City Cast Chicago
🍝 Is mostaccioli just a Chicago thing?
April 25, 2025 · — Emmi Mack
Happpy Friday! We got a beautiful weekend ahead of us, full of gallery parties, indie bookstore runs, and not-too-bad weather. I’ll take it. This weekend also marks the halfway point of our spring membership campaign.
We need 27 new members to join today to keep us on track toward our goal. When you join City Cast Chicago Neighbors, you’re not just getting perks like invites to members-only events and a custom mug (although, those perks are pretty sweet). You’re also supporting the kind of local journalism that helps build a better Chicago: the stories that connect us, inform us, and inspire us to engage more deeply with our city and each other.
Consider lending your support. Be a Neighbor today.
What Chicago's Talking About
New City Hall Task Forces, Alder Staff Bonuses, and Cherry Blossom Festival
Alex Nitkin from the Illinois Answers Project discusses recent news at City Hall in today’s episode of City Cast Chicago. That includes tough talks about the city’s budget and big bonuses for alder aides. Also, some good news: Chicago’s Cherry Blossom Festival takes place Saturday in Jackson Park.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton Enters Senate Race
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is the first official contender in the race to replace Sen. Dick Durbin. Stratton launched her campaign less than a day after the 80-year-old Durbin announced his retirement. Stratton hails from the South Side and has served as J.B. Pritzker’s lieutenant governor for six years. [Tribune 🔒]
Highland Park Shooter Gets 7 Life Sentences
Robert Crimo III received the maximum sentence for shooting 54 people, killing seven, during the 2022 July Fourth parade in Highland Park. He was given consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Crimo did not appear in court for the decision, nor for the previous day’s emotional witness testimonies. [USA Today]
This Week’s Must-accioli Read
I’ve never known life without mostaccioli. My family orders it baked from Martino’s on Peterson Avenue. I only recently realized while arguing with an East Coaster (as I’m wont to do) that other regions don’t indulge in the red-sauce staple. This piece of pasta journalism appeared days later, answering all my questions. And no, it’s not the same as ziti. [Block Club]
- Poochie & Pang discuss (and destroy) other classic Chicago dishes. [City Cast Chicago 🎧]
Sponsored Content
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Your Chicago News Quiz
It’s been a packed week in Chicago news, from Sen. Dick Durbin’s retirement to Chicago street fests sounding the alarm. Were you paying attention?
What To Do
Friday, April 25
- 🥞 The Annual Breakfast + Open Studios | 9 a.m. to Noon | Free | West Loop
- 🎨 EXPO Chicago | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. | $40 | Navy Pier
- 🦋 TEDxUofIChicago: "MetamorphoXis" | 5-8 p.m. | $5 | UIC
- 🎨 EXPO Chicago: Art After Hours | 5-9 p.m. | Free | Various locations near West Loop
- 📽️ “Single-Use Planet” | 5:30-9 p.m. | Free | Austin
- 🍄 Chicago Terroir: A Celebration of Mushrooms, Beer, and the Environment | 5:30-10 p.m. | $20 | West Town
- 📚 “This Is Body Grief”: Q & A and Book Signing with Jayne Mattingly | 6-7:30 p.m. | Free-$35 | Lakeview
- 🎭 “Don't Kill Me, I Want To Live” | 6-8 p.m. | $35 | Englewood
- 👗 Modern, Eco Friendly, Ready2Wear Show | 6-9 p.m. | $22+ | Water Tower Place
- 💗 HERE: in our bodies | 7-9 p.m. | $25 | The Newport Theater
- 🗽 Miss Congeniality Bar Crawl | 7-11:30 p.m. | $20 | Northalsted
- 🎭 “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” | 7:30 p.m. | $35 | Lakeview
- 🎷 Winard Harper & Jeli Posse | 8 p.m. | $30+ | South Loop
- 💃 Party With Nora Fatehi | 8 p.m. | $40+ | Fulton Market
- 🎧 Silent Dance Party | 10 p.m. | $10+ | Near South Side
- 🪩 Afro Fusion Friday | 11 p.m. | Free-$50 | Uptown
Saturday, April 26
- ♻️ Trash Bash | 9 a.m. to Noon | Free | Dan Ryan Woods-Central
- ✍️ 26th Annual Poetry Festival | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Free | Harold Washington Library
- 🐔 “Chicken Little” | 11 a.m. | $18+ | Loop
- 🎤 Explore Your Lyric | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | $5-10 | Lyric Opera of Chicago
- 🎡 Howard Street Carnival | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Free | Rogers Park
- 🎨 EXPO Chicago | 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. | $40 | Navy Pier
- 🌸 Hanami: Cherry Blossom Festival | 1-3 p.m. | Free | Jackson Park
- 🎥 Mubi Fest | 4:30 p.m. to Midnight | $10+ | Lakeview
- 🖌️ Gustavo Nazareno Artist Talk | 2-3:30 p.m. | Free | Hyde Park
- 👀 Open Studios | 2-10 p.m. | Free | Pilsen
- 👩🏾🎨 Thank God I’m Black! | 1-6 p.m. | Free | Hyde Park
- 🍹 Chicago Rum Fest | 2-7 p.m. | $20-250 | Logan Square
- 🍿 3-D Film Screening | 5-7 p.m. | Free | Streeterville
- 🖼️ Gallery Opening | 6-7 p.m. | Free | Douglass Park
- 🪚 Fast Casual at Sawhorse | 6-9 p.m. | Logan Square
- 🥡 Spring Dinner and Social | 6-10 p.m. | $15 | Albany Park
- 🎲 2025 Hide N Seek: A Night in Monte Carlo | 7 p.m. to Midnight | $125 | Navy Pier
- 🕺 Perreoland | 8 p.m. | $15+ | Portage Park
- 🎶 Marie Davidson | 9 p.m. | $22+ | Avondale
Sunday, April 27
- 👀 Open Studios | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Free | Irving Park
- 🎉 Street Fest | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Free | Lawndale
- 👠 Modern Vintage Event | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | $12 | Irving Park
- 🐮 Heffer BBQ Brunch | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Free | Bridgeport
- 🙆🏻♀️ Women Rising Wellness Festival | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | $25+ | Chatham
- 🫄 Babies & Bumps | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | $30-60 | Lombard
- 🎨 EXPO Chicago | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | $40 | Navy Pier
- 🍬 Gelatin Gummy Workshop | Noon to 2 p.m. | Free | Logan Square
- 🤗 Spring Volunteer Fair | Noon to 4 p.m. | Free | Near West Side
- 🎥 Mubi Fest Q&A | 1 p.m. | $12 | Goose Island
- ↯↯ Shir Ende: Closing Performance | 2:30 p.m. | Free | Rogers Park
- 🍾 Mexico in a Bottle | 4-7 p.m. | $75 | Bridgeport
- 📿 Trinkest Fest | 4-8 p.m. | Free | Pilsen
- 🎞️ Doc10 Film Fest Shorts | 5 p.m. | $16 | Loop
As I sign off for the weekend, I want to thank Mary R., Linda T., Katherine M., Jacobi H., Rebecca S., and Kelly J. for becoming City Cast Chicago Neighbors. We’re so grateful — and I can’t wait to see you around the Neighborhood.
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