Free Republic

The stretch of Clark, from Webster to Diversey, is one of the most unique, interesting, and beautiful parts of Chicago, in this writer's opinion. It starts, unofficially, at the Panache Boutique.

The library on DePaul University's Lincoln Park campus was evacuated this morning following a bomb threat, university officials said. It's unclear how the university learned of the threat, but said it only affected the John T. Richardson Library, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., and did not interfere with operations in other campus buildings, said Denise Mattson, a DePaul spokeswoman.

This would be a dreary day to be a fish in Lincoln Park's South Pond, what with the poison in the water and the sight of hundreds of your fish colleagues slowly floating to the surface. So if you're reading this, be thankful you're not a black crappie or a largemouth bass. But, for the sake of those that went belly up on Friday to make way for a $12 million pond restoration project, ponder for a moment this age-old question: Do fish feel pain?

<p>The porch that collapsed early Sunday killing 13 and injuring more than 50 in Lincoln Park was built illegally without a city permit, Buildings Commissioner Norma Reyes said Monday.</p> <p>Kelly Pagel, of Minnetonka, Minn., the 13th fatality, died Monday at Illinois Masonic Medical Center.</p> <p>After making no public statements about the tragedy earlier Monday, Reyes appeared at a late afternoon news conference and said the owner of 713 W. Wrightwood Ave., Philip J. Pappas, applied for permits for heating, cooling and plumbing improvements in 1998 but then renovated the entire building without permission.</p>

Organizers of an AIDS memorial are asking the city Human Relations Commission to mediate a meeting of the group and some Lincoln Heights residents who allegedly shouted anti-gay sentiments at a recent meeting and have passed out fliers saying that the park memorial is not the way children should learn about the disease. The mostly publicly funded project, which would cost about $500,000, was approved last month by the Recreation and Parks Commission. The City Council is tentatively scheduled to take up the issue Wednesday. The $344,000 appropriation from the state general fund requires that it be constructed and that...