The sex-abuse scandal at Penn State has underlined the university’s dependence on college football, both economically and emotionally. Should it end the football program? Seventy years ago, the University of Chicago did, and it succeeded against the presumed odds.
Speeding cameras, cell-phone tickets, decriminalization, and water fees: the latest front in the city’s scramble for revenue.
Your mother was right: don’t go play in the street. Cars aren’t that much safer, either. Clubs, offices, bars, and car washes, on the other hand, are quite safe (in terms of murders, at least).
“I’m going to kill that fucking dog.” So said President Obama’s then-Chief-of-Staff, Rahm Emanuel—according to White House insider Jonathan Alter, the former Chicagoan and Newsweek correspondent. Rahm, it seems, was not exactly besotted by Bo, the Obamas’ Portuguese water dog. I remembered the quote while reading about Emanuel’s plan…
TIF reform, speeding cameras, tax breaks, pension reform, Big Bellies, the money-purchase option, Sears, and more: it’s heavy legislative season.
No matter what happens with the Cain accusations, he’s not going to win the election: he’s doomed because of his political ideas before his private actions. It’s a much more interesting story about power than it is about politics.
Drug use among teens, by race and drug of choice; the continued rise of prescription opiate abuse; no further insight into Emanuel’s thoughts on decriminalization; and more.
A Supreme Court case raises fascinating, eerie questions about the reliability of eyewitness testimony and how courts should deal with it. But the answers probably won’t be as engaging.
After criticism from the public and a healthy number of aldermen, the mayor cuts back on some of his cutbacks and spreads the sticker-fee pain a bit.
The quiet, unelected power broker has long presented a dilemma for journalists and voters alike. Reining them in requires a lot of unsexy concentration from writers, readers, and legislators.
