First, to everyone who made time to vote in the General Election whether you took advantage of early voting downtown or in the neighborhood, used a mail in ballot, or went old school and voted on Election Day, thank you for being part of the solution. Many folks in the district were faced with dramatically changed voting locations as this was the first election under the redrawn city ward maps. As we’re about to head into the municipal election cycle, please let us know how the new configuration worked for you and any challenges you faced in voting this cycle. We can share those with the Board of Elections with suggestions to improve the process in February.

With the midterm elections behind us, we’re turning our attention to next week’s return to session for what’s referred to as Veto Session. It’s a short set of legislative days to respond to any gubernatorial veto messages and take up emergency legislative work. This year, Governor Pritzker did not take any veto actions, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any work to do. There are likely a few bills we will see to address needed changes prior to laws taking effect on 1/1/23. The most significant of those would represent changes to the SafeT Act. While I am not a member of the working group negotiations on this and so do not have insight into the substance of the changes, I anticipate we’ll see progress this week in those talks with hopefully language being released soon. Veto Session is also an opportunity to address legislation that ran out of time in our regular session. I sent two bills over to the Senate in regular session that I am hopeful will see action either in Veto or Lame Duck Session:

HB2542 is a bill of critical importance to our trans siblings, human trafficking survivors, and criminalized survivors of gender based violence. Illinois has some of the most restrictive laws concerning name change as it relates to individuals with criminal histories in the country. HB2542 would eliminate these barriers to safety for these vulnerable populations and will allow judges to grant legal name changes to those who most desperately need them.

HB4847 is an initiative of the Women's Justice Institute and seeks to clean up ambiguous language in existing law allowing criminalized survivors of domestic violence to petition for a resentencing hearing when their abuse was not considered at their original trial. While the law has been on the books for a few years, very few people have actually gotten relief as a result with judges using vague language about evidence of abuse to disqualify petitioners. In one case, while the trial transcripts made clear that the defendant’s abuse was never once mentioned during the trial, he denied the petition saying that since she was wearing a neck brace at trial, he knew she’d been abused. This bill will clarify what constitutes sufficient consideration of evidence of abuse while also expanding the process to other forms of gender based violence including human trafficking and sexual assault.

If you are interested in seeing these bills advance, it would help to remind members of the Senate about how important these bills are. Our Senator in the 14th district, Mike Simmons, is a cosponsor of HB2542 and is supportive of HB4847, but feel free to thank him for that support. Senate President Don Harmon is hearing from members about which bills they want to move in the days ahead, so feel free to share your support for one or both of these important bills.

I am also excited to have received an A Grade on the Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee's 2022 Gun Safety Report Card! This Report Card highlights lawmakers who have demonstrated a commitment to advance legislation to reduce gun violence. I will continue to work with my colleagues to continue to pass legislation that will make Illinois safer for all. 

Veterans Day

Annual Coat Drive

Our annual office coat drive is underway! We will be collecting until December 12th. We kindly ask that all items are laundered, and are new or lightly used. We are collecting coats, gloves, mittens, scarves, and hats to help keep our neighbors warm and safe this winter. We are not collecting light or fall items. Please make sure that all items are laundered.

For a more detailed list of items, please visit our Target wish list linked below:

https://bit.ly/winter-coat-drive22 

You can drop off donations at R Public House, located at 1508 W. Jarvis, Monday through Thursday 3:00pm-10:00pm and Friday through Sunday 11:00am-10:00pm. You can also continue to drop off items at our district office at 5533 N. Broadway, Monday through Friday between 9:00am and 5:00pm.

Loyola University's men's basketball team had the first game of their 2022-23 season on Monday. With a rather exciting season opener, the team won 88-82 in overtime against Fairleigh Dickenson University. Way to go Ramblers! Their next matchup is against city rivals, the University of Illinois Chicago, on 11/11.

The team hopes to make its third consecutive return to the NCAA tournament this coming March. With several Loyola students/alumni in our office, we are excited to cheer them on this season!

To read more about their team and their first win, visit here.

Edgewater native Jason Jackson beat over 500 other contestants winning $5000 in the first ever Chicago Sings Karaoke competition! The competition came down to six performers in the finals. Jackson, 45, reflected on his experience and song choice, "Everybody was fantastic, so I knew that every person was going to figure out a way to make themselves stand out. And, that was the way that I knew to make myself stand out. And, I love opera. I appreciate classical music very much. I got some training in that." His advice to competitors next year is to just have fun!

Congrats to Jason from our entire Edgewater community!

To read the full story, visit here.

Andriy Berezovchuk, former head coach for the FC Volchansk soccer team in Ukraine, has taken refuge here in Chicago with his family and is now coaching local Edgewater soccer team.

An excerpt of his story from Block Club Chicago:

Andriy Berezovchuk was leading a training camp in February for the Ukrainian soccer team FC Volchansk when he decided to give his players a break. Fears of a Russian invasion began to spread throughout the country, and especially in Volchansk, about 2 miles from the border. As head coach, Berezovchuk told his players to go home to their families while the club determined a next move.

Days later, Volchansk had been overrun by Russian troops. Berezovchuk and his family fled, having time only to pack three bags for two adults and three children. The family went to the capital city of Kyiv before realizing the full scale of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. They kept moving west to Ukraine’s border with Poland.

“I saw orange lights,” Berezovchuk said. “I thought rain started or something. … When we heard the first bomb, we went and didn’t stop.”

Since coming to Chicago, Berezovchuk has become the head coach of Edgewater Castle Football Club, a nonprofit amateur soccer team formed in 2017. The team has played its way up, winning games to earn them a place in the Midwest Premier League over the summer.

Berezovchuk is the first paid staff member in the team's history (this includes players). Edgewater Castle was at the top of the league standings, losing the championship game 3-2 to AFC Roscoe Village club this past Sunday. Berezovchuk is proud at the end of it all.

“We did very good work this fall season, and I hope that we became a little bit stronger. In the future, we’ll play even better and have more good results.”

Shoutout to our Edgewater neighbors and Coach Berezovchuk for his resilience and hard work! We are proud to have you in our community! 

You can read the full Block Club Chicago article here.

Dedication Ceremony For

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

I was honored to join my colleagues in the dedication ceremony for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky this week at Sullivan High School. They honored Jan, a Sullivan Alum who joked that she tried out unsuccessfully for the cheerleading squad twice but has dedicated herself to being Sullivan’s greatest cheerleader since, by renaming the gym The Jan Schakowsky Gymnasium.

Gale Centennial

I had a blast at Gale Community Academy as we celebrated a century of Gale School! This school is a true symbol and testament to perseverance despite the challenges they have faced throughout those decades. Gale carries with it a spirit that continues to shine because of the excellent teachers, students, and staff who come every day to make this school a wonderful place to be. To reach the century mark for any school is an achievement and I am so proud to have this school in our community.

Want to join in making a difference? Gale Grows Kids NFP is raising money to build a Creator Space to inspire Gale Students to pursue their dreams. For more information about Gale Grows Kids NFP click here.

Chengdu Impression

Authentic Sichuan Cuisine

Congratulations to Chengdu Impression on their grand opening this past week! They are located at 5900 N. Broadway Ave in Edgewater.  They serve authentic Sichuan cuisine, which is the most popular regional Chinese cuisine. The new owner says that all cooking techniques, condiments, dry chilis, Sichuan peppercorns and all other ingredients are at the best we can to align with the original way that Sichuan cuisine involves.

Road Closure Alert!

CTA has made us aware of extended street closures happening until mid-November. See more in depth details below and factor closings into account for your daily commute.

Location: W. Ardmore Avenue between the CTA tracks and N. Winthrop Avenue

Dates: Friday, October 21 to Saturday, November 12, 2022

Work Hours: 7:00am to 7:00pm; continuous, 24/7 street closure (prep work will begin at least half an hour prior to start of shift)

Work Activity: Track Support Structure Installation

Local Impact:

• W. Ardmore Avenue between the CTA tracks and N. Winthrop Avenue will be closed to vehicular and bicyclist traffic.
• Sidewalk closures within the work zone will alternate between the north and south sides of W. Ardmore Avenue.
• One sidewalk will remain open at all times with flagger assistance when necessary.
• The alley west of the CTA tracks will be local traffic only to access parking lots via W. Ardmore Avenue from N. Broadway.
• Residents north of W. Ardmore Avenue will need to access the alley via W. Thorndale Avenue.
• Residents south of W. Ardmore Avenue will need to access the alley via W. Hollywood Avenue.
• There will be noise while work is being performed, including:
• General construction noise
• Beeping from backup alarms on construction equipment and vehicles
• Flagging horns

Dates are subject to change due to weather and construction schedule adjustments.

Property Tax Office Hours

The Cook County Board of Commissioners is hosting office hours to help residents with their property tax appeals. The office of Commissioner Bridget Gainer will be hosting one at the 48th ward office on Tuesday, November 15th from 12-2pm. Stop by office hours with any questions or help with property tax appeals before the appeal deadline of November 25th.

COVID-19 Updates

Thursday, November 10th Update:

• Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 IL residents: 15.1
• Daily new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 IL residents: 103
• Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by IL COVID-19 patients: 19%
• Statewide Totals: 3,834,925 confirmed cases and 35,327 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

The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) mortgage assistance program is designed to assist homeowners financially impacted by the pandemic. Applications are NOW OPEN! The Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) provides up to $60,000 (double the previous grant amount)in mortgage assistance to eligible homeowners—paid directly to the servicer, taxing body or other approved entity—while homeowners work to regain their financial footing. Whether homeowners have a mortgage, a reverse mortgage, or are mortgage-free, the program can fund past due housing payments and up to three months of prospective mortgage payments.

The program is free and funds do not need to be repaid. Application, program information and updates can be found at illinoishousinghelp.org or by calling the ILHAF hotline at 1-866-IL-HELP (866-454-3571). Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.

Illinois Solar For All is a statewide funded program that guarantees savings and consumer protections to low-income families and environmental justice areas. This is possible by requiring, evaluating and approving trusted solar companies to develop community solar and distributed generation projects in these communities. For example, community solar projects are land of solar power where renters can lease part of the system to receive energy production credits. These credits must be at least 50% and will save you money on your next electricity bill. This applies to homeowners, nonprofits and public facilities that also wish to install solar power on their property. Through ILSFA consumers have guaranteed scam protection, guaranteed savings, and guaranteed access to safe and clean energy. To participate or learn more sign up at www.ilsolarforall.org or contact Myriam Perez at myriam@ajustharvest.org or (773) 262-2297. 

In anticipation for winter weather, the Department of Water Management (DWM) has put out a series of tips to assist residents in reducing flooding and excess water from reaching the sewer system. Those tips include the following:

• Sweep up leaves from driveways, sidewalks, and streets.
• Clean roof gutters and drains of leaves.
• Keep nearby catch basin grates clear of yard waste and trash.
• Don’t litter or dump anything in storm drains. Storm drains are for rain only.
• Avoid running a dishwasher or washing machine during storms.
• Use a commercial car wash or wash your car over grass or gravel instead of on a driveway or in the street.
• Do not dump fats/oils/greases down the drain or down catch basins in the street.
• Disconnect your downspout from the sewer system. Make sure to direct flow to areas with permeable surfaces that can properly absorb the stormwater or use rain barrels to collect the rain directly from the downspouts. See DWM’s website for a guide on downspout disconnection.
• Before winter, empty your rain barrel and store in a garage or shed.

For more information, visit the Department of Water Management's website. 

Applications for the Cook County Small Business Source Grow Grant are open! The grant provides $10,000 grants to small businesses, coupled with advising and coaching services to foster their recovery and resiliency from the pandemic, scale their operations, and thrive in Cook County. A calendar of additional virtual and in-person informational webinars can be found here.

Rogers Park Library's teacher, Ms. Ana-Maria Dreptu, is now available to help elementary school students with their homework. If your student doesn't have homework, she also offers games and activities to improve reading and math skills!

Location: 6907 N. Clark

Hours:

• Mondays, 4:00 - 7:00pm
• Tuesdays, 4:00 - 6:00pm
• Wednesdays, 4:00 - 7:00pm



The Teacher in the Library Program is sponsored by the Chicago Public Library Foundation.

IDHS Job Fair

CPS Job Fair

IDHS is Hiring

Sincerely,

Kelly Cassidy

State Representative, 14th District



Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

5533 N Broadway

Chicago IL 60640