This fall, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) will be reviewing whether the State of Illinois is correctly following the rules and regulations for Early Intervention Services. This program is also known as Part C of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act). OSEP will visit the Illinois Dept. of... Read More »

Last spring we reported on Honda tire bandit(s), and now the trend seems to have resurfaced in the neighborhood. Center Square Journal reader Chris Keller, who parks his Honda Fit on West Pensascola Avenue between Damen and Hoyne, was recently a victim of this crime. “As I was trying to put the car up on... Read More »

Homegrown email chains have been spreading among parents, neighbors, and teachers of McPherson Elementary (4728 N. Wolcott Ave.) about “a group interested in improving neighborhood elementary school.” These emails suggested a booster group similar to the ones already operating for public schools like Ravenswood Elementary and Waters Elementary. They’re calling it Friends of... Read More »

Yesterday morning the Chicago Police Department received a call reporting a suicide by hanging at 2446 W. Eastwood Ave. According to the CPD, a local man hanged himself beneath the train tracks at the base of the CTA platform. A Center Square Journal reader who lives on the 2500 block of West Eastwood... Read More »

Good news for fans of the Thursday night Lincoln Square Farmers Market and for those who’ve yet to discover this gem: Its run is being extended through October 28, with earlier hours, 3–7 p.m.  (The market will take a break on September 9, returning on September 16.) Conceived as a companion to the summer concert... Read More »

Maybe you’ve passed this building at 2117 W. Irving Park, but did you know that it’s the headquarters of the international labor union, Industrial Workers of the World? The organization was originally headquartered in Chicago but, starting in the ’90s, began to move around—to Ypsilanti, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati—until returning to the Windy... Read More »

The friendly waitress at Sticky Rice assured us that the fried bamboo caterpillars we ordered as an appetizer were “clean worms” since they never touched the ground. Surprisingly, the worms turned out to be the least exciting thing we ordered. Sticky Rice specializes in Northern Thai cuisine, but their huge menu encompasses other familiar Thai... Read More »

Prior to having children, John TenBrink and Brady TenBrink traveled the world. With each new destination came a new café experience. It was then, some 13 years ago, that the TenBrinks made a pact to one day own and operate their own café—and then came Sophia, and Dylan, and Liviya. Children typically bring a sense... Read More »

The Northcenter Chamber of Commerce awarded $19,583 yesterday to nonprofit organizations that provided volunteers for the Chamber’s 2010 Ribfest Chicago. The ceremony, held at the monthly Chamber member luncheon, distributed checks to nine local organizations. Ribfest Chicago, a three-day street festival, attracted just under 40,000 people this year. The fest was mostly staffed by volunteers, and... Read More »

Wowee Zowee! Laurie’s Planet of Sound (4639 N. Lincoln Ave.) is giving away tickets to the Sept. 13 Pavement show in Millennium Park (Pritzker Pavilion at 7 p.m.) But rather than draw a name out of a hat (“Random drawings are sooo last year”), they’re leaving the drawing—or, to be more specific, the arranging—up... Read More »

Looking for dinner tonight? Look no further than Gaztro-Wagon! The mobile food truck offers a variety of “naanwiches” (fresh flat bread stuffed with various ingredients) and is scheduled to stop by the Ravenswood Metra Station for dinner this evening. On July 28 the Chicago Food Truck Ordinance was proposed to City Council and given approval... Read More »

Yoga and Pilates studios across the U.S. are joining with the National Foundation for Cancer Research for “Stretch to the Cure,” a week-long event to help fund cancer research. During the week of Sept. 20–26, these studios will donate the proceeds from at least one of their classes to NFCR. Local yoga studio Bloom... Read More »

Earlier today, Mayor Richard Daley, Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th), Chicago Park District Superintendent/CEO Tim Mitchell, and community members gathered at Chase Park (4701 N. Ashland Ave.) to dedicate a brand new playground. The 7,481 square foot playground renovation features new equipment, rubberized soft surfacing (for wheelchair accessibility), two sets of swings, and separate play areas... Read More »

City Provisions is a company that caters to people who want only the best organic, locally sourced food. Offering wedding and events catering, as well as monthly supper club/farm dinners, it is operated by an old friend of mine, Cleetus Friedman. I met Cleetus maybe 10 years ago in an improv class at Improv... Read More »