Groundbreaking to be held for new business center in Austin

The Westside Health Authority and Austin Coming Together, joined by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Planning Department Commissioner Maurice Cox, will break ground on the new $40 million ASPIRE Center for Workforce Innovation. It will be located in the former Emmett Elementary School at 5500 W. Madison St., which was closed under Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration.

Aspire Center construction to start this spring

The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation will open next year and provide free services in career development. The center will be on the former site of Emmet School, 5500 W. Madison St., which former Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed in 2013.

Austin men commemorate Million Man March

About 50 people came together last week to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Million Man March and to call for new economic drivers for the Austin community. The Million Man March, which the Washington Post called “the largest civil rights demonstration in U.S. history,” was held in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 16, 1995.

Juneteenth celebrated on West Side

West Side organizations hosted events in celebration of Juneteenth on Friday. Commemorating Juneteenth this year was seen as especially important in the wake of the national movements sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.