CHICAGO NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS - EDGEWATER, WEST LOOP, LAKEVIEW, NORWOOD PARK, EVANSTON
EDGEWATER
When Andrew Billups struggles to muster the energy to go to school, all the 8th grader at Peirce School of International Studies simply has to do is picture music teacher Brooke Tippett Thompson.
He is fond of the times she has broken out into opera or demonstrated offbeat dance steps from the Middle Ages. He even revels in how she manages to use music to help reinforce other subjects.
"She brings excitement, you don't just learn about music in her class . . . there's never a dull moment," said Andrew, 14. "She always makes everything fun."
On Tuesday, as Tippett Thompson led Andrew and nearly a dozen other students through rehearsals for an upcoming music show at the Andersonville school, Mayor Richard Daley walked in and announced the purpose of his visit. Tippett Thompson, a 10-year veteran of the school and a former opera singer, was one of 10 teachers to win a Golden Apple Award which recognizes superior educators in the Chicago area. Read the entire article by clicking here.
WEST LOOP
Oil giant BP PLC said it plans to move about 1,200 employees from the western suburbs to space in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange building downtown.
The decision to move to the West Loop from the suburbs was partially due to its employees. The employees are for the most part professionals and younger. This is a combination that finds working and living downtown attractive.
BP's decision to move workers downtown also appears to be an about-face. A decade ago BP acquired Chicago-based Amoco and moved hundreds of jobs out of the city. To read more, click here.
LAKEVIEW
Welcome to the new century and the new age of bean bag toss or as its more commonly known - baggo, cornhole and corn toss. Many Chicago bars are getting in on this fun summertime game, including Witt's.
Baggo takes place in this bar's beer garden in the Lakeview neighborhood. An eight-week league just launched this week. However, you can still join. League winners generally will be awarded tickets to a sporting event plus a two-hour party at the bar.
Specials include $2 Bud Light drafts and half-price glasses of wine . 7 p.m. Tuesdays. $60 per team, includes a Witt's baggo T-shirt. E-mail becca1@wittschicago.com for more information. 2913 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-528-7032. Click here to read about other area bars who offer baggo.
NORWOOD PARK
Under sunny skies, Sister Donna Marie Wolowicki, C.R., Executive V.P. & C.E.O. Resurrection Medical Center, welcomed invited guests to the April 24 groundbreaking ceremonies for the hospital's new $80-million, five-story addition.
"Fifty-five years ago, on Nov. 1, 1953, Resurrection Hospital opened its doors. We had 180 beds. Dwight Eisenhower was president, and O'Hare Airport was under construction," she said. "Today, we're the largest integrated health care system in Chicago."
The Sisters of the Resurrection had previously considered education their main focus and mission, Sr. Wolowicki explained. Now they are responding to the needs of the community.
"God was calling them to make health care part of their ministry," she said. Click here for the entire article.
EVANSTON
Youths were lined up early on the steps outside the Evanston Civic Center, at 2100 Ridge Ave., when program director Michael Redmond arrived the morning of April 19.
"I got here at ten to six and I had six kids in line already," he said.
While a "first come, first served" rule applies, an early arrival offers no guarantee of a job, Redmond said.
Some 360 to 370 youths ages 14 to 18 participated in the fair. City and local businesses employ participants in a variety of full-time positions that range from grounds maintenance to camp counselor and bank teller positions.
The summer youth jobs program is run by the city's Human Relations Department. To learn more, click here.
JENNIFER GARRITY & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
