The Democratic Party of Illinois today hosted candidate interview sessions at five locations – in Chicago, Springfield, Bolingbrook, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg. Out of the roughly 260-265 applicants still in the running, according to party spokesman Steve Brown, about a third have RSVPed to speak today before some of the 38 Democratic State Central Committeemen and Committeewomen (or their proxies).

State Senator Iris Martinez, herself a member of the State Central Committee, asks to be considered for the nomination. (WBEZ/Sam Hudzik)

I dropped by the event at the Chicago Hilton, where – due to high demand – the party was holding interviews simultaneously in two rooms. Read the rest of this entry →

Charlie Trotter

I’m glad I didn’t have a reservation at Restaurant Charlie when I was in town last weekend.  As I retweeted a post from Las Vegas Food Critic John Curtas, Charlie Trotter (pictured) decided to close his eponymous restaurant at the Palazzo Thursday night, after just two years of operation.

“We just no longer had the traffic to justify the offering in the Palazzo property,” Rochelle Smith Trotter, Mr. Trotter’s wife and publicist told Crain’s ChicagoBusiness. “It was really a function of, can we sustain it and how long can we sustain it for?”

It didn’t help to go into Vegas at the beginning of a recession, but the restaurant’s location beneath an escalator in a fancy shopping mall didn’t help either.  Oddly enough, David Burke closed his namesake restaurant on the same day in the adjacent Venetian.  ”There were just too many high-end restaurants opening in Vegas at the same time,” Curtas said.  ”This closing is no surprise to me.” Read the rest of this entry →

Andrew Gill and Althea Legaspi continue the SXSW Pool Sessions in Austin, TX. They are holed up at the La Quinta Inn and have invited bands over to the pool for interviews and live performances. This installment? Chicago (and Australian) artist Via Tania.

Watch on a mobile device.

Chicagoans are stressed lately. March Madness brackets, looming tax forms and a healthy St. Patrick’s Day hangover can leave the city in need of some serious comfort food. Whether that comfort food is Chinese, Greek or just a new twist on American favorites, this upcoming week offers plenty of options to indulge.

• The second Chinatown Dining Tour, hosted by the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, will take place on Wednesday, March 24. Featuring more than 15 participating restaurants, the tour will provide a wide variety of tasty dishes from the neighborhood. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 the day of the tour and can be purchased at www.chicagochinatown.org. Call (312) 326-5320 for more details.

• In honor of Greek Independence Day, Athena restaurant in Greek Town is celebrating with 25% off all dine-in food orders. Read the rest of this entry →

. . . we provide you the Davy Crockett theme-song, with Burl Ives. (We don’t find it annoying–but as current as today’s headlines.)

Adios Amigo!

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We’re down to the wire and I think folks are getting antsy.

My sister apparently takes our surname seriously, and she decided to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – despite the fast. Megan said she gave herself a $20 spending limit. (I found this out via Facebook.) I bet her friend and fellow faster Amber was in cahoots with this breach!

In New York, Chana said she wanted to take a cab after chemo because she felt crappy. But she got on the train “because I’m trying to follow the dog-on rules.” Oh, great. Now I sound like the jerk who makes her sick friend take the subway. Not to worry folks, she’s still a superhero who thinks this exchange was pretty funny.

Read the rest of this entry →

This morning we wrapped up our second week of stories and conversations about the juvenile justice system in Illinois. We’re calling the series Inside and Out.

As our reporting during the series has shown, this is a hot issue with a lot of passion on all sides. No one is opposed to making the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice work better. It’s just about how the state goes about it. And that brings us to an example from earlier this week of how – at times – it seems like the pitch of this debate has gotten so tense that no one can hear each other.

On Tuesday late afternoon – and into the evening – a state Senate Appropriations Committee met in Springfield, and it ended with quite a bang. I was a couple hundred miles away in Chicago when this hearing took place. But the following is what I’ve been able to confirm from multiple sources (several on the understanding that they would not be named). Read the rest of this entry →

Andrew Gill and Althea Legaspi continue their SXSW coverage with another installment of The SXSW Pool Sessions. This one features two songs from the Oregon based Horse Feathers.

and…

We are starting a new series featuring live music performances poolside the La Quinta Inn in Austin, TX.  Bands are coming over to Eight Forty-Eight contributor Althea Legaspi’s hotel for quick chats and live performances during this year’s SXSW festival. Our producer Andrew Gill brought the fancy camera down to Austin this week and is putting together these great performances for the series. Check back today, this weekend and all of this week for more SXSW pool sessions!

Here’s the first installment with Chicago band Pretty Good Dance Moves.

WHAT IS Frisbee Friday?

Frisbee Friday is a new tradition here at MISSion Amy K.R., and it goes like this.

Every Friday (or random, sporadic Fridays; I haven’t decided which yet), I am going to find something cool to share and then toss it your way. Like this:

http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2009/02/so_amazing_but.php

That to me is really cool.  (And thank you, Marie-Claude for the tip.)  It is worth tossing your way.  And it is exactly what Frisbee Friday is all about.

Wait!  Quick reminder to all of you who have a fondness for donuts, sitting down, and the great city of Chicago:

TOMORROW SATURDAY MARCH 20TH! WE’RE GOING NOWHERE FAST TOGETHER!

The adventure begins at 9:45 am at the Belmont “L” stop, 945 W. Belmont.  A reason to spring out of bed on the first day of spring!

(Here’s the video again if you want the whole story…set to pretty music.)

miss amy k.r.