Neighborhood News
Members of the public are asked to help find Christal Wheaton, a 39-year-old McKinley Park neighborhood resident who was reported missing on Sunday, July 24, 2016, from the 3700 block of South Wolcott Avenue.
Wheaton has been missing since Thursday, July 21. In addition to McKinley Park, she also frequents Summit, Illinois, and Willow Springs, Illinois. She is five feet six inches tall, weighs 120 pounds and has blond hair and blue eyes. She may be in need of medical attention.
Anyone who sees Wheaton or has information on her whereabouts should call 911 or the Chicago Police Department Area Central Special Victims Unit at (312) 747-8380.
The McKinley Park Garden Walk, an annual tour of the McKinley Park neighborhood's gardens and gardening community, seeks participants for the upcoming walk scheduled for mid-August 2016. Organizers will help neighborhood gardeners showcase their hard work by opening their outdoor garden spaces to walk participants. The event is planned for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. either Sunday, August 14, or Sunday, August 21, depending on feedback, and is designed to coincide with the McKinley Park Farmers Market.
Interested gardeners should act fast: The deadline for submitting a garden location for the event is July 26. To apply, fill out and submit the 2016 McKinley Park Garden Walk application form, which is also available following the Readmore link.
Read more: Got a Green Thumb? Show Off Your Garden at the McKinley Park Garden Walk
According to recent announcements by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and a letter sent to parents, elevated levels of lead were discovered at two drinking fountains at Edward Everett Elementary School, 3419 S. Bell Ave., Chicago, in the McKinley Park neighborhood. Spurred by national reports of high lead in water systems, CPS has been testing at its school sites and has uncovered 75 schools that have now tested positive for high levels of lead, including Everett.
The two fountains with high lead are sited in the basement in the girls playroom at Everett; some of the tests showed levels more than five times higher than the 15 parts per billion the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets as a cutoff for needed action. Both fountains are now disconnected, and other drinking fountains in the building tested below the EPA's action level, CPS said.
As reported by Chicago radio station WBEZ, the geographic center of the City of Chicago is not at 37th and Honore streets, despite its long-held position as such, including a memorial sign. Modern mapping software makes it easy to determine the exact point, which is at 31st Street and Western Avenue.
Will the McKinley Park neighbohood keep the title? WBEZ reports 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas is moving to cement the 37th and Honore location.
Click here to read the full story at WBEZ.org.
According to reports issued by the Chicago Police Department, two individuals were arrested this past Wednesday and Thursday in two separate break-in incidents in the McKinley Park neighborhood.
Shawn Reeves, 44, of Johnsburg, Illinois, was arrested at 7:50 a.m. on Wednesday, July 6, 2016, in the 1600 block of West 33rd Street. He was charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, trespassing and possession of a controlled substance. James Copeland, 57, of Chicago, Illinois, was arrested for trespassing in the 3800 block of South Paulina Street at 5:38 p.m. on Thursday, July 7, 2016. Copeland posted a $1,500 I-bond the same day.
