Former Chicago mayor Eugene Sawyer has died, following a long illness. Sawyer was 73 years old. more ›

Summer officially began yesterday, so we're gonna dedicate this edition of the Buffet to that staple of summertime in Chicago, the block party. Being born and raised in Chicago, we've certainly seen the evolution of the block party from something that brings neighbors together to, well, the monstrosities some of them are today. However, even in this day and age they're great ways to explore the city's neighborhoods, after you finish haranguing with the festivals' gatekeepers on the meaning of the word "donation." Here we go. more ›

Yesterday was a big day on LaSalle Street. Those nine ragamuffins that took out sitting aldermen were sworn in Monday, making them officially part of the establishment. In his sixth inaugural address, Daley tried to draw a line in the sand with the new aldermen, urging them to come over to his side and "work together", and reminded them that "the people of our city expect their leaders to continue working together. They want action... more ›

Before a certain sports team and its star player made international headlines, most outsiders associated Chicago with tales of mythic gangland figures like Al Capone or Terrible Johnny Torrio. Chicagoist saw proof of this many years ago on a family vacation to San Francisco when we encountered a street performer dressed as a clown. While making a balloon animal, the clown asked us where we were from. When we said Chicago, he said “Oh? Gangsters,... more ›

Chicagoist was walking down LaSalle Street at Madison at about twenty to two when a fleet of fire trucks came flying down the street. Their destination? 135 S. LaSalle, the LaSalle Bank Building. It was only eight days ago that this same address experienced a significant fire on the 29th and 30th floors. The Chicago Fire Department responded en masse, with no fewer than four pump trucks, five ladder trucks, and a battalion chief. more ›

It might be worth shelling out for Tribunes this week. They have an in-depth feature on the Loop, and we think it might be losing a little something online. Plus you get to have newspaper smell all up in your face. Today's installment in the “Unauthorized Loop” is a history lesson, and, if the rest of this week is as slow as today, we’ll recap the daily updates the rest of this week. Definitely... more ›