Red Line decline?
Even after the CTA completed an $86 million renovation to seven North Side Red Line stops, ridership has gone south.The stations-Argyle, Berwyn, Granville, Jarvis, Lawrence, Morse and Thorndale-were on...
View ArticleFur real
Alissa Conaty will go hungry before her cats do.It's not an exaggeration, she says. Some weeks, she eats ramen noodles so she can spring for more expensive organic food for her two cats, Widget and...
View ArticleChicago mourns Jonylah Watkins
Mary Young looked out at the hundreds of people who had packed into New Beginnings Church of Chicago to say goodbye to 6-month-old shooting victim Jonylah Watkins.Young, a mother of eight, was about to...
View ArticleLupe, Jonylah and Chicago violence
There's a lot to say about Lupe Fiasco's brilliant, searing, heartbreaking track "Jonylah Forever," which he released on Soundcloud three days after the shooting of 6-month-old Jonylah Watkins, whose...
View ArticleThe making of 'Dawn, Quixote'
After The Building Stage in October decided to disband the company and close its doors after eight years, artistic director Blake Montgomery gathered the members to brainstorm their last play, which...
View ArticleBrew 'n' chess
Checkmate, Chicago. Thanks in part to the daughter of Russian immigrants, bar theme nights and the rise of nerd culture, chess is shedding its image as a game for old men in the park or geeky social...
View ArticleCTA fee-for-all
A long list of convenience fees and other unexpected charges awaits CTA and Pace Ventra fare-card customers who sign up for an optional prepaid debit card account, a Tribune analysis of the more than...
View ArticleVending machines in city's aim
The office vending machine may soon come under a snack attack.Mayor Emanuel on Wednesday asked Chicago businesses and organizations to participate in a citywide vending challenge to offer healthy...
View ArticleWhat not to say after a breakup
Breakups are hard. In other obvious news, crackers are crunchy.Whether it's a long overdue parting of ways, an infidelity of Tiger Woods proportions or flat-out dumping someone you don't want to hurt,...
View ArticleMadness scientists
It's NCAA tournament time! And that means brackets. Almost everyone fills one out, but what is the best strategy? And should you even strategize, or just pick the high seeds?Well, RedEye found four...
View ArticleLGBT geeks assemble!
Kicking down the geek closet door can be as liberating as the coming-out process for some LGBTs-a transformation as powerful as Clark Kent shedding his suit and spectacles for the iconic blue tights...
View ArticleDIY gaming
Rob Lach lovingly pats a hulking, pale-blue arcade cabinet with the Chicago flag painted on the side and a marquee that reads "Indie City Arcade.""Yep, this thing's spent a lot of time in my garage,"...
View ArticlePeace forum
No matter how much or how little time has passed, the heartache was still very real for parents who on Wednesday shared tearful stories about children they lost to violence in Chicago."I have not yet...
View Article'Spring Breakers': More than bikinis
***1/2 (out of four)If we cut loose with friends on vacation, do we lose ourselves or become who we really are?It's a big question generated in the unexpectedly great "Spring Breakers," which, yeah,...
View ArticleQuick 'n' dirty spring sex advice
Welcome to spring! It'll still be cold for two more months, but that doesn't mean we can't dream about putting our ski masks away and of summer hookups to come. With a new season comes a new quick 'n'...
View ArticleScreaming in pain
Solving the violence problem in Chicago seems so massive, so insurmountable to its residents."I want to do something. But what can you really do?" said South Sider Bryant Cross, 28. He found that his...
View ArticleNew weekend brunch options
When it's this frigid outside, the idea of attempting a weekend brunch that goes beyond toaster waffles eaten while huddled under a blanket seems downright unreasonable. If there's anything that stands...
View ArticleThe afterlife lies on Twitter
I've always wondered what might happen to me after I die. As a semi-avid churchgoer in my youth, I always thought I'd end up in one of two places: a fluffy permanent vacation called heaven or an...
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