Neighborhood News
As reported by DNAInfo, two Chicago Police Department officers came under fire early Wednesday morning, June 22, 2016, after responding to a call of shots fired in the 3400 block of South Artesian Avenue on the western edge of the McKinley Park neighborhood. Although their police car was hit by gunfire, the officers were not injured and apprehended two suspects at the scene.
Aquinas Literacy Center (ALC) graduate Virginia Mercado received the Sister Claudia Hinds Scolarship on June 16, 2016, at the center's annual student awards celebration, where nine adult learners celebrated their graduation from Aquinas’ English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
“As a staff, we selected Virginia as the recipient of the Sister Claudia Hinds Scholarship because of her persistence in learning English," said ALC Executive Director Alison Altmeyer. "In her three years at Aquinas, Virginia committed herself to attending one-on-one tutoring sessions, participating in supplemental classes and studying English in our computer learning center. She has truly embraced our mission.”
Read more: Virginia Mercado Wins Scholarship from Aquinas Literacy Center
Efforts by community groups and City of Chicago officials and staffers are bringing a focus to the trees of McKinley Park, part of a broader push to green the neighborhood and restore a tree canopy devastated by the emerald ash borer and stressed by climate change.
As first noted by 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas at an April 2016 community meeting, tree trimming and removal has been underway throughout the spring, with all 2015 trimming requests now completed by the Department of Forestry. Meanwhile, the McKinley Park Community Garden and the alderman have promoted tree planting by distributing free oak tree saplings at the garden's Sustainability Saturday event this past Saturday, June 11.
Representatives of the Chicago Police Department and community members identified two McKinley Park residences as hotbeds of gang activity and drug sales during the June 8, 2016, meeting of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) for Beat 912.
Located across from each other in the 3800 block of South Honore, buildings at 3841 S. Honore and 3842 S. Honore house gang members who run an open-air drug market, neighbors alleged, and these addresses are an ongoing source of problems and crime, CAPS officers acknowledged.
Read more: Gang, Drug Houses Identified at McKinley Park CAPS Meeting
Thanks to ongoing efforts from garden organizers and assistance from 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas, the McKinley Park Community Garden is returning to its planned 2016 season of gardening plots and activities. Garden organizers were able to negotiate a lease for the 2016 growing season with the new owners of the property: a series of lots on the north side of Pershing Road between Wolcott and Winchester avenues.
As reported here on McKinleyPark.org, the 2016 season was initially canceled due to the sale of the donated land that the garden uses. Gardeners can now sign up online for plots, or sign up at the upcoming Community Garden Plant Sale on Saturday, May 14, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the garden.
Read more: McKinley Park Community Garden Returns for 2016 Season
