An amendment to a bill that ironically reforms TIF practices in the state seeks to extend the Sears EDA for an additional 15 years. more ›

Stories about people walking into giant chain pet stores to steal animals are commonplace enough, we shouldn't be surprised by them anymore. And yet we are. Police responded to a theft call at a Petland store in Hoffman Estates last week. more ›

• Plainfield police have announced new developments in the Lisa Stebic case, and while they're not doling out any details, they are saying that they "shed additional light on what happened to Lisa." Stebic disappeared nearly 2 years ago.
• The Cook County Sheriff's Office is continuing their strong stand to fight prostitution -- besides suing Craigslist, they've also brought in counselors to help women quit the business and get off the streets.
• A bar in Peoria really, really wants people to know THEY ARE NOT A GAY BAR!! The gay community in the city is outraged, and have "vowed to never go back to the bar." We don't think they thought that one all the way through.

Sha na na na, sha na na na, Sears CEO Aylwin Lewis. Lewis's official last day is Saturday, but his bank account won't know the difference--he'll be collecting his $1 million salary and benefits through 2010. But that's just cause he did so well a godawful job that led to four quarters of net losses. Burn! more ›

Not a joke: A Hoffman Estates man was actually dragged by a car while defending his Christmas lawn decorations from vandals. more ›

A recent agreement between the National Lacrosse League and the Professional Lacrosse Players Association prevented a cancellation of the 2008 indoor lacrosse season. Yesterday, the Chicago Shamrox, Chicago's indoor pro lacrosse franchise, announced their 2008 schedule . The Shamrox will host seven Saturday night games and one Sunday afternoon game. They will kick off their season at home on January 5 against the Toronto Rock, and the 16-game regular season runs through April 26. They play their home games at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, and individual tickets for this season start at $15 a game. more ›

Sports fans that live way out in the burbs or fancy a weekend ride in the car might be interested to check out indoor soccer and lacrosse at the Sears Centre, in Hoffman Estates, this winter. more ›

"Das Boot" via Insomnia Jones. more ›

The Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates is quickly becoming the home of any team that wants to play there. Since its recent opening, the Sears Centre has been the home of the Major Indoor Soccer League Chicago Storm, National Lacrosse League Chicago Shamrox and even the Chicago Hounds of the United Hockey League. more ›

It’s been a harsh week, hasn’t it? First, we had to walk through a blizzard, prove our love on Valentine’s Day and then it got cold again. The rest of the week they piled work on us here at the office, and now we have to decide what tickets to buy for upcoming shows. Life is just hard sometimes. Too bad the John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae show didn’t go on sale earlier; it... more ›

Professional indoor lacrosse debuted Saturday night in front of a near-sellout crowd of 8,456 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. Two National Lacrosse League (NLL) expansion teams, the New York Titans and the Chicago Shamrox dueled it out in a match that was close until the closing minutes of the game. It did not take long for the goal scoring to start. The New York Titans christened the goals with the first NLL goal... more ›

Normally, throwing items onto the field of play in any sport will result in getting the boot. But this Sunday, when the Chicago Storm host the Detroit Ignition on Sunday, December 17th at 5pm fans will be encouraged to toss items on the field. The Storm are partnering with the Chicagoland Chapter of the Salvation Army for the 2nd Annual Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are actually encouraged to toss a teddy bear or any other... more ›

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We’re not big fans of the outdoor music sheds, but Chicagoist’s suburban upbringing is dotted with warm remembrances of the old Poplar Creek Music Theater. Soon, the tweens of the Northwest suburbs will have similar memories of sitting on the grass as they listen to major label acts they’ve overpaid for, thanks to the Prairie Creek Music Theater, which is scheduled to open next May. According to an article in the Sun-Times by Jim DeRogatis... more ›

Since the beginning of time, there have been teachers who got under the skin of the administration of their schools. Whether it's due to their freewheeling forthrightedness, as seen in the movies, or the inevitability of their departure, as seen in other, less-inspiring movies, they have always been forced against a brick wall of ludicrously strict officials. But rarely have these agitators and fascist regime-style administrations stepped off the big screen and into our lives. more ›

Starting in the fall, Chicago will add yet another pro hockey team to the area, as the Chicago Hounds join the UHL. They'll begin play in October, playing their home games at the Sears Centre -- currently under construction in suburban Hoffman Estates. Is there enough of a market to support a second minor league hockey team, in addition to the NHL's Blackhawks? Chicagoist believes there is. There are certainly a lot of hockey fans... more ›

What's even worse than stealing? When you don't steal from the dead. Or stealing from a local legend. And yet, somebody recently stole a replica of Walter Payton's Super Bowl XX championship ring from his eponymous museum in suburban Aurora recently. Not even the real thing, the ring was still valued at $3,500.00. more ›

Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States and here in Chicago. In the span of a few months, Chicago has been awarded two professional lacrosse teams. The first team, the Chicago Machine, will play traditional outdoor lacrosse as part of Major League Lacrosse (MLL). Their inaugural season begins May 20th and runs through August. The Machine will make their home at the Sports Complex of Benedictine University in Lisle. Chicago... more ›

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Police have charged Tonya Vasilev with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths-by-stabbing of her 9-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. The father arrived at the family's Hoffman Estates home around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, found his son bloody, tried to administer CPR then called 911. Police took both parents into custody for questioning. more ›

Um... wasn't Kmart in bankruptcy recently, you may be asking yourself? Chicagoist wondered that when we saw that Kmart was basically buying Sears. But have you seen what their stock's done since they came out of bankruptcy in 2003? Wow! Chicagoist wishes we'd bought some. more ›

Looks like the Chicago area will be getting a new arena to host concerts and sporting events. The city of Hoffman Estates, former home to Poplar Creek until 1994, will partner with retailer Sears and developer Ryan Cos. U.S. Inc. to build the $60 million, 11,000 seat arena. more ›