Did you know that, once upon a lonesome, there were 70 aldermen representing 35 wards in Chicago? That's one of the many tidbits you'll learn from a recent Better Government Association report that reopens the argument of whether we really need 50. more ›

WBEZ's Jim DeRogatis has been keeping tabs on the recent layoffs at the Department of Cultural Affairs as it prepares to consolidate with the Mayor's Office of Special Events and declares that Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lois Weisberg has been left with "a shell of a department, and raise questions about whether the city will able to present much-lauded events such as the World Music Festival, SummerDance, and Downtown Sound/New Music Mondays at the level they’ve been offered, if at all, in 2011 and beyond." more ›

23rd Ward Alderman Michael Zalewski, Mayor Daley's handpicked choice for City Council president pro-tempore, suggested that the city could save $1 million annually if City Council consolidated its 19 committee chairs. more ›

Talk about your major deals. Mars, Inc. is set to buy the Wm. Wrigley Corporation for $22 billion. The deal is being fueled by some serious seed money from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. more ›