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.
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One of the bombs discovered on two cargo planes last week was addressed to Congregation Or Chadash, an LGBT Jewish congregation on the North Side. It surprised them to be the target of terrorism, but they vowed not to be cowed by it.
Approximately 35,000 people rallied with President Obama, Common and a veritable Who's Who of Chicago Democratic politicians on Saturday. Check out our photo essay of the event in Mechanics.
Go check out Threadless' costume contest -- and vote for your favorite by "liking" the photo!
Dana "Pokey" Chatman was named general manager and head coach of the Sky today.
Rev. Marshall Hatch wonders if the next mayor will remember than Chicago has a West Side, not just a north and south.
Need some ideas for Halloween weekend? Here are some from The Reader, Metromix, Centerstage, NewCity and Time Out.
The University of Chicago announced traffic restrictions for Saturday's get out the vote rally with President Obama and Common. Meanwhile, WindyCitizen will be liveblogging the Rally to Restore Sanity satellite event in Grant Park.
A UPS cargo plane flying from Yemen to Chicago was detained in England when a suspicious package that appears to be a fake bomb was found on board. The package was addressed to a Chicago-area synagogue. UPDATE: The device and another found on a different flight did in fact contain explosives.
Looking to make your Halloween celebration a little more Chicago-centric? Check out the Trib's list of ten scary movies filmed here.
Members of the band Disturbed found themselves, along with Avenge Sevenfold and Stone Sour, pictured as criminals on a Kentucky campaign flyer. They've sent the politician a cease-and-desist letter.
Ceramic artist Sarah Hicks creates pieces that look like they might crawl around on your shelf.
Marc Chagall's America Windows have been reinstalled at the Art Institute, and make their public debut Monday, Nov. 1. If you're a museum member, you can get an early look today and all weekend.
We head to Wisconsin for a trip full of dairy goodness in this week's Drive-Thru feature.
Now that the crappy weather has returned, it's time for Chicago Elevated's pedway tours to recommence. Go find out how much has changed since we published our guide back in 2004!
Project TAL, one blogger's attempt to listen to every episode of This American Life.
The easiest way to get involved in Chicago's grassroots Neighborhood Technology movement is to attend the 1st Annual Chicago Neighborhood Digital Excellence Conference at DePaul University on 10/29. Details in Slowdown.
The Chicago satellite Rally to Restore Sanity is Saturday, and they're about $750 away from paid off as of this writing. If you're attending, chip in.
Largeheartedboy finds out what Kevin Guilfoile thinks you should listen to while reading his latest book, The Thousand. [via]
Carl, Amy, Layne and Kaitlyn are the Billboard Family, and you can hire them to wear your company shirt "all day long." They're from St. Louis, but according to their site they sometimes visit Chicago, Seattle, Walt Disney World, and the Southern Illinois University area. Let us pray this doesn't escalate into tattoos.
Maybe. Maybe not. Find out here.
Time Out's feature package this week is "Underground Chicago" -- secret clubs, galleries and the like. In the comments, people are already pissed that their favorite secret venues are getting attention.
"The music industry is dying, and Ice Age Records founder Kris Di Benedetto couldn't care less." Learn why in Transmission.
The Tattoo Factory is hosting "It's Your Funeral," a spooky group show of "art inspired by death," in its newish gallery space next to the shop, 4443 N. Broadway, Friday night.
Signpost is a deal-finder site that just recently launched in Chicago.
If you're still trying to figure out what to do for Halloween, ChicagoHorror.com might be of service.
Photographer Ian Merritt has launched Shiny Side, a site devoted to automotive photojournalism. Car porn, basically.
Someone has been arrested in the case of the missing parking meter boxes. His name? Jeffrey Kaput.
Tonight the Neo-Futurists unveil the Obama portrait in their collection of Presidential portraits known as the Hall of Presidents. To celebrate the occasion they've planned an evening of theater and entertainment. Details in Slowdown.
Hugh Hefner says Playboy will "probably" leave Chicago, but the company's spokesperson said the company has "no plans" to leave. We'll see...
But not their fight to get a library for their children.
The Jewish portion of Devon Avenue is disappearing.
Apparently FOX's upcoming police drama "Ride-Along" is now known as "The Chicago Code." [via]
Registration is now open for the Greater Chicago Food Depository's annual Canstruction competition.
The owners of Bleeding Heart Bakery are teaming up with The Fifty/50 crew to create side-by-side pizzeria and bakery collaboration in Wicker Park.
Koval Distillery is releasing Lion's Pride Whiskey, the first whiskey made in Chicago since Prohibition, this weekend. The Reader's Mike Sula got an early taste.
Check out Oak Park blogger Nicole Balch's Halloween project for Better Homes & Gardens: an appealingly eerie front porch, complete with twisting branches, stone statues, and (fake yet scarily realistic) rats. You can vote for her vestibule here.
The Illinois Department of Corrections got decidedly mixed marks in a recent report [pdf] addressing the national treatment of women prisoners. Services for pregnant women received a "D" rating, while the state prison system is held up as a model for family-based treatment. [via]
Thinking about dinner at the Athenian Room tonight? Forget it. Ever since Tina Fey endorsed it in a "30 Rock" web video, it's been packed.
The Tribune and Sun-Times both report two officers are suing police superintendent Jody Weis for defamation, but one calls it libel, the other calls it slander. Which is it, guys?
SAIC professor Tiffany Holmes is the ringmaster for The Solar Circus.
It seems the CTA is having some trouble scheduling its trains.
Voting for Art Loop Open didn't go as smoothly as the artists -- or the organizers -- hoped.
Behold the new wbez.org. If you have compliments or complaints, here's the place to put them.
Blackhawks fans can now wear their pride on their license plates. The official BH plates will cost you an extra $40
Huffington Post Chicago's Jen Sabella inteviewed Shannon Bucaro, the women who was proposed to in line at Hot Doug's and author of horror-film cooking column Slash and Dine.
Inside every movie, there's an art film just waiting to happen.
The City is looking to sell off some of its many properties, including one of the oldest houses in Bronzeville, which they hope you'll buy for a buck and then move it someplace else.
Things are tough for the kids up in Evanston. Northwestern's administration first chastises them for crudely referencing oral sex in front of neighborhood kids, and now they shouldn't go in blackface for Halloween. The holiday is "a time when the normal thoughtfulness and sensitivity of most NU students can be forgotten and some poor decisions are made."
NUF SAID, a new youth media site, celebrates its launch Wednesday night.
St. Boniface has been saved from destruction and will be turned into senior housing.
EDIT: This post originally said St. Boniface was the "the cool old church next to the El tracks near Cabrini Green." That's actually St. Joseph's; St. Boniface is in Noble Square. Thanks to Chris and Tony for the correction.
Chicago-based Phusion Projects is under fire as its Four Loko alcoholic energy drinks are implicated in underage drinking cases at colleges around the country. More details in Drive-Thru.
The films of Charlie Chaplin are playing at the Music Box through Nov. 4; Roger Ebert has an appreciation.
Local photographers and camera tinkerers Justin Lundquist and Ben Syverson have created Pinwide, a wide-angle pinhole cap for Micro 4/3 cameras. They want to produce it and bring it to the picture-taking masses, but they need your help.
Not phrases usually found near each other. And yet there it is: a coffee ground-filled robotic "gripper" hand that wraps around an object and stiffens to pick it up, developed by a team led by led by Eric Brown of the University of Chicago.
Chicago's in the middle of the pack in The Daily Beast's list of the country's smartest cities. [via]
Shannon Bucaro's boyfriend proposed to her in line at Hot Doug's yesterday. She said yes, and posted a photo. [via]
Artist, musician, writer, and general gadabout Damon Locks came up with summer homework for his silk-screening friends: Over an allotted period of time, each artist had to produce five silk screens using only the color black. The result, which Locks shares in a Facebook "gallery," is Desaturate: Silkscreen Summer 2010, featuring art by locals Ethan D'Ercole, Jay Ryan, Locks, Derrick Buisch, Dan S Wang, Dan Grzeca, and John Hitchcock.
Learn more about Marina City, Prentice Women's Hospital and other innovative buildings in the Bertrand Goldberg Archive.
If you see a teeming horde of the living dead stumbling through the streets in the Loop tomorrow, don't sweat it. You won't be witnessing the apocalypse--just a promotional stunt for a new show on cable.
A compelling campaign commercial for Nathan Rabin's My Year of Flops.
Ernest Wilkins thinks Chicago men should dress better. So he's declared next month the November of Dressing Nicely.
Tomorrow's thunderstorms are likely to be pretty bad, with 55mph winds likely. But "Great Lakes Cyclone"? I don't think that means what you think it means.
Oak Brook-based McDonald's will raise prices in 2011. (But before you start considering a boycott, heed the online comments: according to one patriotic diner, "anyone who does not eat at McDonald's is not a true American.")
Colombina Candy Co., which has an outpost in Des Plaines, is recalling its Megapops line of lollipops, which were found to contain metal flakes. (And Nestle , which has several Illinois-based facilities, is recalling a bunch of Raisinets because they may contain peanuts.) Trick or nontoxic treat, anyone?
Composite is a new quarterly arts magazine in PDF format.
Eleven architects reflect on Daley's architectural legacy. [via]
In A/C, Kelly Reaves gives us a glimpse of the vibrant creative activity in Garfield Park, boiling away under the radar.
Speaking of the Sears Tower, This awesome map (best viewed large) of what you can see from the top is apparently hiding somewhere in the Ball State University GIS Research and Map Collection over in Muncie. [via]
Well, it used to be, anyway.
The Breakfast Club gets immortalized in needlepoint.
Melbourne, Australia's newest proposed park got a good chunk of its inspiration from you know where.
Might gays angry at Obama and the Democrats be the deciding factor in this year's election?
The only problem with the Adam West for Mayor campaign is he protects a rather different Gotham. Well that and he's already mayor of Quahog. [via]
Ira Glass sings Elliott Smith.
...with blood wrestling at the Viaduct Theater. Yep, blood.
As the Blackhawks struggle on the ice, the Wirtz family struggles with each other behind the scenes.
Miss yesterday's opening of the new Apple Store at North & Clybourn? Check out the recap with photos at ArchitectureChicago Plus.
The seasoned local craft brewers behind Pipeworks Brewing Company have taken to Kickstarter in search of the funds to build their brewing facility in Garfield Park. If you're feeling particularly flush, they've got some very creative rewards for the big spenders, including a trip to Belgium and a chance to create a beer with them.
As anticipated, Tribune CEO Randy Michaels officially resigned this afternoon.
If you've ever thought that Chicago garage parking rates seem high, you're right. A new study shows that Chicago is the second most expensive U.S. city for first-hour parking rates and a top four member for other measures of cost.
Metropolis Coffee has been nominated for the Stay Classy Philanthropic Business of the Year Award. This year, the father-and-son-owned coffee company started working with Aspire of Illinois, a nonprofit that offers services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. (Aspire's also a finalist in two other categories.) If Metropolis wins, they get $10,000 to donate to their charity of choice. You can vote for them (and Aspire, and other local nominees) here.
Co-Prosperity Sphere kicks off a weekend of fantasy games tonight.
My (and everyone else's) secret television girlfriend Tina Fey presents her thoughts on Chicago's best restaurants, sandwiches, and why we're superior to New York.
Michael Sneed says investigators raided Todd Stroger's office last night. The outgoing Cook County board president told WBEZ this morning that it was a film crew taping "Ride Along" for FOX.
Sears.com has redecorated for the season. (Thanks, Brenda!)
Web Urbanist provides hellishly creepalicious pictures of abandoned bowling alleys, including two from Gary. Some nights you can still hear the Phantom Bowler howling as he fails to break 300. [via]
Speaking of Lucy Knisley, she made this great print, perfect for the wonderful women in your life.
The new Apple Store at North and Clybourn opens tomorrow at 10am, and the first 4,000 people will get a free t-shirt. One of the benefits of the new store? A renovated Red Line station that includes new public space.
Researchers at Fermilab are testing the hypothesis that the universe we know and love is nothing but a hologram. Check out the Holometer.
Cartoonist Lucy Knisley has a better Halloween costume than you. [via]
Who is the next Chicago voter? Find out in Mechanics.
As was foretold, Che "Rhymefest" Smith announced his candidacy for 20th Ward alderman today.
Occasional GB contributor Ted McClelland reads and signs his new book, Young Mr. Obama: Chicago and the Making of a Black President, tonight at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square.
The City Treasurer has launched a new site, Save It, Spend It, Grow It, an initiative aiming to help Chicagoans be smarter about their money matters.
A 10-year-old boy in Buffalo Grove called 911 last week to complain that he hated the food his parents served him for dinner.
Margaritaville is coming to Navy Pier.
Feast of Fun is hosting a haunted house pub crawl in Boystown this Sunday. Including something called "Lady Gaga's Funeral."
The Mag Mile Marriott and the Elysian Hotel get name-checked in a New York Times article about hotels committed to über-local food sourcing.
Coming this month, possibly, from the creators of still not relaunched Printed Blog, The Top Sheet, which will theoretically provide summaries of the day's top stories for your commute home.
Since the price to be a CPS Principal for a Day is only suggested, perhaps you'd like to be one.
Two sites are working to leverage the community to fix things like potholes and graffiti removal: SeeClickFix and CitySourced. The only problem is, the City doesn't recognize them as legitimate channels.
Kate McGroarty started her Month at the Museum on Wednesday. Keep an eye on her on Twitter.
Ever walk along Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Square and notice long political rants taped to a bead store window? CenterSquare Journal interviews Sam Wolfson, the author of those screeds.
Chicagoist's Karl Klockers talks with of Kevin Lynch Proximity, the folks behind The Foursquarian Candidate. (Currently Rob Mowry is the guy to beat.)
Daley's not the only dynasty coming to an end. Ben Joravsky takes a look at the race for Cook County board president.
This time in Fast Company Design, with a bit more detail about how the space was built. And here're more behind-the-scenes photos of the furniture being made by Stay-Straight Manufacturing.
The Third Coast Audio Festival has posted the winners of its annual Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition. Join them for the awards ceremony Oct. 30.
The 2010 Grant for Good is now accepting applications from local non-profits in need of a reinvention.
Voting in the Art Loop Open ends tomorrow, and the exhibition is up through the end of the month. However, not everyone is pleased with event.
Today marks the start of Classroom Mechanics, a new oral history project in Mechanics, sharing the firsthand stories of teachers in Chicago schools. Micah Uetricht interviews a young teacher at Robeson High School.
This is particularly important if you're throwing the groom into the air.
Mike Jones, Penn & Teller's house pianist, just released a new album that was recorded at the Green Mill. And it's currently available for free download on his site.
An industrial film from 1942 (part one, part two) for a billboard company reveals some pretty interesting views of the city... and WWII-era advertising. Did you know there used to be billboards along Lake Shore Drive?
The Tribune's embattled CEO, Randy Michaels, will be stepping down this week, to be replaced by a four-member "office of the president." Meanwhile, James Tyree, chairman of the Sun-Times, has been diagnosed with stomach cancer as the paper announced more layoffs.
Oh, and Time Out Chicago named a new publisher.
That's what Three Peas Art Lounge at 16th and Michigan calls its free Wednesday night American Sign Language workshops.
You know, we love us some Groupon here at GB, but we have to agree with Greg Hinz: why does the fastest growing company in history need a $3.5 million aid package to hire more workers?
Video scavengers Everything is Terrible show off their fall collection at the Hungry Brain tonight; details in Slowdown.
Grub Street Chicago points us to a cool restaurant map by Vidhya Nagarajan.
I Heart Illinois, from truche.
Anne Elizabeth Moore shares a story from her Punk Planet days about one of the magazine's more persistent letter writers.
Historic photoblog Shorpy finds a photo of a Melrose Park aircraft plant in 1942. As noted in the comments, the plant is still there, just south of O'Hare, now producing engines for International Harvester.
You're less likely to get a ticket this year, but if you have a couple on your record, you're more likely to get the boot.
Major Carpet Burn dug up a bunch of monster movie mag layouts and crazy old ads, including one from the Help Company Club at 4554 Broadway. Remember, fellas: "No man is any good without a woman."
FlyoverGeeks.com is the latest effort to bring Chicago's tech scene to national prominence. [via]
Our own David Schalliol contributed photos and interviews of Cabrini-Green residents to HIGHRISE, a "360° documentary" of life within the world's tall buildings.
The NY Times draws from research by current University of Chicago sociologist Mario Small and three former U of C sociologists, Maria Kefalas, Robert Sampson and William Julius Wilson, to draw attention to a renewed emphasis on studies of poverty and culture.
Make: Magazine reports on a group of Chicago film-makers working on a documentary called ReMade: The Rebirth of the Maker Movement, which will focus on community-run workspaces and collaborative organizations around the country. See the Kickstarter page for full details.
The Green, Libertarian and independent candidates for governor won't be debating with Quinn and Brady in Chicago, but WBEZ gave them a forum to discuss the issues today.
According to the Onion, Che "Rhymefest" Smith will be announcing his candidacy for alderman of the 20th Ward this Thursday.
A pre-Prohibition rumination on the matter, from 1914.
President Barack Obama will appear on an episode of Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters." The episode, which airs December 8, will address whether or not Greek mathematician Archimedes used mirrors to focus sunlight on invading ships, setting them on fire.
The race for Official Chicago Christmas Tree is near an end, and it's time to vote for your favorite candidate. Fortunately, the field is smaller than the one for mayor will be.
Claire Zulkey interviews Blair Kamin, the Tribune's architecture critic.
A Columbia College senior is a finalist for Playboy's Hottest College Girls contest. [via]
Sen. Roland Burris says he's been encouraged to run for mayor.
Clark and Kim are a few months into their mission to travel the world. Follow along at To Uncertainty & Beyond!
The almost comically bedraggled Willow, up for adoption at Chicago Canine Rescue, has inspired an outpouring of sympathy (and adoption subsidies) on Reddit.
You may not be able to afford a vacation, but that doesn't mean you have to stay at home. Vacation rental site airbnb.com lists places to stay in Chicago for as little as $20 a night.
Word on the street is Rahm Emanuel has raised $3.6 million since he kicked off his campaign for mayor. He announced his candidacy two weeks ago.
Speaking of "Jeopardy!," Northwestern student Katie Singh will compete in the show's next College Championship tournament.
The (NSFW) cover art for Kanye West's forthcoming album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has been banned in the US, according to a tweet from Mister Personality himself. UPDATE: As the LA Times notes, "perhaps banned isn't the right word."
Risqué e-mailer Lee Abrams, Tribune Co's Chief Innovation Officer, has resigned his post.
Art Loop Open opens today and runs through the 29th. Pick up a map at Block 37, tour galleries around the Loop and vote on your favorite artist.
In the wake of Universal Pictures pulling the controversial promo for his upcoming movie The Dilemma, Vince Vaughn made a statement over the kerfuffle: "Drawing dividing lines over what we can and cannot joke about does exactly that; it divides us."
Tomorrow, the 16th, marks the start of Independent Retail Week in Chicago. Pick up a map and goodie bag at Akira stores in Wicker Park.
A multimedia artist takes a summer job as a paletero in this week's Drive-Thru feature.
Speaking of moments captured, two of Michael Jordan's make Sports Illustrated Joe Posnanski's list of 32 great calls by sports announcers.
Harold Washington's name will appear in one new place just as Mayor Daley's name will begin to slowly fade from signage.
Frequent Rearview contributor Ian Only-Connect won the Art Institute's Henri Cartier-Bresson Photo Contest with a shot that captures the famous photographer's style perfectly.
CPS chief Ron Huberman and Ald. Danny Solis met with the Whittier School protesters to discuss several options for ending the sit-in and establishing a library for the school.
There's a release party and signing for the latest edition of Mark Beauchamp's Blabworld (formerly just Blab!) tonight at 6pm at Intuit, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave. [via]
Watch Threadless designer Mig Reyes take on Jessica Hische in today's Layer Tennis match at 1pm.
Devon Seafood has a special dining deal for GB readers; learn more in Drive-Thru.
An off-campus party full of drunken Northwestern students earns a letter of complaint by an Evanston resident, who said that a group of students frightened her young daughter with their "hollering about [oral sex]."
"IRS: Strip club owner didn't show us everything." Oh, and going 11 years without filing a tax return isn't wildly clever either.
The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus' contribution to Dan Savage's It Gets Better Project. [via]
Marina City is Seattle Weekly's top pick for buildings that look like food, prompting Marina City Online to dig up a photo of the towers rendered in food (though not corn.)
Oak Park's Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District was listed by the American Planning Association as one of the best neighborhoods in the country.
On the electronic voting machines in 23 different wards Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney is listed as "Rich Whitey." About half the wards are predominately African American according to the Sun-Times.
The CPD is going to close the iconic police station at Halsted and Addison next month. Its future is uncertain.
As Jacqui Cheng says, "It's hard to believe that the "Twitter 5K" is a real thing, but it is."
In Tailgate, The Turncoat marks the anniversary of the Steve Bartman Incident.
"Up north in Chicago, where the Blues makes no one blush, memory comes back to you in a double-bourbon rush." — Old '97s, "Champaign, Illinois," off their new album, Grand Theatre.
Despite his flaws, Julia Keller points out a particularly nice thing Daley did: he built 59 public libraries. Not all by himself, of course, but you get the idea.
Meet Brian Cappelletto, Chicago's resident Scrabble prodigy.
The City Clerk's office is accepting entries for its annual vehicle sticker art contest. This year's theme is "Education Is Key." The winning entry will be displayed on over a million windshields next year, and will net its designer a $1,000 savings bond. (Nine runners-up will receive savings bond prizes, too.) The contest is open to Chicago high school students and runs through Nov. 5. For official rules, entry forms, and ideas on how to get started, click here.
Out at Argonne, they're watching nanoparticles grow in real time for the first time. [via]
Letters of Note finds an A League of their Own-era Madonna complaining to photographer Steven Meisel about Geena Davis, playing baseball all day, and the pain of being in our "yuk"-ky city.
Who said it, John Mayer or Mayor Daley? [via]
Time Out covers coming trends in food and drink in this week's feature package, which naturally includes an interview with chef Grant Achatz. David Tamarkin posted a longer version of the interview online.
1537 News fills you in on what's going on in Hyde Park (60615) and Kenwood (60637).
When marathon runners aren't running, they're hanging out with waterproof belts and banks at the marathon expo.
From one perspective, journalists protected Rahm Emanuel from a conservative radio host's questions. From another, journalists tried to get rid of a guy getting in the way of their soundbite.
Chicago magazine hosts 40 Bottles of Beer tonight at the Village Tap in Roscoe Village.
So far in 2010, 30 percent of flights have left Midway Airport more than 15 minutes late, according to the USDOT. That's more delays than any other airport, even O'Hare. Congratulations?
I'm sure the new Palace nightclub, opening Nov. 4 inside the Alhambra Palace on Randolph will be awesome, but its Facebook page makes me wonder what's happening to the social network's simple, uncluttered design.
SCVNGR is a Foursquare-like service that turns checking into a business into a game -- but incentivized with discounts. It just launched in Chicago today, with four special "treks" from ExploreChicago.
Help solve an artistic mystery over in A/C.
Designer Meng Yang thinks you should Know Your Flag, so he's created an amazing set of four silkscreen prints focusing on each of the Chicago flag's stars. He's also sliced up the city in a novel way.
The Chicago satellite Rally to Restore Sanity is well on its way to happening, thanks to donations to cover insurance and other costs. Chip in here.
As AdAge notes, it's getting tough to navigate through all the collective coupon sites crowding the market.
One of the passengers on the #6 bus that crashed on Lake Shore over the weekend has posted his account of the accident. [via]
"Funemployed" takes a comical look at the state of work -- or lack thereof.
Soup's on at the Lincoln Park Zoo! What are your favorite ruminants, amphibians, and primates noshing on and how much does it cost per animal each year? Yum, krill!
These were once the kind of spontaneous publicity -- your name in print -- that made people.
Someone's stealing parking meters -- not the old-fashioned ones, the 200-pound pay-and-display boxes. Twenty of them so far.
Explore Chicago just launched a free ebook called Eat, Play, Love Our Neighborhoods. You can probably guess what it's about.
Serious geekery: Of the top 10 largest data centers, three are in Chicagoland. The largest is close enough to the Loop to visit it on your lunch break.
With just a couple days to go, the Kickstarter campaign for The Cursed Pirate Girl comic book has reached more than $31,000 -- 1250% its original ask.
The U of C recently publicly announced that it accepts and funds undocumented students.
Jimmy John's is suing Halsted Street Deli over trademarked sandwich names. (Watch out, Mr. Pickle's, you're next)
If you've yet to get to Longman&Eagle or Epic, you'd best do so soon: Esquire just named both places to its list of the country's best new restaurants. If the waits at Great Lake after their "best pizza in America" hat tip from GQ taught us anything, it's to get there before this issue hits the stands.
Ever wonder where the art on the walls in businesses comes from? In some cases, it's not owned, it's leased. Fear No Art talks to Chicago Art Leasing about the business.
The Northwest Chicago Historical Society is hosting a tour of the beautiful, long-shuttered Patio Theater at 6008 W. Irving Park Road. Designed by Rudolph G. Wolff, the Patio, built in 1927, is, more or less, intact, never having been chopped up into multiple screens. See it before its grand re-opening!
A London betting agency has put U of C's Richard Thaler down as a top candidate for the Nobel Prize in Economics.
The CTA Tattler posted a picture of a woman wearing a snake on the North Avenue bus.
Senate hopefuls Alexi Giannoulias and Mark Kirk appeared on "Meet the Press" Sunday, an indication of how important that race is to both parties nationally.
Despite the warm weekend, it's time to start think about indoor sports for the cold months ahead. If bowling sounds boring, how about archery?
Recalling the Chi-Tonw fiasco from a couple years ago, a tattoo artist at a Belmont-Cragin parlor is being sued for tattooing the White Sox logo backwards on a client's leg.
Built in Chicago is a new social network "promoting technology companies in the world's greatest city."
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks recently granted landmark status to the Old Republic Building.
Remember that time Sammy Sosa used a corked bat? Remember how it disappeared? The bat is back—this time on the auction block. So who's had it all this time? Former Cub pitcher Mike Remlinger.
Last night, a CTA bus careened off Lake Shore Drive into a tree, injuring dozens. Eyewitness reports suggest a mechanical malfunction caused the crash—and that the bus's crowdedness prevented more extreme injuries. [ Video report from WGN ]
Senate candidates Mark Kirk and Alexi Giannoulias will appear on this morning's edition of Meet the Press (airing at 11am on NBC Channel 5).
Mark Butler, who for 25 years led the crew who dye the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day, has passed away.
Forbes released its annual list of the 100 most powerful women in the world, and Illinois can claim three of the top ten. Not to be outdone, NBC Chicago's Feast published a list of 10 of Chicago's most badass female chefs.
Well, no cash, actually, but claps for the 25th anniversary of the Victory Auto Wreckers commercial.
If you missed our Chicago Artists Month exhibition down in East Pilsen last weekend, you have another chance tonight during the Chicago Art District's Second Fridays.
Cheaters aren't the only thing on marathoners' minds: We might see weather in the 80s on Sunday.
Speaking of the Marathon, the Trib looks at how the organizers catch cheaters.
Volkswagen is celebrating 15 years of sponsoring the Chicago Marathon with something they're calling the VW FanZone Sunday. Doug E. Fresh and OK Go will make appearances, and DJs will spin throughout the morning.
The Reader takes a look at the zoning battle facing the Logan Square Kitchen.
Oprah pops up in the strangest places. [via]
It's a great weekend for horror film fans: Facets Fright School (a special horror version of their midnight screening series Facets Night School) shows Carnival of Souls tonight at midnight; and Music Box Massacre (24 hours of horror movies) starts tomorrow at noon.
City Council may soon consider the recommendation of the Inspector General to require all Chicago taxis be trackable by an integrated GPS network.
Rev. James Meeks says he wouldn't give up his ministry if elected mayor, leading some to question his commitment to the job. Ald. Carrie Austin said, "This is a seven-day-a-week job. This is not a part-time job. You can not serve two masters."
Threadless has inked a deal with Disney to promote Tron: Legacy. Design a shirt, win $3,000. Wonder if their phenomenally successful light cycle hoodie had anything to do with it?
Fans of Abby Ryan, WBEZ's cult-inspiring former traffic reporter, might be interested to know that she got married last December, and can still be heard on the radio -- in the commercials.
Tribune Co.'s mediation talks with its creditors have broken down a day after the New York Times' page-1 article about the Trib's management culture. Was that story possibly a bit of strategic warfare by a rival media conglomerate?
Cover letters apparently can get you a job. [via]
Yesterday Roger Ebert gave 3 1/2 out of 4 stars to Scrappers, the documentary film about scrap metal collectors that is the subject of this week's A/C interview.
Patrick McDonough captures the horror of a serious accident near 6300 W. Belmont this weekend. His crew from the Department of Water Management were first responders.
Who hates the Puppet Bike? Apparently at least one hoodlum, who trashed the bike late last night -- right on the heels of someone stealing a large piece of art from owner Jason Trusty. If you'd like to help, for now Trusty requests that you buy some of his artwork, displayed on his website. UPDATE: Damage to the Puppet Bike was not as bad as previously reported. I guess "trashed" is a relative term.
Currently in soft launch mode, Shelfworthy is a social network built around consuming media -- a lot like Delicious Library, but online and social.
Quite Strong, demonstrating the power of female designers.
"Throw a coin in and you'll return to Daley Plaza."
Speaking of home, the Whittier school occupation just got a little more politically interesting with City Council calling on CPS to reconnect gas heat service to the occupied field house.
I'm going by anecdotal evidence, but it seems like a lot of people move around September -- warm their house with these suggestions from local gift shops, compiled by Time Out Chicago.
In A/C, John Greenfield walks Martin Luther King Drive, the first major road in the country named after the civil rights leader.
Which CTA stop are you going to? Just check your wallet.
LaPorte, Indiana, the documentary based on Jason Bitner's book, makes its Chicago debut tomorrow, Oct. 7, at the Siskel Film Center.
Meigs Field isn't the only abandoned airport in Chicagoland. [via]
Apartment Therapy profiles Chicagoan and production artist James Wurm's industrial and practical, yet attractive and welcoming kitchen-studio-living space, created in a Pilsen storefront. It's worth checking out for the chandelier alone.
Sporting News named Chicago (and Evanston) the best sports town of 2010.
The winner of the Museum of Science and Industry's Month at the Museum has been announced --- it's Kate.
Ron Huberman, the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, is planning to leave his post well before the election of the new Mayor according to the Sun-Times. UPDATE: Huberman is denies he's leaving.
Cellular company Cricket has launched the Chicago Community Voices, a fund granting up to $2,000 to 10 people or organizations for community-based projects, four times a year. Apply here.
The New York Times turns a hard light on Tribune CEO Randy Michaels. As Robert Feder notes, it's not news here in Chicago. UPDATE: In a memo to staff, Michaels told staff to "ignore the noise."
Carl Kasell and Peter Sagal of NPR show Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me will appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight at 11:30pm. Would you like me to leave a reminder on your answering machine?
The Chicago Park District recently unveiled a website cataloging its collection of fountains, monuments, and sculptures. [via]
In Mechanics, we've got contrasting perspectives on the new film, Waiting for Superman: one from a conservative, one from a teacher.
Quimby's and Baltimore's Atomic Books are sponsoring 2011: The Revenge of Print!, a challenge to all former zinesters to produce the latest issue of their long-dead zine. Get out the long-reach stapler and ironic clip-art, kids.
Ever wish someone would just make you something to eat? Or maybe you'd really like to cook for someone. CookItFor.Us, a new site, er, cooked up at a hackathon last week, can help party A find party B.
The Kitty Journal expresses frustration at how tough it is to find a late night cup of coffee in this town. (Presumably the author doesn't want to hang out in a diner.) [via]
There is unfortunate news today about the woman hurt while working as an extra on the set of Transformers 3. A lawsuit filed by her family details a grisly injury and claims she is "permanently brain damaged."
How much do you spend on transportation? Abogo from the Center for Neighborhood Technology shows you what the monthly average is for your neighborhood.
Sometimes developers have trouble finding designers to make their projects pretty; likewise, designers sometimes need help making what they create work. Just-launched Interhoods helps them find each other based on which neighborhood they live in, here as well as in SF and NYC.
Chain letters were invented in Chicago. (Thanks, Adam!)
Joe Trippi, a campaign adviser to Sheriff Tom Dart should Dart decide to run, appeared on "The Good Wife" last night as himself. Here's The Wall Street Journal's writeup.
WBEZ's traffic reporter, Sarah Jindra, has put together a very useful guide to figuring out what traffic reporters like her are talking about. Gives me a convenient excuse to link to our own explanation of the traffic report terminology.
Anyone walking past 1430 W. Berwyn Ave. has probably wondered what the inside of the strange old home looks like. BLUEPRINT: Chicago gives you a peek -- though the this Yelp review paints a different picture.
Adam Novak, Sara Collins and Andrew Zoechbauer are taking portraits of Chicagoans on street corners all over the city in a portable photography studio.
Contraphonic, our own Ben Schulman's record label, is raising money on Kickstarter to expand its much-praised Contraphonic Chicago Sound Series to other cities.
Maybe someone gave Rahm's White House replacement Pete Rouse this heartfelt message on his first day.
Todd Stroger's Deputy Chief of Staff Carla Oglesby, who came under fire earlier this year for awarding County work contracts to both her personal business and friends, was taken into custody late this afternoon on corruption charges. She will be in court tomorrow.
A neighborhood supposedly named "W. Lake St." is allegedly the most dangerous in the country, according to research by commercial real estate site NeighborhoodScout.com. However, a look at the area on EveryBlock shows a smattering of recent crime -- but quite a few new businesses.
CBS2 notes that the area used to include the Henry Horner Homes, but that notoriously dangerous CHA project was demolished in 2005. Another "neighborhood," called 4000 S. Federal St. in the report, also made the top 25 list. Half of it is a field.
It's like TamaleTracker, but for a certain mayoral candidate.
Because he rented out his North Center home while working for President Obama in Washington and it's been over a year since he's lived in Chicago, Rahm Emanuel may have a hard time convincing election judges that he meets the residency requirements to be a mayoral candidate.
MyDrinkOn brings the crowd-couponing concept to booze, starting with Chicago.
The University of Chicago Press' latest books about Chicago are 20 percent off right now.
Dick Costolo, cofounder of Feedburner, was named CEO of Twitter today, after spending a year as the company's COO.
Baconfest 2011 has been announced.
Some absolute idiot (likely a scrap dealer) stole 50 century-old, bronze letters from Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park. Words fail me--no pun intended.
Hoosier Mama Pie Company just made Bon Appetit's list of the country's Top 10 Best Places for Pie. Achatz Handmade Pie Company, from Armada, Michigan, also gets a shoutout -- as much for the pie as for being related to Grant Achatz and served at Alinea.
Guess what's first on this list of stalled skyscraper projects around the world? [via]
If you didn't make it to the Chicago Artists Month opening night show we curated this weekend, you missed Phineas X. Jones' stunning Chi-Noceros print. Fortunately, now you can buy it.
Could you eat on $4.50 a day, as people on the SNAP program do? Chicagoist's Betsy Mikel tried it for a week.
Chicago business runs on an iPad?
He will be coming to for you on his "Telling it Like it Is" listening tour all over the city in the coming weeks.
If you've been following our Whitter Elementary School coverage. You may be happy to know that the parents are continuing to take things into their own hands and have created their own library filled with donations and are getting training from librarians so they can run it themselves. And they have no plans to back down until they get a library.
The Sun-Times must be hurting for photo illustrations, given their decision to use this 1982 photograph of one of Mayor Daley's pals for a story about water billing problems.
Local cartoonist/musician Archer Prewitt designed the cutest little Allen Ginsberg doll you ever did see. [via]
It'll be even easier for you to dress up as Rod Blagojevich for Halloween this year, thanks to Fantasy Costumes in Portage Park. [via]
The Sunlight Foundation reviews Rahm Emanuel's visitor logs. What do you think Rahm and Sam Zell talked about?
The Glam Beast thinks that whoever's behind the Des Plaines I ♥ DP campaign should have considered a better abbreviation (easily offended folks might not want to click that link). But there's a silver lining: they're completely sold out.
The peace symbol was brought to the US from the UK on buttons imported by U of C freshman Philip Altbach in 1960.
Our friends at 37signals recently moved into a new office, and they'd like you to be a part of it. (They've got a nice new front page, too.)
Today is International Sake Day! We've got some places for you to sip sake, hot or cold, in Drive-Thru.
Marketing guru Seth Godin was recently in town. Meet some of his fans.
Sun-Times reporter Kara Spak appeared on "Jeopardy!" recently and walked away with a hefty sum. Naturally, she wrote about her experience.
This year's Ig Nobel Prize winners have been announced. One of last year's winners, the locally produced Ebbra, a bra that can be used as two emergency protective face masks, is now on sale.
As a going-away present, Rahm Emanuel was given a dead Asian carp. Mr. Emanuel and deceased fish have a supposed history together.
LTHForum's Gary Wiviott will be on the Food Network's new show "Meat & Potatoes" tonight, showing host Rahm Fama the wonders of Sun Wah BBQ.
Based on a scale called the Train Romance Index Score Total (how Kinseyian), the CTA Belmont stop (Red, Brown and Purple lines) is the most romantic place on the El.
The New York Times' Monica Davey looks at the pros and cons of the Rahm Emanuel candidacy.
In Transmission, we preview next week's always fun Riot Fest, bringing amazing punk music to a venue near you. Keep an eye out for our coverage of the fest all next week.
Well, maybe just this typographic one. [via]
