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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Sunday, November 16
The Shedd Aquarium announced the arrival of their fourth adopted dog, Marlin. Marlin, a chocolate Lab mix (possibly with a little Boxer and a little Great Dane) will be one of the canine ambassadors at the aquarium. Each canine ambassador at the aquarium came from a local shelter and are all named after Finding Nemo characters.
The Fox television show "So You Think You Can Dance" made a stop at the Oriental Theatre Thursday to give Chicagoans a chance to audition for the show's 11th season. The tryouts were held with the show's producers, and callback auditions will be held on Saturday with the judges.
The Chinese food restaurant Mark's Chop Suey in Boystown will permanently close its doors today after 38 years of service. The restaurant's owner, Amy Mark, 64, is ready to slow down. Marks' is right next to Sidetrack, one of the best-known gay bars in Chicago, which is one of the reasons why Mark chose the location in the first place.
Chicago's millennial generation will see some additions and changes to the city's architecture and landscape, according to Huffington Post's collection of projects that are either already underway or currently in the planning process.
John C. Reilly, who grew up in Chicago Lawn, admitted on "Conan" last night to stealing 500 boxes of Sugar Pops from a train car when he was a kid.
A key economic indicator seems to show the impact of this winter's terrible cold on most businesses was minimal.
Actor Seth Rogen, who appeared in front of a (sadly, near-empty) Senate chamber yesterday to talk about the need for more funding for Alzheimer's research, called out Senator Mark Kirk, who tweeted a picture with Rogen before skipping out on his testimony.
Chicagoans tip more often than residents of any other major American city according to Square, leaving an average gratuity of 16.8% of the bill.
Despite the passing of Harold Ramis, Ghostbusters III is apparently still happening, with a reworked script that doesn't include Egon. Well, not alive, anyway.
Pinball Chicago League is looking for teams of six to 10 players for its inaugural season, which starts March 24.
Two years after its first (and so far only) issue, The Chicagoan magazine is back, with weekly articles online in advance of another print issue later this year.
NPR's Planet Money tallied the median price of a pizza in every neighborhood of Chicago (and other cities) using data from Grubhub Seamless. Hit pizzerias in Austin, Avondale or the East Side to pay the least. Oh, and order a large. (Thanks, @tutebot!)
Soon you will be able to grab a slice of Giordano's while looking down on the city from the Sears Tower's Skydeck.
With more ice on the Great Lakes than there has been for decades, the coming spring will be chilled down as all that cold water makes its way into the atmosphere.
An infographic compares the nation's two most fast-paced and busy cities, Chicago and New York, on a variety of aspects of city culture, from sports to airports to tourists, and of course, the ever-lasting pizza rivalry.
Students in Chicago charter schools are 11 times more likely to be expelled than their public school counterparts.
Oscar nominees who fail to get a golden statue may lose hope, but at least they can get some hair back using a voucher for free hair transplants from a Chicago surgeon.
A remix of the "House of Cards" intro credits using time-lapse footage of Chicago at night (lifted without credit from Eric Hines and Max Wilson) hints at what a local version of the show would look like, although its two-party politics probably wouldn't be so compelling here. [via]
A Cook Country jury rewarded a former employee of Chicago State University $2.5 million after deciding he was fired for reporting misconduct by the university president. This verdict is the first resulting from a claim under the whistleblower protection clause of the state's ethics act, which was added in 2003.
Tired of bar trivia? Puzzled Pint, started in Portland, OR and now in Chicago, challenges you to solve puzzles instead. The first one is March 11; check the site on March 10 for a puzzle to find out which bar it's at.
A member of a blues band says that McNally's Bar in Morgan Park closed early last Saturday because there were "too many black people here" for the apparent owner of the bar, a Chicago cop. If the man was in fact the bar's owner, he may be in violation of several CPD rules of conduct.
Three hundred new CTA buses will begin hitting CTA bus stops in May, each fully equipped with 10 surveillance cameras and better safety features. The new buses, priced at about $493,000 each, will feature cleaner diesel fuel, bigger windows and "a sleeker body design."
Drivers whose cars are damaged after thunking into one of the city's 600,000 potholes can get money back from the City if they're willing to work for it.
A 21-year-old man is facing charges for a methamphetamine lab for the second time in less than one year, but that's not the best part. The suspect appears in his booking photo wearing a Los Pollos Hermanos t-shirt, representing the fictional fast-food chain created on the television show "Breaking Bad."
WBEZ's annual spring pledge drive starts next week, and they've got a deal for online listeners: give at least $40 and get access to a pledge-free stream.
Chicago radio host and former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh called the LGBT community "a group of constitutional terrorists" on Twitter Tuesday, in reference to the Arizona bill allowing businesses to deny services to LGBT customers. Walsh's tweets continued, as he said he felt forced to respect other people's constitutional liberties but others don't respect his.
No one goes to Navy Pier, no one lives in the Loop, and never underestimate the Tamale Guy are just a few of the truisms out-of-towners should learn about Chicago, according to Thrillist.
The "signature artist" for Illinois is Sufjan Stevens, according to a developer for music intelligence company EchoNest. (Though weirdly, the results change depending on how deep you go.)
An anti-violence program backed by Governor Quinn left out some of Chicago's most dangerous neighborhoods and lacked planning for how the $54.4 million dollars could be spent to reduce violence, according to an audit.
Teachers at a Little Village magnet school are refusing to administer Illinois' standardized test to their students.
Just in time for the end of Black History Month, Homage just released a new line of Negro League sportswear, including a shirt and hat from the Chicago American Giants.
The Reader's comics issue returns this week, with Chicago Comics and Quimby's owner Eric Kirsammer curating.
The Trib takes a look at local companies pioneering wearable technology: Central Standard Timing, Lunatik, and Drift Eyewear.
Cyclists are donning cameras on their helmets and handlebars as they travel around the city as insurance against bad drivers.
Hundreds of CPS students will refuse to take state standardized tests next week as parents opt them out ahead of next year's transition to a new, national test.
HereFeed shows what locales are getting the most Instagram traffic near you. [via]
Chicago investment executive Mellody Hobson and her husband, Star Wars creator George Lucas, are donating $25 million to support the creation of an arts center at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. The couple's donations make them one of Chicago's biggest philanthropists. With this donation, the couple has given at least $50 million to Chicago institutions since they were married here in 2013.
The battle between rideshare startups and taxicab companies at City Hall is like a "heavyweight title fight," bringing out high-powered lobbyists for both sides, writes the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman.
By day, Jaclyn Stacy is director of external relations for the Legal Assistance Foundation. By night and weekend, she's Anihilist Nin of the Fury roller derby team.
"Mind Games," a new Chicago-filmed show starring Steve Zahn and Christian Slater, debuts tonight on ABC.
Artist Ed Sorel painted murals depicting famous Chicago personalities, as well as some infamous ones, for upcoming Gold Coast restaurant La Storia. [via]
GB's politics editor, Monica Reida, was on WBEZ's "Morning Shift" this morning, discussing her story on the long-closed Edgewater Medical Center and ongoing efforts to do something with it.
The first phase of the CTA's $492 million Blue Line renovation will begin in March with track improvements between the Damen and Logan Square stops.
With most of the roadside snow melting, garbage collectors and other city workers are going to begin throwing away any dibs items left on the streets.
A Metra Union Pacific North line train was forced to stop near Rogers Park after passengers noticed someone running around on top of the cars and jumping between the inbound and outbound trains.
New Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon accepted Mayor Emanuel's challenge to join him in jumping into Lake Michigan for the Polar Plunge this Sunday.
Chicago's inequality between the richest and poorest citizens ranks eighth in the country, according to a study by the Brookings Institute. (Thanks, Dee!)
The head of the DEA wants Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to stand trial here for drug trafficking.
Filmmaker Harold Ramis passed away early this morning of a rare autoimmune disease. He was 69.
Goose Island will be the site of a digital manufacturing institute, funded in part by a $70 million federal grant.
The Music Box is showing all of Wes Anderson's films starting Friday, and the man himself will be in town to present a preview screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel on Saturday. It's free; RSVP opens at noon Tuesday.
Goalie Sean Johnson strapped on a GoPro camera to give fans a firsthand view of a Chicago Fire practice. [via]
A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged with a felony for allegedly throwing a snowball at a police officer on Wednesday. The unnamed boy claims the snowball hit the vehicle, not the officer, but the eighth-grader is still facing juvenile court and a five day school suspension.
Gizmodo takes a look back at the Garrick Theater and Chicago Federal Building as two of the most beautiful buildings ever torn down in the U.S.
China's urbanization process will be facilitated by Chicago architects, as the "boom country of the 21st century" will be home to nearly 1 billion people by 2030. In a series created by the Tribune's architecture critic Blair Kamin and photographer John H. Kim, the two reveal how remodeling China's cityscape impacts the most crucial pillars to urban life.
The average weekly commute of African American low-wage workers took 70 minutes longer than their white counterparts in 2011, according to a new study.
WBEZ's Linda Lutton captured the sounds of taking a bus from Chicago to Mexico, a trip hundreds of people make every week.
Gay couples can get married in Cook County as early as Saturday, following a ruling issued by a federal judge today.
The WGN morning crew was silenced in the studio this morning due to some technical difficulties. Anchors Larry Potash and Robin Baumgarten had some fun with it.
The Chicago Sun-Times dropped freelance sports writer Clyde Travis after it was revealed he entered the locker room and admonished Curie-Hyde Park High School basketball players for their poor play after he covered their game.
Everyone's eyes are on Olympic hockey in Sochi right now, but ChicagoSide's Adam Hainsfurther argues the best hockey game of the year will be next weekend's NHL Stadium Series at Soldier Field, pitting the Blackhawks vs. the Penguins.
If you live near Western and Chicago, keep your eye out for twisted sadists trying to light stray cats on fire.
Doctors in the University of Illinois Hospitals' Chicago surgical department is under scrutiny after endorsing a surgical robot in a NYTimes advertisement. Some of the doctors failed to report compensation from the company running the ad, violating U of I's code of ethics.
A time lapse video taken by photographer Albert Bartkus from a balcony along the Chicago River provides a unique glimpse of the ice as it breaks and flows away. [via]
In his will, Philip Seymour Hoffman listed Chicago as one of the three cities where he would like his young son to live because of the art, culture, and architecture available here.
Marketplace takes a look at the tech keeping Metra trains running on time (or at least just running), much of it state of the art- back in 1932.
The Bacon Chase fundraiser will feature the standard 5K race followed by unlimited bacon, as well as a .05K "blitz" because you're probably not there for the exercise anyways.
The Walt Disney Magnet School is planning to build a lab of 3D printers for its students.
According to an app called Spreadsheets that tracks sexual activity data, Illinoisans do the deed in about 2 minutes, 49 seconds -- or at least those of us who take our iPhones to bed with us do. Nevertheless, we're right about the middle of the pack.
Can the Chicago Police Department's crime prediction systems tell who's in danger of breaking bad -- or is it just computerized racial profiling?
Forgotten Chicago recalls the towering bridge that might have crossed the river at 12th Street (aka Roosevelt Road) were it not for World War I.
The University of Chicago Crime Lab is receiving a $1 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation to support its anti-violence research. Mayor Emanuel announced last week that the City will give the lab $2 million.
Since drinking on the CTA is not (yet) legal, a map has been created correlating the "best and closest" bar to every "L" stop. Each stop on the map has been replaced with the correlating bar.
"Sneckdowns," the areas where the wintry mix on the streets isn't worn away by traffic, can serve as guides for where bike lanes and sidewalks should go, say some activists.
Here's another new term for your weather lexicon: a "powerhouse storm," which is heading for Chicago, bringing thunderstorms, freezing rain, and heavy snow with it.
USA speed skater Brian Hansen is on a mission to get his photo taken with all 10 Chicago Blackhawks representing their countries at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
North Branch Projects is a "community bookbinding facility" in Albany Park, offering classes as well as giving paper artists room to work.
Former Chicago congressman Mel Reynolds was arrested in Zimbabwe for allegedly making pornography.
CPD says its computer-generated "heat list" identifies the people most likely to be involved in a violent crime, but is it just racial profiling?
Jake Austen recalls Fun Town, Chicago's last amusement park in a story for Beltmag. The South Side park was overshadowed by Riverview in life and in death.
Two men are accused of flooding part of the Trump Tower with thousands of gallons of dirty water and causing over $700,000 in damages, apparently after they were denied service by bartenders at the bar there.
Sites that use scraper code to grab mugshots off police websites (so they can post them on their own sites and charge people to have them removed) have brought the Cook County Sheriff's website to its knees in recent weeks. The "inmate locator" section of the site now sports a captcha to fend off the bots.
International Tom Hanks Day is coming up April 12, and the organizers are raising money on Kickstarter to help grow the event.
Cape Horn Illustration does "building portraits," and put together a fictional Chicago street to show different local architectural styles.
Last fall, artist and former cab driver Dmitry Samarov played tour guide for the MCA's artist-in-residence.
Food & Wine has created a survey inviting readers to rank the top American food cities. Vote for Chicago and look for the results in the September 2014 print issue of Food & Wine.
Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting here in Chicago last weekend, researchers warned against the dangers of scientific racism arising from genomic research.
Chicago's public workers' unions are working together to resist any pension cuts, insisting that budgetary issues be addressed by raising taxes instead.
With Chicago Magazine's ranking of the 100 most powerful Chicagoans barely including any members of the city's media, Robert Feder asks if the influence of local media personalities really is that small.
The CTA is moving forward with a plan to boost phone and data service by installing 4G service in the subway tunnels of the Blue and Red lines later this year. The infrastructure currently in place throughout the 24 miles of tunnel space between the two lines was installed in 2005.
For the first time in the university's history, faculty at UIC plan to walk out of classes Tuesday as part of a two-day strike.
The International Association of Culinary Professionals will release the winner of its annual cookbook awards on March 15, and two cookbooks written by Chicagoans are among the list of finalists.
Groupon offered a special $10 off deal for Presidents Day in honor of Alexander Hamilton, "one of our greatest presidents." The only problem is Hamilton was never president.
The Chicago police released the official tally for the number of shootings in the city last weekend: zero. (For the record, the Chicago police do not typically include self-inflicted gunshot victims in their count.)
A storytelling podcast, La Boheme in a bar, a webcomic in print and more are on Gapers Block's curated Kickstarter page.
Whole Foods won't open its new locations in former Dominick's stores until 2015, Crain's reports.
Yesterday's storm put us at fifth snowiest winter in recorded history in Chicago -- by 6pm. We'll need just another inch and a half to move up to fourth.
Everyone's favorite hybrid precipitation returned today- which you're well aware of if you're stuck in the whiteout conditions that settled in around rush hour.
Hyde Park artist (and GB flickr pool contributor) Curtis Locke is collecting "dibs" items from across the city to build an artistic collection of the things we leave behind.
Bleacher Report says Joakim Noah is untouchable when it comes to players the Bulls might consider trading.
The Read/Write Library is crowdsourcing funds to purchase a new book bike to replace the one stolen last year.
Spanish, Polish, and Chinese are the most common languages other than English in Chicago, and CBS takes a look at where in the city you're most likely to hear foreign tongues.
Chicago magazine's annual Power 100 list is online. Number one is the mayor, number two is Michael Madigan. Beyond them, you may be surprised.
Bartender Peter Vitale handed out meals and Valentine's Day gifts to some of the people in need he said he sees on a daily basis.
Do312, RedEye and Chicagoist are holding a snowball fight tonight at 8pm! Meet at the fieldhouse in Wicker Park.
87.7 FM, co-owned by the Tribune Company, will rebroadcast WGN-AM beginning today at 1:02pm, just as the former Q87.7 (née Q101) launches its new format at 101.1.
Today's Rearview photograph is of the same building pictured by Noah Vaughn on May 29 of last year.
The Woodlawn neighborhood may be the first to gain ultra-high-speed gigabit Internet access. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has "innovation zones" targeted for the service and those living near 61st Street to 63rd Street along Cottage Grove Avenue could be the first to begin the project in mid-March.
Let's all agree not to take US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scolia's bait about Chicago-style deep dish not being pizza.
Photographer Christopher Hiltz did a little photoshoppery to see what it'd look like if Olympic figure skating pairs lost one of the partners.
Over 60,000 people signed a petition calling on Whole Foods to reinstate the Chicago woman who was fired for missing a day of work when her child's school was cancelled.
Two UIC professors wrote an essay for Jacobin about why the faculty is going on strike next week.
The Reader sets aside its usual anti-Valentine's Day snark to profile four "outstanding" Chicago power couples.
A top aide to Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for a halt to talk of making North Michigan Avenue a motor vehicle free zone, referencing the failed experiment of closing State Street to traffic in 1979.
Artists headlining this year's Pitchfork Music Festival will include Kendrick Lamar, Beck, and Neutral Milk Hotel.
Longtime Rearview contributor Andy Marfia was out photographing the lake on Feb. 9, and stumbled upon a lovely moment as a couple (he thinks) got engaged at Osterman/Hollywood Beach. He'd like to give them a copy of the photo. Anyone know these adorable huggers?
Like a shot of Malort dipped in chocolate, Chicagoans on Twitter are finding local ways to express their affection using the hashtag #ChicagoValentines.
Stocked with salads and healthy options made from fresh, locally sourced produce, the Farmer's Fridge vending machines offer much more than candy bars and Gardetto's.
The Google Doodle today is a special Valentine's Day mini-episode from "This American Life." The show also has a Valentine sampler of favorite love-themed pieces.
The latest in GB Managing Editor David Schalliol's series for BagNews Notes about the Area on the South Side examines the destruction of the projects and its effects on the neighborhood and city.
The Coast Guard is bringing an ice cutter in to break up the ice on Lake Michigan shipping lanes in and out of Chicago.
Chicago Creative Space takes you inside to the zip-lines, scooters, and ping pong tables of tech companies and other interesting workplaces. [via]
"Enroll by February 14th for coverage, because on the 15th, it's too late." Valentines.gov. [via]
Chicago ranked as the most romantic American city (and the Hyatt Regency as the second most romantic hotel) in an obviously sound, scientific survey of Priceline.com users.
Eater put together a list of the least romantic places for Valentine's Day. And no, White Castle isn't one of them.
New rules may force the companies bringing petcoke into Chicago to find a different place to store the petroleum byproduct.
Englewood's Kusanya Café is a rare place where neighbors can sit down and have a chat.
The former Chicago cop who had plans to kidnap and mutilate his victim's genitals in order to seize a strip club also had plans to create a torture chamber. The cop's partner who assisted in creating the space said the chamber would "make Stalin proud." Steve Mandell's trial began on Tuesday.
Uber is facing a bit of a bumpy road as City Council looks to regulate ridesharing and consumers cry foul over high fares resulting from "surge pricing."
There's an accident every 36 hours on the Kennedy, not to mention major congestion, so state officials are recommending another lane in each direction between I-190 and Harlem Avenue.
Can a Twitter bot capture Chicago's essence? @whatschicago echoes tweets that mention "Chicago is," and Robinson Meyer reflects on what the results say about the city in the Atlantic.
Chicago comes out somewhere in the middle on this map of "pleasant" weather. [via]
As Illinois officials try to determine how medical marijuana will roll out in Illinois, proposed rules would make it cost about $500,000 to open up a dispensary.
Film blog F This Movie hosts its third annual F This Movie All-Twitter Film Festival this Saturday, Feb. 15 at noon.
A lot of people who live here are from here. But Curious City finds that it's not all that unusual.
In December Midway Airport ranked last among U.S. airports for both on-time arrivals and departures, with O'Hare not too far above it in both categories.
A vicious winter blast is scheduled to hit many states in the Southeast today, so Chicago is offering some advice to those in the south less familiar with the full spectrum of winter weather.
The men's basketball team had hopes of a comeback with star player Cleveland Melvin on the team until his career came to an abrupt halt on Monday. The player is no longer enrolled at DePaul and is suspended indefinitely for violating an unspecified team rule. (Related.)
Active Transportation Alliance wants to close parts of 20 streets to make them more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, with proposals including a protected bike lane on Clark Street downtown, closing Humboldt Drive in the summer, and turning lightly-used streets into dead ends.
Here are your Chicago chef and bartender valentines, courtesy of Time Out. (Here's the PDF.)
Vice's Thump blog interviews Diode Milliampere, a Chicago-based sound engineer who makes his own music in MS-DOS.
The Bears hired a martial arts instructor to help improve their blocking techniques.
Was The Incredibles set in Chicago? Eowyn Smith, the creator of this map of Disney & Pixar implied locales, thinks so. [via]
Divvy has released a dataset of the first 750,000 bike rides, and wants you to make something with it. Entries in by March 11.
Not good with words, but want to express your feelings to that special someone? Local wordsmiths at PixieHammer Press will help you create the perfect love letter (or hate letter) written on a vintage typewriter after interviewing you via phone or Skype to gather the necessary details.
Derrick Rose will probably not practice with the Chicago Bulls this season, taking more time off in order to recover from a torn meniscus.
Valet operators with counterfeit parking slips are parking cars in paid spots, causing some drivers to get surprise tickets in the mail.
Shirley Temple Black, who died Monday at age 85, received a 40-mile private tour of the CTA's elevated lines in 1938. (Her first husband, John Agar, Jr., was born in Chicago.)
A water main break on the North Side encased a row of cars parked on the street in ice.
Someone carved a thoughtful message in the snow visible from several of the hospital rooms inside Rush University Medical Center: "Hi Mom, God Bless U!"
Someone at WGN probably should have cleared their browser history before filming some B-roll footage that also shows the adult sites they recently visited.
A Chicago woman whose hijab was completely covered by her winter hat and scarf found her reception by both Muslims and non-Muslims changed drastically -- for the better and worse. [via]
Chicago Theatre Week begins today: get discount tickets for plays all over town. (Might make for a good Valentine's Day date, no?)
Curbed takes a look at US Census data about where Cook County gains and loses residents.
A former employee of state treasurer/globetrotter Dan Rutherford filed a lawsuit against his ex-boss (and Rutherford chief of staff Kyle Ham) today, claiming he was sexually harassed and forced to work on state time for Rutherford's political campaign.
Groupon is rolling out a new tool giving businesses the ability to pick from deal templates and create their own offer for the site.
All of the local campuses of DeVry University were closed today after the school received a threatening email.
City tourism officials are courting the organizers of the James Beard Awards, trying to bring the "Oscars of food" to Chicago from New York.
The Blackhawks put together some special Valentines Day cards for hockey fans.
Part of the roof collapsed during a performance by DJ Datsik at Concord music hall, possibly shaken loose by booming bass.
Local photographer Seth Anderson has been cataloging the dozens of requests he gets for the unpaid use of his photographs.
Chief Keef isn't the only Chicagoan arrested because of a YouTube video. From rants to violence, the CPD comes knocking when people post their crimes online.
The number of beat cops is down 10% since 2011 and officers already on the street are picking up the slack- with some making more than their annual salary in overtime pay.
A North Center resident got a bit carried away in marking their "dibs" on a parking spot, tacking a sign on to some chairs reading, "I will break your windows if I see your car in this spot."
CTA is satisfied enough with the performance of Ventra that it is going to stop holding back payments to the vendor behind it all, Cubic Transportation Systems Inc., and start to move towards an all-Ventra system.
The Chicago Spire might eventually grow into more than just a hole in the ground, after its developer said a new investor will allow the company to pay off its debtors and move forward with the project.
A handy map charts the fate of former Dominick's stores as they are bought out by grocery chains and other businesses.
The "Breakfast Queen" Ina Pinkney may have closed up shop, but she has some parting advice on how to run restaurant.
If you're looking to get the most culture for your dollar once the curtain goes up on this year's Chicago Theater Week, Newcity has some advice.
A new study found Chicagoland mass transit systems are doing a poor job moving people throughout the region, with commutes often taking over 90 minutes due to a lack of planning and coordination between the RTA, the CTA, Pace, and Metra.
Chance the Rapper will headline the first-ever Chicago Made music showcase at SXSW sponsored by the City; The Autumn Defense, The Hood Internet, and Archie Powell & the Exports will also perform, among others.
Follow Michael McSherry as he roasts coffee in his garage and delivers it by bike all around Chicago for his upstart "Grinderman Coffee" in a short documentary produced by RedEye.
Summer will start a bit later for CPS students, as makeup days for this winter's closings push the end of the school year back to June 13.
An NBC5 investigation found at least one block in the city apparently has not been plowed all winter.
Proposed rules banning pet stores from selling dogs and cats supplied by for-profit breeders would make sure area pets are not born in "puppy mills," according to City Clerk Susana Mendoza, who's championing the measure.
Matter is a "(somewhat) monthly journal of political poetry and commentary." Its latest issue provokes and titillates.
Figure skaters Gracie Gold and Jason Brown, speed skater Shani Davis and many others are representing Chicag- er, the United States at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Ald. Ed Burke introduced a proposal to ban horse drawn carriages in Chicago, even while admitting it probably won't go anywhere.
An ABC7 investigation looks into recent cases of patients getting burned during surgery when the oxygen being pumped into them suddenly ignites.
RedEye narrowed their search for the best up-and-coming bartender down to eight contestants, and they're now taking your votes on who's #1.
The second annual Poutine Fest is Feb. 23, and tickets go on sale on its website this Friday, Feb. 7 at noon. Last year it sold out almost immediately, so be ready to jump. [via]
While CVS announced they would stop selling any tobacco products, Walgreens hasn't rolled out similar plans- yet- but plans on launching a free online smoking cessation program instead.
The City is set to fill its 100,000th pothole, and you can follow their progress online.
Mayor Emanuel is proposing new regulations for ride-sharing companies like UberX, Lyft and Sidecar, requiring companies to keep closer tabs on drivers, pay a licensing fee, and be more transparent about fares.
37signals just turned 15, and with the anniversary founder Jason Fried announced that the company is changing its name to Basecamp and focusing all its attention on its flagship product.
Chicago-based ZipFit Denim helps guys find the best fitting (high-end) blue jeans for their measurements.
After more than 52 inches of snow -- more than double what we usually see by this time --Chicagoland suburbs are running out of road salt, although CDOT says it's still OK.
The Bulls' Joakim Noah was fined $15,000 for losing his cool at referees in Monday night's game.
Keep the audio low on this one.
If you get tired of slip-sliding your way through neighborhood sidewalks, take a trip down to the Loop where the heated concrete keeps the ice away.
The Blackhawks are favored to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions, which would make them the first team to do so since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997.
How should the City finish redeveloping Cabrini Green? It's still up in the air. [via]
The International Champions Cup announced possible locations for this year's soccer tournament, and Chicago is on that list. World Soccer Talk released its tentative schedule with Liverpool to play Greece's Olympiacos on July 26 at Soldier Field.
Mysterious vibrations are rattling many Hyde Park residents who want to know what's causing them, with theories ranging from pipes, to construction, to secret experiments conducted by the University of Chicago underground.
Tonight at Hopleaf, Tuesday Funk brings together an eclectic mix of fiction, essays and poetry in the presence of very good beer. Forget the weather and come hear Mare Swallow, Cameron McGill, Tom Underberg, Chuck Sudo and Amelia Beamer read!
Employees of Snarf's Sub Shop who were fired in an email sent just before Christmas are heading back to work after reaching an agreement with the sandwich chain's management.
Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey will be visiting Chicago on Feb. 11 for a Republican Governors Association fundraising event. He will also be giving a speech to The Economic Club of Chicago. His visit is scheduled in the midst of the George Washington Bridge scandal, upon which the RGA has remained neutral.
Chicago City Council is looking to borrow $1.9 billion by issuing a new round of bonds, much of which will go towards paying off interest on past debts.
Archival label Superior Viaduct has reissued Comme À La Radio, Brigitte Fontaine's 1969 album with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. [via]
Chicago-based Tix4Cause takes the usual ticket aftermarket model and adds a charity angle.
The trove of "found art" photographs curator Paul-David Young discovered in a Humboldt Park dumpster and planned to exhibit were actually taken by digital artist Molly Soda, who hastily threw them away before leaving Chicago.
Maestro Riccardo Muti signed a new five-year deal with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, keeping the conductor here until August of 2020.
Finding they can't burrow into the frozen ground, rats are seeking nicer climates inside people's homes, causing a spike in calls to pest removal services across the city.
An online tournament of sandwiches has begun in Chicago, and is being called an "edible version of March Madness." The bracket currently consists of 64 sandwiches of various types all around the city. Participants who agree to the challenge eat the sandwiches, take photos and blog to the group's Google Docs.
Malört's bitter tentacles continue to spread: it's now available in a couple bars in Washington, DC.
The groundhog Punxsutawney Phil and meteorologists agree: six more weeks of winter in Chicago.
Here's a beautiful short video based on "This American Life's" Ira Glass' advice to beginners in a creative field.
A fast-thinking woman trapped a would-be carjacker by closing the garage door after giving up the keys to her SUV.
Bears cornerback Charles Tillman received the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award from the NFL for his charity work supporting chronically ill children and his performance on the field.
The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died yesterday, had recent Chicago ties; he directed the debut of The Long Red Road, which dealt with addiction, at the Goodman in 2010. Hoffman also acted in the Goodman's 1994 controversial production of The Merchant of Venice.
Six members of the 1985 Bears have filed a lawsuit against the current owners of the "Super Bowl Shuffle," claiming that rights to use their likenesses didn't transfer when the song and video were purchased.
Last week former O'Hare TSA agent Jason Edward Harrington, outed himself on Politico as the anonymous blogger behind Taking Sense Away, a blog about what airport security really thinks of us. He wrote about the aftermath over the weekend.
With yet another layer of snow falling, perhaps you could make something with it.
Former Mayor Richard Daley was hospitalized Friday night after returning from a business trip to Arizona. According to the Sun-Times, Daley exhibited stroke-like symptoms.
