Community

Sheriff’s Office Expands Innovative Program to Assist Suburban Police on Mental Health-Related Calls - On a cold December night, Sheriff’s Police responded to a frantic 911 call from a family whose son was behaving erratically and threatening to kill himself.

Mental Health Co-Responder Program Expands to South Suburb (Cook County, IL) – The Oak Lawn Police Department is the first law enforcement agency to partner with a Cook County Sheriff’s Office program that enables officers to virtually connect individuals in crisis to a mental health professional, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.

Attorney General Raoul urges federal government to regulate ghost guns (Washington, DC) -  Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in urging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to finalize regulations that would make clear that ghost guns are firearms under federal law.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announces third annual Racial Equity Week, September 13-17, 2021 (Cook County, IL) - Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced the third annual Cook County Racial Equity Week, to be held September 13 – 17 in 2021.

Bellwood School District offering salary bonuses for taking free courses (Bellwood, IL) - The Bellwood School District in Chicago has found a unique way for students and teachers to recover from the effects of COVID.

Black communities hardest hit by recent Cook County property tax increases - A recent report released by the Cook County Treasurer's office details the property tax changes in 2020.

Renters Unable To Pay Rent Due to COVID-19 Pandemic Eligible for One-Time Grant Payments - House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is excited to share the Rental Payment Program, which helps ensure the state’s most vulnerable residents have a roof over their head, will provide one-time grants to assist renters who are unable to make their payments.

Chicago Heights, Crete, and Richton Park are recipients of ComEd public safety grant (Chicago, IL) - In a press release received by The Southland Journal, ComEd, coupled with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, announced the recipients of their annual ComEd Powering Safe Communities Program.

Cook County Launches Project Rainbow (Cook County, IL) - Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was joined by community leaders, tech innovators, cultural institutions, museums, non-profits, and other partners to announce Project Rainbow: a new County-created, family-focused recovery initiative designed to address the education barriers and learning loss exacerbated by the pandemic.

Gov. Pritzker Signs Legislation Creating Safer Learning Environments for Students - Building on efforts to cultivate safe and inclusive classrooms, Governor JB Pritzker today signed House Bill 219 into law, seeking to end the use of physical restraints to discipline students in public schools