2020 – Page 34 – Chicago Hispanic Newspaper, Lawndale News, Hispanic Bilingual Newspapers, Su Noticiero Bilingue

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

October is College Changes Everything Month in Illinois

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Education

October is College Changes Everything® (CCE) Month in Illinois, when students are completing both their college applications and financial aid forms at the same time. Launched by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) five years ago, ISAC and its partners have extended the month-long campaign to provide an intensive schedule of free college and financial aid planning support to students and families from Labor Day through Thanksgiving. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) and the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid for the 2021-22 school year will both be available on October 1, 2020. This year is unique in many ways. The Covid-19 pandemic has upended not only how education is delivered, but how students are thinking—or perhaps re-thinking—plans for post-secondary education.
CCE activities include free financial aid completion and college application workshops, where students and families can fill out college applications and/or complete their FAFSA or Alternative Application right then and there, with direct assistance from college and financial aid experts. ISAC will be hosting Facebook live events as well as other online events in English and Spanish throughout the fall. For a continuously updated list of ISAC virtual events, visit studentportal.isac.org/events. Find out more and join the conversation at collegechangeseverything.org. Personalized assistance is also available through ISAC College Q&A (isac.org/collegeqa), a free text messaging service where students can get answers to their college and financial aid questions sent directly to their phones. ISAC also offers assistance through the agency’s call center, 800-899-4722 (ISAC), and its Online Chat service.

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

Seven Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools Receive 2020 National Blue Ribbon

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Education

The Archdiocese of Chicago announced that seven schools in the archdiocese Catholic school system – St. Andrew School (Chicago), St. Clement School (Chicago), St. Francis Xavier School (La Grange), St. James School (Arlington Heights), St. John of the Cross School (Western Springs), St. Paul of the Cross School (Park Ridge), and School of St. Mary (Lake Forest) – have been recognized this year by the U.S. Department of Education with Blue Ribbon Awards. The National Blue Ribbon Award is presented to schools based on a school’s overall academic excellence or the school’s progress in closing student achievement gaps. In addition, Woodlands Academy (Lake Forest), an independent Catholic school was recognized with a 2020 National Blue Ribbon. Catholic schools in the archdiocese have received 117 Blue Ribbon Awards. All seven schools were recognized under the category of “Exemplary High Performing Schools,” meaning the schools are among the state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests. To learn more about the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools, visit: schools.archchicago.org.

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

City Announces Phase Four Guidelines

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Business

City of Chicago announced that Chicago has made sufficient progress in the fight against COVID-19 to ease certain restrictions on businesses. Effective Thursday, October 1st, new guidelines for businesses will come into effect that will expand indoor capacity to 40 percent for certain businesses, reopen bars for indoor service, allow restaurants and bars to serve alcohol until 1am, increase maximum group sizes for fitness classes and after-school programming and allow personal services that require the removal of masks. Effective Thursday, October 1st, at 5am, the following guidelines will come into effect:

• Increased Indoor Capacity: Restaurants, health and fitness centers, personal services, non-essential retail and all other establishments that have been limited to 25 percent indoor capacity will now be able to increase their maximum indoor capacity to 40 percent. The limit of 50 total customers within one room or space at restaurants, venues and other establishments will remain in place, as will the limit of no more than six people per table.

• Reopening of Bars: Breweries, taverns, bars and other establishments that serve alcohol without a food license may reopen with indoor seating, at 25% capacity or 50 people, whichever is fewer. Service remains limited to no more than two hours per party, and customers must be seated when eating, drinking or ordering – patrons cannot walk up to the bar to order.

• Extended Hours for Bars and Restaurants: Bars, restaurants and other establishments that serve alcohol will now be able to sell alcohol for on-site or off-site consumption until 1:00 am and may remain open until 1:30 am. Liquor stores, grocery stores and other establishments that sell alcohol to-go through a Packaged Goods license must continue to cease alcohol sales at 9:00 p.m.

• Increased Group Size: Maximum group size for health and fitness classes and after-school programming will increase from 10 to 15 people.

• Expanded Personal Services: Facials, shaves and other personal services that require the removal of face coverings will be allowed.

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

Hernandez Hosts Cicero Census Finale

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Business

As a final push for all community members to get counted, and in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, hosted a Cicero Census Finale, ¡Nuestra Herencia Cuenta!/Our Heritage Counts. The event was held on Monday, Sept. 28th at Cicero Community Park and featured a prayer of healing and traditional cultural attractions. Hernandez, in partnership with the Town of Cicero, Rincon Family Services, and other 2020 Census stakeholders, hosted a celebration to maximize census participation before the final deadline. Tacos, tamales, mariachi bands, dancing, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and much more were available for participants. Additionally, a prayer for healing was offered by the Cicero Clergy Committee at the event. Face masks and social distancing were required.

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Business

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

City to Open Commerce Park

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Business

Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot joined Alderman Susan Sadlowski Garza (10thWard), State Representative Marcus Evans, Jr., (33rdDistrict), Tony Reinhart, Regional Director for Community & Government Affairs for Ford Motor Company, and Nathanial Hagedorn, Founder and CEO of NorthPoint Development to open the first phase and break ground on the next phase of the Commerce Park Chicago industrial campus. Located on the site of the former Republic Steel plant in the Hegewisch neighborhood, the $164 million 200-acre industrial park will house 2.3 million-square-feet of light manufacturing, assembly and logistics space on the city’s far Southeast Side. Commerce Park Chicago currently supports 500 construction jobs and once complete will bring up to 1,400 permanent jobs to the City’s Southeast side. Republic Steel’s Chicago plant began operations in 1910 and by the 1970s employed nearly 6,000 people. By the 1980s, less expensive, imported steel became more popular, and the plant, which once produced over 400,000 tons of steel annually closed permanently in 2001 and has remained vacant for nearly 20 years. Ford Motor Company is Commerce Park’s first tenant and will use the completed 360,000 square-foot building on South Avenue O for pre-assembly work on components that will be delivered to its nearby Chicago Assembly Plant on Torrence Avenue, which was also developed by NorthPoint.

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

Cicero Chamber of Commerce to Host ‘Successful Practices by Cicero Businesses in the COVID-19 Pandemic’

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Business

Cicero Chamber of Commerce to host an online discussion entitled, “Successful Practices by Cicero Businesses in the COVID-19 Pandemic” on Thursday, Nov. 5th at 11a.m. Business Members of the Cicero Chamber of Commerce will share their experiences in surviving in this difficult environment of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic during an Online Zoom Webinar. If you are a Cicero Business, Town of Cicero wants you to share your successful experiences during the pandemic to help other businesses survive this terrible economic challenge. You must be a member of the Cicero Chamber of Commerce to Participate. Membership is free. If you would like to present your experiences during this online program, you must contact the Cicero Chamber of Commerce with your details to register. (All Chamber members will be able to view the live Webinar or the video recording afterwards.) For more information, visit www.cicerochamberofcommerce.com

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

Before You Do China Studies

By Daniel Nardini

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Commentary Because of how important China has become in the world, and how it has changed the whole equation of how the world views that country, China studies has become more popular and important than ever. More and more American students are interested in learning about this country, its culture and history, its language, and the economic dynamics that have made China the second great superpower. No matter what the relations between the United States and China are now (which are dismal to put it mildly), this has not entirely stopped prospective students from wanting to study this country. All good and nice, but now there is a problem students should be aware of.

More and more U.S. colleges and universities have been adopting policies whereby students submit anonymous papers and research studies with coded encryption so the professors know which student is submitting what paper. Why is this happening in the United States in regards to China? As crazy as this sounds, China passed a new security law that not only impacts Hong Kong but the rest of the world. The new security law states that anyone who violates the new law, whether they are in China, Hong Kong, or even outside of China can be prosecuted and imprisoned. This means that if a student outside of China submits a term paper about a certain subject in Chinese history, a certain topic about the Chinese government that the Chinese government finds “unacceptable,” then that student can face imprisonment and even execution in China and Hong Kong because they violated China’s national security law.

It does not matter whether this all happened inside or outside of China, and was part of academic study, and was in accordance with the laws of the country these students were in. It does not matter whether the students that did this are foreign nationals or Chinese nationals, and foreign nationals have never even visited China, the Chinese government will imprison, and could possibly execute such students for saying anything deemed by the Chinese government against the national security law. The moment a student affixes their name to a research paper critical of anything the Chinese government does, no matter where they are in the world, they will be subject to arrest and imprisonment by the Chinese government if they go to China or Hong Kong. Since all papers are now online with American colleges and universities, the Chinese government might be able to find out. Also, the Chinese government has been known to send spies to American academic institutions to find out who is “pro-China” and “anti-China.”

What is crazy is that China’s new security law has become an extra-territorial act against any and all other nations. This affront against the rest of the world is just the latest by the Chinese government to enforce its will against the rest of the world, and why the Chinese Communist Party has become that much more of an evil institution. Yes, by putting my name on this article against the Chinese government, I have definitely violated China’s national security law and can now be imprisoned and shot if I go to China or Hong Kong. You can be sure I will not. The truly sad thing is that China studies has become a life and death issue even impacting academia all around the world. The Chinese government simply wants nothing critical of itself. With what happened with the corona virus pandemic and Chinese aggression in parts of Asia, there is really no way to stop anything critical of China at this point. As for those students truly interested in studying anything to do with China, my recommendation is if you wish to truly study Chinese history and culture, the Chinese language, and even Chinese cooking, do it at a Chinese college or university in Taiwan where you will be safe.

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

La Ciudad Presenta el Primer Plan de Reducción a la Violencia

Por: Ashmar Mandou

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Local News En un esfuerzo por combatir el aumento de la violencia armada que asola los vecindarios de Chicago, el martes, la Ciudad de Chicago publicó el primer “plan de reducción a la violencia” integral, diseñado para proveer iniciativas de guías de seguridad pública y programación para reducir drásticamente la violencia en los próximos tres años.

“La epidemia de la violencia es una crisis de salud pública nacional que ha costado la vida a demasiadas personas en nuestra ciudad y en el país entero”, dijo la Alcaldesa Lightfoot. “De la misma forma en que Chicago se ha unido para combatir el impacto sin precedente del COVID-19 en nuestras comunidades, debemos hacer lo mismo para atender los inmensos retos que se continúan enfrentando debido a toda clase de violencia”.

Titulada “Nuestra Ciudad Nuestra Seguridad: Un Plan Integral para Reducir la Violencia en Chicago”, la iniciativa tardó más de un año en dar fruto, con la colaboración de asociados del Estado y del Condado, miembros de la comunidad, organizaciones filantrópicas, líderes religiosos y sectores comerciales, en un esfuerzo de manos a la obra, para ampliar el trabajo de reducción de violencia de la Ciudad hasta el 2023. De acuerdo a la Ciudad de Chicago, más de 3,000 personas han resultado muertas en Chicago desde el 2016 y más de 12,000 han sido heridas de bala. Estas estadísticas recopilaron rápidamente las experiencias de funcionarios gubernamentales. provéedores de servicios, líderes religiosos, líderes locales y personas, para ayudar a facilitar la forma de reducir la violencia en Chicago.

Tratando la violencia como una crisis de salud pública que no solo es prevenible, sino tratable, estas iniciativas están lideradas por cinco pilares rectores, que incluyen:

1. Empoderar y Curar a las Personas: Asegurarse que los residentes pueden prosperar sin temor a la violencia, aumentando la capacidad y la calidad de servicio en violencia con armas, violencia doméstica, diversión y programas de servicios a las víctimas, mientras se amplía el acceso a empleos y vivienda para los impactados por la violencia.

2. Proteger y Asegurar los Lugares: Reducir la “brecha de seguridad” entre comunidades más seguras y las más afectadas por la violencia, investigando programación y servicios en el lugar y la revitalización de la economía del vecindario a través de iniciativas de la Ciudad como INVEST Sur/Oeste.

3. Mejorar y Promover la Vigilancia: Una mejor colaboración con afiliaciones del Estado y el Condado para coordinar esfuerzos de vigilancia para la seguridad pública y la prevención a la violencia, con enfoque especial en la reforma de justicia criminal, regulación de armas y calidad equitativa de vida.

4. Planear y Coordinar: Facilitar aún más la coordinación, no solo entre los departamentos de la ciudad y las agencias hermanas, sino también entre los esfuerzos privados y comunitarios, para garantizar el alineamiento de las estrategias y los esfuerzos de seguridad pública en todas las 77 comunidades de Chicago.

“Este plan integral, reconoce verdaderamente la forma en que la violencia impacta la salud mental de los individuos y las comunidades enteras. Aplaudo a la Alcaldesa Lightfoot y al equipo de la Oficina de Reducción a la Violencia por su contínuo compromiso de atender esta realidad por medio del establecimiento de coaliciones con organizaciones comunitarias y de salud mental locales, para garantizar que nuestros residentes más vulnerables tienen los servicios que necesitan para sanar y progresar”, dijo Alexa James, Funcionaria Ejecutiva en Jefe de la Alianza Nacional sobre Enfermedades Mentales (NAMI) de Chicago. Para más información sobre el plan y el contínuo trabajo de la Oficina de Reducción a la Violencia de la Alcaldesa, visite chicago.gov/publicsafety.

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

Ricardo Gutiérrez Renuncia Como Líder Artístico del Teatro Vista

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Local News

Teatro Vista anunció que Ricardo Gutiérrez había renunciado como Director Artístico Ejecutivo, dirigiendo la misión artística de la compañía durante los últimos ocho años. “Aprecio el honor y la oportunidad que me dieron de conducir el Teatro Vista. Ha sido una notable experiencia trabajar con un grupo de artistas con tanto talento. Estoy orgulloso del trabajo que hemos hecho y de las metas que hemos logrado en pos de nuestra misión”, dijo Gutiérrez.

“Había planeado renunciar después de la temporada 2019-2020 pero el Covid-19 alteró dramáticamente el horario. Se ha vuelto aparente de que la seguridad de reasumir las producciones teatrales está aún muy lejos. El renunciar en este momento da a la compañía tiempo para identificar un nuevo liderazgo durante este ‘tiempo de inactividad’.

Gutiérrez ha sido Director Artístico desde el 2012. Durante su estancia, Teatro Vista puso el premier de La Havana Madrid, la producción más exitosa de la historia de la compañía, escrita e interpretada por Sandra Delgado y dirigida por Cheryl Lynn Bruce, ambos, miembros del grupo. Adicionalmente, la compañía ganó el tan esperado reconocimiento de la comunidad teatral de Chicago durante su tenencia, incluyendo un Premio Especial Equity Jeff 2019 por proveer una destacada plataforma para representar las voces y experiencias latinas dentro de la comunidad teatral de Chicago durante los últimos 30 años.

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

LISC Chicago Acepta Ahora Solicitudes para Premios de Desarrollo

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Local News

LISC Chicago anunció la apertura de solicitudes para Premios de Desarrollo de barrios de Chicago 2021 y el Premio Richard H. Driehaus Foundation pro Excelencia Arquitectónica en Diseño Comunitario, que será aceptado hasta el 15 de octubre. Entrando ahora en su 27º año, los premios CNDA reconocen anualmente el papel esencial que tanto los urbanizadores lucrativos como los no lucrativos desempeñan en la construcción de comunidades en barrios del área de Chicago. CNDA es la celebración más grande y venerada de la creatividad y logros que transforman a los barrios de la Ciudad. Durante el programa, CNDA entregará siete premios de desarrollo comunitario, tres Premios Richard H. Driehaus Foundation pro Excelencia Arquitectónica en Diseño Comunitario y dos premios por logro personal a individuos. Las solicitudes vencen a las 5 p.m. central el 15 de octubre del 2020. Las solicitudes deben enviarse en línea. Para hacer una solicitud y para más información sobre elegibilidad del proyecto y regulaciones, visite http://app.lisc-cnda.org/.

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Local News