1. Best of Chicago
From the best athleisure store to the best tattoo artist to three different best burgers, here are 116 choices to make the best of the city. Chicago magazine makes the picks.
2. How Chicago School Construction Furthers Race and Class Segregation
73 percent of construction spending has gone to disproportionately white schools in the past six years—even though Latino students suffer the most from overcrowding. WBEZ breaks down the numbers.
3. Cops and Stops
What happens when the CPD does an investigatory stop? And what’s the cumulative effect of hundreds of thousands of them over just a few months? Injustice Watch investigates.
4. The CMD
The South Side’s Pershing Road Development was a testing ground for large-scale, hyper-rational city planning. Can planning bring it back to life? The Chicago Dispatch takes a visual and historical tour.
5. A Little ‘Substance’ Upon Request
The governor boasts hundreds of millions in savings he’s made—but some are illusory, funded in the stopgap budget, or even counterproductive. Rich Miller does the math in the Daily Southtown.
6. In Search of Abortion, Women Are Flocking to Illinois
Missouri, Wisconsin, and Indiana all have strict regulations. The result? A 20 percent increase in visits to Planned Parenthood in the state. Crain’s follows the trend.
7. Real Men of Englewood
In the wake of shootings, a 16-inch softball league tries to get players to the ballfield and out of trouble. The Tribune visits Ogden Park.
8. The Curse of the Loyal Sports Fan
If your fans consider you lovable losers… why win? The Atlantic explains the problem.
9. Casino Owners Jump on Video-Gambling Bandwagon
Casino revenues are declining while video gambling is set to pass $1 billion in revenue in just its fifth year in the state. The Sun-Times adds it up.
10. The Night Disco Died
A radio promotion forced the cancellation of a White Sox game among a hail of LPs. What went wrong with Disco Demolition Night? Chicago magazine collects an oral history.