Whet Moser

The Tribune looks at the devastating effect the housing bubble had on Englewood, in a piece reminiscent of the paper's 2005 series on housing fraud in the same neighborhood. A look even further behind the numbers is no less shocking. Read more

The president came in with hopes from liberal Democrats that he might usher in a new New Deal. But in terms of governance, temperament, and ideology, he might be more like the Man From Plains. Read more

An annotated blog roll of local favorites of mine. Plus: some underrated Chicago books, and brief advertisements for myself. Read more

The jury remains out, and observers are starting to get antsy, jumping when the jurors ask a question. Here's a theory as to why they're taking so long: the jury has to deal with the interpretation of a statute that's currently vexing legal scholars. Read more

The Sun-Times is reporting that, for the second year in a row, various CPS bureaucrats will see substantial raises over their predecessors' salaries. It makes no sense... and perfect sense. Read more

Grid Chicago reports on sustainable transportation in the city; The Steppes of Chicago takes an on-the-streets look at Chicago architecture. Read more

The cost of wrongful incarceration and the city's immense legal-settlement costs; Chicago's new gun law seems as ineffectual as the gun ban that preceded it; a Sun-Times reporter gets caught in the line of fire and returns to figure out why; and more Read more

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that children on Medicare and SCHIP face longer waits and more rejections for medical care. Read more

The Board of Education rejected Chicago teachers' "automatic" four-percent raise, portending a showdown between the Chicago Teachers Union and the mayor, or at least more tension. Setting aside whether teachers are "overpaid" or "underpaid," let's take a look at how they've been historically paid. Read more