2011: A year in Chicago photos

12/30/2011

See our favorite Chicago shots from Photo Editor J. Geil during 2011.
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Bank robber escapes in taxi

12/28/2011

A man who had just robbed a Lincoln Park bank made a clean getaway in a taxi on the morning of Dec. 20. Employees at the North Community Bank, 2335 N. Clark St., told police that at around 11:55 a.m. that day a man entered the bank and told one of one the tellers to give him money, supplementing the demand by sliding over a handwritten note which read “Now,” according to the teller.
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Prolong the festivities at Drake’s tea

Heart of the 'hood

12/28/2011

If you’re looking to prolong your merry holiday mood and want to do something really special, think about having afternoon tea in the Palm Court of the Drake Hotel, 140 W. Walton Place. It’s a spot that I try and hit every year at Christmastime, when the circa-1920s hotel is decked out in its holiday finest, as it will be until mid-January. It has a captivating Christmas display for all ages to enjoy, and it’s easy to see why the historic inn — and its afternoon tea — were fit for a princess (Princess Diana stayed there).
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Skyline's year in review

Recollecting the newsworthy moments of 2011

12/28/2011

As we approach the end of another 12-month cycle, it’s easy to say that the previous year was one of “change.” That may be true of this year, or at least as much as any which has preceded it, but it may be truer still to say that 2011 was a year that showed a potential for change to come.
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Moo & Oink name bought as stores shuttered

12/28/2011

Moo & Oink, the shuttered retail meat company, will live on in name only as a minority owned company acquired the former store’s brand and other intellectual property for $530,000 during a public sale of the 30-year-old company last week.
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The odder side of crime

Thieves, crooks and a rowdy opera patron stood out in 2011

12/28/2011

Each week Chicago Journal goes to the 1st District police station, at 18th and State Streets, and — looking through daily listings of crime incidents — reports on the most significant crimes that happen in the 1st District boundaries for our crime blotter. These boundaries are approximately north to the Chicago River, west to the Dan Ryan Expressway, south to McCormick Place and east to the lake.
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CPS scraps plan to de-magnetize LaSalle Language Academy

District will continue to pursue other options to relieve overcrowding at Lincoln Elementary

12/22/2011

Chicago Public Schools officials have called off plans convert LaSalle Language Academy into a neighborhood school and strip its magnet status after parents and faculty at the school pushed back.
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Chicago's Magnificent Mile raking in dough

Downtown retailers getting ready for final surge of holiday shoppers

12/21/2011

Fair weather, steady crowds and ample staffing have made this year's downtown Chicago shopping season a successful one - and retailers there are hoping for a strong finish.
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Scrambled boundaries for Chicago wards

In remap scuffle, Ald. Smith throws weight behind map that would keep Lincoln Park mostly hers

12/21/2011

Ald. Michele Smith (43rd) is taking a firm stance against a majority-led redistricting proposal that she says will “completely destroy” the sense of community in her Lincoln Park ward.
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Stick-up in CHA territory

12/21/2011

A 51-year-old man was the victim of an armed robbery outside a Chicago Housing Authority property in the early morning of Dec. 15.
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