” Hardy said. “At the same time, though, they also feel like they need to carry a gun to protect themselves because everybody’s got them.
Hardy’s approach on the street starts with respect. He’s even had to intervene in the lives of his younger cousins who are 31 and 32 years of age.
“I helped them realize they can do without the streets and once I was able to get them out of street life and show them they
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could live a productive lifestyle, it kind of went from each one teach one,” he explained. “People then start to want to do better. I find out what they want to do and want to be so I can meet them where they are and go from there.”
Samuel Castro, the Institute’s director of strategic initiatives and partnerships, talked to the Austin Weekly News about the training curriculum for the interrupters.
“Because of our lived experience, it gives us a first-hand approach unfortunately, to what trauma looks like,” Castro said. “We create trainings around conflict resolution, de-escalation and nonviolence to give people the basic tools they need to do the job. What keeps us different is the innovation in the work We routinely check in with the frontline staf f to ask about any new trends they’re seeing in the generation and the culture.”
Social media is also utilized for de-escalating situations
The Institute as a whole received the Excellence in Neighborhood Safety and Youth Development due to impactful work in empowering young people and advancing neighborhood safety through its collaborative ef for ts with other groups in the community.
“We were able to help 97 young men
receive their CDL license or some type of trade in HVAC and things like that,” Hardy said. “We saw that it changed lives and it makes the neighborhood safer. The target population we work with are the highest of the highest risk who could be the next perpetrator or the next victim of gun violence.”
A respected leader in gun violence prevention, intervention and reduction with their street outreach, job programs, behavioral health and wellness and collaborations with other organizations, the Institute is guided by the nonviolence principles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Ten year ago in Austin in 2016, there were 459 shootings; statistics in 2025 show, a decrease to 137 shootings, Hardy said. Hardy credits the decline to the collaborative approach the Institute has with the other organizations such as BUILD, Austin Coming To gether and others.
“It’s also with the help of Commander Andre Parham in the 15th [Police] District,” helping us realize those at the highest risk and giving us the chance to work with them before they take them to jail,” Hardy added. “We already know for the most part who they are but being given the chance to work with them before they go to jail is huge.”
LUNCH & COMMUNITY
Kehrein Center for the Arts 5628 W. Washington Boulevard December 12 | 11:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
WALKING & WELLNESS CLUB
Salvation Army Freedom Center 825 N. Christiana Avenue Fridays | 8:30–10:00 a.m.
Register today! Anyone 55+ is welcome to join for our free programs.
THURSDAY
West and South sides hit hardest by massive property tax spikes
Cook County Treasurer’s O ce says median residential tax bill in Chicago rose 16.7 percent
By QUINN MEYERS Block Club Chicago
Some Chicago homeowners are seeing a major increase in their property tax bills this year as downtown commercial real estate continues to suffer, according to a recent report from the Cook County Treasurer’s Office.
Overall, the median residential tax bill in Chicago rose 16.7% to $4,457, the largest percentage increase in the city in 30 years, according to Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office.
The report, published last month, shows predominantly Black and Latino communities on the South and West sides are being hit particularly hard.
The median homeowner tax bill in West Garfield Park increased by nearly $2,000 — a 133% spike, according to the report The median bill in North Lawndale rose almost as much. Englewood on the South Side saw an increase of more than $600, or 82.5%.
The surges come as Mayor Brandon Johnson has vowed to not support a property tax hike in his 2026 budget proposal, which suffered a major setback after his revenue proposal — which includes a corporate head tax — was rejected by the City Council’s finance committee
The mayor and his council opponents this week cited the tax bill increases in their respective rationale to either support or reject the proposed head tax, which in its latest form would require companies with more than 100 employees to pay $21 per person each month to the city
The city of Chicago has not raised its property tax levy since 2022, but Chicago Public Schools has regularly raised its levy by the maximum amount allowed under state law, Illinois Answers Project and the Tribune reported this week. Overall taxes in the city grew by $528.6 million, or 6.3%.
being squeezed, the water flows to the side that isn’t being squeezed,” Dardick said.
A major driver behind the higher neighborhood tax bills is a downtown economy still struggling to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commercial properties in the Loop will pay almost $130 million less this year in property taxes, a decrease of about 11.5%, according to the report.
“When the Loop gets a cold, the rest of the city gets pneumonia,” Pappas said in a press release.
Meanwhile, the city’s residential real estate market is going in the other direction, including in areas on the South and West sides that “have regained the value they lost in the wake of the Great Recession,” leading to higher assessments and tax bills, according to the report.
Not everyone saw increases. The report found that across Cook County, 1.2 million homeowners saw higher bills, while 362,000 saw decreases. Forty-nine of 50 wards in Chicago did see overall residential tax increases — with the exception of the 2nd Ward, which includes Streeterville and the Gold Coast, which saw an 0.8% reduction.
The 24th Ward on the West Side saw a 69% bump, while the 16th Ward on the South Side saw a 67% increase
“Englewood is appreciating more quickly than Water Tower Place,” Pappas told Block Club on Wednesday
Pappas’ director of research, Hal Dardick, likened the impact of declining Downtown values on the property tax system to a water balloon being squeezed on one side.
“If the commercial side of that balloon is
In a press release this week, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, whose office oversaw the initial 2024 assessments, blamed the increases on what he called an “inherently unfair” property tax system where Downtown properties appeal their assessments through the Cook County Board of Review to save millions — ultimately shifting the burden to homeowners.
In general, homeowners appeal their property assessments at lower rates than commercial property owners do, especially in “Chicago’s poorer, minority communities,” according to the report from the treasurer’s office.
Kaegi is advocating for a bill in Springfield that would provide relief to homeowners who experience a spike 25% or more in their property tax bills
Pappas said much of the problem lies with local taxing bodies “spending like drunken sailors” and raising taxes to match.
“The levy amount last year went up by almost $600 million,” said Pappas, who is planning to run for mayor in 2027. “You can’t have $1,000 and spend $5,000 or you’re going to have this situation.”
Christopher Berry is a professor at University of Chicago, where he directs the Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation and researches property taxes in Chicago and elsewhere. He’s also a creator of the Property Tax Explainer dashboard, where property owners can compare recent bills and see where their money is going.
Berry agreed with Pappas that depressed downtown property values and rising home
values are contributing to this year’s bills in Chicago — as are increased tax levies to back more spending.
“A lot of people incorrectly associate their tax increase with the assessment when, generally, it’s about the levy going up,” Berry said. “CPS in particular, but lots of other jurisdictions just keep asking for more and more money and spending more and more money at a rate that is much faster than inflation.”
Berry also pointed to exclusions in Illinois’ Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, which is supposed to limit the amount property taxes can be raised, as another issue — the subject of a report Berry coauthored this month.
“Most jurisdictions have some kind of fund that is just exempt” from the law, he said, including ones related to pensions, schools and tax increment financing.
“We still have a long road ahead of us to build a country where the needs of the people are prioritized over the greed of billionaires and large corporations,” Mayor Johnson said. “We have a broken property tax system that essentially forces poor and working people to subsidize the wealthy, and that is why I did not propose a property tax increase in my budget proposal.”
But alderpeople who voted down the revenue ordinance recently argued in a press conference of their own that the head tax would make property tax bills even worse for homeowners in the future by driving businesses out of Chicago.
Chicago for decades had a corporate head tax in place, but it was repealed by for mer Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2011.
COLIN BOYLE/BLOCK C LU B CHICAGO
Homes in the 2100 block of South Drake Avenue in North Lawndale in 2023.
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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION
WELLS FARGO BANK, N. A. AS TRUSTEE FOR THE CERTIFICATEHOLDERS OF CARRINGTON MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, SERIES 2007-FRE1, ASSET-BACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, Plaintiff vs. BEVERLEY A. PETRUNICH; THOMAS DI PIAZZA; OFFICE OF THE STATE GUARDIAN AS PLENARY GUARDIAN OF THE ESTATE AND PERSON OF BEVERLEY PETRUNICH; UNKNOWN OWNERS
GENERALLY, AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS
Defendant
23 CH 820 CALENDAR 63
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on January 5, 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: LOT 27 IN BLOCK 4 IN THE SUBDIVISION OF LOT 1 IN THE COUNTY CLERK`S DIVISION OF THE WEST 1/2 OF THE SOUTH WEST 1/4 OF SECTION 25, TOWNSHIP 40 NORTH, RANGE 13 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
P.I.N. 13-25-309-008-0000. Commonly known as 2629 N. Troy Street, Chicago, IL 60647. The real estate is: multi family residence. The successful purchaser is entitled to possession of the property only. The purchaser may only obtain possession of units within the multi-unit property occupied by individuals named in the order of possession. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than the 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% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file 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, Altman, Strautins & Kromm, LLC d/b/a Kluever Law Group, 200 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1880, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (312) 2360077. SPS001839-23FC1
INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES
CORPORATION
intercountyjudicialsales.com I3277100
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FREDDIE MAC SEASONED LOANS STRUCTURED TRANSACTION TRUST, SERIES 2020-2
Plaintiff, -v.-
LINDA L SCOTT BROWN, WINNFIELD BROWN, JR., CITY OF CHICAGO
Defendants
2021CH02252
2225 S. KENNETH 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 September 24, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on January 5, 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 2225 S. KENNETH AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60623
Property Index No. 16-27-102008-0000
The real estate is improved with a single family residence.
The judgment amount was $194,440.78.
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.
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
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
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 JOHNSON, BLUMBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 30 N. LASALLE STREET, SUITE 3650, Chicago, IL, 60602 (312) 541-9710. Please refer to file number 21 8348. 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.
JOHNSON, BLUMBERG & ASSOCIATES, LLC 30 N. LASALLE STREET, SUITE 3650 Chicago IL, 60602 312-541-9710
E-Mail: ilpleadings@johnsonblumberg.com
Attorney File No. 21 8348
Attorney Code. 40342
Case Number: 2021CH02252 TJSC#: 45-2519
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 # 2021CH02252 I3277190
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC
Plaintiff vs. THELMA L. JACKSON; THESECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; MERRICK PARK CONDOMINIUM APARTMENTS ASSOCIATION; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS
Defendant 24 CH 4019 CALENDAR 58 NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on January 7, 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. 16-09-118-040-1023, 16-09-118-013-0000.
Commonly known as 5424 W. Ferdinand St., Apt 424 , Chicago, IL 60644. The real estate is: condominium residence. The purchaser of
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9 of the Condominium Property Act. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than the 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% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file 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, Diaz Anselmo & Associates P.A., 1771 West Diehl Road, Suite 120, Naperville, IL 60563. (630) 4536960. 1463-201589
INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3277269
PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE
INVITATION TO BID TO METROPOLITAN WATER
RECLAMATION DISTRICT OF GREATER CHICAGO
Sealed proposals, endorsed as above, will be submitted back to the District via an electronic upload to the Bonfire Portal only, from the date of the Invitation to Bid, up to 11:00 A.M. (Chicago time), on the bid opening date, and will be opened publicly as described in the Invitation to Bid by the Director of Procurement and Materials Management or designee at 11:00 AM on the stated bid opening date below for:
CONTRACT 25-721-22
RESTORATION OF EGAN WRP
PERMEABLE PAVER PARKING LOT (RE-BID)
Estimated Cost: Between $142,500.00 and $172,500.00
Bid Deposit: NONE
Voluntary Technical Pre-Bid Conference: Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 11:00 am Chicago Time via ZOOM Link.
Optional Pre-Bid Walk-Through will be held on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. CT at the Egan Water Reclamation Plant, Permeable Paver Parking Lot, 550 South Meacham Road, Schaumburg, IL.
Compliance with the District’s Affirmative Action Ordinance Revised Appendix D, Appendix V, and the Multi-Project Labor Agreement are required on this Contract.
Bid Opening: January 6, 2026
EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.
The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-6699777.
GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA
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: M25001107 on November 25, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of MAKING MOMENTS MATTER NOTARY AND COURIER SERVICES with the business located at: 5053 W. AUGUSTA, CHICAGO, IL 60651. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is:
SALEEMA MUHAMMAD 5053 W. AUGUSTA CHICAGO, IL 60651, USA
Published in Austin Weekly News December 3, 10, 17, 2025
The above is an abbreviated version of the Notice- Invitation to Bid. A full version which includes a brief description of the project and/or service can be found on the District’s website, www. mwrd.org; the path is as follows: Doing Business > Procurement and Materials Management > Contract Announcements. Specifications, proposal forms and/or plans may be obtained from the Department of Procurement and Materials Management by downloading online from the District’s website at www.mwrd.org (Doing Business > Procurement & Materials Management > Contract Announcements). No fee is required for the Contract Documents. Any questions regarding the downloading of the Contract Document should be directed to the following email: contractdesk@mwrd.org or call 312-751-6643.
All Contracts for the Construction of Public Works are subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130/1-et.seq.), where it is stated in the Invitation to Bid Page.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals if deemed in the public’s best interest.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago By Darlene A. LoCascio Director of Procurement and Materials Management
Published in Austin Weekly News December 3, 2025
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