1. The Inside Story of How the Ricketts Family Schemed and Feuded Their Way to Owning the Chicago Cubs
Just in time for opening day, a mega deep-dive into the Ricketts family’s tumultuous (and at times ethically dubious) purchase of the Chicago Cubs. Annotated with private emails and presentation documents, the saga reads like an episode of Succession if it had an MLB subplot. Deadspin has the goods.
2. An Oral History of Chicago’s 1983 Mayoral Race
Aspects of this week's history-making election were called "ugly", but the mud slung in 2019 was nothing compared to 1983, when Harold Washington fought to become Chicago's first black mayor. New York Magazine looks back.
3. Who’s Got Next?
In a city continually on the make, 17 standouts in areas ranging from science to social justice have already made an impact in the city — and they’re just getting started. Chicago compiles a list of the city’s most promising power players.
4. Chicago’s Towing Program Is Broken
Ask any car owner who’s had to make a reluctant trip to a city tow yard and they’ll tell you: The whole operation is a sham. Even more inexplicable: The city barely makes money off of the program. What’s going on? WBEZ raises big questions about the city’s notorious towing program.
5. How Trump Tower Became Chicago Retail’s Biggest Failure
Despite a riverfront view and primo location in the Loop, Trump Tower’s retail space in Chicago has been a spectacular, decade-long dud whose only saving grace is the massive tax bill break it pulls down. The Real Deal looks at how such theoretically promising retail space could fail so hard for so long.
6. Will Chicago’s Mayoral Runoff Signal the End of the ‘Rainbow’ Coalition?
The 2019 mayoral race is upending plenty of old rules and expectations, including what the emergence of two black candidates means for the city’s African-American and Latino coalitions of the Harold Washington days. The Chicago Reporter brings the analysis.
7. Other Cases Are Dismissed in Chicago, But Not Like Jussie Smollett’s Was
As onlookers try to make heads or tails of the Empire actor’s legal saga, how much of a role did celebrity play? NBC News looks at how the decision in Smollett’s case stacks up with other cases that are ultimately dismissed.
8. Chicago’s High School Admissions Process Is Unfair
The recent release of lottery results for the city’s selective high schools has one local parent pondering the inequity that pervades the school selection process. Chalkbeat Chicago shares the op-ed.
9. Chicago’s Fabulous Fountains
Buckingham may be Chicago’s best-known fountain these days, but the city was once home to fountains both dazzling and diminutive. The Forgotten Chicago blog takes a fun peek into the past.
10. Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Step Right up to the Chicago-Style Circus!
The Midnight Circus and Aloft Circus Arts do their alt-big top act in a way that perfect suits Chicago: Gritty, stylish and from the ceilings of the city’s coolest churches and buildings. The Reader has a glimpse at the cult favorite show that deserves centerstage attention.