White Christmas in the Tri-Cities—Too Close to Call

The National Weather Service says it might be, it could be ...

The chances of us having a white Christmas here in the Tri-Cities appears to be about 50-50 if you look at the National Weather Service reports, and if you have an optimistic spirit. Yes, we've got a Hazardous Weather Outlook now, but the forecast varies between snow and no snow, below freezing and above freezing for the coming week. Here's the NWS seven-day forecast for good old 41.88°N, 88.32°W, along with Patch play-by-play commentary in bold italics: Today: Increasing clouds, with a temperature falling to around 38 by 5pm. North northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Wonderful weather for walking the dog, but not looking good for a white Christmas at this point. Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. …

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Jeff Ward: Notes on West Suburban Civilization

Jeff Ward: The Smart People Really Do Live in the Suburbs

When it comes to comparing the suburbs and the big city, Chicago doesn't have a sporting chance.

It always amazes me how a non sequitur sentence in a column can set off some overly sensitive, surly and snooty comments. To wit, in my recent Patch piece concerning the city of Chicago’s rabid revenue raising ruses, I uttered this simple, but obvious truth: “The smart people live in the suburbs for a reason.” And after they got a suburbanite to read the column to them, those Second City citizens shrieked and howled almost as if I'd said that Starbucks stopped serving Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mochas. (Chicagoans drink some rather strange things.) So now we know why they call it the “Windy City.” Ah, well! I suppose having to face a bitter truth can be difficult for folks who have to inhale bus fumes on a regular basis. In their …

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Haunted Haunts

VIDEO: Paranormal Research Team Investigates Unrequited Love Haunting

A Chicago area restaurant is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who died after an affair gone wrong.

The Country House in Clarendon Hills is known in the Chicago area for its burgers, but it’s also known for something else. “I took a ghost tour once, many years ago, and one of the stops was this restaurant,” said Diana LaPointe, who has been a longtime patron of the restaurant. Lynn Banks, the restaurant's manager, has worked there for 29 years. She said in that time she's frequently felt the sensation of being watched. "I've seen shadows go by, and you go look and nobody’s there besides you," said Banks. "We’ve had customers that have made comments, especially about the women’s bathroom. They’ll be in one stall then they’ll hear the other one open and close, and they’ll see a shadow or something, but nobody else is in there.” Because of …

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Frank Medina

4:41 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011

This is an amazing love story!   more ›

Haunted Haunts

Spirits Haunt Cuba Road, White Cemetery?

Patch takes a look at stories about paranormal activity taking place along Cuba Road near White Cemetery in Barrington.

Have you ever driven down Cuba Road in Barrington and thought you saw something out of the ordinary? Even ghostlike? You aren’t alone. Dozens of people have claimed to see ghosts and other paranormal activity along Cuba Road, specifically around White Cemetery. The so-called haunted cemetery dates back to the 1800s, and its past is teeming with spooky legends. Chicagoland ghost researcher Dale Kaczmarek explains the paranormal activity associated with this spot. “There are a lot of old local legends associated with the cemetery, first of all, including one that was actually started in the 1960s by a Palatine school teacher of a hooked spirit, a man with a hook, that’s been seen out here. It’s an urban legend, it’s nothing more than an …

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Jeff Ward: Notes on West Suburban Civilization

Jeff Ward: Why I Won't Set Foot in Chicago

A commuter tax? What will they think of next?

I refuse to set foot in the city of Chicago. Even if it means having to endure a decade long yearning to gaze upon that Wrigley Field ivy, I won’t do it. That’s how serious I am. I may miss the Lyric and long to see Mr. Muti and his crew, but they, the Planetarium and the Field Museum will just have to get along without me. My aversion to the “City that Works” started with the installation of 200 red-light camera intersections, most of which have seen their yellow light times reduced to the legal three-second minimum—or less! It continued with privatized street parking rates that make the most hardened loan shark blush, and it ended with a 10.25 percent sales tax, the highest in the nation. The only force on the planet that can make me …

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MaryfromIL

5:58 pm on Sunday, January 6, 2013

Jason, It is a myth that CPS test scores aren’t improving. According to the state in 2012, C.P.S. has steadily improved in all areas of the ISAT test. In fact, in 2002 the overall picture was 41.1%, which is failing. In 2012 C.P.S. leaped to 74%. That is an 80% increase in 10 years! http://www.examiner.com/article/chicago-public-school-test-scores Here is the State Report Card link for those test…   more ›

Inside Geneva: Denise Linke

Denise Linke: What Do Chicagoans Have to Say About Geneva? Here's a Sample

A stroll through the Loop asking natives what they know about our town prompts some interesting responses.

Last week, a magazine assignment took me into downtown Chicago to interview an authority on dental implants. When I mentioned my travel plans to friends and acquaintances, I was surprised by the responses I heard regarding our metropolitan neighbor to the east. First there were the usual cautions: “Don’t take a cab—they’ll rip you off every time” and “Watch your purse—there’s thieves everywhere downtown." Then there were those who wanted to share a special memory linked to Chicago, whether it was petting the stone lions guarding the Art Institute, seeing themselves in the Bean sculpture or just shopping at Marshall Field's back when it was still Marshall Field's. That made me wonder if any Chicago residents are walking around with memories…

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