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The mayor rolls out a comprehensive, $7-billion infrastructure scheme, elements of which you’ll recognize. Meanwhile, federal transportation funding of all kinds nearly came to a halt this week, as the political reckoning got pushed back a mere 90 days. Washington’s ideological divide is putting immense pressure on cities and states to deal with overdue infrastructure issues.

Ever wondered why Chicago sounds so much different from the rest of the state (and more like Buffalo than downstate)? It begins with the Erie Canal, probably has a lot to do with the Civil War, and seems to be getting even more distinct.

In vitro fertilization has never stirred the same controversy as abortion or embryonic stem-cell research, in part because evangelical Christians have a wide (and fine-grained) diversity of views on the procedure. But there are rumblings of a consensus, including a row in Naperville over a proposed clinic.

The latest person to express solidarity with Trayvon Martin by wearing a hoodie is veteran Representative Bobby Rush, who was unrecognized by the acting speaker… under the prohibition that you can’t wear a hat on the House floor.

Every summer, gas prices go up. It’s not just demand. Gas, like clothing, has to get lighter as temperatures rise, to prevent not just pollution but vapor lock. It’s even pricier here in Chicago, one of America’s “gas islands.”