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public radio’s first one-hour radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting A weekly program presented by the New Yorker magazine’s editor killer beats and the edgiest new talent in storytelling come together for a weekly show that straps audiences into an audio rollercoaster Radiolab is known for its deep-dive journalism and innovative sound design Created in 2002 by former host Jad Abumrad the program began as an exploration of scientific inquiry Over the years it has evolved to become a platform for long-form journalism and storytelling Radiolab is hosted by Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser The 100-foot long pergola at the historic Sears Sunken Garden in North Lawndale is slated to be restored this summer The long-awaited rebirth of a 120-year-old North Lawndale garden could begin this summer with the restoration of the park’s 100-foot long Mediterranean Revival pergola Construction drawings are being finalized that will guide the rehabilitation of the historic wooden pergola — a structure that is the key visual feature of the nearly 2-acre sunken garden “It’s the classical centerpiece of [the] garden and to have that restored is going to be amazing,” said the Rev chairperson of Friends of Sears Sunken Garden board “It’s something you could see when you’re driving down the street — and it is going to be eye-catching to have it redone.” The open-air structure was built in 1907 at 3330 W at the heart of what was then the retail goliath’s worldwide headquarters campus The pergola is composed of 20 classically designed columns set in tandem with a footpath through them and flanked by two Greek Revival porticos The structure is topped by a red clay tile roof Surrounded by greenery and colorful flowers during the park’s heyday the pergola was a fine place for Sears workers to enjoy lunch or listen to the musical entertainment provided by the company But in 1974 and at the height of its power the retailer bailed out of North Lawndale for the new Sears Tower downtown Sears left behind the garden and a campus of landmark-quality brick-and-limestone buildings all designed by architects Nimmons & Fellows and successor firms new uses have come to some of the old Sears buildings in recent years — a remnant of Sears’s mammoth mail-order operation building — now houses nonprofit groups Arthington Street has been turned into residential lofts (The Guardian in 2015 accused Chicago police of running an off-the-books interrogation facility in a former Sears warehouse at 1011 S Meanwhile the old Sears administration building — the nerve center of the old campus at 3333 W that will no longer be the case for the sunken garden which sits directly across Arthington Street from the administration building Funded by a $1 million grant from the Richard Driehaus Foundation, the pergola restoration is the initial step in a $7 million plan to revive the whole garden Globally renowned Dutch designer Piet Oudolf — who is a creator of Millennium Park’s Lurie Garden — and Chicago landscape architect Chris Gent The pergola restoration is being led by the Chicago architecture firm Arda Design. said the restoration will include replacing the structure’s roof tiles concrete repairs and installing modern LED lighting “And some supplemental lighting around the site so that it’s a more inviting space,” she said Terry said new roof tiles will be supplied by Ludowici company that manufactured the pavilion’s original clay pieces 118 years ago “So hopefully [the pergola] looks like it did [originally],” she said “And gives them less maintenance for quite a while.” Fitzpatrick said she hopes work on the pergola begins late this summer Chicago is a city of “no little plans,” for sure also go a long way toward making this town more livable Friends of the Sunken Garden is still raising the cash to complete the entire project Having a Piet Oudolf-designed green space in a workaday neighborhood rather than in the middle of a city center is a coup — almost like having a corner library that was designed by Frank Gehry or the late Zaha Hadid the residents of North Lawndale and the greater West Side who have spent years championing for the garden deserve this improved urban oasis and whatever benefit and credit that comes along with it “It’s just a beautiful space,” said Fitzpatrick, who is also executive pastor of Stone Temple Church, an architectural and historical landmark at 3622 W “We had a group of neighborhood gardeners come by [recently] to kind of tidy it up,” she said “It looks like it’s in a coming back stage It sends a sense of excitement and a spirit of unity Lee Bey is the Sun-Times architecture critic Terms of Use • Privacy Notice • Cookie Policy • Terms of Sale The role of the gun industry in America’s gun violence epidemic Our team is examining a decade's worth of data from the Gun Violence Archive for insights into one of the most devastating public health crises in the United States The National Rifle Association is one of the most powerful special interest groups in America We’re investigating how it spends its money and programs grappling with the gun violence crisis Sign up now to get our latest stories and eye-opening briefings I’ll never forget what the pastor said in a Bible class I attended two weeks after my son was shot and killed “Gun violence won’t take you and yours out.” I looked at the girl sitting next to me and said: “Too late church has been where I go when I have a problem I knew the pastor had probably said something like that before because I couldn’t understand why God didn’t protect me maybe I could’ve gotten him the help he needed When it was my turn to seek help after his death, I learned that there were no support groups for gun violence survivors in North Lawndale, one of the neighborhoods in Chicago that has struggled the most with gun violence. Ironically, shootings had decreased in 2017 when Fontaine was killed I knew other families here had experienced this kind of loss yet I had to travel to the North Side to find the support I was looking for.  As I talked to more people in my community, it became clear to me that the city’s emergency services treat the wound, but not the resulting mental state. Studies say that exposure to community violence is a risk factor for a person becoming a perpetrator or a victim of gun violence It’s why I created a group for survivors in our community — to help heal it by addressing our individual traumas It’s what I wish Fontaine had.   but injuries prevented him from playing professionally He was attending Robert Morris University in hopes of becoming a physical therapist to help other injured players.  Fontaine’s cousin was shot outside my hair salon He didn’t understand how something like this could happen because we were church people It created this downward spiral with my baby He would do his work and then just walk out of the classroom He came to church in a white T-shirt and jeans Let him get up there on them drums.”  That’s when people started telling me he needed therapy I didn’t understand therapy at the time but they told me he needed somebody to talk to about what happened So he was connected with an agency in our community that was supposed to help He was supposed to shop for prom clothes with his cousin Rock We told him that’s what Rock would have wanted Fontaine went to a park in North Lawndale to play basketball Two people got out of a car and fired into the crowd because I didn’t want to stay home and feel that void I didn’t want to keep walking past a room I knew he wasn’t going to be in but this was the one time in my life that praying over it did not help me get over it The nearest group I found was Parents for Peace and Justice in Rogers Park I tried to get other families from my neighborhood who had been affected by gun violence to go with me but they didn’t want to travel so far north.  I was skeptical at first because I was the only Black person there The things they talked about were relatable but some coping mechanisms might seem weird to people not used to therapy There was a technique where you pull certain fingers on your hand to relieve pressure and stress in your body They told us things like “it’s OK to just scream to release the chemicals in your body.” That support group helped me navigate back to my path – a different path my life was all about what I was going to do for me and my son I went to a basketball game held in his honor giving me their condolences and sharing stories of my baby Then one of the girls said: “We just had a session here We need to do this on a regular basis.”  two more young men in our community were killed.  We began to meet up regularly and talk about how we were feeling After I joined Parents for Peace and Justice I realized we could benefit from something more formal I asked my pastor if we could meet at the church because even though the therapy and support groups helped me understand the pain my relationship with God has sustained me through these seven years without my son.  and they talked about my baby and the other two boys that got killed The North Side group had therapists and clinical professionals one survivor said: “Black men don’t get flowers We need to give them flowers while they’re alive.” That’s what I hope HUG can do give people their flowers while they’re still alive I wish my son had support like this.  I’ve tried to survive by always being on the move I make choices based on what I feel is gonna make me live I ain’t trying to just survive any more.  I’m trying to get my flowers while I’m alive.   Your tax-deductible donation to The Trace will directly support nonprofit journalism on gun violence and its effects on our communities A woman was fatally struck by a vehicle April 29 A 25-year-old woman was killed when an SUV jumped a curb and hit her early Tuesday in North Lawndale on the West Side identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as Keyana Meeks when an Acura MDX driven by a 21-year-old woman was traveling through an alley off Lawndale Avenue The driver made a left turn onto 13th Street slammed into the curb and then into the woman suffered multiple injuries and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where she was pronounced dead suffered a leg injury and was taken to Mount Sinai in fair condition owner and pharmacist at Del-Kar Pharmacy decorates the corner of his North Lawndale drug store with depictions of his heroes including his parents and the Rev The mosaic on the entryway of Del-Kar Pharmacy in North Lawndale is a shimmering tribute to the long history of the West Side neighborhood Pharmacist Edwin Muldrow owns and operates it It’s been a neighborhood staple for more than 60 years that the mosaic installed on his entryway in 2023 reflects that history At West 16th Street and South Ridgeway Avenue Kamelia Hristeva’s mosaic honors the legacy of the neighborhood and Del-Kar Pharmacy which has been in the Muldrow family for decades “Let’s pay homage to the neighborhood,” he says Muldrow pulled out historic images of the store once-bustling West 16th Street and the people who frequented it Part of the mosaic shows a woman with a handbag reading “Simone’s,” which was a shop nearby the mosaic shows two women sporting 1970s-style Afros next to a street sign showing the corner of West 16th Street and South Ridgeway Avenue One woman carries a handbag that reads “Simone’s.” Simone’s Cosmetics was a business started by Sammy Davis Jr that allowed Black women to sell cosmetics door to door The west side of the building shows the Rev and bought his daily newspaper at Del-Kar Pharmacy after he and his family moved to Chicago for a year in 1965 A black panther stretches out from the newspaper’s front page — a tribute to the Black Panther Party and its work in North Lawndale Fred Hampton is at the north end of the west-facing mural The former head of the Black Panther Party was shot to death in 1969 in a raid by police officers as he slept in his own bed you see Davis crooning above a tiled image of Del-Kar Pharmacy in the 1970s Next to the image of the store: Muldrow’s parents Claudine and Edward owner and pharmacist at Del-Kar Pharmacy stands outside his North Lawndale pharmacy for which he commissioned a mosaic commemorating his heroes emblazoned next to Hampton are the words: “Past Lessons Become Future Blessings.” created the mosaic over about nine months in 2023 It was paid for with grants from Ferrara Candy Company and Amazon “Green Star’s work is deeply rooted in preserving the rich history of our diverse communities so it was incredibly fulfilling to weave those historic photographs and stories into the mosaic,” says Kamelia Hristeva Green Star’s founder and chief executive officer and it felt like we were not only creating art but also honoring the legacy of the neighborhood.” Muldrow says kids who live in the neighborhood ask about the mosaic and the street’s history as a thriving corridor before the protests and arson that followed King’s assassination in 1968 Many of the North Lawndale buildings that burned were never rebuilt Del-Kar Pharmacy was spared in those fires protected by members of the Vice Lords street gang whose headquarters also were in the building “You gotta know your neighborhood,” Muldrow says “You don’t need to call the police because neighbors police themselves.” His store also serves as a hub of North Lawndale “There’s so much more that we do than fill prescriptions,” he says and Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton appear in the mosaic with the slogan “Past Lessons Become Future Blessings.” A woman died a day after she was shot during an argument Jan A woman died early Thursday after being shot New Year’s Day during an argument with a man inside a North Lawndale home on the West Side and a 38-year-old man were arguing in a home in the 1200 block of South Sawyer Avenue when the man shot her several times She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition and died at 1:18 a.m police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said The man was arrested after officers searched the area near where the shooting occurred Her death marks the third person fatally shot in citywide New Year’s shootings was found unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds in the 9400 block of South Harvard Avenue around 3:30 a.m 51-year-old Martinez Williams was shot to death during a robbery at a store in the 7500 block of South Racine Avenue in West Englewood according to police and the medical examiner’s office Two men were fatally shot during apparently separate shootings in North Lawndale on Nov Two men were slain about an hour apart and a mile away from each other during apparently separate drive-by shootings Monday morning in North Lawndale Chicago police could not confirm if the attacks which left 22-year-old Charles Allen and 20-year-old Ray Jay James dead someone behind the wheel of a black sport-utility vehicle shot Allen as he walked Allen suffered gunshot wounds throughout his body and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital An hour earlier in the 1800 block of South Komensky Avenue James was on foot when someone inside a sport-utility vehicle jumped out and shot him in the arm and chest James was also taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he died No arrests have been made in either attack which are being investigated by Area 4 detectives Emergency responders called about 5:16 p.m Friday to a residential fire in North Lawndale discovered the dismembered body of a 68-year-old man Firefighters responding to a residential fire Friday evening in North Lawndale discovered the dismembered body of a 68-year-old man who said the fire had been intentionally set Fire crews answering a call around 5:15 p.m Friday of a residential fire in the 2300 block of South Kirkland Avenue put out the fire and found the body of Michael Lipford in the basement Lipford’s arms and right leg had been severed according to a police report that said he also had a neck injury and deep cuts to his left leg died of gunshot wounds to the neck and chest according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office Lifelong West Side resident Karen Castleberry joined dozens of other community members for an open house hosted by Ald Monique Scott (24th Ward) and the city’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) on Thursday night UCAN Center in North Lawndale was the site for the meeting where the city introduced the developers for the pilot phase of the Missing Middle Infill Housing initiative.“I live over in Homan Square I own property in Homan Square and in K-Town so I’ve been invested in this community for a long time I just hope that everything that is done is made affordable for existing residents.”  The city’s Missing Middle Infill Housing initiative is described as a community improvement program designed to reverse decades of systemic disinvestment in Chicago communities on the South and West sides. Between 2000 and 2020, according to the city Chicago lost over a quarter million Black residents; some neighborhoods lost as much as 50 percent of their population has resulted in a concentration of vacant lots and “missing” middle-density housing in impoverished neighborhoods and courtyard buildings that once were owned by families on the South and West Sides but were lost to depopulation and disinvestment Financing for the housing comes from Johnson’s $1.25 billion Housing and Economic Development Bond Roughly $75 million is allocated towards the Missing Middle initiative over the next five years they own roughly 10,000 vacant residential parcels primarily located on the West and South sides “We’ve seen North Lawndale, like so many other South and West Side communities, filled with vacant lots and missed opportunities. But today, this Missing Middle initiative is a chance to change that,” Bonita Harrison, CEO of Chicago-based development company Sunshine Management “It is a chance to sell homes that working families can actually afford community-based developers to lead the charge and ensure that North Lawndale’s future is shaped by the people who live here not just that outside interest,” Harrison added Last month, the city revealed the five developers selected to redevelop the 44 city-owned lots into one- to six-unit residential buildings in North Lawndale The lots are divided into six “clusters” designated with the letters A through E a developer for cluster B will be announced in the summer as proposals are still under review that’s an annual income of $109,900 for a household of one The Missing Middle initiative incentivizes developers by selling vacant lots to them for $1 and providing up to $150,000 in site preparation and construction assistance for each housing unit Harrison described the subsidies as “a big deal,” adding that the government usually doesn’t subsidize houses that are for sale.“So right now is $1.2 million for me to build it,” Harrison said “If the appraisers and the after-repair value is only $400,000 or $500,000 why would we build a house that we’re going to have a deficit and we’re going to lose $700,000?” Brian Hacker project manager for the Missing Middle initiative in North Lawndale said the goal of the program is to “incentivize private development” and encourage homeownership for those in the community “We are partnering with developers and then those developers have to make all of these properties for sale,” Hacker said “So the developers can’t hold on to any of their buildings and rent them out and then that family can rent out one of the units.”Asked how the city plans to ensure that ownership of the developments stays within the community Strazzabosco said refusing to sell to a buyer is discrimination we want to make it accessible to folks who are on the West Side and want to stay here,” Hacker said they’re just going to sell it to the qualified buyers.” Matthew Howery, 38, who works at the North Lawndale-based nonprofit New Covenant Community Development Corporation said he hopes that the initiative leads to ownership without gentrification Are all these gonna really be affordable housing what we have seen on the West side or South Side was ‘We’re gonna do these affordable housing here and there.’ Then all of a sudden they become mixed units where only so many are affordable  and other ones are not.”Harrison added what she finds most difficult in the process is trying to find those who may not have time to attend community meetings to learn about such opportunities to connect them to resources “I’ve definitely been having calls and conversations Because this is probably the most critical part so I never showed up at community meetings,” Harrison said So the people who really need the services they don’t have the time to show up to the community meetings So how do we meet them where they are?”Ald Scott said the Missing Middle initiative will bring families and investment back to the North Lawndale area without the fear of pricing out those who live there “Displacement wouldn’t be fair to any resident or myself I’ve lived in this community for 53 years and I think that bridging the gap between the community is what’s important to me,” Scott told The TRiiBE during the community event “Everybody should be able to live in one community You build housing that will include all.”The city expects to break ground on the North Lawndale developments by May A previous version of the story referred to the Missing Middle Infill Housing Initiative as Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Subscribe to The TRiiBE Weekly to receive top stories and movement calls-to-action delivered straight to your inbox The TRiiBE is a media company that is reshaping the narrative of Black Chicago in pursuit of truth and liberation Collins Academy High School senior Francheska Cancel (left) wants to study nursing in college CPS has already invested in staff training at her school Collins and two others also will undergo renovations or additions impacting maker spaces Please check your inbox for your confirmation By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy Chicago high school senior Francheska Cancel carefully used clay to shape a triangular muscle and placed it on the shoulder of a plastic skeleton “I love science and now everything we do here is about science,” she said is one of three schools in the West Side North Lawndale neighborhood getting $41 million in investment to create state-of-the-art science and arts programming In a tour of the two elementary and one high schools on Tuesday Chicago Public Schools officials watched preschoolers learning about trees third graders using magnets to understand attraction and gravity and high schoolers not only working with skeletons but also getting a hands-on physics lesson This is all the result of community members dreaming and making it happen a former principal of a neighborhood elementary school and one of the main drivers of the project three [CPS] CEOs and three sets of members of the board of education and there have been many days when I wanted to give up,” she said at a press conference Tuesday at Collins Academy “But I thought about what I used to say to my students was one of the main drivers behind the effort to create state-of-the-art science and arts programming in North Lawndale Green said a community group took on this work and was determined to make sure students in North Lawndale a high-poverty community that has suffered from disinvestment get access to a high quality and rigorous education Many of the area schools have seen enrollment and budgets dwindle over the past two decades the group wanted several elementary schools consolidated into one brand new school noting the neighborhood had no modern school constructed for decades But there was a lot of pushback from the targeted schools they came up with the idea of infusing Johnson and Chalmers elementary schools and Collins high school with resources CPS set aside $31 million to renovate facilities Renovations are set to begin next summer and finish by the end of 2026 The City Council last week approved another $10 million from special taxing districts called TIFs noted the value of TIFs in funding projects like this “that help develop and enhance the quality of life in a community.” CPS CEO Pedro Martinez thanked the council members for the TIF money at Collins but on Wednesday he is expected to testify at a city council hearing about his request for $426 million in TIF money to cover CPS operating expenses this year — not for specific projects Ervin and other alderpersons have pushed back and said they doubt that is realistic but Martinez insists enough TIF money exists Martinez said some might argue that the district should stop investing in schools like Chalmers But Martinez said he believes they will be able to draw more students once people understand they have high-quality programming and resources Collins High School’s freshman class is larger because students have heard about this programming “So that’s what we’re talking about,” he said “That’s what we mean about investing in our neighborhood schools That is what’s possible when we start doing this across the city in underenrolled schools.” Sarah Karp covers education for WBEZ. Follow her on X @WBEZeducation and @sskedreporter A 22-year-old man was shot to death Wednesday in the 3900 block of South Trumbull Avenue in North Lawndale A man was shot to death Wednesday evening in North Lawndale was in an alley in the 1900 block of South Trumbull Avenue when someone opened fire Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said Keyana Meeks was fatally struck Tuesday by a vehicle driven by her 21-year-old sister on the West Side Angela Meeks gazed in horror at the motionless body of her 25-year-old daughter Keyana Meeks after she was hit by a SUV driven by her younger sister early Tuesday The mother added her family is in shock and disbelief over the deadly crash, which unfolded outside their home in the 1300 block of South Lawndale Avenue about 4:15 a .m guilt has taken hold of Keyana’s 21-year-old sister who police said was arrested and released without charges “She’s not doing too well,” Angela said of Keyana’s sister Keyana and her sister “loved each other,” said their 29-year-old cousin was driving through an alley off Lawndale Avenue and made a left turn onto 13th Street The collision caused the SUV to flip three times before landing on top of Keyana according to relatives and traffic reports The sisters were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where Keyana was pronounced dead at 4:52 a.m and her sister was treated for a leg injury Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the crash Keyana also had deep relationships with of other family members “She did whatever she thought was necessary in order to have a good life for her and her kids,” said Eddie Meeks III “She was strong-willed and could really do just about anything.” Keyana was a hair stylist who loved decorating for family parties She also had dreams of buying and flipping homes She also shared with her mother that she was considering converting to Islam to grow closer to God she “had a dominance about her,” her uncle said “She could have probably gone somewhere [in] professional boxing,” he said “She was not the type of girl you really wanted to mess with and she wasn’t just gonna let you get away with anything.” But Keyana showed a softer side around family members it felt like [she] was a big teddy bear,” her uncle said with a chuckle Work crews grind up railroad ties near a business park and neighborhood in North Lawndale Neighbors complain about the odors and the dust Wilfred Dowdell points to the railroad ties stacked up on top of a viaduct near his home on West 16th Street just west of South Kilbourn Avenue some of those old rail ties are being chopped and grounded up just yards away from his house “It stays in the air for a real long time,” says Dowdell who’s retired and has lived in his North Lawndale home since 2017 Railroad ties are piled up near an industrial park near the 1800 block of South Kilbourn Avenue in North Lawndale Others describe it as a chemical smell or an oily odor rail ties have been treated with the chemical creosote which protects the wood and acts as a pesticide The chemical is pungent and also blamed for respiratory issues It has been linked in studies to some types of cancer chief executive of the suburban Hampshire company TiEnergy says he’ll talk directly to neighbors affected and promises to figure out a solution for the air quality issues “I just want to fix the problem,” Berglund says He repeated his pledge several times in an interview What has frustrated residents and business owners in recent months is that they don’t know where to go to lodge complaints about the smell Monique Scott’s (24th) office and was told the grinding operation was being done in Cicero So he called the Cicero Fire Department but got no answers there A Cicero spokesman said the suburb has not received complaints from its own residents or businesses The town also has no jurisdiction over the activities on the railroad’s land Brian Monaghan, who runs his business Central Sculpture Works at 1804 S. Kilbourn Ave., also called Scott’s office to complain in January. A city environmental inspector came out the next day but Monaghan says he didn’t hear back from her Scott says the city inspector determined that the grinding operation was in Cicero She says she alerted Cook County officials Monaghan says he’s talked to other business owners in the Roosevelt / Cicero Industrial Corridor about the dust and smells The corridor runs along the land and tracks owned by the Belt Railway Company of Chicago which leases land to TiEnergy to grind and dispose of the railroad ties Other businesses have complained about the rail-tie operation who heads the Lawndale Business Renaissance Association He hopes that the matter can be resolved between Berglund of TiEnergy and the neighboring businesses Berglund says he talked to a city official about addressing the issue and is “disappointed this has gotten out of control.” Work crews grind up railroad ties set up near an industrial park in North Lawndale Other agencies looking into the matter include Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Cook County environmental officials While government bodies have been wrestling in recent weeks over jurisdiction questions these matters are sometimes tricky when property has been in the control of railroads for more than a century Aerial photos taken by the Sun-Times show extensive stacks of railroad ties and also piles of shredded materials that stretch for blocks About 20 million railroad ties are replaced every year The material is recycled for construction aggregate or other uses Berglund says the operation has been going on for about three years and said activity increased over the past year or so He says he’s surprised about the recent complaints The Belt Railway Company of Chicago is known as intermediate switching terminal railroad or “shortline railroad.” Belt Railway is owned by the six major railroad companies in the United States: BNSF Railway Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad the company said it expects any business operating on its land should adhere to government requirements “The Belt Railway Company of Chicago requires that all lessees comply with local state and federal laws and regulations,” the company says in a statement “This includes obtaining the proper permits for their business operations Any lessee that runs afoul of regulations or does not comply with required permitting processes risks termination of their lease.” Thousands of railroad ties sit in piles near the 1600 block of South Kilbourn Avenue in North Lawndale According a businesses owner next to this project clouds of dust cause a bad odor and coat surfaces Murals by artists Alexie Young and Nailah Golden line the courtyard of the Lazarus Apartments in North Lawndale As residents walk into their newly renovated North Lawndale apartments the Microphone Misfitz and Minnie Riperton welcome them home Four Chicago artists created the two mosaics and 25 glass murals that were installed last year at the Lazarus Apartments paying tribute to Chicago’s rich music history and culture the bright graphics and reflective mosaic pieces pop against the white snow Organizers hope they will inspire smiles all year as the artwork covers what used to be basic brown panels on the building’s first floor The courtyard of the Lazarus Apartments in North Lawndale is decorated with 25 murals and two mosaics “We’re not just walking past it or driving by but we’re actually interfacing with the artwork and the community,” says artist Alexie Young with Art West Chicago who coordinated the artists and the project on the building at 1859 S The panels and mosaics were part of last year’s redevelopment of Lazarus Apartments by Lawndale Christian Development Corp along with a sister property across West 19th Street at 1900 S provide about 50 affordable rental apartments The redevelopment effort finished in August The music theme was selected because the corporation’s executive director “really wanted to have a display of something very beautiful that represented Chicago,” says Wilonda Cannon consultant and capital campaign operations manager for Lawndale Christian Development Corp. which seeks to revitalize North Lawndale with affordable housing and economic growth two- and three-bedroom apartments with rent ranging from $700 to $1,000 per month Mike Stidham and Nailah Golden created the murals and mosaics that appear on the Lazarus Apartments in North Lawndale Artist Mike Stidham created 10 of the panels He used his signature collage style to create a history of the musicians’ lives traveling down the panels He applied a “three-paragraph structure” to the panels dividing them into thirds and featuring the beginning “I tried to model them the best I could after stained-glass windows,” he says Artist Mike Stidham’s panels show a history of musicians’ lives Bo Diddley “was a bit of a wild child,” so Stidham included an image of him on a motorcycle and another with his homemade square guitar Buddy Guy is shown playing at his Legends bar “Dinah Washington didn’t live very long but she lived a very glamorous life so I tried to put a lot of glamour at the top” of her panel like North Lawndale resident and hip hop and R&B artist Jean Deaux Painting these musicians in the neighborhood where her family has lived for generations “feels very full-circle,” she says historical presence of North Lawndale with the present and future in these ways was incredibly important to me and it was an honor to do so in the place I call home,” Golden says The musicians in the piece include those who played blues and include some who are still alive and others who died decades ago asked only “what was in the (musician’s) heart and what was their passion?” Young says “All the artists involved felt heard and like their ideas really mattered,” Young says Chicago police investigate in the 1100 block of South Francisco Avenue where authorities said a 23-year-old man was found on the street with multiple gunshot wounds early Wednesday in North Lawndale A Decatur man was found fatally shot early Wednesday in North Lawndale on the West Side was found on the street in the 1100 block of South Francisco Avenue with multiple gunshot wounds to his body was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:28 a.m. Area 4 detectives are investigating and nobody has been arrested makes a batch of limited edition Lucky Delight out of her rented space in a commercial kitchen on the Northwest Side When she was a kid hungering for ice cream Ida Nelson would trudge to the local gas station or perhaps to a food & liquor mart — the stand-in for a grocery store in her neighborhood North Lawndale had plans for an ice cream shop back in the spring of 1968 and those plans went unfulfilled in the wake of the riots that followed In a boarded-up North Lawndale three-flat — its walls grubby with graffiti the grass strip just to the east littered with empty liquor bottles — she imagines gleaming glass cases behind which “Key Lime Vibe,” “Peach Cobbler,” “Unicorn Magic” and countless other ice cream flavors tempt and tantalize A sun-bleached vinyl sign a few blocks away — “Coming Soon: Sugar Rush Gourmet Coffee & Ice Cream Shop” — speaks of someone else’s unfulfilled dream Ida Nelson plans to open Ida’s Artisan Ice Cream in Lawndale later this year “I have had wild success on my own without having a storefront The bottom line is: I’m not necessarily waiting for the door to open I’m bringing the people to the door,” she says I’ve got that resilience from North Lawndale where I learned from very early that no one was coming to save me,” said Nelson She plans to open Ida’s Artisan Ice Cream in early fall in the space at 3935 W Nelson remembers snow cones coming from a man who sold them out of a yard with sunflowers swaying at his back a parishioner would bring in homemade vanilla ice cream Nelson has never forgotten the taste of real vanilla bean “You can’t get better than homemade ice cream,” she says Nelson offers hints of a difficult childhood She got pregnant at 16 and had to turn down an offer at Southern Illinois University The North Lawndale neighborhood building at 3935 W when COVID-19 swept across the city and she lost her marketing job at Rush University Medical Center and then started thinking how she would survive she’d ordered a $40 ice cream maker on Amazon — something at the time for her kids’ enjoyment Why not have a go at making — and trying to sell — ice cream? She made her first batches in her North Lawndale kitchen loaded them into the back of her 2016 Chevrolet Traverse “I sold $1,000 worth of ice cream out of my trunk the first weekend,” she said scoops her Key Lime Vibe vegan ice cream as she works out of her rented space in a commercial kitchen on the Northwest Side She struggled with funding — something many Black entrepreneurs with ingredients that included cream cheese Her first big order came a year after she started — a check for $2,000 to cater an event at Lawndale Christian Health Center in the summer of 2021 Visitors to last year’s Democratic National Convention got to sample her wares she catered the Chicago Auto Show’s First Look For Charity Gala and now she’s gearing up for a planned celebration for the city’s birthday in March she’s sold about 7,000 gallons of ice cream It begins with hand-mixing the ingredients “I’m stirring up love in every bucket,” she says Then the ingredients are churned in the “Ferrari of ice cream makers,” or “Big Girl Gertie,” as Nelson calls it Ida Nelson tastes every batch of her homemade Ida’s Artisan Ice Cream All five of her children — including her 8-year-old son Jet — are in some way involved in her business which for now operates out of a cramped rented kitchen on the Northwest Side but he really actually knows the brand and the product and he knows how to talk to people,” she said of her 8-year-old “He will come up to you and ask what is your favorite flavor.” folds in cereal ingredients to a batch of her limited-edition Lucky Delight that she isn’t simply selling and making ice cream She scrolls through the text on her cell phone reading off her bullet-point goals in the neighborhood where she grew up She wants her shop to be a place to gather a place to give folks who’ve struggled a second chance She wants to be an inspiration to other Black women and other mothers who are considering opening up a business long-neglected stretch of West Roosevelt and at the boarded-up windows of the three-flat where she hopes to open her shop it’s easy to wonder if her dream will end up like so many before hers: nowhere gesturing to the rented kitchen space around her To learn more about Nelson and her ice cream, go to idasartisan.com. is charged with attempted first-degree murder about eight hours after a man was shot and critically wounded in a residential building in the 400 block of West Grenshaw Street A woman is facing attempted murder charges after she allegedly shot a man in North Lawndale was in a residential building in the 400 block of West Grenshaw Street at 3 a.m He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition A teen boy was found shot to death early Monday in North Lawndale neighborhood back yard Officers on patrol found a male believed to approximately be a teenager on the ground unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head around 2:10 a.m No 911 calls or calls of shots fired were received but police believe the teen One of the officers was heard over police radio describing the situation after they found the victim apparently in a back yard “You have a man down or a man shot?” a dispatcher asked the officer “We’re gonna need need tape,” the officer adds “We’re in the back yard of the location on Kildare.” No one was in custody and Area 4 detectives are investigating was shot and critically wounded in the North Lawndale neighborhood on Tuesday A teenage boy was shot and wounded Tuesday in North Lawndale The 16-year-old was standing near a sidewalk about 2 p.m in the 4000 block of West 21st Street when someone fired shots Montini’s JoJo James (3) carries the ball for a touchdown against North Lawndale but Montini got the matchup it has been waiting for Santino Flores caught a touchdown pass and returned a punt for another score and Israel Abrams passed for two touchdowns for the Broncos (8-2) Jeremiah Patterson added five carries for 101 yards and a touchdown and Chris Juda (100 yards) and Max Bell (75 yards) had long pick-sixes The Tigers won 28-20 in the semifinals last season their only playoff game decided by fewer than 48 points so it’s time to come through,’’ Flores said ‘‘We get them a little earlier than we thought we’d get them,’’ Montini coach Mike Bukovsky said He caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Abrams then ran a punt back 50 yards for a score in a span of less than three minutes ‘‘We can use him in a lot of different ways,’’ Bukovsky said and he might be the quickest one-step explosion guy I’ve ever seen He gets from zero to 60 in a short amount of time ‘‘We might have had a few guys [who were] maybe faster The more ways the coaching staff finds to deploy him He was 3-for-4 for 65 yards with touchdown passes to Flores and Nico Castaldo one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen in my life,’’ Flores said of Abrams ‘‘He came [into] the offense and just dominated.’’ who has a scholarship offer from Iowa State who passed for more than 2,000 yards last season and Izzy just gives us a little bit of an extra dimension,’’ Bukovsky said ‘‘We feel pretty good about that situation moving forward.’’ ‘‘I would rather give up a round or two with the chance to play them at home,’’ he said which dressed 25 players and was missing two key defenders because of injuries Senior quarterback Tysean Perkins ran 17 times for 104 yards and was 6-for-21 passing for 64 yards with two interceptions ‘‘Tysean is special,’’ North Lawndale coach Reggie Collins said ‘‘I’m hoping some college sees what we see in him and that they allow him to take it to the next level.’’ A robbery attempt on Friday in North Lawndale left one man dead and two men One man is dead and another is in critical condition after they were shot in a gun battle with a man they were allegedly trying to rob in North Lawndale on Friday morning approached another man in the 900 block of South Homan Avenue about 5:20 a.m The robbers and victim fired shots at each other and the 42-year-old man was struck in the head and declared dead at the scene He was identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as Kenneth Elliott of Gary The 20-year-old man was shot in the neck and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition The robbery victim was a licensed gun owner and had a valid Firearm Owners Identification card and concealed carry license He was taken to Saint Anthony Hospital in good condition for observation Police are looking for the gunman who opened fire and fatally shot a man driving a car late Thursday in North Lawndale was in the 1200 block of South Sawyer Avenue when someone on foot opened fire and struck him in the head and torso While trying to flee Booker crashed into two parked vehicles who lived in the 1200 block of South Sawyer Avenue was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:09 a.m. was sitting inside a basement in the 1500 block of South Drake Avenue at 9:11 p.m when a man fired shots and hit him in the left leg A man was wounded in a shooting in North Lawndale on Monday night A person who was fatally shot late Tuesday night in North Lawndale on the West Side has been identified as a 14-year-old boy Lashon Douglas was found lying on a sidewalk with gunshot wounds to his chest and body in the 3500 block of West Cermak Road was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead Wednesday at 12:07 a.m. Area Four detectives are investigating and no one was in custody Two men were wounded in a drive-by shooting Tuesday in North Lawndale in the 1100 block of South Whipple Street when someone in a car pulled up and an occupant fired shots The 58-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to his face and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital The other man was shot in the hip and buttocks He was taken to the same hospital in good condition Detectives investigate a fatal shooting Sunday in the alley behind the 1800 block of South Ridgeway Avenue in North Lawndale A man who exchanged gunfire with police who fatally shot him Sunday in North Lawndale has been identified Officers responded to robbery call in the 1800 block of South Ridgeway Avenue at 10:47 a.m. Kilbert allegedly exchanged gunfire with police at multiple locations and was wounded where he was pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m. according to the medical examiner’s office The officers were also taken to a nearby hospital for observation The officers involved in the shooting will be placed on routine administrative leave for 30 days COPA and the Investigative Response Team are investigating the shooting COPA is responding to an officer-involved shooting near 1800 S. Ridgeway. If you or anyone who know has any information related to this incident, please call our office at 312-746-3609 or visit https://t.co/LqABRQUFLE A man was killed in a hit-and-run crash while walking Wednesday night in North Lawndale The 44-year-old was crossing the street about 7:45 p.m in the 1300 block of South Central Park Avenue when the driver of a sport utility vehicle struck him and continued driving south He was identified as Virgil Jay Turner III by the Cook County medical examiner’s office CPD’s Major Accidents Unit is investigating North Lawndale’s Tazerick Covington (22) carries the ball against Rauner at Rockne Stadium Tazerick Covington spent last season watching his brother Tavarius playing for North Lawndale anxiously awaiting the day he’d suit up for the varsity himself he’s already a featured part of the Phoenix’s offense “From the first time we saw him in practice we knew he was something special,” coach Reggie Collins said “We hope we can ride that horse all the way home.” Covington is both fast and powerfully built “This is my fourth year playing football,” he said He got his work in Thursday, racking up 60 yards on eight carries and catching a 38-yard touchdown pass as North Lawndale knocked off Rauner 40-7 at Rockne Stadium caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Tysean Perkins “I love playing with my brother,” Tavarius Covington said We get to talk to each other about football at home and work on stuff together.” Both teams were late for the scheduled 4:15 start so the game began at 5:30 and had a running clock Perkins was 4-for-5 passing for 95 yards with two touchdowns and one interception He also had four carries for 80 yards with touchdown runs of 61 and three yards “I’ve been telling everyone since the summer that [Tazerick Covington] is the freshman to watch,” Perkins said Perkins played wide receiver and cornerback last season North Lawndale coach Reggie Collins reacts during the game against Rauner at Rockne Stadium “It was my turn to step up and take over at quarterback,” he said “I like that everything is under my control The game moves at the pace I want it to move.” North Lawndale (2-0) jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead and never trailed Rauner (1-1) scored on a kickoff return by Taeiron Delaney late in the fourth quarter “We tried to strike early because of the running clock,” said Collins who’s in his first year as head coach after serving as defensive coordinator last season and we have some tall wide receivers that played track The Phoenix have qualified for the state playoffs the last three seasons and six of the last 11 but have never won a playoff game Last season was their first chance to host one; they lost 48-6 to Prairie Central and the new kids that came in have hunger,” Collins said “We will be ready and locked in to do what we need to do.” With the Public League’s realignment of football conferences this season North Lawndale is in the White-North and will qualify for the state playoffs the traditional way would have to win its six-team conference to qualify “Our teamwork is better so far this year,” Perkins said A 14-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting Monday night on the West Side A 14-year-old boy was shot while sitting in a parked car Monday night in North Lawndale on the West Side the teen was sitting in a car in the 3400 block of West Grenshaw Street when someone opened fire and struck him in his left leg He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was in good condition No one was in custody; Area 4 detectives are investigating A man who was found shot early Saturday in North Lawndale has died Officers responding to a call of a person shot found the 28-year-old about 2:30 a.m in an alley in the 1300 block of South Harding Avenue Farro Jamal Becton suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead about 11:20 a.m.