Two Chicago Police officers have been reprimanded for an incident in Pittsburgh in September in which the officers forced an arrested college student to kneel and pose for a photo with them. The Chicago officers were on loan to help provide security for the G20 summit. According to CBS 2, the reprimands were given to "a department chief and commander" and details of the reprimand were not released. more ›

Over a dozen Chicago police officers on loan to Pittsburgh for last month's G-20 Summit are being accused of forcing a handcuffed suspect to kneel on the ground in front of them while they took a group photograph, reports Chicago Breaking News. more ›

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Jim Dooley, the coach who took the reigns from Bears and NFL founder George Halas, passed away on Tuesday at 77. more ›

In a day packed with college football bowl games, the coolest televised sporting event on New Year's Day had to be watching the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins play an NHL game outside in Buffalo, in front of over 71,000 fans. It brought the game back to its roots, played outside on frozen ponds and lakes throughout the Midwest and Canada. Now imagine that same game outside, only featuring two of the NHL's "Original Six." With the Black Hawks roaring back from the brink of irrelevance in the months after Bill Wirtz's passing, playing hockey in a sold-out Soldier Field, for example, would be the capper on an impressive resurrection. more ›

For the past couple weeks, the local sports media had been increasingly vocal on Brian Urlacher's lack of accessibility with reporters, and his lack of words when he did talk. more ›

Google's controversial Street View feature is officially live for the Windy City, igniting renewed concerns about privacy. It's also rolling out in Pittsburgh, Philly, Portland, Phoenix and Tucson today. Privacy has been an issue since Street View launched last spring, though not so much a legal question as a personal one. Google captures the images by having a van with cameras on top of it cruise around; technically, that's no different than standing on... more ›

With barely two weeks to go in the regular season, the Cubs remain in the thick of the playoff hunt and regained sole possession of first place on Thursday by beating the Houston Astros 6-2 on the strength of a four run first inning and four total home runs. The victory gives them a half game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers, who were idle on Thursday. more ›

The NBA's annual draft took place Thursday night, and the Bulls added three new faces to the roster. With the ninth pick--which the Bulls had via the Knicks due to the Eddy Curry trade--they selected Joakim Noah from Florida. If nothing else, he certainly made the biggest fashion statement of the night with his seersucker suit, bow tie and crazy hair. Picking Noah was certainly consistent with GM John Paxson's style of going after players... more ›

We know this is blasphemous and all, but we've gotten a little tired of hearing about global warming lately. Each passing day bombards us with another article about switching incandescent lightbulbs for the ones laced with mercury that can be disposed of as easily as, say, batteries, another "green issue" of Jane or Bop or whatever and another quote about the dire situation from a presidential candidate, we're terribly sorry, probably don't even recycle. That's... more ›

It sure doesn't surprise Chicagoist that someone who's known more for his infatuation with the Cubs than anything would suffer from heart issues. The years of utter disappointment punctuated with heartbreaking collapse -- 1969, 1984, 2003 -- have to take their toll physically. more ›

Who do we believe -- Radar Magazine or Mark Cuban? Radar reported on Wednesday that billionaire tech entrepeneur, blogger and owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team is preparing to make a $625 million bid for the Chicago Cubs. A source supposedly familiar with the situation claims, "Mark is desperate to buy the Cubs. He wants this so bad." However, Cuban's response to the Trib via email stated that the rumor was "not true." In... more ›

"Lion of the Disenfranchised, Disenfranchised" via Michael DaKidd. more ›

Talk about a dramatic fall from the top! After weeks of rumors and speculation that Ron Rivera was a candidate for nearly every head coaching opening in the NFL, "the Man" had other plans for poor Chico. First he got passed over for the San Diego Chargers top job, and then Bears management tossed their defensive coordinator out in the cold. The San Diego Chargers — who surprised many by firing Marty Schottenheimer following a... more ›

As playwrights age, their work may increasingly confront how they, or anyone, will be remembered after death. Their passing will command respectful obituaries and festivals in tribute, but it’s also the moment when they relinquish all control of their legacy. What a terrifying thought for someone who’s made a living playing God! This season, the Goodman and Shattered Globe pay tribute to Pulitzer Prize winners August Wilson (1945-2005) and Arthur Miller (1915-2005), respectfully, in productions... more ›

We haven't thought much of the Cubs in recent weeks, as they fell out of contention in the NL Central race. The storylines just keep repeating themselves -- Will Wood/Prior pitch again this year? Will Dusty last until the end of the season? -- that we've just sort of ignored the North Siders. more ›

Should the White Sox again find themselves in the World Series this October -- and why shouldn't they? -- they now know they'll have home field advantage, on account of the American League's 3-2 victory in last night's All Star Game. It didn't look quite so promising for a while, however. more ›

At the beginning of May the Chicago Rush looked as though they might miss the playoffs with a 5-9 record. Since then, the Rush have posted five straight victories, including three playoff wins, propelling them into the 20th Arena Bowl Championship match. more ›

A Civic Federation study released today makes recommendations that promise relief for major cultural institutions in fiscal decline since 2001 and overburdened property owners who have been whining for even longer. The study tracked a dozen major cultural organizations linked to Museums in the Park and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, including the Field Museum, the Shedd, the Brookfield Zoo, and the DuSable Museum, and discovered a major economic engine whose 2004 attendance was almost twice that of Chicago’s six major sports teams (note: the NHL was idle that year and debate persists whether the Blackhawks really matter anymore). But rising costs and declining attendance came as state and local subsidies were cut considerably. Between 2001-2004, the Museums in the Park saw subsidies from the Chicago Park District cut by more than 13% and from the State cut by 9%. more ›

The Bears have been on the golf course for almost three weeks now and the Pittsburgh Steelers are off to Disneyland. Football fans fresh off their Super Bowl feast are prepared to hibernate until the 2006 season. That is unless you choose to become a Chicago Rush Arena Football fan. Chicagoist had put little credence in the Arena Football League (AFL) until recently. We first took notice of the sport when the Arena Football League... more ›

Chicagoist is not too thrilled by the football match up on Sunday. We’d care if the Bears had made it, or even if there was a team we hated, but the truth is we’re pretty much ambivalent to both teams, still, Pittsburgh is gonna take it. more ›

It's just about that quietest period of the sports year, that point between when the Bears season ends and the Cubs and Sox report to Spring Training. Especially in these years where the Bulls and Hawks are nothing special. Yeah, there's the Super Bowl coming up but when it's Pittsburgh against Seattle, how much pre-game hype can one handle? For us, it's basically a one-day event. more ›

While last week's media focus was who should play QB, this week all the attention is on special teams -- specifically who will field punts for the Bears. The job had been Bobby Wade's from the start of the season, and early on he had some success. In Week 2, he returned a punt 73 yards for a TD against Detroit. That one big play earned him the benefit of the doubt for a long... more ›

The Bears 8-game winning streak came to an end yesterday, as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Bears 21-9 in a cold, snowy Heinz Field. In spite of the "Bears football" weather, they were outplayed on both side of the ball. That resulted in plenty of blame to go around for the loss. Going into the game, most eyes were focused on Kyle Orton. With Rex Grossman healthy again and already having been bumped up... more ›

The theater world lost a giant yesterday. Playwright August Wilson died of liver cancer in a hospital near his Seattle home, just a few weeks after publicly acknowledging his fatal diagnosis. Widely hailed as one of the greatest American playwrights of the 20th century, Wilson created rich, intimate, and unparalleled stage portraits of the African-American experience. more ›

Kevin O'Neil, CTA Tattler more ›

An article published yesterday in the Christian Science Monitor shows that the CTA is not the only public transit organization in the nation that has had to deal with a budget crunch. In the past couple of years, public transit systems in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. have all raised fares and Philadelphia is threatening to do the same. Pittsburgh cut service and raised fares. This month San Francisco is also holding hearings to consider service cuts and increased fares. The president of the American Public Transportation Association blames increasing costs of fuel, liability insurance, healthcare, and pensions for the nation's public transit problems. more ›

The NFL released its 2005 schedule yesterday, which of course means we learn the Bears' 2005 schedule. Once again, the Bears are denied any Monday Night games. Their only prime time game is their Dec. 18th Sunday night game against Atlanta that will be shown on ESPN. Date Opponent Time 9/11 at Washington Redskins 12:00 p.m. 9/18 Detroit Lions 12:00 p.m. 9/25 Cinncinati Bengals 12:00 p.m. 10/2 Bye   10/9 at Cleveland Browns 12:00 p.m.... more ›

This week the Park District is expected to approve the installation of 100 cast-iron human figures in Grant Park. more ›

Jimmie Crutchfield, John Donaldson, and Jim "Candy" Taylor, 3 awesome players from baseball's historical Negro League, have been buried for years in unmarked graves out in Chicago Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip. When baseball fan Jeremy Krock found out he raised the money so that each man could have a proper headstone. Yesterday, those stones were put into place during a memorial ceremony. more ›