🌱 Red Line Delays + World Comedy Expo Comes To Lakeview

Happy Friday! Here's the Lakeview news for March 25.

First, today's weather: A shower in the p.m.; windy. High: 46 Low: 29.

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Here are the top 4 stories today in Lakeview:

1. CTA Red, Brown and Purple lines were halted for more than two hours Thursday morning after an unidentified “disturbance” on the tracks. Express trains were stopped at Belmont around 6:30 a.m. and caused massive delays during the morning commute. (CBS)

2. Mercy Housing received City Council approval this week to expand and renovate the Belray Apartments at 3150 N. Racine Ave. “The renovated building will be 100 percent affordable, and it will provide housing to individuals who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness,” attorney Steve Friedland told Block Club Chicago. (Block Club)

3. The first-ever World Comedy Expo will kick off today in Chicago, featuring 170 comedians. Lakeview venues include Annoyance Theatre and the Laugh Factory, with stand-up and sketch shows on the schedule. (Block Club)

4. The Cubs president of business operations is responding to criticism about a sportsbook being constructed outside of the ballpark. Crane Kenney told the Tribune, “Change is not always welcome at Wrigley Field” but that the organization is “being really protective of the character” of the Friendly Confines. (Paid source: Tribune)

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Today in Lakeview:

• Visit El Mariachi Tequila Bar & Grill, Hutch American Bistro and more for Chicago Restaurant Week. (4 p.m.)
• Watch the NCAA Tournament at A. J. Hudson's Public House. (6 p.m.)
• Set in Chicago in the 1950s, see “The Outfit” at the Landmark. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Save the date: the Belmont Bunny Hop is set for April 16. (Chamber)
• Music Box Theatre will host an Oscar viewing party Sunday night. (Music Box)
• Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $6 million to Habitat for Humanity Chicago. (NBC)

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• Improovy Painters Chicago — (Visit website)
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Events:

• Lowered Costs for 2022, Get Your Cannabis Card in 24 hours from home! (March 26)
• Book Launch: Las Aventuras de Ana la Abeja/The Adventures of Ana the Bee (March 27)
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Announcements:

• BHHS Chicago Announces New Office at 5019 N. Clark St. in Chicago (Details)
• BHHS Chicago Honored Among Top 10 Brokerages in National Network (Details)
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That's all for today, Lakeview!

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.