Singles 2010: Randy Wells

27 // pitcher for the Chicago Cubs From: Belleville Lives in: Wrigleyville Send Randy an e-mail Related: Photos from the shoot » Video interviews » Then and now gallery » Behind-the-scenes shots » Back to all singles » Minor Leaguer “My first roommate in pro ball turned me on to this whole genre called Texas … Read more

Singles 2010: Steve Gilberg

48 // executive director of international licensing for Encyclopædia Britannica From: Northbrook Lives in: Lake View Send Steve an e-mail Related: Photos from the shoot » Video interviews » Then and now gallery » Behind-the-scenes shots » Back to all singles » Name Taker “I can see the big picture, but I’m also very detail … Read more

Singles 2010: Tim Reilly

Turning 30 in July // first-grade teacher at the Walt Disney Magnet School, a Chicago Public School From: Crown Point, Indiana Lives in: Gold Coast Send Tim an e-mail Related: Photos from the shoot » Video interviews » Then and now gallery » Behind-the-scenes shots » Back to all singles » Sun Worshiper “I’m a … Read more

Singles 2010: Xan Aranda

34 // independent filmmaker and Kartemquin Films collaborator; cofounder of the Chicago Short Film Brigade, a film series From: Elgin Lives in: Ukrainian Village Send Xan an e-mail Related: Photos from the shoot » Video interviews » Then and now gallery » Behind-the-scenes shots » Back to all singles » Eyewitness “In middle school, I … Read more

Law-School Loser?: Blago's Curious Comment

On the first day of his trial, Rod Blagojevich encountered two students from Chicago’s John Marshall Law School. When the students approached Blago to introduce themselves, he “shook their hands and told them that he once tried to enroll at their school,” according to Stacy St. Clair’s report in the Chicago Tribune. “‘I applied there on Monday and was rejected Tuesday…. That’s why I’m not defending myself.’” Not true…

Will Thane Ritchie—Chicago Hedge Fund Guy, Political Gadfly, and Almost-Chicago Bear—get Newsweek?

A.R. Thane Ritchie, founder and CEO of Ritchie Capital Management, LLC—headquartered in Wheaton, where he also lives—is trying to buy the venerable but money-losing Newsweek magazine. The 44-year-old Ritchie’s bid—a nonbinding letter of interest that he placed on his own behalf, not his company’s—was one of four submitted by…

Rain and Tar Spoil Obama’s Parade

What a crummy weekend in Chicago President Obama suffered. At my dinner with friends on Sunday night, one of the younger guests—who had worked for Obama, as had his parents—used the word “optics”, arguing that Obama’s messaging these days is a mess. If the President had a competent message shaper, this young man said, surrogates would…

How Blagojevich Lawyer Sam Adam Jr. Plans to Defend His Client

MIGHTY MOUTH: The defense lawyer Sam Adam Jr. doesn’t merely argue cases—he performs, typically closing with an eruption of righteous indignation, and his clients (R. Kelly, for one) often walk free. Now Adam is set to strut and fret upon the brightly lit stage of former governor Rod Blagojevich’s corruption trial—and he aims to bring down the house