Early Wednesday morning the juice came loose from the electric fence that stands as the last option to keep the invasive menace of Asian carp out of Lake Michigan. more ›

The round goby. This googly-eyed invasive species has been winning the war for the Great Lakes. But scientists have a new weapon to battle these foreign fish: a "seismic gun." What could go wrong? more ›

A year of weird weather continues as watery funnel clouds pop up all along Lake Michigan's western shore today. Yeah, that's right, tornadoes in the Lake. Don't believe us? Check the video. more ›

Fear not, the Army Corps of Engineers thinks it will only take "a generation or two" for a permanent Asian carp solution to swing into action on Chicago's waterways. more ›

We have been informed that within days, people all across the country will be engaging in activity that's irresponsible, dangerous, and potentially damaging to certain internal organs. Our research tells us that it's some sort of observation of, and celebration for, an ancient Christian Bishop named "Patrick" who is specifically linked with Ireland. How this relates to cheap off-color beer and mid-morning alcohol induced vomiting*, we'll never know, but we do know this: This year, you can do better. more ›

The U.S. House of Representatives have blocked a measure introduced by Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) to indefinitely shut two area shipping locks in order to block Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan. more ›

And, lo, the fight over the Asian Carp invasion continued... Five states - Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania - filed a lawsuit against the federal government today, demanding tougher restrictions and more action to prevent the spread of the destructive fish into the Great Lakes. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who spear-headed a fight over the fish that went all the way to the Supreme Court (who opted not to tackle it), said in a statement, "Asian carp will kill jobs and ruin our way of life. We cannot afford more bureaucratic delays -- every action must be taken to protect the Great Lakes." Not on the list is Indiana, who has already started their own experiment at rebuffing the fish. The ongoing carp saga has only increased as one was discovered in Lake Calumet last month and a recent fish kill in Garfield Park didn't go over as popular as hoped. more ›

Larry Bird. Blue popcorn. Asian carp. What do they have in common? more ›

This week’s discovery of a bighead carp in Lake Calumet “could be a game changer” according to Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, who was at the Shedd Aquarium on Friday to rollout some new efforts to stave off the alien fish invasion. As neighboring states continue to overflow with angst over a potential carp catastrophe, the Senator seems to be signaling a ramp up of federal anti-Asian carp efforts in light of the troubling proximity of the fish to Lake Michigan. Beyond the captured carp, environmental DNA tests have also pointed to the fishy menace in Calumet Harbor and MWRD’s Wilmette Pumping station, both beyond the electric fence that was supposed to keep the massive filter feeders out of Lake Michigan. more ›

After twice denying the state of Michigan's request to close a pair of shipping locks in Chicago-area waterways so as to prevent the alleged spread of Asian Carp into Lake Michigan, the Supreme Court of the United States has set one more date in the battle of Asian Carp: April 16. On that date, the SCOTUS will consider whether or not to grant Michigan's request to reopen a 1922 lawsuit over the creation of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, linking the Mississippi River with the Great Lakes and thereby opening a path for the Asian Carp to make their way to the Lakes. Michigan has been joined by the other Great Lakes states - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York - as well as the Canadian province of Ontario in this fight. more ›

• A 15-year-old boy was shot on his way to school at Brennemann Elementary School this morning; he was last reported in good condition.
• Counties that ban video poker could find themselves with less construction funding.
• Jacob Meister, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, has dropped out of the race and thrown his support behind Alexi Giannoulias.

First Michigan, then Ohio, now Minnesota. It's getting rough for the State of Illinois as that's three states in on a lawsuit to force the State of Illinois, the Army Corps of Engineers and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to shut the shipping locks and canals that feed into Lake Michigan to stop the potential spread of Asian Carp. According to the Trib, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed the brief today, pointing out that Minnesota has 140 miles of shoreline along Lake Superior. The SCOTUS is scheduled to consider the lawsuit on January 8. The state of Michigan has also passed a resolution calling on the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take immediate and drastic action to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. more ›

As the fight against the Asian Carp invasion continues, the State of Michigan has filed suit to force the State of Illinois, the Army Corps of Engineers and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to shut the shipping locks and canals that feed into Lake Michigan. "The Great Lakes are an irreplaceable resource," Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Michigan, said at a news conference in Detroit. "Thousands of jobs are at stake and we will not get a second chance once the carp enter Lake Michigan." Because the subject of the suit is a dispute between the states, Cox filed his suit in the Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over disputes between the states. more ›

There are several runners on staff here at Chicagoist, a few of whom have actually run some marathons. But what we've accomplished ins nothing compared to the feat completed by 30-year-old Canadian Paula Stephanson: she has completed swimming across all of the Great Lakes. She completed the 35-mile swim across Lake Michigan, from Chicago to Michigan City, last night. The undertaking began in 1996. [Sun-Times, NBC 5] more ›

When he's not busy seeking peace in the Middle East, President Obama is still doing his job back home and he's named Chicagoan Cameron Davis as his new "Great Lakes czar." Davis has an environmental background as he's the president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Per the Sun-Times: more ›

If President Obama gets his way, the Great Lakes could be in for a nice clean-up come next year. The President's 2010 budget, released in February asked for an additional $475 million in funds to clean the Lakes; if the funding were approved, it would put the yearly cost of funding for the Great Lakes at over $1 billion per year. Per the Associated Press (via WBBM): more ›

After four years of work by Great Lake states, the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday ratified a compact to protect the Great Lakes against water depletion by a vote of 390-25. The Senate approved the measure in August and President Bush has already said he would sign it. The Great Lakes contain more than 90 percent of fresh water in the United States; Ontario and Quebec have already implemented similar measures. According to the AP, "Under the agreement, countries or remote states are barred from tapping into the lakes from their natural drainage basin with rare exceptions. It also requires states to regulate their own large-scale water use and promote conservation." But all good measures aren't without their loopholes, which is why Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak (Dem.) opposed the bill: it still allows for diversion for containers smaller than 5.7 gallons (i.e., bottled water). Worried that the courts could still "declare the waters an economic commodity," Stupak said, "I do not know how any member in good conscience could vote to approve legislation that may unintentionally open the Great Lakes water to diversions." more ›

Our second annual "reader's choice" month here at "BotW" begins with a simple question from Dan Jones: more ›

Police say two sailors kidnapped a cab driver, carjacked his cab and drove it around Gurnee before setting the car on fire. Aaron Couch, 21, and Terry Gappa, 20, both face felony counts of theft of services, assault, theft of a vehicle and criminal damage to property. more ›

EPA Midwest administrator Mary Gade has been forced to resign her post. Last summer, Gade invoked emergency powers against Dow Chemical to force the company to clean up three toxic hotspots near their Midlands, Michigan headquarters. She had been fighting the company for years over dioxin-contaminated soil and sediment that extends 50 miles beyond the Midlands plant and into Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. And when tests revealed that dioxin levels in along a park in Saginaw were the highest in the nation, she ordered more dredging. Dow and the EPA had been working out a deal over the cleanup, but Gade ended those negotiations in January, saying that Dow wasn't taking the steps necessary to protect public health. Company officials appealed to Washington, and Gade was forced from her position yesterday. more ›

Who doesn't love dogs? Besides these two, we mean. Many of us here at Chicagoist have our own pups that we lavish with too much attention and expensive things to chew. There's nothing that warms our hearts after a long day at the office like the excited look and wagging tail of our canine companions. more ›

Did the president of Medill use made-up quotes in a newsletter? We...barely care. What really bugs us is journalists citing the existence of Facebook group as some kind of indicator of anything--"students and alumni joined the new 'Save Journalism at Medill' group on Facebook. On Tuesday afternoon, there were nearly 90 members ...." There are 650 fulltime students at Medill. Fewer than 90 of them . Agh, not news. [Trib] more ›

New York magazine got their hands on a copy of this year's James Beard award ballots (check it out for yourself here) and as usual, our city's restaurants are well-represented. more ›

Thousands of migratory birds died in the last few months due to Type E Botulism poisoning from Lake Michigan. Scientists don't know exactly how the birds are contracting botulism, but our theory that they ate tainted canned goods—that's the most common way to human adults contract botulinum poisoning--isn't an option, apparently. The current theory blames invasive populations of zebra mussels and round gobies. more ›

We get letters: more ›

Some things to do this weekend, and into next, as an excuse to dress in costume. Rare and fine wine auction house Hart Davis Hart is holding an auction of private collections from both coasts today from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Tru. The auction is free to attend, but anyone taking the time to head to Tru and not eat is an idiot, quite frankly. Lunch today at Tru is fixed-priced at $75.... more ›

During our six years in the Navy we can remember being away from home during the holidays but not unwanted, thanks to the volunteer families of Adopt-a-Sailor programs in the towns and countries where we found ourselves on duty. Sailors at Great Lakes Naval Station ("Naval Station Great Lakes" in military/Yoda-speak) won't have that opportunity this Thanksgiving. Recent changes in program guidelines by NSGL brass effectively shut out individual families from the Adopt-A-Sailor program. Instead,... more ›

It's making the rounds, so we feel sort of obligated to link it up, but bleh. Someone really did hang a skinned goat on the Harry Caray statue, though their curse-cursing didn't do anything. And the cops had to cut it down. Still trying to figure out what to do tonight? Local artist Brian Morris's solo show of drawings and customized toys has its opening party at Rotofugi tonight. If you like skulls and... more ›

Now that summer is doing the quick fade, certain foods and beverages that we avoided during the warm months are creeping back into our diet. They tend to taste better during cooler weather. One of those beverages is a good stout. We mean a good stout, with the viscosity of motor oil and brewed with malt so heavily roasted you'd think they burned the brewery down making the beer. We bought a couple bottles of... more ›

Here are some things in the news while we do spit takes at the ticket prices for the upcoming Van Halen tour. A $300-a-year parking permit created for realtors, home health care providers, and social workers to plug a $2.4 million hole in the city's 2007 budget only generated $15,900 in revenue. Facing increasing criticism in allowing BP to increase the amount of pollution it can discharge into Lake Michigan, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels... more ›