Niles Herald-Spectator

Russian bookstore finds Niles niche

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:16:00 -0500

To an average person walking west on Golf Road, the sign above the City of Joy bookstore doesn’t say much. There is the name of the store, a picture of dolls in colorful outfits and a picture of several hardcover books facing spine out.

Niles chamber still touts village’s industry

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:45:42 -0500

Industry has been an important part of the Niles’ economy for most of the village’s existence. So when the Niles Chamber of Commerce and Industry incorporated in 1971, it chose a name that would reflect its effort to promote the well-being of commercial and industrial businesses alike. Today, industrial businesses make up a small fraction of the chamber’s overall membership. But according to Katie Schneider, the chamber’s executive director, the organization is as committed to supporting them as much as it would any other members. And their support doesn’t end at businesses themselves – it also extends to the employees. …

Decrepit Des Plaines River dam could be removed in Niles

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:30:40 -0500

With the help from the state, canoers and fish may soon travel downstream more easily from the North Branch of the Chicago River. The Niles Park District and Illinois Department of Natural Resources are in talks to remove broken concrete of a decrepit dam located south of Howard Street. The state is investing nearly $10 million over two years to remove 12 dams in Cook County on the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers. Niles’ dam is among of a handful of local water barriers targeted under the Illinois Dam Removal Initiative in an effort to improve conservation, water quality and …

Niles West grad swapping English for Chinese this summer

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:20:35 -0500

Skokie native Yevgeniya Berdysheva immersed herself in the study of multiple languages after graduating from Niles West High School in 2010. Now, her determination to master Chinese has landed her a prestigious scholarship from the U.S. State Department. Berdysheva — a junior at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. — was awarded one of about 630 “Critical Language Scholarships” that enable a select number of U.S. college students to partake in an intensive eight-week language study course in a foreign country during the summer months. Each summer, the scholarship program sends students overseas to study less-common languages such as Arabic, …

Kitchen bands play everything but the sink

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:27:07 -0500

Who needs polished violins and grand pianos when there are pickle jars and spoons to play? Local seniors are turning normal household goods into instruments, proving that music can be made with anything. More than 100 of these creative musicians gathered at the Niles Senior Center May 22 for the 10th annual kitchen band jamboree. Groups from Libertyville, Antioch and Carpentersville joined the Niles Rhythm Band for the weekday sing-along show. Some played guitar and keyboard, while others scraped washboards and clapped wooden spoons. Leaders of the bands said the only requirements for participating are a willingness to perform and …

Niles planning new ways to get around

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:26:01 -0500

If you’re a bicyclist, Niles has some things to offer. The North Branch bike trail runs through the village, along the Chicago River. Niles Free Bus vehicles are equipped with bike racks, and so are many Niles public buildings. But the village hasn’t done much to expand its biking infrastructure and facilities – until now. The Niles Multi-Modal Plan Steering Committee is taking its first steps toward developing a Village of Niles Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. With help from consultant Sam Schwartz Engineering and the Niles Department of Community Planning, the committee is working on ways to make it easier …

Purple Hotel set for demolition again

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:12:25 -0500

Lincolnwood’s iconic Purple Hotel appears to be dead. Plans to use the hotel as part of a $20 million mixed-use development have been spiked, after the hotel owners announced Tuesday a decision to demolish the colorful building and start fresh with plans for a larger mixed-use development. The big purple landmark that has maintained a presence at 4500 W. Touhy Avenue since 1961 will be demolished at the expense of property owners Skokie-based North Capital Group, which announced the change in plans to village trustees Tuesday night. North Capital Group acquired the property for $8.3 million in a bankruptcy sale …

Construction on Touhy bridge over Edens delayed

Fri, 24 May 2013 20:24:16 -0500

Prep work for construction on the Touhy Avenue bridge over the Edens Expressway is continuing to force intermittent closures of half the connecting ramps, but the full project has been delayed until after Memorial Day. The bridge rehab project, headed by the Illinois Department of Transportation, was scheduled to begin May 13 and shutter two ramps until July, when the construction was set to wrap up. But a contractor working on the project went out of business, pushing the start date back at least two weeks, IDOT spokeswoman Jae Miller said. “Unfortunately, the project is delayed again due to an …

Local Disaster Center opens for flood victims

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:22:27 -0500

A Disaster Recovery Center, which will allow residents to apply for federal reimbursement and financial aid for damage caused by April 18 flooding, has opened in Des Plaines. The center is located at 1486 Miner St., next to the Des Plaines Theatre. It is operated jointly by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Residents do not need to visit the center to register for FEMA reimbursement or assistance. Registration is available online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling (800) 621-3362. The center is an additional …

Park Ridge, Niles cops head back to doughnut shop rooftops

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:22:27 -0500

Park Ridge and Niles police officers will be headed back up to the rooftops of local Dunkin’ Donuts shops for the annual “Cop on Top” fundraiser for Special Olympics.

Evanston teen charged in shooting near Old Orchard mall

Fri, 24 May 2013 21:15:39 -0500

An Evanston teenager has been charged in the shooting of a boy near Old Orchard mall last week. Rayshawn Taylor, 17, of the 1900 block of Jackson Avenue in Evanston, was charged with one count each of aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon, according to Skokie police. He is accused of shooting a boy about 9:45 p.m. on Friday, May 17, in the 4800 block of Golf Road in Skokie, police said. Emergency personnel found the boy lying on the ground with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the abdomen area. In court Wednesday, Taylor was …

3 Brookfield Zoo dolphins expecting

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:48:20 -0500

Chicago Zoological Society officials say three Brookfield Zoo bottlenose dolphins are pregnant. Officials say Allie, 26, Tapeko, 31, and Spree, 10, are due to give birth this summer and fall.

With mayor ineligible, Niles picks new liquor leader

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:38:56 -0500

With Niles’ newly-elected mayor officially seated, the village board is busy tackling its first order of business: finding a liquor commissioner. The role, traditionally held in the suburbs by the village president or mayor, poses an issue for new leader Andrew Przybylo. As part-owner of his family’s restaurant, White Eagle Banquets, he holds a liquor license. Under Illinois law, public officials in communities with 50,000 or more residents are prohibited from being liquor license holders. Niles’ population, just under 29,000, puts the village below the threshold that triggers the ban. But, in order to avoid conflicts of interest, recent legislation …

Hawkettes coach dances around conflicts

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:26:19 -0500

Maine South High School’s Hawkettes varsity dance team has won awards at the local and national levels. But when Hawkettes arrived at the Maine Township High School District 207 board meeting in May, they were doing a different sort of dance.

Stringing together 36 years of business in Niles

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:41:48 -0500

On a weekday afternoon, Minstrel Music store is buzzing with activity. In the front, an employee answers a customer’s questions about one of the guitars hanging on the walls. In the workshop area in back, another employee is taking apart an amplifier. And over in a classroom, one of the instructors is teaching a teenage boy how to play guitar. Since 1977, Minstrel Music has been selling and repairing guitars and amplifiers for aspiring musicians and professionals alike. In recent years, the store shifted focus somewhat as revenues from the repair of vintage sound equipment and music classes increased. But …

GQ editor, Park Ridge native digs into dad’s death

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:27:50 -0500

Michael Hainey grew up with a family mystery. He was just 6 years old when his father, Bob, a copy editor with the Chicago Sun-Times, died suddenly at age 35. As an adult, Hainey, a Park Ridge native, realized that certain things he had been told about his father’s death didn’t add up.