By AustinTalks Chicago’s tax-increment financing program is designed to eradicate blight, create jobs and promote economic development in neighborhoods that need it most. But TIF -  which diverts property tax dollars to private developers in an effort to spur growth – appears to be doing little to help the residents of Austin. Of the 184...
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Ald. Deborah Graham (29th Ward) and Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Chicago) walked a block in Austin last week to get a first-hand look at the foreclosure crisis and how it’s affecting residents in the West Side neighborhood. More than 30 people took part in the “tour” and heard Steven McCullough, chief executive officer and president of Bethel...
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Officials at a Far West Side organization fear if client demand continues to rise, more and more recently released prisoners will be left fending for themselves. Roger Ehmen, director of Westside Health Authority’s Prisoner Re-Entry Center, said a recent jump in numbers shows the dire need for the program in Austin. Ehmen said the...
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Charles Ezzard speaks with ease and confidence, pausing from time-to-time as if visually sifting through the past chapters of his life. He recounts times of hardship, yet immediately changes pace when speaking about his future. His face lights up as he states his goals, such as finishing school and giving back to the community....
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Sharon Morgan sits at her desk surrounded by piles of paperwork and a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. As she shuffles through the paperwork, she marks her calendar on the day where she plans to speak to her 7th and 8th grade students about completing applications for the best high schools in the city....
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Local officials in Austin say if Chicago Public School leaders don’t create more high school seats in the West Side neighborhood, more youth will end up in the streets of Chicago’s toughest areas. But CPS officials say Austin residents will have to be content with their three Renaissance 2010 high schools. Austin High School,...
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One of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Chicago will start work on a third public library next year, while two aldermen from the struggling West Side fight for funding to keep their library branches open. Recently retired Ald. William J. P. Bank’s (36th) seven-year effort to bring a third library to his ward moved one...
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