October 13-14, 2012

 

The Chicago Architecture Foundation's Open House Chicago is a free public event that offers behind-the-scenes access to over 150 buildings across Chicago.

No reservations are required and everyone is welcome. Explore the hidden gems and architectural treasures of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods-all for free.

 

150 cool places | 48 hours | Go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The U.S. government has a new fight in Vieques, the Puerto Rican island that was used as a Navy bombing range for decades.

 

An extensive cleanup of the eastern portion of Vieques is years from being finished, but the government says it is ready to declare work completed on a nearly 400-acre site on the western side that was used to store and detonate expired munitions.

The former storage site was turned over to the U.S. Interior Department and declared a nature reserve. Under a proposal favored by the Navy, the cleanup of the area would be deemed complete even though about 200 acres has not been cleared of munitions debris, some potentially still live.

 

That has sparked outrage among activists and officials in Vieques and the main island of Puerto Rico who favor a complete removal of all debris. And it has brought back some of the angry rhetoric that helped force an end to Vieques' use as a bombing range in 2003. Read the rest of the article here.

Batey Urbano and Latino Alliance Partner with Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Gutiérrez

 

(CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Residents on Chicago's Division Street, known for its strong Puerto Rican influence, are holding onto their culture while experiencing an evolution.

The area is home to new businesses and filled with a number of upscale stores for the changing community, including new shops, galleries and restaurants.

But as it grows, it has managed to retain its heritage.

"Division has been taken over by people wanting to change the neighborhood. It is so close to the loop, an ideal location. There are people here for 40, 50 years who want to keep the identity as the heart of the Puerto Rican Chicago," said Bill Zayas, historian and Humboldt Park resident.

Take Humboldt Park for example. Visitors immediately look at the looming, 59-feet Puerto Rican flags cast in steel. Popular restaurants, like La Bruquena, boast Puerto Rican cuisine. And Lilly's Record Shop has been present for years, along with the barber shop Jauaua.

"People like to come over and get a haircut, and they feel like they are in Puerto Rico here," said Kerly Figueroa, barber shop employee.

"We decided to open up a Harvest Fresh Market to accommodate the demographics," said John Loues, Harvest Fresh Market owner.

Zenaida Lopes has been on Division Street for more than 50 years as a business owner and health activist.

"We may lose gentrification to the North and to the South, but Divison Street is the heart and soul of the Puerto Rican community and we will fight to keep this a Puerto Rican community," said Lopes.

Zayas says the community will only get bigger. He describes Division Street as a point of unity in Humboldt Park.

José Manuel Godínez-Samperio, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico says that he wants to be called "undocumented" because "illegal" is "dehumanizing," and "justifies the oppression against immigrants." For some, his mere preference for the term "undocumented" over "illegal" is irrelevant. But, the technical accuracy of terms may hold more weight in this ongoing debate over these words.

In response to the Associated Press and The New York Times' continued use of the term "illegal immigrant", a group of linguists have taken a stand, arguing that the phrase "illegal immigrant" isn't as neutral or accurate as the two media companies claim it to be. Read the rest of the article here.