Northalsted Market Days, Fall Quarter U-Passes, and a Southside back-to-school haircut drive
plus NAHJ DePaul takes home Student Chapter of the Year award!
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! It’s your newsletter team— Kate, Emily, Mariah, Billie, Lauren and Monique— back again.
We’re one month away from the first day of classes where we soon will reconvene with each other on campus. Students, stay tuned to our DePaul news section for weekly updates to help you prepare for the upcoming quarter! And, if you know an incoming student, send them our link to subscribe so they can stay ‘in the loop’ as well!
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We also want to take a minute to recognize 14 East and Pueblo staff members Richie Requena, Emily Soto, Emily Figueroa and the rest of NAHJ DePaul for winning the 2022 Student Chapter of the Year award! This huge accomplishment recognizes them for their work towards increasing the accessibility of Latinos in news and at the university. Congratulations!
Today, we’ve got a lively photo story from the Northalsted Market Days this past weekend, student U-Pass opt-out information and an 8 episode Netflix series to get you through the week.
That’s all for now, let’s get to the news!
Northalsted Market Days 2022
By Emily Soto
Northalsted celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Market Days festival on August 6-7.
Another of Chicago’s iconic festivals took place over the weekend — Northalsted Market Days. The festival, which takes place along the half-mile of Halsted Street between Addison and Belmont Streets, celebrated its 40th anniversary with performers, DJs, dancing, food, vendors and much more.
Despite the rain on the morning of day two, thousands of people filled the streets to attend the event.
Headliners of the weekend included drag queen Ginger Minj and comedian Matteo Lane who performed at one of five live stages, as well as acts like the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus and a karaoke session.
In addition to the fun, the event was a place for members of the LGBTQ community to discuss their rights and the issues they face, receive a monkeypox vaccine and get information about other healthcare needs.
In the end, rainbow flags and elaborate paper fans filled the street as people danced and enjoyed the festival. Check out the photos from the weekend:
DePaul News
By Mariah Hernandez
DePaul announces support for Affirmative Action
In a statement released for DeBuzz, University Marketing and Communications reveal DePaul has cosigned an amicus brief alongside 56 Catholic colleges and universities in favor of affirmative action. To clarify, according to Cornell Law School’s website, an “amicus brief”, commonly referred to as “amicus curiae” is “referencing a person or group who is not a party to an action, but has a strong interest in the matter.” DePaul is signing the brief in an attempt to urge the U.S. Supreme Court to maintain affirmative action in light of the court facing two cases that will challenge it this fall (Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard University and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina.) DePaul's statement can be found here.
New students RSVP for Blue Demon Welcome
DePaul’s Blue Demon Welcome also known as DePaul’s New Student Convocation will be held this September 6 from 3 to 6:30 p.m. on the Quad. The event is meant to welcome new students to DePaul for the upcoming school year: first-year, transfer and graduate students. Returning students are welcome as well. While the event is a month away, you can still RSVP now. RSVPs are encouraged but not required.
Student U-Pass Opt-Out Form available for Fall Quarter
A reminder email about Fall Quarter Ventra U-Passes was sent last week to eligible students. For Fall Quarter, passes will be active from September 7 through November 22. Students who are eligible for a U-Pass card but do not plan to use it have the option to fill out the Opt-Out form. The form should be completed by September 21 and you will receive a refund by September 30. More general information about the U-Pass distribution and requirements can be read here.
Chicago Headlines
By Billie Rollason
Chicago-based Groupon lays off 500 employees — Staffing cuts come amid their major financial decline in the second quarter; with a 42% decline in revenue and a $90 million loss. The major layoff affects 15% of Groupon’s global workforce, including employees from 293 different positions. The laid off staff members were notified today. Groupon, once the face of Chicago start-ups — now leaves hundreds unemployed. Read Robert Channick's full story with the Chicago Tribune.
The CPD will begin policing the CTA with K-9 units, and additional officers — This news follows a fatal homicide on the Red Line this weekend. Police Superintendent David Brown said, “We’re committed to adding more and more resources to do whatever it takes to make sure our CTA is safe.” The last time K-9 units were used for CTA security was in 2019. Find the full scoop from the Chicago Tribune’s Paige Fry.
The City of Chicago signs $422.2 million deal for green energy — This deal was made with Constellation New Energy LLC and has a goal to provide renewable power to government buildings, street lights and all other city assets as well as reach a carbon-free footprint by 2025! A "healthy chunk" of city power will come from a new solar farm that is under construction in Sangamon and Morgan counties. Gov. J.B. Pritzker shared that work on the solar farm will begin in a few months, and create nearly 1,000 jobs. Read Fran Spielman’s full story to learn more about the new deal.
"I Am A Gentleman" gets students ready for school with free haircuts — The South Side non-profit focuses on youth mentorship and leadership programs in under-resourced communities, for youth ages 13 to 21. The back-to-school haircut drive operates biweekly on Mondays and Wednesdays. The haircuts are given at I Am A Gentleman’s Bridgeport headquarter. Over the next four weeks, about 250 haircuts will be given. For more details about the haircut drive and Mitch Dudek's full scoop, click here. You’re a student and need a haircut? Click here.
National Headlines
By Lauren Sheperd
Major Climate, Health Care and Tax Bill Makes It Through Senate — The Inflation Reduction Act will likely pass through the House as early as Friday following its success in the Senate. According to Democrats, the bill aims to cut greenhouse emissions 40% from where they were in 2005 by creating tax credits for electric vehicles and providing money for renewable energy programs. The bill also will extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act three years and allow Medicare to negotiate the price of certain prescription drugs and cap out-of-pocket costs for people on Medicare. In order to pay down the deficit, Democrats have also included a corporate minimum tax and an excess tax on stock buybacks. The NPR Washington Desk has more.
Ahmaud Arbery Murderers Sentenced Life in Prison — U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood another life sentence to the two men responsible for murdering Ahmaud Arbery. Travis and Greg McMichael were convicted of a federal hate crime for their murder in February 2020 and have now received their second life sentence for the hate crime. The first life sentence was given by the State of Georgia for murder. The McMichaels asked the federal judge to allow them to serve their sentences in federal prison instead of state prison as they feared for their safety in the Georgia prison. Wood denied the McMichaels request. William Bryan – who recorded the murder on his cell phone – was also sentenced to 35 years in prison today. The federal sentencing ends more than two years of criminal proceedings against the men. Ross Bynum Associated Press has the story.
Albuquerque Police Investigate Possible Links Between Four Murders — Three recent ambush-style shootings in Albuquerque, New Mexico that happened in the span of two weeks put a spotlight on an unsolved murder from November 2021. According to police, the victims – Mohammad Ahmadi, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, Aftab Hussein and Naeem Hussain – are all Muslim and of South Asian descent alarming local Muslim communities across the city. Nouran Salahieh at CNN has more.
Olivia Newton-John Dies at 73 — Actress and singer Olivia Newton-John died this afternoon at her Southern California ranch after a 30-year battle with breast cancer. In 2017, she announced that the cancer had returned and spread to other parts of her body. Newton-John was most well known for her role as Sandy in the 1978 movie-musical Grease, and for her career in music. She was beloved by fans across the world, and her songs earned her top 10 places on Billboard’s Country chart. Throughout her music career, she also took home 4 Grammys – two of which were for hit song “I Honestly Love You.” Read about Newton-John’s life in Jim Farber’s article in the New York Times.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Emily Soto
If you’re looking for your next crazy, cliche high school drama, look no further than Netflix’s Boo, Bitch. Lana Condor and Zoe Colletti lead the show as best friends Erika and Gia. They are getting ready for graduation and are only a few weeks away from what could be the best night of their lives — prom.
But when Erika says she prefers to live out her high school existence the same as it began — unknown and under the radar — Gia pleads with her and they agree to make the most of their final days. The first step is to attend a big senior party. The night goes pretty well, but it doesn’t end that way.
Erika finds out the next morning that she was killed in a freak accident but doesn’t understand why she is still on earth. She and Gia must then figure out why and how to spend her actual “final days” so that she can peacefully pass on.
To their surprise, life as a ghost is actually much more complicated than life as a high school senior.
While the show isn’t the most thought-provoking or unique, and some parts just don’t make sense, it’s still an entertaining bit of television that will make you laugh about the insanity that is being a teenager. If you’re like me, you’ll be happy that you aren’t in high school at a time like this.
So in eight short episodes, the show instead makes you stop and take a second to appreciate your friends and those in your life a little more. They could be gone in the blink of an eye when you least expect it. If you don’t, you might turn into an Erika — dead and a b—h — and nobody wants that.
Resources
Need resources regarding cooling centers, rental assistance, abortion access, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! See you next Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team