AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/author/suzanne-mcbride/)
Speaking at the monthly meeting of the 15th Police District’s faith-based leaders group, Richard Wiser acknowledged that detectives have at times been insensitive in dealing with the families of murder victims. Wiser, commander of the Area Four Detective Division, which includes Austin, pledged the department would do better and asked West Siders for recommendations on how police can do better.
Faith leaders on the West Side are being encouraged to get trained on how to stop someone from having an overdose. At the monthly meeting of the 15th Police District’s faith-based leaders, attendees also were urged to complete training offered by the Chicago chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The 8th grade class is competing in an annual, year-long competition that introduces investing basics and the importance of financial intelligence to hundreds of students in the Chicago area. Last year, the 8th graders from St. Catherine – St. Lucy placed third out of 64 teams.
During a virtual press conference held Sunday, Congressman Danny Davis, city Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Alds. Emma Mitts (37th) and Jason Ervin (28th), and Cook County Commissioners Dennis Deer and Donna Miller said it’s imperative African Americans be willing to get the two-dose vaccine. Davis was among the first to get vaccinated earlier this month.
Reesheda Graham Washington, the keynote speaker at this year’s multi-faith Thanksgiving service organized by the Community of Congregations and held Sunday night on Facebook Live, urged nearly 100 attendees to pattern their lives after Jesus. “How might we get curious about living a more abundant life?” asked the serial entrepreneur who operates Live Café in Oak Park.
Representatives from The Loretto Hospital, the Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network, and the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois recently discussed the demand for organs, especially among African Americans, Hispanics and Asians.
Eighty-two Austin residents have died since the pandemic hit earlier this spring, health officials said Saturday. The residents have ranged in age from 26 to 97 years old, with most deaths being of those over 60.
There are programs available in Austin for people who want to continue treatment or seek help for the first time. Austin native Jerome McNutt, who’s been sober for 19 months, says he’s taking things one day at a time and encourages others to do the same. “This is a good time to get your life right.”
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, Congressman Danny K. Davis and others warned Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic could lead to Loretto Hospital closing. They pleaded for more funding for the hospital, the community’s largest private employer.
Photographer Sasha Phyars-Burgess recently discussed her work “UNTITLED,” a photographic exploration of race, class and space in Austin, at the Oak Park Public Library. The project was supported by a short-term summer fellowship from the Black Metropolis Research Consortium.