We went to the parade float staging area at the Bud Billiken Parade Saturday. Here are some photos from the wait. more ›

Here's video from yesterday's Bud Billiken Parade. We'll have a gallery of parade floats tomorrow. more ›

Congressman Danny Davis penned a sometimes rambling editorial for the Chicago Defender explaining the reasons why he put an end to his mayoral campaign. The editorial starts to get to the heart of the matter once he gets past reminding readers that he was the original choice for "consensus" Black candidate and getting down to what he called "class warfare" within Chicago's African American community. more ›

Anyone who planned on heading to Soul Queen in honor of founder Helen Maybell Anglin needn't bother. The Chicago Defender reports that the venerable South Side institution closes with Ms. Anglin: the licenses she held for the restaurant were non-transferable. Daughter D-Ella Pyrzynski said, "Soul Queen was her legacy, and that is how she wants to be remembered. I guess you can say it will be buried with her." The family plans on selling the building where Soul Queen is housed. [Chicago Defender, via] more ›

• Sen. Burris' explanation for that phone call with Rob Blagojevich? It was all a ruse.
• President Obama has nominated retired Chicago investment banker Louis Susman to be ambassador to Britain.
• As if the City Council didn't have enough to worry about today, aldermen are now complaining about fees to Noelle Brennan, the federal hiring monitor who has come down hard on City Hall's hiring abuses.

Get ready for tonight's finale of with this sorta spoof, sorta recap. more ›

"At this point it is unclear why she did something like this but after talking to the teacher involved and the principal, it’s clear that the incident did in fact take place. more ›

Were the mother and son who were shot in Gary the victims of a car-jacking--or a domestic dispute? more ›

Our servers drank a big glass of bitch juice this morning, but things appear to be shaping up at this point. more ›

We love a parade. Chicago loves a parade, and today the largest parade in the United States, the 78th Annual Bud Billiken Day Parade will march through the South Side. The parade kicks off along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive at 10 a.m., and if you don’t want to weather the heat, you can watch a live broadcast on either WGN-TV or WLS-TV. Chicago Defender founder Robert S. Abbott wanted to organize the youth who... more ›

Flickr user Insomnia Jones may be new to Chicago, but one wouldn't be able to know that by looking at her photos. Although she's just starting to post photos of the city, her recent examples of street photography are wonderful, especially this gem showcasing a Chicago Defender vendor. Focus, People, Focus is a weekly photography feature that features a photograph taken by a reader of the site. If you'd like a chance to have... more ›

Although it's pretty much a given that Daley will coast to re-election at the end of next month, by no means does it mean that his time is office has been an unmitigated success. In a report card scheduled to be issued today by a coalition of interest groups and local activists called "Developing Government Accountability to the People," Daley received low grades in many areas, including economic development, transportation, education, criminal justice and ethics.... more ›

A group known as Gospel Music Capitol of the World Productions wants the City of Chicago to purchase and restore the Chicago Defender building and use it to house an International Gospel Museum. (We know this might be the pot calling the kettle black, but shouldn’t that be Gospel Music C-A-P-I-T-A-L Of The World Productions?) The release cites a recent Chicago Sun-Times article that quotes David Bahlman, president of the former Landmarks Preservation Council of... more ›

Cook County Board President John Stroger suffered a stroke yesterday, and his political future is now uncertain. He was taken to the hospital yesterday morning after complaining of feeling tired and experiencing pain in his legs. Stroger, age 76, is unable to walk, has slurred speech, and feels disoriented. He is in intensive care, but in stable condition. He shows no signs of hemorrhaging or swelling in the brain, although it is uncertain if he... more ›

Okay, so Chicagoist is buckling under the pressure and finally hopping on the biggest bandwagon yet of 2005: we're telling you about podcasts (for those not in the know, we're talking about that Web-based audio format that essentially allows anyone to self-publish a syndicated audio program via MP3 player or iPod). New podcasts have been popping up like weeds throughout the past few months, and a few of our own hometown media outlets are here... more ›