The 312 - February 2013

03/04/13

Angry Commuters Blasted the CTA on Twitter This Morning

Were you stuck on a train this morning? So were these guys. Seven were totally pissed. But one was really polite and understanding! Here's how Chicago handles a rough ride to work.

Posted at 12:10 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (0)

03/01/13

7 Ways the Sequester Could Be a Pain in Chicago—Big and Small

The way in which the state funds education could mean grant cuts fall hard on the state's students and teachers.

Posted at 2:13 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

03/01/13

Could Gay Marriage Become Legal in Illinois?

The gay marriage bill needs 60 votes in the Illinois House to pass. Could it happen? We counted up where the votes might come from.

Posted at 10:12 AM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (10)

03/01/13

Local News to CTA Riders: Beware the Harlem Shake

The "latest flash-mob craze" is "shaking up public transportation safety concerns," says ABC7's I-Team. But CTA riders have nothing to fear—besides mild irritation.

Posted at 9:32 AM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/28/13

Andrew Mason Is Fired from Groupon, Writes Epic Resignation Letter

We'll miss this guy.

Posted at 4:57 PM in The 312 | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/28/13

How The Atlantic Discovered Chicago's Troubled Past

Ta-Nehisi Coates of the Atlantic, one of the best bloggers anywhere, reads his way through Chicago's tense 20th century.

Posted at 4:45 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/28/13

Chicago Has a Raging Case of Gonorrhea

Cook County has the most gonorrhea cases in the country, according to the CDC. What's with this rash of infections?

Posted at 10:55 AM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/27/13

Why Labor Is Fighting the Tamms Prison Closure

Prison closings have pitted unions against progressives, the result of decades of using prisons as a rural economic development tool—with only very modest results.

Posted at 2:46 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (2)

02/27/13

Why Are February Murders So Rare in Chicago?

Even compared to the rest of Chicago's winter, February is the least cruel month in the city, as the homicide rate plunges to its lowest levels.

Posted at 10:16 AM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/26/13

Does it Make Sense for Illinois to Charge 17-Year-Olds as Adults?

During adolescence, intellectual ability starts to take off around 15-16 years old... and it takes a decade for maturity to catch up. It's a perilous time.

Posted at 5:41 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/26/13

Why the Cycle of Domestic Violence Is Hard to Break

It can be passed down from one generation to the next—not just to victimizers, but to victims. And the threats that accompany it make leaving difficult.

Posted at 1:50 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/25/13

Picasso in Chicago, Circa 1913: In Person, In the News, and the Burning Effigy

The Armory Show shocked Chicago's art scene when it passed through in 1913... and not coincidentally drew viewers in six-figure droves.

Posted at 5:30 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/25/13

'The Onion' Blows Its Oscar Moment, Or, How to Not to Deploy the Worst of All Possible Words

Want to use one of George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words in the service of cultural humor without bringing down fire on your head? Here's a test.

Posted at 3:30 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/25/13

The Civic Fed Outlines Illinois's Bleak Fiscal Future

The state's pulled together something like a balanced budget—but the end of the tax increase and increasing pension pressures will make that an extreme challenge to maintain.

Posted at 1:25 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/22/13

The White Sox Aren't Expected to Be Good in 2013... But They Usually Exceed Projections

After an okay 2012 and a boring off-season, the White Sox are projected to be middling this year. But they tend to outperform the numbers, thanks in part to excellent health.

Posted at 6:32 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/22/13

How To Fix Gerrymandering (Even if Jesse Jr.'s District Isn't a Great Example)

The 2nd district long dominated by Jesse Jr. is the product of years of partisan remapping and political tension. There's a better way.

Posted at 1:01 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/21/13

The Human Cost of Nature's Metropolis

Local photographer David Schalliol gives a glimpse into a small corner of Englewood that's slowly giving way to the expansion of a rail facility.

Posted at 5:07 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (2)

02/21/13

Illinois Budget Crisis: Residents Want to Cut Our Way to Solvency

A poll on how the state should fix its fiscal problems finds substantial support for cutting spending and gutting some retirement benefits, but divided answers on more complex issues.

Posted at 12:44 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (2)

02/20/13

Click That Hood: The Ultimate Chicago Game

How fast can you place Chicago's neighborhoods (or at least 92 of them)? An online game gives you a chance to take the ultimate Chicago test.

Posted at 6:26 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/20/13

In Chicago and on the Coasts, Public Transit Is Where to Make Missed Connections

A look at Craigslist missed connections by state shows that people make eyes most frequently on the subway, train, or bus, with WalMart dominating the big middle of the country.

Posted at 1:57 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/20/13

Jesse Jackson Jr.'s Shopping List: Elk Heads, Build-a-Bear, Costco Trips

Sometimes it's the Shakespearean things that bring powerful men down. Sometimes it's Costco, teddy bears, and eight thousand dollars worth of elk heads.

Posted at 1:21 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/20/13

Race, College, and College Completion in Chicago

In Chicago, 35 percent of African-Americans have an Associates degree or have attended college—a higher percentage than those with just a high school degree—but only 18 percent have a bachelor's or advanced degree. What are the reasons behind the disparity?

Posted at 12:06 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/19/13

Chicago Charter School Enrollment Climbs, Still Behind Many Other Major Cities

Chicago's charter-school population, as a percentage of all public school students, has climbed rapidly in the past few years—but it's still a lower percentage than most of its peers.

Posted at 5:05 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/18/13

Chicago Cubs Trade Tony Campana and His Historic, Semi-Useful Skill Set

The fan favorite is one of the worst pure hitters in baseball, and its best baserunner—a historic skill, and historic absence of skills, that cancel out to make him an okay bench tool. The return: two 17-year-old pitchers.

Posted at 5:05 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/18/13

How Gun Control (and Isolation) Makes Illegal Guns More Expensive

Buying a gun illegally in Chicago is expensive. Now that the city's handgun ban has been struck down, will prices drop? Or will isolation maintain a black market?

Posted at 3:11 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/15/13

Roger Ebert's Top One Bar in Chicago, and the World

The legendary writer has some four decades more familiarity with the legendary dive bar, but I can at least vouch for its singular jukebox, arguably the best in Chicago.

Posted at 6:27 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/15/13

Ex-Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and Wife, Ex-Alderman Sandi Jackson, Hit With Federal Charges

On the day his wife Sandi was charged with filing incorrect tax information, Jesse Jr. was charged with misusing campaign funds... and spending them on Bruce Lee, Michael Jackson, and Eddie Van Halen memorabilia, among other things.

Posted at 4:23 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/15/13

Long Reads to Accompany Obama's Chicago Talk On Violence

If you're new to the story, or wanting to see what people are writing, reporting, and thinking now about Chicago's violence and homicide problem, these five pieces are excellent.

Posted at 3:34 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/14/13

Happy Valentine's Day: Gay Marriage Bill Passes Illinois Senate

With one Republican crossing the aisle and three Democrats voting no, the bill moves to the Senate. Will good manners suffer and florists shut their doors if it passes?

Posted at 3:29 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/14/13

Happy Birthday, George Ferris, Inventor of the Ferris Wheel

The Galesburg-born engineer built a marvel and a massive hit at the Columbian Exposition, but it wasn't enough to outearn the dancing girls of Cairo. Plus: the secret best engineering miracle of the Fair.

Posted at 12:31 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/14/13

Dixon Embezzler Rita Crundwell Sentenced to 20 Years In Prison

The lifelong small-town employee took her hometown for $53 million over 20 years—and she's been sentenced to spend that much time in prison.

Posted at 11:35 AM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/13/13

Marco Rubio's Neighborhood: Actually Pretty Modest

The Florida senator got mocked for playing up his "working class neighborhood," in which he owns an expensive house. But... he's got a point.

Posted at 4:43 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (3)

02/13/13

Why the Most Significant Crime, Health, and Economic Policy Proposal in the State of the Union Was an Educational Policy

The president garnered praise and tears for his call on a gun control vote. But the most significant passage for the future of the policies he wants now had to do with education in its earliest form.

Posted at 1:01 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/12/13

The State of the Union, Political Rhetoric and Defining Stupidity Down

State of the Union speeches have gotten "dumber," according to one analysis. Blame Abraham Lincoln, whose soaring rhetoric was a departure from Treasury numbers and fur-seal treaties.

Posted at 5:05 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/12/13

Why Are Teen Birth Rates On the Decline?

Since the early 1990s, teen births have been in substantial decline. The pill is synonymous with birth control and EC gets lots of attention, but that era coincided with the availability of new, easier-to-use forms adopted by at-risk teens.

Posted at 11:09 AM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/11/13

Emanuel Taps Transit Planner Natashia Holmes to Replace Sandi Jackson

The new 7th Ward alderman, announced by the mayor today, has a degree in community planning and years of experience with IDOT and the Metropolitan Planning Commission—just in time for a chaotic spring on the CTA.

Posted at 3:44 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/11/13

Eighth Blackbird Rocks the Grammys

Chicago's crack new-classical ensemble picks up its third Grammy, and performs an aggressive David Lang piece for the pre-primetime audience.

Posted at 1:12 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/11/13

Cardinal George: The Longest of Longshots to Replace Pope Benedict

It's likely that the Catholic Church will get a black pope or a Canadian one to replace Benedict, who's wanted to retire for a couple decades now. The odds that they'll appoint a Chicago pope, however, are lower than the Cubs' odds for winning the World Series.

Posted at 11:12 AM in The 312 News & Politics News & Politics: Featured story | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/08/13

EveryBlock Is Dead; Long Live EveryBlock

Chicago's influential hyperlocal data site comes to an end forced by owner NBC, but it quickly built an influential legacy in its few years of existence.

Posted at 3:44 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/08/13

The Chicago Riverwalk: A Transportation Corridor and Home For Food Trucks?

The renderings for Chicago's riverwalk make it look like a beautiful new pedestrian corridor for downtown... and perhaps a promising target for food trucks.

Posted at 1:38 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/07/13

Can Chicago Cops Get Overtime for Checking E-Mails At Home?

Despite the prevalence of smartphones in the office, there's surprisingly little settled law about off-time PDA use. It's not the only reason the lawsuit could be a mess.

Posted at 2:27 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/07/13

Photos (and Maps): The 1919 Chicago Race Riot

One of the great works of early American sociology and criminology is also an essential document of early Chicago.

Posted at 9:23 AM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/06/13

Where Chicago's Creative Types Live

The Chicagoans who entertain us cluster along the Milwaukee and Lincoln/Clark corridors—along where all the good bars cluster, too, which make our creatives all the more creative.

Posted at 4:57 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (4)

02/06/13

Carl Sandburg, Early Wonk Blogger, On Chicago's Race Riot of 1919

The great poet, working as a reporter, completed a sophisticated study of the city's South Side just as Chicago's most notorious race riot was about to unfold.

Posted at 1:11 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/05/13

Google Is Our Co-Pilot: Will Americans Give Up the Steering Wheel for Driverless Cars?

Americans have a love affair with their cars, but the generation that brought us commuter suburbs is getting older—peak boomers just started turning 65, and driverless cars could be the next big transit shift they cause.

Posted at 4:45 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/05/13

This Week in Pot Legalization

California unions join with medical-marijuana producers to push back on the Obama administration, while Colorado and Oregon representatives seek to finally make pot a purely state issue.

Posted at 1:53 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/05/13

Chicago Commuting: Unpredictable and Bad for Truckers, But Otherwise Not Bad

Compared to its metro peers, Chicago's doesn't offer terrible commutes. The people you should really be sympathizing with are our truckers.

Posted at 1:08 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/04/13

Should the Government Respond to Chicago's Murder Problem With a New Kerner Commission?

Newt Gingrich keeps needling Barack Obama and Joe Biden about holding hearings in Chicago on Chicago violence. It might look like a trap. But it's not necessarily a bad idea.

Posted at 5:35 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (1)

02/04/13

As a Chicago Judge Goes on Trial, a Proposal to Fix the System that Keeps Bad Judges on the Bench

As Cyntha Brim, poster-judge for the failures of our judicial retention system, goes to trial this week on charges of misdemeanor battery, state rep Kelly Cassidy introduces reforms that would focus voters on the borderline judges.

Posted at 2:30 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/01/13

Horse Meat: Good Enough for the Mafia and the Greatest Generation, But Not For Picky Non-Pagan Modern Consumers

For a couple years in the 1950s, the hamburgers many Chicagoans consumed were as much horse as cow—up to 40 percent. The Syndicate worked a rich arbitrage of cultural taboos, at least until they got caught and horse meat dominated the headlines for a year.

Posted at 5:04 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (3)

02/01/13

Want to Be an Ambassador? Here's Your Bill

It's well known that a portion of high-profile ambassadorships (around 30 percent, usually) go to big-money donors or powerful friends of the president. And two Penn State profs have calculated, broadly, how much it costs and where each is likely to go. But Chicago's Louis Susman proves that you can get there by being a bit of both.

Posted at 2:35 PM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/01/13

Garry McCarthy Edges Back to Old Policing Tactics

The reassignment of desk cops to patrol includes a strengthening of "saturation units," a compromise strategy between the CPD's old, controversial gang-strike units and McCarthy's philosophy of community policing.

Posted at 11:53 AM in The 312 News & Politics | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 2013

03/04/13

03/01/13

03/01/13

03/01/13

02/28/13

02/28/13

02/28/13

02/27/13

02/27/13

02/26/13

02/26/13

02/25/13

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02/22/13

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02/21/13

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02/20/13

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02/15/13

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02/08/13

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About The 312

What the editorial staff at Chicago magazine is reading, watching, clicking on, listening to, talking about, and doing—shared here and open for discussion.

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