1. Crime Fiction

Did a high-pressure “heater” case lead to a coerced confession? The New Yorker investigates a Chicago man’s sentencing.

2. Attack of the Climate Change Maggots

Severe storms are wreaking havoc on aging homes in Chicago. And insurance companies are noticing. The Washington Post looks for the causes.

3. Happy Christmas’s Director Joe Swanberg on the Financial Life of the Independent Filmmaker

Despite having directed Anna Kendrick and Olivia Wilde, Chicago’s most successful indie director is still worried about his college loans. Filmmaker talks shop with the director/screenwriter/actor.

4. What the Investigation of Newark’s Police Department Means for Garry McCarthy

The feds found a “pattern of unconstitutional policing” in the top cop’s former city. And he’s imported some of his tactics from New Jersey to Chicago. Chicago examines the superintendent’s history.

5. Poor Families Use ‘Supervouchers’ to Rent in Chicago’s Priciest Buildings

The CHA has tens of thousands of people on a waiting list for affordable housing—so why is it putting residents in downtown towers like Aqua? Crain’s explains the program.

6. On the Night Shift with a Gary Police Officer

The troubled city is struggling with crime and an underfunded force. What’s it like for cops on the beat? WBEZ goes on a ride-along.

7. Scene of the Crime: ‘It’s Spreading, Spreading More Over Here’

After a three-year-old is wounded in a Brighton Park shooting, residents reveal what life is like among the gangs. The Tribune reports from the Southwest Side.

8. Inside the Pink Palace of the Edgewater Beach Apartments

You’ve definitely seen it. And you’ve probably wanted to know what’s on the inside. The Reader tours the elegantly glam building.

9. How Health and Housing Relate to Crime in Chicago

Chicago’s sickest and most violent neighborhoods are usually one and the same. Chicago runs the numbers.

10. Home Sweet Home

Residents of a Logan Square single-room occupancy building claim that they can’t be evicted—because it’s so infested with bedbugs that moving out would be a health hazard. RedEye visits the Milshire Hotel.