Raoul's year in review

One view

01/04/2012

Happy New Year! As we begin 2012, it's only fair that we reflect on 2011 and the progress we've made. Last year, as I traveled the district I noted that for some the holiday season is one filled with grief, sorrow, and loneliness because they've undeservingly lost a loved one due to Illinois' failed death penalty experiment.
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What we're watching for in 2012

12/28/2011

In this issue, we summed up what we thought were some of the biggest local stories that affected Chicago Journal readers. It was a busy year, particularly at the top of the city, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel took over. But a lot of what happened this year simply set the stage for what will happen in 2012. So with that in mind, here are a few things we hope to see next year.
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The conundrum of buying local

12/28/2011

I guess you could say that the quest for “buying local” this Christmas season officially began in my South Loop social circles at a book club gathering several weeks ago. We had just finished reading Dr. Dale Moyer’s book The Flash and Outbreak of a Fiery Mind. We were impressed. We loved it.
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West Loop office renaissance

12/14/2011

All right, we admit it: we were skeptical. With all the new developers pitching their plans for office buildings in the West Loop, we thought there was no way in hell they could get the tenants - and thus, the money - to fill the space.
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Shutting down Blagojevich apologists

12/14/2011

Blagojevich's sentencing is being discussed heatedly around town, and everyone has an opinion. Is his 14-year prison sentence too long? In his defense, two arguments continually get repeated. One: he's no different from other politicians in what he did. The other: there wasn't any cost to his misdeeds - it was a victimless crime.
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Crane decision prejudiced

Letter to the editor

12/14/2011

In the Dec. 7 article "Fight for Crane begins" by Ben Meyerson, CPS' Chief Education Officer Noemi Donoso stated: "The overall culture and climate is something we look at all of these schools, and unfortunately, I think the data shows that there are very low expectations for students at Crane..."
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Spreading holiday cheer in the West Loop

12/07/2011

My family has nearly always had a real tree for Christmas. When I was a kid, we did everything from chopping one down in Wisconsin to crossing our alley and shopping at a local lot. But one way or another, it was our holiday tradition to go get a real tree and bring home some Christmas cheer.
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Crane closing a shame

12/07/2011

We're not ready to take a full stance yet on Richard T. Crane Technical Prep closing. A lot of the facts have yet to be brought out, and we haven't heard enough about how the community feels.
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Do Velvet Lounge's return right

11/30/2011

We were delighted when we first heard about the Velvet Lounge's return to the South Loop a few weeks ago. The club was an institution not only for the neighborhood, but for the city as a whole and its return would be yet another boost to efforts to rebrand Motor Row as an entertainment district.
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New state rep candidate has familiar story

11/30/2011

Stop us if you've heard this one before: A young black community organizer from the University of Chicago is ready to make his big break into politics.
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