Wisch: The Win-Win Of Illiniwek Proposal Lost On University
The Illinois administration long ago should have worked to turn the Chief into something better, broader and more beneficial. It didn't.
Watch CBS News
The Illinois administration long ago should have worked to turn the Chief into something better, broader and more beneficial. It didn't.
When it comes to numbers, I don't trust the city of Chicago.
Over the past few years – and months – Notre Dame has taken its share of big hits. But what the university hasn't taken is big responsibility.
The signs around campus still read "University of Illinois," but right now the place is going by a different name: Transfer Central.
Here are five Windy City athletes who looked the weirdest playing for a team other than the one they're best known for.
In any case, however, the question of who ultimately foots the bill isn't the one I'm interested in delving into today. Rather, it's this: Is DePaul's new arena actually a good thing for its students?
In many ways, LeBron, Wade & Co. strikes me as Chicago's new version of the Detroit Pistons' "Bad Boys," the hated mountain that the Michael Jordan-era Bulls once had to climb. And while losing to the Heat again is disappointing indeed, just like with the Pistons, this series loss will only make victory all the sweeter when the Bulls finally do beat them.
So, Mayor Rahm Emanuel reportedly has a $300 million plan to build new basketball arena at McCormick Place and bring the DePaul Blue Demons back into the city after more than 30 years in Rosemont.
Contrary to the popular belief in Chicago, Dwyane Wade does do more than just whine about the refs. He whines about his hometown, too.
But I also happen to think this: Playing without Derrick Rose in the playoffs could actually be a very good thing for the Bulls in the long run.
Banished from athletic events at the University of Illinois six years ago, Chief Illiniwek is now standing on the hypothetical sidelines in Champaign, holding a new proposal for his return.
Nevertheless, with the Bulls a M*A*S*H unit – featuring calf pulls, plantar fasciitis, debilitating viruses and even spinal taps – many Chicagoans are indeed seeing a different kind of red as the team hobbles its way into tonight's decisive Game 7 against the Nets in Brooklyn.
So, what if the Cubs set up their own giant HDTV on the reverse side of their proposed video board?
Growing up, I always believed that besides the Sears Tower, Assembly Hall's spaceship-shaped silhouette is the most recognizable of any building in Illinois. And now, just like how the Sears Tower has become the Willis Tower, the Assembly Hall has a new name as well.
So, what if at some point this season – I'm not suggesting that the Cubs do it just yet – the team moved Castro to third, Valbuena to second and Barney to short?
Is Derrick Rose truly Public Enemy No. 1 among Chicago Bulls fans, or is he just Public Enemy Right Now?
Over the weekend, the Big Ten pulled off a heady play when the league leaked word that it's mercifully dumping the much-maligned Legends and Leaders divisional monikers in favor of geographical names.
Winning will not be easy. Not with the Cubs' dearth of top-line pitching coupled with the changing face of free agency, which will make it all the more difficult for the Cubs to acquire top-line pitching.
I went for a run this morning. Thought about the Boston Marathon with every step.
From 1994-98, I was a student at the University of Illinois, and during those four years I saw a grand total of 14 football victories.
There was no joy in Wrigleyville on Wednesday night.
The state of Kentucky now has two more championships in the past two years than the entire Big Ten Conference has over the past 13.
With the national semifinal games set to tip off in Atlanta Saturday evening, here are some Chicago-related reasons to pay attention to all four teams involved from Michigan and Syracuse to Louisville and Wichita State.
As much as I like the idea of Chicago being part of baseball's Opening Day festivities, the notion of MLB scheduling a later home start for both the Cubs and White Sox each year definitely does have its appeal.
It turned out that the Illini – and, most significantly, athletic director Mike Thomas – were indeed lucky. And in the end, that was good.
Dozens of residents filled the auditorium of Trinity High School, many encouraging the village board to vote "no" on the O'Hare Flyer.
The deal would drop weapon enhancements from Grafton's charges, which could reduce a potential sentence by 20 years.
The White Sox, who lost 102 games and finished last in 2025, won the opener of the showdown series to push their lead over the Guardians to 1 1/2 games.
The owners of a bar in southwest suburban Frankfort say they were hit by burglars again, and they left behind a huge mess.
Hundreds of municipalities had to find new supplies after a state procurement process hit a roadblock because they couldn't find anyone to sell them salt.
The case stems from a Cronobacter bacterial contamination at one of Abbott Laboratories' Michigan plants.
Roger Simon, a celebrated political columnist who worked for the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune, Politico, and other news organizations, died last week.
This week on The Angle, CBS Chicago's Chris Tye sat down with Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias to dive deeper into his campaign to become Chicago's next mayor.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed his supporters at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center Sunday afternoon, officially announcing his bid for a second term.
The congressman thanked the pilot and first responders for coming to their aid, and expressed his gratitude at only having sustained minor injuries.
Nicor customers will get a break on their bills this fall after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Roul reached an agreement with the utility to cut $140 million from its requested rate hike.
Drivers in Chicago and beyond were paying the highest gas prices ever recorded for the Labor Day holiday as millions of Americans were making their way home on Monday.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Thursday against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc., alleging deceptive business practices.
Cook County homeowners are again facing a sharper increase in property taxes this year than businesses, the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced Monday.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns have joined a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' Medical Aid in Dying law, which is set to take effect in just over a week.
Flies have been everywhere this summer in the Chicago area, and some of them bite. But why is this happening?
Prime Healthcare is drawing criticism after announcing it will stop obstetrics services at three Chicago-area hospitals.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced two human cases and one death from the West Nile virus in the city this year, and one of those two people has died.
The Jackson Chance Foundation supports the lives of families with babies in the NICU by removing the financial burden of finding parking near hospitals.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
Dubbed the "Designer to the Stars," Bob Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and was nominated for three Oscars.
The stage was set and the air was humid as rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took the stage for the first of two Chicago concerts at Soldier Field Thursday night.
James Fulton Engstrom, now a healthy teenager, was born without a pulse in 2010 — and his survival is the miracle the Catholic Church credited to Fulton Sheen's intercession, clearing the way for beatification.
The Met's decision to highlight the work by designer John Galliano sparked widespread controversy due to his history of antisemitic and racist comments.
The Edgewater Music Festival was under way this weekend on Chicago's north lakefront.
Sharod Grafton, 22, was charged with attempted murder in the alleged shooting of deputy Jon Samuelson inside the emergency room of Franciscan Health Michigan City back on Friday, May 22.
At least three burglars were caught on security cameras swinging sledgehammers to try to break open the gaming machines at The Chill House near 79th Avenue and Lincoln Highway around 5 a.m., just hours after the bar closed.
At Joliet Junior College, there's a new program for students looking to become a first responder. A 16-week fire academy gives students vital skills to become a firefighter and helps them earn their firefighting certificate.
Police said a 12-year-old boy grabbed the gun from an unattended bag on the bus, found it and fired a round that hit the bus. The school's assistant principal said the student had disabilities and the man, who the bag belonged to, was a bus aide.
The owners of a bar in southwest suburban Frankfort say they were hit by burglars again, and they left behind a huge mess.
A school bus window was shot out when a student with disabilities grabbed a gun belonging to the aide and fired, the assistant principal of Minnie Miñoso Elementary said.
Three people were taken to the hospital from the scene of a fire in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood early Monday.
Dozens of residents filled the auditorium of Trinity High School, many encouraging the village board to vote "no" on the O'Hare Flyer.
The deal would drop weapon enhancements from Grafton's charges, which could reduce a potential sentence by 20 years.
The owners of a bar in southwest suburban Frankfort say they were hit by burglars again, and they left behind a huge mess.
Chicago police crime data show 255 reported crimes in the last two years on the two blocks where the former Hard Rock and Rainforest cafés sit vacant. Neighbors have been calling the city about the alley between them for six years.
A three-year effort by the Cook County Sheriff's Office to help bring down crime on the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago appears to be working.
Several lawsuits are challenging Illinois' medical aid in dying law that is set to take effect on Sept. 12, including one in federal court arguing the law discriminates against people with disabilities.
Back in 2023, ISP got a $10 million grant from the Illinois Secretary of State's Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council.
Two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home.
The White Sox, who lost 102 games and finished last in 2025, won the opener of the showdown series to push their lead over the Guardians to 1 1/2 games.
Providence Catholic High School in southwest suburban New Lenox has fired football coach Tyler Plantz, despite the team's 4-0 start to the season.
Before the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 in a wild NFL season opener, quarterback Caleb Williams gave some young fans a special gift to help them get ready for the occasion.
The White Sox, who have lost 10 of their last 14 games, begin a three-game series Monday in Cleveland.
The Pirates (75-75) closed out a 4-2 stay in Chicago. They swept the White Sox before dropping two of three against the Cubs.
A $30,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person who shot and killed a 911 dispatcher in the Back of the Yards neighborhood last week.
A 15-year-old girl returned to court Monday to face murder charges, after authorities said she was one of a few people responsible for pushing a man out of a moving Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train.
An 85-year-old man from Crown Point, Indiana, was arrested this past weekend on accusations of shooting his wife.
Chicago police this past weekend issued a warning about a man who grabbed a woman at a CTA Blue Line station in Wicker Park.
CPD says six people were standing outside near an alley when two unknown vehicles approached. Multiple armed suspects got out and fired shots at the victims.
