Chicago Loopster » Don Sjoerdsma

Crime in Lakeview: a growing threat or an old story?

Don Sjoerdsma — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:59:34 +0000

In this week’s Loopster, Kate Springer provides an overview of the rising concern over recent events that have led to Boystown residents speaking out.

But what’s really happening here? We looked at a number of variables of reported crime (burglary, battery, assault and theft) between 2009 and 2011 using the data available on EveryBlock.

Because crime tends to go up when the weather warms, we looked at summer numbers only, from June 21 to July 11, and we found crime is trending upwards in three of the four categories.

Battery is unlawful physical contact. It becomes assault if the physical contact is defined as violent. Theft is taking another person’s property and burglary is breaking and entering a person’s home for the purpose of committing a criminal act.

Burglary is up:

Battery is up:

Assault is up:

Theft is down:

The soundtrack to a free summer

Don Sjoerdsma — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:07:17 +0000

There’s never a tuneless day in Chicago.

And there are plenty of alternatives to pocket-emptying festivals like Lollapalooza.

Whether you’re looking for indie rock, metal or Mozart, you can find exactly what you’re looking for – and it won’t even cost you a dime.

Full List:

Friday, July 15
White Mystery, Mickey, People’s Temple
Cobra Lounge
10 p.m.

Saturday, July 16
Mannequin Men, Hollows, E+
Cobra Lounge
10 p.m.

Penderecki Conducts Penderecki
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Sunday, July 17
Theophilius London, Kenna, Blah Blah Blah
Double Door
8:30 p.m.

Knock Down String Band, DJ Lawrence Peters
The Whistler
9:00 p.m.

Monday, July 18
Blonde Redhead + My Gold Mask
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Dan Smith & Brian Labycz
Myopic Books
7:30 p.m.

Fuck Knights, Creepy Band, Dumpster Babies
Empty Bottle
9:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 19
Mwata Bowden
Museum of Contemporary Art
5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 20
Kwame Ryan
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Jeff Craven, John Simmons, Reese Urban, Czboogie
Smart Bar
10:00 p.m.

Village, Campfires
The Whistler
10:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 21
Yemen Blues + Etran Finatawa
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Jeekos, Rick Carrico, Anti AKA Black Lion, Geecee
Smart Bar
10:00 p.m.

Friday, July 22
Choral Masterpieces: Bernstein and Faure
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 – 8:00pm

Saturday, July 23
Choral Masterpieces: Bernstein and Faure
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Sunday, July 24
Thee Oh Sees, Football
Illinois Centennial Monument
4:00 p.m.

No BS! Brass, Big Light, Cealed Kasket
Double Door
9:00 p.m.

Monday, July 25
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Unicycle Loves You, La Scala, Elephant Gun
Empty Bottle
9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 27
Prokofiev Symphony No. 7
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Iz & Diz, Tyrel Williams, Stephen P, Blue J, Julian Pena
Smart Bar
10 p.m.

Friday, July 29
Sibelius Epic Finland
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, July 30
Sibelius Epic Finland
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Walter Meego, Moneypenny, Craig Williams
Double Door
9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, August 2
Disembodiment, Odonrot
Double Door
9:00 p.m.

Wednesday, August 3
Jennifer Koh Returns
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Friday, August 5
Ryan Opera Center
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 6
Ryan Opera Center
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
7:30 p.m.

Monday, August 8
My Brightest Diamond
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 10
Mozart and Strauss
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Friday, August 12
The Book with Seven Seals
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 13
The Book with Seven Seals
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
7:30 p.m.

Monday, August 15
Rasputina
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 17
Shostakovich Symphony No. 10
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Friday, August 19
Closing Night Verdi Requiem
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
6:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 20
Closing Night Verdi Requiem
The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park
7:30 p.m.

Sunday, August 21
High Places
Illinois Centennial Monument
4:00 p.m.

It’s summer 2011 and Chicago food trucks are revving up

Don Sjoerdsma — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:35:01 +0000

As Chicago inches closer to a bill that would making cooking on trucks legal, the line of food trucks hitting the road keeps getting longer. And now, you might be able to find them in a parking lot near you.

Twice a week, the mobile meal community gathers near welcoming businesses with hungry employees. On Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., a handful of food trucks park on the northwest corner of Halsted Street and North Avenue. On Thursdays, the trucks convene from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the parking lot of Ethyl’s Beer & Wine Dive, 324 S. Racine Ave.

Ethyl’s Beer & Wine Dive’s hosted the food trucks for the second time Thursday. Vendors included 5411 Empanadas, Fido to Go!, Taquero Fusion, The Slide Ride and Gaztro-Wagon.

Food Truck Thursdays on PhotoPeach

Follow the Twitter, Follow the Truck

The surge of food trucks in Chicago couldn’t have happened without the advent of social media. Follow a food truck on Twitter to find out where to score your lunch on wheels.

Food truck aggregator:
http://twitter.com/#!/chicagofoodtrux

5411 Empanadas
http://twitter.com/#!/5411empanadas
Menu

Bergstein’s NY Deli
http://twitter.com/#!/BergsteinsNY
Menu

Brown Bag Lunch Truck
http://twitter.com/#!/brownbagtruck
Menu

Bun Pow Buns
http://twitter.com/#!/bunpowbuns

Fido to Go!
http://twitter.com/#!/fidotogo
Menu

Flirty Cupcakes On Wheels
http://twitter.com/#!/flirtycupcakes
Menu

Gaztro-Wagon
http://twitter.com/#!/wherezthewagon
Menu

Happy Bodega
http://www.happybodega.com/menu.html

Haute Sausage
http://twitter.com/#!/hautesausage
Menu

Hummingbird Kitchen
http://twitter.com/#!/hummingbirdtogo
Menu

Meaty Balls Mobile
http://twitter.com/#!/fossfoodtrucks
Menu