a story i wrote a little while ago about allen iverson for the very ambitious and beautiful basketball writing and art project, the baseline review, is online now for a free preview! you can read it here:

The Heart as Transmission

The human heart produces a magnetic field so strong that it can be detected up to three feet away. It has an electrical field 60 times greater in amplitude than the electrical activity of our brains. ...

baselinereview.net

I enjoyed all of these but was particularly haunted by Dead Calm’s vision of being terrorized by a sarcastic man in board shorts.

Letterboxd@letterboxd.social · 5d ago

Happy #LetterboxdFriday! Time to post your #LastFourWatched 🤳

Today’s @injusticewatch.org newsletter has all sorts of important news about the courts and also a major exclusive: a list of my favorite Freddy Krueger movies. www.injusticewatch.org/subscribe/

Going on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight soon to discuss our investigation of fires at an Illinois prison. I’m a fan of the show and happy for the chance to share this information. www.themarshallproject.org/2026/07/24/p...

How An Illinois Prison Drove Desperate Men to Set Themselves on Fire

Designed to help people with serious mental illness, Joliet Treatment Center repeatedly failed to prevent or respond to fires, despite two deaths.

themarshallproject.org

One stone classic, two that were OK and one that a lot of people liked that I really hated.

Letterboxd@letterboxd.social · 2w ago

Happy #LetterboxdFriday! Time to post your #LastFourWatched 📲

He's an obscure figure in Chicago but for people of a certain vintage in Northwest Indiana, Frank Kollintzas was a big deal, and the sidewalks-for-votes scandal was a major thing for years. From an era when East Chicago politicians wore grooves in the sidewalk up to the Hammond federal courthouse.

Blagojevich now seeking Trump clemency for former Indiana politician convicted in vote-buying scheme

Former Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin acknowledged that former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is now part of a cottage lobbying industry trying to curry favor with the president — an assoc...

chicago.suntimes.com

Every Deep Purple fan like myself has to figure out whether their favorite kind of Deep Purple song is I’ve Got a Car, Space Adventure or Love Song with Unfortunate Lyrics.

RIP to Dean Koldenhoven, the former mayor of Palos Heights who defended the right of a Muslim group to build a mosque in his town, rejecting the bigoted invective of some residents. It was a big story 25 years ago, and voters quickly turned him out of office. www.jfklibrary.org/events-and-a...

Dean M. Koldenhoven Obituary July 18, 2026 - Colonial Chapel Funeral Home & Crematory

View Dean M. Koldenhoven's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

colonialchapel.com

I love much of Ronnie James Dio’s work with various outfits but I think he was at his best when singing about much he wanted to rock and this is my favorite one of those.

We Rock (2016 Remaster)

YouTube video by Dio - Topic

m.youtube.com

🧢 Donate $50 or more through the end of July, and we'll send you the "check your judges" hat of your choice as a thank you. All funds raised will support distribution and community engagement efforts for our next judicial election guide. buff.ly/1OmAcuT

Update: Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed this legislation into law. Read our work below with @boltsmag.org to see how Illinois is raising the compensation for wrongfully convicted people, who often leave prison with few means to rebuild their lives.

Injustice Watch@injusticewatch.org · 2mo ago

Illinois has lagged behind other states when it comes to state compensation for people who are wrongfully convicted. A new bill aims to change that. (Co-published with @boltsmag.org) buff.ly/DbhCj4f

lol

This is a beautiful, sad consideration of the lasting and inevitable consequences of humans holding animals in captivity.

Defector@defector.com · 4w ago

The other elephant: defector.com/the-other-el...

You know you've led a cool life when the part of your obituary about your most famous accomplishment contains the phrase "unfinished musical about the vampire Nosferatu." (Gift link)

Bonnie Tyler, Who Sang ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,’ Dies at 75

nytimes.com

You are limiting yourself if you only listen to Truck Violence through the lens of Chat Pile Wish their sophomore album exceeded the heights of their debut, but I'll take this thicker blend of banjo + post-hardcore + sludge metal any day My review for @pitchfork.com 🪕

Truck Violence: The weathervane is my body

Read Nina Corcoran’s review of the album.

pitchfork.com

The feds just made it official: They won't fight a bid by members of the "Broadview 6" for attorneys' fees. They do "not concede that the United States has acted or done anything to warrant those fees." They also say there should be no discovery. Full filing: cst.brightspotcdn.com/dc/d1/e34a37...

Jon Seidel@jonseidel.bsky.social · last mo.

There have been plenty twists and turns in Chicago's federal courthouse since the "Broadview Six" case collapsed in late May. It's been a lot to keep up with. So here's where things stand, one month later, via @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...

This is the most hilarious little league home run I've ever seen, the Royals have outdone themselves

Update: A Cook County judge granted Tyrece Williams’ certificate of innocence last week over prosecutors’ objections. Read our work on Williams’ fight to prove his innocence of a 1990 murder and State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s campaign against the sought-after court orders (w/@boltsmag.org)

Injustice Watch@injusticewatch.org · 3mo ago

Tyrece Williams is seeking a certificate of innocence in part to give his four children an official acknowledgement that what happened to their family was wrong. He watched his children grow up largely through photographs his family mailed to him in prison. (w/ @boltsmag.org) buff.ly/GAxhSl8

CHICAGO! This Friday, the Kilbourn Park 2026 Summer Concert Series kicks off for FREE from 6-8pm! Smut will headline (think The Sundays with a pop-punk twist) and Hollow Bastion are opening (twangy indie rock like Florry or Ratboys) Expect a very chill vibe: picnic blankets, leashed dogs, byob!

If you’re an attorney, a litigant, or a court watcher, there’s a good chance you know a judge who will be on the ballot this fall. Check out the list of Cook County judges up for retention and submit a tip to inform our next judicial election guide. buff.ly/Ygwa2AT

This is a direct, thoughtful essay explaining what incarcerated people in Illinois lose as prison officials prevent them from getting physical mail from people who love them.

Graphite love - Chicago Reader

Mail scanning in Sheridan Correctional has faded the letters I receive from my daughter—my only direct communication with her.

chicagoreader.com

My all-time favorite roadside art oddity. You can make a nice day trip out of hitting the birthplace of Culver's in Sauk City (it's the same as other locations but there's a monument) and going to Devil's Lake, a truly excellent state park for swimming and hiking and cooking out.

Philip Montoro@pmontoro.bsky.social · last mo.

I wrote about one of my favorite places in the universe for the @chicagoreader.com Broke Day Trips issue. Dr. Evermor's Sculpture Park is a few hours away, northwest of Madison, but it's free! chicagoreader.com/city-life/br...

To Mr. and Mrs. Scaggs, a son: Boz

Today, Illinois Answers reporter @ctoner.bsky.social will be on @21st.show to discuss how Illinois governors built one of the largest gambling markets in the United States. Tune in at 11 a.m. to join the conversation: will.illinois.edu/21stshow

I have a new prize possession

At the thrift store enjoying this series of now-hilarious SI covers

Schoolchildren in Rock County, Wis. receive extensive information about local boy Sterling North and also Japanese tourists sometimes visit the area because his classic book “Rascal” became a well-loved cartoon over there, with unfortunate ecological results.

Ape Shit the zine@monkeywire.bsky.social · last mo.

My new favorite book based on the title alone

Compare Alito's description of Trump's racist statements (on the left) to Justice Kagan's anthology of Trump's racist statements (on the right). These are passages from this morning's opinions in Mullin v. Doe.

To keep their seats, Cook County judges need 60% of voters to say “yes” to retaining them. 61 judges are up for retention this November. We're researching all of them for our judicial election guide — and we want your help.

What can you tell us about these Cook County judges running for retention?

We’re researching the Cook County judges running for another term in November for our judicial election guide. Have something to share? Let us know.

buff.ly

Reminds me of the time the Chicago parks officials closed arguably our best park, Promontory Point, on a July Saturday and broke a bunch of their own rules so Mellody Hobson and George Lucas could get married at a place where non-famous people constantly marry without doing these things.

lindsey adler@lindseyadler.bsky.social · last mo.

psychotic to shut down a bunch of streets near the train stations (again) on a holiday weekend for someone's wedding www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/n...