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National and World News
05/03/13
Frozen pizza recall

Frozen Pizza Recall: DiGiorno, California Pizza Kitchen

See bio, contact info, and more articles from WGN Web Desk

05/03/13
by

Frozen pizzas with the California Pizza Kitchen and DiGiorno labels are being recalled because of a chance they contain bits of plastic.

The pizzas were made by Nestle in Wisconsin, and shipped nationwide.

The affected pies are California Pizza Kitchen’s Grilled Chicken with Cabernet Sauce and the Crispy Thin Crust White.

DiGiorno’s crispy flatbread Tuscan Style Chicken and Bianca White Pizzas are also subject to the recall.

One person reported breaking a tooth on a shard of plastic in one of the pizzas.

For a full recall list, go to: www.fsis.usda.gov
Local News
04/30/13
farmersmarket

FULL SCHEDULE: Chicago farmers markets opening soon

See bio, contact info, and more articles from WGN Web Desk

04/30/13
by

farmersmarket

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has set the schedule for the city’s farmers markets.

The city-run markets open at Lincoln Park  and Division Street on Saturday, May 11, and at Beverly on Sunday, May 12 before the official opening at Daley Plaza on Thursday, May 16.

New this year to the city’s farmers market scene are two night markets: the Logan Square Night Market, beginning June 26 and running through September 4 (5-9 p.m.) and the Argyle Night Market, June 27-September 19 (4-8 p.m.).

Here’s the full schedule

An asterisk (*) means the market accepts LINK cards

DOWNTOWN MARKETS

TUESDAYS

*Federal Plaza

Adams & Dearborn

May 21- October 29, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.

THURSDAYS

*Daley Plaza

Washington & Dearborn

May 16 – October 24, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.

*Willis Tower Plaza

233 S. Wacker Drive

June 27 – October 31, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.

WEEKLY MARKETS

TUESDAYS

*Columbus Park

Harrison and Central

June 25 – October 29, 2 p.m. – 7 p.m.

*Lincoln Square

Lincoln/Leland/Western

City Parking Lot adjacent to Brown Line Station

June 4 – October 29, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Museum of Contemporary Art

Chicago & Mies van der Rohe Way, MCA Plaza

June 4 – October 29, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.

WEDNESDAYS

*La Follette Park

1333 N. Laramie

June 26 – October 30, 2 p.m. – 7 p.m.

*Pullman

111TH and Cottage Grove in Arcade Park

July 10 – October 30, 7 a.m. – 12 noon

Logan Square Night Market

Palmer Square Park

Kedzie & Milwaukee

Wednesdays, June 26-September 4,

5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

THURSDAYS

*Hyde Park

Harold Washington Park, 53rd and Hyde Park

June 6 – October 31, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Argyle Night Market

Argyle & Broadway

Thursdays, June 27-September 19,

4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

SATURDAYS

*Austin Town Hall

5610 W. Lake

June 29 – October 26, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Bridgeport

35th & Wallace (in parking lot)

June 15 – Oct 5, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

*Division Street

Division & Dearborn

On Division between State and Clark

May 11 – October 26, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Lincoln Park

Armitage & Orchard

Lincoln Park High School Parking Lot

May 11 – October 26, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

North Center

Belle Plaine/Damen/Lincoln

North Center Town Square

June 15 – October 26, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Printers Row

Dearborn & Polk

Printers Row Park

June 15 – October 26, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Southport Market

Blaine School – 1420 West Grace

June 22-October 5, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

*West Humboldt Park

3601 W. Chicago, NHS Parking Lot

June 29 – October 26, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

SUNDAYS

*Beverly

95th & Longwood

City Parking Lot – Southeast Corner

May 12 – October 27, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

*Garfield Park Conservatory

300 N. Central Park (in Parking lot)

June 23 – October 27, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

*South Shore

Rainbow Beach Park, 77th St. & Lake Michigan

(in Parking Lot)

June 23 – August 25, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

*Wicker Park & Bucktown

Wicker Park & Damen

In Wicker Park

June 2 – October 27, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

NEW Monthly Market: Devon Community Monthly Market

2720 W. Devon (Republic Bank Parking Lot)

July 7; August 4; September 1, October 6

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
National and World News
04/26/13
baldeagle&eaglets

Eagle cam live streams new eaglets

See bio, contact info, and more articles from WGN Web Desk

04/26/13
by

A pair of bald eagles in California are the proud parents to two new eaglets.

baldeagle&eaglets

(Photo Courtesy: Humboldt Wildlife Care Center)

The Humboldt Wildlife Care Center is streaming the family live.

For safety reasons, the center isn’t saying where the nest is.

One of eaglets is named Kyle; he hatched Tuesday.

The other, which just hatched Wednesday, will be named by a lucky school student in the area.

WATCH THE BALD EAGLE CAM HERE
Local News
04/24/13
flooding

Red Cross to distribute flooding clean-up kits

See bio, contact info, and more articles from WGN Web Desk

04/24/13
by

flooding

Distribution of clean-up kits from the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24 in eight counties across the region to aid 5,000 households that have sustained damage from the recent flooding.

The kits are provided by the Red Cross at no charge and include supplies for both indoor and outdoor cleaning such as rakes, shovels, tarps, bleach, brooms, sponges, trash bags as well as personal safety items like rubber gloves. Kits are available free of charge by the Red Cross. Supplies are limited to first arrival at the distribution sites.

Distribution sites will be open Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the following 13 sites:

Cook County

  • Gompers Park, 5040 N. Pulaski, Chicago, IL 60630
  • Oak Park Police Department, 100 N. Euclid Ave., Oak Park, IL 60301

DuPage County

  • Lisle Police Department, Lincoln Ave./Short Rd., Lisle, IL 60532
  • Bensenville Public Works, 100 N. Church St., Bensenville, IL 60106

Grundy County

  • Morris Administration Building, 1320 Union St., Morris, IL 60450

DeKalb County

  • DeKalb Emergency Management, 1826 Barber Green Road, DeKalb, IL 60115

Lake County

  • Village of Fox Lake, 216 Washington, Fox Lake, IL 60073
  • Gurnee Fire Department, 4580 Old Grand Ave., Gurnee, IL 60031
  • Grant Township, 26535 W. Molidor, Ingleside, IL 60041

Will County

  • Joliet Fire Department, 101 E. Clinton St., Joliet, IL 60432

Kane County

  • Kane County EMA (under the radio tower), 777 E. Fabyan Parkway, Batavia, IL 60510

Kendall County

  • Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, 1102 Cornell Lane, Yorkville, IL 60560

The Home Repair Guide is also available at no charge on the Red Cross web site at: www.redcross.org
Local News
04/23/13
Wells Street Bridge closing this Friday to cause CTA disruptions

Phase 2 of Wells Street Bridge project begins

See bio, contact info, and more articles from WGN Web Desk

04/23/13
by

Another major disruption is straight ahead for CTA riders.

The second and last phase of the Wells Street Bridge project begins this Friday, and it’s expected to take nine days to complete.

The first step of the project began in March.

This latest chapter means some services will be suspended, while others will be increased or rerouted.

The CTA warns commuters should plan for longer travel times and more crowded trains.

For more information, go to: transitchicago.com/wellsbridge
Local News
04/15/13
cps

Community meetings around CPS school utilization begins Saturday

See bio, contact info, and more articles from WGN Web Desk

04/15/13
by

cps

Today is the last day that the Chicago Public Schools will hold community meetings on school closings.

CPS plans to close 53 schools this fall.

Each school is getting two community meetings each.

Public meetings for each school will also be held, starting April 16 through May 2.

Each community meeting will be held for two or three hours on Saturday mornings and afternoons, as well as in the evenings during the week.

A full schedule of community meetings is attached and available online at: www.cps.edu
04/14/13
wrigleyfield1

WGN will Race to Wrigley while raising money for Lurie Children’s Hospital

See bio, contact info, and more articles from WGN Web Desk

04/14/13
by

wrigleyfield1

Join WGN on Saturday May 11 for the 8th Annual Race to Wrigley in Chicago!

WGNTV personalities and staff will be running the 5K race and raising more for Lurie Children’s Hospital.

Click here for more information on the race.

And click here to help in the fundraising.
04/12/13
slidexxj

Mayor Harold Washington

See bio, contact info, and more articles from WGN Web Desk

04/12/13
by

slidexxj

http://mayorharoldwashington.com/
National and World News
04/05/13
Medical Research

Company expands food recall due to E.Coli

See bio, contact info, and more articles from WGN Web Desk

04/05/13
by

Medical Research

A food company has expanded its recall following an outbreak of E. Coli in 15 different states, including Illinois.

Rich Products has recalled all food products made at its plant in Waycross, Georgia, according the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The company already recalled 200,000 pounds of frozen chicken quesadillas and other meals after health officials linked the outbreak to its packaged quesadillas on Mar. 28.

Those products recalled have “best by” dates that range from Jan. 1, 2013, to Sept. 29, 2014, according to the FDA.

For more information on the products recalled, you can go to: www.latimes.com
Chicago’s Very Own
03/28/13
Chicago’s Very Own: Holly Simon

Chicago’s Very Own: Holly Simon

See bio, contact info, and more articles from Micah Materre

03/28/13
by
Anchor/Reporter

There is no doubt, in his mother’s eyes, 10-year-old Nate Simon is indeed great.

Nate was born with Down Syndrome, and the moment Nate’s mom, Holly Simon, held her son, she knew his life would be one to celebrate and treasure.

“Within minutes, I whispered into Nate’s ears, ‘I will protect you, I will celebrate you, for the rest of my life,’ and it’s been a great journey ever since,” she said.

But the doctors and nurses in the delivery room didn’t look at it the same way. Simon says when Nate came out, the room became silent and everything seemed to go dark.

“The doctors and the nurses stopped their eye contact with me, and immediately I could hear their sorries,” Holly said.

Nate is Holly and her husband Dan’s fifth child. All of them medically normal. So when doctors gave them the grim diagnosis,  naturally the Simons burst into tears.

Then Holly’s mother walked into the hospital room.

“And I said, ‘Mom, our son has Downs Syndrome.’ And she said without missing a beat, ‘So what? He’s alive isn’t he?’” Holly said. “And within that moment my life changed, my mom gave me the best gift I’ve ever received in my life which was acceptance and love and the fact that it is what it is and I have the choice on how to handle that. I chose, literally within that second to embrace and to celebrate everything about him, he’s magical.”

And Holly was off and running. It was like someone had given her a shot of adrenaline. And she began her mission.  As she puts it, to erase the sorries and bring on the warm congratulations and teach people to focus on what their special needs child can do and not what they can’t do.

Soon after Nate came home from hospital, some 10 years ago, Holly Wear Bags was born.

“From my dining room table, with my first sewing machine and a manual on how to do it, I created this small little business,” Holly said.

That small little handbag business grew like crazy. And with every sale from every hand made purse, Simon gave a percentage to Down Syndrome research. Now, her annual event in November, called HollyDays, has over 900 in attendance. But Holly didn’t stop there.

“I felt there needed to be a change. I felt the change needed to be brighter, louder, um more exciting and to be engulfed in celebration,” Holly said.

So a year ago she took it up a notch by creating her own foundation, called I Am Who I Am.

“We literally sat at my kitchen table and came up with I Am Who I Am, which is always how I’ve lived my life. I might be a little different but more like you than he is not,” Holly said.

“Amazing you can meet her just once and you know just from talking to her one time know how energetic she is, how passionate she, we joke, I call her Redbull and the 5 hour energy drink rolled up into one,” said Holly’s friend Jemenda McCoy

The foundation’s most recent fundraiser was held at the Oak Lawn Children’s Museum. She called it “Let Me Show You My Ability, Not My Disability.” Two hundred families showed up.

“But I think the thing that is so great about I Am Who I Am is that it’s not limited to downs syndrome, it’s limited to all children and all parents of differently disabled children and so I think that it is inviting and so even people who have “normal” children can come and feel that sense of community and feel that sense of love that just resonates whenever you’re at one of those events.

Holly has recently partnered with Ray Graham High School where special needs students package and label her jewelry.

They will eventually help in the Baby Blanket Mission, congratulatory blankets Holly hopes to put in every hospital in Chicago by 2014.

“I will tell you Micah, this feels so right, this is my walk, people ask me all the time how do you do that you’re raising four teenagers and a special needs child. I constantly say what is my choice, this is my life.

Holly Simon. She’s one of Chicago’s Very Own.

For more information, go to www.iam-whoiam.com or email Holly at holly@iam-whoiam.com
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