In 2004, Michael Burke and Robert Charles wrote a letter to then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama and enclosed a modest check of support for his campaign for the U.S. Senate.
In the letter they told State Senator Obama that they "enthusiastically" supported his candidacy for U.S. Senate, but...
(16) Comments | Posted February 3, 2011 | 2:10 PM
Jimm Dispensa posted that powerful photo of Lake Shore Drive backed up in Blizzard 2011 and asked the question, "Bad LSD trip?"
Yep. sure was. Where was LSD Rescue when you needed it? Even the 1960s-era activist group had a script to explain what was happening to teenagers...
(0) Comments | Posted October 4, 2010 | 2:24 PM
Chicago entrepreneurship is converging some powerful forces for political reform in Chicago: Early and Often.
Early And Often!We provide unmatched coverage of the 2011 Chicago mayoral campaign, aldermanic races and the city treasurer and clerk contests - right through the April 5 run-offs.
Early and...
(23) Comments | Posted September 8, 2010 | 10:21 AM
I just happened to be at City Hall on Sept. 7 - the day Mayor Richard M. Daley announced that after 21 years of service he would not seek reelection in 2011.
Chicago will miss Mayor Daley. During his many terms, he's shifted Chicago's brand...
(4) Comments | Posted June 14, 2010 | 2:09 PM
The online dots are quickly connecting. Gov2.0 entrepreneurs are building a strong backbone for a hyperlocal new stream. And much of the innovation is seated here in Chicago.
Everyblock and SeeClickFix have formed a partnership.
Many Chicago alderman are signed up for SeeClickFix. We are forming new...
(0) Comments | Posted June 18, 2009 | 8:05 PM
The TwitterIran movement has raised the stakes in the online vs. paper news debate. There's no question: it's no longer about commerce, it's about our freedoms globally.
Newspapers and newsrooms are to democracy like wellness centers are to medical treatment. Newsrooms are the places that track the pulse...
(2) Comments | Posted June 8, 2009 | 1:38 PM
Show us the money.
"Us" being the new newsrooms.
The whole world has weighed in on solutions: Combine online with newsprint, news blogs with legacy investigative reporters, news aggregation with editorial curation, then crowd-fund, throw in some Google analytics, and subscription and accessibility fan clubs.
I'm not making...
(1) Comments | Posted May 29, 2009 | 4:39 PM
Veteran journalists I know really enjoyed seeing themselves played by Russell Crowe in the recent film State of Play.
Handsome, disheveled, world weary and all-knowing, worn down by the events he views and records, Cal is still honest to a fault. Me, I am not as veteran as most...
(2) Comments | Posted February 26, 2009 | 4:46 PM
Does a social enterprise hold promise for the future of newsrooms in Chicago?
"Yes," said Terry Mazany, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Chicago Community Trust.
It was hard to hear Mazany over the din of 400 chattering reporters, editors, bloggers, photogs, commentators and independents from all...
(21) Comments | Posted February 9, 2009 | 9:54 AM
Chicago's newspapers could find a lifeline to solvency and a return to social purpose in a new kind of business structure called an L3C, or low-profit limited liability company.
Why is that?
Illinois foundations have $350 billion in assets and they are required to invest...
(1) Comments | Posted May 11, 2012 | 1:43 PM