Sports
Respect for the Game
Ryne Sandberg understood that when a kid looks up at you with wide-eyed admiration, you don’t make a fool out of them. A tribute to the Cubs legend who respected the game, and us, too much to let us down.
Craig Walker
Craig is the editor and publisher of the Chicago Journal and the founder of Challenge Media. A lifelong resident of the Chicago area, you can learn more on his personal site at walkercraig.com.
Opinion & Comment
Comment: The Bell Tolls Not for Madigan, but for Thee
The sound of a once-mighty machine is replaced by a resounding crack of a gavel, the final note in a symphony of corruption, patronage, and unchecked power that spanned more than half a century.
Opinion & Comment
Comment: Dan Bernstein and "The One That Got Away"
Dan Bernstein's nearly 30-year tenure at Chicago sports radio station 670 The Score ended last week following a controversial social media exchange. Craig comments on the whirlwind and Dan's tweet that got away from him...
Illinois Politics
An Introduction to AI-Assisted Analysis in Illinois
Curious about how AI and humans can team up locally? Explore this deep dive on Illinois corruption as a real-world experiment. Hopefully, AI can help us unite data-driven analysis with creative understanding for a smarter, more transparent future. Either way, this is only the beginning.
Opinion & Comment
Comment: Police pursuit of Garfield Park murder suspects abruptly terminated
A 56-year-old man was shot and killed Saturday afternoon near the intersection of California and Flournoy in the Garfield Park neighborhood and the police pursuit of the suspected murderers was abruptly terminated as officers closed in. Craig has some brief thoughts.
Opinion & Comment
Comment: Neil Steinberg said what?
Neil Steinberg published a column in the Chicago Sun-Times last week that had everyone talking and Craig just couldn't help himself.
Opinion & Comment
Comment: My Old Fashioned Guy
Everyone in Chicago has a guy for something and, after a brief break, in Craig's first column back he wanted to write about his Old Fashioned guy.
Opinion & Comment
Comment: Understanding the thick context around the Mayor's diction
He's been hard on the mayor but she's never been soft and he knows she can take it as good as she gives it. Craig offers a surprising defense of Lori Lightfoot and does his best to help non-Chicagoans better understand the thick context around the mayor's diction.
Chicago Journal
Chicago Journal Podcast: Madigan's Magical Mystery Machine
On this episode of the podcast, Craig's talking about what everyone's talking about and revisits something he wrote about Mike Madigan back in the summer of 2020. He also talks a little...or a lot...about Lori Lightfoot's latest quotes.
Opinion & Comment
Comment: The Who did the Huh with the What now?
In every big city in the world, and the little ones, too, every so often there comes a simple story that, at first, seems relatively inconsequential until one thing leads to another and you're wide eyed and thinking to yourself, "the Who did the Huh with the What now?"
Opinion & Comment
Opinion: The Irvin campaign for Governor begins with a whimper
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin launched his campaign for Illinois Governor this week on a Republican ticket to non-existent fanfare, and Craig has some thoughts for Ken Griffin.
Opinion & Comment
Opinion: Will anyone have to answer for Illinois' population loss?
Craig wonders if Governor Pritzker or any Illinois politician will be made to answer any questions at all about Illinois' population loss.