You know it’s winter in Chicago when… Reporters stands on an overpass of the Kennedy, pointing at snow. You know it’s winter in Chicago when… CTA buses bunch for warmth. You know it’s winter in Chicago when… Hipsters DON’T roll up their pant leg when riding their bikes down Milwaukee Ave. I hope it snows over the weekend and the city has to hold a press conference. Because when that happens off-hours, the politicians and officials dress down in sweatshirts and jeans. It’s fun to see what they wear. Here’s what is in the news today:

• The Trib takes Stroger to task today over his “some people will die needlessly for lack of access to the health care our system provides today” quote.
• Windy Citizen is starting a campaign to get Andre Dawson elected to the MLB Hall of Fame…via Twitter.
• Sam Hudzik does another “Whatever Happened to…” post on former Illinois politicians.‚  Today, he talks with former 5th district Congressman Mike Flanigan. You know, that one Republican who held office between Rostenkowski and Blago? Awesome.
• Speaking of awesome: Wired magazine has this great article called Vanished, which is based on a game they played to catch a freelance writer who purposely went off the grid.
• Chicagoan Bonnie Hunt told her staff her talk show will end this year. Damn, even cancellations are copycat in Hollywood.
• This, from Harpers today: A Chicago-area woman has amassed 1,750 pieces of Harry Potter erotic fiction.