The name is the least of the controversy for Chi-Raq

By Kierra Gray In Spike Lee’s new film Chi-Raq, he explores gang violence and the use of sex strikes as a tactic to combat violence. This modern-day adaptation of Aristophanes’ ancient Greek satire “Lysistrata” is set on the South Side of Chicago. After a stray bullet kills a young child in a gang war, our […]

“Spotlight” Shines Bright

By Emma Sandler The new movie “Spotlight” focuses on an investigative unit of the same name at The Boston Globe that uncovered in 2001 and 2002 the systemic Catholic priest abuse scandal. It involved about 70 local priests and more than 1,000 victims. The reporting garnered the paper a Pulitzer Prize. The investigative team comes […]

Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq has inspired a sex strike movement in Chicago

By Alexis Myers To view this story interactively click here. A South Side woman has brought the premise of the new movie “Chi-Raq” to life by launching a female sex strike with the goal of ending the city’s gun violence. So far 94 supporters have signed April Lawson’s petition on Change.org. The movie Chi-Raq, by director Spike Lee, opened […]

Different players shooting at a common goal

By Nick Zazulia If you are a professional hockey player assigned to an NHL team’s minor-league affiliate, such as the St. Louis Blues’ AHL partner, the Chicago Wolves, your all-encompassing goal is to get called up to the Blues and win a million Stanley Cups. Obviously. That nature of an AHL team means a lot […]

Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz keeps job, leads team to best season ever

Iowa Fan Hat

By Lena Blietz Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz entered the year on the hot seat after a 7-6 football season in 2014. Ferentz responded by leading the team to its first 12-0 regular season. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year as Iowa made its first appearance in the conference championship game. The Hawkeyes fell to Michigan State, but […]

Japanese photographer uses “cult” camera to tell a Chicago story

By Elizabeth Bacharach Satoki Nagata, who moved to Chicago in 1992, exclusively used a Leica camera to capture the photographs that compose the December-long exhibit “Lights in the City” at the Rangefinder Gallery. Located within Tamarkin Camera, 300 W. Superior St., the gallery displays 21 images from two different projects: “Lights in Chicago” and “Frances […]

Alleged police torture victim seeks to clear his name (video)

By Jasmine Cen Anthony Jakes is fighting to clear his name after he spent years in jail. He was charged with first-degree murder and taken into police custody in Chicago  when he was fifteen. Jakes is still working to fit back into the society since his release from prison in 2012 and he is fighting to […]

Lenovo’s Motorola Mobility pins turnaround hopes on emerging markets

By Eve Fan A year after being acquired by Lenovo, the Beijing-based technology firm has placed its faith in Motorola Mobility to lead a turnaround in its smartphone division and become profitable in 2016. The iconic mobile device company that has, in four short years, been spun off from Motorola Inc., acquired by Google Inc. […]

Who can be held responsible for climate inaction?

By Kevin Stark Well, that’s different. Until negotiations kicked off in Paris this month, a goal of curbing global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees F) cseemed like the arduous but obtainable goal. As talks began, it quickly became clear that world leaders want an even sharper curb in fossil fuel emissions […]