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With the Olympic bid picking up steam, one South Side organization sees it as a chance to build a new hybrid Metra-CTA line to connect under-served transit spots. Calling their proposed branch the Gold Line, Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, or SOUL for short, has a plan but it's pretty expensive. According to the Trib:

After an exceptionally violent weekend, some people are wondering if violence may have been worse than the city wants us to think. The anonymous police watchdog blog, Second City Cop, compiled their stories from the field at Taste and noted that the fireworks may have started half an hour early to stave off more violence. Mike Doyle rounded up comments and reports from the city, the media and the blogosphere on his Chicagosphere blog. Doyle's point is a good one: the disparity between eyewitness reports and ones filtered by City officials through the media can differ greatly.

So now that the Cubs have a new owner, what's next for their home, Wrigley Field? Included in the sale of the team, the iconic stadium may be in for some renovations soon. In question is the Wrigley 2014 plan which would account for $250 million in upgrades and fixes to the stadium that would - hopefully - spruce the Friendly Confines up enough to host the 2014 All-Star Game. And the reason for stressing 2014? That's the ballpark's 100th birthday. What's going to be fixed? According to the Sun-Times: "new concourses, washrooms, concessions, skyboxes and a club seating lounge." Not on the menu: clearing the bleachers of annoying drunk frat boys and girls in pink Cubs hats that have no idea what's happening on the field (full disclosure: I'm the lone die-hard Cubs fan on staff, or, rather, the only staff member brave or stupid enough to publicly claim that).

Last week, the Sears Tower's newest attraction opened to much fanfare: The Ledge. Located in the Tower's 103rd floor Skydeck, the Ledge consists of four retractable boxes (three are currently open and the fourth opens this fall) that stick out on the Tower's west face, allowing visitors to look straight down onto Wacker Drive. All 1,353 feet down. While most of the media got a look at the Ledge last week, Fellow Chicagoist staffer Prescott and I waited out the holiday and paid a visit yesterday when Skydeck General Manager Randy Stancik guided us through the new attraction.

Last week, we mentioned the children of the state are getting fatter. Now, another study says that Illinois' adults are, too. According to data released by the CDC, 26.4 percent of Illinois adults are obese. Overall, the Southeast has the highest rates with Mississippi and Alabama coming in at #1 and #2, respectively. (Way to go, SEC country, making me proud of my homeland). But, seriously, the new results show a very troubling trend. As the Trib explains:

Reacting to the violent holiday weekend that saw 11 people killed in over 60 shootings (and a stabbing thrown in for good measure), Mayor Daley took to the defensive, citing other reasons rather than the diversion of police to cover the Taste of Chicago (which had its own issues). Namely, the mayor blamed alcohol and the warmer weather for the outbreak.

A new "couples only" hotel may be coming to Midlothian, and residents say the hotel does not belong in a residential area and fear the hotel could bring prostitution to the area. One resident told the Sun-Times, "We're all for business here and it may sound silly. And maybe we're being fussy. But I don't want any midnight stenographers around here."

Citing a lack of results, the city of Schaumburg is getting rid of the one red light camera they had installed. Curious to see how the cameras worked, the city installed one at a particularly busy intersection close to Woodfield Mall. What happened next led to the eventual decision to scrap plans for more.

As if Kuma's Corner couldn't get any more packed on the weekend, now the venerable burger/beer/metal/biker kitsch bar is throwing a block party to celebrate its fourth anniversary, which should just send fans of Kuma's monster burgers into DEFCON 1 mode.

It seems a Chicagoan was in on the act the other day when a bunch of environmental protesters unfurled a giant banner over the face of Abe Lincoln (outrage!) at Mt. Rushmore yesterday. According to the Daily Herald, Chicagoan Mary Sweeters was involved and Greenpeace officials indicated at least one more Illinois resident may have been a part. The Daily Herald has the full scoop on what went down.

On the heels of the announcement last week that crime in Chicago was down in the first half of 2009 over the first half of 2008, Chicago experienced one of its most violent weekends so far this year. Weekend violence accounted for 63 shootings, one stabbing, and a total of 10 deaths. Of course, looking back at last summer's violence, the bloody start to this July is pretty pedestrian, all the more reason to be skeptical about that recent decrease claim: last year's murder tally was the highest in five years, undermining the claim that violent crime is decreasing rather than just returning to normal levels.

This morning, Prescott and I paid a visit to the Sears Tower to check out the new Ledges observation boxes and talk to officials about the new attraction. We'll have our full report and gallery up tomorrow, but the Ledges have made news outside the city with coverage from various national press outlets such as the New York Times (here) and the Associated Press (here). Check out those stories and check back tomorrow for our feature.

When times are tough and discretionary spending is non-existent, small business owners have to put on their thinking caps and get creative. Marie's Golden Cue, a pool hall on Montrose Ave. in Albany Park, mined the depths of innuendo to come up with this steaming pile of awesomeness.

Hey, it's the 30th anniversary of Steve Dahl's Disco Demolition -- wherein the hatred of disco fed into rabid (kinda) rioting at ye olde Comiskey Pary -- so obviously it's time to interview the man behind the madness! Thankfully, Dahl claims he's keeping it down to one print interview and and two TV interviews this time around. The Trib got the exclusive print interview, and who better to delve deep into the mind of Steve Dahl than probing questioner ... Steve Dahl?

We were fortunate enough to spend some time in MK's kitchen with Pastry Chef, Tony Galzin. In addition to letting us peek over his shoulder as he plated desserts, he answered questions on how he became a pastry chef, trends in the industry, seasonal ingredients and how to best incorporate and enjoy dessert. Also, tomorrow, we will feature video of Chef Galzin working in the kitchen.

White Sox GM Kenny Williams wants to know if you've seen his Colon. Bartolo, that is. It may seem unlikely to lose sight of the rotund pitcher, but that's exactly what's happened. Scheduled to make a rehab start with their Triple-A team in Charlotte on Thursday after a stint in Arizona, the White Sox have been unable to get in touch with Colon. Said Williams, "Efforts to contact his agent have been successful. Their efforts to contact their client have not been so successful."

Cab driver Fred Batrony (pictured right) is in police custody today after an alleged sexual assault of a female passenger late Friday night. The 24-year-old woman hailed Batrony's cab near Fullerton and Clark and asked him to take her to Diversey and Clark. Instead, Batrony allegedly took the woman to a secluded area and assaulted her before dropping her off. Once she was out of the cab, the woman contacted police and gave them a detailed description of Batrony and his cab. Police tracked him down late last night and he's been charged with kidnapping and criminal sexual abuse. [ABC 7, CBN]

On January 9, 2008, a tornado struck northern Illinois, leaving a trail of damage from Poplar Grove (Boone County) all the way to Harvard (McHenry County). The timing of the tornado was just right as to run across some tracks right when a train was passing by. Thanks to a camera mounted on the train, we see what happens when a train battles a tornado: Mother Nature wins.

There is a time and a place for everything. Cubs fans watching the interview between Len & Bob and Erik Estrada last night learned that a 7th inning interview might not be the best place for a conversation about seeing "a lot of child pornography" as well as bringing up - in a complimentary manner - the best known part of Ron Jeremy.

Toni Preckwinkle has been the Fourth Ward Alderman for nearly 20 years. She ran for the post twice prior to winning, in 1983 and 1987, against incumbent Tim Evans. "I came to Chicago when I was 18 years old to go to the University of Chicago. That was 1965, and I've been here ever since. I usually describe myself as having a dilettante's major - I was a general studies and social sciences major and then I got a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. I'm a high school teacher by profession," she says. She got into Chicago politics after working with Paul Simon on his race for State Treasurer. "I started working on independent politics in the community in Hyde Park and South Kenwood, with the Independent Voters of Illinois. Larry Bloom, who was married to one of my college classmates, decided to run for Alderman of the Fifth Ward. I was precinct coordinator for him. So I kind of worked my way up from precinct worker to precinct captain to precinct operations. He won, unexpectedly. I think he thought he'd have to take a couple of runs at it before he got elected."

Be sure to check Part 1 of the interview here if you haven't.

There's a new Tumblr blog getting passed around the interwebz here in Chicago: Stranger Than Eviction, which features some harrowing, bizarre tales of, well, we'll let the blog's creator explain it.

The bridge in a Merrillville, Indiana park that collapsed on July 4th, injuring 25, was overloaded to twice its capacity, according to an initial investigation. The collapse sent more than 50 people tumbling into the water below, though no one was seriously hurt. Ross Township Trustee John Rooda said, "There were far too many people on the bridge. It was overloaded. We had uniformed (Merrillville) police officers at both ends. We shoot for 20 people. It can handle up to 40. We're confident there were twice as many on the bridge." The park was closed yesterday for the investigation and is expected to reopen today. The bridge, of course, remains closed. [CBS 2, Fox 32]

Though a party from Chicago 2016 is actually in Africa to promote the City's Olympic bid, using a message from President Obama in the pitch, the City's bid team is beginning to focus locally. With an upswing in anti-Olympic sentiment and even rumblings from within the City Council, Chicago 2016 is taking no chances. Between Wednesday and the October 2nd IOC selection, Chicago 2016 will be holding various community meetings for each wards - often grouped together - to meet with the public. The first meetings have already been set.

The woes of Mayor Daley continue. With the parking meter deal and the Olympic bid coming under extreme scrutiny, and his nephew's wheelings and dealings, the last thing he needs is another accusation of shady hiring practices, especially in the wake of this year's Hired Trucks trial. But that's what he's getting. Yesterday afternoon, Human Resources Commissioner Homero Tristan, the man Daley brought in to help the city avoid such scandals, resigned in the wake of accusations of lying by city Inspector General David Hoffman; Hoffman had called for Tristan's firing two weeks ago. In spite of the resignation, Tristan maintains his innocence, claiming it's now impossible for him to defend himself while also trying to serve the city. Tristan said (via the Sun-Times):

In a surprise move, it seems state Attorney General Lisa Madigan will not be running for either the U.S. Senate or Illinois Governor come next year, according to Sun-Times political analyst Lynn Sweet. Instead, Madigan will look to stay put by running again for Attorney General.

Crain's Chicago Business is reporting that Michigan developer Villiage Green Companies is looking to the City of Chicago to help finance conversion of a 45 story vintage office building into apartments, after private financing fell through.

The failed financing is the latest trial for the ramshackle Gothic Revival office tower, which is well-known for its crumbling terra cotta facade and has made two trips to Bankruptcy Court this decade. Village Green, which wants to convert the building into 313 apartments, is pushing ahead despite the bad economy, betting that the downtown rental market will pull out of its slump by the time the project, called Randolph Tower City Apartments, is finished.

Continue reading "Michigan Developer to City TIF Slush Fund: Brother Can You Spare a Dime?"

By Kevin Robinson on July 9, 2009 10:20 AM 6 Vote 0 Votes

Welcome back, food lovers. This week on Top Chef Masters, we have: Chef Douglas Rodriguez, Chef Mark Peel, Chef Anita Lo or Chef John Besh. We've got James Beard winners, a Michelin star recipient, and multiple Best New Chef namings. Another impressive bunch. Oh boy, we're impressed and bored already.

A strange, horrible story from Alsip regarding the historic African-American Burr Oak Cemetery. It seems the manager and several grave-diggers dug up over 100 almost 300 bodies for the purposes of re-selling the graves. Authorities found piles of bones where the bodies had been dumped after being dug up. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said, "What we found was beyond startling and revolting...All of us who were working on this for the last week were pretty distraught. You start with the premise of your own loved ones and how they are cared for after they are buried, but there is also a true significance to this particular cemetery." Among the historic figures buried at the cemetery are Emmett Till, jazz/blues legend Dinah Washington and heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles. Dart said authorities are working to identify the remains that were removed, but said, "We cannot give people definitive answers at this point." [Tribune, Sun-Times]

Summer's bounty is finally upon us! This was the first week where we could do ALL of our grocery shopping at the Farmer's Market, rather than using it to enhance our regular meals. The first root vegetables of the year have come in, and the market was stuffed with carrots, onions and the first small potatoes. Lettuces, Chard and other greens continue to come on strong, but the real stars of the show were berries. Cherries, Raspberries, Blackberries - even currants were for sale at this Saturday's Green City Market.