Loop North News
Best Neighborhood/Community News Website • Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism (2017-2018)
Police to boost patrols at Belmont CTA stop

Incidents on CTA trains have increased 104 percent in the past five years. The growing CTA crime problem was the focus of a recent community meeting in Lakeview.

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Trump International Hotel & Tower HotelCondoHomes.com
LEGALIZED MARIJUANA
Cannabis experts discuss legalization at North Center forum
Illinois may be the eleventh state to legalize recreational marijuana, but a panel of cannabis experts says there is still a lot of work to be done before everyone gets it right.
North Side dispensaries report smooth rollout of legalized pot
The first day of legal sales of recreational marijuana in Illinois went ‘extraordinarily well,’ says an industry representative, with total sales on January 1 topping $3.1 million.
LINCOLN PARK
Reprieve for Lincoln Park ‘Pirates’
After being shut down last summer, Lincoln Towing Service is back in business.
CRIME & SAFETY
Home invasion, burglary reported at Marina City
A River North resident claims three men forced their way into his apartment, assaulted him, and stole money.
Physician nearly run over during River North carjacking
A 53-year-old physician was pushed from her vehicle by two carjackers who nearly ran her over as they sped away in River North on Sunday afternoon.
LEGAL
Hyatt: Punch clock vendor should be target of lawsuit over worker fingerprint scans
Faced with a potentially massive class action accusing it of violating an Illinois biometrics privacy law, Hyatt Hotels Corporation is attempting to rope in the vendor that supplied the employee punch clocks at the heart of the complaint.

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REAL ESTATE
Higher rents on horizon in 2020 for Chicago apartment dwellers
The inevitability of higher apartment rents isn’t the only threat on the horizon in 2020 for Chicago’s renters.
Low mortgage rates finally spark home sales awakening on North Side
Chicago’s existing home market in four North Side lakefront neighborhoods suddenly awoke in December after a year-long snooze.
$10,000 cap on state, local tax deductions in play in U.S. Congress
Luxury home sales in Chicago’s lakefront neighborhoods and along the North Shore took a hit in 2018 and 2019, and experts say part of the downturn was caused by President Trump’s tax reform.
SPONSORED
What happens if you’ve been served an eviction notice?
Getting an eviction notice may be surprising and distressing, especially if you have nowhere to go to and never had plans of moving out. As a tenant, you immediately want to know what your rights are and what your next move should be.
RIVER NORTH
River North resident will try again to unseat Quigley
Tom Hanson, a commercial real estate broker and condominium unit owner, is back for a second try to defeat 5th District Representative Mike Quigley.
Posts, bumps installed to calm traffic on State Street
Eliminating fatalities and serious injuries from traffic crashes is the goal of a project that has installed left-turn ‘calming treatments’ at five intersections along State Street.
HOWARD TULLMAN
College admissions scandal exposes our eroding values
Cheating by Hollywood types on behalf of their tykes is becoming less about demanding honesty and more about creating social media attention for some of the young participants.
‘Uncut Gems’ is no diamond in the rough
Film garbage such as this is emblematic of a bigger problem in our society. We’re selling legal drugs to people who don’t need them and encouraging lawlessness. The race to the bottom will stop only when we stop turning away and do something.
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Sunday
6th Annual Cocktail Mix-Off at the newly renovated bar and restaurant at theWit hotel. In celebration of the Chinese New Year, mixologists from around the city will compete to create the best Chinese New Year-themed cocktails. The event will support the organization Speed Rack and its mission to raise money for breast cancer research and prevention. 6:00-9:00 p.m., ROOF on theWit, 201 North State Street. Tickets: $25. Map. More info.

Through Wednesday
Community meetings to discuss proposed cannabis dispensaries in River North. On January 28, MedMar Lakeview, LLC, will discuss their proposal to open and operate an Adult Use Cannabis Dispensary at 436 North Clark Street. The meeting is at 6:00 p.m., Maggiano’s Little Italy, 516 North Clark Street. On January 29, MOCA LLC will discuss their proposal to establish a dispensary on the first floor and basement of an existing five-story building at 216 West Ohio Street that is presently occupied by Municipal Bar & Dining Co. That meeting is at 6:00 p.m. at 216 West Ohio Street on the 4th floor. Both meetings are co-hosted by River North Residents Association. Map. More info.

February 1
Community meeting to discuss 40 West Oak. Nahla Capital has proposed a luxury condo building at the current location of the Warren Barr parking garage. The revised proposal cuts the size of the building to 467 feet, number of stories to 31, and number of units to 75. Primary concerns raised at previous meetings were traffic flow and congestion, density, and height reduction. Nahla will recap changes made to their proposal since the first meeting last October. 10:00 a.m., Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Ruggles Hall. No RSVP is necessary. Map. More info.