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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Wednesday, November 19
The Clark Street hot dog stand will be known for its golden arcs this weekend as it transforms into the fictitious fast-food knockoff McDowell's from the 1988 Eddie Murphy movie "Coming to America." I wonder if King Jaffe Joffer will show up looking for his son.
You might be profiled as a drug dealer. DEA officers searched Issa Serieh as he exited a plan from Chicago to Los Angeles, and confiscated more than $30,000 in cash without charging him -- apparently simply because he had flown that particular route and was carrying a backpack.
Go read Zach Lowe's interview with Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg over at Grantland -- it'll be the last, because ESPN just shut the site down.
Gov. Rauner took all the menace out of the message "sleeps with the fishes" by buying frozen tuna steaks for Rahm Emanuel at a butcher shop as a publicity stunt related to the state budget battle. Emanuel didn't take the bait.
Music legend Steve Albini talked with Marc Maron about his introduction to the punk scene, his arrival in Chicago and his philosophy on recording bands on the latest episode of Maron's podcast, WTF.
You already know the bad news for your bottom line in the latest city budget, which passed City Council Wednesday. Illinois Policy Institute introduces you to the the politicians who stand to profit from the property tax increase through the appeals system. (Incidentally, here's the list of aldermen who voted no.)
Peet's Coffee & Tea is acquiring a majority stake in Intelligentsia, which put itself up for sale earlier this month.
The nontenured faculty at the University of Chicago have filed to unionize -- as are adjunct professors as Concordia University.
People have been comparing the park formerly known as the Bloomingdale Trail to New York's High Line since the beginning. Now that it's been open awhile, it's clear to John Greenfield that in some ways, the 606 isn't as good -- but in other ways it's even better.
Did you know that Austin was once part of Cicero Township? Its undoing as a suburb was the extension of the L line -- but not in the way you might think.
The American Writers Museum will highlight the works of the country's most influential writers.
It's not a surprise, but the City Council overwhelmingly approved the Lucas Museum on Wednesday. And the design "revised" using community input is still basically the same as the original.
Common and filmmaker Lena Waithe begin filming the pilot for "The Chi," a new drama for Showtime, in November. [via]
The Yellow Line resumes service tomorrow morning, after closing in May when a rail embankment collapsed due to nearby construction. As a thank-you for your patience, rides are free from the Dempster-Skokie and Oakton-Skokie stations through Nov. 6.
Black drivers in Chicago are five times more likely to be pulled over than whites, according to a NYTimes analysis. But police are more likely to find drugs and other contraband in cars driven by whites. [via]
Rosemont is home to the Museum of Hummels, the world's largest collection of MI Hummel figurines and ANRI carvings, collected by the late mayor Donald E. Stephens himself.
Add to the pantheon of Cubs-inspired poetry and music one more song, by the eccentric, banjo-picking lawyer Natty Bumppo.
Dunno much about it yet, but DJs Are Not Jukeboxes is a fun new project from the Groundlift Media crew. The mixes are groovy so far.
A "TOPLESS Girls" storefront entices passersby to actually learn more about breast cancer.
A guy who tried to get a Lyft near O'Hare ended up getting a ride to the police station instead after the cops impounded the car for picking up near the airport, even though that will likely be legal soon (because the Mayor supports it).
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert will serve little (if any) prison time after pleading guilty to a federal financial crime. Since no one will take the stand, the details will remain secret, but anonymous sources have said he was hiding bank withdrawls from authorities in order to pay hush money to a former student.
This Thursday, the unauthorized documentary The Dark Side of Disney and a rough cut of the new short documentary Keep Moving Forward will screen at the Logan Theatre. The films deal with different aspects of Disney fandom, including obsession and therapy. A Q&A with filmmaker Philip B. Swift and some of the films' subjects will follow the screening. Tickets are $15.
Chicago photographer Freddy Fabris shoots auto mechanics in classic Renaissance poses.
The film How to Lose Your Virginity is screening next Monday. And on a completely different note, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is playing at the Music Box and the Rocky Horror Review is back at Mayne Stage on Halloween.
Illinois is relatively safe on the roads, according to a new study of car-related deaths by state. Maybe we're just better at wearing our seatbelts.
A dozen CPS high schools enrolled fewer than 50 freshman this year -- typically the school's largest grade. It's partly a result of there being 140 high schools in the city, compared with 88 a decade ago. Meanwhile, CPS is recommending charter school operator Noble Street Network open one more, even as it put six charter high schools on warning.
That ordinance that legitimizes food carts? It'll include a ban on carts in parts of the Loop and other areas close to downtown, as well as large portions of Lakeview, under the excuse of avoiding congestion on crowded sidewalks.
Uptake, a predictive analytics startup founded by Groupon's Brad Keywell, raised $45 million in investment, making it a rare "unicorn" -- Silicon Valley speak for $1 billion valuation -- in the Midwest. Of course, unicorns aren't so rare these days.
The AV Club always looks forward to GWAR showing up to do one of its "Undercover" sessions, and this year they didn't disappoint with their rendition of Cyndi Lauper's "She Bop."
If "sexy pumpkin" doesn't work out for you, you could always go as Svengoolie.
Illinois apparently likes "slutty pumpkins," based on Estately's search for the most common costume ideas by state. [via]
Chance the Rapper was on "Late Night" last night, where he debuted a new song and revealed that he and Stephen Colbert are working on some sort of collaboration. You can download the song, "Angels (feat. Saba)," for free on iTunes.
WGCI and Power 92 have to be happy with those shout-outs.
As you can imagine, the founders of Bacon Fest are less than pleased about the news that bacon, along with other processed meats and red meat, increase the risk of cancer.
A petition to recall Gov. Rauner was launched three months ago, but signatures seem to be accelerating. Meanwhile, Crain's says even Republicans are losing patience.
Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and presumably any future ridesharing services will gain access to O'Hare and Midway in exchange for a 2 cent tax per ride under the latest budget proposal being considered Wednesday by City Council.
Chicago's luster as a trading center has faded as commodities, options and futures have gone digital, but we're on the rise as a treasury bond market.
Steve Dolinsky has been eating pizza for weeks as research for his "Ultimate Chicago Pizza Quest," an attempt at a definitive guide to the area's slices. The exhaustive results will be rolled out over the next two weeks.
Emporium Logan Square is turning into a haunted house this week. RSVP for a free beer and discounted admission.
Chicagoans have long been used to hearing that we're the second largest Polish city after Warsaw -- but is it still true? Curious City examines.
Gov. Rauner instituted limitations to day care subsidies that help homeless families and domestic violence survivors survive. As a Capitol Fax commenter noted, Rauner's tactic was to make this a wedge issue against unions.
Local designer and crafter Leigh Kelsey created a free Halloween coloring book with the help of some friends, inspired by the Teal Pumpkin Project.
Chicago Dirty chronicles the city's dirty people, places and things -- most recently, they put together a map of the 200 restaurants that most recently failed a health inspection.
If you work in a design studio or are opening a hip new restaurant in Logan Square, you probably need this "Amp/ers/and" print from T.26, designed by Daniel Richardson.
You can get discounts from energy companies [PDF] including People's Gas and ComEd for doing things like switching to a smart thermostat.
CTA's budget is balanced, meaning no fare increase in 2016 -- but only if deadlocked Springfield approves.
Deadline reports that ABC is developing a new sitcom based on the work of comedian Patti Vasquez. The show will center around Vasquez and her Mexican-American family living in a Chicago brownstone.
Looking for something to do tonight? Head straight over to Schubas for 20x2, a show where 20 people have two minutes each to answer the same question any way they like. The question this time is "When did you know?" Doors open at 6:30, and the show starts at 7. Better yet, it's all ages, so you can bring the kids!
Just as Cubs fans prepared to start healing from this week's losses, the NYTimes sports section trolled them with a 1908-style page.
Doorman, a service that acts as a middleman to make sure packages arrive at your door when you're actually home (as late as midnight!), launched in Chicago this week.
CPS enrollment has dropped again this year, down to 392,285 from 396,683 in 2014.
Planning to go to the Halloween Gathering parade tomorrow night? Don't wear a mask.
The Chicago Humantities Festival kicks off Saturday and runs through Nov. 8. Programming is organized under the theme "Citizens" -- peruse the schedule and get tickets quickly.
The Community Media Workshop is now Public Narrative -- but its mission remains connecting and educating nonprofits and journalists.
Spike Lee gave an in-depth interview to Chicago magazine about his new film Chi-Raq and Mayor Emanuel's attempt at "bullying" him.
The Awesomer is a blog of cool stuff that practically defines "snackable content." Perfect for your bus or train ride home.
Spring is shutting down its WiMax network in the coming weeks in favor of LTE -- causing schools and libraries to lose access to affordable internet service, a lawsuit alleges.
Baseball poetry is a fine, longstanding tradition -- and one that's alive and well with Bardball, created by authors James Finn Garner and Stuart Shea. Cubs and Sox fans found plenty of inspiration in this season's highs and lows.
According to former employees, Jam Productions owner Jerry Mickelson fired all the stagehands at the Riviera Theater for trying to unionize. The Theatrical Stage Employees Union Local No. 2 has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
Nike is planning a Jordan brand-only store for Stat Street. Meanwhile, Jerry West, the player the NBA's current logo is modeled after, would pick Michael Jordan to replace him.
Oba Maja, the panhandling poet of WickerPark, passed away last week. He was 71. Read some of his poetry here.
Mythical Beast Wars invites you to draw a different monster each week for fame and fortune. This week, it's the Jersey Devil.
ProPublica analyzed the rate of wage garnishment for unpaid debt in Chicago, St. Louis and Newark, NJ and found that black neighborhoods are disproportionately affected. See a sample of Chicago's data.
CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy is part of a group, calling for changes to the justice system including reducing penalties for non-violent drug offenders. The group is meeting with President Obama today. Read McCarthy's column in USA Today.
SoundSlice just launched SoundSlice Lessons, a platform for musicians to offer courses in the instrument, musical genre or songbook of their choice.
After a long campaign, the hot dog emoji arrived on iPhones today, along with many others. Superdawg was, as you can imagine, overjoyed.
🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭🌭
— Superdawg Chicago (@Superdawg) October 21, 2015Regardless of how things go tonight, Wrigleyville businesses are enjoying a busy October for once, notes the NYTimes.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art's imperial march to the lake shore was delayed a week or more -- by the need to reach an agreement with the Chicago Bears, who hold a lease on the parking lot the museum plans to build on.
Mayonnaise is a healthy part of your daily sandwich -- but Little Village residents worry that planned expansion of the Hellman's plant in their neighborhood may bring more pollution.
Amazon's Prime Now
Treasurer Kurt Summers thinks he has a solution to at least part of the city's budget woes: take some cash out of the "piggy bank" of short-term investments.
Planet Money tells the story of how a New York onion farmer played the futures market and ended up flooding the Chicago River with onions.
Chicago startup BallotReady hopes to improve election turnout through comprehensive online voter guides.
Mayor Emanuel announced a $250,000 gun buy-back program in an effort to get more guns off the street; the last such program was in 2012. This time, they won't accept inoperable guns, giving pro-gun groups less incentive to "game the system."
Humboldt Park looks "feels like a golf course now," say residents, after one in six trees were cut down in an effort to combat the emerald ash borer. The city has been fighting the invasive species since 2006.
This summer, Chilean journalist Mathias Meier documented protests against the City's efforts to clear the homeless out of Uptown.
In an interview with Chicago magazine, Bulls guard Jimmy Butler revealed that he had the rearview mirrors removed from his car "as a symbolic reminder to never look back."
Nine Chicago restaurants made Restaurant Industry's list of the 100 top-grossing independent restaurants. Gibson's tops the local list with $22 million in annual sales.
CPS isn't the only school system fudging the numbers. The City Colleges are finding ways to give diplomas to dropouts -- even if they're dead -- to increase graduation rates.
With Danny Meyer eliminating tipping at his New York restaurants and several Chicago restaurateurs mulling this issue, The Radler has already made the switch -- but not for the reason you'd expect.
Speaking of maps, Curious City explains why some Chicago suburbs have such lofty names, despite Illinois being the second flattest state in the Lower 48.
What if the shore of Lake Michigan was one straight line? Based on where cartographer Daniel Huffman cut the perimeter, Chicago would end up north of Green Bay. [via]
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has charged Chicago trader Igor Oystacher and his company with spoofing futures markets more than 50 times between 2011 and 2014. It's just the latest of several accusations against Oystacher.
At Bisnow, Chuck Sudo profiles the City's new buildings commissioner, who's trying to modernize and streamline to get rid of some of the bureaucratic red tape tying up building permits.
Despite some protests from neighbors, a new sober living home for young adults was approved for the corner of Ashland and Waveland.
The Guardian continues its investigation of Homan Square, the Chicago Police Department's alleged secret interrogation center, and finds that at least 7,185 suspects were taken there between Aug. 2004 and June 30 of this year.
Pipeworks Brewing teamed up with Jared Saul, beer buyer at Emporium Arcade Bar, to create Twin Pines Mall, a Back to the Future-themed beer brewed with spruce tips and wildflower honey. They'll be releasing it on Wednesday, Oct. 21 -- the day Marty and Doc travel to in Back to the Future II -- exclusively at the Wicker Park Emporium location.
Cinefix's 8-Bit Cinema recently applied its retro videogame treatment to Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
WBEZ celebrates 25 years as an independent public radio station on Tuesday. Look back on some of the station's most memorable moments.
Lula Cafe is no longer dressing up for Halloween, but Fat Rice has taken up the tradition. On Oct. 31, the restaurant is transforming into Kill Grill: Haunted Izakaya, with two seatings available for $80 a head.
Your Friday afternoon now has a soundtrack: The Hood Internet's latest mixtape is now available for free download and streaming.
BuzzFeed kicks off the big city rivalry ahead of the Cubs-Mets NLCS with a "who does it better" quiz.
Threadless is holding a garage sale at its West Loop headquarters this Saturday. Hang out with the employees and help them clear out dead stock for as little as a buck a shirt.
The Flippist created a flipbook tribute to Kyle Schwarber's home run. (Previously.)
Party buses may face regulation after a late-night fight on a bus ended with a shooting last week.
Above the Law talks with Liz Glazer, a former law professor (including stints in Chicago) who left to pursue stand-up comedy.
Megan Lee, who makes the popular "Midwest is Best" shirt (among others), recently discovered that Target may have liked her designs so much that they slightly altered and reproduced them without her permission for their "Local Pride" series. A similar stunt was pulled in Boston.
Amy Guth has launched a Kickstarter campaign to produce a documentary about women an online harassment. [via]
O'Hare opened the newly finished south runway on Thursday. It'll primarily be an arrival runway -- but it's far enough away from the terminal that taxiing may take 20 minutes or more.
Just in time for opening night of the Chicago International Film Festival, NewCity has released its Film 50 ranking of the city's movers and shakers in the industry. (Read Steve Prokopy's interview with Programming Director Mimi Plauché in A/C!)
Indiana is the number one source of guns recovered in Illinois, according to TraceTheGuns.org. (Indiana gets most of their guns from Kentucky, which in turn gets most of its guns from... Indiana?)
The Reader's annual food issue focuses on Midwestern cuisine -- and invites you to add to the list of regional specialties.
Explore some of the coolest buildings in the city during Open House Chicago this Saturday and Sunday.
Not only are Dude Wipes a real thing, but they were designed in Wicker Park and the creators are on "Shark Tank" this Friday.
Federal agents seized the cell phone of Court Circuit Clerk Dorothy Brown last week as part of a federal investigation of her husband's involvement with a state-funded anti-violence program, as well as a land deal with a campaign donor.
As politicians, the police and everybody else debates how to curb the violence in the city, the Chicago Reporter looks at what research says works and what doesn't.
Mitch O'Connell has a couple of Donald Trump t-shirts that fans of They Live will appreciate.
Landlords seem to think that it's OK to ignore the Fair Housing Ordinance (PDF) and discriminate against Section 8 voucher holders and minorities in CraigsList ads, WBEZ reports. (Need assistance against a bad landlord? Contact the Metropolitan Tenants Organization or Illinois Tenants Union.)
Barbara Byrd-Bennett pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges Tuesday -- but her co-defendents pleaded not guilty, setting up an opportunity for her to cooperate with investigators for a lenient sentence.
Meanwhile, in Cleveland, there's a "Barbara Byrd-Bennett Professional Development Center" standing vacant, [via]
Amusingly, Watchdog Arena, the citizen journalism arm of the conservative libertarian Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, described Catalyst Chicago reporter Sarah Karp, who broke the no-bid contract story, as a "mother with a blog."
Kyle Schwarber's home run ball landed on top of the new right field video board last night -- and the Cubs have vowed to leave it there permanently. There's already a Plexiglas case around the ball, which'll look great once the pigeons find it.
A reminder of @kschwarb12's impressive power remains on display. http://t.co/7NtOC13otH pic.twitter.com/gRmdlwU6oT
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 14, 2015There it is! The @kschwarb12 ball ... Now protected by a plastic case. #Skycam9 @cubs pic.twitter.com/twAwWFEuoQ
— Sarah Jindra (@SarahJindra) October 14, 2015Fooditor, a new site by Sky Full of Bacon's Michael Gebert (now formerly of the Reader), promises to dig deeply into the city's food scene. Its first story breaks the news that Manny's is adding a deli counter to its cafeteria, finally giving Chicago a true Jewish deli.
IIT professor and artist Amanda Williams talks with Chicago magazine about her Color(ed) Theory series, which explores the cultural significance of color and language in the black urban experience.
Toni Preckwinkle is proposing taxing cable, bowling, golf and vapes in an effort to balance the county budget.
Interesting point: While Gov. Rauner is withholding state funding for services demanding term limits for legislators, the bill that would do that wouldn't have an effect until the 2026 elections.
"Chicago owes its very existence to engineered solutions and manipulation of the landscape," says Jonathan D. Solomon, director of Architecture, Interior Architecture and Designed Objects at SAIC, in dezeen. The magazine also runs a feature on "10 projects that sum up Chicago's architectural history."
Jose Guerrero, a muralist and leader of tours of Pilsen's many murals, passed away Oct. 7 after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 77.
Momotaro, Dolo and the Duck Inn made Esquire's Best New Restaurants list.
The Chicago Marathon did away with pacesetters for this year's race, and runners weren't happy about it.
Ten years after the publication of Everybody Loves Pizza, Chicago mag's Jeff Ruby and team pick Chicagoland's best pizzas. Bound to be controversial.
Amazon Handmade, the new competitor to Etsy, lets you drop locally made goods -- like coasters, ceramics, jewelry and artwork into your Prime shopping cart.
Unless he's been framed, Tony Donutz is probably going to have a talk with police soon. Last night several cars in Rogers Park were vandalized following the Cubs game with graffiti that included his Instagram and Twitter handle.
Chicago-based music site and festival organizer Pitchfork has been bought by Condé Nast.
Gov. Rauner has proposed that the state government sell and move out of the Thompson Center, Crain's Greg Hinz reports. The building, never a beauty, is in terrible shape, and could fetch attention as a potential tear-down.
ToxicSites, a new resource for finding Superfund hazardous materials cleanup sites near you, lists the Lake Calumet Cluster on the South Side. Unfortunately, there are a few more still to be added. [via]
Chicago has more than 1,900 miles of alleys, more than any other city in the country. Curious City explores how the alley system came to be, and their importance in making the city livable.
Formerly Chicago-based Playboy has announced that it's doing away with nudity starting with the March 2016 issue, and is adding a "sex-positive" female sex columnist, order to compete with other men's magazines and be safer for social sharing. Which makes you wonder -- why wait till next spring?
DNAinfo shows you where Divvy bikes went once they left the station, as well as how many rides each station garnered in the past year.
Local breweries Moody Tongue and 5 Rabbit were mentioned in a WSJ story about ingredient experimentation in beer.
In case you missed it, last week Stephen Colbert picked the Cubs to win the World Series this year, declaring the Billy Goat Curse vanquished. He then kicked a baby goat out of his theater, so if they don't make it, you know who to blame. Tonight's Game 3 against the Cardinals is at 5:07pm.
Chicago Ideas Week starts today. Many talks are already sold out, but here are ones with available tickets.
Mark Davis worked in a Naperville K-Mart for 10 years beginning in 1989. He saved 56 of the in-store music cassettes from the early '90s, and recently digitized the collection. [via]
GB alum Kelly Reaves profiles fashion designer Anna Fong, whose clothes are both timeless and very much now.
With the Heat Light Water Project and ArtHouse: A Social Kitchen, Chicago-based artists are hoping to start the renaissance of the city of Gary.
Eight cities around the US have abolished Oct. 12 as Columbus Day in the past two months and instead have named it Indigenous People's Day. Seattle, Minneapolis, Berkeley are some of the big ones who have agreed with this trend. With the Columbus Day Parade and kids getting the day off, ChicagoNow blogger Teresa Puente makes a great argument. What do you think, Chicago?
The state budget stalemate has meant cuts all over -- and the latest belt-tightening comes at Choose Chicago, which is laying off staffers. CeaseFire has also seen its state funding frozen, and so it's shutting down even as its services are more and more needed.
You're not a Cubs fan until you have a portrait of Jake Arrieta shaved into your hair.
Awesome @JArrieta34 haircut. @darrenrovell pic.twitter.com/jzGC14sfPO
— Jack Nellis (@jnellis35) October 9, 2015Did this Jake Arrieta hair portrait today. Go Cubs. @BR_MLB @BleacherReport @tbs @mlb @TheCCO @Cubs @CSNCubs @espn pic.twitter.com/Yfl3DAqtw7
— Newstyle (@newstylebarbers) October 8, 2015This weekend, archives of various sorts are throwing open the doors as part of Chicago Open Archives. [via]
The Chicago Microbes was the nickname of a playoff contending Cubs baseball team in 1903. Time Out looked into where the moniker came from.
Cheap Trick, Chicago and Chaka Khan are on the short list of nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Billboard talked with Cheap Trick and Chicago about the nod.
The Tribune is exploring selling its namesake tower. Interested? Take a look at the amenities.
Robbie Gould is the Bears' special teams captain, and WGN's Jarrett Payton and Shaun Davis recently debated whether a kicker should ever be a captain. Jack Silverstein makes a pretty good case that Gould should be.
Just days after the Washington Post ran a data analysis showing the Chicago's murder rate isn't as bad as it seems (though still bad), the Daily Beast slices and dices the numbers to compare the per-capita murder rates of single neighborhoods to those of entire countries atop the world homicide rate list.
In The Awl, Sam Stecklow writes about the slow self-destruction of the Sun-Times, aided by its Aggrego-run "Network."
Grantland makes the case for Anthony Rizzo for league MVP, while former Cub Adrian Cárdenas writes in the New Yorker about watching his friend Rizzo lead his team to the playoffs. [via]
Today's cab strike didn't take many taxis off the road, and at least one Uber driver is sympathetic to the cause. But Uber went on the offensive, pointing out that cabbies are less likely to pick up passengers on the West and South sides than Uber drivers are.
Former CPS chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett, as well as SUPES Academy and its co-owners, Gary Solomon and Tom Vranas, have been indicted on federal fraud charges in connection to the no-bid contract awarded to SUPES for professional training.
Chicago's bond rating is second among big cities only to Detroit, but that didn't stop an O'Hare bond offering from being a big success.
Oprah included Mike Ditka in an upcoming "Where are they now?" episode of her talk show. Considering he's a commentator on ESPN, not to mention a seemingly constant presence in Chicago, perhaps the better question is, Where has Oprah been?
Juliet Eldred is documenting the borders of the University of Chicago Police Department's patrol coverage, photographing and categorizing where university of police will and won't go.
Comedy of Chicago highlights some upcoming stand-up shows you should probably buy tickets for.
Teacher Marilyn Rhames worries that CPS's lack of vision and focus is dooming both public and charter schools alike, but that freezing charter schools isn't the answer.
In ongoing in-depth coverage of chain stores bringing "boozy" versions of themselves to Chicago, it turns out the new boozy Target in Streeterville won't let you walk around with wine while you shop, like Mariano's -- it just has a Starbucks that serves wine in it.
Taxi drivers plan a "Day Without a Cab Driver" 24-hour strike Thursday morning till Friday morning in protest of Mayor Emanuel's proposal to allow rideshare drivers to pick up passengers at the airports and McCormick Place and fare increases.
Slate shares five children's library Modernist posters by graphic artist Arlington Gregg, who created them for the Illinois WPA Federal Art Project in the 1930s.
Billy Corgan just deleted his Twitter account, but not before pointing people to his latest project, People and Their Cars, a vernacular photography blog with a very specific focus.
Project Onward is a Bridgeport art studio and gallery that showcases artists with mental and physical disabilities. There's an exhibition in the space Oct. 15-18.
Men's Journal's "local's guide to the 'real' Chicago" is actually pretty good, thanks to an actual local (Ari Bendersky) writing it.
Chicago magazine analyzes wait times in 10 Chicagoland emergency rooms. It's gonna be awhile.
Some of the oldest maps of Chicago were recently found in a north suburban estate sale. They'll be on display at the Chicago International Map Fair later this month.
CTU President Karen Lewis talked with Channel 5's Carol Marin and Mary Ann Ahern to talk about her brain cancer, and took off her hat to show her scars publicly for the first time.
Beyond the Stacks, a new podcast about interesting jobs in library and information science, kicked off with an interview with Gemma Petrie, a user experience researcher at Mozilla and former GB contributor.
A collector's edition of Allegiant, the third book in Veronica Roth's Divergent series, became available today on HarperCollins.com. It's $20 (versus half that on Amazon) and includes "deleted scenes," excerpts from Natalie Prior's journal and a poster.
Chicago-based aerial photography company SkyPan International may be fined $1.9 million by the FAA for flying drones in restricted airspace above Chicago and New York.
Divvy workers unionized last year, and are now petitioning to earn a living wage. Lend your support here. Meanwhile, StreetsBlog looks at how the Divvy for Everyone program, intended to bring bikesharing to underprivileged communities, is going.
Moto Guild is a new collective workshop where anyone can work on their motorcycle or scooter, take classes and connect with other riders.
Photogrammer is a project organizing and displaying more than 170,000 photos taken between 1935 and 1945 for the United States Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information. There are 2,407 photos of Chicago and Cook County. (Thanks, Bob!)
Amara Enyia, executive director of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and a candidate for mayor last election, is exploring the possibility of running against Rep. Danny Davis for the for the 7th District.
On The heels of the deadliest September in more than a decade, the Washington Post re-runs the numbers on Chicago and the rest of the country in terms of gun-related deaths.
The City Council Black Caucus called for the firing of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, saying he hasn't done enough to prevent violence in their wards.
No, not Hot Doug, nor Abe Froman. It's Mark Reitman, the guy who runs Vienna Beef's Hot Dog University.
Augustus Sol Invictus, a Libertarian candidate for senate in Florida, announced today that he had in fact sacrificed a goat and drank its blood in a pagan ritual in order to gain success in the election. Invictus (not his original name) has a law degree from DePaul University, and in 2013 wrote a bizarre letter to alumni and colleagues in which he renounced his US citizenship as well as his law degree and pretty much everything else.
Kickstarter is holding its first-ever Kickstarter Film Festival on Oct. 15, featuring films big and small. See it locally at the Music Box.
While the Cubs will play a one-game playoff against the Pirates, the White Sox are all done. They thanked fans for sticking around during a season that, while not as bad as 2013, could hardly have been worse.
DNAinfo talks with two "ultrarunners" who will be running the Chicago Marathon this weekend and then just continuing to run from here to New York, where they'll enter the New York Marathon.
The Reader delves into the world of the Shithole, a comedy venue so underground it doesn't have a permanent address.
The blustery weather created high waves on Lake Michigan -- perfect for urban surfing, but it's only legal at certain beaches.
Two men were arrested in connection to a rash of 74 heroin overdoses in 72 hours.
Author Thomas Dyja writes about IIT's iconic Crown Hall and the iconic building before it on the same plot: the Mecca Flats, once the heart of African-American culture and an exhibition at the Cultural Center last year.
This Saturday, the Illinois Solar Tour lets you into homes and buildings running on solar and other alternative energy sources. Here's a list of Chicago spots to visit.
Secretary of Education and former CPS chief Arne Duncan announced today that stepping down and returning to Chicago. No word on what he'll be doing here, short of "spending time with his family."
CPS is revising graduation rates down around 3 percent for the years 201102014, after WBEZ and the Better Government Association uncovered that CPS had inflated graduation rates thanks to such errors as counting dropouts as transfers.
Intelligentsia Coffee is up for sale, and could fetch as much as $100 million.
Get free waffles at Pritzker Park, 310 S. State St., from 9:30am to 3:30pm today in celebration of the second season premiere of "Fargo."
Several Chicagoland businesses housed in former Pizza Huts will be in a new photography book about the phenomenon by Ho Hai Train, currently funding on Kickstarter.
Mayor Emanuel has proposed privatizing City-run primary care clinics and is cutting an HIV-AIDS training program as a cost-cutting measure.
Agribusiness behemoth Conagra Foods announced that it's relocating its headquarters to Chicago from Naperville and Omaha -- and also laying off 1,500 workers.
If you've got $2.3 million, you could buy one of the Harry Weese River Cottages, for sale for the first time in 25 years. Completed in 1990, Lynn Becker calls them "an anti-Miesian romp."
September was the deadliest since 2002, putting McCarthy under pressure to change things fast.
The Chicago Architecture Biennial begins this weekend -- and Open House Chicago is in just a couple weeks. Curbed offers a guide to some of the more unique buildings around the city.
Jessica Hopper talks with the Longform podcast about her new book, her career and why she's stayed in Chicago all this time. [via]
The NYTimes tested the cost of loading mobile advertisements on 50 high profile websites and found that the Trib was among the worst. On an LTE 4G network, it took an average of 12.9 seconds to load the Trib's front page, 9.5 seconds of which was due to advertisements. That means it costs a typical mobile user 9.5 cents to load the ads, and only 3.4 cents for the content.
