🌱 Gyrls In The H.O.O.D. Tackles Period Poverty + PD Warns Community

Hi all. It's me, Kaytlyn Mroz, your host of the Chicago Patch newsletter. Let's get this weekend started off right, with a quick dive into everything you need to know about what's going on in town.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and not as cold. High: 41 Low: 33.

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Here are the top three stories today in Chicago:

1. Gyrls in the H.O.O.D. Foundation is an organization that aims to end period poverty by providing menstrual products to those who cannot afford them. The group distributes these products at its new center on East 71st Street. By addressing this issue, the organization hopes to empower young girls and women and help them avoid the social and financial repercussions of lacking access to menstrual products. (WBEZ Chicago)
2. Illinois State Police is warning residents to remain vigilant after neo-Nazi groups have promoted a "National Day of Hate" on social media. The Chicago police issued the same type of warning to the Jewish community and other religious communities. Police have stated that they take such threats seriously and will not tolerate any acts of hate or violence. They are urging anyone who sees suspicious activity or behavior to report it immediately. (NBC Chicago)
3. The family of a Chicago teenager is searching for answers after their son was found dead in a field in Montana on Feb. 10. Jalen Williams, 18, was found face down with no clothes on outside of the small Montana town he had recently moved to, according to a family member. The family is asking the public to provide any information that could help solve the case. (NBC Chicago)

Today in Chicago:

• Family Event Black History Month At Chicago History Museum (11:00 AM)
• Dozin' With The Dinos At Field Museum (5:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• SNAP food benefits will end nationwide beginning Mar. 1, 2023. Around hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents will lose these benefits starting next month. (FOX 32 Chicago)
• Are you looking to fill your social calendar this weekend? Check out this list of things to do off the beaten path in and around Chicago at the link! (Travel Off Path)
• Say it ain't so! Corner Bakery Cafe, the fast-casual eatery, recently filed for bankruptcy protection. (Subscription: Crain's Chicago Business)

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Featured events:

• Love Triangles - Music of Clara & Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms (February 25)
• Paralegal Studies Information Session (February 28)
• Block Cinema: FOG LINE (1970) and HORIZONS (1973) with filmmaker Larry Gottheim (March 1)
• Emotional Intelligence for Leaders (March 2)
• Block Cinema: ONE IMAGE, TWO ACTS (2020) with filmmaker Sanaz Sohrabi (March 3)
• Financial Planning Certificate Information Session (March 8)
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That's it for today! I'll see you around.

— Kaytlyn Mroz

About me: Kaytlyn Mroz is a copywriter at Lightning Media Partners – a content creation agency. She is a Rowan University graduate where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in writing. Outside of work, Kaytlyn is a dog mom to a boglen terrier named Finn and a golden retriever named Willow.