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July 2012
The Latest Chicago Public Schools Skirmish: Elected School Board
By Whet Moser
Chicago is unusual among school districts nationwide for its appointed school board, but less so among urban districts, where school board elections can be expensive and politicized. After an experiment with a hybrid model led to full mayoral control in 1995, there's increased interest, including from some aldermen, in trying again. Read more
Words and Pictures
By JOANNE TRESTRAIL
Serious collectors know all about the Fine Books and Manuscripts auctions Leslie Hindman holds from time to time, and they’re sure to be all over the Hemingway and Fitzgerald first editions at the next one, Wednesday, August 8 (preview Sunday through Tuesday) ... Read more
Rodkin on Appraisal Disputes
Readers ask questions, and our real estate expert answers. This week, a reader named Penny from Florida asks if her appraiser, who valued her home lower than expected, is right about a garage-adjacent room not being an actual bedroom. Read more
Can Pat Quinn Ban Assault Weapons in Illinois?
By Whet Moser
Illinois has long been a key battleground in the debate over the Second Amendment, from the banning of labor militias in the 1870s, to the tommy guns that curtailed Americans' rights to certain types of guns, to Morton Grove's handgun ban, the first in the nation. And that past history, stretching back to the Civil War, determines what the state can and can't do. Read more
EFFEN Vodka’s Art of Design
July 18, 2012--Guests joined EFFEN at Studio Paris as local mixologists competed to design the best EFFEN Vodka martini. Guests sampled delectable EFFEN cocktails and voted for best martini. Read more
Homey Economics
By JOANNE TRESTRAIL
Granted, we’re suckers for vintage china and cloth napkins, generally, so it’s no surprise that one of our favorite new places to eat is Antique Taco in Wicker Park ... Read more
What to Do This Weekend: Go Amish in Indiana
By Catey Sullivan
More than 300 artisans are expected to turn out for the 50th Annual Arts and Crafts Festival that blankets the grounds of the Amish Acres farm in Nappanee, Indiana from Thursday, August 2 through Sunday, August 5... Read more