PILSEN — When it comes to the stories that touched our hearts in 2016, Chicago's own 89-year-old "Paleta Man" undoubtedly tops them all.
But a number of other stories had Pilsen and Little Village residents talking this year. From devastating unsolved arsons to Pilsen's changing demographics, these are the stories that mattered most.
Fidencio Sanchez, the "Paleta Man," inspired people from all over the word. [DNAinfo/Kelly Bauer]
1.) 89-Year-Old 'Paleta Man' Inspires The World, But He Won't Stop Working
At age 89, Little Village ice cream salesman Fidencio Sanchez inspired the world and became an international phenomenon.
But before a GoFundMe campaign to honor him went viral, Sanchez, Chicago's own "Paleta Man," was just another street vendor who tirelessly sold paletas from his cart for decades.
With plans to raise $200, strangers Joel Cervantes and Jose Loera set up the campaign after one of them saw Sanchez selling popsicles on the Near West Side and were touched by the hard work the elderly man put in day in and day out. The campaign made history, becoming the largest GoFundMe fundraiser in Illinois and one of the top 25 campaigns in the United States.
In September, Sanchez was presented with a check for nearly $385,000 — but he didn't plan on giving up work.
The story showed people a different side of Little Village, said Gustavo Gutierrez, who provides the paleta cart to Sanchez. Sanchez's story of hard work became a "worldwide message" about how Latinos provide for people, work and help the economy.
"Mr. Sanchez is an example for everybody around," Gutierrez said.
The Beltran family lost everything in one of seven devastating arsons in September. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
2.) Devastating Pilsen arsons remain unsolved
In September, six devastating arsons rocked Pilsen and Heart of Chicago, killing one man and displacing 25 people from their homes.
Around 3 a.m. Sept. 16, nearly 100 firefighters and police responded to calls of separate fires around the neighborhoods. Officials believe the fires were set intentionally because of the fire pattern, proximity and times.
Police now say six fires occurred between 2:45 a.m. and 3:20 a.m. Sept. 16. Earlier, police indicated seven arsons occurred in that timeframe.
The person responsible for the arsons is likely someone with a mental illness who "likes to play with fire," a top police official said in October. Later that month, detectives released surveillance video, appearing to show a man on the bike near the scenes.
To date, no arrests have been made and the mysterious arson case remains unsolved.
Neighbors who may have information about the suspicious arsons are asked to call investigating detectives at 312-746-7618.
A sign in Spanish welcomes visitors to 18th Street in Pilsen. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
3.) Pilsen Gets Whiter As 10,000 Hispanics, Families Move Out, Study Finds
In April, a new study confirmed what longtime Pilsen residents are feeling: that the neighborhood is losing Hispanics — and particularly Hispanic families — by the thousands.
Meanwhile, more whites are moving in, and they tend to be single and wealthier, the study found.
Relying on Census and annual American Community Survey data, the study by University of Illinois at Chicago professor John Betancur and grad student Youngjun Kim found that:
• Pilsen is still majority Hispanic, but more than 10,300 have left the neighborhood since 2000, a 26 percent drop. As of 2013, an estimated 28,835 Hispanic residents were living in Pilsen.
• The number of whites grew by 22 percent, from 3,587 in 2000 to an estimated 4,385 in 2013.
• While Pilsen's population overall plummeted by nearly 15 percent from 2000-2010, the biggest drop — 41 percent — was in the number of families with children living in the neighborhood.
The change in demographics has real consequences for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans who have called Pilsen home for generations, including 70-year-old Amalia Alejo. As new residents move in and property taxes continue to rise, Alejo said she doesn't know if she can afford to keep her 140-year-old house.
"I'd love to keep it in the family. But the day that I can't afford it, I'm out," Alejo said.
RELATED: Pilsen Gets Whiter As 10,000 Hispanics, Families Move Out, Study Finds
Ald. Danny Solis worked to rezone a massive Pilsen lot in an effort to block a developer's planned redevelopment of the property this year. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
4.) Alderman Makes Moves To Block Development At Pilsen's Largest Vacant Site
In a feud over future development at Pilsen's largest vacant site, Ald. Danny Solis (25th) worked to rezone the property this summer, blocking a planned residential redevelopment by developer Property Markets Group.
At the time, Solis, a veteran alderman who serves as chairman of the Committee on Zoning, said the move would allow time for the community to develop the best plan for the 7.85-acre site between 16th and 18th streets and Newberry Avenue and Peoria Street.
Solis made the move after the developer announced in April it would still develop the property without a zoning change.
The developers came to that decision after the Pilsen Land Use Committee nixed their plan to build 500 apartments at the apartments at the site in February. The sticking point that led the committee to deny the 500-unit project plan was Pilsen's stringent affordable housing mandate, which requires any development of eight or more units and that requires a zoning change must provide 21 percent affordable housing on site.
After the zoning change, Solis said in September the property could still be developed into housing after all — affordable housing — by affordable housing non-profit The Resurrection Project.
Solis said at least part of any new plan for the site would include more than 21 percent affordable housing and would be less dense than the 500-unit project previously pitched by Property Markets Group.
Guillermo Camarillo Jr. strikes a pose at Stanford University, where he started college this year. [Provided/Facebook]
5.) Latino Teen's Awful Encounter With Dentist Inspired Thousands
Guillermo Camarillo Jr. never expected his Facebook post about a trip to the dentist to go viral.
But within days this summer, the Little Village native received hundreds of messages of support and even an internship offer or two, as his open letter about a "frustrating" and "belittling" experience was shared by thousands.
The teen said he went in for a routine cleaning in July only to have his dentist grill him about his ACT score and explain that it was "easier" for minority students from low-income neighborhoods to get into top-ranked universities. The dentist called Camarillo "lucky," the teen said, and likened his admission to Stanford University to competing on "The Voice."
The son of two undocumented immigrants, Camarillo is the first person in his family to go to college. He's now studying at Stanford University on a full scholarship.
Sharing his story was cathartic.
"A lot of people sympathized with me," Camarillo said, "or told me they've gone through what I did. ... In a way, it's a relief because it shows me I'm not the only one experiencing this."
RELATED: How This Latino Teen's Awful Encounter With His Dentist Inspired Thousands
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