Chicago psych up-and-comers Rabble Rabble, Implodes, and Killer Moon share company with some of Atlanta's mind-melting underground favorites in label Spective Audio's Vital Sound I cassette compilation, which aptly documents the surprisingly diverse sounds of the rock subgenre. more ›

• Roland Burris will be sworn in as Illinois' junior senator Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. (Chicago time) by Vice President Dick Cheney.
• Chicago's "Debonair Bandit", suspected of up to five area bank robberies, was arrested earlier today in Atlanta.
• Work on the city's Michigan Ave. Bridge began yesterday and will interrupt pedestrian traffic likely until June.

Police officially identified the body of Eric Kaminski today, announcing that the remains they uncovered in a Pilsen basement on Saturday belong the Oak Park Lawn man who had been missing since 2004. A tip led police to 2248 W. Coulter St, where cadaver dogs helped locate the body under six feet of concrete and limestone. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and police already have a suspect in custody (he was being held on unrelated charges), but motive is still not clear. [Trib, CBS 2, S-T] more ›

The "nation's report card" for public schools came out yesterday, and Chicago ranks behind other urban areas on reading and math for 4th and 8th graders. about 16 percent of the 2,400 4th graders who took the reading exam showed proficiency, compared with an average of 22 percent in cities as a whole. In math, 16 percent of Chicago pupils were proficient, compared with an average of 28 percent in other cities. About 17... more ›

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … an electric shaver? Low-rise capris? A James Michener book? Holy cripes, DUCK!!! This very well could have been the scenario yesterday in the vicinity of Midway Airport. Seems a Delta plane bound for Atlanta (or “Hotlanta,” as one of our coworkers insists on calling it) experienced a pressure abnormality soon after takeoff. Upon inspection, it was revealed that one of the bin doors holding the luggage at... more ›

The Empty Bottle, in conjunction with Britain's The Wire magazine, will host this weekend's fifth annual Adventures in Modern Music festival, a self-described "celebration of 'outsider sounds.'" The festival promises to pack 'em into the Bottle for sets by groundbreaking artists both new and historic. Daily lineups, with highlights: TONIGHT (Wednesday): White Magic, Badawi, Holy Fuck, and Graveyards & Zac Davis Drag City's White Magic is fronted by the smoky-voiced Mira Bilotte, who channels a... more ›

When you think of the nation’s top tourist destinations, family favorite Orlando, Fla., and adult playground Las Vegas, Nev., might spring to mind. But our own Windy City? Depends on who you ask…. In June, tourism officials from the city and state proclaimed that the number of domestic visitors journeying to our fair city had increased by nearly ten percent, from 40.2 million in 2005 to 44.6 million in 2006 — a significant achievement, to... more ›

Well, Creative Loafing hasn't even owned the Reader for a week, and already the Tampa-based company is leaving its mark. Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason announced Friday that the Old Gray Doorstop's going to become a traditional tabloid. In addition to moving ad and page design and some production functions of the paper to Atlanta and printing the paper to Fayetteville, N.C., Eason told Crain's Chicago Business that they're going to combine the Reader's three... more ›

The Tribune isn't the only paper to have a new owner, although that sale is still up in the air (fifth item). Yesterday the Tampa-based media company Creative Loafing purchased the Washington, DC alternative Washington City Paper and the Reader, which the City Paper also owns. So what does this mean for the future of the Old Gray Doorstop? Not much, at least immediately. Michael Miner blogs that Creative Loafing does have a reputation for... more ›

Faced with declining revenues, the Tribune plans on placing advertisements on the bottom of its front page. Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons isn't the only person charged with running a dog-fighting ring. So is 29-year-old South Holland resident Kevin Taylor. Like he needs the money: Oprah's throwing a fundraiser for Barack Obama at her California estate. Chicago Public Schools chief Arne Duncan makes his case for money from Springfield. Oak Park supports same-sex... more ›

In a trade that was surprising in its swiftness, the Cubs traded embattled catcher and "good guy" Michael Barrett (or "number 8" for those of you who don't visit Wrigley Field for the baseball) and cash to the San Diego Padres for backup catcher Rob Bowen and minor league prospect Kyler Burke. The trade closes the book on Barrett's three-plus years as a Cub, a time marked by emotional outbursts, an uncontrollable temper, suspect defensive... more ›

While we won't get into Chicago's homeless situation, we have to believe the city's vagrants are 97% responsible for the tantalizing aroma of urine that permeates our street corners and mass transit system (the other 3% is made up of drunk bar patrons). While we try to look away, we can't help but be smacked in the face by that indefinable musky pungency that carries in the cool morning air. Since apparently everyone is... more ›

Feminist Icon or Random Building? more ›

Chicagoist doesn't usually dabble in business news. Normally, we find talk of mergers and acquisitions a suitable substitute for Ambien. But we've found ourselves all wrapped up in the hoopla surrounding the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's buyout of the Chicago Board of Trade. After an October announcement of intent, the directors of the CBOT scheduled an April 4 meeting to vote on CME's $8.6 billion bid. Presuming it was a done deal, the CME was all set to rock back on its collective haunches and merge slow and steady into the CBOT's love nest. more ›

If you're anything like Chicagoist, you spent Sunday evening poring over the brackets for the NCAA Basketball Tournament. And if you're anything like Chicagoist, you'll repeat this ritual daily until your picks must be turned in for your office pool later this week. Sixty-five teams will fight for a trip to the Final Four. All have hopes and dreams, but only four teams will make it to Atlanta, and only one team will cut down... more ›

This week, Chicago welcomed the U.S. Olympic Committee's evaluation commission to town to take a look at our facilities and plans as part of our bid for the 2016 Summer Games. With the USOC having already narrowed their list to Chicago and Los Angeles, the USOC's visits to the two towns this month will help them chose which candidate city to present to the International Olympic Committee when they convene their board meeting on April... more ›

Who do we believe -- Radar Magazine or Mark Cuban? Radar reported on Wednesday that billionaire tech entrepeneur, blogger and owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team is preparing to make a $625 million bid for the Chicago Cubs. A source supposedly familiar with the situation claims, "Mark is desperate to buy the Cubs. He wants this so bad." However, Cuban's response to the Trib via email stated that the rumor was "not true." In... more ›

The Women's United Soccer Association was the first full-time women's soccer league in the world when it was founded in 2000. Franchises existed in Atlanta, Boston, Chapel Hill & Cary, NC, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Jose, and Washington D.C. After three full seasons, the WUSA suspended operations in the fall of 2003. The WUSA failed for a variety of reasons including a lack of attendance and significant television ratings, and blowing through $100... more ›

Oh those crazy marketers, what will they think of next? First causing a ruckus in Boston, where they were thought to be some sort of terrorist ploy, the LCD packages turned out to be nothing more than an "ingenious" marketing ploy by Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. And now, of course, they are causing a smaller ruckus in Chicago. In a press conference today at Navy Pier, Police Superintendent Philip Cline said the... more ›

We know that our nostalgia over the former FAO Schwarz on Michigan Avenue is probably matched by the tortured remembrances of those we dragged into the store as a chorus of terrifying little voices sang "It's a Small World After All." Even so, we maintain that the American Girl Place is 100 percent more aesthetically upsetting than any other toy store that has ever existed. That's why we have some sick, sick pleasure in hearing... more ›

It would be easy to write the obligatory piece about "the man and the dream" today. The fact of the matter is that the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is so much more than just the speech he give at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 in Washington, DC. Although he is remembered in the US as one of the leaders, if not the leader, of the civil rights movement in the 1950's... more ›

We don't know about you, but it's friggin cold out there. Well, not for some of you. It seems as though places that are supposed to be cold are warm and places that are supposed to be warm are cold. Or maybe that's just us. Either way, we're freezing. Austinist said goodbye to their co-editor (sell-out) and played rumor monger on the SXSW lineup. And when dozens of dead birds littered downtown Austin, it's... more ›

Let's call this one the "You Really Thought You Were Going to Get Away With That?" edition. This Week in Stupid would be nothing if it weren't for stupid criminals, but this week's crop seemed to take things to new levels. more ›

Ring the alarm! Beyonce's on the lookout for a whopping 40 back-up dancers, and she's coming to Chicago on her search. She searched in Atlanta and Los Angeles before stopping in her hometown of Houston, TX, on Saturday for another round. New York and Chicago are her final two stops. Thirty dancers will be chosen from each city and flown to L.A. or New York, where the final 40 will emerge. The open call for... more ›

Jay-Z was in town Saturday afternoon at the Riviera for all of 30 minutes. By Sunday morning he had completed his whirlwind tour of the country, 7 cities in 24 hours. Chicagoist suspects Jay-Z has found the least expensive way to tour the nation on a private jet, as long as the tour takes less than 24 hours, you only have to rent the jet for one day. The craziness was to announce his new... more ›

Grade school kids are still taking loads of tests beyond the ones required to graduate. Chicagoist remembers the IOWA, IGAP, ISAT….etc. Those were the days... A study of the nation’s science knowledge was recently released by the National Center for Education Statistics based on one such standardized test. more ›

Apple announced today that Chicago-based United Airlines and five other carriers will soon allow passengers to charge their iPods in-flight and watch video content on seat-back monitors. In addition to United, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM and Air France will also integrate the iPod into its in-flight systems, beginning in mid-2007. But this article in the Houston Chronicle says that Continental will likely offer the service only on “long-haul international flights” and not until late 2007.... more ›

Artist Benny Andrews died of cancer on Friday in his New York home. Andrews, who served in the air force, used his G.I. bill to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has permanent collections in the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Hirshbom Museum in Washington, D.C. more ›

Well, Lupe might not make it onstage tonight, but Isis ain't letting anything keep them at home. Apparently, due to a last-minute cancellation on the Tool tour they've been opening, they will be appearing at Beat Kitchen tonight! Opening for them are Beaten Awake and Yakuza. The mere thought of Isis' glacial sheets of metal pushing out at the walls of Beat Kitchen is enough to make us totally pee our pants with glee. If... more ›

The Chicago Bulls dramatically upgraded their franchise in terms of toughness over the holiday weekend. First, Benny the Bull was arrested at the Taste of Chicago, after riding a mini-motorcycle without a permit and then throwing a punch at a sheriff's deputy. Barry Anderson, in costume as Benny the Bull, was charged with misdemeanor battery and driving within a parkway. more ›