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Members of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance share a laugh during a recent Zoom event to promote the organization. CIMA recently raised more than $160,000 for its member news organizations with a fundraiser that had been planned for 2021 but was bumped way up the calendar because of the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic was having on their revenue.
By CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN For Illinois Press Association
CHICAGO – The writing has long been on the wall for plucky, vital weekly newspapers: If new revenue streams aren’t created, the light that media outlets shine on their communities, many of them underserved, will be dimmed if not put out altogether.
Tracy Baim, a legendary journalist who co-founded her first publication in the city in 1985, is the publisher of the Chicago Reader, which has covered the city with a unique literary voice and a fine focus on the arts. Unearthing corruption is a hallmark of the Reader, as well.
“We’ve seen corruption increase, and scandals and politicians that have gone unchallenged,” Baim said. “Corruption loves when newspapers die.”
Seeing the plight of her publications – she also owns the Windy City Times – and her colleagues throughout the city, she hatched an idea last year to form an alliance that would unite outlets in the spirit of collaborating and, in turn, becoming more viable.
The kickstarting initiative for what would become the Chicago Independent Media Alliance, was a mass fundraiser that would happen in 2021.
Then the pandemic hit, and Baim buried the accelerator on a project that was rolling along at a comfortable pace. A website needed to be built, just one of several proverbial plates that needed to start spinning.
“I was really worried it wasn’t going to play out,” Baim said. “Lots of things could go wrong, so all I could think of was the worst-case scenarios. There was a lot of stress because of all the need that was there at a very scary time, and we had three weeks to get ready to launch.”
Not only did it play out; the public donated more than $100,000 – about $40,000 more than the goal. Additionally, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, the Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation and two anonymous foundations matched funds to the tune of $60,000.
“It’s honestly way more than we could have expected,” said Yong Lee, marketing manager for the Korea Times which, like the Reader, has been in business since 1971.
He said the Times, which prints in Korean only and serves about 10,000 readers, received about $8,000 from the fundraiser.
Baim said the alliance plans to develop ways for the outlets to raise funds individually, but also as a collective. In the meantime, those looking to support local media may find a list of all 43 outlets at the campaign’s website, savechicagomedia.org.
Yazmin Dominguez (Credit: GlitterGuts)
Fast-riser helms rapid-fire rollout
Baim said the only concerns with the launch were technological. Most notably, the website needed to be built and launched. She otherwise was confident because she had a rising star in Yazmin Dominguez, who’d joined the Reader less than a year ago as an administrative assistant and risen to the role of media partnerships coordinator in six short months. She became the project coordinator of CIMA.
She contacted about 160 local organizations, the list was narrowed to 103, and eventually the alliance had 62 members, 43 of which participated in the fundraiser.
“She masterfully herded cats,” said Charlie Meyerson, who has worked in Chicago media since 1979 and launched the independent news site Chicago Public Square in January 2017. “I’ve been very impressed with the way Yazmin kept the wheels on the tracks.”
“Impressive is not enough,” Lee said. “There has to be another word to describe the awesomeness of how she pulled this off.”
Dominguez said many publications lost 90 percent of their advertising revenue “overnight” – including the Reader, where that loss was more than $250,000.
Ron Roenigk is publisher of Inside Publications, which features three papers on the North Side: Skyline, Inside Booster and News-Star. Much of its revenue vanished along with its summer activity guide.
“Until this year, we had a North Side summer activity guide, and now since there’s no activity, there’s no guide,” he said during one of three Facebook Live videos Dominguez moderated in the last week of the fundraiser, a last-ditch push that she said drove up donations significantly.
Baim said two-thirds of the fundraiser’s donors asked that their contributions be split among the 43 outlets.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” she said. “That really shows that people wanted to support a strong journalism ecosystem.”
Jesus Del Toro, director general of La Raza Newspaper, has worked in local media for 16 years, since moving to the U.S. from Mexico. He’s seen damning signs of the times. So while the funds raised can only help, he’s optimistic for what the alliance can mean for local media’s sustainability.
“The most important thing is that the fundraiser is the first step toward a much wider benefit, given the struggle of local media,” he said. “We needed a transformation of the local media model. We need to show advertisers the value of our product, and that they need to preserve it. The fundraiser helped, but of course what’s more valuable is what will happen in the long run, with collaboration and a unified front.”
A future built on trust
It’s a scary place these days. Revenue was dwindling before the pandemic, and the rise of armchair journalists has hamstrung the industry with fake news, Baim said.
In 2019, the Chicago Defender closed its legacy print paper and the weekly Latinx paper Hoy has been shut down by the Tribune.
“We knew before COVID that journalism wasn’t in the best shape in Chicago,” Dominguez said. “A lot of newsrooms are closing – a lot of papers we really admired. We knew we had to do something about it.”
Baim said she’s relieved that, thus far, no CIMA member has had to close its doors or cease production.
Meyerson said media outlets, large ones in particular, have long used the term right-sizing – “which means layoffs, basically,” he said – but like it or not, it’s reality. What’s yet to be seen is what that right size is for the media landscape at large.
“Is it going to be the big companies shrinking, or the small companies growing?” Meyerson said. “This is an opportunity for small, digital organizations to grow. That’s what I love about this campaign. This was a chance for those small organizations to grow. And for the bigger organizations, like the Reader, their audiences can be convinced to get involved monetarily in ways they weren’t before.”
“The fundraiser gives hope for news outlets like ours,” Lee said. “It was completely built on trust. And we don’t even know each other, but we have the same mission.”
“The communities that are most affected, their papers tell a unique story, in an authentic way than the mainstream has never been able to do,” Baim said. “I’m an evangelist for local media of any kind. It could be the only paper in a rural area, or a paper that serves the black, Asain or LGBTQ community. The papers are part of their ecosystem.”
Baim said evidence of fast-built trust is encouraging, given that the alliance was spearheaded by the Reader specifically.
“It’s kind of an odd duck when an alliance is created by one of its members, to have one paper raising money for another paper,” she said. “But we all needed to survive. We need each other.”
The power of good
Baim said feel-good stories do more than make readers … well … feel good. She said showcasing the hard work businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals are putting in to better their communities creates a contagious buzz of good will. And having local media eager to preach the gospel of good not only engenders trust, it strengthens all parties involved.
“We don’t just tell the stories when they’re bad. We tell the stories when they’re good,” Baim said. “When you tell a story about a business, a nonprofit, there are many residual benefits to that. You develop partnerships and allies.”
Dominguez is proud, but not satisfied with the alliance’s immediate success.
“This has been attempted many times in the past, alliances of this sort in Chicago media,” she said. “Now we have a lot of public attention. CIMA is such a baby project right now, and the fundraiser put us in the public eye. Two months ago, only the Chicago Reader and member outlets knew about the alliance.”
A key goal going forward is to create a pooled journalism fund featuring multiple funding streams, including public and private foundations, private donors, and government.
More than half of the alliance’s members are unable to offer insurance to their full-time employees, so a pooled insurance fund for Chicago-area journalists – full-timers and freelancers alike – is in the works.
“We have way bigger goals for 2021,” Dominguez said. “This is just the beginning.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 2, 2024 Contact Information: Illinois Region 3: Mutual Aid Team Dr. Patrick M. Twomey 309-229-9093 c4ol.twomey@gmail.com
United States Rural School Safety Project: Conducting a first of its kind, full scale regional response parent-student reunification exercise
MACOMB, Illinois – The Illinois Region 3: Mutual Aid Team will conduct a full-scale regional response reunification exercise at Western Illinois University on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. The exercise will commence at 11:30 a.m. Parents, media outlets, and exercise participants will be stationed in Q lot directly east of Western Hall located on University Drive. There will be electronic signage directing all media outlets to a predetermined staging area. Separate signage will direct parents to their appropriate parking location, while dignitaries and invited observers will go directly to the Emergency Operations Center located at the east end of Q lot just in front of Tanner Hall. The goal is to reunite approximately 430 students with their parents or guardians between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. In addition, there are a significant number of state, county, and local personnel and organizations practicing and participating in this exercise. Organizations include local, county, and state law enforcement, hospitals, fire departments, emergency services, disaster agencies, State Police K-9 Unit, Salvation Army, and the American Red Cross, as well as others. The United States Rural School Safety Project was created to assist rural schools in tabletop exercise trainings and the formation of regional mutual aid teams. The tabletop exercises are designed to improve each individual school district’s crisis responses, while additional trainings create a prepared regional response to any district experiencing a catastrophic event. The Illinois Region 3 Team has been training together for more than two years. A calm and organized reunification process after a critical school incident is paramount and marks the beginning of the recovery phase. Parents, students, staff members, and the community at large must be assured that a well-designed plan in conjunction with a highly trained team is ready and prepared to respond at all times.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 1, 2024 Contact Information: Sherry Sejnost, program chair irc@illinoisreadingcouncil.org
ILLINOIS READS! A Reading State of Mind www.illinoisreads.org and www.illinoisreadingcouncil.org www.facebook.com/IllinoisReads www.twitter.com/IllinoisReads #IllinoisReads #IRCReads Illinois Reading Council's 2025 Illinois Reads book list will be featured at the IRC Conference on March 13-14, 2025, and the Illinois Reads Book Festival on April 26, 2025
The Illinois Reading Council (IRC) has just released the list of Illinois Reads books for 2025. Illinois Reads is a statewide program that promotes reading for all Illinois citizens. The program promotes six books in six different age bands by authors and illustrators who have ties to Illinois. The books range from read-to books for infants to books for adult readers. Bookmarks and posters highlighting the Illinois Reads books will be available in early 2025. Order early as supplies are limited! The Illinois Reads Program will be featured at the annual IRC Conference in Springfield on March 13-14, 2025. Conference registration is now open for educators, librarians, and others interested in promoting literacy. The 2025 Illinois Reads Program will also be featured at the Illinois Reads Book Festival in Jacksonville on April 26, 2025. Readers throughout Illinois are invited to this free family event. Visit our websites to find out about other upcoming Illinois Reads events.
The Illinois Reads book selections for 2025 are: Birth-4 Can You Dance Like a Peacock? by Rekha S. Rajan Hide-and-Seek by Molly Cranch Moms Can Do It All! by Ted Maass Sleepy: Surprising Ways Animals Snooze by Jennifer Ward Painting the Sky with Love: A Celebration of Love and Community by Mary E. Haque Play Outside with Me by Kat Chen K-2 Bats Beneath the Bridge by Janet Nolan Love Grows by Ruth Spiro Somebody Needs to Do Something About That Monster! by Doug Cenko The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Everything by Nadia Ahmed The Heartbeat Drum: The Story of Carol Powder, Cree Drummer and Activist by Deidre Havrelock and illustrated by Aphelandra Umami by Jacob Grant 3-5 Cloud Puppy by Kelly Leigh Miller Detective Sweet Pea: The Case of the Golden Bone by Sara Varon It Belongs to the World: Frederick Banting and the Discovery of Insulin by Lisa Katzenberger Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain God by Karla Arenas Valenti One Cool Duck #1: King of Cool by Mike Petrik The Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasure by Barb Rosenstock 6-8 Forget-Me-Not Blue by Sharelle Byars Moranville I Felt Myself Slipping by Ray Nadine Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi Rare Birds by Jeff Miller Stage Fright by Wendy Parris The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt 9-12 American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky by Sherri L. Smith and Elizabeth Wein Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao Last On His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century by Youssef Daoudi and Adrian Matejka This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed This Night Is Ours by Ronni Davis We Shall Be Monsters: A Novel by Alyssa Wees Adult By Water Beneath the Walls: The Rise of the Navy SEALs by Benjamin H. Milligan Star Wars Dad Jokes: The Best Worst Jokes and Puns from a Galaxy Far, Far Away . . . . by Kelly Knox and illustrated by Johnny Sampson The Best Lies by David Ellis The Great Divide: A Novel by Cristina Henriquez The Wheel of the Year: An Illustrated Guide to Nature’s Rhythms by Fiona Cook Woe: A Housecat’s Story of Despair: (A Graphic Novel) by Lucy Knisley
A special title for 2025 will also be A Love Letter to My Library by Lisa Katzenberger. Illinois Reads is a statewide literacy program provided by the Illinois Reading Council, a nonprofit organization with nearly 2,000 members across Illinois. The mission of the Illinois Reading Council is to provide support and leadership to all who promote and teach lifelong literacy. Book lists from 2013 to 2025 may be found on the Illinois Reads website. For more information, visit our websites at www.IllinoisReads.org and www.IllinoisReadingCouncil.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 1, 2024 Contact Information: Alison Maley, government and public relations director Phone: 217-299-3122 alison@ilprincipals.org
Illinois Principals Association to host 'Legacy Builders' Conference in October
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - The Illinois Principals Association (IPA) will host its 53rd Education Leaders Annual Conference, “Legacy Builders,” Oct. 20-22, 2024, in Peoria. The event will feature keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities to help school leaders enhance their impact on schools and communities. 2024-2025 IPA President Cris Edwards shared, “We’re excited to welcome Illinois school leaders to this year’s conference, offering inspiring speakers and opportunities to celebrate the legacy they bring to their schools.” The conference kicks off Sunday with a golf tournament, committee meetings, and a welcome reception honoring past IPA presidents. Keynote speakers include: Dr. Stanley Leone, Jr., CEO of This Side of Hope, will open Monday with his session “The HeArt of Teaching and The Science of Relationships.” Dr. Leone will share his personal journey from a traumatic childhood to success, emphasizing how relationships within schools transformed his life. A Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and award-winning speaker, Dr. Leone has shared his story with more than a million people. Cris Edwards, 2024-2025 IPA president and Dr. Jason Leahy, IPA executive director, will speak Monday afternoon. IPA Awards for Excellence, Herman Graves Award, Reaching Out & Building Bridges Award, and the Mr. John Ourth & Dr. Fred W. Singleton Professional Development Scholarships will also be presented at this session. Monica Genta, author and educator, will deliver a keynote Tuesday morning titled “180 Days of Awesome – Celebrating Every Day of Education.” With 14 years of teaching experience, Genta will inspire leaders to turn each school day into an exciting adventure. She is the author of five books, including “180 Days of Awesome,” and is a National Board Certified Teacher. Illinois State Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders will speak on Tuesday, addressing the state of education in Illinois and sharing insights with school leaders. Additionally, Tuesday’s IGNITE session will feature fast-paced presentations from notable principals, including Allan Davenport (Granger Middle School), Dr. Lisa Carlos (Plainfield Elementary School), Charles Williams (Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet High School), and IPA President-Elect Dr. Angie Codron (Normal West High School). Each will share their unique perspectives on school leadership in 5-minute bursts. The conference will conclude with IPA Deputy Executive Director Brian Schwartz and Government Relations Director Alison Maley providing updates on new education-related laws passed during the 2024 Illinois Legislative Session, offering insights on how school leaders can stay informed and advocate for their schools. For more information about the IPA or to register to attend, please visit ilprincipals.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30, 2024 Contact Information: Alison Maley, government and public relations director Phone: 217-299-3122 alison@ilprincipals.org
Illinois Principals Association encourages principal appreciation in October
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – The Illinois Principals Association (IPA) encourages communities to celebrate Principal Appreciation Week October 20-26, 2024, and Principal Appreciation Day on October 25 to highlight the dedication of principals, assistant principals, and deans. This annual recognition has been recognized by Illinois governors since 1990. October is also National Principals Month, supported by the IPA, National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and the American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA). Cris Edwards, IPA president and principal of Richland County Elementary School in Olney, shared: “Whether this is a principal’s very first year, last year, or somewhere in the middle, Illinois is celebrating these leaders for all they do for children. As ‘legacy builders’ we are constantly mentoring others; helping students to find their voice or their career path, supporting paraprofessionals who want to return to school to become a teacher, and encouraging teachers that are thinking about becoming an administrator. Thank you to all the leaders across Illinois for your unwavering commitment and for building a legacy that will inspire generations to come. I am excited to thank you and celebrate you during National Principals Month!” “This year, we celebrate our state’s school leaders for what they do – build a lasting legacy with those they serve,” said Dr. Jason Leahy, IPA executive director. “These courageous individuals lead their learning organizations with optimism, humility, vision, perseverance, and a deep commitment to do what is best for their students. Both research and common sense tell us how critical these servants are to positively influence young people, teachers, and communities. For this, they deserve our respect and gratitude.” IPA invites teachers, students, parents, and community members to show appreciation for school leaders on October 25.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 23, 2024 Contact Information: Becky Jansen, senior vice president Phone: 217-821-6036 becky@paycourt.com
PayCourt named one of 2024 Best Workplaces in Illinois
PayCourt, a government collections company, has been named one of the Best Workplaces in Illinois for 2024. The company earned a 97% overall score in the workplace assessment. The Best Workplaces in Illinois award is based on an employer questionnaire and employee engagement survey. It examines workplace indicators such as leadership, culture, satisfaction, work environment, training and overall engagement. "We're incredibly proud of this recognition as it's extremely rare for a collection agency to have ever won this award," said Rick Bonitzer, CEO of PayCourt. "Since 2010, we've focused on making our employees the cornerstone of our success, and this award highlights our commitment to fostering a thriving workplace." PayCourt has won the Best Places to Work in Collections award every year since 2019. With more than 900 reviews, the company proudly maintains a 4.9 out of 5.0 Google rating and has also been honored with the Better Business Bureau’s prestigious Torch Award for Ethics. "Our approach has always been to be large enough to ensure maximum results, yet small enough to provide personalized service to every client," Bonitzer said. PayCourt provides government collections for cities, counties, courts, districts, municipalities and parishes; court-related collections for fines, court fees and tickets; and consulting services for Illinois Circuit Court Clerks. For more information, visit www.PayCourt.com. About PayCourt: Re-established under new ownership in 2010, PayCourt blends a digital-first strategy with in-depth courthouse operational expertise, delivering a fully reimagined approach to government collections. The company serves clients across more than three-quarters of Illinois counties, as well as in Indiana and municipal courts in Louisiana. About Best Companies Group: Best Companies Group is an independent research firm that identifies outstanding workplaces through evaluation processes.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 2, 2024 Press Release Contact Information: Damon Schuldt rescue14me@yahoo.com
Illinois Fire Service Conference coming soon
The Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts (IAFPD) and the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association (IFCA) are pleased to announce their combined conference at the Peoria Civic Center on Sept. 15-18, 2024. Titled the Illinois Fire Service Conference (IFSC), this event spans four days and includes a memorial service honoring fallen firefighters and friends of the fire service, numerous educational classes including nationally know keynote speakers, a large vendor exhibit showcasing equipment and services while supporting the event, along with social networking opportunities, just to name a few. “If you are involved in the fire service in any way, this conference is for you” states Damon Schuldt, IAFPD board member and IFSC Conference co-chair. The IFCA will also host its annual Officer installation Dinner and President’s Reception on Tuesday evening. Added again this year will be opportunities to obtain Emergency Medical continuing education credits and pension board training hours. Ray Larson, deputy fire chief and IFSC Conference co-chair said “Months of planning by many dedicated people has come together to bring high quality educational programs to fire service professionals.” For additional information and to register for the conference, please visit IAFPD.org or illinoisfirechiefs.org The IFSC is a collaborative event sponsored by the IAFPD and the IFCA.
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