Photos: Bank of America Chicago Marathon

10/12/2011

Web Extra! Slideshow
Volunteers help Chicago Marathon runners cool off as they wind their way through Pilsen on Sunday. Huge crowds gathered to watch and cheer the thousands of competitors on the 26.2-mile course. Read More...

Condo maximizers sue Chicago

Owners say new restrictions on vacation rentals 'arbitrary and capricious'

10/12/2011

Some owners in a River North high-rise say that the city has gone too far in enforcing its new vacation rental laws. In late September, a group of condo owners at a 450-unit residential building at 30 E. Huron St. filed a lawsuit calling for a Cook County Circuit Court judge to throw out a set of zoning laws aimed at regulating the vacation rental industry in Chicago.
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Ald. Smith fields concerns, speaks her piece at maiden community meeting

A first for the alderman

10/12/2011

After formerly introducing herself to the twenty or so residents who had filtered into the cafeteria of the Francis W. Parker School last Thursday evening, Ald. Michelle Smith (43rd) turned to the small group of developers waiting in the corner of the room.
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Woman stabbed to death in River North hotel

10/12/2011

Police suspect homicide in the case of Sarai A. Michaels, a 31-year-old Chicago resident who was found dead in a River North hotel just after midnight on Oct. 11.
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A purrfect night on the town in Chicago

Heart of the 'hood

10/12/2011

What do Natasha the cat, actress/writer Carrie Fisher and the Italian Village restaurant have in common? Don’t know? Give up? They were all part of one especially enjoyable day I had last week. I hit two plays and the restaurant for dinner in between, all in about five hours and with two different friends.
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Garfield Park Conservatory selling off plants

10/12/2011

Itching to rescue a puppy or kitten from your local Humane Society but don’t feel inclined to leave an animal roaming your apartment during the day? The Garfield Park Conservatory has a solution.
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Photos: Open Streets on State Street festival

10/05/2011

Web Extra! Slideshow
Guests roam a closed State Street during the Open Streets on State Street festival between Lake and Van Buren on Saturday.
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Magnificent Mile getting $1 million road resurfacing

Michigan Ave. gets a facelift

10/05/2011

The Magnificent Mile is about to become $1 million more magnificent. The city began repaving and repairing potholes on a mile-long stretch of road last Wednesday. Construction will last until mid-November. A majority of the project covers North Michigan Avenue from Illinois Street to Oak Street, which costs about $900,000 and is paid for with state funding.
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Chicago Park District and Free Green Can buck the public-private line

10/05/2011

Anyone out for a jog in the past few months has likely noticed the new trash cans that now line the walkways of Chicago's green spaces. With a pyramid-like tip that seems to anticipate the inevitable attempts at garbage-stacking, the four-sided cans offer a place for trash and recyclable materials in the same receptacle. Steve Holland, CEO of Sugar Grove-based Free Green Can, prefers to call his product a "recycling kiosk."
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Woman busted robbing store with fake grenade

10/05/2011

Taryn Lombardi, of the 1500 block of West 19th Street, was arrested on Sept. 27 after she attempted to rob a drug store with what was later found to be a phony hand grenade.
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