Grassroots activism and pressure on business and government officials still can work, as groups opposed to the Fisk coal-fired power plant in Pilsen and the Crawford plant in Little Village have proven. After a decade long battle Midwest Generation, the plants’ owner, announced the dirty duo would be shut down.

The record-high temperatures the area has experienced prior to and in early spring have caused the beautiful Easter lilies to bloom earlier than usual. This is a reminder that Easter is just around the corner. Holy Week is one of the most important times of the year for many religions, which is why community churches commemorate this time with many special events.

When Pete’s Fresh Market opens at the southeast corner of Madison and Western Avenues in West Haven later this year, the community’s days as a “food desert” finally will come to an end. The market will offer residents fresh fruits and vegetables, an extensive array of grocery staple items, and even a butcher providing fresh meat and poultry.

Anne Nordhaus-Bike will speak about her astrology/artbook Follow the Sun: A Simple Way to Use Astrology for Living in Harmony, and Charlene Wexler will discuss her short stories and essays that pluck at your heartstrings and tickle your funny bone in the book Milk and Oranges, at Woman Made Gallery, 685 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL, on Sunday, April 22.

Lakeside Bank is offering free activities in honor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s 11th annual Chicago Money Smart Week, which runs Saturday, April 21, through Saturday, April 28.

Lawmakers approved tax increment financing (TIF) for the central Loop bus and rapid transit project, which will acquire property for the Union Station Transportation Center; improve transit on sections of Canal, Clinton, Washington, and Madison streets; and make improvements for cyclists on these streets and on Randolph Street.

University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Soccer and head coach Sean Phillips announce the 2012 UIC Soccer summer camp.

The Chicago Department of Transportation has restored the crosswalk that connects Buckingham Fountain and the lakefront at Queen’s Landing.

The twinkling brown eyes and ready smile of James “J.F.” or “Jimmy” Fontano are gone from the corner of Polk and Carpenter streets. Mr. Fontano died Feb. 16 at age 55.

Dear Editor: No question—Illinois’ Medicaid system needs reform. But a one size-fits-all approach to Medicaid will not work. The very existence of safety-net hospitals is at stake. Together, the Association of Safety-Net Hospitals saw nearly half a million Medicaid patients in 2011. More than one of two patients that walk through our doors has government insurance.