💻 From Under the El
How ‘bout that wind today, huh? If you haven’t gone out to rescue your trash cans, you might want to do that now.
Meanwhile, let’s talk about the Second City. Chicago earned that nickname because it’s a place that loves a comeback — a second act. That’s the common thread in a lot of today’s stories: students, immigrants, a daring rescue, and a family literally rebuilding after a disaster. Sometimes life requires starting over, but this is a pretty good place to do it, if you ask me. Happy Friday, Chicago. Let’s get to some good news.
⏰ tl;dr
A Chicago nonprofit delivers real results for community college students: higher graduation rates and $14K higher wages
A woman was rescued from her sinking car after a police officer cut her seatbelt and pulled her from the vehicle
The Shamrock Shuffle returns to Grant Park next weekend, kicking off Chicago’s spring running season
🌻 What’s Going Right In Chicago Today
🚓 Officer rescues woman from sinking car in Hoffman Estates
Quick action by a Hoffman Estates police officer saved a woman trapped inside a vehicle that had plunged into a retention pond.
Late Wednesday afternoon, emergency crews were called to NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates after a car ended up in a retention pond south of the parking lot. When police arrived, they found the vehicle already sinking with an unresponsive driver still inside. A male passenger had managed to escape the water, but the driver remained trapped in the car.
An officer reached the vehicle, now fully submerged, and cut the woman’s seat belt to free her. Officers then pulled her to shore and immediately began CPR and lifesaving care until paramedics arrived. Officials said both the driver and passenger were in stable condition after the accident.
🌪 Neighbors come together to rebuild after violent EF3 tornado
An Aroma Park couple is already moving forward after a powerful tornado destroyed their home and much of their neighborhood.
Rebuilding efforts are underway after an EF3 tornado destroyed homes in Kankakee, Aroma Park, and surrounding areas on Wednesday night. Allen and Brenda Gray had lived in their Aroma Park neighborhood for 17 years before it was destroyed above them while they hid in the basement.
When the storm passed, Allen climbed upstairs to assess the damage and found the house split open in multiple places. Yet even standing in the wreckage, the couple managed to keep their sense of humor.
I was telling my husband I wanted to knock out a few walls and add a couple of spaces, enlarge my kitchen. So, I guess we get to do that at this point.
For now they’re staying in hotels while searching for temporary housing. But one decision has already been made: They’re rebuilding on the same lot. They said they love their community and neighborhood, and after nearly two decades, they aren’t going anywhere.
💃 A Chicago reporter is dancing for her grandmother (and breast cancer research)
A Navy Pier fundraiser will raise money for breast cancer research while honoring the memory of a beloved Chicago grandmother.
CBS Chicago reporter Sabrina Franza will take the stage this week at Navy Pier for the annual Dancing with the Chicago Celebrities fundraiser. This year’s performance carries special meaning. Franza is dancing in honor of her grandmother, Maria, the “Nonna” who filled family gatherings with music and dancing before passing away last year after battling multiple forms of stage 4 cancer.
Franza chose to perform to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” one of her grandmother’s favorite songs. She even learned to sew so she could tailor her own costume, honoring another part of her grandmother’s legacy as a seamstress.
The event raises funds for breast cancer research, but for Franza the night is also something else: a chance to celebrate the person who taught her that dancing in the kitchen counts just as much as dancing on a stage.
🤝 Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Image credit: Casa Cactus / Google Maps
Casa Cactus: A café that became a community safe space
When immigration enforcement actions ramped up across Chicago last year, Ozzy Gámez was tempted to keep a low profile. Instead, he kept the doors open.
Gámez, the co-owner of Casa Cactus Café in Albany Park, built the space to be more than a coffee shop. It was meant to feel like a community living room. And during a tense period for many immigrant families, that’s exactly what it became.
Gámez said the experience reminded him how powerful community solidarity can be — especially when fear tries to creep in.
🎓 A Chicago program is changing what community college looks like
Students supported by the Chicago nonprofit One Million Degrees are graduating more often and earning about $14,000 more on average after finishing school.
When Tiara Davis returned to school at Kennedy-King College in Englewood, the plan was simple: earn a certificate and move on. She had already left college once before and wasn’t looking to get deeply involved on campus.
Then she connected with One Million Degrees, a Chicago nonprofit that partners with City Colleges to support community college students through mentoring, financial assistance, career coaching, and academic support.
That support changed Davis’s trajectory. Instead of leaving with a certificate, she’s now preparing to graduate this May with an associate degree in computer science and plans to transfer to pursue a bachelor’s degree, something she says wasn’t even on her radar when she started.
That was not in the plan at all, but it was due to resources like this that made me see that, ‘Hey, there might be something further.’
A new study from the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab shows stories like hers aren’t unusual. Students who participate in the program are significantly more likely to earn their degrees and tend to make about $14,000 more in wages after graduating.
🗓️ Eye On the Chi
Dancing With Chicago Celebrities 2026
See local celebrities cut a rug as they raise money for cancer research.
When: March 13, 5:30 p.m.
Where: AON Grand Ballroom Navy Pier
Women’s History Month at Humboldt Park
Celebrate Women’s History Month with a resource fair, a free film screening, and more.
When: March 19, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Humboldt Park
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Till next time,
Good News, Chicago
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