Photo by The New No.2 Governor Blagojevich promised $1 million to help rebuild Pilgrim Baptist Church after it burned down in 2006. But church officials say they haven't seen a dime, and even Blago's office admits the money went to an unrelated school that rented space from the church. They were sticking with that story until other local politicians jumped in to call Blago a liar and an opportunist, at which point our governor......

Kookybites The New No. 2 Fjsjr......

Photo by The New No. 2, which also looks great embiggened.......

Photo by The New No 2 The Illinois House passed the mass transit funding bill--with Blagojevich's seniors-ride-free amendment--61-47 this afternoon. Now it's headed to the Senate. Cross your fingers. [Trib, CBS 2 ]......

The New No. 2 found this heap of books and papers in an abandoned school on the West Side. Wow.......

Abandoned classroom by The New No. 2......

The New No. 2, above, and Green Bicycle, below, both capture the urban photographer in its natural habitat.......

We'd just like to point out that for the price of one Hannah Montana ticket, you could feed a starving indie rock band for a year. For reals. Conrad Black got a 6 1/2 year sentence today. Oddly enough, we're not feeling sorry for him. Cheryl Lavin continues to dispense awesome advice. In this case she tells a woman who is upset at only having sex 4 times a week to tell her boyfriend......

The three Democratic front-runners came to Chicago this week to seek the endorsement of that other labor federation, Change to Win. Barack Obama and John Edwards made their case in person, but erstwhile local gal Hillary Clinton had to settle for phoning it in from Little Rock Arkansas where her plane was stranded. "Back in the '90s when we had a Democratic Congress and we had a Democratic president, we didn't get universal healthcare," Edwards......

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......

Here are some other news items of note while we're at Millennium Park enjoying Muhal Richard Abrams and Reginald Robinson: The U.S. attorney's office has joined an ongoing Cook County probe into the rogue actions of an elite squad of the Chicago Police Department . Blue Line passengers can expect (more) delays starting this weekend. The sculptor who created Berwyn's spindle claims that the shopping plaza where it sits is "prostituting" the sculpture under......

We are suckers for this sort of shot of ironworkers. The threads of sparks streaming out in the darkness remind us a bit of Picasso's Space Drawings. The opportunity to play with light is one of the most exciting aspects of using a camera, and here, Flickr user The New No. 2 has played and won.......

We loved this photo by Flickr user, The New No. 2. Capturing a somewhat humorous possible selection in the making in a decidedly "urban" photo with excellent composition, he's created the sort of photo that makes us want to take a second look. While we've never been known to frequent the stand-alone newsstands (do they seem a bit claustrophobic or seedy in some way, or is that just us?), we have been known to......

Guess what happened one year ago today? We forgive you if it doesn't come immediately off the top of your head; after all, we may be a little biased. Give up? It's the one-year anniversary of the (near) death of Pilgrim Baptist Church. The church, originally a synagogue, was built by Adler & Sullivan in 1890. In 1922, in order to better serve its Bronzeville constituency, the mighty Romanesque building became the home for the......

No. 8 is "Pilgrim Baptist Church fire" by The New No. 2. It was a sad start to 2006 for many who loved this building.......

Exhibit A: Pilgrim Baptist Church Location: 3301 S. Indiana Avenue Built: 1890-91 Notable facts: Originally built by Louis Sullivan and his partner, Dankmar Adler, as the Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv synagogue. Became the Pilgrim Baptist Church in 1922. Often called the birthplace of gospel music, due to musical director Thomas Dorsey. Designated as a Chicago landmark: Dec. 18, 1981 Fate: Destroyed by fire, Jan. 6, 2006. Caused by workers doing roof restoration. Future: Possible rebuilding. Exterior......

The city council failed to overturn Mayor Daley's big box veto. McFatty McDonald's is funding research on childhood obesity. Lots of edumacation news: New standards for kindergartners, Mrs. Daley launched an after-school program, Blago's educating everyone on the state's All Kids health-care program. "What's Next? The gambler searches for his next score." via The New No. 2......

The trial is beginning for Michael Jackson, the guy who ran his cabbie over on purpose and killed him in an argument over an $8 fare. ACT scores are up in Chicago and Illinois this year. Rush is one of the first hospitals to switch to healthier cooking oils. Uh... shouldn't this have been a no-brainer for a hospital!? We knew Wicked pulled in mad cash, but a million a week? Wow. Get your......

The most recent update to the Chicago neighborhood map has upset realtors, developers, and the CPS because it says "Home is Where the Hood Is." 185 Chicago schools will be restructured after being branded as "chronic failures" by the federal No Child Left Behind law. Nokia announces it's gonna open a store on Michigan Avenue, so now Motorola is busting its ass to open a store sooner, and just a block away from where......

Not to be outdone by Ravinia, the Grant Park Music Festival has released their 2006 summer schedule. Bringing a nice mix of classical standards, contemporary orchestral favorites, and pop goodness to Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion, the festival offers thrills comparable to their Highland Park cousins at much lower cost. The lawn and most pavilion seats are free. Make a reasonable donation to ensure that we cheapskates can continue to freeload, and the best seats are......

Despite the fire on Friday that destroyed their historic 115-year-old church building, several hundred members of Pilgrim Baptist Church held their regular worship service yesterday morning thanks to Rev. Jesse Jackson, who allowed them the use of Operation Rainbow PUSH's headquarters for the service. Starting next week, the congregation will meet at their community center, which is located across the street from where their church once stood. Fire officials are still investigating the cause......