Latest news with #KarinaGarcia
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Interview with ODU police after recent shooting
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — 10 On Your Side Karina Garcia is speaking with ODU Police Chief Garrett Shelton after the Wednesday shooting incident. NPD: 2 dead following shooting at ODU's campus Two people were killed after being shot in a parking lot on West 49th Street in the area of Broderick Dining Commons on the Old Dominion University campus, Norfolk and ODU police said. ODU President Hemphill released the following statement after the shooting: Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:Late yesterday, there was a campus incident that resulted in life-threatening injuries to two individuals. An immediate alert was sent with subsequent updates in the hours following the incident. As the City of Norfolk Police Department continues its investigation, additional information will be shared once available. The University is aware of misinformation being shared both on campus and in the community. Individuals are encouraged to rely on official information issued by the City of Norfolk Police Department, as well as formal University no Old Dominion University students, faculty, or staff were injured, this incident certainly impacts our community. Please keep those impacted in your thoughts and prayers. Also, please accept our sincere appreciation for your patience and understanding during this evolving situation. To support our campus community, walk-in counseling is available throughout the day in the Student Recreation and Well-Being Center. For students, the Office of Counseling Services is hosting a Let's Talk About It virtual support group from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM today with registration available on MonarchGroups. For faculty and staff, the Employee Assistance Program is available and accessible at the safety of our campus is a top priority, the Old Dominion University Police Department is deeply committed to protecting all Monarchs and ensuring a safe learning, living, and working environment at all times. We take this responsibility very seriously in close collaboration with local authorities and other critical partners. Without question, we remain committed and vigilant in our daily work and overall efforts both now and well into the O. Hemphill, More updates will be provided throughout the day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aurora mayoral candidates: Karina Garcia wants to show community representation in bid for mayor
Editor's Note: This is one in a series of stories looking at candidates for mayor of Aurora in the Feb. 25 primary election. Karina Garcia, the current president and CEO of the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is running for mayor. Early voting is currently available for the Feb. 25 primary election, which includes the Aurora mayoral primary. Also on the ballot for mayor of Aurora in the primary are incumbent Richard Irvin, Ald. John Laesch, Judd Lofchie, Ald. Ted Mesiacos and Jazmine Garcia, who recently suspended her campaign. Aurora residents will each get to vote for one mayoral candidate, and the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the Feb. 25 primary will move on to the April 1 general election. Each of the mayoral candidates agreed to an interview with The Beacon-News. During Karina Garcia's interview, she said that she was running to show the community that it can have representation in local government and that people don't have to be under leadership that is not focusing on their needs. Karina Garcia said she is different from other candidates because of her connection to the city's grassroots, which she said helps her better understand the community and come up with solutions. Garcia was originally born in Mexico City but immigrated to the area when she was 9 years old with her sister and parents. Primarily she grew up in West Chicago, where she also graduated high school, which she said was nice because a majority of people were Hispanic, so it was easy to find Mexican food and people who were bilingual. Immediately after high school, Garcia started attending the College of DuPage studying business, but she had to drop out to support herself and her children, she said. From there she worked a variety of jobs, eventually settling on Aurora's East Side in 2000, where she said she found a very different lifestyle than the one she had in West Chicago because of the shootings and gangs. 'To me, it was like, you only see that in movies,' Garcia said. 'But it was real life at that point.' The job she said that gave her the most experience was working for Dan Wolf Automotive Group, where she eventually found herself representing the company and networking with the various chambers of commerce in the area, she said. That's how Garcia said she was first introduced to the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which she 'fell in love with.' Her father had previously opened his own business, and she 'felt like my dad needed a lot of help,' so she was excited to see a group helping people like her father in their own language, she said. Garcia was looking for a career change to spend more time with her children around the same time that the executive director position for the chamber came open, she said, so she took the job even though it was a big pay cut. In 2016, Garcia left the chamber to open up her own business that helped people with their immigration paperwork, she said. Then, in 2017, she went to work for the city in the Community Services Department until 2021, she said. After leaving the city, Garcia went back to work for the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, this time as its president and CEO, a position she still serves in. There, she helps guide the chamber's efforts to provide services to local businesses, host workshops, connect businesses to resources and help them get licenses or permits, among other things, she said. The Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce did not merge with the other local chambers of commerce and other economic development-focused organizations into the recently-launched Aurora Regional Economic Alliance, in part because the Hispanic Chamber does not duplicate any services that were offered by the other organizations, according to Garcia. Plus, Garcia said the merger looked to her like the city just wanted more control over these organizations, and since the Hispanic Chamber often has to help businesses deal with the city, joining in the merger would have taken 'the voice away from the local businesses, and we wouldn't have been able to support them or stand up for them.' Her run for mayor this year is the first time Garcia has stepped into politics herself, but she said other candidates have often come to her when they campaign because of her connection to Aurora's grassroots. While other candidates in this race bring experience in politics, she brings relationships with local businesses and residents, she said. And, it's not just Hispanic businesses that she represents, according to Garcia. She said that she sits on a number of different local boards, and as mayor she would work with those organizations to find solutions for Aurora residents. It's long-term solutions that Garcia most wants to bring to the city, she said. While the city currently knows the community's needs and points them out, she said, there aren't any plans to address them long-term, especially for low-income families. Small businesses' needs must also be met with long-term solutions, but many businesses instead feel like they are being targeted by the city, according to Garcia. As an example, she pointed to the food truck ordinance, which she said she advocated against. She suggested that aldermen should each study their own ward to find out what problems exist. The city focuses too much on 'how great everything is going' and should instead be bringing up issues to fix them, she said. The second thing Garcia said she would want to do as mayor is to continue to work on filling empty buildings around the city, and not just in downtown. Also, Garcia would work to make it affordable for Aurora residents to stay here, especially seniors, by working on taxes and affordable housing, she said. Previously, Garcia and several other mayoral candidates had legal challenges to their spots on the ballot. While others were never taken off the ballot, Garcia was taken off at first through a decision by the Aurora Electoral Board, but that decision was later overturned by a Kane County Circuit Court judge and she was placed back on the ballot, according to past reporting. An appeal to that Kane County judge's decision was made, but Garcia told The Beacon-News during her recent interview that the Second District Appellate Court had sided with her and kept her on the ballot. The whole process was unfair, she said, because the mistake she made that caused the legal challenge was so minor. She believes that the legal challenge was actually a plan to force her to spend down campaign funds and keep her distracted, since it was hard for her to ask people to vote for her if she didn't even know if those votes would count, she said. rsmith@
Chicago Tribune
21-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Aurora mayoral candidates: Karina Garcia wants to show community representation in bid for mayor
Editor's Note: This is one in a series of stories looking at candidates for mayor of Aurora in the Feb. 25 primary election. Karina Garcia, the current president and CEO of the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is running for mayor. Early voting is currently available for the Feb. 25 primary election, which includes the Aurora mayoral primary. Also on the ballot for mayor of Aurora in the primary are incumbent Richard Irvin, Ald. John Laesch, Judd Lofchie, Ald. Ted Mesiacos and Jazmine Garcia, who recently suspended her campaign. Aurora residents will each get to vote for one mayoral candidate, and the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the Feb. 25 primary will move on to the April 1 general election. Each of the mayoral candidates agreed to an interview with The Beacon-News. During Karina Garcia's interview, she said that she was running to show the community that it can have representation in local government and that people don't have to be under leadership that is not focusing on their needs. Karina Garcia said she is different from other candidates because of her connection to the city's grassroots, which she said helps her better understand the community and come up with solutions. Garcia was originally born in Mexico City but immigrated to the area when she was 9 years old with her sister and parents. Primarily she grew up in West Chicago, where she also graduated high school, which she said was nice because a majority of people were Hispanic, so it was easy to find Mexican food and people who were bilingual. Immediately after high school, Garcia started attending the College of DuPage studying business, but she had to drop out to support herself and her children, she said. From there she worked a variety of jobs, eventually settling on Aurora's East Side in 2000, where she said she found a very different lifestyle than the one she had in West Chicago because of the shootings and gangs. 'To me, it was like, you only see that in movies,' Garcia said. 'But it was real life at that point.' The job she said that gave her the most experience was working for Dan Wolf Automotive Group, where she eventually found herself representing the company and networking with the various chambers of commerce in the area, she said. That's how Garcia said she was first introduced to the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which she 'fell in love with.' Her father had previously opened his own business, and she 'felt like my dad needed a lot of help,' so she was excited to see a group helping people like her father in their own language, she said. Garcia was looking for a career change to spend more time with her children around the same time that the executive director position for the chamber came open, she said, so she took the job even though it was a big pay cut. In 2016, Garcia left the chamber to open up her own business that helped people with their immigration paperwork, she said. Then, in 2017, she went to work for the city in the Community Services Department until 2021, she said. After leaving the city, Garcia went back to work for the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, this time as its president and CEO, a position she still serves in. There, she helps guide the chamber's efforts to provide services to local businesses, host workshops, connect businesses to resources and help them get licenses or permits, among other things, she said. The Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce did not merge with the other local chambers of commerce and other economic development-focused organizations into the recently-launched Aurora Regional Economic Alliance, in part because the Hispanic Chamber does not duplicate any services that were offered by the other organizations, according to Garcia. Plus, Garcia said the merger looked to her like the city just wanted more control over these organizations, and since the Hispanic Chamber often has to help businesses deal with the city, joining in the merger would have taken 'the voice away from the local businesses, and we wouldn't have been able to support them or stand up for them.' Her run for mayor this year is the first time Garcia has stepped into politics herself, but she said other candidates have often come to her when they campaign because of her connection to Aurora's grassroots. While other candidates in this race bring experience in politics, she brings relationships with local businesses and residents, she said. And, it's not just Hispanic businesses that she represents, according to Garcia. She said that she sits on a number of different local boards, and as mayor she would work with those organizations to find solutions for Aurora residents. It's long-term solutions that Garcia most wants to bring to the city, she said. While the city currently knows the community's needs and points them out, she said, there aren't any plans to address them long-term, especially for low-income families. Small businesses' needs must also be met with long-term solutions, but many businesses instead feel like they are being targeted by the city, according to Garcia. As an example, she pointed to the food truck ordinance, which she said she advocated against. She suggested that aldermen should each study their own ward to find out what problems exist. The city focuses too much on 'how great everything is going' and should instead be bringing up issues to fix them, she said. The second thing Garcia said she would want to do as mayor is to continue to work on filling empty buildings around the city, and not just in downtown. Also, Garcia would work to make it affordable for Aurora residents to stay here, especially seniors, by working on taxes and affordable housing, she said. Previously, Garcia and several other mayoral candidates had legal challenges to their spots on the ballot. While others were never taken off the ballot, Garcia was taken off at first through a decision by the Aurora Electoral Board, but that decision was later overturned by a Kane County Circuit Court judge and she was placed back on the ballot, according to past reporting. An appeal to that Kane County judge's decision was made, but Garcia told The Beacon-News during her recent interview that the Second District Appellate Court had sided with her and kept her on the ballot. The whole process was unfair, she said, because the mistake she made that caused the legal challenge was so minor. She believes that the legal challenge was actually a plan to force her to spend down campaign funds and keep her distracted, since it was hard for her to ask people to vote for her if she didn't even know if those votes would count, she said.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Aurora mayoral candidates share their views on city issues at forum
Aurora mayoral candidates, all except incumbent Richard Irvin, shared their viewpoints on a variety of questions ranging in topic from ethical behavior to working with small businesses at Thursday's League of Women Voters Aurora Area candidate forum. The mayoral primary election is set for Feb. 25. The forum, held at the Aurora Police Department on East Indian Trail, was attended by Aurora mayoral candidates Jazmine Garcia, Karina Garcia, John Laesch, Judd Lofchie and Ted Mesiacos. Irvin previously said he had a scheduling conflict that prevented him from attending, and that he had unsuccessfully tried to get the forum's date changed to work with his schedule. In the forum format, a moderator asks a question, then all candidates in attendance get a chance to give their answer before the moderator asks the next question. Candidates cannot directly respond to each other's answers like they would in a debate, and the audience is not allowed to applaud, cheer or boo for certain candidates. While a variety of topics were discussed during the nearly two-hour event — of which a recording can be found on the League of Women Voters Aurora Area Facebook page: — each candidates' answers along with opening and closing statements helped to build an overall picture of their campaigns and messaging. Jazmine Garcia was the first to speak at the event, following last-name alphabetical order. She said during her opening statement that, despite having a bachelor's and master's degree in urban planning, she personally has to rely on food stamps and Medicaid, is struggling to pay back her student loans and finds it 'impossible' to find affordable housing while 'do-nothing career politicians and developers fill their personal pockets.' Throughout her answers, Jazmine Garcia advocated for rent control and more affordable housing, including saying that she will 'abolish homelessness' in the city if elected, and suggested that vacant city-owned land could be used to build tiny houses for people experiencing homelessness. Another topic Jazmine Garcia brought up a number of times throughout her answers was ethical and civil behavior at the Aurora City Council. She suggested that all city officials should sign ethics and civility pledges, plus said she wanted to stop city politicians from taking campaign contributions from city vendors or others who do business with the city. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Jazmine Garcia said she loves how diverse Aurora is, but that those diverse communities do not feel welcome within the city currently. If elected, she would strive to make Aurora welcoming to all and would push to turn Aurora into a sanctuary city with clearer guidelines than those at the state level, she said. Karina Garcia, who herself was undocumented for a time after she came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 9, said undocumented people shouldn't feel scared to leave their homes, so she also supported the idea of Aurora becoming a sanctuary city. The city has a large Latino population, but people of other ethnicities are also undocumented here, she said. 'If they're here to work, and they're paying taxes, and they're providing for the community, and they're giving back, they should feel safe to be here in this city,' Karina Garcia said. Supporting Aurora residents over those who live outside the city was a common theme throughout Karina Garcia's answers, whether she was talking about turning downtown into an entertainment center, focused mainly on attracting Aurora residents, to creating housing that people in Aurora can afford rather than trying to attract buyers from outside the city. She is the part-owner of a house-flipping business that keeps its finished homes affordable for residents, she said. Karina Garcia is also the president and CEO of the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, so many of her answers also tied back to supporting local businesses. She pledged to make funding more streamlined for all businesses and to provide better resources to those looking to start a business within the city. John Laesch, who is currently one of the two at-large aldermen on the Aurora City Council, said he is running for mayor because it seems to him that there are 'two Auroras,' one that works 'incredibly well' for developers, campaign donors and the politically connected but another for 'the rest of us,' who have to 'play by the rules' by waiting for things like building permits and pay higher taxes to 'subsidize' the city's other side. He pledged that, if elected mayor, he would 'be a voice for all of us' by listening to residents and fighting for things like living-wage jobs, working-class housing, the environment and ethics reform. These themes were present in nearly all of Laesch's answers, from saying that financial incentives for large developments are driving up rent prices and that the city should instead invest in local businesses or those that could bring in living-wage jobs, to proposing a city-wide listening tour so all residents can hear his goals and share their concerns along with a newsletter to better communicate with residents. Laesch also said he wants to move the city more toward home ownership and away from apartments or other rentals. The city could tap into existing state and federal funding to help build more environmentally-friendly homes, he said. Judd Lofchie, an attorney and commercial developer who formerly sat on the Aurora City Council and currently sits on the East Aurora School Board, brought up in his comments how difficult it is to start a business in Aurora. He said he has helped around 50 businesses open, and permits sometimes take six to 12 months for approval when they should take two to three months, according to Lofchie. He said the city needs to be more business-friendly, give business more support and make things easier. Aurora also needs to do a better job at planning where it is going, such as with a master plan, Lofchie said. For instance, he said Aurora needs to figure out what types of businesses that stakeholders throughout the community actually want to see downtown, and the city needs to start looking at potentially finding sources of drinking water other than the Fox River as other cities along it consider removing their dams. Lofchie suggested that his proposed master plan would also consider affordable housing, which he said should be worked into the deals Aurora makes with residential developers. In exchange for the economic incentives the city would give to the development, the developer should be required to set aside a percentage of units as affordable housing, he said. Ted Mesiacos, who currently serves on the Aurora City Council as the 3rd Ward alderman, said Aurora's current stock of affordable housing is similar to nearby cities, so Aurora should 'be careful to avoid outpacing the towns around us in creating additional housing.' However, the city should look into partnering with builders to put new houses on empty residential lots the city currently owns by using existing federal funding, he said. Similar partnerships were proposed throughout Mesiacos' answers, such as a possible agreement with Aurora Township to expand its existing Ride in Kane transportation program. He also said the city should look into bringing back an Amtrak train station and Greyhound bus station to downtown. Aurora's downtown has seen 'short-term successes,' according to Mesiacos, and while he hopes it continues, the city needs to consider how it will move forward 'in an orderly fashion,' he said. Aurora's downtown, neighborhoods and parks need to have design standards, and the city needs to bring in a larger variety of developers to work on downtown projects rather than just the handful that currently do projects there, he said. Public safety was another common thread throughout many of Mesiacos' answers. He said that people and businesses need to feel safe, so police need to be more visible both at community meetings and in public places. Early voting began Jan. 16 for the primary election on Feb. 25, which includes the Aurora mayoral primary. The top two finishers in the mayoral primary will move on to the April 1 consolidated election. rsmith@
Chicago Tribune
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Aurora mayoral candidates share their views on city issues at forum
Aurora mayoral candidates, all except incumbent Richard Irvin, shared their viewpoints on a variety of questions ranging in topic from ethical behavior to working with small businesses at Thursday's League of Women Voters Aurora Area candidate forum. The mayoral primary election is set for Feb. 25. The forum, held at the Aurora Police Department on East Indian Trail, was attended by Aurora mayoral candidates Jazmine Garcia, Karina Garcia, John Laesch, Judd Lofchie and Ted Mesiacos. Irvin previously said he had a scheduling conflict that prevented him from attending, and that he had unsuccessfully tried to get the forum's date changed to work with his schedule. In the forum format, a moderator asks a question, then all candidates in attendance get a chance to give their answer before the moderator asks the next question. Candidates cannot directly respond to each other's answers like they would in a debate, and the audience is not allowed to applaud, cheer or boo for certain candidates. While a variety of topics were discussed during the nearly two-hour event — of which a recording can be found on the League of Women Voters Aurora Area Facebook page: — each candidates' answers along with opening and closing statements helped to build an overall picture of their campaigns and messaging. Jazmine Garcia was the first to speak at the event, following last-name alphabetical order. She said during her opening statement that, despite having a bachelor's and master's degree in urban planning, she personally has to rely on food stamps and Medicaid, is struggling to pay back her student loans and finds it 'impossible' to find affordable housing while 'do-nothing career politicians and developers fill their personal pockets.' Throughout her answers, Jazmine Garcia advocated for rent control and more affordable housing, including saying that she will 'abolish homelessness' in the city if elected, and suggested that vacant city-owned land could be used to build tiny houses for people experiencing homelessness. Another topic Jazmine Garcia brought up a number of times throughout her answers was ethical and civil behavior at the Aurora City Council. She suggested that all city officials should sign ethics and civility pledges, plus said she wanted to stop city politicians from taking campaign contributions from city vendors or others who do business with the city. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Jazmine Garcia said she loves how diverse Aurora is, but that those diverse communities do not feel welcome within the city currently. If elected, she would strive to make Aurora welcoming to all and would push to turn Aurora into a sanctuary city with clearer guidelines than those at the state level, she said. Karina Garcia, who herself was undocumented for a time after she came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 9, said undocumented people shouldn't feel scared to leave their homes, so she also supported the idea of Aurora becoming a sanctuary city. The city has a large Latino population, but people of other ethnicities are also undocumented here, she said. 'If they're here to work, and they're paying taxes, and they're providing for the community, and they're giving back, they should feel safe to be here in this city,' Karina Garcia said. Supporting Aurora residents over those who live outside the city was a common theme throughout Karina Garcia's answers, whether she was talking about turning downtown into an entertainment center, focused mainly on attracting Aurora residents, to creating housing that people in Aurora can afford rather than trying to attract buyers from outside the city. She is the part-owner of a house-flipping business that keeps its finished homes affordable for residents, she said. Karina Garcia is also the president and CEO of the Aurora Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, so many of her answers also tied back to supporting local businesses. She pledged to make funding more streamlined for all businesses and to provide better resources to those looking to start a business within the city. John Laesch, who is currently one of the two at-large aldermen on the Aurora City Council, said he is running for mayor because it seems to him that there are 'two Auroras,' one that works 'incredibly well' for developers, campaign donors and the politically connected but another for 'the rest of us,' who have to 'play by the rules' by waiting for things like building permits and pay higher taxes to 'subsidize' the city's other side. He pledged that, if elected mayor, he would 'be a voice for all of us' by listening to residents and fighting for things like living-wage jobs, working-class housing, the environment and ethics reform. These themes were present in nearly all of Laesch's answers, from saying that financial incentives for large developments are driving up rent prices and that the city should instead invest in local businesses or those that could bring in living-wage jobs, to proposing a city-wide listening tour so all residents can hear his goals and share their concerns along with a newsletter to better communicate with residents. Laesch also said he wants to move the city more toward home ownership and away from apartments or other rentals. The city could tap into existing state and federal funding to help build more environmentally-friendly homes, he said. Judd Lofchie, an attorney and commercial developer who formerly sat on the Aurora City Council and currently sits on the East Aurora School Board, brought up in his comments how difficult it is to start a business in Aurora. He said he has helped around 50 businesses open, and permits sometimes take six to 12 months for approval when they should take two to three months, according to Lofchie. He said the city needs to be more business-friendly, give business more support and make things easier. Aurora also needs to do a better job at planning where it is going, such as with a master plan, Lofchie said. For instance, he said Aurora needs to figure out what types of businesses that stakeholders throughout the community actually want to see downtown, and the city needs to start looking at potentially finding sources of drinking water other than the Fox River as other cities along it consider removing their dams. Lofchie suggested that his proposed master plan would also consider affordable housing, which he said should be worked into the deals Aurora makes with residential developers. In exchange for the economic incentives the city would give to the development, the developer should be required to set aside a percentage of units as affordable housing, he said. Ted Mesiacos, who currently serves on the Aurora City Council as the 3rd Ward alderman, said Aurora's current stock of affordable housing is similar to nearby cities, so Aurora should 'be careful to avoid outpacing the towns around us in creating additional housing.' However, the city should look into partnering with builders to put new houses on empty residential lots the city currently owns by using existing federal funding, he said. Similar partnerships were proposed throughout Mesiacos' answers, such as a possible agreement with Aurora Township to expand its existing Ride in Kane transportation program. He also said the city should look into bringing back an Amtrak train station and Greyhound bus station to downtown. Aurora's downtown has seen 'short-term successes,' according to Mesiacos, and while he hopes it continues, the city needs to consider how it will move forward 'in an orderly fashion,' he said. Aurora's downtown, neighborhoods and parks need to have design standards, and the city needs to bring in a larger variety of developers to work on downtown projects rather than just the handful that currently do projects there, he said. Public safety was another common thread throughout many of Mesiacos' answers. He said that people and businesses need to feel safe, so police need to be more visible both at community meetings and in public places. Early voting began Jan. 16 for the primary election on Feb. 25, which includes the Aurora mayoral primary. The top two finishers in the mayoral primary will move on to the April 1 consolidated election.
