A reader sends in photos of an alleged drug bust that took place this afternoon on the 4600 block of Racine, just steps from Truman College. Good work, CPD!

The History of the Green River as recreated at Montrose Harbor by Uptown’s leaking water mains and sewers (the green dye is used to detect the leaks).

Looking for an Uptown spot to celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Check out Crew at Lawrence and Broadway today. They are offering Green Beer pints for $2 and a traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage for $7.99. Yum.

Some good news from the 20th District Court Advocates:

The two individuals arrested for the recent garage robberies in the 20th, 23rd, and 24th Districts have been directly indicted on the following charges:

• Darius S Heard:  3 counts - 1-Armed Robbery/Firearm, 1-Aggravated Kidnapping/Armed, 1-Aggravated Sexual Assault
• Reginald Harris: 4 counts - 1-Armed Robbery/Firearm, 1-Aggravated Kidnapping/Armed, 2-Aggravated Sexual Assault.

These two case are now going to the Chief Judge at 26 & California on 3/24/10 for assignment to a criminal trial court, where they will be arraigned on the charges. The lead prosecutor from our Community Justice Center will taking the prosecution of these cases. The 20th District Court Advocates program will be covering these cases to make sure the Trial Judge knows our community is very concerned.

A reader sends in this photo showing Dominick's rising at Sheridan and Foster. This view is from Foster looking west towards Sheridan.  See a rendering of the upcoming Dominick's here.

Thanks to a grant of over $200,000 from Parkways Foundation, eligible Chicago families will receive scholarships for the Chicago Park District’s summer day camp program. The grant will allow the Chicago Park District to subsidize eligible children at a rate of 50% or 75% of the cost to attend the six-week long session.  On Thursday, March 18 from 10am-9pm and Saturday, March 20 from 9am-noon, parents can submit required paperwork to see if they qualify at designated “scholarship processing centers” at nine citywide parks. For more information, call the scholarship information line at 312.742.5734 or click here for full details.

Our readers have surely noticed areas in Uptown devoid of trees in the parkways. Did you know that you can call 311 and request a tree planting free of charge?
This is our challenge to you:
Walk around your neck of the woods in Uptown and if you see any spot missing a tree between the sidewalks and streets, take note of the nearest address and call 311 to request a tree planting. It's that simple and it takes just a minute to do. We have heard that the city plants trees in the spring so we need to get as many requests in as possible. Use the comment section here to record where you requested a tree planting. Get crackin'!

Prepare for St. Patrick's Day tonight at The Spot (4437 North Broadway) with a Whiskey Tasting.  "We shall be tasting.... SEVEN WHISKEYS (Feckin, Clontarf Black Label, Jameson 80 proof, Knappogue, Paddy Irish, Powers Gold Label and Jameson 12yr).  With Guest Speaker Mark Gruber (Southern Wine & Spirits).  $10 for the tasting -- RSVP to 773.728.8934, or email Brian@spotchicago.com.  Also featuring One of the Girls Chicago Irish band at 9pm."

If you're a current or retired educator, Borders is offering 30% off list price on "almost everything" between March 19-27, as well as hosting a reception on Saturday between 2-6pm.  More details here.

In previous posts about the closing of Somerset Place, we could only speculate about the relocation of the long-term patients. Today, the Tribune reported that a settlement may be reached to help relocate patients:

"The agreement, expected to be filed Monday in federal court in Chicago, lays out a schedule for state officials to offer approximately 4,500 mentally ill nursing home residents the choice to move out of two dozen large facilities known as 'institutions for mental diseases,' or IMDs, and into smaller settings that experts say are more appropriate and less expensive."

"One of the state's most troubled IMDs, Somerset Place in Uptown, was shuttered Friday after Tribune reports and state and federal inspections documented a pattern of abuse, violence and substandard care."

Read the full article here.

We started hearing helicopters and sirens shortly after 2:30, which in the past month have meant a young mother got shot at a main intersection, and that a fire broke out in a building full of people and no fire alarms.  We're hoping this time it's nothing dire.  Please add comments if you have any news.

Update:  No one has reported anything to UU mailbox or in comments.  We made a few phone calls to folks with police scanners and no one's heard any news.  No news is good news in this case.

Hard to believe if you get your news from Ald. Shiller's website, but one of the biggest issues in the 46th Ward is whether or not property owners will be paying into a new TIF created to put hundreds of new housing units in that oh-so-impossible-to-market prime lakefront property where Maryville Academy is located (along with a grocery store... across the street from a grocery store, and a gym ... across the street from a gym).

A reader suggested that we make our requests now for information from the Department of Planning.  "If they are going to make a new TIF to cover the Maryville campus, then people should be signing up with the Dept of Planning for the Interested Party Announcements. Given that we aren't even told if and when a TIF is being considered, it is a little hard to ask to be put on a specific TIF's disclosure list, but people should try."  Request to be put on the Interested Party list here.

In the meantime, to find out about the proposed Maryville TIF, continue to read Lake Effect News for any news about it and the parcels that are being sectioned out of the Wilson Yard TIF for inclusion in it.

If you want to know about events like CTE Parent Discovery Sessions on the South and West Sides, or Job Readiness Workshops downtown, go to http://www.aldermanshiller.com/.

Weiss Memorial Hospital is having a Diabetic Health Fair for patients, staff and members of the surrounding community.  Dozens of diabetics and their caregivers learn about new technology for diabetes monitoring and healthy habits at this comprehensive Diabetic Health Fair. Participants can enjoy healthy snacks and win prizes as part of a “Test Your Knowledge” dietary contest. For more information, call Weiss at (773) 564-5666.  Thursday, March 25, 2010, 11am-2pm, Weiss Memorial Hospital, Medical Office Building Lobby, 4700 N. Marine Drive, Chicago, IL 60640.

We received this on Thursday from a reader --

"So, I happened to be up at 4:25 this morning when I heard a sound outside. I witnessed 3 Hispanic men, late-teens to mid-twenties, breaking into cars on the 900 block of Cuyler. I called 911 and described them, told them where the cars were located and let them know which direction they were headed down the street and that I could see they were continuing to check for unlocked doors. I saw them throw a rock into the 2nd car window to get in, and think they did the same to the first one they were in. They were going through the trunk of the 1st car, too. I don't know if the police caught up with them, but if someone's car got broken into, they should file a report - maybe the police caught up with them and retrieved some stuff, maybe more reports filed will mean more police patrols."

The City of Chicago just updated its website: http://www.cityofchicago.org/ (about time; the new version is fast and user-friendly).  One of the new features is "TechLocator," which points out free internet points, wi-fi hotspots, and tech training around the city.  Check it out here.

A reader writes in with a question:  "Hey, UU, my aunt was in town and mentioned that the EZ8 Electronics store on my block looked a lot like all the Jewels used to look when she was growing up.  Do you know what that store used to be?" 

We don't, but we went by to take a look and it really does look like the little white glazed tile Jewel stores that used to dot Chicagoland in the 1930s, like the one that's now home to the Salvation Army Thrift Store.  It's got a different top than the ones featured on the Chicago Sojourn blog (EZ8 doesn't have those cool art deco corners), and it does have that orange tiled border across the top, but some of us remember that Jewel used to have an orange logo, so that doesn't necessarily count it out.  So, readers, anyone been around long enough to know the history of the building at 5045 North Sheridan?

Half off at Magnolia Cafe? Don't mind if we do! For $25, you can purchase a groupon worth $50 of dinner at Magnolia Cafe. The groupon is good until September 15th, so it'll really come in handy as that summer patio season is right around the corner (fingers crossed).

PS - you can buy more than one! What a steal! But hurry - the ability to purchase this groupon ends Sunday, March 14th at 11 PM.

Update:  The offer concluded with 2,131 Groupons being sold!

We passed by Our Lady of Eternal Scaffolding last week, and saw actual workers doing actual work on the facade.  Maybe the rehab will be finished before the next Presidential election?  We can only hope.  (If you click the picture to enlarge it, you can see some of the architectural details on the still-lovely building; is that a gargoyle?)

On this damp evening, curl up with a warm laptop and read some reminiscences about Uptown from former denizens.  These blog entries reflect on some of Uptown's stories from years past:

• "Quintrell" from In Search Of Words
• "Worried Note" from Girls with Insurance.  (Author's Note:  "This is a non-fiction piece about my early days in Chicago when I lived in the notorious Uptown neighborhood amongst crackheads, crack dealers, prostitutes, and murderers. My block (Malden between Montrose and Wilson) was home to 10 murders one summer. That was the highest concentration I could find in all of Chicago in my analysis of a Chicago Tribune map.  Anyhow, I hope you read and enjoy the story.")

Spring is in the air!  Be sure to set your clocks an hour ahead early Sunday morning for Daylight Saving Time. (photo from the JJ Sedelmaier Productions Collection)

Color us happy.
Agee's Pizzeria & Grill, located at 1118 W. Wilson (next door to Viet Bowl/Hing Wang) is sportin' a shiny, new green awning. This really improves its street presence. The food is reasonably priced and the menu features just about everything you can imagine. This stretch of Wilson is really showing promise.

Lake Effect News reports that Lawrence House had no "life safety plan" in place for residents, 46 open Building Code violations, and that the fire Monday aroused suspicions and the investigation has been turned over to the police.  We asked yesterday and we'll ask again:  Is it enough simply to provide low-income housing? We think not, not if the people living there are unsafe due to negligence or substandard conditions. Lower-income should not mean lower safety. Yet, over and over again, it does.

Read Lake Effect News' story:  Cause of Lawrence House Fire “Suspicious” (photo courtesy of Lorraine Swanson/LEN)

A reader writes:  "By now you've probably read the very sad story on the Tribune and Sun-Times websites about the 26 yr old man who drowned in the Chicago River last night. It appears that he was evading the police after they witnessed him defacing a wall. My sympathy goes out to his family but there is more to the story.

via Chicago Breaking News:
A man given probation just two days ago for criminal damage to property died Tuesday night after plunging into the Chicago River while being chased by police for tagging a building.

Jason Kitchekeg, 26, of Mokena was one of three men being chased by officers for spray-painting a building on Ashland Avenue, police said. Kitchekeg, a longtime Uptown resident, was likely tagging an abandoned paint manufacturing plant there.

Cops caught two of the men, but Kitchekeg jumped into the river near the 2800 block of South Ashland, officials said. He died of drowning in an accident, an autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner's office found today. Continue Reading

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE
A woman who left an Uptown nursing home last month and was reported missing plunged to her death from an overpass onto the Dan Ryan Expressway Tuesday afternoon.

At 1:39 p.m. a woman jumped onto the Dan Ryan Expressway from the 95th Street overpass, according to police.

Catherine Ryan, 37, was dead on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Continue Reading

Cupcake Gallery owner Darius Williams shares exclusive pics and info on today's TV shooting:
"So, I'm in my office at The Cupcake Gallery working on very important things, when a lady comes in and talks to me about removing my sign for a movie shooting. I look outside at all the mayhem and I ask myself how I missed all this commotion. I guess that's what happens when you're baking your heart out all the time.

Anyway, so I asked the questions that you guys want to know! So, they're doing a shooting for a television pilot. Seems as though the big V was here a few days before as well scoping out the place. I asked what kind of show, and they couldn't give me details - but the guy who had the ladder and removed my sign told me "it's supposed to look shitty in the picture." Wow, that's a blow. So, they use Wilson avenue for that purpose? Hmmmm...

Anyway, the guys are here until Friday shooting. And yes, my lovely sign that I had designed when I first opened The Cupcake Gallery is now history. They say they're paying for a new one. You heard it here first - I want my new sign... especially since I had to front the money for it."
UU Note: Check out Darius' blog for even more pics of the shoot.
The Cupcake Gallery is located on Wilson between Malden and Beacon 773-537-5633

If you get a chance, check out the window display at "Shake, Rattle & Read" (at Lawrence & Broadway) designed by Pam Puskala and Leslie Rowan. Makes us wanna break out into song!

Inquiring minds want to know how long we can expect JAM Productions' Riviera Theatre to be covered in a white tarp? It would be great to see it restored to match the gorgeously rehabbed Riv Building next door.
Just across Lawrence, our friend the Uptown Theatre has once again been tagged by vandals. We hope that the owners, JAM Productions, will get this removed ASAP. We also encourage our readers to call 311 to report this graffiti. The address is 4816 N. Broadway, and yes, the graffiti is over 6 feet high. How are the vandals getting up here over and over again to do this?

When: Always March 29th

National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day celebrates small business owners. These individuals spend countless hours nurturing and growing their young enterprises. The workload demands, and lack of a hired staff, often translates into long and late hours, and many missed family and personal events. But, all in all, they love what they do. After all, they are their own boss.

New businesses have always been a vital, yet not fully appreciated, part of the U.S. economy. On the retail side, they bring different and unique products to the marketplace. They provide stellar and personal service support. When you call, you are more likely to get a real, live person. And unlike big national chains, they know their products. They are outstanding performers in niche markets. In manufacturing, they create many new concepts and ideas, making them creators of new products.

Celebrate National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day by showing your support....shop their stores today, and every day.

UU Note: What are some local businesses you recommend to your neighbors and friends?

A reader sends in the following pic and info:
"I was walking home from work tonight and noticed "No Parking" signs posted on Wilson between Malden and Beacon. They mention that towing is enforced March 10 from 12pm till 4pm on March 11 for a movie location. Does anyone know what is filming here?"

Another reader writes in:
"Came home to a sign indicating "Funny Little Man Productions" will be filming a TV presentation on Malden tomorrow and Thursday. Can't find a website for the production company. Any idea what is being filmed?"

A resident was critically burned in a fire at Lawrence House (1020 W Lawrence) today.  Lorraine Swanson of Lake Effect News was there and broke the story that residents told her:  no working fire alarms in this residence, which houses the disabled and the elderly.  Unconscionable!

• Fire At Lawrence House, Tuesday, 3pm
• Fire Alarm System Did Not Go Off During Uptown SRO Fire
• Man Critically Injured in Uptown High-Rise Fire

The fencing and barriers around Wilson Yard on Montrose have been taken down, so now we can get a look at what $54,000,000 of our money (or, if you prefer, 70% of our property taxes for 23 years) will buy.

Some Chicago aldermen are introducing an ordinance that calls for 20 percent of the city's TIF funds to subsidize affordable housing. TIF, or tax increment financing, allows the city to use property tax revenue to pay for community development.
Continue reading at Chicago Public Radio's "City Room"

UPDATE: Also read "Theft of Millions Goes Unnoticed" via The Southtown Star

Joe Askins of YoChicago took a drive through Uptown this past Sunday before visiting the open houses in Margate Park we mentioned here. Check out the video above and view the original post here. This is the first video detailing Joe's most recent visit to Uptown. The rest of his adventures will follow.

"Police are searching for a missing 37-year-old woman who left an Uptown nursing home last month and was last seen at a Minneapolis hospital."  Read more at the website of WBBM780.  If you see Catherine Ryan or have any information, please call police at (312) 744-8366.

Somerset Place officially closes its doors at 5pm, and community and religious leaders will hold a vigil there this evening. Read all about it in Lake Effect News.

For more about Somerset's closing, reference the 5009 Sheridan blog.

Update from the Tribune:  Friday is the last day for Somerset Place.

We heard from the folks at the Census Bureau:

"We are still recruiting for the U.S. Census and are in a huge push to bring people on board. Attached (click to enlarge) please find the testing times for Uptown & the neighboring area. We hope you will post them on the UU site for those who are in need of jobs.

Also, the questionnaires will be going out soon, please ask recipients to complete the questionnaire and send them back ASAP."

Another "slice of life video" from those wacky folks on Blood Alley. Welcome to "Love Sick Clifton," and a slight viewer warning that it may not be wise to eat while watching.

This sounds like fun.  From the NY Times:  "If you’re not doing anything the evening of March 19, you might consider a visit to the Johalla Projects Gallery in Wicker Park for the opening of the “Aldermen Project: 50 Aldermen/50 Artists” show."  Read about it here.  Artist Jon Hisel is doing the portrait of Ald. Smith; we don't know who's assigned to Alds. Schulter and Shiller.  In any case, we're sure there's going to be plenty of buzz around the show and at least a couple 'controversial' portrayals.  "The “Aldermen Project: 50 Aldermen/50 Artists” will open at 7 p.m. on March 19 at the Johalla Projects Gallery, 1561 North Milwaukee Avenue; www.chicagoaldermenproject.blogspot.com."

Update:  Alderman Shiller, 46th: Artist John Geletka, and Alderman Eugene Schulter, 47th: Artist Phineas X. Jones.

... Uptowners can enjoy a stunning view of the Chicago Skyline from Montrose Harbor.

We happened to be at Walgreen's last week and saw that ATI Physical Therapy is moving into the 'hood, at 4620 North Clark, in the former Blockbuster storefront.

Glad to see an empty retail space get filled, and we welcome ATI to Uptown.  The website says "Opening Soon" and workers were moving equipment in while we were there.

With the sun and melting snow we've had this week, it's a reminder that winter will eventually be over and gardeners will soon be busy beautifying our community.  So we thought this press release from One Seed Chicago was timely:

NeighborSpace's One Seed Chicago project lets Chicago gardeners vote on their favorite seed, then distributes the winning seed for free in an effort to help Chicago "Grow Together" in 2010.

CHICAGO-This month gardeners across Chicago will begin voting for their favorite prairie seed for One Seed Chicago and the winning seed will be sent to them through the mail.

“For the third year One Seed Chicago is uniting Chicagoans,” said Ben Helphand, NeighborSpace Executive Director. “By planting a common seed, backyards, windowsills, community gardens and balconies across the City will be linked together in a season-long celebration of urban greening.”

In partnership with GreenNet, Chicago's community greening coalition, One Seed Chicago selected the three candidates Chicagoans will choose from. This year the winning seed will be from a plant that was once commonly found in the prairies around Chicago, but that is now rare in the wild outside of prairie restoration projects and cultivated gardens. Once established this native plant will require little water, is less prone to diseases and attracts beneficial insects and birds to a garden.

Vote until April 1st. The winning seed will be announced at the annual Green and Growing Fair, April 24, 2010 at the Garfield Park Conservatory. For more information or to vote visit http://www.oneseedchicago.com/.

Siam Noodle (Sheridan & Leland) just got a classy new awning that changes the exterior from a local hole in the wall to a destination spot.  What a difference.  Now the outside invites people to come on in and try the delicious food within.  We'd love to see more Uptown businesses follow its example.