Mayor Daley has proposed a plan for a $12 million subsidy to pay for a new 354-room Loews hotel at the Block 37 site, specifically the southeast corner of Randolph and Dearborn. Tack the new money onto an existing $42.4 million going towards the project. The new money would partially compensate the block's lead developer, Joseph Freed & Associates LLC, for cost overruns in the construction of a CTA station beneath the property. Peter Scales,......

Even as the two-story penthouse has been sold, construction on the Spire has been halted for the time being. Officials blame the slowing economy for the halt but say condo sales continue and that the building will still be completed by 2012 as scheduled. For now, it remains just a hole in the ground, kind of like that fort I meant to build in my backyard when I was 10 years old. [via Gapers Block]......

Good news for commuters. Finally. After 7 years of “now leasing” signs in Metra’s Ogilvie Transportation Center, the concourse under the tracks will begin to see construction on a “European-style” market. Metra is spending $6 million for structural improvements to the space. In exchange, Metra expects its share in the project's revenue will be between $38 million and $40 million over the next 25 years, according to Metra executive director Philip Pagano. The concourse between......

The 50th Ward is corrupt, Alderman Bernie Stone may or may not be in the pockets of developers rather than representing the wants of his constituents, according to a longass article in the Trib today. Zoning rules are widely flouted, with developers not notifying residents of new plans or putting up required signs. The Tribune has found that zoning rules have been ignored or changed to make it easier for developers and harder for residents......

House Speaker Mike Madigan, speaking to the press at the Illinois State Fair, said yesterday that he may actually consider leasing the state lottery to pay for a capital construction plan. "Over the last few days in the House of Representatives, we've had two very productive meetings concerning a potential lease of the state lottery, where the proceeds of that lease would be used for a capital construction program," Madigan said. Blagojevich (and his homeboy......

We were biking over to Montrose Beach last weekend and crossed under LSD at Lawrence. We saw what seemed to be a new set of struts, supports and ironwork under there and thought, "Good. Someone's doing something about these bridges." (We were in Minneapolis a week before I-35W collapsed last year. Drove right over it. We pay attention to these things now.) It would appear that we saw one of the handful of bridges they've......

The Day After: Don't expect to see foie gras back on menus immediately after the repeal of the ban yesterday. The earliest that's going to happen will be June 11th. What did leave a bad aftertaste was the end-around used to repeal the ban and how Mayor Daley put Alderman Joe Moore's dick in the dirt in the process. If you don't know after that why Daley is often referred to here as "His......

If you haven't been keeping up with Chef Laurent Gras' blog charting the progress of his build out of the old Ambria space, you should. It's a fascinating read that gives readers an intimate perspective of both Gras and the ongoing construction. Chef Gras sent us (and presumably, other media) an e-mail this afternoon announcing L.2O will open on May 14. Additionally, reservations are now being accepted by calling 773-868-0002. OpenTable is also accepting......

We've never been huge fans of the phrase “Chicago has two seasons: winter and construction." We prefer to think of it as winter and awesome or winter and street-festivals, but we also can’t help but agree. Construction is scheduled to begin in May on a $14.8 million underground pedestrian tunnel just south of the Shedd Aquarium that will connect the lakefront paths between the museums. Funded with state and federal money, the project is set......

If you've ever wandered past the ever-under-construction mass of steel and concrete at the corner of State & Kinzie, that's the Museum of Broadcast History, the same group that put out the list of Top 125 American Political Broadcast Moments earlier this week. And, being as that lists are made to be pulled apart, dissected, shredded and argued over, who are we to get in the way of such rich tradition? There are some entries......

Looks like Blago's at it again. State legislative leaders are meeting again tomorrow to continue working on transit/casino/construction/dick-wagging, with the plan to head back to Springfield next week for--all together now--a special session. Maybe they could have a Very Special Session in which we learn about molestation or suicide or teen pregnancy. Blagojevich met with three legislative bigwigs today, but Mike Madigan wasn't one of them. Schedulig conflicts, says Madigan's camp. Never RSVPed to......

Who knew a heap of debris could be so beautiful? "Urban Renewal" by the New No. 2.......

Transit funding has stalled yet again, this time with the added bonus of absurdity: Blagojevich wasn't even in Springfield during the special session vote. No, he was at the Blackhawks game. The vote was 57-53 in favor of the moving gasoline money around plan--except the bill needed 71 votes to pass. And even if it had passed, Emil Jones had said it would die in the senate. So what we're looking at is a......

Hearts all across Chicago were broken last January when Zephyr closed its doors. We walked past its former space a few days ago and wouldn't you know, construction workers were busy building what looked to be another restaurant. Alas, it won't be Zephyr 2.0 but rather an Irish-style bar and restaurant (pictured), opening in March 2008 (to their best estimate). The workers didn't know what it was going to be called. New York Times writer......

At this point writing about the CTA's "Doomsday scenario" is like beating a dead horse. We know what's at stake if they don't get the funding before Sunday. Our inbox, and those of thousands of Chicago Card holders, are full of messages from Ron Huberman matter-of-factly stating such. All this means that our eyes are on Governor Blagojevich and state lawmakers heading down to Springfield last night to hammer out a possible last-minute solution to......

It's T-minus four days until "Doomsday I," and the storm clouds are gathering. Mayor Daley held a press conference at a bus stop yesterday, announcing that "This is do-or-die time." State legislators aren't in session right now, and won't be until Friday — gaaaah! cutting it close, guys! — but Mike Madigan thinks he can get his bill calling for a tax increase to fund transit through the House and the Senate. Madigan needs......

With the ongoing and impending budget crisis at CTA on the brink of exploding, it nearly slipped our minds that the full Dan Ryan expressway re-opened for business, after nearly two years of construction. The project was completed ahead of schedule, but the cost of the project nearly doubled (it is the Chicago Way, after all). The project added an extra local lane between 47th and 67th Streets, and an additional lane each way from......

We're hot off a solid 48 hours in New York for the annual CMJ Music Marathon, so not only are we hyped for live music again, there are also a TON of bands on the road home from the conference making stops along the way in Chicago. Without further ado, here's a glimpse at the shit ton of good shows this week: Rogue Wave is touring both in support of this fall's Asleep at Heaven's......

Of the grassroots congressional campaigns this season, Mark Pera's race to unseat 3rd District Congressman Dan Lipinski is among the more notable. According to the Pera campaign, they out-raised Congressman Dan Lipinski during the 3rd quarter, $100,000 to $75,000. Even more telling was where the money came from: Pera's nearly 850 contributions came from individual donors, while just one of Lipinski's 74 contributions was from inside the district ($100 from a single contributor in Brookfield).......

It almost plays like a plot from a trifling summer movie: The Illinois Medical District wants to build a new biotech building on the Near West Side. The kicker is, they want to build it in the same spot as a current Little League baseball field. In a letter dated Sept. 25, Medical District counsel states that the Chicago Park District must remove all improvements from Livingston Park, at Lexington and Leavitt, so that construction......

Just a few weeks ago we briefly mentioned the failure of a judge to grant Planned Parenthood an injunction against the city of Aurora in order to open their newest facility. The injunction came after Planned Parenthood used a subsidiary called Gemini Office Development to erect the building. A smart move in many ways because if the general public knew PP was building a new facility, protesters would have shown up in droves. And not......

It was about time Mayor Daley entered the fray surrounding the Chicago Children’s Museum’s proposed move to Grant Park. To exactly no one’s surprise, he favors the plan. Loves it so much he’s enlisted his good buddies false choice and specious reasoning. Make no mistake: if you oppose the Museum’s move to Grant Park, you hate children. You want them to grow up miserable, lacking any sense of civic pride or patriotism, addicted to meth,......

The Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center site is being considered for redevelopment as the Olympic Village, moving the proposed site west off the lakefront. Colliers Bennett & Kahnweiler Inc. has already received bids on the land, which Medline Industries Inc., Michael Reese's parent company, is trying to unload. The hospital is in discussions with Cook County to form a potential partnership, although no formal agreement has been reached yet. Among the benefits of moving......

Former WKQX-FM 101.1 radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller filed a lawsuit Tuesday against his former employer, saying radio officials disparaged his show and blocked him from getting other work. We are getting pretty sick of the cell phone drivers, but we are always amazed at the cell phone bikers (not in a good way). Yesterday, an 19-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a garbage truck on the Northwest Side, was apparently talking......

The new beige will be on display when the Chicago Luxury Home Tour opens its doors for a three-week run this weekend. The tour highlights twenty-nine $1 million-plus homes in the Chicagoland area, and features the latest in home construction to home design trends. A wide variety of architectural styles are featured in homes built by multiple builders. With houses located from Lake Bluff to Yorkville, from Barrington Hills to Hinsdale, the homes, all outside......

Just as a cloud of gloom began to set in over the carless masses of Chicago, a ray of hope came as the State Senate has been called into session on Monday. While a spokesman for Senate President Emil Jones would only say that the session would include discussion of the "transit issue," Sen. John Cullerton, (D-Chicago) told Crain's that he thinks they are going to take up the same bill that Julie Hamos was......

Bad news hit the Chicagoist offices late yesterday afternoon as word came through that SB572 — the bill that would have raised sales taxes in Cook County and the five surrounding "collar" counties, as well as the real estate tax in Chicago, to help fund regional transit — failed to reach a "supermajority" of 71 votes in the Illinois House. Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), sponsor of the bill, halted voting and placed it on the......

Take caution, Chicago. Summer is nearly over. We’re not entirely sure what happened to June, July or August, but with Labor Day just a few days away, we’re suddenly feeling a lot of pressure to cram a slew of summer activities into the holiday weekend. We’re planning a few days filled with an evening at the Jazz Fest, a party or two, and perhaps an impromptu trip to the lake. Although we’re a bit......

Well, he did it. Blagojevich finally pulled the trigger. 23 days after it was passed by the legislature, Rod Blagojevich approved much of Illinois' new budget. In a news release he said that he has removed $463 million in spending on "special pet projects and other spending that we simply can't afford." The cuts now go back to the General Assembly for consideration, where a fight is expected with Speaker of the House Mike Madigan.......

As the week winds down, here are some things of note while we go out and find a fuck lion. Mayor Daley presses Springfield to approve a sales tax increase for the Chicago area to stave off the proposed Doomsday scenarios of CTA and Pace. Bank of America’s pending acquisition of LaSalle Bank could cost the metropolitan Chicago area over 10,000 jobs over the next two years when completed. Chicago Public School teachers voted......