Something to distract you from the weather report calling for snow on Saturday:
Who Bought $1 City Lots?: The South Side Weekly visited 30 of the 276 lots sold by the city for deep discounts through its Large Lots program. The paper found mowed grass, litter removed and weeds cut back, all signs that someone was taking ownership over lots that had sat vacant for years. That's not too bad, considering some of the new owners only got their deed a couple months ago. On some lots, projects have already sprung up giving new life to the space. In Woodlawn, William Hill of the William Hill Gallery has already built a sculpture garden on the lot he bought for $1. The round-up was a necessary check-in as the city debates expanding the sale to Roseland and Pullman.
"This American Life" Turns 20, Public Radio Staffers Pick Their Favorite Stories: OK, so this isn't what reporter Mina Bloom is reading so much as what she's listening to. Beloved public radio podcast "This American Life" turned 20 years old yesterday, prompting public radio reporters and producers to compile their favorite stories, which are accompanied by some beautiful illustrations. The site's header is, "'This American Life' Episodes That Changed Our Lives."
Are College Kids Getting More Fragile? Nah: There's little evidence to support recent claims that college kids are getting too "fragile," despite the recent round of negative attention paid to trigger warnings and "social justice warriors," according to a story from New York Magazine. Some of the takeaways: There's little to no longterm data to show students' mental health has worsened, a more diverse student body means new mental health challenges have arisen and it's possible more students are resorting to mental health services offered by college because they lack access to the external counseling services other generations could use, according to the story.
Millennials, this will be a handy piece for you to have in your back pocket when your relatives tug on that tired "Your generation is the worst" thread at Thanksgiving.
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