Una Entrevista con Al

Struggle, Hope and Action in South Chicago Pt. II

Community organizations have witnessed the drastic changes in South Chicago due to the economic downturn beginning in the '70's with the steel mill closures and reaching its crisis peak in recent years. The recent global economic crisis has had severe effects locally evidenced by the closure of a health clinic on 86 th and Exchange, the cutting of South Chicago's library staff and hours, the many vacant homes due to foreclosures and a severe increase in unemployment. Despite these cuts and, in part, because of them, organizations have remained a fixed presence in South Chicago and the Bush. And though all community organizations have felt the negative effects of the recession and budget cut duo, some have seen their programming expand. Growth in the Garden Although all organizations have experienced budget cuts, The Children's Garden, an educational center for kids ages three to five years, is expanding in this time of economic crisis. The Ga...

High Hopes, Rocky Realities, An Unknown Future

High Hopes The Leucadia coal gassification plant, also known as the Chicago Clean Energy project, received another dose of legislative support in the final days of the Illinois legislative session. Project director, Hoyt Hudson, says the three billion dollar plant will bring clean energy, 1,100 temporary jobs and over 200 permanent jobs to a struggling area. The synthetic natural gas plant would use steam to break down coal and petroleum coke. This process takes place underground allowing the gas to be filtered. This process would allow for Illinois coal, notably high in sulfur and restricted in most states, to grow creating 165 mining jobs. Leucadia is required to capture 85 percent of CO2 emissions. To meet this, Leucadia plans on redirecting it through an underground pipe (construction also pending) extending to Texas to further oil extraction. Consumer's bills will also be reduced by $100 million over the next 30 years, says Hudson. A Consumer Pr...

The South East Side: Will the Area's Past Dictate its Future?

Today Omeshia Perez keeps her windows closed on the hottest of Chicago summer days. Her children stay inside as much as possible, and she has given up barbecuing. Carefree evenings in her backyard have been replaced by sleepless nights and cough-filled days. "Mom, am I going to die?" her three year-old asks. Life has been hard on the Perez's ever since the coal piles near 100 th St. and Commercial appeared across her alley several years back. Rolling hills of coal loom over the Calumet river while coal dust coats her windows, tinting the light inside. Seeping through the cracks, the dust covers everything from the kitchen to the bathroom, she says. "What am I supposed to do?" Perez asks a panel composed of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Leucadia representatives at a hearing organized to evaluate the community's response to the company's plan to build a coal gasification plant on 18000 S. Avenue O. "Run?" Leucadia is slated to ope...

Original Articles from The Southeast Chicago Observer

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