Get a head start on your holiday shopping Saturday when Constructor Craft Fair comes to Fitzgerald's in Berwyn. more ›

After an alleged drug dealer was robbed of his product he called the police to report the theft. Steven Dragon was picked up by the police for being a suspect in a purse snatching incident last January. While Dragon was doing the phony lineup, the police confiscated the half a kilo of cocaine that was in Dragon’s trunk, according to a federal complaint unsealed Thursday, the Sun Times reports. more ›

A Berwyn doctor was charged with sexual assault and battering his patients, but it took four years to arrest him. The Cook County state’s attorney said it did not have enough evidence to prosecute Ricardo Arze after the 2003 allegation and wasn’t informed of the 2005 complaint until years later, the Tribune has reported. The police launched their investigation in 2007 when at least four women filed complaints. Arze was treating more than 6,000 patients at his private practice, and served on the staff of Berwyn’s MacNeal Hospital, before he was arrested in September 2007. When the police started their investigation they had a Cook County sheriff’s officer pose as a patient; Arze then made sexual advances to her. The Tribune’s review found 16 convicted sex offenders who held Illinois medical licenses within the last 15 years. None had their license permanently revoked. more ›

This past weekend was the Great American Mutt Show, Berwyn's answer to the stuffy and formal International Kennel Club's annual celebration of the purebred canine. Now in it's third year, the Berwyn Development Corporation established the Chicagoland Great American Mutt Show to celebrate the spirit and individuality of the kinds of dogs typically found in local homes across Chicagoland. more ›

This past weekend was the Great American Mutt Show, Berwyn's answer to the stuffy and formal International Kennel Club's annual celebration of the purebred canine. Now in it's third year, the Berwyn Development Corporation established the Chicagoland Great American Mutt Show to celebrate the spirit and individuality of the kinds of dogs typically found in local homes across Chicagoland. more ›

Dustin Shuler, creator of Berwyn's iconic Spindle sculpture passed away Monday in his home in Southern California. His wife says the cause was cancer. Although best known for the Berwyn Spindle, Shuler's work was known for poking fun at America's love affair with the automobile. In 2007, he arranged a circle of cars on their hind wheels for the Sarasota Season of Sculpture, which he titled "Dance." He also did a series of car "skins" mounted on walls like animal pelts. Shuler's Spindle was dismantled in 2008 by the owner of the shopping strip where it was sited to make room for a Walgreen's. Check out Shuler's website, and his works, here. more ›

Checking out all the nifty purebred dogs entered in the International Kennel Club of Chicago show at McCormick Place was cute overload. But one thing we noticed was the lack of, well, regular dogs. Never fear, Chicagoland, the lack of a category for Best Stray has finally been addressed: the City of Berwyn is hosting the Great American Mutt Show next month! more ›

Authorities discovered an artifact find worthy of Indiana Jones. But rather than a cave or an ancient temple, this collection was found in a house in Berwyn. Over 3,500 artifacts - including terracotta figurines, letters from popes, and a handwritten manuscript by Benito Mussolini - were discovered at the home of John Sisto when he died over two years ago. And now, after an extensive investigation, federal authorities have determined that around 1,600 of the artifacts - valued at between $5 million and $10 million - had been stolen in Italy and shipped to the U.S. to be sold. FBI spokesman Ross Rice said the stolen artifacts will be returned to Italy and added no criminal charges related to theft, transportation or possession of stolen artifacts would be filed against the Sisto family by U.S. authorities. Since the items were shipped out of Italy in violation of that nation's Cultural Property Laws, charges related to those violations rests with Italian authorities. The other 2,000 artifacts - which were of indeterminate origin - were returned to the Sisto family. According to the Tribune's report: more ›

Berwyn sure is cooking! Remember those billboards that portrayed the Chicago suburb as a hip alternative to Chicago? This year the City of Berwyn has partnered with Artspace Projects, a national nonprofit arts organization to study the space needs of artists in the Berwyn and neighboring Chicago metropolitan communities. As part of this study, Artspace Projects has developed a brief, 10 minute survey to assist in the development of affordable live/work space for artists in Berwyn. more ›

Mayoral and municipal primaries are being held in some Chicago 'burbs today. Don't forget to vote if you live in Cicero, Berwyn, Calumet City, Waukegan, North Chicago, Elgin and Dolton. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. more ›

Among those caught up in Operation Golden Seal from the Chicago area are a Junior ROTC instructor for Chicago Public Schools and five current or former Berwyn police officers. While purchasing a fake diploma isn't illegal, it is against the law to use said fake diploma for a raise and advancement, which is just what the ROTC instructor did: he used a fake Masters and PhD from "St. Regis University" to receive a raise from the school district in 2003. Some of the retired police officers also parlayed the fake diplomas into a pay raise, though the two officers still currently with the department did not. The instructor is currently on leave for an unrelated matter while none of the police officers were disciplined because they agreed to dismiss their degree claims. None of those involved have officially been charged with anything. Yet. more ›

Hold off on the mourning, all ye Spindle fans who continue to lament the loss of their beloved public art and pigeon poop collector. Could the citizenry of Berwyn get a new Spindle back in the parking lot instead of a Walgreens? Or, what the hell - how about on top of the Walgreens? The Tribune reports that the ownership of the mall is "open to spending an estimated $300,000 to create a new Spindle." more ›

Grassroots activism lost to corporate America last night when the 50-foot Berwyn “Spindle,” an eight-car kobob, was dismantled under the cover of darkness. Cermak Plaza’s pop icon was taken down with a crane to make room for a proposed Walgreens. more ›

The 50-foot tall Berwyn Spindle is up for auction on e-Bay. There are no bids yet for the sculpture made of eight ‘70s and ‘80s era cars, which lists for $50,000, plus $100,000 shipping costs. The sculpture, commissioned by Cermak Plaza Associates, is probably most popular for its appearance in the 1992 movie Wayne’s World. more ›