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🌱 Avondale Makes 'Coolest' List + First Floating Eco-Park Debuts

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Good morning! Nicole Cvetnic here with a fresh copy of the Chicago Daily. Keep reading to find out local news you need to know right now, including ...

  • 🚨 Remains found in freezer identified
  • 🌳 Chicago's first floating eco-park
  • 🏅 Avondale is one of 20 coolest neighborhoods in the world

P.S. Looking for a recipe for baked apple cider donuts? Check out this recipe by WGN-TV reporter Dean Richards.

⛅ The weather:

Partly cloudy. High: 54 Low: 37.

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📰 Top 5 stories in Chicago:

1) Remains found in boarding house freezer on North Side identified. The remains of a woman found in a freezer inside a boarding house in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood have been identified as 69-year-old Frances Walker. The cause of death is currently unknown pending an autopsy, but is being investigated as a homicide. Chicago police and detectives continue to investigate the chilling circumstances that began with a missing person report earlier this week. The victim was the home's landlord, police say, and the suspect, who is currently in police custody, is one of the home's renters.

NBC Chicago

2) Wild Mile, Chicago's first floating eco-park, opens near Goose Island. Chicago's first-ever floating eco-park officially opened yesterday. Located along the North Branch Canal on the east side of Goose Island between Chicago and North avenues, the park features a floating garden, platforms, walkways and a place to rent kayaks to explore the Chicago River. The first section of the park was completed in June, with future plans to install art installations and build a fish nursery, bird rookery, fishing dock, nature amphitheater and swimming areas.

CBS Chicago

3) Avondale is officially one of 20 coolest neighborhoods in the world. Just one year after Andersonville took the crown as the second coolest neighborhood in the world, another Chicago community has joined the ranks. Avondale, on the city's Northwest Side, has earned the spot as Time Out's 16th annual coolest neighborhood in the world, which compares neighborhoods across six continents. Avondale is known for its Polish and Latino populations, strong dining scene and laid-back feel. Also crucial to the ranking is the neighborhood's sense of community spirit, which has been a key driver in the fight against encroaching gentrification.

Time Out

4) City Council's Latino Caucus wants Lightfoot to issue state of emergency to help with influx of migrants. Since Aug. 31, about 3,000 migrants from Central and South America have been bused to Chicago from Texas. The City Council's Latino Caucus is urging Mayor Lori Lightfoot to declare a state of emergency to free up more resources to assist them. The city has turned to hotels and converted temporary shelters to house them. It's unclear if Lightfoot is considering the move. "This will give the appropriate city agencies the ability to establish and operate more centers that will provide assistance for arriving asylum seekers including respite, food, medical care, case work services, assessment of settlement options, as well as direct referrals to alternative emergency supports," caucus members said in the statement.

Block Club Chicago

5) $7.5 million worth of retail products recovered after discovery of major fencing ring. Millions of dollars worth of merchandise was recovered after thefts in Wilmette led investigators to a major fencing ring operation in the Chicago area. Following a yearlong undercover investigation, police executed search warrants on Oct. 6 in Chicago, Cicero, Oak Lawn, Bolingbrook and California. They recovered 276,000 retail products valued at $75 million, such as allergy medicine, beauty products and personal healthcare items. Five of the eight suspects live in Chicago or surrounding suburbs, police said. All face felony charges. The operation has been running since before 2020.

Chicago Sun-Times

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📌 Today in Chicago:

  • Tire Swarm Car Show & Bike Night at Brauer House (11:00 AM)
  • Pier Pumpkin Lights at Navy Pier (11:00 AM)
  • Chicago International Film Festival (12:30 PM)
  • At-Risk: Investigating Vulnerability of Bird Populations, Places, and Self at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (6:00 PM)
  • 10th Anniversary Soirée of the Design Museum of Chicago at Wildman BT (6:00 PM)
  • Drag Bingo hosted by Aurora Divine at My Buddy's (6:30 PM)
  • Sip & Swing at Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center (6:30 PM)
  • Iliza Shlesinger at Park West (7:00 PM)
  • "Hocus Pocus" at Rialto Square Theatre (7:00 PM)
  • Highly Suspect, Dead Poet Society at Concord Music Hall (7:00 PM)
  • Princess Nokia: Live at House of Vans Chicago (7:00 PM)
  • Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders at Soldier Field (7:15 PM)
  • Awolnation at Metro (7:30 PM)
  • William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony at Harris Theater (7:30 PM)
  • They Might Be Giants at The Vic Theatre (8:00 PM)
  • Alan Gresik's Swing Orchestra at The Green Mill (8:00 PM)
  • Jalen Baker Quartet at Jazz Showcase (8:00 PM)
  • André Reyes formerly of the Gipsy Kings at Copernicus Center (8:30 PM)
  • "Scary Movie" at The Emily Hotel (8:45 PM)
  • Sonorama at Punch House (9:00 PM)
  • Carnival Nights Feat. Maxinne at Spybar (10:00 PM)
  • "Friday the 13th" at The Logan Theatre (11:00 PM)

📱 Social chatter:

  • CPD employment: "Are you a college student interested in law enforcement? The Police Cadet Program is a unique opportunity for you to obtain valuable work experience in a law enforcement environment. Learn more about the position and apply here: " (Chicago Police Department via Facebook)
  • CPS employment: "Job Fair Alert! Substitute Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Substitute Paraprofessionals, we would love to meet you at our job fair on Weds., Oct. 19. Scan the QR code below to register and for more information!" (Chicago Public Schools via Facebook)
  • 'Free Santa Claus Bus': "⏪ This photo shows the "Free Santa Claus Bus" in mid-December 1973. The sign on the side offers free rides to State Street on the Santa Claus Bus. Riders were sometimes treated to special performances while they rode, such as by an accordion player." (Chicago Transit Authority via Facebook)
  • Fossils: "BFFFs: Best Fossil Friends Forever. 💙 This pristine stingray and its permanent fish pal were found in Wyoming's Green River Formation: one of the best records of an ecosystem from 50 million years ago and the perfect place to visit on #NationalFossilDay." (Field Museum via Facebook)
  • Fasano Pies: "Hard to believe, but it's true. Thanksgiving will be here in just a few quick weeks. You can make your Thanksgiving table extra special and wow your guests in 2022, by ordering a freshly baked Fasano Pie. The only pies "As Good As Mother's and Better Than Others." But order soon because these popular pies sell out quickly at this annual sale!" (Southwest Chicago Post via Facebook)
  • Zeus: "Zeus, a pitbull mix, was brought to MedVet with cancer and bodily injuries, a source said. A necropsy will be performed on the dog." (Block Club Chicago via Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll see you soon!

— Nicole Cvetnic

About me: I'm a Midwesterner and very happy to call Chicagoland home. I love the outdoors—especially hiking, performing arts, photography, good food, travel and gardening. You can often find me reading to my two-year-old daughter, watching a tv series with my husband or cuddling with our special needs dog.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Chicago Daily? Contact me at chicago_il@patch.com

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