Good afternoon! It’s Friday, and final evening’s thunder woke me up a couple of instances. Extra storms are in tonight’s forecast. Right here’s what else it is advisable know right this moment.
1. Demand for Meals on Wheels for seniors is anticipated to leap as different public helps shrink
As aged Individuals start to lose SNAP and Medicaid beneath President Donald Trump’s new tax and spending regulation, suppliers are bracing for extra senior residents searching for sufficient to eat, Lauren FitzPatrick experiences for the Chicago Solar-Occasions.
Greater than 12,000 Chicagoans depend on home-delivered meals, ferried weekly to their residences, as a part of a security web program for low-income, homebound adults over 60 and adults of any age with disabilities. Greatest recognized for dropping off meals, Meals on Wheels supply drivers additionally examine on doubtlessly unsafe residing situations and loneliness.
The cuts to Medicaid and SNAP come as funding for Meals on Wheels — a part of the Older Individuals Act — is anticipated to be flat regardless of rising grocery costs and an growing old inhabitants, based on the newest proposal for the federal price range yr that begins Oct. 1.
Town of Chicago, which administers the Meals on Wheels program with state and federal {dollars}, mentioned it will possibly meet the demand for home-delivered meals now, however that would change. Present shoppers may see much less frequent deliveries as the necessity grows.
Already, Chicago’s program has been rising by about 300,000 meals per yr over the past three years, now totaling about 4.3 million meals yearly, Chicago Division of Household and Help Providers spokeswoman Linsey Maughan mentioned. Flat federal funding means Chicago will “expertise challenges making an attempt to maintain tempo with the rising want and increasing demand, and might want to contemplate programming adjustments,” she added. [Chicago Sun-Times]
2. CPS desires extra college students from all backgrounds to get the possibility to skip a grade
Traditionally, few college students may bounce forward, and most who did had been from faculties with few low-income college students. Chicago Public Faculties is making an attempt to make the coverage extra equitable, my colleague Sarah Karp experiences for WBEZ.
The present coverage for skipping a grade or transferring forward in studying and math requires faculties or mother and father to refer college students and says they’re solely eligible in the event that they exceed requirements on the state standardized check. However solely 4% of elementary faculty college students exceed requirements, and no college students in both math or studying hit that mark in additional than 100 faculties.
Beneath the coverage revisions, college students scoring within the high 10% on standardized exams of their grade of their faculty are eligible, in addition to those that exceed state requirements, and the varsity district will routinely notify mother and father.
Mother and father will then be capable of resolve in the event that they wish to transfer ahead. To skip a whole grade, college students must take an extra check. However to leap forward in a single topic, the varsity might be liable for administering a tutorial evaluation. [WBEZ]
Each Chicago ZIP code seems on an Illinois Division of Public Well being record requiring that youngsters be examined for lead publicity, my colleague Violet Miller experiences for the Chicago Solar-Occasions.
In keeping with state regulation, youngsters residing within the listed ZIP codes are required to be examined at 12 and 24 months outdated. Kids beneath 6 and people with different well being elements are required to be screened by well being professionals by questionnaire.
Lead is very dangerous to youngsters with growing brains and may trigger various critical well being situations in adults. Lead can harm the mind and nervous system, in addition to trigger slowed progress and developmental, behavioral and studying difficulties. [Chicago Sun-Times]
4. Thirty years after a historic warmth wave, Chicagoans are nonetheless in danger
This weekend marks the thirtieth anniversary of the catastrophe, which killed greater than 700 folks. Many classes had been realized from the five-day stretch in July 1995, and the town was pressured to make adjustments that included creation of an emergency administration division.
However critics say Metropolis Corridor nonetheless fails to take easy steps, akin to offering sufficient cool locations for folks to go to flee the oppressive warmth, Brett Chase experiences for the Chicago Solar-Occasions.
Northwestern College researchers gave the town 30 suggestions, together with 24-hour cooling facilities.
The query is whether or not Mayor Brandon Johnson will take heed to the proposals, which had been truly an outgrowth of the town’s personal local weather motion plan. Johnson is anticipated to affix researchers for a gathering at Columbus Park on Tuesday to commemorate the 1995 catastrophe and to listen to the potential coverage options. [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. Cartoonist Chris Ware introduced a Chicago-inspired world to a brand new postage stamp
Ware is thought for his detailed New Yorker covers and sophisticated graphic novels that includes characters like Jimmy Corrigan and Rusty Brown. However now, Ware’s work — that includes architectural particulars acquainted to most Chicago-area residents — goes micro.
The Riverside-based artist has designed a delightfully detailed sheet of 20 Without end stamps, in honor of the Postal Service’s 250th birthday, my colleague Courtney Kueppers experiences for WBEZ.
The stamps depict, in extraordinary element, a hen’s-eye view of a postal provider on her day by day route. Costing $15.60 per sheet, they inform each a person and collective story that progresses by the 4 seasons of the yr.
“I attempted to arrange them like little tiny New Yorker covers which have their gags,” Ware mentioned. “That’s cartoonist parlance for having which means. It’s kind of like a comic book strip web page. However in a comic book, you’re used to seeing very clear demarcations of area with panels, and with this, it’s slightly bit invisible, so I needed to benefit from that. The second you peel the stamp off, it immediately would have a which means to it.” [WBEZ]
Right here’s what else is going on
- The U.S. State Division laid off tons of of its workers within the company’s largest overhaul in a long time. [NPR]
- Trump visited Texas to see the destruction attributable to catastrophic flooding that has killed at the very least 120 folks. [AP]
- The Trump administration will prohibit immigrants within the U.S. illegally from enrolling in Head Begin, a federally funded preschool program. [AP]
- Federal prosecutors search practically six years in jail for Madigan confidant Michael McClain. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Oh, and another factor …
Hundreds of Chicagoans live in O’Hare — the neighborhood, not the airport, Erica Thompson writes for the Chicago Solar-Occasions.
Named after the airport, the Northwest Facet locality is one in every of Chicago’s formally acknowledged 77 neighborhood areas, most of which had been designed within the Nineteen Twenties by College of Chicago sociologists to gather inhabitants information.
The residential a part of O’Hare is bounded by West Higgins Street to the north, West Montrose Avenue to the south, North Cumberland Avenue to the east and North East River Street to the west. The neighborhood’s boundaries additionally embody the Schiller Woods forest preserves, in addition to the airport and a stretch of Foster Avenue connecting it to the remainder of the world. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Inform me one thing good …
What’s your favourite place to seize a candy deal with throughout summertime within the Chicago space?
J.R. writes:
“Since I’m past lactose illiberal, as in taking a look at a glass of milk could make issues fascinating, my choices could be restricted however two locations are my summer time saviors. Miko’s Italian Ice…as a result of Italian Ice is wonderful and theirs is high notch. And Vaca’s which is a vegan tender serve ice cream parlor. They permit me to eat soft-serve ice cream with out struggling or inflicting others to endure, which makes pals and strangers throughout the town very glad, even when they don’t understand it.”
Kate writes:
“Dairy Star on Devon and Lincoln. Greatest tender serve round, brings collectively an extremely numerous crowd of Orthodox Jewish households, Indians, Latinos….you get the image, it’s simply nice. And, lactose free and Kosher tender serve is accessible….pleasure!”
Thanks for all of the responses this week! As a frozen dessert fanatic, I all the time like listening to the choices out there within the metropolis.
