A local business is making outfitting babies as easy as getting a movie from Netflix.

Good Karma Clothing for Kids rents outfits for newborn children up to 2-year-olds through the mail. For parents who watch their children grow through seven different clothing sizes in those 24 months, it can be a welcome concept.

Spot on! You can replace Portland with Wicker Park, Bucktown, or anyplace hipsters roam w/ unfortunate facial hair.

With the passing of Don Cornelius, retrospectives on his life have been solely focusing on his television creation, Soul Train.

For me however, Don Cornelius will forever be associated with uber-cool and sleazy record producer Mo Fuzz in the cult classic Tapeheads. (forward to 2:22 unless you like Swedish hunks lip-syncing Devo). In Mo Fuzz, there is a standard for detached coolness that I secretly strive for to this day. "Let's Get Into Trouble, Baby" is my silent mantra.

On a side note: another cool icon in the same vien that made a impact in my psyche, would be Cesar Romero's character Duke Santos in the 1960 original version of Ocean's Eleven.

Thanks to Britscene for posting this video. A happy song this Monday morning to hopefully set the tone for the week.

Let me first say that I feel sorry for the people who work there. However, the business model of selling produce that's on the edge of being sent to the dumpster is a poor choice. I had my fill of sifting through a large pile of veggies, looking for one that wasn't shriveled or starting to rot. Thanks to Mariano's for raising the bar for produce shopping!

One of the worlds great races is wrapping up - the Dakar rally. Sadly, I find that us Americans are woefully unaware of this classic, especially now that it's taking place in our hemisphere. (The Dakar Rally historically was from Paris to Dakar - a bulk of the race going through the Sahara Desert. Several years ago because of terrorist threats and security concerns, the race moved to South America. This years race went through Argentina, Chile and Peru).

Happily this year in addition to the daily video updates on the internet, the new NBC sports network has been giving 30min daily updates - Thank You!

So whether you are a Dakar fan or never heard of it, these photos are great and give a great taste of the 8000 mile race.

Arlington Heights residents can attend classes at the new Robert Morris University campus in the village for $5,000 an academic year, under a program being offered by the school.

The campus, which is in its first year at 2123 Goebbert Road, offers a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a management concentration. Regular tuition at the private, nonprofit school is about $21,000 per year, said Panorea Bakutis, the university’s director of admissions.

Arlington Heights Plan Commission unanimously approved the massive mixed-use Arlington Downs project, sending it to the village board for final approval.

All eight commissioners and Plan Commission Chairman Bruce Green praised the project and the development group’s presentation, which included a 3D flyby rendering of the entire property.

Green went so far as to call the project an “architectural marvel.”

Assuming you know how much of today's celeb pics are Photoshopped, the video says it all. via @ritholtz

La Roca Tapas, where owner Tim Trujillo promises “the world’s best homemade sangria” with European-style tapas plates, opened New Year’s Eve in downtown Arlington Heights.

The restaurant is at 6 S. Dunton Ave., the former home of Mario’s Trattoria.

Arlington Heights’125th anniversary train project is chugging along as local groups prepare to decorate their fiberglass trains.

The train has become a symbol for the village’s quasquicentennial celebration, commemorating the influence the Union Pacific train line had in establishing the village’s center and helping it expand.

Local organizations and businesses are getting in on the action by purchasing 4-foot-by-2.5-foot fiberglass trains from the village’s anniversary committee. They will paint and display the trains this summer, similar to the village’s last major art installation, Ponies on Parade.

I need to coin a phrase for these stories about Arlington Heights folks. 'Arlington All-Stars'?

Here is a little New Years diddy to get you in the mood for the better of the two holidays of the holiday season. Hope every one has a safe and Happy New Year.

Could that old office building be an archtectural gem?  On Tuesday, December 20, WBEZ radio had a feature story about a group of students and faculty from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago who have taken on the task of documenting architecturally significant municipal, commericial and religious buildings in the Cook County suburbs from the frequently-overlooked 1930-1970 period.  These and previous findings constitute the Landmarks Illinois "Recent Past Survey," which includes many Arlington Heights buildings, such as St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church and Grandt's Shell station on Northwest Highway.  You can search/browse the full database (for Arlington Heights and many other communities) or enjoy some slideshows of select communities from the Survey's homepage.  If you're further interested in Arlington Heights history, you may want to check out some books on the Village's history from our collection.  Also make sure to take a look at the site for the upcoming 125th anniversary celebration (quasquicentennial).