Regular Chicagoist Photos Flickr Pool contributor Joshua Mellin (aka "the extinction blues") added a few shots he took from last night's Paul Simon concert at the Vic Theatre. Simon moves to the roomier Chicago Theatre tonight. Here's a link to Mellin's full set. more ›

Even the cops can't get enough Wilco. While our Chicagoist photographer sat in line waiting to get into Friday night's show, a CPD cruiser drove by by with the intro to "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" planking away on it's megaphone, eliciting a roar from the crowd. more ›

Chicago's a solid art town--we have a Picasso on the street, a big mirrored bean, amazing museums, etc. The only thing were missing is the Simpson's "Escalator-to-Nowhere". So expectations were high for Wall-O-Ice. more ›

Have malls always looked this crazy, Joshua Mellin? more ›

Fred Thompson officially drops out of the presidential race. [Trib] more ›

We just pissed away, oh, an hour perusing the Chicago Postcard Museum. Howdy, The City Beautiful, Hi, Hi There Toots and the Aragon are our faves. more ›

In a Sun-Times exclusive, the Bright One is citing sources that confirm that Barack Obama is the unnamed "political candidate" mentioned in the 78 page document detailing the fraud and corruption case against Tony Rezko. By now we're all aware of the questionable land deal between Obama and Rezko, as well as the $168,000 in campaign donations from Rezko over the years ($44,000 of which have been donated to charity), and their overall longtime friendship. But this latest revelation just gets a "meh" from us, despite the big story the Sun-Times is trying to make it out to be. Why the indifference? Because unlike "Public Official A", the tiny paragraph mentioning the "political candidate" doesn't indicate any wrongdoing. Although any instance of having Obama's name brought up in the same sentence as Rezko at this point can't be a positive for the campaign. In a written response to questions, the Obama camp continued to deny knowledge of any Rezko shenanigans. more ›

We like the large version even better. We know, we know, that's what she said. more ›

more ›

Illinois state legislators are at it again today, after yesterday's close-but-no-cigar attempts to resolve the transit funding crisis. The House passed a sales-tax increase plan yesterday, but it fell one vote sort in the Senate; those so-and-sos are going to give it another go today because three of them abstained (courteously?) yesterday. more ›

Who says winter is gray? Not Joshua Mellin, Mister Buckets Party Time and Joe M500 (from top). more ›

You know how's it kinda gross and crappy out? You didn't know? Well, it is. Guess what's sexy to dolphins? Carrying stuff around in their mouths. At least, that's what some scientists think; other ones not sure; yet others, attempting to cure cancer. Mayor Daley announced his pick for CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority: Lewis A. Jordan. Jordan ran the Rockford and Cook County housing authorities, and spent 20 years in management at Allstate... more ›

Today's the last day to let us know you want to be a contributor for Chicagoist! Please let us know what you'd want to cover and please oh please include a sample post so we can get a feel for your writing. E-mail chicagoistapply@gmail.com and knock our socks off. Tough to beat Joshua Mellin's title "The Bean Is Secure, Over."... more ›

As we expected, people snagged some fabulous shots of the first big snow of the season. Here are some of our favorites, by brantastic, Joshua Mellin, ankylosaur, and skwp. Two more...... more ›

Get ready for more fluffy white stuff. Our area's under a snow advisory until tomorrow, with precipitation expected this afternoon. Brace yourself for between three and six inches of snow today and tonight, plus more tomorrow. And it's time to bust out your for-real winter coat — the temperature will drop to 13 degrees tomorrow night. (Tonight should be a cozy 24. Get your cocoa/hot toddy/fancypants tea stuff ready.) Where's this weather system coming... more ›

It wasn't your imagination. There really were extra problems on Lake Shore Drive this morning, with 20 vehicles damaged and 3 people injured. Stupid potholes. Now it's even more convenient for the City to take your money! New robot kiosks now accept payments for your parking tickets, water bills and red-light tickets. An update to this morning's story about the 4-year-old who was shot and killed: her brother has been charged, as a juvenile,... more ›

But there are a bunch of cute links at the bottom as a brain cleanser. The body that washed up in Zion Wednesday has been IDed as missing kayaker Walter Doroba. The Gurnee man had been missing since October 28. A three-year-old in Kenosha shot and killed himself while apparently playing with his mother's pistol, which she kept in her nightstand. Sergio Chavez, 5, was killed when a television set fell on him in... more ›

An employee of the Cook County public defender's office was arrested today for accepting a package that contained 38 pounds of marijuana. Bad news for the proposed hospital plus helipad in Streeterville: According to two experts, the helipad is "high-risk." A building on the UIC campus was evacuated today after a biohazard alarm went off. Wonder what that sounds like. So the CTA funding bull bill that was supposed to come up for a... more ›

We're trying not to jinx it, but it looks like legislators might be solving the transit crisis, like, tomorrow. Mike Madigan agreed today to push for a Blago-backed plan that would use the State's share of the sales tax on gasoline in Cook and the five collar counties for the RTA. Even Daley's on board. Are we seeing a unicorn? Last week, Blagojevich endorsed Minority Leader Tom Cross's plan that would send around $385... more ›