Chicago Journal welcomes new editor

01/05/2011 10:00 PM


4 Comments - Add Your Comment


Ben Meyerson

Circling the neighborhoods outside of the Loop, things are changing.

New businesses move in every day. New people move in every day. Old warehouses, rail yards and vacant lots are finding new purposes.

Yet after years and years of topsy-turvy change, things are starting to settle down. The torrid pace of high rises going up in the South Loop or West Loop has finally ground to a halt — the housing market’s crash saw to that.

As the dust begins to clear after a decade of development, neighborhoods are galvanizing and a strong sense of community has emerged.

Upstarts like T-shirt titan Threadless are moving into a previously faceless FedEx facility in the West Loop, and a new dog park (or dog-friendly area, thank you very much Chicago Park District) is planned for a vacant lot in the South Loop.

Both exemplify, in their own way, the way that the neighborhoods surrounding downtown have changed, creating a sense of community.

At Chicago Journal, there’s been a change as well. I’ve taken over as editor of the paper (as well as its sister publication, Skyline).

A lifelong Chicago resident, save for a brief stint in the Washington, D.C. area, I’ve watched these neighborhoods be reborn.

I remember getting off the Green Line at the Roosevelt stop when the Museum Campus reopened in 1998 and being wowed by the gorgeous rebirth of the South Loop’s gems.

I remember going to see Michael Jordan at the United Center — one of the greatest moments of my young life. This year, I remember sprinting through the streets from the Bottom Lounge to the United Center after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.

I can’t wait to bring my enthusiasm and love for these neighborhoods to you every week.

We at Chicago Journal send good wishes to former editor Greg Skinner, who left the paper in December after a few months that were good, but short. Before joining Chicago Journal, I worked alongside him from Oak Park’s Wednesday Journal, and I enjoyed doing so.

What do I bring to Chicago Journal? I bring reporting experience at several fine publications from the city, including the Chicago Tribune and a politically-focused venture called Chicago Current.

Perhaps most importantly, though, I bring a strong sense of what makes communities tick from my time at Wednesday Journal, one of the strongest community newspapers in the Chicago area.

And yes, I want to hear from you. Yes, you, you reading this right now. What’s on your mind? What’s important? What are you curious about?

Follow me on Twitter — @ChiJournal. “Like” Chicago Journal on Facebook. Bookmark our website, www.ChicagoJournal.com. E-mail me at bmeyerson@chicagojournal.com.

Or, just try it the old-fashioned way and give me a phone call at (312) 243-2696.

Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m looking forward to settling into the neighborhood.


4 Comments - Add Your Comment



By Meg Herman from Loop and OP
Posted: 01/16/2011 6:45 PM

Congrats Ben! Enjoyed your pieces in WJ will you still be contrib'g there too?


By Sherry Kent from Oak Park
Posted: 01/10/2011 2:37 PM

Congrats, Ben. We have enjoyed reading your pieces in the Wednesday Journal.


By Greg Skinner from Evanston
Posted: 01/07/2011 9:24 AM

Good luck Ben.


By Michelle Damico from Everywhere
Posted: 01/06/2011 9:03 AM

Congratulations Ben, I hope we get to work together soon, and hope you're as tough an editor as your dad is!