Rogers Park in 1,000 words: City of Chicago

Showing posts with label City of Chicago. Show all posts

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Word 49

In words of the people...

When I created my first blog, Rogers Park in 1,000 Words, I hoped to bring-to-light the many issues that have been overlooked and swept under the rug in our community. I utilized photographs to show the truth regarding everything from health and public safety issues, political influences of corruption stemming from campaign donations and the destruction of our history and culture with the demolition of The Adelphi Theater, The Granada Theater, The Norshore Theater, The North Shore School and The Wisdom Bridge Theater. During a mission to save the Adelphi Theater, grassroots organization Citizens for the Adelphi Theater, were regularly solicited for bribes in the ward office and behind City Council Chambers. The people, the registered voters, the citizens of the City of Chicago have been pushed aside, and the answer we received from our Ward Boss was "What do you expect? This is City Hall".

With each and every injustice and hazard, I realized that I was not the lone voice in opposition to these tragedies. There were many others along the way, speaking for the record as citizens in Council Chambers, generating and signing petitions, and working solidly to register voters to dethrone the complacent-at-best, corrupt-at-worst, incumbent politicians.

I was soon invited to join community-building organizations including the Park Advisory Councils and the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society. Assisting with organization events and fundraisers became another positive way that I could help better our community. I promoted these events on Rogers Park in 1,000 Words, and found that it lead to more awareness and participation. Upon witnessing local businesses struggling to attract local customers and clients, I founded the Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce so our community could benefit from a direct lift in our economic climate for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Starting that year, Rogers Park in 1,000 Words featured every business registered within Rogers Park in an annual online directory.

My original goal for Word 49, was to start two additional blogs, one focused on Edgewater and another focused on West Ridge. Individually, these three neighborhoods, Edgewater, Rogers Park and West Ridge are all partially located within the 49th Ward. Together, they encompass the entire boundaries of the ward. It made sense to unite our neighborhoods together.

The essence of Word 49, is "In words of the people...". I am inviting residents to represent their communities via writing updates, contributing information, photography and videos of activities in Edgewater, Rogers Park or West Ridge. This not only provides unique content for Word 49 readership, but stimulates a welcoming, inclusive, democratic approach to independent journalism.

"Together we stand for a better Rogers Park, a better Edgewater, a better West Ridge and a better 49th Ward"

- Bill Morton

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Thursday, April 5, 2012

City of Chicago Recycling Center

City of Chicago

Department of Streets and Sanitation

Service Center No. 1

The Department of Streets & Sanitation handles an average of one million service requests per year, each one making a difference in our communities. - City of Chicago website

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Thursday, August 11, 2011

Participatory Budgeting - An Open Letter to Alderman Joe Moore

Alderman Joe Moore,

This is Bill Morton. We have met on hundreds of occassions over the past decade. For the readership of this open letter, I am a resident of the 49th Ward and a registered voter.

Despite our differences concerning the best interest of Rogers Park and how the 49th Ward should be lead, I have signed up for your newsletters at least ten-times in your office and at your meetings. As a concerned citizen and a pro-active community activist, I have had to rely on our neighbors to forward your e-mail blasts to me, as you have cut my email from your list as quickly as you establish the addresses connection to me or one of my organizations.

I can only speculate the reason why you would want to exclude my works, expertise and will to better our community for everybody.

My motivation for composing this open letter to you at this time is relative to your latest e-mail blast regarding Participatory Budgeting. I have participated/voted in Participatory Budgeting in the past and upon reading the following, it became timely to address my exclusion.

"Luis Klein, our 49th Ward Participatory Budgeting coordinator, has resigned to return to school full-time and I am looking for someone to assume the task of overseeing the participatory budgeting process in our community. My staff and I already have interviewed a number of very fine candidates for that position, but before we make a final decision, we want to make sure we are not overlooking other well-qualified individuals".

I am routinely overlooked by your agenda and was not included in your quest to "make sure we are not overlooking other well-qualified individuals". Exclusion due to personal or political differences is not acceptable. Exclusion due to personal or political differences is not in the best interest of our community. It is certainly not professional or healthy for your constituency either. I am interested in Participatory Budgeting as well as learning more about the process and how the votes are counted. I am in fact interested in every program and organization that affects the 49th Ward and our neighborhood of Rogers Park.

I am heavily involved in many organizations and businesses within the 49th Ward and need to know your agenda and propositions. Please send me your e-mail blasts as regularly as you send them to the many - who take the time to forward them to keep me informed. My email address is written in pen on at least ten of your email sign-up sheets. If you have any further questions, call me at any time.

- Bill Morton

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Street Lighting

Street Lighting on Touhy Avenue in Rogers Park

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Bishop James Alan Wilkowski

It takes a concerned member of the clergy to keep us informed.

Bishop James Alan Wilkowski Photo Courtesy: William R. Morton

Courtesy of Bishop James Alan Wilkowski of the Church of the Holy Family

http://evangelicalcatholicchurch.org/chfnewsletter.htm

City of Chicago

PARKING TICKET AMNESTY PROGRAM

EFFECTIVE DECEMBER 1, 2008 TO FEBRUARY 14, 2009

Do you owe outstanding parking or red light tickets issued prior to January 1, 2007?

- If so, take advantage of this program now! If you pay your tickets in full, the City will waive 50% of the penalties for those tickets.

Do you owe boot, tow, and storage fees for a vehicle no longer in the City's possession?

- If so, pay your tickets in full or get on a payment plan, and the City will waive them in full.

Have you previously defaulted on a payment plan?

- During the amnesty, you can get a new payment plan. The City will waive the $100 penalty.

* For more information, visit www.cityofchicago.org/revenue or call (312) 744-PARK.

* Motorist who fail to take advantage may incur collection costs and become boot eligible for two tickets at least a year old once the program ends.

The most commonly used browsers, Internet Explorer, Netscape and Firefox are supported browsers for this interface.

You can search for parking, compliance, and tickets issued by automated cameras by using one of the search options below, and entering the required information. The Department received a timely hearing request if a ticket status displays hearing requested or hearing scheduled. Hearing date options are displayed for scheduled in-person hearings. If you know your ten-digit ticket number(s) and do not need to search, click here to pay.

Please note, information regarding recently issued tickets may not be available using these search options. However, if you know your ticket number(s), you can pay by clicking here and entering the required information.

Enter The Required Information To Search For Tickets: You only need to enter required information for one of the search option boxes displayed below. However, you may need to perform multiple searches if you have multiple plates, or if your driver’s license number does not accurately appear on all of your license plate registrations. Tickets issued to vehicles without license plates at the time of ticket issuance may require a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) search.

You May Search By: License Plate Notice Number Driver's License Number Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)Searching by License Plate

License Plate: Enter your license plate without spaces or dashes. Only those tickets issued to the license plate entered will be retrieved. This search option may not retrieve tickets if your plate is issued by a state other than Illinois.

License Plate State: If your license plate was not issued by the State of Illinois, please choose the applicable state from the drop down menu.

Plate Type: IMPORTANT – Some examples of plate types include passenger, disabled, environmental, and prevent violence. An environmental plate, for example, is not a passenger plate. If you choose the incorrect plate type, you will not receive information.Owner's

Last Name or Name of Company: If your vehicle is registered to more than one person, enter the last name of the first person as it appears on your vehicle’s license plate registration. If your vehicle is registered in the name of a company, enter the company name as it appears on the vehicle’s license plate registration.