John Lillig

I had the same first thought.

@robertloerzel.bsky.social, I don't have a photo, but I thought you would value that at dusk tonight, October 31st, I saw a murder of crows - I want to say a flock of ravens - roosting on the roof of the Hotel Ulysses in Baltimore & spiraling out and around to vocally signal the coming night.

ALL HALLOWS' EVE In the great silence of my favorite month, October—the red of maples, the bronze of oaks, clear-yellow leaves here and there on birches— I celebrated the standstill of time.. The vast country of the dead had its beginning everywhere: At the turn of a tree-lined alley, across park lawns. But I did not have to enter, I was not called yet. Motorboats pulled up on the riverbank, paths in pine needles. It was getting dark early, no lights on the other side. I was going to attend the ball of ghosts and witches. A delegation would appear there in masks and wigs, And dance, unrecognized, in the chorus of the living. —CZESLAW MILOSZ (Translated, from the Polish, by the author and Leonard Nathan.)

I was going to attend the ball of ghosts and witches,
A delegation would appear there in masks and wigs,
And dance, unrecognized, in the chorus of the living.

Czeslaw Milosz, All Hallow's Eve
#everynightapoem

When we say NO ONE in Chicago wants these people here, we mean it.

Edison Park is one of the most conservative pockets of the city and they are coming out against the raids.

I usually try not to post violent videos but people need to WAKE UP. This is happening across Chicago, Evanston, Skokie and elsewhere. In “nice” neighborhoods. The next one could be yours.

Congratulations and best of luck, @bowmanoutside.bsky.social. I still remember our e-mail exchanges about my kids' weaning-drives to the North Park Village Nature Center. The buck-of-the-month photo you featured from one of those drives still hangs on our kitchen wall. Godspeed!

Dale Bowman, longtime Sun-Times outdoors columnist, escapes for new adventure After a nearly 30-year run delighting readers at the Sun-Times, it's time to say goodbye.

My final column. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

In Virginia, the governor and attorney general races are especially important. In Pennsylvania, remember to vote YES on the retention of the Supreme Court justices on the ballot. In California, vote YES on Proposition 50.

Launching tear gas outside an elementary school, kidnapping children's parents right in front of them, and zip-tying children in the middle of the night wasn't enough apparently.

The fascists decided to ruin Halloween too.

Lakefront Kenilworth house built in 1957 for sale for the first time ever Keck & Keck designed the home for clients who requested a Japanese-inspired atrium as its centerpiece.

You can see from the photos that there's significant deferred maintenance, and the asking price is well into the seven figures, so with such a desirable location there's a serious risk of demolition. But Dennis Rodkin reports that the family hopes to find a preservation-minded buyer.

White Castle craves a new look for its restaurants The original 1921 White Castle restaurant design — and the variations that have followed — was inspired by the old Chicago Water Tower, the crenellated landmark that survived the Great Chicago Fire.

The Castle of Tomorrow doesn't look like a castle anymore. Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bey looks at how fast food chains are abandoning architectures that once defined their brand for generic replacements.
chicago.suntimes.com/architecture...

Ladies and gentlemen, be have a House transit bill!
ilga.gov/documents/le...

We're currently celebrating by dancing to House Music. 💽 👊

But there's many a slip between cup and lip...

Yes! I used to sometimes play in the John Hay School playground when I was over at my grandparents - back when there was no grass and the whole playground was concrete.

This is the one that appears to be circling northward up into Portage Park

www.flightaware.com/resources/re...

Sculpture of deer and fawn. Photo from the National Archives.

The New Deal created 18,815 sculptures for the American public, such as this one made for the University of Oregon, by Louise Pritchard, in the WPA's Federal Art Project, 1937.

new-deal-accomplishments.blogspot.com/2025/10/new-...

#history #art #artists #sculptures

As the feds cracked down on immigration in Chicago this fall, filmmaker Carlos Javier Ortiz’s camera was rolling, showing a city in crisis — and a city defiant. buff.ly/CMQe2oc

YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Halloween 14: ICE Scream

Stephen Colbert's cold open last night was about ICE raids in Chicago. youtu.be/oDipdeiD9Qo...

This is it! Last call for your votes for the greatest cover songs to help us build the list for our countdown of the 885 Greatest Cover Songs. Deadline is tonight at Midnight! xpn.org/885-countdown/

"Greetings Citizens": Pierre Robert, Philadelphia radio legend and voice of WMMR for over 40 Years, Dies At 70 - WXPN | Vinyl At Heart Having grown up in the city and listening to the great Philly rock radio station WMMR, I think I can speak for thousands, maybe even millions of Philadelphia radio listeners and say that we’re e...

"Pierre was all about music, Philly and the audience and fans. It’s hard to imagine turning on ‘MMR and never hearing him live again. He’ll be missed."

xpn.org/greetings-ci...

3000 Chicagoans who've been detained by ICE have vanished from federal records. They are completely unaccounted for.

3000 people missing since ICE started Operation Midway Blitz seven weeks ago.

Where are our neighbors? Where are they?

Ornament around 2nd floor windows @dmercer.bsky.social

You know what I’d love to read? More coverage of those who are out there keeping an eye on ICE. The lawyers taking on cases. The volunteers stepping in where USAID left. Etc.

Screenshot of the Chicago Transit Funding Bill that says “Sec. 3B.29. Planning study on expanding the Metra Electric commuter rail line. The Commuter Rail Division shall conduct a planning study on expanding the Metra Electric commuter rail line from University Park to Kankakee.”

WHO got this random provision added to study extending the Metra Electric down to Kankakee??? Reveal yourself! I’m not mad, I just want to talk

I know of two Chicago food pantries that should be stocked & ready, but putting the address on here might make them a target. If you really want to know, send me a message.

“No Kings: Trump Not Welcome” signs spotted in South Korea 🇰🇷 today.

This was my grandparents' building in the '70's & early '80's. I spent many Christmases & Easters here. They lived in different apts from time to time, some overlooking Laramie, some Augusta. There were tall trees on both sides & I remember looking out a high open window & watching the trees blow.

I was always intrigued by this roof, @dmercer.bsky.social

Edgewater landmark to look even prettier in pink, thanks to a new paint job It's taken 500 gallons of the paint color "sunset pink" to cover the southeast wing of the 97-year-old co-op, one of Chicago's most visible buildings.

My architecture column today. One of Chicago's most visible buildings, the Edgewater Beach Apts., is being repainted. So far, it's taken 500 gallons of “sunset pink” just to cover the 97-year-old co-op's southeast wing. Workers will finish the job next year.

A Poem for Our Times A poet reacts to the immigration crackdown in his hometown the way he knows best: through verse.

Poet @joseolivarez.bsky.social reacts to the immigration crackdown in his hometown the way he knows best: through verse.

"The Owl" by Arthur Sze, from @mta.info's Poetry in Motion campaign.