Latest news with #PioneerPress
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Evanston upgrades, re-opens Bent Park Field House after 2022 fire
Evanston residents welcomed back the field house to the Sixth Ward's Bent Park in late May. The Field House had been shut down for nearly three years following a 2022 fire caused by fireworks, according to a city official. The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the field house, built in 1927 and located near Harrison Street and Hastings Avenue, on May 23. The repairs to the field house include upgrades to the 805-square-foot building, which will house park and recreation programs and accommodate up to 36 people, according to the city's Capital Planning & Engineering Bureau Chief Lara Biggs. The field house's reopening also provides bathroom access for people at Bent Park. The Bent Park Field House is now American with Disabilities Act accessible and fully electric and has no carbon emissions, aligning with the city's Climate Action and Resilience Plan. The building's exterior features new brickwork and a new roof, which was heavily damaged by the fire, Biggs said. The City Council approved work contracts for Bent Park in 2024, per city documents. The original cost for the repairs and upgrades was estimated at $624,980, funded by the city's general fund and an $89,000 insurance reimbursement. The repair cost shot up after a structural engineer hired by the contractor reviewed the site. The engineer discovered the masonry was oxidized and needed to be replaced, along with the porch, causing the cost of the repairs to go up $181,000. Green energy upgrades were implemented during repairs, as much of the HVAC and electrical equipment was damaged in the fire and needed to be replaced, Biggs told Pioneer Press via email. Given that the city would have eventually made those upgrades to the field house to comply with the city's climate action plan and the Healthy Building Ordinance, Biggs said it was cost-effective to do it then.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston upgrades, re-opens Bent Park Field House after 2022 fire
Evanston residents welcomed back the field house to the Sixth Ward's Bent Park in late May. The Field House had been shut down for nearly three years following a 2022 fire caused by fireworks, according to a city official. The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the field house, built in 1927 and located near Harrison Street and Hastings Avenue, on May 23. The repairs to the field house include upgrades to the 805-square-foot building, which will house park and recreation programs and accommodate up to 36 people, according to the city's Capital Planning & Engineering Bureau Chief Lara Biggs. The field house's reopening also provides bathroom access for people at Bent Park. The Bent Park Field House is now American with Disabilities Act accessible and fully electric and has no carbon emissions, aligning with the city's Climate Action and Resilience Plan. The building's exterior features new brickwork and a new roof, which was heavily damaged by the fire, Biggs said. The City Council approved work contracts for Bent Park in 2024, per city documents. The original cost for the repairs and upgrades was estimated at $624,980, funded by the city's general fund and an $89,000 insurance reimbursement. The repair cost shot up after a structural engineer hired by the contractor reviewed the site. The engineer discovered the masonry was oxidized and needed to be replaced, along with the porch, causing the cost of the repairs to go up $181,000. Green energy upgrades were implemented during repairs, as much of the HVAC and electrical equipment was damaged in the fire and needed to be replaced, Biggs told Pioneer Press via email. Given that the city would have eventually made those upgrades to the field house to comply with the city's climate action plan and the Healthy Building Ordinance, Biggs said it was cost-effective to do it then.
Chicago Tribune
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Buffalo Grove Pride Parade 2025 ‘We need all of this, it's not just one person, it's all the people'
The midday Buffalo Grove Pride Parade on Sunday, June 1 featured 100 parade entries in Buffalo Grove. The weather was breezy, sunny and in the 60-degree range for a parade with the theme, 'Pride is Natural.' BG Pride and the Pinta Pride Project presented the seventh annual parade, which originated with Molly Pinta, thanks to the mentoring assistance of her parents, Bob and Carolyn Pinta. The Pinta family, formerly of Buffalo Grove, now resides in Prairie View. 'The positive energy that is here amongst the world we are currently living in is inspiring,' Bob Pinta said at the top of the parade route. Before the parade, Carolyn Pinta also said, 'Today, we win. 'They can do all these things they're doing, but look around, we win,' Molly's mother said. 'Love wins.' Parade entries included floats, cheerleaders, balloons galore, color guards, marching band music, houses of worship, and sports cars decorated with rainbows of color. 'We've made many friends here,' said Chris Woodard of Mundelein, co-founder of the Mundelein LGBT Alliance and Allies, who noted the astounding growth of the parade and spectator attendance. 'I don't know how you could have more beautiful of a celebration,' Woodard said. Many Lake County candidate hopefuls and elected officials were present, including Kristal Larson of Hainesville, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Center of Lake County. Larson is the Avon Township clerk and serves as the first openly transgender elected official in Lake County. Larson grew up in Round Lake and graduated from Mundelein's Carmel Catholic High School in 1993. To Pioneer Press, Larson said, 'We need all of this, it's not just one person, it's all the people.' U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-10th) of Highland Park and Buffalo Grove Village President Eric Smith were also among elected officials participating in the parade. 'On a day where you see folks from across Lake County, and even other counties gathering in Buffalo Grove supporting each other, supporting Pride,' Schneider said, 'we, as a country, we remain divided, but we can't let those who want to separate us and divide us, win, we have to unite the country together.' Eric Smith told Pioneer Press, 'Buffalo Grove is smart with heart and we have a very diverse community that we embrace very much.' Highwood Pride was also present with a large group of attendees. Robyn Bauer, Highwood alderperson with Highwood Pride, spoke of recent events of adversity confronting the LGBTQ+ community. Kindness is key, Bauer agreed. 'We all are exhausted from all of the nastiness that's going on all around us,' Bauer said. 'We all care about each other.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Skokie's LanzaTech to lay off 44 and downsize, despite honors for innovation
Skokie-based clean energy company LanzaTech Global, Inc., which has been heralded in TIME magazine and by Prince William's global environmental competition, plans to lay off 44 of its 383 employees in the first two weeks of June, per state of Illinois filings. The move comes as operating expenses rise but revenues fall, per quarterly reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and as the company plans to halve its rented space at Skokie's Illinois Science + Technology Park. Last month, the company acknowledged it received an offer from Carbon Direct Capital Management to buy the carbon recycling company at $0.02 a share, according to a press release from LanzaTech. In January 2023, the stock was valued at $10.43 a share, per Nasdaq. LanzaTech filed plans to lay off 44 to the Illinois Department of Commerce on May 12, offering 'mass layoff' as the reason. The first layoff date is scheduled for June 1, per state filings. LanzaTech was founded in New Zealand and has headquartered in Skokie since 2014 in the Illinois Science + Tech Park, according to previous reporting. The company's SEC filing said it 'transforms waste carbon into the chemical building blocks for consumer goods such as sustainable fuels, fabrics, and packaging that people use in their daily lives.' 'We are a gas fermentation company,' Dr. Zara Summers, chief science officer at LanzaTech previously told Pioneer Press. 'You might know about sugar fermentation if you drink beer or wine. We use a bacterial catalyst that takes gases like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and convert those to ethanol at a commercial scale.' TIME Magazine named LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren to its worldwide Top 100 Climate Leaders for Business for 2023, and it was named the sole United States finalist for Prince William's November 2022 Earthshot prize, which honors the best solutions worldwide for tackling climate change. In its recent quarterly SEC filing, however, the company wrote, 'We have not achieved operating profitability since our formation. Our net losses after tax were $19.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and $25.5 million for the prior year period. As of March 31, 2025 we had an accumulated deficit of $988.8 million compared to an accumulated deficit of $969.6 million as of December 31, 2024. We anticipate that we will continue to incur losses until we sufficiently commercialize our technology.' Kate Walsh, LanzaTech's VP of Investor Relations and Tax, told Pioneer Press that LanzaTech is in a transition phase and is ready to put into practice the research knowledge it has gained these past few years. 'We're pivoting the company from a Research and Development hub to one that's commercially focused on deploying our proven technology,' Walsh said. '…So there's a transition that comes along with that.' Walsh said the downsizing and the growing demand for sustainable aviation fuel, especially with regulated markets in the UK and the EU, will help make the company profitable. The decision to downsize the company was not influenced by the political climate regarding green energy, nor the tariffs, she added. LanzaTech also will save money by cutting in half the space it rents at the Skokie tech park, from 106,661 to 53,616 square feet, effective July 1, per SEC filings. Per the filings, LanzaTech said it was unsure how the layoffs will affect health of the company overall, 'and may result in significant adverse consequences.' As LanzaTech moves forward, the group also runs into danger of having its stock delisted from the Nasdaq due to its low valuation, per the filing. Delisted companies generally face steep challenges in raising money. The village of Skokie's Director of Communications and Community Engagement Patrick Deignan released a statement on behalf of the village. 'Innovative companies like LanzaTech play a vital role in strengthening Skokie's local economy, supporting high-quality jobs and enhancing the Village's longstanding reputation as a center for scientific advancement. The Village remains committed to fostering a strong climate for innovation and will continue supporting the success of LanzaTech and other companies contributing to our community and beyond.' 'LanzaTech is an important part of Skokie's science, technology and local business landscape,' said Mayor Ann Tennes in a statement emailed to Pioneer Press. 'Although we're disappointed that the company's strategic actions will result in a reduction in their local workforce, we remain confident in LanzaTech's future and the continued impact they'll make here in Skokie and around the world.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Chicago Tribune
27-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Skokie's LanzaTech to lay off 44 and downsize, despite honors for innovation
Skokie-based clean energy company LanzaTech Global, Inc., which has been heralded in TIME magazine and by Prince William's global environmental competition, plans to lay off 44 of its 383 employees in the first two weeks of June, per state of Illinois filings. The move comes as operating expenses rise but revenues fall, per quarterly reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and as the company plans to halve its rented space at Skokie's Illinois Science + Technology Park. Last month, the company acknowledged it received an offer from Carbon Direct Capital Management to buy the carbon recycling company at $0.02 a share, according to a press release from LanzaTech. In January 2023, the stock was valued at $10.43 a share, per Nasdaq. LanzaTech filed plans to lay off 44 to the Illinois Department of Commerce on May 12, offering 'mass layoff' as the reason. The first layoff date is scheduled for June 1, per state filings. LanzaTech was founded in New Zealand and has headquartered in Skokie since 2014 in the Illinois Science + Tech Park, according to previous reporting. The company's SEC filing said it 'transforms waste carbon into the chemical building blocks for consumer goods such as sustainable fuels, fabrics, and packaging that people use in their daily lives.' 'We are a gas fermentation company,' Dr. Zara Summers, chief science officer at LanzaTech previously told Pioneer Press. 'You might know about sugar fermentation if you drink beer or wine. We use a bacterial catalyst that takes gases like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and convert those to ethanol at a commercial scale.' TIME Magazine named LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren to its worldwide Top 100 Climate Leaders for Business for 2023, and it was named the sole United States finalist for Prince William's November 2022 Earthshot prize, which honors the best solutions worldwide for tackling climate change. In its recent quarterly SEC filing, however, the company wrote, 'We have not achieved operating profitability since our formation. Our net losses after tax were $19.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and $25.5 million for the prior year period. As of March 31, 2025 we had an accumulated deficit of $988.8 million compared to an accumulated deficit of $969.6 million as of December 31, 2024. We anticipate that we will continue to incur losses until we sufficiently commercialize our technology.' Kate Walsh, LanzaTech's VP of Investor Relations and Tax, told Pioneer Press that LanzaTech is in a transition phase and is ready to put into practice the research knowledge it has gained these past few years. 'We're pivoting the company from a Research and Development hub to one that's commercially focused on deploying our proven technology,' Walsh said. '…So there's a transition that comes along with that.' Walsh said the downsizing and the growing demand for sustainable aviation fuel, especially with regulated markets in the UK and the EU, will help make the company profitable. The decision to downsize the company was not influenced by the political climate regarding green energy, nor the tariffs, she added. LanzaTech also will save money by cutting in half the space it rents at the Skokie tech park, from 106,661 to 53,616 square feet, effective July 1, per SEC filings. Per the filings, LanzaTech said it was unsure how the layoffs will affect health of the company overall, 'and may result in significant adverse consequences.' As LanzaTech moves forward, the group also runs into danger of having its stock delisted from the Nasdaq due to its low valuation, per the filing. Delisted companies generally face steep challenges in raising money. The village of Skokie's Director of Communications and Community Engagement Patrick Deignan released a statement on behalf of the village. 'Innovative companies like LanzaTech play a vital role in strengthening Skokie's local economy, supporting high-quality jobs and enhancing the Village's longstanding reputation as a center for scientific advancement. The Village remains committed to fostering a strong climate for innovation and will continue supporting the success of LanzaTech and other companies contributing to our community and beyond.' 'LanzaTech is an important part of Skokie's science, technology and local business landscape,' said Mayor Ann Tennes in a statement emailed to Pioneer Press. 'Although we're disappointed that the company's strategic actions will result in a reduction in their local workforce, we remain confident in LanzaTech's future and the continued impact they'll make here in Skokie and around the world.'
