Police Charge Two In Edgewater Narco Murders

February 28, 2011 - Chicago - Last Saturday night's massacre in the Edgewater neighborhood was the scene of a virtual police lockdown after officers found the bodies of two people and one badly injured person in an apartment. The dead victims' throats had been slashed. An ensuing chase resulted in the fatal police shooting of one suspect, Arturo Ibarra, who died on the street at N. Greenview and W. Devon. Police are now charging two other suspects in connection with the Edgewater murders, which are believed to have been the result of a nightmarish narcotics deal. The two being charged are Augustin Toscano and Raul Segura-Rodriguez. Both men face multiple charges. See Related Articles below. There will be a special public meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the criminal activity of last Saturday. Alderman Mary Ann Smith and police officials will present information and answer questions at the Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway Street (map), just south of W. Thorndale Avenue, half a block south of the Thorndale CTA Red Line station. Smith's 48th Ward includes the part of Edgewater in which the alleged drug deal and murders took place and where the pursuit of Ibarra began (Ibarra was killed in the 40th Ward, at N. Greenview and W. Devon). RELATED ARTICLES: Neighbors shaken by double murder, cop shootout ABC Chicago Edgewater Shooting Suspects Charged, May Be Suspected of More Killings Chicagoist Charges against 2 suspected members of crew linked to dozen slayings Chicago Breaking News

Murder Spree, Police Shooting Causes Chicago Alderman To Hold Special Meeting

February 27, 2011 - Chicago - Gruesome murders in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood yesterday led police on a short but wild chase that resulted in the fatal shooting of a suspect. For more on this story, see today's Chicago Sun-Times article "Man killed by police suspected in 13 other murders: sources" here. The events were so extraordinary that 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith will hold a special meeting on Monday evening to discuss them. Ald. Smith sent an email blast that said this: "As many of you have already heard from the media, we had a serious and unusual police/criminal incident in Edgewater yesterday. Within our neighborhood, there were incidents on the 5800 block of Winthrop stretching to Devon Avenue. The police and our office will be available at 7:00 Monday Evening at the Broadway Armory to discuss with concerned residents what occurred." (MAP) The Armory is located at 5917 N. Broadway Street, just south of W. Thorndale Avenue, half a block south of the Thorndale CTA Red Line station. RELATED: Edgewater shooting leaves 3 dead, 2 wounded Loyola Student Dispatch Three dead, officer shot Edgewater Community Buzz 3 Dead, Officer Shot Chasing Murder Suspects on North Side MyFox Chicago Chicago Cop Shot, Injured On North Side, 3 Dead CBS Chicago

Cops Kill Suspected Robber on Chicago's North Side

Updated, 7:00 PM, February 27, 2011 - Gruesome murders in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood yesterday led police on a short but wild chase that resulted in the fatal shooting of a suspect. For more on this story, see today's Chicago Sun-Times article "Man killed by police suspected in 13 other murders: sources" here. The events were so extraordinary that 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith will hold a special meeting on Monday evening to discuss them. Ald. Smith sent an email blast today that said this: "As many of you have already heard from the media, we had a serious and unusual police/criminal incident in Edgewater yesterday. Within our neighborhood, there were incidents on the 5800 block of Winthrop stretching to Devon Avenue. The police and our office will be available at 7:00 Monday Evening at the Broadway Armory to discuss with concerned residents what occurred." (MAP) The Armory is located at 5917 N. Broadway Street, just south of W. Thorndale Avenue, half a block south of the Thorndale CTA Red Line station. Earlier Reports: February 26, 2011 - Chicago - What may have started as a robbery attempt just after 5:00 p.m. today near the Thorndale CTA Red Line station ended as a fatal police shooting on West Devon Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood. Details are still coming in. A person (sex unknown) robbed or attempted to rob a store in the 1100 block of W. Thorndale Avenue (map). That block is full of small shops, and is located just north of the Broadway Armory. Police chased the robbery suspect north until they confronted him/her in the 1400 block of W. Devon Avenue at N. Greenview Avenue, next to the Dollar Happy Store and across from the Citgo gas station (map). The suspect was fatally shot by police around 5:20 p.m. Traffic, as of 6:07 p.m., is still being diverted from that intersection. A report by Chicago Breaking News, oddly, omits any mention of the fatality in their 5:54 p.m. update. Chicago News Bench was at the shooting scene at Devon and Greenview and saw the body on the street, along with the red crime scene tape. Yellow tape is always used to cordon off a crime scene, but red tape is used only when there a homicide is involved. They did, however, report that one police was shot at the Thorndale scene "near the intersection of Glenlake Avenue and Broadway, and the officer was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in good condition." An update at 6:57 p.m. by The Chicago Tribune quotes witnesses as saying that the chase "ended with the truck trying to turn south on Greenview Avenue, where shots were fired."

Photos: Fire Destroys Apartment Building on Granville

Chicago - October 17, 2010 - Here are our slideshow (below) of the scene of a fire that gutted a co-op building on Chicago's north side yesterday at a six-unit, four-story apartment building at 1241-43 W. Granville Avenue. No residents were injured. One firefighter was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of exhaustion. According to a female resident who spoke to me in the alley, the fire started on the third floor of the co-op building. CPD officers were overheard later, on a scanner, as saying that five persons were displaced by the fire. The fire started around 3:45 p.m. (The time was incorrectly reported as "about 4:15" by the Chicago Tribune, but I saw the already-heavy whitish-gray smoke from the fire at 3:55 p.m. as I was walking a couple of blocks away.) More than 80 firefighters attended the extra-alarm fire, and police blocked off Granville from N. Broadway west to N. Lakewood for several hours.

Please Adopt Cato the Dog! (Updated)

UPDATED: I met a little dog named "Cato" at Rep. Harry Osterman's Furry Friends Summerfest in Edgewater and fell in love with him. He was up for adoption, but we're happy to report that he's found a good home... UPDATE: Laura wrote, "Tom, I just wanted to let me know that Cato found his forever home this week. He was adopted by a very sweet woman who will adore him. Thanks for taking interest in Cato and trying to find him his person." To help rescue more pets like Cato from Chicago Animal Care & Control, please consider fostering a cat or dog in your home, or making a donation to FCACC by contacting Kathy at kbwilson60612@yahoo.com. To see other pets for adoption, please visit http://www.petraits.petfinder.com/. Photo of Cato by Sheri of Petraits Pet Photography.

Body In Car on Edgewater Street Was Rogers Park Resident

May 15, 2010 - The vicitm in the tragic and mysterious story of a body found in car on a quiet side street now has a name. Kirk Flowers was found shot to death, according to Big Black News Blog, "wrapped in a bed sheet in the backseat of his 2008 Dodge Charger. The car was discovered in the 1400 block of West Rosemont Ave. in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood." BBNB quotes Chicago Police as saying that Flowers, described as African-American, 26, 5-feet 11-inches and 205 lbs, "was shot several times; his body was wrapped in a bed sheet, bound with duct-tape, and there were signs of fire damage to the inside of his vehicle."

It's a gruesome story. Flowers' body was discovered late in the afternoon of Friday, May 14. The car, parked in the quiet, tree-lined 1400 block of W. Rosemont in the Edgewater neighborhood, was inspected and towed away as evidence and further examination around 5:30 p.m., according to what a witness told Chicago News Bench yesterday. 

Chicago Breaking News today reported that the care "was locked and had signs of smoke and fire damage inside the vehicle, according to a police source. It was taken to the medical examiner's office with the body inside to keep evidence intact, police said." Witnesses also say that the body of Flowers was in the front passenger seat, and that window had been broken or shattered by gunfire.

 
The blog of Lost N Missing, Inc. posted an alert about Kirk Flowers on May 14. It said that he "was last seen on May 8 and may be driving his red 2008 Dodge Charger sedan with an Illinois license plate number of A295353. Please note he recently lost his job and may be very depressed. His family and friends are very worried." It was in the same Dodge Charger that his body was found only hours after the notice was posted. The Chicago Sun-Times reported today that "The alert was cancelled at 10:14 a.m. Saturday, police said. The car was found about a half mile from Flowers’ home."

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(Updated) Edgewater Icon, Standee's Diner, to Close Jan. 3, 2010

(Updated/Revised) - I first stumbled into Standee's Diner in March of 1997. Now, sadly, it will close at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 3, 2010 due to a dispute with the landlord. Click photos to enlarge them Standee's Diner ("Snack and Dine") is (still) located at 1133 West Granville Avenue in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood, half a block east of N. Broadway. The good news: Standee's will be quickly reincarnated in a new location. Currently located just a few steps west of the CTA's Granville Red Line station, they plan to reopen just east of the tracks. One local resident, TheFemGeek, posted this on Twitter: "Standee's is closing at the end of the month and hopefully they will open across the street in the future but it'll be under new management," and "In the next few days a waitress who's been working @ Standee's forever will sell some photos she's taken of the place over the yrs." Another local, "blergh," posted this on Twitter: "OH MY GOD STANDEE'S LOST ITS LEASE AND WILL BE CLOSING D: LIFE AS I KNOW IT IS OVER D:" The little diner's atmosphere felt like a scene from a movie. With a great juke box, a menu full of homestyle cooking and a grandfathered wooden cutting counter next to the grill, the place was packed with character. Local character, and all of the characters were willing to chat. Some great conversations in there, about everything from politics to snowfalls to crooked aldermen. Sometimes we'd grab a bite to eat, then get a pitcher of beer at Gino's North, just the other side of the El tracks. Chrome on the counter and behind it, the place sparkled in a dim sort of way. Standee's would have been perfect in a movie scene, but even moreso it had a dreamlike quality. Not quite real, I guess, because it was so out of synch with the corporate dining that so many of us have become accustomed to. Drunks on the sidewalk; occassionally one would come in and start screaming at the walls. The staff would immediately kick them out. Loyola students sitting with a cup of coffee and a stack of books for hours. Drunks tripping home, stopping in for coffee and fries, sometimes falling asleep in a booth. There was very little PC about the joint - lewd jokes were frequently shouted from one end of the dining counter to the other. I remember an elderly waitress, Anna, who came to America from Germany. She never lost her heavy accent and was always impatient with customers. I loved her. Standee's would always have a pie of the day, and one time she suggested a slice of the "peeka dee kahn" to me. I had to ask her three times to repeat that until I realized that she meant the pecan pie. I ordered it. It was homemade. It was delicious, the best peeka dee kahn pie I've ever had to this day. May Anna rest in peace. The food was the main attraction for me, with the sometimes Felliniesque sideshow being just an added benefit. Think grandma's for Sunday dinner. The Disjointed Chicken was something sent to Earth by the angels, I will always believe. The portions were huge, the prices always fair. Standee's will be missed. There might be a petition effort to "save" the diner, as indicated by an expired post on Craigslist. The current landlord, of course, does not have to obey a petition. Even if Standee's rises from the ashes in a new location across the street, as TheFemGeek indicates it might, it cannot be what it was. The character, the unique ambience, the delightful weirdness, all of that will be lost forever. You have nine days to experience it again, or perhaps, for your first time. There will not be a next time. UPDATE: TheNeighborhoodFirst.org will be sponsoring "Thank You" cards all day Tuesday, December 29, 2009. Please join them in showing appreciation for this well-liked neighborhood establishment. Stop by to share a memory and sign a card. Click for details.... Standee's Diner 1133 West Granville Avenue Chicago, IL 60660-2012 Phone: 773-743-5013 RELATED: http://www.theneighborhoodfirst.org/ Video: Standee's - a nice little video by James Matthess Video: Standees Diner, Chicago (Medill Slideshow) Video: Writer Jack Bess talks about the closing of the Uptown Diner (Feb. 2006) Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

More Savagery in Chicago, "Blood All Over the Street"

ANOTHER obscene act of violence in Chicago, City of Bloody Shoulders. This one happened in Edgewater, on Chicago's north side in the early hours of Monday, October 1. The 14-year old victim was beaten with a pipe. As with Derrion Albert, the 16-year old who was beaten to death last week on the south side, no firearms were involved. Another similarity: Both crimes happened in a city with very strict anti-gun laws.

Chicago Breaking News reports:

A 14-year-old boy was chased down a street in the Edgewater neighborhood this morning and hit with a pipe, fracturing his skull, according to police and witnesses.

While the boy underwent surgery at Children's Memorial Hospital, police canvassed the 6300 block of North Paulina for leads in the beating -- which came just a week after 16-year-old Derrion Albert was beaten to death on the Far South Side.

"He was covered in blood. Blood was all over the street," said the woman who called police to the scene. "It was all over his face, arms and coming down the back of his head." Full Story...

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Mayor Daley, Ald. Smith Dedicate "Indian Land Dancing" Bricolage

On this fall-like August morning, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Alderman Mary Ann Smith (photo left) helped dedicate a mural in the underpass at Foster Avenue and N. Lake Shore Drive. A crowd of approximately 150 looked on. This portion of the mural is called "Indian Land Dancing." Neither Smith nor Daley danced, unless you count a gratuitous appearance at a mural dedication as a type of dancing.

The mural is a beautiful stretch of eye candy, both visually appealing and evoking a sense of history. It is composed of hundreds of ceramic and mirror tiles, photographs and paintings. The mural is a project by local artists and young people from Alternatives, Inc. which took about six weeks to create.

According to Chi-Town Daily News writer Natasha Wasinski "Project designers Tracy VanDuinen, Todd Osborne and Cynthia Weiss reached out to Native American artists, scholars and families last October to ask for direction and preliminary designs for the project. Involving the Native American community was integral to the project's success, VanDuinen says."

Wasinski quoted VanDuinen as saying, “We didn’t want to make it Indian-ish.” Rather, said VanDuinen, "the artists sought to portray Native Americans 'as a culture now met with their past.'” You'll notice that "Waskinski" is not an American Indian name, nor is VanDuinen, Osborne or Weiss.

The Indians did not insist on the mural being called "Native American Land Dancing." A bunch of white people, marching blindly to the drum beat of political correctness, stood in front of a mural made in large part by Indians, with a huge embedded title of "Indian Land Dancing," and insisted on calling the American Indians "Native Americans."

I'm not sure what VanDuinen meant by saying that they didn't want the mural to be "Indian-ish." The name of the mural is "Indian Land Dancing."

The very look of the mural is all about American Indians, a number of whom attended the dedication dressed in traditional costumes. The mural includes many large images of American Indians. VanDuinen's quote, then, is rather mysterious.

As the mayor and the 48th Ward alderman stood in front of the mural at 10:00 a.m., ten large lights burned without reason in the bright morning sun. Combined with thousands of other lights burning during the day throughout Chicago, hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money are wasted every year.

Daley and Smith seemed oblivious to the wasteful, non-green use of electricity even as they celebrated the American Indian-themed mural and listened to speeches about harmony with nature. I wonder how many people at the dedication saw the disconnect of a beautiful mural that celebrates American Indian heritage being stuck underneath a concrete-and-steel highway overpass in Lincoln Park, named after a man who participated in the Indian Wars of the 19th Century.

The origin of the word "bricolage" is French. Mirriam-Webster's Online Dictionary defines bricolage as "construction (as of a sculpture or a structure of ideas) achieved by using whatever comes to hand." The term "bricolage," then, is not restricted to murals made of a variety of things. As the dictionary tells us, it could refer to a "structure of ideas." If I interpret the definition correctly, a casserole made with whatever left-overs are available could be called a bricolage.

Another definition is "the jumbled effect produced by the close proximity of buildings from different periods and in different architectural styles." That's from The Collins English Dictionary.

The best definition seems to come from Wise Geek. They tell us that bricolage is "a word which is used to mean an assemblage of objects, along with the trial and error process of putting such objects together. Someone who practices bricolage is known as a bricoleur. Bricolage plays an important role in a number of fields, from computer programming to music, and it is part of the artistic and cultural expression of many cultures around the world. You may have even engaged in a bit of bricolage yourself; perhaps, for example, you rigged up a simple solution to a household problem, using materials which were to hand. This is a form of bricolage."

Flowers for Anne

I took these during a walk through Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood recently, and thought I'd share them with you. I dedicate these to flower lover Anne Leary of Backyard Conservative. Are YOU a citizen of the United STRAIGHTS of America? Leave a Comment... Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

The Fascist Preservationists of Edgewater

The government tells you that you cannot sell your house because "preservation" and "history" are more important to a handful of elitist, petty dictators than is the right of private property. Screw you, private citizen, we are the Chosen Ones. What we dictate must be obeyed.

That's what was attempted last year on Chicago's north side. The Edgewater Historical Society did not want Brigitta Riedel to sell her house at 6018 North Kenmore. (Photo by T.H.Mannis, May, 2008) Now, she's suing the bastards for money she says she lost because of interference in selling her house. We hope she wins.

Mark Konkol reports in the Chicago Sun-Times today:

... when members of the Edgewater Historical Society got wind of a developer's plan to buy the yellow-brick behemoth at 6018 N. Kenmore and tear it down to build condos, they rallied to save the place, seeing it as a potential city landmark.

Now, the neighborhood preservationists are being sued. Property owner Brigitta Riedel says she lost out on more than $1 million when the sale went south and is suing to the historical society and four of its board members, accusing them of carrying off a "calculated, sophisticated attack" to kill the sale. Full Story, Chicago Sun-Times... 

I reported on this subject in May, 2008 for the Chicago Journal (which they have thoughtlessly removed from their web site). Take a look:

Edgewater Landmarking Effort Defeated May, 2008

Community representatives voted down an attempt to impose landmark status on 15 buildings in Chicago's Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods. Eleven of the structures are in Alderman Mary Ann Smith's 48th Ward and four are within Alderman Joe Moore's 49th Ward.

Approximately 50 people crowded into Alderman Smith's office on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 to discuss, and then vote on, the proposal. The comments were heated on both sides.

The meeting was hosted by Ald. Smith at her 5533 N. Broadway office. Most of the buildings are private homes. The landmakring effort met vehement resistance from community members. Voting was restricted to delegates from block clubs and community organizations. The proposal was defeated in a roll call vote: 20 "No," 8 "Yes," 7 abstained.

Valerie Leopold owns one of the houses that was targeted for landmakring by the City of Chicago. Leopold, of Leopold & Associates, LLC law firm, spoke to group and stated her opposition to the landmakring process.

"I hear [them] talk about voluntary landmakring," Leopold said to the crowded room, "I think that's great. That's not what's happening here."

The controversial landmakring process started late last year when the Edgewater Historical Society (EHS) asked Alderman Smith to save 6018 N. Kenmore from demolition. According to Leroy Blommaert of EHS, Smith went to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks for help in preserving 6018. But, says, Blommaert, the Commission added 14 more houses to be considered for landmakring.

Blommaert told the community meeting that this "is not our project or proposal. We categorically reject that. We were concerned about a proposed demolition [at 6018] N. Kenmore." He said the EHS "sent letters to property owners in April, 2008. Blommaert told News-Star that EHS had "no role" in expanding the list to 15 properties. He said the letters to property owners were mailed to some of the targeted property owners in early April and to others in late April.

Valerie Leopold had more to say at the May 28 meeting. "This is a situation where the Edgewater Historical Society is the organization moving behind landmakring. Now, they just finished telling you they weren't, but I refer to a letter by the alderman." She then quoted from a May 9, 2008 letter from Alderman Smith's office.

Smith's letter said, "The Edgewater Historical Society, not this office or the city, asked that the community consider landmakring some of the older buildings in the northeast section of Edgewater." The rest of the paragraph that Leopold quoted from says that the landmakring request "was prompted by a development proposal to demolish a single family home at 6018 N. Kenmore that is considered 'significant.' Our response was that we would not advance the proposal for a 'scattered' historic district....without engaging in our community review process."

Had the landmark status been imposed on the structures, the owners would not have been compensated. Landmakring often causes significant loss of property value. Several of the targeted buildings are "vacant and crumbling," according to Smith's May 8 letter. "We do not want vacant and deteriorating buildings to become a problem for the community. We are reluctant to repeat our experience with 5416 N. Winthrop….where the owner's demolition by neglect resulted in threats to public safety, squatters, structural hazards, a fire and other serious problems."

"Developers don't look for landmakred properties," one neighbor said at the meeting. Once landmakred, few potential buyers want to consider purchasing it. Indeed, landmakring a structure can be a disincentive for the owner to maintain it. With lost value and costly restrictions as to how the landmakred building can be refurbished, owners are sometimes reluctant to put out the cash. Selling a landmakred building can be difficult, too.

"If you can't stand behind what you propose," Leopold said of EHS, "I think there's something wrong. I think at a deep level you know what you're doing isn't right."

"I asked Edgewater Historical Society," Leopold said, "would you please, at least, allow us to come and present our side, like you're having an opportunity here tonight. They said 'no, won't do it.' An organization that won't take credit for their proposal, an organization that wants to talk to block clubs where only they can be present? There's something wrong with that. Why do you need to hide if you're doing the right thing?"

Leopold's comments were representative of many of the property owners. Owners and many community organizations alike expressed concern about the way the process was handled. EHS, said Leopold, pitched the proposal to community groups but did not approach the property owners.

Kathy Gemperle, President of the Edgewater Historical Society, asked the group "to think 100 years in the future. We believe these 15 homes are evidence of another time, they are public works of art."

Jean Johnson is an architect who has owned the house at 6032 N. Winthrop for 22 years. Johnson responded to Gemperle's remarks. " I've heard the word 'fairness' but have we heard the word 'justice'? Why do you want to landmark my building? To stand in front of it and admire it? Why don't you pick up the litter from the people who live in the seven-story building next door to me?"

The proposal was defeated in a roll call vote. One attendee moved that Alderman Smith meet with representatives of EHS and targeted property owners to "work out a program for TIF money to help owners."

"Over my dead body," said Alderman Smith. She said TIF monies are for schools and other more urgent needs. Smith chided EHS by telling them that "If you want to be a viable historical society you'll sit down with banks and owners and become a viable organization."

Shirley Phelps-Roper Sings "Hey Jude" (badly)

Shirley Phelps-Roper is the daughter of hate preacher Fred Phelps. She and members of the Westboro Baptist Church demonstrated at Emanuel Congregation synagogue on August 3, 2009 on Chicago's north side. During the event, Phelps-Roper sang her twisted, hateful version of The Beatles's classic "Hey Jude." Truly bizarre.

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OMG! Zanzibar Serves Best Ice Cream in Chicago!

I recently stumbled across a new ice cream parlor. Normally, I don't get excited about ice cream parlors. While I love the stuff, I don't tend to eat a lot of ice cream, and growing up in Wisconsin I was spoiled by the best in the nation. When I passed by Zanzibar's ice cream parlor on a recent evening, however, the place looked so inviting that I just had to go inside and look around. That led, of course, to a sampling of the ice cream. Wow... Dang, I thought, ice cream as good or maybe better than any I'd ever had in Wisconsin! But here's the catch: The ice cream sold at Zanzibar is made by The Chocolate Shoppe in - ta da! - my home town of Madison, Wisconsin! I used to go to Chocolate House Candy and Ice Cream, the predecessor of The Chocolate Shoppe, with my folks. That was back in my grade school days. I haven't had their ice cream in more than 25 years, and here it was, served up in generous scoops right here on Chicago's North Side, at Zanzibar in Edgewater. One of the secrets to great ice cream is to have as few ice particles or microscopic air bubbles in the cold stuff as possible. The incredible flavors served at Zanzibar meet those specifications. Rich and creamy, cold and gooey, it will not disappoint. I know I'm hooked, and if means gaining few pounds this summer, well, you only go around once. Might as well have great ice cream. Yes, that's my banana split in the photo and yes, I ate the whole gigundo thing. Zanzibar is much more than ice cream, though, with great hand-made sandwiches, soups, salads, coffee and tea. The atmosphere is cozy, despite the large size of the room. Free wi-fi makes this a great place to linger. Got kids? Perfect, they'll love the place. It's casual, wheelchair accessible and spitting distance from the Bryn Mawr CTA Red Line station (no parking lot, but metered street parking is right outside). Oh, before I forget - you gotta try the blue moon ice cream. Also see The Chocolate Shoppe web site Leave a Comment... See Our Online Store Chicago News Bench RSS Feed We're on Twitter...

Edgewater Fire, Eyewitness Report and Photos

The extra-alarm fire that ripped through a northside Chicago apartment building on Monday, March 2nd sent 13 people to the hospital and damage much of the four-story building's interior by fire and smoke. Niquenya D. Fulbright (photo) alerted Chicago News Bench to her own eyewitness report and photos, "Edgewater Fire Leaves Dozens Trapped - 13 Rushed to Hospital" published at iReport.com. It's an excellent report. An excerpt: Several of the fire victims were forced to leave their homes on this snowy afternoon without much clothing or other belongings. The Fulbright family, neighbors residing in the 5700 block of Kenmore, just north of the burning building, assisted displaced residents by providing them with coats, blankets, coffee and hot chocolate until warming buses and the Red Cross of Greater Chicago could arrive... Full Report at iReport.com RELATED: Niquenya D. Fulbright biography Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Cool Stuff...

Update 2X: Edgewater Fire, People Trapped

Edgewater, Chicago, 3:30 PM - Four story building, extra alarm fire, 1000 block of W. Hollywood. Update from Chicago Sun-Times... An extra-alarm fire at an Edgewater neighborhood apartment building Monday afternoon left 13 people injured. The fire was in a four-plus-one style apartment building, the type where four stories of apartments are above one level of parking. There were reports of multiple people trapped in the building, and several rescues were made. The fire was reportedly on the first floor, with exposure to the second floor, according to unconfirmed reports. It took just over an hour for firefighters to ensure that the blaze was completely extinguished. FULL STORY at CHICAGO SUN-TIMES... Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Cool Stuff...

Nursing Home Fire Shuts Down Bryn Mawr, Kenmore

CHICAGO - THE BENCH - December 18, 2009 - At least eight fire trucks and several ambulances to responded to a mattress fire at Bryn Mawr Care, a long term nursing care facility located at 5547 N. Kenmore at 8:30 tonight. (Exclusive slide show below.) According to a Chicago police officer heard on police frequencies, a mattress on the fifth floor was on fire. Police and firie officials on scene said nobody was injured. Bryn Mawr Care is in Edgewater, a northside neighborhood of Chicago. No flames were visible when The Bench arrived on scene at 8:50 p.m.. Smoke was not seen, either, but could be smelled for several blocks in all directions from the fire. Streets were shut down for about two hours in a one-block radius from the intersection of N. Kenmore and W. Bryn Mawr.

UPDATED: Homeless Shelter On Endangered List

UPDATE 11/21/2008: SEE "R.E.S.T. STOPPED: CHICAGO ALDERMEN DENY HOMELESS SHELTER" Big meeting at 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith's office on Wednesday night, October 29. The subject: The fate of a homeless shelter in Edgewater. News-Star's Lorraine Swanson was there, and she has the report. The Bench was there, too, and we've got exclusive photos of the standing room-only event (click images to enlarge them). Residents jammed into Ald. Mary Ann Smith's 48th ward service office at 5533 N. Broadway on Wednesday night to discuss the imminent closing of the neighborhood's only homeless shelter. This Saturday, the homeless shelter at Epworth United Methodist Church at Kenmore and Berwyn will close its doors after serving at that location for more than 20 years. For the past nine years, the Uptown social service organization REST-Residents for Effective Shelter Transitions-has operated the 65-bed overnight shelter for men. Within the past year, Uptown and Edgewater have lost 115 beds with the closing of two other overnight shelters. The Rev. Joe Johnson has said that Epworth can no longer afford to keep the shelter at the church. FULL STORY at News-Star...

Ald. Smith's Urgent Plea

Alderman Mary Ann Smith,48th Ward of Chicago, sent this in an email blast to her constituents. It's good advice for the 48th Ward, but can be applied to the rest of Chicago as well. A Request Regarding Homeless Shelters Dear Neighbors, As you may have heard, we have a serious situation with respect to the closing of homeless shelters in our community and would appreciate your input and suggestions on this. Last year, Breakthrough Urban Ministries moved 30 overnight shelter beds from the 5200 block of Ashland to the west side of the City. Earlier this year, the Salvation Army's Tom Seay Center in Uptown (1000 block of Sunnyside) was closed because they lacked appropriate zoning; this resulted in the loss of 95 beds. And on November 1st, the R.E.S.T. shelter on Kenmore will close because of ongoing financial and management concerns. This will eliminate another 65 beds. R.E.S.T. is the only men's shelter located in the 48th Ward. We have been assured that the City has the capacity to move people, on a daily basis, from gathering points to existing shelter beds in other communities. These facilities also provide counseling, treatment and other services that have never been provided through R.E.S.T. Some argue, however, that the homeless won't go, preferring the danger of staying outdoors in the cold to the danger of new locations. Because this can lead to increased homeless encampment in our streets, alleys and parks, and the eventual possibility of these people becoming sick or freezing to death, it becomes clear that we need to talk of a new temporary or permanent shelter location in our area. We are a ward and community that makes decisions together - trying to listen, talk, argue and then decide. We try to balance compassion and practicality. We need to do that now. If you have practical suggestions or ideas about how you can help, we would like to put them into the community conversation. We will discuss this at the next Z&P meeting, October 29th at 7:30. You can e-mail us at info@MASmith48.org or write us at Mary Ann Smith, 5533 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640. Although the time is short, we would appreciate your input by Monday, October 27. Join Team Edgewater Volunteers at the GCFD on November 6 to Earn Credit for Care for Real. Team Edgewater is organizing a group to go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) on Thursday, November 6, to benefit Care for Real. Volunteers earn $5 in credit for each hour worked. This credit is applied to the Care for Real account and used to buy food from the Depository. Volunteers are asked to pay a $5 fee to cover transportation to and from the Depository and light snacks. However, the Care for Real Governing Board members will pay the fee for willing workers who need help. For additional information and reservations, call (773) 508-1089. Sincerely, Mary Ann Smith Alderman, 48th Ward

Best of Chicago? Uptown and Edgewater

Looking for Chicago's best coffee shop? How about the best beer selection, poetry slam, or Asian grocery? Want the best pizza, thrift store or art gallery? Get to the 48th Ward on Chicago's north side, where Alderman Mary Ann Smith presides over a business climate that is quickly revitalizing itself. Kudos to Ald. Smith for her leadership and to the business leaders of Uptown and Edgewater, both of which are parts of th 48th Ward. Ald. Smith's email blast today gives more info: Being the best isn't easy, but several 48th Ward businesses have been named "The Best" in their respective categories by The Reader, Time Out Chicago, Chicago Magazine and AOL. Congratulations to these "bests," and our apologies if we missed anyone. The Reader list includes: Metropolis Coffee Shop (best coffee shop), Moody's Pub (best outdoor seating), Viet Hoa Plaza (best Asian grocery) , Hopleaf (best beer selection), Green Mill (best jazz venue and best poetry slam or open mike), In Fine Spirits (best wine bar), SoFo (best gay bar), Annoyance Theater (best place to see improv/sketch), Susan Messing (best improviser), Gethsemane Garden Center (best garden store), Greener Cleaner (best dry cleaner), Crew Bar & Grill (best place to watch a game on TV), Los Manos (best art gallery), His Stuff (best boutique for men), Brown Elephant (best thrift store), Middle East Bakery and Grocery and The Neo-Futurists (best theater company). Chicago Magazine cited: Hopleaf, Summer Restaurant, Big Jones, Andersonville Wine and Spirits, Mastern Shoe Repair, Johnny Sprockets, Tanoshii, Pastiscerria Natalina, Paul Shulman Custom Furniture, Anteprima and Green Genes. Included in AOL's Top 10 lists were: Moody's Pub (hamburger), Hopleaf (best beer), Swedish Bakery (best sweets), M. Henry (best breakfast), Tweet (best brunch), Riques Regional Mexican Food (best cheap eats). Terry's Toffee was also listed under best sweets. Although the store is out of the area, owner Terry Opalek lives in Edgewater. Time Out Chicago includes Great Lake Pizza, Anteprima and Pastiscerria Natalina among its best lists. Also, several publications have named "Living 2007", the bricolage on the north wall of Lake Shore Drive's Bryn Mawr underpass, as the best new public art work of 2007. "Growing 2008," a companion mural on the south wall of the underpass, is now being completed. Although some of the businesses mentioned above are outside the 48th Ward boundaries, we salute them as part of our community.

Shock and Awe at Foster Beach, Chicago