That's the persistent question as the date for selecting the city that will host the 2016 Summer Games draws near. Bid backers in Chicago contend that the Games will bring jobs, an economic boost and international prestige to the city, all at little or no cost to taxpayers. Chicago 2016 has also claimed that support from the private sector coupled with world class management will ensure that Chicago will benefit from hosting the games. Within that debate, however, supporters haven't pointed to a city that has benefited from hosting the games. Montreal didn't finish paying off the billions of dollars of debt it had incurred in 1976 until 2006. More recently Greece teetered on the edge of failing to host the Olympics in 2004 when the government failed to complete construction on time. London is already billions of dollars over budget. more ›

With the Blackhawks and Canucks getting ready to square off in the NHL Western Conference Semifinals, it's time for His Elective Majesty to put the donated products of local businesses where his mouth is. Mayor Daley and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson have placed the stereotypical wager of foodstuffs on the outcome of the series. The one thing more annoying than these types of bets are sports fans who say "we" when referring to their favorite teams. There is no "we;" there's "them" (the athletes on the field/court/rink) and "you" (the boorish louts who take the games too seriously while beer goggling women in the stands). more ›

An armed suspect ran into an elementary school this afternoon in an attempt to evade the police. It didn't work. The police caught him, and luckily no one was injured. more ›

More on Parking Meters more ›

It all first started when she started seeing apples from New Zealand in her local supermarket. “It didn’t make sense. We live in an apple-growing region,” said Alisa Smith (pictured above), half of the writing team of “Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally” at a lecture/book signing Monday night at Fox & Obel. Add to that a spur-of-the-moment meal they had to whip up for friends at their wilderness cabin in British Columbia with only the food they could forage, and the light bulb started flashing for Smith and her partner James MacKinnon. “It was the most delicious meal and was the first time we knew everything about the food on our plate,” she recalled. more ›

Part of an international movement, Chicago’s fourth-annual World Naked Bike Ride is set for this coming Saturday. Check-in will be from 6 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. in Union Park, near 100 N. Ashland, at the statue of former Mayor Carter Henry Harrison, Sr. He would be so proud. The official e-mail announcement arrived in Chicagoist’s mail box today, and warns non-participants and disruptive people will be turned away, suggesting you’re not welcome if you’re just... more ›

Chicagoist can't even imagine what it takes to hurl yourself up in the air, turn around four times, land on a skinny metal blade, hurl yourself up again, turn around three more times, land again, and make it look easy, but that's what Naperville native Evan Lysacek did on Saturday night to win his first national championship in figure skating. Lysacek, who entered Saturday night's free skate less than one point ahead of defending national champ Johnny Weir, dominated the free skate, beating Weir by 35 points and second-place finisher Ryan Bradley by 19 points. "This," said four-time world champion Kurt Browning of Canada, "was a clinic." more ›

The Chicago Blackhawks' locker room has looked more like a triage unit as of late. The Hawks suffered some concerning injuries over the weekend. more ›

The last couple of years have seen the Canadian cities of Montreal and Vancouver acquiring reputations as hotbeds of indie rock. But the most recent northern export we’ve heard takes equal parts metal and Mountain and mixes it together to form a bluesy stew. We’re speaking here of Priestess. more ›

The return of fall means no more suburban sheds or city parks filled with the sounds of rock. Instead, it’s time for live music fans to head inside to dark clubs that smell of cheap menthols and stale beer. We couldn’t be happier. Apparently, we’re not the only ones, as shows from Sufjan Stevens and Social Distortion/Supersuckers are already sold out. Here are a few with tix still available. We've never really bought what Cursive's... more ›

The Chicago Blackhawks return to the United Center ice on Wednesday night versus the Nashville Predators. The National Hockey League took a break so many players could represent their countries in the Winter Olympics. This weekend Sweden earned the Gold, Finland the Silver and the Czech Republic took the Bronze medal while the States come home empty handed. The break was badly needed for a Blackhawks squad that had lost five of their last six... more ›

Some arty-farty Chicago stories we’ve been checking out on the internets today: * The National Endowment for the arts awarded $1.1 million in grants to various people, places and things that make life worth living in Illinois. Recipients include some Chicago heavyweights like the Lyric Opera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as well as the Mexican Fine Arts Center and Tribune columnist Dawn Turner Trice. To our mind, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra Association is putting... more ›

And we don't mean the kind with the tomatoes and the onions and the mustard. The drooling, lick your face, Sammy kind of dog is what we're talking. more ›

While we’re not sure the Generation X label exists anymore (aren’t we just called “adults” now?), Gen X godfather Douglas Coupland will probably never escape it. Call it his albatross, if you will: despite a prodigious and decidedly non-slacker output of fiction, nonfiction, sculpture, design, and theater, he will forever be associated with the disaffected burn-out demographic he helped identify with his debut novel way back in 1991. more ›

As you surely already know, the city is unveiling the massive Millennium Park today, four years late and millions of dollars over budget. It's a big and beautiful monstrosity, truly a vision for this city's future. But what Chicagoist really wants to know: what will Chicago look like in 2035? I, Robot � apparently this is a movie by the Apple Corporation � seeks to answer those pressing questions. The Reader calls Patrick Tatopoulos�s... more ›

Cities were rated on sights, culture/arts, restaurants/food, people, shopping, and value. We�re going to start formulating a plan to beat at least Vancouver and Santa Fe next year, and everyone�s going to need to pitch in. Or maybe we just need to flood the votes next time around. more ›