The former Illinois Service Federal branch on 87th Street soon to reopen

 If you live in Chatham and do business with GN Bank - formerly known as Illinois Service Federal - is reopening their former branch on 87th Street & King Drive. According to Steve Daniels from Crain's:

Chairman Papa Kwesi Nduom, whose wealthy family rescued the bank in 2016 with millions in fresh capital when it was on the brink of failure, says the Chatham branch is open on a drive-thru basis for withdrawals and deposits. It will return to full service once licensing is completed, he says.

“This is being done to signal to the community that we are putting customer service high on our priority list,” he says in an email.

If you were following the FB page Concerned Citizens of Chatham the issue with this closure is what would replace the bank on this property. There were concerned about a marijuana dispensary possibly being located there. Well now a bank will be back on this property.

BTW, this article was from last year. GN Bank is a Ghanian-American company who rescued ISF in 2016 from failure. In this December 2021 article from ProPublica we find out GN Bank has a number of issues:

Five years later, the historic institution — renamed GN Bank — remains deeply troubled. Under the Nduoms, the bank has closed one of its two locations, cut staff, alienated many longtime customers and effectively stopped making new home loans, though that’s one of the central reasons for its existence. In 2020, the bank was again put under restrictions after regulators found “new violations of law, rule or regulation.”

Yet the Nduoms aren’t solely responsible for GN’s struggles. Regulators have failed to carry out a federal mandate to “preserve and promote” Black-owned banks, a ProPublica investigation has found.

Leading up to the Nduoms’ acquisition, the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ordered the bank to reduce the risk in its loans, which led to less revenue. Then, the agency signed off on the new owners, even though they lacked banking experience in the United States and had investments abroad that posed known regulatory risks. Since then, the bank has been under close watch, yet the Nduoms have made a series of decisions that diminished the bank’s profile and quality of service.

Block Club Chi: Red Line extension is now closer than ever

 The most recent reporting on the future Red Line extension which will take the L further south into Roseland to 130th Street. As I read this article no money has been allocated to start this project yet.

Block Club Chi:

Capitol Fax: Duckworth and Pritzker take different paths on Lightfoot endorsement

US Sen. Tammy Duckworth made a robocall endorsing the re-election bid of Mayor Lightfoot in 2023, however, Gov. Pritzker who's going through his re-election for Governor (actually Sen. Duckworth is running for re-election herself) wants to focus on his race before making any endorsements.

Duckworth and Pritzker take different paths on Lightfoot endorsement https://t.co/YHY8iKqPq2

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) August 5, 2022

ALSO, I might add in that posting someone wrote in the comments that Gov. Pritzker won't endorse the first Black mayor of Chicago. Someone doesn't know Chicago history now do they. Perhaps they weren't yet born in 1983 or they slept through most of the 1980s in Chicago....

CBS Chicago: Street racers take over intersection in West Pullman #Ward09

 

[VIDEO] The video of a crowd huddled around an intersection where cars were drifting and doing donuts is at the corner of 115th/Halsted. There's a Checker's there, two service stations, and a vacant lot where a Jewel/Osco and a Zayre (which later became the Halsted Indoor Mall now demolished) were formerly located.

So this display of loud and noisy cars took place there at 3 AM. I wonder how long has this been going on. A few weeks earlier a similar display was recorded at Monroe/Clinton near the Loop. The city council recently voted to impound cars involved in this, however, in this incident on Halsted police came and no one was arrested.

America's Crime Crisis: Lightfoot is the worst mayor in America

 

[VIDEO] I don't know how many of you are watching cable news whether CNN, MSNBC or even FOX News with the clip above. The discussion is over the latest proposal by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to help keep the Bears within the city limits as opposed to potentially Arlington Heights. Frankly I hope the end of the road isn't that close for the racetrack where a new Bears stadium would be located but then again....

Anyway, the mayor proposed a domed stadium on the site of Soldier Field so that historic and architecturally unique structure would again be gutted and a much larger stadium would be located on the site. It could be open for more than an NFL season, it would be open year round. Some soccer matches could be played there and even better still a future WrestleMania....

Well the crime crisis fits in because well as FOX News and our local news discusses the issues of crime. The crime in the neighborhoods unfortunately spill into the more tony areas of our city. So the portrayal by Steve Doocy and Clay Travis is that Chicago is so crime ridden the Bears don't even want to stay.

BTW, I'm still hanging my hat on the Bears locating at the former Southworks site in the South Chicago neighborhood if they want their own stadium.

ALSO, I do actually admire the mayor's plan for Soldier Field, however, the problem has always been even last year with the Bears inking a deal with Arlington Heights is that I don't think politically she'll be able to keep the team in the city.

Be careful on CTA especially during the late night hours

 

[VIDEO] This report from FOX 32 discusses the many violent incidents on CTA recently. The focus seems to be on the red line especially. Most recently an attempted robbery at the 63rd Street L station resulted in a stabbing death noted in this video report.

There was another incident closer to downtown. Another attempted robbery had the victim fight off his attackers with a knife further north at the North/Clybourn L station. Most of these incidents take place after midnight to perhaps early rush hour which is about 5 or 6 AM.

If you have to take CTA especially to get to work be very careful out there. 

O'Reilly slams Gov. Pritzker: Thousands are dead because of you

 

[VIDEO] I don't know how many of you follow Bill O'Reilly, however, he discussed Gov. J.B. Pritzker on his program recently. Of course he starts with the Governor's comments in light of the incident in the north suburban city of Highland Park - seven now confirmed dead in that Fourth of July shooting there by that deranged soul.

Now of course what might be said among O'Reilly and a certain segment of the national media punditry, why all the attention by politicians on this relatively wealthy suburb when there is violence everyday in the low-income neighborhoods of Chicago that occasionally spills into downtown. This is why you see O'Reilly get a bit passionate over.

It would be nice if the Governor of Illinois or even the Mayor of Chicago took the issue of gun violence more seriously or even have a press conference on the scene as Pritzker did in Highland Park. And do far more than propose gun control measures or even tell the NRA to "leave us the hell alone".

And 100% of mass public shootings happen with guns.

As Governor, on behalf of the people of Highland Park — leave us the hell alone. https://t.co/biBV75pWxA

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) July 6, 2022

Perhaps this is something state Sen. Darren Bailey - GOP nominee for Governor - could seize upon if he wants to campaign on law & order.

#Beattheheat

 We had a hot month last month with temps in the 90s. And we're just in the middle of summer. The 311 has tweeted out this info on cooling centers if you have no way of cooling off at home.

It's HOT HOT HOT #Chicago. Be sure to check in on friends, relatives & neighbors who live alone, are elderly and/or disabled. Get out of the heat and make your way to one of the City's Cooling Centers. Call 311 for the location near you. #beattheheat pic.twitter.com/eAsU9zpqWg

— 311 (@CHI311) July 5, 2022

I hope you're having a safe 4th of July....

 

[VIDEO] I wanted to share this video from artistmac, who's showing the flag from the inside of the Macy's - and for those of you like me who are old school the former flagship Marshall Field's store. I reminds us of where we are right now.

BTW, there's been a lot of craziness including people throwing fireworks into police squad cars. 

And in the suburbs someone was randomly shooting people at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park. So far there are six reported dead in that shooting. 

 Here's hoping you're enjoying a BBQ with people you care about today.