'Lake Effect News' Blog Officially Dead

Lorraine Swanson

February 24, 2011 - Chicago - A blog that promised to report news in most of the northeast portion of Chicago has disappeared. Lorraine Swanson, a well-respected Chicago-area journalist, launched her Lake Effect News (LEN) in May of 2009 after she left the Chicago Journal (of Oak Park, IL), where she was the editor of the News-Star. Swanson stopped updating the blog in September, 2010 when AOL's Patch hired her as the editor of Oak Lawn Patch.

Sadly, links cannot be provided to past LEN articles because Swanson took it down. There are no cached pages available. That's a shame, because some of the articles in LEN would still be a valuable resource for anyone researching events in Uptown over the past year. Oddly, however, the Lake Effect News store at CafePress is still up.

The death of Lake Effect News is ironic. Swanson put in many hours of devoted writing because, she said, she wanted to have "a body of work," although she already had that from her years with various local newspapers. The irony, of course, is that she has ripped her LEN body of work off of the Internet. It's a real shame - and a real loss - that nobody can dig back into LEN's archives. Many of her articles would be a good addition to any historical archive.

LEN never got close to it's stated goal of covering a large swath of Chicago. It did, however, give excellent local coverage of the 46th Ward in the Uptown neighborhood on the North Side, with an occasional article about Edgewater (48th Ward), Rogers Park (49th Ward) and West Rogers Park (50th Ward, also called West Ridge).

The Community Media Workshop had a nice article about Swanson in May, 2010.

Swanson did some good reporting for LEN, and she is a talented journalist. The graph below (click to enlarge) shows that LEN got around 8,600 unique visitors in the month of August, 2010. That went down dramatically the next month, to around 5,000.

Even after Swanson was no longer updating LEN with new articles, more than 3,000 unique visitors went to the site in October. Most of those, no doubt, realized that nothing new was going on and left, never to return. Lake Effect News was a valiant effort. We are sad that it is no longer, but Oak Lawn is richer having her there.

Death at Malden Arms Apartments, Chicago (Update 2)

UPDATE, 2:01 a.m., July 20: A man was found dead in his room at a northside Chicago SRO apartment building. He was in his late 40s and was last seen shortly before he died. Fellow residents say he had a history of alcohol abuse and seizures. According to a report by Lorraine Swanson at Lake Effect News, "A detective came out and could be overheard reading a list of prescription medications found in the man’s room, and asking if the drugs combined with alcohol could cause a person to faint or fall. The detectives left the apartment approximately 90 minutes later. The detective said there was 'a knot' on the back of the man’s head." More from Lake Effect News (Sunday, July 19th, 2009, 8:10 p.m.)...

Chicago News Bench broke this story at 4:55 p.m., 7/19/2009: A "DOA" ("dead on arrival") was reported just after 4:30 p.m. today at The Malden Arms Aparments, an SRO at 4727 N. Malden in Chicago's north side Uptown neighborhood. This building is owned by Mercy Housing Lakefront, which owns another SRO building on the same block. 

That building is The Miriam Apartments, which has had many problems and complaints recently. (See "Mercy Lakefront Housing and the Story That Refuses to Happen") We have not yet heard the cause of death. At this writing (4:55 p.m.), police and fire officials are still investigating. 

Lorraine Swanson on the Beat

Creator of Lake Effect News and legendary Chicago journalist Lorraine Swanson prowls her beat on W. Devon Avenue in West Ridge. I took this photo on May 17, 2009. Click images to enlarge. Leave a Comment... Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

Lake Effect News, Lemons and Lorraine Swanson

Today is Day Three for "Lake Effect News," an online news site by veteran journalist Lorraine Swanson. She's been covering neighborhoods on Chicago's north side for 16 years, and most recently was the editor and primary writer of News-Star. In March, Chicago Journal sold off News-Star and Swanson was on her own. She has turned lemons into lemonade by doing what few laid-off journalists have done. Rather than sit around lamenting her fate, or complaining about the tax structure of for-profit, dying newspapers, Swanson has put her personal devotion to local journalism to work. Lake Effect News (LEN)is off to a good start. LEN was linked to overnight by about 200 other web sites. The first ones to link to LEN, of course, were local blogs such as 24/7 North of Howard Watchers (in Rogers Park) and Uptown Update. Of course, we linked up right away too; I believe that we were the only ones to publish her entire, well-crafted press release. (Whoever wrote that release should be working for major PR firm or ad agency.) Then the local "big boys" got into the act. A glowing report by Mike Miner of The Chicago Reader didn't hurt, and has helped to direct a lot of traffic to Swanson's LEN within it's first two days. You can see a list of who links to Lake Effect News by clicking here. Swanson and LEN seemed destined for well-deserved success. Chicago's north side neighborhoods are richer for having them. Leave a Comment on our Guestbook! CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

Lorraine Swanson Is Back With New Online News Site

May 14, 2009 - Not that Lorraine Swanson ever really went away, mind you. She's been hard at work, prepping her next big move. The former editor and primary writer of the News-Star newspaper in Chicago has been busy regrouping and readying a full frontal assault.
UPDATE, Feb. 24, 2011: 'Lake Effect News' Blog Officially Dead
She left the News-Star when the Chicago Journal sold it in March. Since then, News-Star has been a shadow of its former self, and Swanson has regularly been barraged with the same statement by her fans: "We miss you, Lorraine!" Those fans won't miss her for long. Between now and May 22, Swanson will debut her new online news site, called "Lake Effect News."

VETERAN CHICAGO REPORTER STARTS ONLINE NEWS SITE

CHICAGO, IL

MAY 15, 2009 - Lorraine Swanson, 16-year veteran reporter and former editor of the Chicago Journal’s News-Star, will debut her own online news site next week. Called “Lake Effect News” (LEN), it will cover news and events in Chicago’s North lakefront communities.

Lake Effect News will be up and running before May 22, 2009.

Lake Effect News (www.lakeeffectnews.com) will be a daily online news site. It will be updated throughout the day, offering up a daily dish of politics, crime reports, development updates, school information, entertainment tips and more, all with a hyper-local focus.

Lake Effect News will focus on Rogers Park, West Ridge, Edgewater, Andersonville, Uptown, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, North Center, Lake View, Albany Park and other neighborhoods. LEN will combine traditional journalistic values with multi-media news presentation. Swanson has long made community journalism a personal commitment. She has covered Chicago’s North Side from Howard Street to Roosevelt Road for Lerner Newspapers, Pioneer Press and, most recently, Chicago Journal.

Swanson resides in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.

“We’ll focus on those neighborhoods, but if something else is happening in the Chicago region that affects our readers we will certainly write about it, ” Swanson said. “For that matter, if something happens anywhere in the world that impacts our neighborhoods, it’s on our radar.”

“Now more than ever our lakefront communities need an independent neighborhood news outlet,” Swanson said, “We haven’t asked for a grant and don’t want one. We won’t pander to readers and have no hidden agenda. In fact, we love to expose hidden agendas.”

“Much of what transpires in the Chicago City Council is hammered out in neighborhood church halls, school gyms and community meeting rooms,” Swanson said. “The traditional neighborhood print newspaper has always served the role of watchdog. We want to continue that role online, with our strong personal commitment to and interest in neighborhood-level news.  Unlike a traditional newspaper, we’re more environment-friendly and none of our issues will ever end up in a puddle on your front yard.”

Chicago Tribune Rehashes Google Subpoena Story, Offers Nothing New

As noted five days ago, the big mainstream media was missing the big story about a Chicago developer who has subpoenaed Google in an effort to learn the identities of some anonymous bloggers in the Uptown neighborhood. Today, finally, on February 12, The Chicago Tribune picked up the story. It was broken by reporter Lorraine Swanson, editor of News-Star, on January 28. The story in the Trib today is a watered-down rehashing of Swanson's report. Unlike Swanson, however, Trib writer James Janega did not include any quotes from the two most important players in the drama: Developer Peter Holsten and his attorney Tom Johnson. In Swanson's January 28 story, she quoted Johnson as saying, "We did issue a subpoena to Google....The subpoena asks for all the information for two particular sites that Google has." Did the Trib talk with the people who brought the subpoenas? I don't know, but if they did they didn't use their quotes. The Trib quoted some people, but they are not key players. Attorney Thomas Ramsdell, who represents local citizen's group "Fix Wilson Yard," is not a key player because Fix Wilson Yard is not a target of the subpoenas. Robert Moss, vice chair of the Chicago Bar Association's Civil Rights and Constitutional Law Committee, is also not a key player. He's not even a minor player. He's just some guy in the Trib's Rolodex of "experts" that they call for a handy quote when the key players don't pick up their phones. The Trib also quoted Matt Zimmerman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), but they are involved only as the representatives of block club Buena Park Neighbors and the two bloggers, What The Helen (defunct) and Uptown Update. Zimmerman's quote in the Trib adds nothing new to the story. "Regardless of what the motivations are, there's certainly a chilling effect as a result of subpoenas sent out specifically targeting sites criticizing this development," he told the Trib. Well, duh. As with that quote, the Trib's story adds nothing new. It's a report, but it's not "news" because by today, the story is "old" by news cycle standards. That's not to say the story has lost its importance. It is still developing and, as Zimmerman correctly said, could have a chilling effect on a segment of the public discussion about not just Wilson Yard, but any subject of public interest. Keep watching for updates on this story from Lorraine Swanson. Although her initial report is now two weeks old, it still has more information than the story today at The Chicago Tribune. RELATED: Holsten's attorney subpoenas Google - Information sought on 2 Uptown blogs (Jan. 28) Developer Targets Bloggers in Chicago (Jan. 29) Big Media Missing Google Subpoena Story in Chicago (Feb. 7) Full Texts of Blogger Subpoenas (Feb. 7) CNB RSS Feed

Uptown: Teen Shooting Victim ID'd

One of the THREE victims in Friday's triple shooting in Uptown, Chicago has - finally - been identified. "Tim" now has a last name. Kudos to News-Star editor/reporter Lorraine Swanson for staying on top of this sad story (see her story here). Meanwhile, only The Bench correctly noted that THREE, not two, people were shot in the mid-afternoon incident. (See: UPDATED: Triple Shooting In Uptown, Mourners Gather) Even the police - as of late this morning - were still confused and seemed unaware of the third victim, who was shot in the shoulder with non-life threatening injuries.

New Uptown Community Guide Released

Chicago's Uptown neighborhood has a new Community Guide for 2008-2009, released as an insert in the July 30 edition of the News-Star. It's beautiful, if I do say so myself.

Editor: Lorraine Swanson, who is also the Editor of the News-Star. Contributing Photographer and Writer: Tom Mannis. Say, that's me!

For more info visit Business Partners, The Chamber for Uptown web site.

Trouble at Uptown Man Hotel

Ace reporter Lorraine Swanson writes about a problem transient men-only hotel in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. The hotel is under heavy pressure to clean up its act.

Twenty residents acting as court advocates attended a May 29 hearing in Cook County Circuit Court last week concerning a troubled transient hotel which they claim has negatively affected the quality of life in the Uptown neighborhood. FULL STORY...

Remembering Mary Jo Doyle

December 20, 2007 By LORRAINE SWANSON News-Star Staff Writer Mary Jo Doyle had four loves in her life: Family, history, computers and the Chicago Cubs. The founder and executive director of the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, Doyle was 68 when she died on Dec. 17--105 in God's years--and with her passing, the community lost its most important piece of living history. FULL STORY at News-Star... RELATED: SERVICES FOR MARY JO DOYLE

FLASH: SCHULTER BLINKS

Updated 12/10, 7:20 P.M. Schulter derails plan for eminent domain December 10, 2007 By LORRAINE SWANSON Staff Writer, News-Star Alderman Eugene Schulter, 47th, backed down from a plan to condemn privately owned businesses on the 4800 block of North Western Avenue and hand them over to private developers--sort of. Schulter also went on to say that "the city will not seek to acquire any such properties by condemnation," for the properties north of 4807 N. Western Ave. GET THE FULL STORY NOW...

Fat Ladies in the News

The best opening salvo of any news story this month belongs to erstwhile reporter Lorraine Swanson of the News-Star (Pioneer Press). Lorraine wrote today's News-Star story with the headline, "49th Ward election investigation proceeds," and that in itself is a gem. The use of the word "investigation," rather than "challenge," was a good choice by whomever wrote that headline. But you're waiting for the Best Opening Line.... "The fat lady waiting to sing her final aria in the 49th Ward aldermanic race waddled off the stage and back to her dressing room last week after a judge ruled that an investigation into alleged vote fraud in the April 17th runoff election may proceed." Read the full article... Rogers Park Bench is flattered that the folks at the News-Star read RPB, which ran a post on June 15 with the headline, "THE FAT LADY AIN'T SUNG YET." Coincidence? We hope not.

Joe Moore, Jay Johnson Updates

Lorraine Swanson of the the News-Star (Pioneer Press) covers the north side of Chicago like nobody else can. Today she gives us two hot stories, one about Don Gordon's ongoing election challenge against Joe Moore, the other about local landlord Jay Johnson. It was one of Johnson's buildings where a fire killed six children last September. Until March of 2007, Johnson sat on Joe Moore's land use zoning committee. Gordan lawsuit heads to court June 6, 2007 By LORRAINE SWANSON Staff Writer A June 22 court date has been set to determine if a lawsuit contesting the results of the 49th Ward aldermanic runoff election should be dismissed. Alderman Joe Moore, 49th, and the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners were named as defendants in a lawsuit filed by losing candidate Don Gordon and three other ward residents, who are seeking a recount and an investigation into possible vote fraud. FULL STORY... Johnson cleared of 46 building code violations June 6, 2007 By LORRAINE SWANSON Staff Writer A North of Howard apartment building has been cleared of 46 building code violations that were discovered days after a deadly fire that claimed the lives of six children last September. Attorneys for Jay Johnson, president of Cornerstone Residential Group LLC, and a team of city building inspectors told a Cook County Circuit Court judge that the building is now up to code during a housing court hearing on May 29. FULL STORY... Lorraine Swanson can be reached by email at lswanson@pioneerlocal.com