Archive for the ‘from the news feed’ Category
Goole adds biking!
Google added a biking option today to its directions! Check out this route
The Tribune wrote a great piece on it, too.
The Bernard Place Bee Line for February/March, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Live Blogging From NCRC 2010 Conference
Join Shelterforce, NHI, and Rooflines on Facebook!
Join Shelterforce, NHI, and Rooflines on Facebook!
NPA at the Fed: TARP financing payday lending
Raising a ruckus in Washington D.C. this week is National People’s Action, the annual convocation of community activists. Organized by NPA, the national network of community groups that’s headquartered in Chicago, they come to the nation’s capital each spring to confront policy makers and demand action.
Today a group of community leaders is meeting with Ben Bernanke, chair of the Federal Reserve, at 2 p.m. eastern time. Among other things, they’re calling on him to stop banks that received bailout funds from financing payday lending.
According to NPA, Wells Fargo provides financing for about a third of the nation’s payday operations. Wells Fargo received $25 billion in TARP funds. Other bailout recipients also finance payday lending.
“Payday lending is stripping wealth from already wealth-starved communities,” said Rev. Robert Bushey of the Central Illinois Organizing Project in Decatur. “This is bad for families, communities, and the entire economy.” Bushey is representing Illinois People’s Action and chairing today’s meeting.
Payday lenders charge interest rates as high as 400 percent, and a typical $300 payday loan costs the borrower $500 in interest payments, according to the Center for Reponsible Lending.
NPA is also calling on Bernanke to force big banks to do more to prevent foreclosures, and to strengthen community reinvestment regulations to ensure that bailout funds get to underserved communities.
In a statement, Bushey said that the Fed’s lack of action on payday lending by bailed-out banks shows “why we need an independent consumer protection agency” that covers payday loans and other financial products.
Media Coverage from February 24 to March 9, 2010
CMAP Media Coverage
February 24 to March 9, 2010
March 8, 2010
Towns urge residents to help capture new funds by filling out census by Marni Pyke
Published by: The Daily Herald
Topic: Data
This article is about the importance of census data on the allocation of federal funding and uses population projections from CMAP.
February 28, 2010
My Kind of Town, Letter to the Editor
Published by: OnEarth
Topic: Land use, Transit-oriented development
CMAP's Randy Blankenhorn wrote a letter to the editor in response to the article, "Redrawing the American City," which was published in the Winter 2010 edition of OnEarth magazine. The letter addresses the need to plan sustainably through cooperation at the local, regional, and state levels.
February 26, 2010
Carpentersville Business Development Comission to survey village businesses by Emily McFarlan
Published by: The Courier-News
Topic: Full Circle
This story is about a survey of village business owners that was conducted based on data collected for the Carpentersville Business Development Commission. The data was collected through CMAP's Full Circle program.
February 25, 2010
Local mayors host their first Municipal Expo by Kevin Olson
Published by: Regional News
Topic: GO TO 2040, Economic - workforce development
The Southwest Conference of Mayors hosted its first Municipal Expo, which featured speakers from regional organizations, including CMAP's Bola Delano. Delano spoke about GO TO 2040 and workforce development.
CNDA Ceremony Celebrates Perseverance
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Ed Finkel
When the going gets tough in Chicago’s neighborhoods, the tough – and innovative, and resourceful – get going.
The 1,200 people who gathered Feb. 9 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago for the 16th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards (CNDA), sponsored by LISC/Chicago, heard their stories: numerous paeans to the individuals, organizations and projects that have continued to make low- to moderate-income communities better places to live, in spite of the nation’s worst economic conditions in three-quarters of a century.
Mayor Richard M. Daley delivers the keynote address, during which he thanked everyone in attendance for their contributions to strengthening Chicago's neighborhoods during difficult economic times.
Alex Fledderjohn
“2009 was a challenging year for all of us, but one in which Chicago’s neighborhoods proved their mettle,” said Andrew Mooney, executive director of LISC/Chicago. Touching on the event’s theme, “Back to the Future: What Our Neighborhoods Can Be,” he added: “We need to draw lessons from the past as we look ahead.”
The award ceremony’s chair, Harrison I. Steans of Financial Investments Corporation and the Steans Family Foundation, agreed that everyone assembled had survived “an incredibly difficult year.” Steans said, “If Chicago is the ‘City That Works,’ it’s because it has neighborhoods that work.”
Ten initiatives, agencies and individuals received recognition during the ceremony, which reached its emotional climax during a bittersweet, posthumous bow to the late Michael W. Scott, president of the Chicago Board of Education, who received the Friend of the Neighborhoods Award for his lifetime of service.
“Michael had the passion of public service,” said keynote speaker Mayor Richard M. Daley. “He had the passion for the community.”
Harrison I. Steans of The Steans Foundation and Financial Investments Corporation (left) and Andrew Mooney, executive director of LISC/Chicago, share the podium.
Alex Fledderjohn
Daley thanked the rest of the honorees and others in the room for possessing similar qualities. “You believe investment can change a community,” he said. “That’s what tonight is about. Each one of these developments can make an impact. I want to thank each and every one of you for what you’ve accomplished and what you will accomplish in the future.”
On the day the mayor revealed his son, Patrick, had been called up to active military service, Daley questioned why the U.S. spends so much on wars instead of rebuilding communities or educating children. “We’re forgetting that what made America was educational opportunities – not a gun, not war,” he said. Employers “don’t have to be in Chicago. How do we keep them here? By having the best-trained workforce.”
Awardees an Impressive Lot
More than 60 judges worked to identify the Chicago Neighborhood Development Award winners from “scores of entries” based on applications and site visits, according to Paul Labonne of National City Bank.
Those in attendance at the ceremony watched videos about the award winners and heard from both judges and the winners themselves. One development – the Whistler Crossing reinvention of the former Pacesetter housing project in south suburban Riverdale – took home two awards and became the first-ever CNDA winner outside of the city of Chicago.
The winners were:
Diana Palomar Scott, widow of Chicago Board of Education President Michael W. Scott, accepts his posthumous Friend of the Neighborhoods Award during the CNDA ceremony.
Alex Fledderjohn
The Chicago Community Trust Outstanding Community Strategy Award: Pilsen Quality-of-Life Planning Process. Led by The Resurrection Project, this process brought together more than 20 organizers who collaborated on a vision, strategies and projects as part of LISC's New Communities Program. “This is a tremendous award,” said Raul I. Raymundo, chief executive officer and co-founder of The Resurrection Project. The video “tells the message and story of bringing people together as stakeholders.”
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Outstanding Non-Profit Real Estate Project: The Homan Arthington Foundation for the Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center. This rehabilitation and adaptive reuse turned the Power House facility of the original Sears, Roebuck and Co. world headquarters in North Lawndale into the public charter school Henry Ford Academy. “We had a great team assembled to transform this white elephant into the fabulous community it has become,” said Kristin Dean of the Homan Arthington Foundation.
The Polk Bros. Foundation Affordable Rental Housing Preservation Award (presented in honor of John Pritscher): Mercy Housing Lakefront for Maiden Arms Apartments. This project secured Maiden Arms as affordable housing for more two decades through layers of rental subsidies and an innovative reserve account. “Projects this complicated take a whole village,” said Cindy Holler of Mercy Housing. “We needed to keep this building preserved.”
The Resurrection Project, led by executive director Raul Raymundo, won the Chicago Community Trust Outstanding Community Strategy Award for the Pilsen Quality of Life Plan that was part of LISC's New Communities Program.
Alex Fledderjohn
The Outstanding For-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project Award: Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation and Turnstone Development for Whistler Crossing. Drawing from the conclusions of a Technical Assistance Panel convened by the Urban Land Institute, these partners used 17 layers of funding to mix sustainably designed buildings offering a range of affordability levels in a newly accessible neighborhood. “The Village of Riverdale reached out to us, and they were wonderful to work with,” said Peter Holsten, president of Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation.
Special Recognition Award: Community Economic Development Law Project. This organization provides tax, corporate, real estate and finance expertise to thousands of non-profit agencies and individuals who could not otherwise afford it, helping to start businesses, buy homes and more. “As lawyers, you’re rarely invited to join a community,” said Susan Kaplan of CEDLP, tongue firmly in cheek. “We’ve been privileged to get to know this community. We’re part of what I like to call the best of the legal community.”
The Richard H. Dreihaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design:
Third Place: SMNG-A Architects for Langston Hughes Elementary School. This design incorporated tons of natural light, a landscaped central garden, and wheelchair-accessible facilities for this school, whose students have developmental disabilities and special health needs. “This project was a long time coming,” said Todd Niemiec of SMNG-A, adding that the company partnered successfully with Chicago Public Schools around a joint commitment to sustainable design.
Second Place: Farr Associates for Whistler Crossing. This redevelopment includes 90 historic townhouses and two new-mixed-use buildings along with commercial space and infrastructure improvements. “This is not so much a new building as a new place,” said Doug Farr of Farr Associates. “I’m accepting this award on behalf of our dream team. I said ‘dream team.’ I meant that.”
Richard H. Driehaus (right) shares smiles with those who won awards in his name.
Alex Fledderjohn
First Place: Urban Works for UNO Veterans Memorial School Campus. Once an abandoned industrial bakery, this building now includes two elementary schools and a high school; the facility features a glass façade and community space, environmentally sustainable elements that could lead to LEED Gold certification, and abundant natural light. “We wanted something that made a statement,” said Juan Rangel, CEO of UNO. “We also wanted the building to be worthy of the children who are educated there.”
The Norman Bobins Leadership Award: Bernita Johnson-Gabriel, Executive Director, Quad Communities Development Corporation. She led the process that created the Quad Communities Quality-of-Life Plan as NCP director, leveraged resources to jump-start key projects like the Bronzeville Community Market, and became executive director in 2007. “What an honor this is,” Johnson-Gabriel said, thanking several partners and mentors including Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), who has served as a board advisor for QCDC. “Toni, you have truly been a role model beyond approach,” she said. “You have inspired me to adopt the notion that failure is not an option.”
The Friend of the Neighborhoods Award: Michael W. Scott. Prior to serving as president of the Board of Education, Scott had held the post of board president of the Chicago Park District, and earlier in his career he worked as a community organizer for both the Pyramid West Development Corp. and the Lawndale People’s Planning and Action Council. “Michael is sorely missed by all of those whose lives he touched,” Steans said. Added Terry Peterson, CTA board chairman. “His public service spanned four mayor administrations. … He was also recognized as a great business leader. I can think of no better way to honor Michael.”
Mooney encouraged attendees to “remember him. Carry on his perseverance and enthusiasm for the people of the city of Chicago.” Finally, Scott’s widow, Diana Palomar Scott, recalled that part of Scott’s enthusiasm and perseverance stemmed from an article he once read saying that the West Side of Chicago was doomed to permanent poverty. “He was determined to prove that wrong,” she said. “He understood that you could make people’s lives whole.”
A panel that preceded the awards ceremony hashed through issues related to community development, education and more. To read about what they had to say, please click here.
Health groups promote new female condom
Wednesday is National Women and Girls’ HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and the Chicago Female Condom Campaign is holding trainings for service providers and for high school students on how to use the new, improved female condom, which the FDA approved last year.
About 40 HIV and family planning service providers are expected for a training session at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, 200 W. Jackson, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10.
From 2 to 5 p.m., a training will be held at the Young Women’s Leadership Charter School, 2641 S. Calumet.
All trainings are open to the media (for more see the group’s press release). A third training takes place Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Mujeres Latinas en Accion, 1823 W. 17th; it includes a condom hunt.
The trainings are part of a new public awareness campaign by a coalition of health groups, in a city with high rates of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphillis and where 1,500 new HIV cases were reported in 2008.
The female condom is “the only barrier method available for receptive partners for prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancies, and it’s an important option for both women and men,” said Jessica Terlinowski, policy manager for Chicago AIDS Foundation and coordinator of the campaign.
The original female condom, which was approved in 1993, failed to catch on, in part because users found it awkward and expensive. The new version, tagged the “FC2,” is made of stronger, thinner material that’s quieter and feels more natural – and it’s signficantly less expensive, so that community health centers and public clinics can purchase them in the quantities they need, Terlinowski said.
The campaign is sponsoring a bulk purchasing drive for health centers, and lists three dozen community organizations and six city clinics where the FC2 is available for free.
One goal of the campaign is to publicize the FC2 as an option for men as well as women, Trelinowski said. “The name is misleading,” she said.
The trainings reflect the group’s finding that “it’s really important that it be presented in a positive and affirming way,” she said. “We want to make sure service providers have the language and the familiarity so they can talk about it in an effective way.”
The campaign is also pushing local drug stores to begin stocking the FC2.
***
Also marking National Women’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the Red Pump Project (cofounded by CMW’s own Lovette Ajayi) is on its second year of mobilizing bloggers to spread awareness of the day and the issue. The group is holding a fashion show fundraiser on March 25 (6 p.m. at the Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake), where it will honor pioneering AIDS activist Rae Lewis Thorton with the group’s first Living Legacy Award.
Illinois Poverty News Weekly
200 At U. Of I. Protest Delay of $487M in State Funding - Chicago Sun Times, 3/5/10
Illinois School Chief Warns of Massive Cuts - The Register-Mail, 3/5/10
Rockridge Consider Cuts - Quad-City Times, 3/4/10
Budget Crisis Keeps Inmates From Needed Mental Health - The Pantagraph, 3/4/10
Editorial: Budget Cuts Diminish Illinois Universities - Chicago Sun Times, 3/4/10
State Owes Local Schools Millions - Journal and Topics Newspaper, 3/4/10
School Leaders: More Questions than Answers on Budget Cuts - The Pantagraph, 3/3/10
State Stops Base Funding of Colleges - The Mount Vernon Register-News, 3/3/10
How GLBT Non-Profits are Coping with New Economic Realities - The Chicago Free Press, 3/2/10
State Sen. Jones Talking Illinois Budget Situation - WJBD Radio, 3/1/10
6,000 Illinoisans Give Feedback on State Budget - Fox 43 Bloomington, 3/1/10
