By Steve Rhodes
First, some housekeeping.
* We still have some tweaking to do, but our Beachwood Novelties store is now open for business.
* I’ll be filling in as barback tonight at the Beachwood Inn and back to my regular bartending shift on Monday night. Stop in, say hello, bend an elbow and sing a few songs.
* Tindall on Kindle: A Hole To China.
* Ballots From The Dead: Selected poems from our Chicagoetry series.
* And, of course, our Beachwood memberships.
Thanks for your support!
Senior Living
“Ventas says it’s buying the real estate assets of Atria Senior Living for $1.5 billion in cash and stock, giving it a portfolio of 118 homes located in coastal regions,” AP reports.
“The healthcare real estate investment trust is also assuming $1.6 billion in debt.
“Ventas Inc. says the deal will make the company the largest owner of senior housing communities in the country. The Chicago company owns nearly 600 assets in 44 states.”
I have nothing funny or insightful to say about this, I just thought it was interesting. Here’s who they are.
Party Tours You
“Last week, a group of delegates from Russia came to Chicago Lawn to tour the community,” the Southwest News-Herald reports.
“The delegates were treated to a mini version of the Chicago Lawn Community Showcase tour on a San Francisco style trolley riding through the Marquette Manor, Chicago Lawn and West Lawn neighborhoods.
“While most communicated through interpreters, some spoke English very fluently, especially when trying to talk their hosts into allowing them to go inside the Tootsie Roll plant.”
My favorite part of the story, though, is this passage:
“And they were full of unexpected questions. While passing Marquette Park some of the questions were, ‘How does this park work? Who takes care of this land? How do the streets stay clean?’
“And expected questions arose: ‘What is an Oreo? Is that plane going to hit us?'”
Color Fast
“This weekend is likely the last chance to see the season’s fall colors in Wisconsin,” AP reports.
“The Wisconsin Department of Tourism says the northern half of the state is reporting past peak conditions – with most of the leaves already on the ground.
“But peak color is reported in Iowa and Crawford Counties in southwestern Wisconsin.”
The Fastest Guitarist Alive . . .
. . . is from Chicago.
Lonesome Trail
“A 19-year-old Antioch man was arrested after police said he broke into a garage, drank a few beers and stole a vehicle from a residence a few blocks away on Saturday,” the Daily Herald reports.
“After a report of a garage break-in that night where an offender stole beers and smoked cigarettes in the garage, police said they were able to literally follow a the trail of the same brand of cigarettes and beer. Empty beer cans and cigarette butts were found first in the garage, then at the location of the vehicle theft and finally where the truck was found.”
Wash ‘n’ Dry
“The state is awarding the city of Chicago $2 million for a program that lets customers volunteer to have water meters installed at their homes,” AP reports.
You just have to feed them every 15 minutes.
No-Hitter
“A 73-year-old Chicago-area businessman was arrested at Denver International Airport this week in connection with a murder-for-hire scheme, Colorado authorities said Thursday,” the Tribune reports.
“An executive of a Libertyville real estate agency, Brooks Kellogg, who lives in Chicago, met at the airport Tuesday with an undercover agent he thought was a hit man, according to an FBI affidavit.
“Kellogg is accused of paying the agent $2,000 in cash to murder a Florida man who had sued Kellogg for $2.5 million over a real estate deal. A hearing for another lawsuit for $500,000, filed by the same Florida man, was set for Wednesday in Steamboat Springs, Colo., according to the court document.”
They’ve Got Wood
“After a Meteoric Rise and a Painful Fall, Yankees Reliever Kerry Wood Is Writing His Own Ending,” the Wall Street Journal says.
Nice Package
“The EcoPak, an all-paperboard jar developed by American manufacturer Chicago Paper Tube & Can Co., earned top honors in Green Packaging at the 10th Annual International Package Design Awards,” AZoM reports.
Think Pink
“The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is home to unique plants, animals and birds,” WBEZ reports. “But the lakeshore park is also home to unique houses. They were part of last century’s Chicago World’s Fair, and they include what could be the region’s only pink Florida-style house. These odd houses have been preserved for the public to see, but their preservation comes with some controversy, too.”
Bank Stank
“A Chicago Ridge man was accused Thursday of fraudulently selling his bank customers promissory notes totaling $2.4 million, then using the money to gamble at casinos, renovate his home and make credit card payments,” the SouthtownStar reports.
“Beginning in 2002 and lasting until January 2009, banking executive Glenn J. Kozeluh obtained money from customers by falsely stating the money would be placed as investments to collateralize loans to buy small banks, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District court. Instead, Kozeluh used the money for personal expenses, the complaint said.”
Act Now
Or forever hold your punch.
100th Worst Cub
The countdown begins.
Robbie O’Fulks
In action at the Hideout this week.
24 Hours With CNBC
Strategies for success and pain-free hair removal.
The Mayoral Odds
Updated in all their glory.
Amazon and Me
What they think I should be reading.
The College Football Report
Will appear later this morning. Is in, featuring fake punts, onside kicks, flea flickers, dipsy doodles, hook-and-ladders and Statue of Liberty plays.
The Week in WTF
The same, we hope. Is in, featuring Randy Michaels and other Jackasseries.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: FTW.
Posted on October 22, 2010