A proposal for a tuition increase at the University of Illinois is on the agenda at this morning's meeting of the University's Board of Trustees. The Board is looking at raising tuition 6.9 percent for the incoming freshman class. Last year, the Board raised tuition 9.5 percent and state law requires tuition to remain the same for an incoming class for four years. more ›

Welcome to a gray and rainy midweek, readers. Looks like the clouds and the precipitation are going to stay with us through tomorrow. Today we should expect everywhere from hard thunderstorms this morning to lighter showers in the late afternoon, before we see a return of snow in the evening. The high is expected to be 47 degrees. Now ask yourselves what we did to deserve this weather. more ›

Today in "Extra Extra:" the city's most gerrymandered wards. more ›

One of the last remaining Delta Blues musicians was called home yesterday with the passing of Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, who died of a heart attack in Austin, TX. more ›

Police Internal Affairs officers are investigating the actions of police officers caught on video allowing bystanders to taunt a person in their custody in Humboldt Park. the incident came to their attention via WBEZ. Reporter Samuel Vega discovered the video on Youtube (via his facebook feed) posted by a user named "King-Dubb" on March 19. Both the video and profile have since been taken down, but Vega saved the video (embedded below) on his computer. more ›

A helpful Web 1.0-style counter at the bottom of Ebertfest.com reminds you that there's only 36 days until the 13th Annual Ebertfest (formerly the Overlooked Film Festival). A glance at the recently-released schedule verifies that it's time to make plans to be in Champaign April 27-May 1. more ›

It's been that kind of Tuesday, what with the piss drizzle outside and two particular readers continuing their neverending war of words in the comments section of a couple of posts. Plus, we're also waiting for blood test results for the Chicagoist Office Manager to make sure that she doesn't have anything worse than a urinary tract infection. So let's do a conga. more ›

Everyblock, the website that takes hyperlocal news to its block-by-block conclusion, launched a full-on redesign. Founder Adrian Holovaty explains the methods to his madness in a blog post. more ›

Want to get symbolically involved with the union battles in Wisconsin and Indiana, but don't want to leave Chicago proper? Wish you had some historical context to complement the labor struggles of today? Ever wondered what that whole "Haymarket Riot" thing was all about (not the band, btw)? Or, maybe you just wanted to indulge that steampunk curiosity you've been harboring. Either way, it appears that Haymarket Square will be the place to be on April 30th. more ›

James Cappleman and Molly Phelan, the two candidates vying to replace outgoing Ald. Helen Shiller in the 46th Ward, are meeting in a transportation-focused forum this evening that should be a good primer to the Monday forum Shiller and 44th Ward Ald. Tom Tunney are moderating between the two at Truman College. Cappleman and Phelan will discuss their plans for improving walking, biking and public transit in the 46th Ward. The forum will also propose some ideas to use alternate means of transportation make the ward safer for businesses and to reduce crime. more ›

Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin reports on a discovery of sketches for a proposed clock that, had they ever been actualized, would have graced the Carson Pirie Scott & Co. Building. more ›

The underground psychedelic resurgence in Chicago’s music scene keeps on getting stronger and stronger with each new release. Local music community, prepare to navigate the subterranean sounds of Deep Earth. more ›