The beaches are open! But this video should remind you that beneath the water there still lurks danger... more ›

Should we really get this much snow (which we won't) we will totally be imitating this cat on the way home tonight. more ›

While we were outside dancing in the snow with each other last night, this little kitty stayed warm and cozy during a dance party of his own. more ›

While fratboys the land over used yesterday's Cinco De Mayo holiday as an excuse to drink even more cheap beer than usual and then hit on girls wearing tiny sombreros, this cat celebrated it in style. more ›

It ain't exactly Schrödinger's cat, but it's still lots of fun to watch! more ›

Inter-species relationships! Inter-species relationships! more ›

Prince recently called the internet "over." This cat may or may not agree with that but it definitely thinks RickRolling is "over." more ›

We're not exactly sure what's going on here, but we like it. more ›

We don't know what this cat's seen, but we're afraid of it. more ›

• Catching up with Chicago-area volunteers who helped with rescue efforts in Haiti.
• The investigation continues into last week's stabbing death of a trucker along the Edens.
• "The officer suffered swelling and cuts to eye along with a severe bite to the nipple."

This is one bad-ass cat ... possibly more bad-ass than our own Pickle the Kitten! more ›

Originally known as the “Rat Lady of Chicago,” Amazing Animals founder and owner Samantha Martin has been working with animals for more than 25 years. A feline specialist, she has trained some of her most talented to play music as The Acro-Cats, whose sound is akin to the Shaggs -- without vocals (but if the cats could sing, it might sound something like, "and the meow people meow, what the meow-meow people meow"). more ›

Now might be the time to adopt that dog you keep saying you're going to get. Animal shelters throughout Illinois are taking in hundreds of dogs and cats in need of new homes due to the recent flooding in nearby communities. Sally Matay, president of Illinois Animal Rescue, is receiving up to 1,000 e-mails a day from people looking for a good home for their pets as many families lost their houses or just can't financially afford them anymore. more ›

Moving forward in our quest to give you readers some options for going out on New Year's Eve so you aren't procrastinating. more ›

You know we love animal stories. But we're a tiny bit freaked out by glow-in-the-dark cats? Mah genetic manipulation! Let me show it to you! [video] more ›

We love us some Xmas movies; but frankly there are plenty of swell, non-Holiday movie events coming up as well: more ›

In a situation only slightly less disgusting and tragically hilarious than the time Dave Matthews Band's waste landed on that tour boat, mysterious "splotches" over a three block radius in Lisle may be human poop and pee. Police in the western suburb are investigating a substance that landed on and often stained roofs, lawns, streets, cars, etc. The yellow and brown stains were described as "the size of the palm of [a] hand." While there's... more ›

The sidewalks are covered in ice and the temps are sneaking down to the single digits. That's perfect weather for toting a toddler around, right? Here are three (free!) reasons to spend that extra hour bundling your kid up this weekend. Christkindlmarket is a candy-cane striped Bavarian winter village deposited into Daley Plaza. Come to gawk at the expensive, often hand-made gifts, and snack on traditional German fare. The children's lantern parade is today at... more ›

We usually wait until later in the day to post things that are awesome, but the Sun-Times says today's weather is "lifeless." Maybe everybody just needs an injection of stuff that doesn't suck. We're gaga for dinosaurs, so news of this mumified dinosaur made our nerd senses tingle. Even better? Phil Manning, a paleontologist at England's University of Manchester who is leading the examination, told Wired, "When I first saw it in the field, (I... more ›

It's all gray and misty out, and today's essentially just a waiting day until vacation time, plus people are on edge about traveling and family and blahblahblah, we know what we need to do. Brace yourself. Get ready. Gird your loins. Did you? Time for some things that are awesome! This weird old TV from the 50s! It costs $500, which puts it out of our price range, but still, the TV itself is... more ›

Here at the Chicagoist offices, several reality shows are popular among the staff, but our devotion for the majority of programs pales in comparison to our love for the crème de la crème, Project Runway. Bravo's hit show returned last night for its fourth season of designing, measuring, catwalking strutting and drama, with two Chicagoans vying for the chance to take it home at New York City Fashion Week. The first episode was the usual... more ›

Listen, we've kept mostly quiet about the daily newspapers' coverage of the online world. We love and thrive off our paper brethren. And for the most part, aside from every story about an online trend being about 13 months behind the actual trend, we think they get it right. Hell, we actually miss James Coates, since we found his computer advice to be direct, engaging, and idiot-proof. more ›

For the past couple weeks, the local sports media had been increasingly vocal on Brian Urlacher's lack of accessibility with reporters, and his lack of words when he did talk. more ›

If your weekend was anything like ours, you donned some crazy garb and drank until you blacked out, all in the name of Halloween. Some of us out there had near misses with costumed cuties, and others just wished for love in a Freddy Krueger costume. This week we scanned Craigslist for the creepiest Halloween-related Missed Connections and found that dressing up makes those posting ads a little more crazypants than usual. Behold: You’re tall,... more ›

Remember Kid Million? That sort-of loud, sort-of anthemic, sort-of sloppy band from a few years back? Remember their singer, David, um Singer? We sure do. In Kid Million, we always liked Singer's penchant for crafting a slightly quirky hook, and his sweet and slightly strained tenor. After Kid million dissolved (did they ever actually break up?) Singer went on to release a number of solo albumsunder the guise of David Singer and the Sweet Science.... more ›

Before we go to the listings, we want to bid farewell to the Tribune's Kevin Pang, who's heading over to the Tempo section. But he leaves the food beat with a profile of Peter Engler, the city's foremost expert on mother-in-law sandwiches, street food and other south side cheap eats. Shaw's Crab House concludes this year's edition of their "Royster with the Oyster" festival with their annual tent party at their Hubbard Street location tonight.... more ›

With all the Cubs hoopla going down in Chicagoland lately, it’s only natural for thoughts to turn to … cremation. At least, that’s how Eric Zorn feels today in his Trib column. Know that song “Go Cubs Go” that the Wrigley faithful sing after every victory? You should by now; a welcome change from the past two years, they actually had a winning record at home this season. Zorn spins the tale of Steve Goodman,... more ›

Have you noticed the photos and merchandise featuring a green metal soldier throughout the city? At your local 7-Eleven there are Slurpee cups featuring the same soldier carrying a flag, there is a strange red-orange new flavor of Mountain Dew called Game Fuel, there is a commercial with a elderly man talking about the great battle where "Master Chief" saved his life, and there's another where "Master Chief" seemingly comes alive in the middle of a massive diorama. There are books, comics, web "machinima," toys, and even an article in Time Magazine. This is Halo. more ›

A new ruling from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals may finally put an end to the Cavel horsemeat slaughter saga that has been on our radar for some time. On Friday, the court upheld the Illinois Horse Meat Act, effectively shutting down the DeKalb County-based slaughterhouse. The ever-prolific Richard Posner penned the 15-page opinion. In his trademark witty style, he writes, But even if no horses live longer as a result of the... more ›