Thursday, July 21, 2011

State Rep. Hernandez visits Little Village, CDOT Resurfacing Streets, Panhandlers, Hispanics in the News


Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez
puts her arm around the
hair designer giving a
 haircut to a child. 

              A NEW REP: State Representative Elizabeth [Lisa] Hernandez [D-24ST District] will be the new State Representative for the Little Village community in the new redistricting map for the State of Illinois. Rep. Hernandez visited the Little Village Community Council office Saturday, July 16, 2011 to greet some of her new constituents. The LV Community Council was again sponsoring free haircuts and manicures for families in Little Village.
              TWELVE STUDENTS from the America’s Career Institute gave free haircuts and manicures to more the 61 residents of Little Village Saturday. The students were under the supervision and direction of Patti Caraballo, President of America’s Career Institute in Berwyn.
              “I REALLY feel at home here because I grew up and went to school here in Little Village,” said Hernandez as she shook hands with everyone in the room.
              REP. HERNANDEZ is a full-time state legislator. She is a former Senior Policy Advisor to Lt. Governor Patrick Quinn; administrator in Cicero public schools for 17 years; community volunteer and current member of Children’s Center of Cicero and Berwyn, Cicero Youth Services, and Pilsen-Little Village Mental Health Agency.
              SHE HAS an AA in Liberal Arts, Morton College (2001), coursework in public administration, Governors State University and is a member of Labor Council for Latin America Advancement; former UFCW member. She is married to Charles Hernandez, the Democratic Committeeman, Town of Cicero and mother of two daughters and one son.
              REP. HERNDNAEZ committee assignments are Consumer Protection; Labor; Appropriation-Elementary & Secondary Education, Disability Services; Health & Healthcare Disparities; 8th District Education Oversight Sub-Committee of the Whole.
              HERNANDEZ’s DISTRICT office is located at 2137 S. Lombard, Suite 205, Cicero, IL 60804. Phone: 708/222-5240. Springfield office: 264-S Stratton Office Bldg., Springfield, IL 62706. Phone: 217/782-8173.  Welcome back to Little Village, Rep. Hernandez and many thanks to America’s Career Institute.

              RESURFACING: Many streets in the Little Village neighborhood are being resurfaced due to the many potholes in the streets. For years, the City was  refilling the potholes to no avail; a job which was both a waste of time and taxpayer’s dollars.
              THE RESURFACING project is under the supervision of the Chicago Department of Transportation [CDOT]. CDOT started resurfacing the streets in the Little Village in June. Some of those streets being resurfaced are 25th & Spaulding Ave., 25th St. & Christiana Ave., 25th St. & Trumbull Ave., 26th St. & Homan Ave., 27th St. and 28th St. from Pulaski Road east to Drake Ave., 28th St. & Kolin Ave., 26th St. & Ridgeway Ave. and others. This project was long overdue. Thank you CDOT!

              THERE OUGHTA BE A LAW: We need an ordinance to make it illegal for panhandlers and peddlers from standing in the middle of traffic selling their wares. Panhandlers can be seen all over the city selling newspapers, pop, peanuts, water, candy, socks, flowers, collecting donations, windshield washers and even dancers performing in the middle of traffic asking motorist for donations. Legitimate organizations can be exempt.
              THIS HAS become a safety issue. A person standing in the middle of traffic, between cars, is a dangerous and unsafe situation. Motorists should not have to always be on the lookout for peddlers, and “dodging” these human obstacles. I almost hit a peddler once standing in the middle of the street at night. Luckily, I was able to swerve away from him. For the sake of the peddlers, we need a law to keep them out of “harm’s way”. And, if a motorist hits a peddler, ironically, it’s the fault of the motorist because the motorist was not driving safely!  

              NEW JOB:  Carlos Ponce, 61, was named interim CEO at the Chicago Housing Authority. Mr. Ponce is a former chief of staff at the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which runs McCormick Place; he previously served as CEO of Resonance Management and Technology Solutions Inc, a Chicago-based management consulting firm and was Chief Human Resources officer at the Chicago Public Schools.
              ON JULY 9, 2003, Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Carlos Ponce as Commissioner of the Chicago Housing Authority. He also served four years as commissioner of Chicago's Department of General Services, as well as Executive Director of the Hispanic American Construction Industry Assn. and the Spanish Coalition for Jobs, Inc.
              COMMISSIONER Ponce has over 20 years of experience in general and human resources management in public, non-profit and private organizations. He has held senior management positions with the Norwegian-American and Lincoln West hospitals along with the City of Chicago’s Department of Health. Ponce’s trademark is his bow tie.
              We wish him well in his new position.

              JUDGESHIPS: In 2012 next year’s judicial election, the following Hispanics judges are potential candidates to file for a Circuit Court judgeship: Raul Vega, Edmund Ponce de Leon, David Delgado and Gloria Chevere. Appointee to the Appellate Court Rodolfo [Rudy] Garcia will be seeking election in this appointed position.

                A TRIBUTE: Eva Longoria and George Lopez will co-host the one-hour primetime special 2011 NCLR (National Council of La Raza) ALMA Awards on Friday, September 16 from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
              SINCE 1995 The ALMA ceremony has celebrated the nation’s Latino performers who promote accurate and positive images of Hispanics in entertainment by honoring outstanding Latino artistic achievements in television, film, and music.  This show is an integral part of NCLR’s mission to open doors and creates greater opportunities for Latino’s in the U.S.
              MORE OPPORTUNITIES should be given to Latino[a] and/or Mexican entertainers to appear in movies, TV or on stage. There is a lot of talent in our culture. Congrats to La Raza for their work.

              RECOMMENDED: My friend boxer Sean Curtin with J. J. Johnston are the authors of the Images of Sports book titled “Chicago Amateur Boxing.” The book is a pictorial rich history of the Chicago Golden Gloves and Catholic Youth Organization [CYO] amateur boxing.
              TWO AMATEUR boxers that fought in the Chicago Golden Gloves tournaments were world title holders. They are Joe Louis [1937], and Ernie Terrell [1957]. Curtin was a CYO champion in the late 1950s and now he is a respected referee who has served as chief of the Illinois Boxing Commission. In 2005, Curtin was inducted into the National Golden Gloves Hall of Fame. 
              JOHNSTON WAS also a Chicago amateur boxer and is now a nationally known stage and screen actor. Both Curtin and Johnston are boxing historians. Cost of the book: $19.99. 



LITTLE VILLAGE COMMUNITY

“BACK TO SCHOOL”
SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011
10 A.M. TO 5 P.M.
26TH St. & Central Park Ave.
PONY RIDES – FREE HOT DOGS – POP – SCHOOL SUPPLIES
POPCORN – FACE PAINTING - JUMPING JACK
HOSTED BY LITTLE VILLAGE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
AUGUST SALLAS, PRESIDENT