The fish that everyone wants to go away…won’t. Asian carp popped up in the news even more broadly than in our waterways this week. more ›

Jayla Ray, a two-year-old of the 1100 block of San Francisco Avenue, died of smoke inhalation after a fire on Friday night in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, officials reported to the Chicago Tribune. more ›

It cannot be overstated how much clowns are loathed and completely off-limits around the Chicagoist office. And now a man on the West Side is giving us another reason to hate them. The man, who has been sighted driving a white or brown van with the windows broken out, has recently approached several children in areas on the West Side. The man sports, "a clown mask or white face paint with teardrops on the cheek" and has been seen in the Garfield Park neighborhood. He has also approached students near Beidler Elementary School (3151 W. Walnut St.) and Polaris Charter Academy (620 N. Sawyer Ave). Police aren't sure of the man's exact motives, but this whole thing screams Stranger Danger to us, so keep your eyes peeled, parents, and be sure to contact Harrison Area detectives with any more info. more ›

Oh man, we almost forgot about the Children's Museum debate! Luckily, Alderman Brendan Reilly wants to keep it front and center, which is why he sent the Museum a list of 24 possible places it could relocate that aren't Grant Park: more ›

We read somewhere that the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (formerly the Chicago Academy of Sciences) is one of the least visited of the Chicago museums, but it’s one of our favorite places in the city to bring our toddler. Unlike the MSI, the Notebaert’s exhibits are accessible to those under three feet tall. The taller displays have low interactive panels and those that don’t have stools nearby. And the bugs! What kid doesn’t like bugs? more ›

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it seems like it wouldn’t take much to convince people to stop by a chocolate festival. The promise of free goodies should be enough to lure any young lady, or the boy who’s trying to woo her, to swing by and sample something sinful. But the tree-hugging naturalists among us that crave a deeper connection with our food will find the 9th Annual Chocolate Festival at the Garfield Park Conservatory especially inviting. more ›

The weather forecast calls for a lot of "brass bra cold" this weekend. It won't stop people from going out and enjoying their weekend, although some serious consideration should be given to hibernating on the couch with movies, a bottle of wine, and a comforter. more ›

Chicagoist loves parenting in Chicago; we’re happy for now to give up the sprawling lawns of suburbia to enjoy all the city has to offer in the summer months. Recently, we discovered a new favorite: “Niki in the Garden,” an exhibition of sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle at the Garfield Park Conservatory. more ›

Streetwise is celebrating its 15-year anniversary this year, and they’re having a big party at the Garfield Park Conservatory with drinks and prizes and dancing. Streetwise — the newspaper that has homeless people as its vendors — is a pretty good deal at a dollar a copy. We like Streetwise, we think it feels better for all sides to get something of value in return for our dollar, and the calls of "Streetwise!" in the Loop have become part of our urban lexicon. more ›

As you listen to the heat mercifully click on again, perhaps ushered in by the tell-tale blonks and cloinks of the radiator, you might be inclined to give in to the idea that winter is already here. That, once again, the icy chill will force you to wear a jacket over your Halloween costume. We know -- sigh. more ›

If your modern/traditional/casual/Ikea home furnishings could use a little dose of culture, a new store in River North may have the answer. Guerramo Gallery (441 N. LaSalle) is the first Moroccan furniture gallery in the Midwest, and it just opened earlier this month. Owner Mohamed Guerraoui, originally from Casablanca, Morocco, has been living in the U.S. for 15 years and in Chicago for six. The store is filled with one-of-a-kind pieces handcrafted in Morocco... more ›

Karen Hanson, Author of Today's Chicago Blues more ›

This week we have a heartless gas station clerk, a creative robber, a creepy store manger, five really slow teenagers, and one unlucky gun owner. A little quiet, but what do you expect with all the tryptophan abuse? On Sunday, a gas station clerk at a Gary, IN, Citgo refused to call 911 after a woman was robbed at knifepoint while pumping gas. "Use your cell phone," the clerk told the woman. On Monday, a... more ›

Ah, road trips. Fluorescent lights and prefab office furniture are no good for anybody and our favorite cure for office blahs is a few hours on the road. With Columbus Day approaching, now’s the time when we start thinking about getting out of the office for a long weekend. Summer road trips are where it’s at for some people but it’s hard to commune with the road with the windows rolled up and the A/C... more ›

1. Auburn-Gresham 2. Austin 3. East Garfield Park 4. Humboldt Park 5. North Lawndale 6. Roseland 7. West Englewood A study released yesterday by the Urban Institute shows that more than half of the ex-cons who come back to Chicago after getting out of The Clink end up in these 7 of the city's 77 neighborhoods. Researchers say that these neighborhoods lack the resources needed to help people trying to get back into society and... more ›

This week marked the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, the only wartime deployment of nuclear weaponry, hastening Japanese surrender to the Allies and the end of World War II. The calm, measured accounts of history books can’t approach the horror that the Axis powers were inflicting upon the world and the subsequent horror of hundreds of thousands of Hiroshima and Nagasaki residents perishing in the blasts and subsequent aftermaths. The necessity of... more ›

Chicagoist is getting the munchies just thinking about this! On Sunday, Chicago police discovered 4,400 pounds of marijuana in a semi in East Garfield Park. Jose Vizcaya, 68, was backing the truck into a warehouse and Jose Lopez, 45, was guiding the truck when police showed up. Both men were charged with felony drug possession. more ›