Lyle Allen

Big Chicks isn’t just a bar – it’s an art gallery, community center, and LGBTQ+ haven. Michelle Fire has run the establishment for decades, more recently with the help of her son, Michael Sanders. to.wttw.com/4uRoUUP

The sweet, custardy pawpaw is a national treasure we should all be eating more of, according to foragers and food activists. saveur.com/culture/pawpaw…

HIV now returning. This carefully details the system breakdowns after aid cuts, the local actions for resilience, what still had to be sacrificed, then the human consequences. nytimes.com/2026/04/25/hea…

I think about @chancetherapper’s Tiny Desk concert all the time. youtu.be/-kWbZvVU-e0?si…

Chicago’s Tomato Man on the impacts of erratic spring temperatures on his beloved heirlooms chicagotribune.com/2026/04/22/chi…

Young farmers want in. The system still keeps them out. A $300 million USDA program meant to expand land access was shut down before most projects could even begin. The reality hasn’t changed: land is expensive, infrastructure is lacking, and too many barriers remain for the next generation. In our latest Food Talk podcast, Amanda Koehler breaks down what happened, what’s at stake, and why this moment still holds urgency and possibility. foodtank.com/news/2026/04/u…

BREAKING: The Trump administration has agreed to keep flying a rainbow Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument in New York. apnews.com/article/stonew…

Fathom, a queer cocktail bar from the team behind Dorothy, has opened in Lakeview. blockclubchi.co/4vnxTxL

Roughly 16,000 immigrants may lose access to crucial food assistance in Illinois as a result of federal eligibility changes that took effect April 1. chicagotribune.com/2026/04/11/sna…

John Deere has spent years blocking farmers from fixing their own equipment. They just settled a class action lawsuit for $99 million. This is a small win, but the battle is not over until we have national right-to-repair legislation with teeth. Nathan Proctor, head of the right-to-repair campaign at consumer advocacy organization US PIRG said it best: "They're not looking for five grand or something like that in the mail. They're looking for the ability to fix their equipment, because if they can't fix it, they can lose everything.

Winter's deep freeze sank Long Island's massive oyster industry, costing farmers millions: 'Worst of the century' trib.al/9cPbS3J

Here is a video of you voting against TSA funding literally this week

Astonishing how easy it was to get the White House press to stop caring about all those dead Iranian school kids.

A sea of green took over Chicago this morning ☘️🏃‍♂️ Nearly 30,000 runners and walkers participated in the 45th annual Shamrock Shuffle, the unofficial kickoff to the city's running season.

Chicago, Illinois

Starstruck on Saturday. Sunrise in Chicago.

When these guys lie and say they don’t see the horrible things Trump does and says, the media should show them. In real time. Make them respond. Stop letting them weasel out.

Chicago City Lights for St. Patrick's Day on Monday night. #ireland #chicago #stpatricksday @TourismIreland

I am leaving the Washington Post to join a new journalistic venture backed by Politico founder Robert Allbritton that will be both the hometown publication the D.C. region sorely needs and a scrappy and fearless national news organization. I hope you'll join us.

This reporter refused to be shushed: Yesterday Mariam Khan (@MKhan47) was the TV pool representative aboard Air Force One, meaning she was there on behalf of all the major networks. Khan brought up the fact that "your PAC put out a fundraising email" using photos taken at a dignified transfer of US service members killed in Kuwait. She asked: "Do you think that's an appropriate email to send?" Trump said yes, and that he didn't see the email, then defended himself, then asked, "Who are you with?" Trump genuinely didn't recognize Khan — it was actually her first time aboard Air Force One with him. (She reported from Capitol Hill for ten years and recently switched beats to cover the State Department, Pentagon and foreign affairs.) When she answered Trump's question and said ABC, he said, "I don't want any more from ABC," and looked around the plane for other questioners. But Khan was undeterred. She tried asking about the deaths of US service members. He didn't respond. She later said, "Can you explain why we’re sending 5,000 marines and sailors?" and he replied with the shush, adding, "You're a very obnoxious person." Khan kept trying — recognizing, again, that she was there on behalf of CNN, Fox and other networks. She asked about the Pentagon investigation into the missile strike at the school in Minab, Iran. He said, "We don't know." She asked about the deaths of service members again. He ignored her. Khan was exemplary. She was, as one ABC colleague said, "steady as can be." She was respectful and persistent. She refused to be shushed.