As soon as I read about Bill Daley’s call for a referendum on reducing the city council from 50 to 15 aldermen, I had three questions: Would it pass? Would I vote for it? And what does this have to do with ratgate? In short, the answers are: yes, not sure and…don’t get me started! […]
Category: Blogs
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Joint Review Board
For the last several weeks, the 13 or so mayoral candidates have been promising to defend Chicago’s already overburdened taxpayers from future hikes in our forever-rising property taxes. And then on January 11, the Joint Review Board gave Mayor Rahm the green light to raise property taxes by as much as $1.6 billion over the […]
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Zanies executive director says he would book Louis C.K.
The two-drink minimum is a standard at old-school comedy clubs, a subtle reminder that making money is priority number one. A glance at the menu at the Rosemont Zanies makes the already unpleasant proposition even worse: a drink called the “Louis C.K.” is still prominently featured on a list of specialty cocktails. By the way, […]
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City Pop, the optimistic disco of 1980s Japan, finds a new young crowd in the West
Thanks to the genre’s devoted Chicago fans, City Pop star Anri plays a rare midwestern show this weekend in Schaumburg.
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Despite the alderman’s opposition to an entertainment district, venues are still wary of Lincoln Yards
The Chicago Independent Venue League (CIVL) says Live Nation or another conglomerate could still have sole control over music in the development.
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Flowers for Uncle Bob on the gig poster of the week
This week’s featured gig poster was designed by local artist Jay Ryan.
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Let us now praise Elvis Presley and his movies
It’s the King’s birthday, so Viva Las Vegas, baby!
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Archive dive: How recycling got its start in Chicago
Ben Joravsky with the scoop on the political struggle to bring recycling to the city.
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Rahm & Burke
In the category of closing the gate after the horse has bolted from the pasture, Mayor Rahm fired Ed Burke as chair of the all-important council finance committee after the feds indicted the 14th ward alderman on charges of shaking down a Burger King franchisee. Wow, there’s a lot to unpack in that sentence, starting […]
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The 18 most-read stories of 2018 by month
A look at the Reader‘s top stories of 2018 as determined by number of pageviews in each month of the year—an admittedly dubious method that nonetheless does resurface some really great reads. In some months there were virtual ties, which conveniently let me pad this out to the 18 most-read stories. January: “The trials of […]
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Making sense of Billy Jack, declared America’s first action hero by at least one dad
Social media editor Brianna Wellen tries to find the joy in her father’s favorite movie franchise.
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It’s still Christmas at the Chicago Botanic Garden
The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Wonderland Express is open through January 6.
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Dancing into the Felix Vortex on the gig poster of the week
This week’s featured gig poster was designed by local artist Bill Connors.
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Christmas With the Kranks is an unacknowledged noir masterpiece
Trust screenwriter Chris Columbus to find the darkness in holiday cheer.
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Longtime Carol’s house band Diamondback brings new fans and old regulars to the resuscitated country bar
Last week Carol’s Pub reopened under new ownership, reestablishing Uptown’s last surviving link to the era when the neighborhood was known as “Hillbilly Heaven.”