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AUSTIN WEEKLY news
■ 29th Ward residents weigh in during participatory budgeting process, PAGE 10
Vol. 31 No.26
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June 28, 2017
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austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
@AustinWeeklyChi
@AustinWeeklyNews
Introducing ‘Twitter beat,’ page 3
Chicago mourns North Lawndale’s native son Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele died on June 19 at 55 By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Chicagoans are mourning the loss of Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele (2nd), who died unexpectedly on June 19 at the age of 55. Steele, a Type-2 diabetic, had been recovering from pneumonia. A lifelong resident of North Lawndale, Steele became commissioner of the 2nd District, which covers Chicago’s Loop and a significant portion of the West Side, in 2006 — the year Steele’s mother, Bobbie Steele, served a stint as Cook County board president. When Bobbie retired that year, Robert was appointed to replace her and serve out her term, to which she had just been re-elected. Before his tenure as a county commissioner, Steele had been a community outreach manager for the Chicago Park District and executive director of the Lawndale Business & Local Development Corporation. During his time on the county board, Steele was president pro-tempore, heading up meetings when Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was absent. He was also chairman of the Environmental Control Committee and See ROBERT STEELE on page 4
Inside the news: Denise against the world
WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer
Denise Mason stands in front of her former residence at 705 S. Independence Blvd. last month. She says her health deteriorated after living with mold that the building’s management refused to do anything about. Now, she’s fighting for current residents she believes are at risk and to get justice. Read more on page 8.
W. Side NAACP seeks pause on Emmet project The organization says more community input is needed By TERRY DEAN AustinTalks
The Westside Branch NAACP wants the proposed Emmet School health care campus put on hold until more community input is received about the project.
The organization has requested more details and clarity about the plan to build an all-purpose health care center at the closed Emmet School building at 5500 W. Madison. The project’s backers include PCC Community Wellness Center, Sinai Health System, and Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems. The Westside branch has expressed concerns about the project’s transparency as well as its impact on existing health care facilities in Austin and other West Side communities.
Until those questions are thoroughly answered, the organization wants all movement on the project temporarily suspended. “We should have some say in what’s being presented to us as a community,” said Karl Brinson, the branch’s president. The organization is also pushing for a detailed “Community Benefits Agreement” to hold developers to their promise of hiring West Siders as contractors and
Austin Chamber of Commerce on the move... 773.854.5848 • www.austinchicagochamber.com
See EMMET on page 6