Dear Neighbor,

A Cook County jury yesterday found an Uptown man guilty of first degree murder in the July, 2014, death of Wil Lewis, the innocent bystander who was shot to death while waiting for a bus on Devon Ave.

Prosecutors alleged Eric Vaughn, 35, and two boys, ages 15 and 17, were traveling in a car on a Saturday afternoon on the 1300 block of Devon when they spotted a rival gang member walking down the street. Vaughn handed the 15-year-old boy a handgun and ordered him and his 17-year-old accomplice to get out of the car and shoot the 19-year-old target.

The two teens exited the car and began chasing the rival gang member, with the younger boy firing 10 rounds, fatally striking Mr. Lewis, but missing his intended target. [Read more…]

Dear Neighbor,

Today is Election Day. The polls are open until 7:00 p.m.

Make sure you know your polling place location. To find your polling place location, CLICK HERE.   Please note some polling place locations have changed since the last election, so it’s always a good idea to verify your location before you go to vote. [Read more…]

Dear Neighbor,

You can vote early this weekend and Monday.

Early voting takes place TODAY (Saturday), from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., TOMORROW (Sunday), from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Monday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at any one of the 51 early voting locations across the city, including the following locations convenient to 49th Ward residents: [Read more…]

Dear Neighbor,

I am excited to announce that Kilmer School will receive a much-needed new roof and repairs to its building facade and interior walls.

Stop gap measures already are underway to repair some of the interior walls and prevent additional water damage, but work on replacing the roof cannot take place logistically until after school is over for the summer. Officials at Chicago Public Schools CPS tell me it will take two summers to fully install the roof and complete the exterior facade work at an estimated cost of $5-10 million. [Read more…]

Dear Neighbor,

This is a friendly reminder, if you are looking for a safe place to take your kids trick-or-treating for tomorrow’s Halloween holiday, you might want to take advantage of two activities I’m sponsoring: [Read more…]

Dear Neighbor,

Chicago Public Schools’ annual comprehensive school quality ratings released Friday offer very good news for Rogers Park schools. 

All our schools achieved one of the three highest quality ratings. Five out of our eight local schools received a Level 1 rating or better and none of our schools received a rating of less than 2+.

Four of our schools saw their ratings increase over last year. The remaining schools maintained their ratings from last year. [Read more…]

Dear Neighbor,

The cooler weather is a reminder that flu season is fast approaching. Once again I’m offering FREE flu vaccinations to 49th Ward residents.

The vaccinations will be provided this Saturday, October 27th, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (while supplies last), at my Ward Service Office, 7356 N. Greenview (at Jarvis).

The vaccinations will be administered by the City of Chicago Department of Public Health. If you have a Medicare card, please bring it with you. [Read more…]

Dear Neighbor,

Chicago police have maintained their stepped-up presence in Rogers Police, as detectives continue to search for the gunman who shot and killed two of our neighbors in separate incidents earlier this month.

Commander Roberto Nieves of the 24th Police District assures me this increased presence will continue through Halloween, as the police undertake measures to ensure a safe holiday for trick-or-treaters and others.

Residents continue to phone in tips to the Police Department and detectives are tracking down every lead–over 400 have been shared with the police. [Read more…]

Dear Neighbor,

You can avoid the potential of bad weather on Election Day by voting early.

Vote early at any one of 51 locations beginning TODAY (Monday, October 22nd), through Monday, November 5th. Early voting hours are Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  [Read more…]