Block Club Chicago

WEST HUMBOLDT PARK — Two more boys have died following a West Humboldt Park apartment fire Saturday where a 4-year-old boy also died, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. Jayden Cruz, 6, and Angel Rodriguez, 11, were hospitalized in critical condition following the weekend fire and...

CHICAGO — Chicagoans will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in the 2022 primary election. Chicagoans will nominate candidates for governor, state attorney general a host of other federal, state and local races. Here’s what you need to know:. Voter Registration. 1. Check Your Registration: You need...

AVONDALE — Community leaders are urging the city to give neighbors more time to weigh in on plans to redevelop Avondale’s Belmont Triangle and ensure what’s built at the site doesn’t accelerate rapid gentrification in the area. The city’s Department of Planning and Development is working...

JEFFERSON PARK — A Northwest Side ward superintendent facing federal charges for allegedly attempting to sell an illegal machine gun has been fired from his job. Charles Sikanich, Ald. Jim Gardiner’s ward superintendent who oversaw sanitation services in the 45th Ward, was fired from the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, spokesperson Mimi Simon told Block Club.

GARFIELD PARK — Barber Terrance “Razor Red” Wills wanted to put the money he made cutting NBA players’ hair to good use, so he built a basketball court for neighborhood kids. The full-length court behind Willa Cather Elementary School, 2908 W. Washington Blvd., was built in...

PULLMAN — Local artists are coming together for a photography show this weekend in Pullman. Pullman-based photographer Soren Spicknall is collaborating with other photographers for “As Stewarded – Photographic Stories of the Built Environment.” The exhibition will kick off with a reception 6-10 p.m. Friday at PullmanArt’s Block House Gallery at 11137 S. Langley Ave.

WOODLAWN — Mount Carmel High School — one of the few remaining Catholic all-boys schools in Chicago — is considering going coed. The school’s Board of Members, which includes Carmelite clergy, as well as its mostly lay Board of Directors are set to meet separately Aug. 9 and 10 to make the decision, according to a message from the school. They’ll host five in-person and online listening sessions with community members, as well.

NORTHALSTED — Chicago’s Pride Parade returned to Northalsted for the first time in three years, but the Supreme Court’s move rolling back abortion rights had some wondering if LGBTQ rights could come under attack next. The parade kicked off at Montrose Avenue and Broadway Sunday afternoon after...

HUMBOLDT PARK — A 4-year-old boy has died and three other children are in critical condition after a Saturday night fire in a West Humboldt Park apartment. The fire broke out in a garden apartment in the 4000 block of West Potomac Avenue just before midnight, according to fire department deputy district chief Walter Schroeder.

SOUTH SHORE — A baby girl was fatally shot Friday night near Rainbow Beach Park in South Shore, police said. The shooting happened around 6:45 p.m. in the 7700 block of S. South Shore Drive, police said. The baby was inside a car when another car pulled alongside and...

DOWNTOWN — Thousands rallied Downtown Friday to rebuke the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and drastically scale back reproductive rights throughout the country. Joined by Gov. JB Pritzker and chanting, “my body, my choice” and “bans off our bodies,” protesters joined demonstrations organized by Rise Up...

CHICAGO — North Side traffic on DuSable Lake Shore Drive gridlocked Friday afternoon after a car caught fire in the middle of the road. The fire broke out in a car the southbound lanes near Belmont Avenue, according to a Block Club reporter who witnessed it. Fire crews could be seen dousing the car, which was lodged up against the guardrail. At one point, there was an explosion inside the car.

CHICAGO — The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ending abortion protections and touching off protests around the country, including in Chicago. It has been known since early May the Supreme Court had voted to overturned Roe v. Wade, but the nation’s highest court did not officially release its decision until Friday morning. About half of states are expected to quickly ban abortions, and experts have said millions of people will soon live in abortion “deserts” where they cannot access care.

CHICAGO — The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ending decades of abortion protections in the United States. But Chicago and Illinois officials have vowed to protect reproductive health care locally and turn the city into a “haven” where people from out of state can travel for safe abortions.

CHICAGO — The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ending abortion protections and touching off protests around the country, including in Chicago. It has been known since early May the Supreme Court had voted to overturned Roe v. Wade, but the nation’s highest court did not officially share its decision until Friday morning. About half of states are expected to quickly ban abortions, and experts have said millions of people will soon live in abortion “deserts” where they cannot access care.

MORGAN PARK — A family who’s lived in Morgan Park for nearly 50 years needs help after they lost their home in a fire that left two people severely injured. The family’s house at 10801 S. Prospect Ave. caught fire June 18, displacing Anthony and Laura Cordero — who had lived there since 1974 — and their two great-nephews. The Corderos, who are visually impaired, were severely injured as they escaped the fire. They remain hospitalized on ventilators with second-degree burns, said their great-niece, Kira Andrews.

SOUTH DEERING — Its texture is like chicken, and the flavor wavers between tuna and trout. Once it’s smoked, you wouldn’t even know it’s the invasive species that’s trolled Illinois’ waterways for years. But thank to a rebranding effort by the Illinois Department of...

LOGAN SQUARE — A water main project on Logan Square’s Armitage Avenue that has dragged on for six months and caused headaches for people along the stretch could finally wrap up in the next few days. Armitage Avenue between Kedzie and Western avenues has been reduced to one-way...

UKRAINIAN VILLAGE — Mexican-Korean fusion restaurant TaKorea Cocina will close Sunday after almost three years in business. The restaurant at 1022 N. Western Ave. offers bulgogi steak tacos, kimchi burgers, rice bowls and more. Owner Robert Magiet, who has become known for charity work around the city, said the decision to close came down to ultimately not having enough business to support his family and staff.

UPTOWN — Residents of a tent encampment under a DuSable Lake Shore Drive viaduct in Uptown have moved as the city fixes the area, which has been damaged by fires. The residents left the Lawrence Avenue viaduct Tuesday, when crews with the Chicago Department of Transportation started cleaning up and repairing the infrastructure after two fires at the encampment.