This city might be home to the neighborhood tavern and Jeppson’s Malört, but some areas of Chicago still ban alcohol sales. Read on for this and more stories from WTTW News.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
A file photo of XOchimilco restaurant in Ravenswood. (WTTW News)
|
This November, voters can choose the next president, all seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and dozens of judicial races. But in one sliver of a precinct in the 47th Ward, voters can overturn a pre-Prohibition ban on liquor sales that has been in place for more than a century.
This 1907 ban affects a section of the ninth precinct of the 47th Ward — between Montrose, Damen, Lincoln and Sunnyside avenues. That’s where XOchimilco, a Ravenswood Mexican restaurant, is located. Because of that ban, it's ineligible for a liquor license. XOchimilco’s owners took to the streets to collect the minimum 150 signatures from the 497 registered voters living in the “dry” area.
They succeeded, and voters will see this question on their ballot: “Shall the prohibition of the sale at retail of alcoholic liquor be continued in the 9th Precinct of the 47th Ward of the City of Chicago (as such precinct existed as of the last general election)?” At least 51% of impacted voters will need to vote “no” if XOchimilco is to win the ability to get a liquor license.
Some backstory:
Ravenswood residents petitioned to make the area a “prohibition district” more than 100 years ago amid a burgeoning temperance movement.
According to the city’s elections board, Chicago has 1,291 precincts; within them, 350 areas in Chicago are “dry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learn more about advertising & sponsorship with WTTW.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
(WTTW News)
|
Prisons in Illinois are currently facing a staffing crisis, according to a new report from the prison watchdog group the John Howard Association. It found understaffing greatly increases the amount of lockdowns and staff overtime and impacts the overall health, safety and well-being of staff and incarcerated people. There was a 28% deficit for security staff and 23% overall deficit from authorized facility-based staffing as of Sept. 1, 2024, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. Overall,
there’s been a steady decline in security staff numbers since 2018.
Some facts:
When facilities are short-staffed, time out of cells or sleeping areas is usually the first thing to suffer.
Lockdowns, typically meaning facility-wide restrictions consistent with solitary confinement or restrictive housing, have risen 285% from 2019 to 2024. These restrictions can limit incarcerated people’s access to programming, work, recreation, phone calls, visitation and other activities.
When these programs and supports are limited or cut off altogether, there are significant impacts to mental health and levels of stress.
Staffing shortages can also impact the ability to provide adequate medical care, to process both legal and non-legal mail and to continue educational, behavioral health and vocational programs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back in the Day: October 24, 2014 - National Republic Bank of Chicago Closed By Regulators
|
Bank failures aren’t uncommon in the U.S., even recently. Since Oct. 1, 2000, there have been 570 in this country alone, or, around 24 per year. The good news is that in 2024, only two banks have shut down, and it’s been a relatively rare occurrence since the early 2010s (in 2009 and 2010, there were 140 and 157 closures respectively). Still, this year, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that more banks will fail due to their exposure to the commercial real estate sector. On this day 10 years ago, the National Republic Bank of Chicago was shut down on Oct. 24, 2014 — it was the fifth bank failure in Illinois that year and the 16th in the country. The $954 million asset bank was closed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as receiver. The FDIC sold $626 million of the failed bank's assets to the State Bank of Texas in Dallas and the FDIC assumed
all of the failed bank's deposits. It was one of the 10 largest bank failures of this decade.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learn more about advertising & sponsorship with WTTW.
|
|
|
|
|
Arts and Culture Events Recommendations From Marc Vitali
|
 |
Ronnie Baker Brooks (credit: Paul Natkin)
|
Every Thursday, WTTW News arts correspondent Marc Vitali runs down the essential arts and culture events happening around Chicago.
We’ve covered Halloween here before so there’s just one All Hallows Eve event in this week’s recommendations. Also potentially frightening – the first item in our list requires either a tankful of gas or an Amtrak ticket.
“Freedom in Form: Richard Hunt” – Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The first major exhibition in Illinois to feature Chicago artist Richard Hunt – who died last year at age 88 – takes place in Springfield. Hunt’s sculptures were often inspired by history, so the Presidential Library is an inspired choice for the show. Opens Friday, Oct 25.
Mid-Century Modern House Tour – Edith Farnsworth House, etc
A deep dive for modernist fans with deep pockets – $200 tickets include meals and transport. It’s a rare chance to tour three iconic homes – the Farnsworth House in Plano, the Round House in Aurora, and the Schweikher House in Schaumburg. Saturday, Oct 26.
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” – Rockefeller Memorial Chapel
The 1923 silent film finds sanctuary at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. Organist Jay Warren performs the score on the pipe organ, while Lon Chaney breaks hearts as the abused bell ringer of Victor Hugo’s gothic novel. Sunday, Oct 27.
“Blues in My DNA” – Ronnie Baker Brooks
Check out a local artist on a local label and their ties to a late, great bluesman. Ronnie Baker Brooks embraces his past on “Blues in My DNA,” his first LP on Alligator Records – the label home of his father, Lonnie Brooks.
“INSERT COIN: Inside Midway’s Arcade Revolution” – College of DuPage
The Cleve Carney Museum of Art hosts an exhibition that you can actually play – 15 classic arcade games plus ephemera and videos chronicle the history of one of Chicago’s most prominent game makers, Midway Games. Opens Saturday, October 26.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tell us about the last concert you attended in Chicago. What did you see and where was
it?
|
|
|
Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published.
|
|
|
|
|
|
5:30 PM | 10:00 PM
|
|
|
|
Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more.
|
Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry
|
|
|
|
|
