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Sway, LGBTQ+-Owned Dispensary, Aims To Open In South Shore
SOUTH SHORE — A cannabis company owned by queer people of color plans to expand into South Shore, and officials will meet with neighbors next week to discuss the plans. Sway, which recently opened the state’s first LGBTQ+- and minority-owned dispensary, is looking to open its second shop and first on the South Side. A meeting on Sway’s plans is 6 p.m. Monday at 2226 E. 71st St., Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th) said in his newsletter earlier this week.
Suburban Man Charged In 2022 Road Rage Killing Of 3-Year-Old
WEST LAWN — A west suburban man is facing murder charges nearly two years after a toddler was killed in a road rage shooting on the Far Southwest Side. Govanni Hernandez, 32, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder Thursday. He is accused of fatally shooting 3-year-old Mateo Zastro on Sept. 30, 2022.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Says He Will Bus More Migrants To Chicago Ahead Of DNC
CHICAGO — In a primetime speech Wednesday at the Republican National Convention, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on busing migrants from border cities to Chicago. Abbott began sending busloads of migrants from Texas to Chicago and other Democrat-led cities in August 2022 in protest of federal policies. He was soon joined by other leaders; in all, almost 45,000 migrants and 950 buses have been sent to Chicago, according to the latest city data.
City Unveils Grand Avenue Protected Bike Lanes, But Second Phase Delayed Until 2025
WEST TOWN — Protected bike lanes, pedestrian improvements and a slew of other changes to a section of Grand Avenue in West Town and Ukrainian Village have been completed. The Chicago Department of Transportation held a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday morning for the first phase of its Grand Avenue Complete Streets project, which runs on the thoroughfare between Chicago and Damen avenues.
15 Things To Do In Chicago This Weekend: Pitchfork, Ravenswood On Tap And Zine Camp
CITYWIDE — It is the peak of summer, and after a rocky weather week, the upcoming weekend looks just about perfect. It’s the ideal time for Chicagoans to leave their air-conditioned homes and head out for an adventure. Whether you’re looking for exemplary food, music or theater, you’re...
Vote To Install Ald. Sigcho-Lopez As Powerful Zoning Chair Stalls
CITY HALL — Alderpeople did not vote Wednesday on the nomination of a Pilsen alderperson and close ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson to lead the City Council’s influential zoning committee — although the appointment could soon come back for final approval. Johnson hopes to install Ald. Byron...
5 Things To Know About Block Club’s Loretto Investigation As Ex-Exec Charged With Embezzling $15 Million
CHICAGO — A vaccine scandal at Loretto Hospital rocked Chicago three years ago. The West Side safety-net hospital serving low-income Chicagoans was the first in the city to get access to COVID-19 vaccines — then very scarce and highly sought-after — in late 2020. Political leaders looked to prioritize life-saving doses for the people who were most vulnerable: essential workers and low-income Black and Latino Chicagoans who had died from COVID-19 in disproportionate numbers.
Family Of Auburn Gresham Pastor Found In River Demands Investigators ‘Leave No Stone Unturned’
AUBURN GRESHAM — A plume of blue and silver balloons graced the sky Wednesday in Auburn Gresham as family and friends celebrated the late Rev. Warren Beard and demanded officials more aggressively investigate his death. The South Side pastor went missing July 2 after last being seen in suburban...
Attorney General Joins Fight Against Lakefront Dump Expansion
EAST SIDE — Environmental activists suing to stop the expansion of a lakefront dump site for polluted sediment now have a big name in their corner: the state’s attorney general. Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a 16-page brief last week opposing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ plan...
Homeless Shelter Residents Evicted To Make Room As City Clears Tent Cities Ahead Of DNC
SOUTH LOOP — One of Chicago’s longest-standing tent cities was cleared Wednesday as the city prepares for the Democratic National Convention, with many of the tent city’s residents offered rooms at a Gold Coast hotel operating as a homeless shelter. But to make room for residents of...
Hyde Park Union Church Named A Chicago Landmark
HYDE PARK — A Hyde Park church which city officials called a monument to “architectural splendor and historical significance” has been named a Chicago landmark. City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to landmark Hyde Park Union Church, 5600 S. Woodlawn Ave. The landmark designation includes the original 1906 church building and the education wing added in 1926.
$32 Million Senior Housing Project In Park Manor Gets City Council Approval
PARK MANOR — Plans to transform long-vacant South Side land into affordable senior housing progressed Wednesday after getting key approval from City Council. City Council approved an ordinance to change zoning for a 2-acre plot at 8332-8358 S. King Drive from a community shopping district to a neighborhood mixed-use district, paving the way for the construction of Park Manor Senior Residences.
Famous Wrigley Field Rooftops Will Be Torn Down After City Signs Off
WRIGLEYVILLE — City Council has approved the rezoning for three iconic, century-old buildings across from Wrigley Field’s right field bleachers on Sheffield Avenue to make way for one 29-unit apartment building. The vote passed Wednesday despite an effort by some neighbors to block the project due to the...
Logan Square Hollander Apartments Project Finally Gets City Council Approval
LOGAN AQUARE — A long-awaited Logan Square apartment project finally passed City Council after a bumpy road to the finish line. The Hollander loft apartment project at 2418-2428 N. Milwaukee Ave. earned final approval Wednesday after going through five renditions since 2018 and an unexpected delay last month thanks to a political sparring match amongst alderpeople.
Milwaukee Avenue Special Zoning District Approved By City Council
AVONDALE — Property owners and developers who want to build or modify buildings on Milwaukee Avenue in Avondale and Logan Square will now be required to follow specific design guidelines. A city-led plan to control development along Milwaukee Avenue with a special zoning district that’s been in the works...
Northwest Side Alderwoman Calls For Hearing On Metra Construction Delays
OLD IRVING PARK — A Northwest Side alderwoman wants a public hearing for Metra officials to explain repeated and ongoing construction delays to rebuild an aging station in Old Irving Park. Ald. Ruth Cruz (31st) introduced the resolution for the hearing at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. The project...
Edison Park Apartment Complex Approved Despite Pushback From Neighbors
EDISON PARK — An 82-unit apartment development is coming to Edison Park despite some pushback from neighbors. The City Council on Wednesday approved a request to rezone the property at 6750 N. Northwest Highway, the former M.J. Suerth Funeral Home. The rezoning allows developer Valdir Barion to construct two, four-story buildings, each with 41 apartments, 41 parking spaces and a courtyard.
Anti-Gentrification Ordinance Could Be Expanded To More Of The Northwest Side And Made Permanent
HERMOSA — Northwest Siders are pushing for a new ordinance that would protect housing in the rapidly gentrifying area, hoping to keep more longtime families in their homes. The Northwest Preservation Ordinance, introduced to the City Council Wednesday, proposes a permanent law to better protect two-, three- and four-flats in parts of Hermosa, Logan Square, Avondale, West Town and Humboldt Park. Those areas have seen the highest rate of gentrification and displacement of longtime families in the past decade in Chicago.
‘Hate Littering’ Is Now A Finable Offense Under New City Ordinance
CHICAGO — Chicago Police will hand down hefty fines to people caught “hate littering” under an new ordinance passed Wednesday by City Council. The ordinance was introduced in April by Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd) following a series of hate speech incidents on the North Side in which antisemitic materials were placed on cars and other property.
Ashland Avenue Bus To Ravenswood Metra Will Start Next Month
RAVENSWOOD — Ashland Avenue’s new CTA bus route to the Ravenswood Metra Station won key approval from City Council Wednesday to start offering the service next month. For more than a century, commuters going north on Ashland Avenue had to stop at Irving Park Road before the bus headed east toward Clark Street and Belle Plaine Avenue, near Graceland Cemetery.
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