1. The Hidden City
A zoo in the basement of a suburban La Grange house? A tunnel for bootleggers at Timber Lanes? The city knows how to keep its secrets—unless you know where to look. Chicago magazine explores its treasures.
2. My Town, Chi-Town
Chicago has seen a mass exodus of black residents in the past two decades. Violence and schools have played a role in this, so what’s working, and what isn’t? Reveal, the Data Reporting Lab, and the Chicago Reporter team up to investigate.
3. He Coached Sloane Stephens to a U.S. Open Title, but Kamau Murray’s Big Goal Is a Youth Tennis Center in Chicago
The $16.9 million facility will be fully operational in March, and promises to open up a pipeline of talent from his native South Side. The Undefeated pays a visit.
4. A Supreme Court Showdown Could Shrink Unions’ Power
The Janus case could stop requirements that public-sector union members pay dues. That could hit areas like downstate Illinois, which rely on unionized government employment for steady jobs, especially hard. The New York Times looks at the potential impact on Chester, Illinois.
5. A Second City
West Garfield Park has the same life expectancy as Iraq—16 years less than that of the Loop. Why? Chicago magazine goes deep into the health-care gap in the city.
6. The Woman Who Helped Birth a Black Artistic Renaissance in Chicago
Margaret Taylor Goss Burroughs’s Bronzeville salons were a meeting point for some of the century’s great artists. Broadly looks back at her legacy.
7. Dashed Hope: How a Once Proud Chicago High School Hollowed Out
John Hope College Prep was a thriving school under star principal Mahalia Hines (mother of Common). Did CPS reforms lead to its demise? WBEZ tells its story.
8. The Long Life of Luc Longley
What happened to the Australian seven-footer after his Bulls run? He’s still got a legacy in the NBA, having coached some of its best young talent. The Ringer catches up.
9. On Poisoned Ground
East Chicago, Indiana has been in the news recently because of its lead and arsenic contamination, which has forced out residents. But it should have been bigger news years ago. The Baffler traces the history.
10. The Bleeding of Chicago
Chicago’s long-term decline in homicides has caused a debate about policing. But what if the real story is trauma care? CityLab runs the numbers.