The Justice League of Chicago
What we learned from a new book about a vigilante group that chased down local bootleggers and extortionists in the early 1930s
All Stories
Handel’s ‘Messiah’ wasn’t meant to be Christmas music, but it still became a Chicago holiday staple
Some Chicagoans came to appreciate “Messiah” as a piece of music with appeal that extended beyond its Christian themes.
The Golden Girl of the Avant-Garde
A new book explores how early 20th-century editor Margaret C. Anderson outraged the literary establishment. Here’s what we learned.
Maybe Things Will Be Better in Chicago
A spirited Mavis Staples cover of Tom Waits‘s “Chicago” gives us reason to muse on music, migration, and our city.
Chicago’s Original Celebrity Athlete
The new book Eckie spotlights Walter Eckersall, a bygone local sports pioneer. Here’s what we learned.
Chicago’s Uptown Theatre: 100 years of glory and decay
The Tribune's movie critic in 1925 wrote the Uptown Theatre is "lavish of space, decoration and comfort, is sumptuously furnished and is beautifully and softly lighted inside."
The Birdbrain Case for Stopping Lincoln Yards Development
The discovery of grassland-loving dickcissels on the site of Sterling Bay's stalled megadevelopment suggests the value of preserving open land.
In 1894 Pullman strike, Illinois’ governor fought president’s decision to send in troops
During the Pullman Strike of 1894, the governor of Illinois decried President Grover Cleveland's move to call in the federal troops.
How to Coexist With Coyotes
After his video and images of coyote pups in Graceland Cemetery went viral, the author offers insight on these longtime Chicago residents.
Requiem for the Montrose Beavers
The author was delighted when the wood-chomping rodents surfaced at the harbor. Then one turned up dead.