The blog and snarkshop gets serious, for a moment at least, and suggests that Americans don't really care about the city's ongoing problems with homicide. But it sort of depends on how you define caring. Read more
Why was Lloyd Dobler at City Hall to sit through a wonky meeting about using eminent domain to seize underwater houses and refinance them for owners? He's a fan. Read more
Four years ago, Barack Obama was the toast of the town and the target of some of the city's biggest political donors. Now many of them have switched over to Mitt Romney and his new running mate, Paul Ryan. Read more
Von Freeman could have been a household name in jazz, if he'd followed one of the many bandleaders who courted him on the road. But he stayed in Chicago, where he remained a cult favorite well into his 50s, while playing a vital role in the city's jazz scene. Read more
In his introductory speech after being named Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan broached the subject of poverty, something the Obama campaign has avoided as it focuses on the middle class. Read more
The Wisconsin representative from Janesville, and former Wienermobile driver, has been embraced by Mitt Romney... and his opponents. Far from contradictory, it's a perfect representation of the political scene in 2012. Read more
Before the Wicker Park scene was all over MTV, there was The Pulse, a public-access show that captured Chicago indie music just as indie music was coming into existence. Read more
The eastern shore of Lake Michigan, from northwest Indiana up through western Michigan, is historically one of the most dangerous spots for rip currents in America, and not just because a lot of Chicagoans vacation there. Read more
Far from an increased culture of dependency, federal welfare spending has been in decline since the passage of welfare reform—and it's put a squeeze on the Illinois budget, as it's scrambled to keep up while state block grants aren't adjusted for inflation. Read more
16-inch softball's aristocratic roots; investigative journalism from Ida B. Wells; a teacher and a librarian get busted for a Bridgeport grow-house; and a violent year at Harper High. Read more
