Face Coverings Ordinance
Small Business Loans
Earth Day
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Dear Neighbors,
At City Council yesterday, I introduced an
ordinance requiring any individual over the age of two to cover their mouth and nose in public spaces where social distancing cannot be maintained. The ordinance is based closely on orders in
New York and
Los Angeles, places with similar outbreaks of the coronavirus. The ordinance would also require all businesses to require employees and customers to wear face coverings.
The ordinance, as drafted, has no penalty for non-compliance by individuals. I believe that the ordinance will eliminate confusion about the importance of covering our faces to help end this pandemic. Of course, there are some people who, for a variety of circumstances, lack the ability or resources to even create an effective face covering. That is why we should fully support all programs to create masks for distribution by either sewing masks ourselves, or contributing
to organizations that create them.
The ordinance has the support of 40 other aldermen, and I am pressing to have an early hearing. The
Chicago Tribune has more.
ABCNews covered the story.
I'm proud that wearing masks is becoming a bit more common in our neighborhood and that organizations like
CARA have firmly called for wearing masks while running in the city.
The Tribune discussed the merits of wearing a mask while exercising.
City Council also confirmed David O. Brown as the new Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. I look forward to working with Superintendent Brown on increasing safety throughout the city. The meeting adjourned early, and City Council will reconvene on Friday, April 24 at 1 p.m. This meeting will be livestreamed on the
Chicago City Clerk website
.
You can sign up for public comment by c
alling (312) 744-6800 and leaving a voice message with your name and telephone number.
Learn more here.
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Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce Legislative Roundtable
Today, Thursday, April 23
1:00 p.m.
Hear local updates about the COVID-19 crisis from 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith and State Representative Ann Williams.
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Small Business Resiliency Fund
Deadline TODAY April 24 at 5:00 p.m.
The
the deadline for applying for the Small Business Resiliency Loan Fund is Friday, April 24 at 5:00 p.m.
The Small Business Resiliency Fund is a $100 million fund to help retain employees and maintain operations as businesses face decreased revenue. This program is available to City of Chicago businesses with 1 - 50 employees that can demonstrate at least a 25% decrease in revenue as a result of COVID-19.
Eligible businesses will receive a zero interest loan for six months covering up to 50% of their payroll and additional expenses
. Businesses can access up to $50,000.
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SBA Town Hall for Churches, Parishes and Non-Profit Community Organizations
Friday, April 24
12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Join Commissioner Bridget Gainer and Robert Steiner, District Director of the SBA to learn about your SBA loan options. Register using
this link. If you have any questions, please email
district10@cookcountyil.gov.
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City Extending Tax Payment Due Dates for Business Until June 1
The City of Chicago is offering
additional financial relief for the business community
impacted by COVID-19 by further extending tax payment due dates for restaurants, hotels and other taxpayers by an additional 30 days. To mitigate some of the economic pressure being felt by local businesses, the City will extend tax payment remittances for the months of February, March and April 2020 until June 1.
Ticketing Relief Continues Until June 1
In addition to the deferral of business tax remittance, the City will also extend the temporary suspension of late fees and defaults on payment plans, including city tickets, utility bills, parking and red-light citations, booting and other non-public safety-related violations until June 1.
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Sew Masks for Chicago
43rd Ward Drop-Off Site
April 25 - May 16
10:00 a.m - 2: 00 p.m.
Tuesdays and Saturdays
43rd Ward Office
2523 N. Halsted
Please donate homemade cloth masks to support Chicago's COVID-19 relief efforts at
homeless shelters, community health clinics, and other places to prevent outbreaks among the City’s most high-risk residents, which data has shown to be vulnerable residents on Chicago’s South and West Side communities.
For details of the types of masks requested, click
here
.
Important Requirements:
- All masks must be laundered before packaged.
- All donations must be in a sealable, clear plastic bag and indicate the quantity per bag.
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43rd Ward Volunteer Phone Bank
Our phone bank already has 70 volunteers, so join us! We are organizing a phone bank to check on seniors in our own community. This is a great
at-home volunteer opportunity for people who want to give back - right from home.
To help with our phone bank,
you must have a home computer and a phone, as the calling information will be provided on a computer only. Our office will be conducting volunteer training by phone and Zoom and will have you up and running very quickly!
If you are interested, fill out
this form . A representative will reach out as soon as possible to get you enrolled. Our goal is to make sure that older or homebound adults in our community are healthy, have access to prescriptions and groceries, and are receiving some form of social interaction (responsibly over the phone).
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Feed Chicago
Another 43rd Ward charity has been formed to support restaurants and feed first responders and other needy people.
Feed-Chicago
provides delicious food, packaged safely and delivered with care, to heroes on the frontline and heroes facing the greatest hardships. This helps increase food demand, enabling farmers and food suppliers along the way.
If your restaurant that wants to participate, or your organization that needs meals,
click here
.
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Earth Day 2020 Virtual Events
This is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, and we must continue to fight to save our planet. Friends of the Park has created an
events page to help you participate in Earth Day, virtually.
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The Story of Plastic
Expires Saturday, April 25
Thanks to neighbor Ivy Tzur for sponsoring a community virtual screening of
The Story of Plastic
in collaboration with
Civil Agents
. The film explains
how we got to our current global plastic pollution crisis, introducing audiences to the heroes and the villains behind one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
Click the video to view the trailer.
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Nature is Speaking:
The Ocean
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Let's take care of our Earth and each other,
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Coronavirus Resources
:
The Doctor Is In: Ask Dr. Arwady.
Live-stream by Chicago Health Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D., daily at 11:00 am on
Twitter and
Facebook Live.
State of Illinois
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
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