Hyde Park

Neighborhood playlot a fleeting wonderland of old toys, young faces, treasured moments

We could only spend the winter dreaming of the coming spring. “New” old toys would appear. Bixler would again fill with little kids, coming from blocks and miles and neighborhoods away to run and yell and be together.

By Lucy Biederman

Crime

McDonald’s employee shot after argument with customer in Hyde Park

The employee, 18, told officers that he had gotten into an argument with a customer at the restaurant at 5200 S. Lake Park Ave. The employee is in good condition at a hospital.

By Sun-Times Wire

News

U of C Medical Center boosts security after fight leaves 3 hospital employees injured

A group of 15 to 20 people burst into the emergency room after a weekend shooting nearby and started brawling, a hospital spokesperson said.

By Sun-Times Wire

Dhe Di Beats performs Saturday during the last Silver Room Sound System Block Party at Oakwood Beach.

Entertainment and Culture

Fans flock to final weekend for Silver Room Block Party: ‘This is what makes Chicago as dope as it is’

Festivalgoers showed up to bid farewell to the beloved street fest that has celebrated its love for house music from Wicker Park to Hyde Park.

By Violet Miller

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson 4th on 53rd Parade Fourth of July

City Hall

‘Hyde Park is back’ at annual 4th on 53rd Parade on South Side, Brandon Johnson’s first as mayor

An estimated 5,000 people attended the Hyde Park tradition that dates back to 1992. The festivities included a battle of marching bands from two rival high schools.

By Michael Loria

Lil Kim closes out Hyde Park Summer Fest on Sunday night.

Music

PHOTOS: Lil’ Kim closes out Hyde Park Summer Fest

More than 40,000 festival goers turned out at Midway Plaisance Park on the South Side for the two-day event that kicked off on Saturday.

By Sun-Times staff

Chicago

Chicago celebrates Juneteenth; In Lawndale and Garfield Park: ‘It’s all about family’

The Juneteenth Village Fest in Douglass Park and the 1865 Juneteenth Fest in Garfield Park were two of the many events across the city celebrating the holiday this weekend.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

Louise Morrison, 11, kicks a ball during a soccer clinic Friday for visually impaired youth at Midway Plaisance Park in the Hyde Park neighborhood.

Sports

Park district partnership seeks to bring more sports programing to visually impaired athletes

At a soccer clinic on Friday in Hyde Park, visually impaired athletes used blindfolds to keep players on equal footing as they learned to use adaptive equipment.

By Mariah Rush

Crime

Chicago weekend gun violence: 4 killed, 22 wounded

A 24-year-old Chicago police officer was among the four killed, and separate attacks about an hour apart on the Lower West Side wounded three.

By Sun-Times Wire

A banner for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Education

University of Chicago Booth business school to receive $100 million donation for doctoral program

The funding comes from Ross Stevens, an entrepreneur, philanthropist and Booth doctoral graduate.

By Kaitlin Washburn

Black Beauty Collective, which opened in April in the Hyde Park neighborhood at 5305 S. Hyde Park Blvd., showcases more than 50 Black-owned beauty vendors.

Business

Hyde Park store owner puts Black beauty vendors in space to thrive

The Black Beauty Collective opened in Hyde Park in April and stocks more than 50 Black-owned vendors. A limited access to capital for Black entrepreneurs is why Black ownership in the beauty industry is abysmally low, owner Leslie Roberson says.

By Mariah Rush

Desmon Yancy, pictured April 4, will be sworn is next month as alderperson of the 5th Ward on the South Side.

Elections

Concession in 5th Ward means City Council won’t break record for women members — but only tie it

The decision by Tina Hone to concede to Desmon Yancy means the City Council will see 18 women sworn in next month — an increase of three since 2019 that matches the city’s all-time high for representation by women set in 2007.

By Mitchell Armentrout

Education

Two CPS principals removed due to ‘investigation’

The principals at Hyde Park Academy and Lindblom Math and Science Academy were removed beginning Monday.

By Mary Norkol

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Entertainment and Culture

Oriental Institute takes a new name to reflect changing times

University of Chicago museum becomes the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, West Asia & North Africa.

By Darel Jevens

“Clouds Over Lake Michigan,” a mural by Ruth Duckworth.

Longtime mural at financial exchange building moving to University of Chicago

By Sun-Times staff

Top row: 5th Ward candidates Tina Hone (left) and Desmon Yancy. Bottom row: 4th Ward candidates Prentice Butler (left) and Lamont Robinson.

Elections

South Side 4th, 5th Ward City Council candidates focus on public safety, development

A state lawmaker and the outgoing incumbent’s chief of staff are vying for the open seat in the 4th Ward. And just to the south, a lawyer is competing against a religious charity director in the 5th Ward.

By Mary Norkol

Crime

Man facing murder charges in pair of shootings, miles apart, in under an hour last fall

Malik Bloxton, 26, was ordered held without bail during a hearing Wednesday by Judge Barbara Dawkins at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

By Matthew Hendrickson

Nikko Washington stands inside his art installation, “Battle Royale: The New Vanguard Installation 01,” which is about how boxers are “glorified and dehumanized through the media,” according to the exhibit’s description, at the WNDR Museum in the West Loop.

Hyde Park

Hyde Park native brings ‘Battle Royale’ installation to WNDR Museum

The New Vanguard and the museum partnered for “Creatives of Color,” a rotating exhibition spotlighting four Chicago artists. Nikko Washington’s installation highlights the dehumanization of famous boxers.

By Mariah Rush

(Top, from left) Retiring 5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston, Martina “Tina” Hone, Wallace Goode Jr., Jocelyn Hare; (middle, from left) Desmon Yancy, Gabriel Piemonte, Renita Ward, Kris Levy; (bottom, from left) Joshua Gray, Marlene Fisher, Robert Palmer and Dialika “Dee” Perkins.

Elections

Crowded battle for 5th Ward Chicago City Council seat open for first time in 24 years

With 11 candidates, the race is one of the most crowded on the Feb. 28 ballot. Nearly all of the candidates agree the next alderperson should be more accessible.

By Mohammad Samra

Fourth ward candidates (clockwise from top left) Prentice Butler, Ebony D. Lucas, Helen West, Tracey Bey, Lamont Robinson and Matthew “Khari” Humphries.

Elections

South Side candidates vie to succeed departing King in 4th Ward, oust appointed Lee in 11th Ward

With Ald. Sophia King running for mayor instead of reelection, six candidates are hoping to replace her in the 4th Ward. In the 11th Ward, appointed Ald. Nicole Lee faces six challengers.

By Mary Norkol

News

Promontory Point could become a city landmark by April

City parks officials assured residents that if Promontory Point becomes a landmark after a City Council vote this spring, its historic limestone revetments will be preserved.

By Ilana Arougheti

Olympic Sports

Silver Skates competition kicks off, harking back to when skating ruled Chicago

Thousands of spectators used to cheer on skaters during the competition’s heyday in the 1920s and ’30s. This year, the attendance was sparse but no less enthusiastic.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

The limestone revetments at Promontory Point in Hyde Park.

News

Chicago Landmarks Commission to consider landmark status for Promontory Point

Making Promontory Point a city landmark would effectively protect the lakefront site from development or demolition.

By Ilana Arougheti

Books

New picture book amplifies the civil rights work of South Side-born activist Diane Nash

“Most people don’t know who she is,” says author Sandra Neil Wallace, who hopes to enlighten children about Nash’s efforts to organize sit-ins at lunch counters and help create the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

By Mariah Rush

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News

Woman rescued by Chicago firefighters after she jumps into Lake Michigan to save dog

The woman was walking her dogs near DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Bryn Mawr Avenue when when one of the dogs fell into the lake, Chicago police said.

By Sun-Times Wire

Chicago

‘Prayer is not enough’: Durbin issues call to action at Hyde Park vigil for victims of gun violence

The Sunday event was one of a series of vigils held across the country for the 10th annual National Vigil for All Victims and Survivors of Gun Violence.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

This mural by artist Richard Wilson on a building managed by the University of Chicago that houses the Small Cheval restaurant at 1307 E. 53rd St. honors the late singer Donny Hathaway.

Singer Donny Hathaway inspired Hyde Park mural celebrating his music, promoting mental health

By Sun-Times staff

News

Woman seriously hurt in Hyde Park apartment fire

Emergency crews responded to the extra-alarm fire at a four-story building in the 5100 block of South Kenwood Avenue about 3:30 a.m., according to the Chicago fire and police officials.

By Kade Heather

Rev. Don Senior, who headed up the Catholic Theological Union, died Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. He was 82.

Obituaries

Rev. Donald Senior dead at 82; headed Catholic Theological Union

The renowned biblical scholar loved walking the streets of Hyde Park every day and taking groups of students to experience the Holy Land.

By Mitch Dudek

Columnists

Heidi Heitkamp, new University of Chicago’s Institute of Public Policy boss, is ‘North Dakota nice’

She succeeds David Axelrod. Two things you didn’t know: Heidi isn’t her real first name. And she grew up in a town so small that “my family was one-tenth” its total population.

By Michael Sneed