Features

New Beginnings for Woodlawn

Wednesday, January 4, 2012
By Kelsey Gee
New Beginnings for Woodlawn

If it were up to Pastor Corey Brooks of New Beginnings Church, Chicago would be filled with “contemporary, credible, and creative” neighborhood centers. These spaces would offer everything from job placement services and drug rehabilitation assistance, to green technology labs and Panera Bread franchises. They would be hubs of activity, located at the heart... »

Redistricting Fault Lines

Wednesday, November 30, 2011
By Anna Fixsen
Redistricting Fault Lines

On October 25, the assembly hall of the Hyde Park Union Church was nearly empty. This gathering was a preliminary informational meeting concerning a process that Chicago undergoes every decade—aldermanic ward redistricting. »

No Alternative

Wednesday, November 23, 2011
By Harrison Smith
No Alternative

It came as a surprise when on the morning of September 6 a school bus stopped in front of St. Clotilde and let out a handful of teenage students. Eventually it came out that the church’s second and third stories had become the new home of Richard Milburn High School. »

Without Notice

Wednesday, November 16, 2011
By Rachel Lazar
Without Notice

On October 27, Regents Park was sold by Crescent Heights to Antheus, a developer locally represented by MAC Property Management. What that sale meant for the building’s employees remained unclear until 6pm, when Paul Richter, who had been the building manager for the past 23 years, carried his things out the front door. »

Unlikely Oases

Thursday, November 10, 2011
By Sharon Lurye
Unlikely Oases

While food deserts remain a persistent problem in Chicago, the reality is not as grim as it seems. A report released last month contained a heartening and perhaps unexpected message: “We feel the awareness war has been won, as evidenced by this week's arrival of our nation's First Lady.” »

Act II

Thursday, November 3, 2011
By Eric Shoemaker
Act II

While the group’s mission has not waivered since it was founded in 1971, eta’s leadership is currently going through a major transition. The foundation’s long-time president and co-founder, Abena Joan Brown, stepped down this past March, on the 40th anniversary of the opening of the theater. She passed the reins to Philip Thomas, a... »

Waiting for the Bus

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
By Maria Nelson
Waiting for the Bus

Today, there is no bus along 31st Street. In the neighborhoods the street cuts through, east-west bus service is lacking. Between Cermak Road and 47th Street, Chicago’s grid system of bus service breaks down, leaving large areas of white space on the CTA system map and roughly 200,000 people without a direct route. »

Holding Up the Line

Wednesday, October 19, 2011
By Harrison Smith
Holding Up the Line

Cecilia Butler spoke before the Chicago Transit Board for the second time in four months. The 63-year-old woman repeated what she had already said four times before: that the historic station house across the street from the Garfield Green Line stop could and should be a building operated by and for the community. »