Illinois news

• Print issue of October 18, 2018

  18-10-2018 00:40 via Chicago Reader
  Volume 48, Number 3
  
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• Trump Administration Gives Saudis A Pass On Likely Killing Of Muslim Journalist

  17-10-2018 22:53 via The Chicago Defender
  President Donald Trump appears to be the sole voice on the global stage defending Saudi Arabia in the suspected killing of a Middle East journalist, prompting criticism that the president’s contempt for Muslims factors into his decision.
  SEE ALSO: Trump’s Revised Travel Ban Is Again Struck Down
  Trump rejected the increasing global condemnation of Saudi officials over their apparent involvement in the likely slaying of Jamal Khashoggi, the Associated Press reported.
  “I think we
  
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• Georgia Police Department Sparks More Outrage After Cop Drags Black Boy On Video

  17-10-2018 20:38 via The Chicago Defender
  A Georgia police department has come under criticism again this week after a viral video showed a controversial incident involving one of its officers.
  RELATED: ‘We Only Kill Black People:’ Georgia Cop Fired
  Cobb County police may fire the officer being investigated after he grabbed a 12-year-old African-American boy by the arm and dragged him in an Atlanta mall earlier this month. The incident, which led to the boy facing a felony charge, comes after the beleaguered department faced
  
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• Baltimore Can’t Find A Police Chief As Crime Spirals Out Of Control

  17-10-2018 20:00 via The Chicago Defender
  A huge job vacancy remains unfilled at the Baltimore Police Department—as the city’s crime problem appears to be spiraling out of control. Baltimore has been searching for several months for the right person to take on the challenge of leading the police force.
  SEE ALSO: ‘Escalating Violence’ Prompts Maryland School District To Suspend Trips To Baltimore
  Mayor Catherine Pugh blamed Baltimore’s recent surge of violence on drug wars and a police shortage Wednesday at
  
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• Frazzled White Woman Calls Police On Black Children: ‘It’s Like A Riot Out Here!’

  17-10-2018 19:55 via The Chicago Defender
  With the midterm elections coming up and the idea of wins from Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams, white folks’ savagery is on full display. The latest incident from a woman in North Charleston, South Carolina is a prime example.
  RELATED: Jason Van Dyke Cries Fake Tears As His Testimony Contradicts LaQuan McDonald Video EvidenceOn Sunday, Oct. 14, a group of Black children participated in an anti-violence march. After the march, the children, along with some adults, headed to a
  
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• Addressing The Gap: Why More Black Women Than White Women Die of Breast Cancer

  17-10-2018 19:00 via The Chicago Defender
  You’ve no doubt noticed the influx of pink this month, drawing attention to breast cancer awareness. While October is filled with celebrations for survivors, memorials for those who died of the disease and Public Service Announcements reminding women (and men) to take early detection seriously, this month also serves as a reminder of yet another challenge for Black women. According to the American Cancer Society: Black women die more frequently from breast cancer than White women. In fact
  
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• Music Artist O/B/A Releases New Song and Talks About His Friendship with Chicago Bulls’ Jabari Parker

  17-10-2018 18:36 via The Chicago Defender
   
  Chicago Bulls’ Jabari Parker with O/B/A
  Twenty-three-year-old O/B/A is a Pop/Hip-Hop recording artist who is no stranger to music, coming from a family of musicians. He started writing songs and performing at a young age. At nine years old he recorded his first song in his brother’s bedroom in their apartment in Harlem, New York.  “We put up blankets on the walls and turned it into our little recording studio,” O/B/A says.
  Now from the Apollo Theater in Harlem
  
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• As Black Voters Are Being Suppressed, Florida Officials Look To Help White Voters Affected By Hurricane Michael

  17-10-2018 17:38 via The Chicago Defender
  Florida’s GOP governor was expected to decide how to assist voters in the heavily Republican Panhandle area harmed by Hurricane Michael, as voting rights advocates combat efforts to suppress the Black vote.
  SEE ALSO: Georgia Removed Scores Of Voter From Its Rolls As Stacey Abrams Tries To Make History, Lawsuit Says
  Gov. Rick Scott is mulling his options to possibly extend the voter registration deadline to help the approximately 135,000 customers without power in a region of the state wher
  
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• Black Child Accused Of Sexual Assault By ‘Cornerstore Caroline’ Speaks Out

  17-10-2018 16:20 via The Chicago Defender
  The nine-year-old who was accused of assaulting a white woman at a deli in Brooklyn and his mother are speaking out. And they aren’t accepting apologies, they are fighting back against Teresa Klein, 53, also known as Cornerstore Caroline.
  RELATED: Jason Van Dyke Cries Fake Tears As His Testimony Contradicts LaQuan McDonald Video EvidenceDuring a community meeting outside of the Sahara Deli, where the incident took place, the child Jeremiah Bellille said through tears, &ldquo
  
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• Botham Jean’s Mother Speaks Out On Dallas District Attorney

  17-10-2018 16:05 via The Chicago Defender
  Botham Jean‘s parents returned to Dallas to meet with district attorney Faith Johnson, who has been under fire for her handling of the case. Jean was shot and killed by officer Amber Guyger on September 6. She allegedly thought his apartment was hers. However, there are still many unanswered questions.
  SEE ALSO: Texas Cop Shoots Unarmed Black Man For Entering His Own Truck
  CBS DFW reports, the parents were told that the investigation is progressing. However, they do wan
  
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• Salesforce Expansion in Atlanta Will Include 600 New Jobs

  17-10-2018 15:36 via The Chicago Defender
  Salesforce, the global leader in customer relationship management (CRM), will significantly expand the company’s regional headquarters in Atlanta – growing its footprint in The Atlanta Plaza– which will now be known as Salesforce Tower Atlanta – and adding 600 new jobs locally, over the next five years, helping fuel the city’s economic development.
  Salesforce Tower Atlanta joins the ranks of other Salesforce regional headquarters, including Salesforce Tower New York
  
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• Woman Who Tried To Block A Black Man From Entering His Own Apartment Building Doubles Down, ‘I Didn’t Do Anything Wrong’

  17-10-2018 15:08 via The Chicago Defender
  Hilary Brooke Mueller has gone viral (and jobless) after footage of her following D’Arreion Toles to his apartment in St. Louis hit social media. Mueller didn’t believe he lived there, got with him into the elevator and went all the way to his front door —  even when he turned the key to his own apartment. Now she is speaking out and defending her racist actions.
  RELATED: Jason Van Dyke Cries Fake Tears As His Testimony Contradicts LaQuan McDonald Video Evidence
  Muell
  
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• Atlanta City Council Delays Vote on Gulch Project Again After Public Comment Session

  17-10-2018 14:57 via The Chicago Defender
  After another marathon public comment session from residents and community leaders mostly opposed to the project, the Atlanta City Council took no action on the controversial Gulch development at its Oct. 15 meeting.
  During more than two-hours of public comment, many residents urged the council to “Redlight the Gulch” – a rebuttal of the campaign by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Central Atlanta Progress to  “Greenlight the Gulch.” LA-based CIM Group’s $5
  
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• The End of Potholes: Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Launches Fix-It ATL

  17-10-2018 14:48 via The Chicago Defender
  The City of Atlanta announces the launch of Fix–It ATL, a vigorous and proactive operations campaign designed to improve the quality of life for Atlanta residents and visitors.
  The City will actively engage residents and stakeholders as it accelerates the repair of potholes, the beautification of public spaces, and the identification of other infrastructure issues in need of attention.
  “We are rolling up our sleeves for Fix–It ATL, an aggressive new campaign to fix Atlanta&rsqu
  
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• Georgia ACLU To Host Voices of Smart Justice

  17-10-2018 14:40 via The Chicago Defender
  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia will debut a video series “Voices of Smart Justice” to elevate the voices of three Georgians who have been harmed by the state’s criminal justice system and to highlight the necessity of electing candidates in 2018 who support real reform on Oct. 24.
  In partnership with the Georgia State University Black Law Students Association, the series will be shown at the Ceremonial Courtroom at the GSU Law School, at 6:30 p.m. After ea
  
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• Warrior Class examines the toxic effects of long-buried sexual harassment

  17-10-2018 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  Just when you thought you'd recovered from the Kavanaugh hearings. . .The Comrades theater company delivers a very well-acted staging of Kenneth Lin's crisp political drama. It's the story of Chinese-American politician Julius Lee (Ben Veatch), a New York state assemblyman whose idealism, intelligence, oratorical skills, and personal biography (practicing Christian, U.S. Marine veteran, family man) suggest he has a bright future on the national stage—until his patron, political consultant
  
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• WaistWatchers could use an update—and a female writer.

  17-10-2018 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  But if you must, see it before Martha Wash leaves the cast on October 28.Created in 2007 by Alan Jacobsen, a Floridian known for manufacturing cruise-ship entertainment, this 90-minute musical feels like just that—a contrived cruise-ship show. Packed to the gills with Weird Al-style parody songs, the one-act follows four middle-aged women trying to lose weight and navigate their relationships at Cook's Women's Gym.…
  
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• Tere O’Connor’s Long Run explores the nature of consciousness through movement

  17-10-2018 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  He also promises there will also be free pizza every night."What does dance do besides make stories?" New York-based choreographer Tere O'Connor asks in Long Run, which proceeds in episodes enacted by subsets of his troupe of eight dancers, structured by scenes that accumulate without converging on a plot.…
  
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• Edge of Life offers a heartfelt investigation into the American way of death

  17-10-2018 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  Joel Z. Cornfield's drama uses humor to avoid getting maudlin.Inglis Hall Productions presents the world premiere of Joel Z. Cornfield's timely play about how Americans deal with death—or don't. Dr. Jake Forest is a surgeon who's going through a divorce, drinks too much, and is sleeping with Heather, one of the nurses at his hospital.…
  
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• Crumbs From the Table of Joy and Flyin’ West resonate together in separate productions

  17-10-2018 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  And together they provide two perspectives on black women’s lives, written by black women.One American's promised land is another's Egypt. Unless you're a Native American (in which case you've got problems all your own), you and yours came here either to get free or to be sold into slavery.…
  
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• A small stage makes Mercury Theater's Pippin great

  17-10-2018 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  The young heir's existential culture feels more relatable close-up.Even though this highly fictionalized 1972 musical, based on the life of the ne'er-do-well son of the eighth-century warrior king Charlemagne was made for the Broadway stage—where it ran for 1,944 performances from October 23, 1972, to June 12, 1977—it transfers very gracefully to a considerably smaller cabaret space—namely the Venus Cabaret, recently carved out of a former Irish pub by the folks at Mercury Thea
  
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• A roundup of 15 Halloween shows to thrill and chill you

  17-10-2018 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  Explore haunted houses, meet a vampiric rabbit, two Frankensteins, and Freddy Krueger’s hot brotherLove haunted houses but wish they had a plot? Join the action of these immersive performances instead.…
  
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• Unarmed Black Man Killed By California Police Was A Morehouse Man

  17-10-2018 02:05 via The Chicago Defender
  Questions were going unanswered in the case of a Nigerian-American man who was killed by sheriff’s deputies in San Mateo County, California, earlier this month. The family of Chinedu Valentine Okobi criticized the cops for using excessive force in the Oct. 3 arrest of the man who they said suffered from mental illness.
  SEE ALSO: Legal Claims Are Piling Up In Stephon Clark’s Shooting Death But No Justice Has Come Yet
  A memorial service for the 36-year-old father was pla
  
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• Cops Called On Black Man Doing Something White Soccer Moms Do Freely

  17-10-2018 02:02 via The Chicago Defender
  A youth soccer league official in Florida somehow felt threatened by a Black dad yelling instructions to his son on the field and ended up calling the police. White soccer moms—many of them known for being belligerent at matches—have behaved a lot worse and not gotten interrogated by the cops.
  SEE ALSO: Brooklyn Borough President Investigates Cornerstone Caroline For Falsely Accusing Black Child
  The police encounter was caught on cellphone video, and the soccer official was dubbed &l
  
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• Racist History Of Beauty Pageants Highlighted By Mrs. America Controversy

  16-10-2018 23:49 via The Chicago Defender
  A group of Mrs. America contestants’ complaints of racism about the pageant CEO and co-founder may open the floodgates for more allegations to come in the future. The complaints already have re-opened the door to the racist history of beauty pageants.
  RELATED: Beauty Queen Stoned To Death For Being In Pageant
  Black women have historically been shut out of pageants and forced to create their own contests. Members of this same group found themselves shut down again, saying that Dav
  
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• ‘I’m Not A Black Woman, I’m A Christian’: Actress And Evangelical Dismisses Race For Her Jesus

  16-10-2018 23:34 via The Chicago Defender
  As we have all seen with the rise of Trump, evangelicals are serious hypocrites. That goes for everyone from Black pastors who engaged in a pointless photo-op with Trump to white evangelicals who attacked Obama but support a man with five kids by three different women. Now another evangelical has been added to that growing list.
  Actress and speaker Priscilla Shirer, who is African-American, said she doesn’t identify as a Black woman, only Christian.
  RELATED: Jason Van Dyke C
  
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• Does Racism Affect Police-Community Relations? Black Chief Says No

  16-10-2018 22:48 via The Chicago Defender
  Philadelphia’s police commissioner, who’s Black, rejected a report released on Monday that said police racial bias was instrumental in the controversial arrest of two Black men at Starbucks in April. However, many studies point to implicit bias as an ongoing policing problem.
  SEE ALSO: Starbucks Incident Prompts Philadelphia Police Department To Finally Try De-escalation In Trespass Cases
  The Police Advisory Commission, comprised of a citizen oversight board, urged police offici
  
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• From Oprah To Chance The Rapper, African-Americans Are Trying To Fight Hunger In Practical Ways

  16-10-2018 20:22 via The Chicago Defender
  People across the globe were having a collective moment of raising awareness about the hunger crisis on Tuesday, which marked World Food Day. Hunger, inextricably linked to poverty, disproportionally affects African-Americans, motivating many Black folks to find practical ways to fight to end the crisis.
  RELATED: NYC Public School System Battles Childhood Hunger With Free Lunch To All Students
  Oprah Winfrey, who has long used her influence and celebrity status to call attention to human rights i
  
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• Google Engineer Is Teaching Computer Science at Spelman for Fall 2018

  16-10-2018 19:56 via The Chicago Defender
  This fall, Google engineer Dr. Rachel Harsley is teaching classes, sharing insights with students and trading ideas with faculty at Spelman College as part of the Google in Residence program.
  Launched in 2013, the program aims to improve diversity in the tech industry by embedding engineers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions.In March 2017, Dr. Harlsey joined Google’s Security and Privacy Team for the Google Cloud Platform. This semester, she&r
  
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• ‘Most Bullied’ Melania Trump Is In Her Feelings Over T.I.’s New Video

  16-10-2018 19:25 via The Chicago Defender
  The self-proclaimed “most bullied person” in the world has taken offense to a new video from rapper T.I. that features a Melania Trump lookalike performing a strip tease in the room that looks a whole lot like the Oval Office, according to a new report. As a result, the first lady’s spokesperson has called for a boycott of T.I., who posted the video to social media over the weekend.
  The first lady was never named in the minute-long video by T.I., which begins with footage of Do
  
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• Peabo Bryson Defines Love, Shares His New Album Success and Chicago Connection 

  16-10-2018 18:46 via The Chicago Defender
  Peabo Bryson
  Many new schoolers, or young folk, know Peabo Bryson for his endless hits including Disney classics, “Beauty and the Beast” (with Celine Dion) and “A Whole New World” (Aladdin theme with Regina Belle). Old schoolers definitely know his timeless singles “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again,” “Feel the Fire,” “I’m So Into You,” “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love” (with Roberta Flack) and “Can You Stop the
  
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• Here’s How Sears Had Unexpected Influence With Black Shoppers

  16-10-2018 18:35 via The Chicago Defender
  Sears will soon close more than 100 stores after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and amassing millions in debt. The closing list has inspired some people to reflect on the retail company’s legacy, especially with African-American shoppers and its catalog.
  RELATED: Sears And Kmart To Close More Than 100 Stores
  Sears offered some solace to Black shoppers during the Jim Crow era when racism kept them out of local stores. Through the Sears mail-order catalog, consumers of color could avo
  
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• Jenny Pulse drops the Spa Moans name (and her lo-fi sound) for the danceable new Marmalade

  16-10-2018 18:30 via Chicago Reader
  Jenny Pulse drops the Spa Moans name (and her lo-fi sound) for the danceable new Marmalade, rapper Calid B brings his second AfroBang mixtape to the stage, and more. Last November, Gossip Wolf half-jokingly referred to the pleasantly dank lo-fi electronica of local singer and beat maker Jenny Polus—then performing as Spa Moans, now as Jenny Pulse—as "rain-forest wave."…
  
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• Letter to the Editor: I am a Survivor!

  16-10-2018 18:22 via The Chicago Defender
  This is October and Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I am a survivor!  The doctors say I am in remission because with any cancer, doctors don’t really consider you in the clear until 5 years after diagnosis.  September 22nd was my 2nd year anniversary and I go for my annual Breast Ultrasound and Breast MRI in November.
  Unfortunately, Black women die more readily from breast cancer every year than our White counterparts–mainly because of poor medical care, being underin
  
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• Where Is Kierra Coles? Everything We Know About Missing Chicago Pregnant Postal Worker

  16-10-2018 16:33 via The Chicago Defender
  It’s been more than two weeks since a pregnant 26-year-old postal worker mysteriously disappeared in Chicago. Postal officials joined efforts to find out exactly what happened to Kierra Coles as her family and friends continued to knock on doors and hand out flyers in the hope that someone has a clue to her whereabouts.
  SEE ALSO: Black Mother Speaks Out: Girls And Women Are Turning Up Missing In Chicago
  The U.S. Postal Inspection Service offered $25,000 on Monday for information about
  
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• DOWNSTATE: Are We Willing To Give Compassion

  16-10-2018 16:19 via The Chicago Defender
  The cast of Downstate
   
  Steppenwolf opens the season with another exceptional and highly controversial play called “Downstate” by Playwright and Pulitzer Prize-winner and ensemble member Bruce Norris. This world premiere is a Co-Commission and Co-Production with the National Theatre of Great Britain. It brings to the stage a provocative play where four men convicted of sex crimes against minors share a group home where their neighbors continuously remind them of their shameful p
  
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• Former Atlanta Fire Chief to Receive $1.2 Million Settlement Over Firing

  16-10-2018 15:26 via The Chicago Defender
  The City of Atlanta has agreed to a $1.2 million settlement with an ex-Atlanta Fire chief over his firing after he wrote a book that compared homosexuality to bestiality.
  The city council approved the payout to Kelvin Cochran with a vote of 11-3, according to WSB Radio, which was at the city council meeting Monday.
  Cochran filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against former Mayor Kasim Reed and the city after his termination in January 2015, contending he was fired because of
  
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• Atlanta City Council Approves $10 Million in Funding for Police Salary Increases

  16-10-2018 15:09 via The Chicago Defender
  The Atlanta City Council approved legislation calling for salary increases for Atlanta police officers under a proposal submitted by the Bottoms Administration.
  By a vote of 13-0, the chief financial officer is authorized to amend the Fiscal Year 2019 General Fund budget in an amount not to exceed $2.47M and redirect efficiency savings related to personnel vacancies within the Atlanta Police Department’s (APD) General Fund and Aviation Revenue Fund in the amount not to exceed $7.53M for a
  
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• Voter Registration Extended in Counties Hardest Hit by Hurricane Michael

  16-10-2018 14:53 via The Chicago Defender
  Voters in Georgia Counties that were hardest hit by Hurricane Michael can still register to vote in the Nov. Election until the end of the day Tuesday, Oct. 16.
  Gov. Nathan Deal has extended voter registration in the following counties: Clay, Grady, Randolph, and Turner. Those four counties were closed on Oct. 9, which was the statewide deadline for voter registration, due to the hurricane.
  Voter registration applications that are completed and returned or that are postmarked by Oct. 16 wil
  
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• Time Being Tattoo brings its founders’ DIY spirit to a professional setting

  16-10-2018 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  “We want people to feel like their existence is respected.”A year and a half ago, I visited Emily Kempf's home in Pilsen to interview her about her then-active cassette label Cool Girl Tapes. The walls of her living room were papered with black-and-white ink drawings of goblets and flowers and four-eyed women—illustrations that looked like they belonged in a deck of tarot cards.…
  
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• Meat Wave bassist Joe Gac on possibly the world’s only family-friendly trap records

  16-10-2018 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  Current musical obsessions of Meat Wave bassist Joe Gac, Fckr Jr guitarist Ben Grigg, and Reader music listings wrangler Luca CimarustiA Reader staffer shares three musical obsessions, then asks someone (who asks someone else) to take a turn. …
  
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• What’s Next In The Laquan McDonald Shooting Case? Here’s Everything We Know

  16-10-2018 00:17 via The Chicago Defender
  Many activists paying attention to the treatment of Laquan McDonald‘s shooting know that this case is still ongoing. A guilty verdict has come against Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke but other city department officers involved in the shooting were expected to soon face their judgment days.
  RELATED: ‘Laquan McDonald Deserved Protection:’ National Black Police Association Reacts To Jason Van Dyke Conviction
  However, what will happen after Van Dyke’s moment of tru
  
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• Lawmaker leads protest outside of Stateville

  15-10-2018 22:41 via Austin Weekly News
  On Oct. 5, state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (8th) and a busload of relatives and neighbors of prison incarcerated individuals visited prison officials at the Stateville Development Center in Joliet. Read More...
  
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• Community leaders work to address epidemic's stigma

  15-10-2018 22:38 via Austin Weekly News
  Tonika Wright, a lifelong Austin resident, almost lost her life to the opioid fentanyl. But she's not the only one whose life has been affected by opiods. Read More...
  
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• Taking a stand for decency

  15-10-2018 22:36 via Austin Weekly News
  I haven't ranted in a while. Because ranting is good for the soul, I want to let loose on something that has been bothering me since I learned it occurred. Read More...
  
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• On Liberty Bank closing

  15-10-2018 22:35 via Austin Weekly News
  If I read the article on Liberty Bank closing correctly, the branch in North Lawndale had 10 times more in deposits than the Forest Park. Read More...
  
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• Activists fighting to save Fred Hampton's childhood home

  15-10-2018 22:32 via Austin Weekly News
  Relatives, friends and colleagues of the late civil rights activist Fred Hampton are fighting to save Hampton's childhood home in Maywood from going into foreclosure. Read More...
  
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• Shirley Howard, longtime West Side activist

  15-10-2018 22:29 via Austin Weekly News
  In the Chicago and Laramie neighborhood, Shirley Howard's been one of the mothers of her block for 31 years. Read More...
  
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• Last black-owned bank on West Side closes

  15-10-2018 22:27 via Austin Weekly News
  After 40 years in business, Liberty Bank & Trust and Co. has exited Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood, where it was the last black-owned bank on the city's West Side. Read More...
  
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• Selling soul for physical upgrades?

  15-10-2018 22:24 via Austin Weekly News
  The Chicago Public Library system is looking to give the West Side something it hasn't had in decades — a library that's open on Sundays. Read More...
  
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