Illinois legislators have introduced several key bills aimed at ending the state’s HIV epidemic by 2030 this month. Senator Lakesia Collins and Representative Kelly Cassidy filed the Connection to HIV Testing and Linkage to Care Act (HIV TLC). Senator Mike Simmons and Representative Hoan Huynh concurrently introduced the Strengthening and Protecting the Illinois HIV Funding Infrastructure bill (SPIHFI, pronounced “spiffy”). Supported by AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC), the leading HIV advocacy organization in Illinois, both the HIV TLC bill and the SPHFI bill recognize that ending the HIV epide ..read more

Born and raised in Mexico City, Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz, MD, Chicago’s own Physician Magician, will celebrate the festive Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend by once again performing a feat never before seen on Chicago stages: performing back-to-back magic shows in two different languages, Spanish and English, at The Rhapsody Theater, 1328 W. Morse Avenue, the weekend of May 4 & 5, 2024. The Spanish language editions of Physician Magician will mark the first full-length Spanish magic show on the Rhapsody Theater stage. Both days, Dr. Rosenkranz will perform two versions of his popular production ..read more

By: Ashmar Mandou The flooding of summer 2023 wreaked havoc for the Cicero community so much so Cicero officials wanted to meet the next potential natural disaster head on. On Monday evening, the Town of Cicero celebrated 75 volunteers who are now part of Cicero’s first certified emergency response team (CERT). Town President Larry Dominick celebrated this Town-wide accomplishment with a graduation ceremony at the council chambers. “It’s amazing to see so many people volunteer and that shows they’re part of the community. Like I said in the meeting, I volunteered for the Little League for 20 ..read more

Summertime in the Parks is mere months away, and the Chicago Park District is ensuring families can get a head start on their plans. The 6-week day camp session invites children ages 6 to 12 to connect through fun, safe, and inclusive activities. The day camp session runs from June 24, 2024 through August 2, 2024. For a full checklist of important dates, financial assistance, and registration information, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com. Options are available for early and extended camps to help families in need of additional services.  The Chicago Park District is also excited to ..read more

By: Ashmar Mandou Following Saturday’s Back of the Yards shooting that left 10 wounded and 9-year-old Ariana Molina dead, dozens of mourners took to the streets of Back of the Yards on Monday afternoon to speak out against the increase in gun violence in Chicago. In response, the Chicago police and community organizations opened an emergency assistance center near the scene of the shooting at the center at Richard J. Daley Academy, 5024 S. Wolcott Avenue and was open to the public. “We are here to serve all the victims of gun violence,” Glen Brooks, director of community policing for the Chi ..read more

Chicago’s National Landmark Auditorium Theatre (50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive) announces its 2024-25 performance season presenting a vibrant mix of contemporary and culturally significant dance companies, and the return of the Auditorium’s powerful Too Hot to Handel concert presentation.  Kicking off the season October 19 is the rousing return of Step Afrika!, the first professional dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, now marking its 30th Anniversary. March 2025 begins with a full weekend of the stunning and visually opulent history, culture, music, and dance of Mexico with ..read more

For the second year, Sinai Community Institute (SCI) was awarded a $150,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health to expand access to training and education on safe sleep practices for infants. This campaign focuses on outreach and education to expand community-based promotion of safe sleep practices, promote resources to improve safe sleep environments, identify sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) disparities, and address opportunities for improvement in safe sleep education and outreach. With the help of lead community partners Chicago Birthworks Collective, Telpochcalli Com ..read more

Governor JB Pritzker joined Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and advocates to highlight the State’s proposed $10 million investment to eliminate up to $1 billion in medical debt for 340,000 low-income Illinoisans. In partnership with Cook County, which already implemented a similar program for county residents, the event aimed to garner support for legislation that will fund a debt relief program statewide. Undue Medical Debt acquires medical debts belonging to: individuals four times or below the federal poverty level or those whose me ..read more

The Cook County Department of Public Health has released the second confirmed case of measles in Cook County. The location of the measles case, while infectious, was at the Super Mercado Torres at 5310 W. 25th Street, Cicero, IL, 60804, between the dates of April 6th and April 10th, 2024. Anyone who has spent time at this location during the below dates and times may have been exposed to measles: 4/6/24: 7:00am – 4:00pm 4/7/24: 12:00pm – 9:00pm 4/9/24: 9:00am – 6:00pm 4/10/24: 11:00am – 3:30pm Symptoms of measles include:Rash, high fever (up to 104°F), cough, runny nose, and red- watery eyes ..read more

The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) received $500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) funds to support business training for childcare providers throughout Northern Illinois and boost the number of affordable childcare businesses. This funding enables expansion of current WBDC programming into additional Illinois communities. As a result, more childcare business owners will acquire the information and tools necessary to operate sustainable businesses that create jobs, fuel economic growth, and build strong communities.  U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. S ..read more