Christopher Borrelli – Page 5

Novelist Veronica Roth, political strategist David Axelrod and U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood are among the presenters at this spring's festival by Chicago Humanities. (Phil Velasquez / Antonio Perez / Stacey Wescott / baiduhai)

The Chicago Humanities’s spring festival is as eclectic as ever

March 17, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

Filmmaker John Waters. Strategist David Axelrod. Genius cartoonist (and former Evanstonian) Lynda Barry. Congresswoman Lauren Underwood. By the time you get their voices out of your head, it’ll be fall.

Wagner Moura in a scene from "The Secret Agent." (Neon/TNS)

Column: Crying a lot at Oscar movies lately? It’s not just you.

March 12, 2026 at 5:45 a.m.

It can’t be a coincidence that the tearjerker is back at a time when vulnerability is suspect and sincerity is considered performative.

Jasmine Campos, 17, a senior at Lane Tech High School, shouts, March 15, 2013 outside the school at Western Avenue and Addison Street during a protest against the banning by CPS of the book "Persepolis." (Chris Walker/baiduhai)

In 2013, CPS tried to ban a book. It didn’t go well. A new graphic novel tells the tale.

March 6, 2026 at 2:50 p.m.

Jarrett Dapier and A.J. Dungo's "Wake Now in the Fire" recalls how high school students at Lane Tech College Prep immediately stood up against the ban on the book "Persepolis."

A worker cuts slices of ham at the Red Apple Buffet at 6474 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, on Feb. 7, 2026. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Just in time for Casimir Pulaski Day: The Red Apple Buffet, filling stretchy pants since 1989

February 27, 2026 at 9:28 a.m.

The Red Apple Buffet weekend buffet, which claims to be the nation’s largest Polish buffet, is so vast, homey and engorging you must, must wear your stretchy pants.

Julius Mondragon,(@okjuskiii), left, raises his hand and tries to “program” a man near “the Bean” on Feb. 19, 2026, in Chicago. In just a month, Mondragon has amassed 152k followers on instagram and become an online celebrity of sorts for walking around Chicago and approaching random people and “programming” them with random proclamations. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

Chicago, you’ve been programmed: Meet Julius Mondragon, TikTok’s Computer Guy

February 25, 2026 at 5:45 a.m.

The Computer Guy wears Ray-Ban Meta glasses with a camera, through which he records his interactions programming strangers, later posting brief videos on TikTok.

Rodney Westerfield, left, and a team of workers tear up water-damaged hardwood floors from a 2000 renovation in the gym before they are replaced at the historic YMCA building in Chicago, Feb. 5, 2026. The Harlem Globetrotters trained regularly in the YMCA's gym. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Black History Month is 100. Can its Bronzeville birthplace outlast the age of Trump?

February 16, 2026 at 12:04 p.m.

The landmark building was rescued from demolition and badly needs restoration. It's not a relic, its owners say, it's real, living history you can touch.

Specialists Tim Roby, left, and Chris Shepherd install Norman Rockwell’s painting “The Dugout,” a portrait of slumped Cubs, on Feb. 10, 2026, at the Art Institute of Chicago. Former Gov. Bruce Rauner and wife, Diana, gifted the painting to the museum after hanging it in their home for the past 19 years. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Art Institute acquires Norman Rockwell’s ‘The Dugout,’ his famous painting of the Cubs

February 10, 2026 at 3:10 p.m.

A gift from former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and his wife, the famous Saturday Evening Post cover is the museum's first Rockwell painting.

Andy Samberg in Hellmann’s 2026 Super Bowl NFL football commercial. (Hellmann’s via AP)

Super Bowl commercials 2026: The good, the bad and the good-stupid

February 9, 2026 at 11:21 a.m.

The celebrities were everywhere. So was AI. From Hellmann's mayonnaise to Kendall Jenner, the best and worst of the 2026 Super Bowl TV ads.

Bad Bunny performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi's Stadium on Feb. 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty)

Review: Most Super Bowl halftimes are bonkers. Bad Bunny’s was close to art.

February 9, 2026 at 4:36 p.m.

Since 1967, most halftime shows have been nuts. His show was a swirling spectacle centered on a single voice, and no one needed to be able to speak Spanish to...

Joe Bergantino, left, and Ricky Gonzalez sit in their Rogers Park home, which is part of this season of HGTV's “Ugliest House in America,” on Jan. 19, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

A Rogers Park house was an HGTV ‘Ugliest House in America’ finalist — some say it’s always been anything but.

February 7, 2026 at 8:04 a.m.

Long a neighborhood landmark, the Victorian home was an art project for its previous owners. Its new owners promised to keep it much as it was. Then HGTV came calling.

All Stories