It’s not relevant if you’re not speaking.
We have nothing to do with JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, except I’m a big fan and have been ever since they released their cover of Wilco’s “I am trying to break your heart.” But it’s Friday and the sun is out, so why not spread some soul around? Dig it.
J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound perform live for WBEZ’s 848 from WBEZ on Vimeo.
One in seven Chicagoans lacks easy access to healthy food
Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group today released the 2011 Chicago Food Desert Drilldown, which provides new analysis and maps of current Food Desert conditions.
While the Food Desert has declined nearly 40 percent over the past five years since the firm’s original 2006 landmark study, serious health and retail challenges persist, Gallagher said. The Drilldown provides details including:
- Nearly 384,000 Chicagoans live in food deserts.
- 70 percent are African American.
- More than 124,000 are children.
- Nearly 70,000 households are headed by single women with children.
- 40,000 households do not own cars.
Based on the Drilldown, Gallagher said the target date to eliminate the Chicago Food Desert completely should be 2015, as more and more grocers have announced plans to enter the Food Desert and strategic data can identify the highest impact sites. The firm will repeat the analysis every six months beginning in early 2012 until this is accomplished.
Gallagher also stressed that over $880 million from the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP – formerly known as Food Stamps), flowed through Chicago in 2010, and that many of the Food Desert SNAP stores are “fringe” meaning that they sell very little if any healthful food.
“SNAP is a vital program, but we need to both enforce and raise the standards,” Gallagher said. “Especially at a time when budgets are being slashed everywhere, we must ensure that SNAP promotes good food, public health, and is an economic development engine.”
Gallagher’s original Chicago report found statistically significant relationships between Food Desert conditions and more premature diet-related death after controlling for other key factors. That report motivated Congressman Bobby Rush to enter Food Desert language into the Farm Bill and helped popularize the term Food Desert nationally.
Visit www.marigallagher.com/projects to download the report.
Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group has enjoyed a national reputation for diverse, high impact projects across the United States. Our expertise includes quantitative and qualitative research projects; financial services, housing, community development, community planning, workforce issues, the economy, immigration, and community health; commercial site assessments and hands-on redevelopment consulting; business strategies; mapping; and facilitation and public forums.
Coalition pushes for broadband expansion in Illinois
Citing broadband’s ability to spur economic growth and improve the quality of living among many communities, a diverse group of Illinois organizations and leaders have formed a coalition to promote making broadband available throughout the state.
“Broadband drives everything from our economy to educational opportunity, helping businesses connect to new markets and students connect to education anywhere in the world. Those opportunities should be available to every family and business in the state, no matter where they are located,” said Larry Ivory, co-chair of Internet Innovation Alliance Illinois.
Meet me in Urbana
This Saturday, I’ll be talking PR, web & communications strategy at Illinois Democratic Women’s “Political Campaign College” in Urbana. Although probably not as thrilling as the Illini thumping the Boilermakers, it should be a fun discussion nonetheless. Contact IDW to reserve your seat at the discussion.
IDW Campaign Training Flier Champaign
Relaunch of PeterSagal.com
Earlier this week, Lackner/Andrews launched the new website of Peter Sagal, host of the the weekly NPR quiz show, Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me.
Peter wanted to reorganize his website with a new layout that emphasized his blog writings and Twitter activity. For the visual design, Peter called on his friend, illustrator Chris Ware, to provide custom artwork, which became the basis for the look and feel of the rest of the site. Peter’s blog posts are always a good read, so bookmark the site and enjoy!
From Barracks to Battlefield
Pew Charitable Trusts this week released “From Barracks to Battlefield,” a report that finds that U.S. Department of Defense clean energy investments increased 300 percent between 2006 and 2009, from $400 million to $1.2 billion, and are projected to eclipse $10 billion annually by 2030.
Press release and more information here. And as you can see, video below.
Green Scissors report released in Chicago
To download the report click here: http://greenscissors.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Green_Scissors_2011.pdf. National press release is below the video. Learn more at http://greenscissors.com/.
“Green Scissors” shows path to cut $380 billion from federal budget
“GREEN SCISSORS” REPORT TO SHOW EASY PATH TO CUT
$380 BILLION FROM FEDERAL BUDGET
Left-right coalition identifies fast, easy, effective savings
via cuts to wasteful, environmentally harmful subsidies
“Green Scissors” brings together an unlikely alliance of conservative, taxpayer, consumer and environmental groups united behind one message: The place to start trimming government spending is where Congress is subsidizing environmental harm.
WHAT:
Press conference to announce the release of “Green Scissors 2011: Cutting Wasteful and Environmentally Harmful Spending.” Report details how Congress can cut $380 billion from the federal budget simply by cutting unneeded subsidies that actually harm the environment.
WHEN:
Wednesday, August 24, 11:00 a.m.
WHERE:
Hotel Monaco
225 N. Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL 60601
WHO:
- Ryan Alexander, Executive Director, Taxpayers for Common Sense
- Eli Lehrer, Vice President, Heartland Institute
- Representatives from local free-market and environmental organizations
Green Scissors 2011 is being released by four organizations: progressive environmental group Friends of the Earth, deficit hawk Taxpayers for Common Sense, consumer watchdog Public Citizen, and free-market think tank The Heartland Institute.
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Tom Geoghegan and LWV challenge the remap
A second legal challenge has been filed to new congressional and General Assembly maps passed by the Legislature, this one contending that the new districts violate free-speech rights.
Tom Geoghegan, attorney for the league, said this is the first time to his knowledge that a remap has been challenged strictly on First Amendment reasons. But the action is consistent with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions banning limits on donations by corporations and wealthy candidates as an affront to First Amendment guarantees, he said.