• The Chicago-Rio feud intensifies as we close in on next week's 2016 Olympics host city announcement.
• The north suburb of Bannockburn reported its first murder ever today.
• What not to do if your son's being bullied: impersonate a cop to threaten the bully.

Yesterday's approval by the CTA board of a plan to extend the Yellow, Red, and Orange lines has been met with a variety of responses from both supporters and detractors. WBEZ spoke to several people in Skokie about their concerns of extending the Yellow Line. more ›

• The CTA Board approved plans to extend the Red, Orange, and Yellow Lines, but we'll believe it when we see it.
• U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky's son-in-law died while snorkeling during a family vacation in Mexico.
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois is cutting 650 jobs.

The CTA staff is expected to present a recommendation today to the CTA board today that would call for the extension of the Red, Orange, and Yellow lines. Per WBBM: more ›

The Chicago Transit Authority restored Yellow Line service Saturday after switch problems at the Howard Street station. Service was suspended for less than two hours early Saturday morning as crews worked to repair the problem. The halted service caused delays on the Red and Purple lines shared at the station, according to the CTA. The Yellow line shuttles passengers between two stops: Howard and north suburban Skokie. [S-T] more ›

A CTA train derailment in the Howard Red Line rail yard temporarily interrupted Red Line service and has indefinitely shut down Yellow Line service. The #97 bus is offering service for Yellow Line riders until further notice. Southbound Red Line trains between Howard and Thorndale were temporarily suspended but service has since been restored and the CTA is saying to expect only minor delays on the Red and Purple Lines. The derailment occurred around 9 a.m. and there's no word what line the derailed train was associated with. Update: Service has been restored to the Yellow Line. more ›

In what is now a weekly right of passage, the CTA is doing all kinds of stuff to the train lines this weekend. Which is fine, because there's really not much going on this weekend besides all the street fests, Blues Fest, Printers Row Book Fair, the Sox home games, and all the tourists in town. We know it's all for the greater good and many of the reroutes are during off-peak hours, but that doesn't mean it won't affect anyone. Here's a quick summary of what's happening with each line this weekend. more ›

Despite this week's news that the work on the Fullerton and Belmont stops will be finished ahead of schedule, we're still drinking the CTA flavor Haterade. Honestly, we've given up taking the El on weekends. With slow zones, closures and reroutes, not to mention the ongoing Brown Line construction/clusterfuck, it's easier in this beautiful weather to just walk or ride our bikes (always wear a helmet!). With lots of people traveling and making their way around town for fests and other spring-time activities, it's important to keep an eye on the CTA Customer Alert website. Here's a quick run-down of this weekend's closures. more ›

The CTA will be spending $227 million in federal funds on improving itself and fixing slow zones. Doors open on the left at "finally." In other CTA news, the Yellow Line is going to start running on weekends. [S-T, Trib] more ›

There are a lot of ways to make money playing poker on the World Poker Tour circuit. To do it successfully, you have to consistently play good poker. Occasionally, you can get a string of good luck, and sometimes you can get away with being aggressive and the master of the bluff. Poker personality Mike "The Mouth" Matusow and recent 2006 World Series of Poker Champion Jamie Gold are two prime examples of people who have mastered the latter. They are also two examples of people who can easily go on tilt at the poker table and can blow a huge stack of chips in a short amount of time. more ›

This news came in just in time for your commute home, Evanstonians & Skokites. more ›

A study released today found that the CTA serves rich people better and more frequently than it serves poor people. File under: no one is surprised. See also: schools, TIFs, libraries, roads, waste management, police presence, government in general. more ›