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🌱 Chicago Poet Wins Spoken Word Grammy + $31M West Side Sports Center

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Good morning! Just a heads up that this will be my last week curating your Chicago Daily. Someone new will be taking over next week. Now, on to local news and happenings:

  • 🔫 Chicago's "time-to-crime" period is far shorter than other major U.S. cities.
  • ❄️ "You Name A Snowplow" winners were announced.
  • 🎶 Chicago poet J. Ivy won a Grammy.

🌬️ The weather:

Breezy in the afternoon. High: 41 Low: 38.

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📰 Top 5 stories in Chicago:

1) According to a new Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives report, the "time-to-crime"—the period between the purchase of a gun until its recovery by police in a crime—is far shorter in Chicago than in New York or Los Angeles, indicating illegal trafficking. The median time-to-crime for Chicago is 2.8 years compared with 4.2 years in Los Angeles and 6.3 years in New York. (Chicago Sun-Times)

2) North Austin Center, a new $31 million community center and youth athletic facility on the West Side, will provide a safe place for young people to play sports and learn after school. The 10-acre campus will house the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy and the Chicago Fire FC Field, which will become the city's only indoor FIFA-regulation turf arena. (CBS Chicago)

3) Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Department of Streets and Sanitation picked seven winning names for the snowplows in the city's six snow districts, after months of submissions in the "You Name A Snowplow" competition. A near-tie for sixth place meant the city dedicated a seventh plow to the people. The winners were: Mrs. O'Leary's Plow, Da Plow, Salter Payton, Sears Plower, Sleet Home Chicago, Holy Plow! and Jean Baptiste Point du Shovel. (Block Club Chicago)

4) Valentine's Day is soon upon us, creating pressure to plan the perfect date. Whether you want an elaborate experience or comfort food, whether you want to celebrate Galentine's Day with friends or snuggle up with your partner, the Chicago Tribune (paywall) has a list of 77 Valentine's Day specials at Chicagoland restaurants.

5) Chicago poet J. Ivy won a Grammy for best spoken-word poetry album, the new category he spent six years lobbying to create. His winning album is "The Poet Who Sat by the Door." In his acceptance speech, Ivy gave a shoutout to his suburban Chicago high school English teacher, Paula Argue, who believed in him 30 years ago and gave him a chance. (Chicago Sun-Times)

📌 Today in Chicago:

  • Valentine's Day Craft at Near North Branch Library (12:00 PM)
  • "Little Women" at West Belmont Branch Library (1:00 PM)
  • "In Bruges" at Edgewater Branch Library (2:00 PM)
  • Chicago Bulls vs. San Antonio Spurs at United Center (7:00 PM)
  • Zach Fedor and The Long Goodbyes at Reggies (7:00 PM)
  • Best of The Second City at The Second City (8:00 PM)
  • Fairytale Love: A Music Love Story at City Winery (8:00 PM)
  • Gary Meikle at Zanies Comedy Club (8:00 PM)
  • Slug.Scape, Jnana at The California Clipper (8:00 PM)
  • Industry Mondays at PRYSM Chicago (10:00 PM)

📱 Social chatter:

  • New Chicago restaurants: "True Chicagoans won't let February get them down" (Eater Chicago via Facebook)
  • Mayoral race: "An endorsement guide to the 2023 Chicago mayoral election." (NBC 5)
  • Chicago Police and Firefighter Training Academy: "The application for Sophomore students interested in joining the Chicago Police and Firefighter Training Program has now opened! Learn more at CPFTA.COM ¡La aplicación para estudiantes de segundo año interesados en unirse a el Programa de Capacitación para Policía y Bomberos de Chicago ya se ha abierto! Aprenda más CPFTA.COM" (Chicago Public Schools via Facebook)
  • V-Day cocktails: "Grab a sip on the sweeter side or something sans alcohol." (Time Out Chicago via Facebook)

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Events:

  • Hooters to Donate One-Third of All Chicken Wing Sales On Tuesdays in February to Holy Family School (February 7)
  • DePaul's Paralegal Studies Information Session (February 7)
  • Conversational Spanish for Adults (February 7)
  • LPCC Annual Meeting: Lincoln Park's 2023 Cultural Outlook (February 9)
  • Block Cinema: RESIDUE (2020) with filmmaker Merawi Gerima (February 9)
  • DEI in Healthcare (February 10)
  • Lincoln Square Winter Weekend Greek Fest (February 11)
  • Love Triangles - Music of Clara & Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms (February 25)
  • Add your event

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I'll be back tomorrow with a new update!

— 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 find me reading to my toddler, watching tv with my husband or cuddling with our rescue dog.

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

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