On what should’ve been his 80th birthday, beloved songwriter John Prine offers enduring lessons about the value of empathy and curiosity.

The Moviegoer is the diary of a local film buff, collecting the best of what Chicago’s independent and underground film scene ...

On paper, the Bobby Lees did everything right. This garage-rock band, based in Woodstock, New York, had good songs and the drive to bootstrap tours. They steadily grew their fan base, working with the ...

A $9 billion quantum computing campus is set to rise where U.S. Steel South Works once stood. This Chicago Reader zine traces the implications of this megadevelopment for the people, land, and economy ...

Whether in or outside law enforcement, the spread of automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology raises alarms around ...

During their failed efforts to prosecute Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ruiz, federal authorities accessed a network of Chicagoland license plate readers and surveillance cameras.

Two-day twee and indie-pop festival the Windy Pop Weekender includes 90s favorites Rocketship, Dressy Bessy, and the Softies.

Sheriff Tom Dart is quietly lobbying the Cook County Board of Commissioners to expand surveillance both inside the Cook County jail and on the streets. Within the jail’s walls, he’s eyeing a system ...

Digable became hip-hop darlings early on. Butler launched the group in 1987 and solidified its classic lineup two years later ...

Wishy’s brand-new second album, Nature’s Pill (Winspear), is a dozen tracks of purely pleasurable pop rock. The Indiana five-piece is fronted by guitarists and vocalists Kevin Krauter and Nina ...

This fall, Chicago’s architecture takes center stage as Open House Chicago® returns October 17–18, 2026. Open House Chicago® (OHC) is a free, citywide architecture festival that opens the doors to ...