Riders of Chicago’s Metra could soon be in for a treat. But it is quite a long time coming. Given
that over 50% of its rail cars have been in use for more than four decades, a renovation
has been needed for a while. And now
thankfully, that will happen.
On Monday, a news conference took place discussing plans for
the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)and Rebuild Illinois Program. With a $45 billion expenditure budget, Metra
is earmarked to a decent amount of money, enough to implement some substantial
changes within the next five years.
James Derwinski, CEO and Executive of the Metra Board of
Directors explained:
“In the next five years, we are going to be able to put out a contract for new cars…that is the first and the biggest one passengers will see all over the system. We are going to be investing in technologies that are going to be looking at the gate circuits and also the switches out there…and start providing critical data before they fail.”
Meanwhile commuters to
Indianapolis will be happy to learn that on July 1st OurBus began a
trial route to Chicago. The New York
company is charging $10 for each rider, following customer feedback indicating
a need for this. The route it will take will begin in Downtown Indianapolis
(across from the IndyGo Transit Center), then stop in Zionsville, Lafayette and
complete its route between Canal Street and the Chicago River in Jackson
Boulevard.
Finger Licking’s menu features a $22.99 lobster meal
Whenever there is new business development in
an area, it leads to job creation. Large
metropolitan areas are delighted when this happens and policymakers usually do
whatever they can to facilitate the process. In this article we look at two companies: one
large (Ford Motor Company) and one small (The Licking Chicago) to see what
their current plans are in the region.
At the far South Side, a renovation of two Ford
Plants (costing $1 billion) has just
been completed. One of the plants was the
company’s oldest continuously producing one.
It has now been completely converted to a state-of-the-art facility in
order to construct the new Ford Explore.
Featuring a brand-new paint shop, advanced tooling (which will be used
for the development of the new SUV line) and contemporary body shop, the remodeling
took a mere month to complete. Although
there will be over 650 robots, this does not seem to have affected the massive
job creation that has emerged from this project. The sentiment was echoed by Local
551 Union Chairman Alan Millender who
said he was “surprised[since with] the new robots, you think would take
jobs away, but it actually added jobs in Chicago. My dad worked 51.4 years here
he would be amazed what this plant has come from.”
Ford Motor Company President Joe Hinrichs
said:
“We’re proud of our commitment to the South Side of Chicago. 95 years of being here. This investment says a lot about the community and our support we get here, our great workforce. The Explorer Aviator is sold out for this year and we think next year as well. So, great signs for this community, including the stamping plant, and a big commitment by Ford.”
On a smaller scale, a popular Miami chain restaurant – Finga Licking – has just opened at 5045 W. Madison. The owner – popular hip-hop/rap, artist/producer DJ Khaled – is seeking to “make the franchise accessible and bring jobs to communities that need them.” This sentiment was echoed by Sharod Robinson, regional manager who said:
“We’re about bringing jobs and creation to the urban neighborhoods. We employee over 100 employees and all of them are from within the community.”
Community building can be engineered
in a variety of different ways. Some
involve the actual construction of buildings, renovations, enhancements and
others are more connected to development of tradition or creation of events. In this article we look at two recent efforts
in the region to build, maintain and strengthen Chicago community.
The first example is what is happening
in Vernon Hills with the Hawthorn Mall property. Centennial Real Estate is preparing to begin
its $6.2 million revamp of the center court. The goal is to construct a multi-use “central
park” environment. This will involve a
complete transformation of the area, hopefully in time for the holiday shopping
season.
It is hoped that this space will feature: coffee store/wine bar; two treelike
sculptures; lounges on upper level and more, resulting in a “sophisticated
parklike experience,” that is “interactive, engaging [and suitable] for all
ages.”
Uplifting a neighborhood and providing new experiences for the youth and other demographics is another way of building community. A recent example of this is the partnership between the 8000 Euclid block club and My Block My Hood My City. According to 8000 Euclid Block Club Founder and President, Pam Bilal, these organizations can really result in a bolstering of a city. She said:
“In a diverse city like Chicago with a lot of segregation, often times people like to stay in their own little pocket and just take care of themselves. And we want people to understand that it’s not about the little man, it’s about the community. And we want to have a vibrant, exciting, financially stable community. So that’s why we start block clubs.”
Rehabilitating ex-prisoners is never ever easy. It comes with so many challenges and despite
people’s best efforts recidivism rates are huge. Indeed, a report conducted
last year found that:
“Forty-three percent of those released from prison each year recidivate within three years of release and 17% will recidivate within one year of release…Taxpayers of Illinois pay one third- or $50,835 – of the cost of recidivism…for law enforcement, court costs and the costs of imposing sentences of community supervision or incarceration in county jails or state prisons.”
That’s why the recent efforts being made on the west side of Chicago using honey bees has to be welcome news! One example of the positive impact of this program is from James Jones who was released from prison earlier this year after a three-and-a-half-year service for drug selling. While he has a vision for what he wants to do ultimately (truck driving and even owning a truck company), for now he is in a halfway house training to be a bee handler.
Jones is one of many individuals hired by Sweet Beginnings – skin care
products maker (using honey) which has five bee farms in the greater Chicago
area for its company Beelove. Clearly this name is very appropriate since it shows its love by “offer[ing] full-time,
transitional jobs to previously incarcerated individuals like Jones, who need
help reintegrating into society. The new hires are trained to become beekeepers
and learn about harvesting honey, production, filling orders, packaging,
shipping and selling.”Jones reported he felt “excited” by being given a
chance. Getting a job isn’t easy when
one has had no prior experience and not even a CV.
Founded by Brenda Palms Barber in 2005 in North Lawndale, the idea behind
it was to “provide the workplace skills former inmates needed to rebuild their
lives.” Barber explained:
“The typical reaction we get when [former inmates] come to us is ‘What?,'” said Barber. “They don’t believe we are a real business until they see the products in stores. Then they realize they’re being hired by a real company and it boosts their self-esteem.”
And it’s working. Close to 500
workers have been hired and have been offered 90-day employment and training
with a $10 per hour starting wage.
What’s really impressive is the statistic that less than 4% of
workers have returned to prison since the program has started.
In related news, a new
appointment has been made at the Illinois Department of Corrections
(IDOC). Rob Jeffreys – a renowned criminal
justice expert – has been in the industry for more than 20 years having worked
at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections in corrections
management. He is Chief of Staff at the
Agency, directing the Office of Human Resources (ODRC), IT and Strategic
Initiatives Bureaus; he will now become Bureau Chief of Classification and
Reception at ODRC.
This video – put together by the Western Journal – attests to the dominance of Chicago in the political sphere of Illinois. As such, a proposed legislation from Halbrook – Resolution 101 – is requesting that Congress remove Chicago from the state of Illinois and make it a separate state.
Englewood is getting a new high school. The public educational institute will open
its doors later this year and will feature modern, high-tech, quality
facilities. This is particularly good
news for the neighborhood since over the last few years it has witnessed the
closure of many schools.
An opening day was held this past Saturday at the Kennedy King
College’s gym which seemed like a graduation ceremony! Attended by parents of future students, this
$85 million STEM school – located at the old Robeson High School at 6835 S.
Norman – will initially be available for 9th-12th
graders. According
to Janice Jackson, CPS CEO:
“Our design was to ensure this was a neighborhood school. We’re so excited to bring a high-quality option right here in their backyard that the students can go to and be proud of.”
Taking an
umbrella look at comprehensive look at how Emanuel Rahm is leaving his
Mayorship we find that there
is an “all time high graduation rate nearing 80 percent…within the Chicago
Public Schools system.” Also the rate of
learning has increased to 96 percent throughout America’s schools districts,
even compared to far wealthier ones.
According to Emanuel:
“There was never a problem we pushed down the road or kicked the can on. We confronted every problem: Everything that had gotten worse because we had avoided making tough calls, we confronted head on.”
Rahm’s
achievements since taking office include: STAR program; formation of the free,
pre-K program for 4 year olds; getting more money for a new school funding
formula.
Committing
to 100 percent clean energy is not only great for the environment but is also a
very good business decision. This is probably
why “the world’s most influential companies [are] committed to 100
renewable energy.” Chicago has now
followed suit, becoming the nation’s “largest city” to make this commitment.
What this means is that the 2.7 million inhabitants will be subject to clean and
renewable energy in all buildings by 2035 and by 2040 all 1,850 CTA buses
will be electrified.
Thanks
to Resolution
R2019-157 a transition plan has been codified. Thus by the end of next year
a timeline and milestones will be put in place.
Locals have been very involved in this endeavor which, according to Jobs
to Move America (Illinois) Campaign Director Kassie Byer is “integral to its
future success.” She said:
“The Chicago Collective who wrote this resolution, proves that not only can Chicago build a climate-safe future for next generations, but that a truly just transition also creates good, family-sustaining jobs.”
Over
in Bronzeville positive effects are being felt thanks to ComEd. The Beethoven
Elementary School has a pathway that is now lit up thanks to off-grid lights
powered by renewable energy! ComEd
installed the 30-feet tall RPUs via mini power plants which do not connect to
the electric grid. Instead they get
their energy from battery storage, solar panels and wind turbine and are
manufactured by ARIS Renewable Energy.
It is anticipated that this new facility will actually create 48
permanent jobs, which in turn will revitalize Chicago’s neighborhoods. This is good for the entire city of
Chicago. As Alderman Michael Scott Jr.
said, it’s not just the jobs that this creates for Chicago. The positive effect of this is the
transformation of the community and its surrounding residents.
This is not the only construction happening in Chicago. In fact,
if one takes a look at the city’s skyline they will see a whole slew of high
rises and tower cranes as new projects begin and others take root. The fact is, 2019 is set to welcome the
construction of 4,400 units comprising offices, hotels, condos and other
buildings.
For low cost and free business workshops, training, classes and discussions. Business management and marketing, tax preparation, expansions, development. How to start a business locally (new business registration, compiling a business plan, etc.)
There are
many opportunities in Chicago for those wishing to start a business, expand on
their projects or move in a new entrepreneurial direction. This Friday is the
Annual Food Policy Summit. Taking place
at the south Shore Culture Center, the event – from 9.30am to 5.pm – is
organized by the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) in conjunction with
the Detection and Classification of Acoustic Scenes and Events (DCASE). Now in its 14th year, a series of
workshops, food demos and resources will be available. Click here
for more information.
Small
business owners and will be able to learn how they can participate in the City
Markets program as well as benefit from Chicago’s vending opportunities.
Next week on
March 18, a workshop will be hosted by the Chicago City Markets Team, in
conjunction with Logan Square Farmers Market and Bronzeville Boxville Market
executives. Discussions for new market
applicants will be centered on how to find a market most appropriate for one’s
needs.
In other Chicago business expansion
news we see the movement of security integrator Security 101 opening a new
office in Chicago. It will be run by David Ritland who is both
owner and president; a man who has expanded another company – The Sentral Group
– to five American and one Mexican plant.
CEO of the firm, Steve Crespo said:
“Chicago is an exciting market with a number of growing businesses and organizations needing quality integrated security to protect employees and assets. Dave and his team will be backed by the Security 101 organization and its other franchise offices.”
