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CHICAGO (AP) After five years of legal battles, gentrification concerns and a federal review, Barack and Michelle Obama dug shovels into the ground Tuesday during a celebratory groundbreaking on their legacy project in a lakefront Chicago park.

Watch the event in the player above.

Construction on the Obama Presidential Center along Lake Michigan, near the Obama family home and where the former president started his political career on Chicagos South Side,officially began last month.

Standing near an excavator and other heavy equipment, Obama described how the citys South Side shaped him, first as a community organizer, then as a husband, father and elected official. He said the center was one way of giving back and he hoped it would bring an economic boost to the area and inspire a future generation of leaders.

We want this center to be more than a static museum or a source of archival research. It wont just be a collection of campaign memorabilia or Michelles ballgowns, although I know everybody will come see those, he joked. It wont just be an exercise in nostalgia or looking backwards. We want to look forward.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and several city aldermen were among the few people allowed at the event, which was streamed online to limit crowds amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The presidential center will sit on 19 acres (7.7 hectares) of the 540-acre (291-hectare) of Jackson Park, named for the nations seventh president, Andrew Jackson.

It will be unique among presidential libraries. Obamas presidential papers will be available in digital form. The sprawling campus will include a museum, public library branch, athletic center, test kitchen and childrens play area.

The initial cost was projected at $500 million, butdocuments releasedby the Obama Foundation last month showed it is now roughly $830 million. Funds are being raised through private donations.

Organizers estimate about 750,000 visitors will come to the center each year.

Work on the Obama Presidential Center is expected to take about five years. Currently, heavy machinery peppers the site thats fenced off with green tarps.

Progress has been delayed bylawsuitsand afederal reviewrequired because of the location in Jackson Park, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. At the same time,fears about displacing Black residentsin the area developed into a yearslong battle resulting in city-approvedneighborhood protections, including for affordable housing.

Some neighborhood activists said Tuesday that they were already seeing rising housing prices and would keep pushing for more protections in surrounding areas. Environmental advocates have also objected to the location and the loss of green space. During the event, a plane pulled an aerial banner reading, STOP CUTTING DOWN TREES. MOVE OPC.

Obama, who didnt take questions during the event, has said over the years that the center will benefit the surrounding area with new jobs and new trees would be planted on the campus.

He chose Chicago over several cities, including Honolulu, where he was born and spent his early years.

Its a part of Chicago that has special significance for the Obamas. The center is near the University of Chicago where Obama taught law and where the Obamas got married and raised their two daughters. Michelle Obama also grew up on the South Side.

This city, this neighborhood courses through my veins and defines me at my very core, she said at the event. This substantial investment in the South Side will help make the neighborhood where we call home a destination for the entire world.

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WATCH: After 5 years, Obamas break ground on Presidential ...

CHICAGO (CBS) The official groundbreaking for the future Obama Presidential Center begins Tuesday afternoon.

The former President and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama are in Chicago to attend the ceremony in Jackson Park.

When it came time to plan the Obama Presidential Center, we wanted to give back to the place that gave us so much, Michelle Obama said.

The center in Jackson Park is where construction began about a month ago, but its been five years in the making.

It will include a museum, public library, athletic center and community space.

The Obamas hope it will give an economic boost to the South Side.

This is the first presidential museum thats ever been located in the inner city community, Dr. Carol Adams, advisor to the Obama Foundation, said. We think that it is has social, cultural education and economic benefits. We see economic benefits to our community already, as we see the contractors that are working on the site evil now and more to come.

But the project has also faced multiple lawsuits.

Including from a group called Protect Our Parks.

They argue the center would have a negative impact on DuSable Lake Shore Drive and eat up Lake Michigan parkland.

Then residents in South Shore are worried the new center will drive housing prices up and displace them from their homes.

Theres an agreement already with Woodlawn and certain community complex properties coming with other neighborhoods that assure that the people live in the neighborhood, continue to stay in the neighborhood continue to be able to afford to be in the neighborhood, and benefit from the growth thats going to come as a result of this wonderful presidential center, Adams said.

Adams says shes ready to see the center standing tall as a beacon of light and hope for black children.

It tells them what they can be in what they can do, She said. It tells them that you can get there from here, because its right here its right here in your neighborhood this story.

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Obama Presidential Center Groundbreaking Underway In ...

CHICAGO, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Barack Obama warned against "politics that feeds anger and resentment" on Tuesday in a speech at the groundbreaking of his presidential library in Chicago, which he said would work to strengthen democratic ideas.

The 44th president said that future Obama Presidential Center in Chicago will aim to strengthen ideals that are vulnerable in a bitter modern U.S. political environment and address global economic, social, technological and environmental issues that major institutions have failed to address.

"In the breach, a culture of cynicism and mistrust can grow," the Democratic former president said. "We start seeing more division and increasingly bitter conflict. A politics that feeds anger and resentment towards those who are not like us and starts turning away from democratic principles in favor of tribalism and might makes right."

Obama did not directly name his successor, Republican Donald Trump, who has continued since leaving office to push false claims that his November election defeat was the result of widespread fraud. Multiple courts, state election officials and members of Trump's own administration rejected those claims.

Former U.S. president Barack Obama attends a groundbreaking ceremony for the Obama presidential center in Jackson Park, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Sebastian Hidalgo

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Construction of the $700 million center on the city's South Side began in August despite opposition from local activists. Donations to the Obama Foundation are paying for the project.

It will house a museum of artifacts from Obama's 2009-2017 presidency and be a public gathering space for cultural and educational events. Obama made history as the first Black U.S. president.

"We are about to break ground on the world's premier institution for developing civic leaders across fields, across disciplines and, yes, across the political spectrum," said Obama, 60, who once worked as a community organizer in Chicago.

Obama represented part of the city's South Side in the Illinois state Senate before being elected to the U.S. Senate and then the White House.

Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by Scott Malone and Gerry Doyle

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Obama warns against politics of 'anger and resentment' in Chicago - Reuters

RIDGEFIELD While Cody Keenan was attending Ridgefield High School, the thought of working in the White House never crossed his mind, he said. But under Obamas administration, Keenan helped craft some of the most iconic speeches given by Americas 44th president.

Keenan, 40, served as the White House director of speechwriting during President Barack Obamas second term. He started as a speechwriting intern for the campaign in 2007 and was part of the presidents speechwriting team from 2009 to 2011, when he was promoted to deputy speechwriter. After Obama left office in 2017, Keenan remained as his sole speechwriter and collaborator for four years.

This professional experience made Keenan an ideal candidate to assist Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra composer Paul Frucht in developing A More Perfect Union. The song cycle is based on six speeches from Obamas presidency, which will debut at RSOs season kickoff on Saturday the ensembles first concert in almost 20 months.

I had been wanting to write this for a long time to capture the historical and cultural significance of Barack Obamas words through our artform, Frucht said in a statement. The symphony is a celebration of deeply-rooted American values articulated by a president revered for his rhetoric.

Frucht began developing A More Perfect Union in 2018. That year he arranged to meet Keenan at a bar at the Park Hyatt in Washington.

I dont know the first thing about writing music or even how to read it it feels totally foreign to me, Keenan said in an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media, but (Frucht) walked me through what it entails.

The composer sought speeches that shared connective tissue, Keenan said. The six speeches referenced in the symphony are: A More Perfect Union; Obamas first inaugural address; an address to the American Medical Association; an address to the nation on U.S. military action in Syria; an address on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Ala.; and a eulogy for the late Rev. Clementa Pinckney in Charleston, S.C.

From each speech, Frucht chose snippets containing universal ideals about thoughtfulness, plurality, unity, spirituality and the way we approach faith, he said. The libretto of A More Perfect Union will be sung by acclaimed American operatic baritone Jorell Williams.

The one thread through all those speeches ... is what kind of country do we want to be, and the answer is never as easy as we think it is, Keenan said. Each of them tell a bigger story about who we are and who we can be as a country and a people.

Obamas address to the AMA in June 2009 provides one of his first arguments for health care reform, Keenan said.

Amid a chippy presidential primary in March 2008, Keenan recalled, Obama confronted racism head in his speech for which RSOs symphony is named. It turned the campaign around, he added.

An updated version of that speech was given as a eulogy seven years later following the Charleston church shooting, which killed nine people, including Pinckney, in June 2015. The speeches address racial divides, divisions and misunderstandings, and how acknowledging our past mistakes as a nation can pave the path for a better future.

Obama views this country as a big jangling symphony you have all these wildly different instruments that look and behave differently working together to make something beautiful, Keenan said. It requires all of them one section playing alone doesnt contribute to the broader piece.

The first movement of A More Perfect Union includes a line from Obamas inaugural address in January 2009: A man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

As a composer, you want to make an audience member think more deeply or feel something about a (certain) moment in their lives, Frucht said, and I hope that this piece does that.

alyssa.seidman@hearstmediact.com

Link:
How Barack Obama's speeches have become focus of Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra - The Ridgefield Press

I recently tried President Obama's favorite NYC burger at Upland. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

I recently tried President Barack Obama's favorite NYC burger at the restaurant Upland.

It features two patties with American cheese, peppadew peppers, tomato, lettuce, and avocado.

I loved how juicy the burger was, and the avocado gave it an extra level of richness and freshness.

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Before the pandemic began, I decided to search for the best burger in NYC.

Me with the Emily burger in March 2020. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

I visited Peter Luger in the fall of 2019 (ah, simpler times) to try the cheeseburger, which had just been blasted by famed New Yorker critic Pete Wells in his zero-star review of the iconic Brooklyn steakhouse.

I actually loved the burger, but my rave review ended up filling my inbox with emails from readers who had very different opinions on where you could find the best burger in the Big Apple. Like any good reporter, I decided I had to try them all.

The pandemic briefly put a hiatus on my search (thankfully, not before I got to review Emily's delicious burger), but now I'm back! And for my third burger on the list, I got some presidential inspiration.

Upland is one of former President Barack Obama's favorite restaurants in New York City.

President Barack Obama leaves Upland restaurant on March 10, 2017 in New York City. James Devaney/GC Images

Obama has visited the California-inspired restaurant a number of times, including for a lunch with Bono (casual). Upland is on his roster of favorite NYC eateries, joining the likes of Carbone and Cosme.

And Obama isn't Upland's only famous diner. A Vogue article once proclaimed that it was "the perfect brunch spot" beloved by Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Gigi Hadid.

Upland has everything from pizza to pasta on the menu, but it's been reported that one of Obama's favorite dishes to order is the cheeseburger.

The $26 Upland cheeseburger. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

In addition to the presidential seal of approval, Upland's cheeseburger has also earned a spot on multiple "Best burgers in NYC" lists.

But what also intrigued me was that the burger is frequently described as a "California-style fast-food cheeseburger." Born in California and raised on fast food (what? It was the '90s!), I was excited to see if Upland's cheeseburger could be Manhattan's answer to In-N-Out.

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So on a recent summer day in NYC, I made my way to Upland.

The front of Upland in New York's Gramercy neighborhood. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

Upland is located in Manhattan's Gramercy neighborhood. I almost missed it while walking down Park Avenue South, as the entire entrance is currently covered with scaffolding classic New York.

But my eye happened to catch the glowing menu by the door, so I rounded the corner and made my way inside.

The California inspiration was already apparent in Upland's decorations.

The entrance to Upland's dining room. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

Upland's entrance features a wall of more than a dozen jars filled to the brim with lemons, which almost seem to glow under the dim lights.

As I walked into the dining room to find the host, I was greeted with the sight of sophisticated green leather booths and a back wall lined with wine bottles. It all felt very Napa chic.

But it was a gorgeous day in New York City, so I opted to sit outside and order a drink.

The $16 Tea-Coupe cocktail. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

While waiting for my friend and fellow taste-tester Clay, I decided to try the Tea-Coupe cocktail.

The $16 drink features Tito's vodka, raspberry-steeped chai, lime, and a fresh raspberry balancing on the glass.

While I loved the Tea-Coupe's pretty light-orange hue, the cocktail was a bit watery for my taste and, overall, not very memorable. Clay felt the same about his $16 Green Marjorita, which features Milagro silver tequila, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, arugula, fennel, and lemon.

But we both loved the $14 ros on tap. We each got hefty pours of the perfectly crisp wine, which paired deliciously with our lunch.

As I sipped on my cocktail, I checked out Upland's lunch menu.

Upland's menu. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

In addition to the famous cheeseburger, Upland also serves five different pizzas and four different pastas, along with a number of salads and main dishes that include salmon and a grilled chicken sandwich.

I knew I had to order the burger, but I also wanted to try another Obama favorite. So I also asked for the sausage and kale pizza, which Barack and Michelle Obama ordered during their lunch with Bono.

It didn't take long for the cheeseburger to arrive with a heaping pile of golden fries.

Upland's cheeseburger is served with a delicious mountain of golden fries. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

Before I get to the burger, I need to rave about the fries for a quick second.

It's clear that the fast-food inspiration for this dish didn't just translate to the burger. Upland's delicious fries are an elevated version of those you'd get at McDonald's.

They're thin and crispy, with just the right amount of softness in the middle, and each fry was nicely cooked and salted. Even with a huge burger and pizza at our table, Clay and I didn't leave a single fry behind.

After munching on a few fries, it was time to take on that beautiful burger.

Upland's burger features two patties and avocado. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

Upland's $27 cheeseburger features two grass-fed beef patties, American cheese, peppadew peppers, lettuce, tomato, and avocado, all nestled between sesame buns.

As you can see in the photo above, all the ingredients were visible with just one look at the burger. Cheese was deliciously oozing all over the double patty stack, the peppers and tomato slice gave everything a beautiful pop of color, and the avocado sat right on top like a crown jewel.

And planted right in the middle of the bun was a tiny version of the California flag, a cute touch that I loved. The red and green from the flag also matched the colors in the burger, which made me wonder if it had been a source of inspiration for the ingredients.

We were ready to dig in, and Upland's cheeseburger definitely made an impression.

I loved the richness of the avocado in Upland's cheeseburger. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

The first thing I noticed was how juicy the patties tasted, instantly reminding me of an In-N-Out double-double. There are so many ingredients packed into this cheeseburger, but the patties are still the star of the show.

Clay, a fellow Californian, was also a huge fan of Upland's take on the flavors of our native state.

"I love a burger that I can smell on my hands," he said. "And I love that there are two patties instead of one. I feel like the last place in New York to do that well was Superiority Burger, which closed down."

The tomato adds some moistness to the hefty burger, while the peppers give each bite a nice crunch. And the creamy avocado helps give the dish a distinguishing spin so it doesn't just feel like an In-N-Out re-creation, adding that extra level of both richness and freshness.

My only wish was that the burger had a bit more of a kick. The peppadew peppers were very subtle, and I think the dish could have shined even more with some heat to tie everything together.

Next up was the sausage and kale pizza, which looked glorious.

Upland's sausage and kale pizza. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

In addition to its namesake ingredients, the $23 pie features three different types of cheeses: Young pecorino, stracciatella, and Parmigiano.

I hate kale with a passion, but this pizza easily won me over.

The delicious pizza features three different cheeses. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

I'm the rare millennial that absolutely can't stand kale, so it's a huge deal for me to say that I really loved this pizza.

The kale is charred to a crisp on this dish, giving each bite some great texture. And the sausage has a nice kick thanks to the chili pepper flakes sprinkled all over the top.

The crust is a bit thicker and flakier than you'll usually find in a New York pie, but it's surprisingly fluffy and soft. And the stracciatella cheese is well distributed throughout the pizza, giving every slice a lovely creaminess.

"I love the crust and cheese," Clay told me. "The cheese was definitely the best part, and I like that it was spread around rather than just placed in the middle."

I saw that you could order a side of Upland's hot sauce for the mushroom pizza, so I asked the waiter to bring us some to try with our pie. The extra heat worked really well, cutting through the creaminess and saltiness of all those cheeses.

Since it was a hot day, Clay and I also decided to treat ourselves to Upland's brownie sundae.

Upland's brownie sundae. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

The waiter sold us on Upland's new dessert menu, and we had no regrets about trying this $14 dish. The brownie sundae includes salted-caramel ice cream, adorable mini wafer balls, some fresh whipped cream, and a hot fudge sauce that covers everything.

Clay loved the crunch that the wafer balls gave to the soft ice cream and brownie, while I couldn't get enough of the delicious salted-caramel flavor. It was the perfect way to finish off our feast. A pizza, burger, and sundae? Talk about a great Friday.

Upland's cheeseburger definitely gets my Californian stamp of approval.

I would definitely order Upland's cheeseburger again. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider

I'm not surprised that Obama loves Upland's cheeseburger. It's juicy, fresh, rich, and full of different flavors and textures. There are so many different burger places in NYC, but Upland's version is full of surprising and memorable touches.

Plus, there are so many other great dishes on the menu. I'd happily go back again for the sausage and kale pizza, and I'd love to try the mushroom pie and pappardelle as well. There's no doubt that everyone could find something that would make them happy at Upland.

But wait, how did Upland's cheeseburger fare when it comes to the best burgers in NYC?

I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

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Link:
I tried Obama's favorite NYC burger and can see why it gets the presidential stamp of approval - Yahoo News