About 100 Northwestern University law students, all wearing their hoods up, gathered at noon today for a moment of silence in honor of Trayvon Martin. more ›

A Chicago doctor wants to develop a clinic modeled after the Gender Management Service at Children’s Hospital Boston. more ›

While many projections had the Cats heading to lesser games like the TicketCity Bowl or Little Caesars Bowl, they will instead head to Houston for the Meineke Car Care Bowl against Texas A&M. more ›

March Madness is upon us, but before we can get to the Big Dance, we've got to play the little ones first. The Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament opens play today in Indianapolis. more ›

The Bulls improved to 21-1 when holding opponents to under 90 points. plus, Northwestern gave Ohio State all it can handle; Loyola no match for Cleveland State. more ›

Chances are good that you don't remember who spoke at your college commencement. Most graduates sit through mind-numbing speeches as they patiently await their new degrees and boatloads of debt, save the few schools each year that manage to pull down a big name (like a past president, popular celebrity or Big Bird). more ›

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. But if that's the case, why haven't we seen Tom Hanks in parachute pants lately? Tom Hanks has four children. His son Colin is an actor of some repute; another, Chet, attends Northwestern. By day, that is. By night he transforms into Chet Haze, "an up and coming MC...Born and raised on the West Side of the Westside's main city LA." more ›

Since becoming the youngest head coach in NCAA football when he took over Northwestern following Randy Walker's death in 2006, Pat Fitzgerald has helped turn the Wildcats into a legitimate Big Ten team. With three straight bowl appearances, Fitzgerald's name has surfaced in connection with a number of high profile coaching vacancies. Most recently, it's the University of Michigan who inquired about his interest in moving up. With Rich Rodriguez fired following three sub-par years in Ann Arbor, Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon apparently tried to reach out to Fitzgerald but the request to talk was declined. more ›

It was a full day of action yesterday. The Bulls and Blackhawks wrapped up their "circus trips;" Northwestern stood in the way on a Wisconsin trip to the Rose Bowl; Notre Dame resumed its rivalry with Southern Cal; and Illinois basketball is back in full swing. more ›

There was a time when newspapers would come out twice a day, sometimes even more if there was a breaking story with the paper boy shouting, “Extra, Extra.” The paper boys have long faded and so did making money with the news. But there are still daily papers and newsstands that try to sell them. In the financial district Dahyabhai Patel has been operating his stand for four years and has seen a steady decline ever since. more ›

Whenever Hollywood feels like phoning one in, retreading successful territory in the form of a sequel or a reboot are two of the safest routes. On the heels of the sacrilegious news that a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie will happen without Buffy creator Joss Whedon, we caught wind of a sequel to "Mean Girls"--sans writer Tina Fey. more ›

Wanting to create a more festive, bowl game-like atmosphere surrounding their annual meeting, Northwestern and the University of Illinois played their in-state rivalry game at Wrigley Field this year for the first time since the 1920's. The stadium last hosted a college football game when DePaul and St. Lous faced off in 1938, and last saw a gridiron of any kind across the outfield when the Bears played at Wrigley until 1970. As if the hype surrounding the game at the historic ballpark was enough, the Big Ten's surprise announcement on Friday that all offensive plays would head toward the west end zone due to safety concerns with the east end zone, grabbed national headlines for the game and added to the attention on the game. When the novelty of "losers walk" wore off and the game was over, the Illini returned to Champaign with a 48-27 win. more ›

An off-campus keg party of Northwestern Students drew the attention of Evanston police and the university's Dean of students last week when the part grew so big neighbors complained about public urination and vomiting, sexual intercourse and "hollering about blow jobs." You know, basically every college kegger ever. more ›

Purdue 20, Northwestern 17: Poor special teams play sabotaged NU's chance to match its best start in 48 years. The Wildcats actually were ahead 17-13 in the fourth quarter when Purdue defensive tackle Kawann Short blocked Stefan Demos' 41-yard field-goal attempt. The Boilermakers then drove 68 yards for the final score, with fullback Dan Dierking scoring on a 7-yard run with 3:54 remaining. NU quarterback Dan Persa passed for 305 yards in the loss. more ›

College Football more ›

Cubs Trip Up Cards more ›

The Sox take a step forward one night and then the next they take a step back. After picking up a game on the Twins on Friday, the Sox got routed by the Royals last night 8-2 and subsequently lost that game back to Minnesota. Edwin Jackson struggled on the hill for the Sox, giving up 13 hits and 6 runs to Kansas City while the Sox offense didn't produce much of anything in the way of offense, hitting only 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine men on base. Said A.J. Pierzynski, "Just one of those things. It goes up and down, and we had eight hits tonight, scored a couple of runs. We had some chances, and we just didn't get it done." The Sox hope to bounce back and get it done in the series finale today before the Twins come calling - the Sox last chance to make a run at the division - later this week (1:05 p.m., CSN). more ›

White Sox Sweep Double-Header With Red Sox more ›

• The autopsy on a Northwestern University student found dead this weekend in the University library was inconclusive. Meanwhile, the autopsy on the man who died during Bike The Drive died of natural causes.
• It looks like that oil spill in the Gulf will be continuing throughout the summer after BP's efforts to plug the hole failed.
• A nice mash-up mapping the locations and times for this year's Movies in the Parks screenings.

Get your tailgating gear ready. All that talk about a Northwestern-Illinois match-up at Wrigley? It's finally coming to fruition. The Chicago Cubs and Northwestern will announce tomorrow that the November 20th game will be played at the Friendly Confines. It'll be the first time football has been played at Wrigley in 40 years (since the Bears moved to Soldier Field). One plus: without the need for a jumbotron, hopefully the views from the rooftops will be clear unlike the kerfuffle over the 2009 NHL Winter Classic (assuming the rooftops are open). more ›

It was a bruising night for the Blackhawks as, for the second time in a week, they lost a player to a hard - and shady - hit and then lost the game, falling to the Anaheim Ducks 4-2. The Ducks struck first just over four minutes in but Brent Seabrook answered for the 'Hawks to tie the game at 1-1. Early in the second, Seabrook got knocked out of the game when former Blackhawk James Wisniewski hit Seabrook high and hard, a retaliation for a hard hit Seabrook had just put on the Ducks' Corey Perry. The Ducks took a 2-1 lead on a short-handed goal in the second only to have Marian Hossa answer early in the third to tie the game. But the Ducks caught a break when an awful no-call on what should have been interference - as Corey checked Brent Sopol from behind while a deflected puck hung in the air - led to the Ducks' go-ahead goal. The Ducks would rub salt in the wound with an empty net goal in the final minute of the game. Corey Crawford saw his first action of the season in goal, giving up three goals and making 32 saves in the losing effort. The Blackhawks will try to recollect themselves in time to face the Kings tonight (9:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

Blackhawks Lose Game, Campbell more ›

• Illinois may have managed to slip into the NCAA Tournament thanks to yesterday's 58-54 victory over No. 18 Wisconsin in the Big 10 tournament quarterfinals. Mike Tisdale led the Illini with 21 points as Illinois held off a Badger rally. With Illinois leading by 16 with less than seven minutes to go, Wisconsin managed to trim the lead to just two with 30 seconds left but Illinois hung on for the win. Next up for the Illini is No. 7 Ohio State in the semifinals (12:40 p.m., CBS).
• Northwestern's odds at reaching the NCAA Tournament took a big hit with last night's 69-61 Big 10 quarterfinal loss to No. 5 Purdue. At 20-13, the Wildcats are likely looking at an NIT invite. John Shurna had 16 and Drew Crawford scored 15 for the Wildcats.
• Notre Dame missed a last-second shot and fell to No. 6 West Virginia 53-51 in the Big East semifinals. Ben Hansbrough scored 17 for the Irish and Luke Harangody scored 10. In spite of the loss, the Irish figure to make it into the Field of 65 for next week.

The Bulls' free-fall continues and now - adding injury to insult - they may be without star Derrick Rose for a spell. The Orlando Magic had little trouble handing the Bulls their sixth-straight loss 111-82. With Luol Deng and Joakim Noah already out with injuries, Derrick Rose hurt his left wrist late in the first quarter after a collision with Orlando's Dwight Howard; he'll have an MRI on the wrist today to determine how serious the injury is. With their top three players hurt, then, James Johnson led the Bulls with 13 points, though they didn't put up much of a fight, down 65-33 at the half. The Bulls try to regroup tonight in Miami (6:30 p.m., WGN). more ›

The Bulls couldn't shake the losing bug, extending their current losing streak to four games after falling to the Dallas Mavericks 122-116. Even as they played from behind, the Bulls kept things close for most of the first half until Dallas used a 12-4 run at the end of the first half to build an 11-point halftime lead. The Mavs would keep a comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the second half despite a late Bulls attempt to battle back, cutting the lead to as little as six late in the fourth, but to no avail. Derrick Rose was a bright spot for the Bulls in the loss, scoring 34 points; Brad Miller added 17. The Bulls, having fallen to the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, try to get things going again Tuesday when Utah comes to town (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Blackhawks finally shook off the rust and, after a sluggish start, got the fire going again, scorching the Edmonton Oilers 5-2. After a scoreless first period and falling behind 2-1 in the second period (Marian Hossa opened scoring with a goal), the 'Hawks scored four straight to secure their first post-Olympics victory. Dave Bolland took a nice pass from Hossa to tie the game at 2-2. The 'Hawks then took complete control in the third period as Niklas Hjalmarsson scored his second goal of the year, Dustin Byfuglien scored on a power-play, and the 'Hawks gold medal captain Jonathan Toews got in on the scoring, too. Speaking of the gold medal, the 'Hawks also honored their six Olympians in a pregame ceremony. And, hey, here comes Olympic host Vancouver to town for the 'Hawks next game Friday night (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

• A former O'Hare security chief is speaking out about how unsecure the airport is.
• Note to Blago: they're laughing AT you, not with you.
• The Reader's Whet Moser nails the Chicago Now vs Mike Doyle feud.

It was a thrilling gold medal game as Team Canada defeated Team USA in the men's ice hockey final 3-2 in overtime. The game also had a distinct Blackhawks flavor: Jonathan Toews scored the opening goal for Canada and Duncan Keith was credited with an assist on Canada's second goal, giving them a 2-0 lead. But Team USA came back as Ryan Kesler deflected in a Patrick Kane shot for USA's first goal. Kane was credited with an assist. He'd get another assist on Zach Parise's game-tying goal with less than 25 seconds left in the third period. But it would ultimately be Canada's triumph as Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner 7:40 in to the OT period. Still, Seabrook, Duncan, and Toews will return with gold medals, Kane with a silver, and all four re-teamed and focused on one ultimate goal: the Stanley Cup. The 'Hawks, who will also be rejoined by Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky who played for Team Slovokia, get back in action tomorrow night at the New York Islanders (6 p.m., CSN). more ›

• It probably won't be enough to get them to Big Dance, but Northwestern tied a school record for wins in a season (18) by beating Iowa 74-57. John Shurna led all scorers with 29 points; Jeremy Nash also had 15.
• UIC overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to topple Green Bay 78-71, the struggling Flames second win in a row. Robo Kreps had 24 points, Zavion Neely had 18, and Jeremy Buttell had 16.
• Loyola suffered their third straight loss last night, falling to Milwaukee 63-61. Geoff McCammon had 22 points to lead the Ramblers.

• A disturbing update to last week's NIU shooting.
• A Cook County judge rejected a motion by the Chicago Teachers Union to block the closing and consolidation of a pair of local schools.
• Tammy Duckworth has ever-so-politely withdrawn her name from consideration to run for Lt. Governor.