Answer quickly... who was the last Cubs pitcher to win 20 games? more ›

On Wednesday, the Illinois House Committee on Mass Transit approved legislation that would enable the RTA to fund the CTA, Metra and Pace and prevent service cuts and fare hikes across the board. The Illinois House Committee on Mass Transit approved a transit funding and reform proposal by a 15-4 vote. The House is expected to convene to vote on the proposal next week. This bill comes after the RTA announced that a "doomsday" scenario... more ›

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a... more ›

The summer sun has rejuvenated the DDaN column, so we're clocking back with our thoughts on a few of the week's notable concerts. Tonight, if you didn't get invited to see Fall Out Boy, and you're not heading to Liar's Club to listen to (and to buy) the new Queens Of the Stone Age at midnight, might we recommend checking out The Hourly Radio at The Note? If you dig Placebo, and you haven't yet... more ›

Rats are nasty. Chicagoist wouldn’t want our cat to tangle with one. We’ve all seen those scary “Target: Rats!” posters up in nearly all of the alleys in Chicago. We’re not really sure what the city does when they target rats, but we don’t really want to know. The town of Cicero will spend $8.43 per person this year on rat eradication in comparison to Chicago’s $3.32 a person, and part of their plan this... more ›

Let's you and us take a stroll down memory lane for a moment. Don't worry, we're not going far; just a few months back, in fact. If memory serves correctly (and that's a crapshoot), the City of Chicago got itself into a bit of a flap during the holiday season over a Christian-heavy movie trailer. Some people were rather surprised, seeing as Daley Plaza calls itself home to the Christkindlmarket, which we take to have... more ›

Along with its manual scoreboard, one of Wrigley Field's signature elements is the brick- and ivy-covered outfield wall — alone in an era where most home runs clear walls of padded vinyl, printed with advertising. The idyllic green backdrop of Wrigley's outfield will be at least partially altered, as ads will now grace the doors in the outfield wall that the grounds crew uses. On Wednesday, the Cubs announced a deal with Under Armour that... more ›

On Wednesday it was discovered that an Orland Park firefighter was arrested for felony theft for falsely claiming he was fighting for the military in Iraq. Lawrence Masa was actually working for a private security firm in Iraq and was being paid quite well. During this time Masa made approximately $190,000 as a firefighter and $200,000 as a private security worker. Yesterday, Steven Slawinski, a Lemont Firefighter, was accused of the same crime. Slawinski, a... more ›

Every once in a while an opportunity presents itself that we must hoist upon you from way up high at the Chicagoist offices, an opportunity not to be missed. more ›

It’s been a tough week for Dennis Hastert, and Chicagoist wants to do our part to help him out. That’s why we’re dedicating this installment of This Week in Stupid to the Speaker. Hopefully these tales of stupid from his home state will help him find a way out of this mess. Or not. more ›

Well, you still can’t take your chapstick on a plane, but the government is showing a little mercy to the guy who told authorities he had a bomb so his mom wouldn’t find out he was carrying a penis pump. Mardin Amin, his mother and his two children were on their way to Iraq when the incident occured. more ›

With the five-year anniversary on Monday, firefighters from Illinois and Wisconsin are riding to New York to honor the victims of the Sept. 11 atacks. On Wednesday at 9:11 a.m., the ride - organized by firefighter Tom Maloney - commenced, CBS reported. more ›

Last week the Polka King, Walter "Li'l Wally" Jagiello, passed away in Miami. Li'l Wally is known for reviving the true sounds of polka with his slower tempo reminiscent of the Eastern European sound. He was the first musician inducted into Chicago's Polka Hall of Fame and his album Polish Feelings was nominated for a Grammy in 1985. more ›

Look out Metromix, the Sun-Times is getting into the entertainment Web site game. On Wednesday, the Bright One announced its purchase of CenterstageChicago.com for an undisclosed price. Unlike Metromix, which was developed by the Tribune and launched in 1997, CenterstageChicago has operated on its own for a decade. The site was founded by four Northwestern grads and has expanded its features and coverage over the years. Obviously, the Sun-Times wants a piece of the online... more ›

It seems the corporate giants are battling it out in the new product zone. If McDonald’s is gonna get in on the premium coffee game, then Starbucks is gonna take on the breakfast sandwich game. But Starbucks says it's not trying to compete with the McMuffin, but rather keep up with the “Starbucks experience,” (whatever that is). more ›

Ever had one of those mornings when the commute to the office is just torture? You’re crammed in a train car with what has to be 100 other people, the guy next to you forgot to brush his teeth (Christ, did he eat a can of sardines for breakfast?), and you’re desperately hoping that whatever keeps rubbing up against you is someone’s purse because you can’t quite turn around, but please oh please, let it be someone’s purse. That’s not just us, right? Right? more ›

The news was a little light on stupidity this week, but we were still able to find a few gems: On Wednesday, two men tried to rob two others sitting in a parked car in the South Shore area, but ended up getting shot. Turns out the intended victims were undercover cops on a stakeout. On Thursday, a fired employee of the Loop Old Navy store had to be taken in handcuffs after she showed... more ›

more ›

more ›

Ringing in the New Year with a half ton of weed, a semi full of chickens, stun guns, and a woman back from the dead. And of course, no New Year's would be complete without a few people lettin' off shots: On Tuesday, police confiscated over 1,000 pounds of marijuana from a garage on the southwest side. People, when are you going to get it through your thick skulls that hanging on to this much... more ›

Sherry Craigie-Curtis relocated to Decatur last week because HurTrina threatened her house in suburban New Orleans. Unfortunately during the hustle and bustle to get out she didn't ">think to grab her wedding ring. On Tuesday Craigie-Curtis mentioned this during an interview that ran that night on Decatur's own WAND-TV. On Wednesday morning someone called the Mid-Illinois Chapter of the American Red Cross citing the interview and asking for details about the ring (and for Craigie-Curtis'... more ›

Since we left college, Chicagoist has spent a limited amount of time in court proceedings. The ones we have witnessed have been a lot like pro basketball games: lots of tedium with a few minutes of excitement at the end. So we imagine Sun-Times federal court reporter Natasha Korecki must feel like she hit the jackpot in covering the trial of self-styled “freedom fighter” Aaron Patterson. Patterson, pardoned in 2003 for double murder by then-governor... more ›

Fans of Marshall Field’s might want to get their shopping done this weekend as there’s no telling how much longer the name will remain. On Wednesday, shareholders of Federated Stores, Inc. voted to approve the takeover of May Co., parent of Marshall Field’s stores. We’ve been following this story but we weren’t too concerned that anyone would think changing a 124 year-old Chicago institution would be a smart idea. But comments by Federated’s CEO Terry... more ›

We think it could be an interesting case, especially because it seems that it may be difficult for Calabrese to prove that the Trib published the photo maliciously, with reckless disregard for the truth, as the correction is now ALL OVER the news. more ›

On Wednesday the Illinois House passed bill HB4023 or as we've decided to call it, "Blago's Baby". The bill would ban the sale of violent or sexually explicit video games to minors and violations could result in up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $5,0000. How one defines "violent" or "sexually explicit" and whether or not violent video games actually encourage violent behavior in minors are the core of the... more ›

State legislators from both parties think that the state Lottery is something that can be used to help combat breast cancer. On Wednesday, they proposed creating a new Lottery game, called "Ticket for the Cure," to raise over $3 million for breast cancer prevention and treatment programs. more ›

So, um, remember when Chicagoist told you all to applaud Peoria for ranking among the country’s most well-mannered cities? Well, perhaps we should have asked you to make your fingers look like a gun and make a “bang bang” noise, instead, as two events this week are threatening to send that city’s reputation spiraling into an area where polite folks just simply don’t tread. On Wednesday, Chicagoist told you all about shots being fired at a Peoria’s Woodruff High School, and now this: authorities are reporting that a Peoria man – Larry D. Bright, 38 – may have killed as many as eight area women over the past year and a half. That is certainly not a demonstration of good manners. more ›

On Wednesday South Side Democratic U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (that's him on the right, with Isaac Hayes) made some hay out of the recent Chicago minority contract scandals, and pointed his finger in the direction of Mayor Richard M. Daley. It's largely thought that Jesse Junior wants to run for mayor in 2007, and these statements, as well as a few other rumbles from Jackson last year are all a preliminary to announcing his candidacy. more ›

Best know for designing major civic projects such as Chicago's Millennium Park; Bilbao, Spain's Guggenheim Museum and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, a suburban library seems like an odd project for perhaps the world's best known living architect. more ›