Dispatch from Beat 1432 CAPS Mtg

By Nandika Doobay

At the Beat 1432 CAPS meeting held at the Holstein Park field house last Thursday, Sgt. Bielicki and Beat Officer Sackett of the 14th District discussed the following crime statistics, arrest highlights, and community alerts.

Instances of robbery, aggravated battery, motor vehicle theft are on the rise while theft, burglary, and narcotics arrests were down compared to this time last year.

Gang graffiti in the area has gone down, while 'tagging' is very much on the rise. On the night of Aug. 20, a bike rider called in that they had spotted some taggers near 2000 W. McLean Ave., which resulted in two arrests.

Officer Sackett told meeting attendees about a simple call that led to an action-packed ordeal from the night before. An anonymous witness called 911 about hearing power tool sounds coming from a truck rental lot on the 2200 block of N. Elston. When Officer Sackett and his colleagues arrived at the scene they heard someone drop a heavy metallic object and began to search the lot. Officers found a catalytic converter on the ground along with tools used to remove them from vehicles.

They continued their search, beneath, under and even on top of the trucks until they noticed a ladder leading down to a barge on the Chicago River where the assailant could have fled. When checking out the scene at the river, officers found a man bobbing up and down in the water who appeared to be in distress. Fire trucks, river police and even an emergency helicopter showed up. Police used the thick rope that secures the barge to get a hold of the man and bring him out of water. The man claimed he had broken his leg while falling into the river and was hospitalized before being charged with burglary.

In other news, there is a business alert concerning a scam in which people posing as Health Department employees attempt to schedule inspections of local businesses. The suspects tell victims that they will receive text messages to their personal phones regarding the inspections. The Department of Health DOES NOT utilize text messaging or websites to schedule inspections (in fact, the plan is that they pop in by surprise), and they encourage businesses to ask for employee identification and badges.

When The Pipeline asked about Mayor Daley's recent announcement that he will be pulling 200 police officers off of CAPS duty and putting them back onto the reportedly understaffed streets, Sgt. Bielicki said that she was unaware of any changes being made to the program. "There has been nothing in writing, as far as I know, but a lot of things might change."

--By Nandika Doobay

Pipeline History & Editorial Policy (updated 10/18/10)

The Pipeline weekly e-newsletter began on April 6, 2009. As of October, we have published aka hit the 'send' button on over 80 weekly issues! Thank you for reading.

Initially called Street Scene and focusing on Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce member news, we became The Pipeline this past July. The change allowed us to focus on neighborhood happenings as well as events pertaining to the business community; it also enabled us to solicit new funding and advertising sponsors to support the many hours of labor invested into each issue. Content takes time.

With a mission of helping to promote the neighborhood's local economy and inspire awareness of and participation in community events, we feature news & happenings pertaining to businesses and residents in our home turf of Wicker Park & Bucktown. On occasion we venture into nearby neighborhoods of Logan Square and West Town. The addition of Philin Phlash to our team means that we now include many images from out of the neighborhood.

Depending on the week, about one third to half of our content is sponsored, and the remainder is 'seen-in-passing,' or contributed by others, or appearing in the form of aggregated news links. Because we know there are many voices out there besides our own, we spend a great deal of time reading blogs or following other writers for enjoyment as well as for attempting to present as full of a snapshot each week of the area as enthusiastically possible.

We welcome all potential advertising inquires save for religious groups and multilevel marketing (MLM) opportunities such as Avon, Lia Sophia, etc. All sponsored news is labeled as such.


Due to the the fact the e-newsletter is written mainly by just a few people, it is not possible to address every lead which is sent in, or to cover every event in-depth, or to mention every sale though we appreciate your leads and often follow up on the ones which we think would be of interest to readers. In regards to original photography, please note that it remains the sole property of The Pipeline. Any unauthorized use of our images without explicit permission is very uncool. Why? It takes TIME to snap and edit photos, and by stealing the photos we take, you are saying that you were there, when it actuality you were not. By all means, go ahead and use any of our images, but do credit where you saw the image, and if you want to use more than a few images, portions of our library dating back to 2005 are available for purchase,with proceeds benefiting the continued existence of The Pipeline.

Don't feel like we're covering your happenings? Feel free to submit content to us. Your deadline is MONDAY NIGHT. If it doesn't sound like a blatant sales pitch and it fits with the newsletter tone, we'll be happy to include it! Please send event listings (community meetings, art openings, fundraisers) to streetsofwicker@hotmail.com. If you send out a weekly or monthly e-newsletter, please include a web version link at the top for easier viewing as well as linking purposes. We cannot link to your e-newsletter if there is no weblink. The "include web link" check box can be found in your settings shortly before you send out your email. Update Aug. 2010: Thanks to many of you for now adding weblinks!!

We have a very limited amount of time and space each week and try to make the experience as fun for you to read as it is for us to write. If you have constructive feedback to help make The Pipeline better or more useful, please email streetsofwicker@hotmail.com. We are also looking for a web designer. Please send inquiries and samples of your design work to streetsofwicker@hotmail.com

Though there's a time and place for criticism and snark, it is not in the Pipeline, thus we would never write a story that we wouldn't want written about ourselves or include what we deem to be an unflattering image. We believe in the power of human relationships and connections over dollar signs and strive for authenticity in tone and 'voice.' We are only capable of writing about people and places which inspire us. Thankfully there's no shortage of muses in the neighborhood!

We welcome and encourage submissions and story leads/tips from contributors and will try to include your stories if they are a good fit. We currently pay others for professional proofreading, video interview stories, crime coverage, and listings. 100% of advertising sponsorship dollars-- which we personally solicit-- are applied toward paying ourselves and contributors.

All featured food is purchased on our own dime unless noted. Corrections are noted in the following week's issue. We do not share any content prior to sending. Your emails are confidential and we do not share our list with any second or third party.

If you have any questions or would like to follow-up, or explore advertising, email me at streetsofwicker@hotmail.com

Thank you for reading this evolving editorial policy. We hope to continue being around in the future and thank you for reading the newsletter. Note: The ONLY way we can continue being around in the future is for our ADV sponsorship pipeline to be as strong as our content pipeline. If you like The Pipeline, and recognize it as a viable and trusted source for local communications, consider frequenting our ADV sponsors, because by supporting them you are supporting the continued growth of The Pipeline too. Thanks for reading.

Up close with Barry of Barry Drugs

There's a bit more response to this video over on the Windy Citizen, a site that I love and is a lot of fun, and I was mildly addicted to a few months back. 

The video was directed by Gary Marks of Hexagram Productions. 

Thanks for reading-- and watching. 

 

The Pipeline Apartment Envy Club

Ah, it's so much fun to look at cool apartments, and take photos, however, at the end of the day I'm just a member of the Pipeline Apartment Envy Club which just formed about two minutes ago when I uploaded these photos snapped yesterday as I wandered around in the skin freezing cold and wondered if I am insane to continue this weekly eNewsletter in the winter months. 

Though I'd need a roommate or two or three to live in a three bedroom spot like this one-- which includes newly remodeled kitchen, old school tin ceilings, washer and dryer, exposed brick, neat lighting, hardwood floors, and amazing natural light, -- I am thinking maybe there's a reader out there interested in this spot, which is on a less hectic and more quiet stretch of Milwaukee vs. the six corners area. 

While the kitchen is amazing for those that like to cook and entertain, the natural light and the windows facing Milwaukee as well as the painted over tin ceilings are stand outs in the Apartment Envy Club's book. Oh yeah, there's a fireplace, too!

If you are interested in this spot, please email streetsofwicker@hotmail with subject line of APARTMENT. Please mention you saw it in The Pipeline as you will get a special few bucks knocked off for being a true local in the know. 

Six Women (and a Man) on North Damen

(Note: This story initially appeared in the Sept. 21st issue of The Pipeline.  Not mentioned in the story, but also pictured at right are Beth of The Painted Lady with her dog, Stephanie of vive la femme, and Jean of Grasshopper 510. Once I add archiving I can better link to past stories, but for now I am including this story here as I am linking to it in today's Pipeline if I ever finishing addressing all the edits from Pat who is a rockstar mistake finder and we work well together since I make a lot of them, okay, back to the edits...)

When I asked Tony Fitzpatrick, pictured, about changes in the neighborhood that he's witnessed while working out of a studio storefront at 2124 North Damen for the better part of 15 years, the artist had a few responses. The one that struck me most is his observation that he's surrounded by established and new women-owned businesses. Following are just a few reasons why Tony is presumably one happily outnumbered guy...

The mysterious origin of Dianne Crosell's store's name, Crosell & Co., is easy enough: just look at her business card, which would have helped me connect the dots faster, but naturally I just inquired. I took a lot of pictures inside Dianne's cozy two level shop at 1922 N. Damen, full of housewares, picture frames, vases, pitchers, art, furniture, and no doubt dozens of other things I didn't see, all with a modern yet quaint vibe like this chair, pictured, along with Dianne. Dianne, who spent many years in corporate America, celebrated Crosell's third year in business this past June,. "I missed being in retail," she noted. 

Though a long way from Bucktown, Beth Barnett's farm in Buchanan, Michigan is the source for heirloom flowers like lamb's ears, yarrow, marigolds, sunflowers, calendula, zinnias, and dozens more featured over the seasons in the small yet spacious Larkspur, located in a former Polish bakery at 2123 N. Damen. Pictured in today's masthead, Beth set up an official shop of her own six years ago, though she'd been working with flowers for about 15 years, a carefarm in buchananer that began with a part-time job at a floral shop while a student at Columbia College. About half of Larkspur's business is weddings, with the other half a mix of walk-ins, deliveries, and commercial accounts. If Larkspur's flowers look familiar, it's because they adorn the tables and hostess stands of restaurant neighbors Duchamp, Takashi, and Toast Two. (Photo of the Larkspur farm, and flower with grasshopper courtesy of Beth).

Rebecca of Radiance Fine Jewelry, 2139 N. Damen,initially seemed a bit dubious about posing so close to her wares and kneeling behind glass, but after a bit of coaxing I think I accurately caught her smiling face and her enthusiasm for all things jewelry-- and it runs deep! Initially a sculpture major, Rebecca admits she wasn't really a fan of any of the professors in her program and decided to switch from sculpting to metalworking, a decision that more or less--with a few stops in-between, like waitressing at asports bar in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics---led to her own business, now celebrating its third year in Bucktown! 

As I was running late to meet a friend, I didn't get a chance to chat much with Julie (pictured), owner of Virtu, 2034 N. Damen, but during my uber brief stop I learned that she talks fast like me (perhaps even faster, which could be a first). She used to be a photographer, but after losing almost all of her work in a flood she decided to realign energies and opened Virtu in January of 2001.  Along with the three aforementioned shopkeepers, Virtu will participate in a Bucktown Bridal Walk on Sat., October 17th. With all the varied products and services from all four shops, these enterprising women have much to offer local brides and grooms to aid in planning a big day the local way!  Click here to read the press release for the Bridal Walk, which will also include a raffle, special sales, and light appetizers. RSVPs appreciated by calling 773-486-5710, or via email.

Whenever a sign says "Under New Management," my curiosity is piqued, as was the case with The Bucktown Beanery at 2156 N. Damen. The former owner was coincidentally a male, but now the beanery, like many of its neighbors, will be owned by a woman, specifically Erin Baroska, pictured. After a year-long postgraduation stint behind the wheel of an Oscar Mayer weiner mobile, Erin returned to the suburbs to manage a handyman franchise. She reports to The Pipeline that she was looking for a career shift with a fun, relaxed atmosphere, preferably in the city. It was a match made in heaven when she saw the cafe listed for sale on Craigslist and realized that the Bucktown Beanery is the place that her fiance and she always drove by en route to Blackhawk games and always wanted to stop in at. Well, now she can stop in anytime since she's got the keys.

Two other shop owners on North Damen that I intended to include are Robin Richman, and Stephanie Sacks. Robin is the owner of a boutique that bears her name at 2108 N. Damen. Vive la femme at 2048 N. Damen is owned by Stephanie, and recently celebrated its seventh year in business.

Shopping Events Kickoff Nov. 28th

More on area shopping events - Bucktown Bazaar, December on Damen, Do Division, etc. - in this Tuesday's Pipeline eNewsetter, however, here is a flier for a gathering taking place at the Creative Lounge on Sat. Dec. 5th, which will include clothing by Evil Kitty, Anastasia Chatzka, and others! Click on the flier to see a larger version of it. 

(Unrelated to the event is an image of a squirrel spotted in Anastasia Chatzka's boutique's window on Division a few months back.)

 

More Photos from Wicker Park Fest

There's been so many cool photos from Wicker Park Fest that it's impossible to show all of them, though here are a few by Palatine resident Aaron Engler that I saw on Facebook, and, with his permission I am posting here on Streets of Wicker, which serves as a place to store extra content that does not make it into the eNewsletter each week.