New panels on display at the Art Institute had to survive the 1893 World's Fair, arson, and decades of Bear fan butts while stashed under the Soldier Field bleachers to get where they are today. more ›

Alex Kotlowitz speaks about his years looking into the city's most vexing problems, the differences between writing and making movies, the neighborhoods President Obama's message of hope and change never seem to impact, and more. more ›

The story of a year in the life of three "violence interrupters" as they step into confrontations at the moment they are about to turn into violent altercations in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods, the film's thoughtful and jarringly intimate look at a new approach to dealing with the persistent violence has struck a chord with audiences everywhere it's been shown, and we expect this will shortly be the movie everybody's talking about here. We sat down with Steve James, who is also known for other documentaries such as Stevie and features such as Prefontaine in addition to the legendary Hoop Dreams, at the offices of Kartemquin Films on the north side last week. Our interview with Kotlowitz will run separately. more ›

The Blackhawks took on San Jose without Jonathan Toews, while UIC and Loyola took to the hardcourt. more ›

The long annual November road trip can't come soon enough for the Blackhawks. more ›

Chances are, no matter who you are, if you write a book and dedicate it to the man who assassinated a Kennedy, you won't be very popular. And if you're the controversial Bill Ayers, it'll cost you your emeritus honor. Ayers co-wrote the 1973 manifesto Prairie Fire which was in part dedicated to Sirhan Sirhan, the man who shot and killed Robert Kennedy in 1968. But RFK's son, Chris Kennedy, chairs the board at the University of Illinois-Chicago where Ayers was up for emeritus status. Not surprisingly, Kennedy took umbrage with the honor and moved to block it. Said Kennedy at a meeting yesterday: more ›

The National Institutes of Health is sending some cash towards UIC for a new study focusing on how victims of sexual assault deal with the trauma of their attacks. The school is receiving a $2 million grant for "a five-year study examining how support the victims receive relates to post-traumatic stress disorder, problem drinking and positive adaptation." The school plans to track the progress of roughly 1,800 women for the study. [ABC 7] more ›

There may be four medal winners on the Blackhawks' roster, but there were no winners last night as the New York Islanders cruised to a 5-3 victory in the post-Olympics return to the ice for both teams. Brian Campbell opened the scoring to give the 'Hawks a 1-0 lead and Patrick Kane scored on a power-play to give them a 2-1 edge going into the first intermission. But that's where the 'Hawks' edge would end: the Isles scored four straight goals in the second period, enough to see Antti Niemi pulled in favor of Huet in goal. Dustin Byfuglien managed a late power-play goal in the third, but it was too little, too late. The 'Hawks hope their home return tonight against Edmonton will give them more of a bounce (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Bulls didn't have quite enough gas to get by the Pacers last night, falling 100-90 in Indianapolis. It was a close game early, but the Pacers used a 12-3 run in the second quarter to stretch out their lead to seven at the half and never looked back. Derrick Rose had 27 points to lead the Bulls (31-28) while Luol Deng scored 13 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. The Bulls get tonight off before welcoming the Atlanta Hawks to town tomorrow night (7 p.m., WGN). more ›

• It probably won't be enough to get them to Big Dance, but Northwestern tied a school record for wins in a season (18) by beating Iowa 74-57. John Shurna led all scorers with 29 points; Jeremy Nash also had 15.
• UIC overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to topple Green Bay 78-71, the struggling Flames second win in a row. Robo Kreps had 24 points, Zavion Neely had 18, and Jeremy Buttell had 16.
• Loyola suffered their third straight loss last night, falling to Milwaukee 63-61. Geoff McCammon had 22 points to lead the Ramblers.

• Loyola took an early lead against No. 15 Butler and held a slim two-point lead at the half but Butler proved too strong, rolling past the Ramblers 62-47. No Loyola players broke double-digits in scoring but Geoff McCammon and Walt Gibler each scored nine points.
• UIC slid back into the losing column Monday night as Valparaiso squeaked past the Flames 83-82. A late Flames run put UIC back in contention but Valpo nailed some late free throws to pull away. A last second three pointer by Robo Kreps (who had 17 points) closed the final score gap but wasn't enough. Jeremy Buttell led all scorers with 25 points.

The Blackhawks snapped a three-game losing streak as they skated past the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Saturday night. Patrick Sharp scored his 17th goal of the season early in the first period and Jonathan Toews scored his 19th later in the period to give the 'Hawks a 2-0 lead. The lead held until late in the third period when St. Louis scored a power-play goal. Antti Niemi had a sterling night in goal, making 34 saves on 35 shots faced. The game also had some spicy moments, including a nice little tussle in the first period. The 'Hawks still trail the Sharks by four points for first place in the Western Conference. Next up is Dallas on Tuesday night (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

• Notre Dame got a huge performance out of Luke Harangody (37 points, 14 rebounds) as they cruised past Big East foe Cincinnati 83-65. Tim Abromaitis added 22 points.
• It took some extra basketball but Loyola pushed past Youngstown State 92-85. Geoff McCammon led all scorers with 25 points.
• UIC's losing streak reached nine games as Cleveland State upended the Flames 74-63. Jeremy Buttell and Zavion Neely both scored 17 points.

The Blackhawks wrapped up their Disney-On-Ice road trip last night but found themselves having less success than their United Center counterparts as they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. The 'Canes took the lead with a goal in the waning seconds of the first period and Chicago answered with a Marian Hossa goal a few minutes into the second. Carolina answered late in the second to take a 2-1 edge and the 'Hawks once again tied the game up as Andrew Ladd scored a few minutes in to the third period. But the 'Canes scored twice in a 26 second span at the midway point of the third to take a two-goal lead they wouldn't relinquish. Huet got 20 saves but allowed all four goals while the 'Hawks out-shot the 'Canes 41-24 but still wound up with the loss. The 'Hawks still lead the division comfortably and are in second place in the Western Conference, just 3 points behind San Jose. The team also gets 4 of the next 6 games at home before the two-week Olympic break. Next up is a return to the UC to face St. Louis on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

We should have known it wouldn't be that easy. The 'Hawks, second place overall in the Western Conference, jumped out to a big lead early on the first place San Jose Sharks but would have to go to overtime to earn the 4-3 victory. Chicago scored a trio of goals in a 3:21 span early in the first period to take a big 3-0 lead: Dustin Byfuglien got his 100th NHL career point with the first goal of the game, Troy Brouwer followed up less than a minute later, and Andrew Ladd netted his 10th goal of the season to round out the attack. But San Jose proved why they're one of the NHL's elite teams and fought back, scoring before the end of the first, once more in the second, and getting the equalizer early in the third, and Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov stopped 32 straight shots after allowing the early goals. But, despite the comeback, it was the 'Hawks night as Brouwer scored his second goal of the game 1:37 into overtime to give Chicago the win. Huet had 34 saves overall in net for the 'Hawks who remain in second place, one point back of San Jose in the Western Conference. Last night's meeting was the last of the season between the two teams. The 'Hawks are now 5-2 on the eight-game-Disney-on-Ice roadtrip and wrap it up Saturday night in Carolina (6 p.m., WGN). more ›

With Joakim Noah hurt, Brad Miller made the most of his start at center, scoring 25 points to lead the Bulls to a 104-97 victory over Houston. The Bulls have now won two straight road games, a great improvement for a team that's struggled mightily on the road all season. All five Bulls starters scored in double-figures including 20 from Derrick Rose and a 16-14 from Taj Gibson as the team shot over 50 percent from the floor for another night. The Bulls hope their trip to Texas continues on a winning note as they take on the Spurs tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Blackhawks got back in the win column with a 3-1 victory over struggling Calgary. After a scoreless first, the 'Hawks jumped on top with a Patrick Kane power play goal midway through the second, Kane's 21st goal of the season. Calgary took advantage of their own power play opportunity late in the second to tie the game at 1-1. But the 'Hawks came back in the third with a Ben Eager goal early on to give the 'Hawks the lead for good. An empty net goal from Duncan Keith in the final minute extended the game out of reach. Antti Niemi made good on his nod to start in goal for the 'Hawks, stopping 19 of 20 shots he faced. The 'Hawks hope to start a new winning streak Saturday night when they head to Vancouver (9 p.m., CSN). more ›

Police issued a community alert after reports of strong-armed robberies happening near the University of Illinois-Chicago campus, Chicago Breaking News reports. Three robberies occurred between January 9 and 12, the report said. Victims were attacked from behind then "knocked to the ground" by two suspects said to be between the ages of 15 and 19. As of this morning, police had not found the robbers. more ›

The Bulls hit the road on a winning note after edging the Washington Wizards 121-119 in double overtime, their fourth-straight win. A tight game throughout, Washington led by as man as seven early in the fourth, but Chicago chipped away at the lead and a Derrick Rose jumper with less than 30 seconds left tied the game to force overtime. A John Salmons layup with 14 seconds left in overtime forced the second extra period where a late 5-1 run, capped by a Derrick Rose jumper with five seconds left, clinched the win for the Bulls. Rose had a monster game with 37 points, 9 rebounds, and six assists. Kirk Hinrich added 19, Joakim Noah had a 17-15, and Luol Deng added 17 points of his own. In spite of the struggles and the calls to fire Coach Vinny, the 18-20 Bulls would make the playoffs if the season ended today, sitting in eight place in the NBA's Eastern Conference and only a half-game back of seventh. The Bulls now begin their long Disney-on-Ice roadtrip, tipping off Monday at Golden State (3 p.m., WGN). more ›

A new study recently released by researchers [via] at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Loyola University Chicago shows that the opening of a Walmart in Chicago's Austin neighborhood has not increased retail activity or employment opportunities in the area. Walmart's expansion into urban areas has been controversial, and it's renewed attempts to open a second store on the city's South side has been surrounded with charges that the mega-retailer destroys small business and drives down wages. Supporters claim that there is an employment crisis in the black community and Walmart will bring hundreds of jobs to a neighborhood that desperately needs them. "What we're seeing here is that placing a Walmart in an urban setting is basically a wash in terms of sales revenue for the city and jobs for local residents," study co-author David Merriman, head of the UIC department of economics and professor of public administration said. "This means that communities around the city shouldn't see Walmart or other big-box retailers as a panacea for local economic problems." 37th Ward Alderman Emma Mitts disagreed with the study, saying on WTTW's Chicago Tonight that "people see what they want to see," and that she hadn't heard anyone in her community complaining. more ›

Bulls Thump T-Wolves more ›

The Boston Bruins jumped out to an early lead, but the Blackhawks stormed back to bust an Original Six foe by a 5-2 final. A pair of early Bruins goals put the 'Hawks down 2-0 halfway through the first period but Duncan Keith and Tomas Kopecky both scored before the first intermission to send the game to the second tied. From there, the 'Hawks kept rolling. Andrew Ladd scored next for the 'Hawks early in the second and Keith followed at the halfway mark with his second goal of the game. Patrick Kane scored late in the third with the cherry-on-top goal. Keith had an assist to go along with his pair of goals and Ben Eager had a pair of assists as well. After allowing those first two goals - one even-strength, the other a power play - Antti Niemi settled down, saving the rest of the shots he faced (19 overall). The win was the 'Hawks fifth straight and 12th in their last 14, a streak they hope to keep going when they visit the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

Bulls Hold On To Clip Pacers more ›

Patrick Kane played the hero last night as he netted a last-minute goal that propelled the 'Hawks past the Nashville Predators 5-4 in their final meeting of the regular season. The goal capped off an incredible third period that saw the teams combine for six goals. Nashville got an early lead in the opening minutes before Kane answered with a goal a few minutes later to tie the game up at 1-1. The Predators got a second period goal to take a 2-1 lead into the final period when all Hell broke loose. John Madden scored the next two goals, about six minutes apart, to put the 'Hawks up 3-2 and a minute after his second goal, Brian Campbell scored on a power play to give the 'Hawks a two-goal lead. But the Predators got back into the game, scoring the next two goals. Kane, though, came through scoring amongst a flurry of shots in front of the Nashville goal in the final minute (video below). Antti Niemi recorded 16 saves overall in the game and earned the win. And yes, that wasn't a typo earlier: even though we're not even halfway through the season, the Predators and 'Hawks - division foes - will not meet again for the rest of the 2009-2010 season. Nice move, schedule-makers. For the record, the 'Hawks took the season series 4-2. The 'Hawks are back on the road for a game in Dallas on Tuesday (7 p.m., VS). more ›

Break up the Bulls! Led by Derrick Rose, the Bulls overcame a 40 point night by Atlanta star Joe Johnson and came away winners 101-98 in overtime. The Hawks led for much of the first half but the Bulls fought back in the second, including a 10-1 run early in the fourth and another late push to even up the game at 92-92 at the end of regulation. Atlanta took an early lead in overtime but the Bulls quickly caught up and took a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Rose had 32 points to lead the Bulls while Luol Deng scored 21 and pulled down 11 rebounds. The Bulls try to roll a turkey when the Kings come calling on Monday (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

Cristobal Huet locked things down in goal for the Blackhawks as they skated to a 3-0 shutout victory over the St. Louis Blues. The game was Huet's 2nd shoutout of the year and the 22nd of his career as he stopped all 27 shots he faced. Troy Brouwer scored late in the first and Brian Campbell followed a few minutes later with a power play goal to put the 'Hawks up 2-0 at the first intermission. Marian Hossa netted his fifth goal of the season late in the second and the 'Hawks cruised the rest of the way for the victory. Jonathan Toews had two assists on the night. Now at 21-8-3, it's the best start for the 'Hawks after 32 games since the '82-'83 season. The 'Hawks host the Bruins tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

Dick Simpson, professor and head of the political science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has authored (yet another) report on the voting patterns of elected officials in the region. And unlike the conclusion he reached in his previous report (that the city council is the mayor’s rubber stamp), he’s discovered that a majority of Cook County’s commissioners don't, in fact, like Todd Stroger. more ›

Antti Niemi recorded his third shutout in seven games in net as the Blackhawks rolled past the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0. Patrick Kane got the first goal early in the first period while Ben Eager and Marian Hossa added goals in the second. Jonathan Toews scored his ninth goal of the season early in the third to put the game out of reach. Overall, Niemi had 18 saves on the night. Not long after his goal in the first, the 'Hawks lost Kane for the night. A collision with Tampa Bay's Matt Smaby sent Kane to the ice hard and he sustained a cut above one of his eyes and had to get it stitched up but it doesn't look like it'll keep Kane out further action. Next up for the 'Hawks is a date with the Blues on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. CSN). more ›

Homeland Security has halted deportation proceedings for Rigoberto 'Rigo' Padilla, a junior at UIC and an undocumented resident who has lived in the United States since he was six years old. Padilla was facing deportation next week but his case has been deferred for a year. The charges were brought against him after his status was discovered following an arrest stemming from a misdemeanor driving violation. ABC 7 has additional details. more ›

It's getting really nasty really fast out there, folks so be safe driving/walking/biking/teleporting home. more ›