The UI system and Northwestern agreed to scrap programs meant to uplift students and faculty from marginalized backgrounds.

Eileen O’Neill Burke promised to protect pretrial justice. One year in, her policies suggest a return to the politics of punishment.

Chicago four-piece Broken Left Foot are well-versed in several subgenres of punk and alternative rock, all of which commingled at Warped Tour 20 or 30 years ago. Even if all you know about front man ...

You came (40,000 Chicagoans); you saw (over 200 categories); and you definitely voted (nearly 500,000 times, to be exact) for the Chicago Reader’s 2025 Best of Chicago ballot, where readers nominate ...

Experimental musicians Michael Vallera and Steven Hess follow their impulses in the collaborative project Cleared.

Nearly a decade has passed since clarinetist James Falzone left Chicago to assume the post of professor of music at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. But he keeps coming back.

We need to be upfront with you. The Reader is free. Producing it isn’t. And without your support, we can't continue. So we need you to chip in, even if it’s just a few bucks. The average donation is ...

The 2026 municipal budget opened the door to slot machines in city bars and restaurants—but some doubt the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

South-side duo Lost Legion prefer simple, direct communication—at least judging from their unrestrained oi! punk.

The founder of the Instagram-based community archive talks about preserving snapshots of love, resilience, and everyday Latine life in Chicago.

In groups big and small, AACM reedist Ed Wilkerson has combined the joyous immediacy of early jazz with the daring collisions of the avant-garde.

The Russian philosopher who popularized the concept of mutual aid would definitely understand the principles guiding this five-year-old volunteer bike squad.