Secretary of State Driver Services facilities closed until Jan. 4, 2021

 This was shown on the Capitol Fax blog on Friday, however, this is news you can use. Driver services facilities for the Secretary of State will be closed for the rest of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic. This includes the facility on 99th & King Dr or 9901 S. King Drive.

SoS announces Driver Services facilities will remain closed for in-person service until January 4 https://t.co/BEKNDzAgyn

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) December 4, 2020

Here's hoping they try to take care of those long lines that seem to form when people go to a Secretary of State facility when they opened up during the course of the summer.

Can't wait to see this new train on the red line extension

 

[VIDEO] This video was shot in October on the north side showing a test run of the future 7000-series cars that will soon be running on the Chicago L. And in spite of the title, perhaps we'll see this train running on the CTA long before construction begins on the red line extension that is still being discussed.

The horn is different as it sounds like a real horn, younger generations of Chicagoans have heard horns from trains that sound more electronic. And the design is certainly much different almost reminiscent of the old 2000-series, 2200-series or even the 2400-series (especially the colored front ends).

Another quick note according to the 7000-series page at Chicago-L.org these cars are being manufactured at a plant on 111th & Cottage Grove right in Pullman. The 2000-series cars were also constructed there in 1964, the last L cars to be constructed in Chicago.

Supt. David Brown shared this tweet Friday about Officer Titus Moore

Titus Moore died at his West Chesterfield home Nov. 24, 2020 and Supt. Brown share this tweet Friday night noting that there will be an honors funeral for this 14-year CPD veteran.

The death of #ChicagoPolice Officer Titus Moore is a loss for this Department and the entire city. In memory of the 14-year CPD veteran, we're coordinating an honors funeral for him next week.

He left an irreplaceable void and a legacy of service we will carry on in his memory. pic.twitter.com/1qABTRpDoJ

— Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown (@ChiefDavidBrown) December 5, 2020

Winter overnight parking ban begins tonight!

 Technically it begins at 3 AM so great apologies if you see this just now and realize you need to get your car off the streets. I'm sharing this tweet from the Chicago Police which appears to have been shared as I write this post 3 hours ago.

Chicago: don’t forget to move your cars tonight if you’re parked along any of the tow away zone streets marked in red. https://t.co/HMpX59NyYv pic.twitter.com/UbhrJZNDAl

— Chicago Police (@Chicago_Police) December 1, 2020

WGN News: Chicago police officer who died while battling COVID-19 lived life to the fullest

 

[VIDEO] WGN has more about Titus Moore, the police officer who was found dead at his home in West Chesterfield earlier this week. Reportedly he was battling the coronavirus.

Glad to see this report that shows the human side of the officer. Condolences to his friends and family.

Food insecurity

 

[VIDEO] The video above from ABC 7 should cause us to be thankful to be able to put foot on the table during this pandemic. According to this report food insecurity has risen exponentially. Food distribution via the Greater Chicago Food Depository is up 50% since January. From November 2019 compared to November 2020 the need has become 125% higher.

According to Jim Conwell of the Greater Chicago Food Depository many are turning to food pantries for the first time in their lives. The current situation is unlike anything he's ever seen in his organizations 41 year history.

I also wanted to share with you a story regarding My Block My Hood My City's Jahmal Cole who stated that it matters to him if someone is hungry in other parts of the city. It should matter to all of us if someone is hungry.

Uprecented times. Here's hoping you and yours are managing.

Happy Thanksgiving

I would like to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving which we're in a different sort of holiday season due to this pandemic. Hopefully you all are finding a way to stay connected with loved ones during this festive time.

I used to look forward to any specials featuring the Peanuts gang. They used to be ubiquitous around this time. And the image of Snoopy always raises my spirits. I hope it does for you as well.

Chicago police officer found dead in West Chesterfield home..

 

[VIDEO] A little too close to home sadly as you see in this video from WGN. You see a procession of police cars on Wabash near 95th Street on Tuesday.

Here's a brief write-up by the Chicago Sun-Times:

A Chicago police officer was found dead inside his South Side home Tuesday morning.

Paramedics found the officer unresponsive about 11:10 a.m. in the 9400 block of South Wabash Avenue, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

The officer was identified as Titus Moore, 46, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His cause of death has not been determined.

Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said Moore worked in the Calumet District on the Far South Side. City records show Moore worked as a Field Training Officer, in charge of training new police academy graduates. Records show Moore was hired by the CPD in 2006.

What was mentioned in the WGN report is that officer Moore had tested positive for the coronavirus, however, it's not clear if that's the cause of death.

Rest in Peace officer Titus Moore. 

No one should ever go hungry...

[VIDEO] If I ever come upon a significant amount of cash, one thing I would like to do is donate money to a food bank. I do believe barring anything else, everyone should be able to eat. And I wish I had shared this earlier in the pandemic once the nation started these lockdowns.

Going downtown every now and then you find someone begging for money to eat or asking for food. And it seems as if they have no excuse if there are soup kitchens or food pantries available so that if you're hungry you can eat. No need to beg you will be provided for.

So this is why I'm sharing this video. YouTuber Mr. Beast aka Jimmy Donaldson does a number of outrageous videos and occasionally gives away money to people in challenges. There was one video where he took over a closed bank branch and gave away free money. Of course let me emphasize many of his videos shows a young man having a lot of fun with his friends.

I like to see stories like this in the news

 

[VIDEO] I'm sorry to say I missed this one when it aired. The Roseland Pharmacy located on Michigan Avenue was hit by looting in the unrest as a result of what happened with George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn.

Well the owner Howard Bolling had help from the community to remain open. Bolling has been a fixture there since December 12, 1973. This story aired on WGN and was uploaded to YouTube on June 23, 2020.