Author | Lightnews

15 West @15west.org · 2d

Owner Kalkidan “Kalki” Tesfaye has created more than a coffee shop; she’s built a living room for the neighborhood, where world music drifts through conversation and coffee is brewed with intention.

An aerial close-up of a salted caramel latte with a heart latte art and a cortado on a deep brown tinted table inside a coffee shop called Addis Cafe.

A close up of a variety of indoor plants.

A close-up of two stacks of books and a table top game. One book atop one of the smaller stacks reads “The Atlas of Beauty”.

#15WestNews #CTA #Accessibility #ChicagoTransit #GreenLine

15 West @15west.org · 2d

One Google search led us to a coffee shop that feels like home.

In part one of our new series, #EatingOurWayHome, we visit #AddisCafe — a West Suburban café where Ethiopian tradition meets community turned family.

Owner Kalkidan “Kalki” Tesfaye of Addis Cafe

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15 West @15west.org · 16d

15 West @15west.org · 16d

Full story:
www.15west.org/austin-stati...

✍🏼/📸 Arturo Fernandez

Austin station construction forces riders to walk extra block

Months of construction test commuters' patience as $25 million accessibility project continues

15 West @15west.org · 16d

“Is there no possible way to finish this work faster?” said Amari M., a commuter who frequents the Austin Station.

Once construction concludes, the station would benefit all residents, regardless of mobility.

From the bottom of the stairs leading to the top of the Green Line's Austin station platform, a man is seen walking up

Closed entrance of the Green Line’s Austin station in Chicago.

A bald man carries a scooter in his right hand as he boards an L train.

15 West @15west.org · 16d

Accessibility, at whose expense?

Riders have navigated a detour stemming from @chicagocta.bsky.social’s closure of the Austin station.

The updates are long overdue, but commuters relying on the Green Line have experienced lengthened daily trips since June.

Swipe ⬆️ for the TLDR.

#CTAChicago #GreenLine
#AccessibilityMatters
#ChicagoTransit #15WestNews #Equity

15 West @15west.org · 16d

15 West @15west.org · 16d

Head here for the full story:
www.15west.org/austin-stati...

✍🏼/📸 Arturo Fernandez

Austin station construction forces riders to walk extra block

Months of construction test commuters' patience as $25 million accessibility project continues

15 West @15west.org · 16d

“Is there no possible way to finish this work faster?” said Amari M., a commuter who frequents the Austin Station.

Once construction concludes, the station would benefit all residents, regardless of mobility.

A bald man carries a scooter in his right hand, as he boards the L train.

Forgotten to flourishing: Heritage students transform school garden

15 West @15west.org · Sep 30

Head here for the full sweet story:

www.15west.org/forgotten-to...

✍🏼Maya Swan-Sullivan

Social Pics: @nabeelawashington.com

#15West #UrbanFarming #Education #Youth

Heritage Middle School students are learning that food doesn't just come from grocery stores; it grows from soil, seeds, and hard work in their seven-bed community garden.

Forgotten to flourishing: Heritage students transform school garden

15 West @15west.org · Sep 30

From sixth to eighth grade, students learn the science of growing food and the power of community. “We need food,” shared eighth grader Lucas Prankus, summing it up simply.

With creativity and resourcefulness, they’re redefining urban farming, growing in buckets, pots, and whatever they can find.

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15 West @15west.org · Sep 30

Access shouldn’t be a barrier to growing something good.

Six years ago, Sister Sharon Dillon saw only weeds where garden beds should be.

Today, those same beds are thriving—thanks to her science students at Berwyn South 100’s Heritage Middle School.

Heritage Middle School students are learning that food doesn't just come from grocery stores; it grows from soil, seeds, and hard work in their seven-bed community garden.

In the first of three parts, a photo essay explores how Chicago's West Side communities insist on presence and dignity in the face of displacement, revealing the persistence of life where others see o...

15 West @15west.org · Sep 16

Head here to enjoy:

www.15west.org/we-were-here/

✍🏽📸: Genesis Falls

We Were Here

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15 West @15west.org · Sep 16

In the first of three parts, her photo essay #WeWereHere explores how Chicago’s West Side communities insist on presence and dignity in the face of displacement, revealing the persistence of life where others see only absence.

A man rests on a Chicago Transit Authority train car, late evening. | Genesis Falls/15 West

A woman feeds, watches pigeons near a West Side street corner, downtown skyline in distance. | Genesis Falls/15 West

15 West @15west.org · Sep 16

Displacement is often described only through the absence of housing, of resources, of security.

“But when I look through the viewfinder, I see something else: the persistence of life,” writes Genesis Falls.

A young man smokes under a transit overpass. | Genesis Falls/15 West

Media Literacy 101: From Resident to Journalist

15 West @15west.org · Sep 10

LIMITED SPACE, REGISTER NOW:

events.humanitix.com/media-litera...

Offered through 15 West, this introductory workshop equips local residents with essential media skills to become confident, informed storytellers.

events.humanitix.com

15 West @15west.org · Sep 10

Kicking off on Sept 13 is our FREE 3-week media training!

Learn to decode misinformation, engage critically with media, and publish your own stories on 15West.org.

Attend all 3 sessions to qualify for paid reporting on Chicago’s West Side.

Open to anyone interested in community journalism!

Promotional flyer for “Media Literacy 101: From Resident to Journalist.” Features a person using media tools—microphone, camera, laptop—surrounded by colorful shapes. Text highlights free virtual trainings on Sept 13, 20, and 27, 11:00 AM–12:30 PM, for storytellers of all abilities. Logos for 15West.org, Cook County Government, and City Bureau appear at the bottom, along with a QR code for more info.

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15 West @15west.org · Sep 3

The restaurant has long been known as a welcoming space for everyone in the neighborhood, with many regulars referring to the owner as “Grandma Irma” for her warmth and generosity.

✍🏽: NaBeela Washington (@nabeelawashington.com) & Zoë Takaki

📸: NaBeela Washington

www.15west.org/grandma-irma...

Grandma Irma's Cocina Feeds Everyone

After 36 years as a waitress, Irma Ceballos opened her own Mexican restaurant in Little Village, where family recipes and unconditional hospitality have made her a neighborhood pillar.

15 West @15west.org · Sep 3

The restaurant has a wide range of customers, from teachers and students from the neighboring school (Little Village Lawndale High School), to warehouse workers, to retired neighbors.

www.15west.org/grandma-irma...

A staff member looks at a ticket; text is right aligned to describe Irma’s compassion, even in the face of ICE

15 West @15west.org · Sep 3

From selling homemade barbacoa from her kitchen to opening her own restaurant, Irma Ceballos has created a neighborhood pillar where family recipes meet unconditional hospitality.

Steak over scrambled eggs over a verde sauce

A full plate featuring the Mexican staple barbacoa, rice, beans, and a side of marinated vegetables, like carrots.

Grandma Irma's Cocina Feeds Everyone

15 West @15west.org · Sep 3

At La Cocina de Irma in Little Village, “Grandma Irma” feeds everyone—no matter what language they speak or how much money they have.

⬇️ Swipe for the TLDR or head here to read more: www.15west.org/grandma-irma...

After 36 years as a waitress, Irma Ceballos opened her own Mexican restaurant in Little Village, where family recipes and unconditional hospitality have made her a neighborhood pillar.

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15 West @15west.org · Aug 21

Written by: NaBeela Washington @nabeelawashington.com & Kristian Parker

Art by Kyra Davenport via @luckyjefferson.com

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15 West @15west.org · Aug 21

Enough time has passed—let’s talk Summer Smash.

The energy and performances from Lyrical Lemonade’s festival still linger through Chicago’s hip-hop scene.

Head here to read our reflection: www.15west.org/summer-smash...

A drawn person floats in a body of water over the words “Summer Smash Brought the Heat”

15 West @15west.org · Aug 1

This data-driven tool was developed with Northwestern's Buffett Institute (buffett.northwestern.edu) and a variety of community partners.

Still, environmental community activists and residents question the city's ability to support those most vulnerable to the effects of a warmer climate.

Rachel Williams, a Black Chicago doula and activist, shares her experiences on heat and policing with the audience as a resident and panelist.

Right: Mayor Brandon Johnson arrives at Columbus Park Refectory; Northwestern’s Dr. Jennifer Chan presents data from the forthcoming Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI), highlighting communities with elevated risk of heat-related deaths. The data shows that areas most vulnerable to hot and humid days—particularly during heat waves—are concentrated on Chicago’s South and West Sides. Left: Angela Tovar, Commissioner and Chief Sustainability Officer at the City of Chicago’s Department of Environment welcoming Brandon Johnson.

Residents, city officials, and community organizations, come together to address extreme heat.

A man in a bright orange tee, Reverend Booker Vance, presents a question for panelists.