Still time to apply for Top Chef Season 13
By Karin Vandraiss Bravo’s hit series, “Top Chef,” wastes no time lining up new talent. On Wednesday LA chef Mei Lin won the title honors for Season 12, but the show has already started its annual, nation-wide scouting trip to cast the upcoming season. Chicago’s live casting call was earlier this week, but even if […]
10 things to know about the latest U.S. GDP report
By Yasufumi Saito The December quarter GDP, gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department recently shows that the U.S. economy slackened a bit, but continued a healthy recovery step by step. It’s worth dissecting. A mixed layer of economic activities such as imports, government spending and most importantly, personal consumption resulted in the outcome. […]
Evanston coach reflects on half a century in gymnastics
By Tim Penman Four months before his retirement, Chester Jones casually leans over a balance beam and watches his gymnasts take runs at vault inside Evanston High School’s practice area. Jones is relaxed, calling out words of encouragement to each girl in his slight Southern accent after they take turns springing off the board and […]
Bronzeville Residents Protest Construction of Mariano’s
By Melissa Schenkman A group of Bronzeville residents braved below-zero temperatures on Thursday, February 5, 2015, to make their voices heard. Led by J. Brian Malone, the executive director of Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, the group protested Alderman Will Burns’ and the City’s plans to build a Mariano’s Supermarket on a site originally planned for […]
Free Street youth debate on stage: All lives matter or no lives matter
By Kate Morrissey One year ago Tuesday, Deonta Mackey was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer in the Pullman neighborhood when he tried to rob the officer at gunpoint at a gas station. “Track 13,” a play created by a youth ensemble composed of members from the Young Fugitives ensemble and members from […]
Measles vaccination rates at public schools lowest in poorest areas
By Emily Hoerner Less than 90 percent of students at 14 Chicago Public Schools were vaccinated for measles last school year, according to data by the Illinois State Board of Education. Nearly all of those schools are located in low-income neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides. Francis M. McKay Elementary in the Chicago […]
Restaurant week offerings limited to affluent neighborhoods
By Meg Rauch This year’s Restaurant Week in Chicago features over 250 restaurants, but nearly all of them are in the city’s more affluent neighborhoods on the North Side. But some restaurants, like Pilsen’s Nightwood, are hoping to bring more diners to the city’s South Side and change where Chicagoans choose to eat.
Cuts shield Acco Brands from economic headwinds
By Meredith Wilson Acco Brands Corp. saw fourth quarter profit fall 12.5 percent because of a strengthening U.S. dollar and retail consolidation, but exceeded analyst estimates for the quarter. Cost-cutting measures throughout the year led the company to post an 18.8 percent rise in profit for 2014. Lake Zurich-based Acco, one of the world’s largest […]
NFL player brings mental health services to youth
By Meg Rauch Awareness and treatment for mental health issues can be an unpopular subject among youth. Chicago Bears player Brandon Marshall is looking to help young people in Chicago cope with these problems by sharing his own struggle with borderline personality disorder.
VIDEO: Humboldt Park residents save feral cats, reduce population
By Beth Lawrence According to the ASPCA there are an estimated 70 million stray cats in the United States. In the winter, stray cats need more energy to grow thicker coats and gain weight, but their food sources are more limited. One Chicago resident is helping these cats, but it’s not by helping them get […]