Chicago

January ended Tuesday with 40 homicides in Chicago, up 43 percent from 28 homicides recorded in January 2011, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found. However, as of Wednesday afternoon, Chicago has not seen a homicide since Jan. 24, when a 39-year-old woman was shot to death in Washington Park. This is the first time RedEye's homicide tracker has not had a homicide to report on in the previous week since it was created three years ago. No homicides have been recorded so far in February.

***=  Recommended shows On sale 10 a.m. Friday Chicago, The Doobie Brothers, Saturday, July 28 ($39.50-$125, all ages) at Charter One Pavilion. On sale noon Friday ***Alberta Cross, Everest, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Thursday, July 5 ($14, 18+) at Lincoln Hall. Bunny Gang, Wednesday, Aug. 8 ($12, 21+) at Schubas. Spoek Mathambo, Wednesday, July 18 ($15, 21+) at Lincoln Hall. On sale 10 a.m. Saturday Joe Jackson and the Bigger Band, Friday, Sept.

We've put it off long enough, but it's time to take that first peek at our beloved baseball teams in spring training. First, some good news: The MLB is expanding the wild-card playoff format by two more teams. (Yes! Even more like the NBA!). Bad news: It won't include Chicago's two teams. Warning: This is going to be slightly to horribly painful. Let's go to the White Sox first. Here we have an example of how a team can really thrive amid "low expectations. " We are in rebuilding mode here, with no Mark Buehrle, Carlos Quentin or Sergio Santos.

"CRASH!" "BOOM!" "THUNK!" Those sounds are more of the buildings in Chicago's majestic skyline being turned into kindling. Friends, I write this dispatch from the future. It's June 1, 2012, about 2 weeks after the NATO summit. Everything has changed, and not for the better. We were wrong about that NATO stuff, though. The super-excessive precautionary measures we took? They were a bigger flop than "Waterworld," Y2K, and Chicago's 2016 Olympic hopes combined. Nothing happened.

Two men were stabbed to death in separate incidents in Chicago in the last week, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found. On Sunday, a 71-year-old man was fatally stabbed in the 12900 block of South Manistee Avenue in Hegewisch, officials said. Three days earlier, a 39-year-old man was stabbed to death in the 3500 block of West Douglas Boulevard in North Lawndale, police said. Stabbings account for about 10 percent of the 151 homicides recorded in Chicago this year, as of presstime, RedEye data shows.

Do you think you have what it takes to become the next "MasterChef?" Casting directors from the series and Chef Graham Elliot are coming to Chicago Dec. 3 for an open casting call. Here are the details: "MasterChef" open call When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 Where: Le Cordon Bleu, 361 W. Chestnut in Chicago What to do: You MUST bring one prepared dish to be served to the judges, including Graham Elliot. You will be given a few minutes to plate your dish, but there will not be a kitchen to cook or warm it up so come prepared!

When's the last time you watched pro wrestling? Maybe it was randomly on at a friend's house, or late one night in college. There's probably a better chance that the last time you saw it when you were a little kid. I'd like to implore you to change that habit. Boxing is a shell of it's former self, and UFC can be hit-or-miss, depending on the card. (Did I mention former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar is wrestling again?) This Sunday, the WWE (you may remember them as WWF)

Travel + Leisure Magazine released a "Best Cities for Hipsters" list , and Chicago is number 14 on the list of 37 cities. While Seattle tops the list for being "ahead of the curve," some others are pretty predictable. Check out the top 20  below:     1. Seattle 2. Portland, Ore. 3. San Francisco 4. New Orleans 5. Portland, Maine 6. Providence 7. Austin, Tex. 8. San Juan, Puerto Rico 9. Philadelphia, 10. Denver 11. Savannah 12. New York City 13. Santa Fe 14. Chicago 15....

Lamorne Morris says everyone on "New Girl" breaks character while filming Fox's hit sitcom. But the Chicago native who plays even-keeled Winston cracks up the most. "Whenever Jake and Max have a conversation, I don't want to be in that scene. I'm ruining the take because it is so hysterical...," Morris said of his co-stars, Max Greenfield and Chicago native Jake Johnson, who with Morris play the three male roommates to Zooey Deschanel's quirky Jess. Morris said that the cast does get serious, and that's when he has to straighten up. "After Hour 14 [of filming]

Two women and a man were stabbed to death in separate incidents in the last week in Chicago, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found. On Tuesday, a 23-year-old woman was stabbed to death in the 4600 block of South Lake Park Avenue in Kenwood, police said. One day earlier, a 51-year-old man was found fatally stabbed in the 900 block of East 104th Street in Pullman, officials said. On Friday, a 58-year-old woman was stabbed to death in the 4200 block of West Cermak Road in North Lawndale, police said.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports: Despite extraordinary police resources devoted to the NATO Summit, Chicago neighborhoods will get a 15 percent increase in police protection this weekend, thanks to 12-hour shifts and the decision to cancel days off, Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said Tuesday. Normally, Chicago Police officers work three shifts or “tours”, each comprised of eight-hour shifts. Starting at midnight Friday and continuing through Monday, officers will switch to 12-hour shifts.

That took long enough. I've been throwing stuff for years. Hats off to Kerry Wood who did something rash, disgusting, inexplicable and inexcusable. He had an honest expression of emotion and (gasp!) threw his cap and glove into the crowd the other night. Bravo. I hate watching the Cubs. Sad, but true. They are a constant reminder that all the money in the world can't solve deep-rooted problems in culture and philosophy. Heck, St. Louis lost Albert Pujols, Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan and they're humming along.

ROSEMONT With an estimated 1,500 out of a possible 16,000 seats filled at Allstate Arena at kickoff of Sunday's Rush game, Arena Football League commissioner Jerry Kurz wanted to make one thing clear. "(The Rush) won't fold," he said. "They won't relocate. There'll be a team here. " Since returning to action after a league-wide shutdown in 2009, the Rush have gone through three general managers in three years. The league currently owns the team after a previous ownership group didn't work out. "The group that was here were really...

Dog owners beware. Chicago is going to be cracking down on owners who fail to register their dogs with the city. And that may include stings by the city's Animal Care and Control and the City Clerk's Office at dog-friendly spots in the city. "One of the biggest complaints that we get from people is when they take their dog who is licensed to a beach or dog park and they see other dogs running around that are not licensed," said City Clerk Susana Mendoza at City Hall. "So those are perfect opportunities for us to educate the public and continue to educate...

Lil Rel may be back in town after taping the pilot for a new “In Living Color” TV series and his big club gigs around the country, but when asked where his fellow Chicagoans can see his next live local performance, he pauses. “I've been laying low, to be quite honest with you,” he tells RedEye during a phone interview. “I got a wife and my kids, three and two. So when you gone for pretty much a month, you don't realize how your kids miss you. They're little, they don't even understand I'm going to work.

New reality show "Around the World in 80 Plates" has some serious eye candy in the form of co-hosts Cat Cora and Curtis Stone, but that's not the only reason you should tune in. You witness the egos and cooking chops of"Top Chef," the strategy and alliances of "Survivor," and the international travel and adrenaline of"The Amazing Race. " The show debuts at 9 p.m. Wednesday on Bravo and features a cast of 12 chefs - three with Chicago ties - traveling to different foreign cities and taking over local restaurants in an attempt to recreate the native...

"Make Me a Supermodel" runner-up, Playgirl model and Chicago native Ronnie Kroell is starring in a new movie, "Scrooge & Marley," that will be filmed in Chicago. "Scrooge & Marley" tweaks Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" with a gay sensibility, according to a press release from producers Sam I Am Movies. The indie film will begin shooting here in May and is based on an original script by Ellen Stoneking, Richard Knight, Jr. and the late Tim Imse. It will be directed by Knight and Peter Neville.

"Stop, take a breath and smile. " "What you do matters. Live with purpose. " "This is your life. Are you who you want to be?" "Yesterday does not define your today. " "Love is stronger than fear. " Who's behind some of these inspirational and hopeful messages found written in chalk on Chicago sidewalks? The local Chalk the Block movement has been popping up on sidewalks including Thorndale and Bryn Mawr avenues leading to 'L' stops for the past couple months thanks to the Community Christian Church in Edgewater.

The average Chicagoan might be dreading traffic, road closures and CTA reroutes during the NATO summit May 20 and 21. But Occupy Chicago member Marcus Demery is actually kinda psyched. "It's literally like waiting for a storm," said 20-year-old Demery of Hyde Park. "A beautiful storm, though. " For groups like Occupy, the NATO summit - which will draw leaders of NATO member countries - will be like a spring awakening. There will be mass protests, rallies, concerts and competing summits (one called "The People's Summit" runs May 12-13)

NBC has ordered a full season of "Chicago Fire," an "action-driven drama exploring the complex and heroic men and women of the Chicago Fire Department. " The series pilot was filmed in Chicago and, according to an NBC rep, the series will continue to be filmed in the Windy City. From "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf, the series stars Taylor Kinney ("The Vampire Diaries"), Jesse Spencer ("House"), Monica Raymund ("The Good Wife"), former Chicagoan David Eigenberg ("Sex and the City")