The Thompson Center – What Will The State Do With 150+ Art Objects?

The Gov says the “Monument with Standing Beast” will be moved to the “new” State Office Building. Phew. Problem solved! Not so fast. What about the other 150+ art works inside the building? What happens to them? Did you know they are there? How about this: As opposed to Dubuffet’s Continue Reading

Chicago And Its Art: Just How Dumb Can A City Be?

I read with morbid interest this article from one of Philadelphia’s TV stations, thumping its city on the back for its public art collection: https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/the-scene/philadelphia-best-street-art-usa-today/4120492/ It says, “The City of Brotherly Love has reclaimed its title as the nation’s Best City for Street Art in the USA TODAY 10 Best Continue Reading

Chicago’s Public Art: A Paean and a Lament

About 20 years ago I got interested in Chicago’s public art. There seemed to be a lot of it downtown. I wondered both about the art itself and the quantity of it. The sequence of events in my evolving interest in the topic is murky now. I looked for good Continue Reading

Assessing Cook County Judicial Candidates – A Brief History

Cook County Courthouse, Daley Center We lived in DuPage County in Illinois for twenty years. I was relatively active in politics during that time, I served as an election reconciliation judge in the county for years. In our time there, I don’t recall having especially noticed or much cared about Continue Reading

Cook County Judicial Candidates – November 2024 – Injustice Watch Information

I’ve waited extra time this cycle for authoritative assessments of Cook County judges running for retention, Our usual source, the Alliance of Bar Associations, has been very slow to publish their findings. I’m still waiting. That’s the source that “Vote for Judges” (https://www.voteforjudges.org/) uses, so they, too, have been hamstrung Continue Reading

Voting for Judges – Illinois Cook County Primary March 19, 2024

It’s that time again in Illinois. We have a primary election on March 19. Some readers might not know much – or anything – about how we vote for judges in Illinois or, particularly, in Cook County.  Whenever a primary or general election includes judicial candidates, I normally talk about Continue Reading

Holiday Beers – Chicagoland Version

Image courtesy Binny’s Beverage Depot Holiday beer time is one of my favorite parts of the year. From just before Thanksgiving to mid/late January, beers brewed for the holiday season hit the stores and make holiday beer drinking delightful. Certain types predominate: winter warmers, spiced ales, Belgian (and Belgian-style) strong Continue Reading

Chicago’s Immigration Crisis – Let’s Stop Screwing Around!

Let’s stipulate that Texas, in particular, has been getting little or no help with a massive influx of migrants from South and Central America through Mexico, and that the problem is huge. Let’s also stipulate that Gov. Abbott is a pluperfect shithead: he’s using the crisis as a political hammer Continue Reading