June Updates from Commissioner Bill Lowry and Cook County's 3rd District!
It's been an exciting summer and an inspiring June for the Third District!

  • Cook County Health held dozens of redetermination events across the County to help Medicare users with the renewal process,
  • The State signed legislation that fights prejudicial book banning,
  • Juneteenth Illinois expanded their scholarship & mentorship program,
  • Bright Star Community Outreach opened their temporary TURN Center,
  • Tara Stamps joined the Cook County Board of Commissioners,
  • Metra announced a $33M renovation for three Metra Electric stations,
  • The 2023 Chicago Pride Festival proceeded, rain & shine, with zero police incidents reported,

and more! Keep reading to see what's been going on in the Third District this summer!
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias & Governor JB Pritzker Introduce an Anti-Book Ban Bill at the Harold Washington Library!
To celebrate Chicago Public Library's 150th anniversary, I joined JB Pritzker as he signed legislation to prevent book banning in Illinois. HB 2789 allows the State to only fund libraries that adhere to the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights, stating "reading materials should not be removed or restricted because of partisan or personal disapproval."
Juneteenth Illinois NFP Awards Scholarships and Hosts
a Weekend of Celebrations for Juneteenth!
Along with a weekend of activities and celebration, Juneteenth Illinois awarded scholarships to ten students and re-gifted scholarships to ten more returning students. Each scholarship recipient receives year-round professional mentorship, additional stipends, and group activities during college breaks.

At Saturday's event, I moderated a panel on the SAFE-T Act
with some local leaders & friends of mine:
Bright Star Community Outreach Repurposes Bronzeville's Former Carter G. Woodson Charter School as Its Temporary TURN Center!
On Juneteenth, we gathered in front of what used to be the Woodson Charter School to open the doors to Bright Star's new 68,000 sq. ft headquarters, The Urban Resilience Network (TURN) Center! The temporary base will house organizations and serve as an operational space for local efforts until a permanent TURN Center is built.

Many years ago, I folded The It's Time Organization (TITO) into BSCO's operations when I saw the overlap in our vision for a better Chicago. This event was a beautiful culmination of passionate work from Pastor Chris Harris and his team at Bright Star!
Metra Announces $33.9M for Renewing Three South Side Metra Electric Line (ME) Stations at 79th, 87th, and 103th Street!
Metra's announcement of renovations for three South Side stations happened right where I used to play basketball as a child.

It’s now a beautiful garden in a park across the street from the entrance to their 79th/Chatham Station! Just like how this very ground served as a crucial recreation space for kids like me, it will now take a new generation of South Side youth on journeys to every corner of Chicago and every stretch of Cook County.

This project is a part of the Metra Electric Community Initiative, a multiyear commitment to improve the Metra Electric line, which serves the South Side and South Suburbs.
The 2023 Chicago Pride Festival Proceeds with Zero Police Incidents Reported!
 Despite heavy rain at the start of the Parade, thousands stood strong for the 52nd year in a row along the traditional route through Boystown from Uptown to Lincoln Park. Most importantly, no police incidents were reported at the City’s second largest Parade!

Now, more than ever, we must keep love at the middle of what we do. I’m proud to serve Cook County and its residents, regardless of race, creed, gender, or any other part of their identity!
From the County Building
Cook County Health holds redetermination events to help Medicare users with the renewal process!

You haven’t had to renew your Medicaid benefits since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting this spring, the State of Illinois will begin the annual process of sending redetermination forms to all Medicaid members. Cook County Health is hosting events all summer to help you fill these forms out, with everything supplied on-site!
Welcome, Commissioner Tara Stamps!

In June, the Board of Commissioners welcomed a new colleague: Tara Stamps joined us as the Commissioner of Cook County’s First District, succeeding Commissioner Brandon Johnson! I look forward to the great work that her office will do for the First and the County!
From Around the County
My office collaborated with the City of Chicago’s Department of Animal Care and Control, and Cook County’s Departments of Veterans affairs and Animal & Rabies Control for “Vets and Pets,” a free rabies vaccine & microchip clinic for Cook County veterans & service members!
After some thorough collaboration with the Forest Preserves District of Cook County, we’ve amended the Forest Preserves’s policy on illegal dumping! Also called fly dumping, these incidents often come as piles of furniture, abandoned cars, improperly disposed chemicals, and other large and expensive dumps throughout the Forest Preserves.

My office has been excited to help find a solution ever since we heard about this 6-figure issue that’s plaguing some of our most beautiful parts of Cook County. This is one small step towards keeping our green spaces as natural as they can be!
This month, we passed a resolution for Chicago media legend and a pioneer of the skies, Jim Tilmon. He was the fifth Black commercial pilot in the United States, won a Chicago Emmy for his talk show, and was a founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists. President Preckwinkle and I were able to honor his memory with an official resolution this month, which was received by the Chicago Metro Alumni Chapter of Lincoln University.
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Communication. Collaboration. Action.