Fifty years ago today a stretch of interstate over seventeen miles long opened, connecting the Loop with O'Hare Airport by cutting through the heart of the Northwest Side. The Kennedy Expressway has since become one of the busiest highways in Illinois, and one that draws the ire of motorists on an hourly basis. more ›

What at first seemed to be a bad situation getting worse for morning traffic is slowly clearing up. Yesterday afternoon, a "pavement failure" on the Kennedy Expressway prompted IDOT officials to caution motorists to avoid all downtown expressways for 24 hours. Then, this morning, Red Line service in the Loop was cut when a man fell on the tracks at the Jackson Red Line stop, forcing Red Line trains to the elevated lines. more ›

• Chicago Now's one story up has the story of a family who is facing eviction from Section 8 housing after the death of their mother.
• The Clout College hearings continued today with a pair of admissions experts expressing surprise at the elaborate nature of the system in place at the University of Illinois.
• If you haven't heard it yet, please, go listen to Sen. Roland Burris's interview this morning on WBEZ's 848. While nothing new is revealed, Burris's reactions to questions like what he thinks the impact of his not seeking the seat in 2010 on his staff will be straddle the line between hilarious and horrifying.

While we've been busy reading our Eckhart Tolle and feeling horrible about how we've treated ourselves and other people, it appears there is a movement to get Oprah to take on puppy mills. more ›

More bad news for and from the Sun-Times: business editor Dan Miller, a 2006 inductee into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame, resigned today as seven non-union employees were laid off, including editorial board members Michelle Stevens, Lloyd Sachs and Michael Gillis, and Assistant Managing Editor Avis Weathersbee. Miller wrote in an email that he thinks the Sun-Times will be sold in a matter of months. [Crain's, Trib] more ›

The liberal talk-radio network Air America Radio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this past Friday. The network, which is home to programs hosted by Al Franken and Jerry Springer, initially got its start with the help of a capital investment from Chicago-based investors Sheldon and Anita Drobny. The station has seen some trying times ever since. Despite a following of 2.4 million anti-Limbaugh listeners every week, the network and its various owners have been under a dark cloud of debt and sticky financial problems for the past two years. more ›

What Happened to the Murals? more ›

We knew a week off would recharge our batteries for this feature, but who knew meeting our word count this week would be as easy as beating a Big Ten team in the NCAA tournament? And we're not even including the poor guy who cut off his own wang. Drumroll please... more ›

So a man makes a fortune in real estate, starts his own hip-hop record label, and wants to enjoy his riches by building a castle, literally. What's wrong with that? Rudy Acosta's would-be neighbors have a big problem with his plans to build a 6,700 square foot, castle-like mansion on a vacant lot in Independence Park near Lawndale and Parkview Terrace overlooking the Kennedy Expressway. The home would feature 42-foot high turrets, including one overlooking the highway emblazoned with the coat of arms for Acosta's label, The Legion Records (danger, spinning graphics!) more ›

If you're standing in the middle of the intersection at LaSalle and Randolph trying to direct traffic, you need to command respect. If you're not a police officer yourself, you'd like to at least resemble one, and not a teenager parking cars at the United Center. more ›