Here's video from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory that shows how volatile the star that helps provide us with life itself can be. more ›

The fact that we're even listening to The Sun's new album is a bit of a miracle, since the last time we heard from them was through a cryptic post declaring "New Record Shelved, Band Disbanded: The new record will not be coming out anytime soon." So while it appears as if the band itself isn't currently functioning, they have managed to finally release that album, Don't Let Your Baby Have All The Fun, as a free digital release on the Chicago based Rock Proper label. more ›

Yesterday was Lollapalooza's first ever sell out (as is Saturday), cramming over 75,000 people into Grant Park, and it felt we were jostled by every single one during Radiohead's closing headline set. We bumped into fest curator Perry Farrell and spotted a few other celebs standing at the side of the stages. Also in attendance? The sun. One of the loudest cheers we heard all day was when the first cloud blessed us with its presence...around 5 p.m. Amongst the sun and beer cups was some fantastic music and some performances that left us wanting a little more. more ›

County prosecutors today announced their intent to seek the death penalty against Reginald Potts, the man accused of killing Nailah Franklin. [S-T] more ›

What kinds of cars do Chicagoans drive? more ›

It's no secret that we're big fans of pigs here at Chicagoist (especially the mini variety). So of course we're going to be celebrating National Pig Day today at Brookfield Zoo. Started in 1972 by two sisters in North Carolina (where they also love their pigs), the day was set aside to honor the smart and tasty barnyard beast. more ›

Not that we're going to be spending any time lounging at the new Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago anytime soon. Especially seeing as how they have a $25 bottle of water in their minibar. more ›

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While the Field’s Fans are too busy protesting poor customer service at Macy’s as they long for the days of Marshall Field’s, customer satisfaction for shopping scabs has increased. An annual University of Michigan Study ranking shopper satisfaction among discount and department stores and supermarkets reported Macy’s saw a 5.6% increase in customer satisfaction, ending with a score of 75 out of 100 points. Nordstrom tops the list with a score of 80, only five points between the two. The Sun-Times reported: more ›

Guess that knee injury Rex Grossman suffered last December wasn't so serious -- he was offered a new one year contract with the Bears, which he agreed to this morning. The Sun-Times calls the contract "imminent", and that it "includes incentives based on play time and performance". more ›

If the RTA extended the Blue Line out to the Yorktown Mall in Lombard, would you go? The Sun-Times reported yesterday that possible improvements to the city's transit system could include a longer trek on the Forest Park line, new bus routes on major expressways, and a north-south train between Midway and O'hare, among other things. more ›

The Sun-Times takes a look at "elimination communication," a technique some parents are using to toilet train their very young children. Perhaps you read about it. In the New York Times. In 2005. [S-T, NYT.] more ›

Tony Rezko's rise to power in state politics didn't happen overnight. When got started as a strong advocate of grassroots Arab-American activism in Chicago and was often the largest contributor to Arab-American campaigns. But several years ago, Rezko’s name started showing up on campaign disclosure forms for prominent politicians in Chicago, Cook County and the state. more ›

The Trib and Sun-Times are reporting that police have arrested a suspect in the Tinley Park murders, but the Tinley Park PD says no arrests have been made. more ›

Seems we're not the only ones who have trouble finding sports stories newsworthy enough to cover this time of year. With the Bears' season over, the Bulls and Hawks dwelling near the cellar, and the start of spring training still a couple weeks away, these are cold days for Chicago sports fans. more ›

Obama wins Illinois; Clinton takes Arkansas, Tennesee and Kansas. McCain took Illinois, Romney Massachusettes. [Trib, Trib] more ›

The Sun-Times Media Group in particular? Because you might be able to. The company announced today that it is thinking about selling uh, itself. more ›

The sweetheart deal negotiated by the investors of Park Grill and the Park District has been covered before. But a good story is worth repeating, so we'll remind you, the taxpayer, what you're paying for at Park Grill: more ›

Send good thoughts Roger Ebert's way tomorrow. He's having surgery again. [S-T] more ›

At a Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Scholarship Breakfast this morning, Governor Blagojevich gave a three-minute speech, and included this charming verse, aimed at the seniors in the audience. more ›

Alforque and Joseph P got the sun in the morning and the moon at night. Respectively. Today's sun and moon stats, just in case you're interested in when "civil twilight" begins and ends. more ›

Breaking news: A child and at least four adults were either shot or stabbed about an hour ago on the 4000 block of West Division in what police are investigating as a home invasion. The Sun-Times is reporting that the child died. [Trib, ST]
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If Fox & Obel's new owners have their way, you'll be seeing a lot more of the gourmet markets throughout the city in the near future. more ›

In an attempt to save $50 million this year, the company is eliminating 40 newsroom jobs at the Sun-Times, 11 newsroom jobs at Pioneer Press papers throughout the suburbs, a three Northwest side Pioneer Press papers all together (the Jefferson Park/Portage Park/Belmont-Cragin Times, the Harlem-Irving Times, and the Edgebrook-Sauganash Times). more ›

The jury in alleged mobster Anthony Calabrese's trial may hear an audio tape of him beating the living the shit out of someone, even though he's on trial for armed robbery. The Sun-Times got ahold of a transcript of the tape, and it really reads like a scene right out of The Sopranos. Except the curses are blacked out. [S-T] more ›

Smokers, meet Winter. Winter, smokers. Timed perfectly with a bone-chilling cold, Illinois's smoking ban went into effect at midnight, Jan. 1. more ›

The Sun-Times giveth, and the Sun-Times taketh away. How great: a list of 10 inspiring women of 2007! Wait a second...Jennifer Love Hewitt and the beauty queen who thinks we don't have maps? Come on. And what exactly do Paige Wiser and Lisa Donovan mean when they say that Laila Ali "redefined our idea of a female athlete"? [S-T] more ›

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Still, if someone says something mean to you, don't shoot them 16 times in the legs and back.* more ›

Yeah, people knew how to fly the friendly skies on November 21st, 1965, when the menu above was served on a United Airlines flight from Denver to San Francisco. This and 380 other menus from airlines, ocean liners, and railroad lines are available for perusal online at the Transportation Library archives of Northwestern University. The archives hark back to a time when multiple course meals were de rigueur not only for first class passengers,... more ›