Afternoon Briefing: Residents want protection from housing price increases near Obama center

Good afternoon, Chicago.

Weeks after Barack Obama donned a hard hat to celebrate the topping off of his landmark presidential center in Jackson Park, 81-year-old Pat Hightower fretted about time running out to save the fabric of nearby neighborhoods.

A resident of Woodlawn and former social worker turned organizer with Southside Together Organizing for Power, she told the Tribune she’s heard not just from fellow seniors but from others about how their rent has gone up by hundreds of dollars in recent years. She’s heard of apartment buildings switching to condominium units longtime residents can’t afford to buy.

The changes are “moving people out who have lived here for years, have raised children here, have homes … went to school here, went to church here,” Hightower told the Tribune.

Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.

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