Mariah Rush
@mariahrush.bsky.social
retail reporter for @chicago.suntimes.com | mrush@suntimes.com
hello chicago-area parents + teachers, @chicago.suntimes.com reporter here!! If you've been school supplies shopping recently (online or in person) I'd love to hear from you. bonus points if you know how much $$ you spent!! message me here or email me at mrush@suntimes.com :)
Looking for coffee at the Obama Presidential Center? The '44 Reserve' blend has 40-year Chicago legacy chicago.suntimes.com/small-busine... by @mariahrush.bsky.social
Looking for coffee at the Obama Presidential Center? The '44 Reserve' blend has 40-year Chicago legacy
Lower West Side company Color Me Coffee was chosen as the sole coffee supplier for the newly opened Obama Presidential Center.
chicago.suntimes.com
Man, we had QUESTIONS about the magnitude of this particular executive's death. He was a key liaison between the grocery company and the city.
Mariah Rush@mariahrush.bsky.social · 2w agoJust last month we broke the story that the Save A Lot operator’s CEO had died. Today we pubbed a story on how those seven Save A Lot stores are now set to close after Yellow Banana’s retail partner cut ties. That leaves Chicago’s underserved residents without grocery access, once again.
Since 2022, I’ve been covering Save A Lot/Yellow Banana, starting w its first announcement as the city’s answer to help food deserts on Chicago’s West and South sides. @bylaurenfitz.bsky.social + I (kind of annoyingly) chronicled the company’s legal problems, debt and broken promises diligently.
Baggu plans to open its second store in Chicago, this time in Lincoln Park: chicago.suntimes.com/small-busine...
Cult brand Baggu to open second Chicago store in Lincoln Park
The popular bag and accessories company opened its first Midwest store in Chicago two years ago, which drew hundreds of shoppers on its opening day.
chicago.suntimes.com
Baggu, the California-based bag and accessories brand, plans to expand its Chicago footprint with a second store in Lincoln Park. The company opened its first Midwest store in Chicago two years ago, which drew hundreds of shoppers on its opening day.
Cult brand Baggu to open second Chicago store in Lincoln Park
chicago.suntimes.com
Hellloooo I’m reporting from Jesse Jackson Jr.’s election night party for @chicago.suntimes.com, where he hopes to return to the 2nd Congressional District after a stint in prison. Notably, it’s been exactly 1 month since his civil rights activist dad Rev. Jesse Jackson died. follow along⬇️
Eleven photo booths — six vintage-inspired digital and five vintage analog — are in the 2,000 square-foot space, the former home of Bellows Film Lab. Starting Feb. 6, people and pets alike are welcomed into the The Strip Club Photobooth Studio to pay $7 for a turn in a photobooth.
Vintage photobooth studio opens in Wicker Park for 'analog' fans
chicago.suntimes.com
When I go to Wicker Park, I feel a bit "vintage," too. Here's another return-to-analog story from @mariahrush.bsky.social.
Chicago Sun-Times@chicago.suntimes.com · 6mo agoEleven photo booths — six vintage-inspired digital and five vintage analog — are in the 2,000 square-foot space, the former home of Bellows Film Lab. Starting Feb. 6, people and pets alike are welcomed into the The Strip Club Photobooth Studio to pay $7 for a turn in a photobooth.
never thought i’d be able to publish the phrase “celebratory cheese” but here we are !! chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/0...
Bears fans come together with the help of cheese graters, both real and fake
Bears fans could be seen shredding some cheese and wearing foam grater hats to celebrate the team's victory over the Packers.
chicago.suntimes.com
The nonprofit owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ paid its outgoing CEO more than $900,000 in 2024, new tax filings show, as it engaged in staff cuts and other measures to deal with declining revenue.
Ex-CEO of Chicago Public Media saw $900,000 payout in 2024, IRS filings show
chicago.suntimes.com
This isn't theoretical: several Chicago stores told me they can't get pennies from banks anymore, even if they want them. That's why you're seeing "exact change only" signs and new rounding rules pop up. Business owners have yet to receive clear guidance from the gov on how to handle this.
Here's where to read the whole story by @dmihalopoulos.bsky.social and me, gorgeous photos by Anthony Vazquez and Candace Dane Chambers: chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
Greg Bovino’s the star of Trump’s deportation show. We trace his roots.
As a boy, the Hollywood movie “The Border" set the course for his life. He couldn’t believe the Border Patrol agents in the movie were the bad guys. Now that he’s in charge of deportation efforts caus...
chicago.suntimes.com
Adam Weinstein@adamweinstein.bsky.social · 8mo agoPardon me, but *holy shit* chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
The U.S. has stopped making pennies — and Chicago businesses are already dealing with coin shortages, exact-change signs and rounding rules. I reported on how stopping production of the "cultural icon" is playing out across the city👇 chicago.suntimes.com/money/2025/1...
End of penny production has Chicago businesses facing coin shortage
Some experts say the death of the copper coin isn’t that big of a deal, but the recent end of penny production has led businesses to change their payment policy.
chicago.suntimes.com
Curtis Berry didn't want to give up his dog, Seven. But Seven had a severe ear infection that would cost $1K to treat, and Berry couldn't afford the bill. chicago.suntimes.com/money/2025/0...
Pet owner surrender rates are up, overwhelming Chicago shelters
More people have been giving up their dogs and cats, citing a tough economy and housing restrictions. The surge is putting a strain on pet shelters and rescue centers.
chicago.suntimes.com
Sad sign of the times: More pet owners are giving up their dogs and cats because they can’t afford their care or high pet fees from their landlord. Great reporting by @mariahrush.bsky.social Reminder: Still no paywall at the nonprofit Chicago Sun-Times! chicago.suntimes.com/money/2025/0...
Pet owner surrender rates are up, overwhelming Chicago shelters
More people have been giving up their dogs and cats, citing a tough economy and housing restrictions. The surge is putting a strain on pet shelters and rescue centers.
chicago.suntimes.com
Tom Liravongsa — or as social media knows him, Tom the Skyscraper Guy — has millions of views on videos about the 38-story tower that he purchased in 2023. He's determined to create apartments while maintaining the Gothic and art deco architecture.
Chicago landmark Pittsfield Building went viral on TikTok. Meet the guy who made it happen.
Tom Liravongsa — or as social media knows him, Tom the Skyscraper Guy — has racked up millions of views on videos about the 38-story tower that he purchased in 2023.
buff.ly
Once the tallest skyscraper in Chicago, the Pittsfield Building has drawn in millions of views on social media. “Tom the Skyscraper Guy” tells us how and why he’s turned the building into viral content: chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/...
Chicago landmark Pittsfield Building went viral on TikTok. Meet the guy who made it happen.
Tom Liravongsa — or as social media knows him, Tom the Skyscraper Guy — has racked up millions of views on videos about the 38-story tower that he purchased in 2023.
chicago.suntimes.com
Bucktown's newest exclusive social club includes a co-working lounge with craft brews on tap, a hair and nail salon + outdoor patios with a firepit. But its main focus is on dogs. More about Pup Social, for @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/small-busine...
Members-only club for dog owners opening in Bucktown
Founder Aly Udartseva created Pup Social because she wanted a place offering amenities to dogs and their owners from an off-leash supervised dog park to a nail and hair salon for their owners.
chicago.suntimes.com
Western apparel shops around Chicago have seen a boost in sales since the BeyHive came to town. "God bless Beyoncé," said Alcala's co-owner: chicago.suntimes.com/small-busine...
Beyoncé's Chicago concerts had the BeyHive swarming shops like Alcala's Western Wear
The singer was in town performing at Soldier Field as part of her Cowboy Carter tour, and it meant concertgoers were looking to don their best western gear.
chicago.suntimes.com
Beyoncé's Chicago concerts at Soldier Field fueled a sales frenzy by her fans at Alcala's Western Wear, doubling their usual best weekend revenue.
Beyoncé's Chicago concerts had the BeyHive swarming shops like Alcala's Western Wear
The singer was in town performing at Soldier Field as part of her Cowboy Carter tour, and it meant concertgoers were looking to don their best western gear.
buff.ly
Save A Lot owners get extension on city-funded deal but pattern emerges of missed deadlines, lawsuits. Contractors — including a Latina-owned painting company in Chicago — have filed liens to get paid. chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
Save A Lot owners get extension on city-funded deal but pattern emerges of missed deadlines, lawsuits
While residents in neighborhoods like West Lawn waited years for the promised stores, the owners of Yellow Banana were racking up business and personal problems.
chicago.suntimes.com
Our series on several odd, shocking, unprovoked attacks in downtown Chicago has finally posted in full on this landing page: (Note: the Chicago Sun-Times has no paywall.) (1/9) chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdog...
How the failures of a mental health system can have deadly consequences
An investigation into how the failures of a mental health system can have deadly consequences.
chicago.suntimes.com
#ICYMI: Trump targets day cares, children’s programs for massive cuts//Chicago families, preschool providers fear prospect of vital services shutting down, potentially leaving thousands of kids without support. chicago.suntimes.com/education/20...
Trump targets day cares, children’s programs for massive cuts
Chicago families, preschool providers fear prospect of vital services shutting down, potentially leaving thousands of kids without support.
chicago.suntimes.com
“People who wore the uniform shouldn’t be living in shelters and shouldn’t be living on the street,” said Doyle, founder of Veteran Roasters, which employs only homeless, at-risk veterans. chicago.suntimes.com/work/2025/04...
Coffee roastery and cafe staffed by military vets has big plans for South Side expansion
Veteran Roasters, a nonprofit with cafes in the Loop and at O'Hare, is getting ready to open a 16,000 square-foot brewpub and cafe in Pullman.
chicago.suntimes.com
Peggy Montes started Bronzeville Children’s Museum, worked to elect Mayor Harold Washington and sought to empower, inspire women: “I said, ‘Why is there no celebration of women and what women do?”
Museum founder Peggy Montes established Women's History Month in Chicago — and still is a 'lady in motion'
Peggy Montes started Bronzeville Children's Museum, worked to elect Mayor Harold Washington and sought to empower, inspire women: “I said, ‘Why is there no celebration of women and what women do?"
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Happy Women's History Month! Peggy Montes, now 88, helped elect our first Black mayor Harold Washington, and led the charge to celebrate Women's History Month for the first time in Chicago. For @chicago.suntimes.com: chicago.suntimes.com/chicago/2025...
Peggy Montes helped establish Chicago's Women's History Month — and still is a 'lady in motion'
Peggy Montes started the Bronzeville Children's Museum, worked to elect Mayor Harold Washington and seeks to empower, inspire women: “I said, ‘Why is there no celebration of women and what women do?"
chicago.suntimes.com
We’re the Chicago Sun-Times Guild, a union that’s been around for decades to protect the future of the Sun-Times newsroom and our dozens of members who have kept it running. We’ve already seen many colleagues head out the door in the past few weeks. And we’re worried that more could soon follow.
my dog turned a very bratty 14, so we made her a cake and had grand ol time.
very belatedly, here goes an intro post: I'm a @chicago.suntimes.com reporter writing about the South and West sides on our race, class and communities team! My author page currently reflects an obsession with business + some healthcare but I write a lil bit of everything, so pls email me any tips!