The Block Club Chicago Podcast Block Club Chicago

Six years ago, a small and scrappy group of journalists refused to give up on neighborhood news, and Block Club Chicago was born. But our 6th birthday is not just a celebration of Block Club — it’s also a celebration of reader support. We wouldn’t be here without the generosity of readers like you.

A group of alderpeople want the state to pump the brakes on plans to redesign DuSable Lake Shore Drive and instead find ways to prioritize public transit on the city’s most famous road.

Fourteen alderpeople have signed a letter to Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Omer Osman and Chicago Department of Transportation President Tom Carney, asking the state to “halt” its Redefine the Drive project, which calls for redesigning and rebuilding DuSable Lake Shore Drive from Grand to Hollywood avenues on the North Side.

The nation’s first Black tennis club started on privately owned land needs help repairing its tennis courts, and club members are looking to the public for support. The Chicago Prairie Tennis Club, 3211 S. Ellis Ave., faces a heavy financial lift as four of the courts they’ve been using for decades have fallen into disrepair.

For over 120 years, the battle over fans, space and prestige in Chicago — and in the history books — has simmered between the North Side and South Side teams and their supporters. Here’s how it happened.

The backdrop of Andersonville’s Clark Street business corridor may have evolved over the decades, but one anchor on the street has remained steadfast: an unsuspecting neighborhood bar with a large “pickled” herring neon sign hanging over the sidewalk.

Simon’s Tavern, 5210 N. Clark St., has been operating for 90 years as of this spring, owner Scott Martin said.

The city has 77 community areas -- but no officially recognized neighborhoods. A Chicago Neighborhood Project survey asked residents to define where they live. Project leader Professor Emily Talen joins the Block Club Chicago podcast to explain.