Results tagged “innovember”

In November we took a look at La-Van Hawkins, a Chicago-born restaurateur who made a fortune in fast food franchises. Hawkins was planning on opening a slew of Nancy's Pizza and Al's Italian Beef franchises on the South Side even as he was waiting to be sentenced to 33 months in prison on corruption charges.

It's not just your friends from college: Lake Michigan is getting shallower, too. It's approaching record lows, and its water levels have been dropping since 1997.

McDonald's recently added a Third Pounder Burger to their menu here in Chicago. The new burger is a third of pound (duh) of Angus beef topped with restaurant-choice toppings such as bacon or mushrooms and, as always, cheese. Southern California was the first test market for the burgers, and Chicago is serving as the second. Should they catch on, expect an increase in arterial clogs throughout the country. McDonald's joins Burger King with the Angus...

Much has been made about this being the year of change here in Chicago. In November Democrats took control of Congress, harnessing voter dissatisfaction and promising change. And while the main attractions on the reform ticket, Tony Peraica and Jesse Jackson Jr either lost or decided not to run, many pundits are predicting that as much as 30% of the City Council could change in late February. It seems that some candidates believe in miracles,...

In November we sniffed-out and alerted you to a case (ruled one of the most important of this session by the Chicago Tribune) accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court. The crux of the case was whether a dog sniffing a car during a routine traffic stop, where there is no suspicion of criminal activity (), is an unreasonable search and seizure and violates the Fourth Amendment. The Supreme Court released their 6-2 decision today saying it is not and does not.

If movies about time travel with overweight angels don't convince you that Christmas miracles do occur, try this heart-warming story about "Tess" the cancerous K-9. It didn't convince us either. Tess is a 7-year-old German shepard and a former member of the DuPage County Sheriff's Police Department's K-9 unit. In November Tess was asked to leave the unit after the sheriff learned she'd been diagnosed with kidney cancer. Tess sniffed out human remains for the...

Cicero, Illinois, located just west of Chicago, right by I-290, is a generally well-swept town of about 85,000 with a storied history. Once known as the "Italian suburb", Once a center of Al Capone's activities, Cicero to this day has rumored ties to "The Outfit". In recent years the demographics have changed somewhat, with second-generation Mexicans replacing Italians. But the nature of Cicero politics remains somewhat murky -- and this year there's been plenty to ponder.

Here's some information on the race for Illinois' 4th congressional district. Incumbent Democrat Luis V. Gutierrez has held the seat for 12 years and looking at his competition, Republican Tony Cisneros and Libertarian Jake Witmer, he'll serve at least another two. Witmer is a classic Libertarian (everyone should own guns, the government is a thief, etc), but his rhetoric reeks a bit like Keyes'. He says our current drug policy "...makes us a society of...

Oak Park native Bob Newhart will be honored by TV Land and the City of Chicago with a life-sized sculpture commemorating his role as Dr. Robert Hartley from The Bob Newhart Show. The bronze sculpture will be located on the sidewalk at 430 N. Michigan (right next to Chicagoist's office!), the very building that is seen in the opening credits of the show, and will be unveiled next Tuesday. Newhart is expected to be on hand for the statue dedication event. In November, the statue will settle permanently at Navy Pier.