1. The Cult Next Door
What was going on in the mysterious brick building in Hinsdale? Why were chastely dressed teens coming and going? A 2014 scandal revealed the truth. Chicago magazine goes inside the Institute in Basic Life Principles.
2. Illinois Women Hit ‘Disproportionally Hard’ by Record State Budget Impasse
From MAP grants to rape crisis centers to cancer screenings, their safety net is disappearing. The Tribune tells their stories.
3. En Casa: Finding Home at Latin Night
A longtime Chicago DJ explains the importance of LGBTQ Latin dance nights for the community. Erik Roldan reflects on the Pulse tragedy for MTV News.
4. Illinois Coal’s Last Stand
It creates apocalyptic landscapes—but also nostalgia. The Reader visits downstate coal towns.
5. A Requiem for Chicago’s Cabrini Green Housing Projects
The documentary 70 Acres in Chicago is two decades in the making. City Lab talks to director Ronit Bezalel.
6. Tutor
Robbie Fulks’s roundabout journey to becoming a Chicago country fixture traveled through Nashville (and Columbia University). The New Yorker pays tribute to the local legend.
7. Is the Nation’s Third-Largest School District in Danger of Collapse?
If not, what can be done to save Chicago Public Schools? The Washington Post considers the options.
8. When King Came to Chicago: See the Rare Images of His Campaign—in Color
A Caholic priest turned photojournalist captured his sojourn in the city. NPR gathers the work of Bernard Kleina.
9. Why Is McDonald’s Moving from the Suburbs to the City?
Suburban corporate campuses once attracted young talent (and prevented job hopping). But isolation has its commercial costs. Chicago magazine looks at the company’s history (and its swag ’70s HQ).
10. From Tragedy, Some Hope: Muslim LGBTQ Look to Dispel Taboos
Caught between Islamophobia and homophobia, they’re hoping to start a dialogue about both. WBEZ sits in on an iftar meal and community gathering.