Irving Park

I wanted to find out if these 'residential pick-up truck parking' signs that I see popping up all over the neighborhood are legit. So far I have only seen them on beat up old pick up trucks and one of them seems to have made the front of my home their place of choice to park. Don't get me wrong, people are allowed to park where they want on the street but there are reasons pick-up truck are considered "B" rated trucks and should only be parked on commercial streets. First, Can Mel's office verify that these signs are being passed out legitimately, since his name is on the sign? Second, why is the city not enforcing "B" plates on pick-up trucks? I need assistance in getting rid of the beater truck that has made the front of my home parking spot of choice.

Does anyones yard flood when rains heavily? All the water from the alley comes into my yard since they were asphalted.(and 2 neighbors also) It flows through my yard like a creek. I need wading boots if I have to go to my truck out back. At least 3-5 inches deep sometimes. It also flows to my backdoor,under it, and down the stairs into my basement. I now have black mold growing down there. It's ruined the grass and any plants on the northside of my yard. It's also fairly gross finding used bandaids that have washed in from the creek.
I've e-mailed the city 3 times with photos and a video. No response.
What else can I do? Alderman's office?

Hi to all the animal lovers in the neighborhood,
This is a stray cat that has been coming around my home. He is badly injured around his ear and really needs someone who can adopt him. He is a very cute Tuxedo cat (see pic - although he looks very startled in the picture!), with all white paws. He is very sweet and aprroachable and needs a loving home. I would guess he is 1-2 years old and he is not fixed. I've been feeding him so he's not starving to death anymore, but he needs his forever home. <3

If you, or if you know someone who would love a lovable little guy to call their own, let me know.

Hello neighbors!
UNITE is taking it to thestreets for our next meeting onTuesday May 15 @ 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Kimball and Cullom.

Following the example of some other civic organizations, this will be the first of our “positive loitering” events to help neighbors meet each other and make sure that no one mistakes the fact that the streets belong to our neighbors,families, and friends.

Even better, the Tamale Spaceship food truck is going to be selling their delicious specialties!

If the weather forecast is bad we will move the event to an indoor location, check your email for updates.

Join us on Facebook

U.N.I.T.E. Civic Association- www.unitecivic.org

Serving Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood since 1976
Montrose Ave. to Irving Park Road - Drake to Sacramento Ave.

On Thursday, May 17th from 7-8:00pm at the Horner Park Field House the last 33rd Ward Advisory Council meeting until September will be taking place. A representative of the alderman will be there and possibly the alderman himself. Please attend if you have any issues that need be be brought to the alderman's attention or are interested in finding out what is going on in the 33rd Ward.

If you are unable to attend please add your issue in a comment below and I'll be sure to address it at the meeting. I'm also including a list of the outstanding items from the last meeting that are waiting on followup from the alderman:

- Policing levels in the 17th district. Does the Alderman think police levels are sufficient? How with the NATO summit effect the police presence in the 33rd ward?

- Street condition on the 4200 Block N Francisco. Sewer is supposedly fixed which caused the pavement to buckle according to a resident who talked to the work crew. Is there any word on when the failed street surface will be addressed?

- Playground flooding at Bateman Elementary School. Playground floods after any rain rendering it unusable. Mandatory recess for the 2012-13 school year necessitates proper drainage. A resident and architect have attempted to get a meeting with the alderman for 2.5 months to no avail. Alderman did call to discuss the matter with no notice resulting in the architect not being able to participate in the discussion. Has the alderman followed up with the architect?

Looks like there was some confusion regarding the date of the protest at Horner Park. It looks to be Saturday, not TODAY as was previously posted.

Dear 33rd Ward Resident,

The NATO Host Committee has now corrected itself and says that the Horner Park protest is indeed scheduled for this Saturday morning and not today.

The following is an excerpt from the Facebook page of organizers detailing the activities of the Saturday protest:

On May 19, NATO demonstrators will gather at the Irving Park Brown Line stop, where they will be given hospital gowns with "Healthcare Not Warfare," and, "Clinics Not NATO," written on them. They intend to go door to door in the nearby neighborhood.

At 12pm, the demonstrators will converge on Horner Park at Irving and California, and will then march on Rahm Emanuel's house at 4228 N Hermitage.

Please avoid driving in the area until after 2:00 p.m. this Saturday if at all possible.

Sincerely yours,

Alderman Richard F. Mell

Please be on the watch for a maroon car 4-door small, lots of chrome.

On 5/12/12, a friend's daughter was walking the dog and saw this car parked in the neighborhood (Sauganash Woods). There were 2 men in the car, around 50 years old, one with long dark hair (at the shoulders), possibly Hispanic or Native American. They were looking at her as she walked by.

About 2 hours later, a friend's son was walking the dog and this car pulled up, the driver motioned him to come to the car. The passenger GOT OUT OF THE CAR, started walking toward him and started asking him for directions. My son said nothing to him and immediately ran away from him and ran home. A police report was made.

About 2 months ago, the same described car was in this area and approached another girl. In that incident, there was a man and woman in the car. Male with same long haired description. A police report was made.

What You Can Do

. Be aware of this situation and alert neighbors in the area about the crime.

. If possible, don't walk alone and stay in well lit areas.

. Call 911 to report any suspicious person(s), vehicle(s) or activity in your neighborhood.

. Call 911 and provide a detailed description of the offender(s) including the vehicle description and license plate information.

Talk with your children. We need to keep alert and our eyes open. If anyone sees this car, PLEASE GET LICENSE PLATE AND CALL 911.

The next Open House will be Monday, May 21st from 9:30- 10:30 a.m. My son currently attends Park View Lutheran School, and we absolutely love it. It's a hidden gem, with a supportive, close-knit staff and student body and tremendous opportunity for individual attention and learning, due to the size and attentive staff. My little guy is never "lost in the crowd" here; his PreK class has only 10 children, with a great teacher (formerly at Nettlehorst) and FT assistant. The campus features a library, a large gym, art, music and computer rooms (even for the youngest children starting at age 3) as well as a playground. Yoga is taught twice a week to all of the kids as well, and Ms. Swan the music teacher is fun-loving and really talented. The kids love her.

Tuition is very reasonable. PT and FT hours are available for preschool-ages (3 & 4) and aftercare up until 6:30 pm is included in the preschool rate. As a parent who did extensive preschool research, Park View is one of the most affordable options.

I wanted to post about Park View because the school would like to grow attendance, and our experience there has been so great. It's tough to find a great preschool option, and Park View has really met our needs- and then some. I'm happy to share more about our experiences there, if interested.

It's located at 3919 N Monticello, and an Open House is scheduled for Monday 5/21 from 9:30-10:30. Should that time not work, please feel free to contact Heather Thornton at 773-478-7203 and discuss a convenient date and time.

Here's a link as well: http://www.parkviewlutheran.org/

Thanks & hope to see you there!