Areas of Chicago that have been chronically poor for the past 40 years have declined rapidly in population, but the number of people living in poor neighborhoods has simultaneously increased. Read more
How did a UIC-trained architect invent the dreamlike world of Storywoods and its handmade inhabitants? It began with her staging 'The Nutcracker' with stuffed animals, but it has its roots in a childhood idyll in New Hampshire. Read more
The small south-suburban community grew on the site of a failed Columbian Exposition land grab, built by southern migrants to resemble a familiar landscape. Read more
A Cook County judge sent eight men to jail for wearing their pants too low in her courtroom. It's not the first time her temperament has raised eyebrows, but worse behavior hasn't led to consequences from voters. Read more
In a less enlightened time, Chicago–based Sears offered molten lead, exotic "oriental" fashions, and metal-tipped junior archery toys for Middle America. Read more
The verdict on Darren Wilson was given to the public at 8 p.m, for reasons good or ill. Unfortunately, 8 p.m. is also when riots tend to ramp up to their worst. Read more
Well-educated Americans are generally about as capable as their developed-country peers. But the gap between the most- and least-skilled Americans is one of the highest in the first world. Read more
In 1970, the majority of people in Chicago and its suburbs lived in pretty average places, by income at least. Now rich and poor dominate, especially in the city itself. Read more
