Issue #2 December 2013 18th Ward Community Newsletter The 18th Ward is a one stop shop to live, work, shop, play, do business, raise a family and worship. Overnight Winter Parking Ban is in Effect Inside this Issue Avoid Having Your Car Towed, Watch for the “NO PARKING” SIGNS Affordable Healthcare Act The signs are visible annually, but the ordinance is in effect from December 1st through April 1st. Avoid having your car towed and facing hefty fines by adhering to Event Recaps the signs. The parking restrictions are applicable during the time frame even if there is no snow on the ground. The signs are clearly posted and will be enforced for 107 miles of critical, arterial streets. The reason for the ban is to allow a clear path for Overnight Winter Parking Ban plowing and salting city streets during snow falls; often, snow collects around parked cars reducing the flow of traffic. Violators face a minimum tow fee of $150, in addition SSA #14 - No Tax Increase to a $60 ticket and a $20 per day impound fee. The Department of Streets and Sanitation has started posting flyers on cars parked in restricted areas as an additional reminder to motorists. More Purchase Options for the City of Chicago Vehicle A map of the Overnight Parking Ban routes is available at: Sticker http://www.cityofchicago.org/streets and much more...look inside Need Help Staying Warm This Winter furnaces, boilers, and water heaters Home Energy Jumpstart Program through the Peoples Gas and North Shore Offers FREE Resources Gas Home Energy Rebate Program. Homeowners can reduce their energy and water use with FREE installation of: To Get Started programmable thermostats, showerheads, After School Matters faucet aerators, pipe insulation, and Call: 855-849-8928 Gets $25 Million in compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). Have your ComEd, Peoples Gas, Participants in the program may be Programmatic or North Shore Gas eligible to receive a $250 bonus rebate, in account numbers available Funding addition to standard rebates on qualifying In Memory of Nelson Mandela July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013 From Prisoner to President “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its’ opposite.” - Nelson Mandela Stay Connected to Current Information & Events Residents stay connected to 18th Ward news & events through the following ways: . Quarterly newsletter, distributed by . Distribution of information to 18th Ward churches, volunteer City Service Representatives schools, businesses, and libraries (Wrightwood- and available in the service office for Ashburn and Scottsdale). pickup . Website: www.lonalane18thward.com . The answering service provides a list of upcoming events . www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/about/wards/18.html . Community and CAPS meetings that are . Social Media: o Facebook – Lona Lane attended by Aldermanic staff o Twitter - @lona_lane . Daily Southtown and Southwest News Herald newspapers From the Desk of Alderman Lona Lane Alderman Lona Lane Hello 18th Ward Residents and Business Owners; Tis’ the season to be jolly. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. As another year comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and prosperous New Year. I would also like to reflect on the good that we each have encountered and pass on blessings to those less fortunate. While the holidays give us reason to become more festive, it also requires us to become more attentive. While shopping, be safe by practicing the following tips: Shop during daylight, if you go at night, try to have someone accompany you; don’t carry oversized purses; reduce the amount of cash you carry; and stay alert regarding your surroundings. We as a community have to look out for one another to ensure that the 18th Ward is one of the safest in the City of Chicago. My priorities for the Ward have always included Public Safety, Economic Development, Education, and City Services. The 18th Ward has been fortunate to have several new businesses open within our boundaries, including the re-opening of the Tastee Freez located on 83rd and Kedzie. The new Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy was recently visited by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, along with IBM’s Chief Executive Officer, Google Executive Chairman and myself. Currently, over two hundred of the finest City Service Representatives a Ward can have are acting as the eyes and ears of their blocks, relaying neighborhood concerns to the 18th Ward Service Office. I am proud of the services we provide residents and the activities we engage in to make the 18th Ward a great place to live, work, shop, play, do business, raise a family, and worship. This edition of the 18th Ward Newsletter shares information ranging from Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Chicago in support of the opening of a new Women’s Domestic Violence Shelter to the changes regarding handicap parking placards implemented by Secretary of State, Jesse White’s Office. Our newsletter reflects the generous donation from filmmaker George Lucas and his wife Melody Hobson to the After School Matters Program. As I reflect on my years as Alderman, I am humbled by the amount of support I receive from the 18th Ward residents and community leaders. I pledge to continue to serve you diligently by listening to your concerns and acting on your requests. I have loved this Ward since I was a child and I will continue to love this Ward and work with anyone trying to make the 18th Ward sustainable for future years. Sincerely, Lona Lane, Alderman, 18th Ward Vice President Joe Biden Takes a Stand Against Violence Toward Women Wings Metro Domestic Violence Center L-to-R: Senator Dick Durbin, Vice President Joe Biden, L-to-R: Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Senator Dick Durbin & Vice President Joe Biden Alderman Lane and Mayor Rahm Emanuel The Vice President visited Chicago to announce the house women and children, along with retail and resale shops construction of a new shelter for women domestic violence on the first floor. The shelter will also allow work victims. The Vice President helped to ensure the safety of opportunities for women, as well as social services. women by making their protection possible from the federal level through the Violence Against Women Act, which he Did You Know? authored as a U.S. Senator representing Delaware in 1991. Attendees included: Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Alderman Lona 85% of domestic violence is against women. Lane, State Rep. Dan Burke (1st), whose district the shelter is rd For more information on domestic violence visit, located in, Ald. Michael Zalewski (23 ), whose ward will include the shelter, Sister Margaret Zalot, and Dennis Ryan, of The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence website at: Holy Cross Hospital. The shelter, to be named WINGS Metro, www.ncadv.org is expected to have 40 beds and is the first shelter built in Chicago in more than a decade. The residential facility will In Attendance at the Ceremony Marquette Park Ribbon-Cutting Lona Lane Claudia Flores Alderman, 18th Ward CPD, Marquette Vincent Iturralde Kevin Glover Tarkington School 18th Ward Service Office Daphne Johnson Chicago Park Supervisors Chicago Park District Ed Affolter (Ridge) Colin Taylor Friends of the Park Kevin Ashe (Munroe) Doug Borders (Marquette) Marge Burke A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday, Tim Bus (Tarkington) December 6, 2013 to celebrate the re- Chicago Park District opening of the newly renovated park Max Kobrinetz (Dooley) Yeama Vincent-Neal playground, located at 71st and California Chicago Park District Paul Pope (West Lawn) Avenue. The park provides a safe and fun Calvin Richardson (Oakdale) environment for the kids to play. Dominic Cappaceli CPD, Tarkington Tarria Tyner (O’Hallaren) 1 ToSenior Fair - Veteran’s Appreciation Ceremony Other Veterans Acknowledged Theodore Alexander Thomas Babbington Anthony Beckley Lionel Bowsky George Davis Moses Farr Alfred Grimes Sidney Loften Elder Don Meeks Michael Norwood Randolph Wells Edgar Williams Veterans attending the Senior Fair Gregory Williams Senior Fair provided seniors with important mingled with attendees. The Information, Resources & information, resources and event concluded with an exciting Guest Speakers giveaways. Walgreens provided raffle where winners walked More than 200 seniors attended flu shots and Advocate Health away with gifts such as turkeys Alderman Lona Lane’s 18th Ward conducted glucose, blood pressure for Thanksgiving, gift baskets, Annual Senior Fair at Hayes Park and cholesterol screenings. The travel bags, potted plants, pen located at 2936 W. 85th Street. The event also consisted of a Veterans sets, and Ultra Food gift cards. attendees enjoyed visiting the Appreciation Ceremony where Residents also enjoyed lunch tables of more than 30 exhibitors cadets from the Bronzeville provided by The Renaissance at from state, local and not for profit Military Academy saluted soldiers 87th Street located in the 18th organizations. The exhibitors and Senior Clowns mixed and Ward. L-to-R: Elisha Walters, Alderman Lane, L-to R: Shirley Coleman & Alderman Lane, Commandant LTC Schoenfeld Lydia Williams and Christine Cassello Alderman Lane & Bronzeville Chicago Senior Clown Troupe Military Cadets 2 18th Ward Holds An Affordable Healthcare Information Session Just What the Doctor Ordered The 18th Ward hosted an information session on October 30, 2013 at Daley College to answer questions regarding the Affordable Healthcare Act. Speakers at the session included Charles Watkins, Regional Outreach Coordinator- Get Covered Illinois Office of the Governor at State of Illinois; Steven Glass, Executive Director of Managed Care at Cook County Health and Hospitals System; and Staci Diggs, Case Manager from Beloved Community Family Wellness Center.