Early Voting; International Women's Day Market

Hi neighbors,

Early voting for the March 17th primary is fully underway. You can vote in-person at Welles Park or any other early voting site through Election Day. 

If you’re planning to vote by mail, please note that changes to federal postmarking policy mean you may need to return your mail-in ballot earlier than in prior elections to ensure that it’s counted. If you do wait until the last minute to mail in your ballot, you can bring it to a post office counter to get it postmarked the same day, or drop it off at a box at Welles Park or any other early voting location.

On Tuesday, the City Council’s Environmental Protection Committee held a hearing on Peoples Gas’s efforts to repair and replace over 1,000 miles of aging gas pipes across Chicago. Last year, State regulators directed Peoples to complete this work by the end of 2034—an especially tall order given the fact that the utility replaced only 5 miles of pipe last year. As Peoples ramps up this work, it must accelerate hiring of gas workers and avoid cost overruns that plagued its previous work.

This month marks National Reading Month! There are few things I enjoy more than reading with my kids. My fifth grader is currently loving the newest installment of the City Spies series, while my first grader is starting to explore the Jasmine Toguchi and Azaleah Lane series. Throughout March, my office is collecting books for children ages 0-8. If you’re able, come drop off a book and say hello.

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend. If you’re looking for something to do, consider swinging by the DANK Haus on Sunday at 3pm for a concert spotlighting musical compositions from the Three B’s: Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms.

Lastly, like many of you, I am deeply concerned by the Trump administration’s decision to wage war with Iran without obtaining congressional approval beforehand. Such approval isn’t a mere box-checking exercise: it gives our elected leaders the opportunity to question, shape, and (if needed) stop ill-advised war plans. How many civilians and U.S. servicemembers could die? What are the likely financial costs, and will that divert funding away from pressing domestic needs like health care and housing? Who will step into the leadership void, and how do they compare to their predecessors? I hope that our congressional leaders will meet the moment by providing the oversight that our country needs, and that our Constitution requires.

Yours in service,

Ald Matt Martin

Early Voting Open at Welles Park

Early voting is open is for the Illinois March 17th Primary. Chicago voters are invited to vote at any neighborhood early voting site, including nearby Welles Park (2333 W Sunnyside).

Early voting hours are:

• Weekdays - 9 AM to 6 PM
• Saturdays - 9 AM to 5 PM
• Sundays - 10 AM - 4 PM

You can also drop off vote-by-mail ballots at secure drop boxes at all early voting sites.

Learn more

Donate: Children's Books

To celebrate National Reading Day, our office is hosting a children’s book drive through the end of March.

Access to books in early childhood builds literacy, sparks imagination, and helps kids develop critical thinking skills they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Drop off new or gently used books for children ages 0-8 to our office 4243 N. Lincoln Ave, Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm. 

Learn more

International Women's Day Market

March 28th- March 29th

To honor the hardworking women-owned businesses in the Lincoln Square Ravenswood area, visit the 5th Annual International Women's Day Market at Artifact Events.

The market will feature pop-up shops curated by local, women-owned businesses selling unique products from jewelry, beauty products, home goods, food, drinks, and more.

Learn more

Men's Big Ten Basketball Tournament

March 10th - March 15th

The Men's Big Ten Basketball Tournament is hosted in Chicago at the United Center next week. Grab a ticket to root for your favorite team!



Learn more

Live Irish Music at Mrs. Murphy's Pub

Throughout March

Looking for the perfect place to celebrate St Patrick's Day? Stop by Mrs. Murphy's Pub to enjoy a Guinness, Corned Beef, and listen to live Irish Music. They'll be offering live Irish music more than ten evenings in March. Take a look at the full schedule.

Learn more

LV2 Parking: After Hours Pick Up

Wednesday, March 18th

Cubs season is quickly approaching! If you live in the LV2 Parking zone, you will receive your permit in the mail beginning next week.

If you need extra guest permits or don't receive your permit, we're hosting convenient after hours pick up at AJ Hudson's (3801 N Ashland) on March 18th.

Note: Our office does not have permits available yet. We expect to begin in-person distribution on Monday, March 16th.

• LV2 Parking Info
• After Hours Pick Up

Listening Session: Northcenter Senior Center

Thursday, March 12th

You're invited you to an important listening session with Catholic Charities about future programming at the North Center Senior Center. The session will take place on Thursday, March 12th at 5 PM at St Ben's Parish Upper School Library (2215 W Irving Park Rd). You'll need to buzz in!

As you may know, Catholic Charities recently reversed its decision to close the North Center Senior Center and instead will continue operating the center internally, independent of city funding. As they manage this transition, they want to hear directly from community members about the programs and services most important to you.

Ravenswood Elementary Online Auction

Ends Saturday, March 7th

There's still time to participate in the online auction supporting Ravenswood Elementary! You can bid on exciting prizes including Bears tickets, family vacations, dining experiences, theater tickets, and more. All winners must have an Illinois mailing address for tax purposes. All proceeds will go to the Friends of Ravenswood general fund (a 501(c)3 organization).

Learn more

New Business: Retro Pizza

3600 N Western

We're excited to welcome Retro Pizza to the vacant storefront directly across from Lane Tech High School!

They'll be serving up warm pizzas, Dark Matter coffee, croissants from La Boulangerie, and some sandwiches. Students will receive a 10% discount.

Learn more

Vintage Design Mart Expansion

2431 W Irving Park Rd

Join Vintage Design Mart on Saturday, March 7th as they launch their second floor with 13 new curations. To celebrate a Vintage Market Shop Hop, they'll have extended hours on Saturday from 10 AM to 7 PM. Stop by to find your new favorite treasure.

Learn more

Resources

Business



• Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber Annual Meeting, March 12, Learn more

Workforce

• Illinois Department of Human Resources, Recruitment Fair
• Coding and App Development for Apple, Free Training (search Apple Deployment)

The following proposals will be considered by our community-driven Zoning Advisory Council. You can submit online feedback for their consideration.

2128 W Eastwood

The applicant is seeking a zoning change to construct a two-flat building containing two four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom homes on a lot that currently contains a single-family home.

Sulzer Library Seed Exchange

Saturday, March 21st

Need seeds? Join the Sulzer Seed Library for a seed packing and swapping program. Attendees will get first pick of seeds before they are integrated into the seed library - or share your spare seeds if you have more than you need. They will have a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flower seeds available. All levels of gardeners and seed enthusiasts are welcome.

Learn more

Bike Bus Leader Training

Thursday, March 12th

Join Chicago Family Biking and Bike Bus Leaders across Chicagoland for a training and networking event. The training will last from 6 PM to 6:45 PM at Butcher's Tap (3553 N Southport), and include special guest Sam Balto from Bike Bus World.

Learn more

Open Positions: Department of Environment

The Chicago Department of the Environment is hiring for the following roles:

• Public Relations Representative II
• Environmental Engineer III
• Assistant Commissioner

Learn more

Ashland Resurfacing

With warmer weather, CDOT is starting back work on the Ashland resurfacing. No parking signs are posted on Ashland between Sunnyside and Carmen (and some cross streets) to facilitate layout work.

If you believe a No Parking sign has been erroneously placed, send us a picture with the location of any signs you believe are suspicious. Once layout is done and construction begins, expect travel delays and zero on-street parking on this section of Ashland. 

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This Year: Upcoming Projects

• Water Main Replacement near Greenview and Cornelia
• Water Main Replacement near Leavitt and Lawrence
• ComEd Projects on Greenview from Roscoe to Grace

This Weekend

• 3Bs Concert at DANK Haus, March 8th, Learn more
• Women's History Month Tour at Koval, March 8th, Learn more
• Second Sunday Ravenswood Cleanups, March 8th, Learn more

Next Week

• Northcenter Neighbors Annual Meeting, March 9th, Learn more
• Tutoring Chicago Annual Celebrity Spelling Bee, March 11th, Learn more
• Caring for Yourself When the World Feels Heavy, March 12th, Learn more
• St Patrick's Day Cooking Class, March 13th, Learn more
• Pollinator Seed Giveaway, March 14th, Learn more
• Dear Tooth Fairy (and other very important people), March 14th, Learn more
• Lake View High School Pi Day, March 14th, Learn more
• St Patrick's Day at Begyle, March 15th, Learn more
• Andersonville Restaurant Week, March 15th-29th, Learn more

• Cornelia Arts Building Open Studios, March 20th-21st, Learn more
• Mahjong at Dovetail, March 25th, Learn more
• KOVAL Game Nights, March 25th, Learn more
• Hop Butcher Brewery Tour, March 28th, Learn more

Community Job Boards

Looking to work locally? Many of our local chambers of commerce offer job boards to help highlight openings at local businesses. Find more information at the following links:

• Andersonville
• Lakeview/Roscoe Village
• Lincoln Square/Ravenswood
• Northcenter
• Greater Ravenswood