1. A Crumbling, Dangerous South Side Creates Exodus of Black Chicagoans
An Auburn-Gresham native traces their path. Will Lee reports for the Chicago Tribune.
2. Mr. & Mrs. Clean
They’re in their early 40s. They’ve been married for 21 years. And together they own Chicago Crime Scene Cleanup. Chicago magazine tags along on their very dirty job.
3. Adam LaRoche’s Potential Grievance
The White Sox’s veteran quit over a conflict about his son being in the clubhouse. What does the law say about this strange workplace situation? A labor lawyer lays it out for Baseball Prospectus.
4. Sullivanesque Revisited
Louis Sullivan changed Chicago through his buildings—and the legions of imitators whose work can be found all over the city. The blog A Chicago Sojourn seeks out the delicate ornamentation he pioneered.
5. Lost HP Lovecraft Work Commissioned by Houdini Escapes Shackles of History
And a Chicago company is auctioning it off next month. The Guardian tracks the history of The Cancer of Superstition.
6. Peeping Mom
A Chicago writer gave birth in the depths of a Chicago winter. Often alone and depressed, she turned to spying on a neighbor for a connection to the world. Megan Stielstra shares her story with The Longest Shortest Time.
7. How Chicago Racked Up a $662 Million Police Misconduct Bill
$10 million… $6.1 million… $5 million… there’s no one reason, but the numbers add up over the years. The AP runs the numbers.
8. Democratic Primary Shows a Gulf Remains Between Chicago’s Black and Latino Voters
Can a candidate ever build up a coalition like Harold Washington’s? The Reader explores the question.
9. Why the Chinese Investors Want to Buy the Chicago Stock Exchange—and Why That’s a Big Deal
They don’t have the technology and the knowledge. But should we allow them to get it? Chicago examines the ramifications.
10. Can Big Data Help Measure Inflation?
A University of Chicago professor (and former Obama advisor) thinks e-commerce can give economists a real-time look at it. The Atlantic introduces the Digital Price Index.