Jeff Ruby thinks that the Thai experience at Next is a party, but for Penny Pollack, it was a case of too much information, as servers layered on the historical and cultural information thicker than the curry. Read more
The front man for Chicago's legendary C&W bar band, "the patron saints of Chicago's insurgent country movement," passes away at 80. Plus: ten picks to get caught up on the alt-country that came in their wake. Read more
With one Illinois governor in prison and another waiting to go, the current gov, Pat Quinn, seems remarkably tone deaf to charges that he is rewarding his political benefactors with cushy board jobs. His appointment on Wednesday of 41-year-old attorney Jennifer Burke—daughter of Alderman Ed Burke, next to Rahm the biggest foot in city politics—to the Illinois Pollution Control Board seems utterly over the top, even reckless... Read more
It's been a tough year for White Sox slugger Adam Dunn by almost every metric. But thanks to a fantastic website, I found one stat by which he can claim bragging rights this season. Read more
A must-read Sun-Times report finds the upset 2010 winner has been sued for $100,000 in child support payments, just as the suburban rep has established himself as a voice of his caucus on television and in the House on the debt-ceiling debate. Which isn't going any better. Read more
