What Were Skokie's Biggest Stories in February?

While February has the fewest days in a month, Skokie saw no shortage of interesting stories. The following are the top five stories for February 2013: 

• 1) New Details Emerge on Apartment Shooting

Two visible bullet holes, more than half a dozen Chicago police officers and a helicopter made headlines in the month of February after several shots were fired at a second-story apartment window in the 4800 block of Greenleaf Street in Skokie on Feb. 11.

Three days later, multiple Chicago police officers, accompanied by a helicopter, responded to 4842 Greenleaf St. to execute a search warrant. In the end, Chicago police arrested two juveniles for narcotics offenses. The shooter has yet to be captured.

Police said a drug debt was the motive for the shooting.

The target is believed to be known to the offender, police said.

No one was injured, but several people were inside the unit at the time of the shooting.

To read our latest update, click here.

• 2) What Should Replace Desiree Restaurant?

A 250-word story on what should replace the once-iconic Desiree restaurant at Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street sparked a community-wide debate. Some suggested a high-end steak house, while others asked for a community center.

In the end, the story saw more than 100 comments. Skokie Patch has learned new details on the property since running the story and will be publishing a follow up later this month. Click the link above to see what readers said.

• 3) Caucus Party Needs to Open Its Eyes: Crime is a ‘Reality’ in Skokie

If you haven’t heard, all six-trustee seats are open for election this April. There are a total of nine candidates running, three Independents and six from the Caucus Party. The Caucus Party has been in control of all six seats for more than five decades.

I Independent candidate Lisa Lipin stated that crime has become a more serious issue over the last several years, despite the village saying that crime continues to decline in Skokie.

The story saw more than 50 comments and Lipin outlined more than half a dozen recent violent crimes that occurred in the community. If you haven’t, be sure to check out our candidate profile page here.

• 4) Busted: Hair Salon Bandit Charged with 11 Counts of Robbery

There was a point where people began to wonder if a serial hair salon robber would ever be caught. Jason Logsdon, 41, of the 900 block of Chicago Avenue in Evanston, was ultimately caught and charged with 11 counts of armed robbery, all Class X felonies. While several police agencies helped with the investigation, the Skokie Police Department garnered much of the credit thanks to its investigative efforts.

Logsdon would ultimately end up telling authorities that he committed the robberies to feed his crack-cocaine habit. He robbed two salons in Skokie, one in Niles and another in Morton Grove. Things became so bad that

To read all of our coverage on Logsdon, click here.

• 5) Walgreens Near Skokie-Evanston Border a ‘Done-Deal’

Sometimes it feels like Walgreens is the new Walmart, at least in Skokie. A once-beloved tavern at 9956 Crawford Avenue will now be torn down for another Walgreens. During a village board meeting, it appeared that no area residents wanted the drug store chain near their homes, which might be because just six blocks south is Walgreens' “flagship” store and about two blocks north is a CVS.

Some residents were concerned with traffic congestions, while others were worried about noise or the safety of children at a nearby school. No word yet on when construction will begin.

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