■ Rethinking Central Avenue PAGE 6
FREE Vol. 37 No. 19
May 10, 2023 ■ Also serving Garfield Park ■ austinweeklynews.com
@AustinWeeklyNews
@austinweeklynews
@AustinWeeklyChi
T Traffi ffic stops, t p ppage 2
Partners, city break ground for Aspire Center in former school Workforce development key focus of Invest South/West project By FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ Staff Reporter
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot attended the last groundbreaking ceremony as Chicago mayor of her administration’s signature program, Invest South/West, where it all began – in Austin. “So West Side, here we go again,” she said Wednesday, May 5 at the new Aspire Center, 5500 W. Madison St., to the approximately hundred people who attended the groundbreaking ceremony. Among the attendees were local community leaders, business leaders and elected officials Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th), Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) and Congressman Danny Davis (IL-07). “The $41 million Aspire Center is a joint effort by many community leaders and advocates including Austin Coming Together, the Jane Addams Resource Corporation, West Side Health Authority, State Rep. La Shawn Ford, demonstrating how
Lightfoot makes exit in Austin Mayor’s farewell address at BUILD Chicago FRANCIA GARCIA HERNANDEZ REPORTS, PAGE 8
See ASPIRE on page 4
TODD A. BANNOR
WS ! NEF H S A L
You can get local news delivered right to your email in-box. Sign up for FREE at AustinWeeklyNews.com