Studio Movie Grill permanently closed?

 According to the Chicago Crusader:

Chatham’s Studio Movie Grill, the luxury entertainment complex that brought upscale dining, fancy menus and food delivery service to movie goers on the South Side, is closed for good.

Five months after the national chain filed for bankruptcy, a spokesman for the Studio Movie Grill last week confirmed plans not to reopen the Chatham location after it was temporarily closed because of the pandemic.

“All SMG theaters remain under review, but SMG Chatham isn’t currently part of our re-opening plan,” said Lynne McQuaker, senior director of public relations and outreach for Studio Movie Grill. “Whenever possible, it’s our intent to reopen these shuttered theaters. We will share updates publicly as we have them available.”

A former manager of SMG in Chatham told the Crusader that employees last November were given a letter, informing them of the facility’s permanent closure.

The multi-screen movie theater at 210 W. 87th St. temporarily closed in March 2020 days after Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a statewide stay-at-home order during the pandemic. The Chatham location was among many Studio Movie Grill facilities in U.S. cities that imposed similar COVID-19 restrictions to prevent the spread of the disease.

Would be very disappointed if this longtime stable and venue in our community is shuttered longer than this pandemic. Also in general the movie industry is struggling because of this pandemic as we saw recently Arclight which operated a movie theater near North/Clyborn has shuttered along with the rest of the company as noted in the above article.

Here's hoping SMG comes out of bankruptcy and will reopen our longtime movie house. 

CPS schools are closed on Wednesday #Chiberia

Many were concerned, especially on social media and with temps going to very chilly lows CPS is cancelling classes on Wednesday.

BREAKING: Chicago Public Schools has announced that schools will be closed Wednesday due to sub-zero temperatures and potentially record-setting windchill values. https://t.co/IstgmNO2yh

— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) January 29, 2019

And here's the official word by the CPS' CEO

The safety of our students is the district’s highest priority. All afterschool activities will be canceled tomorrow, January 29th. All CPS schools will be closed on Wednesday, January 30th.

— Janice Jackson, EdD (@janicejackson) January 29, 2019

If you're looking for a warming center here's some information posted on Saturday. Feel free to call 311 to find one near you.

Three Englewood high schools to be phased out instead of closed at end of school year

[VIDEO] I would say this is good news for those concerned parents who send their children to the four Englewood high schools that are slated to close at the end of the school year. Why close those four schools and then send them to schools outside of the neighborhood to say Hyde Park or Bogan for example.

Additional thoughts on a new Englewood high school

You know I didn't do coverage of a new high school in Englewood the justice it deserved this year. A recent post shared several stories talking about underutilized and low enrollment high schools. That in addition to the closure of four Englewood area high schools that will close for a new high school. So allow me to go back to June of this year with this article from the Sun-Times where CPS chooses Englewood for a new high school set to open in 2019.

Then earlier in the year I wrote this piece before the decision was made. A new high school could've also been placed in Chinatown or Roseland. In light of the other news involving the low enrollment of 17 other CPS high schools, I just wanted to share this post written in January on the "Shedd School" blog.

Basic gist of that post, a new high school better have something to offer that the other high schools in an area doesn't. I wasn't talking about selective enrollment or magnet programs exactly though certainly programs that would ideally attract those families with a child who will soon transfer to high school. So at this point I would like to share that post with you all.

The Walgreen's on 95th & King Drive is closing

In about one month the Walgreen's location at 347 E. 95th Street will be closed permanently on June 27, 2017. It'll just be another vacant storefront just like the former Wendy's across the street on 95th.

The flyer you see below is seen on a table as you enter the store and signs are posted in that location alerting customers of the impending closing. This particular space had only been open for roughly a decade.

CPS classes are cancelled for Thursday January 8, 2015

In addition to the info above you may also find this information embedded below via CPS' twitter page. Feel free to retweet if you have a twitter account. The information is primarily regarding city warming centers during the current cold snap. Of course as always there's 311 for any info on city warming centers.

All six @ChiFamSupport Community Service Centers are serving as Warming Centers from 9a-8p. pic.twitter.com/GvR1CYJ5RH
— ChicagoPublicSchools (@ChiPubSchools) January 8, 2015

What to do with the closed Shedd School building?

Shedd School back in April 2012

While not part of the official closed schools list Shedd School, branch of Bennett Elementary School, had been closed down as of this year. While disappointing it probably shouldn't have been a huge surprise.

Having attended many meetings of the Bennett-Shedd Local School Councils it was noted that there have been an enrollment decline attributed to families either moving from the area or wanting to take advantage of other educational options such as charter schools. Whatever affected Bennett also affected Shedd School as well.

Whatever prompted this decision, Shedd School is now an empty building just like many around the city that have been closed in the past year mainly due to underutilization. Many communities affected are probably considering what they can do with these decommissioned school buildings. Can we afford to let them sit empty without a general use?

Over at RAGE's FB page there was an article about how a Kansas City neighborhood has come to grips with this issue. They turned one closed school into a community center.

If I recall correctly, this was something that was proposed by former 6th ward Ald. Freddrenna Lyle when unsuccessfully she ran for re-election back in 2011. Although in this case closing down schools hadn't yet found itself on the city let alone the 6th ward's radar. She proposed that when school is not in session that the buildings themselves be turned over to the community for their use.

So we have plenty of closed school buildings throughout the city perhaps it's time to figure out a use for them or at the very least re-imagine a use for the land they sit on. Hopefully if enrollment doesn't turn around for Bennett in the next few years I could see Shedd School becoming at least the new meeting place for the Roseland Heights Community Association for example

Also, if you want to see one argument in favor of school closings here's one presented by Artistmac in one of his YouTube vids. This is added while recognizing that there are many who are still upset with the school closings this year.

Finally, the pic below shows a sign announcing that for the 2013-14 school year all students will be attending the sister school at Bennett Elementary located at 10115 S. Prairie Ave in the nearby Rosemoor neighborhood. The sign was still posted to the backdoor of Shedd where in the past students would line up before classes would start for the day.

WBEZ: Public school closures to be based on enrollment, not performance

Public school closures to be based on enrollment, not performance

Chicago Public School officials announced Wednesday that they do not plan to shutter schools based on student performance, as they have in the past.

Newly seated schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said the district will close only schools that they consider to be underused. The district says 140 schools are more than half empty, but did not put a number on how many of those could be slated for closure.

Low-performing schools could still face drastic school improvement measures, such as being turned around, which usually means children stay at the school, while the entire staff is replaced.

Rumors have been flying for months about plans to close more than 100 schools, but Byrd-Bennett, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Board President David Vitale have all repeatedly said there is no plan to close that many schools.

Like her predecessor Jean-Claude Brizard, Byrd-Bennett said she wants to get feedback from communities before making any decisions. Under state law, school closures must be announced by December 1.

Many of us probably aren't happy with the idea of school closures. Especially if that means the neighborhood school could be closed and if our child goes to a school that could get closed.

Have you read the Tribune editorial posted yesterday? Do you think the effects of closing "underutilized" schools could have either negative or positive benefits?

Walmart Express in West Chatham to close

Here's the Tribune story.

Walmart Express in West Chatham to close

The Walmart Express in West Chatham will close July 27, the Bentonville, Ark-based company announced Friday.
...
The West Chatham Walmart Express employed 24 Walmart associates who have been offered jobs in the company, with most "walking across the parking lot" to work at the Supercenter, according to spokesman Steven Restivo.

Walmart's vision was to have the two stores complement each other, Restivo said, but increasingly customers were shopping at the Supercenter. "Customers appreciate having the one-stop shop environment at the SuperCenter," he said. "Over time we found that their unusually close proximity resulted in customers making a clear choice."

Read the whole thing!