For more than 20 years, a dedicated group of individuals struggled to make the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum a reality. When some observers suggested that Governor George Ryan wanted to turn the project into a patronage dump, the Sun-Times columnist Steve Neal fought one of his last battles.
In the fog of war high over Afghanistan, an Illinois National Guard pilot dropped a bomb that killed four Canadian soldiers engaged in live-fire exercises. Since then he has been vilified and stripped of his wings. Now he’s telling his side of the story.
Despite efforts of reformers, Cook County government remains larded with patronage jobs jealously guarded by clout-wielding bureaucrats. Identifying the problem is easy. Fixing it has proved maddeningly difficult.
Features Fun Fitness Burn out. Blah. The rut. Sooner or later it hits everyone who treads the treadmill or works the weight room. So we went out and found some remedies-dozens of lively sports, classes, and activities that will get your heart rate up and keep you coming back for more. Whether you prefer snowshoeing … Read more
From our March 2005 issue: To people accused of doing bad things—embezzling millions, bribing judges, putting a bullet in someone’s head—Ed Genson may be the go-to lawyer in town. For years the Mob had him on speed dial. And pols in trouble (including Larry Warner, Governor Ryan’s friend and codefendant) regularly sign up with him. He’s cunning, funny, sometimes outrageous—a master of the cross examination. But what matters most to his clients: He’ll do (almost) anything to win.
Features What Ever Happened to the Great Chicago Families? by Megan McKinney, Dennis Rodkin, Judy York, Amber Holst, Geoffrey Johnson, and Bryan Smith The people who built some of Chicago’s major fortunes and institutions, and whose works forged a mighty metropolis, bore names like Pullman, McCormick, Armor, Swift, Field, and Palmer. Today the descendants of … Read more
Features The New Doctors, by Dennis Rodkin Looking for more ways to keep their patients healthy, some MDs are integrating alternative therapies-such as acupuncture, yoga, and herbal remedies-into their practices. We examine this trend and five local clinics that champion “integrative” medicine, and we list several dozen Chicago-area doctors who are blending the old and … Read more
Why would Illinois Supreme Court justice Robert R. Thomas, a rugged former placekicker for the Bears, sue a small newspaper’s scrappy columnist for defamation? Some observers believe the judge wants to clear the air before making bigger political moves.
For a brief but wild time in the twenties and thirties, an openly gay culture thrived in Chicago—a period historians call the “Pansy Craze.” Nightclubs and cabarets drew crowds of homosexuals, lesbians, and voyeurs—among them, sociologists who dutifully recorded the proceedings. Recently rediscovered recollections from that era have landed the city in the forefront of the small but popular field of gay historical research.
Six Chicago artists—two emerging, two established, two mid-career—garnering attention today.
