CHICAGO — Here's what we're reading around the web today.
April Dangerous for Homeless: Like most people who use lower Wacker to commute, Senior Editor Andrew Herrmann often notices the tent cities of the homeless hunkered down there and wonders how in the world they can survive the cold months. But it's not the bone-jarring January and February temps that pose the most danger, reports the Medill News Service. In profile of a homeless couple living under Michigan Avenue, Medill quotes Dr. Jeffrey Schaider of the Cook County Health and Hospital System saying April and October are most dangerous for hypothermia.
Those months can have warm days but cold nights, he says. "You lie down on a park bench, dressed in a t-shirt. You have too much to drink and you fall asleep. It starts to drizzle; it gets down to the 40s. Your body temperature will drop pretty quickly in that situation," Schaider said.
DGainz Behind the Camera: Duane Gaines had a tough time getting to the first video shoot for Chief Keef because neither had their drivers license yet. Sam Cholke is reading the South Side Weekly profile of Gaines, or “DGainz,” who has quietly risen alongside Chief Keef and other Chicago rappers by shooting the videos that have garnered tens-of-millions of views on YouTube.
Aaron Schock's Office Has a Blank Space, Baby: Like most Illinoisans, Senior Editor Lizzie Schiffman Tufano has been following Congressman Aaron Schock's (R-Ill.) fall from grace that culminated with his resignation from office Tuesday. It's hard not to find some humor in yet another politician from our state joining the long list of leaders to leave office in the midst of a scandal, but she thinks Buzzfeed nailed the punchline with its side-by-side comparison of his saga set to Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" lyrics.
Real Estate Refresher: Social Media Director Jen Sabella is interested in buying a home or a condo in the not-so-distant future, so she's been loving Chicago Magazine's special report on "Where to Buy Now" in the city. The breakdown of median home value by neighborhood is great for a real estate rookie like Jen.
Chicago Political Reporters Disagree On TIFs: Greg Hinz of Crain’s says while some tax-increment finance dollars have been misspent, criticism of Mayor Emanuel’s use of TIF dollars has been unfair. That prompted the Reader's Ben Joravsky, noted critic of how TIF money is spent, to publish an article of his own, saying Hinz missed the point. Mina Bloom is reading both articles because two perspectives are better than one.
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