Results tagged “northwestside”

      

A wave of nostalgia takes over us whenever we find ourselves on the Northwest side of the city. Thirty years ago, the Belmont-Central retail area in the Cragin neighborhood was a bustling, thriving commercial area. Although it's a shadow of what it once was, to this day folks driving to shop in the area can park for free in the parking garage located just south of Belmont on Central Avenue.

Today a Chicago institution closes. The Maurice Lennell cookie outlet in Norridge will be selling its final pinwheels, butter cookies and other tooth-cracking monstrosities as the land on which the outlet resides is slated to become a Costco. Lennell is said to be sourcing its production to overseas companies.

Happy Birthday, Cynthia!

Seven people, including four children were injured in an overnight fire on the Northwest side that officials believe may be arson. The fire broke out around 2 a.m. this morning at 5685 N. Elston Ave. The was even a dramatic rescue of one of the children who was hanging from a third floor window; the child was rescued. Fire Deputy District Chief Thomas Lynch said, "Right now, we do have reports from some civilians that live in the area, that live in the building – and through some police reports – that this fire is being looked at as highly suspicious." Furthering this suspicion is the fact that police had been at the scene a few hours before the fire to inspect another incident, though it's not known if the two were related.

Police busted a methamphetamine lab last night on the Northwest Side and recovered over 18 pounds of crystal meth, which they say has a street value of around $3 million. That's a lotta meth. They also found 790 grams of cocaine, which has a street value of around $100,000.

Perhaps crime will slow down tomorrow, when all that water lying around freezes and turns Chicago streets into one giant ice rink. But for now, let's see what's been going on this weekend in the world of criminal justice:

Besides free booze at office parties, too much rich food, and the stress of gift buying, the holiday season also brings a couple of music-centric certainties: "Best Of" lists and benefit concerts. Keep an eye on Chicagoist for the former, and break out your taste for lutefisk tonight for the latter. Schubas will play host to a show benefiting the Swedish Covenant Hospital and featuring a lineup ripe with Chicagoist faves, playing both original music and covers of Swedish artists. The idea s to raise some dough for the Northwest Side hospital that is trying to advance a holistic approach to medicine in Chicago, and we kinda dig that, so check it out.

We’ve had the CTA’s multiple doomsday plans hammered into our heads for months now. The implications are staggering for work and for play. But what about school? Those who attend Steinmetz High School on the Northwest Side are a good example of how Springfield’s lack of funding could have a deeper impact on our social fabric.

You know what today is, don’t you? It’s golden beer’s 165th birthday! Yes, 165 years ago today, on Oct. 5, 1842, Joseph Groll, a young brewmaster in Plzen, Czech Republic, discovered a technique for brewing golden beer, otherwise known as the pilsner, or Pilsner Urquell, which is the brand name now. Prior to 1842, most beers had a darker, murkier consistency and a sweeter taste. Lore has it that the citizens of Pilsen were fed...

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...

You know, all these food posts today made us hungry around the offices. If they've done the same for you, here's some reading material for you while you we ourselves a plate of something. Just the kind of publicity BP needs right now. The source of an oil leak that made its way to Munster, Indiana's storm sewers Monday night was one of BP's seeping, inactive pipes. In addition to jurors getting to view...

The dog days of August are here. And we've got some ways to beat the humidity or, even better, give it a big ol' raspberry. We've also got some food news for you. Let's get started. - From Crain's, Jon Young and Helene Albert, the folks behind Kitsch'n and Volo have a new gastropub opening later this month. The two-story Paramount Room at 415 N. Milwaukee in River West will center on pairing upscale pub...

No repartee this week, all business. - We've received e-mails from concerned people and had to check it out for ourselves, and it looks as though Cereality at 110 South Wacker has closed down, only a couple years after Chicagoist (among other media) made a big fuss about its opening. There's even a "For Rent" sign in its front window. This kind of reaffirms our faith in the human race; if people won't pay $4.50...

Thanks for your help, Rod. Blagojevich wants to get rid of the "gift card grinch." It's a loophole that lets your gift card lose its value over time. Police on the Northwest Side have issued a community alert for a suspect in two attempted sexual assaults -- One on a 16-year-old girl, in the 3100 block of north Sawyer about 11 p.m. Sunday; the other a 23-year-old woman near the 3000 block of north...

"The Cruise" via pantagrapher.

As some would say, God, or what have you, works in mysterious ways. Some might call those ways cruel and unusual. Others might shrug their shoulders and say, "Que sera sera." (Those people are usually Portuguese or Hitchcock fans, we surmise.) Whatever's behind the Fickle Finger of Fate, it pointed straight at Cardinal Francis George on Saturday when he fell during a pre-Easter blessing ceremony and fractured his hip.

"devon devon 4558" via abmarfia.

When we placed the call for new food and drink writers last month, we had an idea of what we were looking for. Then real life interceded. Some candidates dropped out of the running. Those that remained made their case, the quality of writing so good we felt bad having to cut someone. Then we envisioned some candidates in roles we didn't expect, and someone wrote us with an offer we couldn't refuse. When the...

Sabatino’s hasn’t seemed to have changed much in the last, oh maybe 20 to 30 years. But you know what? That’s a great thing.

We like Tango Sur on Southport. A lot. For perhaps the most talked about Argentine restaurant in Chicago among, dare we say, “gringos,” it truly does have great food, a bopping crowd and casual ambiance, and the BYOB situation makes it easy on your wallet. But you know what? El Nandu, an Argentine steak restaurant in Logan Square, offers some pretty stiff competition. It might just be better. Haven’t heard of it? That's probably because...

A "massage parlor" on the Northwest Side may have been making a little extra money for their happy endings, but the real money may have come from broadcasting sex on the internet. Police have long been acquainted with the V.I.P. Salon and Day Spa on 4412 N. Milwaukee, where customers have to be buzzed in and can apparently pay for sex along with their back rubs.

How 'bout that weather last night, people? Wet and/or windy enough for ya? We lost track of how many times our umbrella caved out on us, only to cave back in on the next unholy blast of wind. In situations like that, we find the appropriate music to be somewhat helpful. Good stuff.

While Congress wallows in its own self-loathing, the City that Works keeps plugging along. Mayor Daley announced yesterday that Miguel Del Valle would be replacing convicted former City Clerk James Laski. Del Valle, an Illinois State Senator since the late 1980's, has served a mostly Latino district on the Northwest Side of the city. Altogether this is a smart move by Da Mare, as it puts him in good graces with independents in the city,...

Times must be hard out there for middle-aged women these days. Maybe increased property taxes from TIFs has got them down. Maybe they know they'll never look like Beyoncé again, if they ever did (which is a long shot). Chicagoist still has some time before we truly get into their minds, and judging from our female relatives, we can wait forever and a day. What makes us want to stop time even more is the fact that two older Chicago women committed suicide by train in two days.

Did you know that there are 57 different sizes of condoms? True fact. That means that there are at least 57 different sizes of penises, ranging from "pudding snack cup" to "Rasputin wasn't a man". And still a large percentage of the male population think that they need that little extra push off the cliff. If you are the type of guy who is a little insecure about the size of his "baby's arm", nothing...

Police made a few sad discoveries in the city over the past few days. First, a Chicago man was found dead in a sewer on the Northwest Side on Sunday; then early Monday morning, they found two more bodies in a burning van in the South Shore neighborhood. Upon investigation, they determined that the two, a 28-year-old Stephanie Lee and her nine-year-old son, Troy, had been murdered. Lee had been stabbed several times. Her son was bound and gagged with duct tape. They were last heard from on their way to Lee's sister's house Saturday night. Police say an accelerant was used, and both victims were probably dead before the fire was started. Lee's father had recently pleaded with her to move out of the city to escape the crime.

When you’re young, there’s always something crazy you can do, like break into old abandoned warehouses and pretend you see ghosts. When you’re a Satanist, there’s always something crazy to do, too, like go out into a park and sacrifice some chickens.

A bank robbery on the Far Northwest Side has brought the number of holdups in the Chicago metro area to 195 for the year, tying the 1995 record for bank robberies in a year. Just one more robbery in the month of December will make this a record year. Think we can do it? The FBI says "You Can Dooo It" and points out that at the pace that robberies occurred this year we're likely...

What a score for Jesse Junior! Landing his new thin self on the front page of Red Eye today, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. was introduced to transient, hipster Brown and Blue Line voters across the city. And what was the purpose of the article? For the South Side Congressman to declare that, no he's really happy in his current job, and has no interest what-so-ever in running for mayor. It would be bad form and...

The tsunamis that swept across the Indian Ocean from Thailand to Somalia and killed more than 44,000 people so far may seem like a world away, but they are affecting people around the Chicagoland area in many ways. A couple of stories we've read with local ties - Dipak Jain, the dean of Northwestern's business school, has been in Thailand since December 15 to teach at a school in Bangkok. Jain, his wife, and his...