Austin Weekly News 042424

West

Side organizations launch resource program for parents, babies

The announcement came during Black Maternal Health Week

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

At age 15, Aisha Oliver visited the emergency room to remove an ovarian cyst and, after the procedure, was told she’d be unable to conceive

But Oliver, an Austin Weekly News columnist and community eng agement specialist for Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, became pregnant with her son her junior year at Columbia Colle ge Chicago.

“There was a lot of fear. Immediately, my body went into shock,” Oliver said.

It wasn’t just the shock of an unexpected pregnancy. It was the shock of whether she and her baby would survive, since Black women have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the United States.

That’s why West Side United — a collaborative made up of six West Side hospitals to improve health in nearby neighborhoods — Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the Chicago Westside Branch of the NAACP launched the West Side Healthy Parents & Babies program April

‘I realized the second day of our program we needed a lot more than just baseball,’ says co-founder Frank Brim

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Garfield Park Little League teaches baseball and responsibility to both young fanatics and those new to the sport.

League cofounders Frank Brim and Jerry Mack started the Garfield Park Little League in 2008 after they noticed a lack of baseball teams in the area. It’s the only sanctioned little league from Austin Boulevard to Kedzie Avenue, Brim

New, improved farmers markets coming to West Side

Check out the new ones in Austin and North Lawndale

By FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Block Club Chicago A Growing Community Media partnership

Two West Side entrepreneurs with a shared passion for fresh, nutritious foods are bringing new and improved far mers markets to Austin and North Lawndale.

Veah Larde, owner of Two Sisters Catering in Austin, will lead the Austin Town Hall Far mers Market for the second year. Michelle Scott, owner of ve gan sweets company Thank God 4 Raw & Ve gan Treats, is starting the North Lawndale Community Far mers Market.

Both markets accept Link and SNAP.

Nor th Lawndale Community Farmers Market

Scott, who is c ompleting her master ’s in nutrition at Dominican Unive rsit y, is a for mer Austin Town Hall far mers market vendor

Last year, Scott also sold her ve gan treats and held cooking demos with fellow Dominican University students at the West Town Community Far mers Market at Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital on West Division Street.

After finding out the West Town market wasn’t returning for another season, Scott decided to start her own on the West Side and secured the necessary permits from the city, she said.

As part of Scott’s master’s program, she has studied the impact of West Side food deserts on community health. Conducting a community needs assessment in 2020, she found about 12% of the population in Austin had diabetes, and the neighborhood had two times the number of diabetes-related deaths than the rest of the city, she said.

That year, Scott helped coordinate free food distribution events, giving away boxes of food to neighbors in need. Working with churches in North Lawndale and Austin, she saw firsthand how dozens of families faced food insecurity and relied solely on

pantries for their meals, she said.

“I saw a need that was more than meets the eye during the pandemic,” Scott said. At the new North Lawndale Community Far mers Market, about a dozen vendors will offer fresh produce, vegan treats, honey, sauces, juices and other foods. Dominican University students will host nutrition demos. The market will be near a senior living assisted facility and accessible for residents.

Scott is following in her late mother’s footsteps with this endeavor, she said. Her mother ran a soup kitchen out of their Garfield Park home when Scott was young, sharing the food she gathered from food pantries.

“She would be so proud if she was here today because this is something she wanted to do,” Scott said.

Austin Town Hall Farmers Market

Larde put her Two Sister Catering business on hold to revamp the Austin market last year, she said.

Larde introduced cooking demos led by chefs, nutritionists and dietitians. Those will return this year along with live entertainment from local DJs Lipgloss, DJ Jive Fresh and DJ Kinsolo. Local blues and jazz musicians may also make pop-up appearances, Larde said.

New to the market: an 80-seat trolley that will take neighbors to the market and community gardens, thanks to a partnership with Austin-based company Gone Away Travel & Tours. Larde hopes to partner with local churches or senior centers to be stops on the trolley route for neighbors with limited access.

Attendance at the city-sponsored Austin market in previous years ranged from 20 visitors on slower days to 70 on its busiest days. Last year, the market welcomed 65-165 people a day, some visiting from the suburbs and even other states, Larde said. The number of re gular vendors has also increased, from around three last year to 12-15 offering a wide selection of fresh and cooked foods, meat, dairy and eggs, Larde said. Ve gan cupcakes, ice cream and freshly baked bread were among the most

popular vendor items for market visitors last year, Larde said.

For the foreseeable future, Larde will operate Two Sisters Catering only during the far mers market off-season, she said.

Managing the Austin market has given Larde “an amazing opportunity” to serve the community and support local food businesses, she said.

“A far mers market is essential in any neighborhood because it brings in new life. It shows new businesses, and even restaurants come out and promote their businesses,” she said.

If you go:

■ The Austin Town Hall Far mers Market opens June 6 at the Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St. It will be held 1-6 p.m. Thursdays until Oct. 31.

■ The North Lawndale Community Far mers Market will debut June 8 outside Bible Way Apost Faith Church, 1807 S. Kostner Ave., and will run noon-5 p.m. Saturdays until Oct. 26.

PROVIDED/MICHELLE SCOT T

Leah Varde w ill lead the Austin Town Hall Farmers Market for a second season, and Michelle Scott is launching the North Lawndale Community Farmers Market.

CREDIT: FACEBOOK/AUSTIN TOWN HALL FARMERS MARKET

An Austin Town Hall Farmers Market visitor weighs produce at a stand.

Rep. La Shawn Ford spotlights opioid crisis with Harm Reduction Solidarity Week

Future e or ts to prevent overdoses include opening overdose prevention sites and continuing to destigmatize substance use disorders

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Illinois Rep. La Shawn Ford is ramping up the fight against the opioid crisis by pushing to create overdose prevention sites and declaring a new Harm Reduction Solidarity Week.

Ford, whose district includes Austin, Oak Park and has long been a advocate. In late 2022, he proposed House Bill 0002, proposes the opening of dose prevention sites in Illinoi

Earlier this year, House Resolution 665, when it passed, declared April 14 through April 20 Illinois’ first Harm Reduction Solidarity Week.

At a news conference in Springfield April 17, Ford the director of the Illinois Depa ment of Public Health, Sameer Vohra, and the Illinois Harm duction and Recovery Coalition, along with other advocates, to spotlight the crisis and ef for ts to stop it and to save lives.

cording to Illinois census estimations.

“Not only are we fighting the heroin epidemic, there’s a new, more potent, pure fentanyl that’s killing people with overdoses,” Ford said.

A 2022 Chicago Sun-Times report showed that, the year before, deaths from overdoses were concentrated on the West Side, with most occurring in West Garfield Park, South Austin and East Garfield Park. The suburbs were not immune. Seventeen deaths were reported in Oak Park, and 25 in Cicero.

As for ambulance calls for overdoses, the report showed they were concentrated on the West Side, too: 608 calls in Austin, 458 in West Garfield Park and 367 in Humboldt, records show. Other neighborhoods, like

fort is to create overdose prevention sites in Illinois with House Bill 0002, which Ford hopes passes before the end of May.

Overdose prevention sites are places where those who use drugs can go for supervised consumption and access to behavioral health experts.

New York City opened the first of these overdose prevention sites in the country at the end of 2021. The first year that two sites were open, they experienced 48,533 visits and only intervened 636 times to prevent overdoses. No overdoses occurred at either site. These sites connected about 75% of visitors to other harm reduction and medical services.

“We were educating the Springfield members, and all those that listen, about how important it is to have what you call harm reduction tools in our community,” Ford said.

The numbers tell the stark truth about the crisis.

In 2022, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reported 2,000 deaths from opioid overdose, more than 1,800 of which were fentanyl-related. And 56% of those deaths were Black people, although African Americans made up less than a quarter of the county population that year, ac-

Pullman, experienced six overdose calls.

According to Ford, harm reduction effor ts in Chicago have included dispersing clean needles to help stop the spread of hepatitis and HIV, plus Narcan to assist someone experiencing an overdose. There are also programs that connect those who use drugs to medical-assisted recovery, where they can meet with behavioral health counselors and have access to prescription drugs that help curb cravings.

But Ford and other Illinois politicians are hoping for more. Their most recent ef-

“The only people that would really go to an overdose prevention site are people who are looking for help,” Ford said. nd there’s no place for people to go like that in Illinois where they could be accepted for who they are and move towards rery when they’re ready.” The idea, however, could be a tough sell. Critics say such sites promote drug use and perpetuate crime. Beyond creating overdose ention sites in Illinois, politicians and organizers aim to end the stigma against those who use drugs. we c onfront this chalwe reco gnize a c oncerning pattern where progr ess is hindered by stigma towards p eople who use drug s, ” sai d Aces L ira, AIDS Foundatio n Chicago’s p oli cy and a dvoca cy manage r, in a sta tement. “We stand united with har m reduction a dvo cates statewide, who c ourageously share their personal storie s with le gislators. ”

“We have to educate people on how to help their families when they are struggling with a substance user. We have to help law enforcement understand the difference between a criminal and a person that’s living with a substance use disorder,” Ford said. “We’ve got to end the stigma and having people believe that people who are struggling with a substance use disorder are bad people.”

COURTESY OF LA SHAW N FORD

Rep. La Shaw n Ford speaks at a press conference in Springeld April 17.

April 24 - May 1

BIG WEEK

Sponsored by Austin Coming Together, an Austin Weekly partner

Uniting Voices Chicago

Saturday, April 27, 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Kehrein Center for the Arts

This seasonal showcase brings to life the sounds of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood through a concert featuring original music, exciting choreography and multimedia presentations. It features the Austin Neighborhood Choir. Tickets are $10* per person, available for purchase at the concert. All seating is general admission. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. *Uniting Voices Chicago has a pay-what-you-can policy, allowing guests to pay as much or as little as they like per ticket, including requesting free tickets if desired. 5628 W. Washington Blvd, Chicago

Get to Work With ICNC

Tuesday, April 23, 1- 3 p.m., Austin Branch Chicago Public Library Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago will provide job seekers access to job opportunities and coaching on job search techniques and resumes. In addition, they can refer individuals to job training providers and small business resources. ICNC is a partner of The Hatcher y Chicago. Together, they will be o ering a culinary training program for young adults. ICNC works with start-ups and established businesses in industries such as manufacturing, food/beverage, apparel/textiles, and more. 5615 W. Race Ave

Wonder Works for Everyone

May 19, 26, Wonder Works Children’s Museum

During Wonder Works for Everyone play sessions, the museum opens an hour early for an accessible and inclusive environment. Each Wonder Works for Everyone session requires pre-registration for a limited number of families so that we can best prepare the Wonder Works environment for a sensory friendly play session. During the month of May, they will be o ering two sensory friendly play sessions. Tickets for the next two sessions will be available on 4/29 at 9 a.m. They sell quickly. Regular admission prices will apply, including free admission for members. Tickets are $15 apiece for adults and children. They ’re $3 apiece per guest up to 4 guests with proof of an EBT or WIC card and valid state ID. For questions, email info@wonder-works.org. 6445 W. North Ave., Oak Park

2024 Hunger and Health Illinois Summit Chicago

West Side Food Access Open Convening , Friday, May 3 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Kennedy King College

Discuss new opportunities to ght hunger with a diverse mixture of experts. Participate in the 2024 Summit on Hunger and Health in Illinois, hosted by Illinois SNAP-Education, and explore strategies to catalyze collaboration among local, public, and regional organizations to address food insecurity and health. Check-in will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Networking round tables with experts. A conference agenda/ program will be available when you arrive. The cost of registration is $10. Lunch is included. Fee waivers are available. Register by April 26. https://registration.extension.illinois.edu/start/2024hunger-and-health-illinois-summit-chicago. 740 W. 63rd St. U building

Galewood Health & Wellness Fair

Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sayre Language Academy

Galewood Health & Wellness Fair o ers free screenings for blood pressure, A1C, glucose, diabetes, and other conditions. Register here: https://galewoodneighbors.org/event-5653815. 1850 N. Newland Ave.

Justice Impacted 2 Program

Monday, April 29

Hosted by West Side Forward Chicago. If you are interested in entrepreneurship training, trades certi cation, wellness support, cash stipends, and wraparound services, this is the event for you. Learn more: https://www westsideforward.org/jet

State of housing on tap for expanded Austin summit

The

Oak Park Regional Housing Center organizes the summits to discuss the state of housing on the West Side, plus resources for home renters and owners

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

Oak Park Re gional Housing Center is expanding its annual housing fair this year. The event will now be held over two days. That’s because OPRHC has so much

tect people from discrimination when buying a home or accessing resources to do so.

Since it was founded in 1972, the OPRHC has been a local pillar in inte grating the community by making housing available to everyone. Every year, in honor of Fair Housing Month, OPRHC puts on a housing summit in Austin. This year’s summit will be held April 25 and 27.

“We want people from the West Side, in Austin, Garfield Park and North Lawndale, to understand what the housing market currently looks like because it’s a situation where people who live in these communities will no longer be able to af ford to buy in their communities,” Williams said.

“We really want p eople to g et prep ared for that,” she a dded. “A nd those wh o want to become homeo wner s, we want to

and a panel with elected officials to discuss new laws in homeownership.

Following that will be breakout sessions — with workshops on estate planning, how to make a down payment and how to improve credit — and an opportunity to visit vendors. There will also be a focus group where attendees can meet with Habitat for Humanity to discuss the types of homes they’d like to see on the West Side.

“People who are current homeowners need to understand how to sustain their homeownership,” Williams said. “People who are seeking to become homeowners, even though right now interest rates are high, still need to understand what they’re getting into with homeownership at this time, becoming homeowners at this time, as well as why it’s still a good idea to become a homeowner.”

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Typically, kids want to play basketball and football,” Brim said. But on the first day of Garfield Park Little League, about 250 children and parents came to the Garfield Park Gold Dome Field House to sign up.

“Kids came out of nowhere,” Brim said. “We had kids wrapped around the field.” Everyone who was interested was put on one of 13 teams, organized by age from 4-year-olds to 16-yearolds. Brim and Mack each coached three of those teams.

Since then, over 500 girls and boys have played in the league and more than 60 volunteers have helped coach. Throughout the summer, kids play g ames at Garfield Park, Columbus Park and Les Miller Field at Curtis Granderson Stadium.

Brim, 67, grew up playing baseball. At 19, he experienced spring training with the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, but was cut at the end of the training. In the late ‘70s, Brim joined a recreational summer team on the South Side, where he played against Mac k’s

West Side team. Both still coach Garfield Park Little League teams, but to them, the program is a lot more than just a game.

“I realized the second day of our program we needed a lot more than just baseball,” Brim said. He and Mack started instilling a standard of no cursing or littering, and treating the umpire, coaches and other players with respect.

“We found ourselves talking on the phone nightly about individual kids and about what we can do with this parent, how we should approach this parent about something that we see that might not be in the best interest of, not just their kid, but all of the kids in our program.”

This attention to character helped foster deep

COURTESY OF GARFIELD PARK LITTLE LEAGUE

COURTESY OF GARFIELD PARK LITTLE LEAGUE

connections on teams.

“We were not just coaches, we for med relationships,” Brim said. “We for med community within the community.” This included organizing outings to go bowling and skating, plus other activities to keep kids engaged outside of baseball.

“Every Friday, I had kids that wanted to stay at my house,” Brim added. “We can create this program where these kids feel like, ‘I can share things with you that I can’t share with my mom and dad.’ And then mom and dad trust us enough to know that I love your child. I love my community.”

Garfield Park Little League also prioritizes kids performing well in school.

“First thing I ask them every day: ‘How’s your grades?’” Brim said.

In 2016, the little league launched its Bases Loaded program, communicating with teachers and parents to improve players’ grades and attendance at school. If a kid is misbehaving or often absent, they are connected with tutoring and academic resources, and they don’t get to play in a baseball game.

“We have to show them that if you don’t do what you’re supposed to, you don’t get what you want all the time,” Brim said. “You want to play baseball, you don’t need to.” This teaches them about the give and take of life.

“I can square the ball up and hit it hard, and still somebody’s playing defense. That’s what life is all about,” Brim said.

Garfield Park Little League’s seventeenth season starts May 1. Sign up to play at https://www.gp-league.org/.

TAmerica’s camel’s back

he saying, “it was the straw that broke the camel’s back” fascinates me. The image of one thin, wispy, little straw being added onto the back of a camel that suddenly breaks the animal’s back is almost impossible to visualize. But the reality is that it can happen.

I am not a die-hard conspiracy theorist. But I do tend to take what would seem to be unrelated occurrences and somehow my mind manages to connect those dots

America right now has loads of “straws” that, when placed upon her back, will break it. Let’s start with something a lot of people may not have paid attention to. Over the past couple of years, random stories have appeared telling of what is now a common situation. A number of mobile-home parks have been purchased by new owners. Many of them out of state. Some out of the country. What was once a sustainable way to live has now doubled or tripled in price, causing people who live there not to be able to af ford it. On the surface, many might not care. But it directly

JONES

affects a lot of seniors, and folks with limited income. That destabilizes part of America’s foundation.

Another housing crisis: Single-family homes being purchased and held by businesses. They are literally controlling the housing market. And when it’s done by a foreign entity, one has to question their motives.

Food and far mland too, again being purchased by people outside of this country. One only has to look back to this past Christmas when the price of a bucket of chitlins was almost $50. Why would they do that? That particular company is owned by someone from China — American food being controlled by another nation, using up local water to produce the crop.

Then there is the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and the damage it did. Americans will be paying for that rebuild.

T he straws are individually being stacke d on the A merican camel’s back. Which will be the one to break it?

MATERNAL H

Saving live from page 1

16. The program will provide free suppo from staf f to answer questions and share resources with expecting and new parents through the first year of their was announced in conjunction with a panel discussion at Bethel New Life on North Lamon Avenue during Black Maternal Child Health Week.

Black women in Illinois are more than twice as likely to die from pr related conditions than wh according to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s 2023 Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report. But the maternal mortality rate is nearly six times higher for Black women than white women in Chicago, Crain’s Chicago Business reported. And when Black moms are at risk, so are their babies. The West Side experiences some of the highest numbers of term births and low birth city, according to the Chicago Health Atlas.

“Next door in West Garfield Park, rates of low birth weight are nearly triple the rates in Lakeview,” said Ayesha Jaco, West Side United’s executive director. More than 17% of all babies born in West Garfield Park from 2017 to 2021 were under 5-and-ahalf-pounds.

Over the same span of time, 58 infant deaths were reported in Austin, the highest number of any Chicago neighborhood.

“I can, of f the top of my head, think of five of my cousins and other family members and friends who have been in danger in a hospital because of pulmonary embolisms right after birth, or other complications,” said Tyrina Newkirk, one of the panelists and a vice president of the Chicago West Side Branch of the NAACP. She asked the room to raise a hand if they or someone they knew had experienced similar complications, and about half of over 50 attendees did.

Why race matters in healthcare

While many components contribute to these statistics, factors include inequalities in healthcare, doctors’ biases and socioeconomic statuses, which impact access to housing and healthy food — all of which are seen on Chicago’s West Side after decades of systemic disinvestment from the area.

Oliver experienced this first hand. A white doctor told her she wouldn’t be able to

conceive. But what the medical staff didn’t tell her was that when they removed her cyst, they also removed one of her ovaries.

Nathalie McCammon-Chase — a family physician at McCammon-Chase Total Wellness Center in Oak Park, another panelist April 16 and Oliver’s doctor since she was 14 — discovered Oliver’s singular ovary during an ultrasound. Oliver confirmed this through her medical records and was told that her ovary and cyst would be used for research.

“The only person that I would even want to sit in front of and trust was Doctor McCammon,” Oliver said.

Increasing access to Black medical professionals on the West Side was just one point that panelists touched on during discussion in order to help Black parents and babies.

Dr. Mai Heath, a naturopathic doctor and founding director of NDoula Community Alliance, said she wants to see a more holistic approach to healthcare for Black mothers. This includes more trauma-infor med care, plus access to doulas and midwives, in addition to doctor office checkups.

“I like this idea of us moving away from having this biomedical supremacy and having more of a peer interaction,” Heath said. “These are some frameworks that some health institutions and some clinics are moving towards, and I think that those things are helping,” she said, both with patient comfort and trust.

Panelists mentioned doulas and midwife services several times throughout the panel.

Jeanne Sparrow, a show host for radio station V103 and the panel’s moderator, started the discussion with a story about her own relationship with midwives. Sparrow’s great grandmother and great aunt were midwives, delivering most of the babies in their South Louisiana community.

“This is something that we have always done, taking care of each other,” Sparrow said. “This is the community that we are talking about building on.”

“We are, as black women, trying to give birth in a system that was not designed for us,” Newkirk said. “We’re going to come across some challenges trying to give birth in a system that looks different from how we traditionally gave birth, in a more holistic, caring way.”

The West Side Healthy Parents & Babies program aims to provide access to holistic, caring healthcare, and started those ef for ts at the panel.

Dr. April Bellamy-Peyton, a retired pediatrician sitting next to a pregnant woman, stood up to introduce herself and the woman, and summarize their conversation before the panel.

“I asked her, did she get her prenatal care?” Bellamy-Peyton said to the room.

“No,” the pregnant woman answered into the microphone.

“I asked her, ‘Why?’ Bellamy-Peyton said. The woman cried through her answer,

“because I feel like, when I had my first son, I was going to die.”

Although the woman said she doesn’t have a primary ca re provider, she was connected to services through the West Side Healthy Parents & Babies program after the panel.

“I hope the re gistration, the QR code, the phone is ringing of f the hook for this program to the point where we have to hire more people and more navigators and more advocates,” said Dr. Shawn Smith, a panelist who is also an attending physician at Lurie Children’s and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Vice President Kamala Harris even wrote a letter to applaud the new program.

“By facilitating access to essential resources, including prenatal and postpartum care, you are all playing a vital role in supporting our Nation’s most vulnerable and underserved communities,” Harris said in the statement. “Your work is creating an invaluable model for other organizations, cities and states to follow.”

The panel wrapped with a call to action for the room of attendees: “Think about the pregnant person in your life and how you are in support of them,” Newkirk said. “It looks like you showing up in spaces like this and taking that information back to other people. It looks like you finding a way to give your time, your expertise, because everyone is an expert in something.”

JESSICA MOR DACQ

Le to right: Shaw n Smith, Nathalie McCammon-Chase, Mai Heath, Ty rina Newkirk and Jeanne Sparrow.

Explore nearby restaurants with new food tour

Yummy Food Tours helps foodies learn about Oak Park’s scene

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter

Have you ever wanted to explore the food scene nearby? T here’s a new food tour for that.

This one in Oak Park touches not only its history, but also the flavors it serves up, too.

Yummy Food Tours launched this spring with the goal of introducing tourists and locals alike to the variety and quality of foods available in various neighborhoods.

These walking tours take groups of no more than 10 people to locations in the Hemingway District, Harrison Street Arts District, Pleasant District or Downtown Oak Park

Karina Silvestre and Ryan Gonzalez started their food careers working in Oak Park restaurants. A few years on, the entrepreneurs opened a mobile bar, catering to corporate and special events, but something about

dining in Oak Park kept them thinking.

“We realized there’s so many good restaurants here in Oak Park and we would notice a lot of tourists that would come to Oak Park,” Silvestre said. “And when it came time to eat, they almost looked a little bit confused and we know there’s good food culture here. We realized there was a gap in the market.”

“We like to travel as well. Every time we traveled some place new we would always do a food tour. Getting to know the area and g etting to know the culture,” Gonzale z added.

Now they are bringing that experience to Oak Park.

On a recent Wednesday, the pair led a tour through the Hemmingway District starting in front of the library with a quick overview of the history of Oak Park Gonzalez talked about Scoville Park and its first white inhabitants, the Kettlestrings; Percy Julian’s contributions; and Unity Temple and Frank Lloyd Wright. “We’re going to walk a little bit to drum up some hunger,” Gonzalez said. “Kind of break things up in between and talk about the history, culture and landmarks.”

Queijo – Brazilian cheese bread.

The next stop was a twist: dessert second! At Candycopia, a flight of chocolates from around the world tickled the palate. And each person walked away with a tin of candies selected from their extensive jar bar.

The next stop was across Lake Street at Hoja Santa Bar y Cocina. The group sat down to ceviche and birria pizza, beef shank and short ribs, scallions, cilantro, and cheese, elegantly topped with watermelon radishes.

The last stop was more than a block away work up more appetite. At Cucina Paradiso on North Boulevard, the treats were bacon wrapped dates and rigatoni Bolognese. Cocktails are not part of the packaged tour, but diners were able to order ones that they paid for individually.

The tour’s operators have gotten a good response from restaurants they’ve reached out to be a part of the action.

“A lot of them have wanted to participate. And they all want to serve a ton of food. Because they’re excited. But because we’re making many stops, we keep it limited,” Silvestre said.

the tours based on the number of stops and the restaurants. The Hemingway District tour was $100 per person.

As the weather warms, Silvestre and Gonzalez said they hope that tourists will find them via their website, yummyfoodtours.biz, and Trip Advisor’s marketplace for travel experiences – Viator. They also hope that word of mouth spreads in town too. They feel the tour would be perfect for entertaining guests, a friend-group outing, or just exploring your own hometown.

“Our tour gives people a chance to come and see a place that maybe they’ve walked by in the past,” Gonzalez said. “They can try it on our tour then maybe come back once they’ve had a taste.”

As their business expands, they hope to still relationships with more business

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Yummy Food Tour ow ners Ryan Gonzalez and Karina Silvestre.

RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR

Candycopia jar bar

More postpartum coverage, ban on kangaroos among measures to pass House

Lawmakers also outlaw AI-generated child porn, ne-tune prisoner medical release law

By ALEX ABBEDUTO & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois

A

Growing

Community Media partnership

Illinois kangaroo owners are one step closer to being forced to surrender their marsupials this week after the House passed a bill criminalizing their possession.

That was one of more than 300 bills to pass the House ahead of last Friday’s procedural deadline.

If it becomes law, House Bill 4446 would expand the list of outlawed animals to include two species of wild cats – servals and caracals – along with wallabies and kangaroos. Animals, like lions, tigers and bears are already banned from being pets under current law.

Bill sponsor Rep. Daniel Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, assured Rep. Charlie Meier, ROkawville, his district’s petting zoo would be allowed to keep its kangaroo, assuming it is under the care of a licensed handler.

“We are not closing petting zoos in Illinois,” Didech said during debate. “This is actually a very serious bill that was brought to me by law enforcement.”

He said it was in response to aggressive animal encounters in Vernon Hills, Decatur and Bloomington.

The bill currently grants exemptions for films produced in Illinois to use outlawed animals. It also prevents veterinarians who administer emergency medicine to banned animals from being sued unless it’s a case of malpractice.

The penalty for illegally owning one of the illegal animals remains a Class C misdemeanor. The measure passed the House 67-34 and heads to the Senate.

AI-generated child porn

A bill that would outlaw the creation and sharing of child pornog raphy made using artificial intelligence unanimously ad-

vanced to the Senate this week.

House Bill 4623, which was backed Attorney General Kwame Raoul, would expand current child pornog raphy laws to also cover AI-generated child pornog raph

The bill sponsor, Rep. Jennifer Gong Gershowitz, D-Glenview, said if AI-generated child pornog raphy rapidly increases, law enforcement’s ability to identify real cases would be more difficult. She also said “while no real child may be harmed with AI-generated content, the harm is that it normalizes abusive behavior” by depicting the crime.

Pregnanc y and postpartum care

A bill expanding insurance coverage of pregnancy, postpartum and newborn care advanced to the Senate last Thursday, as well.

Under House Bill 5142, which is backed by Gov. JB Pritzker, insurance coverage through certain state-regulated plans would be extended to include doulas, midwives, home births, lactation consultants, breastfeeding supplies and more. Other insurance plans, like those federally re gulated under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, would be excluded. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Robyn Gabel, DEvanston, said she thinks increasing coverage of this type of care will save women’s and babies’ lives.

Financial experts estimate implementing these changes would cost the Department of Insurance $260,000.

The bill passed out of the House 72-37. During debate, a few Republicans expressed concerns with this coverage also being extended to people undergoing abortion services.

Junk Fees Ban

A proposal to bar companies that aren’t already subject to price re gulations from

imposing “junk fees” on consumers passed the House Thursday in a 71-35 vote.

House Bill 4629, called the Junk Fee Ban Act, would require companies to provide consumers with the full price of the provided goods or services thereby removing back-end, hidden fees.

Bill sponsor Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, said when he was recently at a restaurant, the receipt listed a surcharge to cover the increased cost of food rather than increasing the prices on the menu. His bill would ban such practices and increase transparency, he said.

“Junk fees are exactly what they sound like. They’re hidden, deceptive, predatory fees. They’re added by businesses without you knowing,” Morgan said Thursday “And they exploit each and every one of us for their extra profit.”

Prisoner Medical Release Hearings

A bill to add transparency and reporting measures to prisoner medical release hearings passed in a 72-34 vote last Wednesday.

House Bill 5396 would amend the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act, which took effect in 2022. That law established the process for an inmate to petition the Prisoner Review Board for an early release due to terminal illness or medical disability.

Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said the bill aims “to make sure PRB complies with

the letter and the spirit of the original law.”

“It’s my view that there are individuals who are perhaps eligible for release under this Act who haven’t been able to take advantage of it yet,” Guzzardi said. “But in order for us to really make sure that that happens, we have to have these hearings working right.”

The bill clarifies that hearings concerning a prisoner’s potential release are public by default unless requested to be closed by the petitioning inmate. The petitioner has the right to attend the hearing to speak on their own behalf.

The bill would also require the PRB to provide public notice including the petitioner’s name and attorney, the docket number, and the hearing date. Voting would take place during the public hearing. If the petition is denied, the PRB must publish a decision letter outlining the statutory reason for denial and an estimated cost, including medical expenses, of keeping the inmate incarcerated.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.

C APITO L N EW S ILLINOIS PHOTO BY JERRY NOWICKI State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deer eld, is pictured on the House oor on ursday, April 18.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys,

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, examine the court file, CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100, BURR RIDGE, IL, 60527 (630) 794-9876

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

CODILIS & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 15W030 NORTH FRONTAGE ROAD, SUITE 100 BURR RIDGE IL, 60527 630-794-5300

E-Mail: pleadings@il.cslegal.com

Attorney File No. 14-23-02738

estate: Commonly known as 4931 W HIRSCH ST, CHICAGO, IL 60651 Property Index No. 16-04-214-0100000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION

CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SERVICES, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DARYL L. SMITH A/K/A DARYL LEE SMITH, RODNEY SMITH, EDWARD SMITH JR., DAMON RITENHOUSE AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE, DERRICK SMITH, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 1785

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-16-206-018-0000.

Commonly known as 5100 W. QUINCY ST., CHICAGO, IL 60644.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a multi-family residence. The successful purchaser is entitled to possession of the property only. The purchaser may only obtain possession of units within the multi-unit property occupied by individuals named in the order of possession.

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Mr. Ira T. Nevel at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Law Offices of Ira T. Nevel, 175 North Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606. (312) 357-1125. 18-05318 XOME INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3241531

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION REGIONS BANK D/B/A REGIONS MORTGAGE Plaintiff, -v.RYON R. LONG A/K/A RYON LONG, COASTAL COMMUNITY BANK, 757 ORLEANS AT CHICAGO CONDOMINIUM, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS

Defendants 23 CH 7725 757 North Orleans Street, Apartment 1204 CHICAGO, IL 60654

Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 757 North Orleans Street, Apartment 1204, CHICAGO, IL 60654 Property Index No. 17-09-201-0181072

The real estate is improved with a condominium. The judgment amount was $430,054.93.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact The sales clerk, LOGS Legal Group LLP Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301, Bannockburn, IL, 60015 (847) 2911717 For information call between the hours of 1pm - 3pm.. Please refer to file number 23-099301.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

2024, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R,

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE

You can also visit The

Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. LOGS Legal Group LLP 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301 Bannockburn IL, 60015

are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Case # 23 CH 7725 I3241713

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTCHANCERY DIVISION LOANDEPOT.COM, LLC; Plaintiff, vs. CARLOS O. DEJESUS; CITY OF CHICAGO; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 23 CH 9538

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-13-408-034-0000. Commonly known as 2730 W. Polk Street, Chicago, IL 60612. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Mr. John Kienzle at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Marinosci Law Group, PC,

AS MORTGAGEE, AS NOMINEE FOR COUNTRYWIDE BANK, N.A., UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON­ RECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants

22 CH 06054 2131 WEST 18TH STREET CHICAGO, IL 60608

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 26, 2024, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 29, 2024, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 2131 WEST 18TH STREET, CHICAGO, IL 60608

Property Index No. 17-19-304-0120000 The real estate is improved with a two unit apartment building. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4).

If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.