■ Youth golf program at Columbus PAGE 5
FREE Vol. 40 No. 16
April 22, 2026 ■ Also serving Garfield Park ■ austinweeklynews.com
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Abandoned and in disrepair, city brings suit vs. owner of Our Lady Help of Christians Lawsuit aims to compel current owner to fix or demolish church By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
Information about the ownership of the former Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Austin is sparse, but two things are known for certain. The city of Chicago has brought suit against the current owner of the boardedup church at 832 N. Leclaire Ave. and “seeks to abate dangerous and unsafe conditions at the property in question.” Second, the graffiti and broken windows that pock the church’s exterior belie the building’s profound internal and structural problems, including cracked rafters, exposed wiring, and masonry that has stress fractures. The city filed its suit April 17, 2025 in Cook County Circuit Court, against St. Mark International Christian Church, along with the California-based mortgage holder and the apparent contract buyer. The cause for the case is to be continued for jurisdiction on June 8 at the Daley Center. “The Chicago Department of Buildings (DOB) remains committed to ensuring the safety of our communities through our enforcement action,” said Nefsa’Hyatt Brown, director of public affairs. “DOB has conducted various inspections at the St. Mark International Christian Church, resulting in enforcement actions escalating to the Department of Law in 2021 and 2026.
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Antonio King discusses LGBTQ+ issues on the West Side Page 3
With West Suburban closed, where will expectant mothers in Austin deliver? Labor and delivery services at the hospital ceased last summer, affecting maternal health on West Side By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
ed that the building was open, leading to the most recent referral to the Department of Law. The property is currently in active litigation”
Before West Suburban Medical Center’s labor and delivery, postpartum and nursery units closed last July, doctors from PCC Community Wellness Center, who worked out of the hospital, delivered about 50 babies a month there. For decades, PCC providers were West Suburban’s main delivery personnel. With West Suburban closing the rest of its patient services March 27 — and announcing a limited reopening some primary care services last week — expectant mothers in Austin still have nowhere to deliver in their own neighborhood. The next closest hospitals with labor and delivery services are MacNeal Hospital in
See CHURCH on page 8
See MATERNITY on page 6
TODD BANNOR
Rose window with missing pane of Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church on April 3. “DOB inspectors have documented various violations posing a hazard to the surrounding community and have ordered the building vacated and secured. Upon reinspection, our team document-
April 22, 2026 Distributed by
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