March 12, 2008
Legislation that would legalize the use of medical marijuana in Illinois passed out of the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee March 5 and is expected to be debated on the Senate floor... Full Story
Opinion
A presidential candidate is not a baseball team. That may seem obvious. After all, no one clamors to get tickets to see a presidential candidate or wears their logos on their clothes or tries to get... Full Story
Over the years, I seem to have circled around the idea of “self-education” without ever addressing it directly. So maybe I should try to do that here... Full Story
Obit
Chicagoan Tom Koontz, formerly a sales representative with the Chicago Free Press, passed away Feb. 29. He was 56. Koontz, who was born in Plymouth, Ind., and graduated from Indiana University, lived for many years in Puerto Rico, where he founded a bilingual ... Full Story
Nation Report
Jacques appears to have no opposition for judgeship
BOSTON—The woman picked by Gov. Deval Patrick to be an administrative judge at the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents appears to have an easy road to confirmation... Full Story
Jury acquits man caught in Larry Craig sting
MINNEAPOLIS—A Minneapolis man arrested in the same airport bathroom sex sting that netted U.S. Senator Larry Craig has been acquitted... Full Story
State funding for church school violates law, court rules
FRANKFORT, Ky.—State funding for a new pharmacy school at a private Baptist university violates the state constitution, a Franklin County (Kentucky) judge ruled March 6... Full Story
Anti-gay group still fighting Oregon partners law
PORTLAND, Ore.—As it promised, a group that advocates for rightwing Christian legal issues has taken its bid to get a statewide vote on Oregon’s new domestic partnership law to a federal appeals court... Full Story
Idaho city council reaffirms partners’ health benefits
MOSCOW, Idaho—The Moscow City Council has reaffirmed its support for extending health insurance benefits to domestic partners of city employees, despite an opinion from the state attorney general’s office that it likely conflicts with a 2006... Full Story
Poll shows most Iowans support civil unions
DES MOINES, Iowa—Most Iowans are opposed to gay marriage but support civil unions to give gay couples benefits afforded to heterosexual couples, according to a new poll published in a copyright story in the Des Moines Sunday Register... Full Story
Washington Legislature expands state’s partners law
OLYMPIA, Wash.—The Washington Legislature passed a measure March 4 to expand the state’s domestic partnership law, granting same-sex couples more than 170 of the benefits and responsibilities given to married couples, including property... Full Story
Utah House bill allows ‘dependents registries’
SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah House has voted to allow cities and counties to make dependent registries based on financial need as long as they don’t create “marriage look-alikes”... Full Story
Editorial
Last week this newspaper, quoting Chicago Public Schools officials, reported that CPS CEO Arne Duncan, in the wake of the California shooting death of 15-year-old gay student Lawrence King, had sent out a memo reminding CPS personnel of the... Full Story
I was appalled and infuriated to read about the executive director of Center on Halsted’s attitudes about the youth that the organization serves. The... Full Story
Freetime
Midlife Crisis No. 202: Behind the scenes
It’s always disappointing when a juicy rumor turns out to be false as with the alleged off-screen love affair between actors Maureen McCormick and Eve Plumb, who played Marcia and Jan Brady in the 1970’s sitcom “The Brady Bunch"... Full Story
CANCER: JUNE 21-JULY 20: You’d be better off if you could refrain from having to heal or fix everyone. Stop confusing love with babysitting. Make a deal with your self to not allow anyone into your life who hasn’t already figured out who they are. More
Back in the day: Moments in Chicago’s GLBT history
1980 Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, Coconuts, 5320 N. Sheridan, hosts a “To Hell With Corned Beef” party with African lobster tail, petite filet and other delicious culinary offerings; however, corned beef and green beer is on the menu at lesbian bar the Lady Bug... Full Story
“Atonement” (Focus) – Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, Joe Wright’s Oscar-winning film adaptation of “Atonement” is an epic achievement in terms of the emotional upheaval it stirs in both the characters and... Full Story
CFP reviews The Farmer's Son & The Bigger, the Better. Full Story
News
The West Virginia House deliberated last week over a bill that would protect gays and lesbians from employment and housing discrimination, producing some sterling examples of why some people continue... Full Story
Quality of Life game threatened by lottery proposal
The lifespan of the new Quality of Life scratch-off ticket—the proceeds of which are to be used to support AIDS agencies and organizations—was briefly threatened last week when legislation was scheduled in the Illinois House Gaming... Full Story
Head of pro-pot group talks about the fight to reform laws
If a bill that passed out of the state Senate Public House Committee last week were to become law, Illinois would become the 13th state, and the first in the Midwest, to allow marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes... Full Story
Feigenholtz HIV notification bill defeated in Springfield
A bill sponsored by Illinois state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) that would have repealed a state law requiring local departments of health to notify school principals if a student tested positive for HIV was defeated 62-43 in... Full Story
Anti-gay attack on teen shocks officials in Paris suburb
PARIS—Six people kidnapped and tortured a Jewish teenager by punching and kicking him and writing “dirty Jew” on his forehead, judicial officials in France said March 5... Full Story
Chinese activist linked to AIDS causes goes missing
BEIJING—An activist Chinese lawyer with close ties to a prominent jailed dissident is missing, a human rights group said March 7. Teng Biao did not return home from his Beijing office March 6, despite telling his wife... Full Story
Freestyle: arts, entertainment & lifestyle
Cinema:
In the ‘Life’: an interview with ‘Married Life’ director Ira Sachs and actor Chris Cooper
There is much to admire about “Married Life,” the new film from gay director Ira Sachs. The cast, for one, includes Patricia Clarkson, Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan and Rachel McAdams, all of whom bring... Full Story
Performance art:
Living in ‘Shadows’: William Yang talks about his art and gay life
There is much to admire about “Married Life,” the new film from gay director Ira Sachs. The cast, for one, includes Patricia Clarkson, Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan and Rachel McAdams, all of whom bring... Full Story
Tabloid lurid and concentrated like a potion, this tragedy by author/director Eric Simonson is as much musical as domestic. Sorrow set to swing, it’s underscored by a supple score by... Full Story
Moving from the Viaduct Theatre, the vast home of spectacles like “The Sparrow” and “Hatfield & McCoy,” has proven retrograde for House Theatre of Chicago. Minus choreography (fight and dance), sprawling stage pictures... Full Story
What do you get when you pair the visual pomp of New Wave icons Siouxsie and the Banshees with an understated, naturalistic performance style? If you’re Greasy Joan and Co... Full Story
Thurs., March 20: Justice, Diplo and Fancy perform at 8 p.m. at the Riviera, 4746 N. Racine. More
Interview:
He is who he is: an interview with Teddy Pendergrass
From his early years as the voice of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes to his continued success as a solo artist, Teddy Pendergrass is a living music... Full Story
Music:
Country without borders
sample Full Story
Art:
Floating in time: Andy Warhol’s “Silver Clouds”
In 1966 pop artist Andy Warhol created an installation titled “Silver Clouds” for New York’s prestigious Leo Castelli gallery. The “clouds” consisted of 50 pillow-shaped objects, 30 inches by 48 inches, made out... Full Story
Dinning:
A near perfect Horizon
As a restaurant reviewer people are always asking me where I go when I dine out “off the clock.” Since freelance writers and public school teachers... Full Story
Auto:
Grab some gusto with Acura’s RDX
The Acura RDX crossover sport utility vehicle doesn’t look like a grand experiment. But it is. It’s one of only two brand-name 2008 SUVs sold in the United States that’s powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The other is the Mazda... Full Story
Home/Design:
Shades of ‘green’: Coloring and conservation in the home
You might be thinking “green” for St. Patrick’s Day, when all Chicago turns Irish. Or you might be thinking “green” for Earth Day, when all the world takes notice of the environment... Full Story
Home:
Wine storage for novices
It can happen to anyone. At least, any oenophile. A lone case of wine stashed under a staircase or in a closet blooms slowly, quietly consuming more and more real estate until you suddenly realize you’ve become a collector... Full Story