The Inner-Ring Suburbs Are Withering. Why Not Just Merge Them with Chicago? By Edward McCLelland A modest proposal. Read more
Actually, It Makes Sense for Rahm to Get out Now By Edward McClelland Had Emanuel run, he’d have been forced into another runoff — and had he won, there'd be $1 billion in pension funding to find. Oh, and then there's the Jason Van Dyke trial. Read more
Why It's so Hard for Republicans to Win in Illinois By Edward McClelland Democrats and Republicans were once evenly matched in Illinois. So how did the Party of Lincoln fall behind in his own homeland? Read more
Rahm Is Using Lincoln Yards to Score Points with Two Core Voting Blocs By Edward McClelland In moving a city garage to Englewood to make way for the development, the mayor appeases his two most important constituencies. Read more
Latinos Could Be Chicago's New Nexus of Political Power By Edward McClelland The city's declining black population could mean a day of reckoning on the City Council, in the state legislature, and even in Congress. Read more
23 Phrases You'll Only Hear in Chicago By Edward McClelland To be read in the frunchroom of your three flat. Read more
Dreaming of a Speed Train Connecting Every City in the Midwest By Edward McClelland A 760 mph rail could turn every major hub in the region into a suburb of Chicago. But is it just a sci-fi fantasy? Read more
J.B. Pritzker: Illinois Democrats' New Monarch By Edward McClelland How the Hyatt heir's bottomless pockets could spell business as usual in state politics Read more
Olmsted vs. Obama: Inside the Pushback Against the Presidential Library By Edward McClelland Plans for the Obama Center have preservationists up in arms about whose legacy to honor: a park designer’s or a president’s. Read more
The U.S. Steel Site's Enormous Potential Development, Explained By Edward McClelland It’s been vacant since 1992. But soon one of the city’s biggest lakefront projects ever could sprout from its soil. Read more
