The literacy group Open Books is seeking volunteers for the East Village Youth Program activities at Mitchell Elementary School, 2233 W. Ohio: Got an hour at lunch or before work? Join us as a reading Buddy at a local elementary school! We pair up with kids to work on fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, expression, confidence, and developing an overall love of reading. Thursdays, starting October 2 12 - 12:45pm Help students in grades 5-8 with homework after school. Tutors work one-on-one or with a small group of students. 1 day a week, Tuesday or Thursday 6 - 7:15 pm To find out more and volunteer through Open Books' partnership with East Village Youth Program, contact literacy director Erin Walter .

In the primary election, Chicago led the state in early voting. Now, the Chicago Election Board says Chicago voters have cast 105,000 ballots in 10 days, more than the entire 18 days of early primary voting. If you are registered to vote, you don't need a reason to vote early through Oct. 30, but you do need to present a government photo ID. The Goldblatt’s Building, 1615 W Chicago Ave. and 50 other city locations are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The election board at 69 W. Washington is open on Sunday as well.

President Message by John Scheer  Imagine my surprise when I introduced myself to a guy next to me, and I find he's president of another neighborhood association. The more we talked, the more amazed I was how similar his community in Milwaukee is to Chicago's East Village. Milwaukee's historic Brewer’s Hill has many homes constructed in the late 1800s. Brewer's Hill and East Village both have landmark districts. They have received significant investments in renovation and restoration. Both are just north of downtown, a couple exits off the expressway to North Avenue. Both neighborhoods have permit parking, seemingly not to give residents priority but to aid city snow removal and revenue generation. And the similarities continue. They both have beautiful commercial buildings on the major arterial streets. Brewer’s Hill buildings are being converted to residential, but most continue as commercial. There's a wonderful Crown Hardware store, an independent chocolate make...

By Marjorie Isaacson  Andersen Elementary School, 1148 N. Honore St., has been reborn as the LaSalle II Magnet School. The curriculum for students in kindergarten through third grade is modeled on the successful LaSalle Language Academy, 1734 N. Orleans in Old Town. LaSalle II will focus primarily on acquisition of a second language. Classes will be taught in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Principal Suzanne Velasquez-Sheehy will be showing off the renovated building on Oct. 22 at an open house for the community. Tours times are 5-5:30 p.m. and 6-6:30 p.m., with a presentation at 5:30 p.m. The school has a new computer lab and has received a $30,000 library grant. Neighborhood residents are already enjoying the new playground equipment installed this summer. Admission to LaSalle II will be determined by lottery, with 50% of the spaces reserved for neighborhood residents. See cpsmagnet.org for an online application.

General Meeting minutes for Oct. 7, 2008 Membership Meeting Submitted by Joe Hunnewinkel Attendance 7 Members: 6 Non-members: 1 Introduction and welcome to Guest Speaker Lionel Martin of the OEMC. 1. Mr.. Martin highlighted the functions of the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications. 1. OEMC coordinates the city's delivery of police, fire and emergency medical resources to all 311 and 911 calls. OEMC is the central hub for all city services. 2. OEMC prefers to take a proactive rather than reactive approach to addressing potential problems, as well as coordinating city operations. 3. Mr.. Martin stressed the importance of emergency planning with a focus on prevention of potential problems. It is important for residents to build emergency kits and have a plan in place in case of a crisis. 4. Website is alertchicago.org. A new program "Notify Chicago" is in place for residents can sign up ...

By Matthew Wendeln Intersection Pictures, a group of students at Columbia College Chicago, is producing a documentary about resisting gentrification in Chicago, including a segment on West Town. The producers are looking for stories from people like you. For more information, contact Segment Producer Deirdre Lee .