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Longtime Ballet Folklorico dancers receive full rides to college
Pierre Manzo and Jasmin Roman danced at the BYNC Ballet Folklorico performance Sunday, May 31. (The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) Two longtime participants in the BYNC’s Ballet Folklorico will be headed off to...
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Fiesta Back of the Yards celebrates 25 years
(The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) The aroma of chargrilled meats and the sounds of traditional Mexican music filled the air as thousands of people strolled 47th Street for the 25th annual Fiesta Back of the...
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BYNC launches fundraising campaign for longtime staff member
Jose Zaragoza has been working as a driver for the BYNC Senior Shuttle Program for more than 20 years. Photo by Patricia Flores. Calls and cards have been steadily streaming in to the BYNC office for a...
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One Summer Chicago program kicks off citywide
One Summer Chicago participants peruse program materials at an orientation heldThursday, June 25. (The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) Thousands of youth across the city began working part-time positions at...
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Husband-wife duo take their talent to the streets
(The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) When a mural popped up on 47th Street a few weeks ago, I had to do a double take. Were the artists who painted the new public masterpiece local? What inspired them? Would they...
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State Rep. Esther Golar laid to rest
Photo taken from Illinois General Assembly website, ilga.gov Family, friends, community members and elected officials paid their final respects to Illinois State Rep. Esther Golar, 71, on Tuesday,...
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No Limits: Back of the Yards artist empowered by nonprofit studio
Artist Fernando Ramirez. (The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) Since he was about five years old, Back of the Yards resident Fernando Ramirez, 38, has been busy drawing, painting, and designing artwork on a...
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A promising future in store for Back of the Yards College Prep
Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School Principal Patricia Brekke and footballplayers (left) Peyton Hutchins, 16 and Esquipulas Santoyo, 16. (The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) Two years have come and...
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Back of the Yards unites to honor the departed
(The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) The sounds of maracas and clouds of incense filled the air as Back of the Yards residents of all ages marched the streets Sunday, Oct. 25 for the fourth annual Dia de los...
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Toy giveaway brightens holiday season for local families
(The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) Hundreds of Back of the Yards children and families attended the BYNC 11th annual Toy Giveaway on an unseasonably warm Saturday, Dec. 12. Organized by the BYNC and sponsored...
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The Port Ministries expands its reach under new leadership
Dr. Detric Fletcher (right) sees a patient in The Port’s Free Health Clinic. (The Gate/SonyaEldridge) When the boiler went out at Back of the Yards’ Port Ministries earlier this month, programming came...
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Whiner Beer Company gears up for grand opening
Whiner Beer Company owners Brian Taylor and Ria Neri. (The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) For as long as he can remember, Brian Taylor has wanted to start his very own brewery and taproom. Soon that dream will...
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Ballet Folklorico dancers win big in national competition
Photo by Eduardo Martinez. Two busloads of BYNC Ballet Folklorico dancers brought home more than a dozen awards from the 2016 ACADEZ (Academia de la Danza Amalia Hernandez) National Folklorico/...
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Second Chance students shoot hoops with 9th District officers
(The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) Students from the Peace and Education Coalition Second Chance High School and 9th District Chicago Police officers came together for a friendly game of basketball on Thursday,...
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Comcast expands fiber network in Back of the Yards and Bridgeport
Photo by Chris McGuire. Businesses in Back of the Yards and Bridgeport can now take advantage of faster internet speeds due to a fiber optic network expansion spanning the two Southwest Side...
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“Hearts Up, Guns Down”
(The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) The rain didn’t keep Back of the Yards youth, local artists, neighborhood leaders, law enforcement and the mayor from coming together for the 3rd Annual Faith and Action...
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Davis Square Park baseball diamonds get facelifts
(The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) The opportunity to enjoy America’s favorite pastime has been revived in Davis Square Park following the completion of a Cubs Charities-funded facelift. Members of the...
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Richards Career Academy celebrates first-ever Gates Millennium Scholar
Demareo Jones,18, is the first student from Richards Career Academy to ever receive the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Jones will be attending Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University in the fall. (The...
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One Summer Chicago youth complete two-block long mural
(The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) Imagine a relentless, blistering sun beating down on you day in and day out as you work what might be your first summer job. Now throw in slithering garden snakes, perhaps...
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Chicago Commons launches Family Hub program
(The Gate/Sonya Eldridge) At first glance, it might appear to be a typical school day outside on the playground at Chicago Commons Paolo Freire Center (PFC) in Back of the Yards. But what the students...
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