Features

89 Hours
by Ryan Ver Berkmoes
That’s how much TV news is broadcast here each week on major channels. Our special report examines the state of Chicago news – and offers a thorough viewer’s guide to what’s out there.

Baseball’s Family Album
by Richard Cahan and Mark Jacob
A rich archive of baseball photos, artfully shot by two local photographers, offers unpretentious images of a paradise lost, where the heroes were promisingly human.

The Hard Case of Patrick Murphy
by Scott McMurray
He’s tough, he’s outspoken, and, as Cook County public guardian, he’s helped thousands of kids. But is this contrarian crusader’s style also sabotaging efforts at child-welfare reform?

Post Cards From the Edge
Five writers in search of less-traveled vacation terrain venture to western and downstate Illinois, and to Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Their letters home speak of bargain shopping, historical bounty, and a bloody battle or two.

At Home: The Heat is On
by Christine Newman
What’s cool in classic and contemporary kitchen design – and news of the amazing 83-second dishwasher

Departments

Letters

Frontlines
A sexy soap star; a South Side farmer; and ex-Cub Carmen Fanzone plays on.

The Goods
by Leah Eskin
Culinary collectibles – elegant and amusing kitchen equipment

Metro
by Greg Hinz
Tort reform’s battle for bucks; a plan for a first-class post office

Modern Times
by Marcia Froelke Coburn
To get out of Murder Hell, this widow had to get into a Hidden Victims group.

Stage & Screen
by Penelope Mesic
In Losing Isaiah, a child is caught between two worlds – and two mothers.

Reporter
by Paige Williams
Almost two years after James Jordan vanished, a pair of North Carolina men are about to be tried for his murder.

Prime Time

Hot dates around town this month

Dining
by Dennis Ray Wheaton
The Near West Side is trying to be the new hot neighborhood in town, where two trailblazing restaurants hope to succeed.

Budget Beat
by Anne Spiselman
“Food chain” takes on new meaning when you send your taste buds on a culinary tour through Yugoslavia, Greece, and Turkey.

End Paper
by Lisa Hamman
For some of Chicago’s best-known restaurateurs, an astrologer’s advice is the first item on the menu.