1. The Day They Came for the Governor
It’s been 10 years since former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested at his Ravenswood Manor home for one of the most infamous cases of political corruption in modern history. Chicago gets the blow-by-blow from the federal investigators who made the arrest.
2. Chicago Candidates Need Loads of Petition Signatures to Land on the Ballot, But Is That Fair?
Getting on the ballot for municipal office in Chicago requires a lot of signatures — and that’s just the start. It also takes time, support, insider information and, of course, money. So who wins and loses in this system? WBEZ’s Curious City looks at Chicago’s wonky process.
3. The Charter-School Teachers’ Strike in Chicago Was ‘Inevitable’
Public school teacher unions and charter instructors have never been natural allies, but shifts in the overall education landscape have dislodged some of the old dividing lines. The Atlantic looks at the road ahead for education labor strikes.
4. Before Becoming Chicago Police Department’s First Muslim Chaplain, Veteran Officer Had to Rediscover His Faith
Chicago-raised and Catholic school taught, Hysni Selenica’s upbringing looked like that of many other city cops. But by revisiting his roots, Selenica found an even more powerful way to serve his city. Chicago Tribune shares the story of discovery.
5. How the Bulls Narrowly Avoided a Full-Blown Mutiny in Jim Boylen’s First Week as Head Coach
After the Bulls’ firing of its former head coach, Fred Hoiberg, “The Mayor,” the organization hoped a new leader could turn things around. So how’s that going? The Athletic goes inside the team’s bumpy ride with its new head coach.
6. The Field Museum’s Native North American Hall Starts to Ask Who It Represents
The renovation and reimagining of the museum’s collection is prompting challenging and necessary questions about which stories of history are told — and who gets to tell them. Chicago Reader examines how the museum may approach the big responsibility of faithfully framing indigenous culture.
7. A Trial in Chicago Illustrates Why the City’s Police Department Needs Reform
Arguments in the cover-up trial of three Chicago police officers involved in the response to the Laquan McDonald shooting have ended and now only the judge’s ruling remains. But whatever the verdict, the trial itself has once again demonstrated why the department can’t continue with business as usual. The Economist has an op-ed making the case.
8. Eve Ewing’s Lesson in Grassroots Sociology
Ewing’s book, Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side, is a shoo-in for any year-end top 10 list in part because of how she upends the dusty form of old-school sociology. The Nation makes yet another case for this must-read book.
9. How Chicago's Dining Scene Lost Its Mojo
Chicago’s once-vaunted dining scene has lost its luster. Our food writer offers an unsparing five-point manifesto that explains why — and how we can fix it.
10. Downtown Chef Works with South Side Mom at Xocome Antojeria
Why has an unassuming Mexican restaurant near Midway captured the fascination of food writers — and more importantly, the hearts of the neighbors? The answer goes beyond just what’s on the menu. Fooditor has the story.