TAYLOR N. MORRIS
Cubs make history after 108 years
After 10 innings, seven games and 108 years, the Chicago Cubs are finally World Series Champions. During the Nov. 2 game, the team defeated the Cleveland Indians with a Game Seven score of 8-7.
Lifelong Cubs fans Mike Cameron, 66, and his wife Chris Atkins, 64, of Wrigleyville joined celebrations in their neighborhood while watching the game outside of a bar on Addison Street after the victory. They said the title win was a huge moment not only for the Cubs but for the city.
Collaboration bring new jobs and businesses to South Side
A new partnership will use multimillion-dollar donations to stimulate economic development and bring jobs and businesses to South Side neighborhoods according to a Nov. 3 city press release.
The Southwest Corridor Collaborative benefits the Auburn Gresham, Englewood and Chicago Lawn neighborhoods, the press release added.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Local Initiatives Support Corporation Chicago are partnering with the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, Southwest Organizing Project and Teamwork Englewood to reestablish key sections of the corridor and create cross-community commercial centers, according to the press release.
‘Love Trumps Hate:' Chicago women protest candidate’s recent comments in front of hotel
Nearly 200 protesters, mostly Chicago women, “built a wall” around the Trump International Hotel and Tower, chanting “This p---y votes,” “Love trumps hate,” and “GOP hands off me.”
The Oct. 18 protest was organized in response to republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s remarks in a leaked “Access Hollywood” video from 2005 including his remark that he could grab women “by the p---y.”
Historic building reopens in Bronzeville
After four years of construction and renovation, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Alderman Pat Dowell (3rd Ward) and the Chicago Housing Authority reopened the historic Rosenwald Court apartments on Sept. 30, according to a CHA press release.
The building will serve as a contemporary, affordable apartment complex in the Bronzeville neighborhood, according to the press release.
Senator Kirk proposes bill to help stop ISIS terrorism funding
ISIS terrorism funding may be coming from the sales of Middle East antiquities—some U.S. collectors, experts say.
U.S. Illinois Senator Mark Kirk held a panel discussion Oct. 24 with several international and domestic affairs experts at the Chicago Field Museum to discuss his bill, designed to prevent those black market sales.
Local food trucks struggle with new policies
Chicago food trucks are facing major hurdles as Mayor Rahm Emanuel has “threatened to unleash an onslaught of fines and citations” against the city’s growing industry, according to a statement on IllinoisPolicy.org.
Head of the Illinois Food Truck Association and owner of Beavers Donuts, Gabriel Wiesen, said Chicago has fewer than 70 food trucks, while New York City has more than 3,500, and Los Angles has more than 10,000.
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Planned Parenthood president talks women’s healthcare, ‘fragile’ reproductive rights under Trump
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in January, Cecile Richard President of Planned Parenthood explained that the future of reproductive rights are more fragile than ever before.
“When it feels like the rug has somewhat been pulled from underneath us and when the future of reproductive rights in America is frankly as fragile and more uncertain than any time in my lifetime, there are some signs of hope,” Richards said in the beginning of the lecture.
Chicagoans’ recycling is ‘garbage’
Chicago residents need to do a better job keeping recyclables out of the trash because only 13 percent of the trash produced every year does not end up in landfills, according to Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Charles Williams in an Oct. 28 DNAinfo report.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a deal in 2011 to let private garbage companies take over half of Chicago’s curbside recycling businesses. Now, aldermen across the city are suggesting the city’s contract with the two firms be reviewed and renegotiated when it expires.
Green Party supporters stay hopeful for the future
Chicago Green Party supporters remained positive during election night on Nov. 8 as nearly 30 local members joined to show support for their Presidential Candidate, Jill Stein.
Rob Sherman, Green Candidate for Congress from the 5th District of Illinois, was part of the election watch gathering, held at the Green Party's campaign office in Wicker Park, 2201 W. North Avenue, saying he was there to not only show support for Stein but also on behalf of his own campaign. Sherman finished the election with a total of 5 percent of votes, compared with Mike Quigley from the Democratic Party with 68 percent of votes and Republican Vince Kolber with 28 percent.
New Kennedy Expressway lane to reduce future traffic
The Kennedy Expressway is gaining an additional traffic lane near Cumberland and Harlem avenues to ease traffic congestion, according to state officials from the Illinois Department of Transportation in a Nov. 3 emailed statement.
The two-mile-long project is part of the much larger widening and rebuilding of the Jane Addams tollway, according to the Nov. 3 statement.
CPS provides additional $5.7 million for schools
A handful of Chicago Public Schools that experienced drastic enrollment drops will be gaining additional funding, according to a Sept. 26 CPS press release.
Though the names were not disclosed, CPS recently announced it will be giving an additional $5.7 million in funding to a selection of schools “ to protect classroom learning,” according to the press release.
Chinatown roadway to connect neighborhood and downtown
More than a century after Chicago architect Daniel Burnham proposed the idea of making a roadway connecting Chinatown to downtown, the city will finally make it a reality with a new multi-year project.
The preliminary steps in the Wells-Wentworth project, creating a new road linking the Loop and Chinatown began the week of Sept. 30, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Birmingham Eye Doctor Produces Broadway Musical
Scott Wilkinson has always had a passion for the musical arts. He not only earned his bachelor’s degree in music at Albion College, but also science, spending half of his life juggling between the two. He also obtained his master’s degree in songwriting from The Berklee College of Music in Boston several years ago.
When he’s not spending his time producing music, Wilkinson is an ophthalmologist based in Birmingham.
TEDxDetroit Speakers Share Words of Wisdom and Inspiration
More than 30 diverse speakers including business leaders, entrepreneurs and students shared inspiring, motivational messages that drew upon their personal and professional lives at the 10th annual TEDxDetroit on Sept. 27 at the Masonic Temple in downtown Detroit.
Rugiero Family Continues to Raise Awareness for Diabetes in Metro Detroit
Family, faith and food aren’t his only top priorities.
Restaurant owner and founder of the Rugiero Promise Foundation, Anthony Rugiero dedicates his time raising awareness to a handful of charities — one of them being the Antonio Rugiero Sr. Diabetes Fund at University of Michigan Comprehensive Diabetes Center. Ever since Rugiero’s father, Antonio, founder of Antonio’s Cucina Italiana, passed away in 2008 due to diabetes complications, Rugerio has had a passion for bringing attention to the disease.
6th Annual CityLab Brings International Leaders to Detroit
The sixth annual CityLab conference took place this past week at the Detroit Marriott in the Renaissance Center. Over 600 city leaders, business innovators, practitioners, artists and other civic leaders travelled nationally and internationally to downtown Detroit — representing 156 cities across 27 counties. Mayors travelled from Athens, Greece and Palermo, Italy as well as U.S. cities such as Seattle and Anchorage.
2018 SEEN Changemaker Robert Reaves Gives Back to Detroit Communities
As a leader within his workplace and community, Robert Reaves is driving impactful change.
“My personal vision is to develop an environment where underprivileged families in the communities I serve have access to quality health care,” he says. “My career choice and philanthropic pursuits enable me to fulfill this aspiration.”
2018 SEEN Changemaker Christopher Tait Creates Safe Space for Recovering Addicts
For some, it takes reaching their lowest point to realize what they’re meant to do. That’s exactly what happened to Christopher Tait, founder of Passenger Recovery and longtime band member of Electric Six.
Since he was young, Tait, 41, has been involved in music. When he was 15, he was in a serious car accident that changed his life forever. The experience also led him further away from doing what he loves most: playing music. After the accident, Tait spent more time alone. It was then that he turned to alcohol, and eventually drugs. It wasn’t until years later, while he was on tour as a musician, that he began to abuse the two.
2018 SEEN Changemaker Bailey Sisoy Isgro Sheds Light on Detroit History
“Out with the old and in with the new” isn’t a saying that Bailey Sisoy Isgro, owner, director and founder of Detroit History Tours and The Detroit History Club, necessarily lives by. With all the latest and exciting things happening in downtown Detroit, Isgro is devoting her time to shedding light on the city’s history.
2018 SEEN Changemaker Steve Styes Helps Patients Improve Their Quality of Life
When Steve Styes isn’t running a marathon or teaching yoga, he’s managing the Wellness Program for The Recovery Project in Livonia, Lansing and Clinton Township. After spending 25 years as a trainer in the health care technology field, Styes transitioned to The Recovery Project as the wellness program director in December 2016.
The Recovery Project is a physical therapy program based in Metro Detroit that specializes in working with patients with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and central nervous system disorders like Parkinson’s.
5 Tips to Deck Your Halls for the Holiday Season
SEEN visited the bright and merry Troy home of Rita O’Brien, founder and owner of Rita O’Brien Design Group, to see how she decorates for the holidays. Formerly a real estate agent, O’Brien started in interior design 11 years ago and now operates Rita O’Brien Design Center in the Michigan Design Center in Troy. O’Brien shared a few of her favorite decorating tips for the season.