Fountain springs to life... Brian Morowczynski/Chronicle

Board builds Near South neighborhood, one tree at a time
Local business owners, residents, dedicate themselves to area improvement

Ever wonder whose idea it is to add trees to a sidewalk or to promote events that benefit the neighborhood? In the Near South neighborhood of Chicago, it’s the Near South Planning Board.

The organization was started in 1946 as the South Side Planning Board by the Illinois Institute of Technology, Michael Reese Hospital and Mercy Hospital. In 1993, the organization merged with the Burnham Park Planning Board to become what it is today.
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Columbia gets into after-school act
Community Arts Partnerships, Bank One give to area arts programs hurt by budget cuts

In an outdated classroom with mustard-colored floor tiles and cracked plaster walls, Lori Zami, 25, who was educated in the Chicago Public Schools system, now sits at the head of the class. The sixth grade math teacher at Albert R. Sabin Magnet School in Wicker Park is determined to strengthen after-school activities through her chess club, despite limited resources.
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SRO: ‘fast, casual food experience’
Famous for turkey burgers, sports memorabilia

Camouflaged under a block of scaffolding and sandwiched between a Thai and Italian restaurant, Standing Room Only, at 610 S. Dearborn St., is a haven for sports fans looking to catch the game along with some lunch.
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Harry Potter books for sale: bargain price of $50,000 for 4-volume set
Rare books store gets into the pricier side of literature

Chicago’s South Loop has been home to many businesses and restaurants that have come and gone, but at least one building has stood the test of time. Since 1988, the corner of South State Street and East Balbo Drive has been home to the South Loop Club, a neighborhood restaurant and sports bar.
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Scuba shop remains solid as economy takes dive
Magnum Scuba serves as South Loop’s link to the ocean

There’s a portal to the ocean hidden in the South Loop. Just two blocks west of Lake Michigan, around the corner from the Burnham Park Pet Hospital and up a small, narrow stairway just off of East 11th Street, there’s a passport to another world.
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In the Loop...

Overlooking Grant Park from the 13th floor of the 600 S. Michigan Ave. building, it wasn’t hard to miss the parade of airplanes landing at Meigs Field. Zooming above Lake Michigan, over Navy Pier and onto the nearly 4,000-foot runway, most single-engine planes came within a mile of Columbia’s campus. One wrong move and the rich doctor from Philadelphia’s 3,600-pound Piper Saratoga is headed straight for your Culture, Race and the Media classroom. It was a bit unnerving.
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