1. Chicagoans of the Year 2014
Leading off: the Jackie Robinson West baseball team, who captured the city’s attention along with the U.S. Little League title. Chicago magazine honors some extraordinary citizens.
2. Why Whole Foods Is Moving Into One of the Poorest Neighborhoods in Chicago
Can “Whole Paycheck” make its model work in Englewood? We’re about to find out. The Washington Post explains.
3. Chicago’s Exiting Cardinal: ‘The Church is About True/False, Not Left/Right’
An interview with “the American churchman of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.” Crux talks with Cardinal Francis George.
4. Baker Miller Revives the Lost Art of Milling
The Chicagoans who made Bang Bang Pie a hit want to return flour to its healthier roots. The Reader goes inside their new operation.
5. Building Bridges Where Needed on Chicago’s South Side
American hip-hop brought a Palestinian diplomat’s son back to religion. Now he’s returning the favor with the Inner-City Muslim Action Network. The New York Times profiles Rami Nashashibi.
6. Why So Few White Kids Land in CPS — and Why It Matters
Chicago might be one-third white, but its white population is old, reducing already-low enrollment even further. WBEZ adds up the numbers.
7. Chicago’s Real-Life ‘Nightcrawler’
Spot News is an anonymous 40-year-old freelance crime photographer whose South Side home and five scanners usually put him first on the scene. The Daily Beast tracks him down.
8. Remembering Jane Byrne
“Calamity Jane” ran against the “evil cabal,” but Chicago’s first female mayor eventually was subsumed by the Machine. Chicago magazine looks back at the late mayor.
9. Fire Chicago Cop with Rap Sheet, Supt. Garry McCarthy Urges
He’s been arrested five times by the CPD that he works for. And the city’s top cop is urging the Chicago Police Board to cut him loose. The Sun-Times tells his strange story.
10. Alstory Simon Talks About Life After Wrongful Conviction
“I still feel a sense of solitude is a security blanket. I was surprised by how much fear I had crossing the street.” Just out of prison, he opens up to Huffington Post Chicago.