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. ✶
Local bluegrass band The Henhouse Prowlers (formerly also known as Sexfist) were out west on tour when their equipment was tragically stolen in Oakland, CA. They've posted a long list of the stolen instruments on their Facebook page, which includes some pretty rare items, and are hoping to recover what they can. The band is currently continuing their tour nearby with loaned instruments, and plan to start a Kickstarter next week to raise money to replace what the police can't find.
The police estimated the crowd for Wednesday's school closure protest at between 700 and 900; the Chicago Teachers Union put the total at between 5,000 and 6,000. The real number was, of course, right in the middle.
The Siskel Film Center is showing Hitchcock, the 2012 film about the filming of Psycho, and Psycho itself this weekend, and it's offering a double-feature discount for those who want to see both.
An Illinois Tollway garage supervisor who'd already been fired twice was fired again this week after being photographed sleeping on the job, among other things.
Ever wonder about that Catholic bookstore on Michigan Avenue? It's run by the Daughters of St. Paul, an order whose mission is to spread the gospel via whatever technology is available, which nowadays means Twitter, blogs, Facebook and more.
CPS students are tested early, often and with regularity. The Reader's Steve Bogira examines the climate of testing in Chicago Public Schools, and why some parents and students are opting out.
The popular Andersonville bar and restaurant was shut down yesterday after months of not paying rent. The restaurant's owner, Colm Treacy, confirmed the closing in a Facebook posting.
Some of the stars of the reality series "Mob Wives Chicago" are trying again with Bo$$ Ladies," a show that will follow their attempts to run a bar in Chicago.
Both the Pitchfork Music Festival and Spring Awakening Festival announced their lineups today. Not to be left out of the news, Lollapalooza announced that three-day passes had sold out; single-day tickets will go on sale April 9, when the full lineup is announced.
Two of the service fees -- including the $10 one for calling to dispute a charge -- have been dropped from the controversial Ventra debit card the CTA is introducing alongside its new payment system. But they could sneak back in anytime, according to the contract.
In the winter of 1978-79, the foundation of John Wayne Gacy's home and garage were excavated to discover the remains of 27 of his victims. This set of photographs (some NSFW) by retired Des Plaines Detective Aug Schwiesow shows some of what the investigators found. [via]
Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon performs with Chicago duo White/Light at the MCA Tuesday night at 6pm. The concert is free, and tickets are only available at the box office beginning at 5pm. In other words, get there way early if you want to get in.
An ex-Chicago cop stands accused of planning to extort and murder a local businessman and other offenses -- in addition to to the charges that he and an accomplice were planning to kidnap and dismember a different victim. And that's just the most recent stuff on his rap sheet.
Rahm Emanuel and his brothers Ari and Ezekiel were interviewed by NBC's Brian Williams this past Friday night to promote Ezekiel's recent memoir about their family; however, Ari later sent a legalese-heavy letter to the network demanding that parts of the interview be edited out, as Williams asked several non-softball questions about the brothers' involvement with Israel, as well as Ari's reputation for being tooJeremy Piven-like (NSFW).
Love animals but don't have the time, money or landlord permission to care for one? Consider volunteering at Animal Care and Control; they need your help, and it's a fulfilling experience.
Lillie's Qreopened its Chicago French Market location today at 11am, a week after fire shut down the Bucktown restaurant. It will start with a limited menu, and will close when all food has been sold.
ChicagoTribune.com was the slowest among major news websites in a recent study, taking nearly 17 seconds to load a page. By contrast, the BBC's website takes less than eight seconds to load, and USAToday.com takes less than three.
Tucked way back on the alley at 22 E. Jackson St. is Pickwick Stable, one of the few pre-Chicago Fire buildings left in the Loop. It will soon be visited far more often, as Asado Coffee plans to build a roaster and cafe there.
Last year, the traveling Tomato Battle coated Toyota Park with pulp. This year we've got a food fight of the home-grown variety: Tomato Blast will be held at Soldier Field on July 27. Register here.
As part of their research for an upcoming film about the 1963 Chicago Public School boycott, Kartemquin Films has launched a new website to gather information about the people involved in the protests. If you were in the protests, or know people who were involved, have a look at Kartemquin's collection of photos to see if you can put names to the faces.
On Chicagoside, Michael Hirsley asks whether the Hawks' record-breaking streak this season deserves an asterisk -- and not just because of the the shortened season.
Tomorrow is the (alleged) first day of spring and the day to see Chicagohenge, when the sun rises (around 6:53am) and sets (around 7:03pm) directly between the city's East-West streets. If you snap a photo of this biannual beauty, be sure to post it to our Flickr pool.
Former Chicago Bites coauthor Bridget Houlihan has put together a deal for discount tickets to watch the Cubs play the Padres from the deck at 3639 Wrigley Rooftop on May 1; donate $15 or more to Easter Seals and get your ticket for just $69.
On Thursday, the Chicago Park District plans to propose to add 20,000 new lawn-style seats to the Charter One Pavilion on Northerly Island, as early as this summer. The resulting reconfiguration of the venue would also add trees, about 600 additional fixed seats, and an estimated doubling of the venue's annual ticket sale revenue.
In 1949, Ruth Ann Steinhagen lured former Cubs first baseman Eddie Waitkus up to her hotel room and shot him, an act that landed her in a mental hospital and was fictionalized into the book and film The Natural. Steinhagen passed away in December at age 83, the Cook County Coroner's Office announced Friday.
Former federal prosecutor Zachary Fardon is in the lead to become the new US Attorney in Chicago, replacing Patrick Fitzgerald, after his chief rival, Lori Lightfoot, withdrew from the running.
Cook County Commissioners are meeting tomorrow to discuss changes to the Managed Care of Feral Cats ordinance [PDF] that opponents say would hurt efforts to keep cat colonies healthy.
The fourth installment of the Transformers saga will begin filming in Chicago as soon as next month, ReelChicago reports. That could be a little overly optimistic, the Chicago Film Office says.
A man was beaten to death on a Green Line station on Saturday, while five gang members assaulted passengers on a Red Line train Friday night. One man was arrested in the latter incident; police are still investigating the former.
A fire broke out in the basement of Lillie's Q in Bucktown last night, destroying the restaurant. The fire means both the main location and the satellite shop in the Chicago French Market are closed indefinitely, but the owners vow to reopen ASAP.
If you've got a thing for cute graphics on durable ceramics, then you've probably run into Circa Ceramics at a local craft show or indie boutique. If you haven't, then we suggest you get to Nordstrom at Woodfield Mall to check out their wares. Etsy Wholesale has teamed up with various indie makers to get them sold in Nordstrom stores around the country. So hie thee to the suburbs if you need something awesome to drink tea from.
If the 1871 coworking center sounds like something you'd be into, keep your eye on Industrious, a similar concept with a little more privacy, opening in June. Or maybe The Logan Share, opening in May, is more your speed.
School Cuts provides a clearer picture of the criteria CPS is looking as it determines which schools on the semifinal list by showing you the data as well as other contributing factors.
The Wrigley Building is undergoing a renovation that will see many architectural details restored -- including the return of two lobby chandeliers that were lost for years.
Your brief audio essay on the subject of "appetite" could result in several of the city's best chefs (among them Rick Bayless, Elizabeth's Iliana Regan, and Lula Cafe's Jason Hammel) making a dish in your honor, courtesy of the Third Coast International Audio Festival and the James Beard Foundation.
Baconfest wants your input on the best dish of their amateur cookoff contest; the winner gets free tickets to the (sold out) April 20th pork extravaganza.
A gunman shot a father and his 6-month-old daughter while he was changing her diaper in Woodlawn yesterday. The baby was hit five times, and is in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital; the father is also in critical condition. UPDATE: Jonylah Watkins, the infant, has died.
Northwestern's law school (ranked #12 nationwide) will begin accepting fewer students, capping tuition increases and working harder to limit student debt to account for the shrinking popularity of law degrees in an oversaturated market (other schools have already implemented similar plans).
Sometimes, despite the best intentions and preventions, certain parts of the body do certain things that scare you after you've been with certain people. For certain. So, if you need to figure out where to go to find out if those certain symptoms means that you've contracted a certain "social disease," then the Centers for Disease Control has a website where you can find every STD/HIV testing facility in your area. And all you need to share is your zip code.
Ever wonder how the city reached the number of schools it could close? One big part of it is by upping the standard elementary class size to 30 students. That number is far higher than the district's average and nearly 10 students higher than the state's average kindergarten class size.
If you've listened to one or both of the "This American Life" shows related to Harper High School shooting during last school year, and felt yourself thinking "Man, I wish there was something I could do to help." Well, rest easier because now you can. The school's administrators have started a fundraiser. They'd love to get $2 million to provide ACT prep classes, after-school programming, transportation assistance, college tours and more.
The Atlantic Cities features Chicago-based CityScan, whose ability to combine open data and LIDAR to detect violations of city codes could be a boon for the budget.
Four of the 19 cocktail bars Time Out revisited this week didn't live up to their "iconic" status. Up to you to find out which ones -- and decide whether they were iconic in the first place.
If you're interested in a good laugh, visit the conservative screed the Washington Times and learn all about how Hugo Chavez turned Venezuala into Chicago. A favorite line: "Venezuela saw rampant poverty, crime, and corruption, although not at the level of Chicago."
The cast of FX's hit animated series "Archer" will be at the Chicago Theatre on April 5 for Archer Live!, a moderated discussion, live reading and audience Q&A. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10am.
The Tribune is making good on its promise to send subscribers a tablet upon which to read their daily news. However, it's not the version Tribune Co. was developing on its own; rather, it's a $60 Android tablet that's gotten mixed reviews.
Four Chicagoans -- Veronica Arreola, Jarvis Houston, Evanna Hu and Justine Nagan -- are honorees in the New Leaders Council's 40 Under 40 list this year. They'll be honored at a reception this evening. (You might also want to take a look at this year's local NLC Fellows.)
Michelle Obama came to town last week to promote Let's Move!, her healthy exercise initiative for children. The plan may be uncontroversial, but a fifth grade teacher says that the local implementation of the event resulted in some unpleasant and unhealthy effects on the kids who participated.
Local animator and illustrator team Matt Lamothe and Jenny Volvovski collaborated with their Also partner to produce The Where, the Why, and the How, a book that pairs artists and scientists.
In other U of C protest news, the Chicago Maroon uncovered that the school planted an undercover detective in a recent demonstration. The officer, who was dressed in plain clothes, carried a protest sign and even symbolically placed a sticker over her mouth, kept contact with the deputy chief throughout the demonstration while covertly probing demonstrators about their plans. UPDATE: The school's provost and president have announced an "external independent reviewer" to investigate the events.
