Redeye

Editorial staff Lisa Arnett Dining reporter @redeyeeats Jessica Cantarelli Digital producer/editor @redeyejessica Jessica Galliart Social media lady @redeyechicago Georgia Garvey Reporter/assistant editor @gcgarvey Tran Ha Editor @tranosaurus Mike Hines Deputy news editor @givemetexture Dana Kavan...

Two women were killed in separate homicides Monday, bringing the total number of female homicide victims this year to 19, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found. A 70-year-old woman was stabbed to death in the 1100 block of East 81st Street in Avalon Park, police said. An 18-year-old woman was shot to death in the 5700 block of South Sangamon Street in Englewood, according to officials. Women comprise 12 percent of the homicide victims this year, according to RedEye data.

Editorial staff Jessica Cantarelli Digital Producer, Editor jcantarelli@tribune.com Hometown: Hoffman Estates, IL Current Home: East Ukrainian Village What's great about Chicago? The accents and the pizza I'm the one on the staff most likely to... cry laugh   Rex Chekal Designer rchekal@tribune.com Hometown: Belle Plaine, IA Current home: Andersonville I'm the one on the staff most likely to: Test the alarm on the defibrillator (it works)

In light of the Bears trading former first-round draft pick Gabe Carimi to Tampa Bay for a sixth-round pick in 2014, RedEye compiled a list of the biggest Bears busts in recent memory. Stats were researched. Fifteen players were selected. Blurbs were written. The story was posted on Monday. You can debate the list all you want. It's just opinion. You're entitled to yours, ours to ours. But the “ping” of a new email at 5:30 on Tuesday night added an unexpected opinion. Why did this emailer's opinion matter?

Welcome, music nerds. Once a year, Austin, Texas, turns into a hipster Mardi Gras paradise for nearly an entire week during the music portion of SXSW. This year, RedEye made the 20-plus-hour road trip to check it out. Here are a few things we noticed along the way. TUESDAY 3/13 11:00 a.m. Everyone at  SXSW  looks like they're in a band. Everyone.   --Ernest Wilkins The first celebrity sighting of the trip? MTV VJ (they still have those, yeah?) Damien Fahey.

For four years, RedEye has been mapping locations of Chicago homicides both online and in the newspaper. Over the years, readers have wanted to know more about homicides and RedEye's data collection methods. Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions. How does RedEye count homicides? RedEye collects information about homicides from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, which performs autopsies on bodies to determine the causes of death. If the Medical Examiner's Office rules that a person died of a homicide in Chicago, RedEye will...

For one night only, we're giving Chicago an open shot at 10 years of RedEye live on stage. Expect plenty of improv, impersonations and self-deprecation. With special appearances* by... • Chicago's favorite quarterback (he really loves us, guys)* • His baby-mama* • Da Mayor (no, the old one)* • POTUS * * Let's be real: none of those people will actually be there, but their impersonators will be great. But REALLY Featuring: • iO Theater's Whirled News Tonight • Schadenfreude • Megan Gailey ...

Location: Hyatt Regency Chicago 151 East Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois, USA 60601 Tel: +1 312 565 1234 Website: http://chicagonyeballroomblitz-redeye.eventbrite.com/ http://chicagonyeballroomblitz-redeye.eventbrite.com/ > Facebook: www.facebook.com/hyattchicago ...

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. The Semifinalist and Finalist rounds of "RedEye Rock N' Vote Competition" (the "Contest") start at 12:01 AM (CT) on Monday, April 9, 2012 and end at 11:00 PM (CT) on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 ("Contest Period"). The sponsor of this Contest is RedEye, which is located at 435 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 ("Sponsor"). The Contest shall be subject to these Official Rules, and by entering, all contestants agree to abide and be bound by the terms and conditions herein and the decisions...

Chicago homicides were down 2 percent citywide last year compared with 2010, but there were a few communities on the South and West sides that saw their homicide numbers rise, RedEye data shows. Chicago logged 440 homicides in 2011, down from 449 in 2010, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found. However, some areas - including Austin, Englewood and Woodlawn - saw an increase of 30 percent or more increase in their homicide numbers from 2010 to 2011, according to RedEye data.

Chicago on Monday reached 150 homicides for the year, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found. An 18-year-old woman was shot to death in the 5700 block of South Sangamon Street in Englewood, the Tribune reported. Chicago reached 150 homicides for the year on April 20, 2012; June 3, 2011 and May 18, 2010, according to RedEye data. Homicides are down year-to-date 33 percent versus 2012 and 8.5 percent versus 2011, RedEye determined.

Auburn Gresham saw two homicides in two days last week, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found. On May 30, a 15-year-old boy was shot to death in the 1700 block of West 85th Street, police said. One day earlier, a 36-year-old man was fatally shot in the 7500 block of South Carpenter Street, according to officials. Auburn Gresham has logged eight homicides so far this year. The South Side community area recorded 16 homicides last year, RedEye determined. Citywide, gunshot homicides were logged in the last week in Avalon...

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story called the GoLakeview app the first to highlight a specific neighborhood. There are apps for other Chicago neighborhoods available as well. RedEye apologizes for the error. Lakeview and Lakeview East Chambers of Commerce have partnered to launch GoLakeview, an app available for download through iTunes or Google Play stores. The app offers a variety of features, including a calendar of community events, news, parking information and location-based searches of area businesses.

Chicago Lawn saw a double homicide last week, Chicago's first double homicide in three months, a RedEye analysis of preliminary police data found. Two men, ages 30 and 22, were discovered fatally shot in the 7100 block of South Oakley Avenue, police said. Chicago Lawn has logged three homicides so far this year. The Southwest Side community area recorded 22 homicides last year, RedEye determined. The last double homicide was Feb. 20, when two women were shot to death in a Chatham apartment, according to police data.

Want a free vibrator?   Well, you're in luck. There's a massive (as in quantity, not size) vibrator giveaway going on this weekend.   Chicagoland pleasure-seekers can drop by the Do-Division Street Fest (on West Division Street) between 6 and 10 p.m. Saturday and nab a free Trojan vibrator, courtesy of the Trojan Vibrations Pleasure Carts. Two types of vibrators will be available while supplies last. There's the Trojan Tri-Phoria, which sells at a retail price of $39.99, and the Trojan Pulse, which goes for $29.99.

Ever feel like your life could use some drastic changes? Extreme transformation - as a way of discovering yourself - is the theme of "Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls," a quirky comedy with absurdist elements by San Diego-based playwright Naomi Iizuka. Having been born in Tokyo to a Japanese father and a Cuban-American mother and raised in Japan, Indonesia, The Netherlands and the U.S., Iizuka knows a thing or two about the fluidity of identity. The Brown Paper Box Co. founding executive director M. William Panek directs the comedy, in...

Chicago's own Kanye West took the title last year--but who should RedEye name 2011's Pop Person of the Year? We'll be unveiling the winner in RedEye in December, but until then, we're looking for readers to weigh in on who they would pick from these top five contenders. Cast your vote in our online poll, and stay tuned for some fun sneak peeks, trivia and more on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram (search: redeyechicago) and Tumblr . Or maybe you're the best choice for Pop Person of the Year?

RedEye joined Facebook in 2007 and has steadily grown its following since then--thanks to you! Last week, we hit the 15,000 "likes" mark, and we'd like to say thank you for following us throughout the years.  Meet us at the newly relaunched Rockit Burger Bar in Wrigleyville Thursday night (April 12) for a quickie, after-work get-together to celebrate our Facebook milestone. Here's the kicker: Show up, tell them RedEye sent you and get a special treat, courtesy the Rockit and RedEye crews.  Here the details--pass it on!

First, remember vaguely hearing that the brothers Hanson were debuting a beer called "Mmmhops?" Yeah, well they finally released it. I know, right? Well, we decided that Hanson isn't good enough. We want more! Below is a staff-curated list of other '90s pop beers we want to see:     No Doubt Breakfast Stout Milli Vanilla Porter Matchbox 120 minute IPA Lager than Life (Backstreet Boys) Sixpack None The Richer Third Eye Blond Tal Bock-man Beer!

Serving fries from a food truck would have been a futile effort under Chicago's former regulations. Who wants to eat a pre-packaged batch that's fried in the morning and sits under heaters all day? After an ordinance allowing on-board cooking passed last year, licensed trucks are free to cook to order. We paid a visit to two recently debuted trucks that are frying up their own signature versions. Jerk fries ($3) at Jerk Modern Jamaican Grill The backstory: Video game producer-turned-food truck operator Dion Solano's two-month-old truck is...