1. What's Next for Cards Against Humanity?
They have one of the most popular games in America. They have a 12,000-square-foot warehouse. Do they have a plan? Chicago magazine checks in on the sensation.
2. Chicago's Charter-Schools Experiment Flops: Report
Their enrollment has expanded almost sixfold in a decade, but a new study finds that they "underperform their traditional counterparts." Crain's goes inside the numbers.
3. Chicago Quietly Phasing Out Red 'X' Program
It identified 1,804 vacant properties that pose a risk to first responders, but the FEMA money for the signs ran out. WBEZ explains why no new red-X signs are going up.
4. How Chicago's Red Light Ticketing Turned Yellow Lights into Cash
A few hundredths of a second under the three-second rule rang up 77,000 tickets and $8 million in fines. The Tribune discovers the rule change behind the spike.
5. Database Remembers Chicagoans Buried, Forgotten in Dunning Cemetery
The former cemetery chairman of the Chicago Genealogical Society has identified 8,000 of the 38,000 located in paupers' graves on the grounds of a mental institution. DNAInfo details the five-year project.
6. Madigan Machine Helps Speaker Keep Power Beyond Springfield
The most powerful man in state politics has deep ties to city agencies. He can even get you a license plate with a low number! The Sun-Times connects the dots.
7. An Invasive Species of Fish Is Taking Over America's Waterways
A tour through the state explores how different people are trying to keep out, or live with, the Asian carp. VICE News follows its trail to Chicago.
8. Roger Ebert's Wikipedia [Citation Needed]
The beloved film critic was a Wiki fan. But was he the user "rebert"? And did he believe that "turtle" was an "inherently funny word"? The Atlantic makes the connections.
9. Nelson Algren: Unappreciated Genius of American Literature
A new documentary, premiering at the Chicago International Film Festival, makes the case for the author. The Los Angeles Times previews Algren: The Movie.
10. Chicago Has Celebrated the Great Fire Since It Stopped Burning
Think the Great Chicago Fire Festival was weird? The city's been using its fire to boost the city for over a century. Chicago recalls a history of rehashing history.