1. New Tricks
How can the Chicago Police Department undercount murders in the city? Let us count the ways. Chicago magazine investigates.
2. Chicago Police Sobriety Checkpoints Target Black, Latino Neighborhoods
South-side Grand Crossing has the fewest drunken-driving incidents in Chicago, yet has had the most checkpoints; Jefferson Park has a high rate of alcohol-related crashes, yet hasn’t had a checkpoint in five years. The Tribune checks the checkpoints.
3. Case of the Vanishing Worker
The unemployment rate in industrial Midwest cities is falling. But not for good reasons. The Wall Street Journal goes behind the numbers.
4. How a Bowl of Cashews Changed the Way You Save for Retirement
Economist Richard Thaler revolutionized the 401(k), but he started with nuts and coffee mugs. Money sits down with one of the fathers of behavioral economics.
5. The White Sox Position-Player Catastrophe
The south-siders started with modest promise, but their record is bad, and the underlying numbers are worse. Fangraphs charts their decline.
6. Why Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Bradley, and Oprah Love Mellody Hobson
She’s the president of a money-management firm and a board member of Starbucks and DreamWorks Animation. How’d she get there from a hard childhood in Chicago? Vanity Fair profiles the local power broker.
7. Human Rights Practices Inform Chicago Ordinance in Police Torture Case
When figuring out how to compensate victims of police torture, the city learned from Chile, South Africa, El Salvador, and other countries. The Chicago Reporter explains.
8. The Insurance Plan That Got Cook County Health Off Life Support
CountyCare brought in $653 million in the last fiscal year, alleviating what had been an expensive dependence on taxpayer subsidies. Crain’s shows how it works.
9. Will Marijuana Decriminalization End the Racial Grass Gap?
The gap stems from crime-fighting tactics and economic disparities, so it’s unlikely decriminalization alone will get there. The Chicago Reader finds its roots.
10. Why Chicago Is Not the Next Detroit
“A property tax increase could solve Chicago’s problems tomorrow.” CNBC breaks the metaphor.