Tragedy looms over Juarez, tax refunds for Cook County … – Chicago Sun-Times

Mourners and supporters gather for a vigil outside Benito Juarez High School in Pilsen last month less than a week after a mass shooting outside the school killed two teenagers and wounded two others
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file
Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a five-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.
This afternoon will be cloudy with some showers and a high near 43 degrees. Similar weather will continue into tonight with rain and snow showers likely and a low near 30. Tomorrow will be cloudy with a high near 34.
When gunfire erupted outside of Benito Juarez Community Academy last month, it felt as if tragedy had struck Teresa Fraga’s family, though she wasn’t related to the two teens who were fatally shot. 
“Any kid who goes there is going to a school that was built by families. So to me, Juarez — and I think students see it that way, that they see it as a sacred ground where it’s, like, blessed,” Fraga told our Elvia Malagón in a recent interview.
For many in the Pilsen community, the Dec. 16 mass shooting, which also wounded two other teens, hit a nerve because the high school is so intertwined with the neighborhood’s history. In the days following the shooting, some students returned to school before winter break while others stayed home. Students led a vigil and march around the neighborhood to decry gun violence. And residents signed up for shifts to hand out hot chocolate and snacks to students outside the school as a memorial grew for Nathan Billegas, 14, and Brandon Perez, 15. 
Fraga, now 80, and her family had lived in various parts of the country working in agriculture before settling in Pilsen in the 1960s. At the time, there wasn’t a neighborhood school and the community faced high dropout rates as the nearest high school — the Carter Harrison Technical High School in South Lawndale — struggled with gangs and racial tensions. 
“It was very noticeable — your child dropped out (in) 10th grade,” Fraga said. “So in a meeting, somebody said what we need is a high school, and it just rang throughout the neighborhood. People started talking to people.” 
In the 1970s, Fraga was part of a group of parents and community leaders who pushed Chicago Public Schools to build a high school by leading a boycott where parents kept their kids home, organized marches and vigils. In 1974, about 85% of students in Pilsen-area schools boycotted class for five days, according to a Sun-Times story published Oct. 2, 1977. Their activism eventually led to the construction of what today is known as Benito Juarez Community Academy, Fraga said. A photo published Sept. 16, 1977, in the Chicago Daily News from the school’s dedication ceremony shows a group of people holding a banner: “Benito Juarez H.S. was won by the community struggle.” The community celebrated with a block party that they named Fiesta Del Sol, which remains an annual summer festival in Pilsen, according to the festival’s website.
The movement to create a neighborhood high school spurred more activism as leaders went on to start other community organizations focused on children and women, Fraga said.
Our Elvia Malagón has more on Juarez and the community it serves here.
Lord Herald, a grumpy, middle-aged Chicagoan, who also happens to be a Chihuahua, was tagged with the label by the New York Post last month after a social media post by the Chicago dog rescue that saved him from the city’s pound went a bit viral. The post used two asterisks and loads of cheek to describe “*THE* most adoptable pup on the planet.”
“Meet Lord Herald. He is about 10-years-old. He has a severe heart murmur. He has a persistent cough that we’ve been treating with medication. Oh and he’s a biter. Loves to bite. Don’t worry though the guy has zero teeth so instead it’s just like a sad gummy kiss. Also…the excitement from latching on brings on a coughing fit.”
Kelly Dietrich, who lives in Humboldt Park and is a co-founder of One More Dog Rescue Inc., said the post was the result of a worn-out staff deliriously smiling in the face of adversity.
Lord Herald went viral after a sarcastic social post by One More Dog Rescue
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
A rescue coordinator at the city’s pound — also known as Chicago Animal Care and Control — reached out to Dietrich about taking in the dog, which otherwise would have been euthanized.
Dozens of inquiries have since rolled into the nonprofit rescue organization about adopting Lord Herald.
“We’ll 1 million percent find him a home. And we’re not first come, first served, we’re super picky and the right person will come along,” Dietrich said.
Mitch Dudek has more on Lord Herald here.
What do you think of the city’s proposed plan to use cameras to nail motorists who block bus lanes, bike lanes and loading zones?
Send us an email at [email protected] and we might feature your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.
Yesterday we asked you: Who makes the best tavern-style pizza in Chicago?
Here’s what some of you said…
“Pete’s at Western and Irving. There is Pete’s — and there is everybody else.” — Ken Churilla
“Obbie’s on Archer. Very thin, a little char around the edges and their sausage is the best I’ve ever had.” — Jimmy Davey
“Home Run Inn on 31st street. No other pizza like it.” — Cindy Rose Todd
“Fox’s Beverly Pub on 100th and Western Ave. Great thin crust with corn meal on the bottom, the sausage is seasoned great and the cheese is on top of the veggies. I now live out of state but every time we visit we get a family size!” — Rich Werner
“Vito & Nick’s original in the Ashburn neighborhood. I like the large sausage mushroom pizza!” — Richard Byrne
“Vito & Nick’s on Pulaski. They have been doing it for over 50 years and the combination of their thin crust and sausage can’t be beat.” — Dave Krasula
“Phil’s on 89th and Ridgeland baked perfectly with lots of toppings.” — Brian Alan
“Pizza Nova in Pilsen and the Southwest Side — ample ingredients, nice and cheesy.” — Robert Valadez
“Pudgy’s in Hegewisch! Handmade crust, sauce. Old ovens with cornmeal bottoms that you have to move around. Creamy cheese, try it. The old fashioned way!” — Kathleen Harper Purvis
Thanks for reading the Chicago Sun-Times Afternoon Edition. Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

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