Tag Archive for: chicago

Street Lights Out for Weeks in Roseland, Neighbors Raise Safety Concerns – NBC Chicago

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Senior citizens living on one block in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood assert their street lights have been out for multiple weeks, and they worry the problem will cause a crash or lead to more crime.

For multiple weeks, the 113th block of Wallace Street has looked pitch black at night, except for the glow of some porch lights.

Angela Myrick, who has lived on the block for 25 years, says going out at night is limited, and nighttime visits from others are, too.

“I walked last night, but one house had a gap, you could not see at all,” she stated.

While lights on the 113th block are out, residents say if you go one block over – to the 114th block – street lights there do function. Some residents say they’ve called the city’s 311 hotline so often about the issue, dispatchers know their names.

“I have called so many times, they say, ‘ok, well get to you,’ I say ,’when,'” said resident Joseph Garrett.

“We have exhausted all of our means here, that is why we turned to NBC 5,” stated one resident.

NBC 5 reached out to the city’s Department of Transportation, which is responsible for maintain and repairing street lights, and is still awaiting a response. Ald. Carrie Austin, who represents the city’s 34th Ward, which includes the block, said she has done everything in her power to get the issue resolved.

“This is 35 days it has been going on, but not on our end, it is on 311, it is on the department’s end,” Austin said.

Until the lights are fixed, some residents say they’ll just rely on their porch lights and pray nothing happens.

“Roseland has a reputation, and it is well known, and the city is putting us in jeopardy, and I don’t like [it],” one resident said.

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Judge Won’t Reinstate Aurora Pride Parade Permit Amid Security Staffing Woes – NBC Chicago

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A judge on Thursday refused to reinstate a permit for the Aurora Pride Parade after officials said organizers did not secure the needed law enforcement officers required for the event.

Still, organizers said the parade is not off just yet.

The special event permit for the third annual Aurora Pride Parade was revoked after the Aurora Police Department earlier this week said it could not supply enough sworn officers to provide Parade security. Organizers appealed the decision, saying in a statement Wednesday, “Our position has been misrepresented, and we’re making every effort to keep the parade as scheduled.

“It is unacceptable that Aurora City officials have denied a permit for the upcoming Pride Parade,” the ACLU of Illinois, which represents Aurora Pride, said in a statement following the court hearing Thursday. “The Parade has been a family friendly event, aimed at welcoming all members of the Aurora community for a celebration of diversity and inclusion. Rather than embrace this event – as thousands of members of the community have done over the past few years – City officials have created a faux controversy and refuse to provide adequate security so that everyone has the opportunity to celebrate safely.”

The ACLU called the permit issue “not constitutional” and said it plans to take its case to federal court in hopes a judge will “order Aurora to meets it obligation to its residents.”

“The intent of the federal lawsuit is to reverse the action of both the city and the appeals process by attacking that on first amendment grounds,” Aurora Pride President Gwyn Ciesla told NBC 5. “It’s possible there could be an injunction in place to reverse that decision.” 

The lead up to the parade has been at the center of controversy, as organizers and the Aurora Police Department continued to spar over what law enforcement representation would look like at the event.

Last month, Aurora Pride Parade organizers asked that law enforcement officers “participate without service weapons (our rules forbid all weapons), out of uniform, and without the presence of any official vehicles.”

Organizers of the parade said they had made the uniform and weapon…

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Chicago Launches Program That Will Reimburse Residents for Security Camera Purchases – NBC Chicago

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Chicago has officially launched a security camera rebate program that will reimburse residents for their security camera purchases.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday that the Home and Business Protection Program will now allow “anyone who lives in the city of Chicago, operates a business in the city, or owns or leases a vehicle registered to a primary address within the city limits… to receive reimbursement from the City to cover the costs of private security devices to protect their property and feel safe.”

“We’ve been on the ground working to end violence for decades, and funnel as many resources as we can into addressing the causes and effects of violence,”
Lightfoot said during a press conference. “Today, we are proud to add to the pool of resources with the official launch of the Home and Business Protection Program.”

The program, which is first-come, first-served, is entirely voluntary, and is meant to increase community safety in neighborhoods.

Beginning Monday, the city will provide “select rebates” that will cover costs associated with outdoor security camera systems, cloud storage for video footage, outdoor motion-sensor lighting, vehicle GPS trackers, and subscription costs.

All Chicago residents, businesses, religious institutions, and nonprofit organizations are eligible for the program and renters can also apply once they have received consent from property owners. 

Eligible costs covered under the program include:

  • Up to $225 per camera (cost of camera and tax only) for a maximum of 2 cameras, or a total $450 reimbursement 
  • One year of subscription costs for cloud-based video storage systems for a maximum of $150 per annual subscription 
  • Up to $100 per light (cost of light and tax only) for a maximum of 2 lights, or a total $200 reimbursement 
  • Up to $50 per vehicle GPS tracking device (cost device and tax only) for a maximum of 2 devices, or a total $100 reimbursement 
  • One year of subscription costs for GPS tracking applications as required for use by the vehicle GPS tracking device manufacturer up to $120 

For residents to be eligible, the following requirements must be met:

  • The applicant must be an owner or tenant of a…

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Ransomware attack exposed data of half-million Chicago students, staff

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The personal information of more than half a million Chicago Public Schools students and staff was compromised in a ransomware attack last December, but the vendor didn’t report it to the district until last month, officials said.


The data breach occurred December 1 and technology vendor Battelle for Kids notified CPS April on 26, the district said Friday.


A server used to store student and staff information was breached and four years’ worth of records were accessed, CPS said.


In total, 495,448 student and 56,138 employee records were accessed from 2015-16 through 2018-2019 school years, CPS said.


The data included students’ names, schools, dates of birth, gender, CPS identification numbers, state student identification numbers, class schedule information and scores on course-specific assessments used for teacher evaluations.


Employee data accessed for those years included names, employee identification numbers, school and course information and emails and usernames.


CPS said the breached server did not store any other records.


There were no Social Security numbers, no financial information, no health data, no current course or schedule information, no home addresses and no course grades, standardized test scores, or teacher evaluation scores exposed in this incident, the district said in a statement.


CPS said there is no evidence the data has been misused, posted or distributed, but offered affected families a year of credit monitoring and identity theft protection.


CPS representatives said the district has been informing affected families and staff and would also notify those whose records weren’t accessed to provide them with peace of mind.


The FBI and Department of Homeland Security both investigated the breach and the vendor is monitoring and will continue to monitor the internet in case the data is posted or distributed,” CPS said.


Battelle for Kids was hired to help district leaders conduct CPS’ REACH teacher evaluation program.


Those evaluations take into account the growth in students’ academic performance each year.


CPS said it was notified of the breach by Battelle for…

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