Latest news with #Morrell
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Murals continue to pop up around Waukegan; ‘Another step in the cultural landscape of our downtown'
Raised in Waukegan, Burke Morrell remembers walking from Cooke Magnet Elementary School to the Waukegan Public Library on field trips. He first learned how to use a computer there, got books and it became an important part of his life. Now a professional artist living in Arizona., Morrell got the opportunity to return to his hometown and paint a mural on the west wall of the library. It depicts the value of the institution, piping plovers at the lakefront and another native who honed a thirst for reading there, Ray Bradbury. 'I wanted to show the peaceful, relaxing beach,' he said. 'It shows the girl lying there with books. I added dandelions as a tribute to Ray Bradbury,' he added, referring to the Waukegan-born author who read extensively at the library. Morrell is one of four artists completing murals in downtown Waukegan. The others are Stacy Wilcox, whose art is on City Hall; Everett Reynolds with work displayed at the Puerto Rican Society building; and Janson Rapisarda decorating the intersection of Lake and Genesee streets. City and library officials say the murals further demonstrate the city's effort to draw people to the downtown and lakefront areas. Rachel Cantin, a planner with the city overseeing the mural project, said the money comes from a $1 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for communities like Waukegan transitioning from the loss of a coal plant. Cantin said approximately $400,000 is allocated for public art, including the four latest murals, a number previously done throughout town and a few more projects to come in the future. The remaining $600,000 is being spent on lead pipe replacement. 'It helps support our arts community and brings visitors to the downtown area,' Cantin said. Art in downtown Waukegan is nothing new. Mayor Sam Cunningham said it is part of a longstanding tradition that also fits with his vision of rebuilding the city, particularly downtown and the lakefront. 'When we say we're an art and entertainment center, it goes back to when it started with Jack Benny and Ray Bradbury,' Cunningham said. 'This is another step in the cultural landscape of our downtown. We want to live up to that as we rebuild Waukegan.' With the completion of Morrell's mural, the library's exterior is now awash with murals. In November, the library unveiled murals by Gaby Escovar near the front entrance and the north side, which the artist dubbed 'a love letter to Waukegan.' Tiffany Verzani, the library's executive director, said the decoration of the exterior with murals containing messages about the community complements the message of the library. It shows inclusion and the faces of the city. 'We are very excited,' Verzani said. 'I love the dandelions for Ray Bradbury. The new mural brings us full circle, showing the programs at the library. The art gives a message of what is happening on the inside. We display art at the library.' When Morrell learned from his aunt, who lives in Waukegan, that the city was seeking mural artists, she sent him the information. He said he completed the city's application form and was awarded the commission. Cantin liked how well he followed his proposal. 'It was almost exactly what he proposed,' Cantin said. 'It really showed what Waukegan is about.' On the wall opposite the main entrance to City Hall, Wilcox's mural spells out Waukegan in large, bold letters surrounded by a palette of bright colors. Cantin, who works in the building daily, said, 'It was fun to see it come together.' Wilcox, a Lake County native who lives in North Chicago, said she, too, responded to the city's call for artists. She spends a lot of time in Waukegan, and had a good idea of what she wanted to portray. 'It was designed to celebrate Waukegan,' Wilcox said. 'I wanted to make it bright, colorful and vibrant. I wanted to show the colors of Lake Michigan, and the harbor and Waukegan's rich history. Its strength is in its diversity and the rich culture we have.' On the south wall of the Puerto Rican Society on Sheridan Road, just north of Belvidere Road, Cantin said the mural shows the history of the building as a one-time lighthouse. There is also a large Puerto Rican flag. Reynolds' work is not new to Waukegan. Cantin said his murals adorn the exteriors of Super Mercado Gonzalez on Grand Avenue, Oakdale Elementary School and other buildings around the city. Rapisarda is a Milwaukee artist commissioned to paint a mural covering the entire intersection of Lake and Genesee streets. Cantin said its 'bright colorful palette' is a work of abstract art, getting people's attention at the south end of downtown.
Newsweek
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Dad Makes 'Promise' to His Little Girl, 15 Years Later He Keeps His Word
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. A dad has revealed how a recent accident allowed him to keep a promise he had made to his daughter 15 years earlier. Peter Morrell, from Kent in the U.K., is the first to admit he is a "big kid at heart" and never misses an opportunity to get involved in whatever shenanigans his children get up to. "I like to join in on the trampoline, bike rides and water fights," Morrell told Newsweek. Unfortunately, that eagerness to get involved landed him in big trouble recently. "I bought a scooter to ride around with the kids on theirs, and I lost control and fell at an awkward angle," Morrell said. "Snapped my tibia clean in half and required surgery." While the care he received from the National Health Service in the U.K. was "amazing," Morrell was informed he would have to wear a cast on his leg for a minimum of six weeks while the broken bone healed. It was then that Morrell recalled a promise he made to his daughter Hollie, a decade and a half earlier. Children pay attention to the promises parents make and the excuses they come up with when they don't deliver. That was highlighted in a 2022 study from the journal Cognitive Development in which 64 children aged between 3 and 5 were shown videos where puppets promised to show them a toy then left only to return empty-handed. The puppets then provided the children with either a valid excuse for not producing the toy, a bad excuse or no excuse at all. The children were then quizzed on whether they felt the puppets' actions were wrong and why. Researchers discovered that, regardless of the excuse, there was consensus among the children that breaking a promise was wrong. However, they did show greater understanding if the puppet provided a valid excuse over a bad one or none at all. Thinking back to sometime around 2010, Morrell was reminded by Hollie of the promise he had made to her after she broke her leg. "She was coming up to 3 years old and was very unhappy about breaking her leg," he said. "She asked me why I couldn't have a pink cast like her, so I jokingly said if I ever break my leg, I'll get a pink sparkly cast just like her." All these years later, it turned out Hollie still remembered: "So I thought, 'Why not?' I did promise," Morrell said. But, while she had recalled the promise her dad made, Hollie was surprised to discover her dad had actually gone through with it. "When I showed her the cast on FaceTime, she burst out laughing and couldn't believe I actually did it," Morrell said. "She showed it to all her friends and teachers at school." Morrell has only a couple more weeks until the cast comes off. In the meantime, the story of how he came through for Hollie, all these years later, has captivated social media; a clip posted to TikTok under the handle @pete_m84 has gone viral with nearly 200,000 views. "I think it resonates with people as it's something that they can relate to. A promise is a promise," Morrell said. "I could have said no, but it's a bit of fun and a nice memory for us both to laugh at in a few years."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How soon can you pull equity out of your home?
How soon you can pull equity out of your home is not so much about time as it is about the size of your ownership stake. Most lenders typically require homeowners to have a minimum of 20% equity, and you'll qualify for the best interest rates if you own around half of your home outright. After buying a home, there's usually no waiting period to apply for HELOCs or home equity loans, but there are six- to 12-month restrictions in place for most cash-out refinances. The best time to take out home equity is when you have a small mortgage balance, a strong credit score and a low debt-to-income ratio. If you're contemplating tapping your home equity, you're not alone: Almost 30 percent of homeowners say they would consider borrowing against their residence's value, according to a new survey from MeridianLink, a loan-origination software provider. But nearly a quarter of them (23%) also admit to an incomplete understanding of home equity loans and lines of credit. For example, when can they get approved for a loan? Do they have to own the home for a certain amount of time? In short, how soon can they tap their home equity for cash? Actually, when you can pull equity out of your home is not so much a matter of dates as it is about the size of your ownership stake. Here's all you need to know to time it right. There isn't a specific date on the calendar that dictates when you're going to be able to access your home equity. Taking out a home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC) is not so much about 'how soon' as about 'how much' – as in, how much equity you have managed to accumulate. Lenders usually demand you have amassed an ownership ownership stake of a certain size. At a minimum, 'lenders typically want borrowers to have 20 percent of equity in their home,' Wendy Morrell, head of relationship retail at U.S. Bank, says. That means, you own that percentage of the home's worth outright: It's equivalent to the amount you paid for with cash, as opposed to borrowed funds. For example, if you bought a home with a 20 percent down payment, and financed the remaining 80 percent, you'd start off with a 20 percent equity stake right off. If you put down 50 percent of the purchase price, you'd have a 50 percent stake. While 20 percent is the usual standard, some lenders will accept a smaller amount of equity – just 15 or 10 percent; some HELOC lenders even accept 5 percent – if you're a very creditworthy applicant. ('In addition to the amount of equity you have in your home, your credit score and history, debt-to-income ratio and income history all are factors to the terms and rates,' Morrell notes.) Usually, there isn't a mandatory waiting period for accessing your home equity via a second mortgage, which is what HELOCs and home equity loans are. But different lenders do have different rules. 'Some banks may want to see how you pay on the first mortgage before allowing you to take out another,' says Darren Tooley, senior loan officer at wealth management firm Southfield, Mich.-based Cornerstone Financial Services, 'while some lenders will do an equity loan or HELOC immediately after purchasing a home, as long as you meet their requirements.' While second mortgages might be available right away, there generally is a mandatory waiting period for a cash-out refinance, which replaces your original mortgage with a new, larger one. This is known as a seasoning requirement, and it ranges from six to 12 months for conventional and FHA loans, Tooley says. Ultimately, the best time to consider a home equity loan is when you have a lot of equity – ideally, equal to about half of your home's worth. Or, put another way, when the outstanding amount on your mortgage represents a relatively small chunk of your home's value. That's because, when calculating how much to give you, lenders look at all your home-based debt: both the outstanding primary mortgage and the new amount you want to borrow, something called the combined loan-to-value ratio. 'A borrower with a 95 percent total loan-to-value ratio will typically face a higher interest rate than someone with a 70 percent total loan-to-value ratio, since lower equity increases the lender's risk,' says Denya Macaluso, vice president of residential lending at Michigan State University Federal Credit Union. In short, the bigger your mortgage balance is, the less home equity you have to tap – and the more expensive tapping it will be.'The more equity you have in the house, the better interest rates you will usually have,' Tooley says, 'with most lenders offering their best rates when there is 40 percent equity remaining in the home, after the loan closes.' Keep in mind: Good timing for tapping home equity also involves your finances in general. Even if you've amassed a large ownership stake, you still need a solid credit score, a relatively low debt-to-income ratio, and a steady income to get approved for a loan or credit line. Determining your current level of home equity is pretty simple: First, estimate the market value of your home. Then, subtract the outstanding principal balance on your most recent mortgage statement. So, let's say your home is worth $500,000, and you currently owe $300,000 on your mortgage: You have $200,000 in total equity. Remember you can't borrow that full $200,000, though. Lenders usually require you to maintain a certain equity stake in the home. For example, if your lender requires you keep 20 percent equity untouched – financing up to 80 percent of the home's value, in other words – you may be able to borrow up to $100,000. Try using: Home Equity Line of Credit Calculator There are three main ways to tap into your home equity, all of which have nuances that can make them better or worse fits for your finances: Home equity loan: These are fixed-rate loans that will offer a lump sum of money to be repaid over a set term, usually between five and 30 years. In many cases, you pay upfront closing costs, as with your original mortgage. HELOC: These are variable-rate lines of credit that feel more like a credit card, letting you withdraw funds up to a certain amount. You can spend for a set period, usually 10 years, then repay over an additional 10 to 20 years. Closing costs tend to be less, but many HELOCs come with annual fees and prepayment penalties. Cash-out refinance: A cash-out refinance will replace your existing mortgage with a new bigger one, as it includes a sum of ready money based on your available equity. It's the most involved process of these three options, and it comes with a key question: Do you want to replace your current mortgage and interest rate with a new loan with entirely new terms? Generally, you can tap your home equity fairly soon, applying for a HELOC or home equity loan even if you are a relatively new homeowner. You will, however, need to have enough equity – generally 15 to 20 percent of the home's overall value — to satisfy the lender's requirements. And frankly, if you financed most of the purchase, you won't have much money to play with. To qualify for a sizable loan, and for the lowest rates, you ideally should have an equity stake of 50 percent or more, a threshold that often takes at least a decade of on-time mortgage payments to hit. And in addition to your equity level, get your financial house in order prior to applying. A high credit score and a low debt-to-income ratio will increase your odds of getting approved — and the best terms possible. 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Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Orleans joins nationwide ‘Hands Off' anti-Trump protests
Samara Smith, an organizer with Step Up Louisiana, speaks at a Hands Off rally April 5, 2025 at Lafayette Square in New Orleans. (Safura Syed/Verite News) NEW ORLEANS – Hundreds of people gathered in Lafayette Square for a rally against the Trump administration Saturday afternoon. The protest was a part of a national mass mobilization effort, Hands Off, which advocates against cuts to government services like Social Security and loss of protections for marginalized groups. The first three months of President Donald Trump's administration have been marked by uncertainty as the president and Elon Musk cut funding to various government agencies and laid off hundreds of workers. Around 20% of revenue in the New Orleans city budget for 2025 comes from federal funds. Statewide, the reliance on federal dollars is even larger, making up around 50% of the budget. Cuts have already put funds for HIV treatment and environmental projects in jeopardy. Civic leaders including New Orleans City Council members JP Morrell and Helena Moreno spoke at the rally. Morrell compared the current state of the federal government to the Civil Rights era, citing the surveillance of activists. 'We are going to organize at our kitchen tables, at our bars, our restaurants, in the parks, like our forefathers did,' Morrell said during his speech. 'That's what's necessary.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Lisa Green, a resident of Bayou St. John, said she was worried about threats to public education. She drew connections to her mother's advocacy for civil rights during the sixties and seventies. Green attended the rally despite unfounded warnings she saw on social media about martial law being enacted on protestors. 'I'm just trying to keep her legacy going and keep things straight and safe for my grandkids,' Green said. 'If you're fighting for something that you believe in, that's just a chance you have to take.' Attendees expressed their frustrations with the billionaire Musk's control over the federal government. Metairie resident Whitt Conner came to the rally with his family and strung a handmade Cybertruck pinata to a tree. Conner said Trump's policies have created a nation in which he and his family cannot survive, especially because members of his family are on Medicaid. After the speeches concluded, people flocked to the tree for a chance to hit the Cybertruck pinata. Speeches emphasized community building, education and standing up to conservative agendas locally and nationally. Members of immigrant rights group Union Migrante implored elected officials to protect rights of undocumented migrants in the city and for the police to not collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency that oversees deportations. 'If you're a person with privilege, if you're white and you have wealth and connections, it's the moment to use that for good — to take the risk, to talk to your friend who's a politician, to take to email, to stand up, to film ICE and tell them that this is shameful, what they're doing,' Union Migrante member Edith Romero said. 'We are taking a risk right now, being publicly, locally, fighting for our rights. If we can do it, you can do it.' Union Migrante and other advocacy groups, like Step Up Louisiana and the Worker Justice Project, organized the New Orleans rally. Sue Mobley, a member of Indivisible NOLA, a progressive political advocacy group, was one of the organizers. Before the rally, she told Verite News that the peaceful protest would focus on calls to action, especially as voters express mounting frustration at the state of federal politics. 'Part of why it's important to get people out in the street and get people involved in the long term, is to reduce that feeling of helplessness and give it somewhere to go,' Mobley said. 'Not all of us are going to run for Congress tomorrow, but a lot more of us can show up at school board meetings and city council meetings and be engaged where we are most impacted.' Samara Smith, an organizer at worker and racial justice group Step Up Louisiana called on elected officials to fight back. 'Our expectations from you, our elected officials, is that when they push the line, you push back harder,' Smith said in a speech. 'When they toe the line, you pull it tighter and make it clear you're willing to put your body and your career on the line to protect our liberties. Because I promise you, the ones you need to fear are not AIPAC, it's not Shell and it's not Lockheed Martin. It's us, the people, and we will remember.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE This article first appeared on Verite News New Orleans and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
BBC News
15-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wrexham 'well above' expectations
Andy Morrell says Wrexham cannot afford to lose at Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday (15:00 GMT) - but says the club are currently "well above" where he expected them to be this Parkinson's side were beaten 2-0 at Reading on Tuesday as they missed the chance to rise above Wycombe into second in League they could move into the automatic promotion spots with victory against the Chairboys, although former Wrexham player and manager Morrell feels the game at Adams Park is a must-not-lose for Parkinson's side."They can't lose the game," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast."They need to take something out of this game."Wycombe have got 10 games left after [Wrexham] and six of those are against top-nine teams, so it's very much in our hands."We've got to just go there and play. Go and do what they've done all season which has been fantastic and well above where I expected them to be and try and get something out of the game."Following a hectic schedule of late, Parkinson has suggested he will rotate his squad for the contest with Mike Dodds' Morrell praised Parkinson for the way he has kept his talented squad happy during his tenure in north Wales."I think that's his hardest task," added Morrell."He's done it brilliantly for the past two-and-a-half years because we've had a really good squad and he keeps adding to it so the depth is crazy. "You keep everybody happy because the team is winning. They've done ever so well, to be right in contention with 10 games to go, I think everybody would've taken that at the start of the season."
