Are cougars reemerging in the Midwest? A few years ago, a dead mountain lion turned up in New Boston, IL and last month, a live one made its way through southern Wisconsin. Experts tested DNA from a bloody pawprint the animal left and confirmed that it was indeed a mountain lion, the first in Wisconsin in a hundred years. more ›

Hey! Guess what?! No one burned or banned any books last night (as far as we know). Way to go! Pat yourselves on the back Chicago, you deserve it. more ›

Call us fickle, but we’re never satisfied on the road in Chicago. When we’re the ped or biking it, we hate the drivers. When we’re in a car, we irritated by anything that gets in our way. more ›

A sign that Thanksgiving is approaching and winter's not far behind, this week marks the opening of the college basketball season. We'll focus today on the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Their season kicks off in Champaign tomorrow night when they host South Dakota State. Tomorrow, we'll look at the other Division I schools in the area, including DePaul, Northwestern, UIC and Loyola. Last year's Illini team spent most of the season ranked #1 in... more ›

You would think the prosecution in the George Ryan trial would have learned by now that their key witness, Scott Fawell, doesn't like answering questions about his fiancee, Andrea Coutretsis. We mean he really, REALLY doesn't like it, and if it would not have been too surprising if he had gone all Naomi Campbell on federal prosecutors before he finished up his testimony on Tuesday. more ›

Along with everyone else, Chicagoist has been watching as Katrina formed, advanced, and finally plowed over New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Our hearts go out to everyone who was there and who lost family and friends, their homes and possessions. In some ways, this storm was reminiscent of Hurricane Andrew, a Category 4 hurricane that immobilized Miami-Dade County (and one Chicagoist staffer) in 1992. Both storms crept slowly towards their target, leaving Miami and... more ›

Scott Fawell pleaded guilty yesterday to bid-rigging plots and is apparently dishing all kinds of shit on George Ryan and Lawrence Warner. In exchange, prosecutors have agreed to seek a reduced sentence of 6 months (down from 18) for Fawell's fiancée and former aide, Alexandra "Andrea" Coutretsis. more ›