I was born in Elgin, 10 minutes before my twin brother, Tim. He has since made up for his tardiness in height, towering over me today by about 1 and 1/2 feet. He and I are tied for the youngest in the family—though I like to consider myself a middle child—and have two older brothers. I grew up on one of the last standing farms in what is now the well-developed area of Prairie View. For those who do not know the town, it is a northwest suburb of Chicago sandwiched in the middle of Long Grove, Buffalo Grove and Lincolnshire. I moved to Minnesota to attend Winona State University, which is situated right on the Mississippi River. During my time there, I left for six months to study abroad in Granada, Spain, where I traveled throughout the provinces and even ran with the bulls in Pamplona. I returned to Illinois in June 2007 after graduating with a B.A. in Mass Communications: Journalism and Spanish. I wrote for The Daily Chronicle in DeKalb until June 2010. There, I covered education for about two years, crime for nearly one and during my home stretch, delved into issues centered on the governments of DeKalb County and the City of Sycamore.
Improvements are ahead for a shiny new salon on Damen Avenue that opened last month. Check out our accompanying photo gallery for a look inside.
As part of a new nutritionally-based curriculum at a Lincoln Park elementary school, students were tasked with selecting groceries to donate to a local food pantry.
Bail has been set for a North Chicago police officer who officials say is to blame for an early Friday morning wrong-way, drunken driving accident on Lake Shore Drive. The crash killed two men, one of whom was a DePaul University student.
Bail has been set for a North Chicago police officer who officials say is to blame for an early Friday morning wrong-way, drunken driving accident on Lake Shore Drive. The crash killed two men.
Bail has been set for a North Chicago police officer who officials say is to blame for an early Friday morning wrong-way, drunken driving accident on Lake Shore Drive. The crash killed two men.
An aggravated assault, aggravated battery, six burglaries, a sex assault, multiple drug charges and several other crimes were reported within Lincoln Park between March 4 and March 11. Check our map to see if any incidents occurred near your home.
The popular Wicker Park barbecue is gearing up to open its addition to the public next month.
This week's Wow House is located on Bradley Place in Northcenter. It's filled with custom amenities. Peruse the accompanying photo gallery to peek inside.
This week's Wow House is located on Burling Street in Lincoln Park. It's filled with custom amenities and is now about $100,000 less expensive as the sellers' original asking price. Peruse the accompanying photo gallery to peek inside.
The sixth Intelligentsia location in Chicago is opening this summer west of Wicker Park in nearby Old Town. It will be adjacent to a new grocery store there.
The sixth Intelligentsia location in Chicago is opening this summer just south of the Lincoln Park border in nearby Old Town. It will be adjacent to a new grocery store.
There's much more to know about St. Patrick's Day beyond green beer, the wearing o' the green and "Kiss Me -- I'm Irish."
Life moves fast and at Chicago Patch, we know it's easy to miss something. Every Saturday, we're compiling a list of the most-read news stories of the past seven days or so that we've reported right here on the North Side.
Police said the Virgin Mobile store on North Clark Street was ransacked overnight.
The closure of the local Children's Memorial Hospital has created a void in foot traffic and visitors to that Lincoln Avenue block. Area officials are looking to shine a spotlight on it this summer in hopes of creating a resurgence for business own
Chicago Police stopped a Blue Line train Wednesday night after an iPhone app led them to two men who they say robbed a victim shortly before boarding.
Patch combed through inspection reports of local restaurants, grocery stores and other food establishments. Some businesses that had previously failed eventually passed, while others had no problems passing the first time.
DePaul University Institute for Housing Studies data released Wednesday shed light on housing market trends in Chicago's neighborhoods. West Town and Logan Square were among the standouts. Those hit hard by the downturn are showing signs of recover
Looking to join the St. Paddy's Day celebrations in Lake View or Lincoln Park this weekend? We've rounded up a slew of specials for drinkers with a hankerin' for a green brew.
DePaul University Institute for Housing Studies data that was released Wednesday shed light on housing market trends in Chicago's neighborhoods. Lake View was among the standouts. Those hit hard by the downturn are showing signs of recovery.
