Michigan Avenue median landscape crew soaks in praise, gratitude
A Michigan Avenue stroller may at times be struck by a sense of admiring wonderment. How do those plantings in the medians stay so lush and green, through blazing summers...
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Reporting for dreaded jury duty offers peace, chance to get things done
Looking for a day of peace, quiet and distraction-free productivity? I can't speak highly enough of the place I found it the other day — jury duty. Yes, that important...
Satan and the cinema: Watching ‘The Exorcist’ after decades of looking away
There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who love scary movies, and those of us who have never seen "The Exorcist." For 42 years, I have been...
Singing the praises of the less-visited south half of Chicago’s lakefront
The city's North Side-South Side rivalry is always in play, most prominently in the baseball version that this year has been so decisively settled. But in another category, I am...
New book shows life in Chicago, among other places, on $2 a day
What's $2 to you? A pack of gum? A greeting card, if you buy generic? The loose change in your purse? It's something else in Kathryn Edin and H. Luke...
How young women in Illinois get abortions without parental notification
Inside the Daley Center, and in courthouses across the state, the cases unfold in careful confidentiality. They are filed anonymously. The petitioner meets with a judge in an empty courtroom...
Wheaton Franciscans offer a quiet space for a quick retreat
Nancy Morris had me at "Quiet Rooms." She was telling me about the Tau Center, a spirituality ministry of the Wheaton Franciscans where she is marketing specialist. It welcomes people...
Group of young women with disabilities produces guide on sexual health
Stephanie Jackson was nervous as she stepped in front of the room. "This is a very important day for the Fe Fes," she began softly. "This is the first time...
Artist/architect tries to paint a brighter future in Englewood
Eric Bennett turned his truck onto Eggleston Avenue, pulled up to where Amanda Williams was standing and asked the question that had been perplexing him for weeks: Why had that...
Art in the workplace; it’s for everyone
Who are you at work? An accountant, maybe. An administrative assistant. A manager. But might you also be an artist? At Fermilab, the answer is presumed to be yes. For...