by BRIAN NADIG A public hearing on the proposed Weber Spur Trail in the Mayfair-Sauganash area will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in the Student read story
Artwork in progress at City News Cafe after stolen car crashed into storefront
by BRIAN NADIG
An art project at City News Cafe, 4018 N. Cicero Ave., wasn’t planned but came about after a stolen car which police say had guns and drugs in addition to four occupants smashed into the store’s facade on April 16.
The store, which sells newspapers, magazines, coffee, baked goods and homemade chocolates, reopened the same day, but its storefront was left boarded up, and its owner Joe Angelastri had to deal with more than $50,000 in damages and filing insurance claims.
That’s the bad news.
Fortunately there’s also some good news.
Angelastri said that customers quickly came by to show their support, and one of those customers was Robert Wapahi, a Native American artist who lives in Jefferson Park. He offered to create an image on the plywood canvass, and Angelastri quickly accepted the offer.
Wapahi said that the image he’s painting depicts a woman reading a newspaper, with a “Chicago wins” headline. He added that the headline reflects his desire to include a positive message — and a possible reference to the recent success of the Chicago Cubs.
His works have been displayed in several galleries, including at the American Indian Center of Chicago.
Angelastri said that he plans to have the plywood with Wapahi’s image saved so it can be displayed somewhere in the business area after the facade glass is replaced.
The crash destroyed the outdoor seating area at City News along with tables, chairs, a bakery case and a refrigerator inside the cafe.
Surveillance footage captured the incident, as the driver apparently was trying to speed away from police and lost control of the vehicle, which had two flat tires. The car went airborne after it ricocheted off the storefront, with two occupants flying out of the car and landing on the sidewalk.
All four were arrested, and police allege that two handguns, a rifle and eleven individually knotted bags of suspected crack cocaine were recovered. Police also said that they found a key fob reprogrammer, when can be used to break into vehicles.
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