PB 5 Sample Ballot
Did you know that you can visit the Art Institute, Field Museum or Brookfield Zoo for FREE with a museum passport from the Chicago Public Library?
Work is well underway to convert the old Hyde Park Theater building into a fancy art-house cinema.
Recently after hearing multiple concerns about the safety of the intersection at Hyde Park Blvd and Cornell Ave, Ald Will Burns directed CDOT to take action to install Stop Signs at the hazardous intersection.
Money Smart:
Getting your Financial House in Order: Understanding the Home Buying Process
a Workshop
SaturdayApril 22nd
6:00 p.m
Shirley Griffin, COUNTRY Financial and Connie Gibson, Coldwell Banker speaks on the importance of building a solid financial foundation for home ownership.
Presented by Money Smart Partner, COUNTRY Financial and Coldwell Banker.
Preschool Story Time
TuesdayApril
2nd, 9th 16th 23rd and 30th
10:30 a.m.
This program will be designed around a theme and will include picture books, songs, action activities and flannel board stories.
Open to children ages 3-6.
Family Story Time
SaturdayApril
13th
10:30 a.m.
This program will be designed around a theme and will include picture books, songs, action activities and flannel board stories.
Open to children ages 3-7.
Wednesday Night
Family Story Time
Wednesdays, April
3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th
6:30 p.m.
This program will be designed around a theme and will include picture books, songs, action activities and flannel board stories. Open to children ages 3-7.
Toddler Time
ThursdayApril
4th, 11th, 18th and 25th
10:30 a.m.
This program will be designed around a theme and will include picture books, action activities and songs.
Open to children ages 0-3.
Poetry Cafe
MondayApril 8th
6:30 p.m.
Come share poetry. Read your original poem or a poem by a favorite poet. Each poem should be no longer than 4 minutes and must be appropriate for a general audience.
Please bring 2 or more poems. Poetry books will be available to browse or check out.
For teens and adults.
Call 312-747-0511 for more information.
Knitting and Needle
Crafters Circle
WednesdayApril
10th, 17th and 24th
6:00 p.m.
Bring your current project. Don't know how to knit? Join our beginning knitting class. Meet other knitters and needle crafters in the community.
Get inspired to finish those projects! Share tips and resources.
Adult Book Discussion
Saturdayapril 20th
1:00-2:30 p.m.
Join us for a lively discussion of Pym by Mat Johnson. Recently canned professor of American literature Chris Jaynes makes a startling discovery when the manuscript of a crude slave narrative confirms the reality of Edgar Allan Poe's strange and only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.
Determined to seek out the truth, Jaynes journeys to the South Pole with an unlikely band of adventurers.
An acutely humorous and very original story that will delight lovers of literature and fantasy alike..
M T H P Artists Series
Wednesdayapril 17th
6:30 p.m.
The Music Teachers of Hyde Park present a concert with pianist Alice Sheu.
The program includes the Piano sonata in A flat major by Franz Schubert, Klavierstücke op. 119 by Johannes Brahms and Images by Claude Debussy.
Fantasy and Science Fiction Book Club
Mondayapril 29th
6:30 p.m.
We will discuss The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.
When the human ambassador Genly Ai is sent to Gethen, he thinks that his mission will be a standard one of making peace between warring factions. Instead
the ambassador finds himself wildly unprepared for the strange and beautiful culture where the people are both male and female in one, and neither.
Unless Genly can overcome his all too human ingrained prejudices about gender, he may destroy both his mission and himself.
Game Day
Saturdayapril 6th
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Play board games all day long. Learn new games and enjoy some of your old favorites including Settlers of Catan, Munchkin, Zombies, Talisman and Ticket to Ride. Dungeons & Dragons RPG will also be played. For adults and kids 9 and up.
Ongoing:
Hyde ParkUnion Church
56th and Woodlawn Ave
Volunteer at a Food Pantry
"Every Healthy Community Has a Safety Net."
Join volunteers of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Hunger Programs as they unload the monthly drop-off from the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
The pantry is in the basement of the Hyde Park Union Church.
Volunteers are needed for approximately one hour on the morning of the first Tuesday of every month.
Contact Marlene Vellinga
at 773.363.0242 or EMail
Ongoing:
Volunteer at a Soup KitchenKenwood United Church
46th and Greenwood Ave
Contact: Rev. Leroy Sanders
773-373-2861
The Ambassador
of Hyde Park
Valois cafeteria has the best windows in Hyde Park for looking out on the world. And they don't mind if you linger a bit after you’ve eaten, so when you want to go somewhere and daydream while sipping coffee, or have an intimate conversation, Valois is the place to go.
One day I was in Valois having breakfast and window gazing when my reverie was interrupted.
"Excuse me everybody!" a man in line said loudly. “Today is Larry's birthday so let's sing happy birthday to him." Everyone in Valois that morning paused from eating their breakfast to sing Larry an enthusiastic “Happy Birthday."
Larry is the man who works the front counter at Valois and is the face of the Hyde Park institution. I wondered how many people must have gotten to know him over the years. He's a man of few words, although, I have seen him turn on the charm for the ladies.
But usually, all you hear from him is “next, who’s next?" as you step up to order. With a deep voice, thick mustache, a Greek accent, and wearing a cook’s white uniform, he’s a colorful presence. And despite the no-nonsense gruffness he takes on while he’s working, there’s still a friendliness in his manner that makes you feel welcomed.
Born in Alexandroupolis, Greece, Larry came to America to be with his father when he was twenty years old. They lived in New York for a while before moving to Chicago. He has two sons from a previous marriage whom he says he’s very proud of Chris, 28 and Jimmy, 24.
“I’ve been at Valois since 1973," he says. “I was working at a restaurant in Palatine when my boss recommended me for the job (Valois). I came down and started the next day. I work from 4 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon every day. I'm off on Tuesday. I prepare everything, all of the food, then I work the counter – that's it."
Maybe, but prominent Chicagoans stop by Valois for breakfast all of the time and Larry’s been there to greet them all. "Jesse Jackson and his son, Jesse Jr., come in here a lot," he says. “The new mayor (Rahm Emanuel) has been here. I cooked Bill Veeck's (former owner of the Chicago White Sox) breakfast everyday in 1975. I used to cook breakfast for Mayor (Harold) Washington everyday from 1973 to 1974. "
The cafeteria’s most famous customer was President Obama. "He came in here one day and came around the side and I shook his hand. I told him that we have the egg white special for him. He said no; I want scrambled eggs, pancakes and sausages."
Larry is a celebrity in his own right. Once, I saw him on the street and at first I didn't recognize him and kept on walking, then it hit me, “Hey, that’s Larry." I turned around and he was still standing there, waiting for me to recognize him with an amused expression on his face. We looked at each other and smiled and nodded.
What does he like most about the job? He says it’s the people. “I like working with people and people like me."
Mary, Larry’s co-worker for twenty years, agreed that he’s well liked in the community. “Some customers will come in on Tuesday and ask ‘where’s Larry?’ When we tell them it’s his off day they’ll turn around and leave."
I asked him what was the most important life lesson his father taught him. He paused for a moment, then he said, “My father, he taught me to be nice to old people, don't lie and don't stealbe straight. That's it."
Cardell can be reached at cardell167@gmail.com
ComEd Emergency If you have an electric emergency it is important to call ComEd immediately. Never email your emergency request.
Residential: 1-800-Edison-1
Business: 1-877-4-ComEd-1
If you need to report an emergency situation such as a fire, vehicle accident, electric contact/shock, or other potential danger please call 911 to notify local authorities.
Emergency Link
Storm Center
When the storms roll in, ComEd is ready to keep you up-to-date on our outage restorations. Visit the Storm Center at ComEd.com/Storm to get the latest information on outages in the service territory, view our Outage Map, and report an outage.
Storm Center LInk
Outage Map
With ComEd's outage map, customers can view all outages in the ComEd service area at once and zoom in and get details on specific areas, such as the estimated restoration time & status of crews working to resolve problems.
Icons are color-coded to indicate the number of customers affected by each incident. Check out the interactive map.
Outage Map Link
Outage Alerts
Need to report an outage? Text the word OUT to 26633 (ComEd) and get updates until your power is restored. Visit ComEd.com/Text for more info and to sign up. Outage Alert Link
Mobile App
Gain the flexibility and convenience of managing your ComEd Residential account on the go with ComEd's FREE mobile app for iPhone® and Android™ devices. Report an outage, make a one-time payment, and manage account features with the swipe of a finger. Learn more at ComEd Mobile App
Criteria For Truck Parking
On Residential Streets
Please be aware that the City of Chicago will ticket your pick-up truck or van weighing under 4,500 if you do not have a permit for the vehicle.
Truck permits can be picked up at the 4th Ward Service Office, located at 435 E. 35th Street.
Below are the criteria for the permit:
- Pick-up truck or van weighing under 4,500 pounds.
- Owner has no outstanding parking violations.
- Owner has current vehicle sticker displayed on the truck of van (Truck A).
- No Company name on truck - cannot be use for commercial purposes.
- Truck bed must be empty.
- Truck must be in good repair.
Shared Cost
Sidewalk Program
2012 Program opens
to new applicants
Jan. 1, 2012
The Shared Cost Sidewalk Program is an extremely popular program in which residents share the cost of sidewalk repair with the City.
The program has been a successful service for many years, offering an outstanding value to property owners.
All property owners pay the same square-foot cost for new sidewalk: $3 per square foot--well below what a private contractor would charge.
The 2012 program opens to new applicants January 1, 2012.
Applications will only be accepted through the City's 311 system (by phone or by clicking on the button below).
Owner information and the property address must be provided at the time of request.
Participation will proceed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Note that the program typically reaches capacity quickly, so you are encouraged to apply early in the year.
Please note that if you applied for the program in previous years, you must apply again in 2012.
Overview pdfSidewalk Survey
If someone you know is assaulted...
If someone you know discloses to you about a sexual assault, the way you react is a crucial part of their healing process. The most valuable thing you can do is validate their feelings, decisions and wishes.
Here are a few things to keep in mind. Believe them. Verbalize it explicitly. You may be one of the few who do. Don't make assumptions. No one experience is like another.
Survivors as well as perpetrators of sexual assault can be of any gender, race, creed, class and can have any other social relationship to one another (sibling, spouse, neighbor, lover, teacher, hairdresser, etc). Do not pass judgment based on any preconceptions of rape, or of the relationship between the perpetrator and the survivor.
