Deadly Iran protests continue as Trump renews intervention threat

By JON GAMBRELL AP The death toll in violence surrounding protests in Iran has risen to at least 35 people, activists said Tuesday, as the demonstrations showed no signs of stopping. The figure came from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which said more than 1,200 people have been detained in the protests, which have been ongoing for more than a week. It said 29 protesters, four children and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed. Demonstrations have reached over 250 locations in 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces, The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in past unrest. A wave of protests sparked by Iran’s failing economy has continued for a ninth day, as President Donald Trump renewed his threat of US intervention. Trump warned on Sunday night that Iranian authorities would be “hit very hard” if more protesters died. “We’re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they ...

New Clinton Street entrance to Union Station now open

The Clinton Entrance, seen from inside the Great Hall in Union Station.

The Clinton Entrance, seen from inside the Great Hall in Union Station.

Dave Newbart/Sun-Times

It’s not just you — that entrance along Clinton Street at Union Station may be unfamiliar. That’s because it’s new.

Since a 1980 fire in which one person died, that space along Clinton street had not been occupied other than for storage, Magliari said. The space formerly had a restaurant that was gutted by the fire, Magliari said, after which the windows were removed and the openings were bricked over.

Now, a new entrance is wide open, with new windows looking into the Great Hall. An elevator allows the entrance to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Magliari said, though he added that Amtrak also has been seeking quotes for adding temporary ramp to allow wheelchair users to go from street level to floor level.

The entrance at Clinton and Jackson Boulevard has long been equipped with automatic doors and a ramp into the Great Hall, Magliari said.

Colorful posters touting other Amtrak routes span the walls above a passenger waiting area just inside the newly opened entrance. The posters were saved from the Union Station parking garage before it was demolished a few years ago, Magliari said.

“We wanted to preserve them,” he said. “It’s better than bare white walls.”

The garage site was sold, and a BMO Tower now stands there. About $10 million in proceeds from that land sale was spent on renovations for a Union Station food hall, Magliari told the Sun-Times in 2019.

Posters from Union Station’s now-demolished parking garage decorate the walls of a Union Station lobby.

Posters from Union Station’s now-demolished parking garage decorate the walls of the lobby inside Union Station’s newly reopened entrance on Clinton Street.

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

The food hall project was started in 2019. Though it’s seen some delays due to COVID-19, Magliari said, Amtrak’s main goal was to finish the entrance and space before construction began on Canal Street.

The space, between the Great Hall and Clinton Street on the station’s west side, was once the Fred Harvey Lunch Room, part of a national chain catering to rail passengers. It was accessible from within the station before the fire, Magliari said.

Magliari said Amtrak doesn’t yet have a definitive timeline for finishing the food hall but is in discussions with possible tenants. Amtrak hopes to find a “master tenant” that will market the space to different vendors.

The space is “roughed in,” Magliari said, meaning it’s ready for vendors to move in, and then customize the space to suit their needs.

Plans for the food hall follow other renovations to Union Station, which opened in 1925. The Metropolitan Lounge, which offers soft drinks, coffee and snacks for passengers in business class and sleeper cars, opened in 2016, the same year the former Women’s Lounge was revamped to create an event space. A skylight in the Great Hall was restored in 2018, fixing water leaks that had persisted for decades.

Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to report the Clinton Street entrance is new. The area had been off-limits to the public since a fire in 1980.



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