If you’ve spent any time walking around the South Side, you probably recognize some of William (Bill) Walker’s murals, if not his name. Walker, who died last month at age 84, will be honored tomorrow in a memorial service at the South Side Community Arts Center. more ›

President Obama dug deep into his considerable oratorical skills at last night's memorial service for the dead and wounded at last weekend's shooting in Arizona. It was a passionate speech from a man not necessarily known for sentimentality. In Obama's delivery and willingness to be the adult in the room after a week's worth of news cycle chatter about whether rhetoric was to blame for the shooting, the speech reminded us of Obama's 2008 Philadelphia speech on race. As with that speech, last night's address was the right speech at the right time and may go down as a defining moment for Obama, in that he was speaking not only as President, but a husband and father. more ›

Funeral services for Chicago firefighter Corey Ankum, who was killed along with Edward Stringer fighting a blaze on the South side last week, drew 3,000 family, firefighters and dignitaries today to Apostolic Church of God on the South Side. more ›

Gary, Indiana mayor Rudy Clay has announced that Michael Jackson's hometown will hold a memorial service for the dead pop star on July 10. The service will be held at the baseball stadium Jackson visited on his last visit home in 2003, The Steel Yard; the stadium holds around 6,000 people. Never one to turn down a chance to talk in front of cameras, Clay has also called for Jackson to be buried in Gary and seems to have designs on turning Gary into something of a "mecca" for Jackson fans. We don't think the Jackson family home has quite the same appeal as Graceland, though. [WBBM] more ›

Hundreds of mourners gathered yesterday for a public memorial honoring Jennifer Hudson's slain family members: her mother Darnell Hudson Donerson, brother Jason Hudson, and nephew Julian King. The public service followed a private service attended by extended family and close friends at Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist Church in Hyde Park. Afterwards, members of the public were able to file through the church signing sympathy cards and viewing images of the victims. Friends, coworkers, and classmates shared stories about the victims and remembered them with jokes and stories. Cousin Shari Sweat said of Donerson, "She taught me how to shake a tail feather. She had a soft voice, but you should not let that fool you. She was a great debater." Julian's teacher Carmen Williams told mourners, "When Julian raised his hand in class, he had that enthusiastic look in his eye. And he always, always had the right answer." more ›