EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Flood tragedies nobody talks about

Everybody in south suburban Cook County is aware that on April 18, the area was drenched with rain from the storm that knocked out power in many households, caused huge traffic delays and flooded basements.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Summer interns need to develop moral fiber

Now that some of our most promising leaders have fallen from grace and Newtown, Conn., victims along with Hadiya Pendleton have been laid to rest, where do we go from here? Summer youth employment season is coming up. Maybe that will help ease the pain.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: The world did not end -- for most of us

If you are reading this, then you know the world did not end on Dec. 21, 2012, as predicted. So what do we do now? I understand that the prediction actually is “the world as we know it” will end and that we actually may experience a heightened awareness of ourselves and our surroundings.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Excessive train whistles deprive Cal City of sleep

Train whistle noise in Calumet City wakes me up every morning at around 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 a.m. It is so loud and unbearable that you can’t help but wake up.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Actions speaking loud and clear

In my column back in May I reported on several notable human service programs being implemented in south suburban communities this summer.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Programs reduce violence, health and safety risks

Summer is right around the corner, so it seems, and thousands or millions of school-age children will enter into one of most influential and perhaps most dangerous periods of their lives — summer vacation.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Build resiliency to ease financial hardship

Every day, my office phone, cellphone and email are filled with distress messages from people reaching out for resources to ease their desperate situations.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Still no movement toward emergency preparedness

A year ago, I presented the fact that there are very few community emergency response teams in south suburban Cook County. Chicago Heights and Tinley Park are the only two of 50-plus communities.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Are we headed for a war, rich against poor?

I don't know anybody who has not heard there is an economic crisis in the United States — and the world. Yet we are constantly confronted by people who insist those suffering somehow brought their condition upon themselves.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Lost generation needs to learn directions

It has been said that the problem with youths today is they have no direction. We've all heard that one. And as proof we point to school dropout rates, juvenile delinquency, young adult felony convictions, the shortage of entry-level jobs which forces "the kids" to be still living at home an…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Has the Neighborhood Stabilization Program failed already?

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced an innovative program called the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. It was established to stabilize communities suffering from foreclosures, homelessness and blight.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Prepare for the bad storms ahead

November is Winter Storm Preparedness Month. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency will highlight winter storm preparedness throughout November as part of a 12-month preparedness campaign.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Poor easy prey for 'buy here, pay here' dealers

After being denied credit by countless car dealers, Mike, discouraged and frustrated, considers quitting his $10-per-hour job that takes a 2½-hour commute on public transportation to get to. He's already been late three times during his first two weeks on the job and already has received one…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Why should schools have the power to prevent education?

A growing number of young people are falling through the cracks in our community because of expulsion from school. During the 2007-2008 school year, more than 200 students were expelled from south suburban Cook County schools -- for up to two years. An informal survey of 49 south suburban sc…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Community is counting on your Census responses

Census taking (counting the people) is one of the most basic principles of organized human society. As a grant writer, I frequently access Census data to help justify why a particular community could benefit from federal and state funding for programs meant to improve the quality of life and…

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Families read truly affordable housing options

With the number of foreclosures skyrocketing over the past few years, homelessness among families and single young adults has also increased dramatically. I'm sure you already know that!

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Focus on the good things in life

I started off writing a pretty dreary column. You know; one filled with undertones of gloom and doom or about the conditions of our communities; the behavior of our youths, and the questionable activities of our public officials and police; the foreclosure crisis or about the recent news of …

Summer youth employment stimulates local businesses

The summer youth employment program sponsored by the Cook County President's Office of Employment and Training (P.O.E.T) is in full swing. Thousands of youths between 14 and 24 years old responded to the offer of a summer employment opportunity that will run through the end of September.

Are citizens prepared for community emergencies?

I don't know about you, but the most recent swine flu epidemic has made me more acutely aware of germs everywhere, waiting for an opportunity to attack.

Veterans, stand up and be counted

Lately I've taken a great interest in the plight of veterans in this country, especially since finding out there are more than 200,000 homeless veterans on any given night in our great United States of America.

Do more than be depressed about economy

In my November column I posed the question: Will we get a trick or treat on Election Day? Well here's the trick! In his exiting news conference recently, our outgoing president defended his administration by telling us he was just trying to protect us from reality. We are looking at somethin…

Will we get a trick or treat on Election Day?

As a Halloween baby, I have always enjoyed the feeling that everybody celebrates my birthday on Oct. 31. When I was a youngster, I enjoyed telling the bullies in my neighborhood that they better watch out because when Halloween comes around the "goblins will get" the bullies, the ghouls will…

500 homeless kids enrolled in one school district

After losing her home to foreclosure, Sarah J. and her three school-age children moved back to her parents. This was her second move in six months. Her children had not attended school for the past two months.

Workforce investment. Time to get our act together

Here are some job search tips for everybody 14 and older.

Adoption nightmares a decade after DCFS reductions

Remember The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning? Here's a modern version.

Misery loves company, but don't invite it in

There are many miserable people in this world. Unable and/or unwilling to rise from despair, they find it amazingly easy to trigger misery in other people.

Kids drink and drive because adults do

They say teenage drinking has been with us since the beginning of time.

We saw his demise coming

Recently a young man from my community allegedly beat another young man to death with a baseball bat. Gangster style. Both of these young men lived in my neighborhood.

Purpose-driven people are more likely to succeed

One of the greatest challenges facing our society today is instilling a sense of purpose in our young people.

Invoke home rule to build sense of community

Like most homeowners, I am concerned about protecting the value of my home, good neighborhood schools and safety. I've been wondering why my neighbors just won't get involved in our community. So I did some research to make some sense of it all -- at least for myself.