Whet Moser

Every summer, gas prices go up. It's not just demand. Gas, like clothing, has to get lighter as temperatures rise, to prevent not just pollution but vapor lock. It's even pricier here in Chicago, one of America's "gas islands." Read more

Why is the Midwest in financial and population decline while the Sun Belt thrives? Annexation, which pulled in vast swaths of suburb just as people were fleeing urban cores, has a lot to do with it. Read more

A hamlet 40 miles west of Green Bay has been shaken by a series of "booms," scaring the townsfolk and drawing national attention. But strange, unexplained booms, shakes, and shocks are common throughout the world, and have been a mystery for centuries. Read more

Low turnout, a big victory for Rahm, a respectable victory for the local Democratic establishment, a substantial (if completely predictable) victory for Mitt Romney: an uneventful Illinois primary for the most important election since 1860. Read more

Gary's new mayor, Karen Freeman-Wilson; the curious case of Chicago hip-hop star/cult favorite Chief Keef; Alan Turing's undersung legacy in the field of biology; and more. Read more