Extra, Extra

By Rachelle Bowden in News on Jan 30, 2007 2:39AM

• Platteville, WI is planning a Chicago Bears training-camp museum.
• Thanks to a $200,000 grant from the NFL Grassroots field program, the grass football field at Lane Tech will be replaced with a synthetic playing service.
• People are loving this idea: For $150 you can get a customized South Side Irish St. Patrick's day parade street banner. They're green and have shamrocks and white lettering and you can put family names and memorial tributes on them. Since Friday, more than 100 people have reserved a banner. The banners will hang on Western Ave. during March in honor of the parade on March 11.
• Roberta Koscielski, a volunteer in Peoria, is getting the President's Volunteer Service Award from President Bush when he visits tomorrow.
• Female (I'm not an escort) Bears fan makes it to the Super Bowl. Interview courtesy LAist's own Tony Pierce.
• The 2007 Bloggies finalists were announced and 2 members of the Gothamist Network are nominated: Torontoist for Best Canadian Weblog and big mama Gothamist for Best Group Weblog. Get over to 2007.bloggies.com to vote and make sure they win!
• The Chicago Myopenbar Launch Party is on Friday at Schubas at 9 p.m. No cover, free booze, free concert, Paul Frank giveaways.
• Jennifer Hudson won a SAG Award for outstanding supporting actress for her work in Dreamgirls.
• There are 2 new exibits at the Galvin Library at IIT through Feb. 24. Anna Ursyn's "Transformational Scapes" shows the juxtaposition of nature regularly with man's physical and intellectual constructions. Dennis Lee Mitchell's "Material Transformation": The tree is the universal metaphor for the human form both ethereal and concrete, that clay reflects the natural world and the source of our presence, and that energy is expressed with intense heat transforming the scorched clay into fragile natural forms.
• Blockshopper is a residential real estate news service for Lakeview and Lincoln Park.
• Al Roker is now endorsing the Miletta Smart Mill & Brew, a coffee maker that's made by Lake Forest-based Salton Inc. This is the coffee maker that displays real-time weather information.
• Are Valenki boots the new Ugg craze? We've seen them raved about in Time Out Chicago and Daily Candy just this past week.
• With Scott Smith's departure, Matt Wood has accepted the position of Associate Editor. As well, Jim Kopeny (Tankboy!) will be heading up the Arts & Entertainment beat and Chuck Sudo will be heading up the Food & Drink beat, both as Associate Editors.

"Chicago Sunrise -- Bears Colors." via Kit and Ian.