Originally published in Block Club Chicago, November 10, 2020.

The temporary COVID-19 testing site will open Thursday at 3333 W. Touhy Ave. in Lincolnwood.

WEST RIDGE — A temporary coronavirus testing site will help Far North Side residents. 

The free testing site is coming to the Lincolnwood Town Center parking lot at 3333 W. Touhy Ave. in Lincolnwood. The site will be open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Monday. 

Walkup and drive-thru testing will be conducted at the site. Nasal swab tests will be used, and results will be available in four to seven business says, according to the office of State Sen. Ram Villivalam. 

The testing site is open to all and is free, the senator’s office said. Those with health insurance should bring their cards, but insurance is not needed to receive a test. 

The testing site comes as coronavirus cases in the state are soaring, with more than 22,000 cases reported over the weekend. At the beginning of the pandemic, West Ridge had the highest concentration of positive COVID-19 cases in the city, and the area is beginning to see an uptick in new cases and its positivity rate.

Originally published in India Post, October 8, 2020. 

CHICAGO: United for Peace Coalition of peace and interfaith organizations from all across Chicagoland area held a Gandhi Nonviolence Rally in Naperville, a Chicago suburb, on Oct 2, 2020, a day that has been designated as the International Nonviolence Day by the United Nations. This was in honor of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. The hosting organizations included United for Peace, Non Violence works, Unity Partnership, Diversity Diners & Gandhi 150 Commemorative Stamp Initiative. 

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Originally published in Chicago Tribune, September 25, 2020.

On a hazy September afternoon near a willow tree, a boy with a bright red backpack spotted something slimy on the ground. “Hello, all the mushrooms,” he said, gently tapping the fungus, trying not to crush any as his small feet moved through the grass. 

A teacher asked why they might be growing in that spot. The boy thought for a moment. “Because it’s shady and wet!” That was just one lesson for the group of kids at the Chicago Botanic Garden Nature Preschool, a program that’s part of the growing field of nature-based early childhood education.

Nature preschools were increasing before the pandemic, more than doubling in the last three years, according to a report from the Natural Start Alliance, a project of the North American Association for Environmental Education. The report estimates 585 schools across the country have nature-based education at their core, meaning a significant amount of time is spent outside. Illinois is among the states with the most programs — topping 20. California and Washington, with about 50 programs each, lead the list.

Aerosol transmission of the coronavirus has raised concerns over safety of walled-off spaces, and some parents are wondering if one solution during the pandemic is as simple as stepping outside.

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Originally published in Chicago Tribune, September 22, 2020.

Niles village officials are hoping state legislators, citizens and professional studies will convince the Illinois Department of Transportation to approve traffic signals for an intersection where a 13-year-old bicyclist was killed in July.

On Sept. 11, letters signed by Niles Mayor Andrew Przybylo were mailed to State Senators Ram Villivalam and Robert Martwick, and State Representatives Bradley Stephens and John D’Amico. The letters ask the elected officials to support the village’s request to IDOT for traffic control signals at Waukegan Road and Cleveland Street, which is part of a designated bicycle route.

The village is also seeking a traffic signal further east, at Caldwell Avenue and Cleveland Street, where the bike trail connects with Miami Woods and the North Branch Trail.
All four legislators, who each represent a district that includes a portion of Niles, were asked to mail a letter of support to the village by Oct. 1 so that it can be included in a larger package of documentation that the village plans to submit to IDOT officials.

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