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| Gooseberry Park photo courtesy of Google Streetview |
The ward office (4544 N Broadway) will remain open during regular business hours (9AM-7PM) on Wednesday as well.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
46th Ward Late Night In Gooseberry Playlot Tonight
The ward office (4544 N Broadway) will remain open during regular business hours (9AM-7PM) on Wednesday as well.
Come For The CAPS Meeting, Stay For The Guacamole
"We're continuing with our outdoor CAPS meetings this month for Beat 1914 (Montrose->Lawrence, the Lake->Broadway).
We will be meeting in the parking lot of the mini-mall on Sheridan, between Sunnyside and Windsor. Look for us in front of La Ciudad restaurant (4515 N. Sheridan).
This is your monthly opportunity to talk with your neighbors, representatives from the Alderman's office, and police officers about safety and crime issues. We work towards acting in a constructive way to improve community safety for all residents.
Grab a neighbor and come on over!"
Essanay Studios Gala, October 6
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| click to enlarge |
St. Augustine College – Essanay Film Studios
1333 West Argyle Street
Chicago, IL 60640
Date:
Saturday, October 6th, 2012
Time:
6:00 PM – 10:30 PM
RECEPTION 5:30 – 6:30 PM
DINNER & DESERT 6:30 – 8:30 PM
MUSIC & DANCING 8:30 – 10:00 PM
Contact:
Grace Valadez
gvaladez@staugustine.edu
773-878-7044
Attire:
- Black Tie, Time Period of 1907 to 1917, or Essanay Character (as listed below)
- Outfit or Costume
Agudas Achim Synagogue Goes On The Market
In what had to be a gut-wrenching decision for its caretakers, this week Agudas Achim Synagogue, located at 5029 N Kenmore, was put up for sale. It was built in 1922, during Uptown's gilded age, and cost $400,000 to build -- $5.5 million in today's dollars. It has been described as "the last grand Chicago synagogue."
But what was built by Chicago's wealthiest in the 1920s became the place of worship for Chicago's poorest by the 1970s. The building has fallen into terrible disrepair because the elderly, mostly Russian-immigrant, worshipers simply never had the money to maintain it.
Agudas Achim has also been frequently robbed and vandalized over the years. In February 2006, community members and neighbors gathered in the main sanctuary for a service of unity and brotherhood, and we shivered because there was no heat because there was no money to pay for it. After the service, neighbors and congregation members stood side by side and painted over swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans that had been painted on the walls by vandals, who had also ransacked the building. The synagogue has sat empty for the past few years.
It should be remembered that Agudas Achim could have made the decision to have Big Chicks/Tweet closed down when a city inspector discovered the restaurant was too close to a place of worship to have a liquor license. But the rabbi and the congregation made the decision not to object, special bills were written to allow a variance, and Big Chicks and Tweet are still carrying on strong.
You can read a history of Agudas Achim and take a virtual tour of the building here. The real estate listing is here, and it includes this heartbreaking phrase: "Potential for condo conversion or new construction."
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
A Random Shooting? Not So Much
For one thing, we didn't get a ton of emails and Facebook postings as soon as it happened, and we nearly always hear from readers when there are shots fired (and sometimes when there are not).
Second, someone commented that they were right there next to a window and didn't hear anything.
Third, the part about not calling 911, but instead having a "nearby bystander" drive the victim to the hospital just sounds wrong. Heck, we're nice people, but we're not gonna drive a bloody wounded stranger to the hospital in the middle of the night; that's what 911 and EMTs are for. And really, are there actually "bystanders" on a residential street at 2am? In the unlikely event that there are, wouldn't they be running for their lives once they saw a man get gunned down right in front of them instead of going "Hey, dude, can I give you a ride to the trauma center"?
So it all sounded really peculiar. That's why it wasn't a surprise when we got an email from someone who's in the know (who requested anonymity):
The inside scoop on this morning's "shooting"... The bullet had a downward trajectory and the "victim" had powder burns on his clothes. He was tucking a gun in his waistband and accidentally shot himself.We're guessing he was inside an apartment or house and that's why no one heard the noise of his gun going off.
So it's scary that a 16-year-old kid, who has a 10pm city curfew, was tucking a loaded gun into his pants as part of his going-out-on-the-town ensemble at 1:41am.
It's unfortunate that he's seriously wounded, with injuries to his leg and groin.
But what does strike us as funny is the story -- short on details, but long on blame -- that he was randomly attacked walking down the street and was saved only due to the actions of a good-hearted bystander. Guess it's better for his street cred than admitting he just isn't very good at carrying a piece.
Probation For Pigeon Lady
"In court today, the woman arrested for feeding pigeons (would throw many bags of bread and rice at a time) agreed to stop feeding all birds and is doing 30 hours of community service at the Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary.
If she breaks her agreement, she will face the same judge who will up the ante to get her to stop. I then agreed to drop the battery charge, but will have the charge reinstated if she breaks her promise to the judge.
The goal is to have this woman direct her attention to birds in a more positive way. Maybe she'll become a great volunteer for the Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary. They can always use the help."We hope this is a wake-up call and a solution. We really don't need the bird droppings and rats that are attracted to the massive amounts of food she leaves.
Where Art Thou, N & H Cleaners?
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| Photo from Google Streetview |
We heard from one customer who went to N & H recently to pick up business suits he had left there, and that was the first he'd heard of the closing. He went to a couple other dry cleaners in the area to find out if they had N & H's leftover inventory, and they didn't know what he was talking about.
The phone number for N & H has been disconnected.
Anyone still in touch with the people at N & H, or know what happened to the clothes they had left in the store? There must be a lot of people in this same boat, and clothes aren't cheap to replace. Any help or leads would be appreciated.
WFCW Block Club Meeting Tonight
The Winona Foster Carmen Winnemac Block Club is meeting Tuesday, September 11th and everyone is invited! Please join us and learn all about Alderman James Cappleman's use of the Participatory Budget Project to help him spend/invest $1,000,000 in our 46th Ward! Neighbors from all across the 46th Ward will be encouraged to create and collaborate on projects that they would like to have funded.
Our special guest presenter is Maria Elaine Hadden, Project Coordinator for the Participatory Budgeting Project. We will be meeting at 7:00pm at the Methodist Home, 1415 Foster Ave.(1st Floor, please enter on Glenwood.)
See you there!
Randy Heite
WFCW Block Club, president
16-Year-Old Boy Shot On Winthrop
(But It's Not What You Think)
"A 16-year-old boy was seriously wounded early this morning in a shooting on the North Side in the city's Uptown neighborhood.
About 1:41 a.m., the youth told police he was walking from his residence on the 4600 block of North Winthrop Avenue when he heard shots and soon after felt pain in his leg, said Police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez." Read the rest of the story here.
Update: As Paul Harvey used to say, then there's the rest of the story. Find out why this really isn't nearly as bad as it sounds, in our post later in the day.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Call To Action: Save Uptown's Bus Routes
We are asking our readers to (1) take a moment to contact the CTA about two Uptown bus routes that will be eliminated and (2) spread the word to your friends to do the same. And a third request: Do it today, because the deadline for feedback is Tuesday, September 11th.
Here it is, in a nutshell:
- The CTA is going to eliminate what it refers to as "under-utilized" bus routes, including the #144 (Marine/Michigan Express) and the #145 (Wilson/Michigan Express)
- The new routes mean that the 148 will no longer run on Wilson.
- Wilson will have NO BUS ROUTES if this change takes place.
- Many in our community are unable to use the L stations because not a single Uptown station is handicapped-accessible. These people will have no access to nearby public transportation.
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Route 145 has high ridership.
- Route 145 is in the upper 30% of all CTA bus routes in ridership. Based on the CTA "Monthly Ridership Report, July 2012," it had a total of 1,244,366 rides. It ranks 34th among all routes.
- The "de-crowding initiative" targets 8 routes for elimination; 145 has higher ridership than all the other seven combined.
- Wilson Avenue has been a major east-west transportation route, from the lake to Western Avenue, for a century.
- The Wilson & Broadway L station is slated for a major overhaul and upgrade. Route 145 is by far the most important bus route serving the station.
- The 78 Montrose bus runs along Wilson for a few blocks only. It does not go south toward downtown.
- The Wilson Avenue neighborhood was built to a high density, predicated on good public transportation service.
- The Beacon-Wilson stop is in front of a 12-story 156-unit apartment tower with zero parking spaces.
- The Magnolia-Wilson stop is steps from a 6-story 140-unit apartment tower with zero parking spaces.
- In the area around these two stops, there are 15 apartment hotels (a.k.a. “common-corridor buildings”) with zero parking.
- Westbound Wilson buses serve All Saints Church, Ravenswood Medical Center, American Indian Center, & Levy Senior Center.
- The Montrose 78 does not serve those community centers.
- Southbound Wilson buses serve Michigan Avenue and its shopping, Streeterville and its hospitals, & Millennium Park & Grant Park with their museums.
- The Montrose 78 does not serve those areas of the city. (Nor does the 81 Lawrence bus.)
- It serves a dense neighborhood that was built for, and depends on, public transportation.
- It is the sole surviving bus route on Wilson Avenue which only a generation ago had five.
Next post: A sample letter which you can send to the CTA. Amend as you see fit.
How To Contact The CTA About The Route Eliminations
Dear [Board Members / President Claypool / Secretary Longhini / any board member of your choice] :
As a resident of Uptown, I object to the CTA's cutting service between Wilson Avenue and Downtown Chicago with the proposed elimination of the #144 and #145 lines.
This plan, along with the planned reroute of the #148 bus, would eliminate all bus service between Wilson Avenue and the Loop.
Uptown was built as a densely populated community which relies heavily on public transportation. We have many elderly and handicapped residents who are unable to access the Red Line because it is non-ADA-compliant, as is every Red Line station in Uptown. For many, the only way to get downtown is via the buses that run along Wilson Avenue.
The CTA says it is eliminating buses with low ridership, but the CTA's own figures show that the #145 bus is in the top 30% of all routes in number of riders. In fact, it has more riders than the other seven lines you proposed cutting, combined.
Eliminating the Wilson bus routes go against almost a hundred years of history of Wilson being a transportation corridor, and it goes against any kind of planning for Sheridan Park with its numerous apartment hotels that depend on public transportation. This is an odd way to coordinate with the millions of dollars committed to improving the Wilson-Broadway L station.
I strongly urge you to reconsider cutting service to Uptown and the #144 and #145 bus routes.
Sincerely,
Name
Address
The deadline for comments is Tuesday, September 11. We urge you to contact the CTA about the Wilson Avenue/Downtown routes.
Email address to which comments may be sent: glonghini1@transitchicago.com. That's Greg Longhini, Secretary of the CTA Board.
The President of the CTA is Forrest Claypool, and the Chairman of the Board is (Mr) Terry Peterson. You can reach the CTA general mailbox here: http://www.transitchicago.com/feedback/.
[Update: A commenter adds that the general mailbox is feedback@transitchicago.com.]
If you want to speak at the hearing on Wednesday, September 12, http://www.transitchicago.com/about/transit_board_meetings/default.aspx has a link to a two-page MS Word doc about how you can sign up to testify (or in hopes of being allowed to testify).
Here is the board list:
- Bouman, John M. - 312-681-5034 / Board Member
- Brown, Adrienne D. - 312-681-5019 / CTA Board Administrator, Executive Office
- Coogan, Joan E. - 312-681-5030 / Chief of Staff
- Grimshaw, Jacquelyne D. - 312-681-5038 / Board Member
- Irving, Janice - 312-681-5029 / Project Specialist II - CTA Board
- Longhini, Gregory P. - 312-681-5022 / Assistant Secretary to the Board
- Peterson, Terry - 312-681-5020 / Chairman-Board Member
- Robinson, Charles E. - 312-681-5036 / Board Member
- Silva, Alejandro - 312-681-5039 / Board Member
- Williams, Coraneita A. - 312-681-5026 / First Assistant Secretary
Coming This Week
All these restaurant openings! It's getting to be like Beverly Hills here in lil ol' Uptown.
A reader wrote in to say: "Called them last night to see if they might be open. The gentleman who answered the phone said they were opening on Wednesday."
Lao Sze Chuan is located at 4832 N Broadway, between Lawrence and Gunnison.
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