• The family of the man whose decapitated body was found in Evanston yesterday believe he committed suicide.
• Mayor Daley: not a fan of Race To The Top.
• Toni Preckwinkle: not a fan of Forrest Claypool.

Eleven years ago, Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher decided to say "screw it" to waiting for a special occasion to open that bottle of wine and just don it. They birthed the now annual and global celebration "Open That Bottle Night." Tomorrow, wine enthusiasts near and far will celebrate this night with something they hope may have been cellared to perfection or one that sits like a devil on your shoulder begging you to open it now. more ›

So sayeth the Wall Street Journal in their recent list of the top cities for college grads to move to. The WSJ sat down six "experts" to tell us where the nation's hot spots will be for college grads as the country climbs out of the recession. The top spot? A tie between Washington D.C. (one expert calls it "the new New York) and Seattle ("a high-tech and lifestyle mecca"). more ›

Folding theaters, plunging box office numbers and mass layoffs have dominated the theater headlines of late. And as journalism suffers along with the stage, reviews, profiles and upcoming show previews have become few and far between in some publications. So as we were flipping through our Wall Street Journal this morning (O.K., O.K., it was a press release), we were surprised and excited to hear that there is some hope out there for the business we call show. Our very own Steppenwolf Theatre Company has been named on of the top 15 places to work by the Wall Street Journal’s Top Small Workplaces 2009. more ›

Today the Wall Street Journal reported that the Tribune Company is considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and could file as early as this week. The company has hired Lazard Ltd. for financial and and legal counsel to steer them through the potential claim. Crain's has a bit more on the story, and cites a Tribune spokesman as saying the company does not comment on rumor and speculation. more ›

Current Fifth U.S. Congressional District Representative and Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel took to the stage at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C. yesterday as part of a Wall Street Journal-sponsored economic conference of corporate CEOs. And judging from these photos, it looks like the rest of the White House staff is going to get pwn'd (or Rhm'd) at the monthly charades competitions. more ›

It seems there's trouble brewing for Mr. Trump's new hotel, the supposed new "jewel" of the Chicago skyline. According to the Wall Street Journal:

So far, Mr. Trump has lined up buyers for a bit less than $600 million of condo units and condo-hotel units in a residential market that has virtually seized up. Yet he owes lenders as much as $1 billion when the loans are due, according to public records and several people familiar with the project. He has closed around $200 million in sales so far, with roughly $380 million still in contract. The retail portion of the giant building is for sale, at a time of rising vacancies for retail space in Chicago and one of the worst eras for retailers in years.

There was an interesting article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about a new multimedia documentary about the Old Maxwell Street Market released by blues, world, jazz and folk music label Shanachie Entertainment. combines a photo slideshow and classic films shot on Maxwell Street, a cd of blues tied to the market and a booklet of exhaustively researched information about Maxwell Street's history. more ›

Sure signs of summer: fluff pieces from newspapers analyzing the dietary habits of our Presidential candidates. This one in the Wall Street Journal (via the Bright One) takes a look at the restaurants both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain frequent and discover what those restaurants say about them and their families. more ›

Was clued in to this interesting article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about the Brew Blog, a beer and brewery industry blog sponsored by Miller Brewing Co. Written by former Advertising Age reporter James Andorfer, Brew Blog reports on industry news when it happens, as it happens. more ›

Last week, it was announced that one of the U of C Law School’s biggest superstars, Cass Sunstein, will be leaving for Harvard in the fall. Sunstein attended Harvard as an undergrad and for law school, and he later clerked for Justice Thurgood Marshall. He’s been on faculty at the U of C for 27 years, and during that time he has written and edited at least a dozen books. Now, he's going to Harvard to "head a new program at Harvard on risk regulation," according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. more ›

Saturday is the ninth annual "Open That Bottle Night," an event decreed by Wall Street Journal wine column writers Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Typically scheduled for the last Saturday in February, Brecher and Gaiter created "OTBN" as a column device, basically. They asked readers to open a bottle of wine they found symbolically significant, and then send in the stories related to that choice. Over the years we've opened up everything from splits of Van Duzer pinot noir to magnums of G.H. Mumm Extra Dry champagne, usually in celebration of something. more ›

senator Barack Obama some unsolicited advice on how to beat Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. When that didn't work, you took him to task in an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal. more ›

The Audit Bureau of Circulation released its Fas Fax data today, giving newspaper ombudsmen everywhere a topic for tomorrow's column. Too bad everyone's going to write largely the same story: Newspaper circulation is down. Circulation is down 2.6 percent across all major US daily newspapers, with the Trib faring worse than other papers, falling 2.9 percent over the last six months to a paid weekday circulation of 559,404. That makes the Trib the eighth biggest... more ›

It's hard not to stumble across a food blog while browsing the web. Two recent newspaper articles shine a light on the positive and negative aspects of the rise of food blogging. The front page of the Sun-Times' food section this morning is all about LTHForum, from the origins of their formation, their wide coverage of neighborhood and off-the-beaten path eats, the immediate response that can make or break a restaurant, and their overall influence... more ›

Howard Dean proved candidates could use the internet to raise funds and get people talking ... if not to come and vote for you. But a Wall Street Journal article published today focuses on how the internet is pulling money in for smaller, local campaigns. Daniel Biss, a 30-year-old math professor running for the Illinois state legislature, almost surpassed John Edwards as one of the top money-raisers on ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising website. Of course,... more ›

Here’s what we missed as we considered an Obama/Keyes rematch: Breathe a sigh of relief. In the eleventh hour, the Chicago Symphony and the Chicago Federation of Musicians reached a new multiyear contract. We can’t tell you more than that until the official announcement on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal’s Terry Teachout considers recent controversies involving Chicago theater critics reviewing (or not reviewing) “developmental” productions and wonders whether critics can or should be kept away... more ›

We're used to the Reader throwing out a curve ball now and then and rubbing some people the wrong way, but nevertheless we raised our eyebrows after reading its four-star review of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. If nothing else, it takes a certain amount of chutzpah to put a Cartoon Network-derived feature right up there with A Woman Under the Influence or even A History of Violence. Despite the controversy... more ›

One provision of President Bush's proposed budget could affect Chicagoans and city-dwellers all over the country. Bush is proposing a "congestion initiative" that would award federal grants to cities and states for building toll systems that charge drivers new or increased tolls for traveling in and out of cities during peak times. Congestion pricing could take the form of "cordon tolls," charges to enter the city proper, or monthly/annual fees for using High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)... more ›

The latest Wall Street Journal/Zogby poll has Governor Rod Blagojevitch (which is apparently Zogby for Blagojevich) ahead of Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka, 43% to 37%, despite having a low approval rating. Of course, other recent polls by Rasmussen Reports and Glengariff Group show Topinka ahead by a slight margin, so take it for what it's worth. To Carol Marin, it's not worth much. Today she reminds us that November is still a long way away. more ›

Douglas Pensack, Illinois Tenants Union more ›

We’re not one to brag on ourselves…oh who are we kidding? We totally are. more ›

Yesterday conservative Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak swore and stormed off the set of CNN's "Inside Politics" during a discussion with political consultant and CNN contributor James Carville about Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL), looking downright hot in the B-roll by the way, possibly running for Senate. You can watch video of the incident here. Novak says, "She might get elected." Then starts the stutter-fest. Carville interrupts (now James, interrupting isn't cool even when a democrat does... more ›

You can be sure that every pol in Illinois is talking about Time Magazine naming Mayor Richard M. Daley as one of the top five mayors in the nation. Much like a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed about Daley a couple of months ago, Time Magazine brushes aside the numerous recent city government scandals and entirely focuses on how good Daley is at the mechanics of providing city services. Naturally the Tribune and Sun Times grouse... more ›

The last page of this month’s Chicago magazine contains a list of lesser-known disasters in the city. Fires might get all the ink in history books but the Rush Street bridge collapse, the Winged Foot Express dirigible disaster, and the crapping of the Little Lady boat tour are the stories that will be told on porches for years to come. But it seems that Dave isn’t the only Matthews to soil Chicago’s good name. Longtime Chicago radio personality Kevin Matthews appears to be taking the blame/credit for a joke that’s gotten totally out of hand. more ›

Imagine, you're caught in an extramarital affair and it becomes public. Urk! Then, because your company's code of conduct bars that sort of behavior, you lose your job. D'oh! And finally, because you run one of the world's biggest aircraft manufacturers, the whole thing is front page news across the world -- including a front-page Wall Street Journal stipple-drawing. Ack! That's the kind of day Harry Stonecipher is having today. Not that he didn't get... more ›

A couple days ago Chicagoist noted how horribly wrong national columnists can go when talking about us folks in the Middle-West. Yesterday two more national publications took a swipe at defining Illinois politics, and this time they seemed to have gotten it a little more right -- just a little. more ›

Today's the day Chicagoist has been waiting all season for! The first game between the Cubs and White Sox begins this afternoon at 3:05pm at U.S. Cellular Field. Mark Prior faces off against Jon Garland in the first of three games between the two clubs this weekend. The Cubs' and Sox's success on the field again has fans dreaming of a Red Line World Series. Will it happen? If history is any indication probably... more ›