Zoe Pharo

Rogers Park

Staff writer for @HydeParkHerald and freelancer. Previously @inthesetimesmag @gonggershowitz. Send tips to: [email protected]

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Articles

‘It was a blessing’: families get fresh start at Hyde Park shelter

1 week ago | hpherald.com | Jacqueline Serrato |Zoe Pharo

Editor's note: This story is co-published with the South Side Weekly. Carlos and Rocío Rojas arrived in Chicago last June with their 15-year-old daughter, Yuliana, after a months-long journey through seven countries. Fleeing Venezuela’s collapsed economy and political repression, they often traveled long distances on foot, sometimes sleeping on the streets.
KAM II’s green transition

1 week ago | hpherald.com | Zoe Pharo

Beneath the intricate stained glass and brickwork of KAM Isaiah Israel’s century-old sanctuary, something hums quietly below the surface — not a pipe organ, but a high-efficiency geothermal system. Geothermal systems utilize an underground grid of pipes to heat and cool rooms. It can pipe in heat from below the earth’s surface in the winter and pump heat out of the building and back into the ground in the summer.
‘It was a blessing’: families get fresh start at Hyde Park shelter

1 week ago | hpherald.com | Jacqueline Serrato |Zoe Pharo

Editor's note: This story is co-published with the South Side Weekly. Carlos and Rocío Rojas arrived in Chicago last June with their 15-year-old daughter, Yuliana, after a months-long journey through seven countries. Fleeing Venezuela’s collapsed economy and political repression, they often traveled long distances on foot, sometimes sleeping on the streets.
Three U. of C. instructors named Guggenheim fellows

2 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Zoe Pharo

Three University of Chicago faculty members are among this year’s Guggenheim fellows. The Guggenheim Foundation offers fellowships to “exceptional individuals in pursuit of scholarship in any field of knowledge.” Local awardees are Theaster Gates, an artist and professor; Richie Hofmann, a poet and lecturer; and Marcus Kronforst, a professor of ecology and evolution.
Tenants of troubled Kenwood building served eviction notices amid rent strike

2 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Zoe Pharo

Tenants of the troubled Ellis Lakeview Apartments are protesting eviction orders served amid a months-long rent strike they’re waging to force management to make repairs and collectively bargain with them. Major repairs have halted and regular maintenance is slow or unresponsive,” said Kimberly Marzette, a resident of 15 years, at a rally outside her Kenwood building.
Chicago Croquet Club celebrates 25 years in Jackson Park

3 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Zoe Pharo

Drew Kayvani is addicted to croquet. She played the lawn game in her backyard as a child, but it wasn’t until she retired and moved to Kenwood that she would pick up a mallet again, joining a long-running croquet club in Jackon Park. “You can be making horrible shots all day, but you might have one or two amazing shots that make your day, and you can go home and feel like you had a great day,” Kayvani said.
Kenwood wins national debate championship for second year

3 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Zoe Pharo

Two Kenwood students once again won the Urban Debate National Championship (UNDC), bringing home the gold for the second consecutive year. Seniors Kate’lynn Shaw and Amanti Washingtontook home the trophy at the early April tournement held by the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL) in Atlanta. “We worked extremely hard,” Washington said.
Passover, Easter celebrated across Hyde Park

3 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Zoe Pharo

Helen Volkow and her two grandchildren, Charlotte and Aiden, initiated Montgomery Place’s annual Passover Seder by carefully lighting candles as dozens of attendees took their seats in front of ornate place settings. Among the attendees was Elaine Smith, who helped organize the first Seder at Montgomery Place, 5550 S. Shore Dr., in 1997 for her parents, who had moved into the retirement community. “My parents used to have these huge Seders, so I didn’t want them to miss out,” she said.
Garrett Popcorn to open on 53rd Street next month

3 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Zoe Pharo

Garrett Popcorn, a Chicago-based gourmet popcorn chain, is opening a new location on Hyde Park’s 53rd Street next month. The shop is slated to open before Memorial Day at 1513 E. 53rd St., according to the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce. “We’re excited to have this kind of energy added to 53rd Street,” Wallace Goode, executive director of the chamber, said.
Local nonprofits struggle to fill budget gaps sparked by federal restrictions and cuts

4 weeks ago | hpherald.com | Zoe Pharo

Several area nonprofits are scrambling to raise funds to cover big budget gaps brought on by cuts and new restrictions to federal grant programs. At the Hyde Park Art Center (HPAC), leadership is aiming to raise $100,000 to close a deficit caused by their decision not to apply for funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).