Preserving Our Green Infrastructure

When I want to relax, I put on my bike helmet and hit one of the many bike trails in Illinois or Indiana. Like me, almost everyone in the Great Lakes region has their favorite place to relax in the outdoors, whether it is out in a boat on Lake Michigan, walking the dog in a nearby neighborhood park or hitting a bike, canoe, or hiking trail.

This year a centennial anniversary of the Burnham Plan of Chicago is drawing attention to 22 Green Legacy Projects -- projects that, when completed, will close critical gaps in the region's 3-state "green infrastructure"-- an interconnected network of open spaces and natural areas, that includes greenways and trails, wetlands, parks, forest preserves and native plant vegetation.



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These natural areas not only offer residents recreation and a way to enjoy nature, they are essential for reducing CO2 emissions, effective storm water management, reducing flooding risk and improving water quality.

Nearly a century ago, Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett unveiled their 1909 Plan of Chicago, a framework for growth in the greater Chicago area. Their vision included access to Lake Michigan for everyone and a network of parks and forest preserves, that have become a legacy unique to this region.

Judge Calls Evidence Against Burge "Staggering"

On a remote corner of the Criminal Courts complex on Chicago's gritty Southwest Side, the word "honor" is etched into the facade of the building where justice is dispensed. It is a relic of a bygone era when public institutions were designed to flaunt a mood of righteous properiety and historic grandeur.

These days, as the County scrounges for operating cash, the word is slighly tarnished by dirt and weathered by time. Its form is dulled, and it's easily overlooked.

Today, however, something happened that restored the honor that had been left to decay within the building. For three decades, scores of African-American men who had been tortured by infamous former Police Commander Jon Burge and his underlings, were sentenced to prison -- and sometimes to death -- for crimes they didn't commit.



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One of those men was Victor Safforld, formerly Cortez Brown. In 1990, three of Burge's subordinates assaulted Safforld with a flashlight, withheld food and water from him and denied him access to a lawyer until he capitulated and falsely confessed to the crime. He was subsequently sentence to death -- which was later commuted to life in prison -- and he lived behind bars for 19 years.

Today, Cook County Circuit Judge Clayton Crane voided Safforld's conviction and ordered a new trial in his case, concluding that the evidence against Burge and his fellow rogue cops was "staggering" and "damning."

Judge Crane's decision represents an important milestone in the effort to repair the corrosion to the integrity of the Cook County criminal justice system that occurred during the years that Burge ran rampant and African-American men were wrongfully imprisoned.

Victor Safforld will have another chance to contest the charges against him, this time in keeping with the U.S. Constitution.

It's likely that after a few more years of acid rain, pollution and grime, that word "Honor" won't be recognizable on the side of the Cook County Criminal Courts building. But today, inside those walls, it was in plain sight.

Recession To Push 400,000+ Illinoisians Into Poverty

As many as 405,000 more Illinoisans are likely to have been pushed into poverty as a result of the recession, according to a new report today by Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty.

The 2009 Report on Illinois Poverty - the only annual comprehensive analysis of poverty indicators in the state - notes that nearly 1.5 million state residents were already living in poverty way before the recession began.

More on the study and news coverage after the jump...


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The projected increase, based on expectations that national unemployment will reach 9 percent this year, would represent a 27 percent bump in the number of people living in poverty over the past two years.

In the Chicago area, as many as 253,000 more residents - 87,000 of them children - are expected to go into poverty.

The new report also assess the well-being of each of Illinois 102 counties and assigns them to a "Poverty Warning or Watch List". The report found that poverty worsened in many areas of the state before the recent economic crisis, increasing in 58 counties. A total of 24 counties were placed on the Poverty Warning List and 46 counties appeared on the Poverty Watch List.

Media outlets from around the state have published the report's findings. Check out stories from Associated Press, Daily Herald, and the Peoria Journal Star. We'll be updating the post with new stories as they come in.

Here are some more compelling stats from the report.


COVERAGE UPDATES:

Blogs, etc.

• Progress Illinois: "Heartland Alliance Finds Deepening Poverty In Illinois"
  
• Chicagoist: "2009 Poverty Study Released"
  
• Capitol Fax Blog: Morning Shorts
• Beachwood Reporter: Item in The Papers column
• On the Frontline: "those in poverty increase"
  
• Poverty News Blog: "Numbers of poor spreading in Illinois"
• The Sixth Ward Blog: "Quarter-million Chicagoans on brink of poverty: study"
• From Poverty To Opportunity Campaign: "News Round-up on 2009 Poverty Report"
• Illinois Pro Bono: "Heartland Alliance Releases 2009 Report on Illinois Poverty"
  

Chicago

• Eight Forty Eight on WBEZ: Interview with report author Amy Terpstra
  
• Crain's Chicago Business: "Quarter-million Chicagoans on brink of poverty: study"
• Chicago Tribune: "Victims of economy: 250,000 more forced into poverty in Chicago area, report says"
• ABC 7: "Social service providers see spike in need"
  
• CBS 2: "Report: Recession Drives 400,000 In IL To Poverty"
• Fox Chicago: "Economy Pushes Illinoisans Into Poverty"
  

Suburbs

• Northwest Herald: "Study finds rise in Ill. poverty"
• Kane County Chronicle: "Recession taking heavy toll on Fox Valley"
• The Courier News (Elgin): "Institute adds Kane Co. to 'poverty watch list'"

Downstate

• The Journal Standard (Freeport): "County on poverty warning list: Mid-America Institute on Poverty gives dire designation"
• Journal Gazette/Times Courier (Charleston & Mattoon): "Study: Recession pushing Illinoisans into poverty"
• The Telegraph (Alton): "Four area counties among 46 on poverty list"
• Review Atlas (Monmouth): "Warren County Off Poverty List"
• Daily Journal (Kankakee): "Local counties on poverty list"
• NewsTribune (LaSalle): "Area counties on poverty list"
• Galesburg Register Mail: "Knox County poverty rating improves"
• The Times (Ottawa): "Agency worried about county's poverty"
• Rock Island Argus: "Whiteside County added to poverty warning list"
• WIFR-TV (Rockford): "Study: Recession Pushing Illinoisans into Poverty"
• WGIL-AM (Galesburg): "Group Places Knox County on Poverty Watch List"
• Jacksonville Journal Courier: "Group places Morgan on poverty warning list"
• Pekin Daily Times: "Mason County named to poverty warning list"
• The Southern Illinoisan: "Bankruptcy claims rise in the region"
• Mt. Vernon Register News: "State poverty figures released"
• Mt. Carmel Republican Register: "Wabash County placed on watch list for poverty"
• WMBD/WYZZ-TV (Peoria): "Pushed into poverty"
  

Editorials/Opinion

• Daily Herald: "Driscoll teaches a lesson for hard times"
  
• The Southern Illinoisan: "Poverty is not a permanent condition"
• Northwest Herald: "Give during tough times"
  
• The Telegraph (Alton): "Poverty statistics speak of the truth"
• Galesburg Register Mail: "Numbers show improvement, but poverty still growing here"
  

Five Great Event Spaces in Chicago

Who doesn't love a great party?

As VDC's resident "event guru," I manage and coordinate special events for our clients. From a 900-person conference to an anniversary celebration, I've helped organizations plan dynamic events at some of Chicago's most unique venues.

I'm also a self-proclaimed social butterfly and love going to networking events around the city to check out new spaces. Here's my pick on five great places to hold your next meeting or fiesta.



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Midtown Kitchen + Bar

If you're looking for a trendy and fun (but not pretentious) place to host a mingler or cocktail hour, Midtown is the spot for you. The upstairs space offers plenty of room for networking, I've coordinated two events here for Women Employed's Advocacy Council. Wide windows offer a great view of the Loop and provide nice natural light. It's also conveniently located on Lake and LaSalle streets, near all major CTA train lines. Midtown also has great drink and food specials - I recommend the brie-apple quesadillas. 203 N. LaSalle St. (312) 379-5086.

National Museum of Mexican Art
Located in the heart of Pilsen, the former Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, is the nation's largest Latino arts institution. I've been to several events here and its always a treat to view the amazing exhibits and learn more about Mexican culture. And you can cater in delicious Mexican fare from local restaurants. 1852 West 19th St. (312) 738.1503.

UIC Forum
Hosting a conference or symposium at one of the usual Loop hotels doesn't have to be your only option any more. The UIC Forum, UIC's newest event venue on Halsted St. and Roosevelt Rd., offers a convenient space for large meetings. I coordinated one of the Forum's first major events last year with the New Communities Getting It Done conference. While I did encounter some glitches (usually associated with any new place), the accessibility to downtown and public transportation, as well as spacious, versatile rooms make this an ideal venue for a large gathering. 725 W Roosevelt Rd. (312) 413-9875.

Catalyst Ranch
Need to spice up a meeting? Check out the quirky and creative rooms at Catalyst Ranch. I never knew this place even existed, but the had the pleasure of spending time here during a board retreat for Women Employed a few years ago. Its like preschool all over again - fun, kitschy decor and toys from head to toe, including hammocks, play dough, tinker toys, and candy. Definitely a fun environment to foster some creative brainstorming outside the conference room. 656 W. Randolph St. Suite 3W. (312) 207-1710.

The Grand Ballroom
An urban jewel, the Grand Ballroom is tucked away in the Woodlawn community; one step inside and you're transported to a whole new world. The vibe is old-school Chicago jazz glamour: gorgeous hard wood floors, a 60 foot long bar, band shell stage, and ornate light fixtures. The Ballroom dates back to the 1920s when it was formally known at the Cinderella Dance Hall (note the slipper accents in the decor) and was fully restored in 2005. We hosted the Chicago Community Loan Fund's 15th anniversary here in 2006 and it was a magical evening. 6351 S. Cottage Grove Ave. (773) 324-0000.

What are your favorite event spaces in the city? Comment and let me know. I'm always looking for a new spot to check out.

Photo by John Booz for LISC/Chicago's New Communities Program

Dual Monitors With Two Different Wallpapers

Two computer monitors are better than one. Much better. I use a dual monitor setup in my office at VDC and I absolutely love it. Having dual monitors makes it so much easier to work. They are fantastic!

Like many of you, I try to change my desktop wallpaper on a regular basis. It's like a change of scenery without leaving office. I wanted to see if there was a way to have a different picture on each monitor, because Windows only allows you to put one image on both screens. Well luckily for me, I came across a program that allowed me to do just that. It is called DisplayFusion and can be downloaded here. It's quick to download and easy to use. I downloaded the free version of the program and I was able to create some magic. See for yourself - the picture above is my actual desktop.

The DisplayFusion program allows you to do some pretty cool things with your desktop. The premium version obviously has alot more features. However, the regular version was just what I was looking for. It allowed me to customize my desktop just the way I wanted it.

Lastly - the pictures on my desktop are from this fantastic new blog I came across a few weeks ago. It's called The Windy Pixel. Their blog posts show some amazing Chicago photography and their contributors are extremely talented. If you like Chicago photography (or just photograpy or Chicago in general) I highly recommend you take a look.

(Photo taken by PSK, screen images from www.thewindypixel.com)

Upgrade to Antiquated County Jail Computer System Desperately Needed

The computer system for Cook County Jail is more than 30 years-old, DOS-based and has a history of crashing. This system, installed when disco was popular, has the immense responsibility of tracking the day-to-day operations of the jail and ensuring it doesn't violate the 1982 Consent Decree, which prohibits overcrowding by even one person.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners already authorized the $2.7 million to upgrade the system, yet they are now dragging their feet to appropriate the funds.

Recently, MacArthur Justice Center attorneys asked a federal court to require the board to act. And Sheriff Dart wants action as well.

"We need this computer to be replaced," said Steve Patterson, a spokesman for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. "The concern is that the wrong person gets released or the right person doesn't get released because of a computer malfunction."

To read the full article in the Chicago Tribune, click here.
(image from www.alexhophotography.com)

Super Mario takes on Chicago

This is a really fun video of Super Mario making his way through Chicago:

Warp Whistle
by MatthewDominick

At first it looks almost like a video promoting Chicago tourism or something - then the ending makes me think it was funded by White Castle, unless the creators were just looking for a castle to end the "level." In that case, they could have also used Binny's Beverage Depot.

(via Boing Boing)

Tomorrow is the first day of spring

I absolutely love Chicago. I am proud to say that I have lived here all of my life. With that said the winters here are a little rough - lots of cold and lots of snow. However, starting tomorrow, we get to officially break out from the cold winter and welcome the fantastic weather (hopefully - fingers crossed) that spring has to offer. Along with the warmer weather comes one of my favorite things - fresh produce.

As some of you may know, in addition to being the operational guru here at VDC, I am also the resident culinarian. I am a classically trained chef and a fantastic cook. When I cook, I really take the time to find the best ingredients I can. This is much easier in the spring/summer/fall months as the Chicago area has some fantastic local produce farmers.

One of my favorite organizations is Growing Home Inc. They are a nonprofit organization that utilizes organic agriculture as a vehicle for employment, job training and community development. In addition to providing these social services to the community, they also grow and sell their own organic produce. Growing Home currently provides some of Chicago's best restaurants with produce. Their produce is also offered at local farmers markets and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Here is a pdf list of the crops offered by Growing Home and which months they are usually available.

I am really looking forward to participating in the CSA program this year. The program allows me to get some great produce and allows Growing Home the opportunity to grow their social enterprise. I am really hoping to create some new and fantastic dishes using their organic produce. It's shaping up to be a great summer.

For more information on Growing Home, please call (773) 549-1336 or visit www.growinghomeinc.org.

(Photo: Growing Home Inc.)