A University of Illinois professor has once again nominated incarcerated ex-Gov. George Ryan for a Nobel Peace Prize. STL Today reports that International law professor Francis A. Boyle nominated our former Governor for a fifth consecutive year for the prize for his moratorium on executions in Illinois. Ryan's moratorium laid the way for the current legislation passed to abolish the death penalty in this state altogether, a bill that still awaits Gov. Quinn's signature. more ›

Moving forward with our own observance of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King today, we bring you his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech from 1964, one of our favorite speeches of Dr. King's. more ›

President Obama was in Olso, Norway today to receive his controversial Nobel Peace Prize. When the award was announced in October, critics claimed it was "too soon" for Obama to be receiving the award but the Nobel Committee defended the award. Today, as Obama received the award, it was a different criticism directed by some at Obama: his decision to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan. Obama acknowledged these controversies in his speech (full video will be added after the jump as soon as it becomes available). First, on the topic of his selection: more ›

If you thought Obama's receiving this year's Nobel Peace Prize was jumping the gun, get ready for more looking ahead. The University of Chicago is already taking the first steps to try to secure the eventual Obama Presidential Library. Bloomberg reports that U of C officials have already asked the White House about plans but have been rebuffed with the reasoning being, "too soon." University of Chicago president Robert J. Zimmer told Bloomberg, “We are trying to understand the situation as best we can now. Until the president really wants to talk about it, has some kind of direction that he’s thinking about, we really feel more specific questions are premature.” Meanwhile, U of C spokesman Steven Kloehn said, “I know of no contacts on that topic." more ›

After days of "WTF, Oslo?" resounding around the country and across the globe, the five judges of the Nobel jury have responded in a rare defense of their decision to award the Peace Prize to President Obama. They have flipped the international community the bird and basically said "We did it, we stand by it, deal with it." In this piece from the Chicago Tribune, committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland stated that "Alfred Nobel wrote that the prize should go to the person who has contributed most to the development of peace in the previous year...Who has done more for that than Barack Obama?" more ›

President Obama held a news conference this morning to address his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Perhaps sensing the criticisms of the far right and skepticism of some of his supporters to being awarded the honor, Obama said he was "surprised and deeply humbled" at winning the Nobel, questioned whether he even deserved the honor and said that he doesn't view the Nobel as 'recognition of (his) own accomplishments." more ›

President Obama became the third sitting President to win the Nobel Prize for Peace. Obama was awarded the honor for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." more ›

Okay, now we've heard everything. In the wake of his failure to get his sentence commuted by outgoing President Bush, former (and jailed) governor George Ryan has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by University of Illinois professor Francis A. Boyle. Boyle is a professor of International Law and Human Rights and this isn't the first time Boyle has nominated Ryan; it's the sixth. Boyle has been trying to get Ryan's work on ending the death penalty rewarded. Here's guessing Ryan goes unrewarded once more. more ›

Yesterday the George Ryan defense team announced it would wind up its part in his corruption trial without testimony from Ryan or his co-defendant, Larry Warner. Chicagoist is very sad. We really wanted to hear Ryan talk about his “manageable wads.” more ›

James Frey discovered the glare of the Oprah’s Book Club spotlight isn’t always wine and roses. But Elie Wiesel and his haunting memoir Night, which Oprah selected for the next Book Club reading, isn’t likely to see the same fate. Wiesel's chilling account of life in a Nazi concentration camp and subsequent aftermath has stood up to 50 years of scrutiny. And anyone who suggests the Nobel Peace Prize winner embellished his story risks becoming... more ›

If all the Harry Potter screenings tonight are already sold-out, how about a nice socially relevant documentary instead? Chicagoist knows what you�re thinking: a hard-hitting expose about the death penalty in Illinois probably won�t be as much fun as watching attractive tweens perform magic. But Deadline, screening this week at the Gene Siskel Film Center, tells an important story, one oft-repeated by the Trib: how the research of some diligent Northwestern students stopped our state from (whoops!) executing innocent people. As an exciting added bonus, �filmmakers and participants� are promised �in person everyday,� so expect there to be someone to answer your questions when the lights come up. Also, former governor George Ryan � a Nobel Peace Prize nominee for his work on this issue, not for truckers� licenses � will be in attendance tonight, while legal author Scott Turow � fresh off of being ranked third in New City�s list of local literary giants � will make an appearance June 7. more ›