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Chicago rat hole in Roscoe Village removed by city
The Chicago rat hole in Roscoe Village became a viral phenomenon in January. Officials say the concrete slab was preserved, and its destination is being decided.
Take a Chicago indie bookstore crawl with our transit-friendly guide
The annual event promises discounts, free merchandise and an opportunity for bibliophiles to commune ‘in the wild.’ Here’s our transit-friendly guide to the fun.
Bears to reveal how to pay for $4.7 billion domed lakefront stadium development — and what it will look like
The plans, according to the team, will include “additional green and open space with access to the lakefront for families and fans on the Museum Campus.”
Hamas releases video of Hersh Goldberg-Polin — hostage with Chicago roots
The video is the first proof of life of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was captured Oct. 7 in southern Israel. His parents have Chicago ties. Last week, his mother was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people of 2024.
The mayor, the prince and the gift that invaded Japan’s biggest lake
In October 1960, Prince Akihito of Japan visited Chicago. Chicago’s mayor presented the prince with live bluegill — which would forever alter one Japanese lake.
CPS’s selective and magnet schools appear to take a hit under new equity funding formula
Local School Councils at several specialty elementary schools say they are facing budget cuts, a claim backed by a WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times analysis.
Foxtrot, Dom’s Kitchen & Market close suddenly, leaving workers and shoppers confused
The move comes five months after the two Chicago-based companies merged. Parent company Outfox Hospitality appears headed toward bankruptcy.
Chicago chefs Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark on the high price of living the dream
Parachute, their beloved dining gem in Avondale, is dead. But the pioneering duo have set their sights on what comes next.
Openlands to plant its 10,000th tree on public land on Arbor Day
Openlands promotes community forestry with the TreeKeepers program which serves as a gateway for learning about the environment.
Dom’s Kitchen and Foxtrot abruptly shutter stores, months after specialty grocers merged
The store closings started Tuesday morning and include two Dom’s Kitchen sites and 33 Foxtrot locations.
Most of Chicago’s mass shootings involve young victims
Since 2010, more than half – 53% – of mass shootings in Chicago have involved at least one victim younger than 20, shows a WBEZ analysis.
Here’s how some Chicagoans are taking an eco-friendly approach to funerals
About 60% of people are interested in exploring green funeral options, more than ever before.
Payments to Little Village residents approved in the $12.25 million settlement over Hilco’s dust storm
Developer Hilco and its subcontractors agreed to pay the money to neighborhood residents for the 2020 botched smokestack implosion.
Acre by acre, the Prairie Band Potawatomi bought back their land
After almost two centuries, the Indigenous nation is reestablishing the only reservation in Illinois.
New Chicago intelligence hub aims to ‘squeeze every last piece of evidence’ out of guns used in crimes
A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives facility is the latest effort to disrupt violent crime in Chicago, where police have been taking 12,000 guns off the street every year.
Is Chicago still a liveable city for its storefront theater actors?
The answer for non-Equity actors, it turns out, has gotten more complicated post-COVID.
Toni Preckwinkle is unanimously re-elected head of the Cook County Democratic Party
Preckwinkle said she expects the Democratic Party will be united behind President Joe Biden as he seeks reelection.
On Earth Day, Biden is launching a new site to apply for Climate Corps jobs
President Biden has been trying to get young voters excited about his 2024 reelection bid, even though polls show they’re disappointed with some of his policies.
Prairie Band Potawatomi becomes first federally recognized tribal nation in Illinois
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced the decision Friday, placing 130 acres into trust for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, giving the tribal nation sovereignty over the land after the U.S. auctioned off its land 175 years ago.
Catholic priest accused of sex abuse served in 9 church jurisdictions, including Chicago. So why is he on just one abuser list?
The Catholic church’s transparency on accusations of sexual abuse by clergy members, including the Rev. Mark Santo, remains inconsistent and lacking across the United States, clouding the extent of the crisis more than 20 years after it exploded into view.
Andrew Davis, longtime Lyric Opera music director, dies at 80
The British conductor, who led nearly 700 Lyric performances of 62 operas, died in Chicago from leukemia.
Chicago police officer shot to death as his car is taken in Gage Park
Officer Luis Huesca, 30, was returning home from work about 3 a.m. in the 3100 block of West 56th Street when a ShotSpotter alert went off, police Supt. Larry Snelling said. No one has been arrested.
Sleight-of-hand magician Harry Milas will show you how to cheat at cards, but don’t try this at a casino
Milas is performing through May 5 at Steppenwolf Theatre’s Merle Ruskin Garage Space.
CTA touts ‘Second Chance’ program for ex-offenders but few end up with permanent jobs
About 14% of those in the apprenticeship program found permanent full-time employment with the transit agency, a Sun-Times investigation found. Others, some strung along for years, remained in low-paying roles with no benefits.
Chicago police officer shot to death two days before 31st birthday on Southwest Side
The officer, a 30-year-old man, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died due to his injuries.
When Magic Happens: Hiring and Firing Friends
How do you know when a friendship has reached its expiration date? When is it time to diversify our social circle? We’re talking about all things hiring and firing friends.
Thaddeus Tukes, a Chicago jazz wunderkind, takes a dramatic career swerve
The 30-year-old vibraphonist, who performs this weekend as VybeKat, has reinvented, and reinvented again, over his meteoric jazz career.
These photos will take you back to Chicago’s nightlife heyday, when stand-up comedy reigned
Lenny Bruce. Richard Pryor. Lily Tomlin. They all honed their craft at the famed Mister Kelly’s, which has been revived in a new exhibition.
Column: ‘Shame of Chicago, Shame of the Nation’ looks back at the city’s racist housing history
Too often, we think segregation is self-selection. Instead, it’s the end result of a host of 20th-century laws, policies, ideas and practices that deliberately shaped our region.