Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
Lightology, the locally based largest contemporary lighting showroom in North America, is having a design contest. The concept must feature at least one foot of Lightology's LED Soft Strip, and prizes include a $2,000 Lightology gift card and a feature in i4 design magazine. More details here.
Speaking of Michael Jordan, speculation is running rampant over the possibility that LeBron James could join the Bulls and usher in a new era of championships. The economic benefit? A UIC economist estimates as much as $2.7 billion.
Michael Jordan is. (Game starts at 7, people.)
The Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy teaches girls soccer skills. They've taught former National Team star Mia Hamm not only how to play soccer, but how to lead. Danielle Slaton, the current assistant coach at Northwestern University and Olympic Medalist, will be teaching this year's training camp in Oakbrook. It isn't cheap, but they do have scholarships available for the daughters of military service members between the ages of 12 and 18.
Rod Blagojevich has spent three quarters of his legal defense fund before his trial has even started, the Chicago News Cooperative reports. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court turned down his delay of trial request.
CitID aims to "gain global consciousness by giving a (type)face to every city worldwide." There are three submitted for Chicago so far, including this sexy number. [via]
"Diff'rent Strokes" star Gary Coleman, who grew up in north suburban Zion, died today of a brain hemorrhage. He was 42.
Forget the "real" official start of summer -- as far as Chicago's concerned, the opening of the city's beaches is it. And today's the day! Follow @chicagoparks for closure info.
Nicole Suarez, a native Chicagoan and a student at DePaul, recently won the title of Miss Tolima in Colombia, and will be competing in the Miss Colombia competition -- the first non-native in the pageant's history. Help Suarez celebrate her win next Friday at Las Tablas Steakhouse, where she's a server.
Wicker Park's Smoke Daddy wants you to name its new smoker, offering a free BBQ party for 20 people to whomever creates the winning moniker. Head to the restaurant, write down your favorite names, and you'll be entered to win, but make sure you pick a name to match its power -- the 5,000 lb. beast can smoke 432 ribs at once. The contest is open June 14 through the 30th, and BBQ lovers can suggest up to three names.
We learn that you can get a decent meal at Navy Pier in this week's Drive-Thru feature.
Genderqueer Chicago, a support and discussion group for people who don't identify with strict male/female gender types, is holding a picnic and field day in Humboldt Park tomorrow.
Food smells are a regular annoyance in office kitchens -- and everyone has their personal stinky pet peeves.
Those guys with the new locks will be disappointed to know that in Illinois, a homeowner can continue to live in a foreclosed house -- even after it is sold -- until a judge determines when the homeowner needs to move out.
How similar are Space Jam and the Popol Vuh?
Are you ready for the good times? The Reader is. NewCity, too.
The Wall Street Journal reports that investor C. Dean Metropoulos has purchased Woodridge-based Pabst, makers of PBR, Schlitz, Old Style and plenty other "old man" beers. His sons, Evan (29) and Daren (26) are expected to have a role. Here's a bit of background on the Metropoulos boys.
Remember Rudy Acosta and his crazy mansion next to expressway? It's now sitting empty, on tax-exempt land, John Kass reports.
If you missed our 7th Anniversary Party at the Metro last Friday, Time Out Chicago has a nice photo gallery of what you missed. (As do we.)
If BaconFest didn't cure you of your bacon fetish, maybe this special deal will help.
Buzzd offers a look at what places around the city are "buzzing" on Twitter and other social media sites.
The Federal Highway Administration deemed three Chicago area junctions to be in the top ten trucking bottlenecks in the country. The FHWA hopes the trucking companies will use the information when planning routes. Here's to fewer trucks!
Your home can taste a lot more like 1955 W. Belmont, thanks to the release of Bleeding Heart Bakery's first cupcake cookbook. Try your hand ahead of time with the recipe for Infamous Spinach and Apple Cupcakes shared with No One Puts Cupcake in a Corner.
"Use this shirt as a map." [via]
Amidst Threadless' 10-year anniversary, the company's CEO Thomas V. Ryan answers ten questions from The Killswitch Collective.
The Reynolds Journalism Institute is conducting a survey of readers of community news websites -- including Gapers Block. Please take a couple minutes to fill out the survey!
The buzz for this summer's World Cup tournament is at fever pitch. The US Men's National Team added to ruckus by announcing their final 23 man roster. Chicagoist has a breakdown of the local inclusions.
Futuristic vending machines have been getting a lot of attention lately, and events at the (other) NRA show didn't buck the trend. One vending machine from the show will hit Chicago this summer with the ability to mix Coke with Fanta, lemonade or about a dozen other flavors to your specification.
As part of the Chicago Independent Film Festival, the documentary Life in Perpetual Beta, directed by Melissa Pierce and featuring Jason Fried, Jim Coudal and other tech superstars, makes its debut tonight.
Local (and formerly local) boys Chris Ware and Dan Clowes pose pensively with R. Crumb and Adrian Tomine in France with one lucky lady. UPDATE: It's been brought to my attention by DovBee that the collective noun for cartoonists is a "doodle." Excellent!
Chicago was ranked 45th on Mercer's quality of living survey of international cities, beating out Seattle, New York, and Madrid, the last three cities in the top 50. The top US city? Coming as no surprise to anyone is Honolulu, at 35th.
Speaking of Scalewell, its first beneficiary, Unatronics, has released the product it used its grant to develop: Seeq-it.
Tech fund Scalewell announced its two latest grant winners last night: WinkVid, an online video-based speed-dating service, and CommuniTeach, a social network that helps people teach each other new skills.
Local mad scientist Lunchbreath has created a completely nonsensical yet oddly compelling chart of connections between man and machine.
Orggit is a locally based web app that helps organize important documents (like health records) while keeping them secure.
With a 7 percent decline in ticket sales, the Lyric Opera had to use $2.7 million in reserve funds to meet last year's financial obligations -- but its endowment grew by 30 percent.
Goose Island wants your help naming its latest brew, a hefeweizen. Bragging rights aren't all you'll win if they pick yours.
On June 9, Ald. Scott Waguespack plans to introduce an ordinance allowing food trucks of the sort that roam LA and New York. He made the announcement at a National Restaurant Association panel discussing food truck culture.
Do you know where your towel is today? If not, you may want to add this Nerdy & Silly Observances list to your calendar. [via]
Illinois ranks 47th out of 51 in Daily Beast's confusingly numbered list of the Most Corrupt States. (You see, it goes from cleanest down to dirtiest, and includes DC.)
TriQuarterly, Northwestern's literary journal, is now online ...as in only online from here on out. Coincidentally, the Chicago Underground Library recently announced it'd received a donation of a complete back catalog of the journal.
Not long after Gapers Block was founded, Blogging.LA co-founders Sean Bonner and (former Chicagoan) Jason DeFillippo launched the cityblog network Metblogs. It looked this past weekend like the network might shut down at the end of the month, but an eleventh-hour salvation may just come through. If that's the case, does that mean Chicago.Metblogs will return from the dead?
Next Wednesday, June 2, Mahoney's will host the artist known as "Elliott from Art Beat" for a live painting of the Blackhawks logo during the Hawks' first Stanley Cup match. The painting will be auctioned off to benefit March of Dimes.
This week's New Yorker features a cover by Ivan Brunetti -- and last week the magazine included a photo of the Book Bike.
Last Saturday, NBC's Ann Curry delivered the commencement address at Wheaton College's graduation in Norton, Massachusetts; however, when citing famous graduates of the school, she erroneously cited alums of the other Wheaton College -- the one in the Chicago suburbs.
With President Obama and the First Lady in town this weekend for a visit and for a speech at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, the Trib is starting to wonder about where they'll go in their free time.
Millennium Garages has new electric charging stations for fancy electric cars like the Tesla roadster and the Chevy Volt. The charging stations will be free until Aug. 1, excluding parking cost. The cost to charge will be $1 to $2 per hour after the initial free period. Not a bad deal -- "filling up the tank" for say, six to 16 bucks. [via]
We're exploring Chicago's wealth of margaritas in Drive-Thru this summer. Suggestions welcome.
Is your neighborhood on Chicago magazine's list?
A memorial fund has been set up in honor of Albany Park boy Cashmere Castillo who fell into the Chicago River while playing last week. His body was found earlier today in the river near Lawrence Avenue.
Speaking of interesting maps of the city, Chicagoist points to one by photographer Eric Fischer that uses geotagging info from Flickr to map photographers' travels through the city.
Here we are on the "World Touristiness Map." [via]
All you need to do is write insightful tweets about the First Amendment and if they're good enough, you'll win an iPad. Time Out Chicago's TOC Blog has the details.
Leather goods brand Coach is suing the City of Chicago over the sale of counterfeit Coach merchandise at the New Maxwell Street Market.
The CBOE member body has voted to go forward with its long-discussed IPO. Shares will start trading June 15.
It's that time of year again: time for vehicle owners to buy their new city stickers. They're on sale online.
The fake cobblestone streets from the Public Enemies film are at the center of a lawsuit. A man was severely injured when he crossed the rubber cobblestone street and his foot was wedged under a trolley track. He is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 for permanent physical injuries.
Street artist Brendan Scanlon, aka SOLVE, was murdered in 2008, but his stickers live on and are being posted around the world.
Earlier this month, the excellent Letters of Note posted a letter from John Dillinger to his father, asking him to help secure his parole. (Thanks, Kate!)
The removal of many of the Eisenhower's traffic travel sensors has caused IDOT to seek a new way of measuring traffic speed: Bluetooth.
Supposedly, the first-ever wedding presided over by a robot took place in Japan this week. No way, says local artist Ben Stone. His was the first.
Oh, and in case you're reading GB in RSS and missed all the other reminders we've been dropping, tonight's our 7th Anniversary Party! Join us at the Metro for JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Blah Blah Blah, Hollows and Lasers+Fast+Shit! Doors open at 8pm!
You've got until midnight tonight to submit your entry in our neighborhood landmarks photo contest. Two winners will receive SWA travel vouchers to bring a friend to Chicago!
Thirteen gay activists from the LGBT equality group Join the Impact were arrested at Sen. Dick Durbin's office yesterday, demanding he do more to pass the Employee Non-Discrimination Act.
The Chicago Reporter takes a look at the Committee on Housing and Real Estate's decision to offer one year leases on 42 units and wonders if the shift indicates a change in city housing policy.
The Blackhawks are doing a number on the Sharks, but there's another Chicago squad whose record is even better: The Force, our women's football team. See them take on Pittsburgh this Sunday.
John Conroy and Rob Wildeboer are blogging for Vocalo about the John Burge police torture trial.
Lee Allison makes some pretty snazzy ties. I love that this one is on sale.
Should recording a police officer doing his or her job in a public space be illegal under Illinois' eavesdropping law? No, says Reason's Radley Balko.
Lee Bey recalls when Hollywood came to Woodlawn.
In other Chicago Housing Authority news, a federal judge has given the go-ahead for the CHA's new developments to be taken out of its 23 year receivership with Habitat Co.
Marc Fischer takes photos of anti-car barriers, unlovely and utilitarian devices intended to protect garages and buildings from, well, cars.
An Amityville Horror-like gathering of bees amassed under a wicker table in Oak Park today in an obvious attempt to induce the heebie jeebies. [via]
The first rule of underground dining is not to call it underground dining.
Batting-average beleaguered White Sox infielder Gordon Beckham has abandoned the unusual batting intro tune that garnered him national attention. In memoriam: our most hated and most loved covers of The Outfield's "Your Love".
Oddest bit of tape you'll hear today: Mayor Daley threatening to put a gun up a reporter's butt.
Ronald McDonald is staying.
In other food news, Grant Achatz weighs in on the tensions between photographing and eating food as it's presented at the table.
Gizmodo.com writer Mark Wilson explains why a single Twitter update from Rick Bayless resulted in him canceling a reservation at Topolobampo.
AIGA's Chicago Design Week is nearly over, but the most publicly accessible event is tomorrow night at our friends The Post Family.
The Reader breaks down how the city spends TIF funds, ward by ward. This is the latest in their long-running series of investigations into possible misuses of these "shadow budget" funds.
Speaking of Tavi, she notes a green and recycled fashion show coming up this Friday at Salvage One: Revamped, presented by Earth Share of Illinois.
In Transmission this week, we explore the burgeoning Chicago nugaze music scene.
I'm not much of a sports fan, but it's hard to ignore the Lebron-in-Chicago chatter that's approaching a fever pitch, with even the President saying James would look good in red and black. The Sun-Times rained on everybody's parade by arguing the King will not, in fact, become a Bull any time soon, but a Bulls higher-up says he's interested in pursuring James. That's not daunting Chicago Facebook users who want to woo both LeBron and--why not?--Dwayne Wade to the Windy City.
The fashion world's embrace of teen fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson is isn't universal, The Economist finds.
A UIC researcher has concluded (based on inventories of discarded empty packs of cigarettes from 100 city neighborhoods) that 75% of the cigarettes smoked in Cook County are not purchased in the county. But don't be angry that we will miss out on that much-needed tax revenue; those who buy their smokes on the down low have a convenient self-claim form to pay that extra $2 per pack.
The Chicago Housing Authority has issued eviction notices [PDF] to the 31 remaining households of the Cabrini-Green high-rise 1230 N. Larrabee. Note: Contrary to ABC7's report, the building is not the last standing Cabrini Green high-rise.
There's a rumor out there that Lebron James and John Calipari could be coming together to a team that could be the Bulls, and that it would be the handiwork of a mysterious, well-connected guy nicknamed Worldwide Wes. Back in 2007, Alex French tried to find out exactly who William Wesley is.
Chicago didn't get the Olympics but it might get Atlantis. It's been discovered that the Planetarium is endeavouring to add one of the soon-to-be-retired space shuttles to its collection.
Perhaps you've reached Bayless saturation by now, but the official White House dinner press release is actually a pretty interesting read.
This week in Book Club, One-Shots talks to comics artist by day, accordionist by night Sarah Becan.
Chicagoist tap into their inner pop-punk rockers to comment on the revelations of Blagojevich's legal strategy.
Chicago's Ride of Silence pushes off from Daley Plaza tonight in honor of those who've been injured or killed in accidents with motor vehicles. More in Mechanics. [via]
The Tech in the Middle conference will help tech folk get up to speed on mobile technologies; if you're interested in delving into that space, this might be the place to start.
Feel like torturing your tongue? Scroll down and give the WFMT announcer audition script a whirl.
If you're German, Irish, Italian or Polish and a Chicagoan, here are the t-shirts for you.
The Trib and BusinessWeek are reporting that ShoreBank received a $20 million investment from GE. Crain's added the GE investment to all of the new capital and is calling the bank saved.
After more than a decade of legal battles, Vulcan Materials Company, the operator of the mine that spectacularly closed Joliet Road, is to pay $40 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Did Rick Bayless violate the White House rules against tweeting while cooking the state dinner for the Obamas and Mexican President Calderon? Lynn Sweet says he did, but Bayless took to, where else, Twitter to deny it and demand an apology.
The message cited by Sweet was posted in the 7am hour, according to the timestamp on Twitter; his next tweet was 17 hours later -- his response to Sweet's column. I asked Bayless where he was when he made the early morning tweet, and he replied that he was at his hotel. UPDATE: Sweet apologized. UPDATE 2: Time Out Chicago pulled together further tweets from Bayless explaining the situation.
All incoming IIT students will be receiving iPads when they arrive in the fall.
How many firetrucks does it take to put out a fire in a highrise trash can? This many. (Better safe than sorry, of course.) UPDATE: Reader Nicole says, "To be fair, I work 20 floors above that fire, and the smoke was pretty bad up here."
We recently redid the Fuel archive page; have we really had 977 questions in seven years? Some highlights: bad dates, earworms, turn-ons and the granddaddy of them all: funny words.
Mashable takes a look at five web sites that "are introducing new approaches to the consumption of information that few have tried or thought of before." Two of these sites are ChicagoNow and EveryBlock.
Don't forget to enter our neighborhood landmarks photo contest! You could win a ticket to bring a friend to Chicago this summer!
"Yo-yo master Kenny Strasser" had to change up his schtick when he appeared on WGN's morning show this morning, after news traveled fast of his duping several small-market stations with his weird culture jam.
The Red Eye Puzzler (GB alum Sandy Weisz) asks you to fill in the blanks on the questions "I like my women like my candy, ___" and "I like my men like I like my pizza, ____."
Fools Gold Records is looking for extras for Kid Sister's latest video, which is shooting tomorrow, May 19. Email kidsistervideo@gmail.com for more details.
The Fire are playing four games against teams from Chicago's sister cities this week. If you're a fan of European soccer, here's your best and cheapest opportunity to catch Paris Saint-Germain, Legia Warsaw and Red Star Belgrade live on the field.
WGN Midday asks the question we have all been thinking: Would you get plastic surgery if you believed it would help you keep your job? Submit your thoughts to their poll.
$70.6 million, that is. That's the final tally on Chicago's Olympic bid spending.
Archeworks' most recent unveiling is the Mobile Food Collective "Urban Farm Tool," a hub for the creation and support of urban community farming.
The MacBook Pro that film critic Roger Ebert uses to speak is missing. It was last seen in the back of a taxi in Cannes, France, where Ebert is attending the Cannes Film Festival. There is a reward for its safe return.
The stoner rock band Torche had a good chunk of their gear stolen after their Congress Theater show with Coheed and Cambria. Their label is helping them out with donations, but they've still had to cancel quite a few upcoming shows.
Looking for some foamy action? Chicago Beer Week kicks off today and runs through the weekend.
Pilsen's Atom Banana is one of the country's largest wholesalers of bananas. In Drive-Thru, Cinnamon writes about appealing ways to use them.
The Chicago Public Library's poster contest entries are now open for voting. Vote through flickr by Sunday, May 23.
A mylar balloon is responsible for cutting power to 3,825 households last night in what is apparently the most recent of approximately 200 Chicago power outages in the last four years. In other news, ComEd paid for this photograph of a concerned employee with a "Congratulations" balloon.
Chicago magazine ran a list of (per them) the top 40 movies filmed in Chicago. Somewhat understandably, the cineastes are up in arms. Really? Yes to Nothing in Common, but no to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer? And what about ___________?
Harry Aleman, the only American ever to be tried for the same crime again after being acquitted, died in a downstate prison yesterday.
On Sunday Groupon acquired Citydeal, a European clone site that has double the employees and many more cities under its belt.
Beachwood Reporter collects clips of the dearly departed metal god's local performances.
Sprout Social, a social networking tool suite for businesses, just raised some seed capital.
OnStar figures prominently in a very detailed account of a robbery in Gresham.
These most popular Chicago names are the tip of the trivia iceberg in the Sun-Times' somewhat irritating to navigate but otherwise interesting compilation.
Speaking of Lebron, President Obama thinks he would look good in a Bulls uniform.
"I want this show to be an unflinching dissection of how the system has in no way failed the people of this town."
Raw food gets back onto the plate again in this week's Drive-Thru feature.
In A/C, we're holding a photo contest with ExploreChicago: Show us your personal neighborhood landmark and you could win a Southwest travel voucher to bring a friend into town! Enter by May 21!
Chicago's least favorite condiment is getting a makeover. Heinz is reportedly changing their ketchup recipe. The move comes as part of the company's efforts to be more health-conscious. Don't worry, though; your Chicago Dog's recipe remains unaltered.
We posted a couple weeks back about a falcon cam atop a Michigan Avenue highrise. UIC has a resident perigrine falcon, too, and "Rosie" just hatched four a couple chicks. Watch the happy family up close and personal.
The Museum of Online Museums has been collecting odd obsessions for many years. Now it invites you to meet some of the collectors.
If you missed the re-enactment of The Battle of the Halsted Viaduct presented by Paul Durica's Pocket Guide to Hell, read Vice magazine's recap of the event.
According to city business code, yes.
Friends of Pritzker School is raising money by auctioning off some pretty cool birdhouses by local architects and others.
Nuccio DiNuzzo explains the challenges of photographing nudes for a family paper. The man is a true professional.
Our own Cinnamon Cooper's new cookbook, Everything Cast Iron, isn't in stores until June 18, but it starts shipping from Amazon on Monday.
If Chicago Rarities proposes community orchard for rare fruit varieties, as well as a new public plaza, on underutilized space along Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square.
After a stunning second-round loss for the NBA Championship contender Cleveland Cavaliers, all attention now shifts to where LeBron James will play next year. Chicago Bulls fans are going to make their voices known through the "Send LeBron to Chicago" campaign. Read an interview with the creator of this movement in Tailgate.
Former Cicero town president Betty Loren-Maltese has left her job as a hostess at Salerno's in Oak Park. Maybe she's looking to get in on the food truck trend?
North Fox Point, a subdivision in Barrington, will soon be the state's first official residential food waste composting area.
Time Out Chicago now hosts some great videos of local bands recorded in their practice spaces and elsewhere by Giant System.
The City just launched a data portal as part of its new transparency push. So far, it's all FOIA requests.
Second City has a YouTube channel.
Festival promoters are now saying that the Sun-Times got it wrong in their estimations of 60K more fans in Grant Park this summer for Lollapalooza. But they're still making me do a lot more math in my head and not giving straight numbers on new attendance estimates.
By my count, "10-15% more" = 7,500-11,250 additional ticketholders per day at the festival which could mean attendance rises from 75,000 to 86,250 (rather than the previously reported increase up to 95,000). That's a max total of 33,750 more ticket holders for the festival (about half what the Sun-Times estimated yesterday).
If you thought you'd kissed your last chance to ride the Kiddieland Train goodbye when Kiddieland in Melrose Park closed last year, then buck up. Hesston Steam Museum in La Porte, Indiana will be letting you ride the Kiddieland Limited rails again beginning on Memorial Day Weekend.
The Daley Plaza Farmers Market opens today, rain or shine.
In Transmission this week we take a daytrip out to Daytrotter studios in Rock Island, IL and explore this mecca of indie rock live sessions in words, pictures, and music.
Caleb Howe, the right-wing blogger who recently trolled Roger Ebert on Twitter, writes on Mediaite about why he did it, and comes close to apologizing for it. (Thanks, Glenn!)
Remember those genetic tests being sold at Walgreens? That's as close as you're going to get to them.
For the first time since 1999, the CHA is going to open up its waiting list raffle to new families. And they're only doing it online. There are still 5000 families on the list and they'll be moved to the top, but the CHA will be accepting 40,000 more names to be accepted as space becomes available. You can get more info on Facebook or Twitter and you can register online from June 14 to July 9.
The Reader's Best of Chicago poll is open for nominations.
Kevin Pang has created a "Chinese Guy's Guide to Eating in Chinatown." It's in tomorrow's print Trib, but you can preview it on Facebook. (Compare and contrast with Time Out Chicago's guide from two weeks ago.)
The Chicago Community Trust was founded on this day in 1915 by banker Albert W. Harris (of Harris Bank) and other business leaders to fund community-oriented philanthropy. It was one of the first in the nation.
Sue the tyrannosaurus rex is getting gussied up for her 10th anniversary at the Field Museum. Sexy T-rex bathing photos can be found here.
The University of Illinois is expected to appoint Michael Hogan, formerly of the University of Connecticut, its next president.
Wondering whether to delete your Facebook account? Dan Sinker has a collection of links to help you evaluate the decision.
Breaking news from the Sun-Times reports that a man fell to his death this morning at the Marina City Towers. The Fire Department was called to the scene, but little else is known at this time.
You won't be alone this August at Lollapalooza, that's for sure. Promoters have said they're adding 60,000 tickets to this year's festival (for a total of 95,000), and expanding the stages over Columbus Drive.
The rumor that a "fat finger trade" by someone in Chicago caused the 1,000-point drop in the stock market last week is apparently not true; unfortunately, nobody's sure what happened. Meanwhile, the head of the CME Group pointed out that the
futures market here worked fine.
A Highland Park High School girl's basketball team has canceled a scheduled trip to Arizona. Speculation is that this move is in response to recent Arizona immigration reform despite the official reason listed as "safety concerns." Parents are upset at the apparent political statement being made with their children. [via]
Well, now's your chance, and he'll potentially autograph it. Great...
...Would just be corporately sponsored and smell just as sweet. The Onion's AV Club reviews the naming history of several big marquees in the Chicago area. Of particular note: The Chicago Marathon for three years was sponsored by G. Heileman Brewing Company and was known as the Old Style Chicago Marathon.
Rick Bayless, the chef behind Topolobampo and the new Xoco, will prepare the Obama administration's second state dinner in honor of Mexican president Felipe Calderón.
First there was the cat from New Mexico, then the dog on the Eisenhower, now it's the dog from Michigan. Something's afoot.
Jennifer Vanasco's 14-year run as a columnist for the now defunct Chicago Free Press newspaper ended today with her farewell piece published by The Huffington Post. Vanasco writes about her beginning with the publication and the shared experiences she had with readers and the city.
According to ongoing research from David Changnon, a climate scientist at Northern Illinois University, Midwestern farmers may be responsible for cooler Chicago summers. Basically, improved technology has allowed for denser crops, which in turn leads to dropping temperatures. Global warming? More like Midwestern cooling.
This Friday (the 14th) at 10am, within the Chopping Block, aspiring French chefs can receive a first hand introduction into the greatest of all culinary arts. The class will focus on some independent cook book titled "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" from an unknown author by the name of Julia Child. Registration for "Mastering the Art of Julia Child" is $85 and spots are filling up.
The folks behind the defunct Printed Blog are back. This time, it's a magazine. (Thanks, Dan!)
Bulls fans will hear from approximately 327,653 sources with their thoughts on the off-season free agent situation. For today, you can consider the opinions of local hip-hop star Common. Hey, why not?
Walgreens is selling genetic tests that claim to detect for diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer. The FDA is investigating just what that means, exactly.
Over in Book Club, a new column that that asks Chicago writers (this week, it's Billy Lombardo) to remember the funniest or strangest things they've been asked in a question-and-answer session, during a talk, or in an interview.
Chicago politicians spent $350,000 on Chicago sports teams in 2009 the Chicago Current reports.
Want to meet some new friends? Joe is here to help.
Foursquare has made an unlikely alliance with Crain's Chicago Business to deliver restaurant recommendations for your next business lunch, based on your location.
Zombie Prom proves zombies are the meme that just won't die.
Well, sort of: an apartment in the original Playboy Mansion is for sale.
Well that didn't take long. After a record setting debut on Friday against the Reds in Cincinnati, things have not been so smooth for the 20-year old Cubs phenom Starlin Castro. His first taste of the Friendly Confines proved less than friendly last night. The savior of the team was actually booed by the home fans in his first game after accounting for three errors. Nobody said it was easy.
Tom Skilling is off galavanting around the Great Plains in search of tornados, allowing us rare glimpses into his psyche. For example, he uses forks as pointers instead of high tech tools when he's not delivering his broadcast, and he leans out of moving SUVs to take iPhone pictures of severe weather.
Dustin Shuler, the artist behind the Spindle in Berwyn, passed away last week.
Internationally famous street artist Banksy did a little work in Chicago.
Time Out Chicago got to the bottom of the painted orange and blue trees in Grant and Lincoln Parks. Though don't get too attached to them, they're being removed soon.
If you've filled up lately, you're not imagining things: Illinois gas prices are the highest in the nation.
There's just one week left to enter Chicago Public Library's annual poster contest. Check out the details and submit today.
The Field Museum's chatty T-Rex named Sue is turning 10 years old (well, give or take 60 million) and the museum's having a party and a fancy online auction.
Nate Miller was once a reporter for the Sun-Times; now he's Mr. Thrift.
That's our designation on a new metropolitan map from the Brookings Institution. [via]
The Gulf oil spill compared to Chicagoland. (Compare it to other places here.)
President Obama announced this morning that Solicitor General Elena Kagan is his nominee to replace Justice John Paul Stevens. Kagan taught at University of Chicago Law School and even played 16-inch softball, so I think we can claim her as one of our own.
The deportations carried out in Broadview are pretty heartbreaking.
You can now buy shots from the Chicago Tribune photo archives on the cleverly named TribunePhotos.com.
Jim Warren thinks Blago should take some pointers on how to spend time in prison from Conrad Black.
White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle is no longer the latest baseball player to pitch a perfect game.
I tried to resist the urge to post a story entitled "Drunken, naked stranger arrested in couple's hot tub"--I really, really did.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off played out live on Twitter and Foursquare today. All the major characters are there. [via]
Two new hyperlocal news outlets launched this week: Adentro de Pilsen in print and online, and Austin Talks online only. Both are products of the Community News Matters grant that also funds GB's feature story program.
Join Northwestern PhD student Michaela DeSoucey and the Culinary Historians of Chicago tomorrow at 10am at Kendall College to discuss her dissertation comparing the foie gras debates in the States versus France.
We look at how restaurants create their playlists for your enjoyment in this week's Drive-Thru feature.
Fair housing activists are fighting to keep Carol Vialdores and her children in their Rogers Park apartment.
Ald. Anthony Beale claims Wal-Mart is the only major retailer interested in coming to his ward. Hunter Clauss checked with Jewel-Osco, Dominick's, Target, Costco and Ikea -- and most of them say nobody ever asked them.
It's a big day for strange and sad news in Chicago: the Tribune reports that a shooting at Old Navy on State and Washington was a murder-suicide. Live video coverage is available as of 11:45am.
A day after a criminal probe was launched against Metra's executive director, Phil Pagano was killed when he was struck by a train. UPDATE: The death is being called a suicide. And allegedly, "a copy of Metra's procedures on how to handle a service disruption after a suicide" was found on Pagano's body.
Booze: coming soon to a beach near you?
The New York Times uses The School of the Art Institute's Fashion Department to illustrate Chicago's most common dilemma in the arts.
Grant Whybark of St. Francis University intentionally lost a regional playoff round to allow a player from Olivet Nazarene to advance to the nationals. (Whybark's team is already in.)
Despite televised riots in the streets of Greece, many (in this case WBBM Newsradio 780) are pointing to a supposed trading error in Chicago as the catalyst to yesterdays market free fall. The economy teetered on the edge because, if the reports are correct, a trader entered a 'b' instead of a 'm' before the 'illion'. Hear that Greece? It's not your fault.
While everyone's worried about Asian carp, there's already a killer on the loose in Lake Michigan.
He really is everywhere: nearly a year after the stencil spawned a group art show, Ray Noland's jogging Blago has been spotted down in the Tar Heel state.
Photographer Howard Simmons recently recovered a lost archive of his work, thanks to musician and DJ Dave Mata.
Playboy is launching a new "safe for work" site called The Smoking Jacket. Nothing there yet, but you can probably guess what it'll look like.
Toby Williams graduates from Northeastern this Saturday. (You know it's more interesting than just that if we're linking to it.)
Fans of Ken Nordine's Word Jazz might like to check out this video featuring the North Side studio/home attic where Nordine still conjures up his wonderfully trippy late-night broadcasts.
Chicago's young jazz community explores new venues and new sounds with the Ratchet series.
Chicagoan Josh Stevens is the winner of Groupon's "Live Off Groupon for a Year" contest. He's started blogging the experience already. [via]
From the "Unnecessarily Large Food Department" comes the 3.5 pound chimichanga at Dos Diablos in River North. In case you had $25 and an didn't know where to go for your Day-After-Cinco-de-Mayo lunch. Enjoy the slide show.
The University of Chicago 2010 Scavenger Hunt is on. A PDF of the list is here.
Speaking of Wicker Park, the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce is looking for artists to fill storefronts in the neighborhood. The theme is "Make Believe."
Guess who's got his own Facebook page? That's right, Ike — the Eisenhower Expressway Dog.
So this exists: Miss Wicker Park.
The war in Cuidad Juarez is nothing like Colombia, Italy or Chicago.
Max Palevsky, the Chicago-born and educated computer entrepreneur whose name may sound familiar to U of C graduates, passed away yesterday at 85. Among other accomplishments, Palevsky saved Rolling Stone, co-founded Intel and funded the construction of the theater used by Doc Films.
The FDIC is now officially seeking a potential buyer for ShoreBank. The luminary community lender started in the South Shore community in 1973 and has grown into an international socially responsible operation. Unfortunately, unless money comes through from big investors, that won't be enough to keep it afloat.
Threadless is moving to the West Loop; meanwhile its current home, the Ravenswood, is getting attention for its rebirth as a creative company corridor.
A new documentary about Studs Turkel will make its debut on HBO later this month, the director was on "Eight Forty-Eight" to talk about it today.
What some would call a quintessentially Midwest food is now available through Le Cordon Bleu graduate "Johnny Casserole"'s delivery service.
New City profiles director David Cromer, from humble storefront theater beginnings to the top of Broadway.
If you're looking to score a t-shirt with homophobic insinuations about Albert Pujols or blatantly racist references to Kosuke Fukudome, you may soon have to look somewhere other than the street vendors outside Wrigley.
Say it ain't so, Luis!
Ravenchase's P.O.E. -- Puzzles Over Email -- sends you a monthly riddle to solve; figure it out and you might win a prize.
Speaking of company stores, if planned industrial communities pique your interest, you'll love CAF's upcoming guided tour of Pullman and the "industrial Shangri-La" of Marktown. The tour costs $50 but includes a guide, all transportation and a box lunch.
The $6.1 million left over from donations to the Chicago Olympic bid is funding World Sport Chicago's programs for inner-city kids. As the Sun-Times quips: "World Sport Chicago is the only remaining legacy of Daley's Olympic quest."
As the Chicago Zoning Committee prepares to vote on the proposed Pullman Wal-Mart, Newstips explores the similarities between the commercial giant and a company store.
With a new scandal congealing in his soon-to-end administration, Todd Stroger has had his ability to hire, fire, promote, and raise wages limited by the Cook County Board. His response: "I'm riddled; I have more holes in me than Swiss cheese."
While Chicago Free Press may have ended, a new locally published gay men's magazine Zeus, touted as a gay men's handbook, has just released its first issue with print and online versions available. And it may be a tad NSFW.
In an effort to help fund the recently strapped McCormick Place and Navy Pier proprietor Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (McPier), state officials may allow them to sell their naming rights.
Uh, right. It's close to being so in the eyes of the state of Illinois, anyway. Lawmakers voted today in favor of adding it to the state's definition of renewable energy. [via]
NBC websites picked up a fake story about Canuck hockey players getting suspended for planning a "pizza crawl" during their visit to Chicago.
Here's how to leave no doubt as to where you're from: cover your passport with the Chicago flag.
Thanks to an effort bringing Michigan-grown fruits to Chicago Public Schools, one child encountered his first fresh, whole peach.
"Why is business writing so awful?," asks Jason Fried of 37signals.
Following in the Boston Globe's footsteps, the Tribune has launched Photo Nation, a giant photo blog.
Or Jane Byrne or Eugene Sawyer. Oyez Perez has created throw pillows featuring our most recent former mayors. [via]
Why? Because it's Crossing Guard Appreciation Day! (It's also Star Wars Day, so hug your favorite Jedi, too.)
The Program in Linguistics of the Department of English at George Mason University has a entertaining collection of recordings of people speaking the same peculiar phrase. The classic Chicago accent is well-represented by subject: english82, female.
Yasuhiro Ishimoto was born in San Francisco, moved to Japan with his parents a few years later, then returned to the states in 1939 to study architecture at Northwestern. After internment at Camp Amache, he returned to Chicago and joined the Photography Department at the Chicago Institute of Design. Between 1958 and 1961, he shot a number of haunting street and beach scenes.
In what might be the least surprising turn of events during the Bulls' offseason, the team fired coach Vinny Del Negro some time yesterday. The official announcement will come later today. Now the attention moves towards who will take over as coach and who they will target as free agent additions. Stay tuned.
GB flickr pool contributor Genial23 wants to remind you about Chicago in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The team behind Alinea have announced two new projects: Next: and Aviary, a restaurant that offers tickets instead of reservations, and a cocktail bar. A few more details here.
Perhaps you've heard about Stephanie Grace, the Harvard Law student who penned an email last fall to her friends suggesting that African Americans are genetically predisposed to intellectual inferiority; Grace's words are now making the rounds of the (understandably outraged) Internet. A fellow Harvard classmate and UIC grad (who had some very surprising opinions about MLK Day in 2003) has been identified as the forwarder. Her motive? She was mad at Grace over a boy.
Crain's Chicago Business reports that the merger of Continental and United could really help Chicago's economy.
Building on our earlier post: Former Chicagoan (and Steinmetz High School alum) Hugh Hefner chipped in the last $900,000 needed to transfer ownership of the property surrounding the iconic Hollywood sign in California from Chicago-based real estate developers Fox River Financial to the Trust for Public Land.
If you're a dealer of reasonably priced vintage and antiques décor, etc. who'd like to get in on the shopping frenzy caused by the inaugural pop-up Vintage Bazaar, you can now fill out a vendor application to sell at their upcoming summer show. The next spree will take place at the Congress Theater on August 22.
Ever heard of Mazdaznan? Neither had I, but it's a spiritual movement with roots in turn-of-last-century Chicago. Here's a cookbook first published by the sect in 1901.
Tech blog GDGT is coming to Chicago May 12.
The Chicago Journal, newspaper of the south and west Loop and near West Side, is now tweeting.
National Train Day is Saturday, May 8, and there's lots of stuff planned for Chicago's celebration at Union Station.
LGBT weekly, Chicago Free Press, a 10-year-old divergence from Windy City Times, has officially called it quits, after having a rather tough year. While Windy City Times is now Chicago's only LGBT newspaper, there's still the growing Gay Chicago Magazine (which has taken on former Chicago Free Press staff).
The University of Chicago Press is offering No Dig, No Fly, No Go: How Maps Restrict and Control, as a free e-book today.
Now that United and Continental airlines are looking to make their union official, WBEZ thinks that United should keep the merger ball rolling by merging with something else. Anything else, it would seem, as shown in this poll.
Gapers Block just celebrated its seventh anniversary (see April 2003) and we're celebrating with a party at the Metro! Join us May 21 for JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, Blah Blah Blah, Hollows and Lasers + Fast + Shit. Tickets are two-for-one for $7 in advance! More details in Transmission!
As expected, United and Continental airlines announced plans to merge today. If it passes federal review, new airline will be named United but the planes will look a lot like Continental's. Meanwhile, layoffs and strikes are expected. Watch UAL and Continental's stock prices today.
Bedrooms of the Fallen is a photography project examining the bedrooms of soldiers killed in Iraq, including one from Downers Grove. [via]
With only 38 days left until the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Chicago is catching soccer fever. What better way to celebrate the international competition than by holding a mini-version? The 2010 Chicago World Cup will pit teams composed of international players against each other. Unlike the real thing, this one won't require a 20+ hour plane ride.
It's up to Gov. Quinn to decide whether or not hair braiders need to spend 1,500 hours and $15,000 to braid hair.
The Field Museum is hosting a competition of reenactments of The Empire Strikes Back, and they're looking for submissions. There are only a few hours left to enter a video, but the winner earns a bunch of treats, so give it a shot! If you're not in the video making mood, you can also vote on entries.
Michelle Obama is on the cover of Conde Nast Traveler magazine this month, explaining why she loves her "new hometown." Really, Mrs. Obama? You spent your whole life in the Windy City but after a year in D.C. you've decided to forsake Chicago as your hometown?
