Category Archives: News

Chicago’s nextScholars Paves Way for Students

Posted on December 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

Celebrations begin after decisions are announced. (Photo by Phillip Shilling)

Audio Slideshow: Follow the journey of these Chicago college hopefuls.

By Audrey Plank, Elizabeth Schuetz and Phillip Shilling

Despite 40 mph winds whistling outside, students from more than 80 Chicago-area high schools gathered on Oct. 26 to attend the Fourth annual Chicago Scholars Onsite Admissions Event at the UIC Forum.

While the morning was dark, dreary, and rainy, the atmosphere inside the UIC Forum was anything but. Amid interviews and introductions were cheers of joy and excitement as scholars gained admission and scholarships to national universities on the spot.

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Posted in Chicago, Education, News

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Flirty Cupcakes Puts Desserts on Wheels in Chicago

Posted on December 2, 2010 | Leave a comment

Logo courtesy Flirty Cupcakes

Audio Slideshow: A look at a day downtown with the Flirty cupcakes truck.

By Vi Nguyen, Nimrah Pervez and Beth Kotz

Cakes are cumbersome. Cupcakes, on the other hand, are compact confectionary treats- the perfect baked good for any glutton on-the-go. The Flirty Cupcake truck, a mobile mini bakery, roams city streets seeking to satisfy the sweet teeth of busy Chicagoans.

Tiffany Kurtz, owner and founder of the Flirty Cupcakes, attributes her novel idea not to big city trends, but to enjoyable moments from her childhood. Kurtz began the venture with her husband, Chris Sewell.

“I remember being so excited when I heard the ice cream truck coming,” she said, “then I saw this beat up old truck sitting on the street, and it all just came together. While I wouldn’t chase after ice cream now, I would chase after cupcakes.”

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Posted in Business, Chicago, Food, News, Streets

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Chicago’s Englewood Neighborhood on the Rise

Posted on November 21, 2010 | 3 Comments

Audio Slideshow: Listen to Asiaha Butler and Englewood residents talk about what they’re doing in their community.

By Matt Bailey and Rashanah Baldwin

Frustrated with the lack of programs and outlets for youth in Englewood, lifelong neighborhood resident Asiaha Butler started working to change the impression of her neighborhood with a program that gives young people an opportunity to express themselves with words rather than gunfire.

Asiaha Butler 

Asiaha Butler begins the dialogue (Photo by Matt Bailey)

“I’m not an anti-violence activist. I’m a peace activist,” Butler said.

Beginning last April, she started a series of documentary screenings, in donated spaces, followed by open-floor debates of issues raised in the films, called, “So Fresh Saturdays: Docs and Dialogue.”

This monthly gathering of people between the ages of 12-20, provides an opportunity to have “a fun, safe and educational space, in the heart of a place that people call so violent,” Butler said.

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Posted in Chicago, Maps, News, Streets

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Galleries Bring Eye-Popping Changes to the Loop

Posted on November 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

By Leonel Alvarez, Erin Piddington and Nick Tarantino

The Chicago Loop Alliance is offering local artists the chance to display their work around the loop.

Pop-Up Art Loop is a program that fills empty spaces downtown with free art galleries.

Similar “pop-up” galleries have been showcased in cities around the world, such as London, Los Angeles and New York.The Chicago Loop Alliance saw success in these cities and believed a program like Pop-Up Art Loop, could benefit Chicago in many ways.

“There has been a lot of excitement from the community as well as from the artist that are a part of it and property owners can also see a benefit to it,” said Michael Perry, the Programming Project Coordinator for the Chicago Loop Alliance.

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Posted in Art, Business, Chicago, Maps, News, Streets

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Wicker Park Boutiques Evolving with the Economy

Posted on November 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

 

Wicker Park offers a wide selection of vintage and thrift stores including Una Mae’s. (Photo by Maria Cannata

By Jimmy Lobus, Lauren Camplin and Maria Cannata

Despite gloomy economic conditions, Wicker Park remains a haven for “underground” culture, fashion, and design.

The Chicago neighborhood is a home for various fashion stores, ranging from well-known chains and designers to locally owned boutiques and thrift stores. Even in times when the Federal Bureau reports retails sales remain “relatively unchanged”, some high-end boutiques manage to stay on top.

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