1. What About Bob?
The comedian’s unlikely path took him from Naperville through a cult career in comedy to stardom in middle age. Chicago hangs out with the star of Better Call Saul.
2. In Appreciation of the Life and Career of Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub
The late star is remembered for his joy—but through age 29, he was also one of the best to play the game. Bleed Cubbie Blue recalls his peak.
3. Retired Chicago Cop Helps Take Down Master Safecracker One Last Time
Career criminal Michael Paulson could leave behind a crime scene with no fingerprints. But Tony DeLeonardis could recognize his signature. The Tribune follows their cat-and-mouse game.
4. Wildsounds: The Conversation Between a City and Nature
A DePaul professor is tracking how the city is altering nature, through sound. WBEZ profiles Liam Heneghan.
5. Hospitals Full of Empty Beds
In 2013, 40 percent of hospital beds in the state were empty. Why aren’t institutions using their resources? Crain’s goes behind the screen.
6. The Question Nobody Expected: What If Chicago Doesn’t Get Obama’s Presidential Library?
The University of Chicago’s bid fell behind, and support is mixed. Everyone, including the mayor, is playing catchup to New York. Buzzfeed takes the pulse of the project.
7. Chicago’s Oldest Steel Mill Will Soon Be Demolished. What Will Replace It When It’s Gone?
A. Finkl & Sons hung on to its West Side plant. It leaves behind 28 acres of the most valuable land in the city. Belt Magazine looks towards its future.
8. How to Sell Off a City
Privatization is increasingly the way the city works in a government strapped for cash. In These Times traces its roots.
9. What Makes Chuy Run?
Jesus "Chuy" Garcia was born in a Mexican village of 200; now he’s running for mayor in a city of two million. The Reader tells his story.
10. What Does History Say About the Obama Library’s Possible Future in Chicago?
The city would have to give it a big chunk of parkland—which it’s been willing to do for museums for over a century. Chicago predicts its future from its past.