1. The Alan Krashesky Story You Won’t Hear at 10
Alan Krashesky is the smoothest man in Chicago news — but his childhood was anything but. For Chicago, Jake Malooley tells the story of his father’s murder and his upbringing in a boy’s home.
2. Chicago Household Income Grows, Poverty Drops for 5th Straight Year, Census Data Shows
The city’s median household income increased 11 percent from 2014 to 2018, as rich people moved in while poor people moved out. The Sun-Times has the stats.
3. Here’s What to Expect From Chicago City Council’s Ticket Reform
No suspended licenses for unpaid tickets. Less onerous payment plans. Lower penalties for city sticker tickets. It’s the culmination of a story ProPublica Illinois has been following for months.
4. The Ghosts of the Bradley House
Suicide. Kidnapping. Murder. Fire. Chicago has the lurid yet ultimately redemptive saga behind a Frank Lloyd Wright landmark.
5. Cubs Fans Used to Know How to Handle a Choke
Before 2016, the Cubs were Lovable Losers. This year, they’re “just another team that vomited on itself like a thousand others.” Deadspin looks at how disorienting that is for a fanbase that once defined itself by defeat.
6. There’s a Lot of Talk About an “Illinois Exodus.” We Take a Closer Look at the Reality Behind the Chatter.
Illinois’s population is declining faster than any state’s but Alaska. It’s not so much that people are moving out, but that they’re not moving in, either from other states or countries. The Tribune profiles a few who did leave — for Indiana.
7. Fifty Years of Fred Hampton’s Rainbow Coalition
The black-brown alliance former between the Black Panthers and Young Lords in the 1960s has influenced Chicago politics ever since, leading to the elections of Harold Washington, Chuy Garcia, and Lori Lightfoot. South Side Weekly tells the story of how a street coalition went straight.
8. Black Sox Forever
The White Sox throwing the 1919 World Series, coming just a year after World War I ended, was another blow to American innocence. City Journal examines the cultural impact of the Black Sox Scandal.
9. Chicago’s Hidden Indie Rock Archive
Aadam Jacobs, “The Taping Guy,” was at every indie rock show in the late ’80s and early ’90s. According to WBEZ, he still has his Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins, and Uncle Tupelo recordings.
10. Hyde Park’s Independent Bookstores Defy Trend, Still Supported by a Vibrant Community
Hyde Park is the best bookstore neighborhood in Chicago, maybe the nation. The Hyde Park Herald reports on how the indies survive in the age of Amazon.