Happy Friday Neighbors!

On Tuesday, our city, nation, and world lost a champion of humanity and civil rights, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Reverend Jackson marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was a founder of Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, a global humanitarian, and someone who fought for justice at every step. The legacy he leaves behind is too large and vast to properly portray, but suffice it to say, I feel lucky that I had the opportunity to meet him while serving the city. Jesse Jackson reminded us to “Keep Hope Alive!”, which is a message we need this year, and which we will keep in our hearts as we move into the future. Rest in Peace and Power, Reverend.

We are now mid-February, and at our 40th Ward office, we have been planning out the rest of our year! We have infrastructure improvements like the Lincoln Avenue North Arts Streetscape and Ainslie Arts Plaza scheduled to be completed early this year, and at least one beginning construction: Elise Malary Plaza! We also have our Spring Shred Events coming up in April, and our biannual Pothole Patrol, which began last week! And of course, we are continuing to prepare for any further federal activity from ICE, as we saw last fall, and thinking through how best to continue supporting our community should we see them come back in force.

Knowing that we have a substantial amount of larger projects happening in 2026–– along with the unpredictable things that may come up––we are focused on making sure we are delivering services and continuing to be every bit as responsive as we can be to our neighbors.

As you may also see, we have also gotten a bit of a refresh on our newsletter, and other ward communications! I want to thank our Director of Communications Alison Murphy and Hannah Mowrey, a talented graphic designer in the neighborhood who generously volunteered her time and talent to give us a tighter and cleaner new look. I am extremely grateful and hope that you all dig it!

2026 is a time for the closing of chapters and the beginning for new opportunities. I look forward to what this year brings as we all partner together in community!

Yours in Service and Community,

Andre Vasquez

Lincoln Avenue Streetscape

The second and final phase of the Lincoln Avenue Streetscape Project is nearing the finish line! Contractors are currently working on finishing up the Ainslie Arts Plaza and modernizing the Western Avenue traffic signal.

As part of this process, the Chicago Department of Transportation is instituting some traffic changes that we wanted to make the community aware of! Beginning in late February/early March, there will be no left turns from Ainslie Street westbound lanes onto Western Avenue southbound lanes. There will be a dual right-hand turn lane from eastbound Ainslie onto southbound Western Avenue. Visit 40thward.org/lincolntrafficchanges for more information!

In addition to the streetscape work, we also received notification today about a ComEd project happening at the intersection of Foster & Lincoln Ave. The work is expected to be completed by February 27th, and restoration will follow in the spring.

Ashland & Berwyn Traffic Signal

Construction is set to begin on the Ashland and Berwyn traffic signal this week, and is expected to be operational by the end of February!

Repaving for Ashland Avenue from Montrose to Foster will pick up again in Spring when the asphalt plants reopen. The signage crew has also started work in Phase 1 (from School to Montrose) and will move to Phase 3 (Foster to Ridge) later in the season. For more on details and timeline, visit the project page.

Western Brown Line Station

The CTA is closing the north platform (Kimball-bound) of the Western Brown Line station from the night of February 18th–March 1st to repair the stairs. Riders are encouraged to take the Kimball-bound Brown Line one extra stop to Rockwell, where they can then ride a Loop-bound train back one stop to exit at Western.

For the most updated information for the CTA Western Brown Line station closure, please visit the CTA website!

Community Zoning Updates

Want to have a voice in 40th Ward development? Check out the opportunities to give feedback on zoning requests below, or on our Community Zoning page.

2415-25 W Peterson Avenue

After consideration of resident feedback, the 40th Ward office will support the proposed zoning change from B3-2 Community to C1-2 by Eagle Dispensaries of Illinois, LLC at 2415-25 W. Peterson Avenue.

We are deeply grateful to all our neighbors who took the time to engage and provide feedback! Feedback on this proposal from both immediate neighbors and the surrounding neighborhood was majority positive so we have decided to support the zoning change. To find out more about the process, visit our website.

Workshop: City Resources for Local Artists

On Saturday, February 21st Local artists and creatives are invited to a free city resources panel from 1–2 PM at the Sulzer Library (4455 N. Lincoln Ave). In partnership with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), this discussion will cover Chicago grant opportunities as well as other supports like workshops and residencies for Chicago-based artists. Panelists will share what makes a strong application, how to grow your work through existing programs, and take audience questions. RSVP here!

Families Together Preschool Open House

On Saturday, February 21st from 10 am to noon, Families Together Cooperative Nursery School is hosting an Open House at 1500 W. Elmdale Ave. Chicago, IL. Bring the whole family to play in the classrooms; learn about our play-based, emergent curriculum; get to know our families and teachers; and get a “feel” for the school! 2026-2027 applications are due March 1st.

Youth Jazz Dance Class with Joel Hall Dancers 

On Sunday, February 22 at 2pm, the Budlong Woods Library is hosting a free Youth Jazz Dance Class with Joel Hall Dancers & Center at 5630 N. Lincoln Ave. Looking for a fun, high-energy weekend activity for your kids? Teaching artist with Joel Hall Dancers & Center, Julie Matolo, will lead kids through engaging exercises and dance combinations using the Joel Hall Jazz Method. This program is for kids ages 7 - 12. To register, stop by the branch or call (312) 742-9590.

Everything You Want to Know About Heat Pumps 

Are you considering replacing your existing furnace with a heat pump or mini-split, but unsure if it's right for you? Are you interested in reducing your home's carbon footprint and energy use? Are you curious about how much money you can save by switching to this system that's common in Scandinavia and mainland Europe? Are you wondering what tax rebates and other incentives exist for Chicago residents?

On February 26 from 6:30pm-8:30pm, Chicago Environmentalists is hosting a FREE informational session on heat pumps at First Sip Cafe, 1057 West Argyle Street Chicago, IL 60640. The event will also have a community meet and greet portion where you can check in and buy any food/beverage you'd like from the The First Sip. Register today!

Meet the Beatles in Hamburg

On February 26th from 6:30 to 7:30pm, the DANK Haus German American Cultural Center is hosting The Beatles in Hamburg: The Years That Forged a Legend at 4740 N Western Avenue, Chicago, IL. The event explores the band’s formative years on Hamburg’s Reeperbahn, where long nights and tough crowds shaped their sound, identity, and future global impact. RSVP here!

Grandparents or Older Relatives Caring for Children

The City of Chicago is partnered with the Salvation Army's Grandparents and Older Relatives Raising Children (GORRC) program. The program is for grandparents 55 years and older who are raising grandchildren. The program offers support group meetings and financial assistance with tangible needs to seniors for the children that grandparents are caring for. To learn more, email aging@cityofchicago.org.

Public Safety Updates

Hi Neighbors,

Deirdre O’Connor here! As Director of Public Safety for the 40th Ward I’m responsible for tracking and responding to public safety incidents here in the ward. Moving forward, I’m going to be working on sending weekly updates on the trends we’re seeing citywide and in the community with respect to public safety.

First, a little bit about how public safety works in the ward office. As an office, we are of course not investigating or responding to crimes that happen in the community––if you have a crime to report, you should always report it to the police first, before reporting it to our office! However, we are in regular communication with our Chicago Police District Commanders, both to communicate neighbor concerns, and to get notified on any activity in the area, and how CPD is addressing it. We also attend monthly meetings with Area 3 Detectives to discuss our concerns and get more information on trends in our community.

Moving forward, I’ll be giving broader updates in these newsletters of the trends we’re seeing on a ward and city level, as well as updates on any incidents that have occurred within the ward. In the meantime, we received updates from CPD on several incidents this week, including:

• Shooting on the 6100 block of N Rockwell: 24th District police informed us of a a shooting incident that occurred at approximately 6:15pm on Sunday, February 15th on the 6100 N Block of Rockwell. Two adult males were shot, one in the knee and one in the arm. Both are in stable condition. Additional officers have been in the area patrolling, and Area 3 Detectives are continuing to investigate the shooting. Anyone with potentially relevant information should contact Area 3 Detectives at 312-744-8261 and can reference report number JK150734.

  
  

• Homicide on the 6900 block of N Bell: Area 3 Detectives are also continuing to investigate the deadly shooting of Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) employee Da'J Dameka Flowers, who was found in her apartment on the 6900 block of N Bell on Friday, February 6th. Audio from surveillance cameras in the area may indicate the shooting could have occurred at approximately 7:30pm on Thursday, February 5th. Cook County Crime Stoppers are now offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 1-800-535-7867 or submit tips at www.CPDTIP.com.

  
  

• Armed robbery on the 1600 block of W Olive: We heard from the 20th District Police that there was an armed robbery last night on the 1600 block of W Olive, around 6pm. The victim was treated for minor lacerations, and has been released from the hospital. Anyone with potentially relevant information can call Area 3 Detectives at 312-744-8261.

In addition to those local updates, we’ve also seen an increase in catalytic converter thefts citywide. These thefts tend to happen in under a minute, which makes it really hard for police officers to respond quickly enough to apprehend offenders. Because catalytic converters are not serialized, even when they are recovered, it is very difficult to trace them back to a specific vehicle. For that reason, CPD recommends that folks at risk consider anti-theft measures like installing a catalytic converter cage or shield, attaching protective cables, or having your VIN etched onto the converter. In addition, we’ve also heard from Area 3 detectives about a citywide trend of targeting late model Hondas and stealing airbags from the steering wheels.

We will continue to communicate with police about these incidents and trends, and will share updates as we receive them!

In the meantime, if you want to get more involved in community safety, you can join your local District Council. District Councils hold monthly meetings open to the public, where they discuss public safety trends and concerns, and how we can respond as a community. In addition to my role at the Ward Office, I’m also one of the District Councilors for the 20th District. We’d love to have more neighbors get involved on making our community safer, so we hope some of you can join one of our upcoming meetings (the next meeting for the 20th District will be on March 9th)! You can look up your local district meeting times on the CCPSA public engagement calendar.

Yours in Service,

Deirdre O’Connor

Public Safety Trends

Overall, violent crime is down 26.7% in the 40th Ward for the year so far compared to last year! Citywide, violent crime is down 8.9%. See below for a breakdown of citywide and 40th Ward statistics across all categories.

Public Safety Meetings

19th District Council Monthly Meeting

On Monday, February 23rd at 6:30pm, join the 19th District Council for their monthly meeting at Uptown Church (1134 W Wilson Ave). Learn from Communities Partnering 4 Peace, a community violence intervention (CVI) group, about how outreach workers can help intervene to prevent violence before it occurs, and share trends and concerns you are seeing related to public safety in the 19th District. Register here!

Checking out the progress on the new traffic signal at Ashland and Berwyn!

We held a meeting of the Chicago is With You Taskforce this past week to talk about how the City can better support our immigrant and refugee communities!