Lincolnwood Review

Myron & Phil Steakhouse’s fire recovery could take 10 months

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:22:00 -0500

Mark Freedman’s ambitious plans to reopen steakhouse Myron & Phil for business a month after a May 8 blaze have been pushed back as long as eight to 10 months, Freedman said this week. Freedman, Myron’s son and the restaurant’s current owner, said he’s been in “cleanup mode” during the six weeks since the fire, and new estimates from the insurance and restoration companies he’s working with have pushed a reopen date back to sometime next spring. “When you walk in the restaurant, it’s an eerie scene because all the tables and settings are set up like we’re ready for …

Man reported masturbating near Lincolnwood pool

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:46:01 -0500

Police received a call of a man masturbating inside a parked vehicle on the 7100 block of Kostner Avenue near the Proesel Park Pool at 3:25 p.m. Monday. The caller said she was walking southbound on Lincoln Avenue just south of the L’Woods restaurant when she passed an older model Mercedes SUV parked next to the fence of the pool area and observed a white male in his late 40s or early 50s with gray hair inside the vehicle. The man appeared to be masturbating, police said. Police did not locate the vehicle after checking the area. Pool staff was …

Study: Chicagoans spend $300 million yearly on unused data for cellphones

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:03:34 -0500

Chicagoans pay nearly $300 million every year on unused data for their cellphones, according to a new report. The study, from the Citizens Utilities Board and Texas-based wireless research firm Validas, said that Illinoisans each spend about $30 a year on unused data on wireless phones and almost $200 a year on unused data on smartphones, totaling more than $1 billion a year on data that no one uses. “Illinoisans are spending more than the combined team salaries of the Cubs, White Sox and Cardinals,” said CUB executive director David Kolata. The research is based on data collected through Validas’ …

Report: 9 percent of Illinois’ bridges ‘structurally deficient’

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:38:37 -0500

Nearly 9 percent of Illinois’ bridges are “structurally deficient” and in need of serious maintenance or replacement -- an uptick of 1 percent from two years ago, a new report on the state of the nation’s bridges indicates.

Summer concerts warm up in Lincolnwood

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:36:56 -0500

Move over Ravinia: A summer concert series in Proesel Park means Lincolnwood residents don’t have to travel up to Highland Park to enjoy a perfect summer evening spent listening to music under the stars. An eight-week summer concert series kicking off June 13 will treat concert-revelers to memorable summer nights at Proesel Park filled with free live music performed by local bands, and family-focused entertainment, including bingo and weekly children’s activities. The weekly concerts, starting at 7 p.m. each Thursday through August 15, (except July 4) will feature a wide range of music genres, including rock-and-roll, old-time swing, Motown classics …

Public Works designated as go-to disaster building in Lincolnwood

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:36:55 -0500

Although a mass outbreak of the plague or a catastrophic nuclear disaster are unlikely events, the Village of Lincolnwood is taking precautions by designating the public works department building as the go-to meeting point in the event of a public health emergency. Trustees gave the green light on an agreement between the village and the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) Tuesday to use the building at 7001 N. Lawndale Ave. as the official clinical location to serve residents in the event of such an emergency. The agreement joins Lincolnwood with more than 125 Cook County-area municipalities that have …

Lincolnwood firefighters breathe easier

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:12:00 -0500

A federal grant awarded to the Lincolnwood Fire Department last week will pay for new breathing equipment to replace 16 worn-out air packs and reserve bottles that are more than a decade old. The Lincolnwood Fire Department is one of just a handful of municipalities in Illinois to receive a slice of $305,877 in grants handed out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Department of Human Services “Assistance to Firefighters Grant” (AFG). The $105,541 grant will be used to purchase replacement parts for some of the department’s aging equipment, including extra breathing hoses for each of the …

Rutledge Hall wordsmiths take national honor

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:38:14 -0500

A group young wordsmiths at Rutledge Hall gained national recognition last month for beating nearly 500 schools across the U.S. to place in the top five at this year’s WordMasters competition. The 45 students on the fourth grade team came in fourth place in the U.S. with a cumulative team score of 554 points out of 600, and the fifth grade team’s 22 students placed fifth with 561 points on the same scoring scale. Those who think they really are smarter than a fifth grader may think again after trying out some of the questions on these exams. The questions …

Buyer saves Long Grove Confectionery days before closing

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:38:42 -0500

LONG GROVE — The Long Grove Confectionery Co. was days away from closing when its founders, John and Heidi Mangel, negotiated its sale last week to Arway Confections, Inc. of Chicago.

Gurnee looks ahead to digital streaming

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:26:01 -0500

Libraries long ago stocked more than books as they evolved with modern media, adding vinyl record albums, cassette tapes, laser discs, and then CDs and DVDs.

Checking out the future: Libraries look beyond the shelves

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:28:14 -0500

Jeff Weisensel doesn’t have a job, not for the past 14 months anyway, since Kraft Foods restructured him out the door after 22 years. But he does have a library — the $28 million Glenview Public Library, opened in 2011 — whose inviting lobby is part art gallery, part cafeteria — patrons are welcome to eat and drink there — and part social center.

Morton Grove man explores war-torn Syria

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:50:01 -0500

Tyler Smith wanted to see the Syrian conflict with his own eyes. When the Morton Grove native arrived earlier this year, he wasn’t with the Red Cross, Greenpeace or the United States military.

Metra cops will be spending more time on trains, platforms talking with riders

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:28:02 -0500

The new safety initiative merely redeploys the existing 100-person Metra police force and is not a response to a specific crime concern, Metra officials said.

Restaurants could be required to post inspection scores

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 06:56:25 -0500

Lincolnwood restaurant owners may soon be required to post the results of public health inspections if a village-driven initiative materializes. Under current protocols, the results of bi-annual inspections conducted by Cook County Department of Public Health inspectors are distributed to two places — an archive system maintained by the village, and to the food establishment owner, who isn’t required to show the scores to the public. In order to see a report, there are hoops to jump through — requests must be filed through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the village. The proposed changes aim to make …

Lincolnwood flood control debate overflows

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 06:56:15 -0500

The need to upgrade Lincolnwood’s inefficient sewer system was magnified by the April storm that left hundreds of Lincolnwood homes soggy with sewer water, but efforts to get moving with a sewer system overhaul project was delayed again at the Tuesday village board meeting. Trustees, village staff and members of the public spent two hours bickering about a specific detail of the estimated $33.6 million sewer remodel that dealt with the issue of whether stormwater should be temporarily contained above ground or below — before taking no action. Although the debate stretched late into the night, little — if any …