Putting the Chicago Infrastructure Trust in historical perspective, from tax increment finance to the Chicago Skyway to the decline of national investment in infrastructure following the tax revolt of the 1970s. Read more
The city and its buildings, in context: like, the whole context, from Burnham Park to the Willis Tower to the Virgo cluster to the edge of the observable universe and back. Read more
The iron-gloved, power-hitting Tigers are currently tied with the surprising White Sox for the AL Central lead—in part because the White Sox have given up substantially fewer runs, thanks to good pitching, and perhaps a superior defense. Read more
The Infrastructure Trust ordinance, which passed City Council today easily, was presented as a correction of the previous mayor's misadventures in privatization. But it exists, in part, because of substantial flaws in the public sector as well. Read more
Former Obama advisor Peter Orszag makes the case that all schools should dump the 3 PM school day, as Chicago is moving towards. But when Houston lengthened their school day, the biggest improvements came not just from more time, but more tutors. Read more
The White Sox's fifth starter (and last year, their sixth) throws a completely unexpected perfect game. But maybe not so unexpected: a new approach, and some time for it to develop, suggests that Philip Humber has a bright future in the team's deep, above-average rotation. Read more
It's hard to keep it a secret if you win the lottery, especially in Illinois. But it's worth trying: when the story gets out, attention follows... and maybe a spending spree. Read more
The facts, reports Rex Huppke, are dead: "survived by two brothers, Rumor and Innuendo, and a sister, Emphatic Assertion." We have a sense of who killed them, but what's the motive? Read more
The shooting of Trayvon Martin, and the mystery that surrounds it, have brought back the issue of still-novel gated communities and the possibility they instill fear in their residents. But they're more a symptom than a cause, and not so different from the rest of America. Read more
An archive from the Detroit Publishing Company captures Chicago from 1890 to 1920, as the city more than doubled in population and transitioned into the modern age as a true metropolis. Read more
