This is a collection of Chicago's baby photos. See the Adler Planetarium, Navy Pier, the Northern Trust Bank Building, Harper Library, the Mandel Brothers Store and the LaSalle Hotel, then and now. more ›

Margaret Garner was paraded across the country by Wal-Mart as its first Black female general contractor to build a supercenter. She was also the contractor for the City of Chicago’s first Wal-Mart location. Six years later her company is bankrupt due to the cost overruns, Crain's reports. more ›

From reader "Strictures" comes the first definitive proof of the planned Chick-fil-A on Elston Avenue, near Home Depot. The Elston location is one of three Chick-fil-A's planned for Chicago proper. A downtown location near Michigan Avenue is in the works and the company is scouting locations for a third store. more ›

When we took our trek with City Provisions to River Valley Mushroom Ranch for a farm dinner last summer, owner Cleetus Friedman was eager to show us the plans for a modest deli he had planned for his space. more ›

It's Memorial Day weekend, the start of the traditional summer traveling season, as well as a three-day holiday weekend for lots of folks. And that also means traffic. Throw in a visit from the President, all that construction, and a new report about truck bottlenecks and you've got yourself a recipe for lots of traffic news. IDOT Communications Manager Josh Kauffman told The Expired Meter, “Plan on the whole weekend being very busy. I think it’s something that needs to be taken into consideration.” And expect traffic to start getting worse this afternoon as people head out early for an even longer weekend. Joe Collins, WBBM Newsradio 780’s traffic reporter, told the Meter, "People try to avoid Friday’s traffic by taking an extra day off and leaving Thursday." Adding to the congestion will be plenty of construction projects, including the ongoing Eisenhower resurfacing. Oh, and with it being a holiday weekend, expect a few DUI checkpoints as well as a step up in the enforcement of the state's Click It Or Ticket campaign. more ›

Ever since news broke in winter that Cork & Kerry owner Billy Guide was eyeing the former Jimbo's space near U.S. Cellular Field to open a Bridgeport outpost, we've been keeping tabs on the space, waiting for some sign of progress toward opening. With the Sox sucking like a mortal chest wound, this has taken on some added urgency. more ›

A construction accident at Jackson and Wacker - right next to the Willis Tower - killed one utility worker and injured another this afternoon. The accident occurred around 1:45 p.m. after a report of an explosion. Peoples Energy said there was no explosion but two workers were working on a gas main. Fire Media Affairs spokesman Quention Curtis said, "They were pumping air through the system when something went wrong. It blew the pipe apart and it hit them." Streets around the area were closed to traffic and several CTA buses were rerouted. more ›

The past year has been something of a nirvana for local craft beer fans, as their local options increase with the openings of Metropolitan Brewing, Half Acre Beer Company and Revolution Brewing. If all things go well, a fourth microbrewery/brewpub will be joining those ranks by late summer. more ›

• Mayor Daley said there's no reprieve coming for the impending CTA cuts.
• More developments in the Alexi Giannoulias/Broadway Bank matter. Meanwhile, opponent Cheryle Jackson has called for Giannoulias to bow out of the race.
• That new Blago indictment could be coming by next week.

We may have lost the Olympics and all the construction/repairs that come along with it, but to nurture our souls we can look to a brand new interstate! According to the Chicago Tribune, a recent study indicates a potential need for a new interstate linking Illinois and Indiana due to increasing traffic rates. The proposed interstate, dubbed The Illiana Expressway, could cut congestion significantly along with providing a surge to the region’s economy. The proposed 25 to 30 mile stretch, operating as a tollway, would connect I-57 in Will County with I-65 in Lake County, Indiana and would cost as much as $1 billion. more ›

Service on the Blue Line has been suspended until Monday between the Western/Milwaukee station and downtown’s Washington stop. Shuttles are running to move passengers until Monday at 4 a.m. when the route will open again. more ›

• Chicago Now's one story up has the story of a family who is facing eviction from Section 8 housing after the death of their mother.
• The Clout College hearings continued today with a pair of admissions experts expressing surprise at the elaborate nature of the system in place at the University of Illinois.
• If you haven't heard it yet, please, go listen to Sen. Roland Burris's interview this morning on WBEZ's 848. While nothing new is revealed, Burris's reactions to questions like what he thinks the impact of his not seeking the seat in 2010 on his staff will be straddle the line between hilarious and horrifying.

The Sears Tower will receive a $350 million face lift over the next five years to reduce its energy consumption by 80 percent. The building will also receive a new neighbor--an environmentally friendly 50-story luxury hotel, located at Jackson and Wacker. The initiative could create 3,600 new jobs and Sears Tower could become the tallest building to receive LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. more ›

Rome may not have been built in a day, but an O'Hare runway was reworked in one eight-hour, overnight shift recently. The New York-based company, Hi-Lite Markings Inc., did the remodeling work on the central 10-28 runway, called "one of the busiest runways in the world" by the Tribune, last week. The move was part of the airport's $6.6 billion modernization project and is meant to reduce the number of intersections between runways.

About 24 Hi-Lite employees used specialized equipment to shorten the runway to 9,000 feet from 13,000 feet. First they stripped paint and then applied a fresh coat.

We paid a long-overdue visit to Half Acre Beer Company Saturday at owner Gabriel Magliaro's invitation to check on the progress of their brew house at 4257 N. Lincoln Ave., and to drink some beer, including their limited edition release Baume' rye stout and the amazing, soon-to-be-released Daisy Cutter Pale Ale. more ›

Work on the CTA Red and Blue Lines is happening this week, so be sure to plan accordingly. Work on the Sheridan Red Line stop will change where passengers will board and exit trains; the work will be from Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. As for the Blue Line, trains will run on a single track between Rosemont and O'Hare from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m., starting tonight and finishing Friday morning, to continue work on eliminating slow zones. more ›

Although Monday was President-elect Barack Obama's first full day in Washington, D.C., planning and preparation for the inauguration has been going on for at least a year. Here's a preview of the work that goes into building the infrastructure for the inauguration. more ›

If at first you don't succeed, try try try try again. As we told you yesterday, the oft-delayed installation of the Trump Tower spire is finally complete. And now comes this fantastic pic of the magical moment, courtesy of reader scrapplequeen. Hooray for closure! Now about that Chicago Spire... more ›

Photo by spudart