Top picks for the three-day weekend: Two don’t-miss plays … red, white, and blues in Berwyn … what the Grammy winner Kurt Elling is doing this weekend … freebies for all! Read more
On Monday, after jurors in the Blagojevich retrial delivered a nearly sweeping guilty verdict, I called the gov’s brother, Robert. Below is an edited transcript of our conversation, in which he accuses U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of “[poisoning] the jury pool and the media,” and says that the feds used him as a pawn... Read more
Members of Congress, real-estate associations, and some civil-rights groups are pushing back against a plan from federal regulators that would mandate a 20 percent down payment from many would-be homeowners. The groups are headed toward an August 1 deadline for comment on a proposal that would create a so-called qualified residential mortgage (QRM), which would require homeowners to have a one-fifth equity stake in their residence—an investment (the thinking goes) that might make them less willing to give up the home in tough financial times... Read more
The Sox big slugger is having one of the worst offensive seasons in baseball, a big surprise given his consistency over the years. But looking deeper at his numbers suggests there's nothing to be surprised about, except maybe some bad luck. Plus: are the White Sox too impatient as a team? Read more
Produits Naturels Autrepart Nature (2052 N. Halsted St.; 773-661-2694, autrepart.fr), one of the newest Lincoln Park boutiques, features natural and organic skincare lines straight from Europe... Read more
Albert Pujols's pending free agency portends a wild off-season and a lucrative payday for the best player of our generation. But Milwaukee's powerful first baseman is a great, cheaper second option, going into the prime of his career as Pujols passes out of his. Besides, the Cubs' most pressing need is and will continue to be their awful pitching staff. Read more
