The House has a tradition of starting every session day in Black History Month with a member of the Black Caucus sharing a story of either an important moment in Black history with an Illinois connection or a profile of an Illinoisan who has made a significant contribution to Black history. I especially enjoy when members seek to share something we may not have learned before and have found myself making notes to look deeper into some of the people we’re introduced to in this tradition. In this week’s newsletter, we’re shouting out 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria Hadden and our very own Torrence Gardner who along with the Black Remembrance Project passed the city’s Juneteenth holiday ordinance. We’ll continue to highlight history makers and trailblazers throughout the month.

As we get underway in the 103rd General Assembly, we’ve now passed our new chamber rules to allow us to begin our work. Part of that process is establishing committees, appointing chairs, vice-chairs, and minority spokespeople, and assigning membership. That process has just been finalized and I’m excited about my assignments this session.

I will be returning as chair of the Restorative Justice Committee and Vice-chair of Judiciary - Criminal Law. In addition, I will be a member of Ethics & Elections, Housing, Human Services, and Mental Health & Addiction. Here’s a link to all of the committees for the 103rd General Assembly.

Today was the deadline to submit bill drafting requests to our Legislative Reference Bureau. The bill introduction deadline in the House is February 17th. Between now and then, as our bills come back from LRB, they’ll be introduced. You can check out what I’m introducing on the General Assembly page.

This weekend promises to be a busy one, with the annual Equality Illinois Gala Saturday night as one of the highlights. I’m excited to gather with friends and colleagues to celebrate our many victories this year, including the groundbreaking passage of the Patient and Provider Protection Act which provides some of the strongest possible protections inclusive of gender-affirming care in the country. On Sunday, work and fun will again combine as I get to serve as a judge for the Jarvis Square Tavern Chili Cook-Off from 3-5.

We go back to Springfield next week for session Tuesday through Thursday. Meanwhile, the team here continues to put our new office together. We’re still putting some finishing touches on everything, so watch for our grand opening/open house invite!

New Office Location Update

With the start of the new 103rd General Assembly this month, our team is also making a fresh start with a new office! While the space we’ve shared with the 48th ward, 9th Congressional District, 10th County Board District, and 7th Senate district has been our home since long before I took office, our new space on Morse Avenue will allow us to work more efficiently and safely while conserving resources.

We’re excited to announce that our new space at 1507 W. Morse Avenue will be shared with our newly elected 13th District County Commissioner Josina Morita and will give our constituents a more effective space to seek assistance or services. We’re just down the block from Alderwoman Hadden’s office and will continue to conduct constituent outreach and service events with our former office mates on Broadway!

We are not currently open to the public at the Morse office. We expect to be up and running in the new office by February 14th. Any changes will be posted on our social media and at repcassidy.com. Please continue to email us at repcassidy@gmail.com. 

Celebrate Black History Month

Pictured here are Chicago's Chief Equity Officer Candace Moore, Alderwoman Hadden, Torrence Gardner and members of The Black Remembrance Project after celebrating Chicago's Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony.

Celebrating Black Americans should not just happen in the month of February. Black people have provided much to this country with little recognition for far too long. They have influenced all aspects of American life by contributing knowledge and leadership that we should never take for granted. As politicians like Governor DeSantis seek to make changes to African-American studies to our national College Board curriculum we must never back down as Black writers and scholars deserve to be read about and learned from. History is powerful and that is why there are leaders and groups who want to influence it. Power depends on a narrative and we must always seek to push the truth against any narrative that erases any group but most especially our Black citizens who are owed so much. We will be highlighting in each up-and-coming newsletter this month great achievements and noteworthy people who have made history. We are starting off this week by remembering the historical victory of Juneteenth that was made not too long ago by Torrence Gardner and Alderwman Hadden in partnership with the Black Remembrance Project. Due to their multi-year efforts and the many others in years prior that worked on this, Chicago now recognizes it as a citywide holiday and this occurred ahead of the federal government and the State of Illinois (Cook County passed it first) making it a paid holiday. Juneteenth or June 19th commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans as many were not freed when President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.

Rep. Hoan Huynh District Office Opening

Winter Bryn Mawrkets

Watch, learn and shop at the Winter Bryn Markets this weekend! You'll find more than 10 artists, makers and vendors inside 1052 W Bryn Mawr Ave. On Saturday, make your own body scrub with DMApothecary, a perfect Valentine's Day gift. Then on Sunday, Friends of the Edgewater Library will host two reading hours for kids, one from 1:30-2:20pm and another from 3-4pm. They will also be giving away books! Join us for an action-packed weekend at the Mawrket!

R Public House Pop Up Karaoke

It's Karaoke Time!! Come sing about how much you hate winter and that darn groundhog or warmer, sunnier days ahead. This Sunday February 5 from 8-11pm at 1507 W. Jarvis, guaranteed to at least warm your soul.

Edgewater Community Tree Planting

Join community members, the Edgewater Environmental Coalition, Openlands TreeKeepers and Staff while we plant trees on the parkways of the Edgewater neighborhood! Request a tree now, deadline to submit by 2/28, plus volunteer for tree planting in April!

For tree requests, priority will be given to locations North of Hollywood, East of Clark, and south of Devon.

Request and Care for a Tree here here!

RSVP to Volunteer for the Tree Planting here!

Andersonville Fika Festival

The Andersonville Fika Fest will be on February 3-5, 2023 that will host promotions throughout the Andersonville Shopping District for all things you want when it is cold outside sweaters, candles, warm eats that feed your soul, music, and fun games to play inside when it is too cold to play outdoors. For more information and to purchase tickets go here.

Two highlights are listed below happening during the Fika Festival.

Coffee Coco Crawl | February 4, 2023 | The Andersonville Coffee & Hot Cocoa Crawl returns as a part of Fika Fest! Each route invites you to explore specialty offerings that may include coffee, hot cocoa, bakery items, and more! Each paid attendee will receive a commemorative mug & a complimentary donut from Downstate Donuts.

The Great Andersonville Puzzle Exchange is back at a new location. Join us on Sunday, February 5 at the corner of Bryn Mawr and Clark inside 5601 N Clark. Puzzles may be dropped off prior to the event on Saturday, February 4 during the Coffee and Hot Cocoa Crawl from 9AM-1PM or during the event on Sunday. Bring a puzzle, take a puzzle. 

Howard Street Makers Studio

Howard Street Makers Studio provides a safe space for creativity and healing. Everyone is welcome to join during open studios where participants can explore different types of art mediums. Howard Street Makers Studio is located at 1609 W. Howard St. Dates and times are subject to change, please check the calendar to verify dates and times.

Clark/Ridge TIF

The Clark/Ridge TIF district will open the Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) applications beginning on February 1. SBIF promotes economic development by providing small businesses with reimbursable grants for permanent building improvement costs (interior or exterior) for businesses and commercial properties located in the TIF district. Residential projects are not eligible for the SBIF program, and residential developers should not apply. 

Program participants can receive grants for 30-90% of project costs, with a maximum grant of $150,000 for commercial properties and $250,000 for industrial properties. The grants are administered by SomerCor on the City's behalf and do not have to be repaid.

The Department of Development and Planning will host an informational webinar on February 1 at 1 1 PM. Click here to register to attend. To view recordings of previous webinars, click here. 

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless Scholarship

DCFS 2023 Scholarship Program

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is currently accepting applications for the 2023 DCFS Scholarship Program. Through the program, a minimum of 53 academic scholarships will be awarded to current and former youth in care for the upcoming school year, with four awards reserved for the children of veterans. Scholarship recipients receive up to five consecutive years of tuition and academic fee waivers to be used at participating Illinois state community colleges and public universities, a monthly grant of $1,506 to offset other expenses and a medical card. On average, the department receives 200 application packets each year, and has awarded over 1,500 scholarships since the program began in 1971.

COVID-19 Updates

Friday, February 3rd Update:

• Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 IL residents: 79.6
• Daily new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 IL residents 84
• Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by IL COVID-19 patients: 21%
• Statewide Totals: 4,029,768 confirmed cases and 36,167 deaths

For more details regarding the status of COVID in Illinois click here.

Please click here to see the status of COVID in our zip codes.

Being vaccinated and boosted is critical to limit the major impacts of future pandemic waves we are to face as new variants come along. Please be up to date with your vaccines and continue to test when needed.

To find a vaccine clinic within the City of Chicago click here.

For questions or info regarding COVID-19 testing click here.

If you have questions related to COVID-19 you can contact the

Illinois Department of Public Health:

Hotline: 800-889-3931

Email: dph.sick@illinois.gov

City of Chicago's Department of Public Health:

Hotline: 312-746-4835

Email: coronavirus@chicago.gov

SNAP Update

Free Tax Preparation

Registration is open for Chicago Park District's 2023 winter programs. The Chicago Park District offers an extensive array of programs for all ages this winter. You'll find a variety of in-person programming options along with its popular virtual programs. Browse available openings and register here. 

Senior Services

Chicago Methodist Senior Services

Job Resources

Tapestry 360 Health is hiring Medical Assistants ($500 hiring bonus), Medical Receptionists ($500 hiring bonus), Call Center Representatives ($500 hiring bonus), and Nurses ($3000 hiring bonus). 

Tapestry 360 Health, formerly known as Heartland Health Centers, is a federally qualified health center with 16 locations serving Chicago’s north side and nearby suburbs, offering affordable and comprehensive primary care, oral health care, and behavioral health care services. 

Sincerely,

Kelly Cassidy

State Representative, 14th District



Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

1507 W. Morse Ave

Chicago IL 60626