We have an opportunity to pull together as a community and support an Albany Park family.  MISSING PERSON ALERT Family members of our neighbor Hector Manuel Franco Tello have informed the 33rd Ward Office that he is missing. His keys, wallet, and belongings were found in his car by North Park University dormitories last week. We kindly ask that you keep a look out for Hector (see the informative flyers below).  *A search was conducted on March 14th. We are asking for any local camera footage from last week. If you have any information, please call 773-844-5721.  *We are in the process of creatingContinue

This week was International Women's Day, and the 33rd Ward Aldermanic Office wants to thank the women dedicated to providing City services, making infrastructure improvements possible, overseeing our democratic decision-making processes, planning and executing community events, and devoting their hearts and minds to serving the residents of the 33rd Ward. Pictured: Gabriela M, Lilia E, Vicko A, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez, Veronica T-M, Leanna M (Not pictured, our Intern Rosalyn M) The History of International Women's Day: Gender and Labor Justice At the beginning of the 1900’s women were marching in New York to demand shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.Continue

NOTE: We are closed Monday for Pulaski day! Refuse collection will be delayed until Tuesday. Tuesday pick up will take place Tuesday and Wednesday. Recycling will continue as scheduled.Update on Mutual Aid for Neighbors Impacted by the February 21st FireWatch the Alderwoman's NEW Facebook live video Neighbors- unfortunately, last week there were a few devastating fires that destroyed a residential building at 4337-39 N Richmond St, two beloved small businesses, and a vacant church on Sunnyside and Spaulding. Below are updates on community support efforts, and we encourage you to lend a hand!  UPDATESHousing -We are aware of at least 2 residents that have foundContinue

Update on fires in Albany Park on February 21st and 23rdWatch the Alderwoman's Facebook live video addressing the fires in detail!  Neighbors- unfortunately, there were a few devastating fires that destroyed a residential building at 4337-39 N Richmond St, two beloved small businesses, and a vacant church on Sunnyside and Spaulding this past week. Below, we describe what happened and how neighbors and the 33rd Ward office took action to support one another. We are so proud and moved by the kindness and solidarity our neighbors continue to show in times of difficulty. WHAT HAPPENED?  On February 21st: A fire burned down aContinue

*The 33rd Ward office is closed Monday, February 21st, in observance of Presidents' Day. If you are in need of any City services, feel free to call 311 or e-mail our office at info@33rdward.org and we will respond first thing on Tuesday. Streets & Sanitation garbage pickup service will be NOT be interrupted this day.*This week we want to highlight opportunities to help nourish our 33rd Ward communities. The dataCity-wide, there has been a 51 percent increase in food insecurity since 2018, according to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Devastatingly, there are parts of the 33rd ward where 49% of individuals live below theContinue

Time to clear your "dibs" items from the street- removal begins TODAY, February 11th!  Our time-honored tradition of the dibs system is being retired for the winter. The Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) announced that crews will begin clearing objects used by residents to hold shoveled parking spaces, known commonly as “dibs,” beginning today, Friday, February 11th.  Photo source: Chicago Sun Times article about dibs removal.  Please be considerate and clear your items from the street as soon as possible. Any remaining items will be thrown out! If your block has dibs items, call 311 to report it so that yourContinue

In case you missed it last week, I wanted to share with you the results of the 33rd Ward's participatory budgeting process!  Having trouble reading? Open in your web browser here. We will be improving streets and alleys, building up a community food pantry, creating a nature play space at Bateman Elementary School, and so much more. Check out the other amazing projects here! A great article from Block Club Chicago by Alex V. Hernandez details the Drake Gardens improved community food pantry:"The new, more durable structure will have space for signs and will store garden tools, as well as a fold-outContinue

I hope you are staying warm and dry! After last night's snowstorm, the city's plows wrapped up big arterial streets earlier today and began work on our ward's residential streets this afternoon. You can see the where plows are working in real-time using the City's Snow Plow Tracker.  Please note that to deal with the large volume of snow today, Streets & Sanitation is having refuse collection workers help out with the snow program. Therefore, If you live North of Addison and have your garbage picked up on Fridays, your garbage will likely not be picked up until tomorrow--please keepContinue

This week brought the welcome news that Chicago has passed the peak of new Covid-19 infections resulting from the Omicron variant. It's important that we not let our guard down, however. We are still seeing more new daily cases than at any previous stage of the pandemic, and the number of people hospitalized continues to put extreme strain on our hospitals and healthcare workers.   A booster shot six months after your initial vaccine series continues to offer the best protection against severe illness. If you or someone you know needs their booster (or their first or second dose), join usContinue

This week, we were able to distribute 20,000 KN95 masks in the ward, including to our neighborhood schools and senior housing buildings.  I want to give a huge thank you to our staff, interns and volunteers who made this quick distribution possible. I think we all wish we weren't at a point in the pandemic where masking is once again a primary concern. But with the highly transmissible Omicron variant, it's crucial to make sure that our most vulnerable neighbors have access to medical-grade masks--cloth masks are much less effective protection against this variant.  At this point, we have officiallyContinue