DEMOCRACY WATCH
Monday is the last day for early voting. The nearest polling place to H-F is at Prairie State College, 202 S. Halsted St. in Chicago Heights. The hours Monday will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It’s not too late to vote by mail. According to the Cook County Clerk’s office, “any registered suburban Cook County voter with a driver’s license, state ID or social security number on file may request a mail ballot using an online or paper application.”
Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day in order to be counted. Voters can also return mail ballots using the drop boxes at early voting sites from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day through Nov. 7.
Who’s on the ballot? The clerk’s office website has a list.
Happy birthday, Harvey World Herald
It’s axiomatic that a healthy democracy requires an informed community, and local news organizations are considered key to the process, and not just by me (admittedly a highly biased source in that regard).
So I am delighted to wish happy birthday to a recent arrival on the south suburban independent news scene, the Harvey World Herald. Founder and editor Amethyst Davis said the Herald started publishing in October 2021, an new oasis in a (former) news desert.
Davis had been living in New York City for several years. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she returned to her hometown. She was struck by how little it had changed and by how challenging it was to find information about the local impact of the pandemic.
“I have a policy research background. I thought to myself, ‘If I have that sort of background and its hard for me to get information and find out stuff, what’s that say for the average person in the community?'”
She had already been exploring journalism, working as a documenter in Chicago City Bureau’s program designed to help citizens acquire journalistic skills. She’d done some freelance writing.
“The light bulb sort of went off. This is the great resignation. Why not just quit my job and go back to Harvey and build a local news outlet?” she said.
She spent six months doing research on media startups and came across the Tiny News Collective, which she described as a national initiative to jumpstart local news outlets in communities that are underserved by traditional media.
“Harvey fits the bill,” she said.
The collective lowered barriers to get started and provided her support and access to peers, including the Local News Initiative and Local Independent Online News (an organization for publishers that the Chronicle also belongs to).
Even with the support, Davis said, “It’s been a very long year. It’s a slow process.”
What she has created is something every community needs: independent, non-partisan, fact-based journalism.
I’m cheering her on, and I hope the H-F community will, too. Davis and the HWH are contributing to the health of democracy in our region. Thank you!
WEEK ->
MEETINGS
Flossmoor Board of Trustees will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, at village hall, 2800 Flossmoor Road.
- Read the agenda here.
- Highlights: Trustees will consider a number of budget amendments plus discussion of the property tax levy. A public hearing about the levy will be held at the Dec. 5 meeting.
Homewood Board of Trustees will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, at village hall, 2020 Chestnut Road.
- Read the agenda here.
- Watch the livestream of the meeting here. Use meeting ID 980 4907 6232, password 830183.
- Highlights: Trustees will consider authorizing a liquor license for the new owner of Ridgewood Tap, accepting a memorandum of understanding authorizing cost of living raises for Homewood Public Works Department employees represented by AFSCME, business incentives for Nix Nax and Blueberry Hill, and discussion of the village tax levy. There will be a public hearing about the levy on Dec. 13.
Homewood Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on the comprehensive revision of the zoning code at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, at village hall, 2020 Chestnut Road.
- Read the agenda here.
- Watch the livestream of the meeting here. Use webinar ID: 991 8481 1606; passcode: 573812.
- Zoning code update materials can be found here.
- Highlights: The 15-month process of completely revising the village zoning code is nearing completion. The community was involved in the process through a survey, an interactive online map and seven public meetings devoted to providing updates and getting questions and suggestions.
Planning Committee of the District 233 School Board meets at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Homewood-Flossmoor High School South Building, 999 Kedzie Ave.
Rail strike threat returns
We thought the freight rail workers strike was averted a few weeks ago, but it looks like it’s a possibility again. Wednesday, Nov. 9, is the new deadline for a possible strike. If the strike happens it likely will disrupt Amtrak service in Homewood. Metra Electric Line service is not expected to be affected.
Veterans Day
The Homewood Veterans Committee will distribute $100 dining vouchers to 20 veterans for use at participating restaurants and take-out establishments. Veterans are invited to apply by filling out this form or picking up a form at Homewood village hall, 2020 Chestnut Road. Vouchers can be used from Nov. 12 to Dec. 30.
The deadline to apply is Thursday, Nov. 10. Participants must provide proof of veteran status. The drawing will be held Friday, Nov. 11.
James Hart School will conduct its annual veterans appreciation event, including a ceremony and program on Friday, Nov. 11.
Flossmoor seeks projects for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
The village of Flossmoor is inviting individuals, businesses and organizations to sign-up to host a project or contact Community Relations Commissioner Jackie Riffice at [email protected] with questions.
This year’s Day of Service is Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Volunteers can begin signing up to help with projects in mid-November.
<- WEEK
Volunteers use chalk make a last pitch on Sunday, Nov. 6, for the District 153 referendum vote on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Homewood-Flossmoor High School community responds to an alleged sexual assault that occurred Monday, Oct. 31, on campus. Flossmoor police are investigating the incident, staff met with students the next day to answer questions and help them deal with the situation and on Thursday students staged a walkout to protest.
Flossmoor held a community forum intended to help residents ask questions and discuss issues of police-community relations. The event was held in response to the police shooting in July of Madeline Miller. In addition to conversations among dozens of residents, Justice for Madeline Miller protesters challenged officials to respond to their demands for reform.
Flossmoor Police Chief Tod Kamleiter announces he will retire in December after a 26-year career in law enforcement.
Homewood School District 153 board outlined the consequential program and staff cuts that will be necessary if the property tax limit referendum fails at the polls on Nov. 8.
Homewood trustees approved a plan to restructure lanes on 183rd Street in an effort to reduce speeding, improve safety and make the street more welcoming for cyclists.
Windy City Cannabis workers in Homewood voted to unionize. It’s not clear yet whether Windy City workers at other dispensaries will follow suit.
A cool new music program creates an opportunity for youngsters at Willow to play alongside Homewood-Flossmoor High School marching band members.
Homewood takes an important step toward redeveloping the site of Brunswick Zone, a former bowling alley that has been vacant for more than seven years.
The Chronicle made an appearance at the Salem Lutheran Church trunk or treat event on Oct. 23. Thanks to Amy Crump, Bellwood Library director and steward of the downtown Homewood Little Free Library, we had a little hoard of children’s books to hand out to trick or treaters in addition to candy.
We got the occasional shrug or “meh” in response to the offer of a free book, but most kids were pretty excited to get a book. One young fellow said, “I want all the books.”
The annual event attracted about 100 kids plus parents, and in addition to trick or treating, there was a haunted trail and other Halloween activities to enjoy.
