After a brief jaunt out west, Chicagoist is back at the homestead, making camp here on the prairie that is sweet home Chicago. But just because we took a long weekend doesn't mean that our elected officials did. Here's a look back at what's been newsworthy so far this week: Illinois junior senator Barack Obama has a huge lead — in MySpace friends! Outpacing Hillary Clinton's "friends" by some 20,000, he's clearly in the lead,... more ›

The debate over the possible locations for the new Children's Museum site flared up at a meeting of the Grant Park Advisory Council. That is to say, of course, that there was some continued opposition to the idea of it even moving to Grant Park. more ›

As if 130 bands, overpriced food, kids’ shows, an art exhibit, and people watching weren’t enough, Lollapalooza 2006 will serve up afternoons of interactive entertainment on the Mindfield Stage. Good to see three local comedy offerings on the bill but, with all due respect, they’re pretty much the opening act everyone’s sitting through to get to the headliner. To any of our readers coughing up $60 or more just to see Chicago comedy in Grant... more ›

We admit: The time that Alderman Burt Natarus said that there should be a speed limit for tour boats on the Chicago River because when he is in his kayak they nearly tip him over with their wake, we laughed. In fact, we probably would pay good money to see a lot of he and his fellow alderpeople's antics. But we were flabbergasted and just plain pissed off when we heard those fat cats were... more ›

In a city as big as Chicago, you can’t expect all the various aldermen and city departments to be in close contact with each other. Still, you’d think that the folks at the Department of Aviation might have wanted to give a heads-up to Alderman Natarus’s office before they released information on their holiday music program at O’Hare. more ›

Through adroit parlementary manuvers, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance today that would ban drivers from using cell phones without a hands free device. Chicagoist has learned that the ordinance will be enacted this July, and first time offenders will be fined $50, with repeat offenders subject to fines of up to $200 with each offense. The ordinance does not apply to people in parked cars, people calling 911, or law enforcement officials. Alderman... more ›

You know that really pretty church across the street from the John Hancock Building? Yeah, that one. Well, the folks who belong to the Fourth Presbyterian Church voted 611-173 yesterday to approve sale of land behind the church for the construction of a 64-story condominium. In return the church gets $25 million, and use of the first six floors for various church outreach programs. Chicagoist first brought this story to you two weeks ago, and since then neighborhood groups surrounding Fourth Pres. have started to heat up. more ›