When Rahm Emanuel, Carol Moseley Braun, and Danny Davis officially announced their candidacies earlier this month, there was something of letdown about it all—nothing much new in what they said or whom they introduced as members of their teams. The one surprise was Democratic state Sen. James Meeks. He was introduced by Andy McKenna, Jr., the former head of the Republican Party in Illinois and a failed candidate in…
December 2010: We celebrate our 40th anniversary!
Pilsen filmmaker Esaú Meléndez When 15-year-old Esaú Meléndez joined his family in Chicago two decades ago, thoughts of a life beyond the borders of his Bucktown neighborhood were as far off as the city—Mexico City—he had left behind. “I basically was in survival mode,” Meléndez, now 35, recalls. “I didn’t really think about opportunities … Read more
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to the City Hall press room,” says Ben Joravsky over coffee and a bagel at a North Side Starbucks. “I don’t even have a press pass.” Mind you, if you’ve followed Joravsky’s work in the Chicago Reader over the past 25 years, you know that he is something of … Read more
For more of our favorite shots of Elston Avenue from our local photographers, launch the gallery » Related: PHOTO GALLERY » Local photographers Chris Strong, Carlos Javier Ortiz, and Jeremy Bolen spent a few days this fall capturing Elston Avenue. There’s a stretch of Elston Avenue between Chicago and Armitage that makes me swoon … Read more
This past July, we put out a call for entries for our Undiscovered Chicago photo contest. Hundreds of entries poured in, and we found our winner in Art Fox, a 63-year-old West Loop resident. His entry appears in our 40th anniversary special issue, but we also wanted to feature nine other finalists whose shots captured … Read more
Why we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else
It’s a Sunday evening at the First Church of Deliverance, an Art Deco stunner at 4315 South Wabash Avenue, and the only thing rivaling the building’s impressive décor is the size of the choir. As the service begins, 200 or so robed singers lift their voices in unison for “Jesus Is on the Mainline,” … Read more
When Mark Kirk gave his victory speech on November 2nd, he thanked a trio of aides for helping him to a close win over Democrat Alexi Giannoulias. Among them was Steve Schmidt, a former chief strategist to the 2008 John McCain campaign for president. Schmidt, who confirmed via email his work for the Kirk campaign, works out of Sacramento, California, and was rarely on the ground in Illinois for the Senate race. But a source close to the campaign said the 40-year-old…
Joe Trippi, best known for being Howard Dean’s campaign manager in the 2004 presidential primary season, spent days in Chicago in September and October advising Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on his possible run for mayor. But two weeks ago, the sheriff announced that he won’t run after all, due to family obligations. Trippi—who had just returned from Mexico, where he rested after helping to run Jerry Brown’s victorious race for California governor—called me this morning to discuss Dart’s decision. Here, highlights from our conversation…
