■ Another contender for the 7th District PAGE 5
FREE Vol. 39 No. 35
September 3, 2025 ■ Also serving Garfield Park ■ austinweeklynews.com
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Opioid taskforce, looking to save lives, worries about federal funding cuts Ford holds a press conference marking International Overdose Awareness Day By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Though International Overdose Awareness Day is Aug. 31, a day of recognition for those who have lost their lives from overdose, the West Side Heroin and Opioid Taskforce works to reduce overdoses on Chicago’s West Side every day. “There is an international problem with heroin overdoses . . . and we understand it right here on the West Side,” said La Shawn Ford, state representative of the 8th district, during an Aug. 29 press conference at the corner of Central Avenue and Corcoran Place in Austin. After several speakers shared their personal stories about losing loved ones to overdoses or their expertise working with those using heroin or opioids, over 50 locals walked down the street to artist-led nonprofit alt_ Chicago, where the West Side Heroin and Opioid Taskforce helped organize a fair of over two dozen booths offering health and material resources related to overdose awareness. At that press conference, speakers touched on the Trump Administration’s See OPIOID TASKFORCE on page 9
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Traveling l children’s h ld ’ museum, page3
West Siders hope ‘Soul City’ cultural district boosts businesses Business leaders hope the $9 million overhaul will aid Black-owned commerce By MICHAEL LIPTROT Block Club Chicago
JESSICA MORDACQ
State Rep. La Shawn Ford speaks on behalf of the West Side Heroin and Opioid Taskforce, which he launched.
West Side business leaders are hoping the Soul City Corridor can become one of the region’s premier Black business districts after a new state cultural designation and the unveiling of a major streetscape project. Austin’s Soul City Corridor — Chicago Avenue from Cicero Avenue to Austin Boulevard — is now a state cultural district, a designation that opens the area up for state funding and other economic development opportunities. The state district also expands the north and south boundaries of the corridor to encompass the area between Madison and Division streets from Cicero Avenue to Austin Boulevard. The cultural district designation, announced in May, came around the same time the city unSee SOUL CITY on page 8
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