In an effort to show that the Gulf Coast is "open for business," President Obama made a quick trip to the coast this weekend, accompanied by First Lady Michelle and daughter Sasha (Malia's off at camp). The Obamas hit the Florida panhandle for a mix of work, play, and photo ops as Obama met with Coast Guard and clean-up workers while also taking in some food, miniature golf, and a swim in the Gulf with Sasha. Said Obama: more ›

A trio of airplanes have been intercepted this weekend as they violated an enforced "no-fly zone" over Chicago with President Obama and the First Family in town for the holiday. The first incident happened Friday evening and the other two occurred yesterday. In all three incidents, the planes were small aircraft and were escorted out of the no-fly zone by either F-15 fighter jets or an HH-65 Dolphin Coast Guard helicopter. Confusion over the no-fly zone was initially blamed for a delay involving a Flight For Life helicopter on Friday night but a faulty phone line may have been to blame instead. U.S. Army Maj. Mike Humphreys told Fox Chicago, “In most cases, these are accidental. We just have to make sure we respond to every one because you never know when that one is going to have some ill-intentions behind it.” President Obama is marking Memorial Day at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois and the family will head back to Washington D.C. later tonight. more ›

The Obamas are coming home to Chicago for the extended Memorial Day Weekend. It'll be the second trip back home for the First Family and the fourth for the President since he took the reigns in January 2009. With the traditional Memorial Day wreath-laying coming up, Obama will observe the holiday at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood while VP Joe Biden performs wreath duties at Arlington National Cemetery. No word yet on what kind of traffic arrangements will be made but it is known that the Obamas will fly in Thursday. more ›

Last night President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama honored Mexican President Felipe Calderon and first lady Margarita Zavala at their second state dinner. Guests included actress Eva Longoria Parker, actor George Lopez, Chicago's own gold-medal winning Olympic speed skater Shani Davis, and New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. Entertainment afterwards included performances by pop singer Beyoncé and singers Rodrigo y Gabriela. And, of course, the meal was prepared by Chicago's Rick Bayless who - Twitter scandal aside - seemed to please guests with his meal of "herb green ceviche of Hawaiian Opah, Oregon Wagyu beef in Oaxacan black mole sauce, and for dessert, chocolate-cajeta tart, toasted homemade marshmallows and goat cheese ice cream with graham cracker crumble." more ›

• Once terrorism detainees are transferred to Thomson Correctional Center, the prison will also be the site of military commission trials.
• The Sun-Times suggests there's a rift between Todd Stroger and the Daleys, though Mayor Daley denied such a rift exists.
• Gov. Quinn went on the defensive over his decision to shut out WBEZ from investigating the state's juvenile prison system.

The White House today released the official portrait of the First Family. The photo was taken on September 1, 2009 by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz in the Green Room of the White House. As expected, their family portrait is waaaaaaay better than any of the ones the Chicagoist family has taken at the K-Mart portrait study over the years. more ›

According to a new book, the Obamas' marriage has had ups and downs: disagreements, career struggles, financial difficulty, and a man who was hesitant to get married. In other news, the sky is blue. The book, from Christopher Andersen, who brought us Michael Jackson Unauthorized and a slew of books about the Kennedys, wrote the book (surprise) without the Obama's cooperation. We can't wait to see this in the discount bin next month next to Blago's book. more ›

With the talk over the weekend of Rio's bid getting a thumbs up from the IOC, we wondered what President Obama thought of things. Rodrigo Arantes - perhaps a reader of sister site Rioist? - sent us these pictures of some familiar faces partying it up with pro-2016 supporters in Rio. We had no idea No Games Chicago had so much clout. more ›

Today, the First Family makes their first trip home to Chicago since President Obama was inaugurated. It's been a rough week for the President, who's dealt with the ongoing drama over the economic stimulus package and, subsequently, the withdrawal of Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) from consideration for Commerce Secretary. The Obamas will spend the long weekend in Chicago, celebrating Valentine's Day and Presidents Day, at their Hyde Park home. Meanwhile, the Obamas visit means certain flight restrictions will be in place over the weekend. While the Secret Service insists commercial flights will not be affected, small planes will be. more ›

The First Family is making their first visit to Chicago since President Obama's inauguration and the FAA is putting airspace restrictions over Chicago in place this weekend for security reasons. The temporary restriction will be in place from Friday through Monday. According to Crain's, "The center of the restricted area will be near the lakeshore on the South Side and will extend up to 30 nautical miles from that point, the FAA said. All airspace up to 18,000 feet above ground will be included in the restricted area." The request for the restriction was made by the Secret Service and the FAA promises it won't affect any commercial traffic in and out of O'Hare and Midway. more ›