The split between the State of Illinois and Catholic Charities over same-sex adoption is indicative of a larger conflict between church and state in the era of government privatization, and part of one of the most interesting stories of 2011.
Traumatic brain injuries linked both sports and political news in 2011. As lawsuits and science about concussions advance, expect more in the new year.
In a December story about late Iraq War veteran and Peru native Anthony Wagner, John Keilman captured many of the economic, political, and social tensions of 2011.
With the year coming to a close, we asked our Twitter followers and Facebook fans to send us their picks for the top Chicago stories of 2011. Here’s a list of the most memorable, plus some additions from our staff.
One of the most important lessons from the 2010 Census became clear in 2011: a Latino baby boom means that one-third of children under the age of five in the city are Latino.
Talk of the weather will do: July brought a host of weather stories, including some ominous clouds that may represent an entirely new kind of cloud.
From Governor Sunshine to Mr. Unpopularity, one thing never changes: Rod Blagojevich always has a politician’s smile waiting for his fans.
Mayor Daley leaves office, ending an era in Chicago politics: “It’s all television money and polling now. It’s not parades. It’s not torchlights and songs.”
THE EYES HAVE IT: If police sketches help nab crooks, why are they a dying art? And how do sketch artists make heads or tails of witnesses’ memories anyway? I launch an investigation to find out
The final Cabrini-Green high rise is demolished over the course of the month, bringing to a close one of the most complex chapters in the city’s history.
