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Volume 112, Number 10

773-465-9700 insideonline.comN E W S O F L I N C O L N P A R K , L A K E V I E W , N O R T H C E N T E R & L I N C O L N S Q U A R E

March 9-15, 2016

New knowledge is the

most valuable commodity

on earth. The more truth

we have to work with,

the richer we become.

— Kurt Vonnegut 

STORY AND PHOTOSBY PATRICK BUTLER

Developer Dan McCaffreypulled no punches in describingthe upcoming demolition of theformer Children’s Memorial Hos-pital complex.

“It’s going to be awful,” Mc-Caffrey told a March 1 commu-nity meeting at Lincoln Park HighSchool, 2001 N. Orchard St.

“There’s no easy way to develop

six-and-a-quarter acres in an urbansetting without there being a messfor awhile,” he added.

Throughout demolition - ex-pected to last through November- some sidewalks will be closedand there will be parking restric-tions (to be posted on the project’swebsite www.mi-emb.com/)

But every effort will be madeto ease the daily annoyances asmuch as possible, said McCaffrey,noting that drop-off and pick-upschedules at the nearby LincolnElementary School will go un-changed.

Demolition will be done all atonce, “you won’t have to put upwith this for the next six and a halfyears. We hope to celebrate com-pletion with you three years fromnow.”

One example of how the con-struction phase will go smoother

than it might have is by having arecycling plant on the job site toreuse some building materials –saving an estimated six months ofconstruction time, said architectJoe Antunovich. It will also lowerrubble removal which will takeonly 2,500 truckloads, instead ofthe 15,000 that would otherwisebe needed to haul everything away,Antunuvich said.

The recycling facility won’t beany noisier than a passing car, An-

Hospital demolition phase to last until Nov.

‘It’s going to be awful’

tunovich promised.

The old Children’s MemorialHospital campus will be replacedby what McCaffrey Interests calls“a new gateway to the LincolnPark neighborhood” with two 19-story towers with 540 apartments,up to 60 condominium units in alow-rise building, about 850 park-ing spaces, and up to 160,000square feet (2.7 football fields) ofretail and office space.

McCaffrey, Antunovich andMike Faron of W.E. O’Neil Con-struction said the134-year-oldNellie Black building on the 700block of W. Fullerton “had” to be

demolished to make way for Bel-mont Village’s 150 assisted livingunits.

When McCaffrey said his teamplans to preserve part of the Nel-lie Black building in the new se-nior housing portion, PreservationChicago director Ward Miller shotback “that’s not preservation. Afacsimile or reconstruction is notwhat preservation is all about.”

Also featured in the new devel-opment will be more than 57,000square feet of accessible outdoorspace including a landscaped cen-tral plaza, “ceremonial” garden,

and a children’s play area.According to McCaffrey, de-

molition should be underway inthe next two or three months, andthe entire complex is expected tobe finished in 2018.

McCaffey said he hasn’t yet de-termined how much he’ll chargefor the apartments and condos butsaid he’s already gotten inquiriesfrom people interested in movinginto the development when it’sready for occupancy.

“That’s not preservation. A facsimileor reconstruction is not what pres-ervation is all about,” PreservationChicago’s Ward Miller shot back inresponse to plans to use parts of the

1882 Nellie Black building in the newsenior building planned by BelmontVillage.

The old Children’s Memorial Hospital campus will be replaced by what Mc-Caffrey Interests calls “a new gateway to the Lincoln Park neighborhood.”

The transit-oriented project will

be near the Fullerton rapid transitstop and several bus routes.McCaffrey said he’ll continue

meeting in the coming weeks withlocal property owners and installvibration detection devices tomeasure impact on nearby build-ings.

Responding to concerns fromseveral residents fearing an “out-

pouring” of rats as soon as thewrecking ball starts swinging,McCaffrey said he’s already plan-ning an aggressive rodent extermi-nation campaign.

Residents should be aware thatrats will eat just about anything,can crawl through quarter-sizedholes and will chew through woodor plaster, city rat abatement ex-perts say.

“It won’t be easy… but we hope tocelebrate completion three yearsfrom now,” developer John McCaf-frey told local residents last week.

STORY AND PHOTOBY PATRICK BUTLER

The good news is that if thecity’s numbers can be believed,crime in general has been goingdown in the 48th Ward over thepast few decades. And 20th Dis-trict Cmdr. Sean Loughran says heis taking even more steps to beefup patrols on Argyle, Thorndale,Devon and Bryn Mawr.

Loughran said the idea is forofficers to “work smart” as wellas hard, while building positive

relationships between the policeand the community, especiallythe youth, Uptown/Edgewater’srecently-appointed top cop told aMarch 2 community meeting atthe Self-Help Home, 908 W. Ar-gyle.

But the bad news is that “qual-ity of life” issues like homelessencampments under the lakefrontviaducts at Foster and Lawrencetopped the list of concerns voicedby residents at that meeting.

Neighbors upset with Uptown’squality of life, crime

 Alderman: ‘City has donea terrible job dealing withhomeless problem’ 

Ald. Harry Osterman [48th]said he couldn’t agree more, add-ing that “the city has done a terri-

ble job” dealing with the homelessproblem. Part of the reason, headded, is the North Side’s dimin-ishing number of SRO’s (singleroom occupancy hotels). SRO’shave been forced out of severalcommunities on the North Side,particularly in Lakeview and Up-town. Indeed for many it was theirhousing of last resort and likelya factor in the increase of peoplenow living in tent villages in theviaducts under N. Lake Shore Dr.and in nearby parklands.

Shelters just aren’t working – partly because they’re over-

crowded and partly because manyhomeless just don’t want to gothere - several irate neighborscomplained.

One man said he no longer feelscomfortable taking his two youngdaughters to nearby Margate Parkbecause of all the homeless takingup the sidewalk.

“One of my girls was knockedoff her bike by someone. Someone

UPTOWN see p. 8

STORY AND PHOTOSBY PETER VON BUOL

Two Sears stores more than 75years ago and two ornate buildingsin Lincoln Park that were a part ofthe former Children’s MemorialHospital have been recognized asamong Chicago’s most threatenedbuildings by Preservation Chi-

cago, a non-profit group whichadvocates for the preservation ofChicago’s architectural heritage.

The buildings were amongthose included on PreservationChicago’s 2016 Chicago Seven:Most Threatened List. Includedon the list are buildings which

Preservation Chicago’s 2016 listincludes North Side buildings

The recycling facility won’t be any noisierthan a passing car, Antunovich promised.

the group’s members believe areespecially vulnerable. Some ofthe buildings on the list have longbeen vacant and empty while oth-ers were included due to econom-ic difficulties. The Sears stores onthe list have been among the beststores in terms of revenue gener-ated per square foot.

“With the possibility of addi-

tional Sears stores closing acrossChicago and across the country,we would like to see the remain-ing stores and buildings [includ-ing 1900 W.] Lawrence Ave. and4730 W. Irving Park [to be] con-

PRESERVATION see p. 11

The LaSalle/Van Buren “L” stations are among those structured included on

Preservation Chicago’s 2016 Chicago Seven: Most Threatened List.

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St. Patrick’s Day is always anappropriate time for Irish Ameri-cans to take our ethnic tempera-ture. Here in Chicago that meansMarch 12, not March 17, as thedate set for the parade is alwaysobserved on a Saturday. So it isthe perfect time in the midst of allthe strutting and preening to mea-sure the contours of our success,or failures, in America. Thingsare ripe around this time to get areading on the veracity of our ac-

complishments, especially here inChicago, politically and socially.The Irish have always been

lucky, even in the face of mas-sive emigration (out of Ireland)and immigration (into America).In spite of oppression in the oldcountry and periods of great un-welcome in the new, we have ulti-mately wound up well-settled andaccomplished. Mayor Richard J.Daley was always fond of remind-ing people - “God doesn’t close adoor without opening a window.”And that is exactly what the Irishdiscovered in America - “an open

window.” Some people call that“hope.”

There are a lot more windows still to openOf course, too often sen-

timentalism and romanti-cism weaken the Irish atthe ankles. They emotion-ally hobble us and softenour souls. They are the by-products of both longing forthe past and reaching forthe future. That combina-tion always has been lethal

for us. That is why we areoften suspicious of goodfortune and more trustingof ill winds.

It is also why publicachievement has been soimportant. Becoming a judge, or the mayor, orChief of Police, or a priest,a nun, a doctor, a soldier, ateacher, a saloon-keeper, a Hol-lywood actress, an alderman oran undertaker has always beensignificant. Success narrowed thedistance between the past and thefuture for us.

Whenever we are sticking thethermometer into the Irish, at ei-ther end, we must acknowledgethat language provided us with aprotective suit of armor enhancingour commercial agility, as well asour political success. When youspoke the language of power, youcould broker it for others, espe-cially those who had little profi-ciency in English.

Irish immigrants’ arrived inAmerica with a natural willingnessto be of service to those worse offthan ourselves. This became themanner of our local leadership and

urban achievement. It empoweredthe Irish to go on to transform

political leadership in Americabecause no job was beneath us ortoo high above us to attain. Theneighborhoods of America werereinvented by the urban engage-ment of the Irish who surprisingly

took to city living, excelling at thevery thing we were denied in theold country - ruling ourselves.

Here in America, on the streetsof Boston, New York, Philadelphia

and Chicago, the Irish learned thatlife is a mix-up; most of it is un-planned if it is working right. Reallife, they discovered, must be aug-mented with human acts of shar-

ing, understanding and sacrifice.Yankees believed that organi-zation, financial success and fru-gality were the secrets to life, theopposite spectrum from Hibernianways. But that was because theywere distant from the literatureand poetry of everyday living.

Life’s secret, the Irish knewfrom ancient times, was findingthe aesthetics of life. More art,less structure.

Once the Irish had America intheir nostrils, they saw only thatopen window and not the lockeddoor. Within one generation the

immigrant Irish were telescopingthe distance between the past andthe future.

Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne

was just such a man.Born the child of Irish

immigrants, he was sentback to study at TrinityCollege Dublin. He thenretuned to Chicago to com-plete his legal studies. At28 years of age, in 1892,he was elected to the CookCounty Circuit Court. In

April 1905 he was electedthe 38th Mayor of Chicago.When the Cubs played theSox in the 1906 crosstownWorld Series, Dunne wasmayor. In 1913 Dunne waselected the 24th Governorof the State of Illinois. Heremains to this day the onlyperson to ever have held

both offices. In 1901, Dunne wasone of the founders of the IrishFellowship Club of Chicago andbecame its first president.

Dunne and his colleagues be-lieved the new Irish coming to

Chicago needed the example ofothers to demonstrate how theycould bring distinction and ac-complishment to their new home.Their’s were the politics of inclu-

sion and invitation, improvingpeople’s living and fair employ-ment.

Sadly that style of political in-vitation is missing in the presentpresidential campaigning. Build-ing on the fear that many Ameri-cans harbor, some candidates aremaking immigrants the scapegoatof people’s discontent. One candi-date has even suggested the nationneeds to rid itself of 11 millionpeople. I am confident that thedescendants of Irish immigrantswould tear up the tarmac beforethey would let that happen.

If I am deported, I am not go-ing back to the old country alone.I will insist on taking a coupleof thousand other unwanted im-migrants with me to the family’sTipperary dairy farm. I say thatbecause without their style of hardwork, nothing much would get ac-complished; and without their kind

By Thomas J. O’Gorman

hearts nothing would be much fun.And I also say it because I believethat for all the doors that seem tobe closing, this coming Feast ofthe Irish is still a feast of hope,insisting that there are a lot morewindows still to open.

No Willie Wonka: Has a Chi-cago actor some might term a“star” been mailing their boxerbriefs to certain “fans” for postageand handling?

Grapes of Wrath: Has the lit-erary fortune of a dear departeduncle dwindled, surprising evenembattled relations presently atwar with the trust lawyers?

The Lord loves a stupid giver:Who is the cleric asked to softenhis fund-raising approach whenventuring into Bialystock andBloom’s “little old lady-land?”

WHO IS WHERE?

Photographer Brian Willette 

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Wild Irish red hair, wild Irish ponies, wild Irish sea.

Mayor Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne and family.

President John Fitzgerald Kennedy,the grandson of Irish immigrants.

The Chicago River, emerald green on parade day.

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’Twas the luck ofthe Irish for 25-year-old Erin Mulcahywhen the lovelylocal lassie wasrecently crownedQueen of the city’s61st St. Patrick’sDay Parade.

“I am so honored

to be representingPlumbers (Union)Local 130, the Irish

community of Chicago and my family aswell,” said Mulcahy, a Lakeview resident.“This is something I’ve dreamed about formany years, and to be given this opportu-nity is something I will never forget.”

The parade kicks off at noon on Satur-day from Columbus and Balbo and forMulcahy, the journey to be its queen is onethat began when she was a 17-year-old highschool junior. After her father brought theidea to her attention, she spent five yearson the Queens Court before being crownedthis year with the prestigious title.

“We are a very proud Irish Catholic fam-ily and he thought it would be a wonderfulway to celebrate our Irish heritage,” saidMulcahy, who originally hails from Or-land Park. “My first year on Court, I was19-years-old and not even a full year out ofhigh school. It was such a wonderful expe-rience to have, especially being so young.”

Mulcahy said one great thing about beinginvolved in the contest to be queen is theplatform it gives young women. She saidshe feels the opportunities she was able tohave because of being on the Court set herup for success for her current professionallife.

“I was able to be in situations not many

19-year-olds would have been able to, andit allowed me to learn skills and develop an

understanding of the working world,” saidMulcahy, who has a bachelor’s degree inmarketing communications from ColumbiaCollege and works in Human Resources atthe Leo Burnett advertising agency.

Another cool aspect for Mulcahy was thebonds and long-lasting friendships she hasformed.

“The girls that I have had the opportunityto meet and become friends with because ofthis experience will be in my life forever,”said Mulcahy. “I have been a bridesmaid toa former Queen who I met through this jour-ney and there are several other women whohave been involved throughout the yearswho I truly consider my Irish sisters!”

Come Saturday, Mulcahy and her “Irishsisters” will be riding in style at the parade.She said she’s, “so excited to see all thesmiling faces.”

“I hope to see everyone at the parade this

year and I send my sincere thank yous to thePlumbers Local 130 and all of the parade

Hail to the Queen

Heartof the ‘HoodBy Felicia Dechter 

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Downtowner Elaine Soloway hung out on the“Transparent” set with actress Judith Light.

Lakeview resident Erin Mulcahy, the 2016 St.Paddy’s day queen.

volunteers for always making the ChicagoSt. Patrick’s Day the best in the nation,” anelated Mulcahy said.

Downtown girl … and jetsetter in themaking is, Elaine Soloway, who’s in LosAngeles visiting the set of “Transparent,”the Amazon Prime show created by herdaughter, Jill. In “Transparent,” actressJudith Light plays a character inspired by

Elaine’s life, and it seems she and Light aregetting along famously.

“Judith is a darling,” said the 77-year-oldSoloway, who even has a couple of lines inan upcoming show!

Here comes the judge … You know howwhen you’re voting for judges you reallydon’t know any of them but vote due to theirgender or their last name? Well, I finallyknow some-one running onMarch 15.

B o n n i eMcGrath is alifelong Chica-

goan who grewup in Uptown,attended SennHigh Schooland now livesin the SouthLoop. I caughtup with her fora last minute, quick chat about her dream ofbecoming a Circuit Court judge.

1. Why do you want to be a judge?

Well, I remember when I first becamea lawyer in 1993, I read an article about a judge who had been asked that question andshe said, “If I were a teacher, I’d want to bethe principal.” And that really made sense

to me. It always stuck with me. I think formost people in most jobs, they want to

move to the next level. Get “promoted,” soto speak. I think in my case, being a judgemakes a lot of sense. From my many yearsworking in my other career as a journalist,

I have developed a keen objectivity and alack of bias. And I have 22 major journal-ism awards, which I think prove that I notonly have those qualities -- but integrity, aswell. I also enjoy working alone. Judgesinteract with lawyers and litigants all daylong, but in the end, the decision-makingand the thinking process and the time man-agement, etc. are solitary activities that Ithink I am well prepared for.

2. What are your qualifications?

I have been a lawyer for 23 years, I havedone just about everything conceivable as alawyer. I didn’t go to law school until I wasover 40 and my first job after I graduatedwas being a prosecutor for the City of Chi-

QUEEN see p. 13

South Loop resident Bon-nie McGrath is running forCircuit Court judge.

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Direct: 773-770-7002

Are million-dollar home prices slippingin posh neighborhoods?

Is there a dark cloud hangingover the luxury home and con-dominium sellers market in Chi-cago’s posh lakefront neighbor-hoods?

Suddenly, there are upscalesingle-family home and condobargains available in the posh sec-tor of properties that sold for more

than $500,000 in Chicago’s mostritzy neighborhoods—the GoldCoast/Near North Side, LincolnPark and Lakeview, an annualsales analysis revealed.

Yes, luxury homes and condoswere in high demand in 2015—there were hundreds more unitssold than 2014. But resale pricesfor properties in the $500,000-and-up bracket have slipped from2014 levels in some upper-crustareas, the annual Study Study ofresidential real estate revealed.

In the posh Gold Coast and NearNorth Side, 27 luxury single-fam-

ily homes and 991 upscale con-dominiums, co-operative apart-ments and townhomes were soldin 2015.

However, the median luxuryhome price in 2015 slipped to$2.06 million, compared with ahefty $3.07 million on 30 salesin 2014. That’s a 33% decline inprice.

In 2015, the median price forupscale condos, co-ops and town-homes on the Gold Coast/NearNorth—which includes the RiverNorth location of Presidentialcandidate Donald Trump’s famed

Trump Tower—also declined to$725,795 in 2015. There were 400condo sales in the area in 2014 fora median price of $899,000. That’sa 19% decline in median price.

What’s causing this decline inluxury home and condo prices?Wealth analysts say it partly couldbe a slumping global economy

and the downturn in the U.S.stock market which began in mid-2015. Wall Street analysts offi-cially rated it as a Bear Market atthe beginning of 2016.

Forbes Magazine recentlyreleased its annual ranking ofglobal billionaires, and the surveyrevealed that some of Chicago’s

richest residents saw their per-sonal wealth decline by hundredsof millions in the second half of2015.

Published since 1984, the StudyStudy is compiled from MultipleListing Service statistics on salesof $500,000-plus residential unitsin 10 target neighborhoods.

“Virtually across all housingsectors—single-family homes,townhomes and condominiums—in all of Chicago’s elite neighbor-hoods, the number of propertiessold in 2015 increased 25% to200% compared with 2014,” not-

ed veteran broker Louise Study ofBaird & Warner.

Chicago’s other top upscaleneighborhoods posted mixedprice and transaction results in2015 in most housing sectors.Survey results of the 31st annualStudy Study follow:

• Lincoln Park & Old Town. A

total of 197 luxury single-familyhomes were sold at a median priceof $1.6 million in 2015. Homeprices ranged from $575,000 to awhopping $13,345,372. Some 545upscale condo sales were postedat a median price of $667,000.Prices of condos surveyed rangedfrom $500,000 to $6 million.

However, median luxury homeand condo prices in Lincoln Parkslipped dramatically in 2015,compared with 2014. A year ear-lier, the median home price was$2,532,500 million, while me-dian upscale condo prices were$725,000.

• Lakeview. A total of 159

luxury single-family homes weresold in Lakeview at a medianprice of $1.345 million in 2015.Home prices surveyed rangedfrom $500,000 to $4.15 million in2015.

However, the median home

price was $1.85 million in Lakev-iew in 2014. Some 447 upscalecondos, co-ops or townhomessold in Lakeview in 2015 at amedian price of $605,000, downfrom $649,250 a year earlier.

The Study Study reported thefollowing 2015 prices and trans-actions in luxury single-familyhome and upscale condo, co-op and townhome sales in other

The Home Front

By Don DeBat 

North Side and South Side neigh-borhoods:

• South Loop. Only two luxury

homes were sold in 2015 withprice tags of $1.2 million and$1.9 million. In 2014, nine luxu-ry homes were sold in the SouthLoop and the median price was$980,000.

Some 203 upscale condo, co-opand townhome sales were postedin 2015 with a median price of$640,000. Condo prices surveyedranged from $500,000 to $1.745million. A total of 197 condoswere sold in the South Loop in2014 with a median value of$812,500.

• West Loop. Eight luxury

homes were sold in 2015 with amedian price of $917,150. Sevenhomes were sold in 2014 with amedian value of $1.2 million. In2015, home prices ranged from$595,000 to $1.375 million.

The median sale price was$659,950 on 230 upscale condo,co-op or townhome transactionsin 2015. A total of 174 condoswere sold with a median value of$658,569 in 2014.

• Bucktown & Wicker Park.

The median luxury home pricewas $849,000 on 394 transactionsin 2015. Home prices ranged from$503,500 to $4,818,784. A total of

320 homes were sold with a me-dian value of $806,250 in 2014.

Some 506 upscale condo, co-opand townhome sales were record-ed in 2015 with a median price of$584,500. In 2014, 349 condoswere sold with a median price of$567,500.

• Roscoe Village & North Cen-ter. The median luxury home saleprice was $1.088 million on 206sales transactions in 2015. Homeprices ranged from $510,000 to$2,399,154. In 2014, there were180 home sales with a medianprice of $965,000.

Eighty-two upscale condo,co-op and townhome sales wererecorded in 2015 with a medianprice of $579,900. Condo pricessurveyed ranged from $500,000to $904,030. A total of 52 condosales occurred in 2014 with a me-dian value of $560,000.

• Andersonville. Forty-nine

luxury home transactions wererecorded in 2015 with a medianprice of $720,000 in the Ander-sonville and Lakewood Balmoralneighborhoods. Prices of surveyedhomes ranged from $500,000 to$1.675 million. Forty-eight homeswere sold for a median price of$662,500 in 2014.

Sixteen upscale condo, co-opor townhome sales were recordedat a median price of $550,000.Prices ranged from $515,000 to$900,000. Thirteen condos weresold in 2014 with a median price

of $550,000.• Ravenswood & Logan Square.

Some 201 luxury home transac-tions were posted in 2015 with amedian price of $630,000 in Ra-venswood, Ravenswood Manor,Ravenswood Gardens and Lo-gan Square. Prices of surveyedhomes ranged from $500,000 to$1,740,017.

In 2014, there were 113 homesales at a median price of $727,500in Ravenswood-Logan Square.

A total of 23 upscale condo,co-op and townhomes in thesehot areas sold for a median price

of $541,366. Prices of condossurveyed ranged from $500,000to $745,000. Thirty-three condoswere sold in the area in 2014 witha median value of $534,000.

• Kenwood & Hyde Park. For-ty-seven luxury home transactionswere posted in 2015 in PresidentBarak Obama’s neighborhood witha median price of $854,000. Homeprices ranged from $530,000 to$2,357,500. In 2014, the medianvalue was $1.179 million on 25sales.

Ten upscale condo, co-op andtownhomes were sold in 2015 for

a median price of $623,000. Con-do prices ranged from $542,500to $925,000. In 2014, the medianvalue was $579,000 on 19 sales.

“Whether a buyer’s housingtastes are along the lines of aDownton Abbey’s Highclere Cas-tle or Laura Ingalls Wilder’s LittleHouse on the Prairie, the timecould be in right 2016 for savvyconsumers to avail themselves ofcurrent opportunities in Chicago,”Study advised.

For more housing news, visit

www.dondebat.biz. Don DeBat is

co-author of “Escaping Condo Jail,” the ultimate survival guide

 for condominium living. Visit

www.escapingcondojail.com.

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In 2015, the median price for upscale condos, co-ops and townhomes on the Gold Coast/Near North—which includesthe River North location of Presidential candidate Donald Trump’s famed trump tower—also declined to $725,795. In

2014 for a median price was $899,000, a 19% decline over the year.

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Letters to the Editor

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I write you today as Mike Quigley and

their associates in Congress discuss the is-sues of nutrition, funding programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. I encourage Mike Quigleyto protect the funding of programs thatcounter HIV/AIDS through nutritional sup-port, in order to eradicate poverty and endthe cycle of starvation, for less than 1% ofthe federal budget.

I have personally been connected to fam-ily members with life-threatening medicalconcerns, and experienced a personal lossseveral years prior. While volunteeringfor Bear Necessities, I contributed to thecause of pediatric cancer for children, and

Hey Mike, help us eradicate poverty and starvation

Chicago’s continuing, embarrassing, andpathetic display of leadership in myriadsectors causes one to remember what hon-orable, courageous commanding leaders ofvision look like. As our urban decline racesheadlong toward its nadir, we crave suchsuperb guidance more than ever.

No civilized person should be unac-quainted with Sir Ernest Shackleton, Brit-

ain’s peerless commander of the AntarcticEndurance expedition. He was probably thegreatest leader of the last century. I chal-lenge anyone to name a competitor for thattitle.

When his historic dreams were threatenedby unexpected natural obstacles, Shackle-ton swiftly and selflessly revised his plansto focus on saving the lives of his 27 men.That new goal became paramount.

For exemplary municipal leaders, oneneed only remember the legendary Kajetan

Will we see stellar leaders again? 

Felder, mayor of Vienna. In 1860 Felder un-derstood the need of a city’s citizens prob-ably better than any such leader. He visu-alized and developed what we now knowas suburbs, creating the concept of condo-minium-like buildings where people couldwork and live more efficiently. Civilityand smooth, significant social interactionwere assumed. Felder knew what people

needed. One might even imagine Felder tohave been a predecessor to Chicago’s icon-ic urban planner of a century ago, DanielBurnham. Among Felder’s legendary proc-lamations was: “Parks are the lungs of amegalopolis.”

Will we ever again see the likes of suchstellar leaders?

 Leon J. Hoffman

 Lakeview East 

feel heartfelt and empathetic towards chil-

dren that are affected by illness both in ourneighborhoods and in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Poverty decreases over time and can bedemolished by 2030 if properly workedupon. Our society has come far enough, be-yond the comfortable point of return, in pro-posing solutions. So, Mike Quigley, pleasekeep in mind the Global Fund to FightAIDS, TB, and malaria, and the budget fornutritional support as the process unfolds.

 Zenia Forowycz

 Roscoe Village

Elect

William “Bill”

WOJCIKJUDGEPUNCH 226

Paid for by the Committee to Elect William S. Wojcik 

From my family to yours …

HappySt.Patrick’s

Day! 

September 28, 2014 was the saddest dayof my life and I want to share my story.

On that day my best friend, who I lovewith all my heart, passed away from a bloodclot. His name was Manu Ajamu Williams.He was only 36 years young.

From that point I wanted to make surethat I did something to help. Through re-search I found out that over 274 people diea day from blood clots. Anyone can be im-pacted. Young, healthy, people can die froma blood clot. Blood Clots kill more peoplethan AIDS, car accidents and breast cancercombined.

In 2015 we hosted a 5K at Montrose

The saddest day 

Beach. Now in 2016 we are hosting a videogame tournament at Ignite Gaming Loungein the Avondale neighborhood.

Proceeds of the video game event willgo to ClotCare a 501 C(3) that focuses onblood clotting disorders.

If you like video games - please check-out www.MAWCharityEvents.com to enter.Top (3) winners will win cash prizes and allparticipants will get pizza, swag bags, chairmassages and more - as supplies last or/timepermits.

Christina Martin

 Avondale

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BY STEVEN DAHLMAN Loop North News

In tears, Lisa Carlson toldstate lawmakers in Springfieldlast Wednesday how she lost hercondominium unit and wound

up $400,000 in debt because hercondo association would not fix aleaky roof.

The eleven-member Judiciary-

Unit owners urge state lawmakersto help with condo board disputes

Civil Committee is discussingHouse Bill 4489 and two relatedbills that would amend the Con-dominium Property Act to make iteasier for a unit owner to sue hisor her condo association.

Among the numerous changes,

a condo association would not beallowed to limit a unit owner’sright to sue, compliance with ademand by the association wouldnot waive the owner’s right to suelater, and it would require the as-sociation to represent the best in-terests of all unit owners withoutregard to the wishes of the asso-ciation’s board of directors.

“No one should suffer the wayI did,” Carlson told the commit-tee, recalling her experience withSpanish Court Two CondominiumAssoc. in Highland Park.

During a thunderstorm in Aug.,

2007, water began to pour intoher top-floor unit. She says she“begged” her condo associationto repair the leak. When that didnot happen, she decided to with-hold assessment payments untilthe problem was fixed.

Six months later, the condo as-sociation brought a forcible entry

and detainer action against her, totake possession of the unit and gettheir money but, she says, theycontinued to ignore the waterproblem.

The legal action wound up ap-pealed to the Illinois Supreme

Court, which decided againstCarlson. The court said the condo

association’s failure to repair andmaintain the leaky roof was not aviable defense to the forcible en-try and detainer action.

A lower court then awarded theassociation $108,000 in attorney’sfees. Her own legal expenses weremore than $200,000 and the waterproblem had cost her $16,000.

Meanwhile, Carlson was un-able to sell the unit because of thewater damage. It ended up goingback to the mortgage lender.

“Instead of the board being at-tentive to my problem, they notonly completely ignored it, butthey publicly flogged me at meet-ings... saying on tape that there isnot a water problem and I simplydo not want to pay my fair share.”

If she could do it over again,Carlson says she would have givenup the unit sooner. “It would havebeen so much easier and I wouldhave only lost $85,000 versus al-most $500,000.”

One of the provisions of HouseBill 4489 would bar an associationfrom recovering attorney’s fees in

a forcible entry and detainer actionif the unit owner can show breachof duty by the association or anyboard member.

The condo code, as it exists to-

day is out of balance,” says StateRep. Scott Drury [58th], sponsorof the bill. “Over the years, it hasbeen amended and the code nowweighs heavily in favor of the as-sociations to the detriment of theunit owner – often where the unit

owners are losing their homes,losing their life savings, losing

college savings just to stay intheir home against an associationsometimes that really is not veryaccountable to the courts or evento the community.”

He says the only ones benefitingfrom condo laws are the propertymanagement companies and thelawyers who represent them.

Gold Coast unit owner says billwould have saved him and hiscondo board $1 million

Also testifying was a unit ownerfrom a condo association in Chi-cago’s Gold Coast neighborhood.

Michael Novak, a former CPAwith an MBA in Finance, haslooked at his condo association’sbooks and uncovered what he saysis “a massive amount of fraud.”He wants a state court to appoint acustodian to manage the associa-tion’s financial affairs.

Novak was on the State Pkwy.Condominium Assoc. board of di-rectors and was treasurer but afterfinding what he says were “grosserrors” in a 2001 reserve study, the

board removed him as treasurer.He says the condo board presidentthen met privately with unit own-ers and persuaded them to recallhim as director at the next annual

meeting.He also claims his condo asso-

ciation, its property managementcompany, and a former buildingmanager retaliated against him forfiling a housing complaint.

“They have been trying to get

rid of me because I knew aboutthe true financial situation of thebuilding,” he told the committee.

Novak, who is deaf, has beenrepresenting himself for the pasteight years in lawsuits against hiscondo association in state and fed-eral courts.

Had the bill been enacted ear-lier, Novak says it would havesaved State Parkway Condomin-ium Assoc. $526,331 in legal ex-penses and saved him more than$600,000.

 Association advocate says bill

would just create more lawsuitsThe Community Assoc. Insti-tute of Illinois [CAI], whose 1,100chapter members include asso-ciation managers, board mem-bers, and unit owners, says the billwould increase time and expenseneeded to collect delinquent as-sessments, and it would only re-sult in more lawsuits.

“Instead of ‘leveling’ the play-ing field,” writes CAI on its web-site, “the bills as introduced willencourage and increase litigationbetween condominium associa-tions and their owners. The result

[will be] an increase of attorney’sfees being imposed on the asso-ciation and passed back to all non-defaulting unit owners.”

Norman Lerum, a Chicago at-torney whose areas of practiceinclude condo law, says the billsshould be passed to eliminate“abusive litigation tactics” bycondo associations.

“If a board refuses to follow thelaw, or act as fiduciary under thecurrent state of the law, the unitowner is faced with the prospectof spending crushing legal fees toovercome heavy-handed litigation

tactics,” said Lerum. “Insurancecompanies pay for the board’s at-torney’s fees with the strategy ofwearing down the unit owner sothe unit owner will never achievea just result.”

The provision allowing a unitowner to recover attorney’s fees,says Drury, “evens the scales,which will reduce litigation be-cause there will be skin in thegame on both sides.”

“Millions of dollars have beenspent in the current rules. No mat-ter who wins... everybody is a bigloser.”

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The condo code, as it exists today is outof balance,” says State Rep. Scott Drury [58th],sponsor of the bill. “Over the years, it has beenamended and the code now weighs heavily in

 favor of the associations to the detriment of theunit owner – often where the unit owners arelosing their homes, losing their life savings,

losing college savings just to stay in their homeagainst an association sometimes

that really is not very accountable to the courtsor even to the community.” 

The Northcenter NeighborhoodAssoc. invites area neighbors tocome out to the Begyle Brewingtaproom, 1800 W. Cuyler, Sat-urday for an afternoon of beer,music, chili and visiting withneighbors. This event is free formembers, $10 for individuals (nonmembers) and $20 for families,which includes entrance, home-

made chili, light snacks and softdrinks. Games and activities willbe held for the kids, and all attend-ees under 21 must be supervised.

Drink beerwith neighborsin North Center

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STORY AND PHOTOBY PATRICK BUTLERSchulter Foundation

Karl Riehn can’t remember atime when he wasn’t planningon following his father into thefamily’s insurance business, now

housed at 4541 N. Lincoln Ave.“I’d come in after school andwork there on vacations,” said thelifelong Lincoln Square resident,who spent a few years learningthe ropes at other agencies before joining his father to “help growthe business.”

And grow it they did, said Riehn,who now sells types of policies (or“products,” as he calls them) thatweren’t even dreamed of when hecame aboard about 40 years ago.

He’ll still sell you the traditionallife, property, accident and healthinsurance, along with boat, iden-

tity theft, and an expanded form ofbusiness protection.After all, today’s business own-

ers have a lot more on their mindsthan previous generations whodidn’t have to worry much aboutthings like age discrimination orsexual harassment lawsuits.

For in today’s litigious world,you don’t have to have committedany wrongdoing to be falsely ac-

For four decades, Lincoln Square’s Karl Riehn has seen the seemingly-placid insurance world change from the traditional property, health, accident“products” to helping his clients fend off today’s terrors like identity theft andhacking.

Insurance has been a three-generation family affairat Karl Riehn’s Lincoln Square agency

cused of sexual harassment.Karl Riehn’s father probably

never thought any of his custom-ers would someday need identitytheft or cyber crime protection.

Riehn encourages his identitytheft-conscious customers to takebasic precautions like being care-ful who gets their Social Securitynumber and making your pass-

words as complex as possible –and changing them periodically.

Even so, there are still no hack-er-proof precautions in an agewhen even the Pentagon has beencompromised.

While “products” and the waythey’re marketed have changed,one thing that hasn’t changed arethe benefits of dealing with an in-

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surance professional who not onlyknows you and your needs – buthis own business as well.

“While there are some insur-ance offices that hire some youngpeople and try to teach them tosell some insurance, most of themaren’t going to be there six months

“Often people who thought theywere covered with a policy theybought online found it inadequate.Look at it this way – both a RollsRoyce and something you’d findon a used car lot are cars. Butthat’s where the similarity ends,”Riehn explained.

And after four decades, KarlRiehn still hasn’t any career “buy-er’s remorse.”

And apparently his daughterKristine, who followed Riehn intothe “family business” has no re-grets either.

“It’s a field that requires train-

ing, but there are a lot of terrificopportunities,” he said.

JONATHAN BILYKCook County Record 

The owners of two Chicago petstores -- one which is located inLincoln Park -- who recently failedto overturn a city ordinance pro-hibiting the sale of pets obtainedfrom so-called “puppy mills” haveset their sights on a non-profit or-ganization that helped spearheadpassage of that ordinance, sayingthe president of the Chicago-basedPuppy Mill Project hurt their busi-

nesses by spreading falsehoodsand smearing their names by asso-ciating them with animal cruelty.

On Feb. 26, Jim Sparks Sr., own-er of Park Pet Shop on the SouthSide, and Lane Boron, owner ofPocket Puppies Inc., 2479 N ClarkSt. in Lincoln Park, filed a defa-mation complaint in Cook CountyCircuit Court against activist CariMeyers and her organization, ThePuppy Mill Project.

The history between Meyersand the pet store owners date backyears, to when she launched thePuppy Mill Project to restrict the

ability of pet shop owners to selldogs and other animals obtainedfrom large-scale breeding opera-tions believed to produce animalsamid inhumane, as well as oftenunhealthy and unsanitary condi-tions.

In 2014, Meyers and The PuppyMill Project scored a big victory,as the City Council approved anordinance restricting pet shops tosell only animals obtained fromanimal shelters, local governmentpounds, kennels or “animal carefacilities,” effectively prohibit-ing them from selling animals

obtained from commercial breed-ers.

The ordinance allowed breederslocated within the city to continue

Lincoln Park pet shop ownerssay Puppy Mill Project prez wrongly smeared

them as supporters of ‘animal cruelty’directly selling animals they havebred.

The pet shop owners had chal-lenged the ordinance in court, say-ing it would severely harm theirbusiness, as they wouldn’t be ableto obtain enough dogs and otheranimals to sell. At the time, theysaid the majority of their animalscame from breeding operations lo-cated outside Illinois, which theycontended were ethical, humanebreeders, and not “puppy mills,”as maintained by supporters of the

ordinance.Their challenge to the law

failed.In the months following pas-

sage of the ordinance, and whiletheir court challenge was pendingin 2015, the pet shop owners saidMeyers defamed them and theirpet shops in public statements.

Specifically, the complaintnoted in April 2015, Meyers wasquoted in Tails Pet Magazine say-ing, “These stores have always putprofits over the humane treatmentof animals and won’t change to ahumane model.”

In February and March 2015,they said Meyers “repeatedly and

publicly accused the plaintiffs ofengaging in ‘large-scale animal

PET SHOP see p. 16

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Bernard Shaw’s comedy of errors

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March 5–28, 2016Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm

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Tickets: $30, Seniors $25, Students $15

by Bernard Shaw

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STORY AND PHOTOBY PETER DAWSON Medill News Service

On a recent Saturday morning, two dozen10-year-olds were brandishing invisible

swords, imagining they were dueling in agalaxy far, far away. The sport of fencing isable to turn that fantasy into a reality.

“It could even be as simple as asking akid: do you like Star Wars and Pirates ofthe Caribbean?” said Cameron Woods, 18,a student instructor at Windy City Fencingand future fencer at Stanford. “Then wehave a place for you.”

For the instructors at Windy City Fencingat the Menomonee Club, 1535 N. DaytonSt., in Lincoln Park, getting kids to sign upfor introductory level fencing classes is easy.About 30 new ones enroll each month.

The ultimate challenge, though, is devel-oping just a few of them into Olympic-cali-

ber fencers over the next eight years.“It’s hard to compete with basketball or

American football because these are sportskids watch on TV everyday,” said TsankoHantov, the owner and head coach at WindyCity Fencing. “The secret is to build up agreat, humble relationship from when theyare a beginner. From there, it’s your role tokeep them in the program.”

A native of Bulgaria, Hantov competed inthe Modern Pentathlon at the 2000 Olym-pic Games in Sydney and also at the 2001World Championships, where he earned abronze medal.

When he took over as the head coachand owner of Windy City Fencing in 2004,

he quickly turned the organization into the

Olympian Tsanko Hantov teaches one of his top students at the Menomonee Club.

Touché:Lincoln Park club aims

to be elite training hub for youth fencing

premier club in Chicago. However, he soondiscovered that the same training regimenthat had guided him to the highest levelsof international competition didn’t totallyresonate with his new American students.

“It took me a little while to realize thatif you go only with the Eastern Europeanway, the harder way, it’s going to collapse,”

Hantov said. “So I’ve started trying to bal-

ance how kids can have fun and have a pro-gram where kids can learn and compete atthe highest level.”

While the lack of competitive programsin the city has helped Hantov’s businessand ability to attract students, it has alsokept the the area from creating a more com-petitive environment locally.

The true capital of the fencing in the U.S.is New York. With 10 clubs in a square-mileand some of the best fencing colleges in thecountry, including top-ranked ColumbiaUniv., the area has become the most com-mon training ground for future Olympians.

At the 2012 Olympic Games, 11 of 20fencers on the U.S. Men’s and Women’sNational Team spent their youth or colle-giate years training in the New York area.

“Fencing is a relatively small sport whereeveryone kind of knows everyone,” saidZach Moss, an assistant fencing coach atNorthwestern Univ. “The relationship be-tween the club and college coach definitelyplays a big role in the recruiting process.”

Hantov also acknowledged that the costof his sport can be a deterrent.

All of the equipment for a single seasoncan cost as much as $1,000 (good bladesalone go for $200 and you will need four orfive). At the most competitive level, fencersmust also pay for lodging and airfare whentheir club travels to national and interna-tional tournaments.

“It’s a sport that has equipment that isway pricier than most of the other sports,”Hantov said. “And when you reach a cer-tain level and age, there’s the travel. Herein America mom and dad have to pay forthat, so it’s a budget you have to be readyfor every year.”

In the last few years, Windy City has sentyoung male and female fencers to some ofthe top college programs on a full scholar-ship, including Stanford and Ohio State.

Eventually, Hantov hopes to integratehis training program into local area highschools. However, for now, he has accept-ed that he must continue to build a strongfoundation in a niche sport.

“I’d like to start a training academy withkids going to school and practicing duringthe day, but it’s hard to keep kids here inthe city with hours of homework, and ev-erything else,” Hantov said. “I want to seeWindy City as that kind of program withkids chasing those kinds of high results, be-

cause some of them can get there.”

Reports of serious crimes increased

across the board citywide in January:

• Homicides up 86%

• Robberies up 31%

• Aggravated batteries up 26%

• Auto thefts up 19%

• Burglaries up 11%• Arson up 141%

Among the most serious crime catego-

ries, only criminal sexual assault saw a de-

crease in January, dropping 32%.

Of the community areas that this news-

paper analyzed, the Loop saw the greatest

increase in crime last month—up a whop-

ping 34%. Burglaries there soared 225%,

criminal damage and motor vehicle thefts

surged 100%, and robberies jumped 76%,

according to city data.

But narcotics cases reported in the

Loop dropped 50%.

Lakeview saw the second-greatest

crime increase, with an 18.5% jump. Rob-

beries increased 233%, motor vehicletheft rose 140%, and burglaries spiked

80%.

But, again, narcotics cases were down

sharply in Lakeview—off 67% compared

to Jan., 2015.

Other areas that saw double-digit

crime increases include Lincoln Park, up

15%; River North, up 11%; and Uptown,

increasing 10%.

 Two neighborhoods bucked the in-

creasing crime trend.

Lincoln Square saw a nearly 16% drop

in reported crime and North Center’s

crime count was down 13%. Rogers Park

remained statistically unchanged.

Citywide crime trouble

20th District police Cmdr. Sean Loughran (left)and Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) field questionsfrom concerned residents at a recent commu-nity meeting on how to improve public safety.

else tried to steal her bag,” an exasperatedfather said. “I’ve called police 25 times(regarding a number of incidents) and ifthere’s anything involving the homelessnobody shows up.

“We want to be compassionate, but a lotof young families have had enough. Basi-cally my family’s being held hostage,” hesaid.

And the problem only seems to be get-ting worse, Ald. Osterman said.

“Care for Real (a social service agency at5339 N. Sheridan Rd.) serves 6,000 peoplea month. Last year there was a 15% in-crease in the number of people they serve,he said.

“This hasn’t been a priority with thecity.” And to begin remedying that, Ald.Osterman said, “I may invite some of thosecity officials who don’t think it’s an issueto come out here and see for themselves.I want to bring all those (city) agenciestogether to see things the way we see ithere.”

Ald. Osterman also wants to get localresidents and business leaders engagedin brainstorming sessions. “One thing wewon’t do is call this a task force. We’ve al-ready had 50 task forces and nothing wasdone.”

This time, the alderman promised, it’s just going to be people trying to f ind a so-lution.

UPTOWN from p. 1

The ultimate challenge, though, is developing just a few of them

into Olympic-caliber fencers over the next eight years.

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6th Annual

WinterConcert

Gateway to Learning’s

Saturday

March 19 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Call 773-784-3200 todayto purchase tickets

Ticket Price: $40.00includes a Buffet Dinner, Cash Bar

(Beer, Wine, Pop, & Water)

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A free educational luncheon12-1:30 p.m. Monday at the RiverValley Farmer’s Table, 1820 W.Wilson Ave., will offer small busi-ness owners tips to avoid commonchallenges to success.

The event includes informationabout the top five reasons small

businesses fail, with a focus onsustainability without compro-mise.

Space is limited; call 773-413-9587 to reserve a seat.

Small businesssuccess is focus

of free luncheon

BY HENRY MICHAEL JUNG Entertainment 

So once again at the “six cor-ners” of Wicker Park-Bucktown,the intimate night club scene isback up and running at the new

Annex Nightclub, 1958 W. NorthAve.

Strangely reminiscent of someof the early-mid 1980s under-ground house clubs this monsterVictorian corner property is hometo 6,000 square feet of flashback.

Radiant LCD lighting pulsatesto the hard bass heavy and vi-brating throbbing dance musicthrough-out the black, dark, anddimly lit industrial style loft spacewith 40’ high ceilings.

Black draped walls with inti-mate candle placements on deco-rative shelving narrate the tall

spaces. Cool black leather boothsand raised platform sitting areasbreak off the dance floor and sepa-rated bar spaces inviting anyonescoring an early seating area a VIPfeel.

This is no masked corporatestructure taking over the nightlifeand making it about buying bot-tles, being “cool” enough to get in,or judging people by their physi-cal appearance. This is old schooland the A-list staff of industry proswill make you smile.

Most notably the space washome to the locally famous Red

Dog Nightclub in the early 90’s.Red Dog was one of the premierspots for true House Music duringits existence. The club was oftencompeting for acts with Crobar atthe time.

For several years the club alsoplayed host to the World FamousBoom Boom Room, which wenton to become the longest runningHouse party in the United States –roughly 24 years. Following RedDog, the space had a stint where itwas known as Ohm, which saw itsbetter days as a Hip Hop Club.

Joey Swanson (Radio host of

101.1 FM’s Electric Playground& Creator of The Boom BoomRoom) and Bobby Demaria co-ordinated the remodel/re-brand

New Annex Nightcluba return of old school feel

of The Annex and encourageyou to stop in and see how it haschanged.

Annex is open every Fridayand Monday from 10 p.m. to 4a.m. and Saturday from 10 p.m.

Inside the new Annex Nightclub, 1958 W. North Ave.

to 5 a.m., so plan on sleeping inthe next day. A limited cateredfood menu is available for private

events in The Hot Box at Annex.The nightly cover will range from$5 to $20.

Farewell Belmont viaduct,greetings Roscoe Village traffic

STORY AND PHOTOSBY COLIN BOYLE

Just shy of 55 years of service, this famouspart of the North Side is today rubble, a crum-bling infrastructure that is no more.

The Belmont overpass was originally meantto aid the traffic flow around the intersection

at Clybourn and let cars flow into the long de-parted Riverview Amusement Park, a placethat many of this reporter’s generation hadonly heard of in tales from parents and grand-parents.

Maintenance on the Belmont viaduct wasignored and crumbled, and according to thecity it became outdated and in need of a newconfiguration. The city has now demolishedthe decayed concrete structure, after talkingabout it since 2012.

We all know that the intersection is home toplenty of commuters, trucks and buses - andthe occasional traffic snarl - but how manyknow the “Dancing 4 Dollarz” man whoalso stationed himself at that intersection for

years?A familiar sight to many, Robert Brown en-

tertains the drivers and pedestrians who pass

through the intersection. His intentions are notonly to support his family with the money hemakes in tips and donation, but also to bringawareness to “Stop the Violence,” a big issuehere in Chicago where the murder rate is up75% from a year ago.

Along with his good intentions, Brown alsohas concerns over the many months of dis-

ruption that are coming to the intersection atBelmont. He plans on moving a couple blocksdown, bringing a new outlook with him on theconstruction: “Change is hard, but improve-ment is always good.”

Knowing how time-consuming Chicagoconstruction projects can be, locals should beready to bear with the impending mess for thenext year or more with hopes of a smoothercommute down the road… and maybe enjoya small smile from Brown’s dance routinesthat will now be performed nearer to DiverseyPkwy. or Roscoe St.

When the construction project is finallydone, reportedly by the summer of 2017,Western Ave. will accommodate three lanes of

traffic in each direction during morning andevening rush periods, according to the City.

“Downtown” Robert Brown exhibiting some of hismoves that stake his claim on the intersection ofWestern, Belmont and Clybourn.

Advertise in the Inside-Booster,

call 773-465-9700

The Hamlin Park AdvisoryCouncil will be hosting their an-nual Easter egg hunt 10 a.m. tonoon Sunday, March 20, in thepark at Damen and Wellington.

The suggested $10 donationbuys a visit with the Easter Bunny,egg hunt and crafts. It is as ‘bringyour own Easter basket’ affair.

Hamlin ParkEaster egg hunt

March 20

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exploring Gary, IN, and streetdreaming with his camera. WriterSara Paretsky placing her detec-tive, V.I. Warashawski, in harm’sway creating a stunning new workthat starts out in Kansas. Arch-bishop Blaze Cupich  making ascheduled pastoral visit to Chiraq,I mean, St. Sabina Parish (ouch!).

Dan  and Kay Moriarty  stillsunny in Fort Meyer, or as somesay, Grand Beach South. RL’sFlavia Magdalin  back home af-ter the birth of little beauty, babyColette. Archbishop James Kel-liher, Kansas City Emeritus andChicago native, Confirming hisgrand-nephew, Adam Bishoff, atSacred Heart Church, HubbardWoods while proud uncle, Chris-tie’s Steve Zick, looked on. Bestwishes on their engagement toformer Marine Billy Birdzell andMeghan Kennedy Townsend,granddaughter of the late Senator

Robert F. and Ethel Kennedy.Myra Reilly and John B. Reilly 

with Libby McCarten Andrewsat The Geraghty supporting theBear Tie Ball, a huge success forlovely Kathleen Casey, founderof Bear Necessities Pediatric Can-cer Foundation, and this year’sco-chairs Paul R. Iacono  andFrances Renk. We know Toomy’sJohn Walcher was there, too.

The Gold Coast’s Sarah Crane and painter Susan Volt  down inNew Orleans, where Eggs Bene-dict first appeared, breakfastingwith Sean Eshaghy  at famous

Brennan’s. Do they still make theHurricane at the bar? Garden de-signer Greg  and Allison Reeseare over the moon with the ar-

*Dine in only. One drink minimum. Food specials start at

4pm unless otherwise noted. Some restrictions may apply.

Monday: 

Trivia at 8:30 p.m. in Main Bar $5 Glasses of Wine1/2 Price Bottles of Wine$4 Heineken Drafts$6 Kettle Mules & Cocktails$1 Half-Pound Burgers

 Tu es day:  $3 Coors Light & Miller Lite Drafts$4 Well Cocktails, $4 Blue Moon &$4 Bells Two Hearted Ale & Guinness Drafts, $5 Jumbo Wing Basket (10)*

Wednesday:  Karaoke in Lucy’s at 9 p.m.$1 Coors Light & Miller Lite Bottles , $5 Grape & Cherry Bombs, $5 Fireball Shots

 Th ur sd ay: Trivia in Lucy’s at 8pm$5 Captain Cocktails & Shots, $10 Domestic Pitchers, $5 Guinness Drafts$5 Jumbo Wing Basket (10)* HAPPY HOUR 4-7 p.m. $2 All Drafts

Friday: HAPPY HOUR 4-7 p.m.$4 Blue Moon Drafts, $6 Kettle Mules & Cocktails, $7 PB&J (PBR + Shot ofJameson), $5 Slow & Low Cocktails, $4 Slow & Low Shots

Saturday: $6 Tito’s Handmade Bloodies, Jumbo Screwdrivers & Cocktails,$6 White Trash Mimosas, $3 PBR Cans

Sunday: $6 Tito’s Handmade Bloodies, Jumbo Screwdrivers & Cocktails$6 White Trash Mimosas, $3 All Domestic Bottles, $5 Bombs,$5 Fireball Shots Everyday! $5 Jumbo Wing Basket (10)*

950 W. Armitage  www.kincadesbar.com773-348-0010

MarchSpecials 

 Jacuzzis, Sinks & VanitiesKitchen Cabinets

- Remodeling & Restaurant Supply -

CALL 773-772-08081871 N. Milwaukee Ave.

A-A SALVAGEPlumbing Liquidation 

WINDOWS from p. 2

“Butch McGuire’s” on Division Street, awash in Emerald Green.

The Mayors Daley (Richard J. on the left, Richard M. on the right).

Natalya Lisa, photographer John O’Reilly, Myra O’Reilly, Kristine Fara,Kathleen Casey and Franco LaMarca at the “Bear Tie Ball.”

rival of baby Ashlyn. Hollywoodbro Eamonn Farrell had to bowout of being an Oscar guest withbrother Colin Farrell  as he wasall wrapped up in Ireland’s elec-tion vote count this past week insome critical campaigns.

Prince Jonathan Doria Pam-philj  checked into the HotelEdelweiss in Berchtesgaden,Germany. Daniel Paul  in Gusta-via, Saint Barthelemy surroundedby sea and sun. Brian Rody andKarsten Sollors  getting time to-gether in Naples and doing Brian’sbirthday.

Hard to believe he’s just 30. TheAmerican painter, Adam ScottUmbach, hits the big Three-Oohthis week and hopes to return fromMaine for some celebrations.

Yes! That was the lovely former-Senator Carole Mosley Braundining at RL with her newly en-gaged son, Matthew Braun, Di-ane O’Connell  and the hilariousCurt Rose all welcoming foreign

dignitaries to town.Gibson’s was Monday night-

quiet when a large party arrivedwith Mark O’Malley and specialguest, Moroccan philanthropist(intimate of King MohammedVI) Suad Badharhi, direct fromParis, glad for her chance to re-new friendship with ProfessorJonathan Jackson  (son of theReverend Jessie) and the Jacksonfamily.

The great Chicago music leg-end Ramsey Lewis  was recentlybowled over as he stepped off the“lift” in the lobby of London’s

Churchill Hotel and ran smackinto friends from Chicago’s SouthSide. “Picolo mondo,” as the Britssay.

Seen dining at Gibson’s was thevery beautiful and gracious Joy

Sandler who is always the sweet-est aristocrat in any room, but aparticular favorite of the steak-house’s management and staff.

Mary Jo McGuire, Barbara

Stevens, and Rose Marie O’Neillnoshing at Erie Cafe and hammer-ing out the politics of the day andwelcoming Rosie home from Mi-ami.

OOH-LAH-LAH:  Did you

know that Lady Gaga  is a Ma-dames of the Sacred Heart girl?That means she was a student atone of their very posh RomanCatholic academies where moniedheiresses and debutantes abound,like the Kennedys, the McGuiresand the Stolls. She attended theirconvent school on New York’sUpper East Side. In the old days,the nuns were not called “Sister,”but instead by their French sobri-quet, “Madame.”

THE LODGE: 59 YEARS

AND COUNTING:  Hard toimagine Division St. without the

Lodge. So Lynn McKeany madesure she did the anniversary instyle. A red carpet welcomedguests at the private bash thatbrought out a large contingent ofLodge “lifers,” like a gruesomehigh-school reunion. Illinois Sec-retary of State Jessie White tum-bled-in, glad-handing the crowd

and urging everyone to vote. JimDoney was on hand joining mem-bers of the Irish Fellowship Clubof Chicago, so was former-CityHall shaker, Dan Gibbons.

Phoenix Rising:  Chinatown’sbest restaurant, Phoenix, has beensold and will be opening a newplace in Little Italy (on Racine)by Mother’s Day in what promisesto be another stunning Dim Sum

establishment with Carol Cheungand papa Eddie Cheung. OldPhoenix will remain in operationunder longtime partners.

Chicago Art:  The Ed PashckeArt Center wants me to pick upmy painting that has been theresince September for the exhibi-tion that ended in December. Theymust think I am playing hard toget. Have you been up there? Itsquite a place. His paintings (fab).His studio as he left it (fab) at5415 W. Higgins Rd.

Don’t forget to vote

on March 15,our “Ides of March” election.

“Real generosity is doingsomething nice for someone whowill never find out.” 

— Frank A. Clark 

tog312@mail.com

Applications are now open toparticipate in the fifth AnnualChicago Women’s Funny Festivalfestival celebrating the best in lo-cal and national female comedyJune 16-19 at Stage 773, 1225 W.Belmont.

The festival takes place June 16through June 19 and features allcomedic art forms including standup, sketch, solo, vaudeville, im-provisational, musical and more.The event packs over 80 shows,featuring over 500 performersfrom over 160 groups into fourfunny-filled days.

Applications for participationmay be sent in through April 15.

“It’s as important as ever rightnow to celebrate women in com-edy and empower our communityas a whole,” says Director of Op-erations Jill Valentine. The festival“features women in comedy fromall different backgrounds and artforms on four stages. We are ex-cited to lend our stages to so manyfunny women and provide themwith this platform to showcasetheir talent.”

The festival was founded in2012 when co-producers LizMcArthur and Valentine wantedto build a comedy festival wherewomen could come together andcelebrate all art forms of comedyunder one roof. The first festivalboasted 66 shows and 400 per-formers in five days.

The festival also hosted eventsthroughout the week where wom-en from across the country couldnetwork with each other and cel-ebrate one another’s work. “Theresponse from comedians and au-dience members was overwhelm-ingly positive, which is why thefestival is coming back for a fifthyear,” said Valentine, who is alsothe Executive Director of theChicago Sketch Comedy Festivalsince the festival’s inception in2000. She also performs in sev-eral acclaimed groups in Chicago,including Off Off Broadzway and

Feminine Gentleman.Tickets are $15 each and will go

on sale May 15. For more infor-mation call 773-327-5252.

Funny ladiesinvited to annualWomen’s Funny

Festival

Middle school and high school students are invited to enjoy freewind, band and choral concerts on Saturdays March 12, April 2and April 16 at 1:30 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan Ave.All the concerts are free, but tickets are required.

The March 12 and April 2 concerts will feature the PercyGrainger Wind Band Festival, and the April 16 concert will featurethe Windy City Choral Festival.

For reservations visit www.graingerbandfestival.org/.

Free concerts for students

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PoliceBeatLakeview Walgreens robbed again

 The “corner of happy and healthy” isdecidedly less happy these days after

a Boystown Walgreens reported beingon March 5, the third time that thestore has been targeted this year.

Employees were threatened andpepper sprayed in the earlier crimes.But, despite the physical violence,police classified the cases as misde-meanor shoplifting rather than felonyrobberies.

Most recently, offenders entered thestore at 3646 N. Broadway mid-morn-ing Saturday, threatened employees,

and then fled with 10 bottles of liquor,a witness said.

On Jan. 27, three men in their lateteens or early 20’s entered the same

store around 9:30 a.m., maced anemployee, and then fled with 10 packsof Camel cigarettes and two Bluetoothspeakers, according to a police report.

 The three men from Jan. 27 aredescribed as:• White, wearing a black hoodie withan orange hat and tan pants.

• Black, wearing a black backpack, ablack hoodie, and a black ski mask.

• Black, wearing a black hoodie andblue jeans that are ripped at theknees.An employee told police that the

men were also responsible for the

first incident at the store, which wasreported on Jan. 11.In that case, three men armed with

pepper spray went behind the coun-ter around 9:45 a.m., took Bluetoothspeakers, and then fled toward HalstedSt.

 The offenders were described as two

male blacks wearing black face masksand dressed in all black clothing ac-companied by one white male dressed

in a peacoat.Illinois law defines robbery as taking

another’s property through the use of

force or the threat of force. Both of theearlier cases clearly meet that test.

Man robbed In WrigleyvilleYet another man was robbed on the

streets of Wrigleyville on March 6. The victim was assaulted by three

men who took his wallet and cellphone near the Taco Bell, 1111 W. Ad-dison, around 2:30 a.m.

Police briefly tracked the stolenphone as it pinged its way south on

Lake Shore Dr., eventually disappear-ing as it passed Division St., a witnesssaid.

 The offenders are described as threemale blacks wearing blue or gray

hoodies. Two of the men had dread-locks.

North Side juvenile

charged in shootingA male juvenile offender who lived

on the 4900 block of N. Whipple hasbeen charged with one felony countsof Aggravated Battery/DischargeFirearm after he was identified as the

man who shot another man in the5800 block of N. Washtenaw 3:15 p.m.Feb. 23.

An 18 year old male victim sustaineda gunshot wound to the back, and was

taken to Saint Francis in critical condi-tion.

More Wrigleyville ATMS burglarized

Another Lakeview business hasreported that burglars broke in andstole money from its automatic teller

machines. It’s the fourth business alongClark St. to report an ATM burglary sinceDecember.

 The targeted ATMS are built intostorefronts so passers-by can withdrawmoney from the street.

 The owner of Yak-Zies bar, 3710 N.Clark, called police around 9:30 a.m.

March 5 after he discovered both of hisATMs had been damaged inside thebusiness, which is currently closed forrenovation.

One ATM had been knocked over andthe machine that’s built into the store-front had its vault pried open, police

said.A source said the thieves apparently

drilled door locks to access the business.

Wrigleyville’s ATM burglary prob-lem began last year on Dec. 12, whenemployees found the cash machine safe

drilled open at Reflexion Salon on thecorner of Clark and Sheffield.

In January, a storefront-mounted ATMwas burglarized at the shuttered GooseIsland Brewery near Clark and Addison.

 Then, last month, an ATM was brokeninto at a former pizza restaurant at 3509N. Clark.

Belmont CTA stabbingA 26-year-old man is hospitalized after

being stabbed in the left abdomen at

the Belmont CTA Red Line station earlyon March 6.

Police were called to the station at 945W. Belmont around 3:45 a.m. by wit-nesses who said that the victim seemed

to have been attacked at random. The victim was found on the platformand police said a crime scene had beenfound inside a train, which was held at

the station for evidence technicians.Witnesses describe the offender as

a very skinny black male dressed as a

woman with gold and blonde hair. Hestands about 5’-8” tall and wore leopardpants.

An ambulance transported the victimto Advocate Illinois Masonic MedicalCenter, where his condition was stabi-

lized, police said.

Woman: ‘Robbers followed me

from Brown Line’A Lakeview woman says two men

robbed her after following her from the

Paulina Brown Line CTA station early onFeb. 26.

 The offenders claimed to have guns

when they jumped her and took hertan purse near Roscoe and Marshfieldshortly after midnight, the woman said.

She described the offenders as twomale blacks, both about 20-years-oldand between 5’-7” and 5’-9” tall. Theywere dressed in all black clothing andthey wore masks over their noses andmouths.

Woman robbed near DePaulA Lincoln Park woman told police that

she was jumped and robbed by threemen near the intersection of Racine andMontana around 5 a.m. on March 1.

Witnesses said they saw the womanchase the suspects down an alley afterthey took her purse and two duffel bags.

Her efforts to catch the men were notsuccessful, police said.

 The offenders are described as three

male blacks, two wearing all black cloth-ing and the third wearing a burgundyhoodie.

About 10 minutes after the mugging,a different caller reported seeing threemen matching the robbers’ descriptions

attempting to break into a Ford Explorer

about two blocks from the robberyscene. Officers were unable to locate thesuspects.

Pellet gun brings weapons chargesA 20-year-old Englewood man is in

custody after witnesses said he bran-dished a gun while a group of menfought on Boystown’s Halsted St. barstrip early on Feb. 27.

Arriving officers were flagged downby two witnesses who said they saw the

man walking westbound on Aldine fromHalsted St.

Officers who caught up with the

suspect found a Sig Sauer blue steel airpistol in the man’s coat pocket, accord-ing to the police report.

David Shabazz, charged with posses-

sion of a pellet gun, is being held in lieuof $10,000 bail.

Shabazz is a self-admitted memberof the Traveling Vice Lord street gang,police said.

Man falls to deathfrom Gold Coast high rise

A man either fell or jumped from aGold Coast neighborhood building 1:30p.m. Monday. He was taken to North-western Memorial Hospital where hewas pronounced dead.

Police were called to the intersection

of State St. and of E. Walton Place after

911 calls reported a person down. Thevictim is believed to be in his 30s or early40s, according to police.

Real estate developer convicted

for swindling banks and the Cityout of millions

A federal jury convicted the presidentof a Chicago real estate firm on fraudcharges last week relating to a $105 mil-lion line of credit for city and suburban

properties, including a former Goldb-latt’s Department Store in Uptown andthe Streets of Woodfield Mall in Schaum-burg.

 The fraud perpetrated by Laurance H.Freed, of Joseph Freed & Associates LLC,also involved the theft of millions of dol-

lars from his business partner, Kimco

Realty Corp. Freed also fraudulentlyobtained millions of dollars in publiclyfunded loans from the city of Chicago.

Freed, 53, was convicted on threecounts of bank fraud, one count ofmail fraud, and four counts of making

a false statement to a financial institu-tion. The conviction carries a combinedmaximum sentence of 230 years inprison.

U.S. District Judge Robert M. Dow seta status hearing for March 24.

According to evidence at Freed’strial, the city of Chicago in 2002 issuedtwo Tax Increment Financing notes

to Uptown Goldblatts Venture LLC, acompany formed by JFA to redevelopthe former Goldblatt’s store. The TIF

notes had a combined principal of $6.7

million, and Freed pledged one of thenotes to Cole Taylor Bank as collateral.

Four years later, JFA-affiliated entitiesentered into agreements with a bankconsortium for a revolving line of cred-

it worth up to $105 million. UptownGoldblatts became a borrower underthe revolving loan agreement through

a subsequent deal with LaSalle Bank,which was one of the banks in theconsortium and which had recently

been acquired by Bank of America. Inthat deal, Uptown Goldblatts pledgedthe two TIF notes as collateral and

also represented that the notes were

owned free of other secured interests. The deal did not mention that one of

the notes had already been pledged toCole Taylor. Evidence also revealed thatin 2009 and 2010 Freed signed falseaffidavits to obtain millions of dollarsin TIF payments from the city, know-ing that the bank consortium and Cole

 Taylor were entitled to the payments.

— Compiled by the editors

of CWBChicago.com

A former Chicago Public School musicteacher has been arrested and his bail

set at $50,000. He stands accused of hav-ing sexual contact

with the young

son of a family

friend.

Robert J. Weav-er, 57, of 1300 N.

Wells St., has beencharged with one

felony count of

Predatory Crimi-

nal Sexual Assault.He was working

as a music teacher for Lincoln Elementary

School in in Lincoln Park in the late 1990s

Old Town man, former music teacher,charged with sex crime

at the time the alleged crime occurred.

He had also worked as a music teacherat Walter Payton College Prep HighSchool in Old Town.

Weaver was taken into custody in the11st District 7:35 p.m. March 3, after be-ing identified as the offender who had

inappropriate encounters with the un-derage victim.

Police and prosecutors say that the

two alleged incidents took place at

Weaver’s former apartment in Boys-town near Roscoe St. and Elaine Place.

In both instances, Weaver and the boy,who was eight or nine at the time, en-

gaged in a sex act while Weaver playedpornography on a television.

Robert J. Weaver

Chicago police are warning residents of Lakeview about garage burglary

related incidents that have occurred recently in the area.

 In these incidents, offender(s) have used forcible entry and removed personalproperty.

Incidents include one of the 1300 block of W. Eddy St. on between Feb. 29, andMarch 1; and a second one on the 1200 Block of W. Newport Ave. between March1 and 2.

Police are asking anyone with information on these crimes to call the Bureauof Detectives – Area North at 312-744-8263 and refer to case#s HZ171563 andHZ172029.

Garage burglaries reported in Lakeview

News tips?Call 773-465-9700Confidentiality guaranteed

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