Illinois news

• Is The Book of Henry really that bad?

  22-06-2017 19:56 via Chicago Reader
  
  The Book of Henry, a peculiar drama directed by Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed, Jurassic World) from a script by novelist Gregg Hurwitz, opened last weekend to generally negative reviews, with some critics proclaiming it a disaster. I don't disagree that the film is confused and needlessly sentimental, yet I consider it a provocative failure—more interesting to think about than a predictable success like Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake (which is currently playing at the Music Box).&hel
  
  Read more

• Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies, Jacques Brel’s Lonesome Losers . . . , and nine more new stage shows

  22-06-2017 19:30 via Chicago Reader
  
  A one-woman show to buckle up for and an intimate, retro revue are among this week's best bets.Bette Davis Ain't for Sissies There are no big surprises in Jessica Sherr's 60-minute solo, no novel insights. Yes, Bette Davis faced sexism in the movie industry.…
  
  Read more

• Don’t you dare cross Chicago’s crossing guards

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  These authority figures exhibit a lethal combination of kindness to children and a death stare reserved for me-first motorists.Last year, in the fog of the morning hustle to get my son to school, I saw something that bolted the day clear: a seven-year-old girl lying on the side of the road, right on the corner of school property, a handful of adults clutched over her. Just before 8 AM, a drunk driver had struck her and her sister on their way to school.…
  
  Read more

• Best shoe store

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Alamo Shoes 5321 N. Clark…
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Best pizza delivery

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Lou Malnati's Pizzeria Various locations…
  
  Read more

• Best of Chicago 2017: City Life

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Chicago's best neighborhoods, best tour, best attraction, best person to follow on Twitter, and more readers' poll winners
  
  Read more

• Best new visual artist

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Myron Laban myronlaban.wordpress.com…
  
  Read more

• Best musical

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Hamilton PrivateBank Theatre…
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Best movie theater

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Music Box Theatre 3733 N. Southport…
  
  Read more

• Best liquor store

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Binny's Beverage Depot Various Locations…
  
  Read more

• Best kids’ clothing

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  
  Windy City Bebe…
  
  Read more

• Best Instagram account to follow

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  @ChiArchitecture Runner-Up
  @revbillyschopshop…
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Best cheesemonger

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine Various locations…
  
  Read more

• Best brunch

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Tweet 5020 N. Sheridan…
  
  Read more

• Best beer bar

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  Hopleaf 5148 N. Clark…
  
  Read more

• Best ad campaign

  22-06-2017 18:00 via Chicago Reader
  PrEP4Love AIDS Foundation of Chicago events.aidschicago.org/site/Calendar?id=101722&view=Detail…
  
  Read more

• The end of an era: Cook County clerk David Orr reportedly won't run again, and other Chicago news

  22-06-2017 08:33 via Chicago Reader
  
  Welcome to the Reader's morning briefing for Thursday, June 22, 2017.…
  
  Read more

• Eric Garner’s Family Awaits Justice In Form Of Federal Charges

  22-06-2017 04:27 via The Chicago Defender
  
  It has been nearly three years since Eric Garner, an unarmed Black New York City man, died after police officer Daniel Pantaleo used an illegal chokehold on him on July 17, 2014. Garner’s death was etched into national memory when his final words, “I Can’t Breathe,” became a rallying cry for Black Lives Matter and people of color brutalized by police officers.
  Needless to say, Garner’s family has patiently waited for justice and charges to be brought again
  
  Read more

• Ex-Milwaukee Cop Who Killed Sylville Smith Found Not Guilty

  22-06-2017 01:52 via The Chicago Defender
  
  A fired Milwaukee police officer who shot and killed 23-year-old Sylville Smith was found not guilty of first-degree reckless homicide on Wednesday, reports CNN.
  If you think that Dominique Heaggan-Brown lost his job because of the Smith case, that would be incorrect. He was fired from the department for an unrelated sexual assault investigation. He still faces charges related to that.
  #BREAKING Milwaukee ex-cop who fatally shot #SylvilleSmith found not guilty https://t.co/zZuWH5yW9e pic.twitter
  
  Read more

• How Melania Trump Stacks Up So Far To Michelle Obama

  21-06-2017 22:53 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Both Melania Trump and Michelle Obama had modest upbringings: one is White, born in Yugoslavia. The other is Black, raised on the South Side of Chicago.
  When Melania married Donald Trump in 2005, he was already a real estate magnate. When Michelle married Barack Obama in 1992, he had just become a law school professor. Both Trump and Obama went on to become president of the United States, and both women who hail from different walks of life, found themselves thrust in the job of first lady.
  So w
  
  Read more

• Cover Story: Do Our Black Children Matter?

  21-06-2017 22:50 via The Chicago Defender
  
  National Teachers Academy: Fighting For Fairness In Academic Excellence
  By Mary L. Datcher | Defender Sr. Staff Writer
  The National Teachers Academy (NTA) is the latest sacrificial lamb slated to be on the chopping block if CPS and the Prairie District Neighborhood Alliance (PDNA) has their way. Located at 55 W. Cermak, NTA was opened in 2002 and shared partial land with CHA’s Harold Ickes Homes for eight years. Now that the neighbor-hood has welcomed new, more affluent neighbors—and
  
  Read more

• New $75 Million School in Englewood to Open by 2019

  21-06-2017 20:17 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Chicago Public Schools’ announcement of a new $75 million school is being lauded as one of the single largest educational investments the Englewood neighborhood has witnessed in decades, according to school officials.CPS approved a proposal submitted by the Englewood Community Action Council for the opportunity to construct a new school on the same lot as the already standing Paul Robeson High School, 6835 S. Normal Blvd. The projected plan is to construct a new “state of the art&rdq
  
  Read more

• Congressional Black Caucus Presses Trump Administration On Hate Crimes

  21-06-2017 20:04 via The Chicago Defender
  
  So far the Trump administration has largely ignored the surge in domestic terror that targets minorities. Black lawmakers say that must change. They want federal law enforcement agencies to make fighting hate crimes a priority.
  The Hill reports that the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is urging the administration to increase its effort to investigate and prosecute hate crimes against minority groups.
  Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), the CBC’s chairman, wrote a letter addressed to the heads o
  
  Read more

• Illinois Equitable Education Legislation Awaits Governor’s Signature

  21-06-2017 19:58 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Advocates and supporters of equitable educational funding throughout Illinois secured a tentative victory from the state legislature — all that remains is a few strokes from Governor Bruce Rauner’s pen to make it complete.
  The state legislature passed the Evidence-Based Funding for Student Success Act (SB 0001) in the Senate and House on May 31. The Act narrowly passed the Senate with 35 votes in favor and 22 in opposition, and the House had 60 votes in favor and 52 in opposition. T
  
  Read more

• Gwen Jimmere Is Paving The Way For Black Wealth In The Beauty Industry And Beyond

  21-06-2017 19:46 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Gwen Jimmere, Founder and CEO of the world famous Naturalicious, has a special determination when it comes to making things happen. In an effort to create an easier, less time consuming method to care for her natural tresses, she ended up making history by becoming the first African-American woman to have a patent for a natural hair care product. Getting the patent was not an easy task for Gwen, considering the financial challenges she had while trying to raise her son as a single parent. Today,
  
  Read more

• The Chicago Urban League Hosts Its 4th Annual Citywide Job Fair

  21-06-2017 19:32 via The Chicago Defender
  
  The Chicago Urban League is hosting the 2017 Citywide Job Fair – one of the largest career fairs the city has to offer – with co-sponsor, Jobcase, starting at 10-2 pm. on June 21 at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Rd.
  Andrew Wells, director of workforce development for the CUL, said his organization is interested in both workforce development and helping people start their own businesses. He explained both entrepreneurs and members of the greater wo
  
  Read more

• This 10-Year-Old Girl Invented A Time Saving Hair Accessory That Could Be Worth Millions

  21-06-2017 19:25 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Just imagine, a hair accessory being sold in 50 stores and 16 states across the country…and the CEO of the hair brand is still in elementary school! That’s right, 10-year old Gabrielle Goodwin has come up with a solution that will bring nothing but relief to Black moms around the world – barrettes that don’t fall off or go missing.Gabby Bows, which is gaining popularity like wild fire, has been well received ever since Gabrielle’s mom decided to move forward with m
  
  Read more

• In defense of Hedy Weiss

  21-06-2017 19:00 via Chicago Reader
  
  Just because you disagree with her criticism doesn’t make her a bigot.I saw the same Steppenwolf opening Sun-Times critic Hedy Weiss saw two weekends ago—Antoinette Nwandu's Pass Over, a lacerating, absurdist exploration of racism. The play was genuinely shocking.…
  
  Read more

• Chicago harpist Yomi makes carefree pop collages perfect for summer Sundays

  21-06-2017 19:00 via Chicago Reader
  
  Among the many reasons I prefer street fests to the major festivals that descend on our public parks is that most of the smaller events do better at showcasing local musicians. To be fair, this weekend's Mamby on the Beach has more locals than almost any other festival its size, but the Logan Square Arts Festival—which runs Friday through Sunday—has booked almost exclusively Chicago artists (with the exception of a couple headliners), and it's much cheaper.…
  
  Read more

• Chicago Defender Welcomes New Society Columnist Carolyn Griffin Palmer

  21-06-2017 19:00 via The Chicago Defender
  
  [ione_media_galleryid="184977" overlay="true"]
  Please join the Defender in welcoming Carolyn Griffin Palmer, our new society columnist. Carolyn’s column will appear twice a month and she will report on star-studded events and philanthropic work, as well as keep us posted on the happenings around the city. Her column will be named CD Around Town.
  Teacher, coach and administrator are a few of the titles that Carolyn held during her stellar career in the Chicago Public Schools system. She is
  
  Read more

• Liberty Bank for Savings, A Unique Bank Helping Neighbors Become Homeowners

  21-06-2017 18:00 via Austin Weekly News
  
  It's hard to find a family-oriented neighborhood bank that greets you by name and hasn't turned its employees into an army of salespeople. Read More...
  
  Read more

• Raheem DeVaughn, Goapele Promote Women’s Sexual Health and Responsibility

  21-06-2017 16:21 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Grammy nominated R&B recording artist Raheem DeVaughn and R&B, neo-soul artist Goapele joined forces with AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and Chicago-based South Side Help Center (SSHC) this past Saturday at The Park West in presenting “RISE Above,” a national sexual health awareness campaign aimed at women and girls featuring an intimate evening of music and engaging conversation.
  Inspired by the powerful and impactful poem, “Still I Rise,” written by the iconic
  
  Read more

• What You Get for $1.5 Million

  21-06-2017 15:39 via Illinois
  
  A three-story house built in 2000 with five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms is on the market for $1.495 million. It is in Naushop, a planned residential community on Nantucket.
  
  Read more

• $1.5 Million Homes in Massachusetts, Tennessee and Illinois

  21-06-2017 15:39 via Illinois
  
  A five-bedroom traditional house in Nantucket, a barnlike contemporary in Franklin and a brick townhouse in Chicago.
  
  Read more

• Michael Vick, Roddy White Retire as Falcons

  21-06-2017 15:03 via The Chicago Defender
  
  The Falcons held a retirement ceremony for former quarterback Michael Vick and Roddy White to commemorate their time as Falcons.
  “I’m here today as a retired Atlanta Falcon, and I can live with that forever and will forever be grateful. Thank you,” Vick said.
  Vick played 13 seasons in the National Football League, but his career highs happened during his run as quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons from 2001 – 2006; winning four Pro Bowls as quarterback along the way. In 20
  
  Read more

• In the MIXX: Congressman Bobby Rush Endorses Kennedy, Fred Hampton Movie

  21-06-2017 14:59 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Congressman Bobby L. Rush
  The tides have turned and winds are shifting to another tiresome, draining and somewhat tedious Illinois gubernatorial election. Less than one-year from the primaries, the money battle has continued between Governor Bruce Rauner and J.B. Pritzker—both leaping into non-stop television and radio ad spots. While Gov. Rauner hammers away at the creditability of the Democrats, it reminds us that no matter who comes out the victor—both them will still remain filth
  
  Read more

• Avery Sunshine: The Foundation of Soul

  21-06-2017 14:58 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Avery Sunshine is the epitome of unfiltered Soul music. When you close your eyes and listen to her voice resonate throughout her songs, it transports you to a time where music was unapologetically ‘Black’—music created from the roots of our African ancestors, beating from the bottom of their soul. The collaboration with her writing, producing partner and now-husband, Dana Johnson, not only seals their matrimonial commitment to each other but doesn’t lose its chemistry.
  Gr
  
  Read more

• Old Art Ordinance Presents New Thorn For City’s Artists

  21-06-2017 14:56 via The Chicago Defender
  
  The City of Atlanta recently began enforcing a mural ordinance, calling on local artists and business owners to get their works of art that are displayed on private owned property – not work on city buildings or in parks — approved by the city, or risk citation or their erasure.
  Per the ordinance, future public art will also have to undergo a cumbersome approval process, including getting a greenlight from the Office of Transportation, the Urban Design Commission, the Office of Cultu
  
  Read more

• Body/Head goes neon on the gig poster of the week

  21-06-2017 14:00 via Chicago Reader
  
  ARTIST: Bill Connors
  SHOW: Body/Head, Diamond Terrifier Cipher, and Facs at Bohemian National Cemetery on Sat 6/24
  MORE INFO: billconnors.tumblr.com
  
  Read more

• Alderman Reilly places ‘urgent request’ for more police downtown, and other Chicago news

  21-06-2017 13:00 via Chicago Reader
  
  Welcome to the Reader's morning briefing for Wednesday, June 21, 2017.…
  
  Read more

• Five Places to Go in Chicago

  21-06-2017 09:19 via Illinois
  
  A clutch of welcoming new dining and drinking spots is attracting local nighthawks to Chicago’s Armitage Avenue in Logan Square.
  
  Read more

• Erykah Badu’s Vegan Diet

  21-06-2017 07:59 via The Chicago Defender
  
  I never knew Queen Erykah was a vegan. Check out some of the inspiration she is sharing in this post below by thecurvyvegan.com
  Erykah Badu is a shining light among a growing population of black vegans. The music icon has been vegetarian for over twenty years, and a strict vegan since the release of her first album Baduizm.In an interview with Maranda Pleasant, of Origin Magazine, the famous vegan revealed that this nutritional lifestyle helps keep her centered. Not only did she s
  
  Read more

• Rapper Chris Crack breaks a yearlong silence with a single 36-minute track

  21-06-2017 00:00 via Chicago Reader
  
  Chicago rapper Chris Crack breaks a yearlong silence with a single 36-minute track, DJ Paypal invites ghetto-house innovator Jana Rush to East Room, and more.Chicago rapper and New Deal Crew leader Chris Crack was fairly prolific, averaging three major releases per year, till last June—that month he put out Troll Till They Fold and then fell silent. He didn't return to releasing music till last week, when he uploaded Nobody Cares (Thanksforlettingmebemyself) to Soundcloud.…
  
  Read more

• For Derrick Adams, black imagination is the future

  20-06-2017 23:30 via Chicago Reader
  
  In his solo show, the New York-based polymath artist uses installation, video, music, and collage to remix the archival holdings of the Stony Island Arts Bank.The first thing you notice in "Future People," Derrick Adams's solo show at the Stony Island Arts Bank, is a wide, two-tier gray platform that sits in the middle of the gallery; it looks like a stage. On top of it are four black bucket seats (outfitted with seat belts) and a table covered by a polished silver globe, turntables, a mixer, an
  
  Read more

• Mobb Deep’s Prodigy Dies At 42

  20-06-2017 22:55 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Prodigy, one half of famed Queens rap duo Mobb Deep, has died. Nas wrote an Instagram post confirming the passing the 42-year-old rapper. The news was later confirmed by the group’s publicist in a statement:
  “It is with extreme sadness and disbelief that we confirm the death of our dear friend Albert Johnson, better known to millions of fans as Prodigy of legendary NY rap duo Mobb Deep. Prodigy was hospitalized a few days ago in Vegas after a Mobb Deep performance for complicati
  
  Read more

• Pantene’s First Hair Model With Locs Gets Real About Diversity And Inclusion In Beauty

  20-06-2017 22:40 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Your browser does not support iframes.
  Demi Grace is a talented force. The singer (who owns the rights to her music), songwriter (she writes all of her songs), dancer (she’s backed up both Beyoncé AND Solange) and a model (she’s currently starring in the Pantene commercial). This triple quadruple threat is vibrant with a capacity to create that is sure to bring her continued success.
  With her new song, ‘Dream,’ featuring Jay Karnell, that was released on Blav
  
  Read more

• Cedric The Entertainer Says Gas Company Poisoned His Family

  20-06-2017 22:04 via The Chicago Defender
  
  Beloved comedian Cedric the Entertainer alleges that a gas company servicing his home in Southern California sickened him and his family after a 2015 gas leak.
  The New York Daily News reports that the lawsuit alleges that his family suffered nosebleeds, vomiting, nausea and vertigo.
  The Porter Ranch gas leak in 2015 lead the Mayor of Los Angeles to declare a State of Emergency at the time.
  Cedric claimed the leak was a result of the SoCal Gas Company’s failure to replace an emergency safet
  
  Read more

• Grammy Award Winner Cece Winans’ Fall in Love Tour Stops in Atlanta

  20-06-2017 21:30 via The Chicago Defender
  
  ATLANTA, Ga. — Ten-time Grammy Award winner and multi-platinum-selling artist CeCe Winans will follow her recently released number one album “Let Them Fall In Love,” with a national tour. The Fall In Love Tour presented by Medi-Share is Winans’ first solo tour in a decade and will make a stop in Atlanta June 23.
  Winans is the best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time and is credited as one of the most accomplished and celebrated women in modern m
  
  Read more

• A new book from 826CHI shows how friendships develop through letter writing

  20-06-2017 20:49 via Chicago Reader
  
  When Eliza Ramirez's eighth-grade students at Emiliano Zapata Academy in Little Village learned that they'd be spending the fall and winter corresponding with a class of tenth graders at Amundsen High School in Ravenswood and that the letters would be collected into a book published by 826CHI, a nonprofit writing center, they were skeptical. What was the point of writing letters, they wondered, in this marvelous age of text messages and Snapchat?…
  
  Read more

• Detroit Mother Killed In Front Of 4-Year-Old Daughter, Found By 14-Year-Old Son

  20-06-2017 20:43 via The Chicago Defender
  
  A Detroit mother was shot and killed in front of one of her children and died in the arms of another on Father’s Day.
  Police are still searching for the suspect.
  Fox-2 Detroit reports that 42-year-old Latrese Morris Dorsey had just recently moved into a new home with her three children and was getting out of a relationship with a man who could not let go.
  Dorsey’s sister Megan Morris says that Dorsey’s ex-boyfriend, Earl Maxwell, is responsible for the murder.
  “I hate tha
  
  Read more

Follow @NewsIllinois_ on Twitter!