News Notes from All Over

Anima of Shangri-La exposed as hoax - or is it? Wednesday's Chicago Tribune carries a story on Teng & Associates, after a two year search, lining up a $300 million loan to complete their $480 million Waterview Tower on Wacker at Clark. Earlier in the week, rival Sun-Times columnist David Roeder had reported (see post just below) that the project had been unable to obtain financing,and that construction was in danger of being halted and the building turned into a parking garage. The loan came courtesy of the Beijing Construction Engineering Group Company, which is not a financial firm but acted as a middleman for funds provided by the Export Import Bank of China. Who has the better handle on the Chicago real estate market - the pessimistic American lenders, or the Chinese? Place your bets now.

Many of you will no doubt think this refutes my previous post on this topic. But does it? On Monday, I write about Waterview and its Shangri-La hotel being the victim of a possible curse from the anima of the demolished Shangri-La restaurant and soft-porn house. On Wednesday, save-the-day financing is announced to take Waterview to completion. And where does this salvation come from? That's right. A Chinese company. Is it possible that the anima, after reading (or perhaps having it read to them; the cognitive abilities of anima remain somewhat unclear) Monday's post looked again at the project that had usurped its name and, moved by that project's fragility and struggle to be born, reversed the direction of its spiritual energy?

Grant Park mulch and clean for Earth Day this weekend. The Grant Park Conservancy, Grant Park Advisory Council and volunteers from Exelon and JPMorgan Chase are teaming up again this year to care for the trees in Grant Park, Saturday and Sunday from 9 A.M. to noon. Get the info here.

Group fights Lincoln Park privatization - Crain's reports that a group called Protect Our Parks has filed a lawsuit in Chicago Circuit Court to stop construction of a soccer field that the Latin School, in exchange for financing, will convert to extensive private use for up to the next 20 years.

The Chicago Children's Museum has filed for a liquor license for their proposed location in Grant Park.