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Whet Moser
Garry McCarthy vs. Jody Weis, By the Numbers
By Whet Moser
Garry McCarthy's predecessor saw a spike in crimes early in his tenure running the Chicago Police Department—including 64 murders in July of 2008. The numbers came down, however, and cops and aldermen are looking back to the adjustments Weis made. Read more
Coffee, Crime, and Chicago
By Whet Moser
Do more coffee shops equal less crime? In Chicago, during a critical period in the city's violent history, the answer is yes: for homicides, at least. The results for robbery, however, are interestingly dependent on race. Read more
The Hottest Day in Chicago, Then and Now
By Whet Moser
Today's near-record high, coming right after a record-high Fourth of July, lifted temperatures higher than we've seen in years—but it's still nothing like Chicago in the 1930s. Plus: why increasing low temperatures are more worrisome, and the possibility that corn might have something to do with that. Read more
The Early History of Segregation in Chicago
By Whet Moser
Between the 1919 race riot and the end of the Great Migration, segregation went from specter of racial strife to legal doctrine, aided by the law and economic writings of Progressive reformers Richard T. Ely and Nathan William MacChesney. Read more
The Rosenwald Apartments: A Bronzeville Legacy in Limbo
By Whet Moser
The 420-some unit complex, built by Julius Rosenwald as affordable housing for middle-class blacks in a segregated city, was once managed by Quincy Jones's mother and provided elegant apartments at reasonable rates. After years of neglect and then abandonment, it's now an expensive problem. Read more