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WTTW News hopes you had a nice weekend, Chicago. Read on for an update on a Cook County osprey found in South America and a heartwarming story about a fantastic artist with an unconventional and resilient approach.
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A juvenile osprey given a metal ID band as part of Cook County’s program. (Courtesy Forest Preserve District of Cook County)
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For more than 30 years, Cook County wildlife biologist Chris Anchor and his colleagues have been attaching metal ID bands to the legs of various birds — thousands in all. They mostly turn up in expected places — the Gulf Coast and areas along the Mississippi River — but this past summer, Anchor received a report from the federal bird banding lab in Maryland that one of Cook County’s ospreys had landed in Colombia. Not Columbia, Missouri—Colombia in South America.
When the osprey was discovered this past June, lying on a sidewalk in Bucaramanga — a medium-sized Colombian city of 600,000, known for its parks — it wasn’t only 2,500 miles from home, it was dehydrated and stressed. “Somebody picked it up, they gave it water and it flew away. So it’s still alive,” Anchor said. “But it’s truly, truly remarkable that the bird went that far.... Lord knows what it ran into flying over the gulf.”
Each breeding season, forest preserve staff, along with veterinarians from partner agencies, visit the osprey nests to band the new hatchlings. Ospreys are just one species the forest preserves bands, not all of them endangered or threatened. Biologists also conduct health assessments on the birds as part of the banding process, gathering information on potential diseases like avian influenza. Birds, and wildlife in general, are used as bio-indicators of the environment's health. This type of information is of value to public healt, because it gives researched an idea of what’s happening in the environment that we all share, animals and humans alike.
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Credit: Mariam Paré
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Most artists seek different ways of doing things. Mariam Paré was forced by circumstance to radically alter her way of working. In 1996 she was an aspiring art student visiting Virginia when she was shot and became quadriplegic.
Then she became an aspiring art student all over again, and she trained herself in new abilities. No longer able to paint with her hands, she learned to control the paintbrush with her lips and teeth. Paré is a mouth painter, one of a small community of worldwide artists who can paint with their mouths or feet.
WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali visited her home studio in the west suburbs and spoke with her about life and art — and about how her artwork contributes to the spirit of the holiday season.
On her background:
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“I was born in Kenitra, Morocco which is North Africa. My father was a Mexican American and my mother was Moroccan, so I’m half-Mexican and half-Moroccan. My father was a Marine who worked at the U.S. Embassy. And he met my mother, I was born there, and we moved to the United States when I was very young, so I emigrated here with my family.”
On life with a disability:
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“Sometimes I think if I had not been disabled, could I have become the artist that I am? Would I have had the time? Yes, I’m disabled, but I have a life now where I can dedicate my time towards art.”
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This Week's Public Meetings and Civic Events
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Every Monday, WTTW News highlights the public meetings and civic events you should know about.
Chicago City Council
Budget hearings continue this week for the Chicago City Council. On the agenda are the Chicago Fire Department, the Department of Streets and Sanitation and more. Find the schedule here.
Chicago Park District
General Superintendent and CEO Rosa Escareño is slated to present the 2025 budget at a public hearing 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Members of the public are invited to speak. |
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Back in the Day: November 18, 2023 - Hundreds of Demonstrators Gather in Support of Palestinian Victims in Gaza
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One year ago today, hundreds of protesters gathered at Buckingham Fountain to call for an end to the war in Gaza and a cease-fire to stop the killing of Palestinian civilians. At its peak, the Chicago Tribune reported, "there were between 1,000 and 1,500 demonstrators." Eventually the crowd dispersed, with some demonstrators moving into the north and southbound lanes of traffic on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Organized by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network-Chicago and the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine, this was one of the several actions that occurred following the Oct. 7, 2023, start of the conflict when Hamas militants attacked Israel. At the time of the demonstration, Palestinian health authorities said that more than 11,500 Palestinians had been killed in the war, with another 2,700 reported missing. Now that number, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, is 43,764 people dead since the war began.
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Other News From Around Town
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The Chicago Bulls are almost a month into their NBA season. How do you feel about the team so far? Tell us what you think and why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
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5:30 PM | 10:00 PM |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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