Curious City

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Illinois Has No Budget, So Where Do State Tax Dollars Go, Anyway? Apr 11, 2016

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The answers are crazy. We’ll have fun looking. But you’ll probably be pretty mad by the end. Things are worse than you thought.
The bad news: We’re paying out billions more than we take in. Just without setting priorities.
The state comptroller — who makes the payments — calls it “ad hoc” and “ridiculous.”
The worse news: We’re still letting billions of dollars in services go totally unfunded.
And: We’re breaking the non-profits that provide those services.

Full story, complete with charts.

Little Eddie's Field Trip: The Union Stock Yards Through the Eyes of an Eighth Grader Mar 28, 2016

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Decades ago, Chicago’s Union Stockyards were the source of meat for the country, jobs for the city and ... field trips for Chicago Public School children. Really. (Related to a Curious City story about meatpacking in Chicago.)

Not in Your Front Yard: Why ‘For Sale’ Signs are Banned in Oak Park Mar 21, 2016

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The village insists a decades-old rule to fight blockbusting continues to protect a precious suburban commodity: diversity.

Have We Hit Peak Mattress? Why Chicago Has So Many Mattress Stores Mar 14, 2016

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If this retail mystery’s keeping you up at night, here are answers. Plus: Have we hit peak mattress? Warning: More puns ahead!

Chicago Architects: Why the City’s New Buildings Don’t Look Like Its Classics Mar 07, 2016

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Today’s Chicago architects answer why they build the way they do, and to what degree their inspiration comes from the city’s past. Full story, with photos and additional interviews from Chicago architects and developers.

Icebreakers of the Chicago River: How bubblers, boats and brawn keep the city safe each winter Feb 12, 2016

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How bubblers, boats and brawn keep the city safe each winter.

What Happened to Chicago's Rifle Ranges? Feb 05, 2016

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Rifle sport shooting was once so popular in the city that even ComEd and schools had competitive teams. Today, there's not a range in sight.

That Time Chicago Sent a Trainload of Snow to Florida Jan 15, 2016

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How one girl’s dream for a snow day came true during the infamous blizzard of 1967.

The Fall of Chicago's 'Porkopolis' and the Rise of Niche Meat Dec 23, 2015

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The city was once the nation’s meatpacking powerhouse. What, if anything, is left?

Curious City: The Mystery Collection Dec 18, 2015

Show notes

Answers to listeners' questions about the mysterious side of Chicago that lies beyond the soaring skyscrapers and the sheen of the Bean.

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