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Dear Neighbors,
It's a rivalry-filled stretch at Wrigley, with the Cubs hosting the Cardinals and White Sox for back-to-back series from Friday, August 14 through Wednesday, August 19. Please note the start time for this Sunday's game has been changed to 2:10 p.m. for the ABC broadcast.
The Air & Water Show also returns for its 67th year this weekend. The free show can be viewed along the lakefront between Fullerton and Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach serving as the focal point from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. As one of the nation's largest free exhibitions of this kind, the event draws hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors to the lakefront each year so please plan for additional vehicle, cyclist, and pedestrian traffic throughout the ward. Click here for more information.
This week brought another round of storms to the area. During significant rain, Chicago’s sewer system uses “rain blockers” to slow how quickly water enters the sewers, helping prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed and reducing the risk of dangerous basement flooding. When sewers reach capacity, streets may temporarily hold water acting as safe, above‑ground storage until the system has room again. While inconvenient, some street flooding is intentional for 24-48 hours after heavy rain. If there is water that does not drain following 48 hours, please contact my office.
On a positive public safety note, we’re pleased to report that CPD has seen a significant decline in stolen airbag cases over the past month. At the June City Council meeting, I supported an ordinance increasing fines for reselling stolen airbags in an effort to deter these thefts. It’s encouraging to see this decline, and we will continue working with CPD to keep this progress going.
As a reminder, the Community Commission for Police Safety & Accountability (CCPSA) has begun its search for the next Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department and is asking residents for input on what qualities, experiences, and priorities they would like to see in the next Superintendent. You can share your thoughts in their feedback form here, or attend one of their listening sessions across the city. A North Side session scheduled for September 2 at 6:30 p.m. at DePaul College Prep, with a virtual session on September 10 at 6:30 p.m.. Visit the Commission's Superintendent Search webpage for more information and to stay up to date on the process.
  
Looking ahead to next weekend, we have a number of family-friendly events throughout the ward.
Lakeview Taco Fest returns to Southport from Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23, featuring more than a dozen taco vendors. This festival also includes live music stages, daily Lucha Libre performances, and children’s activities throughout the weekend. For more information on musical performances and taco vendors, click here.
While on Southport, join us on Saturday, August 22, at 9 a.m. for our annual Kids Bike Parade. Thanks to the Taco Fest street closures, we will ride from Newport to Addison and back. Helmets are required, and decorated bikes are always welcome.
The final Dine Out on Broadway of the season will also be held next weekend, August 21–23. The event features a strong lineup, including live musical performances on Friday and Sunday, a comedy show co‑hosted with the Laugh Factory on Saturday, and free face painting and balloon art on Sunday. Click here to view a list of participating restaurants.
Finally, the first day of school for CPS is Monday, August 24. As students head back to the classroom, please be mindful of school‑zone parking restrictions and higher levels of pedestrian activity and traffic expected around arrival and dismissal times.
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Have a great weekend,
Alderman Bennett Lawson
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Upcoming Resurfacing
Streets:
The summer street resurfacing schedule is now complete. We are waiting for updates on the fall schedule from CDOT. We hope to have more information by late-August.
Alleys:
Wellington, Broadway, and Oakdale:
As part of the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Capital Alley Program, the North/South and East/West section of the alley bordered between Clark, Wellington, Broadway and Oakdale will be undergoing reconstruction for much needed alley improvements.
Work is expected to begin on August 17, and no alley access will be granted after August 18. Once started, construction is expected to take approximately 6 weeks, weather permitting.
Due to construction, the following changes will occur:
- My office along with Streets & Sanitation will be out tomorrow, August 14, to relocate all garbage and recycling to the street.
- There will be no access to the alley for approximately six (6) weeks depending on the weather conditions.
- Barricades will block all entrance to the alley.
- Residents are advised to seek alternative parking no later than August 17.
If you have any questions on this alley resurfacing, please reach out to our office for more details.
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Wellington/Oakdale Greenway
Oakdale is almost completed and crews will move onto Wellington August 17-21, weather permitting.
You can find the updated plan for the Wellington/Oakdale Greenway below and on our website here.
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Divvy Bikes & E-Scooters
We are excited to share that we now have a total of 26 E-Scooter & Divvy Bike docking stations in the 44th Ward!
Reporting Scooter & Divvy Bike Removals
If you see Divvy Bikes or E-Scooters that are not properly returned to a docking station, please report this to 311 here. By contract, shared bike and scooter companies must remove their property within two hours of a 311 removal request. We appreciate your assistance in helping keep our neighborhood clean.
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Chi Street Work Portal
Have questions about street work happening in your area?
The Department of Transportation has a tool called the Chi Street Work Portal where you can input an address and see all surrounding permits for projects on that street.
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Garbage & Recycling
The next recycling pick-up for the 44th Ward is the week of August 17. You can find your full garbage and recycling pick up schedule here.
Recycling information is now also available through Chicago's Recycle Coach App. To learn more about the app, click here.
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To submit a small business for our weekly shoutout, please complete the form here.
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19th District Weekly Report:
August 3- August 9
My office is in regular contact with the 19th Police District about crimes that have occurred recently in our area and that are reflected in the statistics below. The majority of 19th District crimes have occurred outside of our ward. The 19th District also includes the surrounding neighborhoods of Uptown, Lincoln Park, Roscoe Village, Bricktown, Ravenswood, and Lincoln Square.
Please view our website's public safety page here for both proactive measures to stay safe before crimes occur, and also how to respond in the event of a crime. In order to stay safe, please find the the full list of CPD's safety tips here, as well as tips for personal safety, robberies, and vehicles.
Below you'll find Week 32's CompStat breakdown of crime in the 19th District.
Please note, these statistics are a reflection of the entire 19th District. The boundaries are from Lawrence Ave to Fullerton Ave, from the Chicago River to the Lake.
Here are the key points:
- Year to Date, Robberies are down 42%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 are down 44%
- Year to Date, Aggravated Battery is up 6%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 is up 58%
- Year to Date, Burglaries are down 44%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're down 60%
- Year to Date, Thefts are up 2%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're down 34%
- Year to Date, Motor Vehicle Thefts are up 24%, and compared to the same 28-day time period in 2025 they're up 86%
For a list of crime definitions, please see CPD's website here.
See full report below:
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Upcoming Meetings
Community Meetings With CPD (‘Beat Meetings’):
Beat meetings are part of the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) and are an opportunity to speak directly with CPD officers about your neighborhood. The officers review incidents that have occurred as well as an overview of crime statistics. Find your beat here and view the beat meeting schedule below or in our ward calendar.
19th Police District Council
The 19th Police District Council holds monthly meetings. To view all upcoming meetings, you can visit the 19th Police District Council website here.
The next meeting is:
Wednesday, August 26th 6:30 p.m.
Topic: TBD
Uptown Church
1134 W. Wilson Ave.
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CPD Superintendent Search
Following the retirement of Superintendent Larry Snelling, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) has begun the process of identifying candidates to serve as the next Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The Commission is conducting a 120‑day nationwide search and will recommend three finalists to the Mayor.
Community Input Opportunities:
- Complete the CCPSA Community Input Form to share what qualities and priorities you want to see in the next Superintendent.
- Attend an upcoming listening session. The Municipal Code requires the Commission to hold at least four public hearings across the city—on the North Side, South Side, and West Side
—to gather recommendations from Chicagoans before selecting candidates.
Upcoming Listening Sessions:
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Wednesday, September 2
6:30 p.m.
DePaul College Prep
3300 N. Campbell Ave.
Zoom Registration
Thursday, September 10
6:30 p.m.
Virtual
Zoom Registration
To learn more about this process, please visit CCPSA's webpage dedicated to the Superintendent search.
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Other Public Safety Alerts
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Charity Scam Alert:
The Chicago Police Department has seen an increase of "charity scams" in the area. In these cases, scammers utilize emotional pressure and fake urgency to persuade you to donate for a cause such as youth sports or gun violence victims. These individuals will offer to set up a small donation on your phone, but then take thousands of dollars.
It is important to never hand your phone to someone you don't know. If you believe that you are witnessing concerning behavior, call 911.
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Mental Health Response Resources
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If someone is in a mental health crisis, NAMI, Thresholds, and Trilogy provide resources and mobile crisis response in which a mental health professional can be dispatched.
This can be done instead of, or in conjunction with calling 911. If calling 911, you can ask for a CIT officer to be dispatched as they have additional mental health response training.
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THE CARE & WATER SHOW -
AUGUST 15
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LAKEVIEW TACO FEST
- AUGUST 21-23
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SOUTHPORT KIDS BIKE PARADE - AUGUST 22
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CLVN MOVIE NIGHTS, GOAT - AUGUST 23
Rain date from 6/5
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DINE OUT ON BROADWAY -
AUGUST 21-23
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ART IN THE GARDEN - AUG. 25
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ELVN OKTOBERFEST - SEPT. 26
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Merlo Library - Upcoming Programs
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Merlo Library (644 W Belmont) has a wide range of events each week for babies, kids, teens, and adults.
Click here to view all of Merlo's upcoming events, and see below for events this coming week.
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- Adult Book Discussion: The Nickel Boys - Saturday, August 15, 3:00pm–4:00pm
- Film Screening: Burn After Reading (2008) - Monday, August 17, 5:00pm–7:00pm
- Power Up Thursdays - Thursday, August 20, 3:30pm–5:30pm
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Click here for a full list of Chicago farmers markets.
Wrigleyville Night Market at Gallagher Way
The Night Market at Gallagher Way is back on select Thursdays from 4-8pm in July and August. To view the full schedule, click here.
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Nourishing Hope (3945 N Sheridan), formerly known as Lakeview Pantry, is a robust Chicago nonprofit providing food, mental wellness counseling and other social services, such as job and housing assistance, to our neighbors in need.
To learn more about their programs, click here.
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Deliver fresh groceries to your neighbors!
- Sign up for a Home Delivery Driving shift with Nourishing Hope to deliver 8-10 orders. Driving shifts begin at their Hub warehouse at 5151 N. Ravenswood at 10:30am.
- You can learn more and register for shifts here.
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Donation Pages & Volunteer Opportunities
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TUBMAN PLAYGROUND
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CHICAGO ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL
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CLEAR THE SHELTERS - 8/1-8/31
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PARK DISTRICT PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING
(voting open from 7/27-8/27)
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Voting is now live for the Park District's Participatory Budgeting. Community members have the opportunity to help determine how $500,000 in capital improvement funding will be invested in parks across Chicago by ranking the project categories in order of preference. All community members ages 13 and older are encouraged to participate.
Click here to cast your ballot.
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MAKE YOUR BUILDING
BIRD-FRIENDLY
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CCPSA District Councilor Information Sesstions
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REAR-ADDRESSES
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The City is Hiring
Looking for a job? Try working for the City! Click here to see the full list of job openings currently seeking applicants.
Local government employment opportunities:
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City
- City of Chicago
- Chicago Public Schools
- Chicago Transit Authority
- Park District
County
- All - Cook County
- Cook County State's Attorney
- Cook County Sheriff's Office
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State/Other
- State of Illinois
- Secretary of State of Illinois
- PACE bus system
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