Looks like Blago's at it again. State legislative leaders are meeting again tomorrow to continue working on transit/casino/construction/dick-wagging, with the plan to head back to Springfield next week for--all together now--a special session. Maybe they could have a Very Special Session in which we learn about molestation or suicide or teen pregnancy. Blagojevich met with three legislative bigwigs today, but Mike Madigan wasn't one of them. Schedulig conflicts, says Madigan's camp. Never RSVPed to... more ›

First person to name the song those lyrics in the headline came from gets a no-prize. Own some of Billy Corgan. Really. It's not a good idea to e-mail a Playboy playmate via Myspace, especially when said playmate is dating the Bears' Adam Archuleta, you're from Aurora, and type in bold threatening capital letters. Some Wisconsinites have a unique take on the designated driver. What did you do on your summer vacation? (via) Give... more ›

March Madness is nearly upon us, with the conference tournaments as a little appetizer before the Big Dance begins next week. The Big Ten Tournament opened play Thursday in Indianapolis, with the 6 lowest seeds facing off to see who would advance to the quarterfinals. 9th seed Northwestern is already headed home after losing the opening game to 8th seed Penn St. 60-42. The same Wildcats team that Chicagoist witnessed take Big Ten Champ Ohio... more ›

A sign that Thanksgiving is approaching and winter's not far behind, this week marks the opening of the college basketball season. We'll focus today on the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Their season kicks off in Champaign tomorrow night when they host South Dakota State. Tomorrow, we'll look at the other Division I schools in the area, including DePaul, Northwestern, UIC and Loyola. Last year's Illini team spent most of the season ranked #1 in... more ›

Last week, the NCAA instituted a new policy that would ban schools using "hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots, nicknames or imagery" during NCAA Championships and would prevent offending schools from hosting postseason events. While broad in policy, the NCAA has squarely aimed these new rules at the 18 schools with Native American nicknames -- including the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Many have been outspoken in their opposition to the NCAA's decision, including Florida... more ›

The March towards the Arch returns to action today, including two games at the AllState Arena. In Chicago, there's really only one game -- Cinderella-story Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers vs. top-seed Illinois Fighting Illini. Who'd have thought when the Illini forsaw playing in the Chicago regional, that their opponent's campus would actually be half the distance to the arena? No matter... it'll still be a sea of orange in Rosemont. And that orange sea will be loudly... more ›

The Big Ten opened its conference schedule last night, and both Illinois teams won their league openers in commanding fashion. more ›