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you to an overlooked part of town Last year, I wrote a series called “Something Good in Every Neighborhood,” in which I described my favorite place in 76 of the city’s 77 community areas the overlooked Southwest Side neighborhood between Brighton Park and Midway Airport.  “This is a residential neighborhood,” I wrote West Elsdon is a lower middle class Latino neighborhood, dominated by chain stores. Get off the Orange Line at Pulaski, and you’ll immediately walk past Giordano’s, Red Lobster, Game Stop, Dollar Tree, Discovery Clothing, Jewel-Osco, McDonald’s. Stores you can find in any neighborhood. Walk a little further down Pulaski, though, to 56th Street, and you’ll find Solazo A Mexican restaurant inside a whitewashed brick building a Mexican immigrant kid from the neighborhood who also owns La Josie in the West Loop His twin goals for his two restaurants: bring the Southwest Side’s Mexican culture downtown and bring diners from downtown to West Elsdon Barajas migrated to Chicago with his mother when he was 7 years old and grew up in Little Village he dropped out of Hubbard High School to learn the food business from his uncles a chain of traditional Mexican restaurants on the Southwest Side (He later earned a GED.) Starting out as a dishwasher Barajas soon decided that he wanted to operate his own restaurant he learned that the owners of Hey Bud’s Hot Dogs were going out of business and putting their stand up for sale He bought it for $315,000 and opened El Solazo with a menu that added the cuisines of Jalisco – the Pacific Ocean state where his mother grew up – Mexico City and Yucatan to the typical neighborhood Mexican fare Even before he signed the contract on the property he knew he didn’t want to open another taqueria just because I was so close to what my family was already doing,” Barajas said “They were starting to go into a bigger production method We did a lot of things they weren’t doing at the other establishments It wasn’t sticking to the most commonly found items on a Mexican menu: burritos El Solazo was a neighborhood hit, with an appearance on WTTW’s Check, Please, so in 2016, Barajas took his act downtown, opening La Josie at 740 W — a Jalisco-themed restaurant named after his aunt La Josie had a much fancier menu than El Solazo The langosta taco is pan-seared Maine lobster butter-roasted tomatillo and jalapeño salsa The restaurant was named to Chicago’s Michelin Bib Gourmand list El Solazo was nearly gutted by an electrical fire which still had some of the same layout as Hey Bud’s to bring the West Loop dining experience to West Elsdon He obtained a liquor license so he could open a bar serving agave from Michoacan and Jalisco and a vegetarian taco filled with butternut squash He began making tortillas and chips in house He also shortened the name to “Solazo” — a stylish single word “The style of service was to give people an opportunity in this neighborhood to experience what dining at an upscale casual restaurant should feel like,” Barajas said “That’s from both sides — a guest perspective to give them the opportunity to also work in an organized fashion A lot of the youth that are growing up in West Elsdon a 27-year-old server who grew up two blocks from Solazo said some folks in the neighborhood were skeptical of Barajas’s upscale ambitions “The pomegranate in the guacamole — they were afraid to try something new ‘Just give it a try.’ I think we’re starting a different trend in this neighborhood Solazo reopened on September 16, 2021 — a significant date, because it was Barajas’s mother’s birthday: “My mom and I, her being a single mom and me being a single child, we’ve been best friends.” In 2022, the restaurant won a Chicago Tribune’s Critics Choice Award for “Comeback of the Year”: “Barajas took a research trip to Oaxaca City where he sampled the many local markets and worked at one of the city’s hottest restaurants El Destilado,” wrote the newspaper’s restaurant critics one of the area’s famous seven moles.You can now sample the chicken enchiladas ($18) bathed in the deeply complex mole.” the neighborhood is called West Elsdon because it was west of “[a] small hamlet of railroad workers called Elsdon [which] grew up around car shops built by the Grand Trunk Railroad near 51st Street and Central Park.) I would say that we are the only establishment that’s offering this type of experience,” Barajas said and we have a lot of people come in from other parts of the city I definitely want to put everything we’re doing on the map Tags: , Chicago magazine newsletters have you covered A row of homes on South Springfield Avenue in West Elsdon A study found that a typical Illinois single-family homeowner paid almost $1,000 more for insurance in 2024 She has tried finding a more affordable homeowners insurance policy for her two-flat but kept getting rejected by companies that didn’t want to insure her 1880s-era home “After a year of trying to find a decent rate The extra $823 makes her wonder if it’s worth it It erodes my desire to stay and renovate my building,” she said “It drives the middle class people out of the city It drives middle class people out of the state.” A new study found a typical Illinois single-family homeowner paid almost $1,000 more for home insurance in 2024 compared with three years earlier making it the second-highest increase in the country The average cost last year for $350,000 worth of replacement coverage from one of the six major insurers in Illinois was $2,942 according to a nationwide analysis of insurance rate data by the Consumer Federation of America The nonprofit examined rates for $350,000 replacement value policies for customers with a credit score of about 740 the cost for that level of coverage increased by 46% over the same three-year period with average annual costs rising from $1,964 to $2,876 States like Florida and Louisiana saw higher prices for home insurance but the rate of increase in Illinois raises concerns about affordability in a state that’s far away from hurricanes and wildfires Arizona ranked third at 48% followed by Pennsylvania at 44% But prices are rising all around the country with increases hitting homeowners in about 95% of U.S The study also estimated that American homeowners collectively paid about $21 billion more for home insurance in 2024 than in 2021 States with the highest average annual insurance prices in 2024 were Florida at $9,462 and Louisiana at $6,939 — two states infamous for weather disasters The report said discussions around high insurance costs often focus on states like Florida and California but the data shows premium hikes “have not been limited to coastal states.” Wind hail and tornadoes in the middle part of the country have caused billions in damage The Consumer Federation of America is calling for more state oversight of insurance rates more data transparency and protection for consumers who fear their insurers will drop them It also recommends prioritizing climate resiliency for homes and infrastructure The group is also proposing a public reinsurance option to provide a less expensive backstop for insurers who now purchase expensive reinsurance from private firms director of insurance for CFA and a co-author of the study said price increases are pushing some homeowners into cheaper policies with poor coverage or causing them to drop their insurance altogether once their mortgage is paid off Some cheaper policies consider depreciation when paying claims so a homeowner whose roof was ripped off in a storm may be left with a low payout that doesn’t cover replacement Legislation in Springfield that was backed by the Illinois Department of Insurance would have given state regulators the ability to review all proposed rate increases of 5% or more for home or car insurance vice president and counsel at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association said what’s not mentioned in the study is that insurers in Illinois have had an average underwriting loss of 6.2% over the last decade and had “an astounding” 27.6% underwriting loss in 2023 “Insurance costs have increased across the county in recent years due to rising claims costs associated with inflation legal system abuse and regulatory constraints,” Snyder said director of Illinois Public Interest Research Group a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization said the insurance industry for years ignored the effects of climate change and now wants to drop vulnerable customers Virtually all mortgage lenders require insurance so the higher prices make it harder for people who aspire to buy a home “It’s going to make homeownership more expensive which means less accessible to a lot of people,” Scarr said walks towards his West Elsdon home after being found guilty in a federal corruption trial Burke retired as a lawyer recently after efforts to suspend his license failed Chicago's longest-serving City Council member was sentenced to two years in prison on corruption charges after federal prosecutors asked for a decade Ex-Chicago Alderman Ed Burke spent 54 years in City Council — the longest reign in history he’ll spend two years in prison after a jury convicted him of using his power in office for private gain WBEZ's Mariah Woelfel spoke with Melba Lara from federal court to discuss the sentencing This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity Click the "play" button to listen to the entire interview this has been such a high profile case here in Chicago Tell us what happened during today's hearing so both sides made their case for what they think Burke's punishment should be They argued he's 80 years old and deserves mercy they read from more than 200 letters that have been filed on Burke's behalf detailing good deeds and charitable deeds he's done 'Ed is really a priest without a collar.' Prosecutors painted a much different picture in seeking a decade in prison for Burke They called him a greedy opportunist who exchanged his favors for profit and said he's shown no remorse or responsibility for his crimes And then we did hear from Burke himself who made brief comments And then the judge handed down her sentence: two years as well as a $2 million fine and a year of supervised release ML: I'll ask you about Burke's reaction in just a moment so he was found guilty late last year of 13 counts involving four schemes and most of those schemes have to do with strong arming developers who needed zoning into hiring Burke's private property tax appeals law firm So really using his public office for private gain ML: And did Burke himself speak during the sentencing and this is the first time we've really heard Burke address his crimes in earnest and I regret the pain and sorrow I've caused my family.' And then he asked the judge for compassion and mercy 'whatever amount of time God has decided to leave me on this earth,' because he is 80 years old 'I'd like to spend as much of it as possible with my devoted wife and children and grandchildren.' So it's maybe not the remorse and responsibility prosecutors were looking for Did Judge Virginia Kendall say anything in handing down the two-year-long sentence MW: Well she spent a lot of time talking about how these 200 letters of support moved her She said she — not disregarded — but didn't note the ones that were about Burke using his public office to help people But really the ones that hit her hard were the ones of just everyday people who Burke helped out with paying for funeral costs or supporting families who were grieving the loss of a loved one helping assist a police officer get back on their feet after being wounded on the job all of these good deeds that people wrote about And she said she has never seen in all of her career the letters she's received from Mr she said she's never imposed such a large fine how big of a dent that will make in Burke's pocket book But she says she thinks it sends a message that if you want to commit public corruption by being greedy what was Ed Burke's reaction when the judge announced the sentence MW: So he really remained straight faced throughout all of the proceedings today he smiled as he shook hands with supporters ML: And we mentioned his wife Anne Burke earlier — she's a former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice — she had written a letter to the judge asking for leniency MW: So she really broke down at two points during today's proceedings She was sitting on the bench right behind Burke One point she broke down was when Burke himself spoke that was the first time she kind of broke into tears though it's unclear if those were tears of relief or tears of sadness but it really is a drop in the bucket of what prosecutors were asking for what's it like watching somebody like Ed Burke who had all this vast amount of power in this city for decades be humbled in the courtroom one of the most powerful couples in modern Chicago history And so it certainly is a noteworthy day in Chicago history But this sentence is not the 10 years that prosecutors wanted I think it would have been much more kind of mind-blowing and remarkable to see that hefty of a sentence handed down 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 Robbie Johnson is raising her family’s fourth generation of children in North Lawndale she felt safe and free — but the neighborhood “It was easier for me to walk to the corner store,” Johnson said I don’t want my son walking nowhere.” Even though he’s 21 she continues to drive him around the corner to the gym.  Johnson doesn’t just look out for her own children. As the outreach community coordinator at The Firehouse Community Arts Center Johnson is also looking to connect with the youth who are causing harm “I’m not afraid of my children in my community,” she said and understands that kids are just trying to survive; with the higher cost of living many have resorted to violence to feed themselves and their families are scared of young people; when they see them The sense that the peace has been shattered in certain parts of Chicago is backed by data even as gun violence declines in the city overall North Lawndale recorded the highest increase of shootings North Lawndale joined 16 other neighborhoods that saw the opposite — more shootings in 2023 compared to 2022 Three areas experienced the most gun violence in their history since 2010: Fuller Park Residents and organizers said the rise is a wakeup call for the city to be more proactive in certain neighborhoods and further invest in resources residents continue to ask for: affordable housing “How is it that we got all these killings and then next door which focuses on 10 block groups in Englewood Just one of the 17 neighborhoods that saw an increase in 2023 is on this shorter list The mayor’s and deputy mayor of community safety’s office did not respond to requests for comment Take a trip to North Lawndale. Organizers and residents say the streetscape alone is evidence of disinvestment. “North Lawndale is an almost deserted, forgotten community,” said Stephen Gilbert, the director of youth and community development at My Block, My Hood, My City Instead of grocery stores and recreational centers liquor stores and gas stations dot most corners “My grandmother used to say: ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workplace,’” Gilbert said If youth aren’t provided recreational activities and opportunities Many residents feel frustrated and excluded “You feel like the money is not distributed equally,” said Heriberto Flores where shootings have quadrupled from four in 2010 to 16 in 2023 the gun violence has made an impact on the small community He’s lived in the area for two decades and he’s noticed more criminal activity from youth He himself weathered four burglaries in the past six years One common thread people mentioned is youth involvement on all ends of the crisis. Chicago Police Department data shows that young people under 30 were the victims of almost 55 percent of shootings in 2023; they also made up 66 percent of homicide “offenders” in 2022 Flores runs a soccer club called Deportivo 59 Futbol Club a few teens ran through Pasteur Park shooting at each other during practice He was told that bystanders threw themselves to the ground “There were people who didn’t return to the program,” Flores said “They were scared the hoodlums would come back.” It seems like the government waits until there are many fatal shootings before they take action noting that it would be “better to be proactive rather than reactive.”  Many neighborhoods experiencing heightened gun violence are also seeing demographic changes But as his Polish neighbors left and more Latinos moved in someone tried to break into his home while his wife was alone She called the police but it took them more than two hours to arrive “I don’t understand why the police don’t pay attention to us.” As Latinos “Sometimes we don’t build up the courage to speak up and ask for things we deserve.” Johnson said residents used to know police officers by name those running to become their elected officials “We’re missing the village that we had when I was a young girl,” Johnson said a neighbor would call her out or call her mother the community would help raise the kids together parents have to make a choice: work longer hours or cut back to watch their kids Calvin Brown, system program director at the Southwest Organizing Project said his group is using block parties to reconnect the village His organization serves four areas that experienced more gun violence in 2023: West Elsdon His organization throws block parties on streets where criminal activity has occurred they show perpetrators the life their neighbors wish to have — one where kids are able to ride their bikes and play freely without fear of being shot The organization is also able to facilitate conversations between the perpetrators and those affected by violence Sometimes they come to an understanding on how to keep illicit activities away from children These neighborhoods are more than just numbers and sometimes a sense of progress — or tragedy — gets lost in the data Announcements that cheerlead reductions in gun violence can feel like they’re meant to pacify when in reality He said he wants the city to act faster in response to neighborhoods in need “We need to be more about that action than just talk.” parish pastor at Augustana Lutheran Church said “people are experiencing more economic desperation.” That need Shootings in the affluent neighborhood have increased in the past three years But rather than giving that area more resources the city should help the struggling neighboring communities and focus on the poverty and racist structures that drive violence The narrative around gun violence has changed dramatically “Elected officials realize that they will be held accountable if they don’t support policy measures that keep people safe.” He said prevention includes calling out the gun industry that makes and distributes firearms Kotowski, who is also the president and CEO of Kids Above All, an organization focused on child welfare and education, noted that the top cause of death for children is gun related every single component of resources that we have available to make sure that our kids are going to be safe.” A neighborhood’s jump in gun violence doesn’t necessarily mean that the area is on the downturn, said Edwin Galletti, vice president of violence intervention and prevention services at UCAN Chicago but more mass shootings in which modified weapons injure more victims data does tell us what’s going on; and what it tells us is that it [the city and community’s response] is working Your tax-deductible donation to The Trace will directly support nonprofit journalism on gun violence and its effects on our communities Chicago police work the scene where three people were shot in the 5200 block of South Pulaski Road in the parking lot behind a McDonalds in the West Elsdon neighborhood A 19-year-old man was killed and two teens wounded in a shooting on the Southwest Side on Monday afternoon Police responded to reports of a person shot in the 5300 block of South Pulaski Road about 3:56 p.m was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn critical condition; a 15-year-old boy was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition after being shot in the legs A 16-year-old boy was shot in the buttocks and abdomen A person was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting Saturday evening in West Elsdon Shots were fired by someone in a silver sedan about 7:50 p.m was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said The 19-year-old was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with gunshot wounds to the leg and hand The woman was also taken to Christ Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the face No one is in custody and detectives are investigating A 46-year-old man was driving a motorcycle northbound in the 5500 block of South Pulaski Road when a woman in a Chevy SUV turned left and collided with the man A motorcyclist was struck and killed in a crash in West Elsdon on Sunday night A 46-year-old man was driving a motorcycle northbound in the 5500 block of South Pulaski Road about 7:18 p.m when a woman in a Chevy SUV turned left and collided with the man The man was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn No other injuries were reported and the Chevy driver was cited Here’s a list of the best known — or at least the most interesting — people to have inhabited our neighborhoods Julia Louis-Dreyfus lived on Eastlake Terrace when she was a student at Northwestern in the early 1980s She once answered the door topless for her building engineer — or so he says I shared a three-bedroom apartment in Uptown with an ever-changing cast of roomies,” recalls Game of Thrones author George R.R who worked as a VISTA volunteer with the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation his landlords discovered the illustrated 15,145-page manuscript for The Story of the Vivian Girls in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion in the room at 851 W the Chicago Tribune film critic and foil for Roger Ebert whose dining room was decorated with a mural depicting “a mountainous Greek scene of horses Doomed guitarist Terry Kath of the band Chicago attended Taft High School whose other musical claim to fame is as the inspiration for Rydell High in Grease Kath accidentally killed himself with a 9mm pistol at the age of 31 FBI agents knocked on the door of a house at on Sunnyside Ave Rod Blagojevich answered the door in his jogging outfit Jeff Tweedy moved from Belleville to Chicago and founded Wilco and fed his dreams of smoking a pipe and wearing pajamas all day at the Montclare Theatre on Grand Avenue: “all those images of the Jazz Age the flappers…and thinking that I’d missed the party.” Hefner loved Steinmetz High School Hef was so fond of his alma mater he later donated $37,500 to print the school newspaper the Disneys moved to Missouri when Walt was 4 years old his family moved from Montreal to Humboldt Park where his father joined in Prohibition-era bootlegging Nelson Algren lived in a third-floor walkup at 1523 W where he chronicled low life in the Polish neighborhood in his novels Never Come Morning and The Man With the Golden Arm owner of Mustard Seed Kitchen and Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Great Lakes where his grandmother gave him prep work for dinner before his mother came home from work David Schwimmer got his start doing improv with Stephen Colbert at Northwestern then co-founded the Lookingglass Theater Company Schwimmer remained so attached to Chicago that in 1998 he paid $425,000 — about half his ultimate per-episode Friends salary — to buy a loft in a converted warehouse at 850 W He sold it in 2020 after moving to New York the world’s fastest rapper — 598 syllables in 55 seconds according to a speech pathologist — grew up in K-Town Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak (nee Sajdak) grew up there Chicago Bears founder George Halas fell into the latter category His parents emigrated to Chicago from the original Pilsen where he learned to call a cold wind off Lake Michigan “The Hawk,” a term he popularized in the song “Dead End Street.” the Marx Brothers bought a house at 4512 S because Chicago was a convenient home base for touring the vaudeville circuit “We lived in Chicago for 12 years,” Groucho would recall “I saw Ty Cobb play baseball many a day at White Sox Park Blackstone Avenue between 51st and 53rd streets is Honorary Chaka Khan Way It runs along the west side of Kenwood Academy where the singer was a student known as Yvette Marie Stevens ‘I’m from around 87th and Stony,’” says rapper Common who drew on his South Side upbringing in such songs as “The Corner” and “The People.” Dick Butkus grew up in Roseland and attended Chicago Vocational School and the University of Illinois before being drafted by the Bears meaning he played all his home games in his home state tavern owner’s son Moose Cholak often entered the wrestling ring with a real moose head on his shoulders as the crowds howled “Mooooose.” Wrestling didn’t pay so Cholak went to work for Streets and San It’s still one of Chicago’s great literary mysteries: In 1996 crime novelist Eugene “Guy” Izzi’s body was found hanging outside the window of his 14th floor writing office or did the bulletproof vest and brass knuckles found on his body suggest foul play and based his early books on the lives of his fellow steelworkers During an episode of A&E’s “Donnie Loves Jenny,” Jenny McCarthy stopped by her childhood home a West Elsdon bungalow where the family’s initials are carved in cement on the patio Reilly was nominated for an Oscar for Chicago I interviewed Lil Durk at his grandmother’s two-flat on Ashland Avenue which was empty except for a dining table and a TV set because he autotuned the shit out of everything dey’re buildin’ a new Cat’lick Church over dere in Orland Park.” This is one of the last strongholds of the “dese parodied on Saturday Night Live’s “Bill Swerski’s Superfans” sketches by Beverly’s own George Wendt No wonder Norm Peterson didn’t sound like he was from Boston Hillary Rodham was born in Edgewater Medical Center and lived at 5722 North Winthrop Avenue until she was 4 he expressed his disgust for the Democratic machine by moving to Park Ridge and voting for Eisenhower Tags: South Side Weekly Blink and you’ll miss the triangle of tall grasses and dragonflies in the bustle of Cicero Avenue traffic. The 1.66-acre parcel is an understated instance of wetland resilience in urban settings. The microhabitat might have been just a small part of the ever-shifting patchwork of wetlands that stretched out to Lake Michigan pre-settlement. Or, as University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ecologist Jeffrey Matthews suggested it might have been an “accidental wetlands”—which is to say a new wetland that forms when development interrupts water flow and causes it to pool in one place an “accident” of development or a remnant of the pre-settlement landscape the fact of its continued existence is reason enough for recognition the land is valuable for the habitat it provides to amphibians and birds and for its ability to hold runoff water during a storm or flood Sign up to get the Weekly Digest delivered to your inbox from developing it or making substantive adjustments.) The wetland microhabitat is host to a waving sea of phragmites and monarch butterflies flutter over toppled house-for-sale signs and beer cans unless you have a proclivity for sneaking around property belonging to a large company with a private police force But after shopping at Bedford City Mall across the street a walk up the sidewalk along the wetlands might offer an antidote to the corporate monotony: a nice little reminder of the nuances of urban development The weekly farmers market organized by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) sounds more like a party than a collection of produce and hot food stands the DJ’d music provided a welcome greeting during my recent visit The market that particular week included two produce stands; spicy vegan tamales from Conscious for Life run by a self-trained chef named Queen Tahirah; Imani’s Bean Pies; Chicago Art Press’s shockingly strong ginger-fruit health drinks created by native South Sider Norbaya Jameela Durr; and a handful of other stands Making healthy food more accessible to low-income neighborhoods—perhaps by enticing people with music—is at the center of the efforts of IMAN the organization’s food ecosystems coordinator He oversees the market; IMAN’s corner store campaign which works to help corner stores stock healthy food (sometimes by providing it to them at cost) and bridges the gap between Arab corner store owners and their Black customers; and a commercial training kitchen the organization is opening next year across the street from the farmers market the musical act had canceled at the last minute eager to learn about where their food comes from and thus IMAN’s goal of educating its neighbors about healthy food by providing access to it was fulfilled Fresh Beats & Eats Farmers Market. 2477 W. 63rd St. Friday, 2pm–6pm, through October 26. (773) 434-4626. imancentral.org On the second floor of a retail bank location off the Pulaski Orange Line stop is Mind + Hand yet one immediately recognizable as necessary by just five people: a community organizer both of whom are from the area and have a background in education or just hang out; adults in the community are welcome to do the same the small group has worked to engage with schools and residents in the area to determine the exact skill sets needed for all to best utilize the resources it provides The center’s name is sourced from the Latin motto of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology the alma mater of co-founder Jason Gonzales; it stresses the need for education to be practically applied Given the political weaponization of CPS by city officials and the dire situation of un- and underemployment of young people of color in Chicago Mind + Hand’s mission feels incredibly timely Mind + Hand. 5400 S. Pulaski Rd., 2nd fl. Monday–Friday, 9am–8pm. mindhand.org and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" View More View More Whenever somebody asks me to describe my neighborhood of Archer Heights the phrase that comes to mind is “tucked away.” We are bordered to the north by the enormous bridge covering both I-55 and the Sanitary and Ship Canal to the east by the unending freight tracks of the Corwith Intermodal Facility and to the west by a blocks-long industrial yard (or by wide and well-traveled Cicero Avenue depending on who you ask; as someone who’s only lived here for ten years I don’t feel qualified to weigh in on the controversial question of neighborhood boundaries) Life in this community can be many things owing to its unique geography: cozy and insular But it’s also the sort of place where people settle in for the long haul It’s not uncommon for families to live here for multiple generations or to sell their house only to buy a new one around the corner Archer Heights is a community of well-loved single-family homes and dozens of wonderful nooks and crannies that fly under the radar of even long-time residents Archer Heights also has an extremely busy street running through the middle of it: Pulaski Road which connects us to West Elsdon directly to the south and keeps running for another 150-odd blocks Pulaski is home to strip malls as far as the eye can see—sometimes it feels like they extend all the way to the Gulf of Mexico with its wall of mid-sized commerce serving as a sound barrier concealing the quiet neighborhoods beyond If you’re spending time in Archer Heights or West Elsdon or exploring the well-worn paths of the place you call home You might walk for blocks along a quiet side street with only the rustle of leaves or the far-off hum of industry keeping you company And if you stop at a crosswalk along Pulaski and take note of the unending stream of cars rushing through the neighborhood without ever thinking twice about stopping you might even feel bad for those thousands of drivers who have no idea what they’re missing Dixon Galvez-Searle is a lifelong Chicagoan who was born and raised in what realtors are no doubt calling Logan Square but is more accurately the southernmost tip of Avondale He spends his days crafting digital communications (web pages social media posts) on behalf of a single-payer advocacy organization where he tends to his hungry and demanding cats bikes the side streets with his giddy daughter and serves on the board of the Southwest Collective along with his wife who started the growing community organization in their basement in early 2019 From 1955 to 2004, the corner of Archer Avenue and Pulaski Road was home to an unthinkably large (eighty lane!) bowling alley that drew crowds from across the Southwest Side and beyond But as the mainstream appeal of bowling dwindled and the crowds thinned out it became clear that such an extravagant ode to the sport was no longer commercially viable and after the bowling alley closed in 2004 all that remains is a sign that reads “O  PEN   OWL   ING” and 3.5 acres of crabgrass mixed with deteriorating concrete—all of which is confounding for neighborhood residents because by all outward appearances this is a prime location The property sits directly across from both the busy Pulaski Orange Line CTA station and Curie Metro High School and is a little more than a mile south of I-55 And while various residential and commercial projects have been proposed over the years none of them has come close to breaking ground (It didn’t help that one such project was interrupted by the Great Recession and that the owners JD Real Estate of Pete’s Fresh Market fame seem content to sit on the property until it yields a sizable return.) As the years go by young people in the neighborhood are increasingly unaware that this particular plot of land was ever anything but the vacant lot it is today It could be an arts and cultural center showcasing the talents of Chicagoans who are not often celebrated and providing the kind of live performance space that other communities take for granted It could be a community garden or green space to counterbalance the wide streets and expansive concrete parking lots nearby It could be a series of affordable or mixed-income rental units in a city that builds overpriced condos next to its most crowded train stations It could even be a commercial property hosting retail or other businesses (imagine a mid-size movie theater in this location) although the surrounding area is not currently hurting for storefronts or strip malls Or it could be something completely different And while COVID-19 has made it unlikely that any sort of ambitious project will begin construction in the near future the potential and need for a community anchor that draws people from across the Southwest Side’s disparate communities is as strong as it’s ever been The former Marzano’s Miami Bowl lot is bounded by S. Archer Ave. to the north, S. Karlov Ave. to the west, W. 51st St. to the south, and S. Pulaski Rd. to the east. If you’re the type of person who currently has access to millions of dollars, the land is currently available for lease through Metro Commercial Real Estate, metrocre.com Adult Graphic Novel Book Club at the Archer Heights Public Library Those two widely acclaimed books were featured in October and November and European graphic novels in future months Once COVID-19 restrictions put the library’s popular crafting programs on hold Ramos leaned on his interests and his experience running a similar book club at the southwest suburban Stickney-Forest View Public Library (he moved to the Archer Heights library about a year-and-a-half ago) He says he has a year’s worth of material for the group and expects the virtual crowds to get bigger as the months go on And in case anybody skipped over the word “adult” in the group’s title note that these books often contain mature themes and imagery so no signing up your kid who happens to be into Marvel This particular book club is for readers ages sixteen and older Adult Graphic Novel Book Club at the Archer Heights Branch Library, 5055 S. Archer Ave. To register for an upcoming book club, visit chipublib.org and select “book clubs” using the series of checkboxes at the left The December 14 edition of the adult graphic novel book club will focus on the “Saga” series by Brian K If you’re somebody who gets overwhelmed by too many choices then seek out this storefront restaurant for a hot (and possibly spicy) bowl of pozole a traditional Mexican stew that comes in three simple varieties: rojo you’re not going to walk out with a bowl’s worth you’re going to walk out with either a gallon or a half-gallon and the half-gallon is going to give you about six bowls worth perfect for a family meal or for a week of solo sustenance over the long winter months The pozole itself features a base of hominy and pork along with just the right amount of flavorful but not overpowering broth and an outrageously generous grab-bag of toppings that includes avocado (Do yourself a favor and don’t ignore the lime a squirt of citrus in a bowl of piping hot pozole really hits the spot.) There are other items on the menu just realize that the main attraction can be found in the restaurant’s name Peke’s Pozole, 4720 S. Pulaski Rd. Thursday–Friday, 9am–6pm; weekends, 8am–8pm. Closed Monday–Wednesday. (773) 801-1136. pekespozole.com patrons will be able to soak in the colorful interior that includes brightly painted walls papel picado (colorful perforated paper) strung across the ceiling and a beguiling cat emoji-inspired store mascot Best Place for Onesies That Are Only Going to Fit for Three Months Anyway provided a public space for parents and expectant parents to donate or receive onesies The February event was the biggest one yet with tables and booths stacked high with donations families cycling in and out for hours on end and kids running around with reckless abandon The March event probably would have been even bigger it had to be canceled—as did the April event But organizers with The Southwest Collective refused to put “Freebies” on a complete hiatus and instead began scheduling contact-free pickup and dropoff of items for expectant parents This was especially important during a time of increased need when families were experiencing everything from canceled baby showers to layoffs and loss of income The team of volunteers housed donated items in their basements and garages and made an extra effort to put together curated care packages for families during the spring and summer the Collective managed to host an in-person (outdoor) event on October 24 Organizers secured space at the United Credit Union parking lot provided hand sanitizer to everybody upon entering and required attendees to wear masks (which were made available in case anybody needed one) The dozens of attendees who braved the late fall chill were also treated to a Dia de los Muertos inspired performance by the southwest side dance troupe Teatro Tariakuri it’s a community of people who care about them and their children but there’s still no shortage of families who want to look out for one another November and December “Freebies” events have been cancelled due to the spike in COVID-19 cases on the southwest side. Organizers have been making contact-free drop-offs in the interim, and are tentatively planning an in-person event for January, complete with strict safety measures. Visit swcollective.org for more info as it becomes available Best Easily Accessible Mental Health Resources La Caja de la Comunidad features an abstract tan face in profile with an illustrated red brain visible in the center along with the phrase “La Salud Mental Es Importante / Mental Health Matters.” The box was installed in late October and houses books in both Spanish and English that community members are free to take home and call their own as well as brochures from organizations such as The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention It also provides self-care items such as gratitude journals and coloring books to encourage coping and relaxation The organizers hope such a public display of mental health resources will raise awareness of mental health challenges in the Latinx (primarily Mexican-American) community and spark conversations about the importance of mental health in general They also hope to help those who need professional support connect with culturally appropriate and accessible services from licensed therapists to informal networks to professionally staffed hotlines There are serious mental health challenges associated with the pandemic and the sooner we bring these issues out into the open the sooner we can deal with them as individuals and as a community It is a collaboration between No Somos Locos and was created in loving memory of Derek Jason Robledo who lost his battle with depression in 2019 Where do you suppose home games for budding athletes at Curie Metro High School get played with its combination football/soccer field and acres of green space That’s because the park is in such poor condition that visiting CPS teams refuse to play there this problem has lingered for a long time; it’s been a whopping ten years since the varsity football team has played a home game at Curie there still remain no plans to fix the problems at Curie Park Read In Memoriams for Archer Heights & West Elsdon’s Jan Kopec and Mind + Hand A man was beaten to death Thursday in West Elsdon on the Southwest Side in the basement of an apartment in the 5300 block of South Kildare Avenue with lacerations to his head the Cook County medical examiner’s office said An autopsy found he died of multiple injuries from an assault and ruled his death a homicide Detectives are conducting a death investigation Tired of hearing negative things about the city We went to each of Chicago’s neighborhoods and have a positive recommendations for what to do West Garfield Park27: East Garfield Park28 Tags: Azul De La Garza was shot and killed Saturday in Chicago An 18-year-old was shot and killed over the weekend in West Elsdon on the Southwest Side had just returned home after a day spent with their mother Azul De La Garza was sitting in a parked car in the 5400 block of South Avers Avenue when someone approached and fired shots around 8:30 p.m De La Garza was pronounced dead at Mount Sinai Hospital “It’s hard to put it in words the loss we’re feeling — for someone to take away my 18-year-old warrior princess,” the father Jose De La Gaza told reporters Sunday Azul De La Garza had spent the day with their mother and had just bought a halloween costume Azul De La Garza had recently graduated from Solorio Academy where they wrestled and won second place in a state tournament They had a scholarship to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago this fall Azul De La Garza was “just doing everything the best way we taught her,” the father said Azul De La Garza used they/them pronouns and spent the summer organizing for the Gage Park Latinx Council “They were a shinning star full of love and life with limitless potential and hope,” the group wrote on Facebook De La Garza was one of at least nine people killed in weekend gun violence in Chicago An online fundraiser is collecting money for De La Garza’s family Bond was denied Friday for a man charged with inadvertently killing a 23-year-old woman in a West Elsdon neighborhood shooting earlier this month on the Southwest Side faces one count of first-degree murder for the April 8 attack in the 5500 block of South Karlov Lauren Membreno was in the front passenger seat of a parked car about 7 p.m when Garcia pulled up in another vehicle and opened fire according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office A police source said Garcia had been aiming for her boyfriend Membreno was shot in the head and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital She lived in the 5300 block of South Spaulding was ordered held without bond at a Friday hearing according to Cook County Circuit Court records A 21-year-old man was fatally wounded by gunfire in what police say seemed like a drug-related confrontation Monday morning in the West Elsdon neighborhood on the Southwest Side A male shot Adrien Campos in the neck as he was walking at 2:52 a.m according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office The shooting unfolded during a possible “narcotics-related” exchange that was botched was taken to Christ Medical Center in critical condition Area Central detectives are investigating the homicide Chicago police sayByABC7 Chicago Digital Team Monday 2022The car and front of the store appeared to be heavily damaged.CHICAGO (WLS) -- An SUV crashed into a West Elsdon grocery store early Monday morning before its occupants fled CPD said the driver of an Infiniti SUV was traveling south at a high rate of speed on Pulaski Road just after 1 a.m. when he lost control and hit a tree and then the front of a Pete's Market in the 5800-block of South Pulaski and there are no injuries reported in the incident RELATED: Crystal Lake crash: Man in shower when vehicle plowed into home may never walk again, son says The car and front of the store appeared to be heavily damaged CPD did not immediately release any information about possible charges in the incident A teenager has been reported missing from West Elsdon on the Southwest Side was last seen June 20 near the 3600 block of West 53rd Street according to a missing person alert from Chicago police Chicago police investigate a fatal shooting Feb A 29-year-old man was shot and killed Saturday in West Elsdon on the Southwest Side Ruben Quiroz Trejo was walking on the sidewalk about 7:20 p.m when someone in a vehicle pulled up in the 3700 block of West 58th Street and shot him in the head and chest Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said An autopsy conducted Sunday ruled his death a homicide Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides walks towards his home in the West Elsdon neighborhood on the Southwest Side after being found guilty in a federal corruption trial in December The state Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission website is now revealing that new status though it’s not clear in the public record when exactly the change happened He had been listed as legally able to practice law prior to the WBEZ/Sun-Times report on March 11 the disciplinary commission had urged the state Supreme Court to suspend his law license as is customary when lawyers run afoul of state or federal law After the federal convictions last year of two defendants in the Commonwealth Edison corruption case former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and ex-company lobbyist Michael McClain the commission stripped both of their law licenses But the court didn’t go that route with Burke after his racketeering several justices cited conflicts of interest and recused themselves sinking the effort — a move that wasn’t publicly revealed until almost a month after the fact when it was reported by WBEZ and the Sun-Times The result of that paralysis on the court meant Burke remained in good legal standing with the state and was permitted to practice law though his lawyer indicated his client had no desire to do so Burke was first licensed with the state in 1968 The issue flared during the final week of the primary involving state Supreme Court Justice Joy Cunningham and her rival who called on her to divulge whether she was among the justices who recused themselves in the Burke case Reyes called the court’s inability to render a decision in Burke’s case a “travesty” and encouraged justices to develop rules that would enable state appellate justices to substitute when Supreme Court justices disqualify themselves from a case through recusal Burke may apply for reinstatement as a lawyer while in retired status He also could still face a renewed effort by the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission to strip him of his law license after his scheduled June 24 sentencing in federal court But it is highly likely recusals by justices would doom such an effort again since there has been no turnover on the seven-member court since February told WBEZ and the Sun-Times he discussed Burke’s law license with the commission shortly after Burke’s conviction telling them Burke had not practiced law in years and wanted to retire After the WBEZ and Sun-Times report on March 11 posture of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission changed maybe he should go on retirement status,’ and I said that’s what I told you months ago,’” Gair said The commission declined public comment on that outline of events and on Burke’s changed status as a lawyer Supreme Court rules dictate that the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission initiate disciplinary proceedings against lawyers convicted of misconduct Gair said a move like that would be a mistake “It would be preposterous to do so given that he’s 80 years old and he’s facing criminal sentencing,” Burke’s lawyer said Dave McKinney covers Illinois politics and was the Chicago Sun-Times long-time Springfield bureau chief Jon Seidel covers federal courts for the Sun-Times was shot near 56th and Keeler.CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago teenager was shot and killed on his way to school on Chicago's Southwest Side was shot several times Wednesday morning near 56th and Keeler in the West Elsdon neighborhood Police are now searching for two men who were spotted running from the scene softball," Angel Morales said of his grandson Targeted him because he was a big kid." His family says his grandmother dropped him off at John Hancock High School two of his friends asked him to walk to a nearby store in the West Elsdon neighborhood police said a brown Buick pulled up in an alley around 8:40 a.m Investigators said the driver got out and fired several shots saw two kids running across neighbor's lawn then I saw a kid lying on the sidewalk," Arlene Marszalik said Felix was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead although he does not know who would target him Morales said gangs are prevalent in the area Grief counselors were on hand at John Hancock High School Wednesday to help students cope with Felix's death "This was shocking to me knowing in the morning that he got shot," said classmate Cesar Ortega Classmate Fabian Chavez started a memorial to Felix on the corner where he was shot "He was like a brother to you," Chavez said Police said Felix had no known gang affiliation 2015Two men were shot while waiting at a McDonald's drive-thru near Chicago's Midway Airport.CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two men were shot outside a McDonald's in Chicago's West Elsdon neighborhood were in waiting at the drive-thru window of the fast food restaurant in the 5200-block of South Pulaski Road around 1:15 a.m That's when someone walked up to the vehicle and opened fire The younger victim was shot in the right hip The older victim was shot in the right hand They were able to drive to the parking lot of a convenience store near 59th Street and Pulaski The men were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn Investigators are looking into whether the shooting was gang-related A police source said the 26-year-old victim is a known gang member A dopey “How Many States Have You Visited?” quiz has been bouncing around my Facebook feed this week and it got me thinking: Why isn't there a dopey quiz like this for Chicago So in the spirit of “Be the dopiness you want to see in the world,” I made a little quiz for you Use the map below to count how many neighborhoods you've been to then share your results on Twitter or Facebook For these purposes we're using the boundaries of Chicago’s official 77 community areas What does it mean to “be” in a neighborhood Hamlet. If you take the Eisenhower out to Oak Park have you “been to” Austin and West Garfield Park If you take the Orange Line to Midway (the terminals of which are largely in Garfield Ridge) have you also “been to” to New City and West Elsdon on the way I suggest you count a neighborhood if you have literally set foot in it You've gotten out of your car or off the train You’ve taken at least one deep breath of fresh air and had at least the minimal of experiences there You’ve been to 0 of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods Permalink Tags: ,