By Whet Moser
Chicago missed out on the Olympics (and the rooftop missiles and rent hikes that inevitably follow). But we do get the NATO consolation prize, and we're not missing out on the "entrepreneurial city" either. Read more
Whet Moser
By Whet Moser
Two decades before the Haymarket Affair, "loafers" practically shut down the city's economy for a week with a vast general strike for the eight-hour day. It failed, but it was the first step in a process that brought us an awareness of the average workday, the Haymarket Riot, and eventually a legal eight-hour day. Read more
By Whet Moser
A new study looks at housing, income, zoning and school performance across the country's biggest metropolitan areas. Chicago isn't much of an outlier, except when it comes to one category in particular. Read more
By Whet Moser
Don't blame Thibodeau (but maybe blame the NBA, if not for Rose's injury specifically than for a rash of injuries in this compressed season). Thibodeau, the team's secret weapon, still leads an efficient and well-coached group. Read more
By Whet Moser
You can lead a person out of the food desert, but you can't make them eat healthy. For that, you need the once-hallowed field of home economics and consumer science, which is due for a comeback. Read more
By Whet Moser
West Garfield Park's Moorish masterpiece was once the center of a conservative media empire (in the moral sense), the home of WFMT, and a host to young Benny Goodman and old Jimmy Carter. It's also been a crucible of low-income housing development, and despite being on the National Register of Historic Places, it remains in limbo, where it's been for decades. Read more
By Whet Moser
A long and longform look at the past, present, and future of Sears; an examination of west Humboldt Park's active heroin market; going back to Middletown; and the U. of C. and its role in law and order. Read more
By Whet Moser
Chicago's caterwauling maxi-jingle earns immediate thumbs down from the critics. But all city tourism jingles begin that way, until they become ironically loved (or get disappeared). Read more
By Whet Moser
Why are GOP hardliners so opposed to the DREAM Act, and why is Mitt Romney seemingly following in their footsteps? Immigration boosted Chicago's population during a period of substantial decline... and according to a study by sociologist Robert Sampson reduced crime here and across the country. Read more
By Whet Moser
Plus: could Illinois eliminate the school-bus mandate?; how to remake the Chicago region, starting with sustainable infrastructure; more questions about the Chicago Infrastructure Trust; and more Read more