Go on AT&T, dance like nobody's watchin'. Just days after hearing that U-verse would likely find a home in Baton Rouge, LA and certain parts of Alabama, along comes a tidbit suggesting that West Chicago could be next. According to an article within the latest Glen Ellyn Newsletter, AT&T will be "performing an infrastructure upgrade" to its system in Glen Ellyn over the next six to nine months "in order to provide better phone service, enhance and expand its DSL offerings and introduce a new video service to residents." Project Lightspeed, as it's dubbed, will reportedly begin to roll out as early as this month, but there's no telling how long it'll take to be totally installed. For more details, hit up the PDF in the read link below and scroll to the bottom of page 4.

[Thanks, Matt]

Considering the absolute mess that O'Hare International is, we'd wager that you'll end up there a time or two on business or pleasure ventures. If so, chances are you'll be anxious to tune into a bit of HDTV after a long day in the Windy City. The Chicago Tribune has taken the liberty of breaking down the top ten best tech hotels Chi-town has to offer, and unsurprisingly, Hyatt properties -- you know, those with the Plug Panel -- were ranked quite highly. Additionally, Hard Rock Hotel Chicago is currently undergoing a pricey technology renovation that will be completed in 2009, and while it's not mentioned (could have something to do with all those construction workers still in the bathrooms), we'd imagine the Chicagoland aloft will hit the list next July.

Looks like Wisconsin isn't the only state getting gifted with more U-verse, as AT&T is expected to dump some $1.3 billion over the next several years to "upgrade its network in Illinois." Furthermore, it'll be bringing U-verse to even more Illinois suburbs, bringing the total communities served in the state to 230. Unfortunately, that's about it for details -- no word on which suburbs will be on the receiving end of new U-verse access, but we're sure the plans will get fleshed out before too long.

Finding out that you'll be receiving 11 new high-def channels makes for a fairly enjoyable day -- discover that double that will be arriving and you might as well spark up a formal celebration for the entire neighborhood. Reportedly, Comcast subscribers in the Normal / Bloomington, Illinois region (formerly Insight territory) -- including Bartonville, Bellevue, Creve Coeur, East Peoria, Norwood, Peoria Heights, Peoria, Tazewell County (Peoria), Wasthington and West Peoria -- will be seeing 22 new HD channels as of April 30th. We're also keeping our fingers crossed that this is a precedent that will extend to other areas of the country in the not-too-distant future. Think you can handle the list? It's waiting after the jump (and shown above).

[Thanks, Mike and Adam]

Sure, a trio of aloft hotels opening halfway across the world is fine and dandy, but how's about getting one right here in the US of A? Sure enough, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced plans to construct an aloft facility in the outskirts of Chicago -- Bolingbrook to be precise. The venue is slated to house 155 guest rooms and be located in The Promenade on the Windy City's southwest side. Of course, each room will feature wireless internet and a smattering of connectivity options all linked into a flat-panel HDTV. Unfortunately, it'll be July of 2009 before you can check in for a night or two, but at least you know where to steer your travel plans if heading this way.

Alright, Cubbies fans -- this is your year. What better way to end the streak than on the 100th anniversary of your last World Series win, right? In preparation for the upcoming season, WGN-Channel 9 is gearing up to air a two-hour documentary called Cubs Forever, which is in celebration of the 60th anniversary of WGN airing its first Cubs baseball game. For the historians in the crowd, that April 16th, 1948 matchup between your beloved Cubbies and the cross-town White Sox was actually an exhibition, but on April 20th of this year, fans will be able to witness "interviews with more than 60 Cubs players, fans and team staffers" that have been a part of the WGN / Cubs partnership. No word on an exact airing time just yet, but you can rest assured that it'll be beamed out in glorious high-definition.

[Image courtesy of VacationsByRail]

No sooner than Southern Illinois gets gifted with a handful of new HD channels on Mediacom, the opposite side of the state now has access to U-verse. You heard right -- Northeastern Illinois has just been dubbed AT&T's largest U-verse market launch to date, giving more than 175 communities the ability to acquire its fiber-based services. More specifically, residents in Bellwood, Buffalo Grove, Crystal Lake, Dolton, Elmhurst, Harvey, Hoffman Estates, Melrose Park, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, River Grove, St. Charles and Waukegan (among many, many more) can all phone up AT&T and get U-verse headed to their abodes. And yes, Big Ten Network is indeed included in the lineup, so you can let loose that pending sigh of relief.

According to The Southern Illinoisan, Mediacom is getting set to unveil a new HD-centric plan for junkies like us, but better yet, it's readying four new high-definition channels to boot. Reportedly, customers in the area will soon be able to sign up for HD Family Basic, which "adds seven channels to the company's Family Basic plan at no charge." The first three stations to debut on the plan will be ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD and Discovery Theater HD, and "within the next 45 days," subscribers will also be treated to TNT HD, TBS HD, CNN HD and Fox Sports Midwest HD. Oh, and if you really needed one more wild promise from a carrier about future HD offerings, Mediacom Director of Operations Dale Haney has stated that the outfit "plans on doubling HD channels throughout the year." We'll see about that, now won't we?

[Thanks, Peter S.]

Hard to believe that Chicago's local news on NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) wasn't already airing in HD, but nevertheless, it finally made the leap to high-definition this week. Not that staring at talking heads in 720p / 1080i is that much more enjoyable or anything, but at least it justifies that HDTV purchase a touch more, right?

[Thanks, Brian]