Mayor Rahm Emanuel is now starting to have doubts about the ability of the South Side Irish Parade Committee to host a parade with a zero-tolerance policy for drinking in public. Welcome to the club, Your Honor. more ›

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the City granted a parade permit to the South Side Irish Parade Committee because he's certain Beverly residents can celebrate their Irish heritage sober. So are we. It's the buses and trains of people flocking to Beverly with whom we have our doubts, Your Honor. more ›

Not everyone responded to the news that the South Side Irish Parade Committee was granted a permit to bring back the event after a nearly three-year hiatus with open arms and cries of "w00t." more ›

The $64,000 question: can the South Side Irish Parade return and organizers corral the public intoxication that got it canceled in the first place? more ›

Normally, by 11 a.m. on the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day, the streets in Beverly are usually teeming with people for the annual South Side Irish parade. But last year, the decision was made to discontinue the parade and it was transformed into a 10-day festival. Still, thousands of people pledged on the internet to “show up to the Southside Irish Parade anyway.' But very few followed through on that virtual promise. more ›

Residents of the Beverly and Morgan Park may have thought they had a reprieve from massive crowds descending to their neighborhood on March 14th, but some people refuse to let the South Side Irish Parade die. Apparently, the 10 day festival and “South Side Irish Parade Family Fest” the former parade planning committee put together isn’t enough for some enthusiasts. With that in mind, the Sun Times reports that one Evergreen Park resident started a Facebook event called “I say we show up at the Southside Irish Parade Anyways.” more ›

Just because it was a holiday doesn't mean there hasn't been news going on. Here's a few samples of what you might have missed while eating, opening presents, and soaking in some holiday cheer. more ›

We all remember the controversy over the South Side Irish Parade that occurred after this year's event grew unwieldy to organizers who canceled the parade. All sorts of ideas where suggested, including moving the parade to the suburbs. Now, the planning committee is bringing the celebration back, albeit in a slightly altered, longer form. In lieu of a parade will be a 10-day festival which will encompass many Irish-themed events and one large fest day in place of the traditional parade. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

Evergeen Park Mayor James Sexton had been looking into relocating the currently suspended South Side Irish Parade to his town, but he now says that's not going to happen. Sexton said today, "They spoke very loud and clear that they did not want us to host this particular event in 2010." Sexton said he wanted an approval rating from residents at around 75 to 80 percent, but said the final survey revealed 52 percent opposed the move while 48 percent supported it. One issue was cost, with estimates ranging from $70,000 to $80,000. Sexton added, "Well, I wouldn't know. We'll throw it back in the lap of the South Side St. Patrick's Day committee and see if they can resurrect it or what they might want to do with it." [WBBM] more ›

Last weekend, Evergreen Park mayor James Sexton expressed interest in relocating the now-suspended South Side Irish Parade to his town. A week later, though, it appears as if the move isn't in the cards. Sexton says that response to the proposed move is split so there's not enough support: "Right now, it's about 50-50. That's not a mandate and probably not enough to move forward." Sexton added he'd wait a few more weeks and would continue to look into the cost of having the parade before making a final decision. [Tribune] more ›

As revelers across the city continue to cope with the news that next year's South Side Irish Parade has been canceled, and the reasons why, now comes word that a southern suburb may be interest in importing the parade. Evergreen Park Mayor James Sexton has begun sending out feelers to residents about how'd they feel about the parade relocating to the town. Of the 400 responses he's received, Sexton says opinion is split in half but that he wants the approval rating near 75 or 80 percent before any move is made official: "If we don't get a strong consensus, we won't do it." Under Sexton's proposal, the parade would march along 95th Street between Pulaski Road and Francisco Avenue, the same route as Evergreen Park's 4th of July parade that attracts upwards of 100,000 people every year. [Trib, CBS 2] more ›

Still reeling from the news that the 2010 South Side Irish Parade has been canceled (or at least won't take place in its current form)? We're finally getting some answers from the South Side Irish Parade Committee as to why they decided to suspend the popular parade. The Trib puts it pretty succinctly: more ›

The FBI's Chicago office is one of the places where agents abused power of the Patriot Act. Our aldermen have advanced a plan to back the city's Olympic bid with a $500 million financial guarantee. Michelle Obama is cutting her hours at her regular job at the University of Chicago so that she can participate more in Barack's campaign. People are still debating about Chief Illiniwek. Elementary schools may be posting record high gains... more ›

Dear Alderman Rugai, Let's begin by stating that while Chicagoist would find it flattering that a member of the City Council took time out of his or her busy schedule to read this weblog (or "blog", in the parlance of our time) we also would find it a bit presumptuous. So we hope that this somehow gets to you, possibly by a staff member in your office killing time. This particular member of the... more ›

Months back a frequent commenter to the site made the claim that “eighty percent of the wine drinkers in America would be fine with a good box wine” in response to an article about a recommended pinot gris. While that number may be dubious and ignoring the possible oxymoronic phrase “good box wine”, the reader sowed a seed that’s now being reaped as this article. We’ve all been somewhere like a party, gallery reception,... more ›

While it's true that this weekend boasts two St. Patrick's Day parades, one on the north side and one on the south, experienced St. Patrick's Day celebrants know that the only one worth mentioning is that of the parade taking place in the neighborhood of Beverly. We at Chicagoist have been accused of having a north side-bias, but when it comes to where one should celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the south side rules and we... more ›