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Why We Won't Mess With The News Today (Or Any Day)

By Jen Sabella | April 1, 2015 12:20pm | Updated on April 1, 2017 9:39am
 John Campbell had a goal of raising $8,000 and ended up bringing in $51,615 from 1,073 backers on Kickstarter during a 14-day campaign in May 2012. Almost two years later, he burned the comic books he had promised his backers.
John Campbell had a goal of raising $8,000 and ended up bringing in $51,615 from 1,073 backers on Kickstarter during a 14-day campaign in May 2012. Almost two years later, he burned the comic books he had promised his backers.
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John Campbell/Kickstarter

Editor's Note: This story was originally published on April 1, 2015.

CHICAGO — It's April Fools' Day, also known as our managing editor's least favorite day of the year.

Why? "Because you should never mess with the news," he says.

And we agree.

There is already enough trickery on the Internet, and we have no desire to make it worse. Our Facebook feeds are filled with stories that have an agenda, totally fake reports and Photoshopped photos meant to fool you. The Onion does satire well. The rest of 'em? Meh.

So, we'll leave the satire to the pros. Because Chicago's real news can sometimes be more bizarre than anything we could think up anyway. Here are some stories we've done that highlight how exciting and strange the news can be — no "fools' day" required.

1. When a creepy severed deer head appeared on a North Side beach: We still don't know if this was a "True Detective"-inspired prank or some sort of ritual sacrifice. We do know it creeped out tourists (and our reporter).

2. That time an artist raised $50K on Kickstarter, then burned the books he made for his donors:  A 30-year-old Web comics artist who raised more than $50,000 on Kickstarter published a video of himself burning 127 copies of his book, "Sad Pictures for Children." He said he ran out of money to ship them. Donors were not happy.

3. When an alderman suggested installing cameras to catch people who don't pick up their dog's poop: We really hate it when people don't clean up after their pets. And so does Ald. Danny Solis (25th).

4. When a fancy mac and cheese shop announced it would open in a closed mental health clinic: This one seemed like a "Portlandia" sketch about gentrification to us.

5. When a bunch of Grateful Dead fans showed up to their weekly hippie gathering to find a bunch of Juggalos: Dead cover band Terrapin Flyer had taken the night off — and an Insane Clown Posse-inspired duo was playing instead. Confusion ensued.

6. When a guy running from cops joined the marathon: Police were able to catch up — and snag his drugs.

7. Then there's the women who uses your discarded DNA for art: Heather Dewey-Hagborg, a professor at the School of the Art Institute, has put together an art exhibit featuring images of faces of people created from items found containing their DNA.

8. When Kanye West got a doctorate: An honorary one from the School of the Art Institute, but still. Now he's on to his next goal: "There should be an award show for the Nobel Peace Prize."

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