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This site is being maintained as an archive of news coverage from 2009 through 2012.
Adieu, veterans
07/03/2012
Speaking of cultural institutions, this week we learned another one is on its way out the door. The Veterans Art Museum at 18th Street and Indiana Avenue has finally signed a lease and will be moving to Six Corners on the Northwest Side at some point this fall.
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Go to the Velvet Lounge
07/03/2012
We were skeptical when we heard about the Velvet Lounge’s reopening towards the end of last year, and we were admittedly a bit harsh in our first look at plans to reopen the club. But we stopped into the reborn club this weekend for its Sunday night jazz and had a good time.
Read more...Downtown deserves better schools
06/20/2012
We’re happy to see a school finally going into New Eastside, a community that has sprouted up quickly just northeast of downtown. For years, plans have called for a new school there to support the rapidly expanding number of young families calling the area that used to be a decrepit Illinois Central rail yard home.
Read more...Another fest
06/13/2012
It’s good to see Soldier Field getting some use in the summer. After all, the Bears haven’t exactly been active in the past few months. The Spring Awakening music festival coming to the arena this weekend marks just another way for taxpayers to get some revenue out of the stadium. Remember, it’s publicly owned, and the cash helps out our city.
Read more...Bring it on, Bulls
06/13/2012
We were delighted to hear the Bulls come out this week and announce they’re moving their practice facility to the city. There’s really only one obvious choice for it to go, and that’s the Near West Side next to the United Center. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf already controls tons of land around the UC, and he’s already working with Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz to build a new retail and entertainment complex next to the arena.
Read more...Red Line pain for the best
06/06/2012
The CTA is going to tear up the Red Line from the Cermak/Chinatown stop all the way south to 95th Street next year, a decision that hit South Side commuters in the gut earlier this week.
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To market, to market
05/30/2012
The South Loop’s new farmers market at the Wheeler Mansion is a big deal. By all accounts, it sounds like it will be a fun event with great vendors. But the market’s management is taking a big risk with this, especially by hosting it in what’s essentially a back yard.
Read more...Morgan designer's next shot
05/30/2012
We’re a fan of the design of the CTA’s new Morgan Station on the Green and Pink lines. It’s a large, iconic structure that somehow still fits the neighborhood without seeming too gaudy. Its exposed steel and glass canopy stands out, and it’ll be a station that stands the test of time.
Read more...NATO? No problem
05/23/2012
After all the stress and consternation leading up to the NATO summit, we’ve finally made it through. That wasn’t that bad, now was it? We had a few noisy protestors who made their way through the South and West Loop (and even a little bit of East Pilsen), but none caused any harm to passive bystanders. In fact, we saw locals all up and down the streets of Michigan Avenue watching the parade march by on Sunday, May 20.
Read more...End of a South Loop era
05/09/2012
Columbia College’s president officially announced this week that he’s retiring next year, after what will have been a 13-year term at the school’s helm. Warrick Carter, the institution’s leader since 2000, has led Columbia through a period of massive change. Under his watch, the university has a massive expansion in the South Loop, doubling its footprint to take up more than 2.5 million square feet.
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