Photo by doug.siefken Chicago Police Officer Richard Francis, tragically killed in the line of duty early Wednesday morning, is remembered. [Trib, S-T] If you already are or are looking to attend graduate school at the University of Chicago, take note: the school has cut ties with Illinois' student loan agency, leaving students scrambling for other loan opportunities. [S-T, CBS2] A reason to revive public stockades: Patrick Kolman of Arlington Heights was arrested on his......

All About Beer magazine (via) listed their "top 125 places to have a beer before you die" (a nice arbitrary number, by the way). Five local taverns made the cut: Hopleaf (#24), Clark Street Ale House (#43), Map Room (#47), Goose Island (#84) and John Barleycorn, which makes the cut ten spots from the bottom at #115. Our doppelganger in the Emerald City wholeheartedly agreed with the inclusion of Hopleaf and Map Room, although Map......