Steep Medicaid deficits, Chicago casino plans, increasing enrollees, the substantial expense of caring for the elderly and disabled: Illinois's Medicaid crisis looks a lot like the one it had in the 1990s. Read more
Did the "vaporized" MF Global money dry up, like a raisin in the sun? Or did it explode? Probably none of the above—as investigators hunt for the missing cash, the answer will probably be much less abstract. Meanwhile, Midwestern farmers are sweating the firm's incompetence. Read more
This Week in Pinball: A journalistic and photographic tour of Stern Pinball, last bastion of Chicago's pinball legacy; RIP Steve Kordek, Chicago pinball legend; and more Read more
Maine West to crack down on inappropriate dancing, from grinding to "bending over." They'll track dirty dancing with wristbands, immortal signal of permission to do things. Read more
In 2010, news broke that County Commissioner William Beavers was under investigation from the feds, who were looking at his expense account. Today, the bill came due. Read more
This Week in Awesome Photography: Vivian Maier, Charles Cushman, the Blue Star Hotel, public housing, "My Camera and I In the Loop," and more Read more
The increase in the Medicaid rolls isn't just a problem of the Great Recession and high unemployment rates—the percentage of wage earners enrolled in the program has doubled over the past 30 years. Read more
