West Loop

Artist Jason Messinger stands with the murals he created hanging in the Ogden stationhouse at the Illinois Medical District stop on the Forest Park branch of the CTA Blue Line.

Chicago muralist hopes to ease patients arriving at Illinois Medical District CTA station through his art

By Genevieve Bookwalter

Porscha Banks holds a large sign with photos of her brother Dexter Reed and stands amid numerous protestors holdig signs demanding justice for him, with a clear blue sky in the background.

Clashes break out at protest on West Side after release of Dexter Reed shooting footage

Family and community activists called for the firing of officers who shot and killed Dexter Reed. Two people were injured as protesters clashed and blocked an intersection outside a police station.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

A "Chicago Fire" stunt that features a car crashed into the side of a building in the West Loop, with camera operators beneath it.

Movies and TV

'Chicago Fire' stunt featuring car crashed into West Loop building goes viral on social media

Madison Ranta, a 24-year-old TikTok user, posted a video of the stunt that garnered millions of views and had viewers wondering whether the stunt was reality.

By Katie Anthony

P33 Director of Platform and Experience Claude Cimeus, left, with Vyond CEO Gary Lipkowitz, center, and Abin Kuriakose, World Business Chicago's chief strategy and innovation officer.

Technology

California tech firm doubles Chicago footprint with new West Loop office

Video software company Vyond has seen quick growth since opening an office in 2022, growing from three to 43 employees.

By Amy Yee

Music

Disclosure, Skepta, Honey Dijon among ARC Music Festival 2024 headliners

The house and techno music festival released its full lineup ahead of its return to Union Park this Labor Day Weekend.

By Matt Moore

Rendering of NanoGraf's newest office in West Loop.

Small Business

Battery maker NanoGraf plans expansion with second West Loop office

The tech company said its newest location is expected to create 60 jobs.

By Amy Yee

Entertainment and Culture

Bayless Family Foundation issues more than $500,000 in latest round of grants to Chicago theaters

Definition Theatre and Timeline Theatre Company were each awarded $180,000; Chicago Children’s Theatre received $100,000 and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company $50,000.

By Kade Heather

This mural outside the Ogilvie Transportation Center was painted by students from the Yollocalli Arts Reach program with artist Chris Silva.

Mural at Ogilvie Metra station downtown aims to show off the Chicago River’s improving ecology

By Sun-Times staff

A vacant storefront along the Magnificent Mile shopping district on October 21, 2021.

Money

15 community organizations awarded $2.7 million to revamp vacant storefronts

Groups receiving the funds will use them to revitalize commercial corridors across Chicago, including Michigan Avenue downtown and business districts in Garfield Park, Pilsen, Humboldt Park, Uptown, West Loop, Lake View and Chatham.

By Kaitlin Washburn

West Loop

Controversial West Loop homeless encampment cleared for street cleaning

Seven people are being rehoused through the city, while 15 people declined the offer, officials said.

By Mary Norkol

Andrew Bers wears all black, including a covering on his lower face, and carries a small light colored bag on one arm as he stands in front of a wall painted with graffiti.

Crime

As city readies clean-up of West Loop homeless encampment, residents and nearby workers hope for more resources

A stretch near Clinton and Lake streets is ‘a magnet for narcotics and violent crime,’ the local alderperson says. But people in the area are concerned about the street dwellers’ welfare.

By Emmanuel Camarillo

James Lee, owner of CHILEE Oil, speaks to a customer Saturday during Renegade Craft fair

Art

At the Renegade holiday market, the vendors’ stories are as unique as the gifts

The Renegade Chicago holiday market, which continues Sunday at Morgan Manufacturing, features approximately 170 artists.

By Erica Thompson

The intersection near where a man was shot at N Clinton St and W Washington Blvd, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

City Hall

West Loop homeless encampment will be cleared, Ald. Bill Conway says

The area adjacent to Union Station and the Ogilvie Transportation Center gets heavy foot traffic, and neighbors have said they’ve seen daytime drug deals and use.

By Dorothy Hernandez

A man was found shot and wounded early Thursday near the intersection of North Clinton Street and West Washington Boulevard in the West Loop. He later died. Ald. Bill Conway says the shooting was the result of a “drug deal gone bad.”

Crime

Man fatally shot near West Loop homeless encampment

Ald. Bill Conway and nearby residents had petitioned the mayor’s office to address the encampment, citing open use of drugs and drug dealing.

By Mary Norkol and Isabel Funk

Chef John Shields (foreground), executive chef at Smyth, and his kitchen staff prepare ingredients for dinner service at the restaurant.

Food and Restaurants

Chicago’s Smyth joins elite group of Michelin three-star restaurants

John Shields, the executive chef at the West Loop eatery, said the honor was “a complete shock.”

By Katie Anthony

Los robos ocurrieron entre las 7:20 y las 8:20 a.m. el jueves, según la policía. | Archivos Sun-Times

Crime

String of robberies reported within minutes near UIC

No injuries were reported in any of the robberies, and no one was injured, police say.

By Sun-Times Wire

Meagan Huskisson cheers on runners in the Chicago Marathon on Adams Street in the West Loop, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.

News

Crowds, signs help runners push through second half of Chicago Marathon

Loud whoops and clever signs kept runners going around the halfway point of Sunday’s Chicago Marathon.

By Mary Norkol

Office building towers in West Loop, including the recently sold site at 230 W. Monroe St.

Chicago Enterprise

Menashe Properties takes a chance on West Loop’s elusive revival

In the first sale of a downtown building in more than a year, buyer Menashe aims to be ready as tenants move or expand their space.

By David Roeder

Crime

Man shot, wounded in West Loop

Police say the 39-year-old man was on the sidewalk in the 100 block of North Green Street before 11:30 p.m. when the driver in a red sedan fired and shot the man in the face.

By Violet Miller

People wearing cold weather jackets walk in the concourse area of Union Station as a large arched window rises behind and above them.

News

Democratic leaders seek $837 million in federal funding to revamp Chicago’s Union Station

If approved, efforts to modernize Union Station would cut travel times, increase capacity, improve platforms, and connect O’Hare Airport to McCormick Place, officials said.

By Allison Novelo