Here is a portion of the story from the Chicago Tribune:

.
The gay rights group Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois each filed a lawsuit today against the clerk of Cook County, claiming that not issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the Illinois Constitution.

Activists say they will continue to press lawmakers to legalize same-sex marriage. But these lawsuits mean that the judicial system, and possibly the Illinois Supreme Court, will play a role as well.

“We always thought this was something that had to happen,” said ACLU attorney John Knight. “We think it’s time to try in the courts, and we’re optimistic about our chances.”

President Barack Obama formally endorsed same-sex marriage earlier this month, and his statement was echoed by Gov. Pat Quinn.

“We feel like we’re at a tipping point,” said Camilla Taylor, a Lambda Legal attorney who headed up a similar case that led to the legalization of gay marriage in Iowa. “You reach a point where you can no longer tell these families that they should hold off. You lack the justification when we reach a national moment, when it’s clear that our time is now.”

A total of 25 couples from across the state are plaintiffs in the two lawsuits. Each couple tried to get a marriage license from the Cook County clerk’s office in May and was denied based on the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, which prohibits marriage “between 2 individuals of the same sex” and states: “A marriage between 2 individuals of the same sex is contrary to the public policy of this State.”

Cook County Clerk David Orr‘s office issued a statement from the clerk, who is out of the country: “The time is long past due for the state of Illinois to allow county clerks to issue marriage license to couples who want to make their commitment. I hope these lawsuits are the last hurdle to achieving equal marriage rights for all.”

Because the governor has voiced his support for same-sex marriage, it’s unclear whether the state will fight the lawsuit. Obama has instructed the U.S. Department of Justice to stop defending any lawsuits against the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman.

Quinn’s office released a statement today saying “the governor supports marriage equality.”

“We have not seen the lawsuits.” it added. “From recent press coverage, it appears the lawsuits will not be against the state, but against the clerk of Cook County. We will review the lawsuits once copies become available.”
Knight, the ACLU attorney, said that he is confident same-sex marriage rights can be won through the state’s judicial system and that there is no reason to wait for lawmakers to act: “When people think about their love and commitment to one another, they think about marriage. Civil unions feel like it’s entering into something for another reason.”

Carlos Briones and Richard Rykhus, of Evanston, are plaintiffs in the ACLU suit. They’ve been together for 11 years and have a 7-year-old son, Ty.

After Obama expressed his support for same-sex marriage, the couple had a talk with their son about their status — Briones and Rykhus were married in Canada, and that marriage is now recognized in Illinois as a civil union.

“Most couples who’ve been together in a long-term, committed relationship like we have don’t have to give a 10-minute explanation to their children about how their relationship is or is not recognized,” Rykhus said. “We just want that same recognition.”

Undoubtedly, one argument against these lawsuits will be that the state’s civil union law — enacted last June — provides same-sex couples with the same state-level rights as married couples.

Attorneys from both groups filing the lawsuits argue that rather than leveling the playing field, civil unions have served to reinforce discrimination against gay and lesbian couples.

“We’ve had a year of civil unions,” said Knight, the ACLU attorney. “We understand and have seen and talked to a number of people about the problems with civil unions. It’s as we expected. You provide a different and new and not terribly understandable relationship status, and you send a pretty loud message that gay and lesbian couples aren’t good enough for the honored tradition of marriage.”

Lambda Legal plaintiffs Theresa Volpe and Mercedes Santos, of Rogers Park, have been together for 20 years and have two children, ages 4 and 7. On the first day civil unions could be conducted in Illinois, Volpe and Santos joined more than two dozen other couples for a ceremony in Millennium Park.

“After having a civil union for a year now, it just kind of defined even more the differences between our family and other families who are married,” Santos said.

“No one really understands what a civil union is,” Volpe added. “Our daughter had to explain that to her classmates. We shouldn’t have to explain that. Our daughter shouldn’t have to explain that.”

Here is the story from the Chicago Tribune:

Bail was denied today for a Rogers Park man accused of fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy in the face inside an Uptown pizzeria after yelling gang slogans at him.

Andre Alejandro, 22, looked down and shook his head as prosecutors detailed first-degree murder charges in the slaying of Ivan Alanis inside Laurie’s Pizza and Liquors in the 5100 block of North Broadway.

Prosecutors also revealed it was not the first time Alejandro has been accused of gang-related violence at the store. In 2008, he was convicted of aggravated battery for his role in the brutal beating of a suspected rival, who was left with 45 stitches to the face and head.

Ivan, his older sister and her friend walked into the pizzeria about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, as Alejandro and his friend were leaving, authorities said. Alejandro, of the 1400 block of West Chase Avenue, is an admitted member of the Gangster Disciples street gang and believed Alanis’ group to be members of a rival gang.

After Alejandro “exchanged words” with someone in the boy’s group, he pulled out a handgun and fired three times, striking Ivan in the mouth, Assistant State’s Attorney Angela Carlisle said. Ivan, of the 7400 block of North Western Avenue, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

No one in Ivan’s group was armed, Carlisle said.

Alejandro, of the 1400 block of West Chase Avenue, fled after the shooting but was arrested about four hours later, Carlisle said. Surveillance footage captured him firing the shots, and numerous eyewitnesses identified him as the gunman. He also admitted to police he’d fired at least twice, then stashed the gun in a gangway, according to the prosecutor.

In addition to the 2008 conviction for the gang-related attack, Alejandro has a 2007 felony conviction for narcotics possession and numerous misdemeanor convictions on his record, Carlisle said.

Prosecutors did not say whether anyone in Ivan’s group was a gang member.

At a press conference Tuesday, Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said the boy was affiliated with two separate gangs.

The boy’s father, Rogelio Alanis, told the Tribune by telephone his son wasn’t involved in any gangs. “He was a good person,” Alanis said. His family said the boy was a 7th grader at Armstrong Elementary school on the city’s north side.

Several members of Alejandro’s family who were present in court today declined to speak to reporters. His court-appointed attorney said Alejandro has a 2-year-old son and is studying at Truman College to become an automotive technician.

Photo by the Chicago Tribune

By Esther Daniela Castillejo

Fifteen people, including several Chicago Fire Department firefighters, were hospitalized after a fire broke in a 4-story apartment building at the Edgewater neighborhood at around 11 a.m. Sunday.

The blaze on the 6100 block of North Kenmore Avenue was put out at about 11:50 a.m., according to officials.

Here is the story from the Chicago Tribune:

A fire in a 4-story apartment building in the Edgewater neighborhood resulted in eight residents, six firefighters and one police officer being hospitalized, according to officials and witnesses on the scene.

The fire on the 6100 block of North Kenmore Avenue on the Far North Side spurred an emergency medical services response which calls for six ambulances to be called to the scene, officials said.

Several children were led out of the apartment building by Good Samaritans who noticed heavy smoke coming from the building at about 11 a.m., according to witnesses. The fire was put out at about 11:50 a.m., officials said.

Ernest Prentic, 24, and his friend Areal Delacruz, 21, were outside of Prentic’s apartment several doors from the building when they saw flames and then heard people screaming.

“When I heard help, help, I ran,” said Prentic, who noticed a lot of smoke coming from the front of the building’s second floor and then saw more smoke coming from the top floors.

“Then there was more smoke coming from the other side of the building, it was just smoke,” said Prentic.

Prentic and Delacruz could also see a man holding “babies” from a second-floor window. They then ran over to the building, scaled a fence and managed to get to the top of an adjoining structure when the man began handing his children to the two. Prentic and Delacruz helped about four children, a woman and finally the man out of the building.

“I couldn’t help everybody out because someone was on the fifth floor and I couldn’t go up there and save them,” said Prentic. “I did what I could, me and my friend.”

Delacruz, who was visiting Prentic, said the children and their mother were in tears. The man rescued from the burning building seemed in shock and frightened.

Delacruz said when he heard the screams of children he knew he had no other choice but to help them get out.

“What was passing through my mind was … When I saw little kids and little babies I had to save them, they were scared,” he said. “When I heard the smoke and heard crying I knew that me and my friend had to run.”

Several people on the scene broke out in applause as a firefighter, seemingly suffering from heat exhaustion, was led into a waiting ambulance, according to witnesses. Several firefighters were being treated for heat related issues, according to witnesses.

Preliminary information from Chicago Fire Department officials indicated that 15 people were injured. The extent of their injures was not immediately known, but officials said all of their conditions had stabilized.

Bike the Drive shuts down vehicular traffic on Lake Shore Drive downtown most of Sunday morning for its yearly fundraiser.

Photo by Bike the Drive.

The 30-miles route begins at Columbus Drive and Jackson Drive at 5:30 a.m.

The funds raised by MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive, who sponsors the event,  are a crucial part of the Active Transportation Alliance’s work to improve biking, walking and transit in the region.

Here is the story from the Chicago Tribune:

Lake Shore Drive downtown will be closed most of Sunday morning for the annual Bike the Drive event.

The drive will close to vehicular traffic from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday morning for the 11^th running of the event, which will begin about 5:30 a.m. at Columbus Street and Jackson Drive in Grant Park downtown. This year’s version is 30 minutes longer. The sponsor isMB Financial Bank.

The drive will be closed from Bryn Mawr Avenue on the north to 57^th Street on the south, according to the event website. All riders need to register to participate; online registration is closed but you can sign up the day of the event for $58.

The lawsuit alleges that the police are violating the panhandlers’ First Amendment rights.

Here is the story from the Sun-Times:

A group of eight panhandlers filed a lawsuit seeking class-action status Wednesday against the city, alleging Chicago Police regularly boot them from a ritzy stretch of Michigan Avenue downtown — a “whitewashing” that violates their First Amendment rights, they claim.

All eight live in Chicago and beg for money regularly on an affluent portion of Michigan Avenue between Oak and Erie streets, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court. They claim panhandling is protected speech under the First Amendment, but that police systematically intimidate and threaten to arrest them, falsely claming that panhandling on the Magnificent Mile is illegal.

“The City’s objective here is not difficult to fathom: it seeks to whitewash parts of Michigan Avenue of people who beg in order to ‘beautify’ the Magnificent Mile by segmenting the City’s public sidewalks into those available to the rich and those available to the poor,” the suit claims, accusing the city of “embracing short-term, bullying tactics in the name of commerce.”

One plaintiff, Kim Pindak, was kicked off Michigan Avenue on April 21 while begging on the corner of Delaware Street, the suit said. A female police officer told him panhandling was made illegal on the Magnificent Mile — a false claim, according to the suit — because “it is a tourist spot” and “there have been too many thefts.”

The female officer is named as a defendant in the suit, along with two other male police officers.

McArthur Hubbard, another plaintiff, claims one of the male officers told him on several occasions while he begged near Pearson and Michigan that “you can’t do that here. I will take you to jail, and I will take your money, and you can tell that to the judge.”

Lexie Adu

The body of a missing Rogers Park teen was recovered from Lake Michigan Friday morning, a day after she was caught in a strong current while swimming in the lake.

Here is the story from NBC-5:

The body of 15-year-old Lexie Adu was recovered Friday on Loyola Beach in Roger’s Park after a nearly 13-hour search. The body was found against the east end of a breakwall on the beach.

Adu was with two friends Thursday when they were taken by a strong current.

The other two girls were rescued.

One teen girl was taken to a Saint Francis Hospital. Another remained on the beach while divers began a search for Adu.

Adu’s father, Frank, broke down in tears when he saw the girl’s body. He was taken to an ambulance by rescue workers. Earlier Friday he said that his daughter’s career aspirations were cut short by the tragedy.

“She wanted to be a doctor,” Frank Adu said of his daughter Lexiedivers resumed their search early Friday. “She was the first person I’ve ever seen who wanted to be a doctor, not just for the money.”

Adu moved his family back to Ghana a few years ago, but Lexie begged him to move back to the U.S.

“If you want me to be a doctor, take me back to the U.S,” Adu said.

Lexie Adu

Chicago Fire Department divers are resuming their search today for a teen who disappeared near Lake Michigan in Rogers Park, CBS-2 reports.

Here is a portion of the CBS-2 story:

The search resumes Friday morning for a teenage girl who disappeared into the waters of Lake Michigan off the coast of Rogers Park.

As CBS 2’s Susanna Song reports, the girl went for a swim early Thursday evening with two other teenage girls at Loyola Park Beach, at Greenleaf Avenue, and had been playing near an offshore breakwall when they ended up in the water.

Emergency responders were called to the scene at 6 p.m. Two were pulled out or made it back, and one was taken to St. Francis Hospital, where she was in good to fair condition, while the other lingered for a while on the beach, awaiting word about her missing friend.

Divers continued searching for the missing girl, identified as Lexie Adu, 15, for much of the night. They resumed their search around 8 a.m. Friday.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was back in the air searching by 6 a.m.

Roger Concepcion was hanging out at the beach Thursday evening, when he noticed the three girls in the lake. He said he thought the current was too strong for the water to be safe.

“When I got over here, I saw this girl struggling over there, and I went and climbed and onto the other side of the wall, where the current was not too strong, so I swim out there to help her out,” Concepcion said.

Concepcion was able to rescue the girl who was hospitalized, while the other girl made it back to shore. But no one could find Lexie.

“The air temperature is really warm. The water temperature is still only about 60 degrees. That’s cold water,” said Fire Chief Ron Domeker. “So the winds were really bad today also, which caused some bad waves. So between the cold water and the waves, that’s some dangerous conditions to deal with.”

Dive teams went in and searched Lake Michigan. The U.S. Coast Guard sent its helicopter up late Thursday night looking for any signs of Lexie.

“They were just people who were trying to have fun at the beach, and unfortunately, something like this had to happen,” said witness Christine Hernandez.

Lexie is a student at St. Scholastica Academy.

There was no lifeguard at the beach at the time, because lifeguards do not take their posts until the beaches officially open Friday.

Here is a portion of the article:

Travel the world or settle down and get an MBA?

Those two paths might seem to diverge sharply. But Loyola University Chicago‘s School of Business Administration is launching a program that combines world exploration with MBA studies and in so doing embraces a major business trend: Seeking opportunities in emerging markets.

“The growth of the future for the world is in emerging markets,” said Kathleen Getz, the school’s dean. “Emerging markets have not just higher populations but higher population growth, so their business opportunities are much greater.”

Loyola’s Intercontinental MBA, to launch in the fall of 2013, will allow students to rotate through residencies in Asia, Latin America and Eastern or Central Europe. Each class will vote on exactly where within those regions they will spend each quarter together.

Getz acknowledges that “it would be fun to be a student in a program like this.” Beyond the fun factor, she said, the rotation will give students hands-on opportunities to study how emerging markets can move beyond agriculture and mining into value-added businesses such as manufacturing and, eventually, the knowledge economy.

At the same time, Loyola and other business schools are setting up and expanding permanent programs in developing economies.

For example, Loyola is collaborating with Harvard University to expand its presence in Vietnam.

Business intelligence — the new field of making good use of the mountains of data produced by modern business software applications.

Loyola’s School of Education will work with the school principal, administrative team, and faculty at Senn to improve its curriculum and support teacher training, while also helping Senn transition to the first wall-to-wall International Baccalaureate program offered by CPS.

“This partnership will be a University-wide effort, led by our School of Education, but also involving our schools of social work and nursing, the Center for Urban Research and Learning, and the departments of fine and performing arts, school counseling, computer science, and more,” said Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., Loyola’s president and CEO. “Our School of Education has a number of other successful partnerships throughout the CPS system, including the Principal Training Program, IB Certification, and the Center for Math and Science Education. We also have a very strong presence in the Senn feeder schools, including Swift and Hayt especially, making this partnership with Senn a great fit.”

Here is the new release on the partnership from the City of Chicago:

DePaul University and Loyola University Chicago are providing academic support, teacher training and improved educational opportunities for Chicago Public Schools students under new partnerships with two neighborhood high schools on Chicago’s north side, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced today.

“By partnering with two top universities in Chicago, these neighborhood schools will provide students with a better education and the skills they need for a successful future,” said Mayor Emanuel.  “Through these efforts, DePaul University and Loyola University Chicago are demonstrating their commitment to providing Chicago students with a quality education, which has made them pillars in their respective communities for many decades.”

DePaul University is partnering with Lake View High School as the four-year college partner to the Early College STEM School program. When students in the program are eligible for college courses, DePaul will provide dual enrollment opportunities for students.  DePaul is also supporting curriculum development in alignment with college standards, providing data analysis and on-going education for teachers.

“For many years, DePaul University has been deeply committed to enhancing the educational experiences of Chicago Public School students and teachers through a wide range of initiatives, from training science and math teachers to providing classical music instruction for grammar school students,” said the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., DePaul president.  “This new partnership between Lake View High School and DePaul bolsters that bond and furthers our mission to be an institutional anchor for Chicago. By providing Lake View students with greater access to DePaul’s high-quality faculty and facilities in science and technology, we hope to ease their transition into college and send them on the path toward entering careers in these fields.”

Loyola’s School of Education will work with the school principal, administrative team, and faculty at Senn High School in Edgewater to improve its curriculum and support teacher training, while also helping Senn transition to the first wall-to-wall International Baccalaureate program offered by CPS.

“This partnership will be a University-wide effort, led by our School of Education, but also involving our schools of social work and nursing, the Center for Urban Research and Learning, and the departments of fine and performing arts, school counseling, computer science, and more,” said Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., Loyola’s president and CEO. “Our School of Education has a number of other successful partnerships throughout the CPS system, including the Principal Training Program, IB Certification, and the Center for Math and Science Education. We also have a very strong presence in the Senn feeder schools, including Swift and Hayt especially, making this partnership with Senn a great fit.”

In February, Mayor Emanuel announced that Lake View High School would be one of five Early College STEM Schools (ECSS) that focus on technology skills and career readiness under a partnership agreement with technology companies, CPS and colleges and universities.  DePaul is the first four-year university to offer college courses through ECSS and joins Microsoft Corporation as a partner at Lake View.

The announcement of ECSS was followed by an expansion of International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programmes in March. CPS is creating 10 new IB programs in high schools across the city, including new IB programs in existing neighborhood high schools. Senn High School will expand its current IB program as the first wall-to-wall IB school in CPS. This decision was made after discussions with stakeholders in the communities served by Senn.

“We look forward to working with DePaul University and Loyola University Chicago and are already anticipating the tremendous impact these institutions will have on our students and schools,” said CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard. “This collaboration will provide our students with a rich and unique curriculum and help prepare them for college and successful careers.”

]]> http://loyolastudentdispatch.com/2012/05/23/loyola-partners-to-improve-senn-high-school-in-edgewater/feed/ 0 loyolastudentdispatch http://loyolastudentdispatch.com/2012/05/23/residents-vow-to-rebuild-rogers-park-fieldhouse/ http://loyolastudentdispatch.com/2012/05/23/residents-vow-to-rebuild-rogers-park-fieldhouse/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 14:47:26 +0000 loyolastudentdispatch http://loyolastudentdispatch.com/?p=16263 ]]>

Indian Boundry Park fieldhouse

Here is a portion of the story from the Chicago Tribune:

Neighbors of Chicago’s Indian Boundary Park vowed to rebuild early Sunday evening after an extra-alarm blaze severely damaged the park’s landmark fieldhouse.

Firefighters were called about 12:06 p.m. Sunday to the fieldhouse, located in the 2400 block of West Lunt Avenue in the Rogers Park neighborhood.

The fire, which appeared to start in the upper level, caused the roof to collapse and sent two firefighters to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston with heat-related injuries, Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said. Both firefighters are in good condition, Langford said. The cause of the fire was under investigation Sunday, but did not appear suspicious, he added. Windows were shattered and interior beams appeared to have crumbled inside the fieldhouse, which was constructed in 1929 and designed by Clarence Hatzfeld.

Seen by many neighbors as the hub of the Chicago Park District’s Indian Boundary Park, the fieldhouse was designated as a landmark in 2005, and hosts a variety of classes and performances. “It’s an example of craftsmanship that you just don’t see anymore,” said Jasmyn Du Bois, 36, who lives in one of the apartment buildings on the park’s eastern border. “Everywhere you went in there, you thought: ‘This is gorgeous.’ ”

Du Bois said she first saw a single plume of smoke, but that single plume quickly turned into thick, billowing black smoke that seemed to engulf the entire park.

By her count, at least eight fire engines were on the scene. Through the thick smoke, she said she saw maybe 15 firefighters enter the building at one point. The smoke started to clear by about 1:30 p.m., Du Bois said, and by 4 p.m., most of the fire crews had left.

Neighbors gathered just outside the taped-off perimeter surrounding the field house, and several talked of the interior’s Native-American motif, an homage to the park’s location as the former territorial boundary between the U.S. government and Pottawattomie Indians.