This week’s band: The Super American Happy Fun Good Time Jam Band

The Local Tourist, NBC5 Street Team (Video)
What better way to ring in the new year than with a super, American, happy, fun, good time jam band?
From the band: “The Super American Happy Fun Good-Time Band are a bunch of cool dudes who like to have fun and perform music. The band plays a wide [...]

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Lakeview Condo Association Sues Hospital Community Organizing Actually WORKS

Blagica Stefanovski, NBC5 Street Team (Video)
Let’s see. The dollar is in the crapper, the housing market is in a slump, developers are experiencing entire building foreclosures and ex military folks are having a difficult time finding a job.
Happy New Year to you, too.
In the zany world of economic ups and downs, a recent Chicago Sun-Times [...]

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Thieves In A Giving Mood

Erik Sorensen (Video)
Company of Thieves hit the ground running in 2007 and haven’t stopped since. And while few things in 2008 can be predicted with certainty, this act’s success is a safe bet.I caught up with the guys (and girl) after their most recent performance, and it seems the weather isn’t the only thing [...]

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Beauty tips that really work!

Rikki Greenberg, NBC5 Street Team
Over the years I have accumulated beauty tips and tricks from various educational sources. I’ve tried putting vinegar in my hair to make my deep chocolate hue more intense (did not work, smelled awful) and spreading a delightful mixture of yogurt and oatmeal on my face for a radiant glow [...]

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New Year’s Eve, Chicago events 12/27 – 30

The Local Tourist, NBC5 Street Team (Video)
“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized.” Daniel Burnham, 1910
Where, oh where, did 2007 go? It feels like it disappeared, until I look back at all the changes and improvements The Local Tourist has gone through. [...]

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ChiTown DanceOFF Kicks Off!

Marcus Riley, NBC5 Street Team (video)
Big ups to all the people who came through North Beach on Friday night for the official kickoff of the ChiTown DanceOFF. Despite the holiday season, a nice-sized crowd came out to check the festivities at North Beach in Downer’s Grove.
It didn’t take long to find 10 people to [...]

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A Very Good EnGAGEment

Shlomi Rabi NBC5 Street Team
Put yourself in my shoes: I wake up one morning, the furniture around is vandalized, the paintings are shredded, the cats are missing, the windows are broken, the fridge door is left open to reveal a decapitated horse’s head, dead fish are lined in a pentagram, and the red [...]

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This week’s band: The Audians

The Local Tourist, NBC5 Street Team (Video)
I met Sima Cunningham recently when she made a guest appearance at Chicago Acoustic Underground’s studio with Jeff Brown (podcast coming soon!). She only sang for one song, but I was impressed with her voice and Michael’s a big fan, so when she told me she had a [...]

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Da’ Coach Makes Grown Men Cry

The Local Tourist, NBC5 Street Team (Video)
OK, so he doesn’t really make them cry, but he does soften them up a bit.
Mike Ditka made an appearance last Thursday at the new Binny’s South Loop to sign bottles of his wine. Da’ Coach has his own wine, you ask? Yes – he may be [...]

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Wu Tang Forever!

Marcus Riley, NBC5 Street Team (video)
Cash Rules Everything Around Me
C.R.E.A.M. get the money — dolla dolla bill ya’ll!
It’s almost been a week now, but I couldn’t let last week’s Wu Tang Clan concert go by without some sort of mention. In short, it was off the hook!
Wu came through The Metro last Saturday, and [...]

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Get Your Groove On!

Marcus Riley, NBC5 Street Team (video)
Here’s fair warning… you’re gonna be hearing about the DanceOFF competition quite a bit in this space. Get used to it!
The DanceOFF, hosted here on NBC5.com (www.nbc5.com/danceoff), and run by our new content partners, ChiTown After Dark, kicks off tonight in Downer’s Grove.You have several opportunities to participate, if you [...]

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Shopping Spree!

Marcus Riley, NBC5 Street Team (video)
So I glanced at the front page of the Sun Times Monday morning to see a cover story about Lance Briggs’ baby’s mama talking about how he’s not living up to his responsibilities as a father. Something about an “open pants policy toward parenting.” Ouch.
Despite the obvious salacious nature [...]

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My Annual Holiday Party – Tonight @ The Funky Buddha!

Shreyas Shah, NBC5 Street Team
I sincerely hope you can make it to my annual holiday party tonight, Mistletoe.The tradition of mistletoe goes back to the Roman festival of Saturnalia, where kissing under mistletoe was a ritual believed to confer fertility. The Druids believed mistletoe had the magic power of hope, symbolizing peace to all who [...]

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LaShonda’s Scoop!

LaShonda Matlock, NBC5 Street Team
This has been a HOT week in gossip and here’s your DOUBLE-SCOOP!
Michael Jordan was sitting pretty in a sky box enjoying the Lakers vs Bulls game.
A special listening party was held at nightclub Redno5, for home-town rising rapper/star Lupe Fiasco’s new album “The Cool”.The fabulous Regina and George Daniels charity drive [...]

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TLT’s Cab Crusade

The Local Tourist, NBC5 Street Team (Video)
Cab Ride #1: It’s cold. It’s snowing. I have no cash on me, but my bank’s ATM is half a mile away. I’m running late, so I do what any city gal would do. I hail a cab and ask if he takes credit cards.
“No.” And he [...]

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Chicago Events 12/20 – 23, Happy Holidays!

The Local Tourist, NBC5 Street Team (Video)
“We struck the home trail now, and in a few hours were in that astonishing Chicago–a city where they are always rubbing a lamp, and fetching up the genii, and contriving and achieving new impossibilities.” Mark Twain, “Life on the Mississippi,” 1883
Quick – what’s the first word [...]

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Anybody but Orton!

Rikki Greenberg, NBC5 Street Team
So as soon as I learned that Orton was going to be starting for the Chicago Bears this past Monday night, I knew we were in BIG trouble.
I’ve always loved the Bears, but reached a new level of devotion a couple years ago, so I knew of Orton’s less [...]

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A trip to the underground…

Leila Noelliste, NBC5 Street Team (Video)
My suede boots clicked against the pavement as I made my way to Reggie’s Rock Club and Record Breakers last Friday, a self proclaimed “music joint” in the South Loop. I had just left an office Christmas party and, with my friend Liz, was going to hear rapper Iomos [...]

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The Sword Runs Chicago Through

MaureenVana, NBC5 Street Team
It was cold, it was late, and it was all the way on the 2100 block of south State st., but it was worth it. The Sword graced Chicago bringing with Valient Thorr and Black Cobra to play a late show at the recently opened Reggie’s Rock Club. The venue [...]

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This week’s band: Stunato

The Local Tourist, NBC5 Street Team
From the band:
“STUNATO creates a highly eclectic mixture of modern rock with elements of acoustic folk, punk, and blues. Rocking grooves, refreshing humor, and cutting, melodic, boy-girl harmonies give STUNATO its unique vibe. The band’s first single “WHEN BUSH COMES TO SHOVE” from the EP ‘TAG’ was [...]

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New Wine Bar Opening This Weekend!

LeeAnn Trotter, NBC5 Street Team (Video)
There’s a new hangout place I think you might like: It’s very small (only seats 50 people), it has munchies (appetizers and dessert), and there’s a DJ playing all your faves. There’s even room for a little for dancing!
I’m talking about Connoisseur. It’s located on Grand just west [...]

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Santa & Gingerbread deja vu, Chicago Events 12/13 – 16

The Local Tourist, NBC5 Street Team
“I warn you, Jedediah, you’re not going to like it in Chicago. The wind comes howling in off the lake and gosh only knows if they ever heard of lobster Newburg.” Orson Welles as Citizen Kane
The wind continues to howl off the lake, but our tastes have certainly improved over [...]

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Gift Guide For Your Guy

Brook Jay, NBC5 Street Team (video)
This morning I appeared on NBC5’s morning show along with two Chicago Blackhawks players, Adam Burish and James Wisniewski, to talk about what to get your guy for Christmas. In case you haven’t noticed this season, the Blackhawks are hot, so get down to the United Center and check [...]

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