Chicago Reader

Aaron Sorkin is back in conversation following a New Yorker profile of actor Jeremy Strong, headlined 'Jeremy Strong Is Not Quite Over It.' Strong, best known for Succession, worked with Sorkin on The Trial of the Chicago 7, and the piece has readers revisiting that collaboration and Sorkin's directing style.

A Guardian reporter attended the United Astrology Conference in Chicago, America's largest gathering of astrologers, and found the community locked in an internal dispute over how the stars should be read. The article frames the clash as a debate over methods and traditions within modern astrology, placing the practice in the context of its history and its growing commercial appeal in the United States.

A Northwestern University survey has found that readers of local news around Chicago are wary of artificial intelligence being used in journalism. The study suggests skepticism about how AI might be applied to reporting and news production in their communities. The findings add to a broader national debate over trust, transparency and the role of AI in local media.

I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire, a stage work examining teenage angst and the intense parasocial bonds fans form with celebrities, is drawing attention from critics. The Chicago Reader reviewed the production, highlighting how it uses an obsessive teen fixation on the Spider-Man actor to probe celebrity worship and adolescent longing.

Chicago-focused news outlet The TRiiBE has published a guide outlining what local voters need to know ahead of the 2026 election. The piece walks readers through key dates, registration details and races on the ballot, aiming to help residents prepare for the upcoming vote.

A roundup of live music recommendations for the Chicago area covering September 30 through October 6 highlights shows for locals to catch this week. The guide points readers toward concerts across the city and suburbs during the first full week of October.

Voter guidance for Chicago in the 2026 US midterm election is being published, explaining registration, early voting, vote-by-mail and polling place procedures for residents of Illinois' largest city. Interest reflects ongoing public attention to the midterm cycle and practical questions about how to participate in upcoming elections.

A local veteran's story is drawing attention after he explained that he joined the military to leave inner-city Chicago and build a better life. The account highlights how military service offered an escape route from difficult urban circumstances, a theme that resonates with many veterans who describe enlisting as a path to opportunity.

A New Yorker retrospective revisits the Chicago Pile-1, the world's first nuclear reactor, built beneath the Stagg Field stands at the University of Chicago, where Enrico Fermi's team achieved the first controlled self-sustaining chain reaction in December 1942. The piece reflects on how that crude graphite-and-uranium experiment launched the nuclear age, and readers are debating its legacy for energy today.