Not only can you get an entire week's worth of sodium in one meal at this KFC/Taco Bell at Irving Park and California, but they also kindly provide a "what's wrong with this picture" game on their signage. How cool of them!......

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.......

This weekend the Chicagoist offices were in a tizzy, as The Nightwatchman Tom Morello announced his tour dates, including a stop on Chicago's Federal Plaza on April 14 to play the Immokalee Workers Rally. Part of the focus of this rally is to continue to shine a spotlight on the plight of migrant farmworkers that pick produce for some of the largest fast-food chains. One of those chains, McDonald's, calls Chicagoland (Oak Brook, to be......

During a presentation at the American Chemical Society in Chicago, researchers from the University of Maryland presented their findings on the benefits of whole wheat based products. The result? If whole wheat pizza dough is given more time to rise and the baking time is increased, the number of antioxidants in the dough increases significantly. This probably won't kill all those calories that keep us from enjoying pizza every night of the week, but it......

If your pumpkin cream cheese muffin has tasted a little less fatty in recent weeks, it's because it is — Starbucks has been replacing baked goods with trans fat with a trans-fat free version over the past month. By this Wednesday, caffeinated snackers can chow down worry-free, as all baked goods in Chicago (and other urban) Starbucks will be replaced with their healthier counterparts. Half of the lunch options will also be trans-fat free. The......

The ongoing saga of The Spire continues. This week in Foods We Can't Eat: Onions at Taco Bell. Pepsi is reorganizing and centralizing some of its operations in Chicago. And this week in GLBT news: Gay and Lesbian travelers love Chicago. We're #11 on the list of top destinations. And there's now a Chicago Gay Games DVD. And finally, the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus has a new CD out. Go see some Iraqi art......

Chicagoist likes to think we’ve seen it all, but, sometimes, we’re still a little shocked, or at least puzzled, by our fellow humans. Which, we suppose, isn’t a bad thing. Good to keep things interesting. A former Yorkville, Ill., school board member is in prison after being convicted of stealing more than $113,000 from her parents. Janet Reaves, 71, was sentenced to six months in jail and four years of probation, and was ordered to......

El Pollo Loco just opened a restaurant in Logan Square, its first location outside of the US Southwest. Like many others, Chicagoist was there PRONTO to check it out. We'd had El Pollo Loco in California and were eager to see if it lived up to our memories. We were also excited to have a flame grilled fast food chicken alternative to KFC and a Mexican alternative to Taco Bell. El Pollo Loco promised to......

Remember those 72 chihuahuas found in a Wheeling home last month? Well the Heartland Animal Shelter in in Northbrook that took them in is having trouble paying the bills. The shelter is spending $1500 a day to house the dogs, prepare their meals, and buy thousands of tiny plastic bags to pick up their poo. But the biggest cost for the shelter: their phone bill. An employee told NBC 5 that their phone and voicemail......

Chicagoist spent Sunday sweltering in the 100 degree heat at U.S. Cellular Field. Meanwhile, most of the Chicago Bears spent the day sweating on the practice field for the first time, as Sunday marked the opening of the Bears' Training Camp. Held once again at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, the Bears will be training until August 17, trying to get into shape for the 2005 season. As in past years, fans are invited......

The Trib has a nice round-up of gigantic burritos today, but it’s hard to read without simultaneously really wanting a burrito and really wanting to hurl. It turns out that Chicago is home to some insanely big burritos. The Trib’s favorite was Baja Fresh, tipping the scales at 18 ounces, with an 8 1/4-inch “waist.” Remember, 16 ounces = 1 pound. That’s a pretty serious burrito. Next was Burrito Beach, also 18 ounces, followed by......