Former Chicago radio host Kevin Matthews met with the Pope. Big news for fans of The Loop. Still no Mancow blessing from the south suburban Pope 💪

very thankful to be hiring – threading the 3 positions we've currently got open! RTs always appreciated~ www.fangamer.com/pages/jobs

please help us find the Eleanor Rigby "joyce carol oates" tweet, Google is no help

There's never a wrong time to share this WBEZ + BGA production from 2018, but this is definitely the right time:

I'm going on @wgntv.com at 4:30 today to talk about our story with @blockclubchi.bsky.social about the Suzie B. Wilson land auction flop. Tune in! illinoisanswers.org/2026/02/04/c...

The driving-to-new-places-in-high-school-with-a-group-of-guys times were such full, rich times. Exploring. Esprit de corps. Opening up to the world.

Has a good memory bubble up today of Beverly kids giving me rides from Chicago football activities to my house in the south suburbs. Far out of the way for them but they just got their driver's licenses and it was fun to ride around and hang. Made me smile thinking about it

Great follow-up investigative reporting by @ctoner.bsky.social and @minabloom.bsky.social blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/04/c...

illinoisanswers.org/2026/02/04/c... "Now, the city is suing the company that ran the auction, claiming the firm was negligent and incompetent and overvalued the land by failing to price in empty lots, which left the city hanging out to dry when the sale flopped."

It's near-white out conditions in Chicago as the snow comes down, and tonight's anti-ICE/CBP rally is wrapping up in front of city hall. But not before the crowd bounces and chants, "I believe that we will win!"

youtu.be/gxv3ljq0ajU?... New Emperor X song about Renée Good

An off-duty suburban cop crashed his car with his kids inside, fled home and held police at bay for four hours while armed, police records show. The standoff ended with a hug — and no charges that day. https://bit.ly/4c0pGYQ

Two months ago, a reader reached out to us with concerns about how law enforcement had handled a crash and 4-hour armed standoff with an off-duty officer in Plainfield, Illinois. That night, police hugged him, closed the case, and told him "You're one of us" and "We want to protect you." Read more:

Dan McQuade wrote about drugs and the people who use them in a way that was humane and instructive. Here's a good guidepost for person-first journalism. RIP defector.com/the-myth-of-...

Reading about the viral snow plow naming contest reminds me of the city plan to plow sidewalks and make life easier for all especially those with disabilities and how the city threw the plan in the garbage. illinoisanswers.org/2024/03/26/3...

If you're looking for something humane & restorative, I highly recommend the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. Literally pick any show and go. I took two buses to see tonight's matchbox puppet show at Constellation and laughed and cried chicagopuppetfest.org

An observer arrested in Suth Minneapolis. Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune

Chicago police initially blocked Officer Carlos Baker from joining a tactical unit over disciplinary concerns, only to later approve his transfer. Months after the move, Baker fatally shot his partner. https://bit.ly/4pG7LtW

I'm going to be on @fox32chicago.bsky.social in a few minutes to talk about the Carlos Baker story. Tune in!

Paul Westerberg doing some world-class shit talking about Kurt Cobain. What makes it work is the 1) element of truth 2) the brevity of the insult 3) the elements of poetry including a rhyme 4) the plausible deniability. Lmao absolutely brutal

I propose a constitutional amendment requiring all physical and digital copies of Billy Joel's "Piano Man" to be destroyed and replaced with The Replacements' "Here Comes a Regular." It's the least we can do for the good people of Minneapolis and also America

Illinois Answers Reporter @ctoner.bsky.social will be a guest speaker at the Mouse Arts and Letters Club's "News Night" tomorrow at 7 p.m. Learn more here: https://mouseartsandletters.org/events/event-one-ek26a

illinoisanswers.org/2026/01/15/c... My latest with @schuba.bsky.social and Peter Nickeas about the tac team cop who shot and killed his partner. After Carlos Baker's initial rejection, Baker's district commander approved his promotion even after Baker disobeyed orders and cussed out his sergeant

Looking forward to this conversation with @aliceyin.bsky.social and @ctoner.bsky.social and people interested in Chicago journalism on Friday night!

Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG... www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...

I know just the right guy to usher in this new glorious era of Ravens football

NFL should do away with the draft and instead require teams to make offers to rookies like they do other players. Develop talent pipelines to facilitate the process. No good reason why the best quarterback in the nation every year should be sacrificed to the Browns. Could be great for the CBA

Glad to see murders down in Chicago but the "fewest killings since 1965" line obscures the fact that close to a million more people lived in the city back then. chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...

Wow loved Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve from Chicago youtu.be/TQcGnEhciNY?...

What if America was a cigarette store just over the border in Indiana

The nonprofit owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ paid its outgoing CEO more than $900,000 in 2024, new tax filings show, as it engaged in staff cuts and other measures to deal with declining revenue.

Isiah Whitlock Jr.'s performance as Clay Davis embodies the essence of every two-bit political crook I've ever met or written about. That special blend of charisma, cowardice and selfishness wrapped in a suit and tied together with a smile. One of the great villains in American life

Thanks for nothing, @time.com . @theonion.com

One of the most significant swag decreases in sports history. The Rainbow Warriors have never recovered

caseytoner.bandcamp.com/album/christ... Holiday songs from me & my pals about seeing the Christmas spirit, doing donuts in a parking lot on Christmas Eve, a one night stand, mommy and daddy claus, and the birth of Christ. Art by @danhinkel.bsky.social

It's been a difficult year. Proud of these Chicago journalists for finding room for joy this season while raising money for those in need. @latrace.bsky.social @ctoner.bsky.social @mauriciopena.bsky.social + more

If you haven't already now is a GREAT time to download this album for $7. All proceeds benefit Streetwise, a weekly magazine that assists and employs homeless people. We're trying to hit $500 in donations in the next couple of days

“It turns out that banishing the slur from public discourse was, in fact, important. Because now it’s back and it turns out that it does matter when subtext becomes actual text, when terrible people enable open hatred and bigotry, encouraging others to emulate them, degrading us all.”

I spoke with Block Club about our little Christmas album a handful of journalists and I released last week. Hear @mauriciopena.bsky.social crush the vocals on "The Christmas Song," me returning to my Midwest emo roots, and an original from @ctoner.bsky.social. blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/22/c...

I watched the game on a two hour delay and heard yelling from the floor below early on and spent the remaining three quarters imagining how the Bears screwed it up. PAT block for a return, blown field goal for a tie, failed two point conversation. I just could not imagine something good happening

Saw Cameron Winter last night at Rockefeller Chapel and I'm not sure if just a piano and his warbling-ass voice works for 90 minutes. Sorry

If the Bears moved to northwest Indiana I'd become a Packers fan.

“Just before you’re about to play your most important game in years, you announce your plan to move the team to Indiana.”

chicagomediachorus.bandcamp.com/album/christ... Today "The Chicago Media Chorus" released a holiday compilation through Bandcamp for $7 💪. All proceeds benefit Streetwise, a weekly magazine that helps the homeless. Please consider donating! Worth it for Mary Schmich's reading alone

I recently connected with a handful of Chicago journalists to record an album of holiday songs just in time for Christmas. Hear classic holiday covers and a reading from legendary columnist Mary Schmich. All proceeds directly benefit StreetWise. chicagomediachorus.bandcamp.com/album/christ...

You know you don't have to post or repost the cruel thing said about the guy everyone loved

blockclubchicago.org/2025/12/15/a... Ah man this sucks, Saucy Porka was an ELITE loop lunch spot. A true original in a sea of indistinguishable fast casual. Hopefully the good Chef M has a full recovery

Trying to determine if the Chance the Rapper CTA announcements are cute and fun or a grim reminder of Chicago's second city status

The mother of Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera asked a question Thursday as she announced a wrongful death lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department and the officer who fatally shot her daughter shortly after they broke up. “Where is justice for Krystal?” tinyurl.com/3axr73wf