Searching for Our Mississippi
A jazz legend’s haunted hometown. An ancient city. Two-dollar cans of beer. Edward Robert McClelland chronicles a five-day adventure on the overlooked western edge of Illinois, along the banks of...
All Stories
Good Hospital, Bad Hospital
During a series of mental health crises, the author discovered that not all psych wards are created equal.
The Day a 737 Crashed Into West Lawn
Fifty years ago, a jet fell from the sky into the Southwest Side neighborhood. Here’s what happened, in the words of those who were there.
The Accusation
Matthew Baron was a beloved teacher at Skinner West Elementary School in the West Loop. Then a student’s allegation changed everything.
Unmaking a Murderer
Chester Weger served 59 years behind bars for one of the most heinous crimes in this state’s history. Now out of prison, he is on a mission to prove his...
The Return of Ballet
After a year away, the Joffrey is back — online — with Bolero.
When COVID Came to Cook County Jail
At the peak of the pandemic, the crowded city within a city became a top hot spot. Facing cases on a mass scale, officials and doctors had to leap into...