MADE IN CHICAGO: Examining the good, the bad . . . and the Malört

Made in Chicago

Made in Chicago is a mosaic of stories by graduate students at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. It was published in June, 2015 and shows what makes this city unlike any other. (Full Made in Chicago site). The student journalists strove to capture the good, the bad and the Malört. After hours […]

VIDEO: After the whistle; How player finances determine win or loss in life

By Joe Musso The life of an NFL athlete is highlighted by bright lights, bone crushing collisions and dollar signs. But what happens to those players when the the lights turn off and the six-figure checks stop coming every two weeks? Personal financial education is topic that professional athletes too often ignore, but NFL Veterans […]

Blackhawks pride around every corner

Art Institute Lion Hawk

Chicago has unabashedly become a Blackhawks town, with the colors red and black, logos, gear, helmets,  banners and flags around just about every corner. A few of the sightings this week along the North Michigan Avenue corridor. Click on photo to open up a full-screen gallery. (Scott Guthrie/Medill)   Photo at top: In what has become […]

Chicago hosts Dutch king and queen

By Meghan Morris The king and queen of the Netherlands completed a whirlwind visit to the Windy City on Wednesday, taking on-stage selfies and tours of local educational institutions. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima arrived Tuesday night after spending time in Canada, Washington, D.C., and Grand Rapids, Mich. The couple came to the U.S. to […]

Founder of 1871 envisions the future of Chicago

Barrett and Pritzker

By Yimian Wu The founder of the high-tech incubator 1871, philanthropist J.B. Pritzker, called for risk-taking and revolution to create Chicago’s “next big thing” at the annual luncheon of the Metropolitan Planning Council on Wednesday. “It is the idea that we are willing to take risks that is going to get us the next wave or the next answer. […]

Concrete of the future heals itself

Limestone producing bacteria

By Meghan Morris This microbiologist uses a non-scientific term to describe his cure for cracking concrete: limestone-pooping bacteria. Henk Jonkers, a professor at Delft University School of Technology in the Netherlands, has created a patented mixture containing bacteria that, when exposed to water, produce limestone that fills microcracks in concrete. If these cracks aren’t filled, […]

Food industry looks to import eggs as bird flu spreads, prices spike

By Traci Badalucco and Christina Bucciere The egg product industry is feeling the effect of the biggest avian flu outbreak in U.S. history more than consumers, so far, as the virus has infected more than 35 million egg-laying hens across the country. The wholesale price of a dozen large eggs nearly doubled since the beginning […]

Sandor predicts a U.S. water futures market

By Lucy Ren Known for his invention of  financial futures and carbon trading, environmental economist Richard Sandor predicted on Tuesday that Western drought will lead to the launch of a U.S. water futures market as soon as the next year. Scarce resources like water and air will replace crude oil as the most important commodities of the 21st […]

Ricketts v. Rooftops: A breakdown of Wrigley rooftop ownership

By Hannah Beery In the six years since the Ricketts family acquired 95 percent of the Cubs and Wrigley Field, the battle for surrounding outfield rooftop ownership has rarely ceased and the turmoil continues. One rooftop owner was indicted in March for underreporting attendance and revenue figures to state and local taxing authorities, as well as […]