Metropulse Chicago, a joint effort of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Chicago Community Trust that serves as the lynch pin for their Regional Indicators Project, launched today. Metropulse intends to serve as an open source portal for media, government officials and concerned citizens interested in tracking the regional quality of life of the greater Chicago area. more ›

Have you ever wondered what the 16th President of the United States was doing on your birthday, 150 years ago? Finally, fans of Abraham Lincoln will be able to figure out what the famous president did throughout his life without having to dig through dusty historical archives. Thanks to a new searchable online database run by lovable nerds at UIUC, the database is based on a book that was published in cooperation by the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission and by the Abraham Lincoln Association, titled Lincoln Day-by-Day: A Chronology. more ›

Shoppers at Green City Market may know Kate Gross as one of the folks selling arugula, cavolo nero and other heirloom greens and produce at the Kinnikinnick Farm booth. Gross is also an accomplished photographer; her photos of local farms seem to almost jump off the screen in their color and vibrancy. more ›

Gov. Quinn signed into law Saturday two new pieces of legislation aimed at making it easier for low income families and schools to obtain local food. The Farmers' Market Technology Improvement Act will help facilitate farmers markets and alternative models of distribution such as roadside farm stands, mobile farmers markets, farm-fresh food kiosks, home delivery, and urban farm stands across Illinois to accept food stamp benefits disbursed under the Illinois LINK program. The Farm-to-School database will be a database created by the Illinois Department of Agriculture which will connect local farmers with school districts looking to add fresh produce to their school lunch programs. more ›

POST Pilsen will be holding its newly-founded monthly craft fair tomorrow, featuring handmade goods by 30 local vendors. The quaint art gallery, located just west of the Chicago Arts District in East Pilsen, will be selling a variety of merchandise, from homemade hot sauce to Bea Arthur note cards to handmade jewelry. The market will be open between 1 and 7pm, offering free food and drinks to guests. more ›

The Illinois Secretary of State's office has created a secure database into which you can enter emergency contact information which is then tied to your driver's license, permit, or identification card. Read more about the program here, FAQs here, and sign up here. We checked out the form - looks simple enough! You can list up to 2 contacts and add, change, or delete names at any time by going to the website. The SOS makes sure you know that it is not responsible for inaccurate or outdated information. So if you list your wife and then get a nasty divorce, don't be shocked if she doesn't tell the rest of the family you're in a coma, wasting away somewhere. (Thanks to Sean for the tip!) more ›

It sure doesn't feel like the last days of summer here in Chicago, but hey, at least the sun is shining to remind us what summer could have been. Brazilian electronic duo Database have teamed up with Milwaukee/NYC digital crooners French Horn Rebellion on an EP titled Beaches and Friends that summarizes the spirit of the summer with glittering beats and sing along choruses. The two acts face off against each other this Wednesday night at Sonotheque. more ›

In the wake of the Burr Oak Cemetery discovery, the Cook County Sheriff's office took to documenting all the graves with headstones to aid families searching for the resting place of their loved ones. So far 9,500 of the headstones have been documented and now the Trib is joining in, using the data to create a database with a few more user-friendly search options, including breaking the headstones down by decade. It's definitely worth a look. And in other Burr Oak news today, the Trib uncovered a 2005 police report that shows police saw human bones in plain sight at the cemetery but didn't explore the incident any further. more ›

We were excited to learn that EveryBlock co-founder Daniel X. O'Neil was working with Harper Reed of Threadless fame to develop a new online gadget - but it's not the hyper-local t-shirt you might immediately presume (pretty please?). Instead, the pair produced a new city government transparency toy: CityPayments. And it's likely to be all the rage among us reporters as it gathers momentum. But what does it do? And why do we care? more ›