This is a direct, thoughtful essay explaining what incarcerated people in Illinois lose as prison officials prevent them from getting physical mail from people who love them.

My all-time favorite roadside art oddity. You can make a nice day trip out of hitting the birthplace of Culver's in Sauk City (it's the same as other locations but there's a monument) and going to Devil's Lake, a truly excellent state park for swimming and hiking and cooking out.

To Mr. and Mrs. Scaggs, a son: Boz

Today, Illinois Answers reporter @ctoner.bsky.social will be on @21st.show to discuss how Illinois governors built one of the largest gambling markets in the United States. Tune in at 11 a.m. to join the conversation: will.illinois.edu/21stshow

I have a new prize possession

At the thrift store enjoying this series of now-hilarious SI covers

Schoolchildren in Rock County, Wis. receive extensive information about local boy Sterling North and also Japanese tourists sometimes visit the area because his classic book “Rascal” became a well-loved cartoon over there, with unfortunate ecological results.

Compare Alito's description of Trump's racist statements (on the left) to Justice Kagan's anthology of Trump's racist statements (on the right). These are passages from this morning's opinions in Mullin v. Doe.

To keep their seats, Cook County judges need 60% of voters to say “yes” to retaining them. 61 judges are up for retention this November. We're researching all of them for our judicial election guide — and we want your help.

Reminds me of the time the Chicago parks officials closed arguably our best park, Promontory Point, on a July Saturday and broke a bunch of their own rules so Mellody Hobson and George Lucas could get married at a place where non-famous people constantly marry without doing these things.

Cook County has been called the wrongful conviction capital of the country. But who is giving the county this title? In her new book, “Crime Fictions: How Racist Lies Built a System of Mass Wrongful Conviction,” author Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve tries to answer that. news.wttw.com/2026/06/23/c...

She was being paid several times more than any journalist I have ever known, and this was how she handled commenting for a story. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/n...

No disrespect to Giannis but he’s the past of the Milwaukee Bucks. The future is the huge Serbian teenager named Bogoljub the Bucks drafted in the 2nd round last year.

I went into this expecting a little backstory about one of my favorite bands and left totally walloped about deep friendship in adulthood

📻️ Catch senior reporter @danhinkel.bsky.social on WVON this morning at 10:30 a.m. discussing his reporting on about an Illinois court ruling and bill that could affect wrongfully convicted people seeking certificates of innocence. Listen at wvon.com or 1960AM on your radio dial.

Thanks to Mike Stephen from Outside the Loop Radio for having me on @wgnradio.bsky.social to discuss my story for @injusticewatch.org and @boltsmag.org on a court ruling and legislation that clash with Eileen O'Neill Burke's efforts to stop exonerated people from getting certificates of innocence.

I’m in the middle of a Nightmare on Elm Street series rewatch, so I’m also surveying Freddy-themed music and, with due respect to Dokken and the Fat Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the French Prince’s A Nightmare on My Street is the best music anyone made about Freddy, and New Line cinema sued them!

Once had an MRI. On the way in the guy asked me what music I wanted. Anxious, I blurted the 1st thing that came to mind: Bob Dylan. I'm not even a Dylan guy! Then, 2 songs in they played Kenny Rogers The Gambler & I laughed so hard the guy told me I had to stop moving or they'd have to redo the scan

Have you had a case before, practiced in front of, or simply interacted with one of these 61 Cook County judges? We want to hear from you. All submissions are confidential. buff.ly/bZxXz3M

Thanks to @21st.show for hosting this discussion of Eileen O'Neill Burke's battle against certificates of innocence and recent developments at the state level that could make those court orders more valuable and easier to get for some exonerated people. Listen here if you're interested!

Matter of fact, a couple of those exonerated men joined protests when the same bar association gave Waller an award in 2014. www.chicagotribune.com/2014/03/11/c...

The Lake Co. Bar Association gave an award to former SA Michael Waller. Waller was responsible for numerous wrongful convictions. These were egregious in that prosecutors under his command defended the convictions for years despite ironclad physical evidence showing they'd locked up innocent men.

The driver accused of fatally dooring Riley O'Neil was allegedly driving on a suspended license, without insurance. The license was suspended because he refused a Breathalyzer during a DUI stop. He had a previous DUI arrest, though that charge was dropped when he pleaded guilty to open container.

Tune in if that's your thing!

Illinois has lagged behind other states when it comes to state compensation for people who are wrongfully convicted. A new bill aims to change that. (Co-published with @boltsmag.org) buff.ly/DbhCj4f

On Wednesday, a federal judge warned prosecutors that there was only one way for the U.S. attorney’s office to avoid an evidentiary hearing next week into alleged grand jury misconduct — and that they knew very well what it was. A day later, it was done. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/12/f...

Another must-read from @morleymusick.bsky.social. Some photos I took made it in :-)

NEW: An Illinois bill and court ruling could make certificates of innocence more valuable and easier to get. The court orders help exonerated people find jobs and housing after they’re freed. (Co-published with @boltsmag.org) www.injusticewatch.org/project/deny...

My work. Events at the state level clash with the actions of Cook Co. State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke, who is trying to make it harder for wrongfully convicted people to get declarations of their innocence. That's frustrating for exonerated people who want to move on. (w/@boltsmag.org)

Beach weather ⛈️ North Avenue Beach

Yeah, that’s what it was like when I worked there, for sure

A real page on the White House website

I really enjoy David's site and I've learned a ton about recent heavy metal and hardcore releases, so I don't just keep listening to Sabbath Vol. 4, though that is also an honorable path.

In this report on the death of Riley O'Neil, who was doored while on a bike, you can see two things behind the reporter: - A gathering around a vigil. - A car parked in the bike lane. youtu.be/UStR-MeBsD8

If this Bears stadium thing keeps moving in the direction of Hammond, Chicago news consumers are in for a real treat as they discover the joys of Northwest Indiana politics.

Chicago!! Presenting your Kilbourn Park 2026 Summer Concert Series lineup Smut, Tobacco City, Krill, National Photo Committee, Hollow Bastion, V.V. Lightbody, Starcharm, Radio Outernational, and more wonderful local artists playing for free! 6-8pm every Friday in July 🎨 by the lovely Chi Nwosu

🚨 #Chicago: It's that time of year. We're in the process of researching the 61 Cook County judges running for retention this November and we want to hear from you. Have you had a case in front of one of them? Check the list of judges running and let us know if you have something you want to share.

Fascinating, entertaining Q-and-A with one of the hosts of Milwaukee public access TV show The Queer Program. The hosts didn't fret over hostile on-air calls from viewers, and episodes ended with the sign-off, "Be as queer as you want to be."

"Decades of industry lobbying and advertising have persuaded elected officials and the public that voluntary efforts by manufacturers and taxpayer-funded recycling programs are working." Great work by @scribeguy.bsky.social on failures of government oversight and abuses by the plastic industry.

RSVP and come on out!

Confirming @cnn.com: The Justice Department earlier this year referred an investigation into E. Jean Carroll to federal prosecutors in Chicago, a source tells the @chicago.suntimes.com. That investigation is active, the source said. w/ @vimiller.bsky.social: chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/05...

Minimal detail on what happened here but people tend to drive 30-50 mph on that stretch of Belmont, which has no stop sign or traffic signal, and if one driver stops at the crosswalk, you have to ask whether the next driver will pull around and flatten you. chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/05...

Informative and entertaining read on the rhythms of life at the Harold Washington Library, as told by its regulars.

"Near the bottom of the alert, DHS acknowledged the comedian did not pose a danger. 'At this time, there appears to be no direct threat to life or infrastructure,' the alert reads."

Respect paid at Nisei Lounge

No writer is better suited to pen this obituary, and Rick Kogan handled it beautifully.

In case you missed it: Check out the full conversation with @danhinkel.bsky.social, here. news.wttw.com/2026/05/12/i...

VJ Edgecombe is back in the Bahamas, and there’s no shortage of excitement.