When it opened in 1965, Dixie Square Mall in Harvey was hailed as a shopping center for the future, eventually growing to hold 64 stores by 1968. But the debt load of its construction and the high crime rate in Harvey plagued the mall from the start. By the time Penneys left in 1978, Dixie Square Mall was on life support, eventually closing one year later. more ›

The alleged driver of a stolen car that struck a police officer has had charges filed against him, while the passenger in the car was released without being charged. Dante Small was charged early Saturday morning with "one count of aggravated battery to a police officer and two counts of attempted murder," according to CBS News. About a week and a half ago, a Chicago police officer was injured during a car chase in the South Side, in which a police officer was struck by a vehicle while in pursuit. CBS News reports that either the injured officer or his partner then fired shots at the runaway vehicle, which injured at least one of the suspects inside the car. The police were able to locate both of the suspects in the vehicle and arrested each suspect not long after the accident. more ›

• A City Council committee approved the $3 million settlement proposed for a woman who suffered a permanent brain injury in a crash stemming from a 2004 police chase (the car she was in was not part of the chase).
• The Tribune company has filed their bankruptcy reorganization plan but not everyone is happy about it.
• State business leaders are making a plea to keep locks on the the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal open - despite the threat of Asian Carp - for the sake of, well, business.

A car chase in L.A. last night involved a white Bentley with Illinois plates. Not much is known about the man who was driving the car other than that he was "a businessman of Pakistani origin." The man led police on a three-plus hour car chase before coming to a stop. With cruisers surrounding the car, the man shot himself in the head. Reports had the man being taken from the scene alive, but he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Rumors had swirled all night that the driver was a local DJ or even embattled R&B singer Chris Brown, but those were proven false. Zach Behrens, editor of our sister site LAist (and Evanston native!), watched the drama unfold last night. more ›

We're celebrating by making you a list of things that are awesome. more ›

There are so many cultural institutions in Chicago that it'd be easy to overlook the Alliance Française de Chicago. In addition to being located inside a really cool building, this non-profit cultural exchange organization sponsors everything from language classes to lectures and gourmet food tastings. And movie screenings too. Tomorrow as part of their Ciné-club they'll be showing Playtime, Jacques Tati's 1967 classic. more ›

Erik Larson is back, and we couldn’t be happier. His new historical fiction novel “Thunderstruck” refashions the story of murderer Hawley Crippen, while alternately telling the story of the invention of wireless communication by Guglielmo Marconi. Set in England in the early 1900’s, “Thunderstruck” follows the gruesome murder of Crippen’s flamboyant, eccentric wife and his rapid, oceanic escape with his new mistress. Through the wireless technology recently discovered, the world can follow the messages being passed from ship to ship that detail the mad chase for Crippen. One review called “Thunderstruck” the “O.J. Simpson car chase of its time.” more ›

The Sears Tower and John Hancock Building have been iconic parts of the Chicago skyline for a while now (check that logo in the corner if you don’t believe us). But thanks to an appearance on a certain album cover a while back, the Marina City Towers may be becoming the go-to Chicago structure … especially if you have to throw a car off of it. more ›

Cloud Gate a.k.a. The Bean via wood tang. See more of his Segway tour photos here. more ›

There’s very little left to be said about how batshit insane Sharon Stone has become. Luckily, there’s plenty to say about how batshit crazy the film Basic Instinct 2 was (and we use the past tense here quite purposely as it's clear its 10th place showing last weekend will have it in your local video store by the time you leave work on Friday). more ›