U.S. Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García (D-4th)
Society failed Melissa, Chuy says
Calls for more gov’t funds to fight violence
From staff reports
Hours after police announced the arrest of two suspects in the slaying of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega, U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th) issued the following statement.
“Since the tragic death of Melissa Ortega, we have seen the resilience and strength of Little Village. A community wrapped its arms around a mother experiencing the greatest pain, losing a child. No parent should have to live through the horror of losing a child. In the past week, I heard anger and outrage in the voices of my neighbors, calling for change. I echo their call for justice and accountability.
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th)
“Today, we learned that the police have two suspects in custody. I applaud the swiftness of the investigation and urge for the same level of attention for so many unsolved cases like Melissa’s. Their apprehension will never bring Melissa back to her family, but it provides some relief to a grieving community.
“Melissa’s tragic death is a reminder of how we have failed our youth and find ourselves at a moral crossroads – it is unfathomable to see children killing children. We must dismantle the system of organized crime that preys on our children and our communities while our neighborhoods are starved for resources. I have lived in Little Village for more than five decades and can attest to the invaluable efforts led by faith-based leaders, organizations, parents, and youth to bring an end to violence, but that alone is not enough.
“This tragedy is a call to action: we demand substantive, targeted investments in our city and in suffering communities across the country to combat the epidemic of violence. From access to affordable housing, jobs, and mental health care, to greater investment in violence prevention, youth workforce development, and education, it will take more than our little village to raise a child – our Chicagoland community, the state of Illinois, and the full force of our federal government must take responsibility.”
1 Comment
Local News
A new look for an old friend
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 The West Lawn Branch Library, 4020 W. 63rd St., is finally open. I visited on their re-opening day. The library has a more open and airy feel. It is fresh and clean. The walls have been painted and there is new carpeting. The…
So long, and see you around
Spread the loveBy Karen Sala Your correspondent in Gage Park (773) 471-1429 • karen.sala@hotmail.com Baby, it’s cold outside. It’s almost the end of January. I am so ready. I can’t wait for spring to get here. The only good thing about winter is when it’s over. However, I do like cooking and baking in the winter.…
It truly is a small world
Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 I have been attending St Rita Church for many years now. In that time, I have come to know many people who are now or have been a part of the parish. Some I knew because…
Jobs opportunities abound
Spread the loveBy Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 284-7394 “Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go…it ain’t no trick to get rich quick,” as the dwarfs sang in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. If you are looking for employment, there seems to…
Seven Mt. Carmel wrestlers win titles, help Caravan to Chicago Catholic League crown; Brother Rice takes 3rd
Spread the loveBy Steve Millar Correspondent Ryan Boersma did not get the opportunity to become a four-time Catholic League champion because the COVID-19 pandemic caused to the cancellation of the conference tournament. But winning three Catholic League championships at two schools, and wrapping it up by winning a Lawless Award for the league’s best senior…
Funds flow to Back of the Yards
Spread the loveFour groups get grants; millions more available By Tim Hadac Four organizations in Back of the Yards—three businesses and a non-profit—are among 31 awarded more than $14.4 million in small business grants being allocated through the Chicago Recovery Plan. They are: Diaz Group Office Space, 5100 S. Damen, $250,000. El Nuevo Guadalajara, 4350…
Offer reward in grandma’s slaying
Spread the loveWas shot on 71st Street By Tim Hadac A $15,500 reward is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot and killed a 49-year-old grandmother in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. Tamiko L. Talbert Fleming, of south suburban Dolton, was in the driver’s seat of her vehicle at 71st…
A sweet salesgirl
Spread the love Alessandra Valentina Paredes, a Daisy Scout with Girl Scout Troop 20637 (sponsored by St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parish), shows a sweet smile as she begins her first-ever time selling Girl Scout Cookies. The daughter of West Lawn residents Jose Antonio and Lorena Paredes, Alessandra, age 5, joined the Daisies just four months…
Midway is new for Frontier
Spread the loveLow-fare airline coming in April By Tim Hadac Low-fare passenger airline options are set to increase at Midway International Airport this spring, with the arrival of Frontier Airlines. The expansion of air travel options was announced at a press conference last week at the airport. With 10 new nonstop routes taking off starting…
Rush rips USDA over plight of black farmers
Spread the love‘House is on fire,’ congressman says From staff reports U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-1st) recently questioned U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack about what Rush called “the dire prognosis of black farmers in the U.S. and the steps USDA is taking to help minority farmers.” “As you well know, our nation’s…
Neighbors
Communities, commission push Pritzker admin for more prison plan details
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Jimmy Soto spent more than 42 years wrongfully imprisoned in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities. In 2020, he was moved to the “F-House” at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, a condemned unit, not because he was being punished, but because it was where the facility was housing individuals…
Elections board urged to dismiss complaint that Bailey illegally coordinated in 2022 campaign
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com A hearing officer is recommending the Illinois State Board of Elections dismiss a complaint that alleged conservative radio host and political operative Dan Proft illegally coordinated with former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey during his 2022 campaign for governor. Proft, a one-time gubernatorial candidate himself, is behind an…
State highway shootings decline as critics sue over ‘dragnet surveillance’
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Illinois State Police say an automated license plate reader program has helped the agency identify witnesses or suspects in 82 percent of highway shooting cases this year, including all eight that resulted in a death. But as the state looks to further expand its network of more than…
Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignation
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Halfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party. Tracy, who’d held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in…
As Illinois session ends, lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails
by JENNIFER BAMBERG Investigate Midwest jennifer.bamberg@investigatemidwest.org In 2006, 19-year-old Jessica Whinston inherited 20 acres of land that her grandparents once farmed in Quincy, Illinois. The land had sat dormant since the 1980s and was overgrown, but Whinston and her husband Bradley worked to turn it into a productive farm. The couple were eventually able to…
Elections board dismisses illegal campaign coordination complaint, declines to clarify law
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – State elections officials on Tuesday indicated they were unlikely to step in to clarify what constitutes illegal campaign coordination after voting to dismiss a complaint alleging such coordination in the 2022 campaign for governor. At their monthly meeting in Chicago, Illinois State Board of Elections members…
Illinois’ ban on ‘bump stocks’ remains in place despite U.S. Supreme Court decision
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois law banning the sale and use of “bump stocks” and other devices that increase the firing power of semiautomatic weapons remains in place, at least for now, despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision Friday striking down a federal ban on such items. “Illinois law…
Lawmakers pass on oversight vote for Pritzker’s prison closure, rebuild plan
By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – For the last two decades, each time a governor has moved to close a large state-run facility like a prison or mental health center, a legislative oversight panel has voted on the plan. That changed on Friday – at least for now –…
‘We don’t really know what we’re voting on,’ top Dem says of Pritzker’s prison plan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com LINCOLN – On the eve of a scheduled vote to advise Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on plans to close and rebuild a pair of dilapidated state prisons, hundreds filed into a junior high school gymnasium Thursday evening clad in matching green T-shirts. Printed on the shirts was a…
Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although…
Dear Southwest Regional Publishing,
I just submitted a post that was not posted.
So this is my 2nd attempt!
“America is not free unless ‘We The People’ can speak freely.”
Sorry Congressman Jesus Garcia,????????
Like you, I pray ???? for the families victimized by violence, and especially in Chicago, where I was born, where I lived, where I went to school, and more importantly, where I went to Church, and where I worked for a number of years.
However, your unwillingness
to stand against Kim Foxx, and her failed policies, of not being tough on crime, and not being a strong advocate of Law and Order, along with you not protecting our Borders against Illegal Immigration that has allowed Illegals to come into Our Country, cheating those who came into Our Country legally, well, sorry, you will win re-election to your Illinois Congressional District, but not because you are principled.
In Closing,
I pray that you change for the better.
I pray for all who work hard to become American Citizens,???????? who have come into the United States of America???????? legally, and honor our laws.
I was #BornLeftRaisedRight,
born in Marquette Park, actually Holy Cross Hospital, the son of a mom and dad, who raised my sisters and brothers to be Christians, to Live Fully, and Love Always.
My dad served in Korea, as a Sergeant, who blew up bridges, so that #WeThePeople???????? can Live Always, and Live Forsver,
I’m a spiritualist, not a secularist,
Congressman Garcia,????????
And I care less about being popular, and care more about being principled.
“Handouts in return for Democrat Socialist Votes don’t work for #USCitzens???????? and especially Our Middle Class who the Democrat Socialist Party have subjected to paying higher and higher taxes.
Sorry Congressman Garcia,????????
I cannot support your lack of support of Our Police in Chicago, almost all who serve and protect us.
I cannot support you advocating for the disastrous, and destructive policies
of Kim Foxx.
Sorry that a Republican like me, won’t run against you in 2022, and if a Republican runs against you, I will most likely support her or him, depending on what their platform and policies are that will protect our citizens so that “We The Prople” can feel safe in our schools, shopping centers, and in our streets.
In God WeTrust????????
And Love We Must????
With Sincere and Kind Regards,
Dr. Kenneth Joseph Yerkes????????
#DoctorY????
Former 2018
Write in Candidate
Citizen CNdidate????????
Illinois Congressional District 3
#IL03
“People and Principles Over Money and Power”
2022 Candidate
Illinois Representative
Illinois District 31
“YERKES For Illinois 31”