Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Rogers Park

.
Community Meeting Tonight

Alderman Joe Moore is sponsoring a community meeting Wed., June 28, on a proposed tavern and music venue at the former location of Biddy Mulligans' -- 7644 N. Sheridan Rd.
It would be called Island Groove Café, and would be a blues club oriented toward a "grown up" crowd -- age 30-plus.


The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at 7644 N. Sheridan Rd.
The applicants are seeking a liquor license (tavern), public place of amusement license and a special use permit.
For further information, call the 49th Ward Service Office. (773) 338-5796.

.

Chicago

.
School officials say they will track Renaissance 2010's effect
Sun Times--Under pressure from a supermajority of alderman, Chicago Public Schools officials will track the achievement of kids affected by Mayor Daley's Renaissance 2010 effort to fix failing schools, outgoing School Board President Michael Scott said Tuesday.
However, Scott said, CPS will continue to close schools that need "dramatic change'' under Renaissance 2010.
"Closing schools is just one part of the strategy,'' Scott said after a presentation to the City Council Education Committee. "We are not opposed to any solution that's reasonable.''
Chicago Teachers Union President Marilyn Stewart Tuesday noted that 39 of 50 alderman endorse a resolution by Ald. Michael Chandler (24th) calling for a moratorium on closings until the progress of students affected by Renaissance 2010 is evaluated.
"Until we see some success in this, we should stop closing schools,'' Stewart told committee members. More...

.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Rogers Park

.
Recent Items on the Agenda from the
Meeting of the Committee on Zoning
Thursday June 22, 2006

49th Ward Business

1740 West North Shore Ave.

To classify as RM-5 Residential Multi-Unit District , Instead of RT-4 Residential Two-Flat Townhouse and Multi-Unit District

7458 North Greenview
To classify as RM-5 Residential Multi-Unit District, instead of RS3
Residential Single-Unit (Detached House) District,


1900 West Farwell Avenue
To classify as RM-5 Residential Multi-Unit District, instead of RT4
Residential Two-Plat, Townhouse and Multi-Unit District,


6964 North Greenview Avenue
To classify as B3-3 Community Shopping District, instead of C1-2
Neighborhood Commercial District,

Here's the PDF File...Committee On Zoning, June 22, 2006

Chicago

.
Civic Federation gives CPS budget failing marks
Crain’s)— A local watchdog group is castigating the proposed new
Chicago Public Schools budget, warning that the system faces a difficult future unless it reforms the way it spends more than $5 billion in taxpayer money a year.
The report released Monday by the Civic Federation charges that CPS is effectively ignoring a rapidly widening hole in its employee pension plans, “provides almost no specificity” on $1 billion in pending capital expenditures, and suffers from “a lack of long-term perspective.”

To read the 64-page report in PDF form Click Here.

CPS’ proposed fiscal 2007 budget “does not begin to address the many daunting fiscal and programmatic challenges” the system faces, says the report. And even if CPS was making tough decisions, the federation adds, it would be hard to tell because the budget “fails to provide even basic information” about key financial matters. More...
.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Rogers Park

.
Alderman Joe Moore Invites you to a
COMMUNITY MEETING
on a proposed Tavern and Music Venue at
7644 N SHERIDAN RD.
(The former Biddy Mulligan's)

Location: Island Groove Café7644 North Sheridan Road
Time:: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - 7:00 P.M.
The applicants are seeking a liquor license (tavern), public place of amusement license and a special use permit.

Island Groove Poster announces Pre Grand Opening
Here' some Some Background Info on the New Restaurant














Chicago

.
Three years after Mayor Richard M. Daley ordered the bulldozing of Meigs Field, the legal bills continue to rise.
Crain's--The city of Chicago has spent more than $200,000 on outside lawyers to appeal a $33,000 fine the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed, and the meter is still running.Another matter, an FAA investigation of whether the city illegally used $2.9 million in airport development funds to deactivate Meigs, has cost the city even more in legal fees.
As of mid-June, the Washington, D.C. office of law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has billed the city almost $550,000 for handling both issues, according to a spokeswoman for Chicago Corporation Counsel Mara Georges. About 40% of the bill is related to appealing the fine; the rest is tied to the diversion-of-funds investigation.
Noting that the city's legal challenge of the $33,000 fine is now costing more than six times the original penalty, Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a budget watchdog group, says, "It may be time for the city to re-evaluate this strategy." More...

.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Rogers Park

.
Vandals Break Window

An empty storefront window was broken early Wednesday morning in a building located at the corner of Bosworth and Howard Street. Urban Equities, who manages the building as well as several others including The Broadmoor across the street, had contractors board up the window by midday.
Property Manager, Jann Ralph will hold a meeting with the Broadmoor tenants tonight at 6:30PM in the lobby.




Police Action NOH

Within minutes of stopping 4 young men on Howard Street yesterday around 4pm, the 2 officers who made the initial stop were joined by 3 additional patrol cars. The men were searched and 1 man was handcuffed. It is not known why they were stopped.
Gary Fuschi

Chicago

.
Woman charged in library arson
Chicago Tribune -A 21-year-old homeless woman was charged this evening with setting a fire at a Chicago Public Library branch on the North Side that damaged about 100 books, most of them in the gay and lesbian collection.
Erica Graham was charged with one count of attempted aggravated arson in the Tuesday fire at the John Merlo Branch Library, 644 W. Belmont Ave., said Tandra Simonton, spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.
'It was not a hate crime,' Simonton said of the incident.
More...

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Chicago

.
Board has right to replace Stroger
Daily Southtown--The Cook County Board could, if it mustered the political will, force ailing President John Stroger from office for "inability to act," according to a 19-page legal opinion issued Monday by the board's attorney.
Board attorneys and members have said previously they could do nothing unless Stroger, who has not been seen publicly since his stroke March 14, stepped aside.
"For me, the crux of this is the board does have the power," said Commissioner Mike Quigley (D-Chicago), who requested the opinion. "But the majority of the board does not want to (act)."
More....
.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

1632-42 West Howard













Having completed the masonry repair to the east parapet wall, workman begin erecting the scaffold on the south side of the building.
Rob's Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor is scheduled to open in a few weeks.

Planters at The Broadmoor ?














Urban Equities, the new court appointed building management company for The Broadmoor, planted two large containers in front of the building yesterday ahead of Thursday night's 6:30pm resident meeting in the lobby of the building. Property Manager Jann Ralph will speak to the residents about " topics relevant to the Broadmoor and the neighborhood"

Gateway Plaza Planted Too












.

Chicago

.
Who's running Illinois's Cook County?
WIth the board president absent 3 months, Chicagoans seek a better explanation – or a succession plan.
The Christian Science Monitor – With a $3 billion annual budget and a population of nearly 5.5 million, Cook County ranks among America's largest governments. But since mid-March, it's been unclear who is running it.
No one has seen or heard from County Board President John Stroger since he suffered a stroke on March 14, a week before the primary elections - which he went on to win. Family members and doctors have stopped answering questions or providing any updates about his condition.

IN ABSENTIA: Cook County's board president has been absent since March. He is said to be running the government with help from his chief of staff, James Whigham (pictured). CHARLES Officials say he continues to run the government from a distance, in collaboration with his chief of staff, but few of the general public believe it.
Meanwhile, newspaper articles and critics are recalling Chicago's past political embarrassments ("a place where the dead have been known to vote," in an Associated Press story) and suggested that Soviet Russia had more transparency. This situation, they say, is a sign that the old Democratic machine, nearly dead, lingers on in places - and that Cook County is in serious need of reform.") More.....
.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Rogers Park

.
Artists of the Wall Festival
The 13th Annual Rogers Park tradition was held this weekend between a few raindrops that didn't dissuade anyone from completing their murals. Sometimes pictures just say it all .

Gateway Mall Planting
The Gateway Mall recieved a fresh planting of annuals at the entrances and perennials and prarie grasses in all the pedestrian walkway planting areas by Panoramic Landscape Co. Work was completed last week and Panoramic will maintain the grass, plants and trees regularly during the growing season.




























The UPS Store Opens Today















The UPS Store located at Gateway Shoppping Mall is opening this Monday and I
managed to talk owner Rob Nolfi to let me inside for a look around and a few preview pics.

















This is the backroom packaging area and that large funnel above Eric Ciak's head is a styrofoam popcorn feeder. At Christmas time, you'll be able to drop off all your out of town presents with the addresses and these guys will do all the rest; wrap 'em and send 'em. Done.



































Color copiers which will have Kodak Photo paper so you can copy pics and mailboxes with a REAL street address and zip code. And if your're as frustrated as I am with not being able to get packages that have been sent to you because you weren't home during the day to sign for them, have them sent here instead.

















Here's the Info:
store5757@theupsstore.com
1751 D-2 West Howard Street
773 465-5514

Chicago

.
Police: Gangs On The Move And Headed To Suburbs
CBS- A new report, to be released by the Chicago Police Department later today, says street gangs are on the move and they are finding their way from the city to the suburbs.One of the big findings apparently gang members have been migrating from Chicago to the outlying suburbs—where police agencies are outmanned, CBS 2’s Kristyn Hartman reports.
The 272 page report that will be released at 10 a.m. today is the first one of its kind in more than a decade may reveal that gang violence may not just be an inner city problem.The report also suggests there could be up to 100 gangs—and up to 20 of them are well-organized. More....

More from the SunTimes
Gangs migrate to 'burbs,
The average leader of a Chicago street gang is 43, and more often than not he lives in the leafy suburbs of Cook County.
He typically has been convicted of murder.
In some gangs, his underlings have tried to infiltrate the Cook County Clerk's office; the Cook County Sheriff's office; the Chicago Police Department, and even the College of DuPage's criminal justice classes.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Chicago

.
Police Seek Man Suspected Of Attempted Abduction
Offender Described As While Male In His Teens
STNG-- Chicago Police are looking for a man who tried to abduct several children on the North Side on Thursday.The unidentified man attempted to lure children between the ages of eight and 11 into his car on the 7400 block of North Oleander Avenue and the 7500 block of West Birchwood Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Kristina Schuler.

The man drove a light blue, four-door, box style Buick with rust around the wheel wells and attempted to lure children playing on the sidewalk into the car, Schuler said. More....

Construction Crew Knocks Out Power Downtown
CBS-- ComEd has restored power to all the buildings in the downtown area near the lakeshore that were affected by a power outage Friday afternoon.A total of 27 buildings, mostly businesses, were affected by the outage and as of 9:05 p.m. power was restored to all the building, according to ComEd spokesman Jeff Burdick.

A non-ComEd construction crew digging at 360 E. South Water St. struck a power line, causing the outage, at about noon, according to ComEd spokesman Jeff Burdick. Water around the line had to be pumped away so crews could fix it. More....

Whole Foods Stops Selling Live Lobsters
Tribune -- Customers craving fresh crustaceans will have to look beyond Whole Foods Market Inc. after the natural-foods grocery chain decided Thursday to stop selling live lobsters and crabs on the grounds that it's inhumane. The Austin-based grocer spent seven months studying the sale of live lobsters from ship to supermarket aisle, trying to determine whether the creatures suffer along the way. In some stores, they experimented with "lobster condos," filling tanks with stacks of large pipes the critters can crawl inside. And they moved the tanks behind seafood counters and away from children's tapping fingers. Ultimately, Whole Foods management decided to immediately stop selling live lobsters and soft-shell crabs, saying they could not ensure the creatures are treated with respect and compassion. chain, she said. More.... http://www.wholefoods.com ......
http://www.lobstermen.com .....http://www.lobsterinstitute.org
.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Rogers Park

.
Suspect charged in second sexual assault
ABC--Benjamin Johnson, 40, escaped from police in Chicago's West Rogers Park neighborhood in March. Investigators said DNA linked him to a second sexual assault in Wrigleyville. That assault also occurred in March. More...

More from The first-time buyer:
the FSBO and her fashion faux pas
YoChicago--So, in the hunt for our very first home, we decided we had looked at enough unimpressive rehabs, with their miserly dive rooms, and we should focus back on the resale market. As soon as we did, we started to notice a couple of cool places by the lake in Rogers Park. Maybe it was time to think location, location.
So we checked out a couple of units in a bigger building on the lakefront. The building wasn't that old, so we figured we wouldn't have the kinds of problems you usually get with older buildings, but we might still find something affordable.
More...
.

Chicago

.
City to build 24 new schools
Tribune--On the North Side, the plan calls for a new high school in the Irving Park community and several new elementary schools. It also calls for major renovations at Mather High School in West Ridge. More...

Sun Times--Jacqueline Leavy, executive director of the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, questioned whether the new schools and renovations chosen are the “most needy projects in the city.” She noted that the Board of Education has no “master facilities plan” or criteria for choosing projects.
Although it’s legal to use money from one TIF to build schools in a district with a shared border, that’s money that will not be available to attract job-creating businesses, build affordable housing or bolster the tax base, she said.
More...
The projects Daley outlined on Thursday include:from CBS

Car-share program stuck in park
Sun Times--For the fast-growing I-Go car-sharing program, the major bump in the road to expansion has been the parking.
The not-for-profit service has been unable to move as quickly into some underserved areas, Director Sharon Feigon said Wednesday while announcing its move into new South Side locations, part of an expansion that's doubling its fleet to 100 cars this year.
"We're growing at a fast clip," she said. "But we want to make sure we serve all communities. We want to make sure everybody has the benefits of our services."
More....

More Disease-Carrying Ticks Found In Chicagoland
cbs2chicago.com -"You grab it right down there where it's attached and you pull it straight out. You don't twist ."
The risk of
Lyme Disease is moving closer to home. For the first time, infected ticks have been found in forest preserves in Park Ridge. They're no bigger than the head of a pin, and their babies are even smaller. But ticks can cause big problems. More....
.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Rogers Park

.
600 at ONE event
Pioneer--Immigration, housing set-asides, jobs for ex-convicts, and the future of the Wilson Yards project topped the agenda of the Organization of the North East's recent 32nd annual meeting.
In front of more than 600 people representing 80 churches, community organizations and non-profit agencies in Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park, aldermen Helen Shiller (46th), Mary Ann Smith (48th), Joe Moore (49th), and Bernard Stone (50th) promised not only to work to get eligible immigrants to obtain citizensship and register to vote, but to "intervene" in any federal immigration raids on local workplaces.
The ONE meeting was held Monday, June 5, at St. Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church, 5649 N. Sheridan.
More....

24th District Police Blotter

Burglary--Police arrested a 19-year-old man and 16-year-old male for allegedly burglarizing a garage on the 6600 block of North California around 2:15 a.m. June 4, according to Rogers Park (24th) District police reports.
Robbery--A 41--year-old man and his 44-year-old female companion were robbed of $20 on the 1700 block of West Touhy Avenue around midnight June 4. The man told police that two men in their early 20s approached them and demanded money. More from Pioneer
.

Odd World

.
Mom, Dad In Court Over Son's Circumcision
AP--Groups opposed to circumcision are watching the case of an 8-year-old suburban Chicago boy whose divorced parents are fighting in court over whether he should have the procedure.


The child's mother wants him circumcised to prevent recurring, painful inflammation she says he's experienced during the past year. But the father says the boy is healthy and circumcision, which removes the foreskin of the penis, is an unnecessary medical procedure that could cause him long-term physical and psychological harm.
"The child is absolutely healthy," the father said during a break in a court hearing on the matter Wednesday. "I do not want any doctor to butcher my son." More...
.

Odd World

.
Mom, Dad In Court Over Son's Circumcision
AP--Groups opposed to circumcision are watching the case of an 8-year-old suburban Chicago boy whose divorced parents are fighting in court over whether he should have the procedure.


The child's mother wants him circumcised to prevent recurring, painful inflammation she says he's experienced during the past year. But the father says the boy is healthy and circumcision, which removes the foreskin of the penis, is an unnecessary medical procedure that could cause him long-term physical and psychological harm.
"The child is absolutely healthy," the father said during a break in a court hearing on the matter Wednesday. "I do not want any doctor to butcher my son." More...
.

Chicago

.
Commish: 'There's a crisis coming', Officials say revenue off $40 million at midyear point
Daily Southtown-Cook County's revenue problem has more than doubled, leaving the county about $40 million behind with half the fiscal year gone, county officials said.

Official numbers are expected to be released next week, but commissioners Mike Quigley and Gregg Goslin said they've been told that revenue is so far behind the budget estimate that it's a "serious problem" in the eyes of the county's financial team.

"There's a crisis coming because at the first-quarter hearing (about finances), I said we should act now or else our actions would have to be more dramatic," Quigley (D-Chicago) said. "Now, it's too damn late." More... Son: US Law Shields Stroger

Vandals set fire to gay books in library
Tribune --Chicago police are investigating a fire in a Chicago Public Library branch on the North Side that damaged about 100 books, most of them in the gay and lesbian collection.
A patron at the John Merlo Branch Library, 644 W. Belmont Ave., alerted staff members to a fire on the branch's second floor about noon Tuesday, Officer JoAnn Taylor saidFirefighters were called, but library staffers were able to put out the fire, said library spokeswoman Maggie Killackey. More....

Broadcast museum is going green
Medill via Chi Town Daily--Chicago, despite its rough, urban image, has for years been leading the nation in green initiatives and is at the forefront of promoting environmentally friendly policies. Results from a McGraw-Hill Construction/National Association of Home Builders survey showed builders around the country are catching onto the trend. The study showed that in 2005, there was a 20 percent increase in the number of home builders producing green, environmentally responsible homes.
More...
.