It's not been a good couple of weeks for Chicago restaurants. 8 days after Kith and Kin closed unexpectedly, another shocker - Bistro 110, the Michigan Avenue French mainstay, is shutting down on August 4th. According to Chicago Magazine, Tony Mantuano, the Italian food impresario behind Spiaggia and Terzo Piano, will be revamping the property into an Italian bar, with "good espresso, homemade pastries, gelato to go, a mozzarella bar" and small plates. more ›

Earlier today, we heard from Eater Chicago that Red Light, the west loop/restaurant row Asian fusion mainstay, had closed, likely for good. We just got official word from Jerry Kleiner, part owner of KDK restaurant group, which controls both spots. Speculation has been fairly negative for KDK, owners of Marche (closed), Opera (just closed) and the still-hopping Carnivale. Gioco, their South Loop Italian spot, closed last weekend as well, and it was beginning to look like the group was in serious trouble. Red Light recently announced a new menu and a new chef, but it looks like they are gone for good. Gioco is apparently coming back. more ›

Northbound service on the CTA's Evanston Purple line was halted briefly this morning when a small track fire broke out near the Main Street station. the fire broke out at 7:15 a.m. and was put out by Evanston firefighters by 7:40. CTA had shuttle buses running north from the Howard station in Chicago to the end of the Purple Line at Linden. more ›

Earlier this morning, we mentioned that the weather outside was "bowling shoe ugly." So far, it's more than living up to that description. more ›

• DuPage County prosecutors announced today that Jacob Nodarse and Johnny Borizov will not face the death penalty if convicted for the Kramer family triple murder in Darien earlier this year.
• Police continue to investigate a murder-suicide that occurred yesterday evening at a Chicago Ridge mall.
• A federal lawsuit alleges that Hyatt Hotel heir Matthew Pritzker was involved with a hit-and-run accident that injured a bicyclist and that police helped to cover up the accident.

Oprah's not the only entertainer who can snarl downtown traffic; Optimus Prime is getting in on the act, too. Filming for the blockbuster threequel Transformers 3 takes place down this weekend, largely in the financial district, and that's gonna cause some street closures and subsequent bus reroutes. Also, don't get spooked if you see helicopters flying constantly: an aerial unit will also be shooting over the scene and there promises to be a few parachute stunts. Exciting. The same goes for all the explosions you may see and hear downtown. No, the apocalypse isn't upon us, just a Michael Bay film. Which, really, is about the same, now that we think about it. ANYWAY. What streets will be closed? The Tribune reports: more ›

Despite this week's news that the work on the Fullerton and Belmont stops will be finished ahead of schedule, we're still drinking the CTA flavor Haterade. Honestly, we've given up taking the El on weekends. With slow zones, closures and reroutes, not to mention the ongoing Brown Line construction/clusterfuck, it's easier in this beautiful weather to just walk or ride our bikes (always wear a helmet!). With lots of people traveling and making their way around town for fests and other spring-time activities, it's important to keep an eye on the CTA Customer Alert website. Here's a quick run-down of this weekend's closures. more ›