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

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

“Clyde’s” at the Goodman Theater

This past Sunday, October 2, at Goodman Theater, as part of our subscription series, we saw the production of “Clyde’s,” a play by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, and directed by Kate Whoriskey. The play was a Tony Award winner in its run on Broadway. According to the Goodman Continue Reading

Our American Taliban

Remember that guy whom we called the “American Taliban”? We thought he was a strange anomaly. He was not. We have a large number of states in which a radical right religious faction has taken over as the legislative, moral, literary, and thought police. They are today’s American Taliban. the Continue Reading