Progress Illinois

Yesterday’s public hearing for the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) proposal to close Martin Ryerson Elementary saw less than 10 attendees and only three speakers, leading one grandparent to believe the Humboldt Park community has resigned to the inevitable.

“People are giving up, CPS has made their mind up; I’m here speaking, but it’s not going to do any good,” said Katherine Wilson, a grandparent of three Ryerson students, ages 10, seven and four. She represented the only Ryerson parent or grandparent to attend yesterday's event.

“They say power to the parents, but we don’t have a voice in what CPS does.”

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Environmentalists and public health advocates urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to finalize its draft rule that would reduce the amount of sulfur in gasoline at a public hearing in Chicago today.

The EPA's proposed Tier 3 program unveiled last month aims to set new vehicle emissions standards and reduce the sulfur content of gasoline from 30 parts per million to 10 parts per million by 2017.

The American Lung Association estimates the change could be the equivalent of taking 33 million cars off the road.

"What an impact that is, and yet the oil companies are still fighting that," said double lung-transplant recipient Dan Dolan-Laughlin before today's hearing. "I don’t understand. Well, yes I do. It’s money."

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The following was written by Jorge Ramirez, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor.

One positive side effect of Congress passing comprehensive immigration reform would be an increase in workplace safety and a reduction in the staggering number of fatalities, injuries and illnesses suffered by workers on the job in the United States.

The debate over the most sweeping reform to our nation’s immigration system provides added significance as we honor Workers Memorial Day on April 28, remembering those who were killed, injured or became seriously ill because of their job.

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Ald. Deborah Graham (29th) said she was upset to see three of her neighborhood schools "pitted" against each other at a Chicago Public Schools' hearing last night regarding the possible closure of May and Armstrong elementary schools.

Under CPS' proposal, students at the two Austin schools would fold into Leland Elementary, which would take over May's current building in the fall.

“Tonight was the first time I really witnessed this process pitting schools against each other,” Graham said. "It is disheartening, and it puts each of the schools in an awkward situation. How can we create the comradery that we need to have a successful school? I think that’s in real jeopardy." Read more »