A news report from Kelsey Duckett, AustinTalks.org On Monday, Local 881UFCW will host a free training session for those working or looking to find employment in the retail industry. The OSHA Health and Safety training will be held at the South Austin Coalition office, 5660 W. Madison St., at 6 p.m. and is open to all...
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A news report from Kelsey Duckett, AustinTalks.org Throughout the summer, the Austin community has taken steps to clean up the streets, fight violence and provide services to neighbors in need. So far, programs like 100 blocks, 100 churches, organized by the 15th District CAPS office, and the Fight Against Foreclosure and US Bank, organized by theCoalition to...
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A news report from AustinTalks.org Dorothy Daniel, 78, never asked the government for a bailout like Bank of America did. But after making payments on time every month for her home of 40 years, she asked for help before she needed it, and now, Daniels, an amputee, is not only fighting for her life but...
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A news report from AustinTalks.org Cigarette butts, beer bottles and cans, fast-food wrappers and trash line many of the baseball fields in Austin, and some residents say the Chicago Parks District is striking out in maintaining fields at Levin Park, Amundsen Park, La Follette Park and Columbus Park. Thomas Bowling, president of the Westside Youth League, said the bleachers are...
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A news report from Lorraine Swanson, AustinTalks.org While slightly more Austin residents have returned their U.S. Census questionnaire compared to 10 years ago, the West Side community is still at risk of being undercounted if a participatory map available on the U.S. Census website is any indication. Of the approximately 20 census tracts in the Austin neighborhood...
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Image via Wikipedia Going to prom, signing yearbooks and attending graduation are all part of the high school experience. But about 4,400 teens each year don’t reach these milestones because they die from suicide. The 25th Chicago Police District is working with community youth to discuss ways to prevent this silent epidemic that is the third-leading...
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The message – Step Up, US Bank- was loud and clear Tuesday night at Hope Community Church in Austin as over 150 people gathered to voice their concerns over the foreclosure crisis that has hit hard the West Side neighborhood. Two US Bank representatives joined locally elected officials and community activists in search of a...
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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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Sherron Parker, a fifth-grader at May Community Academy, 512 S. Lavergne Ave., was once just a normal kid, attending school in her Austin neighborhood and hanging out with her friends. But since winning first place in her age group in a community-wide spelling bee last year, Sherron, 10, is now like a rock star. “Everybody...
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No matter what the outcome in the Park National Bank seizure, the situation has broken down barriers between the Austin community and Oak Park residents. It’s the silver lining in the cloud that has hung over those two communities since  October. That’s when the popular neighborhood bank, located in Oak Park, was seized by...
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