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sunday's storm broke a record. then it got worse. o'hare recorded 1.76 inches of rain on march 15, making it the wettest march 15 at the airport since records began. the previous record was 1.43 inches, set in 1943. then overnight the rain turned to sleet, then snow, then blowing snow with 40 mph wind gusts. by monday morning, nearly 600 flights were canceled at o'hare and at least 61 at midway. state troopers responded to 162 property-damage crashes, 21 injury crashes, and 101 calls for assistance by noon. a winter weather advisory was in effect for cook and will counties. this was six days after the tornado in kankakee. chicago weather does not believe in recovery time.

the 48th south side irish parade marched through rain, then sun, because that's how it works. over 100 groups marched down western avenue in beverly on sunday for the annual south side irish parade. the weather started with heavy rain, then shifted to sunshine partway through, because the parade has outlasted worse. the tunnel to towers foundation served as grand marshal. st. christina parish in mount greenwood, celebrating its centennial, was the honoree. the wee folks of washtenaw and talman — the original 17 kids who marched in 1979 — still had a float. the parade was canceled in 2020 and 2021 and went on hiatus in the late aughts after too many arrests. it came back as a family event. it still is one.

edgewater neighbors are suing the city over the broadway upzoning. the city wants the case thrown out. a group called edgewater residents for responsible development filed suit in january to reverse the upzoning of broadway from devon to montrose. they say the city failed to properly notify property owners, including those on cross streets, and denied them the chance to speak at a public hearing. the city filed a motion to dismiss. a cook county judge set a hearing for june 4 and said he'll allow oral arguments because this is a case of "public interest." the upzoning was meant to allow denser housing near the red line. three alderpeople supported it. a bloc of neighbors hired a lawyer, paid for billboards, and launched saveEdgewater.com. the zoning committee approved it 15-2, and the full city council followed. this is the part where it goes to court.

soul & smoke is expanding in evanston. same barn. bigger ambitions. d'andre carter and heather bublick bought the century-old barn that houses their original soul & smoke and are turning it into a full-service restaurant. carter, who trained at moto, will blend the barbecue they're known for — smoked duroc rib tips, brisket by the pound, mac and cheese — with fine dining techniques. bublick is curating a wine list focused on BIPOC- and woman-owned wineries. open kitchen. smoker room with a view. the barn stays. the scope grows.

the dupage sheriff primary is today and the republican race is a full civic meltdown. eddie moore, the dupage undersheriff and republican candidate for sheriff, was placed on administrative leave after reports he struck a busboy in a parking lot in oak brook after valentine's day dinner. surveillance video reportedly exists. the state's attorney rescinded his endorsement. moore's opponent is former county board member sean noonan. the primary is today. this is the kind of race where the campaign narrative writes itself and no one comes out looking good.

james beard winner jimmy bannos jr. opened a greek restaurant in niles. it has a 9,000-square-foot dining room and a charcoal grill. kouklas greek eatery at 7620 n. milwaukee ave. is bannos's first venture outside the city. the menu is contemporary greek with open-fire cooking, housemade pasta, fresh-baked pita, and a curated olive oil program. there are 150 seats, a full bar, and an all-seasons terrace. niles now has a destination restaurant from a james beard award-winning chef, which is the kind of sentence that would have sounded strange five years ago.

it's primary day. go vote. the polls are open until 7 p.m. the march 17 illinois primary is today. contested races for governor, U.S. senate, congress, dupage sheriff (see above), and a slate of local referendums. polls are open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. bring ID if you're registering same-day. find your polling place at the link below. the lines are short for midterm primaries, which means you can be in and out in 15 minutes and feel civic for the rest of the day.

https://www.elections.il.gov/

eat: fatback just opened at 176 w. wacker. chef charlie mckenna of lillie's q and the fifty/50 group built a high-end sandwich shop and butcher counter in the loop. the jambon has lady edison country ham and whole-grain mustard beurre. the 'nduja grilled cheese exists. there's a rotisserie chicken program and an in-house butcher counter. it's a lunch spot that does not feel like a lunch spot.

do: the shedd aquarium is free tonight for illinois residents, 5 to 9 p.m. it's one of the free tuesday evenings that run through june. no catch. just walk in. the jellyfish alone are worth the trip. go after you vote.

avoid: the aftermath of st. patrick's day weekend. the river was dyed saturday. the south side parade was sunday. the downtown parade happened. wrigleyville happened. the city is recovering. the green is fading but the headaches are not. give it a day.

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cps spring break is march 23 to 27. that's next week. start planning now or you'll be googling "free things to do with kids" at 8 a.m. monday. the shedd, field museum, adler, and museum of science and industry all run spring break camps and programs. the shedd's free tuesday evenings continue through march. the illinois railway museum in union has a bunny trolley hop march 28-29. and if all else fails, the lincoln park zoo is free year-round and the kids can run until they stop talking.

block club chicago wrote a love letter to boxty, the irish potato pancake you've probably never ordered. it's st. patrick's day. skip the green beer. boxty is a regional irish dish — part crêpe, part latke, part fritter — that dates to at least the 1840s and possibly to the famine. block club tracked down every place in chicago that serves it: mystic rogue in norwood park, o'shaughnessy's in ravenswood, fadó in river north, and gaelic imports in jefferson park (if they have it — call first). the piece also includes a recipe from 1909 if you want to make your own. grate the potatoes, add flour and caraway seed, fry in hot fat. it's a 200-year-old recipe and it still works.

five breweries in six weeks. chicago's craft beer scene is contracting and the survivors are getting creative. alarmist in sauganash closed feb. 1. flapjack in berwyn and casa humilde in forest park followed. whiner beer co. in back of the yards closes march 29. illuminated brew works in norwood park closes in june. the sun-times talked to the owners who are shutting down and the ones trying not to. the reasons stack up: post-covid debt, a 30 percent rise in ingredient costs since 2021, aluminum tariffs that doubled the price of cans, and an oversaturated market meeting a historic decline in drinking. half acre and maplewood announced a merger. old irving is leaning into food and events. noon whistle in lombard made a cicada-infused malört to get people talking. and at the plant in back of the yards, as whiner exits, a crew called somosmonos cervecería is taking over the lease, the equipment, and the taproom — hosting south side bands every weekend. the piece names names, traces money, and ends with someone saying "we cannot just let it go." it's a snapshot of an industry figuring out what comes after the boom.

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350 flights got canceled.

the south side marched anyway.

edgewater is suing.

and the primary is today.

tips, corrections, your best boxty recipe?

reply with your neighborhood and one thing that made you pause, squint, or text someone “???”

talk thursday.

-sam