Illinois
Landmarks Illinois awards $43,000 to preserve 10 historic sites statewide
Landmarks Illinois awarded $43,000 in grants to preserve 10 historic sites across the state, including South Shore Cultural Center and Bowen High School in Chicago, the nonprofit preservation group announced Thursday.
The new round of grants from Landmarks Illinois will fund nonprofits, churches and community groups working to restore culturally and historically significant sites in Chicago, Galesburg, Greenup, Kampsville, Naperville and Peoria.
“When we invest in our built environment, in places that matter to people and speak to our shared histories, it has wide-ranging positive impacts on the entire community,” Bonnie McDonald, CEO of Landmarks Illinois, said.
Two new grant recipients are in Austin, a West Side community that has historically experienced disinvestment. “By restoring these places, we create jobs and attract additional investment in the neighborhood,” McDonald said.
Yet Landmarks Illinois has been stifled by funding requirements under President Donald Trump’s administration. The nonprofit had planned to apply for $750,000 from a National Park Service grant program. But it found new government restrictions “require regressive and incomplete versions of American history and dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,” Landmarks Illinois said in a Tuesday statement.
“As a result of the administration’s ongoing repressive and authoritarian-like actions, we were forced to pass up this significant opportunity to provide vital resources to communities across the state,” the nonprofit added.
Oct. 1 is the next deadline for Landmark Illinois grant applications. Criteria and eligibility varies for three types of grants that range from $500 to $10,000.
Chicago grantees include:
New Precious Grove Missionary Baptist Church in south Austin received $5,000 for roof repairs. The architecturally unique building features a terra cotta facade. It was built in 1912 and was originally home to the Ideal Theatre. The church is run by more than 50 volunteers who lead spiritual services, educational programs and social services.
A House in Austin, a family services nonprofit, received $6,000 to repair the chimney on the historic Victorian home where it’s based. The group has a 75-year history of serving the community, said Landmarks Illinois. It has raised other funds to maintain the house and preserve unique features, such as stained glass windows and fireplaces.
Bowen High School Alumni Association in South Chicago received $2,800 to fund a National Register of Historic Places nomination for Bowen High School. The Chicago Public School was constructed in 1910 and features Chicago School and Prairie architecture styles. It is named for James Bowen, a 19th-century entrepreneur who dredged the Calumet River. The school was an “educational gateway” for the children of immigrants, said Landmarks Illinois.
The South Shore Cultural Center Park Advisory Council will use $2,500 to launch a public awareness project for the overall restoration of the center’s outdoor stage. The stage opened in 1920 but has long been unused and in disrepair due to a lack of funding for maintenance.
Coppin AME Church in Washington Park received $4,700 for roof and masonry repairs to its sanctuary and community center. The church has been a “pillar in the neighborhood” since it opened in 1928, Landmarks Illinois said. The sanctuary’s front door also needs repair after damage during an attempted break-in.
Other grants awarded include:
- The Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg will use its $5,000 grant to replace three exterior doors at the 109-year-old performing arts venue in the city’s National Register-listed Historic District.
- Kampsville in Calhoun County received $5,000 for a feasibility study on the adaptive reuse of a 1907 historic home at the Perrin’s Ledge historic site to create a visitor center. The site marks where Father Marquette and Louis Joliet visited Calhoun County in July 1673 and met local Native Americans.
- Citizens to Preserve Jubilee College in Peoria received $5,000 to restore original windows at Jubilee College, an Illinois State Historic Site, which first opened in 1839 as one of the earliest institutions of higher learning in Illinois.
- Harmony Church in Greenup will use $5,000 to repair floors in its building, built in 1876 by Methodist and Quaker volunteers. An adjacent cemetery is home to many veterans dating back to the Civil War. It also features an original Native American burial mound.
- Naperville Preservation will use $2,000 to conduct an architectural survey of homes built by Don Tosi, a prominent mid-century designer and builder active in Naperville from the 1950s through the 1980s. Tosi has designed and built about 80 homes in the suburb.
Illinois
Chicago school board votes against helping thousands of Chicago students
The Chicago Board of Education wants Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reject a federal program offering donated money to students.
A new Chicago Board of Education resolution urges Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers to reject a federal program that will provide donor money for students’ academic needs.
The measure passed 15-0 with three members abstaining.
Many on the board appeared to rely on the inaccurate claim that public money will be diverted for private education. But some seemed wary of blindly following the Chicago Teachers Union, which is less popular than ever.
Board member Jennifer Custer indicated she has seen a lot of community interest and that the feedback she’s heard is “50-50 for and against” the federal program.
Before the vote, board member Ellen Rosenfeld motioned to table the resolution indefinitely. While her motion was unsuccessful, Rosenfeld made clear she believed the issue belongs instead on the board’s legislative agenda.
If the state opts into the program, thousands of K-12 Chicago Public School students could receive donor money for tutoring, test fees, career coaching, books and more.
The money would be donated by taxpayers, who would get a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit up to $1,700 each year. Any taxpayer can get the credit for a qualified contribution to a tax-exempt scholarship-granting organization.
That means the only cost to the federal government is minimal foregone income tax revenue. There is no cost to states, only the benefit of more help flowing directly to students.
If Pritzker does not opt Illinois into the program, residents will watch the money flow to other states.
Pritzker has until Jan. 1, 2027, to decide if over a million Illinois families and students will be able to access donated education money for their academic needs.
Illinois
Illinois native inside NASA’s Mission Control talks Artemis II splashdown
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Illinois
Missing man’s body found in retention pond in Elk Grove Village, police say
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. (WLS) — The body of a missing man was found in a retention pond Thursday in the northwest suburbs, police said.
Chopper 7 was over the scene at a retention pond at Higgins and Innovation Drive in Elk Grove Village, in front of a number of warehouses in the area.
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There was a large police presence there for multiple hours, surrounding the water.
Chopper 7 witnessed dive teams go in and out of the water, and there were paramedics on scene.
Elk Grove Police confirmed a male body was found in the water in the 700 block of Innovation Drive. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene.
Police identified the body as a missing 26-year-old man named Alexis Ramirez.
Ramirez had been missing since March 10. Elk Grove Police were searching the same area after Ramirez went missing after he was the sole occupant of a single-vehicle crash near Higgins and Brennan Boulevard, which is right by the pond he was found in on Thursday.
Police believe he walked away from that scene before officers arrived. At that time, the police search led to no one being found.
ABC7 spoke to the family of Ramirez on the scene Thursday, and they appeared very emotional.
Police say there is no evidence of foul play at this time as they send out their condolences to the family.
No further information was immediately available.
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