Do you dare me to put this on the home page at Chicago Public Radio tomorrow? Great photo Anita.

Photo by Anita Lambert

If you listen to Eight Forty-Eight regularly, it’s probably pretty clear that not every conversation we air is happening in real time. On any given day, generally about half or more of the show is taped. And sometimes those conversations are so fun that we can’t wait to get them on.

Well, last week Alison taped an interview with Evanston native Beth Kimmerle. She has probably one of the yummiest jobs anyone with a sweet tooth could ask for: she’s a renowned candy expert.

We’re saving this (forgive me) “sweet” conversation on Chicago’s extensive candy history for when we bust out with our wall-to-wall Valentine’s Day coverage tomorrow. But we wanted to share this little morsel—she brought some delectable candy memorabilia from Chicago companies and showed them off in this chewy little video (okay, maybe that last candy pun doesn’t quite work!).

When big snowstorms hit cities people react in different ways. If you’re from a city that’s not prepared for snow, everything might shut down. Cars might start sliding off the roads in droves. Power lines might collapse. You might feel OK using hyperbolic terms like “Snowpocalypse” or “Snowmageddon.”

In Chicago we scoff at such fear mongering. Sure, snow causes a lot of headaches like canceled flights, flooded basements and potholes here, but for the most part IT’S NO BIG DEAL. That’s right, #snobigdeal.
Enjoy these pictures of a normal winter snow storm in a major metropolitan area.

Whether you love him or hate him, Todd Stroger has a very recognizable name. And the Stroger name has been associated Cook County government for 30+ years. Most of that time belongs to Todd Stroger’s father, John, who was involved in Chicago politics since the late 60’s, starting his career as an 8th ward committeeman.

But last night marked the impending end of the Stroger dynasty as Cook County president. Todd Stroger wasn’t expected to win last night, and the voters responded to his administration by delivering a 4th place finish in the Democratic primary.

I sent a photographer over to document the Stroger election event. David Schalliol is a freelance photographer and editor at Gapers Block. And our Education desk Intern Jennifer Lacey collected some audio from Stroger supporters at the event. Together, we have a audio slideshow…

All day, WBEZ staffers have been sharing their memories of reporter Carlos Hernandez Gomez, who lost his battle with cancer yesterday. Steve Edwards joined Alison Cuddy on Eight Forty-Eight with some of his favorite moments with Carlos. U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and former WBEZ political reporter (and Carlos’ successor) also weighed in on Carlos’ commitment to journalism, and excitement for Chicago politics. And, President Obama issued this statement earlier today:

Statement from the President on the Passing of Carlos Hernandez Gomez

 “I was saddened to hear of the passing of Carlos Hernandez Gomez.  Our paths first crossed when I was a State Senator.  He was a throwback in the style of Chicago’s storied political reporters.  He loved Chicago, and he relentlessly sought to tell its story with the commitment to truth and the insatiable curiosity that any good reporter has to have.  I quickly learned that when you saw his sharp fedora in a crowd, hard questions were coming.  But Carlos always played it straight.  And I always enjoyed our interactions in Springfield, Chicago, or on the campaign trail.  Carlos was a role model to many, and an integral part of the Chicago story he strived to tell.  My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Randi and his family.”

And, of course, you can share your thoughts on Carlos here in the comments section.

Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith answers questions at Halas Hall. He will return for another season. Someone should ask him, “has anyone ever told you that you sound just like Cleveland from the Family Guy?”

Photo by Cheryl Raye Stout

Cheryl Raye Stout took this picture as the media gets ready for the Physics lecture Bears press conference to announce the Bears coaching changes. Cheryl said Virginia McCaskey is there, but will not be speaking.

Cubs fans came into this decade with much to look forward to. They had all-star slugger Sammy Sosa coming off a home-run chase that made him a national folk hero. Their ace Kerry Wood had struck out 20 Houston Astros and the whole league feared him. In 2003, the Cubs went for broke and brought in high-priced coach Dusty Baker to bring a World Series to Chicago. The Cubs were 5 outs from that happening. Since then, Sosa is gone, Wood is gone, Prior is gone and coach Lou Pinella works with his own set of frustrations and expectations. The 2007 and 2008 Chicago Cubs went to the playoffs, only to be bounced out in the first round. Last year, the Cubs saw Milton Bradley make headlines for his attitude, not his play, and they fell well short of their goals of making the playoffs and challenging for a World Series. This franchise has seen a century inside a decade and WBEZ Sports Contributor Cheryl Raye Stout gives us a look back on the 2000-2009 seasons.

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The Chicago White Sox were the only champions among Chicago’s major franchises this decade. That’s 50 seasons, 1 championship. Does that make the White Sox the best franchise this decade? WBEZ Sports Contributor says yes. For starters, the White Sox were 93 games above .500. That made them the most winningest franchise in the Windy City. And they have Ozzie Guillen. How can you vote against Ozzie? Here is the decade breakdown on the Chicago White Sox (if we had some sort of remix rap/rock song, we’d play it now)!!!!!

The 2009 White Sox celebrate Mark Buehrle's perfect game.

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I was able to go back through the archives of the Associated Press to get a bunch of photos that bring back Chicago basketball memories. No, not memories that include last second NBA final victories, but more of the “remember this player” or “remember when this coach got fired” variety. Associated Press photography is really good at sports archives – they seem to take 30 pictures for each NBA game. So I had some music from my friend Wes Restless and I put it to “PICTURES OF BULLS.” I need a better title. Enjoy.