Yes, they should award a Grant to whoever comes up with one. #NationOfUlysses

As seen on the Mellow Chicago Bike Map! chicagoreader.com/columns-opin...

Later in the Bob Zuley column: "In return, Fern Hill will build the Congregation a brand new synagogue, debt-free. Quid pro quo. Such a deal!" I would be willing to let "Such a deal!" slide if Zuley was himself a Member of the Tribe, but that does not seem to be the case. www.facebook.com/bob.zuley

The former political insider who tipped me off to the FB post said circa 2021, Michael Sullivan wrote some columns for Inside Publications' Inside Booster that were real doozies. I've got an online subscription, but I didn't feel like sifting through 12 months of garbage newspapers to find them.

Interestingly, FB Jew-baiter / Inside Publications columnist Sullivan drops some Yiddish in this recent letter to the NIMBY newspapers. He rails against the upcoming ped mall in Andersonville, implying its purpose is to "pay off the billionaires who control Ald. Vasquez." @andrefor40th.bsky.social

Inside Publications compared a Jewish congregation to "moneychangers in the temple." An ex-political insider tells me the Mike Sullivan who left some straight-up Jew hate on a Block Club FB post is the same guy who wrote lots of racially-charged columns for Inside Publications. tinyurl.com/bdfcjyd8

Not an endorsement but FWIW, Quigley has talked a fair amount about sustainable transportation over the years, and helped get federal dollars for several local transportation projects. chi.streetsblog.org/tag/mike-qui...

After I biked in rain all weekend, at Montrose Beach last night, my u-lock froze up. So I grabbed an e-Divvy, rode home, grabbed lube, rode back, got the lock unstuck. 3 mile roundtrip, 18 minutes, < cost of a bus RT. 13+ years ago, this would have been a big hassle. Thanks @divvybikes.bsky.social!

What the Buck (Owens) are you guys talking about? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Ow...

I'm sure fallen CDOT Complete Streets Planner Riley O'Neil, whose tragic dooring crash on Halsted inspired the recent Chicago, Bike Grid Now! protests, would want all local sustainable transportation advocates to work together to improve safety on that street, and across Chicagoland. 4/X 🚶🚲 🚌 ☮️

Several Edgewater clergy members wrote a letter to Inside Publications. It's in response to Bob Zuley's op-ed that compared Emanuel Congregation, which has proposed a transit-friendly synagogue/housing redevelopment, to "money changers in the temple." The article is also attached here.

*All* CTA stations should say what the cross streets are! That way, we wouldn't have 5 different stations named "Western." And, while we're at it, somebody tell Metra that Clybourn Station is half a mile west of Clybourn Avenue!

"Grid Chicago," yes. It was the predecessor of launching Chicago's Streetsblog site. Before that, Steven wrote "Steven Can Plan," where he still posts on housing (and SBC sometimes syndicates his posts): www.stevencanplan.com And I wrote "Vote With Your Feet": votewithyourfeetchicago.blogspot.com

Here's a new (dog-whistle-free) article in Inside Publications about the Edgewater synagogue redevelopment near Thorndale Station. Opponents are using the NIMBY strategy of proposing something unrealistic (expanding the beach) to block something you don't want (more housing.)

"Does Johnson not like Leerhsen?" Unlikely. She's giving the CTA's image an extreme makeover, which is good for his reelection prospects. But read this assessment of the situation by SBC contributors @ellensteinke.bsky.social and @nikhunder.com in the Trib. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/21/o...

I got rid of some extra bike and camping gear, and doughnuts, at Saturday's yard sale in the Sunnyside Pedestrian Mall, attended by Uptown luminaries luminaries like Black Ensemble Theater CEO Jackie Taylor, and former alder and current Zoning Board Chair Hellen Shiller. 🚲⛺️ 🍩 @stevevance.net

Interesting route proposal for tonight's @chicritmass.bsky.social, ending with a bonfire at 31st St. Beach. 🚲🏖️🔥 footpathapp.com/routes/101A0...

Wow, it's almost as if it's possible to respect religions, but also understand that the First Amendment enshrines the concept (not the exact same wording) of "separation of church and state." @ctulocal1.bsky.social

LTTE about Bob Zuley's op-ed in Inside Publications against plans for CTA-friendly synagogue redevelopment in Edgewater. Zuley compared Emanuel Congregation to "money changers in the temple... hell-bent on monetizing their sacred space." Zuley's op-ed is also attached. @the48thward.bsky.social

Great times on a Metra + bike camping trip to Illinois' Chain O' Lake State Park last weekend including a foray across the Cheddar Curtain to Twin Lakes, WI. www.google.com/maps/dir/Cry...

Zuno and Villalobos have spoken out against Trump. But Lopez and Rangel are overtly MAGA-friendly, so go nuts!

Graph showed WMATA / CTA "serious incidents" with "passenger injuries," "employee injuries," and "assault/homicide events." WMATA CEO stated that fare evasion itself is not a "crime." So simply making transit fare free wouldn't "reduce crime." Interesting convo, but I should move on. Cheers.

Also worth noting: Another factor in WMATA's reducing crime has been deploying "crisis intervention specialists." For example, in this photo, one of them seems to be assisting a troubled DC hardcore punk rocker. (I'm kidding about that part – I assume the model on the left is not Ian MacKaye.)

...I suppose an argument for free transit is that higher ridership might deter crime due to the "eyes in the railcars" effect. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural... Certainly, plummeting ridership during COVID didn't help the CTA's crime rate. experience.arcgis.com/experience/b...

"There's no evidence having a fare [and offering an easily accessed reduced fare program] & then [deterring evasion with more effective fare gates and] charging evasion reduces crime."

This fare evasion issue also applies to the 'L' train system. Washington D.C.'s WMATA seems to offer a best practice: More effective fare gates on Metro combined with easy-to-access income-based fares contributed to the lowest crime rate in 25 years. chi.streetsblog.org/2026/03/09/r... @ggwash.org

That's computer "art" imitating life, as these photos from Montrose Beach show. (If you ever come across this taco bike, this guy makes very tasty tacos.)

Friday I visited Holiday Club, 4000 N. Sheridan Rd., where we've had an SBC meetup or two, before it closes on 5/17. On the bright side, 91 apts. are coming across the street from CTA's Sheridan Station, w/ an OK > 2:1 apt: car spot ratio. blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/27/h... @stevevance.net

My main city bike for a quarter-century, the Rainbow Tiger is dead. (Long story.) Long live the Rainbow Tiger!

Sorry, BraineRd, not "Brained"!