• Eight people were hospitalized when a city worker crashed their pick-up truck into a wedding photo shoot on the Near North Side.
• A 15-month-old toddler in Aurora died after his uncle backed over him with an SUV then fled the scene on Saturday.
• The car belonging to missing model Irma Sabanovic was found in the river near Goose Island.

Big music festivals are too often light on hip-hop and world music talent, both on the local and national level. Fortunately, there’s “Takin’ It To The Streets” to fill that void. The full-day festival, sponsored by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, takes place Saturday at Marquette Park, includes heavy-hitters like Brother Ali and Mos Def, not to mention local stalwarts like All Natural. more ›

Perhaps as a way of throwing some love back after Time Out Chicago devoted an entire issue to his hometown, Minneapolis rapper and Brother Ali recently dropped a new song, “Don’t Looked At Me, Look Around” to promote Saturday’s “Taking It To The Streets” festival at Chicago Lawn’s Marquette Park. more ›

Police have arrested a suspect in last night's horrific Marquette Park shooting that left four dead and two injured. The shooting occurred at the family's house in the 7200 block of South Mozart St, according to WGN. The suspect hasn't been named but told police he heard voices that told him to kill his family. According to the Tribune: 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 ›

Away from the confines of Chicagoist, we have something of a mutual admiration society happening with the fine fellas from B News Update, who provide a view at Bridgeport from the natives' perspective. They extended an invitation to us, and by extension to you all, to participate in their inaugural neighborhood pub quiz tomorrow (7 p.m. sharp at Bernice's Tavern, 3238 S. Halsted). It's a great way to get to know the neighborhood, almost necessary for those of you who tell us to "'F' Bridgeport," and you'll get to meet some FOC-ers ("friends of Chicagoist") in the process. Should you show up, order a bottle of Tyskie. more ›

You've seen those fights in the old western movies, where a strapping cowboy-type like John Wayne cleans some desperado's clock and the bad guy crashes through a window. Usually he tumbles onto the boardwalk just a few feet below, staying conscious long enough to hear a one-liner from The Duke. The justice is humiliating, but not all that dangerous. more ›

The Orange Line is quite possibly our favorite train line in the “L” system. Towering high above the southwest side it cuts a swath across several working-class neighborhoods before reaching its final destination at Midway Airport. Furthermore, with the right conductor you can get from downtown to Midway in twenty minutes- sometimes a ride on the Orange Line is more thrilling than a roller coaster at Great America. With dining and nightlife so focused on... more ›

Wowowowow. The weekends are filling up like crazy and our summer is already running out of control. If you're like us you're already planning into August and booking flights for Labor Day weekend and watching your summer fly by! If you, by some miracle, don't have anything for this weekend check out these local fests: more ›