Margaret Lyons

Photo by fishigator This is my last Extra, Extra. Sadface! Aaaaand that Budweiser ad is back to its full prominence on that roof near Wrigley. Resume business as usual. [S-T] Cat eating a sno-cone, please. [The Triumph of Bullshit] Why women in Saudi Arabia love Oprah. [NYT] "If poor... continue reading on Chicagoist

My favorite part is at 1:29. From our pals Mark Bazer and Steve Delahoyde, with the vocal stylings of Kate James.... continue reading on Chicagoist

Today, as it's been noted, is my last day as editor of this fine site, and one of my last in Chicago. This gives me license for some seriously corny self-indulgence. This past Saturday was my eight-year Chicagoversary, and if I could tell my eight-year-ago self what fantastic times lay... continue reading on Chicagoist

The Windy City Rollers take on the top-ranked Kansas City Roller Warriors this Saturday in the WCR's final home bout of the season and last bout ever at their Cicero digs. Make like a bread truck and haul buns to what is always an exciting, profoundly fun sporting event. Doors... continue reading on Chicagoist

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran says rising crime is due to Chicago's role as a "sanctuary" for illegal immigrants. He says there's only so much he can do to stop "the terror inflicted by many of these illegal aliens." And then the fun started. Curran, who wants Lake County law... continue reading on Chicagoist

We all know legal representation can be expensive. So maybe a you-scratch-my-back, I-defend-yours isn't the worst idea in the world. Unless you're DeKalb attorney Scott Robert Erwin, who accepted client payment in the form of nude dancing. Would you believe that's not cool with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary... continue reading on Chicagoist

Photo by Brantastic Highs will be climbing in to the 80s over the weekend, so even though the astronomical start of fall is Monday, we're getting summer-style weather. This stretch of sunshine can't change the fact that we've had an unusually cloudy September so far, with only 53 percent... continue reading on Chicagoist

Photo by Jeff Cagle A small, single-engine plane made an emergency landing in Bolingbrook this morning (pictured), but the pilot and the passenger were not seriously hurt. [WBBM] Chicago's first black female alderman died today. Anna Langford, who was first elected to the city council in 1971, was 90.... continue reading on Chicagoist

Photo by Viqi French We're going to be losing 83 minutes of daylight in the next month. Jeebus. We've already lost about three hours of light since the days started getting shorter at the end of June, and we'll continue our descent into darkness until this year's winter solstice,... continue reading on Chicagoist

A new study released today found that 97 percent of Illinois parents don't know the state's child safety restraint laws, and 67 percent said "most parents with a young child do not have a clear understanding of how to correctly install and/or use child safety seats." For the record, Illinois... continue reading on Chicagoist

Emil Jones caved to Barack Obama's request today and said he will call the state senate back to session to vote on the stalled ethics bill next week. Jones says that he "stand[s] by" his position that the measure can wait until November and has agreed to the session "only... continue reading on Chicagoist

Chicago police officers are making fewer arrested and taking fewer guns off the street this year, and some say it's because officers are afraid of being investigated—and don't feel supported—by the Jody Weis regime. Through the end of August, the department made 103,589 arrests (not including arrests for outstanding arrest... continue reading on Chicagoist

Mayor Daley says Monday's shooting of a city employee who was booting a car is an isolated incident, and that booters don't need to go back to working in two-person teams. Earlier this year, the Department of Revenue switched to solo missions, with employees driving van equipped with cameras rather... continue reading on Chicagoist

The acting administrator of the FAA says Chicago needs another airport, or at least a more dramatic expansion of our current two—over and above the massive O'Hare expansion already underway. "Chicago plays too vital a role as an aviation hub not to further upgrade airport capacity, [Robert Sturgell] said, adding... continue reading on Chicagoist

Who owns Chicago2016.com? Currently, MBA student Stephen Frayne Jr., who bought the domain back in 2004. But now the Chicago Olympic bid folk, whose website is currently Chicago2016.org, and the USOC are suing him, claiming the site belongs to them. "We certainly see Chicago2016.com as the logical default domain for... continue reading on Chicagoist

Photo by within(Reason) Barack Obama is urging Emil Jones to pass the state ethics bill. [S-T] Paste Magazine has launched a Chicago blog. [Paste] A 17-year-old girl was abducted from a Palos Heights sandwich shop and sexually assaulted. [S-T] Some Cubs want a newer, fancier stadium. But not Alfonso... continue reading on Chicagoist

The mesmerizing new Ting Ting's video was shot mostly in the alley/street in front of the Hideout. I was (coincidentally) there the night they were were making this, and the production staff bought everyone at the bar a round so we'd stay inside while they finished filming. Cheers! [via]... continue reading on Chicagoist

In my dreams, a Baconmobile is a little more ambitious than this. But it's a start.... continue reading on Chicagoist

Indianapolis smells bad today. There's "a stench wafting across downtown" according to the AP, with some people describing a sewer or natural gas odor. My friend in Indy said it smells "like rotten eggs," but at least one person told the Indy Star it smells like burned potatoes, which...is not... continue reading on Chicagoist

Today's Darwin award nominee: "A 30-year-old man dipped the rear tires of his BMW X5 into the Cal-Sag Channel Tuesday night to see if there was a leak. Moments later the vehicle was up to its roof in water, Worth police said." The guy was fine, so it's completely OK... continue reading on Chicagoist