Chicago

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Last Call for Chicago Bar Cars
 Last Call for Chicago Bar Cars 
Aug 27, 2008 4:18 PM CDT

Last Call for Chicago Bar Cars

Transit company phasing out drinks service to make space for passengers

(Newser) - Chicago’s last commuter-train watering holes will grind to a halt this week, disappointing the tight-knit community of “bar car” regulars, the Tribune reports. The Metra system has been phasing out the traveling taverns in an effort to make more room for passengers, but for many the change feels...

Way More Than Just Standing By Her Man
Way More Than Just Standing By Her Man
ANALYSIS
Aug 25, 2008 1:59 PM CDT

Way More Than Just Standing By Her Man

Michelle Obama's public service a boon to Barack's rise

(Newser) - When Barack Obama met Michelle Robinson, she was on the fast track at a prestigious Chicago law firm. As the story goes, Obama took her with him when he left to start a public life, surprising Michelle’s friends and family. But Mrs. Obama’s own entrée into not-for-profit...

'Jewish Clause' in Will Launches Lawsuits

Can a man disinherit his offspring for marrying outside faith?

(Newser) - A Chicago courtroom is the site of a nasty tangle over a Jewish patriarch’s wishes for his family, the Chicago Tribune reports. A wealthy dentist, upset to discover that a grandson was taking a gentile to the junior prom, left a provision in his will disowning any of his...

Obama Is a Son of Hawaii, but a Man of Chicago

Island looms large among the forces that shaped him

(Newser) - Hawaii and Chicago shaped the Barack Obama we know today in very different ways, David Maranis writes in a detailed look at the candidate's formative years in the Washington Post. Hawaii, multiracial but with its own social stratification, helped form the young Obama's outlook on life, but he found himself...

Man Steals Identity to Fund Heart Surgery

Mentally-disabled friend billed for buddy's $350,000 operation

(Newser) - A Chicago man allegedly nicked the identity of a mentally disabled friend to fund a $350,000 heart bypass operation, say police. John Parsons, 57, was sure he would die without the surgery, said a relative; the alleged scam was uncovered after a caregiver began receiving copies of expenses billed...

Bill Murray Drops In on Air Show

Actor hurls himself from 13,500 feet for perfect landing at Chicago show

(Newser) - Wisecracking comedian Bill Murray launched himself from 13,500 feet to start off the Chicago Air and Water Show yesterday, AP reports. "Is there some frequent flier program?" quipped the 57-year-old actor before leaping from a plane and executing several spins strapped to the belly of a sergeant from...

The Hardest-Drinking US Cities
 The Hardest-Drinking US Cities
Aug 11, 2008 2:45 PM CDT

The Hardest-Drinking US Cities

CDC figures dub Austin nation's drinking capital

(Newser) - Famous for its arts festivals and home to a large college population, Austin, Texas, takes top honors as America’s hardest-drinking city, reports Forbes in its distillation of behavioral data from the CDC. Here are the top 5:
  1. Austin—1 in 5 admit to binge drinking, and 9% of men
...

Bernie Mac Has Pneumonia
 Bernie Mac
 Has Pneumonia
Aug 4, 2008 9:51 AM CDT

Bernie Mac Has Pneumonia

Reports of comedian's death untrue

(Newser) - Comedian Bernie Mac is in “very, very critical” condition and in a Chicago hospital being treated for pneumonia, a family friend told the Chicago Sun-Times. But the 50-year-old’s publicist called reports of his death "a very horrible rumor" and said he'll be released soon.

Middle Class America Moves Downtown

Shift could spark suburban slums, experts fear

(Newser) - Middle class Americans are moving back downtown, pushing out minority groups and reversing the 20th century trend of "white flight," Alan Ehrenhalt writes in the New Republic. Why the shift? Downtown areas are safer, industries have moved out, and rising fuel prices make suburban commutes less attractive. "...

Swayze Filming New Show
 Swayze Filming New Show
Jul 30, 2008 11:21 AM CDT

Swayze Filming New Show

Actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January

(Newser) - Patrick Swayze was back at work for the first time since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the Daily Mail reports. The 55-year-old actor was joined by his wife on the Chicago set of A&E’s The Beast. The actor, who is undergoing chemotherapy, has called himself a “miracle”...

Mix Masters Stir it Up in Cocktail Contest

Four special drinks, one judge and lots of jitters

(Newser) - Bartending is a serious business—just ask the four finalists at the US Bartenders’ Guild National Cocktail Competition held in Chicago this year. All four "mixologists" suffered stage fright while preparing their signature drinks for the judge, reports Gourmet. Despite sweating buckets, Las Vegas native Anthony Alba took first...

Obamas Keep Girls' Feet on Ground

Despite bid for White House, girls don't feel special because dad's running for prez

(Newser) - It can be hard enough to keep kids grounded, but Barack and Michelle Obama's task might be complicated by his quest to be the most powerful leader in the world. Not so, the Obamas tell People, in a look at how they keep it real on the campaign trail. The...

MillerCoors Taps Chicago for New Headquarters

Conglomerate to merge operations from Denver, Milwaukee

(Newser) - Chicago will be home to the new corporate headquarters of beer conglomerate MillerCoors, the Tribune reports. The Windy City edged out Dallas to serve as a neutral location for the nerve center of Denver-based Molson Coors and Milwaukee-based Miller. Chicago attracted MillerCoors because it has "access to an attractive...

How Chicago Made Obama a Politician
 How Chicago 
 Made Obama 
 a Politician 
GLOSSIES
Jul 15, 2008 3:00 PM CDT

How Chicago Made Obama a Politician

Dem learned to navigate the system, not foster ideals

(Newser) - Behind the New Yorker’s fist-bumping Barack Obama cover, Ryan Lizza chronicles the Democrat’s political education in Chicago, where competing imperatives from the city’s fundraising elite, black urban base, and Daley-down political hierarchy taught him how to massage the system—and learn the kind of political evasion that...

Chicago Ties Sustain Obama
 Chicago Ties Sustain Obama 
Jul 14, 2008 8:47 AM CDT

Chicago Ties Sustain Obama

Key aides, friends go way back in Obama's hometown

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s Chicago home base has provided the candidate with a wealth of influential allies who serve him in a variety of ways, from the political to the personal, the Washington Post reports. While some play official campaign roles or are informal advisers, others keep Obama grounded on his...

Die-Hard Cubs Fans to Get Final Waiting Place

Long-suffering fans can wait an afterlifetime for pennant win

(Newser) - When the last living Cubs fan to have seen his team win the World Series passed away in April at age 106, fans willing to wait a lifetime realized a lifetime may not be long enough. One is now preparing the field of their dreams in a Chicago cemetery, the...

Cup of Joe Getting Smaller
 Cup of Joe Getting Smaller 
Jul 9, 2008 3:18 PM CDT

Cup of Joe Getting Smaller

Chicago coffee maker nixes 20-ounce drinks, for flavor's sake

(Newser) - One purveyor of fine coffee is drawing a line in the sand: Come Aug. 1, Chicago brewer and distributor Intelligentsia will phase out its 20-ounce option—or venti, per Starbucks lingo, the Chicago Tribune reports. Brewing such a large cup dilutes the proportions necessary for maximum flavor, Intelligentsia's CEO says,...

Obama Found His Identity in Chicago's Gritty South Side

Political journey began in years as organizer

(Newser) - Between graduating college and starting Harvard Law School, Barack Obama spent three years working as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side. As he learned how to rally and mobilize people to progressive causes, he also developed a greater understanding of his identity as an African American. The New York ...

Dad Caged Daughters While He Worked

Girls, 2 and 5, found locked in wire cage in father's truck

(Newser) - An Illinois father has confessed to keeping his two young daughters locked in a cage in his truck while he worked, the Chicago Tribune reports. The trash and scrap-metal collector told police that he kept the girls, ages 2 and 5, locked up because he couldn't find a babysitter—and...

NRA Plots Multimillion-Dollar Campaign Against Obama

Bittergate, Chicago gun ban to make appearances

(Newser) - The NRA has budgeted $40 million for the fall elections, with more than one-third of it set aside to spotlight Barack Obama's gun policies. The ad blitz will deny Obama the opportunity to neutralize the issue, Politico reports. A rep says the NRA will target 15 battleground states. “We...

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